Forbidden Mate Legacy

Amelia's body welcomed sleep the moment her head touched the pillow. But the darkness had other plans.

She found herself standing in an unfamiliar forest, bathed in moonlight. The trees impossibly tall, their bark ancient and cracked, their twisted roots pulsing with an eerie glow. Mist curled around her whole, cold and thick, carrying whispers–soft, fragmented voices that spoke in a language she didn't understand.

Her heartbeat quickened. Something about this place felt different. Real.

She took a cautious step forward, the soft moss beneath her feet damp and cool. A feeling of unease coiled around her chest, pressing against her ribs. 

Then she felt it. A presence.

A low growl rumbled from the shadows, making her freeze. Her breath hitched as two glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness, their gaze locked onto her. The creature remained hidden, but she could feel its presence.

"Who are you?" she asked, her lips trembling.

The air shifted. A shape began to emerge–a massive wolf stepped forward, its black fur blending seamlessly with the night. Ethereal silver markings glowed along its body, shifting like constellations in the sky. It was beautiful. Terrifying. And its gaze bore into her with an intensity that made her chest tighten.

"You have come at last," the wolf's voice was not spoken aloud, rather, it vibrated within her mind, layered as if multiple voices spoke as one.

Amelia's lips parted, her pulse racing. "Who are you?"

The Wolf did not blink. "You ask questions with many answers, child of lost blood. I am the echo of what was, the shadow of what remains hidden. I am the whisper beneath your skin, the howl buried deep in your bones. You have forgotten me, but I have not forgotten you."

A strange warmth spread through her, foreign yet oddly familiar. "Forgotten? Have we met before?" she echoed.

The Wolf stepped closer, and the mist parted around it, swirling like living tendril. "They buried the truth in silence, wrapped it in deceit, and fed you the illusion of normalcy. They cage the storm within before you ever knew it raged."

Amelia swallowed hard, her throat dry. "Who are 'they'?"

The Wolf tilted its head, red eyes darkening. "The hands that raised you. The voices that shaped you. The ones who feared what you might become if the chains were ever broken."

A sharp gust of wind howled through the trees, and the ground beneath her trembled. The whispers grew louder, overlapping, their words slipping through her mind like water through cupped hands–familiar yet indecipherable.

Her breathing quickened. "I don't understand."

"You will," the wolf said, losing the gap between them. "When the moon weeps and stars break, you will remember. When blood stains the realm and the past claws free of its grave, you will awaken."

Amelia's heart pounded. "Awaken into what?"

The Wolf lowered its head, bringing its muzzle dangerously close to her face. "Into what you were always meant to be."

A sudden, forceful gust of magic surged through the air, and the forest shook violently. The trees groaned and the green leaves flashing as an unseen force lashed against them. The mist thickened, rising like a tide, and the wolf's form flickered, as though something was pulling it away.

"They are watching," it warned, its voice urgent now. "The hands that weave in darkness. The eyes that lurk behind veils. They do not wish the power to be awakened."

"Who are they?" she demanded, panic seizing her chest.

The Wolf's gaze burned. "Those who seek to own the power. Those who fear. And those who will die because of the power. Be warned, they will come for you."

The mist faltered. The wolf vanished leaving Amelia there.

Amelia jolted awake with a sharp gasp, her entire body drenched in sweat. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to catch her breath, her fingers gripping the sheets as if to ground herself. The whispers still clung to her mind, fragmented and fleeting, their cryptic warnings refusing to leave.

The room was dark, the only sound was her frantic heartbeat pounding in her ears. She pressed a hand on her chest, struggling to steady her breath.

That wasn't just a dream, it felt real. She spent her life believing she was nothing More than a human princess, trained for duty, bound by expectation. But tonight something inside her was stirring.

And if the wolfs words were true…

She wasn't meant to stay caged much longer.

She is losing track of time and she needed answers, guidance and alliances.

Amelia lay still in her bed, staring at the ceiling with wide, unblinking eyes. Pushing off the covers, she sat up, running fingers through her hair. With a sigh, she slipped out of the bed, grabbing her cloak and wrapping it around her shoulders tightly.

The Academy halls were eerily quiet, the moonlight casting long shadows along the corridors. She moved carefully, her footsteps light as she avoided patrols.

Her destination was clear–her secret place. A small clearing beyond the Academy walls, where a tranquil lake shimmered under the night sky. The grass was soft beneath her feet as she stepped into the open space, the cool breeze soothing her heated skin.

She inhaled deeply, letting the crisp night air fill her lungs. Here, away from her suffocating quarter, she could think. She could breathe.

Kneeling by the water's edge, her reflection rippling beneath her fingertips. What is happening to me?

Did Kael know? The thought crept in before she could stop it. He had suspected her bloodline, like more than ninety percent sure, before even she had known. What else is he hiding? And more importantly–who else knew?