Chapter 2 — The Weight of Leadership

Kassi

The Hollow Keep was quiet, save for the soft drip of water echoing from unseen recesses in the cold stone walls. The air was damp and heavy, carrying with it the scent of earth and old stone—a stark contrast to the fleeting music and laughter of the Wolf Moon Ball. Kassi moved through the dimly lit corridors with deliberate steps, her senses attuned to the faint rustle of her gown against the rugs or the distant murmur of the Keep settling into its nightly stillness. The Lunar Veil, folded neatly over her arm, brushed against her side, its faint glow dimmed as though echoing her unease.

The Pact Seal throbbed faintly against her chest, a steady pulse that seemed to resonate with her own heartbeat—cold, relentless, and growing heavier with every passing moment. Her silver eyes flicked to the stone walls as her hand brushed against the carved relief of a wolf howling at a crescent moon. It was one of many such depictions lining the halls, each one a silent testament to her ancestors, their sacrifices, and their burdens. She paused, her fingers tracing the curve of the crescent moon, feeling the rough texture of the stone beneath her touch.

For a moment, her thoughts drifted to Amity—not as she was now, standing defiant in the corner of the hall with fire in her gaze, but as the bright-eyed child she had once been. Kassi could still recall those amber eyes wide with wonder the first time they’d walked through these halls together, the way Amity’s small hand had clung to hers as she asked question after question about the carvings, the stories, the legacy. Now, that same curiosity had turned sharp, restless, and full of questions Kassi wasn’t sure she could answer.

She exhaled slowly and let her hand drop, the weight of the past pressing against her more keenly than the Pact Seal. What would Amity see when she finally learned the truth? Would she see the protector who had sacrificed everything for the pack—or the manipulator who had doomed her future?

The council chamber doors loomed ahead, their intricately carved wolves and moon phases illuminated by the faint greenish glow of the lichen clinging to the stone walls. Kassi squared her shoulders, steeling herself for the conversation to come, and pushed the doors open.

Rhys stood near the central table, his broad frame cloaked in the sturdy practicality of leather bracers and a simple tunic. The blade at his side glinted faintly in the light, a quiet reminder of his readiness to defend what mattered most. His golden eyes met hers, warm yet shadowed with concern. Even here, in the safety of the Keep, his ever-watchful presence was a steadying force. But tonight, even he couldn’t silence the storm within her.

“They’re shaken,” he said, his voice calm but weighted. “Some of the younger ones want to leave—scatter the pack across the woods until the next full moon passes.”

Kassi’s jaw tightened. “And do what? Scatter like prey across the forest? Hades would hunt us down one by one, toy with us until there was nothing left. Running only guarantees our destruction.”

Rhys nodded, though the crease between his brows deepened. “I know. But they’re scared, Kassi. They’ve seen too much already, and tonight…” He hesitated, his voice softening. “I can see it in their eyes. They’re not the only ones.”

Kassi stilled under his quiet observation, her fingers brushing the edge of the table as though grounding herself. “They sense the weight,” she said, her tone low but steady. “Even if they don’t know the truth. The moon doesn’t lie to its children.”

“Neither should their queen,” Rhys replied, his voice carrying a gentle insistence that cut through her defenses.

She opened her mouth to respond, to deny the tremor in her hands or the exhaustion in her bones, but his steady gaze disarmed her. Instead, she exhaled sharply and allowed herself to sink into one of the chairs around the table. The Pact Seal pulsed again, heavier now, as though mocking her moment of reprieve. She pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes, trying to block out the cold weight against her chest.

“You need to share this, Kassi,” Rhys said, pouring water into a goblet and setting it in front of her. “You can’t carry it alone.”

Her hand hovered over the goblet, but she didn’t lift it. The Pact Seal’s pulse echoed in her ears, drowning out the faint drip of water from the distant recesses of the Keep. “Amity knows something,” Rhys continued, his voice quieter now. “She’s angry. She’s scared. She’ll demand answers. Are you ready for that?”

Kassi lowered her hands and met his gaze. The knot in her chest tightened further, and for a moment, she could see Amity’s face again—defiant, full of fire, and yet beneath it, the flicker of something more fragile. “She’ll demand answers I can’t give her,” Kassi said finally. “Not yet. Not all of them.”

“And when she goes looking for them on her own?” Rhys pressed gently, though his arms crossed over his chest. “When she does something reckless because she feels shut out? You know her, Kassi. She won’t wait quietly.”

The faintest tremor rocked through her as his words struck home. She gripped the edge of the table, her nails biting into the wood. “She’s not ready,” Kassi said, her voice sharp but trembling at the edges. “She doesn’t understand what’s at stake. If she knew—if she knew what I’ve done, what this prophecy says of her—” Her voice broke, and she turned away, unable to finish.

“She’s stronger than you think,” Rhys countered, stepping closer. His tone was calm, but each word carried the weight of quiet conviction. “She’s your blood, Kassi. But she needs to know you trust her. If you keep shutting her out, she’ll pull away—maybe far enough that none of us can bring her back.”

Kassi rose abruptly, her chair scraping against the stone as she turned her back to him. The goblet she hadn’t touched wobbled dangerously on the table, water threatening to spill over the rim. “I can’t lose her, Rhys,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “If I tell her everything… she’ll hate me. Or worse, she’ll believe she can stop it, that she can take this on herself.”

Rhys moved to her side, his hand resting firmly on her shoulder. The warmth of his touch steadied her, as it had so many times before. “You made the pact for the pack,” he said softly, his golden eyes searching hers. “You’ve carried it alone for long enough. Trust her. Trust me. We’ll find a way through this—together.”

For a moment, Kassi allowed herself to lean into his strength. But before she could respond, the sound of hurried footsteps broke the stillness. She straightened instinctively, her silver eyes snapping to the door just as it creaked open.

A young guard entered, his face pale, his breaths labored. “Your Highnesses,” he said, bowing briefly. “Lady Amity was near the council wing. She may have overheard private matters. When we attempted to approach her, she fled.”

Kassi’s breath caught. Amity’s wildfire temper, her restless defiance—it had always worried her, but now, with Hades’ shadow looming, the stakes were far, far higher. “She’ll go looking for answers,” Kassi said, her voice sharp with urgency. “We need to find her before she does something she can’t take back.”

Rhys was already moving, his expression grim. “I’ll search the eastern grounds. She won’t have gone far—yet.”

Kassi hesitated for only a moment, the Pact Seal’s weight pressing harder against her chest. She forced herself to stand tall, pulling the Lunar Veil closer as though its blessings might guard her niece from the dangers she couldn’t. “I’ll take the northern halls,” she said. “If she’s gone beyond the Keep…”

“We’ll bring her back,” Rhys interrupted, his quiet conviction cutting through her fear. “Together.”

As he strode from the chamber, Kassi lingered for one fleeting moment, her fingers brushing against the Pact Seal beneath her gown. Its cold pulse seared through her chest like the echo of a distant tolling bell. She exhaled slowly, drawing on the strength that had carried her through countless impossible nights. Then, with a sharp turn, she stepped into the cold corridors of the Hollow Keep, her silver eyes blazing with determination. She would find Amity. And this time, she would face the truths she could no longer bury.