Chapter 49
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I stare at the necklace on the page as if it might leap out and fasten itself back around my neck. The sapphire glows on the paper just as it did against my skin under the moonlight.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying!” Jasmine leans in, jabbing a finger at the picture. “It means yours is fake.”
I hum low in my throat, not trusting myself to speak. “Hmmmm. You’re probably right,” I say, though everything inside me screams otherwise. I don’t want to argue. I just… keep staring.
Jasmine sighs dramatically and folds her arms. “Where did you even get it? Was it a gift? Ugh, I hate when people give fake jewelry as presents–it’s so insulting.”
My lips part before I even know what I’m going to say. “But let’s say, for a moment, that it’s not fake. Then what would that mean?”
Jasmine pauses, lifting a hand to her chin. Her brows pinch in thought. “If–impossibly–it’s not fake, and it really is the Alpha Queen’s necklace… then maybe it was stolen.”
I blink at her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” she says slowly, meeting my eyes, “maybe the person who gave it to you stole it from the Queen. They could’ve been a servant or someone close to the royal family. Who gave it to you?”
“My adopted mother,” I murmur, the words pulling a tight string across my chest. “She said she found it with me when I was a child…”
Jasmine’s face falls. “Oh. I’m sorry–I didn’t know you were adopted.”
I wave a hand dismissively. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. I was taken in by a beta family.” I hesitate, swallowing down the bitterness. “It wasn’t the best experience. But my adoptive mother–no, my mother–she was an angel. An angel in a house of wolves.”
Jasmine nods gently. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors,” she says, her words drawing my gaze back to her.
“What rumors?”
“About the royal family.”
I shake my head. “No, I haven’t.”
Her voice lowers to a whisper, as if the trees might be listening. “There’s an old, forbidden story. The Alpha King had two daughters. But one of them… went missing. No one’s allowed to talk about it. People have been punished for less.”
My heart stumbles in my chest. “So… Lady Celestia has a sister?”
“Had,” she corrects. “I think she’s older. She disappeared long before Celestia was born.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Why are you telling me this?”
She scoffs. “Are you really that dense, or just pretending? You just said you were adopted.”
“So? That doesn’t mean anything.”
“Maybe not. But what about the necklace?”
“You said it was fake, remember?” I raise a brow at her.
She rolls her eyes. “Yes, I did! But let’s say just for one impossible moment–that it’s not fake. And your wolf…?” Her voice lowers again. “I’ve seen Alpha wolves shift. Even royal guards. But yours? It’s different. It’s… terrifying.”
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Chapter 49
I shift uncomfortably. “That could just be… another coincidence.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” she says flatly.
Suddenly, her eyes glaze over, changing shade ever so slightly. Her hand lifts to her temple. She’s being mindlinked.
“Jack just messaged me,” she says, snapping back to the present. “He’s been looking everywhere for you. He sounds… worried.”
Istraighten immediately, brushing dust off my clothes and turning to leave, but Jasmine grabs my wrist.
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“Forget what I just said,” she blurts, her eyes wide with something close to fear. “I must be crazy–losing my mind–to think you could be the Alpha King’s missing daughter.”
Isco, trying to ignore how deeply her words cut. “Yeah. You’re insane,” I mutter with a small, awkward laugh. “There’s no way Celestia is my sister. We look nothing alike.”
*Plus she’s gorgeous,” Jasmine smirks, and we both laugh–though there’s something stiff and uncomfortable behind it.
A silence settles between us, heavy but not hostile.
Then she speaks again, her voice low. “Promise me you won’t tell Jack what happened with Khaos. Please. If he finds out, he’ll kill him.”
“I won’t,” I say firmly. “But promise me you won’t go back to Khaos.”
“I won’t,” she whispers, almost like she’s trying to convince herself.
I nod once. “Good.”
She walks me to the door of the treehouse. The air is cooler now, the breeze gentle as it rustles the leaves above us. I wave at her, and she gives me a small smile–one that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
As I make my way alone through the forest, I can’t stop the thoughts from creeping in.
Jack’s looking for me.
Why?
I told him where I was going. Shouldn’t he be busy fulfilling his duties as an Alpha?
The thought of him being worried about me sends a strange warmth through my chest. My lips twitch, fighting off a smile.
