Chapter 11: The Bloodline They Tried to Erase

The room remained silent after the investigator left.

I stared at the forged birth record on the desk, my mind racing.

Someone had spent years hiding the truth about me.

Now that the Royal Council had started asking questions, they were desperate enough to rewrite my identity completely.

Emmett stood beside me, his expression unreadable.

“You should rest,” he said.

I shook my head.

“I’ve rested enough.”

I picked up the old letter again.

“I want to know who took me.”

Victor's eyes darkened.

“Then we need to go back to Riverbend.”

Emmett immediately objected.

“No.”

Victor looked at him.

“If the truth is hidden there, we need to uncover it before Marcus destroys the remaining evidence.”

Emmett's jaw tightened.

“I won't put Laurel in danger.”

I looked at him.

“You don't have to protect me from everything.”

His eyes met mine.

“I'm your mate. Protecting you isn't something I consider a burden.”

My heart skipped.

In my previous life, I had spent thirty years wishing Nolan would say something like that.

Now the words came from a man who had only known me for a day.

Victor cleared his throat.

“There is another reason you should go.”

I turned toward him.

“What reason?”

He reached into his coat and pulled out a small silver pendant.

The pendant carried an unfamiliar crest.

“This was found with you when you were discovered as a child.”

I stared at it.

“Why didn't you tell me earlier?”

“Because I didn't know what it meant.”

Victor placed it in my palm.

The moment I touched the pendant, warmth surged through my fingers.

A faint silver glow appeared across its surface.

Emmett stepped closer.

“It's reacting to her.”

Victor nodded slowly.

“That crest belonged to the ancient royal bloodline.”

My breath caught.

“Then why was I carrying it?”

“That's what we need to find out.”

The following morning, we left for Riverbend under royal protection.

The journey was quiet.

I sat beside Emmett in the back of the vehicle while several guards followed behind us.

For most of the trip, he remained silent.

Finally, I asked, “Are you worried?”

“Yes.”

His answer surprised me.

“About me?”

“About what we'll find.”

He looked at me.

“People don't go to this much trouble to hide an ordinary secret.”

I lowered my gaze to the pendant around my neck.

“What if I really am connected to the royal family?”

“Then we'll deal with it.”

“And if I'm not?”

“It changes nothing.”

I looked at him.

“Nothing?”

“You're still my fated mate.”

The simple certainty in his voice made something inside me ache.

We arrived at Riverbend shortly after sunset.

The pack gates opened reluctantly when the royal authorization was presented.

Several elders were waiting inside.

Marcus Hale stood at the front.

The moment he saw me, his expression changed.

Only for a second.

But I noticed.

Fear.

He was afraid of me.

“Alpha Shaw,” Marcus said stiffly. “You were not expected.”

Emmett stepped forward.

“The Royal Council ordered an investigation.”

Marcus forced a smile.

“Of course. Riverbend will cooperate.”

His gaze moved to me.

“Although I don't understand why Miss Jennings is involved.”

I smiled coldly.

“I'm the reason you're being investigated.”

His face tightened.

Before he could answer, a guard rushed over.

“Elder Marcus, the archives have been opened.”

Marcus's expression changed instantly.

Emmett noticed.

“Take us there.”

Marcus hesitated.

“The archives are restricted.”

Emmett's voice turned icy.

“Not anymore.”

We followed the guards through several corridors until we reached an old stone chamber beneath the pack hall.

The door had been forced open.

Inside, shelves were overturned and documents covered the floor.

Victor walked in behind us.

“Someone has already searched this place.”

I noticed a small wooden box beneath a broken shelf.

Something about it felt familiar.

I crouched and picked it up.

The silver pendant around my neck began glowing again.

My hands trembled as I opened the box.

Inside was a faded photograph.

It showed Diana holding a newborn baby.

Beside her stood a much younger Robert.

But there was something else in the photograph.

A second baby lay in a small cradle beside them.

My breath caught.

On the back of the photograph, someone had written four words.

“The true heir lives.”

I looked up.

Marcus had gone completely pale.

Emmett turned toward him.

“You know what this means.”

Marcus took a step backward.

For the first time, the powerful elder looked frightened.

“You don't understand,” he whispered.

I stood slowly.

“Then explain it.”

He looked at me.

“Laurel… you were never supposed to survive.”