THE TRUTH HE HID
The courtyard fell completely silent.
Aria stared at the man beyond the gate.
“…What thing?”
Elias didn’t answer immediately.
His silver eyes studied her carefully.
Like he was trying to decide how much to say.
Rowan stepped forward impatiently.
“You don’t get to drop a sentence like that and go quiet.”
Lucian crossed his arms.
“I agree.”
The Alpha King’s voice was colder than ice.
“Start explaining.”
Elias exhaled slowly.
“The Shadow Bloodline isn’t just rare.”
Aria’s chest tightened.
“I know that already.”
“No,” Elias said softly.
“You don’t.”
The Alpha King signaled to the guards.
“Open the gate.”
Rowan blinked.
“Wait—are we seriously letting him in?”
The Alpha King’s golden eyes remained fixed on Elias.
“If he’s lying, he won’t leave this fortress alive.”
The iron gate creaked open.
Elias stepped inside calmly.
He didn’t look afraid.
Not even a little.
That alone made Rowan uneasy.
The moment Elias stepped into the torchlight, Aria could see him clearly.
His face was older than hers, but not by much.
Maybe forty.
But his eyes…
Those silver eyes were unmistakable.
Just like hers.
Just like her wolf.
Elias stopped a few steps away from her.
“You’ve grown.”
Aria’s voice was cold.
“Don’t start acting like a father now.”
Elias nodded once.
“That’s fair.”
Lucian watched the exchange carefully.
“So… what exactly is inside her?”
Elias finally answered.
“A sealed power.”
Aria frowned.
“Sealed by who?”
Elias hesitated.
Then he said quietly—
“By me.”
Rowan groaned loudly.
“Oh fantastic.”
Aria’s eyes narrowed.
“You sealed something inside me?”
“Yes.”
Her voice rose.
“WHY?!”
Elias didn’t react to the anger.
“Because if I hadn’t…”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“You would have destroyed everything.”
Silence crushed the courtyard again.
Aria laughed once.
But there was no humor in it.
“That’s ridiculous.”
Lucian spoke slowly.
“Maybe not.”
Everyone looked at him.
Lucian tilted his head slightly while studying Aria.
“The energy I felt earlier…”
He nodded toward her.
“That wasn’t normal Alpha power.”
Rowan sighed.
“You noticed that too?”
Lucian nodded.
The Alpha King hadn’t taken his eyes off Elias.
“Explain the seal.”
Elias looked at Aria again.
“When you were born…”
His voice lowered.
“Your power awakened immediately.”
Aria frowned.
“That’s impossible. Wolves awaken later.”
“Yes,” Elias said.
“That’s why everyone panicked.”
Rowan’s eyebrows lifted.
“Everyone?”
Elias nodded.
“The elders believed you were the return of an ancient force.”
Aria felt a cold chill spread through her body.
“What force?”
Elias hesitated again.
Lucian leaned slightly forward.
“I’m guessing this is the part where things get interesting.”
Elias finally said the words.
“The Primordial Wolf.”
The name meant nothing to Aria.
But it clearly meant something to the others.
Rowan went completely still.
“…You’re joking.”
Lucian’s blue eyes sharpened.
“That’s a myth.”
Elias shook his head slowly.
“No.”
The Alpha King spoke quietly.
“The first wolf.”
Elias nodded.
“The source of all wolf bloodlines.”
Aria stared at them.
“Okay, someone needs to explain this in normal words.”
Rowan rubbed his face.
“The Primordial Wolf is basically the original ancestor of every werewolf.”
Lucian added calmly,
“And according to legend…”
“…that wolf had power strong enough to reshape the world.”
Aria blinked.
“That’s ridiculous.”
Elias looked at her.
“The elders believed your blood carried its spirit.”
Her heart pounded.
“So you sealed it?”
“Yes.”
Aria laughed again, more nervously this time.
“Good.”
Elias’s expression darkened.
“But the seal weakens every time you use your power.”
Her smile disappeared.
“…What?”
Lucian straightened slightly.
“That explains the energy surge earlier.”
Rowan groaned.
“Please don’t say what I think you’re about to say.”
Elias looked directly at Aria.
“The Blood Emperor didn’t steal the Bloodstone just for power.”
Aria’s chest tightened.
“Then why?”
Elias’s voice was quiet.
“Because the Bloodstone is the only thing that can break the seal completely.”
The courtyard felt suddenly colder.
Lucian spoke softly.
“So if he gets close to her…”
Elias finished the sentence.
“The Primordial Wolf will awaken.”
Aria’s voice came out barely above a whisper.
“…And that’s bad?”
Elias’s eyes darkened.
“If it awakens without control…”
He looked around at the fortress.
“…nothing in this world will survive it.”