Chapter 94
Chapter 94
Avery’s POV
The Nightwolf pack private library was stunning. Bennett, Gideon’s father, showed me in with a curt nod and left me standing, mouth agape at the incredible space.
The room was shaped as a round turret at one end of the pack house off of a wing I hadn’t ventured down previously. Entering through the carved wooden doors placed me facing a broad marble fireplace that was as tall as I was.
To each side bookshelves rose separated by palladium windows and columns that curved gracefully under a second floor balcony that ringed and looked down upon the center of the room.
A long curved couch dominated the floor in the center, flanked by overstuffed armchairs. Far above, the turret rounded into a glass-paned skylight cupola that gave a stunning view of the grey clouds overhead.
Planters trailing ivy and hanging flowers cascaded down from the upper levels, intermingling with the towering shelves filled with leatherbound tomes.
Far from the basement records room where I had started, and the pack library where I had conducted previous research, this room was rich, opulent, and lush. It was a jewel in the crown of Nightwolf power and a testament to the success generations of their family had brought to their territory.
So why did they say they were cursed?
Camila had referenced Gideon’s demonblood, which I had already known a little bit about, from what Gideon had told me himself after the incident with the angelica flowers. What could this library tell me that I didn’t already know?
I hummed to myself and walked to the second floor by way of a sweeping staircase. If I was going to be looking for little known information, I would want to start where no one ever looked.
The records on the second level were musty and ill-used. I let my fingers skim along the spines as I read the titles. Genealogical records mainly, similar to the records I had been studying in the basement before the Gala, but these were enshrined in gorgeous calligraphied manuscripts that dated the family back for centuries.
My fingers skipped over a gap in the tomes and I paused. Something had been here, but was missing. I stuck my fingers in between the two larger books on either side and was surprised when they landed on something much
smaller.
I pulled it out and stared down at a child’s diary. The small lock and leather strap were still attached, but fell open when I lifted it out.
Intrigued, I carried the diary down to the couch below and settled in to read.
There was no name on the cover, but as I read, it became clear who this must have belonged to. Had he hid it here, himself, in the expectation that no one would ever bother to find it?
As I tore through the pages, my heart broke for the little boy who hadn’t known how to do anything other than write down the horrors he was experiencing. His parents were harsh and strict, training him relentlessly to become a worthy alpha.
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Chapter 94
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“Hudson and Camila went on the trail ride today but Mother said I needed to stay in the training grounds and perfect my form…” said one entry. Another, “12th birthday today, I went to play in the woods by myself again. Father said that it’s not good for a future Alpha to play with the village children, but I wish I had someone to talk to p>
The final entry was chilling,
“Something is wrong with me. I shifted for the first time today and when my parents saw my wolf they told me to return to the house immediately. Did I do something wrong?
“I feel strange, is this not what a wolf is supposed to feel like? Is it supposed to be this hard to control? No one will tell me what’s wrong, and I’m starting to feel afraid p>
There the entries ended.
I closed the diary and pressed my fingertips to my closed eyes. I could so easily understand what that young Alpha had gone through, because it was so similar to the childhood I myself had suffered. The favoritism for Zara, my father’s favorite, the issues with my own wolf form never manifesting…
I needed to learn more. I needed to talk to Gideon about what I’d found.
The Full Moon was over and the pack was still buzzing with gossip about Hudson’s exile. When I let myself into Gideon’s office he looked irritable and busy behind a stack of papers.
“Avery.” He said, tossing a pack of files onto a pile to the side, “What now p>
It was hard, now, to see in this powerful man the remnants of the frightened but brave child who had written their thoughts in that leatherbound book.
“I want to know more.” I said, slipping into the chair in front of his desk, “I want to hear your side of the story p>
He stilled, staring down at the desk.
“Please, Gideon. Help me to understand. Tell me about how you found out about your demonblood. Tell me what will happen if you have children… if we have children p>
My plea fell into the silence of the room and I saw its ripples shake Gideon. When he raised his eyes to meet mine, he looked like a man haunted by his past.
“It’s not pretty, Avery. Not the sort of story one tells to get a laugh.” He said wearily, leaning back in his chair to rub his eyes.
“You just banished your brother, and your family doesn’t seem to care that it was the right thing to do. From what I can tell, they shaped you to be a tool, but didn’t care how you might be cut in the process.” I stated simply. “You want me to stay, and I presume you mean for us to be allies. I need to understand p>
His fingers gripped the edge of the desk so tightly I could see his knuckles turn white.
“Please.” I whispered.
With a groan, Gideon rose and paced to the window. He turned back to stare at me with a dagger-gaze.
“If I am going to tell you this, you have to promise to listen to the whole thing.” He said grimly, “It won’t be easy
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Chapter 94
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to listen to. Listen anyways p>
I nodded solemnly.
He stared into the night for long moments.
“It’s hard to know where to start. I haven’t told anyone about this in my own words. At the time, everyone knew. It was the defining memory of my earliest years as Alpha p>
I pulled my feet up onto the sofa and hugged my knees as Gideon gripped the windowsill and tried to find the words to tell me about his memories.
“I had a friend.” He said slowly, “Another wolf boy. His name was Malakai. We were close in age, and although my parents didn’t want me playing with the other village children, he and I would sneak out into the woods to run around together. As I got older, we had to be more discrete, and we had a secret code we would use to leave messages for each other p>
Gideon turned to look at me, and his eyes were full of fury and sorrow.
“I killed him, Avery. I killed them both p>
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