Chapter 3 The Lie and the Leak

Elara waited in the armchair. The sun was an hour from rising. She did not sleep. She needed to observe. She needed to catalogue. Her mind was a machine.

The lock mechanism whirred. The door opened. Dax entered. He wore dark tactical pants and a tight compression shirt. He carried no weapon. He was the weapon.

He glanced at the untouched dinner tray. He looked at Elara. She was awake. She was alert. He nodded. He walked to the window.

"Good. You are ready," he said.

"I am ready for the truth," Elara countered.

Dax turned. "The truth is simple. You are mine. You shift in six nights. You are the Luna."

"You said Lycian is weak. You said he is sentimental. You executed my parents. My mother was Lycian. They are my kin. Why should I trust you?"

Dax moved to the closet. He opened the safe. He retrieved the manila envelope. He walked back to her. He did not sit. He handed her the envelope.

"Do not trust me. Read this. Trust the facts."

Elara took the envelope. Her fingers fumbled slightly. She opened it. Inside were the documents from before. The childhood photo. The journalist ID. But there were new papers now.

She unfolded the top document. It was a formal pack decree. LYCIAN THORN PACK: EXCOMMUNICATION AND EXECUTION ORDER.

* Date: 19 years ago.

* Subjects: Lyra Vance (born Lyra Thorne, Beta Line), Elias Vance (Human, Co-conspirator).

* Charge: Abandonment of Pack and Revelation of Secrecy.

* Signed: Lycian Thorne, Acting Alpha.

Elara stared at the signature. Lycian Thorne. Not Dax. Lycian signed the death warrant.

"Lycian signed the order," she stated flatly.

"He did," Dax confirmed. "He led the hunt. He executed them personally. He viewed your mother's defection as a threat to his eventual rule. He is ruthless. He is obsessed with purity."

Elara felt the cold certainty of betrayal. Her parents were not victims of a general code. They were victims of Lycian's ambition. Her mother's own brother.

"You knew this when you kidnapped me."

"I knew your bloodline was a threat. I knew you were carrying the scent. Lycian's paranoia is extreme. He would hunt you next. You are the last remnant of Lyra Vance."

"You are protecting me from your brother," Elara realized.

"I am securing my mate. Your survival ensures my power. His death ensures my security. Your survival is mutually beneficial. Stop confusing necessity with sentiment."

She placed the document on the bed. The facts shifted the landscape. Dax was still a usurper. He was still a tyrant. But Lycian was the killer. The monster was wearing the martyr's mask.

"What is Lycian's current strategy?" Elara asked. Her tone was purely analytical.

Dax noticed the change. The emotion was gone. The professional was back. "He knows I have you. He knows the Claim is in six nights. He will strike before the Claim. He needs to kill you or steal you. A successful Claim makes me unstoppable."

"Why?"

"It is ritual magic. The Luna is the grounding force. My wolf is violent. It is too large. It is cursed. The Claim anchors the wolf. It makes me manageable. It makes me stronger. It stabilizes the pack."

"The curse," Elara remembered. "You said you lied about the curse."

Dax walked to the wall. He pressed a hidden panel. The panel slid open. It revealed a secure communications console. It was built into the stone.

"I did not lie about the severity. I lied about the carrier."

He punched a code into the console. A map appeared on the screen. It was a topographical map of the compound and the surrounding territory. Dozens of glowing red dots moved along the perimeter. Lycian's scouts.

"Lycian carries the curse of the Raging Wolf," Dax explained. "He cannot control his shift. He shifts randomly. He is brutal. He is mindless. He leaves bodies. He cannot rule."

"You locked him away because he was a liability," Elara concluded.

"I locked him away because he was dangerous. To the pack. To the secrecy. He murdered our previous Beta in a fit of rage. I took the Alpha title. I spread the lie that I was cursed. I kept him contained in the Northern Ward."

"Why the lie?"

"To protect his reputation among the Lycians. They see him as the rightful ruler. The curse is a medical problem. Usurpation is treason. I chose the path of necessity."

Elara absorbed the data. Dax was not the villain. He was the pragmatic protector. Lycian was the killer. He was the instability. She had to choose.

"The claim activates the dormant wolf," Elara stated. "If I shift, I am Lycian blood. I am his niece. Will that not help him?"

"The mate bond is stronger than blood. The Claim re-writes the blood loyalty. It binds you to me. The Thorne Pack. The Claim is the counter-spell."

He turned from the console. He walked back to the bed. He retrieved a heavy, black key from the bedside table.

"You need to see this," he said. "You need to understand the risk."

He unlocked the door. The sound was deafening in the silence.

"You are coming with me. We are leaving the compound. Now."

