Elara stood on the edge of the village, her feet sinking into the wet earth as she gazed out at the distant woods. The same woods where her father had fallen, where the beast had disappeared into the shadows. The villagers, though sympathetic, had moved on, their lives resuming as if nothing had changed. They spoke in hushed tones of the "wild beast" that had terrorized them, but none of them seemed to understand the true nature of what had attacked her father.
Her father's words echoed in her mind, his final command: "Don't stop."
She couldn't. She wouldn't. There was more to the creature's attack than just a hunt gone wrong. The beast that had torn through the forest wasn't just any animal—it was a manifestation of something far older, far darker. And Elara was certain that it wasn't finished with her yet.
The moon had risen higher in the sky, casting an ethereal glow over the land. Elara clenched her fists, her thoughts sharp and focused. She had to know the truth—about the creature, about the curse, about the bloodline that tied her to it. But where to begin?
---
The elder, Old Marla, had been the village historian, the keeper of secrets and stories long buried. When Elara approached her that morning, she had been met with a curious glance, followed by silence. It was a silence that Elara knew all too well—the kind that preceded the revealing of uncomfortable truths.
"Your father spoke of the curse," Elara said, standing before the elder's small, humble cottage. "What did he mean by that? And why… why did the creature look at me?"
Old Marla's eyes narrowed, and she motioned for Elara to sit. The fire crackled in the hearth, casting long shadows across the room as the elder began to speak.
"The Drayton family," Marla began, her voice low, "is no ordinary bloodline. For generations, your ancestors were protectors of the village, but that protection came at a cost. It is said that one of your forebears made a pact with the forest spirits, a pact that bound your family to the curse of the wolf."
Elara's heart raced.
"A pact?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Yes," Marla continued. "The pact was meant to safeguard the village from ancient enemies, creatures that roamed the earth long before men came into power. But the price of that protection was steep. Every few generations, a member of the Drayton bloodline would be born with the curse—the curse of the wolf."
Elara's mind swirled. "You mean… a werewolf?"
Marla nodded slowly. "Yes. But it is more than that. The curse is not just about becoming the beast. It is about the bloodline that carries it. Your father was a protector, yes. But he was also marked. And so are you."
Elara recoiled. The room seemed to close in around her, her thoughts racing. Her father had been a protector, had fought the dark forces for as long as she could remember. But she had never known of this curse. Could it be true?
"If I carry this curse," Elara said, her voice trembling, "what does that mean for me?"
"It means," Old Marla replied, her voice growing quieter, "that you are marked by fate. And you must choose how to fight it—if you even can."
---
That night, Elara stood before the forest once more. The air was thick with tension, as though the very trees were waiting for something to happen. Her mind was consumed by the elder's words. She was marked. A part of a bloodline bound to an ancient curse.
But Elara would not accept this as her fate. She couldn't. Her father's death had ignited something within her—a fire that would not be extinguished by mere superstition or the passing of time.
She would find the creature. She would end the curse.
But she knew she would not do it alone.
---
The sound of footsteps behind her caused her to turn. There, standing in the shadows, was a man—tall, with a powerful build and eyes that gleamed like amber. His presence was unmistakable.
"You're not alone," he said, his voice deep, almost hypnotic. "I've been watching you, Elara Drayton."
Elara tensed, her hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of her dagger.
"And who are you?" she demanded.
"My name is Kael," the man replied, stepping closer. "And I know what you're seeking. I've come to help you."