Chapter 133

Lucas’s POV

This conversation felt like it was going to age me by at least a decade. When Ms. Sage first told me that she didn’t exactly have the ability to help Harper, I seriously believed that I had lost my last ounce of hope.

But to hear that there was someone else...

“I don’t care what the price is,” I told her adamantly. “Whatever the cost, it doesn’t matter.”

The witch merely stared back at me. “No, Lucas. You misunderstand me.” Something shifted in her demeanor. “When I say ‘price’ I don’t mean any kind of monetary value. This kind of magic tends to come with some heavy consequences.”

Once more, my stomach churned in knots, but I had to persist. I needed to know more. Potential consequences or not.

“Who is this person?” I dared to ask.

“Her name is Aurora,” Ms. Sage said with a light smile. “And she is unlike any creature that’s ever existed in this part of the world. A powerful sorceress with the extraordinary ability to heal like no other, amongst other things.”

An unsettling feeling raced down my spine. “Where exactly is she?”

She sighed. “Because her powers are so far beyond the natural order of life itself, she is forced to live in hiding. You see, there are those who would go to extreme lengths to use Aurora for her powers, causing her to be very wary of people. But, rest assured, she is very aware of your mate.”

Hearing this made my brows pull together. “How?”

“We witches tend to keep to the same social groups. Even though Aurora chooses to live a life of solitude, she’s caught wind of Harper’s achievements as a successful healer,” she explained. “She finds her to be rather admirable.”

“If Aurora were to help heal Harper, what exactly would be the consequences of that?”

What sort of power was this?

Just as she was about to answer, the witch became rather tight-lipped. Perhaps it was simply not her story to share. Truthfully, the whole business left me very unsettled. But I wasn’t exactly in the position to make many bargains.

“Do you believe that she would come out of hiding to help Harper?” I asked earnestly. “I don’t know how much time she has left.”

Again, my heart ached. I felt as though we were up against the clock. Every minute that ticked by was a precious piece of time lost.

A knowing smile pulled at her mouth. “I believe she would.”

I took in a much-needed breath of relief; however, the next question came to the forefront of my mind.

“How do I find her?” I questioned.

“Oh, trust me. Knowing Aurora...She’ll find you.”

Witches...No matter the situation, they always found a way to make things so damn unsettling.

Suddenly, I felt my phone go off in my back pocket. Every muscle in my chest contorted when I saw that it was Nora. My mind immediately went to Harper. Did something happen? Was she okay? Oh God...Had she gotten worse?

I held my breath until I began to feel the slight burn in my lungs as I read through the short message.

Harper is gradually coming in and out of consciousness. Whatever medication the doctor gave her is beginning to wear off. — Nora.

I had to get back to the house. Even if we could no longer feel our connection, I didn’t want Harper to wake up without me close by.

The signal on my phone was weak, but I tried sending out the text anyway, telling Nora that I was promptly on my way back.

“Ms. Sage, please send for Aurora’s help. Whatever the consequences may be, Harper and I will face them together.”

With a slight nod, she readjusted the hood over her head and disappeared back into the trees. I headed back to my car and sped back to the house.

Thankfully, my return home was a lot more peaceful than when I had left before. The only people who were roaming about were those on the staff team and Mason.

He knew I was in no condition to be discussing business, yet that didn’t stop him from approaching my side with his tablet ready in hand.

“Sir, how was the meeting?” he asked.

“Insightful,” I muttered. “I see the others have gone.”

“Yes, I may have made a few remarks to the councilmen that were here that you were not to be disturbed until your mate is well on the road to recovery. Needless to say, that hadn’t taken kindly to it, but for now it was enough to placate them.”

I wanted to smile and give him my thanks. I didn’t know what I would do without the man, especially during times like this when I could hardly think straight.

“I’m grateful for your optimism," I said.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, I have reports concerning the Domain. But, such updates can wait at this time.”

“Once I check on Harper and find out what her current status is, if I have the time, I will call for you,” I told him.

I knew that I would have to eventually answer to the council for my actions. And if it turned out that Harper wasn’t able to heal properly or get better, they would likely try to implement the idea of me searching for another Luna.

An involuntary growl rumbled from my chest.

“That’s never going to happen!” Levi bit out.

Without any further interruptions, I headed for the master bedroom and mentally braced myself for what lay beyond those doors. Nora was still seated next to Harper, who was now slowly fidgeting in her sleep.

I rushed to my mate’s side and reached out to check her temperature. Her forehead was certainly warmer than it was supposed to be. Whatever medication the doctor put her on was definitely starting to wear off which meant that Harper was likely going to begin feeling the pain from her wounds.

My eyes glanced down to the large patch that covered the wound from the arrow. I was too hesitant to check beneath it for any sign of further infection. But I knew well enough that she was still suffering.

“You mentioned before that she was coming in and out of consciousness,” I noted.

“Yes, a little while ago, she started mumbling in her sleep. She wasn’t able to say much of anything. Her eyes were trying to stay open, but she didn’t have the strength.”

The ache between my lungs persisted.

“Thank you for staying with her, Nora,” I said quietly.

“Of course,” she replied softly. Nora graciously took the subtle hint to leave Harper and me alone for the time being and got up from her chair.

I took my position back beside her on the bed and, this time, curled my arms around her. I could no longer stand the thought of there being any form of distance between us. I needed to hold her.

The day passed by, and I refused to pull away from Harper. As the sun began to drift lower in the sky, my hopes for a miracle were dwindling. Just as my eyes started to drift closed, I heard a light tapping on the window.

Peering across the room, I narrowed my gaze on a large white owl that seemed rather determined to come in. I eased myself off the bed and went over to unlock the latch. The owl took its chance and flew into the room.

It flapped its large wings a few times and cooed at the sight of Harper. All the blood left my face as I watched the bird transform from merely an unsuspecting owl to a full-grown woman with delicate features and long blonde hair.

The words were caught in my mouth. “...Aurora.”