Chapter 20 the truth
1180 Words
Healer’s POV
My hands trembled violently as I pulled away from her wolf.
“No… no, this can’t be…” I whispered, my voice barely my own.
Her body went limp the second I released her, completely drained from the battle with the king. For a moment, the room was silent except for her uneven breathing.
“What did you see?!” the king demanded, his voice sharp, impatient.
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.
I was still there… still trapped in what I had just witnessed—what I had lived through her.
“The girl…” I muttered, staring at her like she was something both sacred and terrifying. “The girl…”
“The girl what?!” one of the princes snapped. “Spit it out!”
I dragged a shaky hand down my face, trying to ground myself.
“She’s not just any wolf,” I said, my voice finally rising. “She’s a reincarnation… of one of the first white wolves.”
Silence.
Heavy. Suffocating.
“We were wrong,” I continued, my voice cracking. “Everything we were taught—wrong. The war we believed was won centuries ago? It wasn’t won by kingdoms… it was won by her.”
“What are you talking about?” the king growled. “Explain yourself, healer.”
I swallowed hard.
“Artemis,” I said quietly. “She fought alone. Across territories. Across the world. Packs—good, rogue—it didn’t matter. She slaughtered them all.”
The room went still.
“And King James…” I added, looking directly at them now. “He lied.”
“What?” the prince barked.
“He falsified everything in his journal,” I said. “The victories, the history—none of it is true. We didn’t win that war. We survived because she carried it on her back.”
“Hold on—hold on!” Nathan snapped, stepping forward. “I’m not tracking. Who the hell is James, and what does any of this have to do with Evelyn?!”
He grabbed my face, forcing me to meet his eyes.
“EVERYTHING!” I shouted back, my composure finally cracking. “It has everything to do with Evelyn!”
He let go, pacing like a caged animal.
“You’re not being clear,” the king growled lowly. “Start talking. Now.”
“Okay—okay…” I exhaled shakily. “But not here.”
I glanced toward the unconscious girl.
“When she wakes up,” I said quietly, “she won’t be Evelyn. She’ll be ready for round two.”
That got their attention.
“We need to move.”
⸻
We stepped out, the interrogation room door shutting heavily behind us. The air outside felt no lighter.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead, my hands still unsteady.
“King James,” I began, “your great ancestor—from two centuries ago.”
They listened now. Really listened.
“He had a son. Alaric.”
A pause.
“And Alaric… had a mate.”
“A mate?” one of them echoed.
“Yes,” I said. “Clara. A simple village girl. Chosen by the Moon Goddess herself.”
“What happened to her?” Nathan asked, his voice quieter now.
I clenched my jaw.
“Alaric rejected her.”
Silence.
“He married another—Lilith. But he didn’t let Clara go.” My voice darkened. “He kept her. Used her. And when she resisted…”
I hesitated.
“Say it,” the king demanded.
“He made her the pack’s w***e,” I said flatly. “She was beaten. Used. Broken.”
Their faces paled.
“Until one day,” I continued, “she broke back.”
My voice dropped.
“She was a late shifter. But when she finally turned… her white wolf emerged.”
I looked each of them in the eyes.
“And she destroyed everything.”
⸻
“She tore through packs,” I said. “Through kingdoms. Through anyone who stood in her way.”
“And the king?” Nathan asked.
“Escaped,” I answered bitterly. “Both of them did.”
A long silence followed.
“She hunted them for years,” I said. “But rage doesn’t sustain forever. It eats you alive.”
My voice softened.
“She was exhausted. Alone. Broken.”
No one spoke.
“She climbed a mountain… and ended her life.”
⸻
The room felt colder.
Heavier.
“So she has a reason…” someone whispered.
“For hating us?” I nodded. “Yes. Every reason.”
“But that was centuries ago!” Nathan argued. “Doesn’t she know they’re dead?!”
I shook my head slowly.
“No.”
They froze.
“James went into hiding,” I explained. “Him and his queen. They had another son—Jason.”
“A second heir?” the king muttered.
“Yes. A miracle child. The bloodline continued.” I let that sink in. “And James rewrote history. Claimed Alaric died a hero.”
“But he didn’t,” Nathan said quietly.
“No,” I replied. “He died at the hands of his mate.”
⸻
“And you three…” I said, looking between them, my voice heavy with realization. “You are direct descendants of that line.”
The words barely left my mouth before—
“You’ll never have me!!”
Her voice tore through the mind-link like a blade.
“You’ll never mate me! And I’ll never forgive what your bloodline did to me!!”
I stiffened.
Artemis.
“You all can rot in hell where you belong!” she snarled.
“We’re not him!” one of them shouted back. “We can fix this—I swear!”
“No,” she hissed. “You will never have me.”
A dark chuckle echoed.
“She will never recognize you as mates.”
“Mates?” the king snapped. “What are you talking about? They don’t—”
His words died as realization hit.
Their eyes.
Wide.
“Don’t tell me…” he growled.
“We are,” Noah admitted. “But we needed to be sure—”
“You fools,” the king snapped.
I stayed silent, watching it unfold.
“I hope you die with this truth,” Artemis sneered. “Just like James did—ignorant.”
Then—
Silence.
The link snapped shut.
⸻
“f**k,” Noah muttered.
I exhaled slowly, my gaze drifting back to the door.
Inside, Evelyn lay motionless. Human again. Fragile.
But not broken.
Not anymore.
“What now?” one of them asked.
I rubbed my temples.
“We try to heal her,” I said. “But healing a body is easy… healing a soul that doesn’t want it?”
I shook my head.
“That’s a war all on its own.”
Silence fell again.
And for the first time in years…
I didn’t have the answers.
- Writer
