The Alpha's Fated Outcast Rise Of The Moonsinger novel Chapter 247

Lyla

The moment I drove the sword into Nymeris, the world around me shattered like a mirror struck by a hammer. A violent wave of energy surged through me, crackling in the air like a storm trapped inside a glass cage. My body convulsed as pain and power coiled through my veins and suddenly, I wasn't standing in the present anymore.

I was falling.

Not through space, but through time.

Memories, not mine but mine, exploded in my mind. The fragmented pieces of the past, the truths hidden beneath centuries of deception, wrapped around my soul like a second skin. I saw – not as an observer, but as Neriah.

I was Neriah.

***

The Beginning of the End

The Northern Forest hummed with scattered laughter, children playing, birds chirping in the trees and a group of men talking amongst themselves.

Somewhere, there was a cluster of women by a big fireplace – some of them were grinding some seeds on stones lined up not too far from the fireplace. Others were stirring something in the pot with big wooden spoons. Occasionally, the women would whisper something to themselves and then throw their heads back with laughter before they continued.

I smiled with relish as I stared at the people – my people.

My father was the Alpha of the Auréans – we were beings blessed with the Moon's favour. Our power was tied to the stars and our voices carried echoes of the divine. We weren't just warriors; we were guardians of balance and our voices were our weapons.

We were not exactly what you'd call a werewolf as we weren't born with wolves. We were called Auréans. Here, the only structure we had and held was the worship of the Moon and the star. We were liberal beings – we rarely marry outside our tribe.

Everyone here was related to everyone because we married amongst ourselves. The Moon Goddess was faithful enough to always provide fated mates amongst ourselves. But I wanted more.

I've often caught glimpses of werewolves and lycans from other packs around us – they were unique and different from us. They only worshipped the goddess when it was necessary. They didn't have a structured and well-tabled lifestyle like us. Their women were always allowed a little exploration now and again and they always had large gatherings.

I've tried to talk my father into allowing us such frivolities but he wouldn't hear of it. Since my mother became sick without any treatment and no sign of getting better, he has become more difficult to reason with. He'd always shout at me and drown himself each night with the strong liquor.

"Hey, my love!" Thames whispered from behind me, giving me a quick kiss on my neck. I smiled automatically, leaning into him as he hugged me from behind, rubbing his hands at the sides of my breasts.

Open affection was a thing here which was seen as rude in the world of the other werewolf packs. They do not have open mating galore like we did. They had houses – made with strange materials but not like our own. They also had a lot of human inventions and had things called Cart and other delightful things.

Aside from maybe kissing, they do their business in the confines of their houses, away from the eyes of others.

I sighed inwardly, trying to forget how the last two days I had spent with them were the best days of my life. I and father had gone up to the White Moon Throne for some cleansing, that's how I know.

I moved away from his hold, still maintaining my smile. "I was about to come look for you."

"No worries, I'm here now. I missed you so much. How did it go with the people? I heard my father telling my dad that those werewolves…"

"They're Lycans, T…" I rolled my eyes. "They're different from werewolves."

"Lycans… werewolves… whatever but my dad was telling my dad that they're beginning to embrace the ways of the humans and he's worried that soon they will not have an identity and will ignore the worship of the Moon Goddess."

"As long as the Moon Temple is, we would never have to worry about that and maybe these human inventions are not so bad. They move around with something called a cart."

"Like horses?" Thames asked.

"No!" I shook my head, feeling a surge of instant excitement. I've been dying to talk about my entire experience. "It's like a small box with four wheels."