Selene's POV

I had never ventured as far into the woods as the location of the moon temple. Enclosed by stone columns that dated back to the dawn of time, the massive bones towered over the earth, their surfaces cloaked in moss and etched with symbols that danced and contorted in the moonlight. The air here was different from that of the outside world: it had greater density and was infused with a power that caused my wolf to squirm in discomfort within my chest.

Thalia moved through darkness with a virtually ghostly grace for one so fragile. Her robes were as white as if lit from within, and I saw that she did not leave impressions upon the forest floor. There was something different about her, as if she drifted somewhere between human life and something else.

"How did you know?" I followed her deeper into the holy grounds. "How did you know I was innocent?"

"The same way I know young Beta carries shadows in his heart," she said without facing me. "The moon goddess shows truth to those who work for her in good intent. And you, child, emanate innocence even in your desperation."

We arrived at the center of the temple, where there was a circular altar lying beneath an opening in the canopy. The moonlight fell directly down upon the white stone, lighting it to shine like silver. Ancient runes were carved on the bottom, and I could feel power humming in the ground below my feet.

"Sit," Thalia told me, gesturing to the steps of the altar.

I trailed behind, still trying to wrap my head around everything that had just happened. An hour before this, I was waiting to die, and now I was in a position of power with an enigmatic priestess who claimed she could demonstrate to me that I was innocent.

"Three days," I breathed. "You've given them three days to find the real killer. Can you really do it?"

Thalia smiled, but her eyes, old as the millennia, were sad. "Child, I already know who killed Prince Marcus. The question is not whether I can prove it; the question is whether I can prove it. The question is whether you are capable of hearing the truth."

My heart surged. "You know? Tell me then! Acquit my name!"

"It's not that easy." Thalia moved forward to the altar and set her hands on the carved stone. "The person who has done this has done their job well. He's made your own pack believe you are in the wrong, turned your own husband against you. Words will never go back on such careful manipulation."

"Then what?"

"Power." The old woman's gaze clashed with mine, and I saw something that made me shudder. "The sort of power that cuts through lies and wrests truth from the greatest deceiver."

She wandered around the altar slowly, her finger tracing the worn runes. "Tell me, child, what do you know of the old ways? The magic that flowed through our people before they lost their connection with the moon?"

"Legends. Stories. My grandmother talked about priestesses who could see the future, wolves that ruled the weather." I shrugged. "But that was all they were. Legends."

"Did they?" Thalia touched her hand to one of the runes, and it began to glow with soft silver light. "Your healing gift – where do you think you got that from?"

"I don't know. It's just something I've always been able to do."

"It's magic, child. Old magic, flowing through your veins like a hidden river. It's something most wolves have lost the power to access, but it's still there, waiting." More runes illuminated as Thalia circled the altar. "I can teach you how to unlock it completely. Grant you the power to read truth from lie, to extract honesty from even the greatest deceiver."

My heart pounded. "You're talking of making me love you. A priestess."

"Better than me." Thalia's voice hardened with sorrow. "Stronger. I am ill, child. This frail body has done what it could, and the curse that binds me fast strengthens its grip each day. But my power, my wisdom, my connection to the goddess – these need not perish with me."

"A curse?" I leaned forward. "What kind of curse?"

"The price of defying those who would corrupt the function of the temple. But that is a story for another time." Thalia moved to stand before me. "What matters now is this: I can transfer my powers to you in the form of a blood ritual. Ancient magic, blessed by the very goddess of the moon."

The offer hung in front of us like a swordsman poised, about to fall. Power. The key through which I might clear my name and expose the real killer. All I had to do was accept whatever the price would be.

"What would be done to me? If I were to agree to this ritual?"

"You would transform. Your looks, your smell, even your voice would be different enough that those who had known you previously would not identify you readily. You would develop a sense of when someone lies, the power to force a person to tell the truth, the ability to penetrate the masks that wicked individuals wear." Thalia's eyes were fierce. "But you would have to serve truth and justice for the rest of your life. No going back to the simple existence you knew."

"And you? What happens to you?"

"I die." She said it bluntly, with no fear and no regret. "The ritual will take what's left of my life force and transfer it into you. It's the only way to transfer power of this magnitude."

I stared at her in horror. "I won't ask you to do that. I won't let you sacrifice yourself for me."

