Chapter 21: Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter 21:
Lia’s POV
The forest air was sharp, biting at my skin as I followed Edgar through the dense trees, my new wolf senses picking up every rustle and scent, pine, earth, and the faint tang of blood from last night’s fight. The journal I’d found in the bookstore was tucked into my jacket, a photograph of my mother, her amber hair like mine, standing beside a man who could only be Edgar’s father, both tied to the Ironclad clan and its curse. The words ‘traitor’ and ‘betrayal’ haunted me, but I had no answers, only questions that burned as fiercely as the moonbound mark on my shoulder.
Edgar moved ahead, his broad shoulders tense, his steps silent despite his size. The bond between us thrummed, stronger since the mating ritual, a golden thread that made every glance, every touch, feel like fire. But it wasn’t just the bond tying me to him, it was the fight ahead. Connor’s challenge loomed, a death sentence hanging over us, and the Ironclad’s distrust of me as a tribrid was a wall I hadn’t yet broken. Quinn’s betrayal had only made it worse, her jealous attack a wound that still stung. I needed allies, not just Edgar, and I needed to understand my mother’s past before it swallowed me whole.
“Stay sharp,” Edgar said, his voice low, his eyes scanning the trees. “We’re meeting someone. She’s… different, but she can help you.”
I raised an eyebrow, my wolf stirring, alert. “Help me how? And who is she? You’re not exactly big on trust these days.”
He glanced back, a faint smile tugging at his lips, though his eyes were heavy with worry. “Her name’s Elena. A retired huntress. She knows more about werewolf politics than anyone in the clan. If anyone can help you navigate the Ironclad’s suspicions, or your mother’s history it's her.”
The name sparked something in me, a flicker of curiosity cutting through my anger. A huntress. Someone outside the clan’s rigid loyalty, maybe someone who could see me as more than an outsider. I nodded, my claws flexing instinctively, the wolf in me ready for whatever came next. “Fine. But if she’s another Quinn, I’m not holding back.”
Edgar’s smile faded, the bond pulsing with his guilt. “She’s not. Elena’s… complicated, but she’s loyal. To the clan, and to the truth.”
We reached a small clearing, the moonlight filtering through the canopy, casting silver streaks across the ground. A woman stood there, waiting, her presence commanding despite her lean frame. She was older, maybe in her forties, with dark hair streaked with gray, pulled into a tight braid. Her eyes were sharp, glowing faintly gold, and her scent was wild, like the forest itself, laced with something ancient and dangerous. My wolf perked up, recognizing a predator, but there was no threat in her stance, just a quiet strength that made me want to listen.
“You must be Lia,” she said, her voice low, steady, with a hint of amusement. “The moonbound who’s got the whole clan in agitation.”
I crossed my arms. “And you’re Elena. Edgar says you can help me. Why should I trust you?”
She laughed, a soft, knowing sound that didn’t mock me. “You shouldn’t. Not yet. Trust is earned, not given, especially when you’re a tribrid in a clan that fears change.” She stepped closer, her eyes scanning me, like she could see the wolf beneath my skin. “But I know what it’s like to be an outsider. And I know what it means to carry a bond like yours.”
The mark on my shoulder pulsed, the bond with Edgar humming as he stood silently beside me, his presence grounding but not interfering. “You know about moonbound mates?” I asked, my voice cautious, the journal’s weight pressing against my chest. “About the curse?”
Elena’s eyes darkened, her smile fading. “More than most. I hunted for the Ironclad years ago, before I retired. Saw the curse tear families apart, saw what it does to those who defy it. Your mother…” She paused, glancing at Edgar, then back to me. “She was one of us, Lia. Moonbound, like you. Mated to an alpha. But she ran, and no one knows why. Not even me.”
My heart clenched, the photograph flashing in my mind, my mother, smiling beside a man who wasn’t here anymore. “I found a journal,” I said, my voice steady despite the ache. “It said she was a traitor. That she betrayed the clan. Is that true?”
Elena’s face softened, but her eyes were sharp, calculating. “The truth is never that simple. Your mother was strong, like you. But strength makes enemies. The Ironclad don’t trust easily, and a moonbound mate, an outsider, like she was, stirs fear. Some say she betrayed the clan, but others… Others say she was protecting something. Or someone.”
I swallowed, my throat tight, the wolf in me growling for answers. “Protecting who? Me? Why didn’t she tell me any of this?”
“That’s what you need to find out,” Elena said, her voice firm but not unkind. “The journals in the bookstore are a start, but they’re pieces of a puzzle. The clan’s elders know more, but they won’t talk unless you prove yourself. And with Connor’s challenge tomorrow, you don’t have much time.”
I glanced at Edgar, the bond pulsing with his tension, his eyes on Elena like he was weighing every word. “She’s right,” he said, his voice low. “The clan’s watching you, Lia. They don’t trust you yet, not as a tribrid, not after Quinn. You need to show them you’re one of us.”
“Then I will,” I said, my voice fierce, the wolf rising to meet the challenge. “But I need to know what my mother was running from. If it’s tied to me, to this curse, I can’t fight blind.”
Elena nodded, a spark of respect in her eyes. “I’ll help you. I know the clan’s politics, the secrets they bury. But you need to be ready, Lia. The Frostclad aren’t just coming for you, they’re coming for the heart of the Ironclad. And Connor’s not the only threat.”
A chill ran through me, the memory of Quinn’s claws and Maris’s betrayal sharp in my mind. “You think there’s another traitor?” I asked, my wolf senses flaring, picking up the faint scent of frost in the distance. The Frostclad were still out there, watching, waiting.
Elena’s eyes narrowed, her voice dropping. “I know there is. And they’re closer than you think.”