Chapter 46
The moment Kayla turned around from the staircase and said they were going home, Ana stepped in front of her.
Her brows were drawn tightly together, her face a mix of disbelief and frustration.
“So that's it?” Ana said sharply. “Just like that, you're turning back?”
Kayla didn't answer immediately. Her eyes were still on the path they had come through, and her hand remained protectively on her belly.
“Kayla,” Ana continued, stepping closer, her voice now rising, “your mind has succeeded. The part of you that always doubts, always fears has won. You let it win.
You’ve come all the way to the Cliff of Orpheus, walked through the corridor that echoed your worst fears, faced your darkest selves in the Hall of Bargain, and now, now that you’re one step away from meeting the alchemist, you want to go back home?”
“Ana or whoever you are. I’ve made my decision,” Kayla said. “If the price is my pup’s blood, then the answer is no. I will not sacrifice my child, Ana. Not for anything.”
Since Kayla wasn't sure if her companion was actually Ana, she couldn't tell her what her aunt told her.
She couldn't tell her that she heard the alchemist demanded the solution to people's problems as a price.
Now that Kayla thought the price was the blood of the pup in her womb, she intended to go back home and find out how to use it and save Alpha Zayron.
Ana threw up her hands. “And then what? You think if we walk out of here, everything will go back to normal? You think Zayron will just heal on his own?”
Kayla turned to face her, her expression serious. “No. I’ll go to the ancestral vault. There might be something there. Something I missed. Maybe there’s a page or a scroll or a record that”
“No,” Ana interrupted. “There isn’t. And you know that.
The solution to healing someone whose mind has been taken over by a Shadow Caster isn’t written in any vault. If it was, Alpha Kieran, written of in our history book, would’ve used it when his Luna was cursed.
Or Alpha Bryce when his Beta went mad. You know the history. You read the books.”
Kayla didn’t speak, because she had read them. And she knew exactly how the people Ana mentioned had ended.
“The rest of the truth,” Ana said, stepping forward, her voice calmer now but firmer, “the part no wolf knows, is with the Alchemist.
That’s why the Moon Goddess cursed her. That’s why the earth rejected her. She knows too much. Knowledge that’s not meant to be shared. Knowledge that can ruin everything we believe.”
“And you want me to pay the price for that knowledge with my pup’s blood?” Kayla asked. Her voice trembled slightly, but she kept her chin up.
“No, Kay! I want you to meet the Alchemist and hear from the horse's mouth.
You don’t even know for sure if that’s what she’ll ask. You only assume. What if you’re wrong? What if she asks for your blood?”
“Ana, my blood is not the solution to Alpha Zayron's problem. I just realized now that the Alchemist won't ask for it.
If I move beyond this hall, I'm not sure I will leave this place without paying the price,” Kayla said.
“Fine! If you go home now, what would be Zayron’s fate?” Ana challenged. “You’re just going to leave him? He didn’t abandon you. He crossed borders for you. Fought his own pack for you.”
Kayla’s lips trembled. “I know what Zayron did. I haven’t forgotten. But this is my pup.”
“And Zayron is the father of that pup,” Ana snapped. “You’re willing to let him waste away under a shadow’s curse just to hold on to what you haven’t even lost yet.”
“Listen, stop trying to change my decision. I know what I'm doing,” Kayla said.
“I know too. You believe whatever the price is is also the solution to Zayron's problem.
Now, if the blood of your pup is the solution, how do you intend to use it and save Zayron?” Ana asked.
“Let me get home first. I'll figure it out,” Kayla muttered under her breath.
“You’ve made it this far, Kay. And now that you’re about to meet the one person who can give you the solution, you’re turning away. Don’t you see how wrong that is?”
Kayla looked at Ana. “I’ve already gotten what I came for. The Hall showed me what I needed to know.”
“And I was wrong for doubting you earlier. You are real!” Kayla said.
“Why do you think so?” Ana asked.
“The Ana I know hardly closes her mouth,” Kayla said.
Ana understood that she was indirectly telling her to stop talking. However, she ignored Kayla and continued talking.
“You can still go forward, Kay, hear what the Alchemist has to say, and decide then. You don’t have to give anything.”
“And if I step into that tower, and she binds me with magic I can’t break? If she takes the blood without asking? If it’s already part of the bargain just by stepping inside?”
Ana folded her arms and continued looking at Kayla. She couldn't answer the question.
Silence stretched between them. Kayla’s hand remained over her belly, as though shielding her pup from words alone.
Finally, Kayla’s shoulders sagged. “Step aside, Ana. I need to go home immediately.”
Ana’s voice was quiet now. “You know there’s no home for you without Alpha Zayron.”
Kayla didn’t answer. After a long moment, Ana stepped aside.
“If you want to go, then go. I won’t stop you. But I hope you won’t regret this. Because once you leave this place, the path won’t open again for you.”
Kayla nodded slightly. Her feet felt heavy as she turned back toward the exit of the Hall.
She didn’t say another word as she began to walk away.
And Ana, though she wanted to, didn’t follow. She intended to continue the journey.
Kayla halted at the gate of the Hall of Bargains. She looked at the markings that shimmered across the blood-red surface, then turned to Ana and said, “Come on. You'll have to open it with your blood again.”
Ana took a slow step forward, her eyes moving from the gate to Kayla’s face.
Before she could speak, Kayla tilted her head and said, “That reminds me. How is Zayron?”
