Chapter 19: Echoes Beyond the Bond
1234 Words
Avery stood in the shadow of the towering main spire of Lunaris Academy, the moonlight silvering the ancient stone walls. The castle loomed above her—majestic, imposing, and echoing with the soft whispers of magic that clung to the very air. Ivy clung to the edges of each tower, swaying gently despite the absence of wind, and the night sky above sparkled with constellations she didn't recognize.
She had walked these halls for days now, yet something always made her pause—an almost invisible presence behind her, like a breath on her neck or the brush of unseen eyes. And tonight, she felt it again.
As she passed the grand stained glass archway that led into the South Wing, her steps slowed. The colored panes shimmered with scenes of wolves in battle, celestial women guiding them with lunar staffs, and one panel—cracked and dark—depicting a faceless figure standing alone under a blood moon.
She shivered.
“Still can’t sleep?” a familiar voice called.
Avery turned to see Ben leaning against the corridor wall, arms crossed, his golden eyes watching her. He was dressed in dark academy robes now, the insignia of Lunaris stitched over his heart—a silver crescent moon flanked by twin stars.
“You’re not going to say I’m just being paranoid again?” she asked, her arms folding tightly over herself.
Ben’s expression softened as he pushed off the wall and walked over. “Not tonight. I feel it too.”
Avery nodded. “Something’s… wrong here. I feel watched.”
Ben glanced around the corridor, his sharp gaze lingering at the hallway corners. “You’re not crazy, Aves. This place has its secrets. But so do you.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
He hesitated before replying, “You haven’t told me everything about those dreams.”
Avery swallowed hard. “That’s because I don’t understand them. Every time I sleep, I’m someone else. Or… I think I am. There’s always a silver forest, a figure with glowing eyes, and fire—always fire.”
Ben’s brows drew together. “And I’m not in them?”
She shook her head. “No. But there is someone. I don’t know who. Their face is always in shadows. But when I wake up, my heart’s racing like I know them.”
Ben looked away, jaw tight. “Maybe it’s your mate.”
Avery blinked. “That’s… not funny.”
“I’m not joking,” he muttered. “Someone’s been following you. I feel it. But I can’t track them. Whoever they are… they’re strong.”
Suddenly, a sharp chime echoed through the hallway. The candles lining the walls flickered blue, and a voice—calm but authoritative—rang through the castle.
“All students to the Moonwell Chamber. Immediate summons. This is not a drill.”
Ben and Avery exchanged a look.
“What now?” she asked, already walking.
“Let’s find out.”
The Moonwell Chamber was unlike any room Avery had seen. It was circular, vast, and centered around a glowing pool of silver water. The ceiling opened to the night sky, the full moon perfectly centered above. Around the chamber stood faculty members and cloaked enforcers of the Academy—Warden-ranked wolves. At the far end stood Headmistress Caelia Ravenshade.
She was tall, severe, with hair pulled into a silver-black braid, and eyes that burned like winter frost. Her presence silenced the room with just a glance.
When Avery entered, all attention snapped to her.
“Avery Summer,” Caelia intoned, her voice cutting like a blade through velvet. “Step forward.”
Ben made to move with her, but Caelia raised a hand. “Alone.”
Avery hesitated. Ben touched her hand briefly. “I’ll be right here.”
As she stepped into the moonlight cast upon the Moonwell, she felt the temperature drop.
“We have reason to believe your arrival coincided with an unauthorized release of primal magic,” Caelia said. “A dangerous outburst occurred near Roselake, and now here, twice in the past week.”
“I didn’t—”
“You will be tested,” the Headmistress interrupted. “To ensure you are not a threat to others. You are here by grace, not right. You understand this?”
Avery nodded reluctantly.
Two wardens approached, one holding a carved lunar staff, the other a crystal orb. They began an incantation, a web of silver light forming around Avery.
The Moonwell began to glow brighter, and the staff pulsed as they chanted: “Reveal the lunar bond. Show us the mark.”
Avery’s heart pounded as a beam of moonlight focused on her forehead.
Nothing happened.
The light dimmed.
Whispers erupted around the chamber.
“Impossible…”
“No mark?”
“She’s not even ranked…”
Headmistress Caelia narrowed her eyes and stepped forward.
“Remove your robes,” she commanded.
Avery froze. “What?”
“Marks can appear anywhere on the body. We will not allow illusions or glamours to interfere. Prove your truth.”
Shaking, Avery slipped off her outer robe, revealing the thin shift beneath. Moonlight bathed her skin—bare, untouched. No lunar mark. No pack sigil.
Nothing.
“She’s… markless,” someone said. “But that’s not possible. No wolf survives the shift without one.”
Ben stepped forward, voice raised. “There has to be a mistake—”
“She’s an anomaly,” Caelia stated. “Or worse.”
“I’ve had dreams!” Avery burst out. “Visions! I’ve shifted once—I think—I just don’t remember everything. But I’m not lying!”
Caelia studied her. “Dreams are not proof. And if you’ve shifted without a mark, that suggests a different kind of magic. One that could be dangerous.”
Avery’s hands trembled. “So what happens now?”
“You are to be watched,” Caelia declared. “Restricted to the East Wing. No unsupervised training. No excursions. Until we understand what you are, you will remain under observation.”
Ben growled low in his throat. “She’s not a prisoner. You can't do this to her. She's the Roselake heir to the Luna Bloodline. The pack will hear---"
“She is a mystery. And mysteries, Mr. Draythorn, are dangerous until unraveled.”
Caelia turned. “Dismissed.”
Later that night, in her assigned quarters in the East Wing, Avery sat curled on the bed, staring at her trembling hands.
Ben slipped in through the open door, his eyes burning with frustration.
“They can’t do this to you,” he whispered.
“They already did.”
Ben sat beside her. “I don’t care if you’re markless. I don’t care what they say. I know you. You’re not dangerous.”
“I’m not even sure I’m real,” she said softly. “Everything about me… feels wrong.”
Ben reached over, taking her hand. “You’re not wrong. You’re just… different. And different scares people.”
She looked into his eyes. “Why are you still here?”
He smiled faintly. “Because I’m not afraid of you.”
And for the first time that day, Avery felt a flicker of warmth. But deep in her chest, something else stirred—something ancient, something hidden.
And it whispered: The truth is coming.
- Writer
