The Alpha's Curse The Enemy Within

1 still haven't recovered from the shock from earlier when | was at the Council. The dagger had burned me. But why? Adie came up with the umpteenth reason why, but none of it made sense why the dagger burnt me. | plopped down on the bed in Killian's chamber. | had left the Council and came back home to prepare for the ritual tonight. Even though deep down, | knew that was just a lie, and | could tell Valerie suspected it. At that time, I just wanted to leave that place.

My eyes shifted to the darkness already lurking outside the window. | should be on my way to the Council now, but all of a sudden, | didn't want to. | didn't understand my sudden fears these days, it was so unlike me, but | had to admit. | felt so frightened deep down, and | had no idea why. | just didn't want to go for the ritual all of a sudden.

Maybe Killian was right. Maybe | needed some rest.

| contemplated going to Lorenzo, but I knew the spell he was working on wouldn't be completed by now. | had to wait.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when | felt Killian's presence within me and just then, he walked into the room.

“I thought you'd be gone by now,” he said, leaning down to kiss me.

Amid everything | was feeling, his touch brought me so much comfort.

“I will be leaving soon,” | said, and his piercing eyes connected with mine.

“You don't have to go if you don't want to. | will let them know you are not feeling well,” he said, and | knew deep down he wished | could stay back instead, but | wasn't going to take a step back because of this stupid feeling | couldn't explain.

“No,” I shook my head. "That's tempting, but | have to go. The ritual must be completed and we find out who the vessel is." “Alright,” he leaned closer again, kissing me. | moaned, kissing him back. All these problems in our lives had stolen something from us.

Time. And now, | wanted nothing more than to lean into his arms while he made love to me throughout the night.

Killian smirked against my lips. "We'll do just that, | promise, when we get back from the ritual,” he kissed me again. “Give me a second to freshen up and we'll head over together,” I smiled at him, watching him move to the washing room. I slammed my drained body on the bed and took a look at my palm. | had to show Valerie this, hopefully, she would have a good explanation.

sighed, feeling the sudden heaviness of my eyelashes. | tried pulling up from my bed as a weird feeling tugged at my chest, almost overpowering me. I called out to Adie but | couldn't hear her and just

then, my body fell weakly on the bed and all that surrounded me was darkness.

Killian's point of view | came out from the washing room with just a towel hanging around my waist. Sheila wasn't on the bed and I couldn't stop the erratic beating of my heart as | realized she wasn't in the room. Fuck. | didn't want to leave her alone for a single second.

I mind-linked Jax immediately. "Jax, where is Sheila?" | asked. | had told him to accompany her everywhere she went and keep an eye on her.

“Uhm...” he started, and | could already feel my breathing rise with rage. He sighed. “I'm sorry, Alpha, | wanted to go with her but she disagreed and ordered | stayed back."

“What? Where did she go?" | asked, wearing my clothes sharply. | could already feel the knot tightening in my chest.

“To the Council." 1 growled. | was so furious. | told her to wait for me. | left the castle and hurried on my horse. I didn't know if I should focus on my rage or the growing fear that had begun to weaken me. Oh, Sheila, | beg of you, please be safe and alright.

I sped to the Council and arrived quickly. | was hurrying into the Court when | heard a scream of pain and immediately, came the loud ringing of the giant bell. | felt Ryker push to the surface, and the Council's army scattered around the place. That bell only rang in times of emergencies or when there was an invasion or something far more serious.

In a second, the whole place broke into chaos and I rushed inside, searching for Sheila, but | couldn't find her. | followed the trail of

witches that hurried up the stairs and we arrived at a spell room. As | neared the door, | found some Elder wolves at the entrance, their eyes holding unshed tears.

1 pushed my way through the crowd, moving inside and | saw Valerie, and beside her was Zeriyah, crouching on the floor, and then blood splattered everywhere.

My breathing hitched, and I drew closer, realizing there was a body in Zeriyah's arms. Oh no, Cora.

1 gasped backward in shock. She was dead. Murdered, and Zeriyah was holding her body in her arms, crying profusely.

“Who did this?" | asked, and Valerie shook her head.

“We found her like this, and the dagger is gone,” she said almost in a daze.

What dagger? | wanted to ask but | realized Sheila wasn't in the

room. My heart banged harder against my chest and | left the room. | had to find my mate.

Suddenly, | couldn't breathe. | tried mind-linking her but it wasn't connecting. | hated this. | was left with no other option but to track her using her scent.

I moved out of the castle and into the darkness. The Council's warriors were scattered around, thoroughly searching the territory.

Sheila's scent led me to the woods, and the more her scent grew stronger | began to feel her within me.

“Sheila, where are you?" | asked, moving past the trees with my nonhuman speed.

“Kill— I don’t know. | don't know,” she was panting hard and something in her voice caused me to stop instantly. Aside from her teary voice, | could feel a paralyzing amount of fear within me. It was coming from her.

“Stay where you are, I'l find you," | rushed, increasing my speed. It didn't take long before | found Sheila, crouched against a tree, crying profusely.

1 hurried to her, pulling her quivering body up and I froze. My eyes began to trail from her trembling hands to her clothes which were drenched in blood. She was covered with blood.

“What happened to—" | couldn't move. | was paralyzed with fear and shock. "Sheila—" No. Sheila couldn't... she couldn't... | could barely complete my thoughts.

