Page 57 of Savage Claim

As I brought one of the scrolls closer, faint letters on the paper came into focus. Rules & Regulations. At least there was some kind of titling system to give a hint. I tossed that one back and rummaged through the others until finally locating one labeled Welcome, the words nearly the same color as the yellowed paper.

My hands shook as I broke the seal and unrolled the parchment paper, revealing the symbol stamped across the top with ornate writing below.

Welcome to The Collective Hunt. You have been chosen to join our ranks. It is our mission to cleanse the stain from our bloodlines.

If you’ve received this message and can see this symbol, your blood or that of a direct predecessor has been added to our compendium.

Congratulations on your prestigious status.

What the actual hell…? My blood certainly hadn’t been added to any fucking compendium. Was it part of some spell that allowed only members to view any hidden symbols? The bartender and Coltrane saw the symbols I drew, but Fane didn’t see the one on Barric’s painting nor did Ruin and Logan see the one in the book.

As I reread the words, my fingers went numb, and the color drained from my face. I didn’t add my blood to any collection, but it also said a direct predecessor… as in parents.

My parents.

I fell on my ass, scattering the scrolls across the floor. Ghostly fingertips raked up and down my spine as the small space tilted. My parents must have been part of The Collective. And when they had me, a human child, they used magic to hide me for fear I’d be slaughtered.

Fane was right. It wasn’t just the distant threat of these assholes. My parents were in it, and they wouldn’t have been able to keep me a secret if I’d stayed with them. So they hid me, tossed me out in the world to keep me safe.

And that meant that they loved me despite me being human.

My heart clenched at the realization of having a family who cared enough to protect me. Would they be happy if I found them? Were they still part of this Collective bullshit, or had they wised up and stopped being prejudiced dicks?

A creak echoed, and a heavy presence suddenly engulfed the room.

Someone was coming.

Tremors shook my hands as I scrambled to grab the scrolls and cram them back into the book. As I shoved it back onto the shelf, alpha power descended over my back, and I nearly puked.

“What are you doing, Tate?”

I shot to my feet and spun, ignoring the flare of pain in my torso as Barric loomed over me. “Oh, uh, nothing.” My voice cracked, so I cleared my throat, ramming my shaky hands into the hoodie pockets. “I couldn’t sleep, so I was just wandering around in here.”

Could he see or smell the sweat collecting on my forehead?

“I see.” Barric’s brow furrowed as his gaze flickered between me and the bookshelf. He wore a green t-shirt and gray sweatpants, his russet hair ruffled from sleep. “Did you find anything interesting in the archives? Besides learning that human offspring born from shifters often expire?”

Interesting? Like realizing my parents were in this secret society of douchebags, and he most likely was too. What other reason would that symbol be secretly marked on his painting and his desk? Why would he keep these unopened scrolls in his archives? He was the freaking head alpha. Nothing went on in his pack without his knowledge.

“Not really,” I lied. Something touched my heel, and seconds later, one of the scrolls I’d left out rolled across the floor, bouncing on Barric’s bare foot.

Son. Of. A. Bitch.

Chapter

Twenty-One

Barric slowly bent over and plucked the scroll from the ground, examining the sealed wax. “Where’d this come from?”

I shrugged even as my heart slammed against my ribs in a frantic staccato he could definitely hear. “No idea.”

His expression remained blank while he analyzed the scroll. “The wax is unbroken.”

“Well, I should probably get back to bed.” I rested my hand over my healing stab wound. “I don’t want to reverse any progress in my healing.”

Barric blocked my path and lifted the scroll toward me. “Have you ever seen this before?”

Sweat ran down my nape as he pointed to the wax seal. Was this one of their hidden ones I shouldn’t be able to see?

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