Alicia's Fate

Revelation

The moment Alicia admitted something was blocking her wolf, Ethan wasted no time to contact the witch, he sent Micheal running for the witch. Theresa, she was that same witch who had warned him five years ago, vaguely, cryptically, and far too late.

Now she stood in his office again. Small, cloaked in drifting shadows. Smelling faintly of burnt herbs and iron, her very presence stirring every scar he carried.

Alicia stayed close to Ethan, her fingers curled lightly in the fabric of his sleeve.

The witch didn’t bother to bow. She didn’t even look at Ethan first. Her milky eyes went straight to Alicia. And the corner of her mouth curled.

“Ah,” she breathed, as if admiring a rare jewel. “So this is the wolf the Moon Goddess hid from us all…”

Ethan stepped directly in front of Alicia, blocking her from view. His voice dropped several octaves.

“Fix the blockage.”

The witch hummed, softly amused.

“Oh, Alpha… if only it were that simple.”

Ethan’s jaw flexed, teeth grinding.

“So you can see it.”

“What I see,” Theresa murmured, eyes still lingering on Alicia, “is potential far beyond anything you could...”

“Don’t,” Ethan snapped, stepping closer. “You told me five years ago I would never find happiness. That I would die in agony. That the Moon Goddess had washed her hands of me.” His voice turned into a venomous mockery. “Well guess what? You were wrong.”

Theresa raised a thin brow, unimpressed.

“I have a second-chance mate,” Ethan continued, voice rumbling like a storm. “A true mate. Stronger than any wolf I’ve ever met. But something is blocking our bond, something you did. You will fix it. Now.”

Theresa paused. And for the first time, her amusement cracked.

She looked at Ethan.

Then at Alicia.

Then back at Ethan again.

“I…” She tilted her head, frowning slightly. “Alpha, whatever is blocking her connection—it is not my doing.”

Ethan stiffened. Alicia’s breath hitched behind him.

Theresa’s milky eyes sharpened, almost… reverent.

“But one thing I am certain of,” she continued softly. “This female wolf is no ordinary wolf. She carries a destiny that none of you can fathom. Even I cannot see it clearly.” Theresa paused again, took a deep breath and wonders if the moon goddess hasn't made a big mistake pairing her with such a mad man.

Alicia sucked in a soft breath behind him. Ethan’s fingers dug into the desk.

The witch smiled like someone savoring the pain she caused.

“Your bond,” she continued, moving a crooked finger in a lazy circle in the air, “is not the one meant for her. The pull you feel, your wolf’s obsession, it is an illusion woven from desperation.”

That single statement froze the room. Ethan’s wolf slammed against his skin.

LIES.

But the witch leaned in, close enough that Ethan nearly snapped.

“She is not meant for one mate,” she whispered. “Your soul alone cannot hold hers. Her kind was never meant to be kept.” Alicia flinched, her hand tightening around Ethan’s arm.

Ethan’s vision went black. He took one step toward the witch

“Say that again,” he growled. The deep, dangerous tone shook the floor. The witch only chuckled.

“You should be grateful,” she crooned. “If her full power awakens near you… the prophecy repeats. Another Luna dies in your arms. Another feral rampage. Another half-pack turned to ash.”

Alicia gasped. Ethan’s eyes snapped to her and the witch vanished. Like smoke sucked away by wind. Cole surged forward, a silent snarl rippling through Ethan’s entire frame.

All that remained was a soft drift of black ash settling on the floor. And one object.

A single feather.

Long. Coal-black.

Dripping faintly with shadow.

Ethan bent, picked it up, and his skin crawled with cold.

'Cole?' he whispered internally.

'Dark magic,' Cole growled.

Ethan crossed the room, grabbed a reinforced glass vial from a drawer, and shoved the feather inside, sealing it tight with a metallic click.

He set it down hard on the table.

“That witch,” he rasped, shaking with fury, “will never speak about you that way again.”

Alicia felt the bond, weak as it was, flutter with Ethan’s fierce resolve.

His wolf wrapped around her like a shield.

