Chapter 243

Olivia

“You really don’t have any idea?”

Freya’s words, although only uttered telepathically, seemed to echo throughout the moonlit forest.

I shook my head, my brow furrowed. “Explain,” I murmured.

Freya nodded. “Very well. Let me tell you a story…”

…The chill of a winter’s night surrounded my secluded cottage. The moonlight cast a silver glow on the frosted grass, and everything was silent except for the faint whisper of wind through barren trees.

That tranquility was shattered by an urgent pounding on my door.

I opened it swiftly, not expecting any visitors, only to find Kamran, disheveled and gasping for breath. His eyes, usually calm and composed, mirrored a storm of fear.

“Freya,” he panted, “the baby... she’s coming, but something’s wrong. She’s not... not coming out properly.”

Heart pounding, I grabbed my shawl and the small satchel containing herbs and sacred stones I always kept ready. Without a word, Kamran and I raced back to their dwelling, the cold air stinging our faces, urgency propelling our feet.

As we burst through the door, the room was thick with tension. Your mother, Isabelle, lay in distress, beads of perspiration on her forehead. The midwife looked helpless, her face drawn with worry.

Without hesitation, I moved to Isabelle’s side, whispering calming chants and placing my hand over her swelling belly. My fingertips tingled with an unfamiliar energy.

I breathed deep, calling upon ancestral wisdom to guide me.

The minutes felt like hours, but with a combination of old-world remedies and whispered incantations, I managed to reposition you in your mother’s womb, allowing nature to take its course.

With one final push from Isabelle, a baby’s cry pierced the room.

However, as I lifted you to wrap you in warm cloth, I stilled. Your eyes, those which should have been clouded with the haze of newborn innocence, were a piercing, luminescent white.

The room was bathed in an eerie glow emanating from your gaze.

Isabelle, exhausted yet still attentive, caught sight of your eyes. A scream tore from her lips. “What’s wrong with her? Freya, what’s wrong with my baby?!”

Kamran, equally horrified, moved closer, searching for answers. I found my voice, though it wavered with a mix of astonishment and reverence.

“She is exactly as we had feared,” I whispered, gently passing you into Kamran’s waiting arms. “Her veins are coursing with the Ancient blood.”

Kamran, his face a mask of emotions, held you close to his chest, his hands trembling slightly. “What does this mean, Freya? For her? For us?”

Drawing a deep breath, I responded, my gaze never leaving your ethereal eyes.

“We cannot know until she shifts for the first time. If the legends are true, her pelt will be golden.”

“And then what, Freya?” Kamran asked, becoming impatient.

I sighed. “Olivia may just be the one to usher in an era of transformation, Kamran. Our line, our legacy, it’s been forever altered with her birth.”

His brow furrowed, confusion and dread evident. “But what of the prophecy? The one that spoke of change intertwined with loss?”

I closed my eyes momentarily, the weight of destiny pressing on me.

“Kamran,” I began softly, “Olivia is a beacon. A convergence of ancient legacies and future destinies. She will be the embodiment of power, but power always attracts challenges. Our pack will see days of upheaval, days of sacrifice. And through it all, she will stand as both a beacon of hope and a target.”

Isabelle, her strength returning, reached out, taking you into her embrace. Tears slid down her cheeks as she whispered words of love and promise.

“Very well. If her pelt is golden… We will have to stop this in its tracks,” Kamran declared, determination reinforcing his voice “We have to keep my daughter safe…”

…Freya finished her story, leaving behind nothing but the hushed sounds of the forest in her wake.

In the moonlit sanctuary of the forest, the boundaries between past and present seemed to blur. The tall, whispering trees stood like silent witnesses, their boughs heavy with secrets of times gone by. The light that poured from the sky was a silvery wash, rendering everything beneath it in ethereal hues.

I stared at Freya, her face hauntingly illuminated. My heart pounded loudly in the still night, echoing the chorus of emotions warring within.

“You look... familiar, Freya. Like someone I’ve seen in dreams or forgotten memories.”

Her lips, painted silver by the moonlight, curled into a knowing smile. “Perhaps because we share more than fleeting glances in dreams. I am Kamran’s sister.”

The world tilted.

“My father had a sister?” I gasped, the weight of the revelation almost too much to bear. A myriad of emotions—betrayal, sadness, confusion—surged within me. “And an Elder, no less?”

Freya, with the grace of an ageless being, nodded. “It’s a truth long buried, Olivia. While your family line was blessed, or perhaps cursed, with the blood of the Ancient Wolf, I was whisked away to a different fate. Kamran embraced his more ‘human’ ambitions, while I...” she paused, looking away for a brief moment. “I was initiated into the sacred circle of the Elders. In exchange for my one shining attribute: my voice.”

Images from my childhood, stories my father narrated circulating around a mysterious woman with red hair who sang like a siren, played in my mind—but none ever mentioned an aunt. “But why? Why didn’t anyone ever tell me? Why did you stay hidden?”

Freya’s gaze held a world of sorrow and longing. “To protect you, Olivia. Our destinies were entwined but vastly different. Yet, even in my absence, I was there during the most crucial moment of your life.” A tear glistened as it trailed down her cheek. “Your birth. I was the one who marked and confirmed the potency of your blood.”

Taking a shaky breath, I tried to process her words. “So, all the tales, the prophecies... They’re about me?”

Her nod confirmed my deepest fears. “You are the next Ancient Wolf. The life that awaits you isn’t typical. You’ll age slower, witnessing eras unfold, akin to the Elders. But a day will come when your human essence fades, yet your wolf will persevere, safeguarding our lands until the next chosen emerges.”

I choked on the weight of her revelation. “And my parents... They knew? All along?”

“Only your parents and I were privy to this secret,” she whispered, the gravity evident in her eyes.

Feeling the walls close in, I stumbled back. “This is too much to take in, Freya. I never asked for any of this. I just wanted to be... normal.”

The world around us seemed to hold its breath. Freya stepped closer, her voice gentle yet firm.

“Life rarely asks us our desires, Olivia. We must rise to our destiny, no matter how heavy the burden. You can’t turn your back on what’s written in your blood. Now, more than ever, our pack and your future lineage depend on it.”

I sank to my knees, the damp earth cold beneath me. “But it’s unfair. I didn’t choose this. Why thrust such a massive responsibility on someone without giving them a choice?”

Freya knelt beside me, her hand on my shoulder. “Our fates, dear niece, are a blend of choices and destiny. I understand your pain, your longing for a simple life. But remember, greatness often chooses those who feel least prepared.”

As we shared this quiet, reflective moment, a sudden change in the atmosphere broke our connection. The faint but unmistakable scent of smoke reached my nostrils.

Panic surged as I turned my gaze to the distance, where a faint orange glow hinted at the impending doom.

Nathan, sensing the danger before even I could fully comprehend it, growled softly, his stance protective.

“We need to go,” his voice echoed in my mind, the urgency clear.

Freya stood up swiftly, her demeanor changing from gentle confidant to a fierce protector. “The danger draws near. Return home, Olivia. Protect your pack.”

“But what about you?” I stammered, my mind racing to keep up with the rapid turn of events.

She smiled, a soft, sad curve of her lips. “I’ve faced many such nights. Now, it’s your turn to rise. Remember who you are and what you're meant to do.”

Without waiting for my reply, she vanished, blending into the shadows, leaving behind a trail of mysteries and a destiny I was yet to accept.