Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Sera

I couldn't sleep despite the exhaustion weighing down my bones. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Margaret Hayes's face, heard her conviction that Elena was Marcus's child, felt the absolute certainty in her grief-stricken claims.

Dante dozed in the chair beside the bed, Elena sleeping on his chest. He'd refused to put her down since Margaret's visit, as if physical contact could somehow protect her from legal proceedings and false accusations.

Around midnight, footsteps in the hallway made me tense. But it was just Maya, slipping through the door with a folder tucked under her arm.

"I'm not supposed to be here," she whispered. "But I found something you need to see."

She opened the folder and spread papers across the bed. Medical records, but not the ones Garrett had presented to the Council. These were older, with different dates and signatures.

"What am I looking at?" I asked quietly, not wanting to wake Dante or Elena.

"Original medical files from Clearwater Pack, before Margaret had a chance to doctor them. Elder Thomas helped me access the archives." Maya pointed to one document. "This is Sarah's actual examination report from four weeks ago when she discovered you were pregnant."

I scanned the page. The findings were straightforward—pregnancy confirmed, approximately three to four days along based on hormone levels, recommend follow-up in one week.

"Three to four days," I said. "Not four weeks."

"Exactly. Sarah initially reported the pregnancy as very early, which matches your timeline with Dante. But look at this." Maya pulled out another document. "This is the amended report filed two days later. Same examination, same date, but now it says four weeks along."

The amended version had Sarah's signature, but the handwriting looked slightly different. The changes were subtle enough that most people wouldn't notice.

"Someone altered Sarah's report," I said.

"Margaret. She has administrative access to all medical records as the former Luna. She could change anything she wanted and backdate it to look legitimate." Maya's voice was tight with anger. "She's been planning this since before Marcus died, probably the moment she learned you'd bonded with Dante."

"But Sarah would know her report was changed. Why hasn't she come forward?"

"Because she's being held by Clearwater Pack, remember? They won't let her testify or communicate with anyone. She's effectively silenced." Maya pulled out one more document. "And there's this. A communication log showing Margaret contacted someone named Vaughn three weeks ago. Paid him a substantial amount for 'consultation services.'"

My blood went cold. "Margaret hired Vaughn."

"Not just hired him. Gave him detailed information about you, about the pregnancy, about Dante's pack structure. Everything he'd need to orchestrate attacks and manipulate evidence." Maya's hands shook slightly as she gathered the papers. "She's not just a grieving grandmother, Sera. She's the one behind everything."

Dante stirred, his eyes opening. "What's everything?"

Maya repeated what she'd told me, showing him the documents. I watched his expression darken with each revelation.

"Margaret hired Vaughn to kill her own daughter-in-law?" He shifted carefully, not wanting to disturb Elena. "That's beyond grief. That's calculated murder."

"She probably justified it to herself somehow. Convinced herself you were a threat to her grandchild, that removing you was protecting the baby." Maya tucked the papers back into the folder. "But none of this matters unless we can present it at tomorrow's hearing. And Elder Thomas says the Council might not allow new evidence if it wasn't submitted in advance."

"Then we submit it now. Wake up Elder Miriam, demand she review it before the hearing." Dante started to stand, but Elena fussed and he sat back down immediately. "Or you go, Maya. Take these documents directly to her."

"I already tried. She's in emergency session with other Council members, no interruptions allowed until morning." Maya looked frustrated. "Something else is happening, something they're not telling us about."

A commotion in the hallway cut off further conversation. Raised voices, running footsteps, the sound of doors slamming. Captain Morris appeared in our doorway, her expression grim.

"There's been an incident. We're moving you to a secure location immediately."

"What kind of incident?" Dante demanded.

"Someone broke into the medical facility's record room. Destroyed several file cabinets, took others. We don't know what they were looking for or if they found it." Captain Morris gestured to her team. "Gather your things. We're relocating now."

"Where?" I asked, but she was already turning away, shouting orders to other enforcers.

Within minutes, we were being hustled down corridors and into a vehicle with blackened windows. Elena woke and started crying, upset by the sudden movement and noise.

"It's okay, baby," I murmured, trying to soothe her while my own heart raced. "Everything's okay."

But it wasn't okay. Someone had broken into the records room the same night Maya discovered evidence of Margaret's manipulation. That couldn't be coincidence.

The vehicle drove for twenty minutes before stopping. When they let us out, I realized we were at a private residence—a large house on the edge of Council territory that I didn't recognize.

"Safe house," Captain Morris explained. "Only senior Council members know this location. You'll stay here until the hearing."

The house was comfortable but clearly designed for security. Reinforced doors, bars on the windows, guards posted at every entrance. We were taken to a second-floor bedroom with an attached nursery.

"Rest while you can," Captain Morris said. "The hearing starts at noon whether you're ready or not."

After she left, Dante checked the windows and doors, his military training evident in how he assessed the space for vulnerabilities.

"We're trapped again," he said. "Different location, same result."

"At least Elena can sleep in an actual crib." I laid her down carefully in the nursery, watching her settle. She was so small, so innocent, completely unaware that her entire future would be decided in less than twelve hours.

