Evaline:
The night had settled over the forest by the ti I finished replying to the ssages on my phone.
The glow of the screen briefly illuminated my hands before I locked it and set it down beside on the wooden table.
The group chat with my friends had been... chaotic, to say the least.
Apparently, disappearing right after the last class of the day without warning was not sothing they were willing to ignore.
Noah: Where did you vanish??
Ria:Don’t tell you are again in the library.
Mallory: Eva... we had a rune assignnt.
Mallory: Together.
I had sighed when I first opened the chat. The ssages kept coming.
Noah: Wait.
Noah: Did she ditch us for her student?
Ria:Oh my god she totally did.
Mallory:EVA.
I had quickly typed back.
Relax. I’m out with Kieran. Sothing important ca up.
But that only made things worse.
Ria:OUT WITH PROFESSOR KIERAN??
Noah:She absolutely ditched us.
Mallory:You abandoned us for secret mate ti on a weekday.
Noah: This is unacceptable.
I had rolled my eyes at that.
Then another ssage popped up.
Kyros: Ignore them. Have a good ti.
And right after that-
Rowan:Take care.
These made smile faintly. Typical Rowan and Kyros - always calm, always thoughtful.
I told them I would help with the rune assignnt tomorrow before finally escaping the conversation.
Then there was Oscar.
His ssages were much shorter.
Oscar:How’s the eting going?
I stared at the ssage for a mont before replying.
We made a deal with the witches.
A few seconds later, his response ca.
Oscar: That good or bad?
I huffed a quiet breath.
Complicated.
I hesitated before adding another ssage.
I’ll explain later.
That was enough for him.
Oscar knew better than to push for details over text, especially about sothing this serious.
When we got back to the academy, River and Kieran would brief him fully anyway.
I placed my phone down on the table beside . Only then did I fully notice how quiet the forest had beco.
The sun had disappeared beyond the mountains minutes ago, leaving the sky painted in deep shades of indigo and silver. Darkness slowly crept through the trees surrounding the clearing.
The fire in the center of the pavilion had burned lower now, but the embers still glowed warmly, sending gentle waves of heat into the cool night air.
After Morwen accepted River’s offer, most of the witches had left. Only a few remained nearby, moving quietly between the house and the forest.
River, Jasper, and Kieran had gone inside with Morwen and the second elder to discuss so political matters.
Which left here.
Alone.
Well... mostly.
I leaned back slightly in my chair, watching the fire flicker lazily. For the first ti since the eting began, I had a mont to breathe... and process everything.
But even now, it all still felt surreal.
A faint sound of footsteps pulled from my thoughts. I looked up and saw Morwen walking toward the pavilion. Her robes brushed softly against the wooden floor as she stepped inside the firelight.
For a mont, our eyes t, but neither of us spoke.
She walked to the chair opposite mine and slowly sat down.
The firelight illuminated the thoughtful expression on her face.
We stayed silent for a few seconds. Then she finally spoke, "You may ask."
I blinked.
She watched calmly.
"Whatever questions you have been holding back," she added, "Go ahead."
Surprise flickered through before a small smile tugged at my lips. Of course she noticed. She’s a witch. And not just any witch. She had lived for more than a century and a half.
Soone like her didn’t need mind-reading to notice unspoken curiosity.
"Well," I said lightly, "since you are giving permission... I won’t pretend to be humble."
A quiet chuckle escaped her.
I leaned forward slightly. "There’s sothing I have been wondering."
She nodded faintly.
"How did you know all of this?" I asked. "This happened four centuries ago. So how do you know what really happened that night?"
For a mont, she simply stared at . Then, unexpectedly... she laughed. Not loudly. Just a soft, amused chuckle.
Which only confused .
Seeing my expression, she shook her head slightly. "You know," she said, still faintly smiling, "your mates asked that exact question minutes ago."
I blinked again.
Of course they did.
River and Kieran would never miss sothing like that.
Morwen leaned back slightly in her chair. "The answer is simpler than you might expect. And no. I didn’t learn the truth through any record left by my ancestors. There’s actually no written proof of that past."
Her gaze drifted toward the fire.
"Instead, among the witches who eventually managed to capture and seal the escaped soul..." She paused briefly, "...there was a child."
My brows furrowed.
"A girl," she clarified. "Only thirteen years old."
That caught my attention imdiately.
"Thirteen?"
She nodded. "She was the youngest apprentice in the coven at the ti."
The firelight flickered across her face as she continued. "She wasn’t supposed to be part of the ritual, but she witnessed more than she should have."
I leaned forward slightly.
"That girl was my aunt." Morwen revealed. "She survived that night, and lived a very long life."
"How long?" I asked.
"Nearly two hundred and eighty years."
My eyebrows shot up.
That was... impressive.
Even for a witch.
Witches naturally lived longer than werewolves, but their average lifespan usually ranged between 180 and 200 years.
Only a handful throughout history had crossed the 250 mark.
Hearing soone lived close to 280...
That was rare.
Very rare.
Morwen seed to notice my surprise. "She was unusually strong," she said, "And very stubborn."
A faint fondness entered her voice. "But she carried a heavy secret." Her gaze lowered slightly. "Over the centuries, the witches who had originally been part of that secret died one after another of old age."
"Eventually," Morwen continued quietly, "my aunt beca the last living person who knew the full truth of what happened back then."
The fire crackled softly.
"She never spoke about it. Not to the coven. Not to the elders. Not to anyone."
Her fingers rested loosely against the arm of the chair.
"For most of her life, she intended to take that secret to her grave."
I watched her closely.
"But she didn’t," I said softly.
Morwen shook her head slowly.
"No."
Her gaze lifted again.
"When she realized her ti was coming to an end..." Her voice softened. "She changed her mind."
Morwen exhaled slowly.
"On her deathbed, she summoned three people to her side - , and her two daughters. And the other elder you saw today, she’s her youngest daughter and my cousin."
No wonder it seed like the other elder witch also knew the truth.
"My aunt told the three of us everything," Morwen continued, "Every detail of what happened four centuries ago."
Her eyes reflected the firelight now.
"She said the truth had been buried long enough. And that if one day the consequences of our ancestors’ actions returned..."
Her gaze t mine again.
"...then the witches must not face it blind."
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