The Alpha's Curse The Enemy Within

Chapter 30 Thirty

Sheila's point of view

I was strolling down the castle grounds, loving the feel of the cool evening breeze against my skin. I was just returning from Killian's office. I had spent all day there, enclosed in the same space as my mate. Even though we were literally at both ends of his large office, what mattered more was that I was slowly getting involved in the matters of the pack. Even when Morgan, Mason, Allen, and a few other ranked warriors had returned for the meeting, I remained in the office. He briefed them on what transpired at the council's meeting and also told them about the ritual the witches were going to conduct to find some magical stone.

A greater part of my attention was on the books and journals I was reading through that contained everything about the pack, down to its history. Even though it was all pack business, I couldn't deny the truth that, like an idiot, I loved being near him. His presence and scent always seem to calm me.

I released an inward smile, roving towards Valerie's bedroom. I closed my eyes, focusing on the presence at the back of my head. "Adie?" I called, concentrating hard to connect with my wolf.

Her sudden presence surprised me last night. Usually, young wolves get their wolf counterpart when they turn sixteen, but mine never came. I had no idea why, and my father never cared to seek help from the pack healers. When I turned eighteen and still had no wolf, I gave up on the possibility of having one. I considered it some kind of punishment from the goddess.

Valerie was right; the constant ache was a result of Adie. She was trying to reach out to me. To connect with me and now that I know there's a possibility that I can have my wolf counterpart, I'm determined to

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I called out to her again, I could hear faint whispers, but couldn't make out what she was saying. It was enough for me to know she was somewhere in there.

I reached Valerie's spell room, knocking at the door.

Instantly, it opened for me. I walked in. I glanced around the room until my eyes landed on Valerie. She glanced my way from the far end of the room. Her bright purple eyes twitched brightly. "Come in. I was expecting you. I heard you were looking for me."

I moved closer to where she was.

"Yes, I did." I examined everything that stood on the table in front of her, as she kept watching me. "Last night I was able to communicate with my wolf," I said, "more like I was finally able to hear her."

"But I was told you weren't with one."

"That's what I thought as well, but it turns out I had one after all. I can feel her presence, but I want to be able to access my wolf."

Valerie's purple eyes examined me. "I can surely help with that, Luna."

Her words made my heart beat ecstatically. I pressed my lips in a smile, "Thank you really," My gaze fell on the table, and then back to her. "Did you manage to get anything from Rowan's corpse?"

"Regrettably, we weren't able to get anything, other than the obvious fact that he was murdered by a

witch," she responded, crossing to the other end of the room, grabbing some witch's ingredients from the shelf.

I watched her closely. "Is that for the spell to find the stone?"

Her gaze shot to mine. "A part of it, but a lot more will be needed to find that stone before the Dark Circle does."

I heard Killian speaking about the Dark Circle during the meeting. I didn't know much about them, but I heard some stories about them from the servants back at the Silver Mist Pack. They spoke a lot about them and the Council, even though my father, Alpha Lucius, belonged neither to the Council nor was he a part of the Dark Circle.

I spent some time in Valerie's spell room before retreating to my chamber. As exhausted as I was, I retired for the night.

***

My eyes squeaked open in shock at the heavy pounding on my door. I jerked up on my bed, my eyes scanning my room. The heavy knock came again. I peered through the draperies covering the window. It wasn't morning yet, almost at the peak of midnight.

I pulled out from the warm covers, shuddering at the chilly air that feasted on my skin. The nights were getting colder as winter slowly crept in.

I strutted to the door. Unlocking it, I found Ria just outside the door about to knock on it again.

"Ria," I was shocked. I looked around the lonely corridor, but there was no one else. "Did something happen?"

"I apologize for disturbing your sleep, but Alpha Killian requested that I fetch you from your chamber."

My long lashes fluttered against each other. "It's midnight. Why on earth would he ask for me?"

Ria shook her head, not knowing.

I shut my door shut, following Ria. Instead of heading to Killian's office, she led me out the castle doors into the cold night.

