CHAPTER 3: Everyone is Involved!
1036 Words
Coldness and numbness consume me.
But,...
Suddenly,...
My heart beats once again, slow at first yet becoming steadier as time passes.
Then,...
A sharp gasp escapes me as my eyes flutter open. I grope my torso, expecting to feel the pain and the blood. But there’s none, not even a wound or a bullet lodged in it.
How? Was it all just a bad dream?
“Finally, you’re awake,” a voice, I’ve not heard before, echoes.
A middle-aged woman with long dark hair in a long black dress steps closer to me, prompting me to abruptly sit up in a defensive stance.
“I’m Persephone, and I’m not your enemy. In fact, I’m the one who brought you back from the dead,” she says.
So, I was really dead. Elrod really did betray and kill me!
“I heard frantic noises as I was picking some herbs at the Forbidden Woods last night. I hid behind a tree, then saw three individuals with the nasty scents of wolves, burying you.”
“When they’re gone, I unearthed you, brought you here and resurrected you.”
I swallow, feeling the dryness of my throat. Still, I force the words out of my mouth. “Thank you. But why would you save me?”
She smiles, a sad one. “Everyone deem witches as evil creatures. If they will continue to harm us, then I feel obliged to save our kind in any way I know how. I want all of us to come together and seek the respect we all deserve with or without the need to use our witchcraft to spill blood.”
Weirdly, as I try to recall several other events of my past, there’s nothing coming up from my memories.
As if Persephone is able to read my mind, she says, “Since I used a forbidden kind of witchcraft to resurrect you, you have to endure a few collateral damages: Most of your memory is erased, the only ones you can remember are the last few moments before you’re killed.”
“Apart from that, your witchcraft power has been reduced to a bare minimum, though you can still utilize your wolf in its full potential. And,...”
She lifts a mirror in front of my face. And a soft scream escapes me, my hands flying to my mouth.
Half of my face seems distorted. It’s wrinkled, ugly!
“How can I get back everything; my memories, my powers, my face?!” I ask, desperation in my tone.
Persephone just shrugs and never responds to my question. Instead, she says, “I’m sure after what was done to you, you want revenge. Why don’t you use your new look to hide your identity and discreetly plot it, since you’re no longer as powerful as you were?”
That sparks a new-found determination in me. So I brush aside those collateral damages for the time being, and focus on my revenge!
I’ll expose Elrod and Kendra’s affair and crime to our pack, so they’ll despise and disown them!
Persephone lets me borrow her clothes with a scarf to cover my face out of… my insecurities. She also gives me a bottle of potion, which I can use to defend myself just in case I face another danger.
As I reach the border of my pack, I’m stopped by the Gammas.
“Do you have any business here?” They ask.
For a moment, I try to think of any believable alibis to get through without being recognized or suspected.
“I’m summoned by your Luna,” I say.
They all glance at each other before chuckling out loud.
“The Luna is dead,” one of them says. “And we’re gonna have a new one soon.”
They knew what happened and yet aren’t worried and angry at all?
Desperate to get through, I produce Persephone’s potion and hurls it to the ground. Instantly after the bottle splinters into pieces and its content is exposed, the Gammas begin wheezing for air.
Until,...
They all collapse at my feet - still alive yet completely paralyzed.
I sprint past them, and when I finally reach the mansion where I live, I’m even more flabbergasted to witness a celebration.
Wines are poured, glasses are tossed, while music and laughter reverberate.
Fury courses through me when Victor steps onto the porch and speaks, while raising his wine glass and boasting his grin.
“Today marks the beginning of the new era of the Glacial Mountain Pack! The witch is finally dead! And we’re now freed from her wickedness and selfishness! We won, we did it!”
We?! Everyone is involved in plotting my death all along?!
A joyful cheer erupts among the pack, which provokes a tear to fall from my eyes.
What have I done to deserve such cruelty?
Just when I thought I’ve seen it all, I’m wrong!
Elrod and Kendra step onto the porch too, holding each other’s hands with warm smiles on their faces.
“A week from now, Kendra and I will tie the knot, and therefore, she’ll be your new Luna.” Elrod pauses to caress Kendra’s still flat belly. “And our baby will be your future Alpha, my heir to the throne.”
A much louder and happier cheer erupts as they kiss passionately, provoking me to wield my powers in an attempt to curse them by turning them all into frogs. But, I have no enough power to carry on with the curse.
Not wanting to witness any more of their betrayals, my only choice is to sprint away, tears are gushing from my eyes, my heart bleeding.
I lost everything in less than a day! What am I now?!
Then,...
I stumble forward. But I lay still, my fingers digging into the mud as I gather my last remaining pride and determination.
I may have lost so much, but I reclaim my life that was also taken from me! Therefore, I will not fail the next time I come back! I will not let Elrod and the Glacial Mountain Pack have their happy ending! I’ll make them all suffer way worse than my own suffering!
- Writer
