Chapter 75

Chapter 75
Alpha Silas’s POV

“I’m coming,” I said to the guard at the door.

“Okay, Alpha,” he replied with a quick bow, turning on his heel and leaving with brisk steps.

I stood for a beat, staring into the space he had just vacated. A message from Mooncroft? My chest tightened. Every time that name surfaced, it brought a mix of anger, confusion, and frustration. Especially now that Diane’s disappearance still haunted the walls of this house.

“We should go together,” Gabriella said gently as she stood from her seat, placing a hand on her lower back with the grace of someone carrying life inside her.

“No,” I replied firmly, walking toward her. “It could be anything or anyone. And now… I can’t risk you or the baby.”

She looked into my eyes, her lips parted slightly, like she wanted to argue. But I saw the understanding in her gaze.

“I’ll mind-link Leander,” I added. “We’ll go together.”

Meet me at my chamber. Now. I sent through the pack link.

Gabriella nodded slowly and touched her stomach again, whispering something I couldn’t quite hear. Probably a silent prayer.

Moments later, a knock came at the door. Three quick raps.

“Come in,” I said.

Leander entered swiftly, his boots heavy on the wooden floor as he walked toward me.

“You called, Alpha?” he asked, already alert.

“We have a visitor,” I said. “Someone from Mooncroft.”

His brow lifted. “Mooncroft?”

“Yes. The guards said someone’s waiting at the outer gate. They didn’t give details. We’re going to find out together.” I grabbed my coat from the chair. “Let’s go.”

Without wasting time, we left the room and walked briskly through the corridor. Servants moved aside. Warriors stepped back. Everyone could feel the tension wrapping around us like smoke.

As we passed the training yard, Leander spoke. “Do you think it’s someone sent by Lucien?”

“Possibly. But if it is, we need to tread carefully.”

When we neared the entrance to the outer gate, the wind shifted,and I saw them.

From a distance, the figure standing just outside the gate looked… strange.

They were cloaked in a flowing, soft-colored robe that hugged their shape oddly, bulging around the stomach. Their frame was hunched slightly, and their hands were clasped together under the cloak.

“Is that… a woman?” Leander asked with a squint.

I frowned. The figure’s gait was soft, almost like someone in discomfort. Even the aura felt… off.

“She looks pregnant,” one of the guards muttered behind us.

I narrowed my eyes. The robe, the way the figure was standing, the sway of the hips, it all screamed femininity. But something was wrong. The scent. The energy. It didn’t quite add up.

“Open the gate,” I commanded.

The large iron gates creaked slowly as they opened, revealing more of the figure, who still stood with their head lowered.

Then the moment we stepped closer, everything shifted.

The figure straightened with ease, the bulging robe seemed to dissolve in illusion, and before us stood not a woman,but a man.

Tall. Broad-shouldered. Silver eyes that held a faint glow. And definitely not pregnant.

“What the…” Leander started.

I raised a hand to silence him. My gaze remained locked on the man.

“Shifter,” I muttered under my breath.

The man gave a small bow. “Alpha Silas,” he said, his voice calm and deep. “I apologize for the deception. I had to ensure I wasn’t intercepted.”

“What are you?” I asked coldly.

“A shifter,” he replied plainly. “From the boundary lands sent by order of Alpha King Lucien.”

Lucien again.

“And why come in disguise?” I asked.

“To bypass unwanted attention,” he said, eyes calm. “I mean no harm.”

“Meaning no harm doesn’t earn you trust,” Leander cut in sharply.

“I understand,” the man said. “But I come with a message. And a warning.”

I tilted my head. “Go on.”

The man pulled a scroll from beneath his coat and extended it toward me.

I didn’t reach for it. “Speak first.”

“The Alpha King wants to avoid what’s coming,” he said, voice low. “He wishes for a private meeting with you, Alpha Silas. No armies. No guards. Just the two of you. There are things you need to know about Diane, about the past, about what’s really happening behind the scenes.”

My eyes narrowed. “Why now?”

“Because time is running out,” the shifter replied. “And if the truth doesn’t come to light soon, both packs may pay a price neither side can afford.”

Leander took a step forward. “How do we know this isn’t a trap?”

The shifter turned slightly. “Because if it was, I wouldn’t have come alone… and unarmed.”

I stared at him, my mind running wild. Diane. War. Lucien. Secrets.

“You said you had a warning,” I reminded him.

He nodded once. “There are movements within the packs hidden hands pulling strings. Someone wants war, Alpha. But it isn’t Lucien. And it isn’t you. But if both of you remain in the dark… then war is inevitable.”

Silence followed his words.

I could feel Leander’s unease beside me. But mine ran deeper, because I knew, in my gut, that something wasn’t right in the world we’d built.

I stepped forward finally and took the scroll.

“You’ve delivered your message,” I said. “Now leave.”

The shifter gave a small bow and turned without another word, vanishing into the trees like smoke.

I stood in silence, my hand gripping the scroll, the seal of Mooncroft still unbroken.

Leander watched him disappear. “What do we do?”

“I don’t know yet,” I said.