Chapter 5 Faces From Yesterday
The throne room was built to intimidate. At the center, a throne that looked carved from one massive piece of obsidian.
Kian sat on it like he was born there. I stood beside him, trying not to shake as thirty Crystal Moon warriors were dragged in, chains rattling.
I knew them all. They'd watched me scrub floors. Watched Jace hurt me. Done nothing.
Beta Marcus, Jace's uncle, stood at the front. His eyes went wide when he saw me.
"Lana?" He looked like he'd seen a ghost. "You're alive?"
"Disappointed?" My voice came out stronger than I felt.
"We came to rescue you," he said quickly. "When we heard the Blood Alpha took you;"
Kian laughed. It wasn't a nice sound. "Rescue? You chained her for rogues to eat."
"That was Alpha Luca's decision. He's dead now, so..."
"Because I killed him." Kian leaned forward. "Your pack belongs to me now."
Beta Marcus went pale. "You can't just;"
"I can. I did." Kian's eyes glowed silver. "The question is whether you'll die like they did."
"Lana," Beta Marcus turned to me, desperate. "Tell him we treated you well. You were pack…."
The words sparked something hot in my chest. "Pack? I was your slave. I ate scraps. Slept in a basement. You called me Empty."
"That was just-"
"Just what? Fun?" The heat in my chest grew. "Your nephew put his boot on my hand. Made me call him Future Alpha while he hurt me. Where were you then?"
"I didn't know-"
"Liar." The word came out with power I didn't know I had. The room trembled.
Kian's hand touched mine, grounding me. "Careful, little wolf. Your power is waking up."
"What power?" Beta Marcus stammered. "She's markless;"
Kian stood, and everyone cowered. "She bears an Eclipse mark. Do you know what that means, Beta?"
Marcus shook his head.
"It means she could destroy your entire bloodline with a thought once she's fully awakened." Kian smiled coldly. "It means you threw away the most powerful wolf born in a century because you were too stupid to see past your own prejudice."
"We didn't know-"
"Ignorance isn't an excuse." Kian looked at me. "What would you have me do with them?"
Everyone stared at me. Waiting. The girl they'd treated like dirt now held their lives in her hands.
"Send them home," I said.
Kian raised an eyebrow. "Mercy?"
"No. Message." I looked at Beta Marcus. "Go back and tell everyone what you saw here. Tell them the markless omega they threw away is the Eclipse Wolf. Tell them I'm under the Blood Alpha's protection."
"And," Kian added, his voice deadly, "tell them that any wolf who ever hurt her has three days to leave the territory. After that, I hunt them down personally."
The guards started dragging them out, but Beta Marcus struggled forward.
"Lana, please. Your parents were heroes. They wouldn't want-"
"Don't." The heat in my chest exploded. The windows shattered. Everyone except Kian dropped to their knees. "Don't you dare speak about my parents. You let them die as heroes then treated their daughter like garbage."
Power rolled off me in waves. I could feel it now, dark and wild, like a storm under my skin.
"Lana." Kian's voice cut through the rage. "Control it."
I couldn't. The power wanted out, wanted to crush everyone who'd ever hurt me.
Kian stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the Crystal Moon wolves. His hands cupped my face.
"Look at me. Only me.”
His silver eyes held mine. The storm inside me calmed, drawn to him like he was its anchor.
"Good girl," he murmured. "Let them go. They're not worth your energy."
The guards dragged the Crystal Moon wolves out. When the doors closed, my legs gave out. Kian caught me before I hit the floor.
"What's happening to me?"
"You're awakening." He carried me to a couch by the fireplace. I curled against him without thinking, needing the comfort.
"Will it always feel like this? Like I might explode?"
"No. Once your wolf fully wakes, you'll have control." His fingers played with my hair. "But that requires..."
"What?"
"Accepting the mate bond."
I stiffened. "You mean.."
"Not that. Well, not just that." He actually looked uncomfortable. "The bond needs acknowledgement from both sides. Your wolf needs to recognize mine."
"How do I do that if she's still sleeping?"
"We wake her up properly." He pulled back to look at me. "Tonight's the full moon. Perfect timing."
"For what?"
"Your first shift."
Fear shot through me. "I can't shift. I've tried…"
"You won't be alone."
A knock interrupted. Sera entered, bowing.
"Alpha, the Council sends word."
Kian growled. "What do they want?"
"They've heard about the Eclipse Wolf. They're sending representatives."
"When?"
"Three days."
Kian cursed. "They hear and work fast."
"What's the Council?" I asked.
"The ruling body of all wolf territories. Old wolves who make old laws." He stood, pacing. "They won't be happy about you."
"Why?"
"Because Eclipse Wolves aren't supposed to exist. The last one died a hundred years ago. She destroyed an entire territory in rage."
My blood went cold. "Destroyed?"
"Every living thing turned to ash." He looked at me. "The Council voted to kill any Eclipse Wolf born after that. To prevent another catastrophe."
"So they'll want to kill me?"
"They'll try." Kian's eyes flashed.
"Why are you protecting me? Really?"
He knelt in front of me, taking my hands. That electricity sparked between us again.
"Because you're mine. Because the thought of anything hurting you makes me want to tear the world apart." His grip tightened.
"I could hurt people. Like that other Eclipse Wolf.."
"She didn't have a mate. Eclipse Wolves without anchors go insane from the power." He smiled slightly. "Lucky for everyone, you have me."
"Lucky," I repeated dryly.
He laughed, and it transformed his face. For a moment, he looked young, not like the terrifying Blood Alpha.
"Come. Let me show you something."
He led me through the castle to a room I hadn't seen. The walls were covered in paintings, but not of battles. These showed wolves running under moons, dancing in human form, families playing.
"My mother painted these," he said quietly.
"They're beautiful."
"She was an Omega. My father was an Alpha. The pack said it was wrong, that their pup would be weak." His jaw clenched. "They killed her when I was ten. Said she was making my father soft."
"Kian..."
"I killed them all when I turned sixteen. Every wolf who voted for her death." He turned to me. "That's when I became the Blood Alpha. When I decided I'd never let anyone hurt what was mine again."
"Is that why you saved me? Because I reminded you of her?"
"No." He pulled me closer. "I saved you because even before seeing you, I knew you were everything."
My heart raced. This was too much. Yesterday I was nobody. Today the most dangerous Alpha alive was saying I was his everything.
"I need time," I whispered.
"You have until tonight." He kissed my forehead, and warmth spread through me. "Then we wake your wolf. And everything changes."