Chapter 12: Shadows of the Past

The shadow with red eyes lunged forward. Elijah threw himself over Liam, ready to protect him with his life. But before the shadow reached them, a bright flash of light filled the room.

Aria stood in the doorway, her hands glowing with blue fire.

"Get away from my brother," she ordered, sending the flames toward the darkness. The Void hissed like water on hot stones and backed into the corner.

Sage appeared behind Aria, throwing a handful of sparkling dust across the room. "Circle of light, circle of might, banish the darkness, bring the light!" she chanted.

The dust made a glowing circle around Liam's bed. The darkness screamed—a sound that made their ears hurt—and then vanished.

Liam's breathing steadied, and the black veins withdrew from his silver markings. Elijah kept hold of his hand, unwilling to let go.

"It will come back," Sage warned, closing the door. "That was just a small piece of the Void. We don't have much time."

Aria sat on the edge of the bed, taking Liam's other hand. "I think it's time we told them everything, little brother."

Liam nodded weakly. "They need to know. About us. About what happened."

Elijah felt Liam squeeze his hand. "You don't have to talk now if you're not strong enough."

"I need to," Liam urged. "The full moon is coming soon. We need to be ready."

Aria helped Liam sit up against his pillows. The silver marks still glowed on his skin, but softer now.

"Our story starts long before we were born," Aria started. "With a prophecy about two bloodlines—one with the power of the moon, one with the power of the forest."

"Our parents," Liam added, "they were from these bloodlines. They found each other because of the prophecy."

"But someone didn't want them to be together," Aria's voice toughened. "Someone was afraid of what would happen if Alpha and Omega powers joined as equals again."

Elijah thought of what his father had told him. "Thorne and my father tried to stop them."

Liam's eyes widened. "You know about that?"

"My father just told me," Elijah revealed. "He said they tried to save your parents from the Void."

Aria laughed bitterly. "Is that what he called it? Saving? They hunted our parents like animals. Cornered them in the forest on a full moon night."

"I remember bits and pieces," Liam said softly. "I was only five, but some things you never forget. The shouting. The growling. The darkness coming from nowhere."

"What really happened that night?" Elijah asked.

Aria and Liam exchanged a look, as if choosing how much to share.

"Our parents knew they were in danger," Aria finally said. "They performed a ritual to protect us. To hide what we were."

"But something went wrong," Liam continued. "When Thorne and your father attacked, our parents tried to use their combined power to fight back. That's when the Void appeared."

"It wasn't just after them," Aria added. "It was after Liam. It knew what he was—what he would become."

"Our mother..." Liam's voice broke. "She put herself between me and the darkness. The last thing I remember is her hands on my skin, burning like fire, and her voice saying, 'Hide your light, my silver wolf. Until it's time.'"

Elijah noticed a tear roll down Liam's face. Without thinking, he reached out and gently wiped it away. Their eyes met, and even in this terrible moment, Elijah felt that pull between them grow stronger.

"What happened after?" Sage asked softly.

"We were separated," Aria said. "I was ten. They sent me to a pack in the east. Liam was sent west. We were told never to speak of our parents or our powers."

"But the markings," Elijah said, looking at the silver lines on Liam's skin. "How did you get them?"

"They appeared that night," Liam stated. "When my mother touched me. I think... I think she put some of her power inside me, to keep it safe from the Void."

"We found each other again five years ago," Aria continued. "I felt this pull, like something calling me to Liam. When we met, my powers came back. And Liam's started to wake up too."

"That's when the troubles at our last pack started," Liam said. He looked away from Elijah, shame in his eyes. "The Alpha there... he sensed something different about me. He became obsessed."

Elijah felt a growl build in his chest. "What did he do to you?"

"He tried to force a bond," Liam said softly. "Said if I was his mate, my powers would be his to control. When I refused, he locked me up. Said he'd wait until the next full moon, when I'd be too weak to resist."

Aria's hands flamed blue again at the memory. "I broke him out. We ran that night and never looked back. We've been running ever since."

"Until you came here," Elijah said. "Why here?"

Liam looked up at him, those violet eyes wide with honesty. "I dreamed of you. For months before we came. I saw your face, these woods, this house. I felt like... like I was supposed to find you."

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with meaning. Elijah felt his heart beat faster.

"I dreamed of you too," he admitted softly. "I didn't understand it then."

Sage cleared her throat. "The prophecy was guiding you together. Two halves of the same whole."

"But now the Void knows you've found each other," Aria warned. "That's why it's coming. It wants to stop what's meant to happen."

"What exactly is meant to happen?" Elijah asked.

Liam and Aria shared another look.

"According to the old scrolls," Liam said slowly, "when true Alpha and true Omega bond under the full moon, their powers don't just join—they multiply. They create something new. Something that can restore balance to all wolves."

"And destroy the Void forever," Aria added.

Elijah felt the weight of their words. "That's what Kaida meant about the three tests. The test of the body was the fight with the rogues. The test of the heart..."

"Is whether you two can overcome your fears and fully accept the bond between you," Sage finished for him. "And the test of the soul will come on the full moon."

"Two days from now," Aria said grimly.

Before anyone could react, a loud crash came from downstairs, followed by shouts and growls.

Elijah jumped to his feet. "Stay here," he ordered, making for the door.

Liam caught his wrist. "Elijah, wait—"

Their eyes met again, and without words, Elijah understood what Liam was feeling—fear, worry, and something deeper. Something neither of them had dared name yet.

"I'll be right back," he promised.

As he reached the stairs, Elijah froze. The main hall was filled with wolves—none from his pack. At their center stood Thorne, and beside him, looking grim and determined, stood Marcus.

"We've come for the Omega," Thorne announced, his voice carrying through the house. "The time for talking is over."

What Elijah saw next made his blood run cold. Behind Thorne and his father, hanging like a terrible shadow, was the darkness with red eyes. And this time, it was much, much bigger.