Chapter 4

Crystal's POV

Something stirred in the darkness, a pulse, a whisper, the faintest spark of magic. My wolf growled from deep inside me, refusing to fade, refusing to give up.

A voice came, soft but powerful, moving through the darkness. “Crystal; child of wolf and witch; the prophecy calls you; rise.”

Light flared inside me, golden and silver, filling every corner of my body. Pain turned into fire, fear into strength, and darkness became a place of rebirth.

And then she appeared. The Moon Goddess, Luna Celine, glowing with silver light, her eyes calm and endless. I fell to my knees in awe and fear burning together in my chest.

“Who, who are you?” I whispered, voice trembling. “Why am I here?” Her gaze softened, yet it carried the weight of eternity. “You are both wolf and magic, Crystal. Born of betrayal, shaped by pain, and chosen by prophecy. You survived death because your journey is not over.”

“Survived? death?” I breathed, still trembling. “I; I jumped!.” My voice faltered. “I thought I was gone.”

“You were, in body,” The moon goddess replied, her voice like moonlight on water. “But your spirit, your blood, your wolf, they refused to give in. The prophecy binds you to life, and through it, power awakens within you.”

“Power? What power? What am I supposed to do?” I asked, panic and awe mixing inside me. My wolf growled, urging me to understand.

“The power of the wolf, the power of a witch, the power of destiny,” The Moon Goddess said, holding out a hand that shimmered with stars.

“I don’t understand, my mother’s magic, it’s never been in me,” I admitted, with confusion

“The blood of your mother flows in you,” Luna said patiently. “Your wolf instincts come from your father, your magic from your mother. Together, they make you stronger than anyone could imagine. That is why you survived, and why the prophecy names you.”

“You will rise as a bridge between worlds, a leader, a light for those lost in darkness. But first, you must learn. You must survive. You must awaken fully.” I swallowed hard, trying to take it all in.

“You will not be alone,” Luna continued. “Someone awaits you, as the prophecy foretold. But you must claim your strength first, embrace your wolf, and awaken the magic in your veins.”

The goddess’s light wrapped around me, healing my bruises, washing away the shadows Bryan, Matthew, and the pack had left behind. My body felt whole. My wolf sang. My magic pulsed like a heartbeat.

“I understand,” I whispered, fear fading into resolve. “I will survive. I will rise. I will claim my destiny.”

“Good,” She said, her voice fading like a silver wind. “The desert waits. The world watches. The prophecy unfolds. Walk forward, Crystal, your time begins now.”

The goddess vanished, leaving me beneath the moonlight. But I was no longer the broken omega. I was reborn with a stronger wolf and magic, and chosen by fate.

When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in the desert. I was in a dark forest, alive with noise.

My wounds were gone. My wolf surged with power I had only felt in glimpses before. No pain. No weakness. No fear. Only power.

Then I felt it. The bond.

Bryan.

It hit me like a wave, twisted and sharp, carrying betrayal, arrogance, and hurt. My wolf snarled violently. Rage burned through me as memories of everything he had done came rushing back.

I clenched my fists and stood slowly. “No,” I whispered, voice shaking but firm.

I closed my eyes and focused on the bond, feeling every thread that tied me to him; the pain, the humiliation, the control. It all fed off my weakness.

Not anymore.

“I, Crystal Ashwood , daughter of Kane and Elizabeth Ashwood,” I said, voice stronger now, echoing into the night, “accept the rejection of Bryan Johnson, as my mate.”

The bond snapped. Pain tore through my chest, fire stealing my breath, forcing me to my knees. My wolf howled but this time, it was freedom.

I gasped, clutching my chest. The emptiness that followed wasn’t hollow. It was peaceful.

I slowly stood, breathing deeply. My wolf was free. My emotions were no longer controlled. My soul was no longer bound to someone who wanted to destroy me.

Tears blurred my eyes, but they were not sorrowful. They cleansed me.

My wolf lifted, howling, and I felt life and energy surge through me like never before. “ I can do this,” I whispered, my resolve hardening.

A new purpose burned inside me, stronger than fear or pain: I will survive. I will rise. By the time I opened my eyes again, I was no longer fragile. I was something more. Something unstoppable.

Magic pulsed beneath my skin, responding to my will, my strength, my choice. The wind wrapped around me as if acknowledging what I had done.

“I choose myself,” I whispered into the night. “I choose my destiny.”

Suddenly the bond with my wolf flared inside me, alive and raw. My wolf surged, claws and fangs and fur coursing through me like wildfire. The magic from the Moon goddess blessing pulsed in sync with it, crackling through my veins.

This time, I could feel my wolf awaken fully.. My body trembled, not from weakness, but from the raw, exhilarating power of shifting.

I crouched instinctively, senses sharp as the moonlight kissed the forest around me. Fur sprouted along my arms, claws elongated, eyes glowing faintly gold in the darkness. My heart raced, matching the pulse of my wolf, my magic, my very being.

I was no longer the frightened girl who failed at sixteen, but even as the words left my lips, memories rose from the shadows of my mind,

The laughter, the whispers that quickly grew into cruel amusement. “Maybe the omega is broken,” one voice said. Then another: “She’ll never be a wolf.”

I had wanted to vanish, to sink into the ground and disappear. The humiliation cut deeper than any punch, sharper than any claw.

As the past memories flooded inside me; the pain of rejection, the humiliation, the betrayal. I let it fuel me. Every nerve, every fiber of my being was alive. And as I stood, fully shifted for the first time in years, I realized: I was finally free.

Somewhere far away, something shifted. A bond stirred. Not broken, not painful, but waiting.