ELENA - And the Shadowmoon Clan

Chapter 2

Even if I wanted to, the flow of time didn't stop for a second, and as soon as I stepped into that thicket, everything came rushing back to my mind like a dream.

All my memories returning and invading me like in a terrible nightmare.

Flashback

"You have to go, my daughter, you need to leave while there's still time," said my father with tears in his eyes.

"I can't abandon everyone I love here, Dad. I'm going to stay and fight with you all."

"Listen to me, Elena. If you die here, everything will be lost. Remember the prophecy! You will bring back the ancient honor of our people."

"To hell with the damn prophecy! If there are no people left, it won’t even matter."

And before I could react, I was knocked out by a masked man. I never knew who he was and avoided thinking about it for as many days as possible. I was taken away, alone, and could only watch as my village was burned and my people plundered by the Clan of Eternal Night.

The ancient magic of the sorceress who cursed my birth kept echoing in my mind.

And I knew that sooner or later, I would succumb.

"Hey, Elena... what’s wrong?" Ronan said, kneeling in front of me.

"Nothing, I just have a terrible headache! I should go home," I said, trying to get up.

"No, come with me... I’ll get something for you to take."

"Where’s the wolf?" I asked, worried.

"Hey, he’s fine... He’s already back home," he said, sounding unconcerned.

Before I could react, Ronan picked me up in his arms and carried me like a child, always looking ahead with an empty gaze, showing no emotion except for the sense of security that seemed to emanate from him and his strong chest.

We arrived at a small cabin in the forest, and I don’t know why, but something about it felt so homely that it made me want to die there.

Ronan knocked a few times, and an old woman opened the door with a smile on her face.

"Oh, who is this young lady, Ronan?" she asked as he laid me down on the couch.

"The vet," he said without much emotion.

"The Montclaire? Ronan... Come with me now!" the old woman, whom I didn’t even know, said in a rather unfriendly tone.

He obeyed immediately, like a small child, although he had been questioning me the whole time back in my office.

I didn’t hear any of their conversation, but I couldn’t help noticing the tone in her voice when she said my last name—the only thing I had left from my old self.

They returned as if nothing had happened, which raised my suspicions.

"Alright, some tea and a little cake will fix this, right? These headaches... Sorry, what’s your name?"

"Elena," I said, somewhat dazed.

"Elena, does this happen to you often?"

"It actually does, but it’s something neural. I’ve already seen a specialist, and I’m fine. The episodes come and go, but they don’t affect my day-to-day life too much."

"Young lady, there’s only one thing I don’t tolerate in my house... lies."

My whole body burned from the inside at her words. Ronan was watching me from the other side of the small room while serving that cup of tea.

I was afraid to ask, but under her piercing gaze, I had no choice.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know about you, I know about the witch, I know who you are... Wolf," she said the word "Wolf," and I felt like I was about to faint in front of her.

"No... That’s impossible, I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Stop lying, child. I can help you break this curse. Do you trust me?"

"I don’t know what curse you’re talking about. I need to leave... I’m sure I’ll find my way back to my car."

I stood up but was pulled back as if my body were made of a magnet. I couldn’t lift my burning body from the old woman’s couch.

"It’s the Moon," she said to Ronan.

"She’s in pain. This needs to stop," he said, approaching me. He placed his warm hand on my face and said, "Breathe, Elena, breathe deeply... This will pass soon."

I kept grinding my teeth in pain, feeling as if every bone in my body was breaking inside me.

"Focus on my voice... Focus on my touch," Ronan said, looking into my eyes. He began to stroke my face and breathe with me in the midst of all that agony.

And as if by magic, the fire inside me began to disappear, my blazing eyes gradually returning to normal.

Suddenly, my darkest secret was exposed to two strangers who seemed to know my story better than I did. And that was more than terrifying.

The tea finally arrived, and I drank it as if it were a magic potion ready to save me.

"I don’t know who you are or what you know, but there’s no need to hurt me. I’m not involved with any clan or anything like that. I’m just a vet living a normal life."

"Ronan, take Elena to your bed. We’ll talk more tomorrow, my daughter, I promise. We’re trying to free you. You can trust the two of us."

That hurt. It had been so long since I’d trusted anyone.

The curse that surrounded my soul was so dark that I couldn’t even have friends around me; my life was extremely lonely. Could I finally trust someone again?

That was a question without an answer.

But I let Ronan carry me once more in his arms into his room. I didn’t have the strength to react to anything, and I certainly didn’t want to react to him.

As soon as he laid me down on the bed, I asked:

"You know a lot about me, but who are you, Ronan?"

He turned to me with a smile and sat on the edge of the bed.