23. Tayla

Chapter twenty-three

Tayla

As I watched Esther drop Jaxon's limp body to the ground, I slowly took a step backward, my mind racing with disbelief.

"This is your last chance to join me, Tayla, to fight Asher once and for all," Esther said, taking one step closer, her voice low and menacing.

"He is slowly changing into a better man," I said, trying to reason with her, my voice shaking slightly. "You don't have to take things this way, please," I pleaded, trying to appeal to whatever humanity was left in her.

"Then you will have to die," she said, her eyes glinting with sinister intention.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they had turned black as coal.

Nora took a step forward, and she stretched her hands towards Esther while chanting her own spell. “By the power in me and my sisters…” she began to chant. But Esther began to speak in a strange language then, and I caught sight of a ball of black energy that shot out of Esther's palm towards Nora.

Nora tried to defend herself with the spell but Esther overpowered her with her magic. She fell to the ground, her nose and ears bleeding. I hurried to Nora’s side.

“What have you done to her?” I yelled, snapping my vision to Esther.

“I did a draining spell that siphoned her magic, leaving her weak and useless,” Esther smirked.

Nora fell to the ground. Before I could open my mouth to speak up, I felt my body pulling toward Esther as if by an unseen force. I tried to fight back, holding my ground and not allowing myself to be pulled toward her, but her magic overpowered me.

She grabbed my neck before leaning closer to me, her grip rough.

"I thought you wouldn't be as foolish as the others," she whispered, her breath cold against my ear. "But guess I was wrong." Her voice dripped with anger and rage. "You are just like him . Weak and pathetic."

Just as I thought this would be the end of me, I heard a voice speak up, firm and commanding. "Let her go!"

My eyes slowly moved to Asher, and I felt my heart skip a beat as he emerged from the shadows, his eyes blazing with fury. I breathed out in relief, my heart beat calming down.

“Ah, Asher! Always the hero intervening,” she smirked.

“Let go of my mate and face me instead. We should end this here and now,” he took a bold step closer, his eyes changing into the color of a wolf's. I could feel the cold aura emerging from him. It made me feel relieved that he was going to protect me—at any cost.

"You think you are strong enough to protect her?" Esther sneered, her eyes fixed on Asher. Her fingernails slowly began digging into my skin, and I could feel my skin tearing open.

"And I will do whatever it takes to make sure my mate is safe," Asher growled, his voice low and menacing.

In an instant, I kicked her from behind me, and she released my neck. I stumbled away, my hands not leaving my neck, feeling the warmth of my blood seeping through my fingers.

Esther sneered at Asher, taking a step forward, her eyes flashing with anger. "You think you can defeat me just like you did the last time? I have been waiting for this moment for years now."

As Asher charged forward, he shifted into his wolf form before plunging himself toward her. The two of them engaged in a fierce fight, their snarls and growls filling the air.

I hurried to Nora's side, my heart still racing with fear, and called out to her, "Nora!" But she didn't respond. Her nose was still bleeding…her body was motionless.

I knew I had to act fast, or Nora would die here. I scanned my surroundings, searching for anything that could help. And that was when I caught sight of the witch book Nora had brought along with her.

Without hesitation, I grabbed the book from the ground and opened it. As I flipped through the pages, I saw writings of ancient spells and incantations.

I fell on my knees and began to read, my eyes burning with tears as I thought of what could happen if this didn't work. But it was the only way, and I needed to try.

As I read the words, it seemed to start working somehow. I caught sight of Nora's body stirring, her fingertips wiggling, and a glimpse of hope rose within me. She sneezed before jolting straight up and began to cough.

“Ohh,” I said, bringing my hand to my chest as I exhaled in relief. “Thank God you are alive.”

“What happened?” Nora asked with a confused expression.

“E… Esther…she's getting the upper hand,” I stammered, slowly turning to see Asher growl at Esther.

Before he could bite her with his fangs, she grabbed him by his neck. Her eyes blazing with anger as she glared at him, slamming him into a table.

“I have always wanted to see you mortal and strip your wolf out of you,” Esther said. “And now, after all these years, I finally get the chance.”

Asher struggled, trying to escape from her grasp, but her hold tightened. She began to chant her spells, her words slowly working.

I watched with terror as Asher's wolf began to change. His muscles were becoming weak, and his eyes looked empty.

I turned to Nora, who still looked weak on the ground and was trying to process everything. Without wasting any time, I hurried to Esther, my hands shifting into my wolf claws, and I gave her a brutal slash to her face. She fell to the ground instantly and when she raised her head up, she saw me. I wasn't fully in my human form or wolf form, but somewhere in between.

My hands were now clawed, and my face had elongated in a wolf's snout. I stared at her, telling her to back off.

“I gave you the chance to work with me, Tayla, but now you would die alongside your mate,” Esther snarled.

I would make her pay for the death of the children and for hurting those I loved and cared for.

As she stood up, I launched myself at her, and we clashed in a fierce fight. She threw a punch across my face, and I stumbled back before grabbing her neck viciously. I threw her to the ground and slashed her thigh. She smirked at me before getting back on her feet.

I saw Asher was now laying on the ground naked and vulnerable. He looked injured. What I did not know was if he still had his wolf or if she had stripped it from him.

