Kayla's pov "What? What did you say?" Adrian whispered. “I think Lady Rina was my mother,” I sobbed. “And Alpha Dominic was my father.” His mouth opened. Closed. His hands clenched into fists. “I didn’t know,” I whispered. “I swear I didn’t know.” He staggered back a step like I’d punched him. “No...” Ingrid buried her face in her hands. And me? I stood there trembling, shattered, as the truth we’d all been running from finally caught up to us. Adrian’s face lost all color. He just stood there, eyes wide and locked on mine like he didn’t hear me right. I could see the flicker of panic behind his disbelief, as if his brain was short-circuiting. Like he wanted me to say it was a joke. “I’m your sister Adrian,” I said again, my voice cracking at the end. Tears slid down my cheeks before I could stop them. My throat was so tight I could barely breathe, let alone speak more, but I forced the words out. “I can't be with you Adrian… You're my brother.” “No,” he whispered. “No, t
Kayla POV I curled deeper into the couch in the hotel room, my back to the door, the soft wool blanket pulled up over my shoulders. I had no idea how long I’d been lying there, staring blankly at the dark pattern of the fabric, willing myself to stop thinking—about Adrian, about Lady Rina, Xavier, about the court, the prophecy, the pregnancy I lost, and the child I’ll never have. But mostly… I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Adrian. I had wanted to break up with him. I’d said the words. I meant them, didn’t I? Back then, when I thought I needed to protect myself… when I thought putting distance between us would help me breathe again. But now, knowing I might never be able to be with him again—not because I chose to walk away, but because of this—because of the nightmare possibility that he might be my brother? That... that broke something inside me. I pressed my palm to my forehead. I felt lightheaded. My throat was dry. My chest felt like it had caved in. My body had been f
Adrians pov Logan slid a phone across the table. I picked it up—and froze.There was a black and white picture of a photograph, it was worn at the edges but still clear. It was of a younger version of my father, Alpha Dominic, standing beside a very very familiar woman… My heart skipped a beat.Kayla? No, that wasn't possible because it was an old picture. That meant that this was another woman.A woman who looked like too much Kayla. No, she didn’t just look like her. She could’ve easily been her. “Who is she?” I asked, my voice hoarse. “Lady Rina,” Logan said. “That’s the name I found linked to Kayla and Ingrid’s recent library search. She is the founder of an orphanage in the south." Lady Rina. The name echoed through my thoughts. “That’s not all,” Logan added. “There are whispers that Lady Rina was… involved with your father.” My throat went dry.Was this the same Lady Rina I had heard whispers about?. The woman my father never talked about. The one who mysteri
Adrian's pov I stared at the dark wood-paneled wall of the hotel lobby with my arms crossed tightly over my chest, jaw clenched. Two days. It had been two days since we found the weapons in the basement of Kayla's parents home—and since then, Kayla hadn’t been the same.I should have known that things wouldn't be the same after that dat. Not after all the threats that Councilman Augustine gave Not after what we found.Just like Xavier had predicted, That basement had been a nightmare of truths we hadn’t asked for. Weapons caches were one thing—I expected secrets, bad news, perhaps even traps. But nothing prepared me for the moment I stumbled across those adoption papers. Now, it wasn’t the scent of wolfsbane from my last attack or the subtle traces of dark energy that haunted me anymore—it was the envelope marked Private Records tucked inside, and what was written within. My stomach twisted just thinking about it again.Kayla's Adoption and name change papers. I hadn’t wanted
Kayla's pov I didn’t want to believe it. I refused to believe it. I had kissed him. I had slept with him. My entire body shuddered. “No. No, it can’t be,” I whispered, shaking my head. Ingrid rose to her feet. “Kayla, you don’t know for sure.” “I look like her, Ingrid. Even you have said so. And now there’s this picture. The weapons. The adoption records he found. It’s all… it’s too much. I'm so confused.” Ingrid tried to place a hand on my shoulder, but I stepped away. “I was intimate with him, Ingrid. What if—what if I just slept with my brother?” “Stop. Don’t do that to yourself,” she said gently. “I'm sure that there's more to the story. We don’t know anything for sure yet.” I looked down, clutching my arms to my chest. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t undo it.” She hesitated. “Then… what are you going to do?” “I don’t know. I want to scream. I want to run. I want to destroy every lie that brought me here.” “Luna Kayla…” “I’m scared Ingrid.” She came closer thi
Kayla'spov The car ride back to the hotel felt longer than it should have. Logan was quiet behind the wheel, his eyes fixed on the road like he was trying not to get involved in anything happening in the back seat. I sat beside Adrian, staring out the window at the passing streets of Xavier’s territory, my thoughts tangled and heavy. What exactly did this all mean? The image of the hidden weapons, and the picture I found still burned in my mind—the way they were so perfectly stored in the basement of a home I thought I knew. Stored by parent's i thought i knew. I just couldn't make sense of what was happening. My hands clenched in my lap, knuckles going white. “I can’t believe this,” I whispered. Adrian turned his head slightly. “About the weapons?” “No,” I muttered, still watching the blur of buildings pass by. “Well, yes. But more about my parents in general. I just… I wish I could ask them. I wish they were here so I could look them in the eye and demand to know w