Chapter 7: The Unspoken History
Melissa's POV
I watched Kane pace back and forth while standing with my arms crossed in the darkened cabin. The strain was intolerable.
I said firmly, despite the flurry of emotions churning inside me, "You owe me the truth, Kane. No more half-answers." How are you related to Damon?"
He paused and combed through his dark hair with his hand. "It's not that easy, Melissa."
"Isn't it never with you? I stepped closer and snapped. "From the beginning, you have been concealing something. Kane, I trusted you. You left me on my own after rejecting me, and now you're still holding secrets?"
For a second, his eyes softened, and then he averted his sight. "To keep you safe, I had to turn you away."
"What will you protect me from? I yelled as my patience gave out. From Damon? From you? Or is it something else?"
His jaw tensed as he paused. "I used to be allies with Damon."
The words struck me hard. Unable to conceal the betrayal in my eyes, I gazed at him. "Comrades? Even so, what does that mean?"
His voice was low as he uttered, "It was a long time ago." "Before I realized what a monster he truly was." I believed at the time that we shared the same objectives and a common vision for the packs. I was wrong."
"Wrong?" I repeated, my voice trembling. "You're telling me this now, even though you worked with him? Are you concealing anything else?"
With a harsh tone, Kane remarked, "That's all you need to know."
"No, it's not!" I shouted, anger and hurt boiling over. "You don't get to decide what I need to know. This is my life, my child's life, and you're keeping me in the dark!"
With a quieter but equally passionate voice, Kane took a step closer. "You believe I enjoy this? Do you believe that I don't despise myself for my actions? Melissa, I'm attempting to fix it. But other things… some things I can't undo."
I saw the agony in his eyes, but it wasn't enough to quiet the tempest inside me. "Maybe it's too late to fix it," I said coldly. "Maybe the damage is already done."
Kane's gaze hardened, but before he could answer, the sound of distant howling shattered the tension in the room.
"They've found us," he muttered grimly, gripping his sword.
Outside, the air was thick with the scent of danger. Shadows moved fast through the trees, and the ground seemed to quake under the weight of approaching footfall.
"Kane! As I followed him into the clearing, I yelled. "What's happening?"
His voice was tight as he said, "Damon's warriors." "They came to complete what they began."
As dozens of people with menacingly bright eyes stepped out of the shadows, my heart began to race.
With his blade shining in the moonlight, Kane commanded, "Stay behind me."
I couldn't just stand there, though. I was no longer a defenceless bystander.
The initial assault was swift and vicious. With his accurate and lethal attacks, Kane moved like a natural force. But they were too numerous.
One of the fighters rushed toward me after breaching Kane's fortifications. My instincts took over, and I lifted my hands while letting out a frantic cry.
Then it took place.
The warrior was knocked back by a golden light that erupted from my hands as a surge of power exploded from within me. I could feel the untamed, wild energy pulsing through me; it was more powerful than anything I had ever experienced.
The battlefield went still for a moment, all eyes on me.
"What was that, exactly? I muttered as I looked at my hands.
Kane turned to face me, his face displaying a mixture of surprise and fear. "Elissa..."
The battle continued before I could comprehend what had just transpired, as another wave of warriors launched an attack. However, I wasn't watching from the sidelines this time.
I moved with strength and speed I didn't realize I had until the power within me blazed once more. Kane and I battled back together, forcing the assailants to flee.
I fell to my knees as the last of them ran away, the energy vanishing as fast as it had appeared.
Kane knelt next to me and said, "Melissa, are you okay?"
I gave a feeble nod, my thoughts racing. "What is going on with me?"
He helped me stand up and said, "We need answers." "And I am aware of their location."
Kane led me deeper into the forest, to a place I never knew existed. The air grew colder, and the trees seemed to close in around us, their branches forming a natural canopy that blocked out the moonlight.
At last, we arrived at a secret cave with a dense vine covering its entrance. Kane drew them away, exposing a tiny, bright haven inside.
Inside, the air was different, tingling on my skin with an old-world vitality. In the centre of the room stood a man enveloped in darkness.
"Who are you? My voice reverberated across the cavern as I asked.
A wrinkled face with piercing eyes that seemed to see straight through me was revealed as the figure stepped forward. "I am Eldric," he stated in a rich, powerful voice. "And, Melissa, I've been waiting for you."
"Are you waiting on me? Confused, I repeated. "Why?"
"Because you are the last in her line," Eldric stated, his eyes demanding attention. "The offspring of the wolf goddess who formerly guarded this territory."
I gazed at him, my brain straining to comprehend what he had said. "What are you discussing?"
Eldric motioned for us to take a seat, his face solemn. "Melissa, your power is both a blessing and a curse. Damon and Lyra have taken notice of it and will do whatever it takes to take it for themselves.
"How can I prevent them? With a hint of urgency in my voice, I asked.
"You have to know yourself first," Eldric stated. "After that, you have to accept your fate."
At the rear of the sanctuary, Eldric guided us to a little altar. Ancient markings that had lost their meaning over time gleamed dimly on its surface.
Eldric said, "There is a prophecy," in a profoundly meaningful voice. It describes a child descended from the deity. If the mother accepts her actual power, this child will hold the key to putting an end to Damon and Lyra's reign of horror.
A shiver went down my back. "You mean my baby?"
Eldric gave a nod. Indeed. But Melissa, take caution. There is peril on the way ahead. Damon won't stop until he has taken the child and you.
I balled my hands into fists. "He won't take us," I yelled. "I refuse to allow him to."
My shoulder was touched by Kane. With a calm voice, he declared, "We'll fight together."
But before Eldric could continue, a low, menacing growl reverberated through the cave and the ground under us shook.
Eldric narrowed his eyes and muttered, "They've found us."
I realized then that we were out of time. One thought kept returning to me as we hurried to get ready for the impending storm: the conflict was only getting started.