Chapter 6: The Secret Beneath the Hatred

For the first time since I became Kael Draven's wife, I woke up before him.

I lay still.

The room was quiet except for the soft sound of his breathing.

He was asleep beside me, one arm resting above his head, his usual intimidating expression gone.

Without the cold eyes.

Without the sharp jaw.

Without the title.

He looked younger.

Almost peaceful.

I hated that I noticed.

I turned away.

Stop looking at him.

He was my husband.

Technically.

But he was also the man who had married me because he wanted revenge against my family.

I couldn't forget that.

I wouldn't.

At least, that was what I told myself.

Then his voice came from behind me.

“Are you going to keep staring?”

I froze.

“You're awake?”

“Have been.”

I slowly turned around.

His eyes were still closed.

“You're annoying.”

“I've been told.”

I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.

He caught it without opening his eyes.

“Violent.”

“Deserved.”

He finally opened his eyes.

And smiled.

That smile.

The one I was beginning to see more often.

I hated it.

Mostly because I liked it.

Breakfast was unusually quiet.

Kael was reading documents while I ate.

I kept glancing at him.

He noticed.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You've looked at me six times.”

“Have you been counting?”

“Yes.”

“That's creepy.”

“Maybe.”

I rolled my eyes.

Then I remembered what he'd told me the previous night.

Your family betrayed mine.

I placed my fork down.

“Kael.”

He looked up.

“What?”

“Tell me about your parents.”

His expression immediately changed.

The warmth disappeared.

“Elara.”

“I know you don't like talking about them.”

“Then don't ask.”

“But I need to know.”

His jaw tightened.

“Why?”

“Because you married me for something I didn't do.”

He stared at me.

“I know.”

“Then tell me why.”

Silence.

He leaned back.

For a long moment, he didn't speak.

Finally, he said,

“After my parents died, I was twelve.”

My heart tightened.

“I was too young to understand what had happened.”

He looked down at the table.

“I only knew that they were gone.”

I didn't interrupt.

“My father was Alpha. My mother was Luna. They were respected by everyone.”

His voice became quieter.

“Then one night, they were attacked.”

“By the Valens?”

His eyes lifted.

“Yes.”

I swallowed.

“How do you know?”

“We found evidence.”

“What kind?”

He hesitated.

“Documents.”

“What documents?”

His expression darkened.

“Orders.”

My stomach twisted.

“Orders from your family.”

I shook my head.

“My father never told me anything about that.”

“Of course he didn't.”

There was no anger in his voice.

Only bitterness.

I looked at him.

“Did you ever confront him?”

“Yes.”

“What happened?”

“He denied everything.”

“And you believed the evidence?”

“I believed what I saw.”

I stared at him.

“But what if the evidence was wrong?”

His eyes narrowed.

“Why would it be?”

“Because people can manipulate evidence.”

He said nothing.

I continued.

“What if someone wanted our families to hate each other?”

For the first time, he looked genuinely surprised.

“Why would you say that?”

“Because this doesn't make sense.”

I stood.

“Generations of hatred. Both families blaming each other. And somehow, nobody ever questioned the original evidence?”

Kael stared at me.

I could see the gears turning in his mind.

Then he said something that made my heart stop.

“Someone did.”

“Who?”

“My father.”

I froze.

“What?”

“Before he died, he told my Beta something.”

“What did he say?”

Kael's eyes darkened.

“He said…”

He paused.

“He didn't trust the Valens.”

“But?”

Kael looked directly at me.

“He didn't trust his own council either.”

That afternoon, Kael took me somewhere I'd never been before.

The old wing of the estate.

It was abandoned.

Dust covered the floors.

The windows were boarded up.

I followed him down a narrow hallway.

“Why are we here?”

“You wanted answers.”

He stopped in front of a door.

“This is where my father kept his private records.”

My heartbeat quickened.

“You've never searched it?”

“I did.”

“And?”

“Nothing.”

He opened the door.

Rows of old shelves filled the room.

Books.

Documents.

Boxes.

Photographs.

Kael walked toward a desk.

I followed.

He opened one drawer.

Empty.

Another.

Empty.

Then the third.

He pulled out a small black box.

“This is the last thing I found.”

He placed it on the desk.

“What is it?”

“I don't know.”

He opened it.

Inside was an old silver pendant.

A wolf engraved on its surface.

I reached for it.

The moment my fingers touched the pendant, my wolf reacted.

A strange pulse moved through me.

I pulled my hand back.

Kael noticed.

“What happened?”

“I don't know.”

He picked it up.

The moment he touched it, nothing happened.

I frowned.

“Why did it react to me?”

“I don't know.”

