9. Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Luna
T hirty minutes earlier …
The study was the one place where I felt like I could escape—at least for a while. I needed to be alone, to breathe, to make sense of everything. Orion was always so calm, so composed, but I felt like I was unraveling.
I ran my fingers over the old books on the shelves, looking for something, anything, to distract me. Titles of ancient texts, clan histories, and werewolf lore filled the shelves. I tried not to think too much, just letting the feel of the books calm my mind. But it was impossible to ignore the gnawing anxiety in the back of my mind.
After a few minutes of aimless searching, I pulled out a random book. It was some historical account—something dry that I didn’t have the energy to read right now. I was about to put it back when something caught my eye.
Behind the book, almost hidden, was another one. Its cover was dark, weathered, and the leather binding was cracked with age. The spine had no title, just a faint, worn engraving I couldn’t make out. Curiosity flickered in me. Why was it tucked away like this, hidden behind another book?
Without thinking, I carefully pulled it from its hiding place, dust rising as I did. The air felt heavier suddenly, like the room was holding its breath.
I opened the cover, and the ancient pages creaked softly. The ink was faded, the language old, but I could read it. I could feel it. As my eyes scanned the first few lines, my heart began to race.
"In the hour of discord, when the lifeblood of the pack doth wither and fade, there shall rise a seer of fearsome might … Bound by fate to the Alpha, sovereign of wolves, they shall stand against the darkness that thirsts for the ruin of all. Shadows shall creep and devour, yet their bond—unyielding, forged in the fire of blood—shall be their lone shield. Fate shall guide their steps, yet the road before them is fraught with treachery, death, and horrors unseen. Should they falter, the balance shall crumble, and the world shall descend into eternal night."
My hands were trembling. “This isn't just some random prophecy,” I whispered, barely able to breathe. “It's us. Me. Orion. The seer … the Alpha ...”
The words blurred on the page as the weight of it all crashed down on me. I stumbled back, sinking into the nearest chair, clutching the book tightly.
"How long has this been here?" I muttered, my voice shaking. "Did Orion know about this? Did he hide it from me?"
I turned another page, the text revealing more cryptic details—visions, betrayal, and bloodshed. The more I read, the more it all lined up with the visions I’d been having. The dark shadows that haunted my dreams, the traitors in Orion’s clan, the looming threat of the rival pack. It wasn’t just my imagination. It was real.
I ran a hand through my hair, my pulse pounding in my ears. I should have put the book down, but I couldn’t. It felt like it was pulling me deeper into its story, revealing things I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. But I couldn’t stop.
The prophecy spoke of a bond stronger than any the world had ever seen, one that would be tested beyond measure. It described visions—my visions—and hinted at a darkness that was coming for us. For the pack, and Orion.
I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of it all crash down on me. This prophecy wasn’t just a legend. It was happening.
I had to tell Orion, but my mind was a whirlwind of questions.
Why hasn’t he told me? Did he even know? Or has this been hidden from both of us? Come on … this is his estate. I’m sure he knows about this, I thought.
I stood up, cradling the ancient book against my chest, and glanced toward the door. My heart pounded in my throat. This changed everything. We weren’t just fighting a battle for the clan’s survival—we were part of something far bigger, something ancient and inevitable.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that the book had been waiting for me. Hidden away, waiting for the right moment to reveal itself. The timing was too perfect, too … fated.
I wasn’t sure I was ready for what that meant. But one thing was clear: I needed to confront Orion about this. I exhaled and headed straight to the room where I left Orion.
I stood in front of Orion, the air between us thick with the weight of what I had found. The ancient book felt like lead in my hands, every page I turned tightening the knot in my chest. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it. But the words on the page were clear, unmistakable.
“What’s this, Orion? Did you know about this?” I finally asked, my voice sharp, cutting through the silence. I held the book out, shaking it slightly for emphasis. The old leather cover creaked in protest, but I didn’t care. My heart was pounding too hard to focus on anything but the answer I needed from him.
Orion glanced at the book in my hands, his jaw tightening for just a moment. The flash of guilt in his eyes was brief, but I caught it. He knew.
“I’ve seen it,” he said, his voice low and guarded.
“You’ve seen it?” I repeated, my disbelief ringing loud. “That’s all you have to say? You’ve seen it?”
My pulse quickened. I couldn’t tell if it was anger or hurt or something else, something deeper and rawer, rising in my chest. He knew about the prophecy—about us—and yet, he had kept it buried. Hidden.
“It’s an old prophecy, Luna,” he continued, running a hand through his hair. “Over two hundred years old. I didn’t put much stock in it.”
I stared at him, my fingers tightening around the book. “You didn’t put much stock in it?” The words felt bitter on my tongue. “It speaks of fated mates, Orion. Of you and me, of the Alpha and the Seer. It’s not just some old legend, it’s our lives. Our future.”
