Chapter 165: Selene Must Decide Between Her Heart and the Pack

The blast of black energy from the broken Moonstone Blade was followed by a deafening quiet.  The cavern, which had once been alive with the steady crackling of the forge's fire, seemed oppressive now, as if fear had thickened the air itself.  Selene gazed at the fragments of the Moonstone Blade strewn all over the floor, her pulse thumping in her chest.

Although the pieces had a little, unsettling glimmer, it wasn't the same as the pure moonlight she had experienced.  No, this was something more sinister and subtle.  Every piece throbbed with an almost evil intensity, as if they had turned into channels for a power that was beyond her comprehension.

Kael stood a few feet away, his gaze darting from the shattered sword to Selene, his face stiffened with a silent determination.  Behind him loomed the shadow that had followed him, a thing of pure blackness that seemed living and ever-changing.  It hung in the backdrop, a continual reminder of the energies they had released by reforging the blade, of the power that had been reawakened.

Kael said, "Selene," in a quiet, almost melancholy voice.  "This is no longer just about us.  Everything's survival is at stake here.  The group.  The realms.  Everything for which we have fought.

The weight of his words caused her heart to wrench.  She felt the push and pull of duty and desire, the tug of both sides.  She was essential to the pack; Rowan and the others relied on her.  However, Kael  Despite her resistance, he had always been a part of her heart.  She couldn't ignore his presence anymore, his sensitivity underneath the icy surface.

"So, what should we do?"  Her voice trembled with doubt as she spoke.  We've roused an uncontrollable force.  Are you saying that there is no way to halt this now?

The darkness behind Kael became deeper as his eyes flared with anguish.  "I'm not sure.  However, I am aware that the power of the blade that we have unleashed is already beginning to manifest.  It is beckoning to those in charge.

"And who are they?"  Selene's voice was piercing, fury now mixed with fear.  Kael didn't flinch or react as she took a stride toward him.  He took a firm stand, as if he had already come to terms with the situation.

"The Eclipse Beast," he murmured.  "Beings that have been waiting for this opportunity to take control of the power we have just unleashed are similar to it.  And they're on their way.  For everyone.

Selene's jaw tightened as she spoke, "Then we fight."  "We have always been at odds."

"Yes, but."  For the first time in a long time, Selene saw the dread in Kael's eyes as he paused.  "What if combat is insufficient?  What if it's too expensive?  Selene, I've seen what the blade is capable of.  I've sensed it in myself.

His words weighed like an iron band on her chest as she gulped.  She understood his meaning.  It was not just the outside darkness that had tainted the sword.  And it was within Kael.  She had felt it when he had almost lost control, and she had seen it when his Eclipse form had first awoken.  Easily controlling the Eclipse Beast's power was not an easy task.  And that power had now established new roots and avenues into the very fabric of their universe as a result of the blade's reforging.

There was more to it, however.  More than the evil powers that threaten to come.  Something else was present.  Something more profound.

She was thinking until Rowan's voice interrupted.  "Selene!"  His voice was gruff and demanding.  "You have to return.  The parcel awaits your arrival.

Her breath caught in her throat as she turned to face him.  Rowan stood at the cavern's entrance, his eyes wide with worry and annoyance.  The remainder of the pack had gathered behind him, their faces a combination of resolve and concern.  They were also anticipating her arrival.  They waited for her to guide them through the pitch-blackness that threatened to engulf them.

Selene was momentarily conflicted.  The notion that the pack relied on her and needed her made her heart hurt.  They were her duty, her family.  They had accompanied her through every hardship and conflict because she had always been their Alpha.

However, Kael  He was unique.  He had been all along.  Compared to her relationship with the pack, their connection was far more complex and intimate.  He was the one person her heart had ever yearned for.  Everything else looked far away, like a faint echo, as if his presence, his soul, resonated with hers.

However.

Kael responded in a calm yet quiet voice, "Go to them."  "Take the necessary action.  But remember who you are.  Remember what you stand for.

She turned to face him, their eyes meeting, a quiet dialogue between them.  The air was heavy with the weight of his remarks.  He wasn't requesting that she choose him.  He urged her to keep in mind the greater goal, the pack, and the cause they had battled for.

However, she felt a knot in her stomach as she looked at Rowan.  Unquestionably, she felt a power that drew her back to Kael.  It was more than simply the struggle, the strength, or the darkness.  It was more a want, agonizing longing to be with him, to be entire once again.

"Selene," Rowan said in a tight tone.  "Please.  You are necessary to us.

Her fingers clenched into fists at her sides as she swallowed forcefully.  She was aware of the stakes.  There may be disastrous repercussions if she didn't decide right now.  The group was anticipating her power and leadership.  With the eclipse's shadow getting closer and closer, they couldn't afford to lose their Alpha at this time.  However, Kael  She could feel the weight of their shared history bearing down on her, and his heart was intertwined with hers.

What if they didn't need her as a leader?  What would happen if the eclipse was too powerful and unsafe to avoid?

"I..."  With a stutter, Selene started.  She was unsure of what to say and how to proceed.  In reality, she was unable to fulfill her desire to be everything to everyone.  No more.

Kael moved nearer, placing a soft hand on her shoulder and feeling the warmth of his touch against the cold that had crept into her chest.  It's not just about you, Selene.  We are all involved.  You must make a decision.

Her gaze wavered between the two men who had fragments of her heart, Kael and Rowan.  She couldn't readily separate them as they were all a part of her.  She was required by the pack.  She was essential to Kael.  She was caught between two worlds: the one she swore to preserve and the one she really loved.

The world seemed to tilt in that instant, and the tunnel was filled with a thunderous roar.  The darkness behind Kael writhed as if something were trying to get away from it, and the earth trembled under her feet.  Everything was building to a climax: the Eclipse Beast's menace, the reforged Moonstone Blade's might.

Rowan continued, his voice suddenly filled with desperation, "Selene."  "You're running out of time."

She knew she had to make the choice.  It was also the most difficult decision she would ever have to make.

However, as she opened her lips to speak, a surge of black energy crashed at them as the earth under them cracked.

The eclipse has arrived.

The world would never be the same after it.