VERENA Books tumble down on me, but an arm shoots out and grabs the falling hardcover before it can land on my head. I look up, my heart pounding.Elijah looks back, glaring at me. “Be careful.”I huff. “Well, I was. It's you who’s distracting me with your talking,” I retort.“So I do affect you.” He smirks, and my jaw tightens.“Whatever.” I quickly head out to the next shelf.I don’t know how much time has passed, but I feel exhausted. Drake plops into one of the armchairs before the fireplace, yawning. “I covered thirty shelves, and there’s no book on celestial wolves. This is not a library. It's a book town!” He rests his chin on his arm. “It's so huge that I might find aliens hiding somewhere.”“Stop with the excuses. You are just incapable, that’s all,” Dory says while biting her thumbnail, her eyes trained on the book she’s holding.Elijah joins us and looks at me with a disappointed look. “I have searched everywhere. There’s no book on celestial wolves.” He says, and my heart
VERENAA tense silence falls on the library. I stare at Dad, my eyes wide and my heart thumping.What? He lost his powers?!“How is that possible?” I ask.He sighs heavily, looking at his palm. “The attack that happened, it made me lose a lot. Not only your mother’s life and you, but I also lost my celestial powers that day. My wolf survived, but his powers were gone.” He explains, sadness glinting in his eyes.“How did you lose it?” Elijah asks, observing my dad with his arms crossed. “Did the enemy have something that can cause harm to a celestial wolf?”Dad frowns at him and then looks at the window. “It was more like a rogue attack,” he answers and Elijah’s brows shoot up.“Rogues? But rogues can’t harm a celestial wolf.”Dad’s jaw tightens. “They were different. Not like your usual rogue. Hollow eyes, burned skin. They were hard to fight.”Elijah looks at me, his eyes lighting up with realization. “Ashwalkers,” he mutters and my breath hitches.“You were attacked by Ashwalkers?”
VERENA Footsteps thunder inside the room and I feel a pair of strong arms hold me from behind. Elijah’s scent crawls up my nose as he helps me get on my feet. “What the fuck just happened?” he asks as he looks at Ezra, his eyes wide.As Dad enters the room, Ezra’s baseball bat levitates toward him.“Duck!” Elijah roars, shoving me down behind the bed as a toy airplane soars above us with a few more flying objects. It slams into the wall with a crack, raining down splinters of plastic.“What happened to Ezra?” Elijah asks as we both lie on the floor.“I don’t know. He’s probably possessed,” I answer.“Possessed? By a curse?” Elijah asks and looks at Ezra, who’s simply sitting on the bed like a statue. Before I can answer, a nearby chair lurches towards us. “See?” I yelp, grabbing his arm. We both tumble to the other side of the bed just as the chair thuds down, missing me by a hair’s breadth.The twins and Dad are also victims of the furniture flying in the room. Drake deflects the i
VERENAAnother guttural, inhuman laugh rips from Ezra’s throat. “You can’t do anything,” the voice echoes, cold and distorted. Then, as quickly as it appears, the silver light in his eyes fades. His body crumples, eyes rolling back, and he collapses unconscious onto the bed.My vision blurs as I look at him and then my arm. His bite marks my skin. But the pain isn’t more than seeing my child suffer.I don’t care if he kills me. I just want him to be saved.The clock ticks, each tick a blow against the tense silence gripping the lounge we sit in. Half an hour has crawled by since Ezra…he got possessed. Celine is in Ezra’s room, checking his vitals.The rest of us sit scattered around the lounge, worry etched on our faces. Dad stares blankly at the wall, his jaw clenching. Elijah seems to be focusing on a point on the floor, his brows furrowing. The twins stare out the window. None of us dare to speak, the weight of the recent incident hanging heavy in the air.Curses bring bad luck and
VERENAMy lips purse. Well, they are not wrong.“Alright. But be careful,” I say, my voice stern. “We are dealing with a deadly curse here.”Both twins nod.“I’ll be here too,” Celine adds with a serious face. “My primary concern is Ezra’s well-being during the ritual. I’ll closely monitor his vital signs and keep you informed of any changes. If necessary, we need to adjust the ritual’s intensity to ensure his safety.”“Yeah, that’ll be needed,” I reply, my brows furrowing with worry. What if Ezra’s body can’t take the ritual process?“Don’t worry, Rena,” Elijah’s voice comes, and I look at him as he stands beside the couch I’m sitting on. “I am sure we’ll be able to succeed and save Ezra without harming him in the process,” he says, his voice assuring. “We have to give our best.”“Right. We have to,” I whisper, hoping that everything will go smoothly.At night, we head towards the forest with Ezra. He’s being carried by Elijah. The ritual needs to be done in the forest because we mus
VERENAStrong arms grab me from behind, yanking me back from the glowing circle just as I’m about to fall in. I gasp for breath and sense Elijah’s presence through the veil of dust and wind. “Don’t stop. Keep going, Rena,” he growls. “I’m here.” His voice roars against the loud storm.He holds me tight by the waist, his warmth engulfing me. I feel him tug me towards a tree. He wraps his free arm around the tree trunk as an anchor.His presence gives me the strength I need. “Within this leaf, a curse I bind. From my son’s soul, it unwinds. Let its tendrils loosen, its darkness leave. Release from its hold, lend me your strength to finish this deed. Guide my will, and cleanse with your light. Banish the evil, set wrongs to right,” I chant.A surge of energy pulses outwards from the circle. It crackles through the air. Ezra’s body shudders, then goes still. The silver markings on his face glow momentarily, an intense silver that seems to suck the darkness out of the storm. Then it dims.
VERENA“He can go. It’s safe,” Celine says. I sigh in defeat.We both step into the circle together, and I feel the subtle energy buzz under my skin. I move close to Ezra and look at him. His eyes are closed, and his chest heaves with each breath he takes. His face is clear from those wretched silver marks, which makes me feel relieved.My legs tremble as I bend towards the leaf, a wave of dizziness threatening to pull me under. Elijah’s hand, warm and assuring, presses against my back in support. I keep one hand on his shoulder, grateful for his help and steadying myself, I reach for the leaf. It lays limp on the ground, its vibrant red color turned black.I hiss as I feel a burning sensation on my hand while holding the leaf. Elijah steps forward to take the leaf from my hand, but I shake my head.“The one who started the ritual must hold the leaf,” I say, and he stops.His eyes narrow in anger. “Such a stupid ritual.” He mutters under his breath. “What next?” he asks.“I have to th
VERENA“Ezzie!” My eyes water with tears. Elijah lets me go, and I run towards him.Dad lowers him gently to the ground. I engulf Ezra in a crushing hug, burying my face in his hair. A choked sob escapes my lips as his small arms wrap around my waist. Relief and a fierce sense of love for him wash over me in waves. We were so close to losing him.“Mommy!” He yells, hugging me back tightly. I close my eyes, letting the tears fall. My baby. He’s safe. It worked.My gaze meets Elijah's. His dark eyes, usually cold, now hold a depth of relief that mirrors my own. A silent understanding passes between us. No matter how distant we are now, we have faced the darkness together. As I look up, the first rays of dawn peek over the horizon, painting the sky with streaks of gold and pink. It warms my heart, filling it with hope.Thank you, Selene. I show the goddess my gratitude for saving my son.I break the hug and look at Ezra. His eyes are red and puffy. I wipe his cheeks and kneel to match hi