The lost girl and the Falling stones

Chapter 14: The Truth Revealed

The night felt heavier than ever, as though the weight of the world was pressing down on Catherine's shoulders. She stood beside Jake, both of them watching the path where the alien forces had retreated. The echoes of the battle still lingered in the air, and the forest seemed unnaturally quiet. Even the wind had stilled, as if the trees themselves were holding their breath.

"I can't believe you did that," Jake said, his voice low with admiration and concern. His eyes scanned her, as if looking for any sign of injury. "You were incredible out there, Catherine. But... you have to be careful. You can't let your emotions take over like that."

"I didn't have a choice," Catherine replied, her voice still shaking from the adrenaline. "They were going to hurt us. I couldn't just stand by."

Jake nodded but didn't look entirely convinced. "I know. But the power inside you—if you let it control you, it could end up being more dangerous than anything else."

Catherine frowned, her fingers instinctively brushing over the stone in her pocket. The stone had become more than just a source of power—it had become a constant presence within her, a reminder that she wasn't entirely in control.

"I'll be careful," she promised, though her voice wavered with uncertainty. The truth was, she didn't fully understand what the stone was capable of, or how much it could change her. She had already felt the pull of its power. She had transformed into the wolf.

But there was something else, too. Something deeper, something that made her feel as if she was becoming part of something much larger than herself.

"We need to get to the others," Jake said, breaking the silence. He turned toward the direction of the pack's camp. "They're waiting for us."

Catherine nodded, but a strange unease lingered in her chest. She hadn't shared the whole truth with Jake yet. She hadn't told him about the strange dreams she'd been having—the ones where she saw her parents, her real parents, not the wolves who had raised her, but the ones who had abandoned her in the woods. The dreams had been growing more vivid each night, more real. And in those dreams, her parents always spoke of the stone—the same stone that had fallen from the sky.

Her connection to the stone was deeper than she had realized.

As they walked toward the camp, Catherine couldn't help but feel the weight of the secret. Her parents had abandoned her, yes—but there was something more to their story. Something that tied them to the darkness that was slowly creeping across the land. The stone wasn't just a random object of power; it was part of something larger. She could feel it in her bones.

They reached the camp, where the wolves were waiting, their eyes glowing softly in the moonlight. The pack had already begun preparing for the journey ahead, and the atmosphere was tense. The battle earlier had been a warning, a sign that the aliens were getting closer.

Jake turned to her as they entered the camp, his expression unreadable. "We'll need to talk to the others. We need to plan our next move."

Catherine nodded. She wasn't sure what to say to the pack. They had been her family for as long as she could remember, but the truth of what was happening to her was becoming harder to deny. The wolves had raised her, but they didn't know the whole story. They didn't know what she had seen in her dreams, or the growing sense of unease that she couldn't shake.

She glanced at the pack. Sable, the alpha wolf, stood tall at the center, her fur gleaming under the pale moonlight. The other wolves gathered around her, their eyes focused on Jake and Catherine.

"We've been attacked," Jake began, his voice commanding, yet strained. "The aliens are closing in. We need to be prepared for what comes next."

"We've been preparing for a long time," Sable replied, her voice firm and strong. "But you're right. This is a new threat, and we need to be ready."

Catherine swallowed, the weight of the situation pressing down on her. Sable's gaze shifted toward her, piercing and knowing. The alpha wolf had always been wise, always seemed to understand more than anyone else. And Catherine felt the sharp edge of Sable's gaze now, as though the wolf sensed something was wrong.

"Catherine," Sable said, her voice softer now. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

Catherine's heart skipped a beat. She didn't know what to say. How could she explain to them that she felt a connection to the stone, that her parents had abandoned her for reasons she couldn't yet comprehend? How could she explain that her destiny might be tied to the very darkness that the pack had been fighting for so long?

"I—" Catherine began, but the words stuck in her throat.

Sable took a step closer, her gaze never leaving Catherine's. "You've been changing. The power inside you is growing, and it's not something you can hide forever. The wolves can sense it. I can feel it. But you must trust us. If you don't, if you try to carry this alone, it will consume you."

Catherine's chest tightened as she looked around at the pack. They had always been her family, but this was different. The truth about her origins, the stone, her parents—everything felt like it was spinning out of control. She wanted to trust them. She needed to. But there was so much she didn't understand.

"I... I don't know what's happening to me," Catherine admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've been having dreams, visions. I see my parents, the ones who abandoned me. They're... they're involved with the stone, I think. And I don't know what any of it means. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

There was a long silence as the pack absorbed her words. Jake stepped forward, his hand resting on her shoulder. "We're in this together, Catherine. Whatever this is, we'll face it as a pack. You don't have to carry this burden alone."

Sable nodded. "The stone is part of something much older, Catherine. Its power is both a blessing and a curse. But it will not define you unless you let it. We'll help you understand it. We'll help you control it."

Catherine's heart surged with emotion. She didn't know what the future held, but for the first time in a long while, she felt the weight in her chest ease. The pack was with her. Jake was with her. Together, they would face whatever darkness lay ahead.

And maybe, just maybe, they would uncover the truth about her parents and the stone—before it was too late.