Chapter 49
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I stare at the necklace on the page as if it might leap out and fasten itself back around my neck. The sapphire glows on the paper just as it did against my skin under the moonlight.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying!” Jasmine leans in, jabbing a finger at the picture. “It means yours is fake.”
I hum low in my throat, not trusting myself to speak. “Hmmmm. You’re probably right,” I say, though everything inside me screams otherwise. I don’t want to argue. I just… keep staring.
Jasmine sighs dramatically and folds her arms. “Where did you even get it? Was it a gift? Ugh, I hate when people give fake jewelry as presents–it’s so insulting.”
My lips part before I even know what I’m going to say. “But let’s say, for a moment, that it’s not fake. Then what would that mean?”
Jasmine pauses, lifting a hand to her chin. Her brows pinch in thought. “If–impossibly–it’s not fake, and it really is the Alpha Queen’s necklace… then maybe it was stolen.”
I blink at her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” she says slowly, meeting my eyes, “maybe the person who gave it to you stole it from the Queen. They could’ve been a servant or someone close to the royal family. Who gave it to you?”
“My adopted mother,” I murmur, the words pulling a tight string across my chest. “She said she found it with me when I was a child…”
Jasmine’s face falls. “Oh. I’m sorry–I didn’t know you were adopted.”
I wave a hand dismissively. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. I was taken in by a beta family.” I hesitate, swallowing down the bitterness. “It wasn’t the best experience. But my adoptive mother–no, my mother–she was an angel. An angel in a house of wolves.”
Jasmine nods gently. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors,” she says, her words drawing my gaze back to her.
“What rumors?”
“About the royal family.”
I shake my head. “No, I haven’t.”
Her voice lowers to a whisper, as if the trees might be listening. “There’s an old, forbidden story. The Alpha King had two daughters. But one of them… went missing. No one’s allowed to talk about it. People have been punished for less.”
My heart stumbles in my chest. “So… Lady Celestia has a sister?”
“Had,” she corrects. “I think she’s older. She disappeared long before Celestia was born.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Why are you telling me this?”
She scoffs. “Are you really that dense, or just pretending? You just said you were adopted.”
“So? That doesn’t mean anything.”
“Maybe not. But what about the necklace?”
“You said it was fake, remember?” I raise a brow at her.
She rolls her eyes. “Yes, I did! But let’s say just for one impossible moment–that it’s not fake. And your wolf…?” Her voice lowers again. “I’ve seen Alpha wolves shift. Even royal guards. But yours? It’s different. It’s… terrifying.”
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13:29 Sat, 21 Jun GG
Chapter 49
I shift uncomfortably. “That could just be… another coincidence.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” she says flatly.
Suddenly, her eyes glaze over, changing shade ever so slightly. Her hand lifts to her temple. She’s being mindlinked.
“Jack just messaged me,” she says, snapping back to the present. “He’s been looking everywhere for you. He sounds… worried.”
Istraighten immediately, brushing dust off my clothes and turning to leave, but Jasmine grabs my wrist.
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“Forget what I just said,” she blurts, her eyes wide with something close to fear. “I must be crazy–losing my mind–to think you could be the Alpha King’s missing daughter.”
Isco, trying to ignore how deeply her words cut. “Yeah. You’re insane,” I mutter with a small, awkward laugh. “There’s no way Celestia is my sister. We look nothing alike.”
*Plus she’s gorgeous,” Jasmine smirks, and we both laugh–though there’s something stiff and uncomfortable behind it.
A silence settles between us, heavy but not hostile.
Then she speaks again, her voice low. “Promise me you won’t tell Jack what happened with Khaos. Please. If he finds out, he’ll kill him.”
“I won’t,” I say firmly. “But promise me you won’t go back to Khaos.”
“I won’t,” she whispers, almost like she’s trying to convince herself.
I nod once. “Good.”
She walks me to the door of the treehouse. The air is cooler now, the breeze gentle as it rustles the leaves above us. I wave at her, and she gives me a small smile–one that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
As I make my way alone through the forest, I can’t stop the thoughts from creeping in.
Jack’s looking for me.
Why?
I told him where I was going. Shouldn’t he be busy fulfilling his duties as an Alpha?
The thought of him being worried about me sends a strange warmth through my chest. My lips twitch, fighting off a smile.
Then my thoughts drift again… to the hecklace… the rumors… the missing daughter.
No. That’s impossible. It has to be.
I press a hand to my chest, to the place where the necklace once rested, and keep walking–one step at a time–back to Jack.
Dear Moon Goddess… what is happening to me?
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“Jack?”
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