THE FIRE BETWEEN US
875 Words
There was something wrong with the sky.
Too still
Too silent
And the moment Rowan spoke with that otherworldly voice, the birds scattered like shattered stars, and the glade went dark not with night, but with something older.
Auren clutched him to her chest, her pulse racing.
She felt it again.
That pulls in her blood.
Like she’d been broken and pieced back together with something not entirely her own.
She didn’t know who she was.
But she knew one thing now:
They were all afraid of her.
Kael stepped back first.
Riven didn’t move.
Thorne had his hand on the hilt of a blade humming with forbidden magic, pulsing.
"She’s waking," Thorne murmured.
Waking? Kael snapped
She’s already standing.
You think this is her fully awake? Thorne laughed, low and dark. Not even close.
Riven looked at Auren like she was slipping through his fingers.
Do you remember anything? He asked.
Her grip on Rowan tightened. No.
His face cracked. Not even me?
"I don’t know who any of you are," she said.
But that wasn’t entirely true.
Because she’d seen fire.
A room made of stone
A wolf with gold eyes, walking away from her like she was already dead
And then
Hands
Rough
Warm
Familiar
Riven
She backed away from them, her heart thundering, pain blooming in her skull.
"Stop looking at me like I belong to you," she snapped. I belong to no one.
Kael’s mouth twisted. You did once.
"And you gave her up," Thorne snarled.
I saved the pack
You murdered your mate!
She wasn’t me… Kael stopped.
Too late
The air shifted
Auren’s breath caught
"You rejected me," she whispered.
Kael flinched
I saw it just now. You looked at me and said the words.
Her knees buckled. Riven reached to steady her, but she pushed him away.
And the ground split beneath her feet.
It was Rowan who caught her.
Not with arms but with power.
A bubble of heat erupted around her, suspending her midair, glowing gold-red like molten moonlight.
She lowered gently, touching down without sound.
Then the flames licked up her fingers.
She stared at her hands, horrified.
What is happening to me?
Thorne stepped forward. You’re remembering.
No..
You’re becoming who you were.
I don’t want to!
You don’t have a choice, Auren.
But she did
And the choice terrified her.
Kellen arrived too late to stop it.
He saw the fire from the ridge, saw Kael and Riven square off like wolves about to rip into each other.
And saw her
Alive
And burning
The prophecy echoed in his head.
The child will unmake the bonds
He knew what he had to do.
He had to protect the child.
Even from his brother
Auren ran
Her body moved on instinct, faster than she should’ve been able to.
Thorne called out, but she was already deep in the trees, Rowan silent in her arms.
The forest seemed to shift around her, guiding her
Until she stumbled into a stream
And saw her reflection
But it wasn’t her.
It was her before.
Before the flames
Before the betrayal
Before Kael
A girl with wild hair and hope in her eyes
A girl who thought love could save her
And behind that face, a flicker of something darker.
Not just Auren
Not just wolf
But something… chosen
Footsteps crunched behind her.
She whirled around, claws out, teeth bared
It was Eira
Older now, wrapped in red and shadow, eyes wide
Auren, she whispered
"You know me," Auren said. It wasn’t a question.
Eira nodded, tears shining. I tried to stop them. The execution. I begged them.
Why?
Because you were never the traitor. You were the weapon they feared.
Auren stared
Eira stepped closer. You can’t get your memories back too fast. If you do… it’ll break you.
Auren shook her head. I don’t care.
You should.
Then Eira’s voice dropped to a whisper.
There’s more. Your son… he isn’t just yours.
Auren’s stomach dropped. What do you mean?
He carries the blood of the ancient kings.
The moon saw fit to pass it through you.
And his father?
Eira didn’t answer.
But her silence screamed.
Elsewhere, Kael and Riven finally clashed.
Fangs bared
Blood spilled
Old wounds reopened
But neither of them could land the killing blow.
Because they both still burned
For the same girl
When Auren returned to the clearing, she came with fire in her eyes.
She stood between them.
And the wolves stilled
Even the wind held its breath
"I’m not yours," he said.
To love
To claim
To blame
I died under a blood moon, her voice shook, and now I live under no one’s law.
But make no mistake….
She raised her hand.
And the sky cracked.
I remember more every time you speak
The trees bent back
The fire pulsed
And Rowan’s eyes turned to stars.
Then a whisper broke through the crackling air.
They’re coming for him.
Who? She asked, turning toward Thorne.
His eyes were darker than before.
More afraid
The High Circle.
Auren’s blood ran. cold
Rowan began crying like a child, more like a warning bell.
And in the wind, distant and rising
Came howls
Not of wolves
But of something far worse.
- Writer
