Chapter 13: The Lie They Left Behind
1081 Words
Chapter 13: The Lie They Left Behind
The explosion of glass was instantaneous.
One moment, moonlight reflected across the hospital windows.
The next, shards of glass rained through the corridor like crystal knives.
Several people screamed.
Sienna instinctively threw her arms over her face.
Before the first piece could reach her, Gideon pulled her against him.
His body shielded hers completely.
The impact of the falling debris echoed throughout the hallway.
For a moment, chaos erupted.
Nurses ran.
Patients shouted from nearby rooms.
Alarms began blaring once again.
Yet through all of it, Gideon never released her.
Not until the danger had passed.
Not until the last shard of glass settled across the floor.
Slowly, Sienna lowered her arms.
The scent of cedar and rain surrounded her.
Warm.
Steady.
Safe.
Her pulse was still racing, but for reasons that had very little to do with the shattered window.
She became suddenly aware of how tightly she was holding onto him.
Aware of the strength beneath his shirt.
Aware of the way his arm remained wrapped around her waist.
As though letting go wasn't an option.
Or perhaps wasn't something he wanted to do.
When she finally looked up, Gideon was already looking down at her.
For a brief moment, the rest of the world disappeared.
No Elders.
No danger.
No mysteries.
Just the two of them.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
The concern in his voice caught her off guard.
Not because he cared.
Because he wasn't trying to hide it anymore.
Sienna nodded.
Though she wasn't entirely sure that was true.
Something about tonight felt different.
As though invisible pieces were moving into place around her.
As though she had unknowingly stepped onto a path that had been waiting for her all along.
The silver-haired Elder interrupted the moment.
"Alpha."
The single word carried enough authority to command attention.
Gideon released Sienna reluctantly and turned.
The Elder stood near the shattered window, staring into the darkness beyond.
"What did you see?" he asked.
The woman's expression remained troubled.
"Nothing."
Seth frowned.
"That isn't reassuring."
"No," she agreed quietly. "It isn't."
A cold breeze drifted through the broken glass.
The night beyond appeared normal.
Trees.
Parking lot lights.
Empty pavement.
Yet something about it felt wrong.
Too still.
Too quiet.
Like prey realizing the predator was already nearby.
The dark-haired Elder approached the window.
His eyes narrowed.
"He wanted us to know he was here."
The statement sent a chill through Sienna.
"Who?"
Neither Elder answered immediately.
Instead, the silver-haired woman turned toward her.
The sadness in her eyes had returned.
Only now it was accompanied by something else.
Guilt.
"What did they tell you about your mother?" she asked.
The question struck deeper than Sienna expected.
Very few people had ever spoken about her mother.
Most couldn't.
The information simply didn't exist.
Or so she'd always believed.
"Nothing," Sienna admitted.
The Elder's expression tightened.
"Nothing?"
Sienna shook her head.
"I don't even know if the records I grew up with were real."
The woman closed her eyes briefly.
As though that answer hurt.
When she opened them again, there was determination there.
"Then perhaps it's time someone told you the truth."
The corridor seemed to grow quieter.
Even Gideon appeared tense.
The Elder motioned toward an empty waiting room nearby.
Within minutes, the group had moved inside.
The room was small.
Private.
Far removed from the panic still unfolding elsewhere in the building.
Sienna sat near the window.
Gideon remained beside her.
Not across from her.
Beside her.
The distinction mattered more than either of them acknowledged.
The silver-haired Elder remained standing.
For a long moment, she simply studied Sienna.
As though deciding where to begin.
Finally, she spoke.
"Your mother was one of the bravest women I have ever known."
The words settled softly into the room.
Not a queen.
Not a prophecy.
Not a legend.
A woman.
For some reason, that mattered.
"She laughed loudly."
A faint smile touched the Elder's lips.
"She argued constantly."
Seth smirked.
Sienna shot him a look.
The Elder chuckled.
"She never accepted an answer simply because someone in authority gave it."
Gideon's mouth twitched.
Sienna folded her arms.
"I feel like everyone is insulting me politely."
"Trust me," the Elder replied. "It was a compliment when it described her, too."
The warmth faded from her expression.
"On the night she disappeared, she knew they were coming."
The room fell silent.
Sienna's chest tightened.
"Who?"
The Elder looked away briefly.
"As far as we knew, enemies."
Something about the wording felt deliberate.
As far as we knew.
Not certainty.
Assumption.
The Elder continued.
"She was warned to run."
"Did she?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
A sad smile touched the woman's lips.
"Your mother wasn't very good at running."
Sienna felt an unexpected sting behind her eyes.
The Elder moved toward the window.
Moonlight illuminated her silver hair.
"When the attack began, she vanished."
A pause.
"No body was ever recovered."
The room went still.
Sienna frowned.
"Wait."
The Elder turned.
"You said disappeared."
"Yes."
"Not died."
The silence that followed felt intentional.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
The silver-haired woman looked directly at her.
"No body was ever found."
A chill moved down Sienna's spine.
"Then how do you know she's dead?"
The Elder didn't answer.
Because she couldn't.
Or wouldn't.
The distinction terrified Sienna.
Across the room, the dark-haired Elder shifted uncomfortably.
Gideon became very still.
Seth cursed softly under his breath.
And suddenly Sienna knew.
Not the answer.
But the truth.
Everyone in this room had doubts.
For years.
Maybe decades.
No one had ever been certain.
The realization left her breathless.
"My mother could still be alive."
No one confirmed it.
No one denied it.
Which was answer enough.
Then—
A sharp knock echoed against the waiting room door.
Everyone froze.
The scent hit Gideon first.
His head snapped toward the entrance.
Every muscle in his body tightened.
Danger.
Instant.
Immediate.
The silver-haired Elder's face lost all color.
The dark-haired Elder was already reaching for a weapon.
Seth rose to his feet.
"What is it?"
Gideon's eyes flashed gold.
A low growl vibrated deep in his chest.
The door handle began to turn.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
As though whoever stood on the other side already knew exactly who was waiting for them.
The Elder whispered a single name.
One that meant absolutely nothing to Sienna.
Yet somehow sent fear through every supernatural in the room.
"Malakar."
And the door began to open.
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