Chapter 8 I needed to get ahead of it , I needed to investigate her death and uncover the truth before she returned , so that if anyone tried to accuse me of having her killed , I would have tangible proof that it hadn't been me . Frankly , I suspected she had staged the entire incident herself . I didn't think she had died at all . Shortly after , Killian left to attend to his Alpha duties , leaving me to my own devices . I quickly finished my breakfast and mind linked Lucas again . " I'm ready , " A moment later : " I'll be right there , Luna , " - Before I knew it , Lucas had arrived . I had made him promise last night - the real reason why I had called him to my room to remain by my side throughout my investigation . If Lucas , the one man Killian trusted the most , insisted that he had been with me all day , then he could testify that I hadn't dug up Natalie's grave , My adoptive family's home was just a short journey from the mansion . It was a quaint cottage by the outskirts of the town , accessible via a well -maintained forest trail . Lucas drove me there and parked out front , and I had him wait while I went inside . The cottage was just the same as I remembered it ; cozy and warm , a far cry from the austere Alpha mansion , and yet somehow even more eerie . I shuddered as I recalled the way Natalie and her mother always verbally abused me here , how alone and frightened I always felt , with only one shining light to keep me going : my love for Killian , Now , of course , that love was gone , replaced by nothing but cold hatred and resentment . Focusing on the task at hand , I slipped into Natalie's old room and began quickly going through her things . My adoptive parents had kept everything the same after her death : the handmade patchwork quilt on the bed , the worn books on the shelves , the little painting area in the corner with a paint - spattered easel and a taboret filled with all the supplies she could ever want . It made me feel bitter to think that I had never developed my own hobbies . First my warrior father died in battle , then my adoptive sister and mother treated me like dirt , then Killian and … the rest of it . Once I got out of here , I hoped to finally learn more about myself and experience new things . I'd always had an interest in pottery . Maybe I would try that . After digging for a while , I found something in Natalie's desk : a scrap of paper that appeared to be part of a letter of some kind . I couldn't make out the words, but there was a crest on it that I didn't recognize . It was a gold circle with three slashes down the middle , like claw marks . I pocketed the scrap , deciding to look into it later . " What are you doing ? " I snapped my head up to see that my adoptive mother , Alice , had appeared out of nowhere without making a sound . She was always good at that slinking around , seeing everything , picking on everything that I did , She always hated me . Always . And with Natalie gone , her hatred only grew , believing I should have died instead . And when Natalie came back to life , Alice had immediately sided with her . " Get out of Natalie's room ! " Alice shouted , jabbing her finger at me , " You shouldn't be in here , you little sneak ! " In my past life , I would have cowered at my adoptive mother's anger . I always wanted to please her even before Natalie's " death " , then after , I felt bad that she had lost her daughter . But not anymore . It wasn't just Killian who I had decided to stand up to in this life . So I lifted my chin and said firmly , " I never did anything to you or anyone in this family , Alice , and I won't stand for you treating me so poorly any longer . "