Chapter 28

Sophia

I had expected that I would run into Noah once again at some point in my life.

His ambition is much like that of his father's, but as I look at the writhing man in front of me, his eyes hazy with pain, his fingers digging into the sides of the bed as he makes garbled sounds , I feel nothing but pity.

This was the man who bullied me as a child and then tried to manipulate and trick me into mating him. Noah and Robert have caused me so much pain that letting Noah live seems like a mistake, but I also cannot let Tina die. After all, she is Elsa's only child.

It won't take that much time to remove the tendrils of dark magic from Noah's wound, but as I'm about to begin, Elsa stops me.

"Wait!"

I'm taken aback. "What is it?"

"What are you doing?" Tina asks, panicked.

Elsa shakes her head. "Not like this, Tina. I do love you, and I know that Sophia is doing this for me, but I can't let you do this when both you and Noah are only going to go after her again once he's recovered."

"We won't!" Tina insists. "We'll go somewhere far away."

Elsa shakes her head. "You say that. But will Noah go with you? What if he decides to go after Sophia again?"

Tina's silence is all the answer I need. I pull away my hand, but Noah grabs it. His eyes meet mine, a vicious agony in them. He's trying to say something. His lips are moving, but his tongue is too swollen to form the words properly.

However, he doesn't give up, his hold on my hand tight to the point of being painful. "I-I -I wun-won't!"

I look at him and then back at Tina. "Are you willing to swear a blood debt to me? You will never enter the South Alliance. You will never interfere in the affairs of any of the three alliances. Can you promise me that in the form of a blood debt?"

Tina nods her head, fiercely. "Yes. I'll take Noah, and we'll go somewhere far away. You will never see us again."

Noah also manages to nod.

I looked toward Elsa. I don't know much about blood debts aside from what Alex and Logan told me. "Is that enough? If they simply say so?"

Else understands what I'm trying to ask. "Yes. They just have to say it verbally. The blood debt will now be in effect the minute you remove the dark magic from him and save his life."

The power of words can be incredible.

Deciding to take Elsa's word for it, I begin the process of removing the dark magic. But as I do, I sense something else within Noah. His wolf. It's not reacting like it should.

I don't know what it means, so I keep going. However, at some point, I find myself stopping and looking at Tina. "How long ago did Karina do this?"

"She reached out to Noah a week after the banquet. Why?"

My brows furrow together. "I…There's something wrong with his wolf. It's weaker than it should be. I have a hard time trying to sense it."

It's almost as if Noah's wolf is dying.

My unspoken words reach Tina, and her eyes widen, "That's not…it can't be. If Noah's wolf dies, he won't survive. That can't happen. You're wrong! You're trying to kill his wolf, aren't you?"

Her explosion startles me and she shoves me back, standing protectively over Noah. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you. You just want to get back at him for what he did to you. I won't let you…"

Elsa grabs her daughter by the arm and pushes her aside before putting her own hands on Noah's chest. She closes her eyes and after a couple of minutes, she looks up with a heavy sigh. "Sophia hasn't done anything. Karina did. Noah's wolf is indeed dying. The only reason it's still alive is because of your mate bond. And if you don't trust me, you can ask Marlene. I can bring her in here. She doesn't even know you. She has no reason to lie to you."

Tina looks at the two of us, finally realizing we aren't lying to her. Her hands tremble. "Why?"

"The dark magic that Karina used was probably always intended to kill Noah's wolf," Elsa tries to explain to her daughter, her voice weary. "It is a painful process. She might not have realized that your mate bond would keep his wolf alive."

I study Tina. "Why weren't you able to figure this out? I thought you could do both dark and light magic."

Elsa startles. "What? You've been practicing dark magic?"

I look at Elsa. "You didn't know she could practice dark magic?"

The older witch looks confused. "Any witch can practice the dark arts, but over time, you lose the ability to practice what we call ‘nature magic'."

"I never lost that ability," Tina mutters. "And I don't know. I've been running around trying to save him. And it's not like his wolf began to die immediately after he was cursed. When I checked him, he had been fine."

Elsa looks stunned and then sorrow fills her eyes. "The child of a shifter and a witch is an abnormality. I blame myself for the number of ways your soul is torn."

I'm about to tell her that her words are a little harsh, but Tina just shrugs. "I don't mind being different. But I can't save Noah. What use isit, being able to practice both kinds of magic, when I cannot even save my own mate?"

Her voice is filled with frustration.

"I can get rid of the dark magic," I tell her. "But I can't save his wolf. I don't know how to do that. I'm sorry, Tina."

"Nobody can do that. The damage to Noah's wolf is too grave," Elsa informs her daughter, sympathy in her voice. "It won't hinder him much in life, but there's a chance that he might never be able to shift again."

Tina's eyes turn glassy and she looks toward her mate. Sinking her teeth into her lower lip in an attempt to control her tears, she whispers, "I don't care whether he has his wolf or not. As long as he's by my side, nothing matters to me. Please save him."

