As morning breaks, Lylah awakens in Thane's arms, but their bliss is short-lived. With her parents soon to discover her absence, Lylah must flee, leaving Thane behind. But before she goes, Thane makes a promise: he'll come for her, and they'll escape together. Can Lylah hold on to hope as she returns home to face her parents' suspicions? And will Thane be able to keep his promise, or will the dangers of their world tear them apart?
The days after Thane's promise to Lylah, and her expectation of his return saw her in very high spirits. She went about her duties happily, readily availed herself whenever Cormac called in to meet with her, and went along with the wedding preparations as though it was the most important thing for her in the world. Her father was most impressed with this new development. "Now there's my girl!" He hailed her, "This is how happy you should be, you will make the best match of the century!" He went around telling anyone who cared to listen what a proud father he was, and spared no expense in her wedding attires and other neccesities. Lylah was happy that she had everyone fooled, and counted the days patiently until Thane would come for her.A week to the wedding saw her in Shay's house. She had come late in the afternoon, without prior information. Despite her excitement which was reaching its peak, as she expecting Thane anytime soon, she was deeply troubled by one singular event. Her
RAVENHURST CLANLylah gazed intently at the two figures standing in the centre of the pack as they exchanged their marriage vows. Akira and Zarek looked so happy and so much in love. Soon she would be required to say the vows as well and bond forever with Cormac, but the thought of that made her sad rather than happy.“Why so glum, Lylah?” Kaida asked, rousing her from her thoughts.Lylah turned to her friend, seated beside her on the low bench. Kaida’s eyes were twinkling under the full moon, and the colour of her flushed cheeks almost matched the redness of her hair.“She’s imagining how her own wedding day will be.” Odessa chimed in from Lylah’s other side.Lylah's voice turned pensive. "You tend to assume too much, Odessa. It would interest you to know that unlike you, I don't engage myself in petty imaginations all day." Odessa didn't appear ruffled by Lylah's remarks, instead, she pressed on. “Well, whether you're actually imagining it or not, one thing is certain: your own wed
The cheers from the ceremony continued behind Lylah, fading into the distance as she strode angrily towards Cormac. His silhouette stood tall and authoritative under the giant tree, his hands in his pocket. Lylah hated that view. She didn’t ask for this. She didn’t ask to be promised as bride to the Alpha’s son, her heart was already with someone else, someone very far away, who probably thought of her every day, just as she did of him. But her parents had already made the arrangements, and she had no choice but to go along obediently with it.Cormac began speaking as soon as she reached him, without looking at her.“I’m going for a run tonight, I want you to join me.”“This night?” Lylah asked, bewildered.“You heard me.”She contemplated for a moment before speaking again.“But you know this night is reserved for the new moonbound mates. Other wolves aren’t supposed to be running on this designated night of the full moon vow.”“It won’t matter.” Cormac said, his long brown hair dang
The sun was almost high in the sky when Lylah got home. She went straight to her room and locked the door behind her, not bothering to wash off the mud stains on her arms and feet or speak to anyone.She took off her clothes and regarded herself in the mirror. The beauty that she was stared back at her. Her rich, black hair fell in curls around her shoulder, framing her face warmly.She picked out a few leaf particles from her hair and stared at them, memories of her run with Cormac flooding through her mind. The experience had defied her expectations; Cormac’s demeanour had been surprisingly gentle, stopping to let her catch her breath and inquiring about her well-being. His actions contradicted the cold, harsh attitude he’d displayed during the wedding.Lylah’s conviction grew – Cormac must have been deceiving her earlier. Before their parents arranged the match, four other suitors had openly declared their intentions. She knew many men desired her, so Cormac’s behaviour seemed susp
The atmosphere in the room was heavily tensed, with the weight of Lylah’s last words hanging like a challenge. Shay's unblinking stare and the horrified look on her face were all silent urges for Lylah to explain what she had just said. At last Lylah shrugged, and began."You know that eight years ago, my father, for whatever reasons he alone knew, gathered some members of the clan and led a revolt against the Alpha. I don't know all the details - my family rarely speaks of it - but I do know that my father failed, and even though reparations were made and he asked the Alpha's forgiveness, things have never been the same with them."Shay looked bewildered. "So what has that got to do with anything?" “It's simple." Lylah answered. "My father feels the need to find his way back into Alpha Asher’s trust - they were best friends before all these, you know - and he believes that marrying me off to Cormac would cement that trust.”The realization hit Shay like a thunderbolt. She looked up
