Chapter 63: The Mirror's Secret

Georgia's POV

I screamed and threw a pillow at the mirror. It shattered into a thousand pieces, but my image kept smiling in each broken shard.

"What's wrong, Mama?" Keira grabbed my arm, her little face frightened.

"The mirror—it talked to me!" I pointed at the broken glass spread across the floor.

Shadow and Kelvin rushed over. They stared at the shards, then at me.

"Mama, mirrors don't talk," Kelvin said slowly, like he was worried about me.

"This one did! It called me sister and—" I stopped. The reflections in the broken bits showed only normal images now. No black eyes. No evil smile.

"You're just tired," Shadow said, holding me. "Everything's been really scary today."

Maybe he was right. Maybe I was losing my mind. We'd fled the First Evil's realm, lost the children's memories, been kidnapped by a Lycan King, and now Jared was going to fight Damien at dawn. Anyone would crack under that pressure.

"I want to go home," Keira whimpered. She climbed onto one of the beds and pulled the blanket over her head. "I want Papa Jared. I want Anna. I want our real house."

"This could be our real house," a person said.

We all jumped. A Lycan woman stood in the doorway. She was beautiful, with long silver hair and kind golden eyes. She looked about thirty years old.

"Who are you?" I asked, putting myself between her and my children.

"My name is Luna. I'm King Damien's sister." She stepped inside, carrying a tray of food. "I brought dinner. I thought you might be hungry."

"We're not hungry," I lied. My stomach growled, deceiving me.

Luna smiled. "The children need to eat, Georgia. Whatever you think of my brother, we Lycans don't starve children."

Kelvin's stomach growled too. He looked at me hopefully.

"Fine," I said. "But you eat first. I need to know it's not poisoned."

Luna didn't look upset. She picked up a piece of bread and ate it. Then some meat. Then drank from the water pitcher. "See? Safe."

The children rushed to the food. They hadn't eaten since before we went into the First Evil's land. That felt like years ago, but it had only been hours.

Luna sat down on one of the beds. "I know you're scared. But Damien isn't a monster. He's actually a good man."

"Good men don't kidnap people," I said coldly.

"He didn't kidnap you. He brought his family home." Luna's voice was gentle. "Do you know what it's like to be a Lycan? We only get one mate in our entire lives. One person we're meant to be with. When Damien found you five years ago, he was happier than I'd ever seen him."

"I don't remember any of that."

"Because someone made you forget. Someone powerful enough to block a mate bond." Luna's face darkened. "That's dangerous magic. Dark magic. Whoever did it wanted to hurt both you and Damien."

"Why would anyone want that?"

"I don't know. But Damien's been searching for you for five years. When he finally sensed the children—his blood—he nearly went crazy with joy. He thought you'd hidden them from him on purpose. That you hated him."

I sat down heavily. "I didn't even know he existed."

"I believe you," Luna said. "Which means someone went to great lengths to keep you apart. The question is: who benefits from that?"

Before I could answer, Keira spoke up. "Miss Luna? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, sweetie."

"Is this really our house now?" Keira looked around the room with wide eyes. "It's so pretty. Way prettier than our old house."

"Keira!" I said sharply.

"But it IS pretty, Mama!" Keira argued. "And big! We each get our own bed! Back home, we all had to share one room."

Luna smiled. "This is just a guest room. If you stay, you'll each have your own bedroom. With toys and books and anything else you want."

"Really?" Shadow's eyes lit up. "Even a training sword? Papa Jared promised to get me one, but he never did."

"Shadow, don't," I warned.

But Kelvin was nodding. "And Anna's house was nice, but it was always crowded. Here there's so much space. We could run around and not bump into things."

"Stop it, all of you!" I stood up. "This isn't our home. We have a home. We have a family."

"But Mama," Keira said in her sweet, innocent voice. "What if we could have BOTH families? What if Papa Jared and Papa Damien both lived here with us? In this big pretty house? Then everyone would be together!"

My heart broke at the hope in her voice. "Baby, it doesn't work like that."

"Why not?" Keira's eyes filled with tears. "I love Papa Jared. But if Papa Damien is our real daddy, I should love him too, right? And you're our mama. So we should all live together like other families!"

