CHAPTER 238: CHAPTER 238 MATE BOND

Freya’s POV

Morning light filtered through our bedroom curtains, casting a warm glow across Silvano’s sleeping face. I traced the strong line of his jaw with my fingertip, still marveling at how much had changed in such a short time. The weight that had pressed on both our hearts for months was finally lifted—the cursed bond restored to its rightful strength.

Selene stretched contentedly within me. *He’s ours again. Truly ours.*

I smiled at her satisfaction. After months of her confused whining and desperate attempts to reconnect with Silvano’s wolf, she was finally at peace.

"You’re staring," Silvano murmured without opening his eyes, his voice deliciously rough with sleep.

"Just making sure this is real," I admitted, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "That you’re really here with me."

His eyes opened then, obsidian depths softening as they met mine. "I’m never leaving you again, Luna." He pulled me closer, his large hand spanning my waist. "No more secrets between us. No more noble sacrifices."

"Promise?" I asked, hating how vulnerable I sounded.

Instead of answering with words, he pressed his forehead against mine, opening his mind completely. I gasped as his emotions flooded me—fierce love, profound relief, and unwavering commitment, all wrapped in a protective devotion that nearly brought tears to my eyes.

"I can feel you again," I whispered, blinking back the moisture threatening to spill. "All of you."

His thumb gently wiped away a tear that escaped. "And I you. Every beautiful, stubborn, brilliant part."

The door to our bedroom burst open before I could respond, our five-year-old daughter launching herself onto our bed with supernatural speed and accuracy.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Isabella squealed, wedging herself between us. "You fixed it! You fixed your special string!"

"What special string, princess?" Silvano asked cautiously, tucking a strand of Isabella’s dark hair behind her ear.

"The gold one," she said matter-of-factly, tracing an invisible line between Silvano’s chest and mine. "It was all frayed and broken before, but now it’s bright and strong again. I can see it!"

I felt Silvano’s shock mirror my own. Victoria had mentioned Isabella might have inherited more than just her grandmother’s eyes—the legacy of fairy blood often manifested in unpredictable ways. But seeing the mate bond? That was unprecedented.

"You can see our bond?" I asked quietly.

Isabella nodded, her dark eyes unusually bright. "I started seeing it recently. And in my dreams, there’s a black shadow."

My chest tightened. "What kind of shadow?"

"A woman with long red curly hair in a black robe. She has black flames on her hands." Isabella’s voice grew smaller with each word.

I pulled her closer, feeling her tiny body trembling. "No one will hurt you, sweetheart. Daddy and I won’t let them."

Silvano stepped forward, his face grim but his voice gentle when he addressed Isabella. "You’re safe with us, little wolf. Always."

Isabella looked between us, then buried her face against my shoulder. The description she’d given was too vivid, too specific to be just a nightmare. Her elfblood was awakening faster than we’d expected, and with it came visions we weren’t prepared for.

I met Silvano’s eyes over our daughter’s head. The witch Aurora had been working with now had a face—red hair, black flame magic. Someone none of us had encountered directly, yet she was already reaching into Isabella’s dreams.

The enemy was closer than we’d realized.

Her mercurial mood shifting as only a child’s could. "Can we have pancakes? With blueberries?"

"Of course we can," I said. I met Silvano’s gaze over our daughter’s head, seeing my own concern reflected there. "Why don’t you go wash your hands while Daddy and I get dressed?"

Once Isabella had skipped from the room, Silvano pulled me into his arms. "We’ll find Morgana," he promised, his voice low and fierce. "She won’t get near either of you."

"Isabella’s abilities..." I began.

"Are stronger than we realized," he finished. "Mother suspected, but this confirms it. She needs training, protection."

I nodded against his chest. "One crisis at a time. First pancakes, then we call an emergency council meeting."

---

The kitchen filled with laughter as Isabella "helped" make pancake batter, which mostly involved getting more flour on herself than in the bowl. Silvano stood behind me, arms wrapped around my waist as I flipped blueberry pancakes on the griddle, occasionally pressing kisses to my neck that made concentration difficult.

