Chapter 41 Forbidden Knowledge
Lira POV
I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Mira's triumphant smile, heard the pack's whispers of "poisoner" and "cursed."
There has to be a way out, Selwyn murmured. Some defense we haven't considered.
"Unless I can prove I was nowhere near her wine, there's nothing." I paced the small room, my mind racing. "It's her word against mine."
Then we need evidence. Proof of innocence.
"Or proof of her guilt." I stopped mid-stride, an idea forming. "The feast hall. If she poisoned herself, there might be traces. Something to show it wasn't me."
They'll never let you investigate. You're confined.
She was right. The guards outside my door would stop me the moment I tried to leave.
Unless I found another way out.
I moved to the window, examining the stone wall below. Three stories up, but there were handholds—gaps in the mortar, decorative carvings, a drainage pipe running down the side.
I'd climbed out of worse places during my years in the cellar, searching for scraps of freedom.
This is insane, Selwyn warned. If you're caught
"I'm dead anyway." I pushed open the window, cold air rushing in. "Might as well die trying."
The climb down was terrifying. My shoulder screamed where Mira's claws had torn skin, and my hands kept slipping on rain-slicked stone. But fear made me strong, and desperation made me careful.
I dropped the last six feet, landing in a crouch in the shadows. The packhouse was quiet, most wolves sleeping off the feast's excess.
I moved through darkness like I'd been born to it. Twenty years of sneaking through the cellar had taught me how to be invisible, how to avoid creaking floorboards and watchful eyes.
The feast hall was empty, the aftermath of celebration scattered across tables and floor. I found the high table where Mira had sat, examined the cups and plates left behind.
Her wine goblet sat exactly where she'd dropped it, red liquid still pooled at the bottom.
I knelt beside it, calling on Selwyn's senses, light flickered across my fingertips as I touched the goblet's rim.
Dark magic pulsed back at me—not Moonblood power, but something fouler. Corruption magic, the kind used in blood curses.
"She did poison herself." I breathed out, relief mixing with disgust. "But she used dark magic to make it look like mine."
Can you prove it? Selwyn asked urgently.
"Maybe. If I can find the source"
A door creaked open behind me. I spun, heart hammering, and found myself face to face with Elder John.
The pack elder was ancient, his weathered face carved with disapproval. His amber eyes tracked from me to the goblet in my hand.
"Luna Lira." His voice carried disappointment. "Breaking confinement to tamper with evidence?"
"I'm not tampering." I stood slowly, keeping the goblet between us. "I'm investigating, there is dark magic in this wine."
"Is there?" He moved closer, each step deliberate. "Or is that what you want people to believe?"
"Touch it yourself." I held out the goblet. "Use your gift. You'll feel the corruption."
Elder John was a Seer—one of the few wolves who could sense magical signatures. If anyone could verify the dark magic, it was him.
But he didn't take the goblet. Instead, he pulled out a silver knife.
"Step away from the evidence." The blade gleamed in the moonlight filtering through windows. "Slowly."
My stomach dropped. "You're not going to test it?"
"I don't need to." His expression remained neutral, but something shifted in his eyes. "We both know what you are, girl. What your bloodline is capable of."
"I didn't poison her."
"Perhaps not." He circled around me, cutting off my escape route. "But your mere existence poisons this pack, Elder Garrick was right about you all along."
The words hit me. "What?"
"The prophecy." Elder John's voice dropped to barely a whisper. "The Moonblood will either save or destroy us. Garrick chose destruction—keep you powerless, keep the prophecy from fulfilling."
"Garrick's has backed out." I backed toward the table, searching for another exit.
"His vision lives on." The elder's grip tightened on the knife. "Some of us still believe the only way to save Darkfang is to eliminate the threat at its source."
Understanding crashed over me. "You're going to kill me and make it look like I died trying to escape."
"The pack will be grateful." He lunged, silver blade aimed at my throat.
I dove sideways, the knife whistling past my ear. My hip slammed into a table, sending plates crashing.
Fight! Selwyn roared. Let me out!
But shifting would prove their accusations—that I was dangerous, uncontrollable. I needed to stay human, needed to survive without proving them right.
Elder John came at me again. I grabbed a serving platter, using it to deflect his strike. Silver bit through bronze, the blade stopping inches from my face.
"You're making this harder than it needs to be." He shoved me backward, surprising strength in his old frame. "Accept your fate, girl."
"Never." I kicked out, catching his knee. He stumbled, and I ran.
Not toward the main doors—they'd be guarded. Instead, I sprinted toward the kitchens, toward the servants' entrance Ryn had shown me years ago.
Elder John's footsteps thundered behind me. "Guards! The Luna has escaped!"
Shouts erupted throughout the packhouse. I burst through the kitchen, knocking over pots and pans, creating as much noise as possible.
If I was going down, everyone would hear it.
I crashed through the servants' door into darkness. Cold air hit my face as I ran blindly, following the path by memory and instinct.
Behind me, the hunt began. Wolves howled, their calls echoing through the night. The pack was awake, and they were coming for me.
Where are we going? Selwyn panted.
"The only place they might not follow." I changed direction, heading away from the packhouse toward the forbidden section of territory.
The hidden library Aria had mentioned once, buried beneath the old Luna quarters. If I could reach it, if I could find proof of what Garrick and the elders had been hiding.
A wolf burst from the shadows. I recognized Thomas's massive brown form a second before he tackled me to the ground.
"Stop!" He shifted back, pinning me with his weight. "Lira, what are you doing?"
"Let me go!" I struggled, but he was too strong. "Thomas, please."
"Elder John said you attacked him." His expression was torn. "Said you were trying to destroy evidence."
"He's lying!" I grabbed his shirt, desperate. "He came at me with a silver knife. He's part of this, part of whatever conspiracy killed my parents!"
Thomas's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"
"The poisoning was a setup. Mira used dark magic, and the elders are covering it up because they want me dead." The words tumbled out frantically and rushed. "They think if they kill me, the prophecy won't come true."
"That's insane."
"Is it?" I met his gaze. "Think about it. Garrick kept me imprisoned for twenty years. Now I'm finally free, and suddenly I'm accused of poisoning? It's too convenient."
Doubt flickered across his face. Behind us, more wolves approached, their growls vibrating through the ground.
"Thomas." I softened my voice. "You're Kael's brother. His Beta. If you've ever trusted him, trust me now. Let me prove my innocence."
He stared at me for a long moment. Then, incredibly, he stood and pulled me to my feet.
"The old Luna quarters are that way." He nodded toward a crumbling stone structure. "Basement entrance is hidden behind the east wall."
"You're helping me?" I couldn't hide my shock.
"I'm giving you a chance." He glanced back at the approaching wolves. "That's all Kael would want, even if he's too stubborn to admit it. Now go. I'll buy you time."
"Thank you." I squeezed his arm briefly, then ran.
The old Luna quarters loomed ahead, dark and forbidding. The structure had been abandoned decades ago, deemed unsafe after a partial collapse. Now I understood why—they hadn't wanted anyone exploring too deeply.
I found the hidden door exactly where Thomas said it would be.