My father’s secret study hasn’t changed in the five years since his death. The hidden room behind his office still smells of leather and pine, though dust now coats the massive desk where he once worked late into the night. Even the papers remain exactly as he left them, carefully organized in neat stacks that only he fully understood.

“Are you sure about this?” Chloe whispers, her fingers tight around the stolen key card we lifted from the guards. “If Jackson finds us here...”

“He won’t.” I move to the back wall, running my fingers along the ancient stonework until I find the subtle groove that marks the secret panel. “Besides, we need answers. Real ones.”

The stolen entrance codes from the guards had gotten us into the main building easily enough, but this—this is different. This is sacred ground. The last sanctuary of a man who’d prepared his whole life for a war he never got to fight.

When the panel slides open with a soft click, my heart clenches. The small room beyond holds floor-to-ceiling shelves crammed with books and scrolls, each one carefully preserved. My father’s real legacy—not the public records in the archives, but the true history of our bloodline.

Chloe follows me inside, eyes wide as she takes in the massive collection. Her fingers tremble as she picks up a scroll, dust motes catching in the fading sunlight streaming through the window. "He took all these from the main archives?"

I nod. "Used to worry the librarians. Claimed their care of these items was insufficient."

I scan the shelves, taking stock of the books. Tomes on pack history, both familiar and strange. Histories from Moon Valley and its surrounding territories, tales passed down from ancient times. My father also has accounts from places I've never heard of—records from the time before, when packs warred openly, before Alphas unified the territories.

"These are the oldest records we have." Chloe pulls an old book from a shelf, its leather cover faded with age. "The ones even the scribes in Moon Valley don't dare copy for fear of their age. Look, this copy is from our great-great-great-great grandmother."

"Fascinating."

"Lara." Her tone makes it clear she isn't fooled.

“Look for anything about female Alphas,” I tell her. “Especially records from before the Great War.”

She nods and moves to the far wall while I tackle the nearest shelf. The silver power thrums beneath my skin as I work, helping me mask our presence from any patrols that might pass nearby. Through the mate bonds, I feel occasional pulses of my Kings’ emotions—curiosity, determination, that endless predatory focus that makes my wolf want to bare her throat in submission.

I push the sensation away, focusing on the task at hand. The first few scrolls reveal nothing useful—trade agreements, military strategies, the usual records any Alpha would keep. But then...

“Lara.” Chloe’s voice shakes slightly. “Look at this.”

She holds up a leather-bound journal, its pages yellow with age. The symbol embossed on the cover makes my breath catch—a crescent moon wrapped around a wolf’s head, the mark of our mother’s bloodline.

“That’s impossible,” I whisper. “All records of mother’s family were supposedly destroyed in the war.”

“Apparently not all of them.” Chloe opens the journal with trembling fingers. “Listen to this: ‘The gift manifests differently in each generation, but always in the females. The silver power that marks our line as touched by the moon goddess herself...’”

My heart pounds as she continues reading. The journal belongs to our great-grandmother, detailing the careful documentation of a genetic gift passed down through the female line. A gift that allows our bloodline to produce female Alphas—true Alphas, not just strong female wolves who can lead.

“There’s more,” Chloe says, flipping pages faster. “Something about the power requiring anchors to prevent burnout. About how female Alphas of our line need multiple mate bonds to stabilize their abilities...”

The words hit like physical blows. I press my hand to my chest where the Kings’ marks still burn. “That’s why the binding worked so well. Why their marks took hold so strongly.”

“And why Jackson had to neutralize you before you came into your full power.” Chloe’s face is pale in the dim light. “He must have found out somehow. Known that if you reached maturity as a female Alpha...”

“I’d be too strong for him to control.” The pieces click into place with sickening clarity. “That’s why he moved so quickly. Why he couldn’t wait until after the mating ceremony.”

A sound from the outer office makes us both freeze. Boots in the hallway—a patrol passing by. I pull the silver power tighter around us, holding my breath until the footsteps fade.

Chloe waits a long moment before speaking again. "It explains the other visions too. The pack embroiled in war. Three crowns made of moonlight and bone..." Her voice breaks. "Lara, you were destined to lead them. To break their curse. I just didn't realize you had no choice."

Cold fear slithers down my spine. Not fear of the Kings, despite the fact they're on Starfang land. No, this is a very different type of terror.

“We need to go,” Chloe whispers, her own fear getting through to her, but her hands are already moving to the next shelf. “Wait—there’s something else. Another journal, this one’s newer...”

