Chapter 5: The Gathering Moon
A full moon approached.
And with it, a convergence.
Scott called it "a thinning"—when the veil between worlds blurred. Spirits wandered. Old powers stirred. And for those with awakened bloodlines, the moon's pull was more than a tide.
It was a scream.
Jalen stood on the school roof, eyes scanning the trees.
"Something's coming," he told Mason.
Mason nodded. "Yeah. And it's not coming alone."
That night, Scott summoned the pack.
They gathered in the preserve. Malia. Liam. Lydia. Mason. Theo. Even Peter Hale showed up, uninvited but curious.
"The convergence will bring them," Scott said. "Old enemies. Maybe new ones."
Jalen looked at the moon. "What about the Dreadborn?"
Peter answered. "They're scouts. The real threat is their master."
"Who?"
"They call her Nyxara," Peter said. "She was sealed centuries ago. A shadow queen. A devourer of light. Your ancestor trapped her beneath the black moon."
"She's coming for me," Jalen realized.
Peter's smile was grim. "She's coming *through* you."
---
That night, during the moon's rise, Jalen entered the forest alone.
And found a mirror.
Not a normal one—this one was cracked, floating between two trees, and humming.
In its reflection, he wasn't himself.
He was the wolf.
Tall. Horned. Glowing black eyes.
And behind him… Nyxara.
Her voice poured from the mirror.
"Let me in, Umbra. Let me finish what your ancestors feared."
Jalen reached for the mirror.
Then smashed it.
"I don't fear you," he whispered.
But deep inside… something trembled.