The sun had barely risen over Silverridge, its pale light struggling through the dense forest canopy. Frost clung to the branches of towering pines, sparkling faintly as the wind whispered through the trees. Kaelen led Selene along a narrow, winding path that climbed toward a hidden ridge, his steps deliberate and sure. The forest felt alive in the early morning, but there was a tension in the air that made even Kaelen wary. Something was following them, and he could feel the presence like a prickling sensation along his spine.
Selene struggled to keep pace, her muscles sore from the night's long trek. Her cloak was damp with condensation, her boots muddied, yet she refused to slow down. "Where are we going?" she asked, breath visible in the frigid air.
Kaelen glanced at her, his amber eyes unreadable. "Somewhere safe for now. You cannot stay out here alone. The forest is not forgiving, and tonight has stirred more than just the wolves."
Selene frowned, rubbing her arms to ward off the chill. "What do you mean? What else is out here?"
Kaelen's gaze shifted to the dense woods surrounding them. "Old powers. Things that have been dormant for decades, waiting for the blood moon to awaken them. Silverridge has always been more than a forest. It is a place of strength, of spirits, and of danger. The prophecy did not arise from nowhere. It exists because there is something in you, something in both of us, that it needs."
Selene's heart skipped. Her pulse had been pounding all night, yet his words made it worse. "You speak as if you know me," she said, voice trembling slightly. "But you do not. You barely know my name."
Kaelen slowed, studying her carefully. "I know enough. Enough to see the mark on your wrist and feel the power it carries. You are not here by accident, Selene Veyra. The blood chose you, and the blood always knows."
Selene's eyes widened as she instinctively covered the faint crimson mark on her wrist. "How can you know that?" she demanded.
Kaelen's expression softened briefly. "Because I have been waiting for this night. Waiting for the one who would awaken under the blood moon. The mark does not lie. It tells me who you are, what you are meant to do, and why your family's death was never an accident."
Selene froze. His words confirmed what she had long suspected, yet she had never dared voice them aloud. "You mean… it was planned?" she whispered, more to herself than to him.
Kaelen nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving hers. "Someone wanted to stop your bloodline. Someone feared what it could become. That is why your family died. That is why you survived. You were meant to inherit something greater, something they cannot take from you. But there are others watching, even now, waiting for the moment to strike."
Selene's hands trembled. "Then why are you helping me? You barely know me. You could leave me here, and it would be safer for you."
Kaelen's lips tightened. "Because if I do not protect you, you will not survive. And if you do not survive, the prophecy fails. More than that, Selene, I will not allow innocent blood to be spilled when it can be prevented. You are not just anyone. You are the key, and my people will need you alive."
The forest grew darker as they climbed, the dense trees casting long shadows even in the weak morning light. Selene glanced around nervously. "You said there are others watching. Who? What are they?"
Kaelen's eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening. "There are those who would see the prophecy broken, those who crave the power that flows through the bloodlines. Some are wolves, some are something older. Their motives are unclear, but they will test us, and they will come for you. You must be prepared, Selene. You cannot trust anyone blindly, not yet."
Selene shivered, both from the cold and from the weight of his words. "I do not know if I can do this," she admitted softly, her voice almost lost among the rustling pines.
Kaelen stopped and turned fully to her, his eyes burning with intensity. "You can. You must. Your strength is already within you. You just need guidance, and I will provide it. But this is only the beginning. The blood moon will not wait, and neither will the darkness that follows it."
The words hung between them as they continued up the ridge, a silence broken only by the crunch of their boots in the frost-laden underbrush. From the treeline, a shadow shifted, watching their every step. Selene did not notice it, but Kaelen did. He clenched his fist, feeling the tension tighten in his shoulders. Someone was tracking them, someone patient and cunning.
As they reached the edge of a cliff overlooking Silverridge Valley, Kaelen gestured for Selene to stop. The morning light revealed the vast expanse below, rivers of ice glinting in the sun and forests stretching beyond the horizon. Wolves could be seen moving in distant packs, their forms small and purposeful against the snow.
"Do you see them?" Kaelen asked quietly.
Selene nodded, awe and fear mingling in her expression. "They… they are beautiful."
Kaelen's gaze hardened. "They are deadly. The ones who follow the blood call for loyalty and obedience. You are not yet ready to be among them, but soon you will have no choice."
Selene felt a thrill of fear and anticipation. Every fiber of her being recognized the truth in his words. The forest, the blood moon, the prophecy, and Kaelen himself—everything was pointing toward a destiny she had never imagined but could not deny.
A howl echoed from the valley below, sharp and chilling. Kaelen stiffened, listening intently. "They are closer than I thought," he murmured. "And they will test us tonight. The first trial has begun."
Selene's breath caught. Her pulse raced, but a strange sense of determination grew within her. She had survived everything so far, and she would survive this too. Whatever lay ahead, she was no longer alone. Kaelen was there, and together they would face what came.
From the shadows at the forest's edge, unseen eyes observed them, and a low growl rolled through the underbrush. The danger that stalked them was patient, but it was gathering strength. When the sun rose fully over Silverridge, neither Kaelen nor Selene would know that the first piece of the prophecy had already begun to unfold, and the next step would change everything.