Shattered Bonds A Second Chance Mate (by Yui) novel Chapter 157

hapter 157

The warmth of Francesco’s embrace still lingered on my skin, a fragile shield against the memory of the lake.

For a while, I let myself drown in him, in the safety of his presence. But day had come, and the muffled sounds of life stirring in the city outside reminded me we could not stay here forever. Morning light stripped me bare of excuses.

I had to tell him.

My fingers tightened on the edge of the blanket as I sat up, watching him near the window.

He was fastening the last buttons of his shirt, his body framed in gold and shadow. His profile was sharp, unreadable–carved as if by gods. The King of Lycans. My mate. My undoing.

“Francesco…” My voice trembled more than I wanted it to.

He turned instantly, eyes narrowing, concern flashing like a blade drawn from its sheath. “What is it, amore? Are you hurting?”

“No.” I shook my head quickly, though my heart hammered so hard it almost hurt. “It’s… about the lake.”

His jaw tightened. In two strides he was at the bed, lowering himself to sit beside me. His hand found mine, firm, grounding “Lknow you,” he murmured. his gaze searching mine. “You had a reason for throwing yourself into the water. Tell me.”

A weak smile tugged at my lips. I swallowed, the memory crashing back like ice in my veins. “Before I went under… I didn’t just feel the cold, Francesco. saw something. Something alive. Vast. Ancient. And…” My throat closed, but I forced the words out. “And there were souls. The missing people–they’re

there.”

His eyes sharpened. “Souls?”

I nodded, my pulse skittering. “It was like… it knew me. Like it was waiting for me.”

Francesco’s brows furrowed, his expression darkening into something I had never seen before–confusion. Disbelief. The Alpha King, a creature who never doubted his senses, suddenly unsettled.

“But I was there.” His voice was low, careful. “I saw nothing. I felt nothing. Just dark water and mud.”

The chill in my bones deepened. If he–whose strength and senses surpassed every wolf alive–had seen nothing, then what was it that chose to reveal itself only to me?

Why me?

Francesco’s hand rose, cupping my face as his frown deepened. “Ellaine… don’t go alone anymore. Always take Audrey with you. There’s something suspicious here, and I’ll uncover it. But your safety comes first. Promise me.”

My lips parted, but the words stuck in my throat. To say it aloud felt like calling the darkness back.

I lowered my eyes, whispering, “I don’t have Anastasia’s power anymore… but still, I know it’s there. So why does no one else feel it? Why does no one. remember?”

A flash of memory cut through me–Audrey’s face by the lake. She had seen it too.

I gasped, realization striking like lightning. The missing people… they’re all women. That’s why only Audrey and I can sense it. That’s why it’s tied to us.

“What is it?” Francesco’s voice sharpened at once, catching the shift in my expression.

I turned back to him, urgency flooding my chest. “Audrey. I need to speak with her, fast.”

He nodded, though his body remained still. His gaze flickered over me, unreadable.

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1175 Thủ, Z8 Augm

Chapter 157

“What?” I pressed.

He sighed, the sound heavy. “You need to stay in this room for a couple of days, amore mio.”

My brow furrowed. “What? Why?”

He tilted his head slightly, gesturing with his chin toward me. “Your bruises.”

My eyes widened in realization. Heat flushed my cheeks. Of course. After last night… my body must have been covered in them.

God. Why does something that felt so good have to look like I was in pain?

I swallowed hard, giving a small nod. “Then call Audrey and Marlow here. We can speak inside.”

Francesco agreed, already mind–linking his warriors after I dressed and lay back on my bed.

A short while later, the door opened, and Audrey strode in with Marlow close behind her.

The moment Audrey’s eyes landed on me, she froze.

“Luna..?” Her jaw dropped, horror flashing across her features. Marlow blinked once, his expression tightening as his gaze slid to his Alpha.

Audrey turned her glare on Francesco, her voice sharp as a whip. “You’re a beast, my king Alpha!”

The room went so silent that even the distant noise of the city seemed to fade. Francesco’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing like a storm about to break.

But I couldn’t help it–laughter bubbled up in my chest, escaping in a soft chuckle.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I teased, my lips curving. “I’m not hurt. Not in the way you think.”

Audrey’s face flushed red, but her concern didn’t fade. Marlow’s mouth twitched, as though he fought the urge to smirk.

And Francesco… oh, he looked like he was one second away from throwing them both out of the room.

Audrey’s eyes still burned with fury when she turned back to me.

But the moment our gazes locked, her expression shifted. The sharpness softened into something unsettled, uncertain. Almost… haunted.

I sat up straighter, ignoring the blanket slipping from my shoulders. “Audrey,” I whispered, urgency tightening my voice. “You remember what you saw in the lake, don’t you? You saw it too–right?”

Her lips parted, then pressed into a thin line, as though even the memory weighed on her. She flicked a glance toward Francesco, uncertainty clouding her features. She wasn’t sure if she should speak freely.

Francesco caught it instantly, his presence filling the room like a storm on the verge of breaking. “Ellaine already told me,” he said, voice sharp and commanding. “We just need to know if you saw the same thing. Why only you two? Why not me? Why not Marlow?”

Marlow shifted uncomfortably, confusion etched across his face. “What happened?” he asked. “Did something happen at the lake?”

As I expected–he hadn’t seen anything either.

Audrey swallowed hard. When she finally spoke, her voice was low, almost disbelieving. “I thought it was my imagination. But… there were souls. So many of them.”

The words dropped like stones into the room, and my breath caught. Relief and dread tangled in my chest.

Francesco’s brows furrowed, disbelief flashing across his face. “That’s impossible,” he muttered. “My senses would have picked up something that strong. I saw nothing. Felt nothing.”

11:15 Thu, 28 Aug A

Chapter 157

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“That’s why I thought I was losing my mind, Alpha,” Audrey shot back, her tone sharper than before, but her hands trembled in her lap. Her gaze darted back to me. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The air thickened. My pulse hammered. So I wasn’t going mad.

“What exactly did you see?” Francesco asked, his voice dropping low, dangerous.

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