The Secret Heirs of the Lycan King (by Misha K) novel Chapter 89

**When Midnight Winds Carry Secrets Toward Worlds Yet Unknown**
**Chapter 89**

**Bella**

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I found myself completely captivated by Nancy’s words, as if she were meticulously peeling back the layers of her life, revealing a world rich with complexity and beauty. Each layer she unveiled left me in a state of profound admiration for her strength and resilience.

“It must have been incredibly difficult to witness your mother fall victim to your stepfather’s manipulations,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper, as I felt the weight of her story settling heavily in the air between us.

She nodded slowly, her gaze drifting into the distance, a deep breath escaping her lips as if she were trying to gather the scattered pieces of her thoughts. “Yes, I wish she could have seen through his deceitful facade,” she replied, her voice tinged with a mix of sorrow and longing. Her eyes finally met mine, and I could see the softness in her expression as she continued, “After Catherine married Jared, she just vanished from my life, dropping out of college without a word. It felt so abrupt, like a door slamming shut, leaving me standing in the cold. I was alone once more, but I kept returning to that little forbidden room, the only sanctuary where I could unleash the magic that threatened to consume me. Catherine was my lifeline during those dark years. She instilled in me the courage to confront my stepfather and reclaim what was rightfully mine. That kind of debt… it’s something I could never hope to repay.”

I listened intently, my heart heavy with the weight of her experiences. Nancy was not merely a witch; she was a regal figure who had been hunted by her own kin. Yet, she spoke of my mother with such tenderness, as if Catherine had been her steadfast anchor in a tumultuous sea.

Taking a slow, measured breath, Nancy continued, “A few years later, after I had solidified my own kingdom, I returned to the human world in search of Catherine. I yearned to share everything with her, to show her that I had made something of myself. But when I arrived at her old address…” Her voice faltered, a tremor of grief threading through her words, “I discovered that she had already passed away. She left behind a little girl named Bella. You. By then, Jared had remarried, and I knew nothing about him, so I chose to leave. I didn’t want to intrude upon your life.”

A lump formed in my throat, a mixture of disbelief and sorrow. “You saw me back then?”

Her nod was slow, deliberate. “You were just a tiny six-year-old. I grappled with whether I had the right to tell you anything. Your life was already shifting with a new stepmother, and I didn’t want to complicate things further, so I retreated back to the witches’ realm.”

I tried to conjure an image of my younger self, playing innocently somewhere while Nancy observed from a distance. The thought twisted painfully in my chest.

As Nancy rubbed her palms together, her gaze drifted toward the firepit where wolves lounged with their playful pups. “Years later, I stumbled upon your job posting on Craigslist. A nanny for twins. Initially, I didn’t think much of it, but your name caught my attention. Bella Williams. My curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to attend the interview.”

“What was your first impression when you saw me?” I asked, a smile tugging at my lips as I recalled the moment our paths first crossed.

Her eyes softened at the memory. “The moment I laid eyes on you, I could smell Catherine’s essence on you. You bore an uncanny resemblance to her. But it was when I caught sight of the children that everything within me shifted.”

I held my breath, anticipation thrumming in the air.

“They carried the scent of Lycan blood,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “It was pure, potent Lycan blood.”

My breath caught in my throat. Even now, after the council had unearthed the truth, hearing it from Nancy felt like a revelation, imbued with a weight that was hard to bear.

“My instincts surged immediately,” she confessed, her eyes reflecting a mix of nostalgia and pain. “I remembered my pact with Catherine—the one she often joked about, but which I took very seriously. We promised to look out for each other if either of us ever needed help.” She glanced down at her hands, lost in thought. “I don’t know the circumstances of Catherine’s death, but it shattered something deep within me. The pain was unbearable.”

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. “She never shared any of this with me.”

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