The Pack's Daughter (Aysel and Magnus) novel Chapter 134

**Midnight Letters by Daniel Crowe**

**Chapter 134**

**Aysel’s POV**

As I crossed the threshold of the hall, a peculiar stillness enveloped the Shadowbane ancestral fortress. It was as if the very essence of light had been snuffed out, leaving behind an oppressive darkness that swallowed every flickering lantern and extinguished every torch lining the corridors.

In the suffocating blackness, I felt an unsettling chill creep up my spine. I instinctively reached out, hoping to grasp the presence of a few attendants who might guide me through this labyrinth of shadows. But whoever had orchestrated this nocturnal ambush had done so with meticulous precision.

After the Sanchez wolves had rushed Alpha Bastien to the healers, it seemed every servant had been discreetly reassigned or simply vanished into thin air. I was left standing in the vast emptiness, the sound of my own breath reverberating in the silence, a stark reminder of my solitude.

My emotions surged and receded like tumultuous waves crashing against a rocky shore. Doubt gnawed at me; I couldn’t shake the uncertainty of Magnus’s whereabouts. Was he still within the fortress walls? Did he even draw breath?

Yet, amid the rising tide of anxiety, I felt a flicker of resolve. For once, I decided to trust my instincts—and Mia, my wolf, who was restless and clawing at the chains that bound her within me.

At worst, I thought, I would simply be mistaken. At worst, this reckless endeavor would culminate in chaos and confusion.

I replayed the scant information I had, mentally cataloging every possible location Magnus might occupy. After a moment of deliberation, I resolved to make my way to the Greenbamboo Wing—the only place he had mentioned during the evening’s events.

The storm outside was relentless, a ferocious wind that threatened to wrest my umbrella from my grasp. Twice, I struggled to keep it aloft, but the third time, I surrendered, letting the flimsy object be swept away into the downpour.

With my head bowed against the deluge, I ran.

If my suspicions held any truth, then Lyall Sanchez and his mate’s sudden return to the fortress was nothing more than a theatrical distraction—an elaborate ruse to draw attention away from the real target. A scandal from the past, perhaps, meant to shock the family, to provoke Alpha Bastien into a frenzy, and ultimately, to lead every wolf astray.

It was a flawless misdirection. With inheritance and lineage at stake, every Sanchez heir was ensnared in the web of history. Yet, the true aim of the orchestrator had never been the past; it had always been Magnus Sanchez.

He was the only one privy to the Sanchez family’s concealed transgressions, the only one capable of commanding the fortress staff without question, the only one who could navigate these ancient halls unseen.

And tonight—tonight, nearly every Sanchez wolf was present, save for a few who were abroad or recuperating in distant dens.

So who was behind this?

The rain lashed against my skin like a barrage of tiny stones, sharp and stinging, but I pressed on, relentless.

Find him.

Find him.

Find him—

Mia’s voice, once a mere whisper, had transformed into a deafening roar within me.

Finally, as I neared the Greenbamboo Wing, I caught sight of it: a faint, stubborn glow piercing through the rain-soaked darkness.

Yet, before I could reach the source of that light, several figures emerged, blocking my path.

Wolves, stationed with strict orders.

They regarded me—soaked to the bone, breathless, and sprinting through the tempest—with a mixture of confusion and alarm.

I clenched my fingers at my sides, suppressing the instinct to let my claws emerge, which ached for release.

Drawing myself up, I met their gazes with an icy resolve.

“I understand you’re merely following orders,” I spoke softly, my voice steady. “But as long as Magnus Sanchez draws breath tonight, should any of you dare to lay a hand on me, he will personally take that hand from you.”

A flicker of fear passed through their silhouettes.

They wanted to restrain me, yet the instinct to survive warred against their orders.

Their hesitation was all I needed.

I surged past them.

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