🌙 Episode 7: Whispers of the Blackthorn Legacy
The following morning, Lila sat at the café across from the Blackthorn Grand, her untouched coffee growing cold.
She'd barely slept after the attack in the service hallway. Ethan had saved her again, but instead of reassurance, his refusal to tell her the truth had left her restless and angry.
She couldn't live in the dark anymore.
If Ethan Blackthorn wouldn't give her answers, she'd find them herself.
Pulling her laptop closer, she typed Blackthorn family history into the search bar.
Most of what came up were glossy magazine articles: billionaires, philanthropy, luxury hotels. Ethan was painted as the elusive heir—charming, ruthless, untouchable. But the deeper she dug, the stranger the information became.
There were whispers. Stories hidden in old forums, obscure blogs, articles buried years deep.
The Blackthorns never age.
Their empire is cursed land.
Disappearances in towns near their estates.
Lila frowned, scrolling faster.
One blog post caught her eye: The Blackthorn Legacy: Fact or Folklore?
Her heart thumped as she clicked.
Locals speak of wolves that roam the Blackthorn woods on moonlit nights. The family has been tied to old legends for centuries, dating back before the hotel empire. While dismissed as folklore, the eerie consistency of these tales raises questions. Some claim the Blackthorns are more than human.
Lila's stomach tightened. Wolves.
Her mind flashed back to the glowing eyes in the alley, to the sound of Ethan's growl—too animal to be human.
No. That was impossible.
She shook her head, shutting the laptop. Maybe she was letting fear twist her imagination.
Still, the unease lingered.
---
That night, Ethan sat in his office, his head buried in his hands.
Marcus entered quietly. "You look like hell."
Ethan didn't move. "She's digging. I can feel it."
Marcus sighed. "You knew she would. You've given her just enough to make her question everything."
"I had no choice," Ethan muttered. "The rogues are circling tighter. If she learns the truth too soon—"
"Too soon for what?" Marcus snapped. "For her to realize she's already tied to you? For her to understand why they want her?"
Ethan's eyes flashed gold. "Don't."
Marcus held up his hands. "I'm just saying—if you don't tell her, someone else will. And the rogues won't be kind about it."
Ethan's chest ached with the truth. He wanted to tell her. To take her hand and say, You're mine. You've always been mine.
But he couldn't. Not yet.
Not until he was certain he could protect her.
---
Two days later, Lila decided to push further.
The Blackthorn Grand had a small archive room tucked away behind the staff offices—she'd seen it once when helping a manager with filing. If there were records about the hotel's history, maybe even the family, they'd be there.
She waited until her shift ended, then slipped down the narrow hall and eased the archive door open.
The room smelled of old paper and dust. Boxes lined the shelves, labeled with dates and names.
Her fingers trembled as she pulled one down.
Inside were old photographs—sepia-toned images of the Blackthorn estate, grand balls, and family portraits. She froze when she saw one photo dated nearly a century ago.
The man in the picture looked exactly like Ethan.
Her breath caught. No—it couldn't be. Maybe it was a great-grandfather. But the resemblance was uncanny. Same eyes. Same jawline. Same air of quiet power.
She shoved the photo back into the box, her heart pounding.
"Find something interesting?"
Lila spun, the box nearly slipping from her hands.
It wasn't Ethan.
It was the tall rogue who'd cornered her in the hallway days ago.
Her blood ran cold. "What are you doing here?"
He smirked, stepping closer. "Asking the wrong question, sweetheart. You should be asking yourself what you're doing here. Poking around in an Alpha's secrets."
She backed toward the door, but he was faster, blocking her escape.
"Curious little human," he sneered. "No wonder he can't resist you. But curiosity has a price."
Before he could touch her, a feral growl split the air.
Ethan.
He hit the rogue so hard the shelves rattled, his fury barely contained. His eyes blazed gold, his canines bared.
"I told you to stay away from her!"
The rogue laughed even as blood trickled from his lip. "Keep denying what she is to you, Alpha. It won't change a thing."
Ethan's grip tightened around his throat. "Touch her again and you'll regret it."
The rogue sneered but finally melted into the shadows, retreating.
The silence afterward was deafening.
Lila pressed a hand to her chest, her pulse racing. "Ethan—"
"Are you insane?" His voice cracked like a whip, his chest heaving. "Do you have any idea what could've happened?"
Tears stung her eyes. "I was just looking for answers!"
"You could've been killed," he snapped, stepping closer, his fury burning hotter than the anger. "You think this is a game? That you can dig into things you don't understand without consequence?"
Her chin trembled, but she refused to back down. "Then make me understand. Stop treating me like a child. I saw the photo, Ethan. He looked just like you—and it was from almost a hundred years ago. Explain that!"
He froze, the words striking deep.
Her eyes searched his face, desperate. "What are you?"
For a long, agonizing moment, he just stared at her, torn between truth and restraint. His wolf howled inside him, begging for release.
Finally, he dragged a shaky hand through his hair. "You're not ready for the truth."
Her heart broke at the answer.
He reached for her, but she pulled away, her voice trembling. "Maybe I'll never be. But I'd rather face the truth than keep living in your lies."
And with that, she shoved past him and fled the archive room, leaving Ethan standing alone, every muscle in his body trembling from the effort it took not to chase her and confess everything.
---
Outside, the rogues watched her leave, their smiles sharp in the dark.
"She's close," one murmured.
"Closer than he wants."
And far above, Ethan knew the fragile balance was breaking.
The bond wouldn't let him keep her in the dark much longer.
---
✨ End of Episode 7