Chapter 12 The Warnings
Chapter 12
Jax’s POV
“JAX!!!”
The voice thundered across the air, echoing like it came from the end of a long tunnel.
My eyes flew open.
“Father?” I whispered, covering my eyes from the strange flickering light that poured into the room like a flood. “Is that… you?”
The voice came again…calm, deep, and old…one I could never forget.
“They dug the pit for you, my son… and you fell into it.”
I froze. My blood ran cold.
“Father?” My voice cracked. “That’s not possible. You’re…”
“Gone?” he interrupted softly. “Yes, gone… but not gone from you. I warned you, Jax. The very people who dine with you will lead you to your downfall. Danger is coming, my son. Get prepared. Get ready…”
His words echoed through my chest like the beat of a drum.
“Father, please, what danger? Tell me what you mean!” I called, my heart pounding.
But he didn’t answer.
The doorway shimmered, and I saw him. My late father. He stood tall, like a ghost carved from smoke and light. I couldn’t see his face clearly, only the long shadow of his beard brushing his chest, and the faint glimmer of sorrow in his posture.
He looked broken, his shoulders low, his steps slow. Even his shadow dragged behind him as if weighed down by grief.
My lips trembled. “Father…”
He didn’t turn. He simply walked away, each step vanishing into the bright white glow filling the doorway. His figure melted into the light until there was nothing left.
Then darkness. Then Silence.
I shot upright in bed, sweat dripping from my forehead. My chest rose and fell fast. My hands clutched at my blanket like a drowning man grabbing for rope.
“What was that?” I whispered. “A dream?”
Before I could think further, chaos erupted outside my room, shouting, running footsteps, doors slamming.
A loud knock rattled my door.
“Your Majesty!” a palace servant cried, bursting in without waiting. His voice shook. “The palace is in chaos! The night has turned to day! Everyone wants to see you, now!”
“What?” I scrambled from bed, half-naked, still shaking from the dream. I stumbled to the window and pulled the curtains aside.
My breath hitched.
Outside, the sky blazed white, not gray, not blue, but white. It was so bright it hurt to look at it. The trees, the walls, even the guards outside, everything looked washed in light. There was no shadow anywhere.
The air shimmered like molten glass.
It was like the moon itself had burst and poured its light upon us.
“What in the gods’ name…” I whispered.
The servant trembled. “No one knows, Your Majesty. The elders are frightened. Some think the gods are angry again.”
I turned from the window. “I will join you. Give me a minute.”
The servant bowed so low his forehead nearly touched the floor, then backed away slowly, his feet dragging like they carried the weight of fear itself.
I stood there, stunned. My mind ran in circles, my father’s warning, this blinding sky, the unease crawling up my spine.
Was it connected? Was this what he meant by danger?
No time to think. I rushed to the chest by my bed and grabbed my royal robe, pulling it over my shoulders. The silk stuck to my damp skin. My hands trembled as I fastened the gold clasps.
“My staff… my crown…” I muttered, looking around frantically.
My eyes darted to the vanity. “The royal perfume,” I said, grabbing the small bottle and dabbing a drop on my neck.
Then I stopped and laughed bitterly under my breath. “Are you mad, Jax? Is this a royal gathering? The Stormfang pack could be burning, and you’re here thinking about how you smell!”
Still, my eyes searched the room, my pendant, my seal, my father’s old bracelet. Anything that made me feel like a king, like I had control.
I reached for my palace slippers and slipped them on quickly.
Then, a soft whisper. I thought it belonged to the gods. Maybe they are again not in the dream but in the physical realm. To threaten me.
“Jax…”
I turned sharply.
There she was. Rosa. Leaning lazily against the door frame, her hair loose and tumbling down her shoulders. She wore a thin white nightgown that clung to her skin, almost transparent under the strange light.
Her body glowed like marble, her eyes glimmering like a cat’s.
My jaw tightened. “Rosa, what are you doing here?” I snapped. “And why in the moon’s name are you dressed like that? Don’t you see what’s happening outside?”
She didn’t answer. She just tilted her head slightly, a faint smirk curling her lips. Her chest rose and fell slowly, her breath deliberate. Controlled.
I turned away, searching my table for my pendant. “Rosa, did you see my pendant box? The one with the moonstone seal? I need it now.”
Silence.
“Rosa!” I barked, spinning back around.
She didn’t flinch.
Then…something dropped.
I looked down. Her nightgown strap had slipped from her shoulder and fallen. Pale skin shimmered in the light, smooth as ivory. She stepped closer, soft, slow steps, her eyes locked on me.
“Rosa,” I warned, my voice hard.
She smiled faintly, the kind of smile that said she knew exactly how close she could walk to the edge without falling.
“Come on, my Alpha,” she whispered. “It’s nothing serious. I only wanted to help you… relax.”
“Relax?” I snapped. “Have you lost your mind? The sky has turned white! My people are crying outside! And you stand here trying to…”
She stepped closer still, her scent, sweet, dangerous and filling the room. “You worry too much,” she murmured, tracing a finger down the door frame. “It’s just an eclipse of the moon.”
“Eclipse?” I repeated, glaring. “Eclipse of what? This isn’t an eclipse! Get out, Rosa. Now.”
Her smirk faded. “I need you, my king,” she said softly, her voice trembling with something between fear and longing. “Since Passover Night, you’ve been avoiding me. You think I don’t feel it? You think I can’t tell?”
I clenched my fists. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Oh, I do,” she whispered, taking another step. “You’re lonely. I see it in your eyes. You crave warmth, Jax…”
“Enough!” I barked. The air itself seemed to shake with the sound.
She froze.
I took a step toward her, my tone low and dangerous. “If I ever touch you again, Rosa, it won’t be out of desire.” I paused, my eyes narrowing. “It will be out of punishment.”
Her lips parted, and for a moment she looked small, almost innocent.
I turned away, forcing my voice to steady. “Get out of my sight.”
She bent down silently, picking up her fallen gown. The fabric slid through her fingers as she clutched it to her chest.
Her eyes shimmered with something dark, hurt, shame, and maybe a little fury.
“I only wanted to help,” she muttered, almost too quietly to hear.
“Then help by leaving,” I said coldly.
Rosa hesitated, her eyes on me for one last second, then turned and walked out. Her bare feet made soft sounds against the marble floor, fading into silence.
“And Rosa,” I said, my voice cutting through the quiet.
She paused at the door.
“Never come into my bedroom in this manner again.”
She bowed her head slightly, her hair falling over her face, then slipped into the bright white corridor beyond, leaving me alone, with the chaos outside and my father’s warning still burning in my ears.