Chapter 3 — Yarrow’s Truth
351 Words
We didn't wait for Kade's permission to leave. With the frost thickening and the pack elders whispering in frantic, hushed tones, Toby and I flanked Yarrow, guiding her back down the mountain path toward her cabin at the edge of the territory. The crowd parted for us like we were carrying a plague.
Inside the cabin, the smell of dried lavender and iron hanging from the rafters usually brought me peace. Tonight, it felt like a cage.
"Talk to us, Yarrow," I demanded, leaning against the heavy oak table. The silver in my vision had receded, leaving behind a sharp, cold clarity that made my old life feel incredibly distant. "What did you mean up there? What is a Lunar-born?"
Yarrow poured three cups of black tea with shaking hands, spilling half of it on the counter before sitting down.
"Two hundred years ago, before the territories were drawn with fences and treaties, the wolves didn't answer to Alphas," Yarrow said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "They answered to the Moon directly. The Lunar-born were her enforcers. They weren't born out of bloodlines; they were chosen when a pack became too corrupt, too bloated on their own pride."
Toby leaned forward. "So Wren is an enforcer?"
"She is a reset button," Yarrow corrected sharply, looking directly at me. "The last time a Lunar-born person awoke, she tore three packs apart from the inside out because their leaders forgot who gave them their teeth. It costs us half our population to seal that power away. We thought the bloodline died out. We thought we were safe."
I let out a harsh, dry chuckle. "Safe from what? Kade's been running this pack into the dirt, treating us like cattle."
"You don't understand, child," Yarrow said, gripping my wrist. Her skin was warm, but mine was still ice-cold. "Kade won't let this go. An Alpha can not rule if there is something in his territory that doesn't bow to him. He will try to break you, or he will try to kill you."
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