Riley POV
"Daphne has never been what she seems," I said slowly, forcing my voice to stay steady even though my body still hurt badly. "She’s not normal, Caden. She’s a bad person... and she’s into Sapphire."
The mont those words left my mouth, the air in the room changed.
Caden didn’t move at first.
He just stood there, looking at like he was trying to process everything at once, like he wasn’t sure which part of what I said to react to first.
So I continued.
Because I knew if I stopped, I might not have the strength to say it again.
"She’s obsessed," I added quietly. "Not just normal feelings... it’s sothing else. Sothing unhealthy."
Still, he said nothing.
That silence made my chest tighten.
But then he finally spoke."Why did she stab you?" he asked.
His voice was calm. It caught off guard.
For a second, I expected him to deny everything, to defend his sister, to question , but he didn’t.
That alone made pause.
I looked at him carefully."Because of Gunnar," I said slowly.
His brows furrowed slightly."What about him?" he asked.
I swallowed.
"Because Gunnar killed Sapphire," I said. "And I think she was... more than just soone to Daphne."
The words hung heavily in the air.
"I think Sapphire was her lover."
Silence followed imdiately.
The kind of silence that felt loud.
Caden’s jaw tightened slowly, the muscles in his face becoming rigid as he turned away from and started pacing the room.
"You’re saying..." he began, then stopped.
He ran a hand through his hair, clearly struggling to put the words together.
"You’re saying my sister is an enemy?" he asked finally.
The way he said it made it clear he didn’t want to believe it.
But he couldn’t ignore it either.
"I’m saying she’s dangerous," I replied firmly.
He stopped pacing for a second but didn’t turn to look at yet.
I took a breath before continuing.
"I’ve known Daphne before I t you and your brothers," I said.
That made him snap his head toward imdiately.
"What?" he asked sharply.
I nodded slightly.
"She used to co around where I worked, the company," I explained. "Not often, but enough for to notice her. At first, I didn’t think much of it.."
Caden’s eyes narrowed slightly."And then?" he asked.
I swallowed again.
"One day, I was heading ho late," I said. "It was quiet, and that was when I saw her."
The mory ca back clearly.
"She wasn’t alone," I continued. "There was a woman with her."
The room stayed silent as I spoke."And she stabbed her," I said.
The words ca out flat.
"She stabbed her the sa way she stabbed ."
The young girl treating , froze slightly at those words.
"I didn’t understand it at first," I added. "There was no argunt between them... she just did it."
Caden’s expression darkened even more.
"What did you do?" he asked.
"I stayed hidden," I replied honestly. "I did know she saw , and I didn’t want to risk it. But after that, I couldn’t ignore it."
My fingers tightened slightly on the sheets.
"So I looked into it," I continued. "I tried to find out who the woman was."
"And?" Caden asked.
"She was a werewolf," I said. "But that was all I could find. There was nothing else. No reason, no explanation."
"Wait."
The young girl’s voice cut in suddenly.
We both turned to look at her.
She was staring at now, her expression tense.
"By any chance..." she started slowly, her voice uncertain. "What did that woman look like?"
I frowned slightly, trying to rember clearly.
"She had dark hair," I said. "Not very long, just around her shoulders. Her skin was a bit pale, and she had a small scar near her left eyebrow. She looked... calm, even when it happened."
Her face changed instantly. Her eyes widened.
Her hands started trembling slightly.
"No..." she whispered.
My chest tightened."What is it?" I asked.
She shook her head slightly, like she didn’t want to believe it.
"That’s... that’s my mom," she said.
The words dropped heavily.
The room went completely silent.
"She killed my mother," She added, her voice breaking as tears filled her eyes.
I felt a sharp twist in my chest.
Caden’s expression darkened imdiately.
He turned toward her slowly.
"Leslie," he called and that was when I knew her na, his voice more controlled now, but still tense. "Has your mother ever left Obsidian Veil? Has she gone to Crescent Hollow before?"
Leslie hesitated. Then slowly, she nodded.
"Yes," she said quietly. "She ca to visit when I was studying there. She stayed for a while before going back."
Her voice started shaking.
"I don’t understand," she continued. "Why would she... why would Daphne kill her?"
Tears slipped down her face."My mom never hurt anyone..."
The pain in her voice filled the room.
I swallowed hard.
"I don’t know why she chose her," I said honestly. "But I know what I saw. And I know she didn’t hesitate to do it."
Caden looked between both of us, his expression unreadable now.
His fists clenched at his sides.
Everything we were saying was hitting him at once.
His sister.
A killer.
Soone who had been hiding in plain sight.
"The thing is," I said again, drawing his attention back to . "Daphne is not just dangerous, she’s calculative. She knows what she’s doing, and she doesn’t care who gets hurt."
Caden didn’t respond.
But I could see it in his face.
He was listening. Really listening.
"She needs to be watched carefully," I added. "Because if she could do this to people outside, then there’s no telling what she’s been doing inside Obsidian Veil."
Leslie wiped her tears quickly, trying to compose herself, but her hands were still shaking.
"I trusted her," she whispered.
Caden’s jaw tightened again."So did we," he said quietly.
The room fell silent again.
But this ti, it felt heavier.
Because now, everything has changed.
I took a slow breath. There was one more thing.
Sothing that had been sitting at the back of my mind.
Sothing that didn’t feel right. "I don’t think this is all," I said.
Caden’s gaze snapped back to . "What do you an?" he asked.
I hesitated for a second. Then I said it.
"I think she’s working with soone."
His eyes narrowed slightly."Who?" he asked.
My chest tightened.
"I’m not completely sure," I admitted. "I’ve not been aning to say it but—."
Caden stepped closer slightly.
"Riley," he said, his tone serious. "Say it."
I looked straight at him.
And then I said the words that made everything feel even worse.
"I think she’s a spy for Laden."
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