Chapter 5 The Attack

I woke up with a loud scream, loud enough to block my ears, breathing so heavily and painting at the same time with sweat all over my body. My hands trembled and clutched the bedsheets like they were the only things keeping me from falling apart.

Leo, my son, I said in my mind.

I looked around the room, uncertain of what I was looking for. Then the moonlight started shining, coming in through the window.

I came down from the bed and walked toward the window. Everywhere seemed calm and quiet-there was no smoke, no fog, and most importantly, no cloaked figure holding my child.

I took a deep breath, realizing it was just a mere dream.

A nightmare that had felt so real.

My chest rose and fell rapidly as I forced myself to breathe. I touched my stomach as I was trying to reassure myself that he was still safe, still hidden far away with Mariya.

"Evan will never have my son, "I whispered again, but this time, because of the dream.

A few hours later I heard a knock at the door.

"Lady Lila," a servant's voice said from behind the door, soft yet firm, "His Majesty has summoned you to the Gathering Grounds. Your ceremonial garments have been prepared, and I came to inform you to come down for preparation.

I opened the door for her, and she came in to get me ready.

Inside the adjoining room, a silver chest sat open, revealing a dress unlike anything I had ever worn. It shimmered in the moonlight, made of silver fabric that looked like a woven star. Its color was blue, a soft blue like that of a rising dawn, adorned with white and decorated with silver lining.

As the servants dressed me, I stared into the mirror, trying to recognize the woman reflected there. My once dull brown hair now shimmered with silvery streaks. My eyes glowed brighter than before, and it was as if the Moon itself had awakened something deep in me.

The Omega who had fled this place in shame no longer existed. This is now a new me, Lila of Lycan, the heiress.

When I stepped out, the hall outside the palace buzzed with tension. Guards followed me on both sides, and in silence, they escorted me down through the winding corridors until we stepped into the pack gathering.

The sky was clear, a sign of the full moon.

Hundreds of wolves and humans alike gathered in the central arena with lots of them with banners waving high in the wind. Elders stood at the front, warriors lined the sides, and the Lycan King stood above them adorned in ceremonial robes.

When I entered, there was a wave of silence among the pack gathering.

It felt like the air itself held its breath to welcome me.

Some of the wolves murmured to themselves as I passed.

"Is that her?"

"She's not the same again, she has changed.

"She looks so different now".

I kept my head high and walked in steady steps. If they are going to watch, then let them watch fully. Let them see what happens when a girl they cast away in shame returns with purpose burning in her blood.

The King smiled as I ascended the steps. "Lila of Luna, reborn and fierce, welcome to the Gathering."

I just nodded, refusing to bow, already irritated by his presence.

"Tonight," he continued, his voice echoing, "we unite bloodlines once fractured." The Blood Pact demands balance, and power must meet power."

At his signal, Evan stepped forward.

My heart skipped when I saw him.

He wore dark ceremonial robes, lined in deep silver and onyx. His raven hair was neatly laid back, and his eyes, those same forest-green eyes I once loved, were looking directly at mine.

He didn't speak, not immediately. But he kept staring at me.

He looked at me like I was a stranger he couldn't stop staring at.

"You've changed," he said under his breath when he got to where I was standing.

I kept my head high, I had to, there was a need for that, and I think I have done a perfect job.

He was quiet for some moments. "Lila, about what happened before-"

"Don't," I cut in sharply. "We are doing what we must do, remember? This seems like survival to me, and nothing more."

He took a step closer, but I refused to back down.

"I never forgot you," he whispered. "Even when I tried."

My chest tightened. I hated that part of me wanted to believe him.

"Whatever feelings you buried, keep them there. "This marriage is just for the crown and not us."

The King interrupted us when he clapped his hands, and the ceremonial fire ignited in the center of the arena.

"Step forward," he ordered. "Let the packs witness the reuniting of the Moon and the Fang."

Evan extended his hand. I hesitated before taking it. His skin was warm-too warm that my mark and the crescent moon mark stirred up.

Soon the ceremony fully began.

Chants filled the air. The packs recited the sacred verses. Old laws, older than any of us, spoken in ancient tongues filled the air. The fire roared, swirling with wind and magic.

As Evan and I stood shoulder to shoulder, something flickered in the flames.

A flash of a face-like that of a child.

Leo.

I almost fainted, but Evan caught me.

"Lila?"

"I'm fine," I said quickly, pulling away from his grip.

But I wasn't. My instincts never failed, and I knew something was definitely wrong.

The King stepped forward with a dagger etched in runes. "The binding requires blood. A drop from each of you."

He sliced Evan's palm first, and then mine.

When our blood met over the fire, the flames exploded into the air.

Then came a loud shout among the pack gathering, almost like that of a victory over a battle.

There was silence for some moments before the King spoke up.

"It is done," he said. "The bond begins, and everyone is now free."

My heart still thundered-not from the bond, but from something else.

I definitely knew that something was wrong.

Just immediately, a howl broke through one of the gates with some heavily panting scouts rushing in.

The King turned with narrowed eyes, motioning the scout to come forward.

"My King... there's been an attack," he said. "The village at the southern border is burning."

The breath caught. No, it can't be true, I screamed to my inner self.

The King gave them an order, and all the warriors gathered. Within minutes, the gathering became very chaotic.

Evan grabbed my arm. "Stay here."

"You have no right to tell me what to do!" I screamed at him.

I turned to the King. "Where exactly was the attack?"

He frowned. "Why?"

"Because I know someone there, and I need to know if they are safe."

He stared at me for a long time, then nodded. "North of the Dusk Ridge."

My knees buckled.

That was exactly where Mariya and Leo were hiding.

Evan caught me again, this time steadying me with both hands. "Lila, what is it? Who's there?"

My lips parted to answer.

Then a wolf leaped into the arena, bloodied and panting.

"We found something... actually someone," he gasped. "A baby wrapped in a Moonveil cloth-and it looked like he was abandoned."

My eyes became blunt, and everything went dark.

The scout held up a small blue cloth, stained with ash.

I recognized it instantly.

It was Leo's blanket.

Immediately the world became blank and meaningless.

And then I collapsed.