Page 122 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

The older witch looks confused. “Any witch can practice the dark arts, but over time, you lose the ability to practice what we call ‘nature magic’.”

“I never lost that ability,” Tina mutters. “And I don’t know. I’ve been running around trying to save him. And it’s not like his wolf began to die immediately after he was cursed. When I checked him, he had been fine.”

Elsa looks stunned and then sorrow fills her eyes. “The child of a shifter and a witch is an abnormality. I blame myself for the number of ways your soul is torn.”

I’m about to tell her that her words are a little harsh, but Tina just shrugs. “I don’t mind being different. But I can’t save Noah. What use isit, being able to practice both kinds of magic, when I cannot even save my own mate?”

Her voice is filled with frustration.

“I can get rid of the dark magic,” I tell her. “But I can’t save his wolf. I don’t know how to do that. I’m sorry, Tina.”

“Nobody can do that. The damage to Noah’s wolf is too grave,” Elsa informs her daughter, sympathy in her voice. “It won’t hinder him much in life, but there’s a chance that he might never be able to shift again.”

Tina’s eyes turn glassy and she looks toward her mate. Sinking her teeth into her lower lip in an attempt to control her tears, she whispers, “I don’t care whether he has his wolf or not. As long as he’s by my side, nothing matters to me. Please save him.”

I exchange a look with Elsa before returning to Noah’s side. He has been oddly silent throughout this conversation, and when I glance at his eyes during the removal process, they look resigned. He probably already suspected something like this. After all, his wolf is a part of him. He would have sensed when things started going wrong.

I catch him glancing at Tina with guilt in his eyes, and I sigh internally. I don’t want to feel bad for the two of them, but I can’t help it.

When I’m done, I step back. “He should be fine by tonight. But there is something I want to ask him. During the banquet, why was my mother sharing her powers with him? I thought she had already been doing that with Robert?”

“I can answer that.” Tina sits down by her mate’s bedside. Noah is unconscious now, but his body is no longer twitching from the pain.

“We stumbled upon your mother a long time ago. We were still young. Noah didn’t realize what she was, till he overheard hisfather discussing the Silver Wolf. Robert did not discover that Noah had stumbled upon his little secret till Noah managed to understand how much power your mother could give him. He began to threaten her. He would tell her things about you, and she believed him. He soon began to tell her that he would hurt you if she didn’t give him the same power as she was giving his father.”

Elsa makes a choking sound. “That’s why Grace became so weak. The Silver Wolf is not meant to share power with anyone beyond her mate. It would already have been hard enough to share her powers with Robert, but Noah was an additional strain.”

Tina doesn’t respond. There’s not even an apology on her lips, not that I would believe her even if she did.

“Robert found out about our visits, and that’s when he relocated your mother. By that time, Noah had begun looking at you already.”

“What about my father?” I look at the two of them. “You must know something about how he ended up with the dark witches.”

“I don’t know anything about that. But I do know that there was a coven of dark witches that Robert had wanted to hide very desperately. Noah began noticing the inconsistencies in the map. That's when we found out about Robert having changed the entire map of his territory. But we never went to the witch coven. I learned dark magic from a coven of traveling witches. They wanted me to join them, but Noah was against it."

I let out along breath. "All right. Once Noah has recovered, I want you two to leave. You are exiled from the South Alliance."

Tina just nods.

Elsa glances at me, but doesn't oppose my decision.

When I leave the room, she follows me out.

Alex's hometown is a desolate place with very strong traces of dark magic. I look around, tired.

"I talked to Aunt Marlene," Elsa suddenly says.

I give her a questioning look.

"You were already planning to exile Tina and Noah from the South Alliance. I asked her if she knew of a place they could go."

I turn around to face Elsa fully. "Are you upset with my decision?"

Elsa takes time to reply. “My daughter is going through a tough time in her life. The idea of sending them somewhere far off doesn’t sit well with me. But I don’t disagree with your decision, Sophia. I know what Tina is capable of. I know what she has done to you. The fact that you went so far as saving Noah’s life is a testament to your good heart. Many wouldn’t even have done this for her. No. You made the right choice. I just can’t help worrying about her since I’m her mother.”

“What did Marlene say?”

“She said that she would take in Tina and Noah if they were willing. They both need discipline and Marlene is good at providing that. I haven’t talked to Tina yet, but I will. Perhaps my aunt is the best person for them to live with. With Noah’s wolf fading away, he will be forced to face a lot of changes. He might be able to turn his entire life around. I want to believe that. I want to believe that there’s room for redemption in both their hearts.”

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