40_ Our Alpha

The sharp sting in my chest faded away after a few minutes, leaving behind an eerie, hollow ache. My body, trembling and weak, shifted back to its human form without my consent. My breath came in ragged gasps as I pushed myself up on shaky arms, still overwhelmed by what had just happened. Around me, the others followed suit, their groans and growls quieting as they, too, returned to their human forms.

Hannah appeared beside me, holding a folded blanket. “Here,” she said softly, draping it over my shoulders. I clutched it, pulling it tightly around me, grateful for the semblance of comfort it offered. My mind was still reeling as I looked around, trying to make sense of everything.

The men from the cabin came outside, their faces pale and tense. Kyle sank to his knees in the dirt, his head hanging low. His shoulders shook, and I realized he was trying to hold himself together.

“Kyle?” Hannah said, her voice filled with worry. She knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

His voice was barely above a whisper, strained with grief. “Who do you think it is?”

Hannah’s face fell. She swallowed hard before answering. “I don’t know,” she said, her voice trembling.

I looked between them, my heart pounding in my chest. “What’s going on?” I demanded, my voice shaky but firm. They seemed to know something about what was happening and I needed answers so badly.

Hannah stood, turning to face me, her expression etched with pain. “We’ve lost another werewolf,” she said simply.

I froze, the words not registering immediately. “What?” I asked, my voice barely audible.

Hannah’s gaze met mine, and I saw the truth in her eyes. “The pain you felt? The pain you all felt? It wasn’t random. It was the pain of one of you dying.”

Her words hit me like a sledgehammer. My legs felt weak, and I staggered backward a step, clutching the blanket tighter around me. “No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “No, that can’t be…”

Realization dawned on me like a dark storm cloud, suffocating and cold. My eyes darted to the two bodies lying lifeless on the ground. My chest tightened as I connected the dots. The pain I had experienced twice yesterday—it hadn’t been random either. It had been the moment these two werewolves had died.

“Oh my God,” I muttered, my voice breaking. “So that’s what it was…”

The reality of it all pressed down on me, heavy and unbearable. Three werewolves were dead now. Three of my kind. What was going to happen to the rest of us?

Before I could process further, movement from the edge of the clearing caught my attention. A figure emerged from the shadows, carrying something in his arms. As he drew closer, my breath caught in my throat.

It was another man, and in his arms, he cradled a lifeless body.

He walked with a somber determination, his face expressionless but his eyes filled with sorrow. When he reached us, he knelt and gently placed the body alongside the other two. My stomach churned as I stared at the lifeless form—a young man, no older than me. His skin was pale, and the faint glimmer of silver residue around a wound on his chest confirmed what had happened.

Tears welled in my eyes, and I felt an overwhelming wave of grief wash over me. I didn’t know her. I didn’t know any of them. But they were werewolves, my kind, and their deaths felt personal, as if a piece of me had been taken with each of them.

Dylan appeared behind me, his hand gently resting on my shoulder. “Katrina, are you okay?” he asked softly.

I couldn’t answer him. My throat felt tight, and my body shook with silent sobs. I could only stare at the three bodies lying before me, their lives snuffed out before they had a chance to truly live.

Kyle rose from his knees, his face pale and drawn. His gaze swept over the scene, and he took a deep, shuddering breath. “We need to honor them,” he said, his voice steadier now. “Everyone, a moment of silence.”

The others gathered closer, forming a loose circle around the fallen. No one spoke. No one moved. The air was heavy with unspoken grief.

I closed my eyes, tears slipping down my cheeks as I bowed my head. Images of the vision that had haunted me flashed in my mind again—the nine bodies, the silver-tipped knife, the sense of helplessness. A deep, gnawing fear gripped me. If three were gone now, how long before the rest of us joined them?

A moment later, we all returned inside the cabin, a heavy silence hung in the air. The weight of what we had just experienced, of the lives we had lost, bore down on each of us. I sat on a worn-out chair near the fireplace, pulling the blanket tighter around me, even though I wasn’t cold. Dylan sat beside me, his hand resting protectively on my knee. Across from us, Kyle and Hannah took their seats, joined by the remaining men.

I cleared my throat, my voice hesitant but firm. “How exactly are they dying?” I already knew the answer, it was Talia, but I needed to hear it from them.

Kyle stayed silent, his head bowed, lost in thought. It was Hannah who spoke, her voice low and steady. “It’s the curse,” she said simply.

My stomach twisted. “What curse?”

Hannah’s gaze flickered to Kyle, then back to me. She took a deep breath before answering. “There’s a curse on all the werewolves, doomed to die at the hands of someone we love.”

A chill shot down my spine, and I instinctively turned to Dylan, my heart pounding in my chest.

Dylan frowned, clearly unsettled. “What do you mean by that?” he asked Hannah.

She hesitated, her lips pressed into a thin line before she continued. “They all saw it in their dreams. Each one falls to someone they care about, wielding a magical sword.”

Her words struck a chord deep within me. My mind flashed back to my own vision—the blade in Dylan’s hand, his anguished expression as he plunged it into me. I felt a wave of nausea rising and clenched my fists to steady myself.

“It’s Talia,” Hannah added grimly. “We recently discovered she’s the one who placed the curse on us. It’s her way of wiping the werewolves out without dirtying her own hands.”

I felt the color drain from my face. The room seemed to close in on me as the full weight of her words sank in. I had dared to believe that the prophecy Sabina had spoken of was a lie, a cruel manipulation. But now it was clear—the curse wasn’t just a figment of our fears. It was real, and it was actively hunting us down.

Dylan’s hand tightened on mine, grounding me, trying to comfort and reassure me.

“Did you see something like that?” Hannah asked me.

I hesitated but then nodded. “Yes,” I admitted, my voice barely audible.

The room grew unbearably quiet. I couldn’t bring myself to meet Dylan’s gaze, but I felt his fingers tremble against mine.

Dylan’s jaw tightened, his protectiveness flaring as he turned to Hannah. “How do we stop this? How can the curse be broken?”

Hannah glanced at Kyle, who finally looked up, his face hard and determined. “There are only two ways to break a curse like this,” she explained. “Only the person who cast it can undo it.”

Dylan scoffed, his disbelief clear. “And the second?”

Hannah’s gaze darkened. “By killing the person who cast it.”

The finality of her words lingered in the air like a death sentence.

Dylan straightened, his grip on my hand never faltering. “How do we get Talia to break it?”

Kyle leaned forward, his expression a mix of anger and resignation. “She won’t,” he said firmly. “Talia doesn’t care about us. She won’t undo it, not for any reason.” His eyes burned with determination as he added, “That’s why she has to die.”

A sharp intake of breath echoed through the room, and I realized it was mine. The reality of killing someone was actually scarier than I had imagined.

Dylan, however, was resolute. “If that’s what it takes, then we’ll do it.”

I turned to him, my voice trembling. “Dylan, this is Talia we’re talking about. She’s not just any witch—she’s powerful. More powerful than any of us.”

“And she’s murdering your kind,” he shot back, his eyes fierce. “She won’t stop until you’re all gone. We can’t just sit back and let her win.”

His words struck a chord in me, reigniting the fire that had been doused by fear. He was right. Talia had already taken so much from us. My parents, the werewolves we’d just lost, and now the threat of her curse loomed over the rest of us. If we didn’t stop her, no one else would.

Kyle stood, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “We’ve been preparing for this for months. We knew it would come down to this. But we need you, Katrina. You’re our Alpha.”

The weight of his words settled heavily on my shoulders.