I Forgot I Loved You Alpha (Ellie and Nolan) novel Chapter 325

Chapter 325

Her snarl twisted into something uncertain, something almost afraid.

“What is that?” she snarled.

My mother didn’t look at her.

She didn’t look at me, either.

Her

gaze was still fixed beyond us, sorrow softening her features as if she were watching something already lost.

The wards flared again as Felicity lunged, tearing through another layer. I cried out as the feedback slammed into me, magic roaring through my veins as I fought to hold the barrier together.

Somewhere below, I could hear Nolan’s voice. He was shouting orders, growling in rage. He was trying to fight his way to me, I could feel his anger and fear through the bond.

But he wouldn’t make it in time, not if something didn’t change.

I reached deep into myself, reached for the magic the way Alaric had taught me to. I just needed to hold on a little longer. I had to keep her at bay.

The goddess answered my desperation instantly.

Power flooded me, brilliant and blinding, wrapping around the wards in a blazing cocoon. The staircase shook as the force of it drove Felicity back a step.

But I could feel the cost.

This wasn’t sustainable. This level of power was going to rip me apart. My limits were already being tested. I wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long. I wouldn’t be able to hold Felicity at bay, not without more help.

I felt weak. I was fighting for the people that matter most in the world to me, but I was still coming up short. How could I be so pathetic? My boys were just yards away, behind a door that was protected by concrete and the same wards that had just failed.

Felicity would be able to break them. She would be able to get to the boys if someone didn’t stop her. If I didn’t stop her.

“Ellie,” my mother whispered at last.

Her voice was so gentle it nearly broke me.

I turned to her, tears streaming unchecked. “Tell me what to do,” I begged. “Please.”

She finally met my eyes.

There was no fear in her expression.

Only sorrow-and acceptance.

“The storm always takes something,” she said softly. “It always has.”

Cold dread curled in my stomach.

“The prophecy,” I whispered. “The blood of Moonstone.”

Her lips curved into the faintest, saddest smile.

“The price will be paid,” she said. “The blood of Moonstone will be spilled.”

A fresh wave of fear and grief crashed through me. The vision of the boys running from me, running to Nolan for safety, came to my mind. A sob tore from me and my heart lurched painfully.

I would protect them, no matter the cost. I knew that they would be safe if I left them with Nolan.

But I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to go. Not yet, and not like this.

“This was never about punishment,” she said gently. Her form shifted a little closer, the warmth of her presence pressing close and easing some of the panic that was building in me. “It’s about choice.”

I stared at her, confused. How could this be about choice?

“I don’t understand.”

The wards cracked again.

Felicity screamed in rage and hurled herself forward, tearing through the last barrier between us. The golden light shattered in a blinding explosion, sending fragments of magic scattering like sparks.

I stumbled back with a cry as Felicity landed on the top step, barely an arm’s length away.

Her claws scraped the stone as she surged toward me.

Everything happened at once.

The goddess’s power exploded outward in a desperate bid to protect me. The air screamed with it, pressure crushing in from all sides as magic lashed out wildly.

And through it all, my mother didn’t move.

She simply turned her head.

Looked past Felicity.

Past me.

Past the chaos.

Her eyes softened.

A sad smile touched her lips.

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