Arin followed Beta Callen through the long hallways of the pack house, her heart pounding so loud she was sure he could hear it. The silver key felt heavy in her pocket, and Rowan's warning echoed in her mind.
The music from the Moon Ball grew louder as they approached the Alpha's private study—a room Arin had only seen from the outside when cleaning the hallways.
"Wait here," Beta Callen ordered, his voice stern. He knocked on the heavy wooden door before entering, leaving Arin alone in the corridor.
She could feel eyes on her from somewhere in the shadows. When she turned, she caught a glimpse of golden hair disappearing around a corner. Siena was watching her.
The door opened suddenly, and Beta Callen beckoned her inside. "Alpha Vaughn will see you now."
Arin stepped into the room, keeping her eyes lowered as omegas were taught to do. The study smelled of wood and old books, with a large fire burning in the fireplace.
"Look at me, girl."
Alpha Vaughn's deep voice commanded obedience. Arin lifted her gaze slowly, meeting the Alpha's stern face across his massive desk. He wasn't alone. Luna Calista stood by the window, her beautiful face tight with disapproval. And beside her stood Kael, his green eyes fixed on Arin with an intensity that made her skin tingle.
"Your name is Arin?" Alpha Vaughn asked.
"Yes, Alpha," she whispered.
"And you work in the kitchens?"
"Yes, Alpha."
"Yet tonight you were seen at the Moon Ball, dressed in clothes above your station, drawing attention to yourself." His voice remained calm, but his eyes flashed with anger. "Explain yourself."
Before Arin could answer, the door burst open. Jaxon strode in, followed by a brooding Rowan.
"Father, you started without us?" Jaxon complained, flashing a quick smile at Arin.
"This doesn't concern you two," Luna Calista said sharply.
"Oh, but it does," Jaxon leaned against a bookshelf, studying Arin with open curiosity. "Especially since Kael here ran out of his own welcome party to chase after her."
Alpha Vaughn's eyebrows rose. "Is this true, Kael?"
Kael hadn't taken his eyes off Arin. "There's something about her."
"She's an omega," Luna Calista hissed, as if the word itself was dirty. "Nothing more."
"I'm not so sure about that," Rowan spoke for the first time, his voice quiet but firm. All eyes turned to him in surprise. "Look at her eyes."
Alpha Vaughn frowned, studying Arin more closely. "Silver eyes," he murmured. "Unusual."
"More than unusual," Rowan insisted. "Elder Mava should see her."
Luna Calista's face paled. "We don't need that old witch's opinions. This girl simply needs to be punished for breaking pack law."
Jaxon laughed. "Come now, Mother. It's not like she committed a crime. She just wanted to attend a party."
"In a red dress," Luna Calista snapped. "Red is reserved for Alphas and their families. She knows this."
Alpha Vaughn raised his hand, silencing his wife. "Kael, you said you felt something when you saw her. Explain."
Kael stepped forward, his broad shoulders tense. "When our eyes met across the hall, I felt... a pull. Like nothing I've experienced before."
"A mate bond?" Alpha Vaughn questioned, his expression darkening.
"Impossible!" Luna Calista cried. "An omega? The future Alpha's mate? I won't allow it!"
"It's not your decision, Mother," Kael said firmly, though his own face showed confusion. "But I'm not sure what I felt. It was... strange."
"I felt it too," Jaxon admitted, surprising everyone. "When I saw her by the creek. Something... familiar."
All eyes turned to Rowan, who remained silent, his blue eyes hidden beneath dark lashes.
"Well?" Alpha Vaughn demanded.
"The Moonwell will reveal the truth," Rowan said cryptically.
Alpha Vaughn looked troubled. He turned to Arin, who stood frozen in shock. "Girl, where did you get that pendant?"
Arin's hand flew to the silver necklace. "My mother gave it to me before she disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Alpha Vaughn exchanged a look with Luna Calista. "Who was your mother?"
