His Reluctant Luna

Chapter 16: The Visitor at the Gate

Chapter 16: The Visitor at the Gate

Three days after I broke Selene's binding, a stranger arrived at the keep.

I was in the training yard with Kael when the warning horn sounded — long, low, a sound I'd never heard before. Kael's sword was in his hand before the echo faded.

"Stay here."

"I'm coming with you."

"Aurora—"

"I said I'm coming with you."

He didn't argue. We ran.

The gates were open. Damon stood at the threshold, his body tense, his eyes fixed on the figure approaching through the mist.

An old woman. Bent. Leaning on a staff carved from black wood. Her hair was white, her eyes were the color of ash, and she smiled when she saw me.

"So," she said, her voice like dry leaves. "The Moon-touched has awakened."

"Who are you?" Damon's voice was low, dangerous.

"An old friend of Elena's." She looked past him, toward the keep. "Tell her the Oracle has come. She'll know why."

Elena went pale when she heard the name.

"The Oracle hasn't been seen in 500 years," she said. "She doesn't leave her sanctuary. Ever."

"She's here now," I said. "She asked for you."

Elena's jaw tightened. "Then I need to speak with her alone."

"Absolutely not." Damon stepped forward. "I won't let you—"

"She's not a threat, Damon. She's a seer. The most powerful in existence." Elena met his eyes. "If she came all this way, it's because something is coming that even she can't stop alone."

I waited outside the war room while Elena spoke with the Oracle.

The minutes stretched. I paced. Damon stood against the wall, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

"What do you think she wants?" I asked.

"Answers."

"About what?"

"About you."

Before I could respond, the door opened. Elena emerged, her face pale.

"Aurora. Come inside."

The Oracle was sitting at the table, her gnarled hands wrapped around a cup of tea. She looked up as I entered, and her ash-gray eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.

"Sit, child."

I sat.

"The visions started three months ago," she said. "Before you arrived at the keep. Before Elena was freed. Before any of this began."

"Visions of what?"

"Of you." She leaned forward. "I saw a Moon-touched rising. I saw an ancient power stirring in the depths. And I saw a choice — one that would determine the fate of every wolf, every human, every creature that walks between the worlds."

"What kind of choice?"

"The moon will ask you for something, Aurora. And when it does, you will have to decide what you're willing to sacrifice."

"For what?"

"For everyone."

The room was silent. I could feel Damon's gaze on me, could feel Elena's fear through our bond.

"When?" I asked.

"Soon." The Oracle stood. "The moon is waning now. But when it returns to full, everything will change."

She walked to the door, then paused.

"One more thing, child. The ones who marked your sister — they are not your enemy. They are messengers. The true enemy is already inside these walls."

She left.

The door closed behind her.

And I felt the first crack of fear spread through my chest.