LOGINThe following morning, I found myself thinking about Peter again. His name had appeared in my mind so many times since the council hearing that I could no longer dismiss the feeling that his story was connected to everything we had been uncovering. He had first appeared before the council as a witness against me, claiming that he had seen me near the western warehouse where the weapons had been found. He had even identified the clothing I supposedly wore and described the wooden box he claime
I thought of Peter, his false accusation against me had not been random. He had been recruited, another person had been dressed to resemble me, and Peter had been sent before the council with a story designed to destroy my credibility. When that plan failed, Peter had become a liability, he disappeared, was eventually found and imprisoned, and now the guard assigned to watch him had vanished too.I looked back at the records. “Find everyone who had access to Peter during his imprisonment. Guards, officials, council representatives, anyone who could enter his holding area.”Gabriel nodded. “I will.”“And find out who approved the guard’s supposed reassignment also check whether the guard had any connection to my mother.” I said.Gabriel paused, and Amara looked at me. “You think he might have known her?” Amara asked.“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But my mother was investigating people who were moving resources through private merchants. She
Either possibility left me uneasy, my mother’s investigation had begun with records, shipments, and people who seemed insignificant until their names appeared beside something they should never have been connected to. Now Peter’s name was leading us into the same darkness.I looked again at the prison record, Peter had not been an ordinary servant, he had been a recruited witness and had been used to accuse me. When that accusation failed, he disappeared. When he was found again, he had been imprisoned. And when he vanished from that prison, the man assigned to guard him vanished at the same time, someone had gone to extraordinary lengths to control Peter’s story. The question was why. I pushed the records toward Gabriel. “Find the rest.”He gathered the files. “I will.”As he and Amara began leaving the archive, I remained behind for another moment, my mother’s death had always felt like a single tragedy that happened years ago. But the deeper I searched,
The following morning, I found myself thinking about Peter again. His name had appeared in my mind so many times since the council hearing that I could no longer dismiss the feeling that his story was connected to everything we had been uncovering. He had first appeared before the council as a witness against me, claiming that he had seen me near the western warehouse where the weapons had been found. He had even identified the clothing I supposedly wore and described the wooden box he claimed I had been carrying.But his story had fallen apart under questioning. Peter had not been the simple servant Rowan and Vivianne claimed he was. Someone had recruited him, dressed another person to resemble me, and used him to create a false accusation against me. After his deception was exposed, Peter disappeared before we could learn who had sent him.We eventually found him again, but by then he was already frightened and unwilling to speak openly about the people behind th
I watched him disappear around the corner and the moment he was gone, the softness vanished from Lyra’s face. “You think you’ve won,” she said.I turned toward her, keeping my expression calm despite the anger building inside me. “There was no contest.”Lyra studied me for a moment before giving me a faint smile. She stepped closer, lowering her voice as though she were sharing a warning rather than provoking me. “You should be more careful.”I held her gaze without backing away. “If you have something to say, then say it plainly.”Her smile barely moved as she looked me over. “You have no idea what people are beginning to question about you.”I refused to let her see that her words had unsettled me. “I know exactly who I am, and I have nothing to hide.”Something unreadable flickered across her face before that faint smile returned. “Do you?”She let the question hang between us, then turned and walked away without wait
My heart tightened and Gabriel’s expression hardened, but he remained silent. Lyra continued carefully, as though she were choosing each word. “I’m not saying I know exactly what she’s hiding. I’m saying there are things about her that don’t add up.”Damon stared at me and I held his gaze. There was something unsettling in his eyes, but I couldn’t tell whether it was suspicion, confusion, or the old resentment that had never completely disappeared between us. “I am not hiding anything,” I said.Lyra gave a small, sad smile. “That is what you always say.” Before the tension could grow any further, Elder Tomas struck his hand against the table. “Enough.”Everyone fell silent and he looked at Lyra with clear disapproval. “This council is investigating Rowan’s administration. We will not allow personal accusations to turn this hearing into a spectacle.” He gestured toward the document. “Your evidence will be examined, until then your accusation against Samanth
I stood with Silvercrest, and I would not bow again. The words were still settling over the council chamber when the doors opened, drawing everyone’s attention toward the entrance, Lyra walked in. She wore a deep blue gown, her hair pulled neatly behind her shoulders, and a carefully arranged expression of concern rested on her face. She did not look like someone who had just walked into a chamber where Rowan’s authority had been suspended. She looked prepared, almost too prepared, as though she had been waiting for the right moment to step forward. My eyes narrowed as she slowly surveyed the room. Then her gaze settled on Damon. Alpha Damon was seated among the council members, his expression unreadable. He had arrived before the hearing ended, and although he had remained mostly silent, his presence had been impossible to ignore. Lyra’s eyes stayed on him for a moment longer than necessary before she finally turned toward Elder Tomas. “I apo







