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Sold To The Stongest Alpha 172
MAXINEPeter and Zel stood up and came closer. "I didn’t even know this was here" Mr. Grayson admitted.“What does it say?” I asked, leaning closer.Mr. Grayson's eyes scanned the pages. “It’s mostly records of the family’s history with the lodge and its secrets. But here,” he paused, pointing. “It mentions a ritual—one that was supposed to be the key to ending the curse.”"Is it related to the same ritual your wife did?” Regina asked.“No,” Mr. Grayson shook his head. “This one’s different. It requires three elements: blood, magic, and spirit. If performed correctly, it could sever any curse’s hold completely.”Zel looked up curious. “Blood, magic, and spirit. This might be something we could work with." She said."But we still need to find the pieces," I said, looking at her.She nodded. "We have the magic. But, what about the blood and spirit?”“Blood could be anything symbolic. It might not mean literal blood." Mr. Grayson replied. "But, in this case, I think it could be about fam
Sold To The Stongest Alpha 173
MAXINEThe last piece of this puzzle had been hidden in the very place the curse had first been born. The beginning of the problem would also be the end.Mr. Grayson was the first to break the silence that had stretched between us. "If the last piece is at Gray Lodge, then we need to find it quickly. The curse will fight back once it realizes that we're close to breaking it."Peter nodded. “We’ll need to move fast. And be ready for anything.”“Should we split up?” Regina asked. “We can cover more ground that way?”I shook my head, thinking about the wolves, the snake, and whatever it was Zel and Peter faced while trying to find the other pieces.“No. We’ll be better off staying together. We can’t risk splitting up when we're going against the curse.”“Anna is right." Mr. Grayson agreed. “We’ll cover the lodge together as a unit. We'll go room by room if we have to.”We packed up and left the cabin, piling into Mr. Grayson's car. I sat next to Zel as usual and I leaned close to ask her
Sold To The Stongest Alpha 174
MAXINEWe moved carefully through the lodge. Mr. Grayson kept leading the way. We left the basement and climbed up the broad staircase to the second floor. Zel walked beside me, her magic still glowing faintly. She was ready to fight.Peter and Regina were behind us, their eyes scanning every corner. Peter's fingers glowed just a bit. He was also at the ready.We reached the top of the stairs. Mr. Grayson paused, turning to face us. “The piece has to be somewhere in this part of the lodge,” he said keeping his voice down. “We’ll search every room at the edge of this floor. It can’t be that far.”I nodded, swallowing hard. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. The curse was aware of us now. It was only a matter of time before it came to fight back."We need to stick together," I reminded everyone. "No one goes off alone, no matter what." I need to resound it now, more than ever. They nodded agreeing with me.We began our search, moving from room to room. We checked every nook
Sold To The Stongest Alpha 175
MAXINEWe made our way to the old oak tree near the lake. The moon was hanging low in the sky. It cast a pale glow on the water. I could see the massive oak tree in the distance, its branches twisting like fingers.This was where it was all going to end.We reached the base of the tree. The ground beneath our feet is uneven and covered in fallen leaves. Mr. Grayson pulled out the scroll from the small box containing the last piece. He brought the other pieces from his bag one after the other.“Here,” Mr. Grayson said, kneeling on the ground and spreading the pieces out like a puzzle. "This is where we put it all together."I knelt beside him, helping to arrange the pieces. They were fragile, the edges folding and crumbling. We managed to fit them together. Zel stood to the side, her magic ready.Peter stood nearby, his eyes closed. He was humming and I suspected he was connecting with the spirits. He was the connection that the old journal spoke about.“We have to be quick,” Zel said,
Sold To The Stongest Alpha 176
MAXINE"Not yet," I yelled, running back to them. I felt the artifact's energy in me. "Hold hands!"Together, we formed a circle around the curse. Mr. Grayson activated his amulet and formed a protection around us from the attacking shadows. Zel continued the chant along with Peter as the curse tried to push through us.“Hold on tight, we can’t let it break!” I yelled. "This is our last chance."Zel’s chanting became faster and the symbols on the puzzle pieces glowed so brightly, that they were almost blinding me.The curse exploded outward and I was thrown back. My breath was knocked from my lungs as I hit the ground. Everything seemed to slow down. For a moment, I was sure we had failed, that the curse had won.But then, I heard Zel’s voice. “Get up. We’re not done yet!”I pushed myself to my feet, my legs shaking under me. I hurried towards Zel and held her hand, squinting as the curse continued to twirl like the wind.Regina and Peter were already up, helping Mr. Grayson to his fe
Sold To The Stongest Alpha 177
MAXINEThe next day, the sun was shining high in the sky, bathing the Gray Lodge in its golden light. I exhaled loudly, lifting my chin towards the sun and smiling. Peace, this was what true peace was. No one tells you that you can only know what peace is until you know what real trouble is.This was the kind of day that would make me just want to stretch out and soak up the sun, feeling the gentle breeze. The wind carried with it the scent of pine and water. The lodge seemed almost like a different place. The atmosphere was lighter and more welcoming. The feeling of that oppressive curse was gone.I wonder if I could find a way to get rid of the old rumor of it being haunted. For the first time in a while, we were all able to relax. Mr. Grayson gave us the rest of the week off and this was only Thursday.I found Zel and Peter in the garden. Zel was working to plant some new flowers and she was showing something to Peter. They were laughing so close together that their heads almost to
Sold To The Stongest Alpha 178
MAXINE"You’ve earned it, Anna. You both have. This place wouldn’t be what it is now without your help." Peter replied.His words made my heart swell. “Thank you, Peter. That means a lot.”After a while, I decided to leave them alone. I found myself walking towards the pool. I hadn't gotten a glimpse of Conrad since our last kiss. I figured that since it was still afternoon, he would be there.I was wrong, of course. He wasn't there so I sat on one of the lounge chairs, basking in the warmth of the sun. A while later, I couldn't feel the warmth anymore. I opened my eyes, confused, and saw Conrad standing and leaning over to stare at me. He was blocking the sun from my face."Hey," he said. The sun caught in his hair and made it look more golden than blond and goddess, was he beautiful."Hey," I replied, suddenly feeling breathless."Mind if I join you?" he asked. I nodded. He took the next lounge chair and sat down. I didn't know if I should mirror him and sit up. Instead, I stayed ly
Sold To The Stongest Alpha 179
MAXINE"But I’ve always seen it as a kind of hidden gem. It's like a home away from home," he said to me.I chuckled, relieved. The less people that knew what happened here, the better. “Yeah, you could say that.”"Anna, there’s something special about this place. But I think what makes it special is the people here. People like you.” he bumped shoulders with me lightly."Conrad…”“I mean it,” he said, stepping even closer that our bodies were almost literally pressed together. "Ever since I came here, I’ve felt like I’ve been searching for something without knowing what it was. Then I met you. And I think it might be fate that brought me and you here."I opened my mouth to reply, but I couldn't find any words. The sincerity in his voice and the way his gaze held mine left me trapped in this moment. But in the best possible way.He reached up, gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Anna, you’ve made me look forward to working in this place. I don't have family and this work i
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