Elara

Hunted

Elara burst into the night, the cold air stinging her face as she ran, her heart pounding in her chest. The shadows of the alley seemed alive, stretching out toward her like hungry hands, pulling at her, trying to drag her back into the darkness. Her breaths came in ragged gasps, but she couldn’t stop—she had to keep moving.

Damien’s voice echoed in her mind: Run.

She didn’t know where she was running to, but she knew one thing for certain—she couldn’t go back to Lucian. Not now. Not after what had happened. The Covenant was coming for her, and if they found her with him, she knew it would be the end of the only part of her life that still felt real.

As she ran, the city’s streets seemed to twist and distort around her, the buildings towering over her like silent sentinels. The night felt unnatural, thick with an oppressive energy that made her skin crawl. Every sound—every footstep, every distant car horn—felt amplified, like the city itself was watching her, waiting for her to stumble.

The shadows followed her, creeping along the walls and the ground, always just a step behind. Elara’s heart raced as she darted down another alley, trying to lose them, but they were relentless. They moved with purpose, with hunger, as if they knew exactly where she was going before she did.

Her body ached, her muscles screaming in protest as she kept running, but fear drove her forward. She had no idea how long she had been running or how far she had gone, but when she finally stopped to catch her breath, she realized she was standing in front of an old, abandoned building. The windows were dark, the doors boarded up, but something about the place felt… familiar.

Elara hesitated, glancing over her shoulder. The shadows had stopped moving, lingering just at the edge of the alley, as if waiting for her to make her move.

She had no other choice.

With trembling hands, she pried the loose boards from the door and slipped inside. The interior was just as desolate as the outside—dust-covered floors, broken furniture, and a heavy silence that pressed down on her like a weight. The air was cold, musty, and thick with a sense of abandonment.

Elara collapsed against the wall, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. The adrenaline that had been fueling her was fading, leaving her exhausted and trembling. She pressed her hands against her face, trying to calm the frantic thoughts racing through her mind.

Damien had told her to run. But run to where? How could she escape something she didn’t even fully understand? She had thought she was running from the shadows, from the danger of The Covenant, but deep down, she knew that she was also running from herself—running from the truth Damien had revealed to her.

You were born for this.

His words haunted her. The idea that she was somehow tied to The Covenant, that she had this power inside her—it terrified her. And yet, part of her was curious, drawn to the mystery of it all. What if Damien was right? What if this power could be controlled? What if embracing it could make her stronger?

But that woman… her warning had been clear: Once you embrace the darkness, it will consume you.

Elara shivered, pulling her knees to her chest. She felt trapped between two worlds—one that she didn’t fully understand and one that she couldn’t return to. Lucian was a part of that world. He was her anchor to the life she had known, the life that felt safe. But now, that safety felt fragile, like it had been shattered by the darkness that Damien had brought into her life.

She couldn’t drag Lucian into this. He wouldn’t understand, and even if he did, she knew he couldn’t protect her from what was coming.

A sudden creak echoed through the building, making Elara’s heart lurch in her chest. She froze, her breath catching in her throat as she strained to listen. For a moment, there was only silence, but then she heard it again—a soft, deliberate sound, like footsteps.

Someone was in the building with her.

Panic surged through her veins as she scrambled to her feet, her pulse pounding in her ears. She pressed herself against the wall, her eyes darting to the shadows that now seemed to stretch further into the room, crawling toward her. Her heart raced as she heard the footsteps grow louder, closer.

“Who’s there?” she whispered, her voice shaking.

There was no response, but the footsteps continued, slow and deliberate, echoing through the empty space. Elara’s hands clenched into fists at her sides, fear and adrenaline coursing through her veins.

The footsteps stopped, and for a moment, there was nothing but silence.

Then, from the darkness, a figure emerged.

It wasn’t Damien.

It was the woman.

Elara’s breath caught in her throat as the woman stepped into the dim light, her eyes cold and unreadable. She was just as Elara remembered—tall, elegant, and dangerous, with an air of authority that made her presence feel even more menacing.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” the woman said, her voice calm but filled with an unspoken threat.

Elara backed away, her heart pounding. “What do you want from me?”

The woman tilted her head, her gaze sharp as she watched Elara. “I warned you, didn’t I? Damien isn’t leading you to freedom. He’s leading you to destruction.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Elara said, her voice trembling. “I didn’t ask for any of this.”

“But you didn’t run fast enough, did you?” The woman’s eyes gleamed as she stepped closer, her voice dripping with cold amusement. “You still want to know, don’t you? You still want to understand what he promised you.”

Elara’s throat tightened, and she shook her head. “No, I—”

“Lies.” The woman’s voice cut through the air like a knife. “You crave it. The power. The darkness. You can feel it calling to you.”

Elara clenched her fists, anger bubbling up inside her. “I’m not like Damien,” she spat. “I don’t want this.”

The woman’s smile faded, and her expression darkened. “You don’t have a choice. The Covenant doesn’t wait for those who hesitate. If you don’t accept what’s inside you, they will take it by force.”

Elara’s blood turned to ice. “What do you mean?”

The woman’s gaze was like steel as she took another step forward. “The Covenant will come for you, Elara. And when they do, they won’t care if you’re ready. They’ll take what they want, and you will be lost to the darkness.”

Elara’s heart pounded in her chest as the woman’s words sank in. She wanted to run, to escape, but she knew it wouldn’t matter. The Covenant was coming for her, and there was nowhere left to hide.

“You have a choice,” the woman said softly, her voice taking on a strange, almost sympathetic tone. “Embrace the power on your own terms, or let them consume you.”

Elara stared at the woman, her mind racing. She had been running from the truth, from the power that Damien had awakened in her. But now, she realized there was no escape. She could either face it and try to control it—or let it destroy her.

Her pulse quickened as the weight of the decision pressed down on her. Could she really embrace this power, this darkness, and still hold on to herself?

Before she could answer, the woman turned away, her voice fading into the shadows. “Time is running out, Elara. Choose wisely.”

And just like that, she was gone, leaving Elara standing alone in the darkness once again.