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The large Beta yipped at the shock, standing to run to Madi’s aid, leaving me at the water’s edge.
“You certainly have a way with animals,” a soft voice laughed behind me.
I spun at the sound, my eyes widening as I recognized the witch from my vision. Her skin is papery thin, the black veins evident, the look of sludge moving through her body from the effects of her dark magic use.
“You aren’t as pretty as you looked in the vision,” she said with a frown. “Maybe it’s all those piercings. I don’t think your astral body had any of those. Didn’t your mother ever tell you that so many holes diminish the value of a fine piece of art?”
I scoffed. “Are you really lecturing me on the defilement of my body? With those veins?”
The dark witch looked down at her arm, laughing as she looked back at me. “All the better to smite you with.”
A tendril of dark magic slashed out at me like a whip, wrapping around my arm. She yanked me forward, pulling me into the spring that separated us, the water deeper than I had realized. I slipped beneath the surface, the dark tendrils of magic wrapping themselves around me and holding me under.
I fought against them, drawing on my magic to help ease my screaming lungs. A bubble of air formed around my mouth and nose, manipulating the oxygen in the water so I could breathe as she attempted to drown me in the pool. At the relief of my lungs filling with air, I could focus my magic on her, pushing the inky black magic from my limbs and breaking through the surface.
“Oh my! What strong magic you have,” the witch cackled at me.
“All the better to fight you with,” I countered, sending ice at her feet to hold her in place.
She let out a screech of anger, pointing her magic at her feet to free herself from the ice. It didn’t take her much to do so, but it gave me plenty of time to get out of the water and gain back my footing as I readied myself for her next attack. I gathered my magic in my hands, facing the witch just in time to see her smile drop as she looked behind me. A gasp drew my attention just enough to glance back, finding Thompson in human form staring wide-eyed at the witch on the other side of the cave spring.
“Silva?” he asked, shaking his head as he stood frozen in place.
“Hello, Thompson,” she responded. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Her blackened eyes almost softened when she looked at the Beta, tilting her head to the side as stray curls of hair slipped over her shoulder.
“What happened to you?” Thompson asked, stepping closer to the water’s edge. I watched his reaction to her, turning my head back and forth between the dark witch and the Oceanside Beta.
“How do you know her?” I asked, keeping my hand raised and power sparking in my palm.
Thompson shook his head. “She grew up near our pack. She and Markus were best friends. Inseparable up until he took over as Alpha. After that, he was always so busy. He just didn’t have time for her.”
The witch cackled, holding her sides as the black magic wisped around her feet. “That’s what you think, Thompson. That’s what I made sure you thought.” Her eyes turned to mine, a curious look in her gaze as she looked me up and down. “How is it you managed to get the Oceanside Pack here? Markus would never have agreed to follow the werewolf king. He’s too proud.”
Thompson’s head drooped, stepping back. “Markus is dead, Silva,” he answered for me. “He stole Alpha Nyte’s mate to claim her as his own, and he paid the price with his life.”
Silva’s eyes narrowed at me, disgust twisting her lips. “He tried to replace me with her?”
Both Thompson and I shared a shocked look, turning back to the dark witch as she sneered back at me. “What?” Thompson asked. “What do you mean replace you?”
Silva cackled again. “Did I really cast that good of a spell on you, Thompson? I was Markus’ fated mate. Your pack was not happy with that, but that’s okay. Thanks to my new mate, I found the strength to reject the bond before he could mark me.” She smiled behind me, my gaze following hers to see the vortex of a dark aura.
I could feel Nyte inside it, his irritation and fears slipping through our bond. As I turned back to the witch, I found her eyes piercing into mine once more.
“There is no denying the fates,” I said. “Even if you rejected him, the link would still be there. I looked into this when I thought that Markus was my mate. There is no way to escape the plans laid out by the fates.”
Silva smiled with amusement. “That’s why I cast the spell over the pack and Markus. Making them forget that I was ever his mate so he couldn’t try and come after me.” She chuckled. “I guess I didn’t do so well on him. It would seem he was looking for a witch mate all along. I wonder what it was about you that reminded him of me. We don’t look alike. Hmm.” She tapped her finger to her lips, walking closer to the water on her side of the spring.
“No,” Thompson gasped, shaking his head. “You can’t be serious, Silva! I know you! You wouldn’t have done what you claim you’ve done.”
Silva looked at him, narrowing her dark eyes. “Come on, Thompson. You never actually knew me. You never actually cared for me. You were among the loudest to protest me as your Luna.” She glared at me again. “Though it would seem you have accepted her nonetheless.”
Sparks flew before my eyes—a vision entrapping me inside myself.
“No!” I screamed as the flash of light fell back into darkness. “No, no, no. Not now!”
The vision began to swirl, taking form before my eyes as quickly as it came. I gasped in shock, shooting back into the present like nothing had happened. What felt like hours had now seemed to only last a moment.
