chapter: 5
1097 Words
Mila barely remembered leaving the awakening chamber, her head throbbed, her chest ached, and every breath felt too sharp, Alexander carried her through long corridors lit with soft torches, his stride steady even though she could feel tension rolling off him.
Not anger, something sharper, worry, maybe,
He pushed open a door to a quiet room in the Alpha Wing, warm light filtered across dark stone walls and furs spread over a massive bed.
The room wasn’t luxurious in a showy way, but everything inside it radiated strength and purpose.
“Sit,” Alexander said as he lowered her onto the edge of the bed.
Her legs barely obeyed, she pressed a hand to her ribs, the burn of the loosened seal pulsed there, rhythmic and unsettling.
Alexander crouched in front of her so they were eye level, “How do you feel?”
“Like my heart is trying to claw its way out,” she said softly.
His brow pulled together, “that’s normal,”
“Normal?” she gave him a tired, shaky look,
“For what you are,” he said.
Her pulse jumped, “You keep saying that. What am I?” he didn’t answer, not yet, he stood and crossed the room, pouring water into a cup before bringing it back to her.
She sipped it slowly, the cool liquid easing the burn in her throat.
Alexander sat beside her not too close, but close enough she felt his warmth.
“The elder didn’t tell you everything,” he said, “Not because she was hiding it, because she doesn’t know the full picture.”
Mila looked down at the cup, “You do?”
“More than she does, not enough to be certain.”
She let out a shaky breath, “I can take the truth, whatever it is.”
He studied her for a long moment, “Can you?”
She nodded,
Alexander leaned forward, his voice low, “Your suppression seal wasn’t designed for a Silvercrest wolf, It was designed for a bloodline older than their entire pack,” her hands went still.
“Mila,” he said carefully, “your wolf is not a Silvercrest wolf, It never was.”
She blinked, “that doesn’t make sense, I was born in their pack. My parents...”
He shook his head, “the seal reacted today, It showed its nature, only wolves with ancient lineage trigger that kind of backlash.”
Her voice barely rose above a whisper, “Ancient lineage?” Alexander met her eyes. “Feralborn," her breath caught.
“That’s a myth,” she said quickly, “Feralborn wolves died out centuries ago.”
“Most did,” Alexander said, “but not all, the elders have tracked whispers of the bloodline resurfacing every few generations.”
Mila stared at him, disbelieving, “feralborn wolves lose control, they destroy everything. They’re monsters.”
“No,” he said, “that’s the story people tell,”
“Then what’s the truth?” she asked.
His expression darkened, but not with fear. With anger for her, not at her.
“The truth is that Feralborn wolves are rare, powerful, and almost always hunted, people fear what they don’t understand, the easiest way to erase a threat is to turn it into a monster.”
Her chest tightened. “I’m not... I can’t be...”
“You felt the seal fight today,” he said, “your wolf isn’t broken, It was forced into madness. That’s why your first shift was chaotic.”
She shook her head, “so you’re saying I didn’t kill them?”
“I’m saying the seal made you unstable, Someone wanted your wolf out of control that night.”
The room tilted, she gripped the edge of the mattress, Alexander reached out and caught her hand as it slipped, “Breathe,” he said.
She tried, but her breaths came sharp and shallow. “Everything I believed, everything I hated myself for...was manipulated?”
“Yes,” he said, “someone used you as a pawn ”
A shiver ran through her, “why?” she whispered.
Alexander’s jaw tightened. “That’s the question I intend to answer," he released her hand only to stand again, he paced once, running a hand through his hair.
“Your brother is lying,” he said, “but he’s not skilled enough to craft a suppression seal this strong, someone helped him.”
The idea made her stomach twist, “who would want to hurt me?” she asked.
Alexander stopped pacing. “It’s not about hurting you, It’s about what you represent.”
She frowned. “I don’t represent anything,”
He gave her a look she couldn’t read, “you do. You just don’t know it yet.”
A knock at the door interrupted them, Rowan stepped inside.
“Alpha,” Rowan said, “the council requests your presence, they want clarification about the girl,” Mila tensed.
Alexander’s eyes flashed silver, “Mila goes nowhere near the council today,” Rowan nodded, “they’ll push back.”
“Let them,” Alexander said, “they’ll answer to me,” Rowan glanced at Mila with a mix of curiosity and concern, then slipped out.
Alexander turned back to her, “you’ll rest here,” he said, “no one enters unless I clear it,”
She nodded, though tension still curled in her stomach.
Alexander watched her for a moment, his gaze softened slightly, “you won’t be harmed here, Not by my pack, not by anyone.”
“Safe,” she murmured. “You keep saying that,”
“It’s the only promise I give lightly,” he said.
He walked to the door but paused with his hand on the frame, “Mila,” she looked up.
“When your wolf rises, it will be strong, Stronger than anything you’ve known, don’t fear it.”
Her heartbeat stuttered, “how do I not fear something that’s been locked away from me my whole life?”
His voice dropped low. “Because it’s yours,”
Then he left, the room fell quiet.
Mila lay back on the bed, exhausted, the moment she closed her eyes, she felt a faint pulse in her mind, a whisper, a stir, a presence she hadn’t felt in six years.
Her wolf, not the broken, bound creature she’d grown used to fearing, something darker, Older, waiting.
Her breath caught, and then it spoke, finally.
Mila bolted upright, heart racing, her wolf was awake and it wasn’t calm.
- Writer
