Ember's of the Silent Wolf

Lyra caught her gaze, her eyes lighting up with that familiar warmth. "Come on, Selene!" she called, her voice light and melodic as it rang through the trees. "You're missing it!"

Selene's lips twitched into a thin smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. She shook her head, looking away, as the pack continued to move in harmony. The sound of their laughter, their joyous howls, echoed in the night, and Selene felt a deep ache in her chest. How could she join them? She was incomplete.

"I can't, Lyra," she said softly, almost as if to herself. "I'm not like you."

But Lyra didn't seem to hear. She bounded over to Selene, her energy infectious. "It's not about being like me," she insisted, her eyes searching Selene's with a mixture of affection and concern. "You've just got to let it happen."

"Let it happen?" Selene murmured, her voice tinged with disbelief. She had tried. She had tried so many times to reach that place where the wolf would rise within her. But it never came. Her wolf was a ghost, a presence that never materialized, and the harder she tried, the further away it seemed to drift.

She wasn't sure why, but today felt different. Maybe it was the way the air tasted or the weight of the pack's expectations that pressed in on her, but the loneliness felt heavier tonight.

Lyra reached out and touched her arm gently, a comforting gesture. "Selene, you're the only one left. Your wolf will come. You just have to trust it."

The words stung more than they should have. She wasn't the only one left, though. There was something worse than that. She was the only one without a wolf. Everyone else had theirs. The connection, the bond it was supposed to happen naturally. But it never had for her. It never would.

"I'm not like you, Lyra," Selene whispered, her voice barely audible over the soft rustling of the leaves.

There was a silence between them. Lyra's bright, hopeful expression faltered. Her eyes searched Selene's face, looking for some sign that she could still fix it. But Lyra didn't understand. No one did.

"Selene..." Lyra's voice was soft, as though she were treading carefully. "You're more than just a wolf. You've got so much strength inside you."

Selene smiled bitterly, her heart aching at the kindness in her friend's words. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the sentiment. It was that she couldn't believe it. What was strength if it didn't come with a wolf? What was strength if she didn't have the one thing that made her whole?

"You don't understand," Selene muttered, backing away. She needed space. Needed to breathe.

"Wait " Lyra started, but Selene didn't stop. She needed to leave, to escape the pack, to escape the whispers of "just wait" that seemed to follow her wherever she went.

Selene's footsteps were quick, too quick to be casual. She moved deeper into the forest, away from the pack, away from the laughter that made her feel invisible. Her body burned with the need to run, the need to escape. The deeper she went, the quieter the world became. She was alone now. Completely alone.

The trees towered over her, and the silence of the forest was both a comfort and a weight. She needed to be away from them all the wolves, their bond, their certainty. Their togetherness was a constant reminder of what she didn't have, what she might never have. Her heart was heavy, her steps slowing as she realized the depth of her isolation.

Why wasn't her wolf coming? Why had it never come?

She had heard the stories of wolves awakening in the moonlight, of bonds so strong they could not be broken. Of how a wolf was more than a creature; it was a piece of one's soul. She had always believed it. But now, the more time passed without her wolf, the more she began to doubt. Maybe there was something wrong with her. Maybe it wasn't a matter of time. Maybe the wolf was never meant for her.

The thought was a knife, sharp and cold.

A sudden sound snapped her from her reverie a crack of branches, the rustle of movement in the underbrush. She froze, instinctively bracing herself, every muscle tensed in alertness.

And then she saw him.

A figure stepped out from the shadows, tall and commanding. His eyes, glowing amber, locked onto hers. A wolf's eyes unmistakable.

Lucian.

Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, the world seemed to stop. The air thickened around her as if time itself held its breath.

He stood there, his presence overwhelming, as if the very earth beneath him acknowledged his power. His gaze was piercing, and though there was no immediate threat in his posture, something about him exuded danger. And something else. Something that tugged at her chest, something foreign.

"Selene," his voice was low, smooth, like the rumble of thunder before the storm. "I've been looking for you."

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her heart raced, thundering in her chest. She had heard of him the rogue Alpha who had come to their pack only days ago, a man of great influence and power. But hearing the stories was one thing; seeing him in person was another entirely.

The silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken tension. His presence was a storm, one that Selene felt she was about to be swept up in.

Lucian took a step closer, his eyes never leaving hers. The air seemed to pulse with something unspoken, something dangerous, and Selene felt it her wolf stirring within her, waking for the first time.

The sensation was foreign, almost painful, and it made her heart race in a way that had nothing to do with fear.

"Why are you running?" Lucian asked, his tone strangely soft, but laced with something darker. He stepped even closer, until there was only a few feet between them.

Her breath caught in her throat. Why am I running?

Her mouth opened, but no words came. What could she say? That she couldn't escape herself, or that she had been running from the bond she'd never had? From the wolf that refused to come?

"I'm not running," she finally said, though her voice trembled.

Lucian's gaze softened, the intensity in his eyes never wavering. "You're not fooling anyone, Selene. You're running from something much bigger than yourself."