Friend or foe?

From the moment Eva got into the jeep, she began watching Nancy tensely. Nancy kept her eyes on the road, but she had noticed the sharp stares directed at her. Finally, she asked with a playful tone:

"What are you hoping to see? An extra arm or leg? Or do you think flames will shoot out of my eyes?"

Eva replied:

"How entertaining. You and your brother always amaze me with your comedic talents."

Nancy began to laugh.

"There's something about you. I can't help but provoke you," she said.

"Wonderful," Eva responded sarcastically. "So you invited me into the car just to mock me? Now are you going to tell me what you really want to talk about?"

Nancy took a deep breath, trying not to show her stress.

"What do you know about the Alpha?" she asked.

Eva shrugged and answered with an indifferent tone.

"Nothing. Not about you, not about Joe. I was hoping you'd tell me something."

Nancy continued:

"Right now, you shouldn't be worried about Joe, it's the Alpha! Our family is only seen as bad blood. But the Alpha is already a demon! Just because your bloodline dressed him in a wolf's skin doesn't make him a wolf," she said.

Eva was stunned.

"That's exactly what I don't understand. What does 'bad blood' mean? And what did my family do! I don't want to be in the middle of this madness. But somehow I'm already in it and I don't even know how it started. What exactly do you want from me?" she asked.

Nancy answered with a growl in her voice:

"I want you to leave this cursed town as soon as possible, Eva. Do you think your grandmother's insistence that you spend Christmas Eve here was for some innocent reason?"

Eva's eyes suddenly widened. She had been thinking about this for a while too. Was there really another reason? But she was sure her grandmother would never do anything to harm her.

"Speak plainly. What do you mean?" Eva asked.

"Whatever's going to happen will happen on Christmas Eve. Please, make the right choice before you bring chaos to this town. Joe will want to keep both the territory and you safe. But the Alpha... he'll never let his mate go. In the end, there will be an absolute war. The Alpha's pack is awakening, Eva! That thing on your chest is getting stronger!"

Eva was frightened by Nancy's words, thinking about what she wanted to do. She didn't want to live without knowing what happened to her mother and father. It was true that she wanted to fulfill her grandmother's last wish. And the Alpha felt like a part of her somehow. But what Nancy was saying... even with this gloomy town and its people, she didn't want to endanger anyone's life.

But could she just leave? Was there any escape from this man who could even enter her mind?

At that moment, Nancy glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that the vehicle following them had turned back. She didn't have much time. With a sudden movement, she pulled the car to the side of the road and hit the brakes. Eva lurched forward, the seatbelt holding her in place.

"Hey! What are you doing!"

Nancy turned to her. Her silver eyes blazed with emotion, an expression on her face that Eva had never seen before. Anger? Fear? Or... desperation?

"Listen to me, Eva Rose," Nancy said, her voice trembling. "You can trust Elly. Tell her what I've told you! And you must tell the Alpha too! Our family, Joe and I... yes, we have bad blood. We carry demon blood. The town doesn't trust us, doesn't tolerate us. But you know what? At least we can choose. We can be wolves, but we can also stay in human form. We can think like humans."

She paused, looking into Eva's eyes.

"But the Alpha? He's a demon, Eva. Your bloodline, the Rose witches, captured a demon's soul centuries ago and imprisoned it in a wolf's body. They cursed him with human consciousness. And along with him..." Nancy's voice broke. "Along with him, they cursed his entire pack."

Eva's brows furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

Nancy ran her hand through her hair, stressed.

"Kael wasn't alone, Eva! He's an Alpha. Alphas have packs. Hundreds of wolves. And the spell your ancestors cast didn't just imprison Kael. It cursed his entire pack too."

Eva's stomach tightened. She was beginning to understand.

"The seal... does it affect all the wolves?"

"Yes!" Nancy's voice was nearly a scream. "After Kael was imprisoned in his wolf form, his pack... they were bound too. They've been trapped in human bodies, Eva. For centuries. They can't use their wolf forms. Not even on full moon nights. They're... living like the half-dead."

Eva's breath caught.

"The people in this town... they! That's why their hatred!"

"Yes," Nancy whispered. "Most of the families in this town carry wolf blood. They're descendants of Kael's pack. They've been forced to live as humans for centuries. Forced to forget their nature. And your family he Roses are the reason."

Eva shook her head.

"No. No, I... I'm not responsible for this! I wasn't even born yet!"

"But your blood is responsible!" Nancy's voice was filled with pain. "Eva, don't you understand? You're the last representative of the Roses. And if you complete the mate bond with Kael, if you confirm the seal all those people will be freed. They'll finally be able to return to their wolf forms. Finally be whole."

Eva froze.

"Wait... so you want me to accept Kael?"

Nancy averted her eyes. Silence fell between them like a heavy blanket.

"You..." Eva's voice trembled. "You brought me here for this. To convince me."

"No!" Nancy quickly replied. "Quite the opposite, I was supposed to convince you to leave! But I couldn't." She paused, taking a deep breath. "Eva, listen. The people in this town... they're suffering. They've been suffering for centuries. They're angry at you because they know what your family did. But at the same time, they're waiting for you. Because you're the only one who can free them."

Eva let out a bitter laugh.

"So am I... am I a savior? Or a sacrifice? Make up your minds already!"

Nancy quietly answered:

"Maybe... both."

Eva reached to open the door.

"No. No, I'm not doing this. I'm not responsible for solving anyone's fate! Besides, you tell me to leave, then wait a moment! Why should I trust you!"

Nancy said "Eva, wait!" reaching for her, but Eva had already gotten out of the vehicle. When Nancy quickly followed and got out of the car, she suddenly noticed Elly standing right in front of her like a wall, staring at her with burning eyes. Elly turned to Eva and growled.

"What is she doing here?"

Eva answered in an irritated tone, "She said she wanted to talk, and she talked. Now she was leaving." She quickly entered the house.

Nancy said "Eva, wait," but Elly suddenly extended her arm and stopped her.

"Eva has nothing to say to you. Traitors like you always stab people in the back," Elly said. Years of resentment were clearly visible in her eyes.

Nancy tossed her hair in a stressed manner.

"You really hold a grudge, you know that, Elly? How many years have to pass for your attitude toward me to change?" she shouted.

"I don't care. My attitude toward you will never change. You should have gotten used to being treated this way ever since you chose to be your father's obedient dog."

Nancy realized her time was up. Deep down, she had already begun to smell them. Her father and Joe were approaching.

She immediately turned to Elly.

"Find a way to complete the seal before Christmas night. The Alpha and Eva together will be unstoppable. Right now, Eva is our only chance, and this is all I can do."

Elly narrowed her eyes.

"Why should I believe you again? How do I know you're not deceiving people again?"

Nancy looked at her with a gaze where the last remnants of old friendship still sparkled in her eyes.

"You can feel it," she said.

Then she turned to her jeep and drove away. Elly stood there, lost in thought.

How were they going to complete the seal now?