KAI I ran to Alina, my heart pounding against my chest as I reached her still body. Her skin was pale, her lips slightly parted, but there was no sign of life. Panic seized me as I crouched down beside her, shaking her gently at first, then harder.“Alina,” I called, my voice rough, almost unrecognizable from the fear tightening my throat. She didn’t move, not even a flicker. My bones froze in place. This couldn’t be happening. Not now, not after everything.I stood up, my chest heaving as I whipped around to face the witch hunter. The cold look on his face sent a fresh wave of fury crashing through me. This was his doing. I stalked toward him, my hands shaking with rage.“Reverse it!” I demanded, my voice laced with venom. “Bring her back, NOW!”The witch hunter smirked, a twisted sense of satisfaction clear in his eyes. “No,” he hissed, standing his ground.My Lycan instincts roared to life. I could feel my fangs elongate, the beast within me clawing to the surface. Without anothe
ALINA When I woke up, my head was pounding like someone had struck me repeatedly with a hammer. Groaning, I reached for the small bottle of pills I kept on my bedside table and swallowed a couple, hoping the painkillers would soon take effect. I closed my eyes for a moment before I decided to take a bath. I dragged myself out of bed and stumbled over to the mirror, still half-asleep. As I stared at my reflection, something felt off. I blinked several times, trying to focus. My white hair strands—the ones that had always been there in small streaks—were longer. Much longer. And there were more patches of white spread throughout my hair, giving it an eerie contrast against the rest of my dark locks. I ran my fingers through it, confused. It wasn’t like this yesterday, was it?Did something happen between yesterday and today or was it because I was struck by the witch hunter? Shaking off the weird feeling, I decided it wasn’t worth dwelling on for too long. Maybe the stress from the pa
Alina's POV“Evan!” My voice rang through the hallway as I halted midway, my footsteps echoing to a stop. Evan's name tore from my lips with anguish.My voice trembled, a mixture of anguish and raw anger. I had no idea why I was angry. I was even more devastated than the anger I felt coursing through my veins. No, I must be mistaken. This shouldn't be. I was overreacting. The letter, this pendant, they meant nothing. I wanted to believe that, so I knew I had to check the pendant again to be sure.My fingers traced the intricate design of the pendant. I held my breath as I carefully removed the pendant I had on my own necklace and aligned it with the one I found in Evan's room. My eyes widened when the two pieces clicked together perfectly and seamlessly.A shiver danced in my spine as I looked at the fitted pendant. This was my mother's pendant. I had kept this other half without any hope of finding the other half. It was rare; it wasn't what anyone would just get at a jewellery store
ALINAI hadn’t left my room in two days. The weight of everything that had happened pressed down on me like a suffocating blanket. I needed time to process the events, but staying cooped up in my room only made my anxiety grow. It crept into me whenever I closed my eyes and tried to sleep: All I could replay in my head was that day and how everyone started to chant at me, like I was some abomination. No one also came to meet me, except for Kai. I wasn’t sure if anyone else knew about it— the immediate family members. I was expecting Aunt Arya, Nina and Maria to come and meet me to at least but they didn’t. I wondered if they were not avoiding me because of what they heard. Did they really believe that I was a witch? The thought of that hurt me a lot, that they would just accept it and not come to find out by themselves. I thought we had developed a closer connection when we were locked up by Jaime but I guess I was wrong. Eventually, I forced myself to get out of bed and decided to
KAI I was pacing in my chambers when the summons came. A guard knocked on the door, his eyes downcast. “Alpha, the lords and elders have called for an urgent meeting in the court.”My stomach twisted into a knot. Ever since Alina’s powers had manifested, I knew this moment would come. Whispers had spread through the pack like wildfire. The word “witch” had been spoken too many times, and now, the lords and elders were demanding answers.I couldn’t just shut them off. They were a key element in the development of the pack so just shutting them down was not an answer, especially right now when I knew I was wrong. I was so wrong. I was protecting something they all thought was an enemy, but they didn’t understand.She was my mate. She was the only person I could go to war for and kill for without thinking it over. I loved her. I knew what I signed up for being alpha. I needed to put the pack before everyone, but I don’t think I will be able to that to Alina. She was my everything. I wo
ALINA They took me a to a cell and so much time had passed that I didn’t even register how many hours had really passed. Some time later, the door was opened and they took me out. I yelled out at them for so long, hoping that Kai was going to come to my rescue but he never did. My heart was pounding in my chest as I was led to the center of the pack court, my hands shackled in iron cuffs. The weight of the metal was nothing compared to the crushing anxiety I felt inside. I had heard whispers about the witch trials, the way they had been used to “test” those accused of witchcraft in the past, and I knew the odds were stacked against me. These trials were designed to prove guilt, not innocence. Now that I was here and it was too late, I wished I had spent my time trying to study about the witch trials. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad then. Kai was standing at the far end of the court, his face pale, his eyes full of guilt and fear. It was the last thing I wanted to see before facing t
KAI I watched in horror as the crowd around us grew louder, their yells and curses directed at Alina. Everything seemed to slow down, the noise becoming a dull roar in my ears as I tried to process what had just happened. Alina… a witch? I had wished and prayed that this was not true. That my mate was not a damn witch. J had not known what my reaction was going to be to that, but now I did. My feelings for her did not change. In fact, I felt the. More stronger than before because all I wanted to do was go down there and save her from all of this. I heard them chanting the word ‘witch’, and I couldn’t help but think of how the word itself felt foreign, impossible to connect with the woman I loved. She had passed the trials, but it wasn’t enough for them. They still wanted blood.I felt dizzy, my mind spinning. No matter what had been revealed, Alina was still the same person she’d always been. I wasn’t going to let them tear her apart because of something she didn’t even understand
ALINAI felt weightless, floating in a haze of warm light, surrounded by the soft scent of blooming flowers. My favorite flowers. When I opened my eyes, I found myself standing in a vast field of endless blossoms, each petal shimmering under the sun. The sky above was an endless blue, and everything around me felt surreal, like a dream. I event felt like I was in one, and it was absolutely wonderful. But it wasn’t just any dream. There, in the middle of the field, stood the Fairy Mother. She radiated a soft, ethereal glow, her silver hair cascading down her shoulders like moonlight. She smiled warmly at me, her presence both comforting and powerful. I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what this all meant. Was I dead? Was this some sort of judgment? I could remember the last time I was okay and I was just called out to be a witch. I wondered if this was my punishment for being one. My heart pounded in my chest as I approached her. “Are you here to punish me?” I asked, my voice tremb