Chapter 135

Nathan

“Could Aunt Gertrude really have been ‘Greta’?” Olivia asked, her voice filled with a dreamlike wonder. “The historian?”

I swallowed. “I don’t know,” I murmured, slowly walking up to one of the shelves tucked into the wall. “Let’s find out.”

Dust motes swirled in the dim sunlight that was bleeding through the single tiny window in the wall. I reached for a hefty, leather-bound tome nestled snugly between its companions on a particularly old shelf. The spine was unmarked, the edges worn by time.

I slowly pulled it out, and a cloud of dust erupted, causing Olivia to sneeze from across the room.

“What have you got there?” she asked, brushing a strand of golden hair from her face which had come loose from her bun earlier when we were messing with our old costumes.

“I’m not sure yet.” I cautiously opened the book, revealing a delicate, handwritten title: The True History of the Evergreens.

My heart skipped a beat. That was the name of our pack. This was it: the exact information I had been yearning for.

Frantically flipping a few pages further, I stumbled upon detailed accounts, illustrations, and family trees. And there it was, a section dedicated solely to my family. I could hardly believe our luck. This library was a goldmine, and this book could potentially be our guide.

“Olivia!” I exclaimed, turning the book towards her so she could see, “it’s about our pack!”

She rushed over, her face a picture of pure shock as her hazel eyes scanned the yellowed, crinkled pages. “This... this is incredible, Nathan. My Aunt Gertrude really had this hidden away here? All this time?”

Overwhelmed with gratitude and in the sheer heat of the moment, I impulsively wrapped my arms around her. “You're brilliant, Liv. Absolutely brilliant,” I murmured, my voice catching in my throat.

Without even thinking, I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. She stiffened momentarily, then hesitantly returned the gesture.

After a few heartbeats, I pulled back, taking in her wide-eyed surprise and reddening cheeks. The weight of what had just occurred settled in, and I quickly cleared my throat.

“We, um, should get to work.” My voice was a bit rough, the air between us palpable with tension.

Olivia, still a bit flustered, nodded in agreement. “Right. There’s a lot to uncover here.”

We sat side by side on the stone floor, the piles of books forming walls around us. Hour after hour, we delved deeper into the history of the pack. The tales spoke of ancient customs, sacred territories, and forbidden romances. We discovered that the foundation of our pack was the work of Elders long passed, whose power and wisdom had been unparalleled.

However, it was a particular entry, dated precisely 33 years ago, that caught my attention.

Colin, my father, had taken over as the Supreme Alpha of my pack. That was not new information to me, but I froze when I read a little further and saw a name that I didn’t recognize.

“Nathan?” Olivia asked, poking me in the arm. “What’s wrong? Read to me.”

I nodded slowly and began flipping further, reading aloud as I went. “Colin and Edward, brothers of the Ford clan and sons of Jon and Dakota, took over in the event of their parents’ death and founded what is known today as the Evergreen pack. Together, they worked to overturn the antiquated systems of old, and introduced the concept of the Council…”

“Edward? Who the hell is Edward?” I muttered, utterly confused.

Olivia looked at me, her face mirroring my confusion. “You mean you’ve never heard of him?”

Shaking my head, I continued to read, trying to understand. “Why would my dad erase his brother from our history? From our memories? It makes no sense.”

Olivia chewed on her lower lip, thinking. “There must be a reason. Maybe something in these books can tell us?”

Maybe Olivia was right. I kept reading. “However, Edward and Colin’s rule was short-lived. Edward suddenly died; his body was found at the bottom of a ravine, henceforth known as Edward’s Gulch. Colin thus instituted the rule of the Supreme Alpha, an Alpha to rule above all others in the pack.”

Nothing else was written. The entire entry had been handwritten up to this point, and it became clear to me that Olivia’s Aunt never finished it. Swallowing, I snapped the book shut in a plume of dust.

“What does it all mean?” Olivia asked, frowning and waving her hand in front of her face to displace the dust. “No one has ever talked about anyone named ‘Edward’. I thought that Edward’s Gulch was just a random name, maybe the name of whoever discovered it.”

Edward’s Gulch was a ravine at the top of the town, about a mile behind my parents’ house. No one was allowed there, as it was dangerous. Anyone who was found there would be fined or even thrown in jail overnight.

“I don’t know,” I replied, standing. “But I need to do something. I’ll be right back.”

Grabbing my phone, I decided to make a call. I had avoided it for long enough, but now I needed answers. I slipped out of the room, then dialed my mother’s number and waited. “Pick up,” I murmured, tapping my foot. “Come on… Pick up…”

After what seemed like an eternity, it went to voicemail. Again.

You’ve reached Maria…

I furrowed my brow. What the hell? I thought as her voicemail message played. This isn’t like her. Why aren’t you answering your phone, mom?

“Mom, it’s Nathan,” I began after the tone played, my voice tinged with desperation. “Listen, I found some old records, and there’s mention of someone named Edward. He was supposedly dad’s brother? I need to know, Mom. Why haven’t I heard of him? Please call back as soon as you get this.”

Hanging up, I could feel the weight of unanswered questions pressing down on me. “She didn’t answer.”

Olivia shot me a concerned look, her fingers dusty from flipping through the ancient tomes. Her forehead had a fine sheen of sweat on it, but right now, I thought that she looked even more beautiful than ever.

“We'll figure it out, Nathan. We always do.”

Refocusing our attention on the books, we continued our search for answers. As the hours slipped by, our exhaustion took over.

The intensity of the day, coupled with the secrets we had uncovered, took its toll. Without realizing it, our heads tilted toward each other, and soon, we were fast asleep, the books our only witnesses.

I had strange dreams that night. Dreams about my dad, Jenifer, my mom, and this enigma named ‘Edward’. All the while, Olivia’s aunt stood at the precipice of it all, like a guardian. I felt as though I owed her everything right now, like she was looking down on us, pleased that we had found our way to her hidden library.

But the hunt had only just begun. Mysteries were yet to be unraveled, and Olivia and I were alone in this search.

When I awoke, the soft light of dawn was breaking through the tiny window of the secret library, casting the room in a muted gold hue.

Beside me, Olivia’s face was serene in sleep, her head resting awkwardly on a large tome. I stifled a chuckle as I looked at her, but then I felt something else and looked down.

Our hands, having found each other in slumber, were intertwined.