Chapter 5 005 Shadows of past

The question hung in the air between us, fragile and dangerous. My own voice echoed in my mind, the weight of it pressing against my ribs. I had no idea where it had come from, only that it had slipped past my lips before I could stop it.

Kaiden stiffened. His sharp, piercing gaze darkened, something unreadable flickering in those stormy eyes. His jaw clenched as he took a step back, as if distance would erase what had just been said.

"What?" His voice was quieter now, but there was something beneath it-something wary.

I swallowed, my throat tight. My heart pounded in my chest, screaming at me to take it back, to pretend I hadn't asked. But I couldn't. The words were out, the seed planted.

The vision still burned in my mind. The blood-red moon. The battle. No one takes what's mine. His voice-his exact voice-spoken in a time that didn't exist. Or at least, one I didn't remember.

But Kaiden... Kaiden didn't look confused. He didn't look like someone who had just heard something absurd. He looked... rigid.

Like he knew. Like he had felt it too.

A cold chill crawled up my spine. "You heard me," I murmured. "I asked who we were."

His silence stretched, thick and suffocating. And then-

"Astrid, go get some rest," he said, his tone carefully measured. Too careful. "You're tired. You're overthinking things."

I took a step forward. "That's not an answer."

His jaw flexed. "Because there is no answer."

Liar.

I wasn't sure where the certainty came from, but it settled deep in my bones. Kaiden knew something. Maybe not everything, but something. And the fact that he was refusing to acknowledge it only made my stomach twist harder.

"Kaiden-"

"Astrid." His voice was sharp now, edged with something dangerous. "Enough."

I flinched. Not at the tone-but at the way it hurt.

He had never spoken to me like that before. Not even during our worst arguments. And maybe that should've been my warning. My sign to let it go.

"Astrid."

His voice stops me cold.

I don't know why it does. Maybe because it's softer than usual, lacking the usual bite, or maybe because something about the way he says my name makes my stomach twist in a way I don't like.

I turn slowly, forcing my expression into something neutral, something unaffected.

Kaiden stands there, looking every bit the Alpha he is-broad, strong, infuriatingly composed. There's a small cut just above his collarbone, barely visible beneath his shirt. The same wound I patched up earlier.

His eyes flicker over me, searching for something I don't understand. Then, his brows furrow slightly, and his voice drops.

"Why do you smell like-"

He stops.

Like what?

I open my mouth to ask, but Kaiden's expression hardens, his jaw clenching just a fraction. Then, just as quickly, his entire stance shifts, like he's wiping the thought from existence.

"Forget it," he mutters, stepping past me.

Something about that pisses me off.

I turn sharply. "What, you're keeping track of my scent now?" I snap, forcing a smirk. "You're losing your touch, Alpha."

Kaiden stills.

His head tilts slightly, lips twitching-not quite a smile, but close enough to make my stomach tighten.

Then he steps closer.

Not enough for anyone to notice. Not enough to cause a scene. But enough that I feel the warmth radiating off of him, enough that his voice lowers into something that shouldn't make my breath hitch.

"I don't need to insult you, Astrid." His eyes hold mine, dark and unreadable. "You do a good enough job of driving yourself crazy."

My pulse stumbles.

I don't like the way my body reacts to him. I don't like the way his voice seems to sink into my bones, like a whisper I can't shake.

I force a scoff. "Wow. That was almost clever."

Kaiden doesn't respond. He just watches me.

Too long.

Too intently.

I swallow, trying to ignore the way my heart is beating just a little too fast.

Then, finally, he exhales, stepping back. "Get some rest."

And just like that, he's gone.

–––⸻✧⸻–––

The scent of old parchment and dust fills my lungs as I step into the storeroom, my boots barely making a sound against the stone floor. It's dimly lit, the torches along the walls flickering lazily, casting long shadows over the countless shelves filled with relics, scrolls, and forgotten records.

"Great," I mutter under my breath, scanning the seemingly endless stacks of books. "Of course, Elder Magnus would send me on a scavenger hunt in a place that looks like it hasn't been touched in a century."

I weave through the narrow aisles, trailing my fingers along the spines of ancient tomes, searching for the specific record the Elder had requested. My fingers pause on a worn leather-bound book, and just as I start to pull it from the shelf-

THUD.

Something crashes to the ground behind me.

I flinch, spinning around so fast my heart slams against my ribs.

The silence after the sound is deafening. The air feels thick, charged, like something unseen is lurking just beyond the edges of my vision.

Swallowing hard, I take a step forward, my eyes locking onto the fallen object.

A glass vial.

The deep red liquid inside glistens under the torchlight, the color strikingly similar to blood. It has spilled slightly onto a piece of parchment lying beneath it, the ink spreading like veins through the old paper.

Something about it makes my stomach twist.

Slowly, I kneel, hesitating before picking up the parchment, careful not to smudge the ink that's already blurring the words.

My breath catches as I read.

The handwriting is sharp, ancient, the letters curling in a way that makes my head spin.

"The moon once blessed a destined pair, but fate was twisted, stripped unfair.

By wicked hands, the threads were spun.

A false bond forged, the truth undone.

The past may hide, but truth won't fade,

The fire lost shall rise unscathed.

When heart recalls what mind forgets,

The rightful bond shall spark again."

My pulse pounds violently in my ears.

What the hell does this mean? I reread it, my fingers gripping the fragile paper tighter, my mind scrambling for sense.

The threads were spun? The past may hide but truth won't fade?

All of a sudden, her voice bloomed in my mind, as if trying to remind me. Wake me.

'The past doesn't matter when the future is already written, Astrid.'

'When heart recalls what mind forgets,'

Those... visions.

I clutched my head. Everything's spinning. Something cold slithers down my spine. This... this isn't just some random prophecy. This is-

THUD.

I jolt again, head snapping up-this time, a scroll falls from another shelf, landing just inches away. The room suddenly feels smaller, suffocating. Something isn't right.

With shaky hands, I fold the parchment and slip it into my pocket before backing away, my breathing uneven.

I need to get out of here. And I need to find out what the hell is going on.