The Alpha’s Hidden Vow

Chapter 4: The Silver Wake

The air in the room was thick with the smell of ozone and burnt hair. My head was throbbing where it had bounced off the wall, but I didn't care. I dragged myself across the carpet, my fingernails digging into the plush rug until I reached Leo.

He was so still. His skin felt like ice, and the silver light that had exploded from him was gone, leaving him looking smaller and more fragile than I’d ever seen him.

"Leo? Leo, wake up. Please, baby," I sobbed, pulling him against my chest. I tucked Mia under my other arm, holding them both as I backed into the corner of the room. I grabbed the silver letter opener he’d dropped. It felt pathetic in my hand, but I was ready to drive it into anyone who stepped through that broken balcony door.

I didn't have to wait long.

A massive black wolf vaulted over the shattered railing, his paws skidding on the hardwood. He was covered in mud and dark blood, his golden eyes blown wide with panic. He shifted before he even stopped moving, his human skin knitting together in a blur of bone and muscle.

"Elara!" Killian screamed. He was naked, half-covered in grime, but he didn't seem to notice. He lunged toward us, but I pointed the letter opener at his heart.

"Stay back!" I shrieked. My voice was a jagged mess. "Don't you touch them!"

Killian stopped. He looked at the blade, then at my face, and finally at the unconscious boy in my arms. "The guards... I saw a man fall from this balcony. He was burnt, Elara. Burnt by silver fire."

"He tried to take them," I whispered, my whole body shaking. "Leo... he did something. He saved us."

Killian’s face went pale. He dropped to his knees, the "Alpha King" pride completely shattered. "Silver fire. That’s not a wolf trait. That’s... that’s High Seer magic."

He moved slowly this time, reaching out with one hand. I didn't pull away. I couldn't. I was too tired to fight him anymore. He touched Leo’s forehead, and a low, pained groan escaped his throat. "He’s drained. He used every drop of his spark to protect you."

Killian scooped Leo up, and this time, he didn't ask for permission. He carried him to the bed, laying him next to Mia. He looked at his children—one fighting a fever, the other exhausted by magic—and I saw a tear track through the mud on his cheek.

"I didn't know," he whispered. "I swear to the Moon, Elara, I didn't know what you were carrying when I sent you away."

"Because you didn't look!" I stood up, my legs wobbling. "You listened to Silas. You listened to Selena. You looked at the 'evidence' they put in front of you and you decided I wasn't worth the trouble of a real trial."

Killian turned, his eyes burning with a mix of shame and a new, terrifying kind of rage. "They told me you were working with the Rogues to poison the well. They showed me the vials in your room."

"And you thought I’d poison the people I grew up with? My own father died for this pack, Killian!"

"I was twenty-one!" he roared, slamming his fist into the bedpost. The wood cracked. "I was a new Alpha with a pack calling for blood. I thought I was being strong. I thought I was protecting the many by sacrificing the one."

"Well, look at your 'sacrifice' now," I said, pointing to the bed. "Your 'one' survived the Gutter. Your 'one' raised your heirs in a room that didn't have a door that locked. And now, the people you trusted just tried to kidnap them."

The door to the room burst open again. Selena stood there, flanked by two guards. She looked at the broken balcony, the mud on the floor, and the naked, bloody Alpha standing by the bed.

"Killian! Thank goddess you're safe," she cried, trying to move toward him. "The rogues are everywhere. We need to get to the bunker."

"Who was he, Selena?" Killian’s voice was so low it was almost a hum.

She stopped. "What? Who?"

"The man who fell from this balcony," Killian said, turning to face her. He walked toward her, and even the guards took a step back. "He wasn't a rogue. Rogues smell like rot and wet fur. This man smelled like the Gutter, but he was wearing a Blackwood tactical vest."

Selena’s eyes flickered for a fraction of a second. "I... I don't know what you mean. Maybe he stole it?"

Killian grabbed her by the throat, pinning her against the doorframe. The guards leveled their spears, but Killian’s aura flared so hard they dropped to their knees, clutching their heads in pain.

"Don't lie to me again," Killian growled into her face. "My son—my son—just defended this room with magic I haven't seen in a century. Someone knew Elara was coming. Someone knew what the children were. And the only person who has been screaming for her head since she walked into that cathedral is you."

"Killian... you're hurting me," Selena gasped, her face turning purple.

"You're lucky I'm not killing you," he spat, throwing her toward the guards. "Lock her in the cellar. Not the guest rooms. The silver-lined cells."

"You can't do this! My brother is an Alpha! He will burn this pack to the ground!" Selena screamed as the guards, terrified of Killian’s rage, dragged her away.

Killian stood in the doorway for a long time, his shoulders heaving. He looked like he was fighting his own wolf for control. When he finally turned back to me, the anger was gone, replaced by a hollow, haunting look.

"She won't hurt you again," he said.

"She’s just one of them, Killian," I said, sitting back on the edge of the bed. I took Leo’s hand in mine. "The Elders, the Council... they all wanted me gone. You think putting one girl in a cell fixes this?"

"No," he said, walking back to the bed. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a clean shirt, pulling it over his head. "It doesn't fix it. But the Blood-Alpha is outside my walls, and a traitor is inside them. I have to find Silas."

"Don't," I said. "If you go after him now, he'll just play the victim. He’ll tell the pack you've gone mad over a 'rogue woman.'"

Killian sat on the floor at the foot of the bed, resting his head against the mattress. "What do I do, Elara? Tell me. You're the one who sees things."

I looked at his tired face. For the first time in five years, I didn't see the man who broke me. I saw the boy I used to sneak out to meet in the woods.

"The vision I had... the fire," I whispered. "It’s not just about the rogues. It’s about the truth. The fire is going to burn away the lies, Killian. But if you aren't careful, you'll be the one holding the match."

He reached out, his fingers brushing the back of my hand. This time, I didn't pull away.

"Stay with them," he said. "I’m going to double the guard—men I trust with my life. Men who remember your father."

"Killian?"

He stopped at the door.

"Mia said the dogs with red eyes are waiting for the man in the suit to fall. She was talking about you."

He nodded once, a grim set to his mouth. "Then I guess I’d better make sure I don't fall."

As the door closed, I looked at the red moon rising through the clouds. The three-day clock was ticking. My son had magic, my daughter was a Seer, and the man I hated was the only thing standing between us and a m******e.

I pulled the kids closer and waited for the night to end.