CHAPTER 8

The moon hung in the sky but not fully out, as the clouds obscure its glow like smoke. The pack house lay still and quiet. The atmosphere feels very peaceful - no one moving around, the fire that provides warmth has since been put out leaving the environment very quiet. Yet amidst this tranquility, there is a sound repeatedly calling her out.

At first, it was very soft and gentle like a whisper in the breeze.

“Lydia...”

It felt like the name was floating in the air slowly stretching across the distance between herself and the source.

Startled, she sat upright on her bed, feeling a tingling sensation on her skin. This wasn't the first time she'd encounter this voice. But tonight felt different; it wasn't resulting from her imagination, she was very much awake, it is not a dream. The atmosphere was lively, giving out energy. Her wolf perceived it immediately, moving restlessly.

In a careful manner, she slipped out of her bed, her bare feet pressing on the cold stone floor, her heart pounding so much in her ears. She convinced herself that she was just going outside for some fresh air, but deep down within herself she knew better. Something within her was driving her outside, like an invisible thread gently pulling her forward.

Behind the pack house, the woods hung over in the dark. She made her way through the trees, shadows shifting in the dark around her.

“You shouldn't be here…” a voice in her mind warned.

But another voice - deeper, ancient and comforting – countered "This is where you truly belong…” 

She chose to follow it.

The trees began to space out and the air became very lively and colder. Then she located it: the faintly shining line that divides the wall away from the rogues - the unseen barrier that kept the rogues away, and trapped her. Moonlight spread over the ground shining on her skin.

There was a movement on the far side of the borderline.

At first, it looked like a shadow – a tall figure with a broad shoulder standing in the dim space like he owns the place. His eyes observed the moonlight showing flashes of mixture of gold and somehow dark, wild and stubborn.

“You came,” he said in a low voice, smooth but filled with danger.

Lydia stood there frozen, her wolf wanting to struggle out attracted by that voice. “Who are you?”

“The one who knows your lineage,” he said, stepping forward slowly, stopping just before the dividing wall. There was a reflection of a faint light between them. “You’ve sensed it, haven't you?” the cage, the lies they hide around you. You were never meant to be under their command, Lydia. You were born from the wild that they greatly fear.”

She held her breath for a second. “How do you know my name?”

“I knew your father.” He said, smiling faintly.

It felt as if the ground beneath her moved. “You're not telling the truth.”

“If I wasn't telling the truth, the wolf inside of you won't be trying so hard to get to me.”

Right within her, her wolf was crying at different times, so close to breaking through that her eyes shined as gold and her hands shaking. “Why are you telling me this?”

“That's because you have the right to know what has been taken away from you,” he said softly. “Your father's pack wasn't destroyed, it was suppressed. It was banished out of fear of their power. And now they fear you. But I can help you rediscover who you are.”

He reached out his hands, the barrier giving a short flash of light between them. Just one step and she could touch it – touch him.

Lydia felt hesitant, her heart pounding on her chest. The urge was overwhelming.

And then–

“LYDIA!”

A voice called out.

It was Kyle.

She held her breath in her throat as she turned around. He stepped out of the trees, his eyes showing a mixture of anger and fear. She caught a glimpse of his fear before he could say any word.

“What in the world are you doing here?”

She looked back at him. But the rogues had vanished. The dark where he once stood quaked for a short period before calming.

In just few steps, Kyle got to where she was quickly taking hold of her arm. His grip felt like heat – not from pain, but as a result of the connection between them. “You crossed into the training ground and the alarm almost went off. Lydia, what were you thinking?”

“I..,” She turned back once again, her heart beating fast. “There was someone there. He mentioned knowing my father.”

Kyle held her more tighter. “No one crosses through that border alive.You didn't see anything. Do you hear me?”

Her wolf responded to his tone, low and resisting.

Kyle tightened his jaw, yet his eyes could not hide the fear he felt within - very obvious.

“You can't keep acting this way, you're giving them a reason to–,” he paused, taking a deep breath, his voice low and weak. “They'll use anything against you, Lydia. Please…don't make it happen.”

Yet she kept her eyes on the spot where the rogue had been, the dark spot still like there's a movement like a breathing image.

In that quiet moment, she heard like a whisper again–

“Don’t forget me.”