Chapter 4 Separation

Liana stared at Kade, heart thudding like a war drum in her chest.

"You're joking," she breathed. "You're actually joking, right?"

Kade's gaze didn't waver. The moonlight kissed the sharp angles of his face, shadows curling around his jaw like secrets. "You need to leave the town, Liana. For three days."

The air tightened. Silence pulsed between them.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why would I need to-" her voice broke, "-abandon Elira now? After what you just told me?"

Kade's tone was low, but there was no mistaking the edge beneath it. "Because if you stay close to her now, both of you could die."

Liana's lips parted, but nothing came out. Her legs trembled beneath her, as if the earth itself had betrayed her. "That makes no sense. You just told me she's me. That I'm her wolf. How can I leave her? That's like tearing myself in half."

Kade stepped forward, his golden eyes solemn and ancient. "Exactly. You've been fused together for too long without awakening. Your bond is raw, volatile. The magic of your kind-of the Nightborne-isn't like the others. It wasn't meant to be confined, not in secret, not suppressed like this."

"But where would I even go?" Liana pressed. "And what happens if something happens to her while I'm gone?"

Kade exhaled slowly, his voice almost a prayer. "She won't break. You're stronger than you think. And so is she. But if you stay... you'll burn her out before she even awakens."

Liana's voice dropped to a tremor. "And me? What about me?"

"You'll remember," Kade said, eyes glinting with quiet power. "You'll remember who you are. The rest of the truth. The chains that were placed on your soul the day the Elders lied. The memories that were buried to keep the Nightborne erased. You'll reclaim your form, not as a girl who loves moonberry tarts and makes people laugh... but as the wolf whose howl once silenced storms."

A breeze whipped through the trees, and Liana felt it stir something deep within her. A longing. A rage. A calling.

Everything she thought she knew-about herself, about fate, about Elira-was unraveling like an ancient tapestry. And at the center of it all, she saw a glimpse of herself... glowing, fanged, ethereal. Not entirely human. Not entirely beast.

"Three days," Kade murmured again, stepping back into the shadows.

Liana nodded, throat tight. "Then I'll go. But when I come back..."

He smiled, cryptic and wild. "The world won't be ready for what returns."

Liana's breath fogged in the cool air. "I'm not going anywhere," she said sharply. "Not without seeing my mum first."

Kade blinked once, his expression unreadable. "You can't."

Liana's jaw clenched. "Try me. I'm not packing a single thing until I speak to her."

Kade didn't argue. Instead, he turned, his cloak swaying like a shadow behind him. "Then follow me."

Her instincts prickled-every step up the narrow staircase felt like walking into a dream wrapped in a nightmare. The old wood of her family home groaned underfoot as they reached the second floor. Kade paused at the door to her mother's room. His hand hovered near the handle like he was touching something sacred.

"You need to see this," he murmured, then pushed it open.

The room was dim, bathed in soft golden light from the enchanted orb on the nightstand. And there-lying on the bed with the covers pulled up to her chest-was her mother.

Eyes closed.

Chest rising and falling slowly.

Still.

Too still.

"Mum?" Liana whispered, rushing forward, dropping to her knees beside the bed. She touched her mother's hand-it was warm, soft, but unresponsive.

"She's okay," Kade said quickly. "Just... sleeping."

"What did you do to her?" Her voice cracked like shattered glass. "What is this?"

"A spell," he replied gently. "A deep sleep enchantment. It won't harm her, I promise. I needed her to rest. She was burdened with more than you realize."

Liana's eyes narrowed, fury burning behind the tears. "You had no right."

"She asked me to protect you." Kade's voice was solemn now, the weight of years pressing down on every word. "When she found out the truth-what you are, who you are tied to-she feared the world would try to take you away. So I gave her peace. Told her I'd take you somewhere safe to train, to grow, to remember."

Liana blinked rapidly, unable to reconcile the stillness of her mother's face with the storm in her heart. "So she doesn't know the full truth?"

"She knows enough," Kade answered. "And she trusts you enough to let you walk toward your destiny... even if it means walking away for now."

Liana shook her head. "She's always been the one person who grounded me. If I leave-what if she wakes up and I'm not there? What if something goes wrong?"

Kade crouched beside her. "She'll wake in three days. The spell will wear off by then. And she'll know where you are. You're not abandoning her. You're becoming the wolf she prayed you'd survive to be."

Liana bit her lip, gaze still locked on her mother's sleeping form. Her voice was quiet. "She always said I was different. That something about me felt... heavier than this world."

