21. Tayla

Chapter twenty-one

Tayla

There was something unsettling about Nora's behavior, a hint that she was harboring something within her. I stared at her intently as she advanced a hesitant step forward.

"Go on," I urged, nudging my head forward. "Tell me what you have on your mind.”

Nora took a deep breath, her eyes locking into mine for a moment before she opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm a witch," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. She put her head down.

I blinked several times, my mind struggling to register what I just heard from her. Was she a witch?

"A witch?" I repeated, my tone laced with disbelief and concern.

Nora nodded slowly. "I've been a witch since birth, but I've kept it hidden for a long time. Since the pack requires a witch to open the coffin, I can no longer keep my secret hidden.”

I stared at her, my mind racing to accept that Nora had been a witch since birth.

"How?" I inquired, sniffing in the air. “Because I can smell wolf in you.”

"I use magic to disguise my scent with that of a werewolf," she explained. "It's a trick my mother taught me to protect my identity from the Werewolves.”

Nora's eyes shifted from me to Asher, and she gulped softly at his intense glare. Then, she turned back to me.

"You need to promise me that you won't lock me in the dungeon after everything is settled," she said, her voice laced with fear. "I know it's taboo to practice magic in this pack, but I had no choice. But I also don't want to face the fate of other witches who have died in this pack because of it.”

At the mention of the dead witches, my mind recalled Jenna whom Esther spoke about to me. I turned my gaze to Asher for a moment to see his jaw clenched and his brows furrowed.

"We won't hurt you," I promised.

Nora's gaze returned to Asher. "It's Alpha Asher I need to hear it from."

I looked at Asher, who remained silent, his eyes fixed on the empty space in front of him. The small frown on his face made it clear that he was annoyed to have been deceived.

I approached him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned to me, and I nodded slowly, urging him to speak. If he didn't show that he wouldn't hurt Nora, then she might refuse to help us lift the spell.

"Alright," he nodded. “You are safe as long as you don't hurt any werewolves in the pack.”

I cleared my throat. "All we need from you is to help us lift the spell around the coffin, Nora."

"Okay then. But first, I'll need a few things. I will need my candles and my witch book."

"If you're ready, we should go now," I declared, taking a step forward. But Asher turned my head to him, raising a brow. "What?”

“You're not leaving the tower, Tayla," he stated firmly.

"What? Why?" I asked, confusion etched on my face.

"Because it's not safe out there. We have no idea who this witch—Jaxon—is at the moment. He could be a close friend or an Elder of this pack. We need to be cautious and be on high alert," he explained.

Nora sighed. "I won't allow him to go near Ms. Tayla. If Jaxon calls for a fight, I will protect her with my magic.”

Asher frowned, turning to her. "Why should I trust you? You've been keeping your identity as a witch for years, and only now you decide to tell us of your background and birth. Do you expect me to trust you just like that?”

"Asher," I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You're not leaving this tower until I say so," he ordered.

“I need to go with—”

Before I could finish speaking, he blocked me from moving forward with one of his muscular arms. His eyes told me not to cross that line. He grabbed Nora with his free hand and quickly left the room.

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair as I settled on the bed once more, trying to calm the anger that was boiling over. Why was he always like this? Why was he so controlling toward me?

As I raised my head, my eyes widened upon seeing the pregnant woman standing in front of me again in a strange, ghost-like form. She had long braided hair and piercing eyes that complimented her features.

She studied me with her hazel eyes intently as if trying to read me. Be strong, Tayla, I told myself, continuing to stare at her. What if she had decided to snap my neck or kill me as revenge for what Asher did to her?

"You're here again," I swallowed hard. “Why do you keep haunting me?”

"You see," she clicked her tongue, "I know all about you. I know you're planning to escape from him, from this pack, from the people, once everything is over.”

I felt a cold chill run through my back, and I gulped. How did she know? Could she read my mind? Feel my thoughts?

"Have you come to kill me?" I inquired.

"No," she shook her head. "Killing you is the last thing on my mind right now.”

“Then what do you want from me?" I asked.

"I actually like you," she said, taking a floating step forward. "You remind me of my younger self: young, naive, and stupid."

"I tried protecting this pack and following every one of Asher’s rules because I wasn't a native of this pack, and I needed to earn his trust that I wasn’t a danger," she said. “But you know what happened? I ended up dead, just like so many other witches. Take Jenna, for example."

She chuckled making goosebumps stand up on my arms. I gripped the sheets, feeling my heart raced with the cold aura around her.

I furrowed my brow, my curiosity rising. “What are you talking about?”

A frown etched on her face. “My name is Esther. Jenna and I were once best friends, forced to run Asher's errands using our magic. We were warned against practicing magic openly, and if caught, we knew we would be burned alive in the center of the pack. But as the days dragged on slowly, Jenna somehow fell for Asher's charm, despite his warnings."

I gasped, “And then what happened?”

“He killed her,”

I looked at her, horrified. “What?”

