Chapter 9

The silence in the basement felt suffocating.

Edith kept the flashlight aimed at the chest. I did not move. I did not know what to do. If I tried to grab the journal, she might attack me. If I left it, she would take it.

"Pick it up," Edith ordered, her voice cold and commanding.

"It belongs to my family," I said softly, my hands clenching into fists. "It has my parents' names on it."

"Pick it up and hand it to me, Cora. Now."

I slowly bent down and picked up the journal. My fingers tightened around the worn leather. I wanted to run past her, to find Liam and show him what I found. But there were guards at the top of the stairs. I had nowhere to go.

I held the journal out to her. Edith snatched it from my hand.

She opened it, quickly flipping through the brittle pages. Her eyes scanned the old ink. As she read, her wicked smile grew wider.

"Your parents were Nightfall warriors," Edith said, letting out a cruel laugh. "They ran away and hid in Silver Pine. And the former Alpha knew about it. He kept their secret."

"Give it back to me, Edith," I pleaded. "Please. It is the only thing I have of them."

Edith snapped the journal shut. "Do you realize what this means, Cora? The Nightfall pack was hunted down because they were too powerful. If the other packs find out their bloodline survived in you and your brother, they will kill you."

Ice ran through my veins. She was right. The rogue wolves who killed my parents were probably hunting them.

"I will not tell anyone," I whispered. "I just want to keep the book."

"You really are stupid," Edith smiled. "This book is proof. It is proof that you are a threat. If my father finds out that Silver Pine is hiding Nightfall wolves, he will see it as an act of war."

"No," I shook my head, panic rising in my throat. "Juan does not even know about this. His father hid it. We did not know."

"It does not matter what Juan knows," Edith stepped closer to me. "What matters is what I decide to do with this information."

She tapped the journal against her chin, looking at me like I was a bug she was ready to crush.

"You and Juan share a bond," Edith said suddenly.

I stopped breathing.

"Do not look so surprised," she laughed coldly. "I am not an idiot. I see the way he looks at you. I see the way he stands too close to you. He is fighting the mate bond. And it is making him weak."

"He chose you," I said, my voice trembling. "He is marrying you."

"Yes, he is," Edith agreed. "Because he needs my father's army. But as long as you are in this house, he will never fully commit to me. You are a distraction. And I do not tolerate distractions."

She tucked the journal under her arm.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, stepping forward.

"I am going to keep this safe," Edith said, patting the book. "And you are going to do exactly what I say from now on. If you disobey me, if you look at Juan the wrong way, or if you tell anyone about this conversation, I will give this book to my father."

A tear slipped down my cheek. "He will kill Liam."

"He will kill both of you," Edith corrected her. "Now, pick up my candle holders. You have a table to set."

She turned around and walked up the stairs, taking my family's history with her.

I fell to my knees on the dirty floor. I covered my face with my hands and silently cried. I was already trapped by a debt. Now, I was trapped by a deadly secret. Edith had complete control over my life, and over Liam’s life.

It took me ten minutes to stop crying. I wiped my face, picked up the heavy box of silver, and slowly walked up the stairs.

When I reached the main hallway, I almost dropped the box.

Juan was standing there.

He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked up when I walked out of the basement. His grey eyes immediately locked onto my face.

He pushed off the wall and walked toward me in three quick strides. He stopped right in front of me, looking down at my red, puffy eyes.

"You were crying," Juan stated. It was not a question. It was a dark, dangerous fact.

"The basement was dusty," I lied, looking away from him. "It irritated my eyes."

Juan reached out and grabbed my chin. His grip was firm but not painful. He forced me to look up at him. The heat from his fingers sent a rush of electricity through my body.

"Do not lie to me, Cora," Juan whispered, the wolf growling softly in his throat. "I can taste the salt in your tears from across the room. Who made you cry?"

I stared into his eyes. I wanted to tell him everything. I wanted to tell him about the book, about my parents, about Edith's threats. The mate bond begged me to trust him. It begged me to let him protect me.

But then I remembered his words.

‘I am going to be the Alpha. I need a Luna from a strong family.’

If I told Juan the truth, he would have to choose between protecting his mate or protecting his pack from Edith's father. And Juan always chose the pack. Always.

"Nobody made me cry, Alpha," I whispered, pulling my chin out of his grasp. "I am just tired."

Juan’s hand dropped to his side. The cold mask slid back over his face, hiding the wolf, hiding the mate. He stepped back, giving me room to pass.

"Clean the silver," Juan said flatly. "And make sure the dining room is perfect. Edith’s father is arriving tomorrow for a formal dinner."

I nodded once. "Yes, Alpha."

I walked past him, carrying the box down the hall. I did not look back. I knew he was watching me. I could feel his eyes burning into my skin.

He was fighting the bond. I was fighting for my life. And Edith was holding all the cards.

The game was changing, and I knew deep down, I was going to lose everything before it was over.