SOLD TO THE RUTHLESS ALPHA

The blood that calls

The room felt smaller than it had a moment ago.

Much smaller.

Maybe it was because there were three people inside it now who were carrying enough secrets to destroy an entire pack.

Or maybe it was because I finally understood something terrifying.

My mother's last word had been run.

Not because she hated me.

Not because she wanted me gone.

Because she was afraid.

Afraid of someone.

Afraid of what was coming.

And whatever had frightened her enough to send me away had followed me all these years.

I stared at Kael.

He stood across from me, blood still staining the side of his shirt, his chest rising and falling heavily.

For the first time since I had met him, Alpha Kael looked uncertain.

Not weak.

Never weak.

But uncertain.

His eyes were fixed on mine.

"Run," I whispered.

Kael's jaw tightened.

"Yes."

"From what?"

Silence.

My heart pounded.

"Kael."

He looked away.

That was all the answer I needed.

"You know."

His eyes returned to mine.

"I know enough."

"Then tell me."

"Aria—"

"No."

My voice cracked.

I didn't care.

"You don't get to do that anymore."

His brows pulled together.

"Do what?"

"Decide what I can handle."

I stepped closer.

"You've been watching me for years. You knew my mother. You knew about Mooncrest. You knew I was different. You knew someone was looking for me."

My voice shook.

"And you still kept me in the dark."

Kael said nothing.

Behind him, Lucien gave a quiet laugh.

Kael's head snapped toward him.

"You find this amusing?"

"No."

Lucien's silver eyes moved to me.

"I find it predictable."

"What does that mean?"

Lucien's expression hardened.

"Kael has always believed he could protect everyone by carrying every secret alone."

Kael growled.

"Enough."

Lucien didn't even flinch.

"And look where that got Selene."

The room went silent.

Kael's eyes darkened.

"Say her name again like that," he warned, "and I will forget you're standing in front of Aria."

Lucien stepped forward.

"You've been waiting years to blame yourself."

"And you've been waiting years to blame me."

"I don't have to blame you."

Lucien's voice became colder.

"I remember what happened."

Kael's fists clenched.

I looked between them.

"What happened?"

Neither answered.

I felt something inside me c***k.

"WHAT HAPPENED?"

My voice echoed through the room.

The candles flickered.

And then—

A sharp pain tore through my chest.

I gasped.

My hand flew to my heart.

"Aria?"

Kael reached for me.

I stumbled backward.

"No."

The pain intensified.

It felt as though something was moving beneath my skin.

Something alive.

Something waking.

Silver light flickered beneath my fingertips.

Kael froze.

Lucien's face changed instantly.

Not surprise.

Fear.

Real fear.

"What is that?" I whispered.

Neither man answered.

The silver light spread across my palm.

Thin lines.

Like veins.

Except they glowed.

The room began to spin.

"Aria."

Kael's voice sounded distant.

"Look at me."

I tried.

I couldn't.

The walls blurred.

The floor disappeared beneath my feet.

And then I heard it.

A woman's voice.

Soft.

Familiar.

Impossible.

Aria.

My breath caught.

"Mum?"

Everything went black.

Then—

Moonlight.

I stood in the middle of a forest.

But it wasn't the forest surrounding Blackwood territory.

I knew that immediately.

The trees were enormous.

Their leaves shimmered silver beneath a full moon.

The air smelled like rain.

And flowers.

I turned slowly.

"Mum?"

A figure stood between the trees.

A woman.

Long dark hair.

Pale skin.

Silver eyes.

My heart stopped.

"Selene."

She smiled.

The same smile I had seen in the memories Kael had described.

Warm.

Gentle.

Familiar.

I ran toward her.

"Mum!"

But my arms passed through her.

I stumbled.

She remained standing.

A ghost made of moonlight.

Tears filled my eyes.

"Why can't I touch you?"

She looked at me sadly.

"Because you are not ready."

"Ready for what?"

She didn't answer.

I stepped closer.

"Why did you send me away?"

Her expression broke.

"I didn't send you away because I wanted to."

"Then why?"

"Because I had no choice."

"Who was coming?"

Selene looked over her shoulder.

Fear flashed across her face.

My stomach twisted.

"You need to tell me."

"I cannot."

"Why?"

"Because some truths become weapons when spoken too soon."

I shook my head.

"I don't understand."

"You will."

Her voice trembled.

"When the time comes."

"When?"

She looked directly into my eyes.

"When the blood calls."

A chill ran through me.

"What blood?"

She reached toward me.

Her fingers stopped just before touching my face.

"Yours."

The silver light around her intensified.

"Your blood remembers what you have forgotten."

I swallowed.

"What am I?"

Selene's eyes filled with tears.

"You are my daughter."

"I know."

"No."

Her voice became firmer.

"You don't."

The forest shook.

I looked around.

"What is happening?"

Selene stepped backward.

"They found you."

"Who?"

Her expression changed.

"Aria, listen to me."

"I am listening."

"Do not let them tell you who you are."

"What?"

"Do not let anyone claim you because of your blood."

