Calvin's POV
The moment the witch's words settled in my mind, I knew what had to be done. Kamrynn was the key to saving the Pack, the only chance to break the curse that had turned our lives into a living nightmare. The realization felt like a hammer striking my chest. I clenched my fists, a mix of dread and determination swirling within me.
"Thank you," I said to the witch, my voice hoarse. She regarded me with wary eyes, as if unsure whether I meant it.
"Remember, Alpha," she replied, her voice sharp like a blade. "Your Pack's salvation depends on her forgiveness. Nothing else can save you."
I nodded grimly and left her dwelling, the air around me feeling colder than ever. Kamrynn was out there somewhere, not just carrying the hope of my Pack's survival, but also my child-my heir. She must have given birth by now, and the thought of her raising my child, away from me, filled me with an unbearable mix of frustration, yearning, and guilt.
Returning to the Pack, I knew there was no time to waste. I summoned a Pack meeting immediately, sending word for every member to gather in the Great Hall. The atmosphere in the hall was already thick with tension by the time I arrived. Conversations buzzed, hushed whispers of fear and anger that only grew louder when I stepped inside.
I climbed onto the platform at the head of the room, scanning the sea of faces below me. Their eyes held a mix of desperation and distrust. Some looked hopeful, others resigned, but most bore an expression of simmering anger.
"Alpha Calvin," one of the elders began, her voice trembling, "what is the meaning of this meeting? Have you finally found a solution to the disasters plaguing us?"
I took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. I've found the cause of the curse that has brought us to this point. And I know what needs to be done to lift it."
The room erupted into murmurs, fear and curiosity rippling through the crowd. I raised my hand to silence them, my voice steady but weighted with urgency. "The curse is not natural. It was placed upon us by Kamrynn. She's actually a descendant of the Moon Goddess."
Gasps and shouts filled the hall, and a few women screamed in panic. "We're doomed!" one of them cried. "We're all going to die!"
"Enough!" I bellowed, slamming my fist onto the podium. The room quieted, though the tension was palpable. I took another breath and continued. "I just found out the truth. Kamrynn… Kamrynn didn't kill Sherelle. I'm still not sure about the details but it turns out that she was innocent all along. This curse was born of vengeance, the result of an innocent woman being unjustly punished. We are suffering because of what was done to her."
Sue stepped forward from the crowd, her face pale but her eyes blazing with anger. "You mean what you did to her, Alpha," she spat, her voice trembling with rage. "It was you who mistreated her. You who brought the Moon Goddess's wrath upon us."
I stared at her, unable to refute her words. "You're right," I admitted. "I take full responsibility for what has happened. I let my emotions get the best of me and acted out of pure spite but I…"
Sue's voice rose, her grief pouring out like a tidal wave. "My son is dead because of you! My innocent baby is gone because you couldn't see the truth about Kamrynn. Not just my son but all our firstborn children are dead. Do you know what it means to lose a child?! You let your hatred blind you, and now we're all paying the price!"
Her words struck like daggers, each one cutting deeper than the last. The crowd murmured in agreement, their voices growing louder.
Another woman stepped forward, her hands trembling but her eyes burning with fury. "I always knew," she spat, her voice thick with resentment, "I always knew the way you treated Kamrynn was too cruel, heartless! But I kept my mouth shut, too scared of you, too scared of what you'd do if I spoke out. She didn't deserve any of it- the beatings, torture and punishments were already more than enough but then you took it further and turned her into a sex slave. And now… now look at us. We're all paying for your sins!"
Her words hit me like a fist to the gut, and the murmurs of agreement from the crowd only intensified the sting. The room erupted into a chorus of shouts, the frustration and anger finally bubbling over.
"You're unfit to be Alpha!" someone screamed, a voice I couldn't place but that rang with bitter truth. "You've doomed us all!"
The accusations burned into my skin, each word an open wound, and the weight of it crushed me under its force. They were right. I had failed them. I had failed Kamrynn. I had been blinded by my own ego, by my own need to control, to take, to destroy. The blood of my Pack, the deaths of our firstborns-it was all because of me. The curse wasn't just the work of some distant force; it was my own doing.
"I deserve your anger," I said, my voice raw, but resolute. I raised my hand, demanding silence, even as the shouts continued to echo in my ears. "I failed you all. I failed Kamrynn. And I failed this Pack." I took a step forward, my chest heaving with the weight of my regret. "I know that no apology will ever be enough, not for the pain I've caused, not for the lives lost. But I swear to you all, I will do whatever it takes to fix this. I will find Kamrynn, and I will beg her to lift the curse. I will not rest until this Pack is saved."
I let the words hang in the air, a promise weighted with the burden of my guilt. I could feel the eyes of every single person in the room on me-some filled with anger, others with skepticism. The tension was palpable, but it was at least a moment of truth, a moment where I took responsibility.
But Sue, as always, cut through it with the sharpness of a blade. She stepped forward, her face twisted with a mixture of grief and fury. "And what if she refuses?" Her voice was cold, unforgiving, and it sliced through the air like a whip. "What if she turns her back on us? What if she doesn't want to lift this curse at all? You've shattered her life, Calvin. You think she'll just forgive you? Forgive all of us?"
The room fell quiet at her words, the murmurs of doubt creeping back into the space between us. I could hear the fear in her voice, the weight of her loss, and it reminded me once again of what I had done. She had lost a son. A son I could never bring back.
"I…" I faltered for a moment, my throat tightening. "I know… I know it's not going to be easy. I know I don't deserve her forgiveness. But we have no choice. If we want to survive, if we want to lift this curse, we have to find her. I will find Kamrynn, no matter what it takes."
There was a long, painful pause. The Pack members exchanged uncertain glances, but no one spoke for a moment. I could see the reluctance in their eyes-some of them didn't trust me anymore, didn't trust that I could reverse our situation, bring this Pack back from the edge of destruction.
But then, finally, a voice spoke up. It was low but firm. "We don't have a choice, do we?"
The woman who spoke was one of the older Pack members, her face weathered with age and sorrow. "We have to help him. For the sake of our Pack. If there's a chance that Kamrynn can undo what's been done…"
"She might hate us all," Sue muttered, her voice raw with grief, "but if she can help us, we have to try."
A few others nodded, their faces set in grim resolve. "We'll help you find her, Alpha," one of the men added, his voice barely above a whisper. "But you better make this right. You better be ready to beg her for forgiveness."
The tension in the room shifted, just slightly. It was still thick, suffocating, but there was a flicker of hope in the air-barely perceptible, but it was there.
"I will," I said quietly, my heart heavy with the weight of my words. "I will beg her. I will do whatever it takes."
The murmurs of agreement grew louder, and though they were reluctant, the Pack members slowly came to a consensus. They would help. They would search for Kamrynn. It was the only path forward, even if it led them to the depths of hell.
And so, the search for Kamrynn began in earnest. Every resource we had left was poured into finding her. Every lead was followed, every whisper investigated.
But as I stood on the precipice of redemption, I couldn't shake the weight of Sue's words-or the fear that, even if I found Kamrynn, it might already be too late.