Shattered Bonds: A Second Chance Mate - Chapter 54: Chapter 54

The hallway leading to the old estate library stretched like a tunnel through time—dusty, silent, and thick with memories that didn’t belong to me. My footsteps echoed off the stone floors as I ran, guided by instinct, desperation, and the lingering whisper in my mind.
'Find my old book about potion and herbs.'
Anastasia.
It was her voice, faint and fading, had pierced through the fog of panic just moments ago—reaching me not from beyond the grave, but from a space deeper, more intimate.
A piece of her soul that left behind.
Francesco needed help. Not just any help—magic from the old world, from the one who had once been mated to the Alpha now fighting for his life upstairs.
I pushed open the massive oak doors of the library with both hands. They groaned in protest, revealing a room untouched by modern time. Moonlight spilled in through tall, arched windows, illuminating the dust motes that danced in the air like tiny stars.
Books lined every wall, some stacked to the ceiling, others scattered on ancient tables, open mid-thought as though someone had walked away a hundred years ago and never returned. Shelves creaked under the weight of forgotten knowledge—tomes of werewolf lineage, Lycan history, rituals of the moon, forbidden alchemy.
My heart pounded.
I had no idea what I was looking for.
But something would lead me. Had to lead me.
I walked through the aisles, fingertips brushing spines cracked with age. Nothing felt right—until I reached a darkened corner near the back of the library. A tapestry hung across the wall, tattered and faded. I moved it aside—and there, tucked into a shallow alcove, was a shelf built into the stone itself. Covered in a thin veil of cobwebs, and a layer of time.
One book stood out. Black leather cover. No title. No markings. But the moment I touched it, a jolt ran up my arm—warm, thrumming with energy.
I pulled it free, heart racing.
Inside, delicate script flowed across yellowed pages—notes scribbled in haste, careful diagrams of roots, powders, runes. And there, on the fourth page in, a sketch of the same silver-capped syringe that had nearly killed Francesco.
Beneath it: “Antara Venom. Dark poison of corrupted bonds.”
I clutched the book tighter.
This was it?
This was what Luca had used. And this might be the only way to save Francesco.
But the antidote…
It wasn’t easy...
The ingredients were rare, dangerous even.
Wolfsbane flower in its purest form.
Blood root soaked in moonlight.
Phoenix ash—Good God, how was I supposed to find that?
And one final ingredient, scrawled with a trembling hand:
“The essence of the one who bears the new bond.”
Is that… Me.?
I swallowed hard.
A sound startled me—soft footsteps behind.
I turned swiftly, heart jumping into my throat, but it was beta Alfonso, his massive frame backlit by the hall’s torches.
“You shouldn’t be alone,” he said gruffly.
“I had to find this,” I replied, holding up the book. “I think it’s Anastasia’s. She… told me.”
The beta stepped closer, frowning at the cover. “That book hasn’t been touched in decades. Only she knew it existed.”
“I think… she left it for me.”
He studied me for a moment, then nodded. “If it can help him, you’ll have the full support of the pack.”
I am glad he trust me without thinking I am useless and just wasting my time “We’ll need to gather the ingredients. Some of them are—dangerous. And rare.”
He nodded again “I’ll alert the scouts. The healer. Whoever we need. But you…” His voice lowered. “You’ll stay safe. He wouldn’t forgive me if something happened to you.”
I give him a small smile before nodded my head. “I’m not staying behind, Alfonso. I won’t leave him.”
He didn’t argue because he know how stubborn I am.
Over the next two days, the estate became a whirlwind of movement.
The healers continued trying to stabilize Francesco, but the black veins kept spreading slowly—dark vines snaking across his chest and neck, pulsing with sick magic.
Mother Lira, who is the healer who know magic, quite surprise when she saw the book in my hand, she never saw anything like that or know it’s exist.
I guess, Anastasia truly try to act like human when she’s here, no one know anything about her power, I thought and try to keep focus.
Each night, I stayed by his side, reading Anastasia’s book, memorizing every step of the potion that could save him.
This is new for mee, I never knew something like this exist either and scare of I do something bad that could harm my mate.
No, I know Anastasia will lead me, I keep trying to positive.
Help me, Anastasia…
The wolfsbane was secured first—fresh, harvested under the full moon, as the book required.
Blood root proved harder. Only one grove in Northern Italy grew it under the right conditions. A scout team left immediately to retrieve it.
Phoenix ash… That was nearly impossible.
According to Anastasia’s notes, it could only be obtained from an eternal flame in the ruins of Castello del Fuoco—an abandoned stronghold once ruled by a council of magical creatures before it was destroyed in a power struggle.
Only fire-bonded beings could survive the ruins.
Audrey volunteered to lead the mission.
“I’ll get the ash,” she told me before leaving. “Stay alive until I’m back. Both of you.”
She winked, but her eyes were serious.
And then, there was the final ingredient.
Me… Or I hope I was right.
“The essence of the one who bears the new bond,” I whispered one night, sitting at Francesco’s side, our hands entwined despite the pain coursing through him.
“I think she means blood, right?” I continued softly. “My blood. But not just that. Something deeper. A commitment. A choice.”
My God, what if I made mistake?
Please guide and help me, God!
I watch how his eyelids fluttered, but he didn’t wake.
I brushed a kiss against his forehead.
“I choose you, Francesco,” I whispered into the silence. “Even if fate brought us together through pain and loss. I choose to love you. I choose to fight for you. Every time.”
And then, something incredible happened.
A golden shimmer—faint, barely visible—began to glow around our joined hands. It was warm. Pure. And as it pulsed softly between us, Francesco stirred.
What….
Is that my power? I thought shockingly and hope that with this hand I could save my mate.
Then, his eyes opened slowly. Bleary. Pain-filled.
The he turn his eyes to meet mine.
“El…”
I choked on a sob. “I’m here. I never left.”
His thumb moved weakly over my hand. “The dreams… I kept seeing you. Your voice… it kept me tethered.”
I leaned down, tears spilling onto his chest. “You’re coming back to me. Just hold on a little longer, my love.”
He smiled faintly. “Always beautiful… even when you cry.” And then he drifted off again, his breathing slow and shallow.
I cupped his cheek, feeling the heat of the fever still burning through him.
This has to work.
I will save you, Francesco.