Page 34

?

**Tasha's POV**

I woke up that morning with a strange mix of resolve and terror.

The soft light of dawn filtered through my window, illuminating the campus in serene hues that were too calm for what I knew was to come.

For weeks, I had been in the hold of fate—a force that was both compelling and terrifying.

And today, nothing would ever be the same.

I sat on my bed, remembering fragments of my dreams: flashes of dark forests, creepy voices urging me to take on a power that I'd tried so long to resist. I had always been cautious, always kept this part of my side tucked behind walls of well-constructed norm. But now, some part of me was pleading to break free.

I woke up slowly, determined to face the day.

At breakfast in the communal room, I heard the usual hum of conversation and clinking of forks, but every sound resonated more strongly, as if the world itself was getting ready for something monumental.

I recalled the cryptic message from Frigg I'd received the previous evening: "The storm is coming. Take control of your destiny or be swept by anarchy. Your path will soon ask you to make a choice—make it wisely."

I couldn't help but wonder what that choice would mean for me. For so long, I'd tried to live a quiet life among friends, hiding my true self. But now, every nerve in my body buzzed with the promise—and the threat—of change.

Between periods, the campus buzzed with gossip of unexplained occurrences.

Flickering lights in abandoned corridors, disembodied voices in vacant corridors, and even an unexpected chill that sent the hairs on my arms standing on end—everything validated that our world was shifting.

I couldn't help but disregard the portents. They felt like the prelude to something incredible.

Later in the afternoon, I walked to a remote corner of the central quad.

There, the world came to a halt.

I sat on a weathered bench beneath an ancient oak tree, trying to calm my mind.

I pulled out my phone and read Frigg's message again, letting its gravity sink in. I knew that soon I'd have to decide whether to embrace the destiny that beckoned or to continue living behind the comfortable mask of normalcy.

As the sun fell below the horizon, the campus was immersed in an uncanny light.

Shadows crept across the grounds, and the sharp air thrummed with energy.

It was then I received a mysterious message—a hint at a secretive campus party.

The message was brief, written in cursive script: "The time is nigh to discover the unseen. Meet at the Raven Hall tonight. Your destiny awaits."

My heart pounded as I read it over and over. Was this it? The time when I would have to confront the reality of who I am meant to be? I didn't know, but I knew I couldn't escape it. With a mix of fear and determination, I decided to go.

?

**Within the Raven Hall**

Raven Hall was the campus's oldest building, its foundation stones steeped in history and in suppressed secrets. And I could feel as I approached it that there was a change in the atmosphere—the muted hum of conversation, the far-off sound of footsteps, even the movement of distant old oak leaves shared secrets of exposure.

Inside, a hush had fallen over a small, dimmed gathering.

Supernatural pupils, mixed in with the predominately human crowd, exchanged meaningful glances.

I noted faces urgent and guarded, all weighed down by secrets too dangerous to reveal aloud.

There was a tension underlying in the air, as though all present felt this evening, could be something greater than just another meeting but also a turning point.

I moved to a corner and sat down, my eyes wandering around the room.

Occasionally, I caught brief visions of the Lycan Alpha—his power simmering, his face unmoving.

I knew he was present, plotting and planning behind the scenes, determined to chart our fates even if his methods were as cryptic as ever.

In that moment, a presence towered over me—a mentor figure, a professor with a hidden history in the ancient magic. His eyes were kind but sharp, and his very presence seemed to calm me. "Tasha," he whispered, sitting down next to me. "I've been waiting for you."

I could only muster a half-smile. "I don't know if I'm ready," I admitted, the words tumbling out before I could catch them.

He slouched forward, his voice low, near-whisper. "None of us are ever really ready until we step into the unknown. But tonight, you have to decide—will you take the whispers of destiny or will you let them slip away?"

His words struck deep within me.

I remembered the countless times I'd tried to push aside the inner pull that had grown stronger with every paranormal sign on campus, every enigmatic missive from Frigg. I remembered the Lycan Alpha, so distant yet so close in every thought, every thud of my heart. Could I truly leave behind the way that called?

Before I could respond, the room went dark for an instant as a storm brewed outside. The dimly lit candles, the brief rush of wind down the hall, and the far-off rumble of thunder all combined to create an aura of raw, uncontrolled power. I sensed that the very building itself was alive with magic.

The professor's eyes lit up in the dark. "Your gifts, your destiny—these are not a blessing, Tasha. These are the key to a world where human and supernatural coexist in harmony. But you must be willing to accept who you are.".

I closed my eyes, letting his words germinate.

Long enough, I'd been between what I was and what I'd not attempt.

The weight of expectation, of secrets hiding beneath, had pressed down upon me too long.

And here, in this place of soft incantation and ancient magic, I felt myself pulled to shatter the barrier at last.

?

**The Breaking of the Barrier**

As the night progressed, the paranormal ruckus outside grew impossible to ignore.

A flash of lightning illuminated the room, casting dark, ominous shadows that danced along the walls.

A soft growl, of thunder growled, and for a fleeting moment, I believed that I could see beyond the veil that divided the everyday from the paranormal.

