95. The Dark Witch

ALEJANDRO

We moved silently. The darkness within the cavern surrounded every corner, and more than that, I could feel the evil that lingered. I kept a tight hold on her hand, my eyes, ears and nose keeping an sense out for the smallest sound. There were several tunnels branching off and even some doors. The further down we went, the more the place seemed to get deeper. It was a fucking maze in here. The only problem was if Kiara had to escape… I tried not to think of that, but this place was fucking confusing.

"The magic is getting stronger." She whispered to me.

I could sense the chilling darkness that was growing with every step, and it sure as fuck wasn't due to the cold air that surrounded us. The sounds of growls and shrieks soon caught my ears, I slowed down as the noise only got louder. Slowing down further when the smell of Manangal's and Wendigo's filled my nose, we were getting closer to them… We turned a corner and I stopped as I looked at the lines of cages that were built into the stone. Each one held a Wendigo or Manangal. There were loads, I could see how the halls branched off in several places, and each one led to more cages.

Fucking hell, if these were ever released at once… I didn't even want to think of that shit… I frowned at the very thought. Kiara leaned closer, her lips brushing my ear, sending a shiver of pleasure through me.

"Shall I heal them?" She whispered.

"No… We can't risk your powers being sensed." I murmured back.

For all I knew, they already knew we were here. Although I was reigning in all my aura, there was still a chance… The biggest was the fact we were able to walk in so easily. We continued silently until I saw the faint glow of light from somewhere far ahead and stopped. The very faint murmur of voices made me strain my ear, I needed to get slightly closer. I inched closer until the sounds began to make sense. I knew Kiara wouldn't be able to hear but I couldn"t risk those talking, hearing us either.

"….long!" A voice that I recognised spoke. I frowned. What the hell was happening? How…

"Calm down. We had a deal!" A deeper voice growled. I could sense the power from him and I wondered if this was the Rogue King.

"A deal that cost me greatly! You promised me revenge! But all I got was the loss of my beloved!" The man sobbed.

"You will get the revenge you seek. Be patient." The deeper voice came.

"When? Who more can I lose?"

I clenched my jaw, anger filling me, and it took my all not to snap. I felt Kiara's hand soothingly caress mine. I knew she sensed my anger, although she had no idea what was being said.

"There is a lot you can lose Alpha. This is all for the greater cause. Do you really think the Lycan will allow you to live and rule your pack? He doesn"t care who dies. He doesn"t care for any of us."

"I know… I want to make another deal with you."

A deep guttural growl echoed around us and I knew Kiara probably heard that.

"Making deals with me?! Know your place." He hissed. "You weren't even able to do as I asked!"

"That's not true, I have done it! Despite everything, I still did my part! The pack is completely destroyed! The news will reach the Lycan King very soon."

What pack? This didn't make sense. What was their plan?

"Good! Do not address him as a king, he is just a mutation! A defect! I am the true king!" The man growled.

So, my fucking assumption was correct. This man was definitely the rogue fucking king. I was the one fucking king, not because I was a Lycan, but because I enacted a fucking law and established order. Since my reign, pack fights and deaths have been fewer… I"ve even offered rogues a pack to join…

"Y-yes of course… Please, I have a deal I want to put forth…." The Alpha pleaded.

My anger was only growing. How many fucking snitches did I have around me? What the fuck did the rogue-fucking-king offer that was better than what he already had? I had treated him well despite his fucked up family"s past.

"What do you want?" The would-be king spat.

At least we had that in common, no fucking patience for fuckers.

"The blessed wolf… May I take her as my mate?"

My eyes flashed and I would have fucking gone and tore them to fucking shreds if Kiara's arms didn't wrap around my waist. I knew she was only acting on my emotions. How dare they even think that Kiara would be theirs?! She was mine, only fucking mine. If anyone thought that she'd be with someone else, then they were in for a fucking disappointment.

A raucous laugh echoed down the halls.

"You? A pathetic, useless Alpha. Why do you think you deserve her? Selene's blessing will be mine! With her by my side, I'll be recognised as the true king. If you want to even be recognised as an Alpha, then you better obey me!"

