Chapter 177: The Bond Awakens

Azura’s POV

Genevieve stood entirely frozen at the side of the bed, her trembling hand pressed flat against her chest as if she were manually trying to hold her own heart inside her ribs.

Heavy, silent tears filled her bright blue eyes, spilling over her thick lashes and tracking wet paths down her pale cheeks.

Her shoulders shook with a sudden, violent sob that she desperately tried to swallow down.

For a long, agonizing moment, she did not take a single step or make a single sound.

She just stood there in the center of the quiet stone bedroom, staring down at me with a profound, aching intensity, as if she were looking directly at a ghost, someone precious she had loved and completely lost a lifetime ago.

Then, her stiff legs finally moved, and she walked slowly around the edge of the mattress.

She moved with extreme care, her soft footsteps barely making a sound against the cold stone floor, as if she were terrified that moving too fast might shatter the illusion and cause me to completely vanish into thin air.

She came right to my side of the bed and crouched down, bringing her face level with mine.

Before I could even draw in a breath, her strong arms wrapped firmly around my narrow shoulders, and she pulled me tightly against her chest, enveloping me in her familiar, comforting warmth.

"My baby," Genevieve choked out, her voice completely breaking with an agonizing amount of guilt.

"Oh, my sweet baby. I am so incredibly sorry. I am so, so sorry."

I rested my chin on her shoulder, feeling the hot, heavy stream of her tears soaking through the thin fabric of my green dress.

A profound wave of emotion washed over my own chest, loosening the tight knot of anger I had carried for years.

"It is not your fault," I whispered into the dark hollow of her neck. "It was never your fault, Genevieve."

At my words, she let out a ragged breath and held me even tighter, burying her face into my hair.

I did not try to pull away or break the embrace.

I simply let myself collapse into her hold, wrapping my own arms around her neck and squeezing back.

I needed this touch just as badly as she did.

I needed to know that I had not been completely invisible, that someone had actually fought for me when I was too small to fight for myself.

After a long time, she slowly pulled back, though her large hands stayed anchored firmly on my shoulders as if she were anchoring us both to reality.

Her brilliant blue eyes, still swimming with fresh tears, searched every single line of my face, memorizing my features.

"Even without your memories..." I murmured, a small, fragile smile touching my lips as I looked back at her. "You still acted like a true mother to me from the moment we crossed paths again."

"Even without consciously knowing a single thing about what happened to us in that forest... your spirit still did exactly what the brave Genevieve who saved me from that rushing stream would do."

I felt the familiar prickle of hot tears finally stinging my own eyes, blurring my vision.

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice cracking into a bare murmur. "Thank you for coming back into my life again when I needed it most."

Genevieve’s face softened completely, and a breathtaking smile broke through her grief.

The heavy tears were still wet on her flushed cheeks, but her eyes were filled with a pure, unadulterated joy.

"My baby," she repeated fiercely, her voice thick with maternal love as she immediately wrapped her arms around me again, pulling me into another deep, protective hug.

She held me so close that I could hear the rapid, rhythmic thumping of her heart against my ear, and I held her back with every single ounce of strength I had left in my body.

When our breathing finally steadied, and we reluctantly pulled apart, I shifted my weight on the mattress and looked over at Liona.

She was sitting quietly on the very edge of the bed, her hands laced tightly together in her lap, and her head tilted slightly to the side.

Her sharp eyes had been darting back and forth between Genevieve and me, tracking our emotional breakdown with a look of profound bewilderment.

Her forehead was deeply creased, and her lips were parted as if she wanted to speak but didn’t know where to begin.

It was completely obvious from the stark confusion on her face that she had understood random pieces of our cryptic conversation, but she was entirely missing the grand picture.

A small, genuine smile curved my lips at her expression.

"You are still completely confused, aren’t you?"

Liona snapped out of her daze and nodded her head up and down in rapid succession.

"I promise I will explain every single thing to you later," I said softly, reaching out to pat her knee reassuringly.

"I will, I swear."

Genevieve drew in a deep breath and used the back of her hands to wipe the lingering dampness from under her eyes, trying to compose herself as she sat on the edge of the mattress.

