Chapter 139

CLAUDIA.

The last lines of the letter seem to have manifested in front of us, moving like a gigantic red flag that none of us could ignore. I could almost swear that the words themselves peeled away from the paper and flashed before our eyes like the glare of a lighthouse calling us home.

For a whole moment, none of us speaks. I don’t think any of us are able to speak after that revelation. Achilles, Carlos, and I sit back down on the couch, staring into the distance while Aristea slinks back against her chair like she wants it to swallow her whole.

The silence creeps all around us. How long we stay there unmoving and completely silent, I don’t know. But by the time I decide to move, it feels like my joints are no longer cooperating. Perhaps it’s still just the shock lingering in my bones. Because how can you even recover from something like that?

But then again, it all makes sense. Now that that piece of information is out there, I finally understand so many things.

“Tristan is half Siren Wolf,” Carlos finally manages to say, breaking the silence at last. “That… that explains a lot.”

“That’s why he was able to sway so many of my people to join his cause,” Achilles says in a barely audible voice. “That’s why he managed to convince all those people to fight for him. To die for him. He didn’t take the throne by force. His mother made his grandfather do it. It was her dying wish. And he loved her enough to do it—”

“I don’t think so,” I interject. They all look at me, and I clear my throat. “I don’t think the old Alpha of the Moonlight Grove Pack just said yes to that request, especially since the letter itself seems to have come with Tristan at the door. A father who can banish his daughter like that feels no love, and maybe for the right reason. I don’t think that same man would just accept a random boy even if he is his grandson.”

“So you believe he tricked his way to get him to agree?” Achilles asks.

I nod. “Nothing else makes sense. Didn’t everyone else die before he got crowned? Why were the people so taken with him? Why did they love him that much? They shouldn’t even know him. He didn’t grow up in the palace like other heirs do. Tristan’s mother has taught him a few tricks before he even showed up at that door.”

I don’t know what makes me so certain about it. I should be doubting everything right now but for some reason, saying that feels right.

“That explains why he is the way he is,” Achilles mutters. “That also tells me why he was so interested in you, Claudia. Why he offered you to come with him and why he told you he has all the means to train you. I thought it was all about just gaining a powerful ally. But no. He’s passing on something that put him in power in the first place.”

I take a deep breath. Achilles is right about that. The puzzle pieces are all falling in place at last, which is exactly what we wanted, but right now I’m not sure if I even want to see the finished picture.

“Do you think Kiernan was under his spell?” Carlos suddenly asks, making everyone in the room freeze.

I swallow hard, looking at Achilles who is now staring into the distance with pain in his eyes. “I… I don’t know. That’s the strange thing about it. I can believe that Kiernan went willingly, but I can also see how Tristan could have possibly manipulated him into thinking he really has a place there.”

“Is this all we’re meant to find out now?” I ask, almost to myself. “Is this the end of the mystery? Is this everything we need to defeat him?”

Even before the others could shake their heads, I already knew the answer.

“This just opens up more things.” Achilles starts to pace the floor. “We still don’t know why Tabitha was banished in the first place. I doubt Siren Wolves are considered bad luck in families before, when they could just gather around and form some sort of coven.”

We all turn to Aristea who shakes her head. “No, they were considered bad omens but I would think a family would be happy to get one, considering how powerful they could be to a pack.”

“It must be something else, then.” Carlos nods. “It must be something she did.”

“Maybe someone she associated with,” I mutter, frowning as I sink deep into the possibilities. “We still don’t know who Tristan’s father is. Maybe he has something to do with it.”

* * *

The rest of the day was filled with us trying to figure things out. It was fruitless, as expected, seeing as we’re only basing things on the letter and the photos. No other clues were available to us. Nothing that connects us to the father of Tristan.

We called it a day by midnight, all of us too exhausted to talk further. Achilles and I head to our old bedroom, which has now been repaired. We don’t even bother changing into different clothes. The moment we lie down on the bed, we’re asleep.

And that’s when the dreams come.

I’m on top of a very tall mountain, with trees reaching into the sky like greedy fingers. The moon is overcast by shadowy clouds, but the stars are bright enough to cast light into the surroundings. I can see the silhouette of birds perched on the trees. I can smell the budding leaves of the growing bushes. The land is softer underfoot, full of melting snow and moss.

I look around me and find that I’m close to a clearing where a fire is merrily burning. I make my way towards it, not stopping even when I see a couple of people standing around. They pay me no mind. It’s as though I’m invisible to them.

And thank the gods for this, because the one sitting on a high chair in the corner is none other than Tristan.

He’s lounging on his makeshift throne, his eyes reflecting the fire. He seems to be waiting for someone because as soon as the sound of footsteps come, he perks up and smiles.

Someone is approaching him, and only when they get close to the fire do I recognize who it is.

It’s Sahari.

She looks… grimy. Her hair is full of small twigs and her linen clothes are filled with stains and tears. She looks emaciated, as though she has never had a single meal since we parted ways. I don’t know if she’s sinking into a bow or just too weak to stand up, but she kneels in front of him.

Tristan lets out a laugh. “So your hopes of being chums again with Achilles didn’t work? Is this why you find yourself quite literally crawling back to me?”

“I didn’t try to get back to the Alpha King,” Sahari says. “I was simply left behind.”

“Your tales of deception do not entertain me, Sahari.” He turns serious. “Why are you here? What do you want?”

“I want to be by your side. As part of your group.”

Tristan cackles, his voice echoing in the clearing. “You crack me up, girl. You think you can just waltz in and have everything you rejected back? No, no, no. It has to come with a price. I have to admit that your guts and your shamelessness do impress me, but that doesn’t exempt you from our initiation.”

She freezes, looking up at him. “Initiation?”

“Yes.” Tristan gets off his throne. “If you wish to be part of us… then you have to commit. Now take off your clothes.”