After a special moment with the Silver Fang pack, I had more lights shining at me than I could handle. Sadly, not everyone was on our side. Evan and the other two elders, who weren’t pleased by the results, swiftly left the scene along with Layla, who had lost everything.

Amelia had betrayed her in the last turn of events when the eldest sister decided to accept it rather than push it away. Ursula and another elder stayed behind with us. Even though I was still unsure of everything that meant to be a mother, I felt hopeful that the child would have a better life than mine.

It was the least I could do for them.

After I calmed down enough, Fenris still caressed my cheek to comfort me, whispering sweet things. On the other hand, the chaotic feline tested Amelia's resolve by jumping on her from Ben. Miraculously, she didn’t shove her off but refused to acknowledge that a murderous cat was on her—something that Shade snickered at.

Baby steps...

I never hated the white wolf for how she treated me, but the little black cat was another story. It would take a lot to undo everything that was done, but I was also partly at fault. I never said my side because I thought it wouldn’t matter to anyone.

Holding onto Fenris tightly, I tried to wipe away his tears while he rested his forehead against mine. Finding a moment of peace, I tried to analyze everything that was said. I realized something had slipped when I asked about Alijah's brother.

A simple detail that filled me with a winter cold that I couldn’t shake away. Tugging away from Fenris, I turned to Ursula, much to his worry, since he noticed when my demeanor suddenly changed.

"Hey, Lily, are you okay?" my wolf asked.

Ignoring him, I tried to focus on the question that plagued me. If I turned to him again, I would break.

"Y-you... said Alijah's brother was c-cursed?" I asked, voice quivering.

Ursula nodded. "Yes, he had his child cursed with the inability to access his beast. It ran in every one of his lines, including Melody."

Her words made me realize that there was a worse monster alive, staring right at us. It was worse than Alijah himself—one of unfathomable power. If that witch had cast a strong spell thousands of years ago, then what she possessed could rival my power, and unlike me, she had complete control over herself.

"No... i-impossible... t-that would mean." I stumbled to get my thoughts together.

The curse didn’t guide me into an item holding the soul of a witch. No, it had taken me to the living body of a woman who was scarier than Alijah. Fenris grabbed my chin again, forcing me to stare at him as my lip quivered.

"Lily? What’s the matter?" he questioned.

Even though the whispers rarely plagued my thoughts anymore, my mind was a raging storm.

"When I broke Melody's curse, I thought it was a generational curse linked to an item with a witch’s grudge, but it was so strong that it dragged my consciousness out. It took me towards her, and I saw her alive, standing next to my grandmother." I informed forgetting that had ever happened.

After the festival events, it became a second thought to me.

Ben stood up from where he was, pacing back and forth. "That’s… Impossible, the vampires hunted all true eternal witches down hundreds of years ago.”

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I shook my head, not believing it myself, but I saw her.

I felt her aura, her power. She’s no myth.

“She’s called Edna... if she’s still alive, then that means she’s older than Alijah." I shuttered at the thought that left me.

This woman had survived thousands of years undetected, all this time storing power. Death influenced a witch's power; the more we witnessed, the more powerful we became.

"You... didn’t tell me this?" Fenris growled.

"That’s because I forgot. It happened so fast, and Melody went on a rampage, then the festival.” I tried to defend myself, to see him narrow his eyes.

It caused me to slump my eyes towards the floor. “I-I swear, I d-didn’t mean to." I clung to Fenris's shirt.

Are my hormones making me more skittish?

Petting my head, he sighed, letting it go. "It’s fine... just tell me everything now," he mumbled.

"If this is true... then we’re dealing with a monster beyond our comprehension," Liam noted, voice shaking.

Everyone appeared to understand our predicament. We knew too little about everything surrounding us, and the enemies' purpose was unclear. Melody, who gripped me in her arms, suddenly stood up, taking a few steps away.

My eyes followed her as she tried to make her chaotic thoughts clear. Her life was changed today, too. Not only was she a distant relative to Alijah, but she was also Fenris's half-sister. Her eyes flickered before focusing on me.

"Lily, Edna cursed my family... So, if she did that because she’s after Alijah?" the black wolf asked, slowly triggering the puzzle pieces to build up for a clearer picture.

Ah… Alijah... what if you’re just a pawn in that witch’s game?

From the moment I saw him, he always seemed confident and full of himself.

Maybe... that’s also part of Edna's plan? But why does she want you?

The puzzle still wasn’t complete, making the picture more speculation than actual truth.

"Isn't the revolution about witches getting empowered? Why would they want someone like Alijah?" Amelia asked Melody, who shrugged.

“I don’t really know. It’s just a feeling I get.” She mumbled.

The eldest sister was right to question her. Alijah could stomp on Edna's plans if she had nothing against him.

Maybe she knows how to control you? But how...? How would she tame you, Alijah?

He was so robust and keen on destroying the world. The only thing he cared about was his dead lover, who was far from anyone’s reach.

Can the new type of wolfsbane be the source of that witch’s plan? Or is it something else? Think, Lilith!

"Maybe... they want to control him, but I can’t figure out how." I sighed.

This witch was older than anyone I knew and probably more brilliant than anyone in this room. To be an eternal witch, one had to be a female born with the ability to control time—something I wasn’t interested in learning, yet I couldn’t ignore how the Soul Cairn echoed similarities.

Time magic wasn’t something I wished to learn about as it was forbidden, and I hoped to die with Fenris when it came. That thought was morphing into something else, as in eight more months, our world would change.

"Too many unknowns." Ben sighed, shrugging soon after.

No one would’ve thought this would turn into a big mess. Yet not everyone was going in loops; one of us was ready to throw it back in the ring.

"Can you use me? Maybe since I’m his descendant. I can stop Alijah." Melody blurted out, triggering Liam to grab onto her.

“What?! No way, you can barely control your shift!” he huffed.

The brown wolf’s words resonated with me as he was right. Melody would be nothing but fodder for Alijah.

"No, Mel... That wolf doesn’t care for you and will kill you before you speak," I whispered as flashes of the dream rushed through my mind.

She and Liam were both dead, which meant she would meet her end by his hand like everyone else.

Or perhaps you won’t. The future can change. After all, Alijah won’t…

"But... he doesn’t want to hurt me. Perhaps we could use that to our advantage." I added.

A sharp growl left Fenris, who flashed his fangs at the thought. "What? No way. Nu-uh. You’re getting nowhere near that psycho."

But I’m the only one who he won’t kill instantly.

Words I couldn’t say without angering my wolf further. Alijah had been in that timeless prison; practicing his power meant that even if Edna could control him, it would mean the end of us, one way or another.

However, part of me wondered if the witch could control him when he was a wildcard. This was all in speculation. Even though Fenris was against it, everyone saw how Alijah acted towards me in my memory.

Ursula appeared to want to entertain that idea, even though she didn’t fully love it.

The other elder, Leo, who was a black-haired Lycan, nodded. "Hm... that might not be a bad idea. If we find another god artifact to use against him, that is."

It took everyone by surprise. However, my wolf wasn’t on board when his eyes suddenly shimmered brightly, turning to the wolf who might have the answer we needed.