Chapter 12
Gerald
I stormed out of the breakfast room faster than I could say my own name.
What the hell was that?
The moment I touched her hand, I felt something electric, almost celestial.
And then... A voice in my head, a weird stirring, like something had awakened in me. It was faint, almost undetectable.
It happened too when we first met.
What the hell was happening to me?
I grimaced and shoved open the door to my study a little too hard. The sound of it slamming echoed off the walls, but I didn't care. My mind was spinning.
I went straight to the mini bar, grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the mini bar, and downed half of it. The burn didn't help.
I didn't want to admit it, but I was drawn to her. I didn't like it. She was just a kid. My best friend's kid, whom I swore to protect not... crave.
I should not be having any weird thoughts of her, but here I was, spiraling. But something in me cracked open when I touched her, and now I couldn't seal it shut
I sucked in a breath.
"Damn you, Humphrey!"
If the bastard hadn't gotten himself killed, this wouldn't be happening.
Speaking of getting himself killed. Whoever was responsible was going to pay, and I was going to absolutely make sure of that.
I already had my two suspects. Tony and Damon, but I couldn't be sure just yet. But all evidence pointed to them.
They had a motive. The hunger for power.
I would know. I had lived off that hunger my entire life. It was the only thing that kept me above the other Alphas who were born into power and status. I had to fight for mine. I had to fight for everything. It was how I got an army of tribal assassins and soldiers that would kill for me.
It was how I was able to defeat Alphas who had their wolf.
All I had was sheer willpower and vengeance.
I had fought for everything I owned.
I took back my grandfather's pack that was stolen from them. All without my wolf.
I had promised my father on his deathbed that I was going to restore the honor of our clan, and I was halfway there.
I took another gulp of the whiskey, hoping it would stop whatever voices I was now hearing in my head.
This wasn't the time to go crazy.
Especially when I was so close to my goal.
The bottle hung loosely in my grip as I leaned against the desk, staring blankly at the stack of maps spread on my table.
Several marked territories stared back at me, but none of it was making sense at the moment. I was too deep in thought.
I slammed the bottle on the table and rounded it to sit on my chair.
Gerald
There it was again. The voice.
I looked around me, but there was nothing or nobody.
The symptoms were familiar, but I didn't want to admit it just yet.
I was stressed. That was it.
I wasn't going crazy. I just needed to rest.
It made sense. I have not closed my eyes for the past two days now.
Of course I was hearing voices and having weird thoughts.
I should be sleeping.
I stood up and began to walk towards the door when a knock came.
I froze, hoping I wasn't in fact hallucinating.
"Gerald? Open the door!"
I sighed, relieved when I heard Landen's voice.
I opened it and was glad when I found that he was the one.
"Why do you look like that, man?" He asked, walking past me with a bag in hand.
"Like what?" I grimaced.
"Like you've seen a ghost,' he answered as he placed the mysterious bag on the table.
"What the hell is that?" I pointed at the bag, ignoring the question.
"Found it at a black market. Apparently, it's supposed to reverse any magic from any sorcerer."
I stared blankly at him.
"Don't knock till you try it."
"I don't need to try it to know that you have been ripped off. There's no such object like that, and it can definitely not reverse any curse."
"I saw it reverse a curse in my presence,"
"You know, for a man so smart and ruthless, you're extremely gullible."
I said flatly.
I knew he was trying to help, but there was no relic, no hecht, or heirloom that could reverse our curse. The only thing that could get my wolf back is finding my destined mate, and since that was practically impossible, we were mostly doomed.
The only hope of getting my wolf back was finding the sorcerer or at least one of the descendants of the one who cursed us. But they had vanished without a trace over a century ago.
Still, Landen's determination was... admirable, if not foolish.
I sighed and sank back into my chair, watching as he carefully unwrapped the item. It looked like an ordinary obsidian stone carved with runes-ancient, yes, but powerless.
"Let's just try it."
He said.
"How do you plan on doing that? You're not a witch or a sorcerer.*
I said with a raised brow, leaning forward slightly.
"I don't need to be," Landen said, pulling out a worn scroll from his coat pocket.
"The seller gave me this. Said the incantation only needs intent and contact with the cursed."
I scoffed. "Intent? That's rich."
But something in me stirred again. That damned voice. Faint but definitely there.
He stepped closer, holding the stone in one hand and the scroll in the other. "If there's even the slightest chance this works..."
"You'll what? Set me free?" I murmured sarcastically.
"I don't believe in miracles anymore, Landen."
"I haven't given up on you," he said simply.
I looked away, jaw tightening.
"Fine. Try it. Just don't expect anything.' A big part of me... I hope so. Just a little.
I laughed.
Hope was dead to me.
All I had was a strong will.
I was doing everything out of spite at this point.
Landen smiled and took the scroll and then the stone.
"Lux vetusta, malum solve,
Vinculum fractum, anima redde.
Ex tenebris, verum voco.
Lupus dormiens, surge rursus."
Landen said.
The stone glowed and then began to turn like a Rubik's Cube. It began to spin around faster and faster, and then it shone a bright light before returning back to normal.
"So, how do you feel?" Landen asked when the chaos settled.
"Like I told you. Absolutely nothing."
Suddenly, I felt an excruciating pain attack my head.
I grabbed my head and groaned loudly at the pounding pain.
"Are you okay?" I heard Landen's voice because of me.
"No!"
I yelled, closing my eyes tight as the pounding increased.
"Shit! I'll get the healer". Landen said.
The pain suddenly stopped just as he left, and I was left with an odd feeling.
I stared at the stone, wondering if it had actually worked, but when I didn't feel anything, I realized that I was having symptoms of the same illness that had killed my father.
Shit.