Alec’s

Sadie

They were all staring at me now. My words hung in the air like a dense fog, the weight of my suspicion pressing down on everyone in the room. I could see it in their eyes—confusion, shock, and a hesitant flicker of understanding starting to form.

Before anyone could speak, Raven's voice cut in, calm but urgent. Her eyes flicking to Brian. "Let's move this to somewhere more private. This isn't a conversation for the dungeon."

No one argued.

Alec gave a nod, already stepping away from Brian's cell. I followed him, Raven close at my side. Jason and Micah flanked the rear, and the elders murmured among themselves as they moved as a group. The air shifted, heavy with unease. We returned to the conference room. The moment the door closed behind us, Alec turned to me. "Why do you think Xena is trying to break Kaden out?"

I didn't answer immediately. I looked down at my hands, feeling the pulse of the bond that tethered me to Alec. "Because it makes sense," I said quietly.

Raven crossed her arms, as I explained. "Remember? Nyx said they took something from her. I could feel it her rage, her heartbreak. They didn't just wrong her. They destroyed something she loved. And if Nyx of all people, wants revenge, then this is personal."

I looked up at them, my voice gaining strength. "That kind of hatred doesn't exist without deep roots. Xena and Kaden... they're connected. I don't know how, but it's real. I can feel it. And if she's building an army of hybrids, it's not just for power it's for war."

One of the elders, a silver-haired man, frowned deeply. "Even if this... Xena is as powerful as you claim, why would she need an army? If she is anything like you, Alpha Sadie, couldn't she free Kaden herself?"noveldrama

There was a moment of silence. Even Micah and Jason looked to me for the answer.

I exhaled slowly. "Because I don't think she knows how to do it. Not yet. The spell containing Kaden isn't something anyone can just undo. It's ancient, like Raven said. I don't think just anyone can undo it."

Raven nodded. "It's a very powerful spell. This isn't a spell you break with a simple chant. It's laced with a kind of magic I have never encountered." She paused, eyes narrowing in thought. "I felt the same signature when I looked into Brian's memory. The magic used to wipe his mind... it was laced with the same darkness I felt inside Kaden's confinement. That's not a coincidence."

That got everyone's attention.

I froze. "Are you saying that Xena and Kaden share the same kind of magical aura?"

"Yes," Raven said simply. "The aura doesn't lie. It's the same. Dark, evil, twisted."

I stood there lost in thought. Nyx

was so pure, even in her anger and hate. I have never felt anything dark

from her. So why is her sister's aura evil? Why is Xena's aura dark?

"Oh, shit." I whispered, my heart hammering in my chest. "This cannot be happening."

"What?" Everyone asks me, their eyes curious.

"What if the reason why Xena and Kaden's auras are so similar is because they are bonded?" I whispered, shaken to the core.

"Impossible," someone muttered, but I didn't pay any attention. My mind was racing as the idea started to take root.

"Think about it,” I said through clenched teeth. "What happens when a werewolf marks their mate and completes the bonding ceremony?"

There is a beat of silence before Alec answered, his jaw clenched and fist folded. "They become one."

I nodded my head. "Exactly. They are

no longer two separate beings, but one. Their aura, their scents, their minds... everything about them

becomes one."

"Fuck," Alec cursed and he wasn't the only one. There is a string of curses from all around the room as it finally sinks in.

The room descends into silence. The air around us is charged with so much uncertainty now that this piece of the puzzle has been put in place.

Another elder, a tall, hawk-eyed

woman, breaks the silence. "You still haven't answered the most important question-why all the secrecy? Why go to such lengths to hide her identity and purpose? If she's planning to free Kaden, wouldn't revealing herself as a threat give her more power, more fear to feed off of?"