Sebastian reached for the Ruby Wolf seal, his hand shaking. "Aria, please" "Guards!" Alpha Raphael's voice boomed across the backyard.
"Arrest Beta Arden!" Two warriors grabbed Sebastian's arms. He didn't fight them, his eyes fixed only on Aria. "I did everything to protect you," he mumbled as they dragged him away. Aria felt like the ground was collapsing beneath her feet. The dead seer, her father arrested, the strange Ruby Wolf sealit was too much.
"You need to rest," Dorian said, touching her arm softly. "No." Aria stepped back. "I need answers." Marcus gripped his fighting axe. "I'll get them from Sebastian."
"Violence won't help," Tobias cut in. "There might be another way." He turned to Aria. "Meet me in the library at midnight. Come alone." After the boys left, Aria found herself alone with the body of Rowan Vale.
The seer's unseeing eyes seemed to follow her as she knelt beside him. "What were you trying to tell me?" she whispered. She noticed something clutched in his other handanother tiny piece of paper.
Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Aria slipped it from his fingers and hid it in her pocket.
Back in her room, Selene waited, her face streaked with tears. "Is it true? Did our father kill Rowan?" "I don't believe it," Aria answered. "Someone wants us to think he did." Selene wrung her hands. "What are you going to do?" "Find the truth." Aria pulled out the paper she'd taken from Rowan's hand.
"And I think this might help." Together they unfolded it. Inside was a single line: "The library holds what the heart seeks." Selene shivered. "Tobias said to meet him there. " "Then that's where I'll start."
When the castle fell quiet, Aria slipped through the shadows toward the library. The moonlight streaming through the windows made the vast room feel magical and strange.
"Tobias?" she called softly. A bookshelf swung open, showing a hidden room. Tobias stood in the doorway, his sandy hair shining in the candlelight. "Quickly," he whispered, inviting her inside. The secret room was lined with old scrolls and worn leather books.
A large table in the center was covered with open papers. "What is this place?" Aria asked, panting. "The true library," Tobias stated. "What's outside is just for show. These are the real records of pack history." He led her to the table. "I've been studying the Ruby Wolf since I saw the seal. And I found something you need to see." Tobias unrolled a yellowed paper.
A drawing showed a red wolf standing on a cliff, circled by three smaller wolves. "The Ruby Wolf was the first Alpha," Tobias stated. "More powerful than any who came after. Legend says her bloodline could join all packs." Aria's heart raced. "And what does that have to do with me?" Tobias's blue eyes met hers. "Look at this." He showed her another paper with a family tree. At the bottom was a name that made Aria gasp:
"Sebastian Arden, son of Elena Ruby." "My father is descended from the Ruby Wolf line?" "Yes, which means so are you." Tobias's voice dropped. "The triplet bond happened because your blood holds ancient power. The Blackwood line has ruled for generations, but the true power goes to the Ruby line." Aria felt dizzy.
"That can't be right. I'm nobodyjust a Beta's daughter." "You're so much more." Tobias took her hand. "And someone knows it. Someone who killed Rowan Vale to keep this secret." "But why frame my father?" Tobias frowned.
"That's what I can't figure out. Unless..." He trailed off, his eyes darting to a scroll he'd partly hidden under others. Aria noticed his quick movement. "What's that one?" she asked, grabbing for it. Tobias caught her wrist. "Nothing important." But she'd already seen a glimpse of the text: "unworthy Luna shall perish."
"Tobias, what are you hiding?" His face filled with tension. "I'm trying to protect you." "By keeping secrets? I need the truth!" Their eyes locked in silent war. Finally, Tobias sighed and pulled out the scroll he'd hidden. "This is an ancient prophecy about the Luna who bonds with three heirs," he said reluctantly. "It says if she chooses an unworthy mate, she will die on the night of the blood moon." Cold fear washed over Aria. "Die? How?"
"The text doesn't say exactly. But it warns that only by accepting her true heritage can she survive." "My Ruby Wolf heritage," Aria whispered. Tobias nodded. "I think that's why Rowan gave you the moonstone fragmentto help you connect with your true power." Aria touched her shoulder where her crescent scar lay hidden. "Did you know Selene is my half-sister?"
Surprise flashed across Tobias's face. "No. How?" "She told me tonight. She says my father had a relationship with her mothera witch from the Moonfall line." Tobias paled. "The Moonfall witches are strong seers. If Selene has that blood mixed with Ruby Wolf lineage..."
He grabbed another book. "This changes everything." As he frantically searched through pages, Aria noticed how his glasses kept slipping down his nose, how his fingers moved with swift precision over old texts. Unlike Dorian's fierce intensity or Marcus's wild energy, Tobias oozed quiet intelligence. His presence soothed the storm in her mind. "Here!" He pointed to a text. "If a Ruby Wolf descendant shares blood with a Moonfall witch, their combined power could break the curse of the fractured bond." Hope sparked in Aria's chest.
"So I might not have to choose just one of you?" Tobias's eyes lit up. "Maybe. But we'd need the true moonstone to try such magic." "The one that was stolen during the attack." "Exactly." Tobias sat beside her, their shoulders touching. "Aria, I need to tell you something. When the bond formed between us, I felt something I never expected." Her heart skipped. "What?"
"Peace. Like finding a lost piece of myself." His fingers gently brushed hers. "I know Dorian is the winner. I know Marcus is the fighter. I've always been just the scholar, the middle brother no one sees. But with you, I feel seen." Warmth spread through Aria's chest. "I see you, Tobias." Their eyes met, and for a moment, the world fell away. Tobias leaned closer, his lips inches from hers. A crash from outside broke the spell. They jumped apart as voices neared the library. "Quick!" Tobias pulled her behind a shelf as the library door burst open.
Through a gap in the books, Aria saw Marcus walk in, followed by Elias Crow. "Is the plan still in place?" Elias asked. Marcus's voice was cold. "Everything is ready for the red moon. No one suspects a thing."
"And what about your brothers? They still think you're on their side?" Marcus laugheda sound that sent chills down Aria's spine. "Dorian is too busy playing Alpha, and Tobias has his nose in his books. Neither sees what's coming." "And the girl? Aria?"
"She trusts me." Marcus's voice relaxed slightly. "That will make it easier when the time comes." Aria's heart turned to ice. Beside her, Tobias's grip tightened on her hand. "Just remember your orders," Elias said. "The Syndicate wants her broken before the blood moon rises."
"I know my mission," Marcus growled. After they left, Aria slumped against the shelf, treason burning in her chest. "Marcus is working for the Syndicate." "He's the betrayer from the prophecy," Tobias whispered. Tears stung Aria's eyes. "What do we do?"
"We can't tell Dorian yet. He'd confront Marcus immediately, and that could ruin everything." Tobias cupped her face. "We need to find the moonstone first. That's the key to releasing your power." "But where do we start looking?" Tobias's eyes gleamed with purpose.
"I think I know. But we'll need helpsomeone we can trust." "Selene," Aria said. "If she really is my sister, she should help us." "Be careful. We don't know if her curse might force her to betray you." Aria touched the Ruby Wolf seal she still carried.
"We have to risk it. The red moon is coming, and we're running out of time." As they slipped from the library, a shadow moved near the ceilingsomeone had been watching them. And in the darkness, eyes glowed with old hunger.