Chapter 5: Scars of the Past

Elara woke to the scent of smoke and earth, her body stiff against the cave's stone floor. The fire had dwindled to embers, a faint red glow pulsing in the dimness, and for a moment, she forgot where she was. Then it crashed back—the wolves, the blood, Kael. She sat up, coat slipping from her shoulders, and blinked through the haze of sleep. The cave was quiet, save for the drip of water somewhere deep in the rock, and Kael sat near the entrance, his silhouette framed by slivers of dawn creeping through the vines.He didn't turn, but she knew he'd heard her stir. His shoulders were hunched, one hand resting on his knee, the other tracing absent patterns in the dirt. Blood crusted his arm, the cuts from last night's fight stark against his skin, though they looked less raw than they should've. She rubbed her own arm, the bandage still in place, and frowned. He'd been right—it was healing too fast, the pain a dull ache instead of the sharp sting she'd expected. Starborn, he'd called her. The word lingered, absurd yet insistent, like a theory she couldn't disprove."You didn't sleep," she said, her voice rough from disuse. It wasn't a question.Kael glanced over his shoulder, golden eyes catching the ember-light. "Don't need much. You did, though. How's the arm?"She flexed it, testing. "Better. Weirdly better." She stood, stretching, and crossed to the fire, poking at it with a stick until a flame flickered back to life. "You going to explain that? The 'starborn' thing?"He didn't answer right away, his gaze drifting back to the entrance. The silence stretched, heavy with the weight of secrets, and she wondered if he'd shut her out again. Then he sighed, a low sound that seemed to carry years of fatigue. "It's a legend," he said. "Old as the Covenant. Humans born under certain stars, tied to the moon's power. Rare. Most wolves think it's a myth—Darius sure as hell does—but I've seen things. Felt things. You're one of them."Elara crouched by the fire, warming her hands, her mind spinning. "That's not science. That's… mythology. I'm not some chosen one, Kael. I'm just me.""Maybe." He turned fully, leaning against the cave wall, his jacket open to reveal the scars crisscrossing his chest—some old, some fresh. "But the moon doesn't care what you think. Neither do I."She bristled, but there was no malice in his tone, just a quiet certainty that unnerved her. She studied him, the firelight carving shadows across his face—high cheekbones, a nose broken once or twice, a mouth that might've been soft if it weren't always set in a hard line. He was a contradiction: feral yet controlled, dangerous yet protective. And those eyes—they held her like gravity, pulling her into a orbit she didn't understand."Why me?" she asked, softer now. "Out of everyone, why am I caught up in this?"Kael's jaw tightened, and he looked away, into the flames. "I don't know. But I remember…" He trailed off, then started again, voice distant. "Ten years ago. The night I lost everything. It's why I'm here, why I stayed."She waited, sensing the story behind his words, the pain he'd hinted at before. He didn't owe her this, not yet, but she wanted it—needed it—to make sense of the chaos binding them. "Tell me," she said, settling onto the stone beside the fire, her notebook forgotten for once.He exhaled, a slow release, and began.The memory came in flashes, sharp as broken glass. Kael saw the snow, thick and red, crunching under his boots as he faced Darius across the clearing. The pack circled them—his pack, fifty strong, their breaths fogging in the winter air. He'd been alpha for three years, young but fierce, his rule built on loyalty, not fear. Darius was older, a mountain of a wolf with silver fur and eyes like ice, a rival from the eastern clans who'd come to claim what wasn't his."You're soft, Kael," Darius had sneered, voice booming over the wind. "Letting rogues live, sparing humans who stray too close. The Covenant demands strength, not mercy."Kael's claws had flexed, the shift itching under his skin, but he'd held it back, meeting Darius's gaze with his own. "The Covenant's about balance, not slaughter. You want power, not law."The pack had shifted uneasily, torn between their alpha and the challenger. Kael's beta, Torin, had stood at his side, a wiry wolf with a quick grin, whispering, "He's got no claim. We'll back you." But Kael had seen the doubt in their eyes, the hunger Darius stoked with promises of blood and dominance.The fight was brutal. Darius shifted first, a silver beast twice Kael's size, and charged. Kael met him as wolf, black fur against white snow, claws raking, teeth snapping. They tore at each other, blood soaking the ground, the pack howling as the storm closed in. Kael was fast, precise, but Darius was relentless, a force of nature fueled by rage. A claw caught Kael's side, ripping deep, and he stumbled, giving Darius the opening.Torin lunged in, breaking the rules of the challenge, and paid for it. Darius's jaws closed on his throat, a sickening crack silencing the howls. Kael roared, throwing himself at Darius, but the pack turned—some out of fear, some out of ambition. Claws slashed his back, teeth sank into his legs, his own kin betraying him as Darius laughed, a wet, triumphant sound.Kael