Chapter four : Secrets

Raven's POV

"You’re hiding something, Kael," I said, breaking the heavy silence between us.

We were back in the packhouse, but the tension lingered like an uninvited guest. Kael’s injuries had been treated by one of his warriors, though the bloodstains on his shirt remained, stark reminders of what had just happened. He leaned against the far wall, his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on me like I was the one on trial.

“I’m not hiding anything,” he replied, his tone cold and dismissive.

“Don’t lie to me.” My voice shook, but I held my ground, meeting his steely gaze. “That rogue…it wasn’t just a random attack, was it? They were looking for something. Or someone.”

Kael’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

My frustration boiled over. “Damn it, Kael! You owe me the truth. If I’m supposed to stay here, to trust you, then I need to know what’s going on!”

His eyes flickered, a storm brewing in their depths. For a moment, I thought he might snap back at me, might throw my words in my face. But instead, he pushed off the wall and crossed the room in three long strides.

“You think you want the truth?” he said, his voice low, almost a growl. “You think knowing what Darian wants will make you feel safer? It won’t, Raven. It’ll make you wish you’d stayed far away from this pack. From me.”

I swallowed hard, the intensity in his voice sending a shiver down my spine. “I deserve to know,” I whispered, refusing to back down even as my resolve wavered.

Kael stared at me, his gaze heavy, searching. And then, finally, he spoke.

“Darian doesn’t just want territory,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “He wants power. And he thinks you’re the key to getting it.”

“Me?” The word felt foreign on my tongue. “Why me?”

Kael hesitated, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Because of your bloodline,” he said finally. “Your family… they weren’t just leaders. They were protectors of something ancient. Something powerful.”

I felt the air leave my lungs. “What are you talking about?”

“There’s a relic,” Kael explained, his voice tense. “An artifact tied to your pack, passed down through generations. It’s said to hold the power to control not just wolves, but everything in the supernatural realm. Darian thinks you know where it is, or that you’re the key to unlocking it.”

I staggered back, my head spinning. “That’s insane,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t know anything about a relic. My father never—” I stopped short, memories of his cryptic warnings flashing through my mind. There are things in this world, Raven, that are better left buried. Secrets that can destroy everything.

Kael’s expression darkened. “Maybe you don’t know, but Darian doesn’t care. As long as he thinks you’re a threat, he won’t stop hunting you.”

My heart pounded in my chest, fear and anger warring within me. “So what do we do?”

Kael’s lips pressed into a thin line. “We fight. We protect what’s ours. And we make sure Darian never gets what he’s after.”

~

Later that night, I sat by the window in my room, staring out at the dark forest. The weight of Kael’s words pressed down on me like a heavy cloak, suffocating and inescapable.

A relic. Power. My bloodline. None of it made sense, and yet, deep down, I felt the truth in Kael’s words. My father had kept secrets. Secrets he never wanted me to uncover.

The faint creak of the floorboards behind me made me tense. I turned quickly, my heart hammering, but the room was empty.

“Raven,” a voice whispered.

I froze, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. It wasn’t Kael’s voice. It was softer, raspier, and it seemed to echo from the shadows themselves.

“Who’s there?” I asked, my voice trembling.

No answer.

I stood slowly, my eyes scanning the room. The shadows seemed to shift and move, as though alive. A chill ran down my spine. Who might it be? I'm so scared…what…what if they are coming for me instead?

And then I saw it, a flicker of movement near the door. A figure cloaked in darkness, its features obscured but its presence undeniable.

“Stay away,” I warned, my voice firmer now, though my hands shook. My body trembled under the heat of being so scared.

The figure didn’t move, but its voice came again, low and chilling. “You can’t escape the truth, Raven. It’s already begun.”

Before I could react, the figure disappeared, melting into the shadows as if it had never been there.

I stood there, frozen, my breath coming in shallow gasps. My mind reeled, but all I could hear was that voice, a haunting whisper that reverberated in the silence of the room. It’s already begun.

Just then, the door burst open and Kael stormed in, his eyes blazing with urgency. The suddenness of his entrance jolted me from my thoughts, but I barely registered him.

“Raven, what happened?” he demanded, his gaze darting around the room.

I shook my head, trying to steady my breath, but the words were stuck in my throat. My heart thudded painfully against my ribs. It felt as though everything was spiraling out of control.

“The voice,” I finally managed to whisper. “There was someone… or something here. It spoke to me. It’s already begun.”

Kael’s face paled slightly, his expression darkening in a way that sent a chill crawling up my spine. Without another word, he moved toward me, his hand gripping my arm as he led me away from the window.

“Stay with me,” he muttered, more to himself than to me. “You’re not alone in this.”

I didn’t have the energy to argue, nor did I want to. His presence, though unsettling at times, was the only thing that seemed to anchor me to reality. I clung to it, even as the darkness outside threatened to swallow everything whole.

“Darian isn’t just hunting you, Raven,” Kael continued, his voice low and dangerous. “He’s searching for something far worse. And if we don’t stop him, that voice… the truth behind it… will tear everything apart.”

His words didn’t soothe me; they only deepened the sense of foreboding that had been growing within me ever since I had set foot in this place. My father’s secrets, Kael’s warnings, and the cryptic words of the figure in the shadows—they all pointed to one terrifying reality.

The truth was closing in. And I had no idea how to stop it.

Kael didn’t let go of my arm as he led me through the packhouse. His grip was firm, protective, but I could feel the unease beneath it. Whatever this truth was, whatever Darian wanted, it was much bigger than either of us could imagine. And I had a sinking feeling that I was right in the middle of it all.

The house was eerily quiet, the sounds of our footsteps the only thing breaking the silence. As we reached the stairs, Kael paused, his gaze flicking to the door behind us.

“Stay here,” he ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument. “I’ll handle this.”

I nodded, my mind spinning with questions I didn’t know how to voice. How could I stay here, knowing that Darian was out there? How could I trust Kael when I wasn’t even sure what side he was on?

But as Kael disappeared down the hallway, I knew one thing for sure: the battle had only just begun, and I was tangled in its web whether I liked it or not.