Chapter 6

No. She had to be wrong. Maybe she was fake after all, because that couldn’t be true.

“You don’t believe me?” Selene asked, her voice soft but steady.

I shook my head quickly. “No… it’s just...absurd. I’m not saying your visions are wrong, but there has to be a mistake. I wasn’t born of a rival pack. I’m just an ordinary Omega girl. I can’t be a Luna, let alone unite the packs.”

Selene’s gaze didn’t waver. “Do you know the meaning of your name, Liora? It means light. You are meant to be a light in the darkness. It is your destiny. You are more powerful than you think.”

Her words settled over me, heavy and impossible. I couldn’t answer. We both fell silent. My mind spun, trapped between disbelief and a fear I couldn’t name.

Then footsteps echoed again. Elliot.

The gate creaked open, but his demeanor was different this time, he was calmer. He looked at Gina first.

“You can go,” he said flatly. “My men will escort you back to your home. But hear me, never show your face here again.”

Gina’s eyes widened in surprise. I was too, though I saw the quiet relief in her expression as she rose to her feet.

Before she left, he glanced back at me. "Be careful Liora," She said then turned and was led out by the guards.

“Come with me,” he ordered.

I followed him down the stone corridors, my heart pounding. “Elliot, I swear, I had nothing to do with witches. I’m as confused as you are. I only went to her searching for answers. I didn’t even know about the rumors.”

He said nothing, his silence louder than any accusation. We entered another chamber, one I hadn’t seen before.

The room was lined with glowing screens, dozens of them, each showing a different corner of the dungeon. My breath caught when I saw the cell I’d just been locked in, every word, every moment had been captured.

Realization hit me like a stone. He had been watching and listening the entire time.

Elliot finally turned to me. His voice was quieter now, almost reluctant. “Seems you... you're not guilty of using dark magic.”

Elliot’s gaze lingered on me, sharp and restless, his jaw working as though he was grinding down words before forcing them out.

“One piece of advice, Liora, don’t be so foolish as to believe anything that fraud said. The prophecy is true, but it was never about you. It was always Ariana.”

His voice grew steadier, almost reverent, as he continued. “Do you know what I felt when I met her? A bond that was pure, steady, divine. Ariana is everything a Luna should be, noble in spirit, graceful in carriage, born of strength and dignity. She carries herself with the bearing of a queen, not like…” His eyes flicked over me, cold and dismissive. “…not like a desperate little Omega girl playing at things far above her station.”

The words pierced like knives, each one carefully sharpened.

“Whatever this pull is between us,” he pressed on, his voice tightening, “it’s nothing more than lust. A mistake of flesh, fleeting and shallow. There’s nothing divine about it, nothing sacred. Don’t let anyone put lies in your head about being more than what you are. You’ll never be Ariana. You’ll never be more than a lowly Omega.”

For a moment his eyes wavered, almost uncertain, before hardening again. He turned sharply and strode away, his voice breaking the silence one last time. “Ariana is the one destined to unite the packs. Not you.”

I stood there frozen, every word etched deep into me, a wound that bled with shame and fury. Through the bars, I watched his vehicle pull away, leaving me there.

When one of the guards shoved my belongings back into my hands, I barely noticed until I felt the familiar weight of my phone. I turned it on with shaking fingers.

Six missed calls from Sienna.

I pressed the call button, my throat dry. The moment she answered, her voice came frantic. “Liora? Oh, thank the goddess. Where are you? I’ve been worried sick! Why didn’t you answer me? What happened?”

“I… I need you to come get me,” I said, my voice cracking. “Please. Just come.”

I sat on the cold stone steps, waiting, my arms wrapped around myself. Gina’s words replayed in my mind, over and over. She had no reason to lie to me. She had nothing to gain. Elliot’s disdain cut deep, but his voice wasn’t the only one in my head anymore. For the first time, I wondered if maybe, just maybe, Gina had told me the truth.

By the time Sienna’s car pulled up, headlights slicing through the darkness, I had already made up my mind.

She jumped out before the engine even cut off, rushing toward me, her eyes red and swollen from crying. “What were you doing in the middle of nowhere? Liora, I was so worried. I even went back to Gina’s place, do you know what her mother told me? That someone took her daughter and you! Do you have any idea how terrified I was?”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, even as tears burned my own eyes. I reached up and wiped hers away, forcing a small smile. “I’m here now. I’m okay.”

She shook her head, still trembling, but I gripped her hands, grounding myself in the moment. My voice was steadier when I spoke again.

“Sienna… I want to know the truth. I want to know about my origin, about where I came from, about my father.”

Her eyes widened. “Liora…”

“No,” I pressed, my chest aching with determination. “I’m tired of being talked down to, tired of being made to feel small. I can’t live like this anymore, I want answers, I want to know who I really am. I don’t care how hard it is, I want to be more than just a lowly Omega.”