I bolted upright in bed, screaming.
Fire. So much fire.
The smell of smoke filled my nose even though I was awake now. My heart hammered against my chest like it was trying to escape.
"Elara!" Mom burst through my door. "What's wrong?"
"I saw..." I gasped for air. "Houses burning. People running. And this man with silver eyes was laughing."
Mom sat on my bed and pulled me into a hug. "It was just a dream, sweetheart."
But it didn't feel like just a dream. It felt like a memory. Or maybe a warning.
"What time is it?" I asked.
"Three in the morning. You've been asleep for almost twelve hours."
Twelve hours? That explained why I felt so weird. After Elder Mira collapsed yesterday, the pack doctor had given me something to help me sleep. But the dreams...
"Mom, have you ever had dreams that felt completely real?"
She tensed. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I dreamed about things I've never seen before. But they felt like memories."
Mom was quiet for a long moment. "Sometimes, when someone has strong blood, they can see things that happened in the past. Or things that might happen in the future."
"You mean like prophecies?"
"Something like that." She smoothed my hair back. "What exactly did you see?"
I closed my eyes and tried to remember. "A big house burning down. People with silver eyes fighting people with brown eyes. And this man who looked like he was enjoying all the destruction."
"Did the man look like anyone you know?"
I thought about it. "Maybe like me, but older. And male."
Mom's face went pale. "Elara, I think you might be seeing memories from your father's bloodline."
"What do you mean?"
"Sylas came from an old family. They had the power to share memories through dreams. If you're having these visions, it means your powers are awakening."
Before I could ask more questions, someone knocked on our door.
"Mrs. Hayes?" a voice called. "Alpha Orion needs to see Elara immediately."
My stomach dropped. "What now?"
---
Mom and I got dressed quickly and hurried to the Alpha's Keep. The sun wasn't even up yet, but the building was full of people running around.
We found Alpha Orion in his office with Lucien and Darius. Both brothers looked terrible, like they hadn't slept at all.
"Elara," Alpha Orion said grimly. "We need to talk about your dreams."
"How do you know about my dreams?" I asked.
"Because I had the same one," Darius said softly.
I stared at him. "That's impossible."
"Is it?" Alpha Orion asked. "You two share a mate bond. Sometimes, when the connection is strong enough, mates can share dreams."
"But Lucien and I are bonded too," I said, looking at Lucien. "Did you have the dream?"
Lucien shook his head. "No. Just you and Darius."
I felt confused and a little hurt. Why was my bond with Darius different from my bond with Lucien?
"What exactly did you see in the dream?" Alpha Orion asked.
"A house burning," I said. "People fighting. A man with silver eyes who seemed happy about all the destruction."
"I saw the same thing," Darius confirmed. "But I also saw something else. A woman trying to save a baby during the fire."
"A baby?" I asked.
"Yes. She was running through the smoke, holding the baby close. She had the same eyes as you."
My heart started racing. "Do you think it was my grandmother?"
"It's possible," Alpha Orion said. "Elara, these dreams might be showing you what happened to your father's original pack. The one that was destroyed eighteen years ago."
"But why am I seeing it now?"
"Because something is coming," a new voice said.
We all turned to see Elder Mira walking into the office. She looked tired but determined.
"Elder Mira!" I said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, child. But we need to talk about what I saw in my vision yesterday."
"You mean before you collapsed?" Lucien asked.
"Yes. The vision showed me the same burning house that you dreamed about. But it also showed me something else." She looked straight at me. "I saw the future. And it's not good."
My mouth went dry. "What did you see?"
"The same destruction, but happening here. To our pack. And you were in the center of it all."
"I would never hurt the pack," I said desperately.
"Not by choice," Elder Mira said softly. "But the vision showed someone forcing you to choose between saving your mates and saving the pack."
"What kind of choice?" Darius asked.
"I'm not sure yet. But I fear your father is planning something, Elara. Something that will put you in an impossible position."
---
"Speaking of Sylas," Alpha Orion said, "we still haven't found Kaelen. It's been almost twenty-four hours."
My heart sank. I'd been so focused on the dreams that I'd almost forgotten about Kaelen being missing.
"Have you searched everywhere?" I asked.
"Everywhere except rogue territory," Lucien said. "We can't cross into their lands without starting a war."
"What if that's exactly where he is?" I said quietly.
Everyone looked at me.
"What if Sylas took him?" I continued. "What if he's using Kaelen to force me to meet him?"
"We thought of that," Alpha Orion said. "But there's been no contact. No demands."
"Maybe there will be," I said, thinking about the letter Sylas had left for me.
I pulled the letter out of my pocket and showed it to everyone.
"He wants me to meet him at midnight by the old willow tree," I explained.
"Absolutely not," Darius said instantly.
"But what if he has Kaelen?" I asked. "What if the only way to save him is to meet with Sylas?"
"It's too dangerous," Lucien said.
"Everything is dangerous now," I pointed out. "At least this way, I might get some answers."
Elder Mira studied the letter carefully. "This handwriting... I've seen it before."
"Where?" Alpha Orion asked.
"In the old records. There are letters from the pack war eighteen years ago. Letters signed by the rogue leaders."
"So it really is from Sylas," I said.
"Yes, but there's something else." Elder Mira looked worried. "The date on this letter... it's not for tonight."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Look at the bottom corner. There's a small symbol that indicates the date. This letter is asking you to meet him tonight. Not tomorrow night."
I felt like ice water had been poured over me. "You mean tonight? As in, a few hours from now?"
"Yes."
"But that's impossible. Darius just gave me this letter yesterday."
"Actually," Darius said slowly, "I found this letter two days ago. I just didn't want to worry you while you were healing."
"Two days ago?" I stared at him. "Darius, today is the day he wanted to meet me!"
"Which means," Elder Mira said grimly, "if Sylas has Kaelen, he's probably planning to use him as leverage to make sure you show up."
---
As if summoned by her words, a howl echoed through the night. It was long and mournful, and it came from the direction of the northern border.
We all froze.
"That's Kaelen," Lucien whispered.
The howl came again, weaker this time. Like someone who was hurt.
"He's calling for help," Darius said, already moving toward the door.
"Wait," Alpha Orion commanded. "This could be a trap."
But I was already following Darius. Through our bond, I could feel his desperate need to help his brother. And through the family connection all three brothers shared, I could feel something else.
Kaelen was in pain. Real pain.
"I have to go," I said. "If Sylas wants to meet me, then I'll meet him. But I'm not going to let Kaelen suffer because of me."
"Elara, no," Mom said, grabbing my arm.
"I have to, Mom. Don't you understand? This is all my fault. My father, the prophecy, everything. I can't let Kaelen pay for my family's mistakes."
Another howl rang through the night, weaker than before.
"He's dying," Darius said, his voice breaking.
That decided it for me.
"I'm going to the willow tree," I declared. "With or without permission."
"Then you're not going alone," Lucien said firmly.
"The letter said to come alone," I pointed out.
"I don't care what the letter said," Darius said. "We're not losing both of you tonight."
---
Elder Mira grabbed my hand suddenly. Her eyes went wide and blank.
"The choice," she whispered. "It's happening now. The prophecy is starting to come true."
"What choice?" I asked.
But before she could answer, the lights went out.
In the darkness, I heard glass breaking. But this time, it wasn't from my bedroom window. It was from right here in the Alpha's office.
And through the broken window, I could see glowing silver eyes watching us.
"Hello, daughter," Sylas's voice said from the darkness. "I got tired of waiting."