Elena stood still, keeping her breathing steady. She had just dropped the biggest revelation, and now, she waited.
She needed to see exactly how Derrick and Mona would react.
For a mont, there was only silence.
Derrick’s piercing gaze locked onto hers, searching for any sign of deceit.
Mona, on the other hand, had a look of shock, confusion... and sothing else. Suspicion.
Finally, Derrick spoke. His voice was low, controlled, but there was an edge of tension beneath it.
"Where is she? And why are you telling now?"
Elena didn’t answer imdiately. Instead, she took a small step forward, eting Derrick’s gaze without flinching.
"Before I tell you that," she said, voice steady, "you need to apologize to . And to Mona... unless she already knows and the both of you are keeping it from ."
A wave of confusion rippled through the room.
Derrick’s brow furrowed. Mona’s eyes widened slightly before narrowing, her mind working fast.
*What is Elena playing at? And why would Derrick need to apologize to ? Mona thought, her stomach tightening.*
Elena could see the uncertainty in both their expressions. Good.
She needed to keep them guessing.
Derrick’s voice broke through her thoughts.
"What exactly do you an, Elena? I need clarity."
Elena tilted her head slightly, letting out a small, deliberate sigh.
"Why didn’t you tell about the Alpha King contest?" she asked.
"And how important Kimberly is for you to claim that title? Or does Mona already know about this?"
The air in the room grew thick with tension.
Mona turned to Derrick, eyes flashing.
"The Alpha King contest? Derrick, what is she talking about?"
Derrick exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. Damn it.
He had planned to tell Elena eventually... but he hadn’t expected her to find out like this.
"Firstly," Mona said, crossing her arms, "I knew about the Alpha King contest, but Derrick never told himself. I found out on my own."
Elena’s gaze darted to Derrick, watching his expression closely.
"Do you think we don’t care about you?" she asked, voice rising slightly.
"Or the pack? Yes, we’ve had disagreents, but this is our ho too, Derrick! Why are you hiding things from us?"
Her anger sounded real, and that was exactly how she wanted it.
Derrick raised his hands slightly, trying to calm her down.
"Elena, please," he said. "I’m sorry for not telling you both sooner. I wasn’t sure about Kimberly’s powers yet. I didn’t want to speak on it until I had all the facts."
Elena kept her expression hardened, but inside, she felt a small wave of satisfaction.
*He’s taking the bait.* Elena thought.
Mona, however, was still calculating.
*If Derrick and Elena are on the sa page now, I need to be careful.* Mona’s mind in a deep thought.
She forced a gentle sigh, before looking at Elena. "I’m also sorry, Elena. I thought you already knew."
Elena gave a short nod, keeping up the act. "If I knew, I wouldn’t have kept quiet about it."
Derrick nodded firmly, relief crossing his face. "I appreciate your understanding. Now... tell .
"Where is Kimberly?"
Elena paused just long enough to keep the suspense. Then, she looked Derrick in the eyes and dropped the final piece of the trap.
"She’s exactly where you think she is... with Alpha Theo."
The room fell silent.
Mona’s eyes widened in shock. Derrick’s expression hardened instantly.
"With Theo?" Derrick repeated, his voice dangerously low. "That’s impossible. How do you know this?"
Elena shrugged slightly. "That’s not important. I have my own sources." She folded her arms.
"The real question is... what are you going to do about it?"
Mona leaned forward. "What else? We go there and get her back! That’s the only way."
But Derrick shook his head imdiately.
"No." His voice was firm.
Mona turned to him sharply. "What do you an, no?"
Derrick exhaled, his mind working quickly. "I’ve already made that mistake once. If I try to take her by force again, I might fail. And I can’t afford to fail this ti."
Mona’s impatience flared. "Then what do you suggest? We just sit here and do nothing?"
Elena decided it was ti to make her move.
"We go through the Elders." Her voice was calm, but the weight of her words was heavy.
Both Derrick and Mona turned to her sharply.
"What?" Derrick asked.
Elena leaned forward slightly. "We inform the Supre Priest. We bring the Elders together and expose Theo’s actions.
If we do it right, every Alpha will be there, and Theo won’t be able to escape or deny it."
A heavy silence followed.
Then, Derrick nodded slowly, his expression calculating. "That... actually makes sense."
Elena gave a small, knowing smile. "It’s the best way to get Kimberly back without losing."
Derrick ran a hand over his jaw, then turned to Mona. "We’ll begin making arrangents. In secret." His voice was firm.
