Chapter 8: The Quiet Brother’s Warning
Elara couldn’t sleep.
Tobias’s bloody message kept playing in her mind:The silver-eyed one must choose before the next full moon, or all three brothers will die. Choose what? Choose who?
The letter made no sense, yet filled her with dread. She paced her room until the walls seemed to close in. Finally, she slipped into the hallway, needing space to think. The pack house was quiet.
After yesterday’s council decision, everyone was on edge. Some pack members had even left, afraid Celeste would return with more hunters. Elara’s feet carried her to the library.
Books had always been her shelter, her escape. Maybe they held answers now. She pushed open the heavy door and froze. She wasn’t alone.
Darian sat in a leather chair by the fireplace, an old book open on his lap. Unlike Kael’s cold stares or Ronan’s warm smiles, Darian’s face was unreadable.
"Trouble sleeping?" he asked without looking up.
"How did you know it was me?" Elara asked.
Now he did look up, his eyes reflecting the firelight. "Your smell. It’s different from everyone else’s." Elara shifted uncomfortably.
"I can go..."
"Stay," Darian said, marking his page.