Chapter 159

Summer had just finished her bath. Her fur was still fluffy and half-damp, sticking out in every direction as she toddled across the room. She’d clearly only just learned how to walk properly, after two or three wobbly steps, she lost balance and rolled straight onto her back. She blinked. Froze. Then tried again. Ridiculously clumsy. Unbearably cute. The sight softened what should have been a tense, blood-heavy atmosphere in the living room. For a brief moment, the world felt almost… normal. Luca had already ordered the intruders dragged out. The door shut behind them with a dull thud. Only then did he lower his voice. “The herbal archive wasn’t misplaced,” he said. “It was taken.” The words landed like a blade. Some people didn’t just steal money or data, they went after legacies. Knowledge refined over generations. Things that were never meant to leave the family. This wasn’t theft. It was betrayal. “The Fourth… probably didn’t mean for it to escalate this far,” Luca added, though h