Calvin's POV
"If you think I'd ever-" I had begun my strong rebuttal when I felt Franklin's hand on my shoulder.
"We don't have a choice, Alpha. Just do it, please. For the sake of the Pack. She's our last hope." He pleaded.
I knew that all too well but still…
I clenched my fists, trying to rein in my temper. "Please," I said through gritted teeth, bowing my head in surrender. "Please help me, my people are dying. If you know something, please tell me and you'll forever have my gratitude."
She quirked an eyebrow but a smile finally settled on her face. "That wasn't so hard now, was it?" She quipped after a long pause. "Step inside."
The room we entered was darker than the hallway, lit only by the faint glow of a fire in the hearth. The air was even heavier in here, suffocating almost, and the sound of something bubbling in a cauldron filled the silence. She gestured toward a stool, and I sat reluctantly.
She remained standing, towering over me, a crooked smile playing on her lips. "You seek answers to the suffering of your Pack. Tell me, Alpha, why do you think your people are cursed?"
"Because everything that's happened is unnatural," I said without hesitation. "The drought, the disease, the death of every firstborn. We didn't just incur bad luck overnight."
The witch raised a brow, seemingly unimpressed. "And yet, you Alphas are so quick to assume that the universe is conspiring against you when it's merely the consequences of your own actions."
I bristled at her tone. "If you have something to say, say it plainly."
Her smile disappeared, replaced by a cold, unreadable expression. "Very well. The curse on your Pack is not random. It was placed by a vengeful soul. A woman who was wronged- falsely accused and punished unjustly. Yet ironically, it was not born from revenge but rather from the pain and anguish she endured."
My stomach turned, but I kept my voice steady. "Who? Who would do this to us?"
The witch stepped closer, the firelight reflecting in her eyes. "The woman by the name of Kamrynn," she said simply.
The name hit me like a blow to the chest. I stared at her, waiting for her to correct herself, but she didn't.
"No," I said, shaking my head. "That's not possible. Kamrynn wouldn't... couldn't... curse the Pack."
"You think not?" she said sharply. "You believe a woman, falsely accused and punished for a crime she didn't commit, would walk away unscathed? You think she'd let you and your Pack go unpunished for what you did to her?"
Her words felt like knives, stabbing deeper with each syllable. "She deserves everything she got! She killed her own sister, she killed my mate!" I snarled, rising to my feet.
"Did she?" the witch countered, her voice icy. "Or was that the story you told yourself to justify what you did to her?"
I staggered back, her words echoing in my head. "Sherelle is dead because of her, there was undeniable proof. It wasn't just baseless accusations." I retorted firmly, though doubt had already started to creep in.
The witch shook her head slowly. "Kamrynn is the daughter of the Moon Goddess herself, born of light and purity. She does not kill. But she was punished as though she had, wasn't she? Humiliated, tortured, assaulted, cast aside like garbage. Tell me, Alpha, did you have the patience to dig deeper into your so-called proof? Did you ever think to listen to her side of the story? Or wonder for just a moment, the motive she could possibly have had to commit those crimes?"
My throat felt dry. "The... the motive was clear. Kamrynn was obsessed with me, even though I only ever saw her as a good friend. I thought she got over her silly little crush after Sherelle and I were mated but it only pushed her to do something so despicable." I gritted, letting the image of the empty coffin I buried fuel my rage.
The woman rolled her eyes. "Oh please. All I hear is that you punished a woman simply for trusting and loving you. How dare you call her your friend when you could condemn her so easily with circumstantial evidence?" The witch lashed, her voice dripping with disdain.
I found myself tongue tied, unable to respond.
"You ruined the poor girl and deep down you know it's because you just needed someone to blame, someone to pass all that rage onto. You let your hatred blind you, and now you and your Pack are paying the price."
I collapsed back onto the stool, my mind reeling. Memories of Kamrynn flashed before my eyes-her pleas of innocence, her tears and screams as I beat her and forced myself on her repeatedly, the way she looked at me as if I had shattered her world.
My heart stopped for a second. She was the same girl I had run around the entire territory with once, my first ever friend and partner in crime, the one who I had made a pinky promise to protect. And yet I had done such horrible things to her…
"What do I do?" I whispered, my voice hoarse. "How do I undo this?"
The witch crouched in front of me, her eyes piercing. "You find her. You beg her for forgiveness. You make her believe that you and your Pack are worthy of mercy. Only then will the curse be lifted."
I stared at her in disbelief. "That's it? Just forgiveness?"
"Don't trivialize it," she snapped. "Forgiveness from a vengeful soul is no easy thing to earn. You'll have to convince her that you've changed, that your Pack deserves redemption. And I warn you, Alpha, if your heart isn't true, she'll see right through you."
I swallowed hard, the weight of her words settling heavily on my shoulders. "And if she doesn't forgive us?"
The witch's gaze hardened. "Then your Pack will die, one by one, until there is nothing left."