The words echoed in Elara's mind like a haunting refrain, each syllable carrying a weight she wasn't prepared to carry. Varian. The name felt foreign and familiar all at once, stirring something deep within her, a fragment of memory, a distant connection she couldn't quite grasp. The truth was becoming clearer, but it only raised more questions.
She stood in the clearing, her pack still fighting behind her, the chaos of the battle a distant hum in the background. But Elara was no longer fully present in the battle. The strange voice, Varian's voice, reverberated in her consciousness, pulling her into a world she hadn't known existed. She had to understand.
"Varian…" Elara whispered, her voice shaky as the weight of his revelation settled over her. "What do you mean? You were the leader of the Lunaris Pack? How is that possible?"
There was a long pause before Varian's voice filled her thoughts again. It was calmer now, laced with a deep sorrow that seemed to mirror Elara's own confusion.
"I was once your protector, Elara," Varian began, his voice gentle but filled with the raw emotion of a painful past. "But I am more than that. I was the last Alpha of the original Lunaris Pack, before the bloodlines fractured and the pack was divided."
Elara's breath caught. "The original Lunaris Pack? I've never heard of this. The Lunaris Pack I lead"
"is a shadow of what it once was," Varian interrupted, his voice steady but burdened. "The history of your bloodline is more complicated than you've been told. The Lunaris Pack was once one of the most powerful wolf clans, tied to the very heart of the forest itself. We were bound by an ancient magic, a force that connected our pack to the land. But that power was corrupted, fractured over time, and the Bloodthorn Pack... they took advantage of it."
Elara's mind raced as the pieces began to fall into place. The history of her pack, the ancient magic she had always felt but never fully understood, the strange connection she'd felt to the forest, it was all connected. "So, the Bloodthorn Pack… they've been after this power all along?"
Varian's voice grew more intense. "Yes. The Bloodthorn Pack seeks to control the magic that flows through your bloodline. They believe that by capturing you, they can unlock the ancient powers that once bound the Lunaris Pack to the forest."
Elara's heart pounded in her chest. The weight of his words was heavy, but it was the last part that stopped her cold. "What do you mean, capture me?"
"They don't just want your pack, Elara. They want you, your bloodline, your connection to the forest. They know that you are the last of the true Lunaris bloodline. You are the key to unlocking the full potential of the Lunaris Pack, and they'll stop at nothing to control that power."
Elara felt her world tilt, as if the ground beneath her feet was shifting. She wasn't just fighting for the survival of her pack. She was fighting for something far more dangerous. Her own bloodline. The truth of her legacy was more than she could have imagined, and the weight of it nearly crushed her.
"But… why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Elara asked, her voice trembling with confusion and anger. "Why hide all of this from me? Why not protect me when the Bloodthorn Pack first came after me?"
Varian's voice softened, filled with regret. "I never wanted to burden you, Elara. You were meant to lead your pack, to forge your own path. But now, the time has come for you to understand. The Bloodthorn Pack won't stop until they have what they want, and you must be ready. You are the last hope for your bloodline and the forest itself."
Elara's thoughts churned, grappling with the enormity of what Varian had revealed. The Lunaris Pack's history, her own bloodline, the ancient magic she had always felt within her—everything was starting to make sense. But there was one thing she needed to understand more than anything.
Why are you… here, now? You were the leader of the Lunaris Pack, why are you not helping us now? What happened to you?"
The sadness in Varian's voice deepened. "I fell."
Elara's pulse quickened as his words sank in. "What do you mean? How?"
"The Bloodthorn Pack… they weren't always our enemy. Once, long ago, they were our allies. But power corrupts, Elara. The Bloodthorn Pack's ambitions grew darker, and they sought to claim the power of the Lunaris Pack for themselves. I tried to stop them, but I was betrayed. The alpha of the Bloodthorn Pack, a wolf named jackson, deceived me, poisoned my mind with promises of peace and power. He led me astray, and in the end, he took everything from me. My pack, my position as alpha, and my connection to the forest's magic."
Elara's breath caught in her throat as she processed the weight of his words. "So you were—"
"Yes," Varian confirmed, his voice pained. "I was the one who failed. And because of my failure, the Lunaris Pack was fractured. It became just a shadow of what it once was, scattered and weakened. The Bloodthorn Pack used my weakness to divide the clans, and now they believe they can control what was once ours."
Elara's mind reeled with the revelation. She had always known that her pack's history was complicated, but hearing Varian's story, that the pack had once been one of the most powerful, and that it had fallen so deeply, was a disheartening.
"So… you're not just an enemy," Elara said softly, her voice trembling. "You're part of the reason the Bloodthorn Pack is after me. You were their target all along."
There was a long silence before Varian's voice returned, quieter now. "I made mistakes, Elara. But I'm here to help you. To correct part of mistake(s). You are the only one who can stop the Bloodthorn Pack now. You must claim the power that is rightfully yours, or else everything we've fought for will be lost."
Elara stood motionless in the clearing, her body still trembling from the weight of Varian's confession. Her pack was still fighting behind her, but she could feel her connection to them starting to shift. The battle wasn't just for survival anymore. It was a battle for something much greater, something that stretched back through time.
As much as she had fought to protect her pack, to honor the its legacy, she realized now that the true war had only just begun. The Bloodthorn Pack wasn't just a rival, they were a manifestation of everything that had been lost. And if Elara didn't take action now, if she didn't embrace her full power, there was a real possibility that the Bloodthorn Pack could seize it all.
Varian's words still echoed in her mind, the gravity of the truth weighing heavily on her heart. "The Bloodthorn Pack will stop at nothing. They will use your bloodline, your magic. You are the key, Elara. You must embrace your destiny."
But how? How could she claim the power that Varian spoke of? What was she truly capable of?
She glanced over her shoulder at rowen, who was still locked in combat with a fierce Bloodthorn wolf. His golden eyes flashed with determination, his body strong and unyielding. He was her closest ally, her most trusted warrior. Could she trust him with the truth? Could she share with him what she was now learning about her past?
There was no more time for hesitation. Elara had no choice but to face the truth of her bloodline, the ancient magic that ran through her veins. But more than that, she had to lead her pack into the next stage of this war.
And that would mean confronting her past, and the darkness that had once threatened to destroy everything she held dear.