Chapter 4: The Alpha’s Secret

LIRA

The Alpha’s house loomed at the center of the village—its wooden beams carved with ancient runes, windows glowing faintly from the inside. My feet dragged with each step toward the heavy doors. I hadn’t seen my father, Tobias Fenwick, all day, but I knew he’d been watching. He always was.

When I pushed the doors open, the scent of cedar and burning herbs filled the air. My father stood near the wide hearth, his tall frame rigid. His dark hair, streaked with silver, was tied back, and his sharp features seemed carved from stone. His eyes—my eyes—were trained on me.

“Lira.”

His voice held the weight of an Alpha. Authority. Strength. But it was the tension in his stance that unsettled me.

“You called for me?” I tried to sound casual.

Tobias turned, folding his arms behind his back. His gaze swept over me, searching, calculating.

“You went to the clearing again,” he said. “Where the eclipse touches the earth.”

I stiffened. “It’s just a place.”

“No, it’s not.” His voice was quiet but firm. “That place is tied to your birth. To the prophecy.”

I rolled my eyes. “The prophecy again? I’m tired of being some story the Elders whisper about.”

He took a step closer. The firelight flickered across his face, highlighting the scar that ran along his jaw—an old reminder of battles fought long ago.

“There are things you don’t know, Lira.”

“Then tell me!” I snapped. “All my life, I’ve been treated like some fragile secret. Why? What makes me so special?”

Tobias’s expression flickered. For a moment, I thought he would finally explain.

But instead, he said, “Because you’re my daughter.”

My breath hitched. His tone was final, like the closing of a door.

"That's not the real reason," I whispered.

Tobias’s gaze hardened, and he turned away from me, his posture straightening. But in that moment, I knew—he was hiding something. Something far more dangerous than a prophecy. Something he had never told me. Something that had to do with me and the legacy I carried, something I had never been allowed to see.

Before I could press him any further, before I could demand answers, the heavy doors burst open. The sound of it echoed like a gunshot through the room, and my heart skipped a beat.

“Alpha Tobias!” came the strained voice of one of the guards. His face was flushed, his breath coming in short gasps. “The northern border—Grimhowl warriors have crossed it!”

My blood ran cold.

Grimhowl. The name sent a sharp jolt of fear through me. I didn’t need to hear more. I knew exactly who led them. The very name sent a shiver down my spine.

Caius.

I could feel the connection even from here—like a distant pull I could barely resist. The Alpha of the Grimhowl Clan. His reputation was legendary, a figure wrapped in darkness and violence, a man whose very presence could send ripples through the world. And I could feel it in my bones. He was coming.

My father’s face darkened, his sharp features sharpening further as he turned to face the guard.

“Grimhowl has crossed our border?” Tobias’s voice was tight, his fury barely contained, but there was something else beneath it—something that made the air heavy with fear.

The guard nodded. “Yes, Alpha. They’ve crossed into Duskborne lands. There’s word that they’re headed this way, toward the heart of the village.”

I felt a chill crawl up my spine as Tobias’s eyes locked on mine. There was something in his gaze—something unspoken, something ancient.

Caius was no fool. He wouldn’t have moved without a reason. And for him to target Duskborne territory, to cross into our lands—he was making a statement. And that statement had everything to do with me.

I could feel the ground shift beneath my feet. This wasn’t just some skirmish. This wasn’t a raid. This was something bigger.

“Get the men ready,” Tobias barked, his voice no longer carrying the weight of Alpha authority but something far colder. He turned back to me, his gaze narrowing.

“Lira,” he said, his voice low and almost... cautious. “Stay inside. Do not leave this house. Do you understand me?”

But I had already turned away, my mind racing. I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t let them hide me away again. Caius was coming, and everything I had been avoiding—the prophecy, my bloodline, my birth—was about to come crashing down around me.

And I wasn’t going to be left behind this time.

I didn’t answer him. Instead, I pushed past him, my footsteps quick and determined. This time, I wasn’t running away from the truth. I was walking straight into it.