Rachel's POV
Rachel, you have been avoiding the truth. Gideon's voice was a silky whisper, but I could sense the undercurrent of threat behind it. "Not any longer, but you cannot run away from your fate." Fighting back the growing wave of dread, I tightened my fists. Once I had trusted him, or at least, I had hoped he was on our side. But now, gazing into his frigid eyes, all I could see was the manipulation he had planned from the very beginning. "I'm finished running," I declared, my voice quivering yet resolute. Tell me all. At this time. What are you intending? Gideon's smile sent a shudder down my spine. His presence overwhelming, he slowly stepped towards me. You believe you have power over anything? Rachel, you are the key to opening all, he said grimly. The real fight has barely just started. His words were sinking in like a stone in my gut, so I could hardly breathe. I was trapped in the middle of a game far larger than I had assumed the cult had been playing. I wasn't only a pawn. That was the game. You believe you can prevent this? he mocked, nearly softly. You cannot. Rachel, you will fall in line. One way or another, you will be ours. Luka and Mika's competition was no longer understated. Every look exchanged, every word said, was a power play and I was caught squarely in the centre of it. Every day that passed, the connection meant to bring us together felt more like a prison dragging me in two opposing directions. I had believed Luka's piercing look was a comfort, a guarantee of something stable to grasp in our tumultuous society. But suddenly it seemed like a trap I couldn't flee. Then there was Mika, whose closeness was always perilous and always ignited something inside me I couldn't manage. His passionate energy, his strong defence... it was all consuming. But I wasn't the only one sensing the intensity between us. Luka's ownership was becoming clearer, crisper. Every word spoken seemed more of a need than a decision in the charged atmosphere between us. Luka pushed past me, his arm brushing across mine, and the warmth of his touch remained. He muttered just enough for just me to hear, "You're mine, whether you acknowledge it or not." His unspoken words made his eyes blaze and I couldn't help but tremble. I wanted to run, to escape the pull, but I couldn't. Mika was watching, naturally, his eyes narrowed in quiet defiance. Stepping between us, he touched my back with warm, strong hands. "This isn't only a decision for you, Rachel," he replied quietly. "All the Packs get to choose this." I stood there, caught in the middle. Luka's relentless drive, Mika's seductive appeal, it was suffocating but also captivating. I couldn't draw air without sensing their presence in every aspect of my existence. Their touch scared me even more, though, as much as it sparked something in me. The strength I was starting to feel, the force that surged through me every time I allowed their touch linger... it was building, and I was losing control of it. What is going on with me? My voice was almost undetectable in the room's deep quiet when I spoke to myself. Sudden and wild, like electricity running under my skin, I felt a surge of power. The floor under me trembled a little and the room appeared to fade. Flashes of light danced over my vision, and for a brief minute I felt I could fall. Though his eyes were full of concern, Luka's hand held my arm steadying me. "Rachel?" he enquired, his voice tense with worry. I could not tell him. I could not articulate what I was becoming into, what I was feeling. Doubt was suddenly nonexistent. This tie, this curse, was larger than either of us could bear. Mika moved forward, his breath hot against my ear. "Rachel, we can't keep doing this," I heard him say. You are losing yourself. The walls seemed to shut in on me, my breath catching in my chest. Their competition, their need for me, was ripping me inside out. I was trapped. Truthfully, I was losing control not only of my authority but also of my heart. The tug between them drove me mad. I had no idea how much longer I could hold it together. Once more I said, my voice shaking with terror, "I can't keep doing this." I had knew this time would arrive. The time I would have to confront the reality of the world I had entered. At the front, Luka's commanding presence was impossible to miss. Yet under the strain, even his confidence appeared to be fading. Luka continued, his voice calm yet tense, "We have to stop them." The ambitions of the cult are too advanced. Rachel, you are the one who can stop this. His words made me shiver, yet what crept into my bones was not dread but rather a knowledge. I had been the focus of their intentions for so long; now I was being requested to mend the shattered fragments they had produced. Frowning in contemplation, Mika went next to Luka. Luka, we don't know how far they have infiltrated. We have to be ready for anything. His stare made me feel heavy and his eyes stayed on me. I felt my heart race. Stepping forward, I looked into their eyes. I am prepared. I cannot only stand by and let this occur. Long enough, I've been played with. The room became quiet, though, before any of them could answer. A shadow moved in the entrance and I felt a prickling at the rear of my neck. Turning, I saw a man moving in the darkness, almost invisible beneath the low lights. A voice from the shadows said, "The Eclipse is coming." It will alter everything, too. Luka and Mika flanked me, the quiet between us excruciating. I could sense their presence, their desire, their need to defend me; yet, that same need seemed like chains keeping me stationary when all I wanted was to go on and break free. My voice shattering the stillness, I said, "I can't do this alone." I want both of you. I want both of you. Your competition, however, cannot destroy us. Luka's eyes grew softer, yet they also had some firmness. Rachel, we'll set everything aside for you. The Packs are depending on you. Mika moved forward, his hand grazing my arm. Every step of the journey, we will be with you. Whatever occurs, we are in this together. But even while they talked, the inward dread gnawing at me wouldn't go. This was about my deciding who I was supposed to be now, not only about beating the cult. Would I be the Luna that led the Alpha Kings to triumph, or would I fall to the power I couldn't control? Turning my gaze to the horizon, I looked away from them. The sun was setting and the atmosphere seemed electric. The Eclipse was approaching. I could sense it, down in my bones. I murmured to myself, "The Eclipse is near." The echoes of the warning from the shadowy figure in my head rang forth. I have to confront it directly.