CHAPTER TEN — BLOOD REMEMBERS
I woke up screaming.
Not the dramatic kind the kind where your throat feels flayed raw, where sound tears out of you before thought can catch up. My body arched off the bed, heart slamming so hard I thought it might crack my ribs open from the inside.
Hands caught me instantly.
"Aria Aria, it's okay. You're safe."
Declan.
My eyes flew open.
The ceiling above me wasn't the one from my childhood bedroom. Dark wooden beams crossed overhead, etched faintly with protective sigils that pulsed low and warm, like a heartbeat. The air smelled of herbs, iron, and wolf strong, grounding.
The healer's quarters.
My chest heaved as I dragged in air, fingers clawing into the blanket like it might disappear if I let go.
"Easy," Declan murmured, his voice hoarse. "You're awake. You're safe."
Safe.
The word meant nothing.
My gaze snapped to my arm.
Bandaged. Thick layers of white cloth wrapped tight around the wound the rogue king had touched. Faint golden light seeped through the fabric, pulsing softly.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
"He marked me," I whispered.
Declan stiffened.
"No," he said immediately. Too quickly. "He didn't."
I looked at him.
Really looked.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows braced on his knees, hands clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. There was dried blood at his collarbone, a healing bruise blooming darkly along his jaw, and exhaustion carved deep lines into his face.
His silver eyes flicked away from mine.
Liar.
"He touched my blood," I said quietly. "I felt it. You don't do that without leaving something behind."
Silence stretched.
Then Declan exhaled slowly and nodded once.
"The healers confirmed it," he admitted. "It's not a claim mark. It's… a recognition mark."
My stomach dropped.
"Recognition," I echoed.
"Yes." His jaw tightened. "Old Alpha magic. Bloodline acknowledgment."
I laughed once. It came out sharp and brittle. "So I'm basically a glowing target now."
Declan's eyes snapped back to mine, fierce and unfiltered. "You were already a target. Now they just know how valuable you are."
That didn't help.
I pushed myself upright, ignoring the dizziness that washed over me. Declan reached out automatically, steadying me, but stopped himself halfway like he wasn't sure he was allowed.
That hurt more than the wound.
"Where's Tasha?" I asked.
"Down the hall. Shaken, but fine. Owen hasn't left her side."
"And Raven?"
His mouth tightened. "Shoulder wound. She'll heal. She's stubborn."
A small, shaky breath escaped me.
"And Alpha Marcus?"
Declan looked toward the door, then back at me. "He's in council."
My heart stuttered. "Already?"
"They're panicking."
Of course they were.
The rogue king hadn't just attacked. He'd walked straight into Blackwood Ridge, identified me by name, exposed forbidden bloodlines, and left alive.
It was a declaration of war.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed.
Declan was on his feet instantly. "No."
I glared up at him. "Excuse me?"
"You're not going to the council chamber," he said, voice firm but not harsh. "Not bleeding, not marked, not while everyone's emotions are volatile."
"I am not fragile," I snapped.
"I didn't say you were."
"You implied it."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "I'm trying to keep you alive."
Something twisted in my chest.
"So am I," I shot back. "And hiding in a room while they decide my fate doesn't help."
Declan studied me for a long moment, like he was weighing something heavy and dangerous.
Then he nodded once. "Fine."
Relief flared
"But," he continued, "you don't say a word unless I ask you to. And if things turn ugly, we leave. Immediately."
I hesitated.
Then nodded. "Deal."
The council chamber buzzed with tension when we entered.
Every conversation died the moment I stepped inside.
Eyes snapped toward me some curious, some fearful, some calculating. I felt them tracing the line of my bandaged arm, the faint golden glow that refused to fully fade.
Whispers rippled across the room.
Alpha Marcus stood at the head of the chamber, his posture rigid, his silver hair pulled back tightly. He looked… older. Paler. The illness gnawing at him was more visible now, especially with stress weighing him down.