"Daddy, stop distracting Mommy," Isabella scolded, sounding so much like me that Silvano chuckled against my skin.

"Yes, Alpha Isabella," he replied solemnly, earning an eye roll from our precocious daughter.

"I’m not Alpha yet," she informed him seriously. "But someday."

I exchanged an amused look with Silvano.

Our peaceful domestic scene was interrupted by the insistent buzz of Silvano’s phone. His body tensed against mine as he checked the caller ID.

"It’s Xander," he said, stepping away to answer. Though I could only hear one side of the conversation, Silvano’s increasingly grim expression told me everything I needed to know. After a terse "We’ll be ready," he hung up.

"What is it?" I asked, turning off the stove.

"They found signs of magical activity near the eastern border," he replied quietly. "Fresh tracks, ritual markings. Xander’s scouts traced them to an abandoned cabin just beyond our territory."

"Morgana."

He nodded. "The timing’s too perfect to be coincidence. She must have sensed when her curse broke."

Isabella looked between us, her little face solemn. "The bad witch is coming back, isn’t she?"

I knelt before her, taking her small hands in mine. "Yes, sweetheart. But you don’t need to worry. Daddy and I—"

"Will protect me," she finished, her expression surprisingly mature. "I know. But who will protect you?"

The question caught me off guard. Before I could formulate a response, Silvano joined us, crouching to Isabella’s level.

"We protect each other," he told her gently. "That’s what pack does. What family does."

Isabella considered this, then nodded decisively. "Then I’ll help too."

"You need to stay far away from danger," I said firmly, shooting Silvano a look that brooked no argument. "You’ll stay with Emma while we handle this."

To my surprise, Isabella didn’t protest. Instead, she climbed into my lap, wrapping her small arms around my neck. "Be careful, Mommy," she whispered. "The fire lady wants to hurt you most of all."

A chill ran through me at her words. Before I could question her further, my own phone chimed with an alert from my security system—the Artemis network I’d designed specifically to detect supernatural anomalies around our territory.

The warning was clear: unusual energy signatures detected at multiple points along our borders. Not just one witch making a statement—this was a coordinated approach.

"Silvano," I said, my voice steady despite the fear creeping up my spine. "Check the security feeds. Now."

He moved to the tablet mounted on our kitchen wall, pulling up the surveillance network. The screens filled with images from cameras positioned throughout our territory—and what I saw made my blood run cold.

Shadowy figures moved through the trees, their forms blurred as if reality itself rejected them. At the head of each group stood women with fiery red hair—identical to each other and to the witch who had cursed my mate.

"Goddesses," Silvano breathed. "How many are there?"

"They’re not all real," Isabella said quietly, her eyes fixed on the screens. "Only one is the true witch. The others are like... reflections."

"Illusions," I realized. "She’s trying to confuse us, split our forces."

Silvano was already dialing his Beta. "Full lockdown. Alert all warriors, triple the guard around the pack house. And get my mother—we need her fairy sight." He paused, listening. "Yes, all of them. Even the reserves."

I activated the Artemis protocol on my phone, sending automatic alerts to every pack member. Within seconds, I could hear the distant howls as warriors shifted and took defensive positions.

"I’m calling Johnny," I told Silvano as I dialed. "The AI can scan for heat signatures, distinguish the real witch from the illusions."

Silvano nodded grimly, his eyes never leaving the security feeds. "We have maybe an hour before they breach the perimeter wards."

Isabella tugged on my shirt, her small face solemn. "Mommy? The witch isn’t just coming for you and Daddy."

I felt my heart freeze. "What do you mean, baby?"

Her gaze seemed to see through dimensions. "She’s coming for me too. She knows what I can see."

Silvano growled, the sound rumbling from deep in his chest as his eyes flashed Alpha red. "Over my dead body."

Isabella shook her head, surprising us both with her calmness. "No, Daddy. Not over your dead body." Her small hand reached up to touch his cheek. "Over hers."