My legs couldn’t hold me for long-I was far from fully healed. I sank onto the couch nearby and buried my face in my hands.
What the hell were we thinking?
What were we thinking when we did all those horrible things to Olivia?
I once cherished that girl. No… I worshipped her. And now I could barely face the reflection of the man I had become. The pain in her eyes-how could I have caused that?
I lifted my gaze and looked at my brothers. They sat in silence too, each lost in his thoughts. Levi looked particularly troubled, while Louis stared blankly at the wall like he was trying to disappear into it.
I cleared my throat, trying to find my voice. “Are we sure…” I paused, unsure how to phrase it. “Are we sure we weren’t under some kind of spell?”
Louis blinked and turned to me slowly. “What?”
I rubbed my face, frustration and confusion knotting my gut. “I’m serious. Think about it. The letters. The way we started acting. The coldness. The decisions we made… It wasn’t normal. That wasn’t us.”
Levi straightened slightly, frowning. “You think someone used magic on us?”
I nodded. “Maybe not directly. But something’s off. What if the letters had a spell or enchantment? What if we were manipulated somehow?”
Louis’s eyes narrowed as he thought it through. “That… would make sense. There were moments I’d act and then wonder why I even said or did something. Like I was detached, watching myself screw everything up.”
“I felt it too,” Levi muttered, jaw tight. “I kept blaming it on anger or hate, but now… now it feels like something else was controlling our emotions.”
There was a moment of shared realization between us.
Levi closed his eyes briefly. “I’m making a mind-link to the Seer.”
We all sat in tense silence as his eyes glazed over, clearly tapping into the pack link. A few seconds passed before he nodded slowly, his voice firm.
“She’s on her way.”
A strange mixture of hope and dread settled over us. If we had been under a spell… maybe there was still a way to make things right. Maybe we weren’t just monsters.
But if we weren’t under a spell?
Then we were exactly what Olivia believed us to be.
And that truth might be even harder to live with.
A few moments later, a knock came at the door.
I didn’t need to ask who it was. The familiar scent told us it was our mother.
She didn’t wait to be invited in. The door creaked open, and she stepped inside, balancing a tray of herbal tea. Her expression was calm, but I could see the worry in her eyes.
“The healer said this will help you regain your strength,” she said gently, making her way toward us.
She handed each of us a cup. When she got to me, I took it with a quiet “thank you” and gave her a brief nod.
The moment the cup touched my lips, the sharp scent of mint and bitter roots hit my nose. The taste followed just as quickly-carthy, with a burning tingle at the back of my throat. It wasn’t pleasant, but I didn’t complain. I knew it was meant to heal.
She sat down across from us, her hands folding in her lap.
“How are you feeling?” she asked softly, her voice warm but cautious.
“We’re fine,” I replied flatly. Levi and Louis nodded in agreement, though none of us really were.
She hesitated. I knew she wanted to say more-her eyes gave her away. I beat her to it.
“Mom… please. Not now,” I muttered. “We’re not in the mood.”
But she didn’t stop.
“It just seems…” she started slowly, her gaze falling toward the door Olivia had left through, “it seems Olivia was touched by someone else.” 2
The room tensed instantly.
I swallowed hard, forcing my face to remain blank. “Don’t bother yourself with our affairs, Mother.”
She gave a slow, resigned nod. “I only say it because… she doesn’t seem to like you anymore. Any of you.” 2
Louis scoffed. “What do you expect? That she’ll accept us back with open arms?” His voice trembled with frustration, but it wasn’t directed at our mother. “We hurt her… we caused her pain. We tortured her. What woman in her right mind would want us back?”
Mother swallowed hard. For a moment, she didn’t say anything. The silence pressed in around us until she finally spoke.
“I called Doctor Martha,” she said suddenly. “She checked on Anita… and confirmed she’s pregnant.”
A sharp frown creased my face, but I didn’t flinch. I wasn’t surprised. The signs were already there-her sudden mood swings, the frequent nausea and illness.
But hearing it confirmed still stirred something ugly in my chest.
Mother looked at us with concerned eyes. “What if… what if the babies are really yours?”
I met her gaze, frowning deeply. “That’s not our main concern, Mother.”
Her expression fell slightly, but I wasn’t done.
P
“You’re so desperate for grandchildren that you’re not even bothered by the kind of person the mother is,” I said coldly. “Anita will never make a good mother. You know it.”
Louis nodded in agreement, his jaw clenched. Levi didn’t say anything, but the way his fists tightened on his knees said enough.
Mother looked away, guilt flickering across her face.
“We’ll handle Anita on our own,” I added firmly. “You don’t need to get involved.”
A sudden knock came at the door.
One of the guards stepped inside and bowed slightly.
“The Seer has arrived.”
I stood, setting aside the unfinished cup of tea.
“Please excuse us, Mother,” I said-not rudely, but with finality.
She looked as if she wanted to argue, but instead, she nodded slowly, stood, and quietly left the room.
As she walked out, the Seer stepped in.
Lennox’s POV
Our pack’s Seer walked in. Even though she was nearly twenty years older than us, she respectfully bowed her head.
“Welcome,” I said, motioning to the couch. “Please, have a seat.”
She shook her head gently and sat on the floor instead. I didn’t question it-she always did her spells and readings on the ground. It was her way.
I glanced at Levi and Louis, then stood up and went to the drawer where we had kept the letters. My hand shook a little as I pulled them out. Just holding them made my stomach turn. These letters had started everything.
I walked over and handed them to her. “These letters… we think they were charmed or spelled. They messed with our minds.”
She took them carefully with furrowed brows. Without a word, she reached into her small bag and pulled out a bowl and some herbs tied together with black string.
She crushed the herbs into the bowl, then pricked her finger and let a drop of blood fall in. Whispering something under her breath, she lit the mix. Pale smoke began to rise, curling in the air. As it did, her eyes turned a faint silver.
She spoke, her voice low and serious, like it was coming from somewhere deeper than her own throat. “Spirits of truth, lift the veil… show us what hides in this ink…”
The letters gave off a faint glow, like they didn’t want to be exposed. The fire in her bowl crackled louder.
Then she blinked and looked at us. Her voice returned to normal.
“You were right,” she said. “Your guess was correct.”
We all sat up straighter, listening closely.
“The ink used in these letters-was laced with spellcraft,” she explained. “Subtle, dark magic. Not a curse, but an enchantment. Enough to nudge thoughts. Twist perceptions. Push emotions in certain directions,”
Levi’s jaw clenched. “To what end?”
She looked at him solemnly. “To deepen your doubts. Amplify your anger. Mute your empathy. The more you read the letters, the more they pulled you into choices you wouldn’t normally make. The spell fed off your existing weaknesses-your jealousy, fear, even guilt-and then redirected them.”
Louis’s face darkened. “So… we were manipulated.”
She nodded slowly. “Not controlled. But influenced. Enough to make your worst choices feel justified. Enough to blind you to her pain.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.