CHAPTER 6: FORBIDDEN DESIRE

The night was filled with tension as I stood at the training ground, watching as the Blackwood pack trained. With the revelation and prophecy, my mind has been filled with unanswered questions and worries, I didn't know what I would become, but I knew that I was losing a touch of my humanity each day, becoming something else.

Ronan had been avoiding me lately, I could tell from the way he cast glances at me when it seemed I wasn't watching him, I saw the way he reacted when another male approached or spoke to me, I could sense something, it was jealousy and it had to do with the way he felt about me, but he was fighting his emotions.

A growl jerked me back to reality, it was from a younger shifter training with one of the senior warriors, Elias, he had been pinned down by the throat, he struggled hard but submitted.

"If you hesitate, you will die!" Elias shouted at the younger wolf.

"I want to train". I said as I took a deep breath and stepped forward, I realized I needed to train hard, be strong if I wanted to survive or be able to withstand whatever was coming for me.

Elias turned to look at me in surprise. "For real?"

"Yes, she needs to". Ronan said as he walked towards us. "If she has to stay with us, then she must train to be able to fight with us".

Elias smiled. "Alright, lady Moonbound, let us see how capable you are".

The lesson was followed by brutal moves, Elias was merciless and he pushed me harder than I expected. I was sweating profusely by the time we rounded up, my muscles felt sore but I refused to quit.

"Let us call it a day", Ronan said stepping in between Elias and me.

"She has fire, but fire alone won't help her". Elias said as he smiled and walked away.

Ronan stood there with something unreadable in his eyes, watching me as I trained. "This isn't necessary" he said.

"Yes, it is, if I have to survive". I said without looking at him.

"But I am here to protect you," he said.

I walked towards him and looked him straight in the eyes. "Then what will happen to me when you are no longer here?"

He looked bewildered in his expression. He leaned closer to me and brushed a strand of my hair from my face with his fingers, he was looking straight into my eyes as if piercing into my soul. '" You are making things harder than they already are".

I swallowed hard and said, "Then why are you fighting it, stop fighting it".

I could sense for a moment that he tried to say something, but before he could voice out anything, he walked backwards away from me and immediately disappeared into the woods, leaving me standing there with my thoughts. I wasn't sure if I feared the prophecy more or the way Ronan treated me.

I stayed awake for a long time into the night, just staring blankly at the ceiling, my skin still warm from Ronan's touch. His hesitation was driving me mad, I knew for sure he wanted me, but what was holding him back? I couldn't help but wonder if it was the prophecy or what I was.

I was jerked back to reality by a low knock on the door and I immediately sat up. "You can come in" I said. The door opened and surprisingly, it was Elder Markus. "Lena, come with me" he said with an urgency in his tone. I hesitated a while before putting on my boots and following him into the night, some of the pack members were asleep, while some were on patrol. We walked deep into the forest until we reached an opening in the moonlight.

"You have to listen carefully, there are things you have to know before it's too late that I haven't told you about".

I swallowed hard as my heart raced. "What could that be?". I asked fearfully.

"You are not just an ordinary prophecy; your existence is a threat to the balance of nature in ways I can't predict".

I frowned. "What does it mean?

He hesitated and then answered, "You need to be ready to face the forces that don't want you to rise, they will do everything in their power to make sure you are terminated".

This statement cast a chill down my spine. "Who are these people?"

His expression darkened. "The people who have hunted you since the very day you were born".

I became scared, I always thought I was a normal girl before the bite, but right now I wasn't sure anymore. "So has been hunting me my whole life?".

"Yes, and they are even closer than you imagine".

Suddenly we heard a sound in the bush, for a moment there was silence and our senses were on high alert. Just then we saw a shadow. Markus grabbed me by the arm and told me to run.

It was too late to run, a Rogue sprang at me with his claws and teeth, I could barely react before I was thrown to the ground. I rolled to one side as another rogue emerged from the bushes.

Markus shifted swiftly, he attacked the rogues with a fierce strength, but more were coming, we were outnumbered.

I was in shock, I couldn't get myself to shift yet, I panicked. But then another rogue attacked, and something inside me suddenly snapped. A kind of force I have never known erupted from within me, my body burned and my vision blurred. The mysterious symbol that had appeared on my skin, now glowed with a white-hot look and my body shifted. Before my vision went dark, I saw Ronan charge through the woods with fury and fear on his expression.

I awoke hours later in the cabin which was dimly lit and Ronan was sitting beside me with an unreadable expression on his face.

"You transformed again,". He spoke.

"I do not remember anything". I replied as I sat up.

"I am sure you will remember eventually, and then you will know why you aren't just an ordinary shifter.

I felt a cold chill come over me, I wasn't sure I wanted to understand what I am.