The Moons Promise

CHAPTER THREE

Unleashed Shadows

Arias POV

Kieran led the way away from the cabin, his massive wolf form darting through the trees with inhumane precision. We followed suit, not saying anything as the forest became a blur of moonlit shadows.

Despite the intense amount of ache I felt in my legs, I kept on going because of the adrenaline that coursed through my veins. The battle in the cabin had left us feeling exhausted, but we knew that there was no time to rest.

We needed to get to the nearest safe house as soon as possible because the rogues would most likely regroup and attack again.

I still felt as though Elias was not as vindictive as we painted him out to be. He seemed lost - like he was made for so much more than just the alpha of the rogues.

I could still feel the remnants of the power that coursed through me back there tingle on the tip of my fingers which caused me to shudder.

What was that?

It was a fiery, untamed force that not only thrilled me but also terrified me.

Kieran slowed down, and his ears began twitching. He suddenly came to a halt in the middle of a clearing, his golden eyes searching the area as darkness engulfed us.

Ronan came to a halt beside me, his chest heaving steadily despite the breakneck pace.

“Something feels wrong,” Kieran growled, sticking up his nose into the air and sniffing the area before shifting back to his human form. His chiseled jawline was etched with tension and his gaze locked on the tree line as if he could see something we couldn’t.

“What are you talking about…” the words barely left my mouth when I suddenly felt a shift in the atmosphere. I looked at Ronan and Kieran and I saw that they could feel it too. It felt like the shadows were moving and there was a ripple.

A chill breeze blew around the clearing, causing the leaves to swirl in a circular motion. The scent in the air made my stomach churn - blood and decay.

“Rogues? They found us already?” I inquired, my heart beat racing faster than usual.

“No,” Ronan answered sharply, his gaze piercing into mine. “This isn’t them.” He shook his head, his eyes darting across the forest frantically.

And suddenly we heard it, a low guttural howl came from within the forest. A sound that made my blood run cold. Then, a figure stepped out into the moonlight- it wasn’t a rogue. It was something much worse, something even deadlier.

The creature was tall and sturdy like a tree, but its body was twisted. It had a grotesque combination of a man and a beast. It also had no face, instead, tongue-like features were propping out of where its face was supposed to be, and that glowed like crimson. The jagged claws on its arms dripped black ichor.

Kieran cursed under his breath, “shadowburn!”

My breath hitched in my throat as my eyes widened. I felt my pulse and heart rate slow down, beating louder against my eardrums as I drank at the appearance of the creature.

The name sent a shiver down my spine. I’d heard stories of this creature before now- a creature borne out of pure dark magic and vengeance with a motive to wreak havoc. I had only thought they existed in bedtime stories to scare children, but now I stood before one.

This wasn’t a story - this was real life. And I was standing before an actual monster- an inexplicable one at that.

“Stay back, Aria,” Kieran stated, stepping in front of me. His tone left no room for argument.

I glared at the back of his head, wondering if he was crazy.

This was a shadowburn! If any of the stories were true, then it’d take only a silver flake to kill it and that was found in the hearth of a volcano.

Before I could protest, the Shadowburn lunged at us without warning. Shooting venomous liquid from its tongue. Luckily, we ducked in time.

There wasn’t any time to regroup as it reached for Ronan's throat with its jagged claws, but Ronan shifted almost immediately, meeting the creature head-on.

The impact shook the ground, causing me to stumble back, barely holding my balance.

Kieran shifted also, pouncing on the shadowburn, but he was too heavy. It felt like each blow angered it the more.

Ronan jumped, clamping his jaw against Shadowburn’s throat. It twisted and turned, flinging Ronan away like he was nothing. Ronan landed on a tree, his back hitting with a thud.

“Ronan!” I screamed and ran to him, wanting to check if he was okay.

His neck was broken, so I used my healing powers to make him feel better. His world was tired.

Kieran continued to battle with the shadowburn, teeth snarling. They tore at each other, neither of them relenting. Ronan switched back to his human form, wielding his blade and lunging for the creature, but the shadow burn was fast - too fast.

I watched as the two men struggled to pin down the shadowburn and I suddenly felt useless, rooted to one spot.

