<b>Chapter </b><b>75 </b>
Go to Francesco point of view:
The storm was still gathering when I returned home, wind curling around the edges of the estate like whispers from the past. The moment. I stepped through the door, something felt wrong.
“Eine
I called her name once, then again, No answer.
Her scent should’ve greeted me the moment enteredvender and ink and something warmer, softer, like the sun through stained ss.
But there was nothing. Just cold air and silence.
I checked the main hall first, then the west garden, then her room–still untouched, the rose I left that morning wilting on the windows. My chest tightened. A cold, primal fear began to unfurl in my ribs.
Treached for the bond between <b>us</b>. It should <b>have </b>been pulsing with her presence, her heartbeat echoing softly in the back of my mind.
But there wa
was…nothing
Not faint. Not distant<b>. </b>
Just–pone
“Eine!” My voice cracked <b>like </b>a whip through the halls. I didn’t care who heard me. I was already moving, fast and focused, scanning for any sign of her
“Ein!!” No answer.
I stood in the entryway, scanning the silent corridors. But I felt no presence.
Not hers<b>. </b>A chill ran through me.
I walk to the library, remember she always spend her time there. The door creaked open beneath my hand, and I stepped inside. The room was quiet, warm with the soft glow of candles. Booksy open on the table. Pages scattered across the floor. Her handwriting.
But no Eine.
felt something then. A tug deep in my gut–the bond straining, searching
Anding up empty.
My voice cracked, “Eine, where are you? I sensed you a moment ago!”
Nothing
Not a whisper, Not a shadow.
Just silence.
And the unmistakable <b>fear </b>beginning to crawl beneath my s
skin.
turned in a slow circle, heart hammering. I was the Alpha. I could feel every member of my pack through the bond–especially her. But now, it was like she had disappeared. No heartbeat. No breath. No scent.
<b>“</b>ELLAINE!!“
My voice rang off the stone walls, loud enough to rattle the shelves,
Footsteps echoed behind me–Audrey burst in first, sword already hall drawn, “Wpha, what is it??
Others followed. Guards Healers, Wations on alret from the moment they heard me shout.
“Luna isn’t here!” I snapped<b>, </b>already pacing. Find her. Now”
Audrey blinked, looking around the room. “But… I saw hering here a while ago,” she said, picking up a leather bound journal. “<b>And </b>these are her notes—this is her handwriting”
“I know,” I growled. “But she’s not here. I can’t feel her.”
That admission sent a ripple of fear through the room. The warriors exchangedt nces Audrey’s expression sharpened.
“She <b>was </b>here. I know she was,” muttered, scanning every corner of the room again. “Why can’t I sense her?”
I dropped to my knees, cing my palm on the wooden floor, trying to reach through the bond again. Eine. Where are you. Please answer me.
Nothing
Not even an echo.
Could it be… Magic?
Old, dangerous, unfamiliar,
It clung to the <b>air </b>like perfume–fragrant and subtle, but it scraped the edge of my instincts.
“She did something.” I whispered to myself. “Something can’t see.”
Everyone was still.
“Find her,” ordered again. “Search the house. Check the woods. I want every inch of this estate swept–now.”
Audrey bowed her head and turned to move, <b>but </b>I hesitated, staring once more into the flickering shadows of the library. Something tugged at me.
A scentless breath of wind. A shift of warmth.
Like someone was watching
Like someone was
<b>here</b>.
Then, just as suddenly-
Everyone <b>was </b>gone.
One by one, they slipped out, murmuring, retreating
09
I tore through every inch of the property–cers,idors, <b>balconies</b>, even the old stables. I ran the perimeter myself, shitted for speed, <b>rain</b>, rage rising with every step that came back empty
The woods were empty.
The gardens untouched.
No signs of struggle. No blood. No trace.
Just the hollow ache where her presence used to be.
with
How could the
h?ne der
ved open the door and copsed into the chai
Then I heard it.
Sel. Deliberata.
Not in the hat. Not upstairs.
Right besida
in the library ?
1 stood so fast the chair scraped hard against the floor. My hand was already on the door before my mind could catch up: She’s not
I shoved it open
And stopped cold.
She was there
Standing right in the middle of the room, surrounded by scattered books
andlelight. Her eyes met moe–wide, startled, haunted
I didn’t know if I said it out loud or just breathed it. Relief and confusion crashed into me all at once, knocking the air from my lungs. For couldn’t move Couldn’t think
She was herE
She was right here.
But there was <b>no </b>scent. No heartbeatbrushing my bond
As if I were seeing a <b>ghost</b>.
“Where have you been?” My voice came out foarse, barely restrained. “I couldn’t <b>you </b>couldn’t find you.”
She didn’t answer
Her hand trembled slightly at her <b>side</b>, and her lips parted like she wanted to speak. But her face paled before my eyes, and her body waved
Something was wrong
<b>“</b>Mia amore?” I moved toward her, heart hammering
And then she gasped.
A sharp, sudden sound of shock–like something inside her snapped.
“ine!” Her knees buckled.
I caught her before she hit the floor.
She copsed against me, her body limp, cold, breath shallow. Her pulse flickered beneath my fingers, faint as smoki
“No.” I breathed, cradling her close. “Stay with me.
Einee back.”
Her head rolled against my shoulder, eyes
s fluttering closed. I I held her tighter, heart pounding like a drum in my chest.
That’s when I smelled it
Not her
Something else.
Old magic. Faint but potent–like the aftertaste of moonlight and blood. My eyes went to the table, the scattered pages, the crystal vial beside a half- burned candle.
A potion.
She <b>drank </b>something
And now the bond was silent
My gut twisted
“What did you do?” I whispered, voice thick. “Why didn’t <i>you </i>wait for me?”
I pressed my forehead against hers, listening to her breathe–shallow, fragile, alive. <b>But </b>for how long?
I didn’t know.
dy went limp in my arms, a silent scream echoed in my chest.
The moment Eine’s body