And then, as though by my own volition, a vision arose.

I was gazing at the Lycan Alpha—standing atop a cliff, beneath a burning, full moon, his eyes ablaze with determination and quiet longing.

It was a spark, a moment of touch that made my heart thud and my mind spin.

The vision was a warning and a promise, forcing me to confront the truth of who I was to be.

And then, in that charged moment, I felt near agony.

Was this my destiny, the one I had been trying to escape?

Could I ever truly embrace a life not entirely human, a life haunted by risk as much as by loveliness?

My heart beat harder, each beat resonating with possibilities I had never even imagined.

I glanced at the professor, who nodded in affirmation as if he knew what I was thinking. "It is time, Tasha," he whispered. "The rest is up to you. You have to decide whether you are going to walk into your destiny, however unsure and frightening it is."

His words reverberated within me, filling me with a sense of fear and thrill.

I recalled all the nights that I had battled my own demons, resisting the call of the supernatural, resisting the need for some semblance of normalcy.

All of that was over now.

The whispers of fate were too strong to be silenced now.

As the celebration ended, I received another text from Frigg—a final invitation to accompany her to a secluded corner of the campus, where the ancient energies of the old magic still lingered.

The text read, "Your choice is clear. The moment of decision is upon you. Love who you are, and let the fate of our worlds find its meeting in you."

I could sense a shiver run down my spine. The message hummed within itself with a threat of change—a threat I was now prepared to accept.

As I was exiting the party, I looked around the room for a final time.

The faces, the whispers, the charged atmosphere—all served as reminders that things would never be the same.

I gathered my things, heart racing, full of fear and anticipation, and stepped out into the cold night air.

The campus, now altered by the storm raging outside, seemed to be waiting with bated breath for the next wave of destiny.

I realized that from this point on, there was no return. The line separating who I was and what I was supposed to be was blurring. The whispers of fate were everywhere, and I had to respond to their summons.

I walked toward the appointed spot with a firm stride, each step a bold declaration that I would no longer be a captive of illusions. Tonight, I would confront reality. Tonight, I would own the fate placed before me-even if that included embracing an open-ended future.

?

**The Private Reflection of the Lycan Alpha**

In a dimly lit room far away from the celebrations on campus, the Lycan Alpha sat at his desk studying old scrolls and worn books.

His countenance was one of immersion laced with an air of sorrow.

He had seen the direction of the day's events unfold, his heart heavy with the knowledge that every decision I made would shape our destinies forever intertwined.

He recalled me—Tasha—and the way our connection hummed between us, a silent current that neither time nor distance could erase. But he also knew that the journey ahead of us was treacherous. The prophecy was unfolding, and with it, the fate of our worlds.

His own turmoil was a secret behind the stoic mask. He longed to rush to my side, to whisper the truths that might set me free, but he also knew that revealing too much too soon would shatter the precarious balance he had fought so hard to achieve.

He scribbled some lines in his personal journal, his script ragged with uncontrolled feeling:

I spy on her every day, hoping for the day that she will come to me of her own accord.

But every passing glance, every rejection, pierces my very soul.

I fear the day that our destinies will become forever intertwined, for I can see the cost of our marriage too clearly.

I fear that it may be more than I am willing to pay.

But I'll wait, even as my heart is secretly broken.

His words, laden with determination and desperation, resonated in the stillness of his solitude. He closed the diary, steeling himself for the inevitable confrontation with destiny.

?

**A Pivotal Choice**

As I approached the secluded meeting spot—a small glade at the rear of the ancient oak woods—I could feel the tension in the air heavy enough to chop. The tempest raging outside rumbled low, the world mirroring the turmoil within me. I took a deep breath and stepped into the glade.

There, at the dusk of evening, I found Frigg waiting. Her face was serene, her eyes brimming with quiet wisdom. "Tasha," she said, her voice gentle but unyielding. "It's time to make a choice."

I looked at her, my mind a jumble of fear, excitement, and raw vulnerability. "Choose what?" I breathed.

"Your fate," she replied. "You have always known that there was more of you than in this mundane existence. The prophecy is beckoning to you. The choice is simple, but the rewards are profound. Will you claim the power within you, or will you remain under the veil of ignorance?"

Her words echoed in the silence.

I looked out over the campus—the lights, the faces, the palpable tension of a world hanging on a precipice—and something woke in the depths of me.

The truth could no longer be denied now.

I was meant for more.

But that meant letting go of the comforting illusions I'd built around myself.

I closed my eyes, my senses drinking in the gentle throb of magic, the same magic which had awakened me. And when I opened them again, my mind was ablaze with determination. "I choose," I breathed, "I choose to play out my destiny."

In that moment, the world adjusted itself.

The storm outside subsided by degrees, and the unsettling, electric stillness of the campus was a promise of something fresh to begin.

My heart stabilized, and though doubt still waited anxiously on the fringes, I was certain that I had stepped onto the path of becoming whatever it was that I was intended to become and I opened back up the mental connection between myself and the lycan alpha.

?