Chasing His Scentless Mate (Caroline) novel Chapter 326

Chapter 326: Chapter 326 Caroline’s Necklace

Ava’s POV

"What do you mean by ’contact’?" I asked urgently.

Odelia sat down next to me, her eyes serious but patient. "Look, honey, tracking spells need some kind of connection to whoever you’re looking for. There’s a few different ways this works. You can use something they’ve touched, like their stuff, hair, blood, that kind of thing. Or there’s the emotional route, you know, if you’re close to them or have strong feelings about them. And then there’s contact traces, basically leftover energy from when you’ve actually touched them, like shaking hands or hugging."

My heart sank. "I met Liam a week or two ago. That’s it."

"That’s too long," Mom shook her head. "The energy residue only lasts a few days at most."

I wracked my brain anxiously before a sudden realization hit me. "What if I have something of Caroline’s? The child’s mother must have the strongest connection to him."

Odelia’s eyes lit up. "Absolutely! The mother-child bond is one of the strongest connections possible. But the location might not be precise, there could be some margin of error."

But there was still a glimmer of hope.

"Caroline’s necklace!" I said, rushing upstairs. "When the girls came over shortly after we moved into this apartment, Caroline left her necklace here. I completely forgot to return it!"

I rummaged through my jewelry box and quickly found it. Caroline wore it all the time, so it should have enough emotional imprint.

I ran back downstairs, the necklace dangling from my fingers.

Mom took it, closing her eyes as she held it. "Good. I can sense protection, worry, and that deep, boundless love." She began clearing space in the living room, pushing furniture aside. "We need to prepare the ritual circle."

I watched as she pulled candles and various powders from her bag, skillfully drawing complex symbols on the floor.

"Ava, come here," she patted the floor across from her. "I need you to join the ritual."

"Why?" I asked, hesitating.

"Even the faintest trace of your contact with Liam could help strengthen the spell," Mom explained.

I knelt across from her, with Caroline’s necklace placed between us. Odelia lit the candles, which began to dance violently as she chanted ancient words in a language that felt familiar yet distant.

"Close your eyes, baby," my mother’s voice became ethereal. "Visualize the child. Remember every detail about him. Feel Caroline’s love for him. Let that maternal love guide you."

I did what she said, trying to picture Liam’s little face. Those big violet eyes, that smile he always had, his cute giggle. At first, there was nothing but darkness, then slowly, blurry images started forming in my head.

At first, they were just bits and pieces. Green fields, run-down wooden buildings, rusty farm stuff scattered around an overgrown yard. The images got clearer and clearer. A dirt road, mountains in the distance, and then...

I heard his voice—

"Mommy! Mommy! I want to go home!"

Liam’s terrified, desperate cries echoed in my mind, so real, so painful, as if he were right beside me. I saw him chained in the corner of a dimly lit room, his small face covered with tears and dirt. His tiny hands clutched his knees tightly as his entire body trembled. The room was decrepit, with cracks in the walls and the only window boarded up, allowing just faint slivers of light through.

That feeling of fear and loneliness washed over me like a tidal wave, nearly drowning me.

I wanted to reach out and comfort him, tell him everything would be okay, but I could only watch helplessly as this poor little boy cried in the darkness.

"Hold on, Ava," I heard my mother’s distant voice.

Suddenly, all images vanished. I opened my eyes to find my face wet with tears, my body slightly trembling, and my heart racing uncontrollably.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify