Chapter 5 Truth and Lies

Aria felt as though the air had been sucked out of the room, leaving her gasping for breath. The weight of Jacob's words pressed upon her chest, threatening to crush her. She gripped the edge of the dining table, her knuckles turning white as she fought to steady herself.

She heard Jacob still speaking but her mind was far gone.

How was her father dead? How was it possible that she would never see him again? She never got the chance to say goodbye.

She saw Knox leave the dining room and from the mirrored look on each of the pack members faces, whatever Jacob had said was really important.

But she couldn't bring herself to focus on that.

She felt all their eyes turn to her.

Her mind was reeling. How could he be gone?

She had never liked Julian. Something always felt off about him, like he wore a mask only letting people see what he wanted them to see.

Finally, he took the mask off.

Her heart clenched with grief, the pain of loss washing over her in waves.

The room blurred before her as tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. Aria bit down on her lip, a desperate attempt to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to consume her. She couldn't afford to break down now, not when she was surrounded by people she didn't know and who probably viewed her as an outsider.

She felt a hand on her back.

Her eyes rose to Lydia's face filled with pity, "Let's get you back to your room."

She never wanted to be Alpha. A simple life with her mate was the only thing she had ever wanted and she thought she was finally going to get her dream but the man she loved had rejected her, betraying her after all his promises.

Guess betrayal ran in their blood.

Lydia led her outside instead of her room.

"The air will do you some good. I know it will be stupid to ask if you are okay."

Aria sucked in a deep breath, "I just can't believe he is gone. He was just in front of me."

Her hand unconsciously went to her mother's necklace.

Would he be finally reunited with her?

"I'm really sorry Aria."

Those words set her off and she broke down into tears. Lydia wrapped her hands around her.

"I'm really sorry", Aria sniffed, "I'm ruining your shirt."

"It's fine. Ryder was going to tear it off me anyway."

Amidst the tears, Aria laughed.

"You are going to be fine honey. I promise you."

After a few minutes, Aria stopped crying.

Lydia wiped the tears from her cheeks, "I have to get back to Ryder now. If it's true and Rebecca is really alive-". She stopped.

"I don't understand. Who is Rebecca? What happens if she is alive?"

"Rebecca is Knox's mate."

*********

Knox stood frozen in his study. Jacob's voice rang in his head, "Rebecca is alive."

His wolf was quiet. Like the quiet before a storm.

He finally raised his eyes to meet Ryder who stood at the door, his arm crossed behind his back.

"How is she alive? I watched her die."

Ryder kept quiet. It wasn't a surprise to Knox. He didn't know how to answer the question himself.

He closed his eyes as the night replayed in his mind.

*************

"Knox, I'm tired of running." Rebecca gasped out.

"I know Becca, but we are almost at the border, you just need to hold on a little longer."

Behind them, the sounds of snarls and cries for help filled the air, each one a chilling reminder of the danger lurking in the shadows.

"We are almost there Becca." He reminded her again.

Just then a thunderous crack echoed through the forest, the sound of a gunshot splitting the air. Knox's head snapped back, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Becca."

Rebecca stumbled as red spread across her chest. She fell to the ground.

"No. Becca. No."

He placed his hand on her chest trying to stop the bleeding.

She raised a weak hand to his cheeks, smiling at him "It's going to be fine Knox."

"Becca, you have to hold on. I will get you help. We are almost at the border."

A tear escaped his eyes as he watched life slowly drain from her eyes.

She smiled again, this time sadly, "You are going to be fine. I promise you."

She let out a deep sigh then her eyes closed.

A guttural howl of pain and sorrow erupted from his chest, echoing through the night as the moon watched, silent witness to their tragedy.

He held her lifeless body in his arms as his heart shattered into a million pieces.

Placing one last kiss on her lips, he made the vow.

The vow to be bound to her even in death for the rest of his days.

*********

He opened his eyes. His wolf stirred, unsure of how to feel.

So many questions filled his head, if she had been alive all these while, why didn't she come to find him?

"Knox?"

Knox snapped out of his thoughts.

Knowing his Alpha hadn't been listening to a word he said, he asked again, "What do you want me to say to the pack?"

"Nothing. Don't say anything until we get to the root of it."

Ryder turned to the door, "And Ryder?"

Ryder paused with his hand on the door but didn't turn.

"Keep an eye on her."

Ryder didn't need to ask who so he simply nodded before exiting.

****************

Aria entered the dining room. She wanted to go to her room, just cuddle and cry into her pillow but her wolf was relentless, pacing, irritated at the word mate.

The room was quiet. Everyone still sat in their seats, eating their breakfast.

The tension in the dining room grew palpable as the wolves exchanged glances, the weight of the news about Rebecca's survival lingering in the air. Whispers filled the room, but no one seemed willing to address the matter directly. It was then that Mark, one of the sentinels broke the silence.

