Legacy of the Wolf

Chapter Six

The door swung open with a creak, and Mira froze, her heart slamming against her ribs. A tall figure stood in the doorway, framed by the dim light from the hallway. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the air thick with tension, the reality of being caught settling like a weight on her chest. She instinctively took a step back, her pulse hammering in her ears.

"Mira Sterling," a deep voice rumbled, low and commanding. "You've strayed too far from where you belong."

She could barely breathe as she recognized him—Lucas Bloodclaw. His presence was as overwhelming as his reputation. The son of the Alpha, a powerful and feared warrior, his strength radiated from every inch of him, the same strength that had earned him respect and loyalty within the pack. And yet, standing before her, his sharp blue eyes narrowed, there was something else in his gaze. Something that caught her off guard.

She stood frozen, unable to form words as he stepped fully into the room, his figure blocking the doorway. The silence was unbearable, stretching out between them. He wasn't angry in the way she expected—no scolding, no harsh words. Instead, his gaze seemed to study her with an almost... contemplative intensity, as though something deeper lingered beneath the surface of his thoughts.

"Mira," he said her name again, quieter this time, his voice almost... softer. "Do you know how dangerous it is to be in this room, at this hour? To be snooping around where you're not supposed to?"

Mira swallowed, her eyes darting around, searching for some way to escape, some place to hide. But there was nowhere. The archives were a small room, and with him blocking the exit, the chances of slipping past him were impossible.

"You shouldn't be here," she finally managed to say, her voice steadier than she felt. She crossed her arms over her chest defensively, even though she knew it wouldn't protect her. "Alaric will have my head if he finds out."

Lucas's lips quirked into a half-smile. "Oh, I'm sure he would. But I'm not here to turn you in. In fact, I'm here to stop you from making a mistake."

She narrowed her eyes. "What mistake?"

His expression darkened for a moment, and then he took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Mira instinctively took a step back, her body tense as if preparing for a confrontation, though she wasn't sure why. There was something in his demeanor—something unspoken—that unsettled her.

"You've been digging around for answers, haven't you?" Lucas's voice lowered to a whisper, though it was no less intense. "You're searching for the truth about your parents. About what happened to them."

Mira's heart skipped. "How do you—?"

He raised a hand, cutting her off. "I can hear your thoughts, Mira. My wolf is *connected* to you." His gaze softened for the briefest of moments, but then it turned dark again. "You should never have come here."

The words hit her like a punch to the gut. She stared at him, confusion and disbelief written all over her face. "What are you talking about?" she demanded, her voice trembling, though she fought to keep it steady. "How could your wolf be connected to me?"

Lucas took another step closer, his eyes locked on hers, as if trying to gauge her every reaction. "Mira, don't you feel it? The pull? The bond between us? My wolf... it's already claimed you."

The air between them seemed to thicken, crackling with an unspoken energy. Mira felt her breath catch in her throat as she realized what he was implying. She shook her head, disoriented by the revelation. She had been so focused on the secrets of her past, on the quest for answers, that she hadn't noticed the subtle shifts in the air around her—shifts that could only be explained by what Lucas was saying.

Her heart pounded in her chest as the truth began to sink in. It wasn't just his words. The energy she'd felt before, that strange connection that seemed to course through her every time she was near him—it wasn't her imagination. It was real. She had felt something before, a tingle along her spine, an overwhelming attraction she couldn't explain, but she had chalked it up to the pressure of everything else. But now, standing here in front of him, she knew what it was.

It was a bond. A bond that could only mean one thing.

"You're..." Mira's voice faltered. "You're saying that you and I are... fated mates?"

Lucas nodded, his expression unreadable as he watched her closely. "It's more than just a mate bond. My wolf... *your wolf*... they've already chosen each other. And it's not something we can ignore."

Her world spun, her mind reeling from the weight of his words. She had heard of fated mates before—stories whispered around campfires, legends passed down from one generation to the next. But she never thought it would happen to her. She couldn't have even imagined this moment, let alone the consequences of what it meant.

"I—no," she finally said, her voice strained as she tried to make sense of it all. "I haven't shifted. I haven't passed my trials. I'm nothing. I'm an outsider."

Lucas's eyes softened as he closed the distance between them, his hand brushing lightly against her arm. "You're not nothing, Mira. You are so much more than that." His voice was raw with emotion, and Mira caught a flicker of something behind his eyes. Something that mirrored her own turmoil. "Your wolf is there, inside you. She's waiting."

Mira stepped back, her breath catching as panic flared inside her. "I don't—I don't even know what to do with this. I can't just *accept* this. Not when—"

"You don't have to accept it right now," Lucas cut in, his tone gentle but firm. "But you need to understand something. The bond between us—it's not just about the two of us. It's about the pack. Your pack. And whether you want to face it or not, Mira, you're connected to it. You're tied to the Blackclaw bloodline in more ways than one."

Her mind raced, the weight of his words pressing down on her. The Blackclaws were everything she had despised, everything she had been taught to hate. Alaric, her supposed future, the trials she couldn't pass. It all felt like a prison—one she couldn't escape.

"I... I can't just let him get away with it," she whispered, the words spilling out before she could stop them. "Alaric. He killed them. He killed my parents. He *took* everything from me."

Lucas's face darkened. "I know," he said quietly, his voice filled with understanding. "And I will help you. But first, we need to leave this place. It's not safe here, Mira. Not for you. Not for me."

The urgency in his voice snapped her back to the present. "Where are we going?" she asked, her voice shaking with both fear and adrenaline.

Without another word, Lucas took her by the arm and led her out of the room. They moved swiftly, the shadows of the festival still alive behind them, the laughter of the pack fading as they slipped into the woods. The night air was cool against her skin as the trees swallowed them whole, their steps silent on the forest floor.

"Where are we going?" Mira repeated, glancing up at him, confusion clouding her thoughts.

"To the heart of the forest," Lucas said, his voice low but resolute. "Where we can talk. Where we can figure out what happens next."

As they walked deeper into the woods, the tension between them only seemed to grow. Mira's mind was a storm of questions, of doubts, of fears. But one thing was clear now: everything was changing. And there was no turning back.

The moment they stepped into the clearing, a quiet peace seemed to settle around them, as if the forest itself was holding its breath. Lucas stopped, turning to face her. "Now we need to figure out what we're going to do with all of this."

Mira stood in front of him, the weight of the world on her shoulders, the sound of her heartbeat ringing in her ears. Her eyes met his, and in that moment, she realized there was no more running from the truth.

But the question was: what would she do with it?