As I returned my gaze back to Esther, the sly smile on her face widened, and I felt my body being pulled toward her again. I tried to fight back, but she chanted a spell under her breath with her hands pointing at my body…and it just…listened.

“You will die by your own blood,” she cursed.

As she dropped her hands down, I stumbled back, feeling all the blood in my body rise up to my throat. I choked, gasping for air. Blood gushed out of my nose and mouth. I fell on my knees, unable to breathe as I held my neck. Dear God, I was suffocating.

My eyes burned with tears and blood running down my cheeks, and my vision slowly started blurring. When I thought this was the end of my life, I saw Asher from the corner of my eyes running toward Esther with the dagger Nora gave to him.

“Ahh! No!” Esther screamed as he plunged the dagger into her heaving chest.

She fell to her knees, her eyes widening in disbelief as she looked down at the dagger sticking out from her chest. She tried to pull it out, but the dagger caught fire, and she began to burn. The scent of burning flesh filled the air. She collapsed to the ground as the fire spread all over her body, consuming her.

I smiled weakly, my body failing me, but I saw that Asher had emerged victorious against the witch. Nora ran toward me with the spell book in her hands and tried to hold me down but my body gave into the world of darkness.

When I opened my eyes, I groaned. Just as I moved my body a bit, I winced at the pain. My body felt overworked and exhausted. Everything hurt, especially my throat. It even hurt to swallow my own saliva.

I heard hazy voices around me and footsteps pacing back and forth, though I couldn’t exactly understand everything that was going on. My brain felt fuzzy.

“This was all my fault,” I recognized the voice…it was Asher. “If I had done something meaningful earlier to stop the witch, this wouldn't have happened.”

“Alpha Asher, you have to calm down—” someone else said. But who?

“Don't tell me to calm down when these children are all dead!” He yelled at the person. “Their parents will come out from the celebration and blame me for the death of their children. And it is my fault…”

“I will find a way,” Nora assured.

“You have been chanting this spell for more than an hour now, and nothing has happened,” he said. “And Tayla—”

I moved a little at the sound of my name. I needed to get up…wake up…

“She will be fine.”

“As…. Asher,” I spoke out, my voice barely above a whisper. Asher and Nora turned their heads towards me in shock. He looked at me for a moment, completely dumbfounded.

“Oh, Ms. Tayla,” Nora cried out. “You are alive!”

Asher hurried to me, wrapping his arms around my body and sniffing my scent. He hugged me so tight it was as if he hadn't seen me in decades. My eyes softened as he slowly pulled back.

“What is happening?” I asked.

“Nora has been trying to bring the children back to life, but—”

“I did it!” I heard her voice filled with excited disbelief and slowly turned to her, seeing her chant. One of the children coughed, and another slowly stood up.

“It's working.”

The children slowly stood up on their feet, somewhat groggy. I made my way, with Asher’s help, to Aurelia, who was lying cold on the ground, lifeless.

“I tried, but she was already dead,” Nora said in a calm voice.

I slowly nodded my head, sniffing the tears back as I closed her eyes. My gaze returned to the children, and I saw how happy, yet sleepy, they looked as they reunited with their families. droves of people emerged from the ceremony. Asher had a lot of explaining to do.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what came next.

“Thank you so much, Tayla,” one of the parents said in tears, taking my hand.

“You shouldn't thank me. Thank Asher instead,” I muttered.

The woman slowly turned her gaze to Asher, and he nodded.

“I'm glad everyone is fine, and the children are well, considering,” he said to the woman.

“Thank you,” the woman said as she slowly stood up.

Asher then turned to face me.

“You did it,” I smiled. “You saved your pack.”

"You fought by my side," he said softly.

Silence fell as the last of the children left with their parents. We stood alone.

His hand reached up, thumb gently wiping away my tears. A question nagged at me: Were the children truly safe? Would Esther return?

My stomach fluttered as his fingers trailed across my skin. I leaned in, pressing my lips to his.

Asher kissed me back, capturing my mouth. My arms wrapped around his shoulders as I melted into him.

This was it. No more running. Asher was becoming the man I knew he could be.

My mate. My future.

When our kiss deepened, I tangled my fingers in his hair. He pulled back.

"I love you so much, Tayla," he breathed.

"I love you too."

"But... I need to tell you something." He helped me to my feet, expression uneasy. "Follow me."

We entered the empty celebration hall. My confusion grew.

"What is it, Asher?"

He hesitated, avoiding my gaze.

"Asher. Talk to me."

"Long ago... a witch named Jenna fell in love with me."

My heart clenched. "And?"

"I... I killed her."

The words hit like a physical blow. I stumbled back. "You... what?"

Asher reached for my hand, his eyes pleading. "Tayla, please. I know I've done terrible things. You don't deserve the pain I've caused."

I stared at him, torn between love and horror.

What now?

I pulled my hand away from him, my mind brewing with anger. “Why did you kill her?”

His face twisted in sadness. “I wanted to show the witches that I was the Alpha and that no one could control me.”

I turned away, my heart heavy with anger. “I cannot spend another moment with you right now. I need to be somewhere else….to cool my mind.”

“Tayla,” he called out. I refused to turn around and look him in the eyes, though. I walked away without looking back.