I felt my skin vibrate from the cold air lashing. We walked into the woods, a faint outline of the moon accompanying our every step. Soon, Ria and I burst out into a wide field. Up ahead was a shirtless Killian. He had his back on us. As if sensing our presence, he whipped his neck in our direction.

"Thank you, Ria," he said, his throaty voice blending into the moonlight haze.

Ria bowed her head to him, turning to face me. She sent a worried look my way before retreating through the path we emerged from.

After watching her back fade into the woods, I turned my gaze on Killian. He had his eyes on the weapons that were lined up in front of him.

I couldn't deny I felt my heart double-beat. Strangely, a little fear crept into my chest. I glanced

suspiciously at my surroundings. We were in the middle of the woods, and only the light from the moon did well to illuminate the surroundings.

What the hell were we doing here?

My hands wrapped around my body, trying to provide whatever warmth they could, at the same time trying to quell the subtle trembling that had me. Even though Killian detested me, he couldn't possibly be capable of murdering me, right?

I couldn't halt the bizarre thoughts that rose in my mind.

Killian turned to me. I couldn't see his eyes clearly; they were completely dark from the darkness. He was staring right back at me.

Slowly, he gripped the half-length sword in front of him and began moving toward me. His hold on the sword was firm and frightening. In a flash, he swallowed the distance between us, taking a step closer to me. Without thinking, I took several steps backward in fear. My legs were trembling harder while my fear grew.

Killian bridged the gap between us, and before I could move again, his large hand gripped my wrist, pulling me closer to him.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're having stupid thoughts like me calling you out here to murder you." His voice was smooth and teasing.

But my drumming heartbeat didn't slow down. "W-why am I here then?"

He sighed. I couldn't see his face clearly, but something told me he was smirking as well.

He led me back to where the weapons were meticulously arranged.

"I told you I would be the one training you instead."

His words made my eyes shoot up. "Wait, you called me here for —"

"To begin your training," he completed, sounding serious.

I looked around at the darkness surrounding us. "Are you serious, Killian? It's fucking midnight."

"And the perfect time to train," he muttered, his eyes gliding from my head to my toes.

"Are you going to train in those?"

"Well, if I had known I was coming to train, I would have worn something different."

"That's fine. You could wear something else next time," he said, crossing his hands on his bare chest. His actions drew my attention to his naked upper half.

I bit my lower lip to prevent any noise from escaping. Killian was the epitome of God's perfect masterpiece. He was a man made by the gods in their image. My eyes trailed from his neck, which stood on the broadest shoulders I've seen down to his chest and his abs.

I found an internal warmth spreading through my body, touching me in places. My breathing became hitched.

"My eyes are up here," Killian's voice broke into my thoughts. Instantly, my eyes shot up to meet him. I averted his gaze sharply, feeling my cheeks hot.

"Let's just begin," I said.

"First I need to know how much you've learned," He threw the short-length sword at me. I managed to catch it before it kissed the earth.

I blinked from the sword to him.

"You don't exactly have your wolf, so you must find something else to protect yourself. Something that can aim as well as kill," He pointed at the sword, sounding as though he was training me for war instead.

"Shouldn't we at least begin with a crafted sword instead?"

"No," he sounded firm. "That's just fine, now show me what you've got."

I wielded the sword in my hands. Killian gestured at me to strike and I did. In a swift motion, he hit the sword from my grasp, his hand clutching my neck, slamming me against the tree.

"You are not fighting against a human, Sheila. You may be up against a wolf, a vampire, or any other kind of creature. Your grip should be firm," He was speaking, but I swear I stopped listening to him a long time ago. My traitorous heart had picked up a race, and my body was a second away from melting in Killian's arms.

His scorching breath on me wasn't helping my case, as my body had a mind of its own. I placed a hand on Killian's chest, and at my action he stopped moving, his hold on my neck softening, and his body pressing hard against my own. His hand on my neck slowly moved up to my face, then got lost in my hair.

He leaned closer to me, and my hand walked up to his neck when it felt a certain roughness in his skin.

My eyes darted to the spot, and my eyes widened. "What happened to you, Killian?"

I looked up to meet his gaze, turning dark and furious.