Part One
I forced myself not to react.
The words shimmered across the page, dark and unmistakable.
Do not tell him everything.
My heartbeat hammered against my ribs.
The Alpha stood only a few feet away, watching my face with quiet concern.
He couldn't see the words.
I knew that now.
The journal had chosen me.
Whatever my mother had hidden inside these pages...
She had hidden for me alone.
I swallowed carefully, afraid even the smallest change in my expression might betray me.
"Aria?"
His voice pulled me back to the room.
"What did you find?"
I lowered my eyes.
The fresh ink was already fading, sinking back into the parchment until nothing remained but blank pages.
As though my mother had whispered a secret only long enough for me to hear it.
I closed the journal gently.
