CHAPTER 49: The Hidden Truth (Tasha's POV)
I could feel the weight of Clara's sacrifice pressing down on me, heavy like a stone in my chest. The silence that followed our narrow escape from Eden's lair was deafening.
We were all out of breath, hearts pounding, but even the rush of adrenaline couldn't push the sting of what had just happened. Clara was gone. Seth sat hunched, knees drawn to his chest, staring into the distance with vacant eyes.
His shoulders trembled ever so slightly, and I couldn't tell if it was from the lingering effects of the battle or the crushing loss of his sister.
I moved to sit beside him, the ground cold beneath me, the air still thick with the remnants of Eden's dark power. "Hey," I said softly, unsure of what else to say. My voice felt small compared to the weight of everything we'd just been through. "I know this-this doesn't make sense. But you're not alone."
Seth didn't look at me, his gaze locked on some distant place where the past few moments seemed to hang like a dark cloud. I couldn't blame him for not responding. What could I say to ease this kind of pain? What could anyone say? Before I could say anything more, a sudden ripple of energy swept through the air.
I froze, instinctively glancing around, feeling a familiar tension in the pit of my stomach. A crackle, like static before a storm, and then- "Clara?" My voice cracked. I blinked, convinced my mind was playing tricks on me. But no. There she was. Clara. Standing right in front of us, as if she had never left.
Her eyes locked on mine, and for a second, all the grief I had been holding back dissolved into disbelief. The air around her shimmered, like some kind of illusion. I could barely breathe. Seth's head snapped up. His eyes, filled with a mixture of confusion and hope, darted from me to Clara.
He stood, his legs unsteady as he stumbled toward her. "How-Clara, how-?" His words were lost in the sudden rush of emotions. The two of them stood there for a moment, just staring at each other, as if they couldn't quite believe what was happening.
"I cast a spell," Clara said, her voice as calm as it had been during the fight. "A spell that allows me to become invisible, to permeate through things. I was never really gone. I just... hid. I didn't want Eden to know I was still alive." Her words were a punch to the gut.
A spell? She had been there, watching, waiting, while the rest of us fought, thinking she was lost forever. She'd been so close to us the whole time. I wanted to reach out, to pull her into a hug and never let go. But before I could move, a deep rumble echoed through the ground.
A shift in the air, like a storm breaking. I froze, heart dropping in my chest. The ground beneath us trembled as a dark shadow cast over the clearing. My eyes flicked toward the source of the sound, my breath catching in my throat. It was him. Eden.
He was standing in the opening behind us, his eyes glowing with an unnatural light. His tall, imposing figure cut through the darkness like a predator, and for a moment, I could almost feel the heat of his rage emanating from him. "Clara," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Get back." Clara didn't flinch, didn't even seem surprised. Her face was calm, but I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers curled, ready for whatever was to come. The air crackled as Eden took a step forward, his eyes scanning us like a hawk hunting its prey.
"We're not running this time," she said firmly, her voice low but resolute. "Stay where you are. Don't move." The others were still standing in shock, barely processing the return of Clara. But we didn't have time to celebrate. Eden was here, and the situation had just gone from bad to worse. I felt a surge of dread.
I was terrified, but I could see that Clara wasn't. She stood there, facing him without hesitation, her posture unyielding. For a split second, I thought she might've been a little too confident. She didn't know what Eden could do to us.
None of us did. Eden stopped, standing just a few feet from where we were gathered. His gaze locked on each of us, but his eyes were particularly focused on Clara.
"You," he spat, a sneer curling at his lips. "You think hiding in the shadows will save you? I can still sense you. No matter where you go, no matter what you do, you will never escape me." I felt the air grow colder, the darkness around us thickening.
His voice was venomous, full of hatred. He was so close now that I could almost feel the weight of his power bearing down on us, a suffocating force I couldn't escape. But Clara-Clara didn't move.
She stood there, facing him, unwavering. "You're wrong," she said, voice steady. "You won't find us."
Eden's eyes flickered with rage, but he didn't move. He stared at us for a long moment, his breath shallow, his fists clenched at his sides.
The tension between us was so thick I could barely breathe. "I can sense you," he growled, his voice like a low rumble. "And next time we meet, there will be no escape. No magic, no tricks. I will hunt you down, every single one of you, and tear you apart."
His words hung in the air like an omen, a death sentence. But he didn't attack. He turned his gaze toward the sky, and for a moment, I thought maybe he was just toying with us, enjoying the fear he was stirring up.
But then I saw the change in his posture. His body rippled, muscles shifting, his bones elongating. He was shifting into his wolf form. In one fluid motion, Eden's body morphed before our eyes.
His dark skin split open as fur sprouted along his arms and legs, his face elongating into a snout. His glowing eyes stayed locked on us, filled with raw, primal rage. A growl rumbled deep in his chest, and then, with a feral roar, he threw back his head. The sound of his voice echoed through the night like a declaration of war.
The air trembled with the force of it. He was calling his army, his pack. I could hear the faint rustle of movement behind him, but I didn't dare look. I was too focused on Eden, watching as his massive wolf form towered over us, fur bristling in the moonlight.
And then, with a final, deafening roar, he howled into the night. A command, an order. His pack would follow. They would hunt us down. Clara's voice cut through the tension like a whip.
"Stay still," she ordered, her eyes never leaving Eden's. "Do not move. Not even a muscle." But I could feel the panic rising in my chest. How long could we stay hidden like this? How long could Clara protect us with her magic? Eden could sense us, and he was already hunting us. He would find us eventually. There was no escape.
And then, just when I thought I couldn't stand another second of this, Eden's wolf eyes flicked to the sky, as if hearing something only he could. The tension, the fear, the waiting-it all came crashing down.
But then he stopped. With one final glance at us, he snarled and spun on his heels, running off into the night. His howls echoed as he summoned his pack, calling them to find us, to finish us.
We stood frozen in place, barely breathing, as the sound of Eden's departure faded into the distance.
I felt Clara's eyes on me, but I couldn't move. Couldn't think. What now?
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