The Alpha's Curse The Enemy Within

Killian's point of view

"No matter how much I tried, I simply just can't believe Alpha Leonardo has no idea where she is," Felix, one of the most annoying members of the Council, huffed angrily, almost banging his fist on the round mound in the Council's court.

"Enough, Felix, repeating that over and over again won't change anything," Alpha Philip sauntered to his seat. "It's been four weeks now since the blood moon appeared abruptly in the night sky, and still, we haven't been able to find her," his voice was utterly dry and he could barely keep his frustration from his eyes.

Everyone in the Council was equally frustrated, including me, but it was for different reasons. This was the fourth meeting summoned by the Council within a bloody week, and the only matter that everyone seemed to be discussing was the white wolf, and each time we seemed to be making no progress at all.

It's been four weeks since the blood moon appeared in the sky and the news about the white wolf being alive flooded the whole of North Central. The Council had immediately formed an army of their best warriors from all supernatural kinds to find the white wolf. Even Zeriyah and her coven witches had also tried locating her, but the result was the same. She couldn't be found.

"It's been a while and we can't seem to locate her, do you think the Dark Circle has gotten to her already?" Daimon asked, and before anyone could respond to him, Amelie's voice filled the court.

"N-No. They haven't, at least not yet," she mumbled in a stutter. She was seated in a corner of the court. This was the first time in weeks she had spoken a word during the meetings. Usually, her gaze

was always stuck on the quill pen she held tightly, scribbling on the paper. Whatever she was writing seemed pretty serious. But they were only drawings of some witch symbols. Zeriyah and the Council heads seemed to think it was something important, but the witches had no idea what the symbols meant.

"Tell us, Amelie, how do you know that?" Zeriyah gaited to where she was. Amelie's gaze fell on Zeriyah and the skin around her eyes was worn out and dark. Her eyes were swollen like she hadn't been having proper rest.

Amelie's lips trembled against each other as if she was trying so hard to say something, but the words wouldn't escape her lips.

After seconds of attempting once more, she exhaled exhausted. "I can't," Amelie's hands fell on Zeriyah. "We have to protect her. A bad storm is heading our way. The darkness has awoken and it's after her. Every one of us will die," her whispers invaded the silence that had dominated the court as everyone listened to her words.

I could feel the chill that ran down my spine at her words. Suddenly, the fear that had suffocated my chest these past few days intensified. I glanced around the court and I could see similar fear imprinted on almost everyone's faces, including Leonardo's. But something else other than fear was deeply rooted within those electric blue eyes of his. Something I couldn't make out.

He must have felt my intense stare on him because his eyes shifted from Amelie and found mine. Our gaze swept over each other.

I could see exactly what Felix was yapping about. The white wolf in question, the one both the Council and the Dark Circle were trying to find, was his sister, but he was unbelievably calm with everything that was going on. This was not like him.

Knowing Leonardo the way I did, he was capable of doing anything to protect those he loved, and so would I.

Just at the thought, I felt a piercing pain in my chest. I groaned, leaning a little on the mound, as I rested my head on my hand.

These past few days have been tiresome. I couldn't help feeling anxious. The crescent moon rising was two nights away and finally, we would get the chance to break the curse. I should have been happy, but somehow I just wasn't. Instead, my wolf and I felt the exact opposite.

It was only a week ago since the witch that had been hounding the pack simply just vanished, we had searched everywhere for her but we couldn't find her. That was another problem as I could not seem to remember anything. Maybe if I did, everything would be much easier. Then I might have known who she was, seeing that she had me under her control with a spell, and almost made me murder my mate.

Now that the moon is slowly upon us, I can't help but wonder, what if something happens and I end up harming Sheila, or what if for some reason, the ritual doesn't work and Sheila gets stuck in the curse? Fuck. The thought alone made my blood turn cold.

It didn't take long for the meeting to end quickly, and instantly, I exited the court. I was with only a few warriors, even Valerie couldn't attend today, she had a lot of things to do in preparation for the ritual in two nights.

I got on my horse and hurried back to my pack. The only thoughts I had were all about Sheila. I just needed her close to me.

By the time we reached the pack, it was dusk already. I moved with haste through the castle doors and headed straight for Sheila's chamber. But thankfully, I found her in the hallways, dressed beautifully in her black dress. I reached for her and pulled her into my arms.

I wrapped my hands around her and felt her soft body lean into mine.

“Killian, are you alright?" She whispered into my ears, while I kept inhaling as much of her scent as I could.