"You're not asking me. I'm offering." Thalia sat beside me on the steps of the altar. "Think you it's just a coincidence I arrived at your execution tonight? I've been tracking you for months, child. Waiting and watching for the right moment."

"Watching me? Why?"

"Because I have seen your destiny. A vision presented to me by the goddess herself." Her ancient eyes went far away. "I saw you standing in that courtyard, accused and condemned. I saw your husband's betrayal and your pack's contempt. But I also saw what you could become – a spirit of justice that would protect the innocent and uncover the corrupt."

"Did you count on this? Did you count on Marcus dying and accusing me?"

"I counted on someone near you to have evil in their heart. I counted on them striking when you'd least expect it." Thalia's voice grew bitter. "I attempted to warn the prince, but he was young and foolish. He wouldn't listen to the worst-case fears of an old woman."

The parts fell into place. "Marcus was investigating something, wasn't he? That's why he was killed."

"He discovered a plot that extends far beyond simple pack politics. Your Beta Kane is not working alone, child. He has supporters, in your pack and out of it. Prince Marcus discovered this and was going to expose them when they struck."

My heart froze. "How many individuals are involved?"

"That is what we need to discover. But first, you must decide – will you accept the power to share the truth? Will you let me transfer my powers so that you can save not just yourself, but your whole pack?"

I stood up and walked to the edge of the altar ring, looking out into the dark woods. Somewhere in those woods, my pack slept peacefully, none knowing the enemy stalked them. Corwin tossed and turned, his own conscience nipping at him for condemning his wife. Kane planned his next move, confident that he had eliminated the only threat to his schemes.

"If I do this," I said him slowly, "if I take your power, can I ever go back to my life as before? Eventually?"

"No." Soft but definite was Thalia's reply. "The woman you were – the innocent Luna who trusted all people and believed in all hearts – she needs to be killed tonight so the new woman may emerge. You can never again be Selene, beloved wife of Alpha Corwin. That is dead."

The words hit me like punches. Everything I had been, everything I'd done, everything I'd ever loved – all gone. I'd be someone else, a stranger to my face.

But what choice did I have? In three days, if Thalia did not help me clear my name, I'd be dead anyway. At least then, I'd be able to defend myself. I'd be able to expose Kane and keep my pack safe from whatever he was planning.

"There's one more thing," Thalia whispered. "The ritual is dangerous. There's a chance it'll kill us both. The magic is ancient and unstable. Even if it works, you might not survive the changing."

"And if I refuse?"

"You die in three days, and Kane's coup runs amok. Your pack falls into whatever master he serves, and countless innocents are harmed as a result."

I closed my eyes and recalled Marcus, icy and still on the altar. He'd sacrificed himself protecting our pack. Could I do any less?

"How much time do we have?"

"The ritual must be performed before sunrise, when the moon is still strong. We have perhaps two hours."

Two hours to determine if I should bet everything on the hope of justice. Two hours to pick between probable death and potential transformation into something humanity cannot understand.

I glanced at Thalia, this old woman who was willing to give her own life for mine, and made my decision.

"What do I have to do?"

Relief flooded her face. "First, we must prepare the altar. Then the blood letting, the chanting, the transfer of power." She made her way to a stone chest at the base of one of the pillars. "But there is something I must warn you about before we proceed."

"What?"

She pulled out a silver dagger whose blade bore the same runes as those inscribed on the altar. "The transformation will hurt. Not just your body, but your soul. You will be sure that you are dying and being born at the same moment. Most who attempt such spells lose their minds because of the pain."

I took the dagger away from her hands, feeling its balance. "Will it be worse than watching my husband have me sentenced to death for a crime I did not do?"

"No," she admitted. "Nothing is worse than that."

"Let us begin, then."

Thalia grinned and began to place things upon and about the altar – candles, herbs, vials of what seemed like liquid moonlight. "Remove your garments and lie back upon the altar. The ritual must be in contact with your flesh."

I paused for a moment, then unbuckled my attire. The night wind was cold against my bared flesh, but the altar rock felt strangely warm under me when I lay back upon it. The runes etched into its face seemed to pulse with power under me.

"Are you ready?" Thalia asked, the silver knife glinting in her weathered hands.

