Chapter 57: Between Fire and Moonlight

The moon had risen to its highest peak, casting a silvery glow over the entire camp. A cold wind swept through the trees, whispering secrets that only the wolves could understand. The usual stillness of the forest now throbbed with an eerie hum—as if the land itself was holding its breath.

Inside the healer’s hut, Serena sat with her back to the wall, knees pulled up to her chest. Her fingers trembled—not from fear, but from the strange current of power running through her veins like wildfire. It had been growing stronger ever since the vision. Ever since the dream about the shrine.

Ever since she kissed Elias.

Her mind was a whirlwind. Of truths and half-truths. Of secrets that had buried themselves deep beneath her skin. Of three men whose lives were now tangled with hers—each holding a part of her heart, whether she liked it or not.

A soft knock on the door broke the silence.

She looked up. Elias stood there with a bowl of steaming broth, concern etched in every line of his face. He hadn’t shaved, and his eyes were rimmed red—like he hadn’t slept either.

“I brought this,” he said, voice rough. “You haven’t eaten all day.”

She hesitated. Then nodded, reaching for the bowl. Their fingers brushed, and the jolt of electricity that shot up her arm was almost too much. She glanced at him.

He was already staring.

“You’re burning up,” he said quietly, kneeling beside her. He reached forward, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Are you in pain?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “It doesn’t feel like pain. It feels like… my body is shifting without me.”

Elias set the bowl down, his eyes never leaving hers. “It’s the power. It’s waking up inside you.”

She swallowed. “What if I can’t control it?”

“Then I’ll help you,” he said simply. “Like I always have.”

Serena’s throat tightened. “Why, Elias? After everything… why are you still here?”

He exhaled. “Because even when I hated you for leaving… even when I convinced myself I was done… I wasn’t. I loved you then. I still do.”

Her heart clenched.

Before she could speak, the door slammed open.

Theron stepped inside, his golden eyes hard, jaw tight. “We have a problem.”

Serena stood instantly. “What is it?”

He tossed a charred piece of wood onto the table. The scent of burned oak filled the room. On it was a sigil—a crescent moon wrapped in barbed thorns.

The hybrid clan’s symbol.

Beneath it, a single message had been carved in the ancient dialect:

“Return what is ours… or she will burn with the rest.”

Serena’s blood turned to ice. Her hands trembled.

“They know,” she said. “They know I’m not just a wolf.”

“They’ve known for a while,” Theron replied. “They were waiting for the magic inside you to activate. That vision you had wasn’t just a dream. The shrine exists. And they’re afraid of what you’ll become if you unlock it.”

Elias’s jaw tightened. “Then let’s not give them the chance. Let’s strike first.”

Theron crossed his arms. “You think brute force will fix this?”

“You think dragging her to some ancient graveyard will?” Elias snapped.

“Enough!” Serena shouted, the windows of the hut rattling with the force of her voice. The air shimmered around her like heat waves. Both men turned to her, stunned.

“I’m tired of the fighting,” she said, breathing heavily. “Tired of being treated like a fragile thing. If this shrine holds answers—if it helps me understand who I am—then I’m going.”

Elias looked torn. Theron simply nodded once, as if he’d expected nothing less.

“We leave at first light,” he said. “Pack only what you need. The path to the shrine isn’t safe. There are old wards… traps set centuries ago.”

Elias didn’t look at Theron. He only looked at Serena.

Later that night, the camp slept. Or pretended to. Everyone knew something was coming. Change hung thick in the air.

Serena stood just outside the healer’s hut, staring at the stars.

“You always did like the sky,” Elias’s voice came from behind her.

She didn’t turn. “It made me feel small. In a good way.”

He walked to her side. “You’ve never been small, Serena.”

“I’m scared,” she admitted. “Not of the hybrids. Not even of dying. I’m scared of what I’ll become. Of what I might have to give up.”

“You won’t become someone else,” Elias said. “You’ll become you. All of you.”

She looked at him then. “And if who I become doesn’t choose you?”

There was pain in his eyes. But he smiled softly. “Then I’ll still love you. Even if it breaks me.”

She leaned forward, brushing her lips against his—soft, fleeting, like a goodbye.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” she whispered.

“You already have,” he said. “And I’m still here.”

Behind them, a branch snapped.

They turned to find Theron in the shadows, watching.

There was no jealousy in his eyes.

Only understanding.

And something deeper—older.

Serena stepped away from Elias, approaching Theron.

He didn’t move.

She stood before him, heart pounding. “Do you believe in fate?”

“I believe in choice,” he said. “But sometimes… they’re the same thing.”

Her hand brushed against his chest, her fingers resting where his heartbeat thundered.

“I don’t know what this thing is between us,” she said. “But it terrifies me.”

“Good,” he said. “That means it’s real.”

And then he kissed her.

It wasn’t soft or hesitant like Elias’s.

It was raw, hungry, and honest.

When they pulled apart, her head was spinning.

“We leave at dawn,” Theron whispered.

Serena stood between them—two men who represented the life she’d left behind and the life she was barreling toward.

And she realized, maybe she didn’t have to choose just yet.

Maybe the choice was becoming whole first.