The truth came to Elara by accident.
She was searching the archives—desperate for anything that might tell her how to stop what was coming—when she found a sealed lineage scroll.
Her name was written in blood.
Elara Nyx — Silver Bloodline
Father: Caelan Blackmoor
Her vision swam.
"No," she whispered.
The memories rearranged themselves violently.
The Alpha's kindness.
The protection.
The way he always stood between her and the council.
She stumbled back just as Alpha Caelan entered.
He didn't deny it.
"I wanted to save you," he said quietly.
"You murdered my mother," Elara said, voice hollow.
Caelan's silence was confession enough.
"She begged to leave," he said at last. "I couldn't let her."
Elara laughed—a broken, disbelieving sound.
"You killed her… and raised me like a mistake."
"You were a contingency," Caelan replied. "A necessary one."
Her scream shook the walls.
Outside, Rowan felt it—and dropped to his knees.