464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bS78CoiZV
Standing in the hallway, my head was spinning and my wolf was going crazy. Each jolt of pain she experienced was mirrored onto my body, making me drop to my knees.
"Please tell me you found something," I said in uneven breaths.
"Shane is gone, Alpha. The trackers lost his scent in the water. He must be working with Miranda." Erik informed me quietly.
Slowing rising to my feet, I leaned against the wall to sturdy myself. Veronica had to be out since the pain had stopped and I could finally breathe properly.
Trying to come up with some possible explanations, I was at a loss. She had no scratches on her beaten body, only bruises.
Slamming my fist on the wall, it cracked under the pressure. Flakey white bits crumbled to the ground in chunks, leaving a white powder in its wake.
"Alpha, you need to see something." Raising my eyes up to Noah, I tried to hear his thoughts. However, all I heard was complete silence. He had blocked me.
"If it has nothing to do with Veronica, it can wait." Still seething, I examined my knuckles to wipe away the blood.
"Alpha, if this wasn't important, I wouldn't be bothering you right now," He insisted.
Sighing, I followed Noah with Erik walking beside me as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "She will be okay, I promise."
Nodding my head at his sentiment, we walked into my office. Sitting at the center of the table was a glass jar with a note next to it.
Picking up the jar, I examined the contents inside. A black plush doll, pins, a picture, and some kind of clear sloshing liquid. The top of the jar was sealed with black wax.
My stomach dropped. It was a jar spell. There were only two beings who could do this. A witch and another supernatural entity who dabbled in the dark arts.
Handing me the note, Erik cautiously took a step back.
This is your first warning. The next one will not be so easy to fix. You have 3 more days to complete your end of the bargain. Otherwise, she dies.
The only one who would be dying was that bitch. My fists balled, as red tinged my vision and a bestial growl reverberated from my body.
"He's going to change, get out of the way." Erik warned Noah as my body began to shake uncontrollably. My wolf wanted out. He wanted to taste the blood of the person who hurt Veronica.
Instantly, my ears were filled with the cracking of my own bones then the slicing pain of my face as it transformed into a snout, blurring my vision.
My white beast was finally released. I bared my ivory canines at the only ones closest to me as my claws dug into the floor.
My wolf was in killer mode, a veil of red consuming my vision. I could feel my legs shaking as anger continued to bubble inside of me. My wolf urged to burst through the door and run towards the patio. Jumping off, my paws landed on the earth with a thud before they carried me into the woods.
As my paws pounded on the ground they carried me farther and farther into the forest, over boulders and smaller animals trying to scurry from my path.
I felt utterly powerless. The bitterness that engulfed me was enough to make me crazy. How could I allow something like this happen to Veronica? How could I be such a fool for not seeing the signs?
The more I ran, the calmer my thoughts became. Out here in the wilderness I felt complete and one with nature. But I wasn't complete. The biggest part of me was laying in a bed, dying because I was too big of a coward to stay with her.
Raising my head to the sky, I howled to the Moon Goddess. I needed to return to Veronica and show her my unconditional love. Show her how much she really means to me.
**
Finally calm, I regained my composure and changed back. "Im calling an emergency meeting, everyone must attend." I mind linked the pack.
Within minutes, the pack surrounded the patio where I stood.
"Our pack is now on high alert." I announced "There is a new rogue threatening to kill me and Veronica. You-"
"Why are we on high alert for a girl? I understand why we should protect you, but why her?" A tracker asked, interrupting my speech.
Very few pack members knew that Veronica was my mate. I kept it that way in case she rejected me.
A growl rumbled through my body. "She is my mate and your Luna. You will do everything in your power to keep her safe and alive. Is that clear?"
A sea of nodding heads affirmed that they understood the severity of our problem.
"I’ll be calling in help from surrounding packs. You will train diligently with them upon their arrival. The women will remain indoors with the pups. Every woman with medical knowledge will report to Ellen. Halflings will report directly to me until the others arrive."
The pack instantly started their catter, some with questions and others with hugs and kisses to their mates and pups.
"Erik will take it from here." I concluded, walking back into the house.
Rounding the corner, I stopped in front of my bedroom door. I could hear Veronica's heart beating and even breaths as she breathed in and out.
I couldn’t lose her.
"Noah, contact the voodoo priestess from Cave Creek. Tell her trackers will be coming to retrieve her." I mind linked.
Noah obliged and I entered the room. Ellen was still seated beside Veronica, holding her hand in hers.
"She is getting weaker, Alpha." She murmured, looking at me with worried eyes.
I sat down on the edge on the bed beside her and stroked her long blonde hair. "The priestess is coming."
"Alpha, I know this is not my place to say anything, but I do have some advice."
Nodding my head, I agreed to hear her out.
“If you mark her, she will instantly start healing. And if you mark her deep enough-."
I growled in anger. "No, I will not mark her without her consent, and I will not turn her. That’s her decision to make."
With that being said, the door opened and the hairs on my arms stood up as the atmosphere darkened. A darkness began to fill the room. She was here.
Being around the voodoo priestess before, I became all too aware of the feelings she projected to the people around her. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on their ends and the unpleasant smell of burnt sage filled the room.
"Ah, a seasoned witch we are working with here." The woman croaked.
Her long black dress swept the floor with each step she took. Her long black hair was slicked back from her head, running down to her back. Resting her hand on Veronica's forehead, the priestess closed eyes began to flutter.
"Place the egg in my hand," She demanded, reaching her arm out to the side of her body, her hand cupped wide.
Searching her bag, I finally found the egg and gently placed it in her palm. Her long fingers wrapped around the egg like a blanket.
Reciting incantations, she ran the egg over Veronica's body. I watched closely, ready to pounce on her at any wrong move she made.
"Easy now, child. You know I won't hurt your pretty little mate."
Roughly throwing the glass jar into a brown sack, she held with her left hand, laying it on the floor in front of her.
“Show me the witch of this curse,” her gravelly voice demanded. “Show me.”
With her eyes closed and her hands raised above her head, she lifted her studded heel and slammed it onto the glass jar. The darkness seeped deeper into the room, filling the walls with an inky black.
Her closed eyes fluttered as she struck the jar again, her heel piercing through the glass with an audible shatter, releasing the clear liquid that seeped through the bag.
"I will take these to the crossroads between Black Lace and the next town. When I have completed the ritual, she will wake." Grabbing her items she quietly left the room.
Hovering over Veronica, all I wanted was for her eyes to open, for her to smile at me.
"Sebastian?"
Tessa’s voice rang through the room as I hung my head low in shame. I had promised that I wouldn't let anything happen to Veronica.
Wet salty tears slid down my face as I looked at her. She ran towards me and hugged me tight. "Please tell me she will be okay," She begged.
Laying my head on top of hers, I closed my eyes. 464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiuXeciHeV
"I'm so sorry, Tessa."
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