NINETY FIVE

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"You are the healer?"

My breath hitched, but my gaze remained on her; her emerald green eyes glowed but revealed nothing. She didn't attempt to break the eye contact and that was when I realized that she had asked a question.

I had thought she confirmed my identity already. It was hard, at this point, to decipher her expressions so I just kept my worries at bay.

Does she have something against the healer? Or perhaps Ace's clan and she has figured that he was associated with the healer? Does she plan on getting rid of me over a grudge?

Or worse, would she hand me over to Derek?

I had no idea who she was. It was usually rare to find a witch among us, so I was certain that I had done nothing personally to offend her but I couldn't take any risk.

"No, I am not the healer. I am just a traveler who lost her way and has walked around for days in this place that I know nothing about, not even its existence."

Her brows furrowed and her lips moved into a lopsided grin that didn't go further than her lips.

She didn't believe me. She definitely figured it out already.

"Prove it."

"W-what?" I stuttered, my fear slowly gaining visibility. How could I possibly prove that I am not the healer when I am?

"Come. I will see for myself what you are."

Her eyes were enough to tell me that I dared not delay, and with how naturally commanding she sounded; I knew she was about to figure me out.

Without hesitation, I rose to my feet and slowly advanced towards her.

If she truly knew who I was and held a grudge then there was only one thing I could do. I couldn't run from her, she would get me before I even took a step out. She seemed powerful enough and just a spell from her could paralyze me, but she could also help me.

I would beg for my life. If she saw that I was helpless then she could perhaps let me live.

I reached her, my legs already shaking- both from cold and fear.

"Place your hand here," she pointed to a side on the table and I did as she instructed, my mind calculating my next action carefully.

Her palm rested on mine, despite her spot at the fireplace and the warmth of the room. Her hand felt cold, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

As she held my hand, a surge of electricity ran through my body and my insides became sweaty. My legs trembled uncontrollably due to nervousness, and I could feel the air in the room growing colder. This time, I couldn't contain my fear and my entire body reacted to the weird feeling.

Out of fear, I wanted to move away. I tried to, but somehow, I became stuck to where I was, and her grip suddenly became too strong for me to fight. For her age, she seemed to be physically powerful as well.

"You are the healer," she hummed in between a mouthful of incantations but I couldn't decipher her emotions.

Was she angry? Was I going to be killed?

Her voice didn't tell anything as it continuously poured out like a hum.

I opened my mouth to talk but found it hard to produce a word.

"You are a cursed wolf, a natural-born healer with an unfortunate fate. Your destiny is a mess and not even your powers can save you.. " she recited, her gaze stayed ahead as she spoke to me. Was she revealing my life to me? Just how powerful was she?

"You are a treasure that every Alpha wants for themselves; you are a piece that is extraordinary, but you have a fate that keeps you miserable."

"I-I was cursed.." I mumbled to myself. I had always suspected that there had to be some sort of curse following me, and it was the reason why only bad things happened to me and the people around me, but I didn't expect it to be a fact.

I wasn't just an unlucky wolf that the moon goddess hated, I had been cursed.

But by who? What was my crime?

For as long as I could recall, I had always experienced nothing but misfortunes so I knew for a fact that I couldn't have done anything to warrant being cursed. Could it be my mother? No, my mother was a carefree woman who was loved by all. The pack members confirmed it and I still recalled how harshly I was treated because they believed I killed her

I had been cursed even before I was born. It was my fate.

"You have survived up till this moment because of your identity, it is what has sustained you for so long. It is stronger than you think," she continued, "but it is not as strong as your destiny."

"Ace.." my mind reached out. Thanks to my existence, Ace was being punished too. So far, he had had all these troubles because of me, because I was involved in his life.

If we hadn't crossed paths, he would have probably continued to live happily with his pack. Natalie would still be alive and everyone else, whose life I had ruined just by being in it, would be happier.

It was all me. I couldn't help a tear from falling from my eye and my lips from trembling.

Where did I go wrong? Who could have hated me so much to harm me so?

"It's not your fault, child.." through my blurry vision, I saw the concern in her eyes. She stared at me as though she had a hint of what was running through my mind and could relate to it.

She stared at me like a mother who was worried about her child.

"It is. It has always been my fault. I wish I was never birthed; everything around me has always been bad luck, and no one around me has it nice. It was all me," I sobbed.

"No," she took her hand off mine. "Trust me, it is not your fault."

She seemed sincere.

"I-I don't understand."

"You are just a victim of destiny. Your fate, already signed even before your birth, is what has led you into this mess," she spoke softly.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you were not cursed directly, but you are deeply involved with the one who was cursed, and that is why the effects are rubbing off on you, too," she broke down.

"You're saying that I wasn't cursed, and I'm suffering because I am fated with the one who was cursed?"

"That's right," she nodded once.

"Who is this person and why am I involved? How do I get out of it?"

"There is a way to get out of it, and you are involved because this person happens to be your mate," she revealed.

"Ace?" My brows narrowed deeply.

"Your mate is the reason why you are involved in this. Why you had a rough childhood, why you lose the people that you love and why nothing seemed to be working out well for you."

My feet jellied but I held myself to keep standing. Ace was cursed. He had a lot of enemies, so that was justified, but who exactly could it have been? How much could they have hated a child?

"From what I see, the curse wasn't directly placed on him but on a family member, and it is meant to continue for the rest of his generation until everyone is wiped out, and because he became your mate, you are also caught in that web," she emphasized. "But it is not being revealed to me why they were cursed or who placed the curse on them."

"How can I break it?" I asked.

Her eyes lingered on me before she looked away and her lips moved as she recited some incantations again.

"You must kill him."

Impulsively, I retreated and my body froze.

"H-him.." my lips trembled.

"You must get rid of your mate to break the curse. It is the only way."

My body finally gave in and I crashed to the floor, tears pouring out of my eyes.

While one thing was certain, Ace being alive, it wasn't as exciting anymore. This wasn't how I wanted to find out.

My hand tugged at my chest as I cried in pain. How could I get rid of him? Ace had saved my life a lot of times and I loved him with every fibre of my being. He was the reason I was still alive and willing to go through this hell called life. He was the reason I was standing on my own two feet up till this moment. I hadn't even talked to him in months, but I couldn't lose him; I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life without him. Wasn't that what true love meant?

No. There is no way I can agree to this. There must be another way.

"Child-

"What happens if I say no? If I refuse to break this goddamn curse?" I feared for the answer even though no word had been said yet.

"I can't give details, but a life must be sacrificed," her voice remained calm, "if not, the curse will remain, and it will not get any better. Your pack will continue to suffer until it falls apart."

"What does that mean?"

She faced me, her eyes piteous and she sighed. "Death. If the curse is not broken soon, another death will occur, and it might be someone more precious; it could even be you or your mate, and it could happen even tonight."

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