64

Arthur's POV

I sat in the meeting room with the elders, trying to focus, but my mind kept drifting back to Julianne. So much had been happening recently, and everything felt like it was spinning out of control. The elders were discussing the upcoming festival, but all I could think about was the chaos brewing within my house—and the surrounding Julianne.

"Arthur," Elder Green said, his voice stern and demanding, pulling me back into the conversation. "We need to finalize the details for the festival. We cannot afford any disruptions. The neighboring packs are expecting us to show a united front."

I nodded absentmindedly, my eyes glancing at the papers spread out in front of me. "I understand, but... I’m not sure I can be part of it this year," I admitted, my voice low. "A lot is going on right now, and I don’t think I can focus on the festival."

The elders exchanged worried looks. I knew they would be disappointed by my reluctance. The festival was important to our pack, but right now, Julianne was my priority.

"You’re thinking about the upcoming mating ceremony, aren’t you?" Elder Thompson asked, her sharp eyes never leaving me.

I didn't want to answer even though I knew that what he said was true. I have a mating ceremony coming up between me and Jasmine and another issue with Julianne, witch, and Nyx came out dragging me down in my preparations.

"We understand your concerns, Arthur," Elder Sean said, his voice softer now. "But we need you to think of the bigger picture. If you step away from the festival, there may be consequences. Our relationship with the neighboring packs could suffer. Rivalries could form. And we don't want that at all."

I sighed heavily. I didn’t want to make waves, but I also didn’t want to ignore Julianne and whatever was happening with her. The more I thought about it, the more I felt like she was tied to something dangerous—something I didn’t fully understand yet.

"I’ll think about it," I said, finally giving in. "I’ll participate in the festival. But only as much as I have to."

The elders nodded, clearly satisfied with my response. "Good. We’ll leave the rest to you then. You’ll be responsible for representing the pack," Elder Thompson said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Let’s hope everything goes smoothly."

As the meeting ended, I walked out of the room feeling drained. I had a lot to think about, and not enough answers to make sense of everything. Julianne, Jasmine, the mating ceremony... it was all tangled together in a way that felt dangerous.

When I met with Jeremy later, I knew I had to bring up the one thing I didn’t want to say out loud. Julianne.

"Jeremy," I said, my voice tense as we stood in the hallway of the packhouse. "I need to talk to you about something important."

He raised an eyebrow. "What’s going on?"

I hesitated. It wasn’t easy to share my worries,

"Julianne," I said finally, forcing myself to meet his gaze. "There’s something... I’m not sure what’s going on, but I need you to keep an eye on her."

Jeremy didn’t react immediately. His expression softened, and he took a step closer. "Arthur, you know you can trust me. I’ll do whatever it takes."

I ran a hand through my hair, my thoughts racing. "I don’t know if she’s hiding something or if I’m just imagining things, but I need to know the truth. I can’t ignore what’s happening with her."

He nodded slowly, his eyes serious. "I’ll keep an eye on her. But what exactly do you want me to look for?"

"I don’t know," I admitted. "It’s... it’s hard to explain. I think there’s something more to her than she’s letting on. I just don’t know what yet."

Jeremy studied me for a moment, his gaze intense. "You think she’s involved in something dangerous?"

I didn’t want to say it out loud, but the words slipped out before I could stop them. "I think she might be a witch."

Jeremy’s eyes widened in surprise. "A witch? But... we can’t—"

"I know, and I have my response for using the words and suggesting it to your hearing." I interrupted my voice tight. "You see, I was walking with Julianne in the field when a black-painted woman came out of nowhere; before you knew it, she grabbed my neck and hauled me to her side. I struggled to free myself, but I could not. She did the shocking part of it when she knelt and bowed to Julianne who just stood rooted to the spot staring at her. Aje told Julianne to come to take her rightful place as the moon goddess and leader of their coven. Julianne argued and told the woman to go be the leader of the coven since she was not interested but she refused. She threatened to kill me right there on the spot in front of Julianne if she did not confess knowing to what she said about Julianne being a moon goddess, Julianne refused to talk and just when she was going to kill me, just when I thought I would die, bright light came out of Julianne when she forward to shield me and it blasted Nyx." I paused and sighed deeply. "So you see that’s why I need you to help me. I can’t do this alone."

Jeremy nodded again, understanding the gravity of the situation and what I had just explained to him. "All right, in as much as I would have loved to keep an eye on Julianne, I think you are in the best position to do so because I will be the one preparing and making plans for the festivals. I have got a lot on your plate right now, so you should handle this one."

"Thanks, I will do just that," I said, grateful for his support.

He smiled. "Just... be careful. We don’t know what we’re dealing with. These witches can be so wicked and brutal." Jeremy murmured and pulled me into a hug.

As Jeremy left to take care of his responsibilities, I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. Was Julianne a witch? And if she was, what did that mean for me? For the pack? For everything I thought I understood about our world? But a witch could not have mated with a wolf, so what is wrong here?

That night, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned in bed, my mind unable to settle. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Julianne’s face—her eyes, her energy, her presence. It was like she was pulling me in, making me question everything I had ever known about my life, my duties, and even my future.

I got up, feeling restless, and walked out onto the balcony. The night air was cold, but it did little to calm my racing thoughts. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t ignore what I was feeling, but I also couldn’t ignore the consequences of what could happen if I was wrong.

As I stared out into the darkness, I caught sight of something that made my heart skip a beat. A shadow. It was moving quickly through the shadows near the building, heading toward Antonnia’s room.

Without thinking, I stepped forward, my instincts kicking in. I followed the figure, but I wasn’t fast enough. The shadow was gone before I could reach the corner of the building.

I rushed forward, my heart pounding in my chest. Antonnia’s door was wide open, but she was asleep inside, completely unaware of the danger that had just passed by. My gaze swept over her room, but there was no sign of anyone else.

Who was that? Who had been lurking around her room?

I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. I had been seeing shadows and figures in the corners of my vision lately, but this was the first time I had seen one so clearly. It wasn’t just a trick of the light—it was real. Someone had been here, and they had been watching.