The Alpha's Curse The Enemy Within

It's been almost a day since | crossed through the portal with the Dark Circle army and we left Oasis. This was the very first time in many years that | was outside the boundaries of Oasis. | had almost forgotten how beautiful it was out here.

I tightened my hold on the horse's reins, speeding past the woodlands, and human village. | was approaching the Capital. | was almost at North Central. | have been riding for hours without stopping for a second. It wasn't hard to evade the army once we had left Oasis. | had circled back to where we had burst out through from the portal and for a second, I thought I was lost.

Oasis was a place difficult to find. No wonder Vladimir managed to stay off the raider for so long. The magic holding up the boundaries of Oasis made it completely invisible to the outside world and difficult to find.

Before leaving Oasis, | spelled the trail of every path I took. It would be greatly needed when | returned with the Council's army.

1 lifted my gaze to the sky, taking a final glance at the sun as it took shade behind the clouds. It was twilight already and | was losing time.

The Blood moon was a night away, and | had to find both Leonardo Black and Morgan Reid and stop the attack that was about to befall those from the South taking refuge in North Central.

1 kicked my horse harder, but | could tell its frail legs were probably a minute from giving up. I rode for an hour or less, before halting my horse instantly. | just entered the Capital. | had no idea where the Black Blood Pack or Crescent North Pack was located, so | was forced to make inquiries.

1 resolved, heading to the Crescent North Pack instead. It was only a short ride away. | continued my journey, riding into the woods. | rode for more minutes, and only stopped when | felt an intense energy around me. Magic.

1 couldn't help but gawk at the towering majestic trees. Their knotted arms rose ever upward as far as my head could bend. The leaf paradise before me reeked of magic. | grabbed onto my horse's reins as | passed through the trees. But | couldn't go any further as an invisible shield was stopping me. A boundary spell.

My lips broke into a smile as | knew | had just reached the Crescent North Pack territory. | tried using my magic to seep through, and surprisingly, it worked. Usually, boundary spells were meant to keep unwanted visitors out, but | guess this was meant to keep out those with evil intent.

“Let's go, boy," | patted the head of the horse, kicking it to motion as I rode past the trees. It felt like | had stepped through a portal into another realm. The view was beautiful as I could hear the soulful orchestra of the songbirds, running water meeting rugged rocks, and the rustling of leaves in the evening breeze.

1 rode faster on my horse, taking the path that led to the woods,

hoping it'll lead me to the Packhouse, the castle, or anyone | could get help from. | was approaching a large meadow, and just then | felt the presence that moved faster against the trees, trailing me. Not just one, there were many, and suddenly, | was surrounded by wolves.

Some were in their wolf forms while others were in human forms, drawing their swords at me. Very understandable, considering | was a stranger here.

From an angle, a young man, seeming to be in charge, came forward.

His eyes were gauging me, cautiously. "Who are you?" 1 pulled my hands up in the air, slowly getting off my horse.

“I am not here to stir up trouble. | mean no harm,” | said calmly, as my blonde hair danced across my face, carried by the evening breeze.

The man’s eyes were still on me. "That doesn't answer my question.

Who are you, and how did you get into our territory?"

“I'am called Zena," | started. “| was sent here by a friend of yours. | can't say any more than that. But | need to see Mor—" | was interrupted by a sharp outburst.

I snapped my head to my left and another man was standing just outside the circle of wolves that surrounded me. His eyes held a glare, and a fit of murderous anger directed at me.

“Jax,” The man from a while ago drawled, but before he could say more, the other man, Jax, growled deathly.

“Xavier, she's one of them. She belongs to the Dark Circle," Jax hissed, as his eyes shifted from my arm where the black dragon symbol representing the Dark Circle and all it stood for. | took a cautious step back and my heart jumped in my throat as everyone's deathly and murderous gaze shifted back to me.

“Attack!” Xavier yelled, and the wolves growled angrily, charging at me with speed.

