Chapter 2: Into The Fire

The clearing felt charged with an electric tension, the air thick enough to choke on. Seraphina froze, her glowing hands trembling at her sides as Kael stepped closer. His eyes were locked on hers, sharp and unrelenting, the Alpha in him radiating authority.

“What have you done?” Kael repeated, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade.

“I didn’t—” she stammered, backing away from the pedestal. The glow on her hands flickered and faded as panic set in. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Don’t lie to me.” His growl was low and menacing, sending a shiver down her spine. “That light, those runes—what did you touch?”

Seraphina’s back hit a tree, and she stopped, her chest heaving. Her mind raced, searching for an explanation she didn’t have. The voice, the pedestal, the surge of power—it was as much a mystery to her as it was to him.

“Nothing,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kael didn’t believe her. She could see it in his eyes, the way they burned with suspicion. “You’re lying. Do you even know what you’ve just awakened?”

“I didn’t awaken anything!” she snapped, her anger breaking through the haze of fear.

Kael’s lip curled in a sneer. “First, you embarrass yourself by thinking you could ever be my Luna, and now this? Meddling with powers you don’t understand? You’re not just weak—you’re reckless.”

The words hit her like another rejection, but this time, they sparked something deeper. A defiance she didn’t know she had.

“Why do you even care?” she shot back, glaring up at him. “You rejected me, remember? Whatever happens to me shouldn’t matter to you.”

Kael took another step forward, his towering frame casting a shadow over her. “What happens to you becomes my problem when you start tampering with ancient magic that could destroy us all.”

“Destroy us?” Her laugh was hollow, bitter. “You’re the one who destroyed me, Kael.”

The silence that followed her words was deafening. For a brief moment, something flickered in his expression—guilt, maybe, or regret—but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. His face hardened, his eyes cold as ever.

“This isn’t about you,” he said, his tone final. “It’s about the pack.”

“You don’t get to use the pack as an excuse for everything,” she spat.

Before he could respond, the earth beneath them trembled, a deep rumble that sent birds scattering from the trees. Both of them froze, their eyes darting to the pedestal. The runes were glowing again, brighter this time, pulsating like a heartbeat.

“What the hell is happening?” Kael growled, his stance shifting as if ready for a fight.

“I don’t know!” Seraphina shouted, her panic rising.

The rumbling grew louder, and the ground cracked open in front of the pedestal. From the fissure emerged a shadowy figure, its form twisting and shifting as if made of smoke and darkness. Red eyes burned like embers as it turned its attention to Seraphina.

Kael moved in an instant, placing himself between her and the creature. His body tensed, his wolf just beneath the surface.

“Stay back,” he ordered, his voice low and commanding.

The shadow creature let out a guttural snarl, its voice like nails scraping against stone. “The girl is mine.”

“Over my dead body,” Kael growled, his voice dripping with venom.

The creature lunged, faster than anything Seraphina had ever seen. Kael shifted mid-air, his massive black wolf meeting the attack head-on. The two clashed in a blur of teeth and claws, the force of their collision shaking the trees.

Seraphina stumbled backward, her heart pounding as she watched the fight unfold. Kael’s wolf was powerful, a force of nature, but the shadow creature was relentless. Its smoky tendrils lashed out, wrapping around Kael’s neck and slamming him into the ground.

“Kael!” she screamed, her voice raw.

He snarled, breaking free and sinking his teeth into the creature’s side. The shadow hissed in pain, its form flickering for a moment before it retaliated, sending Kael flying into a tree with a sickening crack.

Seraphina’s body moved before her mind could catch up. She ran to Kael, who had shifted back to his human form, blood trickling from a gash on his forehead. His breathing was ragged, but his eyes were sharp as he looked at her.

“What are you doing?” he rasped. “Run!”

“I’m not leaving you!” she shouted, her hands gripping his arm as she tried to help him up.

The shadow creature advanced, its red eyes glowing brighter. “You cannot protect her,” it said, its voice dripping with malice.

Kael pushed Seraphina behind him, his body trembling from the effort of standing. “I don’t need to protect her. She’ll fight.”

Seraphina’s breath caught in her throat. “What are you talking about? I can’t fight that thing!”

“You don’t have a choice,” Kael growled, his eyes blazing with determination.

The creature lunged again, faster this time. Kael shoved her aside, taking the full force of the attack. They crashed to the ground, the creature’s claws raking across his chest.

“No!” Seraphina screamed, her voice tearing through the night.

Something inside her snapped. A surge of heat flooded her veins, and the clearing was filled with a blinding light. The creature recoiled, hissing as the light burned its smoky form.

Kael stared at her in shock, his lips parted as if to say something, but the light faded just as quickly as it had appeared.

Seraphina collapsed to her knees, her body trembling from the effort. She felt weak, drained, and completely out of control.

The shadow creature snarled, its form flickering as it retreated toward the pedestal. “This isn’t over,” it hissed before disappearing into the fissure, which sealed shut behind it.

Silence fell over the clearing, broken only by the sound of Seraphina’s ragged breathing.

Kael staggered to his feet, clutching his bleeding chest. His eyes burned into hers, filled with a mix of anger, confusion, and something she couldn’t name.

“What the hell are you?” he demanded.

Seraphina opened her mouth to answer, but no words came. She didn’t know. She didn’t know what was happening to her, why the creature wanted her, or why the pedestal had chosen her.

Kael took a step closer, his expression dark. “This is your fault,” he snarled. “Whatever you’ve unleashed, it’s your responsibility now. And if it puts my pack in danger, I won’t hesitate to end you myself.”

His words cut deeper than any wound, but before she could respond, he turned and disappeared into the woods, leaving her alone in the clearing.

Seraphina stared at the pedestal, her body trembling and her mind racing. The shadow’s words echoed in her ears.

“The girl is mine.”

She had no idea what it meant, but one thing was clear—her life, and everything she thought she knew about herself, was about to change forever.