Chapter 42

Chapter 42
The darkness in Alena's isolation room felt cold, but the parchment fragment in her hand felt like a glowing ember. She turned the paper over and over, her rough fingers tracing the torn, uneven edge. The fragment ended with a truncated letter 'D'. 'D' was more than just a letter; it was a clue, and that clue pointed directly to danger. Did it stand for Draven? If so, her enemy was not only aware of her power—they held half of the secret she carried.

The thought of Lyra gave her a sliver of hope. Lyra was the key to understanding the Primordial emblem, but Lyra could only give her theory. The missing piece of paper was physical proof, and whoever held it had a deadly advantage.

As Alena took a deep breath, trying to calm her hammering heart, she caught a distinct scent. Not the pine and anger of Orion, not Zara's antiseptic, and certainly not the dirt from Caleb. This was a soft, sweet, and familiar aroma—the scent of lavender and honey, a scent synonymous with the warmth of her past.

Instantly, the tension she was holding evaporated, replaced by a strong, painful wave of nostalgia. She quickly tucked the parchment back into her vest.

The magically locked door (a precaution Orion had taken for her) opened with a quiet click, and in the doorway stood a young woman with large hazel eyes and loosely braided brown hair. Rowan.

Rowan was not a warrior. She was a pack member who worked in the kitchen and sometimes assisted Zara in the clinic. She was gentle, full of laughter, and before the rejection, she had been Alena's best friend, the only person who knew Alena's deepest secrets, including her unspoken feelings for their young Alpha.

Seeing Rowan standing there, fragile yet brave in the face of the dark aura that now surrounded Alena, made Alena feel like crying. Not out of sorrow, but out of a sudden sense of relief, as if a lost piece of her soul had returned.

"Alena," Rowan whispered, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. She closed the door behind her and stepped forward, her hand covering her mouth.
Alena couldn't hold back. She crossed the room in two strides and pulled Rowan into a fierce embrace. Rowan returned it with equal strength, the tears she had been holding back finally spilling onto Alena's soiled vest.

"Oh God, you're back. You're actually back," Rowan sobbed, her voice muffled against Alena's fabric.

Alena closed her eyes, letting the soothing lavender scent envelop her. It had been too long since she had only smelled blood and dust, and this hug was the most real and human thing she had felt since returning.

"I'm back, Row," Alena replied, her voice husky. "I'm back."

They released the hug, and Rowan held Alena's shoulders, looking at her from head to toe. There was a mixture of admiration and fear in her eyes.

"You... you look different. Stronger. Sharper," Rowan said, touching Alena's arm. "I heard what happened in the dining hall. With Caleb. That was insane, Alena. No one ever talks to him like that."

Alena offered a thin smile. The smile felt foreign on her face. "I learned that words can sometimes hurt more than fists, especially if you know where a person's weakness lies."

Rowan pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed. "You were never like this. Remember? You always avoided conflict. You just wanted to be outside, in the meadow, drawing stars in the dirt."

"The old me died, Row. On that cliff, when Orion rejected me. The wolf who returned is... an evolution. I had to become this way to survive," Alena explained, her tone turning cold.

Rowan sighed. "I know, and that's what scares me. The whole pack is talking about you. They are terrified of your power. And the Alpha... the Alpha doesn't know how to handle an anomaly like you."

"Orion doesn't need to handle me. He just needs to know that I am not the enemy," Alena retorted sharply.

"Oh, Alena, you don't see it. He's forcing himself to hate you. I know how much it hurt him when you left. He was angry at everyone, at himself, and at destiny," Rowan whispered, squeezing Alena's hand.

"That's the past, Rowan. We can't change it. Our focus now is Draven," Alena said, trying to steer the conversation away from the most painful topic for both of them.

"Draven is a real nightmare. But you are an unexpected nightmare for us. The Elders are restless. Lyra... she's barely slept since you arrived. They're talking about prophecies and things too ancient for me to understand," Rowan confessed, her eyes filled with genuine concern.

"I'm going to talk to Lyra tomorrow morning. I need to know about my mother, and I need to know about what happened to me," Alena said, deciding she could at least be honest with Rowan about her intention, if not her source of information.

Rowan nodded. "Be careful with Lyra. She is loyal to the pack, but she is intensely afraid of things she can't explain. She might see you as a savior, or as a bringer of ruin."

"I'm used to being seen as one or the other," Alena replied bitterly.

Rowan touched Alena's face gently, her thumb caressing her cheekbone. "I don't care what they see. To me, you are Alena, the wolf who once shared secrets with me under the Blue Moon. I will never leave you again. I will help you, in any way I can."

The warmth and sincere promise from Rowan flooded Alena, softening the cold edges she had built around her heart. This was the ally she needed, someone who believed in her, not her power.

"Thank you, Row," Alena whispered, returning her smile. "Just knowing you don't hate me is enough."

Rowan stood up. "I have to leave before the Alpha or Beta Liam realize I'm here. I just wanted to see you, to make sure you were real. I'll try to sneak in some more comfortable clothes tomorrow, and maybe some honey. You look thin."

As Rowan reached the door, she paused and looked back at Alena, her expression shadowed again. "Alena, you can't let your guard down. I don't know what you found out there, or how you gained this power, but it's attracting attention. Not just Draven. There are whispers among the Elders about something called the 'Blood Summons'—something that comes when ancient power is awakened."

Rowan shook her head, as if trying to dispel the thought. "Don't ask me what it means. Just, be careful. If your power is drawing Draven's attention, it will surely draw the attention of others too."
Rowan gave her a brief but warm farewell smile, then quickly slipped out, closing the door quietly. "

Silence returned to the room. Rowan's lavender scent slowly faded, leaving Alena alone again, but her feeling was slightly lighter now. She had an ally. She had a reason to fight, beyond just
survival.

However, Rowan's warning about the "Blood Summons" and "others' attention" quickly dragged her back to a cruel reality.

Alena pulled out the parchment fragment again. Carefully, she smoothed out its fold. Her eyes fixed on the irregular torn edge, ignoring the ancient emblem and the word PRIMORDIAL, and only focusing on the remnant of the letter 'D' in the corner.

Rowan gave her the warmth of the past, but this parchment gave her a clue about the danger of the future.

Alena touched the tear, and suddenly, an image flashed in her mind. It wasn't a clear vision, but an impression: a hand, much larger than hers, holding the missing piece of paper, and on that paper, the truncated 'D' was now connected, forming the beginning of a much longer name or word, and that name felt dark, cold, and immensely ancient.

Rowan was right. This missing piece was not just knowledge, but an invitation. An invitation that had already been accepted by someone dangerous, someone who now knew exactly what Alena was looking for.

Alena gripped the parchment tightly. Her heart hammered. If Draven had summoned the Watchers, or if Draven held this piece of parchment, then he was one step ahead. But if the 'D' didn't stand for Draven, then the enemy stalking her might be an ancient force she had never even heard of.

Whoever held that torn piece now knew that they both held the key. And Alena only had until tomorrow morning to gain knowledge from Lyra, before the holder of the missing fragment came to claim the rest.