"Azura... please, you have to tell me. How on earth does my sister Sonita know who you are?"

I pulled my gaze away from Liona and looked back into Genevieve’s intense face, my expression turning calm and serious.

"That is... an incredibly long and painful story."

Genevieve’s eyebrows drew together, a hard frown deepening the lines on her forehead.

"Tell me anyway. I need to know the truth."

I took a deep, steadying breath to settle the frantic racing of my heart.

"Your sister Sonita and my biological mother were best friends."

Genevieve went completely rigid, her hands dropping to her lap as she processed the words.

Her frown grew even deeper, her eyes looking down at the blankets as her mind raced back through decades of hidden family history, putting together the jagged pieces of the past.

"My sister had a best friend," she stated slowly, her voice dropping into a tense, hollow rhythm.

She stopped speaking abruptly.

Her eyes suddenly went wide with total, blinding shock, and the color drained from her face in an instant.

"My sister only ever had one true best friend in her entire life," she whispered, the words barely audible as her gaze snapped violently back to my face.

She stared at my features, her lips trembling as the ultimate realization hit her like a physical blow.

"Helen... Helen is your mother?"

I offered her a gentle, knowing smile and gave a firm, single nod of my head.

Liona looked between the two of us, her voice dripping with sheer frustration.

"Who on earth is Helen?"

Both of us instinctively turned our heads to look at her for a brief second, but the weight of the revelation was simply too massive.

Neither of us answered her question.

We turned right back to each other, our eyes locking as the generational secrets of our bloodlines were finally laid bare between us.

"How did I not catch this sooner?" Genevieve whispered, shaking her head in complete disbelief as she raised a hand to her temple.

"I knew deep down in my soul that I had seen your face somewhere before. Maybe... maybe my subconscious mind was picturing you as Helen, but it didn’t align perfectly because you don’t look exactly like her."

"You have the exact opposite hair color. Your entire personality is so vastly different from hers."

She leaned in closer, studying the sharp lines of my face, her eyes lingering on the unique color of my irises.

"But why did I completely fail to see the genetic resemblance?" she murmured. "Your eyes... they are her eyes..."

"My mother was far too kind," I said, finishing the thought for her as a bitter streak of reality touched my voice.

"She was too soft-hearted for the cruel world she lived in. "I lifted my right hand and pressed my palm flat against the center of my own chest, right over my steady heartbeat.

"I am the opposite of her," I stated quietly, my voice turning hard. "When it comes to protecting my own heart, at least. I do not possess her mercy."

Genevieve stared at me for a long, quiet moment, taking in the fierce, unyielding glint in my eyes.

Then, a sudden sound escaped her throat, a small, wet, incredibly emotional laugh.

She shook her head, a mix of awe and wonder washing over her features.

"This is such an incredibly small world," she murmured, a fresh tear slipping down her cheek as she chuckled. "Such a terrifying one."

"Yes," I agreed, a genuine smile finally spreading across my face. "It really is."

Genevieve reached across the blankets and grabbed my hand again, squeezing my fingers with immense warmth.

"I always wanted to be closer to your mother, you know. I found her to be so deeply special. She was so entirely different from any other wolf or person I had ever met in my entire life. She possessed a blinding light."

"I know," I replied softly, returning the squeeze of her hand. "I managed to figure that much out from what I saw."

A sudden spark of curiosity flashed in Genevieve’s blue eyes, and she leaned forward, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper.

"Did you see my entire past, Azura? Did you see all of it while you were asleep?"

I shook my head slowly, sending my dark waves of hair brushing against my cheeks.

"No. I only saw the specific parts and memories that had to do with me and my safety. The rest of your life... I still do not know anything about it." ℴ

Genevieve gave a slow, understanding nod, looking relieved that her entire soul hadn’t been laid bare.

"What triggered the visions?" she asked, her sharp mind immediately shifting to the logistics of the magic. "What exactly made you start seeing these hidden memories after three whole days of sleeping?"

My entire body went completely still, and the warmth in my chest instantly vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp spike of adrenaline.

The ancient book.

