“What?”
He clears his throat. “You called her a witch in the nursery. I thought it was an insult, but now I see it. How else could she have made all this possible? Taking over the Alpha, I understand. But your children, too? There’s no natural explanation for it.”
I nod weakly, realising I’d let that slip. For a moment, discomfort overwhelms me. Then relief seeps in. He didn’t dismiss me. He didn’t say I was making an accusation. Jax, my brother believes me, unlike Kade. He still has enough control over his mind to think straight and logically.
I turn another page. Lists of herbs. Crates of tonics. The sums are high, far higher than what a keep consumes.
“These figures are impossible,” I say.
“They’re not kitchen herbs,” Jax answers, trailing his finger along the paper to read the entire entry. “They’re tinctures. Silverdew. Nightshade. Hemlock. All bought under your name.”
My stomach twists.What if she wasn’t just poisoning me? What if Kade is also a target?
I pull the parchment closer and start copying. “Forged finances. Illegal tonics. We’ll make a record of every page.”
Jax nods once.
The raven shifts on the rail, claws scratching wood. Its black eyes stay on me as I copy the marks. The candle sputters. Shadows stretch across the desk.
I pause, my eyes flicking to the margins. I should copy the symbols too. If I can somehow reach Rowan again…
Deep in my gut, I know he can help me with this.
I copy them, mindful of my brother’s eyes on me.
Jax turns another ledger. He taps a page. “See here. Payments to ‘Merrin Trade.’ There is no Merrin Trade in Silvercrest.”
“False merchants?”
“Yes.”
I write quickly. “Then funds are being laundered.”
“Exactly. Through ghosts.”
The dossier grows—page after page, copied entries. At last, Jax lays a thinner ledger on the desk. “This one is different. It’s too clean.” I open it. The rows are straight and the sums precise. At the bottom of the last page, a signature sweeps bold across the parchment.
My breath stills. “Elder Thane.”
The chamber suddenly feels colder.
Jax’s jaw tightens. “This is dangerous. Elder Thane is our pack’s delegate on the High Council. He has a permanent vote on all matters in their power. This ledger—it ties them.”
The raven croaks suddenly, fluttering its wings and taking flight.
As I watch it disappear into the sky, I whisper the name again. “Elder Thane.”
THE PROPHECY
Freya
I’m exhausted by the time I return from the training yard. My arms ache, my legs feel like jelly, and my palms are raw from gripping the staff too tightly.
After a long bath, I let the maids go and ask for my meal to be brought to my chambers. Brin’s antidote sits waiting on my table. I down it in one swallow. It no longer tastes foul or makes my body shudder like earlier. He told me we’re almost done with the detox. “Just a few more nights,” he said. “You’ll feel whole again.”
I hope he’s right.
The food arrives. I eat quietly. When I’m done, I snuff out the candles one by one until the room softens into shadow. The moment I pull the blanket over my body a sudden sound cuts through the air.
