Echoes Of An Alpha

Chapter 19 : Confession

"Yes, you can go on," Mrs. Henderson said, watching me carefully, concern flickering in her eyes. Mr. Henderson crossed his arms but didn't say anything, waiting for me to continue.

I swallowed hard. I could feel Selene's gaze burning into me from the side, urging me to spill everything. My heart was racing, and I knew I had to tell them. But how could I explain it without sounding insane?

"I... something happened while I was out," I began slowly, my hands trembling. "I went near the forest, and..." I trailed off, trying to gather my thoughts, but the words felt heavy, impossible to say.

Mrs. Henderson leaned forward, her face softening with concern. "Zara, you can tell us anything. We're here for you."

I glanced over at Selene, who gave me a nod. She wasn't going to let me dodge this. I took a deep breath, forcing the words out. "I think I accidentally...well... freed the Maledictixys."

The room fell silent. I could feel the tension thickening like a suffocating blanket. Mr. Henderson's face hardened, his jaw clenched, but Mrs. Henderson looked at me like she didn't quite understand.

"You what?" she asked quietly.

"I didn't mean to," I said quickly, my voice shaky. "Kristen tricked me. I followed this fire trail into the forest, and... there was a spell. I... I read it. And then... the Maledictixys was released."

Mr. Henderson stood abruptly, pacing across the room. "You released the Maledictixys?" His voice was low, controlled, but I could hear the anger simmering beneath the surface.

"It wasn't her fault!" Selene jumped in, stepping forward. "Kristen set her up. She didn't know what she was doing."

Mrs. Henderson put a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. "Oh my God..."

"I didn't have control," I said, my voice barely a whisper now. "It was like something took over me. I wouldn't have done it if I had known."

Mr. Henderson stopped pacing and turned to face me. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" His voice was cold, sharp like a knife.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Sorry isn't going to fix this!" he snapped. Mrs. Henderson stood, putting a hand on his arm to calm him down, but his eyes were locked on me. "That creature-it's pure darkness. It's destroyed entire packs before, and you just let it loose."

I flinched at his words. Everything I had done was crashing down on me, the weight of my actions crushing my chest. "I know. I know, and I want to fix it. I'll do whatever it takes."

"How Zara, you know how many sacrifices and deaths it took to finally trap the Maledictixys after many years of suffering?" Mrs. Henderson asked, her voice soft but firm. "How do we stop it now that it's out there?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "But I'll figure it out. I have to."

Mr. Henderson took a deep breath, rubbing a hand over his face. He looked exhausted, like the weight of the world had just been dropped on him. "We need to regroup," he said finally. "This isn't just about you, Zara. This affects all of us."

"I know," I said, guilt gnawing at me Mr Henderson headed upstairs.

Mrs. Henderson knelt in front of me, placing her hands on my shoulders. "Zara, listen to me," she said gently. "I don't know how to help you with this, but we're going to get through this together. We'll figure it out. You're not alone in this."

Everything-my fear, my guilt, the panic that had been building since the forest-it all came crashing out. I broke down, I felt like I couldn't breath panic took over there were no tears but a lot of guilt.

"Zara are you okay?" Mrs Henderson asked worried

I took deep breaths and slowly my breathing stabilized. "I'm fine"

She held me tightly, whispering soothing words, but it did little to calm the storm inside me. I had set something terrible free, and now I didn't know how to stop it. Mr Henderson still seemed angry he couldn't even look in my direction. He went to his study and Selene rushed after him.

"We'll find a way," Mrs. Henderson repeated, her voice steady. "We'll stop the Maledictixys."

But as I clung to her, I wasn't sure if I believed her.