Chapter 5 - THE SECRET IN HER MOTHER'S JOURNAL
The journal arrived in a box Emma had almost thrown away.
Her mother's belongings had been stored in a closet since her death.
Emma had never been ready to sort through them.
But after the ceremony, she found herself searching for something familiar.
Something that belonged to a time before Daniel.
Before Blackridge's gossip.
Before Nathaniel Mercer.
At the bottom of the box lay a small leather journal.
Her mother's handwriting filled the pages.
Emma sat on the floor and began reading.
Most entries were ordinary.
Weather.
Recipes.
Work schedules.
Then she found a page dated twenty-five years earlier.
The council says the bloodline must remain hidden. They fear what will happen if the old bond awakens again.
Emma frowned.
She turned the page.
If my daughter inherits the gift, she must never be forced into a mating arrangement. The bond will recognize truth, not rank.
Emma stopped breathing.
Her mother had written about her.
Before Emma was born.
She read further.
The Whitmore women once served as Moonwardens. Their wolves could recognize bonds that others could not feel. That gift made them valuable. It also made them targets.
Emma stared.
Moonwardens.
She had never heard the word.
Then she reached the final entry.
If Nathaniel Mercer ever comes to Blackridge, tell him the truth. His family has been searching for ours since the winter fire.
Emma dropped the journal.
Her heart hammered.
Nathaniel Mercer.
Her mother had known his name.
Before Emma was born.
Before the ceremony.
Before their hands touched beneath the chandeliers.
Emma grabbed her phone.
And called him.
“Nathaniel.”
His voice came immediately.
“Emma?”
She swallowed.
“My mother knew your family.”
Silence.
Then he asked:
“What was her name?”
“Evelyn Whitmore.”
Nathaniel inhaled sharply.
May you like
For the first time since they'd met, he sounded frightened.
“Emma,” he whispered, “where are you?”
