The Prophecy and the Escape

Elara's POV (Past)

The dim torchlight flickered along the castle corridors, casting eerie shadows on the cold stone walls. I moved silently, steadying the tray in my trembling hands. The scent of roasted meat and aged wine clung to the air, but my stomach twisted with nausea.

I didn’t belong here. I could never belong here

The heavy wooden doors of the council chamber loomed ahead, and I hesitated for a moment, fingers tightening around the tray’s edges. The voices inside were low, hushed dangerous. My instincts screamed at me to turn back, to pretend I had heard nothing.

But something in Stefan’s tone made my skin prickle with unease.

“Your First child must not live,” a deep, gravelly voice declared, the words slamming into my chest like a physical blow.

I froze.

My breath hitched, heart pounding violently. A chill slithered down my spine as I pressed myself against the stone wall, straining to hear past the thick wooden door.

"Your firstborn with the ordinary girl you brought in will bring ruin to the Blackfang Pack, Alpha,” the elder seer continued, his voice ancient and unwavering. “The blood moon’s blessing upon the child is tainted… it will bring darkness to our kind. A child born of dark powers would tear our kind apart”

My grip loosened, and the tray slipped from my fingers. The clatter of metal and glass against the stone sent a sharp echo through the corridor, but this caught their attention as they kept quiet, I immediately picked up the tray and cup and slipped away hiding at a corner.

I heard the door creak open as I prayed that I'm not caught, after a moment the door shuts closed and I slipped out

I pressed my ear to the door to hear more.

Stefan’s voice cut through the stunned silence like ice. “What must be done?”

The elder’s answer was swift, merciless. “The sacrifice must be made. Under the next blood moon, the child must be offered to the flames before its power can take root. Only then will the curse be broken.”

I slapped a hand over my mouth to smother my gasp, bile rising in my throat. Sacrifice?

No. No, no, no.

I stumbled backward, my legs shaking beneath me. They were talking about a child that hadn’t even been born yet. And yet, in that moment, something inside me awakened. A fierce, burning instinct I had never felt before.

They would not take my baby. My child

I turned and ran, the cool air rushing past as I navigated the winding corridors. My mind was a storm of panic and fear, each step a desperate plea for survival.

I found Liana in the servants’ quarters, her dark eyes wide with concern as she saw my disheveled state.

“Luna? What’s wrong?” she whispered, gripping my arms tightly.

I could barely get the words out, my voice quivering. “I overheard them… they want to kill my child, Liana. Under the next blood moon. We have to go. Tonight.”

Her face paled, and for a moment, we both stood in stunned silence, the weight of my revelation sinking in.

“If he catches us, he’ll kill you,” she warned, her voice thick with fear.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “If I stay, he’ll kill my child.”

Liana’s breath shuddered, eyes glistening with unshed tears. She knew I was right.

Without another word, we rushed back to my quarters. The room that had been my cage for so long felt even colder now, its dark corners a reminder of all I had endured. Liana moved quickly, gathering my few belongings, while I threw on the plainest cloak I could find, pulling the hood over my head.

“I’ve got herbs from the apothecary,” Liana murmured, rubbing the pungent leaves over my skin. “It will mask your scent.”

“The blood moon rises tonight,” she added, her fingers shaking as she tied the strings of my cloak. “The guards will be distracted with the night rituals. It’s our best chance.”

We moved like ghosts through the hidden servant passages, slipping through the cracks of the place I had once called a prison. The walls whispered secrets as we passed, the stone beneath my feet humming with memories of nights spent alone, locked away in the Alpha’s quarters.

I would never return here.

The outer gates loomed ahead, towering and ominous. Beyond them, the dense forest stretched into the unknown, a dark abyss, yet a promise of freedom.

Liana reached for the heavy latch, her breath shallow. My heart pounded so loudly I could barely hear the rusted creak of the gate swinging open.

“Go quickly,” she whispered. “Follow the river. It will lead you to the human world.”

I gripped her hands one last time, my throat tightening. “Come with me.”

Her expression crumbled, pain flickering across her face. “I can’t. If they realize I helped you, they’ll kill me.”

Tears burned in my eyes, but I forced myself to nod. We had known this moment would come.

“Promise me you’ll be safe,” I whispered.

Liana smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll be fine. Just go. Before it’s too late.”

With a final, aching glance, I turned and ran.

The forest was endless, the night stretching around me like an unforgiving void. My breath came in sharp gasps as I stumbled through thick undergrowth, twigs snapping beneath my hurried steps.

The river Liana had spoken of shimmered under the blood moon’s eerie glow, a silver thread winding through the darkness. I followed it, wading into the icy water to mask my scent.

I didn’t stop running. Not when my lungs burned. Not when my legs threatened to give out.

Only when the towering trees gave way to open land did I realize I had crossed the border. The air smelled different here, clean, untouched by the heavy presence of the pack. The weight of Stefan’s control no longer pressed down on me.

I had made it.

But my journey was far from over.

*****

Present - Mira’s POV

I stared at the words scrawled across my living room wall, my pulse hammering in my ears.

Found you, Elara.

The letters were dark, jagged, etched into the pale paint like a death sentence.

A chill wrapped around my spine as I stood frozen, my breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps. My past had finally caught up to me.

For five years, I had hidden in the human world, creating a new life under a new name. I had done everything to keep Lucian safe.

And yet… they had found me.

My fingers curled into fists as I turned away from the words, my mind racing. Should I run again? Find another town, another name, another temporary sanctuary?

My gaze flickered to the small bedroom down the hall. Lucian lay sleeping, blissfully unaware of the storm about to tear through our lives.

I had fought too hard. Sacrificed too much.

I would not let them take him.

My breath hitched as I grabbed the go-bag from beneath the kitchen sink, my movements swift, practiced. My hands shook as I stuffed clothes inside, my mind already calculating my next steps.

I had escaped once.

But could I do it again?

I had no choice.

But suddenly the door creaked open, I turned with a startle only to see a huge figure standing by the door, his face was expressionless and worst of all, it wasn't Stefan as I expected, but only one question bubbled in my mind, who was this man and what did he want from me and my son?