since that night, Francesco had insisted on
on being present every time lopenol Anadasia cary
It wasn’t just worry
It was instinct, deep and pilimal–the Alpha in him pelused to let his
stake even the smallest i
At first, I thought he was jud being overbessing. But when I remembered how he had found me coming, unconscious, nearly lost–couldn’t bring myself to argue, I made him a promise: no mote secrets. No more reckless magic without telling him first, Still, that didn’t seem to ease his nerves.
“Because I’ve risen inside your body,” Mika’s voice whispered from within „ firm and steady, “Freject every toxicity that dares to enter it
Her words echoed through me even now, days later. They had stuken me to my core, enough that I repeated them to Francesco that came right. His þand had tightened slightly around usine when I did. His jaw clenchind, bet he didn’t speak He didn’t need to
It had become clear Mika my wolf, my soul’s quandian – was unlike any other. She carried a purity that made drdinary magic tremble. Even spalls i to protect or hide became poison ander her scrutiny. She would not corruption to coexist within me
That was why I reacted sa violently to the cloaking potion.
That was why every step into Anastasia’s spellwork would be a war between the magic of the past and the sacred force that now lived inside me.
Ablesung? A curse?
I wasn’t sure,
“I don’t know w
know what this is anymore,” I muttered ane morning, curled up on the couch in the library.
The sun fittered in gently through the high glass windows. Dust motes danced in the air, and the scent of aged books wrapped around me like a familiar shawl. I brushed my fingers over the diary’s soft leather cover, tracing the etched ‘W like it held answers I hadn’t yet earned.
*Life is strange like that,” murmured to no one in particular, as often did in moments like this. The library was my sanctuary, but also a place where thoughts ran too wild if left unchecked.
That was when the heavy door creaked open, and Francesco’s voice cut through the stillness like a blade. His tone was sharp, clipped with irritation
Then come see her yourself,” he snapped into the phone, stepping in just as he ended the call
Audrey, ever the silent sentinel beside me, stood as soon as she spotted him. Her movements were crisp, respectful. She offered a quick bow, then slipped out without a word. She knew when to vanish–when his gaze locked onto me like I was the only thing in the world he could bear to look at
“You look angry,” I said softly, hiding my amusement behind the diary.
His brow furrowed deeper, lips tight. He didn’t deny it
Treached out, tugging him by the wrist until he sat beside me. He came willingly, dropping into the cushions with a heavy sigh. Another followed, deeper,
darker.
“Stupid Council,” he muttered. “And the Alphas. They keep obsessing over your powers, treating you like a loaded weapon instead. His voice trailed
off.
Instead of what?
Instead of his? I can’t stop the smile forming on my face.
“They’re worried about the wrong things he continued. “Rogues, Ellaine. They’re spreading like plague, multiplying in the shadows. But the Council’s
too blind to see it. Too stuck in tradition.”
1/3
Chapter 79
I didn’t respond right away I simply leaned in and kissed his check Just a soft peck, Gentle, deliberate
Ho inhaled. The tension in his shoulders eased, just slightly.
As always, it worked.
His arm lid around me, drawing me close. My head found its place over his heart–steady, warm, strong, A rhythm I’d come to rely on.
“Did you find anything in the book today?” he asked after a while, his voice softer now
I nodded. Slowly. Carefully, I opened the diary in my lap.
Even now, it amazed me how it responded only to me
The faint Lavender scent clung to the pages, mingling with something older an echo of magic, perhaps.
As my palm pressed to the middle page, the parchment shimmered with pale light, and hidden words unraveled across what had moments ago been blank
Francesco tensed as the title appeared
Soul Holden Aspell to grant a second chance at life.
“What. His voice was tight, hesitant, laced with dread. “What is this?”
I didn’t speak. Not yet. We kept reading
2 February
He showed me his wounds, spoke of revenge, told me lies,
I believed him. He said he needed a second chance
Theld his soul so he wouldn’t die.
But the truth always finds its way to the surface.
The Lycan wasn’t the enemy.
The Alpha Lycart who loved me was an extraordinary mun
But when you separate a soul from its rightful place, you invite madness. We must be careful.
Francesco went still beside m
“is this…” he began.
“Looks like it’s Luca,” I whispered. The name tasted bitter on my tongue.
He turned away and exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “I did kill him, Ellaine. I know I did that time. But he’s back… So, this is why Anastasia brought him back.”
The silence that followed wasn’t empty. It was full of unspoken truths. Full of realization.
Luca hadn’t just escaped death. He’d cheated it.
He stared at the glowing page as if he could will it to change, to give us better news. But we both knew what this meant
Luca wasn’t just a rogue. He was a soul brought back from death. And worse, he had Anastasia’s trust once. Whatever spellwork the used, he had access to it. He had learned from it, maybe even perfected it.
“That’s why he moves the way he does,” I whispered “Unseen. Unfelt. Always noe step ahead”
Francesco’s hand gripped the back of his neck. “Because he’s using a version of this spell. Cloaked by magic older than anything the Council understands”
“Exactly,” I said. “And she wrote about it. She documented everything. Every spell, every dream, every failure.
“Even Luca,” Francesco added grimly.
I nodded slowly. “She trusted him but he turned on her.”
Francesco stood abruptly, pacing the edge of the room, its clenched. I watched the fury build in his expression, the subtle sign of his woll pushing at the seams of his control.
“So, this time…” he muttered, voce low, dangerous. “Do you think he has this information too! About Anastasia power or what she knows?”
I stood and reached for his arm. “I don’t know,” I said gently.
He stopped. Turned Looked at me
His eyes softened. “But if its hidden here, could it be she wants to hide something from him?” he said, his voice raw
Thad no answer for that, because everything is like a puzzle for me too and we could only learn one by one every day
We didn’t speak much for the rest of the day.
Instead, we sat together on the couch, his arms around me as I tipped through more pages. Nothing else appeared. No more secrets unveiled themselves. It was as if the diary knew we had learned enough for now.
Francesco kissed my temple every so often, as if reminding himself I was als here, still breathing
I nestled into his warmth, grateful beyond words that in the middle of everything–magic, war, councils, and ancient spells-I had found someone who would fight with me, not against me.
Someone who had once lost everyth
And was willing to lose it all again to protect me.
Whatever came next, we would face it together.
