The Sickened Luna's Last Chance novel Chapter 325

Chapter 325

Unbidden, my mind went back to the day I’d asked Hunter to look into her past–only for it to turn up nothing. Something about that, combined with whatever was going on now, piqued my interest.

Sleep was eluding me that night anyway, too guilty over the upcoming wedding every time I shut my eyes I saw Ella’s face, hurt and angry that I was marrying another–to sleep, so I decided to head to the library to see if I could find some answers.

The library was open 24/7, so even though it was nearly one in the morning by the time I walked in, the librarian was still there. She looked up at me with surprise as I approached.

“I’m looking for information about someone who may have visited recently,” I said, showing her my identification. “A young woman with auburn hair, probably came in during the day.”

The librarian perked up immediately. “Oh, you mean the one who dripped water all over the carpet? I had to clean up after her.” She clicked her tongue.

“Do you remember what section she was researching in?” I asked.

“Pack lineage archives, mostly. Spent the whole day there. She was the only patron in that section today, actually. Rain kept most everyone away. I haven’t put the items away yet, so they’re probably still sitting on the cart.”

Interesting… She’d said she’d been researching magic. Not Stormhollow lineage.

Thanking the librarian, I made my way over to the archives and found the cart sitting at the end of one of the shelves with a sign on it that read “Place books and documents here when finished; librarians will reshelf.”

I crouched in front of the cart and looked through the put–backs. Birth certificates, death records, family trees… all for the same family names. Eden–Ella’s father’s family. And there was another name there, too, one that I didn’t recognize right away: Grove.

I furrowed my brow and held up the documents on the Grove family. Upon cross–referencing them with the Eden documents, I realized that Grove was Ella’s mother’s maiden name before she married Ella’s father.

“Huh,” I muttered, standing and still staring at the documents. So Stella had been specifically researching Ella’s family lineage.

But… Why? And also, why say she was looking up magic, of all things? It was such a random and odd excuse- the kind of thing no one would lie about.

None of it made any sense. I decided I’d ask Stella about it when I had a chance. If it turned out she was hiding something about her past after all, then I deserved to know.

I headed for the exit, but as I made my way toward the front doors, I nearly collided with a familiar face.

Margaret. Ella’s stepmother.

She looked startled to see me. “Alexander. What are you doing here at this hour?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” I said.

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“I like to visit the library sometimes, on nights when I can’t sleep,” she said, holding up a few books that seemed to be of the sultry romance variety. She offered me a paltry smile and turned to leave, but I stepped in

her way.

“Why didn’t any of you attend Ella’s funeral?” I blurted out.

The question seemed to hit her like a slap. Her face paled, and she took a step back, clutching her books tightly to her chest. “I… we were… it was too difficult…”

“It was difficult for me, too, you know,” I said.

“You don’t understand,” Margaret said quickly. “We were grieving. Sometimes people grieve differently-”

“She was my wife.” A low growl wanted to form in my chest, but I quelled it and lifted my chin. “And your daughter.”

“Stepdaughter,” Margaret corrected.

Goddess, how I wanted to wrap my hands around her neck. Richard’s, too, if he had been here. I wanted to wring them both out and hang them out to dry. Right now, I didn’t even care if Richard had anything to do with my parents‘ death; I only cared about Ella. Hell, even if Ella truly had been a spy all along, I still loved her. And the thought of her grave being disrespected by her family made my blood boil.

“Well, I should get going,” Margaret said, as if my fuming silence was permission for her to leave. “It’s late, after all…”

I didn’t know if I could control myself if I had to look at her for a moment longer, so I let her go.

But, oh, how I wanted to hunt her and Richard down and make them pay for everything.

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