CHAPTER FOURTEEN: THE MAN WHO KNEW HER NAME

The journey to the northern forest took nearly three hours.

Aria spent most of it staring through the window, watching the landscape change from quiet countryside to dense woodland.

The farther they traveled, the stranger the atmosphere became.

The air felt heavier.

The trees grew taller.

And occasionally, Aria caught glimpses of wolves watching from between the trunks.

They never approached the vehicle.

They simply watched.

"Do they know who I am?" she asked.

Kael glanced toward the forest.

"Perhaps."

"That's not very reassuring."

"I wasn't trying to reassure you."

She turned to him.

"You're terrible at comforting people."

For the first time since their reunion, Kael almost laughed.

Almost.

"I've been told."

Aria looked away before he could notice the faint smile that touched her lips.

She didn't want to encourage him.

Not yet.

The road eventually narrowed into a rough path surrounded by ancient trees.

At its end stood a small stone house.

Smoke rose from the chimney.

A wooden fence enclosed a garden filled with unfamiliar herbs and flowers.

Kael stopped the vehicle.

"This is it."

Aria stepped outside.

The moment her feet touched the ground, a strange sensation passed through her body.

She felt as though she had been here before.

Not in this life.

Not in any memory she could consciously recall.

But somewhere deep inside her, something recognized the place.

Her wolf stirred.

Home.

Aria froze.

"What?"

Kael turned toward her.

"Did you say something?"

She shook her head.

"No."

But she couldn't ignore the feeling.

The forest seemed to be calling to her.

She walked toward the house.

Before she could knock, the door opened.

An elderly man stood in the doorway.

His hair was completely white, and his eyes were a pale, almost colorless gray.

He looked at Kael first.

Then his gaze shifted to Aria.

Everything about his expression changed.

The color drained from his face.

He took one step backward.

"No."

Aria frowned.

"Excuse me?"

The man stared at her as though he had seen a ghost.

"No," he repeated. "It cannot be."

Kael stepped forward.

"Master Elias?"

The old man barely acknowledged him.

His attention remained fixed on Aria.

He looked at her eyes, her face, and finally her wrist.

Then he dropped to one knee.

Aria stumbled backward.

"What are you doing?"

The old man bowed his head.

"My queen."

Silence.

Aria stared at him.

Kael went completely still.

For several seconds, the only sound was the wind moving through the trees.

Then Aria shook her head.

"You've mistaken me for someone else."

The old man slowly raised his face.

"No, child."

His voice trembled.

"I have waited many years to see you again."

Aria felt her heart begin to race.

"See me again? I've never met you before."

"Your mind may not remember me, but your blood does."

She turned toward Kael.

He looked just as shocked as she felt.

"Can you explain what's happening?" she demanded.

Kael shook his head.

"I can't."

Aria faced the old man again.

"Who am I?"

Elias rose slowly.

"Come inside."

"No. You're going to answer my question."

The old man studied her for a long moment.

Then he sighed.

"Very well."

He stepped aside, allowing them to enter.

The house smelled of dried herbs, wood smoke, and something Aria couldn't identify.

Ancient books lined the walls. Strange symbols had been carved into the wooden beams, and several silver objects rested on a table near the fireplace.

Elias gestured toward two chairs.

"Sit."

Aria remained standing.

"Talk."

The old man accepted her refusal without argument.

"Many years ago, a powerful bloodline governed a hidden territory known as the Silver Kingdom."

Aria frowned.

"I've never heard of it."

"That is because its existence was erased from ordinary pack history."

"Why?"

"Because of a war."

Elias walked toward a shelf and removed an old book.

"The Silver Kingdom was different from the territories ruled by ordinary Alphas. Its leaders possessed abilities that allowed them to strengthen the bonds between wolves, heal certain wounds, and sense disturbances that threatened the balance of the supernatural world."

Aria remembered the strange force that had swept through the bakery.

"Like what happened to me?"

"Yes. Though what you experienced was only a small part of what may lie within you."

She swallowed.

"And what does that have to do with me?"

Elias placed the book on the table.

"Everything."

He opened it to a page displaying the silver symbol Aria had seen in her dream.

"This mark belonged to the royal family of the Silver Kingdom."

Aria stared at it.

"The woman in my dream wore this mark."

Elias closed his eyes briefly.

"Then your memories are beginning to return."

"Who was she?"

He looked at her.

"Your mother."

The room seemed to tilt.

