Chapter 159
Augustin’s POV
Tipped through Helena’s files, my mind racing. This Chris Sinair, apparently my half brother, was berming mes significant by the minute. What else had my father kept hidden
A letter caught my eye, this one from my mother to Helena. The handwriting was unmistakably her.
*“Dear Helena,
I write to express my profound disappointment in Nathanaet. What he has done to me is just. The older text is a birthright through the Montalvo line, and I expected my son Evanth to take his rightful place as head of the cone Instead, Nathanael seeks to elevate someone else’s child over our own.
I ask for your help in reversing this injustice, You’ve always had his ear. That woman Charlotte has done enough
to me already.
Yours in trust,
Amelia**
I set the letter down, my jaw clenching. My mother had been desperate enough to ask for Helena’s help?
“What did you find?” Juno asked, coming to stand beside me.
“A letter from my mother to Helena. She was furious about my father giving the elder seat to this Chris person instead of
Evanth.”
“Let me see,” Juno said, leaning closer. After scanning it, she frowned. “That explains some of your mother’s bitterness.”
Juno turning my attention to Helena’s desk. Among the scattered papers were what appeared to be tracking notes. Helena had been following Chris’s movements. According to her scribbles, Chris had moved from Crimson to Ambercity, then to Goldenvale, and finally to Verdantia in the west, where she lost track of him.
“He moved around a lot,” Juno observed. “Almost like he was running from something.”
“Or someone,” I added. “The question is who–and why.”
I continued searching and found another letter, this one from my father to Helena. The date indicated it was written shortly before his pilgrimage.
*“My dearest Helena,
I’m writing to inform you that I’ll be leaving for pilgrimage soon with Albert and Gregory. Before I go, I’ve made the decision to appoint Chris as head of the elder council, using the Montalvo seat.
I need your help finding him and ensuring he takes his position. This must remain betwee it’s done. I promise to reward your loyalty handsomely upon my return.
-Amelia cannot know until
I miss the feel of you in my arms. That red lace you wore last time haunts my dreams, my little fox.
1/3
Chapter 159.
Until we meet again,
Nathanael**
nearly dropped the letter, disgust churning in my stomach. Helena had been my father’s mistress? And not just any “mistress, she was my mother’s best friend. The betrayal was beyond comprehension.
I found another letter, this one from Helena to my father during his pilgrimage.
“My beloved Nathanael,
I must warn you to be careful. I believe Amelia might be planning something against you. She thinks you’ve stolen from her, though I don’t understand what she means.
Please exercise caution. I’ve purchased more of that red lace you love so much.
I miss you terribly. My body,aches for your touch so much that I find myself pleasuring myself while thinking of you almost nightly. The way your hands feel on my–“*
I couldn’t read anymore. The intimate details of their affair were too much to stomach. I set the letter aside, my mind working through the implications.
“Fuck,” I muttered. “Helena and my father were having an affair. She was my mother’s best friend.”
“That’s… that’s horrible,” Juno said, her face showing genuine shock. “How could they do that to your mother?”
“And it gets worse. Helena was warning my father that my mother might be plotting against him. But from what I can tell, my mother was just upset about Chris getting her family’s elder seat.”
“So Helena was playing both sides? Telling your father your mother was dangerous while pretending to be her friend?”
“Exactly. And who knows what else she told him.”
“Augustin.” Juno’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. She was holding a photo album, concern etched across her face. “You need to see this.”
I walked over to her, taking the album from her hands. The photos inside showed my father with Helena–and a baby. According to the timestamps, this child was born just two years after me.
“Your father and Helena had a child together,” Juno said softly.
“Another half–sibling I never knew about,” I said, staring at the images. Where is this child now? And why keep it secret al these years?
“There’s more,” Juno said, handing me a stack of letters. These were different–unsigned, typed rather than handwritten.
The first read: “You have no place on the elder council. Keep your mouth shut if you know what’s good for you.”
Another: “Bitch. What would people say if they knew about your affair with the Alpha King? O. about the bastard you three years after your husband’s death?”
bore
Some of the letters had dried tearstains on them. Helena had wept while reading these threats.
2/
Chapter 159.
‘Someone was threatening her,” Juno said. “Blackmailing her about the affair and the child.”
“But who? And why haven’t we ever heard about this child? A baby doesn’t just disappear.”
Jied to imagine what her life must have been like–carrying on an affair with my father while pretending to be my “mother’s friend, then raising his child in secret, all while facing anonymous threats.
“Augustin, Juno said softly, “Helena kept a diary. It might tellmore.“”
Before I could respond, the office door opened, and the rest of our team walked in.
Bryloch approached me, hi expression grim. “You need to see this, Alpha.” He handed me a black and white photograph.
Chapter Comments
LIKE
