Chapter 10: The Goddess Speaks

Thorne stood at the edge of the forest, his golden eyes fixed on the pack house. The rain poured down, soaking everyone, but he didn't seem to notice. The darkness spun behind him like living smoke.

"Stay inside," Elijah ordered, grabbing his jacket.

"If you're going out there, I'm coming with you," Liam declared, following him down the stairs.

The pack had gathered in the main hall, faces tight with worry. Marcus stood in the middle, his eyes cold when they landed on Liam.

"This is your doing," Marcus charged. "Your powers have brought this danger to our door."

"That's enough," Elijah snapped. "Aria, keep everyone inside. Liam, stay with me."

Together, they stepped out into the rain. The water felt strangely warm against Liam's skin, almost abnormal. When they reached the bottom of the steps, Elijah stopped.

"Whatever happens, don't use your powers unless you absolutely have to," he warned.

Liam nodded, though the silver marks on his skin were already starting to glow beneath his wet shirt.

They crossed the yard to where Thorne waited. Up close, the Alpha of the Shadow Pack was even more frightening. His brown hair was streaked with gray, his golden eyes calculating. The wolves flanking him growled softly.

"Blackwood," Thorne said with a nod. "I see you brought your little secret weapon."

"What do you want, Thorne?" Elijah asked, ignoring the jab.

Thorne's eyes fixed on Liam. "I came to see for myself. The True Omega. The one from the prophecy."

"How do you know about the prophecy?" Liam asked.

Thorne smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "My family has kept its own scrolls. We've been waiting for this day for generations."

"Waiting to do what?" Elijah asked.

"To stop it," Thorne answered simply. "The old ways died for a reason, Blackwood. They were dangerous. Chaotic."

"You mean they didn't let Alphas have all the power," Liam said.

Thorne's smile disappeared. "You have no idea what forces you're playing with, boy. Did your sister give you my message? About the silver wolf cub?"

A chill ran down Liam's spine that had nothing to do with the rain. "How do you know about that?"

"Because I was there," Thorne said. "The day your parents died."

The world seemed to tilt beneath Liam's feet. "What?"

"They didn't die in an accident," Thorne added, his voice almost gentle now. "They were killed. Because of what they knew. Because of what you are."

"You're lying," Liam whispered, but doubt crept into his mind.

"Am I?" Thorne asked. "Ask yourself why you survived when they didn't. Ask yourself where those silver markings really came from."

Elijah moved closer to Liam, his shoulder touching Liam's in quiet support.

"Say what you came to say, Thorne," Elijah growled. "Then get off my land."

Thorne's eyes hardened. "I came to warn you. The darkness you saw in the forest? That's just the beginning. Every time he uses his powers, it grows stronger. Feeds on the magic."

"The Void," Liam said, remembering Aria's words.

"So you do know something," Thorne nodded. "Good. Then perhaps you'll understand why this has to end. Why he has to end."

Elijah stepped in front of Liam. "If you're threatening him, you're threatening me."

"I'm offering you a chance, Blackwood," Thorne said. "Hand him over to me. Let me deal with this before it's too late."

"Never," Elijah growled, his eyes flashing amber.

Thorne sighed. "I expected as much. Your father warned me you were stubborn."

"My father?" Elijah asked, his voice sharp with surprise.

"Who do you think told me where to find the Silvermoon boy?" Thorne smiled. "Marcus knows what needs to be done."

Before Elijah could reply, a flash of lightning split the sky. But instead of disappearing, the light seemed to hang in the air, making a shimmering path from the clouds to the ground.

And walking down that road was Kaida.

Her black hair streaked with starlight moved around her as if she were underwater. Her eyes, now pure silver, gleamed in the darkness. When her bare feet hit the wet ground, steam rose around her.

"Enough," her voice rang out, clear despite the rain. "This is not the time for old men's squabbles."

Even Thorne took a step back. "The Goddess of Fate," he whispered.

"You know me," Kaida smiled, but there was no love in it. "Good. Then you know what happens to those who try to change what must be."

She moved forward, and the darkness behind Thorne seemed to shrink away from her.

