Chapter 57

Lyla’s POV

The council chamber smelled faintly of smoke and sage. The scent made me uneasy, the way all sacred places did. Everything here was built to make one feel small: the towering stone pillars, the long wooden table that gleamed beneath the torches, the portraits of Alphas past watching from the walls. Their painted eyes seemed to follow me wherever I moved.

I sat at the far end of the table, my palms damp against my lap. My wrists itched where the faint shimmer of a suppressor spell still lingered, one Elder had placed it “for safety,” though I knew they were afraid.

Afraid of me.

Damon stood a few steps behind me, silent but alert. His scent; warm cedar and rain, wrapped around me like comfort I didn’t deserve. Rowan sat at the head of the table, posture stiff, eyes unreadable.

And beside him, Dalia.

Her presence was like ice. She sat tall, perfect as ever, a bright gown draped over her shoulders like armor. Her lips curled faintly when our gazes met.

“Lyla of Blackwood Pack,” Elder Thorne began, his voice echoing through the chamber. “Do you understand why you’ve been called here?”

I nodded faintly. “Because of what happened at the Luna Ceremony.”

The elder leaned forward. “You displayed an aura of Alpha magnitude, perhaps even greater. Such energy cannot manifest without lineage or blessing. You must explain yourself.”

“I don’t know how to,” I whispered. “It just happened. The rogues… they were coming for us, and I... something inside me broke loose.”

“Broke loose,” repeated Dalia softly, mockingly. “How convenient.”

I didn’t look at her. My heart beat painfully fast.

I could still see the faces of the pack that night; fear, awe, confusion. None of them knew what to think of me now. Some whispered “blessed.” Others, “cursed.”

“I didn’t mean to scare anyone,” I said. “I was only trying to help.”

Elder Cora, the gentler one, offered me a small, almost kind smile. “No one doubts your intentions, child. But power like yours has history. It comes from somewhere. Do you recall any time, any sign that might explain it?”

“No,” I said, too quickly. Then softer, “No, I don’t.”

The truth was, I’d always felt something strange inside me. A pulse that didn’t belong. But I had buried it deep because Kaiden had made me hate it. Made me hate myself.

My throat tightened at the memory.

“Perhaps she’s lying,” Dalia said coolly. “Perhaps she’s been hiding her strength, pretending to be weak so she could manipulate her way into this pack.”

“Enough,” Rowan said suddenly.

The sound of his voice low, sharp, cut through the air like a whip. Even Dalia blinked. Rowan’s eyes stayed fixed on the table, but the weight in his tone made the whole room still.

“She risked her life to protect this pack,” he said quietly. “You all saw it.”

The words made my chest ache, though I wished they hadn’t. I didn’t want his defense. Not here, not in front of her.

Elder Thorne cleared his throat. “Alpha, the concern is not her courage. It’s control. If she cannot harness her power, it endangers everyone.”

“I can learn,” I said quickly, desperate. “Please. I can learn.”

He regarded me for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Perhaps.”

The silence that followed was heavy but calmer until the doors slammed open.

A warrior stumbled in, panting, his eyes wide with urgency. "Alpha!” he called, bowing hastily. “There’s an Alpha at the gate. He... he demands to speak with you.”

Rowan frowned. “Who?”

The warrior swallowed. “Alpha Kaiden Stormfang of Darkmoon.”

The world fell out from under me.

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. My body went cold, as if the name itself had frozen my blood. The air around me vanished. I could hear my own pulse roaring in my ears.

Kaiden.

Damon’s head whipped toward me instantly. “Lyla...?"

I shook my head before he could say more. “No.” My voice cracked. “No, he can’t be here.”

Elder Thorne frowned. “The Alpha of Darkmoon? What business could he have here?”

Rowan rose slowly, his expression darkening. “He’ll explain it to me himself.”

“Alpha,” the warrior stammered, “he claims he comes with information. Urgent information. About the rogues.”

Rowan’s jaw tightened. “Bring him in.”

I wanted to run. To hide. To vanish into the walls. My hands shook violently. Damon knelt beside me, his hand brushing over mine, steady and protective. “Hey,” he whispered, “you’re safe here, okay? He can’t touch you.”

Safe.

I had once believed that word.

Back when Kaiden had promised it too.

The doors opened again, and he entered.

Kaiden Stormfang looked exactly as I remembered him; tall, arrogant, broad-shouldered, with a predator’s grace and eyes that gleamed like ice beneath a storm. His black hair was slicked back, his jaw clean-shaven. He carried himself like someone who believed the world still owed him respect.

And the room bowed to that old presence, out of instinct if not loyalty.

“Alpha Rowan,” Kaiden greeted smoothly, his voice calm, commanding. “Apologies for the intrusion.”

Rowan didn’t return the courtesy. “You’ve crossed into my territory without request. You better have a damn good reason.”

Kaiden smiled faintly. “I do. And I believe it concerns the attack you faced two nights ago.”

