Chapter 99
Lisa’s POV
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I followed Fenric out of the room with stiff legs. My heart was still racing from the confrontation. He hadn’t shouted. He hadn’t even scolded me. Instead, he had smiled, lied, and acted as if nothing had happened. That was far more terrifying than any outburst. That calm and quiet deceit. That cool mask he wore. My stomach churned.
Sierra was quiet inside my head, but I could feel her watching through my eyes. She was just
as tense as I was.
“We’re not safe here,” she finally whispered. “He is hiding too much. That wasn’t just a lie. That was practiced and planned.”
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. Not yet.
The hallway stretched ahead like a long and narrow throat, and every painting on the wall seemed to watch me. I kept my eyes forward. My fingers tingled. The air felt too thick. I was beginning to feel like a prisoner in velvet chains.
Just as we turned the corner, Katherine was already waiting for us by the staircase. She wore a soft pink sweater and fitted jeans. Her long brown hair was cascading over her shoulders like warm silk. She looked like someone out of a cozy dream, not a girl who lived in a
mansion filled with secrets.
“There you are!” she said with a bright smile. “I was just about to come find you. Ready for
the tour?”
Fenric gave her a nod. He appeared all calm and composed. “I’ll leave her in your capable hands. I’m running late.”
She beamed. “Of course. Lisa and I will be fine.”
I nodded quietly. Fenric left with a parting glance in my direction. I couldn’t read the look. Was it a warning? A threat hidden behind warmth?
Once he disappeared down the hall, Katherine turned to me. “Come on, I’ll show you everything. This place is huge, and honestly, kind of overwhelming at first. But I’ll help you get
used to it.”
She started walking. Her steps were light and cheerful. I followed her in silence.
“You okay?” she asked while glancing at me over her shoulder. “You’re awfully quiet.”
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I forced a small smile. “Just tired.”
Her brows creased. “Are you sure? You seem a little… I don’t know. Lost?”
I paused for half a second. Then nodded. “I’m fine. Really.”
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She studied me for a moment but didn’t push further. “Alright. Well, if you ever need to talk, I’m always around.”
We entered a long hallway with polished floors and high arched windows. “This wing holds most of the guest rooms,” she explained. “There’s also a reading lounge down there, and a smaller study room, not my dad’s main one.”
I nodded again. My eyes flicked from door to door. Each one looked the same. They were made of heavy wood and brass handles. They were impossibly thick.
“Everything okay?” Katherine asked again as we moved through another corridor.
“Yes.”
She smiled. She was trying to lighten the mood. “Okay. Let me show you my favorite spot.”
She led me through two tall doors and onto a balcony. It overlooked a wide garden below- dark trees, a stone fountain, and patches of pale lavender. The sun had started dipping and was casting gold streaks over the sky.
“It’s beautiful,” I said quietly.
“I come here when I need to think,” she said. “Or when I’m anxious. It’s peaceful. Makes you feel like things are okay, even when they aren’t.”
Her voice was soft…..almost sad.
“Do you come here often?” I asked.
She nodded slowly. “More than I probably should.”
We stood there for a moment. The wind tugged lightly at our hair.
“You know,” she said, “I was nervous when you came. I didn’t know what kind of person you were. But I’m glad you’re here.”
I didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure what to say.
Sierra stirred again. “Ask her. She knows more than she’s saying.”
Not yet, I thought back. I didn’t trust anyone….not even the girl who looked like she belonged
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Chapter 90
in a storybook.
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We walked back inside, and Katherine continued the tour. She was pointing out the formal dining room, the training hall, the kitchen. Everyone we passed nodded politely and smiled.
But it didn’t feel right.
Their smiles didn’t reach their eyes. Their movements were too graceful. Their silence too deep. Their presence pressed against my skin like something unseen was watching.
“They’re not normal,” I whispered in my mind.
“No,” Sierra agreed. “Some of them aren’t even wolves. I can’t smell their scent.”
I slowed as we passed a tall woman with black hair and pale skin. Her eyes glowed slightly, even in the light. And when she bowed her head politely, I felt the magic ripple off her.
“She’s a witch,” Sierra hissed. “I’d bet everything on it.”
My heart thudded harder.
Why were witches walking freely inside a werewolf pack?
And why didn’t anyone say anything about it?
As we turned the next corner, my thoughts swirled with panic. I didn’t feel safe here. Not at all. Fenric was lying. The others weren’t normal. And something dark was moving beneath the surface of Shadowrune.
I needed to leave. But where would I go?
I couldn’t return to Rylan. I couldn’t forget the image of him tangled in bed with someone else. The betrayal was still fresh. And worse, I had trusted him.
“You’re stronger than this,” Sierra said gently. “You don’t need anyone. We have power. We just have to trust ourselves.”
“But I’m scared,” I whispered.
“I’m not,” she replied. “We will survive. Even if we’re alone.”
I nodded slightly to myself.
Katherine stopped suddenly. She rested her hand on my arm.
“Lisa,” she said. “Wait.”
A guard had just entered from the far hall. His uniform was stiff and his face was
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< Chapter 99
unreadable.
He bowed to Katherine. “A visitor is at the main gate. He wishes to speak with the Alpha.”
Katherine tilted her head. “Alpha Fenric’s away on business. Who is it?”
The guard hesitated. “The Alpha of the Frostbane Pack.”
My blood froze.
Rylan.
I stared at the guard, every part of me suddenly tense.
“What does he want?” Katherine asked.
“He didn’t say. Just that it was urgent.”
My hands curled into fists.
Why was he here? Why now?
Katherine looked at me. Her expression was unreadable. “Do you want to see him?”
I didn’t answer.
My heart was thundering in my chest.
