Chapter 49 - Shadows in the Garden
1049 Words
Ingrid stood near the rose alley and watched as Florence stepped out of Anthony’s car.
The evening light was soft, almost golden, resting gently on the rows of blooming roses that lined the path leading toward the house.
Florence closed the car door quietly and walked toward her small residence near the garden.
She moved with that same careful composure Ingrid had begun to notice in her.
Calm.
Measured.
As if she had learned to take up as little space in the world as possible.
The door closed behind her.
The car engine started again.
Anthony and Sam drove toward the garage at the far side of the estate.
Ingrid remained where she stood.
Beside her stood Tammy.
The maid had her hands folded neatly in front of her apron, though Ingrid knew she had been watching the entire scene just as closely.
Tammy finally spoke.
“The curse will not allow it.”
Ingrid glanced toward her.
Tammy continued quietly.
“It forbids love.”
Her voice carried the quiet certainty of someone who had repeated this truth many times over the years.
“It forbids a mate.”
“And it forbids almost every other feeling that might weaken him.”
Tammy looked toward the direction where Anthony’s car had disappeared.
“So whatever that was…”
She gestured lightly toward Florence’s house.
“It cannot be romantic.”
Ingrid nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
She had known that from the beginning.
The curse had been very clear.
Anthony could not feel love.
He could not bond with a mate.
He could not experience the emotional ties that made wolves vulnerable.
The price of his strength had been absolute.
Ingrid turned and began walking slowly along the rose alley.
The scent of the flowers filled the evening air.
Tammy walked beside her.
For a moment neither spoke.
Then Ingrid broke the silence.
“After my meeting with Leonard…”
Her voice was thoughtful.
“Something occurred to me.”
Tammy looked at her.
“What?”
Ingrid continued walking.
“What if there is a cure?”
Tammy stopped for a moment before catching up again.
“A cure?”
“Yes.”
Ingrid’s gaze drifted toward the horizon beyond the gardens.
“What if Anthony does have a mate.”
Tammy’s eyes widened slightly.
“And if the curse were removed…”
Ingrid finished the thought quietly.
“After he marries.”
Tammy’s expression darkened.
“That would be a tragedy.”
Ingrid nodded.
“Yes.”
They walked several more steps in silence.
Then Tammy spoke carefully.
“You believe Florence could be his mate.”
Ingrid stopped walking.
She turned slightly toward her.
Tammy waited.
Ingrid’s gaze moved toward Florence’s house again.
“She would have a mark.”
Tammy frowned slightly.
“The mate mark?”
“Yes.”
Ingrid spoke calmly.
“Even if Anthony could not carry the mark because of the curse…”
Her eyes narrowed slightly in thought.
“She would still have one.”
Tammy nodded slowly.
“But she does not.”
Ingrid sighed quietly.
“No.”
She shook her head slightly.
“She is completely untouched.”
Tammy thought for a moment.
“Like a blank page.”
Ingrid looked toward the roses.
“Yes.”
“A white sheet of parchment.”
Untouched.
Unwritten.
Tammy folded her hands together again.
“Then we must find the seer.”
Ingrid looked back at her.
“As quickly as possible.”
Tammy nodded firmly.
“I will send more wolves.”
Ingrid’s gaze drifted toward the house again.
For years she had believed the curse was absolute.
Unbreakable.
But now doubt had begun creeping into her thoughts.
She spoke quietly.
“I paid a terrible price for Anthony’s strength.”
Tammy did not interrupt.
Ingrid’s voice lowered.
“For his health.”
“For his power.”
“For his future.”
The memory lingered painfully in her chest.
“And sometimes…”
She paused.
“I wonder if that price was fair.”
Tammy lowered her head slightly.
“You saved him.”
“Yes.”
Ingrid’s voice softened.
“But perhaps I also doomed him.”
Tammy lifted her gaze again.
“We are still searching.”
Ingrid nodded.
“I know.”
Tammy hesitated.
“There are still wolves who might know something.”
Ingrid resumed walking.
“I want every lead followed.”
Tammy nodded again.
“I will send more scouts tonight.”
They continued along the garden path.
For a moment Ingrid allowed her thoughts to drift.
Amber.
Amber had been the most suitable choice.
Beautiful.
Strong.
A perfect political match.
And yet…
Even now Ingrid could not shake the belief that every wolf had a destined mate somewhere in the world.
It was the oldest truth among their kind.
Even if the curse had twisted Anthony’s fate…
Somewhere there had to be a bond waiting for him.
The roses rustled softly in the evening breeze.
Footsteps approached from the side path.
A gardener pushed a wheelbarrow across the gravel.
Ingrid barely glanced at him.
Then suddenly—
Her wolf stirred.
Sharp.
Alert.
The sensation ran through her like a flash of cold lightning.
Ingrid stopped walking.
Her head turned sharply toward the gardener.
But he had already turned the corner behind the hedges.
The wheelbarrow disappeared.
Tammy noticed the movement.
“What is it?”
Ingrid remained still.
Her wolf remained tense.
Listening.
Watching.
For several seconds nothing happened.
The garden returned to its quiet calm.
Tammy looked around.
“Did you see something?”
Ingrid slowly shook her head.
“No.”
But her wolf did not relax.
She scanned the garden again.
The roses.
The paths.
The trees.
Everything looked perfectly normal.
Yet the sensation lingered.
A faint whisper of danger.
Tammy watched her carefully.
“You felt something.”
Ingrid exhaled slowly.
“Perhaps.”
Tammy frowned.
“Should I send guards?”
Ingrid considered the thought.
Then she shook her head.
“No.”
But she continued looking toward the corner where the gardener had disappeared.
Her wolf remained uneasy.
For the first time that evening—
Ingrid wondered if she was imagining shadows.
Or if something darker had truly begun moving through her territory.
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