Word Count: 1749

~Meara

-Three Weeks Later-

I rush across the street, trying to avoid the deep puddles gathering at the curb.

Persistent rain set in over a week ago, only contributing to my foul mood. I tilt my head down, holding a magazine over my head to keep as much of it off me as possible.

Things aren't very good at the moment.

I look down at my bag of groceries. There has been a food shortage, leaving me with a bag of half rotting, overly expensive ingredients.

Carran has tried to assure people that things will get better, although he's almost completely abandoned us.

Thankfully, though, he hasn't contacted me since...

I pause for a moment, looking down at a newspaper stand that the owners are desperately trying to pull undercover before they are entirely ruined.

As I give them a hand, I can't help but notice the headline written in bold across the front.

Will This Horror End? The Sickness that Seizes Lives Still Runs Rampant

I refuse to acknowledge my fear. The reality is, putting Sire back underground hasn't changed anything. It didn't cure people, and the curse still plagues the Pack, showing no signs of stopping.

"Scary, huh?"

I flinch, letting go of the table stacked with newspapers, some even slipping off to land in the puddles.

I look over my shoulder to see Hazel standing behind me, a bright red umbrella stretched out above her.

"Hazel...you scared me," I breathe before muttering an apology to the newspaper stall owner, sweeping down to pick up my bags of groceries again.

"You should be home. Being out is a risk," she mutters lowly, motioning down the street.

I nod numbly. The problem isn't that the sickness can be passed around - which most haven't yet figured out - but that people are so desperate and scared they have started lashing out at others.

"For you too," I remind her. "But what other choice do we have?"

There isn't anyone looking out for Hazel and I. She has a brother, but he is often in another part of the Pack for business, so she can't rely on him to get supplies for her.

"We have some choice, it seems," she says lowly, falling in step with me as I start off down the street, ducking under her umbrella for protection as we head off toward the forest.

"Don't..."

I've been avoiding talking about Sire. I know I should be climbing that hill to free him, but something is stopping me...

"You can't keep ignoring this," Hazel insists.

I avoid her accusatory stare. "Why not?"

Releasing Sire means I could potentially face Carran's wrath. Also, Sire would likely move forward with his plan to 'punish me.'

Whatever that means.

"Because there is a man, no, your mate, who is stuck underground for no reason," she exclaims, her voice raising.

It catches the attention of a couple passing by, wgi give us a strange look.

"No reason? He is a risk to us all," I remind her.

Prior to my betrayal, Sire was impossible to control. He was planning his revenge, which would mean killing the Alpha that commands this Pack. I want to trust him, but I have no idea what kind of leader he would be...

"You can guide him in the right direction." Hazel steps around a particularly large puddle, followed by a curse about the terrible weather.

Part of me feels as though I'm being made fun of by some kind of higher power.

"Can I? I'm the reason this curse is out killing people. What if you get sick?" I question.

Hazel gives a half-hearted shrug. If she got sick, I would never forgive myself. We both have been lucky so far, but I don't want to push that.

"I am fine. And remember, it is the fault of those that created that horrible curse in the first place," she tells me, giving me a long look.

I sigh. She knows I'm stuck in a pit of self-loathing.

"If I had just not been so stupid and didn't lay down on the ground that night, this wouldn't have happened," I mutter.

We make our way into the forest, the rain falling in thick drops as it collects on the leaves above us. We cross through this old worn path often, away from the main city.

"He's your mate. Your paths were destined to cross. It's fate," she notes.

I almost laugh. "I don't believe that."

It's why I got a boyfriend. I didn't bother with the idea of a mate. When I went up that hill that night with Hazel, I laid down truly believing that there was no chance my mate would be some ancient Alpha trapped in a tomb.

And yet here I am, proven wrong once again.

"But I do believe it. Mates are meant to meet, to be together," Hazel explains, brushing a wet tree branch out of her way. "There is something in the fabric of the realm that ensures it."

I stare down at the muddy path in front of me. Hazel isn't a romantic, so she truly does believe this to be true purely because it makes the most sense to her.

