Black Luna

Chapter 5

Lia's heart pounded as the mysterious man stepped closer, fear tangled with a strange magnetic pull she couldn't explain.

Every instinct screamed at her to run but something about him held her in place.

He was unlike anyone she had ever seen.

Tall with a few gure draped in a cloak of midnight blue that shimmered faintly under the moonlight, his eyes gleamed like molten silver – too bright to be human. There was an ancient power in him something that made her skin tingle with both terror and curiosity.

And then, before she could even take a step back, he moved in closer.

His hand reacjed out, long fingers brushing her bleeding knee.

Lia gasped,flinching, but the moment his fingers made contact an overwhelming warmth spread through her body , seeping into her very bones.

The pain that had been throbbing in her knee vanished as if it never existed. The blood on her skin disappeared, replaced by the soft, smooth skin if someone who had never been hurt.

She stared down in disbelief, her breath catching in her throat. The wound was gone. Completely healed.

She looked up at him, her pulse racing. “What….what did you do?” She asked, her voice trembling.

He gazed at her calmly, his expression unreadable, but there was something comforting in his eyes, as if he understood her confusion – and her fear.

“You have a gift,” he said softly, his voice like the rustle of ancient leaves. “A gift that was bound to awaken in you. The moment you let your pack.”

Lia swallowed, trying to steady herself, but her heart was still racing. She felt a surge of energy, a strange power flooding her Veins, and yet she couldn't understand it.

“I don't understand,” she whispered, shaking her head “what are you talking about? What gift? I'm just…I'm just a wolfless werewolf. Nothing more than a mistake.”

The man took a step closer, his silver eyes never leaving hers. “You are far from a mistake, Lia. You are the key to something much greater than you realize. Your bloodline is ancient. You were born for this…. A power that no one else has.”

Lia blinked, her mind racing. She had never felt anything like this before.

Power? What power?

He smiled faintly, sensing her growing curiosity. “You're the last of a line of shapeshifter. Not werewolves. Not lycans. Shapeshifter. A species king thought to be extent, your ability to shift beyond the limit of e werewolf is something only a few being have ever done.”

Lia felt her breath catch in her throat.

“Shapeshifter? But I.”

“You don't know it yet,” the man interrupted, his voice firm but kind . But your gift is in you. It's why you have been cursed by your own people. They cannot understand your power, and they fear it.”

Lia's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to make sense of what he was saying. “But…. Why are you here? Who are you?”

He studied her carefully, his gaze never leaving her face.

“I am someone who has been watching you for some time, Lia. Someone who knows your true potential. My name is varian, and I am a wizard– a protector of your kind.”

“A wizard?” Lia repeated, the word foreign in her tongue. “I don't understand. Why me? Why do I have this power?”

Varian’s smile deepened, a giant if something ancient flickering in his eyes, “you are more than just a girl, Lia. You are a beacon – a force meant to bring balance to the realities. Your blood holds the key to something far beyond your world, and it's no ancient you've come to the moment in time. The gods themselves have woven your destiny with theirs.”

Lia felt her mind spinning, trying to wrap around everything he had just said. Her bloodline was ancient? A shapeshifter? A beacon? The weight of his words sank heavily into her chest, but the question that lingered was unbearable.

“Why didn't anyone tell me? Why did they have leave me to believe I was nothing?”

Varian stepped closer, his expression softening as he placed a hand on her shoulder, “Because the one’s who should have protected you feared you. They saw your power as a threat, not a blessing. That's why they cursed you, Lia. They bound your power, made you believe you were cursed, weak…but you are far from it.”

Lia's mind was a whirlwind, but she felt something stirring inside her.

A whisper of something that had always been there, hidden beneath the pain, beneath the rejection.

“What do I do now?” She asked, her voice barely a whisper. “I don't know what to believe anymore.”

Varian looked at her with a soft, knowing smile. “Now, Lia , you'll learn to control what's inside you. You'll learn what your truly are. And you decide what kind of power you'll be – will you lat them use you, or will you rise above them?”

Lia's chest tightened with a strange, flickering hope.

For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt a spark of purpose – something that wasn't just about survival.

“Rise above,” she murmured to herself.

Varian nodded, “Exactly.”

He held out his hand, “I will help you understand your power. But remember, this journey won't be easy. You'll have to face many truths and the hardest one will be facing yourself.”

Lia looked at his hand. Her heart was still heavy with confusion, but something in her gut told her this was a path she had no choice but to walk.

Still question stirred in her mind like a storm.

“Varian,” She said, finally breaking the silence.

“You said I'm a shapeshifter. That there's power inside me. But how do I unlock it? How do I shift ? I've never even felt my wolf inside me. All my life, I've just nm…empty,”

He stopped, turning to face her with a calm intensity, “that emptiness wasn't your fault. It was a cage – woven by fear, lies, and a curse that wasn't meant for you.”

Lia's frowned, “then how do I break it?”

Varian studied her, eyes glowing faintly in the dark. “To fully unleash your true form, you need something powerful. Something tied to your very soul.”

She stepped closer, desperate, “tell me I'll do anything.”

“The catalyst to your awakening,” varian said slowly, “is the blood…or heart…of your mate.”

Lia blinked, stunned.”what?”

He nodded solemnly, “the bond of a mate is sacred. For most , it means love. But for your kind – it's the source of power. The essence of how you are is linked to your fated one. Only his essence can unlock what's buried inside you.”

Lia's mind reeled. Her mate? But she didn't even know who that was, “b..but…” her cousin voice shook. “I don't even know who my mate is. What if I never find him? What if he doesn't want me?”

Varian gave a small, knowing smile. “You'll meet him.”