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Chapter 6 - chapter 6: Unveiling Shadows

Elena's mind swirled with thoughts as the hunt approached, her heart heavy with the weight of her past and the mysteries that lay unresolved. The Moonbeam pack, along with several other packs, had gathered at the Evermoore pack's territory, the chosen location for the bi-yearly hunt.

As Elena prepared herself, she couldn't shake the story that Bosely had shared about the tragic fate that had befallen the original Evermoore pack. The tale of destruction and the black ash mixed with tendrils of red magic streams sent shivers down her spine. The brutality of the attack, the loss of an entire pack in an instant—it was unfathomable.Elena's heart ached as she listened to Harrison Rashford recount the horrors he had witnessed on that fateful day. The pack's destruction had come without warning, shrouded in black ash and tendrils of red magic. It was an attack that had ravaged their home, snuffing out the lives of their pack members in an instant.

Her mind raced with questions—Who had orchestrated this devastation? Why had the Evermoore pack been targeted? The answers remained elusive, leaving only fragments of a painful puzzle.

The survivor, Harrison Rashford, had witnessed the unimaginable horrors that had unfolded before his eyes. The image of Jason, a fellow pack member, struggling to escape the ash, his skin disintegrating before Harrison's eyes, haunted Elena's thoughts. The words "run" echoed in her mind, a chilling reminder of the imminent danger lurking in the shadows.

Elena's thoughts turned to the realm of magic that governed their world. The division of wolves into Mages, Healers, and Forgers intrigued her. The delicate balance between light and dark mages, their roles in maintaining peace or unleashing chaos, fascinated her. She wondered if the attack on the Evermoore pack was the work of a rogue dark mage, their thirst for power driving them to unspeakable acts.

Her mind drifted to the day she had discovered her own place in this magical hierarchy. The memory of her sixteenth birthday, standing beside her friend Lila in the grand hall of the West Moon pack, flooded her senses. The crystal ball, glowing with possibilities, held the key to her destiny. As Lila touched the crystal ball, it shimmered with a pale blue light, signifying her place as a regular pack member.

With anticipation coursing through her veins, Elena approached the crystal ball. The room fell silent as her hand made contact, the atmosphere pregnant with expectation. A hint of purple emerged, teasing the possibility of warrior status. The crystal ball hesitated, teetering between shades, before illuminating with a brilliant yellow light. The realization that she was an omega, the lowest rank among the wolves, struck her with a mix of acceptance and determination.

Looking back, Elena couldn't help but wonder if Lila's seemingly pleased smile had concealed a hidden agenda. She had always sensed a hint of jealousy in Lila's eyes, an envy that manifested in subtle ways. Perhaps her disappointment at Elena's classification as an omega had fueled a desire for manipulation.

But those thoughts were pushed aside as the hunt approached, its purpose twofold—to crown the toughest warriors and to serve as a preparatory school, introducing the participants to the different skills associated with their ranks.. Traditionally, alphas possessed innate skills, often leaning towards the dark mage abilities, while lunas embodied the light mage skills. Warriors were typically Forgers or Healers, while omegas were perceived as weak and often relegated to low-ranking healer positions, with only rare cases of exceptional omegas becoming Forgers. Sephora Galdera stood as a testament to the extraordinary potential that could be found within an omega.

Elena's nervousness grew, amplified by the fact that she was older than most applicants for the academy. Yet, her determination burned bright, a flame that refused to be extinguished. She was determined to prove herself, to show that being an omega did not define her worth or limit her potential.

The day of the hunt arrived, and as the Moonbeam pack journeyed to the Evermoore territory, Elena couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. The whispers of shadows and unanswered questions lingered in the air, casting a veil of uncertainty over the proceedings.

Upon their arrival, Elena sensed an unspoken tension, a collective awareness of the tragedy that had befallen the original Evermoore pack. The once thriving territory now bore the scars of its past, a haunting reminder of the darkness that lurked within their world.