Ch. The Lucan Marked me 27 The Lucan Marked me 27

Chapter 27 

Sienna 

The woods were quiet as we walked. 

Elias trotted ahead, barefoot, his excitement as obvious as daylight. He was growing into his 

strength faster than I expected, and that scared me more than I let on. His movements were 

getting more confident, less child, more instinct. And even though I knew he’d completely 

misunderstood what I’d told him, hence, his excitement, I knew he was about to realize it 

soon. 

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Today wasn’t about using his powers without restraint. It was about teaching him how to hold 

it back. We finally got to the small clearing Mara had told us about. She stretched her arms 

put, turning around slowly as if to say, ‘Here, we are.’ The clearing was just as she’d described. 

It was small, but still big enough for the occasion, surrounded by tres thick enough to almost 

completely burst any burst of light. 

Elias bounced as Mara settled herself down on a small rock with a smooth surface. I turned to 

Elias, adjusting the straps on his practice vest and brushing leaves out of his hair. “Remember 

what I told you?” I asked quietly. The seriousness of my tone was enough to get him to stop 

dancing, but it didn’t completely erase his excitement. 

Elias grinned, nodding. “Control!” He replied. “You said I need control and not spweed.” I 

smiled, even though my chest ached. I was aware of Mara quietly watching our interlude from 

her spot on the rock. Elias was only five, but there were days he spoke like someone who had 

lived ten lives before this one. It was days like this, I wondered just how much of Logan lived 

inside him. I gave myself a few seconds before snapping out of it. It didn’t matter how much 

of anyone lived inside him. 

What mattered was that I did too. 

“Alright,” I said, stepping back. “Show me what you’ve been practicing.” I already knew Mara 

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had been giving pointers when she could and helping him maser his powers. There were times 

in the beginning-when I’d just wanted Elias not to make use of his powers all together, when 

I would come back and things would be disarrayed and I would instantly know Mara had let 

Elias play around with his powers. It had always been easier to act like I hadn’t. 

But I’d eventually had to come to terms with the fact that it was part of who he was and I couldn’t suppress that part of him for so long. It wouldn’t be fair to him. I watched Elias as he closed his eyes, the air around us shifting slightly. A light breeze stirred the leaves as his energy rose. He was trying to summon a target dummy using the earth, like Mara had taught 

him. It flickered into shape-sloppy, but still managing to hold. 

My heart swelled. 

“That’s it,” Mara said gently from a few metres beside us. “Keep it steady, Elias.” 

The dummy snapped apart in a sudden flare of light, and Elias gasped, stumbling back. He immediately turned to me, the look on his face apologetic. “I didn’t mean to-” 

“It’s okay,” I said quickly, moving to him. “That’s why we’re practicing. You did well.” He nodded, but I saw the disappointment flash across his face. The weight he put on getting things right-it mirrored someone else’s far too well. I brushed the thought off as we picked up from where we’d stopped. A few minutes later, he was sitting on the grass breathing hard. I sat beside him, brushing my knuckles against his cheek. He still hadn’t perfected creating the dummy. “You pushed too much energy too fast. That’s all.” I said soothingly. 

He glanced up at me, hesitant. “Mom?” 

“Mmh?” 

His voice dropped into that quiet tone he only used when something was really sitting on his 

heart. “Did dad ever lose control like that?” 

My heart dropped. My stomach twisted. I felt Mara’s gaze pierce my back before I even looked 

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toward her. I blinked once. Twice. This was the first time he was outrightly asking about his 

father. A father who didn’t even know he existed. Or that he had powers. It broke my heart 

that he knew nothing about Logan, but I knew it was probably for the best. “He was strong,” I 

began carefully. “Stronger than most. And that definitely meant he also struggled with 

control.” 

Elias didn’t say anything for a moment. “Was he… like me?” 

I opened my mouth and then shut it again. I wasn’t ready for this. I had told myself I’d wait 

until the time was right. When the questions came less like knives and more like gentle 

curiosity, but I was beginning to doubt a time like that would ever come. Fortunately for me, Mara stepped in. She sat on the other side of Elias curling her hand around his waist. “Your 

father was brave,” she said gently, smoothing his hair now. “And complicated. Just like you. He 

had a lot of pressure on him, but he always wanted to do the right thing.” 

I swallowed hard, my chest tight as I listened to her. “But…why isn’t he here?” Elias asked, 

softer this time. Not angry. Not sad. Just…curious. And probably aching to understand why he 

didn’t have his father in his life like all the other kids at school. 

“Because sometimes,” I said slowly, “people make mistakes. Even the ones who love us. And 

sometimes, love isn’t enough to fix everything right away.” 

Elias looked at me, his amber-flecked eyes so wide and old. “Is he alive?” 

I hesitated. “Yes.” He nodded slowly, then said nothing else. Just leaned into my side, resting 

his head on my shoulder. I kissed his hair and pulled him close. I couldn’t help but wonder 

what the goddess thought of all this. 

I couldn’t help but wonder if Logan, somewhere, felt the echo of the son he didn’t know he 

had. 

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The Lycan Marked Me and Walked Away