"Lyra," Arin whispered. "She was an omega in this pack."
A heavy silence fell over the room. Alpha Vaughn's face had gone pale.
"That's not possible," Luna Calista said finally. "Lyra died in the great pack war. She had no children."
"I think," Rowan said carefully, "we should consult Elder Mava after all."
Alpha Vaughn nodded slowly. "Yes. Tomorrow night at moonrise, bring the girl to the Moonwell." He fixed his gaze on Arin again. "Until then, you will stay in the guest quarters, not the omega rooms."
"But—" Luna Calista began to protest.
"Enough!" Alpha Vaughn's voice boomed with Alpha power. "My decision is final."
Luna Calista's eyes blazed with fury, but she said nothing more.
"Kael, show her to the east wing," Alpha Vaughn ordered. "And ensure she stays there until tomorrow night."
Kael nodded, gesturing for Arin to follow him. As she turned to leave, she caught sight of Luna Calista whispering furiously to Beta Callen, their eyes fixed on her with naked hostility.
The hallways were empty as Kael led her toward the east wing—far from the omega quarters where she'd spent her entire life. Neither spoke until they reached a small but elegant room with a real bed and curtained windows.
"You'll be safe here," Kael said, his deep voice softer than before.
"Why is this happening?" Arin asked, finding courage she didn't know she had. "What do you mean you felt a pull?"
Kael stepped closer, and Arin's heart raced. Up close, his green eyes had flecks of gold in them.
"When our eyes met," he said slowly, "it felt like recognition. Like finding something I'd lost." His hand reached up, hovering near her face but not touching. "But there's something else. Something that doesn't make sense."
"What?"
"The pull is there, but it's... fractured somehow." He frowned. "As if you're meant for me, but also not just for me."
Arin stepped back, confused and overwhelmed. "I'm just an omega."
"I don't think you are," Kael said gravely. "And I think you're in danger."
Before she could ask what he meant, the door opened and Jaxon walked in, his easy smile back in place.
"Sorry to interrupt your moment," he said, not looking sorry at all. "But Mother is on the warpath, and Father sent me to warn you."
Kael nodded, moving toward the door. "Stay here," he told Arin. "Lock the door and don't open it for anyone except me or my brothers."
After they left, Arin sank onto the soft bed, her head spinning. How had her simple birthday wish to attend the Moon Ball turned into this? What did it mean that both Kael and Jaxon had felt something when they saw her?
And why had everyone reacted so strangely to her mother's name?
The silver key in her pocket seemed to burn against her skin. Rowan had said her life depended on it. But what did it unlock?
A soft knock at the door made her jump.
"Arin? Are you there?" Siena's voice called softly.
Arin hesitated, remembering Kael's warning not to open the door.
"Arin, please," Siena continued, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry about earlier. I was jealous and scared. But you're in danger, and I need to warn you."
Slowly, Arin approached the door. "What kind of danger?"
"I can't say it through the door," Siena whispered urgently. "Please, we were friends once. Trust me."
Arin's hand hovered over the lock. Trust no one, Rowan had warned. But Siena had been her friend once...
Another voice whispered from the hallway—too quiet for Arin to make out the words, but definitely male. Then Siena spoke again, her voice strained.
"Hurry, Arin. Before they come back."
Something felt wrong. Arin backed away from the door.
"I'm sorry, Siena," she called. "Kael told me not to open the door for anyone."
Silence fell, then a low chuckle—definitely not Siena's voice.
"Smart girl," the male voice said, louder now. "But doors won't keep you safe forever."
Heavy footsteps retreated down the hallway, followed by lighter ones—Siena being led away.
Arin sank to the floor, heart racing. Who had been with Siena? And what did they want with her?
She pulled the silver key from her pocket, studying its strange markings in the moonlight. Whatever was happening, whatever secrets surrounded her birth, tomorrow night at the Moonwell, her life would change forever.
And not everyone wanted her to live long enough to see it.