CHAPTER 002_ENOCH'S PROPHECY
"Leah!"
That was the last thing I heard before my knees gave out. The ground tilted, my vision spinning with smoke and blood. Then someone caught me.
"Don't you dare die on me," a voice snapped. Sharp, human, full of panic.
I blinked through the haze and saw Sofia — messy blonde hair, ripped jeans, and a look of pure shock. My human best friend. She shouldn't even be here.
"Sofia what are you doing here" I gasped
She looked around the burning courtyard, face pale. "I came when I heard the explosion. What the hell happened Leah this place looks like a damn war zone"
"Lucas happened" I said weakly. "We need to go before something else happens"
Mia groaned beside me. Her leg was bleeding. Sofia dropped to help her, muttering under her breath as she tore part of her shirt to tie the wound.
"Can you walk" Sofia asked her
"Barely" Mia said through gritted teeth
"Then lean on me" Sofia said. "We're not dying in this cursed palace"
I tried to stand but my legs shook. Everything hurt. The golden wolf's words still echoed in my head what's written cannot be undone. I didn't even know what that meant, but I knew one thing — staying here would kill us all.
We made it through the back gate, stepping over broken stones and fallen guards. The night air outside was cold and sharp. Smoke rose behind us like a dying scream.
"Where are we going" I asked
"Anywhere that isn't here" Sofia said. "I saw horses in the lower yard. We'll take them"
She was bossy, loud, and human, but right now she was the only reason I was still breathing.
We found two half-crazed horses and somehow got Mia on one. The rest of the survivors followed. I didn't look back at the palace. I couldn't.
---
Weeks passed in silence.
We built small huts at the edge of the forest, far from the Silverfang territory. It wasn't home. It was survival.
Sofia handled most of the work — gathering herbs, hunting small animals, arguing with anyone who complained. She talked a lot, maybe to keep her mind from breaking.
"Leah you need to eat" she said one morning, setting down a bowl of stew.
"I'm not hungry"
"You've said that for three days. What's wrong with you"
I didn't know what was wrong. I couldn't sleep. I felt weak and dizzy all the time. Sometimes I woke up crying without knowing why.
Mia noticed too. "Leah you need to rest. Maybe it's stress from what happened"
"Maybe" I said, though deep down I knew it was something else. Something inside me felt different.
That night, while everyone slept, I stepped outside. The moon was full. My chest felt tight. I placed my hand on my stomach without knowing why. It was warm.
Then everything went black.
---
When I woke, I was on the floor of Sofia's hut. She hovered over me, eyes wide.
"You scared the hell out of me" she said. "You just dropped like a sack of potatoes"
Mia was beside her, face pale. "Leah something's wrong. You've been out for hours"
My head pounded. "I'm fine just tired"
"No you're not fine" Sofia said. "I called the healer from the next village. He'll check you"
A few minutes later, an old man entered, carrying a small bag. His eyes were cloudy, his voice calm. He didn't look like a normal healer. He looked like someone who had seen too much.
He checked me quietly. His expression didn't change, but the silence stretched too long.
"What is it" I asked
He looked at me then at my sister. "She's carrying life"
Sofia frowned. "What do you mean carrying life"
"She's pregnant" the man said softly.
The world froze.
Sofia dropped the bowl she was holding. Mia covered her mouth. I felt cold all over.
"That's not possible" I whispered. "It can't be"
The man just shook his head. "It's not ordinary. The energy around the child is strong, strange. Be careful princess. You carry more than just a child."
Before I could ask more, the door opened on its own. A cold wind blew inside.
A tall man stepped in, dressed in black, eyes glowing faint blue. Everyone went silent. Even the air felt different.
He bowed slightly. "Leah June"
"Who are you" I asked, my hand instinctively covering my stomach.
"I am Enoch" he said. "The Seer of the Eastern Peaks. I've been searching for you."
Mia stood in front of me, blade half drawn. "How did you find us"
"I follow signs" he said calmly. "And your sister's unborn child is one."
Sofia rolled her eyes. "Okay great another creepy old prophet. Can we not today"
He ignored her. His gaze stayed on me. "The child you carry holds power beyond this world. He will either redeem it or destroy it. The prophecy has awakened."
My heart sank. "No"
He stepped closer. "Yes. You were chosen before your birth. Everything that happened — the fall of your pack, the betrayal, the golden wolf — it was all part of what must come."
"I don't want it" I said quietly. "I don't want any of this"
He sighed. "Want has nothing to do with destiny."
His words scared me more than anything Lucas ever said.
When he finally left, the room fell silent.
Sofia exhaled. "Well that was creepy. You okay"
I shook my head. "No. None of this makes sense"
Mia touched my arm. "We'll protect you. Whatever this prophecy means we'll figure it out"
But her voice didn't sound certain.
That night I couldn't sleep. The thought of the child inside me twisted my chest. What if it was evil What if it destroyed everything like Enoch said
My mind drifted to Lucas. To that night. To what he did to me. I hated him. I loved him once but now all I felt was disgust.
"I'll make him pay" I whispered to myself. "I swear I'll make him pay for everything"
The fire beside me flickered. I thought it was the wind. But then I heard it — footsteps outside.
I stood up slowly. The night was too quiet.
"Mia" I called softly. "Sofia"
No answer.
A shadow moved past the window.
I grabbed a stick, my heart racing. The air smelled like metal.
"Who's there" I said.
Then I saw him. Lucas. Standing at the edge of the firelight, eyes glowing red again, face calm like he hadn't murdered everyone I loved.
"Miss me" he said with a grin.
Rage filled me. "You're supposed to be dead"
He stepped closer. "Did you really think I'd die that easy"
I swung the stick at him but it passed right through him. He laughed, the sound echoing in my head. "You can't kill what's already inside you"
I froze. "What are you talking about"
He smirked. "You'll see soon enough"
Then everything blurred again. The fire disappeared. The hut faded. I blinked hard and suddenly Sofia and Mia were standing in front of me, eyes wide.
"Leah stop swinging that stick you're scaring us" Sofia shouted.
I looked around. There was no Lucas. No shadow. Just me standing alone, breathing hard.
Mia grabbed my shoulders. "What's wrong with you you were talking to yourself"
"I saw him" I whispered. "Lucas he was here"
Sofia frowned. "Leah there's no one here. You were dreaming or something"
I wanted to argue but my voice failed me. Maybe I was losing my mind. Maybe the poison from that night never left me.
Mia helped me sit down. "You need rest"
Sofia shook her head. "Or a doctor. This is not normal"
I closed my eyes trying to calm down. But deep inside I felt it — the sense that someone really was out there watching me.
And in the woods beyond the camp, a pair of red eyes glowed faintly through the darkness.
Lucas was there. He is alive, watching her every move and waiting for the perfect time to strike.