Chapter 56: Blood Secrets

The scroll burned like fire in Serena’s hands.

Her breath hitched as she stared at the sigil—an old, half-faded crest etched in ink. The outline of a crescent moon wrapped in thorned vines. Beneath it, words written in an ancient dialect of the northern tribes.

“From two sides of the same blood, comes the heir of shadow and flame.”

“What does that mean?” Elias asked, peering over her shoulder.

Theron answered instead. “It’s a prophecy. One the old hybrids believed. A child born of both wolf and witch bloodlines. Said to be powerful enough to unite the old magic—or destroy it completely.”

Serena’s fingers curled around the parchment. “You think they’re after me because of this?”

“I don’t think,” Theron replied calmly. “I know.”

Her eyes met his. “Why?”

“Because you’re not just a she-wolf, Serena,” Theron said quietly. “Your mother wasn’t full-blooded.”

The silence that followed was so still, it screamed.

Serena staggered back a step. “That’s not possible. My father—he said—”

“He lied,” Theron said gently. “Or maybe he was protecting you.”

The ground tilted beneath her feet. Her mind raced through memories—her mother’s unreadable eyes, the way her skin hummed with strange energy during thunderstorms, the whispers she thought she imagined as a child when she touched certain stones.

Elias looked at her like she was someone new.

“Serena—”

“I need air,” she muttered, pushing past them.

She didn’t stop walking until she reached the cliff overlooking the river. The moon was rising, casting a silver glow on the water. Her hands trembled at her sides.

Hybrid.

Heir of shadow and flame.

What did that even mean?

Her breath came in sharp gasps. If this was true, everything changed. Her blood wasn’t just wolf—it was magic. And that meant the attacks weren’t random. They were orchestrated. And worse…

They were personal.

Footsteps approached behind her, slow and careful. She didn’t turn.

“I figured you’d run here,” Elias said softly. “You always did when you were overwhelmed.”

She bit her lip. “How much of it did you know?”

“Nothing,” he swore. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have left you to face this alone.”

She turned to him then, eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “But you left anyway.”

He looked stricken. “I made a mistake.”

“Mistakes have consequences,” she said, stepping closer. “And I’m tired of carrying all of them alone.”

“I’m here now.” Elias’s voice dropped. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

For a moment, the air between them crackled—not with magic, but with pain, with possibility, with years of longing tucked behind guarded hearts.

He raised his hand to her face, slow and deliberate, giving her time to stop him.

She didn’t.

His thumb brushed along her cheek, and Serena let herself lean in just a little.

Just enough to remember.

Just enough to ache.

“I still love you,” he whispered.

Serena’s lips parted—but before she could speak, a pulse of energy surged beneath her skin. Her knees buckled. Elias caught her before she hit the ground.

“Serena?!”

Her eyes glowed faintly. Her heart pounded like thunder. The air around her shimmered with strange heat.

“What’s happening?” she gasped.

Then, just as suddenly as it came, the feeling vanished.

She looked up at him, wide-eyed. “Did you feel that?”

Elias was pale. “Yes.”

Behind them, Theron appeared—drawn by the same burst of energy. His eyes flicked to Serena’s glowing hands. “It’s starting.”

“What’s starting?” Elias demanded.

But Serena already knew.

The magic wasn’t dormant anymore.

It was awakening.

Back at the healer’s hut, Serena lay on the cot while the elders surrounded her with protective runes. She was exhausted but lucid. Theron stood by her side, his face carved from stone, while Elias paced like a storm in human form.

“It’s her bloodline,” one of the elders said. “The rogue hybrids must have sensed it. That’s why they’re stirring.”

“They’re not just stirring,” Theron added. “They’re organizing. They want her to fulfill that prophecy—for their cause.”

Elias clenched his fists. “Then we protect her. We end this war.”

But one look at Serena told them it wouldn’t be that easy.

Because now, she wasn’t just Serena the warrior. Or Serena the future Alpha’s mate.

She was something else.

A key.

A threat.

A legend reborn.

As the elders left to consult the archives, Theron turned to her quietly. “Your mother’s name was Nalia. She was part of a hidden hybrid enclave in the north. I found the records just before the last attack.”

Serena blinked. “How long have you known?”

“A few days. I wanted to be sure.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“I was going to,” he said. “But I didn’t want to drop a firestorm on you in the middle of everything else.”

Serena sat up slowly. “It’s too late for protection, Theron. The fire’s already here.”

Their eyes met. Something unspoken passed between them. He stepped forward, his voice lower now, more personal.

“I’ve watched you fight. Lead. Bleed. But I’ve also seen you smile, Serena. I’ve seen you laugh. You are not a prophecy. You’re a person. And you’re allowed to break. You’re allowed to let someone catch you.”

His voice faltered at the end, his meaning crystal clear.

She swallowed hard, her chest tight. “What if I don’t want to choose yet?”

“Then don’t,” he said simply. “Just don’t shut me out.”

In the doorway, Elias watched. He didn’t interrupt—but the shadow in his eyes deepened.

Serena lay back again, tears slipping silently down her temples.

The battle was coming.

But the war inside her had already begun.