Shattered Bonds: A Second Chance Mate - Chapter 76: Chapter 76

Francesco point of view:
Quickly I carried her all the way to our chamber until I felt the silk of our shared bedding under her back.
The candles flickered wildly in their sconces as I laid her down with trembling hands. Her skin was too pale, her breath too shallow, and that smell—that damn smell of old magic still lingered in the air like a curse.
I couldn’t waste a second more.
"Monica!" I roared, slamming the door open so hard it bounced against the wall. One of the guards outside flinched. "Get Monica now! The Luna needs her!"
The entire estate erupted into motion. Footsteps thundered through the corridors as servants hurried in all directions, and warriors snapped to high alert, expressions hardening the moment they realized the missing Luna had been found—injured.
Shock rippled through every corner of the estate.
I rushed back to Ellaine’s side and gently gathered her into my arms once more, cradling her head to my chest as though my heartbeat alone could anchor her. Her skin was clammy, her breathing shallow. I brushed damp strands of hair from her face, whispering her name like a prayer.
She moaned weakly, her body twitching against me—a fragile leaf caught in a storm.
"Come on, amore... stay with me."
Within minutes, Monica burst through the door, her long coat still wet from the rain, her medical satchel in hand.
"What happened, Alpha?" she gasped, rushing to Ellaine’s side.
"I don’t know!" My voice cracked. "She just... collapsed. One moment she was standing, the next..."
Monica was already checking Ellaine’s pulse, her eyes narrowing in concern. She touched Ellaine’s temple, felt her throat, then leaned close to listen to her breathing. Her brow furrowed.
"Her heartbeat is weak, and she's not responding to any physical prompts. Did she eat anything? Was she injured, Alpha?"
"No," I rasped. "But there was a... a vial. On the table in the library. A potion, maybe. Gods, Monica, I don’t know!"
Before Monica could answer, Ellaine suddenly jerked.
Her whole body spasmed violently.
We both jumped. I gripped her tighter, trying to stop her from hurting herself. Her limbs flailed, her back arching unnaturally. The bed creaked beneath her.
"She’s seizing!" Monica cried. "She’s burning from the inside out. Something is tearing through her system."
Panic exploded in my chest. "Help her!"
The door burst open again.
Audrey.
Behind her, a tall, cloaked figure stepped in—one of the oldest wolves in our pack, the only one we trusted with ancient healing and magic. Head Healer Lira.
"Excuse me, Alpha." she said, voice sharp, eyes like lightning. She took one look at Ellaine and turned to Audrey. "Tell me exactly what happened."
Audrey was breathless. "She was in the library. We thought she was missing—we couldn't feel her through the bond. Alpha searched the entire perimeter and found nothing. But when he returned to his office, he heard movement next door—in the library. He ran in and found her there, unconscious, surrounded by spellbooks. Pages were everywhere."
Lira's eyes darkened.
"Did she drink something? A potion maybe, Alpha?"
Her question struck me like a blade.
I froze.
My mind scrambled back to the glinting vial on the table. To the scentless air. To the shock in Ellaine's eyes before she collapsed.
"I... I don’t know," I whispered.
Shit, Ellaine what did you done?!
Lira swore. "Shit. We need to act now. If she took anything—any potion—we have to flush it out of her stomach before it takes permanent hold. Audrey, get pure milk. As much as you can. And hot water."
Audrey was already running.
"Boil cloths. Bring a cleansing basin. We need to neutralize the magic." Monica nodded before run out to prepare it.
Ellaine jerked again, more violently this time. A strangled cry escaped her lips even in her unconscious state.
Monica walks back with everything and grabbed my shoulder. "We need to hold her down! Alpha, I need your strength. Lira, we can start the healing chant—now!"
I climbed onto the bed, pinning Ellaine gently but firmly. My hands wrapped around her wrists as her whole frame trembled beneath me. I could feel the heat radiating off her skin—unnatural, fevered. Her veins were glowing faintly with silver.
Magic.
Unstable magic.
Lira began to chant, her voice low and guttural, speaking in a tongue older than anything I remembered. Runes shimmered around her fingers. She pressed one hand to Ellaine’s abdomen and winced.
"She’s fighting it. Her wolf is trying to resist whatever she drank. But the human body wasn’t built for this kind of enchantment. If we don’t drain it soon..."
She didn’t finish.
Audrey rushed in with two large jugs of milk, her eyes wide with fear. Monica took them instantly, pouring one into a wooden bowl and preparing a long, thin siphon tube.
"We’re going to induce vomiting. It’s not pretty, but it’s the only way. Alpha, hold her steady."
I did.
Even as she convulsed, even as she groaned through clenched teeth, I held her.
"I’m here, amore mio." I whispered, tears pricking my eyes. "I’m right here. Just breathe, amore... just stay."
Monica inserted the tube gently, carefully, murmuring reassurances even though Ellaine couldn’t hear them. The milk followed, forced through by a subtle spell from Lira, and moments later, Ellaine choked.
Her body heaved.
Violent. Ugly. Her lips parted as thick, dark liquid spilled from her mouth into the basin. Not blood. Not food.
But magic.
It shimmered.
Black and silver and violet.
My stomach turned.
She was trying to hide something. Or find something. Or both.
What the hell did she take?
Ellaine collapsed back against the pillows, her body shivering, drenched in sweat. Monica pressed a damp cloth to her forehead, checking her vitals again. Lira poured salt around the bed in a loose circle and added crushed lavender.
"The worst is over," Lira said quietly. "But she’s not safe yet, Alpha."
I reached for Ellaine’s hand and held it to my lips.
"What did you do, little one? What were you trying to protect us from?"
No one answered.
No one could.
Lira straightened, her face unreadable but her eyes stormy. “She has magic in her blood. Old magic. Inherited, not taught. Whatever she drank—it wasn’t ordinary. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Audrey gasped softly. “What did she do?”
Lira shook her head, a grim shadow passing over her features. “I’m not sure. The energy around her... it's fragmented, unstable. It resembles a cloaking spell, but far more complex. Crude in its construction, yet dangerously powerful.”
My heart slammed against my ribs.
"Did it work?" I asked hoarsely.
Lira looked down at Ellaine, still trembling faintly in my arms, her skin damp with sweat, her aura flickering like a dying flame.
“Yes. It did. Too well,” she said. “Her body fought back. But if it had lasted even minutes longer... it might have unraveled her soul.”
A sharp breath left my lungs.
The rage came first. Hot, blinding. Then the guilt—heavier than anything I’d ever carried.
“No more secrets,” I whispered, my voice low and shaking. “Not between us. Never again.”
Ellaine stirred in my arms, her lips parting as a weak sound escaped. No words, just a breath—a struggle to return.
I bent closer, cradling her as gently as I could, brushing her hair away from her face.
“I’m here,” I whispered. “You’re safe now, amore mio. I promise.”