6| The Howling

CEDAR BLAKE

“Cedar, wake the fuck up!” My wolf howled inside me, awakening.

The voice sliced through the heavy blur in my head like a knife. I wanted to listen. My mind was awake now, sharp and clear. My heart didn’t resist, and my body wanted to move, but it wouldn’t. The harder I tried, the weaker I became, like I was sinking into deep mud with every small movement.

“Stop trying to move,” a sharp voice said. “The more you fight it, the weaker you'll get!”

I knew that voice. Smooth and poisonous. It belonged to the man with the silver tongue, the man who had just betrayed me, and drugged my drink. The same man who had played the role of my savior, only to tighten the chains he claimed to break. Dominus. Only the Moon Goddess knows what plan he’s working on now.

I’d trusted him, even entertained the thought that maybe he truly wanted me as his Luna. But it all changed the moment I found out he’d rejected his fated mate. And for what? Power? Some ancient prophecy? Whatever it was, it wasn’t love.

“Take her to the hill, Cena. It’s time,” I heard Dominus command. His voice rang with triumph, as if he’d already won.

Rough hands slid under me and lifted me off the floor. I was weightless in someone’s grip, my limbs limp and useless. Sharp prickles stabbed at my skull like a hundred tiny needles, but my mind… it was clear. My thoughts weren’t gone, they were just trapped inside this useless body. A low growl rumbled in my throat, faint and weak, but it was there. Only I could hear it. My wolf had awakened.

Charlene.

The first rush of cool night air hit me hard. Then warmth. Then confinement again… a car. I felt the sway of the ride, but my eyes refused to stay open. I stopped trying after a few failed attempts. I needed to listen to my body, understand the rhythm of my wolf. I couldn’t break free from Dominus until I knew how to move with her, not against her.

But before escape, I needed answers. Why is he doing this now, on the full moon? Why did he want to make me his Luna so badly? And what was the price?

What could a man like Dominus Maruto possibly want from a nobody like me, a servant girl, a wolfless orphan turned Omega who cooked and cleaned like an invisible ghost in the pack? 

The ride wasn’t long. We stopped, and I felt myself being lifted out of the car again. Cena's breathing was uneven, and he stumbled as he carried me, the path was rough, likely uphill. Maybe this was the hill Dominus had mentioned earlier.

“Open your eyes, Cedar!” my wolf snapped at me.

Her voice echoed in my head, urgent and commanding, more like a scolding than encouragement.

Easy for you to say, I thought bitterly. I could barely feel my legs, let alone open my eyes or move my mouth properly.

“Place her there. Bring the cuffs and chains. I’m not taking any chances,” Dominus’s voice returned, firm and cold.

Cold metal touched my skin. I was being chained to something, a slab or a platform. It was hard and icy against my back. The sound of chains clinking together, keys turning, metal scraping… it all rang loud in my ears.

“She looks half-dead,” Cena muttered. “She can’t even shift. Are those things really necessary? You might kill her before you get what you want.”

“This is the full moon, Cena,” Dominus replied, securing the chains tighter. “Just because she hasn’t shifted before doesn’t mean she won’t now. Anything can happen tonight. She’s powerful, more than she knows, and I won’t risk her turning mid-ritual.”

“Fine. Do what you have to, Dominus. Just be quick.” Cena’s voice was filled with reluctance. I could hear him step away, his footsteps growing fainter.

“Wait in the car,” Dominus ordered. “You’ll see. I’m right about her.”

“Cedar, come on!” my wolf cried out again, louder this time.

“I’m trying, Charlene,” I whispered, my lips barely moving.

That name, it slipped out without warning. Charlene. It was the name of my mother, long gone, executed with her mate for treason. But now, it belonged to my wolf. The same wolf who had gone silent for so long had finally come back to me. And she had a name.

Charlene.

Suddenly, Dominus began chanting in a tongue I didn’t recognize. “Helucina Gratia Fatia Jigakon Fatia Gratia Fatia Gratis…”

He repeated the words like a spell, over and over, his voice low and rhythmic.

Something about those words pierced through the fog in my head. My body, sensing the danger, reacted. I pushed every bit of strength I had into obeying the only command that mattered: Move.

My body jerked up. My eyes snapped open like they’d never been closed. The cold vanished, replaced by burning heat spreading through my limbs.

“What the…!” Dominus choked on the words, stunned.

Our eyes locked. Shock was written all over his face… disbelief, confusion, even a hint of fear.

The chains shattered. One by one, they broke like dry twigs under a boot. The cuffs snapped open and clattered to the ground. I was free.

Then it began.

My bones cracked. My spine arched. Pain and power collided inside me. Dominus faded into a blur as my eyes turned skyward, drawn to the full moon.

A deep, primal growl surged from my throat. My clothes tore and scattered like leaves in the wind. The transformation was pure agony and raw ecstasy, my skin tearing to make way for fur, my fingers stretching into claws, my soul merging with Charlene.

I had shifted.

For the first time in my life, I was no longer a broken Omega. No longer wolfless. I was whole.

“You did it, Cedar. I’m so proud of us,” Charlene whispered inside me.

“Yes… we did it, Charlene,” I whispered back.

I turned to look at Dominus one last time. He stood frozen, a shadow of himself, eyes wide with disbelief as he looked at me. He hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t planned for it.

Without wasting another second, I turned and leapt toward the forest path, the moonlight guiding me. Other wolves howled in the distance, a glorious chorus calling me home.

But just as I was about to disappear into the trees, a figure stepped in front of me.

I skidded to a stop, snarling.

Icarus.

He stood there, scowling like the world had offended him.

I shifted back immediately, instinctively, as did he. My hands flew over my bare body, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. The moon was high and bright, I could see him clearly, and I knew he could see me.

His eyes swept over me, not with lust or curiosity, but with disgust.

What the hell is he doing here? Probably roaming the woods since it's the full moon and wolves hunt in the mountains, but do we have to cross paths today of all days?

Why him?

Why now?

Had I not suffered enough? First Dominus’s betrayal after I had believed he saved me, now this? Could the Moon Goddess truly hate me this much?

What does the Zeta of Crystal Moon Pack want with me?

I didn’t even have time to process my shifting. My powers. My wolf. The full moon’s pull. And now this man appears like a punishment?

He didn’t blink. He didn’t hesitate. His voice was clipped, cold and commanding as always.

“The Council demands your presence, Cedar. You must come with me. Now.”