Orion looked away. His expression was unreadable. His silence infuriated me, like he was shutting me out, like this wasn’t as monumental as it felt.
“It’s not that simple,” he said quietly.
“Not that simple?” I took a step towards him, my heart twisting. “How long have you known? How long have you known that this prophecy has been hanging over us, over our heads, and you didn’t think to tell me?”
His eyes met mine, and for a moment, I saw the struggle in him—the conflict. “I’ve known for a while,” he admitted, his voice flat. “But it was written so long ago, Luna. Two centuries. Prophecies are vague, open to interpretation. I didn’t want to pressure you with something that might not even come to pass.”
I felt like the floor was slipping out from under me. Pressure? He thought this was about pressure? This wasn’t about trying to live up to some ancient script. This was about truth, about understanding what was happening between us. And he had known—known—and still chose to keep me in the dark.
“Do you hear yourself?” I asked, my voice trembling. “We’ve been thrown into something neither of us understands, and you knew there was a prophecy—about us—and you just … what? Decided to ignore it? Hoped it would go away?”
Orion’s expression hardened. “I didn’t ignore it. I just didn’t want to make everything about some old prophecy. I didn’t want you to feel trapped by it. I didn’t want us to be trapped by it.”
His words stung in ways I couldn’t explain. He thought he was protecting me, but all I felt was betrayed. There was something bigger than us at play, something pulling us together, and he had chosen to pretend it didn’t matter.
“You should have told me,” I whispered, my voice cracking under the weight of my emotions. “You should have trusted me enough to tell me the truth.”
Orion stepped closer, his hand reaching out like he wanted to comfort me, but I took a step back. The space between us felt like a chasm now, a gap too wide to cross.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice softening. “I didn’t want you to feel like you didn’t have a choice. I didn’t want this to define us.”
But it already was defining us. The prophecy, the visions, the undeniable pull between us—it was all part of something much larger than either of us could control.
“I don’t have a choice,” I said, shaking my head. “None of us do. It’s already happening.”
Orion fell silent, his gaze dropping to the floor. I could feel the energy between us shifting, the weight of unspoken things heavy in the air. I wanted to scream, to cry, to make him understand how much this hurt. But instead, all I felt was hollow.
“I thought I could protect you from it,” he murmured. “But I see now that I’ve only pushed you further away.”
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. The trust I had had in him felt cracked, broken in a way that couldn’t be easily fixed.
That night, the silence between Orion and me was unbearable. It wasn’t the kind of silence that brings peace—it was charged, like the air before a storm. Every unspoken word, every question I had choked down since I found the prophecy, hung in the space between us like a dark cloud.
Orion didn’t reach for me, and I didn’t move toward him. The weight of what was left unsaid gnawed at me. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, but my mind was racing. He knew. He knew, and he still kept it from me.
Eventually, exhaustion claimed me, but the moment I drifted off, the visions came. Hard and fast, more vivid than any I had ever had.
I was standing at the edge of a forest. The trees loomed above, their twisted branches casting strange, jagged shadows in the moonlight. And Miranda was standing at the tree line, her face as pale as the moon. Her lips were moving fast, too fast for me to catch the words.
My chest tightened as I watched her, a pit forming in my stomach. Something was wrong. She kept looking over her shoulder, her eyes wide, darting nervously between the shadows.
And then, out of the darkness, they came—the rival clan. Wolves cloaked in shadows, their eyes glowing like embers, slinking toward her with a predator's grace. I could feel their hunger, their malice, swirling in the air like poison.
Miranda didn’t flinch. She extended her hand, and I could almost hear the soft, sinister click as the pact was sealed.
"No!" I wanted to scream, but my voice caught in my throat. I could only watch, helpless, as she locked her fate—and ours—into place. The betrayal sliced through me, sharp and cold, a dagger straight to the heart.
It wasn’t just her. It wasn’t just a betrayal. It was Orion’s future— our future—dangling by a thread. If this pact was made, everything would crumble. It would destroy us all.
The darkness in the vision swirled, closing in, suffocating me.
I woke with a jolt, my breath catching in my throat, my heart hammering so hard I thought it might burst from my chest. Sweat clung to my skin, and I shot upright, gasping for air.
"Luna?" Orion’s voice was low and steady, but I could hear the concern laced in it. His hand was already on my arm, gently grounding me as my mind struggled to shake off the nightmare. "What is it? What did you see?"
I stared at him, my eyes wide, still trying to process the vision. My skin was burning, my pulse wild. "It’s … its Miranda," I breathed, barely able to form the words. "She’s … she’s going to betray us."
“What!” Orion’s grip tightened on my arm.