Chapter 57 Still Watching
I stared at the symbol. The wolf with silver eyes. It looked hand-drawn. Deliberate. Important.
“I’ve seen this before,” I said. Getting out of bed. Finding my mother’s journal. “Here. She drew it everywhere. In the margins. On blank pages. Like she was obsessed with it.”
Lycian compared the photo to the journal. His expression darkened. “This isn’t just a random drawing. It’s a mark. A signature. Used by a very specific group.”
“What group?”
“The Silvermoon Collective. Ancient organization. Older than most packs. They operate in shadows. Control things without being seen.” He set down the journal. “My father told me about them once. Said they were dangerous. That crossing them meant death.”
“And my parents were connected to them?” My voice came out hollow. “How? Why?”
“I don’t know. But we need to find out.” He grabbed his phone. Called Thaddeus despite the late hour. “We have a problem. Get to my place. Now.”
Thaddeus arrived within minutes. Still dressed from the celebration. He took one look at the photo and went pale.
“Where did you get this?”
“Someone sent it. With a message saying Diana wasn’t the only one who wanted my parents dead.” I showed him the text. “What does it mean? What’s the Silvermoon Collective?”
Thaddeus sat heavily. Suddenly looking his age. “A secret society. Wolves and humans working together. They’ve existed for centuries. Manipulating pack politics. Controlling territories. All from the shadows.”
“Why would they want my parents dead?”
“Because your father discovered them. Found proof they existed. Was going to expose them.” Thaddeus rubbed his face. “Diana was just their weapon. The Collective ordered the hit. She carried it out.”
The room tilted. I sat down before I fell. “So everything we did. Catching Diana. Getting justice. Was it all meaningless? The real killers are still out there?”
“Not meaningless. Diana deserved what she got. But yes. The people who ordered your parents’ deaths are still free.” Thaddeus looked at me with something like pity. “And now they know you’re asking questions. That makes you dangerous.”
“Good. Let me be dangerous.” Anger flooded through me. Hot and sharp. “I’m done being their victim. Done letting them control my life from the shadows.”
“You can’t fight the Collective. They’re too powerful. Too connected.” Thaddeus’s voice was firm. “The smart thing is to stop digging. Let it go. Live your life.”
“I can’t let it go. They killed my parents. They’re threatening me now. When does it end?”
“It doesn’t. That’s the point. The Collective doesn’t end. They just are. Like the ocean. Like gravity. Fighting them is suicide.”
“Then I’ll die fighting. But I won’t live in fear anymore.” I stood. “I’m going to find them. Expose them. Make them pay for everything they’ve done.”
“Elowen, no.” Lycian grabbed my arm. “My father’s right. This is too big. Too dangerous.”
“So was Marcus. So was Diana. But we beat them. We’ll beat this too.” I pulled free. “I’m not asking permission. I’m telling you what I’m doing. You can help or stay out of my way.”
Through the bond, I felt his conflict. Fear for my safety. Respect for my determination. Love makes the choice impossible.
“If you’re doing this, I’m with you,” he said finally. “But we have to be smart about it. We research first. Learn everything we can. Then we plan.”
“Fine. But we start now. Tonight.” I looked at Thaddeus. “Tell us everything you know about the Collective.”
He sighed. Resigned. “They’re organized in cells. Small groups that don’t know about each other. Makes them hard to trace. Each cell has a leader. Someone powerful. Connected. Beyond suspicion.”
“Do you know any leaders?”
“No. That’s the point. They hide in plain sight. Could be anyone. Pack Alpha. Council member. Business leader. You’d never know.”
“What about the symbol? The silver-eyed wolf? What does it mean?”
“It’s their mark. Shows membership. Loyalty. But it’s never displayed openly. Only in secret. Among themselves.” Thaddeus pulled out his phone. “I’ll contact Sienna. Have her research. See what she can find.”
After he left, I paced the apartment. Mind racing. Processing.
My parents hadn’t just been murdered by Diana. They’d been killed by an ancient conspiracy. One that still existed. Still operated. Still watched me.
“We need to be careful,” Lycian said. Following me. “If the Collective knows we’re investigating, they’ll strike. Fast and hard.”
“Let them try. I’m not backing down.”
“I’m not asking you to back down. I’m asking you to be smart. Strategic. Like you were with the trials.” He stopped me. Hands on my shoulders. “You’re brilliant when you think instead of reacting. Use that. Outsmart them.”
