The Lycan's Hidden Flame

Elsa

I woke to a sudden crash, a shiver of panic that shot through my bones before I could even process what had happened. The castle's walls trembled beneath the force of it, and the faint scent of smoke tickled my nose.

"Kieran?" My voice was thick with sleep and fear. I scrambled out of bed, barely noticing the sheets tangled around my legs as I moved toward the window. The first streaks of red painted the sky, but it wasn't the sunrise I was staring at. It was the blood-red hue of an omen, one that sent a chill down my spine.

I shoved open the window, the cold night air biting at my skin. The courtyard below was in chaos. Shadows moved with swift precision, figures darting in and out of the flickering torchlight. Shouts, screams, the unmistakable clash of metal—they were attacking.

I barely had time to process it before Kieran was in the room, his eyes wide with alarm.

"They've breached the gates," he growled, his voice low and strained. "Get out of here, Elsa. Now."

"What's happening?" I demanded, my mind spinning with confusion. The panic in his voice was enough to send my heart into overdrive.

He didn't answer at first, but there was no time for explanations. Instead, he grabbed my wrist, his grip tight and commanding. "No questions, just follow me."

We ran down the corridor, the castle shaking beneath our feet as explosions rocked the walls. The flames from the courtyard cast eerie shadows through the hallways, and I could hear the distant sound of chanting. It was familiar—the cult. Zoran's followers.

I barely had time to process what was happening. Kieran yanked open a door, leading me into a small, dimly lit room at the far end of the castle. He spun to face me, his eyes flashing with a wild kind of panic.

"I need to get to the pack," he said, his voice ragged, "But I can't leave you alone. Not like this."

"You don't have to protect me," I said, my chest tight. The last few days had been filled with uncertainty, but this—this was something else. The danger was here, now, and I wasn't about to sit around waiting for it to consume us. "I can fight, Kieran. I don't need your protection."

He shook his head, looking at me as though I'd lost my mind. "You don't understand. You're not just anyone. You're connected to them, Elsa. To Zoran and the prophecy. And if they get you…" He stopped himself, his jaw clenching. The words were too much. The weight of it all was too much.

But before I could respond, the door slammed open. My heart leaped into my throat as I saw the figure standing in the doorway—Zoran. His black robes swirled in the dim light, his eyes glowing with that unsettling, eerie intensity. Behind him, cultists flooded into the room, weapons drawn.

"Elsa," Zoran said, his voice smooth like oil, "You're finally awake."

Kieran stepped forward, his muscles taut, ready to strike. "Stay the hell away from her."

But Zoran didn't flinch. He smiled instead. It was a cold, calculating expression. "It's too late for that. She's already ours."

My stomach lurched as Zoran's words sank in. The truth hit me like a punch to the gut. I was part of this. Part of the prophecy. My blood, my lineage, tied to something dark and ancient. Something I didn't understand.

"Kieran, don't!" I shouted, stepping between him and Zoran. But Kieran didn't listen. The air around him seemed to pulse, his wolfish instincts taking over. He lunged at Zoran, tearing through the cultists like they were nothing more than paper. But Zoran was ready. He raised his hand, and the chanting grew louder, the dark energy thickening in the room.

"Don't fight it, Kieran," Zoran taunted, his voice cold with triumph. "You know what she is. You know what she's meant to be."

I barely had time to react before the room was filled with a surge of power. The cultists advanced, surrounding us. They closed in like wolves closing in on prey, and before I knew it, Zoran was at my side, his cold fingers wrapping around my wrist. I tried to pull away, but he was too strong.

"No!" Kieran roared, his voice raw with fury as he struggled against the attackers. But the cultists were too many. There was nothing he could do to reach me.

Zoran's grip tightened. "You're just as much a part of this as I am, Elsa. You don't get to walk away from your destiny. The bloodline you carry is not just any bloodline. It's Malik's bloodline. The demon will awaken through you, and the world will burn. It's in your veins. You're the key."

I felt the words crash through me, my pulse roaring in my ears. I wanted to deny them. I wanted to scream at him, to run, to escape. But deep down, I couldn't shake the sickening truth. This was my bloodline. This was the legacy I had been born into, whether I wanted it or not.

"No," I whispered, shaking my head, but it felt hollow. "I don't want this. I don't want to be a part of this."

Zoran only smiled, a cruel, mocking smile. "It doesn't matter what you want, Elsa. You don't get a choice anymore."

And then, as if on cue, the room went dark. The flames in the torches flickered, casting long shadows on the walls. The air grew thick, oppressive. I couldn't breathe. I felt dizzy, as though the ground beneath me was crumbling. My vision blurred, and the edges of the room melted into shadows.

Kieran's voice broke through the haze. "No!"

But it was too late. Zoran dragged me toward the altar, a stone slab that glowed with an eerie light, and I could feel the pull of something dark, something primal, deep inside of me. It was like I was being drawn into a vortex, helpless to stop it.

I glanced back, trying to catch Kieran's gaze, but he was struggling. His body contorted, fighting the cultists, but his eyes—his eyes were full of helpless rage.

"No!" Kieran shouted again, his voice raw and desperate.

Zoran's laugh echoed through the chamber as he placed his hands on my shoulders, pushing me down onto the altar. The symbols on the walls began to glow brighter, and the chanting reached a fever pitch. The world seemed to tilt as Zoran began the ritual, his voice filling the air, drowning everything else out.

I wanted to fight. I wanted to scream. But the darkness was closing in, and I couldn't breathe, couldn't move. I was trapped.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, like my heart was being ripped apart. A force, cold and powerful, flooded through me, and I couldn't stop it.

Kieran's voice pierced through the agony. "I swear, Elsa. I will bring you back."

His words were the last thing I heard before everything went black.