The battle had barely ended, but Alex could feel something new stirring beneath his skin—like the surge of power had opened more than just memories. The name "Talia" now rang in his mind with painful clarity. Not just as an alpha… but as someone he once swore to protect. Someone who entrusted him with something powerful.
And maybe, something forbidden.
Back at the loft, the group regathered. Liam nursed a bruised shoulder, while Malia wiped blood from her lip. But Alex's mind was elsewhere—on the nemeton, on the wraithbound, and the way his blade had come alive.
Scott noticed his silence. "You okay?"
"No," Alex said honestly. "I think I was more than just Talia's protector. I think I was her failsafe."
Derek turned sharply. "What do you mean?"
"She gave me something before I died. I don't know what yet. But I think the key to it… might still be here."
Lydia tilted her head. "Or someone."
That night, Alex left the loft and followed a pull he couldn't explain. It wasn't instinct—it was deeper. Like a thread buried in his soul was being tugged.
It led him to the Beacon Hills library.
But what he found wasn't a book.
She stood alone in the back row, her fingers tracing the spine of a worn mythology volume. Long, dark curls framed her face, and her eyes—striking, strange—locked onto his like she'd known him for years.
"You're not supposed to be here," she said quietly.
Alex stepped forward. "Neither are you."
The corner of her mouth curved. "Then maybe we're both breaking rules tonight."
Her name was Eira Thorne.
A new transfer student, according to the records. But nothing about her felt normal. Her scent wasn't human, nor fully supernatural. Something in-between. And her aura—he recognized it.
It matched the pulse of the nemeton.
"Why are you following the ley lines?" Alex asked.
She smiled faintly. "Because someone bound part of their soul to them. And now that they're awake… the ley lines are shifting again."
Alex blinked. "You can feel that?"
"I'm a witch," she admitted. "Sort of. Not coven-born. Something older."
He stepped closer. "Then maybe you can help me figure out what Talia left behind."
She didn't step back. "Maybe I already am."
In that moment, something passed between them—like static before a storm. Recognition, confusion… and something more dangerous: familiarity.
"You're not the only one who's been dreaming, Alex," Eira whispered. "And in mine… we were standing together. At the edge of the world. Fighting the same war."
Alex's pulse thundered in his ears.
The past wasn't just following him—it was drawing others into its orbit.
And somehow, Eira Thorne was a part of it.
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Chapter 14: The Witch of the Ley Lines next?