36. A PROPHECY?

KIERAN

“I don’t know, Dorian,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair as I paced across the wooden floors of my office.

“There’s something about Vee. I can’t place it, but it’s been gnawing at me since the last meeting.”

Dorian leaned back in the leather chair across from my desk, folding his arms with that familiar smirk dancing on his lips.

“You mean the girl who barely says two words without looking like she’s about to bolt? Come on, Kieran. You’re being paranoid.”

I stopped pacing and turned to face him. “Paranoid?” I echoed, my brows knitting together. “You really think I’d bring this up if it wasn’t serious? I’m the Alpha. I feel things. I sense shifts. And I don’t care how quiet she is—there’s something off about her. Like she’s hiding something.”

Dorian chuckled, shaking his head. “You think everyone’s hiding something. That’s your default setting.” He gestured around the room. “You’ve got cameras, sensors, wolves on rotation. No one breathes without you knowing about it.”

“That’s not the point,” I snapped, frustration lacing my voice. “She came out of nowhere. No history, no background that adds up. I checked.”

“And?” he asked, raising a brow. “Did you find anything concrete?”

“No. And that’s exactly the problem,” I said, walking back to the desk and leaning over it, staring at him. “People leave trails. She’s too clean. That’s not normal.”

Dorian rolled his eyes and stood up. “Kieran, listen to yourself. You’re acting like she’s about to burn the whole pack house down.”

“Maybe she is,” I muttered darkly.

He laughed. “Seriously? Do you hear how crazy that sounds? You really think she’s in liaison with the mercenaries? That she’s going to lead an attack in the middle of the territory? With you here?”

“I don’t know,” I said after a pause. “I don’t trust coincidences.”

He walked around the desk and clapped me on the shoulder. “Brother, you are the Alpha. People fear you. Hell, they fear me and I’m just the beta. Nobody’s stupid enough to start anything in this territory, especially not someone like Vee. And if—if—she’s working with the mercenaries, she’d have to be suicidal to make a move under your nose.”

I looked away, my jaw clenched. “Still… Something’s not right.”

“Then watch her. Have guards trail her. Keep her close,” Dorian said casually. “But don’t lose your head over this. Your fear? It’s not power. It's a distraction. Don’t let it cloud your instincts.”

I nodded slowly, but the fear didn’t let go. It clung to me like a shadow. “Maybe you’re right,” I said, though my voice lacked conviction. “Maybe I am being paranoid.”

Dorian grinned. “Of course I’m right. You just need to breathe and let people prove themselves before crucifying them.”

But deep inside, that crippling sensation still twisted in my gut. I didn’t believe in blind trust. And something about Vee told me… I was right to be afraid.

Later on, I was leaning on the railing outside the war room, the wind tugging gently at my shirt, when I heard the click of heels behind me. I didn’t need to turn. I knew it was Selene. Her scent always preceded her, roses and something sharp, like crushed mint. She stopped beside me, arms folded, lips pressed together tightly. Something was wrong. I didn’t even need her to speak to know it.

“She said something strange,” Selene started, her voice low and tense.

I finally turned to look at her. “Who?”

“Vee,” she whispered, eyes locked with mine, unreadable. “She said something cryptic, something about all of us dying. Me, the pack… you.”

I frowned, blinking. “What?”

“She looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘They’re all going to die. You’ll see.’ Like it wasn’t a threat… more like a prophecy.”

Her voice trembled slightly, and I could tell she was trying hard to stay composed, but her fingers clenched too tight around her arms.

I took a step closer, lowering my voice. “Selene, breathe. Did she say when? Why? Anything that would help me understand what the hell she meant?”

She shook her head. “Nothing more. Just that… and then she walked off like it didn’t matter.” Her eyes searched mine.

“Kieran, I’ve never seen her like that before. Her eyes looked—empty. Like she wasn’t even in her body.”

I studied her closely. There was fear there, but something else too. Something older. “You’re not telling me everything. Are you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. You’ve looked at me like I murdered your favorite pet more than once lately. Every time we speak, it feels like you’re biting your tongue. Now you’re telling me Vee is saying we’re all going to die, and you come to me first? Not even Lucian? Why me?”

She hesitated. “Because I don’t trust anyone else with this.”

I raised a brow. “Since when do you trust me?”

“I don’t,” she said bluntly. “But I know you’ll do something about it. You always do.”

I exhaled slowly, glancing away, then back at her. “Look, if something’s happening with Vee, I’ll get to the bottom of it. But you need to stay calm, Selene. Spreading panic right now isn’t going to help.”

“I’m not panicking,” she said coldly. “I’m warning you. There’s something off. And maybe I’m crazy, but sometimes, I wonder if this is personal… if she meant me specifically. Or maybe she knows something about me that I’ve worked too hard to bury.”

There it was. I stepped closer again. “Selene… is there something you haven’t told me? Something that might explain why she’d say something like that to you?”

Her eyes flickered, just for a second. “No.”

“You sure?” I asked, voice hardening.

She didn’t answer.

I nodded slowly, holding her gaze. “Alright. Then I’ll find Vee, and I’ll get the truth out of her. Whatever this is, it ends tonight. But Selene…”

“What?”

“If you’re holding something back, if there’s something about all this that you know and you’re choosing not to say, you better start praying I never find out from someone else. Because if I do, and it’s tied to what’s coming… I won’t protect you. Not this time.”

She didn’t flinch. She just stared right back at me and said quietly, “Then you better find her fast. Because this time, Kieran… I don’t think we have much time left.”

I watched her walk away and yet there was something i knew i should do, something i knew was nagging me at the back of my head but for the life of me, i just couldn’t reach it nor even know exactly what it was.

“What is she trying to tell me?” I muttered.

Quite alright, I had seen the way she behaved but still that didn’t give her or anyone the chance to say cryptic things like that.

“What the hell is going on?”

These were questions I needed answers to but at the end of the day, I was left with more questions than the very answers I needed.

“I guess we’ll see how things go then. But by the goddess, if I find out she’s in liaison with Lucian in any way, heads would definitely roll.”

That was one promise I could keep for myself and this time, I would fulfill it.