Chapter 15: Memories of Forever

Elijah collapsed in the trees, the silver markings on his skin burning like fire. The pack circled him, their faces full of worry.

"He's losing too much blood," Aria cried, trying to stop the flow from the strange marks.

"Get him back to the pack house," Marcus ordered. Two strong wolves lifted Elijah, who had fallen asleep, his body heavy in their arms.

As they carried him through the dark woods, no one noticed the small wisp of silver light that floated from Elijah's chest, rising toward the moon.

Inside Elijah's mind, the world changed. Colors swirled and time bent backward. He was falling, spinning through memories that weren't his own—yet somehow were.

Suddenly, he stood in a clearing. The trees were different, old. The air smelled of smoke and pine. He looked down at his body—he was wearing animal skins and leather, not the modern clothes he was used to. A heavy pendant hung around his neck, carved with the same marks that had appeared on his skin.

"Elar!" a voice called.

Elijah turned, somehow knowing this name belonged to him in this strange place. A young guy with silver-white hair ran toward him, wearing similar clothes but with blue paint across his cheeks. Though his face was slightly different, his eyes were the same obvious violet.

"Loren," Elijah whispered, the name coming to his lips without thinking.

Back in the pack house, Sage sat beside Elijah's bed. His body twitched and trembled, the silver marks pulsing with each beat of his heart.

"What's happening to him?" Aria asked, her hands glowing as she tried to fix the bleeding marks.

"The bond is taking him back," Sage explained. "He's searching for Liam across time."

"I don't understand," Marcus said.

Sage's old eyes filled with tears. "True mates aren't just born in one lifetime. Their souls find each other again and again."

In Elijah's dream, he ran with Loren through ancient woods. They were laughing, hunting, their wolves perfectly in sync. He felt a happiness he had never known before.

"The council will not approve," Elar said as they rested beside a stream.

Loren smiled, touching the charm around Elar's neck. "The council doesn't control the moon or the stars. They can't control this."

Elar pulled Loren close, their foreheads touching. "I would defy every law for you."

"You already have," Loren laughed, his violet eyes shining.

The scene changed. Now they stood before a group of stern elders. An older man with a staff pointed at them furiously.

"The Alpha and Omega cannot be joined!" he yelled. "It breaks the natural order!"

"The natural order is a lie," Elar challenged, holding Loren's hand tightly. "We were all equal once."

"Sacrilege!" the older roared.

The dream changed again. Now Elijah saw himself—Elar—fighting against shadows that looked terribly familiar. The Void spun around them, hungry and fierce.

"We must complete the ritual!" Loren shouted over the howling wind.

They stood in a stone circle, the full moon straight overhead. Their hands were joined, their pendants glowing. The silver markings on their skin matched exactly.

"If we do this, there's no going back," Elar warned.

"There was never any going back," Loren smiled sadly. "Not since the day I first saw you."

In the pack house, Elijah's body arched off the bed, a cry leaving his lips. The marks glowed so brightly that everyone had to shield their eyes.

"What's happening?" Luna gasped.

"He's remembering," Sage whispered. "The first binding."

In the dream, Elijah watched as Elar and Loren started a ritual. They moved in perfect circles around each other, their wolves emerging partially—eyes shining, claws extending, but still in human form.

"With my soul, I bind to thee," they repeated together.

The Void struck, tendrils of darkness striking at them. Blood flowed from cuts that appeared on their skin—cuts in the exact pattern of the silver marks.

"It's too strong!" Loren cried, falling to his knees.

"We finish this together," Elar said strongly, helping him up. "Or not at all."

As they finished the ritual, a blinding light exploded from their joined hands. The Void screamed—a sound of rage and pain.

The dream changed again. Elijah now saw Elar holding Loren's body, crying over him. The silver markings were disappearing from Loren's skin.

"We won," Loren whispered, his voice weak. "We bound it."

"The cost is too high," Elar sobbed. "I can't lose you."

