Chereads / Fated to a human / Chapter 43 - Chapter 43

Chapter 43 - Chapter 43

Haylie POV 

I sat quietly on the wooden porch, the chair creaking softly beneath me as I gazed out at the sunlit expanse before me. 

The golden rays fell gently on the lush green grass, making it shimmer like an emerald carpet. The daisies stood tall and proud, their white petals stark against the verdant backdrop, while butterflies danced gracefully among them. 

It was no wonder they called this place Greenland—everything here seemed to radiate life, vibrant and untouched. 

Yet, as beautiful as it was, a strange hollowness lingered within me. I could remember the day I arrived here, how the cold snow blanketed the ground and painted the world in white. But beyond that, my memories were a blur, a dark void I couldn't penetrate. Who was I before this? What did I love? Where had I come from? 

All I had was a name—Haylie. But even that felt foreign, as if it belonged to someone else. 

The fragments of my past slipped further away each time I reached for them, like trying to grasp smoke with my hands. 

I closed my eyes and tried again, desperately searching the recesses of my mind for anything—my parents, my childhood, a single defining moment. But there was nothing. Just blackness. 

 The only life I knew was the one I had here, in this place of eternal green. As the breeze carried the scent of fresh grass and wildflowers, I couldn't help but wonder if I'd ever truly find myself again—or if the person I used to be was gone forever. 

My solitude didn't last long. I felt the gentle creak of the wooden porch beneath us as JC sat down in the rocking chair beside me. His presence was calm, steady, like the breeze rustling through the trees. 

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice soft yet tinged with concern. "You've been out here by yourself for a long time." 

I drew in a deep breath, the scent of daisies and freshly cut grass filling my lungs, and turned to him. "I guess... this is all I have now," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "All I can remember of myself." 

His blue eyes widened momentarily before softening into a thoughtful frown. He reached over, his hand warm and reassuring as it covered mine on the armrest of the chair. "Haylie, we'll get you back," he said, his tone filled with unwavering conviction. "I know this is scary, but it will all be over soon. I promise I won't give up on you—even if it costs me my life." 

His words wrapped around me like a blanket of kindness, and despite the emptiness gnawing at me, I couldn't help but smile. "Thank you," I murmured, the gratitude in my chest pressing against the ache of the unknown. "Thank you for not giving up on me." 

"I'll never give up on you," JC said firmly, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. 

I turned my gaze back to the landscape before us—the lush green grass that stretched endlessly, the trees swaying gently in the breeze, and the distant mountains rising against the horizon. 

 Everything felt alive, and vibrant, yet I couldn't shake the strange hollowness within me. 

The summer air was crisp and invigorating, a small comfort in this unfamiliar world. For now, all I had was JC's kindness and the fleeting beauty of this moment to hold on to. 

Liam POV 

I was so angry that all I could see was red. As I reached my house, I threw the door open with a force that made it crash against the wall. Veins bulged visibly on my arms, and my wolf clawed at the surface, demanding to be set free to go on a killing spree. That woman deserved it. But first, I needed answers. I needed to find Haylie. 

I stormed over to the table, slamming the book in my hand down with a loud thud that echoed through the room. 

 Frustration clawed at me, and I raked my hand through my hair. How could I have been so stupid? I should have known something was wrong. The red flags had been there from the start, but I ignored them. 

"Liam." 

The sound of Claudine's voice behind me made me freeze. I turned around sharply, surprised to find her standing there with tear-streaked cheeks and smeared mascara. Her eyes were swollen, evidence of heavy crying. 

"What do you want to tell me?" I asked, my voice low and measured, though I was struggling to keep my composure. My wolf pushed harder, but I forced him back. Not yet. 

Claudine hesitated before stepping closer, her expression pained as she met my gaze. "She did it to protect Haylie," she said, her voice trembling. "Because she's a witch, she wanted to shield Haylie from the rogue wolves." 

Her words made my fury burn hotter. "That doesn't give her the right!" I snapped, my fists clenching at my sides. "She took Haylie and pretended to be her for three months. Three months!" My wolf surged again, threatening to take over, but I dug my nails into my palm to keep control. Not yet. 

"What she did was unforgivable," Claudine admitted, her voice breaking. "But she told me where Haylie is." 

Her words stopped me cold. I stared at her, disbelief washing over me. "She told you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. 

My eyes locked onto Claudine's, her tear-filled gaze striking me like a blow. Her lips trembled as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Haylie is in Greenland with JC—her brother," she said, her voice barely audible. 

Her words hit me like a thunderclap, turning my world upside down. Three months. For three months, Haylie had been in Greenland, with another man. 

My blood boiled at the realization. I had let this go on for so long—allowed another woman to steal Haylie's life from her. Worse, I had fallen for the deception. I had let that imposter into my life, into my bed. 

