Chapter 20: The Unseen Hand
The air was thick with tension, the kind that presses down on your chest and makes every breath feel too heavy. Elvis's heart pounded in her ears, each beat a reminder that everything had changed in an instant. The shadows had come for her, and they weren't going to back down.
Alexander stood in front of her, his towering form a shield between her and the cloaked figures that now stood at the edge of the clearing. His wolf was fully out, his fur bristling, his posture a perfect example of the Alpha strength he commanded. Elvis felt the primal energy coursing through him, but beneath the growls and the palpable fury, there was something else. A quiet sorrow, a fear she could feel in the slight tremor of his hands.
She couldn't let that fear consume him. Not now. Not when they were so close to losing everything.
"Elvis," he whispered, his eyes flashing to her, though his body didn't relax. "Stay behind me. Do not move."
She didn't respond, her gaze fixed on the hooded figures, the ancient power that radiated from them. The coldness of their presence seeped into her bones, like a shadow that clung to her skin.
The voice from the cloaked figure that had spoken earlier drifted through the air again, low and soft, but filled with malice.
"You do not understand the power you carry, child. The forest has spoken. The bond you share with it is more than mere fate. You were chosen."
Elvis swallowed, her throat dry as dust. There was no doubt now that they knew exactly who she was. That she wasn't just a rare white wolf. No, she was far more than that. But the question still lingered in the back of her mind: why her? Why now?
"Chosen?" she repeated, her voice quiet but steady. "What do you mean?"
The figure in the front stepped forward, and Elvis could almost feel the weight of his presence before she even saw his face. He was tall, taller than most, with a posture that screamed of ancient authority. His cloak fluttered in the wind like a dark wave, concealing most of his features except for his eyes. Eyes that gleamed a deep, unnatural silver, gleaming like the moon on a blackened sky.
"You were not born just to be a wolf," the voice continued, the figure's words echoing like a chant. "You were chosen to bind the forest. To unite it with those who walk this earth. We have waited millennia for this moment. And now, you will fulfill your role. Whether you are willing or not."
Elvis's mind raced as she took in their words. The forest. The bond. Her power. She had always known there was something more, something deeper to the way she felt connected to the land around her, but this… this was beyond anything she had ever anticipated.
"What do you want from me?" Elvis asked, trying to keep her voice from wavering.
The cloaked figure chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound that seemed to vibrate in the very air around them.
"Your power, of course," he said with a smile that never reached his eyes. "The forest's gift is a double-edged sword, girl. You cannot wield it without cost. The darkness you feel inside of you is a part of this curse, a part of what will make you a weapon. A weapon meant to conquer, to control."
A chill ran down her spine at his words. She didn't know exactly what he meant, but the threat was clear enough. She could feel the dangerous pull of the power inside her, and for a moment, it threatened to overwhelm her. The forest inside of her, the raw force she'd inherited, had always been a part of her—but now she realized, it wasn't just her own power. It was something much older, something tied to the land itself, to the very roots of the earth.
"Not your power," Elvis muttered, her hand unconsciously tightening into a fist. "Not your weapon."
The figure's eyes flashed dangerously, and for a second, the ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble. But Alexander was ready. With a swift motion, he lunged toward the cloaked figure, his wolf's fury erupting with a ferocity that made the air crackle. The pack around them followed suit, shifting into their wolf forms and surrounding the intruders, their growls reverberating through the clearing like a warning.
"You will not take her," Alexander growled, his voice dripping with lethal intent. "This pack will die to protect her."
The figure didn't flinch, but the dark smile that spread across his lips was enough to freeze Elvis's blood. "You think your wolves can stop what's coming?" he taunted. "We are not your enemies, boy. We are merely messengers. And you cannot stop the prophecy."
Alexander's body stiffened, his fur bristling as he took a step forward. But before he could speak, the figure raised a hand, and the ground itself seemed to shudder.
"You will all be tested," the cloaked figure intoned. "The forest is ancient and unyielding. You cannot hope to control it, but you can join it. Choose, Elvis James. Choose now. Join us, or we will take everything from you."
Elvis felt the weight of his words settle over her, like an unshakable mantle. Her mind screamed for her to fight, to refuse, to stand firm. But deep inside, the forest—the thing she had once thought was her ally—now felt like a stranger. A cold, empty space that pulsed with something far darker than she had ever imagined.
She swallowed hard, fighting to keep her composure. "I won't join you," she said, her voice firm despite the turmoil that threatened to rise within her. "You can't make me."
The figure tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. "We'll see," he said ominously. "We'll see just how strong your will is when the forest calls."
A gust of wind swept through the clearing, and before anyone could react, the cloaked figures were gone—vanishing into the night as quickly as they had appeared, leaving nothing behind but the echo of their words.
Silence fell over the pack. The tension in the air was thick, suffocating.
Elvis took a shaky breath, her heart still hammering in her chest. "What… What was that?" she whispered.
Alexander turned to her, his eyes fierce, but his voice gentle as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "That was just the beginning."
The storm was coming. And they would be ready.