The Rejected Luna's Secret Alpha

Chapter 14

The royal archives were located beneath the oldest part of the mansion.

I had expected dusty shelves and ancient books. Instead, the chamber looked like something preserved outside of time. Tall stone pillars supported a vaulted ceiling. Blue flames burned inside iron sconces without producing smoke. Thousands of books filled the walls, while glass cabinets protected scrolls and strange objects I couldn’t begin to identify.

At the center of the room stood an elderly man wearing dark robes embroidered with silver thread. His white hair reached his shoulders, and his eyes were a pale, almost colorless gray.

When Xavier entered, the man bowed. “Your Majesty.”

“Show me what you found.”

The archivist gestured toward a large book lying open on a stone table. Its pages were yellowed and cracked. The writing was unfamiliar, composed of symbols that seemed to shift whenever I tried to focus on them.

I moved closer. The moment I saw the central illustration, my breath caught.

It depicted a woman standing beneath a full moon. Silver light surrounded her, flowing from her hands like ribbons. Behind her stood a massive black wolf with golden eyes.

I looked at Xavier, then back at the drawing. The resemblance was unmistakable.

“Who is she?” I whispered.

The archivist studied me with sudden intensity. “According to the oldest surviving account, she was the First Luna.”

The name sent a strange tremor through my chest. I had heard it before not in a story or a history lesson, but in the voice that had spoken inside my mind.

Remember who you are.

I gripped the edge of the table. The archivist noticed.

“You recognize her?”

“No. I just…” The words died in my throat. I didn’t know how to explain the feeling. It was as though some distant part of me recognized the woman even though my conscious mind had never seen her.

Xavier moved closer, but he didn’t touch me. “Take your time.”

I appreciated that more than I wanted to admit.

The archivist turned a page. There, beneath another illustration, was the same silver symbol that had appeared on my wrist. Beside it was a golden mark. The two symbols were joined by a thin line, encircled by what looked like a crown of thorns.

My pulse quickened. “That’s the mark that appeared on us.”

“Yes,” the archivist said. “And that is precisely why I requested the king’s presence.”

Xavier leaned over the manuscript. “Read the passage.”

The old man hesitated. “Your Majesty, the text is incomplete.”

“Read what remains.”

The archivist lowered his gaze to the page. “‘When the silver blood returns beneath the moon, the ancient oath shall stir. The silver shall awaken what was buried, and the gold shall stand between the light and the darkness.’”

A chill crept along my arms. “What does that mean?”

The archivist continued. “‘Where the two marks meet, the forgotten door shall open. But should the silver fall into the wrong hands, the kingdoms of wolf and Lycan shall bleed beneath the same moon.’”

Nobody spoke.

I stared at the manuscript. “Are you saying I’m going to start a war?”

“No,” Xavier answered firmly.

The archivist looked less certain. “I am saying that your existence may draw the attention of those who fear what you represent.”

“Who?”

The elderly man closed the book halfway. “People who have spent centuries ensuring the First Luna’s bloodline would never return.”

My mouth went dry. “Why would anyone want my bloodline gone?”

“Because the First Luna possessed an ability no ordinary wolf or Lycan could command. According to the oldest accounts, she could perceive the truth of supernatural bonds. She could strengthen them, expose their corruption, and, under certain circumstances, sever them.”

My thoughts immediately returned to Dorian to the rejected bond that still seemed to ache whenever he came near me, and to the silver light that had filled the reception hall.

“The false bond has been broken,” I whispered.

Xavier turned sharply toward me. “What did you say?”

I hesitated. “Before the light appeared, I heard a voice. It said those exact words.”

The archivist went completely still. Then he stepped away from the table. “That is impossible.”

“Apparently, that word doesn’t mean much around here,” I muttered.

He didn’t react to my attempt at humor. “The First Luna was said to have spoken through the bloodline itself. But the voice was believed to have vanished with her death.”

“I’m not dead,” I pointed out.

“No,” he said quietly. “You are not.”