He glanced briefly around the table, his gaze landing on me last. And he froze.

For a split second, his composure cracked. Then he masked it with a smirk. “Well, well. I didn’t realize the Blackwood pack was sheltering my former omega.”

The room went still.

Dalia’s brows rose, intrigued. “Former omega?”

Kaiden took a step closer, his gaze flicking between Rowan and me. “Did she not tell you, Alpha? She used to serve in my pack. Until she ran.”

My throat closed. The air felt too heavy. I stared at the floor, wishing I could sink through it.

Rowan’s tone was ice. “Watch your words, Kaiden.”

“Oh, I mean no insult,” Kaiden said easily, though his grin said otherwise. “Only that she wasn’t… suited for the life of a pack. Always trembling, always hiding something. I see she’s improved.”

“Say what you came to say,” Rowan growled.

Kaiden sighed dramatically, as if bored of the pretense. “Fine. I bring a message. The rogues that attacked your Luna Ceremony were not acting alone. They’ve been seen near my borders for weeks... feral, organized, driven. And I’ve discovered who they’re hunting.”

His eyes flicked toward me again.

Rowan’s voice hardened. “Spit it out.”

“They’re hunting her.”

Gasps rippled around the table. Even Dalia blinked.

Kaiden stepped closer, his tone shifting to something darker. “The rogues are after her bloodline. She’s not just an ordinary wolf, Rowan. Her family, her blood is rare. Unique. Perhaps even divine. I came because this matter affects all our packs.”

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. Then, softly he added, “And because I thought she deserved to know that her sister… Maya… is alive.”

The world tilted.

I heard him speak. I saw his mouth move. But my mind refused to believe it.

Maya. Alive.

No, that couldn’t be. I’d searched for years. I’d begged the Goddess until my voice went hoarse. I had buried that hope because hope had become a wound.

“You’re lying,” I whispered. “You’re lying.”

Kaiden tilted his head, pitying. “Am I?”

“Where is she?” Damon demanded, his hand tightening protectively on my shoulder. “If you know where she is—”

“She’s safe,” Kaiden interrupted smoothly. “With my family. My mother took her in after… unfortunate circumstances. She’s well cared for.”

“You expect me to believe you?” Rowan said, stepping forward, his tone pure threat. “You humiliated her. Drove her out. And now you come here claiming to have her sister?”

Kaiden’s smirk faltered slightly. “Believe what you wish. I came here offering truth, not forgiveness.”

“Truth?” My voice shook as I stood, tears burning my eyes. “You don’t know the meaning of that word. You called me a curse. You made me kneel in front of your pack, humiliated me until I couldn’t breathe and now you stand here talking about truth?”

His expression shifted; briefly guilty, quickly hidden. “I did what I had to do.”

“No.” My voice broke. “You did what your pride told you to do.”

The silence was suffocating.

Then Rowan moved. One second he was beside the table, the next he had Kaiden by the throat, slammed against the wall.

“You humiliated a woman under your protection,” Rowan growled, voice trembling with fury. “And now you come here to gloat?”

Kaiden’s smirk returned, even as he struggled for air. “Touched a nerve, did I? Careful, Alpha. You’re making it obvious which of your pack matters most.”

Rowan released him with a snarl, turning away in disgust. “Get him out of my sight.”

Kaiden straightened his collar calmly, though the flicker of unease in his eyes told me he had seen enough of Rowan’s temper to respect it. “You’ll come to me soon,” he said softly. “When you realize I’m your only link to her sister.”

He turned his gaze on me once more, voice low. “You should thank me, Lyla. I didn’t have to tell you she was alive.”

I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. The tears blurred everything.

Kaiden gave a mocking bow and strode out, his boots echoing through the hall until the doors closed behind him.

No one spoke for a long time. The torches hissed softly, and I stared at the table, trying to hold myself together.

Maya. Alive.

My chest tightened so much it hurt to breathe. I hadn’t let myself hope in years and now hope felt like poison.

Damon touched my shoulder gently. “Lyla…”

I shook my head. “Please. Don’t.”

Then Rowan’s voice came, softer than I’d ever heard it. “Come with me.”

I hesitated, then followed him out of the chamber and into the moonlight.

We stopped at the edge of the courtyard where the air was cool and quiet. I sank to my knees before I could stop myself, pressing my hands against my face as the sobs finally came.

He stood beside me, silent, until the trembling in my body broke him too. Then he knelt down slowly, resting a hand on my shoulder.

“Hey,” he said softly, his voice rough. “Look at me.”

I did. My eyes were wet, my chest hollow.

“He can’t hurt you anymore,” Rowan said. “I won’t let him. And we’ll find your sister. I swear it.”

I wanted to believe him. But belief felt dangerous.

The moonlight spilled over his face, his expression raw with something I couldn’t name.

For a heartbeat, the world went still again, just like the moment before the rogues attacked.

And I realized, with sudden dread, that the storm wasn’t over. It was only beginning.