The Moonstone HEIR

A WOLF WITHOUT A PACK

CHAPTER FOUR

Mara stared at Adrian.

"Say that again."

He didn't.

"My father is dead."

Adrian remained silent.

"You said he was alive."

"I know what I said."

"Then explain it."

"Mara—"

"No."

Her voice shook.

"You don't get to tell me something like that and then stand there looking mysterious."

Adrian looked toward the library windows.

"It's not safe to talk here."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true."

Mara stepped closer.

"You know something about my father."

Adrian's jaw tightened.

"Yes."

"What?"

"I don't know where he is."

"Then how do you know he's alive?"

Adrian hesitated.

"Because I met him."

Mara froze.

"When?"

"Three years ago."

"Where?"

"The northern mountains."

"Why were you there?"

"My father sent me."

Mara folded her arms.

"Of course he did."

Adrian looked at her.

"The Cross family has been searching for him for years."

"Why?"

"Because your father disappeared after refusing to join the Council."

"That's it?"

"No."

Adrian's voice became quieter.

"He took something with him."

Mara immediately thought of the silver key.

"The Moonstone?"

Adrian shook his head.

"Something more dangerous."

"What?"

"A secret."

Mara frowned.

"That's not an object."

"At Blackthorn, some secrets are more dangerous than weapons."

A noise echoed from the corridor.

Adrian looked toward the door.

"We have to go."

"Where?"

"Somewhere private."

"Why should I trust you?"

"You shouldn't."

Mara blinked.

Adrian continued.

"Not completely."

He walked toward a hidden door behind one of the bookshelves.

Mara followed.

The door opened into a narrow staircase.

"Where does that go?"

"An old study room."

"How convenient."

"Blackthorn has a lot of secrets."

He started down the stairs.

Mara followed.

---

The room beneath the library was small and dusty.

Old maps covered the walls.

Mara noticed something immediately.

The map wasn't of the school.

It was a map of the surrounding territory.

Five different symbols marked different regions.

A silver wolf.

A black wolf.

A red crescent.

A white fang.

And a golden moon.

"What are those?"

"The five major packs."

Mara pointed to the golden moon.

"And that one?"

Adrian hesitated.

"The Moonbound."

"Never heard of them."

"Most people haven't."

"Why?"

"Because they're supposed to be extinct."

Mara looked at him.

"How many supposedly extinct families am I going to discover?"

Adrian almost smiled.

"Probably more than you want."

She studied the map.

"Where is my family?"

Adrian pointed toward the northern mountains.

"Here."

Mara noticed a small black mark.

"What is that?"

"The Vale territory."

She stared.

"My family owned all that land?"

"Once."

"And now?"

"The Council divided it between the other packs."

Mara felt something tighten in her chest.

"So they stole it."

"That's one way to describe it."

"What would you call it?"

"Politics."

"That's a fancy word for stealing."

Adrian smiled faintly.

"You're learning quickly."

Mara looked back at the map.

"Tell me about my father."

Adrian's smile disappeared.

"His name is Elias Vale."

She knew that name.

Her mother had mentioned it only once.

A photograph hidden in an old box.

A man standing beside a woman.

Mara had never been allowed to ask questions.

"Why did my mother tell me he died?"

"I don't know."

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

"Then why does everyone know things about my family except me?"

Adrian's expression softened.

"Because your mother wanted you to have a normal life."

Mara laughed bitterly.

"Clearly that worked."

Adrian didn't respond.

A loud alarm suddenly sounded above them.

Mara jumped.

"What is that?"

Adrian's face changed.

"Pack alert."

"Meaning?"

"Someone unauthorized entered school grounds."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

He grabbed his jacket.

"Stay here."

"No."

"Mara."

"I'm coming."

"This isn't a game."

"I know."

Adrian stared at her.

Then nodded.

"Fine. Stay close."

---

They emerged into the main corridor.

Students were running toward the courtyard.

Teachers were shouting instructions.

Mara saw Nia.

She was standing near the staircase.

"Mara!"

Nia hurried toward her.

"Where have you been?"

"Library."

Nia looked at Adrian.

Her expression immediately changed.

"You were with him?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because—"

A howl interrupted her.

Everyone stopped.

The sound came from the forest.

A second howl answered.

Then a third.

Nia's face went pale.

"That's not good."

"What?"

"Three packs."

Mara stared at her.

"How can you tell?"

Nia looked at the forest.

"Because each pack has a different howl."

Another howl sounded.

This one was deeper.

Adrian's expression hardened.

"That's the Blackfang pack."

Nia whispered:

"They're here."

Mara looked toward the gates.

Several figures stood among the trees.

They weren't wearing school uniforms.

They wore dark jackets marked with a black wolf.

"Who are they?" Mara asked.

"Blackfang," Adrian said.

"What do they want?"

Adrian looked at her.

"You."

---

The school gates burst open.

Teachers moved into defensive positions.

Students were ordered inside.

But one figure walked calmly through the gates.

A young man.

He looked slightly older than the students.

His dark hair fell across his forehead.

