**~ Hazel’s POV ~**
But first... I needed my mother.
Without thinking, I bolted from the room. The second I stepped into the hallway, I was met by Caspian and Aurora. Caspian reached out, gently grabbing my arm.
"Where are you going?" he asked, brows furrowed. "You should be resting. We gave you time so you could—"
"Rest?" I snapped, turning to face him. "You expect me to rest while my babies are still missing? No. No, Caspian. We need to find my mother. Right now. She’s the only one who can help us. We have to wake her up—before it’s too late."
I shook his hand off mine and started down the stairs, Aurora and Caspian trailing behind me with worried eyes.
And then I saw her. Cayden stood at the bottom of the staircase, cradling her in his arms.
My mother. She was slowly waking up.
Thank the goddess.
A flash of hope jolted through me like lightning. If she was waking, then maybe—maybe—there was still time to bring her back emotionally. To undo what I’d done.
I rushed toward her, my feet barely touching the steps. When I reached Cayden, I reached for her, holding her hands and looking up at him.
He looked startled, blinking at me with a mix of shock and confusion. I didn’t blame him. Just minutes ago, I had been curled up and shattered. He wasn’t expecting me to be this alert, this driven.
He hesitated, then slowly handed her over.
Her body slumped into my arms. Her skin was warm. Her breath was steady. But her eyes... they were void and empty like there were not emotions in them.
"Mom?" I whispered, gently cupping her face. "Mom, it’s me. Hazel." No response. No flicker of recognition.
Tears welled in my eyes, but I pushed them back.
"I’m sorry," I breathed, pressing my forehead to hers. "I’m so sorry. I need you to turn it back on. Please. I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t know what would happen. I just needed you to help me. You’re the only one who can help me now."
But still—nothing.
I didn’t know what else to do. I hadn’t learned the spells. I hadn’t mastered magic. I didn’t know how to call on a wolf I wasn’t even sure existed. But still... I had something..I had a memory.
The one she had show me so I can turn on my emotions..
I reached for it in my mind. That moment. That feeling. I let it bloom, full and raw and honest, in my heart.
And I prayed.
Please, I thought, if you can hear me, see me, feel me—take this. Let it reach you. Let it bring you back. Then something changed. A flicker in her expression. A shift in her breath. Her eyes... they blinked.
And the void was gone. "Hazel?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.
My heart cracked open. "Mom?" I gasped, and then smiled through the tears. "Yes. It’s me. It’s Hazel." And then she pulled me into her arms.
Her heartbeat thudded against mine, slow and steady. And the air changed. Everyone in the room—every wolf—froze, watching with bated breath.
Aurora clutched Caspian’s arm. Cayden let out a sigh.
Thank the goddess..she’s back now. But now... now it’s about my babies.
Lilith stood, though her movements were slow and shaky. She still looked like she needed rest, but I immediately rushed to her side and grabbed her hand.
"Mom," I said breathlessly. "We need to find my babies. Please—we need to find them now."
She gave a faint nod and tried to straighten up, but her knees buckled. She stumbled, and Cayden caught her. Caspian stepped forward.
"She needs to rest," he said quietly.
But I turned sharply to him. "Rest? Rest?! My babies are out there—possibly suffering, possibly in danger! We don’t have time to rest."

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