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"Judging by your expression, I take it you understand the gravity of the situation. Imagine is someone killed you and stole the Wolf Moon's gift from you. All those abilities will belong to them."
I nodded, because I did understand. This was why Pierce wanted the gift. It was never about mating with me; it was about stealing the Wolf Moon's gift from me. Since Pierce learned his alpha aura doesn't work on me, he could never manipulate me into using the gift for his purposes. So, he wants to kill me so he could have it for himself.
"If Pierce gets his hands on the Wolf Moon's gift, we're all fucked," I said, feeling the pressure of my survival pressing down the pit of my stomach.
Kao reached down to take my hand in his. "We won't let him get anywhere near you."
"Kao's right," Javier agreed. "He'll have to go through us first."
"It's not just Pierce you'll have to worry about, guys," Sabina spoke up. "You saw those rogues earlier. They weren't from the Kingsrose Pack. There are others out there who know about the Moon Chosen and will do anything to steal their power. Especially the Wolf Moon's gift. There are forces out there that are far more dangerous than Pierce Underwood."
"Like what?" Caleb asked.
There was only one thing I could think of that was more dangerous than Pierce. Though I never faced it before, I knew if the Wolf Moon's gift existed, so did what I was thinking about, and I bet it was out there somewhere. "Like the New Moon's Curse."
Sabina stiffened. "Where did you hear that?"
"It was in the vision Selene showed me. The wolves they were fighting bared some kind of evil moon marking on their forehead, and Selene mentioned the curse of the New Moon."
Rowan and Sabina exchanged looks as if having a mental debate with each other. Finally, Rowan spoke up. "The New Moon's Curse is a real thing, and if Selene was showing it to you, then that means whoever's in possession of it knows who you are, and that you have the Wolf Moon's gift."
I gulped. So, the vision was meant to be a warning. It may also be connected to the vision Atropos showed me. Thinking about that monster, I noticed how similar it looked to Rowan's Lycan form, but the mark on its forehead gave off a sinister vibe to it. I bet that was the New Moon's Curse.
"What is the New Moon's Curse? And how do we beat it?" Roxanne asked, probably thinking of how it may come for her too since she was also Moon Chosen.
"As I'm sure you're aware, Fate doesn't have a physical form. It’s not a god, or an entity. It's a force that exists in everything; from the air we breathe to the water we drink. From the stars above, and the gods who watch over us. That means it couldn't interfere with Selene tampering with Fate, not directly."
"So, fate created a power that rivaled Selene's power over the moon," Sabina added. "A curse on the one moon Selene couldn't control."
"The New Moon," I muttered.
"The New Moon," Rowan confirmed. "It's the complete opposite of the full moon. It's covered in darkness, and that darkness is what Fate manipulated. With it, Fate can curse those who defy it, possessing them to do its bidding. That's what made the first wolf pack during Selene's time turn against each other. It wants to consume Selene's light in complete darkness so it can never interfere with Fate again, and that's what it continues to do every generation."
"You and your pack faced this New Moon's Curse before, haven't you?" I asked him.
Rowan smiled softly, thinking about his mate and pack. "Naturally. My mate, my queen, was strong-willed, and wouldn't rest until we beat the curse that threatened to plague our pack."
"Was that what killed them?" Kao asked.
"No." Rowan shook his head. "They died during a turf war, long after our gifts vanished."
"Vanished? What do you mean by that?" I questioned, tilting my head to the side.
"When the next generation's Moon Chosen is born, the bearer of the gift before you is released from them and transfers over to the new chosen," Sabina explained.
My mouth hung open, stunned that the gift I now bear was the same one that belonged to Rowan's mate. As strange as it may be, I felt a twinge of guilt for Rowan's pack's demise. Maybe if I wasn't born, I wouldn't have inherited his mate's gift, and maybe then they would've survived their turf war. I knew that sounded illogical, but I hated knowing his mate lost her power because I now had a claim to it.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered to Rowan.
Rowan reached out and rested a rough, calloused hand over my cheek. It felt warm to the touch, and I resisted the urge to nuzzle my face against it. God, what was wrong with me? "Fret not, milady. The time of my mate's reign has ended, and with her passing, the torch has been passed onto you. Just as you will pass it on to a new generation when the time comes. I'm simply grateful to meet the beautiful young lady who now carries the spirit of my mate with her."
My face reddened as his declaration of calling me beautiful, but I also felt a stronger connection to the Wolf Moon's gift than I did before. This power belonged to someone else, someone that Rowan knew and loved. Now it was entrusted to me. I could almost feel the spirits of all the Wolf Moon's Chosen who came before me, deep inside me. If something happened to me, the power would be stolen, and with it, their spirits. I wanted to protect it more than ever. I wanted to harness this gift and carry on where Rowan's mate left off. I only hoped I was strong enough to do it.
ROSIE
I was up before the sun, leaning over the porch rails with a mug of tea watching the sky turn from dark navy to tangerine orange. There wasn't much left to discuss the previous night, and since it was late, it was best to turn in for the night. Rowan was gracious enough to let us stay, but his cabin was too small for all of us. Luckily, we still had our camping gear. Rowan escorted Javier and Kao to get their tents and belongings from where we left our vehicles in case there were any more surprise attacks waiting for them. One Lycan was enough to take down an army.
I could barely sleep, not while thoughts of Joaquin and Kai were keeping me occupied. My heart already felt hollow with Joaquin's absence, but now it was worse now that Kai was gone. I hoped they were okay. I hoped they made it back soon. A part of me wanted to hold Kao closer to me, fearing that he too would disappear for whatever reason. I had to restrain myself from asking him not to get our camping gear. Even though I couldn't sleep when we got into our tent for the night, I curled under his embrace pressing myself as close to him as I could, wishing I could hide under his skin. Kao never protested. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close to him without complaining. Maybe he missed Kai too.
