Chapter 8: Midnight Meeting
Liana jerked awake, heart racing. The black lines on her arm burned like fire. She clapped her hand over her mouth to stop from crying out.
"Not again," she whispered, looking at her arm in the moonlight. The dark lines now reached almost to her shoulder, spreading like roots from a bent tree.
She needed water. Her throat felt like sandpaper. Slipping out of bed, Liana tiptoed through the halls of the Alpha's house. Every shadow made her jump. The stranger with the red eyes could be anywhere.
The kitchen was just ahead when she heard a noise—the clatter of plates. Someone was already there. Liana froze, ready to run back to her room.
"I can hear you breathing out there," called a familiar voice. "Either come in or go away, but stop lurking. It's creepy."
It was Jace.
Liana pushed the door open. The kitchen was huge, with shiny counters and big tools. Jace stood in the middle, making what looked like the biggest sandwich she'd ever seen.
"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" he asked, not looking up from his work.
"My arm hurts," Liana said before she could stop herself.
That got his attention. Jace's green eyes snapped to her face, then down to where she clutched her covered arm.
"Let me see," he said, wiping his hands on a towel.
"No, it's nothing."
"If it's nothing, then show me."
For a moment, Liana considered running. But Jace had been kind to her during training, even after she'd somehow flipped him onto his back.
Slowly, she rolled up her sleeve.
Jace's eyes widened. "Holy—" he cut himself off, reaching for her arm then stopping short. "Does it hurt?"
"Like burning," Liana admitted. "It's worse at night."
"Does Kael know?"
"Yes. He told me to meet him in the library after dinner, but he never showed up." Liana's voice cracked. "I waited for hours."
Something dark crossed Jace's face. "That's my brother for you. Always too busy for the things that matter."
He went back to his sandwich, splitting it in half with more force than necessary. "Hungry? I make a mean midnight snack."
Liana's stomach growled in answer. She hadn't eaten since lunch.
"Come here," Jace said, pulling out bread and meat from the fridge. "I'll teach you how to make the Jace Special. Guaranteed to fix any problem. Except maybe creepy black veins," he added with a smile.
Despite everything, Liana smiled.
As Jace laid out the ingredients, their fingers touched. A jolt of electricity shot through Liana's body. Her wolf stirred inside her, suddenly alert.
Jace felt it too. His hands froze, and his eyes darkened.
"Sorry," Liana mumbled, pulling her hand away.
"Don't be," Jace said quietly. "I felt it too."
They worked in silence for a minute. Jace showed her how to layer the meats and cheeses just right, how much mustard to add ("More than you think you need, less than you want"), and his secret trick of adding potato chips inside for extra crunch.
"So," he said as they sat at the bar with their sandwiches, "how are you liking life in the Alpha mansion?"
"It's... different," Liana said carefully.
"You hate it," Jace guessed with a knowing smile. "It's okay. I hate it too sometimes."
"But you're an Alpha's son. This is your home."
"Being an Alpha's son is exactly why I hate it." Jace took a big bite of his sandwich. "Everyone expects me to be like Kael—perfect, responsible, boring. But I'm not. And I never will be."
Liana studied his face. In the dim light, he looked younger, less cocky. More real.
"Do you ever feel trapped?" he asked suddenly. "Like there's this invisible cage around you, and everyone keeps telling you it's for your own good?"
"All my life," Liana whispered. "Omegas don't get choices. We take what we're given and say thank you."
Jace reached across the bar and took her hand—the one with the black veins. This time, when their skin touched, the burning feeling eased.
"What if we ran away?" he said, his voice low and frantic. "Just you and me. No pack rules, no Alpha duties. No weird black veins or red-eyed strangers."
Liana's heart skipped. "You know about the stranger?"
"I saw him watching you at training. Nobody else seemed to notice him."
"He left me a note," Liana said. "With my name on it. In blood."
Jace's grip tightened. "Why didn't you tell someone?"
"I tried! I went to the library to tell Kael, but he never showed up!"
"What did the note say? Exactly?"
Liana closed her eyes, remembering. "There was no message. Just my name."
"And the knife? What happened to it?"
"I don't know. When I looked again, it was gone."
Jace swore under his breath. "Something's happening. Something bad. First Rowan gets attacked, then your arm, now this."
He looked down at their joined hands and frowned. "Your veins... they're fading."
Liana gasped. He was right. Where his skin touched hers, the black lines had turned gray, almost undetectable.
"How are you doing that?" she asked.
"I'm not doing anything," Jace said, confused. He traced a finger up her arm, following one of the dark lines. Wherever he touched, the blackness faded.
Suddenly, Jace leaned across the counter. His face was inches from hers. Liana could smell him—pine trees and night air and something wild underneath.
"Liana," he whispered, his eyes locked on hers. "I think I'm supposed to—"
The kitchen door banged open. They jumped apart.
Kael stood in the doorway, his gray eyes taking in the scene—their half-eaten sandwiches, Liana's rolled-up sleeve, Jace's hand still hovering near her arm.
"Midnight snack?" Kael's voice was cold.
"You didn't show up," Liana said. "I waited for you."
"Pack business. Emergency council meeting." Kael's jaw was tight. "Which Jace would have known about if he hadn't disappeared as usual."
"Don't start," Jace warned.
"The rogue pack attacked the eastern border tonight," Kael said flatly. "Two of our wolves are dead."
Liana gasped. Jace's face went pale.
"Who?" he asked.
"Markus and Devon. Good men. With families." Kael's eyes flashed with anger. "While you were here, playing house."
"I didn't know—"
"You never do. Because you're never where you're supposed to be." Kael turned to Liana. "We need to talk. Now. About your arm."
"Why?" Jace stood up. "What do you know about her condition?"
"More than you," Kael shot back. "Elder Mira recognized the markings from my description. It's blood magic. Old magic."
A chill ran down Liana's spine.
"There's more," Kael said. "The bodies of our dead wolves... they had the same black veins. But all over their bodies. Like poison."
Liana felt the room spin around her. "Am I going to die?"
"Not if I can help it," Kael said strongly. "But we need to move quickly. The poison spreads faster at night."
"But Jace's touch made it better," Liana said. "Look." She held out her arm where the lines had faded.
Kael's eyes widened in surprise. Then narrowed with suspicion.
"Interesting," he said slowly. "Very interesting."
Before anyone could say more, the kitchen windows burst inward. Glass flew everywhere. Liana screamed as something heavy crashed onto the floor—a rock with a note tied to it.
Kael grabbed it, reading quickly. His face turned to stone.
"What does it say?" Jace asked.
Kael looked up, his eyes meeting Liana's.
"It says, 'The omega dies at moonrise. Unless the Alpha heir surrenders himself in her place.'" He crushed the note in his hand. "It's signed with a blood paw print. The mark of Darius."