NovelOnlineElla
“At midnight, the esteemed Stormhollow Alpha manor went up in flames,” the newspaper article read. Detectives
are still investigating the cause of the unexpected fire, but current evidence suggests that it was a freak accident
caused by a faulty chimney flue. Thankfully there were no casualties, although nothing remains of the house
itself.”
My breakfast sat in a heap in front of me, tea having spilled across the tray and soaking the bread when
the cup
had slipped from my fingers. Broken shards of porcelain littered the table, but I hardly noticed.
My childhood hhad been destroyed.
Along with everything inside of it.
Likely along with the trunk of my mother’s possessions in the basement.
Everything | had of her was probably gone, burned up in a “freak” overnight fire that completely
demolished the entire place | had once called home.
My hands shook as | read the article over and over again, as if rereading the words countless times might
change them. But what was done was done. All of those memories, everything that | once held dear... Was now
simply ash in the wind.
Suddenly, something small fell out of the newspaper. | didn’t notice it at first, too focused on the words blurring
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtbeforeon the page, but spotted it when it fell into my lap. It was a small note written in
familiar script.
“If you want to get out, put a candle in your window. -Lilith”
Lilith. Dear, sweet Lilith-she was disobeying Alexander's orders against communicating with me. She must have
seen the article and sent the newspaper, along with her note, to warn me.
It was risky to consider breaking out, but I had no way of contacting Alexander without my phone and | was
pretty sure he wasn’t even home, which meant that it could be hours before the guard outside my room relayed
my message to him.
I had to see my childhood home. Even if only for a few minutes, to see if the trunk of my mother’s belongings
had somehow survived the fire.
A few minutes later, | had a candle burning in my window. Within ten minutes, there was a soft knock on my door
and the sound of the key turning in the lock. Lilith foundstanding there in dark jeans and a sweater with my
hair pulled back, something nondescript to quickly travel in.
“I told the guard there was an incident in the west wing,” Lilith whispered, quickly usheringout of the room
and locking the door behind us as if | were still inside. “He'll be back shortly, but we have enough
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tto slip out.”
| nodded and followed Lilith quickly through the servants’ quarters. Thankfully, everyone was busy
elsewhere, so we were able to slip out the back door and into the forest without being seen.
In wolf form, we hurriedly loped through the forest-taking a car was too risky. It took longer than | would
have liked to travel all the way to Stormhollow on foot, but eventually, the scent of smoke burned my
nostrils and | knew we were close.
When we cupon the destruction that was once my family’s home, the devastation was so great that |
immediately shifted back to human form and dropped to my knees.
“No...”
Lilith cto stand beside me, placing her hand on my shoulder. For a long time, from the edge of the
forest where we couldn’t be seen by the firefighters and detectives bustling around the scene, we just
took in the scene like something out of a horrific movie.
The once-grand manor was nothing but rubble now. Thick, black plumes of smoke still curled up from the
wreckage, sareas still actively being put out by firefighters. The entire structure was gone, save for a few
pillars and beams that had somehow managed to stay upright.
Black coals burned hot and red around the base of the foundation, and my eyes drifted over to where | knew the
entrance to the cellar once was. Several large beams had clearly fallen on top of it.
“My mother’s trunk could still be down there,” | said abruptly, standing and moving toward the house.
Lilith caught my arm and pulledback. “Ella, it’s too dangerous. It could be an oven down there, and if
Alexander knows you snuck out-"
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