Cloaks

Atasha's Point of View

“Devon, I’ve been waiting for you since yesterday! I am glad you’re back!" I exclaimed, then released her so I could take a glance at her. “Where have you been? We finished our training yesterday, and you know what happened? We saw some witches wearing cloaks. Their presence was terrifying, and they glided down from the mountains while riding on their broomsticks,” I further explained.

I was aware that I was amazed when I first saw those witches, but right now, I couldn’t help but clench my fist. It was my first time seeing such scary witches, and based on their aura, I sensed a great deal of danger.

Devon only gave me a sweet smile and tapped me on my shoulders.

“I am happy as it appears that your training was successful, and it’s nice to know that both of you are safe,” Devon remarked with a smile on her face. “The witches you saw might be the ones living on Witch Mountain. They usually go down to the werewolf’s land whenever someone hires them for their service,” she added as we walked inside the cabin.

We went to the living room and talked more about those witches living in Witch Mountain.

“It is unusual for them to go down without any reason, so my gut feeling tells me that it might be because they will be working with werewolves, probably going to perform a group ritual for a dangerous spell, or will conduct a potion to curse or heal someone,” she continued.

"Is it also possible that they are planning to assassinate someone?" I inquired, my brows furrowed in curiosity.

"There's a possibility," she remarked and then let out a long sigh, “Though I'm not quite sure."

I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by those witches going to the werewolf’s land. At the back of my head, my mind kept telling me that those witches could somehow give us a clear answer about the disappearance of Devon’s mother. I recalled how a memory flashed before my eyes when I first embraced Devon in the past—a memory of me going into an old church with Astrid and how I encountered an older lady who was in her forties. I had a strong feeling that it was Devon’s mother.

We needed to track down those witches and pursue their trail of ruin. Aside from the fact that they might know something about Devon’s mother, it was also possible that her mother was the same woman who had cast a spell on me in the church back then.

I would like to find the answers to all these questions whirling around in my head. I felt that everything was related to why I was cursed.

“Atasha, if you decide to follow them, I assure you that you will be in grave danger. I advised you not to take any chances,” Devon remarked warily. “Unless the witches have a contract with you and you have the items that they desire, that’s the only time they won’t be able to hurt you. But if you don't hold any importance to them, they won’t hesitate to cast a spell on you, or even kill you.”

I felt a strike of terror inside my chest. I swallowed hard and blinked several times.

“What if they have the answer as to why I was cursed? Devon, what if they are the only ones that could help me find your mother and get this curse fully removed from me?" I questioned her, and I still intend to follow those witches because I believe they had the solution to my curse. "I'm still having trouble shifting. I still can’t feel my wolf and you stated before that I wasn't completely cured, so I am trying to look for answers on how to remove this curse. Please help me, Devon.”

Elijah saw us talking and his brows furrowed instantly. “What’s happening here?”

Devon got to her feet and walked into the bedroom. Elijah and I followed her. She opened the closet and handed us cloaks.

"If you wear this, you will be able to simply track them without them noticing. I don't want any of you to get cursed by them, so please be cautious,” she remarked.

I took the cloaks and looked at them carefully. I breathed heavily and glanced at Elijah, who appeared to be concerned about my decision.

"Atasha, are you sure you want to go ahead with this? You've already gotten your improved abilities, which is a good start. You are aware of the stakes, right? The progress we have achieved may be compromised,” he mumbled and held my shoulder.

I touched Elijah’s hand on my shoulder and gave him a smile to make sure that everything would be alright.

“I’m fine, Elijah. As long as I’m with you, I know we’re going to make it. Please believe in me," I uttered.

“I would also like to inform you, Atasha, that if in any case that you get cursed by the witch again, I am afraid that you can no longer rely on the Sacred falls. There’s no cure for the second curse. Even if you bathe on the Sacred falls, it won’t be partially cured. That’s why you have to be careful.” She then glanced at Elijah. “Protect your mate no matter what happens.”

“I will protect her, Devon.”

Elijah and I did not waste any time and started preparing. We dressed up using the clothes that were given by Devon. It was a dark green shirt, pants, and a black cloak, which were similar to the clothes that the witches wore, but the only thing missing was a broomstick, as if we could also use it the way they used it.

As we stepped out of the cabin, I felt Devon hugging me from behind.

"Atasha, I’m wishing you the best. I’m hoping you find out the truth and locate my mother,” she said, which gave me a boost of courage within me.

"No worries, Devon, you can count on me and Elijah. We will visit you here and bring your mother alive. Just wait for us!” I said. When she released me, I gave her a wide smile. She then nodded.

Elijah was waiting for me outside of the cabin. I gave Devon one last glance before I proceeded to Elijah.

“Are you ready?” he asked me.

I nodded and held his hand. Our fingers intertwined. “I am ready.”

He smiled, looked back at the cabin, and bid his goodbyes to Devon. After that, we walked to the secret door that would lead us to the outside world. Then we began to trek through the mountains, where we saw the witches.

"I can use my ability to follow their trail. It should still be there," I said to Elijah, who didn’t say anything rather than nod at me.

I suppose he was concerned about me and didn’t like the idea of us trailing these witches. In addition, the thought of getting cursed again and not being able to heal with the help of the Sacred Falls somehow scared me. However, I felt like my gut was pushing me to do this. I then felt Elijah’s hand stop me from moving forward.

"Atasha, do you think this is not the right time to do this? My wolf is having a bad feeling about this.”

“I’m sorry Elijah, but I don’t have a choice. I need to do this for me to fully heal,” I responded.

"I’m afraid that we’ll be separated again," he said. That made me realize how much we'd been through, especially him, who had followed me all the way from the East Land to here. "Our original plan was to find a location where we could hide from all our enemies, right? We don’t want to rush things, Atasha. We already had a good life in that secret place with Devon,” he went into detail.

For a moment, I was hesitant to proceed with this plan. However, what if they had the answers that I needed to all these miseries that happened to me?

“Elijah, listen.” I held his hand and stared at his eyes intently. “I have to do this for myself, to become better as I don’t want to burden you anymore. I need to find the cure for this curse so that your father will accept me, and I don’t want you to sacrifice your duty as the next Alpha of your pack just because I am not capable enough,” I explained to him, determination could be heard in my tone of voice.

He was right that we had a good life in the cabin, with Devon’s spell keeping the place protected. But, I couldn’t be so selfish knowing a lot of people were expecting us to succeed: Zach, Veronica, and Devon... They were my family, and I didn’t want to disappoint them at all.

"Elijah, I can’t do this without your help, so please come with me and let’s follow the witches," I pleaded.

He took a deep breath and paused for a brief moment.

“Fine, but if there’s anything that will put you in danger, we will go back right away.”

I nodded and gave him an embrace. Then I felt him kissing my forehead.

“Atasha, promise me you’ll never get away from me,” he whispered.

“I promise it won’t happen . . .”

With that, we continued trekking. It took hours when we arrived at the top of the mountain, where we first saw the witches. I sniffed at their trail and began to follow their scent.