Chapter 39
It wasn’t until then that I finally woke up and realized I was lying in a small, dark cell. Heavy air hung low with the smell of damp rock, accompanied by a hint of something else: a scent both far too familiar, yet somehow too out of place to be captured by my memory. My body was sore all over from the traumatic experience of what Ryder had attempted with that ritual. Despite the pain, I made myself take in the scene around me.
That’s when I saw him-the mysterious wolf we had been trying to rescue. He was chained to the opposite wall, his fur matted and his body bearing signs of long captivity. But it was his eyes that caught my attention. They seemed to bore into me with an intensity that felt… familiar.
“Aurora,” the wolf called out, his voice weak but carrying a tone that sent a shiver of recognition through me. “Aurora, is that really you?”
With an effort, I struggled to my feet, my body aching. My heart was racing as I moved toward the wolf chained there.
“Who are you?” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “How do you know who I am?”
The wolf’s eyes are amber bright, just like mine-relayed a mixture of emotions: relief, sadness, and a hint of hope. “Aurora,” he said, his tone growing surer. “It’s me. It’s Aiden. Your brother.”
Everything around me seemed to spin as I understood what he was saying. Aiden? My brother? But that was impossible. Aiden had died years ago, killed in the attack that had orphaned me. Hadn’t he?
I took a step back, suddenly hit by a flood of memories from my childhood. Aiden and I used to have the best times playing in those woods, our parents watching with warm, loving smiles. Then there was that terrible night, the attack, chaos, screams. And after that, Nothing. Aiden was gone, as if he had vanished.
“No,” I breathed, shaking my head in refusal. “No way. Aiden’s dead. He… he didn’t make it out of there. You can’t be…”
The wolf, could it be Aiden? It made a gentle, whimpering noise. “I know this is difficult to hear, Aurora,” he whispered. “But I swear to you, it is the truth. I didn’t die that night. Ryder… he kidnapped me. He’s kept me prisoner all these years.”
My mind was spinning, trying to understand this news. Could it be true? Could my brother, whom I had grieved for so long, really be alive?
“Prove it,” I insisted, my voice trembling. “If you’re Aiden, prove it. Tell me something only my brother would know.”
Aiden’s eyes became gentle, and a sorrowful smile appeared at the edges of his mouth. “Do you recall the secret spot we had in the old oak tree? The one with the bent branch that resembled a witch’s nose? We used to imagine it was our castle, and you were always the queen because you said I was too untidy to be a royal.”
I was in shock, and instantly welled up in tears. That hideout was our secret; it was something we never shared with anyone else. It was a memory that I kept near my heart all these years; a very special memory of the brother I’d lost.
“Aiden,” I managed to say, falling to my knees next to him. “Oh my God, Aiden, it is you.”
I broke down then, overwhelmed by the realization that my brother was alive. All these years, I had carried the weight of his loss, and now here he was, battered and chained but alive. Aiden nuzzled his nose into my palm, giving me all the comfort he possibly could, considering the ropes tying him up.
Once I managed to pull myself together, I glanced at him with eyes all blurry from crying. “What happened? How… How did you survive all these years?”
Aiden’s expression darkened. “It wasn’t easy. Ryder… he’s cruel and relentless. He did those terrible experiments on me because he thought I had some sort of powers. There were times when I didn’t think I’d make it, but then I’d think of you guys, and our family, and somehow, that kept me pushing through.”
I couldn’t fathom what Aiden was saying as he related to the experience of being kept hostage. He spoke about tests, training, and the control they’d had on him. My heart felt his pain.
“But something unexpected happened,” Aiden continued, his voice low. “Through all of Ryder’s experiments and my determination to survive, I developed… abilities. Unique powers that even Ryder hadn’t anticipated.”
My eyes widened. “What kind of abilities?”
Aiden hesitated, as if thinking of how to reveal it to me. “It’s hard to explain. I can… sense things. Energies, intentions. I can sometimes influence them too. It’s how I’ve been able to watch over you these past months.”
“Watch over me?” I repeated, confusion and a hint of anger in my voice. “What do you mean?”
I felt like shouting and getting angry about how unfair everything was. But when I saw Aiden and the real sadness in his eyes, my anger started to fade.
“You’ve been around all this time, and you never revealed yourself? How could you, Aiden? Do you know what I’ve gone through?”
I felt really angry and upset. All this time, my brother was alive and close by, but he decided to stay hidden.
Aiden flinched at the pain in my voice. “I wanted to, Aurora. More than anything. But I was afraid. Afraid that if I approached you directly, Ryder would find out and use me to get to you. I thought… I thought I could protect you better from the shadows.”
I felt like shouting and getting angry about how unfair everything was. But when I saw Aiden and the real sadness in his eyes, my anger started to fade.
“I get why you did it,” I whispered. “But Aiden, we could have faced this together. You didn’t have to be alone.”
Aiden nodded, regret clear on his face. “I know that now. I’m sorry, Aurora. I hope… I hope you can forgive me.”
Before I could respond, we both tensed at the sound of approaching footsteps. Fear gripped my heart was Ryder returning to finish what he had started?
“Aurora,” Aiden whispered urgently. “Listen, We are running out of time. We have to leave this place.”
I agreed, thinking quickly. “Do you have a plan?”
Aiden’s eyes showed he was very determined. “I’ve been conserving my strength, waiting for just the right moment. If we join forces and make the most of it, we might have a shot at this. Are you ready?”
I took a deep breath, centering myself. Despite everything, I trusted Aiden. He was my brother, and together, we stood a better chance than alone. “I’m ready. What do we do?”
Quickly and quietly, Aiden outlined his plan. It was risky, but it was the best we had. As the footsteps drew closer, we tensed up ready for whatever-or whoever-would shortly pass through that door.
The creak of the opening cell door snapped us out of our thoughts. Aiden and I held our breath, poised to deal with whatever-or whoever-was about to make an entrance.
When the door finally swung wide, revealing the person outside, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Right beside me, Aiden sucked in a shocked breath.
There, framed in the doorway, was Alpha Asher. His face had mixed feelings, he just stood there.
For a moment, it felt as though the world around us had suddenly ceased to exist. I stared at Asher confused. Was he a prisoner too? Had he come to rescue us? Or…