Fake Heiress True Luna (Irina) novel Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Enigma

Irina’s POV

The forest seemed to breathe with me as I stood there-each inhale pulling the mist closer, each exhale making the trees sigh. Kratos’s words echoed in my skull, refusing to fade. Enig

I wasn’t sure whether to be terrified or grateful that someone was finally giving me answers.

Rylan still hadn’t lowered his guard. He stood half a step in front of me, his muscles tense, gaze flicking between Kratos and the rogues hidden among the shadows. “We’re not following you until you explain what exactly you mean by ‘others,” he said, voice like gravel.

Kratos regarded him with something between amusement and respect. “You think your claws will protect her from what’s coming, wolf?” he said. “No offense meant, but even an Alpha would fail where she walks. The Enigma’s path is not for mortals.”

Rylan bristled. “I’m not mortal.”

“And yet,” Kratos murmured, eyes flicking to me, “you bleed.”

I placed a hand on Rylan’s forearm before he could retort. “It’s fine,” I said quietly. My pulse was racing, but I forced steadiness into my voice. “I need to know what’s happening. If the answers are deeper in the forest, I’ll go.”

Rylan turned to me, disbelief flashing in his golden eyes. “Irina-”

“Please,” I whispered. “You said you’d help me find the truth. This is it.”

Something in my tone must’ve reached him because, after a long pause, he exhaled sharply and nodded once. “Fine. But if any of them tries something-”

“I blasted one of them away. I’m sure they won’t try to attack me if they know what is

convenient for them,” I said.

Kratos nodded at my statement.

He gestured for us to follow, stepping into the mist. The other rogues-if that’s what they were-moved silently, their presence blending with the trees as if they belonged to the forest itself.

We walked for what felt like hours. The air grew denser the further we went, heavy with an energy that prickled along my skin. The trees were ancient-so tall they vanished into the fog above. Their trunks glowed faintly with silver veins, and every time my fingers brushed one,

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<Chapter 51: Enigma

warmth pulsed through me like a heartbeat.

“Where are we going?” I asked softly.

“To the heart,” Kratos answered. “The place where the first Enigma was born.”

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Rylan muttered something under his breath, too low for me to catch. I knew he didn’t trust this, and part of me didn’t either-but another part, the part that felt the forest hum when I breathed, whispered that this was right.

As we crossed a clearing, the mist thinned. In the center stood a massive tree-so large its roots broke through the earth like ribs, spiraling outward in every direction. The bark shimmered with faint silver light, and carved into its trunk was a symbol that made my breath hitch.

A crescent moon, wrapped in thorns.

It felt… familiar.

Kratos stopped before it and turned to me. “This is the cradle of balance. Every Enigma before you has been drawn here-whether by blood or by fate.”

“Before me?” I echoed. “There were others?”

“Many,” he said softly. “But only one survived long enough to leave behind her essence. The last Enigma before you-Lyara. She sacrificed herself to bind the darkness that threatened to consume the forest.”

The name felt familiar, like a whisper I’d once known in another life. “What kind of darkness?”

Kratos’s expression hardened. “The kind that feeds on chaos and blood. It was sealed centuries ago-but seals weaken. And when they do…” His gaze flicked toward me. “The forest calls for its protector to rise again.”

My heart pounded. “You think that’s me?”

He smiled faintly. “I don’t think, Enigma. I know. The forest wouldn’t have awakened for anyone else.”

Before I could respond, the ground trembled beneath my feet. The silver veins in the roots pulsed brighter, faster-until the entire clearing seemed to glow.

Rylan grabbed my wrist. “Irina, what’s happening?”

“I don’t-” My words cut off as I felt a sharp pain in my wrist, making me hiss.

“Irina!” Rylan’s voice cut through the roar of the forest as he grabbed my arm.

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er 51: Enigma

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ered my wrist with my other hand, gasping as the burning sensation intensified-like en fire searing through my veins. My knees threatened to buckle, but I forced myself to upright, even as white-hot light bled betwe

gers.

‘t touch it!” Kratos barked, stepping closer. His tone wasn’t cruel-just commanding, ht. “Let it happen. The forest is marking her.”

at the hell do you mean-marking her?” Rylan snarled, moving to shield me again, his

surfacing in his tone.

don’t let him touch you,” Theia ordered.

atath in-stop,” I managed, though my voice shook. “It’s okay.”

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isn’t. My wrist felt like it was being branded from the inside, the pain so sharp I could ly breathe. I forced my trembling hand away and looked down.

t pulsed beneath my skin, forming intricate lines that twisted and curved, glowing like en silver. The pattern took shape-a crescent moon, wrapped in thorned vines, identical

le one carved into the ancient tree before us.

mark shimmered, then sank into my skin, leaving behind a faint silvery glow that bbed in rhythm with my heartbeat.

a moment, everything went still. The hum of the forest quieted, the air holding its breath.

isper. Soft, ancient, carried on the wind.

balance awakens once more.”

”

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voice wasn’t mine. It wasn’t Kratos’s either. It came from everywhere-through the trees, roots, the air itself.

n’s hand brushed my shoulder, grounding me. “Irina…” His voice was low, almost fearful.

ked up at him. “I think the forest just… spoke.”

os bowed his head deeply, his rough voice trembling when he said, “It recognized you. mark binds your spirit to the heart of the forest-just as it once did for Lyara.”

red down at the faintly glowing symbol. “It feels alive,” I whispered.

ecause it is,” Kratos replied. “The Enigma is not just power. It’s a covenant between life and tion itself. The forest will answer to your call, and you-” His gaze locked with mine. “You I feel its pain, its joy, its rage.”

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Chapter 51: Enigma

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The words made something deep inside me twist. I didn’t know if it was awe or terror. Maybe

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