The Luna's Oath

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Chapter 5

The air in the healer's room always smelled of herbs, damp earth, and a faint hint of dried blood. It wasn't a pleasant smell, but for Alena, it was the scent of honesty, far from the hypocrisy that shrouded the Alpha's halls. She felt slender yet strong fingers touch her skin, applying a cool balm to the small scratches on her arm—remnants of her fight at the border a few days ago, or perhaps, remnants of an endless internal battle. The wounds, though shallow, felt like gaping chasms in her soul.

"Don't be tense, Luna," Zara's voice was soft, yet there was an undeniable tone of authority in it. She was the pack's head healer, a middle-aged woman with eyes as blue as the deep ocean and a gaze that pierced Alena's defenses. "I know this isn't comfortable, but if you keep tensing your muscles, this balm won't absorb properly."

Alena let out a soft huff, as if in response. She gazed out the small window, watching the forest shadows begin to swallow the twilight. Since her return, every moment felt like a test, every glance like a stab. Except here, in this healer's room. Here, she felt a little… less threatened.

"I am not Luna," Alena replied, her voice hoarse, reflecting her reluctance to accept a title that had been so brutally snatched from her. "I am merely an outcast."

Zara paused for a moment, her hand still on Alena's arm. The sudden silence made the room feel heavier. "A name is a label the world gives you. But your heart, your spirit, that is your own truth." She resumed applying the balm, her movements steady and soothing. "I sense something powerful within you, Alena. Something that transcends these skin-deep wounds."

Alena turned sharply, a suspicious look in her eyes. "What do you sense?" she asked, her voice slightly sharper. She had always tried to hide her power, to seal it away, afraid of what would happen if she unleashed it again. That power was a curse, not a blessing.

Zara offered a faint smile, her gaze showing understanding, not judgment. "Not like pain, or a wound. More like... a pulse. A pulse of energy that is very old, very pure. And very... lonely." She paused, looking directly into Alena's eyes. "As if it has long been hidden, shackled, and now, it yearns to be set free."

Alena swallowed. No one had ever spoken of her power in such a way. Everyone else only saw destruction, fire, and the shadows that followed her. "You're wrong," she whispered, trying to pull her arm away, but Zara held it gently. "It's not a pulse. It's darkness. A burden."

"Burden or not, it is a part of you," Zara countered, her voice soft yet firm. "Like the roots that support an entire tree. Sometimes those roots are hidden underground, but without them, the tree would fall. Do you feel that power wants to destroy you?"

Alena hesitated. She recalled that night of rejection, when her anger erupted, unleashing a power she didn't understand. She remembered how that power had burned through her, leaving a cold emptiness. "Sometimes… I feel like I can't control it. I'm afraid." She confessed, her voice barely a whisper. It was a confession she had never given to anyone, not even herself.

Zara set down the balm and began to wrap Alena's arm with clean linen cloth. "Fear is a key, Alena. A key that can lock or unlock." She looked into Alena's eyes, "Tell me. What frightens you?"

Alena averted her gaze back to the window, to the deepening shadows. "I'm afraid… of becoming a monster." She felt tears gather in the corners of her eyes, an emotion she had long suppressed. "I'm afraid of what I can do. Of what I unleashed when Alpha Orion… rejected me." The name "Alpha Orion" felt bitter on her tongue. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me."

"Every power has its dark side, Alena. Even the Moon that illuminates the night can trigger destructive tides," Zara explained, her hand now clasping Alena's. The warmth of the touch spread, penetrating the cold trauma frozen in Alena's heart. "But that doesn't mean you're a monster. It means you're… powerful. And that power, like a sharp knife, can be used to heal or to harm. The choice is yours."

Alena turned to Zara again, as if seeing the woman for the first time. Zara's eyes were indeed deep, filled with calming wisdom. There was no fear there, only understanding. "How… how can you not be afraid of me?"

Zara smiled again. "I have seen many things in this world, Alena. Diseases that cannot be cured, wounds that cannot heal. And also, miracles. I see potential within you, not destruction. The potential to become something extraordinary, something that can save." She took a deep breath. "I believe you are not a cause of destruction, but a savior."

The words hit Alena like a wave of warmth. A savior. After years of being considered a curse, a disgrace, a weakness. "I… I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything," Zara reassured her. "Just… believe in yourself. And trust, you are not alone."

The held-back tears finally fell, streaming down Alena's cheeks. Not tears of sadness, but tears of relief. This was the first time, since her rejection, since her power awoke, since her exile, that she felt the touch of genuine, unconditional acceptance. It felt like a small crack in the fortress of defenses she had built over the years.

"Thank you, Zara," she whispered, her voice trembling.

Zara nodded. "Now, your physical wounds will heal quickly. But your inner wounds… those take time. And they need someone to listen. I'm here, if you need."

Alena felt a strange bond, a thin thread that had just formed between her and Zara. A beginning. "I… something happened to me in the wild," Alena began, her voice now more stable, driven by a strange urge to share. "I met ancient entities. They told me my power comes from… from something called Old Moon Blood. And they said there's a destiny waiting for me, a destiny I cannot avoid."

Zara's face turned serious. "Old Moon Blood?" she repeated, her eyes widening slightly. "That's just a legend, a story told to children to frighten them. A lineage of Lunas who can channel lunar energy directly. A power so immense that even the Gods tremble."

"It's real," Alena insisted, feeling a cold shiver down her spine. "I felt it. And those entities… they called me 'The Bearer'. They tried to warn me about… about an Alpha who would come for me. An Alpha who wants to control my power."

Zara held her hand again, tighter this time. "An Alpha?" her voice was low. "Who? Is it… Orion?"

Alena shook her head. "No. The entities called him 'The Predator from the North'. Someone who would see me as a tool, not a mate." There was a brief pause. "And he's looking for me. I can feel him, like a bone-chilling cold. I know he's lurking."

Alena turned to Zara, her gaze filled with new fear, yet also with a burning power. "I can feel him now. As if… as if those eyes are watching me, even here. I don't know how, but I know he has found us. He is close. And he is coming for..."

Suddenly, a long, piercing, dangerous howl echoed from the distance, shattering the twilight's silence. It wasn't the howl of their pack mates. It was a strange howl, full of menace and bloodlust, much closer than it should have been. Alena's heart pounded. She knew that sound. She had heard it in the wild.

Zara gasped, her blue eyes filled with horror. "What—"

Before Zara could finish her sentence, the healer's room door suddenly burst open with a loud bang, sending potions on the shelves tumbling and scattering across the floor. A tall, dark silhouette stood in the doorway, blocking the newly risen moonlight. The figure was not alone. Behind him, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness, belonging to creatures not of this pack.

Alena stood up reflexively, feeling the power within her rise, throbbing wildly, ready to protect her, ready to erupt. Her eyes met the red eyes in the doorway. Not ordinary red. This was the same red she had seen in her visions. The same red the ancient entities had warned her about.

"So, this is 'The Bearer'," a deep, cold, and powerful voice echoed through the healer's room. The glowing red eyes narrowed, staring at Alena with an unmistakable predatory gaze. "I've been waiting for you, Primordial Luna. And now, you will come with me. You have no choice..."

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