Chapter 31

Sarah's POV

The quiet in my room felt too heavy, too suffocating. The walls seemed to close in with each passing second. I had just returned from dinner with Eren, and although my body was exhausted, my mind refused to calm. A thousand thoughts swirled in my head, too fast to process. I hadn't had a moment alone in what felt like days, and now that I finally had one, I couldn't ignore the gnawing feeling in my gut—the need to know what was really happening.

I couldn't bear the silence any longer. The mansion, the Blackwoods… everything felt like it was closing in around me. The lies, the secrets—they were all pushing me toward something that I didn't understand. But I needed answers. No more evading it. It had to happen now.

I reached for my phone, my hands trembling as I dialed Zeke's number. I hadn't spoken to him since the night of the women's escape. I hadn't had the chance. But now, with a brief window of time between Eren's departure and whatever else would come next, I had to act. I needed the truth.

The line clicked, and my heart skipped a beat when I heard Zeke's voice.

"Sarah?" He sounded surprised but not necessarily worried. "Everything alright?"

I took a deep breath, willing myself to stay calm. "I… I couldn't talk earlier. Eren was right there when you called, and I didn't want to raise suspicion."

Zeke was silent for a moment, probably considering my words, before he responded. "I figured. But Sarah, what I have to say is important. Are you in a safe place?"

"Yes," I whispered, glancing nervously at the door. "I'm alone. I don't have much time."

"Good," Zeke said, his voice low and steady now, filled with an urgency I hadn't heard before. "I've been piecing things together, Sarah. The Blackwoods—they're more than just a family with secrets. They're deep into something far darker than you can imagine."

I sat up straighter, my breath hitching. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm going to tell you everything I've learned, but you need to understand something first," he continued. "The Blackwoods deal with the supernatural, but it's not like you think. They use dark rituals, but it's not for power. It's for something far worse—longevity. Their immortality comes at a cost, and it's a cost that your family was unknowingly tied to."

I felt a cold chill run through me as Zeke's words sank in. My family. My parents.

"What do you mean?" I could barely form the words. My throat had tightened, and my chest ached with fear.

"I'm not sure how they got involved, but I'm beginning to think that your parents were part of the Blackwoods' plans. They weren't just innocent victims, Sarah. Your parents—they were sacrificed."

The phone nearly slipped from my hand, my vision blurring as his words struck me like a blow. Sacrificed? My parents?

"How?" The word came out in a whisper, raw with disbelief. "What do you mean they were sacrificed? How does this all tie together?"

Zeke's voice grew softer, as if he were bracing himself for what he had to say next. "It's all part of a ritual, Sarah. The Blackwoods have been performing it for generations. They use human sacrifices to prolong their lives, to keep their bloodline pure and immortal. But the catch is, they need people who are connected to them—people with the right blood. That's where your family comes in. Your parents were marked, and you—your bloodline—was part of their plan."

I couldn't breathe. The room seemed to close in on me. My parents weren't killed in some tragic accident. No, they were part of something far darker, something that had been woven into my own family's history.

"Why didn't I know?" The words barely left my mouth, hoarse and choked. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"I think it's because your parents didn't know either. But there's more. Sarah, you've been involved with the Blackwoods longer than you realize. You're connected to them in a way that I'm still trying to fully understand. But You're a key part of it."

The weight of his words pressed down on me, crushing me with their intensity. A part of me wanted to scream, to demand more answers, but the room felt too small. My heart raced, my thoughts a jumbled mess of confusion, terror, and disbelief.

"Zeke," I said, my voice shaking. "What happens to me? What do they want from me? Why me?"

"I don't know, but I have a feeling you'll find out soon enough," Zeke replied. "Sarah, there's something else. The two women you helped—they're your aunts."

The words hung in the air, a thunderclap of revelation that struck me hard. My aunts. The women who had been locked away, tortured by the Blackwoods—they were my family.

I closed my eyes, fighting the overwhelming wave of nausea that hit me. They hadn't just been trapped in that chamber. they were tortured.

"They're recovering," Zeke continued. "But they only want to speak to you. No one else. I don't know why, but I think they might have information that could help you."

I felt sick to my stomach, but at the same time, I knew I had to see them. They had to know something—something about my parents, about the Blackwoods.

"Do they know what happened to my parents?" I asked, my voice breaking.

"I think they know more than they're letting on. But they're too terrified to speak fully. You need to see them, Sarah. It's the only way to get the answers you need."

I pressed my hand to my forehead, my thoughts a blur. Everything was falling apart, and I had no idea how to hold it all together. But Zeke was right. I had to see my aunts. I had to face whatever truth they were hiding, whatever secrets they were too afraid to speak.

"Thank you, Zeke," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I need to go. I need to think."

There was a long silence on the line before Zeke spoke again, his voice softer now, almost gentle. "Be careful, Sarah. You're in too deep. Don't trust anyone, not even the ones closest to you in that mansion."

My heart stuttered in my chest. Axel. Could I trust him?

"I will," I said, though I wasn't sure if I meant it. I wasn't sure about anything anymore.

I ended the call and sat in the silence of my room, the weight of Zeke's words pressing on me like an iron fist. The Blackwoods, my parents, the sacrifices, the rituals, my aunts—all of it swirled in my mind like a storm. And through it all, the one thing I knew for sure was that I was caught in the middle of something much darker than I could have ever imagined.

I had to get to the bottom of it. I had to uncover the truth. But as I sat there, staring into the darkness, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was already too late. The Blackwoods had been playing their game for generations—and now, I was a part of it.

And the worst part? I wasn't sure if I could ever escape.