Chapter 11: The Secret in the Archives

The council chamber doors closed behind me.

I didn't sit down.

“I want to see the original Wren records.”

The eldest councilman exchanged a glance with the others.

“They are sealed.”

“Then unseal them.”

My voice was calm, but there was no room for argument.

For years, I had been told that my past didn't matter.

Now I intended to learn every piece of it.

The councilman finally nodded.

“There is an old archive beneath the eastern hall. Only the council and the Alpha have access.”

Kane stepped forward.

“I'll take her.”

I turned toward him.

“No.”

His expression tightened.

“Evelyn, you shouldn't go there alone.”

“I spent my entire life without you.”

“I can manage one room without you too.”

The councilman led me away before Kane could answer.

The archive was colder than I expected.

Dust covered rows of ancient ledgers, bloodline records, property deeds, and council orders.

The councilman unlocked a cabinet at the back of the room.

“These are the Wren family records from the year Elder Elias died.”

I pulled the first ledger toward me.

Page after page contained names I didn't recognize.

Then I found it.

Elias Wren.

My fingers stopped.

Beneath his name was a record marked with a red seal.

One daughter.

One surviving heir.

My name was written beside it.

Evelyn Wren.

I swallowed hard.

But there was another document beneath it.

A transfer of guardianship.

Elias had entrusted me to my adoptive mother shortly before his death.

The reason was written in a single sentence.

“The child must remain hidden until the Wren succession dispute is resolved.”

My heart began pounding.

“What succession dispute?” I asked.

The councilman looked uncomfortable.

“Elder Elias had two brothers.”

“After his death, both claimed the right to control the Wren estate.”

“One of them supported Vera's family.”

I stared at him.

“Vera's family?”

He nodded slowly.

“Vera was raised by Elias's younger brother after her mother died.”

Everything suddenly became clear.

Vera had grown up around the Wren name.

She had access to the family's history.

She knew exactly what she needed to steal.

But there was still one question.

“Who forged her records?”

The councilman didn't answer immediately.

Then he pulled another file from the cabinet.

“This was discovered yesterday.”

He placed it in front of me.

Inside was a payment ledger.

Several years ago, someone had paid a large amount of money to have the Greenridge registry altered.

The name of the person who authorized the payment was clearly visible.

Calder Family Council Account.

My blood ran cold.

Kane's family had financed the forgery.

Before I could say anything, footsteps sounded outside the archive.

The door opened.

Kane stood there, breathing heavily.

His eyes fell on the ledger in front of me.

He immediately understood.

“Evelyn…”

I closed the ledger.

“Tell me the truth, Kane.”

“Did your family know who I was?”

His silence answered me.