I exchange a look with Elsa before returning to Noah's side. He has been oddly silent throughout this conversation, and when I glance at his eyes during the removal process, they look resigned. He probably already suspected something like this. After all, his wolf is a part of him. He would have sensed when things started going wrong.

I catch him glancing at Tina with guilt in his eyes, and I sigh internally. I don't want to feel bad for the two of them, but I can't help it.

When I'm done, I step back. "He should be fine by tonight. But there is something I want to ask him. During the banquet, why was my mother sharing her powers with him? I thought she had already been doing that with Robert?"

"I can answer that." Tina sits down by her mate's bedside. Noah is unconscious now, but his body is no longer twitching from the pain.

"We stumbled upon your mother a long time ago. We were still young. Noah didn't realize what she was, till he overheard his father discussing the Silver Wolf. Robert did not discover that Noah had stumbled upon his little secret till Noah managed to understand how much power your mother could give him. He began to threaten her. He would tell her things about you, and she believed him. He soon began to tell her that he would hurt you if she didn't give him the same power as she was giving his father."

Elsa makes a choking sound. "That's why Grace became so weak. The Silver Wolf is not meant to share power with anyone beyond her mate. It would already have been hard enough to share her powers with Robert, but Noah was an additional strain."

Tina doesn't respond. There's not even an apology on her lips, not that I would believe her even if she did.

"Robert found out about our visits, and that's when he relocated your mother. By that time, Noah had begun looking at you already."

"What about my father?" I look at the two of them. "You must know something about how he ended up with the dark witches."

"I don't know anything about that. But I do know that there was a coven of dark witches that Robert had wanted to hide very desperately. Noah began noticing the inconsistencies in the map. That's when we found out about Robert having changed the entire map of his territory. But we never went to the witch coven. I learned dark magic from a coven of traveling witches. They wanted me to join them, but Noah was against it."

I let out along breath. "All right. Once Noah has recovered, I want you two to leave. You are exiled from the South Alliance."

Tina just nods.

Elsa glances at me, but doesn't oppose my decision.

When I leave the room, she follows me out.

Alex's hometown is a desolate place with very strong traces of dark magic. I look around, tired.

"I talked to Aunt Marlene," Elsa suddenly says.

I give her a questioning look.

"You were already planning to exile Tina and Noah from the South Alliance. I asked her if she knew of a place they could go."

I turn around to face Elsa fully. "Are you upset with my decision?"

Elsa takes time to reply. "My daughter is going through a tough time in her life. The idea of sending them somewhere far off doesn't sit well with me. But I don't disagree with your decision, Sophia. I know what Tina is capable of. I know what she has done to you. The fact that you went so far as saving Noah's life is a testament to your good heart. Many wouldn't even have done this for her. No. You made the right choice. I just can't help worrying about her since I'm her mother."

"What did Marlene say?"

"She said that she would take in Tina and Noah if they were willing. They both need discipline and Marlene is good at providing that. I haven't talked to Tina yet, but I will. Perhaps my aunt is the best person for them to live with. With Noah's wolf fading away, he will be forced to face a lot of changes. He might be able to turn his entire life around. I want to believe that. I want to believe that there's room for redemption in both their hearts."

I give her a small smile. "For your sake, I hope you're right."

*****

We're only staying in Alex's hometown for a few days till my mother and father wake up. It's been a week and there is no sign of them waking. Marlene is monitoring them and is hopeful that they will wake up soon.

Dorian offered to let us stay with him, but I could sense that Alex wanted to stay here. It wasn't just Alex. His people had also expressed a desire to live in the home they once knew.

Alex has been spending a lot of time in his childhood home. He's been clearing it out. I've tried to help him, but he knows I'm busy, so he always turns me down. At least, that's the excuse he gives me.

The house is large and badly damaged. I understand that he has memories here, but fixing it doesn't seem very feasible. But then, I've never really had an attachment to any particular place.

He's refloored his parents' bedroom floor, fixed the broken bed, andtouched up the damaged furniture. He's also been clearing up hisown childhood bedroom where I've been staying with him.

This is important to him. I can tell. I want to support him, but I wish I could understand his reasoning. But he doesn't want to talk about it. He doesn't want to talk about what Karina said to him or his time in the cage. It worries me seeing him holding everything inside.

I walk inside the house and realize that the door is swinging properly. Until last night, it would fall off its hinges. My parents are in the guest bedroom on the first floor, but I can't find Alex anywhere. It's getting dark outside, and my heart feels a little uneasy. Ever since we were separated, I like to know where he's at all times. I know this is going to become a problem later on, but for now, he doesn't seem to mind and that makes me feel better.

"Alex?" I call out for him, but there's no response. I walk to the back of the house where there's a dead stretch of land. I want to call it a large yard, but I don't know if that's the right word for it. There are dead trees everywhere, and the back of the house is creepy beyond measure.

Alex spends a lot of time here and refuses to tell me why.

He's not told me much about the house either. Patrick and the others have held their tongues as well. All Alex told me was that we could stay here and that he would fix up the house.

Walking out, I see him standing by a bench.

"Alex?"

He nearly jumps on hearing my voice.

"Is everything okay?" I ask upon seeing the lost look in his eyes.

