River's heart rate was probably loud enough for anyone who cared to listen as she finally choked out, "Alright, what next?" A hand clamped over her mouth, stifling her question. "Shh!" Annemarie’s voice hissed from behind, startling River. Relief would have washed over her as she recognized the familiar voice but that relief was quickly curdled into confusion. Where had they come from? Where were they? She could hear the voice but not see the owner. "Annemarie? Tara?" she stammered, eyes darting around. And then, two figures emerged from the shadows of the towering trees. It was Annemarie and Tara. River yelped in surprise, but Annemarie quickly shushed her again. "Silence, child," Annemarie whispered with a low and urgent voice. "I sense at least six rogues ahead. Any noise and they'll be upon us faster than you can blink." River's apprehension spiked. "Wait," she whispered back, "if you were scared of drawing attention, why are we here at all then?” Finn stepped forward an
Terror squeezed River's lungs as the rogue lounged for her. But before she could even scream, Tara was there. With a flick of her wrist, a shimmering blue net materialized around the wolf and trapped it before it could pounce on River. "Use your emotions, River!" Tara shouted, her voice hardly audible over the thrashing of the trapped beast as it struggled to get freed. Another rogue somehow managed to be freed from the spell and it lunged at River. By the moons, why her? River’s breaths seized. It seemed they were aiming for the easier target. Panic froze her limbs when this one successfully threw her on the floor in a very sickening thud. The beast's claws raked across her arm in slash and a stinging pain seared through her. She stumbled up and back again, crashing onto the damp earth. A throaty roar echoed through the trees as the enraged wolf tore free of Tara's net. Holy hell, those beasts were powerful, it seemed. No wonder they were able to take over Gonzalo’s pack; River
Through the haze of dizziness, River saw Tara kneeling beside her. Her face was contorted with concern. "River, are you alright?" Tara asked gently.River could only nod weakly as she was unable to find the strength to speak.Suddenly, a soft glow emanated from Tara's fingertips. As Tara touched River's wound, a soothing warmth spread through her arm, pushing back the pain. The gash slowly closed, leaving behind only a faint pink scar.Wow. Tara could heal too?"That should do it," Tara said, her touch lingering for a moment. "You scared the living daylights out of us, you know that?"A weak smile tugged at River's lips. "I… I didn't mean to," she mumbled."No, I don't think you did," Tara chuckled softly. "But you did good, River. Real good."Annemarie also chirped in. “You have more power within you than you know. I told you that you are not just any witch. Do you believe me now?”River looked down at her hands, still trembling slightly. "I— I don't understand," she whispered.
River's mind was a ball of confusion and indecision as she met Annemarie's gaze. "Rain doesn't need to perform this ritual," she blurted out finally. She would not expose her daughter to darkness. Annemarie's brow furrowed. "What do you mean, child? The ceremony requires us to mask both your scents, not just yours. Or do you not want her human scent masked?” "But you said it has to be renewed every month," countered River, trying to be logical. "wouldn't it be pointless for Rain? She is still so young. Her wolf won't awaken for years, not until puberty. Surely people won't suspect anything if she doesn't have the wolf scent yet. They will take it as her wolf not being awakened yet.” Tara stepped forward with her expression uncharacteristically serious. "River, are you absolutely sure about this? Rain is part of this now. We can't leave her human scent exposed." Well, what they didn't know was that Rain didn't have a human scent. Rain was an Alpha’s daughter. Rain was a Luna. Rive
For the first time since then, River felt a sense of belonging, a connection to something bigger than herself. She had always been cast away. Always on the search for her true purpose. For where she belonged and maybe she had found it. The fear and confusion that had gripped her slowly began to recede and was soon replaced by a sense of intent. Without realizing it, she joined the chant, her voice blending with the others. The words themselves held no meaning, yet they resonated within her like a profound, crude language stirring from within her soul. Little Leo had his eyes wide with fascination. He carefully tilted the vial, allowing a single drop of blood to fall into the center of the circle. As it touched the stone, it erupted in a sudden burst of flame that startled even the seasoned witches. The fire, however, was short-lived. It morphed into a swirling cloud of smoke, tinged with a surreal silver color. River’s breath seized. Beautiful. The smoke that emanated from t
As sleep finally claimed her, River held her daughter tight while a promise bloomed in her heart - she would protect Rain, no matter the cost. The weight of her responsibilities pressed down on her, but this wasn't the time to cower. She was a witch now, and she would find the strength within herself to be the protector Rain needed. Also, to be the protector her people needed. Echo had failed them. Echo had failed their parents. The next morning… … Sunlight streamed through the window, its golden stripes lining across the floor. Rain was already awake, seated on the windowsill, her chin resting on her hands as she gazed out at the street below while glaring at a certain figure ahead. River, however, stirred much later. The exhaustion of the previous night was not done taking its toll on her. She groaned as she stretched while all the memories of the night before flooded back to her. Annemarie’s words; “You are a powerful witch.” Continued to echo in her head. Wrong though. She
“We could use your help, dear," Tara provided. "We're a bit short on supplies and I need someone to run to the market." Phew! That sent Relief gushing into River. She had thought something bad had happened again. A simple errand sounded perfect right now. It would give her a chance to clear her head and process the unsettling encounter with Gonzalo. "Of course," River agreed readily. "What do you need?" Tara rattled off a list of ingredients – herbs, spices, groceries, a new jar of honey, and something called "moonflower petals." River recognized most of the items, but the moonflower petals piqued her curiosity. "Moonflower petals?" she asked. "What are those for?" Tara smiled mysteriously. "Just a little something we're working on," she said. "It's a surprise. But trust me, they're important." “Sounds good," River agreed, nodding. With a final hug for Rain, they both followed Tara out of the room. In the living room, Annemarie sat at a large table, with a pen scratching busily
H- how did Gonzalo know that Rain was his?No, she shouldn't give in so quickly. He might just be giving a wild guess. If she agreed to that, his doubts would be cleared.He might want to take her daughter away from her. No, she would never allow anyone to take away Rain from her. She sole handily brought her daughter up and Rain deserved to be with no one else but her!“W-What girl are you babbling about?" she tried so hard not to stutter but it seemed that was wishful thinking. His words confirmed what she'd dreaded – sooner or later, someone might take away her daughter. People would be able to tell that Rain was his. Tara already did, and now, him."Your little girl," Gonzalo continued, his lips curved in a cynical smirk. "Rain, or what did you call her the other day?"River swallowed a lump down her throat. He even knew her name and that was all thanks to her.“Your girl?" she scoffed, forcing a laugh that sounded flaky even to her own ears. "Gonzalo, you're delusional! I would