Katrina's POV
The moment we arrived at the real Indigo Pack, I could feel the tension in the air. The stares Adolphus received were cold, suspicious, and wary.
I glanced at him, but he remained composed, his jaw set as he walked with confidence. It was as if the people didn't recognize him, or worse, they did but refused to acknowledge him.
Then, from within the gathering crowd, a woman gasped. She clutched her chest, her eyes welling with tears before she broke into a sprint toward us. Adolphus froze as the woman flung herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
“My son!” she wept. “My boy! You’re alive! You’re alive!”
Adolphus’ body stiffened before he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. I watched as realization dawned on his face, this was his mother. His real mother.
“Mother?” he whispered, his voice barely audible. He pulled back slightly, staring at her face as if trying to memorize every detail.
The murmurs among the crowd grew louder. People whispered to one another, casting suspicious glances at me.
Just as I was about to step closer to Adolphus, a figure emerged from the crowd, a shaman. She was old, her long silver hair braided intricately, her piercing eyes fixated on me. Her wrinkled fingers trembled as she pointed straight at me.
“She is the one,” the shaman declared, her voice filled with conviction. “Adolphus has found her at last. The girl we have been waiting for.”
Shock rippled through me. My heart pounded. What was she talking about? I glanced at Adolphus, expecting him to provide some kind of explanation, but he looked just as bewildered as I was.
“I don't understand,” I said cautiously. “What do you mean, you have been waiting for me?”
The shaman’s gaze did not waver. Instead, she turned to Adolphus. “You never told her?” she asked in disbelief. “You never told her the truth of why you were lost to us?”
Adolphus took a step forward, his brows furrowed in confusion. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he admitted. “What truth?”
The shaman let out a deep sigh. “Before the massacre, you had left on a mission, Adolphus. A mission to find the bearer of the Eclipse Moon Bound. You had sworn to the ancestors that you would return only when you had found her.” She turned her sharp eyes to me. “And now you have. She stands beside you.”
Silence fell upon the gathered crowd. My mind reeled with the weight of her words.
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “That can’t be. I had no knowledge of this. I didn’t even know who I really was until recently.”
The shaman took a step closer to me, lowering her voice. “You, Katrina, are his mate. His destined Luna. And the only way for Adolphus to claim his rightful place as the Alpha Prince is by finding his mate. You are the missing piece. Without you, he cannot rise.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, my body trembling. My gaze darted to Adolphus, but he was still frozen in place, absorbing the revelation. He had been searching for me? For his fated mate? All this time?
I wanted to speak, but before I could, the heavy doors behind us burst open. The sound echoed across the grand hall, sending chills down my spine.
Guards stormed in, their armor clanking loudly as they moved with purpose.
“In the name of the Alpha, seize them!” one of the guards commanded.
My heart lurched as the soldiers surged forward. In a flash, they grabbed Adolphus and me, their grips strong and unrelenting.
“Wait!” I shouted, struggling against their hold. “We haven’t done anything!”
Adolphus fought against them, his body tense with rage. “Let her go!” he roared, but the guards only tightened their grip.
The shaman’s eyes darkened. “You cannot do this!” she bellowed, stepping forward. “Adolphus is the rightful heir! He has returned!”
One of the guards sneered. “Not everyone believes that,” he said coldly. “And not everyone wants him back.”