“There’s more back home,” he says with a smile, across from me on the other couch.
“More?” I repeat, gobsmacked. “How many more?”
“Just…more.”
Shaking my head, I flick open one, scanning a random page. The neat cursive handwriting is thankfully legible and detailed despite the age of the journals. It seems she wrote all the time, not just about the Great War, but about her life as well.
“People would kill to have these,” I remark. “So many inaccurate historical records about her when these exist.”
Cade shrugs. “I know. But sometimes it’s better to just leave them guessing. The truth is powerful but not always an ally. Besides, she wanted them to stay within the pack. Or her family,I suppose. It feels too personal to share them with the world, you know?”
I nod, understanding what he means. “I feel like I’m violating her privacy by reading them.”
“You are her family, Nyx.”
“I know,” I sigh. “But it feels weird.”
I have to admit, despite it feeling like I’m reading some huge secret, it’s nice to have a connection to her.
I still have no idea if what I saw when I was unconscious was real, but I believe it has to have been. Her words still replay in my mind though. Even with history repeating, it’s not the same, and whatever worked for her, may not work for me.
It's a terrifying thought.
Even now, I still feel unsure where to begin. But I suppose these journals are a good start.
“I went through them to figure out the best ones to bring,” Cade mentions. “Most of these center around the war and the time she found her mates.”
Nodding, I agree it’s the best place to start if we’re going to find any type of answers.
Flicking back to the start, I begin reading, already lost in her words and recounts. Cade reads too, helping speed up the process as we sit in silence and devour the journals.
15th June 1609
Today ‘tis my twenty-first birthday. It is hoped that I shall soon find my fated mate. Father has still not returned from the war. I do long that he does so beforehand. It would be joyous for his presence to bear witness to my bond. Alas, the days are passing and mother feigns happiness. But I fear her melancholy is increasing with the passing weeks.
29th June 1609
There is worrisome talk amongst the pack. Alpha Godwin believes an invasion is coming. If it be, I fear the worst.
Father has still not returned and mother has taken ill. Her screams hath kept me awake, and I am saddened by the thought that she has omitted information from me.
My hope is dwindling for his safety. Mother’s tears lead me to believe that my father is now with our maker.
4th July 1609
The attack hath come. Alpha Godwin was killed and many of us hath taken to hiding. I pray to the Moon Goddess that they doth not find me.
5th July 1609
I have been found. Worst so, mother is dead from a broken heart. I am alone.
8th July 1609
They doth not know about my journals. They are hidden where my heart lies.
Time is not on my side.
13th July 1609