ran. Blood streamed behind him, his vision blurring, the moon a blurred smear above. He didn't stop until the snow gave way to forest, until the howls faded, until he collapsed by a river, half-dead and alone. The pack was gone, his title stripped, his life reduced to survival. He'd vowed never to trust again, never to lead, never to let the beast rule him. But the moon had other plans.Elara listened, the fire crackling between them, her chest tight with the weight of his words. She saw it in his eyes—the loss, the guilt, the rage he'd buried under years of running. "That's why you're a rogue," she said quietly. "They took everything.""Yeah." Kael's voice was rough, his hands clenched into fists. "Darius rules them now. Twisted the pack into something dark. I should've fought harder, stayed, but I couldn't. Not then."She reached out, hesitating, then rested a hand on his arm. His skin was warm, the muscle taut beneath her fingers, and he flinched but didn't pull away. "You survived," she said. "That's not nothing."He looked at her, surprise flickering in his gaze, and something shifted—a crack in the wall he'd built. "Maybe," he murmured. "But it's not enough. Not with him out there.""Darius." She pulled her hand back, wrapping her arms around herself. "He's the one sending the wolves after me?""His scouts, yeah. He's hunting something—power, maybe, tied to the moon's shift. You're a piece he doesn't understand yet." Kael stood, pacing to the cave mouth, his shadow stretching long. "I won't let him have you."The promise hung there, fierce and unyielding, and Elara's breath caught. She stood too, joining him, the dawn light painting the forest in soft grays. "I don't want to be anyone's piece," she said, voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "I want answers. If I'm… starborn, if that's real, I need to know what it means."Kael turned, close enough she could see the flecks of amber in his eyes, the tension in his jaw. "Then we find them together. Your science, my instincts. We figure out what the moon's doing, why it's pulling us.""Us," she echoed, the word tasting new, dangerous. She nodded, a pact forming in the space between them. "Okay. But I need my observatory—my equipment, my data.""Too risky," he said, frowning. "They'll come back.""I'm not running blind." She squared her shoulders, meeting his stare. "I'll go with you, trust you, but I need my tools. We can be quick."He studied her, then sighed, relenting. "Fine. At first light. But we move fast, and you stay close.""Deal." She offered a small smile, tentative but real, and he returned it—a flicker of warmth that softened his edges.The moment broke as a howl split the air, distant but sharp, cutting through the dawn. Kael tensed, head snapping toward the sound, his body coiling like a spring. "They're circling," he muttered. "Not attacking yet, but they know we're here."Elara's pulse quickened, but she didn't flinch. "How many?""Hard to tell. Six, maybe more." He stepped back into the cave, grabbing the canteen and tossing it to her. "Drink. We'll need the strength."She caught it, taking a sip—cold water, faintly metallic—and handed it back. "What's the plan?""Get to your observatory, grab what you need, then head north. There's a ridge up there, harder for them to track. We hole up, figure this out." He paused, then added, "And I teach you to fight. Just in case.""Fight?" She laughed, nervous but genuine. "I'm a nerd, Kael. I don't punch things.""You will," he said, a glint in his eye. "You've got steel in you. I saw it last night."Her cheeks warmed, and she looked away, busying herself with gathering her notebook and coat. The fire died as they packed, the cave growing cold, and they stepped into the morning light together. The forest was alive—birds chirping, wind rustling—but the howl lingered in her mind, a reminder of the danger stalking them.They trekked back toward Blackthorn Ridge, Kael leading, his senses alert to every snap and rustle. Elara stayed close, her flashlight tucked away, her thoughts a tangle of fear and fascination. She watched him—his broad back, the scars peeking from his collar, the way he moved like he belonged to the wild. He was a puzzle too, one she wanted to solve, and that want scared her more than the wolves.The observatory came into view, its dome dented but standing, the door a splintered wreck. Kael held up a hand, signaling her to wait, and prowled forward, sniffing the air. "Clear," he called after a moment, waving her in.She darted inside, heart pounding, and grabbed what she could—her laptop, a hard drive, a stack of notes, the telescope's portable lens. Kael stood guard, his presence a steady anchor as she worked. "Got it," she said, zipping her bag, and he nodded, guiding her out.They'd barely cleared the clearing when the howls rose again—closer, a chorus that tightened her chest. Kael grabbed her hand, his grip firm, warm, and pulled her into a run. "North," he said, voice urgent. "Now."They sprinted, the forest blurring, her bag bouncing against her hip. The howls chased them, a promise of pursuit, but Kael's hand in hers felt like safety, like defiance. She didn't know what starborn meant, didn't know why the moon had chosen her, but with him, she'd find out—even if it meant facing the shadows head-on.