Maya had followed us to the safe house and now stood in the doorway looking worried. "I need to tell you something else. Something I overheard while waiting outside the Council's emergency session."

"What?" I asked.

"They were discussing Vaughn. Apparently, he's been spotted in the area. Multiple sightings over the past few hours, all near Council territory." Maya's voice dropped. "They think he's planning something for tomorrow. An attack during the hearing when everyone's gathered in one place."

"That doesn't make sense," Dante said. "If Margaret hired him to kill Sera, why attack during a public hearing with maximum security?"

"Maybe Margaret isn't his only client anymore. Or maybe his goal has changed." Maya pulled out her phone, showing us a grainy photo. "This was taken an hour ago at the border of Riverside Pack territory."

The image showed a man in dark clothes talking to someone else, their faces partially obscured by shadows. But the second figure was recognizable.

"That's Adrian," I said. "Your Beta is meeting with Vaughn."

Dante stared at the photo, his expression unreadable. Through the bond, I felt shock, betrayal, and underneath it all, a growing rage.

"There has to be an explanation," he said, but his voice lacked conviction.

"The explanation is that Adrian's working with Vaughn. Maybe has been all along." Maya zoomed in on the image. "Elder Thomas recognized him immediately. He's the one who gave me this photo, told me to show you before the hearing."

"Adrian challenged my position while I was gone," Dante said slowly, working through the implications. "If I'm discredited, if Sera is exiled and Elena taken, he becomes Alpha by default. And if something happens to me tomorrow during Vaughn's attack—"

"He inherits everything," I finished. "Your pack, your territory, your position. Everything you've built for twenty-five years."

Dante sat down heavily on the bed, still processing. "I've known Adrian for fifteen years. Trusted him with my life, with the pack's security, with everything. And he's been plotting against me this whole time?"

"Or Vaughn turned him recently. Offered him something he couldn't refuse." I sat beside Dante, taking his hand. "Either way, we know now. We can prepare."

"Prepare how? We're locked in a safe house under guard. The hearing is in twelve hours and we still don't have proof of Margaret's manipulation that the Council will accept. And now my own Beta is working with a killer who's planning something for tomorrow." Dante's voice was hollow. "We're out of moves, Sera."

"No, we're not." Maya came closer, her expression determined. "We have these documents proving Margaret altered medical records. We have photographic evidence of Adrian meeting with Vaughn. And we have the truth—that Elena is your daughter, not Marcus's, and genetic testing will prove it."

"Testing that won't be complete for three more days," Dante reminded her.

"Then we demand immediate testing. Tonight, with witnesses present, using equipment we provide." Maya was thinking fast now. "Dr. Reeves is still in the facility. She could run preliminary blood work, enough to show genetic markers that rule out Marcus as the father."

"The Council won't allow it without Margaret's consent, and she'll never agree." I felt the hopelessness settling in. "She'll insist we wait for the independent laboratory, claim anything done before then is suspicious."

Elena started crying in the nursery, hungry again. I went to feed her, grateful for the distraction from our impossible situation.

Dante followed me, watching as I nursed our daughter. "When I held her earlier, I felt it through the bond. Not just our connection, but hers too. She's already connected to both of us, already part of the mate bond network." He touched Elena's tiny hand. "That doesn't happen with normal pregnancies. Only true mate children."

"Can other people feel it?" I asked. "Could the Council sense her connection to us?"

"I don't know. Maybe Elder Thomas could, or other wolves sensitive to bond magic." Dante's eyes lit up with hope. "That's it. That's our proof."

"What do you mean?"

"The bond. If we can demonstrate that Elena is connected to both of us through the true mate bond network, it's evidence that can't be faked or manipulated. Biology can be questioned, but bond magic is absolute." He was excited now, pacing the nursery. "We demand that the Council's most experienced bond-readers examine her. If they confirm she's part of our mate bond, that's proof she's biologically ours."

"Will the Council agree to that?" Maya asked from the doorway.

"They have to. It's traditional pack magic, older than genetic testing, recognized by every wolf culture." Dante pulled out his phone. "I'm calling Elder Thomas. If anyone can arrange this, he can."

While Dante made the call, I held Elena and let myself hope. Maybe we did have one more move after all.

Through the window, I could see dawn starting to break. Six hours until the hearing. Six hours to gather our evidence, prepare our arguments, and figure out how to survive whatever Vaughn had planned.

Elena finished nursing and fell back asleep in my arms. I looked at her peaceful face and made a silent promise.

Whatever happened tomorrow, she would be safe. She would know her real parents, grow up knowing she was loved and wanted and fought for.

Even if it cost us everything.

Dante ended his call and came back to us. "Elder Thomas will arrange for bond-readers to be present at the hearing. Three of them, all respected and neutral. They'll examine Elena and testify to what they sense."

"And if Margaret objects?"

"She can object all she wants. This is traditional pack law. Even the Council can't override it without losing credibility with every pack in the territory." Dante's smile was grim. "We're going to win this, Sera. One way or another, we're keeping our daughter."

I wanted to believe him. But as the sun continued rising on the day that would decide our future, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were missing something. Some piece of the puzzle that would make everything else make sense.

And whatever it was, we'd find out in six hours whether we were ready or not.