Chapter 6: The Call of the Forest

The moon hung heavy in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the trees surrounding Cedar Grove. The world seemed to hold its breath, the kind of silence that only came when something monumental was about to unfold. I stood at the edge of the woods, my senses heightened, the air thick with anticipation. Somewhere deep in the forest, Isla was making her way toward me, clutching the journal that had set everything in motion.

It had been hours since I left her at the clinic, but the connection between us had only grown stronger. I could feel her hesitation, her wariness, but beneath it all, there was something else. A pull. A connection neither of us could escape, no matter how hard we tried. And it terrified me.

I paced back and forth, waiting for her arrival. The sounds of the night—crickets chirping, the wind rustling through the trees—felt like they were amplifying the tension that thrummed through me. I had no idea what she would say when she finally arrived, but I knew one thing for sure: she couldn’t walk away from this. Not anymore. Not after everything that had already happened.

The faint sound of footsteps reached my ears. I tensed, my eyes scanning the darkened path that wound through the trees. Isla emerged from the shadows, her silhouette barely visible against the darkened backdrop. Her long hair was loose, flowing behind her like a cloak of shadows, and her eyes—those eyes—seemed to glow in the dim light. It was almost as if they had changed since the last time I saw her. The faintest trace of gold flashed beneath the surface.

“Luca?” Her voice echoed through the trees, soft but steady. I stepped forward, closing the distance between us.

“Here.” I kept my voice low, but it was impossible to mask the edge of urgency in it. There was no going back now. “You made it.”

She nodded, her eyes flickering from me to the forest around us. “I wasn’t sure what to expect,” she admitted, her tone guarded. “But you’re right. I needed answers. I just—don’t know what to believe anymore.”

I could hear the uncertainty in her voice, and it made my chest tighten. She was scared. And for good reason. She had stumbled into a world she didn’t understand, and the more she learned, the deeper she would sink into it. I could already feel the weight of the prophecy settling over us like a storm cloud. The more she learned, the more she would be forced to make a choice.

“You’re not alone in this,” I told her, my voice steady despite the storm brewing inside me. I reached out, offering her a small, reassuring smile. “I’ll help you through it. But there’s more to this than just the journal. More to your father’s disappearance than anyone’s telling you.”

She hesitated, glancing at the journal in her hands before looking back at me. “What do you mean?”

I swallowed hard, the words I needed to say catching in my throat. “Your father’s disappearance wasn’t a random accident. It’s tied to the prophecy. To you.”

She shook her head, her brow furrowing in confusion. “I don’t understand. How can my father—how could he be part of all this?”

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to find the right words to explain. “He wasn’t just a vet. He was connected to the Crescent Moon pack. And he knew about the prophecy—knew about you. He tried to protect you from it. But there’s only so much you can do when fate’s already decided.”

Her eyes widened as the realization sank in. “Fate?” she whispered. “You mean... I was destined for this? To be part of this—whatever this is?”

“Yes,” I said softly, moving closer to her, my presence a silent comfort. “You were always a part of it, Isla. From the moment you were born.”

She took a deep breath, the weight of my words pressing down on her. “But how do I fit into this prophecy?” Her voice trembled slightly, a crack in her armor I hadn’t seen before. “What’s my role?”

I exhaled, trying to steady myself before I answered. “It’s called the Bound Alpha. The legend says there will be someone—someone who bridges the gap between humans and wolves. The Bound Alpha will unite the two sides, but it will come at a cost. It’s not something you can just ignore.”

Isla’s eyes searched mine, her lips parted, but no words came. The silence stretched between us, and I could feel the weight of the past pressing in. The prophecy had loomed over my family for generations, and now, it was staring her down. She was as much a part of this as I was.

“But why me?” she finally whispered, the question hanging in the air. “Why now?”

“Because your father knew,” I said, my voice thick with emotion I didn’t know I had. “He knew this day would come. And he tried to protect you from it. He didn’t want you to be involved in this world. But you are, Isla. Whether you want to be or not.”

She seemed to take a step back, her eyes narrowing as she processed everything. “You’re asking me to believe that I’m somehow... part werewolf?” Her voice was tinged with disbelief. “That I’m meant to lead both sides? That the fate of your pack, my family—everything—is tied to me?”

I stepped forward, closing the gap she’d created. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

She turned the journal over in her hands, the weight of it almost palpable. “And if I refuse? If I choose to walk away?”

I didn’t want to say it. I didn’t want to be the one to break the truth to her, but I knew I had to. “The prophecy won’t allow you to walk away, Isla. It’s not a choice. It’s your destiny. And that’s what you need to understand.”

Her breath caught, and for a moment, I thought she might collapse under the weight of it all. But she didn’t. She stood there, her posture straight, her eyes locked on mine, determination beginning to replace the fear in her expression.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with this,” she said, her voice quiet but fierce. “But I’m not running away.”

My heart surged at her words, a flicker of hope lighting the darkness inside me. “You don’t have to run. Not anymore. We’ll figure this out together.”

She looked at me then, her gaze steady and full of something I hadn’t seen before—trust. It was fragile, still new, but it was there. And for the first time, I felt like maybe, just maybe, we could face what was coming together.

But as I stood there, watching Isla face the unknown with more courage than I had ever seen, I knew one thing: no matter what came next, nothing could prepare us for the battle that was about to unfold.

And that battle would test everything we were.