The Alpha's Curse The Enemy Within

I handed my horse over to the warriors. It was already dark when | returned from the Council's castle. | moved in a hurry, | badly wanted to see Sheila. | had been feeling restless since | saw her in tears back at the Council's castle. | had been trying to mind-link her, but it wasn't connecting. Only the goddess knew how worried I was, and | still was. Even after | had mind-linked Ria, asked about Sheila, and was informed she was back in the castle, | just couldn't remain at peace.

1 hurried through the hallways, heading to my chamber. Hastily, | pushed the door open, and the first thing my eyes fell on was the bed, where Sheila was curled on, sleeping.

I exhaled, feeling a certain calmness and relief wash over me. Slowly, | locked the door, moving to the bed where she was. She had changed from the clothes she wore earlier to one of her dresses. Ria had told me she had been sleeping since she returned from the Council's castle.

leaned on the bed, placing a kiss on her forehead, rubbing my hand up and down her arm. She stirred only a little, and I pulled the covers over her body, she was a little cold. And that worried me.

Ever since we returned from Oasis, she has constantly been cold, which is very strange for wolves. | wanted the Pack's physician, Dr.

Maggie, to take a look at her, but Sheila refused.

I kissed her again, moving to the clothing rack, and taking off my leather jacket when I heard her turn on the bed. She just woke up. | smiled, moving to the bed, as Sheila pulled up from bed, sweeping back her hair from her face.

“Sorry | woke you up,” | leaned closer, kissing her, but she pulled away and | could hear the blasting of her heartbeat. It alarmed me.

“What's wrong?” “Killian,” she held onto my hand tightly, as her confused, wide eyes scanned the chamber, before falling on her dress. "What the hell

happened?” she uttered, and | moved closer to her.

*I don't understand, Sheila,” | was getting worried by the second from her pounding heartbeat that sounded as though her heart was about to explode any second from now. “Sheila, relax,” | said, hearing a loud crack on the tall mirror hanging on the wall. Her magic was beginning to react to her emotions. But she held onto my clothes.

“How on earth did | get here?" She asked, wide-eyed. And my eyebrows creased into similar confusion.

“Sheila, I—" I began but her sharp words silenced me.

“I don't know how | got here, Kilian. I can't remember,” she was panicking and it was scaring me. This was the second time | was seeing her this way today. | held her in my arms, calming her.

“Sheila, breathe and explain what you are saying, | don't understand,” I didn't let go of her.

She was silent for a while as if trying to remember something. "The last thing | remember was leaving the Council, and then, | felt this painful ache and that's it. | lost consciousness. | don't remember coming to the pack.” "What?" | was completely confused, and more worried than ever as fresh tears rolled down from her eyes. “But Ria saw you coming in," | said, worsening the situation.

“If so, why can't | remember,” she said, as | wiped her tear-stained cheeks.

“It hurts me to see you like this. Don't think too much about it, maybe, you came in too tired and went straight to bed,” | said, and her blue eyes held my gaze, doubting that was the case.

“Kil—" she started but stopped when our gaze became foggy and distant. Morgan and Allen were mind-linking both of us.

"What is it?" | asked, through the mind link.

"Something's wrong, brother. You both need to see this,” Morgan said, and my eyes locked with Sheila's.

“Where are you?" Sheila asked through the mind link and Allen informed us they were in the woods. "We are on our way." We disconnected from the mind link, and Sheila was about to pull up from the bed, but | held her back.

“Why don't you stay, I'll check it out,” | said, knowing full well she would disagree. And she did.

“No. I'm coming with," she sounded, leaving no room for argument.

We left the chamber, moving hurried out of the castle, stepping into the darkness. We headed into the woods with the moon lighting our paths to where they were. Morgan, Allen, Xavier, Lorenzo, and a few warriors were there already.

“What happened?" | asked, my eyes scanning everyone's face, falling on Lorenzo who was crouched on the ground, behind the tree.

“We found this as we were patrolling the woods,” Xavier pulled his burning torch to the tall tree next to him.

I followed the trail of the burning torch, and my amber eyes fell on a giant symbol etched deep into the tree.

I moved closer. "What the hell is this?" | asked, looking at the symbol before my eyes turned to my brother.

“I have no idea,” Morgan responded, and | couldn't take my eyes off it. No one had to say anything, this was a witch's doing.

Lorenzo pulled up from the ground as he was inspecting the surroundings.

“Lorenzo?” | called, hoping he would have an idea of what this was.

“There's no sign of anything that could have done this, but it's the work of magic,” he said.

"A witch?" Allen asked, and Lorenzo nodded.

“What does it mean?" | asked, and he shook his head.

*I don't know. But they are of different symbols," He said, and my brows crippled in confusion.

“What do you mean?" | asked, folding my arms against my chest.

“It's all over the Pack, brother. The witches quarters, the village, the castle, and the woods. Different markings,” Morgan explained, taking a step closer to me.

“Like some kind of a pattern,” Sheila said, moving close to the tree, her hands trailing the symbol. “But who would do this?” she asked, “Clearly not someone from the coven.”

“There's no suspicious entry into our territory,” Allen said, and | inhaled.

“We have to find out what these symbols mean to know who exactly could have done this,” | said, "Is there a way to find out what these symbols mean?" | asked.

“Maybe,” Sheila replied, and Lorenzo nodded.

“I've written down the symbols, we will see what we can find out,” he said, and | ran my hand through my hair, nodding.

“Thank you," I muttered, pulling my gaze to Sheila who had hers on the symbol. I shut my eyes closed, feeling the familiar restlessness and worry from earlier.

Sheila's point of view

1 groaned in frustration, tossing aside the spell book and journals on the table. I've spent hours in Valerie's spell room, trying to figure out what these symbols from last night meant, still, nothing.

1 groaned again, placing my fingers on my temples. | was feeling the same ache, and no medication was helping to get rid of it.

I closed my eyes, going through everything that happened yesterday.

Cora’s words to me, Amelie’s visions, and losing consciousness. That just didn't make sense. | had no memory of what could have happened after | fell from my horse. What the hell was wrong with me? Even Adie doesn't remember anything and that was fucking strange.

1 pulled my eyes open, feeling the presence behind the door. | used my magic and opened it to find Ria standing there with a cup of tea.

She strolled in, coming to the table. "You've been here for a long time, I thought I should bring you some tea,” she said sweetly, and |

thanked her for it.

“Ria," | called before she left. “Did you happen to see me get back yesterday?" | asked and she nodded right away.

“Yeah, you came in quite late and went straight to bed,” | felt my stomach churn at a memory | can't seem to remember.

“Did I come in with my horse?" | prodded and her face crippled, realizing these questions sounded weird.

“I don't know,” she said. "What happened?" she asked and | shook my head.

“It's nothing," | said, watching her leave. Just then, | was mind-linked by Killian. He was at the Council's castle and his voice was sharp and urgent and it scared me. “Is something wrong?” “Zeriyah and Valerie are back, and they brought in the witch's bones,”

Killian rushed through the mind link, and for some god-damned reason, | froze.

“And...” I trailed, almost in a whisper as the pain from my skull killed me.

“Something happened,” he paused. “It's about those symbols.” 1 was up from my seat. “I will be there soon,” I rushed through the mind link, hastening out of Valerie's spell room.