The Alphas Prize

Chapter 32: The pain - Part 2/3

She didn't respond, just gave me a curt nod, and then closed her eyes again. Next, Helena pressed her palms into my chest, making it hard for me to breathe; she began to mumble to herself, words I couldn't understand. Then, she started to speak louder and faster, putting more pressure on my chest, causing a burning ache. My chest felt heavy as I gasped for air, and I was now experiencing a sharp pain that radiated throughout my whole body.

I closed my eyes as tears began to pool. I could feel myself being separated from my wolf as she howled and whined in my head. The physical pain I was feeling was nothing compared to the emotional pain, and before I knew it, a wave of electricity surged through my body, and I felt as though my heart had been ripped from my chest before everything went dark.

My body ached like I had been drug through sharp, jagged rocks by a speeding car. I felt weak and drained like I hadn't slept in years. Then, finally, my eyes began to flutter open, and Helena was standing over me, watching me with a curious and calculating gaze. She reared back a little as I opened my eyes more, and I wrinkled my nose as my head began to pound furiously, blurring my vision. Helena leaned back, still watching me closely, before walking over to the counter. She came back a moment later with a glass bottle filled with some kind of green liquid.

Helena held the bottle out. "Here, drink this; it will help with the aches and pains." She told me.

I stared at the glass, scrunching my face up in distaste at the foreign content. "What the fuck is that?" I asked in a disgusted tone.

She groaned. "It's a concoction of mine; it will help. Drink it or don't, it's your choice, and I could care less if you do or not." Her tone was riddled with annoyance and impatience.

I hesitantly took the glass from her, eyeing it like it was the black plague. I sniffed the liquid, and the smell was dreadful, like dirty feet. Then, mustering up as much courage as I could, I downed the liquid, drinking all of it in one gulp. My stomach turned, and I felt like I was going to throw up, but after a moment, the feeling faded. I slowly started to feel better, my body no longer feeling beaten, the headache easing off and feeling a little more energetic now.

I was amazed that it worked and so fast, too. "That was disgusting, but it helped. Thank you." I told her, appreciation in my tone.

Helena took the glass from me and just nodded, then left the room. I laid there on the table, and as the pain subsided, it finally hit me that my wolf was gone. I could no longer feel or hear her; now, there was nothing but absolute silence. My throat tightened, and tears welled in my eyes as the realization hit me that my wolf really was gone. How would I explain this to everyone? Would they judge me? Turn against me? Would Cain no longer want to be with me? Would we no longer be mates? But most of all, how would I live the rest of my life without her?

A million thoughts ran through my head, and my chest began to heave at the anxiety building within me. I took a deep breath, trying to silence the never-ending, dark thoughts that swirled in my head. Then, Helena came back into the room, causing me to jump, not expecting her to appear out of fucking, thin air. Thankfully, her reappearance was a distraction.

I tried sitting up, sick of laying down, but my muscles said otherwise, giving out when I was only halfway up. The aches I felt throughout my body made me realize just how different things were going to be for me now, the difference in strength, agility and pain tolerance, as well as the ability to heal rapidly. I propped myself onto my elbows and glanced to Helena, who was watching me curiously.

I wrinkled my nose at her. "What?" I asked in a snappy manner, not meaning for the words to come out as they did.

Helena cocked a brow before narrowing her eyes on me. "Watch your tone with me, missy and I've just never seen or heard of someone surviving this." She informed me, making me wonder why I had.

I nodded slowly. "Oh, I see," I said, unsure of what to say.

I decided to try and sit up again, pushing myself up slowly. Finally, I got myself up and into a sitting position, feeling somewhat exhausted, just from that simple task. I threw my legs over the edge of the table and carefully placed my feet onto the floor. My legs wobbled under my own weight, and I leaned against the table for support.

Helena was standing there, watching me with a smile on her face. "What?" I asked in a softer tone this time.

She shook her head. "Never met someone who was so strong-willed and stubborn," Helena said, letting out a hearty chuckle.

I rolled my eyes at her words, a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips. "Can you please show me how the cure works? So, I can get going; I am a little pressed for time." I told her, irritated, wanting to leave this place and get back to the packhouse.

Helena walked over to me, her dress flowing behind her and grabbed the items. She held up the bottle with the yellow powder and shook it lightly. "This here is the powder of a rare flower, the flower of life and death." Helena then grabbed the black pouch and pulled out a small rock that was a light blue. "This is a moon rock; it holds the power and essence of the moon goddess. First, you need to take the powder and rub it thoroughly onto the person's chest. Then, place the rock onto the center of their chest and whisper the words, death be no more and life come forth. The curse will then be lifted but be warned if you don't do it right, the curse will consume your mate as well as you." She said in a menacing and severe tone.

I repeated her words over and over in my head, doing my best not to forget one single detail. Finally, I nodded my head. "Ok, thank you." I took the items from her and started to make my way towards the door when Helena called out my name, stopping me in my tracks. "Freja." She called out, "Good luck." She said meaningfully.

Pursing my lips, I gave her a curt nod before exiting the cabin. I walked outside and made my way towards the opening of the trees. I crossed the threshold, walking back into the forest of the damned, where everything was once again looking gloomy and dark. Crossing the barrier had worn me out, feeling as though it had drained me of energy. Once I was on the other side, I looked around for Gunnar but couldn't see him anywhere. Worry took hold of me that something had happened to him, and now, I was useless to help him.

Suddenly, he appeared out of nowhere, throwing his fists around like a maniac and punching the air. I stood there, a broad smile on my face, as I watched him fight nothing and continue to holler his war cry. Then, he abruptly stopped, realizing there was nothing there anymore before his gaze landed on me. Gunnar rushed over to me and engulfed me in a big bear hug, almost bursting my lungs in the process.