Chapter 149
Ava
Silas’s words haunted me long after the night had ended.
"You and I, Ava... we're bound by fate now."
I could still hear them in my head, over and over, as if they had carved themselves into my bones. I hadn’t slept since the encounter. Couldn’t. Even the safety of my mates’ arms hadn’t dulled the unease twisting in my gut.
Because I knew something none of them were willing to say out loud yet.
Silas wasn’t just a threat.
He was my threat.
“What if I really did bring him back?” I asked quietly, my voice barely a whisper in the stillness of the war room.
Liam, Lucas, Landon, and Logan stood around me, tense and silent. We had called the council, gathered the elders, even summoned the witches who had aided us during the battle—but no one had answers.
Only more questions.
Liam’s jaw tightened. “You didn’t know what your power would do.”
“But I unleashed it,” I said. “And it woke him up.”
Lucas shook his head. “You cleansed those cursed wolves. You saved lives. That energy wasn’t dark—it was light. You are light.”
“Then why does he feel so familiar?” I asked, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. “Why did it feel like… something in me recognized him?”
No one spoke for a moment.
Then Logan’s voice, quiet but certain: “Because whatever Silas did to gain his power… it’s connected to yours. Maybe that’s what he meant by fate.”
The theory made my skin crawl. But it also made sense.
What if my power—whatever it was—was born from the same magic that had once sealed Silas away? What if breaking the curse had shattered more than chains?
What if it had broken balance?
Landon crossed his arms. “We need to figure out what he wants.”
“He wants her,” Logan said. “He practically said it.”
“Yeah, but why? What’s he planning?”
“Bonded by fate,” Liam muttered. “That’s not something you say lightly. Especially not if it’s true.”
I rubbed my temples, exhaustion dragging at me. “He knew my name. He knew me. There was recognition in his eyes, and I swear to the Goddess, it wasn’t the first time he’d looked at me like that.”
Liam stiffened. “You think you’ve met him before?”
“In a dream,” I admitted. “Years ago. Before I ever shifted. Before I even knew what a mate bond was. I used to have these nightmares—dark forests, glowing eyes, a voice that whispered my name…”
I swallowed.
“I thought I was just scared of the stories. But now…”
Logan’s face turned grim. “What if those weren’t just nightmares?”
“What if he’s been inside your dreams this whole time?” Lucas finished.
A cold shiver ran through me.
That’s when the door burst open. A scout. Breathing hard. Bleeding from a gash along his shoulder.
“Luna!” he gasped. “He… he left a message.”
We rushed outside, following the scout’s bloody trail to the western ridge. The wind had picked up again, howling like wolves in mourning. The trees were scorched in a perfect circle. Burned into the earth was a single word—glowing red, flickering like fire.
SOON
I stared at it, unable to move.
Silas hadn’t attacked. Not yet.
He was waiting. Watching. Letting us panic.
He wanted me to know he was coming.
And worse—he wanted me to question everything I believed about myself before he got here.
Liam stepped protectively in front of me, eyes scanning the horizon.
“We’ll double the perimeter,” he said to the scout. “Get the witches back. I want every barrier reinforced—twice.”
“Yes, Alpha,” the scout replied before vanishing into the trees.
Lucas turned to me. “We’ll protect you.”
Landon added, “With everything we have.”
But I wasn’t sure if that would be enough.
Because deep down, I wasn’t afraid of what Silas would do to me.
I was afraid of what he might unlock inside me.
Logan must’ve seen it on my face, because he gently took my hand. “You’re not alone, Ava. We’ll figure this out. Together.”
The sincerity in his voice made my eyes sting. I nodded, clutching his fingers like a lifeline.
But when I looked back at the scorched message, I realized something chilling.
Silas wasn’t trying to destroy me.
He was trying to reclaim me.