The air in the mountains was really cold. It was like a knife cutting through Elaras skin.. She did not shiver. She was used to the cold. It reminded her of the night she had to take care of herself in the trenches.
Lucian was walking beside her. He was walking through the snow like he was walking on a sunny street. Not a single snowflake landed on his suit. His shiny shoes stayed clean.
"You are thinking again Elara " Lucian said. His silver cane was tapping on the ground. "It is a look that suits you. We do not have time for it. The Silver Hand does not leave people who see them alive.. They definitely do not leave people like you alive for long."
Elara stopped. She looked at the trees. "My sister, Mina... She was ten when they took her away. They said she did not have a spirit-wolf. They called her a stain on our family. I let them take her Lucian. I was not strong enough to fight."
Lucian stopped. He looked at a branch. "Being weak is just not seeing things from an angle. You were a kid. Now you are a leader. The question is: what is a girl without a wolf doing in this place the Forbidden Tundra?"
Elara did not answer. She felt something before she saw it. It was a change in the energy of the forest. It was not a werewolf. It was something. Something silver.
"They are here " she whispered.
Elara got into a crouch. She was ready to jump. Her silver hair was blowing in the wind. The shadow wolf in her shadow was growing. Its eyes were burning through the mist. She did not wait for Lucians signal. She ran forward like a flash of lightning against the snow.
In a clearing there were five Templars in silver armor. They were standing around a girl. The girl was shivering. She was huddled against a stone altar. The girl was small wrapped in furs. Her face was pale and dirty.
"The prophecy is clear " one of the Templars said. "The wolfless one is the key. If the Ghost-Wolf claims her the gates of the Abyss will open. We will end this now."
"Mina!" Elaras voice was loud.
The Templars turned around. They were too slow. Elara landed in the center of the clearing. The force of her landing cracked the ground. The shockwave sent two of the men flying into the trees.
"Elara?" the girl on the altar said. She looked at Elaras eyes and black claws. She looked scared.
"I am the one who is taking you home " Elara said. Her voice was soft.
Then a Templars mace came flying towards her head. She did not dodge. She caught the iron weapon with one hand. The metal was bending. She kicked the Templar. He crashed through a stone pillar.
"You are too late " the lead Templar shouted. "The ritual is already done. Her blood has opened the door."
He smashed a vial against the stone altar. A pillar of light came out of the stone. It was pulling something out of the girls chest. Elara felt a tear in her soul. She realized why the Silver Hand wanted her sister. Mina was not wolfless. She was the balance. While Elara had the darkness Mina had the light. Together they were the Moon.
"Lucian do something " Elara shouted.
Lucian was standing at the edge of the clearing. He was lighting a cigar. "I am a businessman, not a bodyguard. I gave you the power. You have to use it. If you want her take her."
Elara growled. She stopped fighting the light. She did the one thing the Templars did not expect. She ran into the center of the pillar. She wrapped her arms around her sister.
The holy light was burning. It felt like her skin was being burned. Her purple eyes were flickering. The darkness within her was screaming.
"Mina look at me " Elara said. "Do not let them take it. The moon belongs to us."
Mina looked up. Her eyes turned silver. "The moon is cold, Elara."
The white light turned purple. The altar exploded. The clearing was leveled. The trees were stripped of their bark.
When the snow settled the Templars were gone. They were nothing but piles of ash in armor.
Elara was lying in the center of the crater. Her body was smoking. Her purple eyes were dim. Mina was standing over her. She was no longer shivering. Her silver hair was glowing. A massive furred wolf was curled around her feet.
Lucian was walking towards them. He was clapping his hands. "Well done. A bit messy,. Effective. You have your sister. She has her wolf.. You have just alerted every Alpha in the Northern Hemisphere."
Mina looked at her hands. She looked at Elara. "They think we are a curse do they not?"
Elara stood up. Her skin was healing itself. It was stronger and darker than before. She looked at the horizon. There were dozens of eyes flickering in the forest. The Alphas were coming. They had felt the shift in power.
"They can think whatever they want " Elara said. Her voice was loud. She took her sisters hand. "Let them come. We are not the Crescent Moon Pack anymore."
"What are we then?" Mina asked.
Elara looked at Lucian. She looked at the shadow-wolf and the light-wolf merging into one silhouette behind them.
"We are the Eclipse " Elara said. "The sun is never coming back."
As they prepared to move Lucian noticed something Elara had missed. On the back of Minas neck hidden by her silver hair was a mark. It was, in the shape of a hand.
Was the sister a savior or an enemy sent to destroy the leader from the inside?