LUNARVILLE CLANThe wail of women filled the air as Thane walked alongside his brother, Alpha Ryker, through the stretch of ravaged farms destroyed and burnt during the night by Villapaw, their long-standing rival clan. The once thriving fields now lay in charred ruins, a blackened expanse of devastation.The wheat, barley, potatoes and carrots had been reduced to ashes and stubble, stretched out like a vast, dark grave. The few trees that hadn’t completely burned down stood like skeletal sentinels, their trunks scorched, and their barks cracked and peeled. The early morning air lay heavy with smoke and singed earth.Thane and Ryker walked on, placing their feet delicately on the dusty soil, cracked and fissured from the intense heat, as if they feared that their weight would shatter the already fragile, heat-ravaged soil.Their faces were sullen and grim, yet composed, a facade they maintained in the presence of the distraught women following them, crying out and loudly exclaiming th
"During the last moon, when I was out on my last adventure, I met with someone." Thane was standing close to his brother, speaking in a hushed but respectful tone. He was striving to sound as sincere as he could, hoping to dispel any suspicions that might have begun brewing in his brother's mind. Alpha Ryker's eyed narrowed. "With whom did you meet?" Thane hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Please understand, my Alpha, I won't be able to give out his name." Alpha Ryker’s gaze turned piercing. "In other words, a spy?""'Our' spy, my Alpha. I know that you don't approve of having spies in other clans, but the information we gather can be invaluable, especially in times like these." Alpha Ryker eyed him stolidly before speaking again. "And what did your 'spy' have to say?""He wasn't sure at the moment," Thane ventured, "but he believes there is a conspiracy that the Alpha of Villapaw is brewing with his Council. They want to expand, but they don't have the numbers or the res
The journey to the Lunar Sanctum – Priestess Aria’s abode – was marked by an uncomfortable silence. As they ventured into the Heartwood forest, Thane couldn’t help but notice the weight of concern etched on his brother’s face. The unexpected visit from the Priestess’s messenger had left them with more questions than answers.This was the first time in eight years that Priestess Aria had directly summoned the Alpha. In fact since his brother became Alpha, the High Priestess has never summoned him directly before. Her messages were always relayed through Zular, and if a summon was necessary, a member of the Lunar Council or Thane would represent the Alpha.But now there is a prophecy, which, to Thane, seemed to do more with a child being born than with providing a solution to their current crisis. Yet the Priestess’s messenger had insisted that it was related. Could that be why the Alpha himself was summoned? What secrets lay hidden within the prophecy that demanded the Alpha’s personal
The days after Thane's promise to Lylah, and her expectation of his return saw her in very high spirits. She went about her duties happily, readily availed herself whenever Cormac called in to meet with her, and went along with the wedding preparations as though it was the most important thing for her in the world. Her father was most impressed with this new development. "Now there's my girl!" He hailed her, "This is how happy you should be, you will make the best match of the century!" He went around telling anyone who cared to listen what a proud father he was, and spared no expense in her wedding attires and other neccesities. Lylah was happy that she had everyone fooled, and counted the days patiently until Thane would come for her.A week to the wedding saw her in Shay's house. She had come late in the afternoon, without prior information. Despite her excitement which was reaching its peak, as she expecting Thane anytime soon, she was deeply troubled by one singular event. Her
Lylah woke with a start, her mind foggy from sleep. She looked around the unfamiliar room, where was she, and how did she get here?Thane stirred beside her, and as her gaze fell on him, memories of the previous night came flooding back to her mind - the tears, the kisses, the lovemaking, the promises... The first light of dawn was already creeping into the room, and with it came the weight of reality. Lylah’s heart raced. How could she oversleep this much? And most importantly, how was she to find a way back home before her absence was discovered? "Is it morning already?" Thane's groggy voice came from beside her."Yes," Lylah replied, throwing off the covers. "And I need to get going, my parents are going to discover my absence soon." She started putting her clothes on. Thane sat up, wide awake now, his eyes filled with a mix of sadness and reluctance. "I'll come for you, Lylah," he promised, his voice low and urgent."Don't make promises you can't keep." Lylah said as she pulled
The midnight breeze carried a chill that seeped into Lylah's skin as she made her way to the Gannar Inn. She had chosen the longer, more concealed route to avoid detection, even though the village was asleep. The risk of being seen on the shorter route, with its wide, open terrain, was too great. She wouldn't make the journey through the bush in her wolf form either, as her mother had the uncanny ability of sensing her whenever she turned into her wolf form on nights other than the full moon. Earlier she had pretended to go straight to bed and had locked her door loudly behind her. But no sooner than her parents gone to sleep had she slipped out of bed, her bare feet making barely a sound on the cold stone floor. She tied up her full hair behind her head and wore a wig. Next she brought out a very old dress at the bottom of her drawer and put it on, and, having convinced herself as she stood before the mirror that she looked nothing like Lylah Vale, she'd slipped out of the house. T
