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 <b>a </b>promise: 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 <b>to </b>the cloaking potion.


    That was why every step into Anastasia’s spellwork <b>would </b>be a war between the magic of the past and the sacred force that now lived inside me.


    Ablesung? A curse?


    I wasn’t sure,


    “<b>I </b>don’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 earned<b>. </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 <b>heavy </b>door creaked open, and Francesco’s voice cut through the stillness like a de. His <b>tone </b>was 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 <b>a </b>quick 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 <b>look </b>angry,” 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 <b>beside </b>me. He came willingly<b>, </b>dropping into the cushions with a heavy sigh. Another followed, deeper,


    darker.


    “Stupid Council,” he muttered. “And the <b>Alphas</b>. They keep obsessing over <b>your </b>powers, treating you like a loaded weapon instead. His voice trailed


    off.


    Instead of <b>what</b>?


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


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


    too blind to see it. Too <b>stuck </b>in 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. <b>We </b>kept 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 <b>way </b>to the surface.


    The Lycan wasn’t the enemy.


    The Alpha Lycart who loved me was an extraordinary mun


    But when you separate <b>a </b>soul from its rightful ce, you invite madness. We must be <b>careful</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 <b>a </b>soul 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 <b>Luca</b>,” Francesco added grimly.


    <b>I </b>nodded 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, <b>voce </b>low, dangerous. “<b>Do </b>you 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 <b>wants </b>to 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, <b>we </b>sat together on the couch, his arms around me <b>as </b>I tipped through more pages. Nothing else appeared. No more secrets unveiled themselves. It <b>was </b><b>as </b>if the diary knew we had learned enough for now.


    Francesco kissed my temple every so often, as if reminding himself I <b>was </b>als 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 <b>would </b>fight with me<b>, </b>not against me.


    Someone who <b>had </b>once lost everyth


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


    Whatever came next, we would face it together.