Chapter 63
Lisa’s POV
The pendant felt heavy against my chest as Rylan and I rode silently through the woods. The forest was quiet. The leaves were whispering above us as if they knew something was about to change.
We reached the seer’s cottage just after midday. It stood hidden between two large oaks, almost as if the forest had grown around it to protect it. Vines crawled up its wooden walls, and wind chimes of bones and crystals clinked gently in the breeze. A soft hum of magic lingered in the air.
Rylan knocked on the crooked door.
Moments later, the door creaked open, revealing the seer. “Alpha Rylan,” she said with a slight bow of her head. “And Lisa. I have been expecting you. Come in.”
Her voice was calm, almost musical, but something about it sent shivers down my spine.
We stepped into the cottage. The air inside was warm and thick with herbs and smoke. The walls were
lined with shelves overflowing with bottles, dried plants, feathers, and bones. Candles flickered in every
corner, casting strange shadows.
“Sit,” she said while motioning toward a low table in the center of the room. There were deep green
cushions on the floor.
We sat. I clutched the pendant tightly in my palm.
Rylan spoke first. “We went to see Lisa’s adoptive parents. We didn’t get much from them. But… her
mother passed along this pendant. It has a picture inside.”
He reached over and handed the pendant to the seer.
“Althea left it with Lisa when she was just a baby,” Rylan continued. “We’re hoping you can use it. Maybe in
a ritual. Anything you can find out about her or her past… it would mean everything.”
The seer took the locket in her wrinkled hands. She studied it carefully, then looked up.
“This photograph is old. And the magic that binds memory to objects fades with time. But… if I use Lisa’s blood, I may be able to find something.”
“My blood?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
She nodded. “Blood remembers. Althea shared her blood with you. That connection still exists. Even death cannot sever it completely.”
Sierra stirred inside me. Do it. This may be our only chance.
I took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
The seer stood slowly and began gathering materials. She pulled powders from wooden boxes, herbs from bundles tied to the beams, and placed a black bowl in front of me. She dropped the photograph into it.
Then she handed me a small silver blade.
‘Just a drop,” she said softly.
I pressed the blade to my fingertip. Pain flared briefly, then a bead of blood swelled. I let it fall onto the photograph.
She added the powders next. One was deep violet. Another shimmered like crushed moonstone. She sprinkled them carefully, then reached for a long feather and began drawing a circle around the bowl in
ash.
Then, she began to chant.
The words were in a language I didn’t know. They were soft and ancient. The air around us grew heavy. The candle flames bent sideways, as if pulled by an invisible force. The pendant in the bowl glowed faintly.
She placed her hand over mine and held it gently.
“Close your eyes, Lisa,” she whispered. “Let the blood guide you. Let the bond open the path.”
I obeyed.
My world faded into black.
But then, there was light.
I saw a room. It was small, stone-walled and filled with soft light. There was a cradle in the corner.
A woman stood in the center. She was holding a baby. I recognized her instantly.
Althea.
Tears burned behind my closed eyes.
A man was with her. He had blonde hair and striking blue eyes. He stood close, looking worried but calm.
Althea turned to him.
“I’m scared, Aaron,” she whispered. “I’m scared he’ll find her. That he’ll hurt her.”
The man, Aaron, put his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t worry, darling. I will do my best to protect you both
with my life. As long as I am alive, you don’t need to be afraid.”
Althea rested her forehead against his chest. “I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here.”
Aaron looked into her eyes. “We can’t live like this, Althea. Always hiding. Always afraid. We need to find a way to get rid of him. For good.”
Althea shook her head. “He’s too powerful. How can we defeat him? It was all my fault. I was so stupid. I believed him. His false promises… I was so naive.”
Aaron lifted her chin. “He’s a master manipulator. You were deceived. Anyone would have been. You didn’t know who he truly was. You never would have accepted him if you had.”
He reached into his coat. “I almost forgot. I had something made for you. Remember the locket I promised? It’s ready. I just picked it up.”
He handed it to her. It was the same one Kael gave me.
Althea opened it. Inside was the same picture. Her smile lit up her face.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
She kissed him softly.
The vision began to blur. The light faded.
Blackness surrounded me.
And then….
“Lisa. Lisa. Come back.”
The seer’s voice pulled me up. I opened my eyes. The room swam for a moment before it cleared.
She was staring at me. Her eyes were sharp.
“What did you see?”
I touched the locket in my lap.
“I saw her. My mother. She was holding me.”
Rylan leaned in. “And your father? Did you see him?”
I nodded slowly. “Yes. His name is Aaron. I saw him. He gave her this locket. He promised to protect us.”
Rylan and the seer exchanged a glance.
“We finally have a name,” Rylan said.
My heart pounded. My head spun.
I finally saw my father.
Rylan placed his hand gently over mine. “We finally have a name for your father,” he murmured. “This changes everything.”
I stared down at the locket, still cradled in my palm. My heart was thudding. My throat felt tight.
“Aaron,” I whispered again, the name tasting strange and powerful on my tongue.
