Vale's POV
The floorboard under my foot cracked with a loud snap.
I froze, listening for any sign that Dante had heard the noise from downstairs. When no footsteps came running, I carefully lifted the broken board and peered into the space beneath.
A metal box was hidden in the gap between the floor joists.
My heart started racing. Dante had brought us to this abandoned hunting lodge after we escaped the red-eyed watchers, claiming it was a safe place his pack used years ago. But he'd been acting strange ever since we arrived, like he was hiding something important.
I pulled out the box and opened it with trembling fingers.
Inside were dozens of photographs, yellowed with age. The first one showed a little girl with dark hair playing in a garden. It took me a moment to realize the child was me, maybe five years old.
But I didn't recognize the garden. Or the woman standing beside me.