"Yes," he lies.

I come to stand beside him and look down at the bench. "Is there something special about this place?"

I finally decide to ask him without waiting for him to open up to me. "You've been spending a lot of time here."

He sits down on the bench, looking around, and in this moment, he looks more like a young boy than he does an Alpha. "Do you know the garden I told you about, the one my parents planted when I was born? The one from my dream where I saw my parents?"

I nod.

"Well, this is what's left of it." He gestures around with his arms.

I look at the wasted land and regret fills me at having asked.

"Close your eyes," Alex says, taking my hand and pulling me into his lap. When I do, he sighs. "Imagine this place filled with thick trees that provide shade, flowers blooming in every direction, a garden so well maintained that it was theenvy of all those who had the privilege of seeing it. My mother was always out here. Karina knew how much this place meant to her, though I don't know how. Maybe my mother mentioned it on their first meeting. Maybe somebody else mentioned it. But she decided to destroy it all."

His tone is dull, and my heart breaks.

"My uncle died there." He points at a spot a few feet away from us. "He was trying to protect me."

Alex has already told me about what Karina said to him about her revenge against his father.

"I feel sorry for her at times," Alex murmurs. "And then there are times when I want to torture Karina, and I hate the fact that I killed her so painlessly."

His words have me looking back at him.

"What was done to her was wrong," I begin, leaning against him. "But she became a kind of monster similar to her stepfather. She chose a path of ugliness and hatred and blood. I can feel sorry for the girl she was, but I cannot feel sorry for the woman she became. In her greed to control everything, she ended up almost wiping out her everyone's existence, and I will make sure she's never remembered by name."

Alex is quiet at my promise and then asks, seemingly wanting to change the subject. "How was your meeting with Dorian the other day?"

"You mean this morning?" I ask, amused.

He sighs. "Sorry. My head's not all here."

I can tell, but I just kiss his jaw.

"Dorian and the other Alphas want me to take over leadership of the North Alliance. But I'm already the leader of the South Alliance. How do they think that's supposed to work?"

"Merging the two alliances?" Alex suggests.

They don't want that. They want me to walk away from the South and focus on the North. I wish you would join in on these meetings, Alex."

"Brian is there with you," my mate reassures me. "Besides, I have my hands full with the Cross River Wolf Pack. They've not exactly taken their downfall from power that well. Marlene and the other witches are trying to sort out the mess that Karina has created of the witch covens in the North."

He's not given me an update on the situation since two days ago, and I study him. "What happened?"

I never knew that once a battle ended, there was so much left to do, so many loose ends, so many matters to sort through.

"Somebody needs to send your grandfather back to the Central Alliance. He's insistent on getting involved with everything, and it's a headache. He's demanding to kill every dark witch."

"I'll have to agree with him there," I point out.

"If it was that easy, sure." Alex sighs. "But a lot of the younger witches were forced into learning the dark arts. For them, it was not a choice. Marlene has suggested taking those with her who are willing to change and relearn the roots of the magic."

"Did you find out how Karina was able to convince all witches to swear their loyalty to her?" I ask, curious. "How did she get access to so many dark witches?"

Alex doesn't look happy. "Karina's nanny was a dark witch. I don't know how that happened, but when she was born, this witch was the one who delivered her, and she had been by Karina's side since she was a child. She was the one who introduced Karina to dark magic and her own coven. The prophecies Karina received were from those dark witches. Karina has been around magic for a long time. A year before Karina had her stepfather murder her mother, she got back in touch with those dark witches."

I ponder over his words. If dark witches had been guiding Karina, I'm sure they would have shown her the path of the most bloodshed.

"Karina had the help of the dark witches in capturing the first witch coven in the North. She started with the weaker ones, captured them, and then forced them to swear their loyalty to her. Those that didn't were tortured. The younger witches were forced to learn the dark arts. I'm sorting through it and Marlene is helping me. Can't just throw everyone on the chopping block, now can I?"

I silently agree.

"It's getting dark," Alex looks at the sky. "Let's head inside. You can tell me how it went with Noah and Tina today."

I get up and hold out my hand to him, pulling him up.

As we begin walking, I ask, "What do you want to do, Alex? If you want, we can restore this piece of land. If you want to return and live here…"

My mate smiles down at me, tenderly. "The fact that you would even ask it is enough for me. This place is not inhabitable. Marlene told me that the soil has been imbued with dark magic for far too long. It can never be removed. Nothing can thrive here. Karina probably wanted to destroy the land on which my parents fell in love and lived their lives. She succeeded. I just have to accept that. Now, come on. I'll cook us dinner."

"You go ahead," I murmur as an idea sparks in my head. "I'll catch up."

Alex shoots me a strange look but leaves. Alone, I look around and then walk over to a long-dead tree. Planting my hand on its trunk, I release a sliver of healing magic.

Nothing happens.

I pour in more magic.

Everything is still, and then the branch before me shakes. It's a slight movement, but then a single, new leaf grows on the edge of the branch.

I stare at it before smiling.

Whistling a soft tune to myself, I turn around and walk back inside.

Nothing is impossible.