CHAPTER SEVEN

The howl lingered long after the night fell silent.

No one spoke.

Not Tyler.

Not Ryler.

Not even me.

The room suddenly felt too small, the air too heavy to breathe. Every shadow stretching across the walls looked alive, as if something lurked just beyond the reach of the light.

Tyler was the first to move.

"We're leaving."

His voice was calm, but beneath it simmered a dangerous rage.

Before I could protest, he slipped one arm beneath my knees while the other supported my back, lifting me effortlessly into his arms.

"I'm fine," I murmured.

"No," he replied without looking at me. "You're not."

His words weren't cruel.

They were filled with guilt.

The kind of guilt that weighed heavier than mountains.

Ryler walked ahead, every muscle in his body tense as he scanned every corridor of the pack house. His eyes glowed faintly crimson, his wolf closer to the surface than I'd ever seen.

The journey to my room felt endless.

Pack members stepped aside the moment they saw us. Conversations died instantly. Some lowered their heads respectfully.

Others stared.

Fear spread through the hallways faster than wildfire.

News travelled quickly in a pack.

Their Luna had been attacked.

Inside the room, Tyler carefully placed me on the bed as though I might shatter.

Neither of them moved.

Neither of them left.

The silence between us became unbearable.

Finally, I looked at them.

"You've been keeping something from me."

Neither Alpha answered.

"I deserve the truth."

Tyler rubbed a tired hand over his face.

"It's not that simple."

"Then make it simple."

His jaw tightened.

Several long seconds passed before he finally spoke.

"Three years ago, a family disappeared."

I frowned.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"They weren't ordinary wolves," Ryler answered quietly. "They were guardians."

My brows knitted together.

"Guardians of what?"

"The Veil."

The unfamiliar word settled heavily in the room.

I looked from one twin to the other.

Neither looked like they were joking.

Tyler exhaled slowly.

"The Veil separates our world from things that should never walk among us. Most wolves never know it exists."

"And the family?"

"They protected it for generations."

A strange pressure formed behind my eyes.

Images flashed through my mind.

A silver symbol carved into stone.

A woman smiling.

Someone calling my name.

The vision disappeared before I could grasp it.

I gasped.

Tyler immediately knelt beside me.

"What did you see?"

"I... I don't know."

I pressed trembling fingers against my temples.

"It felt real."

Ryler's expression darkened.

"He remembers."

Tyler shot him a warning look.

"No conclusions."

Remembers?

What was that supposed to mean?

Before I could ask, a sharp knock echoed through the room.

Jackson entered, his usually cheerful face replaced by concern.

"I've doubled the patrols," he reported. "Every entrance is guarded."

Tyler nodded.

"Any sign of him?"

Jackson shook his head.

"Nothing."

Something about his answer made my stomach twist.

Too quick.

Too rehearsed.

The feeling vanished as quickly as it came.

I blamed exhaustion.

Tyler stood.

"No one comes near Adriana without our permission."

Jackson nodded immediately.

"Understood."

After he left, Ryler locked every window himself.

Tyler checked every corner of the room.

Even beneath the bed.

Watching two of the strongest Alphas in America search a bedroom for hidden threats should have made me feel safe.

Instead...

It terrified me.

Because if they were this afraid...

How dangerous was the man behind the mask?

Hours passed.

Neither of them slept.

Tyler remained seated beside my bed, his fingers loosely wrapped around mine.

Ryler stood by the balcony doors, staring into the darkness.

Around midnight, exhaustion finally pulled me under.

Sleep should have been peaceful.

It wasn't.

I stood in a forest covered in silver mist.

The moon hung impossibly large above the trees.

Someone was singing.

A woman's voice.

Soft.

Familiar.

I followed the sound until I reached a clearing.

There stood a little girl.

She couldn't have been older than seven.

Long black hair.

Bare feet.

A white dress stained with dirt.

She slowly turned towards me.

My breath caught.

She had my eyes.

"You came back," she whispered.

My heart hammered.

"Who are you?"

She smiled sadly.

"You forgot."

A cold wind swept through the clearing.

The little girl lifted one trembling hand and pointed behind me.

"They're waking up."

Before I could turn—

A deafening roar shook the forest.

The ground split beneath my feet.

Dark hands reached from the earth.

Dozens of them.

Grabbing my ankles.

Pulling me down.

I screamed.

My eyes flew open.

The room was dark.

My chest rose and fell violently as panic consumed me.

Tyler was instantly beside me.

"Adri?"

I couldn't answer.

Tears streamed down my cheeks.

"It was just a dream," he whispered, brushing damp strands of hair away from my face.

I shook my head.

"No..."

My voice trembled.

"It wasn't."

Outside the bedroom window...

Hidden among the trees...

A masked figure stood perfectly still beneath the moonlight.

Watching.

Waiting.

Then...

He slowly raised one gloved finger to his lips.

Before disappearing into the darkness.