Chapter 24: The Queen Who Never Died

We returned to Aldwyn Castle before dawn.

The moment we entered the palace, King Dominic was already waiting in the council chamber.

His expression changed when he saw Nolan walking behind us with his injured shoulder.

“What happened?”

Emmett answered briefly.

“Someone tried to kill him.”

The king's eyes narrowed.

“And did you learn anything?”

I stepped forward.

“We know who has been hiding behind the former Queen's identity.”

The room went silent.

King Dominic stared at me.

“Tell me.”

Mira spoke first.

“The woman Adrian served was not the former Queen.”

Elias added, “She was her twin sister.”

The king's face went pale.

“That can't be possible.”

“Why?” I asked.

He slowly sat down.

“Because the former Queen's twin died twenty-five years ago.”

Mira shook her head.

“Then someone wanted everyone to believe she was dead.”

King Dominic immediately ordered the royal archives to be opened.

For hours, the palace investigators searched through old records.

Finally, one of them found something.

A birth certificate.

Two names were listed.

The former Queen, Elena.

And her twin sister, Eveline.

But Eveline's death certificate had been issued only three months after her birth.

The investigator frowned.

“This document was altered.”

My pendant suddenly grew warm.

Mira stepped closer to the table.

“Look at the seal.”

We examined the bottom of the certificate.

The royal seal was genuine.

But beneath it was another symbol.

A silver wolf surrounded by three stars.

Elias recognized it immediately.

“That's our family's crest.”

I looked at him.

“Why would it be on her death certificate?”

No one answered.

Then Nolan spoke.

“Because she wasn't trying to destroy your bloodline.”

Everyone turned toward him.

“She was trying to control it.”

My heart tightened.

Nolan continued.

“Adrian once told me that the old royal bloodline possessed three separate abilities.”

He looked at Elias and Mira.

“One could sense the truth.”

His gaze shifted to me.

“One could awaken dormant wolves.”

Then he looked at all three of us.

“And when the three heirs reunited, they could restore the original royal power.”

King Dominic stood abruptly.

“That's why Eveline wanted you alive.”

A cold realization settled over me.

She hadn't been trying to kill us.

She had been waiting for us to awaken.

But why?

A royal guard suddenly rushed into the room.

“Your Majesty!”

Everyone turned.

“We found something in the old underground archives.”

He placed an ancient book on the table.

The cover was marked with the same three-star wolf crest.

I reached toward it.

The moment my fingers touched the cover, the book opened by itself.

A hidden compartment appeared beneath the pages.

Inside was a small photograph.

I picked it up.

Two identical women stood together.

One was wearing the crown.

The other wore a simple black dress.

On the back of the photograph were six words.

“Only one sister deserves the throne.”

My stomach tightened.

Eveline hadn't been protecting the bloodline.

She wanted the throne for herself.

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the chamber.

“Correct.”

The doors slammed shut.

Everyone turned.

A woman stood on the balcony above us.

She looked almost exactly like the woman in the photograph.

Older now, but unmistakable.

Eveline.

King Dominic's face turned white.

“You.”

She smiled.

“Hello, Dominic.”

Guards immediately raised their weapons.

Eveline didn't move.

“Don't bother.”

She lifted one hand.

Every guard in the room suddenly froze.

Their bodies became completely still.

My wolf roared inside me.

The power coming from her was overwhelming.

Eveline looked directly at me.

“Laurel.”

I stepped forward despite Emmett's warning hand.

“What do you want?”

She smiled softly.

“What I've always wanted.”

Her eyes moved to Elias and Mira.

“My throne.”

Then she looked at me again.

“And the power only the three of you can give me.”

The silver pendant around my neck suddenly cracked.

A bright light exploded through the chamber.

Eveline's smile disappeared.

“No…”

The light spread across my body.

My wolf rose completely awake for the first time.

And somewhere deep inside me, a voice whispered:

You are not her heir.

You are her undoing.