Page 79 of The Alpha's Sold Pregnant Mate

Elder William was talking with Martha, the Librarian, when the front door opened, and Asher walked in with Esme.

“Alpha Asher. My lady.” Martha got out of her chair and sketched a bow at them.

Elder William did the same, and the gesture was reciprocated.

“What brings you both to the library, if I might ask?” Martha stepped forward.

“I'm looking for everything you have about curses and lunar eclipses,” Esme said to her.

“Okay, any book in particular?” Martha asked.

“Yes, actually,” Esme replied. “The Oot'Kalan.”

Martha looked at Asher, then at Elder William,andthey all stared at each other in silence and shock.

“Esme…” Asher turned to her. “The Oot'Kalan is…”

“The ancient text that Apiana used to seal the curse, confining it into the witches' graveyards so your people can thrive without the hex,” she completed his statement. “I know.”

“Follow me,” Martha said and led the way.

Esme and the two men followed after her, passing through an aisle between two shelves with books meticulously arranged within them.

“These are all the books we have in our collection about lunar eclipses,” Martha said, gesturing tothe shelf on her right. “And these are all we have on curses and hexes.” She gestured to the shelf on her left. “It's a good thing you told me exactly what it is that you're looking for because that particular text is not with the other books.” She halted in front of a door and slotted in a key.

Martha twisted, and the door unlocked. She pushed it in, and it creaked open, revealing a mini library. It had been a really long time since Asher had beenin this place. Nothing had actually ever warranted his being there.

“Take a seat,” Martha said to them, and they all sat at a small round table. She walked over to a compartment,took out a safe, and then typed in a code. The safe beeped with a tiny green light before opening.

Martha withdrew the book from the safe and walked over to the table where she placed it.

“Here,” she said to Esme.

Its front cover was crafted from weathered animal skin that had been worn down by the passage of time. Layers of dust clung to its surface, obscuring the intricate patterns and symbols that once adorned it. The edges of the cover were frayed, hinting at the countless hands that had touched it over the ages.

Esme reached out and took the book. She blew off the dust on its surface, exposing the patterns and symbols carved with dried vines. She traced her fingers along the curves of the vines before opening the book.

There was a gentle gust of wind that blew across them as the book opened. The musty scent of antiquity fills the air, transporting them to eras long past.

“I'm curious,” Elder William said to her. “What do you intend to do with this ancient text?”

“When Apiana performed that ritual, she missed out two essential ingredients,” Esme replied as she flipped through the worn-out pages. “A witch and a lunar eclipse.”

“The history books say that she performed the ritual under a full moon, and we're stronger during a full moon,” Asher said to her.

“True,” she replied. “Werewolves might be stronger during the full moon, but this ritual was not supposed to have been performed by a werewolf, not even those with Shamanistic roots. Apiana didn't know about that.” Esme placed the book where all could see.

The page she displayed had ancient markings, strange writings in a foreign language, symbols, and hieroglyphics.

She tapped the page,“These hieroglyphics… They're warnings about the effect of the spell on any non-witch who recites the words.”

Asher took a closer look at the page and saw three drawings.One was that of a human-like figure with hands stretched out in the air. He peered at the second drawing and saw the same figure transforming into a plant.The last drawing was of a huge tree.

“So, wait. Apiana didn't know that she was going to turn into a tree?” Asher asked.

“She did. She knew the risks and the outcome, yet she did it anyway,” Esme explained withadmiration for the lady in question. “The ritual worked but not the way that it was supposed to. For a non-witch, Apiana was brilliant enough to have found a loophole.”

“The witches' graves,” Elder William said.

---