CHAPTER THIRTY: SERAPHINA'S FINAL FEARS

I barely slept that night.

Every time I closed my eyes, I thought about Seraphina's words and her terrifying dream about my future.

When morning came, I felt exhausted but determined to read the rest of her diary entries.

I spent the day acting as normally as possible, but my mind kept wandering back to the photos I had taken.

During lunch, I studied them on my phone when no one was looking.

The final entries in Seraphina's diary were the most disturbing.

Three weeks before her death:

I'M CERTAIN NOW THAT SOMEONE IN OUR COMMUNITY IS WORKING WITH WHOEVER IS ELIMINATING THE SPECIAL BLOODLINES.

THE ATTACKS ARE TOO WELL COORDINATED, TOO PERFECTLY TIMED. SOMEONE IS PROVIDING INSIDE INFORMATION ABOUT PACK SECURITY, FAMILY ROUTINES, AND INDIVIDUAL ABILITIES

BUT WHO COULD IT BE? SOMEONE WITH ACCESS TO MULTIPLE PACKS, SOMEONE TRUSTED ENOUGH TO GATHER SENSITIVE INFORMATION WITHOUT AROUSING SUSPICION.

THE THOUGHT THAT IT COULD BE SOMEONE I KNOW, SOMEONE I INTERACT WITH REGULARLY, MAKES ME SICK.

Two weeks before her death:

I'VE BEEN HAVING MORE DREAMS ABOUT ELENA'S DAUGHTER. IN THE LATEST ONE, SHE WAS OLDER - MAYBE IN HER EARLY TWENTIES - AND HER POWERS WERE INCREDIBLE.

SHE COULD HEAL WITH A TOUCH, SENSE EMOTIONS, AND DO THINGS I COULDN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND.

BUT IN EVERY DREAM, SHE'S SURROUNDED BY DECEPTION. PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO CARE ABOUT HER ARE KEEPING TERRIBLE SECRETS.

AND THE PERSON SHE TRUSTS MOST, THE ONE SHE'S FALLING IN LOVE WITH, IS HIDING THE BIGGEST SECRET OF ALL.

I'M STARTING TO THINK THESE AREN'T JUST DREAMS. THEY FEEL LIKE VISIONS, LIKE WARNINGS. BUT WARNINGS ABOUT WHAT?

AND HOW CAN I PROTECT SOMEONE I'VE NEVER MET FROM A FUTURE I CAN ONLY SEE IN FRAGMENTS?

My hands were shaking as I read this. Seraphina's visions seemed to be describing my exact situation - living among people who were keeping secrets, falling for someone whose motives I wasn't sure about.

Ten days before her death:

I SPOKR TO KIERANTODAY ABOUT MY SUSPICIONS. I TOLD HIM I THOUGHT SOMEONE WAS FEEDING INFORMATION TO THE ENEMIES WHO WERE ATTACKING SPECIAL BLOODLINES FAMILIES.

HE LISTENED CAREFULLY, BUT I COULD TELL HE THOUGHT I WAS BEING PARANOID.

"SERAPHINA," HE SAID, "SOMETIMES TERRIBLE THINGS JUST HAPPEN. NOT EVERYTHING IS A CONSPIRACY."

BUT I KNOW I'm right. THE PATTERN IS TOO CLEAR. SOMEONE IS ORCHESTRATING THESE ATTACKS, AND THEY'RE GETTING HELP FROM INSIDE OUR OWN COMMUNITIES.

I DECIDED NOT TO TELL KIERAN ABOUT MY DREAMS OF ELENA'S DAUGHTER. HE ALREADY THINKS I'M IMAGINING THREATS WHERE NONE EXIST.

IF I TOLD HIM ABOUT PROPHETIC VISIONS, HE'D PROBABLY SUGGEST I SEE DR. MARTINEZ ABOUT IT my MENTAL STATE.

That entry made me feel sad for Seraphina.

She had been trying to protect me even before I was born, but she couldn't even get her own mate to take her seriously.

