Nicolas POV
“Take it easy, Alpha,” Claire said, placing her hand over mine. Her tender hand was soft and warm against my rough and cold one. “We are almost there! Just a few more minutes and Celia will break the spell….!”
“I can’t hold on much longer!” I cried out in agony, biting down on my jaw, sweat droplets forming on my forehead. The pain was too much. They felt as though they were struggling against an unseen barrier.
Tears were spilling over, my body trembling out of pain-even my fingertips and toes were numb as if they were electrocuted.
Claire sighed, yet nodded. She was the one who called Celia for help. She believed that she was able to break the spell, but so far all her efforts were in vain. The powerful hold on the bond stayed. It seems unbreakable.
“Give him a few minutes to rest,” Claire said to Celia. “Then try again. We need to break the spell before it destroys him completely. He has already weakened due to the absence of his wolf.”
“Very well,” Celia replied and nodded. She let go of my head and stepped away, giving me some room to breathe.
“Get up, Alpha,” Claire said, helping me to a sitting position. “You can’t stay lying like this. Your body needs some blood circulation. Hopefully that would help….”
I nodded and let Claire help me, and my gaze caught a glimpse of Celia’s facial expression. She seemed deep in thought as she went to take a seat at a table.
Claire left my side and moved toward the small kitchen to make some of her herbal tea.
I internally sighed.
I wasn’t sure what I was thinking when I agreed to this exercise. Neither of them told me it would be this painful.
I stared up at the ceiling, catching my breath. We have been in Beta John’s basement for most of the day, and I have been in excruciating pain for nearly five hours.
Celia used different methods to try her best to break the spell that sucked up all my magic through the bond.
“I am curious to know who and what they used to cast the spell,” Claire mumbled under her breath. “Whoever it is seems to be a powerful witch…”
Claire had hoped that Celia was strong enough to break the spell hours ago; however, now it seemed that someone was way stronger than her.
Celia stiffened in her seat, and I caught her gaze. She looked worried, maybe even afraid.
“Do you know the person who did this to me?” I asked, my voice sounding tired-I guess it was because of all the screaming that left my lips.
Claire calmly turned her head to look at Celia. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“Celia?” Claire gently called to her. “We are all friends here. Do you know who would do such a thing? Who possesses the ability to cast such a complex spell?”
Celia looked between the two of us. Her eyes were filled with pleading. She didn’t want to expose who the magic belongs to.
“I need to know, Celia,” I pleaded. “Before I die… before it sucks me dry and moves on to Zara….”
Celia sighed, dropped her shoulders in defeat, and looked at her hands. The gesture reminded me of Zara when she was nervous.
Celia inhaled deeply before she lifted her gaze to find mine.
“Of course I do,” she muttered, embarrassed. “I will recognize the signature anywhere, even in death….”
I shifted my head to the side and knitted my eyebrows together. She seemed afraid to reveal who the person was.
“A friend of yours?” I inquired.
“Worse,” she said, sounding exhausted. “The magic signature belongs to my twin brother, Jamie.”
“You have a brother?” Claire calmly asked and handed Celia a cup of tea. She seems unaware of that fact. Did Beta John know? Did he keep that a secret?
“Drink; it will help calm your nerves,” Claire said motherly. “It will give you some strength….”
Celia took the cup of tea without hesitation and sipped the earthy contents.
“I used to,” Celia stated, setting the cup down on the table. “Jamie is a minute younger than me. He is the strongest wizard I know….”
Claire handed me a cup of tea, and I thanked her. Her tea has done wonders for my body and mind, and I hope it will ease the pain again.
“Why has he turned his back on the Gemini coven?” I asked, sipping my tea.
“It’s due to the murder of his mate,” Celia answered. “Our coven does not believe in raising the dead…”
I cocked an eyebrow, confused. Didn’t she help the Goddess?
Celia released a long and deep breath as if she understood the silent question.
“Jamie fell in love with a she-wolf,” she explained, getting to her feet. She looked clearly uncomfortable about talking about it.
“Things went well between the two of them,” she continued. “They even expected their first pup….”
Celia’s thoughts trailed off; her face whitened as she recalled the events of that day.
“Jamie took Allen to have a picnic at the waterfall,” Celia stated. “It would be the last time spent before the pup was born. It was their happy place.”
Celia suddenly quieted down. Her face is turning sad.
“A warrior interrupted their little picnic,” Celia said, her gaze shifted toward me. “Allen’s Alpha summoned Jamie for a brief meeting that would have lasted no more than an hour. Allen said she would wait there and enjoy the scenery. She felt at peace. She enjoyed the quietness of the surroundings, and the water seemed to soothe the busy pup. Jamie agreed….”
Tears welled up in Celia’s eyes, and she balled her hands into fists. She swallowed hard before she continued.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she whispered, “When Jamie returned, Allen was missing. Jamie didn’t believe Allan would wander off. She was due any minute. He started searching for her, worried that she might have gone into labor.”
Celia’s gaze caught mine.
“He found a blood trail, followed it, and found Allan’s body lying in her own blood. Someone had cut her throat….”
“That’s horrible!” Claire exclaimed. “Did they find the one responsible for her death?”
Celia shook her head.
“Jamie tried to do a spell to raise Allen from the dead,” Celia replied.
“But you interfered?” Claire asked.
“I did,” she replied. “I conveyed to him the significance of the situation; he was angry, yet he comprehended it. We never spoke about it, and I could see the pain in his eyes for his lost mate… he loved her. He needed her…”
“But that all changed when you suddenly helped the Goddess return her mate’s spirit from the immortal world,” I asked.
Celia nodded, her once sparkling eyes turning dim.
“He lost his mind when he heard about what I had done for the Goddess,” she stated, closing her eyes. “He accused me of being a hypocrite. Telling me that I didn’t care for him and his family….”
I could just imagine how heartbroken Celia must have been feeling. If she didn’t help the Goddess, the coven might have lost their powers.
“I tried reasoning with him,” Celia went on. “But he refused to talk to me. He packed his things and disappeared into the night. I haven’t seen him ever since.”
“Do you think he was the one who deleted my memories?” I asked.
“It is possible,” Celia replied. “We went into hiding because he threatened to take revenge on the coven and the Goddess.”
Was his Jamie as powerful as Celia claimed?
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