Chapter 7- Eryndra

“It’s time,” the voice echoed again in my head. 

And I froze standing lost, my bare feet sinking into the damp earth of the forest. My head spun around, but no one was there. Only silence…and yet not silence, because the voice had filled my bones.

“Who’s there?” My voice cracked, still shaky from crying. The air was thick, heavy, as though even the night itself bowed to the voice pressing into my mind.

I heard nothing… “No…no, don't tell me I’m losing my mind combined with everything I'm currently facing.”

“You’re not losing your mind,” the voice soothed. “I have been waiting, watching, biding my time until the moment you need me the most. My name is Eryndra.”

The name alone sent shivers down my spine, It felt like a memory I’d almost forgotten, touching my soul.

As if listening to me 

“You know me, though you do not remember. Do not be afraid, I am the wolf of fire and eclipse, a wolf older than the mountains themselves. One of the first wolves created under the first moon by the moon goddess herself,”

I listened quietly sitting at the base of the tree, I had already concluded that a lot of headaches would come with her.

“The elders whisper of me in their stories, though they do not know I still live. I am no ordinary wolf, child. They called me a myth, a legend, a nightmare that no Alpha could tame. But I am real, and I am here. I chose you, little wolf.”

She concluded and I started laughing uncontrollably.

“Why do you laugh child?”

“You talk of so much power but where were you when I got kicked out?? Where were you when I got rejected?? See I don't even care, you can go back to wherever you were. I don't want you, the pregnancy or whatever power you talk about”. I started crying again.

“I just want back the pack and Elena, I want my home back”.

“The same pack that treated you like trash?”

“They are still my family, outside all of the treatment. They are the only home I know”.

Eryndra’s growl rumbled in my skull.

“Do you think this is by chance? Do you think the moon goddess will play a game of chess with your life? All of these, every loss, every pain is all part of the plan to make you unbreakable.”

“I don’t want to be unbreakable! I want Elena. I want my pack back. I don’t want this cursed child growing inside me. I don't even know who the father is! I want my old life!”

Eryndra’s sigh thundered inside me, and it was sharp with disappointment.

“Ohh you behave like a foolish child, I am here to guide you whether you want me to or not. Do you think strength is given with comfort?? And do you think love is the only thing you'll lose?? I am here because you cannot run anymore. You will learn, or you will fail the challenges in front of you, And if you fail, the whole world falls with you.”

Her words sank like stones in my chest and my nails dug into my palms till they bled. A part of me wanted to scream in defiance. She was harsh, terrifying even but she was the only voice that hadn’t abandoned me.

*******

I didn’t want to hear her voice, I didn’t want anything to do with destiny. All I wanted was silence. So I walked, ignoring the burning ache in my legs, ignoring the way hunger hollowed my belly. 

Eryndra’s voice sometimes nudged at me, soft but firm, and I pushed her away each time.

Leave me alone, I thought bitterly. I refused to let her in. I didn’t want her comfort. I didn’t want her power. I wanted Elena. I wanted my pack. I wanted the life I had before everything shattered. I don’t want her help and I most definitely don’t need her guidance.

The forest felt endless and every tree looked the same. Still, I kept walking.

I hugged myself, shivering in the cold night air.

I heard branches crack somewhere behind me and I froze immediately, my heart started pounding.

“Look what we have here,” a voice spoke. Wolves, ragged and sharp-eyed, emerged from the shadows. They were Outcasts. Their scent carried smoke, blood, and hunger.

“Well, well,” another wolf said. “The little omega exile.”

They circled me like vultures. And throat tightened.

“Don’t.” My voice broke. “Please.”

But they didn’t listen. Their laughter echoed and my heart sank.

“She’s alone,” one sneered. “Pretty little thing. The Alpha’s reject, so sad.”

One of them grabbed my hand and I felt Eryndra stirred, impatient, and furious. But I pressed her down.

 No. I don’t want you to take over. I said to her 

But then, I felt everything inside me snapped. And without my permission I felt my lips move, I did not feel a shift but I wasn't in control of my body. It felt as though something switched and I started watching myself through a lens. My gaze locked on theirs, and I felt the air around me change.

The wolves immediately stopped laughing. Their smirks faltered. One of them stumbled backward as if the air had risen too heavy for him to breathe. Then, as if coerced, they all lowered themselves to their knees, heads bowing.

“Ancient one…” one whispered, awe flooding his voice.

I blinked in shock. They weren’t bowing to me. They were bowing to her. They were bowing to Eryndra.

In my head, I heard Eryndra’s laughter ring, it was dark, amused and commanding. “They know me. Even in their disgrace.”

Eryndra’s power pulsed through me, “This is who you are, little wolf,” she said, her tone both tender and strong. “You need to stop running and stop denying it. Even the outcasts recognize your strength.”

The wolves pressed their faces into the dirt, shaking. “We will serve you.”

I looked down at them, disgust and fear stirring in my chest.

And now let me show you a little bit of the power you carry, the power you choose to reject.

“Pathetic mongrels.” she said looking down at them

The wolves yelped and staggered back, but they couldn’t escape. My hands burned with light, my fingers glowing it was something I didn't know was possible for us werewolves. Eryndra dragged one wolf forward with sheer force of will without even touching him, but his body convulsing as if lightning had struck him. And he howled in pain.

“You like to mock the weak, right?” Eryndra’s voice rumbled through my chest. “Then bear my mark, so the world knows your shame.”

She slashed the air and dark, glowing scars appeared across their chests, shaped like rough crescents, burning them with unbearable heat. They squirmed, begging for release.

I tried to scream for her to stop, but the words stuck. This wasn't protection, it was punishment. 

“Go,” she commanded. “And every time you look at those scars, you will remember not to cross me.”

Their howls faded into the night, leaving me with the sound of my pounding heart. I fell to my knees, whispering,

I had taken over now, “I’m a monster.”

Eryndra’s laugh was low, bitter. “No, little wolf. You are a force the world will learn to fear and respect. Monsters act without purpose. But you, however, were chosen.”

Chosen. The word made me think. “Chosen to destroy whatever comes in my way? To frighten people? No, I just want my friend, elena. I want my life back.”

“Your old life is in the past,” Eryndra snapped. “You will build a new one, and the first step is away from this forest. You need to cross into the human world. And there you will begin to see why the goddess has placed me inside you.”

Her voice felt like thunder in my head, it felt final and undeniable. I wanted to argue, but fear had already rooted itself deep inside my chest

Even if I wanted to ignore her, I couldn't because I knew I'd keep on meeting outcasts in this forest worst of them would be The Eclipse king Rogues