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The Hale vault was hidden beneath the ruins, a place wrapped in secrecy and memory. Derek led the way down through a tunnel Alex would've never found on his own. The air was colder here—older too, like time had slowed the deeper they went.
The moment Alex stepped inside, he felt it.
Magic. Thick and ancient, like oil in water.
The walls were lined with dusty tomes, broken weapons, and rusted chains that still smelled faintly of blood. In the center, beneath a broken ceiling that let in slivers of moonlight, sat a worn table. Derek reached beneath it and pulled out a thick, leather-bound book. No title, no markings.
"This was my mother's," Derek said. "Talia Hale. She was an alpha. A true one. Strong. Wise. She kept records… of everything."
He opened the book, flipping through pages until he stopped at one marked with a symbol—a spiral of flames encircling a paw print.
Alex froze.
It matched the one that burned on his wrist.
"She called it the Bloodmark," Derek said. "A brand passed through soulbinding. A mark that ties a wolf to their past—even through death."
Alex's breath hitched. "So I really was one of you?"
"Not just one of us," Derek said, voice quieter now. "According to this, that mark was only given to protectors—wolves who were bound to the Alpha by blood and vow. Guardians of the pack."
Alex stared at the page. "I died protecting someone."
Derek nodded. "Most likely. And someone—or something—brought you back. But that doesn't happen without reason."
Alex turned the page. There, in faded ink, was a sketch. A wolf with glowing eyes and fire curling around its paws. Beneath it, a name—blurred by time, but a few letters remained.
"A… M… R…"
He touched the page. The paper trembled beneath his fingers like it remembered him.
Derek spoke again, more cautious now. "If this is right… you were more than just a guardian. You may have been the Hale enforcer. A wolf that even alphas feared when lines were crossed."
Alex felt something shift inside him. A spark. A memory.
The taste of battle.
The snap of bone beneath claw.
Loyalty, rage, fire—
And then—
A flash of eyes. Not red. Not gold. Silver.
But they weren't his.
"They're still out there," Alex said softly. "Whoever killed me. Whoever broke the pack."
Derek nodded. "And they're going to come back when they realize you're alive."
Alex stood straighter, something fierce settling in his chest.
"Let them come."
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Chapter 9: Echoes of the Silver Eyes?