Moonlight Awakening

CHAPTER TEN

10: The Secret

The fire crackled softly, casting flickering shadows across the wooden walls of the cabin. Elena sat curled up in one of the armchairs, staring into the flames, trying to make sense of everything Kieran had told her.

Werewolves were real. Kieran was one of them. And somehow, for reasons she still didn’t understand, she was at the center of it all.

She ran a hand through her hair, frustration mounting. “I just… I don’t get it.”

Kieran sat across from her, his golden eyes reflecting the firelight. He had been quiet since they returned from the meeting with Marcus, his usual sharp demeanor replaced with something heavier.

Elena exhaled sharply, gripping the edge of the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. “What did Marcus mean?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “When he called me the lunar chosen?”

Kieran tensed. She didn’t miss the way his jaw tightened, or how his fingers curled into a fist on his knee.

“It’s an old legend,” he said finally, his voice low. “A prophecy, really. It speaks of a human who’s fated to bond with a werewolf. Someone who can bridge the gap between our world and yours.”

Elena blinked. “And you think that’s me?”

Kieran met her gaze then, and the weight of his stare sent a shiver down her spine. “I know it’s you.”

She swallowed hard. “How?”

“The bond between us,” he said. “It’s not normal. It’s stronger, deeper. You feel it too, don’t you?”

Elena’s breath hitched. She did. She had felt it the moment she met him—that inexplicable pull, like an invisible thread tying them together. She had ignored it, convinced herself it was just nerves, or attraction, or adrenaline. But now, she wasn’t so sure.

She looked away, her fingers tightening around the blanket. “And Marcus… he wants me because of that?”

Kieran’s expression darkened. “Yes.”

Fear curled in her stomach.

“What happens if he gets me?” she asked, her voice barely audible.

Kieran didn’t answer right away. When he did, his voice was steel. “He won’t.”

There was something in the way he said it that made her believe him. The sheer certainty in his voice sent warmth spreading through her chest, but the fear still lingered.

She bit her lip, her heart hammering. “What if I don’t want this?”

Kieran’s gaze softened. “I know this is a lot,” he admitted. “And I won’t pretend it’s fair. But whether you like it or not, you’re a part of this world now.” He hesitated, then added, “I need you to trust me.”

Elena searched his face, looking for any hint of deception. But all she saw was sincerity—and something else, something that made her pulse quicken.

She wasn’t sure what terrified her more: the idea that Marcus would come for her, or the realization that she did trust Kieran.

Even though she barely knew him.

Even though everything in her life had been turned upside down.

She exhaled slowly. “Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll try.”

Kieran’s shoulders relaxed slightly, as if he had been holding his breath. He nodded, and for the first time that night, she thought she saw a flicker of relief in his eyes.

But the unease inside her didn’t fade.

Because deep down, she knew that this was only the beginning.