The Alpha's Curse The Enemy Within

I held Sheila's body in my arms. She was fucking cold, and her heartbeat was getting slower by the second. I clutched her tightly to myself, my amber eyes moving up ahead to where Zeriyah, Valerie, Lorenzo, Zena, Gwen, and the few witches that didn't join the war at the Council were. They were all moving as fast as they could, trying to get everything needed for the ritual in order.

My amber eyes drifted off to Leonardo who was with Vladimir's unconscious body not far from us. 1 sighed, bringing my gaze back to the binding around Sheila's neck. Zeriyah said it was to buy us enough time to get ready for the ritual and slow the dark magic from completely taking control of Sheila. We needed Sheila to be in control for this to work. My eyes rounded when I noticed that the silver binding around Sheila's neck had begun to melt. She was fucking cold, and yet the silver brace was melting.

“The silver is melting,” said quickly, and Lorenzo hastened to my side.

“Her magic is waking up, and so is she,” he voiced, turning to where Valerie and Zeriyah were almost done with the markings on the ground. "But | don't think it's Sheila.” “We are done,” Zeriyah sounded, moving quickly to us. She placed a hand on Sheila's hands, and her eyes tured white as she began chanting. We were at the old Crystal Fortress, and almost everyone that cared about Sheila was right here. The war was still ongoing, and I had no idea how things were looking for us. But if Zeriyah's plan could work and Sheila was free from that thing. Everything would be just fine. | knew it.

1 was surprised when Valerie called for our presence at the Council amidst everything that was going on. It surprised me more when Zeriyah informed us of her plan to get rid of Shota's magic, and Sheila could be saved in the process. She explained the ritual to us, and the whole process scared me, but right now it was the only chance we had to save my mate. But we just needed Shota’s vessel and another crucial element for the ritual. An immortal being. And in this case, Vladimir.

The witches had spread out to track Sheila, while Lorenzo, Leonardo, and | had gone after Vladimir's minions, in search of him. And we tracked him outside of my territory, Sheila was there as well with several lifeless bodies of Vladimir's witches.

Valerie and the witches had earlier tried to transfer the dark magic to someone else, but it didn't work. But hopefully, this would. Zeriyah had found a way to ensure Shota's magic left Sheila before it had the chance to be reborn and become unstoppable, but it could only happen if Sheila's heart stopped beating. If Sheila died, Shotas magic would be forced to find a new vessel.

I carried Sheila in my arms, moving to the center of the field where the witches had made several markings and symbols around in a circle. I placed Sheila's cold body on the ground, and Leonardo hauled Vladimir's unconscious body to the other circle that was next to Sheila's.

“We must bind her soul to his first.” Zeriyah said, and | nodded.

Leonardo and | stepped away from the circles, and the witches took their positions around both circles. I held my breath as they began chanting, linking Sheila's life force to an immortal being. Since the oaken dagger was destroyed and we couldn't kill Shotas magic together with the vessel, if the vessel is killed, Shota’s magic would be forced to find a new vessel.

Zeriyah and the witches were going to bind Sheila's soul with Vladimir, making whatever should happen to Sheila, happen to Vladimir. If one died, the other would, and since Vladimir was immortal, Sheila's death would only stop his heart for at most a few minutes before he regained consciousness and Sheila would too. The witches only had that short time to ensure Shota's magic is channeled unto Vladimir the second his heart started to beat again.

Once that happened, Sheila would be unbonded from him, and the witches would be able to contain Vladimir.

I sighed, making a silent prayer to the goddess as the witches finished binding Sheila's life force to Vladimir's.

The witches clasped their hands together around Sheila's circle and their chants filled the night's air. My eyes lifted to the giant full moon that had almost turned red completely and then fell back on Zeriyah who was within the circle, next to Sheila's body. Her lips were moving against each other as she stepped on the ancient markings etched on the ground. At every step she took, they all came alive, glowing a golden flame. | could feel the immense magic it carried and the air around charged with a force | couldn't explain.

