Chapter 18

Serena’s POV

The girl did not run. She stood there frozen staring at me with a look of pure unadulterated awe. Her face was a ghost of my own, a mirror from a different life. Before I could move toward her a shadow fell over the hallway. My father 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, pulling 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, finding Penelope sitting 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 and 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."

Penelope stared at me. Her hands shook as she stood up. "You really mean that? You would risk everything for me? We barely know each other."

"You are my sister," I said firmly. "That is enough. I know what it feels like to be trapped in a cage built by your own father. I will not let you suffer the same fate I did. Caden used me as a placeholder. Your father wants to sell you off like property. We both deserve better than this."

She wiped tears from her eyes. "The man he promised me to is cruel. He has a reputation for breaking omegas. If I go through with the wedding I will not survive a year. Father does not care. He only sees the gold it will bring."

"Then we make sure the wedding never happens," I replied. I pulled the ledger from my bag and held it up. "This contains proof of Caden’s crimes. Embezzlement rogue alliances and enough financial trails to bring the Council down on Thornblood. I can use the same evidence against my father. His gambling debts, his hidden deals. If I present it to the Lycan King or the Council they will have no choice but to investigate."

Penelope’s eyes widened. "The Lycan King? He is coming tomorrow. Father is terrified. He wants everything perfect for the inspection."

"Exactly," I said. A spark of determination lit inside me. "We use that visit to our advantage. While Father is busy bowing and scraping we make sure the King sees the truth. Or at least enough of it to start asking questions."

Gale appeared at the door. He had followed me silently. "My lady, this is dangerous. Alpha Grey has guards everywhere. If he catches us helping Penelope escape he will not hesitate to punish you both."

"I know the risks Gale," I said. "But I cannot abandon her. You saw how he treats her. She is family. My family. And after everything I have been through I refuse to let another innocent girl be sacrificed for power and money."

Penelope stepped closer. "Thank you Serena. I have been so alone here. No one ever looked at me like I mattered. Father keeps me hidden because I am proof of his weakness. A reminder of his mistakes."

"You matter to me," I told her. I took her hands in mine. They were cold and trembling. "We will leave together. Tonight or tomorrow during the chaos of the King’s visit. We head for the border. Once we are safe I will submit the evidence. Caden Grey, both of them will face justice."

"What if they come after us?" Penelope asked. Her voice was small but hopeful.

"They will try," I said. "But we will be ready. I have Gale and I have the truth on my side. No more running scared. No more being pawns. It is time we became the players."

We spent the next few minutes planning in hushed voices. Penelope gathered a small bag of essentials while I outlined escape routes I remembered from my childhood. Gale stood guard at the door offering quiet suggestions about patrols and weak points in security.

As the night deepened I felt a new strength settle over me. The girl who had been discarded by Caden was gone. In her place stood someone ready to fight for herself and for the sister she had just found.

"Get some rest Penelope," I said finally. "Tomorrow changes everything."

She nodded. For the first time a small smile touched her lips. "I believe you."

I slipped out of the room with Gale close behind. The weight of the ledger in my bag felt lighter now. It was no longer just my weapon. It was our key to freedom. 

As I made my way back to my chambers I whispered a silent vow. No Alpha would control my fate again. Not Caden. Not my father. And certainly not the shadows closing in around us. The fire I had kept buried for years was finally burning bright. And I would let it consume everything in its path.