Chapter 154- When Truth Arrived
Lexy
The council chamber was dim, lit only by the soft golden glow of early morning sun filtering through the stained glass. I sat at the far end of the long table, my fingers tapping rhythmically against the polished wood. I hadn’t slept—not a wink. Every instinct in me burned with urgency. Adrian would soon be well and request departure and if I didn’t have undeniable proof of his betrayal before then…
War would follow.
I closed my eyes, steadying myself. CJ stood at my side, silent but ever present. Dad waited by the entrance, arms crossed. All of them were holding the line, waiting for one name.
Tarria.
She was still gone. Still in his territory. Every hour that passed without words chipped away at my calm.
A sudden knock at the back entrance sent everyone into alert. CJ moved first, hand already on the hilt of his blade. I rose slowly as Helio opened the door.
Tarria stumbled in with Alira right behind, breathless, dirt-streaked, and clutching a heavy satchel across her chest.
I didn’t hesitate—I ran to her.
“You’re back.” My hands gripped Tarria’s arms. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” Tarria gasped. “Not physically. But I—I found it. All of it. Adrian’s betrayal. And something else.”
I guided her to the chair while dad took care of Alira, signaling CJ to bring water. Tarria took a moment to gather herself, then pulled the satchel around, placing it with care on the table like it was sacred.
“We snuck into his southern compound,” she began. “There’s an archive beneath his training hall. Alira and I—” she paused, locking eyes with me—“We found more than strategy maps. He’s been collecting intelligence on the entire alliance. Surveillance, trade routes, betrayal agreements. He had everything planned. He wasn’t going to wait long after leaving our tribe. He was going to strike once our backs were turned.”
My heart sank, but my mind sharpened. “And you have proof?”
Tarria nodded and opened the satchel. “Here.” She handed over ledgers, coded scrolls, letters bearing tribal seals. “These show he bribed members of smaller packs. Promised them territory and power in exchange for loyalty. There’s even a forged treaty where he declared himself Commander of the Unified Clans.”
I stared at the pages, each one colder than the last. The ink was still fresh on some. Names I recognized—leaders I had shared my fire with—now scrawled beside Adrian’s private deals.
CJ leaned in. “This is treason.”
“No,” Helio growled. “This is warfare disguised as diplomacy.”
My hands trembled slightly as I set the pages aside. “This is enough. The alliance will believe us now.”
Tarria didn’t answer.
I turned to her slowly. “What else did you find?”
The young warrior hesitated, then pulled out a worn leather-bound tome and placed it gently before me.
“A book?” CJ asked, skeptical.
Tarria shook her head. “A prophecy. About me. About all of us.”
I opened the book, my eyes immediately drawn to the inked image of a woman—Tarria’s face, but older, more ancient. The features were uncanny.
“I thought the prophecy was just… symbolic,” I murmured. “Something your father believed in. A metaphor.”
“So did I,” Tarria said softly. “But this… this is different. It wasn’t about me alone. It’s a lineage. A cycle that repeats across generations. They called her Taria of the Veil. A beacon of dual light.”
She pointed to a passage.
I read it aloud:
“She will be hunted by those who wish to use her, feared by those who do not understand her, and loved by the one she must never trust.”
The room fell still.
CJ’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Adrian.”
“He knew,” Tarria said. “He’s known for a long time. That’s why he orchestrated my kidnapping. Why he manipulated my father. Why he tried to control me under the guise of crowning me.”
My expression darkened. “He wasn’t crowning you. He was weaponizing you.”
Tarria nodded. “And twisting the prophecy to serve his vision. He saw the beacon not as a liberator—but as leverage. He thought if he could control me, he could control the future.”
I leaned back slowly, absorbing the weight of it all. “These changes everything.”
Dad stepped forward, looking at me with renewed awe. “You’re not just the heir of a bloodline. You are the cycle’s next rise. You’re the turning point.”
Tarria turned to me. “And I need you to help me end it.”
I met her gaze, eyes fierce. “You have my word. We expose Adrian to the alliance—immediately. We present every page. And when they see who he really is, he won’t have anywhere to run.”
CJ added, “We’ll have to move before he realizes someone’s been in his territory.”
“He already knows,” Tarria said. “I left the vault burned. He’ll suspect someone’s uncovered his secrets. We must strike now.”
I turned toward the table and rolled out the largest map of the alliance lands. “Then we prepare for two fronts—diplomatic exposure and military readiness.”
I looked at Tarria.
“You’ve done more than bring back proof. You’ve brought back the truth of what you are. What you could become.”
“I don’t want to be a symbol,” Tarria said. “I want to be a soldier who fights for what’s right.”
I smiled. “You already are.”
Silence settled for a beat, reverent and weighted. Then CJ’s voice cut through:
“When do we confront Adrian?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Before dusk. I want the council to be assembled. I want every pack represented. And I want Adrian standing in the center of that circle when his lies fall apart. He would not get away from us this time.”
Tarria’s fists clenched. “And if he tries to deny it?”
My voice was calm, resolute. “Then, you will show yourself and we show them what the Beacon of Dual Light really is. And remind him that the future won’t be built on the backs of the broken. Not anymore.”
The storm was coming. But this time, we will be ready.
And this time, the truth was on our side.
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