Chapter Five:The Moon Goddess's Chosen

​Aurelia’s POV

​The royal courtyard was packed with thousands of wolves from the Northern Kingdom, and the heavy murmurs from the crowd echoed off the tall stone walls while Jax, Tristan, and Ethan guided me toward the center platform. Everyone was whispering about the rumor that had spread through the territory overnight, and the tension was so thick that I could feel the suspicious glares from the older pack members who stood near the front row.

​"This is madness, King Magnus," an old council member named Richard shouted, stepping forward from the crowd and pointing a finger at me as we reached the center of the square. "You cannot simply bring a random outcast from the southern borders and claim she is the lost royal heir based on a random mark on her skin."

​"Her mark matches the royal lineage exactly, Richard, and my sons found her right on the edge of our territory where the rogues were attacking," King Magnus replied, his deep, booming voice instantly silencing the grumbling councilors, and he placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. "Tonight is the full moon, and the pack initiation ritual will reveal the absolute truth about her wolf, so we will let the Moon Goddess make the final judgment."

​"And if her wolf is weak or nonexistent, she will be cast out just like any other trespasser," Richard countered, crossing his arms tightly over his chest while the rest of the crowd nodded in agreement, waiting eagerly for the ritual to begin.

​"Do not worry, Aurelia, just step up to the silver basin and place your hands in the sacred water," Tristan whispered softly, giving me a small, encouraging nudge toward the center of the platform where a large stone bowl filled with clear liquid sat waiting.

​I swallowed hard, my heart hammering against my ribs as I stepped forward, and I slowly lowered both of my hands into the cold water while the full moon shone brightly directly above the courtyard.

​The moment my skin broke the surface, a sudden rush of intense heat surged through my veins, and the dark birthmark on my collarbone began to burn violently, forcing a loud gasp from my throat. I braced my hands against the edge of the stone table, expecting the familiar shape of a pack crescent moon to appear on my skin, but the irregular dark patches began to shift and expand rapidly, stretching out into sharp, defined points that glowed with a brilliant white light.

​"Look at her neck," Ethan shouted, stepping back in absolute shock as the light became so bright that it illuminated the entire stage, "that is not a crescent moon at all!"

​The mark had transformed completely into a perfect, six-pointed celestial star, and before anyone could even process what was happening, a powerful explosion of silver energy burst from my body, shattering the stone basin into a hundred pieces. A deep, thunderous growl vibrated from my chest, and my bones began to snap and reshape with incredible speed, but there was no pain this time, only a massive wave of pure power as I shifted into a giant, silver-furred wolf that stood twice the size of Jax or any other Alpha in the courtyard.

​The entire crowd immediately dropped to their knees, bowing their heads in absolute terror and reverence, and even Councilman Richard fell flat on his face, trembling violently as my massive silver wolf stood tall over the platform.

​"The silver wolf has awakened," King Magnus whispered, his eyes wide with awe as he looked up at me, and he quickly gestured for the pack elder to bring out the ancient leather scrolls from the royal library. "Read the inscription, Elder Vance, read it out loud so the entire kingdom can hear what this means for our people."

​Elder Vance scrambled forward, his hands shaking so badly that he almost dropped the old parchment, and he cleared his throat loudly to address the silent crowd. "The prophecy states that when the silver wolf returns with the six-pointed star, she shall be the Moon Goddess's Chosen, and she will possess the power to either unite all werewolf kingdoms under one rule... or destroy them completely if they oppose her."

​The weight of the words hung heavily in the air, and as the intense energy finally began to recede, my body shifted back into its human form, leaving me shivering and completely exhausted on the wooden floorboards of the stage. Jax immediately rushed forward, wrapping a thick fur cloak around my shoulders and lifting me into his arms before I could collapse completely against the hard ground.

​"We need to get her to the clinic right now, she used too much energy during the awakening," Jax ordered quickly, and he carried me away from the cheering crowd, moving fast through the stone corridors until we reached the quiet royal medical room.

​Healer Marcus, the old man who had recognized my mark the night before, rushed over to the examination table and began checking my pulse, pressing his warm hands against my wrist while Tristan and Ethan watched anxiously from the doorway.

​"Is she going to be alright, healer?" Ethan asked, stepping closer to the table while I lay there, my head spinning violently from the sheer exhaustion of the transformation.

​"She is perfectly healthy, Prince Ethan, but her energy didn't just drain because of the silver wolf's awakening," the old healer said, a wide, knowing smile spreading across his face as he looked down at me with absolute delight.

​"What do you mean by that?" I asked weakly, trying to sit up, but the healer gently pressed me back down onto the soft pillows.

​"Congratulations, Princess," the healer whispered softly, patting my hand, "the test revealed that you are carrying four incredibly strong alpha pups.”