"She bears the mark of her mother's bloodline. The male came from Dunnum to meet the Luna in Crescent Valley—how it's always been done." He stares at Feray, then back at me. "Her disappearance caused a rift in the process. No Luna, no succession of power."
The implications hit me like a wave. She's not just any wolf. She's royalty.
"How does the succession happen?" We walk further away, keeping an eye on where Feray is.
"The present Luna gifts the next Luna her powers and memories. From what I can tell, Feray has the power, but not the memories and knowledge of how to use it." He arches a brow.
"So what does that mean?"
"It means her mother is dead. Upon her death, Feray inherited the power. As for her father, without a new alpha to pass the power onto, it's lost to the void."
Diaval's dragon rises in his eyes, and I know he will destroy the world to protect what is his.
My own basilisk stirs, scales rippling beneath my skin. If anyone tries to harm our Luna—our rightful Luna—they will turn to stone before they take another breath.
"Do we tell her what we suspect?" I keep an eye on Feray, playing with Easton's chick on her lap. She looks so young right now. So fragile.
"No. I have a bad feeling we'll find all the evidence we need for her to piece it together herself. Our job is to protect and support her however she needs us."
Diaval removes the next trunk and rips the top off. More clothing—this time belonging to a man. We share a glance. Her father's.
One last trunk remains. A smaller one.
Nodding at Diaval, he takes it down and rips the top off using his talons.
Baby clothing. And a picture on top.
The woman from the earlier photograph. A man with broad shoulders. And a baby wrapped in a blanket.
Diaval hands me the photo, and I stare at it. The same woman, the same house in the background.
"I'm eighty percent sure that's the missing alpha and Luna," Diaval whispers.
I study the faces. The man has strong features, dark hair, an alpha's bearing. The woman—she has Feray's hair, Feray's delicate jaw. And the baby between them...
My mate. Before the world tried to break her.
"We won't know for sure until we get to Crescent Valley."
"What do we tell Feray?" I hate keeping secrets. Given my family background, some secrets are kept to keep others safe. But this feels different. This feels wrong.
"We show her the picture." Diaval stops and stares at me.
The silence speaks volumes. We show her what her parents looked like, but not who we suspect they are until we have concrete proof.
"Agreed. Do we tell Torben?"
"We have to. Then we make him swear to keep it a secret until we know for sure. I'll tell Easton as soon as I can mentally link to him again."
We decide to sit back and watch Feray explore the wreckage of what was the home of her birth. Torben urged her to search the house last so we can do that as a family.
Whatever the bear saw that made him say that can't be good.
I watch Feray by the stream, Easton's chick hopping around on the rocks beside her. She looks peaceful for the first time since we arrived in Silver Falls.
She doesn't know yet that she's the lost princess of the wolves. That her birthright is a throne covered in blood and mystery.
But she will. Soon.
