Page 48 of Luna's New Reign
Right in front of us.
His body bends, folding forward as the magic wraps around him like a cocoon. There’s no agonized shifting, no sound at all—just the eerie quiet as his formmelts, his skin darkening, his bones cracking into something smaller, leaner,lighter.
And then he’s there.
A massivecrow—not some regular bird, but a creature of magic and shadow. His wings stretch out, black as midnight, with faint iridescent streaks of silver glinting when they catch the sunlight. He’s almost the size of one of our wolves, his talons gleaming sharp as obsidian, his beady black eyes glowing faintly with that same white energy as before.
Mateo and I stand frozen, stunned into silence.
“Maverick?” I manage, though the word barely leaves my lips.
The crow lets out a loud, sharp caw that echoes through the clearing, its wings flapping once—twice—before lifting its body off the ground. He rises with impossible grace, the shadow of his form sweeping across the ground as he hovers a few feet above us.
And then, just like that, hetakes off.
“Son of a—” Mateo growls, already moving. He doesn’t hesitate for a second, shifting into his massive wolf in one fluid motion. His crimson eyes flash once toward me before he bolts into the forest, paws pounding the ground as he races after Maverick’s impossible form.
I watch for half a second, stunned, before snapping out of it. My wolf is restless, pushing at my skin,beggingto run after them, but I can’t tear my eyes from the sky.
Maverick soars above the trees, a dark shape that moves like liquid, impossibly fast as he dips and weaves through the canopy. For a moment, I swear I see his wings pulse with that faint glow of magic again, a shimmer of power that feels too ancient, too wild to belong to anyone but him.
And then Mateo’s wolf howls as he vanishes deeper into the trees, chasing the magic in the sky.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, my heart still pounding in my chest. “What thefuckjust happened?” I mutter to no one in particular, staring after them. There’s no answer. Just the wind rushing through the trees and the distant echo of wings in flight.
24
MAVERICK
I’ve never felt anything like this.
The air rushes beneath my wings, lifting me higher and higher until the forest is nothing but a sea of dark green stretching far below. The magic inside me—wild, restless, unbearable for so long—finally has its release, pouring out of me in this form. A form that feels sorightI could lose myself in it forever.
I tilt my wings, catching an updraft, and let the wind carry me higher. My feathers stretch wide—black as midnight, laced with faint streaks of silver that glimmer faintly when they catch the light. I’mweightless. Unbound. The pressure that’s been boiling beneath my skin, choking me, finallygone.
Below me, I see him. Mateo’s massive black wolf weaves through the forest with the kind of effortless power only he has. His crimson eyes flick upward every now and then, watching me, the dark fur of his coat rippling with every stride. He howls as he runs and something in my chest flares with satisfaction.
I answer him with a sharpcawthat echoes through the morning air, and I swear I hear his laughter through the mindlink.
>>> You’re fucking majestic, Maverick.
I let out another roughcaw, dipping low for just a moment before I sweep back up into the sky, catching the golden edges of the rising sun. My eyes scan the horizon as the light spills across it, streaks of pink and orange bleeding into the sky. The earth wakes beneath me—birdsong filling the air, the sharp chirp of spring as it overtakes the quiet of winter.
For the first time in a long time, I let myselflookat it. Really look.
The world feels so much bigger from up here. The packlands stretch far beyond what I imagined, the crystal forest shimmering faintly in the distance like it’s alive, humming with the same energy I feel crackling in my veins. The wind presses against me, filling my lungs with something that feels like peace.
Mateo’s voice filters through the mindlink again, softer this time.>>> You’re free, Maverick.
Free.
The word echoes in my head, a faint tremor of disbelief shaking through me. I’ve spent so long fighting against the magic growing inside me, terrified of what it might turn me into. But up here, there’s no fear—no chaos, no walls closing in. Just sky and air and wind, and the rhythm of my wings pulling me forward.
And then I see it.
The darkness.
It’s subtle at first, a shadow lurking just beyond the boundary of the veil, far to the east. It seeps along the edge of the forest like an oil slick, clinging to the trees and choking out the sunlight as it spreads. My chest tightens, and I dip my wing, tilting to get a better look.