Chapter 24
Amelia stood by Aunt Camille’s bedside, her hands clenched into fists, her heart racing. She could feel the weight of the revelation pressing down on her chest, suffocating her. The words Aunt Camille had spoken echoed in her mind like a haunting refrain.
“Your parents died because of a mistaken identity. They were killed for someone else -for us. The Alpha and Luna of the Lotus.
Pack.”
Aunt Camille’s frail form lay on the bed, the lines of age and sickness carved deeply into her face. But there was something in her eyes–a deep, consuming sorrow–that Amelia had never seen before.
Amelia’s throat tightened as she processed the gravity of the words. Her mind raced, trying to make sense of everything, but the pieces wouldn’t fit. Her parents–her real parents—had been
30% 10:49
1/4
Chapter 24
killed by rogues. By the Rogue King himself. But that rogue had been looking for Camille and Alpha Caleb, not her
parents. And yet, her parents had died because of that mistake.
Camille’s voice broke through her thoughts. “I insisted on bringing you to the Lotus Pack. I thought it was the best thing for you, for your safety. Amelia. I am dying with that weight on my heart.”
At that moment, Amelia‘ s lips parted, but no words came out. She couldn’t speak, not with the anger, the grief, and the confusion swirling inside her.
How could she blame them? How could she
blame her… now that she’s weak and fragile.
But now, with Aunt Camille on her deathbed, all Amelia could feel was the vast emptiness left behind.
“But why?” Amelia whispered, her voice raw with emotion. “Why did you keep this
30% 10:50
2/4
Chapter 24
from me? Why didn’t you tell me the
truth sooner?”
Aunt Camille’s eyes filled with tears as she reached out a trembling hand to touch Amelia’s cheek. “I couldn’t. I didn’t
want you to hate me. I didn’t want to be the one to tell you that your parents died because of us. I wanted to protect you… protect you from the truth.”
Amelia closed her eyes, the tears welling up again, though she fought them back. She couldn’t cry, not yet. Not until she understood everything.
“I don’t know what to feel anymore,” Amelia admitted, her voice hollow. “Everything I thought I knew about my life… about my parents… it’s all gone.”
Aunt Camille nodded slowly, her old eyes filled with compassion. “I know, child. I know. And I am so sorry for everything. I’m sorry for keeping this from you for so long. I will be gone soon, and I just want you to know the truth before my life.. ends.”
30% 10:50
3/4
Chapter 24
Amelia looked at the old woman, seeing
her in a new light. She had lived so much of her life under a cloud of secrets and lies. And now, as Aunt Camille lay dying, Amelia did not know what to feel anymore. She felt really conflicted.
“I don’t know if I can forgive you,” Amelia said quietly, her voice steady despite the turmoil within her. “But I won’t forget you. Not ever.”
The truth weighed on Amelia like an iron. chain, dragging her into a darkness she wasn’t sure she could escape. Her parents had died at the hands of the Rogue King. The Rogue King. The words repeated in her mind, a mantra of fury and despair.
Her fingers trembled as she clenched them into fists. She didn’t care about anything else. If she had to use her powerful bloodline and let everyone know about its existence, if that was what it had to take to end him, then so be it. She would use every ounce of it. And she would kill him herself.
