The night was quiet in the outer territories.
The winds carried the scent of pine and dew, but beneath it lingered something else. Something ancient. Watching. Listening.
Inside a modest, weathered home nestled deep within the woods, a low fire crackled in the hearth. Its glow cast flickering shadows across stone walls and worn furniture. Upstairs, the world slept. Or so it seemed.
Downstairs, in the dimly lit kitchen, Freya's adoptive parents stood facing each other, the silence between them thick with secrets.
"She's changing," Amara whispered, wringing her hands, her gaze flickering toward the staircase. "Every night I see it in her eyes, the flashes of pain, the confusion. The bond is stirring. She knows something is wrong, even if she can't name it."
Adrian, once known as Elias in his past life before they went into hiding stood at the window, his jaw clenched as he stared into the forest. "She can't know yet," he said at last. "The binding spell still holds. The Alpha will never find her, not as long as the sigil remains intact."
Amara's voice cracked, fragile with helplessness. "And what about her soul? Do you think the magic we used came without a cost? She wakes up screaming. She loses time. Wanders into the woods without knowing how she got there. This isn't just the bond, it's her mind unraveling."
"She's turning twenty-one," Elias murmured. "The age of prophecy begins to take root."
Amara's tears shimmered in her eyes. "We did what we had to do."
Elias turned, voice tight. "You remember what the seer said. 'If the Alpha marks her before the prophecy can take shape, death will follow hers or his.' We had no choice but to hide her."
"We buried the truth in spells and blood," Amara said bitterly. "And now it's clawing back."
"She'll be safer not knowing. For now."
"No, she won't!" Amara snapped, her voice low but fierce. "We lied to her. Lied to Lonara. Even Mia. You swore this magic would protect them, but it's tearing them apart."
Elias moved to her, resting his hands on her trembling shoulders. "We swore to protect Freya. We swore on the moon's light that no harm would touch her until the appointed time."
"And you think it hasn't already touched her?" Amara asked, her voice hollow. "The Alpha is already looking. I feel his rage across the bond. Every time she breaks down it's him. He's reaching for her. And she's crumbling under the weight of it."
Before Elias could respond, a soft rustle echoed from the hallway. A subtle intake of breath. Silence fell like a blade.
"Who's there?" Elias demanded, turning sharply.
A floorboard creaked.
From the shadows, Lonara stepped into the light. Her long dark hair spilled down her back, her eyes wide with disbelief and betrayal.
"You lied to us," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "To all of us."
"Lonara …" Amara began, stepping forward.
But her daughter backed away, her expression unreadable but wounded. "You knew what was happening to Freya. You knew she was suffering. And you said nothing."
"It was to protect her," Elias said, his tone calm but urgent. "We didn't want this fate for her. Or for you."
"You let her think she was broken," Lonara whispered. "You let me believe it too. While she cried herself to sleep. While she stared at the stars, thinking she didn't belong anywhere."
Amara's voice wavered. "If she knew the truth, she would have run. Or worse, he would have found her. Damien Blackthorn doesn't know mercy. He would've torn this house apart if he knew who she truly was."
"Then who is she?" Lonara demanded, her voice rising with pain. "What is she?"
Elias's shoulders slumped under the weight of the truth. "She is the moon's chosen," he said. "The mate of the Alpha of the Dark Moon Pack. Born under the shrouded eclipse. Marked for a prophecy we swore never to awaken."
Lonara staggered, her breath caught in her throat. "Then it's true," she breathed. "The visions I've been seeing. The fire. The blood. The silver flame..."
Elias's eyes widened. "You've seen them?"
Lonara nodded slowly. "They started weeks ago. I thought they were dreams at first. But then I saw her—Freya—standing in a fire that didn't burn. She was screaming. And I... I couldn't reach her."
Amara gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as tears spilled freely down her cheeks. "You saw the silver flame," she whispered. "But I locked away your fourth sight. The moon was supposed to take it back…"
"You can't keep locking away pieces of us, hoping the prophecy will be forgotten," Lonara said. "It's already begun."
She turned toward the stairs, her eyes burning with determination.
"Lonara, please," Amara begged. "Don't speak of this to your sisters. Especially not to Freya. She doesn't know the full story."
"She deserves to know," Lonara said, her voice resolute. "And I won't let you keep it from her anymore."
And with that, she turned and disappeared into the darkened hallway, her thoughts spiraling, her heart racing.
Because somewhere, far beyond the forest and the flickering firelight, a monster was rising.
And Freya wasn't ready.
But she would be.