Whispers Of fate

Seraphina's words echo in Aiden's mind.

"This is what killed me, Aiden."

The weight of them presses into his chest, suffocating him. His claws are still halfway extended, his body caught between forms. He forces himself to breathe, to shift back into his human state, but his muscles resist—his wolf wants control.

Seraphina watches him without fear. Without running.

"Tell me the truth." His voice is rough, almost desperate. "Did I kill you?"

She exhales slowly, tilting her head as if the answer is too complicated to explain. Then, she smiles.

"A river does not stop flowing because a man drowns in it."

Aiden stiffens.

"What the hell does that mean?" he growls.

Seraphina doesn't answer. Instead, she takes a step closer.

"The sun rises every day," she murmurs, tracing her fingers over the Blood Moon Mark on his wrist. "Yet some will never see the morning."

The mark burns under her touch.

"Seraphina—"

"A king sits on his throne, thinking himself immortal," she interrupts softly, her silver eyes gleaming with sorrow. "But when the sword falls, the crown rolls away just the same."

Aiden's breath catches. Why does this feel familiar? The words, the tone, the ache in his chest.

He shakes his head, frustrated.

"Enough riddles! Just tell me!"

Seraphina closes her eyes.

"I already have."

The Moment of Realization

Aiden steps back, his heart hammering. The visions flash again—her dying in his arms, blood soaking the ground. The mark sears into his skin, a cruel reminder of fate.

"You were never meant to survive this life, Aiden."

"Stop saying that," he growls.

"Then stop proving me right."

The words cut deeper than silver.

Cliffhanger: The Hunters Arrive

Before Aiden can press further, the air shifts.

Seraphina's expression darkens.

"They found us."

Aiden turns—just in time to see them

Aiden staggered, his vision blurring as his body twisted between forms. His claws shrank into human fingers—only for his bones to snap and reshape again. Pain shot through him. His breathing came in ragged gasps. He was losing control.

The vampires—circled him like wolves scenting blood. One of them sneered. "Look at him. The great beast reduced to this."

Aiden dropped to one knee, gripping his chest. His heart pounded erratically, fighting against the shifting. He could barely summon the strength to stand, his body flickering between man and monster. This had never happened before. Something was wrong.

Seraphina stood frozen, her lips slightly parted. She had seen this before. The curse had begun.

"Seraphina—!" Aiden choked out, reaching for her, but a vampire's fist slammed into his ribs, cutting off his words. Another kick sent him sprawling into the dirt.

He tried to rise, but his limbs refused to obey. They weren't just beating him. They were enjoying it.

Seraphina's fingers curled into fists. If she intervened, she would be defying fate itself. But if she did nothing…

"Aiden," she whispered.

Another blow. A sickening crunch. Aiden coughed blood.

"Enough," a cold voice commanded. A shadow loomed over him. "Take him."

Before Aiden could react, darkness swallowed him whole.

Hunters, cloaked in darkness, stepping out of the trees. Their weapons gleam under the moonlight.

They aren't here to talk.

They're here to kill.

The cold stone floor bit into Aiden's skin, his body bruised and battered from days of torment. His wrists burned from the silver chains that bound him, their cursed metal keeping him weak—too weak to transform, too weak to fight. He was no longer the hunter; he was the prey.

The vampires had starved him, mocking him as they struck blow after blow. His once-powerful body had betrayed him, shifting uncontrollably between human and werewolf form. His claws would stretch out, only to retract into trembling fingers. His fangs would grow, then disappear. He had never experienced such instability before.

They had dragged him here after beating him within an inch of his life. The once-mighty werewolf now lay crumpled on the dungeon floor, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. His lips were dry. His stomach ached. His throat burned with thirst, but he was beyond caring.

Through the iron bars of his prison, he could hear the guards laughing.

"So this is the great Aiden? The one who locked away our king?" one sneered.

"Pathetic. If only he had stayed in the wild like the animal he is."

Aiden ignored them. Their words meant nothing to him. Only one question remained in his mind—why was Seraphina letting this happen?

Footsteps echoed down the corridor, growing closer. Slow, deliberate. Aiden didn't have the strength to lift his head, but he felt her presence.

Seraphina.

She stopped in front of his cell. Silent. Watching.

"Tell me why…" Aiden's voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper. "Why do you keep speaking in riddles?"

A long pause. Then, softly, she knelt before him, slipping her hand through the bars and resting it against his forehead. The touch was cool, a stark contrast to the fever burning within him.

"Because I've lived this before," she murmured. "And so have you."

Aiden's breath caught. The moment her fingers touched his skin, a surge of memories tore through his mind, dragging him into the depths of a past he never knew existed.

A Love That Defied Fate

The memory came in fragments at first. The scent of damp earth. The rustle of leaves. The feeling of Seraphina's hand in his own.