“She's waking up," Zeriyah half-yelled, and a few more witches joined the circle around Sheila. Sheila was writhing in pain and she began thrashing on the ground, her lips releasing a sharp scream that caused a roar in the dark sky, and the earth quaked with force.

The chants rose to the sky, and Sheila released another scream that tore up the sky, causing a blood rain. She kept thrashing on the

ground as Zeriyah, Valerie and the witches tried to contain her outbursts.

“What's happening to her?" | yelled over the roar from the crying sky, moving closer to the witches but Leonardo held me back.

“They are both battling for control," Valerie yelled back to me, gripping Sheila's hands as if connecting to her. “We are losing her.” “No. She has to be in control for this to work,” Zeriyah muttered almost in frustration. | broke out from Leonardo's grip and began pacing as the bloody waters drenched me. I tried connecting to her through the mate bond, but | couldn't reach her. Ryker could feel her presence within us, but we couldn't connect with her. Ryker concentrated deeply, and | began to speak to her regardless, praying to the goddess she could at least hear me or feel me. It killed me to know that was the only thing I could do for her at the moment.

“Sheila,” Zeriyah gasped, rushing to her side. “She's coming through,” She yelled, lifting her eyes to the full moon, before shifting her gaze to Lorenzo. "Bring the dagger. We must commence the ritual now.” Sheila's thrashing seized but she kept groaning in pain. | could hear her breathless voice laced with confusion. Valerie never let go of her hands, as she whispered to Sheila, explaining very little to her and stressing the fact that she had to remain in control.

Ryker tried connecting to Adie but he couldn't reach her. | ended up using our mate bond to connect with her.

“Sheila, can you hear me?" | spoke through the link and | heard her groan in an attempt to say something but she couldn't. “Don’t speak, just listen. The witches have a way to end all of this. All you have to do is keep fighting, Sheila. Please, keep fighting, and do not lose control to that darkness. | would never be able to live without you.

You are my life, Sheila, so please, you have to choose to live," | pleaded desperately with my eyes closed. Just then, | felt the little connection | had with Sheila got severed, and | was left with a cold,

empty feeling.

1 pulled my eyes open to find the blade of Zeriyah's dagger slitting up Sheila's neck, and her blood rushed out from her neck. | felt my soul tearing up as Sheila gasped her last, and instantly, the vibrations from the earth, along with the blood rain stopped, and so did Vladimir's beating heart.

“Now!” Valerie yelled, pulling away from Sheila's body to Vladimir's lifeless one. Valerie, Lorenzo, Zena, and a few more witches formed a circle around Vladimir, joining in Zeriyah's chants.

Each drop of Sheila's blood that soaked the earth started to flow into the symbols, moving to Vladimir. The witches never ceased chanting, and it took a full minute before | heard the faint beating of Vladimir's heart against his chest. Zeriyah focused on Sheila, slitting her wrist, and continued to chant. Whatever she was doing caused Vladimir's heartbeat to accelerate faster, forcing him to release a scream.

My eyes kept darting from Sheila to Vladimir until Zeriyah stopped chanting. Her gaze traveled to Vladimir who was now writhing in pain.

“What happened? Did it work?” Leonardo took the words right out of my lips, and Zeriyah hesitated for a second, watching Vladimir. His increasing groans caused the runic symbols etched around him to glow unsteadily. Her dark gaze drifted to the witches, before moving to Leo and me.

“It did," Her voice held a rush of relief that found me as quickly. But everything stopped when I still couldn't feel Sheila. She was supposed to be waking up any second from now.

“He's changing. The darkness is filling him up,” Lorenzo brought our attention back to Vladimir. Black lines had begun to run on his skin and his claws and fangs kept sticking in and out.

“Not yet. She has to wake up before we unbind her soul from him,” Valerie said, and | rushed to my mate's side, pulling her still body in

my arms. My heart began to throb harder in fear as | watched the seconds move by quickly and Sheila still hadn't regained consciousness.

