Chapter 148 The Secret of Alliance Mothers
Chapter 148 The Secret of Alliance Mothers
KAI’S POV
The hidden chamber smells like dust and time.
Old paper. Dry ink. Something metallic underneath that makes the back of my throat tighten. The air is colder here than in the main catacombs. Torchlight barely reaches the far wall, throwing long shadows across the stone. The portrait of my mother standing next to Morwen still hangs there. The black blood that leaked from the eyes has already started to dry in thin, dark trails.
Ophelia is the first to move.
She steps closer to a small stone shelf built into the wall. Several leather-bound journals sit there, covered in a thick layer of gray dust. When she picks up the top one, a soft cloud of it rises into the air and clings to her fingers.
“These are hers,” she says quietly. “Your mother’s handwriting.”
I don’t answer. My jaw is clenched so hard the muscle in my cheek keeps jumping. Vai paces under my skin, restless and low.
Ophelia opens the journal carefully. The old spine cracks. She starts reading out loud.
“‘Day 47. Morwen is not what the elders claim. She is desperate, not cruel. The serum is killing the next generation before they are even born. We have agreed to work in secret. If the packs discover this alliance, they will execute us both.’”
The words hit me hard.
My stomach drops. The chamber suddenly feels too small.
Ophelia keeps going, her voice steady even though her hands are trembling slightly.
“‘Kai must never know the truth until he is strong enough to carry it. The elders will feed him the story of hatred. It is safer that way. If he grows up wanting revenge, at least he will stay alive.’”
I take a step back. The cold stone wall hits my shoulders.
“Stop,” I say.
Ophelia looks up. “Kai”
“Read the next part.”
She hesitates, then turns the page. The paper is thin and brittle under her fingers.
“‘The Dread Wolf is not a monster. It is a guardian bound to the true queen’s bloodline. It will only answer to her or to those who carry her blood freely given. Ophelia… if you are reading this, you are the one we were waiting for.’”
My hands curl into fists so tight my claws dig into my palms. I taste blood.
“She was working with Morwen,” I say. My voice comes out rough. “The entire time. And they let me hate her for it.”
Ophelia closes the journal carefully. “They lied to you.”
“They used me.” Heat floods my face and chest. “They turned my mother’s death into a weapon and pointed it at the wrong person. Everything I built—every night I spent planning, every oath I made was based on a story they invented.”
Damien stays silent near the entrance. Seraphina doesn’t speak either. Even Eve looks away.
Vai has gone quiet inside my head. Not the usual restless silence. Something heavier. Grief.
Ophelia picks up the next journal. She flips through several pages before she stops.
“There’s more,” she says softly. “Listen.”
She reads the final entry.
“‘If this fails, the only path left is the Blackwood Citadel. That is where Morwen was born. That is where the original serum was created. The map is hidden behind the portrait. Do not let the child open the final door alone. She already carries the key.’”
The moment the last word leaves her mouth, the portrait on the wall begins to change.
The paint softens. Colors run like wet ink. My mother’s face and Morwen’s face melt together in dark streaks until the entire image slides downward, revealing a carved stone map underneath. Thin lines mark a path leading deep into the northern mountains straight to the Blackwood Citadel.
The smell of wet pigment and old dust fills the chamber.
No one speaks.
Then Ophelia looks down at the journal again. Her eyes widen.
“Kai.”
I step closer.
At the bottom of the last page, a single line of ink is appearing as we watch...fresh, dark, and impossible.
The child already carries the key. Do not let her open it alone.