Elena my mother stood to the side.
Her face was unreadable.
That scared me more than anger ever had.
Declan guided me to a seat beside him, his presence a solid wall at my side. The bond hummed low and steady not violent, not surging but alert. Like it was listening.
Alpha Marcus raised a hand.
"Enough," he said. "We begin."
The council settled, though tension still coiled thickly in the air.
"We were attacked by a rogue king," Marcus continued. "Not a pack. Not a scouting party. A king. He breached our borders, bypassed our wards, and left a bloodline mark on a member of this pack."
His gaze landed on me.
"Aria Winters."
A murmur rose again.
One of the elders Councilor Brame leaned forward. "With respect, Alpha, the girl's presence is the problem."
Declan's growl echoed through the chamber, low and dangerous.
rame flinched but pressed on. "She draws them. She carries something they want. We cannot risk the pack for"
"For my daughter?" Elena cut in sharply.
Every head snapped toward her.
She stepped forward slowly, spine straight, chin lifted.
"You've all whispered about my child for years," she said coldly. "Judged her. Compared her. Measured her worth by how useful she was to you." Her gaze hardened. "You will not now suggest sacrificing her to protect yourselves."
Brame scoffed. "You hid her bloodline"
"Because you would have killed her," Elena snapped.
Silence slammed into the room.
My heart thundered.
"What?" I whispered.
Declan stiffened beside me.
Alpha Marcus closed his eyes slowly, like a man bracing for impact.
Elena turned to face me.
And for the first time in my life, there was something raw in her expression.
Regret.
"Aria," she said quietly, "your father wasn't who you were told."
The room seemed to tilt.
I stood up.
Declan's hand shot out, gripping my wrist. "Aria—"
"I need to hear this," I said, my voice shaking but firm.
Elena inhaled sharply. "Your father was Alpha Marcus's brother."
The words hit like a physical blow.
"No," I whispered. "That's not"
"He was the rightful Alpha," she continued, voice trembling now. "Strong. Kind. Loved by the pack. And forbidden to love me."
The room was deathly silent.
"The council declared our bond illegal," she said. "They ordered him to sever it."
Declan went still.
My blood roared in my ears.
"He refused," Elena said. "And for that… he was executed."
The world shattered.
I staggered, barely feeling Declan catch me.
Executed.
My father.
"For loving my mother," I breathed.
"Yes," she said, tears finally breaking free. "And when I realized I was pregnant… I hid you. Suppressed your scent. Bound your power. I made you small so they wouldn't see you."
My chest burned.
"You didn't protect me," I whispered. "You erased me."
Elena flinched.
Alpha Marcus spoke, his voice heavy. "The rogue king was his ally. His friend. When my brother was killed, he fled and swore vengeance."
My stomach twisted violently.
"He wants me because I'm proof," I said. "Because my blood means the line never ended."
"Yes," Marcus said grimly. "And because with your power… he could challenge any Alpha alive."
The room erupted.
Arguments. Shouts. Fear.
Declan stepped forward, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.
"No one touches her," he said coldly. "No one uses her. And no one decides her fate without her consent."
Brame sneered. "You'd risk the pack for a mate bond?"
Declan turned slowly, eyes blazing silver.
"I'd burn the world for her."
The bond flared strong, resonant.
Every wolf in the chamber felt it.
Alpha Marcus closed his eyes.
And in that moment, I understood.
The pack wasn't just threatened by the rogue king.
They were threatened by me.
By what I was becoming.
By what I could claim.
I met Declan's gaze, my heart pounding with fear and something far more dangerous.
Resolve.
"They're coming again," I said quietly. "And next time, I won't be helpless."
A hush fell.
Alpha Marcus studied me long and hard.
Then he nodded.
"Then we begin your training."
A chill slid down my spine.
Training meant acknowledgment.
It meant exposure.
It meant war.
And somewhere deep inside, something ancient stirred
Awake.
---