Chapter 50 It’s….. Something
Elara’s POV
How could we even consider bringing children into this mess?
That question stayed stuck in my head long after everybody finally left the sitting room. Every nightmare Brianna described somehow sounded worse than the one before it. One future had the curse slowly killing them over years of agony while another ended with blood magic, death, and corruption.
Then the last one… The babies dying at birth. Yeah. That one sat heavy in my chest. I wasn’t ready for any of this.
Not emotionally.
Not mentally.
Hell, I barely adjusted to the idea of being pregnant in the first place. Now suddenly we were discussing cursed futures and dead children before I even had time to process becoming a mother.
“I won’t let our pups go through this,” I whispered quietly while walking down the palace hallway alone.
Ember immediately stirred. “Then we find a cure.” Her tone stayed calm and matter-of-fact like the answer should’ve been obvious.
“What if we can’t?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Ember went quiet briefly before answering softer this time. “Then we still try.”
That hit me harder than some dramatic speech probably would’ve. Because she was right. What else could we do?
Give up? Absolutely not.
By the time I reached the second floor, most of the palace already quieted for the night. This entire wing now belonged mostly to the Moonveil witches and honestly it finally started feeling lived in over the last couple weeks.
The large sitting room at the center had become our workspace. Books stacked everywhere. Scrolls covering tables. Candles burned low beside open journals while maps, potions, herbs, and notes practically consumed every available surface.
Chaos.
Organized chaos. Exactly how witches functioned best honestly.
I walked straight toward the massive table near the windows and started pulling books toward myself again. Ancient curse journals. Healing texts. Ritual books. Then finally… Mom’s journal.
My fingers traced lightly over the worn leather cover before I opened it carefully.
A few of the Moonveil women quietly joined me without even asking questions. Lilith sat near my left side while Elena and Celestia moved toward another stack of books nearby.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody pushed.
They simply helped. That meant more than they probably realized.
Hours passed. I read page after page until my vision practically blurred together. Every cure mentioned either required impossible ingredients, blood sacrifices, ancient relics nobody had access to anymore, or magic so dangerous half the kingdom would probably explode trying it.
“Fantastic,” I muttered sarcastically while rubbing my forehead. “That’s comforting.”
Lilith snorted quietly beside me. “At least one cure only needed dragon blood.”
I blinked at her. “Do we know any dragons?”
“No.”
“Then why bring it up?”
“Morale support.”
I stared at her flatly. “That was terrible support.”
She shrugged. “I tried.”
A soft laugh escaped me before I could stop it. I needed that. Just to laugh for a split second.
The room eventually grew quieter the later it got. Several witches fell asleep on couches while others kept reading beside dim candlelight. Outside the windows darkness slowly started fading toward early morning.
And still… Nothing.
No cure.
No miracle. Just dead ends after dead ends.
I sighed heavily while leaning back in my chair and closing my eyes briefly. Then warm lips brushed softly against the side of my head.
“Firefly.” Atlas’s voice wrapped around me quietly from behind. I opened my eyes as he bent slightly beside my chair while one hand settled gently on my shoulder. “You need to come to bed.”
I immediately shook my head. “I can’t.” My voice came out more irritated than intended. “I have to find something.”
Atlas didn’t argue.
Didn’t lecture.
Didn’t tell me to rest. Instead he simply pulled another chair beside mine and sat down. “Alright,” he said calmly. “What book am I looking through?”
Well. That definitely softened my mood immediately. A small smile crept onto my face before I looked over at him properly. Goddess he looked exhausted. Dark circles sat beneath his eyes and his hair looked completely messed up like he ran his hands through it a thousand times tonight.
Still handsome though. Unfortunately for him. “Atlas,” I said quietly while studying him.
His eyes lifted toward mine instantly. “Yes, Firefly?”
I hesitated briefly before finally asking the question sitting heavily in my chest all night. “Are you upset about the pregnancy?”
Atlas frowned immediately. “No.”
“Really?”
“Elara.” His voice softened immediately while one hand reached over and gently took mine. “I’m serious.”
I looked down at our hands nervously. “It’s early,” I whispered. “Everything happening right now is already a disaster.”
Atlas sighed quietly. “Cass isn’t upset either.”
I raised one brow slowly. “He literally had a breakdown in the hallway.”
“Cass has dramatic emotional responses to everything.” Atlas squeezed my hand gently. “Yeah, the timing sucks,” he admitted. “But would there ever actually be a perfect time?”
That question alone shut me up. Because honestly? Probably not.
“There’s always going to be threats,” he continued softly. “There’s always going to be responsibilities. That’s part of our lives.” His hand lifted slowly to cup my cheek while his thumb brushed gently across my skin. “But hopefully,” he whispered, “we find a cure before any of this reaches them.”
Then he kissed me softly.
Not rushed.
Not desperate.
Just warm and reassuring in a way that made some of the panic finally loosen inside my chest for the first time all night.
I melted into the kiss slowly while my hands rested lightly against his chest. When we finally pulled apart, I let out a long breath. “Atlas,” I muttered quietly. “Four pups at once is absolutely insane.”
He laughed softly under his breath. “A little.”
“A little?” I repeated dramatically. “That’s a damn army.”
Atlas grinned now. “Well luckily they’ll have a massive family.”
I rolled my eyes. “Wonderful. More trouble.
“You love trouble.”
“That’s honestly rude.”
He laughed again while helping me stand from the chair. “Come on,” he said softly. “Let’s go to bed.”
That sounded amazing right now. But right before we could leave, Elena suddenly rushed toward us holding an old journal carefully against her chest. “High Priestess.” Her voice carried excitement now.
Atlas and I both turned toward her immediately.
“This isn’t exactly a cure,” she explained quickly while handing me the journal. “But I found something that may help.”
My heart started pounding instantly.
She flipped open the fragile pages carefully before pointing toward one specific section written in faded ink.
Right here. I started reading quickly. Then suddenly froze.
Atlas noticed immediately. “What is it, Firefly?”
Slowly I lifted my eyes toward him while hope flickered through my chest for the very first time tonight. “It’s not a cure,” I whispered.
His expression fell slightly. Then I smiled. “But it’s something.”
Atlas stepped closer immediately. “Will it help them?”
I nodded once while looking back down at the page. “It’s meant to ease pain caused by blood curses.”