Chapter 75: Shadows of the Past

The fire between them still lingered in the air, wrapping around Isla like an intoxicating haze. She lay against Damian’s chest, his heartbeat steady beneath her palm, but something in her refused to settle.

The warmth of his hands on her back should have kept her grounded, but her mind drifted elsewhere—to the ruins, to the vision, to the truth clawing its way to the surface.

Something was coming and  it had everything to do with her.

She exhaled softly, her fingers absently tracing along his skin. “Do you ever wonder what happens after this?”

Damian hummed, his grip tightening around her waist. “After what?”

She hesitated. “After the war. After Vincent. When it’s over.”

He was silent for a moment, and then he shifted, rolling her onto her back so he could look into her eyes. His gaze was unreadable, but there was something raw in it.

“Are you afraid there won’t be an after?”

She swallowed. “Maybe.”

His fingers brushed over her cheek, gentle but firm. “There will be and when it comes, I’m keeping you.”

The certainty in his voice made her chest ache.

“I’m not going anywhere, Damian.”

But even as she said it, the weight in her stomach didn’t fade. Something was changing inside her and soon, she wouldn’t be able to hide it.

By morning, the world was set back into motion.

The tension in the camp had shifted, there was movement, anticipation. Vincent had left his mark again, and now, there was no more time to wait.

Cassian and Magnus had gone ahead to scout the ruins, while Brienne and Alaine worked with the warriors, preparing for the inevitable battle.

But Isla had her own path to walk. She found herself drawn to Lucia, the oracle who had been watching her with those knowing golden eyes since the beginning.

The moment she approached, Lucia smiled. “You feel it now, don’t you?”

Isla exhaled sharply. “I don’t even know what it is.”

Lucia’s gaze darkened. “Blood remembers, even when we don’t.”

Isla’s pulse quickened. “What does that mean?”

Lucia tilted her head. “There was a time when wolves with golden eyes were not just stories. They were rulers, guides, the ones who walked between the worlds.”

A shiver ran through Isla. “And Vincent?”

Lucia’s expression turned grim. “He is trying to reclaim something long buried. A power lost to time. And you, Isla, you are the key.”

The words settled into her bones like ice. She had always known she was different. But she hadn’t realized just how much.

By nightfall, the scouts had returned.

Damian stood at the war table, his expression carved from stone as Cassian laid out the map. “The ruins are crawling with Vincent’s men,” Cassian reported. “But that’s not the worst part.”

He pointed to a section of the map marked in red. “There’s a ritual site. Something ancient. And from what we can tell, Vincent’s already started.”

The room fell into silence.

Alaine cursed under her breath. “He’s trying to awaken something.”

Brienne’s jaw clenched. “Then we stop him before he finishes.”

Isla’s stomach twisted. The past wasn’t just whispering anymore. It was screaming. Damian looked at her then, his silver eyes locked onto hers. They both knew this was it and the truth waiting in those ruins might just change everything.