Chapter 150
Elara's POV
The door opened slowly. Dr. Helena stood in the doorway, her long dark hair catching the candlelight from inside. Those deep purple eyes of hers landed on me first, then shifted to Lynette. Her pupils contracted slightly.
"Warren's little patient is back," she said. Her voice was calm, almost amused. "And this time you brought an... interesting companion."
I forced myself to meet her gaze. "Dr. Helena. I need your help."
She stepped aside, gesturing for us to enter. "Come in, then. Looks like you two have a complicated story to tell."
The inside of the cottage looked exactly as I remembered. Candles everywhere. Shelves lined with jars I didn't want to examine too closely. The fireplace crackled, casting dancing shadows on the stone walls.
I walked in first. Lynette followed, staying close to my side. I could feel her tension through the small space between us.
Dr. Helena closed the door and turned to face us. "So. What brings you back to my door?"
No point in dancing around it. "We need a reversal ritual. For a soul swap."
Her eyebrows rose. She looked genuinely intrigued now. "Soul swap? Interesting." She moved closer to Lynette, studying her with those unsettling purple eyes. "Let me see."
Before Lynette could react, Dr. Helena reached out and grabbed her wrist. Lynette tensed. I started to move forward, but the witch's eyes flicked to me. A warning. I stopped.
Dr. Helena closed her eyes. The room went very quiet. I could hear my own heartbeat. Lynette's breathing. The fire popping in the hearth.
Then Dr. Helena's eyes snapped open. For the first time since I'd met her, she looked shocked.
"This body..." Her grip tightened on Lynette's wrist. "The original owner was an Alpha?"
I kept my voice steady. "Yes. We need to switch back."
Dr. Helena released Lynette's hand. She walked over to the long table, her movements slow and thoughtful. "This isn't a simple case of misplaced souls. This is a complete body exchange." She turned back to us. "The complexity of the magic required is far beyond what I initially expected."
Lynette's voice came out small. "Can you... can you help us?"
Dr. Helena poured herself something from a dark bottle. She took a slow sip before answering. "I can." She paused. "But the price won't be cheap."
I'd expected this. "What do you need? Money? Information? Or—"
"A favor," Dr. Helena interrupted. "Unlimited. Unconditional. To be called in at a time of my choosing."
The room went silent again. This time the silence felt heavy. Dangerous.
I heard Lynette's sharp intake of breath beside me.
"That's too risky," Lynette said, her voice tight. "Elara, maybe we can—"
I held up my hand. "We don't have another choice."
Dr. Helena smiled. It wasn't a warm smile. "Smart girl. You know very well that no one else can perform this ritual."
I looked directly into those purple eyes. My mind raced. Unlimited favor. Unconditional. She could ask me to kill someone. To betray the Council. To do things I couldn't even imagine yet.
But what choice did I have? Lynette needed her body back. And we had no other options.
"I have conditions," I said. Tried to keep my voice steady. "The favor cannot harm my family. And it cannot require me to harm innocent people."
Dr. Helena tilted her head. "Innocent is such a subjective word."
Damn it. I tried again. "Then... the favor cannot involve murder of non-combatants."
She smiled slightly. "You negotiate like someone who's done this before." A pause. "I'll accept the first condition. Your family is safe. But the second..." She shook her head. "Too limiting. I need flexibility."
My chest tightened. I thought about Lynette barely alive in that village bed. About her running through frozen forests. About everything she'd survived.
I had to do this.
"Fine," I said. My voice came out flat. "The favor cannot harm my family. That's my only condition."
Dr. Helena studied me for a long moment. The fire crackled. A log shifted.
"Acceptable," she said finally. "But beyond that, you will obey absolutely."
My throat felt tight. I thought about Lynette in my old body, running for her life through frozen Canadian forests. I thought about her killing Fenrir out of pure desperation. I thought about how she'd looked in that village bed, barely alive.
I took a breath. "I agree."
"Elara!" Lynette grabbed my arm. "You know what this means, right? She could ask you for anything. Anything."