She pulls out a small black book that makes my blood run cold. I recognize my mother’s handwriting immediately.

‘My dearest daughters,’ the first page reads. ‘If you’re reading this, then the worst has happened. The secret I’ve kept your whole lives—the truth about your heritage and the power in your blood—can no longer stay hidden.’

“She knew,” I breathe. “All this time, she knew what we’d become.”

Chloe’s finger traces the words. “There’s a prophecy mentioned here. Something about a silver wolf who would unite the seven territories under a new kind of leadership...”

More footsteps approach—too many to be a regular patrol. I grab Chloe’s arm, pulling her toward the hidden door at the back of the room that leads to the old servant’s passages. We barely make it inside before the main door bursts open.

“Search everything,” Jackson’s voice commands. “The Kings are here somewhere. I want to know what they’re looking for.”

We press ourselves against the wall of the narrow passage, hardly daring to breathe. Through a crack in the panelling, I watch Jackson stalk through the office, his features twisted with rage. Alice follows, one hand resting on her swollen belly.

“The archives have been breached,” she reports. “Someone’s been accessing the old bloodline records.”

Jackson swears viciously. “Did they find anything about the ritual?”

“No, but...” Alice hesitates. “The section on female Alpha genetics was disturbed.”

“Double the guards on the temple archives,” Jackson snaps. “If they learn what we’re planning...”

“What about her?” Alice’s voice holds an edge of fear. “If she’s really alive, if she’s working with the Kings...”

“Then we move up our timeline.” Jackson’s smile is cruel. “The ritual doesn’t require her to be willing. Just alive.”

My fingers dig into Chloe’s arm as rage floods my system. The silver power responds instantly, coiling around us like living smoke. Through the mate bonds, I feel the Kings’ sudden alert focus—they’ve sensed my spike of emotion.

Careful, little Alpha, Lucas’s voice whispers through our connection. Your power is showing.

I force myself to breathe, to pull the energy back before it gives away our position. But it’s harder than usual—the revelations about my bloodline seem to have strengthened the power somehow. Made it more volatile.

When Jackson and his guards finally leave, we wait another ten minutes before emerging. Chloe clutches both journals to her chest, her face pale but determined.

“We have to get these somewhere safe,” she says. “If Jackson finds them...”

“He won’t.” I take the books, tucking them securely in my pack. “But first, we need to figure out what ritual he’s planning. Whatever it is, it can’t be good if it requires a female Alpha’s power.”

Chloe catches my arm as I turn to leave. “Lara, wait. There’s something else. Something I’ve been seeing in my visions...”

She breaks off as her eyes go distant—the familiar look she gets just before a prophecy hits. I catch her as she sways, easing her down to sit on the floor.

“Three crowns of moonlight,” she whispers, her voice taking on that ethereal quality that always accompanies her visions. “Three kings bound to one queen. The silver wolf rises, but darkness follows in her wake. Blood calls to blood, power calls to power, until the very foundations of our world crack beneath the weight of ancient prophecy fulfilled...”

Her eyes clear suddenly, focusing on my face with terrifying intensity. “You have to be careful, sister. The power you’re gaining—it’s not just from the Kings’ marking. It’s older. Deeper. The silver line awakening after centuries of dormancy.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying there’s a reason female Alphas of our line needed multiple mates.” She grips my hand tightly. “The power is too much for one wolf to contain alone. Without proper anchors...”

“I’ll burn out,” I finish grimly. “Like the others in the journals.”

“Or worse.” Her voice drops to barely a whisper. “You’ll become something else entirely. Something even the Kings won’t be able to control.”

The words send a chill down my spine. Through the mate bonds, I feel flickers of concern—my Kings sensing my unease. I slam my walls up quickly, but not before catching hints of their locations. They’re close. Too close.

“We need to move,” I say, helping Chloe to her feet. “The Kings are searching the city, and we still don’t know what ritual Jackson’s planning.”

She nods, but her eyes are troubled. “Just promise me something, Lara. Promise you won’t let the power consume you. No matter what happens, no matter what Jackson does... stay true to who you are.”

I want to promise. Want to ease the fear in her eyes. But the silver power pulses through my veins like liquid moonlight, growing stronger with each passing day. And deep in my heart, in the place where my wolf prowls with new strength, I’m not sure I can keep that promise.

Because the truth is, I’m already changing. Already becoming something more than just a female Alpha. More than just the Kings’ mate.

Will I be strong enough to control this power?

Or will it control me?