I should have known better than to trust a witch. Especially one who'd tried to break my mate bond with Liam. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and with half my pack still trapped in a parallel dimension, I was pretty damn desperate.
The abandoned warehouse loomed before me, its broken windows like jagged teeth in the moonlight. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come. The witch's message had been clear: come alone, or don't come at all.
"This is a terrible idea," Liam's voice echoed in my head. He wasn't wrong, but I'd left him behind anyway. Some risks an Alpha had to take alone.
I pushed open the rusty door, wincing at the screech of metal. The interior was pitch black, but my enhanced senses picked up the faint scent of herbs and... something else. Something old and powerful.
"Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing in the empty space. "I'm here, just like you asked."
Silence. Then, a soft chuckle from the darkness. "My, my. The great Alpha Skye, walking willingly into a trap. I must say, I'm impressed."
I spun around, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice. "I'm not here to play games. You said you had information about the curse. About how to save my pack."
"Indeed I do." A flash of light momentarily blinded me. When my vision cleared, the witch stood before me, looking exactly as she had the day she'd tried to break my mate bond. Ageless, beautiful, and utterly dangerous.
"Before we begin," she said, a sly smile playing on her lips, "I have a question for you, Alpha. How far are you willing to go to save your pack?"
I met her gaze steadily. "As far as I have to."
She nodded, as if I'd confirmed something for her. "Good. Because what I'm about to tell you... it will change everything."
The witch began to pace, her long dress sweeping the dusty floor. "The curse affecting your pack, the one turning them human... it's not new. In fact, it's ancient. As old as werewolves themselves."
I frowned. "That's impossible. We would have known about it."
She laughed, the sound sharp and humorless. "Oh, you did know. Or rather, your ancestors did. They just chose to forget."
My head spun with questions, but I forced myself to stay focused. "What do you mean?"
The witch stopped pacing, fixing me with an intense stare. "Tell me, Skye. What do you know about the origin of werewolves?"
I thought back to the stories I'd been told as a pup. "We were created by the moon goddess, blessed with the ability to shift between human and wolf form."
She scoffed. "A pretty tale, but far from the truth. The first werewolves weren't created, Skye. They chose their fate."
The witch's words echoed what Liam had told me about his time in the fae prison. My unease grew. "Go on," I said cautiously.
"Centuries ago, a group of powerful shapeshifters grew tired of their ever-changing forms. They sought stability, a way to harness their power into something more... focused." She paused, letting her words sink in. "They found it in the moon."
I struggled to wrap my mind around what she was saying. "So the first werewolves..."
"Bound themselves to the moon, yes. Sacrificing their ability to take on multiple forms in exchange for the power and community of the pack." The witch's eyes gleamed. "But there was a catch. A failsafe, if you will."
My heart raced. "The curse."
She nodded. "Precisely. If a pack strayed too far from their purpose, if they abused their power or forgot their origins, the curse would activate. Slowly stripping away their wolf nature, returning them to their human roots."
The implications hit me like a physical blow. "Are you saying my pack... we've somehow triggered this curse?"
The witch shrugged. "Perhaps. Or perhaps someone has purposely activated it."
My mind raced. Could one of our enemies have found a way to trigger this ancient curse? Or was it something we'd done ourselves, unknowingly?
"How do we stop it?" I demanded. "How do we break the curse?"
The witch's smile turned predatory. "Ah, now we come to it. The real reason I called you here."
She stepped closer, and I fought the urge to back away. "Breaking the curse isn't easy, Skye. It requires a sacrifice. A big one."
I swallowed hard. "What kind of sacrifice?"
"To break the curse and save your pack, you must give up your Alpha spark. Voluntarily. Permanently."
The world seemed to tilt on its axis. Give up my Alpha spark? The very thing that made me who I was? That connected me to my pack?
"That's... that's not possible," I stammered. "An Alpha can't just give up their spark."
The witch raised an eyebrow. "Oh, but they can. It's been done before. Rarely, and always at great cost. But it is possible."
I shook my head, trying to clear it. "Even if I believed you, why would you tell me this? What's in it for you?"
Her expression turned serious. "Because, Skye, the balance of the supernatural world is at stake. The curse spreading to other packs, other species... it would be catastrophic."
I sensed there was more she wasn't telling me, but before I could press her, a howl pierced the night. A howl I knew all too well.
Liam.
The witch's eyes widened. "You were followed?"
"No, I-" I began, but another howl cut me off. This one filled with pain.
Without thinking, I turned and ran towards the door. Liam was in trouble. He needed me.
"Wait!" the witch called after me. "You don't understand. If you leave now-"
But I was already out the door, shifting mid-stride into my wolf form. As I raced towards the sound of Liam's howls, the witch's words echoed in my mind.
Give up my Alpha spark. Sacrifice everything I was to save my pack.
Could I do it? And more importantly, would I even get the chance?
Because as I ran, a new scent hit me. One that made my blood run cold.
Hunters. And they had Liam.
I pushed myself faster, praying I wasn't too late. Whatever game the witch was playing, whatever truth she was hiding, it would have to wait.
Right now, my mate needed me.
And I'd be damned if I let anyone take him from me again.