Chapter 59 CHAPTER 59
Ethan stood on the balcony of his bedroom, the cool night wind brushing against his robe as he looked out at Mooncrest. His mind had been restless for days, turning over the same fear again and again. He had heard nothing from Liam. No mind-link. No physical message. Nothing. That silence pressed against his chest like a weight he couldn’t shake off.
Liam was skilled, fast, and smarter than most warriors combined, yet Ethan knew the danger he had walked into. If the witches’ village truly existed deep in the mountains with a barrier powerful enough to hide an entire community, then it wasn’t impossible for a man to disappear inside it without a trace. The idea that Liam might have been caught - or worse - killed, made Ethan’s pulse beat harder in his throat. He had ordered Liam to keep the mind-link open at all times during the investigation, but every time Ethan reached out, the link felt like cold stone. There was no sound, vision or even Liam’s presence anywhere.
He rubbed the back of his neck and forced himself to breathe, redirecting his thoughts before the fear swallowed him whole. His mind drifted to Lisa. She had been training with him for days now. The memory of their training sessions softened something inside him. The first day she had arrived dressed in their late mother’s training gear - Queen Helena’s uniform, carefully preserved over the years. It fit her perfectly, and for a moment Ethan had felt a strange ache in his chest, as though his mother was standing there, guiding her daughter from beyond the veil.
Lisa had surprised him. He expected to teach her slowly, to adjust her movements and show her basics over and over, but she had picked up everything instantly. Every technique he demonstrated, she repeated with exact precision. Every stance looked like something she had practiced for months, not minutes. The hidden lycan strength inside her was waking up fast, and the pride that filled him was something he hadn’t felt in years. His parents would have been proud, too. Their daughter was becoming who she was meant to be.
He couldn’t help smiling when he remembered Isabel. The human had woken up ridiculously early for days, eyes puffy with sleep and wrapped in a blanket as she stumbled her way to the training grounds. She stood on the sidelines with her hair still messy and her cheeks puffed out from yawning, but she cheered Lisa on with all the energy she had. Her support lifted Lisa in ways Ethan couldn’t explain. Every time Isabel clapped or yelled encouragement, Lisa pushed herself harder, moving with growing confidence.
Ethan had made the right choice in letting the human stay… or at least, that was what he had believed at first. But as the night grew deeper, another thought began to circle through his mind in slow, unsettling loops. He didn’t really know who Isabel was. He had not asked many questions when she arrive - his mind had been more focused on Lisa’s safety and her return home. The little information he gathered was far too vague: Isabel’s father was dead, her mother had disappeared when she was young, and she had lived alone for years before befriending Lisa.
A girl without a family or history.
In peaceful times, he wouldn’t have thought much of it. But these were not peaceful times. A witch had infiltrated Mooncrest. A witch had been strong enough to take her own life rather than reveal who sent her. A second threat could easily be hiding in plain sight, closer than anyone expected.
Ethan frowned and leaned on the balcony railing. Lisa trusted Isabel deeply. They were almost inseparable. And Lisa, like their mother, had a kind heart that opened too easily. That same kindness had once been used to tear this kingdom down seventeen years ago. He refused to let the same mistake repeat itself.
He made a firm mental note to assign someone to investigate Isabel’s past more thoroughly and quietly. Her movements in the palace would be watched with discretion. Her daily interactions would be observed. It wasn’t because he wanted her gone but because he needed to be certain - absolutely certain - that she wasn’t another threat creeping into their home.
Before he could think further, a sudden jolt washed over him.
The mind- link, silent for days, burst open so abruptly that it felt like a loud crack inside his skull. He straightened sharply, gripping the balcony railing tighter as a vision pushed into his mind. It was blurry at first, just shadows and branches swaying, as though he was looking through someone else’s eyes.
Then it sharpened.
Ethan’s breath caught as the scene became clear. He could see the outline of two figures in a moonlit clearing – A young man lying in the grass, weak and dazed, and a girl leaning over him. Her lips hovered above his, and a thin pulse of shimmering mist flowed from his mouth into hers, disappearing into her like a hungry breath. His body trembled as though the life was being drained out of him.
Liam’s voice slid into Ethan’s mind, quiet but urgent. “Your Majesty… are you seeing this?”
“Yes,” Ethan answered quickly, unable to tear his attention away from the image. “What am I looking at? Is that witchcraft? Who are these two? Where are you, Liam? And why in the goddess’s name was I unable to reach you when I ordered you to keep the mind -link open?”
His questions rushed out so fast they overlapped. He forced himself to stop, jaw tight, waiting for Liam to explain.
Liam exhaled deeply on the other end, his breath shaking slightly. “I went to the mountains,” he said slowly, “where the witches’ village is rumored to be. The barrier was too strong. I couldn’t get through. I stayed there for days trying to find an entrance, but it was hopeless.”
Ethan’s shoulders stiffened as he listened.
“I turned off the link,” Liam continued. “If those witches are strong enough to hide their entire village behind a spell, then reading my mind, or yours, would be easy for them. I didn’t want them listening through the link.”
That explanation settled uneasily in Ethan’s chest. It made sense. It also terrified him more than he wanted to admit.
“Just when I was about to leave the mountain,” Liam went on, “a hooded figure came out of the barrier. Completely covered. I followed them without being noticed, but they moved fast. They headed to Silverpine.”
Ethan felt his pulse pick up. “Silverpine?”
“Yes,” Liam confirmed. “So I returned here under the excuse of inspecting their guards. I needed to observe without raising suspicion.” He paused, and Ethan could feel his dread rising through the link. “And now… I believe I’ve found our culprit. And the future alpha of silverpine – Lisa’s mate.”
Ethan watched through Liam’s eyes as the girl, pulled away from the young with a slow, satisfied smile. Sebastian lay flat on the ground, drained and unaware of what had just happened. The witch wiped her mouth like someone who had just finished a meal.
Ethan’s entire body tensed, fear and fury twisting together. This wasn’t normal magic. This wasn’t a small threat. This was dark magic - powerful, old, forbidden.
“Find out more about the girl,” Ethan instructed, his voice low and sharp. “ Where she lives, her parents and everything about her. If she is a witch, I need to know how she has been hiding it so well from the rest of the pack.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Liam answered, voice tight.
As the link dimmed, Ethan stepped back inside his bedroom, his heart pounding. He hated to admit it but everything all pointed to one truth: something ancient and dangerous was rising, something that had been waiting in the shadows for years.