The Second Voice
693 Words
Chapter Five: The Second Voice
Elara's POV
I couldn't stop running.
Branches tore at my dress.
Thorns scratched my arms.
My lungs burned with every breath, but I welcomed the pain.
It distracted me from the agony inside my chest.
Kaiden's rejection echoed over and over in my mind.
"I reject Elara as my mate."
The bond was gone.
Completely gone.
Only an empty ache remained.
Eventually my legs gave out.
I stumbled into a quiet clearing and collapsed onto the damp grass.
Moonlight filtered through the trees, bathing everything in silver.
I hugged my knees and cried.
Not because I'd lost my mate.
Because I'd lost the future I'd spent years dreaming about.
"I'm such an idiot."
Silence answered.
I laughed bitterly through my tears.
"I actually believed he could love me."
A warm sensation spread through my chest.
Different from the mate bond.
Older.
Gentler.
Then a familiar voice spoke inside my mind.
"You were never an idiot."
I froze.
My tears stopped.
The voice...
It was the same one I'd heard during the ceremony.
The one that had growled when Mira bullied me.
"W-Who are you?"
For several heartbeats, nothing happened.
Then...
"My name is Lunara."
The name echoed through my soul.
"I've been waiting a very long time for you to hear me."
I looked around the clearing.
No one was there.
"Where are you?"
A soft laugh filled my mind.
"I'm not around you."
A strange warmth spread from my heart through my entire body.
"I'm part of you."
My breath caught.
"What?"
"I am your wolf, Elara."
I shook my head.
"No."
"Yes."
"No, wolves don't awaken until eighteen."
"Most don't."
My heart raced.
"I don't understand."
"I awakened when you were thirteen."
The memory slammed into me.
The day I had been cornered by older wolves.
The strange burst of strength.
The growl.
The golden eyes I thought I'd imagined.
My breathing became uneven.
"That was you?"
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you shift?"
The answer came quietly.
"Because if I had..."
Pain filled her voice.
"They would have found you."
A chill crawled down my spine.
"They?"
Lunara fell silent.
Then whispered.
"The ones who have been hunting you since the day you were born."
I stopped breathing.
"What are you talking about?"
Before she could answer—
Another voice interrupted.
Female.
Smooth.
Amused.
"Honestly, furball..."
"You always take forever to explain things."
I jumped to my feet.
"Who's there?"
Lunara sighed dramatically.
"She's awake."
"Of course I'm awake."
The second voice laughed.
"You two have been making enough noise to wake the dead."
I spun in circles.
"There are two of you?"
"Technically..."
The unfamiliar woman chuckled.
"We're both you."
My head hurt.
"I've finally lost my mind."
"No."
The new voice softened.
"You've finally found yourself."
A strange crimson warmth flowed through my veins.
Unlike Lunara's peaceful moonlight.
This felt powerful.
Ancient.
Wild.
"My name is Vespera."
The voice was playful.
Confident.
"And before you ask..."
She laughed.
"Yes."
"I'm your vampire spirit."
The world stopped.
"My..."
I couldn't finish the sentence.
"Your vampire spirit."
"No."
"Yes."
"I can't be a vampire."
"Half vampire."
"I've never even seen a vampire."
"That doesn't change your blood."
I staggered backward.
"This isn't possible."
Lunara spoke gently.
"Everything you've been told about yourself is a lie."
Vespera laughed.
"Personally, I think that's the fun part."
Lunara groaned.
"Can you be serious for five minutes?"
"Probably not."
Despite everything...
Despite the tears.
Despite the heartbreak.
Despite my entire world falling apart...
I almost smiled.
Then both voices went completely silent.
Instantly.
My heartbeat quickened.
"What is it?"
Lunara's voice became a low growl.
"Someone's coming."
Vespera's playful tone vanished.
"Not just someone."
"A very powerful Alpha."
I quickly stood.
My broken mate bond had barely healed.
There couldn't possibly be another—
A scent crashed into me.
Cedar.
Pine.
Rain.
Smoke.
Power.
Warmth.
It stole the air from my lungs.
No...
Not again.
Footsteps echoed through the trees.
A tall man stepped into the moonlight.
His silver-gray eyes met mine.
Shock flashed across his face.
Behind those eyes, another voice growled with unmistakable certainty.
"Mate."
My heart stopped.
- Writer
