The Relic’s Power
Malrik’s steps echoed ominously as he strode into Isla’s chambers, his gray eyes sharp with suspicion and frustration. The tension in the air was suffocating, and Isla could feel his fury like a storm about to break.
“You’ve been busy,” he said, his tone deceptively calm. His slender, wiry frame leaned against the stone wall, his fingers idly tracing the runes on the relic he held. “Stirring chaos. Resisting me. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
Isla straightened, her silver eyes meeting his with defiance. “I don’t need to stir chaos, Malrik. Your plans are crumbling all on their own.”
Malrik’s smirk flickered, his patience clearly thinning. In one swift motion, he stepped closer, his angular face inches from hers. “You’re clever, Isla. I’ll give you that. But you forget who holds the reins here.”
With a sharp motion, he activated the relic in his hands. The runes glowed a sickly green, and Isla’s breath hitched as an invisible wave crashed over her. It was like being plunged into icy water, her connection to her wolf and the Moon Goddess muffled to a faint whisper.
Her legs wavered beneath her, but she refused to fall. “You think this will break me?” she rasped, her voice steady despite the heaviness in her limbs.
Malrik tilted his head, his tone soft but laced with menace. “Break you? No. I’ll shape you, Isla. I’ll strip away the illusions of freedom, of choice, until you see the world as I do.”
The relic pulsed again, and Isla felt her power dim further, her silver eyes dulling as her strength waned. Yet, within the suppression, a flicker of light persisted—a soft, rhythmic pulse. The twins. Even as her wolf faltered, her connection to them remained, like a stubborn flame refusing to be extinguished.
Malrik’s voice dropped to a whisper, his lips curving into a predatory smile. “You’ll thank me one day, for showing you what you could become. What we could become together.”
Isla’s jaw clenched, her hands gripping the edge of the stone table for support. Her voice, though weak, carried unwavering resolve. “You’ll never control me, Malrik.”
His smile faltered, just for a moment, as he stared into her eyes. Then, with a derisive scoff, he turned away, leaving her in the dim chamber.
Alone, Isla pressed her hand to her stomach, feeling the faint warmth of her bond with the twins. It was enough to steady her. Enough to remind her that she wasn’t fighting just for herself.
