Chapter 91: A New Path
LUCIAN’S P.O.V.
The weight of Mai in my arms was almost too much to bear. Her tiny frame pressed against my chest, her blank silver eyes a constant reminder of my failure. Ares, snarled in the back of my mind. He didn’t trust anyone near her. Not Adrian, not Elizabeth, not even me. While on the other hand, Raivo was still suspiciously silent.
The witches grand hall was suffocating with silence as Elizabeth finished the binding ritual. Her hands glowed faintly as she worked, her voice a steady hum of ancient incantations. A thick, heady scent of herbs and ash filled the air, mingling with the faint metallic tang of my own dread.
Finally, she stood, wiping sweat from her brow, and looked at Adrian and me. "It’s done," she said softly. "Her wolf is bound, her scent masked. To the world, she’s human now."
Adrian’s gaze didn’t waver, it was cool and calculating. "What’s next, Elizabeth?" he asked, his voice smooth and deliberate, as if we weren’t discussing the fate of my child.
Elizabeth hesitated. "She needs to disappear completely. For her safety, no ties can remain. Not to her father, not to her mother, not to you, Master Adrian. You know what must be done. A human family—one far away from here—is her best chance. I can find someone trustworthy if you—"
"No," the word tore from me before she could finish, raw and filled with unspoken pain. Ares’ growl erupted from my chest, shaking the air around us.
Elizabeth took a startled step back, her hands raised defensively. "Alpha Lucian, what—?"
"You’re not touching her," I said, my voice low and trembling with barely restrained fury.