Chapter 31 Doubtful Vision

~Liam~

Salina stood beside me, wearing short denim shorts and a long thin shirt with a deep V-neck. She had her hair loose past her shoulders, and I forced a smile on my face. She clung to my side; I let her be. This would be the last she gets this close with me.

“You were with her last night, weren’t you?” she asked quietly.

Unlike her usual chirpy self, she was quiet today as we waited for her father to arrive. “I waited for you, but you didn’t come.”

“Don’t make it sound like you’re my wife,” I said as gently as I could.

All this time, she was beside me. She wasn’t a horrible person, just… clingy and too obedient, I guess. For the last two years, she spent her days here just because her father insisted that it’d be better for her to stay with me, her fiancé until the given grace period expires. Thankfully, I found Anna before it did.

“Can I stay?” she asked. “I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here.”

This was for the best. “She doesn’t want you here.”

“My family is here! I don’t want to leave Aunty J and Rigel.”

She removed her arm from mine and turned her back to me. I heard her taking deep breaths as if to calm herself.

“I’ll live with them. I’ll leave your room and won’t bother you.”

She faced me again, looking up at me with pleading eyes that I felt a pinch in my heart.

“Please let me stay.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Can I come to visit?”

“No. I’m sorry, Salina. The Blue Moon Pack won’t be welcome here after this.”

I didn’t have the right to take her away from the Johnson’s. They were her mother’s side of the family, and Aunty J would be heartbroken. Rigel might finally have a more pressing reason to step down as Gamma.

“Don’t I mean anything at all to you, Liam?” she asked with a tone of anger, poking my chest as she rebuked me. “I know you kept me around because of her. Because I was a breathing, living reminder of her. Because I have her face, her body, and her scent. Because you could never forgive yourself for taking her away from me, from all of us.”

Her lips trembled and a tear slid down her cheek which she quickly wiped away with the back of her hand.

“What? Now that you found your second mate, do you think everything will be alright for you? No… Her ghost will haunt you forever, Liam. My sister’s soul won’t rest until you’re miserable.”

“Is that all?” I asked through gritted teeth. I did use her. She made it easier for me to cope with the loss of Sarina because at the end of the day, I could still smell her… see her, even though I never touched her. Many times, I thought “Why her?” Why did it have to be my Sarina?

Those were horrible thoughts, but I couldn’t help it then. Over time, those thoughts were directed at me – “why not me?”

“You and I both know what your father’s after. You and I both know this day would eventually come. We were never anything, Salina,” I said, watching her eyes throw daggers at me. “You’re her sister. That’s all you will ever be to me.”

“Her sister who felt your dick pressed up against her last week,” she snide.

“That was a mistake.”

“Was it?” she asked, smirking. “Settle what you will with my father. If you ever need me, you know where to find me.”

Her lips pulled into a smile as a black SUV came into view, a convoy of three. They stopped in front of the mansion, and the driver of the car in the middle came out. He was wearing a suit, his black shoes polished. He opened the door of the passenger seat and a trail of smoke disappeared into the air as he stepped out.

“Daddy!”

Salina squealed happily and skipped towards Alpha Myron. He opened his arms for her, and she jumped onto him, hugging him tightly. A hearty laugh came from him as his free hand, the left that wasn’t holding a stick of cig, patted the small of her back. “I missed you so much!” she screamed.

“I missed you too, sunshine,” he said as she pulled away. He held her arm as he looked her over with a grin on his face. “Look at you. Still as gorgeous as ever.”

“Only for you, Daddy,” she chirped, then pointed at me. “And my Alpha.”

I went over to them, plastering a smile on my face. If it wasn’t for his status, both in the werewolf community and in her life, I might’ve buried him alive already.

“Liam!” he exclaimed. “Glad to be here again. I see it hasn’t changed much.”

Take it all in because you won’t be stepping in here again.

“It’s still the same as always,” I replied.

He hugged Salina to his side, his arm wrapped around her waist like she was his girl, and I don’t mean his daughter. It was strange to me at first, but I was used to it by now – they were really close.

