Chapter 20 Chapter 20

Chapter 20 Chapter 20
Lucien
“What the hell was that?” Abel snapped the moment I stepped out of Ashley’s room.
“I have been knocking on that door for ages,” he continued angrily. “Are you really about to throw everything away because of a woman you won’t even remember sleeping with in the next minute?”
His words barely settled before my anger rose, I turned to him slowly, my vision darkening. In one swift move, I grabbed him by the neck and slammed him hard against the wall in the hallway. “It seems you have forgotten who you are talking to like that,” I growled, my voice low and dangerous.
He struggled slightly under my grip, but I didn’t release him immediately. “I have given you too much freedom,” I went on, my eyes fixed on his. “Now you think you can speak to me however you like? Let this be the last time you ever speak about her like that,” I warned. “Don’t ever do it again.”
I released him, and he dropped back to the floor, catching his breath.
He straightened quickly, stepping away from me, his jaw tight. “I understand, Alpha,” he said, his voice controlled.
“Good.” I turned and walked down the hallway toward my office, knowing he was following behind me. “Are we still going to see the witch tonight?” I asked without looking back.
“Yes,” Abel replied. “We still have less than forty-five minutes to get there.”
I nodded slightly. “I will meet you in the car in five minutes. I need to clean up first.” He gave a short nod and left.
I headed straight to my room. Inside, I went to the bathroom and stepped under the shower, letting the water run over me as I tried to clear my head. But when I looked up at the mirror, I froze.
There were clear marks on my neck and shoulder, my brows furrowed in confusion. No one dared to touch me during intimacy—talk less of leaving marks on my body. I stared at my reflection, trying to remember.
The last thing I could recall clearly was being in Mona’s room. Then Ashley interrupted, I took her to the hospital and we returned to her room. After that, everything felt blurred.
I clenched my jaw, I must have fucked Ashley. But that didn’t make sense. How could she have touched me, marked me and I didn’t get affected? Something wasn’t right.
And worse I had been drawn to her, a pregnant woman. I ran a hand through my wet hair, my thoughts restless. This wasn’t normal. Maybe my control is slipping, I am losing my sanity gradually.
I quickly got dressed and headed out, by the time I reached the car, Abel was already inside. I slid into the back seat, leaning slightly as the car began to move.
I noticed the way his eyes narrowed at me through the mirror. “If you have something to say,” I snapped, irritation clear in my voice, “then say it.”
“No matter who you are fucking,” Abel said, his voice tight with frustration, “once you hear a knock, you leave immediately. It doesn’t matter how deep in you are, you leave because you know you won’t remember it the next minute.”
He glanced at me through the rearview mirror, his eyes sharp. “I was at that door for a long time, knocking and calling you,” he continued. “But you didn’t come out not until you were done. And now,” he added, his gaze dropping briefly before returning to mine, “you have a bite mark on your neck. That’s not normal. Then you snapped at me for calling her a cunt.”
He shook his head slightly. “What exactly is going on?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, even though I understood his concern.
Abel let out a short, frustrated breath. “You know exactly what I mean,” he said. “None of this makes sense. She’s pregnant too. This is messed up.” His grip tightened on the steering wheel. “Should I be worried? Is the curse getting worse?”
I sighed and leaned back in my seat. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I feel fine. Nothing about me feels different.”
I met his eyes in the mirror. “You worry too much. It was just sex, and I don’t even remember it. The last thing I recall is walking into her room.”
Abel didn’t respond after that.
The rest of the drive passed in silence as we made our way to the outskirts of the pack—far from the main settlement, deep into the hills where almost no one went.
That was where the only witch left in my kingdom lived. I made sure of that. The others had either fled or joined Ryker’s kingdom, where witches and werewolves lived side by side.
By the time we arrived, the road had become too narrow for the car to continue. Abel parked, and we stepped out, the cool night air settling around us.
In the distance, a faint light glowed from a small cabin hidden deeper in the hills. We walked the rest of the way in silence.
As we got closer, the door of the cabin creaked open, and the old witch stepped out. Her body was frail with age, her shoulders slightly hunched, but the moment she saw me, she stiffened. Fear flashed across her face.
“Your Majesty,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “Have you come to finally kill the last witch in your kingdom?”
I didn’t answer her, I simply walked past her and entered the cabin without waiting for permission.
“Why would I come all this way just to kill you,” I said calmly, “when I could have sent my men to do it?” She followed me inside quickly.
The cabin was small but warm, filled with herbs. My presence alone seemed to make the space feel even smaller. I took a seat on one of the sofas, while she and Abel remained standing, both watching me carefully.
For a moment, no one spoke, then the old witch broke the silence.
“Perhaps,” she said slowly, “you are here to learn about your true mate and the child you sired months ago.”