Chapter 225

Elijah

Agnes left the dinner table in a hurry, but I knew what was happening just from one look. The way she clenched her fists, her abrupt departure—she was having another flare-up. Given what had happened in the hotel room just a couple of nights ago, combined with the exhaustion from all the traveling and the conference, I wasn’t surprised that she was struggling to keep her fire down today.

Once she was gone, the table fell into uneasy silence. Thea looked up at me with wide saucer eyes. “Is Mommy mad at me?” she asked.

I quickly shook my head and ruffled Thea’s hair. “No, sweetheart. She’s just been feeling a bit unwell from the trip. Travel doesn’t always agree with her.”

I met Lena’s gaze from across the table, and she stared at me for a moment. She didn’t look particularly convinced, but thankfully she didn’t push the issue.

“Oh. Okay. Well, can I have more juice, please?” Thea held up her cup. I was grateful for the change of topic as I poured her juice and asked her to elaborate about her trip to the park.

Dinner continued without Agnes, although her absence was keenly felt. Thea went on and on about her adventures with Lena, particularly about the ducks at the park, and I did my best to keep a smile on my face for her sake despite my concern for Agnes.

I knew she’d be fine, of course—I’d had her panic room built for exactly these situations, and it was as safe as could be down there—but I hated that she had to deal with this alone. I hated that she had to deal with it at all. The night in the hotel had been taxing on her. Burning our house down had certainly been taxing.

After dinner, Agnes was still in the basement. A quick glance at the security camera app I had on my phone showed her lounging in the saltwater pool without a lick of fire to be found, but I still didn’t want her to be alone. I was about to check on her when Lena suddenly stopped me. “Elijah, could I have a word?” she asked quietly, glancing around. “In private?”

I hesitated, glancing toward the basement entrance, but nodded, assuming she had a question about pay or something. “Of course. Let’s go to my study.”

Once we were inside, I closed the door and turned to face her. “What’s on your mind, Lena?”

“I wanted to ask you something. It’s about Thea,” she said.

“What about her?”

“Is her wolf emerging soon?” Lena asked. “Or has she shown any… abilities I should be aware of?”

I blinked, taken aback by the question. “Why do you ask?”

Lena shrugged. “I just like to know what to expect when working with kids, especially those from strong bloodlines. I once nannied for a family whose child had a rare ability for speed.” She shook her head ruefully. “I nearly lost the kid at the park. I turned my back for one second, and she was halfway across the field before I could blink.”

Special abilities… After hearing that story, it seemed reasonable enough that Lena might want to know about any of Thea’s abilities, but something in the way she asked made me uneasy. Or maybe I was just on edge lately.

For a moment, I thought about telling her about the fire abilities that Thea might have inherited from Agnes—a thought that had, admittedly, crossed my mind more than once.

But of course, I wasn’t about to share my concerns with Lena. Agnes and I were keeping the secret closely guarded for the time being, and while James, Gertrude, and Evelyn knew, we simply didn’t trust Lena enough yet to tell her.

“Thea hasn’t exhibited anything unusual yet,” I said carefully after a moment. “But she is the daughter of an Alpha, so there’s always the potential for surprises, I suppose.”

Lena tilted her head. “Was Agnes powerful before her wolf went away? Did she have any special abilities?”

I blinked, somewhat surprised by the question. “Agnes has always been remarkable,” I said in the most deliberately vague way I could manage. “Wolf or no wolf.”

Lena opened her mouth as if to say something else, but then the study door swung open, and James walked in without knocking. He stopped short when he saw Lena standing there.

“Oh. Apologies, Alpha,” he said, looking between us. “I didn’t realize you had company.”

“It’s fine,” Lena said quickly. “We were just finishing up.” She smiled at me. “Thank you for the chat. Let me know if there’s anything else I should be aware of with Thea.”

With that, she slipped past James and out of the study. I watched her go, the door clicking shut softly behind her, then turned to James. “Did you need something?”

He nodded. “I think I’ve got a lead on that artifact Agnes mentioned. The one that might help with her… situation.”

I straightened instantly. “Tell me.”

“Well, it wasn’t easy,” James said as he pulled a small notebook from his pocket. “The stone hasn’t been spoken about in generations. But I’ve been cross-referencing what we know with some old pack records and historical accounts of artifacts with similar properties.”

He flipped open the notebook and laid it on my desk, pointing to a sketch of what looked like a small stone carving—roughly the size of a fist, shaped like a wolf with its head thrown back in a howl.

“This is what it looks like,” James explained. “At least, it matches Olivivia’s description, and the alleged ‘powers’ attributed to it align with what she claimed. I think I’ve traced its last-known location, too. Up north.” He flipped the page and pointed to a map with a few areas circled in red.

I picked up the notebook and studied the map. Ironically, the location was within Richard’s pack territory, where Agnes and I just were. We would have to fly all the way back just to hunt down this rock. If only we had known about this just yesterday.

“And you’re absolutely sure it’s there?” I asked, glancing at my Beta.

“As sure as I can be with something like this,” James replied with a nod. “The records indicate it may have last been seen somewhere in those woods, about a hundred and seventy years ago.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. Thanking James, I sent him away for the time being so I could gather my thoughts.

We would have to go back there. I considered sending James, or maybe a small search team, but… After hearing about Richard’s wife’s experience in those woods, as well as the sudden disappearance of that other Alpha and Luna—who, as far as I knew, still hadn’t been found—I felt an odd sensation that drew me back to that place.

As if there was something more to that area. Something that I might want to investigate myself.

But first, I needed to check on Agnes. Rising from my desk, I headed for the door, my mind already working through how to tell her what James had discovered. As I stepped into the hallway, movement caught my eye.

Lena was standing near the end of the corridor, her body half-hidden in shadow. When she saw me, she gave me a strange look—her eyes wide, almost startled like a deer in headlights—before quickly turning and retreating to her bedroom and closing the door firmly behind her.

Had she been listening to my conversation with James?

And if so, how much had she heard?