Chapter 38

Suzette

There were only three things I wanted so far. First, I wanted to be the strongest witch on the continent. Currently, I wasn’t content with the power I had. Making potions and teleportation was only basic for most of the witches. The last thing I created didn’t even last for a couple of years. I might be possessing Aunt Crisanta’s resurrection power. It would be effective when I died in my own hands. But the power was not enough.

Also, I was still dreaming of winning Alpha Calle’s heart and becoming his Luna. But before that could ever happen, I needed to seek out the real reason why he dumped me. Hell, I wasn’t even aware if he had already found his bitchy mate!

I had to seek the fastest way to become stronger.

I was in the library of my aunt's house, digging through books, trying to find something, anything, that could help me fulfill a specific goal. I had been researching magic and witchcraft for weeks now, desperate to learn how someone like myself—a young witch with relatively little experience compared to all these ancient texts on sorcery—could manipulate things around her without needing potions or artificial aids. My hands grazed over hundreds of different books and manuscripts as time dragged by until finally, one book caught my eye: "Knowledge of Witch Souls." It described how witches absorbed souls into stones, which would give them powers far beyond comprehension—the manipulation of all five elements plus everyone around them with pure will alone! This is precisely what I wanted; this knowledge promised strength greater than anyone on the continent!

Intrigued but uncertain if this would work, I opened the book and began reading it intently.

I couldn’t help but recall the rumors among fellow witches about Aunt Crisanta being able to do such work so easily. She even managed to pull off his greatest trick, controlling the minds of her entire coven. Yes, that was the reason why, in her coven, witches treated her as a queen. So, I expect, after gaining certain knowledge, I'll be able to do it too.

I woke up feeling energized.

I had stayed up all night reading, but it was worth it. I finally understood everything that book had to offer and felt like I could take on the world. As soon as I walked out of my room, though, I could tell something was wrong. My father, wearing his fated coat and hat, was sitting at the table, glaring at me with a look of pure anger in his eyes.

"What have you been doing?" he demanded furiously. "You were supposed to be seducing Alpha Calle so we could get ahead in the packs!"

In my mind, I wanted to ask the same thing—what the hell was he supposed to be doing in Aunt Crisanta’s mansion, as he despised stepping into this coven, to begin with? Maybe he was desperate to rule the continent. And the desperation led him to use his daughter.

Shit, I forgot—I wasn’t his daughter. Though he was still not aware that my late aunt had already told me the truth about my identity, I would continue this mind game with him—I would play the dumb and stupid daughter he only saw as a thing.

"I know," I said calmly, meeting his gaze without flinching. "But just last night, I realized there's more to life than just being part of a pack."

He frowned, ignoring the steak the helper had placed on the table. "Are you saying you don't want to do your task anymore?" My father asked incredulously.

"Of course not," I replied quickly, sitting on the table across from him. "But there's another way of reaching our ambitions."

My ambition rather. He was not part of my plans any longer. Now that I knew how to do my desired magic trick, I was itching to try it. Only, I needed to follow the procedures.

Sunset came, and after my father left the mansion, I began to prepare for the making of my soul stone. But first, I needed to harvest the most important ingredient of my ritual—the mandrake. It has white and purple flowers and large yellow berries. It had a forked, fleshy root that resembled the human form. It screamed when ripped from the ground, you know, and any person or animal hearing the scream would immediately perish. Long used for dark magic, this plant was sacred to Aphrodite and used as a powerful aphrodisiac. Its roots are shaped like humans, and carrying even a tiny piece ensures good health and much more. It hides from man, and it glows in the dark.

So I went to the garden. Before harvesting, I drew a circle around them with an iron tool. While I faced the west, I cut off the top of the plant. I was so cautious not to touch the plant. Then, when I saw their hands and feet, I fastened them, taking the other end of the rope and tying it around the hungry black hound I brought with me. I had to throw the meat in front of the dog so he couldn’t reach it until he pulled up the plant.

The mandrake shrieked, making the dog perish. Fortunately, I was able to cover my ears.

I’ve been preparing for this moment for years. I hadn’t told anyone, especially Dad, what I was doing. If anyone had asked, I wouldn’t have been able to explain it. But now the time had come, and I was ready. I might have felt a bit guilty about murdering Aunt Crisanta. But I knew the act was necessary to be the most powerful witch, not only on this continent but in the entire world.

