Chapter 223

Enzo’s POV “I need to leave, Alpha,” I said as I went back into the meeting room.

All the Alphas turned their attention to me with curious frowns.

“Is everything okay?” Bastien asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

“Hazel is awake and requesting to see me,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

Bastien’s eyes widened.

“It’s great that she’s okay,” Bastien said after a pause. “You’re free to go. I’ll catch you up on the rest of the meeting later.”

“Thank you,” I said, nodding my head in respect as I turned away.

“Good luck protecting the witch,” Jonathan sneered from behind me. “I hope it was worth it.”

I was going to say something snarky in return but chose not to. If I turned around to face him, I was unsure I’d be able to keep Max inside. He really wanted to rip Alpha Johnathan’s head right off his shoulders.

I took a steady deep breath and left the meeting house.

It took me about 30 minutes to drive back to my pack and get to the hospital. The doctor that was assigned to Hazel, Dr. Ryan, met me outside the doors of Hazel’s room. He was leaning against the wall and writing something on a clipboard when I approached.

“Oh, Alpha. Good evening. You arrived quickly,” Dr. Ryan said, bowing his head slightly.

“This is important,” I told him in return. “It couldn’t wait.”

“Understood,” he said in return.

He stepped aside for me to enter the room but before I could open the door, his voice returned but much lower.

“She’s a little out of it... so just be wary.”

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I frowned, unsure of what that meant, but not really caring right now.

I stepped inside the room to see Hazel lying in bed; she was hooked up to multiple different machines, but none of them were breathing machines like they were yesterday. I was glad she was now breathing on her own. However, she looked sickly pale, and it seemed as if she had lost a drastic amount of weight.

She had dark bruises along her jawline and large bags under her eyes as if she hadn’t slept in a century.

Her eyes were also swollen from being beaten and her lips were puffy and cut. I could only imagine what the rest of her looked like, but I wouldn’t dare look.

I had only met Hazel, maybe once when I was a young boy. She was always locked away in her house;

the only signs of her existence were the shield around the village and the protection we felt. Other than that, it was like she didn’t exist. Though she was only around for a little over a year before I was taken to the Calypso pack, I never really got a chance to get to know her.

But seeing her injured like this made me feel sad.

“Enzo?” She breathed, trying to peer at me through her bruised and swollen eyes. “Is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me,” I said, stepping toward her. “How are you feeling, Hazel?”

“Stupid...” she murmured. “So, so stupid...”

“This wasn’t your fault—”

“I’m aware, Alpha,” she said sharply. “But I shouldn’t have left the village. I knew they were out there, waiting for me. I knew your men, simple warrior wolves, were no match for the dark magic of the Starcove Coven.”

I sighed, sitting beside her bedside.

“I’m so sorry for putting you in danger,” I said, shaking my head in defeat. “I had no idea—”

“They’ve been after me for a long time. That shield around the village isn’t just for the Volana wolves... it was for me too.”

“I don’t understand why. Why are they after you? What do they want?”

She was quiet as she looked away from me and for a moment, I thought she wasn’t going to answer.

“They think I’m a traitor for wanting to help Volana wolves,” she finally murmured. “It started before I even met your mother. She wasn’t the first Volana I had befriended and because of that, I signed a death certificate.”

“Why do they find you to be a traitor for befriending Volana wolves? What do they have against them?”

She was quiet again, obviously trying to see how much she should truly reveal. I could sense her hesitation and it was infuriating, but I didn’t want to push her too much because she could just tell me nothing.

She finally sighed and looked up at me.

“It was a Volana wolf that killed my parents long ago....” She finally revealed.

My entire heart fell straight into my stomach, and I was paralyzed at the sound of her words. I couldn’t believe what she had just said. A Volana wolf killed her parents? I wanted to ask but her next words silenced me and froze me even more.

“And this particular Coven cares because Jazzy is my sister.”

I closed my eyes, allowing her words to settle in. They seemed surreal, but they almost made sense. Just as I finally found words to speak, there was a knock on the door.

“Are you up for another visitor?” I found myself asking instead of the series of questions I wanted to ask.

“It’s the researcher,” she breathed, sounding exhausted. “I asked him to come here with the protein mix.

I’d like to help you.”

I was surprised by this; I wasn’t going to make her do this here and now, but it seemed he was already here, I wasn’t going to argue so I just gave her a faint smile and nodded as I stood to my feet and went to open the door.

The researcher stood outside the door looking a bit worried as he clutched the mix firmly in his hands.

I greeted him as I normally would and stepped aside for him to enter the room.

“Hello, Madam Hazel,” the researcher said, bowing his head. “I brought the sage you requested along with the mix.”

“Good,” she said calmly. “I’m a little too weak, so I’ll need your help.”

“Of course; what can I do for you?” The researcher asked, approaching her bedside.

“Burn the sage sticks and walk around the room,” she said slowly. “Make sure the smoke of the sage gets in each corner.”

“Sure,” he said with a bit of uncertainty in his voice.

“Alpha, come sit by my bedside and hold the mix. I need it close to me.”

“Okay,” I said, taking a seat beside her and taking the mix from the researcher’s hands.

At that moment, I smelled the sweet and florescent scent of the sage being burned as the researcher began his journey around the room, pausing at each corner and making sure the smoke lingered there for each moment before moving on to the next.

In a low and calm tone, Hazel began to speak in a language I didn’t recognize. But each word she spoke drew me in and caused me to be calmer each second. The scent of the sage grew stronger, and the overall atmosphere felt protected and cared for.

I realized that Hazel’s eyes were closed and she, with great effort, lifted her bruised arms above her head, facing her palms to the ceiling as she spoke a bit louder as if she was speaking to the heavens above.

I felt a light gust of wind, which was odd because we were inside, and the sweet smell of the earth filled my senses and calmed my entire body. I felt the troubles of my mind erasing and for a second, I almost fell asleep.

What brought me back to the present moment was the feeling of her hand on the mixture canteen I held in my hands. I opened my eyes and saw that she was staring at the mixture with such intensity I thought she was going to burn a hole in the canteen.

Her grip was firm and that’s when I realized it was also glowing a light green color. I stared in amazement, shocked at what was happening before my eyes.

I saw the researcher taking quick looks in our direction as well, but he continued to circle the room with the sage while she continued to speak her enchantment.

The mixture began to move on its own as if it were being mixed with a finger or something, but none of us were touching it.

Soon, the movements of the mixture stopped, and her words died down; the sage seemed to have stopped burning on its own and all that was left was silence.

Another smell hit me and it made me almost drop the canteen.

“Oh, my goddess...” The researcher said as he approached; the smell must have hit him as well. That familiar and horrid smell made our stomachs turn.

Even Hazel had her nose scrunched as she took in the scent.

“The masking spell has been broken,” she announced, tiredly. “The true mixture is what remains in your hands and now you know the truth.”

Yeah, we knew the truth all right, and telling from the researcher’s face, he knew exactly what this was.

He didn’t need to say the words for me to know, but he looked up at me anyway, taking the canteen from my frozen hands and his words brought me to my feet.

“Wolfsbane.”