“Do you honestly think I’m throwing you away?” He asked almost as if the accusation hurt him. “The last thing I want to do is force you to bind to someone against your will, which is why I’m trying to let you come to decision on your own. The odds of the attack on you and Declan and the bodies being dropped at the gate last night being connected are pretty high, which means we need those allies now more than ever.”
“I understand that,” I told him. “But your timing sucks. You couldn’t let me enjoy my birthday first before you dropped that on me?”
“You’re right,” he admitted, “I should’ve waited. But I couldn’t risk Declan saying anything to you and you end up blindsided. If I could do it over again, I would.”
“What’s done is done,” I said. “Declan’s on board, but I still need time.”
My father nodded, the silence between us worse than it was before the conversation started. I didn’t let him stop me this time when I got up to walk away. Luckily, he didn’t try.
Chapter Five
It had been such a long day and I had only been up for a few hours. I didn’t know what to do with myself, but I definitely knew that I didn’t want to be around anyone right now. I needed to process all of this in my own way, even though I wasn’t really sure what that looked like. I wandered the castle halls, until I came up to the library doors. I didn’t come here often, but it was the last place anyone would expect to find me, so it looked like I would be hanging out here for a little bit.
Inside, I was surrounded by shelves containing every book ever written in Medova. I had no interest in reading any of them, but this was the best place to relax for a minute before returning to the chaos. One book was laid out on a stand in front of the middle window. I walked up to it and started turning the pages, only to realize it was a book of prophecies.
I flipped the book and saw the name “Matteo” printed in gold across the cover. This was the prophet who’d predicted my birth. My father told me Matteo hadn’t written a prophecy in twenty years because he hadn’t trusted himself to see the truth in his old age. Something made him change his mind when he saw the girls and I in his vision. He wrote everything he saw down, and when he was finished, he took himself to bed, dying in his sleep that night.
Matteo lived a full life; there were thousands of prophecies in this book. Some were small and irrelevant, and then some needed to be taken seriously, like my birth and the destiny that awaited my sisters and I. I had never seen the prophecy in writing before. I only knew what my father told me. From the time I could walk, he started preparing me for the battle ahead of us. He told me I would do what only the original alphas had done, which is save Medova from the threat of dictatorship.
It was a lot of pressure to put on a child who didn’t know much about the world, but he didn’t throw it all at me at once. The last eighteen years had been nothing but training, whether it was physical, emotional, or mental. He was preparing me the same way he was Levi, just without the politics.
Flipping through the pages of the book, I noticed the red marks next to the prophecies that had come to pass. I wasn’t sure if it was my father or not who made them, but the same could be taken away: every prophecy was marked with red, which meant Matteo was never wrong. The only one that didn’t have the mark on it was the one on the last page. I stared at the page for a few moments, not reading the words, giving myself one last chance to close the book and forget that I had ever had the opportunity to read what my father had been keeping from me all these years.
I had never asked to see this prophecy, and he never offered to let me see it. He had to know the day would come when I wanted to know more about the passage that predicted my future. Maybe he assumed I’d already read it? The library wasn’t off limits.
I decided I couldn’t hide from it anymore. The black ink had faded over the years to gray:
Beware the evil ambitious for power;
Committing atrocities in the midnight hour.
The birth of a daughter from each Alpha will mark his arrival;
They’re the only hope for a chance at survival.
When the battle comes, it is they he will never see coming;
Doubting their strength will be his undoing.
With the help of a fabled ally the daughters will stand stronger;
Defeating evil once and for all and keeping Medova safe from danger.
Closing the book, I suddenly felt this enormous amount of pressure land on my back. I understand why my father never offered to have me read this. It was a lot to take in, no matter what age you were. Being told that my sisters and I were supposed to save Medova was one thing but reading it from Matteo’s book made it so much more real.
I walked to the window, leaving the book behind. The view overlooked all of vampire territory, and some of shifter and giant territory, depending on which direction you looked. It was so beautiful and untouched. The trees had grown close together, forming a blanket of leaves. The only parts that weren’t covered were the areas the villages were built in two thousand years ago. The castle stood out compared to them, but I guess that was the point when it was built. The castle was supposed to be a symbol to the villagers that there was someone looking out for them, protecting them from danger. Over the years that symbol had changed, thanks to the growing council.
When the original alphas were created, they only had three council members: a battle general, an adviser, and a second-in-command. There was no need for anyone else to be involved. As the years went by, some of the villagers felt there wasn’t enough representation on the council, accusing them of being filled with rich nobles who wouldn’t understand what the villagers went through on a day-to-day basis. The alphas gave in and added six more members to each of the councils. It was successful at first, but just like before, the new council members became the rich nobles they’d once fought against.
