Chapter Thirty Three: The Weight of Secrets


    You are a really slow healer."


    Aria raised her head, her eyes narrowing as she directed a sharp re at Lucas. His words stung,


    hitting a nerve she hadn''t realized was so raw. "That wasn''t obvious," she retorted, her voiceced with


    sarcasm. "Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Captain Obvious."


    Lucas shook his head, his expression a mixture of exasperation and annoyance. "Do you have to be so


    aggressive all the time? You''re exactly like Maria."


    Aria blinked, taken aback by the mention of her mother''s name. "You knew my mother that well?" she


    asked, her voice softer now, tinged with curiosity and a hint of longing.


    Lucas clicked his tongue disapprovingly, his gaze meeting hers as he spoke. "Unfortunately, yes."He


    turned to look into her eyes, "Gabriel never talked about her after she died, did he?"


    Herck of response told him everything he needed to know. "Of course he didn''t," Lucas muttered


    bitterly, referring to Gabriel. "My brother has always taken the cowardly way out."


    The re returned to Aria''s face, her eyes aze with defiance. "Stop calling him a coward," she


    snapped, her voiceced with a mixture of anger and protectiveness. "My father was the bravest wolf I


    knew."


    Lucas chuckled wryly, the sound tinged with bitterness. "That''s where you''re wrong, dear Aria. I could


    have taken Silvercrest and made it greater, expanded itsnds, but Gabriel refused to stand with me.


    What did he do instead? He sold me out to our father."


    "You deserved it," Aria shot back, her voice filled with conviction. "What kind of son would want to kill


    his father for power? And when you say ''expand itsnd,'' you mean forcefully imingnds around


    you. That is wrong."


    Lucasughed, but there was no mirth in his voice. "I was never going to be Alpha, even though I was


    the older twin. The title would have fallen to Gabriel. It was my birthright, not his."


    "It doesn''t matter," Aria said, her voice tinged with sadness. "Killing for power only makes you a bad


    person."


    Lucas stood up, his gaze cold and distant. "You''re a small-minded wolf, Aria," he spat, his voice


    dripping with disdain. "You would never understand."


    As Lucas turned to leave, Aria''s desperation overcame her. "You''re going to leave me alone again?"


    she called out, her voiceced with a mix of hurt and frustration. "Where have you been going for the


    past three weeks? And why did it take you so long to return? You could have alwayse back to


    challenge my father if you wanted to be Alpha so badly."


    Lucas paused, his back still turned to her. He slowly pivoted, meeting her gaze with aplex mixture


    of emotions. "How do you know how long it''s been?" he asked, genuine curiosity shining in his eyes.


    "I''ve been counting," Aria replied. "Counting how many times the moon has risen in the sky."


    Lucas''s gaze traveled upward, towards the darkening mark on her wrist. His expression softened with


    concern. "How loud are the whispers in your head getting?" he inquired gently, his voice tinged with


    sympathy.


    Surprised by his knowledge of her inner turmoil, Aria''s eyes widened in astonishment. "How do you


    know about the whispers?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.


    Lucas sat down next to her on a fallen tree log, the weight of his presence palpable. His eyes were


    filled with a mix of understanding and sorrow as he met her gaze. "Did your father ever tell you why I


    was banished?" he asked,


    "No," Aria replied, shaking her head. "Lilian told me what happened, but she never went into the full


    story."


    A flicker of recognition crossed Lucas'' face at the mention of Lilian''s name. A bittersweet smile touched


    his lips for a fleeting moment. "Lilian," he murmured, as if savoring the sound of the name. Then,


    refocusing on Aria, he continued, "I''m guessing she never told you theplete truth, if your eyes are


    still clouded with ignorance."


    Aria''s brow furrowed, a mixture of confusion and curiosity washing over her. "What are you talking


    about?" she asked, her voiceden with anticipation.


