“We'll do the vow in front of the Moon Goddess's temple,” I stopped by the iron gates when Achilles’ spoke, his words echoing with a sense of finality.
I nodded once more, his jaw set. I know he doesn't want to do this, but he has no choice left.
And there, beneath the moon's shimmering light, we sealed our pact. Two figures, one burdened by shadows and the other ready to step into the light. The wind carried our oath, the words whispered into the night like a sacred secret between us.
As I turned away from Achilles, my heart’s heavy with a mixture of hope and trepidation. I felt a glimmer of something I hadn't felt in a long time—purpose. The journey ahead would not be easy, and the path to find the witch might be fraught with danger. But it was a path I had to take.
For my pack, for Achilles, and most importantly, for myself.
The Moon Goddess's statue watched over us, her radiant presence a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is a guiding light.
And so, with my destination clear in my mind and the weight of my pack's future on my shoulders, I set forth into the night, determined to chase away the shadows that have haunted me for far too long.
***
Someone gave me a tip where the witch is hiding.
“Someone just gave this to me. I'm so sorry... A-Alpha! Please let me go. I want to live!” The little girl pleaded but she already shifted into her wolf form and ran away even before I could yield an answer.
As the mist cleared and the rocky path widened, the sight before me became both eerie and mesmerizing.
What is that?
A clearing nestled amidst the peaks revealed a makeshift camp, a cauldron hanging over a crackling fire, its flames casting dancing shadows on the ancient stone beside the camp. And there, bent over the pot, was the witch.
Ugly would be an understatement. Her appearance was a grotesque fusion of warts, wrinkles, and twisted features that seemed to reflect the malevolence within her. As her gnarled fingers stirred the contents of the pot with a sickening squelch, I could feel the aura of darkness that emanated from her very being.
I crouched behind a boulder, hidden from her view but keenly observing every move she made. The little girl who had given me the tip had been right: the witch was indeed hiding here—or rather, been staying here. Her guard was down, unaware of the predator that had tracked her to this desolate place.
A sense of urgency rose within me. I knew I had to act, to strike while she was vulnerable. But caution held me back. This witch is cunning and powerful, her magic weaving a tapestry of deceit and illusion. To confront her head-on could be my downfall, a mistake I couldn't afford to make.
So, I waited. Biding my time as the minutes stretched on like eternity. The wind whispered ancient secrets I couldn’t discern, the crackling of the fire seemed to echo with the cries of forgotten souls.
As the witch continued her unholy concoction, I focused on her essence. Seeking a weakness, a pattern, something that would give me the upper hand towards her is not an easy job.
And then, as if sensing my presence, her head snapped up, her gaze piercing through the shadows.
“Welcome, Zarion.” She grins at me with her crooked teeth. “Come inside.”
When I didn't step inside, I saw her shifting from her ugly form into another. She looks... old. But ethereal. She reminds me of someone, someone—
No fucking way!
After all these years, it's her along?! She is Cassidy's grandmother!
I saw her once in their castle. I thought she was killed and devoured by Hestia and the rest of the Rogues but…
“What the—” I exhaled a raspy breath. “You’re Cassidy’s grandmother?”
She nodded. “Indeed, I am.”
“You knew me the whole time, yet you pretended not to. Why is it? What do you want?”
She smiled at me warmly. I cut her off before she could continue talking. “It d-doesn’t matter. I want the potion that I’ve been finding all these years.”
“For what purpose, Zarion?”
I swallowed a lump on my throat. Did she know what happened to her granddaughter?
Everyone knew about Luna Cassidy’s death.
“Cassidy is dead—my wife, your granddaughter, is gone. I don’t think I can continue to live without my mate either.”
“Mate?” Her forehead furrowed. “Zarion, I already put a curse on you when you wish to not meet your mate. Your mate was stolen by another Alpha. My job is when the Moon Goddess puts and marks the two mates from their birth, the witch’s job is to shuffle it and steal the other mate from someone.”
“What are you talking about?!” I couldn’t grasp any idea of what she just said.
She sighed, “Your mate was stolen from your brother, Brandon.”
Fuck.
So that means…
“That is why…Cassidy’s first mate is Brandon. How cruel of you! If she hadn't met Brandon, she wouldn’t be dead by now!” I shriek in front of her, fists pounding on the snowy ground below.
She shook her head. I couldn’t explain the expression she was wearing on her face. She’s too fucking hard to read.
“I know that it was my granddaughter. And I did that for her own sake, but then she met you… and she’s a stubborn child.” She chuckled without humor, exhaling a misty breath.
“Damn it!” I cursed to myself and punched the ancient stone beside me.
“I already put a spell on Cassidy whenever she is at risk. She only has nine lives though…”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked and am ready to kill the witch. The only one stopping me is Cassidy.
She loves her grandmother so much. Perhaps more than me.
“Nine lives—”
I whispered and looked at the witch. “Then that explains why she escaped death a couple of times. Does it mean…” I trailed off and looked at her with widening eyes.
Surprised, yet glad.
I could feel something in my system. The wolf inside of me started to wag its tail and howl.
Now I understand why.
There, I saw my Luna, in a white dress, flapping in the breeze as if they were her wings. Cassidy stepped outside of the witch’s hut—her grandmother’s hut. Alive… and smiling at me.
“Zarion,” she breathed, the voice of an angel as ever.