Chapter 77

Bella's POV:

Since my mother's funeral, I'd barely slept. Each night brought the same hollow ache in my chest, the same suffocating weight of grief that no amount of rest could ease. Jane continued to leave breakfast trays outside my door, but food held no appeal. I moved through the days in a fog, going through the motions of showering and dressing simply because my body demanded it.

But today was different. Today, I had somewhere to be.

I chose simple black pants and a cream blouse, layering a thick charcoal cardigan over it against the winter chill. My hands moved mechanically as I buttoned the fabric, then wrapped a wool scarf around my neck. The face that stared back at me from the mirror looked gaunt, my eyes rimmed with dark circles.

Attorney Zachary Thornton's office was located in Emberhold's financial district, housed in a sleek glass tower that reflected the morning sun. As I drove there alone, the city seemed muted, as if the world itself had dimmed in the wake of my mother's death. I parked in the underground garage and took the elevator to the twenty-third floor, my hands trembling slightly as I gripped my purse.

The receptionist led me down a hushed corridor to a private conference room. Attorney Thornton was already waiting, a man in his late fifties with silver hair and sharp eyes that seemed to see right through me. He stood as I entered, extending his hand.

"Ms. Moore. Thank you for coming on such short notice. Please, have a seat."

I sat in the leather chair across from him, my heart pounding. The room smelled of old books and furniture polish. Heavy curtains blocked out most of the natural light, creating an atmosphere of solemnity.

"Your mother, Diana, entrusted this firm with a very important document just days before she passed," Attorney Thornton began, his voice gentle but formal. "She specifically requested that I personally handle its execution."

He reached into a sealed manila envelope and withdrew a thick stack of legal documents. My breath caught as he slid them across the polished table toward me.

"This is your mother's last will and testament."

My fingers trembled as I touched the papers. Mom had made a will? Without telling anyone? My throat tightened with emotion.

Attorney Thornton gave me a moment before continuing. "According to the terms outlined here, Diana has left you eighty percent ownership of Pinecrest Resort. The remaining twenty percent goes to your brother, Bryan."

I stared at the documents, my vision blurring. Pinecrest Resort was one of my mother's most successful ventures, a luxury property she had built from the ground up. I had no idea she still owned it, much less that she would leave it to me.

"As for the Wildfire Pack house where your father and brother currently reside," the attorney continued, "the will specifies that they may continue living there. However, there is another property—one purchased three years ago in your name alone. It is entirely your personal property, free and clear of any claims."

Tears slipped down my cheeks before I could stop them. My mother had been protecting me all along, planning for my future even as she suffered in silence. She had given me the means to be financially independent, to stand on my own two feet when the time came.

"Mom," I whispered, my voice breaking. "You did all this for me, and you never even told me."

Attorney Thornton's expression softened with sympathy. "There's something else you need to know, Ms. Moore. Your father has been making inquiries about this will's existence for quite some time. He's hired multiple law firms to investigate."

My head snapped up. "What?"

"Fortunately, your mother's arrangements were airtight, and this firm has maintained strict confidentiality. We've successfully denied the will's existence to all outside inquiries. However, once this document becomes public knowledge, I expect your father will challenge it aggressively."

I wiped my eyes, a cold fury settling over my grief. Of course Brandon would fight me for this. He had already shown his true colors by planning to sell off Mom's company to fund Bryan's wasteful lifestyle.

"He'll likely claim the assets are marital property or attempt to invalidate the will on various grounds," the attorney warned. "Given his connections within the werewolf community and his willingness to manipulate traditional pack laws, you should prepare for a difficult legal battle."

I met his gaze steadily. "Let him try. I'm not afraid of him anymore."

Attorney Thornton nodded approvingly. "Good. You'll need that resolve." He paused, then reached for a second envelope, this one smaller and sealed with wax. "Your mother also left this for you. She asked that I deliver it personally."

My hands shook as I took the envelope. My name was written on the front in my mother's elegant handwriting: "To my beloved daughter, Bella."

"Inside is an encrypted USB drive," the attorney explained quietly. "And a letter. Your mother said these contain the full truth about your origins—information she felt you deserved to know."

The room seemed to tilt. My origins? What did that mean?

"Ms. Moore, are you all right? Would you like some water?"

I shook my head, gripping the envelope so tightly the paper crumpled. "No. I'm fine. Thank you."

But I wasn't fine. My entire body felt numb as I gathered the documents and the precious envelope. Attorney Thornton walked me to the door, his hand briefly touching my shoulder in a gesture of support.

"Your mother was a remarkable woman," he said softly. "She loved you very much."

I could only nod, not trusting my voice.

The drive back to Moonhunt Estate passed in a blur. I barely remembered navigating the traffic or pulling into my driveway. Jane met me at the door, her face creased with concern.

"Miss Bella, are you all right? You look pale."

"I need to be alone for a while, Jane. Please don't let anyone disturb me."

