Page 12 of Rebel for Claws
"Yes, I was preparing to support you and Maya publicly." Alaric paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Thorne knew that if the most traditional Alpha in the territory accepted a hybrid mate for his heir, other pack leaders would follow suit. And then Thorne's carefully constructed separation between humans and shifters would collapse."
And I would have stood behind that decision regardless of High Council threats. My son's happiness means more than Thorne's approval.
The silence that followed carried weight, decades of misunderstanding slowly giving way to recognition. Kieran's expression softened as he began to see the man behind the Alpha mask his father had worn for too long.
"There's something else you need to know," Kieran said, his voice carrying new urgency. "Four nights ago, we rescued a hybrid from Shadow pack territory. She's not just any hybrid, Father. She's the last descendant from the original ancient shapeshifter bloodline—the first human queen who settled in our territory three hundred and fifty years ago."
Alaric's fork stopped halfway to his mouth, his Alpha instincts immediately recognizing the significance. "The very bloodline Thorne has been trying to eliminate completely for centuries."
"She has abilities that go beyond anything we've documented. Multiple animal forms and enhanced magical senses. Powers that connect her directly to the ancient magic Thorne fears most." Maya's excitement was palpable despite her measured tone. "She also managed to steal ancient texts from Moon Hollow that could contain evidence of everything you've suspected about Thorne's manipulation and corruption."
The missing piece. The catalyst that could finally bring down three centuries of carefully constructed lies and abuse.
Alaric set down his silverware, his full attention focused on this revelation. "Where is she now?"
"Logan's cabin. We've had to keep her location secure—Council operatives have been hunting her actively since she was identified four nights ago." Kieran's protective instincts were evident in his tone. "But I think you should meet her today. Your experience with Thorne's experiments and his corruption, combined with what she knows about those ancient texts and her personal story, might give us the complete picture we need to expose his corruption once and for all."
The Alpha in Alaric was already calculating strategies, analyzing potential alliances and threats. But beneath the tactical planning, something deeper stirred—a sense that this hybrid might represent more than just a weapon against Thorne.
After thirteen years of emotional numbness, why does the thought of meeting this woman make my wolf restless with anticipation?
"After we finish lunch," Alaric decided, "we'll go to Logan's cabin. It's time to meet the woman who might help us destroy Thorne's reign once and for all."
FIVE
VIVIAN
The sharp knock echoed through the cabin just as the December sun began its descent behind the towering pines and cast long shadows across the living room floor where Vivian had been pacing like a caged predator. Logan's entire body went rigid, his hand instinctively moving toward the concealed weapon at his hip before he processed the familiar rhythm of the knock.
"Expecting someone?" Vivian's violet eyes narrowed as she watched Logan's tactical assessment of the situation.
Zoe emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel with deliberate casualness that fooled no one. "Actually, yes. We arranged a meeting for you."
"Another meeting?" Vivian's voice carried the sharp edge of betrayal. "I don't recall agreeing to any such arrangement. Especially after spending the morning with Lena learning about prophecies and ancient bloodlines."
Of course they knew I wouldn't want this meeting. That's exactly why they ambushed me with it.
Logan opened the front door with fluid precision, and Vivian's breath caught in her throat. The man standing on the threshold commanded attention effortlessly—tall, powerfullybuilt, with short black hair touched by silver at the temples and the kind of presence that made the air itself seem to vibrate with authority. But it was the inexplicable recognition that hit her like a physical blow, a restless knowing that made her wolf stir with anticipation she couldn't understand.
What the hell? I've never seen this man before in my life, so why does every instinct I possess scream that I should know him?
"Vivian," Logan's voice carried formal weight, "this is Alaric Silvercrest, Alpha of the Silvercrest pack. He returned four nights ago from captivity and had his leadership restored today."
The name hit her like ice water. Stories flooded back—whispered conversations among rebel fighters about the cruel Alpha who'd enforced the High Council's harshest orders, who'd sent operatives after hybrids and humans, and who'd ruled through fear and rigid traditionalism.
Two figures stepped from behind Alaric's imposing frame. "Behind him are his son Kieran, who served as acting Alpha during his father's absence, and Kieran's mate Maya, who served as acting Luna. Maya is also a hybrid and represents the first part of the Lunar Prophecy as we discussed earlier today."
Vivian's hostility toward Alaric warred with genuine interest in meeting Maya. The copper-haired woman's intelligent green eyes held the calculated precision of someone who understood the weight of being a supernatural catalyst.
"It's an honor to meet you, Maya." Vivian's voice carried warmth that completely disappeared when her gaze returned to Alaric. "Though I question the necessity of this particular introduction."
The air between them crackled with tension so thick it could be cut with one of her handcrafted blades. Every logical thought in Vivian's mind screamed warnings about the man before her—his reputation for brutality, his history of hybrid and humanpersecution, and his unwavering support of Council laws that had made her very existence illegal.
But her primal instincts told a different story entirely. They whispered of safety, of recognition, and of something fundamental that she couldn't name or understand.
Alaric's bright grey eyes studied her with an intensity that made her skin feel electrified. "Your reputation precedes you, Vivian Cole. Though I suspect the stories don't capture the full scope of your abilities."
"And your reputation certainly precedes you, Alpha Silvercrest." Her tone could have frozen the December air. "Though I'm hoping the stories about your treatment of hybrids and humans have been greatly exaggerated."
