Page 31 of Wolf Chosen

Sarah senses my turmoil. She rubs my arm, her touch gentle. “I know it's hard, sweetie. But you need to keep your strength up. For Liam. He's going to need you when he wakes up.”

When. Not if. I cling to that word like a lifeline as we make our way to the room where I’d slept a lifetime ago, consumed with illness and indecision.

Inside, a tall, willowy woman stands at the foot of the bed. Her long silver hair falls in a shimmering curtain down her back, her face unlined and ageless. She could be forty or seventy, her beauty ethereal and untouched by time. Dressed in flowing purple robes, she exudes an aura of power and wisdom.

Her eyes leave me reeling. A striking, luminous gray, they pierce straight through me, laying bare every secret, every fear. I feel exposed, raw, like she can see into the very heart of me.

Mitch and Zane carefully lay Liam on the bed, his body limp and unresponsive. He's still burning with fever, shivers wracking his frame. A low, keening sound escapes my throat, my fingers itching to touch him, to smooth the furrow from his brow.

“Taylor, this is Elara. She's the witch who maintains the wards around our packlands,” Mitch says.

Recognition of the name sparks through me. Liam mentioned her, spoke of her power and importance. My hesitance is replaced with hope. If anyone can help him, surely it's her.

Elara listens intently as Mitch recounts the horror of the past few days, his voice tight and controlled. He exudes a power that forces me to listen and part of me wants to obey when his aura flows over me. It’s strange because I’ve never felt that way about anyone else before. Zane has a similar power, but although not as strong, exudes enough for me to want to listen to him too.

They’re both powerful men. Ones I’m glad to have on my side.

At the mention of Rowan's name, Elara’s head snaps up, her eyes boring into mine as she listens.

“Tell me about this Rowan,” she commands, her voice ringing with authority.

Mitch frowns, concern etching deep lines into his face. “Do you know him, Elara?”

The witch's lips thin, a shadow passing over her features. “I pray it's not the same male I'm thinking of.”

I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly dry as dust. “He was...average height. Blond hair. He would be someone I’d walk past and not see, but his magic…that was strong. He could...he could control us, make us do things against our will.”

A shudder runs through me, tears stinging my eyes. “He took Liam. Tortured him. I don't...I don't know exactly what he did, but there was so much blood...”

I choke on a sob, the memories a vicious onslaught. “He cut him. Put something inside him, some kind of magic. Liam...Liam hasn't been the same since.”

The words pour out of me in a rush, my voice rising with hysteria. “Rowan kept rambling about a chalice, the Chalice of Lunar Rites. He said he'd release us if we got it for him, but how could we? We were trapped in that cell, and he just kept hurting Liam...”

I'm shaking now, my entire body trembling like a leaf in a gale. Aria wraps an arm around my shoulders, murmuring soothing nonsense as I fight for composure.

“He said...he said I would turn my mate feral, but that doesn't make sense. Liam isn't feral, he's just hurt. He needs help, please...”

I dissolve into tears, great hiccupping sobs that make my chest ache. I cling to Aria, my whole body shaking. The room is deathly silent, the tension so thick it's suffocating. I feel the weight of their stares, the unease that ripples through the air.

Elara's face is carefully blank, but there's a tightness around her eyes, a set to her jaw that speaks of barely restrained emotion. She knows something, something that terrifies her.

Chapter Sixteen

Taylor

“Elara,” I rasp, my voice little more than a broken whisper. “Do you...do you know who Rowan is? What he’s done to Liam?”

The witch closes her eyes and a shuddering breath escapes her lips. When she opens them again, they're filled with a sorrow so deep, it makes my heart throb.

“I pray that I'm wrong,” she says softly, each word heavy with dread. “But if this is the Rowan I remember, the Rowan I've heard whispers of in my coven through the years...”

“You know him? You know who Rowan is?” I ask.

She nods. Elara's face is a mask of grim determination as she speaks. “Centuries ago. There was a shifter named Rowan. He was a member of the Longtooth pack—our pack. It was a different time and place than it is today. Legend has it that Rowan fell in love with a human woman called Eliza. She was his fated mate, and their bond was strong and true, but the Alpha at the time, Elias, didn’t allow cross species unions even when they can be nothing more than Goddess blessed.”

Mitch scoffs, shaking his head in disbelief. Sarah moves to his side, her hand resting on his arm in a gesture of comfort.

Zane's jaw tightens, his arm tightening around Aria's waist. “Human female mates are anything but a weakness. With Aria I’m stronger than I’ve ever been,” he growls, his eyes flashing.

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