Chapter 188
The projection wavered slightly, as if Althea’s mother knew her time in the message was running short.
“If I could have stayed,” she said, voice trembling, “I would have told you myself. But if something happened to me… I needed you to have the truth because you deserve to know it p>
Althea covered her mouth, trying to breathe. Her mother gave one last soft smile, the kind that lit up Althea’s earliest memories.
“I love you, Althea,” she whispered. “More than my own life p>
The light faded, dissolving into gentle sparkles that drifted away like dust on the wind. Althea gasped, the real world rushing back in. The shard lay warm in her trembling hand, glowing faintly as if still holding her mother’s heartbeat.
This time, she wasn’t just crying. She was shaking.
Gavriel immediately moved closer, pulling her into his arms and gently stroked her hair. She opened her eyes—red, shining, full of grief and new truth.
“That was them she whispered. “My mother. My real father. She saved this… for me p>
The shard dimmed slowly, as if resting after sharing the memory it had safeguarded for years. Althea held the shard to her chest. For the first time in her life, she didn’t feel lost about her past. She felt found.
Candice tilted her head, and spoke. “You know… that isn’t just any magical object,” she said softly. “It’s called the Heartlight Shard. It’s a repository for memories and truths, created to safeguard someone’s most precious secrets p>
Zander nodded. “Amon entrusted it to me years ago. The idea was simple but brilliant: if something were to happen to your mother, this shard would carry the truth of your family, your origins, and your legacy. Only someone who carries the same blood, the same energies, can truly unlock it. That’s why it responded to you, Althea p>
Silence settled like an invisible weight. Gavriel stood still, one hand resting against the back of Althea while his sharp eyes fixed on Zander. There was no anger in them, but something colder. Something that made Zander’s stomach twist.
Then he finally spoke. “Now that everything is out, tell me, Zander. What is it that you truly want? You went as far as dragging your own cousin into this. You used her as a pawn p>
The words echoed heavily. Althea flinched even though the accusation was not directed at her. She swallowed hard, her fingers curling around the shard as she moved from Gavriel’s hug to turn to Zander.
Meanwhile, Zander uncomfortably rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit he rarely showed. “I know how it looks,” he muttered, eyes shifting between them. “And I’m not proud of it. I never wanted to involve Althea in this. If I had any other choice, I wouldn’t have used her for my plan. But everything… everything depended on it p>
Gavriel’s stare sharpened. “Say it clearly. What plan p>
Zander took a breath. Then another. He seemed to steady himself before he spoke again. “I want to reclaim House Aetherion. I want the Ivanov Clan to stand where it once stood. Our honor, our birthright, our home… all of it was stolen centuries ago by the Cross Clan. The world thinks the Ivanovs vanished. They think we’re traitors p>
He raised his eyes to Gavriel, voice firming. “I want back what was taken. And only you can help me do it p>
Gavriel crossed his arms. “So you gambled with her life.” Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on.net
Zander didn’t deny it. He looked ashamed but resolute. “Yes. I did. And I will live with that guilt. But I didn’t use her because I wanted to. I used her because without her, everything falls apart p>
Gavriel stepped forward. “You said you want my alliance. Why me p>
“Because you’re the only one strong enough,” Zander answered without hesitation. “You command the most feared lycan empire of this age. You have armies that obey without question. If I’m going to challenge him and reclaim what belongs to my ancestors, I need your support p>
Gavriel’s jaw tightened. “You want my men. My strength p>
Zander nodded. “Yes. And more than that, I need your name behind this. Your presence alone is enough to shake the Cross’s alliances. I’m short of men. I have spies, a few loyal warriors scattered across territories, and old sworn protectors of the Aetherion line. But it’s not enough. If I face the Cross Clan alone, they’ll crush me before I even set foot in Aetherion lands p>
He hesitated for a breath, then added, “But with you… with the Alpha King of this era standing beside me… I can win p>
Gavriel didn’t move. His expression remained unreadable, carved in ice.
“I’d give you Cain’s head,” Zander added, voice steady as if he hadn’t just dropped a blade between them.
Althea jerked as if struck. “Zander, what are you saying p>
Her voice cracked with disbelief. Cain was not her real father, but he had raised her. He held her when she had nightmares as a child. He taught her how to read. He praised her, protected her, scolded her, laughed with her. Whatever truth she had learned recently didn’t erase all those years.
She was torn, her chest tightening. A part of her still saw Cain as the man who raised her, but another part… the part that now knew her true bloodline… understood the pain he had caused Gavriel and so many others. In the end, Althea swallowed the rest of her words. Arguing wouldn’t change anything. Not now.
“Uriel, take Althea outside,” Gavriel said, voice low but firm.
Althea flicked her gaze toward him. His expression was unreadable — not angry, not distant — simply solid, immovable, as if he already knew she needed space to breathe.
She bit her lower lip and nodded quietly. Uriel gently guided her toward the exit of the old stone structure. Althea followed, hugging her mother’s journals to her chest and the shard as they stepped outside into the cool forest air.
Inside, Candice and Osman stayed where they were. Candice didn’t say anything at first.
She only watched Zander, her brows slightly drawn as if she was trying to piece together every reason behind his choices. She was from Velmora, the House of Terravane — proud, disciplined, and no stranger to the harsh rules of their continent.
Her voice, calm yet carrying the weight of authority, broke the silence. “You must’ve been desperate,” she said, not looking away from Zander.