I turned to face my sister. Her eyes were wide. Scared. But also... grateful. She knew why I was doing this.
"It means you get your body back," I said quietly. "It means you get to control your own life again."
Dr. Helena made a satisfied sound. "Very good. Then let's begin preparations."
She moved to the shelves and started pulling down various bottles and containers. I watched her place them on the table one by one. Powders. Liquids. Things that glowed faintly in the dim light.
Then she crouched down and opened a drawer. She pulled out a bag of silver powder.
"This will take some time to set up," she said, already walking to the center of the room. "The ritual circle must be precise."
I watched as she began drawing on the stone floor. The silver powder caught the firelight as she poured it in careful, deliberate lines. Circles within circles. Strange symbols I didn't recognize. It looked ancient. Powerful.
And dangerous.
Lynette stood beside me, silent now. I could feel her fear. Hell, I could feel my own fear. But I pushed it down. Locked it away. Fear was useless right now.
Dr. Helena worked for what felt like hours. The circle grew more and more complex. More symbols. More interconnected lines. By the time she finished, the entire center of the room was covered in intricate silver patterns.
She stood up, brushing powder from her hands. "Remove your outer layers. Shoes off. You'll need to stand barefoot on the circle."
I pulled off my jacket. Kicked off my boots. The stone floor was freezing against my bare feet. Beside me, Lynette did the same. Her hands were shaking.
"Stand there," Dr. Helena pointed to two specific spots within the circle. "Facing each other."
We moved to our positions. I looked across at Lynette. She looked so small in my old body. So fragile. But I knew better. She'd survived things that would have broken most people.
Dr. Helena approached with a small silver knife.
"Your wrists," she said.
I held out my arm. The blade was sharp. It barely hurt when she cut. Just a quick sting. Blood welled up, dark red against my pale skin.
She moved to Lynette next. Made the same cut. Lynette flinched but didn't pull away.
"Let the blood fall on these points." Dr. Helena indicated two symbols in the circle. "Three drops each."
I tilted my wrist. Watched my blood drip onto the silver powder. One. Two. Three. The powder seemed to absorb it, turning a darker shade.
Lynette did the same on her side.
"Good." Dr. Helena stepped back, moving to the edge of the circle. "Now. This is very important. During the ritual, you will experience many things. Visions. Sensations. Memories that aren't yours." Her purple eyes were deadly serious. "No matter what you see, no matter what you feel, do not open your eyes. If you do, your souls could become lost forever. Do you understand?"
"Yes," I said.
Lynette's voice was barely a whisper. "I understand."
"Then close your eyes. And do not open them until I tell you the ritual is complete."
I closed my eyes. Darkness. I could hear my heartbeat. Lynette's breathing across from me. The fire crackling. Dr. Helena's footsteps as she moved around the circle.
Then she began to chant.
The words were in a language I didn't recognize. Old. Ancient. They seemed to vibrate in the air around us. The temperature in the room dropped. I could feel goosebumps rising on my arms.
The silver powder on the floor started to glow. I could see it even through my closed eyelids. A soft white light that grew brighter with each word Dr. Helena spoke.
Then I felt it.
A pulling sensation. Deep in my chest. Like something was trying to rip itself out of my body.
I gasped. Clenched my jaw. Forced myself to stay still.
The pulling got stronger. More insistent. It hurt. God, it hurt. Like my entire being was being torn in two.
I wanted to open my eyes. Wanted to see what was happening. But Dr. Helena's warning echoed in my mind. Do not open your eyes.
The light was so bright now I could see it clearly through my eyelids. White and silver, pulsing in rhythm with the chanting.
My body started to feel... strange. Light. Like I was floating. Or falling. I couldn't tell which.
Dr. Helena's voice grew louder. "Release your consciousness. Let your souls flow freely..."
The pulling sensation intensified. I felt like I was being stretched. Pulled apart. Every cell in my body screaming.
But I kept my eyes closed.
And I didn't let go.