Alpha's Hidden Precious Luna-Chapter 163

Lily POV

My heart raced. "He mentioned a curse when he—" I stopped, realizing my mistake.

"When he what?" Luna Helen’s voice sharpened.

"Nothing," I backtracked, trying to change the topic or to fill it in with another word, but nothing came to my mind. Luna Helen’s eyes narrowed at me suspiciously.  

"He came to see you," she stated. It was not a question but an accusation. "Against all advice, despite the danger, he came here."

I remained silent, unwilling to confirm or deny.

Luna Helen sighed deeply, resuming her ministrations to my hair. "That boy could never follow sensible instructions where you’re concerned. Even before he met you, he was stubborn. But now?" She shook her head. "It’s like trying to divert a river with a teaspoon."

Was that... grudging respect in her voice?

"I don’t understand what’s happening," I admitted. "Kai mentioned a curse, something about his former mate being a witch, but he didn’t explain fully."

Luna Helen moved around to face me, her expression unreadable. "It’s complicated, and not entirely my story to tell. But know this, Lily—" She hesitated, seeming to choose her words carefully. "Whatever happens in the coming days, whatever you might hear or see, my son’s feelings for you are real. The curse may affect his actions, but it cannot change what’s in his heart."

Before I could process this extraordinary statement—the closest thing to a blessing Luna Helen had ever offered—the door swung open, and Celeste burst in.

She halted abruptly, taking in the scene with visible surprise. "Mother? What are you doing here?"

Luna Helen straightened, her mask of cool detachment sliding back into place. "Bringing food to Lily. Since all of you deserted a sick person to go do, gods know what.  Besides, someone needs to ensure she’s properly nourished."

Celeste’s eyes darted between us, clearly trying to read the situation. "I see. And did you also discuss...?"

"Only in general terms," Luna Helen replied with a dismissive wave. "I leave the details to Kai. Or to you, apparently, since you two seem determined to handle this without consulting me."

The accusation hung in the air, creating a new tension. Celeste’s shoulders stiffened. "We were coming to find you. Kai has gotten a large chunk of his memory. He’s still trying to process a lot of things.”

“And maybe he hates me for doing that to him right?” Luna Helen scoffed.

Even though she looked like she didn’t care about what Kai thought of her at that moment, I couldn’t miss the longing in her voice, the subtle apology that came with it too.

“Don’t be like that, Mom. Kai understands why you had to do that. You should go see him. I’m sure he’ll be waiting for you.”

She nodded wordlessly then straightened before she started going to the door. Before she opened the door, she turned to face Celeste.

“Trying to figure out who his mate is and why we had to trap her in the glass coffin is useless,” Luna Helen stated flatly. "I’ve searched for answers for several years, trying to trace where Serena had come from and what she wanted with Kai.  But until this moment, I’ve gotten nothing. Maybe I was searching in the wrong places. Whatever answers exist, they’re not there."

"Then where?" Celeste demanded. "Kai needs—"

"I know what my son needs," Luna Helen interrupted, her voice sharp. "Better than either of you. And finding it requires resources beyond what you possess."

I looked between the two women, feeling like I was watching a tennis match where the ball was invisible and the rules unknown.

"What resources?" I finally asked, unable to contain my curiosity any longer.

Luna Helen’s gaze met mine, assessing. After a moment, she sighed. "The grimoire. The witch’s spell book. It contains the curse and, presumably, the means to break it."

"Kai mentioned that," I said. "He thought it might be hidden with... her."

"With her body, yes," Luna Helen confirmed. "But accessing the ice coffin requires specialized knowledge of witch magic. Knowledge I’ve been acquiring, slowly and discreetly, for years."

Celeste stepped further into the room, closing the door behind her. "You never told us that besides, should you really be learning how to use magic when you have your own powers? Won’t that be contraditory?"

"There was never a need, until now." Luna Helen straightened her already perfect posture. "The curse has remained dormant for years. But with the appearance of Kai’s true mate—" her eyes flicked to me, "—it has awakened fully. We have little time before it causes irreparable damage."

A chill ran down my spine at her words. "What kind of damage?"

Luna Helen’s expression softened marginally. "The curse feeds on proximity to his true mate. The closer you are, the stronger it becomes. Eventually, it will completely override his consciousness, turning him into a weapon against you. And then—"

"It will destroy him," Celeste finished, her face pale. "The conflict between his natural instinct to protect his mate and the curse’s compulsion to harm her will tear his mind apart."

The reality of what they were saying hit me with full force. No wonder Kai had been so insistent on staying away. Each time he came near me, the curse grew stronger, pushing him closer to this breaking point.

"Then we have to break it," I said, setting aside the soup and standing. "Whatever it takes, whatever I can do to help—I’m in."

Luna Helen studied me for a long moment, her head tilted slightly as if seeing me in a new light. "Perhaps," she said finally, "I’ve underestimated you, Lily."

Coming from her, it was practically a declaration of love.

"So what’s the plan?" I asked, looking from Luna Helen to Celeste. "How do we get this grimoire?"

"We don’t," Luna Helen corrected. "I do. With Kai. When he’s properly rested and healed. I was with him they day he placed her inside the ice coffin and threw in everything she ever came with alongside her body to avoid being betwitched."

"But—" Celeste began to protest.

"No arguments," Luna Helen cut her off. "This is witch magic, old and dangerous. The fewer people involved, the better."

I wanted to object, to insist on being part of the solution, but the gravity in Luna Helen’s expression stopped me. This wasn’t about hierarchy or control—she was genuinely concerned about the risks.

"When?" I asked instead.

“After Kai recovers adequately, when can you go?”

"Moonrise," she replied. "When the boundary between worlds is thinnest, and magic flows most freely."

Celeste checked her watch. "That’s less than two weeks from today."

Luna Helen nodded, already moving toward the door. "Then we have preparations to make." She paused, looking back at me. "Finish your soup, Lily. You’ll need your strength in the days ahead."

With that cryptic statement, she swept out of the room, leaving Celeste and me staring after her in stunned silence.