“You're Asher Grey, Alpha of the Ghostbound Pack. Your name alone inflicts fear in the hearts of your enemies. You've fought lots of battles and won lots of battles. You've protected and guided your people even when it didn't sit right by you.” William looked into his eyes, “This is just another challenge. The only difference is it's not physical. You have taken the first step in solving the problem, and now all you have to do is wait…” He glanced back at Esme, “...For her to wake up.”
Just then, they began to hear a cheerful noise from outside, and a loud voice calling, “Alpha Asher! Alpha Asher!”
He and William rushed to the window and looked out at the man shouting his name. It was a villager who was beckoning the two of them to come out.
“There's something you have to see!” He added with a broad smile.
William and Asher exchanged glances for a second before going outside to meet the man. A couple of other villagers gathered around to find out what the man was so happy about.
“What's the matter, Devlin?” Asher asked as he halted before him.
“Some plants are germinating near the witches’ graveyard as we speak!” His voice was filled with joy.
Gasps of astonishment started to swell amongst the people around.
“Are you sure, Devlin?” Asher asked, trying not to get his hopes up.
“Have you ever known me to be a liar, sir?”
“He's not lying. I saw it with my two eyes. Plants are growing,” a woman confirmed his claims with tears of joy rolling down her cheeks.
“Show me,” he said to the man.
They made their way to the graveyard, passing houses with charms and wards hanging outside on the patio. Most of the members of the Pack had their Shamanistic attire on—charms and beads to keep them safe from the vengeful spirits that hovered around. On their way, Asher could not help but notice the sadness in the eyes of his people, their hunger and thirst, as they stood outside their houses wondering where the Alpha was going in such a hurry.
He had been using his money to feed his people with imported food, but even that wasn't enough. The Pack wasn't a settlement for lazy people, but now, most of them were starting to feel useless for not working. They were tired of relying on the Alpha to do everything for them. They knew he had good intentions, but even he couldn't do it alone.
They arrived at the graveyard, which was surrounded by charms and ancient relics to seal the curse of the land within the graves.
Apiana had made sure of that, and ever since then, the curse had remained there, away from the other parts of the land. However, now the charms, the wards, and the relics were breaking. They were no longer able to hold in the curse. Either the curse was getting stronger, or the charms were getting weaker. Whatever the case, it was bad, and it'd been like that for some time now, until today.
“See?” Devlin smiled, gesturing at the green plants that were sprouting out from the graves.
People began to murmur in shock and surprise.
“How is this even possible? It's never happened before,” a woman said in disbelief.
“This is incredible,” William stated as he walked around, admiring the growing greens.
Since the time Apiana performed that ritual many years ago, the curse had been sealed in the graveyard, so even though the rest of the town blossomed, the graveyard remained barren. The place had never grown any plants after then, but now, it was growing lots of plants.
“How is this happening?” Asher was completely speechless and astonished. He turned to William, “Nothing has ever grown here before.”
“I think this has to do with that human girl you brought,” William smiled.
“But we haven't joined in matrimony yet.”
“That's what makes her even more special.” He leaned closer and asked softly, “Are you sure she's completely human?”
Asher flashed back to the time in the car when she was pressing both hands over her ears and was complaining about the voices she was hearing. He remembered the way those plants in her father's garden were dancing to her song. Someone spoke loudly and interrupted his thoughts.
“Everyone, look!” A little boy pointed toward Apiana's tree, and they turned to face it.
“Oh, my God…” the words escaped a random villager's lips.
Apiana's tree was slowly blossoming, and some of the plants around it were already growing back. Parts of the tree that were dying were gradually coming back to life.
“What did I tell you about thinking positively?” William smiled at Asher, who had suddenly lost his ability to speak.