“Listen, Priyank,” Levi interjected, her tone calming yet firm. “We understand your concern, but there’s more to this than meets the eye. Priya’s condition is… complicated.”
Priyank’s frustration boiled beneath the surface, but he forced himself to listen.
Levi took a deep breath before continuing. “Priya’s not just physically ill. She’s been affected by a curse.”
Priyank’s expression hardened. “A curse? Are you serious? I don’t believe it,” Priyank growled.
“You have to sit your ass down if you want to hear, because with this attitude, you’re not listening and understanding,” Maya rolled her eyes. She wasn’t someone who tolerated such attitudes, especially from young people who thought they could behave however they wanted.
Priyank’s whole body rushed with anger, but he controlled it as he sat on the stool beside Priya. “Tell me. I’m sitting.”
“Better. What she means by curse is that someone cast a spell on her, a magic curse,” Maya answered, keeping her tone flat.
“What do you mean?” Priyank’s expression filled with more confusion as he tried to make sense of it. Magic? Spell? It sounded so lame and delusional.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but Priya is a werewolf. When she was a kid, there was a fight in this pack, right here where you’re sitting now. For her protection, my sister, who is her mother, cast a spell on her so she wouldn’t be able to access her powers, and people wouldn’t be able to figure out she’s from the werewolf world. That’s why her behaviour isn’t right for her age,” Maya continued. “As you’ve noticed, sometimes she acts so differently.”
Priyank’s eyes widened as he listened. A werewolf? Powers? Pack? It all sounded like something out of a bedtime story. But one thing made it somewhat believable: Priya’s behaviour. She did act strangely at times.
“She’s right. And as far as we think, you’re her mate, so things can only be fine if you accept it,” Lima spoke, supporting Maya’s words.
“I’m not getting what you all mean. Why does this sound like a story? If you need money, I can give you anything you want. Just what the hell did you do with Angel?” Priyank groaned in pain, his eyes showing exhaustion and fear of losing Priya.
“You think everything is about money?” Jackson paused. “We’re not human; we don’t have greed. We’re supernatural beings, as you might read in books, but we exist. Otherwise, how would this hospital and this place exist in the middle of a forest? It’s dumb to assume everyone is after your money.”
Jackson had been silent, wanting to keep his cool, which is why he let the ladies handle things. But Priyank easily got on his nerves. There was something off about him that Jackson could feel, and his attitude was not something he liked at all. Patience wasn’t something Priyank seemed to possess.
“Do you all want me to believe this?”
“I think you have to, or else you won’t see Priya alive. You can see her condition already,” Rish countered.
Priyank’s jaw tightened as he absorbed Rish’s words. Despite his scepticism, he couldn’t deny the gravity of the situation. Priya’s life hung in the balance, and he needed to put aside his doubts if he wanted to help her.
“Fine,” he conceded through gritted teeth. “I’ll entertain this… supernatural nonsense. But I want answers. Why Priya? Why now? And what do you need from me?”
Maya exchanged a glance with Lima before speaking. “Priya’s bloodline is powerful and royal. She comes from a long line of werewolves with unique abilities.”
Priyank’s mind whirled with information, trying to process everything. “And if I refuse to believe all of this?”
Lima placed a hand on his shoulder, her expression gentle yet firm. “Then you’ll lose Priya. It’s as simple as that. We need your cooperation if we’re going to save her.”
Priyank’s resolve hardened. He may not fully understand or believe in the supernatural, but he couldn’t ignore the desperation in their voices. If there was even a chance to save Priya, he had to take it.
“Okay,” he said, his voice determined. “I’ll do whatever it takes to save her.”
He didn’t know why he was even ready to believe all of this, maybe because he didn’t want to lose Priya. He didn’t know what had happened to her, so if he had to entertain this, he didn’t mind doing it.
If Priya could wake up and he could take her home, he didn’t even mind going to hell. He didn’t mind believing any of this shit.
Maya sighed as she began telling Priyank about everything: how they found Priya, how she lost consciousness, how Maya was Priya’s aunt, and how Priya’s parents died when they were king and queen.
She explained how the curse could be broken by mating, which meant having sex with the mate, as believed by werewolves. She talked about how Lima was a witch who could help after mating.
Priyank listened with confusion, shock, and some more unreadable expressions. With every word, everything seemed to sink deeper into a pit where he couldn’t understand if it was real or if he was dreaming.
“You have to trust us, Priyank. If you don’t, then it’s the end. We don’t want to lose our future queen. We’ve been searching for her for 18 years. You may not understand, but if you want, we can prove that it’s real,” Maya urged, taking a deep breath after completing her words.
“I can turn into my wolf form if you don’t believe it,” Jackson said. He closed his eyes, and his body started shaking, the sound of bones cracking filling the air. His clothes ripped, and within a few minutes, a wolf stood in front of Priyank.
He blinked several times, trying to process the surreal sight before him.
“Is this… real?” Priyank muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
The wolf nodded, its eyes fixed on Priyank with an intensity.
Maya stepped forward, her expression softening. “Yes, Priyank. This is real. We understand that it’s a lot to take in, but we need your trust.”
Priyank’s mind raced as he struggled to comprehend the situation. Everything he had known about the world seemed to be unravelling before his eyes.
He can’t even deny this now, it’s in front of his eyes.
“Fuck!”