Eclipsed Destiny

The moon hung heavy in the sky, silvery light drenching the forest with long shadows. The quiet of the night was deceptive; tension crackled in the air. Celia followed Aziel reluctantly, her instincts yelling at her to turn back, but there was no turning now. Not after what she had seen, not after what she had felt.

Automatically, her hand reached up to the pendant that rested against the hollow of her collarbone. It seemed to have warmed, even seemed alive, since the rogue attack. The tender glow of the emblem pulsed to the beat of her racing heartbeat, as if urging her on. Whatever secrets it may be hiding, she wasn't sure she really wanted to know. But she didn't have a choice. Not now.

Aziel moved forward, pacing deliberately. The pack followed her at a distance, their presence comforting yet suffocating. Their eyes on her made her acutely aware of the curiosity and suspicion that accompanied her every move. Celia did not belong here in their world, but she had no way to leave it.

"Where are we headed?" Celia asked finally, breaking the silence.

He glanced over his shoulder, unreadable behind a mask of neutral expression. "There's something you need to see," he said flatly. The flatness of his tone left no openings to debate.

Celia clenched her fists, frustration churning beneath the surface of her face. "You can't just drag me into this without telling me anything," she snapped, her voice sharper now. "I deserve to know what's going on.

Aziel stopped short, his back to her. Moonlight caught his features, and the sharp shadows cast upon them made him look even more fearsome. "You will have your answers," he said low and firmly. "But not here. Not yet.

Celia opened her mouth to argue, but the look in his eyes stopped her. There was something there-something dark and unyielding. She swallowed hard, biting back her words. Whatever Aziel was hiding, it was clear he wasn't ready to reveal it. Not yet.

They ventured further into the woods. The trees were thicker at every step. The air became cold and the silence more oppressive. Celia couldn't shake off the feeling that they were being watched. She glanced over her shoulder and caught her heart beating when she thought she saw something moving in the shadows. But when she looked again, there was nothing.

Aziel took them to a clearing wherein, centering at it, was an ancient stone archway. Weathered with age, the surface of the structure held shallow etchings of glimmering symbols beneath the silvery light of the moon. Celia gazed on it, unease creeping over her body.

"What is this place?" she whispered herself.

Aziel stepped forward; his eyes fixed on the archway. "This is where it all began," he said. "Where your bloodline, your power, was first forged."

Celia's frown seemed to deepen as confusion and disbelief wrestled inside her. "What are you talking about?

Aziel faced her, his face stern. "Your family was not just a pack, Celia. They were the guardians of an old power-one that was supposed to protect our kind. But that power was destroyed when your mother disappeared."

Her breath hitched in her throat. "My mother.?" she echoed, her voice barely above a whisper.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

Aziel nodded. "She was one of the last keepers of the moon's blessing. And that blessing flows through your veins now, whether you want it or not.

Celia shook her head, her mind reeling. This couldn't be true. It couldn't. She had spent her whole life running from her past, trying to escape the pain of losing her family. And now, Aziel was telling her that her bloodline held the key to something greater? It didn't make sense. It couldn't make sense.

"You're lying," she said, her voice shaking. "You have to be."

Aziel stepped closer, his eyes not wavering. "You felt it, haven't you? The power within you, the bond between us? You can deny it all you want, but that changes nothing.

Celia clenched her hands into fists at her sides. She wanted to scream, to run, to do something to release the suffocating load of his words. But inside, she knew he was right. She *did* feel it. That strange, inexplicable force that seemed to grow stronger with every passing day that Aziel had been alive. It existed, in her blood, her bones. And she was afraid of it.

Aziel turned back to the archway, his face unreadable. "This place is sacred to our kind," he said. "It is where the moon first bestowed her blessing. And it is where your destiny will be decided.

Celia's chest constricted as she followed his gaze. The glowing symbols on the archway seemed to pulse in time with her heartbeat, their light growing brighter with every passing second. She took a hesitant step closer, her instincts screaming at her to turn back.

As she approached the archway, the necklace around her neck grew warmer, its glow intensifying. Celia froze, fear gripping her. "What's happening?" she whispered.

Aziel stepped beside her, his presence steady. "The blessing is responding to you," he said. "It knows who you are.

Just before Celia could reply, the air around her seemed to change. The archway's symbols flared alive with light, illuminating the clearing with a silvery glow. Air hummed, growing louder every second. Celia felt a pulse in her veins coursing power and relentlessness: her heart.

And then, came the visions.

The forest blurred and twisted out of sight, disappearing into the dark. Images flickered through her mind her mother, standing under that very archway, raising her hands to the moon as its rays consumed her. A fierce battle raged with wolves, their snarls through the night as blood spilled to the ground. Then came the shadowy figure emerging, dressed in darkness, but burning in malice from their eyes.

The visions were coming too fast; they overwhelmed her senses. She caught glimpses of her childhood, of the pack she had never known, of secrets her mother had hidden from her, and she felt the weight of the power inside her-they had tried so hard to deny.

When the visions finally faded, Celia collapsed to her knees, breath ragged. Her mind was whirling, her body trembling from the intensity of what she'd seen. She looked up at Aziel, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. "What was that?" she breathed.

Aziel went down on his knees beside her, his face sombre. "The truth," he said, no more words needed for explanation. "Your mother gave her life to protect the blessing, to keep it out of wrong hands. And now, that responsibility falls to you." Celia shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "I can't," she said, her voice breaking. "I am not strong enough.

Aziel reached out, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. "You're stronger than you think," he said. "But you can't do this alone. You need the pack. You need me."

Before Celia could respond, a deafening howl pierced the night, shattering the fragile silence. Aziel's head snapped up, his body tense. "They're here," he said, his voice low and urgent. "The rogues."

The pack moved immediately, forming a protective circle around the clearing. Celia scrambled to her feet, her heart pounding as the sounds of wolves approaching filled the air. She could see their glowing eyes in the darkness, snarling, growing louder with every second that passed.

Aziel stood in her way, power and determination pouring from him like a fluid. "Stay close to me," he said levelly, undaunted by the chaos around them. "No matter what happens, don't let go.

Celia nodded, her fear blending with a strange sense of resolve. She did not know if she was prepared for this but could not have a choice. The battle was coming, and at its center stood she.

A first rogue wolf jumps into the clearing, its teeth bared, and eyes filled with malice. Aziel plunges forward to meet it, shifting fluidly into his wolf form while letting out a snarl that resonates through the forest. The other pack members move in behind, their fluid movements dancing to the tunes of clashing bodies.

It was at this time that Celia watched around her in horror and awe as the battle unfolded. Growls and clash of claws, she could smell the blood sharp in her nose. She clutched the necklace tightly, its warmth a small comfort in the turmoil that surrounded her.

But just as the fight was getting into full swing, a dark figure appeared from out of the darkness. It chilled her spine to see it.

The rogue Alpha. His eyes fixed on hers, and he had the worst sort of smile plastered on his face.

"Well, well," he sneered. "The keeper's daughter. What a lovely surprise.

Before Celia could even react, the rogue Alpha lunged toward her with claws out and eyes blazing dark intent. Aziel roared, jumping to intercept, but the rogue's speed was unmatched. Her heart racing with every beat, Celia felt the power inside her bursting to life in ways it had never done before, but would that be enough?