RHEA’S POV Gamma Aaron, the young healer, and I walked through the quiet, snow-covered part of the territory.
Four warriors walked around us, keeping a close formation.
Their hands stayed near their silver swords as they watched the trees around us.
We hadn’t gone very far along the stone paved path when we noticed movement ahead.
A group of people came out of the mist.
It was Elder Vance and three other council members.
A group of council guards dressed in dark armor walked behind them.
They were heading toward the pack house.
“Stop,” Aaron said quietly, holding out his arm.
We stopped in the middle of the narrow, snowy path.
Elder Vance adjusted his fur cloak and looked over our guards before his eyes landed on me.
His expression immediately changed to one of dislike.
“Gamma Aaron,” Vance said with a mocking smile.
“And Dr.
Clara.
Walking around the border woods while the Alpha is barely able to stand?” He looked at Aaron.
“I would have thought the Alpha’s right hand would be beside his bed.” “I’m following the Alpha’s orders, Elder Vance,” Aaron replied calmly.
“As for where you choose to go, that is your business as long as you don’t go against the Alpha’s orders.” “Still a loyal dog,” Vance muttered.
He took a step toward us.
Before he could come any closer, Aaron stepped in front of me.
His large body blocked me completely from Vance.
Aaron placed a hand on the handle of his sword.
“Stay back, Elder.
The Alpha’s orders are clear.
Dr.
Clara is under my protection.
You are not to approach her.” Vance narrowed his eyes but didn’t argue.
Instead, he smiled.
It wasn’t a nice smile.
He tilted his head and looked at me from behind Aaron.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, human,” he said.
“Remember, one loose thread can bring everything down.” I frowned.
A cold feeling settled in my stomach.
What was he talking about?
Vance signaled to his guards, and they started moving again.
As he passed us, he slowed down.
Then he leaned slightly toward me.
“It would be a shame if something precious you left behind in the human world suddenly… disappeared.” My blood ran cold.
My heart started beating so fast that I could barely breathe.
He knows.
He didn’t say the name.
He didn’t have to.
The look in his eyes told me exactly who he meant.
Elias.
My mind went into panic as Vance and his men walked away into the fog.
My hands shook inside my coat pockets.
How did he find out?
Had he sent people across the border?
Was my son in danger right now?
I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
The rest of the journey through the woods felt endless.
Every sound made me turn around.
Every movement between the trees made me wonder if someone was following us.
By the time we reached a small clearing at the edge of the woods, I was a nervous wreck.
An old wooden cottage stood near the trees.
Moss covered parts of its roof, and thin smoke came from the chimney.
“This is it,” the young healer said.
She climbed the old wooden steps and knocked twice.
“Grandmother?
It’s me.” Before anyone could answer, a rough voice came from behind us.
“Put those oversized butter knives away before you hurt yourselves, you bunch of overgrown puppies.” I turned around.
An old woman came out of the trees.
Her gray hair was messy, and she had sharp eyes that seemed to notice everything.
She carried a basket filled with herbs.
After a short argument with the young healer, she finally allowed us inside.
The cottage was warm, but it smelled strongly of dried herbs, peppermint, and old books.
We sat around a small wooden table with cups of dark tea in front of us.
The old woman rested her elbows on the table and stared at me.
“Alright,” she said impatiently.
“Tell me what’s wrong with you.” I took a shaky breath.
“I’m a medical doctor.
A few days ago, I treated a little boy who was dying from a dark poison.
It was the same curse affecting Alpha Kael.” I swallowed.
“A strange golden light came from my hands and pushed the poison out of his body.
But I don’t know how I did it.
I don’t know how to make it happen again.” The old woman’s expression changed.
Her eyes widened.
“Golden light?” She stared at me.
“That’s impossible.
Humans don’t have magic.
And they certainly can’t use Primordial Sun-Light.” “I saw it myself,” Aaron said from near the door.
“It nearly blinded some of the guards, and the boy recovered immediately.” The old woman slowly looked back at me.
The disbelief in her eyes had disappeared.
“In all my eighty years, I have only heard stories about something like that,” she said.
“I’ve read about it in some very old texts.” She leaned closer.
“It is one of the rarest forms of pure life magic.” My heart started beating faster.
“What does that mean?” “Tell me something first,” she said.
“What were you feeling when the light appeared?” I looked down at my hands.
“I was desperate to save the boy.” My fingers tightened around the mug.
“I just wanted him to live.” The old woman nodded.
“And that is probably the key.” She sat back.
“Magic like this doesn’t work like medicine.
You can’t force it just because you want it to happen.” She pointed at me.
“It comes from your emotions.
Love.
Protection.
Empathy.
When you try too hard to control it or panic about it, you block yourself.” I stared at her.
“So how do I control it?” “I don’t know yet.” She stood up and brushed her hands over her apron.
“I’ll search through my oldest books and see if I can find a ritual that can help you control your magic.” She walked toward a shelf filled with old books.
“But for now, you need to return to the pack house.” I frowned.
“Why?” She turned back to me.
“Because you need to calm your mind.
Stop thinking about everything that could go wrong.
When you try to use your magic again, don’t focus on fear.” She looked at me seriously.
“Focus on the person you’re trying to save.” I nodded slowly.
“And if you don’t find anything in your books?” The old woman sighed.
“Then you may have no choice but to find the grand covens and speak to the witches themselves.”