Her voice was calm, but her eyes betrayed the storm building beneath.
Ana gave a small sigh. “I think he went to Silver Moon Resort. Probably to check if you were there. I couldn't convince him not to go. I didn't even see him at all.”
Before Kayla could respond, the blood gate creaked open slowly, without either of them touching it.
Someone opened it from the other side.
Kayla instinctively took a few steps backward. Standing at the threshold was a tall figure dressed in a silver-lined black coat.
It was Jared, the leader of the Silvershots. His presence made the air grow heavy, and the faint sound of boots behind him confirmed he hadn’t come alone.
Jared snapped his fingers, and his men fell into formation.
“Go to the Silver Moon Resort,” he ordered. “Check if Alpha Zayron is there. Don’t be seen. Report back immediately.”
Without a word, the Silvershots turned and vanished through the gate, disappearing like shadows.
Kayla’s legs felt heavy as she watched them leave. The realization was sharp.
They had risked everything, entered the most cursed ground of the Lythos, just to capture Zayron.
The thought made her chest tighten. These weren’t men on a whim. They were on a mission.
Jared took a slow step closer. “There’s no need to run,” he said. His voice was calm, but cold. “You can’t escape the Silvershots.”
Kayla didn’t reply. She turned sharply and began to head towards the staircase.
Ana stayed behind.
She turned to face Jared and asked, “Why are you looking for my mate?”
Jared paused and frowned. “Your mate?”
“Yes,” Ana said without hesitation. Her voice was confident. “Alpha Zayron is my mate. Why are you looking for him?”
Jared raised a brow. He took a long step toward her and sniffed the air. His nose twitched.
Then, his eyes moved down to the gown he clutched in his hand. He leaned forward and sniffed the fabric, then turned his gaze back to her.
“You smell different,” he said slowly.
“Different how?” Ana asked, keeping her tone neutral.
“Not like the woman we’ve been tracking. Not like the one fated to Alpha Zayron.”
One of the masked Silvershots stepped forward. “Should we go after the one that ran up the stairs?”
Jared glanced toward the dark staircase, then shook his head. “That one, she didn’t have any scent at all. Whoever she is, she’s not the she-wolf we’re after.”
The other Silvershot frowned beneath his mask. “Then what do we do now?”
Jared pulled a silver communication device from his coat pocket. He tapped into it and growled, “I need the footage. The one from the Decennial Summit.
Get me the video of when Zayron arrived at the Obsidian Tower. With his mate. Get it now.”
There was a short pause. Then a voice crackled through the device. “Yes, Commander. Retrieving footage now.”
As they waited, one of the younger Silvershots couldn’t help but speak up.
“Commander, with all due respect, this she-wolf can’t be Zayron’s mate. Richard said Zayron’s mate was powerful. This one doesn’t even look like she’s shifted in months.”
Jared didn’t respond. His attention was fixed on the device. A long silence passed. Then, the device beeped.
Jared brought it up to eye level, and the others gathered around.
On the screen, they saw the sleek black car pull into the driveway of the Obsidian Tower. The doors opened, and Alpha Zayron stepped out.
He was in his formal wear, his head held high. He extended his hand, and a she-wolf stepped out of the car beside him.
It was Ana. The she-wolf that was standing before them.
Jared’s eyes narrowed as he fast-forwarded.
The footage showed Zayron and Ana walking into the building. The camera followed them to the reception desk, where they were handed a room key.
Then they walked toward the elevator together.
There was no mistaking the footage.
But one of the Silvershots, still skeptical, asked, “Could be a decoy. A political one. Doesn’t mean she’s the real mate.”
Jared didn’t answer. He played the footage again.
This time, he paused when Zayron placed his hand on Ana’s lower back, guiding her forward.
The gesture was protective. Familiar. Not for show.
“Still think it’s a decoy?” he asked without looking away from the screen.
The other Silvershot said nothing.
Jared lowered the device and looked up at Ana again. “That’s you.”
“Yes,” Ana said firmly. “I told you. I’m his mate. Now tell me why you’re really here.”
Jared didn’t speak immediately. He seemed to be assessing her again, this time not just her scent or appearance, but something deeper.
“You’re not the one we were tracking. Your mate is,” he said. “But maybe you’re still useful.”
Ana crossed her arms. “Useful for what? You’re trying to get to Zayron. What do you want with him?”
Jared turned his head slowly and looked at Ana. “We are not here for interrogation. Just keep your mouth shut!”
Jared looked past Ana and fixed his gaze on Kayla, who was climbing the stairs hurriedly.
“Is she aware that the Alchemist demands a huge price? Will she be willing to pay the price?”
Ana stared at him. “You have no idea what she’s willing to do.”
Jared turned to one of his men. “Keep an eye on her,” he said, pointing at Ana. “If she moves, stop her.
The one upstairs, track her without engaging. She doesn’t have a scent, but that’s not normal. She’s masking something. We are taking two of them away.”
“Sir, we can't track her without bargaining,” one of the Silvershots that was sent to track Kayla said to Jared.
Jared turned back to him. “We’ll wait. She’ll run out. They always do. They always do when the price is too high.”
Ana didn’t reply. Her thoughts were racing, but her face stayed composed.
Meanwhile, up the staircase, Kayla paused.
The stone under her hand felt cold, and her legs were trembling slightly.
She had reached the last step of the hall.