Chapter 75

Elara

The sunlight hit harder than I expected, even though it had only been hours since I’d been trapped in that cavern. I squinted against the sudden golden rays of the morning sun, blinking rapidly as my eyes adjusted. But the others—the moonwolves—weren’t as fortunate.

They stumbled as they emerged, lifting their trembling hands to shield their pale eyes. Some flinched as if the light physically hurt them, and for a brief moment, I saw the hesitation ripple through the group.

The world outside the cavern was foreign. Dangerous. They hadn’t seen the sun in years—maybe even longer.

Alaric’s weight pressed into my side as he leaned heavily against me, his arm draped around my shoulders for support. His breath fanned softly over my temple, and even though his steps were steadier now, I still held onto him for fear that he might collapse at any second.

Thankfully, the paralytic poison’s effects were relatively short-lived. Although Alaric’s limbs were still heavy and unsteady, he could move enough now to stagger alongside me. But the ascent through the tunnels hadn’t been easy, especially with the lingering effects of the poison that Sarah and her cohort had used to sedate me before.

But it didn’t matter now. Sarah was gone. We were free. All of us.

“I’ve got you,” I murmured, tightening my hold on Alaric. His arm flexed just slightly, pulling me closer.

“I know,” he rasped with a low chuckle that really had very little humor in it. “I’m not planning on letting go. Not now, not ever.”

His words settled somewhere deep inside of me, curling into the spaces that had cracked wide open in my chest over the last few hours. I didn’t answer—couldn’t, really—because if I did, I wasn’t sure if my voice would hold.

Instead, I shifted my attention to the woman standing just a few feet away.

My mother.

It still felt strange to think of her that way. It felt unreal, like a distant dream that I’d forbidden myself from having years ago.

She stood at the edge of the treeline, her head tilted back as she let the sunlight wash over her face. Her hair, silver and wild, caught the light like silk, and for a second, she looked almost ethereal. Almost untouchable. But when she opened her eyes and found me watching, the smile that touched her lips cracked whatever hesitance was left inside of me.

“Elara,” she called out softly, gesturing for me to come closer.

Alaric’s arm slipped from my shoulders, lingering for a moment before he let me go. I met his gaze briefly, and he gave me a small nod, his eyes flicking toward her.

I stepped forward, wringing my hands in front of myself.

The moment I was close enough, she reached for me. Then, suddenly, her hands were cupping my face, turning my head this way and that to look at me. I quickly blinked away the tears that threatened to come.

“I should have known it was you,” she whispered, her thumbs tracing faint circles against my cheeks. “I felt it the moment you stepped into the cavern, but I thought… I thought it was wishful thinking. After all these years…”

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat, shaking my head slightly. “I didn’t know,” I admitted, the words brittle as they left my mouth. “I didn’t know anything. Not until now.”

Her hands slid down to my shoulders, squeezing gently. “You weren’t supposed to know. I hid you for a reason.” Her gaze softened. “But you found your way back anyway. The prophecy was right.”

That word caused me to stiffen: prophecy.

I exhaled slowly, knowing what she was referring to. It was that strange silver light, the same one that had broken all of our chains and sent Sarah sprawling across the room.

“I’m not some kind of savior, for what it’s worth,” I said quietly, lowering my eyes to the forest floor. “I didn’t even know what I was doing. That light, whatever it was… it just happened. I can’t explain it.”

She nodded, but there was a flicker of something unreadable crossing her expression. “Moonlight,” she said, as if that explained everything. “It’s an ancient power passed through our bloodline. You’ve always had it, even if you didn’t know. And today, it answered you.”

I wanted to tell her she was wrong—that this wasn’t some grand destiny I had been walking toward all my life. But I couldn’t. Not when I had felt it myself. That surge of power that wasn’t entirely my own. The way it had shattered the chains and driven Sarah back like she was nothing more than air.

Even now, the remnants of it hummed faintly beneath my skin, like the ghost of something too vast to contain.

I lifted my gaze, watching the moonwolves as they clustered together, still squinting against the sunlight.

“What happens now?” I asked, and my voice felt distant—like it wasn’t entirely mine.

My mother followed my gaze, her eyes softening with something that looked like sorrow. “We have to leave,” she said. “There’s a place—far from here. A sanctuary meant for our kind. The prophecy says we’ll find peace there. Safety.”

A lump formed in my throat. “You’re their leader,” I realized. “Aren’t you?”

She hesitated, and then gave a small nod. “It’s my duty. I have to lead them to where they belong.”

Something inside of me splintered then. I could feel the fracture, the widening crack between us, and even though I had only just found her, I already knew I wasn’t meant to follow her to this ‘promised land’ she had just described.

I looked over my shoulder, finding Alaric watching me quietly from a distance. His eyes never left mine, and without thinking, I brushed my hand across my belly.

“I can’t leave him,” I whispered, turning back to her. “I can’t leave my daughters.”

My mother’s smile was faint and bittersweet. “I know,” she said softly. “And I wouldn’t ask you to.”

I felt her hand brush against my cheek again, the touch light and fleeting and yet somehow I knew I would never forget it. “But our people will still need you, Elara. The prophecy isn’t finished. You may not come with us, but you’ll always be part of this. And when the time comes, you’ll find your way back to us. I believe that.”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

After that, the moonwolves began to move, slowly disappearing into the forest, one by one. I watched them go, my heart twisting tighter with each step they took away from me. There were still so many questions left unanswered, so many details left to be discovered.

I was a moonwolf. And this prophecy, whatever it was… I didn’t even know how to begin to comprehend it. But somehow, I knew I didn’t have to figure it all out right away. With my family by my side, I knew that the rest of the pieces would fall into place.

My mother lingered for a moment longer. Her eyes met mine, and for the first time, I saw the weight she carried—the years of suffering and waiting that had shaped her into the woman she was now. It was like looking into a mirror, almost. A cracked and faded mirror, but still somehow whole.

“I love you,” she said simply. “I always have.”

The breath caught in my throat, but I managed to find the words, even as they trembled.

“I love you too, Mom.”

She smiled. And then, without another word, she turned and followed the others into the trees.

I stood there long after they had gone, staring at the empty space where they disappeared, until I felt the warmth of Alaric’s arm curl around my waist. His lips brushed softly against the side of my head, and he tugged me closer.

“They’ll be alright,” he murmured. “So will you.”

I closed my eyes, leaning into him. He was right, of course; we would be okay. All of us.

And as the forest turned quiet around us, I rested my head against his shoulder, knowing this was just the beginning of a long but meaningful journey.