The witch’s gaze turned cold, and she gave me a deathly stare, hinting at her anger for Asher.

“He killed her without remorse. And now, he's using you, just like he used us. Here…I’ll show you."

One particular vision of Asher appeared clear in my mind. I saw Asher's hands wrapped around Jenna’s neck. His eyes were so dark that it looked like I was staring into an endless hole. There was no humanity within him, and he strangled her with his bare hands.

All her pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears. I screamed, trying to break free, but the vision held me captive.

“Pl….please…..” Jenna trailed off, choking in his grasp.

When the witch, Esther, released me, I stumbled back, gasping for air. I felt an excruciating pain that lingered in my head for some time before vanishing. I slowly raised my head to meet Esther's gaze.

"Why did you show me that vision?”

Esther's expression turned warm. "To free you from Asher's grasp…from the Werewolves’ shackles. Join me on the full moon to end Asher's life. I'll protect you from him, and you will be able to start your life afresh in Silvermoon.”

I gulped softly, examining her eyes for any lies, but her expression didn't change.

“Remember, Tayla, you have a choice."

With that, she vanished, leaving me reeling. Should I trust her? No, not when she planned to kill every child in the pack in the upcoming full moon to perform the ritual that would raise her from the dead. Yet…I wondered if what I saw was actually true.

I spent the next few hours contemplating what Esther had said and the possible ramifications.

The door burst open, and Asher strode in with Nora by his side. "We're back," he announced, his scowl deepening. “We couldn't find the coffin in the house,” he spat.

I stood up from the bed, my eyes fixed on Asher. "What do you mean you couldn't find the coffin?" I demanded, my voice firm.

“It is nowhere in the house,” Nora responded. “It’s gone.”

Asher shrugged, his expression nonchalant. "Jaxon must have moved it. We need to find another way."

I paced the room, my mind racing. "We don't have much time. The ritual is just days away. We need to come up with another plan then."

Nora spoke up, her voice calm and calculated. "We need to find Jaxon and stop him. He's the key to completing the ritual."

Asher turned to leave, but I called out, "Wait." He turned back, his eyes narrowing. "What is it, Tayla?"

I took a deep breath. "Do you know of a witch named Jenna?"

Asher's expression flickered, a flash of shock followed by a scowl.

"No," he growled before turning and storming out of the room.

I sighed, my mind reeling with different thoughts. Was Esther playing with my head, or had Asher really killed Jenna? What if she was right?

I shook my head, not wanting to believe anything from Esther.

Nora approached me, her eyes filled with emotions. “Hopefully, we'll figure out an alternative way, Ms. Tayla. We just need to keep searching for a lead…or something."

But hours turned into days, and every lead took us nowhere. Jaxon had completely hidden himself from everyone. Nora had tried using her magic to track him down, but it became clear to us that he had cloaked himself from magic-locating spells. He would only show himself if he wanted to be found.

Asher's temper rose anytime I asked him about the witch, Jenna, which brought doubt to my mind that Esther's words might be true. I couldn't shake the feeling that he was hiding something. Still.

Even with Asher's persistent refusal to provide any information about Jenna, I couldn't help but try to gather any clues or hints about her background from Nora. However, she hadn't heard of any witch named Jenna…and didn’t know anyone who knew Jenna either.

Rumors spread like wildfire through the pack as children continued going missing daily. The illicit news reached the neighboring packs as well.

As time dragged on with no trace of Jaxon or any leads on the missing children, we were forced to consider an alternative plan: stopping him from completing the sinister ritual. The ritual required the blood of the innocent children of this pack, and for us to stop the ritual, we would have to hide the children on that night.

Asher and Nora devised a plan, trying to think of a way to stop Jaxon without putting the children in any harm.

If we couldn't stop the ritual on the full moon, we would have to kill Esther. Nora worked tirelessly to create a powerful magic weapon, one that could kill both Esther and Jaxon. Asher assigned roles for us during the full moon celebration when the ritual was supposed to take place: Aurelia would gather the pack's children and take them far away, while Asher would try to find and kill Jaxon. If he failed, he would use the weapon to kill Esther if she was resurrected.

I smoothed down my white corset gown, heart pounding. Tonight was the night. The celebration, and all that that entailed.

My fingers trembled as I brushed my hair, letting it fall in waves down my back. The mirror reflected my nervous anticipation.

Asher filled the doorway, his muscular frame taut with tension. His hard gaze traveled over my body, igniting a fire within me that I struggled to contain, dark and hungry.

As he drew nearer, the air between us crackled with unspoken desire. I turned to face him, my breath catching in my throat as our eyes met. The way he looked at me made me want to forgive every transgression, to lose myself in the heat of his embrace.

"You came," I whispered.

He stepped closer. "How could I stay away?"

I shouldn't want him. Not after what he'd done. But my body betrayed me, aching for his touch.

"Asher," I whispered, my voice betraying the conflict raging inside me.

His hand reached out, fingers barely grazing my bare shoulder, and I shivered with anticipation.

