Chapter 14: Father's Fury
The smell of smoke got stronger as they rushed up the stone steps from the hidden chamber. Pack warriors ran through the rooms, shouting orders. "Get to the main hall," Alpha Thorne ordered. "Now!" They raced through passageways until they reached the grand hall where dozens of pack members gathered. Warriors prepared weapons while others tended to the hurt. "It was a warning attack," explained Beta Marcus, Celeste's father. His eyes narrowed when he spotted Liana. "They breached the east wall but retreated quickly." Another blast rattled the windows. "Or maybe not," Jace muttered. Alpha Thorne climbed the steps to his throne, oozing power. "Secure the borders! Double the guards on all openings!" As warriors rushed to follow, he pointed at Liana. "You. My office. Immediately." His glare swept to his kids. "All of you." The Alpha's office felt too small with everyone inside. Thorne paced like a caged animal, his massive shoulders tense with rage. "Do you understand what you've done?" he growled. "By bringing her here, you've led our enemies straight to our door!" "Father, she's your niece," Kael protested. "Your blood." "She's Silverblood," Thorne snapped. "The most dangerous bloodline in wolf history." Liana flinched. "I didn't ask for this." "Yet here you are, with my sons falling at your feet like lovesick puppies," Thorne snarled. "One of them already half-dead from the curse!" Rowan leaned against the wall, the black veins moving higher on his neck. "We don't have time for this," he said softly. Thorne slammed his hand on his desk, cracking the wood. "She must leave! Now! Before Darius breaks through our shields." For the first time in his life, Kael stepped straight in front of his father, challenging him. "No." The room went quiet. No one had ever defied Alpha Thorne so openly—especially not his obedient oldest son. "What did you say to me?" Thorne whispered, his voice more dangerous than if he'd yelled. "I said no." Kael stood tall, his eyes flashing gold. "Liana stays." Jace moved beside his brother. "We stand together on this." Even Rowan pushed himself off the wall to join them. "All three of us." Alpha Thorne's eyes burned with rage and something else—surprise, perhaps even pride. "You would challenge me? Your Alpha? Your father?" "To protect our mate? Yes." Kael's voice never changed. Thorne circled them slowly. "You don't even know which one of you is her true mate. The wrong choice will kill you all." "That's our risk to take," Jace maintained. Alpha Thorne stopped walking. He stared at Liana for a long moment, then sighed heavily. "You look just like him, you know." "Like who?" Liana asked. "Your father." Thorne's voice softened suddenly. "Not your mother's mate, but your real father." The room went still. Liana's heart skipped a beat. "I don't understand." Thorne walked to a painting on the wall and removed it, showing a safe. He spun the dial and pulled out an old picture. "Your mother loved my brother, yes. But she loved another man first." He gave the photo to Liana. It showed three young guys and a beautiful woman with Liana's eyes. One man was clearly a younger Thorne. Another resembled him—his brother. The third man had Liana's curly dark hair and golden-brown eyes. "His name was Elian Silverblood. We were friends once, the four of us." Thorne's eyes grew distant with remembering. "Elian knew his family was hunted. When your mother got pregnant, he asked me to protect you both." "What happened to him?" Liana whispered. "Darius happened." Thorne's jaw clenched. "Your father died protecting your mother, and my brother died trying to save them both. I was too late." Elder Mira gasped. "You've known all along who she was." "I promised Elian I would keep his daughter hidden and safe," Thorne nodded. "I disguised you as an omega and placed you with a loyal family." "But if you knew," Kael asked, confusion clear on his face, "why are you so angry she's here now?" "Because the moment she turned eighteen, her blood awakened!" Thorne roared. "The silver marks appeared! Every enemy of the Silverblood line could sense her! That's why Darius found her. That's why my kids are drawn to her. That's why Rowan's curse is speeding!" He turned to Liana, his face a mix of fury and fear. "Your father's death wish was for me to keep you safe, hidden from this world. And I've failed." Outside, screams echoed through the night. The pack was fighting, giving them time for this family drama. "I didn't know," Liana said softly. "All my life, I thought I was nothing." "You're everything," Thorne replied, surprising them all. "That's the problem." Jace stepped forward. "So what now? We can't send her away. Darius will find her." "And I won't leave Rowan to die," Liana added strongly. Alpha Thorne studied each face in the room. His shoulders dropped slightly. "There is... another way," he said reluctantly. "A dangerous way." "What?" all three brothers asked immediately. "The Trial of the Moon," Elder Mira breathed. "You can't mean that, Alpha. It hasn't been performed in ages." "What's the Trial of the Moon?" Liana asked. Thorne's eyes bored into hers. "An ancient ceremony to show a wolf's worth to the pack. If you pass, you earn the right to stay, to choose your mate, to claim your lineage." "And if I fail?" Liana asked, though she already guessed the answer. "You die," Thorne said simply. "And probably take my sons with you." "Father!" Kael protested. Thorne raised his hand for silence. "This is the only way. Either she shows herself worthy of the Silverblood name and my son's mate, or she leaves tonight." "I'll do it," Liana said before anyone could argue. "What is this trial?" Elder Mira continued, "You must spend a night alone in the Sacred Grove, communing with the Moon Goddess. She will test your spirit, your bravery, your heart." "People have gone mad during the trial," Thorne warned. "Some never return at all." "When?" Liana asked, her voice steadier than she felt. "Tonight. Full moon." Thorne's eyes narrowed. "Decision made." "Father, please," Kael began, but Liana touched his arm. "It's okay," she said. "I accept the challenge." Thorne nodded curtly. "Elder Mira will prepare you. The rest of you, help protect the pack." He fixed his gaze on his kids. "And remember your duties to your people, not just your hearts." As they filed out, Thorne caught Liana's arm. "One more thing your father asked of me," he said softly, so only she could hear. "He made me promise that if his daughter ever found her way home, I would tell her the truth about her power." "What truth?" Liana whispered. "The silver marks aren't just decoration," Thorne said sadly. "They're a map to something your ancestors hid—something Darius has been searching for his entire life." "What is it?" Thorne's eyes darted to the door. "The Heart of the Moon—a crystal with the power to break or form mate bonds. Legend says whoever owns it can rewrite the laws of our kind." Liana's breath caught. "And it's... inside me?" "Not the crystal itself," Thorne explained. "But the information of its location? Yes. When your blood fully awakens during the Trial, you'll see the map hidden in your marks." A fighter burst into the room. "Alpha! Rogues at the north gate!" Thorne straightened. "Go with Elder Mira. Prepare for the Trial." He squeezed her shoulder awkwardly—the closest thing to love he'd shown. "For what it's worth, your father would be proud." As Liana followed Elder Mira, her mind spun with insights. She wasn't just an omega, or even just a Silverblood. She was the key to an old power—one that could save Rowan and determine the fate of all wolves. In the hall, the triplets waited. Each brother's eyes held something different: Kael's drive, Jace's worry, Rowan's pain. "I'll be ready," she promised them. "Tonight, under the full moon, I'll face the Goddess and find the truth." "Just come back to us," Rowan whispered, the black veins now reaching his mouth. As Elder Mira led her away, Liana looked back at the three brothers—one of whom was her true mate, though she still didn't know which. Tonight, she would find out. If she survived.