Chapter 57: Chapter 57 Forest Folk
Victoria
"Apparently," I murmured, opening the journal. Unlike her botanical notes, this was a personal diary, filled with elegant handwriting that chronicled her thoughts, feelings, and experiences after meeting my father.
I read aloud from a random entry:
"*Dominic brought me wildflowers today—not store-bought roses or lilies, but meadow blooms he gathered himself at dawn. He understands that the most precious gifts are those that show attention rather than wealth. Mother would be horrified by my werewolf suitor, but for the first time in my life, I feel truly seen.*"
Leo’s hand settled on my shoulder as I continued reading through passages documenting their courtship and early marriage. Then I paused at an entry that made my breath catch:
"*I’ve made my decision. I will tell Dominic the truth about my family, my heritage. I cannot build a life with him on a foundation of half-truths, especially now that I carry his child. He deserves to know who—and what—he’s bound himself to. I pray his love is strong enough to withstand the revelation.*"
"What truth?" I whispered, flipping to the next page, only to find it blank. "Why would she need to hide her heritage? Father knew she was human."
Leo frowned, his eyes narrowing with thought. "Maybe there was more to it."
I continued searching the room with renewed purpose, my eyes drawn to a subtle discoloration on the wall behind a large botanical print. Moving the frame aside revealed a small wall safe with a keyhole that matched the tiny brass key we’d found.
With trembling fingers, I inserted the key and turned it. The safe clicked open to reveal a slim leather portfolio and a small wooden box. I placed both on the desk, opening the portfolio first to find more of my mother’s handwriting—but these weren’t botanical notes. They were letters she’d never sent to her family.
"*Dearest Mother,*" I read from the first page, "*I know you’ve disowned me for marrying outside our kind, but you would love your granddaughter if you met her. Victoria has your eyes and, I suspect, your gifts. Already she can make the seedlings respond to her touch in ways that reveal her heritage...*"
I looked up at Leo in confusion. "Outside our kind? But my maternal grandparents were human. They died before I was born."
"Keep reading," Leo urged, his expression intense.
The next letter revealed more:
"*Father, I understand your anger, but surely the ancient feud between our people and the wolf-kind cannot extend to an innocent child. Victoria represents hope for a new understanding. Her dual nature may one day bridge worlds that have been separated for centuries...*"
My hands were shaking as I opened the wooden box. Inside lay a delicate silver pendant—not werewolf silver that would burn our skin, but something similar yet different. It was shaped like a leaf with intricate engravings that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. At the center was a small green stone that appeared to glow from within.
"I’ve never seen craftsmanship like this," I whispered, carefully lifting the pendant.
Leo’s expression had grown very still, his eyes fixed on the symbol etched into the back of the pendant. "Victoria," he said slowly, "this is sylvan work. The mark of the Forest Folk."
"Forest Folk?" I repeated, not understanding.
"Some call them the Hidden Ones or the Fae Folk," he explained, his voice low as if sharing a secret. "They’re as ancient as werewolves but far more secretive. Most believe they’re just myths now."
I stared at him in disbelief. "Are you saying my mother was... what? Some kind of forest fairies?"
"Yes," Leo corrected, still studying the pendant. "the fairiesare earth-bound nature spirits—guardians of the old forests. They’re known for their affinity with plants, their healing abilities..." He looked up at me, his eyes intense. "And their ability to calm even the most aggressive werewolves."
The implications hit me like a physical blow. "That’s why I could always calm Enzo when he lost control," I whispered. "Why I feel drawn to the gardens, why plants seem to thrive under my care."
"And possibly why your wolf spirit remained dormant for so long," Leo added thoughtfully. "The two natures might have been in conflict until you were mature enough to handle both."
I sank into the desk chair, my mind reeling. "But this means everything I thought about myself, about my heritage..."
"It means you’re even more extraordinary than I thought," Leo said, kneeling before me and taking my hands in his. "Victoria, if this is true—if you really do carry sylvan blood—it explains why our bond is so powerful. Wolves and sylvans have a complex history, but when they do form connections, they’re unbreakable."
"Why wouldn’t my father tell me?" I asked, hurt creeping into my voice.
"Protection, perhaps," Leo suggested. "The fairieshave been hunted nearly to extinction by those who covet their abilities. If Aurora had known..."
He didn’t need to finish the thought. We both knew what Aurora would have done with such information—used it, weaponized it, possibly sold me to the highest bidder.
I looked back at the final letter in the portfolio, my mother’s last words to her estranged family:
"*I’ve hidden the truth from the werewolf world to protect my daughter, but I cannot hide her true nature from herself forever. When she comes of age, the signs will manifest. I pray that by then, the old hatreds will have faded enough for her to find acceptance in both worlds. Until then, I’ve placed protective wards around Howlthorne that will help mask her dual nature. Dominic has promised to guard our secret with his life—and to help Victoria understand her heritage when the time is right.*"
I traced my fingers over her elegant script, feeling a connection to her stronger than any memory. "He never got the chance," I whispered. "And I’ve been walking around half-blind to my own nature."
"But not anymore," Leo said, his eyes gleaming with something like awe. "Victoria, do you realize what this means for us? For our future children?"
I looked up at him, suddenly understanding. "A bloodline with both Alpha werewolf power and sylvan magic."
"Unprecedented," he confirmed, a smile spreading across his face. "And potentially the key to healing centuries of mistrust between our kinds."
I fastened my mother’s pendant around my neck, feeling a strange warmth spread through me as it settled against my skin. "There’s so much I need to learn," I said, determination replacing shock. "If there are others like me out there—if my mother’s family still exists—I need to find them."
"We will," Leo promised, rising to his feet and pulling me up with him. "But first, we have a pack to protect and a brother to rescue. One revelation at a time, Luna."
I nodded, gathering the journal and letters. As we prepared to leave the solarium, I paused to look back at this preserved slice of my mother’s life—this room that had waited so patiently to reveal its secrets.
"Thank you for keeping them safe, Mother," I whispered. "I’ll make you proud."
As we stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind us, I felt different—more complete somehow. The wolf and the hidden sylvan nature within me seemed to pulse in harmony for the first time, two halves of a whole finally acknowledging each other.
*We are stronger together,* Ava’s voice whispered within me.