44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

-Naomi-

I t was challenging serving breakfast, especially with the sudden sight of the love-struck couple clinging to each other. This time, Reese barely acknowledged me, appearing completely enamored with Rosa. This only confirmed that something very strange was amiss. His parents and friends didn’t seem to notice anything unusual, but they were unaware of the promise he made to me. I tried to ignore the pain of seeing them together and the pressing need to unravel this mystery until I was finally off from work. Contemplating confronting Reese, I hesitated, realizing that if something peculiar was at play, questioning him might lead to an argument I wasn’t prepared to handle. I had to tread carefully.

Instead of seeking out Reese, I decided to approach the older Alpha. With caution, I knocked on his bedroom door, where I had seen him retreat earlier. He answered, his clothes slightly disheveled, clearly indicating I had interrupted something.

“Sorry, I-I can come back,” I offered.

“No, what’s going on, Naomi?” he inquired, surprisingly open to conversation.

“Could I ask a favor?” I ventured.

“A favor?”

“The witch you hired to interrogate me. Could you summon her here?”

He looked puzzled. “Why would I do that?” His tone carried a hint of accusation, but then his mate appeared in the doorway.

“What’s happening?” she asked.

“Naomi is requesting that I call back the witch who assisted us,” he explained.

“Why?”

“That’s what I want to know as well.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, uncertain about what I should reveal.

“Naomi, is something wrong?” she probed.

“I… don’t know,” I confessed. “And I’m not even sure if you’ll believe me.”

“Try us,” she encouraged.

Glancing over my shoulder with a hint of fear, I stepped closer to them.

“Reese promised me last night that he wanted me and only me,” I disclosed, noting the shocked expressions on their faces. “He said his connection to Rosa had ceased.”

“But they seemed so—”

“That’s what’s strange!” I interjected, halting the Alpha from speaking further. “He went to her early this morning to end it, that’s what he told me.”

“Maybe he had a change of heart,” his father suggested.

I felt a surge of anger as he said it, meeting his eyes, something I shouldn’t have been capable of. He seemed taken aback by it.

“You were quick to accuse me of witchcraft when Reese explained his odd behavior toward me, but you won’t even consider the possibility that Rosa might be involved?” I challenged.

“She is a—”

“She’s the Luna of a former enemy pack. Isn’t that suspicious?” I pressed, and the couple exchanged uncertain glances.

However, his mate gripped his shirt, nodding. “We should reach out to her. What if Naomi wasn’t the one we should have been investigating, but Rosa?”

I couldn’t help but rub the spot where I still bore the mark that prevented any magic use by me or others. I could still feel the burn, and the thought of a spell being used on Reese unsettled me, but there might be no other option.

“Very well,” the Alpha conceded, “but for a meeting, not to confront Reese immediately.”

I nodded, accepting his terms, and he promptly left to make the call.

The following day, we gathered—myself, the former Luna and Alpha, and a few of his most trusted men. The witch arrived, Reese still asleep, and she gave me that smug look again.

“Still dabbling in magic?” she taunted, and I instinctively touched the mark.

“I can’t.”

“No, you can’t,” she teased, advancing, her heels clicking against the floor, and her focus was on the Alpha. “Yet you’re still concerned someone is manipulating your son.”

The Alpha took a deep breath, then glanced at me. “Tell her.”

The witch turned her attention to me, and I met her gaze. “Reese claimed his connection to Rosa had changed. He swore to me he wanted only me and intended to end it.”

“A mate bond doesn’t just diminish because another becomes more dominant. If he has two mates, they should match in power.”

“That’s what he told me. He said his experiences with me were stronger.”

“I detect no deception,” the Alpha stated. “And with the mark on her, she can’t use magic to deceive my senses.”

“No, I don’t believe she’s lying either,” the witch concurred. “But you know what’s happening, don’t you?”

“It means we’ve been infiltrated, and my son is under the other pack’s influence.”

“We can’t confront him directly, and if we bring him here, he might sense something is amiss immediately. I don’t know the extent of this magic or how it’s affecting him. I might not be able to help him before he retaliates,” the witch explained.

“Then what’s our course of action?” the Luna inquired.

The witch began pacing back and forth before her gaze suddenly fixed on me, causing everyone to turn in my direction. I stepped back, feeling bewildered by the sudden attention.

“What?” I asked.

“What if it’s true?” the witch inquired.

“What?”

“That maybe you and Reese were true mates all along, but because of what Rosa has done, you couldn’t fully claim each other. It would explain everything,” she speculated.

“How so?” his father queried.

“Because nothing can ever be powerful enough to completely block a true bond. It explains why Reese was always drawn to her, and why over time that attraction intensified, overshadowing the magic Rosa used on him,” she explained.

“But now he’s back in her embrace,” his mother remarked.

“She must have found a different spell or potion to reinforce the false bond,” the witch revealed. “We’re dealing with very potent forces here.”

“Then what should we do?” the Alpha asked.

“We need to utilize something even more potent,” the witch declared.

She pointed to me. “You.”

“Me?” I responded, surprised.

“Yes, you. You might be the only one strong enough to reach him.”

“How? He initially thought I used witchcraft,” I pointed out.

The witch paused for a moment, then glanced at the spot where she had marked me before meeting my eyes.

“You need to claim him, mark him,” she clarified.

“Will that make a difference?”

“The mark is a powerful tool. It should help him regain his awareness and recognize who he truly belongs to,” she explained.

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Then my brand should protect you. I’ll remove it if it doesn’t work,” she assured me.

I sighed, feeling uncertain, but then I turned to his parents, seeing the concern for their son in their eyes. I knew I couldn’t back out. I had to help him.

“What’s the plan?” I asked determinedly.