~Lucas POV~
We slipped inside, the air cool and musty. I flicked on a flashlight, scanning for the hidden crypt the old woman hinted at. Annalyn pointed to a cracked stone slab in the corner. "There. Looks off."
I shoved it aside, revealing a narrow staircase descending into darkness. "Ladies first?" I teased.
"Hard pass." She shoved me forward. "You're the big bad alpha."
I chuckled, leading the way down. The crypt was small, lined with dusty shelves and old carvings. A wooden box sat on a pedestal, and inside was a scroll, brittle and yellowed. I unrolled it carefully, my eyes scanning the faded script.
"'The fourth brother, born of shadow, shall break the trinity or bind it eternal,'" I read aloud. "What the hell?"
Annalyn leaned over my shoulder. "Fourth brother? That's Ezra, right?"
"Has to be." My gut twisted. "This says he's either our salvation or our doom. No wonder Dad exiled him."
She frowned. "But why's my mom tied to this? She wasn't a Del Piero."
