The suffering Vione now endured was beyond measure. Pain and loss struck her relentlessly, one after the other. It seemed as if God had no intention of giving her a moment to breathe. She had lost not only Usher, but also her family, those she trusted, and the pack.
Vione was drowning in an endless sea of grief. Every lost life, every face she had known was now nothing more than a memory that haunted her. They were gone, leaving behind an unbearable grief, and most painful of all was the realization that even circumstances would not allow her to give Usher a proper burial.
Her regret deepened. She asked herself. If only I hadn’t left, if only I had stayed with Usher, wouldn’t all this have happened?
Vione cursed herself. As a Luna, her place was at the side of the Alpha. She should have been there for Usher every moment, no matter what happened.
But here Vione was, hiding in the Amerotha Forest, wrapped in guilt, without Usher by her side.
She was devastated. She sank deeper into her guilt until the biting night wind brought her back to reality and forced her to face the hard truth she had to deal with.
It was hard and far from easy, but a glimmer of sanity within Vione kept reminding her not to drown in grief for too long. Even if she regretted everything that had happened and felt guilty, she had to prove her regret by making things right.
Vione knew she couldn’t give up, especially since she was now the only hope for the pack. If she fell, the pack would be destroyed. She had to rise up and turn the tide, but it would not be easy.
First, Vione had to find out what was causing the strange events within the pack. She had no choice if the remaining members weren’t ready to defend or attack. She wasn’t a god who could defeat the Nimbria Pack alone.
Vione racked her brain. She calmly considered how to investigate the strange occurrences, and at the same time she noticed something different in Rowena’s behavior.
“Mama? What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”
At that moment, Rowena stood frozen near Addy’s body, which had just been covered with a white cloth by two Omegas. She stared at Addy’s body with a different expression, her focus on the blood seeping through the cloth.
“Something has happened to Addy,” Rowena murmured in a low voice, but with a tone that conveyed certainty. Vione rose and approached her. “His death was not ordinary. He was injured, yes, but that’s not what killed him.” She held out her hand and brushed against the blood on the white cloth. She inspected Addy’s blood carefully, then inhaled its metallic scent. Her expression immediately changed. “His blood…”
Vione took Rowena’s hand. “What about Addy’s blood, Ma?”
Rowena looked at Vione with an unreadable expression. “He was poisoned.”
“Po-poisoned?” Vione stammered, obviously confused and shocked. “What do you mean, Mama? Who would-” Her words stopped abruptly. Her mind immediately jumped to a single name. “The Nimbria Pack.”
Rowena suspected the same, but that wasn’t her focus at the moment. “This is no ordinary poison, this is magic.”
Vione’s shock deepened and she knew it wasn’t just any magic. She could see the change in Rowena’s expression.
“Someone poisoned Addy with magic, and I’m afraid he wasn’t the only victim.”
Vione was stunned by Rowena’s implication. “Are you saying the whole pack is cursed?”
Rowena didn’t answer, but that was exactly what had crossed her mind ever since she’d noticed the oddity in Addy’s body. She moved on to examine the other bodies. With meticulous care she inspected their condition. At least the eyes, tongue and blood were the three main things she focused on.
Vione waited, feeling a tumult of emotions. Then, as Rowena let out a long sigh and covered another body with a white cloth, she asked, “What is it, Mama? What really happened to them?”
“My suspicions were correct. They were all cursed. The pack has been cursed.” Rowena turned and explained, “This is Bernathra magic, one of the oldest magic in the world, and I never thought anyone would still use it.”
“Bernathra?” Vione frowned. She was the daughter of a witch, but her knowledge of the magical world was minimal. Since childhood, her life had been dominated by wolf blood and she hadn’t thought about studying magic. “Is Bernathra’s magic really so powerful that it can weaken the entire pack?” she asked skeptically. “Even Usher was rendered helpless by it.”
Rowena nodded. “The purpose of this magic is not to kill, but to slowly torture the victim. The poison is administered in small doses over years, so it doesn’t cause any symptoms. It is designed to be undetectable. It erodes the victim’s strength, mind, spirit, and body without leaving a trace. So, if something happens to the victim, their body will not be able to heal itself. In the end, they will die.”
Vione closed her eyes dramatically. Emotions surged through her. Her blood felt hot. She was angry. “So, the pack has been cursed for years without anyone noticing?”
Rowena didn’t answer. She was sure that Vione already knew the answer.
“How could they do such a cruel thing? They poisoned the pack. They cursed the pack without mercy.” A choked whimper escaped Vione’s lips. “Then,” she said moments later, her face flushing, her eyes radiating unspoken emotions. She was sad, angry, and desperate. “Why am I okay? Why am I not affected by the magic?” She clenched her hair in frustration. “Why am I okay?”
Rowena took Vione’s hand, preventing her from hurting herself. “You are a hybrid, the daughter of a witch and a wolf, Vione,” she replied, squeezing Vione’s fingers with deep emotion. She wiped away the tears that ran down Vione’s cheeks. “You have witch’s blood in your veins.” She cupped one of Vione’s cheeks. “No matter how long it takes, until the end of this world, there will be no magic that can hurt you or your descendants. No matter how powerful the magic, you will always be protected.”
*