ELDER IRIS POV
The old book burst into flames the moment I touched it.
I jerked my wrinkled hands back, watching orange fire consume pages that had survived three hundred years in my secret library. The smell of burning magic filled the air, making my wolf senses tingle with danger.
"No, no, no!" I whispered, grabbing my water pitcher to douse the fire. But the fire wasn't real fire—it was magical protection, warning me away from secrets I wasn't meant to find.
As the last sparks died, I stared at the pile of ash that had once been "The True History of Triple Moon Bearers." My heart hammered against my old ribs. In seventy years of learning omega magic, I'd never seen a book destroy itself like that.
Something didn't want me learning about Lily's true nature.
I pushed my hurting bones up from the chair and hobbled to another shelf. If the clear sources were protected, I'd have to dig deeper. Way deeper.