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 meing, unconscious, nearly lost–couldn’t bring myself to argue, I made him ba /bpromise: 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, dayster. They had stuken me to my core, enough that I repeated them to Francesco that came right. His tand had tightened slightly around usine when I did. His jaw clenchind, bet he didn’t speak He didn’t need to

It had be 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 bto /bthe cloaking potion.

That was why every step into Anastasia’s spellwork bwould /bbe a war between the magic of the past and the sacred force that now lived inside me.

Ablesung? A curse?

I wasn’t sure,

“bI /bdon’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 ss 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 earnedb. /b

*Life is strange like that,” murmured to no one in particr, as often did in moments like this. The library was my sanctuary, but also a ce where thoughts ran too wild if left unchecked.

That was when the bheavy /bdoor creaked open, and Francesco’s voice cut through the stillness like a de. His btone /bwas sharp, clipped with irritation

Thene 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 ba /bquick 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 blook /bangry,” 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 bbeside /bme. He came willinglyb, /bdropping into the cushions with a heavy sigh. Another followed, deeper,

darker.

“Stupid Council,” he muttered. “And the bAlphas/b. They keep obsessing over byour /bpowers, treating you like a loaded weapon instead. His voice trailed

off.

Instead of bwhat/b?

Instead of his? I can’t stop the smile forming on my face.

“They’re worried about the wrong things he continued. “Rogues, bEine/b. They’re spreading like gue, multiplying in the shadows. But the Council’s

too blind to see it. Too bstuck /bin tradition.”

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 ce over his heart–steady, warm, strong, A rhythm I’de 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 myp.

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 nk

Francesco tensed as the title appeared

Soul Holden Aspell to grant a second chance at life.

“What. His voice was tight, hesitant,ced with dread. “What is this?”

I didn’t speak. Not yet. bWe /bkept 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 bway /bto the surface.

The Lycan wasn’t the enemy.

The Alpha Lycart who loved me was an extraordinary mun

But when you separate ba /bsoul from its rightful ce, you invite madness. We must be bcareful/b.

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, Eine. 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 ba /bsoul brought back from death. And worse, he had Anastasia’s trust once. Whatever spellwork the used, he had ess 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 bLuca/b,” Francesco added grimly.

bI /bnodded 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, bvoce /blow, dangerous. “bDo /byou 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 bwants /bto 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, bwe /bsat together on the couch, his arms around me bas /bI tipped through more pages. Nothing else appeared. No more secrets unveiled themselves. It bwas /bbas /bif the diary knew we had learned enough for now.

Francesco kissed my temple every so often, as if reminding himself I bwas /bals 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 bwould /bfight with meb, /bnot against me.

Someone who bhad /bonce lost everyth

And was willing to lose it all again to protect me.

Whatever came next, we would face it together.