Luna's POV
My brother betrayed our parents? I stare at the photo on my phone, unable to breathe. No. This has to be fake. Jason would never
Luna, Kael says gently, but his face is grim. We need to talk to him. Now.
No! I pull away from Kael's grip. I don't believe it. Jason raised me after our parents died. He protected me. He wouldn't he couldn't
My phone buzzes again. Another message: Ask Jason about the night your parents were arrested. Ask him where he was. Ask him what he saw.
Who keeps sending these? I demand, my voice rising with panic. Who wants me to think my own brother is a traitor?
Maybe someone who wants the truth to come out, Tobias suggests quietly. Or someone who wants to destroy what's left of your family.
I look at the photo again. Jason looks younger maybe eighteen years old. He's shaking hands with Alpha Cyrus Thorne, Kael's father. They're both smiling.
Three weeks before my parents were executed for treason.
There could be an innocent explanation, I say desperately. Maybe Jason was just meeting with the Alpha about pack business. Maybe
At midnight? In secret? Without telling anyone? Kael points to the timestamp on the photo. Luna, I know you don't want to believe it. But we need answers.
Then let's go ask him, I say, standing up even though my legs shake. Right now. Jason lives ten minutes from here.
Kael exchanges a look with Tobias. It's not safe. If Jason is involved in this conspiracy
He's my brother! I shout. He's the only family I have left! I'm not going to hide while you accuse him of murdering our parents!
I'm not accusing him of anything, Kael says carefully. I'm just saying we should be cautious.
Fine. Be cautious. But I'm going. I head for the door.
Kael catches my arm. Then I'm coming with you. And so is Tobias. We do this together, or we don't do it at all.
Five minutes later, we're in Kael's truck, driving through the dark streets of Silverpine territory. My hands won't stop shaking.
Jason can't be guilty. He can't be.
But a small voice in my head whispers: What if he is?
We pull up to Jason's house a nice two-story home near the pack business district. All the lights are on even though it's almost midnight.
He's awake, Tobias notes.
Or someone's inside waiting for us, Kael says darkly. He turns to me. Stay behind me. If anything happens, you run. Understand?
I nod, too nervous to argue.
We walk up to the front door. Kael knocks.
Footsteps. The door swings open.
Jason stands there in sweatpants and a t-shirt, looking surprised. Luna? Kael? What are you doing here at He sees my face and stops. What's wrong?
We need to talk, I say, my voice trembling. Can we come in?
Of course. Jason steps aside, his eyes worried. Is the baby okay? Did something happen?
We enter his living room. I've been here a hundred times, but tonight everything feels different. Wrong.
Sit down, Jason, Kael says, and his Alpha voice makes it a command.
Jason's eyes narrow. What's going on?
I pull out my phone and show him the photo. Explain this.
Jason goes very still. All the colour drains from his face.
Where did you get that? he whispers.
Someone sent it to me, I say. Someone who says you helped frame our parents. Someone who says you were involved in their deaths.
That's insane, Jason says, but he won't meet my eyes. I would never
Then why were you meeting with Alpha Cyrus in secret? I demand. Why didn't you ever tell me about this?
Jason sits down heavily, his hands shaking. For a long moment, he doesn't speak.
Jason, I say, my voice breaking. Please tell me it's not true. Please tell me you didn't betray Mom and Dad.
I didn't betray them, Jason says quietly. I tried to save them.
The room goes silent.
What? I breathe.
Jason finally looks at me, and there are tears in his eyes. That photo was taken three weeks before they died. I went to Alpha Cyrus because I knew something was wrong. Dad had discovered that Cyrus was embezzling pack funds. He was going to report it to the Council of Alphas. I begged Cyrus to let him go. To let us leave Silverpine quietly without causing trouble.
You knew? Kael asks, his voice dangerous. You knew my father was stealing from the pack?
I knew something was wrong, Jason says. I didn't have proof. But Dad was scared. He told me to protect you, Luna. He said if anything happened to him and Mom, I had to keep you safe.
