Page 57 of Curvy Alpha Bride
“What if she won’t let us in?” Finnah asks.
“She will,” I answer. “Just don’t mention my name. Mabel’s angry right now, and she has every right to be, but she’s angry withme. She won’t let anyone else suffer.”
“Alright,” Finnah says. “I’ll pack some things and head back out. Girls, who’s coming with me?”
The younger women in the crowd leave to go with Finnah, tearfully hugging their family members before they go. I wait for them to be out of earshot before I address the town again.
“Okay, listen up!” I say, surprised by the authority in my own voice. “I want to know if anyone has ever gone head-on with this thing, and what happened when they did.”
“No one has ever survived—” Serra begins.
“That’s not what I asked!” I snap at her. “I want to know exactly what happens when this thing is attacked. In that old story, she was speared through the chest?”
“That is a tale, most likely fabricated,” Serra says. “We have no idea if it’s true, and even if it is, we can’t trust that whoever wrote it recorded the details correctly.”
“Back to my original question,” I address the crowd. “Has the thing ever been attacked?”
“Yes, Alpha,” one of the men answers. “Frequently. But she’s semi-corporeal, and blows don’t land on her. She just laughs as weapons go through her like thin air.”
“Can she attack like that?” I ask. “If she fades out to avoid taking damage, then she’d have to become solid to grab people and drag them away.”
“Not that simple,” Ivan says. “She’s managed to hold people still with one hand while they flailed their weapons around, trying to slice her up. The witch just doesn’t take damage.”
“What does she actually look like?” I ask.
The crowd comes out with a variety of answers. People over the years have all seen different apparitions, but the main factors seem to be a pale blue aura, long silvery hair, and glowing blue eyes.
“Xavier,” Serra says, gently putting a hand on my shoulder. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but we should move into the bunker. We can’t fight her.”
“I really believe we can,” I reply. “Everything has a weakness. If she can be starved to the point of death, surely she can be killed.”
“That’s just it, son,” Serra says, addressing me with familiarity for the first time. “I believe we did kill her, as far as she can be killed. She revived when we took a new luna, and we were stupid enough to let our guard down. Now that she’s gotten a meal, she’s regaining her strength. All she needs is you, or Mabel, and she’ll be truly unstoppable.”
“You think if we maintained the rules, she would have stayed weak and left us in a kind of peace?”
Serra nods. “I believe exactly that. We made a big mistake here, and we should have been honest with you from the beginning.”
I sighed. “I wish I could call the other alphas for help.”
“So do I, but if she gains control of even one alpha, it’s all over. Having them here would only increase her urgency. There’s no way all of them could hold fast against her seductive power, and once she had control of one, she could devour his luna, and then do the same in every town across the Range.”
“Okay, Aunt Serra,” I mutter, admitting defeat. “What should we do?”
“Stock the bunkers,” she states, loud enough for the others to hear. “Everyone on guard. Ivan, Hector, set yourselves up underground and get some rest. I need some scouts out on the town line to give us a report in the morning.”
“Won’t she kill them?” I ask, and Serra shakes her head.
“Only women can nourish her, and she prefers young women. She can enslave any man with her lust, but anyone less than an alpha is of no use to her. If they are careful, a couple of men should be able to move around safely overnight. We need to know what the witch does.”
“It’s commonplace to have sentries, sir,” a young man adds, stepping out of the crowd. “Over the past year, I served four times and came to no harm.”
“You’re very brave… uh—”
“Terrence,” he says, shaking my hand. “This is my brother, Shaw.” He gestures to the young man standing near him.
“Pleased to meet you both,” I answer. “And I appreciate your service to the pack.”
“We’re quick and wily, sir,” says Shaw. “The witch has no interest in our hides, anyway. Leave your scouting to us, and we’ll do you proud!”