One week before her death:

SOMETHING HAPPENED TODAY THAT TERRIFIED ME. I WAS IN THE LIBRARY DOING RESEARCH WHEN I HEARD VOICES FROM THE NEXT ROOM.

I RECOGNIZED ONE OF THEM, BUT I COULDN'T SEE WHO IT WAS. THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT "THE SHADOW MEND PROBLEM" AND HOW IT NEEDED TO BE "RESOLVED PERMANENTLY."

WHEN I TRIED TO GET CLOSER TO HEAR BETTER, THEY STOPPED TALKING. By THE TIME I GOT TO THE NEXT ROOM, IT WAS EMPTY.

I'M SCARED. IF SOMEONE KNOWS I'VE BEEN INVESTIGATING THESE ATTACKS, IF THEY KNOW I'M TRYING TO PROTECT ELENA'S DAUGHTER, THEN I MIGHT BE THE NEXT TARGET.

BUT I CAN'T STOP NOW. THAT LITTLE GIRL IS GOING TO NEED SOMEONE TO TELL HER THE TRUTH ABOUT WHO SHE IS AND WHAT SHE'S CAPABLE OF.

IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME, I PRAY THAT SOMEHOW SHE'LL FIND THE ANSWERS SHE NEEDS.

Three days before her death:

I'VE BEEN HAVING NIGHTMARES INSTEAD OF VISIONS. IN THEM, I'M RUNNINGS THROUGH THE FOREST, TRYING TO ESCAPE FROM SHADOWY FIGURES WHO WANT TO KILL ME. BUT NO MATTER HOW FAST I RUN, THEY ALWAYS CATCH UP.

THE WORST PART IS THAT IN THE NIGHTMARES, THE PERSON LEADING THE ATTACK IS SOMEONE I RECOGNIZE. SOMEONE I TRUST. BUT THEIR FACE IS ALWAYS HIDDEN JUST ENOUGH THAT I CAN'T SEE WHO IT IS.

I THINK MY SUBCONSCIOUS IS TRYING TO TELL ME SOMETHING, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT.

KIERAN ASKED ME WHY I'VE BEEN SO JUMPY LATELY. I WANTED TO TELL HIM ABOUT MY FEARS, BUT EVERY TIME I TRY TO BRING UP THE CONSPIRACY, HE CHANGES THE SUBJECT OR DISMISSES MY CONCERNS.

SOMETIMES I WONDER IF HE'S DELIBERATELY NOT LISTENING, OR IF HE JUST CAN'T HANDLE THE IDEA THAT OUR WORLD ISN'T AS SAFE AS HE WANTS TO BELIEVE.

The day before her death:

THIS IS PROBABLY MY FINAL ENTRY.

TOMORROW I'M GOING OUT ON PATROL TO INVESTIGATE REPORTS OF ROGUE WOLVES ON OUR NORTHERN BORDER.

MARCUS OFFERED TO COME WITH ME, BUT I TOLD HIM I COULD HANDLE IT WITH A SMALL TEAM.

I'M TERRIFIED THAT IT'S A TRAP. THE TIMING FEELS TOO CONVENIENT, TOO PERFECTLY ARRANGED.

BUT IF I DON'T GO, IF I SHOW THAT I'M AFRAID, THEN WHOEVER IS BEHIND THESE ATTACKS WILL KNOW THAT I'M ONTO THEM.

I'M WRITING THIS IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME. IF SOMEONE FINDS THIS DIARY AFTER MY DEATH, PLEASE KNOW THIS: ELENA SHADOW MEND'S DAUGHTER IS ALIVE, SHE'S POWERFUL AND SHE'S IN GREAT DANGER.

THE PEOPLE TRYING TO ELIMINATE SPECIAL BLOODLINES WILL NEVER STOP HUNTING HER.

SHE'LL NEED TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT HER HERITAGE, ABOUT HER ABILITIES AND ABOUT THE CONSPIRACY THAT KILLED HER PARENTS.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, SHE'LL NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHO SHE TRUSTS.

MY VISIONS HAVE SHOWN ME THAT SHE'LL BE SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE KEEPING SECRETS FROM HER.

