CLAIMED BY THE ENEMY

Chapter 5: "The Awakening"

The wind howled against the jagged cliffside, whipping my hair around my face as I gripped the crumbling stone beneath my hands. My body was bruised and broken, but the pain didn't matter. It was the pull—the burning pull toward him—that consumed my every thought. Ryker. I could feel his presence, even from here, miles away. It was a part of me now. It felt like my blood was on fire like I was being ripped apart from the inside out.

It was ridiculous, this ache I felt for him, this impossible connection. I had been taught to kill his kind, to erase their existence from the world. The Silver Thorn had drilled that into me since I was a child. They were soulless monsters. And yet, here I was—standing on the edge of a cliff, with the deep, primal urge to throw myself into Ryker’s arms, to surrender to him.

“Damn it!” I growled under my breath. My wolf side stirred, pushing against my chest, demanding to be free. The ancient blood within me—my mother's blood—wanted to break free, to embrace the monster I had been raised to destroy.

The ground beneath me trembled. I clenched my fists. My wolf wanted to howl in rage, to tear through the earth and unleash itself, but I fought it down. If I gave in now, if I let it take over, there would be no going back. And that was exactly what Ryker would want—my surrender, my weakness.

But as if summoned by my thoughts, I heard the unmistakable crunch of footsteps behind me. My heart lurched in my chest. Ryker. It had to be.

I spun around, ready to fight, but what I saw instead made my breath catch in my throat. It wasn’t Ryker. No, it was a man with a familiar, terrifying face. The man I had thought was dead.

“Kael,” I breathed, the name leaving my lips in a rasp. My father’s second-in-command, the one who had disappeared all those years ago. The one I had been told was a traitor.

Kael stood a few paces away, his dark eyes locked onto mine, his expression unreadable. He wasn’t wearing the usual rogue werewolf garb, but rather a long cloak, the fabric tattered as though he had been traveling for days. His graying hair blew in the wind, and the way he stood, so calm, so composed, made him appear almost… ancient.

“You’re alive,” I whispered, struggling to keep the emotion from my voice. The shock of seeing him again was too much. I had always believed he was lost to us in the early days of the war, one of the many sacrifices made for the cause.

Kael nodded, his eyes narrowing as he took in my stance. “I had hoped I wouldn’t have to see you like this, Nina.” His voice was soft, but the weight of his words hung heavy in the air. "You’ve become someone I never thought you would be."

My heart raced. He wasn’t here to help me. I had no idea what he wanted, but I had learned one thing in my life—nothing was ever as it seemed.

“Why are you here, Kael? To finish what you started?” My voice was hard, unyielding. I couldn’t let him see my hesitation. I couldn’t let him see the conflict twisting inside me.

Kael’s gaze softened for just a moment, and then he shook his head slowly. “No, Nina. I’m here to offer you a choice. A choice that will change everything.”

The wind howled again, but the words from Kael’s lips were the only sound that mattered now. A choice. My thoughts raced, my mind reeling. What could he possibly offer me? After all this time—after all the lies and the betrayal—why would I trust him?

“You’ve been used, Nina. All your life. The Silver Thorn, Ryker, the rebellion—they’ve all played their part in a game that’s far older than any of us. You were always meant to be more than just a hunter, more than just a weapon.”

I took a step back, my pulse quickening. "What are you talking about?"

Kael’s expression hardened. “You’re not fully human, Nina. Your bloodline is... complicated. Your mother—she was more than just a rogue. She was a part of something far greater than you can imagine. And that... hybrid blood inside of you? It’s the key to the prophecy."

I froze, my body going cold. I had always known there was something off about me, something hidden beneath the surface, but this? This was madness. “The prophecy? What prophecy?”

Kael’s eyes darkened, and he took a step closer, lowering his voice. “The prophecy that will reshape the world, Nina. You’re not just some mistake. You’re the key to destroying the Alpha bloodlines... but also the key to something far more powerful. Something that will either save us all—or doom us.”

His words hit me like a physical blow. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. “You expect me to believe you? After everything that’s happened? After everything I’ve been through?”

Kael reached out, his rough hand brushing against my cheek in a rare gesture of tenderness. “I know you’re angry, Nina. I know you’re lost. But this is your destiny. Your mother—she knew it. She hid it from you to protect you, but you can’t run from it anymore.”

I shook my head, stepping back from him. “I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t ask to be part of whatever prophecy you’re talking about. I didn’t ask to be a weapon.”

Kael’s expression hardened once more, and he took a step forward, his eyes blazing with a fierce intensity. “Then you will be the one to destroy everything you’ve ever known. The rebellion doesn’t want you as their queen—they want you dead, Nina. They want to use you to unleash the power within you, to wipe out the Alpha bloodlines for good.”

My heart thudded painfully in my chest. The rebellion—the very ones who I had thought were my allies—wanted me to die? Did they want to sacrifice me?

“What are you saying?” I whispered. “What do they want from me?”

Kael’s face grew more severe. “They believe that your hybrid blood can awaken the Lunar Deity. The very one that was sealed away centuries ago, the one who will bring destruction to the werewolf world if they unleash it.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine. The Lunar Deity—the ancient power that had been sealed away by the first generations of werewolves, the power that had been lost to legend. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.

“You’re saying… they want me to be the one to bring about the end of everything?”

Kael nodded. “Yes. But there’s another way. You can embrace your true legacy, Nina. You can become the hybrid queen you were always meant to be, and you can stop them. You can stop the prophecy from being fulfilled.”

I swallowed hard, the weight of his words pressing down on me. “And Ryker? What happens to him?”

Kael’s eyes softened, but there was no comfort to be found in them. “You have to choose, Nina. The rebellion wants him dead. They’ll use you to kill him. If you let them.”

My heart pounded painfully in my chest. Ryker—my fated mate, the Alpha who had once been my enemy. He was part of the prophecy, too. Was I willing to risk everything for him? For the chance at peace?

“I…” I faltered, my voice thick with emotion. “I don’t know what to do.”

Kael’s gaze hardened. “You will decide soon enough. The rebellion is coming for you, Nina. And when they do, you’ll have to make a choice. Will you embrace your legacy as the hybrid queen and save Ryker? Or will you fight the prophecy and destroy everything?”

I took a step back, my mind reeling. I couldn’t make this decision. Not yet. I wasn’t ready.

Kael’s voice followed me as I turned away. “Time is running out, Nina. The choice is yours.”

The cliffside seemed to spin around me, the wind roaring in my ears. Ryker’s voice echoed in my mind, calling to me, pulling me back. I had to make a choice.

And then, just before the world seemed to collapse around me, I heard it—footsteps behind me.

Ryker.

I turned, my heart in my throat, only to find him standing at the edge of the cliff, his eyes locked onto mine. And then he said the one thing that would change everything.

“Nina,” he said, his voice low and heavy. “I’m not leaving without you. Not now. Not ever.”