Chapter 5: The Healer's Secret
Aria dove behind a tree as Elira lunged at her, barely avoiding her sister's clawed hands.
"Why are you running from me?" Elira called, her voice echoing through the dark forest. "Don't you want a family reunion?"
Aria's heart hammered in her chest. This couldn't be happening. The sister she'd mourned for ten years was living but trying to hurt her. Elira's eyes glowed with an unnatural green light, and her smile was cruel—nothing like the nice girl Aria remembered.
"You're not my sister," Aria gasped, backing away. "My sister wouldn't try to hurt me."
Elira laughed, the sound sharp and cold. "People change, Aria. Especially when they're left for dead."
Aria turned and ran deeper into the trees. The metal necklace made her slow and clumsy, but fear pushed her forward. Behind her, she could hear Elira giving chase, her footsteps quick and light.
"You can't outrun me," Elira called. "You never could!"
A hand grabbed Aria's arm, pulling her sideways between two thick bushes. Aria opened her mouth to scream, but another hand clamped over it.
"Quiet," a woman's voice whispered quickly. "She'll hear you."
Aria's eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she recognized Nessa, the pack nurse. The woman pressed a finger to her mouth, then pointed through the bushes. Elira ran past their hiding spot, still calling Aria's name.
When the sound of Elira's words faded, Nessa removed her hand from Aria's mouth. "We need to move quickly," she whispered. "She'll circle back soon."
"What are you doing here?" Aria asked, still trying to catch her breath. "Beta Selene said—" "I know what she said," Nessa cut in. "I followed you. Now come on."
Nessa led Aria through the forest, moving quietly despite the darkness. They walked for what felt like hours, going deeper into the woods than Aria had ever been. Finally, they reached a small clearing where a tiny cabin stood, nearly covered by tall trees.
"No one knows about this place," Nessa said, opening the door. "It's safe."
Inside, the home was simple but cozy. A small fire burned in a stone fireplace, sending a warm glow over the single room. Dried herbs hung from the ceiling, and shelves lined the walls, filled with bottles and jars.
"Sit," Nessa directed, pointing to a chair. "Let me see your hand."
Aria sat, watching as Nessa collected supplies. The healer worked quickly, mixing herbs in a small bowl and adding water from a pot by the fire.
"Why are you helping me?" Aria asked. "Everyone else wants me gone or dead."
Nessa knelt before Aria and took her damaged hand. The cut was worse now, red and swollen. "Because I've been waiting for you to return," she said quietly. "For ten years."
"Why?"
Nessa didn't answer instantly. She dipped a clean cloth into her herbal mixture and started cleaning Aria's wound. The liquid stung, making Aria wince.
"Hold still," Nessa mumbled. "The wolfsbane poisoning needs to be drawn out."
"Selene said Callan ordered me thrown out," Aria said. "But you said he was sick, calling my name. Which is true?"
Nessa's hands stopped. "Both, in a way. Callan is fighting the mate bond with everything he has. When he touched your blood today, the bond grew stronger. His wolf wants you, but Callan refuses to accept it."
"Why?"
"Fear. Fear of the forecast. Fear of what you represent." Nessa continued cleaning the cut. "His father has poisoned his mind against you for years."
As Nessa worked, her sleeve slipped up her arm. Aria noticed a mark on the inside of her wrist—a small sign that looked like a crescent moon with a star inside it. The same sign she'd seen in the old book about Luna magic.
"Your mark," Aria said, pointing. "What does it mean?"
Nessa quickly pulled her sleeve down. "It's nothing."
"It's the same symbol from the book about Luna Queens," Aria maintained. "The one Mia brought me."
Nessa sighed. "It marks me as a guardian of the old ways," she finally said. "There are a few of us left, scattered among the packs, waiting."
"Waiting for what?"
"For you." Nessa finished bandaging Aria's hand, then reached for the silver collar around Aria's throat. "This needs to come off if you're going to heal properly."
Before Aria could reply, Nessa unclasped the necklace. It fell into her lap with a heavy thud. Immediately, Aria felt power flowing back into her body. Her wolf stirred inside her, restless after being subdued for so long.
"Better?" Nessa asked.
"Yes, but—"
"Look at your wrist," Nessa interrupted.
Aria glanced down. The crescent moon mark had appeared again, glowing slightly against her skin.
"The mark of the moon," Nessa whispered, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and awe. "I knew it was true."
"What does it mean?" Aria asked. "Everyone keeps talking about this prophecy, but no one will explain it to me."
Nessa stood and went to a small trunk in the corner. She unlocked it and pulled out an old, worn scroll. "This is one of the few copies that wasn't destroyed," she said, bringing it to Aria. "Many years ago, the last true Luna Queen foresaw a time when the packs would be in trouble. She prophesied that a marked Luna would return after great pain to either unite the packs or destroy them."
