Chapter 91

Ella's POVI drove straight to Sara's house.My hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. My heart was pounding. My wolf was pacing inside me, restless, angry, ready to fight.Kael's words echoed in my head. She's dangerous. She has dark magic. She's been planning this for a long time.I didn't care.Sara had taken everything from me. She had manipulated my bond. She had threatened Kael's family. She had broken something sacred and beautiful and turned it into a weapon.And now she was going to face the consequences.I pulled up to her house. It was big. Fancy. Exactly what you would expect from someone who thought they were better than everyone else.I got out of the car. Walked up to the front door. Pounded on it with my fist."Sara! I know you're in there! Open the door!"Silence.I pounded again. Harder. "Open this door right now or I swear I will break it down!"The door swung open.Sara stood there. Perfectly dressed. Perfectly composed. A small sm

Chapter 92

Ella's POVI sat in my car for a long time.The engine was off. The windows were rolled up. The world outside was silent. But inside my head, everything was screaming.Sara's words kept replaying. If you try to undo the ritual, you'll destroy yourself. The magic is bound to your soul now. If you break it, you break yourself.She was lying. She had to be lying. She was just trying to scare me. To keep me from fighting back.But what if she wasn't?What if trying to fix my bond really would kill me?I closed my eyes. Took a deep breath. Then another.I couldn't think about that right now. I couldn't let fear control me. I needed to go home. I needed to talk to my mom. I needed to figure out my next move.I started the car and drove home.---When I walked through the front door, Damon was sitting on the couch. He stood up the moment he saw me."Ella," he said. Relief flooded his voice. "Where did you go? I was so worried.""I went to see Kael," I said. "And then I went to see Sara."His

Chapter 93

Ella's POVThe address Judith gave me led to the edge of town. Past the last house. Past the last streetlight. Past everything familiar.The road turned to dirt. The trees grew thicker. The sky disappeared behind a canopy of branches.Damon was driving. I was in the passenger seat, staring out the window, watching the world turn darker with every mile."You okay?" he asked."No," I said honestly. "But I will be."He didn't say anything else. He just kept driving.We drove for what felt like forever. The dirt road twisted and turned. The trees pressed in on both sides. The sun was barely visible through the leaves.Then, finally, we saw it.A small house. Old. Run-down. Surrounded by overgrown bushes and dead vines. The paint was peeling. The windows were dark. The roof was sagging.It looked like something out of a horror movie.Damon parked the car. We both sat there for a moment, staring at the house."Are you sure about this?" he asked again."No," I said. "But I'm doing it anyway.

Chapter 94

Ella's POVI sat in my room for hours.The sun went down. The moon rose. The house grew dark and quiet. But I didn't move. I just sat there, staring at nothing, trying to figure out what to do.A life for a life.The old woman's words echoed in my head over and over. There was no way around it. No loophole. No alternative.Someone had to die.I thought about my mom. She would give her life for me in a heartbeat. I knew that. She had spent her entire life protecting me, sacrificing for me. If I asked her, she would say yes without hesitation.But I could never ask her that. Never.I thought about Damon. He had already proven how much he cared. He had come back for me. He had held me when I was broken. He had promised to stay by my side. If I told him what the old woman said, he would volunteer. I knew him well enough to know that.But I couldn't let him do that either.I thought about Kael. My mate. The boy who had been forced to break my heart to protect his family. He was already suf

Chapter 95

Ella's POVThe old woman's words hung in the air like smoke.True love. The most powerful force in the universe. If you can find someone who loves you truly, deeply, unconditionally... their love can break the ritual.I looked at the people standing around me. My mom. Damon. Kael.They all loved me. I knew that.But could any of them love me enough to give up something precious? Something they couldn't live without?The old woman watched me. Her milky eyes seemed to see right through me."Love is not just a feeling," she said. "It is an action. A choice. A sacrifice. The person who offers their love must give up something that defines them. Something that makes them who they are.""What kind of thing?" I asked."Power. Status. A dream. A future. Something they have spent their whole life building." She paused. "Or someone they have spent their whole life loving."My heart stopped."Someone they love?""Yes. To break the ritual, the sacrifice must give up the person they love most. Let

Chapter 96

Ella's POVThree days passed.My mom was still asleep. The old woman said she would wake when her body was ready. When her heart had healed enough to face the world without the love she had given up.I stayed by her side every moment. Holding her hand. Talking to her. Telling her about my day. About Kael. About the bond. About everything.She couldn't hear me. But I needed to say it anyway.Kael came and went. He brought me food. Made me eat. Made me sleep. He was patient. Gentle. He didn't push me to talk. He just sat with me. Held my hand. Let me cry.Damon came too. He didn't stay long. Just long enough to check on me. To make sure I was okay. To remind me he was still there.I appreciated both of them. More than they knew.But my heart was heavy.Because my mom was still unconscious. And I didn't know if she would ever wake up.---Day FourI was sitting by my mom's bed when her fingers twitched.I sat up straight."Mom?"Her eyelids fluttered. Slowly. Painfully."Mom, can you hea