He stared at the pendant.

Then at me.

“That's impossible.”

“What?”

“My father owned this.”

“So?”

“It was never supposed to react to anyone outside the Draven bloodline.”

My heart raced.

“Then why did it react to me?”

Kael didn't answer.

We spent hours searching the room.

Most of the documents were useless.

Financial reports.

Council records.

Old territory maps.

Until I found something.

A letter.

It was hidden beneath a stack of papers.

I pulled it out.

“Kael.”

He looked over.

“What?”

“I found something.”

He came toward me.

I handed him the letter.

The paper was old.

Almost yellow.

There was no signature.

Only one sentence.

His eyes scanned it.

Then his expression changed.

“What does it say?”

He handed it to me.

I read it.

The Valens are not the enemy.

My breath caught.

I looked at him.

“Kael…”

He took the letter back.

His fingers tightened around it.

“Who wrote this?”

“I don't know.”

“Look at the handwriting.”

I did.

“Do you recognize it?”

His face went pale.

“Yes.”

“Who?”

“My father.”

Silence.

Neither of us moved.

I looked at the letter again.

The Valens are not the enemy.

If Kael's father had written this before his death…

then everything we believed could be wrong.

The revenge.

The hatred.

The marriage.

Everything.

I looked at Kael.

“Your father knew.”

“Apparently.”

“Then why didn't you know?”

He stared at the letter.

“Because someone hid it.”

My stomach dropped.

“Who?”

He looked at me.

“I don't know.”

“But someone wanted you to believe my family killed yours.”

“Yes.”

“And someone wanted me to marry you.”

His expression hardened.

“Yes.”

I whispered,

“Why?”

Kael didn't answer.

Because suddenly, neither of us knew.

That night, we sat on the balcony.

Neither of us spoke for several minutes.

The moon was bright above us.

I wrapped my arms around myself.

“Do you still hate my family?”

Kael stared into the distance.

“I don't know.”

“Do you hate me?”

He turned toward me.

“No.”

The answer came too quickly.

My heart skipped.

“You don't?”

“No.”

“Then what do you feel?”

He looked at me for a long moment.

Something vulnerable appeared in his eyes.

“I don't know.”

I smiled faintly.

“That's the first honest thing you've said all day.”

He almost smiled.

Then his gaze dropped to my hand.

The ring.

He reached for it.

His fingers brushed mine.

“Do you regret signing?”

I thought about it.

“Yes.”

His hand immediately pulled away.

I looked at him.

“But…”

He waited.

“I don't regret meeting you.”

He stared at me.

Neither of us spoke.

Then he slowly took my hand again.

This time, he didn't let go.

His thumb brushed over my knuckles.

“You should stay away from me.”

My heart tightened.

“Why?”

“Because I'm dangerous.”

“So am I.”

His lips curved.

“You're not.”

“You don't know me.”

“I know enough.”

I looked at our hands.

“Kael.”

“Yes?”

“If the truth about our families is different from what we thought…”

He waited.

“What happens to our marriage?”

His eyes met mine.

For the first time, there was no coldness in them.

No revenge.

Only uncertainty.

“I don't know.”

I nodded.

“Neither do I.”

His fingers tightened around mine.

Then he whispered,

“But I don't want to lose you.”

My heart stopped.

I looked at him.

He looked away immediately, as if he hadn't meant to say it.

“Kael…”

“Forget I said that.”

“No.”

He looked back.

“I won't.”

For a moment, we simply stared at each other.

Then he leaned closer.

Slowly.

Giving me enough time to move away.

I didn't.

His forehead rested against mine.

His breathing was warm against my skin.

“Elara…”

My eyes closed.

His hand moved to my cheek.

And just when I thought he would kiss me—

A loud knock echoed from inside the estate.

We pulled apart.

“Alpha!”

Kael stood immediately.

“What?”

The door opened.

Zayden stood there, breathing heavily.

“We found something.”

Kael's expression hardened.

“What?”

Zayden looked at both of us.

Then held up a document.

“Someone has been accessing the old family records.”

My heart sank.

“When?”

“Recently.”

Kael took the document.

“Who?”

Zayden shook his head.

“We don't know.”

He looked toward me.

“But whoever it is…”

His expression became serious.

“They're looking for the same thing we are.”

Kael's eyes darkened.

“What thing?”

Zayden swallowed.

“The truth.”

I looked at Kael.

And suddenly, I understood.

Our marriage wasn't just a revenge story.

Someone else had been pulling the strings.

And whoever that person was… had been watching us from the beginning.

The contract that brought Kael and me together might have been written by us.

But the reason behind it?

Someone else had written that part.