They were younger—Aiden, twenty-two. Seraphina, nineteen. Hidden deep in the woods, far from prying eyes. The world had no place for a love like theirs, but that didn't stop them.

Seraphina smiled at him, her pale fingers tracing patterns over his skin. "Do you think the curse is real?"

Aiden scoffed. "I don't believe in fate. No curse can take you from me."

She looked away, biting her lip. There was fear in her eyes, but she said nothing more.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months. And then—the secret that changed everything.

She was pregnant.

The Vampire King's Wrath

The castle was in chaos the night the truth was revealed.

"Who is the father?" the Vampire King's voice had thundered through the halls.

Seraphina's mother had pleaded for mercy, begging him not to harm their daughter. But mercy was not in the king's nature.

"A werewolf?" His voice dripped with venom. "You dare disgrace our bloodline?"

Seraphina ran before he could act. She had only one place to go.

She burst into Aiden's home, panting heavily. Her white gown clung to her trembling frame, her hands shaking.

Aiden stepped forward in alarm. "Seraphina, what's wrong?"

She clutched his shirt, eyes frantic. "My father knows. He's coming for us."

Aiden frowned, concern flickering across his face. He reached for her, his hand instinctively brushing over her belly. "You're breathing too fast. That's not good for the baby."

She grabbed his wrist. "Aiden, we don't have time!"

Footsteps pounded outside. The door burst open.

"Found them!"

The vampires dragged them out into the open, forcing them to their knees. Aiden's muscles tensed—he wasn't going down without a fight.

The Battle & The Curse Fulfilled

Aiden shifted. It wasn't a full transformation, just enough to fight back. His claws slashed, his fangs tore, but he was outnumbered.

A sharp pain exploded in his neck—a vampire's bite. His body weakened instantly, his vision swimming.

He fell to his knees, blood pooling beneath him. He couldn't move.

He turned his head, just in time to see a vampire raise a blade toward Seraphina.

No.

He pushed forward, crawling toward her.

An arrow pierced his back. The pain was blinding. His blood poured freely now, staining the ground, soaking into Seraphina's gown.

She fell to her knees beside him, cupping his face. Tears streaked down her cheeks. "Aiden… my love…"

His body felt so heavy. His breaths were growing slower.

Seraphina leaned closer, her forehead touching his. "If you die… I don't want to live."

He struggled to keep his eyes open. "Seraphina…"

"Promise me," she whispered, "you'll come back for me."

A weak, bloody smile touched his lips. Slowly, painfully, they pinky promised.

With the last of his strength, he picked up a fallen sword. And he plunged it into her heart.

Her gasp was soft. Her white dress bloomed red.

As the vampires stood frozen in shock, Aiden and Seraphina kissed one last time.

And then, they died in each other's arms.

Back to the Present – Aiden's Awakening

Aiden jerked awake, his body trembling violently. His breath was ragged. His heart pounded against his ribs.

His chest ached—as if the sword was still inside him.

He remembered.

He remembered everything.

His hands curled into fists, his nails digging into his palms. His voice came out in a broken whisper.

"No… No, it can't be…"

His body shook, rage and sorrow consuming him.

He turned his head, locking eyes with Seraphina.

"Why did you bring me "

The Prophecy of the Blood Moon

"When the crimson moon rises thrice, the lost shall return, the past shall awaken, and the chains of fate shall demand their price.

A child born of darkness and dusk shall walk between worlds, cursed to love yet fated to lose. If a wolf and a vampire intertwine their souls, the heavens will weep, and the earth shall tremble. Love will bloom in the shadow of death, but death will be its only harvest.

One must fall so the other may rise. One must bleed so the other may live. But should they defy the curse, the stars themselves will shatter, and the world will drown in ruin.

Beware the night when the moon drips red, for it shall mark the beginning of the end."

Who Spoke This Prophecy?

Centuries ago, an ancient oracle, the Blind Seer of Elarion, spoke these words before the Vampire Court and the Werewolf Elders. She trembled as she uttered the final line, her unseeing eyes glowing with the reflection of the coming blood moon.

But they dismissed her.

The vampire king scoffed, calling her a relic of a dead age. The werewolf elders growled, claiming fate could not dictate their kind. Yet, as history repeated itself, as lovers perished and kingdoms fell, whispers of the prophecy never truly faded.

Some feared it. Some ignored it.

But no one escaped it.

And now, as Aiden hangs in chains, bleeding, weak, and shifting uncontrollably between wolf and man, the vampires sneer down at him.

"The cursed wolf has returned," one of them murmurs. "And so has the storm of fate."

