<h4>Chapter 125: Chapter 125 Buried Secrets</h4>


    Author’s pov


    Behind the couch, Tang had sent the recording of Nicole’s entire confession to Alpha Sebastian.


    While Cecilia and Harper were cautiously piecing together Nicole’s traumatic story, they werepletely unaware that Alpha Sebastian was already miles ahead of them.


    He sat under the shade of an old oak tree in a seemingly ordinary farmyard, the audio recording from Tang ying through his phone. His expression was unreadable, a mask of calm concentration as he listened. The moment it ended, his fingers moved swiftly across the screen: She’s holding back. Stay alert.


    An "OK" came back from Tang immediately, though he couldn’t help but frown at his Alpha’s assessment.


    From where Tang stood, Nicole’s emotional breakdown and story seemed genuine - the tears, the trauma, all of it.


    But Alpha Sebastian had always possessed an uncanny ability to detect deception where others couldn’t.


    Cecilia’s pov


    In the apartment, I gently steered our conversation in a new direction.


    "Nicole, you’re from Boulder originally, right?" I asked softly.


    "Yes," she nodded, clearly uncertain why I was asking this.


    I reached into my bag and pulled out a small notebook.


    Inside were Cici’s drunken ramblings that I’d carefully transcribed. I handed it to her.


    "Could you look at this? These descriptions of ces - have you seen anything like them before? Or did the girl who attacked you ever mention locations like these?"


    Nicole took the notebook with trembling hands.


    Harper watched as Nicole’s eyes moved across the notes. Her expression shifted - first intense focus, then a flicker of confusion, and finally, a slow, dawning horror. It was like watching a shadow creep over her face, swallowing the light behind her eyes.


    Though she’d cried herself dry earlier, a fresh sheen of tears now glossed her vision. She looked up, voice heavy with the weight of memory.


    "This... this sounds like the countryside around here."


    "Could it be up in the mountains?" Harper asked carefully.


    "No." Nicole’s reply was sharp, certain. "The countryside. The farms, the backroads - that kind of ce."


    She paused, thinking, then looked up with a spark of grim resolve. "My uncle lives out near Redwood Creek. He’s been there his whole life. If anyone would know this kind of ce, it’s him. Even if he doesn’t, someone in that area will."


    Harper and I agreed, seeing how certain she seemed.


    As Nicole went to change clothes, Tang excused himself to use the bathroom. Levan, unable to tolerate the apartment’s stench any longer, rushed outside after several dry heaves.


    "Such a big guy, heaving like that," Harper teased, following her brother out. "Look at Tang - he’spletely unfazed!"


    My gaze drifted toward the source of the most pungent odor. Poor Levan - he and Tang had been standing closest to it.


    I walked slowly toward the smell, each step bringing me closer to its origin until I reached what had to be the source - a closed door at the end of the hallway.


    Fighting the nausea rising in my throat, I reached for the doorknob.


    Just as I began to turn it, a hand appeared over mine, firmly pushing the door closed again.


    I spun around, startled to find Tang standing behind me.


    "Don’t look. It’s pretty nasty in there," he said quietly.


    "...You’ve already seen?" I whispered.


    Tang ced his arm around my shoulders, gently steering me away as he murmured, "It’s just a dead cat. Been there a while. With this heat, the smell’s bound to be awful."


    I gave him a skeptical look that clearly asked: Really? A cat? Are you lying to me?


    Tang’s lips curved into a small smile. "Cecilia, you almost look disappointed it’s not something worse."


    I red at him. Disappointed? Seriously?


    My concern wasn’t disappointment - I was worried he might be withholding information that could affect my judgment of Nicole.


    Tang’s expression sobered. "It’s really just a cat. I promise."


    We returned to the living room just as Nicole emerged.


    She’d changed into a white dress and wore both a hat and face mask, concealing her scarred facepletely. "Ready to go."


    We headed downstairs.


    Tang took the wheel with Levan riding shotgun, while Harper, Nicole and I sat in the back.


    Nicole gave Tang the address - a ce called Diligent Harmony Vige. The GPS estimated an hour and twenty-three minutes.


    "We don’t need that long for this short distance," Tang muttered.


    My stomach clenched at his words. "Tang, please drive carefully. No speeding!"


    "Cecilia," Tang replied with a hint of amusement, st time you wanted me to go faster, now slower. You’re quite changeable."


    "...Going too fast will make everyone sick!" I protested.


    Harper chimed in with a mischievous gleam in her eye, "Oh no, no, Harper can handle it. Harper loves speed. It’s the slow, gentle pace that’s frustrating."


    Tang and I both shot her a look: ...You’d better be talking about driving.


    Harper blinked innocently: Of course, what else would I be talking about?


    At my strong insistence, Tang drove at a reasonable pace.


    As we traveled, I sent a message to Luna Dora, asking her to find out if Cici’s mother owned any property in the countryside around Boulder, or if any rtives had vacant old houses in the area.


    She responded immediately: I’ll find out right away.


    I couldn’t help a cold smile.


    Seeing how desperately Luna Dora wanted to distance herself from Cici now, I recalled how she once treasured the girl.


    People always pay for their mistakes eventually...


    Beside me, Harper removed her earbuds and leaned close to whisper, "They’re here."


    My eyes brightened. Perfect timing.


    Yet even as satisfaction settled in, a flutter of unease disturbed my confidence.


    Things were progressing almost too smoothly.


    An hourter, we’d been driving along rural roads for thirty minutes.


    The countryside was postcard-perfect in thete summer sun, all golden fields and soft light. On any other day, it would’ve been peaceful.


    But Harper and I weren’t here to sightsee. Ever since we’d turned off the main road, we’d been scanning everything, looking for anything that matched the notes.


    And then we saw it. Now Nicole’s certainty made sense.


    Thend was dotted with ponds, old fruit trees clinging to their banks. The ground wasn’t t - it rose and fell in gentle mounds. And scattered across the fields were small, weathered structures. Some sat beside water, others stood alone in the middle of nowhere.


    I didn’t know what they were for, but my stomach dropped looking at them.


    They matched Cici’s description perfectly.


    Nicole had mentioned that the incident happened after final exams, just before summer break - matching our current season.


    Beforeing, we’d thought we were looking for a unique location that would stand out.


    Now we realized these scenes weremonce in the countryside.


    Finding one specific spot among so many simr settings was like searching for a particr tree in a forest full of identical ones.


    The task suddenly seemed far more daunting.


    After another twenty minutes, we spotted a sign: "Redwood Creek."


    "Take the next turn and go straight," Nicole directed from the back seat. "There’s a clearing up ahead where we’ll have to leave the car. Thenes into the vige are too narrow for anything wider than a cart."


    Tang did as instructed, pulling into a grassy area that served as an informal parking spot.


    As I climbed out, my eyes caught on three luxury SUVs - the kind that cost more than a year’s sry - parked a little distance away.


    It was a stark, unexpected contrast to the rustic surroundings.


    Some vigers, it seemed, were doing very well for themselves.


    Nicole led us on foot into the heart of the settlement.


    A shallow, quick-moving river cleanly split themunity into northern and southern halves. They were connected by a series of narrow stone bridges, their surfaces worn smooth by generations of use.


    We stuck to the northern bank, following Nicole.


    As we passed one of the weathered cottages, arge dog shot out from behind a fence, barking explosively.