I felt overwhelmed with feelings. I seriously didn't know how to feel. Whether to cry or just scream to remove the ache that never seemed to leave my chest.I had always known they were innocent. I had always known that they had been killed unjustly. My mother would never hurt anyone. Not intentionally. But what breaks my heart now, what really shatters me from the inside out, is that after so many years of being spat on, cast aside, labeled the traitor's daughter—it's finally confirmed.She was innocent.But it's too late.They're dead. Killed for something they knew nothing about. Buried with lies they never had the chance to clear.I sighed, long and slow, pushing my room door open and stepping inside. The moment the door shut behind me, I leaned against it, letting the cool wood press against my back.There was this burning in my chest—an ache that throbbed with every breath. It wouldn’t go away. Not until I found whoever orchestrated that bloodbath and pinned it on my mother.I p
“What is it, Matteo?" I asked as soon as I stepped out of the car and he just kept looking at me like there was something he was looking for.I knew Matteo. He was very smart and one wrong move he'd know that something was up. It's not that I don't trust him, but I was just being careful. At this point even walls have ears. I didn't want to talk about my recovery in this palace because I didn't know who was watching or listening.“Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you. You had me worried, especially with what we found this morning." That immediately got my attention."What happened?” "Let's talk in your office,” he said and I nodded as we started making our way to my office.I couldn't help but wonder what happened that had him like this. Like he had seen a ghost from the past or something.If this was one of Domenico's tricks he'll hate what I have planned out for him.We finally reached my office and Matteo moved aside for me to enter and I did. He entered, clos
Family.That one word kept ringing in my head like a curse without cure. Family. I didn't know how to feel about that or what to think.Raven was sitting beside me in the passenger seat looking lost in her thoughts just like me.“Who do you think could be behind it?" She finally asked as she turned to me.If I say I had an answer to that I'd be lying because who…which of my family members that was still alive that could have been responsible for what happened that night.My uncle? Of course not. That night took his wife—his mate and beloved and he almost died.Nothing made sense. My mother lost almost all her family that night and the ones that survived only showed their faces when necessary so in reality Dante and my uncle Marcos were the only family I had left. Then who could it be? Does she consider one of the council people as family? Could it be what she meant? Or does she mean someone very close to me?“I don't know Raven. I don't know—I was so young back then and hadn't even
Regina bowed her head, her fingers still trembling as they clutched the hem of her shirt."I’m sorry," she whispered, voice tight. "I should have opened the door sooner. My king."Xander’s hand tightened around mine, but he didn’t speak. Neither did I. There was something about her apology that felt... heavier than it should have. Like the weight of years pressed behind every word.Regina stepped aside, motioning to the worn-out sofa in the modest living room. A thin blanket was folded over the backrest, and the coffee table was cluttered with unopened mail and a dusty photo frame flipped facedown."Please, sit. I can make coffee—""It’s fine," Xander said gently. "We’re not here for coffee. We just want to know what happened. That night."Regina flinched like the words struck her physically. She nodded once, hugging her arms around herself as she walked around to the chair opposite us and slowly sank into it. Her shoulders curled inward like she was trying to make herself smaller.Th
The neighborhood was quiet.Too quiet.As Xander pulled the car onto a narrow street lined with faded picket fences and sleepy-looking houses, I pressed my nose to the glass, squinting at the numbers on each door."Are you sure this is the place?" I asked, scanning the row of homes. The trees were tall here, casting lazy shadows on the pavement, and the only sound was the wind rustling through their branches.Xander checked the folded paper in his hand and nodded. “Yes. This is it.”We parked in front of a small, pale blue house nestled at the end of the cul-de-sac. It was modest, with a garden overgrown with ivy and a single windchime dangling from the porch roof, clinking softly in the breeze.It didn’t look like the kind of place where secrets lived.But I’d learned by now—secrets don't need a castle. Sometimes, it hides in places just like this.We stepped out of the car together. Xander reached for my hand, and I gave it willingly, letting him thread our fingers together as we wa
“There's one more thing we need to take care of before returning to the palace." Xander said and I turned to him in curiosity. “And what is that?" I asked, "Before my nanny died, she told me to look for her daughter, that she'll be able to give me some answers, she gave me an address,” he said as he pulled out something from his pocket. A folded paper. “We'll have to find her and speak to her. I really want to know what happened that night. Who was behind everything." He said and I nodded. “Me too. Once and for all, I need to know who made me suffer so long when my mother was innocent." "I'm sorry, Raven…I…” Xander said with a sigh but I shook my head. "It wasn't your fault. We'll definitely get to the bottom of this.” I said as I took his hand and squeezed in encouragement. “Yeah. Let's go." He said as he took my hand and we started walking. “Hold on a minute, this place we're going to, where exactly is it?” I asked and Xander turned to me with a smile. “The human town,"