Chapter 4 Sparks and Shadows

Deborah’s POV

Deborah grabbed a travel pack from the shelf, her hands shaking but movements sharp. A howl sounded outside, closer than before.

Maya rushed in, arms full of gear. "Jackson saw movement in the eastern woods, but we're guarding the north gate," she said.

Deborah packed dried meat and water. "Thorne's organizing the evacuation. Morgana vanished after the ceremony."

Maya frowned.

Deborah stopped packing. She thought about the binding ceremony and the impossible blood moon.

A strange feeling bubbled inside her.

Maya spoke gently. "I've never seen power like that."

"When Erick touched me, it was like I'd only been half alive until then."

Maya's eyes widened. "The mate bond."

Deborah said sharply, "The Council is controlling us."

"Even if they set it up, what you felt was real."

Deborah slung the pack over her shoulder, its weight steadying her. "Real or not, it doesn't matter."

They walked through the corridors, Maya shouting orders to the warriors. The pack house was chaotic. Children held hands with their mothers. Elders hurried toward the underground tunnels. Her pack.

"You're not giving up on anyone," Maya said, knowing Deborah well after fifteen years. "You're just removing the threat."

"Since my best friend decided to marry a stranger and bring on a blood moon on her wedding night." Maya smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

They reached the western courtyard. Erick stood waiting with a pack. Elder Thorne spoke to him urgently. Both men looked at Deborah as she approached.

"The Cursed Forest," Thorne said. "There's an ancient shrine three miles away. It will protect you."

Deborah asked, "Old stones and legends?"

"Wards older than our pack, older than any wolf alive. The shrine was made by the original Lunar Bloodline." Thorne looked worried.

Erick shifted.

"Pray the Void Hunters are merciful." Thorne handed Deborah a rolled piece of parchment. "Follow this exactly."

Another howl, very close, rattled the windows. Deborah saw shadows moving strangely outside the walls.

"Go," Maya said, hugging Deborah tightly. "I'll keep the pack safe until you return."

"When I get home," Deborah corrected.

"When," Maya agreed.

Deborah turned to Erick. He kept his distance but watched her closely.

She hated that she needed him so much.

"Can you keep up?" she asked.

"Try me."

Erick’s POV

Once they were inside the pack house walls, Deborah became different.

It wasn't a physical change, but Erick could sense her wolf wanting to break free. She transformed into the strong leader who fought to become Alpha.

The moonlight created patterns on the forest floor as Erick followed, his senses heightened.

Deborah stumbled briefly.

"They'll resist us," Erick said, sounding apologetic. But Deborah sounded guilty. The forest grew thick and old. The trees were twisted, almost like they were placed there deliberately to guard something forgotten.

Erick realized they were in the Cursed Forest. The air felt heavier.

Deborah stopped, holding up a hand. She pulled out Thorne's map and studied it in the moonlight.

Erick waited.

Despite the danger, Erick almost smiled.

They walked for what felt like hours, but the moon barely moved. Time seemed different here.

Erick noticed strange things, like trees with silver and gold bark. Deborah spoke suddenly. Erick stopped and listened.

Deborah turned to face him. Her amber eyes glowed in the moonlight. "The golden light," she said.

Erick's jaw tightened.

Something flickered in Deborah's face.

Deborah looked away. "The shrine should be closed." She tripped, and Erick instinctively grabbed her elbow.

Silver and gold light sparked where they touched, less powerful than before, but still intense. Erick felt the connection between them, the sense of a door opening. He remembered Deborah's fierce protectiveness towards her pack.

Deborah pulled away, breaking the connection. She stepped back, breathing hard, her hand on her chest. She closed her eyes briefly. "Every time we touch..."

"The mate bond," Erick said softly. Her eyes snapped open, blazing.

Before Erick could speak, the forest changed. Magic surged, and Deborah gasped, swaying. Erick moved towards her but hesitated to touch her. Deborah's voice sounded distant.

She walked forward like in a trance, the map glowing in her hands. Erick followed, feeling intense danger, but unable to leave her side.

They reached the shrine, an ancient stone structure covered in moss and carved with unsettling symbols.

Deborah approached the shrine slowly.

As soon as she touched it, silver fire exploded around the clearing.

"Deborah!" Erick lunged forward, but an invisible force threw him back.

She was in the center of the shrine, surrounded by flames that didn't burn. Her eyes had turned completely silver, shining like moons.

Somehow, Erick caught her as she fell, the barrier gone.

The silver light vanished from her eyes, turning them amber again. "You touched the shrine and..." The silver birthmark on her shoulder, once small, now covered half her upper back, with intricate patterns like frost.

Deborah looked at the mark, twisting to see it. She gasped. "Whatever we woke up during the binding ceremony, it changed me."

Erick looked at his own wrist. The golden mark there had also grown, spiraling up his forearm.

They sat in the clearing, their backs to the shrine, watching the forest for any sign of pursuit. The sounds of the night were gone. Even the insects were silent.

"Erick," Deborah said finally, after a long silence.

Deborah didn't answer, but she didn't move away. They sat quietly as the moon moved across the sky.

Eventually, they both fell asleep from exhaustion.

Deborah’s POV

The dream washed over her like a wave.

Deborah stood in a throne room, bathed in moonlight and shadows. Two thrones were there, one silver, one gold, side by side. Both were empty, waiting for someone.

"Daughter of flames," a voice echoed, old and everywhere at once. "You've avoided what you're meant to be for too long."

"Deborah, you must embrace what you must become." A woman appeared, with silver hair and eyes like stars. "The Eclipse is coming," she said, with a sad smile. "Two parts are split from a broken whole."

The throne room began to crack, and darkness seeped through.

"Time is running out. The sorcerer is making his moves." The woman started to fade. "Learn the truth of your birth, daughter of flames. Before the next eclipse, you must remember what was taken." Deborah reached out, but the woman vanished, and the dream clung to her like shards of glass.

Deborah woke up with a gasp, her name echoing in her mind. It wasn't her voice, but something old, calling her home.

Erick was asleep beside her, looking peaceful in the moonlight. He seemed so young, without his usual guarded expression.

Her hand moved on its own, reaching toward him, wanting to touch him, to be sure their connection was real.

She stopped just before touching him.

The moment you need someone, he or she can destroy you.

Pulling back, she settled against the cold stone. A feeling settled in Deborah's mind: she was already too late.

Dawn was still far off, but something in the darkness was watching.

Waiting to attack.