Chapter 273
Wrong answer, I thought immediately, my fingers going up nervously, ruffling my hair.
Wrong display of curiosity. I insisted mentally. I shut my eyes for a second, cussing out inwardly. Idiot!
I should have been frowning, should have been asking ’what cave?’ or ’why are you listening to that dumb fellow? There’s no cave here.’ But no. I had said something else. And now, knowing Diana, she would be suspicious.
“Do you know this cave, Dora?” Diana’s voice came sharp, her eyes narrowing. She must have detected the deliberate aloofness in my tone.
I was right on the money, unfortunately.
“I don’t know. How can I?” I added quickly, pushing the words out as if they were casual. “But maybe we’ll find it if we keep walking p>
“What cave are you talking about?” Raul cut in, his voice edged with surprise. We both ignored him.
My feet had already taken the turn in the gardens that led toward the school. I had decided to show them the waterfalls. Diana would love it, after all.
But my first reason? She wouldn’t let me rest until I showed her. Her sharp wits has already informed me of the truth–I knew the cave.
We veered toward the school grounds, my heart pounding louder than my footsteps. Raul cast me curious glances intermittently but stayed silent, though the tension around him hummed like a taut string.
Diana, however, studied me with that too-perceptive gaze of hers, the one that stripped me bare. She already knew I’d come from here; I had shared slivers of my past with her and our parents—but not this. Not the cave. Not what it meant.
And now she was going to find out. Or not. Well, not entirely. No way was I telling her that this was the location I had fallen for Adam totally.
The school gardens stretched wide, neatly kept but hushed. Birds darted among the trees, wings catching slants of sunlight as though mocking my turmoil, while I pretended to let instinct guide me.
But the truth was heavier. Memory pulled me like a rope around my throat.
We stopped before the wall, its surface veiled in creeping vines and wild grasses. My pulse raced. Adam’s laugh ghosted through my mind, his fingers once tracing patterns here, teasing me with secrets.
Codes, he’d called them. But there had been no codes. Only touches his hand had made, whispers of magic hidden in plain sight.
“What are we doing here?” Raul asked, glancing between us, then at the green-covered stone. His gaze sharpened. “Does this wall lead to something p>
Shock jolted me. He knew?
“I can feel the magic,” he added, stepping closer. Then, turning to Diana, “Don’t you p>
Diana’s head dipped in a slow nod, her brow arching at me. What are you doing?
I wasn’t sure anymore. But something inside me screamed that I had to get in. That whatever waited inside belonged to me—even if I didn’t understand why.
“El,” I breathed inwardly. Help me. I can’t remember the codes.
Her answer unfurled smooth as silk: Place your hand on the wall, Maya. It is like the one in the witch kingdom. It answers to royals.
I froze.
“Royals?” I whispered before I could stop myself. Did that mean a witch or wizard had crafted this? And why would it open for me? I wasn’t royal in the werewolf kingdom.
Diana tilted her head. “What did you say p>
“Nothing,” I said quickly, pressing my palm against the cold stone.
For a moment, nothing. Then light. Lines spread outward from my hand, etching themselves across the wall in arcs of molten gold. The stone trembled, groaned, and split down the middle, parting to reveal the yawning dark of the cave.
Raul staggered back, eyes wide. “What the hell p>
Diana gasped, staring first at the glowing stone, then at me.
And me—my heart stopped.
I wasn’t a werewolf. I wasn’t royal.
So why had it opened?
“El,” I hissed inwardly. Explain. Now.
Her reply was maddeningly calm. It’s complicated.
Complicated. That was all.
But I knew, as the cavernous dark breathed against us, that nothing here was simple. Nothing at all.
Who was I?
Raul was the first to break the silence. He grabbed my arm, gently, voice raw. “How do you know this place, Dora? Don’t lie to me! You—You touched it, and it opened, like it was waiting for you p>
His eyes were fevered, wild. “What are you hiding? Did you come from here p>
“I’m not—” I started, but my throat clenched.
