Chapter 74 CHAPTER 74

Chapter 74 CHAPTER 74
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Lily handed me the report she had been working on for days, her expression grim. I could see the weariness in her eyes, but I barely registered it. My mind was already spinning, trying to come up with a solution. The skin walkers were getting worse-more attacks, more lives lost.

And then there was Alina... my mate, now revealed as a witch. It was a hard time for all of us. Coming to terms with this is probably the hardest thing I would have to do, but I was sure I was going to be able to overcome it. It was Alina. I have fought so much to be here with her so I wouldn't let something like this come in the way of our love.

Witchcraft was a death sentence in this pack. The elders and lords would never accept it, no matter how much I argued, but since the fairy mother came to speak on behalf of Alina, I was hoping that they would let it go.

I drummed my fingers on the table, trying to figure out how the hell we were going to deal with this. Alina's witchcraft, the skin walker attacks... If I didn't act soon, I could lose everything. I have fought to be here on this throne too and this was the most pressing matter in the pack. If I am not able to solve it then I should have as well left the pack in the hands of Jaime.

"Kai." Lily's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "You're not listening."

I looked up at her, sighing heavily. "I'm listening, Lily. I just... It's a lot to process."

"I know," she said softly, her gaze filled with concern. "But we can't afford to fall apart now. We have a lot we need to do, so you need to put every other thing at the back of your head or soon we are not going to have citizens to rule."

"What's the report say?" I asked, running a hand through my hair. It was matted from stress, and I hadn't slept in days. Not properly, at least.

"It's not good," she admitted, sliding the papers across the table. "I found out something about the skin walkers. I spent the last few days reading since I didn't have anything else to do, and I realized that I could have done it a lot sooner because I found out about a lot of things. These skin walkers, they aren't just random beasts-they were created by witches."

I felt my stomach lurch. "Created by witches? So what, witches made these things to terrorize us?" If this was the case, the matter was going to be even worse for Alina.

"Not exactly," Lily explained. "They were created centuries ago by dark witches to protect their covens. Only witches can kill them, Kai."

That last sentence echoed in my head. Only witches can kill them. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was hinting at.

"No," I said firmly, standing up and pacing the room. "I'm not using Alina for that. I can't."

"She's the only one who can help," Lily argued, her voice rising with urgency. "You have to understand, Kai-if we don't do something soon, the skin walkers are going to overrun us. We've lost too many already. And Alina could be the key to stopping them."

"Yara can do it." I said, referring to the witch who helped me with Alina.

"No, she can't. You already called in a favor. The witches are

particular about these kinds of things. And she also saved me from Jaime. She is not going to help. We need another source of witchcraft and Alina is our only option."

I stopped pacing, facing her with frustration coursing through me." If I bring witchcraft into this pack through Alina, Lily, the people will lose their minds. They're terrified of witches. Hell, they tried to kill her just for stopping a dagger in mid-air. Do you really think they're going to stand by and let me use her powers to fight the skin walkers?"

Lily crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "The fairy mother herself told them to respect Alina. That should be enough."

I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. "The fairy mother's word means nothing to them right now when they are being ruled by emotion. You saw how they reacted, didn't you? They were ready to tear Alina apart, and they'll do it again if they think she's a threat. I can't risk that, Lily. I can't lose her."

For a moment, the room fell silent. Lily didn't speak, and I could feel the weight of the decision pressing down on me. Every choice I made now carried a consequence-one wrong move, and I could lose

everything. The pack, my title, and worst of all Alina. I didn't want her to be fighting my battles.

This wasn't what I planned for her. I wanted her to have the best life there is. I wanted her to be comfortable and happy in my home, and not be doing all of this. I wished it didn't have to be this way.

Lily broke the silence, her voice soft and tentative like she knew that I was not going to agree with whatever she was going to tell me next. "There's another way, Kai."

I looked at her, skeptical. "What are you talking about?"

"The Waterstone pack," she said, her eyes brightening with a spark of hope. "They're not just werewolves, remember? They have witches living among them. If you can merge the Waterstone pack with the Seven Isles, the people here could get used to witchcraft. It won't be so foreign to them."

I stared at her, stunned by the idea. Merge the packs? Werewolves, lycans, and witches together? It was impossible. The hierarchy between lycans and werewolves, and the disdain of witches with the lycans were going to tear us completely apart.

"I don't know," I muttered, rubbing my temples. "It's risky, Lily. You're talking about mixing three groups that have been at odds for centuries. Lycans barely tolerate witches or even werewolves as it is."

Lily stepped closer, her tone insistent. "It's the only way, Kai. The pack is already on the edge. If we don't find a solution, you'll lose everything. And Alina will be hunted down if you don't act. The pack is already angry. Not finding a solution and backing a witch is going to make matters worse for all of us."

Her words struck deep, and I couldn't shake the feeling that she was right. I had to do something, and merging the packs seemed like the only real option. If I could get the people used to the idea of living alongside witches, maybe... just maybe, I could protect Alina.

"All right," I said finally, my voice low. "Set a date for the meeting. We'll talk to the Waterstone elders and see what we can arrange."

I had wanted to merge the Waterstone and Blackstone packs together and appoint new elders. That was the plan, but I guess things have to be different now. I had to change all of this up if I wanted to be able to get my pack in check.

Lily nodded, her face softening with relief. "I'll take care of it."

As she turned to leave, I felt a sense of dread settle in my chest. This was going to be a gamble, and if it went wrong, I didn't even want to think about the consequences.

I decided I needed to check on Alina. The last time I was in her room, she was sleeping and hadn't woken up. I hoped she was awake now. I made my way to her room, feeling a flicker of hope that seeing her would ease some of the tension in my chest.

But when I reached her room, she wasn't there. Panic rose in my throat as I searched the palace, calling out her name. No one had seen her.

My heart pounded as I rushed to the pack court, hoping she had gone there. When I arrived, I found her sitting in her Luna's seat, her expression distant and off. I approached her, relieved that I had seen her and also concerned about why she was there after what she went through.

"Alina," I called out gently, trying to catch her attention. She turned to look at me, her eyes unfocused.

"Are you all right?" I asked, sitting down beside her.

She blinked a few times, as if pulling herself out of a trance. “I'm fine," she said quietly, but I could hear the strain in her voice.

"You don't seem fine," I pressed, concern lacing my words. "What's going on?"

Alina looked away, avoiding my gaze. "I just, I need to take care of something."

I frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'll explain later," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just ... I have to go."

Before I could say anything else, she stood up abruptly and left the room, her pace hurried. I sat there for a moment, stunned, before the urgency of the situation hit me. I couldn't let her go off on her own, not when things were so dangerous.

I leaped to my feet and followed her out of the palace, my mind racing with questions. Where was she going? What was she planning to do? But by the time I reached the courtyard, she was gone. Disappeared without a trace.

Damn it.

I cursed under my breath, the fear gnawing at my insides. Something was about to be wrong-terribly wrong—and I couldn't shake the feeling that Alina was walking straight into danger. She couldn't just leave the palace when everyone in the Seven Isles wanted her dead.

I had to find her. Before it was too late.