Shadows of the Past

Mira woke to sunlight streaming through leaves. Her mouth tasted like metal and ash. The black liquid. She remembered Zephyr holding the bottle to her lips before everything went dark.

She sat up quickly, making her head spin.

"Easy," Draven said. He sat nearby on a fallen log, watching her with tired eyes. "You've been out for hours."

Mira looked around. They were in a small area surrounded by tall pine trees. A stream bubbled nearby. No cabin. No waterfall.

"Where's Zephyr?" she asked, her voice dry.

"Scouting," Draven answered. "Making sure we weren't followed."

Mira touched her chest where the burning had been. The pain was gone, but she felt hollow, like something was missing.

"What did he give me?" she asked.

"He called it a suppressor," Draven said, offering her a bottle of water. "Said it would hide your powers from the Eclipse Order."

Mira drank heavily, washing away the bitter taste in her mouth.

"Do you trust him?" she asked.

Draven's face hardened. "He's kept you alive so far. That's all I know."

Twigs snapped as Zephyr returned to the clearing. In daylight, his likeness to Mira was even more striking—same red hair, same sharp cheekbones. Only his eyes set them apart, one ruby and one sapphire where both of hers glowed red.

"How do you feel?" he asked Mira.

"Empty," she admitted.

Zephyr nodded. "The suppressor stops your powers briefly. It won't last forever."

"Good," Mira said. "I don't like feeling this way."

"Better than feeling hunted," Zephyr responded. "The Eclipse Order lost our trail for now, but Rael is smart. He won't give up."

"You still haven't told us where we're going," Draven said, standing.

"North," Zephyr answered. "There's an old Ruby Wolf refuge in the woods. A place even the Eclipse Queen doesn't know about."

"How did you find it?" Mira asked.

Something flashed across Zephyr's face—pain, maybe sorrow. "Our mother showed me in my dreams."

They packed quickly and started hiking through the forest. Draven stayed close to Mira, his big body protecting. Without her powers, the strange heat between them had cooled, but she still felt drawn to him.

"Tell me about the Eclipse Order," Mira said to Zephyr as they walked. "Why do they want us so badly?"

"Power," Zephyr answered simply. "The Queen believes that Ruby Wolves hold the key to controlling all supernatural creatures."

"And do we?" Mira asked.

Zephyr looked at her. "What do you think?"

Before she could answer, Draven suddenly stiffened. His nose flared as he smelled the air.

"Someone's coming," he growled, eyes flashing yellow. "Fast."

Zephyr drew a blade from his boot. "Hide," he ordered Mira.

"I'm not hiding," she argued.

"Without your powers, you're vulnerable," Zephyr snapped.

A figure burst through the woods before they could argue further—a guy with wind-tousled dark hair and familiar violet eyes.

"Rael," Mira gasped.

Draven lunged forward with a snarl, but Rael ducked with unnatural speed.

"Wait!" Rael shouted, hands raised. "I'm alone. I just want to talk."

"Like you talked to the Eclipse Queen?" Zephyr mocked, circling to Rael's left.

"You don't understand," Rael said, eyes fixed on Mira. "None of you do."

"Then explain," Mira ordered, moving forward despite Draven's protective arm.

Rael's violet eyes softened. "I've been trying to protect you for years, Mira. Even from yourself."

"By erasing my memories?" she asked.

"Yes," he admitted. "Because what you don't remember can't hurt you."

"Or because what I don't remember can't be used against you," Mira replied.

A sad smile touched Rael's lips. "You always were too clever."

"How do you two know each other?" Draven asked, still tense and ready to attack.

Rael held Mira's eyes. "We were friends once. Before the Eclipse Queen turned everything to ash."

A flash of memory danced at the edge of Mira's mind—laughter, purple flowers, a boy with violet eyes teaching her to climb trees.

"You were more than friends," Zephyr said coldly. "You were her defender. Until you betrayed her."

Rael flinched. "I never betrayed her. I saved her life."

"By handing her to the Queen?" Zephyr asked.

"By hiding her from the Queen," Rael amended. "By making her forget what she could do—what she could become."

"And what's that?" Mira asked quietly.

Rael took a step toward her. Draven growled in warning but didn't interrupt.

"A weapon," Rael said bluntly. "The most powerful weapon the supernatural world has ever seen."

The forest around them fell silent, as if holding its breath.

"I don't feel like a weapon," Mira whispered.

"That's why I'm here," Rael said quickly. "The silencer your brother gave you—it's dangerous. It doesn't just block your skills; it poisons them."

