Night came swiftly and Aurora remained locked in her own room. She didn't let anyone in, not even Penelope who wanted to have dinner with her. She wanted to be alone. She was just too upset at Henry. If he wasn't hiding something, why did he flair up that way? Why did he threaten to kill Matilda? She knew he was ruthless, as an Alpha King should be, but it didn't justify his actions. She fell asleep that night with a frown on her face. And that was the night she had the first dream. ... She opened her eyes and discovered she wasn't in the room. She was in the forest, lying on a bed of wet grass. She slowly got up, brushing the wet tendrils of hair from her cheek. A surprised gasp escaped her when she looked down. She was dressed in a sparkly white dress, with a long train that flowed behind her. It wasn't until she looked around her that she noticed she wasn't in the forest of Ashidore.This forest was different. It looked magical and surreal. Millions of tiny fireflies flittere
While Aurora still pondered over the strangeness of Henry leaving every full moon, Matilda returned holding a breakfast tray and a little brown envelope. "Miss Penelope asked of you." She said as she set the tray down. Aurora suddenly felt bad for pushing Penelope away the previous night. She had just been too upset to talk to anyone. "I was really unkind to her last night." She lamented. "Please tell her to come up to the library later to meet me.""Sure I will." Matilda said. She handed the envelope to Aurora and clasp her hands behind her. "And Rose, I know it's not my place to say this but..."Aurora looked up, wondering why she stopped. "But what?" She asked. "Go on. Say it.""Don't be mad at the Alpha." Matilda said. "I know he must have made you upset, and I wouldn't be saying this because it's none of my business, but you're my friend and you've been so nice to me."Aurora dropped the envelope and walked over to Matilda. "You've been nice to me too, Matilda. You're the onl
The day went extremely well for Aurora. Henry's heartfelt note had brightened up her day and lightened her mood. After apologizing to Penelope for ignoring her the previous day, she explained her reason for doing so. After a while, the two girls laughed as they teased each other. "Okay wait, I have to tell you something." Penelope said, wiping tears of mirth away from her eyes. "What is it?"Penelope smiled shyly and looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "Promise not to scream." She said softly. "I promise. Come on, tell me. The suspense is killing." Aurora pleaded. "Well, I haven't told Tyler yet, because he left with Alpha Henry. And I found out this morning." Penelope began. "But I can't keep it to myself anymore. I have to tell you.""Penny." Aurora groaned impatiently. Penelope laughed. "Alright, alright. I'll tell you. I'm pregnant."Aurora's eyes popped out and her jaw dropped. "What?" She shrieked. "Ssshhhh!" Penelope clamped her hand over Aurora's mouth
The roar sounded too close to be from somewhere faraway. Fully awake, Aurora threw off the covers and got out of the bed. There were just too many strange things happening in the castle. And with the dream she just had, it was time to find out. The air was extremely chilly so she grabbed her robe and threw it on, belting it around her waist. She grabbed a lit lantern and stepped out of the room. It was eeriely quiet and the only sound was from the large clock in the hallway. The sound of drizzling rain reached her ears followed by an occasional rumble of thunder.The woman in her dream had led her towards a hidden section on the ground floor. Aurora didn't know if it would be the same thing as it was in the dream, but she was going to find out. She quietly descended the stairs, using the lantern to light her way. She almost screamed out when she saw a large moving shadow in the dining hall, but she managed to shut her mouth when she realized it was just the light flickering, makin
Aurora had trouble sleeping all through the night. Each time she closed her eyes, she saw the strange woman. And whenever she got lucky and slept off, her dreams were plagued with images of the monster chained to the wall. Fortunately, a dreamless sleep finally took her just before the sun brightened up the sky. When Henry finally returned on the fourth day, she raced down the stairs and threw herself into his arms. Henry was quick to catch her. He held her close, nuzzling the curve of her neck and breathing in her scent. To say he missed her was an understatement. Especially when he left without telling her. "I missed you so much Henry." She whispered. "I missed you much more my love." He replied. He pulled her away and cupped her face. "Did you get my letter?"Aurora beamed, nodding happily. Then she pouted. "Why do you have to go away for three days? Is it something serious?""You don't have to worry about it." Henry told her. "It's just Alpha matters.""I have so much to tell
In the cave of Tamerin, Shota stood before a large pool of water. Her eyes were closed and she waved her hands over the still water, muttering in a strange language. The cave was built like a dome. It was surrounded by tall trees that disappeared into the clouds. It was serene and peaceful, the only sound coming from a trickling river by the side. The wind howled softly, making the trees whisper. There was a young maiden with Shota, holding a wooden gourd. Her appearance was strikingly similar to the high priestess. Shota ceased her muttering and slowly turned around to face the young girl. "Nimueh, the gourd." She said softly. The girl named Nimueh gently placed the gourd on Shota's outstretched arm and stepped back again. Shota turned back to the pool of water and lifted her hands. As the liquid from the gourd flowed into the pool, she began her chant. The pool glowed, a bright sapphire illuminating the entire cave. The wind picked up and dried leaves rustled past her feet as
