Moonlight Enchantment

Lyra's POV

The moon was barely visible, like a thin silver line cutting through the sky at night. Merida could see its cold light. Like a river that never stops flowing, I could feel its pull and power.

From the shadows, a deep growl pierced the stillness of the night.

"Lyra," Kael's voice was hoarse, a deep rasp that made me shudder. That voice seemed familiar to me. I knew the guy it belonged to. Risky. Strong. But also... alluring.

I didn't turn to look at him right away. I could not. Not at this time. Not when my heart was already in a tangle of opposing feelings. His presence was a storm I had never requested yet could not ignore.

Kael emerged from the shadows, his chiseled face lit by the moon, and murmured, "You can't run from me forever." His gaze fierce, as if he could see straight through the walls I'd spent years constructing, his emerald eyes fixed on me.

I folded my arms and prepared myself. Kael, what do you want? I said, my voice revealing nothing. You have already created enough disorder. What remains to be destroyed?

He grinned and moved closer; I didn't retreat. There is nothing to ruin, Lyra. Not if you are beside me.

The words floated in the air like a challenge, a promise I wasn't certain I wanted to take. Though I tried to ignore it, my heart raced. I could not let Kael influence me as he had always done. I would not let him.

What about you? I lifted an eyebrow. What is your side of? A battle I want no part in?

He halted only a breath away from me, his aroma-a blend of pine and smoke-filling the space. You must be a part of it, Lyra. Your strength and you. Do you believe you can escape this planet? From reality?

His closeness made me feel my pulse race and the force within me flare. Though I remained calm, the Moon Whisperer blood in me stirred.

"You're wrong," I muttered, drawing back slightly, just enough to shatter the spell he was building around me. I can choose. I am not your tool, Kael.

A glimmer of something darker danced in his eyes. You believe you are only a female, right? You believe you can leave behind all your parents battled for, all that has been imposed upon us? You believe you can leave me?

The mention of my parents made me bite my lip and sent a shiver down me. Kieran The creatures they had made. The lies that had destroyed all I knew.

But I could not allow Kael to witness my frailty. Not at this time. Not when it seemed like he was already dismantling me piece by piece.

Clenching my fists, I wished for the strength to remain in control and concealed. "You don't get to decide my fate, Kael. Not any more.

Though it didn't reach his eyes, his lips twisted into something nearly like a smile. "I don't have to decide, Lyra. You're already too deep in this. The issue is whether you will support me or oppose me.

My pulse raced as I looked up at him, caught between the man I once trusted and the perilous stranger who stood in front of me now. Was I too far? Or might I yet escape?

The sound of hurried footsteps reached my ears just then, pulling me from my musings. I spun around quickly to find Damien running towards me, looking terrified.

Lyra, ignore him! His voice broke with urgency. Kael-he's not the guy you believe him to be!

Turning to face Damien, Kael's posture was stiff and his eyes narrowed. Damien, and you? He almost spat the name. Still acting like the good guy?

A few steps away from us, Damien paused, glancing between Kale and me with a mix of anxiety and resolve. I'm not faking, Kael. I know what you can do. Your willingness to act to obtain what you desire. Lyra- Turning back to me, his eyes were full of agony. Don't mind him, please. He's exploiting you.

The remarks made me feel a surge of rage in my chest, but the nagging sense of betrayal soon calmed it. Once the man who appeared to care for me, Damien now looked like simply another participant in a risky game.

Damien, what do you know about it? I snapped, my voice cutting. Really, how much of this do you grasp?

Damien halted, looking at Kael before moving closer and speaking more quietly. I know enough to recognize the reality, Lyra. Kael doesn't give a damn about you. Like Kieran, he merely wants to exploit you for strength.

Kael's laugh sliced through the tension with a frigid edge. Damien, you have no clue what you're saying. No clue what I have given up to go this far.

What about Lyra, then? Damien asked. What about what you have given up for her?

Caught between the two guys, each tugging at me in opposing ways. Kael, with his promises of power, and Damien, with his need to save me. But which of them was honest?

The burden of the decisions in front of me was crushing and my head was whirling.

I glanced at Kael and then at Damien. Torn between the two, my heart wavered. Damien was someone I wanted to believe. I wished to. But even if it came at a high cost, there was a part of me that had always longed for Kael's approval, for Kael's love.

Suddenly, the air cracked sharply like though a thousand stars were breaking. Then the ground under us trembled as though the actual earth was responding to the tension in the air.

What was that? My heart raced in my chest, so I muttered.

Kael's eyes danced with something resembling dread. It's going on... His voice was almost inaudible, as though speaking louder would break any delicate control he still possessed.

Kael, what's going on? Panic growing in my chest, I asked.

He remained silent. Rather, he seized my arm and dragged me away from Damien and toward the outskirts of the city.

I fought his hold. What are you up to?

"The Great Silence," he said under his breath, more to himself than to me. It has begun. And it's all due to me.

What do you mean, all due to you? The phrases kept me racing in thought. The Great Silence would deplete the werewolf clans of their power, therefore making us all defenseless.

Kael's jaw set as his hold on my arm grew tighter. I believed I could manage it. I believed I could employ it to kill Kieran. But I was mistaken. The Silence-it won't just finish with him. It will kill every one of us.

His comments hit me hard, making my stomach drop. We have to stop it then! I shouted, attempting to escape his hold.

For barely a second, his gaze softened; then he turned away, his visage hardening once again. You don't get it, Lyra. The Emerald is the sole means to end the Great Silence. But employing it will kill you.

I froze, a frigid shudder coursing down my back. What do you mean?

But before Kael could respond, a huge, horrible roar broke the air, followed by the unmistakable sound of approaching footfall. Someone or something was approaching.