What The Walls Remember

Aria was cleaning the Alpha's study when the door opened behind her. She did not jump. She had stopped jumping years ago. When she was nine, Cole learned that loud noises scared her. He spent a whole week testing how many times he could make her flinch. After that, her body learned to stay calm. She just kept wiping the shelf.

She turned and saw Caden Voss standing in the doorway. He was very tall and broad. He filled the space without trying. He wore a training shirt, still wet at the collar. His face showed nothing. Aria said, "Greta moved the study cleaning to Tuesdays. I will be done in twenty minutes."

Caden said, "I know." He walked to the desk. He opened a drawer and moved papers. He was not there for her.

This was how things always were with Caden. Quiet. Hard to read. He never attacked like Cole did. Cole was loud and wanted a reaction. Caden just filled a room, and his words dropped like stones. You did not see the damage right away. Only the ripples later.

He spoke while looking at his papers. "Three more Ashveil scouts were found. North border. Overnight."

Aria's hands paused for half a breath. Then she kept wiping. She said, "That sounds like something for the Alpha."

"It is. I tell him at noon."

Aria moved to the next shelf. Ashveil. She had heard that name for three months. She collected bits of information like splinters, carefully, one by one. Scouts on the border were not new. Dead scouts were new.

Caden said, "Your file says you come from the eastern border."

It was not a question. She said, "I was seven when I arrived. I don't remember much." That was not completely true. She remembered her mother's low voice. Smoke. Something sweet like flowers. A loud night, then silence. Arms carrying her, trying not to run. But she did not remember the eastern border.

Caden turned a page. "Your parents are listed as rogues."

Aria wiped the same spot twice without noticing. "I wouldn't know. I was seven."

A heavy quiet filled the room. She moved to the window and opened it. Cold morning air came in.

Then Caden said, "The records room is being reorganized this week. You might want to do anything you need there before Thursday."

He said it like it was nothing. Aria did not pause. She did not turn. She finished cleaning the window, picked up her bag, and walked out.

In the hallway, she stopped and pressed her back to the cold wall. She stared at the ceiling. What was that? He talked about Ashveil, asked about her parents, and then gave her a secret message about the records room. Caden Voss did not do things for no reason.

She went to find Nyla in the laundry. Nyla had a small drawing of a wolf wearing a crown. The wolf looked unimpressed. Nyla said it meant exactly what it looked like.

Nyla looked at Aria's face. "You have your thinking face. Something happened. Caden?"

Aria sat in the broken chair. She told Nyla everything. Caden told her about the records room. And about Ashveil. And asked about her parents.

Nyla put down the sheet she was folding. She looked serious. "Maybe he wants you to know and was just strange about it. Or maybe he wants to see your reaction. Or maybe someone told him to test you." She folded with force. "You are going tonight."

Aria nodded. "After evening rounds."

"I will cover for you. Pem owes me."

"Thank you."

Nyla's face became very serious. "Aria. That box was put there on purpose. Things do not end up hidden behind books by accident." Aria agreed. She would find out what was inside.

That night, after the estate went quiet, Aria put on her softest shoes and moved through the dark halls. Past the corner where Rook had looked at her. Past the cold kitchen. Into the north wing.

She was thirty feet from the records room door when she saw it. A thin line of light under the door. Someone was inside. She pressed against the wall and held her breath. The light moved. A shadow passed. The light went out. The door opened.

A tall, broad figure stepped out and walked the other way. The way he moved, saving energy, heavy with purpose, was Caden. He disappeared around a corner.

Aria stayed against the wall for a full minute. Her mind raced. Caden had told her to go to the records room. And Caden had just been inside it. Why? What did he find? And if he was already there, why did he want her to go too?

She put her hand on the records room door.

"Aria."

Her hand stopped just before the handle. The voice was very quiet, like a whisper. It was not Rook. It was not one of the brothers. It was a woman's voice, low and full of hurry. It came from the dark near the estate manager's office.

"Do not go in there tonight." The shape moved. A little moonlight showed a grey braid and a sharp face. It was Greta. "They have been watching that room since Monday. What you are looking for has already been found by someone else. Go back to your room. Now."

Aria did not move. "Who is watching."

Greta was already moving back into the dark. "The Alpha's orders," she said. Then she was gone. The corridor was empty. Aria stood with her hand still up. She did not know if she could open the door anymore.