019

The room was filled with emotion, the words echoing in my mind like a curse. Was I destined to become a monster? Was this the fate that had been laid out for me since before I was born?

Rook looked at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of emotions. "Is this true?"

I took a deep breath, my hand tightening around the book. "I don't know. But, it's...possible, I guess," I admitted.

As I uttered the words, I could feel the weight of their stares. But I knew what I had to do. I had to embrace my heritage, no matter how dark it was, if I had any hope of controlling the power within me. And with that determination burning like a candle in the dark, I turned to Daniel and Reif.

"Teach me," I said, my voice clear. "Teach me how to control my powers so I can protect those I love, and keep the darkness at bay."

Their smiles were grim, but they nodded in unison.

~ROOK~

The revelation of Cat’s true lineage hit me like a sledgehammer. My mind raced, trying to understand what it all meant. The darkness I’d been trying so hard to keep from her about myself, was a part of her very essence, and I had no idea of how to help her from herself.

She looked so lost, so vulnerable, and I just wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her everything would be okay. But I couldn’t. I didn't know that for certain. The storm clouds were gathering, and she was about to face the tempest head-on, and the thought turned my blood cold.

No matter what she might become, I wouldn’t turn away from her. The love I’d held for her since we were teenagers had only grown stronger, and now, it was tempered with a fierce protectiveness that burned like a wildfire in my chest.

With each passing second,I could feel the unease rapidly growing within the academy members in the room with us.

“Rook?” Cat’s voice was soft, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I looked up, forcing a smile to my lips. “Yeah?”

“What’s wrong?” She studied me with a furrowed brow, and I knew she could see the turmoil in my eyes.

“It’s just...” I began, but the words lodged in my throat. How could I explain the maelstrom of emotions that were threatening to drown me?

Her gaze softened, and she reached out, her hand brushing against mine. The touch was electric, sending a jolt through my body that made me want to pull her into my arms and never let go.

“You don’t have to be afraid for me,” she said gently. “I won’t let the darkness take me over. I promise.”

But the fear remained, a cold knot in my stomach. The coven members were restless, the whispers growing louder with each passing second. I could hear the hushed words they spoke of prophecies, of the end of days and the rise of a new order.

However, as I gazed at her, I realized that she wasn’t just a woman with power. She was a storm, a force of nature, and I was just a leaf caught in the wind. And maybe, just maybe, she needed someone to anchor her, to keep her from being swept away by the chaos that was building around her.

The decision was made, the die cast. I had to make her understand that I wasn’t just her protector, her teacher, her confidant. I was much more than that. And if the coven, Reif, Daniel, and all of hell itself stood in my way, I’d fight it all to keep her safe.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I told her.

Even as I said the words, I knew they weren’t enough. Shadows danced around us, whispering of loss and pain. And in the corner of my eye, I saw Keeley watching us, a look of sadness etched into her features.

Her silence was deafening.

I turned to the others, my voice cutting through the murmurs like a knife. “We need to be prepared for whatever comes next. We need to train, to understand what we’re dealing with here.”

Daniel nodded gravely. “We’ll start with the basics, but be warned, Cat. This isn’t going to be easy. The path ahead is fraught with danger, and the choices you make will not only determine your fate but the fate of all of us.”

Reif’s eyes held a glint of excitement. “This is what you were born for, Cat. You can feel it, can’t you? The power, the destiny?”

I felt a twinge of jealousy at his words, but pushed it aside. This wasn’t about me. It was about her, and what she had to face.

The training began in earnest the next day. The three of them took me to a hidden chamber deep within the academy, where the air was thick with the scent of incense and the echoes of ancient spells. The walls were lined with dusty tomes and strange artifacts, and I could feel the weight of centuries of power pressing down on me.

For hours, they taught me to focus, to harness the energy that flowed through me like a river of fire. I struggled, the flames licking at my soul, threatening to consume me whole. But with each painful lesson, I grew stronger, more in tune with the magic that was both a gift and a curse.

As the days turned to weeks, I watched Cat grow more powerful, more in control of the darkness that lurked within her. Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was just playing with fire, dancing closer and closer to the flames without realizing the true extent of their heat.

One evening, after a particularly grueling session, I found her sitting in the garden, her eyes distant, lost in thought. I sat beside her, not speaking, just being there.

“What are you thinking about?” I finally asked, breaking the silence.

Her gaze snapped to me, and for a moment, I saw the girl I’d grown up with, the girl who’d held my heart captive for so long.

“I’m thinking about us,” she said softly. “And what we’re going to do when all of this is over. If there’s an us left.”

The words hung between us like a question mark, and I knew she was referring to the prophecy, the one that had brought us all together, the one that threatened to tear us apart.

“There’s always going to be an us, Cat,” I said firmly. “I’m not going anywhere, no matter what happens.”

But even as I said it, I knew I was lying to myself. The prophecy had a life of its own, and it wasn’t something we could simply ignore or wish away. It was a living, breathing entity that would shape our futures, whether we liked it or not.