Chapter 28

Chapter 28
Bloodlines:
Alice

I didn’t speak on the way there. I couldn’t. My mouth felt dry, my limbs stiff, like my body hadn’t caught up with what my mind was screaming.My mother was alive.Alive.And she wanted to see me.Clara walked beside me in silence, only stopping once we reached the old border—a sliver of forest that led beyond Pentagon’s territory, into the no-man’s land the packs didn’t dare patrol. She handed me a cloak.

“She said to come alone,” Clara murmured, gaze soft with concern. “But if anything feels wrong—scream. I’ll be closer than you think.”I nodded, barely hearing her. My hands clutched the edge of the cloak, fingers tightening around the fabric as I stepped past the tree line and into the unknown.The air shifted.

It was quieter here. Not peaceful. Just… expectant.The kind of silence before lightning strikes.I followed the narrow path winding through overgrown roots and tangled moss. My pulse hammered harder with every step. By the time I reached the glade, my palms were slick.

She stood with her back to me, facing a lone white stone in the center of the clearing. She was cloaked, like me, but I recognized the silver strands of her hair catching the sunlight, and the way her shoulders curved slightly, like she carried more than her share of weight.“Mom?” My voice cracked on the word. It felt foreign, childish.She turned slowly.

Her face was older, thinner. But her eyes—goddess, her eyes—still looked like mine.And when she smiled, it shattered something in me.“Alice.”I didn’t know what to do. Hug her? Scream? Demand answers? I stood frozen, my feet glued to the dirt.“You’re alive,” I said dumbly.Her smile faltered. “I never wanted you to think otherwise.”“Then why?” I asked, my voice rising. “Why disappear? Why let me grow up thinking you were dead?”She took a step closer. “Because it was the only way to protect you.”“No,” I said, shaking my head. “No, you don’t get to say that. You left. You chose to leave.”“I didn’t have a choice—”

“You did!” My voice broke. “You could’ve come back. You could’ve told me—anything! Instead, I got silence. A grave with no body. A lie.”Her face crumpled. “Alice… you were never supposed to grow up like that. You were born into something ancient. Something dangerous.”“The Lunari,” I whispered.She nodded. “The Sect still exists. Quiet. Watching. Waiting. But not all of us agreed with what they wanted for you.”I narrowed my eyes. “And what did they want?”“To shape you,” she said, softly. “To mold you into a weapon.”Her words slammed into me. I took a step back.“A weapon?”

“You were born under the Twin Eclipse,” she said. “It only happens once every five hundred years. The child born under that moon is said to carry the Veil—half light, half dark. Power that can either restore balance… or end it. A goddess.”I stared at her. “So that’s what I am to you? To them? A prophecy?”“No.” She reached out but didn’t touch me. “You’re my daughter. And I’ve regretted every day I wasn’t there.”My throat tightened. “Then why now? Why show yourself now?”“Because you’re standing at the edge, Alice. Everything is shifting. You’ve awakened your power. The Sect will come for you, but knowing who they're, I guess they're already on your tail. And they're going to try to control you. And you need to know the truth before that happens.”

I clenched my jaw. “Then tell me.”Her gaze sharpened. “Your choice will shape the end.”“What does that even mean?”She hesitated. “The war that's coming... it won’t be between packs. It’ll be between those who cling to the old ways—and those like you who threaten it. Your choice will decide which survives.”I stared at her, heart thundering. “And what if I choose neither?”

She smiled sadly. “Then the world burns.”I took a shaky breath. My legs suddenly felt heavy. “So what now? You disappear again and leave me to clean this up?”She looked pained. “I can't go back. They’d follow me. They’d find you sooner. But I had to see you. Just once.”I swallowed the ache rising in my throat. “You don't get to just show up and dump a destiny on me.”“I know.” Her voice cracked. “But I hoped… if I could just look in your eyes once more, maybe you'd believe you're strong enough to survive it.”She stepped back, and before I could stop her, she turned and vanished into the trees.

I didn’t follow.Couldn’t.I stood there for what felt like forever.Then I turned and began the walk back.

The sun dipped low, painting the trees in gold as I stepped back into familiar territory. I hadn’t even reached the pack line when Kael appeared—like he’d been waiting.He leaned against a crooked pine, arms crossed, that permanent scowl on his face.“You followed me?” I asked, not sure if I was angry or… relieved.He straightened. “No. I waited.”I arched a brow. “Same thing.”

“I figured you’d need someone when you came back,” he said simply.His voice wasn’t smug or mocking. Just… quiet. Real.I stopped walking.Kael moved closer. “Is it true?”“What?”“That your mother’s alive?”

I nodded slowly.He exhaled like he didn’t know what to do with that.Neither did I.Then he said, “I was angry at you.”I blinked. “I know.”

“No,” he said, stepping closer. “You don’t. I wasn’t angry because you lied, or because of the prophecy. I was angry because I couldn’t stop caring. Even when I wanted to.”I didn’t move.“I told myself I wanted revenge. That it was about balance. Control. But I never gave a damn about any of that.” His eyes burned into mine. “I just… couldn’t let you go.”Something inside me twisted. And broke.

“Kael…”

His hand brushed mine—light, tentative.But before I could decide whether to pull away or lean in, a branch snapped.I turned instinctively.And there he was.

Darius.Standing in the shadows, his eyes burning.His eyes locked on Kael’s hand—still close to mine.And they were furious.

Every muscle in his body was coiled tight, like he was seconds from shifting. His jaw clenched, and I swore I could feel the heat rolling off him from where I stood.“Nice reunion,” he said, voice low. Deadly.My breath caught.Kael didn’t step back.

Neither did I.But Darius? He took one step forward.And I knew—we were one heartbeat away from a fight.