He made a courteous gesture toward Alaric Ravenhart. "Please proceed, Alpha Ravenhart."
Alaric approached the warded lockbox, his head turning left to glance behind him, then tilting right, confirming no one stood at his back.
He extended his left hand, his smallest finger raised, while his forefinger pressed against the blood-key runes.
The seal emitted a series of soft pulses, and everyone's hearts tightened with each quickening beat.
My palms gathered sweat, and the heart within my chest seemed ready to leap free.
My lips kept silently repeating the words: The key will fail.
I couldn't be wrong. Uncle Fenris must have had reasons he couldn't speak of. This Alaric Ravenhart had to be a false heir. Uncle Fenris loved me.
Soon now. The truth would be revealed any moment. The deceiver would be exposed.
Uncle Fenris, your life's work—I can protect it for you...
As the final rune accepted his touch, the air seemed to freeze completely.
Everyone held their breath, afraid to miss the most crucial moment.
A soft chime sounded.
The warded lockbox's seal clicked and released.
The blood in my entire body turned to ice in an instant. A roaring filled my ears.
Around me, voices praising "Alpha Ravenhart truly is the heir" and "Alpha Ravenhart, please remember us lowly wolves" drifted to me in fragments.
And I stood there like a joke, pointed at and whispered about.
"He's gone mad with greed for territory. The Law-Speaker already confirmed Alpha Ravenhart as the rightful successor under pack law, but he refused to believe it. Now he's been completely humiliated, hasn't he?"
"He must have done something wicked. His parents were cursed to death because of him, and now even his own uncle doesn't want him. It's fate's punishment!"
"He simply doesn't have the blood-right. Why even fight for it? Accept your lot!"
I stood frozen in place like stone, my whole body trembling without cease.
How could this be?
How could this happen?
Great-uncle Eamon bore witness for someone he'd never met. Uncle Fenris's desperate determination when he made his mark. Entrusting his most secret blood-key to this stranger.
All the evidence proved Alaric Ravenhart was the lawful heir.
Who exactly was Alaric Ravenhart?
No—wait!
Something must have been overlooked.
My mind churned into chaos.
Just then, the rogue tracker sent me his investigation findings on Alaric Ravenhart.
I opened the message and read it, then suddenly lifted my head, my gaze locking onto Alaric like iron.
"Alaric Ravenhart, I know who you really are!"
