Chapter 8: Secrets in Silver
1963 Words
Deborah’s POV
Deborah looked in the mirror and saw someone she didn't recognize.
She touched the glass, seeing the silver light under her skin glow like a second heartbeat. The light in her eyes had appeared three hours ago and wouldn't go away. Now, thin silver lines edged her amber eyes, making them look strange.
"Control it," she said in her reflection. "You control everything else."
But this wasn't a fire she could make and then stop. It was now part of her, burning inside.
Someone knocked on her door. Deborah grabbed a jacket, pulled the hood over her face, and opened it.
Maya stood there, worried. "The Council had called an emergency meeting. They want you there in ten minutes."
"At midnight?"
"Elder Morgana insisted. It's about the eclipse's effects." Maya looked closer under Deborah's hood. "Your eyes are still glowing."
"I know."
"Can you hide it?"
Deborah pulled the hood down more. "I'll try."
The walk to the Council chamber seemed longer than usual. Every wolf they passed stared at her, smelling her scent. The eclipse had changed more than just how she looked. She smelled like ozone and moonlight mixed with earth and smoke.
Erick was already there, standing in front of the Council table with his arms crossed. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt to hide his marks, but gold light was coming through the fabric at his wrists.
He looked at Deborah as she came in. Their eyes met, and she felt a strong connection to him. He was worried about her and asked her silently, Are you alright?
She looked away, ignoring the connection. She didn't want to encourage whatever the eclipse had created.
Elder Thorne sat in the middle of the seven seats, his face hard to read. Elder Morgana sat beside him, her silver hair shining in the torchlight. The other elders watched with interest.
"Thank you for coming," Thorne said. "We need to understand what happened during the eclipse. What you felt, what you saw."
"Power," Deborah said. "More than I could control."
"And the marks?" Elder Castellan asked. "Do they hurt?"
"No."
"What about visions?" Morgana asked quickly. "Did you see or hear anything when the marks appeared?"
Deborah hesitated. She remembered the dream about the throne room and the silver-haired woman's warning: Learn the truth of your birth.
"Nothing," she lied.
Morgana's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure? No memories from your ancestors, no visions of the future?"
"I said no."
"Maybe if you told us more..." Elder Castellan started.
"She's answered your questions," Erick said firmly. "If there's nothing else, she needs to rest."
Morgana stood up, pushing her chair back. "You don't speak for her, hybrid. This Council has authority over..."
"Over what?" Erick's gold marks glowed brighter. "Two people you forced into a binding ceremony? Two people who almost died from the power you woke up from?"
The room got hotter. Deborah felt Erick's heat, his control slipping. She felt his protectiveness through their connection.
He was defending her, even after she had pushed him away.
"Enough," Thorne said, breaking the tension. "We're all dealing with this. Erick is right. This could wait until morning."
Morgana started to protest, but Thorne silenced her. He stood up, ending the meeting. "You're both dismissed. But we will continue this conversation soon."
Deborah left without waiting for Erick, her boots echoing in the hallway. She went three hallways before she heard him following her.
"You don't have to run from me every time we're in the same room," he said.
She stopped but didn't turn around. "I'm not running."
"Then what is it?" He walked closer. "I defended you, and you won't even look at me."
Deborah turned to face him. "I didn't ask for your help."
"You never ask for anything. That's the problem." Erick's jaw tightened. "I felt your panic tonight, Deborah. Through the connection. Something happened to you."
"Nothing happened."
"Your eyes are glowing silver. Don't tell me anything happened."
She pulled her hood down, but Erick stepped forward and pushed it back. His fingers touched her cheek, and they both felt sparks through their marks.
He stared at her changed eyes, his face changing from worry to wonder. "How long?"
"From the archives. Since..." She paused. "Since I pushed you away."
"The connection reacted to the separation," Erick touched her face, lifting her chin. "The books said this would happen. The more we fight it, the stronger it gets."
"I can't do this." But she didn't move away from him. His hand felt good against her skin. "I can't be what it wants us to be."
"What if we stop fighting?" He touched her cheekbone. "What if we worked together instead of fighting each other?"
"Together means being open. Being open means..."
"Means someone can hurt you. I know." Erick's gold eyes looked into hers. "But I'm not going to hurt you, Deborah. And maybe, if you trust me, you'll see you don't want to hurt me either."
His words hung in the air. Deborah's heart beat fast. She could feel his pulse and his honesty.
He meant everything he said.
She stepped back, breaking contact. "I need to research. Find out what's happening to us."
Erick looked disappointed but nodded. "The restricted archives?"
Deborah felt like something was missing. "There has to be more to it. The Elders aren't telling us everything," she said, pulling her hood up. "They're keeping secrets about the prophecy and what's happening to us."
"Then we'll find out together," Erick replied.
"Erick..."
"You said it. They're hiding something. This is about the pack, not just you. Plus," he added, crossing his arms, "you need someone to watch your back. Morgana looked like she wanted to take you apart from there."
He was right. Having Erick close would help her control the power inside her, stop it from taking over.
"That's the only reason," she thought. "Not because I want him near me."
"Okay. But we do it my way."
"Of course, Alpha."
Erick's POV
The archives felt different at night.
