تسجيل الدخول꧁ ASHER'S POVI found Lyra in the small sitting room off my private quarters, the same room where I'd first laid out the full truth of the curse months earlier, and something in her stillness told me before she spoke a single word that whatever she'd come to tell me would cost us both something significant."I need to show you something," she said, and set Idris's confirmation page on the table between us, her hand steady despite what I could see sitting heavy behind her eyes.I read the trust registration slowly, the name settling into place with a weight I didn't fully absorb until the second time through. Selene Greyson. Individual holder, independent authority, the exact structure I'd spent weeks assuming belonged somewhere closer to Marcus's household without ever once considering it might trace directly to my own aunt."That's not possible," I said, the denial arriving before I'd consciously chosen it, some old instinct rejecting the sentence the same way Lyra's had, apparently,
꧁ LYRA'S POVIdris arrived at the records room with none of his usual dry patience, moving fast enough that I understood, before he'd even set his satchel down, that whatever he'd found had come together quicker than either of us expected."The trust," he said, pulling out a single page. "I got the governing documents. Took some careful maneuvering, but they're legitimate, properly sourced.""And?""It's not a general Greyson family trust the way the earlier filing suggested." He set the page in front of me, tapping a line near the top. "It's specifically structured, individually held. Registered to Selene Greyson."Something in my chest refused the word immediately, faster than thought, my mind rejecting the sentence before I'd even fully processed what it meant. "That can't be right.""I checked it twice before bringing it to you." Idris's voice stayed level, patient despite the urgency he'd carried into the room moments earlier. "I know what this probably feels like to hear. But th
JAXON'S POVAurelia's call came through while I was still sitting with the itemized folder Thomas had given me days earlier, the numbers still burning behind my eyes every time I closed them. I answered without much enthusiasm, expecting another careful, calculated conversation designed to steer me somewhere I'd resent later."I know this is hard for you," she said, before I'd even finished my greeting, her voice carrying none of the practiced warmth I'd learned to recognize weeks ago. Something rawer instead, something that actually sounded like her. "I saw the folder Dad showed you. I went through the same thing myself, a few days before you did.""You saw it too.""Every line item." Something bitter entered her voice, and for the first time in weeks, I believed the emotion was entirely her own instead of something calibrated for my benefit. "Do you understand what it's like, Jaxon? Growing up outside a family like ours, watching from the edges, and then finally getting invited back
꧁ LYRA'S POVThe community center had come together faster than I expected, three months of careful planning finally taking physical shape in the converted training hall Grace had helped me secure — long tables stacked with donated supplies, a corner set aside for the tutoring program I'd been building for pack children who fell through the cracks the way I almost had, growing up without real standing in my own family.I wore simple green that afternoon, practical rather than ceremonial, and felt more at ease in my own skin than I had at any formal event since arriving at Greyson territory. This wasn't politics dressed up as generosity. This was the thing I'd actually wanted to build, finally taking shape in front of me.Selene arrived an hour into the event, dove gray again, unhurried and warm the way she always seemed to be, and something in my chest lifted at the sight of her. I'd started looking forward to her presence in rooms like this one, the particular ease she brought that f
꧁ ASHER'S POVIdris arrived at my study without ceremony, Grace trailing behind him with the particular brisk energy she carried whenever a piece of investigation finally moved somewhere solid instead of circling scattered fragments."Ownership records," Idris said, setting a thin folder on my desk. "Took longer than the week I promised, but I wanted it airtight before bringing it to you."I opened the folder, scanning the property registration he'd flagged, the same address Grace's earlier financial trail had connected to Whitfield and Cross's original incorporation filing. My gaze caught on the registered owner, and something in my chest tightened, recalibrating fast."A household trust," I said. "Not Marcus directly.""Correct." Idris tapped the page, his expression dry, unimpressed by my surprise. "Registered under the Greyson household trust structure, which technically covers property held for the extended family rather than any single individual's personal assets. Doesn't clear
꧁ AURELIA'S POVSelene chose her private sitting room this time, not the discreet tea room where we'd first properly met, and something in the shift felt deliberate the moment I stepped through the door — fewer eyes, fewer ears, the particular privacy reserved for conversations that actually mattered."Sit," she said, warm as always, gesturing to the chair across from her own. "I think it's time we discussed the full shape of what happens once this succeeds."My heart quickened at that, some old, careful instinct still bracing for another deflection, another vague promise wrapped around an instruction I didn't fully understand the purpose of. Months of Whitmore's careful evasions had trained me to expect exactly that. Selene's directness, when it came, still managed to catch me slightly off guard."I'm listening," I said."Once the documentation surfaces and Lyra's claim to William's inheritance collapses under scrutiny, the estate reverts to proper succession." Selene said it plainly
꧁ LYRA'S POVMy head was pounding.I groaned, pressing my palm against my forehead as consciousness slowly returned. The sheets beneath me were impossibly soft, far nicer than anything I owned, and they smelled like cedar and winter and…Oh god.Memory crashed over me in waves. The club. The dare.
By noon, the house was in chaos. Caterers bustled through the kitchen. Eleanor barked orders about flower arrangements. Thomas paced in his study, rehearsing what he'd say to his long-lost daughter.I watched it all from the landing, my heart a stone in my chest.At 2 PM, a car pulled up the drivew
I gasped awake, my heart slamming against my ribs like a caged animal trying to escape.Oh My..I pressed a hand against my racing heart as everything instanrly started slamiing back in.Jaxon’s cold eyes, Aurellia’s laughter…the knife…Jaxon’s kicks and punches…him stabbing me after his cruel words
My hands trembled as I picked up the pregnancy test staring back at me, for like the third time in the past few minutes.As if checking it again and again would somehow change the result, or better yet, change everything else.But nothing changed. The two pink lines remained there, unchanging.Preg







