Chapter 138 A Letter and A Photograph

Chapter 138 A Letter and A Photograph
LYRIANNE
It takes me a long time to wrap my head around the fact that my biological father is alive and that he's in the human world, where I should be headed, apparently. 
I focus my gaze on Lorcan once more and ask him, "Is this true?"
"That's what he told me," he claims. "He also showed me the letter your father wrote. With his signature."
"A letter?"
Just then, Finn pulls something out of his back pocket and hands it to me. It's a folded envelope. 
I take it from him with shaky hands. Toward the corner of the room, Wallace appears to be freaking out. I shift my focus to the letter in my hand, then swallow the knot forming in my throat. 
It's so much that I don't know what to focus on exactly. Deep down, I'm definitely avoiding reading this letter. 
Finn and Lorcan both watch me patiently as I struggle with the piece of paper in my hand. I suck in a deep breath, then firmly decide to just get it done and over with. I pull the letter out of the envelope and briefly scan the page. There's only one. 
Dear Lyrianne, 
I know that writing this letter doesn't repair the years that I spent away from your life, but in all truth, I have always wanted to come back for you. I just had to be in the proper financial and legislative standing to do that, and after years of hard work, I finally succeeded. 
The situation in the Republic of Eron is dire, and I'm aware of how your presence can turn the whole situation around. Understand this: If you stay in Eron, you will die. I have enough experience with full-blooded werewolves to know that they are capable of doing anything to save themselves, and they will not hesitate to use you even though you have never been considered one of them. 
So, take my words as solid advice, and put your trust in Morian Zicco and his family. They will do whatever is possible to get you out of Eron and bring you here, just until this situation dies down. I promise you that in a few weeks, it will only get worse. 
I look forward to seeing you. We'll talk more in person. 
Yours truly, 
Lyrus Swanson
"Lyrus?" I echo, looking up. 
Finn nods. "There's more in the envelope."
Frowning, I hold it open wider and sure enough, I see a small photograph right at the bottom. When I hold it close to my face, the knot in my throat becomes even harder to ignore. 
The two people I'm staring at are clearly my parents, and my mother... 
Tears prick my eyes and I suck in a shaky breath. Looking up, I say to Finn, "Is this supposed to be proof that this letter truly came from my father?"
"Of course," he claims. "What other proof would he be able to send apart from that photograph? Do you think my father had it this whole time? Where would he even have gotten it?"
Right now, I'm way too confused to figure out whether he could be lying or not. My instincts tell me he's not and that this is all very real. I'm guessing this is why Lorcan believed him, too. 
"You have to make a decision right now, Lyria," Finn adds as he steps toward me. I notice how Lorcan stiffens beside me, but he doesn't say anything. "If we have to leave, then we leave now, while everyone else will be distracted by what's happening out there. You can't stay here for long. You understand why, don't you? Look, there are quite a few of us who are on your side, but we won't be able to do a thing if the Alpha Council gets to you first."
"He's right," Lorcan says stiffly, and the way he glares at Finn doesn't escape my notice. "The priority is getting you out of here. Don't worry, I'll be with you every step of the way. There's no chance in hell that I will ever let anyone hurt you."
I meet his gaze and nod. At this point, I don't know what else to do but agree. I can't be stupid about this. 
"It's settled, then," Lorcan replies before looking over at Finn. "We leave right now. We'll take my car and I'll talk to the guards about—"
"It's not that simple," Finn argues. "You're forgetting that you're no longer the Alpha Leader heir, so those little perks you enjoyed are long gone. I don't have permission to leave the premises either. Wallace, on the other hand, is a trainer, so he can leave whenever he wants, right?"
I didn't think he was listening to us, but he nods and says, "I'm ready to get out of this place. When do we leave?"
"Maybe we pack a few things before we go," Finn suggests. "Let's meet each other in the parking lot next to the admin building in ten minutes. Deal? Shift if you have to, but we can't take too long."
So, we end up leaving the library and heading our own way. Lorcan comes with me, explaining, "I don't want to risk running into Anselm. He could follow me and figure out our plan."
I can't help but think about that gruesome scene all over again. Goddess, that was awful. I don't think I'll ever be able to recover from that. 
"You're sure he got away?" Lorcan asks after a few beats of silence. 
I nod. "I'm sure. I saw him run. The creature went after his friend instead and... got to him."
"And Electra was dead?"
I nod again. "I saw her take her last breath. She was bleeding out from a bite wound on her neck."
Lorcan lets out a low curse, but doesn't say anything else. around to ensure that we're not being followed by one of those creatures. Being out here in the open is so terrifying. I have this feeling like we could be attacked at any second. I keep looking around, but the coast is clear. 
For now. 
When we reach my building, we both head up to my floor quickly. I don't have much to pack, so we're out in two minutes. Lorcan is the one who carries my bag. 
"I can't believe we have to run all the way to the admin building," I pant, not stopping for a second. Right now, it seems so far away. 
"Once we get to the parking lot, it'll be fine," Lorcan claims. "If we haven't heard anything yet, it can only mean that those creatures haven't gotten to this area. By the time they're discovered, maybe the Alpha Council will have worked hard to contain the panic."
Before we even reach the parking lot, chaos ensues. I hear the screams from a distance, and Lorcan and I stop dead in our tracks and exchange a desperate look. 
I guess we were wrong about that.