Chapter Four
1056 Words
The Silent Way
The harsh hiss of the wind that sliced through the streets of Manhattan blended with Adrian's heart beating in his chest.
The city had been pleasant and familiar only hours before, but now it seemed to be a labyrinth of shadows, its tall buildings turning into menacing creatures in the night.
In a world that should have been his, he had never felt more disoriented and confused.
His life had been utterly turned upside down by the attack, the visions, and Selena's cryptic warnings during the past three days.
His mind was wandering. While they rushed through the streets, he barely noticed Chloe's gentle yet firm fingers clutching his arm.
In this strange, scary world, she was his only mooring.
Adrian looked at her, enjoying her calmness in stark contrast to his own disorder.
Despite the spark of dread in her eyes, there was a silent power inside them.
He wishes he possessed that trait.
Adrian's voice was strained as he continued, "I don't understand."
"The life I've been leading is my ideal one.
Why now? Why me? What's wrong with me?
Chloe paused, nervously glanced about them, and then looked him in the eye.
Her face softened. Adrian, I realize it's difficult to understand.
But since you are evolving, everything is changing as well.
And whether you like it or not, something much bigger than you could have ever dreamed is connected to your fate.
"Destiny?" Adrian felt pain in his echo. I don't think this is fate.
It sounds like a curse.
She asked him to go on, but she didn't answer right away as she tightened her grip on his arm.
His mind was racing with unanswerable questions as he let himself be dragged forward.
Could he be connected to anything more significant?
He was simply Adrian Blake, a typical businessman who had nothing to do with myth or magic.
Something in his stomach changed, yet he realized that the world he had known was a lie, a façade lifted to show a more sinister reality.
They ended up in a dark alleyway far from the bustling city center.
The sounds of the outside world vanished as Selena materialized in front of them, her black cloak fluttering in the wind.
As though she were a creature of darkness herself, she seemed to draw the night around them.
Uncertainly, Adrian continued, "Selena." "What's happening? What's wrong with me? I'm simply a man.
Selena stared at him, her eyes piercing and keen. Adrian Blake, you are so much more than that.
Blood isn't flowing through your veins regularly. After being inactive for years, it finally beckons to you.
You have a lengthy lineage of werewolf ancestry. It's time for you to wake up.
Adrian's knees were wobbly as his world shook once more. He staggered back, grabbing the closest wall for support.
"Werewolves? No, this is absurd, you're telling me. I'm not a werewolf. I am unable to be.
Stepping forward, Selena looked directly into his eyes.
"You have been avoiding and denying your own nature, living in its shadow.
However, it's time for you to accept who you are.
This was something you were meant to do.
Adrian's mind was racing. This isn't possible.
There was no way to be polite.
However, he was drawn to something primordial and old that arose inside him.
Now he felt it, a surge of energy that electrified every cell in his body and blazed through his veins.
It both interested and alarmed him.
"Why me?" The faint whisper was Adrian's question. How come you didn't inform me earlier?
Why hold off till now?
Selena said in a somewhat lower voice, "Because you weren't ready."
But now that the danger is coming, there is nothing else to do. You must wake up completely.
Adrian, you're not in danger alone.
To all of you.
Adrian opened his mouth to ask another question, but Chloe interrupted him, her face displaying concern.
"What sort of risk? Who is pursuing him?
Selena's face blurred and her eyes darted to the darkness as though she sensed something that was just out of reach.
The Dark Alpha is it. He wants to tip the scales and take control of the Wolf's Crest realm.
He would do whatever it took to make sure that nobody got in his way.
Thinking of Wolf's Crest sent a chill down Adrian's spine.
He had heard the name of a country that his forefathers had told him was deep under the mysterious realms.
Now, however, hearing it in this setting felt all too genuine.
"You're saying that there is a kingdom?"
With astonishment, Adrian inquired.
And I'm expected to contribute in some way? That is completely nonsensical.
Selena's response was, "Not a part of it." "You are it.
The secret to everything is in your ancestors. The foundation of Wolf's Crest was your forefathers' blood.
You are its legitimate successor.
Adrian's thoughts were racing. He stumbled back, his gaze flitting between Chloe and Selena.
"You think I'm a prince of some sort? A king, perhaps?
"A future king," which Selena muttered.
But you have to claim your birthright first.
You have to find your inner strength and use it to battle the Dark Alpha before he destroys everything.
Her comments were like a never-ending storm, pressing down on him.
Even if he tried to reject it and claim it wasn't real, truth was too powerful to ignore.
A glimmer of insight—the realization that he could not avoid his fate—emerged from deep inside him.
Chloe took a step forward and demanded attention with her voice.
"We need to start moving immediately. We are getting closer to the forces of the Dark Alpha.
We are running out of time.
Adrian's muscles tensed as his mind raced and his eyes shifted between Selena and Chloe.
He was at a loss for what to think and how to make sense of everything that had transpired.
However, it was undeniable that his world and his life had been irrevocably altered. Now there was no turning back.
They sank more into the night, and Adrian felt oddly at ease.
There was a fire blazing deep within of him, despite the darkness of the road ahead. He was only getting started on the path to his fate.
⸺THE END⸺
- Writer