"Wait." I held her wrist. "If this succeeds, if I survive and gain these powers – how do I get back in time to expose Kane? How do I come back presentable when everyone thinks I'm dead?"

Thalia smiled, and for the first time since I'd met her, she was truly smiling. "That's the pretty thing, child. When the ritual is complete, you won't be Selene any longer. You'll be someone new, someone Kane has never seen. Someone who can just walk right back onto Crescent Pack land without anyone even recognizing you."

She raised the dagger to the moon, and its blade went alight with a fire that was as much silver as the runes.

"But first," she spoke, and her voice took on a ritual tone that seemed to sound from the stones themselves, "you must die."

Selene's POV

The edge of the knife was cold against my wrist, but the power that ran through it bristled my whole arm with goosebumps. Thalia intoned the incantation in a tongue that I didn't speak, her words cresting and falling in waves on the sea. The runes under me brightened and brightened with every repetition, until I lay back in a pillow of shining starstuff.

"Close your eyes," Thalia took a breath. "Let go of the old Selene. Stop fighting to hold on to who you were."

I willed my eyes closed as the knife slid into my skin. Blood foamed and dripped down onto the altar, and wherever each drop fell on stone, the runes flared like tiny suns. Sadness shot up my arm, but it was not just bodily. Something deeper was breaking within me, something that felt like my very soul being torn asunder.

The chanting built, pounding against the marble pillars that formed a circle around us. I sensed Thalia as a warm wave surging in my direction, with centuries of power and knowledge at its center. Within the wave was something else – cold, dark, and ravenous, outstretched to touch me with dark claws.

"Repel it," Thalia's voice was distant. "The curse would take you as well. Don't let it pull you in."

My body began to convulse. Every muscle cramped at once, arching my back away from the altar as agony ripped its way through me. It was as if bones were moving and reconfiguring themselves, as if my own existence was being rewritten by non-corporeal hands. I tried to scream but nothing emerged.

And then the real pain began.

Blaze incinerated me, reducing everything I'd ever known to ash. Memories flared up and reduced to nothing – marriage to Corwin, warm afternoons patching up pack members, quiet hours on the river where I'd fantasized over children and gentle dawns. All dissolved to ash and blew away on air I couldn't feel.

But to the aged, something new was added. Knowledge flooded into my brain in whirling whirlpools – how to see truth in a man's eyes, how to get at honesty by a word, how to see deceit and lies through crystal glass. The power was amazingly old and immense, and trying to fill an ocean in a teacup.

"Let it out," Thalia's voice grew more reedy, fading away. "Don't fight to hold it back. Let the goddess reshape you."

I could feel her vitality flowing into me, rich and gold and fading. She was giving up her life to save my own, offering up everything available in this ritual. I could sense her recollections combining with mine – centuries of dedication to the goddess of the moon, of protecting the innocent, of fighting corruption and oppression. Her desire for justice was my own. Her sense of responsibility was mine.

The transformation carried over to my face as well, and I was aware of my facial structure altering. My cheekbones became higher, my nose more pointed, my lips fuller. My dark auburn locks transformed into deep brown, and when I lifted my lids, I knew they'd switched from green to gold. I was myself, yet completely different.

"It is working," Thalia breathed. Her voice was as old as the wind through dry leaves. "The goddess greets you. She blesses this union of power and intent."

But the curse was not yet through with me. I could feel it building up once more, trying to devour the new power that surged within my veins. Icy fingers wrapped themselves around my heart, speaking to me in a breath of vengeance and annihilation. It sought to use these powers in anger instead of justice, to be used as an agent of vengeance instead of one of truth.

"No," I could say to her, my words husky. "I will not yield to darkness."

"Good girl." Thalia's fingers wrapped around my own, trembling but warm. "Keep this with you. When the power seeks to move you to cruelty, recall why you tread this path."

The ritual reached its end. The altar beneath my feet pulsed with silver light so white and holy I could see it inside my eyes. Each rune, each etching, each glyph of ancient knowledge blazed out into light that was not fire. The air within our circle hummed with holy power.

And then silence.

I opened my eyes and found the moon overhead, full and bright. It was changed in it now, though – I could feel its strength in my bones, its blessing like a mother's soothing touch. The connection between the goddess and me was there, real, tangible, unbreakable.

