Chapter 6: Alpha Darius
1431 Words
The courtyard fell into stunned silence.
Every wolf stared at the stranger standing beneath the rain.
Alpha Darius Nightbane.
Even the name carried weight.
I could feel it in the sudden tension around us.
Several warriors lowered their gazes instinctively while others tightened their grip on their weapons.
Kael stepped forward immediately, his posture turning rigid.
“You’re far from Nightbane territory.”
Darius finally looked away from me.
A faint smirk curved his lips. “And yet I still arrived faster than expected.”
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Like he had walked into a casual gathering instead of a murder scene.
I studied him carefully.
Tall. Dark-haired. Broad shoulders hidden beneath a black coat. His golden eyes looked almost unnatural against the stormy night.
Dangerous.
Everything about him screamed dangerous.
But strangely…
My wolf wasn’t afraid.
In fact, she seemed alert.
Interested.
Darius’s gaze slid back to the mark on my neck. “The Crescent Mark truly returned.”
The older healer looked uneasy. “How do you know about it?”
Darius laughed softly. “Because unlike this pack, mine didn’t forget history.”
Kael’s jaw tightened hard.
“You still haven’t explained why you’re here.”
Darius folded his arms loosely. “Word travels quickly between Alphas. A rejected Luna awakens an extinct bloodline, a poisoning follows, and suddenly bodies start appearing with Lunar symbols carved into them?” He tilted his head slightly. “Hard to ignore.”
My stomach tightened.
The news had already spread.
Of course it had.
Kael stepped closer, clearly irritated. “This is Moonstone business.”
“Not anymore.”
The quiet confidence in Darius’s voice sent another ripple of tension through the courtyard.
Lucas moved subtly beside Kael, sensing the shift too.
Darius’s golden eyes returned to me again.
“You look exhausted.”
The concern in his tone caught me off guard.
Kael noticed too.
“This doesn’t concern you,” he said sharply.
Darius raised an eyebrow lazily. “Actually, it concerns me very much.”
Selene suddenly stepped forward from behind the guards.
“She poisoned me.”
Her voice sounded weaker now, but the accusation still cut through the courtyard sharply.
Darius looked at her once.
Only once.
Then completely dismissed her.
“No,” he said simply.
Everyone froze.
Selene blinked. “Excuse me?”
“She didn’t poison you.”
The certainty in his voice stunned even me.
Kael narrowed his eyes. “And how would you know that?”
Darius shrugged lightly. “Because if she wanted you dead, you’d already be dead.”
The courtyard went silent again.
A strange heat rushed through my chest unexpectedly.
Not because of the words.
Because part of me knew he was telling the truth.
Selene looked furious. “That’s absurd.”
Darius ignored her entirely.
He stepped toward me slowly instead.
The guards instantly tensed.
Kael moved between us immediately with a low warning growl.
Interesting.
Darius glanced at him with amusement. “Relax, Ravencrest.”
Kael’s expression darkened dangerously. “Don’t test me.”
The air between them turned heavy instantly.
Alpha power.
Strong enough to make several wolves lower their heads.
But while Kael radiated cold authority…
Darius felt different.
Darker.
Controlled chaos.
And somehow stronger.
My wolf stirred uneasily now.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Darius looked over Kael’s shoulder directly at me. “You’ve started seeing visions, haven’t you?”
My breath caught.
“How do you know that?”
“Because the first awakening always begins with truth sight.”
Everyone listened carefully now.
Even the older healer looked stunned.
“You know about the Lunar Guardians,” Lucas realized.
Darius nodded once. “More than any of you.”
Kael’s voice sharpened. “Speak clearly.”
Darius sighed dramatically before looking toward me again.
“The Crescent Mark isn’t just some forgotten blessing.” His golden eyes darkened slightly. “It marks the last descendants of the Moon Goddess’s chosen protectors.”
A cold breeze swept through the courtyard.
“The Lunar Guardians weren’t ordinary wolves,” he continued. “They existed to maintain balance between packs centuries ago. Stronger. Faster. Harder to kill.”
My pulse quickened.
“And feared,” the older healer whispered.
Darius smirked faintly. “Very feared.”
