Cursed To The Alpha

Chapter 46

As I’m about to run through the woods, Janie appears in a flash before me and places her hands on my shoulders. Her beautiful green eyes glimmer sadly, ‘Janie, please don’t run away. We’re going to fix this,’ she says.

Then to my dismay, Xander appears behind her in another flash as Imogen climbs down the ladder. He appears troubled in thought and looks away.

‘How?’ I say angrily as I wipe my tears. ‘You’ve been saying this for weeks now, and we haven’t found any other way to get rid of this curse,’ I look past her shoulder and glare at Xander.

‘Just go with Xander and forget about me, Janie. He already made it clear he hates werewolves and has shown in the last hour he doesn’t want to be here.’

I turn and storm away in the opposite direction. Janie follows behind and grabs my arm. I turn and growl like a wolf. My claws and canine teeth form. She steps back in fear. I let out a guttural growl warning her and everyone else to back away from me, but Imogen won’t have it. I turn and claw across the tree in rage to release some built-up anger.

‘Imogen, stay back,’ Janie shouts.

‘I want to help her,’ Imogen says.

‘I know you do, Imogen, but she can’t control herself when she gets like this. I don’t want you to get hurt. Please stay back,’ Janie pleads.

But Imogen is determined to reach me, but suddenly she stops and looks around in confusion.

‘What’s happening to me? Why can’t I move?’ she says, trying to go forward. She stops struggling and then steps backwards with ease. ‘It’s just like that night of the car accident. I couldn’t move forward. I couldn’t get in the car when I was going to,’ she says, then stares at Xander behind Janie.

He has his small book open with small green and blue glowing spheres that swirl above the open pages in one hand, and his other is reaching out with an open palm towards Imogen.

‘It was you, Xander,’ she says. ‘You were there the night of the accident. You stopped me from getting in that car,’ she says to him.

With shock and surprise that Imogen is alive because of Xander, my claws slowly retract, and my teeth return to normal.

Janie appears even more surprised than I do. ‘Is this true?’ Janie asks him.

‘I was in the shadows and heard you warn, Imogen. I knew how concerned and worried you were about her safety. So, I found out the details of the party and shadowed her, literally,’ he says. ‘Then, when I realised she was going to enter the car after all. I used this same spell to stop her from getting in,’ he says.

I step closer, ‘You saved Imogen’s life, thank you,’ I say quietly.

Xander looks me in the eyes, ‘I supposed I did, but I only did it for Janie,’ he says.

‘So, you hate humans then, too, huh?’ I smirk.

‘Most don’t seem so bad. They might be growing on me a little, I suppose. You can’t tell me it’s not hard to dislike Imogen when she’s so bubbly and always nice to everyone?’

‘Awe, thanks, Xander,’ Imogen beams.

Mister Kal appears before us in another mini-explosion and proceeds to lick his paw and wipe his ear.

Xander sighs, and his shoulders drop, ‘Look, Rose. I can’t believe I’m about to apologise to a werewolf. So, no one is to ever retell this moment, not in this world and especially never in Felderia,’ he says.

‘We’ve never been to Felderia, Xander, so that’s not going to happen,’ Janie laughs.

‘Good. But Rose, even though you’re a werewolf, you’re not an inconvenience. I couldn’t imagine how horrible it would be to be stuck with werewolf ears and a tail and only part shift when enraged. It would be my worst nightmare just to have any features of a wolf. So, I’m sorry you are going through this, and maybe I can help find a way to help you. I’m in Felderia most nights. I could ask fellow witches, warlocks, fae, and others there if they have a spell of remedy that could help?’ he offers.

‘You’re willing to help me?’ I say with surprise.

‘Well, who knows, maybe we’ll get along better when you’re no longer a werewolf?’ he laughs.

‘Maybe,’ I laugh in return.

‘The only potion we found though that could cure, Rose requires an ingredient that doesn’t exist in this world. So, it’s impossible to make the potion,’ Janie tells him.

‘Nothing is impossible. What’s the item?’ Xander asks.

‘A blossom fox flower,’ Janie tells him.

Xander stares at us oddly, ‘Are you sure that’s the ingredient?’ he asks dubiously.

‘I’m sure. I’ll show you,’ Janie says, pulling out her phone and showing him all the information she has gathered. ‘The only other way was a transfer spell, but it just passes the ears, tail and other side effects to another person. So, we can’t use that spell, and Blossom Fox flowers don’t exist,’ Janie adds.

Xander smiles, ‘They actually do exist,’ he confesses.

‘What?’ we reply, almost falling over in shock.

‘The information is correct. The Blossom fox flower doesn’t exist in this world because the Blossom foxes only exist in Felderia,’ he says.

‘Wait a minute! You’re saying we can make the potion after all?’ I ask him.

‘Yes, but werewolves can only track and find Blossom foxes because they can pick up their scent trail. No one else can find them because they camouflage with trees, plants, and flowers. Most Felderians would walk past them and never know they were there,’ he tells us.

‘I don’t get it. I’m so confused. I thought we needed a flower, not a fox?’ I say to him.

Xander shakes his head, ‘A blossom fox is not what you think it is. The blossom fox is a mystical creature made from magical trees in the deepest forest of Felderia. It has a fox-like appearance, with a slender, agile body covered in bark, adorned with green moss and vibrant blossoms of lilac and orange that trail along its body.

Its body of soft bark is lined with cracks and crevices that allow for glimpses of a spectral light that shines from within. The light is otherworldly and beautiful, shimmering in a kaleidoscope of colours that seem to shift and change as the fox moves. Still, the mystical blossom fox is also an elusive creature, as it can blend in seamlessly with its surroundings. It can hide among trees and plants, moving silently and swiftly without leaving a trace. It is only when the fox wants to reveal itself that it does so, and even then, it can be challenging to spot. This is why they are so difficult to find. No Felderians other than werewolves have ever been able to catch one, as they can track their scent and outrun them. I only know what they look like because my mother sat on one to rest when she was a little girl after thinking it was a moss and flower-covered log. It stood up from beneath her, making her fall off. It licked her face and fled in a flash. She never saw one since, but I use her description to describe it.’

‘They sound so majestic,’ I say to Janie and Imogen.