Se connecterCHAPTER 101 — ANOTHER HEIRElena's POVI couldn't take my eyes off the woman standing in front of me. Only a few minutes ago, I had believed I was the last surviving Thorne heir, and now someone who looked enough like me to make my heart race was claiming she belonged to the same family. I wanted to believe her, but I had learned too many times that appearances could be deceiving.“If you're really a Thorne, then prove it,” I demanded, keeping my eyes fixed on her as I folded my arms. “I won't believe another family story just because you look like me. I need something real, something that cannot be explained away,” I added, refusing to let another mystery become another lie.“This belonged to our family long before either of us was born,” the woman replied, reaching beneath her clothing and bringing out a small pendant. She held it carefully in her palm before turning it toward me. “The mark on it belongs to the old Thorne royal line. Your family used the same mark on their bloodline
CHAPTER 100 — THE WOMAN IN THE VEILElena's POVThe ride back to Gerafil was quiet, but my mind was filled with questions. The message we had received at the meeting location kept playing in my head. Someone inside my family was helping The Founder, and now we knew that the person had been close enough to know our plans before we even left. I couldn't stop wondering how many people around me were hiding something.“We need to find the traitor before someone else dies,” I said, standing beside the large window in Xander's study as I looked over the palace grounds. Xander remained behind his desk, going through the information we had collected. “I agree,” he replied, closing one file before looking at me. “But we can't accuse anyone without proof. The Founder wants us to turn against each other.”“Then we need to be smarter than him,” I answered, turning toward Xander as I folded my arms. “We've spent too much time following the clues he leaves behind. Maybe it's time we stop waiting fo
CHAPTER 99 — THE TRAPXander's POVThe meeting location looked exactly like the kind of place someone would choose if they wanted to stay hidden. It was far from the busy pack roads, surrounded by thick trees and old abandoned buildings that had not been used in years. I arrived with Elena's brothers and the warriors, but the moment I stepped out of the vehicle, something inside me told me we had a problem.“Stay where you are,” I ordered, raising one hand as the warriors started moving toward the building. “Nobody enters until I check the area first. We were given a meeting point, but I don't like how quiet this place is,” I explained, scanning the trees and the empty road while trying to sense any movement nearby.“Where is he?” one of Elena's brothers asked, looking around with growing frustration. “There isn't even a guard here,” he pointed out, walking a few steps before stopping. I shook my head while checking the surroundings again. “I know. There should at least be someone wat
CHAPTER 98 — ELENA'S PLANElena's POVThe thought stayed with me long after Xander told me about the name he had found in the records. Someone inside my family had been feeding The Founder information, and that meant hiding inside the palace would not keep us safe. If he already knew about my childhood, my daughter, and my bloodline, then reacting to every move he made would only give him more control.“I want to meet him,” I said, standing near the window as I looked out at the palace grounds. Xander turned toward me so quickly that I could see the anger in his face before he even answered. “No. Absolutely not. You heard what that man has done. I'm not letting you walk into his hands,” he replied firmly.“You're thinking about this the wrong way,” I told him, turning away from the window to face him. “I'm not saying I want to meet him because I trust him. I'm saying I want to use the one thing he can't ignore. He is obsessed with my bloodline, and we can use that obsession against hi
CHAPTER 97 — THE OFFERXander's POVI didn't sleep that night. After Elena told me someone inside her family might still be speaking to The Founder, I returned to my study and spread every document across the desk. The palace was quiet, but my mind refused to settle. The message had given us too many answers and too many new questions at the same time.“The location in this message has to mean something,” I muttered, tracing the information with my finger as I compared it with an old map. The place wasn't inside any of the major pack territories, which made it difficult to trace. There were no clear records of a strong pack ruling the area, and that was exactly what made it useful to someone who wanted to remain hidden.“This is outside the usual borders,” I said, leaning back as I studied the map again. “If The Founder has been operating from here, nobody would notice his movements easily,” I explained to myself, marking the location before reaching for another set of records. The mo
CHAPTER 96 — THE FOUNDER'S MESSAGEElena's POVThe message arrived before sunrise, delivered by a palace guard who looked nervous about bringing it to me. There was no sender's name on the envelope, only my name written across the front in dark ink. I stared at it for several seconds before opening it, already feeling that something about the letter was wrong.“You should not be receiving letters like this,” I whispered, slowly breaking the seal as I looked around the quiet room. I expected another threat, perhaps another warning about The Founder, but the first few lines made my heart stop. He knew things about my daughter that nobody outside Gerafil should have known.“She has your eyes,” the message read, and I froze completely. My fingers tightened around the paper as I continued reading. The Founder mentioned the small mark near my daughter's shoulder, something I had never spoken about outside my closest family. He even knew about a habit she had developed recently, something on







