CHAPTER 234: CHAPTER 234 THE GOLDEN STRINGS

Hours later, after the chaos had settled into grim determination, I found Isabella sitting quietly in her bedroom, surrounded by her stuffed wolves arranged in a perfect circle around her. The sight broke my heart—my little girl creating her own protective pack in the only way she knew how.

"Hey, sweetheart," I said softly, knocking on the open door.

She looked up, her eyes—so like Silvano’s—wide and solemn. "Is Daddy all better now?"

"Yes," I answered, entering to sit beside her on the bed. "The medicine worked. His curse is gone."

"And Miss Aurora?"

I hesitated, unsure how to explain death and dark magic to a five-year-old. "She... had to go away. Forever."

Isabella nodded, accepting this with unsettling calmness. "I know. I saw it in my dream."

A chill ran down my spine, Aurora’s final words echoing in my mind. The next seer.

"What else do you see in your dreams, Izzy?" I asked carefully.

She shrugged, picking at the ear of her favorite wolf plushie. "Lots of things. Sometimes they happen later. Sometimes they don’t."

"Why didn’t you tell Mommy or Daddy about these dreams before?"

Her little face scrunched in thought. "You were always busy with your computers. And Daddy was sick. I didn’t want to make you more worried."

The simple truth of her words hit me like a physical blow. In my determination to be both Luna and scientist, mother and protector, I’d missed what was happening with my own daughter.

"Is that why you spent time with Aurora? Because Mommy and Daddy were too busy?" I asked, dreading the answer.

Isabella nodded. "She listened to me. And she didn’t check my temperature every five minutes or make me wear two sweaters when it’s not even cold."

I couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped me, though it was tinged with regret. "Have I been that bad?"

"The worst," she confirmed with childish honesty. "Sometimes I just want to play without you checking if I’m okay every two seconds."

I gathered her into my arms, breathing in her sweet scent—vanilla and sunshine and something uniquely Isabella. "I’m so sorry, baby. I was so afraid of losing you that I didn’t let you just be you."

"It’s okay, Mommy," she said, patting my cheek with her small hand. "I know you love me. That’s why you’re crazy sometimes."

This time my laugh was genuine. "I promise to work on being less crazy. And to listen more when you want to tell me things—including your dreams."

"And less sweaters?" she bargained, her eyes twinkling with mischief that reminded me so much of Silvano.

"One sweater when it’s cold," I compromised. "And you have to tell me if you see anything scary in your dreams, okay? No keeping secrets to protect me. That’s my job—protecting you."

She considered this seriously before nodding. "Deal. And I won’t go anywhere with strangers again, even if they say they know you or Daddy."

"That’s my smart girl," I murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I love you so much, Isabella. More than all the stars in the sky."

"I love you more than all the pizza in the world," she declared, which from Isabella was the highest form of devotion.

The door creaked open wider as Silvano entered, his eyes softening at the sight of us cuddled together. "Room for one more in this pack meeting?"

Isabella’s face lit up. "Daddy!" She launched herself into his arms as he sat on her other side.

I watched as my mate—my strong, stubborn Alpha—cradled our daughter with infinite gentleness, whispering something in her ear that made her giggle. The bond between us hummed with contentment despite the dangers still looming.

As I held them both close, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Aurora’s death was just the beginning. Somewhere out there, a witch with a grudge against the Moretti bloodline was plotting—and now I knew she had her sights set on my daughter’s emerging gifts.

But this time, Silvano and I would face the threat together, united as true mates should be. No more secrets, no more noble sacrifices. Whatever darkness came for our family next would find us standing strong—Alpha, Luna, and their little seer, bound by blood and choice and love.

And that, I knew with bone-deep certainty, would make all the difference in the battles to come.