Chapter 144 The third trial 2

Chapter 144: Chapter 144 The third trial 2

Talia’s POV

I took a deep breath, then I opened the clasp, and the chain slipped through my fingers.

I handed the necklace to Kaelen, and he took it and stepped back, holding it in his hands.

The glamour charm slowly fell away.

The pack gasped, and wolves stared. Some stepped back, with their eyes wide. While some leaned forward, craning their necks to see.

"What is happening?" a voice asked from the crowd.

"Her face," another voice said. "It is changing."

They stared at me until the plain and forgettable girl was gone. In her place stood a woman with bright eyes and soft skin, and she was a woman who was beautiful.

I did not look at Serena again, because I did not need to. I had already seen her face, and I knew that she would be more shocked and frozen.

I closed my eyes and called to Lyra. "Let go," she said. "Trust me."

"I trust you," I whispered.

I stopped fighting, I stopped holding back, and I let go.

The change began.

It started in my chest, with a warmth that spread through my veins like fire. My bones cracked and shifted, and my muscles stretched and grew. Fur sprouted from my skin, in silver and gold.

I fell to my hands and knees as my body transformed. The world spun around me, and I heard gasps from the crowd.

"Look at her size," a male voice said.

"She is huge," a female voice added.

"Is that really her?" another voice asked.

I did not open my eyes until the change was done.

When I opened them, the world looked different from down here. The grass was closer, and the wolves around me looked smaller. I was larger than any wolf they had ever seen, and my fur was silver, streaked with gold, and my eyes were bright.

The field was silent, as no one spoke, and no one moved.

I lifted my head and looked at Alpha Aldric. His gray eyes moved across my wolf form, and his face was unreadable. He did not speak, he just nodded.

Then he turned and walked back toward the pack house.

The crowd began to murmur.

"What does that mean?" a voice asked.

"Did she pass?" another voice said.

"I do not know," someone answered.

Kaelen walked to me and knelt beside my wolf form. He had a dress in his hands. He had planned ahead, and he had known I would need it.

"Come," he said softly. "Let us go shift back and dress."

He led me to a small tent set up near the edge of the field. It was private, and hidden from the crowd. I stepped inside, and he pulled the flap closed behind us.

"Grandfather is asking about your face," Kaelen said. "But we will talk to him about it later, if that is okay with you."

I closed my eyes and called to my human form. The change began. My bones shifted, my muscles shrank, and my fur faded away. When I opened my eyes, I was myself again. Naked and tired and shaking.

I looked at him with tired eyes, and I nodded. I could not speak, because my body was still shaking from the shift, as I was still getting used to changing between my human form and my wolf form.

Kaelen helped me dress. His hands were gentle, and his gray eyes were soft, as he pulled the dress over my head and smoothed the fabric over my shoulders.

"You did it," he said.

"I did it," I whispered softly.

He pulled me into his arms and held me tight. When we broke the hug, we gathered our things to go out, but I did not put on the glamour charm again, because I did not need to anymore.

Kaelen just kept it safe in his pants pocket, as we walked to the Gathering Hall together.

When we entered, the hall was full. Wolves had filed in from the field, and their voices buzzed with excitement. Alpha Aldric stood at the front, waiting with an unreadable face.

When we entered, the room went quiet.

Kaelen led me to the front, and we stood before Aldric. His gray eyes moved across my true face, but he did not flinch, and he did not look away.

"The trials are complete," he said as his voice carried across the room. "Talia has passed the Trial of the Mind, the Trial of the Heart, and the Trial of the Wolf."

He turned to face the crowd. "She is Luna."

The pack cheered. Wolves howled and clapped and shouted.

The loud sound washed over me like a warm, overwhelming wave. I had dreamed of this moment, and imagined what it would feel like. But the dreams did not compare. This was so much more real.

I had earned it in full, and I would never forget it.

"She did it," a male voice said from the crowd.

"Our Luna," a female voice added.

"I knew she could," another voice said.

Kaelen took my hand and squeezed it. I looked up at him, and he was smiling a real smile, that was soft and warm.

I did it. I passed all three trials, and I was officially Luna.