CHAPTER 178: CHAPTER 178: THE HIDDEN TRUTH

The baby’s scream cut through the morning air like a knife.

Elara bolted upright in bed, her heart pounding. That wasn’t just any cry. That was the sound of pure terror.

She raced down the hallway, her bare feet slapping against the cold floor. Behind her, she heard Kael, Ronan, and Darian jumping out of bed too.

"Which one?" Kael shouted.

"Baby Marcus!" Elara called back, bursting into the nursery.

Their youngest son was floating three feet above his crib. His tiny fists glowed with silver light, and his eyes were completely white. The mobile above his bed was spinning wildly, and books were flying off the shelves.

"Oh no," Darian whispered. "Not again."

This was the fourth time this month. Five-year-old Emma could see the future. Three-year-old twins Jake and Lily could talk to animals. And now baby Marcus was showing powers that shouldn’t exist.

Elara reached for her son, but an invisible force pushed her back.

"Marcus, baby, it’s okay," she said softly. "Mommy’s here."

The baby’s white eyes turned toward her voice. Slowly, the glowing stopped. He floated gently back down into his crib and started crying normal baby tears.

"What did he see?" Ronan asked, picking up the scattered books.

"I don’t know," Elara said, holding Marcus close. "But it scared him badly."

Emma appeared in the doorway, her golden eyes wide with fear. Even at five years old, she was taller than most kids her age. Her mixed human and werewolf blood made her grow fast.

"Mommy," Emma whispered. "I had the dream again."

Elara’s stomach dropped. Emma’s dreams always came true.

"What dream, sweetheart?"

"The bad men are coming back. They found us."

Kael knelt down beside Emma. "What bad men?"

"The ones who want to take the special children away. They never stopped looking."

Five years ago, the government had tried to register all supernatural beings. Elara and her family had fought back and won. They thought it was over. They thought they were safe.

They were wrong.

"How long do we have?" Darian asked quietly.

Emma closed her eyes, the way she did when she was seeing the future. "Three days. Maybe four."

"That’s not enough time to run," Ronan said.

"We’re not running," Elara said firmly. "We’re done running."

Just then, her phone rang. The caller ID made her blood freeze.

"Unknown Number."

She almost didn’t answer. But something told her she had to.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Elara." The voice was cold and familiar. "Did you miss me?"

Elara’s knees went weak. She knew that voice. She’d hoped never to hear it again.

"Director Matthews," she whispered.

Her three mates tensed. They remembered Matthews too. He was the government official who had tried to capture supernatural children five years ago. They thought he was dead.

"Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Men like me don’t die easily."

"What do you want?"

"The same thing I wanted before. The children. All of them."

"Never."

Matthews laughed. It was a horrible sound. "You don’t have a choice. I know about the new babies. I know about their powers. And I know something else you don’t."

"What?"

"Your precious Emma isn’t the only one who can see the future. I found others. And they’ve told me exactly how to catch you."

The line went dead.

Elara stared at the phone, her hands shaking.

"Mom?" Emma tugged on her sleeve. "There’s something else I didn’t tell you about the dream."

"What is it, baby?"

Emma’s eyes filled with tears. "One of the daddies doesn’t come home."

The room went silent. Kael, Ronan, and Darian looked at each other with growing fear.

"Which one?" Darian asked softly.

"I don’t know," Emma sobbed. "The dream goes dark before I can see."

Baby Marcus started crying again. This time, when his eyes glowed white, images appeared in the air above his crib. Like a movie playing on invisible screens.

Everyone gasped.

The images showed government soldiers surrounding their house. They showed children being dragged away from their families. They showed a terrible battle.

And they showed one of the triplets lying on the ground, not moving.

"We have to leave," Kael said urgently. "Right now."

"Where can we go?" Ronan demanded. "He found us here. He’ll find us anywhere."

"Not anywhere," a new voice said.

They spun around. Standing in the nursery doorway was someone they hadn’t seen in years.

Tobias Grey. The mysterious rogue who had helped Elara discover her true identity so long ago.

"Tobias!" Elara gasped. "How did you get in?"

"The same way Matthews will get in. Magic." His face was grim. "I’ve been tracking him for five years. He’s not just working for the government anymore."

"Who’s he working for?"

"Something much worse. Something that wants to use the children’s powers to open a doorway."

"A doorway to where?"

Tobias’s eyes went black with fear. "To the place where the First Hatred was born. If Matthews succeeds, he won’t just capture your children. He’ll use them to bring an army of shadow creatures into our world."

Emma screamed.

Everyone turned to look at her. Her eyes were glowing gold, and she was staring at something only she could see.

"They’re not coming in three days," she whispered in terror. "They’re coming now. Right now!"

Through the window, they saw black helicopters filling the sky. Red laser dots appeared on the walls as snipers took position.

A voice boomed through a loudspeaker: "This is Director Matthews. You have sixty seconds to surrender the children, or we come in shooting."

Baby Marcus floated out of his crib again. This time, his power was stronger. The windows began to crack. The whole house started to shake.

"The baby’s power is growing," Tobias said urgently. "If he gets too scared, he could bring the whole house down on us."

"Then we fight," Elara said, her eyes blazing silver.

"Against that many soldiers? It’s suicide."

"Maybe. But I won’t let them take my children."

Kael grabbed her hand. "We’re with you."

"Always," Ronan agreed.

"Until the end," Darian added.

Emma tugged on Elara’s sleeve one more time. Her golden eyes were sad and ancient.

"Mommy," she whispered. "I saw the rest of the dream."

"What did you see?"

"The person who doesn’t come home..." Emma’s voice broke. "It’s not one of the daddies."

Elara’s heart stopped. "Then who?"

Emma looked up at her with tears streaming down her face.

"It’s you, Mommy. You’re the one who doesn’t come home."

Outside, Director Matthews’s voice counted down: "Thirty seconds!"

And baby Marcus’s power exploded outward, shattering every window in the house.