"I suspected. Founder bloodlines and mates have been gravitating toward each other for centuries, even when the individuals involved don't know what they are." Nico set down his own teacup and leaned forward slightly. "The question is, how much do you actually know about your heritage?"
"Apparently nothing," Lyra said bitterly. "Everyone keeps talking about founder bloodlines and ancient responsibilities, but no one's bothered to explain what any of it actually means."
"Then let me enlighten you." Nico rose and moved to one of the towering bookshelves, returning with a leather-bound volume that looked old enough to have been personally inscribed by the founders themselves. "This is the complete history of Mistwhisper Falls, including the parts that don't appear in any official records."
He opened the book to a page filled with intricate drawings and text written in multiple languages. Lyra could make out amap of the town, but with additional landmarks that didn't exist in the modern version—strange symbols marking locations that seemed to pulse with their own energy even in illustration form.
"In 1847," Nico began, his voice taking on the cadence of someone telling a story that had been repeated countless times, "three of the most powerful supernatural beings in North America came to this valley. They weren't settlers or pioneers—they were hunters."
"Hunting what?"
"Something that had been terrorizing supernatural communities across the continent for decades. An entity so ancient and malevolent that it predated most of the magic we understand today." Nico turned the page to reveal an illustration that made Lyra's magic recoil instinctively. "They called it the Mistbound, because it fed on the life force of magical beings and left behind only empty husks wrapped in unnatural fog."
The drawing showed a creature that seemed to shift between forms—sometimes humanoid, sometimes a writhing mass of shadow and hunger, always surrounded by tendrils of mist that reached out like grasping fingers.
"The founders tracked it here," Nico continued, "to this valley where the natural magic was strong enough to contain it. But containment required sacrifice."
He turned to the next page, showing the three founders standing around what was clearly the rune now buried beneath the inn. But in this illustration, they weren't just working magic—they were pouring their very life essence into the binding, their faces drawn with the exhaustion of people giving everything they had.
"They didn't just trap the Mistbound," Nico said quietly. "They bound it with their own souls, creating a seal that would hold as long as their bloodlines survived and remained connected to this place."
"Connected how?"
"Through bonds like the one you've just formed with Cade. You’re chosen mates, it also doesn’t help that help that he’s a werewolf. Founder bloodlines are drawn to each other because the magic requires balance—chaos magic from the witch line, protective instincts from the wolf line, and strategic thinking from the fae line. When the bloodlines are properly bonded, the seal remains strong."
Lyra stared at the illustration, pieces of a puzzle she hadn't known she was solving clicking into place. "And when they're not bonded?"
"The seal weakens. Gradually at first, then more rapidly as the Mistbound becomes aware that its prison is failing." Nico's expression grew grave. "Your grandmother was the last active witch founder until you arrived. She spent the final years of her life pouring her own energy into maintaining the seal, but it wasn't enough. Single bloodline magic can only hold for so long."
"That's why she cut off contact with my family," Lyra realized. "She was protecting me from having to make the same choice."
"And ensuring you'd have the option to claim your heritage when you were ready." Nico closed the book carefully. "Unfortunately, the Mistbound has been stirring more frequently in recent years. Your grandmother's death weakened the seal significantly, and your arrival has... accelerated the timeline."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning the rune you cracked wasn't just a magical artifact. It was the first lock on a three-part prison. The Mistbound is already testing the boundaries of its containment."
Lyra felt a chill rushed through her veins. "How long do we have?"
"Hard to say. Could be months. Could be weeks. The entity grows stronger as the seal weakens, and stronger entities are better at breaking magical constraints."
"And Cade knows all this?"
"Cade knows enough to understand that founder bonds aren't just romantic convenience—they're the key to keeping something unspeakably dangerous locked away." Nico's pale eyes were sympathetic but unflinching. "Which is probably why he's trying so hard to convince himself that what happened between you was just magical manipulation."
"Was it?" The question came out smaller than Lyra had intended. "The bond, what we felt—was any of it real?"
"What do you think?"
"I think it was the most real thing I've ever experienced," Lyra said honestly. "But I also think Cade's convinced himself it was all supernatural coercion, and nothing I say is going to change his mind."
"Perhaps not," Nico agreed. "But there are other ways to prove your worth to the community."
"Such as?"
Nico's smile held a hint of mischief. "Such as showing everyone that you're not just Vera's unprepared granddaughter stumbling through magical crises. You're a founder descendant who belongs in this town and is capable of contributing to its welfare."
"How do I do that?"
