Over the next few months, the news of the prophecy weighed on my back.
Imagine that. Being a reincarnate witch. My parents had to head to a pack meeting at one of the Elders' houses, so we went our separate ways - them heading off towards the houses and me turning back to the path we'd taken earlier.
The sun was out in full force, and I could feel the heat everywhere, and my tongue felt sticky and dry. I felt like I was going to faint, so I cut a path under some trees. I knew that that way was longer and passed more houses, but I didn't care. I had an ulterior motive too.
I picked up a few wildflowers on the side of the road and when I passed by Elise's house, I stopped by to say hi, tell her about the prophecy and check up on her back. She and a few others had seen what I could do with my hands and some herbs, so it only felt right that I told them first about the prophecy.
When I walked down the path to her house and knocked, she opened the door immediately, like she had been waiting for me.
I laughed and handed her the flowers I had picked, giggling as she pulled me into a firm hug. Her back was definitely better.
Still it didn't hurt to ask, and I did.
“How's your back?”
“Oh that,” she waved it away. “It no longer hurts. I woke up this morning and barely remembered!” To demonstrate, she bent over to touch her toes.
“Good as new!” I exclaimed, clapping my hands in excitement.
“Just like magic. I wonder how you learnt to do it, Mira. You really do have magic hands.”
“You don't know the half of it, ” I coughed, “I just learned that I'm a witch.”
“From the top, ” said Elise, setting the flowers into a vase.
I told her the whole story, starting from my powers not coming in, to all the pressure I had been feeling the whole time. When I got to the part about walking up her path, she grabbed me and pulled me into a hug.
“Oh, you sweet girl. That must be so confusing.”
“It is,” I replied, letting out a heavy sigh.
She made me stay for tea and I did, snacking on some cookies and drinking her chamomile tea. When I finished, I bid her goodbye and started back to my house. I had a lot to think about, so much I needed to do.
When I got home, I went straight to my room, standing in front of my floor length mirror. I didn't look like a witch, not if you asked me. I just looked like plain old Mira.
Maybe the seer had seen wrong. It felt impossible, me being a reincarnate witch. Hundreds of hundreds of years ago? What a vendetta!
A few days later, it was time for the pack's New Year's Eve celebration, and I was running around setting up with my mum. Dad and some of the warriors were helping to lift things around and set them in place. One of the many neighboring packs was coming to celebrate with us, and everything had to be perfect.
My mum and the Lunas were in charge of entertainment, and a few of them were in smaller groups, dealing with food for us to eat.
Time went by quickly, and soon enough, the packs had come to Mystic Shadow, our pack. Everyone was there! The Crystal Blood pack and their Alpha, and ours, with the Alpha King, Khal, was soon to arrive.
The celebration was in full swing, but Alpha Khal was yet to arrive. My father who was the pack warrior leader were keeping watch over the celebration when a hush tones suddenly went over the entire celebration. Alpha King Khal was here!
I quickly left the celebration to help my mum and the other Lunas get more refreshments. We had already run out of drinks, and we didn't want the party to end anytime soon.
When we got back, the two Alpha pack leaders of Mystic Shadow and Crystal Blood were sitting side by side, with their Alpha chiefs and Betas flanking them.
Alpha Khal got up and began clanking his glass to draw our attention. All the members of the two clans turned over to him out of respect.
My dad was beside him and signaled to me to call my mother to come forward. So I went over to her and tugged onto her dress to call her attention.
Together, we walked over to the front of the gathering, hanging on to Alpha Khal's every movement.
As soon as we got there, he froze in the air, turning to look over at us. He suddenly move forward and stopped in front of me. He beckoned to his Beta, Stephen Cain.
Together they walked to the side and whispered over each others ears.
Every few seconds, one of them would look over at me and I felt the hair on my arms raise.
Something was not right.
After a few more minutes of their conversation, they both walked over to me, Alpha Khal taking the lead. When he got to my front, he swiped at his nose, like he just smelled something in the air.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“M-m-m-m-me?”
“No, your shadow.” he retorted, a look of irritation setting in on his face.
“I'm Mira,” I finally answered, looking to my father’s direction for answers.
When he heard my name, he looked up at the moon and muttered something. I had no idea he was talking to the moon goddess, so I asked him what he said.
“Of all the mates I could get, I got a witch instead of a wolf!”
Damn! He smelt me.
But how did he know?
There was a collective gasp around the pack, everyone turning to look at me and breaking away into groups to talk about it. I didn't know I was his mate. What was this all about? My mum moved to stand beside me and I smiled weakly, knowing she couldn't save me.
“If the moon goddess thinks I would take a witch as a mate, she doesn't know me. Look at you. You're not worthy of a mate like me. I will choose another. ”
With tears running down my face, I ran through the people behind me, so I could go home. What kind of monster was he?
