CHAPTER TWENTY SIX: DIGGING INTO THE PAST

After my conversation with Kieran in the forest, I realized that if I wanted real answers about my life, my parents and the dangers he claimed threatened me, I couldn't rely on what other people chose to tell me.

I needed to find the truth myself.

That evening, I decided to start with what I could learn about Seraphina.

If her death was truly connected to my parents' deaths, then understanding what happened to her might help me understand what had happened to my family.

The pack house had a large library on the second floor that I had only visited a few times.

After dinner, when most people were relaxing in the common areas, I slipped upstairs to see what I could find.

The library was quiet and dimly lit, with tall shelves filled with books about werewolf history, pack records, and various other topics.

I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for, but I hoped I might find some reference to Seraphina or the attack that killed her.

I started with the pack records, looking for any mentions of events from five years ago.

Most of the books were dry accounts of territory disputes, trade agreements and pack meetings.

But finally, in a leather-bound journal labeled

"Alpha Records - Year 5,"

I found something.

THE DEATH OF SERAPHINA MOON WHISPER HAS DEVASTATED OUR PACK, PARTICULARLY ALPHA KIERAN.

THE ATTACK ON THE NORTHERN BORDER WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING WE HAD SEEN BEFORE - PRECISE, CALCULATED AND SEEMINGLY DESIGNED TO TARGET SERAPHINA SPECIFICALLY RATHER THAN BEING A RANDOM RAID.

I felt my heart race as I read. This was exactly what I had been looking for.

THE ATTACKERS LEFT NO SURVIVORS AMONG SERAPHINA'S PATROL, BUT STRANGELY, THEY TOOK NOTHING OF VALUE AND MADE NO ATTEMPT TO CLAIM TERRITORY.

THIS SUGGESTS THEIR ONLY GOAL WAS ASSASSINATION. ALPHA KIERAN HAS SWORN VENGEANCE AGAINST THE NORTHERN MOUNTAIN PACK, WHO WE BELIEVE WERE RESPONSIBLE.

I continued reading, looking for more details about the attack.

DR. MARTINEZ'S EXAMINATION OF THE BODIES REVEALED THAT SERAPHINA AND HER COMPANIONS WERE KILLED BY WEAPONS, NOT BY WOLF ATTACKS AS INITIALLY ASSUMED.

THIS SUGGESTS THE ATTACKERS WERE IN HUMAN FORM DURING THE ASSAULT, WHICH IS UNUSUAL FOR TERRITORIAL RAIDS.

That was strange.

Why would werewolves attack in human form instead of using their natural wolf strength and speed?

I kept searching through the records, but found only a few more mentions of Seraphina's death, all focused on Kieran's grief and his plans for retaliation against the Northern Mountain Pack.

But then, in a different journal, I found something that made me stop breathing.

MARCUS HAS PRIVATELY EXPRESSED CONCERNS ABOUT KIERAN'S CERTAINTY THAT THE NORTHERN MOUNTAIN PACK WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SERAPHINA'S DEATH.

THE EVIDENCE, WHILE POINTING IN THEIR DIRECTION, SEEMS ALMOST TOO CONVENIENT. MARCUS WONDERS IF WE ARE BEING LED TO THE WRONG CONCLUSION DELIBERATELY.

Someone else had doubts about the official story.

I needed to talk to Marcus.

I spent another hour searching through the library, but found no other references to Seraphina's death.

However, I did discover something else interesting - a section of books about werewolf bloodlines and hereditary abilities.

Curious about what Kieran had told me about my own heritage, I pulled several books from the shelf and settled into a comfortable chair to read.

What I found made my hands shake.

According to the books, there had once been werewolf families with abilities far beyond normal pack members.

These families, called "Blessed Bloodlines," had powers over healing, nature, emotions, and in the rarest cases, life force itself.

THE MOON WHISPER FAMILY WAS KNOWN FOR THEIR EXCEPTIONAL HEALING ABILITIES AND THEIR CONNECTION TO PLANT LIFE. THE NIGHTSHADE FAMILY COULD SENSE AND MANIPULATE EMOTIONS.

THE SHADOW MEND FAMILY HAD POWER OVER LIFE AND DEATH ITSELF, ABLE TO BOTH HEAL MORTAL WOUNDS AND WHEN NECESSARY, END LIFE WITH A TOUCH.

My heart pounded as I read the next paragraph.

THESE BLESSED BLOODLINES WERE SYSTEMATICALLY HUNTED AND ELIMINATED OVER THE PAST CENTURY BY A GROUP CALLING THEMSELVES THE GUARDIANS OF NATURAL ORDER.

THE GUARDIANS BELIEVED THAT SUCH POWERS UPSET THE BALANCE OF WEREWOLF SOCIETY AND MADE THEIR POSSESSORS DANGEROUS TO NORMAL PACK MEMBERS'.

The Council of Purity that Kieran had mentioned - they were just a new name for an old organization.

I kept reading, desperate for more information.

