Chapter 327

Chapter 327 A Mother’s Protection and Secrets
Odelia’s POV

Driving towards Maplewood, my hands clenched the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. The scenery rushed past my windows, but my mind was stuck on the ritual we’d just performed.

It wasn’t the tracking spell itself that troubled me. I’d cast plenty of those over the years. What really got to me was how much raw magical power Ava had shown. When our hands connected to make the circle, I felt this incredible surge of energy flowing from her. Pure, strong magic that nearly took my breath away. The fact that we could pinpoint Liam’s location so precisely was mostly because of her power boosting the spell.

This was exactly what I didn’t want to happen.

“You’re worried about her,” Fabiola’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.

I took a deep breath. “Of course I’m worried. She’s my daughter. She’s getting a bit…”

“Out of your control?” Fabiola finished.

“Yeah,” I admitted.

“Odelia, she’s not a little kid anymore. She’s grown up! You gotta accept that.”

“Accept what? That she doesn’t need me to protect her?” My voice got louder. “Fab, I’m her mother.”

“The moment you sealed her wolf, you stopped being just a mother. You became someone who controls her.”

Those words hit me like a punch to the gut.

Years ago, I put a double seal on Ava. One to lock away her wolf and another to shut down her magical gifts. I thought this would give her a normal life, safe from the betrayal and pain of the werewolf world. But now, as she got older, my seals were obviously weakening. Today’s ritual proved it. Her magic was waking up.

And if her magic was coming back, how long before her wolf followed?

“I’ll take her to Silver Creek,” I said.

“Gonna run to Hilary to make the seals stronger again?” Fabiola’s tone got sharp. “You’re taking away Ava’s freedom. She has a right to know the truth.”

“I’m protecting her!” I almost yelled. “That crazy stalker ex Isaac and this cheating player Joseph are perfect examples of why she needs protection! She has no clue how to keep herself safe!”

“Maybe that’s because she never had a father, so she goes looking for emotional comfort from the wrong men? Like you did?”

That cut straight through me like a blade.

Angry, I threw up a mental wall, completely cutting off my connection with Fabiola.

The car went quiet, filled only with the engine’s hum and my heavy breathing.

Even with my wolf silenced, I couldn’t stop the memories from flooding back. That man who betrayed me, that Alpha who promised to protect me forever. When I was carrying his child and believed we had a future, he marked his fated mate instead.

I remembered that crushing pain, the hopelessness when our mate bond was ripped apart, the fear of almost losing Ava. If my mother hadn’t shown up in time to use her magic to save us, neither my daughter nor I would have made it.

From the day Ava was born, I swore never to let her go through that same pain. I would create a safe world for her, one without betrayal or heartbreak.

But now I could see my protection had only made her weak, constantly searching for love from the wrong men. The tighter I held on, the worse things got. And now she’s completely mixed up with those Alphas.

I shook my head hard, forcing myself to focus on what I had to do. This wasn’t the time to feel sorry for myself. That little boy Liam was still waiting to be rescued.

By the time I got to Maplewood, the sun was starting to set. I parked somewhere hidden and used my tracking magic to locate the abandoned farm.

It was a mess of a place. Several falling-apart wooden cabins spread across an overgrown yard. I moved carefully, magically hiding my presence.

Through watching them, I figured out two women were guarding Liam, with a man who brought supplies now and then.

Because it was getting late and I didn’t want to alert them, I decided to observe first and see if there were any other backup forces. To keep Ava from worrying too much, I sent her a message to let her know I was safe.

The next day, when I saw one of the younger women drive away toward town, I knew this was my chance.

I followed her quietly, watching as she entered a hair salon. Perfect. Public places were always the best for creating “coincidences.”

I pulled over outside the salon, closed my eyes, and started weaving a gentle enchantment. Nothing harmful, just enough to make the woman’s behavior a little more obvious. Louder voice, bigger gestures, enough to get the other customers curious.

Sure enough, the other women started exchanging glances and whispering. I spotted a middle-aged woman in a plaid shirt who seemed really interested, constantly trying to listen in.

When the young woman left the salon, Plaid Shirt practically jumped up to pay. She quickly said goodbye to her hairdresser and slipped out after her.

I stayed way back, maintaining the spell that clouded the young woman’s awareness. This magic would make her wolf too dull to notice she was being followed.

Three cars made this weird parade: the clueless young woman in front, the super curious local woman in the middle, and me bringing up the rear. We drove like this all the way back to the abandoned farm.

When I saw the curious woman duck behind some bushes, pulling out her phone to make a call, I knew everything was working perfectly.

Soon enough, the search teams would arrive. Liam would be rescued, and my daughter would stay clean.

As I quietly drove away and headed home, my mood didn’t get any better despite pulling this off.

The whole Ava situation was far from over.

“You know she’ll hate you when she finds out,” Fabiola’s voice broke through my mental barrier.

I let out a long breath, loosening my grip on the steering wheel. “If finding out means she’s safe and alive to hate me, I can live with that.”

“She’s strong, Odelia. Stronger than you think. Her wolf is trying to break free. I can feel it even through your seals.”

My throat got tight. “That’s what scares me. You don’t get what it’s like to be a mother.”

“No,” Fabiola admitted, “but I know what it’s like to be caged.”

Her words hung heavy in the air as I turned onto the highway toward home.