The Order

Chapter 8

Aurora's POV

Noel's absence was starting to drive me insane. It’s been six months since he packed his bags, took the car and cash the Alpha gave him, and disappeared. In those months, the guys finally agreed to the mate bond, and we cloaked me to appear human to anyone outside the pack. It wasn’t foolproof, but it helped—especially with all the curious eyes on the pack lately. But Noel’s absence left a hole nothing could quite fill.

In these same months, I met Annalise. Powerful, fierce, stubborn. And though she has no memory of our past life, she fought the council—and won. Watching her stand against them was like seeing the prophecy come to life. All I wanted was to call Noel and tell him how incredible our sister was, but he stopped taking my calls after he entered Teodora’s coven four months ago. Our sister is here, right before us, and yet I’m the only one who knows the depths of her strength. It’s maddening.

Meanwhile, my training has been nothing short of relentless. Though Oliver accepted the bond, he kept our interactions strictly professional, leaving most of my lessons to Aaron and Landon. Still, I’ve grown stronger. My powers finally answer to me—not the other way around. So far, my favorite ability is the connection to nature, sensing every creature within the forest as if they were extensions of me. As a huntress, it’s like seeing the world through new eyes.

We’ve pieced together fragments of the prophecy over the last few months, but it all leads back to Annalise’s father. With the planetary alignment less than a year away, the urgency is suffocating. Yet we’re still in the dark about what we’re supposed to face.

According to the books we have read, once my siblings and I come together, we can mark our mates and share our power. Our pass life we couldn't do that because by the time we found our mates we were all expecting and that kind of powerful event would harm the babies.

The Alpha believes Annalise holds the key, but none of us know how—or even if—she’ll remember in time.

I’m supposed to help with pack duties today, but the dreams—or memories—have left me exhausted. For the past few nights, they’ve haunted me, sometimes vague and blurry, other times sharp and intense. But last night’s memory was different. In the darkness, I could hear hushed voices, arguing—Annalise and a man. The door slammed, and I felt her holding me, carrying me out of a house as she cried. She laid me beside a warm body, whispering for us to stay quiet.

Then, just before I woke, I caught a glimpse: Annalise pulling our mother’s body from the house, raising her hands to the sky, casting a spell so powerful it erased the home. But how? How could she have known such magic? Mom never taught us spells or incantations, especially not ones of that magnitude.

I’ve thought about it all morning. If the dreams are leading me anywhere, it’s to this conclusion: Annalise’s third mate may hold the key to unlocking her memories. Perhaps having all three mates gathered will awaken the memories buried within her. And if it doesn’t… well, we have to try.

Before I lose my nerve, I pull out my phone and send a quick text to Noel, telling him of my plan. Then I head straight for the library, where I know Teodora will be. Passing the Alpha's office, I can’t shake the feeling that whatever Annalise’s memories hold, they’re the last piece of the puzzle.

The air inside the library is thick with the scent of old leather and ancient paper. Teodora sits surrounded by books, deep in her work. Her eyes lift as I approach, and I can tell she already suspects my reason for being here.

“Teodora,” I start, pulling up a chair, “I need your help. It’s time to unlock the past."

“What do you have in mind?” Teodora asked, shutting the heavy book she’d been reading with a thud, her brows arching in question.

"I want to find my sister's third mate," I said, hesitating just a second before adding, "He might be the key to everything."

"You want to do what now?" Teodora’s brows shot up, her expression unreadable but cautious.

"You heard me," I said, determined but with a quiver of doubt in my voice. "I need you to help me remember who he is, so I can find him."

Teodora leaned forward, hands clasped together as she held my gaze, the air between us taut. She looked like a stern grandmother on the verge of a lecture, but there was something in her eyes—an unspoken warning. After a few tense moments, she rose without a word, retreating into the back of the room. When she returned, an old leather book was clutched tightly in her hands, symbols etched into the cover that I vaguely recognized, but their meaning eluded me. I sensed this was no ordinary spellbook.

“I have never attempted this spell before,” Teodora began, her voice soft but filled with caution as she ran her fingers over the symbols on the cover. “It goes deep into memories, peeling back the layers of everything—even things buried for your protection.” She paused, giving me a hard, assessing look. “Once we do this, there is no going back. Are you certain you want to do this? You may remember things that are best left forgotten.”

The gravity of her words settled over me like a weight, but I squared my shoulders, steeling myself. I had to know the truth—whatever it might be. "Let's do this."

With a nod, she gestured to the couch, directing me to lie down. As I settled in, she began arranging candles around me, their light flickering in rhythmic waves. Opening the spellbook, Teodora started chanting, her voice a steady hum that seemed to blend with the heartbeat pulsing in my ears. The words were blurred, distant as my eyes grew heavy, the familiar world slipping away.

When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer in the present—I was in the dining hall of Nova's castle.

It was a joyous gathering. Both Noel and I were there, and Nova sat surrounded by her two mates, their laughter echoing off the high stone walls. Nova lifted her glass, smiling as she prepared to speak—but before she could, the heavy door creaked open.

A tall, imposing man entered, his stride confident. He crossed the room in swift steps, his gaze fixed on Nova with a warmth that caught my breath. Without a word, he leaned down, pressing a kiss to her lips before taking the seat beside her.

“Damien,” Nova said, her voice soft yet clear, “is everything well within the coven?”

A shadow flickered across Damien's face. “No. There’s talk of an attack, of something targeting us. They fear we may be overpowered.”

“Ridiculous,” one of her other mates scoffed, shaking his head. “We’ve never let them down before. Why worry now?”

I turned to Damien, a shiver running down my spine as I recognized the unmistakable air of danger around him. “Damien…” I murmured, reaching out—but before I could touch him, the memory shattered, and I was thrust back into the present.

“Did you just say…Damien?” Teodora’s voice was urgent as she leaned closer, eyes wide.

I nodded, shaken. “Yes. He’s…a vampire, tall, and—”

Teodora’s face was grim, her voice tight as she interrupted. “I know exactly who he is, Aurora. Annalise killed him.”

The room seemed to tilt as her words registered, a chill crawling down my spine. "Wait…killed him? How?"

Without answering, she strode across the room, pulling another thick, ancient book from the shelf. She dropped it in front of me with a weighty thud, flipping it open to a page covered in intricate symbols.

"Here,” she said, her voice quiet yet heavy with meaning. “We can bring him back, but it will not be easy. We need two things: his body and his heart.”