POV: Nyra
The night air felt heavy with the scent of trees and a sense of danger, Small branches snapped loudly as Nyra went further into the woods, with Rae following closely behind, The moon made shadows that seemed to dance like ghosts between the trees, but Nyra didn't slow down, She couldn't, not while adrenaline rushed through her body and she clearly remembered Edwin's mocking look,
Rae's voice cut through the quiet, sounding sharp and demanding, "Nyra, stop running away, Please talk to me,"
Nyra suddenly stopped near a tree with its bark torn up by wolves' claws, She took quick, shallow breaths, Rae caught up to her, breathing hard, her eyes showing confusion and anger,
"What exactly just happened back there," Rae's voice shook slightly, "Why did Edwin call you a Night Whisper, Why did his face look like he had just seen a ghost,"
Nyra hesitated, her hands shaking as she wiped blood from her knuckles, some hers, some from someone else, "Because that's what I am," she whispered, so quietly it was hard to hear,
Rae blinked, looking shocked, "What,"
"I'm a Night Whisper," Nyra stated louder, this time more clear, while looking at Rae, "That's who I am, That's what they've kept hidden from me my whole life,"
Rae took a step backwards, her mouth slightly open, but she didn't seem afraid, Just very surprised, "What does that even mean,"
"It means I wasn't just born with Alpha blood," Nyra said, pacing back and forth, her energy coming out in anxious waves, "I was born with something older, something darker, Night Whispers are unusual, people are scared of them for a reason, My mother, she knew about it, She and the other leaders kept it a secret, Even Kade didn't know, But Edwin, he always knew, He's been waiting to make use of it,"
Rae looked down, her face showing mixed feelings, "You should have told me,"
"I didn't even know," Nyra said sharply, but then softened, feeling regretful, "Not until recently, The clues didn't add up before, Why I was stronger, why I sometimes sensed things others couldn't, Why I could hear things, voices, especially when the moon was out,"
Rae crossed her arms tightly, still feeling stressed, "So what happens now, What does this mean for us,"
Nyra moved closer, taking Rae's hands in hers, "It means I'm done hiding myself, Done with letting everyone else decide things for me, Kade was in charge while I stayed in his shadow, and Edwin, he tried to use me like a game piece, But not anymore,"
She paused for a moment, "I'm going to challenge Kade to become the Alpha,"
Rae gasped quietly, "You're going to what,"
"I have every right to be in charge," Nyra stated, her voice shaky but firm, "It's my birthright, And I won't let Kade or Edwin or anyone else take that away from me just because I'm not what they expected me to be,"
"You're talking about taking over from your brother," Rae said slowly,
I mean keeping safe what is important, It's us, What we will become, No more tricks, No more hidden things, I will not let them win," Her voice almost broke, and you could hear how strongly she felt despite how hard she was trying to be strong, "I am done just being someone else in my life,"
Rae watched her, really watched her, The woman who used to stand behind leaders and in meeting rooms was now in front of her, shaking but sure, A fighter had appeared instead of just a shadow,
"You really mean it," Rae quietly said,
Nyra said yes, "Very much,"
The air moved the trees around them, but Rae didn't speak for a bit, Then, she moved closer and put her head against Nyra's head,
"I am here for you," she whispered, "Even if I don't get it all yet,"
Nyra felt like her heart was being healed, She breathed out slowly, letting herself think, just for a second, that they might still find calm through all this trouble,
Rae lifted her head, and they kissed, but it wasn't fast or soft, It was strong and giving up, a quiet promise to fight as one, to make it through whatever was coming,
When they stopped, Rae put some hair behind Nyra's ear and asked, "So, Leader, what do we do,"
Before Nyra could speak, a noise in the trees behind them broke the quiet, She quickly turned, ready to fight, She looked around in the dark, and then she saw who it was,
Other fighters from the group, At least six, Coming out of the trees like dark figures with sharp teeth, Swords shone in the light of the moon, One of them moved ahead, his mouth twisted in a mean way, "Night Whisper," he said in anger,
Rae got ready, already getting into a fighting position, Nyra's heart beat fast,
The fighters didn't wait to attack,
They ran at them,
"Go that way," Nyra shouted as she jumped at the closest one, hitting her elbow hard into his neck, Rae went to the right, hitting another hard in the face, The woods filled with growls and shouts, Swords hit each other, Blood splattered, One fighter tried to sneak up on Nyra, but she turned quickly, her eyes now shining red, Strength flowed through her body as if the plants were giving her power, Her hands moved quicker than she knew she could, each hit exact and basic,
Two fell down, Three others moved forward,
Rae stayed put next to her, facing opposite directions, moving like a skilled hunter, "There are so many," Rae said in a rough voice,
"No," Nyra replied, her voice quiet but firm, "there are plenty,"
She dug into the new power within her, the quiet tug that had started since the ritual, It covered her arms and legs like protection, filled her bones with nonstop heat,
She struck out, A fighter was sent flying across the open area, hitting a tree and collapsing,
Rae stuck her weapon into the last attacker's leg and forced him to the ground hard, Blood gathered on the leaves,
The open space became quiet, except for the heavy breathing of two winning fighters,
Nyra looked around the area, They were all down, No one would get up again,
"They won't tell others," she said while catching her breath, "No one will find out where we went,"
Rae stared at her, eyes wide open, "You were the one who did that,"
Nyra cleaned her bloody hands on the grass, "We both did,"
Together, they turned toward the denser woods ahead,
