"1520?" My brows drew together. That couldn't be right. 1520? Even my great-grandparents hadn't been born then. Or was she wrong?
I looked up at her, confused. "1520?" I asked again, my voice barely a whisper.
The woman's eyes narrowed. "Stranger! If you think you can trick me, you are mistaken. I am Millicent, Plume Queen of the Saraphae Clan!"
Her voice wasn't normal. It carried power. The wheat around us swayed wildly as if caught in a storm. The sky twisted, flashing with sparks and strange waves before going still again.
My skin crawled. My bones shook. Even my wolf whimpered and sank low inside me.
Her eyes started to glow, first blue, then red, then yellow, then fire. The colors flashed quickly, each one colder and more terrifying than the last.
My body froze. My muscles screamed. I had never felt this kind of fear before. But it was even more confusing. How did she switch from ancient speech to modern so suddenly? This had to be magic, unless I had misheard.
"I'm sorry," I said. I didn't even realize I was apologizing.
Still, her glowing eyes stared at me. My mouth dried up. My hands trembled.
"I just woke up here," I said, keeping my voice low, careful not to upset her more.
"Silence!" she shouted again.
"You must fix what you broke," she growled. "Or else!"
Her face was stone. Her eyes burned like stars.
Even in my panic, I blinked in surprise. I wasn't imagining things. She was speaking in a modern way now! Just a moment ago, it had been more like Shakespearean language.
"Goddess," I whispered, barely breathing.
She stiffened. Her eyes locked onto mine again, glowing brighter. Then she looked away slowly, and I let out a small breath I didn't know I was holding.
She turned to her warriors. Without a word, they lowered their weapons.
She walked toward me, slow, steady, like a predator nearing its prey. And then she stopped. Too close. Her bare chest was just a breath away from mine. I held my breath, praying to every god I knew that she didn't step any closer.
Because if she did, if those soft mounds touched my chest, even by accident, the fire that would erupt between us, well, her magic wouldn't be able to put that out.
"She sent you?" she asked, her voice low, intense, her eyes staring deep into mine.
Who was she talking about? I had no idea. Honestly, not even a clue.
My tongue was heavy. My brain searched for meaning, for a response. Nothing came. I just swallowed hard and stood there, confused and stiff.
Then her expression shifted. Slowly, her lips curved into a smile. A big one. Her eyes lit up like someone had just handed her the world.
She turned to the others. "Caelira sent him. Goddess Caelira sent him!" she announced, her voice rising with joy.
At once, the women dropped to their knees, bowing over and over again. "Thank you, Goddess!" they chanted in unison.
If I say I understood what was happening, I'd be lying through my teeth.
Caelira? Never heard of her.
When she said "Goddess," my mind immediately went to the only one I knew—Selene, the Moon Goddess.
But this? This was different. Clearly, Caelira was their goddess. Their divine being.
"I don't know your Caelira!" I snapped, frustrated. The scent of their bodies was thick, dizzying. My wolf stirred uneasily, growling low inside me.
The moment I spoke, their faces changed. Dark and angry. They stood up slowly, sadness and fury in their eyes.
Her face twisted in rage. Her eyes burned like fire.
"You insult our Goddess!" she shouted.
Her chest moved fast with her breathing, and the warriors raised their weapons toward me.
She snapped her fingers, lifted her hand, and a shiny sword appeared. It was long, sharp, and glowing.
"You hurt my people. You insult our Goddess. Now, there must be blood!" she said with cold anger, her sword pointing at my neck.
I stared at the blade. It shimmered in the sunlight as it came closer and closer. My wolf inside me growled, ready to break free.
But how could I let him out? I didn't even know who or what these people were. I held my wolf back, begging him to stay still.
"I'll take care of this," I whispered to him.
The sword was so close, just a few centimeters from my skin. One wrong move, and it would cut my throat. I would die.
I shut my eyes. My throat was dry. I swallowed again and again, my Adam's apple jumping like crazy.
Just when I thought the blade would cut me, her command came.
"Bring him along!"
They grabbed me roughly. I didn't fight. I followed them without a word.
Could I have resisted? No. If I tried to shift, their glowing swords would cut into my wolf's body. So, I walked with them.
Maybe after they were done with me, they'd give me food. Maybe even a place to sleep. Even if it was a dungeon.
As we walked, everything started to feel strange.
The forest changed. The trees looked twisted, like they were angry. Some branches hung low, as if listening to our steps. The leaves weren't green anymore. Some were purple, others red like dried blood.
The air felt thick, heavy, almost choking me. My wolf was restless too, sensing the strange smell.
Every so often, I heard odd bird sounds echoing, but they didn't sound like any birds I knew. It was more like deep, grunting noises.
I heard a crack. When I turned, I saw them shift into birds. The big one, the Plume Queen, was flying slowly in front, while the others circled around me, moving at the same pace.
Shift and run, a thought whispered in my mind, but I quickly pushed it away.
Where would I run to? I had just realized I was back in 1520, five hundred years before my journey started. I didn't know anyone or anywhere.
What if running led me into even worse danger? It was safer to face the problem I knew than the one I didn't.
But there was one thing I didn't forget to do: I paid close attention to everything around me. Every tree, every path, every landmark, engraving them in my mind. Because one day, I would find my way back to that wheat farm, climb down that wall, and search for the end of that trench.
Maybe I'd be sent back to Crescent Moon Province, to my people, and to my mate.
I didn't know how long we had been walking. Yes, we. They were flying above me, keeping pace with my steps. So, literally, we were all moving together.
My legs ached horribly, and my stomach growled from hunger. We didn't stop to rest. It was clear I was a prisoner now. So, I tried to hold onto patience and strength, even though my wolf wanted to break free.
Thanks to Selene, I finally saw something ahead. As we got closer, I could make out buildings. Houses. Hundreds of them, all crowded together.
But there was something strange. A thick black cloud, or was it smoke? rising from the center of the houses, stretching up into the sky.
Inside the cloud, I saw sparkling things. Creatures or insects, I couldn't tell. They were colorful, but they made me uneasy.
The air grew heavier, thick with a smell so strong it made my head spin. My eyes grew heavy, and I felt dizzy. My wolf inside me stirred, but before I could send him a thought, he grew silent. I couldn't feel his breathing anymore.
Fear wrapped around me, sending shivers down my spine. My heart raced.
Did my wolf just die?