Chapter 371\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third Person\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara rushed to grab a maid, her voice rising with panic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s Riley?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
PNP NE F\u00a0<\/p>\n
The maid shook her head nervously. \u201cWe haven\u2019t seen Miss Riley since this morning, Luna.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara staggered back, her strength leaving her in a wave of dread. She leaned against the wall, her breathing shallow. Just then, Kael Vale stepped out of his room and immediately noticed her disheveled state.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d he asked, concerned. \u201cAre you okay? What happened?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara looked up at him, her eyes red. Her lips trembled. \u201cShe\u2019s gone. Riley\u2019s gone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean gone?\u201d Kael\u2019s voice tightened. \u201cWe only sent her out to cool off-she should\u2019ve been back last night!!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara sank to the ground, tears pouring down her face. \u201cIt\u2019s my fault. I\u2026 I injected her with the suppressant. She was losing control again. But I didn\u2019t mean to hurt her. Gods-what if she-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael suddenly remembered Mia\u2019s call the night before. He pulled out his phone and tried calling. Blocked. He handed it to Zara with a frown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTry calling Mia.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her hands trembled as she dialed. Blocked as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael exhaled sharply. \u201cLet\u2019s check the surveillance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
They hurried to the security room. As the footage played out, the horror on their faces deepened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was Riley, barely conscious, her body streaked with blood, stumbling into the rain. Behind her was old Mia, no umbrella, carrying the girl on her back through the storm like she weighed nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara let out a broken sob, covering her mouth. \u201cRiley\u2026 my child\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael\u2019s fists clenched as he stared at the screen. \u201cShe must\u2019ve taken her to Moonhaven Hospital. Let\u2019s go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moonhaven Hospital\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael drove like a madman through the thunderous rain. The windshield wipers squealed with effort but barely made a difference.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara sat in the passenger seat, hands wrung tight in her lap. Her lips moved in a breathless prayer. \u201cLet her be okay\u2026 please, let her be okay\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley stirred in the hospital bed, her eyelids fluttering open. Her head throbbed, but it was nothing compared to the agony deep in her chest. She stared at the ceiling, memories flashing in cruel clarity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:28 Wed, Dec 31\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 371\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara\u2019s cold expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sharp prick of the suppressant syringe driving into her neck.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett\u2019s face, pale and untouched, as Riley\u2019s own claws came out, moments from raking across her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And then-the silence. The accusations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe almost shredded her own sister!\u201d someone had shouted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s a white wolf-she should\u2019ve told us from the beginning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know the rules,\u201d Kael had snapped. \u201cNo claws against kin. Not in Ebonclaw.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
3172\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Scarlett? She didn\u2019t even shift. She stood there, didn\u2019t retaliate. That\u2019s what true restraint looks like,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara had added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They had praised Scarlett like she was the shining star of the Pack. Noble. Selfless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But none of them seemed to care-or notice-that Scarlett hadn\u2019t shifted because she couldn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her scent was wrong. Just slightly off. Riley could sense it now that her senses were sharper-now that the suppressant was fading from her bloodstream.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett had a wolf\u2019s scent, yes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But no wolf inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley had sensed that emptiness only once before-on the day she was handed to Zara by the cloaked woman with black eyes and a voice that dripped with spells.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A witch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett\u2019s \u201cwolf\u201d was fabricated. An illusion. A calculated lie.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And if Riley\u2019s instincts were right\u2026 that witch hadn\u2019t just been giving Zara a child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019d been planting a weapon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as Riley wiped away the tears stinging her vision, the hospital door creaked open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She expected Mia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But in walked Zara, followed by Kael. Both pale. Both visibly shaken,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara gasped when she saw her awake. \u201cRiley-you scared me half to death!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would you sneak off like that? It was storming. You could\u2019ve died out there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stepped forward to hug her, but Riley sat up and pushed her back without hesitation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:28 Wed,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 371\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael flinched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley\u2019s eyes were flat. Cold. There was no hatred, no rage. Just\u2026 nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
That nothingness sent a jolt of panic through Zara. \u201cPlease,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI know I went too far. But I was trying to protect Scarlett. She\u2019s your sister-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
N2 FS Y NE P\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s not my sister,\u201d Riley said, voice low, firm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara\u2019s face crumbled. \u201cYou were about to hurt her. You transformed in front of family. That\u2019s not who we raised you to be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou raised me to be silent,\u201d Riley muttered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael stepped in, voice sharp with authority. \u201cThe laws are clear. No claws against family. And you\u2019re a white wolf, Riley. You have responsibilities. Power comes with restraint.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He motioned toward Zara. \u201cShe didn\u2019t sleep all night. We searched all of Stormridge for you. We were terrified.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Riley just turned away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael\u2019s voice hardened. \u201cWhat do you want from us, Riley?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat will make you satisfied?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only the sound of rain tapping the hospital window answered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But deep down-Kael already knew.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And it terrified him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because nothing terrified a Pack more than a white wolf with nothing left to lose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
798\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Midnight Letters by Daniel Crowe 371 Chapter 371\u00a0 Third Person\u2019s POV\u00a0 Zara rushed to grab a maid, her voice rising […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pack-princess"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20645\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}