Chapter 78

Words : 1259 Updated : May 20th, 2025

I've known Raven for three years. In those three years, I've witnessed a lot of emotions from her, but never fear. Have you ever come across someone who is fearless? Someone whom nothing ever shakes or rattles? Raven is that person to me. Seeing the fear on her face right now surges a kind of panic inside me. Something terrible must have happened to cause her to be like this when she's normally chill. "Raven?" I whisper, trying to hide the tremble in my voice. Raven raises her finger, stopping me from continuing. She bends over, one hand on her knee while the other is pressed against her fast-rising chest. She takes huge gulps of air, trying to calm herself down. Either what she has to say has rattled her, or she has run all the way here, or both. I can't really figure out which is which. I continue watching my friend as she slowly calms down. Her breathing goes back to normal, and then she's standing up straight. There is still something in her eyes. The fear is still there, but she's trying to get it under control. "Don't you know how to knock?" Alec's irritated voice says behind me. "Given you are a guest, I expected you would know how to respect other alphas by not barging into their offices." My concern for Raven disappears for a moment as anger starts to fill me. I don't like the way he is talking to her, given she is here to help his pack too. I was just about to put him in his place, but Raven's cutting words stop me. She glares at him with nothing but hate. “If an Alpha has earned my respect, then sure... But you, Alec, have done nothing to make me respect you. In fact, all your actions have done the opposite. I don't even consider you worthy enough to be an Alpha." There are gasps all around the room at her statement. I'd forgotten that the elders were present when Raven barged in. "Why you..." Alec says just as he is about to lunge at Raven. Before he can, though, he falls on his knees, clutching his head as a roar of pain tears from his lips. Raven is chanting, her lips moving quickly as she recites a spell. I've seen her use this kind of spell before. It's painful, and usually, if she continues long enough, it makes someone's brain explode from the inside. "I don't take kindly to being threatened, Alec," she hisses, her eyes glowing from the use of her magic. "You'll do well to remember that." She lets go, and Alec is freed from the power of her spell. Just like Raven was a few minutes ago, he is breathing hard, his chest rising and falling as he struggles to pull air into his lungs. His eyes are closed shut, and his brows are furrowed in pain. Micah moves and helps him up before placing him back in his chair. I just shake my head. Alec's arrogance knows no bounds. In all his years alive, hasn't he learned never to piss off a witch? Ignoring him, I turn back to my friend. "Rave? Is there something you wanted to tell us?" I know Raven. I know she would never barge in the way she did without a reason. She wouldn't have done it unless it was urgent. Giving Alec one last angry stare, she focuses on me. "I went to visit my mother's grave today." My brows scrunch up in confusion. I wasn't really sure what visiting her mother's grave had to do with her being here. "That's good. I'm glad," I say. Raven then starts pacing around the room. She seems agitated, another emotion I wasn't used to seeing from her. She is the most level-headed and calmest person I know. This is new. "I was just talking to her when I remembered something that she used to tell me. Something she imprinted in me since I was young." She stops to take a deep breath. “She would always say that magic, when used, leaves traces behind. Traces that can be tracked." Slowly, as if my brain is just now starting to wake up, what she says begins to sink in. I start to understand where she's going with all this. "You can trace the kind of magic that was used to cast the curse," I conclude as excitement slowly starts to rise inside me. Is it weird that I feel like celebrating? Is it weird that I feel like jumping up and down because of how happy I am? If she can trace the kind of magic used, then we can be sure of the kind of spell, and if we are sure, then we can undo it. We can unravel it. Last night, I accepted that I would have to stay here longer than I had intended. I didn't like it, but I'd surrendered to my fate. Now, though, Raven had given a glimpse of hope. Sure, it might take a little while to undo the spell that wove the curse into life. It wouldn't be easy considering the curse has been there for decades, but at least we had a starting point. At least we now had a solution. "But how? None of the other witches and warlocks ever told us that magic could be traced and then undone," one of the elders speaks, pulling me from my thoughts. "If it was that easy, then we wouldn't still have a curse on us," another one adds. Raven stops pacing and faces them, her hands on her waist. "The reason why they probably never figured it out is that they were probably busy trying to break the curse instead of undoing it. Spells can be undone if you know the source of the magic and what kind it is. It's usually easier and less messy to undo a curse than to break it, especially if it's years old." Even as Raven continues to explain to the elders, I continue watching her. Something is wrong. Like I said, Raven isn't one to be fearful or agitated. Given she found something useful, she should be on cloud nine right now, yet she wasn't. She did find something, but her movements and reactions told me it wasn't good. "We can undo the curse, right?" I ask, my eyes laser sharp on her. She averts her gaze and begins pacing once again. From the glance I steal, she looks disturbed. "Raven?" I say through gritted teeth, as my panic and pressure begin to rise. "Tell me you found something. Tell me we can undo the curse." I was basically begging at this point because I wanted some good news. Since I got here, I've gotten nothing but revelations, and none of them have been good. Raven winces then stops. Her hands are trembling, and I can hear her racing heartbeat. "I did find something, but you are not going to like it," she starts before stopping, nibbling on her lip in the process. "What is it?" I push nervously. I already don't like the direction this is heading in. "The spell used isn't the kind used to curse someone," she takes a breath. "It's a confinement spell."

Chapter 78

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