The Alpha's lost heir

chapter 8

★𝕽𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖓

The scent of jasmine still clung faintly to my clothes from the garden encounter, a haunting echo of Olivia's presence. My conversation with her in the pantry, however, had solidified everything. Her eyes, wide and almost feral for a split second when she backed into the shelf; her hurried attempts to hide her hands; the sheer, palpable current of fear and something else that vibrated between us. She wasn't just tired, and she wasn't just my sister.

My wolf, silent during my human interactions, roared within my mind now that I was alone. Mine. She felt it. She denied it. She is more than she knows.

The words hammered against my skull, a primal demand for answers and action. The mate bond was a consuming fire, but woven into its heat was a chilling clarity: Olivia was in danger. Not just from our impossible connection, but from what she inherently was, and what that meant.

My search through the ancient archives had been fruitless in providing definitive answers, only whispers of lost packs and extinct lines. But the name "Moonstone" still resonated with an eerie persistence. Their demise was shrouded in secrecy, almost too clean. A pack simply didn’t vanish without a trace, especially not one known for its unique bloodline.

I needed to consult someone truly ancient, someone who knew the deepest, unspoken histories of the Silvermoon. There was only one who held such knowledge, keeper of secrets and prophecies: Elder Elias.

I found Elias in his secluded chambers, a small, incense-filled room tucked away in the oldest part of the palace, where time seemed to slow. He was hunched over a collection of weathered scrolls, his silver hair a wispy halo around his ancient face. He looked up as I entered, his eyes, clouded with age, sharpening with an almost preternatural awareness.

"Ronan," he rasped, his voice like dry leaves rustling. "The Alpha returns. And seeks counsel not of battles, but of shadows."

I moved deeper into the room, the scent of dried herbs and old parchment filling my nostrils. "Elder," I began, cutting straight to it. "I have questions, concerning things long past. The Moonstone Pack."

Elias was still for a long moment, his gaze unwavering, penetrating. "A name best left unspoken by most," he finally said, his voice flat. "Why does it trouble the new Alpha?"

"I've encountered... anomalies. Strange currents. And my instincts tell me there is more to their demise than history records. Were there ever survivors? Any whispers of an heir escaping the m******e?"

Elias closed his eyes, a deep sigh escaping him. "The Moonstone fell not to war, Ronan. But to treachery. A swift, brutal strike from within, aided by external forces that coveted their unique powers.

There were no known survivors. No one expected any." He opened his eyes, fixed on mine. "Except... there was a prophecy. A whisper, carried on the wind of that dark night. 'The silver sprout will bloom again, hidden within the strongest roots. When the true Alpha calls, the lost heart will awaken.'"

A jolt went through me. The strongest roots. My family, My bloodline. Olivia. And when the true Alpha calls, the lost heart will awaken. My Alpha command. Her momentary resistance. Her sudden vibrant health and heightened senses. It was all falling into place with a terrifying, devastating clarity.

"Who helped them?" I demanded, my voice low, my wolf restless beneath my skin. "Who allowed an heir to survive, and be hidden?"

Elias's gaze shifted, briefly, to the wall, then back to me. "The web of alliances and betrayals was vast, Ronan. Many feared their power. Many coveted it. But to hide a survivor... that would require deep trust. And immense sacrifice." He paused, then looked directly at me. "Your father, the Alpha, was a man of great honor. But he was also a man of secrets, for the pack's protection. As was Luna Freya, who brought a peace to this pack unlike any before."

My breath hitched. My father. My mother. They had been involved. They had hidden Olivia. The implications hit me like a physical blow. They had lied to me, to us, for two decades.

"The mate bond, Elder," I pressed, pushing past the shock. "If this lost heir is... within the pack. If she is believed to be kin. How does destiny align with such a cruel deception?"

Elias gave a slow, knowing nod. "Destiny has its own path, Ronan. It binds where it chooses. The mate bond transcends blood, false or true. It merely affirms what is meant to be. It also heralds danger. The awakening of the lost heart would draw unwanted attention. Old enemies, dormant for decades, will stir."

I clenched my fists, the anger and the possessiveness rising within me. "She doesn't know," I stated, the words clipped. "Olivia doesn't know."

"No," Elias confirmed softly. "And she should not, until the time is right. Her mind is still human. Such a truth could shatter her." He fixed me with a stern gaze. "You, Alpha, have a heavy burden. To protect your mate. To protect your pack. And to protect the secret of a bloodline that was almost lost to history. The 'strongest roots' now face their greatest test."

I left Elias's chambers, the weight of his words pressing down on me. Olivia. My mate. The lost heir of the Moonstone Pack. My own family, the ones I trusted most, had woven the deception. And now, as her power stirred, as my mate bond awakened hers, we were both standing on the precipice of a revelation that could either unite us or tear our world apart. I had to protect her. From the enemies that would undoubtedly come for her, and from the devastating truth itself.