The rain had slowed, but the damp scent lingered in the café. Elizabeth sat down, her face hiding fear and curiosity. Her hands clutched the wolf pup tightly, as if letting go would cause some unseen power to vanish.
"I… I need to know the whole truth," she whispered to herself. The raindrops tapping the roof echoed the rapid beating of her heart.
Seraphim stepped closer, lowering himself to meet her gaze.
"Everything will be revealed… but you must be ready for the pain and the memories that have been hidden."
Elizabeth nodded. The power of the blood oath began to swirl around her, as if the world had stopped spinning, and everything around her became a slow-motion image.
Suddenly, memories flooded her mind — she saw herself as a small child, sitting on the lap of a warm, gentle woman. That woman was Lucas's mother, cradling the wolf pup tightly.
The pup's eyes seemed to recognize her, as if they had been bound together before.
"This… is really me?" she murmured, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The memories sharpened — familiar laughter, the sound of rain, the whispering wind like a promise.
The blood oath was calling her… telling her that her destiny and the wolf pup's had been intertwined with Seraphim from the very beginning.
Lucas stood beside her, his hand warm and steady.
"I won't let you go… no matter what happens."
But Seraphim remained before her, his eyes full of sorrow and love.
"Our blood binds us… whether you understand or not, it calls you to face both past and future."
Elizabeth took a deep breath. She felt the pull from both sides. Her heart trembled, and the blood in her veins seemed to follow the oath's command.