Callum took the scroll from Elder Torren's hand, his fingers tightening around it like it might vanish. The wax was sealed with an ancient symbol the Brotherhood's mark. A serpent devouring its own tail, encircled by runes only a few still remembered how to read.
"This scroll will grant you passage into the ruins," Torren said. "But be warned the temple is protected by more than just blood magic. The truth has power there. It will test you both."
Callum glanced at me, uncertainty flashing in his eyes for the briefest moment. "We'll be ready."
Torren nodded, but his gaze lingered on me longer than necessary.
As we stepped out into the cold once more, the forest around us felt… quieter. Tense. As if the shadows themselves held their breath.
We didn't speak as we walked.
I could feel his wolf, restless beneath his skin. I could feel mine too protective, wary, pacing inside me.
When we reached the edge of the pack lands, near the outer ridge where the ruins were said to be hidden, Callum finally broke the silence.
"I need to know, Rhea…" he began slowly, "what you were doing there the night of the ambush."
I stopped walking.
Of all the things he could have asked me.
I'd been dreading this moment.
"I went to warn you," I said truthfully.
He turned to face me, his eyes searching mine. "Then why didn't you say that before?"
"Because you wouldn't have believed me. You still don't."
His lips parted, but he said nothing.
I stepped closer. "I knew Kael was planning something. I overheard him with a rogue messenger he said the Brotherhood was watching you. That they'd strike while your guard was down."
"Why didn't you tell me?" His voice was low, nearly broken.
"Because I didn't have proof," I said, pain burning my throat. "And by the time I got to you, the attack had already started. I tried to get you out, Callum. You were bleeding. I shifted and dragged your body out of that clearing."
His expression twisted. "And the pack blamed you?"
"They said I lured you there. That I was Kael's lover." I laughed bitterly. "As if I could ever love anyone but you."
He stared at me for a long moment, then gently took my hand and pressed it to his chest, just over his heart.
"I don't remember everything yet," he murmured. "But I remember this."
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
Steady. Strong. Unbreakable.
"My wolf never stopped calling for you, even when my mind forgot."
I swallowed hard. "Then trust me, Callum. Let's end this together."
---
The ruins were nestled between two cliffs, shrouded in vines and centuries of dust. Cracked stone pillars lined the entrance, each etched with symbols older than any living wolf.
As we stepped through, the air thickened with power.
The moment our feet touched the stone floor, something shifted.
A whisper curled through the darkness.
Truth walks among lies. Who will be unmasked?
A glowing sigil lit up beneath our feet. The scroll in Callum's hand pulsed, then disintegrated into ash. The doors behind us slammed shut.
"Stay close," he said, his voice sharp.
Inside, the temple was vast echoes of long-forgotten rituals clinging to its bones. We passed through a corridor lined with decayed cloaks and broken weapons, remnants of those who'd come before and failed.
At the far end, a chamber awaited.
In its center, a pedestal.
On it records. Maps. Names.
Proof.
But as Callum stepped forward, a ghostly voice rang out.
Who speaks truth may pass. Who hides… shall burn.
The light flared, circling us both. It began to glow brighter around me hotter. More intense.
"Rhea," Callum called. "What's happening?!"
I fell to my knees, gasping. The magic ancient, sentient wrapped around my throat like vines.
Speak your hidden truth. Or perish.
And so I did.
"I was supposed to meet Kael that night," I cried out. "He told me if I warned you, he'd kill the pups in the orphan den. I didn't know what to do. I stalled. I tried to warn you, but I came too late!"
The light exploded then stilled.
Silence.
The room calmed. The power released me.
Callum was frozen, horror and understanding warring on his face.
"You protected the children…" he whispered.
I nodded, trembling.
"I couldn't let them die," I said. "But I didn't betray you. I never would."
He crossed the space between us in a single heartbeat, pulling me into his arms.
"I believe you," he murmured into my hair. "And I'm sorry I ever doubted."
He reached for the scrolls on the pedestal, tucking them into his coat. "This ends tonight."
---
Back at the pack grounds, Callum didn't wait.
He stormed into the gathering hall during the full moon council, scrolls in hand, me by his side.
"Kael," he roared, his voice echoing like thunder. "You betrayed me. You betrayed our pack."
Kael rose from his seat slowly, the smug look on his face cracking for the first time. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You will," Callum said. He threw the scrolls onto the council table.
Gasps echoed as the council opened the records.
Kael's name was written all over them.
"Traitor," Elder Torren whispered.
"You planned my death," Callum growled. "Now face the consequences."
Kael snarled, shifting mid-room but Callum was faster.
In one brutal, flawless move, he took Kael down, pinning him before the council.
"You'll rot in the Shadow Cells," Callum spat. "Where every lie you've told will haunt you."
As the guards dragged Kael away, I felt the weight lift.
Not all the danger was gone.
But the storm had passed.
And Callum?
He was mine again.
Fully.
Truly.
And this time… we would write our future in the ashes of the lies that tried to destroy us.