"Of course, miss. I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

I locked myself in my bedroom, drawing the curtains shut until the room was dim and quiet. The envelope sat on my desk, seeming to pulse with secrets. I stared at it for a full ten minutes, my heart hammering against my ribs.

What truth could be so important that Mom hid it for years? What did she mean by my "origins"?

My hands were shaking so badly I could barely insert the USB drive into my laptop. The player opened automatically, and my mother's face filled the screen.

She looked terrible. Her skin was pale, her eyes red and swollen from crying. She was sitting in what looked like this very law office, the heavy curtains visible in the background. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse with emotion.

"Bella. My darling daughter. If you're watching this, it means I'm gone. And I'm so, so sorry."

Tears streamed down my face as I listened.

"Please don't grieve too much, sweetheart. I'll always be with you, watching over you from wherever I am. I promise you'll have a beautiful life. You'll be safe and loved and happy. That's all I've ever wanted for you."

She paused, taking a shuddering breath. "But there's something I need to tell you. Something your father and I have kept from you for twenty-nine years. I'm terrified you'll hate me when you know the truth. But you deserve to know who you really are."

My blood turned to ice. Who I really am?

"We told you that we adopted you from an orphanage," my mother continued, her voice breaking. "But that was a lie, Bella. You weren't adopted. You were stolen."

The world stopped.

"Your biological mother didn't give you up. We took you from her. Brandon and I—we stole you away from the woman who gave birth to you, who loved you, who wanted desperately to keep you."

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. My vision tunneled until all I could see was my mother's tear-stained face on the screen.

"Brandon became obsessed with an old prophecy," she said. "A fortune teller told him that we would never have children of our own, but if we found a baby girl with a snake-shaped birthmark on her neck and raised her as ours, she would bring us the son we desperately wanted. She would change our fate."

My hand flew to the back of my neck, to the small mark I'd always had there. The one I'd never thought twice about.

"We searched for years," Mom continued. "And then, twenty-nine years ago, I met your biological mother in a hospital maternity support group. She was five months pregnant, alone, abandoned by your father. I pretended to be her friend. I helped her through her pregnancy. And when you were born, I saw the birthmark."

Horror crashed over me in waves. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening.

"Your mother refused to give you up," Diana said, her voice thick with shame. "Even though she was suffering from severe postpartum depression, even though she had nothing, she loved you so much. She said you were her only reason to live."

The video blurred as my tears fell harder.

"So Brandon destroyed her," my mother whispered. "He hired investigators to fabricate evidence that your biological father had betrayed her, that he'd started a new family and abandoned you both. He made sure she found these lies. And in her fragile mental state, she believed them."

No. No, no, no.

"She tried to kill herself," Diana said, sobbing openly now. "She slit her wrists in her apartment. A neighbor found her just in time and called an ambulance. She survived, but the blood loss and trauma caused severe brain damage. When she woke up, she couldn't even recognize her own baby."

I pressed my hands over my mouth to muffle my screams.

"The doctors diagnosed her with trauma-induced psychosis. And Brandon used that. He bribed the doctors, falsified records, and had her declared mentally unfit. Then he took custody of you."

My body shook violently. I wanted to turn off the video, to unhear these words, but I couldn't move.

"But he didn't stop there," my mother said, her voice barely audible. "He had her committed to Graymist Psychiatric Sanctuary, a remote facility for dangerous patients. He told everyone—including me—that she had died from complications. But she's alive, Bella. She's been locked away for twenty-nine years."

The world shattered.

"I only discovered the truth three years ago when I found Brandon's secret account records. He's been paying the facility to keep her there, to keep her silent. I've been sending money anonymously to improve her care, but I couldn't bring myself to tell you. I was too afraid. Too ashamed."

Diana wiped her eyes, her face crumpling with grief.

"I've also been searching for your biological father, but I haven't found any trace of him. I believe he loved you, Bella. I believe he would have come back if he could."

She stood up slowly, then did something that broke my heart completely. She knelt down in front of the camera, her hands clasped together.

"Please forgive me," she begged. "Please forgive me for what we did to you, to your mother, to your life. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I'm asking anyway. Because I love you, Bella. You've been my daughter in every way that matters, and I love you so much."

The video ended with my mother on her knees, weeping.

I sat frozen in my chair, my mind unable to process the magnitude of what I'd just learned. Everything I thought I knew about myself, about my family, about my life—all of it was built on lies and cruelty.

Somewhere out there, my real mother was locked in a psychiatric facility, robbed of twenty-nine years with her daughter. And Brandon—the man I'd called father—was the monster who'd destroyed her life and stolen me away.

The grief, the rage, the absolute devastation hit me all at once. I collapsed forward onto my desk, my screams muffled by my arms as twenty-nine years of stolen truth crashed down on me.

And in that moment, I knew one thing with absolute certainty: Brandon Moore would pay for what he'd done. To my mother. To me. To the woman who gave birth to me and lost everything.

He would pay.