The Alpha's Daydream ✔️

Chapter 41

"That's not a good reason to ignore what's going on," Ariella commented, a tremor in her voice.

"We can say that now, but we weren't there. These creatures had the power to steal your breath while you slept, or plague you with blindness, or turn your blood vessels to ash so you bled to death in a heartbeat." Malachi said in a flat voice. "This is only according to my grandma, who didn't believe the legends. I think she was just annoyed at her arrogant son and wanted him to come up here to finally satisfy her curiosity, or put to rest the ghost stories."

"Put to rest, or awaken."

Malachi glanced down at Ariella, at her pale lips and the light sheen of sweat on her upper lip. His own hands felt clammy just thinking about the possibilities of what might be fact or fiction. "Whatever it is, are you sure you want to find out?"

She pushed back her shoulders and lifted her chin in determination, a look entering her eyes that had him admiring her all the more. This woman was going to make a magnificent Luna. "I'm willing to face anything to find the truth. Besides, what's there to be scared of in an old, unused office?"

He nodded in agreement, more for his sake than hers. His hand trembled slightly as he inserted an old skeleton key into the locked door, praying it would work. He'd found the keys in the very bottom of one the drawers in his father's desk, handed down from father to son for multiple generations, untouched by the females in the families.

He wasn't even sure if this was the right key, and had to try a few others on the chain before one finally slid in. Twisting with a loud screech, the tarnished brass handle rattled and unclicked. Malachi pushed it open and his eyes couldn't take in the scene fast enough, so eager was he to see the relics of his ancestors, hidden away for so long by pride and arrogance.

A thick layer of dust covered everything, from the floating bookshelves on the walls, to the globe on a corner table, to the leather upholstery on the armchairs that surrounded a sturdy oak desk. Gold and brass shone from every other surface, their metallic lustre dimmed by years of neglect.
Ariella tentatively stepped in and immediately headed towards the large bookcase that stood proudly against one wall. Pulling out the largest book, she trailed her fingers reverently over the gold-lettered title.

Malachi was more interested in the desk, and the personal artefacts it might contain. Using the keys again, he managed to open the drawers and find a file of papers, a few scrolls, and a leather bound book wrapped close with red twine. He almost felt like he was desecrating the property of his forefathers by opening it, but he needed to know.

What had his grandfathers fought all those years ago? Could the secrets of the past help him unlock his own problems in the present? What if he found an answer he didn't want to accept? What if he revealed some fact that confirmed Ariella's theory, that demons were hiding among them, tearing his pack members apart and poisoning the rest with fear?

What if the evidence all pointed to the prophetic nature of their dreams, that one or both were bound to death and nothing could save them?

"Well, this is interesting." Ariella's hushed whisper mercifully cut off the disturbing questions that kept going round in his head. "I think this is an encyclopedia of the animal kingdom?" she was flipping through a large tome that had gold binding.

He crossed the room to stand by her and pushed air out from is nose, trying to prevent the millions of displaced dust particles crawl up and irritate him. Drawings and descriptions of hundreds of animals and insects filled the pages.

"Looks like you're right." He couldn't see the significance until she began finding pages on extinct or supposed creatures. The fanciful drawings dismissed by most as fiction.