CHAPTER 18: THE REVELATION
1336words
The main lobby was chaos—hundreds of people milling around, complaining about the inconvenience, security trying to maintain order. I spotted Dominic near the center of it all, his imposing figure cutting through the crowd with his commanding presence.
Carter led us straight to him.
"Mr. Blackwood," Carter called out, that triumphant edge still in his voice. "I found Silver. Shall we continue our discussion?"
Dominic turned, his pale eyes immediately locking onto mine. "Ah, yes. Our mysterious young player." He gestured toward a quieter corner. "Perhaps we should speak somewhere more private."
I felt Damon's hand squeeze mine, a silent promise of support. But his loyalty was about to be tested in ways he couldn't imagine.
"Actually," Vanessa said, appearing at Dominic's side with predatory grace, "I think this conversation might be quite illuminating for everyone present."
The small group that gathered around us included several academy faculty members, other VIPs, and far too many witnesses for my comfort. But Carter seemed to relish the audience.
"You see," Carter began, his voice carrying easily in the sudden quiet that had fallen over our corner of the lobby, "I've been investigating our new teammate's background. Very thoroughly."
"Carter," Damon warned, stepping slightly in front of me. "Whatever game you're playing—"
"No game," Carter interrupted, pulling out his phone. "Just facts. Like the fact that there is no diplomatic Silver family in the Western territories. No Riverbend Coalition. No mountain pack alliances that anyone's heard of."
My mouth went dry. Around us, people leaned in closer, sensing drama.
"Interesting," Dominic said coolly. "Continue."
"So I started thinking," Carter said, clearly enjoying himself. "Where else might someone named Silver come from? What other pack might have reason to hide a family member at this academy?"
Vanessa's smile was sharp as a blade. "How clever of you to investigate."
"The Silver Moon Pack," Carter announced like he was revealing a magic trick. "Alpha Gavin Silver's family. Including his daughter, Princess Aria, who's been missing for weeks."
A collective gasp rose from the gathered crowd. I felt Damon go rigid beside me, heard his sharp intake of breath.
"That's ridiculous," I said, but my voice came out weak, unconvincing.
"Is it?" Carter moved closer, emboldened by the audience. "Let's see... distinctive blue eyes, aristocratic features, unusual scent that screams 'expensive neutralizer'..." He paused dramatically. "And the most telling detail of all—the way you reacted when Dominic Blackwood arrived on campus. Like you were terrified of being recognized."
"You're fishing," Damon said firmly, but I could hear the uncertainty creeping into his voice.
"Am I?" Carter's grin was vicious. "Tell me, 'Ari'—when's the last time you had your period?"
The question hit like a physical blow. Around us, murmurs of shock and confusion rippled through the crowd.
"What the hell kind of question—" Damon started, but Dominic held up a hand for silence.
"A very relevant one," Dominic said quietly, his eyes never leaving my face. "Because an Alpha male wouldn't need to worry about such things, would he?"
The trap was fully sprung now. I could see the pieces clicking together in Damon's mind, the confusion and dawning understanding warring across his features.
"You're suggesting," one of the faculty members said slowly, "that this student is actually..."
"Princess Aria Silver," Vanessa finished with satisfaction. "My dear stepsister, who's been missing from her own wedding for three weeks."
The word 'stepsister' seemed to echo in the sudden silence. I watched Damon's face go white as the full implications hit him.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "That's impossible. Ari is... he's..."
"She," Carter corrected smugly. "And not just any she. Your brother's runaway fiancée."
The look of betrayal that crossed Damon's face was like a knife to my heart. He stepped back from me, his hand falling away from mine like I'd burned him.
"Damon," I whispered, reaching for him, but he flinched away.
"Is it true?" His voice was barely audible, but it carried the weight of everything we'd built together crumbling down.
I opened my mouth, desperate to explain, to make him understand, but before I could speak, Dominic's voice cut through the air like a whip.
"Guards. Secure her. Now."
The three Silver Moon Pack guards moved with Alpha efficiency, stepping forward to surround me. But they hadn't counted on one thing—Damon's protective instincts overriding his shock.
"Don't touch her," he snarled, moving between me and the guards. His Alpha presence filled the space, challenging and dangerous.
"Damon," Dominic's voice was sharp with warning. "Stand down. This doesn't concern you anymore."
"Like hell it doesn't." Damon's eyes flashed gold, his wolf rising to the surface. "I don't care who she is—you're not laying a hand on her."
The crowd had grown larger, sensing the confrontation brewing. Academy security was trying to manage the situation, but Alpha dominance displays weren't easily contained.
"She's a runaway bride," Vanessa said reasonably. "She belongs to your brother. Surely you understand—"
"She doesn't belong to anyone," Damon snapped, not taking his eyes off the guards. "And she's not going anywhere."
"Brother," Dominic's tone carried centuries of pack hierarchy and family obligation. "You're making a mistake."
"The only mistake," Damon said, his voice deadly quiet, "would be letting you take her."
The tension ratcheted higher. This was about to become a challenge between brothers, with potentially deadly consequences.
That's when Noah appeared at my elbow like a guardian angel.
"Emergency evacuation alert," they announced loudly, holding up an official-looking device. "Gas leak detected in the building. Everyone must leave immediately!"
The device emitted a piercing alarm that sent people scrambling for exits. In the chaos, Noah grabbed my arm.
"This way. Now."
But before we could move, one of the guards reached for me. Damon intercepted him with a growl, and suddenly fists were flying.
"Run!" Damon shouted, grappling with the larger Alpha. "GO!"
I hesitated for a split second, torn between fleeing and staying to help him. But Noah yanked me toward the exit, and I realized that getting away was the only way to keep Damon from getting seriously hurt defending me.
As we pushed through the panicking crowd, I heard Dominic's voice booming over the chaos: "Find her! Lock down the building!"
But it was too late. Noah led me through service corridors I didn't know existed, past confused staff and emergency responders responding to the fake gas leak.
"My car's outside," Noah panted as we reached a side exit. "We need to get you somewhere safe."
I turned back toward the building, heart breaking. "Damon—"
"Will be fine," Noah assured me, though their expression was grim. "He's a Blackwood. They won't seriously hurt him. But you? You need to disappear. Now."
As we reached Noah's car, I could hear sirens approaching—real emergency vehicles responding to the fake alert. The confusion would buy us time, but not much.
"Where are we going?" I asked as Noah started the engine.
"Somewhere they'll never think to look," Noah replied, pulling out of the parking lot as emergency lights flashed behind us. "My safehouse."
As the academy disappeared in the rearview mirror, I pressed my hand to the window, thinking of Damon facing his family's fury alone. He'd protected me, chosen me over blood loyalty, and now he'd pay the price.
"I have to go back," I said suddenly. "I can't let him—"
"You can't help him by getting captured," Noah said firmly. "The only way to protect Damon now is to stay free long enough to figure out our next move."
Our next move. Because Noah was right—this wasn't over. The truth was out, but that didn't mean the game was lost.
It just meant the rules had changed.
And somewhere behind us, I knew Damon was fighting those same guards, refusing to give them information about where I'd gone. Protecting me even now, even knowing who I really was.
My mate. My protector. My heart.
I just prayed I'd get the chance to tell him that before it was too late.
