Shattered Bonds A Second Chance Mate (by Yui) novel Chapter 271

**Still His 271**

**Chapter 271**

The pain did not creep in like a thief in the night; it struck like a bolt of lightning, a ferocious and tearing force deep within my womb, as if the very fabric of reality was unraveling around me.

“Francesco!” I heard him call my name, but it felt so far away, muffled and distorted, as if I were submerged in a sea of chaos, spilling out from my own skin—bright, violent, and utterly uncontrollable.

Lira’s voice pierced through the haze, screaming something urgent. Monica was cursing under her breath, and Audrey was desperately trying to steady me—but the world felt like it was slipping away, like grains of sand through my fingers.

The silver light engulfed everything, swallowing the world whole.

And then… darkness.

Then…

A forest.

—

Not just any forest, but a realm that existed before tales were spun, before gods walked the earth.

The trees towered impossibly high, their trunks as pale as bone, their leaves shimmering like moonlight caught in the embrace of starlight. The air was thick with the taste of frost and the weight of ancient spells, lingering like a forgotten memory.

I stood there, barefoot on the silver soil, my breath forming soft clouds in the crisp air.

“Where… am I?”

My voice echoed strangely, reverberating through the trees as if the very forest was listening, waiting.

A gentle glow pulsed beneath my ribs.

The child.

My child.

Their magic throbbed beneath my skin, alive and wild, tugging at me, urging me to venture deeper into the heart of the woods.

Every branch whispered secrets.

Every shadow seemed to observe me.

And then—

A voice.

Soft.

Feminine.

Timeless.

“Child of moon and beast…”

The air around me froze.

I turned sharply, my heart racing. “Who’s there?”

—

The forest exhaled slowly, and the silver fog parted like a curtain.

A woman emerged.

She didn’t walk; she glided, barefoot, draped in strands of night. Her hair flowed like liquid silver, devoid of irises, glowing faintly in the dim light.

Her power was ancient, so potent that even the trees seemed to bow toward her.

“The Witch of the First Moon,” I breathed, recognizing the name even in my fear.

The witch that even Severine had once feared.

My heart thundered painfully in my chest. “You’re real…”

“I am,” she replied with a calmness that belied the chaos around us. “Because you are. And because the chill you carry calls to me.”

My throat constricted. “My baby…”

Her gaze fell to my abdomen.

A faint smile graced her lips. It was neither kind nor cruel—just knowing.

“He is strong,” she said softly. “Too strong for your body. Too strong for the father’s blood. Too strong for this realm.”

“He?” I whispered in disbelief. “A boy…?”

“Yes.” She stepped closer, her feet never touching the ground. “The first male born of moon and Lycan since the world was young.”

My knees felt weak beneath me. “Then help me. Please. Tell me how to save him. How to save us.”

She tilted her head, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

“Why do you think I will?”

My breath hitched in my throat. “Because… I don’t want him to die.”

“And if one must die?” she murmured, her voice dripping with ancient wisdom. “Mother. Child. Father. Which one will the moon spare?”

“None,” I whispered fiercely, determination igniting within me. “I won’t let it.”

Her expression softened, just a fraction.

“You have your mother’s stubbornness,” she remarked.

“My… mother?”

She nodded. “Elena. The last White Wolf before you. The chosen one.”

A jolt of recognition surged through me. “You knew her?”

“I taught her,” the witch replied, the weight of her words hanging in the air. “Long ago.”

Tears blurred my vision. “Then help me. If you cared for her—”

Her expression hardened, cutting through my plea like ice.

“Debt,” she stated simply.

“Debt?” I breathed, confusion mingling with dread.

“Yes.” She lifted her hand, and the forest seemed to shift around us.

Shadows twisted and morphed into images—Totti Lycaon, laughing, intoxicated with power. The heart of a mermaid glowing within him. Liora’s screams echoed in the background. Drake kneeling beside her lifeless body.

“This curse began with theft,” the witch explained, her voice resonating with ancient authority. “A stolen heart. A broken balance. A child born of such blood must pay the cost.”

“No!” I gasped, panic rising within me. “I won’t let you hurt my baby!”

Her eyes glowed with an otherworldly light. “I do not want his life.”

My breath caught. “Then… what do you want?”

Her voice transformed, becoming the voice of every shadow that lurked in the darkness.

“The Lycaon King.”

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