Torn Between Destinies

Chapter 10: Chapter Ten

The first time it happened, I thought I was just tired.

It was early morning. The sun hadn’t fully risen, and Darius had already left to meet with his pack’s council. I decided to go for a run, hoping to clear my head.

I shifted easily at first, my wolf stretching inside my skin like she always did, eager for movement. Her paws hit the ground, her nose lifted into the breeze.

But something was wrong.

The scents around me—the fresh pine, the damp earth, the sharp scent of deer in the distance—they all seemed duller, muted like a song played behind a closed door.

I paused, sniffing harder.

Nothing changed.

Panic fluttered in my chest. I shook my head, as if I could throw off the fog clouding my senses, but it clung to me stubbornly.

I tried to run, tried to feel the rush of strength and speed that usually thrilled through my muscles.

Instead, each step felt... heavier.

Less sure.

My paws stumbled against rocks I normally would have danced around without a thought.

By the time I limped back to the cottage, I was panting, not from exertion—but from fear.

I shifted back quickly, my human body trembling as I dressed and sank down onto the bed.

I pressed my hands over my face.

It couldn’t be happening.

Not yet.

I had more time.

I was supposed to have more time.

When Darius came home that afternoon, he found me sitting by the fire, staring into the flames.

He ruffled his hair, dusting snow off his shoulders.

"Hey, little wolf," he said, grinning. "Miss me?"

I forced a smile. "Always."

He bent and kissed the top of my head, lingering there for a moment.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Just tired," I lied.

I hated lying to him.

But what else could I do?

If I told him the truth—that my wolf was slipping away, that I was becoming weaker—he would worry. Maybe even regret bonding with me.

I couldn’t bear that.

Not yet.

So I swallowed the fear and smiled brighter, asking about his meeting and laughing when he told a stupid story about Alpha Kael trying to negotiate with a stubborn council elder.

But the laughter felt hollow, forced.

Like everything inside me was slowly breaking apart.

Over the next few days, it only got worse.

I dropped a plate in the kitchen because my reflexes were too slow to catch it.

I tripped while walking down the front steps, skinning my knees like a clumsy pup.

And worst of all—

I couldn’t shift.

Not fully.

One evening, I slipped outside while Darius was still in a meeting. I needed to feel the wolf inside me, needed to reassure myself that I wasn’t imagining it.

I closed my eyes, breathed deep, and called to her.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then a flicker of movement, a shiver under my skin.

My claws emerged halfway, my senses sharpened slightly—and then everything snapped back with a painful jolt, leaving me gasping.

I fell to my knees in the snow, fists clenched.

Tears stung my eyes.

"My wolf," I whispered brokenly. "She’s... fading."

I felt it like a missing limb—like an ache in the place where she used to be.

I stayed there for a long time, letting the cold seep into my bones, until the sky grew dark and the stars blinked awake.

Only when the cold became unbearable did I drag myself back inside.

Darius was waiting by the fire, his face lined with worry.

"Where were you?" he demanded, crossing the room in two strides.

"I just needed some air," I said, trying to sound normal. "I’m fine."

"You’re not fine," he said sharply. "You’ve been off for days, Luciana. Talk to me."

I shook my head stubbornly.

"Please," he said, voice breaking a little. "Let me help."

I bit my lip hard, tasting blood.

If I told him, there would be no going back.

He would know.

He would see me differently.

Weak.

Broken.

Human.

"I’m scared," I said finally, voice shaking.

He wrapped me in his arms, pulling me tight against his chest.

"You don’t have to be scared," he murmured. "Whatever it is, we’ll face it together."

I wanted to believe him.

Desperately.

But some battles couldn’t be fought with swords or teeth or claws.

Some battles were inside you, bleeding you dry from within.

That night, I dreamed again.

I stood in a dark forest, the trees looming high and twisted, their branches clawing at the sky.

The voice came again, soft but urgent.

"You are running out of time."

"I know," I whispered into the darkness.

"Find her. Find Aira. Only she can save you."

"How?" I cried. "Where do I even start?"

But the voice only repeated:

"Find her. Or be lost."

I woke with a gasp, drenched in cold sweat, my heart pounding so hard it hurt.

Darius stirred beside me, mumbling sleepily.

I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling the wild rhythm of my heartbeat.

I couldn’t wait any longer.

I had to act.

Now.

Before there was nothing left of me to save.

The next morning, I left a note for Darius saying I was visiting the market.

I hated lying again—but if he knew where I was really going, he would never have let me go alone.

I pulled my cloak tight around me and headed into the woods.

There, hidden beyond the farthest reaches of the pack’s land, was an old crone said to be a Seer.

Some said she was mad.

Some said she was cursed.

But I was out of options.

If anyone could point me toward my mother, it would be her.

I found her hut tucked between twisted trees, smoke curling from the crooked chimney.

I hesitated only a moment before knocking.

The door creaked open slowly.

A woman peered out at me—her hair wild and gray, her eyes clouded but sharp.

"I know why you’ve come," she rasped. "Come in, child."

I stepped inside, the scent of herbs and old smoke thick in the air.

The Seer gestured for me to sit by the fire.

"You seek what was lost," she said, without needing me to speak.

I nodded, swallowing hard.

"My mother," I whispered. "I need to find her. It’s the only way to save my wolf."

The Seer’s gaze sharpened.

"It is not an easy road," she said. "Nor a safe one."

"I don’t care," I said fiercely. "Tell me where she is."

The Seer cackled, a sound like dry leaves scraping the ground.

"There is a price," she said.

I stiffened.

"What kind of price?"

She leaned closer, her breath smelling of ash and something darker.

"You must leave behind what you love most," she said. "To find what you have lost."

My heart clenched painfully.

Darius.

I thought of his smile. His steady hands. His quiet, patient love.

Could I leave him?

Could I risk losing him forever?

But when I closed my eyes, I saw my wolf, flickering like a dying flame.

I saw myself, trapped in a human body, alone, abandoned, hollow.

I couldn’t let that happen.

"I’ll do it," I said, my voice shaking but certain.

The Seer nodded, her eyes gleaming.

"Then listen closely, child. For the path you walk now has no easy return."

And as she spoke, painting a map in riddles and whispered names, I realized how much I was about to risk.

How much I could lose.

But I also knew.

I had no choice.

If I wanted to keep my wolf, my soul, my future.

I had to find Aira.

Before it was too late.