Chapter 4

Aurora's POV

Late at night, after confirming Orion was fast asleep, I slipped quietly out of our room.

The abnormal scent from Evangeline had been eating at me. That synthetic chemical smell was definitely not normal—I had to find out what she was hiding.

The pack archives were on the basement level. No one would be there at this hour. I used my healing ability to sense the surrounding presence, confirming it was safe before pushing the door open.

While searching through Evangeline's files, I discovered shocking discrepancies.

Medical records from five years ago showed she was hospitalized for three months with "severe blood disease." But I clearly remembered she'd only stayed two weeks, and her mental state had been fine—nothing like a seriously ill patient.

Even stranger, the blood test report dates showed obvious signs of tampering.

"These records are wrong..." I analyzed mentally. "She wasn't that sick at all."

Suddenly, I caught that familiar chemical scent. Following it to outside Evangeline's room, I used my healing gift to carefully analyze the pheromones lingering in the air.

The results shocked me.

It definitely wasn't natural mate scent, but artificially synthesized chemicals!

"What are these synthetic pheromones for?"

Just as I was about to investigate further, footsteps echoed behind me.

"Aurora? What are you doing here?"

It was Caspian! My heart rate spiked as I turned to see him looking at me with confusion.

"I..." I hesitated, unsure how to explain.

"What are you investigating?" He stepped closer, his gaze sharp. "I saw you coming out of the archives just now."

Damn, I'd been caught. But it was too late for regrets now.

I took a deep breath and made a risky decision: "Would you believe me? Even if this involves Evangeline?"

Caspian's expression grew serious. "What do you mean?"

"There's something wrong with her." I lowered my voice. "Her pheromones are artificially synthesized, and her medical records show obvious signs of forgery."

I expected him to laugh at me or defend Evangeline. But surprisingly, he was silent for a long time before speaking.

"Are you certain?"

"My healing ability doesn't lie." I looked into his eyes. "Natural werewolf pheromones are completely different from synthetic ones—I can tell the difference."

Caspian frowned, seeming to consider something.

"Actually... I've noticed some strange things too." He hesitated. "These past few days her behavior's been odd—always making secretive phone calls with equipment I've never seen before."

This answer relieved me. At least he wasn't blindly defending Evangeline.

"Whatever the truth is, I want to know." His voice became firm. "For you, for Orion, I need to find out what's really happening in this pack."

Hearing this, warmth flooded through me. This feeling of being trusted and supported was something I hadn't experienced in five years.

"So we work together?" I asked tentatively.

"Together." He nodded without hesitation.

Just then, footsteps echoed from the distance. We immediately went on alert.

"It's Evangeline!" I recognized that familiar gait.

Caspian pulled me around the corner. Through the gap, I saw Evangeline hurrying toward her room, looking unusually tense.

"What is she afraid of?" I whispered.

"Don't know, but we need to get into her room while she's away," Caspian suggested.

I hesitated. This was extremely risky—if we were caught, the consequences would be unthinkable. But there was no turning back now.

"Alright, but we have to be fast."

Ten minutes later, after confirming Evangeline had left, we quietly slipped into her room.

The room was decorated normally, looking no different from other pack members'. But my healing ability told me something non-werewolf was hidden here.

"Over here." I pointed toward the closet. "That chemical scent is strongest there."

Caspian carefully opened the closet and discovered a hidden compartment in the very back.

"These look like..." I examined them closely. "Artificial pheromones."

"Artificial pheromones?"

"Yes, chemical compounds used to mimic natural werewolf scents." My heart began racing. "If she's using these things..."

Suddenly, I heard faint electronic sounds from inside the closet.

"There's something in there." I pointed to the closet.

Hidden in the compartment was a small high-tech device that looked like military communications equipment. The device was still running, its screen displaying encrypted information.

"What is this thing?" I stared in shock at the complex data. "It looks like military communications equipment."

Caspian tried operating the device when suddenly a line flashed across the screen: "Project Lycaon - Phase 3 Complete."

"Project Lycaon..." I felt a chill. "That sounds like a government code name."

We looked at each other, both realizing the gravity of the situation. If this really involved government agencies, it meant the pack might be facing an unprecedented threat.

Just as we were trying to gather more information, footsteps suddenly echoed outside the door.

"Someone's coming!" I said in terror. "We have to go!"

We quickly closed the compartment, restored the room to its original state, then escaped through the window.

Back in a safe location, we were both breathing hard.

"If Evangeline really is connected to the government..." Caspian's face was extremely grim. "What's her real purpose in getting close to me?"

"I don't know, but it's definitely not love." I said coldly. "The question now is, what do we do?"

"We have to tell the pack elders," Caspian said.

"No." I shook my head. "If Evangeline could infiltrate us for so long, there might be others who are also government agents. We don't know who we can trust."

"Then what do we do?"

"We need more evidence." I clenched my fists. "But we also need to protect Orion. If their target is purebred Alpha genes..."

If the government really had their sights on Orion, my son and I would be in extreme danger.

"I won't let anyone hurt my son." I said firmly.

"Our son." Caspian corrected, his eyes flashing with determination. "I won't let you face danger alone again."

Back in my room, I checked the doors and windows, confirming there were no signs of intrusion. But I couldn't shake an inexplicable sense of unease.

Evangeline was unusually quiet tonight, not moving around the hallways as she normally did. Even stranger, those infrared dots that had been watching us had completely disappeared.

This sudden calm made me even more nervous.

Was it the calm before the storm, or had we already fallen into greater danger without knowing it?