Chapter 8 I'm curious, who exactly am i

SIENA

My breath caught in my throat, the cold hand on my shoulder sent a shiver racing down my spine.

For a moment, I couldn't move or even turn around, fear and confusion tangled inside me like a knot.

Who or what could it be?

I swallowed hard, still staring out the window with wide, unblinking eyes.

Then a sharp voice broke through my daze.

"SIENA!"

I flinched.

The hand on my shoulder was gone in an instant. I turned my head slowly, heart hammering against my ribs. And then I saw her.

Mara--she stood there with that permanent twist of disdain tugging at her lips. Her arms folded, her gaze raking me from head to toe like I was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe.

"Oh," I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper. "It's you."

Relief rushed in, not the warm kind but cold and bitter--it's Mara anyway--I wasn't glad to see her. But at least I was relieved it wasn't someone or something worse, far from what I imagined.

"Tch," she scoffed, flicking invisible lint from her sleeve. "Relax. I'm not here because I care. Goddess knows I have better things to do."

I said nothing.

She took some steps backward from where I was seated.

"Just came to let you know there's a ceremony in a few days," she said, her voice sugar-laced venom. "As the..." she waved a dismissive hand, "...pretense Luna, you're expected to be there. Show up and warm up the chair. Pretend like you matter. It's part of your oh-so-important duties."

She let out a humorless laugh and looked around my room with a sneer. "You should consider yourself lucky, you know? Some omegas spend their whole lives in the dust. And here you are, in this big room, with actual walls. You should be grateful."

I watched her lips move, but the words were just background noise, like wind rustling dead leaves. Still, I kept my silence. Not out of fear. Not anymore.

Mara tilted her head, eyes narrowing when I didn't respond. "Did you lose your tongue, or are you just too dense to understand simple instructions?"

Still, I said nothing.

She rolled her eyes, stepping closer. "You're such a pathetic little thing. Always quiet. Always brooding. As if that makes you deep or mysterious. Let me tell you, Siena, no one cares."

I stood slowly, turning to face her fully. The anger in her voice barely scratched me. I was past letting her get to me.

She leaned in slightly, as if expecting me to lash out, to break down, to react in any way she could savor.

Instead, I lifted my chin, my gaze locked on hers.

"When you're done spewing," I said, my voice low and unshaken, "you can shut my door behind you."

She blinked, taken aback by the calm threat in my voice.

"Excuse me?"

I turned back to face the window where I was seated "You heard me."

Silence stretched between us. Then her heels clicked against the floor as she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Only when I was sure she was gone did I let out the breath I'd been holding.

I sat back down.

The sky outside was darker now, heavy clouds hiding the moon. My heart hadn't calmed. Not because of Mara. But because something inside me was shifting again.

I closed my eyes for just a moment.

And when I opened them, I was no longer in my room.

The scent of pine and damp earth hit me first. The forest.

But this time, it wasn't silent.

There were whispers. Real ones. Voices I couldn't understand. They moved like wind, curling around my ears. The trees were closer, darker, and their leaves shimmered with silver veins. The ground beneath my feet pulsed gently, like it had a heartbeat.

Then I saw her again.

Me.

But this time, she wasn't alone. A wolf stood at her side-a great white creature with piercing golden eyes. It turned and stared at me, and I felt the gaze deep in my bones.

The other me extended a hand, and again, the silver flame appeared. But it didn't just hover this time. It grew. Wrapped around her arm like armor, spreading to her chest and then... toward me.

I took a step back.

But the flame didn't stop. It reached forward, stretching like it knew me.

"Take it," the other me said.

Her voice was mine. Older. Stronger. Certain.

"It belongs to you."

The forest trembled.

Then I jolted awake, breath catching in my throat. My room swam into view. Pale morning light filtered through the curtains.

It was another dream.

But more vivid than the last. More... real. Like my past and my future had crashed into each other and left me stranded in the middle.

I sat up slowly.

Something had changed. Again.

I didn't know how long I sat there, staring at the floor like it held answers to questions I couldn't even form.

My heart was still thumping from the dream, or maybe from whatever was changing inside me. But before I could untangle the mess in my chest, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air.

It wasn't just any scream.

It was a child.

Then came the sound of shouting. Growls. Snarls. The unmistakable clash of chaos erupting outside.

I shot to my feet, heart lodged in my throat.

Rogues.

The pack was under attack.

Without thinking, I bolted out of my room. Warriors raced through the halls. The scent of blood and fear clung to the air like fog.

My bare feet pounded against the stone as I turned the corner toward the courtyard-and what I saw nearly stopped my heart.

Warriors were fighting off several rogues, their snarls echoing through the air. The pack had been ambushed. The invaders were wild, more beast than man-ripping, clawing, lunging. But amidst the madness, something else caught my eye.

A little boy stood in the open, rooted in place. No protection. No one near him.

And one of the rogues had seen him.

I didn't think. I couldn't.

I ran, lungs burning. "MOVE!" I screamed, praying someone would notice him, do something-but no one was close enough.

The rogue launched forward.

The boy couldn't move.

Neither could I-

And then it happened.

Something inside me snapped loose.

A surge of raw energy exploded in my chest, hot and wild and blinding. Silver light burst from my skin, roaring outward like a living force. It slammed into the rogue mid-leap and sent it flying back with a snarl of pain.

Everything stopped.

Even the air seemed to freeze.

I dropped beside the boy, clutching him to my chest. His tiny hands clung to me, trembling, his face buried in my shirt. He was okay. Shaken, but alive.

I held him tighter. My hands were still glowing faintly. My breath came in shallow gasps.

What had just happened?

The rogue should've torn him apart. I had no weapon. No shield. Just... that light.

My power.

That same silver flame from the dream.

Only this time, it wasn't a dream.

Around me, the warriors were already finishing off the remaining rogues. A few of them looked at me-eyes wide, confused, maybe even afraid. But I barely noticed.

Because that's when I felt him.

Lorenzo.

I looked up, and there he was-watching from a distance. He stood at the edge of the courtyard, blood on his knuckles, jaw clenched, eyes fixed... on me.

And for the first time since I stepped foot into this pack, he didn't look away.

His gaze didn't flicker. Didn't shift.

He just stared. Long. Unblinking. Like he was seeing me clearly for the very first time.

And I didn't look away either.

Something passed between us in that moment-something wordless and heavy. The bond? Fate? Recognition? I couldn't tell. But I felt it in my bones.

Then, just as quickly as it came, the moment ended.

The weight of exhaustion pulled at me. My hands were trembling. The boy whimpered softly, still curled in my arms. I held him tighter as the edges of my vision blurred.

And then-darkness.