<h4>Chapter 144: Bloodlines and Betrayals</h4>


    <strong>Zane~</strong>


    The morning sunlight slipped gently through the pce windows, spreading its warm light over the marble floor. as I rolled onto my side, groaning. Red stirredzily inside me, still half-asleep.


    <strong><i>"You stayed up toote again," </i></strong>he grumbled.


    "I was reading," I muttered aloud, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "Or did you forget the stack of mystery Dad dumped on me?"


    The image of Princess Katrina’s face lingered in my mind—those zing blue eyes, red hair like autumn fire. And that uncanny familiarity I couldn’t shake off. I’d spent two nights obsessing over it, letting Abel and Rnd dig while I kept going about my duties in the pce silently, my thoughts swirling.


    Then there was Natalie.


    She’d reached out to me yesterday through the mind link, her voice serious—too serious. Said she had something important to tell me. I asked her what it was, but she shut me down, told me it was better we talk face to face. I didn’t like the sound of that.


    So I asked, <i>"Are youing to Golden City, or should I head to Vereth?"</i>


    She said she’de here—but not till today. Apparently, she had a full schedule of sses yesterday and couldn’t skip them.


    I told her I’d wait.


    And now, here I am. Waiting. Wondering what bomb she’s about to drop.


    Just as I swung my legs off the bed, the mind link pulsed with energy.


    <i>"You’re Highness," </i>Abel’s voice snapped into my head, sharp and urgent.


    <i>"What did you find?" </i>I asked immediately, straightening.


    <i>"You’re gonna want to sit for this. We’re at the pce gates."</i>


    <i>"An hour early?" </i>I said aloud, arching a brow.


    <i>"We didn’t sleep,"</i> Rnd added. <i>"We’ve got everything. It’s all here."</i>


    My heartbeat picked up.


    <i>"I’ll have the guards let you in. Go straight to my chambers."</i>


    By the time they made it to my private wing, I’d already thrown on a dark gray sweater and cks, my hair still damp from a rushed shower. The royal guards stood tall and silent at the far end of the hallway until one stepped forward with a small bow.


    "Mr Lucky, the two guests you summoned have arrived."


    "Let them in," I replied with a nod. "And tell the kitchen no interruptions."


    The guards opened the doors just as Abel and Rnd entered, dragging a thick ck case behind them. They looked tired—Abel’s normally neat hair was a wreck, and Rnd had that gleam in his eye like he’d found the Holy Grail and wanted to shout about it.


    "You both look like hell," I said, smirking as I closed the door behind them.


    "That’s riching from the prince who currently looks like Drac," Rnd fired back with a lopsided grin.


    Abel chuckled, but the seriousness returned quickly as he ced the case on the table and unzipped it.


    "You’re Highness," he said, voice low, "we found something."


    I walked over and stood beside them as Abel pulled out a thick folder. It hit the polished oak table with a weighty thud, the p opening to reveal papers, photos, digital records—like a case file prepared for war.


    Then he said it.


    "Her name wasn’t Katrina in Silverfang."


    I blinked.


    "What?"


    Rnd stepped forward, tapping a photograph with a red sticker on the corner. It showed a younger Katrina, smiling beside a broad-shouldered man with dark eyes and a proud jawline.


    "They called her I Cross."


    I went still. The name sent a jolt through me like lightning.


    "Cross?" My throat tightened. "That’s... Natalie’s mother’s name."


    <strong><i>"I knew it!" </i></strong>Red snarled softly inside me, uneasy and alert.


    I leaned forward, eyes locked on the image. Same hair. Same smile. That fire in her eyes. My fingers hovered above the page like they were afraid to touch it, to shatter the truth.


    "So what you’re really saying is..." I paused, narrowing my eyes, "...Princess Katrina is actually I Cross—Natalie’s mother?"


    "Yes," Abel confirmed, ncing at Rnd before continuing. "But it gets deeper. Katrina—or I—never told anyone where she came from. She showed up at Silverfang two decades ago. Alone. Scared. Starving."


    "Darius let her in?" I asked, skeptically.


    "Not at first," Rnd cut in. "But Evan Cross did. He was respected—his fated mate had died years before Katrina arrived. He vouched for her."


    Abel opened another document, this one handwritten. "They eventually became chosen mates. No ceremony, no bond—just a quiet promise. A yearter, Natalie was born."


    My chest tightened as I processed it. Every word unraveled something in me I didn’t know I’d been holding onto.


    She’s Katrina’s daughter. My Natalie’s... royalty.


    "Natalie doesn’t know, does she?" I whispered.


    "No." Abel’s voice softened. "She thinks her mother was just a pack healer. No one told her anything."


    I ran a hand through my hair, pacing.


    "Yesterday, she mind-linked me," I muttered. "Said she had something important to tell me. I asked her what it was, but she said it was better to talk in person. She’sing to Golden City today."


    "Well," Rnd said with a dryugh, "you might wanna make some tea. It’s gonna be one hell of a conversation."


    "I don’t know how to tell her," I said, my voiceing out like a whisper.


    "Tell her the truth," Abel said. "Because there’s more."


    I turned sharply.


    "What?"


    Abel handed me a final document. "It’s about what happened eight years ago. During thest royal visit to Silverfang."


    I took the paper, my hands trembling slightly as I scanned the contents.


    "You’re saying Evan was in charge of the royal visit preparation?"


    "Was," Rnd said bitterly. "Until he vanished. The whole pack was embarrassed—unprepared, disorganized. Your father was furious. Silverfang’s honor was questioned."


    I remembered that visit. My father sounded very enraged when he mentioned it to me through our mind link. But he never spoke of what truly happened.


    "Darius med Evan," Abel continued. "Said he betrayed the crown."


    "And I?"


    "She actually tried to defend him—imed she’d been kidnapped and Evan only showed up to save her. Said he’d never risk the pack’s honor unless it really mattered. But honestly? That just made everything ten times worse."


    I didn’t want to hear it, but I needed to.


    "Darius killed them," Abel said, his voice like ice. "In front of the entire pack."


    The world tilted for a second. I’d heard this story before—back when Natalie first showed up in my life. But back then, it was just noise, barely scratching the surface. Now? I was finally diving into the depths... and it was hitting different.


    "He made a show of it," Rnd added. "Called them traitors. And then left their daughter alive—Natalie—as a warning to the others."


    I sat down heavily, the weight of it all crashing into me. So much blood. So much pain. No wonder she’d grown up traumatized. Alone. Hated. Marked and thrown away like trash.


    And all this time... she was a princess.


    "My father never knew," I said, staring into the distance. "He would have never allowed that."


    "Darius made sure no word reached him," Abel said grimly. "He cleaned up every trace. Changed names. Burned records. Threatened anyone who whispered the truth."


    I looked at the photo again. I’s eyes burned with life. Her daughter had that same me now—stronger, even.


    "I’ve seen a lot of things," I said quietly, "but this... this is unforgivable."


    Red growled softly in agreement.