Chapter 746

“We get out.”

I nodded. I was about to push the door open, but Gavin reached for my arm, grabbing it gently.

“You do not leave my side, understood?”

The seriousness in his expression caused my heart to skip a beat, and I nodded.

“Understood,” I repeated softly.

His expression softened, and then he got out of the car, running around to the other side to open the door for me as well. He helped me out of the car, placing his hand on the small of my back, and I shivered.

I stared up at the dark and brooding manor; it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. They weren’t kidding when they said this place was the shadow region; everywhere I looked was shadows, and there was almost like a dark fog that rose from the grounds.

Two footmen in charcoal livery swung the doors inward before we reached them. The entry hall swallowed us whole–black and white marble underfoot, a chandelier of iron thorns overhead, portraits hanging on the walls like a jury. The air smelled faintly of candle soot and a sweeter, stranger note of

herb smoke.

“Chairmen Landry,” The butler’s voice was a blade wrapped in velvet as he greeted Gavin. His sharp eyes

turned to me. “Miss.”

“Luna,” Gavin corrected.

Buter’s brows raised as he took me in, scanning me head to toe.

“I apologize, I wasn’t aware. There’s been no mention of you taking a Luna.”

“I am not a Luna yet,” I blurted, giving Gavin a look.

Gavin frowned at me.

“You are my mate. Regardless of whether we have done the ceremony yet, you are my Luna.” Newest update provided by Find[ɴ]ovel.net

My cheeks flushed at his words; the thought of being a Luna had weighed heavily on my mind, but now

was not the time to dwell on it.

“Come this way,” the butler said, clearing his throat.

The butler was a tall, lanky man with hair so dark that it was like charcoal. He walked in long strides, his head held high, and his hands clasped together behind his back.

Pictures of the Blackwell family lined the walls, my eyes finding Zachary Blackwell and his wife, Selene.

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She was gorgeous in the photo with her midnight, silky hair, threaded with a single silver clasp that glinted like a star. Her eyes, a piercing gray with shards of silver, remained sharp as though she was staring at me, even though it was only a photo.

Their sons, Emmet and Noah Blackwell, Noah being the eldest, stood beside the two. Emmet with his smiling face and dimpled cheeks, and Noah with a stern expression as though he had never smiled a day in his life. It’s a perfect mix of the two. They were much younger than their current age, so I knew this

portrait was an old one.

In Selene’s arms was a little baby that I knew had to be Lila. There was something about the baby that made it hard for me to look away; there was a slight familiarity to her that made my brows furrow. Lila has blonde hair, but this baby looked to have traces of dark hair, though it was hard to tell in this

painting.

“First painting after Miss Lila’s birth,” the butler explained, startling me.

I hadn’t realized I had stopped walking or that they were waiting for me. I blinked a few times, getting my bearings straight. Gavin was looking at me with a concerned look on his face.

“Are you okay?” He asked me, keeping his voice low and soothing.

I swallowed.

“Yes, sorry,” I said, glanced at the portrait one last time, the light blue eyes of the baby staring back at me,

like a warning.

Pulling my eyes away from the picture, we followed him down a corridor to a pair of doors carved with roses and vines devouring one another. The entire manor gave me an eerie feeling. My heart thudded against my chest, a nervousness clouding me despite Gavin’s presence beside me.

The butler opened the door, stepping inside.

“Alpha, Chairman Landry, and his Luna have arrived,” he announced to an unseen figure.

“Luna?” A deep tone, tinged with an accent, asked. “I had no idea he had taken one.”

“His mate, Sir,” the butler explained.

“I see. Allow them entry.”

The butler stepped aside, letting Gavin and me pass him. A table of black wood carved the space, set with crystal that winked like fangs. A chandelier with candlelight hung in the center, its presence giving the room dimmed lighting.

At the head of the table sat Zachary Blackwell.

His presence hit like cold iron in the blood. Not loud. Not showy. Just… absolute. A man carved from

midnight and old oaths. At his right sat Selene Blackwell; the portrait and photos in the corridor did her no justice. She was even more beautiful in person, and my heart thudded rapidly against my chest at the

sight of the gorgeous couple.

Emmet also sat at the table beside Lila, who stared at us with a predator’s poise, her eyes sharp and

unyielding.

And then beside her sat another woman, much older. She was in a wheelchair with snow white hair, and her eyes were fixed on me. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of her, and I had to take a step back.

My eyes had to be deceiving me.

It couldn’t be… could it?

That was the same woman who appeared in my dreams only a night ago. Her words echoed in my head,”

Blood calls to blood.”