Chapter 10 I Guess I'm not the only one with a secret

SIENA

The first thing I felt was the stiffness in my limbs.

Then the dull ache spreading across my shoulders. Finally, the sunlight poured through the tiny cracks in the wooden wall, kissing my face like a quiet reminder that I was still here.

That I was still Alive.

I didn't move. I just lay there, tangled in the thin sheet, letting the silence breathe around me. Memories from yesterday scattered across my mind-sharp, blurred, confusing. I tried to piece them together, but they came in flashes:

The terrified scream of the child.

The rogue's snarl.

My body moving without permission.

The heat-like a pulse rushing through my veins.

The spark that didn't feel like mine... but somehow was.

What happened to me?

My fingers curled around the edge of the sheet. I could still feel the energy-whatever it was-lingering somewhere beneath my skin. Quiet now. But not gone.

I turned slightly, staring up at the old wooden ceiling.

I was just an omega. Nothing special. No rank. No power. That was all I'd ever been told by everyone.

So how...?

How could I have done that?

What is waking in me?

Before the questions could spiral further, a soft knock came at the door. I didn't answer-just waited.

The door creaked open, and a young girl stepped inside. A slave. She kept her gaze down, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Sorry to bother you. I was told to say... today's the pack ceremony."

She left as quietly as she had come. I finally pulled myself out of bed, slowly and reluctantly.

My body still ached in places I didn't understand. I ignored it, slipping into the simple gown that had been laid out.

I didn't know much about the ceremony, only that Mara had mentioned it a few days ago. A formal gathering, something sacred to the pack. I had planned to avoid it, to stay unseen like I always did, but something told me today wouldn't let me disappear so easily.

By the time I stepped outside and made my way to the central square, the crowd had already gathered. Wolves from every corner of the pack-dressed in their best, murmuring softly, eyes fixed on the platform ahead.

I kept my head low and found my way to the seat that had been prepared for the seat that had been prepared for the Luna-, hoping to blend in. My heart beat a little faster-not from nerves-but from something else I couldn't name. Like the air itself was different today.

And then I noticed her.

A tall, elegant figure moving through the crowd with quiet confidence. She didn't look around nervously like the others-no. She walked like the ground knew her steps and the wind bent to her will. Her raven-black hair flowed freely, and her dark green dress shimmered with the slightest movement.

I didn't know who she was.

But even before I heard someone whisper her name-Livia-I felt it. Her presence.

Her gaze cut through the crowd like ice, sharp and unyielding. Then it settled on me-cool, distant, challenging. Not curiosity. Not interest. A silent confrontation.

And then it was gone. She turned away like I wasn't even worth a second glance.

But the moment clung to my skin like static. I couldn't shake it.

I glanced around. No one else seemed to notice her like I did. But someone else was watching.

Lorenzo.

He stood tall near the front, his expression unreadable as always, but I caught the brief flicker in his eyes as he glanced from Livia... to me.

And I wasn't sure who he was truly watching.

The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur. Words were said. Vows repeated. Applause echoed across the square. But I barely heard any of it. My mind was too full.

By nightfall, I was back in my room, sitting on the edge of the bed with my arms wrapped tightly around myself.

Who was she?

Why did her gaze feel like a warning?

I rubbed my palms against my thighs, trying to chase the chill away. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Maybe I was reading too much into a simple look.

I laid down and pulled the sheets over myself, but the silence in the room felt too thick, too heavy. Sleep refused to come.

So I got up again.

Maybe some fresh air would help.

I stepped quietly into the corridor and walked toward the balcony, breathing in the cool night breeze. The moon hung low, washing the hallway in silver light.

That was when I noticed someone stepping out from the far end of the hall.

A tall, graceful figure. The way she walked... familiar.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to place the face in the dim light.

And then it clicked.

Her.

The woman from the ceremony. That same poised presence. The same sharp, cool gaze.

Li... Livia.

She was walking out of Lorenzo's office.

My brows furrowed slightly as I watched her, still wondering what she was doing there at this hour.

And then, almost immediately, Lorenzo stepped out behind her.

They walked side by side, voices low, shoulders nearly brushing.

I couldn't hear a word.

But I didn't need to.

The sight alone twisted something deep in my chest.

Who is she... really?

The same woman who had looked at me like I was a threat... now leaving the Alpha's office like she belonged there.

For the first time since arriving, I understood--I wasn't the only one with secrets here.