A black wolf symbol was embroidered on his jacket.

He stopped in the courtyard.

"Adrian Cross."

Adrian stepped forward.

"Ronan Black."

The stranger smiled.

"Still hiding behind your family's name?"

Adrian's eyes narrowed.

"You shouldn't be here."

"I could say the same about you."

Ronan's gaze moved past him.

Then landed on Mara.

Everything changed.

His expression became serious.

"The Vale girl."

Mara stepped forward.

"Why does everyone call me that?"

Ronan studied her.

"Because your family owes us something."

Adrian moved between them.

"Leave."

Ronan laughed.

"You really think you can protect her?"

"I don't have to think."

Adrian's eyes flashed gold.

"I know."

Ronan's own eyes briefly changed.

Gold.

The two stared at each other.

Mara felt the tension spread through the courtyard.

Then Ronan smiled.

"Interesting."

"What?"

"The Moonstone chose well."

He turned toward the forest.

"Tell your Council we're coming."

Adrian stepped forward.

"Coming for what?"

Ronan looked over his shoulder.

"Not what."

His eyes returned to Mara.

"Who."

Then he disappeared into the trees.

The alarm stopped.

The courtyard slowly became quiet.

Mara turned to Adrian.

"What did he mean?"

Adrian didn't answer.

"Adrian."

Still nothing.

She grabbed his sleeve.

"Tell me."

He looked down at her hand.

Then at her.

"You want the truth?"

"Yes."

"Then you're going to hate it."

"I already hate today."

Adrian took a breath.

"The Blackfang pack believes your father stole their sacred relic."

"What relic?"

"The Night Fang."

Mara frowned.

"What's that?"

"A piece of the original Moonstone."

She stared at him.

"You said the Moonstone was one stone."

"That's what everyone believes."

"And what's the truth?"

"The Moonstone was broken centuries ago."

Mara's eyes widened.

"Into how many pieces?"

"Five."

She looked at the five symbols on the map.

"The five packs."

Adrian nodded.

"Each founding pack was given one fragment."

"And my family?"

"The Vales guarded the central fragment."

Mara whispered:

"Where is it now?"

Adrian looked at her wrist.

"I think you already carry it."

Mara stared at the crescent mark.

"No."

"The mark isn't a birthmark."

"Then what is it?"

"A seal."

She touched her wrist.

"What does it seal?"

Adrian's voice dropped.

"Your wolf."

Mara looked at him in confusion.

"My wolf?"

"You've never shifted, have you?"

"No."

"That's because your wolf isn't missing."

He paused.

"She's locked away."

Mara couldn't speak.

"Who locked her?"

Adrian looked toward the forest.

"Your father."

---

That night, Mara stood alone in her dormitory.

She couldn't stop thinking about what Adrian had said.

Her wolf.

A seal.

Five fragments.

Her father.

The Blackfang pack.

The Moonstone.

Nothing made sense.

She looked at the silver key on her desk.

Then at the crescent mark on her wrist.

Slowly, she pressed the key against it.

Nothing happened.

She tried again.

The mark suddenly flashed silver.

Mara gasped.

A strange sound echoed through the room.

Not a voice.

Not a howl.

A heartbeat.

Slow.

Powerful.

Coming from beneath the floor.

Mara stepped backward.

The heartbeat came again.

Thump.

The floor trembled.

Thump.

The walls shook.

Mara grabbed the desk.

Then a c***k appeared beneath her feet.

She stared.

The floorboards separated.

A hidden staircase was revealed.

At the bottom was a stone door.

And carved into that door were five words:

ONLY THE VALE MAY ENTER.

Mara's hand trembled.

She took the silver key.

Behind her, someone whispered.

"Don't."

Mara spun around.

Adrian stood in the doorway.

She stared at him.

"How did you get in here?"

"I heard the heartbeat."

"What heartbeat?"

Adrian's eyes moved toward the staircase.

His face became pale.

"The one beneath Blackthorn."

Mara held up the key.

"I'm going down."

Adrian shook his head.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because that door hasn't opened in seventeen years."

Mara looked at him.

"Maybe it was waiting for me."

Adrian said nothing.

Mara placed the key into the stone lock.

It fit perfectly.

The door began to open.

Cold air rushed through the room.

And from somewhere beneath the academy came a voice.

A man's voice.

Mara had never heard it before.

But somehow she knew exactly who it was.

"Mara."

She froze.

Adrian whispered:

"Your father."

The voice came again.

"If you're hearing this, they have finally found you."

Mara stared into the darkness.

Then the voice continued.

"Do not trust the Cross boy."

Adrian went completely still.

Mara slowly turned toward him.

For the first time, Adrian looked genuinely afraid.

The stone door opened wider.

Beyond it was a dark chamber.

And in the center of that chamber sat a broken piece of glowing silver stone.

The Moonstone fragment.

Mara stepped toward it.

The moment she crossed the threshold, the entire academy shook.

Far away, in the forest, hundreds of wolves began howling.

And beneath Mara's skin, something awakened.

Something that had been waiting seventeen years.

Something that knew her name.

Her wolf.