Chapter 17: Milo's Silver Awakening

"You spent years treating me like pack trash, Rowena, but the blood of a Beta King runs in these veins, and it's time you learned your place."

The midday sun shone over the Obsidian Fang courtyard as warriors moved between training stations. Wooden swords clashed, instructors shouted commands, and several elite guards practised their fighting formations. Near the edge of the training ground, Milo struggled to push himself upright after stumbling backward from a heavy sparring dummy.

His chest rose and fell rapidly as he rubbed his aching shoulder. He had insisted on joining the training session, determined to become strong enough to protect Elara. Unfortunately, his body was still adjusting to the awakening that had begun inside the archive.

"Come on, Milo. You can do better than that!" one of the younger guards called out.

Milo straightened his back and tried to look confident. "I know. I just need another chance."

Before he could return to the dummy, a familiar voice interrupted him. Rowena was scrubbing the stone steps near the courtyard entrance, her sleeves rolled up and a wooden bucket of dirty water beside her. She looked at Milo with open disgust.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" she sneered. "Playing warrior now? Get back to the kitchen before you embarrass yourself any further."

Milo's expression tightened. "I'm allowed to train here. The Luna gave me permission."

Rowena laughed bitterly, dipping her brush into the bucket. "The Luna has clearly lost her judgment. Just because she rescued you from the kitchen doesn't mean you're suddenly one of the warriors. You're still the same useless orphan who couldn't carry a tray without dropping it."

Several guards turned toward them, curious about the argument. Milo lowered his eyes for a moment, remembering the years Rowena had made his life miserable. She had mocked his weight, taken his food, and punished him whenever he failed to obey her orders.

But he wasn't the same frightened boy anymore.

"I don't work in your kitchen now," he replied, gripping his hands. "You don't get to order me around."

Rowena's face twisted. "Watch your mouth, boy. I can still make your life miserable if I want."

Milo stepped forward, but a sudden pain struck his chest. He staggered, clutching his shirt as a strange heat spread through his body. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground with a gasp.

The guards immediately stopped training.

"Milo!" one of them shouted.

Elara had just stepped into the courtyard with two attendants when she noticed the commotion. The moment she saw Milo on the ground, she rushed toward him, ignoring the startled warriors who moved out of her way.

"What happened to him?"

"I don't know, Luna!" a guard answered. "He was standing there, and suddenly he started shaking."

Milo's entire body began to shudder violently. His fingers dug into the dirt as a wave of silver energy surged from his chest. The wooden bucket beside Rowena exploded, sending dirty water and broken pieces scattering across the stone steps.

Rowena screamed and stumbled backward.

Elara dropped to her knees beside Milo, shielding him from the gathering crowd. "Everyone, step back! Give him room!"

The System began chiming repeatedly inside her mind.

[DING! DING! DING!]

[ANCIENT BLOODLINE AWAKENING DETECTED!]

[SUBJECT: MILO STONE.]

[TRUE IDENTITY CONFIRMED: HIDDEN HEIR OF THE MURDERED BETA KING.]

[SILVER WOLF BLOODLINE SEALS BREAKING.]

[WARNING: YEARS OF GLUTTON ROOT EXPOSURE HAVE SUPPRESSED THE SUBJECT'S NATURAL WOLF DEVELOPMENT.]

Elara's eyes widened as she read the notifications. "Milo, listen to me. You're safe. Don't fight the energy. Let it happen."

His breathing became uneven, and his head tilted backward. "It hurts, Elara. Something inside me is trying to get out."

"I know. Look at me. You're stronger than whatever has been holding you down."

A brilliant silver light burst from his body, forcing several guards to shield their eyes. The air vibrated with a powerful pressure that made the training flags snap violently against their poles. Even the older warriors felt their wolves responding to the strange ancestral energy.

Milo cried out as his body began to change. His shoulders broadened slightly, and his round features sharpened as the years of forced chemical suppression finally began to lose their hold. His breathing gradually steadied, while silver markings appeared along his wrists and climbed toward his forearms.

A deep growl escaped his throat.

Elara watched in amazement. "Your wolf is coming through, Milo."

His eyes opened, glowing with a brilliant silver light. For a brief moment, a majestic wolf-shaped shadow appeared behind him, its powerful head raised proudly as it released a commanding howl. The sound travelled across the courtyard, reaching every corner of the Obsidian Fang fortress.

The elite guards froze.

One of them lowered his wooden sword. "That aura... where have I felt it before?"

Another older warrior stared at Milo in disbelief. "It resembles the Silver Beta bloodline. I thought that family had been completely wiped out."

Milo slowly pushed himself to his feet. His legs trembled, but he remained standing without assistance. The silver glow still surrounded him, and his expression had changed from uncertainty to quiet determination.

Then he noticed Rowena.

She was crawling backward across the wet stones, her face drained of colour. The brush had fallen from her hand, and she stared at the silver markings on Milo's arms as though she had seen a ghost.

"No..." she whispered. "That can't be possible."

Milo turned toward her. "What's wrong, Rowena? You've gone awfully quiet."

She shook her head, struggling to move farther away. "You... you're supposed to be dead. That bloodline was erased years ago."

Elara rose slowly, keeping one hand near Milo's shoulder. "What did you just say?"

Rowena's lips trembled. She looked from Elara to Milo, then back at the silver aura surrounding the boy. Her expression revealed more than she intended.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really?" Elara's voice hardened. "Because you seem to recognize his bloodline very well."

Rowena tried to stand, but her legs gave way. "It can't be the Beta King's blood. Queen Selene made sure there were no heirs left."

The courtyard fell silent.

Milo stared at her. "You knew about my family?"

Rowena immediately covered her mouth, realizing what she had revealed. But it was too late. Every warrior nearby had heard the name Queen Selene, and several exchanged uneasy glances.

Elara's expression turned cold. "You and the Queen knew who Milo was, didn't you? Is that why you kept feeding him Glutton Root? You wanted his wolf buried forever."

"I only followed orders!" Rowena blurted out before she could stop herself.

Milo's hands curled into fists. The silver light around his body pulsed again, but Elara gently touched his arm.

"Not yet, Milo. We will get the truth from her, but you don't have to lose control."

His jaw tightened as he looked at the woman who had spent years making him feel worthless. "She poisoned me. She made me believe there was something wrong with me."

Elara's expression softened. "And now you know the truth. None of that was your fault."

Heavy footsteps interrupted them. Silas entered the courtyard, his presence immediately commanding attention. His grey eyes swept over the broken bucket, the frightened warriors, and the silver aura surrounding Milo.

"What happened here?"

Elara stepped forward. "Milo's bloodline has awakened. The System confirmed he's the hidden heir of the murdered Beta King."

Silas looked directly at the boy. For several seconds, he studied the silver markings before a faint expression of approval appeared beneath his mask.

"Then the old bloodline was never truly extinguished."

He turned toward the gathered warriors. "Listen carefully. This boy is no longer to be treated as a kitchen orphan or an unwanted burden. His blood carries the legacy of a Beta King, and his place in this pack will reflect that."

Milo stared at him, almost afraid to believe what he was hearing.

Silas stepped closer and rested a heavy, approving hand on his glowing silver shoulder.

"Welcome home, young Beta... your fight for survival in this pack officially ends today.”