CAMAY POT

    I stormed into my father’s office, gripping the photo so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Damien was right behind me, his expression dark, his jaw clenched My father barely looked up from his desk, flipping through some papers as if this wasn’t urgent-like this wasn’t about Aurora.

    Immed the photo down in front of him. “I have a bad feeling about this,” I said, my voice tight. “Look at them. Harmona and this man… They’re connected. And I think they did something to Aurora”

    Alpha Camden finally looked up, his gaze dropping to the photo. He didn’t react, didn’t even blink. Instead, he let out a slow breath and leaned back in his chan “A photo doesn’t prove anything, Caleb His tone was level, but I could hear the underlying warning.

    1

    Danken scoffed beside me, “How is this not proof enough? Harmona knew Aurora’s mother. And she never told us.” His voice was sharp, cutting through the tension like a Made

    My father remained quiet. Too quiet. A heavy silence settled over the room, pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. My pulse pounded in my dars as I took a step closer.

    “You already knew, didn’t you?” My voice was barely above a whisper, but the usation in it was loud.

    His eyes flicked to mine, and for the first time, I saw something there hesitation, guilt. It was enough. Enough to make my stomach twist, to make my hands shake at my sides

    “Dad,” I said, my voice breaking slightly, “what else aren’t you telling me?”

    I watched my father carefully, arms crossed over my chest as he sighed, rubbing his face in exhaustion. Caleb, listen… he started, his voice hesitant, like he didn’t even believe the wordsing out of his mouth. “When I reached out to the Lunar coven for help, it was Harmona that contacted me. She said she knew Aurora’s mother from work. imed she could help because Aurora’s mother was a witch from her coven.

    I stiffened, my jaw tightening. And you believed her?” I asked, my tone sharper than I intended. “Dad, you know how much Aurora has already been through. And Harmona? Of all people? You actually thought she was telling the truth?

    He let out a slow breath, looking down at his hands as if the answer was written there. I wanted to believe it. I thought… maybe she had insight we didn’t. But when Caroline’s DNA tests confirmed that Riley was only Aurora’s half-sibling, that he didn’t have any powers, not even a trace of being a witch- Harmona started changing her story. Twisting things, making up more lies.”

    I shook my head in disbelief, my hands balling into fists. Of course she did. Because that’s what she does. And you just let het?

    “I know,” he admitted, his voice raw. I know I messed up. I should’ve questioned it more, I should’ve seen through her sooner.

    I exhaled sharply, trying to contain the anger rising inside me. Dad, it’s not toote. We can still fix this. But we need to move now before she does something to Aurora

    Ha eyes snapped up to meet mine, a flicker of fear shing across them. You think she’d hurt her?

    I don? thirk, I know, I said firmly. Harmona isn’t just some harmless liar-she’s dangerous. And if she thinks she’s losing control over this, she’ll do something drastic We need to get to her before she does something to Aurora.”

    He nodded slowly, guilt still weighing heavy on his fare: Til make this right, Caleb I promise. He picked up the phone once again, but only to m à sa

    the table in frestation after the called went to your cail

    “Dad what’s going on?” I asked my heart pounding in my chest with fear and urgency

    I don’t get it. Ded muttered, rubbing his tempits as he sat across from a His phone was still in his hand, the screen dumating after what must have been his hundredth call “The been trying to reach the coven for days No one’s picking up No maxstages Nothing And the wult pack in that area they don’t kuwa damn thing it’s like they vanished into this aur His vise was low, almost driested, and that terrified me more than anything My father was not the kind of man who admitted derivat

    I tell my pulse hammering in my throat as i pushed off the table and stood up then I’m going there. I sand my voice unwavering “I don’t care what’s waiting fid me on the other side I don’t care if the whole damn ce has been swallowed by the earth I have to find her, Dad I have to find Auroca

    His expression darkened. Caleb, listen to me-

    “No,” I snapped, cutting him off before he could say something I wouldn’t want to hear. “Don’t try to stop me. I know what you’re thinking. You think I’m being reckless, that I’m running into something I don’t understand. But you don’t understand. This is Aurora, my mate. She’s out there, and she needs me. Something happened, and I refuse to sit here and act like I’m okay with waiting.”

    Dad exhaled heavily, rubbing his jaw as if he was weighing his next words carefully. And what if you go there and find nothing?”

    “Then at least I tried,” I shot back. “At least I didn’t just sit here doing nothing while she could be out there-alone, afraid, or worse. I won’t live with that.”

    Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. He was trying to find a way to argue, but he knew me well enough to know there was no stopping me. I was already gone. Already thinking about what I needed to do, how fast I could get there, how soon I could hold Aurora in my arms again.

    Finally, Dad sighed. “You’re just like your mother.”

    I swallowed, my throat tightening. “Then maybe that’s not such a bad thing.”

    His lips pressed together, and for the first time, I saw something close to resignation in his eyes.

    “Be careful, Caleb.”

    I nodded once, turning toward the door. “I will. But nothing, nothing -is going to stop me now.”

    “It’s not.” My dad said finally, getting up from his chair. “Because I’m going with you as well.”

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