Chapter 116
Go to Francesco Point of view:
The moment Edith fainted, something inside me snapped. My instincts overruled everything else. I moved before anyone could speak, catching her in my arms before she hit the ground. I could feel the tremble in her body, the remnants of the magic that pulsed from her palms still clinging to her skin.
Darius stepped forward, silent and steady, guiding me through the narrow stone corridor of their modest home to the room she had been using. My steps were heavy, emotions weighing me down–relief, rage, confusion, hope–all tangled within me.
“This always happens when her memories try to come back,” Renna whispered behind me.
I turned to her sharply. “This has happened before?”
She nodded gravely. “Every time her memories surface, she collapses and wakes up without remembering anything.”
I clenched my jaw. So it was true. The poison that had nearly killed her… it was still inside her, waging war on her soul, on her memories, her truth.
Laying her gently onto the bed, I pulled the blanket up around her shoulders, brushing a silver strand of hair away from her damp face. Her breath was steady now, but the echo of magic was still lingering in the room. I could feel it. My Lycan could feel it too, growling with protective fury inside me.
When I turned back to face the two who called themselves Mara and Elias, my gaze hardened.
“Now, would you two like to explain why you’re here–and more importantly–why you hid my Ellaine from me?”
They exchanged a long glance. Darius sighed heavily before stepping forward.
“We understand you must be furious, my King. Please know it was never our intention to hide her from you.”
My fists clenched at my sides. “Then explain quickly. My Lycan is not known for patience.”
Renna spoke first. “It was the former High Councilor, Marsen. He aligned with the rogue Alpha, Luca, and staged a massacre. No council survived their ambush except us.”
Marsen… I should’ve know.
“They sedated us,” Darius added, bitterness coating his voice. “Renna woke first and managed to free me. We escaped the council chambers in chaos. And that’s when we saw her.”
Renna nodded slowly. “She was barely conscious, wounded, and looked nothing like the woman you once loved. Her hair was silver, not the dark mahogany we remembered. We thought… she couldn’t be her.”
My heart panged at the thought–my Ellaine, left alone and broken. Changed by pain.
“Her memory was shattered,” Darius said. “She didn’t even know her name. But something about her… we couldn’t leave her.”
“So we took her with us,” Renna whispered. “We fled far, to the riverlands. Changed our names. Became Mara and Elias. We hoped, one day, when she was ready, she would find her way back to you.”
“We thought maybe the Kingdom’s scholars or medics could help her. But we… we were too weak, my King. The poison destroyed our wolves. We couldn’t shift, couldn’t contact you. Couldn’t fight.”
She dropped to her knees then, her voice breaking. “We’re sorry, Alpha. For hiding her, for not recognizing her sooner.”
I stared at them in silence, trying to process it all.
My Ellaine had been here all this time–alone, lost, among those who meant well but could not fix what was broken. My Lycan growled low in my chest, a mixture of fury and sorrow.
I looked at Edith–Ellaine—still lying motionless on the bed. Her face peaceful despite everything. So many years I believed hat died, how her And still, the danger hadn’t ended.
“Luca’s dead,” I said aloud, to no one in particular. “But the poison he used is not.”
Darius looked up. “It’s embedded deep. It fights against every fragment of truth she tries to reclaim.”
I inhaled slowly, forcing calm into my voice. “At least I’ve found her now. You did what you could, I thank you for that.”
They both looked stunned. Perhaps they expected wrath. But all I could feel was aching relief and burning determination.
A knock broke the silence.
“My King.”
Marlow entered with Audrey, Monica, and Lira at his heels. My most trusted people. The ones I had ordered to stay close.
They moved immediately to Ellaine’s side. Monica knelt beside the bed, checking her pulse and temperature while Lira examined her aura, magic flowing gently from her fingertips. Audrey moved to the window, scanning outside, ever alert.
Marlow approached me. “We’ve doubled security around the city. Scouts are stationed at all points.”
I nodded. “Good. Keep it that way. We’re staying until I understand everything.”
The girls whispered among themselves about her vitals and magic levels. Lira looked up. “Her condition is stable. But there’s a residue–dark magic.
Faint, but consistent.”
- up. m
Carlow. “I need every scholar, every healer back at the kingdom ready when we return.”
I turned to
He gave a sharp nod. “Consider it done.”
“What about the rogue remnants?” I asked.
Marlow’s expression turned grim. “Some escaped the northern border after Luca’s fall. We suspect they may be seeking the girl”
My fists clenched. Of course they were. They knew the power she held. The magic they tried to suppress.
I stepped out into the hallway with Marlow and the old council. The scent of wood and herbs surrounded us.
“You said her memories return occasionally?”
Renna nodded. “Always in dreams. Fragments, feelings, visions. But something is blocking her fully waking to the truth.”
“Can it be broken?”
“Maybe,” Darius said carefully. “But at great risk. If we force it too fast, her body might not survive the backlash.”
“And if we do nothing, she may never remember who she truly is,” I whispered.
Silence.
I stared down at my hands.
How long had I longed to hold her again?
And now, I was holding a woman who both was–and wasn’t–my mate.
My Ellaine was in there. I knew it with everything in me. But the war inside her hadn’t ended. And I would not lose her again.
“Prepare the horses. We’re heading back to the kingdom as soon as she’s strong enough.”
“And if she refuses to leave?” Marlow asked.
I turned back toward the room.
“Then I’ll remind her who she is. Who we are. Even if I have to do it one memory at a time.”
Later that night, I stood beside her bed once more.
The others had retired. The air was still, the room lit only by candlelight. I watched her sleep, peaceful but occasionally twitching, murmuring in a language I hadn’t heard in centuries.
“Ellaine,” I whispered, brushing her cheek. “Mio amore… I’m here now. No more running. No more hiding.”
Her hand twitched.
And then, softly, her lips moved.
“Francesco…”
My heart thundered.
Maybe… just maybe… she was starting to remember.
And I would be here. Always.
To protect her.
To bring her back.
To love her again.
