Rejected by My Alpha Mate

Chapter 6: The Enemy's Face

The message arrived that evening.

Garrett, white-faced and shaking, pressed the folded paper into her hands.

"From Alpha Magnus," he whispered. "Of Shadow Fang Pack. He sent a rider. The whole pack is talking."

Sera unfolded the note. Read it once. Twice.

*Dear Sera,*

*Welcome home. I've been waiting for you to return for quite some time.*

*We have much to discuss about your mother. And your daughter. And the future of our bloodline.*

*When you're ready to talk, I'll be listening.*

*Your uncle,*

*Magnus Voss*

Sera's hands didn't shake. She'd trained herself for this — for the moment when the monster from her past finally revealed himself.

But reading the words in black and white, seeing them made real...

*Uncle.*

Her mother had never mentioned a brother. Never talked about her family, her history, her bloodline. When Sera asked, Isolde always deflected.

*Some things are better left buried, my darling. Some truths do more harm than good.*

Sera had believed her. She'd been so young. So naive.

Now she knew better.

"What does it say?" Lumi was at her elbow, peering at the paper. "Can I read it?"

"It's not for you, baby." Sera folded the note. Tucked it into her pocket. "It's from someone I used to know."

"Someone mean?"

Sera almost smiled. "Yeah. Someone mean."

That night, she couldn't sleep.

She sat by the window, Lumi curled beside her, and watched the moon rise over Ironcrest territory. Somewhere out there, Magnus was waiting. Plotting. Playing the long game he'd started five years ago.

*He framed me*, she thought. *He destroyed my life. And he's been watching ever since.*

The question was: why?

*What does he want from me? From Lumi?*

She didn't have answers yet. But she would find them.

Tomorrow, she would start digging. Asking questions. Looking for the truth.

Someone in this pack had helped Magnus five years ago. Someone had let him in, fed him information, made sure the frame job was perfect.

And she was going to find them.

Dax was in his study when she found him, surrounded by ledgers and maps. He looked up when she entered. Didn't smile.

"It's late," he said.

"I know."

"What do you want?"

She laid the note on his desk.

He read it. His expression didn't change, but something shifted behind his eyes.

"Magnus Voss," he said. "You're connected to him."

"He says he's my uncle." Sera kept her voice steady. "My mother's brother."

"Your mother never mentioned—"

"Exactly." She leaned forward. "My mother never talked about her family. Ever. And now I find out she had a brother who's Alpha of one of the most powerful packs on the continent?"

She tapped the note. "He framed me, Dax. Five years ago. He's the one who destroyed our wedding. He's the reason I was exiled."

Dax's jaw tightened. "You're saying—"

"I'm saying someone in this pack worked with him. Someone let him into Ironcrest territory. Someone made sure those fake recordings were perfect." She met his eyes. "I'm saying the person who ruined my life is still here. Still watching. Still waiting."

Silence.

Dax stared at the note for a long moment. Then he looked up.

"What do you need?"

It wasn't the answer she expected.

"Help," she said. "Information. Access to the pack records from five years ago."

He nodded. Once.

"Garrett will give you whatever you need."