CHAPTER ELEVEN: When The Moon Burns

Zylia’s POV

We left camp before dawn.

The forest was still half-asleep, a bruised gray that pressed against the horizon. Frost clung to the edges of leaves, glimmering faintly in the weak light. Every breath came out in white clouds.

Raven led the way, her steps were silent and sharp. Mason walked right  behind her, and I tried to catch up with their pace though every muscle screamed. My body ached from training, from the restless night, from dreams that didn’t feel like dreams at all.

That voice still haunted me , the one that had called my name in the dark.

“Keep up,” Raven said without turning.

I gritted my teeth. “You’re walking like we’re being chased.”

Her answer came quick, flat. “We might be.”

That shut me up.

We crossed a shallow stream, water biting at my boots. Mason stopped on the other side, scanning the trees. His expression had gone tight , the kind that said he smelled something I couldn’t.

“Talk,” Raven demanded.

“Smoke,” he said. “North side.”

She cursed under her breath. “Could be rogues from another camp.”

“Or something worse,” he muttered.

The air felt heavier the further we went. Birds had stopped singing. The forest didn’t just feel empty , it felt like it was holding its breath.

I glanced down and froze.

Marks. Deep, long, carved into the dirt like claws. Not from any wolf I’d seen.

“Mason,” I whispered.

He came closer, crouching beside the tracks. His fingers hovered above the grooves, but he didn’t touch them. “Raven,” he said softly, “these weren’t made by paws.”

Raven knelt beside him. For once, she looked uncertain. “That shape… that’s old.”

“You recognize it?”

She hesitated. “I’ve seen drawings. In the caves near the Hollow. They say it belonged to,” She stopped herself and stood abruptly. “It doesn’t matter. We keep moving.”

But the look in her eyes told me it did matter.

We walked in silence for hours. The tension between them was thick, and my mind kept spinning on the mark, on the way the air seemed to hum around it , the same hum that lived beneath my skin.

When the sun began to rise, we reached the ridge overlooking a narrow valley. A mist hung there, low and silver.

Raven raised a hand. “Camp there. We rest, then move at night.”

I sank against a tree, too tired to argue. Mason tossed me a canteen. “Drink.”

“Bossy,” I muttered, but I drank anyway.

He smirked faintly, sitting opposite me. “That’s the first time you’ve complained all day. I was starting to worry.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I said, but the corner of his mouth twitched.

Raven returned from scouting the edge of the ridge, her expression darker than before. “We’re not alone.”

Mason rose instantly. “How many?”

“Too many to fight clean,” she said. “They’re spreading out , waiting.”

The world tilted. “Waiting for what?” I asked.

Raven’s eyes met mine. “Us.”

The first sound came a heartbeat later , a low growl that rippled through the mist. Then another. Then the crunch of branches breaking under something heavy.

Mason’s knife was in his hand before I blinked. “Raven, take the right.”

She didn’t argue. “Try not to die.”

They moved fast, one toward each flank. I stayed where I was, back pressed to the rock, hands shaking so hard I almost dropped my blade.

Shapes flickered through the fog , too tall, too fast, eyes glinting red. Not wolves. Not even close.

One lunged out of the mist , black hide stretched too thin, claws glinting. I screamed, stumbled back, swung wildly. It knocked the weapon from my hands.

Before it could reach me, Mason tackled it to the ground. They rolled, claws and fists and growls, until his knife found its throat.

It hit the dirt, hissing , and melted. Like ash caught in wind.

“What the hell…” Mason panted. “That’s not possible.”

Another growl sounded, this one closer.

Three more shapes broke through the mist. Raven cursed, launching herself into the first.

I backed away, my heart hammering, eyes blurring from tears and fear. Something inside me screamed , that same voice from the dream.

Not all prophecies speak truth. Some speak choice.

I didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t know anything except that I didn’t want to die.

The silver hum under my skin flared, burning. My vision went white.

Then the air exploded.

Light , blinding, searing , burst from me in a wave. The creatures shrieked, their bodies twisting, burning into dust.

The forest went dead quiet.

When the light faded, my knees gave out. Mason caught me before I hit the ground. His arms were steady, but his voice wasn’t.

“What… what did you just do?”

I tried to speak. No words came. The smell of smoke clung to everything.

Raven stood a few feet away, eyes wide. “That wasn’t wolf magic.”

Mason’s grip tightened. “No,” he said quietly. “It was something else.”

I could barely keep my eyes open. The last thing I saw was the two of them staring at me , one in shock, the other in fear.

Then darkness pulled me under…