Kaia

The world spun as the ground crumbled beneath my feet like dry, grains of sand.

Nero was calling, but I no longer could utter a sound since there was great pressure pushing against my throat, suffocating me.

I was falling, spiralling into something that felt like a tunnel of never ending darkness.

The moment the floor solidified beneath my feet, I twisted away from Maverick, forcing his grip to loosen.

My knees collapsed, pulling me down. Maverick crouched in front of me and yanked me close, gripping my jaw tightly. I could barely catch a breath, only coughing dry hacks.

His dark gaze glowered as he studied me intently. "Your eyes...you've changed a lot since I last saw you." He snarled.

Spittle hung from his elongated teeth. Some hit my cheek. I grimaced, trying to pull away but his grip was firm and unforgiving.

His wolf was rearing at the surface, and I was certain his beast was trying to exert his dominance.

He was looking for a fight.

"Let..me..go." I gritted out once air filled my lungs.

His fingers twitched, then tightened, digging roughly into my skin.

The muscles in his jaw rippled and tensed beneath my perusal. "You're also giving out orders...how different." His tone was slightly amused. It was like he was observing something that he shouldn't have witnessed in the first place.

The witch remained silent, hanging in the shadows like she was part of it. She had her gaze cast on the ground, intentionally hiding her expression.

Ezmeralda.

She had cursed me.

She was the reason why I was so pathetically weak against Maverick.

I wanted to ask her why?

However, the longer I stared at her submissive form, I just knew that Maverick had something over her.

How was he controlling someone as powerful as she?

She was a woman who was capable of casting spells laced with dark magic. She had the ability to conjure curses, ones that could condemn someone's life to one of servitude, or even death.

As if sensing my desperation to talk to the witch, Maverick released me. His smirk twitched. "Don't even bother with her. She can't help you. She heeds my orders. No matter how much you beg or plead with her, she will not move unless I will it."

"You have some nerve taking me away from my mate." I hissed.

Maverick suddenly erupted into a sharp bark of laughter, "You'd think it would be a lot more difficult to infiltrate the Silver Claw Pack, but I guess they didn't really consider the fact that I would have a witch in my possession. How fucking sad."

"What do you want from me?"

Maverick ceased laughing. "You are mine Kaia. I raised and moulded you into the perfect little soldier. The reason why you're the way you are is because of me. I built your character from rubble. I was the one who found you and made you extraordinary...but that may have been an oversight on my behalf, considering you display a tendency of rebelling against your true Alpha."

"You are not my Alpha." I muttered.

In the moment, I knew it was foolish to say but it was already too late to snatch the words back.

It was quick, but I clutched my face as black dots danced in my vision. A flare of heat and pain pulsed across my face, as something warm dribbled down my nose.

I tasted fresh blood.

He hit me.

"I want you to shut up until I say you can talk. For now, I'm going to keep you in this place. Ezmeralda will cast a spell, that will disallow you from leaving this space, so don't even try. It'll be futile. You will remain here until I find an appropriate punishment for you." Maverick shared.

I urged my voice to come forth but nothing happened.

The star on my neck simply fluttered in response. It was a cold reminder of my curse.

"I told you it will be useless, yet you keeping trying. I don't know if I should find it admirable that you place wasted effort on things when you know it will not work."

Go fuck yourself.

Maverick may have figured what I had wanted to say to him but surprisingly, he stepped away, moving to the door. He focused on the witch who still lingered in the corner of the room. She stood in silence, unmoving, even when Maverick addressed her by name.

"Witch, use that magic of yours and seal this place so no one comes in or out of this place unless it is me." Maverick instructed, "I'll return soon. You will observe her and ensure that she does not somehow escape from here or there'll be consequences."

Finally, the witch moved. She nodded, but still refrained from speaking. She simply kept her eyes lowered.

Maverick slid out the door and then white silver strands appeared, interlocking with each other over every inch of the room. The strands tightened and pressed together until it formed a sharply squared box that resembled the shape of the room. The thick strands then settled against the walls and infused with them, until they slowly disappeared from sight.

Although I could not see the strands anymore, I knew that the place had been secured according to Maverick's orders.

Dark magic coated every surface of the room.

I knew that the space had been fortified with magic, ensuring that no one could leave or enter without Maverick's permission.

Despite how jello-like my limbs felt, I faced the witch.

I'd expected her to leave after she had cast her spell, but there she stood in the same spot, unmoving and so, so still.

"Why do you adhere his orders? You're not cursed like me, are you?" I asked.

I didn't necessarily think she would answer, considering she kept her lips sealed unless Maverick motioned for her to speak. However, her voice was soft and siren-like as she spoke, "I am under his command, not in the way you are, but all the same in the end."

"Why are you allowing him to do this to me?"

Ezmeralda offered a sad smile, "I simply can't stop him. He holds too much power over me to stop him in the midst of his actions. I can only wait until the coast is clear before I can act, or we both will not leave here alive."

"Let me out of here." I urged, "Please. Release your hold on the spell, and I will leave. I'll make it look as if you had no choice but to let me go."

Ezmeralda lowered her gaze, "I can't let you do that. I apologise."

"So then what? I stay here until he comes back? Isn't it enough that you cursed me to be like this?"

The witch jolted. "Cursed you?" She suddenly looked stunned. "You think I cursed you?"

"Yes. You." I sighed.

"It wasn't me who cursed you." Ezmeralda revealed. "It was my sister."

Confusion set in.

"It was you."

Ezmeralda shook her head. "It would be impossible for me to have done it since I'm alive and breathing in front of you right now."

"Speak plainly without beating around the bush Ezmeralda." I instructed.

Ezmeralda nodded, "My sister cursed you, under Maverick's order when you were a little girl."

"Then we need to find her so she can undo this curse."

"That is impossible." Ezmeralda shared as tears gathered in her eyes. They glowed an eerie red. "If witches place a curse on a person, there is a consequence to this—death. By cursing you, my sister had forfeited her life to ensure that the curse would engage and have immediate effect."

And that meant that I was stuck with my curse.

There was no solution.

I was doomed to remain a prisoner. 

There was no hope.

And Maverick had known all along.

It made sense that he had taken his time to capture me. He simply had been playing. He had already known that he had won the battle and war.

Finding Nero and staying with the Silver Claw Pack was only a short, temporary reprieve.

Maybe Maverick had it in his head that he would torture me with what could be if I wasn't under his control like a puppet. He'd given me a snippet of something that I could cherish only in my memories and chose a specific moment to tear it up and rip it away without a care in the world.

He was so fucking cruel.

"I owe your mate a debt. I will grant you a chance to find my sister and undo the curse that was unfairly bestowed upon you but remember, you only have one chance." Ezmeralda warned, "You will have no chances after this. Be careful and ensure that you meet Rona before your time is up. Once your curse is undone, you will return. If not, things that weren't, will surely come out differently. So be wise in your decisions Luna."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Ezmeralda smiled, as her crimson gaze flared like lively flames and glowed. "You have one chance to undo your curse. Maybe, if you can, you may save my sister." She raised a delicate arm and waved it above her head. "Remember Luna, one chance. You must limit your contact with others while you're away. It may affect the timelines too much."

Ominous red wisps circled around her fingertips and unravelled around her body. They swayed then drifted to me, tangling around my body and covering my vision bit by bit.

"I do not doubt that you'll make it." Ezmeralda's voice was faint.

Darkness flooded my vision.