Chapter 76
Francesen point of vie
Quickly camed her all the way to our chamber until I felt the silk of our shared bedding under her bark
The candles flickered wildly in their sconces as I laid her down with trembling hands. Her skin was too pale, her breath too shallow, and that small–that damn smell of old magic still lingered in the air like a curte,
I couldn’t waste a second more
“Monical” roared, slamming the door open so hard it bounced against the wall. One of the guards outside inched. “Get Monica now! The Luna needs herl
The entire estate erupted into motion, Footsteps thundered through the corridors as servants hurned in all directions, and warriors snapped high alert, expressions hardening the moment they realized the missing Luna had been found–injured.
Shock rippled through every corner of the estate.
Irushed back to Ellaine’s side and gently gathered her into my arms once more, cradling her head to my chest as though my heartbeat alone could anchor her. Her skin was clammy, her breathing shallow. I brushed damp strands of hair from her face, whispering her name like a prayer
She moaned weakly, her body twitching against me a fragile leaf caught in a storm
“Come on, amore… stay with me”
Within minutes, Monica burst through the door, her long coat still wet from the rain, her medical satchel in hand.
“What trappened, Alpha?” she gasped, rushing to Ellaine’s side.
“I don’t know!” My voice
voice cracked. “She just… collapsed. One moment she was standing, the next.
Monica was already checking Elaine’s pulse, her eyes narrowing in concern. She touched Ellaine’s temple, felt her throat, then leaned close to listen to her breathing. Her brow furrowed.
“Her heartbeat is weak, and she’s not responding to any physical prompts. Did she eat anything? Was she injured, Alpha?”
“No,” I rasped. “But there was a a vial. On the table in the library/A potion, maybe. Gods, Monica, I don’t know!”
Before Monica could answer, Elaine suddenly jerked
Her whole body spasmed violently.
We both jumped. I gripped her tighter, trying to stop her from hurting herself. Her limbs flailed, her back arching unnaturally. The bed creaked beneath
her.
“She’s seizing!” Monica cried. “She’s burning from the inside out. Something is tearing through her system.”
Panic exploded in my chest. “Help her
The door burst open again.
Audrey
Behind her, a tall, cloaked figure stepped in–one of the oldest wolves in our pack, the only one we trusted with ancient healing and magic. Head Healer
“Excuse me, Alpha” she said, voice sharp, eyes ke lightning. She took one look at Elaine and turned to Audrey “Tell me exactly what happened”
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Chapter 76
Audrey was tire affidesz
nin the library. We thought she was metsing–we couldn’t feel her through the band. Alpha searched the entire perimeter and found nothing. But when he returned to t coffice, he brand comment post dour in the library Heran in and found her these, unconscious, surrounded by spellbooks. Paprs were everywhere!
Lira’s eyes darkened.
“Did she drink something? A potion maybe, Alpha
Her question struck me like a blade.
My mind scrambled back to the glinting vial on the table. To the scentless air. To the shock in Elaine’s eyes before she collapsed
“I don’t know,” I whispered.
Shit, Elaine what did you done?
Lira swore. “Shit We need to act now, if she took anything–any potion we have to flush it out of her stomach before it takes permanent hold. Audrey, pet pure milk. As much as you can. And hot water,”
Audrey was already running.
“Boil cloths. Bring a cleansing basin. We need to neutralize the magic” Monica nodded before run out to prepare it.
Ellaine jerked again, more violently this time. A strangled cry escaped her lips even in her unconscious state
Monica walks back with everything and grabbed my shoulder. “We need to hold her down! Alpha, I need your strength. Lira, we can start the heading chant–now!”
I climbed onto the bed, pinning Ellaine gently but firmly. My hands wrapped around her wrists as her whole frame trembled beneath me. I could feel the heat radiating off her skin–unnatural, fevered. Her veins were glowing faintly with silver.
Magic
Unstable magic
Lira began to chant, her voice low and guttural, speaking in a tongue older than anything I remembered. Runes shimmered around her fingers, Sho pressed one hand to Ellaine’s abdomen and winced
“She’s fighting it. Her wolf is trying to resist whatever she drank. But the human body wasn’t built for this kind of enchantment. If we don’t drain it
She didn’t finish.
Audrey rushed in with two large jugs of milk, her eyes wide with fear. Monica took them instantly, pouring one into a wooden bowl and preparing a long,
thin siphon tube.
“We’re
going to induce vomiting it’s not pretty, but it’s the only way Alpha, hold her steady”
Even as she convulsed, even as she groaned through clenched teeth, I held her.
“I’m here, amore mio.” I whispered, tears pricking my eyes. “I’m right here. Just breathe, amore… just stay”
Monica inserted the tube gently, carefully, murmuring reassurances even though Elaine couldn’t hear them. The milk followed, forced through by a subtle spell from Lira, and moments later Ellaine choked.
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Chapter 76
Her body heaved.
Violent. Ugly. Her lips parted as thick, dark liquid spilled from her mouth into the basin. Not blood. Not food.
But magic
Black and silver and violet.
My stomach burned.
She was trying to hide something. Or find something. Or both,
What the hell did she take?
Ellaine collapsed back against the pillows, her body shivering, drenched in sweat, Monica pressed a damp cloth to her forehead, checking her vitals again. Lira poured salt around the bed in a loose circle and added crushed lavender
“The worst is over,” Lira said quietly. “But she’s not safe yet, Alpha.”
Treached for Elluine’s hand and held it to my lips
“What did you do, little one? What were you trying to protect us from?”
No one answered.
No one could
Liza straightened, her face unreadable but her eyes stormy. “She has magic in her blood. Old magic. Inherited, not taught. Whatever she drank–it wasn’t ordinary. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Audrey gasped softly. “What did she do?”
Lira shook her head, a grim shadow passing over her features. “I’m not sure. The energy around her…it’s fragmented, unstable. It resembles a cloaking spell, but far more complex. Crude in its construction, yet dangerously powerful”
ty ribs.
My heart slammed against my
“Did it work?” asked hoarsely
Lira looked down at Ellaine, still trembling faintly in my arms, her skin damp with sweat, her aura flickering like a dying flame. “Yes, it did. Too well,” she said. “Her body fought back. But if it had lasted even minutes longer it might have unraveled her soul.”
A sharp breath left my lungs.
The cage came first. Hot, blinding. Then the guilt–heavier than anything I’d ever carried.
“No more secrets,” I whispered, my voice low and shaking. “Not between us. Never again.”
Ellaine stirred in my arms, her lips parting as a weak sound escaped. No words, just a breath–a struggle to turn
I bent closer, cradling her as gently
y as I could, brushing her hair away from her face.
“I’m here,” I whispered. “You’re sale now, amore mio. I promise.”