Aria unrolled the scroll carefully. The writing was faded but still readable: "When the moon bleeds red and the forest sings, She who was lost shall return with the mark. Born of Alpha blood but raised in dark, Her heart will decide the fate of all wolves. If true love conquers fear, peace will rule. If betrayal wins, darkness will swallow all. The sister of water, the daughter of moon, One path leads to life, one path to doom."
Aria read it twice, her hands shaking. "This doesn't make sense. I'm not special. I'm just a girl who lost her sister and was thrown out of her pack."
"You're much more than that," Nessa said. "Why do you think your father sent you away? Why do you think Callan fights the mate bond so hard? They fear what you might become."
"And what's that?"
"The most powerful Luna in generations," Nessa answered. "One who can speak to the forest spirits, one who can challenge the old ways."
Aria shook her head. "If I was so strong, why couldn't I save my sister? Why couldn't I protect myself all these years?"
"Your power was dormant, waiting for you to turn eighteen," Nessa stated. "The same age the moon goddess was when she first transformed a human into a wolf." She pointed to the mark on Aria's wrist. "That's why it appeared now."
"And Elira? How is she alive? Why is she with the rogues?"
Nessa's face darkened. "That's not really your sister, Aria. Not anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"When Elira fell into the water, she should have died. But something... found her. Something that needed a body." Nessa dropped her voice. "The elders know this but won't admit it. Malrik knows but doesn't care as long as it helps him control Callan."
Aria felt sick. "Are you saying something is... wearing my sister like a costume?"
"In a way, yes." Nessa sighed. "The forest ghosts aren't all benevolent. Some are old and hungry. The cursed forest holds secrets even I don't fully understand."
Aria stood up, suddenly angry. "So my father knew Elira was living all this time? He let me believe I'd killed her? Let everyone hate me?"
"Malrik thought he was protecting the pack," Nessa said. "He believed the prophecy meant you would destroy everything he built."
"And Callan? Does he know about Elira?"
"I don't think so. Not yet." Nessa looked at Aria with serious eyes. "But he will soon. And when he does, you'll both have to choose sides."
Before Aria could ask more questions, a howl rose from the forest—a strange, warped sound that made her skin crawl.
"She's found us," Nessa whispered, running to the window. "We need to leave."
"Where can we go?" Aria asked, fear rising in her throat.
"There's only one place safe from her now," Nessa said, taking a bag and quickly filling it with herbs and bottles. "The sacred grove in the heart of the forbidden forest."
"The sacred forest? But that's where—"
"Where Elira disappeared, yes." Nessa gave Aria the bag. "It's also where you'll find answers about who you really are."
Another scream, closer now. Something heavy crashed against the cabin wall, making the whole building shake.
"Out the back," Nessa demanded, pushing Aria toward a small door at the rear of the cabin. "Run to the river and follow it upstream. I'll meet you at the white rock feature."
"You're not coming with me?"
"I'll lead her away first," Nessa said. "Go now!"
Aria paused, then darted out the back door into the darkness. Behind her, she heard the front door of the cabin split open and Elira's voice, cold and mocking: "Hello, traitor. Where is my dear sister hiding?"
Aria ran as fast as she could, following Nessa's directions toward the river. She could hear fighting behind her, then a scream that made her blood freeze. She wanted to turn back, to help Nessa, but she kept running.
The river appeared ahead, silver in the moonlight. Aria followed it upstream, her newly awakened wolf giving her strength and speed. After what seemed like forever, she saw the white rocks Nessa had mentioned, glowing dimly in the darkness.
Aria stopped, catching her breath. "Nessa?" she called softly. No answer.
Hours passed. The moon moved across the sky. Still no sign of the healer.
Just as dawn started to break, Aria heard footsteps approaching. She stood, relief washing over her. "Nessa?"
But it wasn't Nessa who stepped out of the trees. It was Callan, his blue eyes sparkling in the dim light. Blood stained his shirt, and his face was hard with anger.
"Your friend is dead," he said simply. "The thing wearing your sister's face killed her."
Aria's legs gave out. She sank to the ground, tears filling her eyes. "No..."
"Nessa left something for you before she died," Callan added, his voice cold. He held out a small leather pouch. "She said you'd need it when you face what's coming."
Aria took the pouch with shaky hands. Inside was a small bottle of clear liquid and a note: "For when the time comes. Trust your heart, not your eyes."
"Why are you here?" Aria asked, looking up at Callan. "I thought you wanted me gone."
"I did. I do." Callan's jaw clenched. "But the elders believe the only way to stop what's happening is for us to complete the mate bond."
"Complete it?"
Callan's eyes flashed. "The blood rite. Tonight, under the full moon." He looked away, his voice falling. "Even if it destroys us both."