Kiara's pov
"No," I said flatly. "I don't understand any of this."
Magnus spoke again. "Think of it this way, your blood is like a locked chest. If you try to open it too soon, it could destroy you but when the time is right, when you're strong enough, it will reveal everything inside."
I turned to Grey. "And who decides when I'm 'strong enough'?"
"The Moon," he said quietly.
I laughed again, but there was no humor in it. "You mean you, You decide."
"Believe what you want," he said. "But I swore to protect you, and I will, even if it means you hate me for a while."
I stared at him, my chest tight. "I don't hate you," I said, surprising myself. "I just don't know if I can trust you anymore."
Grey's expression softened just a little. "Then let me earn that trust back. One day, when the time is right, I'll tell you everything and you'll see why I did this."
I didn't answer. I just turned and walked toward the door.
"Kiara," Grey called after me.
I paused but didn't turn around.
"You're more important than you realize," he said. "And that scares the hell out of me."
I didn't say anything. I walked out and closed the door behind me.
I didn't sleep at all that night. I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, hearing Grey's words on repeat. Your bloodline isn't just wolf, It's something older, it's a key.
A key to what? And why did he act like telling me would break the world in half?
By the time dawn started bleeding into the sky, I was done lying still. I needed answers and if Grey wouldn't give them willingly, I'd drag them out of him myself.
I pulled on my boots and a cloak, shoved the door open, and marched through the halls. The palace was quiet, too quiet. Servants nodded as I passed, their eyes following me like they knew something I didn't.
I didn't stop until I reached the door to Grey's private war chamber. Two guards stood in front of it, towering and silent.
"I need to speak with him," I said.
One of them shifted. "The king gave orders not to be disturbed."
"Then tell him Kiara is here," I snapped. "And I'm not leaving until he talks to me."
They exchanged a glance, then one knocked lightly on the door. A muffled voice answered from inside. Moments later, the guard stepped aside. "You may enter."
I walked in without hesitating.
Grey was standing at the far end of the room, facing a massive window that overlooked the training grounds. His hands were clasped behind his back, shoulders tense. He didn't turn when I came in.
"You're up early," he said.
"I didn't sleep," I replied.
"I'm not surprised." He finally turned, his expression unreadable. "You heard more last night than I was ready for you to hear."
"Then maybe you should stop underestimating me." I folded my arms. "I want answers, Grey. All of them. No riddles. No 'when the Moon wills it.'"
He sighed and walked over to the table in the center of the room, covered in maps and scrolls. "You're stubborn."
"Good," I said. "Maybe that means I'll get the truth faster."
He looked up at me, his eyes calm but sharp. "What do you want to know?"
I took a deep breath. "Start with the bloodline. What exactly am I?"
He didn't answer right away. He ran a hand over the map, like he was buying time. Then he said, "You are wolf. That much is certain but your blood isn't pure wolf. It carries traces of something ancient, something most believed vanished long before our time."
"What is it?" I pressed.
"I don't know the full answer," he admitted. "But I know enough. Your ancestors weren't just shapeshifters. They were something olde, older than Lycans, older than wolves. They had abilities no one else has and whatever they were, you carry that blood."
I frowned. "And this 'something older'… does it have a name?"
Grey hesitated, then said quietly, "Some called them the Firstborn."
"The Firstborn?" I repeated. "I've never heard of them."
"Most haven't," he said. "Their stories were buried long ago. Most packs think they're myths, bedtime tales about beings who could command nature itself. But they were real, Kiara and their blood runs in your veins."
I stared at him. "And you think that means I'm this… Catalyst you were talking about?"
"Yes." Grey answered.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because signs have already begun to show," he said. "The way your aura reacts to mine. The way you survived that assassin's blade without even shifting. The old blood is waking in you, Kiara."
I shook my head. "No. This is insane. I'm just me. Just a girl who got dragged here against her will."
Grey stepped closer. "You're more than that and the world will realize it soon enough."
I laughed, sharp and bitter. "So what, now I'm supposed to believe I'm some kind of chosen one? That my blood will 'change the balance of power' or whatever nonsense you were spewing?"
"I didn't say you were chosen," he said calmly. "I said your blood can change things. What happens next depends on you."
"And if I don't want any of this?" I asked.
He looked me dead in the eye. "Then others will make that choice for you."
My chest tightened. "Others? You mean the people you said might come after me?"
He nodded. "There are those who believe the return of Firstborn blood will upset the balance between species. They will try to kill you before that happens. Others will try to capture you and use you, that assassin wasn't just a coincidence. Someone already knows, or at least suspects."
"Then why not tell me everything from the start?" I demanded. "If I'm in danger, shouldn't I be prepared?"
"Because knowledge without strength is useless," he said. "If you knew everything right now, without the power to protect yourself, it would destroy you."
"So your solution is to keep me weak?"
"No," he said firmly. "My solution is to train you. To make sure when the truth becomes unavoidable, you can face it head-on."
I stared at him, anger and confusion swirling in my chest. "You still don't trust me with my own life."
"It's not about trust," he said quietly. "It's about time."
"Time?" I asked raising my brows.
He nodded. "There's an order to how these things happen. The Firstborn blood awakens slowly. It's not just strength, it's knowledge, instincts, memory. If we force it before you're ready, it could kill you."
I swallowed. "You're saying if I learn too much too soon… I'll die?"
"It's a possibility," he said. "One I'm not willing to risk."
The room went silent. I stared down at the floor, trying to make sense of everything.
"Grey…" I said after a moment. "Was my mother one of them?"
His expression softened. "I don't know for sure but if she wasn't, someone close in your line was. That's where the blood comes from."
I sank into a chair. My head was spinning. My mother had never told me anything, She'd always just said we were wolves, nothing more. If this was true, why hide it?
Grey watched me for a moment, then walked over and knelt so he was level with me. "I know this is a lot but I swear to you, Kiara, I am not your enemy."
I looked at him. "Then stop treating me like a child."
He almost smiled. "You're not a child. That's why I'm telling you as much as I can now but some things you have to uncover on your own."
I exhaled shakily. "What if I don't want to? What if I just want to go home?"
"Home isn't safe anymore," he said. "The moment they realize what you are, they'll burn your home to the ground just to get to you."
"Who are they?" I asked.
"Enemies of the crown," he said. "Rogue factions and some of them are wolves."
That last part hit me harder than anything else. "Wolves?"
"Yes. Not all wolves will accept what you are. Some will see you as a threat to their power, others will see you as a tool."
I stared at the floor. "And you? Which one am I to you?"
Grey was silent for a long time before he answered. "Neither. You're someone I need to protect, someone who matters more than you know."
The way he said it made my chest tighten, and I hated that it did. I didn't want to care what he thought. I didn't want to feel anything for the man who'd kidnapped me.
But part of me did and that scared me.
I stood abruptly. "I can't do this right now."
"Kiara.." he started.
"No," I said. "I need space. I need time to think."
He didn't try to stop me as I walked toward the door. But just before I stepped out, he spoke again.
"The truth will come whether you want it or not," he said. "And when it does, you'll understand why I've done everything this way."
I paused, my hand on the doorframe. "Then I hope you're ready for my anger when that day comes."
"I am," he said softly.