CHAPTER 5: THE BROTHER THEY BURIED

Elias had never seen his mother look so afraid. Even after the assassins attacked their estate and the Alpha King's warriors surrounded their home, Seraphina had managed to maintain some control over herself.

Now, she stood in the middle of the ruined courtyard with tears streaming down her face, unable to answer the question Elias had asked her. The stranger's final words continued to echo in his mind, and every second of her silence made the possibility of another hidden truth more unbearable.

“Mother, I need you to tell me what happened to my brother,” Elias demanded, keeping his voice steady despite the fear building inside him. “That man knew about him, and he spoke as though my brother were alive. You told me he died shortly after we were born, so explain why an assassin would bring him up while trying to kill me.”

Seraphina looked toward Lucien, silently begging him to intervene, but Elias's father appeared just as troubled. His gaze remained fixed on the forest where the stranger had disappeared, and his hand rested on the sword he had taken from a wounded royal guard. Cassian stood several feet away, watching the family with an expression that revealed nothing about his thoughts. The Alpha King had faced enemies who could destroy entire packs, yet this discovery seemed to trouble him more than the attack itself.

“Your mother and I were told that your brother died,” Lucien finally explained. “When you were born, there were complications, and we were separated from both children for several hours. By the time the healers returned you to us, they claimed your brother had stopped breathing. We were devastated, but we had no reason to believe they were lying.”

Elias studied his father's face, searching for evidence of deception. “Then why did you never tell me I had a twin? Even if he died, he was still my brother. I deserved to know that I had once shared my life with someone before either of us could remember it.”

Lucien lowered his head, and the guilt in his expression was more painful than any denial could have been. “We were afraid that telling you would lead you to ask questions about the circumstances surrounding your birth. Your mother believed that keeping the story buried was the only way to protect you, especially after we learned that people connected to the royal family were searching for a child carrying the First Bloodline.”

“That doesn't explain how the stranger knew about him,” Elias replied. “It doesn't explain why he said my brother was alive, either.”

Cassian finally stepped forward, interrupting the conversation before it could become another argument without answers. He ordered his remaining warriors to search the surrounding forest and capture anyone connected to the attack, making it clear that no one was to leave the grounds without his permission. Once the commands had been given, he turned toward Elias and his parents, his expression hardening as he considered the implications of what they had discovered.

“The man who attacked this estate knew exactly what he was looking for,” Cassian said. “His warriors were not trying to rob the house or kill everyone inside. They were targeting Elias, and their leader seemed more interested in confirming his identity than finishing the job. That suggests they wanted something from him, and they may have been ordered to bring him back alive.”

Elias folded his arms, struggling to control his anger. “You seem to know a great deal about the people trying to kill me, Your Majesty. Perhaps you should explain why your royal guards were already waiting at my house before the attack began.”

Cassian's eyes narrowed at the accusation, but he did not immediately respond. Elias had noticed the royal warriors arriving before the first arrow struck, and the timing had troubled him from the beginning. If Cassian had suspected an attack, why had he not warned the family? If he had known who was responsible, why had he allowed the situation to become so dangerous?

“I received information that an attempt would be made on your life tonight,” Cassian admitted. “I brought my men here because I intended to secure the estate before the attackers arrived, but someone discovered our movements and forced the confrontation to happen earlier than expected.”

“And you couldn't have told me that when you arrived?” Elias asked bitterly. “Instead, you stood in my house and ordered everyone around while I was left to discover the truth from an assassin.”

Cassian's jaw tightened. “I was trying to keep you alive.”

“Then perhaps you should learn that protecting someone does not mean keeping them ignorant of their own life.”

The words struck harder than Elias expected, and for a moment, he saw something resembling shame cross the king's face. Cassian looked away, but he did not argue. Elias found that reaction more unsettling than another command because he was beginning to realize that the feared Alpha King was not entirely certain of what he was doing.

Before anyone could speak again, a royal warrior hurried into the courtyard carrying a small object wrapped in a bloodstained cloth. He approached Cassian, bowed, and reported that they had found it near the eastern wall where the attackers had entered. The king unfolded the cloth, revealing a silver ring engraved with the same crowned wolf symbol Elias had seen on the pendant in his family's sitting room.

Seraphina made a strangled sound when she saw it.

Cassian noticed her reaction immediately. “You recognize this ring.”

She shook her head too quickly. “I've never seen it before.”

