Chapter 3 - The Bloodline Beneath Her Skin|
Hazel did not get into Daniel's SUV.
She took a photograph of his identification, called Eleanor Vale using the number on Adrian's card, and waited outside the hotel beneath the security camera until Eleanor arrived herself.
The royal adviser listened without interrupting. When Hazel showed her the photograph, Eleanor's face changed.
“Where did you get this?”
“Daniel Cross. He claims he works for the Royal Archive.”
Eleanor examined the image.
“He does. And this photograph is authentic.”
“What is Moonveil?”
Eleanor glanced at the hotel doors.
“A bloodline that predates the modern pack hierarchy. Your ancestors served as guardians of the northern territories before the first Alpha King united them. They were believed to possess an unusual ability to resist commands from other wolves.”
“That's a story.”
“Most histories begin as stories. Some survive because someone is frightened of what they reveal.”
Hazel folded her arms.
“My mother was a school librarian. She made soup when I was sick and forgot to pay the electricity bill twice. She was not some legendary wolf queen.”
“Both things can be true.”
Eleanor opened the SUV door.
“Come to the royal residence. You'll be given a separate room, your own phone, and access to an independent adviser. You may leave whenever you choose.”
Hazel stared at her.
“Does the king know you're offering this?”
“He requested that I ensure you have options. He specifically instructed me not to pressure you.”
That answer made Hazel more willing to listen, though not enough to trust.
She agreed to visit the residence for one hour.
The royal estate occupied a secluded property north of the city. Tall iron gates opened onto a long drive bordered by ancient oak trees. Guards checked Eleanor's credentials before allowing the vehicle through.
Inside, Hazel was led to a library where Adrian waited beside a fire.
He wore no crown. Somehow, that made him more imposing.
“You found the photograph,” he said.
“You knew about my mother?”
“I knew her name. I didn't know you were alive.”
“Why?”
“Because someone altered the royal records after her death. Her bloodline was marked extinct.”
Hazel set the photograph on the table.
“Why would anyone do that?”
Adrian's jaw tightened.
“Because a Moonveil heir can resist an Alpha King's command.”
She stared at him.
“That's all?”
“No.”
He looked toward the fire.
“Ancient accounts claim that a fully awakened Moonveil wolf can challenge the royal bond itself. Not by overpowering the king, but by refusing to submit when the king is wrong.”
Hazel almost laughed.
“So I'm a constitutional safeguard with a tail?”
Eleanor coughed into her hand to hide a smile.
Adrian did not look offended.
“An unusually blunt description, but not an entirely inaccurate one.”
Hazel paced to the window.
“I don't have a wolf. I've never shifted. Pack healers examined me when I was a teenager and told me I was latent.”
“Who examined you?”
“Dr. Malcolm Voss. He worked for Preston's pack.”
Adrian's expression changed.
“Voss was removed from royal medical service fifteen years ago for falsifying bloodline records.”
Hazel turned sharply.
“You're saying he lied to me?”
“I am saying we need to examine the evidence before drawing conclusions.”
She appreciated the distinction.
A royal physician arrived and explained the testing process. Hazel agreed to a basic examination, but refused anything invasive without a second independent doctor present. Adrian approved her request immediately.
The results took less than an hour.
The physician entered the library carrying a sealed report.
“Your Majesty, Miss Montgomery's wolf markers are present. They're unusually strong, but suppressed.”
“Suppressed how?” Hazel asked.
“By a substance designed to interfere with the natural awakening process. It appears to have been administered repeatedly over several years.”
Hazel felt sick.
Her childhood memories came rushing back: bitter tonics, strange appointments, her mother's worried face whenever the pack doctor visited.
“Who gave them to me?”
The physician looked at the report.
“The records identify the prescribing doctor as Malcolm Voss.”
Hazel gripped the chair.
Adrian's eyes darkened.
“Find him.”
Eleanor's phone rang before she could answer.
She listened, then turned pale.
“Your Majesty, Dr. Voss died three years ago.”
Hazel's heart sank.
May you like
Eleanor swallowed.
“But someone accessed his sealed medical archive tonight. The login was traced to Preston Hale's pack.”
