Shadows of the Past
1197 Words
The fortress felt emptier today, as though every corridor was holding its breath. Guards still followed me, and their silence weighed heavily, reminding me that death could come from any direction. They watched me not as a Luna, but as a weapon, a threat, and a liability.
Inside me, my wolf quivered. She sensed danger. She felt the endless calculations in Kade's mind, how far he would go to shape me, protect me, use me. I couldn’t trust any of it. Not completely.
I stepped into the training yard. Frost coated the stones, brittle and sharp. Kade stood waiting, sword strapped to his waist, his face unreadable. He raised an eyebrow, asking if I was ready.
I swallowed hard. “I’ll do what you asked.”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he guided me to a practice dummy draped in leather pads. “Let’s start.”
I gripped the sword heavy, cold steel—a gift from Kade the night before, when he said training would make me stronger. I would breathe, focus, shift into my wolf form if I had to, but I would not let him see me fear him.
“Swing,” he instructed.
I swung. The blade cut through the air, sound hollow. Kade caught it mid-motion. “So far, so good,” he said with restraint.
I swung again, faster. He blocked gently. “Stronger, sharper.”
I nodded, heart pounding. Each strike reminded me of my promise to myself: I would learn. For his sake. For mine.
We continued, sweat beading on my forehead despite the cold. I tasted blood broken skin on my palm. The sting was welcome.
“Kade,” I said quietly, stepping back. “Why are we doing this?”
He studied me. The guard chains still surrounded us, but as he spoke, distance slid between us. “Because you need to be ready. The Council will test you with more than words. They’ll probe, push, maybe even send assassins. And if you can’t defend yourself… they’ll claim it proves you’re a curse.”
“A curse,” I echoed, finger trailing my throat where Kade’s fangs had kissed me. The wound had almost healed, but the bond pulsed beneath.
“It’s not true,” he murmured. “But they believe.”
My chest tightened. I hated that he ruined my quiet world. I hated that he might be right. I hated him.
He stepped closer, unguarded now. We were only inches apart. “But you’re not cursed. You’re me of me. You carry my strength as much as your father’s.”
I closed my eyes, breathing the tension he’d stirred. “And if I fail?” I whispered.
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Then I will burn the world to save you. But I will teach you to fight. To lean on your wolf. So that you’ll never fail.”
I looked into his eyes heavier than ever. Something broke open. “I’m tired, Kade. I don’t want to be a weapon.”
He exhaled. “Then don’t be.”
I stepped back, blinking into the gray sky. “Then what am I?”
He paused, searching for the right words. “You’re my Luna. You’re the bridge between us and the Council. You’re the spark they fear—and the strength they need.”
Heat erupted in my veins pride, anger, fear, confusion.
He brushed my cheek. “I can’t promise you safety. But I can promise I’ll never leave your side.”
His vow, spoken in armor and sweat and honesty, rattled me more than the Council ever would.
The evening came, cold and pale. Candles flickered in the Council chambers. My heart pounded again as we entered a Luna’s arrival, a symbol. They watched, calculated.
The oldest Alpha, Varren, stared at me. “It’s time.”
This time, I wore a fitted leather tunic dark forest green designed for movement. I’d refused another silken gown. If I fell, I wanted to land on dirt, not lace.
The Council led me to a raised platform. I closed my eyes, hands clenched. Let them test me. Let me pass or die.
“Show us,” Varren said.
My wolf stirred, fierce. I drew breath. I pictured the forest from my childhood wild and free. I summoned the shifting magic.
A shudder rattled through me. The wind howled. My blood pulsed. My wolf’s spirit rose.
But the shift didn't come.
The Council watched, expectation sharpening in their eyes.
I tasted ash in my mouth. Failure.
Kade moved forward, protective. He wouldn’t let them judge me on failure alone.
He whispered, “Let me show you.”
He stepped to the center and roared, feral. His wolf came roaring from within fur, teeth, power. The ground seemed to tremble.
The Council gasped. Kade shifted, right beside me.
“Power.” He snarled. “You fear it. But you don't destroy it.”
He shifted back, human again. Leaves fell around him, swirling as if by magic. He turned to me, and for a moment I thought he’d kiss me. Instead, he clamped his mouth shut, eyes soft with warning.
The Council’s leader said, “Impressive. But the Luna must shift.”
My heart pounded. I dared look at Kade: his chest heaving, eyes alive with power and promise.
I swallowed. If I could fail again, it would destroy me. If I tried again, I might succeed. Truth and failure washed over me.
Something in Kade’s faith gave me courage. I stepped forward.
I shifted not fully, but blades of silver fur sprouting from my hands. I stood taller. Growled low in my throat.
The Council breathed as one.
Kade’s voice came, low and proud. “She did it.”
Truth and relief coursed through me. The fear of failure, of power, of being branded broken slid off.
The Council leader’s voice rang in the courtyard. “This is…unexpected.”
I let the fur dim, blade by blade, until I was fully human again. The bond with Kade surged, pulsing light under my skin, warm and protective.
Varren approached. He reached out, his iron-clad hand sweeping through my hair where a silver patch glimmered. “You carry the blood of legend… and the strength to wield it.”
My pulse thundered. He laid a hand on my shoulder a sign of respect, of acknowledgment. Not love, but respect.
The Council stood. The meeting ended. But whispers followed me some awed, some wary. And when we walked out, I felt Kade’s hand on my back, solid and sure.
We left the courtyard. I dared to smilejust a little.
He stopped, turning me to face him. The yard was empty, moonlight icy.
“I’m proud of you,” he murmured.
My wolf stirred again. Dangerous and restless.
I laid my palm on his chest. “Thank you.”
He kissed my forehead. “There is more to show them. But tonight, rest.”
He took my hand. We walked back, lighter for once.
But shadows loomed old enemies, dark secrets, and tests still to come.
And me just finding a spark of who I could become.
- Writer
