?Chapter 909:


    Catching my breath, I hesitated for a heartbeat before carefully choosing my words. “Alden, the white wolf n was nearly annihted by the tyrannical king. To my knowledge, the few survivors arenguishing in that infamous prison hidden deep within the werewolf forest’s embrace.”


    Drawing a steadying breath into my lungs, I voiced the questions that had been wing at my mind. “So how is it you walk free? And by what strange twist of fate did you be brother to Maia? Do Dayton and Maia know what truly courses through your veins?”


    The questions tumbled from my lips in a cascade, each one driven by an insatiable need to understand.


    Alden flinched beneath the weight of my inquiry, his expression clouding over like a sudden storm. “You’re dodging my question,” he countered, irritation shing in his eyes. “Answer what I asked first. Only then might I satisfy your curiosity.”


    My teeth caught my lower lip as indecision gripped me. Then, summoning my courage, I met his gaze unflinchingly and revealed my truth. “I am also a white wolf.”


    Anticipating his skepticism, I braced myself and unveiled my wolf tail. Its fur shimmered with a pristine whiteness that rivaled the purest winter snow, an undeniable marker of white wolf lineage.


    Alden’s gaze fixed upon my tail, his face frozen in astonishment as seconds stretched into an eternity. When he finally broke the silence, his voice barely rose above a whisper, tinged with awe and disbelief. “You… you truly are a white wolf!”


    Makenna’s POV:


    I quickly retrieved my tail and pressed forward, eager for answers. “Now, can you finally answer my questions?”


    Alden’s eyes suddenly brightened, as if struck by a bolt of lightning. “Hold up. Did you sneak into the mayor’s officest time to nab that pass for the werewolf forest?”


    “Yep,” I said with a quick nod, my tone growing more insistent. “But right now, I’m dying to hear your story. Spill it, Alden,e on!”


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    Alden shot me a long, searching look, as if trying to figure me out. After a beat of silence that felt heavier than a sack of bricks, he finally spoke, his voice low and somber.


    “That catastrophic event nearly wiped the entire white wolf n off the map. Luckily, some white wolves held their ground in Marehelm to fend off outsiders. That kept the disaster from hitting us full force. Dayton’s father pulled some strings to hide a few of them—now they’re holed up in the Pierce family mansion, waiting for the signal to move.”


    He paused, his face darkening like a storm rolling in. “But another group of white wolves? They got shipped off to the prison in the forest—just to dodge the king’s prying eyes. Those poor souls were used as tools by the king’s goons to search for the missing Saint. And if that wasn’t bad enough…”


    Alden’s expression twisted with hesitation. “They were also guinea pigs for some experiments.”


    A cold shiver raced down my spine, rattling me to my core.


    “Experiments? What kind of experiments are we talking about?” I asked, my voice shaky, like it might crack any second.


    Alden shook his head, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. “Beats me. Dayton never spilled the beans—he didn’t want us charging into danger for some half-cocked revenge scheme, so he kept us in the dark.” His gaze softened a touch. “As for why I’m out here and became Maia’s brother? Well, the truth is, Maia is indeed my flesh-and-blood sister. And yeah, she is a white wolf too.”


    I couldn’t help it—I sucked in a sharp breath, floored by the bombshell. Who would have thought that behind Marehelm’s calm surface, there would be secrets tangled up like a ball of yarn?


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