"So you're saying the curse was always meant to be unleashed?" I question, raising a skeptical brow.

"I do. And I believe just as ardently that the curse is meant to be undone. Any other belief would be devastating," she says with a shrug.

I watch her face, at the surety in her eyes. She always has a way of making me feel better, even when I doubt what she is saying.

Something about this curse feels permanent.

"You have witch blood within you. Maybe you can end this curse." It feels better to say that than to smother myself in my own scepticism.

"I'm trying to research, to find a way, but you know it's hard," she exclaims, sweeping a hand through her damp hair. "Maybe if you bring Sire back-"

"Hazel. I can't," I cut her off sharply.

I don't mean to be harsh, but I can't do it...Facing Sire again is too daunting, too dangerous. This isn't just about me anymore, but about my Pack that will be threatened by his release again.

"You're scared of this because then you have to face the mate bond. Then you have to actually consider being with him," Hazel points out, narrowing her eyes on me.

I swallow tightly. "Maybe you're right."

Hazel stops suddenly, even though my house is just through the trees. She grabs my hand, even though it's still clutching my grocery bag.

"I can't do this alone. We all need to come together to figure this out before more lives are lost," she tells me softly, but firmly.

I nod. This isn't fair on her. She can't be the only one expected to find this cure. I need to fight for another way, which I may need help with...

From a person I really don't want to be speaking to right now.

"Of course. The burden on you must be enormous," I say to her, shifting back under the umbrella she unconsciously pulled away from me, feeling my clothing starting to dampen. "I'll consider it."

Hazel studies me, like she doesn't believe me. "I hope you make the right decision. Carran needs some competition."

I frown. "What do you mean by that?"

Hazel isn't exactly proud to be in this Pack, considering it is the only one on this particular land mass, but she has never seemed too opposed to Carran's rule.

"I know he's trying to protect everyone, but it doesn't seem like he is focused on finding a cure anymore. Instead, it's like he's using it to get away with some terrible stuff," she admits.

She doesn't sound sure, but when Hazel is onto something, she is usually right about it.

"Like what?" I ask warily.

"Unexplained deaths, people being taken into the prisons...it's scary." She shudders at the thought.

I wipe at the rain now dripping down my face from the edge of the umbrella, not bothering to move. If Carran is making people disappear, then the chances of me mysteriously going missing are high.

"That's terrifying," I breathe.

Hazel starts off again toward the house. "Yeah, it is. So I really hope you think about bringing Sire back. And by think about it, I mean do it."

"Just give me some time," I tell her. I need to wrap my head around all of this, to decide what the best decision to make is.

Hazel gives me a long look as I make my way up my porch steps, setting my groceries down. My arms are aching, but there are far more important things to worry about right now.

"Tick tick."

"Goodbye Hazel." I wave to her, giving her a sarcastic smile which she only rolls her eyes at.

I watch Hazel depart, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. I know she is right. I need Sire's help, as much as I don't want to admit it, and he's my mate...

I need him.

Letting out an irritated sigh, I bring my groceries inside and head to my car, not bothering to change. I'm going to be spending some time in the rain.

By the time I make it back to the site where Hazel and I started our hike from not so long ago, the rain has increased and dusk has started to reach its cold hands over the land.

Thoughts of regret and frustration chase me all the way up the hill.

At multiple points I consider turning back, plagued with everything that can go wrong upon rising Sire. Instead of listening to my doubts, I push on up the hill, thinking of Hazel and her warnings.

Once I make it to the top of the hill, I almost collapse.

The ground that I once sunk through is perfectly untouched, magic having resealed the tomb completely.

Tapping my feet anxiously, I look up at the sky. Clouds loom overhead, shrouding the moon. I hope that has nothing to do with the spell.

Steeling myself, I stand upon the ground, imagining Sire's tomb beneath.

"Fuck it," I breathe.

Sweeping down, I lay flat across the ground. There is no coming back from this...

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~Midika 💜🐼