Alpha's Fall; Luna's Rise

Chapter 3 Sounds in the Dark

Ariana Thorne's POV

Standing at the window of my little flat, gazing out at the city below, the night was shockingly silent. Eclipsia's lights danced like far-off stars, a sharp contrast to the gloom that had crept inside me. This location had always seemed to me as a haven, somewhere I might hide and start again with my life. Now, though, it felt more like a cage and the walls seemed to be closing in.

Elena's confession still reverberated in my head, her words running in a loop: Morgana is after your kids. Those words crushed my chest and left me without air. Why had I not seen it before? Morgana's comeback and her abrupt modification of the prophecy—all had been a deliberate action. And Lucian had pointed right into her hands.

I grabbed the windowsills, my knuckles white. A deep sense of betrayal drove the simmering rage beneath the surface to get more intense. Not only Lucian's treachery, but the treachery of everyone I once knew. The pack, the seniors, the ones who ought to have shielded me—they had all turned away from me. And right now, it puts my kids at risk.

I can afford to break up, though. Not presently. Not when I was the only person standing between my twins and Morgana.

My thoughts were broken by the sound of the front door creaking open. Heart racing in my chest, I spun sharply, but the familiar smell of herbs and wildflowers quickly relaxed me.

"Elena," I said, my voice firm, but I still couldn't release the strain holding me.

She entered, her auburn hair slightly wild from the breeze outside, her eyes reflecting the same concern they had shared before our library talk. Quietly behind her, she closed the door and walked toward me; her presence always grounds me. Elena had been my lighthouse in the tempest, but she could not protect me from what lay ahead.

She gently murmured, "I thought you would be resting," a little smile playing at her lips. "You have strength."

I shook my head and let out a breath I had not noticed I had been holding. Rest is what? How am I expected to relax knowing Morgana is out there scheming God knows what against my kids? Additionally, Lucian...

I drifted off, my ideas too complex to arrange into words. I burned the picture of Lucian's face, chilly and far-off when he had spoken those last words into my memory. But I knew there had been regret right under that frigid surface. However, every time I let myself hope, the hurt of his treachery crashed back into me like a tidal wave.

Elena drew in to put her hand on my shoulder. "Ariana, this weight cannot be carried by yourself. I am you. And we'll have others not too far off.

I wrinkled and turned to face her squarely. "What do you mean?"

She stopped momentarily, her eyes darting to the door as though she expected someone to walk right in at any moment. She said at last, "I've got in touch with an old friend." " Someone who knows Morgana's magic—someone who can help us understand what we are really up against."

My heart hastened. "Who??"

"Kael is his name. Though he is a rogue, he is powerful. Greater force than any werewolf I have ever encountered. Having studied the dark skills Morgana employs for years, he would be most suited to assist us.

I looked at her; the name rang slightly familiar. Rogues were not to be trusted—not following everything I had witnessed. Often living on the periphery of society, they break pack rules and without allegiance to anybody save themselves. But right now, I lack the luxury of selecting my allies. I had to take a chance if Kael knew something that might guard my kids.

"When is he expected to arrive?" Already psychologically ready for the conference, I inquired.

Tomorrow. He will meet us just outside the city at the old sanctuary. Elena said with a consistent tone, but her eyes betrayed doubt. Neither knew what we were heading into either.

That morning arrived far too quickly. The weight of the evening before still hung over me as I got ready to leave the apartment, the urgency coursed through me. Every action seemed weighty, hampered by the sense that everything was about to change—again.

Walking in silence, Elena and I headed for the ancient shrine in the Eclipian outskirts. For the ancient werewolves, the sanctuary had formerly been a place of worship where their Luna's might was honored. But now, much like I had been, it remained in ruins, forgotten and abandoned. Meeting here, under the shadow of what once was, seems appropriate.

Approaching the decaying stone walls, I saw a man sloppily reclining against one of the pillars, his face covered in shadow from a hood.

He had a disturbing silence, a kind of predatory ease that set me on alert right away. Though his posture was laid back, there was a lethal energy rippling just under the surface. As we approached, he turned his head slightly to show sharp features and glistening eyes like molten silver.

"So you are the Luna I have heard so much about," Kael replied, his voice silky but tinged with laughter. "Set aside by your priceless Alpha. How sad?

At his remarks, I bristled and tightened my chest in both defensiveness and wrath. Keeping my voice calm, "I didn't come here for your judgment, Kael," I continued. I came here because I needed responses.

Kael eased himself off the pillar, walking almost lazily toward me. Even as my instincts shouted that this man was deadly, his eyes never left mine and I resisted breaking the stare.

"You're looking for answers about Morgana's magic," he replied, his voice measured and low. The question is, though, how far would you be ready to travel to receive them?

I focused my narrow eyes. "I'll go to great lengths to keep my kids safe."

Kael just stared at me for a moment. Then he, with a slow, knowing smile on his face. Good. You will have to be that type of determined person since Morgana is a lot more dangerous than you might think. She is wielding magic older than any of us.

Elena moved forward, her voice tight. "What do you mean?"

Kael's eyes strayed to her, his face darkening just a little. Morgana signed a contract with something archaic. Something out of this world. She is channeling your children—once they are born, she will use their power for her own benefit.

My heart thumped so loudly in my ears that I could not hear anything else, I felt the blood wash from my face. Though I knew Morgana was hazardous. This? This was far worse than I had ever dreamed.

I muttered, "You're lying," knowing deep down he wasn't. She wouldn't—”

"She would," Kael said, his voice icy. "She will," And should you fail to stop her, your kids will be offered sacrifices in order to honor her contract.

An icy shudder slid down my back. Running, hiding, and assuming that distance would keep my kids safe had consumed the last few weeks. Morgana, though, had never meant to let me leave. She had always intended to come find me, to gather them.

"What are we supposed to do?" My voice just above a whisper, I asked.

Kael slanted his head to observe me with a nearly sympathetic glance. "You fight." That will not be simple, though. Morgana is collaborating with others as well. She has supporters, evil creatures committed to her purpose. And Lucian—well, he is too blind to notice what is happening almost under his nose.

The reference to Lucian drove a fresh surge of agony through me. I had loved him—still loved him despite all. But the man I had known vanished, replaced by someone I hardly remembered. Given he had already selected Morgana over me, could I truly rely on him to keep our children safe?

Kael moved nearer, his voice lowering to a whisper. Ariana, you cannot wait for Lucian to help you. You will have to act yourself if you wish to shield your children.

His comments hung in the air, and for the first time, I understood just how alone I was in this struggle. Lucian had decided what to do. And right now I had to make my own.

I turned first to Kael, then Elena, then to the remains of the sanctuary all around us. Right now, this is my battle. Nobody else could help me to defend myself. For the protection of my kids.

I corrected a fresh resolve hardening in my chest. Then let us begin to fight.

Kael nodded with something like approval shining in his eyes. We are starting tonight. But Ariana, once you enter this conflict, there is no turning back.

The wind carried the smell of something dark, something deadly as it whistled through the cracked stone walls.

And the shadows appeared to trail us, murmuring of the war to come as we departed the refuge.