Chapter 6 Whispers of the Unseen

The weight of Valesia's words settled heavily between them, as if the very air had thickened with unspoken truths. Azriel searched her face for any sign of hesitation, any flicker of doubt, but all he found was a quiet certainty that made his stomach tighten.

Lucan reappeared from the shadows, his expression unreadable. "What's going on?" His sharp gaze flickered between Azriel and Valesia, sensing the shift in the atmosphere.

Azriel exhaled slowly, trying to steady the unease gnawing at him. "She hears it too," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Lucan's jaw tightened. "The voice?"

Valesia nodded, her silver eyes glinting in the moonlight. "It's been with me for as long as I can remember."

Lucan muttered a curse under his breath. "This just keeps getting worse." He turned to Azriel. "If she hears it, that means this thing-whatever it is-it's not just tied to you. It's something bigger."

Azriel's fingers curled into fists. He had always believed the curse was his alone to bear, a cruel fate bound to his bloodline. But if Valesia was affected too, then this was far from personal-it was something ancient, something deeply woven into forces they had yet to understand.

Valesia stepped forward, her gaze unwavering. "It doesn't just whisper," she said softly. "It... calls."

Azriel felt a shiver race down his spine. "And have you ever answered?"

She hesitated. Just for a second. But that second was enough.

Lucan took an instinctive step back. "Hell no. This is bad, Azriel."

Azriel ignored him, his focus locked on Valesia. "What happens when you do?"

Her lips parted, but before she could answer, a gust of wind tore through the trees, carrying a distant howl-not of wolves, but of something far more sinister. The hairs on the back of Azriel's neck stood on end.

"Something's coming," Lucan muttered, reaching for his blade.

Valesia's face remained unreadable, but there was a quiet determination in her stance. "Then it's time to stop running from the whispers," she said. "And start listening."

Azriel wasn't sure if that was bravery or madness. But he knew one thing for certain.

They were no longer just running from the darkness.

They were about to face it.