Page 170 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

“He told me.” Bart rubbed his temples. “That’s where I planned on us heading next.”

The book grew heavy in my hands, reminding me that I wasn’t anywhere near finished. “Good.” I flipped to the next page.

The once neat scribbling was now a jumbled mess, the chaotic swirls making my heart pound from whatever secrets they held. “Apparently, the angels weren’t thrilled that the male hybrid was able to reproduce and that his child was as powerful as him. But Ophaniel protected his son, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren. The wolves were able to reproduce every five to ten years, which angered the angels even more. Apparently, the wolf side of them made it easier to reproduce, and once again, their powers weren’t diluted. Each generation angered the angels even more.”

“Well, they are kind of elitist.” Killian chuckled. “They think highly of themselves, similar to the fae.”

I’d never met a fae, though I knew they existed. Most of them stayed in their own realm and rarely crossed over to Earth. If you weren’t of fae blood, you couldn’t travel to their land.

“What else does it say?” Julius asked as he shuffled to my other side and glanced over my shoulder. He stiffened and blew out a breath. “What the hell?”

“Uh…” I had no clue how to answer him. “No?” That certainly wasn’t what the book said. I looked around, trying to figure out what had set him off.

“There are no words on the page.” He swiped the book and turned it upside down, making a few pages fall and land on the cement.

“Are you insane?” He had to be. I grabbed the book from him and clutched it to my chest. “You’re going to mess it up!”

Griffin squatted and picked up the papers. “Babe. He’s right.” He stood and held the papers toward me. “There’s nothing there.”

“This isn’t funny.” Now wasn’t the time for games. The letters seemed even more frantic, but they were legible. It took just a little bit of focus to make out the words. I took the pages from him and placed them back inside the book. I’d figure out where they went later.

“They can’t see the writing.” Bart smiled sadly as he pivoted toward me. “And this confirms what your father knew all along. Only angels and the true alpha of the silver wolves can read those words.”

“Is that why you didn’t tell me?” Another stupid-ass test that he needed to perform because he didn’t believe a woman could be alpha. “How do you know I’m not pretending?”

“Our father read the entries that day because neither your dad nor I were alphas yet.” He kicked at the cement as if he were ashamed. “We had him read the journal to us so many times that I have most of it memorized. You didn’t know anything about this room, and your dad’s letter confirms that he never told you about it.”

“Is it because I’m a woman?” I was going to make him admit it. Dad told me to never back down. Maybe he was preparing me for the first time I met Bart.

“No.” He grimaced and lifted a hand. “But I thought maybe the witch lied to your dad when she planned on stealing Cyrus. I just had to make sure.”

I guessed that made sense, but it didn’t completely settle me. However, the stench of a lie was missing.

“Another thing she gets that I don’t,” Julius grumbled, sounding jealous.

Maybe I wasn’t as safe with him as I’d hoped. He might have alpha aspirations of his own, which meant he could stab me in the back. He’d already done it twice. “Considering how much you whine, you could never handle being in charge.” I was done being nice.

Killian snorted while Griffin chuckled.

I waited for a smart-ass retort, but Julius’s face only turned red.

Not wanting to keep going down this horrible road, I read some more. “The angels grew disgruntled and tried to overtake the city. The silver wolves realized that the angels had to be stopped, and for more than just their own protection. The angels were trying to control everyone and using the city that had been built for refuge as a place to dominate and control. The silver wolves strategized and got the other supernatural races to work together and overthrow the angels.”

A smile spread across my face. “Ophaniel writes that it was the most amazing process to watch. The silver wolves had an even more cunning strategy than the angels because they were able to feel and relate to the pain of the races all around them. They energized an army that stormed the city and demanded justice for all.”

Julius bounced on his heels. “What happened next?” He sounded like a kid listening to his favorite bedtime story.

He must have had so many questions growing up as a silver wolf that he was thrilled to get answers. Questions I should’ve had but didn’t because I’d taken things for granted.

“Yelahiah intervened and called a truce, with the majority of the angels backing her, but at a cost.” I forced the next words. “Azbogah claimed the silver wolves were an abomination, stating that his judgment was final and that they all needed to die. Ophaniel tried to protect the silver wolves from the angel attack, but all the other angels were afraid to stand up to Azbogah. After all, the angels were forced to stand down to the other races because of Ophaniel’s offspring. The angels rallied and attacked, killing five silver wolves. Ophaniel helped the remaining ones flee in the middle of the night.” I paused,needing to collect myself. The past seemed like a deadly soap opera. “Who is Azbogah?”

“He’s part of the angel council.” Griffin frowned. “He’s the one who makes decisions for the whole angel community, overriding Yelahiah and her husband. He calls himself the judge and executioner.”

“Sounds like a stand-up guy.” Pricks like that had huge egos. “I bet he and Dick get along great.”

“You know what?” Griffin tilted his head as if something clicked. “They actually do.”

“Of course.” Killian rolled his eyes. “I’ve been telling you forever that Dick’s an asshole. Assholes stick together.”

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