THE LAST KNOWN MEMBER OF THE SHADOW MEND BLOODLINE, ELENA SHADOW MEND, WAS KILLED ALONG WITH HER HUMAN MATE APPROXIMATELY EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO.

THEIR YOUNG DAUGHTER DISAPPEARED AND WAS PRESUMED DEAD, ENDING THE BLOODLINE FOREVER.

My vision went blurry as I reread the passage. Elena Shadowmend.

My mother's name had been Elena Ashwood, but what if Ashwood wasn't her real surname?

Eighteen years ago would have been when my parents died.

And if my mother had been a Shadowmend, that would explain my unusual abilities.

I was part of a bloodline that was supposed to be extinct.

A bloodline that had been systematically hunted to extinction.

With trembling hands, I flipped through more pages, looking for any other mentions of the Shadowmend family.

THE SHADOW MEND BLOODLINE WAS PERHAPS THE MOST FEARED OF ALL THE BLESSED BLOODLINES, AS THEIR POWER OVER LIFE FORCE COULD BE USED FOR GREAT HEALING OR GREAT DESTRUCTION.

LEGEND SAYS THAT A FULLY AWAKENED SHADOW MEND COULD RESTORE LIFE TO THE RECENTLY DEAD OR DRAIN THE LIFE FROM THEIR ENEMIES WITH A TOUCH.

I closed the book and sat back in the chair, overwhelmed.

If this was true, if I really was descended from this extinct bloodline, then I understood why Kieran thought I could be useful against our enemies.

But I also understood why people would want me dead.

"Find anything interesting?"I jumped and spun around to find Marcus standing in the doorway of the library.

His expression was unreadable, but I could sense curiosity and concern from him.

"Marcus," I said, trying to calm my racing heart.

"I was just doing some reading."

"I can see that," he said, walking closer and glancing at the open books.

"Heavy subject matter. Learning about the old bloodlines?"

"Did you know?" I asked directly.

"Did you know what I might be?"

Marcus sighed and sat down in the chair across from me.

"I suspected. Your abilities, your heritage, the way certain people have been interested in your family over the years - it all pointed to you being descended from one of the extinct bloodlines."

"The Shadowmend bloodline specifically?"

"That would be my guess," Marcus said.

"The life force manipulation, the healing abilities, the connection to emotions - it all fits."

"And you didn't think I should know this?"

"I thought Kieran should be the one to tell you," Marcus said.

"It wasn't my secret to share."

I could sense honesty in his words, but also guilt about keeping things from me.

"Marcus," I said,

"I found something else in the pack records. About Seraphina's death."

Marcus's emotions immediately became guarded.

"What about it?"

"The records say you had doubts about whether the Northern Mountain Pack was really responsible."

Marcus was quiet for a long moment, and I could feel his internal struggle.

"I did have doubts," he said finally.

"The evidence was almost too perfect. Too convenient."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it felt like someone had deliberately planted clues to make us blame the Northern Mountain Pack," Marcus said.

"But when I expressed my concerns to Kieran, he was too consumed with grief and anger to listen."

"Do you still think the real killers are out there?"

"I think it's possible," Marcus said carefully.

"And if that's true, then whoever killed Seraphina might still be a threat to this pack."

"Or to me," I said quietly.

"Or to you," Marcus agreed.

"Laila, if you really are the last of the Shadowmend bloodline, then there are people who would want you dead simply for existing."

"But there might also be people who would want to use my abilities for their own purposes," I said, thinking about Kieran's motivations.

"Yes," Marcus said.

"That's also a possibility."

We sat in silence for a moment, both of us thinking about the implications of what we had discussed.

"Marcus," I said finally,

"do you think Kieran brought me here primarily to protect me, or primarily to use me?"

Marcus considered the question carefully.

"I think he brought you here for both reasons and he's struggling to figure out which one matters more to him."

"That's what I was afraid of," I said.

"But Laila," Marcus continued,

"I can tell you that his feelings for you are genuine. Whatever his original motives were, he truly cares about you as a person."

"I know he does," I said.

"But I need to know that he would still care about me if I chose not to use my abilities for his revenge plans."

"Have you asked him that directly?"

"I tried to. His hesitation told me everything I needed to know."

Marcus nodded understandingly.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to keep investigating," I said.

"I want to know the truth about Seraphina's death, about my parents' deaths and about what dangers I'm really facing."

"I can't make decisions about my life based on other people's interpretations of threats I don't fully understand."

"That's very wise," Marcus said.

"But be careful, Laila. If there really are people out there who want to eliminate your bloodline, then digging into the past might draw their attention to you."

"Maybe," I said.

"But living in ignorance while other people make decisions about my safety isn't really living at all."

As I gathered up the books to return them to their shelves, I made a decision.

Tomorrow, I would continue my investigation by trying to learn more about Seraphina herself.

If her death was truly connected to my parents' deaths, then understanding who she had been and what she might have known could be the key to understanding everything.

But first, I needed to find a way to learn more about her without alerting Kieran to what I was doing.

Because something told me that when it came to Seraphina, even more secrets were waiting to be uncovered.