Chapter 2 - THE DOG WHO SHOULD HAVE DIEDAdrien was already running before the guard finished speaking.
The Alpha King followed.
So did Elder Morrison.
The old kennels stood behind the eastern wing of the mansion, hidden beneath tangled vines and years of neglect.
Rex's door was open.
Inside, straw covered the floor.
Blood stained the walls.
The fireplace poker still lay near the corner.
Adrien stopped.
Rex was lying beside the broken water bowl.
His body barely moved.
But his eyes were open.
Adrien dropped to his knees.
"Rex."
The old dog lifted his head.
A low growl escaped his throat.
Then he recognized Adrien.
His ears moved.
His tail struck the floor once.
Twice.
Adrien's vision blurred.
"You stubborn old bastard."
He touched Rex's head.
The dog's breathing was ragged.
But he was alive.
A healer rushed inside.
"Don't move him."
Adrien looked at the wounds.
"Can he survive?"
The healer hesitated.
"I don't know."
Rex suddenly growled.
Adrien looked up.
The dog was staring at the doorway.
At Celeste.
She had followed them.
"You."
Rex's teeth appeared.
Celeste took a step back.
"I didn't..."
Rex lunged.
The chain around his neck snapped tight.
Adrien caught him.
"Easy."
Rex continued growling.
Adrien looked at Celeste.
"What did you do?"
She shook her head.
"I never touched him."
Rex barked.
Once.
The sound echoed through the kennel.
Then something strange happened.
The old dog's eyes locked onto Adrien.
He dragged one paw across the ground.
Slowly.
He scratched.
Three lines.
Then one circle.
Elder Morrison stepped forward.
His face changed.
"I know that symbol."
Adrien looked at him.
"What is it?"
Morrison lowered himself.
"The mark of the Northern Pack."
Adrien frowned.
"The Northern Pack disappeared twenty years ago."
"Exactly."
Rex scratched again.
Three lines.
One circle.
Then he turned toward a wooden storage chest.
Adrien stood.
"Move it."
Two guards pushed the chest aside.
There was nothing behind it.
Morrison stared at the wall.
"Wait."
He pressed his palm against a stone.
Click.
A hidden compartment opened.
Inside was a black leather journal.
Adrien pulled it free.
The cover carried one word.
NORA.
He opened it.
The first page contained only a sentence.
IF SHE RETURNS, DO NOT LET THE ALPHA KING SEE HER.
Adrien's blood ran cold.
He turned the page.
The next line was worse.
SHE IS NOT WHO THEY TOLD YOU SHE WAS.
"Adrien."
The Alpha King had entered the room.
He had seen the journal.
"Give it to me."
Adrien closed it.
"No."
The king's eyes hardened.
"That is not a request."
"Then answer me first."
Adrien stepped forward.
"What were you hiding from my sister?"
Silence.
The Alpha King looked at Nora's journal.
Then at Rex.
Then finally at Adrien.
"I warned your father."
"About what?"
"The bloodline."
Adrien's expression changed.
"What bloodline?"
Before the king could answer, an explosion shook the mansion.
Windows shattered.
Guards shouted.
Adrien turned toward the courtyard.
The Alpha King grabbed his arm.
"Someone knew you would find that journal."
Smoke rolled through the corridor.
A masked figure ran past.
Adrien chased him.
The figure moved fast.
Too fast for a normal wolf.
Adrien slammed him against a wall.
The mask fell.
Adrien froze.
The man was one of his own Delta guards.
"Who sent you?"
The guard laughed.
Then blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
He had bitten through a poison capsule.
Adrien grabbed him.
"Who sent you?"
The man's eyes rolled back.
Dead.
Behind them, Celeste screamed.
The kennel doors had been blown open.
Rex was gone.
Adrien ran back.
The chain lay broken.
On the ground was a strip of black fabric.
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And carved into the floor were four words.
SHE REMEMBERS EVERYTHING.
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