Chapter: The Last Thread
Rosa's POV
The moment my eyes adjusted to the dim light, my heart skipped.
There he stood — slightly older, a bit leaner than I remembered, but the face… the face I could never forget.
"Leo?" I whispered, stunned.
His expression morphed from shock to disbelief, then a slow smile touched his lips. "Oh Moon Goddess… Princess Rosa!" he gasped.
"Leo!" I cried again, louder this time, with tears already threatening to fall. It felt like something inside me — something frozen for so long — began to thaw.
He rushed forward without hesitation, ignoring the stares of the rogues still present. "Untie her," he barked at them with authority. "Do it now!"
The rogues exchanged wary glances, clearly recognizing the shift in power. After a second of hesitation, one stepped forward and loosened the thick ropes from my wrists, while another gently removed the cloth gagging my mouth. My hands trembled as I rubbed at the raw skin around my wrists.
As soon as I was free, Leo stepped closer, his voice cracking slightly. "I thought you were dead. We all did. When I saw your face just now… I couldn't believe my eyes."
I stared at him, still trying to process everything. My vision blurred from the tears I could no longer hold back. "You… You survived?" I asked, voice shaking.
Leo nodded. "I was sent on a mission to the Western Market two days before the coup. When I returned… it was ashes. Bodies everywhere. I couldn't even enter fully. The borders were surrounded, and I barely made it out alive. I thought the Royal bloodline had ended with that massacre."
"I thought so too," I whispered, my hand going to my chest, where the pendant used to sit before I lost it in the woods. "I've been hiding. Surviving. And now… I don't even know what to believe."
Leo's face darkened. "Your Majesty, what happened to our pack was no random coup. It was calculated. It was erasure. Every trace of the Red Blossom Pack — its people, its history — gone. Hidden like we never existed."
I felt cold all over again. "Do you know who did it?" I asked.
He sighed, pain flickering in his eyes. "No. That's the worst part. Even I — a trusted Guard — couldn't find answers. Every lead is dead. Every witness disappeared. And if anyone out there knows the truth, they've buried it too deep to be reached."
The rogues moved further away, giving us some space. For now, Leo seemed to have full control over what happened next.
"Then how do we find out?" I asked, frustration bleeding into my voice. "There must be something. Someone. I can't just sit back and let everything be forgotten."
"There is one place," Leo said cautiously.
My eyes shot up to meet his. "Where?"
He lowered his voice and glanced around before continuing. "Silver Moon Pack."
My heart froze.
Silver Moon.
Of all places…
I shook my head. "But they… they were our enemies, Leo."
"I know. And that's why it makes sense," he said firmly. "The only way information about Red Blossom could vanish so completely is if someone powerful made it happen. Silver Moon Pack has that power. And motive."
A beat of silence passed between us.
"But going there?" I whispered. "It's suicide. If they find out I'm alive—"
Leo placed a hand gently on my shoulder. "That's why we have to plan carefully. We need disguises. Time. And the right reason. We can't let them know who you are until we're sure what we're walking into."
I bit my lip, heart pounding.
Silver Moon.
The very name had haunted me since I was a child. The rival Pack we were told to never trust. And now… it might be the only way to learn the truth.
I didn't realize how tightly I was gripping Leo's arm until he smiled softly. "We'll do it together. I promised your father I would protect you. And now that I've found you, I'm not leaving your side."
I swallowed hard and nodded. "Alright. But first… we need to get out of here."
Leo's eyes narrowed. "Leave that to me."
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End of Chapter