Chapter 13 #2
By the time I’ve brushed my teeth and changed into my nightgown, the adrenaline of the night has worn off.
I head to the window overlooking the party and watch the sea of demons enjoying themselves.
Muffled music blares from the garden while the leaders dance and roughhouse with one another without a care in the world.
My torment was just for their entertainment.
I’m nothing more than a puppet for Thane to play with, and as my gaze lands on him, the hatred in my heart reignites.
Whatever momentary insanity had come over me in the woods is long gone.
He’s a soulless monster through and through, and he’ll stop at nothing to get the retribution he thinks he’s owed.
With that realization, I take off toward my bedroom door, and find it unlocked. If Kieran had been the one to escort me back, I’d surely be locked away, but I’m not even sure Sienna has a key to my room, seeing as how she always knocks. Either way, I take it as a sign that this is my moment.
I’m not na?ve enough to think I’ll be able to just walk out the front door and make a run for it. This place is still surrounded by guards who would spot me in an instant, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do a little recon. I quicken my pace, heading for the east wing on the second floor.
Several rooms line the wide hallway, leading to a set of mahogany doors.
Temptation pulls me closer to them as the curiosity in me grows.
My gut knows that just beyond these doors lies the wolf’s den.
Thane’s bedroom. A good part of me wants to burst through them, but I have to be smart about this.
The answers I’m looking for won’t be in there, so instead, I turn my attention to the other doors.
To my surprise, the first one I try is unlocked.
Thane probably assumed I wouldn’t be stupid enough to go snooping in the east wing after being specifically told it was off limits.
His mistake.
The room I walk into has large maps pinned to the walls and a long rectangular table covered in papers.
Different areas on the maps are shaded green, yellow, and red.
The more I examine them, I realize they’re maps of the North American Territories.
Some are specific cities, while others are broader areas.
The papers scattered about look like some kind of research. Data points, percentages, and medical words that I’ve never even heard of, fill each page.
Is this how they’ve created the synthetic blood?
I stare at the information a little longer before I ultimately decide it’s only gibberish to me and move on.
The next room I slip into contains a library with thousands of books.
Shelves fill each wall while intricate carvings and arches line the tops of each section.
A few titles immediately catch my eye, but my attention is quickly drawn to the sliding ladder that looks like it’s straight out of Beauty and the Beast. This room and its collection are incredible, and I have a strong impulse to run my fingers along the spines of each book, but I’m on a mission, and unfortunately, this room isn’t serving that.
Jackpot.
Behind door number three is a study of some sort.
I’m not exactly sure what I’m looking for, but at this point, any information would be helpful.
A map of where I am, a blueprint of the mansion, anything that would give me insight into Thane or his family.
The desk fixed along the right side of the room seems like the best place to start, so I immediately try the drawers in hopes of finding something useful.
The top left drawer is locked, but the one below it slides open, and I begin sifting through the files. Each tab has a different name attached to it. Most mean nothing to me, but a few of them I recognize. Thirty-two in total.
The leaders.
I pull out the one marked “James” and open it to find a red X covering the picture of the werewolf Thane had killed.
As much as I want to sit here and go through each one, I don’t have the time, so I put the file back in its correct spot and shut the drawer.
I’m about to start my search through the right-side drawers, but my attention catches on a book laid open on the desk.
The header reads, “Love Locked vs. Soul Bound.” I flip the cover over to find the title, Origins of the Fated, embossed in gold lettering. Just as I’m about to put it back how I found it, I notice another file sticking out underneath the book.
My heart stops when I see the name attached to it.
I already know what it’s going to say, but I can’t stop myself from opening it.
The thirteen-year-old girl staring back at me is void of warmth and light.
Hardened by the life she’s had to live. Her eyes look vacant and withdrawn.
Her smile nothing but a twisted illusion.
Fallon Grey. Brought to Homes of Hope by Seattle Fire Station 20.
I can’t bring myself to read the rest, but I still flip through the pages, trying to figure out what it was Thane was hoping to find. The third page has “parents?” scribbled in black ink.
Looks like Mr. Alpha had just as much luck finding out who they were as I had.
That search was one I gave up on long ago.
Whoever they were, they made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with me from the moment I was born.
The next page I turn to has multiple words written, each followed by a question mark.
‘Human? Fated? Miracle?’
Each word makes less sense than the one above it. I’m still flipping through the pages when the study door flies open.
“Someone’s not where they’re supposed to be.”