Page 51 of Forced By the Alpha

She smiled brightly, but I was horrified.

“What have you done?” I asked.

“It’s okay, Franco,” Sienna said reassuringly. “Dad agreed to help me access my magic, and Alpha Lex said we can use the cabin here to do the spell that will break the curse. It’s all going to be over soon.”

“You said it would kill her,” I snapped at Tom.

“Don’t blame him,” Sienna said. “He’s only doing what I asked him to.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I can see how much you mean to my daughter,” Tom explained. “I thought you were just some troubled man who had pulled Sienna into his dark life, but after seeing you two together and witnessing how much you’ve changed, I realized that I was wrong.”

“Dad saw how the curse affected you today, and how you fought against it,” Sienna said.

“The man I cursed would have given in without a second thought and killed whoever he pleased,” Tom said. “You’re not that man anymore. You deserve to be free of the curse I put on you.”

I was both touched and confused by Tom’s change of heart, but my biggest concern was for Sienna. In my mind, it didn’t matter whether I deserved to be free of the curse or not. All that mattered was that Sienna remained safe.

“If anything happens to you because you’re trying to help me, I will never forgive myself,” I admitted. “I can’t let you do this for me.”

“Then let me do it forme,” she said.

I shook my head, unable to overcome my fear. “I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t,” Sienna said.

“How can you be so sure?” I asked. “You’ve never done a spell this intense before, and the last time you tried it… I’ve never seen you in so much pain.”

“I need you to trust me, Franco. I believe in myself. Can you believe in me, too?”

“Alright,” I sighed. “When do you want to do this?”

“Right now,” she said, a glint of determination in her eyes.

Chapter 25 - Sienna

I told Franco that I was ready to break the curse, but a part of me was hesitating. I knew from what my father had told me that doing this spell would cost me. The thing about magic was that you never quite knew what the cost would be. I could prepare all I wanted, but the result would be the same. With an unknown price hanging over my head, it would be better to do this sooner rather than later.

“You’re sure you’re ready for this?” Tom asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be, thanks to you,” I told him. “Thank you for trusting me with your magic so I can do this.”

“Anything for you, daughter,” he said.

“What do you need me to do?” Franco asked.

“Just hold still,” I told him. “I’m not sure how long it’ll take.”

I placed my hands on either side of his head, resting my palms against his temples. I surmised that since the curse affected the pack’s thoughts and actions, the brain was the best place to focus my power. He took a deep breath to steady himself, and I did the same.

“Ready when you are,” he said.

My dad moved back toward the cabin so as not to interfere with my spell as he watched. I closed my eyes and felt my power within me, accessing each facet of it and encouraging it to the surface. The deeper I dug, the stronger the pain got, but I found that it was still bearable.

“I bring you forth from the curse and hold you to the light,” I intoned. “Let your future be bright. Be gone, dark of night. So mote it be.”

I could feel the tendrils of magic expanding inside me, reaching outward toward Franco with the intent of unraveling the evil that surrounded him. With my magic, I could feel the curse like a barrier of shadows surrounding his psyche. I probed into it with my mind, only to be immediately hit by a wave of pain. My body shook and I gasped at the surge, but I kept going.

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