Then my thoughts drift again… to the hecklace… the rumors… the missing daughter.
No. That’s impossible. It has to be.
I press a hand to my chest, to the place where the necklace once rested, and keep walking–one step at a time–back to Jack.
Back to the only place that’s ever felt like it could be home. And maybe… just maybe… there’s more than just comfort waiting for me. Maybe there’s a future. A real one–with him.
A home filled with laughter.
Children.
And one day… maybe even a bigger house.
The thought makes me laugh under my breath, a blush rising to my cheeks.
Dear Moon Goddess… what is happening to me?
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Chapter 49
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The moment I push open the front door, my voice echoes through the house like a hopeful whisper.
“Jack?”
No answer.
I step into the living room, expecting to find him pacing or maybe waiting with a smirk and a lecture for not going to his library like I promised. But I freeze.
Fury is sitting on the edge of the couch, hunched over, elbows resting on his knees, his foot tapping rapidly like he’s ready to explode. The second he sees me, he shoots to his feet like I’ve lit a fuse.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, instinctively stepping back. There’s something off about his expression–anxious. A kind of fear that doesn’t suit a warrior like him.
He swallows hard, his eyes darting, like he’s searching for a gentle way to break a bone.
“I received news,” he says slowly, “from the spy in the Red Night Pack.”
My heart stumbles. “W–What kind of news?” I ask, my voice barely holding itself together. “Did my mother… did she get my letter? Did she send one back? Where is it?”
Fury shakes his head. “There’s no letter.”
“What do you mean?” I whisper, already knowing I’m not going to like his answer.
He draws a shaky breath, his voice grave. “Your mother… she’s been locked in a cell for almost two months.”
I blink, my mind refusing to catch up. “W–What?”
“She helped you escape. The Luna found out,” he says, voice clipped and furious. “They imprisoned her as punishment. They’re trying to use her to lure you back.”
“No,” I breathe, my knees giving out.
Fury lunges forward and catches me around the waist before I hit the ground, holding me against him like I’m made of glass.
“She’s being tortured, Kali,” he whispers. “They want her to confess your whereabouts. But she hasn’t said a word. Not one. She’s protecting you with everything she has.”
A sob rips from my throat as I claw at his chest, desperate to break free.
“I have to go,” I cry. “I have to get her out! She’s in pain–because of me! I can’t just stay here. I have to save her.”
“Kali, stop–listen to me-”
“No! Let me go!” I scream, thrashing against his hold, nails digging into his arms. But Fury only tightens his grip.
“It’s too dangerous,” he says through gritted teeth! “The Red Night Pack won’t just let you walk in. We need a plan. You need Alpha Jack. He’s the only one with the power and rank to help you. He can bargain for her life.”
“I don’t want to wait for Jack! She’s all I have!” sob. “This is my fault! She’s suffering because of me! I should’ve taken her with me–I can’t let them keep hurting her. I won’t!”
My sobs wrack my body as Fury pulls me into his chest, holding me like I might shatter at any second. I bury my face against him, consumed by fury and guilt until all I can do is scream inside.
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Chapter 49
And then it happen
A feral, guttural growl ups through the house kavage and thunderous, like a violent storm teasing through the walls
free, tears still
cheeks, my breath caught in my throat. Fury’s arms go rigid around me, his body suddenly still as stone. Slowly, I lift my heart.
Jack stands in the doorway, his chest heaving, eyes glowing silver. His jaw is clenched so tightly thear the crack of his teeth grinding. His aura crashes over the room in tory, suffocating everything in its path.
*Jack–start, taking a step forward.
Too late.
In one breath, Jack is across the room.
Fury is tipped away from me, lifted like a ragdoll and slammed into the wall with such force that the plaster cracks. Jack’s hand wraps around his throat, claws partially extended, pressing hard enough to draw blood. Fury dangles, boots scraping helplessly against the wall.
“How dare you touch what’s mine,” Jack growls, his voice low and lethal.
“Jack–stop it!” I scream, rushing forward.
Fury gasps for breath, eyes wide, but he doesn’t fight back.
“It’s not what it looks like!” I yell, grabbing Jack’s arm. “He was just he was just holding me because because I broke down!”
Jack doesn’t acknowledge me. His gaze is fixed on Fury, his voice dropping into a deadly snail.
“She. Is. Mine.”
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