Gray Valley

f i f t y - s i x

BY THE TIME I NEARED THE CLEARING, I COULD HEAR BOTH OF THEIR VOICES CLEARLY.

"Promise me, Blayze."

Although I could no longer sense any hatred between them, the emotions that surrounded them were still intense.

"I promise."

"Promise, what?" I asked loudly, as I reached the clearing. "Shouldn't you two know better than to make unnecessary promises."

"Blayze is a Brown Wolf," Liam pointed out. "The Promise Code has no effect on him."

"I know that. But still... The Blood Exchange."

If Blayze was a Brown Wolf with Gray Wolf blood, what did that make him?

"It's only temporary, Weslyn." Blayze smiled slightly. "I won't have Gray Wolf characteristics forever. Once Liam's blood leaves my system, I'll be back to my usual self."

I didn't know why...

But the way he had changed since the Blood Exchange, unnerved me. The warmth around him had disappeared... And there was darkness that clouded his presence.

It was almost as if he had become someone else.

"I..."

"Filia Mea..."

Even though it felt like so long since I had last heard her voice, it was so similar to my own; there was no way I could forget it.

"Luna...?"

"An inevitable war approaches," she answered. "And with it, great pain and bloodshed will follow..." She paused. "The choices you make will determine the outcome of this war."

"My choices...?"

"One choice may cost the lives of those you love."

"No matter what choices I make, it won't change fate. If today is the day that fate has decided as the downfall of Gray Wolves, nothing I do will change it."

"Your fate no longer guides you, Weslyn... And because of that, there is no fate that determines what is to come."

"My fate no longer guides me...?" I repeated uncertainly. "There is no fate? Luna, what are you talking about?"

"8 years ago, when your father used the last of life force to summon me, his wish for me to protect you," she told me. "Shortly after that, when you were attacked, I protected you... And that interfered with your fate."

If Luna had interfered with my fate by protecting me... That could only mean one thing.

"I'm supposed to be dead."

I was never supposed to survive the attack that suppressed my wolf form.

"Yes."

"Does that mean I no longer have a fate?"

"You still have a fate, filia mea. But like I said before, it's a fate that no longer guides you... Instead, it has remained the same since 8 years ago." She paused. "The bonds you had and emotions you felt back then has remained unchanged... And the curse placed on the Grayson family, the Soulmate Curse, still haunts you inevitably."

"But this war isn't just about me," I replied. "It's about everyone in Gray Valley..."

"When you arrived here, two months ago, your fate intertwined with that of everyone in Gray Valley... And when that happened, their fates also changed," she explained. "When someone interferes with fate, Weslyn... Great destruction follows. Because when there's no fate to guide the beings of this world, they are overwhelmed by the amount of freedom they have... And with time, they make too many wrong decisions."

"That's why the war is happening."

"Are you alright, Weslyn?" Blayze asked, bringing me back to the present. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm fine."

"You clearly aren't." Liam glanced at me. "You didn't even notice that when we reached the clearing." We were at the empty part of the forest, where Bryan had been keeping watch.

"It is my duty to protect you," Luna said gently. "But this is a war, Weslyn. And if the Gray Wolves are at risk... You must summon me."

"But to summon you, I must make a worthy promise... And I have nothing to promise you."

"You do." I could almost see her smile. "Try to realise what that is... And I will be able to protect the Luna Pack from danger."

I didn't know what she was talking about. There was nothing I could offer Luna that was deserving of her presence.

"Weslyn?" Liam prompted. "Did you hear what I just said?"

"I didn't, Liam," I murmured. "I've been thinking about a lot of thing lately and I just... I have a lot on my mind."

"By Luna..." Blayze's eyes widened. When I turned to glance in the direction that he was looking, I couldn't believe the sight that met me.

Before us, were Wolves... Brown Wolves that had already shifted before the full moon had risen.