Aetherborn: The Awakening (eBook)

Michael Corrales (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
168 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3178-2307-8 (ISBN)

Infos

Arin Lance has always hidden his gift-the power to heal with a simple touch. But, when a violent attack pulls him into a secret war between werewolves, wielders, and the deadly Covenant, his quiet life shatters. Now, hunted for the power running through his veins, Arin must trust a brooding Alpha whose loyalty to his pack battles an undeniable attraction to him. In a world where love is dangerous and betrayal cuts deep, Arin's heart may become his greatest vulnerability.

Micheal Corrales has always loved imagining the stories hidden between everyday moments-the possibilities of magic, secrets, and supernatural lives just out of sight. Growing up, he often didn't see characters he could truly connect with, so he began writing the ones he wanted to find. Now living in the Bay Area of California, Micheal is constantly inspired by its energy and diversity, where countless lives cross paths every day and spark endless 'what ifs.' His debut novel, 'Aetherborn: The Awakening,' is the first of a four-book series and is his promise to create worlds filled with characters, places, and emotions that readers can truly resonate with.

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Arin Lance has spent his entire life hiding a secret gift-the power to heal with a simple touch. His ability is a rare and forbidden magic that could make him either a savior or a target, and he's learned to survive by keeping others at a distance. His days blur together in work and quiet solitude until one brutal night changes everything. When an attack exposes Arin's gift to forces he never knew existed, he's thrust into a hidden world of ancient rivalries where werewolves rule from the shadows, magic is both a weapon and a curse, and an organization known as the Covenant hunts those with similar abilities. Caught between power and danger, Arin discovers his ability is the opposite of a blessing it's a beacon. At his side stands Kael, a brooding Alpha werewolf bound by duty and haunted by loss. His vow to protect his pack clashes with the instinctive pull he feels toward Arin, a connection that defies logic and burns with forbidden intensity. But, as secrets unravel and alliances fracture, Arin begins to question who he can trust and whether the one sworn to protect him might be the one fated to destroy him.

Textauszug

Chapter 3: The Awakening

Arin fumbled through his pockets and jacket, finally reached into his bag lying on the pavement and pulling out his phone. Panic tightened his chest—he knew the police were not an option. Covered in blood, with no wounds, dead men scattered around him, and a mountain of a man just peacefully sleeping after saving his life … that would sound insane. He needed someone who understood the impossible, someone brilliant at finding solutions: Liora.

Heart hammering, he dialed. The line rang and rang, but no answer. Liora had just started her shift. Nervous and on edge, he left a hurried voicemail, his voice cracking slightly as he explained the situation. Then, unable to wait, he dialed her again, hoping she’d pick up this time before his nerves completely unraveled.

“Pick up, pick up, please,” he whispered desperately into the phone.

Liora answered in her professional tone, unaware of the urgency. “Sorry, I was with a patient. What can I do for you?”

“I was attacked!” Arin blurted. “There were men—in the alley—a werewolf—there’s blood—there’s guts!”

Liora instantly realized this wasn’t a joke. Arin didn’t joke like this. And he had no knowledge of werewolves. Her tone shifted. “Arin, listen to me. I need you to breathe and answer me—are you okay?”

He took two steadying breaths. “I was cut, but … I’m healed.”

While sounding to be walking fast, Liora asked “Good. Where are you now?”

“A block away, near Folsom Street. In an alley.” Arin closed his eyes, mentally retracing his steps.

Liora knew the way without hesitation; she’d walked that path before, back when she’d gone to Arin’s apartment. “I’ll be on my way soon. Arin, where is the werewolf?”

Arin looked down at the man, still unconscious. “He’s here. Next to me.”

Trying to remain calm for the benefit of Arin. With ease in her voice, she asked “Next to you?”

“Yes, he’s lying right in front of me, unconscious,” Arin answered nonchalantly.

Relieved to hear the werewolf was not an immediate threat, she followed up with, “He?! How do you know it’s he?”

“He didn’t exactly tell me his pronouns, Liora!” Arin snapped. “He’s a man now. He shifted after I healed him.”

Liora took calming breaths, trying not to lose her temper with Arin. “Okay, listen to me, Arin. You need to get out of that alley. Now. Put distance between you and it.”

“But he saved me,” Arin replied calmly. “I don’t think he’d hurt me. Plus, he’s unconscious.” Arin could hear Liora talking to someone near her in the emergency ward.

“I’m having a family emergency; would you please do me a huge favor and take my patients for me tonight? … I know I’ll owe you big, a nice dinner out on me, promise.” Liora offered a fake laugh to the person she had asked to cover for her. “Arin, are you still there?” Liora asked, switching back to the phone. “I’m trying not to cause a scene, but I am rushing, and it won’t take me long to reach you once I have left here.”

