Page 58 of Once You Go Pack
Despite her anxiety, Mila felt her lips curve into a smile. “Whatever happens in that cave,” she said quietly, “whatever we see or feel, I need you to know that I choose you always.”
Cade’s hand tightened on hers, and she felt a surge of emotion through their connection—love, gratitude, and something that felt like desperate relief.
“And I choose you always,” he replied, lifting their joined hands to press a kiss to her knuckles. “No trial, no council, no ancient magic can change that.”
As the royal car wound its way up the treacherous mountain paths toward the cave, Mila closed her eyes and centered herself. She thought of her mother’s gentle strength, of the wolf guardian legacy flowing through her veins, and of the past week’s training that had awakened abilities she’d never known she possessed.
I can do this,she told herself firmly.I was born for this moment.
But even as determination filled her, she couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling that whatever fears the trial exposed would test them both in ways they couldn’t possibly imagine.
The sacred cave soon loomed before them like the mouth of some ancient beast, its crystalline walls pulsing with an otherworldly energy that made Mila’s skin tingle. The council elders stood in a solemn circle at the entrance, their faces grave beneath the twin suns’ light and the barely visible twin moons’ silver glow.
Elder Grimm stepped forward. “You seek the council’s blessing for your union. The Moonfire Trial will test not just your mate bond, but your very souls.”
Mila’s heart hammered in her chest as the other elders began their ritual blessing, ancient words in the old tongue flowing over her like a tide. She didn’t understand the language, but something deep in her blood responded to it—a recognition that felt older than memory.
My ancestors stood here once,she realized with crystal clarity.They heard these same words and felt this same power.
“The trial begins now,” Elder Grimm continued, nodding toward the twin suns and moons overhead. “Enter together. Trust your bond.”
Cade’s hand grabbed hers with a strength that steadied her racing pulse as he guided her to the cave entrance. “Ready for this?” he murmured as they stepped inside the cave.
“Yes, I’m ready,” she whispered back, though her voice trembled slightly.
The elders moved as one, rolling the massive boulder that sealed the cave entrance behind them. The sound of stone grinding against stone echoed through the cave, final and ominous. They were alone now, committed to whatever lay ahead.
They took another step forward and Mila saw the cave more fully. The space was vast beyond imagination, its crystalline ceiling stretching impossibly high above them. The twin suns’ golden light and the twin moons’ silver radiance filtered through the crystal formations, refracting into streams of golden-silver fire that danced across the walls.
Moonfire,she understood now. The very air shimmered with it.
“My God,” she breathed softly. “It’s so beautiful.”
But beneath the beauty lay something else—a presence, ancient and vast, that pressed against her consciousness like a living thing. The energy here was so thick she could taste it, metallic and electric on her tongue. Her wolf guardian bloodsang in response, awakening instincts she didn’t know she possessed until this very moment.
Beside her, Cade had gone utterly still. She could somehow sense his wolf in this ancient environment—it was restless, protective, and on high alert. Cade’s composed exterior masked the animal energy thrumming beneath his skin, but she felt it all right now.
“Cade?” she whispered, reaching for his hand.
Before he could respond, a blinding pulse of light erupted from the cavern’s heart, dividing the chamber like a blade of pure energy. Reality shifted around them, the crystalline walls dissolving into something else entirely.
This is it,Mila thought, terror and determination warring in her chest.The trial begins.
The ancient magic closed around them like a living presence, and suddenly she was alone.
The first illusion hit her like a punch. She stood in the council chamber, but now the assembled pack members’ faces were twisted with disgust and rejection. Their whispers cut through her like knives.
“She doesn’t belong here.”
“Human filth, thinking she can rule wolves.”
“She’ll be the death of us all.”
And there, in the center of it all, stood Cade. But his green eyes were cold, distant, filled with the same rejection she saw in every other face.
“I was wrong about you,” he said, his voice devoid of the warmth she’d come to treasure. “You’re not strong. You’re too ordinary. You’ll never be wolf enough for me.”
“No,” Mila whispered, her heart shattering. “That’s not true. You love me.”