Thalia lay on either side of the altar, her face as calm and timeless. Her white robes, streaked with blood – mine and hers – but she smiled.

"Did it work?" I asked softly, rolling over slowly. My whole body ached, but it was good hurt that comes from hard labor accomplished.

"Look at your hands."

I lifted them to moonlight and breathed. My skin shone softly, as if starlight flowed through me instead of blood. If I curled my fingers, I could feel the pale silver lines on the palmar surfaces of my hands – a sign of the favor of the moon goddess.

"The power is yours," Thalia breathed. "Use it wisely. Save your pack. Uncover the truth."

"How do I know it actually worked? How do I rehearse these skills?"

"See me and hear the words I speak." Thalia's eyes crashed into mine, and now I could see something I had never seen before. Truth glowed around her like a halo of gold, warm and clean and unmistakable. "I am proud of you, child. You will do wonderful things with this gift."

Every word was true. I could feel the truth in them, sense the deep well of hope and love that had led her to this act. It was too much – not just to hear truth, but to experience it through every medium available to me.

"Now I'd like to share a falsehood with you," she continued. "I'm not going to die. This ritual has made me stronger."

The words hit me like blows. Lying was slick and cold, and it made my gut churn. The golden aura of her faltered and danced, letting the dishonesty behind the sweetness show. I had the lie on my tongue, bitter and tart.

"I can see it," I abruptly blurted out. "I really see when someone's lying."

"Moreso than that. You can force truth from others, though it takes will and focus. You can sense the motives of people's actions – love, hatred, fear, ambition. Their souls are open books to you now."

I stepped down from the altar and knelt beside her. "What do I do now? How do I return to my pack without being identified?"

"Your scent is altered, as is your countenance. Your voice, too. Even the energy pattern of your wolf has been altered." Thalia's breath was growing shallow. "You are no longer Selene. You will have to adopt a new name, a new persona."

I took a moment to consider it. "Vera. It means truth in the ancient language."

"Perfection." She smiled weakly. "But child, there is more you must be warned about. The Beta who wrongly accused you – his corruption is deeper than mere ambition. He serves forces which would destroy everything your pack treasures."

"What forces?"

"I don't know everything. But in my visions, I was seeing silver-eyed wolves, wolves that don't belong on this world. Kane is bringing something terrible through the wall between worlds, and your pack is just the start."

My blood ran cold. "Demons?"

"Or something similar. Creatures of darkness and thirst who feed on war and despair." Thalia held on to my hand with what little strength she had. "You have to stop him, Vera. Not just for justice, but so that the people you've ever cared about can live."

"How? I'm by myself now. One person with these strange abilities against an entire conspiracy."

"You will never be alone. There are other workers of the light, spread out across the lands of the wolves. When you are ready, they will seek you out. Or you will seek them." Her gaze was weakening. "But first, you must return to your den. You must go into your pack and gather proof of Kane's misdeed."

"What if I am too weak? What if these powers are not strong enough to take him down?"

"They will. The goddess does not play games with her servants." The voice of Thalia was dwindling into a whisper. "Never forget, child – truth always prevails in the end. It may take time, it may cost sacrifice, but lies cannot hold up to the light forever."

I could feel the life draining from my hands. This woman who had saved me, who had instilled in me the will to fight, was going to die because of my actions. The burden of that giving would haunt me for the rest of my days.

"Thank you," I wheezed. "For everything."

"Don't thank me yet," she gasped. "Thank me when Kane is dead and your pack is safe. Thank me when justice is finally being served."

Her hand stopped trembling in mine, and I could feel her soul leave her body in a gentle breath. Thalia no longer existed, but her strength lingered behind in the power coursing through my veins.

I slowly got up from my seat, experimenting with my new abilities. Everything felt different – stronger, sharper, more acute. I was experiencing the life force of all the animals in a mile radius of the temple. I was experiencing the truth of things as I never had before.

But with this immense power, a gigantic responsibility. And my responsibility was clear-cut: return to Crescent Pack, expose Kane's conspiracy, and save all those whom I had ever known from whatever wrongdoings he was cultivating in the world.

I carried Thalia's corpse and interred her in a stone sarcophagus in the center of the temple. Old magic sealed the door on her, where she would remain eternally alongside the other priestesses who had come before her.