"I am fine," I lied flatly, pulling away from her. I led her to my chamber instead, and I fell on the bed. I just needed to spend the evening with her, without worrying about the outcome of the ritual in two days, or thinking about the witches or anything else. I just wanted my mate beside me. And it gave me great pleasure when Sheila crawled onto the bed, positioning herself right in my arms.

I buried my head in the crook of her neck, while she wrapped her hands around my neck. Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

"Are you going to tell me now what is wrong?" She finally said after a while of silence. "Did something happen at the Council?" The tone of her voice was suddenly sharp, and almost fearful.

"Nothing happened," I said quickly to calm her racing heart. Sheila pulled a hand to my chest, rubbing it gently. Her soft padded fingers brushed against the inked drawing of a wolf on my chest.

"They were branded scars from my father, one of the gifts he left me before his death," My voice filled the air and I felt Sheila's hand on my chest halt immediately. I never really answered her questions

about the scars before. I didn't want to talk about it, especially when it had to do with my father.

But then again, I couldn't deny it. He was the one that got me in this mood. I felt scared. I had carried this curse with him for almost fifteen cursed years. It was my father's punishment to me, and in a way, it reminded me of whose son I was.

Sheila shifted on the bed, and I was forced to move my gaze to hers. She didn't say a word, but her enigmatic blue eyes were urging me to continue.

I leaned closer to her, "The stories about him didn't lie. He was that kind of a person. Cruel and brutal. A feral wolf who had run wild and lost his very soul," I paused, feeling the warmth of Sheila's hand on my neck. "He was also cruel to his mate, and sons," I could not help but breathe in roughly at my words. They reminded me of myself with Sheila. I had also been cruel to her.

I shut my eyes, Nell was right. I was exactly like him. And my fear grew even worse, causing my heart to hammer hard against my chest. Sheila probably sensed it but she brought my attention back to her.

"He had murdered his mate, our mother, and forced his sons to watch it all. And that's exactly what I almost did to you," I watched Sheila's forehead crease. "I almost killed you, Sheila, for the second time."

"It wasn't your fault. You were under the spell of a bloody witch," she voiced.

"That doesn't make the pain and rage I feel go away. It doesn't change the fact that you almost died in my hands, just the way my mother died in the hands of my father."

Sheila turned on the bed, facing me. Her soft hands were on my face. "You are nothing like your father, Killian, it wasn't your fault your mother and brother died," she spoke quickly. "Nell was a rotten bastard, he murdered a lot of innocent people and destroyed so many lives, including the Black Blood Pack. You are not like him."

"You are right, Nell was a bastard, who didn't even bat an eye before he cursed his sons and his pack. But he wasn't the cause of my brother's death, that was the doing of those bastards, the Black Blood Pack," I told her.

I watched the corners of Sheila's eyes shimmer with tears but she looked away from me. "How is it their fault, Killian?" She turned her eyes back on me with absolutely no emotions playing on her face, but I could feel the silent pain in her words. "Your father, Nell Reid was the one who attacked the Black Blood Pack. He murdered their Luna and stole the daughter."

"And that was wrong, and they should have gone after him alone. But they didn't. Alpha Logan and his bloody sons raided the pack in search of their missing daughter, and they started a war. A war that led to the deaths of many innocent people, including my brother, Karl. This was the fault of Alpha Logan, and his fucking sons—"

"Enough, Killian!" Sheila yelled, jumping down from the bed. I didn't understand why she was reacting this way to everything that I said. She was both furious and in pain, at the same time, all because of a pack that was an enemy of ours.

"What the hell, Sheila! Shouldn't you be on my side?" I sat upright on the bed, watching her as she paced near the window.

"This isn't about sides, Killian. It's about what's right and wrong. And what your father did was wrong as well. In one damned night, Leonardo and Kaiser lost everything. They lost Luna Fiona, Alpha Logan, and their sister. If your father didn't attack, none of this tragedy would have happened," she was screaming. And as every word left her lips it only enraged me she was defending those bastards.

"Don't take their fucking names out of your lips. Why can't you see exactly what I am saying?" I couldn't keep my voice from yelling.

"And why can't you see that this feud between both packs is so stupid? Both the Crescent North Pack and the Black Blood Pack lost something, Killian. And the man that started this madness is no more, so we should just move on," Sheila yelled back, I could see the pain that was emitting from her.

It sent a jolt of pain to my chest and ignited rage as well. "What is it about those bastards that make you defend them?" I asked. I couldn't understand why she chose to stand with them, because that was exactly what she was doing.

Sheila stopped pacing, her round eyes bored intensely at me as I waited for her response, but the words that left her lips only enraged me the more, and I fucking lost it.