Chapter 225 AURORA Anything useful ? Dane whispered low so as not to disturb the silence in the room .


    I scanned the next page , and the words blurred for only a second or two before snapping into ce .


    Its more personal than I expected , I said .


    He speaks about the choices made as a first alpha , in respect to the weight he held for the security of his pack .


    Theres much remorse in this .


    Dane nted his head , brow furrowing .


    Remorse over what ? About the grove , I said , flipping to another entry .


    About how he underestimated its power and the curse that came with it .


    .


    We read on in silence for a while , the dancing firelight casting long darkness around the room .


    Then my eyes fell to one particr entry , and my breath caught .


    The grove holds more than power , I read aloud .


    It holds a key .


    Dane straightened , his attention sharpening .


    A key to what ? Chapter 225 2/7 I dont know , I said , tracing the words with my finger .


    Maybe it had smudged most of the ink , but this sentence seemed to leap off the page as if it had been engraved there .


    He leaned closer , interest now etched in his voice .


    Does he exin ? I shook my head and flipped the page over .


    He writes of a chamber hidden beneath its roots .


    He was certain it housed something … something he called the source of life .


    Dane furrowed his brow .


    The source of life ? Of whom ? Of us , I whispered .


    There , it hung in the air between us , unsaid , yet palpable .


    That something so key could be buried here in this grove sent a chill down my spine .


    Did he find it ? he asked .


    I shook my head from side to side .


    No.


    He tried but couldnt reach .


    He left it unfinished .


    Dane leaned back in his chair , his eyes thoughtful .


    Do we pursue this ? I moved , weighing the decision on my shoulders .


    We have sacrificed enough , I said .


    The pack requires stability now , not another mystery .


    !! Dane nodded slightly .


    Agreed .


    I think we can do with some Chapter 225 peace .


    The subject was changed then , and I felt some of that tension ease just a little bit .


    3/7 As much as the journal made me curious , I wasnt blind to the exhaustion still residual from all theyd been through .


    After that , the rest of the night was pretty low key .


    Dane and I closed the journal , tucked it away , promising ourselves wed revisit it at some time when that felt right to do so ..


    Morning came the following morning with all the noise of the packhouse .


    Pups ran along the corridors , their shrill giggles echoing around ; wolves worked together as they prepared breakfast , the sound of roasted meat wafting across the house .


    I found Piper in the kitchen , her hands stained with flour as she tried to teach Warrick to cook .


    This is a disaster , he muttered , stirring a pot that smelled distinctly burnt .


    Youre the one who wanted to impress everyone , Piper teased , nudging him with her elbow .


    I didnt think it would involve smoke , he shot back , waving a towel in the air .


    Teasing , their teasing put a smile on my face .


    Amidst Chapter 225 4/7 destruction , something about his manner was lighter , freer than I had seen before .


    Later that afternoon , I saw Trajan sitting with Joclyn at the edge of the grove .


    She had a bunch of herbs in herp , her fingers .


    working nimbly as she exined their purposes .


    These are for burns , she said , handing him a sprig of something green and fragrant .


    And this one is for cuts and infections .


    Trajan listened intently , his usual guarded expression softening .


    It was rare to see him this rxed , this open .


    Youre a quick learner , Joclyn remarked , a small smile tugging at her lips .


    He shrugged .


    Ive had to be .


    Slow , unspoken but it was a bond .


    There were just things that were there between them , the quiet understanding grown out of time and respect .


    Night had finally fallen , and the packhouse had quieted down once again .


    I was on a couch in the main room of it , the journal lying across myp , firelight dancing gently over its worn leather cover .


    For a moment , my fingers steeled to reopen it , peering deeper into Kaels secrets .


    But the weight of the day pulled at me , and I set it aside carefully on a nearby shelf .


    Chapter 225 Another time , I whispered .


    5/7 I stood up to leave , my broken pendant fragmentsy on a table .


    nearby , and in a flush of sun they red into light a low hum of light , pulsing for a time , until , as it started , it was suddenly gone .


    Of course , I saw nothing at all .


    It was one of those silences that burrow into the marrow of bones .


    I extended my arms up over my head , weighted with exhaustion , like some heavy cloak had been tossed over me .


    It was predictably long and what I needed was some hours of sleep uninterrupted .


    The murmur , at my reaching and would have turned to leave the room , was against my ears , soft enough I must have imagined it .


    I froze , eyes running across the shelf on which Iid the journal ; ity still within the worn leather , fire dancing across it .


    Just tired , I said irritably , head shaking .


    Still , I did nothing more .


    There was something to that whisper ; it did feel like no trick of the mind .


    It felt real .


    I walked over to the table with the fragments of the pendant , still fresh in my head that slight radiance .


    I bent closer to the pieces and took a close look at them .


    They Chapter 225 6/7 were dulled now lifeless but something about that shing light nagged at me .


    What had made it do that ? For days , the pendant hadin in pieces , its energy low .


    For that instant , it was alive , as if a heart were beating .


    My hand hovered over the pieces , and my hesitation nipped at the edges of my mind .


    Just pick it up , I muttered .


    In an instant , the moment my fingers came into contact with thergest fragment , a sudden , sharp jolt shot down my arm .


    I gasped , wincing as the pieces scattered onto the floor .


    I was staring at it now , glowing faintly once more , its light soft but insistent , and my heart was racing .


    What … I whispered , not finishing .


    The light diffused , creeping along the floor as if liquid , then turning into forms I couldnt quite make out .


    Circles .


    Lines .


    Symbols .


    My chest constricted as the patterns finally coalesced into something I could almost recognize runes , just like those chiseled into the groves heart .


    It disappeared just that quickly .


    Only the broken pieces of the pendant stood on the floor .


    The room was chill now the warmth of the fire didnt seem to reach even my side of the room .


    Chapter 225 What was that ? I whispered , backpedaling .


    My instinctive reaction was to call Dane , to warn him about what Id seen .


    But there was something that whispered , Not yet .