Lunar Legacies: The Eleven

5.

Encounter

Theodore sat hunched over an old map, its edges frayed and yellowed with age. The dim light of his sanctuary flickered, casting shadows over the room, and the key fragments on the table in front of him glinted with a faint, unsettling glow. His brow furrowed in frustration, fingers running through his messy hair as he studied the worn lines of the map for the hundredth time.

“Where is it?” he muttered under his breath. His eyes scanned the cryptic symbols again, trying to decipher the location of the tomb that held Darian’s dark power. Four more pieces. Just four more, and the key would be complete, but the thought of those fragments falling into the wrong hands twisted his gut.

Yet his focus kept slipping. No matter how hard he tried to bury himself in the research, his mind kept wandering to the same place. Or rather, the same person.

Seth.

The thought of him came uninvited, intruding like a persistent whisper in his head. It was maddening. He didn’t understand why. There was no logical reason for it. They hadn’t even met yet, but every time he tried to concentrate, his thoughts would drift back to the shadow manipulator.

Seth’s face would flicker in his mind—sharp eyes, a confident stance, and the calm control he seemed to possess. The way Dean had described him, how capable he was... Something about it tugged at Theodore, pulling him in a way that made no sense. He clenched his fists, annoyed at himself for being so easily distracted.

“This is ridiculous,” Theodore muttered, shaking his head. He had never cared what others thought or felt, had never let anyone distract him from his goals. But now...this. His hands gripped the edges of the map, knuckles white. “I don’t have time for this.”

He stood abruptly, pacing the small space. The fragments of the key seemed to mock him from the table, their glow almost taunting. He should be focused on stopping Darian’s followers. On protecting what was left of his family’s legacy. But instead, Seth lingered in his mind like a puzzle he couldn’t solve.

“What is it about you?” Theodore growled, the question slipping out before he could stop it. The frustration in his chest grew, knotting tighter with every passing second.

He stopped by the window, staring out into the dark, misty forest. His heart raced, and he pressed his palms against the cold glass, trying to clear his head. But the unease wouldn’t leave him.

There was something about Seth, something more than just a passing thought. It nagged at him, drawing him in like a force he couldn’t resist. It was deeper, unsettling, and Theodore hated not understanding it.

He took a deep breath, forcing the tension in his body to ease. “Focus,” he whispered to himself. He needed to concentrate on the key, on stopping the ancient evil from rising again.

But even as he returned to his work, the image of Seth wouldn’t leave. And that terrified him more than anything Darian’s followers could ever do.

Theodore’s frustration had reached its peak. After hours of staring at the fragments and the map, he finally gave up, pushing himself away from the cluttered table. His mind was too scattered, too restless. He needed to clear his head, and there was only one way that ever worked—running in his wolf form.

He hadn’t shifted in a while, but tonight, it felt like the only escape from the swirling thoughts that had been consuming him. In a blink, he transformed, his tall, muscular frame giving way to his large black wolf form, patches of gold and purple shimmering against the moonlight filtering into the hideout. He stepped outside, inhaling the crisp night air. Before he could dwell on anything further, he activated his teleportation ability, instantly transporting himself to the depths of a familiar forest.

His paws hit the forest floor in an instant, and he broke into a run. Trees blurred by as he weaved between them, the sensation of wind rushing past his ears a welcome distraction. For a moment, the world fell away—the burden of the key, his confusion about Seth—all replaced by the primal thrill of running through the night.

But as he ran, something shifted. He noticed it when the trees became less familiar, the ground beneath his paws slightly different. Slowing to a halt, Theodore’s eyes scanned the area. This wasn’t the forest surrounding his hideout. The scent in the air was different, too. He lifted his head, inhaling deeply, and froze. The forest… it was the one near the camp.

Before he could process what that meant, movement caught his eye. Emerging from the shadow of a large tree was a wolf, one slightly bigger than himself. Its fur was a deep black, but there was something more to it—its coat seemed to ripple like darkness itself, shadows clinging to its form.

Seth.

Theodore’s heart leapt, though he didn’t fully understand why. The two wolves locked eyes. Neither moved for a moment, both of them caught in the quiet tension of the moment. But there was no hostility, only an odd, magnetic pull between them.

Hesitation flickered through Theodore, his body stilling. The shadow wolf didn’t move either, but its eyes were steady, watching him. Theodore’s instinct told him to retreat, but something else kept him rooted in place. Slowly, he took a step forward. The black wolf mirrored him, stepping closer. They began to circle each other, cautiously closing the distance, as if testing the waters of an unspoken connection.

Theodore’s gold and purple patches glinted under the moonlight, a sharp contrast to the blackness of Seth’s fur. They moved in sync, never breaking eye contact. Theodore’s mind raced—why wasn’t Seth attacking? Why did he feel drawn to him?

A sudden snap of a twig shattered the quiet tension, jerking both wolves’ attention toward the sound. Theodore’s instincts flared, and before he could stop himself, he bolted. The sound of pursuit followed, and he knew Seth was chasing after him.

He pushed himself harder, running faster, but something told him that if Seth truly wanted to catch him, he would. That thought sent a rush of adrenaline through him, and just before Seth could close the gap, Theodore teleported, disappearing into thin air.

In a flash, he was back at his hideout, panting and shaken, his heart racing in his chest. He shifted back into his human form, the cool night air brushing against his bare skin.

Leaning against the door, Theodore tried to steady his breath, but the encounter kept replaying in his mind. He couldn’t shake the image of Seth, his shadowy form, the way they had circled each other without a word, without a fight. Something deeper was at play, and it unnerved him more than any enemy ever had.

“What is happening to me?” he muttered, the frustration from earlier returning. But even now, in the safety of his hideout, he could still feel the pull toward Seth—and that scared him more than anything else.