Zara's POV
I stepped toward him, my heart pounding. "What is it?"
"We've found them," the guard said. Showing me a bloodline compass"Kaden and Lira. They've been spotted heading toward the eastern forest."
"Where's Kara?" I demanded, already knowing the answer.
The guard hesitated, his eyes shifting. "Kara's gone. She left earlier with the baby. But Kaden and Lira are making their move towards the east"
I felt a cold fury settle in my bones. "How far have they gone?"
"Into the forest," the guard said quickly. "We need to move now."
Without another word, I turned on my heel, my mind already working through our next steps. "Gather the pack," I ordered. "We leave immediately."
Mira hesitated, following me as I walked toward the gates. "Are you sure we can catch them, Zara?"
"No time to waste," I said sharply. "We find them before it's too late."
As the pack rallied behind me, ready to move, a voice from the shadows of castle walls froze me in my tracks.
"Zara."
I stopped dead, my blood running cold. Slowly, I turned, my heart pounding. There, in the moonlight, was Kara, holding the child in her arms.
And beside her, a figure that looked like a younger version of Kaden with white long hair stood tall, his eyes cold and resolute.
"You're too late," Kara said softly, her voice full of finality. "We're already Home"
Suddenly I felt myself in the forest, everything changing , I could not see Mira or the castle guards..
I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, a voice came from the trees behind them.
"You think you can stop us, Zara? You're too weak."
I froze, the voice familiar, and it sent a chill down my spine. Keda?
The wind howled, and everything seemed to shift around us. This wasn't real. It couldn't be real.
I stumbled back, the forest around me growing colder, darker. "No, no, no..."
A sudden flash of white appeared in the corner of my eye, then another. I can't see them. I...
And just like that, I snapped back to reality. A cold sweat ran down my back, my breath quickening. I was still standing in the courtyard.
It was a vision.
I grabbed the nearest wall for support, my body trembling. No, I couldn't be weak now. I had a mission.
I walked quickly to my chambers... Just as I closed the door I heard a sharp knock.
Knock. Knock.
The door to my chamber opened. A guard stepped inside, his expression stern.
"Alpha Zara, we're ready. Let's go."
I looked at myself in the mirror, my reflection staring back with hollow eyes.
"I can't be afraid," I muttered. "I've come too far to turn back now."
I took a deep breath and walked out of my chamber, determination surging within me.
The guards fell in line as I walked and for some minutes I felt proud!
I was Alpha...
Mira was waiting just outside, her face a picture of concern. "Zara, please. Don't go alone. Let me, "
"I'm going alone, Mira," I cut her off, my voice firm. "Stay here. Handle things in the castle. I need you here."
"But—"
"No arguments," I said, my voice cold. "The pack needs someone to hold it together while I go out there. You can't come with me."
She stepped back, her face falling, but she nodded silently.
I turned, heading toward the gates. The forest awaited.
The wind was stronger now, biting at my skin as we ventured deeper into the woods. It was eerily quiet, too quiet. The tension was thick in the air.
Then, a rustling. I paused. My senses were on high alert. The wind whispered through the trees, and there was something... something off.
Another rustle. A shadow.
"Did you hear that?" I asked one of the guards asked, his voice tense.
Before I could respond, a figure stepped from the shadows. Tall, cloaked, the face hidden. But the eyes. those eyes shone in the moonlight like gold..
"You've been following us," the figure said, the voice low, deep. "And now, you're doomed"
I stood frozen, my heart pounding in my chest. "Who are you?"
The figure smirked, the shadows around him shifting, making them appear almost... unnatural. "I am the one you will never catch."
And just as he spoke, the wind picked up, howling around us, and the trees groaned, their branches creaking as if alive. The figure's form flickered in and out of the shadows, growing more menacing.
"What do you want?" I demanded, my voice strong despite the fear building inside me.
"You want Kara?" the figure taunted, their voice carrying a strange echo. "Then you'll have to face me first."
I took a step back, but the air around us seemed to grow colder, heavier, as the figure took a step forward, it whispered, so faint I almost didn't hear it.
"You're too weak to stop what's coming, Zara."
My breath caught in my throat. That voice.
The figure stepped aside, and I felt the ground beneath me tremble. Something hit me so hard , causing me to fall to the ground.
And then, everything went dark.
For a few minutes I thought I was dead but the next thing I heard was voices. "Alpha Zara, Alpha, Zara!" The shouts sounded distant at first, like I was underwater, but slowly, they began to focus.
I tried to open my eyes, but everything was hazy, and my head felt heavy. My body was sprawled on the cold ground, and I felt weak, disoriented.
I blinked hard, and finally, the figures around me became clearer. The guards were all there, kneeling beside me, concern in their eyes.
"What happened? What happened?" I croaked, my voice barely audible.
"Alpha, you fell into a trance," one of the guards said. His voice was rough, like he had been calling my name for a while. "We've been trying to wake you up."
I shook my head, trying to make sense of the confusion swirling in my mind. A trance? How did I end up on the ground? The vision. That voice... those shadows. Was it real? Has it all been a vision?
"We have to go back to the castle," I said, my voice growing stronger. I pushed myself to sit up, the world spinning for a second before settling. "We need to retreat. We need to go back. Now."
TitoLin, the senior warrior of the pack, stepped forward, his face hard with determination. "No, Alpha," he said firmly. "We can't go back yet. They're already too far ahead. We need to keep moving. We have to follow them."
I met his gaze, my heart racing. "What do you mean? We need to retreat, Tito-Lin. I said we need to...."
"Alpha," he cut me off, his voice unwavering. "We can't let them get away. They're heading deeper into the forest. If we wait, they'll slip past us, and it'll be too late."
The force in his words struck me like a blow.
He was right. I felt the weight of the responsibility pressing down on me. The pack had sworn loyalty to me. Even without an official ceremony, they were mine now. Their trust, their allegiance, it was all mine.
I stood up shakily, nodding at Tito-Lin. "Alright, we go after them," I said. "We follow them, but we do so cautiously. We can't let our guard down. Not yet."
TitoLin's face softened, just a little. "Yes, Alpha."
I took one last look around at the guards, at my pack, and nodded to myself. It was clear now. I had taken control, and I couldn't afford to falter.
"We head back to the castle," I said, my voice steady now. "We need to know more. Something's not right, and I need to understand what's going on."
We began moving swiftly, and before I knew it, the familiar stone walls of the castle loomed in the distance. My heart pounded with a mix of urgency and dread. What had I missed? What was truly happening to me?
As we entered the castle gates, the air felt heavy, like a storm was brewing. A ringing sound echoed through the halls, the castle bell. The urgency in its toll struck fear into my chest.
"Alpha Zara!" a voice called from behind me, and I turned to see one of the palace servants rushing toward me. "There's an emergency. The bell..."
"I know," I said, my voice sharp. "What is it?"
"A seer is here," the servant said, breathless.
"She's come from the mountains.
She requests to see you immediately."