"Keira, I can't—"

"Please, Mama?" She grabbed my hand. "I'm tired of people being mad at each other. I just want everyone to be happy. Is that so bad?"

Luna stood up. "Out of the mouths of children," she said softly. "Sometimes they see solutions we adults are too stubborn to consider."

"It's impossible," I said. "Damien and Jared hate each other. They're going to fight at dawn. One of them might die."

"Then stop the fight," Luna said simply.

"How?"

"Accept the mate bond with Damien. Publicly claim him as your mate. Then Jared has no reason to fight. He'll have to back down."

"But I love Jared!" The words burst out before I could stop them.

Luna's face was sad. "Do you? Or do you love the spell that was placed on you? Real love comes from the mate bond, Georgia. Everything else is just... chemistry."

"You don't understand—"

"I understand perfectly. You feel torn between two men. But only one of them is your true mate. Only one of them shares blood with your children. Only one of them can give you the life you deserve." Luna moved toward the door. "Think about what Keira said. Think about your children's happiness. And ask yourself: are you refusing Damien because you truly don't want him? Or because you're afraid of admitting Jared was a mistake?"

She left before I could answer.

The children finished eating in silence. Then Keira crawled into bed with me.

"Mama, I meant what I said. I want us all to be together. Is that really so impossible?"

I kissed her face. "I don't know, baby. I just don't know."

She fell asleep in my arms. So did the boys, curled up on either side of me. I stayed awake, looking at the ceiling, Luna's words echoing in my head.

Was my love for Jared real? Or was it just a spell?

And if it was a spell... what did I really feel?

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, someone was shaking me awake. I opened my eyes to find Damien standing over my bed.

"Get up," he said quickly. "We have a problem."

"What? What's wrong?"

"It's Jared. He didn't wait for dawn." Damien's face was grim. "He's stormed the castle with his entire pack. They're fighting my guards right now. People are dying, Georgia."

I jumped up, my heart racing. "No! You have to stop them!"

"I can't stop what's already started. But you can." He grabbed my shoulders. "Come with me. Claim me as your mate in front of both our people. It's the only way to end this without more bloodshed."

"I can't just—"

"Mama?" Keira sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What's all that noise?"

That's when I heard it. Shouting. Screaming. The clash of guns. The fight was getting closer.

"Please, Georgia," Damien said. "I'm begging you. If you ever cared about Jared at all, save his life. Accept me now, and I'll call off my guards. I'll let him and his pack leave safely."

I looked at my children, scared and confused. Then toward the door, where people were dying because of me.

"What do I have to do?" I whispered.

Damien pulled out a silver knife. "Blood bond. It's permanent. Unbreakable. You'll be mine forever, and I'll be yours. No spell can touch it. No magic can undo it."

My hand shook as I reached for the knife. But before I could take it, the door burst inward.

Jared stood there, covered in blood—both his and others'. His eyes were wild with rage and pain.

"Don't do it, Georgia," he growled. "That bond will kill everything you are. You'll become his puppet. His slave."

"That's a lie!" Damien growled.

"Is it?" Jared stepped forward. "Then why didn't you tell her about the side effects? About how a blood bond with a Lycan King erases your own will? How you'll think only what he wants you to think? Feel only what he wants you to feel?"

I looked at Damien. "Is that true?"

His silence was answer enough.

"I was going to tell you," he said eventually. "After. When you understood—"

"Understood what? That you're no better than the person who spelled me five years ago?" I backed away from both of them. "You're both liars! Both trying to control me!"

"Georgia, please—" they said in unison.

"NO!" I grabbed my children and ran for the broken door. I didn't know where I was going. I just knew I had to get away from both of them.

But as I ran down the hallway, a figure stepped out of the darkness. A woman with my face. My body. My voice.

Except her eyes were solid black.

"Hello, Georgia," Serefina said, wearing my skin like a mask. "Surprised to see me? You should be. Because I've been you for the past three hours. And I've already made a deal with the First Evil that's going to destroy everything you love."

She smiled with my mouth.

"Starting with your precious children."