His expression frightened me more than the prophecy had.

Xavier closed the book. “That is enough for tonight.”

“But we haven’t learned anything about the golden mark,” I protested.

“We have learned enough to know that we need answers from a source other than an incomplete manuscript.”

The archivist bowed his head. “There may be another record, Your Majesty. One kept separately from the royal histories.”

“Where?”

The old man’s eyes shifted toward the far wall. “Beneath the northern sanctuary. But the chamber was sealed after the last keeper disappeared.”

Xavier’s expression turned cold. “Why wasn’t I informed of this before?”

“Because the chamber was considered a myth until tonight.” He glanced at me. “Until the silver blood returned.”

I had the uncomfortable feeling that my eighteenth birthday had just become the least important thing about me.

We left the archives shortly before midnight. Xavier insisted on escorting me back to the east wing, although I suspected he simply wanted to make sure I didn’t accidentally destroy another room.

Neither of us spoke for several minutes. Finally, I broke the silence.

“Do you believe the prophecy?”

“I believe the marks are real. I believe your powers are real. And I believe someone deliberately hid the truth about your bloodline.”

“That wasn’t what I asked.”

He looked at me. “No. I don’t believe every word written in an ancient book. Prophecies are often twisted by people who want to control the future.”

“And what do you think about us?”

He slowed his steps. The question had escaped before I could stop it.

I looked away. “I mean the marks. Whatever happened in the reception hall.”

“I think our connection deserves investigation.”

“That’s a very royal answer.”

“Would you prefer a dishonest one?”

“No.”

His gaze softened slightly. “Then that’s all I can give you.”

We reached my bedroom door. I placed my hand on the handle, but I didn’t open it.

“Xavier?”

“Yes?”

“If this connection turns out to be dangerous, will you send me away?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he studied my face as though he were trying to understand why I had asked.

“You are not a prisoner here, Freya. If you decide to leave, I will not chain you to my territory.”

“That isn’t what I meant.”

“I know.” He stepped closer, leaving enough distance between us that I could have walked away without brushing against him. “If your presence threatens my kingdom, I will do everything in my power to protect it. But I will not decide your fate simply because an ancient book tells me to.”

For reasons I couldn’t explain, those words settled somewhere deep inside me. Dorian had looked at our bond and seen an obligation he could discard whenever it became inconvenient. Xavier looked at a mystery he didn’t understand, and still refused to treat me as something he owned.

I wasn’t ready to trust him. But perhaps, for the first time in my life, I wanted to.

“Good night, Your Majesty.”

“Xavier,” he corrected.

I raised an eyebrow. “You’re asking me to call the Lycan King by his first name?”

“When we’re alone, yes.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then I suppose I’ll have to survive the disappointment.”

A small smile tugged at my lips. “Good night, Xavier.”

His eyes lingered on my face. “Good night, Freya.”

I slipped into my room and closed the door. For the first time since fleeing Bloodmoon territory, I felt almost safe.

Almost.

Because the moment I turned around, I noticed something lying on my pillow: a black envelope. My name was written across it in silver ink.

My heart began to pound. I hadn’t heard anyone enter the room.

I approached the bed slowly and picked up the envelope. The paper felt strangely warm beneath my fingers.

Inside was a single sheet with only three lines:

The Lycan King cannot protect you from what is coming. Your blood has already been discovered. And Dorian Gray was not the only one who knew what you were.

My fingers went numb. At the bottom of the page was a symbol I had never seen before a silver crescent split down the middle by a black blade.

The instant I touched it, pain shot through my wrist. My silver mark ignited beneath my skin.

Somewhere deep inside the mansion, an alarm began to ring. Then Xavier’s voice thundered through the corridor outside my door.

“Freya! Open this door. Now!”

I stumbled backward, the letter slipping from my fingers.

Because beneath the three lines of writing, another sentence had appeared one that hadn’t been there a moment earlier:

The First Luna’s daughter must die before the next full moon.

And beneath it was a name:

Xavier Blackthorn.