Page 200 of Moonlit Fate

“Your control is remarkable,” he continued, his form glimmering like a flame in a drafty room. “It’s as if the elements are an extension of your soul.”

I grinned at the praise. It did feel like the wind and earth were part of me, bending to my intention as easily as moving my own limbs. I glanced up at the sky, now a canvas of twilight blues and purples against the setting sun. It was beautiful, serene, a sharp contrast to the insanity that had become my life.

“Let’s try something bigger,” I suggested, feeling that itch for a challenge. I reached out with my senses, feeling for the water in the air, the moisture that lay dormant in the grass and soil.

“Are you sure?” Lorian’s tone shifted, cautious yet curious. He hovered closer, a whisper of history in his translucent gaze.

“Absolutely.” I focused, feeling the magic rise up, a living thing eager to answer my call. With a sweep of my arms, the ground beneath us trembled, and droplets of water rose from the ground, shimmering like a thousand tiny stars against the darkening sky.

“Remarkable,” Lorian said.

“It feels right,” I said. The water danced around us, and I shaped it into forms, figures that twisted and turned in a delicate ballet.

“Your ancestors would be proud. You’re not just preserving their legacy; you’re redefining it.”

I lowered my arms, letting the water splash gently back to the earth. I was grounded, connected, not just to my past, but to the path I was forging ahead.

The last gust of wind settled, and my heart rate slowed. I could almost hear the whooshing of magic in my veins, an echo of newfound harmony.

“Excellent work,” Lorian said, his ghostly form bowing before me. There was no mockery in his gesture, only respect.

I nodded, feeling a warmth that had nothing to do with the spells I’d cast. “Thanks to you.”

“Only partly.” He straightened, and there was something ancient in his eyes. “You have the spirit of a true leader, Aria. You wield great power.”

“Leader, protector, wielder of great power,” I repeated after him, rolling the words in my mind like pebbles in a stream.

“Exactly.” His words were a soft murmur against the silence of the graveyard. “All those things and more.”

I glanced around at the tombstones, their shadows growing longer as night approached. “It’s a lot to live up to.”

“You will,” Lorian assured me. “You’re ready.”

“Am I?” It wasn’t doubt speaking, just curiosity.

“Without question.” Pride laced his tone, pride directed at me.

“Then I won’t let fear and doubt hold me back. Not anymore.” A smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I looked toward the horizon, where the first stars were starting to twinkle.

“Nor should you,” he agreed. “Fear has no place in the spirit of a champion.”

“Champion, huh?” I liked the sound of that. I turned back to face Lorian. “I guess we’ll see about that.”

I saton the cold stone of an ancient tomb, my muscles aching. Lorian had long since left me to return to the alpha manor to be with Seren. The graveyard was quiet, my only company the whispering leaves and the small night time critters.

A flicker of darkness caught my eye, and relief surged through me as Atticus materialized from the shadows. His presence was a balm to the raw edges of my soul.

“Atticus,” I breathed out, taking in his rugged appearance. “You okay?”

He nodded as he pulled me against his chest. His familiar scent of pine and earth grounded me. It was a relief to see him after he’d spent time with Caius. My imagination on overdrive at all the evil he could do to Atticus before I could release him from the promise he’d made to secure my release.

“I’ve got so much to tell you,” he said.

I leaned back, searching his ice-blue eyes. They held stories untold, secrets that danced just beyond reach. A sudden urge to know more, to understand the depths of his life, gripped me.

“Take me with you,” I blurted out. “To your quarters in Crimson Fang. I need to see where you are when you’re not here.” I needed to witness every aspect of his existence—the highs and lows, the light and the darkness.

Atticus hesitated, his face grave with shadows of thought I couldn’t fully grasp. “Okay, but you’ll need to be very quiet. No one can know that you’re there.”

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