Shota stood beside Nimueh inside the cave, watching the pool of water with intense concentration. After a while, a blurry image appeared on the surface of the water. Nimueh then waved her hands over the still water and the blurriness disappeared. A clear image of the castle appeared and Shota moved closer, gripping the edge of the pool. "Shota, isn't this invading Alpha Henry's privacy?" Nimueh asked worriedly. "I have no intention of spying on him." Shota replied. "I just want to try something. If it works, I'll have some answers concerning Aurora's strange powers. You don't have to worry, Nimueh. No one would see the butterfly. Henry can only sense it, he can't see it."Nimueh still felt like they were committing a crime by spying on Aurora but she ceased her complains and focused on the water. As the translucent butterfly flittered into the castle, it headed straight for Aurora until it found her on the bed. She was sleeping. "She's asleep." Nimueh stated. "I doubt anything
The explosion from the pool had knocked Shota and Nimueh backwards. They lay a few meters away, unconscious. After a while, Shota groaned and raised her head weakly. Her eyes widened when she saw the water from the pool overflowing, and she rushed to her feet. "Nimueh! Nimueh wake up!" She said, urgently shaking the young priestess.Nimueh groaned and opened her eyes. She saw Shota standing above her, her face a mask of panic. "What happened?" She asked hoarsely. "The sacred pool." Shota said. "It's overflowing. I need you to stop it."Nimueh climbed to her feet and she stood in shock watching the water from the pool flow out into the cave. "This has never happened." Nimueh said, rushing forward. "Shota I told you this was a bad idea, but you wouldn't listen to me."She plunged her hands into the flowing water and began to chant in an ancient language. The water turned blue as Nimueh's voice increased. Slowly but steadily, it flowed back until every last drop disappeared from the
Two Years Later... On the roof of the castle, Henry and Aurora lay cuddled in a warm blanket, staring at the full moon in the sky. The air was cool and the sky was alive with thousands of shimmering stars. Aurora lay on her side, with Henry spooning her. His hand lay curved on her large belly and he slowly caressed her baby bump, occasionally dropping kisses on her cheek. "Tyler is going to be a big brother soon." She whispered, placing her hand over Henry's. "He's going to be the best big brother." Henry replied. He leaned down and nuzzled her neck, breathing in her sweet scent. "You've been the best mother to him.""I promised Penelope I would take care of her child." Aurora said with a smile. "And I intend to keep that promise. I know I'll tell him the truth about his birth parents someday, but for now, he's mine.""Ours." Henry said, gently turning her around to face him. "He's ours.""Yes. Ours." Aurora smiled and her eyes closed as they shared a passionate kiss. A lot of ye
Many months later, the realm was back to normal. Shifters returned to Ashidore and everyone went back to their normal way of life. Ashidore was built again and it prospered more than before. The dead was buried and mourned and the injured received healing. But they would never forget the last war with the dragons. They would never forget the innocent souls that died that day. They would never forget how their Alpha sacrificed himself to save his mate and destroy the dragons. Aurora had been crowned Supreme Luna of Ashidore and she ruled the kingdom just as Henry would have wanted her to. But she knew her life would never go back to normal without him. It took her a whole year to move on and accept his death. She built a tomb and did a proper funeral for Tyler, Penelope, Henry, Shota and Nimueh, and every other shifter they lost. Most nights, she stayed beside Henry's grave, crying and wishing to the heavens that he would be brought back to her. She was a strict and just Luna, and
When Aurora arrived at the designated spot, she met a horrific scene. The entire forest was covered in flames. The bushes, tall trees and grasses were all burning brightly. Thick smoke coiled up into the dark sky and the heat was blistering hot. The entire lycans were scattered all around, bloody, burned and unconscious. The dragons continued their terror, wrecking havoc everywhere. Aurora's eyes darted around, searching for Henry. She found him lying a few meters away from her, surrounded by fire. "Henry!" She screamed, rushing over to where he lay. She didn't dare try to extinguish the flames because the last time she did, it affected her. Grabbing his arms, she dragged him away, over to a dry patch of grass. Then she knelt beside him and placed her head on his chest. She could feel his faint heartbeat meaning he was still alive, but barely. There were terrible bloody burns on the side of his face and chest, and unless he gained consciousness, he wouldn't be able to heal. "He