SOME OF THEM mean WELL AND ARE TRYING TO PROTECT HER, BUT OTHERS...

OTHERS MAY BE WORKING FOR THE VERY PEOPLE WHO WANT HER DEAD.

IF SHE EVER READS THIS, I WANT HER TO KNOW: DON'T TRUST ANYONE COMPLETELY, NOT EVEN SOMEONE YOU LOVE, UNTIL YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN OF THEIR MOTIVES.

THE PERSON WHO SEEMS MOST TRUSTWORTHY MIGHT BE THE ONE WITH THE MOST TO HIDE.

ELENA'S DAUGHTER - LAILA - YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOU KNOW. YOUR PARENTS DIED HEROES, TRYING TO PROTECT NOT JUST YOU BUT ALL OF US WITH SPECIAL GIFTS. DON'T LET THEIR SACRIFICES BE MEANINGLESS.

AND PLEASE, BE CAREFUL. THE ENEMY HAS BEEN PATIENT, BUT THEY WON'T WAIT FOREVER. WHEN YOUR POWERS FULLY MANIFEST, THEY'LL COME FOR YOU. MAKE SURE YOU'RE READY.

I put down my phone and took a shaky breath.

Reading Seraphina's final words felt like she was speaking directly to me across the years.

Her warning about not trusting anyone completely, not even someone I loved, made me think immediately of Kieran.

He had already admitted that his original motives for bringing me here weren't entirely pure.

How much more was he hiding from me?

But it also made me think about everyone else in the pack. Dr. Martinez, who had been keeping medical secrets.

Mrs. Chen, who had known about my heritage.

Even Marcus, who had expressed doubts about the official story of Seraphina's death.

Anyone could be working for the conspiracy.

Anyone could be lying to me.

The thought made me feel sick and paranoid, but Seraphina's warnings had been too specific to ignore.

That evening at dinner, I watched everyone around me with new eyes.

I used my ability to sense emotions, trying to detect any deception or hidden agendas.

Kieran seemed genuinely concerned about my quiet mood, but there were layers of guilt and secrecy in his emotions that I couldn't interpret.

Dr. Martinez was hiding something medical-related, just as I had sensed before.

Emma was worried about something involving my safety.

Even Marcus, who had been so helpful to me, had conflicted emotions when he looked at me, like he was struggling with a difficult decision.

The only person whose emotions seemed completely straightforward was Elena.

She still didn't particularly like me, but her feelings were honest and uncomplicated.

"Laila," Kieran said during dinner,

"you've been very quiet today. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine," I said, but I could feel his skepticism at my answer.

"If something is bothering you, you can talk to me about it," he said gently.

I looked into his silver eyes, wanting desperately to trust him completely.

But Seraphina's warnings echoed in my mind: DON'T TRUST ANYONE COMPLETELY, NOT EVEN SOMEONE YOU LOVE, UNTIL YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN OF THEIR MOTIVES.

"I know," I said.

"I'm just thinking about some things I read in the library."

"What kinds of things?"

I could feel the careful attention of everyone at the table, even though they were trying to seem casual about continuing their conversations.

"Just pack history," I said vaguely.

"Learning about past events." Kieran's emotions shifted slightly - relief mixed with continued concern.

Like he was glad I wasn't asking about something specific, but worried about what I might have discovered.

After dinner, I excused myself and went to my room.

I needed time to think about everything Seraphina had written, especially her warnings about being careful who I trusted.

Tomorrow, I decided, I would confront Kieran about the diary.

I would tell him I had found it and demand to know why he had hidden it from me.

His reaction would tell me a lot about whether Seraphina's warnings about him were justified.

But tonight, I would prepare myself for the possibility that the man I was falling in love with might be my enemy.

As I got ready for bed, I couldn't shake the feeling that Seraphina's spirit was still trying to protect me, even from beyond the grave.

Her final message had been clear: trust carefully, stay alert and be ready for betrayal from the people closest to me.

I just hoped I would be strong enough to handle the truth when I finally discovered it.

Because according to Seraphina's visions, the biggest test of my life was still coming.

And I was running out of time to prepare for it.