Erick watched Deborah search the shelves, grabbing books and scrolls.
"What are we looking for?" he asked.
About hybrid changes.
The silver glow has to be written down somewhere." She climbed a ladder.
Someone must have written about the changes."
Erick held the ladder as she reached for a book.
"Maybe the changes are different for everyone.
Maybe there's no record because..."
Because we're special?" Deborah laughed.
"Nothing about this is special, Erick.
We're just being used by the Council for their prophecy."
Instead, he looked for books with "Lunar" or "hybrid" in the title.
The books mostly conveyed the same message: power burns, lives are short, and bonds are incomplete.
Nothing about glowing eyes or marks that beat like a heart.
"Found something," Deborah called.
Erick went over to her.
She was kneeling next to an old trunk hidden behind a shelf.
"It was hidden," she said.
"And warded.
Deborah put her hand on the lock.
Silver light came from her marks.
The ward fought back at first.
Then Erick put his hand on hers, and gold light joined the silver.
Inside the trunk were scrolls.
Deborah carefully picked one up and unrolled it.
It was written in a language Erick didn't know.
"Old Pack dialect," Deborah said.
Elder Thorne made me learn it when I was young." She looked at the words.
"This one's about rituals, blood ceremonies to make pack bonds stronger."
They looked through the scrolls.
Nothing about hybrids or prophecies.
Then Deborah unrolled a scroll and stopped.
"What is it?" Erick asked, reading over her shoulder.
The title was written in both Old Pack dialect and Common.
The Prophecy of the Hybrid Bride: A Warning to Future Generations
Deborah's hands shook as she read.
"When the silver flame weds golden light, the hybrid bride shall end the night.
"Hybrid bride," Erick said.
"About us," Deborah read.
"The bride will have the moon's mark, seen when she's in darkness.
"That sounds bad," Erick said sarcastically.
Deborah ignored him.
"If the bride refuses her fate and mate, power will destroy her from the inside, leaving only fire and sin."
The words felt heavy.
Erick felt their bond react to the warning.
"There's more," Deborah whispered.
"The Council of Silver will keep this secret, bind the bride when she's young, and guide her to her mate before the Eclipse Sun."
"The Council knew," Erick said.
"They planned everything," Deborah said sadly.
"Deborah..."
But it was all planned by the Council," she said, crushing the scroll.
Erick reached for her, but she moved away.
"Don't touch me." Silver light came from her marks, brighter than before.
"There's more to the prophecy," Erick said.
Deborah gave him the scroll.
Erick read the last lines.
The hybrid bride is meant for war.
Her power will break an old seal, and something caged will be free.
Darkness will rise unless the bride makes the ultimate sacrifice.
"Sacrifice," he said.
Deborah turned, her eyes glowing.
Erick didn't want to tell her.
"The prophecy says you're for war.
Your power will break a seal," he said.
"And to stop the darkness, the bride must make an ultimate sacrifice."
They both knew what that usually meant: death.
Deborah sat down, her back against the shelves.
The light in her eyes changed.
"So, I break a seal, start a war, and die for the greater good."
"Yes, we do," she said.
Erick knelt beside her.
"Then we change the prophecy."
"You can't change fate."
"Prophecies are possibilities.
"Then we fight together," Erick said.
"I won't let them sacrifice you, Deborah.
I don't care what the prophecy says."
She looked softer.
Maybe she was grateful or starting to trust him.
"Someone's coming," Deborah whispered.
Erick hid the scroll in his shirt.
Deborah hid the trunk.
Elder Morgana walked in.
Her silver hair looked bright in the dark.
She looked right at Deborah and Erick, like she knew they were there.
"Interesting," Morgana said.
"The hybrid bride, looking for answers at night.
Deborah stood up slowly, standing in front of Erick.
"Everything about you matters to me." Morgana moved closer.
"I've waited a long time for this prophecy to happen.
I won't let you ruin it because you don't know or are scared."
"You knew," Deborah said.
"About the sacrifice.
Someone had to make sure the prophecy went as planned.
To all of us." Morgana's eyes shone.
Soon, real darkness will come.
Erick felt Deborah's anger through their bond.
Her marks glowed silver, and the room got very cold.
"I won't die for your prophecy," Deborah said quietly.
"I won't be your sacrifice."
"Then many people will die." Morgana turned to leave, stopping at the door.
"The Council meets in the morning.
We need to talk about the Eclipse Sun and your part in the coming war."
She left, leaving them with the heavy idea of prophecy and sacrifice.
Deborah's legs felt weak.
Erick caught her, holding her close as silver light flashed on her skin.
"She's been planning this," Deborah whispered.
"My whole life, and I didn't know."
The prophecy is clear."
"Then we'll change it." Erick lifted her face, making her look at him.
No sacrifices, no big futures.
Deborah looked at him.
For the first time since the eclipse, Erick saw a little hope in her eyes.
A small, unsure hope that they could change what was written.
"Together," she said, trying the word.
"Together," Erick said.
The bond between them felt warm and steady.
Outside, morning was coming.
And with it, the Council meeting that would decide what happens to them.
But for now, in the quiet archives, Deborah let herself lean on Erick.
It wasn't giving in.
It wasn't accepting it.
But it was a start.
- Writer
