Chapter 72

**AUSTIN**

I walk behind Aria, trying to catch up. Who knew a girl with such tiny legs could walk so fast. When I reach her side, she looks at me out of the corner of her eye.

“We were going to tell you all about it after breakfast... I promise.”

“Yeah.” 

"Don't you believe it? When Alex told us to come, we didn't wake you up because we didn't know what he was going to tell us. We didn't want to worry you for nothing.”

“Okay.” She replies simply with that damn impassive face. It'd be easier if she got mad. I can handle a pissed-off Aria, but not one who doesn't care. 
We get to the bedroom door, she opens it and enters the room, picking up her phone to call Rosalie. Rosalie answers on the second ring.

She explains the situation in detail and, as I'd imagined, Rosalie doesn't seem to know anything about it. 

“I can't understand how I didn't see anything. I didn't feel anything from your side or your brother's” She pauses on the other end of the line. “I should have sensed something if your father had anything to do with this.” 

“Don't beat yourself up, Rosalie.” Aria reassures her. “We're all in a fog right now. Can you dig...I don't know maybe you'll find something in your family's things.”

“Yes, don't worry. I'll let you know as soon as I have something.”

“Thanks, Rosalie.”

Once she hangs up with her friend, Aria sits on the edge of the bed and falls backwards. I sit beside her in silence. I'm trying to digest the pile of information Alex has given us, but it's not easy. I don't even see how Salvatore could be involved in this story, and this fucking prophecy is the icing on the cake.
“It's madness.” I think aloud.

She sighs, placing her arm in front of her eyes. “My father... my father... My father!” She shakes her head. “What does my father have to do with this. He never said anything about werewolves, or vampires, let alone hybrids” She growls as she stands up.

I put my arm on her shoulders and pull her closer to me. “We'll get to the bottom of this whole thing eventually.” I tell her before kissing her temple.

“How?” She asks me.

“I have no fucking idea, but I have faith in all of us.” 

She pulls back to look at me and raises an eyebrow. “Who are you and what have you done with my Austin?”

I snort. “My Austin.”

“Of course you're my Austin. My stubborn, jealous mate."

“I knew you liked that.” she slaps my arm, shaking her head.

**ARIA**

Leila and Cassius left for Boston early this morning, Adam and Austin are training with the alphas and I'm in the library looking through every book I can find that might mention a prophecy about hybrids.

Since confessing to her children that she had hidden the existence of other hybrids and their massacre, Raya has not returned to the community. But I think she could have helped us. Adam thinks so too, and he's tried to contact her without success. I feel like I'm looking for a needle in a haystack; so far I've got nothing that might shed some light. I need to take a break, maybe after a breath of fresh air and a cup of coffee, I'll feel better. 
I walk out of the kitchen with my latte in a paper cup in one hand and a cookie in the other. On my way out, I put the cookie in my mouth so I can zip up my jacket. Autumn is setting in and the air is getting cooler. I start walking along, eating my cookie, when I sense one of my mates coming towards me.

I love that aspect of being a werewolf. He puts his hands on my shoulders and I stop walking, bowing my head back.

“Taking a break?” He asks and I nod. “Maybe Leila and your brother will find something at your father's house.” 

I turn to face Adam. “I hope so.” I reply, looking into his beautiful blue eyes. “Because if they're counting on me... we're in trouble.”

“Don't put too much pressure on yourself. We're all in this together. None of us knew about any prophecy.” He takes my hand in his and we continue walking together. 

“Did you manage to contact your mother?”

He blows out a breath, shaking his head. “My mother... Raya has never left us without news for so long. Admittedly, she's not what you'd call a doting mother, but the current situation is unusual all the same."

“Are you worried about her?”

“A little, but mostly I'm frustrated. I'm sure she knows something and I resent her leaving us to fend for ourselves.” 

“I hear you.” 

“Aren't you cold? We'd better get inside. I'll do some research with you. I found the key to the archive room Raya had installed. ”

***

Dust floated lazily in the narrow beams of moonlight that spilled through the high, arched windows of the archive room. The faint scent of aged paper, mixed with the musk of centuries-old wood, hung in the air. I ran my fingers along the cracked spines of the ancient tomes lining the shelves, their titles faded into near obscurity. My heart was pounding—partly from the lingering unease of descending into the cavernous basement of Adam's community hall, and partly because I knew we were on the verge of something monumental.

"Here," Adam murmured, his voice low but steady. He held a heavy, leather-bound book in his hands, its dark cover embossed with a symbol I didn’t recognize. A crescent moon cradling a jagged star.

I took a step closer, feeling a strange pull toward the book, like it was calling to me. Adam placed it on the long, oak table at the room's center and carefully untied the frayed cords holding it shut.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. The room’s stillness made me feel like speaking too loudly would wake something ancient.

Adam glanced up at me, his blue eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. “We need to know, Aria. Whatever’s in here, it’s part of the truth they’ve been hiding from us.”

He opened the book with a deliberate slowness, as though rushing might disturb its fragile pages. The first few were covered in elaborate, looping script in a language I didn’t recognize. I leaned over his shoulder, close enough to catch the faint scent of his skin, earthy and electric. My eyes darted over the symbols until Adam turned another page.

And then I saw it.