The Hidden Room
823 Words
War.
The word lingered in Elias’s mind long after everyone had left the study.
Kael had declared it so casually.
As if taking on a secret organization capable of erasing people from existence was just another business meeting.
Maybe for Kael Draven, it was.
The billionaire Alpha looked completely unbothered by the threat.
Unfortunately, Elias was not Kael Draven.
He was exhausted.
Confused.
And increasingly certain that his life had become a disaster.
By two in the morning, the mansion had transformed into a fortress.
Additional security teams patrolled the grounds.
New checkpoints appeared throughout the estate.
Employees moved with tense expressions.
Everyone knew something serious was happening.
No one knew exactly what.
Only that it revolved around Elias.
The realization made him uncomfortable.
He had spent most of his life unnoticed.
Invisible.
Now it felt like every eye in the mansion was watching him.
Unable to sleep, Elias wandered through the east wing.
The hallways were quiet.
Soft golden lights illuminated expensive paintings and elegant decorations.
The place felt more like a museum than a home.
As he walked, the bond stirred unexpectedly.
A gentle pull.
Not pain.
Not danger.
Something else.
Curiosity.
Elias stopped.
The feeling came again.
Stronger this time.
He frowned.
“What are you doing now?”
The bond offered no answer.
Only another tug.
As if trying to lead him somewhere.
Against his better judgment, Elias followed it.
One hallway.
Then another.
A staircase.
A narrow corridor he hadn’t noticed before.
The further he walked, the stronger the sensation became.
Eventually, he reached the end of the corridor.
A single wooden door stood there.
Old.
Dusty.
Out of place.
Everything else in the mansion looked modern and luxurious.
This door looked ancient.
Elias stared at it.
The bond pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Almost impatiently.
“You’re kidding.”
Slowly, he reached for the handle.
The moment his fingers touched it—
A sharp flash exploded behind his eyes.
Images flooded his mind.
A woman smiling.
Silver eyes.
A lullaby.
A symbol glowing in darkness.
Then—
A voice.
Soft.
Loving.
“Run, little star.”
Elias gasped and stumbled backward.
The vision vanished instantly.
His heart hammered.
His hands shook.
What was that?
A memory?
No.
It couldn’t be.
Could it?
Before he could decide, the door clicked.
Unlocked.
Elias froze.
Then slowly pushed it open.
The room beyond was dark.
Very dark.
He searched the wall until he found a light switch.
The lights flickered on.
And Elias forgot how to breathe.
The room wasn’t a storage area.
It wasn’t abandoned.
It wasn’t empty.
It was a nursery.
A beautiful nursery.
Blue walls.
A small bed.
Bookshelves.
Stuffed animals.
Paintings of stars and moons.
Everything preserved perfectly.
As though someone had frozen time.
Elias stepped inside slowly.
Confusion filled him.
Why would Kael have a nursery hidden in his mansion?
Then he noticed something.
A photograph.
Sitting on a shelf.
His breath caught.
The picture showed a woman holding a baby.
The woman’s face was partially hidden.
But the baby—
The baby had dark hair.
Grey eyes.
And looked exactly like him.
The photograph slipped from his trembling fingers.
“No…”
It couldn’t be.
It was impossible.
Yet there it was.
Proof.
Someone connected to him had been inside this mansion.
Long before he ever arrived.
The room suddenly felt too small.
Too quiet.
Too strange.
A floorboard creaked behind him.
Elias spun around.
His pulse skyrocketed.
Kael stood in the doorway.
Expression unreadable.
Silver eyes fixed on the photograph lying on the floor.
For several seconds, neither man spoke.
Then Kael sighed.
A tired sound.
Almost resigned.
“You found it.”
Elias stared at him.
“You knew about this room?”
“Yes.”
“What is this place?”
Kael stepped inside slowly.
His gaze moved across the nursery.
A strange emotion flickering in his eyes.
Something Elias had never seen before.
Sadness.
Real sadness.
“It’s the reason I knew your name before we met.”
The words hit like a lightning strike.
Elias froze.
“What?”
Kael looked directly at him.
The Alpha’s expression was unusually serious.
“This room belonged to someone important.”
Elias swallowed.
His voice came out barely above a whisper.
“Who?”
Silence.
Then Kael answered.
“The woman in that photograph.”
Elias’s heart pounded.
The photograph.
The woman.
The voice in his vision.
His hands clenched.
“Who is she?”
Kael didn’t answer immediately.
And somehow, that hesitation terrified Elias.
Because whatever Kael was about to say—
Would change everything.
Finally, the Alpha spoke.
Quietly.
Carefully.
As if choosing each word mattered.
“Her name was Amelia Vale.”
Elias’s breath caught.
Vale.
His surname.
The room spun.
“No…”
Kael’s silver eyes softened slightly.
And then he delivered the truth that shattered what remained of Elias’s world.
“She was your mother.”
To Be Continued
- Writer
