Sabrina’s eyes flickered with amusement as I stood catching my breath. The weight of the fight still hung heavy in the air, but her calm demeanor unsettled me. She stepped closer, her gaze piercing through me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.
“You fought well, Audrey,” she said, her voice soft but filled with an underlying force. “But strength alone won’t lead you to the Eternity Book.”
Logan, standing protectively beside me, glanced at her with suspicion. “You said the book would reveal itself when she was ready. If she passed your test, what’s next?”
Sabrina’s smile was slow, deliberate. “The first clue lies with you, Audrey. It’s been with you this entire time.”
I frowned, unsure what she meant. “With me? How? Where?”
Sabrina reached out, her cold fingers brushing the back of my arm. “The answer is within your blood, in your very flesh. Your father didn’t just make a bargain
with me for your power, Audrey. He ensured that the first clue to the Eternity Book would be hidden in the one place no one would ever think to look-on you.”
I stared at her, bewildered. “On me? What are you talking about?”
Sabrina’s red eyes gleamed with a dark satisfaction. “Look closer at your body. The first clue is not written in words but etched into your skin, in a language older than time itself. It has been waiting to be revealed, waiting for the moment you unlocked your power.”
I instinctively ran my hands over my arms, my heart pounding. “Where? How do I find it?”
Sabrina stepped back, her gaze trailing over me like she was analyzing every inch of my being. “It won’t be visible until you are ready to fully embrace your heritage. The wolf within you holds the key. Only when you are at the height of your transformation, when the human and wolf are one, will the markings appear.”
Logan moved closer, his brows furrowed in concern. “She’s already gone through the transformation. If there’s something on her body, why hasn’t it shown itself yet?”
Sabrina’s smile grew colder. “Because, Logan, her full transformation is incomplete. She may have taken the wolf’s form, but she has not yet embraced the darkness that comes with it. The clue will only reveal itself when Audrey is no longer resisting her true nature.”
I swallowed hard, the words sinking in. The wolf was part of me, yes, but the darkness… I wasn’t sure what that meant. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“What if I don’t want to embrace it?” I asked quietly, fear lacing my voice.
Sabrina’s expression turned serious, her gaze hardening. “Then you will never find the Eternity Book.
Logan’s hand found mine, squeezing it gently. “Audrey, you don’t have to do this. We can find another way.”
But deep down, I knew there wasn’t another way. The beast that had attacked us, the creature that stalked me-it wasn’t going to stop. Sabrina had made that clear. And if I wanted to protect the people I cared about, if I wanted to survive, I had to unlock the book’s power.
“I’ll do it,” I said, my voice trembling but resolute. “I’ll embrace the wolf fully, whatever that means.”
Sabrina’s lips curved into a satisfied smile. “Good. The sooner you accept your true self, the sooner the clue will reveal itself. But be warned, Audrey. The darkness you must face isn’t just within the wolf-it’s within you.”
Logan tensed beside me, his jaw tightening as he looked at Sabrina. “And what does she do once she finds the clue?”
Sabrina’s gaze flicked to him, her eyes narrowing slightly. “The clue will guide her to the next step. But that’s something Audrey will have to discover on her own.”
I shivered as the weight of her words pressed down on me. The clue was inside me, hidden beneath my skin, waiting to be found when I was ready to face the darkest parts of myself. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to do that, but one thing was clear: the road ahead was going to be far more dangerous than I had ever imagined.
Sabrina turned and began to walk away, her figure slowly disappearing into the shadows. “You’ll know when the time is right, Audrey,” she called over her shoulder. “And when you do, the Eternity Book will be within your grasp.”
As the darkness swallowed her whole, I stood frozen, my mind spinning with a thousand thoughts. Logan’s hand on my shoulder brought me back to reality.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice gentle.
I nodded, though my heart still raced. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, Logan. I don’t even know how to start.”
He pulled me closer, his arms wrapping around me protectively. “We’ll figure it out, together.”
But deep down, I knew this was something I had to face alone. Something only I could unlock.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The night air was cold as Logan and I stood in silence, his arms wrapped tightly around me. My mind raced, still grappling with everything Sabrina had revealed. The clue, the book, the darkness within me-none of it made sense, but I couldn’t deny the weight pressing down on me. This wasn’t just about survival anymore; it was about embracing the wolf in a way I had never done before. Fully. Completely. Without fear.
But what scared me the most was that darkness Sabrina spoke of. It was a part of me. What did that even mean? I didn’t feel dark, or evil, but maybe I didn’t know myself as well as I thought.
