Chapter 181 Chapter 181

Chapter 181 Chapter 181

Mira’s POV

Five days.

It had been five long, winding days since I left Blackwood.

Five days of rocky paths, forested silence, and a growing pulse in my chest that guided me onward like a string tugging softly at my soul.

I hadn’t seen a single bandit, nor had I been hunted by any wild beasts—not that I didn’t expect them. In fact, the absence of danger had begun to make me uneasy. The quiet was too perfect. Too expectant.

But I couldn’t afford to question it.

I was being led—by something ancient, powerful, and now more familiar to me than even the bond with my mates. It wasn’t a voice or a vision. It was energy. A subtle pull I felt deep beneath my skin. The closer I got to it, the stronger it became.

And tonight… it burned.

I arrived at dusk.

The sky bled orange and violet behind jagged hills, and the trees gave way to a narrow path that spilled into a clearing. At the center of it, a small shadowy settlement flickered beneath the pale moonlight. Not a village exactly—there were no signs, no roads, no lights—but I knew I’d found the place.

I stepped off the trail.

The energy surged inside me like lightning threading through my veins.

But just as I took my first full step into the clearing, the air turned cold—unnaturally so.

The shadows around me thickened.

And then they moved.

Dark, shapeless figures rose from the mist like smoke given form. They circled me, soundless and slow, the temperature dropping with each passing second. The hairs on the back of my neck stood.

Suddenly, my ears began to ring.

No—not ring. Hum. A low, vibrating noise, like dozens of whispers just beyond hearing.

I held my hands up, trying not to panic. “I mean no harm. I was led here. I’m looking for—”

But they didn’t care.

The shadows tightened around me like a noose. The noise grew sharper, stabbing at my temples. I stumbled backward, heart racing.

And then—

Figures burst out of the trees. Cloaked. Armed. Silent.

They moved swiftly, positioning themselves between me and the shadows. Weapons in hand. Striking hard. But the shadows didn’t react like normal beings. They didn’t scream or bleed. They didn’t fall. Instead, they threw the warriors around like toys, vanishing and reforming like smoke every time a blade touched them.

It was chaos. Cold and quiet and terrifying.

I stared, frozen, until I recognized one of the cloaked figures.

Shadow guards.

My eyes widened with disbelief and fury. “What the hell are you doing here?!”

They didn’t answer. One was flung into a nearby tree with a dull thud.

“Stop!” I shouted, stepping forward. “Everyone—stop!”

The warriors froze.

So did the shadows.

My voice echoed, full of something deeper than just panic. Power? Authority?

I turned toward the dark beings and raised my voice again, more carefully. “I’m Mira. I came here looking for the Last Witches. I mean no harm. My mother led me here.”

At first, nothing happened.

Then slowly—so slowly I barely noticed—the shadows began to shrink. They slithered back into the mist, evaporating like smoke on a breeze.

The cold receded.

The humming ceased.

Silence.

The shadow guards turned toward me, battle-worn but silent. I glared at them.

“You followed me?”

They stood still.

“Who gave the order?” I demanded, fists clenched.

One of them finally spoke. “Lord Rowan.”

My jaw tightened. “Of course.”

I paced, biting back my frustration.

“And what,” I asked sharply, “made any of you think I wanted to be followed? Do you not understand what privacy means?”

“We were under strict command,” one of them said. “We were not to interfere unless your safety was compromised.”

“You just did,” I snapped.

He didn’t flinch. “Your safety was compromised.”

I let out a slow breath, trying to calm myself.

“Leave,” I said.

“We cannot. Orders are orders. Until you are handed over to the authority of another appointed by the Crown, or declared dead, our duty is to remain.”

My eyes narrowed. “But I’ve given you orders before.”

“You’re the Luna,” he said respectfully. “But the Crown overrules all.”

I sighed deeply and rubbed my temple.

“Fine. Then stay out of sight. Don’t engage. Don’t even breathe unless I’m in mortal danger. Understand?”

They nodded in unison.

And with that, they vanished—melted into the shadows as though they were never there.

I turned toward the clearing once more and walked forward, alone again.

The path led me into a narrow alley cloaked in shadows and silence. No torches. No signs. Nothing to mark a civilization at all. It was almost enough to make me think I was dreaming again.

Until I saw them.

Three women emerged from the far end of the alley, stepping toward me in perfect synchronicity. They wore identical emerald-green robes, embroidered with intricate vines and silver thread. Their hair was woven with bright wildflowers and leafy ornaments, and their feet were bare against the dirt.

They stopped a few paces away.

One of them—taller than the rest, her hair as black as coal—tilted her head.

“Are you Mira?” she asked.

Her voice was calm, melodic, but carried a weight that made my chest tighten.

“Yes.”

Another stepped forward. “Mira… daughter of Willow Tourmalaine?”

I blinked. “Who?”

Their expressions shifted subtly.

“She doesn’t know,” the third whispered to the others.

I straightened. “I didn’t know my mother’s name.”

The women exchanged glances, speaking through their eyes.

“We can’t take her if we’re not sure,” the second one said.

“She could be lying,” the third muttered.

“She’s not lying,” the first said. “She’s confused.”

Still, they began to turn.

“Wait!” I called. I reached into my satchel and pulled out the parchment—the one my mother’s voice had led me to, the one I’d used to find them.

I held it out.

They paused.

The first woman took it, her fingers brushing mine with a warmth I didn’t expect.

She read the words aloud under her breath, her eyes widening.

“Where did you get this?” she asked.

“It was given to me… by my mother’s voice.”

They nodded slowly.

Then, as one, they said, “Welcome, daughter of Willow. You’ve found us.”

They turned and gestured for me to follow.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

They said nothing, only continued down the empty alley.

I hesitated but followed.

And then—just as we reached what I thought was the end of a dead-end path—they stopped.

The tallest one raised her hand, and with a flick of her wrist, the air shimmered like rippling water.

Then it peeled back.

What had once been empty space now revealed something extraordinary.

A manor.

Medium-sized, nestled in the middle of nothing. Its stone walls were veined with ivy, and its roof rose to a sharp point that glinted under the moonlight. Windows glowed from within, and the whole structure pulsed faintly with magic.

The alley. The dirt. The trees. All had vanished.

Only the manor remained.

I gasped.

“You’ve cloaked it,” I whispered.

The women smiled.

“Magic keeps our kind hidden. Until now.”

I stood before the doorway, breath held.

Everything was changing again. Every step I took from here would be into a world I didn’t understand. A world my mother belonged to—a world I now had to claim as my own.

My feet remained rooted.

But my heart…

My heart stepped forward.

I turned slightly, sensing the shadow guards still lurking nearby.

“You can go now,” I whispered.

There was no sound in reply.

And then, I took my first step inside.