Chapter 66: Wolves in Disguise
"Get the door open," Rhett commanded, his voice edged with urgency.
Lucia didn’t hesitate. Her fingers moved across the aged chapel floor, pressing into symbols carved into the marble, symbols no one else seemed to notice until now. The altar gave a low groan and shifted, revealing a hidden stairway descending into darkness.
Savannah stood behind Rhett, arms crossed tightly, jaw clenched. "Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?"
"Because I might have," he murmured, before descending into the passage.
The steps were steep, lined with damp stone, and the scent of earth and something older wafted up as they moved deeper. Savannah followed silently. The air grew colder, heavier, like every breath cost more.
"Sterling used to come down here," Rhett said without turning around. "I always thought he was praying. Turns out, he was planning."
They reached a wide underground room sealed with rusted chains. Rhett kicked the door open, and the smell of old parchment and mildew rushed out. Candles still flickered on sconces, as if they’d been lit moments ago.
Maps lined the stone walls, maps of territories, bloodlines, names crossed out in red. In the center stood a large wooden table, covered with scrolls, and atop it sat a sealed leather dossier, its edges burned.
Savannah stepped forward, eyes scanning the contents. "What is this?"
"War plans," Rhett said grimly. "Drafted decades ago. Some even older. Look, here."
He unrolled one brittle scroll. Faint ink revealed a family tree, names interwoven across multiple packs, several of them circled with symbols that made Savannah’s stomach tighten.