It happened three times over the last two thousand years, and each time the alphas gave in, believing it was what the people wanted. There were now twenty members on each council, all of them playing a part in the reason why the castle no longer stood for protection. The council members had proven time and time again that they were only out for themselves and no one else. I wished I had proof to expose them, but unfortunately hearsay is not proof.
I thought back to the prophecy standing just a few feet from me. It was so vague that it could be interpreted in so many different ways, and yet it was also so detailed that you couldn’t argue the fact that the girls and I had nowhere to run. We were in the middle of all of this and there wasn’t anything we could do about it. I was beginning to understand why my father never spoke of the prophecy as much as he probably should have. All he would say was, “There is an evil out there that needs to be stopped, and the prophecy says you and your sisters are the ones to do it.”
Had he spoke of it more while I was growing up, I might not have been so sensitive about it when I finally laid eyes on it. I know he was trying not to worry me, but for the first time I feared what was coming for us. Had he talked about it like it was just another daily conversation I might not be questioning myself so much. How was I supposed to stop a powerful madman? Sure, my father made sure I was trained by the best trainer in vampire territory, but that didn’t mean I could take on a sorcerer, especially one that didn’t appear to care about anyone else’s life but his own.
All I wanted to do was run away from everything and start over. I didn’t know where I would go, but I wouldn’t stop until I found a place where no one knew me or what I was destined for. What would become of Medova if I did that? Would there be a place for me to run to if I didn’t do what the prophecy said?
No matter what I did, fate was going to make sure I ended up on a battlefield with my sisters, face to face with a sorcerer who had taken away our chance at a normal life. From the moment we were born, we had all been highly trained and overprotected because of him.
I turned away from the window and walked towards the hallwa
y. I’m not exactly sure what caused me to want to leave the library, but I needed something familiar to ease the anxiety that had overcome me. I needed to escape my own thoughts before they tore me apart from the inside out. As I reached the center of the castle, my intentions were to head for the staircase, but my mother stopped me before I ever came close to the first step.
“Luna!” she called after me. I sighed, preparing myself for the lecture my father warned me about. I turned around only to see a worried look on her face. She wrapped her arms around me and held me close almost like she hadn’t seen me in months.
“What’s happening?” I asked, not sure how I was supposed to be reacting. I was used to hugs from my mother, but after my father told me she was angry with me, this was the last thing I was expecting.
“Your father told me what happened,” she said as she pulled away from me, keeping her hands gripped around my arms.
“It’s no big deal,” I told her after realizing she was talking about the incident with Declan and I.
“No big deal?” she squealed. “Luna, you and Declan could’ve died. Be lucky that whoever did this to you only knocked you out.”
I never thought about it that way. Not once did I actually think death could’ve been an option. I guess since I woke up in a familiar place, I just assumed everything was fine, but now that my mother had brought it up, I realized the situation could’ve turned out very differently.
“I know,” I agreed after a moment of thinking. “Luckily, nothing like that happened and Declan and I are just fine. I’m sure Dad and the others will figure it out.”
“I wish you would take this more seriously,” she moaned as she finally let go of my arms. “You can’t shrug this off this time.”
“I understand what you’re saying,” I said, sounding more irritated. “But just because I’m not reacting the same way that you do does not mean that I’m not as concerned.”
“What’s really going on here?” she asked, tilting her head. “There’s something else on your mind.”
I hated that she was always able to figure out what was going on in my head. Even though she didn’t know the specifics, she still found a way to pinpoint what was wrong. Right now, it was incredibly annoying.
“If you must know…” I rolled my eyes. “I was in the library, where I read the prophecy for the first time. I guess I’m realizing just how much pressure is on the girls and I to succeed.”
“Do you understand now why your father has worked so hard to keep as much from you as possible? He was trying to protect you from the very thing you’re going through right now. I know his methods can be drastic, but he means wells.”
“Yes, Mom,” I groaned. “It all makes sense now.”
I didn’t exactly agree with that statement, but if my mother stopped talking about it because I agreed with her, then it was worth the little white lie.
“Please be careful walking around here,” she begged. “Unfortunately, we have to consider there is a traitor within our walls and I need you to try and be smart and not do anything that will attract attention.”
“I have to hide in my own home now?” I asked, frustrated that I had to have my guard up in the one place I was supposed to be able to let it down.
“Just for right now,” she answered. “I wish this wasn’t the circumstance we were facing but the fact is, it is, and we need to handle it carefully.”
“I can’t just lock myself in my room all day,” I told her. “I know I like being up there, but that’s because I have the choice to leave if I want to.”
“I’m not asking you to lock yourself up in your room,” she assured me. “I just need you to pay attention to your surroundings. If there is a traitor, we have no idea where to start looking for them.”
“How is this our life?” I mumbled under my breath.
“This is how it is when you’re part of the alpha family,” my mother sighed. “You have no idea who you can trust or who is dependable.”