My ingredients were laid out on the table, namely rosemary, lavender, dandelion root, a few other mysterious items, and of course, mandrake.

I lit a candle in the middle of the table and began chanting an incantation that I had memorized from a book.

As I continued chanting, a mist began to form around me. It coalesced into shapes—animals, humans, and beings that looked like neither of them. Then suddenly, a voice spoke from within the mist. "Are you prepared for this ritual?"

I was afraid but knew that if I could make it through, then I would possess the power I desired.

"Yes. I am ready no matter what it takes," I said, determination tangible in my voice.

The humanoid dark mist replied, "Then whatever you wish to possess, it will inhibit you. You have proven your desire by sacrificing the life of your aunt. Her soul was numerous times the worth of your wish."

I smiled. Then let’s start all of this. I can’t wait to make my plans.

I chanted incantations and wrote arcane symbols on parchment paper. A few minutes later, I felt a surge of energy, as if all of my preparations had been successful. Then the human mist walked to me and whispered something in my ear.

I was about to question the information, but suddenly, there was an explosion. I was so stunned that I couldn’t even manage to teleport from the rooftop. It was when I realized I lost consciousness when I awoke, not on the rooftop, but in my room.

On the floor next to her was a dark and smooth stone that glows mysteriously. I quickly picked it up while trying to make sense of what had happened. And then I remembered what had happened during the ritual.

I placed the stone on my chest. "Finally, I can make my soul stone. There is no stopping me now."

Feeling excited and giddy all over, I returned to my pack. I used my car this time. Teleportation might save me time, but I wanted to enjoy killing time while traveling.

But when I reached the pack borders, I noticed a familiar and huge building from afar. "B-beta Degen?" I shook my head annoyingly, digging my nails into the unfortunate tree trunk.

He was a pain in my as and a big obstacle to my ambitions. If not for him, then maybe, I was still sleeping with Calle and being called Luna.

I started to become a ball of anger when an idea popped up in my head. What if I test my new powers on his pack? I grinned, reaching for the stone on my neck.

So, I performed the ritual just in front of our territory. No one could see me since I was covered by giant bushes and trees. At first, nothing seemed to happen—until, one by one, each member of their pack became entranced by my spell.

"Listen, you fool beasts," I whispered on my soul stone, and it shone brighter. "Kill one another. After that, take your own life. If you are still unable to die, run as far as you can and jump to the nearest cliff…"

As the ritual progressed, their minds became like putty in my hands, and they became unable to resist following my commands.

The ritual was a success. But one werewolf seemed unaffected. It was Beta Degen. He watched his pack kill each other in horror. He even ran after those werewolves that sprinted away.

"Why?" I hissed, getting back into the car. "He is the one I want to harm. But why didn’t he get affected?"

I was driving toward the large wooden gate of our pack when I remembered what the humanoid mist had whispered in my ear before the explosion occurred— a spell, no matter how dark it is, couldn't affect your mate. But when the stone absorbs enough witch souls, it will be invisible and surpass any power and bond in this world.

I entered my father's office after carefully opening the doors. I experienced a strong sense of familiarity, but it was also tense. My father was seated at his desk, his eyes narrowing as if he knew why I had come in, frowning instantly with furrowed brows and a scrunched nose.

For some reason, it felt like my father’s men were in this small space, but only two other people were present—Mr. Becket, Dad’s Beta, and his wife, Audrey, were still in office attire.

They were all staring at me as though I’d committed the darkest sin in this world.

"What do you think you've done? How did that happen? Explain yourself now!" My dad immediately began berating me. I was so confused by what he said that I had to take a step back. What on earth could he be referring to?

Ignoring his sudden burst of reaction, I sat on the chair calmly. Anyway, he was always angry. "Is that how you welcome me after my weeks of vacation?"

"Suzette," said Audrey softly. "Your imprudent actions led us directly to Alpha Calle’s decision..." She paused before continuing in an even softer tone, almost as if speaking more to herself than anyone else there. "If your activity within their territory wasn't so hasty then maybe things wouldn't boil down to such drastic measures." The Beta’s wife sighed heavily, conveying regret over whatever she thought I'd done wrong.

