Chapter 9 :
1396 Words
"The council will deliberate," Silas said, his voice cracking as he scrambled back to his feet. He wouldn't look Lyra in the eye again. "But Kaden... if she is what she appears to be, the other packs will hear of it. A female heir with this kind of pull? You’ve put a target on this manor that no amount of guards can hide."
"Let them come," Kaden said, his voice dropping into a lethal register.
My father didn't look at Silas or Kaden. He was staring at me, his fingers twitching against the fabric of his trousers. He wasn't seeing a daughter; he was calculating the value of the 'asset' I had brought back into his reach.
"Take them upstairs, Elara," Kaden commanded, not turning his head. It wasn't a request. It was an Alpha’s order, meant to end the conversation before my father could find his tongue again.
I didn't need to be told twice. I turned, my hands firm on the twins' shoulders, and guided them back through the heavy doors. I didn't look at Sarah’s tear-streaked face or my father’s predatory grin.
As we walked back down the long, silent corridor, Leo looked up at me, his brow furrowed. "Mommy? Why did that old man look at Lyra like she was a monster?"
I stopped, kneeling in the shadows of the hallway so I could look them both in the eye. I didn't reach for a soft lie. "He didn't think she was a monster, Leo. He realized she was stronger than him. And in this place, people are terrified of things they can't control."
Lyra’s eyes had faded back to their natural charcoal, but the weight in them remained. She reached out and touched the bruise-like shadows under my eyes. "We aren't going back to the city, are we?"
The question felt like a blade. I looked at the dark wood and the stone walls surrounding us—the gilded cage Kaden had built for us.
"Not today, Lyra," I whispered, pulling them both into my chest. "But I promise you, no one in this house is ever going to tell you who you have to be."
Upstairs, the locks clicked into place, but for the first time in five years, the walls didn't feel like a fortress. They felt like a trap. And as the moon began to rise over the Blood Moon forest, I knew the real war wasn't going to be fought with claws. It was going to be fought in the blood.
I locked the bedroom door and leaned my back against it. My heart was thumping so hard I could feel it in my throat.
Lyra was sitting on the edge of the bed with her hands in her lap. She looked calm, which scared me more than if she were crying. Leo was already dragging his toy cars out of his bag, seemingly oblivious, but the way his ears kept twitching toward the door told me otherwise.
"Lyra, come here," I said, my voice sounding thin.
She walked over to me. I sat on the floor so I was at her height and took her hands. They were warm, but she wasn't shaking.
"In the hall, when that man tried to touch you... you did something," I said. "You pushed him back without touching him. Do you know why?"
Lyra looked at her shoes. "He smelled bad, Mommy. Like he wanted to take something. I just wanted him to stay away, so I made myself feel big."
I pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tight. "You have to promise me you won't do that again. Not in front of them. They think that 'feeling big' is a reason to keep us here forever. They want to use you."
"Is it because of him?" she asked, looking over my shoulder toward the door. "The man who brought us here?"
I didn't have time to answer. A heavy knock hit the wood right behind my head.
"Elara. Open up."
It was Kaden. I didn't move. I could hear him breathing on the other side.
"Go into the bathroom and start the water for your bath," I told the kids. I waited until I heard the door click and the water running before I turned the lock.
I opened the door just a few inches. Kaden was standing there with his tie pulled loose and his shirt open at the neck. He looked messy and frustrated. He didn't wait for me to invite him in; he put his hand on the door and pushed his way inside.
"Your father is talking to the Elders," Kaden said. He stood in the middle of the room, looking at the kids' toys on the floor. "He wants a Bloodline Trial. He told the council that since you can't shift, the kids might be 'defective.' He wants to prove they have my power so he can take them for training."
My stomach turned. "They are five years old, Kaden. What kind of trial?"
"A physical one," he said, stepping closer to me. He looked tired. "If they can't show the pack they are mine, your father will use it as an excuse to pull them away from you. He thinks Sarah should raise them because she's a 'real' werewolf."
I felt a spark of heat in my chest that had nothing to do with fear. "He is not touching them."
"Then you have to make a choice," Kaden said. He reached out and grabbed my arms. His hands were hot. "If you take my mark tonight, you become the Luna. Even your father can't take children away from a sitting Luna. It’s the only way to lock him out."
I looked at his hands on my arms, then up at his face. He was serious, but the thought of his mark on my neck made me feel sick. It wasn't a gift; it was a brand.
"A choice?" I whispered, my voice trembling with anger. "You call this a choice? You’re telling me to trade my body for my children’s safety. You’re just like my father, Kaden. You just use different words."
Kaden flinched as if I’d slapped him. He let go of my arms and took a step back, his chest heaving. "It’s not like that. I’m trying to give you power. Real power. Power that Sarah and your father can't take away."
"I don't want your kind of power," I spat.
The bathroom door opened, and Leo peeked out. His shirt was off, and his hair was a mess of curls. "Mommy? Why is the tall man shouting?"
Kaden went still. He looked at Leo, and for a second, the Alpha mask completely disappeared. He looked pained. He looked like he wanted to reach out, but he knew he didn't have the right.
"He was just leaving, Leo," I said, not taking my eyes off Kaden.
Kaden stayed silent for a long moment. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, silver key, placing it on the dresser beside Leo’s toy cars.
"That’s for the back gate of the manor," he said quietly. "If the trial goes wrong tomorrow... if I can't stop them... take the kids and go. My car is parked by the garden shed. The keys are under the mat."
I stared at the silver key. It was a peace offering, but it felt like a heavy weight.
"Why are you giving me this?" I asked.
"Because you were right," Kaden said, moving toward the door. "It is a cage. And if I can't keep you safe inside it, I’d rather you be free than let them break you."
He didn't wait for me to respond. He walked out, shutting the door softly behind him.
I stood there staring at the wood, the silver key gleaming under the lamp. He was giving me an escape, but he was also asking me to stay and fight.
I turned to the kids, who were watching me with wide, confused eyes. I knew I couldn't keep the truth from them anymore. Tomorrow, they would be tested. Tomorrow, they would have to know whose blood they carried.
"Leo, Lyra," I said, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. "I need to tell you something about Kaden. And about why we’re really here."
- Writer