The Curse Awakens

Pain. It was all Aiden could feel. His body trembled violently, his muscles tearing and mending as he shifted between human and wolf form uncontrollably. His claws extended, only to shrink back into fingers. His bones snapped and rearranged, refusing to settle. He gasped for air, his fangs vanishing before returning again.

The vampires stood in a circle, watching him in fascination—and amusement.

"He can't even control it," one sneered. "A werewolf who shifts at random? Pathetic."

Aiden clenched his jaw, his breath ragged. He was on his knees, chained with silver restraints, his skin burning where the metal touched. Every time he tried to focus, the shifting forced him back into agony. His head throbbed, and his vision blurred until—

A sharp, searing pain struck his chest. His body jerked violently as something unseen tore through his mind, and suddenly—

He was somewhere else.

The cold air smelled of damp stone. A dim, flickering torch illuminated a dark chamber where a man lay motionless on the floor. No, not a man—him.

Aiden staggered forward, staring at the broken body before him. The figure had his face, his silver hair matted with blood. His chest rose and fell weakly, his lips parted as if gasping for breath. Aiden took a shaky step forward, but then—

"You were betrayed."

The voice was ancient, laced with sorrow and power. It echoed through the chamber like a whisper carried by the wind. Aiden turned, his breath catching in his throat.

Before him stood a hooded figure, their face obscured in shadow.

"You were never meant to die that day. They feared what you and Seraphina would become. So they let you bleed, let history bury the truth."

Aiden's heart pounded. His past self—was he supposed to survive? His vision flickered again, and now he saw it—Seraphina, kneeling beside his dying body, her white gown soaked in his blood. The vampire king's men stood around them, watching without remorse. They knew. They let it happen.

"And now, it will happen again."

The hooded figure stepped closer, and Aiden felt the weight of something unseen pressing against his soul.

"But you can stop it."

A cold hand brushed against his forehead. Aiden's breath hitched as an overwhelming power flooded his veins. His shifting body trembled even harder, his chest burning with an unseen force. The hooded figure leaned in.

"Sacrifice yourself, and she will live."

Aiden's pulse thundered in his ears.

"Give up your love for her, and history will not repeat itself."

The words sank into his bones, but deep within, something inside him rejected it. His body may have been weak, but his soul—his soul refused.

The vision shattered.

Aiden gasped as he was yanked back to reality. His body slammed against the cold stone of the vampire palace floor, his shifting still uncontrollable. His head spun as the vampires around him murmured among themselves.

"Look at him. The curse has awakened."

"His blood is changing."

"He's becoming something else."

Aiden panted, his hands clawing against the ground as his form continued to flicker between human and beast. His mind reeled from the words he had just heard.

Sacrifice yourself, and she will live.

Give up your love for her, and history will not repeat itself.

Aiden bared his fangs, his eyes burning with defiance.

"No."

He wouldn't accept that.

He would find another way.

Even if it killed him.

Aiden's Awakening: A Glimpse of True Power

The chains binding Aiden rattled as he sat slumped against the cold stone floor, his body battered, his breath shallow. Days of starvation had left him weak, and yet—something was changing. Beneath his skin, a pulse of something ancient, something terrible, stirred. His fingers twitched, his claws extending and retracting against his will, as if his body could not decide whether it was human or wolf.

Seraphina stood just beyond the bars of his prison cell, her arms wrapped around herself. She had seen this before—the curse, the prophecy—it was all unfolding again. "Aiden…" her voice was soft, uncertain. "You don't understand. If you fight it—if you resist fate—you'll only suffer more."

He lifted his head slowly, his golden eyes gleaming in the dim torchlight. "No," he rasped, a slow smirk creeping onto his face. "Not this time."

A crack split through the air.

The chains around his wrists shuddered.

Seraphina's eyes widened. The iron shackles, reinforced with vampire magic, should have been unbreakable. But something—something unnatural—was happening. The air around Aiden rippled, as if reality itself were bending under his presence. Shadows coiled at his feet, drawn to him like a living entity, and the temperature in the room dropped.

Then, without warning—the chains melted.

Not snapped. Not broken. Melted.

Molten iron dripped onto the floor, sizzling as Aiden flexed his fingers, his body still trembling from the shift between human and wolf. His gaze locked onto Seraphina, and for the first time, she felt fear. Not of him. But of what he was becoming.

"Tell me," Aiden whispered, stepping forward, his movements inhumanly fluid. "If I was meant to die, then why am I still standing?"

Seraphina took a step back. "Aiden, don't—"

But he was already there. Inches from her. His breath was warm against her skin, his presence suffocating.

"This time, I swear on my life," he murmured, his voice a mix of a growl and something almost inhuman, "none of us will die. Fate will break before I do."

From the shadows behind him, something moved. The darkness itself responded.

And for the first time, Seraphina truly believed this was only the beginning