All Chapters of The Last Blackthorne Heir Returns: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

"And our pack house?" I asked softly, almost afraid of the answer.Kane's arm slid around my waist, pulling me against his side. "Our pack house is where we found each other. Where did you learned who you really are? Where you claimed your power.""It's both," Liam suggested gently. "You're Blackthorne and Maxwell now. Both bloodlines, both legacies, both homes."I considered this as we continued exploring the grand house, room by room. In what must have been my parents' private quarters, I found a small hidden compartment behind a loose stone in the fireplace, somehow overlooked by the Northern Alliance during their occupation.Inside was a silver locket containing a tiny portrait of my parents holding an infant with wisps of dark hair. Me. On the back were engraved three simple words: "Always with you."Tears spilled down my cheeks as I clutched the locket to my chest. This small token of my parents' love had survived seventeen years of occupation, waiting for me to return and claim

I looked up at him, momentarily confused until I caught the implication in his words. Our children, the future heirs of the combined Blackthorne-Maxwell bloodlines. Would sleep in the same crib that had once held me. The thought sent a flutter of emotion through my chest, too complex to name."Yes," I agreed, holding the journal close to my heart. "A piece of the past to carry into our future."We spent the rest of the day exploring the house, discovering other rooms that had been protected from the Northern Alliance's influence. My father's study, where maps and books still lay open on his desk as if he'd just stepped out for a moment. My mother's private sitting room, where her scent lingered faintly in the fabric of the curtains. Each discovery was another thread connecting me to the parents I'd lost, the life I should have had.By evening, the main living areas had been cleared of Northern Alliance presence and prepared for our overnight stay. We would sleep in my ancestral home t

I placed my palm against the barrier, feeling its cold resistance against my skin. "I am Seraphina Blackthorne, daughter of Alpha Kieran and Luna Raven. This house is mine by blood and right. You will yield to me."For a moment, nothing happened. Then I felt a sharp pain as the barrier tested my claim, drawing a thin line of blood across my palm. Diamond snarled, not with pain but with triumph as the darkness began to dissolve, revealing the chamber beyond."Oh my goddess," I gasped, stumbling backward into Kane's arms.The room was a laboratory, or perhaps more accurately, a torture chamber. Steel tables with restraints lined the walls. Surgical equipment, much of it stained with old blood, lay organised on trays. But it was the documentation that made my blood run cold. They had been testing on my parents before they died, and the worst part was yet to be discovered: the reason for the twisted Blackthorne magic.“That’s…that’s not possible,” I gasped.“What’s not possible, love?” Fin

My legs suddenly felt too weak to support me. I sank onto a nearby stool, trying to process this new layer of betrayal. "They didn't just know who I was, they knew about the prophecy. About me being fated to all four of you.""The Deltas were more deeply involved than we realized," Kane said, his voice tight with controlled rage. "This wasn't just about taking money to mistreat you. They were active participants in the Northern Alliance's plans.""But why?" I asked, the question tearing from my throat. "What did they gain from it?"Liam picked up another document, his expression grim as he scanned it. "According to this, they were promised positions of power once the Northern Alliance took complete control of the region. Clyde would have been elevated to Alpha status with his own territory."The bitter laugh that escaped me held no humour. "All those years of Clyde complaining about being 'stuck' as a Delta, of wanting more for Jon... he was planning to betray his Alpha the entire time

"When you were about twelve," he said. "Right after you started getting taller. Mom was panicking about something, saying the 'timing was off' and that 'they' wouldn't be pleased. Dad told me that night that I had a special responsibility to the pack, to make sure that you never gained confidence or friends." I processed this, trying to fit it into what we knew. "And you never questioned why your parents were receiving extra money? Money that was supposed to be for my care but clearly wasn't being spent on me?" Confusion flickered across Jon's face. "What money?" Either he was an exceptional actor, or he genuinely didn't know about the financial arrangements. I changed tactics. "Have you ever heard the name Elias?" I as