All Chapters of MATERD TO THE SON OF THE DEMON KING: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Mercy's POVHis hands were still shaking when I reached for them."Timothee," I said."I don't understand this," he said, staring at the folder like it might disappear if he looked away. "I've never been here before to the extent I would remember something like that.""Maybe it's a mistake," I said, though I didn't believe it myself."Files don't get mistaken with a full name and a date, Mercy," he said, looking worriedThen I opened the folder wider so we could both see it properly.There wasn't much inside, just a single sheet of paper with faded print, some boxes left blank, and one photograph clipped to the corner.I pulled the photograph free and held it up under the dim light from the hallway.A boy stared back at us. Dark hair with a green eyes. A jaw that could have belonged to Timothee if I hadn't known him so well."That's not me," Timothee said quietly."I know," I said."But he looks..""Like you," I finished. "Almost exactly like you."He took the photo from my hands, tur

Timothee's POVI felt her staring before I even turned around.It wasn't the usual weight of Lydia's attention either, the kind she gave everyone just to remind them she existed. This was sharper, more focused, the way a hunter looks at something before deciding whether it's worth the chase.I kept talking to my teammate like I hadn't noticed, but every instinct in me had already shifted into something careful."You good, man?" my teammate asked, following my gaze."I'm fine," I said, though I wasn't sure that was true."Timothee," Lydia's voice cut through a second later.Then, I turned to face her.Gone was the usual smirk, the mocking tone she used on everyone else in this school. Her face was calm now, calculating, which was somehow worse."Lydia.""I have a question," she said, stepping closer. "And I want an actual answer this time.""That depends on the question," I said."What pack are you from?" She asked"Excuse me?""You heard me," she said. "What family? What bloodline? I'

Timothee's POVMy phone rang the next morning before I'd even made it to breakfast. It was "Aunt Raven.""Good morning to you, too," she said, her voice lighter than it had been in weeks. "No panic this time, I promise.""That's a first.""I wanted to talk to you about your heart," she said. "It's been a while since we checked how far the healing has come along. I'd like you to come home soon so I can see for myself."I stopped walking."How soon is soon?""Not tomorrow," she said. "But soon. Weeks, not months. I know you have a life there now, Timothee. I'm not trying to take you away from it. I just need to see you.""I'll think about it," I said."That's all I ask," she said.Then she hung up, and I stood there in the hallway a moment longer than I needed to, turning the idea over. Home, the palace. Everything I'd been avoiding thinking about since the day I met Mercy.I found her at her locker before first period."You look like you're carrying something heavy," she said, closing t

Timothee's POVI saw her claws coming and something in me refused to move.Maybe it was exhaustion from constantly hiding. Maybe it was pride, some stupid instinct that said if I flinched now, I'd be proving her right about everything she suspected.Whatever it was, I stood still."Timothee!" Mercy's voice tore through the air, sharp with panic.Lydia's claws caught me across the cheek, four thin lines of fire dragging down my skin.The pain was sharp, immediate, and then gone almost as fast as it came, that familiar warmth spreading beneath my skin, knitting everything back together before the sting had even fully registered.Lydia froze mid motion, her hand still raised, staring at her own claws like they'd betrayed her somehow."What," she said slowly.I didn't move nor did I say anything. There wasn't exactly a good excuse ready for this one..Then she stepped closer, squinting at my face in the fading light, searching for the cut that should have been there, the blood that should

Timothee's POVThe car had barely cleared the front gates when it hit me.A sharp pull low in my chest, nothing like the illness, nothing like the pain that usually dragged me to my knees. This was different, sharper, urgent in a way that had nothing to do with my own body.Mercy, I called out.Then, I gripped the edge of the seat, my knuckles going white."Sir?" the driver asked, glancing at me through the mirror. "Are you unwell?""Stop the car," I said."We're already behind schedule. Your aunt specifically instructed…""I said stop the car," I shouted.But something in my voice must have carried more weight than I meant it to, because he eased off the road immediately, the tires crunching against gravel as we slowed.Before it had even fully stopped I had the door open, my heart pounding harder than it should have been for a body that was supposed to be healing."Sir, your aunt is expecting""Turn it around," I said. "Now.""I have strict instructions to bring you directly to the