CHAPTER 5
(The Storm's Secret)
The rain started coming down before the moon was up in the sky. It was pouring down on Ashveil Crossing turning the streets into rivers of mud and darkness. I was running through the storm, my boots slipping on the ground. My breath was coming out in gasps. My wolf was pushing against my ribs telling me to move. Behind me, I could hear a growl. It was Royo wolves, the ones that did not belong to any pack. My heart was pounding in my chest. I had smelled them late. They must have been following me for hours tracking me through the forest.
I was all alone. That made me easy prey. Especially since I was an omega. The lightning flashed across the sky and for a moment I could see the wooden buildings of Ashveil Crossing. I turned down an alley and my cloak was heavy with water. My lungs were burning. My wolf was furious that we had to run instead of fight.. Those wolves did not play fair. They. I knew better than to face them alone.
I saw a shadow moving behind me. My wolf growled, warning me. I did not look back. I just kept running through the rain until I saw a light up ahead. It was a shop and above the door there was a sign that said it was a healer's place. I did not hesitate. I burst through the door and the warm smell of herbs and plants filled my nose. The door slammed shut behind me. I heard the thunder rolling outside.
Inside the shop it was quiet. There were shelves around filled with jars and bundles of leaves. A small fire was burning in the corner. An old woman was standing behind a table grinding something in a bowl. She looked up when I came in. Her eyes studied me for a moment before she spoke. "You ran away, " she said calmly. I leaned against the door trying to catch my breath. "There were wolves, " I said. The woman nodded, as if that explained everything.
She walked to the door. Put a heavy wooden bar in place. The sound made me feel a little safer. "They will not come here tonight, " she said quietly. "Those wolves are afraid of magic." I did not ask what she meant. My body was feeling weak. My head was spinning. The healer. Told me to sit down. I sat in a chair near the table. My wolf was still restless. I was tired.
The old woman gave me a cup of tea. The smell was strange. It was comforting. I drank it. The warmth spread through my chest.. Something still felt wrong. My body had been acting strange for weeks. My senses were sharper. My wolf was being overly protective. I had been too busy trying to survive to think about it.. Now sitting in the quiet shop the feeling was back.
The healer was watching me carefully. Her eyes narrowed. "How long has it been since your moon cycle?" she asked. I froze. I had not thought about it. My wolf stirred inside me. The healer stepped closer. Put her hand on my wrist. Her eyes closed, like she was listening to something inside me. When she opened them again they were filled with certainty. "You are carrying a pup, " she said.
The words hit me like thunder. My breath caught in my throat. My mind went blank. "No " I said, shaking my head.. My wolf was calm like she was protecting something precious. The healer's expression did not change. "Yes, " she said. My hands went to my stomach without thinking. Pregnant. The word echoed in my mind. I did not believe it.
My wolf was pulsing softly inside me like she was guarding something. My thoughts started spinning. There was one night that could have led to this. One moment that could have made this happen.. The memory came back slowly carried by the sound of rain on the roof. It happened before the rejection ceremony, before the Rite of the Silver Ascension. Back when my life still belonged to the Varkryth pack.
Omegas served the Alpha house in various ways. That was our duty. That night I was sent to take wine to Alpha Draevor's chamber. I remember standing outside the door with the tray in my hands, my wolf restless for reasons I did not understand. I knocked softly. "Enter, " he said. I went in. The Alphas chamber was dimly lit by a single lantern. Draevor stood near the window, his figure outlined by the moonlight.
His presence filled the room with power. Every wolf in the pack felt it. Alpha dominance. Strong. Unbreakable. I put the tray on the table. "Your wine, Alpha," I said. I expected him to tell me to leave like he usually did. Instead, he turned to face me. His golden eyes landed on me with intensity. My wolf reacted instantly, stirring sharply inside me. It startled me. That had never happened before.
Draevor's gaze lingered longer than usual. The silence stretched between us. My heart was beating under the weight of his attention. Then something strange happened. Draevor inhaled deeply. His entire posture stiffened. His eyes darkened slightly. My wolf responded with a wave of warmth that spread through my chest. I shifted nervously under his gaze. "Alpha?" He did not answer. Instead, he stepped closer.
The air between us seemed to tighten with every step. I could feel the heat of his body even before he stopped in front of me. My wolf stirred again, drawn toward him in a way I did not understand. Draevor's expression had changed. His usual control looked thinner now like something powerful was pressing beneath the surface. "Your scent, " he said quietly. My breath caught. "I... I do not understand."
He looked almost troubled for a moment. Then his hand lifted slowly. Brushed a strand of hair away from my face. The touch sent a spark through my body. My wolf surged forward instantly. Draevor's eyes flashed gold. A low growl vibrated in his chest. The sound made my wolf shiver in response. Something deeper was happening between us. Something instinctive.
He leaned closer, his breath warm against my skin. "Stay, " he murmured when I tried to step. His voice carried Alpha command. My wolf obeyed immediately. The tension between us deepened until the air itself felt heavy. Draevor's hand slid gently along my arm, his touch careful yet firm. My wolf melted into the contact recognizing a connection neither of us fully understood yet.
His forehead rested briefly against mine. For a moment neither of us spoke. The bond between wolves sometimes formed before the mind understood it. That night, something awakened between us under the glow of the moon. Draevor held me like I was something fragile. The moment was slow. Filled with a strange warmth that wrapped around my wolf like comfort.
It was not rough or rushed. It was the most intimate moment of two wolves drawn together by something deeper than choice that night he bedded me. When it ended Draevor watched me silently for a moment as if memorizing my face. Then he stepped away, his expression tightening again as control returned. I left the chamber with my wolf calm and my heart full of confusing warmth.
I did not know then what that moment truly meant. Two nights later the Rite of the Silver Ascension happened.. Alpha Draevor rejected me before the entire pack. The memory shattered as thunder roared outside the healer's shop. My hands trembled slightly as they rested against my stomach. A pup. His pup. My wolf curled protectively around the life growing inside me.
The healer watched me quietly. "The father is powerful " she said after a moment. My heart skipped a beat. "How do you know?" She smiled faintly. "The child's aura is strong." Fear crept slowly into my chest. If Draevor ever found out... I pushed the thought away quickly. He did not want me. He had rejected me before the pack. That truth had never changed.
Suddenly my wolf stiffened violently. A new scent drifted through the cracks of the door. Wolves. Not rogues. Familiar wolves. My heart dropped into my stomach. The healer looked toward the door slowly. Heavy footsteps stopped outside the shop. Then came a knock. Deep. Firm. Commanding. My wolf trembled. I knew that scent instantly.
The healer glanced back at me. "Do you know them?" Before I could answer the voice outside spoke. Low. Powerful. Unmistakable. "Open the door." My entire body went cold.