To whoever finds this, know that I am a wild creature. My skin shifts at will, fur rising, bones melding, changing, shortening, elongating almost instantaneously to my will. A will so indomitable that none could hope to control it. I am the last of the touched, the original pact and therefore our best hope of surviving this war alive.
It doesn't feel this way, each day I wake up to more dead and more dread. The hope is gone, it fled with the blessings we once enjoyed as a member of the twelve sacred packs expired.
Each day I wake and pray, a people abandoned by the Moon Goddess, for a touch of her moonlight to grace us with her strength --her vitality -- her wisdom.
Each morning I'm disappointed and forced to face the ugly reality of our dwindling supplies. The hateful legacy left to me by my father after his murder of the true queen. The blood debt he could never repay, even in death, and the people I've continued to lose since then.
There is no end in sight. There is no hope. There is no way out. Goddess help us. Please, come back. I am the last touched but we are now the hunted.
-Diary of Elsbeth Moonchild, last Alpha of the cursed Southern Pack.
To whoever finds this, know that I am a wild creature. My skin shifts at will, fur rising, bones melding, changing, shortening, elongating almost instantaneously to my will. A will so indomitable that none could hope to control it. I am the last of the touched, the original pact and therefore our best hope of surviving this war alive.
It doesn't feel this way, each day I wake up to more dead and more dread. The hope is gone, it fled with the blessings we once enjoyed as a member of the twelve sacred packs expired.
Each day I wake and pray, a people abandoned by the Moon Goddess, for a touch of her moonlight to grace us with her strength --her vitality -- her wisdom.
Each morning I'm disappointed and forced to face the ugly reality of our dwindling supplies. The hateful legacy left to me by my father after his murder of the true queen. The blood debt he could never repay, even in death, and the people I've continued to lose since then.
There is no end in sight. There is no hope. There is no way out. Goddess help us. Please, come back. I am the last touched but we are now the hunted.
-Diary of Elsbeth Moonchild, last Alpha of the cursed Southern Pack.
The sun beats down, hot on my face as I step out from the makeshift lean-to, nestled against the great jungle tree. Just days ago, we had fled our home at the southernmost tip, seeking refuge in our sacred lands, the last temple that remains in our kingdom dedicated to the moon goddess. It was supposed to be a place of protection, of solace. I had once dreamed of her, of the powerful connection we would share, but now... my bloodline has been tainted, cursed by my father's deeds. The blessings I once longed for feel as though they slip through my fingers like grains of sand carried away by the wind. I may never meet the goddess, or if I have to enter the rite of queens to compete to become the new ruler, I may only meet her once.
The world beyond the goddess's light is colder than I ever imagined. Even in the oppressive heat of the tropical sun, it feels empty and barren. Her absence is like an open wound in my chest, raw and aching, but my duty to the pack—my father's pack—keeps me anchored. I have no choice but to carry on. Even if it means I'll eventually die for the crimes of a man I barely recognize anymore, they must survive. I can't let his legacy be their death sentence. I owe them that, their faith in me deserves at least that. I give it willingly.
My beta, Fred, finally arrives, breathless and sweating. The air here is thick with humidity, the kind that clings to your skin and makes shifting nearly impossible in the summer months. In the winter, the cold will be so biting that not shifting will be unbearable. A land of extremes. Fred's face gleams with sweat, his breath coming in sharp gasps as he stands at my side.
"Alpha, I've done it," Fred whispers, his voice low, anxious. "The omegas finished the boat."
I let out a growl, the frustration bubbling up inside me. "I've told you before, Fred. I won't leave them."
Them are the 300 remaining souls in our pack, too many to fit on the small, dilapidated dinghy we've managed to secure at the coastline. If we board, we risk being spotted, hunted down, and slaughtered. But Fred is right—they are not the target. I am and I know he's going to ask again. We've had this argument over and over again the last few days.
Fred grips my shoulder, his fingers digging in with a mix of urgency and emotion. "You're the true target, Elsbeth. They won't stop until you're gone. If you leave, they'll have no reason to hunt down the others. It'll be over."
I shake my head. If only it were that simple. The 11th pack—those fanatics—are relentless. They would hunt us until every last one of us is dead. The last true queen came from their bloodline and my former mate, their leader, was her brother. They won't stop just because I step aside. The personal slight of the father of his chosen mate killing his sister, our former queen, would never be forgiven. He had rejected our bond and declared war the second he'd heard.
