บททั้งหมดของ The Omega’s True Legacy: บทที่ 21 - บทที่ 30

Esme's POVThe knock came again, softer this time, almost hesitant. My heart hammered against my ribs as I sat up in bed, every muscle tensing despite the pain that shot through my healing wounds. It was past midnight. My brothers never knocked like that, quiet and uncertain, like whoever stood on the other side was afraid of being heard.I grabbed the small knife Xavier had insisted I keep under my pillow and crossed to the door on silent feet. My hand hovered over the handle, and I pressed my ear against the wood, listening for breathing, movement, or any sign of who waited in the darkness."Esme." The whisper was so faint I almost missed it. "It's me. Please."Miriam.I opened the door just wide enough to see her face. She looked older somehow, more worn down than when I'd met her at the oak tree weeks ago. Her silver-streaked hair was pulled back in a messy braid, and her eyes darted nervously down the hallway like she expected someone to appear at any moment."You shouldn't be h

Esme's POVI woke to knocking. Hard, steady knocking that said whoever stood outside my door wouldn't leave until I answered. My body ached from the weight of secrets that pressed down on my chest like stones."Esme." Xavier's voice came through the wood. "Get dressed. Something professional. We leave in twenty minutes."I sat up too fast. Pain shot through my ribs. "Where are we going?""You want to lead Nightfall someday? Then you need to understand what that actually means. Twenty minutes." His footsteps faded down the hall.I stumbled to my closet, my mind still foggy with sleep and dreams of Mom's journal. I pulled out a dark blue dress that looked grown-up, professional. The kind of thing a leader might wear. But when I looked in the mirror, all I saw was a girl playing pretend, wearing clothes too big for her truth.Nineteen minutes later, I met Xavier at the front door. He wore a charcoal suit that made him look exactly like what he was: Alpha of Nightfall Pack and CEO of a co

Esme's POVThe courthouse stood like a fortress at the center of Nightfall, all stone columns and tall windows that let in cold morning light. I had never been inside before. But after leaving Soren's clinic, I couldn't go home. So I walked until my feet brought me here, where Lucian spent his days fighting battles with words instead of claws.A directory on the wall listed courtrooms by number. Courtroom Three. Lucian Delvin, Attorney at Law. Pack Territory Dispute Resolution. The courtroom doors were heavy oak with brass handles. I slipped inside and took a seat in the back row. The room smelled like old wood and leather. High ceilings. Rows of wooden benches. A judge's bench at the front where an older woman with silver hair sat reading documents. The jury box was empty. This wasn't that kind of trial.Lucian stood at a table on the left side, dressed in a dark suit that made him look older. His blonde hair was perfectly styled, expression was calm, focused. Across from him sat th

Esme's POV"No." I stepped between them. "If you threaten him now, it proves we have something to hide."Xavier's eyes narrowed. "Esme.""She's right." Dorian's voice cut through the tension. "We wait. But not long."The next morning, I woke to whispers.They started in the kitchen. I came downstairs for breakfast and the house staff stopped talking the moment I entered. Their eyes slid away from mine. At the dining table, Selene sat reading a magazine. She wore a cream-colored dress that made her platinum hair shine like ice. When she saw me, her lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile."Morning, sister." Her voice dripped honey. "Sleep well?"I poured coffee, not answering. The silence stretched between us like a razor wire."I heard the most interesting thing at the market this morning," Selene continued, flipping a page without looking at it. "People are talking about you. Saying you've been acting strange. Following councilmen around town, making wild accusations,

Esme's POVThey came at dawn. Three black cars rolling through Nightfall's gates like a funeral procession. I was in the study with my brothers, Mom's evidence spread across the desk like weapons we were preparing for war, when Dorian's phone rang. His face changed. Went hard as stone."Shadow Pack." He said the words like poison. "They're here."My blood turned to ice. Xavier stood, buttoning his suit jacket with movements so precise they looked dangerous. "How many?""Three cars. Lydia, Nora, Eli, and some pack officials." Dorian checked his phone again. "They're demanding a formal meeting. Claiming compensation for resources spent raising Esme."The envelope in my hands crinkled. Mom's evidence. The proof that would destroy Councilman Voss and Elder Marcus. I'd been so focused on the corruption inside Nightfall that I had forgotten about the ghosts from Shadow Pack. The ones who still haunted my nightmares."Compensation?" Lucian's voice was quiet. Deadly. "For twenty years of abu