Chapter 33 5
Lulu
I hadn’t realised how quickly time had passed. Two months since my fire-wolf heart was stolen, since I woke up in a cabin deep in the forest.
I sat at the long table in the Sapphire Water library, old archives piled all around me. The papers smelled damp, the ink nearly faded. My hands moved slowly as I traced event after event, trying to follow a thread that felt more fragile every time I pulled too hard.
I agreed with Caspian about checking the restricted section and digging through whatever books we could find there. That agreement only happened after I’d nearly lost my life at his hands. Turns out most men aren’t very practical thinkers—they need disaster to strike before they realise the risk.
Caspian headed for the old newspapers and tabloids, spending almost half an hour wrestling with dust-coated shelves.
I focused on myself instead. My heart had been stolen first. I started with records of unnatural werewolf murders. I pulled two books from the restricted section. Both mentioned heart organs stolen from two wolves by sorcerers, later trafficked through the black market.
I thought about the link between the organ thefts described in the books and the heart thefts I’d experienced—mine, and the one Alpha Fridmund’s sibling had suffered.
“There’s no further information,” I murmured when I saw a photo of the culprit being dragged by executioners towards the gallows.
I opened another archive—older this time. Unresolved cases. Incidents once considered isolated, or deliberately buried to preserve political balance between communities.
That was when I found it. The theft of a water-element werewolf’s heart.
The case barely caused a stir. It was almost lost to time. No full name, just initials, a coastal region, and one short note: unsolved.
My heart started racing.
“Find something?”
Caspian’s voice made me look up. He stood at the end of the shelf, holding something in his hand—a battered old magazine.
“What’s that?” I asked.
He stepped closer and placed it carefully in front of me, as if it were fragile.
“An old magazine,” he said. “From five years ago. Special edition for the werewolf community.”
The title was printed boldly on the cover: The Howling Current.
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re telling me magazines like this actually exist?”
“Believe it or not,” Caspian replied, “this used to be one of the most influential sources around.”
I suddenly felt like a frog in a well, completely unaware that information like this had been circulating so freely. I opened it. The pages were yellowed, the corners curled. In the centre was a main article whose headline made my breath catch.
“Dark Water Sorcerer Attacks Luminara Coast.”
The city name sounded unfamiliar but beautiful—Luminara Coast, the heart of the Light Water Sorcerer community.
I read carefully.
Five years ago, a massive attack had shaken the city. Reported as a one-sided assault by a Dark Water Sorcerer who breached the city’s magical defences. At the time, the motive was unclear. No civilians were killed. No_toggle artefacts were stolen.
But the main council hall was completely destroyed, and one high-level sorcerer died.
“Hydros Maxima,” I whispered.
The article explained that this sorcerer was initially detained as the suspected mastermind—accused of working with dark forces. But after a lengthy investigation, the evidence wasn’t strong enough. The charges were dropped. He was released.
Instead, the punishment fell on someone else.
A Levithaqua Sage.
They accused him of losing control, destroying the council hall, and killing Hydros Maxima a day after the man’s release. The Light Sorcerer community sentenced him to permanent exile.
His name was erased. His magic stripped away.
He was banished to Aqualune Peak, a sacred mountain even water sorcerers rarely dared approach.
My hands trembled as I closed the magazine.
“That attack wasn’t about the city,” I said quietly. “It was a search.”
Caspian stayed silent.
“They were looking for a Water Elemental Werewolf,” I continued. “And they failed.”
I looked up at him. For the first time, Caspian looked… uneasy. His jaw tightened, his shoulders stiffened slightly. Small reactions—but obvious to me.
“They haven’t stopped,” I said. “Not just water. All four elements. Earth is the last one.”
I leaned back in my chair. My head felt heavy, information spinning mercilessly. That Dark Sorcerer—or group—was still hunting. Waiting for the right moment. The exact moment they stole my heart, right when my five-year bond with Scott—
“Caspian,” I said slowly. “How old is Alpha Fridmund’s sibling?”
He looked at me. “Fifteen. Why?”
“There’s a number five in every one of their actions. Five years of my fire-element bond. Fifteen years—the age of the ice-element wolf. The search for the water-element wolf happened in 2005. The next victim will probably connect to five in a different way.”
“Your theory makes sense, Lulu,” he said firmly. “We can rely on it for now.”
Silence settled between us. My body finally gave in.
The exhaustion hit suddenly, along with a strange sensation in my stomach. Warm. Moving. A small push from inside, reminding me I wasn’t alone in this body.
The pup moved again. I rubbed my stomach without thinking.
“You need to rest,” Caspian said quickly, his tone turning sharp. “I’ll continue the investigation.”
I wanted to argue. But my eyelids felt too heavy.
“Alright,” I said at last.
I returned to my room slowly and closed the door. The world outside dimmed.
I sat on the edge of the bed, both hands resting on my stomach.
“Hey,” I whispered softly. “I know you’re still tiny… but you can probably feel how chaotic the world is right now.”
A small movement answered me.
“I promise,” I went on, my voice almost like a lullaby. “I’ll protect you. No matter what.”
I lay down. My breathing slowed. Darkness took me.
And then the dream came.
I stood by the edge of a lake.
The water was calm, reflecting moonlight that was far too bright for an ordinary night. Cool air brushed my skin, carrying the scent of fresh water and something unfamiliar.
“Lulu.”
I turned.
Morpheus stood a few steps away. Fully human. Dark hair, eyes just as always—warm, full of secrets.
A smile appeared on my face without me realising. “You came.”
The happiness was quick and genuine, like seeing someone who was supposed to be safe.
Then he moved closer. His body began to change.
Bones shifted with sounds that shouldn’t have been gentle, yet felt… natural. His skin faded, replaced by dark fur that shimmered under the moonlight. Water and shadow merged around him.
I stepped back, my breath catching. Before me stood a wolf.
Large, calm, grounding. His sea-blue eyes were the same.
“What—” My voice failed me. My heart pounded too fast. Too many emotions tangled together for words.
The wolf stared at me, as if waiting for me to accept something unspoken.
The lake rippled softly—until I woke with a sharp breath.
I was still lying in my bed, the room dark. The dream felt painfully real. Morpheus—a wolf, and a water sorcerer.
I sat up and immediately left the room, searching for Caspian. The halls of Sapphire Water were silent. His room was empty.
I didn’t give up. I went to Niobe’s room.
The door was open. Inside, I found Caspian standing alone.
My eyes searched for Niobe, but she was nowhere to be seen. I stopped at the doorway, my chest tight.
“What are you doing here?” I asked quietly.
He looked at me. “I should be the one asking that, Lulu. What are you doing wandering around at this hour?”