BREAKING OPEN SECRETS

Even though I was sitting so close to the fire, the warmth of it hardly reached me. I still sensed the chill in my body, originating from inside instead of outside. I tried to focus on my environment, even though Gunner's intense blue eyes were fixed on me from across the room, my mind kept going back to the woman's words.

“The Moon Goddess has marked her.”

Marked. What did that mean? I didn't know why they were staring at me as if I had the secret to something important, and I didn't feel special.

"Are you going to explain everything to me?" Though it didn't sound as strong as I had hoped, I needed answers. I had had enough of the darkness. "Who are these people, and what makes you believe that I'm marked?"

After giving the woman—whom he'd introduced as Kate—a glance, Gunner leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. He appeared even more threatening due to the shadows the flickering flames cast over his powerful, chiseled features.

He began, cautiously and in a low voice, "This might be hard to explain." But you are different from the others. The hunters… they’ve been searching for you.”

I got a chill when I heard the word "hunters." For some reason, that word just seemed to reach out and touch something, a memory perhaps. As a dull ache shot through my skull, I winced and clutched my head.

"They've been tracking you for weeks,"

Gunner said in a somber tone. “And they won’t stop until they have you.”

I shook my head with fear, fighting disbelief. "I'm not understanding. Why? Why me?”

Kate stepped forward, her movements graceful yet commanding. Her pale eyes seemed to radiate an otherworldly energy, and her silver hair glistened in the flickering firelight. Something strong and ancient about her was apparent. She spoke and it was as if the earth itself returned the sound of her voice.

"You are not just any human child," she spoke softly but with a strong gaze. “The Moon Goddess chose you. There is a power within you—one that even you have yet to discover. The hunters know this. They’ve been after your kind for centuries.”

My kind? I recoiled at her words, my heart racing. Nothing made sense. How could I possess power? I was barely holding myself together.

Gunner’s eyes softened as if sensing the panic rising within me. “We don’t know everything yet,” he admitted. “But there’s something special about you, Zelena. Something… dangerous.”

My breathing became hitched. Dangerous? I glanced at my hands, expecting them to tremble, but they remained steady. I felt no different. I was just… me. I'm completely lost, confused, and scared.

I whispered to myself, more so than to them, "I'm not dangerous." "I'm not even sure who I am."

"You will,” Kate said in a steady, confident voice, “In time.”

Suffocating silence descended upon the room. This was not what I wanted. I had no desire to be unique or to be identified with a goddess I had never heard of. I simply wanted to recall my identity, my roots, and my true self. The harder I attempted to grasp those memories, the more they slipped away from me. Those memories remained locked away.

“What now?” I asked, trying to control my desperate tone.

Gunner rose to his feet, a long shadow of his massive frame falling across me. “For now, you stay with us. We’ll protect you from the hunters. But Zelena, you have to understand. It's not only about you, as well. The hunters do not care at all about who they kill during their hunting.

They’ll come after the pack if they think you’re here.”

His words felt like a gut punch to me. I never requested whatever this is, but now it seems that I am a danger to those nearby. I was informed that I had no memories of my previous life, no place to call home, and was being chased because of an unknown ability I had.

Quietly, with a trembling voice, I murmured, "I don't wish to cause harm to anyone."

Once more, Gunner's eyes softened, and for a moment, I felt as though I could see compassion or understanding there. He said, "We don't blame you." "But, we must find out what's happening, before it's too late,”

A gust of cold air rushed in and the cabin door flew open with a loud *crack* before I could reply. A tall man with a wild and angry expression stormed in, and I jumped, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Where is she now?" His voice was deep and menacing, and he growled.

Instinctively, I drew back, but Gunner moved ahead of me, his body tense and his fists tightly balled at his sides.

“Dolph,” Gunner said sharply. “Calm down.”

The man—Dolph—ignored him, his furious gaze fixed on me. “That girl is a danger to all of us, and you brought her here?”

His hatred struck me so hard that my blood ran cold. This man saw me as a threat, even though I had no idea who he was. Dolph moved forward with a predatory gait before I could utter a word.

“She doesn’t even know what she is,” Gunner snapped, moving to block Dolph's path. “And she’s under my protection.”

Dolph snarled, baring his teeth. “Your protection? You’re putting the whole pack at risk for her. Do you even know what the hunters will do when they find out?”

A knot formed In my stomach. It was happening all over again. Wherever I went, I brought danger. I didn’t need to remember my past to know that this was familiar. I was always a burden, always a threat. But what was worse was the creeping realization that Dolph was right. I was dangerous. I just didn’t know why.

Kate stepped forward, her calm presence a sharp contrast to Dolph's rage. “The Moon Goddess has plans for her, Dolph. This isn’t for us to decide.”

Dolph gave her a fierce look but remained silent. With a look of malice in his eyes, he quickly turned, exited the cabin in a hurry, and forcefully shut the door.

I trembled while letting out a shaky breath. I wasn’t safe here. No matter what Gunner said, I could feel it. Darren hated me. The hunters wanted me. And the Moon Goddess, whoever she was, had marked me for something I didn’t understand.

Gunner turned back to me, his expression grim. “He won’t hurt you,” he said, though I wasn’t sure he believed his own words. “But we need to figure this out, Zelena. Fast.”

I nodded, despite my lack of confidence in my voice.

But deep down, I knew. This was only the beginning. Whatever I was, whatever the Moon Goddess had planned for me, it was coming. And it would destroy everything in its path.