The Stone That Told The Truth

Every muscle in Lena's body screamed at her to run. She had been hunted by this man two nights ago. He had set wolves on her. He had stood in the dark and called her Silver. And now he was standing in her living room, smiling like a guest at a tea party.

"Have we met?" she heard herself say.

The smile widened. "I don't believe so."

He's daring me, she realized. He wants me to say it.

If she accused him, what would happen? She had no proof. The note was gone, burned in the fireplace that morning on Kane's orders. The only witnesses were wolves who would swear on their lives that he had never left the council hall. And the whole room would see a nineteen-year-old girl accusing a respected elder of attacking her, the same girl who had just been caught in a scandal with the heir.

Kane's fingers brushed hers, a tiny warning. Don't.

"I'm sorry," Lena said sweetly. "You just remind me of someone."

"I get that often." Corvin's pale eyes glittered. "I have that kind of face."

"Corvin." Victor stepped forward, his voice hard. "You're early."

"The council wasted no time, Alpha. A public declaration of mate rights, on a school campus, in front of humans? You can understand our concern."

"It was a misunderstanding."

"Was it?" The old woman with the white braids tapped her cane against the floor. Her voice was rough as bark. "I am Elder Maren. I've seen a great many misunderstandings. Few of them make a boy's eyes go gold in front of two hundred witnesses."

"My son was provoked."

"By a girl who happens to smell like your house." She turned her dark, sharp eyes on Lena. "Come here, child."

Lena glanced at Kane. He gave the smallest nod.

She crossed the room and stood in front of the old woman, who studied her face for a long, uncomfortable moment.

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"Where were you born?"

"I don't know. My mother moved a lot."

"Your father?"

"I never met him."

"His name?"

Lena's throat tightened. "Adrian," she said. "I only learned it two nights ago."

Something flickered across Maren's face. It was so quick Lena almost missed it. Behind her, the scarred man with the silver rings shifted and grunted.

"A common name," he said.

"Not so common in this house," Maren murmured.

"Elder Brask," Victor said sharply. "This is a family home, not a trial."

"Tonight, it is both." Brask folded his thick arms. "The heir of the Draven pack has claimed a mate in front of humans without consulting this council. We are here to decide whether that claim stands."

"It doesn't," Selene's voice said.

Everyone turned.

She stood in the doorway in a long white coat with her hair swept perfectly over one shoulder, a leather folder tucked under her arm. Her eyes landed on Lena, bright and cold.

"Selene," Kane said. "Get out."

"I'm afraid I can't. I'm the one the council has promised you to, remember?" She walked in like she owned the house. "I think I have a right to see this through."

"You have no rights in my home."

"Kane." Victor's voice was quiet. "Let her stay."

Kane's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue.

"Thank you, Alpha." Selene handed the folder to Corvin. "I've collected a few facts. Lena Hart has no birth records before the age of two. Her school transcripts show six different towns in twelve years. Her mother's maiden name matches no family on record." She smiled. "Isn't that strange?"

"I told you," Lena said stiffly. "We moved around."

"Moved around from whom?"

"That's enough," Naomi said.

She had been standing by the fireplace this whole time, white as a sheet. Now she stepped forward, her chin raised, and Lena realized with a jolt that her mother was shaking, but not from fear. She was furious.

"My daughter is not on trial. I will not let you pick her apart."

"We don't wish to harm her," Corvin said smoothly. "Only to understand her. If she is truly an ordinary human, there's nothing to fear."

"And if she isn't?" Brask growled.

"Then it's better we learn tonight."

"How?" Lena asked.

Corvin reached inside his coat and drew out a small black velvet pouch. He loosened the string, and a pale stone rolled into his palm. It was round, smooth, and about the size of an egg. In the lamplight, it shone with a soft milky glow.

"A moonstone," he said. "It reacts to wolf blood. Humans feel nothing. Wolves make it shimmer. Hold it and we'll know."

"I've held rocks before," Lena said. "I'm not impressed."

"It's a simple test."

"And if it glows, then what?"

"Then you're a wolf, which is perfectly allowed." He held out the stone. "But we would have to know your pack."

A trap. Lena's heart thudded. If she was a wolf, they would demand her bloodline. If she wasn't, Kane's claim would break, and the council would tear them apart.

"Lena," Victor said quietly. "You don't have to do this."

"Of course she does," Selene said. "Unless she has something to hide."

Lena looked at Kane. His face was pale. He was fighting every instinct he had, she could see it. He wanted to tear the stone out of Corvin's hand, and he wanted to stand in front of her, and he couldn't do either without giving them more reasons to doubt him.

"It's all right," she told him softly. "It's just a rock."

"Lena—"

"It's a rock, Kane."

She took a breath, stepped forward, and plucked the stone from Corvin's palm.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened. The stone lay cold and dull in her hand.

Selene let out a small, relieved laugh. "See? Nothing. She's just a human girl who got caught up in—"

The stone flared.

A pale silver light burst from Lena's fingers, bright as a second moon. It washed across the walls, the ceiling, the shocked faces of every wolf in the room. The glow pulsed, once, twice, then settled into a steady, shining brightness that filled the whole living room with moonlight.

Someone gasped. Naomi covered her mouth. Selene's smile dropped like a stone.

"Lena," Kane whispered. "Put it down."

"I'm trying!" She shook her hand, but the stone wouldn't leave her palm. It was warm now, pulsing like a heartbeat. "It's stuck, it won't—"

"Silver," Elder Maren breathed.

Her cane clattered to the floor.

The old woman staggered back, one hand pressed to her chest. All the color had left her face. "It cannot be. Nineteen years. We buried the line!"

"Maren," Corvin said, very softly.

"She has Adrian's chin. She has his eyes." Maren's voice cracked. "Oh, you foolish, foolish children. What have you done?"

"Elder Maren, calm yourself—"

"She's the Silver Moon heir!"

Silence fell like a blade.

Nobody moved. The stone's light flickered across their faces, and for the first time, Lena saw real fear on every wolf in the room, even Brask.

Then Corvin began to laugh. It was low and slow and pleased.

"Well," he said, and his pale eyes locked on Lena with a hunger she would never forget. "That settles it. Seize her."