I fall silent, thinking about everything he’s told me. The attack. The mausoleum. Hope. And now Stevie—caught in the middle of all of it. The threads are tightening, weaving something we can’t quite see yet.
“I think you’re right,” I say finally. “About the attack being connected.”
Jace nods. “I don’t like where that leads.”
“Neither do I.” I rub my temples. “If they’re after anyone with Lycan blood, then this isn’t just a pack issue anymore. It’s bloodline warfare. And if Hope’s name is tied to it…”
“She’s the key,” Jace finishes for me.
“Exactly.”
He shifts, uneasy. “And Stevie?”
“She might be the lock.”
That earns me a look. “You think she knows something?”
“Not consciously,” I admit. “But blood remembers things the mind forgets. If she’s connected to the original lines, then h