Logan pulled away slightly, his hands resting on my shoulders, his gaze filled with worry. “We don’t have to rush into this, Audrey. I know Sabrina said the clue is in you, but maybe we can find another way. We can look into more of your father’s history, talk to others who might know about the Eternity Book-”
“No,” I interrupted, shaking my head. “I can’t keep running from this, Logan. Sabrina’s right. If I don’t face whatever’s inside me, if I don’t unlock the clue, we’ll never be safe. And if this thing hunts us again, I don’t think we’ll survive another attack without knowing what it wants.”
Logan’s jaw tightened, his eyes flashing with frustration. “I just don’t want you to go through this alone.”
I gave him a small, sad smile. “You’ve been with me every step of the way, but this… this is something I have to do myself. No one else can unlock the power inside me. Not even you.”
He frowned, his protective nature warring with the reality of the situation. “Then I’m staying with you, no matter what.”
I knew better than to argue with him. Logan was stubborn, and once he’d made up his mind, there was no changing it. Besides, having him near gave me a sense of comfort I couldn’t deny. We might be on a dangerous path, but at least we were on it together.
Logan’s eyes darkened. “Are you sure you’re ready for that? You’ve only just started controlling your transformation. Pushing yourself too far, too fast-it could be dangerous.”
“I don’t have a choice,” I said quietly. “The creature could come for us at any time. We can’t afford to wait.”
He didn’t argue, but his concern was palpable. “If you’re going to do this, we should be somewhere safe, away from anyone who could get hurt.”
I nodded, knowing he was right. “There’s an old clearing deep in the woods, far from town. It’s where I’ve gone before when I needed space. It should be safe enough.”
Logan’s eyes locked onto mine, and he gave a firm nod. “Then let’s go.”
The clearing was just as I remembered-wide open, surrounded by towering trees, the moon casting a silver glow over the grass. The night felt eerily still, like the world was holding its breath, waiting for whatever was about to happen.
Logan stayed close as I stepped into the center of the clearing, my heart pounding in my chest. I could feel the wolf inside me, restless, stirring, sensing that I was about to call on it once again. But this time, I wasn’t just shifting. I was trying to unlock something far greater, something tied to my very existence.
I took a deep breath, centering myself as Sabrina had instructed. “Focus on your heartbeat,” I muttered, trying to slow my racing pulse. My breath came in deep, steady exhales, the rhythm of my heart slowly matching the steady beat of the earth beneath my feet.
Logan watched me from the edge of the clearing, his expression taut with worry. But he didn’t interfere. He knew this was something I had to do alone.
I closed my eyes and focused inward, reaching for the wolf, but this time I didn’t fight it. I didn’t brace myself for the pain, the fear, or the chaos. Instead, I welcomed the heat that spread through my body, the way my skin prickled, my muscles tightened, and my bones began to shift. It was uncomfortable, yes, but I didn’t resist it. I let it flow through me, transforming me into the creature I was meant to be.
When I opened my eyes, the world was sharper, clearer, more alive. The wolf within me was fully present, fully merged with who I was. And this time, I didn’t feel wild or out of control. I felt powerful. Balanced.
Logan’s eyes widened as he saw the change. “You did it,” he whispered, awe in his voice.
But I wasn’t done yet. I could feel something pulsing beneath my skin, something I hadn’t noticed before. A faint heat, like a dormant energy waiting to be called forth.
I ran my claws over my arm, feeling the raised skin beneath my fur. Slowly, markings began to appear-glowing faintly with an ethereal light. They were ancient symbols, like something out of a forgotten time. My breath hitched as I stared at them, my heart racing with excitement and fear.
“The clue,” I whispered, tracing the lines on my arm. “It’s here.”
Logan stepped forward cautiously, his eyes fixed on the markings. “What do they mean?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice trembling. “But they’re the key. This is the first step.”
As I studied the glowing symbols, something shifted in the air around us. A heavy, dark presence began to close in, and my senses flared. The beast. It was near.
Logan stiffened, his eyes scanning the tree line. “Audrey, we need to move. Now.”
But I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the symbols. The closer I looked, the more they seemed to move, like they were alive, pulsing with energy. And suddenly, a single word burned into my mind-the Abyss.
“What is that?” Logan asked, his voice urgent.
I didn’t know, but one thing was clear: the Eternity Book was tied to it, and I was about to find out exactly what that meant.
The beast let out a guttural growl from the shadows, and Logan grabbed my arm, pulling me back toward him. “Audrey, we can’t face it yet. Not without understanding what we’re up against.”
I nodded, the symbols still glowing faintly on my skin. “You’re right. But we can’t run forever. We have to find the Abyss.”
Logan’s expression darkened as he looked out at the forest. “Then we better move fast. Because whatever the Abyss is, it might be the only thing that can save us.”