Page 66 of Chasing Stripes (Enchanted Falls #3)

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N ight had fully fallen by the time they returned to the pride house. They’d spent hours at the bakery after their picnic, cleaning up the magical chaos and reinforcing the protective wards. Exhaustion weighed on both of them as they made their way up to the private alpha wing, Bartek’s hand resting protectively at the small of Artemis’s back.

The moment they opened the bedroom door, Bartek froze, his tiger senses flaring with alarm. Something had changed in their space. His nostrils flared, picking up unfamiliar scents—parchment, old leather, and something burnt and floral.

“Wait,” he murmured, extending an arm to keep Artemis behind him.

But she had already noticed what caught his attention—an ornate wooden box sitting centered on their bed, surrounded by rose petals arranged in what appeared to be a ritualistic pattern. The carved wooden container gleamed faintly in the moonlight streaming through the windows.

“Stay back,” Bartek warned, his tiger responding to the perceived intrusion with partially shifted features. His fingers extended into claws, nails thickening and sharpening as he approached the box cautiously.

“It doesn’t feel malevolent,” Artemis observed, her fae senses reaching out. “There’s something... familiar about it.”

Bartek inhaled deeply, sorting through the scents. Whatever—or whoever—had left this had managed to enter their most private space. The alpha wing remained separate from the main house, its magical barriers specially reinforced to admit only those explicitly permitted by him.

“Mom! Dad!” he called, his voice carrying the authority of the alpha tiger.

They arrived quickly from the main house, Hudson’s expression hardening as he surveyed the scene. Gloria clasped her hands together, concern etching deep lines around her eyes.

“The wards weren’t triggered,” Hudson confirmed after examining the magical barriers specific to the alpha wing. He ran his hand along the doorframe, his own tiger magic testing the protections. “Everything’s intact. No sign of forced entry.”

“Someone who already had access to the main house and somehow got into your private quarters placed it here,” Gloria suggested, tension evident in her normally warm voice.

The implication chilled Bartek to his core. Only family members knew the precise location of their bedroom within the alpha wing, and only he could grant access through the protective barriers.

The box itself possessed a strange beauty—intricately carved with ancient symbols that represented both fae and shifter magic. Swirling patterns reminiscent of those now covering their bodies adorned the lid and sides.

“Some of these markings match our soul-tether patterns,” Artemis noticed, pointing to particular whorls that exactly mirrored designs on her forearm.

After performing several magical scans to confirm no immediate danger, Bartek carefully approached the box again. His tiger remained close to the surface, ready to emerge if needed.

“Open it,” Artemis urged softly, coming to stand beside him.

With cautious movements, Bartek lifted the lid. Inside lay a yellowed journal bound in faded blue leather, emblazoned with the Blu family emblem—the same symbol that adorned Honeycrisp Bakery’s sign.

“That’s my mother’s handwriting,” Artemis gasped, recognizing the elegant script visible on the open page.

Alongside the journal sat another pressed tiger lily preserved between sheets of wax paper—this one older than the specimen they’d found in the council archives.

A note in unfamiliar handwriting rested atop these treasures: “What was hidden must now be found. The eclipse approaches.”

“Well, I guess whoever took it from the library heard us talking about it. They brought it just as we need it.” Artemis whispered, her hands trembling as she reached for it.

“And knew how to access our private quarters,” Bartek added, studying every corner of the room for additional clues.

The patter of small feet interrupted their speculation as the twins burst into the room from the main house, their eyes wide with excitement rather than fear.

“Someone strange was here!” Lily announced, bouncing on her toes.

Jade nodded emphatically beside her sister. “We smelled them!”

Bartek crouched to their level, his tiger temporarily retreating. “What did they smell like?” he asked immediately.

“Like old books and something... burned,” Lily offered, her small nose wrinkling.

“And sad,” Jade added with the certainty only a child could possess. “They smelled sad.”

The adults exchanged confused glances. Hudson raised an eyebrow at Gloria, who shrugged slightly.

As Artemis carefully opened the journal, a folded letter fell out, addressed to her in her mother’s handwriting. The date on the letter showed it had been written just days before her parents’ accident. Bartek watched emotions cascade across her face as she unfolded it.

“‘My darling daughter,’“ she read aloud, voice trembling, “‘if you’re reading this, then the soul-tether we suspected has manifested. There are things about our family you must know before the eclipse...’“

She looked up, shock written across her features. “My mother knew about the possibility years ago.”

“How could she have known?” Bartek wondered, moving closer to provide silent support as Artemis clutched the letter.

Before she could continue reading, a strange sensation rippled through the air. The fine hairs on Bartek’s arms stood on end, and the golden marks across his skin began to pulse with an uncomfortable rhythm. Outside, the normal sounds of the forest—chirping crickets, rustling leaves—fell abruptly silent.

A faint auroral glow appeared in the sky beyond their windows, visible even through the glass.

“Something’s happening to the town’s magical field,” Hudson observed, moving to the window in alarm.

Throughout both the main house and private wing, magical items began activating without prompting. A protective charm hanging by the door spun rapidly. The enchanted clock on the mantle chimed despite the incorrect hour. Even the twins’ small collection of magical toys in the adjoining room began to glow and move.

Artemis and Bartek’s soul-tether brightened and pulsed rapidly, almost painfully, in response to the disruption. Golden light flared between them as if attempting to reinforce their connection against external influence.

“Someone’s testing the boundaries,” Gloria said grimly. “Preparing.”

Bartek reached for Artemis’s hand, their fingers interlacing as they shared a look of determined resolve. Whatever approached, they would face it together.