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
Kayla's POV My heart was racing at the thoughts of what I had just found. I was on my way to meet Adrian downstairs but the silence in the hallway pressed against my ears. The picture I had tucked into my pocket before rushing down burned in my mind.How was Lady Rina connected to my parents? Connected to me? Connected to Alpha Dominic? I moved quietly through the halls of the house I grew up in, even though I knew nobody else was living inside. Or at least… that's what I think.But then again, the house was a little too clean for something no one had touched for years. But maybe I was imagining things."Adrian?" I called when I got downstairs and didn't see anyone."Down here!" He shouted and I immediately realized where he was. The floor creaked softly under my weight as I headed down the narrow corridor toward the basement door. I hadn’t thought about that space in years. I used to walk by it dozens of times a day. As a child, I always wondered what was behind it. I remember o
Kayla'spov I hadn’t stepped foot inside this house in years, but everything still smelled the same. Warm wood, old books, and lavender. The scent of my mother’s favorite oil still lingered faintly in the corners. My throat tightened as I walked through the halls of my childhood home, now a stranger to me. The place looked almost frozen in time, the furniture polished, the pictures still perfectly aligned along the walls like someone had been maintaining it. Adrian trailed beside me, occasionally glancing at me with concern, while Councilman Augustine lingered a few steps behind, nose wrinkled like the place offended him. We stopped in front of the framed photographs lining the hallway. There were many many pictures there. There were my parents’ wedding picture, our family photos, and even pictures of me at school award ceremonies, laughing and holding medals. “I used to love this hallway,” I murmured, forcing a small smile. “My mom would change out the pictures every year.” Ad