The Lost Beta 12 - Secrets of the Sacred Grove

Emily sat by the hearth, she had a lot of her mind, while the flames danced in the breeze like spirits it didn't catch her attention. She was unable to shake the image she had experienced during the Moon Ritual. The woman cloaked in silver fur, whispering her name with a voice that echoed like thunder, was it her mother? Her true mother? She rubbed her arms because the memory was too clear and vivid to ignore. She hadn’t shared the vision with Alexander, not yet. She wanted to step into the flames herself this time, but she also dreaded that he might try to shield her from it.

Alexander crossed his arms and watched her from the entrance. "Why have you been silent?" he gently asked. But she didn't give an answer. “I saw her,” she finally whispered. “She called me ‘heir of the sacred blood.’”

“Emily, you shouldn't be bothered,” Alexander uttered as he brushed her cheek. But Emily shook her head. “I think I do. She wasn’t just a ghost. She was a warning.”

The fire intensified into the air and crackled louder as though it could see her mind. Outside, the wind roared against the safe house's wooden walls. Something was coming and time was not on their side.

Emily suddenly sprang up, her eyes becoming gold from the fire's warmth. Something is hidden in that grove. I have to find it.” Alexander stood too, hesitant. “Then we’ll go. But not without backup.”

Eyebrows knitted together as she stared at him. "No." This is something I've to do on my own. I need to understand my true self. And I can’t find it with everyone watching.”

The Sacred Grove was nothing like Emily imagined. It wasn’t grand or golden; it was eerie, almost hollow. The trees looked strange, they had this terrifying structure. Misty swirled all over and her boots crunching each of every layer. All that echoed through the silence was her heart beating.

She passed a stone etched with ancient runes but didn't notice because it was broken. Her fingers traced the carvings, a strange warmth passing into her skin. This place brought back memories of her before she was broken and known as Omega.

Above her, a raven sat on a limb and let out one harsh cry. Then there was quiet. Emily stepped into the heart of the forest, where light radiated from a carved-out tree. Her breath caught. It looked like it was breathing. A whisper encircled her thoughts as she approached: "Daughter of blood and moon, the past must rise for the future to reign."

She touched the trunk with her hand. A secret room was revealed as the bark peeled back. A scroll wrapped in blood-stained ribbon was found inside. Her fingers trembled as she took it. The parchment pulsed warm, alive. And as she opened it, her knees gave out.

The scroll contained names of her family line. Her mother. Her father. And one name she recognized from the Alpha Council’s betrayal list: Alpha Kael, the same man who slaughtered her birth pack.

Emily sat beneath the ancient tree, stunned. Her blood was not just royal; it was dangerous. Tied directly to one of the most powerful traitors in werewolf history. How could she carry both shame and destiny in her veins? Her heart pounded with confusion and fear.

Memories she never lived began crashing into her. Her mother’s scream. Her father’s fall. The silver-bladed betrayal. As the scroll dropped from her lap, tears poured down her face. Her lineage was a curse, not a crown. She was the product of both salvation and destruction.

As the wind stirred around her, a voice low, male, and unmistakably real cut through the mist. "You shouldn't be by yourself here." She turned to see a towering, silver-eyed man observing her afar off. Not Alexander. Someone older. Wiser. And terrifying.

“Who are you?” she demanded, scrambling to her feet. He stepped into the light. “My name is Elias. Your uncle.”

Emily’s mouth parted. “That’s impossible. My family was wiped out.” Elias shook his head, his face gravely. “Not all. I survived the betrayal. And I’ve been waiting for you.”

Back at the safe house, Alexander paced like a caged wolf. Something was wrong. Emily had been gone for hours, and his bond with her pulsed uneasily. He tried to reach her through their mark, but her mind was locked. Distant. Guarded.

When she finally returned, she looked different. Not bruised or bloodied but older. Like something inside her had grown. “What happened?” he asked immediately. Emily remained silent. Keeping the scroll close to her chest, she walked past him.

