Rise of the Immortal

Chapter 15: Immortal Revelations

I was sitting in the garden behind the pack house, trying to find some peace in the afternoon sunlight, when the world as I knew it changed forever.

It had been a week since Dr. Whitman's devastating diagnosis, and I was still struggling to process the reality that I might never carry children. The mate bond with Kale had helped—his unwavering love and support flowing through our connection like a constant lifeline—but the grief was still there, a dull ache that colored everything I did.

The cramping had subsided with the medication Dr. Whitman prescribed, and my wolf was slowly growing stronger each day. Sometimes I could feel her stirring just beneath the surface of my consciousness, no longer the terrified, broken creature that had hidden in the depths of my mind during captivity. The mate bond seemed to be giving her courage, drawing her closer to the surface where she belonged.

I was watching a butterfly land on the roses Sarah had planted when Commander Hayes appeared at the garden gate, his expression more serious than usual.

"Luna," he said, using the title that still felt strange to my ears. "There's someone here to see you. She says she has information about your family."

My heart stopped. Family. I hadn't had a family in over twenty years, not since Marcus had killed my parents and stolen me away to Silver Fang territory. At least, that's what I'd always believed.

"Who is she?" I asked, rising from the bench where I'd been sitting.

"She claims to be a member of Marcus's pack," Hayes said carefully. "But she says she's defecting. She wants to speak with you and the Alpha urgently."

A Silver Fang wolf wanting to defect? That was unusual enough, but claiming to have information about my family made it even more intriguing. And suspicious.

"Where's Kale?" I asked.

"Already on his way," Hayes replied. "I sent word as soon as she arrived."

Through the mate bond, I could feel Kale's approach before I saw him. His emotions were a mixture of curiosity and protective wariness—the same combination I was experiencing myself. When he appeared in the garden, his presence immediately made me feel safer, more grounded.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked, taking my hand in his. The simple contact sent warmth through the bond, steadying my nerves.

"I don't know," I admitted. "But I need to hear what she has to say."

We made our way to Kale's office, where a woman I'd never seen before was waiting under the watchful eyes of two Red Moon guards. She was probably in her forties, with prematurely gray hair and the lean build of someone who'd spent years living on edge. What struck me most were her eyes—pale blue and filled with a desperate urgency that made my stomach clench.

"Luna Talia," she said, rising from her chair as we entered. "My name is Dr. Lydia Crane. I've been waiting twenty years to have this conversation with you."

Twenty years. That would put it right around the time my parents died, when I was just a child. Kale's hand tightened on mine, and through the bond I felt his immediate suspicion.

"Dr. Crane," Kale said formally. "Commander Hayes tells me you have information about my mate's family."

"I have information about much more than that," Dr. Crane said, her gaze fixed on me with an intensity that made me uncomfortable. "I have information about what you really are, Talia. About why Marcus has spent over two decades trying to control you."

"I'm a white wolf," I said, confused. "We already know that."

Dr. Crane shook her head. "That's only part of the truth. You're not just any white wolf, Talia. You're the last of the immortal bloodline."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Immortal? That was impossible. Werewolves lived longer than humans, but we weren't immortal. We aged, we died, we—

"That's ridiculous," Kale said sharply. "Immortal wolves are myths, legends. They don't actually exist."

"They do exist," Dr. Crane said firmly. "And I should know—I've spent the last twenty years studying them for Marcus. Studying you, specifically."

My blood turned to ice. "You've been studying me?"

"Not directly," she said quickly, seeing my alarm. "I've been researching your bloodline, your genetics, the unique properties that make white wolves different from other werewolves. Marcus has been obsessed with understanding what you are since the moment he realized your true nature."

"Which is what, exactly?" Kale demanded, his Alpha authority making the words come out as more of a command than a question.

Dr. Crane took a deep breath. "White wolves aren't just rare because of their coloring. They're the descendants of the original werewolf bloodline, the first wolves created by the moon goddess herself. That bloodline carries a gift—immortality. Not invulnerability," she added quickly. "You can still be killed. But if you live a natural life, you won't age past your prime. You won't die of old age or disease."

I stared at her, trying to process what she was saying. Immortal. The word seemed impossible, too large to fit inside my understanding of reality.

"Even if that were true," I said slowly, "why would Marcus care? What would it matter to him if I lived forever?"

Dr. Crane's expression grew grave. "Because immortality can be shared through the mate bond. If an immortal white wolf completes the bond with another werewolf, that wolf also becomes immortal. Marcus has known since you were a child that you would be his key to eternal life."

The revelation hit me like a thunderbolt. Through the mate bond, I felt Kale's shock mirror my own. He was immortal now? Because of our bond?

"That's why he never let you shift," Dr. Crane continued. "A white wolf's immortality is tied to their wolf form. As long as he kept your wolf suppressed, kept you from fully embracing what you are, he could delay the full activation of your powers. He was buying time to figure out how to claim you as his mate without triggering a war with the other packs."

