40
REBECCA
“When you talk about very powerful magic,” Reiner murmured. “You mean dark magic, don’t you?”
Sybille nodded – and I felt my guts freeze.
Only Reiner’s warm hand clasped around mine kept me from fainting.
“Any magic that interferes with what is right and desired by the Moon Goddess is classified as black magic,” she explained. “And what you’ve undergone is a very powerful spell, so much so that I can still feel the residue of it on your souls.”
I swallowed, trying to contain my anxiety. Magic was not to be trifled with – and if indeed we’d
been victims of a spell that the supreme witch of Manhattan herself called very powerful.
The witch frowned. “Do you remember taking anything that morning? Reiner, you said you
believe your family’s behind the spell – and spells like this are often sold as potions, to make them more effective. Do you remember eating breakfast, or drinking anything?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Reiner muttered. “Maybe just a glass of water… but I took it myself, and from the tap, so it couldn’t have been contaminated, or the whole pack would have been under the spell.”
“Neither do I…” I said, trying to ponder how Sheila could have poisoned us.
And then it dawned on me.
The two sandwiches Sheila had hastily given me as I left the house. Two – originally intended
for Reiner and me.
I brought a hand to my mouth, suddenly nauseated.
Oh, Goddess.
“Yes,” I whispered. “S–Sheila gave me two sandwiches, saying they were for us. I ate one – I was
about to faint from hunger, I’d just taken the test…
“You don’t have to justify yourself, baby,” Reiner growled. “You’re not to blame in any of this.”
But I was. And the more I thought back to that moment, the more stupid I felt.
I knew Sheila hated me – goddamn it, the woman could barely stand living in the same house I lived in… and I’d accepted food from her when she’d never even passed me the salt.
1/6
40
Why the f**k had I accepted those sandwiches – why the f**k had I eaten it?
I felt my eyes burn with tears.
“You were shocked, my love,” Reiner murmured, squeezing my hand. “And you were hungry. I would have eaten it too …”
“That’s different! You had no reason to suspect her – while I knew how much she hated me,
knew how much she wanted me out of there …”
“Becks…”
“… and I got suckered like f*****g Snow White and ate that old witch’s stupid poisoned
sandwich!” I blurted out. “No offense.”
Sybille nodded as if to say “None taken“.
“We wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t eaten it,” I growled. “If we’re not home it’s solely because I was
an i***“.
“Becks” At that point, Reiner took my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him. He had a
serious look on his face, but not a hard one. “You do realize you’re rambling? And that you’re
talking a load of crap?”
Those words hit me like an iron club.
“But…”
“You are not to blame,” he said. His eyes softened. “You were shocked, and that b***h took advantage of you. If we were separated, it’s not because you ate that sandwich – it’s because we were both deceived. I want you to keep that in mind – I want you to remember who the real enemies and perpetrators are here. None of them are in this house.”
I swallowed as his rationality worked its way through me, reassuring and calming me.
I knew he was right – I knew it was crazy to blame myself for that situation, however… I
couldn’t help but feel stupid.
It felt strange, I admitted. It felt strange that she offered me food, but … she said it was for both of us, and then… I don’t know. I just thought maybe she was in a good mood.
You’d just seen the first positive pregnancy test of your life, honey. It was perfectly normal, right even, that you had nothing on your mind other than finding out if it was all true. And anyway, no sane person would have thought those sandwiches were poisoned, he muttered. Now let’s focus on finding out what they did to us.
216
40
+8 Point
I took a deep breath and, comforted by his presence, regained my composure. Reiner was right: we needed to focus on what was important.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured to the witch – an apology that was not very well received by Reiner, who
emitted a low growl, as if to say, “Goodness, woman, you have nothing to apologize for!”
Sybille smiled with empathy. “Don’t worry, dear – I can only imagine how upsetting it is to
discover that you have been the victim of a spell. You told me there were two sandwiches,
right? And that Sheila said they were one for you and one for your mate?”
I nodded.
“Then,” she said. “It’s reasonable to assume that they were both poisoned – and judging by how
powerful the spell was, I don’t doubt that if you had both consumed the potion, your bond
would have been broken beyond repair.”
“Beyond… what?” Reiner exhaled, shocked. “Is that even possible?”
Sybille nodded. “Possible, and extremely dangerous too. A mating bond can only be broken in two ways – by mutual rejection or by black magic. While the first way is safe for both mates,
the second is not – and more than once the weaker mate lost his life.”
I sensed the wave of emotions that washed over Reiner as my own: horror, disgust, betrayal,
fear, and anger stormed his mind like a tornado.
With a horrible sound, his chair sputtered back: the next moment, he was on his feet,
trembling and with a reddish tinge in his eyes, a low growl vibrating in his chest.
