The difficult decision

Chapter Fourteen:

The difficult decision

*Sara's perspective

The voice sounded again, this time deeper. More intense.

"Make a decision."

I staggered backward. My knees nearly buckled under the weight of that single word. The shadowy figure loomed over me, its golden eyes burning with something that felt older than anything I had ever experienced. The power emanating from it pressed against my chest like a hand crushing me.

"What should I choose?" I asked, my voice trembling. "I don't understand any of this."

Elora stepped closer. “Your bloodline, Sara. The legacy of the Shadow Omega, which your father protected his entire life. It demands a path into the future.” She looked fearlessly back and forth between Kael and Snow. “You can no longer waver between these two worlds. The Force will not allow it. It will tear you apart before it leaves you undecided.”

Snow's head snapped around to her. "How do you know about us?" He growled and came closer, even though blood was still seeping from his wounds.

Kael transformed back into a human. Wordlessly, he stood before me, his body shielding mine from the beast, his stormy gray eyes fixed on Elora with cold fury. "Leave her alone. Sara belongs to me. The bond is proof enough."

The beast growled. Deep and slow. The sound penetrated the ground and bored into my bones like a warning.

Ryker's voice echoed across the clearing where he was still recovering. "That changes nothing! Kill them all! Don't let the witch distract you!"

Blackthorn wolves pushed forward again, growling and repositioning themselves.

Snow grabbed my arm and pulled me close for a moment. His voice dropped so low that only I could hear it. "Whatever this thing wants from you, don't let it decide for you. I'm here, Sara. I see you. All of you. Even the parts it doesn't want to see." 

His fingers lingered on my skin a moment too long. The heat between us was palpable, as always—sharp, unwelcome, and undeniable. I stepped back before Kael could clearly see, but it had already happened. I felt his gaze fixed on us. Felt the temperature between us drop.

"Not now," I whispered. "Please."

Kael said nothing. He turned and plunged back into the fight, felling two Blackthorn Wolves with his characteristic controlled force. "Sara, stay within sight," he said without turning around.

The beast moved like heavy smoke, effortlessly scattering the blackthorn wolves. But its eyes never left me. It had no interest in fighting. Never.

Elora stood beside me again. “Your father hid this power because he was afraid of what it would cost you. The beast is the door. Go through it, and you will become something they cannot touch. If you refuse, it will eat you from the inside out. Slowly. Until nothing is left of Sara Harlan.”

A Blackthorn warrior broke through the fighting and charged straight at me. Before I could gather my strength, Snow landed a hard blow on him from the side. They both crashed to the ground in a tangle of claws and fury. Snow suffered a deep gash in his ribs, but he persevered and fought on, as he always did when it came to me.

“Snow!” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Kael heard it. I knew it from his tense jaw. He glanced over at Schnee, who lay on the ground, still bleeding, still fighting for me, and something changed in his eyes. The suspicion that had lain dormant beneath the surface finally surfaced.

The beast lowered its head until its breath brushed my face. It smelled of deep earth, old rain, and something I couldn't name.

"Choose your connection. Choose your power. Or I will decide for you."

A sharp pain ripped through my chest like a tear. My eyes burned silver. Shadows began to climb my arms involuntarily, moving as if with a destination.

"Make up your mind, Sara." Elora's voice was now tense. The calm was gone. "The longer you fight against it, the worse it will get."

Snow scrambled to his feet. Blood streamed down his side. His eyes met mine amidst the chaos and remained there. "Whatever you need," Snow said softly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Kael stepped to my other side. His hand closed around my shoulder as always—like a claim, like certainty. "We'll face this together," Kael whispered in my ear. "You're my partner. Don't forget that."

The beast threw back its head and howled. The bang ripped through the sky and made the trees tremble to their roots.

Shadows began to move at the edge of the forest. Silhouettes. Wolves and something else. Something I didn't recognize. Newcomers, drawn by the monster's call, or something worse that had been waiting for this very moment.

My knees finally gave way. The strength within me stopped pleading and began demanding. Shadows wound around me like ropes, whispering things I couldn't quite understand, but grasped nonetheless.

I didn't have any more time.