Chapter 79

Words : 1660 Updated : May 20th, 2025

Alec. I was still reeling from whatever the hell Raven had done to me when her words penetrated my throbbing brain. Damn, I shouldn't have antagonized her, but in my defense, I wasn't in the right headspace. Things hadn't gone the way I'd pictured them today. I was stressed and on edge. That wasn't a good combination. "A confinement spell. What does that mean?” Sadie asks, unable to hide the tremble in her voice. "Exactly that," Raven explains, a certain edge coating her voice. She pulls her gaze from Sadie and fixes it on us. "You thought that it was a curse that was eating this pack, but it's something else." Rubbing my temples, I try to ease the migraine that had worsened because of whatever voodoo shit Raven did to me. For the hundredth time, I curse this day. It keeps getting worse instead of better. It's getting on my damn nerves. As if it wasn't enough with the confrontation I had earlier with Sadie. Then finding out that she's adopted, and now this? I grew up being told that our pack was cursed—a curse so severe it's draining the life force of our pack members. Since I was old enough to understand the true meaning of that, I've worked my ass off trying to find a solution. Trying to break the damn curse so that we can be free. No one said otherwise. My grandfather, my dad, the elders—everyone said it was a curse. Now Raven is saying it's something else. What the hell am I supposed to do with that? "So, you are saying it isn't a curse?" Elder Martin asks, looking skeptical of what she is saying. I fucking do. Like I said, it was imprinted in us that it was a curse. To find out that it was a lie the whole time is a major blow. It's akin to saying that we could have found a solution long ago had someone pointed us in the right direction. Meaning our pack would have been saved from the damage that had been inflicted. Raven folds her arms across her chest and starts tapping her foot. "I'm not sure. What I know is that I traced the spell, trying to find the remnants of the kind of magic used. The remnants I found don't have the markings that are usually found in curses." "You said that it's a confinement spell," Sadie asks in a taut voice. "What does that mean exactly?" "Confinement spells are exactly what their names suggest. They are used to keep, bind, or tether someone to a specific place," she explains. I lean forward at my desk and place my elbows on it. "You are saying someone bound someone in this pack?" Raven's eyes turn and glare at me, but she answers. "Not something, someone. Confinement spells don't work on objects." "Meaning the spell that was used was to imprison someone here?" Sadie starts pacing, much like Raven did a few minutes ago. "Yes," Raven answers with a sigh. "It would also explain why your pack is getting weak. Confinement spells need loads of power. The spell is probably draining power from the land and its people to sustain itself, given it's tethered here. You are all getting weak because the spell needs power to keep whoever it is imprisoned." Damn! I don't know which is worse—believing that it's a curse plaguing us or this. Either way, we are fucked because the bottom line is, this spell is slowly killing us. "But the text said it's a curse," Elder Gabriel argues, his voice almost whiny. "It never mentioned anything about this." Raven sighs, her eyes drifting to him. "Maybe it didn't mean an actual curse, but whichever way you look at it, it is kind of like a curse because it's killing this pack." "So how do we undo this?" I ask, my stress levels just shot up a thousandfold. It was bad enough thinking it was a curse. Knowing it's a confinement spell and that it's draining us just made everything a thousand times worse. We need to find a way to undo it. "I'm not sure we can," Raven whispers, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why not?" I growl, my anger rising. I can barely think straight. "I want it fucking undone!" Micah walks toward me and places a hand on my shoulder, sensing my frustration and anger. "I get what she means. Think about it, Alec. It's a confinement spell. You only imprison someone who has committed a serious crime." "Exactly," Raven takes over from Micah. "Meaning someone went to great lengths to keep someone imprisoned. The fact that they've been imprisoned for decades and the kind of power used means they don't want that person getting out. Do you seriously want to mess around with that? Do you seriously want to undo this not knowing the kind of person you'll be unleashing?" She takes a deep breath before her glaring eyes refocus on me. "If it were any other crime, they would have been imprisoned in a normal dungeon or, hell, in the council's stronghold. Instead, they were imprisoned somewhere where no one knew their location, and then their prison was sealed off with magic. That should tell you everything you need to know." "Raven is right," Sadie sighs tiredly. "Whoever imprisoned this person went to great lengths to make sure they never escaped. If Raven hadn't figured it out, then we would have continued to run in circles, meaning the spell would remain intact, ensuring no escape." I push myself up and walk to my window. "Meanwhile, my pack continues to suffer." I don't like this. I don't fucking like this at all. I thought that we were finally making headway. That we were finally getting somewhere. Now, it seems like we are back to square one with no solution in sight. How long were my people supposed to suffer because of this bullshit? "Sadie is here, and her presence is making things so much better," Micah tries to reason, trying to make things better. "The text did say that Sadie is the key. We just have to figure out what that means." Raven then adds, "Sadie's presence will have to be enough for now. Like Micah said, she's the key, which means there is a way to undo this spell without releasing whoever this person is. We just have to figure out which way that is." I release a breath, sighing tiredly as I try to figure things out in my head. Everything is such a mess. It's starting to drive me insane. "Does any of you have the slightest idea of who this prisoner is?" Sadie asks the elders. They all shake their heads. Of course, they wouldn't know who the person is. They, just like the rest of us, believed it was a curse—one put on us because we offended a witch. How were they to know that it wasn't an actual curse? "I don't know where to begin," Martin states, "but we can start researching in the pack's library. We can check the records of crimes committed and who committed them. Maybe we can find something there. Maybe a pack member committed a crime so bad that it would warrant that kind of imprisonment." But if that's the case, wouldn't we know about it? Especially if it's a terrible crime. Unless someone didn't want the pack knowing about it. Unless something like that did happen, and it was hushed. Sadie nods. "If that's all, then we'll leave." She doesn't wait for anyone to speak. She just takes Raven's hand and pulls her away. They leave, shutting the door behind them. The elders don't wait long either; after bowing, they follow suit and leave. I walk back and collapse into my seat. I run my hands down my face before heaving a tired sigh. My head is pounding right now as everything crashes into me. Peeling Micah's burning gaze off me, I lift my head. "What?" "What was that earlier?" his eyes narrow. "What was what?" "Lola!" he snaps, making me growl in warning. The sound reverberates in the room. "Why the hell did you defend her when it was clear she was a person of interest?" "I don't have time for this shit." "No! Don't tell me you are still in love with her," his voice hardens at the last sentence. "Lola is none of your business," I snarl, already feeling a crack in my tightly held self-control. It's only because we've been friends since we were pups that I didn't have him in a pulp for the disrespect. "Fine, have it your way, but just know that you are already on thin ice with Sadie. Protecting the so-called love of your life isn't going to win you any favors with Sadie. If you want a life with your mate, who is Sadie by the way, then you need to get your shit figured out or else you are going to lose her for good. But if you still want that bitch Lola, then go ahead and trample over the mate bond the goddess has given you, but don't start crying when she turns out to be a fucking snake." With those parting words, he leaves, and I am left staring at his retreating back. Before I found out Sadie was alive, I was damn sure that I was still in love with Lola. Now, with the mate bond between Sadie and me wreaking havoc inside me, I wasn't so sure.

Chapter 79

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