The Prophecy
1633 Words
SACRIFICE MUST BE MADE TO ALLOW GREATNESS TO RISE
CHILD OF THE SUN CAN'T SUCCEED IF SHE DOESN'T SURVIVE
When the children of the moon meet the children of the sun,
THEY WILL FOREVER BE BOUND TOGETHER, FATED TO BECOME ONE.
WHEN HER GREAT ABILITIES ARE AWAKENED, THE CHILD OF THE SUN —
BOTH MOON CHILDREN SHE WILL NEED, TO KEEP FROM COMING UNDONE.
WHEN HER POWER AWAKENS, EVIL WILL BECOME A FORMIDABLE FOE.
A TRICKERY HE WILL USE TO STRIKE A DEADLY BLOW.
Darkness will be released, but all is not lost.
VICTORY WILL COME AT A GREAT COST.
AT THE HEIGHT OF EVIL'S POWER, SECRETS WILL BE RELEASED,
DESTROYING ALL CREATURES, MAN, AND BEAST.
TAKE HEART, MOON CHILDREN AND SUN CHILD — YOUR STORY ISN'T DONE.
YOUR TRUE POWER WILL BE TESTED WHEN ONE EVIL HAS WON.
WHEN THE FATED THREE SHINE THEIR LIGHT, THE THREE WILL PREVAIL.
THE WORLD WILL BE SAVED, AND EVIL WILL FAIL.
BAND TOGETHER, FAMILY AND FRIENDS, OR EVIL WILL SUCCEED —
The sea holds the key to what you need.
Elena's POV
We all stood in silence after Lauren finished. No one spoke. We simply stared at her as her eyes returned to their normal color. Solem studied her with a questioning look.
"I don't know where that came from," Lauren said, looking as bewildered as the rest of us.
"Serene has the gift of prophecy," I told her. "It likely runs in the family." Lauren nodded slowly, still visibly unsettled.
I turned the words over in my mind, trying to parse their meaning. My sons were destined to find this girl — and the fate of the world rested on whether the three of them could rise to meet it. I found myself wondering just how powerful Kayla might become if they all accepted the bond between them. I committed every line to memory. I would speak to the Moon Goddess about it when I had the chance. Something large was coming. Something that only these three could stop — and it was clear we needed to find the seer.
I needed every piece of information I could gather to help them prepare.
Kayla's POV
I turned the prophecy over and over in my mind. These two — these beautiful, impossible boys — and I had been fated to find each other long before any of us had a say in it. I still couldn't quite believe it.
"The evil in the prophecy must be Lord Alverez," I said to Solem.
"I believe so as well. And now that you have met your mates, your power has begun to awaken — it stirs when you channel your inner fire." I glanced at the twins, warmth rising to my face as I remembered the strange pull between us just minutes ago. They both smiled, and I completely forgot how to breathe.
"This also means the spell the seer placed on you has broken," Solem continued. "She will likely sense that soon and come looking for you. So will Alverez. He will attempt to take your power and eliminate you. I must reach him first."
The twins growled.
"Who is Lord Alverez?" Elena asked.
Solem told them everything — the story of my parents, their sacrifice, the war, and what Alverez had done. Hearing it again made my chest ache. They had willingly given their lives to give the prophecy a chance. To give me a chance. To face an evil that even the prophecy warned might win. I sank into a chair. It was a great deal to carry.
"She will need to train," Lauren said. Everyone looked at her. "I did not bring her this far to let some dark wizard finish what that pack started. We need to protect her."
"I agree," Elena said. "I would train her myself, but my energy is lunar — I can only teach her the fundamentals of celestial power. She will need you, Solem." She turned to him. "If you are willing to train her on our pack grounds, I will provide the space. We have a room designed to contain all magic within it — a perfect training ground. Though I should warn you: it requires blood to enter. Without it, you cannot pass through."
Solem nodded. "I can do that — but only in projection form. I cannot leave this realm unguarded."
