CHAPTER FOUR -THE BLOODLINE SECRET

The silence that followed Xavier's revelation was suffocating.

Lena stared at him, struggling to understand the words that had just left his mouth.

"You're lying."

Xavier didn't move.

"Daniel was never a normal human, Lena. Neither are you."

She shook her head, taking a step backwards.

"My brother is human. I am human. Whatever twisted game you're playing, leave my family out of it."

"Your family?" Xavier repeated, his voice dangerously calm. "Your family has been hiding secrets long before you were born."

Lena clenched her fists.

"Then tell me the truth."

For several seconds, Xavier studied her face. Something flickered in his eyes, something that looked almost like recognition.

"Your mother belonged to an ancient bloodline known as the Moonborn."

Lena froze.

"Moonborn?"

"They were among the strongest wolf bloodlines ever recorded. Their abilities were feared even by the oldest Alpha families. But they disappeared after a massacre twenty years ago."

Lena's heart began to pound.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because your brother was involved in my father's death."

The room seemed to tilt.

"No."

"He was found standing over my father's body. There was blood on his hands, and before anyone could question him, he disappeared."

"Daniel would never kill anyone!"

Xavier stepped closer.

"You keep defending a man whose whereabouts you don't even know."

"He's my brother!"

"And my father was my family!"

His voice thundered through the room.

For the first time, Lena noticed the pain beneath his anger.

She looked away.

"What happened to him?"

Xavier's expression hardened.

"Someone killed him. And whoever did it wanted the entire Moonborn bloodline erased."

Before Lena could respond, three sharp knocks interrupted them.

"Alpha!" a male voice called from outside. "We have a problem."

Xavier turned towards the door.

"Speak."

"The northern guards have found something."

"What?"

There was a brief silence.

"A body."

Xavier's jaw tightened.

"Bring it to the eastern courtyard. Nobody touches anything until I arrive."

He turned to Lena.

"Stay here."

She immediately shook her head.

"I'm coming."

"This isn't a request."

"And I'm not your prisoner."

Their eyes locked.

For a moment, neither moved.

Finally, Xavier opened the door.

"Then stay close to me."

---

The eastern courtyard was crowded when they arrived.

Several guards stood around a covered body. Their faces were tense, and whispers travelled through the gathering crowd.

Lena pushed past two guards, desperate to see what had caused the commotion.

Xavier caught her arm.

"Careful."

She pulled free.

"Don't tell me to be careful when you refuse to tell me anything."

He said nothing.

One of the guards lifted the covering.

Lena's breath caught.

It was a young man, perhaps in his twenties. His clothes were torn, and a strange symbol had been carved into the leather around his wrist.

Xavier crouched beside him.

"Do you recognize him?" he asked his Beta.

"His name is Marcus. He was one of the patrol guards assigned to the northern border."

"How did he die?"

"We don't know. His body was discovered near the old watchtower."

Lena stared at the symbol.

She knew it.

She had seen it before, years ago, in one of her mother's old belongings.

A crescent moon surrounded by three small claw marks.

Her stomach tightened.

"Where did you see that?" Xavier asked.

Lena hadn't realized she had spoken aloud.

"Nowhere."

Xavier stood.

"Don't lie to me."

She looked directly at him.

"I've seen that symbol before."

His expression changed.

"Where?"

"In my mother's belongings."

The Beta exchanged a worried glance with Xavier.

"Alpha, that symbol belongs to the Bloodmoon."

A cold silence settled over the courtyard.

Lena looked between them.

"What is the Bloodmoon?"

Xavier's eyes darkened.

"The pack that started the war."

Before Lena could ask another question, a guard came running through the courtyard.

"Alpha! We found something else!"

He held out a small piece of folded paper.

Xavier took it and opened it.

His expression changed instantly.

"What does it say?" Lena demanded.

He hesitated.

Then he handed her the paper.

Her fingers trembled as she read the short message.

THE MOONBORN HEIR HAS BEEN FOUND.

BRING HER TO US BEFORE THE NEXT BLOOD MOON, OR EVERYONE SHE LOVES WILL PAY.

Lena looked up slowly.

"They're talking about me."

Xavier folded the paper.

"Yes."

"Who are these people?"

He looked towards the northern forest.

"The ones who have been hunting your family for twenty years."

A distant howl echoed through the trees.

Then another.

And another.

Xavier immediately turned to his guards.

"Lock down the borders. Double every patrol. Nobody enters or leaves this territory without my permission."

He looked at Lena.

"From this moment forward, you don't go anywhere alone."

Lena wanted to argue, but something in his expression stopped her.

For the first time since arriving at Iron Crescent, she understood that her brother's disappearance was only a small piece of something much bigger.

And somewhere beyond the forest, someone knew exactly who she was.

Someone who had been waiting for her.

END OF CHAPTER FOUR