A Whisper from the Past
Lyria's dreams had changed.
At first, they were only shadows—flickering figures at the edge of her vision, their voices lost in the wind. But now, she could see them.
A woman stood before her. Pale as the moon, her hair flowing like silver water, eyes burning with an otherworldly glow.
"The past is waking, child."
Lyria shivered. "Who are you?"
The woman's lips curved, but there was sorrow in her gaze.
"You already know me."
Lyria's heart pounded. The woman looked familiar. Too familiar.
She took a step closer, but the vision shattered—and Lyria woke with a gasp.
The air in the cave was thick with the scent of damp earth and burning wood. Across the fire, Elias watched her, his golden eyes sharp.
"You saw something," he said. It wasn't a question.
Lyria hesitated. "It was just a dream."
Elias's expression darkened. "No dream is just a dream in these lands."
He was right. She could still hear the whisper echoing in her mind.
"The past is waking."
And deep in her heart, she knew—
This was only the beginning.
....
Secrets Beneath the Moonlight....
Lyria couldn't shake the feeling that the dream was more than just a dream. The woman's voice still echoed in her mind, haunting her even as she walked through the dense forest with Elias.
The night air was cool, but Elias was tense beside her, his sharp gaze scanning the trees. The flickering torch in his hand cast shadows that seemed to move on their own.
"You're hiding something from me," he said at last, his deep voice cutting through the silence.
Lyria hesitated. She wanted to tell him about the woman in her dream, about the strange familiarity of her face. But something inside her whispered—Not yet.
"It was nothing," she lied.
Elias stopped walking. He turned to her, his golden eyes narrowing. "You're a terrible liar."
Lyria swallowed hard. "I don't know what I saw, Elias. It was just—"
Before she could finish, the wind shifted.
A low growl rumbled through the trees.
Elias immediately stepped in front of her, his entire body tense.
"Stay behind me," he ordered.
Lyria opened her mouth to protest, but then—she saw it.
Glowing red eyes peered at them from the darkness.
A figure stepped forward. A man—no, not a man. A wolf with silver-streaked fur, shifting between human and beast with unnatural ease.
"Elias Kain," the stranger rasped, his voice rough like gravel. "You have something that belongs to me."
Elias didn't flinch. "I don't owe you anything, Veymar."
Veymar. The name sent a shiver through Lyria's spine.
She had heard it before—in whispers, in warnings.
A wolf that belonged to no pack. A hunter of his own kind.
And now, he was here.
For them.