Chapter 124

The abandoned cathedral looked like God had given up on it. Broken stained glass windows sent hazy rainbow fragments scattering across crumbling stone floors. The air tasted like dust and forgotten prayers.

This place must've been incredible once. Now it felt like a beautiful corpse, gorgeous in its decay but heavy with abandonment.

I approached like I was walking into a trap. Which I possibly was. But I'd run out of options and allies. If Elsa had information that could stop the Rogue King, I had to roll the dice.

My footsteps echoed in the cathedral's vast emptiness like gunshots.

She emerged from shadows near the altar. The transformation was startling. Gone was that elegant political mask. In its place stood something primal and focused.

"You came," she said with satisfaction. "I wasn't certain you would, given recent betrayals."

The Kane reference made my chest tighten like someone was squeezing my ribs. But I forced myself to focus on why I was here.

"You said you had information about the Rogue King's network," I said without preamble. "I need specifics."

Elsa's laugh was bitter enough to curdle milk. "Straight to business. I respect that. Very well—let me tell you about my former mate and the creature who stole him from me."

Former mate.

The words hit me like a sledgehammer to the gut.

"You're the Rogue King's true mate," I breathed.

"Was," Elsa corrected with vicious precision. "Until Giana used forbidden magic to steal what was mine by divine right."

She started pacing around the cathedral's central aisle. Each step was measured and controlled.

"David—that's his real name, not the dramatic title he uses now—and I were blessed by the Moon Goddess with a true mate bond. We ruled the Northland Pack together for nearly a decade."

The revelation flipped everything upside down. This wasn't just political maneuvering. This was personal revenge on a cosmic scale.

"What happened?" I asked. Though I suspected I already knew.

"Giana happened," Elsa snarled. Her composure cracked to reveal rage underneath. "She appeared in our territory as a refugee. Claimed her pack had been destroyed by hunters. We took her in, gave her sanctuary, treated her like family."

The pattern was familiar. Giana infiltrating communities through false vulnerability. The same strategy she'd used with Raymond.

Elsa's hands clenched into fists as she continued. "She spent months studying our bond. Learning the intimate details of how true mates connect. Then she used that knowledge to craft a magical ritual that severed my connection to David and replaced it with an artificial bond to herself."

"The magic required sacrifice," Elsa continued. Her voice got darker with each word. "Blood magic. Soul magic. She killed three pack members to fuel the ritual, including our youngest daughter."

My heart broke for this woman who'd lost everything to Giana's ambition. No wonder she carried such focused hatred. Giana hadn't just stolen her mate, she'd murdered her child.

"David doesn't remember our bond," Elsa said with quiet devastation. "The artificial connection rewrote his memories, his emotions, his very identity. In his mind, Giana has always been his destined mate."

The magical conditioning Raymond was under suddenly seemed even more horrifying. If Giana could rewrite memories and emotions, then the man I'd known as a child was indeed probably gone forever.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked gently.

Elsa's smile was sharp enough to cut glass. "Because I want revenge. And because the artifact controlling your estranged husband is part of a set. Multiple magical items designed to give Giana and David control over pack leadership across all territories."

She reached into her coat and pulled out a small crystalline device that pulsed with dark energy. The artifact was beautiful in a terrible way. Clear crystal shot through with veins of black that seemed to move like living things.

"This is what I managed to steal before fleeing my territory," she said. "It's like a key to the master control artifact. The one that coordinates all the others. Activating this can destroy the master artifact, which should then break the entire network."

I stared at the crystal with growing excitement. This could be the weapon I needed to free Raymond and expose the conspiracy. But the dark energy made my skin crawl.

"What do you want in return?" I asked. Nothing this valuable came without a price.

"Help me get close enough to David to break the artificial bond," Elsa said. "I don't care if it kills him. I just want him to remember what we had before he dies."

The request was reasonable, considering what she'd lost. But the crystal's dark energy made me feel like I was standing next to a nuclear reactor.

"How does it work?" I asked, reaching toward the artifact.

"Carefully," Elsa warned, pulling it back. "This level of magic is dangerous even to handle. You'll need specific protective rituals and the right timing to use it effectively."

A sound outside the cathedral made us both freeze. Footsteps on gravel. Moving with military precision that I recognized immediately.

Kane appeared in the doorway. He looked tired and disheveled, but his stance screamed danger.

"Aurora," he said with forced neutrality. "You shouldn't be here alone."

"I can handle myself," I replied coldly. Not bothering to hide my anger at his presence.

Seeing him brought back all the pain of his betrayal. He had no right to be here.

Elsa studied Kane with calculating eyes. "This is your betrayer? The one who chose another woman over your partnership?"

"Former partner," I corrected sharply. "He made his priorities clear."

Kane's jaw tightened, but he didn't contradict me. His silence only confirmed how completely he'd abandoned our bond.

"I've come to tell you that I'm leaving," Kane said with professional detachment. "I've requested immediate reassignment to my inherited territory."

The announcement caught me by surprise. Even though I'd been expecting it, some foolish part of me had hoped he might try to fix what he'd broken.

"Running away?" I asked with bitter satisfaction. "How typical."

"Removing myself from a situation where my presence is counterproductive," Kane replied with infuriating calm.

Elsa watched our exchange with obvious fascination. She had the expression of someone watching a particularly interesting play.

"Your timing is convenient," she said to Kane. "Aurora was just learning about tools that could save werewolf civilization."

Kane's gaze sharpened as he noticed the crystal in Elsa's hands. His training made him instantly suspicious of unfamiliar magical artifacts.

"What is that?" he demanded.

"Insurance," I replied before Elsa could answer. "Something that can actually stop the Rogue King. Unlike betrayal and cowardice."

The insult hit its mark. Kane's composure cracked slightly. Revealing a flash of pain before his walls slammed back into place.

For a moment, I saw the man I'd fallen in love with. Vulnerable. Hurting. Struggling with demons I didn't fully understand. But then his professional mask returned, cold and impenetrable.

"Be careful who you trust," Kane said quietly. "Not everyone offering help has your best interests in mind."

The warning felt like another betrayal. He'd destroyed our partnership. Abandoned me when I needed him most. And now he had the audacity to question my judgment about allies.

Then he was gone. Disappearing into the night like smoke.

Elsa watched him leave with obvious amusement. "He's afraid for you," she observed. "Terrified, actually."

"His feelings are irrelevant," I said firmly. "Can you teach me to use the artifact?"

"It will take time," Elsa warned. "And the process is dangerous. You could lose yourself to the magic if you're not properly prepared."

The risk felt insignificant compared to the stakes. If this crystal could stop the Rogue King's conspiracy, I'd pay whatever price was necessary.

"How long?" I pressed.

"Several days at minimum," she replied. "Possibly weeks."

I thought about the Rogue King's accelerating timeline. The chaos spreading through pack territories. The lives hanging in the balance.

"Then we start now," I decided. "I've already lost everything that mattered to me. I won't lose the chance to stop this conspiracy."

Elsa smiled with vicious satisfaction. "Excellent. Let's begin your education in forbidden magic."

As we settled into the cathedral's shadows to begin my training, I tried not to think about Kane's warning. Or the growing darkness pulsing from the crystal.

I was about to learn magic that could save everyone I cared about.

Or destroy me completely in the attempt.