Chapter 60

There was a sharp knock on the grand wooden doors, echoing through the hallway of the manor. The servants, startled from their evening duties, hurried to answer. As the doors creaked open, three royal guards, dressed in immaculate uniforms, and a stern police officer stepped inside. Their demeanor was serious, their eyes scanning the room for any sign of resistance.

In the parlor, Samuel stood anxiously, his hands trembling as he clutched the edge of the record device. He took a deep breath and began to explain everything—his voice steady despite the tension. The device captured every word, every confession and detail of the events that had transpired. The air was thick with apprehension as the guards listened intently, occasionally exchanging glances with the police officer.

Once Samuel finished his explanation, the royal police advanced into the living room, their boots thudding against the polished floor. Without hesitation, they moved to arrest Noah, Samuel, Maria, and Evelyn. The group offered little resistance, each resigned to their fate as the officers read them their rights and ensured everything was documented by the record device.

With the formalities complete, the royal guards escorted the four individuals through the manor’s corridors, past silent servants and curious onlookers. Outside, a carriage awaited to bring them to the council, where their actions would be judged and their future decided. The manor, once lively with secrets and whispers, now stood eerily quiet, its inhabitants left to ponder the consequences of the night’s events.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Kathy and Sarah remained in the bedroom, completely absorbed in the journal’s faded pages. They were completely unaware of the commotion unfolding below. The distant echo of footsteps and muffled voices filtered up through the floorboards, but it wasn’t until Sarah caught a sharper sound—a door slamming or perhaps a raised voice—that she finally looked up, startled.

Cautiously, Sarah rose from her spot, curiosity getting the better of her. She slipped out of the bedroom and quietly made her way toward the staircase. Peering over the banister, she froze as she saw Samuel and the others being led away in handcuffs, flanked by grim-faced guards. Standing off to the side were Theo and Frances, their expressions unreadable as they watched the scene unfold. Fearful that her alpha might spot her, Sarah retreated upstairs without daring to close the door behind her. She re-entered the room just in time to find Kathy kneeling by the old dresser, hands deep in the urn containing her mother’s ashes. With trembling fingers, Kathy retrieved a small ziplock bag—a flash drive nestled safely inside, hidden all this time.

Sarah’s eyes widened as she caught sight of the small bag in Kathy’s hand. “Luna, what is that?” asked Sarah, her voice trembling with a mix of anxiety and curiosity.

“I don’t know, it’s something my mother was hiding in there. How did it get in there?” said Kathy, her voice barely above a whisper as she stared at the flash drive in her palm. She glanced nervously at Sarah, searching for answers in her friend’s wide-eyed expression. The two exchanged a look of disbelief, knowing that whatever secrets were stored on the device could be the key to unraveling the mysteries surrounding their family.

“What else does the journal say?” asked Sarah

“I didn’t read that far. Where did you go?” said Kathy.

“I just saw Samuel is getting to take away in handcuff with the rest of his family.” Said Sarah

Kathy turns around to hear what Sarah just says and ran out of the room downstairs to make sure the hidden device. There is evidence on it for the council to hear it. Theo and Frances saw Kathy ran downstairs, turn the living room with a book in her hand, going to a spot where a device took out. Kathy is out of breath it’s shocked Theo and Frances of what Kathy had in her hand.

“This device record everything of what Samuel says. We need to take it to the council for evidence. I had to go it if Samuel lies I can play for them to hear it,”

“We should play it now because we need to make sure that everything can hear everything clearly,” said Frances

Sarah and Kathy exchanged nervous glances before turning their attention back to the flash drive, the weight of what they'd just heard settling in the room. As they replayed Samuel's chilling confession—his claim that Anthony was his son and his admission to imprisoning Queen Vanessa beneath the packland—an air of dread descended. The implication was clear: Frances, driven by rage and desperation, would stop at nothing to get hold of Samuel and seek vengeance for the kidnapping of his mate and his son. Kathy clutched the device tighter, realizing the truth they held in their hands could change everything.

Kathy didn’t have a choice but to play it. The sound of Samuel’s voice echoed in the tense living room, each word fueling the storm of emotions in the air. As Frances listened, his eyes darkened, flickering an unnatural red, and his whole body trembled as if he was on the precipice of shifting then and there. The fury radiating from him was palpable, and Theo instinctively took a step back, realizing just how close Frances was to losing control. Until there is a black smoke came out of no where then a woman hug Frances around his neck calming him down which it was working then see Seth standing there with another woman in his arms. Once the smoke clear, France eyes went back to normal and the fur on his arm start to thinning. Kathy didn’t move from her sport when a woman who look like her mother Grace but she should be dead.

The woman slowly walked up to Kathy, her steps gentle but purposeful. Kathy instinctively backed away, her breath coming in short, unsteady bursts as confusion and fear flooded her features. She shook her head, unable to reconcile the impossible sight before her—if her mother was standing here alive, then whose ashes she had been carrying in the urn all these years, whispering secrets and seeking comfort from what she thought was her mother's memory?

Grace reached out, her voice soft yet filled with longing as she said, “Kathy, you have grown up so much.” Kathy’s eyes filled with tears, torn between the instinct to run and the craving for answers only her mother could provide. For a brief moment, the room was silent, the weight of years apart pressing in around them.

“No, you shouldn’t be here.” said Kathy, her voice trembling as she struggled to process the impossible reunion. She took another step back, her gaze locked on Grace, searching her face for any sign that this was real and not a cruel trick of her imagination.

Grace offered a gentle smile, her eyes brimming with reassurance as she said, “I know honey, I have to set that up,” as if she could sense Kathy’s overwhelmed state and wanted to ease her burden just a little. The words hung in the air, a small anchor amid the chaos of emotion threatening to sweep Kathy away.

Kathy wiped her eyes and shook her head, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on her. “I can’t do this right now, Sarah come on—our mate is waiting for us,” she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath as she turned away from the others, desperate for a moment of escape and comfort. Sarah hesitated, glancing back at Grace and the others, but quickly followed Kathy, understanding her need to regroup and find solace amid the chaos.

Kathy put the journal and the device on the couch and walked upstairs, feeling everything was too much for her to handle right now. Grace tried to go after her, concern etched across her face, but Seth gently grabbed her wrist, shaking his head in silent understanding. He whispered, “Give her a moment, Grace. She needs time to process.” The tension in the room lingered as everyone watched Kathy’s retreat, uncertain of what would unfold next.