Then, I walked along to the edge of the sacred ground and looked back at my homeland. The forest radiated under the light of dawn rising, painting the sky with pink and gold tones. It was beautiful and terrifying all at once – the last sunrise I would ever see as the woman I had been.

When I stood up to go, I said almost jumping out of my seat. A man stood under the shade of two ancient oak trees, looking at me with eyes that sparkled like silver coins. He was tall and thin, with black hair and alabaster skin that reflected in pre-dawn light.

"Hello, Vera," he said softly, his voice as soft as velvet. "I've been waiting for you."

Vera's POV

The silver-eyed man approached closer, and my new senses shouted danger. Truth-sight revealed to me something off about him – shadows that moved not in line with his body, coldness where I should see warmth. He was not completely human.

"Who are you?" I maintained my voice level, although every nerve in my body was screaming.

"Somebody who is doing the same thing you're doing right now." His grin exhibited teeth that were a little too sharp. "My name is Darius. I've been watching the corruption increase in your pack for months."

"Watching and doing nothing?"

"Waiting for the time. For the individual." His silver eyes fixed on me with uncomfortable intensity. "Thalia discussed her plan before she acted on it. She told you'd be the way to stop what's coming."

I experimented my truth-telling ability with his words, honing the manner Thalia had taught me. His words were true-sounding, but there was more to them than that – folds of covered-up meaning that I could not quite catch.

"What exactly is going on?"

"Kane isn't working alone. He's been in touch with forces of the shadow world, beings that live to feed on death and destruction." Darius moved closer, his steps quiet on the ground of the forest. "They've made him promises of power for opening doors between worlds."

"Shadow world?" The words sent a cold shiver down my spine. "You mean demons?"

"Beasts of the dark that between life and death. They cannot enter our realm without invitation, but once they do. They'll consume everything. Every living being will be fodder for their hunger."

I thought of Marcus on the ground, Kane's cold manipulation, pack members who had so quickly turned on me. "How do we keep them from coming?"

"Survive the next few hours, first." Darius gestured toward the entrance of the temple. "Kane will discover Thalia aided you in your escape. Men are already sent to search the forest."

As if summoned by his words, I heard the voices rising from the trees. Commands, the sound of men moving through leaves, the clashing of weapons and armor. They were still distant, but closing in.

"They'll find the temple soon," I breathed.

"Let them. They'll locate Thalia's tomb and believe you died in some failed magic ritual." Darius produced a black cloak from beneath his jacket. "But you need to be out of here when they arrive."

I grabbed the cloak, which was interestingly absorbing of light instead of reflective. As I wrapped it around me, I felt my existence sort of fade, like I had become more difficult to see.

"Where should I go?"

"Safe from Crescent Pack territory for now. You have time to hone your new abilities before you see Kane again." His silver eyes glowed a clearer intensity in the growing light of dawn. "Three days' travel north of here is a safe house. Other servants of the light visit it as a meeting place."

"Other servants?"

"You are not alone in this war, Vera. There are wolves throughout the territories who've sworn to protect our world from shadow realm incursions." Darius put a little crescent moon-shaped silver pendant into my palm. "Show them this, and they'll know you were sent by Thalia."

The voices were closing in. I could now hear individual words – commands to search all the structures, to discover traces of magical use, to take me in alive if possible.

"I have to go," I said, but did not rise. "What about you? Won't they suspect you here?"

Darius smiled, and this time his sharp teeth looked almost wolf-like. "They don't see me unless I wish to be seen. Shadow world beings are not the only thing that lives between worlds."

I was unable to question him what he was saying before he disappeared into the darkness between trees as though he had never existed at all. Only the pendant held tightly within my hand convinced me that the dialogue had actually taken place.

I pulled the hood of the cloak up around my head and walked out into the woods, taking roads I'd trodden all my life. My new awareness was daunting – I was able to hear heartbeats for a couple of hundred yards, feel fear and excitement on the wind, feel the life force of every creature in my vicinity. It was as though I'd entered another dimension.

Behind me, shouts of discovery were emanating from the temple grounds. They'd found Thalia's tomb and were arguing about what it indicated. I caught pieces of what they were saying on the breeze.

".priestess is dead."

".no sign of the Luna."

".search the grounds around the tomb."

Kane's voice cut through the others, cutting through them with fury. "She can't have gone very far. Find her."

