Chapter 67 CHAPTER 67

Chapter 67 CHAPTER 67
ALINA

When I woke up, my head was pounding like someone had struck me repeatedly with a hammer. Groaning, I reached for the small bottle of pills I kept on my bedside table and swallowed a couple, hoping the painkillers would soon take effect. I closed my eyes for a moment before I decided to take a bath.

I dragged myself out of bed and stumbled over to the mirror, still half -asleep. As I stared at my reflection, something felt off. I blinked several times, trying to focus. My white hair strands—the ones that had always been there in small streaks-were longer. Much longer. And there were more patches of white spread throughout my hair, giving it an eerie contrast against the rest of my dark locks. I ran my fingers through it, confused. It wasn't like this yesterday, was it?

Did something happen between yesterday and today or was it because I was struck by the witch hunter? Shaking off the weird feeling, I decided it wasn't worth dwelling on for too long. Maybe the stress from the past few days had done a number on me. Or maybe it was something else, something I wasn't ready to think about just yet.

Feeling a surge of excitement as I remembered everything that had happened yesterday, I quickly bathed and dressed, then made my way to Kai's room. I wanted to see him, to talk to him after

everything that had transpired, but when I reached his chambers, he wasn't there. The room was empty, the bed neatly made, as if he hadn't even slept in it.

I frowned, confused. Where could he be?

After a few moments of searching through the palace and asking around, I learned he was in the pack court, handling matters that required the new alpha's attention. Apparently, Jamie had not been attending to the pack matters and instead, he had been focusing his attention wrongly on Lily and her statement. I was so damn relieved that he was dead.

I hurried toward the court, eager to see him. As I approached, memories of yesterday-of the chaos and the bloodshed flooded my mind. It left me a little shaken, but I reminded myself that it was over. Kai was now alpha, and we were safe from the mad king who was ruling us at that time.

When I stepped into the pack court, Kai spotted me immediately and called out, gesturing for me to sit beside him. I noticed the throne next to his my seat. The Luna's seat. I noticed that the seat was changed and I was glad for that little gesture he made. I didn't want to sit on the same seat that I had been forced to sit down on for the past few days. I was glad that it was all over now.

I hesitated, but then, with a small smile, I made my way toward him, sitting down next to Kai. The weight of that seat, the responsibility it symbolized, wasn't lost on me. I was going to be an actual Luna now and not some play toy. As I sat down, Kai gave me a brief, reassuring smile before returning his attention to the pack members in front of him.

A farmer stood before him, his face lined with worry and exhaustion. "Alpha," he began, his voice trembling. "The skin walkers, they've been coming into the pack, ravaging our crops. My first daughter was taken just last night. Eaten alive."

The man's voice broke, and he began to sob openly, his grief palpable in the air.

Kai leaned forward, his expression sympathetic yet firm. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said, his voice filled with authority. "I promise, we will find a solution to stop the skin walkers from attacking your land."

But the farmer wasn't having it. His face turned red with anger as he glared at Kai. "Promises!" he spat. "That's all I ever hear from the people in power. Promises! Meanwhile, my family is being torn apart, one by one while you and your family are living in the palace having the best of everything while we work endlessly with little pay."

The guards stiffened, feeling the threat from the farmer but Kai stopped them. His eyes softened, and he stood, trying to reason with the man.

"I have not been around for long and I know things have changed. I am going to make sure your finances are updated and the issue with the skin walkers is addressed. I didn't know they started to get into the pack." He shook his head. The last time he was here, the skin walkers were just at the borders not actually inside the pack.

"You have been saying that for the past six months. I have lived through three alphas of the Seven Isles and your father has been the only one worthy of the Great Throne." He spat.

"Speak like that to your alpha again and I will have your tongue cut from your mouth." Alpha Gideon hissed.

Kai turned to look at Alpha Gideon, then back at the farmer. He was still remaining calm, "We are going to do everything we can. I know the skin walkers are a serious threat since they nearly killed me too, and I swear to you-"

"Enough!" the farmer roared, his voice cracking as he reached into his pocket. Before anyone could react, he pulled out a dagger and hurled it straight at Kai. "I wish you remained dead." He yelled.

Time seemed to slow as I watched the blade slice through the air, heading directly for Kai's chest. My heart stopped. I didn't think. I just reacted. I raised my hand, instinctively reaching out toward the dagger. And then, something happened. The dagger stopped. It didn't hit Kai. It just hovered in the air, suspended by some invisible force.

It hung there for a few heartbeats, as if time had frozen, before it dropped to the ground with a soft clink. The room fell into a stunned silence. Everyone stared, their eyes wide with disbelief, darting between me and the fallen dagger that I just stopped with my hand. I have never been this confused. What the hell just happened?

Then, from somewhere in the crowd, a voice rang out.

"Witch!"

The word echoed through the court, and soon others joined in, their voices rising in a chaotic chorus. "Witch! Witch! Witch!"

Panic surged through me as I looked around, seeing the fear in their eyes. They were going to come for me. They were going to kill me. I could feel it in the air, the growing tension, the hatred that was brewing just beneath the surface. The pack members started moving toward me, their faces twisted in anger and fear, as if I were a monster.

Kai jumped up from his seat, his body moving in front of mine in a protective stance. "Stop!" he roared, his voice echoing through the room. "Stand down, all of you!"

The crowd hesitated but didn't back down entirely. The word "

witch" continued to hang in the air, as if it had taken on a life of its own, filling the room. I was terrified. Terrified of what just happened and what they would do to me.

Kai turned to me, his face pale with worry. "Alina, how did you do that?"

"I-I don't know," I stammered, my heart pounding so hard I

thought it might burst out of my chest. "I didn't mean to. I didn't even know I could-"

He reached out and gently took my hand, trying to calm me, but I could feel the tremor in his fingers. "It's going to be okay," he whispered, though I wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure me or himself. "We'll figure this out. But we need to get you out of here. Now."

Without another word, Kai pulled me to my feet and led me out of the pack court, the murmurs of "witch" following us as we left. The tension was thick, the air charged with danger.

As soon as we were back in my chambers, Kai shut the door behind us and turned to me, his eyes wide with fear and confusion. "Alina, what the hell was that? You stopped that dagger with your mind.

How?"

"I don't know!" I cried, running my hands through my hair, the panic rising in my chest. "I've never done anything like that before. I don't even know how it happened."

Kai paced the room, his hands clenching into fists. "This is bad," he muttered. "Really bad. They'll kill you if they think you're a witch. We need to figure this out, and fast."

I felt like I was spiraling, my thoughts scattered, my emotions all over the place. Was I a witch? How could I not have known? Or was there something else going on? Something I didn't understand.

"Kai..." I began, my voice trembling. "What if I am a witch?"

He stopped pacing and looked at me, his expression torn. "Even if you are, we'll deal with it. But we need to be careful. They won't care about the truth if they think you're a threat."

I nodded, trying to keep my fear in check. My hands were trembling, and I could barely catch my breath. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to keep you safe," Kai said, his voice firm. "No one is going to hurt you. I won't let them. But right now, we need to lay low and figure out what's going on with you."

I swallowed hard, my mind racing with questions, but one thing was clear, my life had just changed in a way I could never have imagined right before my eyes. Was the witch hunter right yesterday? I bit my lips as my life suddenly made sense. My perfect healing abilities, and my sharp instincts even though I didn't have a wolf.

Was I really a witch? And if so, I was afraid that the future I have in store for Kai and I would not happen after all.