"Let me go Cade." Aurora cried, trying to dislodge herself from Cade's grip. The baby had woken up from the sound of her screams and was crying loudly, but all Aurora could think of was going back to help Henry. Without her, he and the other lycans were doomed. "Cade please..." She begged. [Forgive me Luna. I cannot disobey the Alpha's orders] Cade replied without stopping. "You don't understand." Aurora protested. "Henry is in danger. They are all in danger. Fighting against the dragon creatures is futile."[The Alpha knows this, which is why he wants you out of harm's way before he faces the creatures]Aurora felt like screaming out. He wasn't listening to her. "Cade I am your Luna! And it is only right that you listen to me! Put me down this instant. Now!"Cade tried to resist the order, but just as Henry used his Alpha voice on him, so did Aurora. He couldn't disobey the authority in her voice. He slowed down and gently lowered her to the ground before shifting back to his h
A few minutes later, Henry and Aurora met with Krino and the entire lycan warriors. The other shifters had been shared into three large groups and dispatched to different packs. They were instructed to inform the members of the different packs to build bunkers and hide away until the war with the dragons ended. All that was left were the lycans and a few shifters who stayed back to fight beside their Alpha. When Henry and Aurora arrived holding the baby, Krino and Cade noticed immediately that Penelope was not with them. "Where's Miss Penelope?" Cade asked. The other lycans then noticed that their late beta's mate was missing. Aurora didn't respond and just started crying softly. It was Henry who took a deep breath and told them how Penelope had passed away after birthing her son. The news hit them hard and a few looked away so the tears in their eyes wouldn't be seen. How many more would they lost? How many more would die just because two shifters were evil enough to set the d
Aurora jerked awake from sleep with her mother's name on her lips. It was daylight already. Henry was up, standing a few meters away from her, holding the baby. She watched him for a while as he stared down at the sleeping infant. She couldn't read his mind, but with the look on his face, she knew he was thinking about his beta. When Tyler died, Henry had felt the pain of loosing his beta and best friend. Though he didn't shed a single tear, she knew Tyler's death affected him immensely. She knew he was greatly hurt. Yet what was coming was even greater than Tyler's death, and she doubted if he would be able to bear it. The dream she had of her mother played back in her mind and she heard Kahlan's voice echo in her ears– 'Aurora the core of your magic lies in your soul, and that is the only thing powerful enough to destroy the dragons. You must use it.'She remembered the shock she felt when she realized what her mother meant. To destroy the dragons, she would have to sacrifice
No! Aurora screamed the words within her, but her face remained frozen in shock. She could hear the cries of the baby at the back of her mind, loud and persistent, but all her focus was on Penelope's face. The entire word faded, the sound of the wind and the rustle of the trees. Everything went still as she stared at her friend. For a short moment, she thought Penelope would blink and stretch out her hands for her baby. She waited, hoping and praying. But as each second passed, Penelope's body turned completely pale and stiff, and her eyes turned glassy. Only then did Aurora move. She lifted a hand and placed it on Penelope's cheek, tracing the dried streak of blood. "Penny." She whispered. Tears spilled down her eyes silently as the thought registered within her. Penelope was dead. Her best friend was dead. She hadn't been able to prevent her vision from coming to pass. "I'm so sorry Penny" She sobbed, softly pulling down Penelope's eyelids so her eyes were closed. "I'm sorry I
"PENNY!" Aurora screamed, rushing towards to the hole. All she could see was darkness, but she could hear Penelope's soft groans. "Penny can you hear me? Are you okay?" She asked repeatedly, waiting for an answer. After what seemed like an eternity, Penelope responded. "Aurora." She called out in shaky voice. "I'm right here Penny. Are you alright?""No. I... I think my water broke. And I think I might be bleeding too.""Just hold on. I'm going to get you out." Aurora said, hearing her friend cry softly. The castle was slowly crumbling as the flames consumed it entirely. She knew in a matter of seconds, the large building would collapse. She was at a loss of what to do. Calling to Henry for help was impossible because he wouldn't be able to go through the flames. And her strength was slowly diminishing. Her nose continued to bleed and she was beginning to feel dizzy with loss of blood and all the smoke around. "Moon goddess." She whispered in tears. "Please help us out of here
"HELP!" Penelope screamed out. She was curled into a tight ball at the edge of her room. Half of the room was destroyed by the flames and the fire kept advancing towards her. "HELP ME! PLEASE!" Her screams were drowned out by the roar of the flames as it licked up the entire room. The curtains and bed burned brightly, and the walls were slowly falling away. Seeing that there was no way out, she stopped crying out for help and just sobbed quietly. As she waited for death to take her, her mind went over everything that had happened minutes earlier. She assumed Aurora and Henry, along with all the other lycans had perished in the fire and all that was left was her. Hours ago when she first heard the roars and trembles, she made no move to find out what was happening. She had been too weak in the spirit, too tired, after the death of Tyler. All her energy was gone, her zeal for living too. But then her hand brushed her belly and she realized she had a reason to live. She was going t