The Birth Under the Half Moon

I sat by the dying fire, staring into the dark. Even though the others were asleep, the image of those black wolves on the ridge wouldn't leave me. Their yellow eyes felt like they were still burning holes in my back. I tucked my hands under my thighs to hide the shaking. When Kira glanced at me, I forced a small, tired smile.

"Just exhausted," I whispered. She didn't look like she believed me, but she let it go. She stayed awake, her hand resting near her blade, keeping watch over me all night.

Months Later

The seasons had shifted, it was a rainy season now. A steady rain drumming against the roof of our shelter. I sat huddled in my old wool blanket, my back aching in a way that made it hard to sit still.

I rested a hand on the heavy curve of my stomach. Usually, the little one was a constant kicker, but today, he was quiet. I felt a strange, heavy warmth settle in my belly. My throat felt tight as I leaned down and whispered, "We’re going to be okay. I promise I’ll keep you safe."

That morning, everything felt heavy. My body knew what was coming before my mind did. I helped Lena make tea, trying to act like it was just another day, but every few minutes, a sharp, low ache would be felt in my spine. I winced, hiding my face behind my mug.

It’s just the rain, I told myself. It’s just sleeping on the hard ground. But deep down, I knew the nightmares were finally coming to life.

By late afternoon, the ache turned into a sharp, constant cramp. The contractions on my lower abdomen kept on increasing.

I was sitting by the fire, trying to mend a hole in my shirt, when the first real contraction hit. It wasn't like the dull cramps I'd had before. This was a white-hot wave that started at the base of my spine and wrapped around my body.

I dropped my needle and gasped, my hands flying to my stomach.

Kira was across the fire, sharpening her dagger. She looked up instantly. "Liora?"

I couldn't answer. Another wave ripped through me, fiercer than the first. I slumped forward, biting my lip so hard I tasted blood to keep from screaming. "It’s... it’s starting, Kira."

Renn was walking toward the fire with a handful of wood. He froze, a small twig still clutched in his hand. "Now? In the middle of a storm?"

Lena was at my side in a heartbeat. She grabbed my hands, her grip firm and steady. "Slow breaths, Liora. Don't fight the pain. Let it move through you. I’ve got you."

The hours that followed were filled with lots of agony and rain. I squeezed Kira’s hands so hard I felt her bones shift. "It hurts," I groaned, sweat pouring down my face despite the chill. "It hurts so much."

"I know," Kira said. Her voice was calm, but I could see the flash of worry in her eyes. "It’s supposed to. You’re the strongest person I know, Liora. You’re doing this for him. Focus on that."

Marcus added more wood to the fire, the golden light dancing across his worried face. "I’ll watch the entrance with Theo," he said, his voice rough. "Let me know if you need anything, Mia, make sure you get Kira whatever she needs okay? He said rushing outside.

He went outside to keep watch. I could hear his boots squelching in the mud as he paced back and forth, a lone shadow guarding the door. I guess he was also nervous on my behalf.

The contractions became worse. Between the waves of pain, my mind started to wander. I saw flashes, not of the past, but of something else. I saw a boy with emerald-green eyes running through a dark forest. Black wolves were chasing him, their teeth snapping at his heels. In the vision, I stood between them, my own power erupting in a wall of light to keep the shadows back.

I wailed as a fresh wave of pain hit. Kira shoved a strip of leather into my mouth. "Bite down," she commanded. "Don't give the creators or anything out there a reason to find us. Keep it inside."

I sank my teeth into the leather, my muffled screams lost in the sound of the thunder outside.

"You’re doing so well," Lena whispered, wiping my forehead with a damp cloth. "He’s almost here."

"I’m scared," I managed to whisper when the pain eased for a second. My voice sounded like it belonged to someone else.

"What if something is wrong? What if the bond... what if breaking it hurts him?"

Kira squeezed my hand. "There is nothing wrong with him. He’s yours, and that’s all that matters. If he’s different, then we’ll protect him. Renn, Lena, and the rest of us, we’re all his pack now."

Renn poked his head in, his hair plastered to his forehead by the rain. "How is she?"

"She’s a fighter," Kira answered, her eyes never leaving mine. "But it’s time. Get the torch ready."

I felt like I was being ripped in two. I screamed into the leather Kira gave me, tears and sweat blurring my vision.

"Push, Liora!" Lena shouted. "One more! I can see him!"

I gathered every last bit of strength I had left. I pushed until the world went white, until the sound of the rain vanished, until all that was left was the fire in my lungs.

Then, the pressure vanished. A small, thin cry pierced the air.

Lena lifted a red, slick, perfect infant into her arms and gently placed it onto my chest. "He's here, Liora. He's here.”

I looked down at the baby, his little hands waving, dark hair matted to his head and his eyes, a bright, beautiful emerald green as they blinked up at me. My heart softened in a way I never knew was possible, tears flowing freely down my face, dripping onto him, blending with the rain that had begun seeping through the roof.

"Finn," I whispered, my voice trembling with a love so heavy it felt like it might crush me. "His name is Finn."

He quieted as soon as he touched my skin, his tiny fingers latching onto my shirt.

Then something impossible happened. For three seconds, the baby in my arms wasn't quite human. His tiny eyes glowed with a fierce green light, and his form changed, as if he were trying to shift before he could even crawl. Then, as quickly as it started, it stopped. He was just a baby again, letting out a small, tired whimper

Gage, who had been guarding the perimeter with Marcus, stepped into the light of the tent. He was staring at Finn with wide, terrified eyes.

"Moon Goddess," Gage breathed, his voice shaking. "That’s not natural. The legends say... the only child to shift at birth is a seer, a pariah. Someone born to lead a pack through a war that can't be won."

Kira glared at Gage. "Shut your mouth. He's a baby." She then softened and placed her hand on my back. "We don't know what this means yet. He's strong, Liora. Just like his mother. We'll figure it out.”

Lena took Finn to get him cleaned up. She looked so experienced doing so, I bet this wasn't her first rodeo. She's a healer so no surprise there.

Renn knelt beside me, his eyes full of wonder. He reached out and touched Finn’s tiny foot. "He’s one of us. We’ll get through this."

After Lena was done cleaning him, she gave him to me and I pulled Finn closer, wrapping him in the worn blanket I had carried from the Voss Pack. The one Ronan had given me.

"He shifted, Kira," I whispered once Renn and Gage had stepped out. "A baby shouldn't be able to do that."

Kira smoothed my hair and gave me a serious look. "Nothing about your life has been what was 'supposed' to happen, Liora. You survived the bond-snap. You survived the wild. And now, he’s here. We’ll keep him safe. All of us."

I wanted to believe her. I wanted to sink into the warmth of my son and the safety of the fire. But as the rain continued to pour, I could sense some sounds around the trees.

It wasn't the wind. It wasn't the thunder.

It was a howl. A long, chilling cry that was answered by a dozen others, closer than before.

The Shadow Pack, the same people responsible for the chaos in Voss. They were a notorious pack known for their aggressive nature. They threaten weaker packs and bully rogues any of them come across.

There was also a rumor saying they collect wolves with supernatural powers in preparation of the war that'll come. According to those rumors, their Alpha, Alpha Martins was planning to rule the entire Northern district as one pack.

They had felt the surge of power when Finn was born. They had heard his first cry. And now, they were coming for him.