“It hasn’t always been that way though,” I reminded her. “None of this was happening before yesterday.”
“Something about your birthday did trigger this,” she agreed. “I’m not sure why but your birth is also when this maniac decided to leave his handiwork for us to find so your birthday must have some significance for him.”
“Great,” I rolled my eyes. “Because I already didn’t feel guilty enough.”
“Oh, my darling girl…” My mother smiled at me, pushing my hair back behind my ear. “We’ll figure this out. I don’t know how or how quickly, but we will stop him. Your father and I will stop at nothing until you and your brothers live in a safer world.”
She hugged me one last time before walking away.
It was quiet up on the second floor, which was unusual since we had so many guests staying with us. Normally, Liam and the other boys were off doing something that would get them in trouble, while Levi and the other heirs were with the alphas, shadowing them to better prepare themselves for the day when they would be alpha. I thought of Liam and how he was acting last night and wondered how he was feeling today. Odds are he wasn’t feeling too great, but I wanted to check on him anyways.
When I knocked on his door, I expected him to answer it, but instead he yelled for whoever it was to go away. My mouth dropped at his rudeness, and instead of leaving I forced myself through the door, ready to rip him a new one. I stomped towards the middle of the room wondering where my brother was hiding only to realize he was in bathroom, on the ground moaning and groaning about how he didn’t feel good.
“What are you doing down there?” I asked him as I leaned up against the doorframe.
“Waiting for the room to stop spinning,” he answered, his arm covering his eyes.
“I don’t understand why you still feel this bad,” I said as I wondered about his healing process. “Your body should be bouncing back by now.”
“You would think so,” he mumbled, still covering his face, refusing to look at me.
“You know that means you drank way too much, right?” I told him, knowing he already knew this. Instead of making fun of him, my mind switched to worry after remembering what Declan had told me last night. “This has been happening a lot lately, hasn’t it?”
“It’s none of your business, Luna,” he snapped, groaning shortly after as he made his stomach feel worse by putting in effort to get me to shut up.
“It is my business,” I said as I walked over to him. I sat down next to him, leaning up against the wall. “You’re my best friend, Liam. I worry about you when you’re like this.”
“Declan needs to keep his mouth shut,” he muttered angrily.
“It wasn’t just Declan,” I informed him, “Levi said something about it, too, before he brought you up here. It’s not his job to clean up after you, Liam.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Liam finally turned to me. His face looked pale and his eyes were bloodshot. He definitely had too much to drink last night.
“If you did, you wouldn’t be doing this every night,” I argued with him. “All I’m saying is that I know about it now and I’m going to be on your ass all the time until you get your shit together.”
“You can’t tell me what to do,” his voice quiet, sadness peeking through with each word. I could tell he was trying to hide it, but the more I pestered him the more he couldn’t hold back.
I stood up, finding my balance after moving too quickly. I went into his closet and pulled out a clean shirt and some pants, throwing them at my brother, who looked miserable.
“Here,” I said. “Put these on. Those clothes are dirty and I’m pretty sure you missed your mouth at one point, because they smell of wine.”
“You’re not Mom,” he reminded me. I’m pretty sure he was going to say something else, but it was clear he could not change and speak at the same time.
“You should be glad it’s me instead of Mom in here,” I told him. “Mom would be ripping you a new one right now, and she w
ouldn’t care if you weren’t feeling good.”
“You guys keep blowing this out of proportion,” he said as he threw the shirt on over his head. “The fact that Mom and Dad don’t know about any of this means I’m not causing any trouble.”
“Just because you’re not causing any trouble doesn’t mean it’s okay,” I scolded him. “I realize you’re not able to think properly right now, but when you’re sober again, you’ll understand what I mean.”
“You and Levi sound the same,” he moaned. “I wish you would just leave me alone.”
I sat back down next to him again. He was struggling to get the clean pair of pants on, but I knew better than to offer him any more help.
“I wish you would tell me what’s really going on,” I said, bringing my knees up to my chest, holding them as I made myself comfortable.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said as he forced himself forward. He did a good job of hiding how much it killed him to move like that. He rubbed his eyes and then stood up, reaching down to help me up just as my body decided it wasn’t ready to move. I gripped his hand anyways, his strength lifting me as if I were a feather.
“It does matter to me,” I said as I followed him out of the bathroom.
“Just leave, Luna.” He pointed towards the door. “I’m sure you have training or something else that’s necessary for saving Medova to do. You’re wasting your time with whatever you’re doing right now.”
“I’m trying to help you,” I said, refusing to leave his room like he asked.
“So have Levi and Declan, and yet here we are.” He smiled, only for it to disappear as quickly as it appeared.
“Levi’s going to tell Dad,” I told him.
“Is that supposed to be a threat?” he asked as he plopped down on one of his couches.
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