"What exactly do you mean?" I looked at her, narrowing my eyes. "Wait, have you talked to Beta Degen? Why was he in our territory, by the way?"

My father slammed his fists on the table. His wrinkled face was like a volcano, ready to explode anytime now. "You have hurt one of their pack members using your shitty potions! Now how could he trust you again and make you his Luna if you are capable of hurting a pack member?"

"Hurting a pack member?" My eyes widened in disbelief and I shook my head. "Why would I do that? They weren’t even worth my powers. I only used to make potions for Alpha Calle and…"

I paused, my mouth kept parting as I realized something. My potions for Alpha Calle contained spells that inhibited his mate from sensing him. Well, he could still recognize his mate, but not the other way around. But the effect of the potion expired the moment he dumped me out of his life.

So if I weren’t mistaken, his mate had already found him. And the one I allegedly caused harm to was none other than his mate?

Every cell in my system was shrieking just as I imagined him going crazy over heels for that lucky btch.

"It seems clear Suzette has angered Alpha Calle during her last intrusion," Beta Beckett said. He and his old wife were facing my dad. "Alpha Darius, what must we do about Suzette’s arrest? Are you going to hand her to them? The number of consequences would ripple through our packs unless something changed very quickly."

"The final decision is in your hands. When you surrender Suzette to them, they will still trust our pack and treat us as one of their great allies," Audrey commented, taking a glance at me before turning to my dad again. "And there’s still a chance for Suzette to step to Luna if she apologizes in front of the pack."

"Yes. Maybe it's not too late," Audrey suggested eagerly as though trying to save what was left. "We can still try to amend. If Suzette sincerely admits her sins, Alpha Calle will possibly be acquitted." He looked at me with a spark of hope in his eyes. "And you can still be the packs’ Luna. What do you think? Can you do that for your father’s honor? For our pack? You have to be responsible and take hold of the situation."

They gazed at me silently across the table while waiting for my answer. Finally, I broke the silence. "Hell, no! I'd rather die than apologize to his pack!"

They looked considerably staring deeply at each other for a few moments whilst shaking heads side by side. Until Beta Beckett said, "You aren’t still seeing how serious the situation is."

Dad turned to me sternly and concluded, "Then I have no choice but to watch while they punish you. You no longer have any use for our pack!" His voice had a tone of finality that broke me in two and filled me with rage simultaneously.

Hot tears streamed down my face as I watched my dad turn his back on me. Using mind-link, he announced to our pack that he no longer needed me, and called upon two of the men in attendance to take me away so that I could be punished for not submitting myself.

One of Dad’s men stared at me. "I’m sorry, Miss Suzette. But we are just following orders. So if I were you, I would cooperate with no complaints."

Something inside of me burst forth before they even got close enough to touch me. Every part of my body felt a sudden surge of what felt like an innate magical power. Then the dark, human-like mist began to fill the room's four corners. The dark humanoid mist seemed to swirl around me protectively, keeping the others from approaching and hearing him. Funny, I was the only one who could see him. I was awed by this newly discovered power.

‘It’s so insulting that a fine witch with undeniable powers is treated like this. Why don’t you use the stone to sentence them for their unacceptable acts?"

"Yes," I whispered, my hand reaching for the stone I put in the pendant of my necklace. "They must pay for such humiliation."

The next thing I knew, both men were lying motionless at my feet, victims of whatever magical force had been released from within me moments earlier.

Everyone else was standing there stunned by what had happened, all their faces were pale with shock. Except for Dad' who showed only anger and hate directed toward me.

"You are nothing but dead weight now, Suzette," he snarled, pointing his fingers at me. "I shouldn’t have allowed you to be born. I’ve always known that you would be a disgrace to this pack, like your slut witch race!"

His words pierced through me like shards of glass, directly into my heart. But somehow I found the strength to summon more energy.

So I unleashed another powerful spell, aiming right at him this time.

My dad started screaming in pain and flailing his arms around as if he were possessed by some kind of dark force. He begged me to help him, but all I did was laugh, watching him slowly wither away before my eyes until he eventually died.

*