Behind them, the open area was still covered with those who had fallen,
Ahead, the shadowy wild area, waiting,
The forest grew denser with each step, and the air felt thick with wet moss and pine trees, Nyra had to push past some branches that were hanging low, and she could still hear their escape in her head, Rae stayed very close behind her, breathing lightly but steadily,
They had not said much to each other since the fight happened, The quiet was not awkward, it felt important, like they were both thinking hard, Rae was trying to understand, so Nyra let her have some space, After all the things they had gone through in just a few hours, Edwin turning on them, the truth about Nyra's abilities, and the attack in the woods, it made sense that Rae needed some time,
Nyra also felt the weight of everything pressing down on her, She had killed someone tonight, She had let the Night Whisper take over, But she did not feel scared,
That understanding alone changed everything completely,
They came across a small open area next to a stream where the moonlight barely got through, It felt like it was far away and hidden enough, at least for now, Rae went down on her knees, using her hands to scoop up water and splash it on her face, Nyra watched her, seeing how tired she looked, but also the strong spark that was still there,
After a while, Rae sat back, leaning against a tree that had fallen, "You are not the same girl I first met in training," she whispered,
Nyra smiled a little and sat down next to her, "You are not either,"
Rae turned to face her, "Back there, when your eyes glowed like that, When you fought like you were meant to do it, That was not just something you did without thinking, was it,"
Nyra shook her head slowly, "No, It was the Night Whisper,"
"Tell me everything that you know,"
Nyra paused, but Rae's eyes were steady, clear, but also wanting answers, So she started to tell her what she knew,
She talked about the dreams that had come to her months ago, strange quiet voices in her sleep that made her wake up with sweat on her neck and power in her hands, About the strength she could not explain when they were practicing fighting, About how Edwin had been watching her more carefully since the Moonfire Trial,
"He wanted to use me," she said, feeling angry, and she made her hands into tight fists, "Like a weapon, Like someone he could control to destroy Shadow Pack from the inside, He said I was born from destruction, That I belonged to something older than our rules, something the Elders are scared of,"
Rae's face became tense, "And the council let this happen without doing anything,"
"They did not know, Not all of them, anyway, My mother thought something was going on, but she kept it a secret, Kade, he was too busy trying to become Alpha to see that his sister could easily hurt warriors,"
Rae took a shaky breath, "But, how is that possible, I mean, two Alphas, That has never happened before,"
Nyra nodded slowly, "That is what scares them, The Moon Goddess is only supposed to pick one Alpha each time, But I was born when there was a Crimson Eclipse, A very rare blood moon, Some people say it brings bad luck, Others say it is, the way things should be, A balance,"
"So you are not just an Alpha," Rae said quietly, "You are something more than that,"
"I don't want to lead for authority," Nyra said quietly, "I want to keep safe the ones I care about, I want to keep you safe,"
Rae reached out for her hand and held onto it very firmly, "You already are doing that,"
They stayed like that for a while, no more talking, just the constant sound of flowing water and the soft beating of their hearts gradually going back to usual,
But Nyra knew things wouldn't stay calm for long,
They needed to keep going, The group would get back together, Edwin, if he was still alive, would keep trying to find them, And Kade, Kade would have to pick a side,
Rae finally got up, brushing her pants clean, "So what happens now, We can't just keep running away forever,"
Nyra's eyes shone a little bit in the darkness, "We will not, We go back,"
"To the Shadow Pack," Rae asked, surprised,
Nyra nodded, "They need to see how I've changed, What I've always been deep down, I'm done trying to hide,"
Rae paused, "And what about Kade,"
Nyra's face became stern, "I'm going to challenge him to a fight,"
The air between them became very quiet,
Rae looked closely at her, then nodded slightly, "Then I'll be right there with you,"
They moved once more, going through the trees with more self-assurance this time, But as they went up a slope near the edge of the Shadow Pack's western border, Rae stopped and looked back,
"I still don't get how you and Kade can both be Alphas, It doesn't seem like that should be possible,"
Nyra faced her, the moon shining in her eyes, "I don't know all the reasons yet, But whatever this is, whatever I am becoming, it was destined to happen,"
Rae watched her carefully, as if trying to understand every unspoken word Nyra had, After a second, she asked, "Do you feel any different in any way, More powerful,"
"Yes," Nyra answered truthfully, "It's like everything is clearer, Like I can hear things before they take place, like the trees are softly talking to me,"
"And what if they're correct," Rae questioned, "What if you're destined to destroy the pack,"
Nyra's jaw tightened, "Then I'll get rid of what's broken and create something better,"
They were silent again, looking out towards the horizon, Smoke was still rising faintly from where the ceremony happened earlier that night, Somewhere down there, things were falling apart, Stories, Worry,
But up here, two wolves were prepared,
"I don't care what names they give me," Nyra said finally, "Night Whisper, Monster, Alpha, I now know who I truly am,"
"And who would that be," Rae asked,
Nyra moved forward, her voice strong and steady, "I'm the girl who will get through this, and make everything different,"
They walked next to each other down the hill, heading toward the place that had once kept them trapped, and would now have to face the trouble they were about to cause,