Erald didn’t sleep really that night.
The words from the ssage kept running through her mind like a broken record: I have everything I need. Ga on.
By the ti the sun peeked through the curtains the next morning, she was already dressed and out the door.
If Darius or anyone wasn’t going to tell her what she needed to know, then she’d find it herself, even if she had to dig it out.
She walked down to the library located under the eastern tower. The archives were filled with centuries-old scrolls, books, and tos that hadn’t been touched in decades. She wondered if anyone even rembered the information stored on these shelves.
She didn’t stop to greet anyone, or even wait for tea or breakfast. She just went straight to the lower stacks, eyes scanning the walls.
The keyword was stone. Or maybe legacy? Or moonstone?
She started pulling anything remotely relevant.
Three hours later, she surrounded herself with a pile of old texts, but she had hardly made any progress.
Most of the material was useless: fables, tall tales, and children’s stories about glowing stones and forgotten gods. Nothing felt relevant to the heavy words Darius had shared with her.
Erald sighed and flipped through another half-rotten binding. Dust filled the air, tickling her nose, but she pushed on. She turned one page, then another, and...
She froze.
The next page was missing, with only jagged edges left behind. But the page that was still there had a partial drawing of a glowing red orb, looking like a fla captured inside a crystal.
Her pulse quickened.
There were no words, just a faint outline of a hand underneath the picture, as if it was trying to reach for it.
She stared at it for a long mont.
She didn’t know what it was... not exactly. But her gut twisted in warning, and she felt sothing inside her stir. Viola was pushing uneasily at the surface.
This had to be it, and only one person could confirm it.
She closed the book, tucking it under her arm, and turned on her heel towards Darius’s room.
—
Darius’s room was on the west end of the estate, just a few doors down from her own. When she knocked, she expected to wait. But the door opened almost imdiately.
He was already dressed in a grey shirt, dark pants, and polished boots. For a man who had barely been out of bed the night before, he looked like he hadn’t missed a beat.
"Well," he said, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You’re up early."
"Yeah... I couldn’t sleep."
He gestured for her to co in. "I didn’t think you would." He nodded to the empty seat across from him. "Sit. Unless you’re here to throw another traitor at ."
"Tempting," she muttered, sitting down. "You look better."
"Don’t sound so surprised," he said, moving toward the small table near the fireplace. "The healers do more than hover, you know."
Erald folded her arms. "You seem in a good mood today."
"Let’s not pretend you’re here for my charming banter." He leaned back, eyeing her. "What’s on your mind?"
She paused. "You’re... surprisingly chipper."
"Well, considering I’m not dead," he said dryly, "I figured I’d enjoy it while it lasts."
Erald snorted. "So what now? You gonna start running around again?"
"Give a few more days," he replied. "I’ll be doing laps around the estate. You’ll see."
She smiled faintly. "Good to know."
He sat down, motioning to the seat across from him. "So, what brings you here? Let guess. You’re here to tell that you’re continuing what I now call "Your Mates Tour".
Erald narrowed her eyes. "My what?"
"You heard ." He leaned back with a sly look. "You’ve spent so ti with Lucien in his pack, you’ve got the rest of them dropping in with half a smirk and glowing eyes."
"I am not..."
"I’m just saying," Darius interrupted. "It wouldn’t be fair to the others if you only went through it with one."
Erald groaned. "You’re impossible."
He grinned, clearly enjoying himself. "Just trying to keep things equal. Can’t have anyone crying favouritism."
She gave him a dry look. "It’s not a tour. Or a contest."
"Of course not." He chuckled. "Still, you should be careful. With charm like that, you might start a war without lifting a finger."
"I’ll make sure to write an apology letter in advance."
He laughed again, a full one this ti. "There she is."
But the mont of levity faded as Erald pulled the book from under her arm and placed it on the table between them.
"I found this," she said.
The smile dropped from Darius’s face. "You’ve been digging," he said flatly.
"I had to." She looked him dead in the eye. "You reacted like you’d seen death itself when Octavian ntioned that stone. I know you’re trying to protect , but I’m not a kid anymore. I’m Alpha now, and if I’m going to lead, I need to understand what the hell we’re up against."
He didn’t answer.
"Uncle."
Darius stared at the illustration for a mont longer, then leaned back with a sigh. "You’re right," he said finally. "You do need to know."
She waited, watching as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"The stone," he began, "has gone down in our history for generations. Most believed it was myth... exaggerated tales passed down to scare or impress the young."
Erald leaned forward. "But it’s real."
"It’s very real," Darius said. "It ca into our possession about a century ago. We didn’t publicise it. The Elders chose to hide it, to store it far beneath the crypts, where only a handful knew."
She felt a chill creep up her spine. "What does it look like?" she asked softly.
Darius hesitated. "A red glowing orb," he said finally. "Like a crystal bleeding from the inside."
"That’s the sa as what’s in the image," Viola whispered.
Erald didn’t say a thing.
"I checked the crypts yesterday," Darius continued. "It’s gone. Quince must have had it on him for a while now. But wherever it went, it’s not with him anymore."
"And what does it do?"
Darius didn’t answer imdiately; his eyes darkened, and then he replied. "Nothing good."
Erald felt her stomach tighten. Just two words, but they sent a chill through her. She glanced out the window, her thoughts spinning.
In Alia’s hands... she could feel the danger like smoke before fire. That kind of power, used by soone twisted enough to manipulate an entire territory, could destroy everything.
There were few artefacts left in their world; most had been lost to ti or locked away, and fewer still were known to be truly dangerous.
Erald had prided herself on being up to date with the history of their kind, the lore, the bloodlines, the relics.
But not once... not once, had she heard of the Moonstone.
That dark red orb.
How had it stayed hidden this long? And why now?
Erald stood up suddenly, feeling the need to move. "She has everything."
Darius looked at her. "Erald?"
"I’m fine," she said quickly. "I just... need to think."
She turned, pacing to the window, her heart pounding against her ribs. Her thoughts spiralled as she rembered the ssage: I have everything I need. Ga on.
The words repeated in her mind like a countdown she couldn’t stop. What would her next move be... and when would she make it?
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