The stew was good hearty beef and barley with chunks of carrot so sweet they almost made me forget everything else going on.
I ate two bowls without really tasting them, my mind racing. Every time I set my spoon down, I'd catch sight of my hands normal looking on the surface, but I could feel the strength coiled in my fingers like a spring. Kyle was watching me from across the table, his jaw tight, while Lena and Sarah talked in low voices by the fireplace.
"You're not the first half-breed I've met," Kyle said suddenly, breaking the silence. "There was another one, a few years back. Her name was Chloe."
I looked up. "What happened to her?"
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. "She was my friend. We grew up together in the pack. When she started showing signs of what she was, we tried to hide her. Keep her safe." His hands clenched into fists on his thighs. "We didn't do a good enough job."
Lena glanced over from the fireplace, her expression unreadable. "The DLF found her. Drained her of blood, left her body in the woods as a message."
Kyle shot up from his chair so fast his bowl slid across the table. "You don't get to talk about her. You weren't there. You didn't have to see"
"Enough." Sarah's voice cut through the tension like a knife. "Fighting won't help Elara. It won't bring Chloe back, and it won't stop what's coming."
She turned to me, her eyes serious. "The night you were born, there was a storm. Not just rain and wind lightning striking the same spot twelve times in a row. The elders said it was a sign, but we didn't know what it meant until last month."
She walked over to a wooden chest in the corner and pulled out a folded piece of parchment, yellowed with age. "We found this hidden in your dad's old things. He wrote it the night before he died."
I took it carefully, unfolding it with shaking hands. The ink was faded in places, but I could still make out the words:
Elara ….if you're reading this, then they've found us. I'm sorry we couldn't be there to raise you, but we had to keep you safe.
The blood moon is coming. When it does, the old barriers will fall. The Coven of the Wolf isn't just a legend it's a promise we made to each other, to every creature with fangs or fangs or fire in their veins.
You're the key. Not because you're strong though you will be but because you're whole. You don't have to choose between being wolf or vampire. You can be both.
Find the heart of the coven. Find the ones who remember why we made the truce in the first place.
And never forget …. the moon knows what you are.
My hands were shaking so hard the parchment rustled. "He… he knew I'd have to do this. He knew I'd have to fight."
"Not fight," Sarah said gently. "Build. Your parents dreamed of a place where kids like you didn't have to hide. Where vampires and werewolves could live side by side without fear."
A loud crash from outside made us all jump.
Lena was already on her feet, her hand flying to the silver necklace at her throat. "That's not wind."
Kyle was moving too….grabbing a heavy iron poker from beside the fireplace. "I'll check it out."
Before anyone could stop him, he was out the door. We heard it slam behind him, then silence stretched so long I could hear the crackle of the fire and my own heartbeat thundering in my ears.
Then we heard it.
A howl long, agonized, and cut off halfway through like someone had put a knife to its throat.
Lena was already moving toward the door, pulling off her leather jacket to reveal silver bracelets on both wrists. "Stay here. Lock the door behind me."
"I'm not staying." I was up and moving before the words were out of my mouth. "That's Kyle out there."
Sarah grabbed my arm. "Elara, you don't know what's out there"
"I know enough." I pulled free, my palms flaring with heat. Silver light traced up my arms this time, bright enough to make Lena squint. "Whatever it is, I can handle it."
We burst outside to find Kyle on his knees, clutching his shoulder. Black blood seeped through his shirt, and a figure in a dark cloak stood over him tall, slender, and holding a silver dagger that glinted even in the dark.
"Elara Vasile," the figure said, their voice modified by some kind of mask, making it sound like grinding stone. "We've been waiting for you to reveal yourself."
Lena moved between us, the silver necklace glowing bright now. "Stay away from her."
The figure laughed a sound like breaking glass. "You think your little amulet will stop us? We have more silver than you can imagine. More power than you've ever dreamed of."
They took a step forward, and the cloak fell open just enough to reveal a tattoo on their forearm a black wolf's head with red eyes, a single drop of blood hanging from its jaw.
"The same mark your dad had," Lena whispered, her voice tight with shock. "He swore he'd destroyed every last one of them."
The figure lunged, dagger aimed straight for my chest.
I didn't think I just reacted.
Heat exploded from my palms, a wave of silver light that sent the dagger flying out of their hand and into a tree trunk twenty feet away. The figure staggered back, their mask cracking down the middle to reveal pale skin and eyes as red as rubies.
"Half-breed," they hissed, stumbling backward. "You're stronger than we thought."
Before we could move, they turned and vanished into the trees, moving so fast they were gone in seconds.
Kyle pushed himself to his feet, pressing his hand against his shoulder. "They're not alone. I saw at least three others hiding in the shadows."
Lena knelt beside him, pulling a small cloth from her pocket. "Silver poison. It'll spread if we don't get it out."
I looked toward the trees where the figure had run, my hands still glowing with faint silver light. "Why did they say they'd been waiting for me? What do they want?"
Lena stood up, her eyes dark with worry. "They want your blood, Elara. They think if they can take it, they can steal your power. And with it… they can wake him up."
"Wake who up?"
She didn't answer, but she looked up at the sky. The clouds had pulled apart, and there it was the moon, bigger now than ever, hanging low and red as a fresh wound. And around its edge, I could see something I'd never noticed before.
A dark shape, moving slowly across its surface.
Like a hand reaching for the light.