​Chapter 2: Whispers of the Duskborne

LIRA

The Elders sat in a semi-circle, their faces drawn and serious, eyes glinting under the flickering torches. The room felt suffocating, as if every inch of stone was watching me, bearing down on me. I had grown accustomed to their presence, but tonight, their silence was heavier, more deliberate. Each of them was a living relic of ages past—ancient, wise, and unsettling. Their eyes felt as though they could see straight through me, into some deeper truth I wasn’t sure I understood.

I shifted uncomfortably under their stares, feeling small—like a child being scrutinized by those who held all the answers to questions I hadn’t even thought to ask.

Elder Silas, at the far end of the circle, finally broke the silence. His silver hair, braided neatly down his back, shimmered faintly in the torchlight. His eyes—cold and calculating—fixed on me, and the weight of his gaze seemed to sink into my bones.

“Lira Fenwick,” he said, his voice a low rumble, not unkind but certainly not comforting. “Do you know why we’ve summoned you?”

I felt a twinge of anxiety in my gut, but I fought to keep my face neutral. It wasn’t unusual for the Elders to call me in, but it was always for something cryptic, something I never quite understood. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know if they had an answer to a question I hadn’t even thought to ask.

“The moon looks... off tonight?” I ventured, trying to lighten the mood with a shrug. It was a lame attempt, but I couldn’t stand the weight of their eyes any longer.

Kora, seated beside me, stiffened. Her jaw tightened, and I could feel her unease radiating off her like a quiet storm. She shot me a look, one that told me I had already said something wrong.

“Lira,” she whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. “Don’t.”

But I couldn’t help it. The tension in the air was too thick, the silence too suffocating. I hated feeling like I was the odd piece in the puzzle, constantly being told that I was important without ever knowing why.

Elder Silas didn’t react, not even a flicker of amusement in his eyes. His expression remained unchanged, serious, as he leaned forward ever so slightly.

“We’ve received troubling news,” Elder Mara spoke then, her voice soft, but piercing. Her pale eyes, distant and unsettling, slid toward me as though seeing into something I didn’t want them to see. “The Grimhowl Clan’s warriors have been seen near the Duskborne territory borders.”

My stomach lurched. Grimhowl. Even just hearing their name sent a cold chill down my spine. The Grimhowl Clan were wolves who lived on the northern territory, a ruthless, battle-hardened group led by the notorious Alpha, Caius Vexmoor. They were known for their strength, their aggression, and their unwavering loyalty to their Alpha. They left destruction in their wake, and their raids were swift and brutal. They didn’t make moves unless there was a reason.

I shifted in my seat, my hands instinctively curling into fists at the thought of them. Kora beside me had gone rigid, her breath shallow.

“Why would the Grimhowl Clan be near our borders?” I asked, my voice betraying the unease that had settled into my chest. “What do they want?”

Elder Silas’s gaze never wavered. “That is precisely what we are trying to determine.”

Elder Mara’s voice was colder now, her gaze unwavering. “We believe it is you, Lira.”

A chill slid down my spine, and my throat went dry. “Me?” I repeated, incredulous. “Why would they be interested in me?”

Kora's hand was suddenly on my wrist, gripping tightly as if she were trying to stop me from doing something reckless. She didn't say anything, but her grip was enough of a warning. I met her eyes, but there was no comfort in them—just anxiety, and something else. Fear.

“You,” Silas said, his voice calm, though his words were heavy with meaning, “are the reason Caius Vexmoor moves.”

My heart skipped a beat. I wanted to argue, to say that it made no sense. But the look in his eyes told me this was no time for disbelief. There was something about his words that made my stomach twist.

“I don’t understand,” I murmured, feeling suddenly very small under their watchful gazes. “Why would he be after me? I’m... I’m just a girl. I’m not even fully shifted yet.”

There was a murmur that rippled through the Elders at that, a collective shifting of energy that I couldn’t quite place. Kora’s grip on my wrist tightened, but I could see that her face had gone pale.

“Just a girl,” Mara repeated, almost too softly. “That is precisely why.”

I blinked, confused. “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

Silas looked toward the other Elders for a moment, then returned his gaze to me. His eyes held a depth I couldn’t fathom, as though he were considering something far greater than I was capable of understanding.

“You were born... during the eclipse.”

I froze.

The eclipse? I had never heard that before. “I... I don’t know what you’re talking about. They never told me anything about an eclipse”

Mara’s gaze was sharp as a blade. “It is not something you would remember. It was an event that marked your birth. A rare occurrence that set the course of your life long before you were even born.”

I felt a wave of confusion wash over me. I had heard, time and time again, that I was different. That there was something special about me, something the Elders never elaborated on. I had always thought they meant it in the sense that I was... well, a little stronger than most. A little faster. But I had never been told why or how I was special.

And now, to hear that I was born during some eclipse? It felt like a dream that wasn’t mine to remember.

“I don’t understand,” I repeated, my voice unsteady. “Why does that matter?”

“The moon,” Mara said, “and the bond it shares with your bloodline. You were born during the eclipse when the veil between the mortal world and the primal forces of nature thinned. Your blood is connected to something... ancient, Lira. Something much older than you realize.”

I shook my head, more to myself than to them. This was too much to process. The vague mention of my destiny—it was all coming to a head now. And still, none of it made sense. I had lived my life in the village, had always been told I was special, but it felt hollow. It felt like a lie. I wasn’t powerful. I wasn’t anything like the stories I had heard as a child.

If anything, I was ordinary. Just a girl trying to survive in a world that constantly reminded me I was meant for something I didn’t understand.

“And Caius Vexmoor?” I asked, the words falling from my mouth without thinking. “Why would he care about me?”

“That,” Silas said, his voice grave, “we do not know.”

My stomach churned. “You don’t know? But you’re telling me that this Alpha, this leader of a ruthless clan, is interested in me for no reason?”

“We believe,” Mara began slowly, “that Caius is seeking something. Something that only you—someone connected to the ancient power of the moon—can provide. But what he seeks, and why he seeks you... we do not yet know.”

“But... I’m not even fully shifted,” I argued, growing desperate. “How can I be the one he’s looking for?”

Mara said softly. “It is about what you will become.”

My chest tightened. “I don’t want to be anyone’s key. I just want to be—”

But my words faltered. Because the truth was, I didn’t know what I wanted. And I didn’t know what this all meant.

Elder Silas leaned back in his chair, his face unreadable. “The truth is, we do not know his full intentions. But we believe, Lira, that you are the center of something far greater than any of us can yet see.”

I swallowed hard, my mind spinning with questions, none of which had answers. But there was one thing I knew, deep in my gut.

Whether I understood it or not, this was just the beginning.