Chapter 9 Shattered Truths

The air was tense, it was filled with tension as I stood, frozen between Rowan and Selene, my so-called birth mother. The Warden's arrival only added to the suffocating pressure. His black armor glinted in the dim light, runes etched into the surface glowing faintly with an ominous energy.

"Not so fast." the Warden growled, stepping forward with his suffocating presence. "No one leaves. Not yet."

Selene stiffened, her fingers curled around my arm as if to shield me. Rowan stepped forward, his body trembled as he was on the edge of shifting into his wolf form. My pulse pounded in my ears as I glanced between the three figures, my world was clearly spinning out of control.

The Warden locked his gaze on me, it was cold and calculating. "The girl has to decide. But know this, child. Whatever choice you make, it will set the world ablaze."

My heart stuttered at his words. I felt the weight of their stares, each demanding something different. Rowan's eyes pleaded with me to stay, to trust him. Selene's expression was mysterious, her hand tightening its grip, it was promising truths only she could reveal. And the Warden stood like a specter of fate, ready to act on whatever decision I made.

"I..." I faltered.

Rowan took a step closer. "Evelyn, you don't have to do this. You don't have to go with her."

Selene's lips curved into a faint smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Your wolf doesn't understand. He clings to his pack's lies because it's all he knows. But you're not like him. You're more."

"Stop," I snapped, trembling with frustration. "I'm tired of being told what I am and what I'm supposed to do. I want the truth. All of it."

Selene's smile widened, and she spoke. "Then come with me, and I'll show you everything. The truth about your birth, your power... and what really happened to the people who raised you."

Rowan growled low in his throat. "Evelyn, she's manipulating you. Don't trust her."

The Warden cut through the argument with a booming voice. "Enough!" He raised a gauntleted hand, and the ground beneath us shook so hard. The cracks spread like jagged veins, and a dark mist began to seep around me. "You want answers, Evelyn? Then fight for them. Show me you're worthy of the power you carry."

Without warning, the Warden surged forward, his blade-like armor sliced through the air. Rowan shoved me behind him, his body shifting mid-motion as his claws extended and he met the Warden head on. The clash of metal against claw echoed through as Selene pulled me towards the shadows.

"Evelyn, come now!" Selene urged.

"No!" I resisted; my gaze was fixed on Rowan as he fought with everything he had. The Warden was relentless, his every blow was calculated, every step measured. Rowan's movements were wild but determined, his wolfish growls echoed as he blocked the Warden's strikes.

"You can't save him if you don't save yourself," Selene hissed. "You're the key, Evelyn. This fight means nothing if you die here."

I hesitated, torn between the chaos in front of me and the promise of answers. The locket around my neck pulsed, its glow intensified, as it urged me to act.

The Warden turned his cold gaze towards me. "She'll betray you, girl," he sneered, his voice dripped with venom. "She's already done it once."

My head whipped towards Selene. "What is he talking about?"

Selene's eyes hardened. "He's lying. He'll say anything to turn you against me."

Doubt crept in, and my grip on the locket tightened. "Tell me the truth, Selene. What happened to my birth parents? Why was I taken? And what makes me the key?"

Selene's expression flickered, the mask of calm slipped for a moment. "Your father, your true father was one of them," she spat, gesturing toward the Warden. "A creature bound to the Council's will. But I defied them. I refused to let them take you. So they cursed me, banished me to the shadows, and left you vulnerable."

My birth father? The Council? Nothing made sense, but before she could press further, the Warden struck Rowan down with a vicious blow.

"Rowan!" I cried, rushing towards him.

Rowan lay sprawled on the ground, blood trickled from a deep wound across his chest, and he gritted his teeth, his eyes found mine. "Run... Evelyn..."

But I didn't run. I dropped to my knees beside him, as my hands trembled when I pressed them against his wound. "You're not leaving me," I whispered fiercely.

The Warden loomed over us with his blade raised. "How touching. But sentiment won't save you."

Just then, the locket blazed with light, and a wave of energy erupted from me as I raged with fury, forcing the Warden back. The ground shook, and the shadows writhed as the power surged unchecked.

Selene stepped forward, with a rising voice amidst the chaos. "This is what you were born for, Evelyn! You are the bridge between worlds, the only one who can unite or destroy them. The locket binds your power, but it also makes you their target. That's why the Council took your adoptive family. They tried to protect you, but they couldn't hide you forever."

My breath hitched, the weight of Selene's words crushed me. The Council had taken everything from me. my parents, my family and now they wanted my life too.

"Evelyn," Rowan rasped with a weak voice. "Don't listen to her. You decide who you are. Not her, not them."

Tears blurred my vision as I looked down at Rowan, then up at Selene. "I'm done being used. By everyone."

The Warden lunged again, but this time I was ready. I stood still as the locket's light formed a protective barrier around Rowan and I. The power within me was no longer wild and uncontrollable, it was mine.

"You want the key?" I said. "Come and take it."

With a raging roar, the Warden charged, but I unleashed everything. The place erupted in light and darkness, the clash of forces shaking the ground.

When the dust settled, the Warden was gone, and Selene stood at the edge of the room with an unreadable expression.

"You've made your choice," Selene said quietly. "But this isn't over." She vanished into the shadows, leaving Rowan and I alone.

I knelt beside him, my hands trembled as I cradled his face. "Stay with me,

please." I whispered.

Rowan's eyes softened and a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Always."

And for a moment, the world faded, it was just the two of us, bound by the chaos that surrounded us and the undeniable pull that kept us together.