Chapter 17

Serena’s POV

The gates of Hollow Fall loomed ahead tall and iron wrought cutting through the dense mist like jagged teeth. My heart was a frantic bird against my ribs. I had not been back in three years not since I was bartered away to the Thornblood pack like a piece of livestock.

"Are you sure about this my lady?" Gale asked. His voice was low. He kept his hand resting on his sword. His eyes scanned the familiar unwelcoming woods of my home.

"I have no choice Gale," I said. My voice was steadier than I felt. "This is the only place Caden would not dare invade without declaring open war. And my father he is the only one who can help me take this to the Council."

We crossed the threshold. The pack grounds were just as I remembered orderly silent and suffocatingly strict. We walked straight to the great hall. My boots echoed on the polished stone floor. My father Alpha Grey was seated at the head of the long wooden table. His face was a mask of carved granite.

He did not stand. He did not even look up from the reports spread before him until I was three paces away.

"Serena," he said. His voice was flat devoid of any warmth or surprise. "You are back."

"I am," I replied. I stood tall despite the coldness radiating from him. "I have left the Thornblood pack Father. Permanently."

He finally looked at me. His icy blue eyes swept over my disheveled appearance. He did not ask where Caden was. He did not ask why I was alone or why I was returning in such a state. He simply stared as if I were a minor inconvenience that had wandered back into his sight.

"You are alone," he noted. His tone was dismissive.

"I am," I confirmed. "I have information Father. Proof of Caden’s treason of embezzlement and of ties to rogue groups. I need your support to bring this to the Council."

He stood up then. His movements were slow and deliberate. He walked around the table. His shadow stretched long across the floor. "You were traded to Thornblood to secure our southern flank Serena. If you have failed in your duties that is your burden to bear. I do not interfere in the business of other packs especially not for a daughter who returns empty handed and disgraced."

"This is not about failing duties!" I shouted. The words tore out of my throat. "It is about what he is doing to our people. If he is allowed to continue the entire region will fall."

"Enough," he snapped. His voice was a low growl that made the air hum with authority. "You are a guest in this house now Serena. Nothing more. Go to your quarters. We will discuss your information when I decide if it is even worth the time to listen."

I wanted to scream. I wanted to shake him until he saw the monster Caden had become. But I looked at his eyes and saw the same cold tactical selfishness that had sent me away to be mated in the first place. He did not care about the pack. He only cared about his own standing.

"Fine," I whispered. My voice was thick with disappointment. "I will go."

I turned away. I felt the familiar weight of rejection settling over me. Gale followed close behind. His expression was dark with restrained anger. As we walked down the dim narrow hallway toward my old chambers I felt a strange prickle on the back of my neck.

I stopped. I turned my head slightly.

At the far end of the hallway a girl stood half hidden in the shadows of an archway. She could not have been more than nineteen. She had dark hair tied back in a messy braid and eyes that were wide with a mixture of fear and intense curiosity. She was watching me. Her fingers nervously twisted the fabric of her skirt.

I froze. I knew everyone in Hollow Fall. I knew every pup every warrior every servant. But I had never seen this girl before.

"Who are you?" I asked. My voice was softer now tinged with confusion.

The girl did not answer. She took a half step forward. The light caught her face and I felt the air leave my lungs. She had my father’s jawline. She had the same sharp distinctive tilt to her brow that I saw in my own reflection every single day.

She was my sister a sister I never knew existed hidden away in the dark silent halls of Hollow Fall.

"Father what is this?" I demanded turning toward the sound of approaching footsteps. "Who is she?"

Alpha Grey strode past me without a glance. His hand came to rest firmly on the girl’s shoulder.

"Go to your room Penelope," he commanded. His voice was a low warning rumble.

"Father wait," I started stepping forward.

He spun on me. His eyes flashed with irritation. "You have no business with her Serena. She is not your concern. She is a mistake of my past a daughter from a discreet affair that I have kept hidden for good reason. My affairs are not your concern nor is she."

"A mistake?" I echoed. My voice shook with disbelief. "She is your daughter. How could you keep her hidden away like she is some dirty secret? Why did no one tell me?"

"Because you were too busy playing Luna in a pack that never wanted you," he sneered. He pulled Penelope further into the shadows. "Do not question my decisions. You are a guest here and you would do well to remember that. Stay out of my pack matters and stay away from her."

He shoved Penelope toward the stairs. She did not fight him. She looked at me one last time. Her eyes filled with a desperate silent plea for help that made my heart ache.

"Father stop!" I shouted reaching for his arm.

He did not stop. He turned his head just enough to look back at me. His expression was cold and final. "You want to talk about pack matters? You want to be useful? Then mind your own business or you will find yourself back on the road tonight."

I watched them disappear around the corner. The silence of the hallway felt heavier than ever. Gale stepped up beside me. His hand rested on my shoulder.

"Serena do not," he said. "He is not going to listen to you."

"I have to know why he is treating her like this," I whispered. "She is terrified of him Gale. It is not just normal daughterly fear. It is like she is waiting for something bad to happen."

I spent the next hour pacing the library. My mind spun. I could not leave her there. I had to talk to her. I knew the layout of this house better than anyone and I knew how to slip past the guards.

When the hall finally went quiet I crept toward the east wing. I found her room tucked away at the very end of the corridor. The door was cracked open. I slipped inside. Penelope sat on the edge of her bed staring out the window at the dark woods.

"Penelope?" I whispered.

She jumped spinning around. "Serena? What are you doing here? He will kill us both if he finds you."

"He will not find me," I said moving closer. "Tell me why is he hiding you? Why is he treating you like a prisoner?"

She looked down at her hands. Her fingers trembled. "He is not just hiding me. He is selling me."

A cold dread washed over me. "Selling you? What are you talking about?"

"The debts," she whispered. Her voice cracked. "He has been gambling Serena. Losing more money than the pack can afford. He has promised me to a man from a neighboring pack a man three times my age someone known for his cruelty. The wedding is in two weeks. It is the only way he can clear his debt and save his title."

I stared at her. The room spun. My father was not just a cold man. He was a monster. He was trading his own daughter’s future her soul to pay for his own greed.

"Two weeks?" I asked. My voice was barely audible.

"He said it is the price I have to pay for the life he gave me," she cried clutching her arms.

I looked at her and then at the ledger in my bag. I had come here to save my own life to expose the truth about Caden. But now the truth was much bigger than that. I was not just fighting for my own freedom anymore.

"He is not going to sell you," I said. My voice hardened. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"How?" she asked. Her eyes were wide with hope and fear. "He is an Alpha. He will not listen to us."

"He does not have to listen," I said. A dark plan took root in my mind. "I have the proof to take down one Alpha. I think it is time I took down two."

I moved to the window watching the moon rise over the ridge. I had been a pawn a placeholder and a victim. But no more. I had the power to burn their worlds to the ground and for the first time I realized I had the strength to watch them fall.

"Pack your things," I said turning to her. "We are leaving tonight."

"But he will catch us before we reach the gate," she said looking toward the door.

"He will not catch us," I replied. A small dangerous smile touched my lips. "Because he is about to have a much bigger problem on his hands than two missing daughters."