CHAPTER 116: CHAPTER 116: THE GODDESS TREE

ARIA POV

But Luna Raven’s face twisted with rage.

"You foolish child," she hissed. "You have no idea what you’ve just unleashed."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Luna Raven smiled coldly. "Did you really think we were the only ones watching you? The Council isn’t the only enemy you should fear."

The ground burst beneath my feet.

I threw myself sideways as chunks of stone flew everywhere. The ancient tree’s massive roots burst through the ground like giant fingers reaching for the sky.

"What’s happening?" Kael shouted, grabbing my arm to steady me.

"I don’t know!" I yelled back, but that wasn’t completely true. Deep in my chest, something was pulling me toward the tree. Something that felt like home.

The Goddess Tree stood taller than any building I’d ever seen. Its silver bark gleamed in the moonlight, and its leaves whispered secrets I couldn’t quite understand. But those roots - they were moving on their own, forming a perfect circle around the base of the tree.

"Aria," Lucien said softly. "Your mark is glowing."

I looked down at my arm. The moon-shaped mark on my skin was glowing with silver light. It had never done that before.

"We should leave," Jaxon said nervously. "This place feels dangerous."

But I couldn’t move. The pulling feeling in my chest was getting stronger. It felt like the tree was calling my name.

"No," I whispered. "I need to go closer."

"Are you crazy?" Kael stepped in front of me. "Those roots could crush us."

"They won’t hurt me," I said, though I wasn’t sure how I knew that. "This is where I’m supposed to be."

The triplets traded worried looks, but they followed me as I walked toward the tree. With each step, the mark on my arm glowed brighter. The whispers from the leaves grew louder.

When we reached the circle of roots, they split like curtains. A path opened up, going straight to the tree’s massive trunk.

"Definitely not normal," Jaxon mumbled.

I stepped onto the road, and the world changed.

The trees around us faded away. Instead of trees and rocks, we were surrounded by whirling silver mist. The only solid thing was the road beneath our feet and the Goddess Tree ahead of us.

"Where are we?" Lucien asked, his words echoing strangely.

"Between worlds," a voice answered, but it wasn’t one of us who spoke.

A woman stepped out from behind the tree. She was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen, with long silver hair that moved like water and eyes that held all the knowledge of the ages. She wore a simple white dress that seemed to be made of moonlight itself.

"The Moon Goddess," I breathed.

She smiled at me, and I felt warmth spread through my entire body. "Hello, my daughter."

Daughter? My heart started racing. "I don’t understand."

"You are mine in ways that go beyond blood," she said softly. "Every Moon Alpha is born from a piece of my soul. But you, Aria Blackwood, carry the biggest piece I have ever given."

"That’s impossible," Kael said. "Aria is human-born."

The Moon Goddess laughed, and it sounded like silver bells. "Is she? Look closer, young Alpha."

She waved her hand, and pictures appeared in the mist around us. I saw a woman who looked exactly like me, but older. She was standing in this same place, in front of this same tree.

"My mother," I whispered.

"Elena was the most powerful Moon Alpha in a thousand years," the Goddess said. "But she made a terrible mistake. She tried to hide her daughter from fate."

The pictures changed. Now I saw my mother crying as she put a baby - me - in the arms of humans.

"She thought if you grew up without knowing what you were, you would be safe," the Goddess continued. "But destiny cannot be avoided forever."

"Why are you showing me this?" I asked, tears stinging my eyes.

"Because the time for hiding is over." The Goddess’s face grew serious. "A darkness is coming that threatens every wolf in creation. And you are the only one who can stop it."

The mist around us turned black. In the darkness, I saw shapes moving. Creatures with red eyes and sharp claws. But these weren’t normal dogs or even Enforcers. These things looked like they were made of shadow and hate.

"What are they?" Jaxon asked, his voice shaking.

"The Shadow Court," the Goddess said coldly. "They were made long ago by wolves who gave up their souls for power. For ages, they have been trapped in the space between worlds. But someone has been working to set them free."

My blood turned to ice. "Who?"

"Someone close to you," she said sadly. "Someone you trust."

The triplets moved closer to me, their faces pale with fear.

"One of us?" Lucien asked.

"No," the Goddess shook her head. "But someone in your inner group has been lying to you. They have been giving information to the Shadow Court, helping them find ways back into our world."

I thought about everyone who knew our plans. Mira. Elder Malin. The other Moon Alphas we’d been gathering. Even some of my new pack mates.

"How do I find out who it is?" I asked.

"You don’t," the Goddess said. "They will show themselves when the Shadow Court makes their move. And that will happen very soon."

She touched my forehead with one finger, and suddenly my mind was flooded with images. I saw wolves running in terror as shadow things chased them. I saw pack lands burning. I saw children crying as their parents were taken away into darkness.

And through it all, I heard a voice laughing. A voice I recognized but couldn’t quite place.

"When will this happen?" I gasped as the visions faded.

"Three days," the Goddess said. "During the new moon, when my power is weakest, they will break through. The first place they hit will be your home territory."

"Moonclaw Pack," Kael said grimly. "We have to warn them."

"Warning them won’t be enough," the Goddess answered. "The Shadow Court can only be destroyed by uniting all the supernatural creatures - not just wolves, but vampires, witches, fae, and more. You must bring them together before it’s too late."

"How am I supposed to do that?" I asked desperately. "Most of those creatures hate werewolves."

"You will find a way," she said with faith. "You are better than you know, Aria. But remember - trust no one fully. The enemy is closer than you think."

The silver mist began to fade, and I felt myself being pulled back to the real world.

"Wait!" I called out. "I need more time! I need to know more!"

"You know everything you need to," the Goddess said, her voice getting distant. "Trust your heart, but guard it well. And remember - even in the darkest times, the moon will always rise again."

The world snapped back into focus. We were standing in the forest again, the Goddess Tree looming above us. But something was different now. The mark on my arm had changed. Instead of just a crescent moon, it now showed the phases of the moon in a full circle.

"Did that really happen?" Jaxon asked quietly.

Before I could answer, my phone buzzed with a text message. It was from Mira.

"Emergency at home. Shadow creatures spotted near the border. Come back immediately."

My heart stopped. The strike was starting early.

"We need to go," I said, already running toward our car. "Now."

As we drove through the night, rushing back to Moonclaw territory, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Goddess’s warning. Someone close to me was a liar. Someone I trusted was working with the Shadow Court.

But who?

I looked at each of the triplets, hating myself for even thinking it could be one of them. But the Goddess had said the traitor was in my inner group.

My phone buzzed again. Another text from Mira: "Hurry, Aria. They’re not just watching anymore. They’re hunting."

Through the car window, I saw something that made my blood freeze. Red eyes were following us through the trees, keeping pace with our car.

The Shadow Court wasn’t waiting three days after all.

They were already here.

The scream cut through the night like a knife.

I bolted upright in my bed, heart racing. That wasn’t just any scream - it was coming from inside my head. One of the Moon Alphas was in terrible pain.

"Aria!" Kael burst into my room. "Did you hear that?"

"It’s Zara," I gasped, putting my hands to my temples. The link between us Moon Alphas was getting stronger, but this was the first time I’d felt someone else’s pain so clearly. "She’s being attacked."

Jaxon appeared beside Kael. "Where is she?"

"Northern territory," I said, jumping out of bed. "Three hundred miles from here."

"We can’t get there in time," Lucien said from the doorway, his face pale with fear