Aria grabbed the back of a chair.

"My mother is dead."

"That is what you were told."

"What are you saying?"

Elias hesitated.

"I cannot tell you everything I know. Some truths must be uncovered carefully, or the memories connected to them may become overwhelming."

Aria's eyes flashed.

"I'm tired of people deciding what I can and cannot handle!"

Her voice reverberated through the room.

The silver objects on the table began to vibrate.

Kael immediately moved closer, but stopped when Aria raised a hand.

"I'm fine."

She turned back to Elias.

"If you know something about my family, tell me."

The old man bowed his head.

"Your mother was the last queen of the Silver Kingdom. When the kingdom fell, she entrusted you to people she believed would keep you safe."

Aria's breathing became uneven.

"Why would she do that?"

"Because someone wanted you dead."

The words struck her like ice.

"Who?"

"The Silver Council was not always what it is today. Some of its earliest members believed the royal bloodline possessed too much power. They feared a ruler who could influence the bonds between entire packs."

Aria stared at him.

"So they destroyed my kingdom?"

"They helped destroy it."

"And my mother?"

Elias looked away.

"I don't know whether she survived the final battle."

For a moment, Aria couldn't speak.

Her entire life had been built around the belief that she was an ordinary young woman whose only extraordinary circumstance was being chosen by an Alpha who eventually rejected her.

Now she was being told that her past involved a hidden kingdom, a royal bloodline, and people who might still want her dead.

She shook her head.

"This is too much."

Kael stepped closer.

"Aria—"

"Don't."

He stopped immediately.

She took a shaky breath.

"I need air."

She hurried outside.

The cold wind hit her face, but it did little to calm her racing thoughts.

A queen.

A hidden kingdom.

A mother who might not be dead.

And a power inside her that she didn't understand.

She pressed both hands against her abdomen.

Whatever happened next, she had another life to protect.

She couldn't afford to lose control.

She couldn't afford to let fear make her decisions.

The door opened behind her.

Kael stepped outside but remained several feet away.

"I won't come closer unless you want me to."

Aria looked at him.

"Did you know?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

He shook his head.

"My father knew something about the Silver Bloodline. But I never knew you might be connected to it."

She looked away.

"Everyone seems to know something about me except me."

Kael's voice softened.

"Then we'll help you find the truth."

Aria laughed without humor.

"You keep saying we."

"Because you don't have to do this alone."

She looked at him sharply.

"Don't confuse helping me with getting me back."

"I won't."

"And don't expect me to forgive you because you're being kind now."

Kael swallowed.

"I don't expect anything from you."

For a long moment, she studied his face.

Then she nodded once.

"Good."

She turned toward the forest.

A strange feeling had settled over her.

The trees seemed quieter now, almost as though they were listening.

Then a voice whispered through her mind.

Daughter of the Silver Crown.

Aria froze.

Her wolf rose inside her with a force that nearly brought her to her knees.

They have found you.

She grabbed a nearby tree for support.

Kael rushed forward.

"Aria!"

She could barely hear him.

Her vision blurred.

A flash of images filled her mind: a burning palace, wolves fighting beneath a red sky, a woman holding a newborn child, and a man standing beside a throne with blood on his hands.

Then came a final image.

A silver crown lying in the dirt.

Someone stepped forward and crushed it beneath their boot.

Aria screamed.

The ground shook.

Leaves tore from the trees, swirling violently around her.

Kael threw an arm over his face as a powerful wave of energy swept through the clearing.

Then everything stopped.

Aria fell to her knees.

Her breathing came in short, painful gasps.

Kael knelt beside her but didn't touch her until she reached for his arm.

When she did, he steadied her carefully.

"What did you see?" he asked.

Aria looked up.

Tears streamed down her face.

"My mother."

Kael's expression tightened.

"What about her?"

Aria swallowed.

"I think she's alive."

Behind them, Elias stood in the doorway, his face pale.

He had heard the words.

And he knew what they meant.

If Aria's memories were returning, then the truth about the Silver Kingdom would not remain buried for much longer.

Far away, beyond the northern forest, a bell began to ring inside the Silver Council's hidden chamber.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

A hooded figure rose from a stone throne.

"The Silver Blood has awakened," a voice announced.

The figure turned toward the gathered council members.

"Find the girl."

"And if she refuses to come willingly?" someone asked.

The hooded figure's eyes gleamed beneath the darkness.

"Then remind her what happened to the last queen who defied us."