MasukKaela’s POVTaren kept his hand on the torn pages as if he could force them to return. The safe house was quiet. I looked at the rough edges in the diary, then at the forged papers beside it. Eleanor had planned every lie carefully, but she had kept too many pieces of the truth close.“Taren,” I said, “Kathy knew someone might find this diary one day.”He looked at me. His eyes were red, but his voice stayed low. “The pages are gone, Kaela.”“The diary is not.” I turned the book over. “If she was hiding proof, she would not leave everything in one place.”I pulled at the loose cloth inside the back cover. The stitching had been cut and sewn again by hand. A folded paper fell onto the table. It was not one of the missing pages. It was a letter.If Frank ever remembers me, give this to him.Taren covered his mouth with one hand. I read the rest aloud because he could not.“Kathy wrote that Eleanor changed the doctor, changed the medicine, and locked her in her room after she started ble
Kaela’s POVThe safe house was smaller than I expected. It stood behind a closed repair shop on a quiet street, with a metal door at the back and no sign outside. Taren unlocked it with a code, checked the narrow hall first, then pulled me in after him. He closed the door and locked it twice before he let go of my hand.The room inside was plain. There was a table, two chairs, one old couch, and a small kitchen area. There were no family photos and no decoration. It looked like a place made for hiding.“No one followed us,” he said.I took off my coat and placed it on the table. My hands were careful as I pulled out the folder of photos, the copies I had taken, and the black diary marked with K.C.Taren turned when he saw it. For a second, he did not move. “This is what you found?” he asked.“Yes.” I opened the folder first. “The forged papers and photos were in Eleanor’s safe. These were made to frame you.”Taren stepped closer. I spread the photos across the table. He looked at each
Kaela’s POVI stayed behind the velvet drapes and held the black diary against my chest. The lock on the study door had turned from the outside, but whoever did it had not entered. I kept my body still and listened. My phone, the diary, and the forged photos were safe inside my coat, but my heart was beating too fast.Two maids stopped near the corridor outside the hidden study. Their voices were low, but I could hear them clearly through the narrow space near the wall.“Did you see the Blood-Moon fight?” one maid asked.“The one between Mateo Vega and Amélie Veyron?” the other whispered.“Yes. Amélie was furious. She said Mateo ruined everything again.”The second maid made a scared sound. “They were both using Alpha pressure. I thought the windows would crack. Madame Du Bois had to send guards in.”“Amélie threw wine first,” the first maid said. “Then Mateo laughed at her. He told her she had lost control in front of everyone.”“She hates Kaela Hawthorne,” the second maid said. “I h
Kaela’s POVThe funeral was held at the Voss mansion, and every important wolf family in Paris seemed to be there. The house was covered in black cloth and white funeral lilies. Their smell filled the hall so strongly that it covered Eleanor’s real scent. She had planned even that. She did not want anyone to sense too much from her today.I stood near the back of the room, dressed in black, with my hands folded in front of me. My face stayed calm, but I kept watching everyone around me. Madame Du Bois had warned me that the funeral was the final trap. I did not know where Eleanor would act, but I knew she wanted people there to see it.Eleanor stood near the front and gave her eulogy. Her voice shook in the right places. Her eyes watered when people looked at her. She spoke about family, duty, pain, and betrayal, but every word felt prepared. She looked like a grieving woman, but I saw the way her fingers held the edge of the paper too neatly. She was acting.“Taren broke this family,
Kaela’s POVMateo came to the hotel in the afternoon with a file in his hand and two men waiting outside the room. He did not ask if I wanted to see him. He knocked once, then walked in after one of his guards opened the door.I stood near the window and watched him enter. “You’re getting too comfortable.”Mateo looked at the guard. The man stepped back and closed the door. Then Mateo placed the file on the table between us. “I came with an offer. You should hear the number first,” he said.“I’m not interested.” I crossed my arms. “Money does not change my answer.”Mateo opened the file and turned it toward me. The first page showed Thorn Bird’s name, my brand structure, my current contracts, and a purchase offer printed in clean black letters.“One billion euros,” he said. “For your brand, your future production rights, and full control of your aviation designs.”I looked at the number. It was real. Too real. A few months ago, that amount would have made my hands shake. It could buy
Kaela’s POVI met Madame Du Bois at the Tuileries Garden before noon. I had left the hotel through the back entrance, with no guard from Mateo and no message to anyone. After Taren’s warning, I could not let another man decide where I went or who I spoke to. If I needed protection, I would choose the terms myself.Madame Du Bois was waiting near a row of trees, dressed in dark green with a cane in one hand. She did not look surprised to see me. Her guards stood far enough away to give us space, but close enough to move if she wanted. She watched me as I approached, her face calm.Astra was awake, tense and watchful. Her voice came low in my mind. “The old female smells like an ancient forest and cold salt. She is a True Luna.”I kept my face still, but the words made me more careful. Astra did not give praise easily. If she respected Madame Du Bois, then this woman was not only rich or powerful. She had a rank that wolves could feel.Madame Du Bois tapped her cane once against the gro
Taren’s POVWe arrived at the Constantine estate before sunrise. I entered the Voss mansion alone and went straight to the study. The drug had weakened, but my body still felt sore from fighting it. My mind was clear enough now to know I could not waste time.The mansion was silent. The halls were
Kaela’s POVTaren’s hand was still around my wrist when Mateo stepped into the alley entrance. He had followed us from the hotel front, and from the calm look on his face, he did not plan to hide it. Taren stepped in front of me to stop Mateo from getting closer. His gold eyes stayed bright, and hi
Kaela’s POVTaren was still kissing me when footsteps came from the outer deck. His hands were on the rail on both sides of me, keeping me in place without hurting me. His skin was too hot.“Taren,” I said when I managed to turn my face slightly. “Listen to me. Mateo forced that kiss. I was trying
Kaela’s POVAmélie stepped in front of me before I could move toward Taren. She stood close, and her Alpha scent reached me at once. The smell made Astra growl inside me, but I kept my body still.“You should stop looking at him like that,” she said. “It makes you look desperate.”I didn’t answer h







