Chapter 9 : Beneath the Surface
1377 Words
Aurora walked down the creaky staircase of the Moondrake packhouse, her fingers brushing the railing, knuckles tense. A strange uneasiness curled in her chest like smoke rising before a fire. Something wasn’t right.
Her mother hadn’t burst into her room at dawn barking orders. No harsh whisper to "make yourself useful" or reminder that the Omegas needed help with breakfast. Silence had greeted her instead—unnerving and unfamiliar. It wasn’t kindness. It was a trap. It had to be.
At the foot of the stairs, she caught sight of Madeline hurrying from the kitchen, lips stretched in an exaggerated grin.
“Aurora, lunch is ready!” her sister chirped, voice painfully sweet. Too sweet.
Aurora blinked. Lunch? She’d slept that long? Her brows furrowed. Her internal alarm always went off before sunrise. Her body, so conditioned to serve, never failed her—until now. A gnawing suspicion settled in her gut.
Aurora nodded slowly. “Thanks,” she said, eyes scanning for any sign of what this strange shift meant.
“Something’s off,” Mystic murmured, her voice like velvet in Aurora’s mind. “I don’t trust her grin. She’s hiding something.”
Aurora agreed. Her mother and Madeline were never this cheerful in the morning. Or ever. It was like walking into a staged performance—one where she didn’t know the script but sensed the knives behind the curtains.
Still, she followed Madeline toward the dining room. As they approached, a scent wafted through the air—wild, fresh pine and deep earth, rich with strength and something darker. Something familiar.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Sebastian," Mystic whispered, breathless. "He’s here."
Aurora clenched her fists, forcing herself to remain composed. Of all days for him to show up.
She stepped into the room, pulse fluttering like a trapped bird. At the long table, Alpha Steve sat at the head, with Luna Martina perched beside him, and just a seat away sat Alpha Sebastian Lockhart—tall, broad-shouldered, and far too calm for someone surrounded by such poisonous company.
“Have a seat, Aurora. You must be starving,” Madeline sang, gesturing with too much enthusiasm.
"She’s showing off," Mystic teased with a mental snicker. "Trying to play Luna in front of the wrong Alpha."
"Hush," Aurora warned, keeping her expression neutral. "We have to be careful. No one can know we’re different. Not yet."
Mystic huffed, but quieted. Aurora knew she didn’t like the restraint. Neither did Aurora. But survival meant silence.
Alpha Steve’s voice cut through the awkward cheer. “Aurora, have you packed your things already?”
“Yes. Everything’s ready,” she replied, her tone steady despite the tension coiled beneath her skin.
Madeline’s false smile widened. “Oh, I know you hate leaving the pack and doing chores. I wonder why Father chose you.” She flicked her hair over her shoulder. “I would have loved to go.”
Aurora’s jaw tightened. The gall. She could feel Sebastian’s gaze—calm, heavy, almost curious—lingering on her. The tension made her bristle.
She forced a smile, but her voice was cool. “That’s strange. If you’re so willing, why not take my place? I’d be more than happy to hand it over.”
Madeline blinked, caught off guard. Her mouth opened slightly, but before she could recover, Aurora noticed a flicker of something on Sebastian’s face—an almost-smirk that vanished the moment she looked.
Alpha Steve cleared his throat loudly, ending the exchange. “I chose Aurora. No more objections.”
The words hung in the air like an iron curtain. Madeline sank back, lips pressed into a pout.
“Aurora,” her father continued, his voice gruff, “you’ll travel alone to represent us. Your mother has decided Dorothy will stay. We’re just waiting for the Silver Moon Pack’s representative. You’ll travel together to the Royal Pack.”
Aurora nodded, not looking up. There was nothing more to say. She had never been asked, only ordered. Her opinions never mattered. They never had.
Still, she could feel Sebastian’s eyes on her throughout the meal—calm, calculating, curious. Like he was trying to piece something together.
It made her skin itch.
When she finished eating, Aurora stood quietly. “Excuse me.”
No one stopped her. Madeline was too busy fluttering her eyelashes at Sebastian, and her parents had already shifted the conversation toward their guest.
Let her sister play hostess. Aurora had more important things to do—like protect herself.
Earlier That Morning
Luna Martina awoke before the sun, as she always did. She had every intention of marching into Aurora’s room and dragging her from bed to scrub dishes or clean floors.
But then she heard a voice. Deep. Commanding.
Alpha Sebastian.
A gleam lit her eyes.
Instead of heading to Aurora’s room, she turned toward her precious daughter’s door.
“Madeline, sweetheart, wake up,” she cooed, shaking her shoulder gently.
Madeline groaned. “It’s early and there’s no school. What do you want?”
“We have a special guest,” Martina whispered, almost giddy. “Alpha Sebastian.”
Madeline sat bolt upright, eyes wide. “Goddess! Why didn’t you say so?!” She practically threw herself out of bed and ran to the bathroom.
Martina smiled. Today, everything had to go perfectly.
Downstairs, Sebastian sat with Alpha Steve, the two discussing logistics and pack alliances over bitter coffee.
When Madeline finally descended the stairs, her dress just a bit too tight and her smile bordering on desperate, she offered a syrupy greeting.
“Good morning, Alpha Sebastian. It’s an honor to have you here.”
“Good morning,” Sebastian replied with polite detachment. “Luna Martina,” he added with a nod.
“I thought it would be good to spend some time getting to know Madeline,” he said diplomatically, though his tone lacked any genuine interest.
Martina beamed, using the opportunity to chip away at Aurora. “My Madeline is everything a future Luna should be—so helpful, so graceful. Not like my other daughter,” she added with a sigh that was anything but subtle.
Alistair, Sebastian’s wolf, growled in Sebastian’s mind. “Such lies.”
Sebastian didn’t respond, but he agreed. Something about the tone, the eagerness, the artificial sweetness—it didn’t sit right.
Alpha Steve cleared his throat. “Have you chosen your representative for the Royal Event?”
Sebastian gave a short nod. “I have. My Beta’s daughter will represent us. She’ll arrive here shortly so she and your daughter can travel together.”
“Perfect,” Steve said. “Dorothy will stay, so it will just be Aurora.”
Sebastian raised a brow slightly. Aurora? The name stirred something. He remembered the night before—the soft but fierce defiance in her voice.
When Madeline returned with forced grace and a plate of food she hadn’t made, she chattered about plans, her accomplishments, her wardrobe. All the while, Sebastian watched, but not for her.
He noticed the empty chair. Where’s Aurora?
“She refused to get up,” Madeline giggled when she saw his glance. “The Omega said she’s being lazy today.”
Sebastian said nothing. But Alistair bristled again.
“She’s lying.”
Sebastian agreed. He didn’t know Aurora well, but something about her—the fire in her eyes, the strength in her stillness—didn’t match laziness.
As Madeline rambled, Sebastian’s thoughts wandered to the girl with sapphire eyes and guarded strength. She hadn’t said much, but her silence had spoken volumes.
Later That Day
Madeline dragged Sebastian out to the garden, filling the air with hollow laughter and fabricated charm.
He responded when necessary but found himself distracted—thinking not of the girl beside him, but the one who hadn’t come.
The one whose voice had cut through the pretense like a blade last night. The one who wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
When Martina’s voice came through Madeline’s mindlink—“Lunch is ready. Bring Alpha Sebastian back.”—Madeline took his hand.
“Come,” she said brightly. “Lunch is waiting.”
Sebastian followed.
But his mind had already gone ahead, chasing a different thought, a different presence.
- Writer
