Evelyn POV
I shoved the frightening note into my pocket and ran.
The Wintermoon feast had already started. I could hear the music and laughter echoing through the castle halls as I raced toward my rooms. My mind spun with fear and anger. Someone knew I was asking questions. Someone wanted me scared enough to stop.
Too bad for them, I was already scared, and I wasn't stopping.
I burst into my room and grabbed my waterproof bag from under the bed. Inside was everything I needed: my phone for taking pictures, a small USB drive, and the lock-picking tools I'd quietly bought three months ago. My hands shook as I checked each item.
This was really happening. Tonight, I was either going to reveal Draven or die trying.
I changed quickly and headed to the feast hall. The moment I stepped inside, the noise hit me like a wave. Hundreds of wolves packed the huge room. Visiting alphas from other countries mixed with Draven's pack members. Everyone ate, drank, and celebrated while servants rushed around bringing trays of food.
And there, at the center of it all, stood Alpha Draven.
He was laughing with three visiting alphas, his arm moving widely as he told some story. Everyone around him smiled and nodded like he was the most wonderful wolf in the world. He looked so kind. So giving. So perfect.
It made me sick.
Because I knew the truth. I knew about the lost wolves. I knew about the beatings. I knew about Maya's bloody nose and her sister, who disappeared.
Draven caught sight of me, and his smile grew bigger. He waved me over.
My stomach twisted, but I forced my feet to move. I put on a fake smile and walked toward him like a good, obedient fiancée. "Evelyn!" He pulled me close and kissed my cheek. I wanted to pull away, but couldn't. Not here. Not in front of everyone. "You look beautiful. Come, meet Alpha Gareth from the Riverstead Pack."
I shook hands and smiled and made polite talk while screaming inside my head. Every second felt like an hour. Every laugh from Draven felt like nails on a chalkboard.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Draven got pulled away by another visiting alpha who wanted to talk about a business deal.
This was my time.
I touched Draven's arm gently. "I'm not feeling well. Too much energy today. May I be excused?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, but he nodded. "Of course, my dear. Rest well. I'll check on you later."
The way he said "later" sent chills down my spine. But I just smiled sweetly and slipped away from the crowd.
My heart pounded as I moved through the castle. Draven's private study was in the east wing, far from the feast. As his fiancée, I had access to most parts of the castle. The guards knew my face. They wouldn't ask me.
At least, that's what I hoped.
I turned down a quiet hallway and froze. Two guards stood talking near the turn ahead, right where I needed to go.
I ducked into a side hallway and pressed against the wall, breathing hard. Think, Evelyn. Think.
I waited until their voices faded, then peeked around the corner. They were walking away, their backs to me. I ran on silent feet past Draven's office door and kept going until I reached the servants' stairs.
My hands shook as I circled back through the lower floor. This time, the corridor was empty. I approached Draven's office door and tried the key.
Locked. Of course, it was locked.
I pulled out my lock-picking tools. My first try failed. My second try failed. On my third try, I heard footsteps coming.
Panic shot through me. I pressed myself against the wall beside the door, hardly breathing.
A servant walked past carrying fresh linens, not even looking my way.
The moment she disappeared around the corner, I attacked the lock again. This time, I heard a soft click.
The door opened.
I slipped inside Draven's office and closed the door behind me. The room was dark except for the moonlight coming through the window. I didn't dare turn on the lights.
My phone's flashlight would have to do.
I swept the light around the room. A massive desk dominated the room. Bookshelves lined the walls. Everything looked normal. Too normal.
There had to be something here. There had to be.
I started searching. Desk drawers are nothing but regular papers. Bookshelves just books. Filing cabinets were locked, and I couldn't pick them fast enough.
Frustration built in my chest. Was I wrong? Was there no proof here after all?
Then my light hit a picture on the wall behind the desk. Something about it seemed off. The frame looked newer than the others. Cleaner.
I moved closer and ran my fingers along the frame's edge. There is a small latch hidden in the decorative carving.
I pressed it, and the picture swung forward like a door.
Behind it sat a safe built into the wall.
My breath caught. This was it. This had to be it.
The safe had a combination lock. I tried Draven's birthday. Nothing. I tried the date he became alpha. Nothing. I tried the date of our wedding.
Click.
The safe opened.
Inside were stacks of folders and papers. I grabbed the first one and opened it. My hands started shaking so badly that I almost dropped my phone.
Payment records. Thousands and thousands in cash. Dates. Names. Locations.
I grabbed another folder. Lists of wolves with checkmarks next to their names. Ages. Ranks. Physical descriptions.
Maya's sister was on the list. So was Tessa. And Cara. And Joel. And nineteen others.
Oh god. Oh god, this was real.
I photographed every page, working as fast as I could. My phone's camera clicked quietly in the darkness. Each shot was more damning than the last. Payments to unknown people. Locations marked on maps. Instructions written in Draven's own handwriting.
He was selling them. He was actually selling wolves like they were things.
Rage and fear mixed in my gut until I thought I might be sick.
I saved all the pictures to my USB drive, my hands shaking so hard I almost couldn't plug it in. Come on, come on, hurry.
The files finished moving. I shoved the USB deep into my waterproof bag and started putting the papers back exactly as I found them.
That's when I heard it.
Footsteps in the hallway outside.
Getting closer.
I froze, my heart pounding so loud I was sure whoever was out there could hear it.
The footsteps stopped right outside the door.
The handle started to turn.