Chapter 9: THE AWAKENING

"—They're inside the border," Derrick gasped, clutching his side. "We don't have time." Alina rushed to his side, helping him stay upright. "What is it? What did you see?" Derrick's eyes locked onto mine, burning with something fierce. "It's not just hunters. Something else came with them—something darker. It's looking for *her*." My breath caught. "Me?" He nodded, staggering back a step. "It knew your name, Lina. It *whispered* it." The room fell silent, the fire now just embers. Alina's hands trembled. "If it spoke her name... then it's begun. The binding is weakening." "The what?" I whispered, voice small. Derrick looked at me, grim. "The seal that's kept your bloodline dormant. The moment you shifted—or tried to—it started unraveling. That thing outside… it was waiting for that moment." I backed away, chest heaving. "You're saying this is my fault?" "No," Alina said, stepping between us. "But it *is* your fight." A shadow flickered past the broken door. Low, rasping growls curled in from the dark. Derrick bared his teeth. "If we're going to survive tonight, we fight as one." "Or we don't fight at all," Alina added, her voice barely above a whisper. The growl came again—closer this time. "…Because *you* are the turning point," Derrick finished, his voice barely above a whisper. "And they're here to make sure you choose *wrong*." Alina moved beside me, placing a steadying hand on my arm. "You don't have to face this alone, Lina." I shook my head slowly, disbelief warring with the rising panic inside me. "I don't even know what I'm choosing. I didn't ask for any of this." "You were born for it," Derrick said, straightening despite the blood dripping down his side. "You carry the blood of both lineages—hunter and wolf. You're the first of your kind." Outside, something scraped along the cabin wall. A long, deliberate drag—claws over wood. Alina's voice was urgent now. "We have to move. If they break through, we won't stand a chance in here." I looked between them—Alina steady and fierce, Derrick bloodied but unbroken. And I realized there was no running from this. I had to become what they feared. Or die as what they hunted. "Then tell me what to do," I whispered. "Because I'm done being in the dark." Derrick stepped in front of me instinctively, his arm outstretched. "Back off," he growled, his voice edged with fury. The figure didn't flinch. "You think you can protect her? She was never meant to be hidden. She was meant to choose." Alina appeared at my side, eyes narrowed. "She'll choose when *she's* ready. Not when monsters like you demand it." The figure tilted its head, amused. "You still think this is about readiness? The prophecy is already in motion. The only question left is… who will survive it?" Suddenly, a gust of icy wind swept through the trees, snuffing out the lantern Derrick carried. In the moment of darkness, the figure vanished—no sound, no trace. Derrick turned to me, his face pale. "We don't have time. The lines have been drawn." I met his gaze, swallowing the rising fear. "Then show me how to fight." Derrick turned sharply toward the cabin as Luca stepped out from the shadows, eyes burning with restrained fury. "Took you long enough," Derrick muttered, stepping protectively in front of me. Luca's jaw clenched. "You shouldn't have brought her out here." "I *had* to," Derrick snapped. "She needed to see what's coming. You're too busy hiding truths to realize what she's walking into." Alina moved between them. "Stop it. This isn't the time." "No," Derrick growled. "It *is*. He's been keeping secrets. About the prophecy. About *her*." Luca's eyes darkened. "I did it to protect her." "Bullshit," Derrick spat. "You did it to protect yourself. You knew what she was. You knew they'd come—and still you left her in the dark." I stepped forward, heart racing. "Is that true, Luca?" Luca looked at me, guilt flickering in his expression. "I didn't want you to carry this weight before you had to." Alina's voice was low but sharp. "And now she's drowning in it." Derrick shook his head. "You still think you can control this? Control *her*?" Luca turned to him, voice cold. "I never wanted to control her. But I'll protect her. Even from *you*." Tension cracked in the air like thunder. The forest watched in silence. And I stood in the center, torn between truths, between destinies. "Enough," I said quietly. "This ends now. No more secrets. No more lies. If I'm the key to this war—then I decide how it ends." I turned away from them, my thoughts screaming louder than their argument ever could. *They keep fighting like I'm something fragile. Like I'll break if they say too much. But I'm already breaking from everything they've kept from me.* I felt Luca's presence behind me before he spoke. "Lina." I didn't move. "You think I don't want to tell you everything?" His voice was quiet now, almost broken. "I'm trying to protect you." I turned to face him slowly, my voice trembling. "Then stop protecting me like I'm some child you're afraid to lose. I'm already lost, Luca." His eyes searched mine, and for a moment, all the anger melted from his face. "You're not lost," he said, stepping closer, his hand reaching up to gently cup my cheek. "You're just waking up to who you are." His touch sent heat rippling through me, but it wasn't just attraction—it was something older. Deeper. My heart beat faster. *Why does his touch calm the chaos in my chest… and ignite it all at once?* I didn't pull away. "Lina," he whispered, voice low, intimate. "If I lose you… I lose everything." Before I could respond, before I could even decide what I felt, the window shattered. A scream tore through the night—inhuman. And close. Luca stepped in front of me instantly. "Stay behind me." But something told me—this time, I wouldn't be the one hiding.