Chapter 4 The rogue attack awakens something inside her.

Jade's POV

The vial was cold in my hand. Too cold.

Not just the kind of chill that came from metal, but something deeper-like it was leeching warmth from my skin. I wanted to drop it. To toss it into the trees and pretend none of this had happened. But I couldn't move because the stranger's voice still echoed in my head.

"This is for you. A gift. From your real bloodline."

My real bloodline?

What the hell did that mean?

Behind me, Ewans was breathing hard, still in his wolf form. His coat bristled, and his growl was low and menacing. His instincts were screaming danger, just like mine but this wasn't just danger.

This was personal.

"What the hell is that?" he asked again, shifting back into human form. His voice was cold, clipped.

I didn't answer. I couldn't. I stared at the silver vial, the light of the moon glinting off its smooth surface. It looked old. Ornate. Like it belonged in a forgotten temple or buried with the bones of a king. Not something that should be handed to a lowborn Omega in the middle of a forest.

"I said-what is it?" Ewans repeated, stepping closer. I finally looked up at him. "I don't know."

"You expect me to believe that?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Believe whatever you want, Alpha. But I've never seen it before. That thing-he-he knew my name."

Ewans's jaw tensed. "You spoke to him?"

"He spoke to me." My voice trembled, more with confusion than fear. "He said this was from my real bloodline." Something shifted in Ewans's face. A flicker of recognition. Or dread.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing."

I took a step closer. "Don't do that. Don't lie to me." He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "We need to get back to the council. They'll want to see it."

Of course. The council.

Always them. Always secrecy and protocol.

"Fine," I muttered. "But I'm holding on to it."

Ewans's eyes darkened. "That could be dangerous."

"So am I," I said, pushing past him and I didn't miss the way his eyes dropped to my back as I walked away.

The council chamber was as cold as ever. Stone walls, high arches, and enough testosterone to choke a manticore. The elders sat in their usual positions stoic, silent, judging.

I stood alone in the center, the vial clutched tight in my palm. Ewans hadn't said a word since we arrived. He stood off to the side, arms crossed, the perfect Alpha mask back in place.

"You're sure you didn't recognize the intruder?" asked Elder Marlow, peering down at me over his glasses.

"Yes."

"He knew your name."

"I didn't know his."

"And the vial?"

"He handed it to me. Said it was a gift. From my... real bloodline." Murmurs broke out across the room.

"Enough," Ewans barked. Silence fell instantly. Elder Corin leaned forward. "This could be a trap. Rogues have been experimenting with bloodline magic. Potions. Poisons."

"Then test it," I snapped. "Test me. But don't stand there looking at me like I've done something wrong."

Corin scowled, but said nothing else.

Ewans finally stepped forward. "We'll secure the vial in the vault. Until we know more, Jade stays under supervision."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You'll remain within the inner grounds," he continued. "No unsanctioned patrols. No lone shifts. No wandering."

"You're grounding me?" I laughed bitterly. "I just saved your life. Again."

"This isn't personal."

"No. It's always personal with you, isn't it?"

The tension in the room crackled.

But Ewans didn't back down. "That's my ruling." and like always, his word was law.

I stormed out before they could cage me in further. The vial still sat in my palm, hidden in my sleeve. They'd searched me, of course, but I was faster. Craftier. And for once, I trusted me more than any vault.

Besides, something about that vial felt... important. Like it belonged to me. Like it was calling to something ancient inside me that I didn't understand.

The minute I got back to my room, I locked the door and sat on the bed, breathing hard.

Everything was falling apart.

I didn't know who I was anymore. I didn't know why someone would claim I had another bloodline. Why the Alpha who rejected me one day couldn't stop looking at me the next. Or why my wolf had gone silent the moment I touched the vial.

Not gone.

Watching.

Waiting.

Take it, she whispered now. Just a drop.

"No," I whispered aloud. "Not yet."

A knock shattered the silence.

I froze.

"Jade."

Ewans.

Of course.

I didn't answer.

He knocked again, quieter this time. "Let me in."

"No."

"I need to talk to you."

"So talk."

"Not through a door."

I hesitated, then slowly stood. Opened the door halfway. He stood there, tense. His shirt was wrinkled, his hair slightly disheveled. Not like him. Not composed. Not perfect.

"What?" I asked.

"I didn't want to put you under supervision," he said.

"Could've fooled me."

"You're a threat right now."

I flinched. "Because of the vial?"

"No," he said. "Because you make me lose control."

The breath left my lungs.

He stepped closer. "You have no idea what it's like," he said, voice low. "To want something you're not allowed to have. To feel something so strong it threatens everything you've built."

"I never asked for this."

"I know."

He reached up, touched my cheek-again-and I hated how my body leaned into it. "I see you," he whispered. "Even when I pretend not to. Especially then."

"Then why-"

"Because if I choose you, Jade, they'll tear us apart." I swallowed hard. "Let them try." and then he kissed me.

Hard.

Desperate.

It wasn't soft like I imagined. It was fire. Heat. The kind of kiss that made my knees buckle and my wolf howl in triumph.

I kissed him back.

Gods, I kissed him back like he was oxygen and I'd been drowning.

But then he pulled away.

Too fast.

Like he was punishing himself.

"I'm sorry," he rasped. "I can't."

And just like that, he was gone.

Again.

Leaving me cold and trembling.

That night, I stared at the vial for hours.

Turned it in my hands. Studied the strange markings etched into the glass. Runic. Ancient. Not like anything I'd seen in pack history books.

What if it was poison?

What if it wasn't?

What if it was truth?

My wolf stirred.

One drop. You're ready.

I shook my head. "No, I'm not." But I didn't sleep and when the first light of dawn touched my windowsill, I uncorked it. Tipped a single drop onto my tongue. It tasted like fire and stars and metal and ice and then everything went black.

I woke up on the floor, body drenched in sweat. The vial was empty. My skin felt electric. My bones ached. My veins hummed with something... new and then the mirror across the room shattered.

I hadn't touched it.

Hadn't moved but it broke. Like something inside me had cracked, and the world reacted.

I staggered to my feet, heart racing and in the reflection of the shattered shards, I didn't see myself.

I saw something else.

A glimpse of gold in my eyes.

A shimmer of silver on my skin.

And the distinct, unshakable feeling that the stranger last night hadn't been a warning...

He'd been a summons.

To be continued...