The Awakening
481 Words
Aria collapsed to her knees, clutching her chest.
Heat surged through her veins like liquid fire. Her fingers trembled, her vision blurred, and her breath came out in shallow gasps.
Kael shifted back to human form, rushing to her side, bare-chested and breathless. “You’re shifting,” he said urgently. “But it’s too soon.”
Aria gritted her teeth. “What… what’s happening to me?!”
He held her steady. “You’re Moonborn. It’s in your blood. But no one ever taught you how to shift, did they?”
She shook her head violently, eyes wild with panic.
The forest spun around her. Her bones itched, cracked, reshaped—just a little. Enough to terrify her. Her fingernails sharpened. Her heartbeat synced with something ancient.
Then, just as suddenly, the pain stopped. The shift didn’t complete.
Aria lay against Kael’s chest, shaking and gasping for air.
“You stopped it,” he whispered. “Your body’s fighting the shift because you’re not ready.”
“Am I… a werewolf?” she asked, her voice small.
“You’re Moonborn,” he said. “It’s rarer. Stronger. More dangerous.”
Kael’s Thoughts
Kael swallowed hard. He shouldn’t be this close to her. The bond pulling at him wasn’t just about instinct anymore—it was need. His wolf wanted to protect her, claim her, never leave her side.
But the prophecy… the warnings…
If Aria ever unlocked her full power, she might not be able to control it. And if Selene got to her first…
No. He would die before letting that happen.
Meanwhile, in the Shadows…
Selene stood atop a hill overlooking the forest, her pale blonde hair glowing in the moonlight.She watched Kael cradle Aria, her silver eyes narrowing with rage.
“So it’s true,” she hissed. “The Moonborn girl lives.”
Her nails dug into the bark of the tree beside her.
“And she’s already bonded to Kael…”
A low snarl escaped her lips.
“She won’t survive the next full moon.”
Later That Night…
Kael walked Aria back to the cabin in silence.
She could feel the tension between them. The air was thick with unsaid things—questions she didn’t know how to ask.
At her door, she turned to him.
“Why do I feel like I’ve known you forever?”
He looked at her, something ancient flickering behind his eyes.
“Because,” he said quietly, “some souls are bound before they ever meet.”
Their eyes locked.
And for a second, time froze.
But Kael turned away. “Rest. The full moon is five nights away. And you need to be ready.”
“Ready for what?” she asked.
He didn’t answer.Because if he told her the truth now—that the full moon would either awaken her power or destroy her—she’d never sleep again.
- Writer