Lylah stood transfixed, staring at Thane. Time seemed to stand still, and everything else melted away into the ground. All that remained was Thane's handsome face, with his soulful blue eyes, plump lips and determined expression which seemed to call out to her. She wanted to run into his arms, to hug him tight and never let go, to pour out all her worries to him, and run away with him forever. But standing there in her resplendent gown, surrounded by guests, she couldn't react. She couldn't even breathe without drawing attention to herself. So she stood frozen, her heart pounding in her chest. Thane seemed to read her anguish, because he finally allowed Shay to guide him out of the hall. Lylah wanted to run after them, but just then, she felt a gentle touch on her arm. She turned to face her mother. "Come, my dear," Lady Clarina urged, "go stand at the podium with Cormac." Lylah had almost forgotten that Cormac existed. In fact, she had almost forgotten that the event happening i
The grand Hall was abuzz with esteemed guests from the clan, all gathered all gathered to witness the formal betrothal of Lylah, Lord Girad's daughter, to Cormac, the Alpha’s son. Although it was merely a formal betrothal ceremony, the hall was packed full with eager, excited high lords and chiefs. Lylah sat on a carved wooden chair, her gaze fixed determinedly on the floor, avoiding eye contact with Cormac, who sat opposite her. The Alpha and his Luna, Cormac's parents, stood supportively behind him, while her own parents stood behind her as well; her mother beaming with pride, and her father looking on with a very high sense of satisfaction. Councillor Gallen, the moderator delegated by the Lunar Council, stepped forward to formally begin the event. The hum of conversation in the Great hall faded as he began to speak, looking most solemn, in his blue, ornamented robe - one which the elders wore only on very special occasions. "Our gathering here today is marks a significant occas
RAVENHURST CLANLylah sat in the Hearth Room of her family house, surrounded by the opulent furnishings and the weight of her parents' expectations. Her father, Lord Girad, leaned forward in his chair, his eyes blazing with a mixture of disappointment and determination."Tell your mother of the secret, treacherous discussion you were having with your friend earlier." He commanded. Lylah stayed silent, her gaze fixed on the floor. Shay had excused herself and left shortly after her father burst in on their discussion, but for her, there was no escape. She eas trapped - forced to sit tight and be subject to her parents' judgement. "Why aren't you speaking?" Her father thundered, his patience wearing thin. "You can't bring yourself to repeat the treachery you were plotting?"Lylah smiled sadly. Treachery, Indeed. Her father always had his ways of exaggerating her wrongs, but to call her private conversation with Shay - the only one that listens to her without judgement - treachery, see
Thane’s gaze lingered on the spot where Zular had vanished, leaving them in an awkward limbo. Given the tone of urgency in which Zular had conveyed the summons to them, he found it odd that the High Priestess would make them wait. However within this ethereal presence, obviously the High Priestess can do no wrong, and it would be well within her rights to take her time.Alpha Ryker sat beside him, rigid as a statue, his unease concrete. Thane sensed the same tension emanating from their companions. The young Lunar Council representative, fidgety and restless, paced the length of the antechamber, his footsteps echoing off the walls. “This is ridiculous,” he muttered under his breath. “We’re not here to sightsee.”Even the wardens, normally stoic and focused, looked bewildered, their eyes wide with wonder. Thane smiled wryly, remembering his own first visit to the Sanctum. The place had a way of mesmerizing even the most hardened individuals.As they waited, a soft snore broke the silen
Thane set about his task dutifully, with deliberate slowness, his movements precise and calculated. He began by plucking strands of hair from each member of the group and placing them in his right palm where they lay like a small, dark nest. Next, he dropped to his knees, his eyes closed as he breathed in the scent of the forest floor. He raised his hands to the sky, all the while muttering "The accessible way" over and over, to the astonishment of his bewildered audience. Then he started moving his hands, weaving an intricate pattern in the air, and then suddenly his hands stopped, his palms opened, and the hairs all flew to one direction, landing on one of the paths. "The first path to the right." He announced. "That's the one." The group breathed a collective sigh of relief, and Alpha Ryker nodded curtly. "Let's move," he said, his voice low and urgent. “We should rest for a few minutes” Thane whispered, his voice barely audible over the rustling of leaves beneath their feet,
The journey to the Lunar Sanctum – Priestess Aria’s abode – was marked by an uncomfortable silence. As they ventured into the Heartwood forest, Thane couldn’t help but notice the weight of concern etched on his brother’s face. The unexpected visit from the Priestess’s messenger had left them with more questions than answers.This was the first time in eight years that Priestess Aria had directly summoned the Alpha. In fact since his brother became Alpha, the High Priestess has never summoned him directly before. Her messages were always relayed through Zular, and if a summon was necessary, a member of the Lunar Council or Thane would represent the Alpha.But now there is a prophecy, which, to Thane, seemed to do more with a child being born than with providing a solution to their current crisis. Yet the Priestess’s messenger had insisted that it was related. Could that be why the Alpha himself was summoned? What secrets lay hidden within the prophecy that demanded the Alpha’s personal