Chapter 11 Adrian's hands trembled as he gripped the healer's scroll. The scowl he wore a moment before melted into something raw and unsteady; a shaky breath escaped him. "No. This... this can't be right." He flipped the parchment and read the runes as if they might rearrange themselves. The world narrowed to a pinprick of panic. On the page, in sharp script, one line stood out like an accusation: Blood transfusion: 26th week-Patient: Adrian Blackthorn. Adrian's fingers fumbled for the mind-link. He reached for his grandsire, voice cracking. "Grandfather, tell me straight-when I was near death, wasn't it Cassandra who sacrificed herself? She gave an organ, offered blood to save me. Then she went abroad to recover, didn't she?" "Who told you that?" came the old wolf's blunt reply. "Selene's elder brothers said Cassandra was the donor-" Adrian began, but the patriarch's anger cut him off before he could finish. The voice that answered was the same that had ruled the Blackthorn line for decades, steeped in command and iron will. "Those two brats will ruin the Rivers-no, the Blackthorns' name with their schemes. Did you really listen to their gossip, the ones who could not even protect their own sister? They turned your eyes toward Cassandra, and you were fooled." The patriarch's tone was fierce and cold. "They played you." Adrian felt as though a stone had dropped into his chest. "W-what do you mean?" he asked, breath shallow. "How could you not know Selene's talents, you fool?" the grandfather snapped. "They envied her -always plotting that she would inherit the Rivers holdings. Even at my age I could see their plan: bind you to Cassandra to gain access to our house and push Selene aside. They lied to you at every turn." Adrian staggered back from the clan's long table as the revelation unspooled. "No... it can't be. Cassandra is not like that-" "There is a limit to how much you can disappoint me, Adrian," the patriarch said quietly. "I hear you have been spending too much time with that girl. Did you choose her over Selene?" The question hit like frost. Adrian remembered-three years earlier he had knelt and promised Cassandra marriage. He had treated her in recent months as his savior. Now those memories curdled into betrayal. "Are you out of your mind?" the patriarch continued. "I allowed the match because I believed she came from the Rivers line. Even after we learned the truth-that babes had been switched in the cradle-I did not oppose your engagement. But when you were on the edge of death, it was Selene who stepped forward. She gave of herself-her organ, her blood-no matter how it harmed her. That child risked her life for you, and you repay her like this? Do you think I gave her five percent of the estate without reason?" A folder slipped from Adrian's numb fingers and thudded to the floor. He watched it splay there, his eyes glassy now. "Why didn't you tell me?" he breathed. Chapter 11 9:39 pm PD Silence answered him at first; then the patriarch's voice softened with bitter patience. "I did not speak because Selene never wished to burden you. She turned down a position I offered and still pledged herself to you. How could a man who has never borne true duty compare to someone of her skill?" "Did she did she force you into the bond?" Adrian blurted. "If anything, it was I who asked her to join the Blackthorn house," the patriarch said. "You were not her intended mate." The words landed like an iron weight. Adrian's heart thudded so loudly he could feel each beat. For a moment he could not breathe. "She is gone... Selene has left me," he admitted, and a single wet line of regret tracked down his cheek. The patriarch's voice carried the final, inevitable judgment. "You have brought misfortune, Adrian. I never wanted someone so cruel and careless to bind Selene. If only she had mated with the one I'd chosen for her-" "Who?" Adrian whispered, the question tearing itself free. "Damien," the patriarch said at last. "Damien Blackthorn. Your elder brother." The name struck like a blow. Adrian's knees threatened to give way beneath him as the truths he had ignored closed in from every side. 9:40 pm P R&D. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!