CHAPTER 10 — The First Lie That Breaks the Pack
859 Words
Selene’s scream tore through Ironfang territory again.
“HELP! SOMETHING IS WRONG AT THE WESTERN GATES!”
It echoed through the corridors like a warning bell.
But it didn’t sound entirely real.
Kael stopped walking immediately.
His silver eyes narrowed.
“That’s not panic,” he said coldly.
Aiden stepped forward beside him. “It’s a distraction.”
Kael didn’t argue.
Because he already knew.
Somewhere inside the mansion, Lyra was still unstable.
And outside the gates—
Something else was happening.
“Stay with her,” Kael ordered without looking back.
Aiden grabbed his arm. “Kael, if her condition worsens—”
Kael turned slowly.
The air around him tightened instantly.
“That is why I’m not taking you with me,” he said lowly. “If Selene is behind this… I will deal with her myself.”
A pause.
Then he added, quieter:
“And I will deal with whoever helped her.”
Aiden’s expression darkened—but he released him.
Kael left.
The doors slammed shut behind him with a heavy finality.
Inside the west wing, Lyra lay half-conscious.
Her breath came in uneven waves.
The silver glow beneath her skin had not faded.
It pulsed.
Like a heartbeat that did not belong to her anymore.
Aiden stayed by her side, gripping her wrist gently.
“Stay with me,” he murmured. “Don’t drift again.”
Lyra’s lips parted slightly.
“I… hear it,” she whispered.
Aiden leaned closer. “Hear what?”
Her eyes flickered open.
And for a second—
They were not entirely hers.
“The moon… is awake,” she said faintly.
Aiden stiffened.
Outside, Kael moved through the corridors like a storm contained inside skin.
Every guard he passed lowered their heads instantly.
Fear followed him.
Respect followed him.
But something else now lingered too.
Uncertainty.
The western gates came into view.
Chaos.
Guards shouting.
Weapons drawn.
And at the center—
Selene.
She stood in the middle of the corridor, hair disheveled, dress torn slightly at the sleeve.
Perfectly timed.
Perfectly placed.
“Alpha!” she cried when she saw him. “Thank the moon you came—there were rogues—something attacked the outer wall—”
Kael stopped a few steps away from her.
He didn’t look at the damage.
He looked at her.
Just her.
“How many rogues?” he asked.
Selene hesitated for half a second.
“Three… maybe four,” she said quickly.
Too quick.
Kael’s gaze sharpened.
“That’s interesting,” he said calmly.
Selene blinked. “What is?”
“There are no tracks,” he replied.
Silence dropped instantly.
The guards shifted uneasily.
Selene forced a breath. “They… disappeared.”
Kael stepped closer.
Each step heavier than the last.
“Disappeared,” he repeated.
Selene nodded quickly. “Yes—like smoke—”
Kael stopped directly in front of her.
Now she was forced to look up at him.
For the first time, her confidence flickered.
“You screamed,” Kael said quietly. “Across the entire territory.”
Selene swallowed. “I was trying to alert you—”
“And yet,” Kael continued, “there is no blood. No scent trail. No breach.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Only you.”
A pause.
Then:
“Why?”
Selene’s breath hitched.
“I—what are you implying?” she asked carefully.
Kael studied her face for a long moment.
Then he turned slightly.
“Search the perimeter,” he ordered the guards. “If anything is found, report immediately.”
The guards rushed off.
Selene’s expression tightened.
But Kael didn’t leave.
He stayed.
Watching her.
That was worse.
Back in the west wing, Lyra suddenly gasped.
Her body arched slightly as pain shot through her chest.
Aiden grabbed her shoulders instantly. “Lyra!”
Her fingers dug into the bedsheets.
“The moon…” she whispered again.
Aiden froze.
The windows began to tremble.
Not violently.
But in rhythm.
Like something outside was responding to her heartbeat.
A faint silver glow spilled across the floor.
Aiden stood slowly, alarm rising.
“What is happening to you?” he whispered.
Lyra’s eyes widened slightly.
Because she felt it too.
Not fear.
Not pain.
Recognition.
Something inside her was pulling her toward the source of the scream.
Toward the gates.
Toward Selene.
And toward Kael.
Outside, Selene finally smiled faintly.
Because Kael had turned his attention for just a second.
Just enough.
She stepped back slightly into the shadowed corridor.
And pressed her fingers subtly against her palm.
A hidden mark there pulsed faintly.
The signal was complete.
The distraction had worked.
And the real plan had already begun.
Far deeper inside the mansion… beneath the stone foundations…
Something locked away for centuries began to react.
Back in Lyra’s room—
Her eyes snapped open fully.
Silver light burst from her chest.
Aiden staggered back.
And for the first time—
Lyra spoke in a voice that was not fully hers.
“Something is waking beneath this house.”
Her head tilted slightly.
Slowly.
Unnaturally calm.
“And it is not me.”
- Writer
