The First Awakening
867 Words
Liora didn’t sleep that night.
Not because she wasn’t tired.
But because every time she closed her eyes, that sensation inside her chest returned—like something pacing behind locked doors.
Waiting.
Listening.
And worse…
Learning.
She sat on the edge of the bed, fingers curled tightly around the fabric of her dress.
The room was silent.
Too silent.
Even the estate itself felt like it was holding its breath.
“What are you…” she whispered again.
The same question.
No answer.
Only that pulse.
Slow.
Steady.
Alive.
A knock came at the door.
Liora tensed immediately.
But this time, she didn’t speak before it opened.
Darius stepped inside.
As always—calm, composed, unreadable.
But this time, his gaze went straight to her chest.
Not her face.
Not her hands.
There.
Liora noticed immediately.
“What?” she asked sharply. “What is it now?”
Darius didn’t answer at first.
Instead, he closed the door behind him.
“You didn’t sleep,” he said.
“I couldn’t,” she replied.
A pause.
Then—
“That is expected,” he said.
That annoyed her instantly.
“Everything seems ‘expected’ to you,” she muttered.
Darius didn’t respond to that.
Instead, he took one step closer.
And then another.
And Liora felt it again.
That shift inside her.
But this time—
It wasn’t just a pulse.
It was pull.
Like something inside her was leaning toward him without her permission.
She stiffened.
“…Why does it get stronger when you’re near?” she asked quietly.
Darius stopped.
For a moment, something unreadable passed through his eyes.
Then—
“Because I am not the cause,” he said.
Liora frowned. “Then what are you?”
That question hung between them longer than expected.
Darius finally answered.
“A key.”
Silence.
Liora blinked. “A… what?”
But before he could explain, the air in the room changed.
Subtle at first.
Then sharp.
The candles flickered violently.
Liora stood up quickly.
“What is that?” she whispered.
Darius didn’t move.
But his expression sharpened slightly.
“It’s starting,” he said quietly.
“Starting what?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead—
Liora suddenly gasped.
Pain shot through her chest.
Not sharp like rejection.
Deeper.
Wider.
Like something inside her had just cracked.
Her knees weakened instantly.
“Ah—!” she stumbled back, grabbing the bed frame.
The pulse inside her exploded.
Not randomly this time.
It responded.
To emotion.
To fear.
To anger.
To confusion.
Everything she had been suppressing since the rejection came rushing up at once.
“No—no, stop—” she gasped.
The air in the room shifted violently.
The windows rattled.
The lights dimmed and flared.
Darius moved instantly.
He grabbed her wrist—but not forcefully.
Anchoring.
“Breathe,” he said firmly.
“I can’t—” she choked. “It hurts—”
“It is not pain,” he corrected.
But it felt like pain.
Her chest burned like something was trying to push its way out.
Darius stepped closer, now fully in front of her.
“Listen to me,” he said lowly.
Liora trembled.
The pressure inside her kept building.
“I can’t control it,” she whispered.
“Yes,” he said.
That made her look up at him sharply.
“What do you mean yes?!”
“You are not controlling it because it is not fully awake,” he said calmly.
That didn’t help.
“Then stop it!” she snapped.
Darius studied her.
Then said something that made her freeze.
“I cannot stop what belongs to you.”
Another pulse.
Stronger.
Liora cried out slightly, doubling over.
And that was when it happened.
The air broke.
Not shattered.
Not destroyed.
Opened.
A wave of energy pushed outward from her body.
The candles went out instantly.
Silence hit the room.
And then—
A faint glow appeared under her skin.
Liora froze.
“…What is that?” she whispered shakily.
Darius didn’t answer immediately.
Because even he was watching closely now.
Finally—
He said quietly,
“It is your wolf.”
Liora’s eyes widened. “That’s impossible. I can’t— I never—”
“You were sealed,” he reminded her.
Her breathing turned uneven.
“I don’t understand—”
“You don’t need to yet,” he interrupted.
Another pulse surged.
But this time—
Darius placed a hand lightly on her shoulder.
And everything… stopped.
Not the power.
Not the sensation.
But the chaos.
Like something inside her recognized his presence and paused.
Liora stared at him, stunned.
“…What did you just do?” she whispered.
Darius looked at her steadily.
“I did nothing,” he said again.
A pause.
“You did.”
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Because Liora could feel it too now.
Her body responded to him.
Not like mate bond.
Not like fear.
Something deeper.
Something older.
And far away…
Kael suddenly stopped in the middle of training grounds.
His chest tightened sharply.
And for the first time since rejecting her…
He felt it.
A flicker.
In the bond he thought was dead.
- Writer