*I don't know, Killian. | can't remember. | just found myself lost in the woods with blood over me,” she was trembling in tears. Her broken state forced me out of my shock and I held her hand.

“Don't— Don't cry, Sheila, everything will be fine," I said, grabbing a handful of my hair in panic, thinking. But it didn't last long as |

noticed the warriors that had crossed over to the part of the woods we were in.

“Killian. This blood isn't mine. What have | done?” she was quivering.

“Nothing,” I said. "We have to get out of here now," | removed the cloak on her dress, it had more stains on it. | used it to clean her hands, but she still had blood smears on them. We had to leave the Council's territory at once without being seen.

I scooped Sheila in my arms, moving with speed. I took the shortest route that led back to our horses. | placed Sheila on one of the horse: and got in behind her, exiting the Council's territory.

As soon as we reached our territory, | took her straight to our chamber through the back doors, placing her gently on the bed.

She had stopped crying, but her trembling body had only gotten worse. | crouched before her, taking her shaky and bloody hands in

mine.

We remained in silence for long minutes and I fought the tears that wanted to escape my eyes. This was fucking bad. | didn't want to say it, and | didn't want to think about it, but the truth was staring right at my face. Cora's blood was on my mate's hands. Oh, goddess, this was really bad. | had a lot of questions. Why on earth would Sheila go after Cora? Why did she kill her? I'shut my eyes as a careless tear slipped down. This wouldn't end well. The Council won't stop until they find out what happened to Cora. | knew Zeriyah too well; she wouldn't rest until she discovers who murdered Cora.

Something was wrong. I held Sheila's hands tightly. Something must have happened. | lifted my eyes to Sheila and even through the jammed gates of her eyelashes, tears rolled down her eyes.

“Sheila,” I called gently. “Do you remember anything?" | asked again,

and she shook her head, unable to stop the fresh waters that escaped her eyes. "What's the last thing you remember? | tried again.

“I was right here, waiting for you. And the next thing | remember, | was in the woods, covered in blood,” As she explained, Ryker kept howling in the comer walls of my mind.

Why would Sheila possibly murder Cora? 1 pulled her attention back to me. "Do you remember the dagger?” | asked. Valerie had said something about a dagger taken at the same time Cora was murdered.

“What dagger?” She asked in confusion.

“The one with Cora." Sheila furrowed more in confusion. “The oaken dagger?” she asked, and | nodded. "No, | don't,” she replied. "What happened to it?"

“It's missing.” “How's that possible?" she was almost up on her feet, but | pulled her down on the bed. “That's the only thing that can stop the vessel,” she muttered more to herself, but | could hear her.

“What?” | whispered to myself. Why would Sheila take the dagger? I felt my heart mount a race at the severity of all of this. Her memory lapses had gotten worse, and now this happened right before the ritual. And the dagger has gone missing. For a second, | started to doubt the possibility of Sheila being behind Cora’s death and taking the dagger. It had to be Shota's vessel. Sheila had nothing to gain by doing any of that, except, | froze at the sudden thought that crept in.

1 was up on my feet immediately, pacing around and my mind running wild. | didn't want to believe any of the thoughts grazing my mind. It just couldn't be. It shouldn't be.

“Whose blood is this, Killian?" Sheila asked me, and | couldn't reply. | didn't know what to say, and hot tears rolled down her eyes, and it killed me. “Tell me, what did | do?” I held her hands tightly. “Nothing.” “Killian, please don't lie to me, | know something happened—" she started and | squeezed her hands gently.

“We don't know what happened, but Cora was found dead,” | said, and Sheila froze.

“What?” she whispered, her breathing slowed and eyes held unshed tears. "Did I." she gasped. "Oh goddess, | killed her?" “No, you didn't” I stopped her immediately. | didn't want her to have those thoughts, especially when she couldn't remember anything.

“You didn't kill Cora, and—" Sheila was up from the bed, pacing restlessly in tears. No, Killian.

Can't you see it? Something's wrong with me. Every time | can't remember what happened, something bad happens,” Sheila stumbled back and | caught her before she crashed on the floor.

“You have to remain calm,” | pinned her body to mine.

“Lorenzo, | have to see him. | need to know what he has found out” she broke free from my hold, starting for the door, but I grabbed her immediately.

“Stay here, Sheila," | said, "1 will go to him. Please just stay in here," | pleaded. | had to speak to him before Sheila. I had to dismiss this sudden thought in my mind that had begun to drive me crazy. | kissed her lips and pulled her back to the bed. “I will be back soon.” left our chamber and headed for the witches’ quarters. | went straight to the witches’ spell room, pulling the door open in a hurry.

Lorenzo was standing at the table with his back to me. He was

completely frozen and every color of life was drained from his face in horror. He hadn't even noticed my presence.

“Lorenzo,” | called, and slowly, he turned to me. His dark eyes held unshed tears that reflected pain. "What is it?" | moved closer to him, and something in his gaze told me it was about Sheila. “Tell me, Lorenzo, what did you find out?" “It's Sheila,” he voiced, barely above a whisper, as a tear rolled down his cheek.

He was scaring me and | knew whatever he had to say, it might kill me. But | had to hear it, and deep down | hoped it wasn't what | was thinking. “Sheila, what?" “Sheila is the vessel, Killian."