Chapter 110

Olivia

The frosty silence had thawed slightly between Nathan and me by the end of the week. It seemed as though he had a change of heart after all, and he decided to throw the Council off in order to save Alvin.

I respected him immensely for that; he was putting his own livelihood at stake for our childhood friend, and suddenly, I felt like an absolute ass for some of the things that I said to him on the night of our argument.

It was like our argument over my father’s eviction, when I discovered that Nathan had spent the last ten years trying to find out what happened, all over again.

Even though I still sensed a residual bitterness emanating from him over my so-called ‘feelings’ for Alvin, I was relieved that Nathan had finally agreed to help.

The day after our awkward encounter when Nathan told me that he went through on his promise to throw the Council off of Alvin’s trail, I sat nervously at the dining room table with four cups of steaming hot tea set out in front of me.

The last rays of golden sunlight came streaming in through the window and cast a warm glow onto the books on the mahogany shelf set into the wall.

Those ancient books, many of which had been here ever since I could remember, seemed to glare at me. Their dust-covered spines bristled with judgment.

It felt as though they knew our meeting was clandestine, and they disapproved.

Nathan entered first, his expression a stern mask. His eyes still bore an icy chill when they landed on me, but beneath that I saw something new — a sense of purpose. He sat down across the table from me with a nod and instantly began sipping at his tea.

“Any news from the Alpha Council?” I asked, keeping my voice quiet as though someone would overheard my words in my own house.

Nathan shook his head. “Nope. They still believe my story. They’ll be sending a search party up to the old mines next week, just to scope the place out. So at the very least, we have until then.”

I let out a soft sigh of relief. “Good,” I said quietly. “That’s good news. But we should plan on giving them more false information in case they work too quickly.”

A few minutes later Angela breezed into the house, her usually bright eyes dulled by the seriousness of our gathering.

Levi trailed behind her, his face cast in solemn lines. He had still not spoken much to me since Nathan gave him that stern warning, but I hadn’t left the house on my own anyway.

“Let's get started,” Nathan muttered, his voice strained with an urgency that matched my own.

We began the meeting with an oath. A handshake; it was mostly for Levi, who Nathan still didn’t trust. He used his Alpha power of Absolute Loyalty just in case Levi got any ideas. And then, once that was over, we could begin.

“I've been researching,” Angela began almost immediately. We all watched as she pulled out a large, tattered book from her bag. It looked ancient, the pages yellowed with age, the leather cover cracked and worn. “There might be a way to help Alvin.”

My breath hitched. “What do you mean?” I asked.

Angela shook her head, flipping open the book. She opened it to a page and shoved it into the middle of the table, tapping on the page with her finger. “His hand.”

Curiously, I looked down at the yellowed page. The text was faint, but I could see an illustration of a severed limb. Something was written around it in another language.

Confusion washed over me and I looked back up at my friends. “What is this?”

Angela leaned forward, a determined look on her face. “His hand, Olivia. We can try to restore it.”

“But… how?” I stuttered, unable to comprehend their claims.

“It’s simple,” Angela said, her voice steady. “We need to find the hand and take it to a witch. That’s all I know.”

My heart plummeted. “A witch?” I blurted out. “But they’re… dangerous, aren’t they?”

“There's only one left in the area, and she hasn’t caused trouble before to anyone who didn’t deserve it,” Nathan added, scratching his head. “It’s our best shot.”

I glanced between the two of them, my heart hammering in my chest. “But how could we possibly find his hand? He lost it in the military, didn’t he?”

For the first time, Nathan looked uncomfortable. He glanced at Levi, then back to me.

“Alvin returned home from the military with a strange little box… with a lock. We think he might’ve kept his old hand in there.”

I recoiled, my stomach churning. “That’s… grotesque. And unbelievable. Why would he keep that?”

Nathan shrugged. “Maybe as a reminder? Who knows? But the hand is our key. We need to get into Alvin's house and find it. I’m sure he still has it.”

I felt a strange concoction of revulsion, disbelief, and desperate hope swirl within me. Could it really be this simple? Could we restore Alvin’s hand and maybe, just maybe, fix whatever had gone so wrong with him?

“Okay,” I finally murmured, nodding at Nathan. “We’ll find the hand. Then we’ll find the witch.”

Nathan glanced at me, something like respect flickering in his icy gaze. “Right.”

We spent the rest of the evening outlining a plan, discussing possible obstacles, and assigning tasks. Nathan and Levi would deal with the Council if the need arose, keeping them off of Alvin’s trail as much as possible.

Angela and I would focus on finding Alvin’s hand… and the witch. Tomorrow night, the four of us would hide outside of Alvin’s house and wait for him to come out for his nightly escapades. Then, while Nathan and Levi waited outside and kept watch, Angela and I would slip inside and search for the box.

It was a long shot, and it was one riddled with uncertainties and risks. But it was also a lifeline for Alvin, a glimmer of hope in a sea of despair.

As the meeting came to a close and I walked back to my room, I couldn't help but feel a strange sort of relief.

Nathan was on my side. For the first time in what felt like forever, we were on the same page, working towards the same goal.

The task ahead was monumental, but at least we were facing it together. And as much as I’d been denying it, I was glad. More than glad.

For all his stubbornness and his brooding moods, Nathan was a formidable ally. He was intelligent, resourceful, and he cared about Alvin just as much as I did.

But more importantly, he was someone I trusted. Someone I had always trusted, even when our paths had veered apart.

As I drifted off to sleep that night, my thoughts weren't filled with the dread of the task ahead or the terrifying consequences if we failed. Instead, they were filled with a newfound hope.

Because even though the road ahead was fraught with danger, we weren't alone. We had each other.

And maybe, just maybe, that would be enough.

————————————————————

My dear readers, Thank you for stopping by and reading this story. I hope you enjoyed it. I’m trying my best to update asap. I’ll appreciate it if you explore my other stories as well. Please follow my facebook page Caroline above story and group Caroline above story if you wanna chat or keep updated on my writing schedule.

Yours，Caroline above story