Ronan watches as the wolf before him completes its Lunar veilbreak into human form. Behold, there she lies..,a lady, naked and worn out, with marks all over her body.
Ronan expects her to stand after completing her lunar veilbreak, but she does quite the opposite, she falls back unconscious.
Who can this possibly be, Ronan thinks. He's the alpha, and he knows everyone in his kingdom, especially since their numbers are so small.
But the figure lying unconscious on the ground, he does not know, for she is different from the others back in Lunareth. Her hair is a bit short and black, and her body is different too. There are so many differences Ronan can spot.
And she's unable to Veilbreak with her clothes on, or does she Veilbreak while naked? I thought only Mica was unable to Veilbreak with his clothes, Ronan thinks.
Ronan veilbreaks right there back into his human form so fast he doesn't waste any time. Afterwards, he removes his shirt and wraps it around the naked lady lying unconscious on the ground.
The shirt is not big enough, so Ronan tears it and covers the parts of the lady she isn't supposed to show outside.
Ronan proceeds and carries her on his shoulder. Just before he takes a step, he notices the bushes moving, someone or something is heading his way.
So, immediately with the lady on his shoulder, he runs to a hidden spot to watch what is coming. Even though he is in his human form, he is still fast...,fast as if he were still in his wolf form.
And right where he is hiding, he sees soldiers searching the premises. Among them, there is one dressed differently who speaks with authority.
" search everywhere, she shouldn't have gone far," the one dressed differently says to the soldiers. Immediately, they all start searching, but suddenly they stop and fix their eyes on the high hill...,the boundary separating both kingdoms.
Ronan knows immediately that the lady on his shoulder is the one they are looking for.
Ronan shifts his gaze from them and starts to stare at the same thing they are staring at—the high hill—but he makes a move, and his leg causes a dead dry wood to make a sound that catches the soldiers' attention.
The soldiers came to where he's standing but Ronan has left that place already with his supernatural speed
As he stands there with the lady on his shoulder, he begins to think of a way out, which is the same high hill, but there is no way he can pass there unnoticed.
And again, he is the Alpha of Lunareth, powerful enough to take on every soldier present, but here he is hiding, which isn't his normal style. However, being the first to spill blood is a bad idea, he thinks.
Ronan waits for the perfect moment when the soldiers are less focused on the hill, then with his supernatural speed, he runs to Lunareth with the lady still on his shoulder.
As he stands on Lunareth's soil, he doesn't hear anything from the soldiers on the other side. With that, he turns and begins to run back home, the lady still on his shoulder and deep thoughts of the broken seal troubling his soul.
The sky is finally clearing, as it should in the morning, after a long night of darkness and cold that weighed heavily on the land. Pale light begins to seep through the fading clouds, casting a soft glow over the world. Ronan is still running, the lady firmly on his shoulder, his breath steady despite the distance. He's almost home now, the familiar shapes of Lunareth's trees and hills coming into view as the morning brightens.
As Ronan reaches the village, he lets out the Wolfbound Howl, summoning everyone.
And just as he runs, wolves begin emerging from different houses, their paws pounding the earth in unison as they swiftly fall in behind him. Their eyes glow with fierce loyalty and determination, their howls rising to meet his as they head together toward the Lunarcrest.
And on getting to the Lunarcrest, he drops the lady on the ground of his surrounding. Those running behind him finally reach where he is.
One by one, the wolves Veilbreak into their human forms. The transformation ripples through the pack until the last fur gives way to skin, the last snarl softens into breath. Now, standing in silent reverence, they wait, eyes fixed on their Alpha, their king.., as he steps forward to unravel the mystery of the unconscious woman lying at their feet.
Eryndra, who has also received the Wolf-Bound Howl, steps forward to meet the gathered people, her husband, the Alpha, standing right there with them.
"I found her lying unconscious on Myrravelle's soil," Ronan says, pointing at the motionless woman on the ground.
The moment the words leave his mouth, the gathered crowd erupts into murmurs. But the questions Ronan hears aren't about why she's there or who she is....,instead, the whispers hiss with disbelief: How did he get to Myrravelle? The seal should have stopped anyone from entering.
Ronan, who has heard everything they said, raises his hand in the air. Everyone who sees it immediately falls silent, waiting to hear what their king, the Alphahas to say.
And after everyone quiets down, Ronan begins, "The seal that once lay on the high hill...,the boundary between the two kingdoms..,is no longer there.
And again, they begin to murmur, but this time, it's about why the seal has suddenly vanished, or what made it disappear.
Eryndra, however, doesn't speak, though she is just as confused as the gathered crowd. Without a word, she walks over to where her husband, the Alpha, stands and takes his hand.
Mica emerges, hearing the murmuring of the crowd outside. Spotting his parents standing before the gathering, he moves closer to them.
He scans through all the faces there and, seeing that most of their focus is fixed on the ground, turns his gaze from them to the ground as well, only to find an unconscious and barely covered woman lying there.