Chapter eight
729 Words
The darkness didn’t last.
A low, steady glow bled from the runes lining the interior walls, igniting one by one as if awakened by my presence. Silver light traced ancient symbols in slow pulses, illuminating a vast chamber beyond the door—far larger than the cavern we’d come from.
I sucked in a shaky breath.
The Sanctuary wasn’t empty.
Stone pillars rose like the ribs of some colossal beast, etched with spirals and sigils that hummed softly, vibrating beneath my skin. The air was warmer here, thick with something electric—power, old and waiting. The floor beneath me wasn’t rough rock but smooth stone, worn by centuries of footsteps… and claws.
Rachel released my wrist, turning sharply toward the sealed door. She pressed her ear against it, jaw clenched.
Nothing.
No howls.
No impacts.
Just silence.
My chest burned. “Gina—”
Rachel straightened slowly. “She knew the risk.”
“That doesn’t mean we leave her.”
“I know,” she snapped, then softened, dragging a hand down her face. “I know.”
The glow around us brightened, responding to the tension—responding to me. The runes nearest my feet flared brighter, silver bleeding into gold at the edges.
Rachel noticed.
Her eyes narrowed, not with suspicion—but realization.
“Elora,” she said carefully, “are you feeling anything?”
I swallowed. “Like the walls are… listening.”
The hum deepened, resonating through my bones. Somewhere deep in the chamber, stone shifted. A section of the far wall cracked open with a slow, grinding sound, revealing a circular dais carved into the floor.
At its center stood a pedestal.
And resting atop it—
I froze.
“No,” I whispered.
It was a relic. Not a weapon, not exactly. A ring of stone and metal intertwined, hovering inches above the pedestal, rotating slowly. Veins of light pulsed through it in time with my heartbeat.
Rachel sucked in a breath. “That’s impossible.”
“What is it?” I asked, though part of me already knew.
“The Core Seal,” she said quietly. “The heart of the Sanctuary.”
My pulse thundered. “Heart… of what?”
Rachel met my gaze. “Of the first bond.”
The words slammed into me.
“The first wolves didn’t just become what they were,” she continued. “They were changed. Bound. Enhanced.” Her mouth tightened. “Not unlike what’s hunting us now—only this was controlled. Balanced.”
I shook my head. “You’re saying those things out there—”
“Are a corrupted version,” she finished. “Someone’s trying to recreate the power without the safeguards.”
The relic pulsed brighter.
A memory—not mine—flashed behind my eyes. Firelight. Stone. Blood smeared across ancient hands. Voices chanting in a language I didn’t understand, yet somehow did.
I staggered, clutching my head.
“Elora!” Rachel grabbed me. “What did you see?”
“I—I don’t know,” I gasped. “But this place… it knows me. Like it’s been waiting.”
Rachel’s expression darkened. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
A sharp c***k echoed through the chamber.
We spun toward the door.
A hairline fracture glowed faintly across its surface.
Then another.
Rachel swore. “They’re stronger than we thought.”
Panic surged. “You said this place was a refuge.”
“And a prison,” she reminded grimly. “Which means if they get in—”
The runes flared violently.
The relic lifted higher, spinning faster.
Rachel turned to me, urgency blazing in her eyes. “Elora, listen to me. This Sanctuary responds to bloodlines. To yours. If you can activate it fully, it might seal them out.”
“And Gina?”
Her jaw tightened. “Or give us the power to go back for her.”
The door shuddered again.
A distorted roar echoed faintly through the stone.
I looked at the relic—at the heart of something ancient and dangerous—and felt the truth settle heavy in my chest.
Whatever I was…
Whatever my blood carried…
Running wasn’t an option anymore.
I stepped toward the pedestal.
The moment my fingers brushed the light—
The Sanctuary awakened.
And somewhere beyond the stone, something answered back.
- Writer