The ground trembled.

Selene's form began to fade.

"No!"

I reached for her.

"Wait!"

She smiled through her tears.

"Your heart will know."

"Know what?"

"Who is lying."

Her voice became faint.

"And who is afraid."

"Who?"

Selene disappeared.

The forest vanished.

I woke screaming.

My body shot upright.

Kael was beside me.

His hands were gripping my shoulders.

"Aria!"

I gasped.

Air rushed into my lungs.

I looked around.

The room.

The candles.

The walls.

Kael.

Lucien.

I was back.

Kael stared at me.

"What did you see?"

I couldn't speak.

"Aria."

I looked at him.

"My mother."

Something shifted in his expression.

"What did she say?"

I swallowed.

"She said..."

My voice trembled.

"She said my blood remembers."

Lucien went completely still.

Kael noticed.

"So you know something."

Lucien's eyes remained on me.

"I know enough."

Kael turned toward him.

"Then speak."

Lucien ignored him.

He looked at me instead.

"Did she tell you your name?"

"My name?"

"Your true name."

I frowned.

"My name is Aria."

Lucien's expression tightened.

"That's not what I asked."

A strange coldness settled over me.

"What are you talking about?"

Lucien stepped closer.

"You were given a name."

"And?"

"Your mother chose it."

"Yes."

"Then you need to know why."

Kael stepped between us.

"That's enough."

Lucien's gaze moved to him.

"You still intend to hide it?"

"I intend to keep her alive."

"And you think ignorance will accomplish that?"

Kael's voice dropped.

"I think giving her everything at once will destroy her."

"Maybe she deserves the truth."

"Not from you."

Lucien's eyes narrowed.

I pushed between them.

"Stop."

Both men looked at me.

I took a breath.

"I'm tired."

Neither moved.

"I'm tired of being spoken about like I'm not here."

I pointed at Lucien.

"You say you're my father."

His face softened.

"You say you searched for me."

He nodded.

"Then tell me the truth."

"I will."

"Why did my mother hide me?"

Lucien hesitated.

That hesitation terrified me more than any answer could have.

"Because Mooncrest was falling."

I stared at him.

"You said it was destroyed."

"It was."

"By who?"

His jaw tightened.

"We don't know."

Kael scoffed.

Lucien looked at him.

"You know."

Kael said nothing.

I turned to him.

"Do you?"

Kael's eyes met mine.

"There were many enemies."

"That's not an answer."

"No."

His voice was quiet.

"It's not."

I stepped closer.

"Then give me one."

Kael looked down.

"When Mooncrest fell, someone opened the gates from inside."

My stomach dropped.

"Someone betrayed them?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"We never found out."

Lucien's expression darkened.

"That's a lie."

Kael's eyes snapped toward him.

"You weren't there."

"I was."

The room froze.

Kael's face became unreadable.

Lucien continued.

"I watched the gates open."

My heart pounded.

"Who opened them?"

Lucien looked at me.

"I never saw their face."

"Then how do you know Kael is lying?"

"Because he knows more than he says."

Kael moved toward him.

"Careful."

Lucien smiled without humor.

"You always do this."

"Do what?"

"Protect the truth until it becomes a monster."

Kael's fist slammed against the table.

The wood cracked.

I jumped.

"Enough!"

Both men stopped.

My breathing became uneven.

"I don't care who hates who."

I looked at Kael.

"I don't care what happened between you and my father."

Then I looked at Lucien.

"And I don't care how much you believe you have the right to call yourself my father."

His expression flickered.

"I care about my mother."

Silence.

"I want to know what happened to her."

Kael's eyes softened.

"I know."

"No."

I shook my head.

"You know pieces."

I touched my chest.

"I have spent my entire life believing she abandoned me."

Kael's face tightened.

"She didn't."

"I know that now."

My voice broke.

"But knowing she loved me doesn't erase all the years I spent wondering why I wasn't enough for her to stay."

Kael stepped closer.

"You were always enough."

The words hit me harder than they should have.

I looked at him.

He was standing close.

Too close.

His eyes held mine.

There was something in them I couldn't name.

Something warm.

Something dangerous.

For a moment, neither of us moved.

His hand slowly lifted.

He brushed a strand of hair away from my face.

My breath caught.

His fingers lingered near my cheek.

"Kael..."

He froze.

I didn't know what I was about to say.

Neither did he.

The air between us became unbearably still.

Then Lucien cleared his throat.

The moment shattered.

Kael immediately stepped back.

I hated how disappointed I felt.

Lucien watched us carefully.

Something unreadable passed across his face.

Jealousy?

Suspicion?

I couldn't tell.

Kael turned toward the door.

"We're leaving."

I frowned.

"Where?"

"The archives."

"What archives?"

"The Blackwood archives."

He looked at me.

"If you want answers, that's where we'll start."

I stood.

"Why didn't you take me there before?"

"Because I was trying to keep you away from the truth."

"And now?"

Kael's expression hardened.

"Now the truth is coming for you whether I like it or not."

A cold shiver ran through me.

We left the room.

The corridor was almost empty.

