71 Chapter 71 Hidden Family Secrets
Elena’s POV F
The sound of footsteps on my bedroom floor made me whip around. Julian stood near my dresser like he belonged there, his pale hands casually tucked into his jacket pockets.
“Breaking into a girl’s bedroom without an invitation is generally frowned upon,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
“You make yourself difficult to find,” he replied with that infuriating smirk vampires
seemed born with.
“That was intentional. How exactly did you track me down?” The question came out sharper than I intended.
“My network runs deeper than Marcus’s.” His dark eyes held mine steadily.
“You’ve had centuries to build those connections. He’s barely had decades.” I moved closer to the window, putting distance between us.
“True enough. Age has its advantages.”
“Cut to the chase, Julian. What do you want?” My patience was wearing thin.
“Marcus’s closing in. He knows you’re in this area.”
“He suspects I’m here. There’s a difference.” I turned back to face him. “If you came all this way to tell me something I already figured out, you can leave the same way you
came in.”
His expression grew serious. “That book you took from his pack house. Is it secure?”
“Safe and sound. Haven’t had much time to dive deeper into it yet.” I studied his face
for
any tell.
“You need to make time. There’s information in those pages you can’t afford to ignore.”
“Such as?”
“Family histories. Not just Marcus’s bloodline. Yours too.” The weight in his voice made my stomach clench.
“Why would my family be mentioned in some ancient pack record? We were nobody
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special. Dad served as head warrior until he died, then everyone pretended we didn’t. exist.” The old bitterness crept into my voice.
“You’ll discover exactly why your family was sidelined when you read further”
My heart hammered against my ribs. “What are you talking about?”
“Every answer you’re searching for lives in those pages. Contact me when you find what I’m referring to.” He moved toward the window with fluid grace.
“Are you one of the vampires bound by the treaty?”
“Just read the book. With your literature background, deciphering old text shouldn’t challenge you.” He paused at the window frame. “We’ll speak again soon.”
Before I could respond, he disappeared into the night.
I walked to my wardrobe and carefully removed the false back panel. The leather–bound book felt heavier in my hands than usual. I’d stopped reading at a passage mentioning Alpha Fairfax, assuming it referenced some distant family with the same surname. The timeline placed these events centuries ago.
After finishing my assignments, I settled by the window with the book and a cigarette. The nicotine helped steady my nerves as I picked up where I’d left off.
“Smoking while pregnant isn’t exactly mother–of–the–year behavior,” Gage’s voice carried from the hallway.
“Mind your own business, player,” I called back sweetly.
Someone’s laughter echoed through the house. Definitely not Damien’s deep chuckle.
I managed several dozen pages before exhaustion hit. The archaic language required concentration I didn’t have left. I secured the book back in its hiding place and collapsed into bed.
Trusting Julian felt wrong on every logical level. Vampires and werewolves maintained an uneasy truce at best. Our species tolerated witches when necessary, but vampires represented everything we opposed. They killed humans.
The ones who fed only to survive earned our reluctant understanding. They hadn’t chosen their fate. But the bloodthirsty ones who killed for pleasure became our responsibility to stop.
So why did every instinct tell me to believe him? My gut had never steered me wrong
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before. More importantly, Tara remained calm around him. My wolf’s judgment meant everything.
If only I understood what that something was.
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