Chapter 326

Chapter 326 Caroline’s Necklace
Ava’s POV

“What do you mean by ’contact’?” I asked urgently.

Odelia sat down next to me, her eyes serious but patient. “Look, honey, tracking spells need some kind of connection to whoever you’re looking for. There’s a few different ways this works. You can use something they’ve touched, like their stuff, hair, blood, that kind of thing. Or there’s the emotional route, you know, if you’re close to them or have strong feelings about them. And then there’s contact traces, basically leftover energy from when you’ve actually touched them, like shaking hands or hugging.”

My heart sank. “I met Liam a week or two ago. That’s it.”

“That’s too long,” Mom shook her head. “The energy residue only lasts a few days at most.”

I wracked my brain anxiously before a sudden realization hit me. “What if I have something of Caroline’s? The child’s mother must have the strongest connection to him.”

Odelia’s eyes lit up. “Absolutely! The mother-child bond is one of the strongest connections possible. But the location might not be precise, there could be some margin of error.”

But there was still a glimmer of hope.

“Caroline’s necklace!” I said, rushing upstairs. “When the girls came over shortly after we moved into this apartment, Caroline left her necklace here. I completely forgot to return it!”

I rummaged through my jewelry box and quickly found it. Caroline wore it all the time, so it should have enough emotional imprint.

I ran back downstairs, the necklace dangling from my fingers.

Mom took it, closing her eyes as she held it. “Good. I can sense protection, worry, and that deep, boundless love.” She began clearing space in the living room, pushing furniture aside. “We need to prepare the ritual circle.”

I watched as she pulled candles and various powders from her bag, skillfully drawing complex symbols on the floor.

“Ava, come here,” she patted the floor across from her. “I need you to join the ritual.”

“Why?” I asked, hesitating.

“Even the faintest trace of your contact with Liam could help strengthen the spell,” Mom explained.

I knelt across from her, with Caroline’s necklace placed between us. Odelia lit the candles, which began to dance violently as she chanted ancient words in a language that felt familiar yet distant.

“Close your eyes, baby,” my mother’s voice became ethereal. “Visualize the child. Remember every detail about him. Feel Caroline’s love for him. Let that maternal love guide you.”

I did what she said, trying to picture Liam’s little face. Those big violet eyes, that smile he always had, his cute giggle. At first, there was nothing but darkness, then slowly, blurry images started forming in my head.

At first, they were just bits and pieces. Green fields, run-down wooden buildings, rusty farm stuff scattered around an overgrown yard. The images got clearer and clearer. A dirt road, mountains in the distance, and then…

I heard his voice—

“Mommy! Mommy! I want to go home!”

Liam’s terrified, desperate cries echoed in my mind, so real, so painful, as if he were right beside me. I saw him chained in the corner of a dimly lit room, his small face covered with tears and dirt. His tiny hands clutched his knees tightly as his entire body trembled. The room was decrepit, with cracks in the walls and the only window boarded up, allowing just faint slivers of light through.

That feeling of fear and loneliness washed over me like a tidal wave, nearly drowning me.

I wanted to reach out and comfort him, tell him everything would be okay, but I could only watch helplessly as this poor little boy cried in the darkness.

“Hold on, Ava,” I heard my mother’s distant voice.

Suddenly, all images vanished. I opened my eyes to find my face wet with tears, my body slightly trembling, and my heart racing uncontrollably.

“Baby, are you okay?” Odelia immediately crawled over and embraced me, gently stroking my back. “What did you see? Talking about it will help you feel better.”

“He’s so scared, Mom,” I choked out, my voice shaking with emotion. “He’s in this old, dark house, crying for his mother. He’s so small, so helpless…”

Mom held me tightly. “I know, baby. I sensed some of it too. But you did great, you’ve given me enough information to determine the location.”

“What’s the result? Where is he?” I asked urgently, wiping tears from my face with my sleeve.

“Maplewood,” Odelia said with certainty.

“More specific?” I pressed.

Mom shook her head. “Just the general area. The connection wasn’t direct enough for precision.”

I immediately grabbed my phone from the couch, my fingers shaking as I started to dial Alpha Draven. This was something at least. It gave us a clear direction to go on.

“Wait,” Odelia gently pressed her hand over mine. “What exactly are you planning to do?”

“Tell them.”

“Think about it carefully, darling. How will you explain how you got this information?” Mom’s tone carried a hint of sardonic irony. “Hey, I magically found out where Liam is’? Aren’t you afraid they’ll suspect you’re somehow involved? Or better yet, why not just tell your werewolf friends that you and your mother are witches? You know, the exact thing they hate most? We both know werewolves aren’t exactly friendly toward witches. They prefer to bite first and ask questions later.”

I knew she was right, but my anxiety made me argue back. “Mom, is this really the time to worry about that? In the ritual, I heard Liam crying! Mom, he’s terrified!”

“I know it’s painful, baby, but we need to be careful—”

“Are you saying our secret is worth more than a child’s life?” I interrupted, my voice filled with anger. “We’re sitting here discussing how to protect ourselves while Liam could be suffering!”

Finally, she sighed. “Of course not, Ava. A child’s life is certainly more important than our secret. Listen, I have a plan.”

She stood up and began gathering the ritual supplies. “I’ll go to Maplewood myself and find the child. I’ll find a way for the search team to ’accidentally’ discover his location, perhaps an anonymous tip or creating some evidence. You act like nothing happened, return to your friends, and behave like a concerned friend who knows nothing.”

Though it didn’t sit well with me, I knew this was the best solution. “Fine, but Mom, please hurry.”

“I will, baby.” Odelia came over and kissed my forehead. “Go now. Your friends need your support, and I need to get started.”

When I got to the Storm Valley Pack house, the place was buzzing with activity. The huge building had turned into some kind of search and rescue headquarters.

Nina came right over to me. “Ava! You’re back.” She looked me up and down. “You look kinda rattled. What’s going on?”

I tried to keep my expression normal, but the stress and what just happened with the ritual were hard to hide completely. “Just freaking out about Liam. This whole thing is making it impossible to think straight. I’ve been picturing all kinds of horrible stuff on the drive over.”

“I totally get it,” Nina said, giving my shoulder a squeeze. “We’re all losing our minds. Caroline was a complete mess earlier. She’s calmer now, but you can see she’s barely keeping it together. Alpha Draven looks ready to snap too, even though he’s trying to stay cool and in charge. Nate and Ryan are running down leads, and they’ve got search teams out there.”

Nina stopped for a second, then asked, “So what did you need to grab from home?”

I opened my mouth but had no clue what to say. Thank Goddess Eleanor and Kyle showed up right then.

“Girls,” Eleanor said, “we need you guys to help coordinate who’s coming and going, plus handle logistics for the search. This place is gonna get even crazier as things ramp up.”

Nina dropped it, and we jumped straight into the intense coordination stuff.

But even while I was busy, my head was somewhere else entirely. I kept checking the time, thinking over and over: Come on, Mom, please find Liam fast.