Chapter 20 The Codex Unveiled

Elara's

The room was silent except for the faint scratching of a quill on the wooden table and the occasional creak of the floorboards. I drew the curtains tight, shutting out the moonlight, ensuring no prying eyes could see me.

The Codex Nocturna lay before me, its leather cover cracked and dust-coated, carrying the faint scent of ancient ink and candle wax. My hands trembled slightly as I lifted the heavy tome onto the table.

Finally. After years of questions, of running, of whispers half-heard in legends, I would know the truth.

I hesitated, tracing my fingers over the embossed symbols of moons and strange sigils. They pulsed faintly beneath my touch, almost alive. Taking a deep breath, I whispered the protection mantra I had memorized from the glimpses I’d stolen earlier.

The air thickened around me, tingling with energy, and I felt a strange calm. Alert yet shielded, as if unseen eyes had momentarily turned away.

With my pulse racing, I opened the first page. The ink shifted, flowing like liquid silver under the candlelight. The Codex was alive. It wasn’t merely a record, it was a guardian, a judge, a confessor all at once. It seemed to sense whether I was worthy to read its secrets.

The first section revealed the chronicles of the Silverfangs. Names, dates, and events carved into history, some in elegant calligraphy, others jagged and harsh.

And then the prophecy. Words that made my breath catch.

“From the ashes of blood and fire, a lone wolf shall rise. She shall decide the fate of all packs, for her blood carries both ruin and salvation.”

My heart stopped. It was me. All this time, all the whispers, the hunts, the bloodshed it had led here. The night of the massacre was chronicled in agonizing detail, those who fell, those who betrayed, and those who survived.

My gaze froze on one entry, Kael. The Codex revealed the curse tied to him, a binding that could only be undone by the blood of the surviving Silverfang the same blood that ran through my veins.

I leaned back, hands shaking. The Codex didn’t stop there. It spoke of the Council of Elders, those I had trusted, and Moonvale’s involvement. The Council had known all along, manipulating events to maintain balance, letting Silverfangs fall while keeping their secrets safe.

Dorian’s name appeared, tied to Moonvale’s silence. A deep ache spread in my chest. He had watched, and he had stayed his hand.

Anger, betrayal, sorrow. They surged through me. Yet beneath it all, an unexpected weight pressed on me, the knowledge that Kael’s suffering was real. The monster who had torn my world apart was bound by something only I could undo. My claws flexed unconsciously as conflicting thoughts raged within me.

Should I save him, the one who destroyed my family, merely to lift his curse? Should I confront Dorian and demand the truth from the one I had trusted most? And the Council… could they be confronted without igniting war across every pack?

I turned the final page I had reached, and my breath caught. Scrawled in crimson ink, almost as if whispered to the page, were words that would haunt me.

“The fate of all wolves rests in the hands of the lone wolf. Choose wisely, or the world will burn.”

Tears blurred my vision, not solely grief, but for the weight of choice, the burden of legacy, and the storm of destiny pressing in from every side.

The Codex closed with a soft thud, echoing in the empty room. I sat in silence, mind racing, heart pounding. Nothing would ever be simple again. Every path forward was a risk, every decision a gamble with life, love, and the fragile balance of the wolf world.

Reluctantly, I slid the Codex back into my bag, along with the other items I had gathered throughout the day. My heart thumped against my ribs. The Council would sense its absence soon. Hidden Keep was steeped in old magic, its Elders were cunning, patient, vigilant.

Even as I tried to calm myself, a flicker of unease danced across my mind. I could almost feel eyes watching from the shadows, waiting, judging. The knowledge I carried was dangerous, and every second I lingered increased the risk.

Finally, I sank onto the narrow bed in the inn, the weight of the day pressing down on me. My limbs ached from walking, sneaking, and running, and my mind frayed from the revelations of the Codex. I whispered to myself.

Tomorrow, I leave. Tomorrow, I move forward.

Even as exhaustion claimed me, sleep did not come easily. Images of Silverfangs, the massacre, Kael’s curse, Dorian’s hidden truths, and the Council’s manipulations mingled in my mind.

But I forced myself to rest, knowing that when morning came, I would need every ounce of strength to step back into Hidden Keep and into the storm of secrets and dangers that awaited.

••

The room was still, but my sleep was restless. Shadows twisted on the walls as if alive, carrying whispers I couldn’t understand.

In my dream, my father appeared first, hazy, yet warm and commanding. “Elara… leave Hidden Keep before first light. Danger approaches, greater than you can face alone.”

I reached for him, but he faded, leaving only a chill and a weight in my chest.

Darkness twisted the dream, and Kael appeared more vivid, more terrifying. Flames seemed to consume him, his eyes burning with pain and rage. Flashes of his cruelty struck me, packs falling, blood-stained snow, even my family among the victims. The man who begged for mercy and the monster who delivered death were inseparable.

Then his voice, urgent, frenzied cut through the dream. “Elara! Only you can, none of them. You are mine. No other wolf shall be your mate. Only me!”

Fear and revulsion collided with something darker in me. I stumbled, tripped over reaching shadows, yet he was always there, the ache of his presence pressing into my mind.

Silence.

I woke with a start, sweat plastering my hair, breath ragged. The candle guttered low, half-shrouding the room. My claws flexed unconsciously, the weight of the Codex heavy beside me. The dream was warning, lure, and torment all at once.

Somewhere deep inside, a single truth burned, Kael’s fate and mine were intertwined. The prophecy, the cursed Alpha, the lone wolf it all converged. The next step I took could decide not only my path, but the destiny of every wolf.

I curled under the thin blanket, eyes wide in dim candlelight, realizing that tomorrow, Hidden Keep would feel smaller, the shadows longer, and the choices more deadly than ever.