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The Omega: Mated To The Four
Chapter Hundred
The car ride was mostly quiet, save for the occasional sigh or the rustling of pages as Alex flipped through the book we had retrieved from the library.
Isaiah drove, gripping the wheel with ease, while I sat in the passenger seat. The wind rushed through the slightly cracked window, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine.
Austin sat in the middle, a permanent scowl on his face. “Remind me again why I have to sit here?”
Alex smirked. “Because you’re the youngest,”
Austin rolled his eyes. “By minutes.”
Elijah, who had been silent for most of the journey, finally spoke. “Stop complaining.” His voice was gruff, but hearing him say anything at all was a relief.
It hadn’t even been a full day since he found out his parents didn’t make it.
Now, not only was he forced to face the devastation of losing his family, but he was also thrust into the role of Alpha.
I kept sneaking glances at him through the rearview mirror. He looked lost, his mind miles away.
wanted to say something. Do something. But what could pain.
possibly say? There were no words that could take away that kind of
So I sat there, watching him silently, hoping that when the time came, he would let me be there for him.
Alex’s voice finally broke the silence.
“Who even hides a map behind a book of fairy tales?” He was flipping through the book we had taken from the library, his brows furrowed in frustration.
I shrugged. “I guess it’s the last place someone would think to look.”
Austin leaned forward, peering over his twin’s shoulder. “Maybe the book wasn’t just based on real things?”
Alex snorted. “Yeah, sure. And next, you’re gonna tell me the boogeyman is real.”
Isaiah smirked. “With everything we’ve seen, would that really be surprising?”
That shut Alex up.
a
fairy tale. What if all the stories in here were
blouth
I reached over, flipping a few pages back to the section with the map The faded ink made it difficult to read, but the markings were clear enough.
The Whispering Willows were deep in a dense part of the forest, a place that seemed to be completely cut off from everything else.
That alone was eerie enough.
Then there was what Austin had said back at the gas station–the cashier’s warning.
No one goes there. It’s… too quiet.”
I didn’t like that. At all.
Nature was never completely silent. Even in the dead of night, there were crickets, rustling leaves, distant animal sounds. But the way that man had said it, like even the birds refused to go near that place-
A shiver ran down my spine.
Alex’s voice pulled me back.
“You think the riddle actually talks about real places?”
I hesitated before answering. “Maybe.”
The Lunar Keystone was supposed to be legendary, but there had to be truth behind the stories. If we were going to find it before the Shadow Weaver did, we had to believe that this map led somewhere real.
Alex sighed. “Alright. Let’s hope we’re not following a children’s bedtime story to our deaths.”
Arrival at the Town
Two hours passed before we finally reached the town.
It was small, the kind of place where everyone knew everyone. The buildings were old, but well–maintained, their wooden structure standing against the test of time.
But there was something… off.
I couldn’t quite place it, but the entire town had this lingering heaviness. Maybe it was the knowledge that the attacks were spreading, that people were losing their homes, their families.
Or maybe, it was the fact that we didn’t belong here.
Alex pulled into a gas station at the edge of town.
w
“Alright,” he said, unbuckling his seatbelt. “We need information. Austin, go do what you do best.”
Austin scowled. “And what’s that?”
“Annoy people into answering you.”
www
I smirked, and even Isaiah let out a quiet chuckle.
Austin grumbled something under his breath before hopping out of the car.
a
2
While he went into the mini–mart, I decided to stretch my legs. Sitting for two hours straight sucked.
The cool breeze felt nice as I stepped out, and the scent of pine mixed with the faintest hint of rain.
Inside the mini–mart, the shelves were stocked with the usual–snacks, drinks, and random travel supplies. The place smelled of coffee and something fried, and the floor creaked slightly as I walked
I grabbed a bag of chips and a soda, making my way toward the counter where Austin was already talking to the cashier.
The man behind the counter was older, his graying beard making him look wise, but his eyes…
His eyes held suspicion.
Not that I blamed him. Packs had been getting attacked, and we were strangers rolling into town, asking questions about a mystica forest.
Yeah, I’d be wary of us too.
Austin, ever the social one, leaned against the counter with an easy grin. “So, the Whispering Willows?”
The man’s expression darkened immediately. “Most of them were cut down years ago.”
Austin didn’t let up. “But you must know where they were, right?”
The man hesitated. That was answer enough.
He sighed after a moment, glancing toward the door as if making sure no one else was listening.
“They were in the deepest part of the forest,” he said. “But no one goes there anymore.”
Austin raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”
The man’s voice dropped lower.
“Because it’s too quiet.‘
My stomach twisted.
Austin blinked. “Too quiet?”
The man nodded. “No birds. No wind. No insects. Just silence.”
I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise.
Austin, for once, seemed lost for words. “Huh.”
That was all he said before awkwardly thanking the man and grabbing a bottle of water.
We left the store and returned to the car. Alex was leaning against the hood, arms crossed. Elijah sat on the curb, staring at nothing again.
Isaiah glanced up as we approached. “Well?”
Austin relayed what the man had told him, but his usual confidence was gone.
Isaiah nodded, running a hand through his hair. “An area that’s unnaturally silent?”
Elijah finally spoke, his voice quiet but firm.
“That sounds like a trap.”
No one disagreed.
