15. Tayla

Chapter fifteen

Tayla

I felt my heart wrench with agony, my thoughts clouded. I blamed myself for the guard’s death. If I had stayed back, this wouldn't have happened. But then, I wouldn't have witnessed what I saw today. At the thought, I turned to him with intensity.

"I have something important to tell you," I began, my voice steady despite the turmoil within me. "It's about the tragedy our pack is facing."

His expression shifted to one of concern, his brow furrowing as he waited for me to continue. With resolve, I opened my mouth to share the news weighing heavily on my heart.

"Yesterday, I visited that mansion where rumors have abounded about the deaths of the children. As I ascended the stairs, I experienced a vision," I recounted, the memory vivid in my mind. "It was a vision of events from the past," I clarified, noting the concern growing on Asher's face.

"What exactly did you see?" he inquired, his tone serious.

"I saw a pregnant woman," I began, feeling a chill run down my spine at the memory. "She must have been a powerful witch, but she was killed by someone even stronger than her. A man wearing a black cloak..."

I trailed off as I noticed the frown deepening on Asher's face.

"She was killed by the man, and before she died, she promised to make the pack suffer," I continued, my voice trembling slightly.

I noticed Asher's hands tightening, sweat beading on his forehead as I spoke. "You don't seem alright," I remarked, concern lacing my words.

Abruptly, he rose from the bed, his expression devoid of remorse. "I handled a problem in the past," he admitted coldly. "The pregnant woman you spoke of was practicing forbidden magic in the pack despite my warnings. I took care of it—I killed her."

His words hit me like a cold wave, chilling me to the bone.

"You did what?" I gasped, horror flashing in my eyes. "You killed an innocent woman simply for practicing magic?"

His gaze hardened as he defended his actions. "She was well aware of the rules of this pack. Magic is forbidden, yet she chose to defy my father’s authority. I was doing as my Alpha commanded."

Anger surged through me, hot and fierce, consuming me from within.

"You're responsible for the missing children. You are! You need to take care of the mess you caused," I declared, rising from the bed with determination.

“She was a threat to the pack,” he said. “She was using her magic as a witch to harm the people.”

“That’s not true,” I shook my head, recalling the vision I had. “She was innocent. You killed a pregnant woman and her baby. You are at fault for her death. Why can’t you admit that?”

“How dare you put the blame on me because I killed a witch!” He snapped, his face filled with anger. “Why are you so blind to the truth? She was a threat to this pack, and I had to kill her. Those are the rules.”

“No,” I shook my head. “She was innocent. I saw everything.”

He moved closer. “Tayla, you are not thinking clearly. That witch was manipulating you from her grave, making it seem like she was innocent. She was evil,” he said. “She was taking advantage of your condition and influencing your mind with lies.”

I looked into his eyes, searching for any hint of lies, but all I saw was frigidity. Was I being manipulated?

“But…. But I saw her being killed,” I said.

His expression turned to concern. “I'm the only one you can trust right now because you are not well. You are hallucinating again—I am sure of it.”

Was I seeing things that weren't true? I thought back to the vision I had seen in the mansion. Was she evil, as Asher had said? Maybe I was seeing things differently?

“Asher,” my lips trembled as I moved closer, resting my head on his chest. “I don't know what's real anymore.”

I wanted to believe him and trust him, but my brain swirled with different and opposing thoughts. What if he was lying? But why would he lie…

I shook my head, pushing the thoughts aside, and focused on Asher.

“It's okay,” he assured me kindly, brushing my hair. I felt my body slowly calm down in his arms. He stood up, walked toward the jug on the table, and poured herbal tea into a cup before handing it to me.

“Drink some, and you will be okay,” he assured. “The doctor told me that drinking more of it will help with your brain and your memories.”

I nodded my head, taking the cup from him. I was about to take a sip from it when we heard a knock on the door. A guard walked in, bowing his head.

“Ms. Tayla…Alpha Asher,” he said with a sense of urgency in his voice.

I frowned slightly.

“What?” asked Asher. The guard motioned for us to follow him.

I exchanged a puzzled glance with Asher as we trailed the guard downstairs. My curiosity was piqued as we entered a room where a young, malnourished girl stood before us. Her frail frame and disheveled appearance tugged at my heartstrings. She couldn't have been more than twelve years old, and her hair was tangled like a bird's nest. Concern flooded through me as I approached her, my heart aching at the sight of her suffering.

When she saw us, she fell to her knees instantly.

My heart sank at the girl's desperate plea. "Please, you have to help me. My sister is still in the hands of that witch," she implored, her voice trembling with fear.

I moved closer, my brows knitting together in concern. "What witch? What happened to you?" I asked, needing to understand the situation fully.

"We were returning from the river, laughing and talking, when suddenly we heard a loud noise," she recounted, her eyes wide with terror. "When we turned around, we saw a strange man. Our wolf instantly recognized him as a witch. We tried to fight back, but he used his magic to overpower us." Him . She said he was the witch.

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes as she spoke, her voice trembling with fear and desperation. "He said he needed us for dark rituals, that he could see the potential within us," she explained, her words chilling me to the bone. "He had already kidnapped other children, and some of them...some of them…he killed. Yesterday, I tried to escape with my sister, but she was caught and dragged back."

