Chapter 4: Secrets And Suspicions
1078 Words
The silence was unbearable.
Aria stood frozen in the doorway while every pair of eyes in the room remained fixed on her.
She wished she could disappear.
Unfortunately, disappearing was not one of her talents.
At least, not that she remembered.
Alpha Lucas stared at her.
His silver eyes revealed nothing.
Which somehow made the situation even worse.
Beside him, Beta Ethan looked as though he was trying very hard not to laugh.
The elders appeared considerably less amused.
"What exactly are you doing here?" Elder Magnus asked sternly.
Aria swallowed.
"I was walking."
The elder raised an eyebrow.
"Walking?"
"Yes."
"Outside a private council meeting?"
Aria winced.
When he put it that way, it sounded suspicious.
Because it was suspicious.
Lucas folded his arms.
"You were supposed to be resting."
"I couldn't sleep."
"And somehow that led you here?"
Aria looked away.
The Alpha sighed.
For a moment, Ethan thought he detected amusement hidden beneath Lucas's annoyance.
A rare occurrence.
"Enter."
Aria blinked.
"What?"
Lucas's expression remained unreadable.
"You've already heard enough to know something is happening."
Slowly, she stepped into the room.
The heavy doors closed behind her.
Now she felt trapped.
The elders exchanged concerned glances.
None of them seemed comfortable with her presence.
That fact did not escape Aria's notice.
Lucas gestured toward an empty chair.
"Sit."
She obeyed.
For several moments, nobody spoke.
Finally, Lucas addressed her directly.
"What exactly did you hear?"
Aria hesitated.
"Not much."
Lucas waited.
Unfortunately, his stare made lying feel impossible.
"I heard something about a prophecy."
The room became silent.
Very silent.
One of the elders muttered a curse under his breath.
Ethan rubbed his forehead.
Magnus closed his eyes.
Clearly, she had heard more than they hoped.
Lucas remained calm.
"What else?"
"Something about an ancient seal."
The elders looked increasingly uncomfortable.
Aria shifted nervously.
"Was that bad?"
Ethan laughed.
"Considering their faces? Yes."
Magnus shot him an irritated look.
The Beta immediately became serious again.
Or at least pretended to.
Lucas turned toward the elders.
"Enough."
The room quieted.
The Alpha's authority was absolute.
"No secrets."
Several elders looked shocked.
"Alpha—"
"No."
Lucas's voice was firm.
"If this girl is somehow connected to these events, keeping her ignorant serves no purpose."
Magnus sighed heavily.
"Very well."
The elderly man looked at Aria.
His eyes were sharp despite his age.
"For centuries, a prophecy has existed within Silvercrest."
Aria listened carefully.
"The prophecy speaks of a maiden touched by moonlight."
A strange chill ran through her body.
"The arrival of this maiden would coincide with the awakening of an ancient power buried beneath the kingdom."
Aria frowned.
"What kind of power?"
The elders exchanged uneasy glances.
Finally, Magnus answered.
"We do not know."
That wasn't reassuring.
"That's it?"
"Not exactly."
The elder hesitated.
"The prophecy is incomplete."
Of course it was.
Every prophecy seemed incomplete.
Aria almost laughed.
Almost.
"What does it say?"
Magnus looked toward Lucas before continuing.
"The maiden will either save the kingdom..."
His voice grew quieter.
"Or destroy it."
Silence filled the room.
Aria stared.
Then stared some more.
Finally, she pointed at herself.
"You're talking about me?"
Nobody answered.
Which was answer enough.
"That's ridiculous."
Ethan looked relieved.
"Good. At least one of us thinks so."
A few elders glared at him.
Lucas remained thoughtful.
"The problem," he said, "is timing."
Aria turned toward him.
"The ancient seal awakened on the same night you appeared."
His silver eyes locked onto hers.
"You were found in the most sacred place in the kingdom."
Aria felt frustration building inside her.
"I don't even know how I got there."
"We know."
The honesty surprised her.
Lucas continued.
"That doesn't change the facts."
Aria lowered her gaze.
He wasn't wrong.
No matter how much she disliked it.
The room fell silent again.
Suddenly, pain exploded behind her eyes.
Aria gasped.
The chair nearly tipped over.
Every person in the room immediately stood.
"Aria!"
Ethan moved first.
The elders followed.
Aria pressed both hands against her head.
A strange image flashed through her mind.
A silver tree.
Glowing symbols.
A woman's voice.
Run.
The word echoed through her thoughts.
Run.
Run.
Run.
The vision vanished.
Just as quickly as it appeared.
Aria's breathing became uneven.
Lucas was beside her before she realized he had moved.
"What happened?"
She looked up.
His face was unusually tense.
Concern.
The realization shocked her.
The ruthless Alpha looked concerned.
"I..."
She struggled to speak.
"I saw something."
The elders immediately exchanged alarmed glances.
"What did you see?" Magnus demanded.
"A tree."
The room became silent.
"A silver tree."
Magnus's face lost color.
Lucas noticed immediately.
"You recognize it."
The elder hesitated.
Then slowly nodded.
"No."
Everyone stared.
"No what?"
Magnus looked deeply troubled.
"No ordinary tree."
A cold feeling settled over the room.
"It sounds like the Tree of Origins."
Even Lucas stiffened.
Aria noticed.
"What is that?"
No one answered immediately.
Finally, Ethan spoke.
"A legend."
Magnus shook his head.
"No."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"Much more than a legend."
Before anyone could explain further, the doors suddenly burst open.
A guard rushed inside.
His face was pale.
"Alpha!"
Lucas turned instantly.
"What happened?"
The guard swallowed hard.
"We received a message from the eastern border."
The atmosphere shifted.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"The Crimson Claw Pack has mobilized its warriors."
Ethan's expression darkened.
"How many?"
"Thousands."
A heavy silence followed.
Aria didn't know much about werewolf politics.
But she knew enough to understand one thing.
Thousands of warriors gathering near a border was not good news.
At all.
Lucas's face became unreadable.
The calm before a storm.
"What is Alpha Damon doing?" he asked.
The guard lowered his head.
"He sent a message."
Lucas extended his hand.
The letter was placed in his palm.
He opened it.
His eyes scanned the contents.
For the first time that night, genuine anger flashed across his face.
The room immediately grew colder.
Ethan frowned.
"What does it say?"
Lucas crushed the letter in his fist.
His silver eyes blazed.
"He wants the girl."
Every head turned toward Aria.
Her heartbeat stopped.
"What?"
Lucas's gaze met hers.
Danger filled the room.
Not from him.
From what was coming.
"Alpha Damon claims the mysterious maiden belongs to him."
Outside, thunder shook the palace.
And for the first time since arriving at Silvercrest, Aria realized she might be standing at the center of something far bigger than herself.
- Writer
