Chapter 213: Chapter 213
Ellie
The note wouldn’t leave my mind.
Even after Marcus carefully tucked it back into the evidence bag.
Even after everyone drifted into the living room to figure out what our next move should be.
Even after Blake somehow convinced everyone to eat the breakfast that had gone cold while we stood in the foyer talking.
Those seven words had rooted themselves somewhere deep inside me.
She was never supposed to find you.
Not them.
Not the journals.
Me.
I sat on the edge of the couch, my fingers wrapped around a mug of coffee that had long since cooled. I wasn’t drinking it anymore. I was simply holding it because it gave my hands something to do.
Otherwise, I’d probably be pacing.
Theo spread a map of the pack lands across the coffee table, but I could tell his attention wasn’t really on the map. Every few minutes his eyes drifted toward me before he caught himself and looked away.
He was worried.
The problem was…
So was I.
Marcus stood near the fireplace with his arms crossed while Sebastian leaned against the wall beside him. Blake had abandoned his breakfast entirely, which honestly told me more about the situation than anything else.
If Blake stopped eating…
Something was seriously wrong.
“I keep coming back to one thing,” Theo finally said.
Marcus nodded.
“So do I.”
I looked between them.
“What?”
Neither of them answered immediately.
That hesitation made my stomach tighten.
Theo rested both hands on the edge of the table.
“The timing.”
I frowned.
“The break-in?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand.”
Marcus pushed away from the fireplace.
“Think about yesterday.”
“I have been.”
“No.”
His voice stayed gentle.
“I mean really think about it.”
I tried.
We’d spent most of the day with Rowan.
We’d looked through Lyra’s journals.
Serafina had brought her grandmother’s letter.
We’d finally…
My thoughts stopped there.
I’d barely had time to process everything that had happened afterward.
Marcus continued before I could answer.
“When did you bring Lyra’s pendant here?”
“Yesterday morning.”
“And the journals?”
“Yesterday.”
“The letter?”
“Yesterday.”
Theo nodded.
“Exactly.”
I still didn’t understand.
“So?”
Marcus looked directly at me.
“The person who broke into your house came this morning.”
The realization began to form slowly.
Painfully.
“They were looking for something…”
Theo finished the thought.
“…that had already been moved.”
A chill crept over my skin.
“They were only hours too late.”
Nobody said anything.
Nobody needed to.
Because suddenly the question wasn’t what they’d been searching for.
It was…
How had they known to search now?
“They couldn’t have guessed,” Sebastian said quietly.
“No,” Marcus agreed.
“The timing’s too precise.”
Blake frowned.
“You think somebody tipped them off?”
Marcus looked at him.
“I think somebody knew something changed yesterday.”
Silence.
The words settled over the room like a heavy blanket.
I stared down at the map without really seeing it.
“No.”
The word escaped before I could stop it.
Theo looked at me.
“Ellie?”
“There weren’t that many people who knew.”
I started counting almost automatically.
“Us.”
I pointed around the room.
“Rowan.”
“Serafina.”
“My mom.”
“You.”
My voice grew quieter.
“That’s it.”
Marcus rubbed his jaw thoughtfully.
“Not necessarily.”
“What do you mean?”
“The archives.”
I blinked.
“What about them?”
“Someone may have noticed you were there.”
Theo’s expression darkened.
“The caretaker.”
Everyone turned toward him.
“The elderly wolf who maintains the archive.”
“I remember him,” Blake said.
“He barely looked at us.”
“Exactly.”
Theo’s eyes narrowed.
“He barely looked at us because he already knew who we were.”
My pulse quickened.
“You think he told someone?”
“I don’t know.”
Sebastian folded his arms.
“But we need to stop assuming the Shadow works alone.”
The room went quiet again.
I’d spent months imagining one enemy.
One mastermind.
One person pulling every string.
But what if that wasn’t true?
What if there wasn’t just one person?
What if there was an entire network of wolves who had protected the lie for generations?
The thought made my stomach twist.
Marcus must have seen the fear on my face because he moved closer.
“Don’t.”
I looked up.
“Don’t what?”
“Blame yourself.”
“I wasn’t—”
“You were about to.”
I sighed.
“I always do that.”
“I know.”
His voice softened.
“You inherited a mystery.”
He glanced toward the three men standing behind me.
“You didn’t create it.”
Before I could answer, Blake dropped onto the couch beside me.
“So…”
I looked at him.
“So?”
“We’re looking at this wrong.”
Theo frowned.
“Explain.”
Blake leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“They searched Ellie’s room.”
“Right.”
“They didn’t find what they wanted.”
“Right.”
“So now…”
A slow grin spread across his face.
“…they think she still has it.”
The room fell silent.
I blinked.
“What?”
Blake looked at me like I’d missed something obvious.
“If they believe the journals are still hidden somewhere…”
He shrugged.
“…then they’re going to keep looking.”
Theo’s eyes widened slightly.
“They’ll make another move.”
“Exactly.”
Marcus nodded slowly.
“Which means…”
Sebastian finished the sentence.
“We don’t chase them.”
His gaze met Theo’s.
“We let them come to us.”
I stared at the four men.
“You’re talking about setting a trap.”
Nobody answered immediately.
Finally, Theo gave one slow nod.
“I think it’s time.”
A strange mixture of excitement and nerves fluttered through me.
For months we’d been reacting.
Running.
Following clues someone else had left behind.
This would be different.
For the first time…
We’d be the ones making the next move.
And somehow…
I had a feeling whoever had left that note was about to discover they’d underestimated far more than just one Moon-Blessed girl.
They’d underestimated all four of us.