Chapter 31 - The Father Who Notices
Victor Whitlock felt it before he understood it.
A faint disturbance.
Like a thread pulled too tight somewhere far away.
He paused mid-step in his study, hand hovering over a stack of old parchment texts. His brow furrowed as he closed his eyes and focused.
There.
A ripple.
Small.
But wrong.
The suppression spell had been stable for years. Maintained. Reinforced. Perfectly woven into the girl's mind and blood.
It should not move.
It should not waver.
Yet he could feel it shifting.
Victor turned slowly toward the tall window overlooking the estate grounds.
"She's too far," he murmured.
A knock came at the door.
"Enter."
Thomas stepped inside immediately.
Tall. Serious. Obedient.
"You felt it," Victor said without turning.
Thomas nodded once. "Yes."
Silence filled the room.
Victor's jaw tightened.
"James said she was taken by a human crime family," Thomas said carefully.
Victor's lips pressed into a thin line.
"No."
Thomas's eyes sharpened. "Then where is she?"
Victor finally turned.
"With him."
The weight of those two words hung heavy in the air.
Thomas understood immediately.
"The Silverwood King."
Victor nodded.
"That is the only presence strong enough to disrupt my work without trying."
Thomas's expression darkened.
"If she stays there too long-"
"She will remember," Victor finished calmly.
A long silence followed.
Thomas shifted slightly. "Should we retrieve her?"
Victor walked back to his desk slowly, thoughtfully.
"No," he said.
Thomas frowned. "No?"
"Not yet."
He picked up a small silver object from the desk - a ring etched with ancient runes.
"She does not know who she is. He does not know who she is. That ignorance is still our advantage."
Thomas nodded once.
Victor's eyes darkened.
"But if the bond completes..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
Thomas understood.
Victor set the ring down carefully.
"Prepare," he said quietly.
Thomas straightened. "For what?"
Victor's voice was calm.
Cold.
"For when we must take her back."