Healed by the Alpha (Hunted Book Two)

Chapter Twenty Nine

Logan

A faint memory was trying to make it out of the murkiness of my mind. Had I heard that name before? I couldn't remember anyone bearing that name. "This is useless" I shouted at the witch, "I don't know a 'Jessie Elio'. I've never even heard that name." She stalked closer to me, the blade in her hand shaking slightly, "we've been looking for her for a very very long time. Any information would be greatly appreciated, Alpha."

I shook my head, this was ridiculous. "So what happens now? Now that I don't have the information you're after?" The witch's laughter filled the cave, "we don't want to hurt you Logan, we just wanted to talk." I looked at the knife in her hand and back, questioning. "Oh this? This was just a precaution in case you attacked me." My eyebrows raised, she placed her hands on her hips, "well you can hardly blame me, you were about to try to take down my whole coven to leave."

What in the moon goddess was going on here? My mother placed a hand on my shoulder, "please Logan, they just want to talk." I looked in her direction, "why are you so friendly with them? Why was my father?" The witch in front of me spoke before my mother could answer, "my name is Yarah. I'm a Norse witch." I'd never heard of a Norse witch before. "I thought you were all a dark witch clan?" Yarah gave me a sorrowful look, the witches behind her began to cackle. "Logan the stories you have been told, although in theory are true, are lined with lies."

"So my father was lying to me? To my whole pack? My ancestors made this whole thing up?" This was a lot to take in. If I could even trust what they were saying. It was my mother's turn to say something, "no one lied. We only know what we've been taught to know, Logan. But the bad people that these witches were made out to be just isn't true." Yarah smiled at my mother, "we're in no means the best people, we are witches after all... but we never cursed the Midnight Moon pack land. Even with all of us joined, we don't have that kind of power."

I looked from face to face at all of the witches in front of me. "So if you didn't curse my pack? Who did?" The witches around suddenly fell silent, as if I question was forbidden, as if everyone knew a secret but me. "This 'force' is powerful. Anyone would die against it. That's why we need Jessie Elio. She's a witch born a hybrid, she's the only one that can unite all of the witches to help." I don't know why I hadn't seen it earlier.

Elio.

Of course, Dominick's family name was Elio. Jessie was Whitt and that's exactly why they'd been after her. One thing that Yarah said was still resonating with me.

She's the only one that can unite all of the witches to help.

My father had said that I was the one to unite all of the packs to help in a war that was coming. Was this the same thing? I had to be careful here, I couldn't ask questions like that without risking them finding out about Whitt and I wasn't about to hand over my mate to anyone. The thought of Whitt having to unite entire covens of witches was a terrifying thought. I began to question just how much we even knew about her at this point, did I even know her at all?

"So this hybrid..." I began my questioning, "Is she dangerous?" The witches behind Yarah started to murmur in quiet conversations. It appeared that talking about Whitt seemed to stir everyone up. "Yes, and no." Yarah answered, "she's strong but until we find her, we have no idea how much she already knows, we don't know the extent of her magic." I suppose that made sense. "What about if she never gets found? What happens then?" A gloomy look crossed over the witch's face, "then we all die. Once the force gets what it needs, we all die."

I took a deep breath, I was thinking more along the lines of maybe a few more curses, not damnation for all. "What does this 'force' want exactly?" Yarah took a step towards me for the first time since the confrontation, "we don't know that." I huffed and slapped my hands across my legs, Yarah put a hand on my shoulder, "the only thing we know, is that Jessie's creation wasn't just an accident. The events leading up to her conception were manipulated, rushed almost."

I couldn't help the snort that came from my nose, "okay so just because a couple decided not to wait, that doesn't mean it's a world ending thing." Yarah shook her head, "we made a bargain with some bad people. We were to kill her, to get rid of her so that the events could play out like they were meant to." My heart stopped, "so you're still planning to kill her?" The room froze as Yarah's skin started to glow, "have you not been listening to anything I've been telling you?" She was angry.

"We need her so that she can help. Otherwise we're all going to die." The witches that were circled around me started to back away, Yarah didn't move. "Your kind, our kind," she continued, "it doesn't matter who you are. We are all destined to disappear if we can't find her. She is the key to everything." I crossed my arms, "how do you know all of this?" Her glowing skin started to fade, "it's the only reason we've been branded as evil people. It's the only reason your pack has been warned against us. You can't change the course of events if you don't know they are going to happen."

I guess she had a point, a lot of it did make sense and if I was being honest with myself, I actually trusted what they were saying. But there was one thing I was certain of, I wouldn't let them anywhere near Whitt until I'd spoken to her about all of this and done my own research. I was quickly reminded of the note I'd read, the one about the book in my library. "I need to head back, my pack doesn't run itself." I told the witches, "you've given me a lot to consider." Yarah looked disappointed, "we had hoped you'd come to a decision to trust us quicker."

I sighed, "it's a lot to take in, but if you keep your word about my mother, if you let her come back to my pack..." she stopped me, "your mother has never been a prisoner here. Yes we took her, but we needed to get our message to you. She has been free to leave whenever." I looked at my mother, searching for any sign of lies from the witches mouth. I found nothing in her face. "You've been free to come home this whole time and you haven't?" She dropped her head and refused to look at me, "you wouldn't have come. You needed to come and understand Logan."

That was it. I was out. Not only had my mother and father been keeping secrets for years, but my mother actively took part in her own kidnapping just to lure me to the witches. I stormed out of the cave, I didn't even know who I could trust anymore. For months I had spent valuable pack resources looking for her, only to find out she was able to leave and didn't. The witches could keep her at this point, I was done. My only saving grace was that my mother had no idea about Whitt or the fact that I had a mate in the first place.

Could I even trust her to come back to the pack knowing she would give my mate up in an instant? Would I have to exile my own mother?