Chapter 142 Chapter 142

Chapter 142 Chapter 142


Hayley's POV

The words on the letter refused to leave my head.

You were never the only one Wales kept hidden.

I looked at Ariel.

She was staring at the paper as if it had personally insulted her.

Damon broke the silence.

“Who else did he hide?”

Ariel shook her head.

“I don't know.”

Damon's eyes narrowed.

“Ariel!”

“I said I don't know.”

Her voice wasn't defensive this time. She genuinely looked lost.

Zyran took the letter from Damon and examined it.

“There's no signature.”

“Of course there isn't,” Damon muttered.

I looked at the handwriting.

“Could Celine have written this?”

Ariel shook her head.

“Celine doesn't write like this.”

“You're sure?”

“I've read enough of her letters to know.”

Damon folded his arms.

“Then who sent it?”

Ariel looked towards the window.

“Someone who wants us to find the truth.”

Zyran raised an eyebrow.

“Or someone who wants us to find what they want us to believe.”

I looked at him.

“That sounded suspiciously wise.”

He smiled.

“I have my moments.”

Damon glanced at him.

“Don't get used to it.”

I laughed.

The tension eased for perhaps three seconds.

Then Kai walked into the room with Leo behind him.

“What's happening?”

Damon immediately folded the letter.

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

Kai frowned.

“That's what adults say when something is wrong.”

Leo nodded.

“And then they tell us later when we've already found out.”

Ariel looked at them.

“Come here.”

They approached.

She held out her hand.

“I'm not going to hide this from you.”

Damon looked surprised.

Ariel handed Kai the letter.

He read it slowly.

Leo leaned over his shoulder.

“You were never the only one Wales kept hidden.”

Leo looked up.

“Who else?”

“We don't know,” Zyran said.

Kai studied the paper.

“Then we should find out.”

Leo looked at him.

“How?”

Kai shrugged.

“Start with the obvious.”

“Which is?”

“Wales.”

Damon smiled.

“That's my boy.”

Ariel shook her head.

“Wales isn't going to tell us anything willingly.”

“Then we ask differently,” Damon said.

I knew that look.

“You're going to interrogate him.”

“I'm going to have a conversation.”

Zyran smiled.

“A very unpleasant conversation.”

Damon glanced at him.

“Exactly.”

Ariel stood.

“I'll come.”

“No,” Damon said.

She looked at him.

“Why?”

“Because he has already manipulated you once. I don't want him doing it again.”

Ariel's expression hardened.

“I've spent years being treated as though I might break.”

Damon's face softened.

“That isn't what I meant.”

“I know.”

She walked towards the door.

“I'm coming.”

Nobody argued.

Wales was being held in a secured room beneath the main building.

He sat calmly at a table when we entered.

Ares was in the room beside him.

Both had enchanted restraints around their wrists.

Wales looked up.

“Well. The family reunion continues.”

Damon ignored the remark.

“Who else did you hide?”

Wales smiled.

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

Damon placed the letter on the table.

Wales read it.

His expression changed.

Only slightly.

But I saw it.

So did Zyran.

“You recognise it,” Zyran said.

Wales leaned back.

“I recognise bad handwriting.”

“You're lying,” I said.

His eyes moved to me.

“You've become rather direct.”

“I've had practice.”

Ares sat quietly in the neighbouring room, watching through the open doorway.

Wales looked at him.

“Don't you have something to say?”

Ares shrugged.

“You're the one being questioned.”

Wales laughed.

“Ungrateful.”

Ares looked away.

Damon tapped the letter.

“Who else?”

Wales sighed.

“You've all decided this piece of paper contains some great revelation.”

“Doesn't it?”

“No.”

“Then why did you react?”

Wales stared at him.

“You've inherited your father's persistence.”

My eyes narrowed.

“Don't bring Dad into this.”

Wales looked at me.

“Your father was very good at asking questions.”

“And you knew him.”

“Yes.”

“Did you hate him?”

“No.”

The answer surprised me.

Wales leaned forward.

“I disliked his choices. That's different.”

Ariel spoke for the first time.

“Where is the other person?”

Wales looked at her.

For several seconds, his expression remained unreadable.

Then he smiled.

“You finally remember enough to ask the right question.”

Ariel stepped closer.

“Answer me.”

“You're still impatient.”

“You kept me drugged for years.”

“And it worked.”

Damon's chair scraped against the floor.

Zyran caught his arm.

“Not yet.”

Damon stared at Wales.

Wales looked amused.

“You see? That's the problem with power. Everyone thinks having it means using it.”

Ariel ignored him.

“Who did you hide?”

Wales looked towards her.

Then towards me.

Then back at Ariel.

“Someone you lost.”

My chest tightened.

“Who?”

He didn't answer.

Damon leaned over the table.

“You're going to tell us.”

Wales smiled.

“No.”

Ariel suddenly reached for the letter.

Wales watched her.

Then his expression changed.

“Wait.” I said.

Everyone froze.

His eyes were fixed on the back of the paper.

“There is something written there.”

Kai stepped forward.

“I didn't see anything.”

“Because you're looking at it normally.”

Wales laughed quietly.

“Turn it towards the light.”

I held the letter beneath the lamp.

Faint writing slowly appeared across the back.

Ariel stepped closer.

Her lips parted.

“What does it say?”

I read it.

“Ask Celine about the child Ariel believed she lost.”

Ariel went still.

Damon looked at her.

“Child?”

Wales leaned back.

“That is the question you should have asked years ago.”

Ariel stared at him.

“I don't understand.”

Wales smiled.

“You will.”

Then someone screamed from outside.

We all turned.

A warlock rushed past the doorway.

“Alpha Damon!”

Damon stood.

“What happened?”

The warlock was breathing heavily.

“Celine is gone.”

Zyran's face hardened.

“What?”

“She escaped.”

Ares suddenly stood in the next room.

Wales looked at him.

And for the first time since we'd captured him, he looked genuinely concerned.

Then he whispered,

“She'll go after him.”