Chapter 56
Lisa’s POV
Today was the day.
The day I would go back to the place I once called home. The place where I had been rejected, broken,
and left behind.
The Nightshade Pack.
My heart beat faster just thinking about it. So many memories were buried there. Some painful. Some
confusing. All of them unfinished. And now, I was going back to find the answers I had been searching for
my entire life.
The truth about my real parents.
I stood in the hallway of Rylan’s mansion, dressed in a simple black sweater and jeans. My boots were sturdy. My hair was tied back. The truthwood shard was safely tucked in the pocket of my jacket, close to my heart.
I didn’t want to drag anyone into this mess. Especially not Rylan.
This was my problem.
When I walked downstairs, I found Rylan already waiting by the door. He looked calm, but I could see it in his eyes. He was worried.
‘Til be fine,” I said quietly.
“You’re not going alone,” he replied, just as calm.
I frowned. “Rylan, this doesn’t concern you. You’ve already done so much for me. More than anyone else ever has. But this… this is something I need to do on my own.”
“No.” His voice was firm. “I’m coming with you.”
1 blinked. “You don’t have to. I’m not asking you to.”
“You don’t have to ask,” he said. “You think I’m going to let you walk into a pack that threw you away? That rejected you? That hurt you? What if they do it again? What if they try to lie? Or worse….what if they try to hurt you?
“I can handle it,” I whispered.
Rylan stepped closer. “Maybe you can. But you shouldn’t have to.”
My chest tightened.
“I just…” I hesitated. “I don’t want you to get involved. This isn’t your burden.”
“You are my concern, Lisa,” he said softly. “And I’m not letting you face them alone. Not when I can be
Chaydes Sy
there. Not when I can protect you if things go wrong.”
His voice was gentle but strong. There was no arguing when Rylan got like this. He was calm on the
outside, but when he made up his mind, he didn’t back down.
“Please don’t make me sit here and wonder what they’re saying to you,” he added. “Let me come.”
I sighed and finally gave in. “Okay. You can come.”
He gave a small nod and opened the door. “Let’s go.”
The drive to Nightshade was quiet.
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I stared out the window as the trees blurred past. My hands were cold. My stomach felt tight. I hadn’t been back since the night Kael rejected me. Since the night everything in my world fell apart.
Now I was returning not as the weak, forgotten girl. But as someone who had seen things. Someone who had felt power in her blood and heard her mother’s voice from beyond the veil.
The truth was close. I could feel it.
When we reached the border of the Nightshade Pack, two guards stepped forward to block our path. Their eyes flicked over me and then landed on Rylan.
“Alpha Rylan,” one of them said with a slight bow. “This is unexpected.”
“I called ahead,” Rylan replied. “Alpha Alexis is expecting us.”
The guard stepped aside and pressed a button on a small device. A moment later, the gates opened.
We drove through.
My heart pounded harder the closer we got to the main house. Everything looked the same… but it felt different.
Memories rushed back like a wave. Roxanne’s laughter. My mother’s silence. My father’s cold eyes. Kael’s voice saying “I reject you.”
I clenched my fists.
When we reached the main house, Alpha Alexis was waiting at the top of the steps. His arms were crossed. He looked surprised.
“Lisa,” he said slowly. “You came back?”
I stepped forward. “I need to speak with my parents.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why now? The last time they begged you to return, you didn’t even respond. You ignored them. What changed?”
I swallowed. “I have something important to discuss.”
His eyes narrowed. “What could possibly be so important that you come back now, after everything?”
“I need to ask them about my real parents,” I said while trying to keep my voice steady.
Alpha Alexis blinked. “Your… what?”
“My real parents,” I said again. “It seems I am adopted. The people who raised me… they’re not my biological parents.”
There was a long pause.
The Alpha’s face twitched…just for a second. Then he looked away as if trying to hide something.
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“My Beta and his wife are your parents,” he said quickly. “They’ve raised you since you were a baby”
“No,” I said softly. “They’re not. I’ve seen things. I’ve had visions. My real mother… her name was Althea. She appeared to me. And she told me the truth.”
His expression changed. Something flickered in his eyes-shock, maybe… or fear.
Then he straightened and forced a smile. “Fine. You may see them. They’re inside.”
He turned away too fast. He was too nervous and too eager to be done with us.
I frowned.
What was he hiding?.
Rylan leaned close to me as we stepped through the door. “Did you see that?”
“Yes,” I whispered back. “He knows something.”
Rylan’s jaw tightened. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
As we walked down the familiar hallway, my heart thudded harder. I could hear the soft echo of our footsteps. I could smell the old wooden walls and the faint scent of lilacs my mother used to love.
Soon, I would look into her eyes and ask her the question I had been too afraid to ask.
The truthwood shard burned softly in my pocket.
I touched it gently through the fabric.
I was ready.
But I still couldn’t shake the image of Alpha Alexis’ face when I mentioned my real parents. The way his eyes had widened. The way his voice had turned rushed. He was so nervous.
He knew something.
And now, I needed to find out what.
The truth was no longer a secret hiding in the shadows.
It was coming to light.
And no matter how painful it was… I was ready to face it.
