CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 41 SHE’S ALIVE

Victoria

Her eyes widened fractionally before her expression hardened. "Of course I know my mate is missing. I may not have been informed officially, but I’m not stupid, Victoria. No calls, no messages, and suddenly Shadow Pack security crawling all over our territory?" She gave a bitter laugh. "What I don’t understand is why I had to hear about it from pack gossip instead of being told directly."

"I’m sorry," I said, and meant it. Whatever our past conflicts, being kept in the dark about her mate’s disappearance was cruel. "If it helps, we’re doing everything possible to find him."

"We?" she repeated, arching a perfectly groomed eyebrow. "So it’s ’we’ now, is it? You and your Shadow Pack Alpha?" Her voice dripped with disdain, but underneath lurked a genuine question.

I met her gaze steadily. "Yes, Lilith. We. Because whatever Enzo has done, he’s still my brother. And because something bigger is happening here—something that threatens both our packs."

She studied me for a long moment, as if seeing me clearly for the first time. "The night before he disappeared," she finally continued, "I overheard him on the phone. He said, ’I found the missing pages. The agreement was falsified.’ Then he laughed—not his normal laugh, but something... cold. He said, ’When this comes out, everything changes. Blood rights cannot be denied.’"

My skin prickled with goosebumps. "Blood rights? Did he explain what he meant?"

"No. When he realized I was there, he ended the call immediately." Lilith’s expression darkened. "He was... different that night. Almost manic. He kept saying that soon everyone would understand the truth." She hesitated before adding quietly, "And he said something about your father. That Dominic’s greatest secret was finally going to come to light."

My father’s secret? What could Enzo possibly have discovered about our father that would cause such excitement? And how did it connect to his disappearance and Aurora’s sudden reappearance?

"Lilith," I said slowly, "did Enzo ever mention Aurora to you? Did he know she was alive?"

The genuine shock on Lilith’s face answered my question before her words did. "Aurora? Enzo’s mother? But she’s been dead for years—the accident with your father..." Her voice trailed off as she registered the implication of my question. "Wait. Are you saying she’s alive?"

I nodded grimly. "Very much so. She showed up at the pack house yesterday, right after we discovered Enzo was missing."

Lilith paled, her usual composure cracking. "That’s... that’s impossible. Enzo mourned her for years. He kept her photo by his bed. If she was alive all this time..." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "If she was alive and let him believe she was dead..."

"Exactly," I agreed, seeing an unexpected opportunity for alliance. "Something isn’t adding up, Lilith. And I think we both deserve answers."

She regarded me thoughtfully, calculation replacing hostility in her gaze. "Perhaps we do," she conceded, adjusting her designer bag on her shoulder. "But don’t think this makes us friends, Victoria. I still think you’re an abomination that should never have been born into a pure bloodline."

I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips. Lilith’s insult lacked its usual venom—delivered more out of habit than genuine malice. "And I still think you’re a privileged, prejudiced princess who’s never had to work for anything in her life," I replied evenly. "But right now, we might need each other."

A reluctant half-smile flickered across her face before she could suppress it. "I’ll let you know if I hear anything else," she said briskly. "And Victoria? Be careful around Aurora."

With that warning hanging in the air between us, Lilith departed, leaving me alone in the classroom with my thoughts swirling like autumn leaves in a storm. I gathered my things slowly, trying to connect the disparate pieces of this increasingly complex puzzle.

Blood rights. Falsified agreements. Missing pages. My father’s greatest secret.

And at the center of it all, Aurora Howlthorne—a woman who had supposedly died years ago, only to resurface at the precise moment her son vanished.

As I walked toward the waiting car that would take me back to Shadow Pack territory, I felt the weight of these mysteries pressing down on me.

My phone vibrated with an incoming text from Leo:

*Come home immediately. Car waiting outside.*

A shiver ran down my spine as I quickened my pace. Whatever Leo had discovered, his terse message suggested it wasn’t good news.

---

The sleek black SUV was already idling at the curb, Tiny’s massive frame visible in the driver’s seat. As I approached, he stepped out to open the rear door for me, his expression uncharacteristically grim.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, sliding into the vehicle.

"Alpha will brief you," Tiny replied, his usual taciturn self as he closed the door and returned to the driver’s seat.

The ride back to Shadow Pack territory passed in tense silence, my mind racing with possibilities. Had they found Enzo? Discovered who was behind his disappearance? Or was this something worse—something to do with Aurora’s mysterious reappearance after all these years?

When we finally pulled through the gates of the pack house, I spotted Leo immediately. He stood on the front steps, powerful arms crossed over his chest, his posture radiating tension even from a distance. The moment our eyes met through the windshield, something shifted in his expression—relief, mingled with something more primal and possessive.

I barely waited for Tiny to fully stop the vehicle before opening my door and hurrying toward Leo. In three long strides, he closed the distance between us, pulling me against his hard body with an urgency that stole my breath.

"Thank the Moon you’re safe," he murmured, his hands framing my face as his eyes scanned me for any sign of harm.

"Leo, what’s happening? Your text—"

Before I could finish, his mouth captured mine in a kiss that was equal parts relief and hunger. His lips moved against mine with desperate intensity, as though reassuring himself I was truly there, truly safe in his arms. I melted into him, my body responding instinctively to his touch, the bond between us humming with shared emotion.

When he finally broke the kiss, we were both breathing hard, his forehead pressed against mine.

I swallowed hard. "I need to tell you something," I said, glancing around at the pack members moving about the grounds. "In private."

Leo nodded, keeping his arm firmly around my waist as he guided me inside and up to his—our—office. The moment the door closed behind us, I recounted my conversation with Lilith, watching his expression grow increasingly troubled.

"Blood rights cannot be denied," he repeated thoughtfully when I finished. "And he mentioned missing pages from some kind of agreement?"

I nodded. "Whatever Enzo discovered, he believed it would change everything—especially regarding my father."

Leo paced the length of the office. "This connects to Aurora’s reappearance. It has to."

"But how? And what’s the endgame here?"

"That’s what we need to find out." His fingers traced a path along my jaw, tilting my face up to his. "But first, I believe I deserve a reward for my investigative efforts today."

Despite the gravity of our situation, warmth bloomed in my chest at the playful glint in his eyes. "A reward?" I echoed, my lips curving into a small smile. "What did you have in mind, Alpha?"

His thumb traced my bottom lip, sending tingles of awareness through my entire body. "I was thinking,"

My breath caught as his other hand slid to the small of my back, drawing me firmly against him. Through our clothing, I could feel the hard evidence of his desire pressing against me.

"Very patient indeed," I agreed, my voice embarrassingly breathy as my fingers found their way into his dark hair. "And patience should be rewarded."

A low growl of approval rumbled in his chest as I initiated the kiss this time, rising on my tiptoes to press my lips to his.

"Victoria," he breathed against my neck, his teeth grazing the spot where my pulse thundered wildly. "My Luna. My mate. Mine."

For a moment, I almost let myself drown in it—the fire, the bond, the way my body screamed to surrender. But reason clawed its way back, sharp and demanding.

I pressed my palm to his chest, halting him just as his lips were about to descend again. His eyes flashed with confusion, dark with desire.

"Not yet," I whispered, forcing steadiness into my tone. "Before this goes any further, I need to know what happened at the Alpha Council today."