The gifts of the Moon Goddess

A Leader Among the Forsaken

Lena hesitated and then took a small sip. The warmth spread through her softening the rigor of her nerves in her chest. She set the mug down and looked at Luna Celeste "You said I have power, what do you mean?"

Luna Celeste sat down in the chair across from her, and her face turned solemn. "The gifts of the Moon Goddess are rare, but she never bestows them, much like her gifts, for no reason. You were born during a blood moon, was it not?"

Lena's eyes widened. "How do you know that?"

"Because it's a mark of the chosen," said Luna Celeste. "You have a connection to the Moon Goddess that hardly anyone else can claim. That's why Kade's rejection didn't totally break your connection. It's still there, right?"

Lena's breath hitched. She had felt it, a faint but unbroken thread of the mate bond. "Yes," she admitted. "But what does that mean?"

"That means you're not just any wolf," Luna Celeste said, with a determined voice. "You are destined for something greater. But destiny does not wait. You need to accept your power or you will be devoured by all the forces that are gathering against you."

Lena leaned forward, gripping the chair's arms with her hands. "What forces? What are you talking about?"

Luna Celeste's gaze fell. "A rogue leader is rising to the shadows. Elias Voss. He's building an army, and he doesn't stop until he has destroyed everything in his path-your pack included."

Lena's heart pounded. "My pack?"

"Yes," Luna Celeste replied. "And Kade's. The Blood Moon Pack and the Silver Ridge Pack are both part of his plans. But the Moon Goddess chose you, Lena. You have the power to stop him but it all depends on if you are ready to fight."

The weight of her words pressed down on Lena. She'd spent her life thinking she was nothing more than a daughter to a Beta, someone meant to follow the lead but never to take charge. Now, two packs' destinies rested on her shoulders.

Lena stood, her hands shaking but her voice clear. "What do I have to do?"

Luna Celeste smiled a proud smile. "First, you need to learn who you are, then become the wolf that the Moon Goddess always intended you to be."

Lena stood at the far end of the rogue camp, a gusty wind nipping at her cheeks while murmurs of discontent swirled around her. For weeks she had proven herself among them and a tough grit determination and unbreakable resolve but tonight was different. The rogues congregated as their leader stepped forward a man towering over most with the name Garrick. A snarl was carved into his already scarred face.

"You've been talking big, Beta's daughter," Garrick said, spitting out the words in a voice that cut through the crowd. "But it was never about words. It's strength that leads us. You are just a girl who got rejected by