Missy's POV
"This is it," Damion said softly, his voice a low growl sending shivers down my neck. The pack's domain.
My heart raced like a drum, so I paused. The unknown was before me, and for the first time, I wondered if I was prepared to enter this realm. I had no option but to follow. The air was heavy with expectation, and even the trees looked to be watching me as I approached the entrance.
Walking beyond the gates made my heart race. From the shadows, a dozen pairs of eyes greeted mine. Each of the alphas stood like pillars of strength, their presence quite strong. The dirt under my feet seemed to know who they were.
Lucas was the first I saw, towering and broad-shouldered, his posture austere. His eyes, sharp and calculating, fastened into mine with an intensity that made my chest tighten. Every fiber of my being shouted to flee, to escape this world dragging me in.
Damion's voice was strong, yet there was some respect in it as he said, "This is Lucas." One of the alpha leaders. The pack's enforcer.
I couldn't look away from Lucas, so I nodded. He radiated a strong, magnetic aura like a predator quietly judging its prey.
Missy, you're more than simply a visitor here, Lucas remarked, his voice like gravel. Indeed, your presence is a gift. Yet it is also a curse. You have a strength within you that will be challenged in ways you still don't grasp.
His words pierced through me, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. The fear I had attempted to ignore resurfaced, crawling up my skin like fire.
Tried? I said, my voice hardly a whisper. What does that imply?
Lucas did not respond immediately. His gaze, however, danced to Damion as though he were waiting for something. Then, with a slight change, he vanished, leaving me there wondering whether I had only been warned or threatened.
As he walked passed me, Damion's hand brushed against mine, his fingers hanging just a little too long. The contact felt different now, reassuring, yet there was an edge to it, something I couldn't quite identify.
Damion's voice was low, perhaps too soft as he murmured, "Stay close."
The house we walked into was enormous, hewn from stone appearing as ancient as the trees outside. Inside, the air was dense with the aroma of incense and old books, the sort of smell that hinted at secrets buried deep behind the walls. Damion guided me down a twisting corridor into a big chamber packed with antique scrolls and thick books.
"Here," Damion replied, pointing to the bookcases with a reverent tone. The prophecy is stored here.
Walking towards the shelves, my fingers grazed the book spines. Untouched for centuries, they were thick with dust. The air in this chamber felt strange, packed with energy, as if the walls were holding their breath.
Damion moved closer, his presence occupying the area. Missy, you are linked to this. This prophecy is not only about the pack or me. It's about you.
Turning to him, I couldn't conceal the bewilderment on my face. How can I participate in this? I'm only a nurse.
He grinned, but it lacked any comedy. You are more than that. You always were. The prophecy describes a woman, born with the ability to unify the alphas, to restore pack harmony. You were selected for this.
The words rang in my head but never settled. Like a thousand voices all vying for attention, they bounced about in my thoughts; none of them made sense.
How can I take this? Whispering, I felt the burden of my own uncertainty. "This is excessive. I am not... I cannot be the answer to this.
Damion moved closer, his gaze fixing on me with a soft intensity that had my heart racing. You don't have to know everything right now. You will, however. When the moment arrives, you will observe. You will know what it is to be the one the prophecy mentioned.
Shaking my head, I attempted to dispel the turmoil within. But first, before I could answer, something, someone drew my notice.
Darkness flashing in the corner of the room. A shadow that seems to flicker and extend before vanishing completely.
I blinked, not sure whether I had dreamed it. The chill running down my spine, though, assured me it was genuine.
I shut my eyes and in that one second, I saw him. A distant, shadowy person watching me. Though his face was hidden, the sense of danger was unmistakable.
"Damion," I stammered, my voice shaking. "Someone's out there."
Damion appeared to feel the discomfort in my chest tightening. "The rogue alpha," he whispered softly, nearly to himself. "He's nearer than we believed."
The words hit hard, pushing on my chest as I attempted to fit together the pieces of my new world. I was no more simply a nurse. I was something different. Somebody else. An important participant in a society I didn't grasp.
