Chapter 64: CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR | POWERS

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR | POWERS

RONAN

I was too shocked to even breathe. My chest felt locked, like the air refused to go in. My eyes were still on the tattoos, on the hands, on the truth sitting there like it had been waiting for me.

Brian grabbed my arm and knocked his knuckles against it. “Let’s get out of here,” he said. “They’re waiting for us.”

I nodded, even though my head felt heavy.

As we moved, my feet working on their own, I leaned closer to him. “Do you think Alettoi is behind this?”

Brian didn’t answer immediately. He just kept walking.

Then he shrugged. “We’ll figure it out.”

But that wasn’t comforting.

We walked fast, cutting through parts of the school no one used. An abandoned building sat deep inside the compound like it had been forgotten on purpose. We went inside the building.

A wall was cracked open at the far end. Inside it was a tunnel. It looked narrow and dark.

Brian stepped in first, and we followed suit.

The air changed as soon as we stepped out on the other side. It was really cold out here.

Aspen gasped softly. “This is my first time outside the school since I got in.”

Rachel laughed. “Well… I never knew there was an entrance like this.”

My heart tightened at that statement, and I glanced at her. She’s the principal’s daughter, and she’s here with us.

Was it right bringing her here?

I didn’t trust her. I didn’t think I ever would.

Brian waved his hand. “Come on.”

We followed him into the forest as the trees swallowed us. As we stepped further, leaves cracked under our feet, and the deeper we went, the quieter it got.

Then I saw it—a small hut just sitting there.

Aspen frowned. “How can a hut be in the middle of nowhere?”

I rolled my eyes. “For things like this.”

She looked at me like she wanted to argue but didn’t.

Rachel clicked her tongue. “So where are these people we’re meeting?”

Brian opened the hut and stepped aside. “They’re in there.”

The inside was dim. There was a small lamp on a small wooden table. I was amazed at how the wooden walls stood.

I noticed a small room at the far end of the room we were in, and I felt Brian’s eyes on me.

“But only Ronan will follow me,” Brian added.

I felt Rachel stiffen, but maybe I imagined it. “Why?”

“We’re in this together,” she said immediately.

Brian looked at her with a very calm expression. “I know. But they need to meet the Alpha first.”

I exhaled slowly and rolled my eyes, hoping it wasn’t what I was thinking.

“That’s not fair,” she muttered under her breath.

“I’ll be fine,” I said, though I wasn’t sure.

Aspen looked at me. Her eyes searched my face. “Be careful.”

I nodded, and Brian turned and headed toward the small room while I followed him.

Brian pushed the door open, and I stepped in, the smell of old wood and iron hitting me first. The room wasn’t big, but it felt heavy, like it carried memories it refused to let go of.

My eyes lifted slowly, and then I stopped in my tracks at the sight of the familiar older faces before me.

Pantus stood up first. His hair was more white than black now. His eyes shook when they landed on me.

“Is this you?” he asked, his voice breaking like it wasn’t meant to be heard. Before I could answer, he pulled me into a hug.

I stood stiff, and the hug felt wrong. These were the same people who sat in silence when I was declared weak.

The same ones who agreed I should be thrown into that school because I wasn’t as powerful as my sister.

I pulled away. “How can I trust you all?” I asked. My voice sounded calmer than I felt. “You sent me away.”

One of the men stood up, his jaw tight. “Alettoi has been destroying the pack,” he said. “Children are going missing. Dark things have been happening ever since he returned from exile. Nothing has been the same.”

My chest burned. “You all wanted him back,” I said. “And you wanted me gone.”

Another elder stepped forward, his shoulders slumped. “We were wrong,” he said quietly. “And now we need you. You’re the rightful heir.”

The words didn’t sit right. Need felt heavier than want.

Another elder cleared his throat. “There’s more,” he said. “There’s an organization. They call themselves the Red Ones. They operate underground, and Alettoi is their leader.”

My breath hitched. I reached into my jacket and pulled out the folded sheet of paper. I opened it and laid it on the table, and the tattoo of a crescent symbol that I had drawn on the paper became visible.

“Are you talking about these people?” I asked.

Every head nodded. “Yes,” Pantus said. “That symbol belongs to them.”

The room went quiet for a while. I stared at the paper, my mind racing.

“So you need me now,” I said. “After everything.”

Pantus met my eyes. “We need our Alpha,” he said. “And you need the truth.”

I clenched my jaw. Outside this room, Brian, Aspen, and Rachel were waiting. A world that didn’t know what was coming.

“I’ll listen,” I said finally. “But I don’t promise forgiveness.”

They all bowed their heads. And for the first time in years, I felt it. The weight of the crown that was snatched away from me a long time ago was starting to settle quietly on my shoulders.

I looked around the room once more, taking in every face and every regret carved into them.

“If I do this,” I said, “there’s no turning back.” I said it, and no one spoke. They all nodded their heads in understanding. I folded the paper and slipped it back into my pocket.

I have my powers back. Alettoi, you better get yours ready. I’ll make sure I avenge my lost family.