Her plea pierced through me, igniting a fierce determination within. "Please, help me! Save my sister!" she cried out, her desperation palpable.

I turned to Asher in shock, then kneeled down to hug the girl. I smiled warmly at her to assure her.

“We are going to help you,” I said, helping her back to her feet. “But first, you need to tell us the important details. First, what is your name?”

“My name is Amelia,” she said.

"Can you describe the appearance of the place where you were taken?" I inquired gently, needing as much information as possible to plan a rescue.

"It's a large house near the border river," she replied, her voice trembling with the memory. "He would often take us out every midnight to perform his rituals. And...he can speak to the dead."

My frown deepened at her revelation. For a witch to possess such power indicated a formidable adversary. Caution would be paramount in any attempt to confront him.

I turned to the guard standing beside us. “Get her a cup of water and some food to eat. Quickly.”

She was our only hope now, and she was the one who would direct us there. I turned to Asher.

“What do you think?” I asked him.

“Well, once she is well-fed, we will send a guard to take her home,” he replied.

I frowned. “What about her missing sister? We need to find her also.”

"You're willing to risk your life for her sister? I forbid it," Asher stated firmly, shaking his head.

"If you continue like this, you'll lose your people," I countered, my tone grave.

"But at least she's safe,” he said, motioning to the cowering child. “Her sister is of no concern to me," he retorted callously.

"What if they were your children, kidnapped by the witch?" I challenged, hoping he could agree with me. “What if they were our children?”

"It would never happen to them because they would always be guarded," Asher stated coldly.

I felt my anger rising, my hand clenching into a fist in frustration.

"We need to find the witch—this man—who's taking these children, or at the very least, rescue the others," I urged, my voice firm. "Given the time of day, he might not be at the house and could be out seeking more victims.”

"Just come with me this one time," I pleaded, my voice tinged with desperation.

"No," he replied firmly, his frown deepening.

"For my sake, please," I implored, though a part of me still harbored a deep anger toward him.

He hesitated for a moment before stepping out of the castle to summon a carriage, where he waited for us while the child ate. Once Amelia was done eating, she followed me inside the carriage, and the coachman rode on to the location she provided. I could sense her fear as we approached the location of her abduction. The ride took almost half an hour.

As the carriage finally came to a halt, I stepped down while the young girl stayed with the coachman. Raising my head, I looked at the house before us. Its windows were dark and foreboding. I felt a trickle of sweat run down my back as we approached the house.

Asher held me back and cautiously pushed the wooden door open. An unpleasant stench assaulted our senses, causing me to wrinkle my nose in disgust.

My frown deepened, and I glanced at Asher, noting his discomfort as well with the foul odor emanating from the house.

Bringing my hand to cover my nose, I hesitated before stepping inside behind him. My eyes widened in horror at the sight that greeted me – the lifeless bodies of children piled up in a corner of the house. My heart constricted with pain at the tragic scene before me, and I felt the overwhelming sorrow and revulsion. I had to fight the urge to throw up. Asher covered his mouth and stepped closer to the gruesome sight.

All the children were dead.

“It looks like some of their skin was taken by the witch to create potions possibly,” he said.

“But why? Why is he doing this to the children? Is he doing it for revenge or what?” I asked, my eyes moving to Asher, who was now walking upstairs.

I followed him up the old stairs to the single room. He opened the door slowly. When we stepped inside, my eyes fell on a black coffin sitting on the other side of the room.

A coffin? What was it doing there? Did it have the body of yet another dead child in it?

Needing to know, I approached the coffin and knelt down, touching it.

My hands moved to the edge of the slick surface, and I tried to open it, but it was stuck. I frowned, turning to Asher.

He walked toward me, and I moved aside so he could open it. He tried to open the coffin, but alas, it stayed sealed.

"Why won't it open it?" I questioned, frustration evident in my voice.

Asher attempted to move the coffin forward, but it remained stubbornly fixed to the ground as if held in place by some unseen force.

Standing up, Asher grimaced. "He's placed magic around the coffin. No one will be able to open it to see what's inside," he explained grimly.

"What could be inside?" I pressed, my curiosity piqued. "For him to have placed magic on it, it must hold something significant.”

"We should leave," Asher insisted, his tone firm as he started backing away.

"What?" I exclaimed, rising to my feet with a furrowed brow. “We have to figure out who he is and stop him!”

Without another word, Asher grasped my wrist and forcefully led me out of the room and downstairs. Once outside the house, he pushed me into the waiting carriage, and the coachman swiftly drove us back to the castle. Asher’s expression was unreadable.

“Wait… What about Amelia? We need to take her to her house?” I said as he dragged me upstairs to my room.

"The guards will take her home. Not you," Asher stated firmly, pushing me into the room and locking the door behind me.

My heart sank as I looked around in frustration. I hurried to the window to see the carriage riding out from the gates. I could see Amelia’s face in the carriage window.

My mind kept drifting back to the mysterious coffin I had seen in the room. Was there a person inside? Why was he keeping the coffin there, and why was it sealed with magic?

No matter how hard I tried to make sense of it, confusion clouded my thoughts. I sat down on the bed, pondering how those parents would feel if they found out that their children were dead. The thought made me feel sick.