Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Alpha Silas’s POV
As Alpha Lucien turned and headed toward another direction, different thoughts swirled in my mind. Now that he had promised to find Diane, my heart finally eased a little. At least for now.
But deep down, I knew the search wouldn’t be simple.
Suddenly, Kael, Alpha Lucien’s Beta, halted at the entrance of a large familiar building. My steps slowed as I stared at the door in front of me. Memories I had locked away rushed forward like a tidal wave, crashing hard against my mind.
I knew this place.
I could remember it like yesterday.
This was the same building where I had been lodged when I came for the Mooncroft hunting competition. The same building where so much had silently unfolded in the shadows.
And it was just outside this very hall that I had last seen Diane.
I remembered her face clearly, hopeful, naïve, irritatingly desperate. She had been heading towards this very room when I intercepted her. I had told her bluntly, cruelly even, to stay far away from me and from Gabriella, my mate. I had made sure she understood there was no place for her in our lives.
I really despised her.
Even now, guilt prickled somewhere deep inside me, but I shoved it away immediately.
“If not for the war looming over my pack,” I muttered under my breath, making sure neither the two wolves with me nor Kael himself heard, “I wouldn’t be here wasting my breath searching for that unfortunate being.”
I clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging into my palms.
Focus, Silas. You’re not here for pity. You’re here for survival.
Kael finally pushed open the door, revealing a large, modestly furnished room with two beds, a sofa, and a small table with water and refreshments. It was plain but comfortable enough for visitors.
The wolf who had traveled with me entered first, casting wary glances around the room. I followed behind, my muscles still tense, half-expecting a trap even though I knew logically it wasn’t likely.
Kael stepped in last, his gaze sweeping the room with a calculating eye.
“This will be your room for tonight,” he said in a clipped voice, already turning to leave.
But something about his swift exit triggered my suspicion. I frowned, stepping forward quickly before he could disappear.
“Wait,” I said sharply, my voice slicing through the quiet.
“Why are we being placed together? Two warriors in one room? Isn’t it customary for each guest to be given a separate space?”
Kael paused, turning slightly. His expression was unreadable, calm, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes, something I couldn’t quite place.
Before he could open his mouth, the wolf who had traveled with me spoke instead.
“I want us to have a conversation,” the wolf said smoothly, his tone serious. “And after tonight…”
He glanced toward the window, his face shadowed.
“I will be leaving.”
Leaving?
A jolt ran through me.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Leaving? Why?” I demanded. “We came here together, what conversation are you talking about?”
Kael’s lips twitched into something that was not quite a smile, not quite a sneer.
“You’ll see soon enough,” he said, cryptically.
Then, without another word, he turned and strode away, the door clicking shut behind him.
I was left standing there, the air thick with unspoken tension.
The wolf approached the small table and poured himself a glass of water, moving casually like he owned the room.
I stayed rooted where I was, watching his every move, my senses sharpened, alert.
After a long silence, he finally spoke again.
“Alpha Silas,” he began, setting the glass down with a soft thud.
“What if I told you that everything you thought you knew about Diane’s disappearance… was a lie?”
My body stiffened.
“What do you mean?” I said coldly, masking the sudden spike of fear inside me.
He smiled faintly.
“Exactly what I said. Diane didn’t just vanish into thin air. She was taken.”
I stared at him, heart pounding.
“Taken by who?” I asked tightly.
He shook his head slowly.
“That,” he said, “is a longer story. One that can’t be rushed.”
I took a step closer, my wolf snarling just beneath my skin.
“I don’t have time for games,” I growled. “If you know something, you better start talking.”
The wolf studied me calmly for a few seconds, like he was weighing how much to say.
Then, with an almost casual shrug, he leaned back against the table and said:
“Have you ever wondered why Kael, the mighty Beta of Mooncroft—was so quick to lodge you here? Why Lucien himself didn’t personally escort you?”
My stomach twisted uneasily.
“What are you implying?” I barked.
“I’m implying,” he said, voice dropping to a whisper, “that some wolves in this pack would rather Diane stay missing forever.”
Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating.
“You’re lying,” I said, even though part of me was already questioning everything.
He laughed softly, without humor.
“Am I?”
I felt the walls closing in around me.
This can’t be happening.
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked finally, my voice rough.
The wolf’s face darkened.
“Because,” he said bitterly, “I owe Diane my life. And the ones who wronged her… will pay.”
I opened my mouth to demand more, but he raised a hand to stop me.
“Not tonight,” he said firmly. “Tonight, we stay silent. We observe. Tomorrow… we strike.”
“Strike?” I echoed, disbelieving.
He nodded.
“You want your answers, Alpha Silas?
You want to find Diane?”
I nodded, even as doubt gnawed at me.
“Then trust me… just for one night.”
I hesitated, torn between instinct and desperation.
Trust a stranger?
But then again, what choice did I have?
Before I could respond, there was a sharp knock at the door.
Both of us froze.
Kael’s voice drifted from the other side.
“Lights out, Alphas. The pack is entering night lockdown.”
Night lockdown?
I exchanged a glance with the mysterious wolf, unease crawling up my spine.
Something wasn’t right.
I could feel it.
And tomorrow… it might already be too late.
I stared at the door, heart hammering. The path ahead was murky and dangerous.
But no matter what, I had to see it through.For Diane, the moon goddess prophecy.
For Gabriella, and For my pup. No matter the cost