CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN: DREAMS OF THE DEAD

That night, after my discoveries in the library, I went to bed with my mind spinning from everything I had learned.

I fell asleep thinking about bloodlines and conspiracies and the possibility that my entire identity had been built on lies.

But my dreams took me somewhere I never expected to go.

I found myself standing in a moonlit forest clearing that felt familiar, though I knew I had never been there before.

The trees around me were tall and ancient, their branches creating intricate patterns against the star-filled sky.

"You're finally ready to see the truth."

I spun around at the sound of a woman's voice.

Standing at the edge of the clearing was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

She had long, silver-white hair that seemed to glow in the moonlight, and eyes that were the color of deep forest pools.

She wore a flowing white dress that moved like mist around her feet.

"Who are you?" I asked, though something deep inside me already knew the answer.

"I am Seraphina," she said, stepping closer.

"And I have been waiting a long time to speak with you, Laila Shadowmend."

The name hit me like a physical blow.

"How do you know my real name?"

"Because I knew your mother,"

Seraphina said with a sad smile.

"Elena was my closest friend before she had to go into hiding."

I felt tears starting in my eyes.

"My mother... she really was Elena Shadowmend?"

"She was and she was the most powerful healer I ever knew. Just as you are beginning to become."

"But you're dead," I said, confused about how this conversation was possible.

"You died five years ago."

"My body died," Seraphina said.

"But my spirit has been bound to this world by unfinished business. By the need to see justice done for what was taken from me and from your family."

"What was taken?"Seraphina's expression grew darker.

"Everything. Our lives, our futures, our chance to protect the people we loved and it was all done by someone we trusted."

"Who?" I asked desperately.

"That is what I need to show you," Seraphina said.

"But first, you must understand what really happened the night I died."

The forest around us began to shift and change, like we were moving backward through time.

Suddenly, we were standing on a rocky outcrop overlooking a mountain path.

"This is where I was killed,"

Seraphina said quietly.

"Five years ago, on the night of the new moon.

"Below us, I could see shadowy figures moving along the path.

Five wolves in human form, walking together through the darkness.

"That's me," Seraphina said, pointing to a woman with silver hair leading the group.

"I was taking a patrol to investigate reports of rogues in the area."

"But there were no rogues,"

I said, somehow knowing this was true.

"No, there weren't. The reports were false, designed to lure me away from the pack house when I would be most vulnerable."

As we watched, dark figures emerged from the trees on either side of the path.

They moved with deadly precision, surrounding Seraphina's patrol before anyone could react.

"The attackers weren't from the Northern Mountain Pack,"

I said, watching the scene unfold with growing horror.

"No. They were hired mercenaries, paid to kill me and make it look like a territorial dispute."

I watched in sick fascination as the attack played out below us.

The mercenaries struck fast and brutally, killing Seraphina's companions first to isolate her.

"Why did someone want you dead?" I asked.

"Because I had discovered something I wasn't supposed to know,"

Seraphina said sadly.

"Something about the systematic elimination of the Blessed Bloodlines."

"What did you discover?"

"I discovered who was really behind it. Not just the Guardians of Natural Order, but someone within our own communities.

Someone who was using the fear of our powers to orchestrate our destruction while gaining power for themselves."

The scene below us shifted and I watched as Seraphina fought desperately against her attackers.

She was strong and skilled, but there were too many of them.

"Who was behind it?" I asked.

"Someone close to both our families," Seraphina said.

"Someone who knew our routines, our weaknesses, our secrets."

"Tell me who!"But before Seraphina could answer, the dream began to fade around the edges.

"Wait!" I called out.

"Don't go! I need to know who killed you!"

"I cannot tell you directly," Seraphina said, her voice becoming distant.

"The connection between our worlds is too fragile for such direct revelation. You must discover the truth for yourself."

"How?"

"Look for the things that don't belong,"

Seraphina said as her image began to fade.

"Look for the evidence that was planted to mislead and most importantly, look close to home."

"What does that mean?"

"It means the person who killed me, who killed your parents, who wants to kill you... is someone you trust."

I woke up gasping, my heart pounding and my body covered in sweat.

The dream had felt so real, so vivid, that for a moment I couldn't tell if I was still asleep.

But as I sat up in my bed, I realized that what I had experienced wasn't just a dream.

It was something more - a vision, a communication from beyond death.

Seraphina's spirit was real and she was trying to help me uncover the truth about her murder.

The most terrifying part was her final warning: the killer was someone I trusted.

I spent the rest of the night lying awake, thinking about Seraphina's words.

Someone close to both our families. Someone who knew our routines and secrets.

Someone who had access to information about both the Blackthorne and Shadowmend bloodlines.

But who could it be? Marcus had been the one to express doubts about the official story of Seraphina's death.

Dr. Martinez had been hiding medical information about me.

Even Mrs. Chen had known things about my heritage that she hadn't shared.

Or could it be someone I hadn't suspected at all?

The next morning, I felt exhausted but determined.

I needed to continue my investigation, but now I had a new direction.

Instead of just looking for information about Seraphina's death, I needed to look for evidence that had been deliberately planted to mislead the investigation.

During breakfast, I watched everyone around me with new eyes, trying to sense if any of them could be hiding the kind of dark secret Seraphina had warned me about.

Emma, cheerfully serving eggs and bacon, could she be a killer?

Tom, discussing the weather with other pack members, could he have orchestrated multiple murders?

Even Sophie, my friend who had been nothing but kind to me, could she be hiding a deadly agenda?

The paranoia was overwhelming, but Seraphina's warning had been clear.

The person who wanted me dead was someone I trusted.

After breakfast, I decided to return to the library to look for the evidence Seraphina had mentioned - things that didn't belong, clues that had been planted.

But as I walked up the stairs, I heard footsteps behind me.

"Laila," Kieran's voice called softly.

"Could we talk?"

I turned to see him at the bottom of the stairs, his silver eyes filled with concern.

"I heard you had nightmares last night," he said.

"Emma mentioned you looked exhausted this morning."

My first instinct was to tell him about my dream of Seraphina, to share what I had learned about the real circumstances of her death.

But then I remembered Seraphina's warning: the killer was someone I trusted.

Someone close to both families.

Someone who knew secrets.

Someone who had access to information about my bloodline and Seraphina's routines.

Someone like the Alpha who had brought me here for his own mysterious purposes.

Someone like Kieran.

"I'm fine," I said carefully, studying his face for any sign of deception.

"Just had trouble sleeping."

"Are you sure? You look... scared."

I was scared.

But suddenly I wasn't sure if I should be more afraid of unknown enemies, or of the man standing in front of me with concern in his eyes and secrets in his heart.

"I'm fine," I repeated and continued up the stairs.

But as I walked away, I could feel Kieran's eyes following me and I couldn't shake the terrifying thought that Seraphina's killer might be the man I was falling in love with.