Page 167 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

Light flooded the opening as I touched the cement ground and turned toward the room. The rectangular space was around three hundred square feet, which wasn’t large, but not as small as Bart had made it sound. The walls were all beige stone, and there was an air vent in the ceiling, so the area was cooled. In the middle sat a large white marble statue of an angel—a man with strong, chiseled features who stood as tall as Bart. His wings fanned behind him, but that wasn’t what caught my eye. It was the moon sitting in the palm of his hand.

Griffin and Julius brushed past me, and I tried to move, but my legs were frozen. I stared blankly at the statue. “Why is there an angel in my basement?”

The absurdity of the statement would’ve made me laugh under normal circumstances…or at least, I thought so. Hell, I wasn’t sure I knew what constituted normal anymore.

“That’s one reason you’re here.” Bart strolled to a desk in the corner of the room where a journal sat with a note on top.

Another damn journal.

Hadn’t the last one done enough damage?

Anger fueled me, and my strength returned. I marched to the desk and found my father’s neat handwriting once again.

Sterlyn,

If you’re finding this, that means that my worst fears have come true. Shadow City has opened the gates once more, and something bad has happened.

Our location has been revealed. I’m working on negotiations for another property, but they aren’t finalized. I hope that I’m being paranoid, but if one group found us, that means others could follow. I’m writing this letter in case something happens before I can get us relocated.

I know you must have so many questions, and I hope you never find this. I plan on telling you everything on the new moon. I’ve been putting it off because when I learned everything, I learned it with my brother. How I wish you had someone to rely on like Bart and I had each other, but fate didn’t have that in your cards.

None of this matters, but if I don’t tell you this, I know you’ll always be curious. Kevin’s new mate came from Shadow Ridge, and she told her former alpha about our location, not realizing the severity of our situation. You’ll soon read the journal I left behind that will detail what I’m referencing, but just know her mistake wasn’t intentional.

So read the journal, and at the very back, I have details on how to contact your uncle for help. Unfortunately, if you’re reading this, that means Iam dead. Just know that you are a true alpha, and never let any man or woman doubt your capabilities. There is something special in you. Both your mother and I see it. Youhave a just heart, even more so than most others, and you will be a leader who understands what’s bestfor the entire supernatural race, not just the silver wolves. You are the true embodiment of what a silver wolf is meant to be.

I love you, baby girl. And I will always be watching over you. You deserve to be happy and find a fated mate who will make you even stronger. Please don’t be angry with me because everything I’ve ever done has been out of love.

With all the love of the moon,

Dad

My throat dried as I blinked back tears. I’d read the letter with his deep, vibrating voice in my mind. Iwasangry with him, but he had planned on showing me this room and whatever it contained. He’d died the day he was going to bring me down here.

“Babe?” Griffin asked with concern.

“He was going to tell me.” Bart had been shocked that he hadn’t, but the explanation was right there in the letter. “The night of the new moon. He died that day.”

“Well, at least you got a letter,” Julius snapped. His nostrils flared as his nose wrinkled with disgust. “Why are you upset?”

That was the final straw—I couldn’t handle his nastiness anymore. “You aren’t the only one who gets to hurt.” My hands shook as I sneered at the selfish prick. “Just because a witch spelled you and said you were dead doesn’t mean that I can’t hurt, too. I lost my parents, and you never knew them to feel this kind of sting. And as much as it hurts that you never knew them, I hurt because Idid. I’m tired of being patient with you. If you can’t be civil to me, then you can go run back to whoever the hell took you and left you as a fucking rogue wolf your entire life.”

Julius inhaled sharply, but his demeanor didn’t change.

“I have a lot to get caught up on, it seems.” Bart rubbed the back of his neck. “And if they have a witch working for them,that means other races know about us as well. But if Cyrus didn’t connect with another pack, I don’t understand how you didn’t know he was alive, especially with your twin connection.”

“Well, I wasn’t alpha, and Dad probably thought he was imagining things.” If I were him, that was what I’d think. “He probably didn’t want to get Mom’s hopes up. When Dad died, I felt, at times, a pack connection, but I thought it was a phantom echo because I’d just lost my pack and I wanted to feel them again.” I paused and thought through what he’d said. “What is a twin connection?”

“It’s a special bond twins have. You two are only the second ones in the silver wolf line and the first twin alpha heirs. You sense each other more than regular linked pack members do, though it’s not as strong as a fated mate bond.” Bart paced in front of the angel statue. “How close by was he?”

Julius cleared his throat, obviously done remaining silent. “I was about fifty miles away, holed up by myself.”

“Far enough that neither link would be strong.” Griffin’s head lowered, and he sighed. Then he lifted his head and glared. “But close enough that you could coordinate attacks on Sterlyn.”

Bart stilled. “You attacked your sister?”

Though Julius answered Bart’s question, he addressed me. “I was told my parents didn’t want me and cast me aside. They said that my parents favored you because you were the rightful alpha heir—that they didn’t want to keep me around in case I tried to challenge you. That my parents were more concerned about your well-being than anything else. That you were their moon,” he said agitatedly. “A woman was hired to take care of me, and some arrogant man said they wanted to help make things right and that they wouldn’t harm any of the silver wolves.”

“A woman and a man?” That piqued my interest. That was the most I’d gotten from him so far. “Who are they?”

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