تسجيل الدخولKAELThe mountain crossing lay exactly where the old survey said it would.A narrow stone bridge stretched across a deep gorge, carrying the only safe road through this part of Greyhaven. Fast water rushed far below, crashing against jagged rocks that had broken countless wagons over the years. Anyone travelling north had little choice but to cross here.Darius reined in his horse beside me as we approached a small trading shelter built a short distance from the bridge."If Eira Vale came this way," he said, "someone here would remember."I nodded and dismounted.An elderly merchant looked up from repairing a wagon wheel. His eyes moved between us cautiously before settling on the folded travel register I carried."I'm looking for a woman travelling under the name Eira Vale," I said. "Dark hair. Protected by Greyhaven escorts."He studied my face before answering."I remember her."Hope rose inside me, though I forced myself to remain calm."When was she here?""Yesterday morning.""W
ELARAWe left Helena's cottage before dawn, following the second map toward the abandoned council mountain archive. The morning air was cool, and a thin mist drifted through the pines, hiding the narrow trail ahead. Ronan rode beside me while two Greyhaven scouts moved farther ahead, checking the road for danger.After everything that had happened over the past few weeks, none of us believed an empty road was truly safe.The council had turned its attention toward Ronan, my room had been searched without a single item being stolen, and someone else had already begun following the paths my mother left behind. Every decision now carried risk, so we avoided villages whenever possible and rested only in places that offered more than one escape route.By midday, one of the scouts returned from the trail ahead."There's a campsite about half a mile from here," he reported. "It looks abandoned."Ronan looked at me before nodding."We'll check it."The campsite sat inside a small clearing sur
KAELI had been inside Greyhaven for less than four days when Blackridge found me.The message arrived shortly after sunrise. A young messenger rode into the village where Darius and I had spent the night, carrying the Blackridge council seal on a leather tube. He looked relieved when he recognized me, as though he had been searching every road in the north."I was told to place this in your hands only, Alpha."I accepted the scroll but didn't open it immediately."Who sent you?""Elder Cassian.""Did he say why?"The messenger shook his head."Only that it was urgent."I dismissed him with instructions to rest before returning home. Once he disappeared into the stable yard, I broke the council seal.The order was brief.By authority of the Blackridge Council, Alpha Kael Voss is instructed to return immediately to Blackridge to answer questions regarding unauthorized travel beyond pack territory and the misuse of council resources.There was no greeting.No explanation.Only a command
ELARAI couldn't stop looking at my mother's necklace.Since Helena had placed it in my hands, I found myself touching the small silver crescent whenever my thoughts became too heavy. It was the first thing my mother had truly left for me, and somehow it made her feel closer than all the hidden records we had uncovered.The necklace rested against my chest as Ronan and I returned to the cottage where Helena had sheltered Liora years before. We had spent the previous evening discussing everything she had told us, but one question refused to leave my mind."If Mother knew she might never return," I said as we entered the cottage, "she would have left more than one clue."Helena looked up from the herbs she was sorting."I wondered how long it would take you to ask that."Ronan smiled faintly."So there is something else.""There may be."She motioned for us to sit before reaching for the wooden box that had once held the necklace. After removing a small cloth lining from the bottom, she
KAELThe name Gareth Vale appeared again three days later.At first, I thought I had made a mistake. Gareth had supposedly died six years ago, and I had already seen enough false records to question every official death in Blackridge. Still, seeing his name appear in a newly delivered border report made me stop reading and begin again from the top.The entry was simple.Travel authorization approved.Name: Gareth Vale.Route: Northern trade corridor.There was no mention of a destination, only a coded reference linked to emergency council authority.Darius stood across the table, watching my expression."What is it?"I handed him the report.His eyes narrowed as he reached the signature."This was issued two weeks ago.""Exactly.""But Gareth Vale has been dead for six years.""That's what the records say."He looked up at me."You don't believe that anymore.""No."I folded the report and slipped it into my satchel."Find out who processed this authorization. If Gareth is truly dead,
ELARAI knew something was wrong the moment I opened the door.Nothing looked broken. The bed remained neatly made, the small table still stood beside the window, and my traveling bag rested exactly where I had left it that morning. Anyone else would have walked inside without noticing a thing.But this room no longer felt like mine.I stood quietly in the doorway, letting my eyes move across every corner instead of rushing inside. During the months I had spent hiding, I had learned that danger rarely announced itself. It lived in small details, and small details had kept me alive.Ronan noticed my hesitation."What is it?""I don't know yet."He remained outside while I stepped carefully into the room. The wooden floor creaked beneath my boots, but nothing else moved. The window was still locked from the inside, and the door showed no marks of forced entry.Whoever had entered knew exactly how to avoid leaving obvious signs.I walked toward the narrow shelf where I kept my healer's s







