Freya’s POV
Five days passed
I woke with a start in my temporary quarters at Moretti AI Technologies, my hand instinctively reaching across the bed for Silvano’s warmth. My fingers found only cold, empty sheets. Reality crashed back like a physical blow—we were separated, deliberately apart, all to slow the curse that was steadily claiming my mate.
The digital clock read 6:47 AM. I’d barely slept three hours after spending most of the night upgrading the energy detection modules in the Artemis system. If this curse had a supernatural energy signature, my technology would find it.
I turned away from the window and buried myself in the Artemis system’s analytics panel. The supercomputer had been gathering background supernatural energy readings for months—a project I’d started when Isabella first showed signs of her quarter-fairy bloodline heritage. Now I repurposed it, calibrating the sensors to detect dark magic signatures matching the energy I’d captured from Silvano’s curse mark last night before leaving.
"Focus on patterns," I muttered to myself, fingers flying across the keyboard. "Every curse has a pattern, a logic to its spreading. Find the pattern, find the source."
"Jesus, Freya, you look like you’ve been hit by a truck," he said, setting the tray down. "I’m guessing this isn’t just about that ’critical project’ you ntioned in your text?"
I accepted the coffee gratefully. "I’m fine."
Johnny took the hint, heading toward the door before pausing. "By the way, we had so weird server activity last night. Probably nothing, but I’m running diagnostics just in case."
That caught my attention. "What kind of activity?"
"Multiple login attempts from an unrecognized IP. Our security blocked them, but whoever it was knew enough to try several different backdoor approaches. I’ve got Marcus looking into it."
I frowned. "Let know what you find. We can’t afford any data breaches right now."
After Johnny left, I dove back into the Artemis system, cross-referencing the energy readings from Silvano’s curse with our database of supernatural signatures. By mid-morning, the system had identified a pattern: the curse’s energy peaked at specific intervals, all of which coincided with reported Howlthorne Pack movents near our borders.
"Eighty-seven percent correlation," I whispered, staring at the data visualization. "That’s not coincidence."
Even more troubling was what the system found when I input Aurora’s biotric signature from our security scans. Faint but persistent traces of dark magic energy clung to her, barely detectable but unmistakably similar to Silvano’s curse.
My phone rang, interrupting my analysis. Isabella’s school number flashed on the screen.
"Hello? Isabella?" I answered quickly, heart racing.
"Mommy?" My daughter’s small voice ca through, thick with confusion and hurt. "When are you coming ho?"
The simple question felt like a knife to my heart. "Sweetie, I’m working on a really important project right now. Rember how Daddy explained it to you?"
"He said you’re making special computers to help the pack," she replied. "But why can’t you make them at ho? Don’t you want to be with us anymore?"
I closed my eyes against the pain. "Of course I want to be with you, baby. More than anything in the world."
"Then why did you leave?" Her voice cracked. "Aurora says families should stay together. She brought Daddy special soup for lunch and said she’d help take care of until you decide to co back."
My grip tightened on the phone. "Aurora is there? Right now?"
"Uh-huh. She’s talking to Daddy in his office."
Every maternal and mate instinct in my body went on high alert. "Isabella, listen to carefully. I need you to go to Grandma’s room. Tell her I called and said you should stay with her for a while. Can you do that for ?"
"Are you coming ho?" Hope brightened her voice.
"Not yet, sweetie. But I promise I’m working on fixing things so I can co ho soon. Now go find Grandma, okay? I love you."
"Love you too, Mommy."
As soon as the call ended, I tried to reach Victoria through our secure line, but there was no answer. I paced the office, debating my next move. If Aurora was with Silvano right now, possibly accelerating the curse...
A sudden pressure built behind my eyes—the distinctive sensation of Silvano attempting to establish our mindlink. The feeling was stronger than last night, more desperate.
*Aurora...suspicious...accessing...files...*
The words ca through broken and distorted, each one clearly causing Silvano pain. Before I could respond, the connection severed abruptly. I gasped as feedback rippled through our bond, leaving a dull ache in its wake.
"Johnny!" I shouted, rushing from my office to the main developnt floor. "I need those server diagnostics now!"
Johnny looked up from his workstation, alard by my tone. "Just finished. Soone definitely got in last night—sophisticated attack, bypassed three layers of security. They copied so files from your personal drive."
"Which files?"
He pulled up a log on his screen. "Research notes on supernatural energy detection, Artemis system calibration data, and..." he paused, frowning. "Sothing labeled ’fairy blood Heritage Analysis.’"
I felt the blood drain from my face. Those Heritage Analysis files contained detailed genetic information about Isabella’s unique blood markers—data that could be used to track or even manipulate her abilities if soone knew what they were looking for.
"Lock down the entire system," I ordered. "Activate the ergency protocols we designed for intrusions."
Johnny was already typing furiously. "On it. But Freya, what’s happening?"
"I think Aurora is involved with the witch," I said, keeping my voice low despite our empty office. "And I believe she may be connected to what’s happening with Silvano."
My phone buzzed.
"Freya!" Victoria’s voice crackled through my phone, breathless and urgent. "Main square ice cream shop. Isabella—"
I gripped the edge of my desk, my knuckles whitening. "What about Isabella? Is she hurt?"
"No, not yet, but Aurora took her from school, claiming Silvano sent her. I’ve been trying to reach him for twenty minutes but he’s not responding to mindlink or calls."
My wolf, Selene, clawed at my consciousness, demanding release. "What do you an ’not yet’? Did Aurora threaten her?"
"I overheard them talking," Victoria’s voice dropped to a whisper. "Aurora told Isabella she knows a special place where she can ’make Daddy better’ using Isabella’s ’special blood.’ I followed them to town, but I’m too recognizable—Aurora would spot instantly."
Cold dread pooled in my stomach. The heritage files Johnny ntioned—Aurora must have learned about Isabella’s potential from my research.
"I’m on my way. Keep trying Silvano. et at the ice cream shop."
I was already grabbing my keys, racing toward the elevator. "Johnny!" I called over my shoulder. "Track any unusual energy signatures near the town square. Now!"
"On it," he responded, not wasting ti with questions.
The fifteen-minute drive from my office to town square beca eight minutes of reckless speeding, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly I could feel the leather creaking. Every maternal instinct, every fiber of my being as Luna of the Shadow Pack scread at to shift and race through the forest on four legs—it would be faster, more direct.
But I couldn’t afford to lose control. Not now. If Aurora truly intended to use Isabella’s blood for so ritual related to the curse, I needed my human mind, my technology, my rationality.
*Hold on, baby. Mommy’s coming.*
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