Skylar stirred inside her, trembling with anger.

'We are not above him, we are his. The witch lies. We will never be with anyone else, we choose him.'

Alicia placed her hand gently over Ethan’s, grounding him.

“Ethan… whatever the witch says… I don’t believe her.”

He looked at her then, completely and painfully, human for a moment.

“She’s wrong,” Alicia whispered. “About you. About me. About us.”

Ethan closed his hand over hers, his control returning slowly.

“We break this curse,” he vowed.

“For you. For Skylar.

And for us.”

Alicia felt Skylar press her essence against the invisible wall that separated her from Cole, a gentle push at first,

then stronger, like a wolf testing a cage. The barrier didn’t break, but it shook.

Skylar growled softly not fearfully… but indignantly. Like the wall was an insult.

'I want to reach him,' she said, voice rolling like thunder in Alicia’s head.

'I want to answer his call. I want to stand beside him. But something is still blocking me.'

'But hear me, Alicia,' Skylar whispered, her voice suddenly colder and sharper than a blade. 'Nothing will hold me forever, because I am evolving. Because Ethan accepted us when everyone else rejected us. He chose us. And I realize the closer we are to him, the more I grow. Which is why I need you to spend the night with him.' Skylar finished.

'Are you crazy? I can't and I won't,' Alicia argued but Skylar only snorted.

Alicia felt a pulse of raw, primal energy from her wolf then, a spark of something terrifying and extraordinary.

Skylar went quiet for a moment, but Alicia could feel her wolf thinking, like gears clicking into place.

Then Skylar’s voice came, soft but pulsing with certainty:

'The closer we are to him… the faster I will grow. His presence feeds me.

His scent, his touch, they all make me stronger.

If we stay with him tonight…I can evolve even more.'

Alicia felt her cheeks go hot.

'S-stay with him? Like, stay where?'

Skylar huffed impatiently, as if the answer was obvious.

'In the Luna’s room, of course. Unless you'd prefer going to his room instead. We don’t need to do anything. Just being close to him is enough.'

Alicia swallowed hard, heart thundering. She pondered on this for a time after the witch had vanished. She trusted Ethan, she felt safe with him and she also wanted to help her wolf.

But asking him to stay with her for the night? Her stomach flipped and her skin tingled with nerves.

Still… she lifted her eyes to Ethan.

Ethan was seated at his desk, reading through a report one of his men had delivered. His brows were furrowed, jaw set, the intense, commanding Alpha the whole pack feared.

The words slipped out, small and soft:

“Ethan…?”

He looked up immediately. The harsh scowl melted the second his eyes landed on her, replaced with a smile so warm it nearly stole her strength.

“Yes, Alicia.”

She almost backed out. Almost said never mind. But Skylar nudged her firmly.

So she whispered, barely audible...

“Would you… um…” Alicia’s voice shrank to a whisper, “would you mind spending the night… in the Luna’s room tonight?”

Ethan went perfectly still.

Then slowly, his lips stretched into a grin so wide, so wolfish, so male, Alicia instantly knew what he was imagining. Her entire face went crimson.

“N-not like that!” she rushed, hands flailing.

His grin got bigger.

She tried again, mortified. “I don’t mean sleeping with me, I mean, not in that way, just sleeping near me, or in the same room, or even just...”

He tilted his head. “Cuddling?”

Her voice cracked.

“Y-yes.”

Ethan’s eyes darkened so quickly she felt the shift in the air, Cole pushing forward, thrilled.

“You want to cuddle with me,” he repeated slowly, savoring every syllable like a starving man finally handed food.

Alicia hid her face in her hands. “Skylar thinks it will help her grow stronger…”

Ethan gently dropped what he was reading, his voice dropping to a deep, reverent rumble:

“Then we will do exactly what Skylar needs.”

“I will stay with you tonight.

I will hold you.

And I will not sleep a single minute if it means keeping you and your wolf safe.”

Skylar purred inside her.

Alicia’s breath caught.

And Ethan’s grin, lord, that grin, turned into something tender and grateful.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“For letting me be close.”