Page 165 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

Great. We were going to let our family drama hang out with a man we hadn’t even known for ten minutes. Things were already going so smoothly. “They can stay.” I wanted to addbut not himabout Julius, but that would only make him feel more alienated. Whatever there was to find, Julius should theoretically have the same right to know as Bart and I.

“Okay, then.” Bart shrugged. “You’re the top alpha,” he said without bitterness, catching me off guard.

I’d almost been afraid that he might challenge me for that title, but maybe there wouldn’t be a problem after all.

Bart gestured to the hallway. “Let’s visit the basement room.”

“The basement room?” I had no clue what he was talking about. Maybe he wasn’t who I thought he was.

He stepped back, looking startled. “Your father never showed you?”

I took a deep breath. I didn’t like being left in the dark, especially since it sounded like I should know about it. “There’s no basement room. This is a one-story house with a crawlspace.” Either I was stupid, or he was. I had a feeling it was me, and that didn’t sit well.

He lifted a hand for a moment and tilted it side to side as if he was trying to figure out what to say. “There’s a secret room where our ancestry is hidden. Only the alpha heirs know about it. No one beyond them.”

“If that’s the case, then how do you know about it?” Maybe he would challenge me after all.

“Until you were born, I was the second in line to lead.” He licked his lips and gazed at the wall above my head as if he was lost in memories. “I needed to learn everything about being alpha in case your father died. When you were born, you took my place. Now you’re the true alpha with Cyrus as the spare. You two need to learn about our history. It’s how things have always been done so no one is left without the knowledge.”

Whether I liked the situation or not, Bart knowing about the secret room was a very good thing. That information could’ve been lost forever if both he and Dad hadn’t been told. “Then why didn’t he tell me?” Hurt laced my words. Dad had left me without all the facts.

“The transition should’ve happened by now, but knowing my brother, he wanted to protect you as long as possible.” Bart rolled his shoulders, displaying his discomfort. “The moresomeone knows, the more at risk they are from people who are desperate to know all about us.”

I laughed humorlessly. “At one point, I might have agreed with you, but not now. I was spared only because someone wants to use me as a breeder, so my limited knowledge hasn’t saved me.”

Bart’s jaw twitched. “Some things never change. There’s always someone out there trying to corrupt the world. It makes me sick.”

“Maybe the silver wolves going into hiding wasn’t the right call.” I’d been thinking that for a while. We were meant to be just and fair. By running off to hide, had we allowed the supernatural world to become more corrupt? “We should’ve stayed and helped to fix the problems.”

“You say that now, but you don’t understand the whole story.” Bart rubbed his hands together. “You’re about to learn everything.”

That was something I could get behind. “So where is this hidden room?” I’d grown up in this house and knew every nook and cranny. There was no way I’d missed it.

“Let me show you.” Bart gestured to the hallway. “Do you mind if I lead?”

I waved him forward. “Go for it.”

“But no funny business.” Griffin straightened his shoulders. “There are four of us against you.”

“Math is one of my strong suits.” Bart chuckled and stalked down the hallway. “But thanks for clarifying.”

“You stay here with us.” Killian sneered at Julius.

Between Griffin and Killian, my brother sure couldn’t feel the love. However, my uncle calling him by his birth name didn’t seem to bother him. He was dying to fit in but wasn’t sure how to go about it. Maybe if we let him come along, he wouldn’t feel so alone. I couldn’t fathom growing up without a pack; he’d hada rougher childhood than any of us could relate to. “No, let him come,” I said.

“What?” Julius’s lips parted as his breath hitched. “Is this some kind of cruel joke to get back at me?”

“You can’t be serious.” Killian ran his fingers through his hair. “He hasn’t done anything to prove himself.”

“Because we haven’t given him the chance to. And Bart’s right–he should know this, too.” In order to prevent Julius from feeling any more uncomfortable than he already was, I took off after Bart.

There’s no way in hell I’m letting you go down those stairs with your resurrected brother who’s tried to kidnap you multiple times and an uncle who just recently appeared.Griffin sounded broken as he ran after me and took my hand.Please don’t ask that of me.

Even though I hated considering breaking tradition, how could I tell my mate no after that? If anything, he and I were stronger together.Fine, but just you.

And Killian.Regret wafted from my mate toward me.Because you can’t take on two silver wolves on your own, and let’s be real, I’m not even a match for just one. It’ll be best if we don’t split up.

He was right. I had to think with logic, and beyond that, I trusted Killian and Griffin more than the two men in front of me. They’d proven they had my best interests at heart, and after all that we’d gone through, that had to mean something. I paused and waited for Bart to look back at me. “I respect that under normal circumstances, only Cyrus and I would go with you. But not many silver wolves are left, and Killian and Griffin are my family, too. I want them to be part of this as well.”

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