    Lucas lifted his gaze to the darkening sky, his eyes tracing the path of the sun as it gradually


    disappeared beyond the horizon. "How long would you say we have until the moon rises again?" he


    asked, his tone measured and calm.


    ncing at the sky, Aria estimated the time remaining. "A few hours, perhaps," she replied, her voice


    filled with curiosity. "But why does it matter?"


    Lucas cleared his throat as he began.


    Aria''s silver gray eyes shimmered with curiosity, her features etched with anticipation as she awaited


    Lucas''s ount. It was a moment suspended in time, where the world held its breath, eager to bear


    witness to the untangling of aplex web of secrets.


    With a furrowed brow, Lucas began to recount the events that had unraveled their lives. "Gabriel came


    to me the night before the coup," he began, "He questioned whether I still intended to proceed with our


    ns, even though they were already set in motion. The truth was, I had be trapped within a tide


    of events, unable to halt their relentless advance."


    His gaze shifted to the distant horizon, as if he could still see the outlines of his past etched against the


    canvas of the sky.


    "There was a peculiar silence that night," Lucas continued, his voiceced with a blend of nostalgia.


    "As I entered my father''s study, an eerie hush settled upon the room, punctuated only by the distant


    howl of a lone wolf. I knew deep down that the oue would not favor me. The air itself seemed to


    thicken, pregnant with the tension of unspoken words."


    Aria leaned in closer, captivated by the tale unfolding before her. The gentle breeze rustled her raven-


    ck hair, lending an air of mystique to the scene, as if the very elements conspired to amplify the


    weight of Lucas''s words.


    "My father''s voice was cold and unforgiving," Lucas continued, his voiceden with emotion. "He


    informed me that I would never ascend to the Alpha position, denying me the birthright that was


    rightfully mine. In that moment, the whispers in my head grew louder at that point, hungry for power,


    hungry for the blood of the wolf who didn''t deem us worthy enough."


    Aria''s brow furrowed, surprise etched upon her features. "The whispers," she whispered, her voice


    barely audible.


    Lucas''s sad smile flickered across his face like a shadow passing over the moon. The weight of his


    words hung heavy in the air, casting a somber aura around the clearing. Aria''s eyes widened as they


    searched for answers within Lucas''s haunted gaze. The soft rustle of leaves carried a hint of


    anticipation, as if the very forest held its breath, eager to unravel the mysteries that had entwined their


    lives.


    Gently, Aria reached out a hand, her fingers trembling with a mix of curiosity and trepidation. "How did


    the Shadowbane Crystal work on you?" she inquired, her voice a mere whisper that blended with the


    rustling breeze. Lucas''s response came not in words but in actions that revealed a hidden secret.


    With deliberate movements, Lucas unfastened the buttons of his shirt, baring his chiseled chest to the


    moonlight. . As Aria''s eyes fell upon his exposed abdomen, she gasped at the sight thaty beneath


    the fabric—a mark, the same mark she carried in her wrist, the mark of the moon goddess.


    Aria''s confusion deepened, her mind reeling with questions. "How is this possible?" she whispered, her


    voiceden with wonder and disbelief. "How could no one have known about this mark, about the


    Crystal? And how are you still alive, even now that I am wearing it?"


    Lucas''sughter danced through the clearing, a bittersweet melody that echoed off the trees.


    "Patience, Aria," he said, his voice tinged with a mixture of amusement and sorrow. "There is still more


    to my tale, and all your questions shall be answered."


    He continued, recounting the haunting events that unfolded that fateful night. The air grew heavy with


    the weight of his words as he spoke of passing Gabriel''s room and overhearing a heated argument


    between him and Aria''s mother.


    "And then," Lucas continued, his voice tinged with remorse, "I encountered Lilian and her pup. Her


    eyes held a mix of sadness and usation as she cast me a dirty look before disappearing into the


    shadows. I never understood the meaning behind that nce, but it has haunted me ever since."


