Chapter 6 Chapter Six

Lilith

The first sound I heard was the wind. It slipped through the cracks of the stone walls and carried the smell of pine and rain. For a moment, I thought I was still in the cage, that the night had only folded over itself again. Then I realized I was somewhere else - another room, another kind of prison.

The Radae manor was never quiet for long. I could hear the patrols moving beyond the door, the echo of boots against flagstone, the low growl of wolves guarding corridors that never slept. Their scent hung thick in the air - iron, smoke, and dominance.

I pushed myself upright, every muscle stiff. The chains at my wrists were gone, replaced by a single leather collar braided with silver thread. When I touched it, a sting of energy sparked against my skin.

The door opened. Ryan stepped inside first, calm as always. Travis followed, all heat and motion, like he'd never learned to walk without threatening the ground.

Ryan studied me for a long time before speaking. "You're still alive," he said quietly. "Good. That makes this easier."

Travis gave a low laugh. "Easier for who?"

Their presence filled the small chamber. The air thickened, charged with that strange energy that seemed to follow them both - one cold and controlled, the other burning and reckless.

I forced myself to stand. "What do you want?"

Ryan's eyes flicked to the faint marks on the floor, the residue of something I didn't understand. "What happened earlier wasn't ordinary. The ground shook. Every wolf in the manor felt it. You did that."

"I don't know how."

"You don't have to know," Travis cut in, pacing in a slow circle around me. "You just have to admit it."

He moved closer, close enough that I could feel the warmth rolling off him. My pulse betrayed me, quickening even as I tried to stand still.

Ryan's voice remained level. "Your scent changed when it happened. It doesn't smell like fear anymore." He stepped closer too, not aggressive, just watchful. "Something inside you woke up."

"I don't have anything inside me," I said, but my voice trembled.

Travis's smile sharpened. "Then why does the air listen when you breathe?"

They led me from the room into the courtyard. Night rain slicked the stones, turning every torch into a smear of gold. Guards lined the walls, restless. None met my eyes.

"This is the training ground," Ryan said. "If you're going to survive, you learn control."

"I'm not one of your wolves."

"No," he agreed. "That's what makes this interesting."

Travis tossed a wooden staff at my feet. "Pick it up."

I hesitated. He raised an eyebrow, daring me to refuse. When I bent to grab it, a faint tremor rolled through the ground - small, but real. The guards shifted uneasily. Travis noticed.

"There it is again," he murmured. "That pulse."

Ryan's gaze sharpened. "Do you feel it when you're angry or afraid?"

"I feel it when you're both talking," I snapped.

A few of the guards smothered nervous laughs. Travis's grin widened. "There's the fire."

He lunged without warning. I barely got the staff up in time. The impact cracked through my arms, but something deeper moved with it - a vibration that ran from my spine to the earth.

The air shimmered, a flash of energy that pushed him back a step. He blinked. "Well, well."

Ryan motioned for the guards to stand down. "Enough. She doesn't know what she's doing."

"Maybe not," Travis said, breathing hard, "but whatever this is, it's tied to her wolf."

I froze. "My wolf?"

Ryan nodded slowly. "Every pack bloodline has one. Yours has been silent for years. Until now."

The word "wolf" should have terrified me. Instead, something inside me responded - like a heartbeat that wasn't mine.

They dismissed the guards and brought me to the edge of the northern courtyard, where the rain fell harder. Ryan knelt, pressing his palm to the wet earth.

"The bond between wolf and land runs both ways," he said. "When you touched the ground earlier, the manor reacted. That means your wolf isn't dormant - it's trying to claim territory."

I shook my head. "That's impossible."

Travis crouched beside him, rain dripping from his hair. "So is surviving the kind of hit you took last night. But you did that too."

Their eyes met across the space between them - ice and fire measuring something they didn't understand.

For the first time since they'd taken me, I saw uncertainty in both of them.

Ryan stood and looked straight at me. "Whatever you are, the Council will come for you. They don't tolerate anomalies."

"And you?" I asked.

Travis's grin returned, but it didn't reach his eyes. "We don't share."

Ryan ignored him. "You have two choices, Lilith. Learn to control it under our protection, or wait until the Council chains you for good."

The rain hissed around us. I could feel the earth beneath my feet, warm now, humming softly - as if listening for my answer.

"I don't trust either of you," I said.

Ryan's expression didn't change. "Trust isn't required. Survival is."

He turned and walked away. Travis lingered a moment longer, eyes tracing my face with that dangerous, unreadable look.

When he finally left, the rain seemed louder. I looked down at my hands. The faint glow beneath my skin pulsed once - gold, then gone.

Somewhere deep inside, the wolf stirred again, stretching after a long, long sleep.

The Quiet Between Storms

That night, I couldn't rest. Every sound in the manor was sharper now - the heartbeat of guards, the rustle of wind against banners, the low growl of wolves patrolling outside.

I could feel them, the rhythm of the pack, the threads of energy tying them all together.

When I closed my eyes, I saw flashes: a forest bathed in silver light, wolves running through mist, and a woman with eyes like mine whispering my name.

I woke before dawn to the faint sound of howling. It wasn't the twins' pack. It came from far beyond the manor walls, a wild, lonely song that called something primal in my blood.

For the first time, I understood that I wasn't just a captive caught between two alphas. Something far older had chosen to wake inside me - and it wasn't done yet.