I walked more quickly, taking detours from trails and along game trails which merely brought me deeper into the wood. I stopped to listen in intervals of a few minutes to make sure that nobody was tracking me. The cloak Darius gave me to wear also appeared to suppress both sound as well as sight – my steps were barely heard.

By lunchtime, I had a few miles on me from the temple. The shouting of the search party had long since been out of hearing distance, although I did have a sense that they were somewhere. Kane would not so easily give up.

I took shelter in a cave at the back of a waterfall, one that I had found years earlier on early childhood outings. The roar of the waterfall would mask my own, and the cave was spacious enough to hide me if others were to pass by.

Exhaustion overwhelmed me like a punch the moment I was out of danger. The ritual had drained more energy out of me than I had expected, and my body was still learning how to use its newfound abilities. I curled up into a ball on the cave floor and slept soundly and irrevocably.

I woke up to find it was evening. The waterfall illuminated the cave in golden light, showering rainbow hues on the walls. I was stronger then, more centered in this new body.

Something was not right, though. My new senses were picking up on a familiar scent drifting on the evening breeze. Pack scent. Crescent Pack, I figured.

I shifted position to the edge of the cave and peered down through the falling water. Three wolves were opposite me across the stream, their forms stretched tight with the intent of hunting. I recognized them – Derek, the warrior who'd been willing to kill me, and two of his men.

"The trail ends here," Derek said with annoyance in his voice. "It's as if she just disappeared."

"Magic," one of them said. "That old crone must have done something before she died."

"Beta Kane wants her found," Derek said. "Dead or alive, he wants proof of what happened to her."

"Maybe she did die in this ritual. Maybe there's nothing to find."

Derek's head shook back and forth. "Kane doesn't believe so. He says she's too stubborn to die so easily."

They spread out in both directions along the stream for any sign that I had come through. I held my breath and continued deeper into the cave, praying the waterfall would cover my scent.

"Wait." the third man yelled. "I smell something."

My heart stopped. Had magic from my cloak failed?

"What is it?"

"Blood. Fresh blood."

I looked down at my hands and noticed I was still bleeding from the ritual cuts on the wrists. My altered blood had seeped onto the floor of the cave, making a trail even human noses could detect.

"This way," Derek ordered, moving in the direction of the waterfall.

I got seconds before they found me. There was no rear exit of the cave, and I could not fight three trained men even with the new powers. I was cornered.

But then I remembered something Thalia had spoken to me when we were in the ritual – the power would be greater during times of utter need. I focused on the reality I needed most: I was not here. I left no trace. There was nothing for them to find.

Power flowed through me, separate from my healing gift but somehow known. It flowed out to the three adventurers, brushing their minds with soft persuasion.

Derek stopped dead, his head tilted in the way a person listens to a sound. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Voices. North of here." He turned from the waterfall. "Someone's calling for help."

The other two men looked confused, but Derek was gone already. "Come on. Someone might be in danger."

They disappeared into the forest, following like ghost voices heard by only themselves. I leaned against the cave wall, shocked and terrified at what I'd just done. I could manipulate thoughts, plant suggestions, make people believe the impossible.

The power was thrilling. And lethal.

I waited until darkness before I left the cave. The night forest was unlike anything during the day – full of sounds and odors that my new senses could detect. I could hear voices miles away, smell emotions as if they were tangible objects, feel the pulse of life everywhere.

According to Darius's orders, I followed the northern route to the hideout. Three days of travel, three days to get used to these new abilities and ready myself to go back to Crescent Pack.

But walking under the moonlight in the woods, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. Not by Kane's trackers, no, but by something else. Something which moved in shadows and left no trail.

I stood at the edge of a moonlit glade and stretched my senses to their limits. There – something strange lurking in the trees. Not living, not dying, but following me with hungry attention.

If I looked straight at it, the thing evaporated like smoke. But I could still sense it, chill and hungry and waiting.

Darius had warned me of shadow realm creatures trying to invade our world. What if they already did so?

What if Kane had already succeeded in creating gateways between worlds?

I tightened the black cloak around me and headed north, but now shadows all seemed to hide perils. The war for my world's survival began, and I was walking into the very heart of it.

Behind me, something howled in the distance. It wasn't any wolf sound that I ever heard.

It sounded hungry.