Emily, speak to me, anything." 

She gently walked and stopped at the foot of the stairs, her voice quivered. “I found my uncle. I found the truth.” He went still. “And?”

She turned to face him, eyes full of storm and fire. “My father was Alpha Kael.” Silence fell between them like a blade.

Alexander stepped closer. “That doesn’t change who you are to me.” But she flinched. “It changes everything. I’m not just a forgotten Omega anymore. I’m the blood of the man who started the war.”

Elias paced the map that was laid out on the table. Emily continued to hold onto the scroll as she sat across from him. He said that the Alpha Council was unaware of your existence. “That’s our only advantage.”

Alexander stood behind Emily, arms folded tightly. He didn’t trust Elias, not yet. But Emily’s instincts said otherwise. “If we expose them, they’ll kill us all,” she said. Elias nodded grimly. “Unless we strike first.”

Alexander finally spoke. “And what do you gain from this?” Elias looked up, his eyes gleaming. “Justice. Vengeance. A throne stolen from our bloodline.”

Emily’s throat tightened. She didn’t want a throne. She wanted peace. Safety. Love. But the prophecy etched into the scroll said otherwise: When the bloodline is revealed, the wolves shall bow or burn.

She looked between the two men, one her mate, the other her blood. “What if I don’t want either of your futures?” she whispered. “What if I want to choose my own?”

Back in the Moonshadow Pack, whispers spread like wildfire. Emily had returned but something about her was different. Stronger. Dangerous. And some wolves didn’t like it.

Beta Cassian confronted Alexander. “She’s not one of us anymore. You’ve brought a weapon into our home.” Alexander slammed him against the wall. “She’s my mate. Say another word, and I’ll forget we were ever brothers.”

But the damage was done. Doubt slithered through the pack like a poison. Old loyalties began to fray. Emily noticed the change in their eyes, no longer pitying, now suspicious.

She stepped into the training yard alone, facing down warriors who once mocked her. “Anyone who thinks I’m weak, prove it now.” No one moved.

Then one warrior, Mason, stepped forward. “You want to be Alpha Queen? Then fight me like one.”

Emily didn’t hesitate. She shifted mid-air, claws flashing, her wolf radiant with new power. The fight was brutal. But when Mason hit the ground, her dominance was clear. And the pack, for the first time, bowed.

News of Emily’s victory spread beyond the forest, reaching the ears of the Alpha Council. In a dark chamber lit by moonlight, five Alphas sat in silence. One finally spoke. “She’s awakened the bloodline. The threat is real now.”

Another snarled, “We should have killed her when she was a child.”

The head Alpha, a man cloaked in black, said, “We still can. Send the Reaper.”

Across the realm there was a call to a lone assassin. Locating the girl, terminating the bloodline, and eliminating all witnesses were his clear orders. 

Oblivious to the approaching storm, Emily and Alexander strategized their next steps. Elias wanted to rally the rogue clans. Emily hesitated. “They’ll never follow me. I’m the daughter of their enemy.” Elias smirked. “Not if you give them a reason to fight.”

She turned to Alexander. “I need to face them. But not as Emily. As their rightful heir.”

Emily couldn’t sleep that night. She felt her bond with Alexander was strained by fear and not love. He joined her outside, where the stars blinked through the trees.

“Do you trust me?” she asked. “Always,” he said. “But I fear what trusting you will cost.”

She appreciated his honesty by nodding. “I need to become who I was born to be. And I need you to be strong enough to let me.”

He cupped her face, his voice rough. “I will stand beside you. Even if the world turns against us.”

She leaned into his touch. “Promise me, if I lose myself, if the power changes me, bring me back.” He kissed her gently. “I won’t let you fall.”

From the shadows, a blade gleamed. The Reaper watched them from the trees, waiting for the perfect moment.

As Emily stepped back into the house, the assassin struck. A poisoned arrow flew through the air straight at Alexander’s heart.

And Emily screamed his name.