The Omega Mated To The Four

The Alpha Bond 135

The fire crackled softly, sending sparks into the cool night air as we sat in a tight circle-Isaiah, Alex, Austin, and me. The tension that had weighed on us since the attack still lingered, but for now, we had a new puzzle to solve.

Austin leaned forward, his sharp eyes scanning the parchment I had been obsessing over for days. His lips moved silently as he read the words once more.

"Whispers from ancient Willows..." he muttered under his breath, tapping the paper against his palm.

Alex huffed, stretching his long legs out toward the fire. "Does that mean we have to find a talking willow? A tree that actually whispers?"

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "It's possible. We can't ignore anything at this point."

Before anyone could say more, a quiet voice cut through the night.

"You might not be far off."

We turned sharply to see Eira standing just outside the firelight, arms crossed over her chest. None of us had noticed her approach, which was impressive considering how attuned we were to our surroundings.

Austin let out a breath. "Damn it, Eira. A little warning next time?"

She ignored him and stepped closer, her gaze locking onto the parchment. "When

I was younger, my mother told me a story about a place called the Grove of Whispering Willows."

That caught my attention. "Go on."

Eira knelt beside us, her expression unreadable. "According to legend there were once women who couldn't keep secrets. They thrived on gossip, spreading truths that weren't theirs to tell and were shared to them in confidence. Their punishment was... unusual. They were cursed, their spirits bound to the ancient willow trees, forced to whisper the secrets they had once betrayed."

A shiver ran down my spine. "So the trees actually whisper?"

Eira nodded. "That's what the story says. If you stand among them, you can hear the echoes of secrets long forgotten."

Isaiah scoffed. "That sounds like a fairy tale. What if

it

was just a story to scare kids into keeping their mouths shut?"

if the riddle is pointing us there, then we have to consider

a second! Back at the school library, when Stormi was researching her bloodline, I found

moment. Then it hit me-that day in the library after I found out I was a

come looking for me. Back then, I

eyes. "So you're saying we should look through some old book you don't even remember the

crossed his arms. "Do you have a

Silence.

1/3

Chapter 129

down, but the library and the other wing of the school are

was built a witch had

stood. "I'll

I cut in. “Let him rest.” The other nodded

since

keys to the trucks the people the Umbral society had sent and with that,

was silent. Each of us was lost in our thoughts, and when we finally pulled into the empty parking lot, I hesitated before

the taunts, the cruelty. I had spent years walking these halls with my head down, drowning in the weight of my own pain

I looked at my reflection in the car window, I

was the Silver

once. "Let's get this over

night, the long hallways dimly lit by emergency lights. The walls were lined with lockers I had once been shoved into,

walked in silence until we reached the library

"So? Do you

scratched his head. "Uh...

the back of his head.

shoved him back, and just like that,

eyes before grabbing both

turned my attention to the library. If I could retrace my steps that

towering bookshelves, my fingers skimming the worn spines. I could still remember where I had

out. "This is it! This is where we were

seat, my mind working through the

over my shoulder at the