"The book," I said, my voice turning incredibly urgent as I gripped Genevieve’s hand tighter.

My gaze snapped violently over to Liona, panic clawing at my throat.

"Where is the book, Liona? Where did it go?"

Liona remained completely calm, her expression steady and reassuring as she held my frantic gaze.

"Do not worry yourself, Azura. I have both of them completely under control. The one you found hidden in the depths of that cave... and the other one you’ve had since. I took them while you were unconscious and hid them away in a completely safe place where no one will ever find them."

I let out a massive, ragged exhale, my entire frame sagging against the pillows as a profound wave of relief washed over my mind.

Genevieve looked between the two of us, her brow furrowing in confusion once again.

"What book are you two talking about?"

I turned my head to look at her, my voice dropping into a solemn, heavy tone.

"I think that specific book was exactly what my mother wanted me to find before she died. It was her final map for me. And also, it was the one Torin said had something to do with me."

I paused, letting the weight of the realization settle into the room. "And I think I finally found it," I whispered.

A warm, deeply supportive smile spread across Genevieve’s face, and she patted my hand gently.

"Then that is incredible news, child. Now... the real reason we are all here in this castle is to finally find out exactly what you are. What kind of power is hidden inside you."

I offered her a shallow nod, but I kept my lips pressed firmly together.

I did not dare to tell her the terrifying truth, that I already knew exactly what I was.

I did not tell her that I had always known deep down, and that the horrific nightmares of the past three days had already shown me every single bloody detail of my true nature.

But they did not know yet.

They still thought I was something else.

"Yes," I lied softly, forcing a steady nod. "We are here to find that out."

Liona suddenly tilted her head toward the heavy oak door, her eyes narrowing as she listened intently to the quiet hallway outside.

"Am I the only one who is currently feeling the presence of those men standing out there?" she asked, her voice dropping into a quiet, suspicious whisper. "Right by the doorframe? Especially the King."

I froze instantly, my breathing stopping in my throat.

"They are standing way too close to the wood," Liona continued, her gaze locked tightly on the iron handles of the door. "I think they are actively eavesdropping on us."

The very moment she said the words, a bizarre, jarring sensation rippled across my skin.

I felt it then.

A heavy, undeniable presence lingering right outside the threshold.

It felt incredibly familiar, pulsing with a deep, territorial warmth that seemed to call out to me from across the room.

It was shockingly close.

My eyebrows snapped together in a deep frown.

"Yes. I feel it too."

I paused, a sudden wave of intense confusion crashing over my brain as I focused on the strange sensation.

"Why... why is he standing so close to the door?" I murmured, the question tasting strange on my tongue.

Another long, suffocating pause stretched over the room.

I pulled my hand away from Genevieve and stared down at my own palms, my heart starting to hammer against my ribs with a frantic, terrifying speed.

I focused inward, searching the deep, dark space inside my own chest, the exact place where a wolf’s spirit was supposed to live.

But my inner wolf was not there. It had never been there.

I was broken, an empty vessel without a beast to call my own.

It had never existed.

"Wait," I whispered, the word barely audible as my skin went completely pale.

The entire room went dead silent, the crackling of the fire suddenly sounding like cannon fire in the quiet space.

Genevieve stared at me, her mouth slightly open, while Liona’s eyes went incredibly wide, both of them tracking the sudden, absolute terror flaring across my features.

They were looking at me as if I had just grown a second head, their gazes locked onto my trembling frame.

I was not supposed to be able to feel a single thing.

My inner wolf did not exist yet. I had no true mate bond.

I had absolutely no genetic connection to Rhydor or any other beast.

By every single law of nature and pack history, I should have been completely blind and deaf to his presence.

I should not have been able to sense his location, his emotions, or his proximity at all.

But I could.

I could feel him with a terrifying, crystal-clear clarity.

I could feel his massive frame standing right outside the heavy wood.

I could feel the sharp edge of worry radiating off his bond, the tense way he was standing, and the fact that he was listening to every single word falling from our lips.

I lifted my head slowly, my wide, grey eyes meeting Genevieve’s shocked gaze.

"I can feel him," I whispered into the silence. "I can actually feel your son."