Chapter 3: The Azure Mountains

There was nothing. No one spoke—everything was still. I strained my hearing to try and pick up anything, but it was as if they had both just vanished into thin air.

I took a step closer to see if I could see any more movement in the crack, and it was when I lifted my foot for one more step that a secondary one crossed the frame.

"What do you mean 'kill you'? What is it?" My father's voice carried on as he moved past the door and set what sounded like a mug down on his desk.

Leo cleared his throat. "My father wasn't a bad man. He just…did a lot of things a lot of people didn't agree with, and in his own way, was very protective of his pack."

Leo paused, seemingly waiting for a response from my father, but when it didn't come, he continued.

"Before he took over from my grandfather, and after your falling out, he experienced a lot of hardship. As you know, my grandfather wasn't the kindest father figure, and during his training…well, my father, to put it lightly, was emotionally abused."

I heard my father inhale sharply. This was a side to Ronan we didn't know about, and I couldn't help but feel somewhat sorry for him in spite of the pain he caused my father.

"According to my father, although he performed perfectly in every category of his Alpha training, it still wasn't enough. So, my father left in search of a way to…strengthen his abilities. He met with a witch who granted him what he wanted, just for an unknown price. It wasn't until after my birth that he realized that the unknown price…was this scar."

I gripped at the same spot on my face that Leo's scar was and felt a small thudding against the back of my eye—like it was pulsating to remind me of its presence.

"How did he find out?" my father asked pointedly. "About the curse?"

"He never told me. I found some old journals while clearing out his things after he…passed, and there were a ton of cryptic notes and scribbles—a sort of hieroglyphic that I can't make out."

I heard a thud on the table as if something solid had been placed upon it. When I built up the courage to look around the corner of the slightly open door, I saw Leo and my father looking down at a worn, brown leather notebook.

Leo's finger flipped to the corresponding page and turned it so my father could see it better and moved on with his speech. "He notes later on that they're some kind of language, something he saw written inside of a cave near the Azure Mountains. Look, I know you and my father—"

My father's eyes pricked up at this knowledge, and his voice was stoic as he cut into Leo's speech. "The Azure Mountains?"

Leo curtly nodded.

My father pushed back in his chair and stood up from behind his desk, adjusting the dress shirt he had worn for the ceremony. "I appreciate you coming here, Leo. It was great to see you, but I need to get back to my people. I suggest you do the same."

"I can't," Leo answered, his speech cut and dry. "Not until I find a solution, and I think if you just listen—"

"I've done enough listening for today," my father continued, moving about the office. I could hear his voice getting closer as he made his way toward the door. "Now, if you didn't notice, there was a ceremony happening when you showed. You're free to stick around, but it's imperative I return to it."

I took a step back, brushed up against the door frame of the room next door, and gripped a hold of the handle. It was only a matter of seconds until he came out and realized I had been listening to them the entire time.

Only he didn't, because Leo's voice called out to him. "My father mentions you in his journal."

And with that, all movement came to a halt. I could see my father's shadow lingering in the door crack, as if he were battling with something inside of his mind.

"He said that the only one that could understand his decision was you. That's why I've come."

I didn't need to see my father know his demeanour: his eyes were piercing, and his jaw tensed. He didn't know what to do or how to move forward. He ruled the Nature Eclipse pack with understanding yet was the most fierce hunter known. No one would ever be able to amount to him as an Alpha. But despite his abilities in the wild, his past with Ronan was something he could never defeat.

I heard my father curse under his breath and listened, with only the door separating us.

"F*ck, Ronan," he whispered to himself. His footsteps retreated into the room, and they got fainter the further in he went. "I knew he'd go back," he spit out in hushed anger.

"So, you know what I'm talking about," Leo answered.

"Yes," my father continued, the anger still seeping through his words. He took a deep breath to center himself and then began. "I'm sure you know our packs didn't always live so far from one another. Before settling here, in the Nyan Rivers, the Nature Eclipse pack actually lived closer to the Ruling Hills, where the Bloodmoon Pack still resides. And growing up, your father and I ran into each other quite frequently when hunting."

I picked up on the slight laughter in my father's tone and immediately felt saddened, knowing it was one of pain and not joy.

His chuckle died in his throat, and he took a moment before moving on with his story.

"When we were teenagers—maybe a decade or so younger than yourself—we were in the woods, hunting for our respective packs. Your father, after much debate, convinced me to venture further out than our borders… Food was getting scarce due to the winter season, and his reasoning was that we needed to press ahead and see what else was beyond the grounds.

I tried telling him we should talk it over with our Alphas before going ahead, but he pushed me, saying we were both the heirs and it was time we took matters into our own hands. He convinced me that we should do this and return home heroes…and I eventually gave in."

Throughout his speech, I never heard his voice waver; he was keeping it sturdy, using what I like to call 'the Alpha voice', speaking as if he were in a council meeting and not to the son of his late friend.

"We moved ahead, going further than either of us knew until we hit a cave at the base of the Azure Mountains. The same one your father describes in his book."

I was waiting, expecting a response from Leo, but nothing came. No movement, no rebuttal, not even an inhale. I could see Leo in the crack of the frame. He wasn't wearing his weapons belt that he had arrived with, and his golden eyes were narrowed in on my father.

"I protested and protested, saying that wasn't what we were there for and that we should return, but he ignored my requests and moved forward into the cave. It was dark…we couldn't see much without a light, but I remember this ominous feeling—like whatever was in there was something way beyond our comprehension. I tried over and over to get him out, but it was as if he was absorbed in it somehow. I made him vow never to go back there to protect him and your pack."

The conversation trickled out until Leo re-instigated it. "Do you think that whatever he found could hold some power, and that's why my father sought it out?"

"It could," my father stated. "Or it could be something bigger. All I know is that that cave is tied to something otherworldly, and the only way to really know for sure is to have those markings examined."

I heard my father take in a deep breath and a little more movement before he spoke again. "Let me take this to my Shaman. I'll have it looked over, and maybe he can provide you with more knowledge on the markings. Otherwise, that is all I can do. This isn't my battle."

"I understand, sir. Thank you."

"You're welcome to remain here for the duration of your wait. It may take a few days to get results. But once you have them, you must take your leave. Understood?"

I felt a small sense of shame appear inside of me, but it wasn't an emotion of mine. It was something else.

"Yes, sir," Leo answered, his tone dry and stiff.

There was slight movement as a figure made its way to the door again. Sh*t.

I ducked into the room next door and watched as my father emerged with the book in hand. He looked both ways and then headed down the hall and out of sight. I listened for the steps to retreat down the stairs and the outside door to open before stepping back out of the room.

I moved to the door again, peering inside ever so slightly. Leo sighed and placed his hands down on the table. Shortly after, a loud bang resounded from the room, causing me to let out a small gasp. I quickly moved to cover my mouth, praying he didn't hear me. But I should've known better—a wolf's hearing was unparalleled, but an Alpha's was even better.

Leo's head lifted, and his gaze looked to the door. I took a step back, hoping I had made a narrow escape until his voice called out to me.

"I know you're there, Nia."

F*ck.