Chapter 45
I paced in my room and after what felt like ages, I decided I needed someone to talk to who wouldn’t try to control every move I made. Helena was deep into her research on the banshee, and with any luck, she’d be open to letting me in on her discoveries. Or maybe, at the very least, I could do something useful for the pack besides sit around here.
“Please,” I said to the guard stationed outside my door, keeping my voice calm but firm, “let me go. I’m not about to run off—I just want to speak with Helena. I will not go outside she is literally in this house.”
He frowned. “The Alpha’s orders were clear, Lady Astrid.”
“I’ll be careful,” I insisted, my patience thinning. “You know I’m not a prisoner here, right?”
The guard shifted awkwardly but didn’t relent. After a few more tries and a reminder that Alpha or not, I’d still find a way out if I wanted to, he finally let me through.
I made my way to Helena’s study, a place that smelled of herbs, incense, and something metallic—a reminder of her work with the banshee. As soon as I entered, I was struck by the strange sight of the creature bound in thick iron chains, lying across the center of the room. Its eyes flickered and its mouth was sewn shut with a cruel strand of iron, keeping its terrible screams silenced.
Helena looked up from her desk, her face softening at the sight of me. “Astrid. Good to see you.”
“Good to see you too,” I replied, offering a faint smile. “Jeremiah’s guards nearly had me locked up, but I had to do something besides sitting around.”
She smirked, leaning back in her chair. “Let me guess—he’s worried you’re going to run off to battle more banshees without him.”
I shrugged, dropping into a nearby chair. “Or maybe he’s worried about other things. I can’t keep up with him, Helena. One minute, he’s giving me flowers and breakfast, and the next, he’s locking me in like I’m some delicate porcelain doll.”
Helena raised an eyebrow, genuinely intrigued. “Breakfast and flowers? That’s a new one.”
I sighed. “I know, right? You’d think he was finally coming around, but then he gets all intense and controlling.”
Helena nodded, her expression thoughtful. “That’s Alphas for you. They like to pretend they’re giving you choices, but really, they just want things done their way.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered, crossing my arms. “He’s—complicated.”
“Complicated doesn’t begin to describe him,” Helena replied, her tone understanding yet guarded. “I knew his family well, before… everything. He lost them under terrible circumstances. Some wounds, Astrid, don’t heal so easily.”
I chewed on my lip, nodding. “I get that. But it doesn’t mean he can just decide every part of my life for me. I need… I need to be more than just his Luna.”
Helena reached across, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re more than that, Astrid. I see it, the others see it. And, even if he’d never admit it, Jeremiah does too.”
I managed a small smile, feeling a bit lighter. “Thank you, Helena.”
She turned back to her notes, flipping through her findings. “Now, speaking of dangerous situations…” she started, casting a wary glance at the bound banshee, “this thing is one tough puzzle to crack. I’ve tried everything, but its resistance to silver, iron… nothing seems to weaken it.”
“What about fire?” I suggested, leaning closer to get a better look at the creature. Even chained and silent, it was terrifying.
“I tried. Didn’t even scorch its skin,” she replied with a sigh. “This thing is nearly indestructible. Which is why I was so surprised to hear you managed to capture it. How…?”
I hesitated, feeling the weight of her question. “Well… it wasn’t easy. We didn’t go in with much of a plan, just weapons and instincts.”
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Still, you must’ve done something right. What happened?”
I took a deep breath, letting the memory come back. “I remembered something strange that happened before… when one of the banshees attacked a boy in the woods. I screamed, and it… stopped. So, when we faced this one, I tried it again, hoping maybe it would work.”
Helena’s brow furrowed as she processed this. “Your scream?”
I nodded, unsure of how much to share, yet needing to voice it. “It felt… different. Like I was reaching into something deep inside of me, something powerful. And when I screamed, it staggered, almost like it was hurt.”
Helena tilted her head, and a small, knowing smile began to form on her lips. “Astrid… I think we may have found our first clue.”
I met her gaze, confusion and anxiety mingling within me. “Clue?”
“Don’t you see?” She leaned in, her eyes serious. “You might be its weakness.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and bewildering. I felt my stomach twist, a chill running through me. “Me?” I whispered, half in disbelief and half in dread.
Helena’s smile softened, understanding the unease in my expression. “You must have felt it, Astrid. Some part of you had to know.”
I swallowed hard, averting my gaze. “Maybe… maybe I did. But what does that mean? I’m already the daughter of a Lycan king. I already feel like I don’t fully belong. And now this? If this is true… it just makes me feel like more of a… freak.”
“Don’t say that,” Helena said firmly, her hand gripping mine again, grounding me. “You’re not a freak. If anything, you’re exactly what we need. Don’t you see? If your presence, your power, can weaken these creatures, it could mean everything.”
The truth of her words began to settle, but with it came a hundred more questions and worries. “But… why me? Why would I have this power?”
Helena’s expression turned contemplative. “I can’t say for sure. But maybe it’s something passed down from your father’s bloodline, something tied to the old powers that some Lycans carried. Whatever it is, it’s rare. And powerful.”
I felt my breath catch, the gravity of her words sinking in. “If that’s true, then… what am I?”
“Something extraordinary,” she replied softly, her gaze unwavering. “And if Jeremiah understands that… maybe that’s why he’s so afraid of losing you. Because he knows you’re not just any Luna. You’re a weapon, Astrid. Maybe the only weapon that can turn the tide against these creatures.”
A shiver ran down my spine at her words. It was one thing to fight alongside the pack, to defend those I cared about. But to be a weapon in a war I hadn’t even chosen? To be seen not as a person, but as a means to an end? It was terrifying.
“But don’t let that fear own you,” Helena added, her tone strong and comforting. “You’re still Astrid. You still have control. And you get to decide how you want to use whatever gifts you have.”
Her words, though reassuring, left me with an unsettling mixture of excitement and dread. It felt as though my whole life had shifted, and I was standing on the edge of something immense, something dangerous and life-altering.
“What if…” I swallowed, hesitating. “What if it’s too much?”
She gave me a warm smile, her hand squeezing mine. “Then you lean on us. You’re not alone in this, Astrid. You have Jeremiah, even if he’s rough around the edges, and you have me. And I promise, we’ll face this together.”
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