Chapter 490: Its a trap by Angus

The summer heat pressed against the stone walls of the hall like a living thing, relentless and suffocating.

Outside, the meadow shimmered beneath an unforgiving sun, the grass bleached almost white by weeks of unbroken brightness. The temperature inside the house had climbed steadily throughout the day, resisting the thick walls and heavy curtains that had been drawn in a futile attempt to maintain some semblance of coolness.

The air hung thick and still, carrying with it the weight of unspoken fears and the tension that had gripped the farmhouse since they came back from the pavilion.

Jaegar sat in the center of the hall, his posture hunched forward, his dark eyes fixed on the worn wooden floorboards beneath his feet. His fingers traced invisible patterns on his knees—old nervous habits that emerged whenever his mind was in turmoil.

His young face, marked by the distinctive features of his lineage—sharp cheekbones and eyes that occasionally sparked with hints of ethereal purple when his emotions ran high—was drawn tight with conflicting desires.

Diana stood beside him, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder.

His aunt’s presence was meant to be comforting, stabilizing, and a physical reminder that he was not alone in whatever decision lay ahead.

But right now, she looked more concerned about him, and the fact that her sister was alive all these years made her broken inside.

She had thought that Augusta was dead and made peace with it. But now, she was overwhelmed; they all were.

Until now, only Jaegar and Angelina were aware that his mother was alive and kept somewhere on the lokahs.

And they have been right all along.

Angelina occupied a chair positioned directly opposite her grandson, her presence commanding despite her advanced age.

The couch opposite held the others: Eradarin, Bruna, and Ironshade.

Each of them had gathered in response to Angelina’s summons, understanding without needing to be told.

All of them knew that it was a trap to make him come alone. So they can take him away and proceed with the chaos plan.

The silence that filled the hall was profound and deliberate.

Everyone in the room knew what they were thinking about, what had consumed their thoughts since their arrival.

It was Angelina who finally shattered the silence, her voice cutting through the stillness like a blade.

"It’s not safe, Jaegar. I will go."

The words were delivered with the certainty of someone accustomed to having her decisions accepted without question. She straightened in her chair, her expression resolving into the immovable determination that had defined her reign as keeper of their family’s most dangerous secrets.

"I am not sure if Angus will bring her there."

"Why don’t I go with you?"

She was a bit conflicted; they have been searching for her daughter for two years now, and before that, she thought Augusta was out of her reach, but now, the possibility of seeing her again pulled the strings inside her with a force she had not anticipated.

And meeting her daughter would put her grandson in jeopardy.

She was conflicted.

But before her words had even fully settled into the air, Eradarin rose from the couch, his tall frame unfolding with deliberate slowness. When he spoke, his voice stiff with tension.

"No. It’s dangerous. You can’t go alone."

"She won’t be alone," Bruna added quickly, her practical nature already mapping out protective protocols. "I can establish a network of my pack around the cabin before she arrives. Ironshade can position himself—"

"You’re all missing the point," Jaegar said suddenly, his voice quiet but carrying an edge that made everyone turn to look at him.

He lifted his eyes from the floorboards, and in them danced tiny sparks of ethereal purple—the first sign that his Chaos Arts were beginning to stir in response to his emotional turbulence.

"He invited me. Not Grandmother. Not Aunt Diana. Me."

Diana’s hand tightened on his shoulder, a subtle warning to remain calm, to not let his powers manifest too visibly. The intensity of his gaze as he looked toward Angelina revealed the painful conflict tearing at him from within.

"He said she would be there. He said Mother would be there."

The mention of Augusta hung in the air like a physical thing.

Angelina’s expression hardened further, if such a thing were possible. Her voice, when she spoke again, carried the edge of a command delivered to someone she loved but could not protect from their own desires.

"That is precisely why you cannot go, Jaegar. That invitation is bait. A tauntingly perfect bait designed specifically for you."

"You don’t know that," Jaegar protested, but his voice lacked conviction.

He knew she was right.

"Even if it was," he said, "I can take care of myself."

"You are underestimating your father and his little army; they are all very strong people. You can’t take on all of them," Angelina said.

"Your mother," Eradarin interrupted, his voice carrying the weight of truth that was difficult to hear, "has been beyond our reach for more than a decades. We have accepted this. We have mourned this. And your aunt and grandmother have protected you from the consequences of it."

"If she were here, she would say not to go there."

"It’s too much of a risk, Jaeagar, for you and the realm. If he gets his hands on you, he will unleash a monster that this realm won’t be able to resist, inevitably leading to destruction."

Jaegar stood abruptly, his agitation causing the air around him to shimmer almost imperceptibly. The temperature in the room fluctuated slightly.

His young face was a battlefield of conflicting emotions: hope warring with fear, longing wrestling with reason.

"You don’t understand," he said, his voice rising.

"You’ve all written her off. You’ve accepted that she’s gone or corrupted or whatever it is you believe happened to her. But what if you’re wrong? What if this is actually a chance to—"

"To what?" Diana asked gently, moving around to face him.

"To save her? To bring her back? Jaegar, I love you more than anyone in this world, but I won’t let you walk into that mountain cabin believing you might somehow reverse what has already been done. Angus isn’t offering you a reunion."