The Reveal

Lucian was not so easily deceived, and his gaze froze as he sized up the figure who stood before him. He narrowed his eyes and glared at the one person he thought he would never see again. The woman standing before him had been a part of his childhood — his mother’s younger sister, who had vanished without a trace.

“Isolde,” Lucian said, his voice low, tinged with disbelief. His head was reeling with memories he had tried so long to bury as he took one slow step forward. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

Isolde looked back at him, a sad smile on her face, her eyes filled with despair. “I know, it’s been too long, Lucian.”

“I thought you were dead,” Lucian said, his voice heavy with all those years lost in confusion and anguish.

“I needed to go away so that Serena would be safe,” Isolde said, her gaze skimming over to Serena’s sleeping body for a moment. “That’s what the Elders made me do.”

Lucian’s heart raced at the confusion and a sense of dread started to pool in his chest. “Why are you here?” he said, the words coming out sharper than he meant.

“I have come to tell you the truth,” Isolde replied, her tone measured, but heavy with import. “The truth of Serena’s birth.”

“What truth?” His voice was where Lucian asked, firm, controlled. His watchful gaze upon Isolde as his instincts kicked into high gear. As if this encounter was a long-dreaded storm on the horizon.

Isolde took a deep breath, knowing what she was about to say was going to hurt her. “You already know how the Night Fang and the Silver Ridge Packs were once allies, joined together in a common goal for peace. They were two packs that stood as one for a future. But all that changed when Serena came along.”

Lucian’s brow knitted, and he folded his arms across his chest, in a moment of protection. “Are you refering to the sacrifice?” His voice descended to a growl, and he sensed the hot wash of suspicion course through his body.

Isolde’s expression didn’t change; indeed, a trace of sadnesclt seemed to deepen the lines of her face. “Yes, Lucian. It was the sacrifice. We had struck an ancient pact to keep our bloodlines alive. But the price … the price was too steep.” She held for a moment, letting the weight of her words hit. “And so our packs were split as well, and we became sworn enemies: the bond could never be restored.”

Lucian looked down at the floor, his mind racing and yet racing to process the enormity of what Isolde had just revealed. He did not know what to believe anymore, but the need to know everything he could about Serena’s involvement in all of this was overwhelming. “So where does Serena fit into all this?” he asked, his voice thick under the weight of a thousand questions.

There were unshed tears glistening in Isolde’s eyes, and the sorrow in those eyes — and the regret — were palpable. “Serena holds the key to unlocking and healing our past, Lucian. Her birth … that was the outcome of that pact. But it came at a tremendous cost.” She paused to find the right words to explain what happened. The ancient forces called for a sacrifice,” he added. “They wanted a vessel… to carry the Onyx wolf.”

At the mention of the Onyx wolf, Lucian’s head snapped up, his eyes blazing. “A vessel?” he shouted, his voice severing the tension like a knife.

Isolde dropped her voice to a whisper, as her next truth was barely heard “They preserved our line, but at the cost of unleashing an ancient Onyx wolf into my unformed child—Serena.

Lucian’s thoughts whirled as everything he believed he knew about Serena started tumbling apart. “So, what’s the story with the curse supposedly put on Serena?” he said, his voice heavy with disbelief and rising suspicion.

Isolde gazed up at him with mournful eyes, the burden of the truth too heavy. “The curse, Lucian, it’s not a curse, it’s a lock. And a lock holding her back from her true potential. This power … it could either save or destroy us all.” She exhaled, her voice cracking as she continued, “That’s why she’s been so different. That is the reason you’ve seen the oddest — events, the episodes.” She is not just any Onyx wolf, Lucian. She is the reincarnation of an ancient one.”

Lucian stood there, stunned, his heart pounding in his chest. His mind raced as he tried to reconcile this new reality. Serena was not merely an Onyx wolf. She was something more powerful, more dangerous than he had ever known. The disturbing events and episodes she had experienced suddenly made sense. She was not only grappling with the wolf inside her. She was a vessel for the ancient power, a power that had lain dormant for centuries, biding its time before it sought out the right host.

“You know,” Isolde went on, her eyes never leaving Serena, “I have been lurking behind the trees and the grass keeping an eye on Serena.   

