CHAPTER FIVE: THE STRANGER'S CHOICE
1056 Words
ELARA'S POV
"If you want to live... come with me."
The stranger's fingers tightened around my wrist. For a second, I couldn't move. Couldn't think. Couldn't breathe.
The darkness surrounding us felt alive.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
All around me, villagers shouted in confusion. Someone screamed. A child cried.
But somehow, those sounds felt distant. Like they belonged to another world. The only thing that felt real was the cold hand wrapped around my wrist. And the stranger standing beside me.
"Let go of her." The growl came from somewhere ahead.
Darius.
Relief hit me so hard my knees nearly gave out. A pulse of silver light flashed through the darkness. Then another. The village slowly came back into view. Torches flickered back to life one by one.
The stranger released my wrist. Not because he wanted to. Because Darius was standing between us. His chest rose and fell heavily. A thin cut stretched across his cheek. Blood stained the collar of his shirt.
His gray eyes never left the hooded man. Neither man's expression changed. Neither blinked.
The tension between them felt like a drawn bowstring. One wrong move and everything would explode.
The stranger chuckled. "So protective."
Darius's jaw tightened. "What do you want?"
The question seemed simple. But something about it made my stomach twist. Because Darius sounded like he already knew the answer.
The stranger tilted his head. "Surely you know."
Silence.
The look that passed between them sent ice through my veins. These men knew each other. Or at least knew of each other.
The realization hit me like a slap. Everyone knew something. Everyone except me.
I stepped forward. "What is going on?"
Neither man answered. I yelled. "No."
I pointed at both of them. "No more secrets."
Several nearby villagers turned to stare. I didn't care. I was done. Done being confused. Done being manipulated. Done being treated like a child, too fragile to understand. I wasn't.
"The ceremony." I looked at Darius. "The woman who called me the Silver Heir." Then at the stranger.
"The monster that attacked me." Back to Darius. "The rejection." His face tightened.
Perfect. I wanted it to hurt. I wanted him uncomfortable even though it was nothing compared to how I felt.
"What is happening to me?"
Silence. Again. Always silence. My laugh came out sharp. Bitter. "Of course."
The stranger smiled. A small smile. Almost amused. "You're more like her than I expected."
The words froze me. "Her?"
The smile vanished. For the first time, something emotional crossed his face. Sadness. "Your mother."
My heart stumbled. Everything inside me stopped. My mother.
The stranger knew my mother. The realization hit so suddenly that I nearly missed what happened next.
A warrior screamed. A body flew through the air and crashed into a nearby house. The village erupted into chaos again.
The monster. It wasn't dead.
My pulse spiked.
The creature emerged from the wreckage of my cottage. Its glowing red eyes locked onto me instantly. The same way a predator spots prey. The same way a starving wolf spots food.
The villagers scattered. Warriors rushed forward. The monster ignored every single one of them.
It only cared about me.
"Interesting," the stranger murmured.
I stared at him. "What?"
"The Shadow Hound found you much faster than expected."
The Shadow what? Before I could ask, the creature lunged. Straight toward me. Everything happened at once.
Darius shifted. Bones cracked. Muscles expanded. Within seconds, a massive black wolf stood where the Alpha had been.
The crowd gasped.
The Shadow Hound leapt. Darius met it midair. The collision shook the ground beneath my feet. I stumbled backward.
The stranger caught my arm before I fell.
I immediately pulled away. "Don't touch me."
Something flickered across his hidden face. Regret. Then it was gone. "Fair enough."
The battle raged across the village. Claws. Fangs. Growls.
The Shadow Hound was stronger than any creature I'd ever seen. Even Darius seemed to be struggling.
A sick feeling settled inside me. The monster wasn't here because of the pack.
It wasn't here because of Darius.
It was here because of me.
Every person in danger tonight...
Every destroyed home...
Every injury… Was because of me.
The thought hurt more than the rejection. A strange warmth suddenly spread through my chest. I frowned.
The feeling intensified. Heat pulsed beneath my skin.
Brighter. Stronger.
The silver pendant my mother had left me began glowing beneath my shirt.
My eyes widened. Not again.
The stranger noticed immediately. For the first time since arriving, he looked alarmed.
"Goddess." His voice was barely a whisper.
"Oh no." The pendant grew hotter. The warmth spread through my entire body. The air around me began to shimmer.
The villagers noticed. People pointed. Gasps spread through the crowd. I looked down. Silver light leaked through my fingers. My heart nearly stopped. "What is happening?"
The stranger's expression darkened. "You need to leave."
I laughed nervously. "That's not an answer."
"Elara." The seriousness in his voice scared me. "You need to run."
The warmth suddenly exploded. A pulse of silver energy burst outward from my body. The shockwave raced through the village. The ground trembled. Windows shattered.
The Shadow Hound froze. Darius froze. Everyone froze.
The creature slowly turned its head and looked directly at me. Then it did something horrifying.
It lowered itself onto one knee. Like a servant kneeling before royalty. The entire village fell silent. Nobody moved. Nobody breathed.
The Shadow Hound bowed its head. And in a voice that echoed unnaturally through the night, it spoke. "Welcome home..."
My blood turned cold.
The creature slowly lifted its gaze. Its glowing eyes burned into mine.
"...Your Highness."
DARIUS'S POV
The moment the words left the creature's mouth, I knew.
The secret was out.
The one secret we'd spent eighteen years protecting. The one secret powerful men had killed to bury.
Around us, villagers stared at Elara in stunned silence. Fear spread across their faces. Confusion. Shock. Disbelief.
I understood all of it.
Because eighteen years ago, when I first learned the truth...
I'd reacted exactly the same way.
My phone vibrated. I already knew who it was. Slo
wly, I looked at the message. And I felt the blood drain from my face.
The King knows she's alive.
For the first time in years… I was afraid.
- Writer
