CHAPTER 4

The council door was suddenly shut, giving a resounding vibration through the wall of the corridors, the sound re-echoed from a distant like a thunder causing Lydia to shiver. She found herself moving around the passageway, silently observing with her palm leaning on the cold wall near her.

She could hear her heart beating like a drum in the ear as she held her breath, uncertain and fearful. She didn’t intend to eavesdrop on the elders, yet their voices got to her like a storm wave, their discussions passing through the wall of the room.

“Causing division among us.”

“Danger in her blood.”

“Banish her for the good of the pack.”

Every phrase got into her like a sharp blade leaving her thought revolving around the words. She could clearly recall hearing her father’s voice rising up against all arguments, and as a defence against all the accusations. But despite his attempts to protect her, his was just like one voice against seven other voices – his convictions were crushed under the pressure of their hostility and fear.

Lydia shut her eyes tightly, feeling the usual tightness in her chest as though it was thickened by fear. For years, she had practiced the art of being invisible, being sharp in her ability to ignore the whispers that followed her like a shadow, and to bear the heavy burden that comes with being different.

Yet none of those torments she felt previously could be compared to this moment. This was not the casual gossip she was used to hearing around. No, it was a council gathering – the deciding council. And once the force of power is turned against you, there will be no offering of mercy.

Struggling to put herself together, Lydia inhaled slowly, drawing closer to where the flashes of the torches were giving off its lit at the passageway. That feeling of a sense of something evil intensified, stirring up a mix of both anxiety and determination within her– an unsettled energy that paused in a silence.

Her ears twitched to become sharp enough to pick sounds that could be easily overlooked by most; the not so obvious trembling that resound underneath the earth as though it's the heartbeat of the earth itself, the soft noise of branches bending could be heard.

Deep within her, the wolf stirred restlessly, an instinct moving in her veins. She felt danger calling her out, a warning echoing through her very being. Something was not right, and it was closer than she liked to admit.

“Lydia”

The word cut her focus. Her eyes shot open, her heart beating very fast as she turned around to see Kyle standing a few steps away. He was casually leaning on an ancient stone arch, but even in that relaxed posture he manifested a sense of alertness. The moonlight over him made the sharp angles of his jaw and cheekbones so obvious. His eyes looked bright, reflecting the moonlight.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she managed to whisper, almost unable to stabilize her trembling voice. The unease she felt wasn’t helping her composure.

“As well,” he replied, with a low tone

“Neither should you.” he took a step forward, the soft friction of the leather strap of his sword breaking the silence between them. 

“You heard them, didn’t you?” The question hung in the air as if the atmosphere was waiting for her response.

She felt a tightening sensation in her throat. And with a small but deliberate nod. She acknowledged the weight of the moment. “Enough,” she finally said, the word hanging in the air.

In response, Kyle’s jaw clenched with stretched muscles beneath the surface. At an instance, an unyielding silence filled the space between them, heavy with all the things they both knew but chose not to voice. It was a thick silence.

Then, almost without recognizing it, he put up his head, his head twitching almost at the same hers, as if they were in harmony of some unspoken frequency only them could sense.

“You feel it too,” he said in a low tone. She didn’t even need to give a response; there was no word to capture the impulses of the bond that moved them together. It was insistent like an electric live wire, causing beats with a powerful energy that was impossible to ignore, no matter how forcefully she fought against it.

The way he saw through her defences, able to pierce deeply through the walls of her defences, made her frustrated, she hated it. It was as if the very chains she feared so much were being formed in his eyes, enclosed around her by the warmth of his presence, and the intoxicating scent that remained in her throat.

“What are they planning,” she asked, trying to keep a sharp voice to cover the tremor she felt beneath her surface.

Kyle kept his eyes on her, deep and in a way that is difficult to comprehend, as if trying to delve into the depth of her soul. “Nothing good,” he answered, with a steady but fearfully quiet voice. “But that’s not tonight’s battle.”

Just as he was done talking, a sound broke the peacefulness. A long harsh howl burst out from the dark forest outside the protective wall, piercing through the stillness like a sharp blade. It was not the natural, melodic cries of one of the same blood; instead it sounded as a rough, overpowered wail that fought against her very bones and first impulses buried within her.

Lydia felt weak in her stomach, a cold speed of fear that was settling within her.

Kyle’s entire posture settled in an instant, his shoulder tensed and coiling like a spring. He reached out for the handle of his sword, his movements very precise.

“Rogues,” he stated, the words heavy with known consequence, setting the air around him tense and apprehensive.

Another howl echoed through the darkness sending a cold chill across the landscape.

Then another one joined in generating a restless harmony that filled the night air. Within some moments, the world around them vibrated with energy that could be felt – a chorus soaked in a ‘first in time’ hunger and a thirst for blood that seemed to pass slowly into the very ground beneath their feet.

Suddenly, the sharp sound of an alarm bell rang from a high watchtower that peaks the fortress. The sound was sharp into the night, an intense call to the people that pushed the warriors into action.

Sounds of boots striking hard on the floor, the unharmonious sounds of voices rising in urgent commands as the defenders made haste to arm themselves, their instinct screaming danger was upon them.

For Lydia, her heart beat restlessly – not from fear, but from a deeper fire sparking off from within her core. It was forceful, having an important urge that cut through her veins like wildfire compelling her to break without bounds.

Deep within her, her wolf stirred, a wild spirit giving a deep threatening sound, uncovering its teeth in eagerness, claws desiring to taste the excitement of hunt.

Kyle, with his weary and stressed face, turned to her, with a degree of strength that was obvious in his eyes, and alert. “Stay inside. Don’t let them see you,” he commanded, his tone, in a way that expressed concern. 

She gave out a bitter laughter, seriously resisting. “Hide? While they’re out there fighting and dying?” She was filled with indignation at that idea.

"This isn’t your fight,” he said with a grumbling sound, still constant in his desire to protect her, even at that he couldn’t cover up the short moment of despair that moved within his stare.

“Every fight is my fight’” she said quietly but boldly, a phrase that felt natural as the very air she breathed. Her wolf swell against the limit of her ribs in agreement, an untamed call to strength that needed to be acknowledged.

Away from the hard walls, at the other side, were disturbing sounds of claws scraping against stones, a threat sending a message of awaiting chaos. Screaming fills the air – sharp and human – that cuts through the harmonious howling sound. Tension filled the atmosphere with whispers of both danger and opportunity, as Lydia took a deep breath ready to face the storm that was about to unfold.

The bell rang out again, its sound sending a message of urgency. This time it rang faster than the last, calling for attention in the face of the increasing fright. 

Lydia’s eyes were drawn to the window, where the darkness outside was threatening. She looked into the small trees that stood like a silent guard, their twisted branch casting its shadows. Within that dark portrait, a flash of light caught her attention – tiny faint light of eyes, watching, waiting. There were many of them, perhaps even more, like tiny stars scattered around.

The stillness surrounding her had scattered, replaced with tension in the air. She could almost feel it wrapping around her like a garment.Her heart beating faster as reality dawned on her with clarity: the world she had known, the pack that she always felt at home with, would no longer be the same following the events of this night.