Chapter 209 - Destroy It

Chapter 209 - Destroy It
Amaia's POV
Serena hesitated as if she were trying to find the words.
"I didn't..." she started, annoyance clearly on her face.
"Because," he interrupted, a smile tickling at the side of his lips. "She didn't have a choice..."
I narrowed my eyes at him.
Harrison had pinned his gaze on Serena before she spoke.
"I had become suspicious," he finally said, revealing a truth Serena didn't know. "I overheard something that wasn't technically meant for my ears..."
Harrison's stare became even more intense, making Serena shiver in fear. That piqued my interest. If they were real mates, she wouldn't quiver; she would stand her ground. Even when he had marked her, he still dominated her.
"What did you hear?" I asked carefully. The news was so exciting!
"At first I didn't know what she was going on about," he acknowledged. "She was rambling about someone being reborn again—it had her furious. She seemed scared."
"You decided to investigate?" I asked.
Harrison's one eyebrow twitched, and a smile followed on his lips.
"Yes," he replied. "I started to watch her. It didn't make sense that she seemed afraid of something. I was the most dangerous one walking beside her. Nothing should have scared her." He cocked his head to the side. "One night she sneaked off..."
Harrison grabbed my arm, and scenes of that night played before my eyes.
Harrison was standing at the window, watching Serena leave in a hurry from an unknown place.
"Guess tonight will be the night," he said, opening the window. He leaped from the third floor and shifted midair.
Onyx paws hit the ground with a soft thud. He shook his fur out, and it glittered in the moonlight.
"You know what to do," Harrison said. "Let's follow her. We need to see what she's up to..."
Onyx nodded and shot like an arrow into the forest.
It didn't take them long to find her... Serena had stopped at a cave nearby. She was summoning her magic to move a giant boulder from the cave opening.
She peeked over her shoulder before she disappeared inside.
Onyx followed, keeping to the darker side of the cave. He didn't need to worry about hiding his scent—she was a witch, after all. She wouldn't be able to scent him.
Serena moved deeper and deeper into the cave until she stopped near a pool inside.
She snapped her fingers, and the room lit up—candles in different colors and sizes ignited and burned inside the confined space. There was an old table standing against the cave wall—full of little bottles and holders.
She scrambled to the table, grabbing different things from an old shelf and bringing them back to the table.
"I can't delay this much longer," she snarled, anxiously. Her hand quivered as she poured the ingredients into a bowl.
"I must know which pack she will be born into." I need to know when. I have to stop this before my plans get ruined. He must never find out... everything will be ruined if he finds her. I must stop it. I must stop it now!"
She took a deep breath when she was done mixing up her concoction, then she carefully lifted it and walked toward the pool.
A bit of moonlight poured in from a small opening in the cave wall—the water shimmering under it.
Serena poured the concoction into the pool. She started chanting unfamiliar words while moving her hands over the water.
The clear blue water became muddy and disgusting; however, a moment later, the water rippled in a display.
Serena gasped. Her face distorted in agony.
"No, no, no," she stuttered. "I. I can't allow it... I must stop it before...."
Onyx crawled closer, interested to see what Serena was seeing.
A woman's face—that of my mother—appeared first; she still looked so young. Her face was as beautiful as in the pictures I had of her youth.
Then my father's face appeared; he looked mighty and handsome.
"That's the Night Sky Pack soon to be Alpha," Onyx muttered.
"I wonder why she feels so threatened by them," Harrison muttered, confused.
Then, as if the water was answering his unspoken thoughts, an image of a baby appeared.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" he internally snarled. "She is just a baby! There is no threat there... easy kill. Problem solved. Let's go home. This expedition was a waste of our time...."
Onyx nodded and started to retreat, but the image in the water abruptly changed and showed my face.
Harrison froze, staring at the image. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"That's impossible," he muttered. "She's dead...."
It took him a moment to understand what Serena meant by 'reborn.'
Harrison let go of me, and the event cleared from my mind.
Serena still stood frozen. She didn't move an inch.
Was she scared to leave? Or was she interested in knowing what he had planned?
"I knew what I needed to do," he said, looking at me. "Even if I hated every moment of it."
"You become my mother's best friend," I whispered.
"It was easier that way," he replied. "Once I established a friendship, things were straightforward. I basically introduced your parents."
"You helped the process along?" I asked, shaken.
He nodded. "I wanted you to return!"
"So you knew all this time?" Serena snarled angrily. "And you never said a word all these years. You told me you wanted to find someone and needed to go undercover...."
"I fooled you," he said. "Just like you did all those years. Why on earth did you think I became the Beta of Dark Sky Pack in the first place?" he went on. "I needed to be close to her. Protect her from you."
"Yet," I said. "Serena still managed to have me murdered... you couldn't always protect me."
"I know," he replied. "I was furious at what Darna did; I ripped her to pieces when I heard her brag about what she had done to you..."
I shivered. I never expected him to do that. My gaze shifted to Serena.
"Every time I died," I said. "You were there... the last time, you weren't..." It wasn't a question; it was a statement.
"Alpha Lennox," she spat the name bitterly. "If he hadn't interfered, none of this would have happened. He stayed by your side mourning you... no one was allowed near your body."
My heart pinched in my chest—Roland stayed by my side even after I died.
The realization hit me like a wave, a mixture of sorrow and disbelief.
"He cared that much?" I whispered, feeling the weight of her words settle heavily in the air between us.
However, something became clear.
"My rebirth happened because you could do the ritual," I accused. "That's why I wasn't reborn as a baby in a different century but taken back before I was killed."
Serena's face was contorted in anger. She hatefully glared at me.
"And I am about to correct that mistake!" she snarled.
Everything happened so fast.
One moment Serena leaped forward, grabbing the silver dagger from Harrison's desk and chanting unfamiliar words; the next, Harrison grabbed her, pushed her back against the wall, snatched the amulet from her neck, and flung it to me.
"Destroy it!" he roared, sinking to the floor.