Magical Musing (Stonewick Magical Midlife Witch Academy #2)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The mirror’s surface rippled with images of the hooded figure just beyond the Academy’s Wards.

Not attacking. Not breaking in. Just… waiting .

A chill skated down my spine, and I turned quickly to my grandma.

Her gaze refused to leave the mirror.

“Who was that?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Do you know who he is?”

My grandma didn’t answer right away, so I went to her side as my heart slammed against my ribs.

She studied where the reflection had been, her face eerily still.

Slowly, she shook her head and let out a sound—something chortled and rough, something I didn’t recognize.

I hesitated as concern pressed against my ribs. I had only seen my grandma composed, determined, even secretive, but never shaken.

Never like this.

“Grandma,” I tried again, softer this time.

She blinked rapidly, remembering I was still there.

She exhaled slowly and pressed into the folds of her robes like she was grounding herself.

“Help me to the library,” she murmured.

I didn’t hesitate.

Gently, I hooked my arm around hers and guided her out of the Hall of Echoes through the flickering corridors of the Academy.

Her usual strength and grace seemed diminished, each step forced. Her fingers trembled slightly as they curled around mine.

The library wasn’t far, but it felt like the longest walk of my life.

The walls buzzed with charms around us. The Academy shifted subtly, almost as if responding to my grandma’s unease.

When we stepped inside, the library’s massive space stretched around us.

Its towering shelves lined with books practically vibrating with ancient knowledge. Candles hovered in midair.

Elira sank into one of the worn leather chairs near the main table, her breath uneven.

I crouched in front of her, taking her cold hands in mine. “What is it? Who was that man?”

Her gaze lifted to mine, and I expected answers.

Instead, all I got was another slow shake of her head.

“Not yet,” she whispered.

Not yet? Not yet?

I gritted my teeth, my frustration battling with my worry.

“Grandma, you looked like you saw a ghost. If you know something—”

The air suddenly burst with movement.

Book sprites.

They flitted through the air in frantic swirls. Their tiny wings shimmered with high-pitched chatter that was nearly deafening. They darted between the shelves, and their tiny hands gestured wildly to get my attention.

“Not now,” I told them, barely sparing them a glance.

But they didn’t stop.

One particularly bold sprite, a little red-winged thing with a sharp expression, swooped right up to my face and tugged on my nose.

I swatted at her, but she let out an indignant tsk and pointed furiously toward the far end of the library, where a section of books pulsed with faint golden light.

A section the Academy wanted me to see.

I stiffened.

The last time the Academy had led me to something, I’d made a vow that bound me to its magic.

I wasn’t sure I was ready for whatever was in store for me next.

But I also wasn’t about to leave my grandma’s side.

“Not now,” I said again, firmer this time.

The sprite huffed and zoomed off, disappearing into the shelves with the others. Their whispers didn’t stop, though. They were still circling, watching, waiting.

Elira let out a slow breath. “They’re trying to help you.”

I turned back to her.

“And I will listen—to them and you. But right now, I need to know why that man at the Ward made you look like you’d seen a ghost.”

Elira studied me for a long moment, then patted my hand, her grip stronger than before.

“You remind me so much of your grandfather,” she murmured.

I blinked at the sudden shift. “Grandpa?”

I’d never met him.

She nodded, her eyes distant.

“He always pushed for the truth, even when it wasn’t safe. Even when I wanted to protect him from it. And so impatient. Very impatient.”

A lump formed in my throat. “Then don’t protect me. Tell me.”

“Your grandfather was so constricted, so rigid. He wouldn’t see another way. He let the pack dictate things in his personal life that they never should have had control over. Things always had to be the right way. The way things had been handed down time after time. He had no room for exceptions.” My grandma sighed, looking toward the bookshelves where the sprites beckoned me.

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.” I took a deep breath. “Do you need some tea? Can I get you something to help calm your nerves?”

“My nerves are fine, dear. It’s my soul that’s hurt.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe my husband is still alive while my son…”

“That was Grandpa?” I shook my head.

“Yes. He isn’t the man I married. I know that without a doubt.”

My brows furrowed together. “What do you mean? How do you know?”

“He’s a cruel form of rigidity tied to tradition. He abandoned your father in his time of need.”

“With the curse?” I asked, desperately trying to piece it together.

“No, I’m afraid way earlier than that.”

Oh, my word!

Enough with the riddles and vagueness.

“The Academy already knows what you need. It’s trying to show you.”

I set my jaw. “Then tell me where to start.”

She considered this, then—finally—nodded.

“That section the sprites were attempting to lead you to? Start there.”