"We will work around that," Elena said. "I will also arrange hand-to-hand combat training with our best fighters. Hank and Will are going to enjoy having a new celestial student," she added, and something in her smile told me they had once trained her, too.
"We should return," Elena said. "None of us should be away from our bodies for much longer." She looked at Lauren and me. "For the two of you, this being your first time projecting, expect to sleep for a day or two when you wake. I will make sure you have everything you need."
"Thank you, Luna," Lauren said.
"Solem, I will send word through a Pythia," Elena said. Solem nodded — I gathered a Pythia was a message that burned on one end and reappeared wherever the recipient was.
Lauren hugged me tightly. "Wake up soon," she said.
"I will," I told her. I watched as she and Elena disappeared.
The twins were still there. Both of them watching me. The quiet between us had a weight to it.
"Can I have a moment?" I asked Solem. He nodded and stepped out without a word.
I looked at the twins. They seemed to be communicating silently with each other, deciding how to approach. Lauren had probably told them what happened to me — but standing here with them, I didn't feel afraid. Not the way I always expected to feel.
The one with the blue eyes stepped forward first. He extended his hand.
"I'm Aiden," he said. I took his hand and shook it — and pulled back fast, startled. Not the tingle Dr. Lauren had once described to me about wolf mates, but something else. Energy. Where our fingers had touched, a spark had passed between us like a current. He had felt it too; I could tell by the way he stepped back just as quickly. I couldn't look away from his eyes.
"I'm Ethan," the other said, stepping forward. I shook his hand and felt the same thing — that same pull, that same spark. I let go quickly, heat rising to my cheeks.
"I'm Kayla," I managed.
"We know," they said together, smiling. It was disarmingly sweet.
They were both watching me with that same focused intensity, and the silence was starting to feel enormous.
"Does all of this — the prophecy, all of it — scare you?" I asked.
They both startled slightly, as though I'd pulled them out of something. I almost laughed.
"No," Aiden said. "Our mother was part of a prophecy once. We were caught up in it too."
"But that's a story for another time," Ethan added.
I nodded. "I'm sorry I passed out on you both when I arrived. I've had some bad experiences with other packs, and when I realized where I was, I panicked." I looked down. "I was afraid the same thing would happen again."
I heard them both growl — low, controlled — and I instinctively stepped back. Old habit.
"We would kill anyone who ever hurt you," Aiden said. I looked up into his eyes. I believed him.
"We saw what happened to you," Ethan said quietly. I looked at him.
"Serene — our pack witch — can see into a person's past through touch," Aiden said. "And share those visions with anyone else touching her at the time," Ethan added.
I nodded. The shame crept in before I could stop it — not anger at what had been done to me, but the thought of them having to witness it. I dropped my head, and felt the sting of tears starting to build.
"Can we hug you?" they both asked.
I looked up. No one had ever asked me that before. I hesitated, then gave a small nod.
"We need to hear you say it, Kayla," Aiden said gently. There was something almost pleading in his voice. I understood why.
"Yes," I said, my voice catching. "You can hug me."
They were at my side in an instant, both of them wrapping around me at once. I could feel our energies meeting — layering together in a way I had no words for. It was unlike anything I had ever felt. And instead of sinking into it the way part of me wanted to, I found myself crying into Aiden's shoulder while Ethan pressed his cheek to the top of my head and held me tighter.
When the tears finally slowed, they both pulled back and gently wiped my face. I saw Solem reappear in the doorway. I took a breath and steadied myself.
"Thank you," I told them both.
"Anytime," they said together. I smiled — a small one, but real.
"We're heading back, Solem," I said.
"Then have your mother send me a Pythia when she wakes," Solem told the twins. "I will begin her training once her body has recovered." They nodded. He turned to me and pulled me into a hug. "I will see you soon, little sister," he said quietly.
"Can you both be there when I wake up?" I asked the twins.
Aiden gave me a look. "Like you even have to ask."
I smiled. I looked at them one last time — my mates, my boys — then closed my eyes and pictured myself returning to my body. I felt the pull immediately, like a thread drawing me home, and let it take me.
- Writer
