Chapter 367

Everyone at the table froze. Rick leaned in. “What the hell are you talking about? You don’t have a pup.”

“Oh, I know.” I sighed. “My bloodline is blessed by the goddess. By two goddesses, I should say. I am descended from the first family. My wolf–”

Don’t mention having both of us. I trust them, but the less they know, the better. Nix shook her head.

They are all under the vow, I shot back. Megan settled next to Nix.

I agree with Nix. Don’t overload them. Just stick with the magic for now.

“My wolf is descended from the goddess, and my witch heritage is blessed by the three-faced goddess. And with the blessing comes a gift.” I took a drink.

“A gift?” Alannah finished her steak. “What kind of gift?”

“My father’s line has a second chance.” I twirled my knife.

“A second chance?” Rick pushed his empty plate away, and I nodded.

“I have lived my life before, you see. I was twenty-four when my mate strapped me to a gurney. He strapped me to a bed, and he had our doctor cut me open, taking our pup from my body because he believed Shannon. She told him I had cheated, and the pup wasn’t his.” I took a drink from my shaking hand. “She lied, of course. I was faithful, but he had betrayed our bond, marked my stepsister, and killed our pup.” I looked back at everyone’s faces. “I died on that table. I died while cursing my mate. And then I woke up on my eighteenth birthday, the day I was supposed to meet my mate. And I ran to my father’s pack so I didn’t have to face him until I could protect myself.”

“Who was your mate?” Alannah asked, and I could only smile.

“Brandon was my mate. He cheated on me with my sister and killed our pup. So this time around, I am determined to kill him and everything he holds dear.” I could feel the rage in my blood.

“Then why are you with him?” Rick was genuinely confused, and I wanted to laugh.

“Because the king and my father needed me to break into Vince’s firewalls from the inside. Because I needed to get close, and Brandon was an easy in. Because Vince and his son crave power and money more than anything else, and I have plenty of both.”

Rick leaned in with a new gleam in his eyes. “Why are you telling us all of this? I mean, it’s my job to keep people out of the mainframe.”

“You do.”

I nodded. “Like I said, I think you need my help and that you can help me.” I stared at Rick. “You need help.”

Rick sucked in a breath through his teeth. “What do you know?”

“Nothing, but I can see it in your eyes. Every day you come in a little more desperate, just a tiny bit more worried. You need help, and you don’t know who to turn to.” I reached across the table. “Let me help you.” I squeezed. “I promise I will help you, even if you can’t help me. I would never expect that from you.”

I felt him shudder. “My daughter is sick. I told you.” I nodded. “Vince holds her medicine hostage.”

Alannah gasped, “How can he do that?”

I laughed, but it was dark. “Vince will use anything to hold power over others.” I turned back to Rick. “What’s wrong with your daughter?”

“We have been told that it’s the withering.”

I frowned. “How old is she?” I had a sinking feeling.

“She is ten.” His shudder was intense. “She is only–”

I sat back. I closed my eyes, and I flipped through my book in my mind. Withering wasn’t something that was experienced by a child of her age. “She is too old to be affected by the withering.”

“I know, but when she was born, she was fine, strong. It was only when we relocated here that she became sick.”

My eyes snapped open. “What did you say?”

Rick’s brow furrowed. “She became sick when we moved packs. The doctor said it was probably because we lost so much family in the attack, she started to wither away.”

“How old was she when you had to move here?” I finally got to the page in my mind.

“She was about five.” He looked at me. “Why so many questions?”

“The Withering only affects babies, not toddlers or young children. But…” I trailed off and skimmed the page I had in my mind. It was a spell, much like the withering. “There is a hex, much like the withering, but this hex needs to be cast on a child in person, and it takes an hour to cast. But it needs to be renewed every month with an elixir.”