Awake

But before I could speak, she tilted her head slightly, her brows drawing together.

She reached one hand toward me, and I stepped closer, slipping my fingers into hers. Her grip was weak but warm.

Tears gathered in my eyes as I nodded and took her hands in mine again.

I broke. Completely.

Her question hit me like a cold wind, and for a moment, I just stared at her, frozen.

For a moment, his lips parted, but no sound came out. Then, with slow, almost cautious steps, he walked past me into the room.

“It’s you,” she whispered, her voice shaky.

My heart pounded as I watched, unsure if she would recognize me. Then her gaze returned to mine, and a soft, weary smile bloomed across her face.

“She wants to see you,” I told him quietly.

She held him close, her thin fingers curling around the back of his head like she was trying to shield him from every hurt he’d ever known.

“I finally… meet you,” she whispered against my ear, her voice shaking with a mix of disbelief and overwhelming love.

She blinked up at me, her lips trembling as if trying to form words. The seer’s voice softened. “She’s back… but weak. You must let her rest.”

Opening the door, I found Calvin leaning against the wall, his arms folded, eyes closed like he’d been holding his breath this whole time. When his gaze lifted to mine, I didn’t have to say a word–he could see it in my tear-streaked face.

Heat began to build under my palms, slow at first, then stronger. My wolf stirred inside me, lending me strength. A golden glow spread from my hands, sinking into my mother’s body.

I gave her hands a reassuring squeeze before standing. “I’ll call him in,” I said softly.

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“I’ve dreamed of this… for so long,” she murmured, her voice breaking. “I thought… I’d never get the chance to see you again.”

I nodded slowly, still holding my mother’s hands in mine.

Calvin was still holding her when my mother’s gaze slowly shifted to me. There was so much tenderness in her eyes, but also… worry.

“Are you… married to Lord Frederick?”

“Calvin…” she breathed, her voice cracking.

Her thin hands trembled as they caressed my hair, her touch gentle but filled with a hunger only a mother could have after being kept away from her child for so long.

Her lips parted slightly.

“Yes,” I breathed. “I’m ready.”

The seer’s voice rose, the ancient words flowing like a river. The glow deepened, brightening until it filled the circle with light. My body ached, my heart pounding painfully in my chest.

I nodded and held the shocked and confused gaze of my mother. She stared at me as if she was seeing a ghost, but even in that confused state, I could see the look of reconciliation in her eyes.

“Mother…” His voice was raw, low, and shaky in a way I had never heard before.

“Place your palms over her heart,” the seer instructed.

“You don’t have to apologize… you’re here now,” he murmured, but I could hear the pain in his voice, the years of loneliness he had buried deep.

Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him.

My tears spilled freely as I leaned closer. “It’s me, Mama.”

The seer began chanting in a low, rhythmic voice. Candles flickered, shadows dancing across the walls. A silver circle surrounded the bed, the runes glowing faintly as if waking from a long slumber.

“Call to her,” the seer urged.

Awake

She nodded once, her expression unreadable, then motioned for me to kneel beside the bed. My mother lay there, still as stone, her body pale and thin from ten years of being trapped in this cursed sleep. My hands trembled as I reached for hers.

Before I could even breathe, her arms wrapped tightly around me, pulling me into her frail but desperate embrace.

He froze by the bed, his jaw tight, and for a second, I thought he wouldn’t move. But then, almost as if a dam broke, he stepped forward and dropped to his knees beside her.

“I’m here, Mama… I’m really here,” I choked out, clutching her as if I’d never let go. She nodded quickly. “Yes… please call my boy.”

I stood there quietly, my own heart swelling with emotion as I watched them. The seer, standing quietly nearby, gave us a small, relieved smile. “Let her rest now, Olivia. She needs time to regain her strength.”

I did as told, pressing both hands gently against my mother’s chest. Her skin was cold, but under it, I imagined the faintest thrum of life–like a dying ember waiting to be fanned into flame.

“Olivia… let her speak on her own…” the seer advised gently.

“Yes, Mother… it’s me… your daughter… Olivia.”

I swallowed hard, unsure how to even begin answering that.

“Where is Calvin?” she asked, her voice laced with worry.

Mother looked around as though searching for something or someone.

Her chest rose sharply, and her eyes snapped open, wild and confused.

“Mom… it’s me… can you hear me?” I asked.

I swallowed hard and nodded, my gaze still on her. My mother’s gaze drifted past me, scanning the room before settling on the seer. Her brows furrowed, puzzled, then slowly–tremulously–she began to sit up.

“Mama?” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Awake

“I understand,” I whispered, my throat tight.

Her fingers twitched against mine. Her eyelids fluttered, just for a moment.

Her eyes, those eyes that looked exactly like mine, lit up with a soft glow as tears gradually gathered in them. Her lips trembled, and then, with a sudden burst of emotion, she reached for me.

“She’s been gone for a long time,” the seer reminded me softly. “To call her back will take more than magic–it will take your spirit. Do you understand?”

His arms tightened around her, his forehead pressed into her shoulder.

Hot tears streamed down my face as I buried my head in her shoulder, inhaling the faint scent of her skin that felt both strange and familiar.

A gasp.

“I’m here now,” I said fiercely, pulling back just enough to look into her teary eyes. “And I’m never leaving again.”

Calvin swallowed hard, blinking away tears. He didn’t speak. Instead, he reached up and wiped one of her tears away before pulling her back into his arms.

The moment my mother’s eyes landed on him, they lit up—not just with recognition, but with the fierce, protective love only a mother could hold for her son.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her voice trembling as tears streamed freely down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry for leaving you alone. I can’t imagine… what you must have gone through without me.”

The seer stood across from me, her worried eyes fixed on mine. “Are you ready?” she asked for the last time.

Olivia’s POV

Then-

Pain lanced through me as I poured every drop of my energy into her. The light from my hands pulsed faster, stronger–until it felt like the air itself was vibrating. My breathing grew ragged, my vision blurring.

“My boy,” she said with aching tenderness, “you’ve grown so big and handsome, just

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like your father.”

“He’s right outside,” I answered quickly. “Should I call him?”

Her hands cupped his face then, forcing him to look at her.

“My Olivia…” she whispered, searching my face like she was trying to read through me. “How has your life been?”

I closed my eyes, letting tears slip down my cheeks. Mama… it’s me. Please come back. I need you.

“She hears you,” the seer said urgently. “Push harder!”