Chapter 61
“What do you mean you’re the one who did this?” I roared. How dare she come into my home and just drop such a bombshell?!
The girl flinched and took a step back. She was clearly frightened as she raised her chin in defiance of my aura. She may be a witch, but my aura most definitely still affected her as she tried not to cower.
“Please,” She asked, her voice shaking. “You don’t understand...”
“You could have given us answers at the diner,” Leon interrupted, his own voice steady, even though I knew he could feel my anger. “What changed? Why now?”
“Because everything has changed.” The witch answered in exasperation. “I do not know the full story, but I know enough to change how you are looking at it. The information I share now is imperative for the future.”
“How do I know you are not lying?” I seethed.
“I cannot prove it. The only thing I can do is tell you what I know. What you chose to believe or not to believe is not up to me, but I beg you to hear me now.”
“I’m listening.” I said through gritted teeth, leaning against Leon’s desk. If I wanted any truth, I had to be careful, and that was infuriating when it came to Grace.
“The girl... I didn’t know she was who you were talking about when I heard the rumors of what you were looking for. Grace has been an unusual case since her birth. I was told that she shifted on the day of her birth-”
“But that’s impossible.” I interrupted, sneaking a look at Leon who was nodding his head in agreement with me. “Shifting that early, that young, it’s not possible. A baby can’t consciously choose that-”
“Nobody said she ‘chose’ to shift, Alpha King Rhys,” The witch stated coldly. “I probably wouldn’t have believed it either, but I was called upon shortly after her birth to bind her for the first time.”
“First time?” Leon interrupted again. “Also, aren’t you too young to have been there when Grace was a child?”
“Will you let me tell my story?!” The witch snapped in irritation. “And I am much older than I appear. I can change my appearance at will, and this is my will.”
“To look like a 13-year-old girl?” Leon frowned.
“That’s it! If you don’t want to hear what I have to say or have my help, then I will just simply see myself out!”
“No.” I grabbed the small witch’s arm as she tried to scurry from the room. “You will tell your story, and we will ask questions as needed. Now, continue.”
The small witch had courage... I had to give her that as she glared angrily at me before finally continuing, “As I was saying, I wouldn’t have believed it either, but shortly after her birth, Louanne, the Alpha’s mistress found me and asked for her to bound. At first, I refused. I am not in the habit of binding young children. I tried to argue that whatever they thought they saw, it was not worth changing the course of the baby’s life. But then she shifted for me, the small baby that couldn’t even hold her head up yet, shifted right before my eyes. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it for myself.” Sandra paused, taking a deep breath. “then Louanne made a very convincing argument that the girl was a danger to herself and everyone around her if she was going to shift uncontrollably, and I agreed.”
“But Grace would never hurt anyone.” I argued.
“Not purposefully, but she couldn’t control her shifts. There was no way. I thought it would be safer for everyone for her to be bound. If I knew what I know now, I’m not sure I would have done it, but if I hadn’t done it, then someone else would have. I mean, someone else did eventually.” She muttered the last part more to herself than to Leon and I, but she forgot that she was in a room of werewolves.
“What do you mean by that?” I demanded, hating how allusive she was being while also being blunt.
“I mean, the girl has been bound a total of 3 times, at least that’s how many I am aware of. I am responsible for 2 of the bindings. The girl held immense power, and one binding was not enough to hold her. She almost immediately started to break out of her first one, and I had to work quickly to contain her with a second one. Then when she was older, I got a call again, asking to redo my bindings. Louanne had long been dead, and I never did find out who was asking, but the too young excuse wasn’t a factor anymore, and I saw no reason to bind her. That was when I realized they were not trying to help this young lady but instead there was something much more sinister going on. I am not that kind of witch who purposefully does things to harm others, but I know some who are, and once I refused, I’m sure they found someone who would do it and not ask questions.”
“Three times?” I whispered in shock.
“At least.” Sandra answered with a nod.
“Why?” I asked.
“Don’t you feel it, Alpha Rhys? That girl has immense power. Even with her wolf bound, I can sense her power from here. And you can too, she’s clearly affecting you, my king. Now, I am going to prepare what I need to, so we can complete this as soon as possible.”
“I don’t feel anything affecting me,” I frowned, wondering if I had misread everything. I didn’t think Grace was tricking me with her power...
“That girl you have is special,” Sandra said with confidence now that my aura wasn’t so suffocating to her as she stood in the doorway ready to disappear again. “She was not made for you, Alpha King Rhys. You were destined for her, drawn to her by only her faint aura that is seeping through the binds. Do not mistake who was made for who.”
And then just as suddenly as she arrived, she was gone.