Anger roared through me, aimed not only at the world but at myself. How could I betray the woman I love like this? How could she—that deceitful witch—do this to me? The weight of my failures was suffocating, pressing down on me until I could no longer contain it. 

The last shred of control within me snapped. My wolf, Ace, surged forward, shattering the barrier I'd desperately tried to maintain. Pain rippled through me as my bones cracked and shifted, my body transforming into its wolf form. The sound of the transformation echoed through the room, raw and primal. 

Ace was unleashed, his rage uncontainable. Without a second thought, he stormed out, fury driving his every movement. 

Melody POV  

 In an instant, I found myself back in Haylie's room. The emotions I had been holding back burst forth like a dam breaking, overwhelming me. My chest tightened, and tears blurred my vision as my knees buckled beneath me. I collapsed onto the wooden floor, my sobs echoing in the quiet room. 

How could this be real? How could I have let it come to this? I should never have gone along with it that day in the schoolroom when Liam kissed me. 

 I should have stopped him, pulled away—but his lips had been too tempting, too intoxicating. One kiss led to another, and another, until here I was, three months later, consumed by regret. 

Through my ragged breathing, the sharp chime of a phone broke through the haze of my guilt. My heart sank as I pulled it from my pocket. It was still Haylie's phone. The screen lit up with a message from JC. 

I opened it with trembling fingers, my pulse quickening. 

"What have you done to Haylie? She can't remember anything about herself. I know you've used black magic on her. Now you've taken her memories, too. That's low, even for you, Melody." 

 The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My grip on the phone faltered, and it slipped from my hand, clattering to the floor. My breath caught in my throat as his accusation echoed in my mind. 

What had I done? I had promised my brother this wouldn't get out of hand. I had sworn I would be careful. But now, not only had I taken Haylie's memories—I had erased who she was. 

My hand instinctively reached for the necklace at my throat, the talisman that had bound me to this dark magic. Its energy pulsed faintly, a constant reminder of what I'd become. The realization clawed at me: the black magic hadn't just changed Haylie. It had changed me. 

I stared at the floor, my tears pooling beneath me. I had caused so much damage, so much pain. Who would ever want someone like me now? 

How could I do this and now I have been so far down that I could not take it back. 

My hand instinctively moved to my lower belly, resting there as a flood of uncertainty washed over me. Was it possible? There was only one way to find out. Taking a deep breath, I flattened my hand against my stomach and summoned my magic. A faint shimmer filled the air, and within moments, a small white box materialized in my palm—a pregnancy test. 

"Okay," I murmured to myself, my voice trembling. "This can't be that hard." 

I tried to push myself up from the floor, but my body felt impossibly heavy, weighed down by both exhaustion and fear. If this was true, then Claudine's words were right. I needed to know. 

I made my way to the bathroom, careful to ensure no one saw me. Once inside, I locked the door and leaned against it for a moment, gathering my resolve. Then, I walked to the toilet and took the test. 

This wasn't my first time using one of these. Year ago, I thought I was pregnant with my vampire boyfriend's child. Thankfully, I wasn't. But this time... this time felt different. 

When I was finished, I held the test in my shaking hands. The seconds felt like hours to wait for the result even if the box say only in view minutes. 

I placed the test on the bathroom cupboard and quickly washed my hands when I heard a knock at the door. 

"Haylie, are you in there?" Aunt Camelia's voice came through from the other side. 

Panic surged through me. She still thought I was Haylie. Taking a deep breath, I tried to keep calm. "Just a second!" I called out, trying to steady my voice. 

I dried my hands hastily, my eyes drifting back to the test on the cupboard. To my shock, there were two dark lines. My hand flew to my mouth in disbelief. How could this be true? My other hand instinctively moved to my lower stomach. 

"I'm... really pregnant," I whispered to myself, the weight of the realization hitting me. 

But this wasn't good—far from it. Black magic already flowed in my veins, and now the child growing inside me would be tainted with the same evil blood. 

"Haylie, are you okay in there?" Aunt Camelia's concerned voice broke through again. 

Snapping out of my daze, I grabbed the test and shoved it into the pocket of my jeans. My eyes caught my reflection in the side mirror. My dark hair framed my face, and my wide brown eyes stared back, filled with fear and uncertainty. 

This was it—the moment I had been dreading. I had to come clean. I had to face the truth: I wasn't Haylie. I had used black magic to take her place. 

Camilia POV  

My mind raced as I stood outside the bathroom, waiting for Haylie to come out. It was strange—she'd been in there for quite a while. Teenagers often liked to take their sweet time, but this was longer than usual. I waited for a few more minutes before knocking on the door again. 

