Lahat ng Kabanata ng Sold To The Stongest Alpha: Kabanata 171 - Kabanata 180

MAXINE“Tell us what?” Mr. Grayson asked, looking between Zel and Peter. "What are you hiding from us?""It's nothing," Peter insisted. He moved to leave the room but Mr. Grayson blocked his path. "Dad, get out of my way.""Talk to me, Peter. I'm your father." Mr. Grayson tried to convince him."I said it's nothing!" Peter yelled, swinging his arm across. Purple energy exploded from his fingers and hit the lamp on the table.I gasped, looking at Zel. Peter had an ability that was so much like hers. Mr. Grayson was also shocked."I'm sorry, I just got mad." Peter apologized."How is this possible?" Mr. Grayson asked.Peter gave him a small smile. "That's just how it is. I came back to the physical realm and found out that I had…" he held out his hand, "...this."That wasn't all. I stepped forward. "It's more than that. It also affects your memory, doesn't it?" I asked. I saw a look cross Peter's face. "That's why you were confused earlier. You forgot who Zel and I were."Mr. Grayson lo

MAXINEThe last piece of this puzzle had been hidden in the very place the curse had first been born. The beginning of the problem would also be the end.Mr. Grayson was the first to break the silence that had stretched between us. "If the last piece is at Gray Lodge, then we need to find it quickly. The curse will fight back once it realizes that we're close to breaking it."Peter nodded. “We’ll need to move fast. And be ready for anything.”“Should we split up?” Regina asked. “We can cover more ground that way?”I shook my head, thinking about the wolves, the snake, and whatever it was Zel and Peter faced while trying to find the other pieces.“No. We’ll be better off staying together. We can’t risk splitting up when we're going against the curse.”“Anna is right." Mr. Grayson agreed. “We’ll cover the lodge together as a unit. We'll go room by room if we have to.”We packed up and left the cabin, piling into Mr. Grayson's car. I sat next to Zel as usual and I leaned close to ask her

MAXINEWe made our way to the old oak tree near the lake. The moon was hanging low in the sky. It cast a pale glow on the water. I could see the massive oak tree in the distance, its branches twisting like fingers.This was where it was all going to end.We reached the base of the tree. The ground beneath our feet is uneven and covered in fallen leaves. Mr. Grayson pulled out the scroll from the small box containing the last piece. He brought the other pieces from his bag one after the other.“Here,” Mr. Grayson said, kneeling on the ground and spreading the pieces out like a puzzle. "This is where we put it all together."I knelt beside him, helping to arrange the pieces. They were fragile, the edges folding and crumbling. We managed to fit them together. Zel stood to the side, her magic ready.Peter stood nearby, his eyes closed. He was humming and I suspected he was connecting with the spirits. He was the connection that the old journal spoke about.“We have to be quick,” Zel said,

MAXINEThe next day, the sun was shining high in the sky, bathing the Gray Lodge in its golden light. I exhaled loudly, lifting my chin towards the sun and smiling. Peace, this was what true peace was. No one tells you that you can only know what peace is until you know what real trouble is.This was the kind of day that would make me just want to stretch out and soak up the sun, feeling the gentle breeze. The wind carried with it the scent of pine and water. The lodge seemed almost like a different place. The atmosphere was lighter and more welcoming. The feeling of that oppressive curse was gone.I wonder if I could find a way to get rid of the old rumor of it being haunted. For the first time in a while, we were all able to relax. Mr. Grayson gave us the rest of the week off and this was only Thursday.I found Zel and Peter in the garden. Zel was working to plant some new flowers and she was showing something to Peter. They were laughing so close together that their heads almost to

MAXINE"But I’ve always seen it as a kind of hidden gem. It's like a home away from home," he said to me.I chuckled, relieved. The less people that knew what happened here, the better. “Yeah, you could say that.”"Anna, there’s something special about this place. But I think what makes it special is the people here. People like you.” he bumped shoulders with me lightly."Conrad…”“I mean it,” he said, stepping even closer that our bodies were almost literally pressed together. "Ever since I came here, I’ve felt like I’ve been searching for something without knowing what it was. Then I met you. And I think it might be fate that brought me and you here."I opened my mouth to reply, but I couldn't find any words. The sincerity in his voice and the way his gaze held mine left me trapped in this moment. But in the best possible way.He reached up, gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Anna, you’ve made me look forward to working in this place. I don't have family and this work i