Chapter 8: Secrets and Shadows

Words : 1409 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 8: Secrets and Shadows Lily Carter POV I ducked just in time as Luna threw a vase that smashed against the wall behind me. Tiny pieces of glass rained down onto the floor of the empty meeting room where I’d followed the mystery figure—who turned out to be Luna. "You think you can just walk into my life and take everything?" Luna screamed, her face red with anger. Her beautiful hair was messy, and her eyes were wild. "I was supposed to be Luna!" "I didn’t ask for any of this," I said, backing away as Luna grabbed another small object from a shelf. "The mark just appeared." "Liar!" She threw a small wooden wolf figure that hit my shoulder. "You must have done something, used some forbidden omega magic!" I rubbed my shoulder and tried to stay calm. "Luna, please. I don’t want to fight you." "Oh, I know exactly what happens when you fight," Luna said, her voice suddenly dropping to a whisper. Her angry face changed to a cold smile that sent shivers down my spine. "Isn’t that right, Lily? Or should I ask Tommy Reed about that?" My blood turned to ice. Tommy Reed. A name I hadn’t heard in three years. A name I tried hard to forget. "How do you know about Tommy?" I whispered. Luna circled me like an animal. "I know everything about you, Lily Carter. I’ve been watching you for years, waiting for you to make one wrong move." I pressed my back against the wall. The Triple Moon Mark on my wrist burned, but it felt different—almost like a warning. "Three years ago," Luna continued, "little Tommy Reed was being bullied by bigger wolves. You stepped in to protect him." I closed my eyes, memories rushing back. Tommy had been only six, a small pup crying as three bigger boys pushed him around. I was fifteen then, still learning to control my wolf. "You shifted to scare them off," Luna went on, her voice almost delighted. "But something went wrong, didn’t it? Your omega wolf wasn’t meant to be so powerful." "It was an accident," I whispered. "You nearly ripped Damon Reed’s throat out!" Luna’s eyes glittered. "An omega who can’t handle her strength. Imagine what the pack would think if they knew." My hands started to shake. I’d only meant to growl at the bullies, to scare them away from Tommy. But when Damon had laughed and kicked the pup again, something inside me had snapped. My omega wolf had lunged, teeth bared, and caught Damon’s neck. If Elder Iris hadn’t pulled me back... "Elder Iris covered it up," Luna said, reading my thoughts. "Told everyone Damon fell on a sharp rock. Made you promise never to lose control again." I looked at her. "How could you possibly know all this?" "I have my sources." Luna smirked. "What do you think would happen if everyone knew? If they knew the sweet, gentle omega nearly killed a pup?" "He wasn’t a pup. He was thirteen and hurting someone smaller," I said, but my voice faltered. The memory still haunted me. The feeling of losing control, of my wolf taking over with a power no omega should have. "Details, details." Luna waved her hand. "What counts is what people will believe. And they’ll believe the worst about you once I tell them." "What do you want, Luna?" I asked, my voice steady now. "I want you gone." She stepped closer. "Refuse the trio. Tell Alpha Marcus the mark was a mistake. Leave Silver Peak forever." "Or what?" "Or I tell everyone about Tommy Reed. About how scary you really are." Luna’s eyes narrowed. "I’ll tell them you hit me too. Who will they believe? The Beta’s daughter or the omega with a violent past?" My mind raced. I couldn’t leave – the mark on my wrist proved I belonged here. But if everyone knew what happened with Tommy... "You have until tomorrow night," Luna said, headed for the door. "Make your choice. Your future, or your secret." As she reached for the handle, the door swung open. Caleb stood there, his face blank. "Everything okay in here?" he asked, looking between us. Luna’s face quickly changed to a sweet smile. "Just girl talk," she said, brushing past him. When she was gone, Caleb studied the broken glass on the floor, then me. "What did she want?" he asked softly. I couldn’t tell him. Not yet. Not until I figured out what to do. "Nothing important," I lied. Caleb didn’t look convinced but didn’t push. "Come on. My father wants to see you before dinner." As we walked through the halls of the Alpha’s house, my mind spun with Luna’s threat. If the pack knew what I’d done, they’d fear me. Omegas weren’t supposed to be dangerous. We were supposed to be gentle, quiet, helpful. What I’d done went against everything omegas were meant to be. But was that really true? In the ancient books Caleb had shown me, omegas had been fighters too, protectors in their own right. We reached Alpha Marcus’s study, and Caleb knocked on the door. "Enter," came the Alpha’s deep voice. Alpha Marcus sat behind a big desk covered with maps. He looked tired, with dark rings under his eyes. "Lily," he said, nodding at me. "Please sit." I took the chair across from him, my hands folded in my lap to hide their shaking. "There’s something we need to discuss," Alpha Marcus said, his voice serious. "Something about your past." My heart stopped. Had Luna already told him? "Your parents," he continued, startling me. "I knew them well." I blinked in confusion. "My parents? But they died when I was a baby." "Yes," Alpha Marcus nodded. "In a rogue attack. At least, that’s what everyone was told." "What do you mean?" Alpha Marcus exchanged a look with Caleb, who had remained by the door. "Your parents weren’t killed by rogues, Lily," the Alpha said gently. "They were killed because your mother had the Triple Moon Mark." The room seemed to spin around me. "What?" "Your mother was the last bearer of the mark," Alpha Marcus continued. "She and your father were trying to bring change to Silver Peak, just as the mark intended. But there were those who didn’t want change." "Who?" I whispered, my throat tight. "That’s what we’ve been trying to discover," Caleb said, moving to stand beside me. "The old records were destroyed. Someone wanted to erase all memory of your mother’s mark." "The same someone who might want to harm you now," Alpha Marcus added. "Which is why we need to know if Luna has threatened you." I stared at my hands. Should I tell them about Tommy Reed? About Luna’s blackmail? Before I could decide, a howl echoed through the night – the pack’s warning signal. Alpha Marcus was on his feet instantly. "Rogues," he said grimly. "At the northern border." Caleb pulled me up. "Stay here. You’ll be okay." "No," I said, finding my confidence. "I’m coming with you." Alpha Marcus looked like he might argue, but something in my face changed his mind. He nodded once. "Stay close to Caleb," he ordered. As we rushed out, I caught a glimpse of Luna watching from a shadowy corner, a satisfied smile on her face. The strikes were a distraction, I realized suddenly. But for what? We reached the main hall where wolves were gathered. Aiden was already giving orders, while Brock checked guns. The front doors burst open as a bloodied guard stumbled in. "They’ve breached the nursery!" he gasped. "They’re taking the pups!" My blood ran cold. The nursery. My pups. Without thinking, I broke away from Caleb and ran toward the door. Behind me, I heard him call my name, but I didn’t stop. If rogues were targeting the nursery, I knew why. Luna had found my weakness, my real secret – not that I’d hurt someone once, but that I would do anything to protect those pups. Even reveal the full power no omega was meant to have. As I ran through the night toward the nursery, the Mark on my wrist burned brighter than ever before. Something was awakening inside me – something powerful and old, something that had been sleeping in my blood since my mother’s death. And deep down, I knew that after tonight, nothing would ever be the same again.

Chapter 8: Secrets and Shadows

Comments (0)