19| Royal Rumble

ADONIS AUGUSTUS 

“Blood moon,” Adonai muttered again under his breath.

Even now, those words still sounded strange to me.

We were sitting in our office, buried in a pile of old books we’d pulled from the secret library, books that had been kept from us our whole lives. Our mother finally gave us access after the Seer delivered the prophecy right in front of us. After that, she had no reason to keep hiding anything. We had demanded to know everything, every secret, every hidden truth. We needed to be prepared. The darkness we sensed coming wouldn’t spare the ignorant.

“Have you started to believe the prophecy?” I asked, glancing up from the thick, dusty book in my hands.

I was seated at my desk, which I had cleared to make room for the books I brought out. The one I was reading now was filled with strange symbols and old warnings. Adonai stood across the room with his back to me, pacing slowly while flipping through another old book.

“I don’t know,” he said. “The whole thing sounds crazy.”

He shut the book with a snap, tossed it aside, and picked up another from his desk.

“But you're still searching,” I said. “Digging through these books like your life depends on it, just like the Seer told us to do. Whether you admit it or not, you believe something. A part of us has always been aware of the dangers hiding in our pack. That’s how we were raised. You’re just scared to accept that it might be real.”

Adonai let out a tired sigh and looked down at his phone, typing fast. I didn’t need to ask, he was likely messaging Nikko.

“I just want things to make sense,” he muttered. “That doesn’t mean I believe all of it. And the only reason I started thinking Cedar might actually be… ours… is because I want to shove those words right back in the Seer’s face.”

“The Seer didn’t speak based on feelings or guesses,” I replied. “He spoke with the voice of the Moon Goddess. We don’t get to pick and choose. Whether we like it or not, we’re tied to this. And Cedar, whatever power she has, might be the only key to saving us all.”

I sneezed and rubbed my nose, irritated by the dust floating through the air.

Adonai shook his head. “You sound like that crazy man again.”

“He’s not crazy,” I said with a low laugh.

Adonai dropped onto one of the couches in the office and shoved his phone back in his pocket. He flipped open the book he’d just grabbed and pretended to read, but I could tell his mind was spinning.

I tried to focus on the text in front of me again. I didn’t care how loudly he huffed or sighed, it was all just noise until a knock on the door broke the silence.

Before it even opened, their scents reached me, Icarus and Nikko.

Adonai must have texted Nikko to bring Icarus here once he returned from Oakwood, where we'd stationed guards and spies around Dominus’s house and throughout the pack. He didn’t need to say it, I already knew.

The door creaked open.

“Your Graces,” they greeted, bowing slightly. Nikko gave Adonai a nod before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

“There’s been some serious movement in Oakwood,” Icarus said right away, his face serious. “While I was near the execution grounds, I overheard some alarming talk. People are saying that Cedar unleashed some mysterious powers. Now, everyone thinks she’s a danger to wolfkind. There are whispers that Dominus is planning to perform a blood-binding ritual to lock her powers away before she accidentally brings down the whole pack.”

My eyes widened slightly. “Cedar has strange powers?”

“I noticed it the night of the full moon when her wolf first awakened. But I don’t think Dominus is worried about her destroying the pack. I think he wants to take full control of her. And if he can’t steal her powers, he’ll make sure she can’t use them.”

“Exactly,” Adonai said, standing tall now. “If he really didn’t know what she was from the beginning, he should be trying to find out. Instead, he’s already planning how to shut her down.”

I turned back to Icarus. “Did you find anything else?”

He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yes… but I’m not sure if it’s true yet.”

“Out with it,” I said, narrowing my eyes.

“I mean it, I’m not certain,” Icarus insisted. “But I’ve noticed something strange. Dominus has been holding secret meetings with the elders. I don’t know what they’re planning, but knowing how obsessed that man is with power, I’m afraid he’s—” He stopped, swallowing like the next words were too heavy.

Adonai snapped. “Spit it out, Icarus!”

“I said I’m not sure!” Icarus said quickly. “These are just hunches, nothing solid yet.”

“Speak,” Adonai growled, his voice rising. His face changed as his eyes glowed and he bared his fangs. He looked ready to tear into Icarus but turned away, restraining himself with a sharp growl.

Icarus took a deep breath, eyes on the floor. “Dominus has been trading a rare herb, or something poisonous, something deadly to wolves, with humans. In exchange… they’re giving him armor. War gear.”

My stomach dropped. “He’s selling us out to humans? Trading something that can kill wolves for weapons? And the elders are okay with this? These same elders who execute wolves for trading something as trivial as veil shades and wolf rice?”

I cursed under my breath, shaking my head. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“We need to stop—”

Suddenly, the door burst open again. Nikko ran in, out of breath and clearly startled. But before he could say a word, someone else pushed in behind him.

Adonai’s instincts kicked in instantly. He lunged toward the figure whose face was hidden under a veil. But I stepped between them just in time. Her scent hit me like a wave.

“Stop!” I growled. “It’s Cedar!”

“What the hell are you doing?” Adonai snarled, trying to shove me out of the way.

“I said it’s Cedar! Think before you attack.”

Cedar stepped forward and pulled the veil from her face, revealing herself. Her eyes were sharp but cautious as she looked at Adonai.

“I’ll regret this if you rip my head off,” she said, “but I’m here because I need help. It’s urgent and I have until sunrise tomorrow to fix it.”

“Leave us,” I said to Icarus and Nikko.

They obeyed without question, stepping out silently. Adonai still stood rigid, jaw tight, eyes locked on Cedar like she was a threat.

I gestured at him. “Stand down. Just listen.”

“The mighty Cedar, crawling to us for help. Isn’t that funny?” I said with a cold laugh, glancing at Adonai as he sat down again.

“If I had any other choice, I wouldn’t be here,” she shot back, pulling off the black hoodie she had on. “But this is life or death. And I only have till dawn.”

“You don’t get to talk to us like that,” Adonai said icily. “You’re the one begging for help. You should remember how you begged for your life that day, darling.”

The memory stung. What if she had died that day? Would these prophecies have made sense? Maybe the moon goddess sent her a savior because she hasn't fulfilled her destiny yet.

“You’re such an asshole,” Cedar snapped.

“I’m still the Alpha King of—”

“And I’m the Luna of Oakwood!”

“The same pack that doesn’t want you anymore? I heard they’re making wanted posters. That’s why you had to sneak out like a fugitive, right?”

“Enough!” I shouted, stepping between them again. “You’re both on edge. Don’t shift. Not now.”

They glared at each other, nearly trembling with tension.

I turned to her. “Why are you here, Cedar Blake? Tell us everything, or walk out before we throw you out ourselves.”