Grandmother’s eyes dart up and meet my gaze. “The younger sister lost all her powers and took her somewhere else. That is the last that they were seen.”
My jaw drops open as I suck in a breath. “How long can a witch live?”
I don’t know what makes me think that the two sisters that began the beast’s curse two hundred years ago might be them.
“Normal life spans. Unless they mate with a wolf shifter, then they might live a bit longer. You also have to consider they can cast curses that affect lifespans.”
My eyes widen as I start connecting the dots. “Are the two sisters listed in the history books anywhere?”
“Some of the witch’s history is in there. I’m not sure which book.”
Over the next few hours, I sort through each book and try to find something about the history of the witches and the packs. Most are one or the other, but I can’t find anything about what happened eight hundred years ago.
“This is getting me nowhere real fast. I need to know their names and see if it’s them.”
Grandmother sighs as she sets her book down on the table. "I had hoped this would help you learn more about your history and then maybe the answers would come to you."
Then I glance down and see one book I haven’t looked through yet. As my fingers flip it open and gently touch the pages, I realize it’s about the beginning of our history. “It’s here. The family lines.”
“Liam mated with Adela of Dark Moon.” As I scan further down the book, I see the family name Ryan. “They’re direct descendants of Liam. It has to be Natalia.”
Grandmother glances up at me again, a smile beaming on her face. “I think you finally figured it out and I’m so glad.”
My eyes flip over to the next page and I see a name that leads right down to my family. “Titus is our ancestor. It shows all the packs and how each one was formed, except it doesn’t say much about the ones to the south of us. So Blue Moon was a coven. Liam and Adela ruled over the Night Walkers. Titus was the son of the beta, but had alpha abilities. To keep the peace, hemoved to Dark Moon and mated with Octavia to become the new alphas.”
I keep scanning further, then see where Liam’s family line moved to Dark Moon and out of the Night Walker’s territory. Though I’m not sure why, I have a feeling it has to do with the curses that have been cast.
“And now you know how we came to be.”
I gulp when I see where Nigel’s name is written down at the bottom of the Dark Moon’s page. He and his family are the last entrants on the page. I’m not even listed with my family. “How are Corbin’s family in this book if it has been here the entire time?”
“He must have come and entered it when no one was watching. They did things like that because they knew.”
“Orange eyes. Where did the orange alpha eyes come from?”
Grandmother looks up at me as she swallows hard. “He came from the south and that is all we know. He married Alana, who was born and raised in Dark Moon.”
“If Corbin is Natalia’s descendant through Alana, then how is Nigel resistant to silver as well?”
Grandmother leans completely across the table, gripping my hands in hers. “This goes beyond what has happened here in thepack and I fear what may come after the curse is broken. There is something stirring in the south, though it isn’t known. Promise me that you will always be careful.”
“I will.” Sadness floods through me as I think about everything. All these years and there are so many secrets that I don’t even know where to begin. There’s a small splash on my hand, which causes me to look down. I didn’t even realize I was crying. “Oh, Grandmother. I don’t know what I’m doing. The beast is my mate and I know that. Our past is a tangled web. Then if you look at me, I’m nothing.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m the granddaughter of the old Alpha. No one has ever respected me. They went along with whatever Nigel wanted and all I could think of was setting things right. Now, I’m standing here with all this before me and realize we’re all messed up. The packs, the people, and what has been done. But the most important question is, how am I going to save him when I couldn’t even save myself?”
She scoffs as she stands up from the table and comes around to my side to sit down. “Look at me. Did you not save yourself in the end? Think about it. You defeated the witch, who has hidden amongst us undetected for years. All you need is a little guidance because this is new to you and you weren’t trained as an alpha normally would be. You are going to be the greatest alpha of all time. But please, give yourself a little grace as you learn how.”
Before I can even respond, Corbin lets out a loud bleat, causing us both to turn and look at him.
“What do you want, Corbin?” I start to turn away, shaking my head, but then he gets up and wiggles around enough to capture my attention again. “What is wrong with you?”
He rams his head against my thigh, which I quickly smack him for.
Then I realize he might want to see the book I’ve been looking through. Instead of looking at it, he goes into a daze and leans forward, his teeth locking onto the book. I jerk it back and hit him over the head with the book.
“What do you want? I don’t understand goat. Stop trying to eat what might help us.”