Chapter 4 The moon's call

Chapter 4

The night was cold, but it wasn't the biting chill of winter. It was something deeper, an ancient chill that crept into your bones, into your very soul. Aria Stone stood outside the Thorn Estate, staring up at the full moon, her breath visible in the crisp night air. She had barely slept, her mind still reeling from the truth Lucien had shared with her earlier that day.

She had expected to be frightened. She had expected to feel repulsed by the idea of witches, curses, and creatures of the night. But instead, all she felt was a strange pull. A sensation that had taken root in her chest and refused to be ignored.

The moon's call.

It was as if the moon itself were beckoning her, calling her to something she couldn't quite understand. Something that felt both terrifying and inevitable.

Her thoughts drifted back to Lucien, to the strange, almost haunted look in his eyes when he spoke of the curse. Of the Lycan. Of his family's bloodline.

"I don't know how to stop this," he had said. "But we'll find out. Together."

He had been so sure of her involvement. So certain that she had a part to play in ending the curse. But how could she? She was just a photographer, just a woman caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Yet the more she thought about it, the more the pieces began to fall into place. There was something about her-something about the way she had felt the moment she stepped onto Thorn Estate. She couldn't explain it, but the land called to her. The house, the garden, the air-it all felt familiar, as though it had been waiting for her.

Her hand moved instinctively to the pendant that hung around her neck. The small silver crescent moon gleamed faintly in the moonlight. It had belonged to her grandmother. The woman who had raised her and whispered strange tales of her own family's forgotten past.

Aria swallowed hard, her fingers curling around the pendant. What if everything her grandmother had said was true? What if Aria wasn't just a descendant of the witches-but the key to breaking the curse?

A sudden rustling in the trees pulled her from her thoughts. Her heart skipped a beat, her pulse quickening. She wasn't alone.

Turning, she saw Lucien emerge from the shadows, his tall figure cutting through the night like a predator stalking its prey. His eyes gleamed in the dark, a sharp, predatory glint that sent a shiver of unease down Aria's spine.

He had been watching her, she realized. He always seemed to be watching her.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, his voice low and smooth, like the purr of a distant wolf.

Aria shook her head, her voice barely a whisper. "No. Too many questions. Too many things I don't understand."

Lucien stepped closer, his gaze never leaving her. "I know," he said softly. "The truth is not an easy thing to accept. Especially when it feels like it's being forced upon you."

Aria looked up at him, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The curse," Lucien continued, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "It's been tied to my family for centuries, but it's also tied to the land. And now, it's tied to you. The truth is-there's a reason you're here. You've always been part of this, Aria. Even if you don't remember it yet."

Aria's chest tightened. "How do you know? How can you be so sure?"

Lucien's eyes darkened, and he took another step toward her, his gaze intense. "Because the moon has chosen you. The moon doesn't call on just anyone. It calls on those with power. Those who are destined to play a part in breaking the curse."

Aria took a step back, her heart pounding in her chest. She could feel the weight of his words pressing down on her, suffocating her in ways she hadn't imagined. She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready to be part of some ancient legacy she didn't understand.

"I don't want this," she whispered, the words tumbling from her lips before she could stop them. "I don't want to be a part of this curse. I don't want to be tied to any of this. To you. To any of it."

Lucien's gaze softened, and for a moment, he almost looked... vulnerable. His eyes, so cold and distant, flickered with something else-something human.

"You don't have a choice," he said quietly. "None of us do. The curse is already here. It's been here for generations. But you-Aria-you're the one who can end it."

"I'm not ready," she said, her voice shaking. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to do."

"You will," he said, his tone almost reassuring. "In time. But for now, just trust me. Trust that I will help you. The curse is coming, and we don't have much time."

The words hung heavy in the air between them. Aria felt the pressure building in her chest, the uncertainty swirling in her mind. She didn't know what to believe anymore. All she had ever known was her camera, her work. Now, she was tangled up in a world she never wanted to be part of.

But something in Lucien's voice, in the way he spoke of the curse, made her believe that he wasn't lying. That he wasn't trying to manipulate her.

Before she could respond, a sharp, chilling howl echoed across the estate grounds, cutting through the silence like a blade.

The sound sent a jolt of fear through Aria, her heart racing in her chest. The howls had been happening every night since her arrival. But tonight, they felt different. Closer. More urgent.

Lucien stiffened, his eyes flashing in the direction of the woods. His expression darkened.

"Stay inside," he said, his voice low and firm. "Do not go near the forest tonight. It's not safe."

Aria opened her mouth to protest, but before she could speak, Lucien turned and disappeared into the shadows of the trees, his movements swift and silent, like a phantom.

She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. The howls were growing louder, closer. There was something primal about the sound, something that stirred a deep, unsettling fear in her.

And yet, as much as she wanted to retreat into the safety of the estate, a part of her couldn't ignore the pull. The pull of the moon, the pull of the curse, and the pull of Lucien's words.

Her gaze flickered to the dark expanse of the forest, and she took a hesitant step toward it.

Something was waiting for her in the night.

Something that called to her.

And whether she was ready or not, Aria knew she couldn't avoid it any longer.