Moonbound

breaking bounds

The days following the fight with the rogues left the pack in a state of fragile calm. Tensions simmered beneath the surface, and Luna could sense that things were about to change—perhaps permanently. She had tried to push down the feelings of dread that bubbled inside her, but it was getting harder.Ryder had been distant since their last encounter with the rogues. Though they shared brief, secret moments, Luna could feel him pulling away. The rivalry between him and Alex was still unresolved, making every interaction with the pack feel strained. It didn't help that Alex, as the self-proclaimed leader, was growing more frustrated with every passing day.One afternoon, the pack gathered near the edge of the Forbidden Forest for a meeting. Alex stood before them, his arms crossed, and the tension in the air was thick."We need to be stronger, more united," Alex said, his tone sharp. "The rogues aren't the only threat we're facing, and if we don't work together, we're going to fall apart."Ryder, leaning against a tree, scoffed. "Work together? Like you've got all the answers? You've never been able to see beyond your own ego, Alex."Luna felt a familiar pang of worry. The two boys had been circling each other for months, and the conflict was only getting worse. She glanced at Maya, who looked equally concerned. Jake was silent, as usual, watching from the sidelines.Alex took a step closer to Ryder, his eyes flashing with anger. "I'm trying to keep this pack from falling apart. If you can't handle that, then leave."Ryder pushed himself off the tree, his muscles tensing. "Maybe I will. I've got my own plans, anyway. Don't think for a second that I'm staying around to be part of your little wolf army."Luna's heart raced as she watched Ryder turn and stalk away from the group. She had seen this coming, but it didn't make it any easier. The pack was breaking apart, and Ryder's decision to distance himself wasn't just personal—it was a shift that could alter everything they'd built together.Later that night, Luna found herself alone, sitting by the lake just beyond the forest. She stared at the water, the reflection of the nearly full moon casting a silver glow across the surface. Ryder's words echoed in her mind. He was pulling away, and she knew why. There were choices they would both have to make—choices that would separate them from the pack in ways that couldn't be undone.As the night deepened, Luna stood and gazed out at the horizon. She didn't know how, but she felt it in her bones: things were about to change. Drastically.The full moon was approaching, but this time, something bigger loomed beyond it. Life as they knew it was about to shift. And somehow, she knew that soon they'd all be going their separate ways.Ryder's decision to move further away from the pack weighed heavily on her. The connection they shared wasn't enough to stop the inevitable. But as she watched the moon rise higher in the sky, Luna couldn't shake the feeling that her path—Ryder's path—was leading somewhere else entirely.Time moved on, and with each passing moment, the certainty that things would never be the same sank in. They were no longer just teenagers figuring out their lives and dealing with their new powers. Five years from now, they would be different. Stronger. But what would remain of the pack then? As Luna turned to walk away, she thought about what the future might hold. College, new adventures, and new challenges were just around the corner, and she had a feeling that Ryder, Alex, and Maya's lives would be forever changed as well. What they didn't know was that destiny had other plans for them all.End of Part 14. > season 1
five years later...