Chapter 4 FLASHBACK 2

"Alpha Thane," the Head Chief's voice echoed in the huge meeting room which suddenly seemed too small. "Our librarian here, Ms Mira, claims that you are her mate- that you have been all along- and you two had a secret relationship going on already. By any chance, is any of this true?"

I stood in the center of the room, my palms clammy at my sides, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it. The council, ten in total, sat in a semi-circle, their faces expectant, their eyes shifting between me and the man I thought was mine.

Thane sat directly across from me, his broad shoulders hunched slightly, fingers digging into the armrest of his chair. Beside him, too close for comfort, sat her - Alexa, the witch with the serpent's smile.

I raised my chin, just a little. My eyes found Thane's, and for a fleeting moment, I saw it - hesitation, doubt, and underneath all of it, guilt. The silence stretched too long, and each second felt like a knife carving into my chest.

The Head Chief cleared his throat, his brows furrowing. "Alpha, we need a response."

Thane's Adam's apple bobbed, his gaze flicking from one elder to the next, searching for something - a way out. Finally, his golden eyes met mine, and I silently begged him. Please. Just tell the truth. Please.

"Alpha Thane?" another elder prompted, their patience stretching thin.

My heart ached so fiercely I could barely stand upright.

I was desperately waiting to hear Thane's response, but when it came, I wished I could unhear it.

"No," Thane said, his voice low, but each syllable might as well have been a blade to my gut. "I don't know why she's making these claims, but there was never anything between us."

The room spun. I must have misheard.

"What?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

Thane didn't look at me this time. "She's lying."

The ground beneath me vanished. My chest hollowed out, leaving nothing but raw, trembling emptiness.

"She's obsessed with me," Thane added, each word like a hammer to my ribs. "I don't know why, but I have never... she was just a librarian."

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't see. The man I had given my heart to, the man who whispered promises in the dark - he denied it all.

"You're lying!" My voice cracked with disbelief, but the moment I spoke, Alexa stood, her dark curls cascading down her back like black ink.

"Enough of this madness," Alexa said smoothly, her voice laced with mock pity.

The words clung to me like tar.

The Head Chief exchanged glances with the others, some of them whispering to each other. "This is a serious accusation, Alpha Thane. If she's making false claims-"

"She should be punished," Alexa said, her gaze sharp with triumph. "Lying about the Alpha, disrupting the peace... it's treasonous."

Treason. My knees nearly buckled.

"We could exile her," Alexa added, and I saw it then - the glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes. This was what she wanted all along.

"No, please..." I stepped forward, but Thane didn't stop her. He didn't even look at me.

"Stand back!" One of the elders shot at me, his voice stern.

The Head Chief sighed. "If the Alpha denies it, and if the council agrees, then exile may be the only appropriate response."

I searched Thane's face one last time, desperately hoping for something - even a flicker of hesitation, a sign he'd fight for me.

But there was nothing.

With a final snap of the gavel, my fate was sealed.

Banished.

Rejected!

At that moment something inside me-something soft, something hopeful-died.

I didn't cry. Not when they stripped me of my rank. Not when they escorted me to the edge of the territory like some criminal. Not when they warned me that if I ever returned, I'd be hunted like a rogue.

But something had definitely changed The pain didn't kill me, instead it hardened me.

I waited until nightfall, until the scent of the forest was thick with damp earth and secrets. I knew what I was after - the book.

The ancient tome that had been locked away in the Alpha's private archives.

I wasn't supposed to know about it - but I'd spent years in the library, learning, watching, uncovering. And I knew it held something Thane and Alexa wanted hidden.

Something incredibly powerful. Yet no one could even open the book, or understand what was needed to do so. If I could do that, then I might become the most powerful person in the world.

And then, I can take my revenge. Make him pay for rejecting me!

Slipping past the patrols was easy. They underestimated me - the quiet little librarian with no wolf and no spine. I was nothing to them, a ghost they banished without a second thought.

But ghosts know how to haunt.

It wasn't easy getting access to the chamber that held the book-so many locks, and traps-but one of the benefits I got from being with Thane-even though it was only temporary and ended with nothing but pain-was that I knew a few things others didn't. My hands trembled as I lifted the book, its cover worn, symbols etched deep into the leather.

It thrummed beneath my fingertips-alive.

I barely made it past the border before they caught me. Thane's warriors.

They chased me through the forest, their snarls filling the night. My heart pounded, but I didn't stop. I couldn't.

I wasn't running to escape.

I was running to survive.

*BACK TO THE PRESENT*

The weight of the memory settled over me like a cold shroud.

I stared at Della, my throat tight. "How do you know my mother?" My voice was softer now, fragile in a way I hated.

Della's eyes flickered, her expression briefly unreadable. "That's a story for another day, child."

"No." My fists clenched. "You don't get to just drop that and walk away. Who was she? Why does she matter to you? And how do you know her?"

Della's lips pressed into a thin line. "Your mother was a dear friend. She was... special, like you."

"Special? What do you mean?"

Della hesitated before answering. "She carried blood that was more than wolf. More than human."

"What does that mean?" My voice trembled slightly.

"You'll understand soon," Della said gently. "But first, let's get your wolf back."

She led me to Cara, the young hybrid girl waiting patiently in the clearing. The girl's hands glowed faintly, silver runes dancing along her fingertips.

"Sit," Cara said, her voice sweet but firm.

I sat cross-legged on the grass, closing my eyes as instructed. Cara's hands hovered near my temples, the air vibrating with a soft hum.

I felt it almost immediately - the sensation of a locked door creaking open somewhere inside me. A weight lifted from my chest, and then, I felt her.

My wolf.

'Nia!'

She surged forward, her presence fierce and protective. I gasped, doubling over as her strength flooded my limbs, as our bond was restored.

"I feel her," I whispered, tears springing to my eyes.

Della nodded at Cara, and the girl left us. Della knelt in front of me, reaching out for my hand. "How does it feel?" She asked.

How did it feel?

The energy still hummed beneath my skin long after Cara's hands fell away. My wolf wasn't just awake - she was brimming, her presence sharper, clearer than I'd ever known. Every sound in the clearing seemed magnified, from the crackling torches to the rustling leaves above. I could hear the heartbeat of everyone around me, including Della's - steady, but layered with something beneath it.

Anticipation? Or was it fear?

I stood slowly, flexing my fingers, watching the way my nails gleamed in the low light - darker, almost metallic. My senses stretched farther than they ever had before, I felt foreign.

This wasn't normal.

"What did you do to me?" My voice was hoarse, though not with fear - with suspicion.

Della exchanged a glance with Cara before stepping forward. "I didn't do anything, Mira. This-" she gestured to me, to the faint shimmer around my skin, "-this was always inside you."

"No." I shook my head. "I know my wolf. I know what I am. I'm just..."

"A wolf?" Della's brow lifted slightly. "Are you sure?"

I opened my mouth to argue, but the words wouldn't come.

Della took advantage. "You underestimate yourself too much, Mirabel. You have no idea the power you hold within you, the greatness residing in the legacy your mother left you. You-" she took a step closer, "you are much more stronger than you can ever imagine."

"Now take a deep breath and tell me, how does it actually feel?" Her voice was subtle, probing.

I inhaled, then let it out, alongside all the fear and doubt. It was then the feeling soared through my body. "It feels so good to have her back. I can't explain." I mumbled.

"Good!" Della squeezed my hand. "Now, it's time to unlock the other side of you."