"But I'm already mated," I said, my hand instinctively going to where I could feel Kale's presence through the bond. "To Kale."

Dr. Crane nodded. "Which is why Marcus became so desperate after your rescue. He's not just trying to reclaim a powerful white wolf anymore—he's trying to steal immortality itself."

The room fell silent as we absorbed this information. Immortal. The concept was so vast, so overwhelming, that I couldn't quite grasp it. I would live forever? And because of our mate bond, so would Kale?

"How do you know all this?" Kale asked suspiciously. "And why are you telling us now?"

Dr. Crane's expression crumpled with what looked like years of suppressed guilt. "Because I helped him," she whispered. "For the past twenty years, I helped Marcus research your bloodline, helped him understand what you were and how to control you. I told myself I was just a scientist, that I was advancing our understanding of werewolf genetics. But I knew what he was planning to do with the information."

"You helped him keep me prisoner," I said, the words coming out flat and emotionless.

"Yes," she admitted, tears beginning to fall. "And I helped him with something else. Something that will change everything you think you know about your past."

My heart began to race. "What do you mean?"

Dr. Crane reached into her bag and pulled out a folder, her hands shaking as she opened it. "Your parents, Talia. Marcus didn't kill them twenty-one years ago."

The world seemed to tilt on its axis. "What?"

"He captured them," Dr. Crane said, pulling out photographs that made my breath catch in my throat. "He's been keeping them prisoner all these years, using them as leverage to ensure your compliance. And as research subjects to better understand the immortal bloodline."

I stared at the photographs in shock. They showed two people who looked like older versions of the faces from pictures I’ve seen growing up—my mother's kind eyes, my father's gentle smile. They were in what looked like a comfortable prison, well-fed and cared for, but clearly confined.

"They're alive," I whispered, my voice breaking on the words.

"They're alive," Dr. Crane confirmed. "Marcus told you they were dead to break your spirit, to make you believe you had nothing left to fight for. But he's been keeping them as insurance, and as test subjects for his immortality research."

Through the mate bond, I felt Kale's rage building to dangerous levels. His wolf was clawing to get out, desperate to hunt down Marcus and make him pay for the decades of lies and manipulation.

"Where are they?" Kale demanded, his voice barely controlled.

"That's the problem," Dr. Crane said. "Marcus has multiple facilities, and he moves high-value prisoners regularly. I know they're alive, but I don't know their current location."

I couldn't breathe. My parents were alive. After twenty-one years of believing they were dead, of mourning them and accepting their loss, they were actually alive. And they'd been prisoners just as I had been.

"Why are you telling us this now?" I managed to ask through the emotion clogging my throat.

Dr. Crane looked directly at me, her pale eyes filled with regret. "Because Marcus is planning something big. He's been recruiting allies, building an army. He's not just trying to reclaim you anymore—he's planning to overthrow the entire werewolf hierarchy. With immortality as his ultimate goal, he believes he can become the supreme Alpha, ruling over all packs forever."

"And you decided to grow a conscience?" Kale asked harshly.

"I decided I couldn't live with what I'd helped create," Dr. Crane replied. "I've seen what Marcus is capable of, what he's willing to do to achieve his goals. The experiments he's conducted, the lives he's destroyed... I can't be part of it anymore."

I stood up abruptly, needing to move, needing to process this overwhelming flood of information. Immortal. My parents alive. Marcus planning some kind of werewolf apocalypse. It was too much.

"I need air," I said, heading for the door.

"Talia," Kale called after me, but I was already stepping outside, my chest tight with panic.

The mate bond carried my distress to him immediately, and within moments he was beside me on the office balcony, his arms wrapping around me from behind.

"I don't know how to process this," I said, leaning back against his solid warmth. "Everything I thought I knew about my life, about my past, about what I am—it's all wrong."

"We'll figure it out together," Kale said, his voice steady despite the chaos of emotions I could feel through our bond. "Whatever this means, whatever we have to do, we'll face it together."

"I'm immortal," I said, testing the words out loud. "And because of our bond, so are you. We're going to live forever, Kale."

"Does that scare you?" he asked softly.

I considered the question. A week ago, I'd been devastated to learn I might never have children. Now I was learning that I would have eternity to find other ways to build a family, other paths to happiness.

"No," I said finally. "It doesn't scare me. Not if we face forever together."

Through the bond, I felt his relief and love wash over me. But underneath it was something else—a fierce determination that made my wolf stir with anticipation.

"My parents are alive," I whispered.

"Then we're going to find them," Kale said firmly. "Whatever it takes, however long it takes, we're going to bring them home."

I turned in his arms to look at him, seeing my own resolve reflected in his golden eyes. Marcus had taken everything from me—my childhood, my freedom, my family. But he'd made one crucial mistake.

He'd let me find my mate. He'd let me discover my true strength.

And now he was going to learn what happened when you tried to cage an immortal white wolf.

I was done being a victim. It was time to become the predator.