Amara's Pov
The silence in the woods still unsettled me.
Back in the city, mornings came with chaos. But here, all I could hear was the wind and the distant howl of a wolf .
I didn't sleep much after the Trial. Not because of fear but because something inside me wouldn't settle. Like I had been awakened.
When I stepped into the corridor, Lucian was there leaning against the door.
His eyes met mine, unreadable as always. "You passed," he said. "Now it's time you learn why."
The door made a squeaky sound as he pushed it open,the scent of old paper and pine dust thick in the air.
My breath caught. "This is… incredible."
Lucian closed the door behind us with a soft click. Then I heard it the lock turning.
I spun toward him. "You just locked us in?"
"No one else is allowed in here without my permission," he said, voice low and clipped.
He walked straight to a shelf, pulled out a slim volume, and placed it in my hands.
"Chronicles of the Bloodmoon Child," he said. "Your lineage. Prophecies. And the war that nearly erased every pack."
My fingers brushed over the cover. It looked like something out of a dark fairy tale—soft leather etched with moon symbols and claw marks. I opened it and saw an illustration of a girl cloaked in fire and shadow, eyes glowing red beneath a full moon.
Lucian's voice softened. "You were summoned by fate. But fate is nothing without choice."
I looked up from the book. "What choice do I have?"
He hesitated, then spoke barely above a whisper. "The choice to become more than what they fear you to be."
I kept reading. Trying to process what I was reading —legends of a child born under a cursed moon, power wrapped in blood, shadow, and light. I didn't notice at first, but Lucian never took his eyes off me.
Not in a predatory way. Something deeper. He watched me like he was memorizing everything about me.
When I finally looked up, he offered a small, fleeting smile. "You are beautiful."
Heat touched my cheeks. "Thanks… I think."
He cleared his throat and stepped back, as if snapping himself out of something. "We should leave before someone notices."
But the way his voice dipped, told me he didn't want to go.
We made it to the door… and froze.
A shadow passed behind the glass.
Lucian stiffened beside me. "Theo."
I instinctively moved closer to him.
We waited in silence until the footsteps faded down the hall.
"What was he doing here" Lucian muttered.
I swallowed the tightness in my throat. "He's always watching."
Lucian closed his eyes, just for a moment, then opened them with new resolve. "Let him. You're not alone anymore."
That night, I stood on the balcony outside my room, the forbidden book clutched against my chest.
Lucian joined me, his presence quiet but comforting. He leaned beside me, arms crossed, eyes trained on me.
We didn't speak for a long while. Then, just when I thought he might leave, he said, "I won't let them take you."
I turned to him. "I know."
He dipped his head, just a little—so close I could feel the heat of him, the tension, the pull. Not a kiss. Not yet. But the promise of one. The warning of what it might mean. The truth neither of us wanted to name.