Lira's head was pounding and she could barely move a muscle or open her eyes.
The room's muffled sounds slowly untangled into familiar voices, earning a wince out of her.
Where was she?
"That was very careless of you!" Donna harshly whispered. "What if you had died?"
"Then the prophecy would have been fulfilled, wouldn't it, your Grace?" Kyren said through clenched teeth.
"We don't even know if it's true." Donna said. "Either way, it's too soon to decide."
"Kyren?" Lira called out softly.
He hurried to her side. "I'm here. Are you alright? Do you know where you are?"
"The infirmary," she replied.
"Her eyes," Donna breathed out and grinned.
Kyren then noticed that her eyes which were normally green glowed a pale blue which was soon fading.
"Did you have a vision, child?" Donna moved closer and gazed at her face.
"I-I did. But I don't remember." Lira looked at the ground. "I think I'm still tired."
"Of course," Kyren got up immediately.
"Rest up." He left and so did Donna.
Once the door closed Lira let out a heavy sigh. Everything made sense. What they said matched what she saw. Her best friend, bruised and bloody in a cave.
"The prophecy demands for his death." She whispered to herself. "Why him?" Lira ran her hands through her hair.
"Fuck this prophecy" she hissed and got up.
She started to think that Priscilla was right. If she was strong enough, then maybe the prophecy wouldn't matter.
She walked right back to the Temple gardens. You wouldn't have guessed that a feral wolf had been here aside from the upset grass and a broken bench.
"No blood whatsoever" Lira mused.
She sat in front of the large stone dolmen and placed her hands on the ground. Its stone carvings began to glow a pale blue. But it wasn't fast enough.
Lira cursed and lifted her hands up. Some moonborne she was. She faced a feral wolf and all she could do was faint.
Lira couldn't stop thinking of what Donna and Kyren said in the infirmary. Honestly speaking, it didn't make sense to her.
The prophecy was the most famous thing in the land. Priestesses chanted it at temples, mothers whispered it at bedtime to their pups and Lira read it everyday until she could recite it backwards.
"When the moon breaks,her blood will rise," Lira whispered into the air. "One alpha shall guard her, One alpha shall tempt her."
She scoffed and said "Am I even supposed to take it literally?"
The prophecy was written by different people at different times.
Priestesses of Selene from different packs would have visions or revelations, pen them down and send it to the Main Temple at Ironwood.
Lira often wondered if some of them sent fake prophecies but Donna said they had a way of filtering them out.
Maybe Kyren dying was a fake prophecy. But whether it was true or not, the fact that she's still too weak remains.
Lira leaned forward and took a deep breath. This time she was going to light the dolmen up in a second.
********
Lira placed her shaking hands on the ground and poured out her energy, lighting up the dolmen faster than the last time she tried. She inhaled and exhaled shakily and repeated her actions.
Kyren is going to die because of me. What if I see a feral wolf again? There's no time. I have to fix the moonstone now.
How do I even do that? I don't even know what a Moonstone looks like.
"Lira!"
Lira flinched and a part of the totem cracked after surging with blue energy. She crawled backwards and bumped into someone. She looked up and met worried umber eyes.
"Everyone has been looking all over for you. Why'd you leave the infirmary?" Kyren asked with a furrowed brow.
"I didn't feel sick anymore so I left." Lira stared at the dolmen.
Kyren crouched down and put an arm around her shoulders. They heaved gently as she tried to catch her breath. "Just retire for the night."
"Night?" Lira asked and looked up. The sky was dark and devoid of stars. All that was there was a silver crescent moon peeking through the clouds.
"Go home Lira. Your real home." Kyren commanded. "I'll walk you." He grabbed her wrist and led her away.
Although Lira lived most of her life in the Temple, she had a home in Ironwood. The house her father was given and the house where she lived for two days before priestesses took her away.
Talking to him had grown awkward. They were supposed to be father and daughter but they barely knew eachother.
Staying there became ten times worse when he married another woman.
"Must I? Gerald and Hilary would probably be bothered by me." Lira protested.
"He's your father." Kyren retorted.
"Barely."
"Even so, you were attacked on Temple grounds. You'll find it hard to sleep here."
"Fine," Lira sighed. "Let me just get my things from my room."
Kyren waited in the garden as she packed an overnight bag.
They walked to Gerald's house and as expected he invited Kyren for dinner.
"I hear the Alpha Rite of Ascension is in two weeks." Gerald started. "How are you feeling about that."
"I don't know." Kyren shrugged. "Normal I guess."
Gerald laughed and the table fell into an awkward silence. Kyren really wasn't the best conversationalist.
Aside from the occasional scape of cutlery against the bowls they ate in silence.Lira kept her eyes on her food, pretending to be fascinated by the way the broth swirled when she stirred it.
Across from her Hilary took small careful bites while Gerald seemed to eat like his food would soon leave him.
Kyren finished first and waiting for everyone else. When they were done he said, "Keep an eye on Lira for me," and left. It was clearly an order.
"Lira?" Gerald started.
"Oh, nothing is wrong Father." Lira got up. "I'm going to bed now. Good night." She ran to the guest room.
She was eager to leave for more than one reason. She brought out the letters she had swiped from Donna's office when she wasn't looking. She rifled through the papers, looking for anything on the prophecy.
"Just ass-kissing mail." Lira frowned. She had spread the papers all over the guest room floor.
She wondered if Donna would miss them. Then her eyes caught a word that had been haunting her for years.
'Moonstone'
This letter didn't have any apple-polishing pleasantries.
"A moonstone shard is in our possession. Please retrieve it as soon as possible."
The seal was from Silverstone pack.