Chapter 328

Olivia

Everything was dark, so dark that I couldn't see an inch in front of me. My mouth snapped shut just as I was about to tell Nathan that I loved him, leaving me shocked and confused.

“Whoa, what happened?” I blurted out, swiveling my head around.

For some reason, I found myself gripping the amulet that Layla had given me.

Maybe it was because the room was suddenly so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat, or maybe it was because the room instantly felt several degrees colder, as if an icy wind had just blown its way through, despite the fact that the doors and windows were closed and that it was only mid-September.

Nathan chuckled nervously through the darkness, pulling away from our embrace. “Looks like the power went out. Just stay here, Olivia. I’ll check the fuse box in the basement.”

But something didn’t feel right. A tingling sensation was emanating from the amulet in my palm, stronger than before, a feeling that had me on high alert. Instinctively, I reached out, grabbing Nathan’s arm.

“Don’t leave,” I murmured, my voice filled with a seriousness that took even me by surprise.

Nathan paused, looking puzzled. “Why? Is something wrong?”

Without saying anything, I pressed the amulet into his hand. I wanted him to feel it, to understand why my gut was telling me something was off. He closed his fingers around it and went silent, his eyes widening.

“Feel that?” I whispered.

He nodded, his eyes meeting mine. “Something’s not right. Get the twins and find somewhere safe to hide. I’ll deal with this, whatever it is.”

My heart was pounding as I ran to the living room. Elliot and Aurora were still in their playpen, but their happy cooing and giggling had turned into confused gurgles and twisted faces from the sudden darkness.

Quickly, I picked them up, one in each arm, hushing them gently. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” I whispered, more to calm myself than them. “Mommy’s got you.”

But just as I was turning to leave the room, I heard it—the walls of the house seemed to shake, as if rattled by a distant earthquake.

Then came Nathan’s voice, louder and more urgent than I’d heard it in what felt like a long, long time.

“What are you doing here? Get out!”

My eyes widened as I heard Nathan's voice escalate in the other room. Clutching Elliot and Aurora to my chest, I edged my way towards the noise.

My heart dropped into my stomach when I saw her.

The witch. Standing in our doorway with a snarl etched into her face.

“Nathan, what is she doing here?” My voice shook.

But Nathan didn’t answer, and it quickly became apparent to me that he couldn’t answer. It was as if the witch was holding him there, keeping him frozen with some sort of invisible magic.

Feeling my heart leap up into my throat, I clutched the twins tighter and took a step forward. “What are you doing to him?” I called out, trying to keep my voice steady so as not to terrify the twins. “And what are you doing in my house?”

Instead of answering my questions, the witch simply smirked at the sight of my babies, sauntering over like a predator on the prowl. “Ah, little Aurora,” she cooed, “come to mama.”

She reached out a bony finger to caress Aurora’s tiny, chubby cheek. My instincts kicked in, and I pulled the twins away, causing them both to fuss in confusion. “Don’t you dare touch my children,” I growled.

The witch clicked her tongue, scowling at me. “You’ll have to face the facts soon enough, my dear. Aurora belongs to me, fair and square.”

“Over my dead body,” I spat back, feeling like a cornered animal ready to pounce. “I would never hand my daughter over to you.”

As I spoke, I could feel my wolf’s energy beginning to surge through me, just as it had on the night of the Redclaw attack. But truthfully, I wasn’t sure how much my powers would actually help against the witch.

She burst into a cackling laugh. “Oh, but you’ve already made the deal, dear Olivia. You can’t back out now.”

I stepped away from her, a shiver running down my spine. “You’re going to be stopped. I never planned on going through with any deal involving you.”

The witch chuckled. “I’ve always known you’re a slippery one. That’s why I left you with a little... gift. Something to remind you who’s really in charge.”

My brow furrowed, confused and alarmed. “What are you talking about? What gift?”

“You’ll find out,” she grinned, her eyes gleaming with malevolent delight. “And maybe you’ll even find it... joyous.”

But then she paused, her grin fading. “However, I heard you were planning on killing me. Burning down my lovely home. How disappointing. I thought we were friends!”

The word ‘friends’ came out like venom from her mouth. It made my skin crawl.

“And if you try anything like that again,” the witch continued, narrowing her eyes, “I’ll take away your little gift. And believe me, you won’t be happy then. And no amount of cute little amulets will help you.”

“What are you talking about? What do you mean?” My voice was tinged with desperation. But she only laughed that chilling laugh again.

At that moment, I felt my wolf’s power surge again. I opened my mouth to scream, to speak, to do anything—but before I could manage to exact my powers on her, she was gone, vanishing into the night.

In her wake, an overwhelming sense of dread settled in the pit of my stomach. Nathan suddenly gasped, clutching his chest as the magical hold on him dissipated. At the same time, the lights flickered back on, and the temperature of the house rose once again.

“Olivia,” he breathed, closing the distance between us in a few long strides, his strong arms wrapping around me and the twins. “I’m so sorry. I… I don’t know what she did…”

I shook my head, swallowing. “It’s alright. We’re alright. I think.”

But Nathan just looked at me with disbelief, his face pale, his eyes filled with a concern that mirrored my own. I could tell he was thinking the same thing I was: What had we gotten ourselves into? And what did she mean by a ‘gift’?

For a long moment, we just stood there in the empty doorway, staring at the space where the witch had been. My arms felt heavy as they cradled Elliot and Aurora.

But it was then that it happened.

A sudden wave of nausea crashed over me, and I felt queasy, like the room was tilting.

“Nathan, take the twins,” I said hastily, thrusting Elliot and Aurora into his arms. “I think I’m gonna throw up.”

I barely heard his worried voice calling after me as I dashed for the bathroom. I didn’t even have time to close the door behind me as I lunged for the toilet and retched violently.

It felt like my insides were being wrung out, and a strange sort of weakness washed over me as I finally stopped.

Grimacing, I looked into the toilet bowl. My eyes widened in disbelief. What I saw made no sense; it defied all logic. I had thrown up something... black? Not just dark, but pitch black, like ink or oil. A sense of dread heavier than before clamped down on me.

What in the world was happening? Was this the witch’s doing? Was this the ‘gift’ she had been talking about?