Chapter 90

Lauren

The night air was thick with the famliaer scent of damp earth and pine, the trees stretching high above us like ancient sentinels guarding secrets we had no right to uncover. The path was one I remembered, until Alexander made a sharp turn and we were on a muc thinner one, one never used.

My breath came hard and fast as I ran, my heels long abandoned, pounding against the uneven forest floor, dodging gnarled roots and fallen branches. Blood still lay thick on my hands as the moon above flickered in and out of view between the shifting canopy, casting silver streaks of light through the darkness.

Abigail. Owen. Where are you?

The anxiety burned in my chest, twisting like a vice as I pushed forward. Alexander ran slightly infront of me, his movements effortlessly fluid even at this breakneck pace, his focus razor-sharp. Liam trailed slightly behind, his presence irritating as always, but this wasn’t the time for petty grievances.

“I saw them,” Liam said between breaths. “With another pup. Red hair.”

I glanced over my shoulder at him. “Another pup?”

Liam huffed. “Yeah. When I ran into Abigail and Owen that night. The night you were too busy messing up the ritual.” His eyes roll was barely visible in the moonlight, but I could feel it. “You didn’t even notice, did you? That they had someone with them.”

Alexander growled lowly, his pace never faltering. “I did. What do you know about the boy?”

“I figured you’d know your own kids’ friends,” Liam shot back with a scoff. “But I guess that was too generous of me. You should know who they spend their time with. You’re their parents, after all.”

The words struck deeper than I wanted to admit. Apparently, my twins had a new friend. One we didn’t even know about, we’d been so caught up in this mess I hadn’t even noticed another child in our own home.

Guilt pushed through my ribs. What kind of a mother was I?

I clenched my jaw and turned forward again, pushing harder. Liam was an ass, but he wasn’t wrong. I should’ve been paying closer attention. I should’ve known who my children were trusting with there time. Especially after everything.

A sharp cry echoed through the trees, high-pitched and pained. Abigail.

My baby.

Adrenaline surged through me like a bolt of lightning. I shot forward, my limbs burning, tearing through low-hanging branches, my breath coming in ragged gasps. Alexander was at my side in an instant, his eyes blazing, his teeth bared.

We were scrambling past the patrol, Miles whipping around to see us coming.

“Alexander—”

We shot past him, scrambling down into the shrine’s cave. We powered through the stiff cliff sides and weaving path till it opened up to a silver lit cavern, wolf statues around a blue pool, lit by moonlight.

And just infront of the pool, we saw them.

Abigail was on the ground, her small body convulsing, her fingers digging into the dirt like she was holding on for dear life. Owen crouched beside her, panic in his wide eyes, his hands gripping her arms.

And next to them, a boy—tall and gangly with shockingly red hair—his hands hovering over Abigail like he wanted to help but didn’t know how.

My instincts took over. I lunged, shoving the boy away from them with enough force to send him sprawling into the leaves. He grunted as he hit the ground, staring up at me in shock.

“What did you do to them?!” I snarled, crouching over Abigail, pulling Owen and her into my arms. Abigail whimpered, curling into me, her body still wracked with pain.

The red-haired boy scrambled up, his green eyes wild. “Nothing! I was helping!”

I bared my teeth at him, rage surging through my veins. “Who are you?”

Before I could lunge again, Alexander’s strong arms wrapped around me, holding me back. “Lauren. Enough.” His voice was steady, but there was tension beneath it, his own barely-restrained fury simmering just beneath the surface. “He’s just a kid.”

That snapped me back, my eyes widening on the small kids scared eyes, glaring back at me like I was the problem. He was so… young.

I struggled for a second before I let out a ragged breath, my grip on Abigail tightening as I turned back to her. Her face was pale, her forehead damp with sweat, but what made my blood freeze was the faint glow appearing just under her eyes—markings.

Ancient, intricate patterns, barely visible in the moonlight.

Like… mine. Two dots. But that was impossible. She didn’t take any pills!?

Something was happening to her.

Alexander swore under his breath, crouching beside us. “Boy.”

The red haired boy flinched.

That reaction made something click in my head. My breath caught.

“You’re name! What’s happening.”

Owen answered, tears in his eyes. “Theo was trying to help Abigail unlock her wolf… we didn’t think. I didn’t…”

“Theo” I whispered, realization crashing into me like a tidal wave. “You lied to them. Didn’t you. You hurt—no poisioned my daughter!”

Theo took a step back. “I didn’t—”

“Who are you!” My voice was sharp as a blade, and I could see the way he flinched again, the way his fingers curled like he was ready to run.

“Mom!” Owen’s hand curled into mine. “Stop! He’s a friend! I… think! This is my fault! I didn’t protect my sister! Please just—”

Alexander rose slowly to his full height, towering over Theo. “Who sent you?” His voice was dangerously low.

Theo swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Before he could answer, a sudden wave of heat surged through me, stealing my breath. My pulse slammed against my ribs as pain exploded along my skin, burning like fire. My fingers twitched, my muscles locked, and then—

I collapsed.

Darkness swarmed my vision. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, and I could feel something shifting beneath my skin.

I barely registered Abigail’s soft whimper before she collapsed on me.

I could hear Owen shouting something, hear Alexander’s sharp curse, feel the way his arms caught us before I hit the ground. My breath came in short gasps, my body trapped in a war between agony and something else—something awakening.

And then, beneath the moonlight, I felt it.

A second set of markings burned their way across my skin, settling under my eyes.

The air around us shifted. Even Liam had gone silent, the tension thick, charged.

Theo stared at me with something unreadable in his expression. Not fear. Not anger.

Something closer to recognition.

Alexander’s grip on me tightened. “Lauren, hey you two” he murmured, his voice no longer just worried—it was something else. Something closer to awe. “Stay with me, we’re fixing this. Now.”

I couldn’t answer. Because for the first time in my life, I didn’t know who—or what—I was anymore.

But my daughter…

My bloody hand cupped her cheek, my eyes locking with the moon above.

If you can save anyone…save her. I’ll die for it.