"But…"

A menacing growl rumbled off the walls, and the Alpha went silent. I frowned. How much power did he have that he could make an Alpha submit?

"Is she ready to do her part?" The king hissed.

"She is, she won't fail us." The Alpha said, sounding broken and defeated. But I didn't have one fucking ounce of remorse for the fucker. When I got my hands on him… I was going to destroy him completely and disband his fucking pack.

The son of a fucking coward, seemed to clearly be a fucking coward too…

And who the fuck did they mean by ‘she?' I doubted it was the witch… It was at that moment that Kiara tugged me.

Her eyes were wide and her heart was racing. I got so distracted I didn't even realise.

"The witch is near." She whispered.

I knew a witch would sense us, regardless of how much our scent was disguised. Witches didn't need noses to catch something... my gaze flickered to the metal chain tucked into Kiara's top. A sliver of concern for my pup filled me. I pulled her close, placing my hand on her stomach fleetingly. I didn"t want her to know... I was worried about them both. Fuck this feeling was foreign... My heart thudded as I wrapped my arms around her tightly. Inhaling her intoxicating hazelnut scent before I moved back.

"Time to get this shit done." I murmured, wrapping my arm around Kiara's waist. I lifted her off the ground, startling her as I broke into a run, heading straight towards the voices. In a flash, I was there, dropping Kiara to her feet. Immediately she had her staff in hand, pressing the button to expand it, readying herself.

I stared at the two men before me. One I had never seen before, but he was strong. The aura of an Alpha surrounded him, despite the distinct scent of a Rogue, and what fucked me up the most was that he looked familiar… Too fucking familiar for comfort. But first… I snapped my gaze towards the other werewolf.

"Alpha fucking Jake." I spat venomously as Kiara gasped, looking at the man who had been cowering on the fucking floor. In panic or on instinct, who fucking knows, Jake lunged at us. Kiara's aura wrapped around her but I didn't want to deflect the fucker. There was only one thing he deserved. Death.

I ripped his neck clean off his body and tossed him aside like he was nothing, before he even had a chance to realise what had happened. He was dead. My eyes now returned to the man before me.

The King's shock vanished, his dark eyes flashing a brilliant gold as he growled.

"Well, looks like the fake King has made his appearance." He hissed resentfully.

"I"m the one and only fucking King. Remember that." I growled back.

"One who cares for no one but himself."

I could sense the sinister darkness approaching. I needed to do this fast before she came. If the other witch's assumption was correct, Endora could be manipulating the Rogue King.

"Look…I know we've never fucking met, but I"m here to help. We came to help cure the Wendigo's willingly. We don"t need to fight." I said urgently. This wasn't my fucking style, but as a king, I knew what came first.

"You don't want to help, I know how you work." He said coldly.

My eyes flashed.

"You don"t know us. I never knew I could reverse the process, but when we realised I could, we came here." Kiara added, sincerity clear in her eyes.

It seemed she knew how to play along well. But I also knew she wanted to help.

"Does it look like she's fucking lying?" I asked coldly.

The sound of heels against the stone floor made me tense. She was here… I saw Kiara's colour drain, I knew it was the effect of the magic. Magic that even I could feel so strongly now. It was pure darkness... Even the darkest of beasts never carried so much evil... My blood ran cold as the scent of the witch hit my nose.

The smell of a witch… but mixed with that, was a scent I knew… I turned slowly, my heart slamming against my ribs as the woman finally entered the cavern.

Her long black hair was woven into a braid over her left shoulder, her tanned skin contained several rune marks covering her left cheek, neck and hands. Her dark chocolate-coloured eyes glittered as they met mine. I stepped back as a storm of emotions crashed down on me.

Shock, confusion and disbelief mixed with so many more I couldn"t make out. I felt fucking suffocated. How was this fucking possible?

"It's been a long time." Her strong, warm voice echoed off the walls.

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to fucking make sense of this shit. I couldn"t form a sentence and it wasn't because of the darkness she had brought with her. I managed one word, my voice coming out hoarse and thick, laced with utter disbelief.

"Mom?"