Page 144 of Moonlit Fate

Seren nodded once. There was no need for more words; her gesture said everything.

“Thank you,” I whispered. I stepped forward and embraced her, the tears finally breaking free.

As we parted, I wiped the wetness from my cheeks.

“Magic used to be our heartbeat,” the ghost of Lorian spoke, his voice carrying the pride of centuries past. “I served the alpha then, right in this very manor. It was an honor.” HE straightened his ghostly vest as if preparing for esteemed guests. “The energy of life flowed through us, unchained.”

“Tell me about your alpha,” I said, eager for a connection to the past that felt both foreign and intimate.

Lorian’s translucent eyes brightened, a spark of remembrance lighting within. “Alpha Thea. Your third-great-grandmother. She was fierce in spirit, a landmark of magic, and beautiful as the night sky. She cared for all. Her strength was the pillar of our pack.”

“Was it different then, the pack life?” I asked in a low voice, as if afraid to disturb the lingering spirits of yesteryears.

“Vastly,” he said. “Magic was celebrated. It coursed through us like a river unleashed. We lived by its rhythms, and Alpha Thea, she danced at its shores.”

Pride swelled within me, filling the hollow spaces left by years of stifled potential. “She sounds incredible.”

“Aye, that she was. The last female alpha we’ve known.” Lorian posture straightened as though he were standing before Thea herself.

“Last?” My brow furrowed, and beside me, Seren’s expression hardened with disapproval.

“Indeed. After her, it has been six generations of male alphas. As the tides of magic ebbed, they believed a man’s rule might restore what was lost.” His skeptic tone echoed the sentiment in my heart.

Seren let out a derisive snort. “As if gender commands the flow of magic.”

“Right?” I said, unable to suppress the scoff that followed, thinking how misguided their beliefs had been. My gazereturned to Lorian, hungry for more truth. “What else can you tell me?”

“She ruled when moonlight was more than just light. It was part of us, part of Lycanterra itself. Her name meant unity. Meant magic.”

“Magic was everywhere?” The image of such a world painted itself in my mind.

“Everywhere and in everyone,” Lorian confirmed with a nod. “Thea led not with fear but with wisdom. She didn’t command respect. Thea inspired it.”

“She must’ve been a sight to behold,” I whispered. What must it have been like to live under a leader so unlike the ones I had known?

“More than that. Under her, we were one with nature, one with our powers. We thrived like never before,” he said.

“Children could wield magic freely then?”

“Freely and fearlessly. They shaped water and earth, played with fire and air. Laughter was as common as leaves in the wind. We were connected, from the youngest pup to the eldest elder, to the heart of this very land.” Lorian’s hands moved as though he was shaping the elements himself.

“They shifted, learned to be one with their beasts without hesitation?”

“Yes. Thea believed in harmony, in the balance between our human side and the wolf within. It made us strong.” His reverent tone held a longing for times long passed. “Full moon celebrations were something else,” he said with a smile. “Imagine the whole forest joining in, spirits and all, dancing under the moonlight.”

“Sounds enchanting,” I murmured, caught up in the vision he painted.

“Enchanting, yes,” Lorian agreed. “Fear didn’t stand a chance against us then. We were strong together, bound by magic and respect for all things.”

I glanced around the room, at the silent witnesses of a past long gone. “What happened? Why was magic restricted?” I asked.

Lorian hesitated, his figure growing more transparent, as if the answer was beyond his reach. Another spirit stepped forward, a brooding presence that contrasted sharply with Lorian’s genteel demeanor.

“It was a betrayal,” Rath whispered faintly. “Trust, the very trust that held us together, shattered.”

“What betrayal?” I asked, goosebumps erupting on my skin.

“Ah, Miss Aria, I’m afraid the details elude me,” Lorian admitted, his ethereal form bowing slightly as though apologizing for an unforgivable lapse in service. “Perhaps this gentleman can enlighten us.”

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