Mavericks POV
At first, I was pissed, I was so fucking pissed, like what the hell is wrong with her, why would she tell me to ditch my guards, is she a traitor or a spy, did king Gerald get to her before me, has she been deceiving me all this while?
I had too many questions on my mind, but no answer because I simply don’t know why she is sounding so crazy when our lives are in danger. I guess she was right when she said that I don’t trust her. The truth is that I don’t believe that she is capable of breaking this curse. To me, she is still that naive girl that didn’t even know her true identity. I’m in being completely honest, I would admit that a part of me wanted her to relinquish her powers to Devon the white witch. I don’t know why I suddenly have this doubt within me, maybe Devon’s words are getting to me the wrong way. In any case, I think Devon was right when she said that Val is not fit to wield such power. She knows absolutely nothing about magic and her gifts, she only relies on her visions and the knowledge buried within her by her mom
But how on earth can I rely on her visions when I know that he knows nothing about her past how am I even sure that she knows the interpretation of her dreams. For all I know she could be going in the wrong direction, the dark sorcerers that work with King Gerald may be manipulating her to go exactly where king King Gerald wants. There are many uncertainties and trust me, I would not have listened to one word she was saying. I was already at that point where I would force her to follow my instructions whether she likes it or not. I was prepared to knock her out and take her to a secure location where I am certain that she would be safe. Then she mentioned the exact location where the ritual was to be held, she mentioned the basement of the packhouse and I realized that this was no joke at all. She knows exactly what she is talking about. She said,
“No, Mav, I’m not joking. I know exactly what I saw, and now that I think about it, I think I know the reasons why we need to perform the ritual in the basement. That very building wasn’t a pack house in the past, remember?” she asked me, reminding me of our biggest secret and regret.
“Yeah, I know our history very well, you don’t need to remind me about it. I’m the Alpha, remember?” I asked furiously, trying hard to control my anger. This time, I was not angry at her anymore, I am just realizing that she is right after all, this war is taking us back to the very beginning, and it is bringing back memories that I never thought I would share with anyone in my life. I fucking hate thinking about the disgrace and shame my family and pack faced when we were thrown out of the city like fucking nobody. It’s so embarrassing and I just hate thinking about it. It’s been centuries, and many of us have forgotten about it, but it takes a strong Alpha to survive such a hostile and shameful takeover. It’s even more annoying to know that Valerie knows about it, I can’t believe that she knows about our weakness and shame. Yet she never mentioned it to me, even when I still pretended to hate her, when I treated her so badly, she never said a word of it, and she never used it against me, not even when I hurt her badly.
“How do you know about the basement, Val, and how long have you known about it?” I asked her in a calmer tone, resting my head on the headrest of my car as I realized shamefully that I’d been acting like a fucking asshole all along.
“I was born in Lakewood, and I grew up hearing the rumors about our people, I did some research and I found out that Lakewood and Woodbridge were the same towns and it was owned by us. I was found in the mayor’s house when I was just a baby. To save his face the mayor and his family adopted me and welcomed me into the family. I was treated like a common slave, and my movement and activities were monitored constantly. But that didn’t stop me from wandering around the building and reading more about the symbols and inscriptions around the building. I know that the Mayor’s house is supposed to be your house, the Alpha Kings Castle.
It is rumored that this town used to be haunted by strange magical creatures with magical powers. Living with these strange creatures was a great risk to the humans and they felt insecure. These creatures populated the whole town and they ruled over the humans because they were stronger and more powerful. Then one day, the humans decided to come together and chase out all the supernatural creatures. To do this, they needed help from outside. And so they voted for a Mayor who claims to know how they could get rid of all the supernatural creatures in the city. He brought in the hunters and they chased them all out. That was the last time they witnessed anything strange in this town.
After they left, there were a lot of rumors flying around. Some people believe that the creatures were cursed by a supreme being, and the curse made the weak. They became easy prey to their enemies, and that was why they left. Some people said that the Mayor had struck a bargain with them, while others claimed that they left because they were scared of the hunters. No one knows who they were or why they left this city, but it’s been many centuries and no one has seen or heard from them ever since. Magic and sorcery had been extinct, until that faithful day when an earthquake struck this city. It was so devastating and it destroyed many properties and took many lives. On that very day, a child was found in the Mayor’s library, cloaked in a worn, ragged cloth that looks to be several years old, holding some relics that look mystical.
I was orphaned when I was only a baby. The town was just recovering from an earthquake when I found her in the Mayor’s house. It was assumed that my mom sneaked in through one of the cracks in the building that is caused by the earthquake, and she abandoned me in the one place that she knows that I will be taken care of. I could have been sent to an orphanage, but the mayor needed to reassure the people of his love and commitment, he needed to prove to the people that he cares about them, so they decided to adopt me and make me a part of the family. But they never treated me like a part of the family, I was turned into a slave, and I practically do all the chores around the house.
But that is not the issue now, I’ve moved past all that. I’m a better person now and I’ve outgrown my oppressors. But I need to understand what happened to your family and how you lost your home. Did your family strike a bargain with the Mayor, or we’re you really scared of the hunters?” she asked me after her long speech and explanations. She took her time to give me a detailed explanation, and I just realized that my family has been the cause of our problems all along.
“Gosh, we are just so stupid!
How could we miss this important detail for centuries, why didn’t we search harder?” I asked rhetorically, pulling my hand through my hair in frustration. She say quietly and looked at me while wondering if her questions have anything to do with my restlessness and frustration. I let out a forced smile, trying to assure her that everything is okay. And just as our eyes met, I instinctively leaned forward and kissed her lips so gently. You would think that she is a precious egg that I do not wish to break or something. I was so gentle, I don’t even know why I’m feeling this way. It’s like a craving, and once our lips met, I realized that it is time. Our bond is already solidified and we crave each other like never before.
“You are right Val, and I’m sorry I ever doubted you. I can’t believe that I thought you were crazy. I thought I had it all figured out, I never thought I would need to go back to the past to end this war. You see when we lost our home, I vowed never to speak about it ever again.
Just like you, I was a kid when it happened. Our population was greater than the humans, and we lived our lives like normal humans because we needed to fit in. Our powers were taken from us, but we still tried to defend ourselves and secure our boundaries. We know about the prophecy, and we tried so hard to find you, but we didn’t have the slightest clue about how to find you. We had no idea that the spell cast on you would send you right to the pack house. You were right under our noses all along.
For centuries, my forefathers have consulted the white witches in search of you, but we never found you, not even when King Gerald instigated the humans against us and forced us into a terrible situation so we could rely on him to help us. We were doing okay for many years, we never relied on him or anyone else. And even if we do not possess supernatural powers, we were still able to defend ourselves and live among humans. The humans had no clue that we are not like them, they even relied on us to protect them because we were among the richest in the city and when it comes to physical strength, they could never compete with us.
Everything was going perfectly well until King Gerald decided to gain from our misfortune. He tricked us, and he lied about us to the humans. He connived the humans to kick us out of Lakewood, out of our home.