Chapter 20: The Woman Who Knew Everything

We returned to Riverbend before sunrise.

The Jennings villa was surrounded by royal guards, but Diana was nowhere to be found.

Robert was still unconscious in the master bedroom.

I stood at the foot of his bed, staring at the man who had called himself my father.

For years, I had wanted his approval.

Now I only wanted answers.

Emmett entered the room with a royal investigator.

“They found this hidden beneath the floorboards.”

He handed me a small metal box.

The lock opened with the silver pendant around my neck.

Inside was a bundle of letters tied with a faded ribbon.

The first letter was addressed to Diana.

I unfolded it carefully.

“The girl must never learn about her brother.”

My fingers went cold.

The letter was signed by Adrian.

There were several more.

One instructed Diana to keep me away from the royal court.

Another ordered her to convince everyone that I was merely the Jennings family's replacement daughter.

The final letter was different.

It was written by Diana.

“I did what you asked. Laurel believes she was abandoned because she was unwanted. She will never question the story.”

My eyes burned.

So the humiliation hadn't been accidental.

It had been carefully constructed.

Every insult.

Every rejection.

Every reminder that Chloe was the daughter who truly belonged.

It had all served a purpose.

They wanted me to believe I had no value.

A royal investigator suddenly spoke.

“There's something else.”

He pointed toward the box.

Beneath the letters was an old hospital bracelet.

My name was printed on it.

The date was twenty-four years ago.

I stared at it.

“Why would this be here?”

The investigator frowned.

“Because you were taken from the hospital.”

My breathing stopped.

“I wasn't taken from the nursery?”

“No.”

He shook his head.

“According to the original records, you were born prematurely and remained in the hospital for several weeks.”

Elias stepped closer.

“Then someone changed the records.”

The investigator nodded.

“Exactly.”

Emmett looked toward the door.

“Who had access to the hospital?”

The investigator checked the records.

“Several people.”

He paused.

“But one name appears repeatedly.”

I already knew the answer before he said it.

“Diana Jennings.”

Silence filled the room.

I closed my eyes.

Diana hadn't simply watched me disappear.

She had been involved from the beginning.

Suddenly, a guard rushed into the room.

“Alpha Shaw, we found a vehicle abandoned outside the northern border.”

Emmett turned.

“Any sign of Diana?”

“No.”

The guard hesitated.

“But we found blood inside.”

My heart sank.

“Is it hers?”

“We don't know yet.”

Emmett immediately ordered a search team to the area.

I followed him outside.

The sun was beginning to rise over Riverbend.

For a moment, everything was strangely peaceful.

Then my pendant began to glow.

I stopped walking.

Emmett turned back.

“What is it?”

I pressed a hand against my chest.

“She's alive.”

He looked at me.

“Diana?”

I nodded slowly.

“I can feel her.”

Elias came closer.

His expression changed.

“So can I.”

The connection between the three of us seemed to strengthen.

My wolf stirred beneath my skin.

A direction formed inside my mind.

North.

I pointed toward the mountains.

“She's there.”

Emmett immediately called the guards.

Within minutes, a convoy was ready.

As we drove toward the northern mountains, my thoughts returned to the letters.

There was one question I couldn't escape.

Why had Diana obeyed Adrian?

If she had wanted to protect the family, why had she hidden me for so many years?

And why had she suddenly tried to contact me?

We reached an abandoned mountain estate just after noon.

The gates were broken.

The building looked deserted.

But my pendant grew hotter with every step.

Emmett raised his hand.

The guards spread out.

We entered the estate carefully.

A faint sound came from the basement.

I followed it downstairs.

At the end of a narrow corridor was a locked door.

I could hear someone breathing on the other side.

“Diana?” I called.

Silence.

Then a weak voice answered.

“Laurel…”

My heart tightened.

I opened the door.

Diana was sitting on the floor, her hands tied behind her back.

Her clothes were torn, and there was blood on her forehead.

She looked at me with tears in her eyes.

“You came.”

I stood frozen in the doorway.

For the first time in my life, my mother looked genuinely afraid.

“Who did this to you?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“There's no time.”

Her eyes moved toward Emmett and Elias.

“They know you've found your brother.”

“Who?”

Diana swallowed.

“The people behind Adrian.”

She looked directly at me.

“And Laurel…”

Her voice broke.

“Your brother wasn't the only child they took that night.”