"We both know why that won't work," I say, my voice heavy with defeat.
Fred punches the stone wall beside us, the sound of his knuckles striking the surface sharp in the quiet. For a fleeting moment, I see his skin split, blood seeping through for a whisper of a second before his skin stitches itself back together like magic.
"Why did he have to do this to us?" Fred mutters under his breath, more to himself than to me. "Before this, you were a prime candidate to rule the 12 packs. Now look at us."
I take a slow breath, fighting to keep my composure. "Calm yourself, beta," I command, though I can't answer his question, because I don't have the answers. My father didn't tell me anything, I didn't even know he'd done it until after the fact, before he took off half-crazed into the wilderness, leaving me to pick up the pieces.
But I do have a plan. One last desperate play.
"I need to claim her throne." The words feel bitter as they leave my lips. I don't want it. Goddess knows I've tried to convince myself I don't need it. But I still have a valid claim to the throne, and without it, I can't protect my people. I'll scream into the void and fight with everything I have, because it's my only option.
Fred's claws dig into my shoulder again, my best friend's anxiety rising like a tide. "You know that's a death sentence, don't you?"
I shake my head, my voice steady despite the doubts swirling inside me. "I don't have a choice. It's succeed or die."
The air is thick with tension, the only sound between us the heavy thrum of our breaths. Fred's claws retract, and I watch as his hand smooths the rough patch of my skin where he had pressed down so forcefully.
"Is that why we're here?" He murmurs, finally taking a real look around. He's only now noticing the sacred temple that looms before us, the last bastion of our faith.
I give him a curt nod, my mind already turning the plan over. I don't have time for hesitation anymore.
"For fuck's sake, Elsbeth," he growls, his voice low and strained. "You can't be serious. A throne? After everything we've been through?"
I grip his shoulders, forcing him to meet my gaze. "I am serious, Fred. This is our only chance. If I take the throne, they'll be forced to recognize me as the rightful queen. My father's mistakes will be wiped from history. We will be safe—the pack will be safe. I don't know how much time we have, but it's the only way."
His eyes flicker with doubt, but then his shoulders sag in defeat. "Fine. I'll take the youngest pups. Get them to the island off the coast, under the cover of night. I'll make a hundred trips if I have to, but I'll get the rest of the pack out too."
The words hit me hard. We've been together for so long, fought side by side, but now, the truth is clear—we're separating, each carrying out our roles for the survival of the pack.
"I'll delay them as much as I can, I know Bricent and how his mind works. I know how to play him against himself for as long as possible but use that time wisely" I remind him, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. "I'll enter the rite, and they'll know because I'll mark the temple in front of them. Once the coloured fire is lit, they can't touch me. If I ascend, they'll be forced to accept it."
He wrenches his shoulder free and punches the wall. Instead of allowing his knuckles to heal he grinds the torn flesh against the rough surface of the stone and I think for a fleeting second that I've finally pushed him too far, I've broken Fred. The stone is stained a light poppy red and I see a whisper of bone.
"They'll have to stay holding vigil until the flames are extinguished," I continue, my voice softer now, almost pleading. "The pups, the pack—they deserve a chance. And right now, that's all we have."
His eye remain fixed, his nostrils flared, and I can see him visibly struggling to restrain the wolf.
Fred bares his neck finally submitting before his shoulders sag with defeat, a sadness I can feel through the bond settling over him like a heavy weight. I wrap my arms around him from behind, resting my cheek against his back. We stand there in silence, the enormity of our situation hanging between us. There's nothing left to say—only the painful knowledge that this is our reality now.
I wrap my arms around my best friend's waist from behind and press my head against my large back. I know I've won, and lost, and there's nothing left to say. There remains only making our peace with the situation and moving forward to save as many as we can as quickly as we can for as long as we can.
Tomorrow, when the 11th pack arrives, I will begin the ritual. The flames will rise, and with them, I will stake my claim. The fire will burn brightly and fiercely, and if I survive, I will ascend. If not… at least I will have protected those I love. This may be the last time I ever see Fred, I ever see anyone in the 12th pack.
I am ready, though part of me is broken in the process. If the moon goddess sees fit to grant me forgiveness, then perhaps I will find peace. Until then, I will fight with everything I have. At least my sacrifice will be worth it.