“Don’t concoct any lie please” His voice cracked, his chest rising and falling in frantic waves. “Did Adam bring you here one time? Did you know about this all along? Who are you really p>
A pause. “I heard them talk about it one time, but I didn’t think a magic cave would exist in a werewolf kingdom His eyes flashed with madness. “Tell me, Dora p>
I flinched at the desperation in his tone, his need for answers I couldn’t give. Diana’s lips, meanwhile, were pressed into a thin line, her silence heavier than Raul’s questions. She wasn’t fooled, not for a moment.
Finally, I snapped, “Enough, Raul.” My voice cut sharp, startling even myself. “Stop questioning me. I don’t owe you any answers. You can leave if you want to p>
Before he could respond, I stepped into the cave.
My fingers brushed the familiar stone by instinct, finding the hidden switch Adam had once shown me. The cave flickered alive. Light spilled from crystal sconces embedded in the walls, bathing the space in a golden glow.
And what a space it was.
The cave stretched wide, more alive than I remembered. A long table stood at its center, polished wood gleaming as though freshly oiled. Chairs carved with intricate sigils surrounded it. To one side lay a row of beds with clean linens, neat as though waiting for occupants. Another alcove revealed shelves lined with books, scrolls, and trinkets. Beyond that, the faint smell of cooked herbs and polished stone hinted at a kitchen nook.
It was a miniature apartment—no, a secret home. Upgraded since the last time I’d crossed its threshold.
The Lycan King must have built this for his bloodline, with the help of his first wife, the queen. Clever and practical. Something for their boys.
El hummed then, pleased. I had gotten the guess right.
I snorted under my breath. It didn’t explain why it had opened to me. Why my hand had been the key.
I tore my eyes away from the luxuries, from the table and shelves, and froze when I saw it.
The bed. The particular bed where it had happened for the first time.
Tucked against the far wall, its frame marked by deep claw scratches at the headboard—Marks made by Adam when he marked me, burned into memory and wood alike. My stomach twisted. Heat flushed my skin, dredging up the moment I’d locked away. The moment when I’d been his.
I turned sharply, ignoring the pull of memory, refusing the ache clawing at my chest. I would not sink into that abyss. Not here. Not in front of them.
So I strode toward the far passage, toward the faint sound of water rushing. The waterfall.
“Come on!” I called, pitching my voice high, bright, as though I’d just discovered something wondrous. “Look at this p>
But Diana wasn’t fooled. Her hand clamped on my arm, yanking me aside. In a flick of power, she cocooned us in a shimmering sound-veil. Raul’s questions dulled, shut out.
Her eyes bored into mine. “What’s going on, Maya p>
I sagged. The lie lodged heavy on my tongue. My sister deserved more.
So I told her. About the cave. About Adam. About what I remembered and what I didn’t. My voice cracked, but I forced it all out.
Diana’s face softened, then steeled. She pressed her forehead to mine. “We’ll figure it out. Together p>
The sound-veil melted away. Without another word, I turned, leading them to the opening that spilled into the waterfall’s heart.
The sight still stole my breath.
Water cascaded down a wall of stone, silver ribbons sparkling in the light that filtered through cracks above. Mist kissed the air, cool and refreshing. Around the pool lay lush vegetation—ferns, wildflowers, trees that stretched their limbs like guardians. And scattered across the soft grass: beach towels, umbrellas, even lounging chairs.
Diana blinked. “What is this? Some kind of resort p>
Raul laughed bitterly. “Wouldn’t put it past the family to privatize paradise p>
Diana smirked faintly, but I raised my hand, weaving a flicker of magic. Fabric shimmered around us, reshaping into swimwear—sleek suits that clung like second skin.
Raul arched a brow but didn’t protest. Not when he sighted our clothes neatly folded, and kept on one of the beds.
For the first time in hours, maybe days, we let go. We ran into the spray, dove beneath the rush, let the roar of the waterfall drown out questions and memories alike. Diana splashed me, laughing, and I retaliated. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ
Raul floated on his back, staring up at the fractured sunlight, voice raw when he finally spoke.
“I hate them,” he said. “My family. My mother, my father—all of it. I hate what they made of me. What they did to Zande, to you.” His fists clenched, water dripping from his knuckles. “Sometimes I wish I could just disappear p>
The words hung heavy, rippling through the mist.
And then, just before I could say something to that statement, a cutting painful scream echoed from the thick vegetation ahead of us.