Threads of the Past
The chamber was dimly lit, the flickering fire casting long shadows on the stone walls. Isla sat rigidly across from Kaelen, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as he began his story.
“Your mother, Xyla, was the strongest wolf I’d ever known,” Kaelen said, his voice steady but tinged with pain. “She bore the burden of your legacy with grace. But the prophecy tied to you—it was too great a risk.”
Isla frowned, her silver eyes sharp. “What prophecy?”
Kaelen hesitated, his gaze dropping to his hands, which were clasped tightly. “You’re not just a Luna, Isla. You’re the child of the Moon Goddess’s bloodline. Your existence threatens the balance of power among the packs. The moment you were born, you became a target.”
Isla’s voice hardened. “And Seraphine? Wasn’t she worth protecting too?”
Kaelen’s expression darkened, his shoulders slumping. “Seraphine’s path was… different,” he said slowly, choosing his words with care. “She never carried the mark. Xyla believed she would be safer without us—away from the war that followed your birth.”
“She wasn’t,” Isla spat, her voice cold. “Neither of us were.”
Kaelen’s face twisted with grief, but before he could respond, Eira stepped forward, her voice calm but firm. “Kaelen didn’t want to leave you,” she said, her blue eyes meeting Isla’s. “But there were forces at work even he couldn’t fight. You were hidden, protected. It was the only way.”
Isla turned her glare to Eira, her anger simmering. “You talk like you know everything about me,” she said, her voice sharp.
Eira’s gaze didn’t waver. “I know more than you think,” she replied evenly. “And so does Kaelen. But some truths can’t be told outright. They must be discovered.”
The fire crackled in the silence that followed, its soft light illuminating Isla’s conflicted expression. “Then let me discover them,” she said finally, her voice trembling with defiance. “But I won’t trust either of you until I know the whole story.”
