The Hidden Truth

I didn't wait until morning.

The moment the silver-eyed girl vanished, I slipped out of my chambers and made my way through the darkened corridors. The palace was silent, the guards stationed at their posts, the servants asleep in their quarters.

I moved like a ghost—quiet, careful, invisible.

I had learned to be invisible in the streets of Lunaris. That skill had kept me alive. And tonight, it would help me find answers.

The old wolf's quarters were in the servants' wing, a small room at the end of a narrow corridor. I had asked Seraphine about him before she left. She had looked confused.

"Old wolf?" she had said. "I don't know anyone who fits that description."

I had felt a chill run down my spine.

He's been in this palace longer than anyone remembers.

But no one remembered him.

I reached his door and knocked softly. No answer. I knocked again. Nothing.

I pushed the door open.

The room was empty.

The bed was unmade. The wardrobe was open, its contents scattered across the floor. Drawers had been pulled from the dresser, their contents dumped in piles.

Someone had been here before me.

I stepped inside, my heart pounding. The room was small and cramped, filled with the scent of dust and age. I searched through the piles of clothes, the scattered papers, the broken trinkets.

Nothing.

Whoever had come here had taken everything of value. Or everything of importance.

I was about to leave when I noticed something.

A loose floorboard near the bed.

I knelt down and pried it open with my fingers. Inside was a small leather pouch, worn with age.

I opened it.

A letter.

The paper was yellowed and brittle, the handwriting faded but still legible. I unfolded it carefully, my hands trembling.

To my beloved daughter,

If you are reading this, then I am gone. And you are in danger.

Your mother loved you more than anything in this world. She would have given her life for you. In fact, she did.

Isolde was not alone in the conspiracy. She had allies inside the palace—people who helped her destroy your mother and steal your birthright. One of them was someone your mother trusted. Someone she loved like a sister.

Be careful who you trust, Selene. The ones who smile the brightest are often the ones who hide the darkest secrets.

Your father,

King Aldric

I read the letter three times.

My hands were shaking. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.

Isolde had allies. Someone my mother trusted had betrayed her. Someone she loved like a sister.

I looked at the name at the bottom of the letter.

King Aldric.

My father.

He had known the truth. He had known Isolde was responsible. And he had done nothing.

Or had he?

The letter was hidden. The old wolf had hidden it. He had been protecting it for years, waiting for the right person to find it.

He had been waiting for me.

I folded the letter carefully and tucked it into my gown. I needed to leave. I needed to think. I needed to—

"Find anything interesting?"

I spun around.

Isolde was standing in the doorway.

She was wearing a silk robe, her silver hair loose around her shoulders. Her face was smooth and calm, her eyes glittering with cold amusement.

"The old wolf's room," she said. "How touching. You came to pay your respects."

I backed away, my heart pounding. "He's gone. You had him removed."

Isolde laughed. "Removed? My dear, I don't know what you're talking about. The old wolf has been dead for years. I'm surprised you saw him at all."

I stared at her. "That's not possible. I spoke to him. He told me—"

"He told you lies," Isolde interrupted. "The old wolf was a ghost. A memory. He appears to those who want to believe in the past." She stepped closer. "I suggest you stop chasing ghosts, Selene. They will only lead you to your grave."

She turned and walked away, her robe trailing behind her.

I stood in the empty room, my hands shaking.

I had a piece of the truth. But it came wrapped in a warning.

My mother had trusted someone. Someone who had betrayed her. And that someone was still in this palace.

I needed to find them.

I needed to destroy them.

---

I returned to my chambers and read the letter again.

Someone she loved like a sister.

Who? Who had my mother trusted enough to call a sister? Who had betrayed her for Isolde's favor?

I thought about Seraphine. She was the same age as me. She couldn't have been involved.

I thought about Isolde. She was the obvious suspect, but the letter said the traitor was someone my mother loved.

I thought about the old wolf. He had known the truth. He had hidden the letter. And now he was gone.

I had no one to trust.

But I had one thing.

The letter.

I looked at it again. There was something written on the back. A name.

Rowan.

I froze.

Rowan. The Alpha of the White Fang Pack. The man who had been Lyra's Beta. The man who had found me after I fell from the cliff.

He had been my mother's ally. Her friend. Her trusted companion.

He had known the truth.

And he was still alive.

---

The next morning, I requested a meeting with the Alphas.

Isolde refused. "The Alphas are busy," she said. "They don't have time for a rogue who can't stop chasing ghosts."

"Then I'll wait," I said.

I sat outside the Hall of Alphas and waited.

Hours passed. Servants came and went. Guards watched me with suspicious eyes.

And then, finally, the doors opened.

Rowan stepped out.

He looked older than I remembered. His face was lined with age, his eyes clouded with sorrow. But when he saw me, his expression softened.

"Selene," he said. "I was hoping you would come."

I stood. "You knew. You knew about my mother. You knew about Isolde. You knew everything."

He was silent for a long moment. Then he nodded.

"Yes," he said. "I knew."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wasn't sure you were ready." He stepped closer. "Your mother was a great queen, Selene. But she made mistakes. She trusted the wrong people. And it cost her her life."

I clenched my fists. "Who? Who did she trust?"

Rowan met my gaze.

"Someone who is still in this palace," he said. "Someone who smiles at you and calls you sister."

My heart stopped.

"Seraphine," I whispered.

Rowan's silence was worse than any answer.

The girl who had cried with me. The girl who had promised to help me. The girl who called me sister.

Could she really be the one who destroyed my mother?

Or was someone using her name to hide the real monster?

The Doom Moon rose beyond the palace windows, painting the stone walls in blood-red light.

And for the first time...

I didn't know who my real enemy was.

END OF CHAPTER 7