"The Void grows hungry," she said, her look moving to Liam. "It has waited a long time for your power, Silver Wolf."

"What is it?" Liam asked.

"Balance," Kaida answered cryptically. "For every light, a shadow. For every beginning, an end."

"You're not making sense," Elijah said, anger clear in his voice.

Kaida's silver eyes flashed. "Must I speak in small words for you, Hidden Alpha? The powers awakening in him—in both of you—come with a price."

She raised her hand, and the rain stopped falling around them, frozen in mid-air.

"Long ago, when the first wolves walked the earth, Alphas and Omegas were equals. Their powers balanced each other, like sun and moon." As she spoke, pictures formed in the suspended raindrops—wolves running together, silver and gold light mingling.

"But some grew hungry for power," she added, and the images changed to show wolves fighting. "They broke the balance. Buried the Omega magic deep. And in doing so, they created the Void—a darkness that feeds on the imbalance."

"So what does the Void want?" Liam asked.

"To consume all magic," Kaida said simply. "To restore balance in the only way it can—by destroying what was stolen."

"The Omega power," Elijah said.

Kaida nodded. "And now that it's awakening again, the Void hungers."

Thorne stepped forward. "Which is why the boy must die. Cut off the Void's food source."

"Fool," Kaida hissed, and Thorne flinched. "Kill him, and you doom yourselves. The balance must be restored, not destroyed."

"How?" Liam asked, despair in his voice. "How do we restore it?"

Kaida turned to him, her face softening slightly. "The answer lies in your blood, Silver Wolf. In the bond you share." Her eyes flicked to Elijah. "A bond you both still fight."

Heat rushed to Liam's face. Beside him, Elijah shifted uncomfortably.

"The wolf pack was meant to be a circle, not a pyramid," Kaida added. "Alpha and Omega, two halves of one whole."

She moved closer to Liam, reaching out to touch his face. Her fingers were strangely warm.

"Three tests you must face," she whispered. "One of the body." She looked to the forest where they had fought the rogues. "One of the heart." Her eyes moved between him and Elijah. "And one of the soul."

"And if we fail?" Elijah asked.

"Then all is lost," Kaida said simply. "The Void will consume not just your power, but all of you."

She stepped back, the rain beginning to fall again around her.

"The next full moon comes soon," she warned. "With it, the final test. Be ready."

"Wait," Liam called as she turned to leave. "You said the answer is in my blood. What does that mean?"

Kaida paused. "Ask the wolf cub who should have died. Ask how silver came to mark your skin."

Before Liam could ask her further, thunder cracked overhead. When the sound faded, Kaida was gone.

Thorne stared at the spot where she had stood, his face pale. "This changes nothing," he said, but his voice lacked confidence. "The prophecy cannot be fulfilled."

"I think you should leave now," Elijah said coldly.

With one last look at Liam, Thorne turned and walked back into the woods, his wolves following. The darkness went with him.

Elijah and Liam stood in the rain, soaked and confused.

"Do you believe her?" Liam asked quietly.

"I don't know," Elijah revealed. "But I know I don't believe Thorne."

"He said my father knew about me. That he told Thorne where to find me."

Elijah's jaw tightened. "We'll deal with my father. But first, we need to understand what Kaida meant about the three tests."

As they turned to walk back to the house, Liam suddenly tripped. A sharp pain shot through his head, so intense he cried out.

"Liam!" Elijah caught him before he fell.

"Something's wrong," Liam gasped. The marks on his skin began to glow brighter than ever before, burning hot.

Inside his mind, he heard Kaida's voice.

The bond must be made before the full moon rises. Or all is lost.

When he looked up at Elijah, he saw his own fear mirrored in the Alpha's eyes. But behind that fear was something else, something powerful.

"I won't let anything happen to you," Elijah promised, pulling Liam close.

As their bodies pressed together, the pain eased slightly. The silver marks cooled, their glow softening.

In that moment, with Elijah's arms around him, Liam almost believed everything would be okay.

Until he looked over Elijah's shoulder and saw Marcus watching from the door, his phone in his hand, already dialing a number. And Liam knew with sudden certainty who he was calling.

The battle was just starting.