    Aria''s heart ached with the weight of the revtions, each piece of the puzzle falling into ce. She


    listened intently as Lucas described the ill-fated encounter with Seraphina''s mother, the tragic


    consequences that stained his hands with blood. The image of Seraphina''s lifeless body, cradled by the


    fallen wolf, sent shivers down Aria''s spine.


    "I went straight to my room, where Seraphina''s mothery heavily pregnant with our pup. We were not


    mates, neither did we ever want to be mated, it was a single night of giving into our wolves desires. I


    went to bed that night and the next morning I woke up in the middle of the woods covered in blood and


    next to mey the lifeless body of the wolf carrying my pup, underneath her was—"


    "Seraphina." Aria whispered.


    Lucas nodded, "I have tried so hard to remember what happened that night but it amounted to nothing.


    I took Seraphina back to the pack and Lilian took her from me. I looked at my hands, I had killed


    someone that was supposed to be family, and I knew I had to stop before it was toote. I went to


    Alpha Ryan to tell him it was off and by the time I returned, Gabriel had told my father of my ns."


    "My pleas fell on deaf ears," Lucas continued, his voice heavy with regret. I was banished, cast out into


    the night, stripped of my heritage and any hope for redemption."


    "The Crystal was given to me by my father", he confessed, his wordsced with bitterness. "He imed


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    it would help me control my powers, the very powers he had forced me to conceal from the world. I was


    the marked wolf, hidden in in sight, a secret known only to him. But now I wonder if he truly


    understood the Crystal''s true capabilities, if he had ulterior motives for cing it upon me."


    Aria''s brows furrowed, her mind awash with a maelstrom of emotions. The revtion of her own


    connection to the Crystal and its dark allure sent a chill coursing through her veins. "But how did you


    manage to remove it?" she asked, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and curiosity.


    Lucas''s eyes held a glimmer of both resignation and defiance as he met Aria''s gaze. "The Crystal


    thrives on the darkness within you," he exined. "It amplifies those darkest desires and the voices


    that feed upon them. The more you resist, the more they push back, consuming your very being. I


    reached a point where I realized that fighting against them was futile. So, I made a choice. I embraced


    the darkness, delved into its depths, and spent years mastering the powers it offered."


    In a disy of raw power, bones cracked and shifted beneath Lucas''s skin, his body transforming into


    that of a majestic wolf. Aria''s breath caught in her throat as she beheld the creature before her. It stood


    tall on its forelegs, its fur radiating an inky darkness that seemed to swirl with an ethereal smoke. Its


    eyes burned with an intensity that pierced through the inking sky.


    But just as swiftly as the transformation urred, Lucas shifted back into his human form, his eyes


    weary and filled with a haunting knowledge. "The darkness has much to offer, Aria," he murmured, his


    voice tinged with both caution and longing. "You have yet to tap into the immense power that resides


    within you. The Crystal, once it has consumed all the light it can corrupt, will release its hold. Your


    destiny awaits, and all you have to do is surrender to its embrace."


    The voices within Aria''s mind surged forward, their mor growing louder, urging her to yield to the


    seductive call of power. Conflicting emotions battled within her, the fear of losing herself to the


    darkness warring with the yearning for the strength to protect those she cared for. Her hands trembled,


    reaching out as if to grasp the elusive power thaty just beyond her reach.


    "Stop it." Aria screamed.


    "You and I are so much alike. It wasn''t until I looked into your eyes that I understood the look Lilian


    gave me that night. It is not something I am proud of but in a moment of weakness, Maria and Iy


    together."


    Aria froze as he continued, "I guess the moon goddess was trying to right her wrong by marking you


    when you were born. I have watched you Aria, so many qualities we share. I didn''t understand why my


    brother sold me out to our father all of a sudden, then their argument reyed in my head and then I


    finally understood when I saw you—"


    He stopped as she did the exact thing he was about to say.


    Aria raised her hand, untangling her hair, a move Lucas copied and then it hit her, she froze knowing


    Lucas'' next words would change everything as she knew it.


    "I am your father Aria."