“Fuck!” | started towards my horse, running for my dear life. Before | could get to it, | was attacked by Jax, and his claws got a piece of me.

1 used my magic, flinging every fucking one of them against the trees, using the opportunity to jump on my horse. Without a second thought, | kept on racing through the woods, hoping to get to someone that would let me speak first before trying to murder me.

Just as my luck would have it, | sighted the Castle from a distance and | rode towards it with speed. My bleeding state and speed created fear and tension around as people sent fearful glances my way. But thankfully, | was almost at the castle's gate when from nowhere, | was pushed off of my horse by an invisible force and landed harshly against the rugged earth.

| groaned at the pain that rushed through my bones. But sharply, my senses alerted me of the danger heading my way. | snapped my gaze up to find a young woman in a red cloak just about to attack me. A ‘witch.

Immediately, | was up on my feet, blocking the force thrown at me, redirecting it back at her. She swiftly evaded it. | wasn't here for a fight, but I wasn't going to stand back and watch myself being murdered. I stirred the air around her, swallowing her up in it, and slamming her against the wall. She crashed into it, but it didn't seem to take anything out of her, as she got on the earth, channeling the earth's magic, using me against it.

I evaded it, and she attacked me using her fist. | fought back just as hard, luckily, Viadimir made his prisoners engage in physical training, in which to say the least, | had the upper hand or | thought | was, tight before someone crashed against me, ripping me away from her.

He positioned himself between the young woman and me, his dark eyes inspecting her before darting toward me. | could feel the energy emitting from him. He was a witch, and someone I could actually have a conversation with.

“I have something important to tell Morgan—" “Lorenzo, she’s with the Dark Circle,” one of the wolves that had been chasing me sounded, bursting from the woods.

Lorenzo's eyes twitched back on me, widening as | was surrounded by wolves again. | could feel his pulse rising and plummeting, fueled by growing anger.

He was about to attack me, when a soft voice slit through the tension around, instantly stopping him.

“That's enough, Lorenzo,” The voice came from the castle gate, and as | shifted my gaze, it fell on a woman. She was dressed in a green long dress, holding a long sword in her right hand. She walked closer to where | was, dragging the sword against the earth.

The young woman | had earlier fought with moved closer to the woman, but she held her left hand in the air.

“It's alright, Gwen,” she said, taking a few more steps toward me, until she was a few feet away and it was only when | stared into her deep purple eyes, | realized she was blind.

“She broke through the boundary spells, and she's a witch working for the Dark Circle, Valerie," Jax muttered, eagerly wanting to cut off my head.

The woman's face was turned to me, it was as if she could see me.

“That's precisely why she means no harm. The boundaries are spelled to keep those with evil intent out, but she got in. She's no threat,” The woman, Valerie muttered, and I sighed. "How can we be of help to you?" linhaled, sharply. “Just like | told the warriors, my name is Zena, and | was sent here by friends of yours. | cannot say any more until | see Leonardo Black or Morgan Reid.”

Valerie's eyebrows creased, and | could see the surprise evident on her face.

“It is extremely urgent, and the more time we waste, the more everyone will be in grave danger,” | added, quickly.

“Xavier. Please, get Morgan here at once,” Valerie voiced, urgently.

I was taken into the castle grounds, but | preferred | waited outside. It didn't take long before | heard the sounds of horses approaching at great speed. Two men alighted from their horses and hurried to where we all were waiting right outside the Castle doors.

My brown eyes took a good look at them as they hurried closer.

Instantly, | knew who they were. The one at the right had an impeccable resemblance to my mate while sharing the striking blue irises of Sheila, and the other man, | could tell, was Killian's brother.

They were quite similar.

“Leonardo, Morgan," | lowered my head gently, catching their curious gaze on me.

“And you are?" Leonardo asked.

“My name is Zena, Kaiser's mate, and | was sent here by your brothers, both of them,” I said as calmly as | could, my brown eyes darting between their shocked gazes.