Chapter 4 4

Selene winced as she ducked a blow. The training yard behind the cabin was crude- nothing more than dirt, scattered logs, and makeshift weapons racks- but it echoed with the sound of clashing steel and sharp commands.

"Again!" Andy barked from the edge, arms crossed.

Selene spun, sweat glistening on her brow. She thrust forward, aiming for Andrew's ribs. He sidestepped with ease, catching her wrist and twisting her arm behind her back in one fluid motion.

She gritted her teeth.

He whispered against her ear, "Too predictable."

And then he released her.

Selene stumbled forward, growling in frustration. "You didn't have to pin me like that."

"You're not training to impress us," Andy said flatly. "You're training to survive the next attack. And the one after that. And the one that will come in the dead of night when no one's there to catch you."

Selene turned to him, anger flashing in her silver eyes. "I know what's coming. You think I don't feel it crawling under my skin?"

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Then use it. Your wolf is your weapon."

"She's not a weapon," Selene snapped. "She's... wild."

"Good," Andy said. "So are we."

By midday, Selene's body ached in places she didn't know could hurt. But the exhaustion was strangely grounding. Her thoughts were clearer, sharper.

As she wiped sweat from her brow, Andrew offered her a flask of water.

She drank deeply, then looked up at him. "You still fight like someone who's lost too much."

His gaze flickered, and something unreadable crossed his face. "And you fight like someone afraid to lose more."

Selene lowered the flask. "What happened between you two? Before I came."

Andrew's jaw tightened. He glanced at his brother across the clearing, then said, "Everything."

Later, Andy led her through the woods. The trees were thick here, darker than the ones by the cabin. The air felt heavy, like it carried secrets.

"I want to show you something," he said.

They reached a small stone structure half-buried by moss and vines. A shrine.

Selene approached cautiously. Symbols were etched into the stone-spirals, moons, wolves with wings and burning eyes.

"What is this place?"

Andy crouched beside it. "It belonged to our mother. She was a Seer. One of the last Solari-born priestesses before the Blood Priests wiped them out."

Selene froze. "Your mother was Solari?"

Andy nodded. "So was your father. At least... that's what the old bloodlines suggest."

She reached out and touched the symbols. They pulsed under her fingertips, warm like breath.

"She left this here for us," Andy murmured. "To remember who we are. And who we're meant to be."

Selene looked at him. "And who's that?"

His eyes met hers-intense, unguarded. "Warriors of balance. Protectors of the divine."

She swallowed. "Then why do I feel like I'm the one throwing everything off?"

Andy stepped closer, his hand brushing hers. "Because sometimes, balance comes after the storm."

That night, Selene stood on the porch of the cabin, wrapped in a shawl. The moon hung low, veiled in clouds.

Andrew joined her, silent for a long moment.

Finally, he said, "You're changing."

"I know."

"It's not just the goddess," he continued. "It's... everything. The way you move. The way you command the room now. You're not the girl we found in the woods."

Selene nodded slowly. "I'm not sure I ever was."

He turned toward her, his expression softening. "Do you remember what I said the night we saved you?"

"You said if I ran, you'd hunt me," she murmured with a smile.

He smiled back. "And if you stayed?"

"I'd learn who I really am."

Andrew's gaze darkened. "And?"

"I'm still learning."

He reached for her then, cupping her cheek. "When you're ready... I'll be here. Even if you don't choose me."

Selene's breath caught. "I don't want to hurt either of you."

"You already are," he said gently. "But it's not your fault. Fate does that. We're just trying not to bleed out before the ending."

In the deepest part of the forest, far beyond the reach of firelight, a ritual was taking place.

The last of the Blood Priests stood in a circle of black stone, surrounded by acolytes whose eyes had long since forgotten light.

He poured blood across an altar.

Whispered words forbidden by the goddess herself.

And called upon the god who dwelt beneath the moon-a being forgotten by most, but not lost to time.

"The Solari heir awakens," the priest whispered. "The divine reborn walks under our sky."

A great rumble shook the earth.

The god answered in silence.

And the priest smiled, teeth stained red.

"Then let her see what divinity costs."

The night fell deeper around the cabin, and the forest seemed to press in with an almost suffocating quiet. The moon was barely visible, a thin sliver of light breaking through the clouds above. Selene stood by the porch, her breath visible in the crisp air as her thoughts circled like a relentless storm.

Andrew remained beside her, his presence a comforting weight, but his words lingered in her mind. "You're changing." Was it true? Was she really becoming someone she didn't recognize? Or was this transformation a reflection of everything she had always been, just hidden beneath the surface?

"Selene?" Andrew's voice brought her back from her spiral.

She turned to him, her gaze locking with his. The warmth of his touch still burned on her cheek, like a lingering ember. "I feel like I'm slipping into someone else."

Andrew's face softened. "It's not wrong to change. You're becoming who you need to be. The path the goddess set for you isn't easy. You're going to be tested, and sometimes that means embracing things about yourself that you've kept buried."

