Chapter 142 : Whispers in the Dark

Chapter 142 : Whispers in the Dark

KAI’S POV

I jolted awake in the dead of night. My heart hammered against my ribs. The room lay mostly dark except for a sliver of moonlight that slipped through a gap in the curtains. Elias slept soundly beside me, his breathing deep and even. I watched his chest rise and fall for several seconds to steady myself. Our son rested in the cradle a few feet away, wrapped in soft blankets, completely still except for the occasional twitch of his tiny fingers.

A low murmur drifted from beyond the door. Two voices whispered, but loud enough to carry. I strained to catch the words. Footsteps followed, soft but deliberate, scraping lightly against the stone floor of the corridor.

I slid out of bed without making a sound. My bare feet touched the cool floor. I crossed to the cradle first and checked on our son. He slept peacefully. I brushed a finger over his forehead, then moved to Elias. He had not stirred. Good. No reason to wake him yet.

I grabbed a dagger from the bedside table and approached the door. The whispers continued. I gripped the handle, yanked it open, and stepped into the corridor with the blade ready.

Empty.

The hallway stretched in both directions, lit by wall sconces that burned low. No guards stood at their usual posts. No figures retreated into the shadows. I walked ten paces in each direction, checking alcoves and side passages. Nothing. I returned to our rooms, closed the door firmly, and leaned against it.

Maybe exhaustion played tricks on me. The past days had drained everyone. I set the dagger down and climbed back into bed. Elias shifted slightly but stayed asleep. I pulled the covers over us and closed my eyes.

The whispers returned, clearer this time. Then came the footsteps, heavier, closer. Anger flared hot in my chest. I threw the covers back, grabbed the dagger again, and stormed to the door. This time I flung it open hard enough that it banged against the wall.

A powerful force slammed into me. The world twisted and spun. Colors blurred. My stomach lurched. I tried to shout but no sound came. Darkness swallowed everything.

When I opened my eyes again, soft grass cushioned my hands and knees. I pushed myself up. Familiar gardens stretched around me, bathed in golden afternoon light. Rose bushes heavy with blooms lined winding paths. A fountain bubbled in the center. This place belonged to my childhood, years before loss and war changed everything.

“Kai.”

The voice stopped me cold. I turned slowly. My mother stood near the fountain in a simple blue dress, hair braided the way she always wore it. She looked exactly as I remembered her, alive and vibrant. But she had died years ago. Poison had taken her. I had watched her slip away.

I rushed forward. “Mother?”

She raised a hand. “Do not touch me. You are not dead, my son. This is only a seeing.”

I stopped a few feet away. My hands trembled. “How is this possible? I was in our rooms. Elias and the baby were right there. What is this place?”

She studied me with the same steady gaze I remembered from long ago. “You were brought here because you needed to hear my warning. A great storm gathers around your family. Clara and Gavin have not stopped. They regroup even now with Seraphina’s forces. They plan fires in the south and blades in the night. But worse comes if you do not prepare.”

I shook my head. “This cannot be real. I must be dreaming. Or losing my mind after everything that happened.”

My mother stepped closer. Her eyes held deep sorrow. “Listen to me, Kai. The white wolf carries ancient power, but it depends on your strength to guide it. Elias and your son need you to be alert. War is coming faster than you think. You must protect them with more than swords and walls.”

She raised her hand and swept it through the air in a wide arc. The garden dissolved around us. New images flooded my vision with brutal clarity.

I stood in the castle courtyard as flames roared across the rooftops. Warriors clashed in bloody chaos. I saw myself fighting desperately, sword swinging, but I could not reach the inner gates fast enough. Elias ran toward me across the blood-soaked stones, our son clutched to his chest. A dark wolf slammed into him from the side. Claws tore through Elias’s shoulder. He screamed my name as he fell.

“Kai! Protect him!”

Gavin shifted back to human form above Elias and drove a silver dagger into his heart. Elias’s body jerked once, then went still. His eyes, wide with pain, stared straight at me as life drained from them. Blood pooled beneath him. I screamed in the vision, a raw sound that tore from my throat, but I remained frozen, forced to watch.

The scene shifted again.

I stood in the nursery. Our son cried from his cradle. Clara lifted him with cruel hands. She looked straight at me, smiled, and snapped his small neck. The cry cut off instantly. I lunged forward but my body moved through the water. Liora burst into the room behind me, sword raised. Gavin met her attack. Their blades clashed. Liora fought fiercely, but Gavin overpowered her. He buried his sword in her stomach and twisted it. She gasped, blood bubbling from her lips, and crumpled beside the cradle.

“No!” I roared in the vision. “Not them!”

The images vanished. The garden returned. I dropped to my knees on the grass, chest heaving. Sweat soaked my skin. Bile rose in my throat.

My mother knelt in front of me. “You cannot trust everyone in your circle, Kai. Some smiles hide knives. Stay vigilant. Watch every shadow. The white wolf’s power alone will not save you if betrayal comes from within.”

I reached for her, desperate for something solid. “Tell me how to stop it. Please. I cannot lose them.”

She touched my forehead with cool fingers. “You already know what you must do. Choose strength over pride. Choose unity over haste. The future is not fixed, but only if you act now.”

Darkness pulled me under again.

I woke up with a violent start in our bed. Sweat drenched my body and soaked the sheets. My heart pounded so hard I felt dizzy. Elias sat up beside me, one hand on my shoulder, eyes wide with worry. Our son fussed in the cradle, disturbed by the movement.

“Kai, what happened?” Elias asked. “You were talking in your sleep. You shouted my name and then something about fire. You sounded terrified.”

I forced my breathing to slow. The visions still burned behind my eyes. Elias’s blood on the stones. Our son’s silent body. Liora crumpled on the floor. I could not tell him. Not yet. It would terrify him, and fear could make him reckless.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood. “It was only a nightmare. Nothing more. Go back to sleep.”

Elias watched me closely. “You are shaking. Talk to me.”

I walked to the cradle, lifted our son, and held him against my chest until he settled. The solid warmth of his small body helped push the horror back. “Just old memories mixing with recent troubles. Clara and the others are still out there. My mind would not rest. But I am fine now.”

Elias hesitated, then lay back down. I returned to bed with our son between us for a while, one hand resting protectively on his back. Sleep did not return easily. I stared at the ceiling while Elias drifted off again.

My mother’s warning echoed in my head. The visions felt too real to ignore. War approached. Betrayal lurked somewhere close. I would strengthen the borders, question every report, and watch every face in the castle. I would keep Elias and our son safe no matter the cost.