Page 54 of Cruel Alpha Beast
“On a cold, dark night, they resigned themselves to keep fighting until the bitter end,” Penelope says. “Though the wolf and his shiftless lover fully expected to die before the sun set the next day.”
“Wanting one last moment of togetherness, they mated in the trees where they hid,” I say, my face heating up more than it probably should be. “Completely enveloped in passion and, well,desire, their lovemaking created enough energy that they were filled with raw magical power.”
“The lovers found Willow drawing on the inherent magic of the forest and were able to channel what they had in their hearts to turn her into the same tree she was named after. She immediately burst into flame, and the magic of their desire doused the tree’s flames for what they thought was once and for all,” Penelope says. “I should have remembered…” She shakes her head, clearly disappointed in herself for not recalling this story before everything started going to shit.
“The wolf and his lover thought that turning her into an inanimate object like a tree would be the end of it,” I say, “but they were wrong. Decades later, when the alpha and his shiftless mate were old and gray, a witch from the coven, still split apart from the valley, discovered the willow tree in the forest, smoldering into the sky. She came too close to its branches and was possessed by the vengeful witch, who used her as a proxy.”
“The valley was blighted once more,” Penelope reports. “But before the second plague could get nearly as bad as the first had, the possessed witch broke free from Willow’s possession, and in a moment of clarity, she threw stones in her pockets andran for the lake, drowning herself before Willow could cause more destruction through her.”
“The second plague was over, and several more decades had passed. The alpha and his shiftless mate had since passed on, and few were alive to remember the first plague. Stories were passed on either side of the treeline,” I continue. “Some were warnings, others used as propaganda against the witches or the wolves.”
I notice that both Jasper, Ellis, Monroe, and Danielle look away sheepishly at this. It’s like they’re finally understanding just how much they’ve been trained to hate each other over nothing but he-said, she-said.
“Every so often, the tree will smolder again, and another witch will be possessed by Willow, but none have ever gotten quite so far as whoever her proxy is now. Either they are killed in the fray, or they take it upon themselves to free themselves of their curse,” I conclude.
Penelope shakes her head even more. “This is the worst blight since the very first one, I’m afraid. And somehow, I allowed this to happen.”
“Our best, and quite frankly, the only suspect is Violet,” I say, to the shock of absolutely no one.
“Oh no,” Monroe gasps out. Her eyes go wide as they dart between mine and Penelope’s.
“What is it, child?” Penelope encourages her.
“I thought it was a dream, but…” Monroe looks to her feet as she continues. “I woke up last year to the smell of smoke. Remember, Lacey? I asked if you smelled it, and you said no.”
My breath hitches in my throat. I nod back, recalling this strange memory I haven’t thought of in a year.
“I… I remember walking through the forest. It felt so real, but I was so sure I wasn’t awake,” she says in a small voice. “I found the tree like my feet knew where they were going better than I did. Then I heard a voice tell me I wasn’t ready, and then the next thing I knew, I was back in bed. There was dirt on my feet when I got up in the morning, but I just assumed I was sleepwalking or something.”
Monroe turns to Penelope, who watches her with great concern in her eyes at this.
“And you didn’t tell me about this?” the coven leader breathes out.
“She wanted to,” Danielle cuts in mournfully. “I told her you had more important things to do than make her a potion to stop her from sleepwalking… I’m sorry. Both of you.”
“Willow almost possessed me, didn’t she?” Monroe asks herself. “Oh, if I had known any of this, I would have come running immediately. I-I could have stopped this from happening. I could have stopped Violet from falling victim to it.”
I watch the tears well in Monroe’s eyes. I reach across Penelope’s lap and grab Monroe’s free hand, the other wiping at her eyes.
“My sweet girl,” Penelope says calmly to Monroe. “This isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.”
As the coven leader continues to comfort my friend, I look down at the pages, reading the passage that introduces the shiftless wolf again. My heart goes heavy, and my life suddenly doesn’t seem so tragic orlonelyanymore.
Suddenly, my veins fill with lead, and I fall back on the ground. The sun above is bright, but soon, the telltale blackclouds fill my eyes again. I’m sent into yet another vision, but it’s not of the future this time.
It’s a vision of the past.
I see images of a man and a woman giving over to their desire in the forest. I see the lust in their eyes, recognizing it as the way my own husband looks at me in the throes of passion. Then, a ball of energy erupts from their chests, lighting up the surrounding darkness.
A moment later, the vision changes, and I see the same two, still stark naked, covered in sweat and ash. This time, they grip hands, and water bursts out from their bodies, making the tree disappear within a cloud of steam.
I come back to myself and find Sawyer crouching over me, holding my hand. I sit up, looking him in the eyes. “I know what we have to do.”
Chapter 22 - Sawyer
Lacey drags me up the porch and into our home, throwing the heavy backpack down on the kitchen table. I’ve hardly closed the door behind me when she jumps into my arms, pressing her lips against mine like she’s been poisoned, and my mouth has the antidote.
“What is it?” I ask as soon as I break free.
