Chapter 3

Lena Novak pov

That evening, during the meal, I kept my eyes lowered as I brought dishes to the dining table.

It was humiliating to see my former fiancé's parents fawning over Rosalie when they had done the very same to me when Gareth proposed.

When the royal courier came to the door, my father took the message, then eyed me from across the room.

He frowned, then lowered his eyes to the parchment in his hands.

“What is it, Alpha Gordon Vale?” Stella questioned, and my father answered, “Our daughter, Rosalie, is being summoned to the high king for tribute this season.”

My eyes widened, then fell on Rosalie and Gareth. Since they weren't wed yet, they would have to send her. The thought made me laugh internally until Stella shrieked loudly that I would be sent for her replacement.

“Our precious daughter is getting married and can't go to be slaughtered by the cruel, hideous king! Send the bastard Lena in her place!”

Shaking my head, I told her that it would insult his highness and ruin my father because I didn't carry a wolf.

“But you have a wolf's essence, Lena, plus witch's blood, and that will suffice for King Ash Ravenhurst,” my father said sternly.

“Besides, it's not like the king will choose you out of all the other tributes,” Rosalie snickered sarcastically.

Pressing my lips together, I glared at her, wrapped in Gareth's arms. I could go, then not be chosen and given a bag of coins to start anew.

“Okay, I will go if you give me my mother's things. I want her grimoire, and I will leave willingly to the tribute,” I stated firmly.

My father gaped at me and furrowed his brow in thought.

“None of your late mother's belongings remain here. I don't know what you’re talking about,” he growled deeply, leaving me speechless while I gazed at him in disbelief.

“Then I refuse to take Rosalie's spot. She can go to the tribute herself!”

Stella threw herself at my father, pleading for him to find the items I asked for.

“Surely they're in storage and not tossed into the fires,” she sobbed.

My lip curled bitterly as Rosalie wept in Gareth's arms.

“Don't be a bitch, Lena. Take her place and keep your head down. The likelihood of someone like you being chosen is rare,” Gareth huffed.

“You all would send me to my death. I have no power, no wolf, and now no means to break my seal,” I mumbled in anger.

I turned to my dad and exhaled slowly.

“Let me check her room that you bricked up!”

His eyes widened at me, and his lips quivered slightly when he asked how I'd known what had been done.

I didn't answer, just gave him a seething glare.

“After you're done with your evening job, I will let you take Alex to knock down the bricked door,” he offered reluctantly.

Nodding, I grinned slightly before thanking him and continuing to the kitchen to do my job. I hadn't noticed the uncertainty that came to my stepmother's eyes or my dad's own frown.

After I had helped dry the last dish, Alex gestured for me to follow him.

We stopped at the tool closet where he grabbed a pry bar and sledgehammer.

“You know where my mom's room was bricked up?” I asked him curiously, and he nodded while he frowned.

“The room has got dark energy and keeps the others away from disturbing it. I hope opening it doesn't cause misfortune,” he said.

Gasping, I snapped, “My mother was a saint; even if she was a powerful witch, she never hurt anyone or any living soul.”

We continued down the stairs and hallway, arriving before the stone and mortar.

“This is it, “ I mumbled sullenly.

Nodding, Alex blew out his breath before lifting the sledgehammer and smashing through the gray brick and mortar.

The sick scent of musty decay filled the air, making my eyes narrow instantly.

Using my hands, I started breaking down the barrier to get inside the closed-off room.

“There's no light, so I can't see inside,” I groaned miserably until Alex switched on a flashlight he had pulled from his back pocket.

“Lena, use this,” he said, grinning.

“Thanks,” I mumbled while taking it from him and shining it into the darkness.

My mind froze at the still figure lying on the bed. Its skeletal arms and bone fingers were holding a dark-covered book.

My heart began to slam within my chest at the realization of who the person was.

“They entombed her within this room; that's why no funeral was held,” I said in anguish.

Looking down at the mummified remains, I eyed the book, curious if it was the grimoire I'd been searching for.

“I don't want to disturb her resting place, but I NEED THAT GRIMOIRE!” I asserted to Alex.

With his eyes shining down at me, Alex said, “If you need it, I can slip it from her grip. Just turn around, because I might need to use force.”

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I nodded before I turned around.

“Be careful; she might have cast a spell,” I warned as I thought of how long she had to have been there.

“Do you think my dad bricked her up in here while she was still alive? She hasn't been gone long enough to become a mummy,” I said softly.

“Depends on if another spellcaster did it,” Alex offered, making me frown.

I was confused by what I was seeing and what my dad and the others had told me about my mom's death.

Swallowing uncomfortably, I turned toward Alex, gripping the book being held by the skeletal remains.

“Stop, I don't feel that is her,” I asserted adamantly.

“Lena, it is your mother; look at the black curly hair and jewelry. It's exactly like she wore,” he said softly.

Moving the light around the remains, I felt my grief rolling down my cheeks.

“Why did they all lie to me about what happened? My father wouldn't even allow me to be by her side during her supposed sickness, then said she didn't want a funeral," I muttered sullenly.

Alex shook his head, then shrugged.

“I don't have any answers, but her grimoire is here, and you need it.”

Nodding slowly, I exhaled and asked him to grab it for me.

While he did that, I said a prayer for my mother and asked the Goddess to watch over her and me.

Alex handed me my mother's grimoire, and I gasped as glowing ribbons of blue electricity crept up between my fingers and forearms.

I dropped the book in surprise and looked up at Alex, who was grinning.

“Let me carry it to your room. You don't want anyone else to witness that,” he said softly while retrieving the book.

“Before we go, help me find her diary,” I said, and I surveyed the room with a keen eye.