I hesitated, still not wanting to leave her alone, but she waved me off with a tired smile.

“I’m fine, Maeve. Go.”

My stomach twisted, but I obeyed, standing and making my way toward the pulsing golden glow at the far end of the library.

The book sprites, smug little creatures, immediately resumed their excited chatter, zipping through the air and pulling at random books until one nearly leaped off the shelf into my hands.

I barely caught it, stumbling back a step as its weight pressed into my palms. The cover was old, bound in dark green leather. The title burned into the spine in elegant script: Forbidden Magic and the Ties that Bind .

The moment I touched it, something stirred in the air.

A memory? A whisper of something ancient?

My breath caught.

I turned, glancing back at my grandma, who was studying me. And that’s when I knew.

Whatever I was about to learn—whatever secrets this book held—was something she already knew.

And something she had kept from me.

I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening on the cover.

I wasn’t sure I was ready.

But ready or not, the Academy had decided it was time.

But I hadn’t come here tonight for this.

I’d come to talk to the Academy. I tried to reason with it, to see if it was ready—if I was ready—to start bringing students and faculty back. I had planned to argue my case, to convince it to open early. To find a headmistress. To begin again.

Instead, I was tangled in family drama and secrets that refused to unravel.

But yet they threaded back to the breach.

The other reason I came tonight.

I let out a slow breath and sat at one of the long library tables, flipping the book open to a section marked with an old, tattered ribbon. The pages were aged, their edges slightly curled, the ink faded but still legible.

The words sent a shiver down my spine.

On the Nature of Alphas and the Packs That Bind Them

Throughout history, shifters have been ruled by instinct and the magic interwoven within their very essence. Unlike standard leadership, the Alpha Bond is not a title one merely assumes. It is granted—woven into the soul through ritual and recognition. Once bound, the magic compels the Alpha and those who serve under them.

This bond is one of duty but also consequence. Those who fail to uphold their pack's will, abandon their sworn charge, and sever their link prematurely suffer the effects. The deeper the connection, the greater the cost.

Shifters of ancient lines, those connected to old magics, bear the strongest bonds. These ties are rarely spoken of outside their kind, but they are etched into the fabric of magical history, and the echoes of their decisions ripple far beyond the packs themselves.

I frowned, running my fingers over the page.

Something about this passage felt… familiar.

My mind flickered back to Keegan.

His shifting. His control—or lack of it.

His absence from whatever pack had once bound him.

Was that what Nova had meant earlier when she’d mentioned his shifting wasn’t normal? Had he been severed from something? Or worse—had he severed himself?

And what did this have to do with the Academy?

I flipped to the next section, but the words blurred. I had been running on adrenaline and borrowed energy, and my brain was struggling to keep up.

I exhaled softly, rubbing my temples.

This was a lot.

I needed to step back, to let my mind breathe.

I carefully closed the book, smoothing my palm over the cover as if to apologize for setting it aside so soon. The book sprites above chattered indignantly at my hesitation, fluttering in erratic circles before perching on a high shelf, watching me with bright, glowing eyes.

“I know,” I murmured, offering them a small smile. “I’ll come back to it.”

The smallest of them let out a dramatic little sigh, shaking his head as if I had personally let him down.

I ignored their disappointment and pushed away from the table, glancing toward the library’s sitting area where I had left Elira. My heart squeezed when I saw her still seated by the fire, her expression distant and reserved.

I walked back over, kneeling before her and gently touching hers.

“Grandma?” I said softly.

She startled slightly, coming back from somewhere far away.

I frowned. “Are you alright?”

She blinked at me for a moment before offering a small smile. “Of course.”

She wasn’t lying, exactly. But she wasn’t telling me everything , either.

I sighed, sitting beside her. “That book… it talks about Alpha bonds and duty. About how severing those ties has consequences. I think it’s trying to tell me something important.”

Elira’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in her gaze.

I hesitated, choosing my next words carefully. “If this has anything to do with Keegan, I just want to understand. I don’t want to push, but I need to know what I’m up against.”

A long silence stretched between us before Elira sighed, pressing her fingers to her temple. “The Academy is leading you exactly where you need to be. But I need you to understand… some truths come with burdens.”

A small chill ran through me.

I had expected mystery, expected secrets.

But not this kind of hesitation.

Still, I met her gaze and nodded. “I can handle it.”

Elira studied me for a moment, then gave a small chuckle. “You do remind me of your grandfather, but of your father far more…”

I smiled, the curiosity of it setting off something inside me.

I had more questions than ever.

And I wouldn’t leave the Academy without finding the answers.