How cruel of him to say to me his mate. What did I ever do to him?
“Continue your speech,” someone from the other pack yelled, oblivious to what was going on. So Khal went back to his place beside the other Alpha, and looked up at the moon. He shook his fists and cursed at the moon once again. Without meaning to, when he brought down his hands back, he hit someone straight into the shoulder.
I heard footsteps behind me, soft and gliding. I quickly turned around, my heart racing. Nobody had reason to go through this same route right now. They were all at the party, and I had to be careful. “Who is that?”No response. “Who is there? I'm warning you, I have a knife!” To prove my point, I placed my hands at my waist, my heart beating like a drum. I stepped away from the light and hid in a corner. I stayed ready to fight for my life, till I saw my mum come out from the shadows, walking really slow. “Mira! Honey? Where are you?”Oh. “Mum, it's you. Sorry about that.”“About what?” she asked, and I shrugged it off. “Anyway, “she continued, “I'm sorry about all that drama at the party. And Alpha Khal. How are you holding up?”I felt the tears rushing to my eyes, so before they came out, I turned away from my mother.“It's fine. I'm fine. Could you go back to the party? We'll talk after.”“Are you sure?” she asked, a frown staining her features. “Yes, I am. Go back to the pa
A few hours later when the silence had grown heavy and the darkness deepened, people from town came to the field to meet me in the pool of my parents blood. They were dressed in black, wearing their mourning clothes. I sat down and wondered where my mum was, looking around the bowed heads. I didn't see her, and then afresh I remembered she was dead, among one of the bodies on the floor. I let out a scream and started crying all over again. I punch hard at the ground, angry. “Wake up! Please, wake up!”I went over to the next body. “Please please please.”Nothing changed, and I started to cry all over again. I sat in the mess and looked up at the pack members for comfort. What I saw there chilled me to the core. They seemed angry. And I understood that, but their anger seemed to be directed at me. I shook my head, as if to tell them that it wasn't me. I was away. I didn't even know what happened! “What happened?” I barked out, hoping someone would answer me. The silence was so th
That morning, I walked in the forest for hours on end, stepping on the dried leaves and twigs. Every few minutes I would see something I wanted to show my mum or dad and then realize that I no longer had them. It was lonely and scared, but I kept on walking. Throughout that day, I saw all sorts of creatures and animals, but for some reason, they stuck by me. A squirrel followed me the farthest, going along with me for hours on end. He would jump in the trees while we walked, and when he sensed danger, he would come to a stop. At night I would light a fire under the trees to ward away the animals that would come near me. He stayed with me for a few days, finding me the best fruits, and then he disappeared suddenly.When I got to a place I felt comfortable in, I stopped my journey. It was close to a river and had a lot of trees, for shade, and a little abandoned cave I could stay in at night. There were fruit bushes and all the herbs I needed to continue my witchcraft practice, and I
Khal's POV"We have to attend this party. “said Stephen.At this point, I don't even know who the Alpha is. I don't want to attend a stupid party and pretend like everything is alright when I am hurting from not having a mate. Who am I?I am Alpha Khal. The Alpha King of the mystic shadow pack and right now I am not feeling very like an Alpha. I have two younger ones (Michael and Caroline). My parents had been murdered by witches over fifteen years ago and left me to take over the pack as a young teenager. I dream everyday of getting my revenge over the murderers but they have remained in the shadows ever since.Everybody expects me to get a mate so they will have a Luna. Even my younger ones have gotten their mates. I have nothing. It is like the moon goddess was laughing at me. The pack were whispering behind me. People were looking at me with pity which I detest. So you will excuse me when I say I don't want to go for a New Year's Eve party in another town.However, I had to go b
Mira's POV As I had no connection to the real world, I have no idea how much time had passed. I know it has been years though. My parent's trees were now fully fledged. Oh how I missed my mother. She would have comforted me. I love being in the wild but it gets lonely, very lonely. I decided to suck it up and go to the river to find dinner. The moon shone brightly. I walked out of my cave, the air was cool, the birds asleep. That's when I saw her. She was on the floor and her head was facing the other way. A lone wolf. At first I hid because although I had healed some lone wolves in the past, I was traumatized and would love to stay alive thank you very much. "Who are you?", I asked. She didn't reply. I then caught the moonlight reflecting off a pool she was in. "That doesn't make sense the river is over there-the river is over there-THE RIVER IS OVER THERE." She was bleeding, profusely. I ran over and asked what had happened. She didn't reply and her breaths were heavily
