28| The Truth

ADONAI AUGUSTUS 

I pulled the reins tight, making my horse slow to a careful trot as we reached the edge of the cliff. Adonis was already there. He stood at the rim, head lifted toward the moon, his massive wolf form trembling with rage.

Then, he howled, long and loud, pouring all his fury into the night air.

We’d been searching for hours, through trees, over streams, across the cold ridges of the mountains. Now the wind cut through my coat, sharp as claws, and the freezing air bit at my face. The moon, pale and distant, was sliding behind a bank of dark clouds. The smell of rain was in the air.

If the downpour came before we found Cedar, the ground would turn slick, scents would vanish, and every trail would be lost. I couldn’t allow my brother to push himself further into exhaustion or madness. Not tonight.

I guided my horse closer to him.

He didn’t turn, but I could see the tension in his stance, his tail stiff, his claws digging into the dirt.

Hoofbeats thundered up behind us. Icarus arrived, leading another horse. In one swift move, Adonis shifted back into his human form, his chest heaving. His face was still twisted in anger, his skin damp with sweat despite the cold.

Icarus tossed him a bundle of fresh clothes. He dressed in silence, the only sound the wind whistling through the cliffs. Without a word, he swung onto the back of my horse, and we turned for home.

Later, in our chamber, the air was thick with the smell of wet leather and smoke from the hearth. Icarus and Nikko stepped in, water dripping from their cloaks. They had spread our men far and wide to keep searching for Cedar and Deklan, and to watch Dominus’s movements in case he dared attack our pack.

“The news has spread across both packs, Alpha,” Nikko reported, his voice low. “Everyone’s talking about what happened.”

“They don’t even know what happened.”

Adonis’s voice was a growl. He clenched the mug in his hand until the ceramic cracked, then tossed the broken halves to the floor.

“Bring me real news! Who cares about some bored pack members flapping their jaws about something they didn’t witness?” His teeth flashed as he spoke.

Nikko stepped back quickly, as if expecting my brother to leap across the room. “I’m sorry, Alpha,” he stammered.

“We’re still searching the woods,” Icarus added carefully. “No word yet.”

My patience thinned. “Go deeper into the mountains. Search every ridge, every cave, every shadow. Bring me something to work with.” My tone cut sharp, almost matching my brother’s.

“Take more guards if you must,” Adonis muttered without looking at them, his gaze fixed out the window as if sheer willpower could pull Cedar and Deklan into view.

Icarus and Nikko left without another word. Outside, rain finally broke against the roof, heavy and cold. I cursed under my breath, tracking Deklan now would be near impossible.

I looked at my brother. His jaw was set, his hands flexing in restrained rage. I knew him well enough to see he was seconds away from acting on impulse. And Adonis’s impulsive choices always came with blood.

“Brother,” I said quietly, “we’ll find her. I’ll make Deklan and Dominus kneel before us and beg for their lives.” I gripped his shoulder, the promise burning in my voice.

He turned on me, eyes flashing red. “Of course. Say whatever helps you sleep at night. You trusted too easily, again! You walk around claiming you have everything under control, but you have nothing.” His tone dripped with accusation. “You’re a pretender.”

“Cedar would have stayed if she’d been conscious,” I shot back. “You saw her. She was out cold after whatever happened. Better Deklan got to her than Dominus, who would’ve slit her throat without a thought.”

“That’s what you tell yourself so you can feel less guilty!” he snapped. “I don’t need your promises. I can handle my own affairs and Cedar can go to hell! I never wanted her back!”

He shoved past me, hard enough to make me stumble, and stormed out.

“It’s storming out there! Where are you going?” I called after him, moving to the door. Cold, wet air slammed into me from the hall.

I hated when we were at odds. When he was angry, he made rash choices that put the pack at risk. The elders and Dominus were always waiting for an opening, and I wasn’t about to let my brother hand them one.

Hissing through my teeth, I grabbed one of the raincoats from the rack and left. The hood muffled the pounding rain as I headed toward the Luna’s chambers.

It was late. She would be asleep. I decided to go in quietly rather than alert her maids and have them announce me. It was too cold to waste time with ceremony. I needed answers, tonight.

She had always urged us to avoid direct confrontation with the elders, warning they were dangerous. That they wanted to see us destroyed. But the way she spoke about them… there was more to the story.

It didn’t make sense. These same elders had sentenced Cedar’s father to death, ordered her family erased from history, and now, suddenly, she was to be Luna. And the prophecy Yarrow mentioned… the blood moon… none of it added up. The Luna knew more than she was telling.

The back path to her home took me past the attic. A faint lamplight glowed through its small window. Voices drifted down, carried on the rain. I froze.

I took the outer steps to the attic quietly, my boots slipping slightly on the slick wood. My mother often came here when she couldn’t sleep, Helena once told me. It was her private refuge.

I reached the door, ready to knock, then stopped dead.

“I put you on the throne, and you dare defy me?” The voice was sharp, cruel. “I made you marry the Alpha, and now, when I ask a small favor, you turn me down?”

My blood went cold. Elder Jeremy Harold. Head of the council. The viper who had stolen our father’s hunting grounds and handed them to Dominus, leaving the pack exposed. I’d never forget his voice when he always speaks as the ruler of the pack in every meeting as if we don't have a say, even as the Alphas.

“Stop now, please,” my mother’s voice came, low and tired. “I can’t do it anymore. I’ve let you get away with enough. I’ve paid you back in many ways. I just can’t keep doing this.”

“How could I stop?” Jeremy’s voice was almost mocking. “Or do you want your sons to know the truth? Should I spread the news through Crystal Moon… and beyond?”

“You wouldn't dare. We had a deal!” My mother's clipped tone came as if she has been holding her breathe for a long time. 

The luna…