Rejected His Miracle Luna (Dorothy and Ignatius)
Chapter 105

Chapter 105 -Dorothy-

I found Ignatius further down the beach, walking along the rock pools with his hands shoved in the pockets of his coat. It was the same navy bhie coat he had worn on the day we met. It was the same coat he draped over my shoulders every time I shivered. Angie once joked that we should have two extra arms attached to it, so that both Ignatius and I could wear it at the same time. A raincoat with four sleeves, a single entity.

But Ignaties felt like a stranger in that moment. He stood out against the gray sea and charcoal smudged sky, like a piece of driftwood lost on the shore. I wasn't sure how to reach him anymore. I swallowed my unease and called to him, the wind doing its best to whip my words away. "Ignatius?"

He swiveled his head and I almost stepped back in real fear. My mate looked the same as he always did, if a little paler and much more tense. But his eyes were what unnerved me. Pinprick pupils lost in startling blue. An unbreachable wall of ice. It was lonely in my head without his familiar presence there. Not only had he locked me out of his, but he refused to enter mine either, drawing away entirely. I wasn't sure how to help him. But that would have to wait for the time being. We needed to get to the bottom of Elliot's story. We had to replace the person who had preserved the journal. Their scent was heavy in the small cavern where it had been hidden. Whoever had rescued the journal from flames had intended to come back for it some day. We had to replace out who it

I pulled the journal out from under my own coat and lifted it for Ignatius to see. My mate, a creature of the rocks and the rearing ocean stared back at me, unmoving. "We can't ignore this, Ignatius, I said forcefully. "We have to replace out the whole truth."

I thought he might just ignore me and go on wandering around the rocks. But he started forward to meet me, until our chests were almost touching. He folded his arms around me, lowering over me as he breathed in my scent. I slipped my arms into his coat, our coat, and closed my eyes.

"I caught a scent. I murmured against his neck. "I think I can track down whoever hid the journal.”

Ignatius was quiet for a while and the wind whipped around us like it was determined to swipe us from the sandy shore.

"Alright, Ignatius whispered. "Let's go replace this guy"

I tracked the scent to an unassuming house on the edge of Bielke territory. Igantius grew more and more uneasy the further we went. Seeing as his initial family home was nearby, one he hadn't returned to since his father had set it alight, I couldn't really blame him for feeling skittish

"I think this is it?" I wasn't quite sure of myself as we stood in front of the disheveled house. The yard was filled with various rusting car parts, tossed among the overgrown grass. The windows were shut and bedraggled curtains hid the interior from view. The place could have been abandoned, if not for the sounds of a blaring television coming from somewhere inside.

I considered turning back and retracing my steps, but Ignatius had other ideas. He strode forward onto the property, all the way up to the peeling front door and rapped his knuckles sharply on the wood. 1 hurned after ham, taking care not to trip over the junk in the yard. "Ignatius, wait!":

By the time reached his side, the door had swung open, and a grouchy bearded shufter stood frowning at Ignatius.

The man looked us up and down, brows rising when he noted Ignatius's stark white hair. "Elliot's boy, hmm What brings you here, site?

Ignatius reached into my coat and pulled out the journal, holding at inches from the man's sub nose. "What do you know

nave Trand] to toust it, by the looks of in The man looked bored, and he brushed Ignatius's hand and the journal

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Chapter 105

out of his face. "You haven't explained yourself Mr Armoundt. What are you doing here?"

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Ignatius waved the journal, scowling at the man so fiercely I wanted to warn him to run. "Your scent is all over this thing. I need you to tell me what you know about it. I don't need to explain myself." "What

mate is trying to say, I interrupted suddenly, putting calming hand on Ingatius's arm, "is that we'd like your help in this matter. We're just trying to replace out where this journal came from and why it was saved. We tracked the scent and it led us here. So please, if you know anything at all, we would really appreciate it"

The man looked from me to Ignatius and back again. Eventually he sighed and scratched at his neck, gesturing for Ignatious to hand over the journal. At a stern glance from me. Ignatius handed it over and we watched while he sniffed at the pages, wrinkling his nose in disgust,

"You thought this was my scent? G od, do 1 smell that bad?"

"We traced it here. Ignatious growled. "It has to be yours."

"Not mine," the man sighed and handed the journal over to me. That's my father's scent. The late Jacob Yung."

"Jacob Ignatius's eyes widened. "Of course, I didn't recognize his scent."

"Whos Jacob

"My fathers old assistant, a real nastly piece of work, Ignatius replied and then glanced at the man guitlilly. "My apologies."

The man didn't seem too bothered about the insult. He shrugged and stepped aside to let us in. "No problem. You're right. My father was a right as sh ole."

Inside, we sat on a stained sofa while the man, Enoc, explained the details of his father's passing. Apparently, Jacob had served under Elliot for years. He had been an unsavory character, cruel to his children and strangers alike, but he had been fiercely loyal to Elliot until his untimely death back when Ignatius was twelve.

Why would Jacob have Elliot's notebook?

