269
~Lisa's POV
They came for you. Both of them. The witches marched with fire and spell, and the wolves came with fang and claw. The forest turned red that night, Lisa. Red with blood and rage."
She closed her eyes briefly, as if the memory still haunted her. "Your mother was weak from giving birth, yet she stood in the doorway of that small cottage, refusing to flee. I begged her to run. I told her I would protect you and the boy, but she wouldn't leave your father. She said, 'If love built this home, then love will protect it.'"
My throat tightened painfully. "She stayed to fight?"
"Yes," Lira said with a trembling nod. "She and your father fought side by side. I watched from the trees, hidden under a cloak of shadow. He tore through any wolf that came near, and she cast spells so fierce that lightning split the sky. Together they held the line, even when the ground trembled with the weight of their enemies."
