Secrets in the Skin

The white light faded slowly from Liam's eyes. He felt strong arms around him, holding him up. The smell of pine and rain filled his nose - Elijah.

"What happened?" Liam whispered, his voice shaky.

Elijah's face was tight with worry, his gray eyes searching Liam's. "You collapsed. After that... display of power."

Liam looked around. They were in a small room filled with flowers and old books. The air smelled sweet and dusty. Thorne and his dogs were nowhere to be seen.

"Where's the Shadow Pack?" Liam tried to stand but felt too weak.

"Gone," Elijah said. "For now." He helped Liam sit on a wooden chair. "Thorne said he'd be back. He seemed to know something about you that even you don't know."

Before Liam could answer, the door opened. An old woman with silver hair in a long braid stepped in, her amber eyes kind but sharp.

"So he's awake," she said, moving toward them with amazing grace. "I'm Sage, young one. The pack healer."

"Where am I?" Liam asked.

"My cottage," Sage smiled. "Where all the pack's secrets eventually end up."

Elijah stood stiffly by the door. "Can you help him?"

"That depends," Sage said, watching Liam's face. "On whether he wants to learn the truth."

A silence filled the room. Liam felt stuck between the two wolves - Elijah's worried anger and Sage's knowing calm.

"What happened to me?" Liam finally asked. "The power, the glowing... and there was a woman with starlight in her hair."

Sage's eyes widened. "Kaida," she whispered. "She has shown herself to you."

"Who?" Elijah stepped forward.

"The Goddess of Fate," Sage said simply, as if talking the weather. "If she has appeared, then the old stories are true." She turned to Liam. "Show me your arms, child."

Confused, Liam rolled up his sleeves. His skin looked normal, pale with a few freckles.

Sage frowned, then grabbed a small bowl from a shelf. She mixed herbs with water, muttering words Liam couldn't understand. "Drink this," she ordered.

The mixture tasted like mint and something wild. As Liam gulped, a warm feeling spread through his body. Elijah watched with narrowed eyes.

"Now look," Sage said.

Liam gasped. Faint silver lines emerged on his skin, making patterns like flowing water. They snaked up his arms, disappearing under his shirt.

"What is this?" he whispered, touching the marks. They felt warm.

Sage turned to a shelf filled with scrolls. She pulled one out carefully, unrolling it on a table. The parchment was yellow with age, covered in symbols that matched those on Liam's face.

"The Omega Prophecy," she said gravely.

Elijah moved closer, his face pale. "That's just a bedtime story."

"All stories come from truth," Sage answered. "This one was hidden for a reason." She pointed to the marks. "It speaks of an Omega who carries the blood of the First. One who can hear all wolves, not just his Alpha. One who glows with power under the moon."

Liam's heart raced. "What does it mean?"

"It means," Sage said slowly, "that you are meant to change everything." She looked up at Elijah. "With him."

Elijah stepped back as if burned. "That's impossible."

"Is it?" Sage challenged. "You felt the pull from the moment you met. Don't deny it."

A heavy silence fell. Liam couldn't look at Elijah, afraid of what he might see in those steel gray eyes.

"The markings tell a story," Sage continued, referring to Liam's arm. "Of a time when Alphas and Omegas were equals, each with their own power. Before the Great Deception."

"What deception?" Liam asked.

Sage's face darkened. "When certain Alphas decided that power should belong only to them. They buried the truth about Omega abilities and created the hierarchy we live with today."

Elijah's fists clenched. "My father would have told me if this was true."

"Would he?" Sage asked softly. "If he himself had been taught the lie?"

Liam's head spun with questions. "So what happens now?"

"Now," Sage said, "you stay here and learn. Elijah needs to ensure the pack is safe after Thorne's visit." She gave Elijah a pointed look. "You have duties, Alpha."

Elijah paused, his eyes meeting Liam's. Something passed between them - worry, confusion, and something deeper that made Liam's heart race.

"I'll be back," Elijah said finally. "Don't... don't do anything dangerous."

After Elijah left, Sage gave Liam an ancient book bound in leather. "Read this. It speaks of the First Omega and his powers."

Hours passed as Liam forgot himself in stories of wolves who could control elements, speak to minds, and even see the future. According to the book, these were all Omega powers, stolen and hidden by Alpha wolves afraid of losing control.

The sun was setting when Sage returned with tea. "Your marks are growing stronger," she noted.

Liam looked down to see the silver lines glowing softly. "I still don't understand what I'm supposed to do."

"The prophecy says that when the True Omega and the Hidden Alpha join, the old powers will awaken in all wolves." Sage sipped her tea. "Thorne knows this. That's why he wants you."

"Hidden Alpha? You mean Elijah?" Liam frowned. "He's the most Alpha wolf I've ever met."

Sage smiled strangely. "Not everything is as it seems. Elijah carries his own secrets."

A knock stopped them. Aria ran in, her face worried. "Liam! Are you okay? Everyone's talking about what happened!"

"I'm fine," Liam said, quickly pulling down his sleeves to hide the marks.

Aria wasn't fooled. "What's on your arms?" She grabbed his wrist, pushing up the sleeve. Her eyes widened at the silver patterns. "This looks like Mom's old necklace. The one she said came from our ancestors."

"Your mother knew," Sage said quietly. "She protected you for as long as she could."

A crash from outside made them all jump. Shouts and growls filled the air. Sage moved to the window and gasped.

"Shadow wolves," she said. "They've broken through the border."

Aria shifted instantly, her wolf form rushing out the door. Liam tried to follow, but Sage held him back.

"Wait," she said quickly. "There's one more thing you must know." She pulled a secret scroll from beneath a floorboard. "The prophecy has a warning. If the True Omega's power awakens before he is joined with the Hidden Alpha, it could destroy him."

"What does that mean?" Liam asked, his heart racing.

"It means," Sage said sadly, "that without Elijah, your power could kill you."

Another crash, closer this time. Something hit the cottage wall hard enough to shake dust from the ceiling.

"Go," Sage urged. "Find Elijah. The bond must begin tonight, under the waxing moon, or all will be lost."

Liam ran outside into chaos. Wolves fought everywhere, teeth and claws flashing in the dusk light. He searched desperately for Elijah's black wolf.

A golden-eyed wolf leapt in front of him - Thorne in wolf form. Behind him stood the woman with starlight hair, Kaida, her changing eyes locked on Liam.

"The choice comes now," her voice repeated in his mind. "Power or love. One brings death, one brings life."

As if called by her words, Elijah's massive black wolf burst through the trees, charging straight for Thorne. Their bodies collided with a sound like thunder.

The spots on Liam's skin began to burn, glowing brighter than ever. Pain shot through him as power rushed into his veins.

Kaida smiled. "Too late."

Liam fell to his knees as light poured from his skin. The last thing he saw was Elijah's wolf turning toward him, gray eyes wide with horror as silver light burst around them both.