Zephyr's face darkened. "You're lying."

"Am I?" Rael tested. "Tell her what the Eclipse Queen really wants, Zephyr. Tell her why you're really taking her north."

Uncertainty flashed across Mira's mind. She looked at her twin. "Zephyr?"

A muscle moved in Zephyr's mouth. "He's trying to turn us against each other. It's what he does."

"The sanctuary isn't a sanctuary," Rael pushed. "It's a jail built to hold Ruby Wolves. And once you're there, the bond between you and Draven will be broken forever."

Draven stiffened. "Is this true?"

"Of course not," Zephyr said, but doubt darkened his odd eyes.

"Then why give her the suppressor?" Rael demanded. "Why weaken her just when her powers were awakening?"

Mira looked between the three men—her brother, her guardian, her... what was Draven to her? The strange nothingness inside her ached.

"I don't know who to trust," she revealed.

"Trust yourself," Rael said softly. "Trust what you feel, not what you're told to believe."

A faraway howl cut through the air. Then another. And another.

"The Eclipse Order," Zephyr said grimly. "They've found us."

"Impossible," Rael frowned. "The suppressor should have hidden her scent."

"Unless they're not tracking her," Draven growled, his eyes fixed on Zephyr. "Unless they're tracking him."

Zephyr stepped back, his hand moving to his blade. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" Rael asked. "Show them your arm, Zephyr."

Mira turned to her brother. "What is he talking about?"

Zephyr's face hardened. "We don't have time for this. We need to run."

"Show her," Rael urged.

The howls grew closer. Shapes moved between faraway trees—dark people approaching fast.

"Zephyr?" Mira pleaded.

With a sigh, Zephyr rolled up his sleeve. A small gadget was buried in his wrist, pulsing with a faint blue light.

"A tracker," Draven growled.

"It's not what you think," Zephyr began.

"You led them straight to us," Mira whispered, deception cutting deep.

"I had no choice," Zephyr said desperately. "The Queen has our mother, Mira. She's living. The Queen promised to free her if I brought you in."

Mira gasped. "Our mother is alive?"

"Another lie," Rael said sadly.

Zephyr lunged at Rael with his blade. Draven caught, knocking Zephyr to the ground with a strong blow.

"Run!" Draven shouted to Mira.

The forest exploded with growling shapes—wolves in human form, dressed in black, their eyes glowing with unnatural light.

Rael grabbed Mira's hand. "This way!"

They raced through the trees, Draven right behind them. Shouts and howls followed close. Zephyr's voice rose above the others: "Mira, wait! I can explain!"

Rael pulled Mira down a steep ravine. They splashed through a stream, climbed up the other side, and ducked under fallen logs.

"Where are we going?" Mira gasped.

"Somewhere you can remember," Rael answered.

They burst through a bush into another opening. In the middle stood a small stone house, half-hidden by vines and moss. Mira stopped, staring.

"I know this place," she whispered.

"You should," Rael said. "It was your home."

Behind them, Draven emerged from the trees, eyes wild. "They're right behind me."

Rael pulled a small key from around his neck and pressed it into Mira's hand. "The answers you seek are inside. All of them." His violet eyes held hers. "I'm sorry for what I did to you, Mira. I truly thought I was protecting you."

"You're not coming with us?" she asked.

Rael smiled sadly. "They want me more than they want you right now. I'll lead them away."

"That's suicide," Draven growled.

"Perhaps," Rael shrugged. "But some debts can only be paid one way."

Before Mira could complain, Rael leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. A spark jumped between them—not like the heat with Draven, but something else. Something familiar.

"Remember me," he whispered.

Then he was gone, running back into the bush, howling loudly to draw notice.

Draven took Mira's arm. "We should go inside."

The key felt heavy in her hand. This house. Her home. The memories stirred like ghosts at the edge of her thoughts.

"What if I don't like what I remember?" she asked softly.

Draven's hand found hers, their fingers intertwined. A faint warmth sparked between them, pushing back the nothingness inside her.

"Then we'll face it together," he promised.

As they reached the cottage door, a woman's scream tore through the forest—high, agonized, and suddenly cut short.

Rael.

Mira turned back toward the sound, but Draven held her firm.

"We can't help him now," he said gently.

Tears blurred Mira's view as she fit the key into the lock. The door swung open on creaking springs, showing darkness beyond.

And in that darkness, something waited. Something that had been waiting for her for a very long time.