Just then, I heard the front door open abruptly, and someone entered the house. 

 Their footsteps were hurried and heavy, echoing with a sense of urgency. I frowned, stepping back from the bathroom door to glance toward the stairs. 

The footsteps grew louder as the person rushed up the stairs. I turned my head to see who it was, and my eyes landed on Liam. 

"Where is she?" he shouted, his voice thick with anger that reverberated down the hallway. 

"Where is who, Liam?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. His fury caught me off guard, and I tried to make sense of the situation. "What's going on? Why are you so angry?" 

"Where is that imposter who's pretending to be Haylie?" he snapped, his voice sharp like a blade. 

My heart skipped a beat. Was he serious? An imposter? There was no way someone could take Haylie's place without me noticing. My eyes widened as I stared at him. 

"There's no imposter here," I said as calmly as I could. "Haylie's in the bathroom." 

Liam stepped closer, the anger radiating off him in waves. "That is not Haylie," he said with a smirk that sent chills down my spine. 

Before I could process his words, the bathroom door creaked open. My heart dropped as I turned to look—and froze. 

The girl who stepped out wasn't Haylie. 

Her long brown hair fell over her shoulders, and her brown eyes, framed by thick lashes, stared at us. She looked nothing like my sweet Haylie. 

"Who are you?" I demanded, my voice trembling with both fear and confusion. "And where is Haylie?" 

Her eyes darted between Liam and me, her expression unreadable. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst out of my chest. 

"What have you done with Haylie?" Liam growled beside me, his tone sharp with accusation. 

It was a good question—one I wanted answered just as badly. Anger boiled up inside me, threatening to spill over. This wasn't my Haylie. This woman was nothing like the sweet girl I knew and loved. 

"Tell us now—where is Haylie?" I demanded, clenching my fists at my sides, trying to channel my rising energy into something controlled. 

"I can explain," the young woman stammered, her voice uncertain as she stood under the doorway. 

"Explain?!" Liam barked, his voice dripping with fury. "Explain how you pretended to be Haylie for three months and kept her hidden from us?" 

Three months. 

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My blood boiled hotter, disbelief washing over me in waves. 

 

"You mean to tell me," I said, my voice trembling, "you've been living in this house for three months pretending to be Haylie?" 

I took a step back, the air suddenly feeling too thick to breathe. My chest tightened as the weight of the revelation sank in. If Olivia knew about this from her grave, she would be livid. How could I have let this happen under my own roof? 

For three whole months, this woman—a stranger—had been posing as Haylie, deceiving us all. 

My anger surged, threatening to overwhelm me, as I felt the pulse of magic coursing through my veins. 

 How could this be happening? I was Haylie's guardian—it was my responsibility to keep her safe. And now, my precious Haylie, my fiery-haired girl, was somewhere out there, possibly frightened and longing for home. 

My eyes burned with fury as I glared at the woman standing before me. 

"How could you?" I spat, my voice trembling with rage. "How could you come into our home and steal Haylie's life from her?" 

The anger inside me was so consuming that I didn't care—I lost all control. Before I even realized it, I had lunged forward, my hand wrapping tightly around the young woman's neck. 

I didn't care who she was. I didn't care what her name was. She had taken my Haylie—the one person entrusted to me, the one I was meant to protect. 

Driven by my fury, I pushed her against the wall, my grip tightening as my magic crackled through me like wildfire. 

"Tell me where Haylie is!" I demanded, my voice a roar as I leaned closer, my face inches from hers. 

The weight of my failure fueled my anger, and I couldn't think of anything else but finding Haylie—no matter the cost. 

Her eyes darkened, a shadow passing over them, and I tightened my grip on her neck. 

"Where is Haylie?" I shouted, my voice raw with desperation. 

But she didn't answer me. Instead, I felt a sharp, searing pain radiating from my wrist. The sudden agony forced me to loosen my grip, and I realized too late that she was using magic—cutting into my wrist with some unseen force. 

I let go, staggering back as I clutched my bleeding arm. The blood was flowing freely, the injury deep, and my head spun from the shock of it. 

"Aunt Camelia, are you okay?" Liam's concerned voice broke through the haze of my pain. He was at my side in an instant. 

Tears streamed down my cheeks, a mixture of anger, frustration, and helplessness. "She's a little witch!" I snapped, my voice shaking. 

And she knew—she knew—that witches like us couldn't heal from such wounds easily. That knowledge only fueled my fury. 

I looked up just in time to see her darting down the hallway, heading straight for Haylie's room. 

"Don't let her get away!" I yelled, forcing myself to push past the pain. Summoning every ounce of strength I had left, I ran after her, my focus locked on Haylie's room. I couldn't let this imposter escape—I had to find Haylie, no matter what it took.