Chapter 22: Torn Loyalties Lucas POV

As I left Anna and Maia, I didn't turn around. The beat of my boots hitting the stone floor echoed the jumble in my mind. The questions that circled like vultures made every step feel heavier.  

Shall I tell Oliver?  

The thought would not go away. I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms. The right thing to do would be to report what I’d seen. Anna sneaking into Oliver’s room, her strange behavior, the signs that she was hiding something. The truth, however, was sour.  

She would be condemned if she told Oliver.  

The corridor stretched endlessly, dim torches flickering along the walls, casting shadows that danced like mocking shadows. I arrived at my quarters and slammed the door. Only a bed and a desk occupied the tiny space, but it was mine, a refuge from the ongoing stress of this pack.  

My breathing was heavy as I leaned against the door. I looked at the relic on the desk, its surface dead and drab.  

"What are you holding out on?" I mumbled as I picked it up and crossed the room. My guide had been the relic, a little, angular stone engraved with old runes. The elders in my pack had invoked its power through rituals, and it had led me to Nightshade Pack.  

to the danger.  

However, the relic had not spoken since I had come. There was no buzz, no glow, and no indication that I had located my target. I flipped it around in my hands, looking for a clue or a sign that would tell me what it wanted me to see.  

"What have I been missing?" I spoke out loud, my voice vibrating in the silence of the room with frustration.  

I was startled out of my reverie by a knock on the door. I glanced toward the sound and gripped the artifact tighter.  

Who would visit this place?  

This time, the knock was milder. I put the relic down and walked across the room to the entrance.  

Anna's face was pale as she stood there with her arms folded tightly across her breast. I could see the terror combined with something else determination in her eyes as they darted tensely down the hallway before locking with mine.  

Her voice was hardly audible above a whisper as she inquired, "May I come in?"  

I paused. It felt wrong to let her in, but worse to leave her in the open. I nodded and moved aside, allowing her to enter the room with stiff motions.  

With her arms still encircling her body as if to protect herself from whatever storm she was preparing for, she stood in the middle of the tiny room.  

Her voice was shaking as she questioned, "Are you going to tell Oliver?"  

Her question weighed heavily on me, and I froze.  

"I..."  

“You told on Leo,” she interrupted, her voice rising. "You didn't hesitate at all, did you? You didn't pause to consider the reality when you saw him with that boy. You just denounced him. '

Each of her remarks pierced deeper than I wanted to acknowledge, like a whip. I started to reply, but my mouth remained closed. How could I respond? She was not mistaken.  

Her rage replaced her terror as her hands clinched at her sides. "Are you going to treat me like that? Without hesitation, turn me over to Oliver? Because, just get it over with, if you are.  

With the guilt tugging at my chest, I took a deep drink. "Anna, I..."  

"Speak up!" Her voice cracked as she snapped.  

I was unable to. Every phrase I formed felt meaningless and empty.  

She took a faltering step back, her shoulders slumping. "All right," she responded in a resentful tone. "Don't say anything. But you will have my blood on your hands if Oliver murders me. Lucas, can you hear me? You’ll be responsible for my death.”  

Her words hit like a punch to the gut, and I flinched, the relic on the desk suddenly feeling heavier than ever.  

With a sudden turn, she made her way to the door.  

"Wait, Anna..."  

She didn't turn around as she stopped, her hand on the doorknob.  

She added, "Just stay away from me," in a tone that was sharper but quieter now. “I don’t need your help. I don’t need your guilt. Whatever comes my way, I'll handle it alone."

I was left standing there as she opened the door and left, the room's silence overpowering any argument.  

With my head in my hands, I sat heavily on the bed's edge. My own uncertainties weighed heavily on her words as they reverberated in my head.  

The relic was still there on the desk, as lifeless as before. I gazed at it, hoping it would respond in some way.  

But it didn’t.