"Missy, you must know the truth," Damion said. Though his tone was gentle, it was nevertheless urgent. Everything is connected to you: the pack, the prophecy. You will guide us and bring us together. Yet, there are perils in front. Not everyone, though, wishes to witness your success.
I gazed at him, the gravity of his remarks seeping in. He was correct. None of it made sense to me. But I could feel it, a pull that beckoned to me in ways I couldn't ignore.
The knowledge struck me as I muttered, "Layla." Isn't she a part of this? Hasn't she been working with the rogue alpha?
Damion's eyes become steely. Indeed. She will do all in her power to make you fail. She understands that should you succeed, everything will be different. She wants the strength for herself.
Each day felt like a haze I couldn't shake off, so the days merged together. The more time I spent with Damion and the pack, the more I felt it, an undercurrent of something churning just below the surface, ready to break loose. Though the feeling just got stronger, I'd try to overlook it and concentrate on other matters.
The pack's presence, their force, appeared to drive it. Every look, every word shared between the alphas made me feel as though I was on the brink of something enormous. Yet there was also the dread that this ability was not only a gift but also something hazardous, something I was unprepared for.
Damion pulled me aside one night to let me see the training areas the pack used to improve their talents. You have to know how to manage it, he replied, his voice as consistent as always but with a hint of something more sinister behind his cool attitude. The pack has to know you are prepared. That you can manage this.
He gave me a little piece of wood, a straightforward training instrument for practice. I held it, sensing the weight of his words land in. It was more than only the physical exercise. I also have to train my mentality.
Swinging the stick to parry an imaginary attack caused me to feel a surge as though something deep inside me had been shocked awake. The air around me grew thicker and the world looked to hold its breath. An uncontrolled energy made my arms shake, nearly vibrating the wooden stick in my grasp.
The stick broke in half, splintering apart like a twig in a storm, before I could prevent it.
All fell quiet. Damion's eyes, hard and calculating, met me; there was no rage, only a quiet recognition. The pack's members traded anxious looks, as the atmosphere became more fraught with doubt.
Damion's voice was quiet, but there was a sharpness to it that suggested I was teetering on the edge of a precipice, uncertain if I would tumble.
I couldn't sleep that night following the disturbing show of power. Questions, uncertainties, anxieties filled my head. Every time I shut my eyes; I saw the broken remnants of that stick as though they were a metaphor for the life I was now living.
Hoping the cool night air would clear my thoughts, I chose to walk. But as I left the pack's main house, I saw Damion standing at the forest's edge gazing into the dark.
Hearing my footsteps, he turned. Having trouble sleeping?
"No," I said, moving closer. The moonlight highlighted his features, further accentuating his strangeness to me. All of this still puzzles me. The power, the prophecy… everything.
Damion's gaze softened, but there was still a harshness below. I understand. It's a lot to absorb. You don't have to do it by yourself, though.
I wished to trust him. I wanted to believe in him and in the universe, he was presenting me. The more I studied, though, the more I understood that nothing was easy. Nothing was just black and white.
"You can trust me," Damion continued, his voice firm, but there was an intensity in his gaze that I couldn't ignore. "But there's something you need to know. Something regarding Layla.
I felt a pang of anxiety. Her?
As though considering his words carefully, he breathed deeply. She has been cooperating with the rogue alpha. She's attempting to upset the pack. Missy, she wishes to exploit you. She wishes to take your strength for herself, Missy, and break the prophecy.
The words struck me like a gut punch. My mind whirled. Layla, my step-sister, the one person I believed I could rely on, was fighting against me? And for what reason?
Damion said, his voice softer but still intense, "I don't want you to go through this alone." "We need to work together. The rogue faction is more dangerous than you realize. And Layla is part of it."
I felt a wave of nausea wash over me. "I don't understand... why would she do this?"
"Because she believes she can control you. And if she succeeds, she will tear the pack apart."
The weight of his words felt like stones in my gut. "What do we do?" I whispered.
"We fight. Together."