Rachel's POV
Luka was the first to speak, as usual with a deep and authoritative tone. Ymir, you cannot keep fleeing from this. I've told you who we are and what we'll be." Mika's eyes burned with something more hazardous, more sinister. "Don't listen to him," he said, his voice tense and quietly intense. You are not his. Not at this time. I was at a loss for words. Every time Luka or Mika talked, I felt the pull of their words, the weight of their expectations bearing down on me. What was I meant to do? I could not let them know how I really felt. I could not acknowledge the turmoil inside of me. I could not even say to myself what I anymore want. Their voices raised before I could say anything. Luka seized my arm and held me there with a strong grasp. "You will take this," he continued, his eyes blazing with fervour. Ymir, you fit with me. Mika's expression soured. "Not if I can help it," he murmured, moving closer and rubbing his body against mine, causing me to tremble. Deep in the woods, covered by shadows, I had not known how far I had ran. Though the gravity of the circumstance still weighed on me, the cool air appeared to soothe my anxious thoughts. Then I heard it. Drifting through the trees, a gentle, low, repetitive murmur. Initially, I believed it was my brain deceiving me; but, the nearer I got, the more obvious it became. It was genuine. Heart racing in my chest, I crept forward. Chanting rang out in the distance, beckoning me closer and dragging me in. I stopped when I got to a clearing. The followers of the sect. Now I could see them standing in a circle with masks covering their faces. Their hands were up, their voices chanting in a language I didn't know. They were calling forth something. Somebody. Their chanting of my name made my stomach turn. "Rachel Bloodrose," they intoned, their deep, seductive voices sending shivers down my spine. My legs shook as I stepped back. My heart hammered in my chest as I realized they weren't just evoking some power. They were calling me into being. Their remarks were strange but known. A feeling I couldn't ignore or control, something deep inside me stirred. And as the cultists persisted, the pull to answer their call got stronger. I could not turn away. I had to remain concealed. But then a loud voice cut through the chanting. The Luna has to ascend. Under her reign, the Alpha Kings will fall. My head was racing as I fumbled through the forest. The weight of the cultists' words, their scheme for me, still rang in my ears and dragged at me like an invisible chain. Yet there was more. Something even more frightening. The surge of power that had been rising inside me since I learnt of the prophecy felt stronger now. It was not only a sensation. It was genuine. It seemed as though the earth itself was reacting to me, moving under my feet, responding to my every feeling, every idea. The air around me crackled with static and my skin tingled with energy. It was almost as if everything, the earth, the trees, alive with electricity could be felt. The strength I have. I attempted to ignore the rising inside heat and to calm myself, but it was useless. The energy swirled inside me, throbbing in my veins, becoming stronger and more fierce. What have I become into? Whispering to the deserted woods, the words almost left my lips. There was no question about the terror in my voice. But the fear grew as the energy increased. The ground under me shook and I fell momentarily off my feet. The strength raced through me, my chest tight as I struggled for breath, the force threatening to break free. Though it was like trying to halt a hurricane, my hands trembled in an effort to do so. Kneeling, the world spun around me. The ground trembled and I could feel the pulse of something ancient, something horrible, inside me. What am I? My voice trembled as I whispered, the unrelenting, uncontrollable, unstoppable raw strength roaring through me. I needed to know the reality. Every single one of them felt like a weight pushing down on my chest: the secrets, the lies, the unspoken words. The more I studied, the less I grasped and the more perilous everything became. I had to face Luka and Mika. I could no longer afford to remain in the dark. I discovered them in the courtyard. Leaning on a stone pillar, Luka's gaze roamed the horizon, his face unreadable. Mika stood close by with his arms crossed as though waiting for someone or something. Their focus turned to me as I came closer; the atmosphere between us crackled with something unnamed but known to be present. Trying to calm my rushing heart, I folded my arms across my chest. "I want the truth," I said, my voice quaking yet resolute. What is actually happening? What role do you two together play in all this? Luka's eyes narrowed as he looked to Mika and then back to me. Ymir, what are you asking? Though his voice was quiet and nearly too calm, there was an edge to it. Truth is difficult. You are the one ignoring it. I replied, "I'm finished ignoring it." I have to understand why you two are so adamant to keep me in the dark. Why you won't let me know what I am. Why you, I said, unable to swallow the lump in my throat. "Why are you dragging me into this?" Dark and wary, Mika adjusted his weight. He remained there, quiet, without speaking. The air became thicker and I started to feel as though I was suffocating. Why would they not respond to me? Overwhelmingly, Luka stepped forward. Though every instinct in me screamed me to run, I did not retreat. I froze when he took my wrist softly but with clear power. Softly, his voice low and intense, he whispered, "You don't get what is at stake, Rachel." "This is larger than us." The words struck me like a stomach punch. I wanted to break away, but his grip tightened a little, anchoring me in position. "You aren't the only one engaged in this," he said, looking black with something I couldn't quite identify. This prophecy binds us all. We have no option but to follow it. I wanted to escape from whatever was coming, to get out of there, to draw away. Luka kept holding me; the more time passed, the more I felt stuck in his universe. It was all getting too much: his words, his touch, the pull between us. Mika's quiet was the most deafening sound in the room, and it ate at me, ate at the distance separating the three of us. His gaze was fixed on me; I could feel his presence like a weight on my chest even though he wasn't touching me. Luka was too near and too pushy. His breath on my skin, the warmth of him penetrating my bones, made me feel... "Rachel, you don't have to go through this alone," he replied, his voice gentler but yet carrying unmistakable intensity. "We're asking you to trust us, not choose." But faith? Trust was a luxury I could no longer afford. The deception, the control, it was all too much. My breath shallow, my heart racing in my chest. I wanted distance. Mika moved forward to close the distance between us before I could draw away. His voice was low, silky, somewhat caressing. "This isn't only a decision for you, Rachel," he added, his breath warm against my ear. "All the Packs get to choose this. You believe you are free; you are not. You never were.