“Mother,” Elias said, turning toward her. “Look at me and tell me the truth.”

Her eyes filled with fresh tears, but she remained silent. Cassian examined the ring again, then turned it over and discovered a small inscription engraved inside the band. He read the words beneath his breath before his expression changed, and Elias stepped closer to see what had unsettled him.

The inscription read, The first son belongs to the crown.

Elias felt the blood drain from his face. The stranger had mentioned his brother, his father had admitted that the child was believed to have died, and now an object bearing the symbol of the ancient dynasty suggested that someone had claimed the boy before his parents could even raise him. The thought made Elias feel sick, especially when he considered that his brother might have spent his entire life believing a lie about the family he had never known.

“Who took him?” Elias asked, looking directly at his mother. “Was it the royal family?”

Seraphina covered her mouth as a sob escaped her. Lucien moved toward her, but she pushed his hand away and stared at Elias with the expression of someone who had carried a terrible truth for far too long.

“I don't know who took him,” she whispered. “But I know the healer who delivered you was not the person who told us your brother had died. A different healer came to our room afterward, wearing the crest of the royal household. He said the child had been taken away for a private burial, and we were warned never to speak about him again.”

Cassian became completely still. “What was the healer's name?”

Seraphina hesitated before answering, and Elias could see that speaking the name frightened her more than the attack had. “His name was Master Alaric. He served the royal family for many years, and the last time I heard about him, he was living on the northern border.”

Cassian's expression darkened. Master Alaric had been one of the royal physicians who served his grandfather, but the man had supposedly died fifteen years earlier. If Seraphina was telling the truth, someone had fabricated the physician's death or used his identity to conceal what happened to the missing child.

Before Cassian could question her further, a warrior approached with another report. They had found fresh tracks leading away from the estate, along with a piece of black fabric caught on a broken branch. The material carried a faint scent that Cassian immediately recognized, and his face hardened as he handed it to one of his commanders.

“Prepare a search party for the northern border,” he ordered. “I want every abandoned settlement examined, and I want a list of everyone who served the royal household twenty-three years ago.”

Elias watched him carefully. “You believe my brother is there?”

“I believe someone wants us to think he is,” Cassian replied. “Until we find evidence, we cannot know whether the stranger was telling the truth or using your family's grief to distract us.”

Elias wanted to argue, but the possibility was too frightening to dismiss. His brother might be alive, or the stranger might have deliberately planted a lie to make Elias question everything he had ever known. Either way, Elias could no longer return to his former life and pretend that the truth did not matter.

Cassian approached him, lowering his voice so the others would not hear. “You cannot remain here. The estate is compromised, and whoever ordered this attack now knows that your powers have awakened. I will take you to the palace, where I can guarantee your protection while we investigate your brother's disappearance.”

Elias looked at him with open distrust. “You expect me to live in the same palace where you humiliated me, rejected me, and ordered your guards to kill me?”

Cassian accepted the accusation without defending himself. “I expect you to make a decision that keeps you alive long enough to discover what happened to your family. You don't have to forgive me, Elias, but you need to understand that the people hunting you will not stop simply because you refuse my protection.”

Elias turned toward his parents, hoping one of them would offer another solution, but Lucien looked exhausted and Seraphina seemed unable to stand without his support. The estate was no longer safe, and Elias knew that refusing Cassian merely because he hated the king's decision would not bring him closer to the truth.

He finally agreed to leave, but only after making Cassian promise that he would be allowed to investigate his brother's disappearance without interference. The king accepted the condition, although neither man pretended that their fragile agreement had repaired the damage between them.

As the royal carriage prepared to leave the estate, a messenger arrived from the northern border carrying a sealed letter addressed to the Alpha King. Cassian broke the seal and read the message in silence, but Elias noticed the way his fingers tightened around the paper before he folded it and slipped it into his coat.

“What does it say?” Elias asked.

Cassian stared at him for several seconds before answering, and the look in his eyes made Elias wish he had never asked.

“It says that a young Alpha has arrived at the northern border claiming to be the rightful heir of the First Bloodline,” Cassian revealed. “He carries your family name, and he has requested an audience with the king.”

Elias struggled to breathe as the meaning settled over him. His missing brother might not simply be alive; he might already be gathering power, claiming a throne, and preparing to confront the family he had been taught to hate.

Then Cassian delivered the final revelation that turned Elias's fear into something much worse.

The young Alpha had also demanded that Elias Vale be brought to him in chains.