Asha barely made it to the edge of the forest before someone grabbed her arm. She spun around, ready to fight, but stopped when she saw familiar brown eyes filled with worry.
"Rowan?" She pulled her arm free, confused. "What are you doing here?"
Damon's second-in-command looked around nervously, making sure they were alone. His usually confident face was tight with stress.
"I need to talk to you," he said quietly. "Somewhere private. Now."
"Why would you want to talk to me? You're Damon's best friend."
"That's exactly why I need to talk to you." Rowan's voice cracked slightly. "Please, Asha. There are things you need to know before tonight."
Something in his tone made her stop running. He sounded scared. Really scared.
"Fine. But make it quick."
Rowan led her deeper into the woods, to a small clearing where an old stone bench sat covered in moss. He kept looking over his shoulder like he expected someone to follow them.
"Sit," he said, but he stayed standing, pacing back and forth.
"Just tell me what's going on, Rowan. I don't have time for—"
"Damon killed your father."
The words hit her like a punch to the gut. "What?"
"Three months ago. He didn't die in that car accident like everyone thinks." Rowan's hands shook as he ran them through his hair. "Damon strangled him with his bare hands."
Asha felt the world tilt sideways. "That's impossible. My father has been dead for years."
"No, he hasn't." Rowan finally stopped pacing and looked at her directly. "Kieran Blackwood has been alive this whole time. Damon kept him locked in the basement of the old packhouse. He's been torturing him for information about your family's bloodline."
Rage exploded in Asha's chest, so hot and bright she could barely breathe. "You're lying."
"I wish I was." Rowan sat down heavily on the bench, his head in his hands. "I've been helping Damon for two years, thinking I was protecting the pack. But I've been helping a monster."
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because I can't live with it anymore. Because watching him plan to murder you tonight is the last straw." Rowan looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "Because I've been in love with you since we were kids, and I can't let you die without knowing the truth."
Asha stared at him in shock. "You've been what?"
"In love with you. Since before you left the pack. I used to watch you train with your father and dream about telling you how I felt. But then Selene died, and you disappeared, and..." He shrugged helplessly. "I thought I'd lost my chance forever."
"Rowan, I—"
"I know you don't feel the same way. I know you think Damon is your mate. But he's not, Asha. The mate bond you feel? It's fake."
Her blood turned to ice. "What do you mean, fake?"
"There's a witch in the pack. Fiona. She cast a spell to make you think Damon was your destined mate. The pull you feel toward him isn't real."
Everything started clicking into place. The strange way the mate bond had felt when she first met Damon. How it was strong but somehow empty at the same time.
"Why would they do that?"
"To control you. Damon knew that if you believed he was your mate, you'd do anything to win his love. Including walking right into his trap."
Asha felt sick. "How long have you known?"
"About the fake mate bond? Six months. About the rest of it?" Rowan's voice dropped to a whisper. "I started figuring it out three weeks ago when I overheard Damon talking to Fiona about the ritual."
"What exactly did you hear?"
"That the bonding ceremony isn't about making Lyra stronger. It's about transferring your angel blood to Damon himself. Once he has your power, he'll be unstoppable. No one will be able to challenge him ever again."
Asha's heart hammered against her ribs. "Angel blood?"
"You really don't know, do you?" Rowan studied her face carefully. "Your family doesn't just carry Alpha genes, Asha. You're descended from the first werewolves – the ones created when angels mated with humans thousands of years ago."
"That's impossible."
"Is it? Haven't you always been stronger than other wolves? Faster? Haven't you always felt like there was something different about your power?"
She had. Even as a child, she had been able to do things other young wolves couldn't. Heal faster. See in complete darkness. Sense danger before it arrived.
"Damon has demon blood," Rowan continued. "Ancient, powerful demon blood that makes him incredibly strong. But angel blood is his weakness. It's the one thing that can destroy him completely."
"So he's going to steal mine and eliminate the threat."
"Exactly. And once he has both angel and demon power flowing through his veins, he'll be like a god. Nothing will be able to stop him from taking over the entire supernatural world."
Asha stood up abruptly, her mind racing. "I have to warn the other packs. I have to—"
"There's more." Rowan grabbed her hand, stopping her. "The pack members you think you can trust? Half of them have been working with Damon from the beginning."
"What do you mean?"
"The Blackwood massacre wasn't just Damon acting alone. Twenty members of this pack helped him murder your family. They knew about the angel blood. They knew about the plan to wipe out your entire bloodline."
Asha felt like she was drowning. "Who?"
"Marcus, the head warrior. Elena, the pack healer. Even some of the younger wolves you grew up with." Rowan's grip tightened on her hand. "They all have demon blood too, Asha. They're all part of this conspiracy."
"How many people in this pack are actually innocent?"
"Maybe a dozen. Out of nearly a hundred."
The betrayal cut so deep she could barely stand. These people had welcomed her back. They'd smiled at her, talked to her, pretended to care about her. All while planning her death.
"There's something else," Rowan said quietly. "About Lyra."
"What about her?"
"She's not just your sister. She's your twin."
Asha's world stopped spinning. "That's impossible. Selene was seven years younger than me."
"No, she wasn't. Fiona used magic to make her age slower. To keep her young and innocent so she'd be easier to control." Rowan's eyes were full of pain. "You and Selene were born on the same day, eighteen years ago. You're identical twins."
"But we look completely different—"
"Magic, Asha. Powerful magic that changed her appearance and her memories. The real Selene looks exactly like you. Dark hair, green eyes, the same face." Rowan stood up and moved closer to her. "Think about it. Why else would Damon choose her as his Luna? Because she has the same angel blood you do."
The truth hit her like lightning. Damon wasn't just planning to steal her power. He was planning to steal Selene's too.
"The bonding ritual," she whispered. "It's not just about me."
"No. He's going to drain both of you at the same time. Twin angel blood is the most powerful force in existence. With both of your powers combined, he'll be invincible."
Asha's legs gave out, and she sank back onto the bench. Everything was so much worse than she had imagined.
"We have to stop him," she said.
"I know. That's why I'm here." Rowan knelt in front of her, his brown eyes intense. "I have a plan. But it's dangerous, and it requires you to trust me completely."
"What kind of plan?"
"The kind that could save your sister and destroy Damon forever. But first, you need to know the biggest secret of all."
"What?"
Rowan hesitated, like he was afraid to say the words out loud.
"The person who's been watching you and reporting back to Damon? The one who heard your conversation with Selene earlier?"
Asha's blood ran cold. "Who?"
"Your father."
"My father is dead. You just told me Damon killed him."
"I lied about that part." Rowan's voice was barely a whisper. "Kieran Blackwood is very much alive. And he's the one who's been helping Damon plan your murder from the very beginning."