REJECTED BY THE ALPHA, CHOSEN BY THE MOON

ELARA'S POV The silence in the hall was so thick, you could almost feel it on your skin. One of the elders leaned forward, he was the oldest of the three, his hair, as pale as ash, fell over his shoulders and down the back of his robe. The deep lines on his face made him look strict, but his eyes held no anger. Only coldness. The Elder studied me for a long moment, like a puzzle. Then he said, "The Alpha claims the bond has been disturbed". Murmurs started all over the hall. "Silence" he said, and the murmurs stopped almost immediately. "In all werewolf history, a bond has never weakened without interference" he said, his voice calm, and carrying across the hall. "A bond does not dim without it being tampered with, and you..." he pointed his staff to me "are the only one capable of doing that because the bond belongs to you and the Alpha, and the Alpha claims not to have done that" he continued. "I didn't..." I tried to say "Silence" he said calmly, and my words stuck at my throat, his demeanour was calm and serious. My breath trembled, what was going to happen? The elder's eyes pierced into mine, looking deep into my soul. "Tell this council, what are you?" He said. One of the other elders leaned forward slightly. "Because you are not just merely a girl," the other elder said. "You are either a witch" his staff struck the stone once. "Or you've connived with a witch". Another strike,, echoing all over the hall. "Or you are something we do not know" another strike. Then the final question. "Speak truthfully, because what you say now will determine whether you live... or whether your existence ends before the next moonrise" he finished. My breath caught in my throat, hot beads of sweat poured down my face. I was speechless. "There have been recorded occurrences hundreds of years ago of witches being able to access and tamper with bonds, using dark magic...blood magic, have you been in contact with any witch?" The second elder asked, seeming to peer into my soul. "No, I haven't been in contact with any witch, I do not know any witch" my voice came out surprisingly strong and calm. This was an absurd accusation. I had never left backgrounds, what made them think I had been in contact with a witch? The witches were all evil, the stories said. Still, I felt the strong urge not to reveal what happened, not to reveal my access to the bond and what I felt. I knew it might make things worse for me, it was unusual and I made up my mind to keep it a secret. "Since you refuse to tell us what you have done, or which witch you have been consorting with... we will be forced to uncover the truth by our own means" the first elder said. The crowd started murmuring again. What did this mean? What means would be used on me? He continued "there have been reports that the only way this kind of ritual could be done is if one offered up a piece of their existence, their shadow, thus, your shadow would be tested and if confirmed you have been in alliance with a witch to harm the mate bond and the Alpha, you will not see the next moonrise" "A divinator will be brought and you will be checked" His words ended on a deep foreboding note, hanging in the air, questions unanswered, murmurs rising in the air from the pack. I couldn't say any word as I was taken back to my dungeon, amidst the murmurs and the rising tension. I heard the whispers, each one blaming me. .... Back in my dungeon, I contemplated. I was lost. Should I have just told them the truth? Would that have made things better? I already have no wolf, it would be possible for me to not have a piece of my shadow too. Shadow and blood magic, the most feared type of magic talked about in books and stories. It had been banned for ages. Mixing blood and taking a part of a wolf's shadow, deadly rituals could be done, rituals that could bring to an end a whole pack, but the cost...was deadly. A shadow of a wolf was an extension of a wolf. It represented the wolf within the werewolf, it meant sacrificing your wolf slowly, because the ritual didn't bring harm to the wolf immediately, it made the wolf side and human side run mad over the years till the wolf side eventually died, and most werewolves could not survive without their wolf side. What would the divinator see? I don't know why but I was ready to take my truth to the grave. I couldn't tell anyone I had access to the bond. I didn't know what I was or what was happening but the one thing I was sure of, I could access the bond and no one had to know. The divinator would take a few days to get here, according to what the elder said. Before then, I had to start thinking of ways to escape. I didn't know if shadows could feel pain, I didn't know if shadows could scream, I didn't know how this would harm me. I needed to run. For my life. For my safety. I had never felt so strongly about running away ever since, but now, deep down, I knew I had to run. I knew I had to survive. A few moments passed and I felt that familiar chill in the air again, whatever it was, she was here again. The torches on the wall flickered a bit and I looked at my shadow, my shadow that would be touched. My shadow flickered and disappeared for a few moments, then reappeared again. Was this a trick of my eyes? I was sure my shadow disappeared, or fear might just be getting to me. The chill passed away, without a word this time. I knew now not to call out or ask for answers. I knew it was watching me.