Loren touched Elar's face gently. "Find me again. In the next life. The binding must be renewed when the Void returns."

"I will find you," Elar promised. "In every life. In every age."

As Loren's eyes closed, the dream shattered into pieces.

Elijah sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for air. "I remember!" he shouted.

Everyone jumped back, shocked by his sudden awakening.

"Remember what?" Aria asked.

"Everything," Elijah said, his eyes wide. "Liam and I—we've done this before."

Sage nodded slowly. "The first binding. I suspected as much."

"The first what?" Marcus asked.

Elijah swung his legs off the bed, standing despite his weakness. "Thousands of years ago, the first Alpha and Omega bound the Void. They trapped it using their combined power."

"Elar and Loren," Sage whispered.

Elijah looked at her in surprise. "You knew?"

"It's in the oldest stories," Sage said. "But I thought they were just legends."

"They're not legends," Elijah said definitely. "They're memories. And we—Liam and I—we are them. Reborn."

A murmur ran through the gathering wolves.

"That's why Morta took him," Elijah continued. "She knows that together, we can bind the Void again. We can stop her."

"But in your dream," Aria said carefully, "didn't Loren die?"

Elijah's face darkened. "Yes. The binding took his life. But things are different now. We're stronger."

Luna stepped forward. "There's something else you should know. Thorne found ancient scrolls that speak of a second binding—one that doesn't require sacrifice."

"Where are these scrolls?" Elijah asked.

"In Thorne's private chambers," Luna said. "Heavily guarded."

Elijah looked around at the pack. "Then we have two missions now. Save Liam from Morta, and get those scrolls from Thorne."

"But the full moon is tonight," Marcus reminded him. "We're running out of time."

"Then we split up," Elijah decided. "Most of us will go to the Hollow Caves for Liam. A small team will infiltrate Thorne's den for the scrolls."

"I'll lead the second team," Aria offered. "I can feel my brother. You need to be the one to reach him."

As they planned, Rook, the young spy who had turned against his packmates, neared Elijah.

"I want to help," he said nervously. "I know every secret path into Thorne's den."

Elijah studied him carefully. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I've seen what's happening," Rook responded. "The awakening. It's affecting everyone, even in the Shadow Pack. Wolves are starting to question Thorne. Some are even showing new powers."

This news sent a ripple of joy through the room.

"It's spreading," Sage said with wonder. "The awakening is spreading to all packs."

Elijah nodded. "Get ready. We leave in one hour."

As the others prepared, Elijah stood alone by the window, looking at the rising moon. The silver markings on his skin had stopped bleeding but now formed a clear pattern—an old symbol of binding.

"I'm coming, Liam," he whispered. "I found you before. I'll find you again."

At that moment, in the Hollow Caves, Liam's eyes flew open. Though weakened by Morta's ritual, he smiled.

"He remembers," he whispered.

Morta stopped in her preparations, turning to him with suspicious eyes. "What did you say?"

"He remembers who we are," Liam said, his voice louder. "And you should be afraid."

For the first time, doubt flickered across Morta's face. She looked toward the cave entrance, where the moon's light was starting to shine.

"Bring more guards," she told the shadow wolves. "Kill anyone who approaches."

As her minions rushed to obey, Morta turned back to Liam, a wicked smile forming on her lips.

"Perhaps we should start early," she said, raising her hands. The darkness around Liam squeezed painfully. "Let's see if your Alpha can find you when there's nothing left to find."

Liam screamed as the ritual started again, the silver markings being torn from his skin. But even through the pain, one thought gave him strength:

In every life. In every age. We will always find each other.

Miles away, Elijah clutched his chest as pain shot through him. The pack turned to him in fear.

"We have to go," he gasped. "Now. She's killing him."

As they rushed into the night, the full moon finally broke free of the clouds, soaking the forest in silver light—the same color as the tears that fell from Elijah's eyes.