Needless to say, that attracted a lot of attention – especially from the kids.
“Daddy?” Violet called out to him, confused.
He was on the verge of shifting – I could feel it, he was so furious and his Alpha instincts gone
so wild that he was almost unable to keep it at bay.
Reiner, I called him through the link. Reiner.
His mind, however, did not answer me – his consciousness was a small bright dot in a stormy sea of barely suppressed feelings and instincts.
“Bro,” Mark said, slowly getting up. “Look, I don’t think …”
“Stay back,” I ordered him, raising my arm. “It’s not safe.”
Reiner, I called him again, this time more forcefully, and took his hand between mine. The physical contact helped – his consciousness grew brighter, and I was able to reach for it.
3/6
+8 Points
40
Reiner, you have to listen to me.
That w***e …
I know, my love, but now I need you to calm down, I said. The kids are here. Reiner, please.
She would… she would have killed you all…
Reiner, please. Please, I need you to calm down… I need you to come back to me, I insisted. / need you. Please.
I knew those words would work: after all, they always had. The bond inevitably led us to do whatever the other needed – and in an Alpha, whose nature was to lead and serve his pack, that instinct was even more pronounced. It was enough for Reiner to sense that need for his
wolf to let go – and the next moment, the man returned.
The storm in him had not subsided – I could feel it simmering and growing under the veil of his
consciousness… but we’d deal with that later.
Not in front of the children.
Reiner took a breath, then nodded. “I’m fine, baby,” he smiled at Violet, who calmed down. “I
just saw a bug.”
So saying, he took a handkerchief and pretended to catch a bug – which earned him an ovation
and applause from the kid.
“I’m sorry,” he said, sitting down again and taking my hand.
Again, the witch smiled. “It’s okay. I often work with wolves – I know how you are.”
That is, almost always constantly prey to our emotions and instincts.
We couldn’t be easy for someone not like us to work with.
“As I was saying, the fact that only you, Rebecca, took the potion allowed the effects to be only partial. I sense you felt a sharp pain in your chest a few days after it happened…” she said. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to banish the memory of that horrible pain. It had been, without a doubt, the worst of my life – even worse than childbirth. Reiner’s hand tightened
around mine.
“This spell is rather special – it has two intents: to break and, if it fails, to deceive. Your bond is incredibly strong – and since only you took the potion, it couldn’t even c***k it,” the witch said. “I’m sure Sheila was aware of the strength of your bond, so she requested the double intention to make sure her plan worked no matter what. The spell altered your perception regarding the bond based on what Sheila wanted – you, Rebecca, perceived a hatred that did not exist, and
4/6
40
+9 Paint
you, Reiner, an equally nonexistent silence. That pain you felt was nothing but deception.”
I sighed, trying to make sense of all that information.
Damn, Sheila had been diabolical.
“So… the bond was never broken,” Reiner repeated, for confirmation. “It was all a deception.”
Sybille nodded.
Like every f*****g thing about that b***h, then, I heard Reiner think. I didn’t respond: it was clear that he hadn’t meant to send that thought down the link, but I squeezed his hand anyway, to comfort him. I could feel how heartbroken he was – how betrayed he felt by the person who’d always told him she loved him more than anyone else… and it wore me down.
I glanced at our pups, who were playing with Mark on the carpet.
I promise I’ll never hurt you like this.
“But if I didn’t take the the poison, or whatever,” Reiner asked. “Why did it affect me as well?”
…
“Because you’re mates. Your souls are one” Sybille explained. “What happens to one happens to the other. Since only Rebecca took the potion, the effects were mainly on her – but you also
suffered some.”
Great.
“The good thing is that neither of you has active remnants of the spell,” Sybille continued. “I can sense the magical trace it left on you, because these spells take years to disappear completely, but it is not active. You need not fear anything.”
“What about the children?” I asked. “I was only a few weeks pregnant when it all happened –
could they have …”
Sybille shook her head with a gentle smile – and I could have started crying from relief.
“The spell was meant to act only on your bond, therefore only on you,” she said. “I do not sense any magical traces on them. You can rest assured.”
A laugh of pure relief escaped my lips, and I instinctively turned to my mate: but instead of the burst of joy and relief I’d expected to see, there was only quiet gratitude on his face.
“Thank you,” he said to the witch. “You have lifted an … immense weight off our shoulders.”
Reiner? What’s the matter?
His answer came after a few seconds. Nothing, he said.
5/6
40
Too bad I could feel the tornado of emotions inside him – pressing to get out.
He would not have lasted long.
Fortunately, Sybille left shortly after, called back to her duties as supreme witch: Mark, who
had the day off, decided to stay a little longer, to play with the kids.
I took Reiner’s hand and dragged him into