Enoc sighed and reached across the cluttered coffee table to retrieve one of the many open beer bottles. "I don't kn But I have an idea of what that journal might contain. Is there any mention of a dark-haired woman?"

"Perhaps, Ignatious said guardedly. "What of it?"

Enoc ch ugged the beer, slamming it down on the table before reaching for another. "Jacob once mentioned a woman in Elliot's life, a woman who came after your mother," he paused at that and looked at Ignatius with genuine sorrow in his eyes. "I'm sorry about what happened to Moirah. I knew what was going on, hell, everyone did. I was young, but I should have done something to help her." Ignatius only nodded in response, eager to move away from the topic that still caused him pain.

Enor shrugged and leaned back in his seat.

prophecy

"Jacob was angry with the woman, raved about how she was corrupting Elliot, filling his mind with fantasies of a Elliot offered the woman asylum on Bielke territory, he insisted on keeping it a secret from everyone. Until one day he suddenly banished her, and left that journal to burn with his secrets, Jacob saved the journal, he must have. I remember him coming home one day with badly burned hands. He wouldn't tell us what happened, only that something deeply disturbing had occurred on Bielke territory and we were to guard ourselves against beautiful women"

"My brother and I didn't need the warning" Enoc chuckled. "No beautiful woman ever bothered to approach us."

Ignatius stroked his chin. "Why would Jacob have kept the journal? Did he intend to blackmail my father?"

"I doubt it," Enot responded, staring down at his beer. "Jacoli was dedicated to Elliot to the very end. My guess is that he was spo oked by whatever happened between those two. He probably wanted to keep some kind of recond in case we'd need it someday?

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Chapter 105

"She was a vampire, that woman. Ignatius whispered. "She had to be. Nob*dy else would be able to convince Elliot to grant them asylum out of nowhere. Vampires prey on people's weaknesses, and Elliot had many."

"If that's true," I started hesitantly, "then it's very likely that Elliot spawned a hybrid child. Both vampire and wolf."

I looked over at Ignatius. "Your half sibling"

"There's a chance that child is already dead," Ignatius said stiltedly. "I wouldn't put it past Elliot to go that far to cover up his mistakes. But if he didn't, and the woman left with the baby

He straightened up and held out his hand to me. his expression jense. "I'm sorry, Dorothy. I should be keeping my emotions in check. For you and for the entire Bielke pack. I should be a better leader" "You're already a great leader." I touched my hand to his cheek and he flinched slightly, like the tenderness was too much. "And you don't have to do this alone"

"Look." Enoc interrupted us, "This looks like a tender moment, but do you mind taking your affections elsewhere? There's a

"My apologies, Ignatius turned to the rough older man, his expression warmer than it had been when we arrived. "Thank you, Enoc. You've helped us a lot. We're more than happy to compensate you for your troubles

Enoc snorted and waved a hand in dismissal. "Don't worry about that. I have no need for riches. You sort out this vampire problem and we can call it even

We stood to leave and Enoc lifted his beer in farewell,

-Plato-

"God this is hopeless," I growled, crouched once again outside the guarded Khall territory. "What are they hiding that's so g ddam n important?”

1 had been crouched there for hours, waising and watching for any break in the Khall's line of defense, to no av

"Perhaps they're not hiding anything at all, Ren, who had been oddly silent over the past hour, suddenly spoke guards are terrified of something in the forest. Maybe they're not trying to hide something, maybe they're trying something out."

What are you saying?" I began, but Ren hushed me. There was something happening, the guards were running towa Someb*dy had set one of the guard tents alight, and a few of the guards had abandoned their post to help douse the fire

"How convenient." I muttered, seeing an opening to get in. "Let's go, while they're distracted"

"No." Ren halted me, hissing sharply. "Look, to the left of the guard tent, in the shadows."

I peered through Ren's eyes, into the darkness beyond the blazing fire. Two figures were creeping out of Khall territory, slinking away into the night

"The Khall aren't hiding anything in there," I whispered as it finally dawned on me. "They're trying to prevent their own people from leaving. There's something out there in the woods, and those two are probably heading right for it."

Ren and I moved swiftly through the woods, trailing the two Khall shifters at a safe distance. After a while of slinking through the shadows, voices could be heard in the distance. After a few more minutes, we spotted lights blinking through the trees. Not lights, large pillars of fire burning in a clearing under the starless sky.

Dozens of shifters crowded around the lures, chanting and murmuring among themselves, I stepped closer, blending into the crowd without a second thought

The two shifters we had been trailing were also present, welcomed by their allies. Everyone had a glazed look in their eyes and I had a faint memory of the Tally shifters that had once chased me through the streets under the cloak of night.

Up ahead asked figure stepped up onto a makeshift platform. The man removed his hood, looking out into the crowd.

<

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Chapter 103

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My gasp was audible, and pet with a few suspicious glances from shifters around me. Dread settled heavy in my belly, and bile crept up my throat.

I was rooted to the spot, reeling, when a man in front of me looked over his shoulder with crazed eyes, flecks of saliva flying as he spoke, "Amazing isn't it? Wait until you hear what he has to say!" SEND GIFT

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