Maximus:
Honestly, I really thought we would have enough ti to help Helanie with everything. How did the curse trigger again so quickly? I could sense my mother’s filthy claws all over this. But since everyone was staring at Lucy, I turned my focus on her too.
"Lucy, what’s going on?" I asked, confused.
"Those entities, Zo and Za—I know who they were." She pressed a hand to her chest. Maybe because she’d been out of her body for so long, it took her a while to explain things to us. Of course she knew what others were up to, at least the entities.
"Yeah, Lucy, I’ll definitely sit down with you later and make sure we record everything about those monsters for the books. But right now, we just want to find Helanie." I tried to sound gentle.
She had just co back, and I could only imagine how lonely she must have felt. I used to lose control only on full moons, and even then I felt betrayed and desperate for attention, like nobody was really talking about , even when Emt was there for .
She shook her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "No. Those entities weren’t just souls. They were the children of the Father."
The words made my world shake. Even my brothers exchanged a stunned glance before turning back to her.
"Wait, Lucy, that’s a huge claim," Norman said. "Because if that’s true, it ans everything. We know the Father has four children. If the entities are gone, and Rune is gone, then only one remains. That would an a huge success, but also a war coming."
Lucy nodded, but it looked like she had even more to share.
"I’ve been trying to piece everything together. What I rember is her eting the Father, the zharns speaking to her in their own language. That’s how she wandered freely without getting caught. That’s how she avoided joining in their killings," she claid.
Her words made everyone’s eyes widen. She didn’t realize it, but by defeating those entities she had helped the entire world, sothing she would eventually be called upon or rewarded for.
"Oh shit," Norman muttered, his breaths heavy.
And , I was in pain. My wolf had gone silent, refusing to speak to , as if he was losing his mind. I had a sinking feeling that maybe, just maybe, I would be consud by the curse before I even got the chance to see Helanie again.
"Is there anything you know that can help us find Helanie right now?" Emt asked her, looking hopeful. But she shook her head. I could tell she wanted to share the information before we headed back to the community.
"Okay, everyone, we already know where the well of sacrifices is and where Kaye will take her. We need to get there before they do. But we’ll also spread out so we don’t make mistakes. Rember, Helanie’s pregnancy is advancing within hours," Emt reminded us. I guessed Norman hadn’t told anyone else about that part, because everyone looked shocked and terrified. Even her mother panicked.
But we didn’t have ti to argue. We had to find Helanie. Still, I was scared for myself too. I could feel I didn’t have much ti left. My bones cracked a few tis already.
We started planning our journey. Flights were out because of the hailstorm. The only ways to reach the Rogue community quickly were by car once the storm ended, or by running in wolf form. I could tell so expected us to run, but with our curses worsening, none of us wanted to let our wolves take over except Norman.
If Emt’s wolf surfaced, it would be over for him. He’d beco an animal. As for , my wolf wouldn’t even shift properly anymore. I’d turn into a lycan, and I wasn’t sure I could ever shift back.
So we waited for the storm to end. Norman had already gone ahead in his wolf form, with Lamar and Penn following. The rest of us stayed back, hoping to leave as soon as the roads cleared. Thankfully, the storm stopped. We piled into cars and raced ho.
I had Emt in the car with for a reason. He knew what I was going through and didn’t want left alone. But I also knew what he was struggling with, and I was terrified he’d lose control. Unlike last ti, it wasn’t just one of us suffering at a ti. The curse was hitting all of us at once.
So it was just the two of us in the car. The girls, my father, and Helanie’s mother had taken cars together.
"You know," I muttered, "all that ti Mother asked for our blood—it makes sense now. She kept it for —herself, had her witch use it for voodoo." I grunted, rembering how she casually filled bottles with our blood when we were growing up.
It was eerie, and so damn exhausting. Emt eventually stopped visiting her, but the rest of us, foolish as we were, kept entertaining her. We thought she was broken, a victim of betrayal. We knew she was a bad mother, but we didn’t rember her killings and rituals. To us, she was just a bitter woman replaced by our father.
"Don’t worry. After this, she won’t practice anything again. Even if I have to put her in silver chains myself and lock her in a prison where she’ll never return or touch anyone," Emt hissed.
I agreed. That woman never saw us as her children. She was just a stubborn woman who craved power, willing to use us and promise dark things at our expense. She did everything a mother wouldn’t.
Halfway through, pain tore through . My body started to shift, one bone cracking at a ti. Emt turned, his eyes wide.
"I can’t control it anymore," I cried, breaking down. We only had a few hours left on this drive. I wanted to make it to Helanie. The thought that we’d wasted a whole day traveling by car when a flight could have been so much quicker broke . But we were already too close to the Rogue community.
"Okay, calm down. Don’t transition now. We’re near the outskirts. If you shift here, you’ll hurt the pack mbers. You need to hold it until we reach the community," Emt urged, trying to help resist. I nodded, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold on.
But eventually it happened, and all I rember is opening the door of the speeding car to get out, stopping my brother from trying to hold back and getting hurt.
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