21| What Now?

CEDAR BLAKE

“You swore you came here alone. So how come he's here with an elder?” Adonis asked in a low voice, his eyes burning with rage.

The room turned cold.

I froze. I couldn’t breathe. The name Dominus Maruto echoed in my head like thunder. And Elder Jeremy Harold? That made everything worse. Much worse. He was the same man who sentenced my parents to death even before the Luna could approve or any investigation was done. As if he had been waiting all along to destroy them.

I was young back then, but I wasn’t stupid. I remembered how my father warned me from behind the bars of the Pack's prison. He said I should never trust the council.

"I'm not lying. What would I gain from deceiving you like that?" I said quietly.

“I don’t trust you,” Adonai said, his eyes on the door. “But I’ll get what you came here for while my brother distracts them.”

“Then I’ll go now,” Adonis said, giving me a long, hard look before he slightly opened the door and slipped out.

“You need to stay here so Dominus doesn’t catch your scent,” Adonai explained. “I’ll go to my father’s chamber and search for the antidote.”

I nodded and walked over to the couch. I sat down, trying to calm my racing thoughts. I could hear the muffled sounds of familiar voices beyond the door. Slowly, they faded away, and two soft taps came from Nikko, our signal that the coast was clear.

Adonai nodded once and left the room.

I stayed still. My heart wouldn’t stop beating fast. When did Dominus start working with the council? What could he possibly want from the twin Alphas?

I thought about the time. Dominus hadn’t gone home yet. That was good news, it meant the servant who helped me might still be safe, and Deklan was probably still okay in my room. If he was discovered in that weak state, things could get dangerous.

I chewed on my fingernails, pacing around the room. My eyes landed on the books spread out on the desks. Some were wide open, pages full of strange texts. Why were the twins so busy reading these? What were they trying to find?

It felt odd to imagine those two alphas stuck behind desks reading thick, dusty books.

Back then in Crystal Moon, I was never allowed in the Alpha’s office. I only knew small things about the Pack’s secrets from when I was little, before my parents were killed. Back then, I followed my mother when she went to visit the Luna’s chambers. That’s how I learned about moonveil.

I used to have privileges. But the day my father was accused of treason, everything was taken from me. They said our bloodline was dangerous, that we would rebel. So they wanted to kill us all. But Elder Jeremy, the same one who gave my parents a death sentence, chose to keep me alive.

My father had always warned me to stay away from the council, especially after the whispers of some old prophecy. I didn’t understand it then. I just wanted to escape from Crystal Moon, far away from this cursed place. But now I could see that fate wasn’t done with me.

And if Dominus was involved… he didn’t just want my powers. He wanted something more. I had to learn everything about that prophecy if I wanted to survive.

I walked behind Adonai’s desk, my eyes searching the open book. As I leaned forward, my elbow knocked over a few books. One small leaflet fluttered down.

Quickly, I bent and picked it up, arranging the books. I wasn’t sure which book the paper came from. I opened one randomly to tuck it in. But just as I did, I heard the doorknob turn.

I panicked and tucked the leaflet into my bra. Then I quickly stepped away from the desk.

Adonai walked in and glanced at me, then at the desk. I could see suspicion flash across his face.

“I found it,” he said, handing me a small bottle. It had a waterproof bag tied around its neck.

“Moonveil,” he said. “This one's twenty-one years old. One drop in his mouth should be enough.”

“Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.” Tears filled my eyes as I took the bottle. I grabbed my veil and jacket in a hurry.

“Now it’s your turn to keep your end of the deal,” he said, eyes locking with mine. “You’ll be ours soon. I’m already preparing your room, milady.”

The way he said it made my skin crawl.

I nodded silently. He waved toward the door.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“You need to go now,” Adonai said. “And once you’re out, keep moving. If Dominus catches your scent, everything will fall apart.”

“How do I leave without getting seen?”

He walked to the window and opened the curtain. He pointed to the back forest. “Go through the tunnel under the greenhouse. It leads beyond the border. Someone will meet you halfway.”

I turned to leave, but he grabbed my hand.

“You promised,” he said, voice low. “You belong to us now.”

I looked into his eyes. He wasn’t joking.

I said nothing. Just nodded.

And then I ran.

---

The night was cold. Every stick that snapped beneath my feet felt like a warning. My lungs burned. My legs shook. But I didn’t stop running.

Deklan needed me.

That thought was all I needed.

I reached the greenhouse and spotted the tunnel hatch. I pulled it open and climbed down, still clutching the bottle tightly.

The tunnel was long and damp. The air smelled of mold and wet dirt. But I didn’t slow down.

Halfway through, a hand grabbed my arm.

I nearly screamed.

“It’s me,” a voice whispered.

I turned quickly.

It was Icarus. The Pack’s Zeta.

Of all people.

The one I hated nearly as much as the twin alphas. The one who never stopped spreading gossip about my family. The one who always looked at me like I was a disease. 

“Sending a goat to guard yams,” I muttered angrily, pulling my arm from his grip.

“You got it?” he asked.

“Not your business,” I snapped. I was sure Adonai had already filled him in.

We moved through the shadows in silence until we reached the end of the tunnel. We had made it across the border. Up ahead, I saw guards with flashlights starting their night patrols.

Icarus moved to distract them. I was about to slip past when a figure stepped into my path and covered my mouth with a hand.

I gasped.

Silver hair shimmered in the moonlight.

It was Sammy Porter.

She glared at me, her wild hair covering half her face. Her eyes burning with quiet fury. My heart dropped because I do not have time for this!

What now?