"Upon further investigation," I continued, feeling the weight of the curse bearing down on me as I spoke, "the witch deciphered that the curse had been placed specifically on the unborn baby, on me. She revealed that I would need to complete the mate bond by the time I turned thirty years old, or everyone connected to me, through blood, bond, or pack, would die."
The room fell silent as I finished speaking, the heaviness of the revelation settling around us like a thick fog. Erica's eyes were wide with shock and worry, her hand gripping mine even tighter.
"Is there any way to break the curse?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"We've spent years searching for a solution," my father answered grimly, "but nothing has proven successful. The only hope we have is for Liam to complete the mate bond within the allotted time."
I could see Erica's eyes welling up as we told her about the curse, her green irises shimmering in the dim light of the room. She had been so strong until now, but the weight of this revelation seemed to be too much for her. My heart ached at the sight of her pain, and I wished there was something I could do to take it all away.
"Erica," I began softly, my voice cracking under the strain of my emotions, "I didn't tell you because I wanted you to want to complete the bond, not feel obliged to." Her gaze snapped to mine, those emerald eyes now brimming with tears.
"That's the problem, Liam," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I have no choice. I can't be responsible for the deaths of three thousand lives."
The atmosphere in the room grew heavy as her words hung in the air like a thick fog that threatened to suffocate us all. As I looked into her eyes, searching for some semblance of comfort or understanding, I saw a flicker of doubt cross her face. It was as if she sensed there was more to the story than what we had told her so far.
"Something else is going on, isn't it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, yet somehow, it managed to echo throughout the room, making everyone shift uncomfortably.
My throat tightened as I tried to find the right words to explain the situation without causing her further distress. But how could I sugarcoat the fact that our enemies were closing in and that we were losing more pack members by the hour?
"Erica," my father said, his voice heavy with the weight of the news he was about to deliver, “in the last twelve hours, we've lost over half the pack warriors and their families.” This was a devastating blow to us. Of the three thousand pack members eight hundred were trained warriors. Since we had pulled in Aldrich, and then Grayson, whole families seemed to have fled. We couldn’t say for certain if they were involved but from the pack members we had been able to investigate there was an alarmingly high percentage that had been planted into the pack. Erica’s horrified gasp cut through the air like a knife, her green eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"How?" she choked out, her voice barely a whisper. I clenched my fists at my sides, anger boiling within me at the thought of our enemies picking off our pack members one by one.
"After Louis attacked you," I began, struggling to keep my voice steady, "we brought in Aldrich, his father, for questioning. We needed to know why Louis would have such a vicious vendetta against you." As I spoke, I recalled the sheer hatred that had radiated from Louis during the attack, an intensity I couldn't quite comprehend. It was during Aldrich’s interrogation that Erica had told me about Louis's declaration, that he was to deliver her to someone. I had passed this information onto my father immediately, desperate to understand the connection.
The air in the room grew heavy with tension, a suffocating weight pressing down on all of us. The roaring fire offered no comfort, only emphasising the stark contrast between its warmth and the chill that had settled in my bones.
"Alpha, what else did Aldrich say?" Erica asked, her voice barely audible, trembling under the strain of her emotions.
"Using my Alpha tone, I forced him to tell us everything," my father began, his voice laced with anger and disgust. "Aldrich admitted to working with the Shadow Night pack from the beginning. Felix Blackwood came to him and offered a deal, he would find a way to join our pack and provide information on us." Erica's eyes widened in shock and betrayal, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.
"Did Louis and Heidi know about this?"
"Unfortunately, yes," my father replied, his jaw clenched tight. "They both agreed to Felix's terms. Only Aldrich's mate refused, and for that, Felix killed her."
"Those bastards," I growled, my own rage simmering beneath the surface. I could feel my wolf pacing restlessly within me, wanting nothing more than to tear apart those who had betrayed our pack. But now was not the time for bloodlust; we needed answers, and we needed them fast.
"Who else, Alpha? Who else is involved?" Erica demanded, her voice cracking but strong.
"From what Aldrich told us, there are others," my father said, hesitating for a moment before looking down at the floor. "One of the names he mentioned was Grayson Thompson."
"Grayson?" Erica gasped, her heartache evident in her wide, disbelieving eyes. "He's the Warrior Commander! His job is to keep the pack safe!"
"Believe me, Erica, we were just as shocked," I reassured her, trying to keep my own emotions in check. "Grayson is currently being interrogated, and we won't rest until we've rooted out every last traitor." Erica's horrified gaze bore into me, and I could see the moment she realised the full extent of what we were dealing with.
"Warriors and their families," she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. "You can't possibly think that Verity is a spy..." My heart clenched at the pain laced through her voice, and I struggled to find the right words to comfort her. "It might not be the case, baby," I tried to reassure her gently. "But it doesn't look good. The Thompson family has disappeared, all except for Grayson."
Her eyes filled with tears, and I could feel her devastation as if it were my own. But it wasn't just Erica who was hurting; Kaitlyn, my little sister, was also quietly crying, her shoulders trembling with each sob. My anger surged, building like a storm inside me. How dare they infiltrate our pack and threaten the people we loved? They would pay dearly for this.
The weight of the room grew heavier as Erica's expression shifted into one of deep concern. She looked up at me, her green eyes searching for something to cling to amidst the chaos.
"Did you say Felix Blackwood?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. I nodded reluctantly, bracing myself for whatever questions might follow.
“Yes, that's right.”
“Is he related to Jasper Blackwood?” At the mention of Jasper's name, a sudden surge of anger coursed through me, my hands clenching unconsciously. That bastard had been causing trouble for far too long, and now it seemed, his reach extended even further than I'd initially thought.
"Jasper is Felix’s son and now the Alpha of the Shadow Night pack," I told Erica, struggling to keep the bitterness from my voice. "He's made it his mission to make my life miserable."
