Chapter 270: The Royal Archives

The black sedan glided to a smooth stop before the grand, imposing steps of the Obsidian Palace, the ancient stone monolith towering high into the overcast sky.

Kieran stepped out of the vehicle, his long coat snapping in the cool mountain breeze, and followed Alexander through the massive arched entrance. As they traversed the polished marble corridors, uniformed palace staff bowed deferentially in their wake.

They hadn’t made it past the main foyer before Maddox, the Beta of the Ravencourt pack, hurried toward them with a leather tablet tucked under his arm.

"Alpha," Maddox greeted warmly, bowing his head before immediately launching into business. "The morning briefing with the territorial lords is scheduled for ten. I have the updated reports on the border patrols—"

Alexander held up a hand, smoothly cutting him off. "Hold the briefing until eleven, Maddox. I have an important matter to handle first."

Maddox paused, nodding respectfully. "Understood, my Lord." His dark eyes then flicked toward Kieran, offering the doctor a polite, warm smile. "Lord Kieran. I wanted to personally thank you for taking such good care of Eloise at the hospital yesterday... and I apologize for her erratic behavior in Killian’s office."

Kieran offered Maddox a refined, practiced smile, his voice smooth and reassuring. "It was nothing, Beta Maddox. She is stable and resting comfortably now."

Maddox let out a warm laugh, tapping Kieran’s shoulder. "I’ll leave you two to your business, then."

Alexander led Kieran toward the private executive elevator bank. Though the Ravencourt family primarily resided at their private estate, the Obsidian Palace served as the official seat of power, containing strict residential quarters and high-security vaults.

Alexander tapped his biometric ring against the glass panel, unlocking the private lift to the Alpha’s wing. The heavy doors slid shut, and a deafening, heavy silence enveloped the elevator as it ascended through the fortress levels. Accessing the Alpha’s wing required top-tier security clearance, a clearance possessed only by a few individuals.

The lift chimed, the doors sliding open to reveal a grand, quiet hallway lined with ancient oil paintings and heavy oak paneling. Alexander led Kieran down the corridor until they arrived before a set of massive, iron-reinforced double doors: the private family archive.

Alexander pushed the heavy doors open, and the distinct, intoxicating scent of aged parchment, leather bindings, and preserved ink filled the air. This was the Ravencourt private library, a repository housing historical records, bloodline genealogies, and ancient scrolls written on preserved animal hides stretching back centuries.

A young woman in her mid-twenties, dressed in sharp, clean attire with her dark hair pulled back into a high ponytail, immediately stepped forward from between the grand bookshelves to greet them. A fresh, pale pink mate mark was clearly visible on the side of her delicate neck, the undeniable mark of a newly wedded werewolf.

"Welcome, Alpha Alexander, Lord Kieran," she chimed politely, bowing low.

Alexander turned to Kieran, introducing her smoothly. "This is Nerissa Lennox, the granddaughter of our retired head archive keeper."

The Lennox family was one of the Ravencourt pack’s oldest and most loyal vassal bloodlines, bound by ancient blood oaths that rendered them physically incapable of leaking a single secret contained within these walls.

"Kieran requires access to the deep research files today," Alexander instructed Nerissa, his commanding voice echoing softly off the high wooden ceiling. "Assist him with whatever he needs. I have court business to attend to."

"It would be my absolute pleasure, Alpha," Nerissa replied warmly, bowing once more.

Alexander turned back to his son, his hand reaching up to unclamp a heavy, dark-blue sapphire amulet from around his neck.

Nerissa’s eyes flickered with subtle shock as she caught sight of the gemstone. To an outsider, the sapphire appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary piece of heirloom jewelry, but in reality, it served as the physical key to the innermost vault, a subterranean chamber so secure that even she had never been granted permission to enter. Only the sitting Alpha held the key.

Kieran’s breath caught for a second, fully recognizing the immense weight of the gesture. He held out his palm, and Alexander dropped the cold sapphire into his hand.

"Are you sure?" Kieran asked carefully.

Alexander gave him a pointed look. "Would I be handing it to you if I weren’t?"

Kieran’s lips twitched. "Fair enough."

"Keep it safe," Alexander instructed, his tone becoming more serious. "I trust you with it, Kieran. I wouldn’t be handing it over if I had any doubts."

His gaze briefly shifted toward the doors. "Kaden, on the other hand, would be a different matter." he clicked his tongue.

Kieran let out a quiet laugh. "Not because he would lose it, I assume?"

"No." Alexander sighed, the faintest hint of amusement appearing on his face. "Kaden would probably return it in perfect condition. I simply wouldn’t trust him not to use it to satisfy his curiosity about something he has no business investigating."

"That sounds about right."

Without another word, Kieran closed his long fingers tightly around the stone, slipping the chain over his neck and tucking the glowing gem safely beneath his crisp shirt.

Satisfied, Alexander turned on his heel and strode out of the archives, the heavy oak doors closing silently behind him.

Once they were alone, Nerissa turned to Kieran, her cheerful tone breaking the quiet stillness. "So, Lord Kieran, how can I be of assistance to you today?" she asked

Kieran didn’t dive straight into his secret investigation. Instead, he observed her posture for a moment before speaking. "You graduated from Draven Hall Medical Academy four years ago, didn’t you, Nerissa?"

Nerissa blinked, looking genuinely stunned before a light laugh escaped her lips. "Goddess, you actually remember me? Yes! We were in the same graduating class, Lord Kieran."

"A top medical student becoming a head librarian?" Kieran commented, a rare, dry smile touching his lips. "That is quite a career shift."

Nerissa chuckled warmly, leading him toward the central research desks. Honestly she couldn’t believe the young Nerissa, back at Draven Hall, Kieran had a single-track mind completely hyper-focused on his neurology textbooks. She was so intimidated by him! She spent four years studying her ass off to get into the medical program just to impress a guy who barely spoke two words to her the entire time they shared a classroom.

She shook her head playfully. "I genuinely loved medicine back then, but when my father, who was supposed to take over as head archive keeper after my grandfather, decided to pursue territorial politics, someone in the Lennox family had to step up. So I took a post-graduate master’s degree in Library Science and historical preservation."

Kieran nodded in understanding. "I noticed your mate mark. Congratulations. You recently married?" she chimed

A deep, rosy blush instantly spread across Nerissa’s cheeks, her hand subconsciously coming up to brush over the fresh mark on her neck. "Ah, yes! I met my fated mate during the Spring Festival a few months ago. He was traveling through the capital with his younger sister for her coming-of-age ceremony."

"That is a very traditional way to meet," Kieran noted gently. "Nostalgic."

"It really was," Nerissa agreed, beaming. She quickly cleared her throat, adjusting her posture. "Anyway! Personal stories aside, how can I help you with your research today, Lord Kieran?"

Kieran’s expression turned serious, his tone dropping. "I need your help identifying someone. I assume you’ve digitized and cataloged the majority of the national records?"