I met his amber gaze directly, choosing to offer him one final opportunity.
"Is there anything you've kept hidden from me?"
He paused, then reached over to smooth the hair from my face, his touch gentle.
"Foolish little wolf. Why would I ever conceal anything from you?"
I dropped my eyes, letting the hope drain from them completely.
"Good."
After a stretched silence, I murmured, "I miss my parents."
"At first light tomorrow, I'll escort you to their memorial stones."
I pressed further—surely they'd left me something? Territory rights, bloodline artifacts, anything from the Nightveil holdings?
But Alaric's response came out fragmented, uncertain.
"Everything unraveled so fast. Before I could sort through the inheritance claims, rival packs conspired against me. I was confined to the holding cells under false accusations."
"Now I finally have the standing to investigate what truly happened back then."
His gaze shifted as he captured my hand in his.
"Lyra, perhaps your parents didn't truly die. Perhaps there's still hope."
Ha.
The three-year mark was approaching. He'd deceived me about their deaths, and now his story was unraveling beyond repair.