Chapter 108 Kaden's POV
We talked for a few more minutes about security measures and defensive strategies. Then I hung up and returned to overseeing the repairs.
By early afternoon, the immediate crisis was contained. The wounded were being transported back to the pack house medical wing. The prisoners were secured and being interrogated. The border station was functional again, if not fully repaired.
"We should head back," Ethan said. "You've been out here for twelve hours, you need rest."
"I'm fine."
"You're exhausted and you're no good to anyone if you collapse."
He gestured toward where Elara was helping Kara pack up the remaining food supplies.
"Besides, she needs to get back too. She's been on her feet all day despite just recovering from her own collapse yesterday."
He was right.
I found Elara and insisted we return to the pack house. She didn't argue, which told me how tired she really was.
The drive back was quiet at first. Elara sat in the passenger seat, her hand on her stomach, staring out the window.
Then she whimpered.
"What's wrong?" I asked immediately.
"The baby. He's kicking really hard."
"Is it like the other times? When you're stressed?"
"Worse." She was breathing through her teeth now. "It feels like he's trying to fight his way out."
I drove faster, watching her out of the corner of my eye. She was sweating despite the cool air. Her face was pale, her breathing was coming in short gasps.
"We're almost there, just hold on."
"I'm trying he just won't stop moving."
By the time we reached the pack house, Elara was nearly in tears from the pain. I helped her out of the car carefully, supporting most of her weight.
"Should I call Damian?" I asked.
"No. He's busy with the wounded warriors. This will pass as it always does."
But I made a mental note to have Damian check on her as soon as he was available.
We entered through the main entrance and immediately knew something was wrong.
The atmosphere was thick with tension. Servants stood in small groups, talking in hushed, frightened voices. Some were crying. Others looked like they'd seen something that had shaken them badly.
"What happened?" I demanded.
The head maid stepped forward, her face pale. "Alpha, we saw it again, the ghost, the female spirit. Multiple servants saw her this time."
"When?"
"About an hour ago. In the eastern wing near the old servant quarters."
The same area as before. Where Elara used to live when she was working as a servant.
Elara straightened beside me, her pain apparently forgotten in the face of this news. "Where exactly did you see her?"
"In the hallway outside the storage rooms. She was just standing there watching us."
"All of you saw her?" Elara pressed.
"Five of us," another servant confirmed.
"We all saw the same thing at the same time. It wasn't a trick of the light or someone's imagination. She was really there."
"And then she disappeared?"
"Yes. Sarah tried to approach her and she just... faded away like smoke."
I felt cold certainty settle over me. This wasn't random. This wasn't just shadow magic manifesting; this was something specific. Something targeted.
"Describe her," Elara said. "Exactly every detail you can remember."
The head maid took a breath. "She looked young, maybe twenty years old, with long dark hair. Down past her shoulders pale skin almost translucent. She was wearing something white. A dress or nightgown."
"Her face," Elara insisted. "Describe her face."
"Delicate features high cheekbones and green eyes. Very green. And..." The maid hesitated.
"There was something about her expression. She looked sad and lost , like she was searching for something she couldn't find."
Beside me, I felt every muscle in my body lock. Dark hair, green eyes and delicate features are twenty years old.
The age Kira would be now if she were alive.
My twin sister. Who'd disappeared fifteen years ago. Who I'd searched for until the searches became futile. Who I'd finally accepted was dead.
"Alpha?" Ethan had appeared beside me. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
I couldn't speak. Couldn't process what I was hearing.
Elara was still questioning the servants. "Did she have any distinguishing marks? Anything unusual?"
"There was something on her neck," one of the younger maids offered.
"A birthmark, maybe small dark right here." She touched the left side of her neck, just below the ear.
I found my voice. "What shape?"
"I don't know. I didn't see it clearly, just noticed it was there."
But I knew. I knew without asking.
A crescent moon is the birthmark that runs in my family. The one my mother had. The one I had on my shoulder blade, the one Kira had on her neck.
"Kaden?" Elara turned to me. "What's wrong? You look-"
"That's my sister," I said. My voice sounded distant and hollow. "You're describing my sister. Kira."
The room went silent.