Tears stream down my face. So what happened at that meeting?
Jason's hands clench into fists. Cyrus said he'd handle it. He said he'd make a deal with Dad let him expose the embezzlement in exchange for immunity. He promised no one would get hurt.
But he lied, Tobias says grimly.
He lied, Jason confirms, his voice thick with emotion. Two weeks later, Dad and Mom were arrested for treason. The evidence against them was fake manufactured by Cyrus and his Beta. They were executed before I could do anything to stop it.
Why didn't you tell anyone? I ask. Why didn't you expose Cyrus?
Because he threatened you! Jason shouts, standing up. After Mom and Dad died, Cyrus came to me. He said if I ever spoke about what I knew, he'd kill you too. You were seven years old, Luna. I couldn't risk it. So I kept quiet. I raised you. I protected you. And I've spent twenty years hating myself for not being brave enough to tell the truth.
I can't breathe. My brother has been carrying this guilt for twenty years.
Why tell us now? Kael asks.
Because Cyrus is dead, Jason says, looking at Kael. Your father died two years ago. I thought the secrets died with him. But then Luna came back pregnant, and people started attacking her, and I realized He stops, his face going pale.
Realized what? Kael demands.
That Cyrus wasn't working alone, Jason whispers. Someone else was involved in framing our parents. Someone who's still alive. Someone who's been trying to kill Luna to keep her from discovering the truth.
My phone buzzes. Another message.
My hands shake as I open it: Good. Now you know Jason's secret. But he's not telling you everything. Ask him about the real reason Cyrus framed your parents. Ask him about the Blackwood bloodline.
I show Jason the message. What is this talking about? What Blackwood bloodline?
Jason's face goes white as a sheet. Oh God. I thought no one knew.
Knew what? I demand.
Your mother, Jason says slowly. Our mother. She wasn't just Elise Hartley. Before she mated Dad, she was Elise Blackwood.
Kael sucks in a breath. Blackwood? As in the Blackwood Alpha family?
What does that mean? I ask, confused.
The Blackwoods are one of the most powerful Alpha bloodlines in North America, Kael explains. If your mother was a Blackwood
Then Luna is Alpha royalty, Jason finishes. Which means her children will be too. That baby you're carrying, Luna? She's not just an Alpha's daughter. She's descended from two Alpha bloodlines. She'll be one of the most powerful wolves ever born.
The room spins. I'm Alpha royalty? My daughter is some kind of super-wolf?
That's why Cyrus killed them, Jason continues, his voice hollow. It wasn't just about the embezzlement. Mom gave up her Alpha title to mate Dad, a lower-ranking wolf. The Blackwood family was furious. They cut her off completely. Cyrus knew that if anyone discovered Mom's true bloodline, Luna would have a claim to both the Blackwood territory and Silverpine through her mate bond with you, Kael.
He killed my parents to stop me from having power? I whisper in horror.
He killed them to protect his own power, Jason says. And now someone else is trying to kill you for the same reason. Because if the Blackwood family finds out about you if they know you're carrying an Alpha heir they'll come for you. They'll want to bring you into their pack. And whoever controls you controls two territories.
Who else knows about this? Kael demands.
I don't know, Jason admits. I've kept it secret for twenty years. But someone found out. Someone who sent Luna those messages.
My phone buzzes one more time.
This message makes my blood run cold: The Blackwoods are coming. They've known about Luna for months. They're arriving tomorrow to claim her and her baby. If Kael tries to stop them, there will be war.
Below it is a photo of an airport. Three massive men in expensive suits walking through the terminal.
The text at the bottom reads: The Blackwood Alphas. Arriving Silverpine: 8 AM tomorrow. Prepare for the storm.
I look at Kael, at Jason, at Tobias. They all look as terrified as I feel.
What do we do? I whisper.
Kael's jaw clenches. We prepare for war.