Whispers in the Dark

The night in Silver Crest was colder than Aria remembered. The wind moaned softly through the stone halls, carrying the scent of rain and distant pine. Sleep refused to come. Every time she closed her eyes, Kael’s words echoed in her mind.

I rejected you to save you.

It sounded like a lie made of truth.

She rose quietly from her bed, careful not to wake Liam, who slept curled beneath the blankets. The chamber felt too large, too filled with memories that did not belong to her anymore. She wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and slipped into the corridor.

The pack house was silent except for the soft flicker of torches. Her bare feet made no sound on the stone floor. The halls were familiar and strange all at once. Once she had dreamed of walking these corridors as Luna. Now she was only a shadow moving through a place that had forgotten her.

She turned down a narrow passage that led to the library. It had always been her favorite room, filled with ancient books and maps of old territories. She needed answers, and she would not wait for Kael to hand them to her.

The heavy door creaked as she pushed it open. Shelves towered over her, thick with dust and parchment. She lit a candle and scanned the titles. Old pack laws, histories of the Alpha line, chronicles of the Moon Priestess. Her heart quickened as she reached for one of the older scrolls.

The parchment trembled in her hands as she unrolled it. The symbol of the Moon Priestess glowed faintly in the candlelight — a silver crescent wrapped around a wolf’s eye. The text beneath spoke of a bloodline that held the power to strengthen or destroy the bonds between wolves. Those who carried the mark could command the moon’s favor itself.

No wonder they feared her.

A voice behind her broke the silence. “You should not be here.”

Aria spun around, heart racing. Corin stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable. The Beta had always been loyal to Kael, but there was something cold in his eyes tonight.

“I could not sleep,” she said. “I was reading.”

“Reading old magic will not help you,” Corin replied. “Some truths are better left buried.”

She frowned. “Then why do they still hide them?”

Corin stepped closer, the candlelight casting sharp shadows across his face. “Because power like that destroys everything it touches. You should have stayed away, Aria. Your return has already stirred things that should remain still.”

Her pulse quickened. “What things?”

He smiled faintly, but there was no warmth in it. “You will find out soon enough.”

Before she could answer, he turned and left. The door closed behind him with a heavy sound that lingered long after his footsteps faded.

Aria stared at the empty doorway, unease curling in her stomach. Something in his tone had chilled her more than the night air.

She turned back to the table and rolled up the scroll, tucking it beneath her cloak. Whatever secret the council was hiding, she would uncover it.

By dawn, Kael found her still awake. He entered quietly, his face drawn with fatigue.

“You have not slept,” he said.

“Neither have you,” she replied.

He looked at her for a long moment, then nodded toward the scroll in her hands. “You found it.”

“You knew about the prophecy,” she said. “You knew what I was before I did.”

“I learned the night before the ceremony,” he admitted. “One of the elders showed me the mark hidden on your wrist. It was the same symbol in the old records. He told me if I claimed you as Luna, the council would turn against me. They would have killed you to keep your power from being reborn.”

Her voice trembled, though her words were steady. “And now they know I am back.”

He nodded. “Someone inside this pack told Bloodfang where to find you. The question is who.”

Aria’s mind returned to Corin’s cold smile, the strange warning in his words. “You think it is one of the elders?”

Kael’s eyes hardened. “I think it could be anyone. Even someone I once trusted.”

A knock came at the door before she could respond. A guard entered, bowing quickly. “Alpha, the council requests your presence. They say it concerns the rogue attack.”

Kael’s expression darkened. “Tell them I will come.”

When the guard left, Aria rose. “You should not go alone.”

He smiled faintly. “Do you not trust me to face my own council?”

“I do not trust the people in it,” she said.

His eyes softened with something close to admiration. “Stay with Liam. Lock the door. If anything happens, shift and run. Do not wait for me.”

Before she could protest, he was gone.

Aria waited only a few moments before she followed. The voice inside her — the same quiet instinct that had saved her years ago — told her something was wrong. She moved quickly through the halls, staying in the shadows until she reached the council chamber.

Through the half-open door, she could hear their voices.

“This cannot continue,” one elder said. “Her presence is a danger to us all. The Bloodfang Alpha will not rest until he has her.”

“She is a mother now,” another replied. “Killing her would destroy what little faith the pack still has in Kael.”

“Then we take the boy instead,” Corin’s voice said quietly.

Aria froze.

“The boy carries her power,” Corin continued. “If we control him, we control her. Kael’s bond with them will weaken, and he will have no choice but to obey.”

A cold rage spread through her chest. She stepped back, heart pounding, her mind racing with only one thought — Liam.

Without waiting another second, she turned and ran. Her bare feet slapped against the stone, her breath coming fast. She reached her chamber, flung the door open, and rushed to the bed. Liam was still asleep, peaceful and unaware of the danger closing in.

She knelt beside him, whispering his name. “Wake up, my love. We have to go.”

His eyes fluttered open, confusion clouding them. “Mama?”

“Quiet now,” she whispered, wrapping him in a cloak. “Do not speak. Do not look back.”

She moved to the window and peered outside. The courtyard below was empty for now. If she could reach the stables before the guards noticed, they might escape before Corin returned.

But as she turned, the door creaked open.

Corin stood there, his smile calm and cruel. “Going somewhere, Luna?”

Aria’s heart stopped. She pulled Liam behind her, every instinct screaming.

The Beta stepped into the room, his voice soft and cold. “You should have stayed asleep. Now it will be harder for both of us.”

Her eyes burned with fury. “If you touch him, I will end you.”

Corin’s smile widened. “Then try.”

The air around her shimmered as her power rose, silver light curling through her fingers. The same light the Moon had once blessed in her bloodline. For the first time in years, Aria let it burn.

And the night in Silver Crest would never be quiet again.