Page 171 of Moonlit Fate

It took time and effort, but I eventually made it to the oak tree. When I placed both hands on its sturdy trunk, heat pulsed in both hands before draining away. I fell to my knees and dug at the earth, dirt wedging beneath my fingernails. Sweat dripped off my brow, mixing with the soil as I dug deeper.

“Come on,” I muttered, the urgency pulsing through my veins like a drumbeat.

Finally,finally, my hands hit something hard nestled under the gnarled roots of the ancient tree. I brushed away the remaining dirt, revealing the relic. It was smaller than I expected, no bigger than my fist. As soon as my skin made contact, a shockwave slammed into me. Raw, untamed power.

I gasped, unable to contain the surprise. The cold bite of the relic against my skin sent a sharp jolt through me. My muscles tensed, every hair on my arms standing on end.

“Whoa,” I muttered, the sensation grounding me to the spot. I turned the relic over in my hand. A soft glow emanated from its surface, pulsing gently, almost as though it recognized me as its keeper. Despite the situation, I grinned. No more waiting, no more searching. It was time to act.

I pocketed the relic, its weight settling against my thigh. Every second counted. Aria was out there, possibly waiting, probably worried that I hadn’t been to see her yet. I couldn’t keep her in the dark, not about this. I shifted, the relic remaining with me, and ran. The urgency to reach her pushed me forward. Once I got closer, I could shadow walk, but from this distance I’d have to do many small bursts, which would only exhaust me.

So I ran. With each step, the hard-packed ground solid beneath my paws; the vibrations traveling up my legs. My breaths came in quick pants, hot and heavy in the damp night air. Out of nowhere, a sense of impending came over me. Aria. Something was wrong. Heart racing, I pushed myself to the limit.

Then... Nothing. My connection to Aria vanished. Not just muted, but totally, utterly silent. Like it had never been there at all.

Her mental shields weren’t strong enough to cut me off completely.

I pounded the earth, shifting back and forth between wolf and shadow. The rhythm used to soothe me, but not now.Not with the silence in my head where Aria should be. Each transition drained me a little more, but I couldn’t stop. Couldn’t slow down.

The forest was a blur and whispers of wind, nothing more. Usually, the night spoke to me, alive with hidden secrets. Tonight, it was just a path, a means to an end. My breath hitched, my heart hammered against my ribs, not from the run, but from the fear. I growled as I stumbled over an unseen root, barely catching myself. I couldn’t keep up the shadow walking for much longer, but the thought of being any later clawed at my throat. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. I could feel it in the hollow pit of my stomach, in the way my skin crawled.

“Aria, where are you?”No answer came, nothing but oppressive silence.

I broke through a thicket, panting, the familiar scent of home finally hitting my nostrils. It did nothing to ease the panic. If anything, the closer I got, the deeper the knife of her absence twisted inside me.

My legs trembled. Aria and I were linked, soul deep. To lose that connection...

I couldn’t think like that. I tried to beat back the dark thoughts creeping in. She was fine. She had to be.

As I raced through the woods, the bite of reality sank its teeth into me, relentless and cruel. I couldn’t sense her. Couldn’t feel even a tendril of her presence. That bond we shared, that guide through darkness and distance, gone.

No.A roar tore from my throat. The need to see her, to find her safe... It consumed me, burning through the fatigue like wildfire through dry brush.

The boundary markers of my territory came into sight, the scents and sounds so familiar, but they did nothing to lift the crushing weight off my chest. The connection with Aria, alwaysa pulsing lifeline, was now just emptiness. It gnawed at me, an anchor dragging me down into dark waters.

I paused, looking over the expanse of land that led to my den. Nothing. No flicker of her aura, no whisper of her thoughts. Every instinct screamed that something wasn’t right. I shook my head, trying to dislodge the panic that clung to me.

I forced one foot in front of the other. Aria was strong. She was a fighter.

The silence was louder than any roar, any growl I could muster. Doubt crept in and images flashed through my mind. Aria hurt, Aria captured, Aria... worse. Each scenario left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Fuck. I ran faster, driven by the need to make those thoughts lies. To see her, alive and well, to feel her laugh through our bond again.

I shifted and stepped into the den. It felt like walking into a void. My boots thudded against the wooden floor, the sound bouncing back at me, empty. I searched room to room, but there was no sign of Aria. No lingering warmth of her presence, just cold air and silence. She should have been here, where I left her, her energy mingling with mine. Not overpowering, just there like a heartbeat. Now, nothing. Each empty space pulled my hope down another notch.

“Damn it,” I muttered. The light outside dimmed, marking the day’s end, and with it, my optimism faded.

I couldn’t stand still, not when every instinct screamed that something was wrong. I left the den again, letting the shadows embrace me. I shadow walked, the need to find Aria pushing me to the edge of madness. Exhaustion be damned.

As I moved unseen through the twilight, images of Caius flashed before my eyes. His hunger for power knew no bounds. What if he’d done something to Aria? Leaving her alone had been a mistake.

I growled. I should’ve let her come with me.

The manor’s lights pierced the dusk. I stepped out of the shadows and rushed forward.

In the foyer, Eldan was hammering a piece of wood into place, building what looked like a shelf. Seren corralled a group of younger shifters nearby, her voice firm but encouraging.

They both looked up as I approached. Eldan’s hand stilled, hammer mid-swing. Surprise flashed across their faces before it crumbled into worry.

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