CHAPTER 391: THE FACE BEHIND THE FEAR...

Lyla

Ramsey and I were still curled up together on the bed; our conversation had shifted from Hollow Kin and everything else.

We were talking about our future, our children, what we should do, the policies to implement, and random conversations. Why Ramsey was doing everything in his power to turn me on was also a topic of discussion.

Since I was still recovering, we couldn’t follow through with anything. Just as it seemed we dozed off, an urgent knock on the door woke us up. Before either of us could respond, the door burst open and Elias barged in, looking like he was being chased.

"Alpha Ramsey..." he started saying, but as soon as he saw me, he lowered his head, staring at the ground. "Luna Lyla... I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d be here."

"This better be good, Elias," Ramsey grunted, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "What now?"

"Sorry for the intrusion," he panted, waving his phone frantically at Ramsey. "But you need to see this. Now."

Ramsey rose from the bed and went to where Elias stood, taking the phone from him. I watched his expression grow grim as he viewed whatever video Elias had shown him. After a few minutes, he looked up.

"What is it?" I asked, suddenly alert.

Without saying a word, Ramsey walked over and handed me the phone.

I took the phone. A video was playing. It was a live broadcast one hour ago by an account called @SheWhoKnows.

The video showed a young woman, maybe my age or even younger, with auburn hair, standing at what was clearly a crime scene. Bodies were visible in the background, and her voice was filled with outrage as she spoke directly to the camera.

"This is Dr. Delia Pier, and I’m here at Pine Grove Park, where seven more victims have been found. The authorities keep telling us they’re handling this, but fifty-four people are dead, and seven more died today. Still, no one has any answers."

"This is no longer just a myth," her voice was trembling now. "Werewolves are real, and we need to ask ourselves, who’s next? Because when they come for one, they come for all."

Her caption was worse:

"EXCLUSIVE: Creatures beyond our comprehension are hunting us. Wake up before it’s too late. #WerewolfTruth #BloodInTheStreets #HiddenInPlainSight"

And the comment section was on fire.

I scrolled."That’s real blood, right?""WHERE IS THE GOVT?""I TOLD Y’ALL. THEY LIVE AMONG US.""She’s always right. Protect this woman."

When I finished watching the video and reading the comments that I could, I looked up at both men with a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"We’re in deep shit. Have you seen the comments?"

The comment section was a nightmare of fear, conspiracy theories, and demands for federal intervention. People were sharing stories of strange animal sightings, posting grainy photos they claimed showed "wolf-like creatures," and organising citizen patrol groups.

"I’ve seen more than comments," Elias muttered, rubbing his temples. "The Hollow Kin is losing their minds. I’ve gotten eleven calls in the last ten minutes. They’re demanding I drag you both, especially you, Luna Lyla, back to them. By force if I have to."

Ramsey stood up, his expression darkening. "What exactly are they raving about? As if Lyla coming to see them right now would magically solve this mess. The damage is already done."

Elias threw his hands up. "I’m just the messenger."

"They’ve had months—years—to stop this, and now they want a pregnant woman to clean up their mess?" Ramsey growled. "Brilliant leadership."

"They need your wolf, Luna Lyla and also to confirm for themselves and settle their curiosities," Elias replied. "They’re panicking because this video has already gone viral. It’s being shared across every social media platform, and mainstream news outlets are starting to pick it up."

"So their solution is to drag my pregnant wife across the country during a crisis?" Ramsey’s voice carried the dangerous edge that meant his Lycan was close to the surface. "That’s their brilliant plan?"

"The council leader specifically said—"

"I don’t care what the council leader said," Ramsey interrupted. "Lyla’s not travelling anywhere in her condition, especially not with why they really want her. She’s not a display item or an artefact."

I rolled my eyes. "Look. I get that they’re angry. The human world is blowing up, and we both know this was going to boil over eventually."

"But I’m pregnant," I continued flatly. "And tired. And a little sore from being nearly eaten last night. If they want me so badly, they’ll have to come here. We can arrange a secure meeting, but I’m not travelling eight hours to see anyone."

