LOGINLiam’s POVCalista laughed, a short, hollow sound that didn’t carry any warmth. She turned away from Daphne and faced the tomb instead, resting her palm on the cold stone as if it were the only thing there that understood her.“You ask questions like a child who thinks answers are owed,” she said calmly. “Blood doesn’t make a mother. Survival does.”Daphne stepped closer, shaking her head. “Stop talking in riddles. I deserve the truth.”Thorne shifted beside me. I felt it, the way his body went rigid, the way his jaw locked as if every word Calista spoke was a test he was trying not to fail.“She deserves it,” Thorne said quietly. “Whatever you think you’re protecting, it’s already broken.”Calista turned then, slowly, her eyes finding Thorne’s face. For a brief moment, something unreadable passed between them. Recognition, maybe. Or regret.“You look too much like him,” she said. “That alone tells me you are exactly who you claim to be.”My chest tightened.Killian took a step forwar
Liam’s POV Sleep never came. I lay there the entire night, staring into nothing, counting thoughts instead of hours. We were supposed to meet Calista, and the idea of seeing her again sat in my chest like unfinished business. I didn’t just want answers from her, I wanted blood. If Daphne truly was what Thorne believed she was, and Calista had carried that truth in silence all these years, then she’d made her choice long ago. I wouldn’t hesitate to make mine.A loud knock shattered the quiet.“Wait up, hot headed Beta!” Thorne’s voice followed, sharp and relentless, his fist banging against my door like he owned the place.I groaned, dragged the duvet off my body, and sat up. “Give me just five minutes,” I called back. “Five. Not a second less.”We’d been living under the same roof for a while now, by circumstance, not by agreement. Endless arguments, complaining about foods I poured my whole talent into making, clashing tempers, doors slammed more times than I could count. Still,
Isla’s POV The entire drive back, I said nothing. Not a word. Even when we arrived and stepped out, I stayed behind and watched Killian walk inside after asking me, again and again, what was wrong with my dull countenance.I had no answer to give him. Or maybe I did, and it was too obvious to bother saying. Daphne was about to be dragged through hell for something that should have ended with me.I stood there a moment longer, letting the distance between us stretch, then turned to follow him inside.That was when Liam stepped into my path.“We need to talk,” he said.“I don’t have the strength for whatever you think is necessary to talk about now,” I replied, already moving past him. “Not tonight.”I barely made it a step before his hand closed around mine.“Let go,” I snapped, tugging, trying to pull free.“I checked Grayson’s records,” he said, his grip tightening just enough to stop me. “E
Isla’s POV For a moment, no one spoke.The compass didn’t just twitch, it settled, the needle locking into place. Thorne’s grip tightened around the object, his thumb brushing the rim as if to be sure it wasn’t playing tricks on him. Daphne stared at her finger, then at the compass, then back at Thorne, disbelief written plainly across her face.“That’s impossible,” she said. “I’m not from your damned pack.”Thorne didn’t answer her right away. His attention was fixed on the needle, his jaw clenched so tightly a vein stood out along his neck. “Blood doesn’t lie,” he said at last. “Names do. Records do. People do. But trust me, blood doesn’t.”Killian stepped forward, placing himself half a step between Thorne and Daphne. “You said the heir was lost,” he said. “Not living comfortably under another name.”“Lost doesn’t always mean living wretchedly or dead,” Thorne replied. “Sometimes it means hidden. Some
Isla’s POV We pulled up in front of Daphne’s house with a shared, unspoken understanding that something wasn’t right. No one said it aloud, but it sat between us inevitably. We stepped out together, moving toward the gate with purpose, not urgency. Whatever Thorne was tangled in, it wasn’t something brute force could fix. If he was trapped inside some illusion, then charging in blind would only make it worse. The goal wasn’t confrontation, it was to pull him back, to shake him loose from whatever had wrapped itself around his mind.Then we saw him.Thorne stood just beyond the gate, motionless, his posture stiff, his gaze fixed straight ahead. He looked present, yet not fully here, like someone caught between waking and dreaming. He didn’t acknowledge our arrival. He didn’t move forward. He didn’t retreat.He just stood there, right at the threshold, as if he couldn’t enter without our permission.
Isla’s POV I was awake before the alarm even had a chance to go off, my body stirring on its own as if it already knew sleep would be pointless. Curiosity sat heavy on my chest, louder than any ringing clock could have been. No matter how hard I tried to lie still, my thoughts kept circling back to one thing, replaying Thorne’s words over and over until they felt carved into my mind.I rolled onto my side, staring ahead, unable to shake the urge pulling at me. Whoever this daughter was, whoever Thorne claimed to have found, must be me.The night before hadn’t offered answers, only questions, and they followed me into the early hours, refusing to loosen their grip.By the time I finally sat up, fully awake, there was no trace of sleep left in me. I wasn’t tired. I wasn’t calm. I was waiting. Waiting to see the truth he spoke of, waiting to see the daughter Thorne said he found.“Are you curious if it's you?” Killian as







