Chapter 7 Old Ways - Poppy's POV

Poppy

Even thinking the words made my stomach twist. Alden was my fated mate.

I looked down at the book again, hoping the words would somehow change if I stopped staring at him. They didn't. The ink remained exactly where it was, written in my grandmother's familiar hand.

I swallowed. Of all the things I had expected to find hidden in my grandmother's books, this had not been one of them.

Fated mates were supposed to be romantic. At least, that was how the stories made them sound.

People met, magic sparked, and somehow everything fell perfectly into place. There were usually flowers, music, and someone crying happy tears.

There was never a woman accidentally turning her fated mate into a fox in the middle of a bakery.

I glanced at Alden, who was still watching me intently. His ears had perked slightly, and his tail had stopped moving. “You're staring.”

“So are you.”

“I’m a fox. I have an excellent excuse as to why I stare. However, you do not,” he chided.

I couldn't help laughing. The tension in my chest eased slightly. “That doesn't make any sense. I can stare as well.”

“It doesn't have to. I'm royalty,” he added, his voice holding slightly more authority than before.

I shook my head and looked back at the book. That was Alden.

Even as a fox, he somehow managed to sound like a prince. My fingers traced the edge of the page, careful not to damage the fragile paper. There had to be more. My grandmother wouldn't have written a single sentence about fated mates and left it at that.

I turned the page, only to find nothing. My mouth twitched, then turned down into a frown. I turned another page, which was a description of a protective enchantment. After another page, I didn’t find anything about fated mates.

I flipped back a few pages, certain I had somehow missed something. Nothing.

I tried again, scanning the faded handwriting more carefully this time. There were notes about protective enchantments, ingredients for healing spells, and even a rather complicated binding spell that made my head hurt just looking at it.

But nothing about fated mates or how to reverse accidentally enchanting something. I sighed and closed the book halfway.

“That can't be it.”

Alden shifted beside me. “Perhaps it is.”

I rolled my eyes. “That's not helpful.”

“I wasn't trying to be helpful.”

I looked at him, and all he did was blink up at me so innocently that it was hard to accuse him of being cynical. I shook my head, fighting another smile. Apparently, being turned into a fox hadn't affected his ability to be annoying.

I opened the book again and slowly ran my fingers over the page. The paper felt slightly warmer than the others. I paused, wondering if it was because of the fire.

Then the warmth pulsed beneath my fingertips. I pulled my hand back. A tiny spark of silver light appeared between the pages.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alden’s ears perk up as a little Faelight swirled around the book.

“What did you do?”

“Nothing.”

The spark drifted upward, twirling through the air like a tiny firefly before settling back onto the page.

I leaned closer. There was something written beneath the faded ink. Something I hadn't noticed before.

I tilted the book toward the fire, letting the warm light fall across the page. The words slowly became clearer. My heart began to beat faster.

I recognized my grandmother's handwriting immediately.

Fated magic does not always reveal itself at once. I swallowed.

Alden moved closer until his shoulder pressed against my leg. I continued reading.

Sometimes the heart knows before the mind does. Sometimes the magic waits until the right moment to awaken.

“Well, that’s not ominous,” I said sarcastically.

I stared at the words for several seconds. This didn’t answer anything I needed. If anything, it only left me with more questions.

I ran my finger beneath the faded sentence, hoping there might be something written underneath it. Nothing appeared. I sighed and turned the page.

The paper was blank. I turned to another. Once again, it was blank.

I flipped through several pages, but the same thing continued. Whatever my grandmother had written about fated magic, she hadn't left me an easy explanation.

Alden watched me from beside my knee. “Perhaps you should stop trying to force it.”

I glanced down at him, my brow furrowing in frustration. “That sounds suspiciously like advice.”

“It is,” he said, his voice firm. “Sometimes it’s better to look at things with an open mind.”

Maybe he was right. I'd been searching for an answer so desperately that I hadn't stopped to consider that I might be looking in the wrong way. My grandmother had always told me that magic responded best when I stopped trying to control every little thing.

I closed my eyes and took a slow breath. The cottage was quiet around me. The fire crackled softly behind my back, and the faint scent of cinnamon still lingered in the air from the pastries I'd brought home.

I let my shoulders relax. The book immediately grew warm.

I opened my eyes. Silver Faelight spilled between my fingers. The book opened on its own, pages flipping rapidly until they stopped. The faded writing on the page shimmered, and new words appeared beneath it.

When the old magic awakens, the answers cannot be found here.

“What does that mean?”

I had barely spoken the words when another line appeared.

Seek the Fae who remember the old ways. They will know how to undo what has been done.

Faelight swirled from the page and then moved. It went straight toward the door.

Alden traced the silver streak with his eyes. “It appears that it wants us to follow it.”

My heart ‌thudded hard as I realized that would require leaving home. I looked down at him once, shaking my head. “You’ll have to go with me. Do you think you can leave your court behind?”

Alden's amber eyes met mine. For a moment, he didn't answer. Then he looked toward the silver trail waiting by the door. “My court can survive without me for a little while.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You're a prince.”

“I am also currently a fox. I'm not sure how useful I'll be sitting on a throne like this.”

A laugh escaped me.

He stepped closer, his fluffy tail brushing against my ankle. “And if those Fae can change me back, then I need to go.”