Chapter 25 Chapter 25
A chill stung the four of them as they all stood before the weeping man.
“Did he just fucking say…?” Brendan began but trailed off as he watched the man try to summon his claws and failed each time.
Suki looked at Brendan with furrowed brows, hoping her glare would encourage him to keep quiet, before stepping towards Zale, who looked utterly lost for words. It wasn’t hard for anyone to guess the thought that was going through his mind. “It can’t be a curse… the pack has done nothing wrong to imbalance or offend nature.”
Rey shook his head. “A curse? Like what happened to Silver Moon?” he questioned. Holding out his hand, he summoned his claws rapidly without any struggle.
When Zale saw that, he did the same and sighed with relief. No, it wasn’t a curse. “Thank the Goddess.”
“Guys, we still have a problem here,” Suki muttered, unamused by their lack of concern for the fearful pack member. She knelt in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Sir, perhaps you are under the weather, and that’s why you can’t shift.”
“No,” he shook his head, “it’s different, I’m telling you! I can’t feel my wolf. This is not normal. I feel like part of myself has been ripped away from me.”
She frowned, puzzled as she tried to work out what was happening to the man. “I can barely smell his wolf.”
“Me neither,” Rey said, “it’s like it’s hiding behind a wall.”
Softening her face, she leaned in toward the man and gave a sympathetic smile, “Go to the witch’s medical centre, ask for Cassandra and tell her I sent you there. She will check on you and help you as much as she can while we go report this to the Alpha.”
He shivered. “The Alpha?”
“Relax,” she soothed him, “he will advise on the next steps to take to check on why this has happened and what we can do to get your wolf back, that’s all.”
Zale kneeled beside Suki and smiled at her briefly, grateful for his friend’s calmness. It calmed him enough to be the Alpha-son he needed to be. “Is there anything you can tell us that happened before you noticed you couldn’t shift?”
The man shook his head, clenching his stomach and sweating.
“Anything at all would help us,” Reynard added.
He panted; all the colour from his face had vanished. He looked like he was about to throw up.
“Oh, for crying out loud, old man. Tell us something,” Brendan huffed.
“Brendan!” Suki snapped at him, blinking and retreating on herself at the realisation that she was meant to be ignoring him, pretending he wasn’t there, even though he was one of the two main things on her mind.
The man too in a slow, jagged inhale and exhaled roughly before speaking, “I was having a normal day. I went to the market during the sale rush, like I always do every other week; it was a normal and chaotic crowd, like it always is. People pushed and shoved and snapped at each other to get the goods they wanted for cheap. I was just trying to get my goods without losing a limb. After that, I returned home to drop off my groceries and decided to relieve some stress and go on a wolf run, but when I tried to shift.”
Brendan rolled his eyes, “That can’t be all.”
This time, Zale was the one to get annoyed at him. “Enough from you,” he barked.
“Any other details you can pinpoint, something straight or weird that happened while you were out?”
Groaning, the man struggled to think for a moment. “Oh, well, now that you mention it, at the market I did feel a pinch – or more like a sharp scratch – against my arm. I just thought someone was getting fiesty to get their apples or something,” he shrugged, “but by the time I looked at my arm, my wolf healing had gotten rid of whatever may have been there.”
‘Weird.’ Suki thought to herself.
‘Very.’ Brendan’s words echoed in her mind, making her jump. ‘Didn’t realise you were thinking down the bond, aye, love?’
Suki darted a glare at Brendan, and as she turned back, her eyes met with Zale, who caught a glimpse and was puzzled at her annoyed gesture to him. She blinked repeatedly to soften her face and looked back at the man. “Thank you for the information, sir. Please, go to see the witches.”
“I’ll escort you,” Reynard offered kindly.
Zale nodded and added, “I’ll go inform my father; he may want to come see you, and he’ll send the best doctors within the pack, too. We’ll look into this from every end to find a solution.”
“Thank you, Alpha-son.”
✧ ✧ ✧
There was no time to waste. Reynard was off to ensure the poor man got to the medical centre in one piece. Zale told Brendan to leave and allow him to speak to his father alone, but Suki insisted she joined him. She wanted to be of use and perhaps, siding with her old friend, the Alpha-son, such a thing could be possible.
So together they went to the Alpha to inform him of the event, but he was not alone. An important meeting with Beta Twyla, Suki’s father, had to be interrupted.
“WHAT?!” The Alpha roared. “What madness are you telling me?!”
Suki swallowed thickly and took a step back from the Alpha’s rage, but Zale still stood tall like a mighty oak, like the power in his voice did nothing to him.
“Exactly as I said, sir. We witnessed it right in front of us, hence why Suki is here to corroborate.”
Machiavelli looked at his daughter, wide-eyed. “Is it true?”
She nodded, “Yes, father. He couldn’t shift, and all of us could barely smell his wolf on him.”
The Beta looked to his Alpha, “A curse?”
“No,” Alpha Wilder whirred, “a curse that serious wouldn’t be imposed on a random man who’s done nothing wrong. I know the man the children speak of; he’s a good man who lives a simple life. There has to be something else.”
Machiavelli shook his head, “Is this the start of that witch’s dreaded vision…”
Suki knew she shouldn’t intervine but her mind was buzzing with an idea. “What if we spoke to the Alpha of Silver Moon?”
“Suki…” her father protested.
“Hear me out,” she pleaded. “The people of Silver Moon have all been through a curse like this. If we speak to them, they can give us guidance on whether this is actually a curse or not. If it is, perhaps they can guide us on how to fix it.”
Alpha Wilder crooned, “Silver Moon’s Alpha is still coming to terms with the power she possesses as an Alpha and as a member of the pack of spirits. Not to mention learning how to control her standard wolf power. We don’t have an alliance with their pack. Now is not the time to disturb them with our own issues; it could drive them away further.”
Lowering her head, “Yes, sir,” she cooed.
“Actually,” Machiavelli interjected, “Suki and Alpha Amaris got on quite well at her Accension Ceremony. Perhaps this is the exact opportunity we need for our packs to create a stronger relationship to build the alliance we need.”
The Alpha raised a brow. “My friend, are you saying you’re willing to send your daughter there, alone? There are rebellious and dangerous enemy packs that taunt their borders.”
He exhaled, “If either of us goes, they’ll know it’s about the alliance, and it could push them away further. They’re on the fence whether to stand alone or join other packs. Everyone is fearful for what’s to come, but maybe,” he looked at his daughter and smiled, “we need a different voice to speak for us.”
Suki smiled and held herself tall. “Thank you, father.”
“She doesn’t have to go alone,” Zale cleared his throat to speak up, “I understand if I go, it may be the same issue if either of you went, but Reynard proved himself to be cautious and caring during the situation we were in.” He looked at Suki, “If you feel you need assistance, I think Reynard would be a great companion with you.”
“I agree,” she glimmered.
Machiavelli stood and paced slowly to his daughter, placing a hand on her shoulder and raising her chin with his free hand. “I’ve trained you well; I know you will do right by us. Find out what you can from them, and befriend them. Make me proud, Suki.”
Beaming a strong smile. “Yes, father.”