Before Lucian could even shape the next question burning in his mind, a soft moan sounded from behind them. He looked to see Serena moving, her eyes fluttering open. Her voice announcing concern, Isolde rushed directly to her side. “Serena, how are you doing?”

Serena’s focus was wavering, but when her gaze fell on Isolde, the mist over her sight lifted. A look of confusion crossed her face and she said softly, “Mum?”

Isolde’s heart swelled with relief, and she did what she could, putting a gentle hand on Serena’s head, brushing her hair back. “I’m here, dear. You’re safe here.”

Serena looked bewildered, staring at her mother and then at Dorian and then at Lucian. “I thought you were dead,” she said, her voice cracking as though a lifetime of confusion and hurt had been released in an instant. Her eyes darted between them, frantically looking for answers. All twenty-one years of her life, she had been raised to believe her mother had perished in childbirth. But here, before her, was the woman whose fatal absence she had thought a permanent one.

“I know, my dear,” Isolde replied, a quivering voice. “But I didn’t have a choice. I had to do that to protect you.”

Anger flared within Serena. Years of growing up without the comfort of a mother’s love felt like a betrayal at that moment. To her, all that was far too much for her to handle — the absence of her mother, the decades of hurt, and, now, the shocking possibility that her own mother was the one responsible for the curse that had ruined her life.

As Isolde held Serena’s hand, something odd started occurring. Lines of gold began to trace along Serena’s palm, pulsing with a soft, ethereal light. Isolde was staring at the pulsing veins of gold, mouth agape.

“The lock is starting to break,” whispered Isolde, her voice reverent.

Lucian’s eyes returned instantly to Serena, who was studying the grooves on her palm with a combination of bafflement and intrigue. The importance of the moment settled on him and he felt his heart racing in his chest.

“What’s going on, Lucian?” As Serena whispered, building suspense in their hearts, no one knew...

Lucian stilled, not knowing how to properly explain the madness that was before them. He knew the knowledge wouldn’t be easy for Serena to carry, but he couldn’t hide the truth from her anymore. He inhaled with great depth, calling upon some strength within him.

“You are not merely an Onyx wolf, Serena,” Lucian said; his tone was solid and gentle. “You have a power inside you. You’re also a reincarnate.”

Serena’s eyes went wide in disbelief, and her body went rigid as she took a moment to process the severity of what he was saying. “What power? A reincarnate of what?” she asked, her voice shaking.

Lucian braced himself, for avoidance and half-truths had outlived their usefulness. “It’s the power of the primordial forces. You are the reincarnate of the first Onyx wolf.”

Serena appeared to go quiet for a beat, her eyes glazing over as she attempted to come to terms with this new information. The heavy fog of his words weighed down on her like granite. But just like that, her eyes regained focus and she looked right at Lucian. “What does this mean now? What about my life before?”

Isolde’s face fell, the resolve evident in her voice. “You have a new life now, Serena. One that will dictate the course of the werewolf world.”

And Serena let those words hang down heavy on her shoulders. “But I can’t control it,” she said as her voice trembled and tears filled her eyes. “I’ve tried, but I can’t.”

Isolde gently squeezed her hand, giving her a reassuring smile. “You have to work harder at this, Serena. Your destiny — and everyone’s — is in your hands.’”

Lucian nodded. “I will help you control it,” he said gently, his voice brimming with conviction. “We had an agreement, do you remember?”

Serena nodded, a solitary tear rolling down her cheek.

“I really have to go before the Elders come looking for me,” Isolde said, her voice filled with regret. Her words were a farewell, but her actions were a different story. She hadn’t held her daughter in years and wasn’t about to stop.

“But... can’t you stay?” 'Serena,' she asked, her voice conveying emotion, longing for the embrace of a mother she had believed gone for good.

“No, I cannot,” Isolde said kindly, her eyes brimming with love and sorrow. “But I will always be there, Serena.” With that Isolde rose and faced the door, fading into the dark passage beyond.

With that, Lucian and Serena were left in the room together, silence hanging heavily between them. Serena was still taking it all in, while Lucian had an insolent smile on his face. And finally his plans were falling into place. In no time, the entire werewolf world would be at his feet.