The Sickened Luna's Last Chance novel Chapter 350

**The Perfect 350**

**Chapter 350**

Ella’s POV

Once again, the cool breeze swept through my fur, a familiar sensation that had always brought me comfort. Yet, this time, it felt like a sharp slap against my skin, a cruel reminder of the turmoil that churned within me.

The wind did not soothe my frayed nerves; instead, it stung my eyes and cracked my lips, echoing the chilling emptiness that had settled in my heart after I fled from Alexander. I could still see his expression, a mixture of confusion and anger, etched into my memory as I left him behind in that sterile hospital room.

My thoughts raced as I prayed fervently that he wouldn’t come after us. I hoped against hope that we could buy just enough time to locate the artifacts and destroy them. Only then, after that crucial act, would I be able to reveal the truth to Alexander.

The weight of guilt bore down on me, a relentless pressure that threatened to suffocate me. But what choice did I have? I couldn’t risk his life, not when the artifacts’ whereabouts remained uncertain. Margaret’s journal had hinted at their location, but until I could confirm their existence and ensure their destruction, I had to protect Alexander from the truth.

He might never grasp the full scope of my actions, but at least I would be able to live with the knowledge that I hadn’t damned him to the same fate that had befallen Liam.

Tears blurred my wolfish vision as Lilith and I raced through the dense woods, the map guiding our frantic pace toward Stormhollow territory—the very site of the house that had been reduced to mere ashes.

Could it be true? Had the artifacts been lying in wait all along, right beneath our noses? The thought of returning to the ruins of my childhood home sent a shiver down my spine, a mix of dread and hope swirling within me.

I recalled the last time I had laid eyes on the manor, a haunting image of charred earth and collapsed beams. The air had been thick with the ghostly remnants of smoke, embers still dancing upward like the last flickers of a dying fire.

There had been nothing left.

Nothing but a hollow shell of what once was.

But what if, somehow, the artifacts were hidden there? What if they lay buried beneath the wreckage, waiting to be uncovered? Perhaps in the basement, shielded from the flames by a protective layer of unburned earth, they could still be intact.

I couldn’t help but nod in agreement, feeling the truth of her words resonate within me.

But there was no time for lingering in the beauty of our surroundings. If the artifacts were indeed hidden here, we needed to begin our search immediately. For all we knew, Alexander was hot on our trail, and perhaps even Margaret was lurking nearby, waiting for her chance to reclaim what was hers.

I still hadn’t grasped her intentions for the artifacts, but I was certain of one thing: whatever her plans were, they couldn’t be anything good, especially after witnessing that horrific ritual. Burning the artifacts might not only shatter our curse but could also thwart Margaret’s sinister designs.

With that thought in mind, Lilith and I dove straight into our task. The map had been hastily drawn, lacking the precision needed to pinpoint an exact location, but it directed us not to the house itself but rather to the old forest path that lay behind it.

We began to scour the area marked with an “X” on the map, deliberately avoiding the remains of the house. The forest path was overgrown, choked with thorny bushes and fallen trees, but we navigated through the underbrush with care, searching for anything that might prove useful.

Ten minutes passed, yet we uncovered nothing of significance.

“There must be something around here,” my mother said, her hands dirtied and raw from digging through the tangled overgrowth in pursuit of any hidden treasure. “Perhaps an old shed, or even a peculiar rock…”