Elias looked at me like I’d suggested we invite the council to a tea party. "The Hollow Kin leader would never come here. They don’t involve themselves directly in—"

I shrugged casually, repeating what I’d just said. "Then it’s fine by me. I’m pregnant with twins. You saw for yourself how these complications happen. I need to rest. I’m not travelling eight hours to see anyone, regardless of how ancient and important they think they are. If this situation is as critical as they claim, they’ll come here."

Elias looked like he was going to cry. "The Hollow Kin leader wouldn’t leave the council mountain for his coronation."

"Then it’s settled," I shrugged. "Tell them to get a new leader who isn’t as egotistical, rigid, crypt-obsessed dinosaur. Because this crypt keeper isn’t doing it."

Ramsey tried not to laugh but couldn’t hold it in.

"You can tell them I said so," Ramsey said when he recovered from his laugh. "They want cooperation? Then they need to adapt. Otherwise, good luck to them. Report back to them and let me know their response."

Elias sighed in defeat. "I’ll call back and try not to get killed. Either way, don’t expect them to be happy about it."

As Elias left, I leaned back into the pillows. "Elias looks like he hasn’t slept for days."

Ramsey laughed. "The poor guy is under so much stress, and you look like you could use some breakfast."

"Thank you, darling," I grinned at him. "But before you go, can I borrow your phone? I want to look at this woman’s profile more closely."

He handed over his phone without question and began trying to find suitable clothes to wear. I downloaded the Ctok app before navigating to the account belonging to the video’s creator. As I scrolled through her previous posts, my skin crawled with irritation.

There were dozens, maybe hundreds, of posts about werewolf lore, conspiracy theories, and weird diagrams of the lunar cycle. The more I scrolled, the more disturbed I became.

"This woman has been obsessing about werewolves for the longest time," I murmured absentmindedly to Ramsey, while studying her content. "Look at this—posts about ’unexplained animal attacks,’ theories about ’government cover-ups of supernatural creatures,’ even some surprisingly accurate folklore about our kind."

"You think she knows more than she’s letting on?"

"I think she’s not nearly as innocent as she appears in that video." I continued scrolling. "Oh, and there’s already a neighbourhood meeting scheduled for 4 PM today. We should attend."

Ramsey raised an eyebrow. "Why would we want to walk into what’s essentially a mob gathering?"

I shrugged, trying to appear casual while my instincts screamed that this woman was important somehow. "We need to understand the kind of person we’re dealing with and why she’s so confident in her claims. I have a feeling that in the future, we might have to work closely with her whether we want to or not."

Ramsey sighed but nodded. "Fine, but we’re not staying long. And if things get heated, we will leave immediately."

"Agreed."

"I’m going to grab us some food," Ramsey said again, finally settling for a grey joggers and a black shirt, then heading toward the door. "Try not to dive too deep down any internet rabbit holes while I’m gone."

After he left, I zoomed in on one of the woman’s profile pictures. The name below read ’Delia Piers’. As I studied her face more closely, something nagged at me, but I couldn’t quite place what it was.

Then I noticed something that made my blood run cold. There, barely visible on her neck in one of the photos, was a small tattoo. To the ordinary human eye, it would have been invisible, but my enhanced vision allowed me to make out the design.

It was a symbol I’d seen before, but I couldn’t remember where or when.

I put down the phone and walked to the window, opening the curtains wide to let in more natural light. My mind raced as I tried to place where I’d seen that symbol, and more importantly, why this woman’s face seemed so familiar.

There were things I needed to tell Ramsey; important things I’d been avoiding because they brought up memories I’d rather forget. The incident at the warehouse years ago, and more recently, my encounter yesterday when we were attacked at the other house. I didn’t want him to hear about either situation from someone else’s mouth, especially if my growing suspicions about Delia Piers proved correct.

But first, I needed to figure out why her face triggered such a strong sense of recognition.

"Delia Piers," I murmured to myself, staring at her image on the phone screen. "Why do you look so familiar?"