The Secret Heirs of the Lycan King (by Misha K) novel Chapter 53

**When Midnight Winds Carry Secrets Toward Worlds Yet Unknown**
**Chapter 53**

Bella

With urgency coursing through my veins, I rushed toward Scott’s office, my heart thundering like a drum in my chest. Had they actually uncovered footage from that fateful day? After everything, I had almost resigned myself to despair, but now, a flicker of hope ignited within me, warming my spirit.

The door stood ajar, and I could see Troy hunched over Scott’s desk, one hand firmly planted on the polished wood, while the other gestured animatedly at a still frame on the laptop screen. Scott sat beside him, his jaw clenched tight, a storm brewing in his expression.

“Come in,” he beckoned in a low, commanding voice as soon as his gaze landed on me. “You need to see this.”

Troy straightened up, and to my astonishment, he offered me a slight bow. “Luna.”

A shiver ran down my spine at the name. “Please, don’t call me that. And what does ‘Luna’ even mean?”

He bowed again, this time deeper, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “As you wish, Luna.”

I pressed my lips into a thin line, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. “That is literally the opposite of what I wished. And for the last time, stop calling me ‘Luna’!”

“I prefer ‘Luna’ over ‘Bella’,” he replied, a smirk playing on his lips.

“I don’t like nicknames!” I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended, eliciting a chuckle from him.

Scott’s mouth twitched at the corners, and he shot an annoyed glare at Troy, who instantly adopted a serious demeanor.

I approached the table, my palms clammy with anxiety. “Did you find something? I’ve been so tense walking here. How did you even manage to get a video? I thought there were no cameras on that street.”

Troy clicked the trackpad, his gaze steady on me. “Not official cameras. This footage came from a home security camera. A woman across the street set up a nanny cam to keep an eye on her babysitter. It happened to catch your storefront just enough. She sent it to one of my guys last night.”

My stomach plummeted. “Oh.”

He hit play, and the screen flickered to life.

The video revealed my shop in the stillness of night. It felt eerily quiet, almost frozen in time. The neon lights from a nearby store blinked lazily, casting a soft glow. My store was shrouded in darkness, save for the flickering electronic banner inside that displayed my logo.

Moments later, a figure clad in a black hoodie entered the frame. He had a tall, slightly hunched stature, and he didn’t pause at my door. Instead, he moved past the glass and melted into the narrow shadows between the buildings. Seconds stretched into eternity, and then—without warning—there was a blinding white flare, like a grotesque flower of light blooming within my shop. Glass shattered, followed by a deafening explosion as flames erupted. Soon, everything was engulfed in fire. The hooded figure emerged from the darkness, casting one last glance at the inferno before strolling away as if he were leaving a scene from a movie. The nonchalance of his departure left me in disbelief. Why hadn’t he stopped to call for help? Had he been the one to ignite the flames?

The video ended, and I found myself staring at the blank screen, breathless and shaken.

Scott’s voice broke the silence, quiet yet firm. “Do you recognize anyone who moves like that? Anyone with that build?”

I swallowed hard, my mind racing through a gallery of faces and memories, but I came up empty. “No. I don’t know him.” A wave of shock washed over me, and I felt as though I couldn’t draw a breath. Watching my shop being destroyed in front of my eyes, while I stood powerless, left me feeling utterly helpless.

I had convinced myself that the fire was merely a result of a short-circuit, as the insurance report had suggested. But watching the flames explode, while someone casually observed it as if it were a sunset, made the reality of the situation hit me in a brutal, ugly way. “Someone actually… did this. On purpose.”

Scott rose from his seat and guided me toward a chair. “Sit down.”

I complied, my fingers twisting nervously in my lap. Who would stand to gain from this? Who despised me enough to commit such an act? A few names flitted through my mind—people who had shown disdain for me, those who wanted to see me fail. Maya and Craig were at the top of that list. But arson? That crossed a line into a realm of danger I hadn’t anticipated.

Troy closed the laptop and settled into the chair beside me. “We will find him.”

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