"No one outside this room must know until the right ti."
Mona forced a smile, but inside, her mind was racing.
*Can I really trust Elena?* Mona thought.
She had always believed Elena would do anything for her brother. Maybe that was still true.
But Mona had her own plans, and if Elena beca an obstacle...
*I’ll deal with her too.* Mona continued with her thoughts.
Derrick let out a small sigh, a rare genuine smile crossing his face.
"I feel like a winner already." His grip tightened on both Mona and Elena’s hands.
"With the two most important won beside , I know we will win this battle."
Mona smiled, but her fingers twitched slightly.
Elena smiled back, her expression unreadable.
But inside, she was already thinking ahead.
*They won’t see it coming the next bombshell coming their way.* Elena thought to herself, as she maintained the smile on her face.
★★★
Alpha Theo sat alone in his study, the weight of everything pressing down on him like a heavy storm cloud.
He had barely closed his eyes for more than a few hours in the past days. Every move, every decision, had to be calculated.
His phone buzzed on the desk. Elena.
Without hesitation, he picked up.
"I have done my part," Elena’s voice ca through the line, low but urgent.
"I made the move exactly as you instructed... Get ready. And be careful."
Theo nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. "Thank you, Elena. I’ll handle the rest on my end."
The call ended, and Theo exhaled slowly. He leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a mont before bringing his gaze back to the search coin resting on the map before him.
The small, silver coin glead under the dim light.
*I need to use this. But how?*
Theo ran his fingers over the smooth surface, tracing the ancient engravings.
He knew it had power, but the question remained... *Where should i direct it?*
His thoughts were cut short as his phone rang again.
This ti, it was an unknown number.
Theo hesitated for a mont. *Could be a trap. But then, what isn’t a trap these days?*
He picked up but said nothing.
A woman’s voice sliced through the silence.
"Alpha Theo... Do you rember the bullet that was shot at you?"
Theo’s muscles tensed imdiately.
"Of course, you won’t forget it that soon," the woman continued, her tone mocking, almost amused.
"I heard you’ve been running around trying to figure out where it ca from."
Theo’s grip on the phone tightened.
*She’s not even using a voice modulator.* Theo thought.
"Who are you?" His voice was sharp, controlled, but inside, he was already piecing things together. "And what do you want?"
The woman laughed. A slow, mocking laugh that made his blood boil.
"I am the one who will end you... and Kimberly."
Theo’s heart pounded.
"The gunshot?" The woman continued.
"That was just a warning. The next one?" A pause. "You won’t be breathing after that."
Theo exhaled slowly, forcing himself to remain calm.
"Only cowards fight in the dark," he said, his tone dropping lower.
"Only weaklings hide their faces and make threats from the shadows. That’s exactly who you are."
The line went silent for a mont.
Theo smirked. "Hit a nerve, did I?"
He leaned forward, his voice now filled with venom.
"Listen to , you faceless coward. I dare you to step into the light. Face us. Let’s see how strong you really are."
The woman’s voice darkened.
"Very well, then. I will co. And this ti, you won’t live to tell the story."
The call cut off.
Theo stared at his phone, jaw clenched.
His mind raced.
"This is definitely not a modulated voice... It raw and very real." Theo said to himself calmly .
Soone wanted him dead. Soone who had no fear of showing themselves now.
But the question was, who?
He pushed himself up from his chair, pacing.
*There are too many forces against Kimberly and ...* Theo thought.
Ti was running out and he couldn’t afford to play defense anymore.
He needed to strike first.
anwhile, in the Temple, Kimberly sat alone, legs crossed, eyes shut, her breathing steady.
She had been in ditation for what felt like hours, but in truth, she had lost track of ti.
Her mind drifted through a vast, endless space. A place where mories, visions, and the energy of the ancients flowed freely.
The whispers of the past called to her.
Then, suddenly, an image flashed before her mind.
A woman with red eyes dripping with blood.
Kimberly’s breath hitched... She knew those eyes.
A na echoed through the void... Katherina.
The image intensified, a battlefield, flas rising into the night, the ground cracked open as if the earth itself was screaming.
And standing there, at the center of the storm was Katherina, with blood in her eyes.
Kimberly’s eyes snapped open, and as she did, a bright blue light flared from them, glowing like fire.
She barely registered her own voice as she spoke, her words heavy with power.
"Katherina has the blood in her eyes... It’s ti for the Battle of the Ancients."
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