Khal's POVI woke up drenched in sweat. The nightmares had become worse. I could hear my parents' screams, their throats being slit and my own futile begging. I couldn't get up. I had become worse overnight. I also smelt a distinct rotting. It was from me, the healer hadn't been lying after all. The curse was taking over. As the Alpha of my pack, I've always prided myself on being in control. I'm the one who makes the tough decisions and ensures that my pack is safe and secure. But now, I find myself in a situation that I have no control over. The curse of the rejection has taken a hold of me, and it's slowly killing me from within. I had my reasons, but they were not good enough for the Moon Goddess. She cursed me, promising me a slow and painful death that would come from within. Over time, I began to notice the changes in myself. I felt weaker, more tired, and less like myself.I tried to hide my deteriorating condition from my pack, but my Beta Stephen could see that somethin
Chapter 9 Although Mira had only known Anabelle for a few days, she had come to find her as a fast friend. She could hunt as well in her human form and her wolf form, and Mira had found her to be quite an asset. She could identify a lot of the plants that Mira needed for her poultices and elixirs, and she even knew how to grind them too, which made her a perfect friend for Mira, and a very useful one too. They would go down the river for dinner every night, searching for fish or freshly wounded animals that were too close to death to be saved. On one of their walks along the river banks, Mira stared into the running clear water only to see Anabelle's reflection looking right back at her. Their aim that night was to get food for dinner, but Mira wanted to know who she had been sharing her home with a little better. “So, Anabelle, tell me more about yourself,” she said, keeping her face neutral. “So far, all I know about you is that you're from Spooky Hollow, you are the only surv
Caroline's POVI stood at the edge of the forest, surveying the gathered wolves with a critical eye. They had come from all corners of the land, answering the call to hunt for the potion that would cure the curse of the rejected. The curse, which caused wolves to physically rot had plagued my brother for years. But now, with the promise of a cure, our hope had been reignited.I had volunteered to lead the hunt, a decision that had been met with positivity among the ranks. After all, though she was not a warrior like her brother or a seasoned hunter but they knew I possessed a sharp mind and a keen eye for strategy, and I was determined to lead this hunt to success."Listen up, everyone," I called out, her voice ringing clear over the crowd. "We have a mission to complete. The potion that will cure the curse of the rejected is somewhere in these woods. We know the potion can only be brewed by a powerful witch who lives deep in the forest. Our goal is to find her and convince her to giv
Khal's POV A day agoI sat outside Mira's room, staring at the ground with a heavy heart. I had made a huge mistake, and now I was paying the price. I had rejected Mira when I had met her and now I am begging for her forgiveness. I had spent the past few days trying to make it up to Mira. I had sent her the freshest flowers, I had written beautiful notes and I had even tried to show her how much I cared for her. But she had shunned me every turn.I let out a deep sigh and looked up at the ceiling . I knew I had messed up, and I knew I had hurt Mira deeply. But I am determined to make it right.I got up and walked towards Mira's door. I could hear her inside, but she didn't come out. I took a deep breath and called out to her."Mira, please come out. I need to talk to you."There was no response.I called out again. "Mira, I know I messed up. I know I hurt you. But I want to make it right. Please, just hear me out."Still, there was no response.I stood outside Mira's room for hours,
He had been coming to her room every day now that he was better. He had learned that she was not a fan of roses, and had instead shown up at her door with every single flower there was under the sun. His persistence would eventually annoy her - she already knew that, but right now it was endearing. Mostly.This morning, she had a walk around the ground scheduled. Even before she was sent out of her pack as a disgrace, she had ever been inside the mansion designated for the Alpha and his family. She was intrigued by the structure and wanted to find out where everything was. It was also the perfect way to ditch Alpha Khal for a little bit of time. Like clockwork, every morning, she got flowers on the hour. She fell asleep and that was probably the only reason she hadn't woke up swarmed this morning. Perhaps even the flower bushes would be glad that they're not dying anymore. She and Anabelle had walked to the little pond a few nights back, but they had not seen any ducks, but there the
Anabelle's POVI had followed Mira to this pack because I feared for her safety. My girl is going through it, if she says she wants revenge, she gets revenge. I support her rights but most importantly her wrongs. We had a hiccup during the journey in which we were attacked but Mira saved the day. She was so good I didn't have to bring my knife out. We got to the pack relatively unharmed but shaken. Mira and Robin went straight to the main house. I went too but got bored fast. I decided to take a walk and see the "wonderful pack." To be honest, the first look of the pack is really good. They have this unity and togetherness that reminds me of my own pack. I may have gotten a little bit teary. However, there was tension on the air. It seemed like they were preparing for a war. People were training, making weapons, discussing over maps. There was also a lot of guards around. I was taking all this in when a little child of about five years ran up to me. "Hi, I have never seen your face
Mira went to meet up with her friends in the room they had been given in the mansion. She had specifically asked that they give them all the same room, because she had gotten used to having Anabelle and Robin near her, and since Robin was back in his home, she couldn't have him around. The least she could have was Anabelle, who had become her best friend.The last few days were going to take a toll on her, she realized. She had helped to destroy some of the evil blood drinking witches, and she had realized that Alpha Khal had a reason to hate witches. Quite frankly, she was beginning to hate them too. It was one of the reasons she preferred to be called a healer, because there was no evil bone in her body. She had fed Alpha Khal the lifesaving potion and he had groaned and relaxed his face muscles. She knew that in the condition she had seen him, he would need some serious time to recover, and she hoped she had not been too late. She wondered if it was because he was her mate. Seein
Khal's POV.He woke up and felt better, and the first thought he had was that he hadn't felt that good in a while. He remembered that just a few hours ago, he thought that he was going to die. He had ignored the incoming hand of death and had almost given up when she came into his room, saving his life. If anyone was to ask him, it was so unusual a mirage, and he wondered if he had been hallucinating. He raised his head up, something he had been unable to do for a while, and he had been shocked at how easy it came to him now. He had lost hope of ever doing that again, he realized. The pain had spread from the limbs in his toes to the ones in his fingertips and even his scalp. His head was burning from the pain, and he thought he had passed out, although he was unsure. He tried to speak, but his mouth was wooly, and he could not get the right words out. He wanted to ask what had happened, or at least summon the energy to call a guard or two to help him out. His throat was dry, and he
Mira's POV We finally got to the main house. A woman was standing outside waiting, Robin whispered that she is the Alpha's sister Caroline. She looked agitated. "Robin, you sent a message?" She asked. "Yes ma. I have brought a well-versed potion maker who can help the Alpha." She looked slightly relieved but doubtful. "Are you sure? We have had a lot of potion makers come but to no fruition. What make you think she can help?""Because she healed me. I was near death and she healed me.""And me," Anabelle chimed in. "I promise you don't have time for all these. Didn't you say the Alpha has an ultimatum?""He does," Caroline replied. She looked at me. "Are you sure you can help him? I don't want my brother to die."At this point I was feeling pity for her. Unfortunately my heart was still rigid, my parents had also died. I don't give a shit about the person that caused it. I composed myself and talked."I can help your brother. I need to see him to know the exact potion to make."Ca
It had been only a day since Alpha Khal's visit, and the people in the village were getting restless. News of an upcoming war had come up, and Moira in particular had a rage that could not be contained. With every single hour that passed, she seemed to get more agitated, and she had already threatened to leave the town twice. Elise would not blame her for leaving if she did - the state of things was abominable, and she herself could not stand it. They were struggling for food before, but Alpha Khal had come with so much food and enough produce to last them months, and he had assured her that there was more in stock for whenever they needed it.She had addressed the people of her pack and told them of the developments, and Lycan warriors from all areas of the pack were to meet up that day. They planned to attack in the next few nights, a whole week before the attack that had been planned by the Crystal Blood pack, and she was seriously reconsidering the attack.She had been having dr
Mira's POV I woke up with a start. I just had the best vision ever. I had seen that even if I make the potion, Khal was still going to die if I don't forgive him. My heart was pounding as I recollected the dream of Khal's impending death. For years, I held onto a deep anger and resentment towards him, unable to forgive him for the pain he had caused me. But now, faced with the reality of his mortality, a strange sense of relief washed over me. I knew I shouldn't have felt that way, but I couldn't help it. Perhaps this was the closure I needed to finally move on from the hurt he had inflicted upon me.A strange plan hatched at the back of my mind. I was still smiling to myself when Anabelle shouted my name."Mira.""What?""Why are you smiling like that? It is very creepy."It seemed that my thoughts of complete pleasure were radiating outside. "Nothing much.""Are you sure?""Yes.""I don't believe you. You are lying."Sometimes I don't recommend having a best friend. They know too
Alpha Khal.It had been a very stressful few days since his cleanse at the healer's home, and Alpha Khal was well aware that time was passing for him. The search for his mate, the witch named Mira, had been in vain, and he felt a certain fear that he would not make it. He had been Alpha King over the Mystic Shadow pack since his father had died, and he wondered if they would miss him and how greatly his absence would be felt if he died too early. Sometimes he found himself thinking back to that one night at the New Year's celebration. Had he not been so foolish as to question the moon goddess, he would not be in this predicament. He played the night back over and over again, and each time, he did something a little bit differently. Sometimes he would simply not attend, and none of the evil that went down would happen. Other times, he would, but he would accept the witch as his mate, and then none of this would happen, the day would go normally and he would come to this home and have