Arin started to gather his things; nervous and running on adrenaline still, he had to move a bloody body part off the strap of his bag. He looked back at the man — his body exposed, skin slick with sweat — and something inside Arin ached. The sight was raw, unsettlingly human. Swallowing hard, he slipped off his jacket and gently draped it over the man’s lower half. It wasn’t much, barely enough to cover him, but it was all Arin could offer. His hands lingered for a moment before he pulled back, a strange unease creeping up his spine. There was something about the man’s body that stirred a flicker of recognition deep within him. He couldn’t place it, but it felt… familiar — as though some forgotten part of him already knew who this was.

Liora finally arrived, rounded the corner into the alley, and froze. Blood dripped from the walls, streaked crimson. Three men lay dead, scattered: their bodies bearing the signs of a brutal attack. At the center of it all, the werewolf—now a man—lay unconscious and … Arin. Hearing it described in broken words over the phone was one thing but seeing it in person offered a far deeper understanding of the true severity of tonight’s events. She rushed to Arin and pulled him into a tight embrace before leaning back to check him over. Her hands swept across his body, searching frantically for wounds. Nothing. Already healed. Still, she pressed gently against the areas where the blood was heaviest, testing for tenderness, watching his face for any reaction. She handled him the way she would a patient—methodical, precise—yet her touch trembled with relief.

“Liora, I said I was healed,” Arin reassured her.

Then she looked down at the man. Her breath caught.

“What? What’s wrong?” Arin asked, catching her ghost-white expression.

Liora snapped back, “I don’t know, but we need to move—now—before someone else shows up.”

“There’s no one around … can you wield to lift him? We need to get him back to my apartment,” Arin pleaded, his voice edged with worry for the unconscious man.

His compassion only deepened Liora’s frustration—because if it were up to her, she would have left him lying there, letting fate or the next wave of attackers finish what they started.

“He’s way too heavy for us to carry,” Arin added.

Liora hesitated, then sighed and helped Arin up. With a flick of her wrist, a current of wind lifted the unconscious man gently.

With Arin’s apartment so close, it wasn’t difficult to move through the streets without drawing attention—though they were startled more than once, first by a cat darting across their path, then by the sudden slam of a car door somewhere down the street. Inside the building, they waited for the elevator, the man still floating between them under Liora’s wield. A man’s voice echoed, speaking without an audible reply—likely on a phone.

The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. A man stood inside, his conversation cut short as his gaze fixed on the sight before him: Arin, pale and bloodstained, and a massive naked, unconscious man, suspended unnaturally in the air. His brows furrowed, lips parting to question—

But before he could speak, Liora’s hand twitched subtly at her side. Her will pressed outward, weaving into his thoughts like smoke through cracks.

The man gave a heavy blink, resumed his phone call mid-sentence, and walked past them as if nothing were there, exiting the building without pause.

Only then did Liora let out the smallest breath, lowering her hand. “Let’s move,” she muttered, stepping them into the elevator.

Moments later, the doors slid shut, and they ascended toward Arin’s floor. They reached Arin’s apartment, an open, loft-style space that immediately gave the impression of quiet strength and understated warmth. Towering floor-to-ceiling windows stretched along one wall like watchful eyes gazing over the city below, the glow of the streets painting shifting patterns across the room. The space was neat, almost meticulously so, yet not sterile—every detail seemed chosen with care. Natural materials softened the modern edges: stone accents along the walls, dark wood beams that contrasted with pale floors, and touches of greenery that breathed life into the space. The design was masculine in its simplicity but not cold. Instead, it carried a grounded, calming energy that felt both protective and welcoming, as if the apartment itself mirrored its owner—strong, composed, yet quietly inviting.

Liora and Arin stayed silent, the only sound the steady hum of rain against the window, a soft backdrop to their unease. The droplets slid in crooked trails down the glass, catching the city’s muted glow as if trying to pull the night inside with them. Neither spoke, but the weight of unasked questions lingered in the air, pressing closer than words ever could. Together, they eased the man onto the bed. The sheets were streaked with grime and blood as his heavy body sank into the mattress. Without a word, Liora pulled the covers up to his chest. Arin could see the truth in the gesture—it wasn’t care. The blanket was a precaution; a potential bind she could wield should he wake in violence.

Arin was impressed with Liora’s ability to wield. “I forgot how powerful you are.”

Before they could talk, Liora made her way back to the front door, then hesitated, her expression grim. “Thanks, but I need to go back,” she said.

Arin blinked. “Back? Why?”

“To erase all traces of you—and it—from the alley,” she explained, glancing toward the man. “We can’t be implicated in the murders, and we definitely can’t let your blood or scent lead them back to your apartment.”

“How are you going to do that?” Arin asked, and then immediately followed with another question. “Should we call the police?”

Liora answered,...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 14.11.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3178-2307-8 / 9798317823078