“Looks like it,” he said, his eyes scanning the mansion behind me.

The other passengers had gotten out of the cars and were joining us. I recognized some of his men – they’d been his escorts during his visits. What caught my attention was a woman who got out of the third car. She wore a long silk black robe with a large hood that hid her face. She wore a black dress underneath it, the length reaching the ground. A pungent smell came from her, and my first instinct was to restrain her while her pale, wrinkly hands were still and to her sides.

“Sister Katrina,” said Alpha Myron, beckoning her over. “Meet Alpha Liam.”

He turned to me, and added, “Liam, this is Sister Katrina. She used to be from the Black Star Coven and is currently under my employ.”

She held the sides of her robe and curtsied before me.

“It is an honor to meet you in person, Alpha Liam Rose of the Red Claw Pack,” she said in a raspy voice as she raised herself. “Tales of your bravery and cunning are known throughout the lands, it is a feat unlike no other.”

“The grapevine exaggerates, Sister,” I said, chuckling.

She raised a finger in the air, showing off a bony finger and a cracked hard nail. The tips of her fingers were black. Their prolonged constant exercise of magic eventually changed the skin color, and it was said that the more the color covered, the stronger the witch. It showcased their practice, their knowledge, and thus the time they spent perfecting their craft. Hers was only until the first knuckle. She was strong, but I could still take her on in a one-on-one fight.

“To a certain extent, Alpha,” she said.

She sucked in the air slowly, then her bony figure trembled. Her voice changed into an imposing tone.

“Beware, Alpha, of enemies known and unknown, living and not living. Beware the man who seeks redemption. Beware the man who seeks destruction. A flower is gone, a flower blooms, the flower wilts, and another blossom.”

The way witches speak made me want to facepalm every damn time. The younger ones were well-accustomed to the modern world, but the older generations were averse to change. They also preferred to remain secluded in their covenants. I’d imagine they were brewing potions and researching. Witches sought knowledge, for whatever purpose.

Her shoulders shook as she muffled a low, dry laugh.

“Their anger boils and simmers. The pressure begs to be released. Keep both eyes open. Keep both eyes closed. Win, lose, win, lose again.”

I didn’t understand what she just said.

“Thank you, Sister,” I replied with a smile. “I’ll heed your advice.”

She whispered, “It’s a vision.”

Sister Katrina turned around, humming a tune to herself, pausing to mumble something incomprehensible before humming again. Then, right before our very eyes, as she continued to walk, she suddenly vanished. As if there was an invisible door that only she could see and she slipped into that door that led to who knows where.

Alpha Myron slowly shook his head.

“She says it’s a vision but who knows for sure what witches say? She also does that, disappearing into thin air. I hope you wouldn’t mind?”

There were no talks about a witch’s involvement. To bring a witch into another pack’s territory required certain permissions and protocols. No Alpha would be dumb enough to let a witch wander around…

“Not at all,” I said, leading the way into the mansion with the two of them following me.

Alpha Myron’s jaw dropped slightly, and I suppressed a smirk.

On our way to my office, my mind wandered back to Sister Katrina’s words. She could’ve lied about it being a vision, but what if it wasn’t?

If there was one thing witches had in common, it was that they were all betrayers. Each acted to benefit herself, regardless of whose expense on a certain what, which was often life. Even sisters in a covenant betrayed each other.

There were a few covenants still around, and fewer were like Sister Katrina, an outcast. Covenants kept to themselves, strictly living their lives according to the rules that bound them to the covenant. Outcasts were more dangerous – if a witch in a covenant was like a domesticated animal, these were wild animals, only looking out for themselves. For Alpha Myron to employ an outcast, he must either be batshit crazy or scheming or both. Having known him for quite some time now, it was both. He had the witch on display; an open show of his confidence that he’d surely succeed in his plan.

If he kept her hidden, he might just have a sliver of a chance at winning. Unfortunately for him, he should’ve thought this more thoroughly – the Red Claw Pack prided itself with another ace, something…someone… no other pack has.