His Howl, Her Silence

Chapter Three: The Forsaken Price

The forest stood silent and the red moon hung high over the tree top illuminating the clearing in an ethereal glow, the creature that crept out of the shadows was not a wolf.

It was not something Aria wished to lay eyes on again.

Its head was hooded but the eyes smoldered like hot cinders burning in an ongoing flare. Smoke curled around its shoulders like a living mist. Its voice scourged the air to ribbons.

"You left us Aria. You tasted our gift and now you try to leave?"

Aidan half-turned claws out and teeth bared "Who the devil are you?

But the thing didn't even look at him. It had eyes only for Aria.

And Aria, she didn't move.

She stood there holding Lyra tightly and her breathing shallow. Her wolf was fighting to emerge but she wouldn't let it. Not yet.

"You made a bargain" the Forsaken spat "And now your time is up"

"What bargain?" Aidan growled stepping in front of them "What is he saying?

Aria's lips parted but she said nothing. She looked at Aidan as if it pained her to look at him.

Lyra whimpered "Mama, that thing is cold"

"I know baby. I know." Aria swallowed hard, then pushed Lyra aside "Cas" she shouted "get her out of here"

Cas groaned on the floor, still bleeding. "Not without you."

"NOW!

Cas dragged himself up and changed, winced but complied. Aria placed a kiss on Lyra's forehead and breathed something in her ear, which only she heard. The girl's eyes ran over with tears but she nodded. "I'll come back to you," Aria promised.

And then Cas was gone into the woods, Lyra perched on his back just as the beast took another step forward "Too late" it snarled "She's already claimed"

Aidan jumped forward growling. "If you so much as be still Alpha" the Forsaken ordered and with a flick of its hand, Aidan's legs gave out.

He crashed to the earth with a grunt, limbs stiffened and straining with the exertion of movement.

The beast raised its gaze again and Aria stood tall. "She's not yours" Aria asserted, voice strong and full of emotion now "I may have carried your mark but she never did."

"You owe us blood Aria. There is no gain of power without pain. You know this and you asked that we save your life. And we did but now the balance must be paid back"

Aria's heart pounded.

The day she left Mooncrest, she'd been dying. The Forsaken had found her in the wild bleeding out, left for dead. They'd given her food. They'd given her rage but their magic came at a price. A darkness that she never was able to shake.

And now, they wanted to harvest. "No," she panted. "You can't have her."

"We don't want her."

The breeze appeared to chill "We want what's inside her."

Aria's blood ran cold "She's not a miracle, Aria. She's a key. To something old and you made her"

Aidan finally snapped out of the freeze, twisting wildly and stumbling between them. "You're not taking my daughter!"

The Forsaken's eyes burned brighter "We already are."

Before either of them could move, the creature vanished into smoke and through the trees, a second scream ripped the night.

Lyra's scream.

"No" Aria whispered, spinning.

Cas's wolf stumbled into the glade ribs torn wide open and blood everywhere. Shifted, he fell to his knees.

"They took her" Aria's world disintegrated. She staggered towards him dropping beside his broken body. "Where’s Cas, where did they go!!"

He tightened his grip around her hand, blood on his lips "Through the veil not of this world. I couldn't move"

Aidan was already raging around him, rage in every step he took "What veil? What the devil is this!!

Aria swiveled slowly, eyes aglow and voice trembling.

"I didn't merely make a pact with the Forsaken"

She gazed at him, the truth shattering like glass in her throat "I created a child with their permission"

Aidan staggered "What are you telling me?"

"I don't know what they planted in her" Aria continued, standing now shaking "But Lyra is not only strong, she's a vessel. An entrance and if they open her"

She did not continue with her speech, she did not need to because a new howl echoed deep, ancient and wrong.

It wasn't Red Fang, It wasn't wolf. It was something older and it was already awake.

The forest held its breath.

The moon bled red above the trees casting a ghostly glow over the clearing and the creature that came out of the darkness wasn't a wolf.

It wasn't anything Aria ever prayed not to see again.

Its head was wrapped in a hood but its eyes glowed like embers as they exited, dancing in a never ending fire. Smoke curled around its shoulders like living mist. Its voice grated on the air raw.

"You left us, Aria. You pushed our gift and now you try to leave?"

Aidan shifted half-way, claws out, teeth bared "Who the devil are you?"

But the thing didn't even look at him. It only had eyes for Aria and Aria, she didn't move.

She just stood there, holding Lyra tight, her breathing shallow. Her wolf was fighting to break through but she refused to let it break through. Not yet.

"You made a bargain" the Forsaken spat "And now your time is up"

"What bargain?" Aidan growled stepping forward "What is he saying?

Aria's mouth opened but nothing came out. She stared at Aidan as if looking at him hurt.

He hit the ground with a grunt, limbs locked shaking with the strain to move.

The beast raised its eyes again and Aria stood up.

"She's not yours" Aria stated voice stern "I might have carried your mark but she never did."

"You owe us blood, Aria. Power is not without pain. You

know this. You begged us to save your life and we did but now the balance must be paid" Aria's heart pounded.