"She wasn't wrong," Kade said softly. "You carry the soul of a Nightborne wolf, Liana. That kind of magic doesn't rest easy."

Silence stretched, fragile as glass.

Then Liana stood. Wiped her tears with the sleeve of her sweater.

"You better be right about this," she said, fire flickering back into her voice. "Because if she doesn't wake up..."

Kade nodded. "She will. Now pack your things. The road ahead will challenge every piece of who you think you are."

Liana turned one last time to her mother, gently brushing a curl from her forehead. "I'll come back stronger," she whispered. "And I'll make this right."

Then she walked out the room-toward a fate that had been written in stars and sealed in blood long before she took her first breath.

Stepping into the hallway, the silence between them thick enough to suffocate.

Kade didn't look at her at first. He let her walk a few paces ahead, his voice low but firm when he finally spoke.

"Liana."

She stopped, her fists still clenched at her sides.

"You need to start packing right now," he said. "Only the essentials.

She slowly turned, eyes narrowing. "And where exactly am I going?"

"I can't tell you. Not yet."

"Of course you can't." Her tone dripped with sarcasm. "Why give me clarity when you can just hand me cryptic riddles like a brooding forest guide?"

He cracked a small smile despite himself. "I get that a lot."

Liana rolled her eyes. "if I may ask what type of 'essentials'? Do you mean"

"Clothes warm enough for the night. Something light enough to move in by day. Boots. A knife, if you have one. No distractions."

She raised a brow. "You expecting a hike or a war?"

"Maybe both," Kade replied.

She stared at him, waiting for the punchline. It never came.

"Great," she muttered. "You want me to go into the unknown, leave behind everything I know, and trust you with my life."

"Yes."

"And you want me to travel light."

"Very."

Liana exhaled, tension bleeding from her shoulders as reality settled over her like snow. "Fine. But if get to regret this journey.....

"You won't," he said, interrupting gently. "You'll find something... older than the forest."

That made her pause.

He continued, "Three days, Liana. That's all the time we have. You leave before sunrise. So pack wisely."

She gave him a long, steady look. "This better be worth it."

"It is," he said simply. "Because this journey isn't about trusting me... it's about trusting yourself"

The bag hit the bed with a quiet thud. Liana moved on autopilot-folding clothes, stuffing boots, grabbing her favorite scarf (not essential, but familiar). Her fingers brushed the hilt of a small blade her mother once gave her for "self-defense." Funny. That was before either of them knew she was half of a living myth.

Zipping the bag closed, she turned toward the door-only to find Kade standing there, leaning casually against the frame like he hadn't just turned her entire life inside out.

Kade leaned against the doorframe, arms folded, watching her like he could see every thought flicker behind her eyes. Liana tried to ignore him. Tried and failed.

"I'm done packing," she muttered, slinging the strap over her shoulder.

"Good. We leave in an hour."

She froze. "We?"

He nodded once. "You didn't think I was sending you off alone, did you?"

Liana scoffed. "Honestly? After today? I don't know what to expect from you."

"You'll get used to me."

"God, I hope not."

She pushed past him, but paused at the top of the stairs. The thought had been gnawing at her since she packed her first shirt. Turning slowly, she met his gaze.

"I need to tell Elira I'm leaving. Just a message. Something."

Kade shook his head instantly. "Too dangerous. The bond is still dormant. If it stirs while you're near her, it could trigger before you're ready."

"You keep saying that like it's some kind of switch," she snapped. "Like I'll just combust if I hug my best friend."

"It's not just about you combusting," he said, stepping closer. "It's about both of you burning."

That shut her up. Her fingers curled tighter around the strap of her bag.

"I can't just vanish, Kade. She'll worry. She'll come looking."

"And I'll make sure she doesn't have to."

Her voice broke a little. "That's not your job."

"No," he said. "It's yours. But right now, your real job is to survive. To awaken what's inside you without tearing her apart."

Silence filled the space between them like fog.

Finally, Liana exhaled, shaky but resigned. "You'll look after her?"

"With my life."

She gave him a dry look. "I already told you-don't say that like it's poetic. I'm not in the mood for death promises."

He actually smirked. "Then don't die. Simple."

She rolled her eyes and turned toward the front door, her bag bouncing against her hip. "You better be more useful on this trip than you are at pep talks."

"I'm magical, not motivational."

"Clearly."

As they stepped into the night, the weight of what she was leaving behind settled heavy on her shoulders. But in the shadows of what was lost, something ancient stirred-something wild, buried, waiting.

And it was waking up.