Selene folded her arms tightly. “Convenient fairy tales.”
But I noticed the nervousness hidden beneath her voice now.
Darius noticed too.
“Careful, little liar,” he said softly.
Her face paled instantly.
Kael stepped forward sharply. “Enough.”
But Darius’s attention remained fixed on Selene.
“You smell terrified.”
Selene stiffened.
Interesting.
Darius suddenly crouched beside Thomas’s body near the fountain. His expression shifted the moment he noticed the carved crescent symbol.
“Well,” he murmured. “That’s unfortunate.”
Kael frowned. “You recognize it?”
“Yes.”
Something about his tone made my stomach tighten.
Darius slowly stood again.
“This isn’t random.”
The courtyard grew quieter.
“The symbol was used centuries ago during the Lunar Purges.”
My chest tightened instantly. “Purges?”
Darius looked directly at me.
“Someone hunted the Lunar Guardians to extinction.”
A chill swept through the crowd.
“No,” the older healer whispered. “Those were only legends.”
“They were massacres,” Darius corrected coldly.
Silence followed.
I suddenly understood why everyone feared the mark.
Not because of power.
Because of history.
Kael crossed his arms tightly. “What does that have to do with this?”
Darius’s gaze darkened slightly.
“Because whoever carved that symbol knows exactly what Aria is.”
My pulse started pounding harder.
And if Darius was right…
Then someone wasn’t framing me randomly.
Someone specifically targeted me.
Before I could process that thought fully, Selene suddenly spoke again.
“She’s dangerous.”
Her voice trembled now.
Fear.
Real fear.
“She admitted she sees things.”
Darius laughed softly. “You’re worried she’ll see too much, aren’t you?”
Selene went pale.
Kael noticed instantly.
The tension in his face sharpened.
“Selene,” he said carefully, “is there something you’re hiding?”
Her eyes widened. “No!”
Too fast.
Too defensive.
Lucas exchanged a glance with me.
He noticed it too.
Darius sighed. “This pack is exhausting.”
Then suddenly,
He looked directly at me again.
“Come with me.”
The words stunned everyone.
Kael’s expression turned lethal. “Absolutely not.”
Darius barely reacted. “She’ll die if she stays here.”
The courtyard erupted into murmurs.
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
Darius looked serious for the first time tonight.
“The Crescent Mark has awakened publicly.” His gaze swept across the crowd. “That means every Alpha, hunter, and enemy connected to the old purges will eventually come searching for her.”
Fear slid coldly through my chest.
Kael’s jaw clenched hard. “Moonstone can protect her.”
Darius actually laughed.
“Your pack already accused her of poisoning someone and locked her under guard within hours.” His golden eyes sharpened dangerously. “Excellent protection.”
Kael didn’t answer.
Because he couldn’t.
Darius stepped closer again, slower this time.
My wolf stirred intensely beneath my skin.
Not rejecting him.
Watching him.
“You need answers,” he said quietly to me. “And this pack doesn’t have them.”
Part of me hated how true that sounded.
Kael looked at me suddenly.
“Aria.”
The way he said my name made something ache painfully inside me again.
“I won’t let anyone harm you.”
I stared at him silently.
Once, those words would’ve meant everything.
Now?
I wasn’t sure anymore.
Because when everyone accused me…
He hesitated.
Darius noticed the silence too.
And smirked faintly.
Selene’s expression darkened with barely hidden frustration.
She could feel the shift happening.
Everyone could.
For the first time tonight, I wasn’t standing alone.
Suddenly, another wave of pain slammed into my mark.
I gasped sharply and grabbed my neck.
Visions exploded across my mind again,
Fire.
Screaming wolves.
Silver crescents painted in blood.
A woman running through darkness carrying a small child.
“Protect her,” someone whispered desperately.
Then,
Golden eyes.
Watching me through flames.
I stumbled violently.
Strong arms caught me before I hit the ground.
Darius.
The moment his hand touched my waist, the visions stopped instantly.
My breathing came fast and uneven.
The entire courtyard stared at us.
But all I could focus on was one terrifying realization.
The golden eyes from my vision…
Belonged to him.
- Writer