The pack was still recovering from the attack.

Wolves moved quickly through the halls, carrying injured warriors.

I noticed how they looked at me.

Some stared.

Some whispered.

Others immediately looked away.

I knew why.

They had seen the silver light.

They had seen what happened.

They knew I was changing.

But I didn't know into what.

Kael walked ahead.

I followed.

Lucien walked behind us.

I hated having him there.

I hated even more that some part of me wanted to know him.

He was my father.

At least, he claimed to be.

And the worst part?

When I looked at him, something inside me recognized him.

Not love.

Not trust.

Something older.

Something buried.

We reached a massive wooden door.

Kael pulled out a key.

The door opened.

Dust filled the air.

Shelves stretched from floor to ceiling.

Ancient books.

Scrolls.

Maps.

Old portraits.

I stepped inside.

"This is where the history of Blackwood is kept."

Kael closed the door behind us.

"Not just Blackwood."

He walked toward a particular shelf.

"Every major bloodline."

My eyes widened.

"Mooncrest too?"

He nodded.

He pulled out an old leather-bound book.

The moment he touched it, the silver light beneath my skin returned.

I gasped.

Kael immediately dropped the book.

It hit the floor.

The cover opened.

A symbol was carved into the first page.

A crescent moon surrounded by strange markings.

My body went cold.

I knew that symbol.

I had seen it before.

On my pendant.

On the wall in my vision.

On my mother's necklace.

I stepped toward it.

"No."

Kael grabbed my wrist.

"Don't."

I looked at him.

"Why?"

His grip loosened.

"I don't know what it will do."

"I need to know."

"Aria."

I pulled free.

I knelt.

My fingers hovered over the symbol.

Then touched it.

The entire archive exploded with light.

Books flew from shelves.

Candles went out.

The floor shook.

Kael shouted my name.

I couldn't hear him.

A voice filled my head.

Ancient.

Deep.

Not Selene.

Not human.

Not wolf.

THE BLOODLINE REMEMBERS.

I screamed.

Images flashed through my mind.

Mooncrest.

Fire.

Bodies.

A woman running through the forest.

A baby crying.

A man holding a sword.

Kael.

Young.

Bloodied.

Selene.

Crying.

Lucien.

Standing outside a burning gate.

Then—

A child.

Me.

But there was something wrong.

The child wasn't alone.

Someone stood behind her.

A shadow.

Tall.

Watching.

Protecting.

Or waiting.

I tried to see the face.

The image blurred.

The voice returned.

THE HEIR WAS NEVER LOST.

My breath stopped.

SHE WAS HIDDEN.

The shadow stepped closer.

I saw silver eyes.

Then—

The vision shattered.

I collapsed.

Kael caught me before I hit the floor.

"Aria!"

I opened my eyes.

His face was inches from mine.

Fear filled his eyes.

Not fear of me.

Fear for me.

"What happened?"

I couldn't answer.

Lucien rushed forward.

"What did you see?"

I stared at him.

Then at Kael.

"There was a child."

Lucien went pale.

"Who?"

"Me."

His expression changed.

"What else?"

I swallowed.

"Someone was standing behind me."

Kael's arms tightened around me.

"Who?"

I shook my head.

"I couldn't see."

Lucien looked at the book.

Then at me.

And for the first time since he had entered my life, he looked genuinely terrified.

"What?"

I demanded.

He didn't answer.

"Lucien."

His lips parted.

"That symbol..."

"What about it?"

He looked at Kael.

Kael's face hardened.

"What do you know?"

Lucien whispered,

"That isn't the symbol of the Mooncrest heir."

Silence.

I stared at him.

"Then whose is it?"

Lucien looked directly into my eyes.

"The bloodline that destroyed Mooncrest."

My blood turned cold.

"What?"

Kael stepped toward him.

"That's impossible."

Lucien shook his head.

"No."

He pointed at the symbol.

"That's why they were never searching for the Mooncrest heir."

I felt the room tilt.

"Then what were they searching for?"

Lucien's eyes stayed on mine.

"You."

A loud horn suddenly sounded outside.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Kael turned toward the door.

Rowan's voice echoed through the corridor.

"KAEL!"

The door burst open.

Rowan stood there, pale and breathless.

"There are wolves at the northern border."

Kael's expression hardened.

"How many?"

Rowan swallowed.

"Too many."

"Who leads them?"

Rowan looked at me.

And whatever he saw on my face made him stop.

"Rowan."

He hesitated.

"Tell me."

His voice dropped.

"They're not asking for the Mooncrest heir anymore."

My heart stopped.

"What are they asking for?"

Rowan looked at Kael.

Then Lucien.

Then me.

"They're calling your name."

The silver light beneath my skin began to glow again.

And from somewhere beyond the walls of the pack house—

A roar answered.

Not Kael's.

Not Lucien's.

Something older.

Something that sounded like it had been waiting for me.

For years.

The archive door slowly creaked shut behind us.

And carved into the wood, where there had been nothing before, a single sentence appeared in silver letters.

SHE HAS AWAKENED.