She exhaled slowly. "But what if I'm too far gone to come back?"

"No one is ever too far gone," he said firmly. "Not when they still have the will to fight."

There was a pause before Selene spoke again. "But what if the fight means tearing us all apart?"

The next morning, the air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, the forest alive with the sounds of nature waking. Selene joined Andrew and Andy in the clearing behind the cabin for another round of training. The tension from the night before still clung to the air, but there was no time to dwell on it.

"Today, we'll focus on your instincts," Andrew said, drawing a sword from its sheath. "Your wolf is more than just a tool-it's a part of you. You need to trust her, not fight against her."

"I know," Selene muttered, looking down at her hands. "It's just hard. It's like something is blocking me."

Andy circled her, his gaze sharp. "Your wolf isn't some thing you control, Selene. It's your nature. You need to let her take the lead. Let her teach you how to fight."

She frowned, but nodded. "I'll try."

Andrew's eyes softened as he watched her, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he gestured to the woods. "You'll need to channel your power. It's not enough to just feel it. You have to use it. We'll test you."

Andy stepped back, unsheathing his own weapon. "Come at me."

Without another word, Selene rushed forward, her feet moving with purpose as she closed the distance between them. Her heart pounded in her chest, but her wolf-Luna-remained silent, distant.

Andy blocked her strike easily, his sword sliding against hers. "Faster. Harder."

Selene growled in frustration, trying again and again, but the moves felt mechanical, stilted. Her strikes lacked the raw power she knew she was capable of. Her wolf wasn't answering her call, and without her connection to Luna, she felt vulnerable.

"Luna, come on!" she whispered, gritting her teeth.

But the wolf in her remained still, buried beneath an invisible weight.

"Focus, Selene," Andrew called from the sidelines. "You have to trust her! Don't fight against your instincts."

She paused, chest heaving, and looked down at the ground, gathering her thoughts. She remembered what Andy had said-the wolf isn't something to control.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Slowly, her hands stopped shaking. The world around her became a blur as she tried to silence the doubts racing through her mind. Her heartbeat slowed, the noise in her head fading until all that was left was her body and the call of the wolf.

Luna, Selene thought again, louder this time, willing her wolf to awaken. I need you.

A sharp chill ran down her spine, and for the first time since arriving here, she felt something stir deep inside her chest.

Her eyes flickered gold.

"Better," Andy said, his voice a mix of approval and wariness. "You're getting there."

Selene's breath quickened as the wolf inside her finally responded. The sensation was foreign yet familiar, like stepping into shoes that fit her perfectly for the first time. She felt the power in her limbs, the pull of the earth beneath her, the heightened senses taking over as her instincts finally aligned.

She stared at the ground, blinking away the tears that had gathered in her eyes. "I... I felt her. She's there. Luna's awake."

Andrew moved closer, the corner of his mouth curling in a slight smile. "That's it. You'll learn to work with her, not against her. Every battle will be different. But if you're in sync with your wolf, you'll never lose."

"Thanks," Selene breathed, her voice raw. Her mind was still reeling from the surge of power that had flooded her senses.

Andy clapped her on the back, a grin stretching across his face. "You're still nowhere near as good as us, though," he teased.

Selene laughed, feeling the tension lift for the first time in days. But her moment of relief was short-lived.

A soft howl echoed through the woods, distant but unmistakable. Her blood ran cold.

"Get ready," Andrew said, his voice deadly serious. "It's them."

Within moments, the clearing was filled with the sound of footfalls as the three of them readied their weapons. Selene's heart pounded in her chest. She had just learned to tap into her power, but she wasn't prepared for what was coming next.

The Blood Priests.

Andrew and Andy moved with synchronized precision, their movements flawless as they assumed defensive stances around Selene. But she felt something deeper than fear-an unsettling sense that something more dangerous than the priests was closing in.

The trees rustled, and from the shadows, dark figures emerged, their eyes glowing a sinister red. They were no longer human, their forms twisted and corrupted by dark magic.

"Priests," Andy muttered, "but something's wrong."

Selene gripped her sword tightly, her pulse pounding in her ears. The air felt heavy with the scent of decay, and the ground beneath her feet seemed to pulse in rhythm with the hearts of those who had fallen to the blood sacrifice.

"We need to fight. Now," she said, her voice steady.

Andrew nodded sharply. "Stay close. We fight together."

The battle began as the first priest lunged toward them. The crack of his staff against Andrew's sword echoed through the woods, and Selene swung her blade with newfound strength, meeting the next priest head-on. But something felt wrong. These priests were more powerful than the ones they had faced before.

Her sword met their twisted magic, and for a moment, she felt herself being dragged down, like a tide pulling her under.

"Selene!" Andy shouted, rushing to her side.

But she couldn't respond. The darkness was suffocating, wrapping around her like a vice.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced her chest. She gasped, feeling the magic- corrupt and cold- seep into her very soul... And then everything went black.