Chapter 7: Secrets Unveiled

Raven sat in her sitting room crossing her legs on her living room floor, her father's old leather-bound journal opened in front of her. The old pages smelled faintly of age and ink, a sorrowful reminder of a man she thought she had known. She ran her fingers over the light untidy handwriting on the page, her heart pounding as the words began to form a pattern she couldn't ignore.

"Wolfkind... the survival of their kind depends on secrecy."

She read the line aloud, her voice shaking. Her father's lovely handwriting filled the page, but the meaning was difficult to understand, difficult to break into pieces. Phrases like "genetic anomalies," "pack hierarchy," and "evolutionary preservation" were written many times throughout the journal. Some words had been hurriedly written over as if he had thought better of recording them.

"What does this mean, Dad?" she spoke gently to herself, opening the journal to the next page.

Suddenly, a strange chill ran through her whole body making her shake to her bones. It was as if the air in her apartment had seized, filled with something unseen. She looked around, her eyes moving to the locked windows and bolted doors. Since the break-in, every creak and shadow set her on edge. Yet this unease felt different, almost primal.

Her phone buzzed, snapping her back to reality. She grabbed it, half-expecting another ominous message. Instead, it was from her best friend, Chloe.

Chloe: "Still alive, detective? Don't forget to eat."

Raven couldn't help but smile. Chloe's humor was her anchor in these turbulent waters. She typed back a quick reply before returning to the journal, her determination renewed.

Meanwhile, in the high-rise offices of Lycos International, Killian Thorne stared out at the glittering skyline of Silvergate. His Beta, Marcus, stood across the room, his posture tense. Marcus was a broad-shouldered man with a rugged demeanor, his loyalty to Killian unwavering.

"She's digging too deep," Marcus said, breaking the silence. "If Raven Blake keeps this up, she'll uncover everything."

Killian's jaw remained firm, but his voice remained calm. "She's persistent, I'll give her that. But she's no threat to us."

"No threat?" Marcus's voice rose. "She's already connected her father's work to our kind. If she figures out the truth, it won't just be her coming after us. The whole world will."

Killian turned to face his Beta, his piercing blue eyes blazing. "You think I don't know that? I'm handling it."

"Are you?" Marcus countered. "Because from where I'm standing looking at things, it looks like you're more interested in protecting her than protecting us."

The accusation remained unattended in the air. Killian's lips formed a round sign, but he didn't deny it. There was something about Raven, her determination, her courage, that moved him closer to her. Yet he couldn't allow herself to be distracted, not when his pack's survival was at stake.

"She's not the enemy," Killian said finally. "But if she becomes one, I'll do what's necessary."

Marcus nodded reluctantly, though the tension between them remained. "Just don't wait too long to decide where your loyalties lie."

Back in her apartment, Raven's eyes fell on a peculiar symbol in the journal, a crescent moon twisted with a claw. It was sketched in the corner of several pages as if it held some deeper meaning. She took a photo of it with her phone, with a serious intention of researching on it later.

As she turned the page, a folded piece of paper dropped from the journal. She picked it up, her breath went off as she unfolded it. The note was handwritten, though the handwriting wasn't her father's own. The message was short but made her heart freeze:

"Beware the wolf in the shadows."

Her heart raced. Who had written this? And why had her father kept it hidden?

Her thoughts were disturbed by a knock at the door. Raven froze, her mind kept racing. She looked around and thought to herself that she wasn't expecting anyone, and after what had been happening, she wasn't in the mood for any more surprises from anybody.

"Who is it?" she asked, her voice remained calm despite the serious fear she was experiencing all over her body. She waited at the door thinking deeply about who or what could be at the door.

"Package delivery," a male voice replied.

With an angry expression, she went to the door cautiously, peeping through the peephole. A man in a courier uniform stood on the other side, holding a small box. She unlocked the door but kept the chain in place as she opened it slightly.

"Leave it on the floor," she said.

The man answered, putting the box down and stepping back. Once he was gone, Raven opened the door properly carried the package, and brought it inside. There was no return address. Her hands continued shaking as she opened it, revealing a USB drive and a single piece of paper.

The paper read: "The truth lies within."

Raven plugged the USB drive into her laptop, her hands shaking. Files began to crop up on the screen, each one labeled with secret names: "Project Lycan," "Pack Dynamics," and "Alpha Protocol."

Her eyes opened widely as she clicked on the first file, revealing a series of photographs and documents. Among them was a photo of her father standing next to a group of men. At the center of the group was Killian Thorne.

The screen suddenly went black. A single message appeared:

"You're in over your head. Stop now."

Before Raven could react, her laptop shut down completely, leaving her staring at her reflection on the dark screen. Someone was watching her—and they wanted her to stop.

Unbeknownst to Raven, Marcus was watching Killian closely. "She's getting too close," Marcus said again. "What are you going to do about her curiosity?"

Killian didn't answer immediately. He turned back to the window, his expression unreadable. "I'll handle it," he said finally, though the weight of his words suggested otherwise.