Chapter 269: Chapter 269

They came for you. Both of them. The witches marched with fire and spell, and the wolves came with fang and claw. The forest turned red that night, Lisa. Red with blood and rage."

She closed her eyes briefly, as if the memory still haunted her. "Your mother was weak from giving birth, yet she stood in the doorway of that small cottage, refusing to flee. I begged her to run. I told her I would protect you and the boy, but she wouldn’t leave your father. She said, ’If love built this home, then love will protect it.’"

My throat tightened painfully. "She stayed to fight?"

"Yes," Lira said with a trembling nod. "She and your father fought side by side. I watched from the trees, hidden under a cloak of shadow. He tore through any wolf that came near, and she cast spells so fierce that lightning split the sky. Together they held the line, even when the ground trembled with the weight of their enemies."

Her voice lowered to a whisper. "But there were too many, Lisa. Too many. The wolves were enraged, and the witches, oh, the witches, some of them had hearts turned black with jealousy. Silva’s power had always frightened them. They feared what a witch joined with a wolf could become. So they called upon dark spells, things even I dared not speak of."

I felt my chest tighten. "So what happened?"

Lira’s eyes filled with tears again. "The forest burned. The air was filled with screams and smoke. Your father carried your brother in his arm, trying to escape while Silva stayed behind to hold off their pursuers with you. I saw her raise her hands toward the sky, chanting words that made the stars themselves shiver."

I leaned forward, my voice shaking. "She fought them all?"

"Yes," Lira said, nodding. "But her magic came at a cost. Every spell she cast drained her life. When I reached her, she was already bleeding, her strength fading. I begged her to stop. She only smiled at me and said, ’Promise me they’ll live, Lira. Promise me.’"

Lira’s lips quivered. "I promised her, Lisa. I promised her with every breath I had left. She told me to take you and hide, and that your father would flee with your brother. She said the two of you must never be found together until the time was right, until the curse of the old hatred was broken."

"Before I could finish my promise to your mother, to raise you both in peace , a werewolf soldier found us. He attacked before we could move. Silva screamed, and I... I told her to run."

Her voice trembled. "I fought as long as I could. Flames, blood, and claws, everything burned. When I went back, she was gone. I searched for hours, for days. I followed every scent, every trace. Until I found her... lying still, beside a river."

Lisa’s breath caught. "No..."

"I buried her there," Lira whispered. "Under the old willow tree, by the riverbank where she used to pray to the Moon. You can still see her tomb if you go there. The stones still carry my magic to keep her resting peacefully."

Tears filled Lisa’s eyes. "I can see my mother’s tomb? You mean... she’s really there?"

Lira nodded slowly. "Yes. She rests there, and the earth has never forgotten her."

Lisa’s voice cracked as she asked, "But why didn’t you look for me? I suffered, Lira. The wolves treated me like a weak human. They made me feel like I didn’t belong anywhere."

Lira sighed, her expression a mix of sorrow and guilt. "I did look for you, child. I searched every den, every village. Then one day, I found you, in the arms of the man who raised you. He looked at you with such care, such pride. You laughed, free and safe. I knew then that was the life Silva would have wanted for you. A life away from war, away from the hatred of both worlds."

Lisa wiped her tears, shaking her head. "So you watched me grow... all that time?"

"Yes," Lira said softly.

Lisa swallowed hard. "And my brother? What happened to him?"

Lira’s eyes glistened, but she didn’t answer immediately. "He lived," she finally said.

"Yes, Lisa. He is strong, respected, and feared. He leads with the same fire your mother once carried in her heart."

I swallowed hard. My mind was spinning. All this time, I’ve been near him... and I didn’t even know.

I looked up at her, confusion twisting inside me. "But how did you even find me last night? You just appeared out of nowhere."

Lira sighed, the sound carrying years of tiredness. "I didn’t know where you were for a long time when you entered the palace," she said. " I lost contact with you. The walls of that place are woven with old spells, barriers that block any witch from sensing magic. You were hidden from me completely. I tried to reach you, but it was like you vanished into air."

Her voice trembled at the end, and I saw guilt written all over her face. "I’m sorry, Lisa," she said softly. "I’m sorry I didn’t do anything when the werewolves bullied you." The source of this content ɪs novel★fire.net

I stared at her, stunned. My chest tightened painfully. "It’s fine."

"It isn’t," she said quietly, her eyes glistening. "I saw your pain. I wanted to stop it, but I couldn’t. If I had interfered, they would have discovered me, and worse, they would have learned that witches still exist. I couldn’t risk it. There are so few of us left. One wrong move, and they would have wiped out what remains of our kind."

My fingers went to the small pendant hanging on my wrist.

Lira smiled faintly, then reached beneath her cloak. When her hand came out, she held a pendant just like mine. It glowed faintly, like a piece of moonlight trapped in glass.

"Every witch has one," she explained softly. "It connects us to the stars, to our power, and to each other. It hides us from enemies, guides us when we’re lost, and when it’s used, even by accident, it calls to others like us."

I blinked at her. "So that’s... how you found me?"

"Yes," she said, nodding. "The moment you used your magic, that night when the air moved around you, when your fear reached the stars, your pendant called to mine. It led me to you."

I let out a small, amazed laugh. "So we’re twins," I murmured. "A witch and an Alpha. That sounds impossible."

"Impossible things are what make the world beautiful," she said softly. "Your parents were proof of that."