Chapter 5
1169 Words
Isabella’s POV
I woke up with my skin humming.
Not from fear, not from another dream—but from something else. Energy. Like the earth beneath me pulsed with my heartbeat. I sat up slowly, listening to the silence pressing in around me. The house was quiet, but I wasn’t alone.
I could feel him.
Ethan.
His presence wasn’t physical, but the bond between us buzzed like static through my chest. I didn’t understand it yet. Only that I knew exactly which direction he was in, how far, how fast his heart was beating.
It was terrifying. And intimate.
I dressed quickly and padded downstairs. The scent of wood smoke and pine clung to the air. Through the kitchen window, I saw Ethan sitting on the back porch steps, hunched forward, shirtless, steam rising off his skin in the cool morning light.
I opened the door slowly. He didn’t turn around.
“You okay?” I asked.
His voice was low. “I thought I lost you yesterday.”
“You didn’t.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “You almost did.”
I stepped outside, careful with my footing. “You saved me.”
“I should’ve kept you from being taken in the first place.”
My throat tightened. “You did everything you could.”
He stood slowly, turning to face me. His chest was streaked with faint bruises, silver-burns that hadn’t fully healed.
“I’m not strong enough to protect you yet,” he said. “Not if you keep getting dragged into this war.”
I moved closer, drawn like a moth to flame.
“I don’t want to be protected,” I whispered. “I want to fight.”
His eyes darkened. “Isabella—”
“I’m not saying I’m ready. But I need to understand what I am. What this is. Why I feel everything more when you’re near.”
He inhaled deeply. “Because you’re not human. Not fully. You’re half-wolf, half-sorceress. And the bond between us? That’s what wolves call fate.”
My heart skipped. “So... we’re fated?”
He gave a hollow laugh. “Yeah. And cursed.”
I frowned. “Why cursed?”
“Because you’re mine. And I’m not supposed to want you like this.”
The air crackled.
His hand lifted, brushing the edge of my jaw.
“I’ve been holding back since the moment you walked in that door,” he said, voice gravel. “But it’s getting harder.”
I swallowed hard, pulse wild.
“Then stop holding back.”
His mouth crashed into mine.
The world went silent.
Heat flooded every inch of me as his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into his chest. My hands found the back of his neck, clutching him like gravity might pull us apart.
It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t polite.
It was real.
When we finally pulled apart, I was breathless. Dazed. My lips tingled, and his pupils were blown wide.
“You shouldn’t have said that,” he muttered.
“I’m not sorry.”
He cupped my cheek. “You don’t know what you’ve started.”
“Then show me.”
He pressed his forehead to mine. “Not here. Not now. We need answers. And there’s only one place we’ll get them.”
“Where?”
“The archives. Beneath the shrine.”
I blinked. “The same one Evelyn spoke at?”
He nodded. “There are records down there older than the Hollow itself. If you are who we think you are, it’ll be in there.”
“And if I’m not?”
“Then we find another way.”
The forest was silent as we trekked through the trees. Ethan led the way, tension tight in his shoulders. I followed close, heart pounding. Every step deeper into the woods made my skin buzz. Not from fear. From recognition. Like the land itself knew me.
When we reached the shrine, Evelyn stood waiting.
“I thought you’d come,” she said simply. “The runes have been whispering all night.”
Ethan stepped forward. “We need access to the archives.”
She nodded once. “Then follow me.”
The stones glowed faintly as we walked into the circle. Evelyn murmured a phrase in a language I didn’t recognize. The ground shifted.
With a rumble, a slab of earth slid away to reveal a staircase descending into darkness.
“Stay close,” Ethan said.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
The air grew cooler as we descended. The steps spiraled down for what felt like forever, until the walls gave way to smooth stone and flickering torches.
At the bottom, a vast chamber opened up—lined with scrolls, tomes, and glowing glyphs pulsing with quiet power.
Evelyn walked ahead, stopping at a pedestal carved from obsidian.
“This is where the fates are recorded.”
I hesitated. “What do I do?”
“Place your hand on the stone.”
I did.
Heat surged through me. Images slammed into my mind—flashes of ancient wolves, battles beneath blood-red moons, a woman with fire in her eyes and silver in her hair.
She looked like me.
I gasped and stumbled back.
Ethan caught me.
Evelyn’s voice was quiet. “It’s true.”
“What is?” I managed.
“You are the last of the Moonborn. The heir to the bloodline that vanished centuries ago. Half-wolf. Half-enchantress. Bound by fate and flame.”
My knees went weak.
Ethan held me tighter. “What does that mean for her?”
“It means she was never meant to be hidden. She’s meant to rule.”
My breath caught. “Rule what?”
“Not just the Hollow. The supernatural world beyond it.”
I pulled back, shaking my head. “No. That’s not me. I’m nobody.”
“You were,” Evelyn said. “But now... you have a choice.”
Ethan looked down at me. “You don’t have to be ready now. But you can’t run from it.”
I gripped his hand. “I’m not running.”
Evelyn stepped forward, pressing a small crystal into my palm.
“What is this?” I asked.
“A focus. It will help you train. Control what’s waking inside you.”
I stared at the shard. It pulsed with warmth.
“I don’t know how to use it.”
“You will.”
As we left the archives, Ethan’s hand found mine again.
“Still not sorry?” he teased.
I smiled faintly. “Still not.”
He pulled me close and whispered, “Good. Because I’m done pretending I can stay away.”
The stars glittered above as we emerged from the shrine.
But even their light couldn’t outshine the fire building inside me.
Whatever I was before... that girl was gone.
Now, I was becoming something else.
Something powerful.
Something hunted.
And as long as Ethan stayed by my side—I wouldn’t be afraid.
- Writer
