Chapter 143 – What I Saw in the Fire
The first thing I felt was warmth. A hand wrapped around mine. It was firm and familiar. Then I heard my name.
“Elara… Elara, can you hear me?”
My eyelids felt heavy, like they were carrying stones. Slowly, painfully, I forced them open.
The room came back into focus little by little. The ceiling. The chandelier. The worried faces hovering above me.
Edward, Ma’am Albright, Seraphina and even Titan. Their expressions shifted the moment they saw my eyes clear.
“She’s back!” Seraphina cried, her voice breaking with relief.
Ma’am Albright let out a shaky breath. “Thank the Moon Goddess…”
Edward leaned closer, his grip tightening around my hand. “Elara.”
I looked at him properly. His face was pale. His jaw–tight. His eyes filled with something raw and unguarded. Relief.
He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it softly, his voice low. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
I wanted to smile. But I couldn’t. Because the images were still in my head. The fire, the screams and the blood.
“I’m fine,” I whispered, though my voice sounded distant even to me.
“You weren’t fine,” Seraphina said immediately. “Your eyes turned completely white. You wouldn’t respond. I thought…” She stopped herself, wiping her tears.
Edward looked at everyone in the room.
“I need a moment alone with her,” he said gently but firmly.
They didn’t argue.
Ma’am Albright slowly pulled my hair behind my ear before carefully lowering my upper body back onto the pillows.
Titan gave Edward a nod.
Seraphina squeezed my hand one last time. “I’m right outside.”
Then they all left. The door closed softly. The room became quiet. Too quiet.
Edward stayed close to me, still holding my hand. His thumb moved slowly over my skin like he needed to feel that I was real.
“What happened?” he asked quietly.
I swallowed. “I saw things.”
His brows furrowed. “What kind of things?”
“Visions.”
The word felt heavy between us.
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t dismiss it. He just watched me carefully.
“I don’t think the raid will be successful,” I said softly.
His expression changed immediately. “Why?”
“I saw a warehouse burning to the ground.”
His hand tightened around mine.
“Burning?” he repeated.
“Yes.” I closed my eyes briefly, trying to recall it clearly. “It wasn’t small flames. It was completely engulfed. Smoke everywhere. The walls collapsing.”
His jaw tightened.
“I don’t know how I knew,” I continued, “but I believe it’s the same warehouse you and your team are about to raid.”
Silence fell between us.
Edward’s eyes darkened as he processed my words.
“Is that all you saw?” he asked carefully.
“No.”
He leaned closer. “What else?”
My throat felt dry.
“I saw the Thorne mansion burning.”
His breathing stopped for a second.
“Burning?” he repeated again, this time softer.
“Yes. Flames climbing up the walls. Smoke filling the halls.”
He didn’t interrupt me.
“I saw wolves fighting. Fighting like enemies. Claws out. Blood on the ground.”
Edward’s grip on my hand became firmer.
“And…” I hesitated.
“And what?” he asked gently.
“I saw a young girl.”
His eyes searched my face.
“She was running,” I whispered. “Big wolves were chasing her.”
My heart started beating faster just remembering it.
“She was terrified,” I continued. “She kept looking back. She was bleeding from her arm.”
Edward’s voice lowered. “Where was she running to?”
I closed my eyes again and focused.
“There was a forest… thick trees. And beyond the trees, there was a narrow stone bridge over a deep river.”
I pictured it clearly now.
“The river was fast. Loud. The bridge looked old, cracked at the sides. Moss growing along the stones.”
Edward didn’t blink.
“She was heading toward the old Silverpine Ravine,” I said slowly. “The one past the northern forest line.”
His expression changed.
Silverpine Ravine.
It was isolated and dangerous. The cliffs there were steep and the river below was strong enough to drown anyone in seconds.
“She was trying to cross the bridge,” I whispered. “Trying to hide.”
“Did she make it?” Edward asked.
I shook my head slowly.
“I don’t know. The vision shifted before I could see.”
He let out a slow breath.
The weight in the room felt heavier.
“You saw the mansion burn,” he said carefully. “You saw wolves fighting. You saw the warehouse on fire. And a girl being chased toward Silverpine Ravine.”
“Yes.”
“And you believe the warehouse is the same as the one we are about to raid.”
“I’m sure of it.”
He pulled his hand from mine suddenly and reached for his phone and immediately dialed Elder Rowan.
The phone rang once. Twice. Three times. No answer.
Edward’s jaw tightened. He tried again. Two rings. Still nothing.
He ended the call and immediately dialed another number.
“Kian,” he said the moment the line connected.
I could hear Kian’s voice faintly through the speaker.
“Edward? We’re preparing.”
“How far along are you?” Edward asked sharply.
“Almost ready. We planned to move at half past four.”
Edward’s eyes flicked to me briefly.
“You’re not waiting until five,” he said.
There was a pause on the other end.
“What?” Kian asked.
“You move now,” Edward continued. “Immediately.”
“But we agreed…”
“Change of plans.”
The firmness in his voice left no room for argument.
“Why the sudden rush?” Kian asked.
Edward didn’t hesitate.
“Because if you wait until five, the place might already be burnt to the ground.”
Silence.
I felt a chill run down my spine.
“Does that mean the captives have been moved? You think they’ll burn down the building to destroy evidence?” Kian asked slowly.
“I’m not thinking,” Edward replied. “It’s about to happen.”
Another pause.
“Alright,” Kian said finally. “We move now.”
“Call me the moment you get there,” Edward ordered.
The call ended.
Edward lowered the phone slowly. His face was unreadable.
“You believe me,” I said quietly.
He looked at me as if I had asked something ridiculous.
“I would be a fool not to,” he replied.
My chest tightened at his words.
“I don’t understand what’s happening to me,” I whispered.
He moved closer again and brushed a strand of hair away from my face.
“Maybe you’re stronger than we thought.”
I swallowed.
“I heard everything while I was in that state,” I told him. “Seraphina screaming. Ma’am Albright praying. You calling Elder Rowan.”
His brows lifted slightly. “You heard us?”
“Yes. But I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. It was like I was trapped in another world.”
His hand returned to mine.
“You’re here now,” he said softly.
But I didn’t feel reassured. Because the images were still clear in my mind. The fire wasn’t random. The fight wasn’t random. The girl wasn’t random.
“Edward,” I said suddenly.
“Yes?”
“If the warehouse is already burning…”
He didn’t answer immediately. But we both understood what that meant. Someone would have known about the raid. Someone would have acted first. Someone inside.
Jasper stood still outside Elara’s room. Not too far from her door. His face calm and his posture relaxed. But his ears were sharp. Listening.
Using his heightened hearing to catch every word. And neither Edward nor Elara knew–that he had heard everything.