I felt it again.

The same fiery tingles I had felt earlier in the cabin came again.

“No, no…” I whispered as the energy within me became stronger than before. It started as a small pulse, growing rapidly with each passing second, demanding to be unleashed.

I dug my nails into my flesh, in an attempt to distract me. “No!” I whispered out breezily, “Not now!”

But the power didn’t listen-of course, it couldn’t.

It surged forward, consuming me and pushing me to the brink. The world seemed to slow down drastically and the fight became distant and distorted— everything else became clear.

The shadowburn turned to me, its crimson face taking me in. It paused, sniffing the air around me as if sensing the sudden change within me.

“Aria no!” Kieran’s protest was loud and distant over the roar that was going on in my head.

The Shadowburn charged towards me, its movement blurring as it closed the distance between us. I didn’t feel scared, instead I felt renewed strength. I instinctively raised my hand and the power within me surged like a wave of blinding light.

The creature screamed as the light consumed it. The screeching sound caused the birds in the trees to flutter away. When the brilliance faded, the shadowburn was gone. The only evidence that he was there was the swirling ash-like dust in the air.

The clearing fell silent.

I staggered, the sudden loss of energy leaving me very weak. My knees buckled, but Kieran was there just in time to catch me before I fell. Somewhere within the chaos, he must have shifted back to his human form and I must have been oblivious. His strong arms wrapped around me.

“What was that?” Ronan gaped, his voice low and cautious as he approached me.

I shook my head as I struggled to catch my breath, “I don’t know.”

Kieran’s hold on me tightened, and his eyes locked on me, searching for something-answers perhaps that I didn’t have. My chest still heaved heavily after the amount of energy I had just expelled.

“You just destroyed a Shadowburn with pure light magic. There was no presence of any silver flake. That is something even the strongest alphas can do.”

Ronan crossed his arms across his jaw before stroking his chin, “it’s not just light magic at play here. It’s something else-something darker, something powerful.”

Panic momentarily paralyzed me. “W…what are you saying?” I stuttered.

Kieran grunted, “We are saying that whatever you are is way more dangerous than either of us realized.”

The journey to the next safe house was tense. Neither Ronan nor Kieran said anything as they led the way.

Their usual bickering was now replaced with a heavy silence. My stomach growled loudly, signifying that I was hungry.

I hadn’t eaten since I left my pack-Vale pack. A forlorn feeling consumed me as I remembered my home. Why did I have to leave?

“Once we get to the safe house, you’ll eat. You must be famished,” Kieran stated, and a blush crept up my cheek. Of course, he heard my stomach grumble with his super wolf hearing.

After a while, we got to the house.

“I’ll be right back,” Kieran said the moment we got to the house. He excused himself and, once again, I was left alone with Ronan. I yawned because I was exhausted.

Kieran reappeared and set a dish before me.

“Eat up!” Was the only thing he said before excusing himself.

“Try not to set the house on fire,” Ronan joked and offered a small smile.

I chuckled, “I’ll try.”

I was finally alone and, for the first time since the nightmare began, I cried. The tears flooded in torrents and I didn’t hold it back. I allowed it to wash away the fear and confusion I had been feeling.

But my moment of reprieve was shortlived as a scream tore through the still night air.

Adrenaline surged through my veins again as I rushed outside. I hadn’t even touched the food Kieran had brought for me.

“What happened?” I inquired, glancing at both Kieran and Ronan.

“They’ve found us,” Kieran answered, his golden eyes blazing with fury. I didn’t have time to ask who when a pack of wolves came battering through the door, led by Elias.

“You thought you could hide her from me?” Elias asked, his eyes glinting maliciously.

“She’s not yours to keep Elias!” Ronan shouted, his usual calm demeanor dissipating.

“Neither is she yours nor yours,” he countered, turning to face Kieran. “She’s the prophecy- and mine!” Elias growled.

Without further warning, he pranced forward and I charged.

The light that surged within me this time was tinged with darkness and the room filled with an eerie glow. Elias froze, his expression morphing from triumph to fear in an instant as the magic engulfed him.

The last thing I saw was his face contorted in terror and a large explosion.

Then, everything went blank.