288 Vouchers
Chapter 125
Darius
I took the journal from Zora and read the page she was on. I could not believe what I had just seen.
“What if this woman was trying to frame my mother? The letter was anonymous. What if that was what she was trying to do? Jenny was on the council, and my mother wasn’t. My father had left the Balyaev seat vacant, making the Lawrences the most powerful family on the council. What if the council teamed up and decided to persecute my mother? There is always evidence to convict a person, whether guilty or innocent. What if that was Jenny’s plan?” I said, still finding it hard to believe what Zora had said.
She stood up and touched my hand.
“I do not know what to believe. But we must review the files and hide the correspondence about your father’s murder. Marcel and Raphael are loyal to you, but their fathers were also killed. They might not find it funny and demand retribution,” she said to me, and I knew she was right.
So I left her in the room and rushed down, stared at where the documents were and started searching the files for anything that had to do with the correspondence between Jenny and my mother.
“Darius, is everything alright?” Marcel asked me holding Jenny’s journal in his hand. It was clear they found what she had written amusing. I smiled at him and nodded.
“Yes. I just need to see the correspondence between her and my mother,” I said. He nodded and continued to read the journal in his hand.
09:59
Chapter 125
288 Vouchers
I thought of the many things that could happen if the information Zora just found out got into the wrong hands. The thought motivated me to search. Zora joined me downstairs and helped me search the files.
We were at it for hours. We had lunch and talked about the content of the journal. We joked about what Jenny wrote. Zora and I pretended to find it amusing because we did not want to alarm the others.
By evening we had gone through all the documents we had brought, and only four files consisted of her correspondence with my mother and father.
I found a copy of the letter sent to her by her southern informant in those files. It was authentic, but I could not tell if it was my mother’s handwriting or not.
www
“Alpha Corrigan, I write you in good conscience. I do not believe in injustice, and I believe the wolf lord lost his mind because of his greed. Knowing how greatly your family suffered at his hands, I am moved to do this. Although I want to remain anonymous, I have discovered that the lord is out to conquer the south. He travels in disguise with his beta and gamma under the Alias John Michan. He plans to scout your territory as a tourist to develop his attack plan. I am writing you this letter so you can prepare yourself for what is to come. Your parents‘ sacrifice should not be in vain. Leah Corrigan and I became friends in the harem. Where I found favour with the wolf lord, she didn’t. I am writing you this letter to help keep her son alive. Please, the wolf lord with be in the south on Monday at noon. He will be staying at the Danes Inn in Pridewood Pack land Under his Alias. Be warned that there will be warriors around. You must intercept him in the inn. I hope for the sake of the south you succeed.” It read, and I wondered how Jenny would think my mother would write the letter.
The writer said she was in the harem, but Jenny had also said only my mother knew the Alias my father used to travel. Could it be possible that he discussed his trip with one of his girls, and she opted to betray him?
09.59
Chapter 125
288 Vouchers
Zora and I returned upstairs to pack the evidence, and I decided to talk to her about my thoughts.
“Could it be that my father might have divulged his travelling plans to a girl in the harem?” I asked, and Zora looked at me.
“You did not read some of the records in the journal. Jenny said that Leah Corrigan was never in the harem. He did not even sleep with her. She was thrown into service in Grizlo, where she died.” Zora said.
“Maybe she was misinformed. My father slept with all the lunas he took. He might have told Jenny that, so she would not be mad. You have read her journals, Zora; you know she is obsessed with him and possessive of him, too,” I said, and she nodded.
“Still, you need to confront your mother on this. You need to ask her, she better come clean because this is serious. This can just ruin the entire Hand family. We have a marriage coming, and we will soon welcome children into this world. We do not need lies and secrets weighing us down and haunting us.” She said, and I could understand her fear and her
reasons.
I decided I wouldn’t waste any time. Once we returned to the estate in the morning, I would ask my mother. I hope she tells the truth for all our sakes so I can figure out what to do.
We had dinner, and everyone joked about the things they read in Jenny’s journal.
The woman believed my father loved her, and my mother was Sagemailing him to keep him.
She was really delusional.
One thing that troubled everyone was that other than when she mentioned her son, she never talked about him again. It was as if he had stopped existing. According to Raphael, there was an entry where she claimed my
09:59
Chapter 125
288 Vouchers
father took her son from her, but that was all. She did not talk about it or tell us where he was living. It was as if the baby had stopped existing. It was weird.
We left for the Hand estate the next day. I was eager to confirm with my mother on the matter.
