Chapter 63 I Trust You Completely
Aurora's POV
The morning light streaming through my bedroom window felt like an accusation. I made my way downstairs where the family had gathered, my fingers automatically touching the fresh bandage on my forehead.
The family meeting was brief and surprisingly lenient. By now, everyone knew about last night's incident with the dolls—the discovery of dead human hair, my fainting spell, the blood seeping through my bandage.
But considering my injury and how I'd collapsed in front of them, they chose not to press too hard. The lecture I received was stern but measured—I needed to be more careful about custom collectibles in the future, to thoroughly vet anything unusual before bringing it into the house.
I nodded with appropriate contrition, my voice sincere as I promised to be more cautious going forward. Sebastian seemed satisfied with my response, and the meeting dissolved without further interrogation.
Back in my room with the door closed, I let the mask slip. My hands clenched into fists as I stared at my reflection in the vanity mirror, taking in the fresh bandage that covered the wound on my forehead. The ritual had failed completely. Months of careful preparation, all those dolls I'd collected and consecrated, gone. And worse, I'd been left with this injury that would scar.
My hands clenched into fists at my sides as I crossed to my vanity mirror, staring at my reflection with mounting frustration. The ritual had failed completely. Not only had I lost the dolls I'd spent months collecting and preparing, but I'd also ended up with this injury that would take weeks to heal properly.
My jaw tightened as frustration burned through me. School started in two weeks. Two weeks to heal a wound that would normally take much longer, two weeks to erase any trace of this disaster before I had to face my classmates. I couldn't afford to show up looking damaged, couldn't let anyone see weakness.
I needed to absorb fortune energy, and soon. It was the only way to accelerate the healing process enough to matter. But with everyone on high alert after last night's discovery, I'd have to be even more careful about my next move.
I pulled out my phone and opened a new message to Nolan, typing quickly: [Hey, how are things going over there? Hope everything's okay with the other pack.]
His response came almost immediately, and my phone began buzzing with an incoming video call. I stared at the screen and declined the call.
Another video call. I declined again.
Then the third video call came, but I forced myself to decline it calmly and type out another excuse: [Sorry, can't do video right now. Room's a mess and I look terrible.]
I needed to accelerate my recovery, which meant I needed to absorb more fortune energy soon. Very soon. But with everyone on high alert after last night, I'd have to be even more careful about my next move.
That evening, I was lying in bed scrolling through my phone when I heard raised voices from downstairs. I recognized Nolan's voice immediately, sharp with concern and frustration, cutting through the otherwise quiet house.
"She needs peace and quiet to recover properly," Nolan was saying, his tone brooking no argument. "You saw how she fainted last night. The stress of staying here with everyone constantly watching her and asking questions isn't going to help. She doesn't need people keeping an eye on her like she's done something wrong. She needs rest and recovery in a calm environment."
I heard Damian's voice join the conversation, calmer but no less firm. "Nolan, we appreciate your concern, but Aurora is perfectly safe here."
"Safe, maybe, but not comfortable," Nolan insisted. "I have a private estate that's quiet, peaceful, and away from all this tension. Let me take her there for a few days. It'll be good for her recovery."
The argument continued for another twenty minutes, voices rising and falling as they debated my fate. I stayed in my room, listening through the door with a mixture of anxiety and calculation. Finally, I heard footsteps approaching and Nolan knocked softly before opening my door.
"Pack a bag," he said quietly, giving me a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You're coming with me to my estate for a few days. Doctor's orders, or near enough."
Relief flooded through me, so intense I had to work to keep it from showing on my face. "Are you sure? I don't want to cause more problems."
"You're not causing problems," Nolan said firmly. "You need to rest and recover, and you'll be able to do that better at my place. No arguments, no tension, just peace and quiet."
I nodded, already mentally cataloging what I would need to bring. The private estate would give me the privacy I desperately needed, away from Damian's constant scrutiny and James's suspicious glares. And more importantly, it would give me the opportunity to work on recovering my strength and planning my next move without constant interference.
"Thank you," I said softly, injecting just the right amount of grateful vulnerability into my voice. "I really appreciate this."
Nolan's expression softened, and he reached out to gently squeeze my shoulder. "That's what family is for. Now get some rest. We'll leave first thing in the morning."
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Elara's POV
My phone buzzed with an incoming call from Damian just as I was finishing up my morning review session. I excused myself and stepped into the hallway, pressing the phone to my ear. "Hey, what's going on?"
"We had an incident last night," Damian said without preamble, his voice tight with tension. "With Aurora's doll collection."
I listened as he recounted the entire story, from James's initial suspicion to Kaelen's discovery that the black-haired dolls were made with dead human hair, to Aurora's convenient fainting spell when the blood started seeping through her bandage again.
"Wait," I interrupted when he finished. "You said Maple was barking like crazy before you went into the room?"
"Yes," Damian confirmed. "She was going absolutely insane, scratching at the door and howling. But once we got inside, she just stood there looking confused, like she couldn't find whatever she'd been sensing."
I frowned, my mind working through the implications. "That's strange. Maple should have been able to track whatever unclean presence she was detecting, especially with the blessing I gave her. The fact that she lost the trail once you entered the room suggests that whatever was in there managed to hide its aura."
"You think something was actively concealing itself?" Damian asked, his voice sharpening with concern.
"I think Aurora might have some kind of protective artifact or charm that can mask malevolent energy," I said carefully. "Something powerful enough to interfere with Maple's enhanced senses. That would explain why Maple could detect the presence from outside the room but couldn't pinpoint it once she was inside."
I heard Damian curse softly under his breath. "What do we do about it?"
"There are protection runes in Kaelen's study," I said. "There's a set of blessed talismans I prepared before I left for school."
"I'll find them," Damian confirmed.
"Place one above each bedroom door frame," I instructed. "They won't stop someone from entering, but they'll trap any malevolent entity that tries to cross the threshold with harmful intent. If something tries to attack anyone in their sleep again, it'll be contained long enough for you to deal with it."
"My room has its own protection array built into the walls," I said. "It's much stronger than the talismans. Maple can come and go freely, and if anything goes seriously wrong, the family can take shelter there. The wards will hold against pretty much anything short of a full demonic assault."
I heard Damian let out a long breath. "Okay. That's good to know. What about the dolls? Kaelen collected all the black-haired ones last night."
"I want to examine them myself," I said immediately.
Damian replied, "Elara, thank you. I know you're busy with school, but—"
"Family comes first," I cut him off gently. "Always. Just be careful, okay? And keep Maple close. She might not be able to pinpoint hidden threats, but she can still sense when something's wrong."
We said our goodbyes and I ended the call, immediately pulling up my messaging app to contact Kaelen about arranging transport for the dolls. But before I could type out my message, a new text from him appeared on my screen.
[I'll keep an eye on your family's situation. I'll pay special attention to any unusual occurrences. You don't need to worry.]
I stared at the message, feeling a familiar warmth spread through my chest. Even in the middle of everything else he had to deal with as Alpha King, Kaelen always made time to look out for the people I cared about. It was one of the things I appreciated most about him, that quiet reliability that meant I never had to face problems alone.
I typed out a quick response. [Thank you. I really appreciate it. Can you also pass along those protection talismans to Damian? They're in your study bookshelf.]
His reply came quickly. [Okay. Anything else you need?]
I smiled at my phone and typed: [Actually, yes. I should mention that the protection array I set up at your estate is much more powerful than these talismans. The wards there are layered and reinforced, so you don't need to worry about any supernatural threats getting through. You're completely safe there.]
There was a longer pause before his next message appeared: [I know. I've always felt safe with your protection. I trust it completely.]