THREE SHADOWS
1156 Words
CHAPTER FIVE
"A secret becomes dangerous the moment the wrong person realizes you are the one carrying it."
The sanctuary emptied slowly.
No one seemed willing to leave first.
The celebration that had filled the clearing only moments ago had disappeared completely. Families gathered in uneasy clusters, speaking in hushed voices as they made their way toward the forest paths.
The elders remained near the altar.
And Auren stood between her parents, staring at the shattered remains of the crystal basin.
She couldn't stop thinking about Elder Orien's words.
Something answered you from three.
Three.
The number sent a shiver of cold through her.
Three wolves.
Three golden pairs of eyes.
Three voices.
No.
Not three voices.
Only one had spoken.
At least...
She thought only one had spoken.
"Auren."
Her mother's hand closed gently around hers.
"Come with us."
Auren looked at Liora.
"Where?"
"Home."
There was something in her mother's voice that made Auren pause.
Liora wasn't frightened easily.
Neither was Gareth.
Yet both of them looked unsettled.
Gareth glanced toward Elder Orien.
"I'll meet you there."
Liora frowned.
"You aren't coming?"
"Not yet."
His eyes remained on the elder.
"I need to understand what happened."
Auren's stomach tightened.
"You know something too."
Gareth looked at her.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he reached up and gently touched her cheek.
"There are things I need to ask before I can give you answers."
"That's not an answer."
"I know."
Auren pulled away slightly.
She hated that everyone seemed to know something except her.
Her own life had suddenly become a conversation happening behind closed doors.
Liora squeezed her hand.
"Come home with me."
Auren nodded reluctantly.
Before leaving, she looked back toward Elder Orien.
Their eyes met.
The elder's expression was grave.
Then he looked toward the forest.
Auren followed his gaze.
Nothing.
Only trees.
Only darkness.
Yet she couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching from beyond them.
Something had been waiting.
For her.
She turned away.
Neither Auren nor her parents noticed the figure standing among the trees.
A pair of golden eyes watched them disappear into the darkness.
Then they vanished.
---
The walk home was unusually quiet.
Liora stayed beside Auren while Gareth followed a few steps behind them.
Normally, the journey through the territory would have been filled with conversation.
Tonight, every sound seemed amplified.
The crunch of leaves beneath their feet.
The distant howl of a wolf.
The wind moving through the branches.
Auren finally broke the silence.
"Mother."
Liora looked at her.
"Yes?"
"What did Elder Orien mean?"
Liora's expression tightened.
"Which part?"
"The three."
She stopped walking.
Auren turned toward her.
"What does it mean?"
Liora glanced toward Gareth.
He had stopped too.
The two exchanged a look.
Auren's frustration grew.
"Please."
Her voice softened.
"I'm the one this happened to. I deserve to know."
Gareth walked toward them.
"You do."
"Then tell me."
He took a slow breath.
"There are stories."
Auren frowned.
"Stories?"
"Old ones."
"About what?"
Gareth hesitated.
"Rare bonds."
The word made Auren's chest tighten.
"Bonds?"
"Most wolves are born with one destined mate," he explained. "Some discover their mate during Awakening. Others find them later."
Auren nodded slowly.
She already knew that.
"But there are legends of wolves whose destinies were..."
He paused.
"...different."
"Different how?"
Gareth looked at her.
"Connected to more than one soul."
Auren's eyes widened.
"More than one?"
Liora immediately looked toward the road behind them.
"Keep your voice down."
Auren lowered her voice.
"You said this was a legend."
"It is."
"Then why are you afraid?"
Neither parent answered.
That silence told her more than words could have.
Auren stepped closer.
"You know something."
Gareth's expression softened.
"We know enough to be cautious."
"That's not fair."
"No," he admitted.
"It isn't."
He reached for her shoulder.
"But tonight, you need to understand something."
"What?"
"Whatever happened at the sanctuary..."
His voice dropped.
"Don't tell anyone."
Auren stared at him.
"Why?"
"Because not everyone will see it as a blessing."
A chill moved down her spine.
Before she could ask anything else, a howl echoed through the forest.
It wasn't close.
But it wasn't far either.
Auren turned toward the sound.
Something inside her responded.
Her wolf stirred.
Not with fear.
With recognition.
Her breath caught.
A second howl followed.
Then a third.
Three distinct calls.
Auren's heart began racing.
Gareth noticed.
"Auren?"
She couldn't answer.
She was staring into the darkness.
Somewhere beyond the trees...
Three wolves were awake.
And somehow, she could feel them.
---
Far beyond Blackwood's territory, beneath a different moon...
A young man stood on the balcony of a vast stone fortress.
The wind pulled at his dark shirt as he stared across the mountains.
He had been restless for hours.
His wolf refused to settle.
She's awake.
The thought came from deep within him.
He frowned.
"Who?"
There was no answer.
Only that strange pull.
It had begun the moment the moon disappeared behind the clouds.
He had never experienced anything like it.
Not with his pack.
Not with another wolf.
Not even during his first shift.
Something was calling him.
And whatever it was...
It was getting stronger.
Behind him, the door opened.
A second wolf entered.
"You've been standing here for an hour."
The young man didn't turn.
"I know."
"Are you alright?"
He remained silent.
His companion walked closer.
"Your wolf is restless."
"I know."
"What happened?"
The young man finally turned.
His eyes were unusually bright.
"I don't know."
Then, suddenly—
His wolf growled.
The sound was so deep that the other wolf instinctively stepped back.
The young man pressed a hand against his chest.
A single name formed in his mind.
He had never heard it before.
Yet somehow...
It felt familiar.
"Auren."
His eyes widened.
"What did you say?"
His companion stared at him.
"I didn't say anything."
The young man looked toward the moon.
For the first time in his life...
He was afraid of what the future might hold.
---
Back in Blackwood, Auren stood at her bedroom window.
Everyone had gone to sleep.
Or at least, they were pretending to.
She couldn't sleep.
Her mind kept returning to the sanctuary.
The broken basin.
Elder Orien's expression.
The three figures.
The words they had spoken.
"Heart."
"Crown."
"Grave."
Auren touched the moonstone pendant.
This time, it remained cold.
She closed her eyes.
"Who are you?"
Silence.
Then—
"We are coming."
Auren's eyes flew open.
Her breath caught.
Three shadows moved beyond her window.
She stepped closer to the glass.
Nothing.
Only the forest.
Only moonlight.
Then her wolf whispered from somewhere deep inside her.
Not a warning.
Not fear.
Recognition.
They're looking for you.
Auren stared into the darkness.
And for the first time, she understood something terrifying.
The ceremony hadn't chosen her.
It had announced her.
And somewhere in the world...
Three wolves had heard the call.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD