Chapter 5 The Son of Secrets

"We're going after him. Now." Ethan's voice was low and sharp, almost like a growl.

Lina stood frozen, her hands shaking. "Wait... Ethan... please just let me explain." "There's nothing to explain," he snapped, turning away from her. "You kept my son from me."

"I didn't have a choice!" she shouted. Everyone in the tent went quiet. Ethan turned back slowly. His eyes flickered with golden light. "You always had a choice, Lina."

Ulric raised a hand between them. "Enough. Fighting each other helps no one. Especially not the boy." Ethan clenched his jaw. "How old is he?"

Lina looked at the ground. "Three." Ethan stepped back, like her answer had hit him in the chest. "Three? You've been hiding him for three years?"

"I thought he was safer without me! Dorian threatened me. I was just a helpless omega, Ethan. I couldn't protect myself, let alone a baby."

Ulric looked between them. "Dorian... He's not someone to cross. He's mean, cunning. If he has the child, he won't give him up easily." Ethan's hands curled into fists. "Then we take him by force." "You don't even know where he's keeping him," Ulric said. "We need a plan."

A scout stepped forward. "I do."

Everyone turned. The scout, a slim man with messy brown hair and a fresh claw scar across his cheek, spoke quietly. "I was captured by Dorian a year ago. Escaped two months back. I've seen where he keeps important prisoners... and kids."

Ethan's eyes narrowed. "Where is it?"

"A fortress in the Black Hollow Mountains. Hidden deep underground. They call it the Bone Pit."

Lina's breath caught. "No..." Ethan stared at her. "You know it?"

"I've heard stories. Horrible stories. Wolves who enter don't come back out." Ulric nodded sadly. "It's one of the darkest places in our world. But if your son is there, then we don't have time to waste."

"I'm going," Ethan said. "I'm going too," Lina said quickly. "No," Ethan snapped. "You're staying here." Lina stepped forward. "He's my son too." "He's my blood," Ethan growled. "And you lied about him."

Lina's voice cracked. "And I regret it every day! But don't you dare think for one second I'm letting you walk into that place without me."

Ulric raised a hand again. "Enough. Both of you. You'll need each other. Especially inside that fortress. You won't live alone, Ethan."

Ethan paused, then turned away. "Fine. But I'm not doing this for her. I'm doing this for my son."

Lina blinked hard, nodding. "That's all that matters."

Later that night

They went under moonlight. The wind was cold, sharp like knives. The road was rough, the trees bent and dead as they got closer to the mountains.

Ethan rode ahead, saying little. His thoughts were spiraling-rage, fear, uncertainty. He had a kid. A real child. With Lina. And Dorian had him.

Lina rode behind him, quiet too. After hours of quiet, she finally broke it. "I wanted to tell you... I did." Ethan didn't look back. "Why didn't you?"

She breathed shakily. "Because I was scared. I didn't think you'd believe me. I didn't think you'd want the child... I didn't even think you'd survive the rejection."

He finally turned his head, his jaw hard. "You still should've told me." "I know," she said. Another long silence. "I named him Eli," she said softly. "It means strong."

Ethan's chest hurt. "Does he look like me?"

Lina smiled weakly. "He has your eyes." Ethan swallowed the lump in his throat. "He's not going to grow up in a cage."

"No. He won't," she said. "We're going to bring him back." At the edge of the Black Hollow Mountains A crooked castle stood like a big shade against the moon. Torches lit the surrounding walls. Dark-robed guards guarded the gates.

Ethan, Lina, Ulric, and three spies crouched behind a fallen log. "That's it," the scarred scout whispered. "There's a side entrance through the cliffs. Unlocked only during guard shifts."

Ethan nodded. "We go in silence. Find the kid. Get out." "And if Dorian finds us?" Lina asked.

"Then we fight." They slipped through the woods like shadows, climbing the steep rocks carefully.

As promised, the small side door opened at midnight. One guard stepped out to smoke a pipe, singing.

Ethan lunged. The guard hit the ground with a soft thud. Out cold. They crept inside. The halls were cold and silent. Torches flickered along damp stone walls. Echoes of distant screams haunted the tunnels.

"This place is hell," Lina said. "No," Ethan said. "Hell's afraid of this place." They went deeper. Then- A scream. High. Small. A child's scream. "Eli." Lina took off running.

"Lina, wait!" Ethan hissed. She turned a corner... then froze. Three guards stood around a box. Inside it, a small boy, dirty and freezing, cried softly.

"Back away!" Lina shouted. The guards turned... shocked. Ethan charged from behind and tackled the closest one. Claws out. Rage burning. A quick slash. One down. Lina grabbed a rock and threw it at another guard's head.

The last guard lunged at her... But Ethan grabbed him mid-air and smashed him against the wall.

Blood splattered the stone. The boy inside the cage screamed again. "Mama!"

Lina dropped to her knees, tears pouring. "Eli... baby..." Ethan picked the lock with a knife. It clicked open. Eli looked up at him with wide golden eyes. "Who are you?"

Ethan crouched down slowly. "I'm your father." The boy blinked. "You came." "Yes," Ethan said silently, hugging him tightly. "I came."

Lina wrapped her arms around both of them, crying. For the first time in years, Ethan felt whole.

But then... A slow clap echoed through the hallway. "Well, isn't that touching." The voice was smooth. Cold. Dorian. He stepped out of the shadows, dressed in black leather, silver sword in hand. His eyes glowed red.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, little chosen one." Ethan stepped in front of Lina and Eli. "You won't touch them." Dorian laughed. "You think you can stop me?"

"I know I can," Ethan growled. Dorian drew his sword. "Then prove it." Ethan roared... and shifted.

His body snapped and turned, bones breaking and mending. Fur burst across his skin. In seconds, the boy who was once weak, sickly, and clumsy-stood as a full-blooded werewolf. With Golden eyes. Black hair. Muscles like iron.

Lina breathes heavily, holding Eli close. "He's handsome..." Dorian smirked. "You look just like your father. But let's see if you fight like him."

Ethan lunged- And Dorian met him halfway. The fight shook the walls. Claws met steel. Snarls and roars filled the air.

Dorian was fast. Trained. Deadly. But Ethan fought like someone who had nothing left to lose.

Every slash was for his grandfather. Every bite was for his son. Every roar was for the pain he'd endured.

Lina screamed as Dorian slashed Ethan across the side. Blood splattered the floor. "Ethan!" Ethan growled through the pain, biting down on Dorian's shoulder and throwing him across the room.

Dorian slammed into a pillar... but stood again. Bleeding. Furious. "You think you've won?" he spat. "You're just a boy playing hero!" "I'm a father," Ethan growled. "And I'll die before I let you hurt my son."

Dorian charged again...

But this time, Ethan caught the sword mid-swing, snapped it in half, and drove the broken blade into Dorian's chest.

The villain gasped, stumbling back. Ethan stood over him, snarling, breath heavy. Dorian smiled weakly. "This isn't over..." And in a flash of black mist-he disappeared.

Gone.

The room went quiet. Ethan fell to his knees, breathing hard. Blood pooled under him. "Ethan!" Lina ran over, holding his face. "Stay with me, please. Don't go. Eli needs you. I need you."

Ethan blinked up at her. "We got him... we got our son back."

Then everything went dark. He passed out cold.

Back at the castle gate, another person watched from the shadows. She stepped forward.

Kira. And beside her stood a new fighter. Bigger. Stronger. Eyes shining silver. "We found the boy," Kira whispered. "Now let the real prophecy begin."