14.
719 Words
The pain was unbearable.
It felt like my entire body was being torn apart from the inside.
I collapsed to my knees, gasping for air as fire raced through every bone, every muscle, every nerve.
The silver light beneath my skin exploded brighter than ever before.
The forest around me blurred.
The sounds became distorted.
Too loud.
Too sharp.
Too much.
“Lira!”
Kael’s voice cut through the chaos.
Strong.
Urgent.
Closer than before.
Another wave of agony crashed through me.
A scream escaped my throat before I could stop it.
My fingers dug into the earth beneath me.
The ground cracked.
Actually cracked.
Everyone froze.
Including me.
I stared down at the deep marks my hands had left in the soil.
That wasn’t normal.
That wasn’t possible.
Fear gripped my chest.
“Theron…” I whispered.
Theron looked grim.
“Your wolf is forcing the shift.”
“I can’t control it.”
“I know.”
That terrified me.
Because Theron always seemed to know what to do.
Now even he looked worried.
Another crack ripped through my body.
This time I felt my spine arch violently.
Pain shot through me so sharply that my vision went white.
Kael reached me before I even realized he had moved.
His hand grabbed my shoulder.
Instantly—
The pain lessened.
Not completely.
But enough that I could breathe again.
The entire forest fell silent.
Kael noticed.
I noticed.
Everyone noticed.
The bond had responded.
Again.
My wolf calmed slightly beneath his touch.
Kael’s expression darkened.
“Why does this keep happening?”
Theron answered immediately.
“Because the bond recognizes him as an anchor.”
Anchor.
I hated that word.
Because it made sense.
Far too much sense.
Kael slowly crouched beside me.
For the first time since the rejection ceremony, there was no coldness in his eyes.
No distance.
Only focus.
Only concern.
And somehow that hurt more.
Because where was this concern when he shattered me?
The bond pulsed painfully.
He felt my anger.
I knew he did.
His jaw tightened instantly.
Neither of us spoke.
Neither of us needed to.
Another wave of energy surged through me.
The silver glow burst outward.
This time the ground actually shook.
Warriors stumbled backward.
Several shifted into defensive stances immediately.
Fear spread through the clearing.
Not because of rogues.
Not because of enemies.
Because of me.
I hated that too.
Then suddenly—
A voice echoed inside my head.
Not mine.
Not Kael’s.
Ancient.
Female.
Powerful.
Moon-born child.
My entire body froze.
The voice felt enormous.
Like standing beneath an ocean.
The bloodline awakens.
My heart nearly stopped.
“No…” I whispered.
Kael looked at me immediately.
“What is it?”
I barely heard him.
The voice continued.
The heir returns.
Silver light exploded around me.
The forest vanished.
The trees disappeared.
The warriors disappeared.
Everything disappeared.
I was standing somewhere else.
A vision.
A massive stone temple stood beneath a silver moon larger than anything I had ever seen.
Thousands of wolves filled the steps.
Kneeling.
Bowing.
Waiting.
At the top stood a woman with silver eyes identical to mine.
Her power felt endless.
Terrifying.
Beautiful.
And when she looked directly at me—
I realized she could see me.
Across time.
Across centuries.
Her lips moved.
Only four words.
You are the last.
Then the vision shattered.
I slammed back into reality.
Gasping.
Shaking.
Terrified.
Kael caught me before I hit the ground.
“Lira.”
His voice sounded distant.
I looked up at him.
And immediately realized something was wrong.
The entire clearing had gone silent.
Every warrior stared at me.
Frozen.
Pale.
Fearful.
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
Nobody answered.
Then I noticed.
The silver light wasn’t under my skin anymore.
It surrounded me.
Like a living aura.
Like moonlight itself had wrapped around my body.
Theron looked genuinely alarmed now.
“Impossible.”
Kael slowly stood.
Still staring at me.
“What does this mean?”
Theron’s face had gone completely pale.
“The stories were true.”
The bond pulsed once.
Hard.
Then the female voice echoed faintly in my mind one final time.
They have found you.
And somewhere beyond the borders of Blackridge territory—
A distant howl answered.
Not one wolf.
Not ten.
Hundreds.
Coming closer.
- Writer
