Shattered Bonds: A Second Chance Mate - Chapter 77: Chapter 77

Still in Francesco point of view:
The first rays of morning spilled through the windows, casting golden light over the chamber floor, but none of it touched the darkness that still lingered in my chest.
Ellaine hadn’t stirred all night.
I hadn’t moved from my place beside her.
The fire in the hearth had long died down, leaving only embers and a room chilled by silence. My tunic was damp with sweat—hers and mine—and my arms ached from holding her so long, but I didn’t care. Her hand remained in mine, fingers pale, unmoving, the pulse beneath them fragile but steady.
"She's stable," Monica had whispered hours ago, before slipping out with Lira. “But she’ll need time, Alpha.”
Time...
I could give her that.
I could give her all the time in the world, if only she’d open her eyes.
I sat there, my thumb brushing faint circles against her knuckles, studying the curve of her lips, the tremble of her breath. The scent of magic still clung to her skin—faint, bitter—and I hated it. Hated that she’d touched something so dangerous. Hated that she hadn’t told me. Hated that I hadn’t seen it coming.
Was it because I had been too busy lately? Had she felt alone?
A soft knock came at the door.
"Enter," I said, barely above a whisper.
Audrey stepped in. Her hair was pulled back into a tight braid, but her eyes were shadowed with fatigue. She carried a tray—tea, soup, bread—untouched from the night before.
“I thought you might need something warm, Alpha.” she offered.
I shook my head. "Later."
She hesitated. “Healer Lira wants to see you when you're ready. She’s still trying to identify the spell components. She thinks there might’ve been bloodroot and marrowstone in the mix, Alpha.”
I flinched.
Bloodroot was toxic in large doses. Marrowstone—sacred and forbidden—hadn’t been seen in spellwork since the old wars.
"How she got that," I murmured. “Is it someone gave it to her. Or left it for her to find?”
Audrey nodded. “That’s what Lira fears too. She’s tracing the magical residue now. But Alpha…” She paused. “If someone wanted her to use it—”
“They almost succeeded in killing her.”
I didn’t look at Audrey. Couldn’t. The thought made my wolf rise in fury, pacing beneath my skin.
"She’ll wake soon," Audrey said gently. "I can feel it. Just… don’t be angry when she does, Alpha."
That caught my attention. I looked at her sharply.
She gave a faint smile. “She’s going to blame herself. You know she will.”
I did...
And that was what terrified me most.
When Audrey left, I sat back against the pillows and pulled Ellaine closer, pressing a kiss to her temple. Her skin was warmer now. The trembling had eased.
But gods, the silence between us still screamed.
"Why didn’t you tell me?" I whispered. "Why didn’t you wait for me before do something dangerous?"
Her eyelids fluttered.
A spark of hope ignited in my chest.
“Ellaine?” I straightened.
She stirred faintly, her head rolling toward the sound of my voice.
“Amore, I’m here. You’re safe.”
Another twitch. Her lips parted with a low, hoarse breath. “F-Fran…”
The sound of my name—broken, breathless—was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard.
“I’m here, Amore mio.” I said again, brushing my hand gently along her cheek. “You’re alright. You’re with me.”
Her eyes opened slowly, the silver-blue of them dulled with exhaustion but filled with quiet recognition.
And shame.
She tried to sit up. I stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
“No,” I said gently. “Don’t move yet. You’re still healing.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I didn’t want anyone to worry. I thought—”
“Stop.” My voice was rougher than I intended. I softened. “You don’t have to explain. Not yet.”
“But I do,” she whispered, tears welling up. “You don’t understand, Francesco. I—”
“No, you don’t understand,” I cut in, cupping her face. “I thought I lost you. I searched every inch of this estate, tore it apart looking for you, only to find you cold and shaking on the floor of that cursed library. You nearly died, Ellaine. That’s not something you just apologize for.”
Her lip trembled. She looked away.
I rested my forehead against hers, exhaling shakily.
"But you're alive," I murmured. “And that’s all that matters now.”
We stayed like that for a long time.
The quiet between us wasn’t painful anymore.
It was healing.
“Francesco…” she whispered, voice hoarse.
“I’m here,” I said, brushing her hair back. “Don’t talk too much. You need rest.”
But she shook her head slowly, her fingers curling weakly into my shirt. “You need to know.”
She didn’t wait for permission. Her voice was barely more than breath, but I listened like it was prophecy.
“I made it,” she said. “The potion...”
Everything inside me stilled.
“What?”
She swallowed, her throat working. “I… I found the instructions in Anastasia’s diary. It wasn’t just personal thoughts—she recorded spells, potions, cloaking enchantments. Warnings.”
I stared at her, torn between disbelief and something far more dangerous—fear.
“So, you made something you found there?” I echoed in disbelief.
Her eyes welled. “I had to try, Francesco. I had to know how Luca could move between territories—how he could be everywhere and no one could track him. I found the answer in her notes. It was right there. A potion that erases not just scent, but magical presence… even bond recognition.”
My pulse spiked. “You were trying to mimic Luca’s ability to disappear.”
She nodded “I was trying to understand what he took. And… maybe use it myself. Just for a moment. Just to see.”
She flinched as if expecting me to lash out.
I didn’t….
I just looked at her—really looked.
At the exhaustion. The guilt. The brilliance.
The terrifying, beautiful truth that Ellaine wasn’t just brave. She was dangerously smart. And entirely unafraid of risking herself if it meant protecting others.
“You found this in Anastasia’s diary,” I said quietly. “All of it?”
She nodded. “She was hiding more than her pain. She had… knowledge.”
“And you used it,” I whispered. “Without telling anyone. Or me?”
Tears slipped down her temple. “I thought I could control it. That I was strong enough. But it reacted to my blood... to something in me. It fought back.”
I cupped her face again, unable to keep the edge from my voice. “You almost died, Ellaine.”
She sighed “I know.”
“And still you’d do it again?”
A pause. Then, “If it meant keeping others safe… yes.” She said stubbornly.
I closed my eyes.
She would break herself for this pack. For me.
And it terrified me.
I rested my forehead against hers and breathed out, “No more secrets.”
She nodded faintly. “No more.”