The Silver Wolf (Diana and Talon) novel Chapter 174

Chapter One Hundred Seventy Four

Agatha sat silently beside the window of her childhood bedroom, staring out at the coven beyond the glass. The afternoon sun cast a pale glow over the coven. Children ran between the houses while their mothers gathered herbs and prepared for the evening meal. Witches moved along the familiar paths carrying baskets, books, and jars filled with potions.

Claim

Everything looked exactly as she remembered it. The same trees surrounded the village. The same stone pathways curved between the homes. The same training grounds stood in the distance, where young witches practiced controlling their magic. Nothing had changed. And yet, to Agatha, everything felt different.

This place had once been the only world she knew. It was where she had been born. Where she had learned to walk, speak, and use her magic. It was where her parents had raised her and where she had spent countless days running beside Gideon when they were children.

But she could no longer call this place home. A home was somewhere a person felt safe. A home was somewhere she belonged.

This house did not feel like that anymore. It felt like a cage. The bedroom door was rarely locked, but Agatha knew freedom was still beyond her reach.

Gideon had placed powerful wards around the entire house. She could walk through the rooms and even step into the garden, but the moment she approached the edge of her parents’ property, invisible magic pushed her back.

The first time she tried to cross it, the barrier struck her so forcefully that she fell to her knees. Pain had torn through her stomach, and she had spent the remainder of the day terrified that she might lose her

pup.

After that, she stopped trying. Not because she had accepted her captivity. Never. She stayed because she could not risk harming her child. If she were alone, Agatha would have attempted to escape every night. She would have fought Gideon. She would have broken through his wards even if the magic burned her skin and shattered her bones. She would have run through the forest until her feet bled if it meant reaching Lucian again.

But she was not alone. Her pup depended on her. Every choice she made now had to protect the small life growing inside her. Agatha lowered her eyes and placed both hands over the large curve of her belly.

The child shifted beneath her palms. A weak smile touched her lips.

“There you are,” she whispered.

The pup responded with another gentle movement. Agatha’s eyes filled with tears. Only a short time remained before the baby would be born. She should have been preparing the cradle with Lucian. They should have been sitting together outside their cottage, choosing names and imagining whether their child would have Lucian’s silver eyes or Agatha’s dark hair.

Lucian should have been beside her every evening, talking to the pup and pretending not to cry whenever the baby moved beneath his hand.

Instead, she was trapped inside the house she had left behind. And Lucian did not know where she was.

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Chapter Oundred Seventy Four

Clam

Nearly two months had passed since Gideon found her. Two months since he entered the small cottage she shared with Lucian and destroyed the peaceful life they had built together. Agatha still remembered waking in her parents’ home. Her body had been weak from Gideon’s spell. Her head had ached, and her magic had felt almost completely drained. For one hopeful moment, she believed everything had been a terrible dream.

Then she saw her mother sitting beside the bed with tears streaming down her face. And she knew. Gideon had brought her back to the cover Her parents had welcomed her with open arms. Her mother had held her tightly and cried into her hair. Her father had stood beside them, fighting tears while repeatedly thanking the Goddess that Agatha was alive. They had missed her. Agatha knew that. She had missed them too.

Seeing them again should have filled her with happiness. Part of her had been relieved to know they were safe. But she could not allow herself to feel completely happy. Not while Gideon controlled whether she could leave. Not while Lucian was somewhere beyond the coven, searching for her. And not while Gideon continued threatening her unborn child.

He had made his intentions clear from the day she awakened. Agatha would remain inside her parents’ house until she agreed to bind herself to him. He would allow her to carry the child until birth. Then he would take the pup away.

Agatha’s parents protested the moment they heard his plan. Her mother had stood between Gideon and the bed, declaring that the child was innocent. Her father had told him that whatever hatred he felt toward wolves should not be directed at a newborn.

They had said they would accept the pup. Raise it. Protect it. They even promised to keep the child hidden from the rest of the coven if necessary. Gideon had silenced them with a single look.

The darkness inside him had filled the room, choking the air until Agatha’s mother could barely breathe. He had warned them that the child was not their concern. After that, her parents became more cautious. They still tried to protect Agatha in small ways. Her mother stayed close whenever Gideon visited. Her father searched old books for information about breaking dark magical wards.

But both of them were frightened. Agatha saw it whenever Gideon entered the house. She saw the way her father’s shoulders stiffened. The way her mother’s hands began to tremble. The way both of them avoided meeting Gideon’s eyes.

One night, after Gideon finally left, Agatha’s mother sat beside her bed.

“He has changed, Agatha,” she whispered.

Her voice was barely audible, as though she feared Gideon could hear them through the walls. Agatha looked toward the closed bedroom door.

“I know.”

“No,” her mother said. “You do not understand. He is not the same Gideon we knew.”

Tears filled her eyes.

“From the day you left, something happened to him.”

Agatha’s chest tightened. Her mother reached for her hand.

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Chapter Ope+mndred Seventy Four

Claim

“At first, he simply searched for you. He traveled from coven to coven and questioned anyone who might Thave seen you.

“He believed Lucian had taken me.”

“We told him that you made your own choice.”

Her mother shook her head.

“He refused to believe it.”

“What else happened?”

Her mother hesitated. Agatha saw fear in her expression.

“He began using magic the elders had forbidden.”

Agatha’s fingers tightened around hers.

“What kind of magic?”

“We do not know everything.”

Her mother looked toward the darkened window.

“But witches began disappearing near the places Gideon visited. Some returned with no memory of where they had been.”

She swallowed.

“Others never returned at all.”

Agatha felt cold despite the blanket around her shoulders.

“The elders tried to confront him, but his power had grown too strong.”

“Why did no one stop him?”

“They were afraid.”

Her mother’s voice broke.

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