All Chapters of BEYOND THE MOON: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

The change in Kael's behavior started subtly, but within hours of my conversations with Mira and Ryder, it became impossible to ignore.I found him in his office, staring at tactical maps spread across his desk. The moment I entered, his head snapped up, and I watched his nostrils flare as he caught my scent. His eyes flashed with his wolf – that bright, electric blue that meant the beast was close to the surface."Close the door," he said, his voice carrying the rough edge of his wolf's growl.My heart rate kicked up immediately, and I knew he could hear it. Could probably smell the spike of adrenaline and something else – something that made his jaw clench and his hands grip the edge of his desk hard enough that I heard the wood creak.I closed the door, hyperaware of how the simple action changed the atmosphere in the room. We were alone, truly alone, and his wolf was watching me with predatory focus that made my skin prickle with awareness."We need to talk," he said, but his

The battle preparations were interrupted by the sound of a single, crystalline howl that cut through the chaos like a blade. Every wolf in the yard froze, their attention snapping toward the source of that distinctive call.I knew that howl. I'd heard it before in my nightmares and half-remembered warnings.Lyra.She emerged from the forest in her wolf form, and even I had to admit she was stunning. Her fur was a rich golden-brown that caught the dying sunlight and seemed to glow with its own inner fire. She was larger than most of the female wolves, almost as big as some of the males, her powerful form rippling with muscle and barely contained aggression.But it was the way she moved that made every instinct I possessed scream warnings. She wasn't approaching the defensive lines like the other warriors. She was heading straight for where I stood with Kael's massive black wolf form beside me.Kael's wolf released a warning growl that vibrated through the ground, but Lyra didn't s

I caught him mid-leap with a blast of primordial energy that sent him crashing into the wall. The impact left a crater in the plaster, and he fell to the ground, dazed but not critically injured.Reena was more cautious, circling around the edges of my light wall, looking for an opening. But she wasn't prepared for Ryder, who moved with surprising speed to block her path."You're going to regret this," Nadine said, her voice rough with pain and fury. "All of you. When the Shadowed Knights breach our defenses, when they take what they came for, you'll wish you'd cooperated.""The only thing I regret," I said, advancing on her with power crackling around me, "is that I wasted so many years believing your lies about who I was."I reached out with Lumina energy, not to heal but to reveal. The magic flowed into Nadine, and I felt something dark and twisted coiled in her essence – binding spells, dark magic, marks of allegiance to forces that had nothing to do with pack loyalty."You'r

The battle had reached a lull, both sides regrouping and tending to their wounded. I found myself in what had become an impromptu war room – a cleared section of the training facility where Kael's inner circle had gathered to reassess our strategy in light of the Vales' betrayal.The air was thick with the musk of wolves still riding the edge of their transformation, the metallic scent of blood, and the acrid smell of magical residue from the fighting. Everyone bore signs of combat – torn clothing, healing wounds, and the kind of exhaustion that came from sustained battle.Kael stood at the center, still shirtless from his repeated shifts, his muscled torso bearing scratches that were slowly knitting closed. Even battered and bloody, he radiated Alpha authority that made everyone instinctively orient toward him."The Vales gave them our defensive positions," Thane was saying, pointing to a hastily drawn map. "But thanks to Ryder's warning, we were able to adapt before the main as

"This is everyone who's willing to fight," Ryder explained. "I've been talking to pack members during the lull. Told them the truth about what we're facing, what it means if we lose. And they all volunteered."An elderly woman stepped forward, her grey hair pulled back in a severe bun but her eyes blazing with determination. "Alpha, I may be seventy, but my wolf still has teeth. And I'll be damned if I let some rogues destroy the pack my family has served for three generations.""I can fight," a teenage boy added, his voice cracking with nervousness and bravado. "I know I'm only sixteen, but I've been training. I can help.""We all can," a woman I recognized as one of the pack's omegas said quietly. "We might not be warriors, but we're pack. And pack protects its own."I watched Kael's face cycle through emotions – pride, concern, reluctance, and finally acceptance. These people were offering to risk their lives not because they were required to, but because they chose to stand w