Chapter 4

Lena Novak pov

Lying on my small cot, I ran my fingertips over the inked name of my mom, Noreen Novak, written inside the leather cover.

After that, I cracked open the worn pages of my mom's diary, hoping to discover what really happened to her in the end. I was also curious to break the seal I already knew she had placed on me.

“You will need a center point to gather your power so it doesn't cause chaos,” I recalled quietly. My mom told me that every time she spoke of our inherited gifts, she wore a pendant around her neck.

Furrowing my brow, I gritted my molars and decided to head back to her open room and retrieve the necklace she had always worn.

“Please let it be on the dresser and not on her corpse,” I sighed as I stepped over the broken rubble.

Cursing slightly for not bringing a flashlight, I narrowed my eyes as I searched the darkness for the bright blue stone that represented a star on the crescent moon necklace.

Spying a light glow coming from underneath the dresser, I leaned down as my eyes widened.

I scooped up the chain and palmed the necklace.

“I better keep you hidden underneath my blouse so Stella and Rosalie don't try to take you,” I said to the inanimate object.

After my discovery, I scurried quickly back to my room and to the diary.

Spending the entire night combing through the pages of my mom's diary, I was surprised to learn that my mom had cursed a man and frowned over the information. I also wasn't prepared for my stepmother and father to come knocking at my door in the early morning.

“Lena!” My dad's voice bellowed.

“Did you find the items you requested?”

Cracking my door, I peered out with a frown.

“Was she dead before you laid the brick and mortar, or did you do it while she lay there dying?” I questioned bluntly.

I watched his face grow mottled and red.

“Don't try to accuse me of being a monster! Jacob himself called her time of death, and I ordered her entombed within the room she requested before she died. Now, as for the king's tribute. You will go under Rosalie Vale, so if they call you Rosalie, you will answer to that name,” he asserted sternly.

Shaking my head, I told him, “No, I will use MY NAME!”

He backhanded me, causing my head to whip back.

“Don't fuck her up; she needs to be presentable for when the king's guards come to collect,” Stella stammered as she pulled back his arm.

Tasting blood, I just glared at them. There was no way in hell I would go by my stepsister's name. Even if I was confronted and punished, I would be me, Lena Novak.

“When did they say they were coming?” I inquired, shrugging off the abuse I'd received.

Twitching his jaw, Alpha said, “On the day of the harvest moon.”

“So three days “ I huffed, realizing I needed to quickly figure out how to break my seal.

Perhaps I could visit the Black Forest and find the witch coven there, I thought as I excused myself from my parents, then shut my door.

Dressed in dark colors, I donned my cloak, then headed toward the kitchen.

“Mary, I need to head to the forest to get help from the coven there,” I explained honestly.

The older woman looked at me with concern.

“Take Alex with you and return for lunch prep; if you don't, I will inform the Alpha,” she said sternly as I smiled in return.

“Thank you, Mary, I won't ever forget your generosity.”

Pffting, she waved me off before swatting my rear with a towel.

“Hurry before they ask you to serve them, Lena.”

Glancing at Alex, I asked if he was ready, and he nodded as he patted the sheathed dagger at his side.

The last time I had gone or been within the black forest was when I was very young, at least twenty years ago.

I covered my head with my cloak as I stepped cautiously down the dirt path.

“We need to find the Moonbeam Coven that is said to live in this forest,” I informed Alex, who simply nodded.

We walked for miles through thick vegetation and finally came upon a hidden compound surrounded by a high fence, and were stopped from entering the opening by invisible magical wards.

“Hello? Is anyone there? I need your help!?” I shouted at the magical barrier, which was disappearing.

A long gray-haired woman came toward us with her eyes glued on me.

“I am Ingrid, high witch of the Moonbeam Coven. How can I assist you?”

After I explained what I needed and told her who my mother was, she grew excited.

“Oh my, dear, of course I can attempt to unseal it. Please come with me to the fire pit,” she said urgently.

Glancing back at Alex, I saw him wave for me to go as he told me he would wait at the entrance.

“Men aren't permitted to step within the witches' barriers, except during the werewolf runs under the full moon or when his highness visits for treatments,” Ingrid said with a grin.

We joined a group of several other women who were sitting together around an ornate metal fire pit.

“Ladies, I would like to introduce Lena, the daughter of Noreen Novak. She wants her seal unbroken,” Ingrid announced, and all eyes fell onto me, and a low gasp could be heard as well.

“Is that wise?” One questioned the head witch.

Unperturbed by the concern, Ingrid raised her hand, turned to me, and asked if I had an anchor.

“I am wearing my mom's crescent moon necklace,” I replied, then watched her grin widely. She then turned to the others and asserted, “Begin the chant!”

The women surrounded me and said the magical chant.

My breathing altered, and I saw the blue sparks of energy start to dance between my fingertips.

A hand squeezed my upper arm, and I turned to see Ingrid staring at the mark that appeared on my flesh.

“It is as it was foretold…Lena is the Supreme Witch,” she said softly before closing her eyes tightly and starting to say ancient words that hadn't breathed life in centuries.

My entire body lit up, and a bright beam of energy flew straight upward into the sky. My eyes followed it until I felt like my bones were reforming themselves within me.

“Take off your clothes, or it's going to be uncomfortable for both of us,” a feminine voice said in my mind.

Speechless, I shrugged off my cloak and saw fur erupting from my skin.

“I'm having my first shift,” I growled sternly, surprising Ingrid.

“Oh my, you're a hybrid!” she gasped as she stepped back from me.

Removing my shirt and pants, I contorted my body and fell to all fours.

The blue currents continued to spark around my wolf and me as I looked up at the woman and heard footsteps approaching.

I turned my furry head to see Alex, wide-eyed and heading toward me.

Shaking my head, I pounced toward him to keep him from disrespecting the coven, but as I neared him, loud male voices broke through the clearing, causing me to freeze.

“It's the high king's guards. Come on, let's quickly head back through the opening,” Alex warned me as he darted toward the Crimson Moon pack lands.

I scooped up my cloak, then ran after him just as the guards began entering the compound. I shifted back and tossed my cloak onto my naked body as I followed Alex.

Glancing back, I saw a huge white, silver-haired man whose blue eyes were fixed on my backside as I broke through the trees and out of his sight.

My heart clenched as I pictured him in my mind and wondered who he was.

“Mate,” the stranger chirped excitedly in my head, causing me to sneer.