Elara POV
Mira came for me an hour before sunset.
She didn't say anything. Just opened the door. Looked at me with sad eyes. Gestured for me to follow.
I did.
We walked through the halls of Moonscar Summit. Wolves stopped to stare. Some looked afraid. Others looked angry. None looked friendly.
I kept my head up. Refused to show fear.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"To prepare you." Mira's voice was soft. Tired. "The Trial of Moonfire isn't just a test. It's a ritual. You need to understand what's coming."
She led me to a small room. Empty except for a table and two chairs. She closed the door behind us.
"Sit."
I sat.
Mira sat across from me. She looked at my wrists. At the marks burning there. Silver and crimson.
"The Moonfire will try to break you," she said quietly. "It searches for lies. For secrets. For anything you're hiding from yourself or others. And when it finds them, it drags them into the light. Forces you to face them."
"What if I don't have any secrets?"
"Everyone has secrets." She leaned forward. "The question is whether yours will destroy you."
I swallowed hard. "Has anyone ever survived the trial?"
"Most do. If they're honest. If they accept what the fire shows them." She paused. "But those with dual marks... the records say none of them made it past the first night."
"Great."
"There's something else." Mira reached across the table. Took my hand. "The Moonfire responds to emotion. Fear makes it burn hotter. Anger makes it spread. But if you can channel your emotions—control them instead of letting them control you—you might survive."
"How do I do that?"
"I'll show you." She squeezed my hand. "Close your eyes."
I did.
"Now feel the bond. The one connecting you to Kaelen. Don't fight it. Don't push it away. Just feel it."
I focused. Found that invisible thread connecting me to him. It pulsed. Warm. Steady.
"Good. Now push emotion through it. Something simple. Calm. Peace."
I tried. Imagined calm. Imagined peace. Pushed it through the bond.
The thread brightened. Warmed.
"That's it." Mira's voice was encouraging. "Now pull it back. Slowly. Don't let it overwhelm you."
I pulled. The warmth receded. Came back to me.
"Again. Faster this time."
We practiced for what felt like hours. Push. Pull. Control. I got better. Not perfect. But better.
"You're learning fast," Mira said. "Faster than most."
"Will it be enough?"
"I don't know." She let go of my hand. "But it's all we have."
She stood. Moved toward the door. Then stopped.
"Elara. Whatever happens tonight... know that not everyone thinks you're a monster."
The words caught me off guard. Made my throat tight.
"Thank you."
She left.
I sat alone in the room. Tried to steady my breathing. Tried not to think about what was coming.
The door opened again.
Not Mira this time. Someone else. A woman I didn't recognize. Young. Pretty. Dark hair and nervous eyes.
"I'm sorry to bother you," she said. Her voice shook. "But Mira sent me. She said you might be able to help."
"Help with what?"
The woman stepped inside. Closed the door. "My bond. It's... wrong. Painful. Like something's trying to tear it apart from the inside."
I stood. "I don't know if I can—"
"Please." She moved closer. Desperate. "Mira said you have power. That you can fix bonds. Change them. Please. It hurts so much."
Against my better judgment, I reached out. Took her hand.
The moment our skin touched, I felt it.
Her bond. Tangled. Twisted. Wrong.
But underneath that, I felt something else. Something that made my breath catch.
Another bond. Hidden. Secret. Forbidden.
I looked at the woman. Really looked.
"You're bonded to a vampire."
She went pale. Tried to pull away. I held on.
"It's okay," I said quickly. "I'm not going to tell anyone."
"You can't." Tears filled her eyes. "If the pack finds out, they'll kill him. They'll kill both of us."
I let go of her hand. Stepped back.
"Who else knows?"
"Just Mira. She's been protecting us. Hiding him." The woman wiped her eyes. "But the pain is getting worse. The pack bond and the vampire bond are fighting each other. Tearing me apart."
I didn't know what to say. Didn't know how to help.
Then, without thinking, I reached out again. Placed my hand over her heart.
Power flowed from me. Silver light. Gentle. Careful.
I could see the bonds now. Both of them. The pack bond like silver threads. The vampire bond like crimson silk. They were wrapped around each other. Strangling each other.
I pushed carefully. Separated them. Just a little. Enough to ease the pressure.
The woman gasped. "It doesn't hurt anymore."
I pulled my hand back. Stared at it.
I'd just done that. Fixed something I didn't understand. Without training. Without knowing how.
"Thank you," the woman whispered. "Thank you so much."
She left quickly. Before anyone could see.
I stood there. Alone again.
My hands were shaking. Not from fear. From something else.
Power.
I had power I didn't understand. Couldn't control. And tonight, the Moonfire would force me to face exactly what that meant.
At that moment, a silver shield formed around me without warning.
It wasn't like before. Not ice. Not frost. This was different. Pure energy. Solid. Strong.
It surrounded me like a bubble. Protecting me.
From what?
Then I felt it. Through the bond.
Kaelen's fear.
Not fear of vampires. Not fear of war.
Fear of me.
He'd sensed what I just did. Felt the power surge. And it terrified him.
The shield stayed. Pulsing with my heartbeat.
I tried to make it go away. Couldn't.
It was protecting me.
From him.
The realization made me cold.
My own power was protecting me from the man who swore to keep me safe.
What did that say about us? About this bond? About everything?
The shield finally faded. Slowly. Reluctantly.
I sank onto the chair. Buried my face in my hands.
Tonight. The trial was tonight.
And I had no idea who I'd be when it was over.