He was right. Rushing in anger would get me killed. I needed to be clever. Patient. Calculated.
“Okay. We start with research. Learn everything. Find weaknesses. Then we strike.” I took a breath. “But first, we sleep. I can’t think straight anymore.”
We went back to bed. But sleep didn’t come easily. My mind kept spinning. Planning. Preparing for a fight I didn’t fully understand yet.
The next morning, Sienna arrived with files. Documents. Photos. Everything she’d found about the Collective.
“It’s not much. They’re good at hiding. But I found patterns. Money transfers. Property purchases. All connected to shell companies with the same investors.” She spread papers across our table. “These three names keep appearing. Richard Marsh. Elena’s uncle. Thomas Sterling. Yes, relation to the council member you exposed. And Victoria Hale.”
My blood went cold. “Hale? Like my parents?”
“Your grandmother. Your father’s mother. She died when he was young. Car accident.” Sienna’s expression was grim. “Now I’m wondering if it was really an accident.”
“My grandmother was part of the Collective? That’s impossible.”
“Maybe she was. Or maybe she discovered them as your father did. And paid the same price.” Sienna pulled up more documents. “Your family has been connected to them for generations. Whether willing or not.”
I felt sick. My whole history was a lie. Everything I thought I knew was wrong.
“What do we do with this information?” Lycian asked.
“We follow the money. See where it leads. Find who’s really in charge.” Sienna packed up her files. “But we do it quietly. No one can know we’re investigating. Especially not these three names.”
“Richard Marsh is Elena’s uncle. She sees him regularly.” I looked at Lycian. “Do we tell her? Warn her?”
“Not yet. We don’t know if he’s actually Collective or just connected to them. Telling Elena could tip him off.” Lycian’s jaw was tight. “But we watch him. Track his movements. See who he talks to.”
After Sienna left, I called Aunt Clara. Needed to hear her voice. Make sure she was safe.
“Hi, baby. How’s the celebration hangover?” She sounded happy. Unworried.
“Not bad. Just tired.” I hesitated. “Can I ask you something about grandma? Dad’s mom?”
“Victoria? What about her?”
“How did she die? Really?”
Silence. Long enough I thought she’d hung up. Finally, “Your father never talked about it. But I found newspaper clippings once. She died in a hit-and-run. They never caught who did it.”
“Did Dad ever seem suspicious about it? Like maybe it wasn’t an accident?”
“He never said. But sometimes he’d get this look. Sad and angry at the same time. Like he knew something but couldn’t prove it.” She paused. “Why are you asking about this now?”
“Just trying to understand our family history. That’s all.”
“Be careful, Elowen. Your father dug too deep into things that got him killed. Don’t make the same mistake.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
But I was already making the same mistake. Already digging into things that could get me killed.
And I couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop. Until I knew the whole truth.
That afternoon, Elena stopped by with wedding updates. She spread fabric samples across the table. Talked about flowers and centerpieces.
I tried to focus. Tried to care. But my mind kept drifting to her uncle. Richard Marsh. Was he Collective? Did she know?
“You’re not listening,” she said. Waving a hand in front of my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just tired from yesterday.”
“You’re a terrible liar.” She set down the samples. “Talk to me. What’s really going on?”
I wanted to tell her. Wanted to ask about her uncle. But I couldn’t. Not yet. Not until we knew more.
“Just wedding stress. It’s a lot to think about.”
“Then don’t think about it. I’ve got everything handled. You just show up and look beautiful.” She squeezed my hand. “Trust me. It’s going to be perfect.”
After she left, guilt twisted in my stomach. Elena was my friend. She deserved honesty. But telling her could put her in danger. Or worse, reveal that her uncle was a killer.
“We’ll tell her when it’s safe,” Lycian said. Reading my expression. “When we have proof. Until then, we protect her by keeping her out of it.”
“I hate lying to her.”
“It’s not lying. It’s protecting.” He pulled me close. “We’re protecting everyone we love. That’s what matters.”
My phone buzzed. Unknown number. My hands shook opening it.
Good instincts following the money. But you’re looking in the wrong places. The real power isn’t in bank accounts. It’s in bloodlines. Check your own.
And one more thing. Your wedding in three months? We’ll be watching. Closely.
The message included another photo.
Of me and Lycian from yesterday at the celebration dancing.
Someone had been there. In the crowd. Watching. Close enough to take that photo.
Close enough to kill us.