My canines extended into sharp fangs and I bit down on Sheila's neck, inserting my essence in her. It didn't take long before | could pick a heartbeat from her, it was so weak, but it was there. As soon as Sheila gasped awake, Valerie and Zeriyah began the spell to unbind Sheila's soul from Vladimir.

Sheila's wounds had barely started to heal when Valerie and Zeriyah finished the spell on her, and quickly, they and the other witches took their positions around Vladimir. Zeriyah was holding the Vortex in her hands and had begun chanting to channel every witch's magic into the Vortex to access the portal when a strong wave of magic radiated off Vladimir, destroying everything in its path. This force sent the witches flying and | wrapped my arms around Sheila, firmly, waiting for the magic’s effect but it never came. Almost like an invisible shield

was placed around us. The only thing that was soon felt was the trembling of the earth and the blood rain began again.

1 watched Vladimir slowly pull up from the ground, having a deeply rooted smile on his face. His eyes were a fathomless pit of darkness. | carried Sheila in my arms, moving away from the field as the witches gathered to stop Vladimir. | had only taken a few steps when Sheila's eyes pushed open, glowing a bright shade of blue.

Sheila's point of view My body was physically weak and drained, but | felt Adie’s powerful growl as she kept moving to the surface, fighting to live. My eyes jerked open and the first thing I felt was Killian's arms around me and his gaze bored down at me with relief. Before | could mutter a word, | heard a loud, destructive growl from behind us. It carried powerful magic. My eyes snapped their way and they fell on Vladimir, fighting against the witches with magic and they could barely stand a chance.

My eyes widened and my lips parted, realizing Zeriyah's ritual had worked and Vladimir was now the vessel. | had to help.

Killian lowered me to the ground, and from a distance, | felt Zeriyah and a few witches channeling their magic to the Vortex to gain access to the portal. My blue eyes darted back to Vladimir as he broke the crystals around the field into tiny shards, aiming them at the witches.

Quickly, | lifted a finger and froze its movements, sending it back to Vladimir but everything turned to dust before it could reach him.

Vladimir's dark gaze narrowed on me, and without thinking twice, | joined the fight. A few witches retreated to Valerie's and Zeriyah's side, they needed more magic to get the Vortex portal opened, while in the meantime | dealt with Vladimir and this darkness once and for all.

Lorenzo's point of view It's been almost ten minutes now since Sheila had been fighting against Vladimir and that thing inside of him. My eyes lifted to the full moon that was now completely red. Every witch's magic was being channeled by Zeriyah into the Vortex Sheila created, while Valerie kept on muttering the chants along with it. Shota's magic had fused with Vladimir, and that wasn't surprising, that bastard was as dark as it was.

Zeriyah nodded to us as soon as the Vortex had been filled with enough magic to access the portal. Immediately, every witch spread out around the field, forming a large circle around Sheila and Vladimir that were fighting.

“Sheila, now!" Zeriyah sounded, and we began chanting, lifting a magical wall around Vladimir to hold him down as our magic connected with hers and the Vortex in Zeriyah's hands transferred to Sheila's. Her blood was the final piece to open the portal to whatever world she had created there. She slit her palm, dropping her blood

on the Vortex. Sheila began chanting, and we could feel the magical world we built around Vladimir weakening.

As Sheila's chants filled the air, we could feel the magic floating around, radiating off her. The blood rain that fell from the sky froze midair. The trembling earth stopped its vibrations, and only the air around turned into a chaotic swirl around Sheila and Viadimir. The only thing we could feel was her overpowering magic and as her loud chants reached the bloody sky, a blue blinding light glowed out from the Vortex, creating a portal.

Sheila's eyes were a torch of blinding blue. The stormy wind around became wilder and our hold on Vladimir broke completely, but Sheila's chanting never quieted. The blue light from the portal began to grow brighter and wider, swallowing everything in its way. Sheila's intense magic had all of us backing away and Sheila's chanting stopped. The next thing we heard was Vladimir's grow, before the blue light from the portal covered everywhere, blinding our visions.

The last thing I felt was a powering release of energy before I lost consciousness.