"Are we just going to ignore this bombshell? Rebecca being alive is a significant development. We should talk about it."

Sarah, a cautious and reserved older wolf, leaned closer to Mark, her voice low. "We shouldn't discuss matters of such importance in the presence of an outsider. We don't know why she is really here."

Everyone heard it, with their heightened senses. Lydia stood up, her eyes flashing. "Aria may be new to our pack, but she's one of us now. She deserves to be a part of this discussion and to understand what is going on. Knox brought her back here."

Whispers erupted among the pack, some in agreement with Lydia's words, while others remained hesitant.

Taking a deep breath, Aria stood up, her voice steady. "It's okay. I will leave. But I'm not a spy. I don't have anywhere else to go."

Immediately she finished speaking, the gravity of her statement hit her. She could never go home because nothing awaited her there anymore.

She was about to turn around when Ryder walked into the room, "She is not going anywhere."

Lydia nodded in approval, a small smile playing on her lips.

"But Ryder-" Sarah started.

Ryder turned to her, staring at her blankly with a frown on his face. The scar making the expression even more scary.

Sarah bowed her head in submission.

Mark sighed, "Alright then, let's talk about it. If Rebecca is alive, what does it mean for Knox? How will it affect our pack?"

Various opinions and theories flooded the room. Some expressed concerns about Rebecca's intentions, questioning whether her return would bring stability or chaos. Others offered empathy for Knox, acknowledging the emotional turmoil he must be experiencing.

Ryder cleared his throat and the talks died down, "I am still struggling to understand how Becca is alive but there is a reason why Jacob is Gamma. He is never wrong about the information he brings back. I am just really confused. If she has been alive, why didn't she find Knox?"

Lydia walked to her mate's side, "Maybe she didn't want to find him. According to Jacob, she was in the Silvercrest pack with Nikolai."

Aria felt the shift in the room at the mention of his name.

The political aspect of the pack was something she did not anticipate after her father named her his heir. Having to form alliances with other Alphas all sounded tiring.

She had heard of the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack but had never met him in person.

According to the stories she heard, Knox was once part of the Bloodmoon Pack but there had been a battle, one of which the origin was left unspoken of and had resulted in Knox leaving the pack.

"But they are mates. The bond would have drawn them back together."

Aria turned her head to find the owner of the voice. It was the most melodious voice she had ever heard. The girl stared back at her and Aria almost gasped.

How had she not noticed her before?

Her short brown hair framed her heart shaped face which held the most beautiful olive eyes she had ever seen. From her features she was around Aria's age and she was beautiful.

But her wolf growled at her for mentioning another wolf as Knox's mate.

Something Aria was still trying to understand. How could she be his mate when she was just rejected by her mate?

Sophia strolled back into the room, crossing her hands, she stood at the door.

"Why was I summoned back here?" She glared round the room.

Mark frowned at her, "No one is in the mood for your drama Sophia. We are having a pack meeting."

Sophia burst out laughing, "Well would you look at that. Knox names you one of his sentinels and you finally grow a pair. Too bad it doesn't apply to the embarrassment you carry between your legs."

Mark's ear turned red.

Lydia growled at her, "Behave yourself Sophia. We have more important things to discuss."

Sophia rolled her eyes, "Spare me Lydia. Just because you fucked Ryder enough for him to form a bond with you doesn't make you better than the other females in this pack and if we are having a pack meeting, what is that bitch doing here?"

In two steps, Ryder was in front of Sophia. It all happened so fast. His claws extracted and he wrapped his hand around her neck, gripping her painfully.

Sophia choked trying to make him release her.

He brought his face closer to hers, "You ever disrespect my mate again and I won't think twice before snapping your neck. Do you understand?"

She nodded as well as she could before Ryder released her, throwing her to the side of the room in the process.

Sophia gasped out trying to recover her breath.

Ryder turned back to the pack, "Where were we?"

"What it would mean for the pack if Rebecca is alive." The girl with the melodious voice spoke again.

The room went quiet as Knox entered the room.

His eyes immediately traveled to Aria. His wolf relaxed a bit as her scent surrounded him. He raised his hand, eyes still fixated on Aria, "Please don't stop on my account."

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Jacob entered the room, his expression grave. The pack fell silent, their attention fixed on him. He approached Knox.

"Knox, I found out something but maybe it would be better if I told you all alone, in your study."

Knox shook his head, "There are no secrets in the pack. Say it."

Jacob looked around the room first, his eyes landing on Aria. He studied her for a minute before continuing, "I went back to the Silvercrest pack to make sure I was right and I was, she is really alive. There is more. She has been in the Bloodmoon pack all these years."

Small gasps filled the room, and the pack members exchanged glances of surprise and suspicion.

Jacob paused, filling the room with suspense.

"What is it Jacob?", Knox asked.

"She is wearing Nikolai's scent and she bears his mating mark."