His hand cupped my cheek. "Tell me to leave," he murmured, "and I will."

I leaned into his palm, my resolve crumbling. "Asher, I…"

“You look beautiful in that corset,” he complimented.

We froze, eyes locked and a small smile appeared on my face that was quick to fade off.

"After tonight, I have something to tell you," he said, his voice low.

I turned to face him, my heart pounding. "What is it?”

He leaned in, his lips brushing against my bare skin, and it sent shivers down my spine.

"If we survive tonight, I will explain everything to you."

I pulled back, my eyes locked on his. "We'll survive. We have to for the pack, for our people.”

He cupped my face, his touch sending shivers down my spine. "Tell me to stop," he murmured, his breath warm against my lips.

Instead, I closed the distance.

Our lips met in a searing kiss, igniting a fire that consumed us both. His arms encircled me, pulling me flush against him as I tangled my fingers in his hair. The world fell away, leaving only the intoxicating sensation of his mouth on mine.

The kiss deepened, passionate and hungry. I tasted desire on his tongue, felt the racing of his heart echoing my own. Time seemed to slow, stretching this moment into eternity.

Just then, the door slowly opened and I saw Nora walk inside the room.

“I was able to finish the weapon for tonight,” she said, bringing out an ethereal-looking dagger from her bag.

As she approached us, the dagger in her hand flashed in the light. "This is the only weapon capable of killing her," she explained, her voice low and urgent. "Forged from a rare metal infused with the blood of two powerful witches, it's our only hope."

I took the dagger, feeling its weight and balance. The intricate carvings of moon phases and symbols etched into the blade seemed to shimmer in the light. "What's the significance of these markings?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

"Alpha Asher's innate connection to the moon makes him the only one who can kill Esther after her resurrection," she replied, her eyes serious. "But be warned, we don't know how much power she'll possess once she has risen."

I glanced out the window, seeing the moon still hidden behind clouds. "We need to leave now," I said, feeling a sense of urgency.

Asher offered his hand, and I placed mine in his. I felt my heart racing in my chest.

We walked out of the room side by side, ready to face whatever lay ahead.

Despite the reason for my leaving the tower that night, it was good to be outside once more. We went through the deserted road in the carriage in silence. I thought I was nervous before, but as the carriage got closer and closer, I could feel my fear and anxiety growing.

I looked through the carriage window in hopes of soothing my fears.

I recalled the words my father often spoke to me when I was afraid.

"Fear is just a shadow; believe in yourself, and you'll overcome anything that stands in your way." I took a deep breath, feeling a sense of calm wash over me.

When we arrived at the town hall, Asher pulled me into a corner, his hands gentle on my waist. "Whatever happens tonight—" he began.

But before he could finish, I cut him off.

"Don't. We are going to overcome this together,” I assured.

Asher's lips brushed against my forehead in a gentle kiss. He pulled back before capturing my lips in his mouth as he kissed me. His hands slowly moved to my waist, and we danced a little under the chandelier light. My heart felt heavy at the thought of what could happen tonight.

What if this was our last night together? What if Asher didn't survive? Or what if Esther turned out to be more powerful than we thought?

We heard the sound of wolves howling, which signaled the full moon, and I turned to him, my eyes locked on his. "We need to stay put; Jaxon could be anywhere, waiting for his chance to strike."

He nodded in agreement.

The howling grew louder and more intense, and I felt a shiver run through my back.

“You should go check on Aurelia and help her if needed,” he said, releasing my hand.

I hurried out of the hall, my heart racing, and when I reached outside, I turned around to glance at Asher before tearing my gaze from him.

The moon had turned full and bright, casting an eerie glow over the grass surrounding the castle.

I sniffed the air, my senses on high alert, and picked up Aurelia's scent. Following it, I came across the carriage cart loading the children in. Aurelia approached me, her expression serious, her eyes darting around the surroundings.

"How's the evacuation going?" I asked, my voice low and urgent.

"I've managed to gather the children into two carts. We're leaving right now," she replied, her voice tight with tension. “Wish us luck.”

“Safe travels,” I said as the horses began to gallop quickly away from us—hopefully to safety. I started heading back into the main hall to tell Asher when a loud crash suddenly echoed through the night. I spun around to see the carriages tumbling away from the road and down to the forest. I felt my heart sink into my stomach and hurried toward it, my senses screaming danger.

As I reached the wreckage, I saw Aurelia crawling out, her face pale, her eyes wide with fear. There was blood dripping from her nose. "What happened?" I demanded, my voice sharp.

“Some...someone knocked over the carriages," she stammered, her eyes fixed on the figure in the distance.

My head snapped toward the man dressed in black, and I sniffed the air, my instincts on high alert. He was no wolf—he was a witch. Our eyes met, and he smirked, sending a chill down my spine. Was this his plan all along? Oh god, we had played into a plan to get the children all together…in one place.

"Jaxon," I spat, my voice low and menacing.

Aurelia's eyes met mine, and I yelled, "Run!"