"Where are we going?" Elara asked.

"The Northern Ward. You will meet the Raging Wolf."

Dax did not wait for her answer. He walked out of the room. Elara grabbed the letter opener from her pocket. She followed him. Her heart hammered. She knew this was the ultimate risk. This was the point of no return.

Dax led her down the massive staircase. The main hall was deserted. All pack members were at their perimeter defense stations. The compound was on high alert.

They exited the lodge through a side door. The air was cold. Dawn was a pink smear on the horizon.

They walked quickly across the manicured grounds. They moved toward the dense woods on the north side. Dax moved with an economical speed. Elara struggled to keep up.

"Stay behind me. Step where I step," Dax ordered. His voice was low.

They entered the woods. The trees were thicker here. The scent of pine was replaced by the scent of earth and something feral. Something metallic.

They walked for five minutes. A large, dilapidated wooden structure appeared in a clearing. It was surrounded by a thick, electrified chain-link fence. The fence was topped with razor wire. A small security shack sat near the gate.

"The Northern Ward," Dax said.

A guard emerged from the shack. He saw Dax. He nodded sharply. He opened the gate.

Dax led Elara through the gate. The guard quickly re-secured the lock.

They walked toward the wooden building. The silence inside the fence was unsettling.

Dax stopped at the building's massive steel door. He held out his hand. "Give me the opener."

Elara hesitated. Dax's eyes hardened. "Now, Elara. Do not test my patience."

She handed him the letter opener. He slipped it into his pocket. He did not trust her. He was right not to.

He unlocked the steel door with a complex key card sequence. The door hissed open. They stepped inside.

The interior was a single, large room. It was bare concrete. The air was thick with the scent of musk, blood, and ammonia. The room was illuminated by a single, harsh overhead light.

In the center of the room, chained to the concrete floor by four heavy steel restraints, was a wolf.

It was not a wolf. It was a monster.

It was massive. Larger than any creature Elara had ever imagined. Its fur was black and patchy. Its muscles were knotted. Its eyes were wide and milky white. It was breathing heavily. It was drooling. It was utterly mad.

It lunged against the chains. The steel groaned. The sound was deafening. It rattled the concrete.

"That is Lycian Thorne," Dax stated. "This is the Raging Wolf. He has been in this state for three days. He has no mind. He has no reason. He only has rage. He is the one who murdered your parents."

Elara felt the sickness rise in her throat. The creature was pure animal terror. The size was unbelievable. The madness was absolute.

"You keep him here?" she whispered.

"I contain him. This is the truth of the Lycian bloodline. Rage. Madness. Death."

The wolf caught Elara's scent. It stopped struggling. Its white eyes focused on her. Its massive chest heaved. A low, vibrating sound came from its throat. It was not a growl. It was a moan.

Dax grabbed Elara's arm. He pulled her back toward the door. "Time to go. He is tracking your scent."

They backed out of the room. Dax quickly slammed the steel door shut. He secured the lock. The roaring started immediately. The creature was furious. It was desperate.

They walked quickly back to the gate. Dax was silent. Elara was silent. She had seen the truth. Lycian was the threat.

They exited the fence. The guard re-secured the lock. They walked back toward the compound.

"This is why the Claim is non-negotiable," Dax said. His voice was rough. "You have the dormant mark. The Raging Wolf would have killed you. He would have torn you apart. He will tear the pack apart. The Claim anchors the wolf. It grounds the Luna. It stops the madness."

"Why did he moan?" Elara asked.

"He recognized the blood. Your mother's blood. His sister's blood. It is a dying flicker of recognition. It is irrelevant."

They returned to the main lodge. Dax led her back up the stairs. Back to the Alpha's suite.

He unlocked the door. He ushered her inside. He locked the door behind them.

"You have seen the enemy," Dax said. "You have seen the truth. You have six nights. You need to focus. You need to prepare."

Elara stood by the fireplace. The image of the chained monster was burned into her mind. She looked at the man who had imprisoned her. He was not a monster. He was a jailer. He was a protector.

"You are still a tyrant," Elara stated.

"I am a survivalist. Tyranny is irrelevant to survival. Now, you will eat. You will rest. Tomorrow, we start training. You need to survive the Claim. You need to be ready for the bond."

He turned and walked to the communications console. He pressed the button for the food slot. He was done with the truth. He was back to the protocol.

Elara knew her path. Lycian was the enemy. Dax was the key. She would submit to the training. She would survive the Claim. She would get her revenge. She would take down the killer. She would find her freedom later.

She walked to the food slot. A fresh, hot tray was delivered. She started to eat. Her mind was already on the training. The Claim was six nights away. She was preparing for war.