Free Web NovelChapter 65: Do Not Get Attached
"Luna, there is a message for you."
A guard stopped in front of Nina as she stepped out of the dining room after breakfast, with Moreen close behind her. In his hand was a letter bearing a strange seal.
Nina’s brows furrowed as she stared at the parchment. Her hands remained at her sides; she made no move to touch it.
"Who is this letter from?" she asked. She didn’t know anyone who would send her a letter.
"It was among the correspondence received at the pack house this morning, addressed to you, Your Grace. I do not know who sent it."
Nina stared at the envelope for a beat before finally taking it. Glancing back at Moreen, she cleared her throat. "You may go ahead. I’ll join the class later," she said.
"Yes, my lady." Moreen nodded once and walked away.
Nina watched her leave, waiting a moment longer before breaking the seal and unfolding the paper.
I’m waiting at the old infirmary. I have all the answers you seek. Annalise.
Nina’s heart caught in her throat as her eyes lingered on the message. Someone knew who she was. And whoever it was, they were here, inside the pack house. Goosebumps crawled across her skin, and her fingers involuntarily tightened around the paper, crinkling the edges.
Who were they, and what did they want?
Questions swirled through her mind, a heavy weight of unease settling in her chest, but it wasn’t enough to drown out her desperate need for answers. After a long moment, she tore the letter into tiny pieces, dropped them into a nearby bin, and made her way downstairs.
"Where is the old infirmary?" she asked a guard when she reached the ground floor.
The guard blinked in surprise before lowering his head respectfully. "The old infirmary is in the basement, Your Grace. Down the stairs and to the left of the hallway. It has been abandoned for years." He hesitated, looking at her anxiously. "Would you like me to accompany you?"
"No, thank you. That won’t be necessary."
Nina turned and headed for the stairs. The polished stone gradually gave way to rough, uneven rock beneath her feet. With every step downward, the air grew thicker, colder, and heavy with the scent of damp earth. The sounds from the bustling pack house above faded until an absolute silence settled around her.
At the bottom of the stairs, she paused. Her fingers tapped lightly against the cold iron railing as she studied the dim corridor ahead. Then, she turned left.
Her footsteps echoed softly against the stone walls. Cobwebs clung to the corners, and thick dust coated the old wooden doors lining the hallway. Thin rays of sunlight slipped through narrow cracks in the foundation above, doing little to chase away the heavy darkness.
A door creaked somewhere ahead.
Nina stopped dead in her tracks. Footsteps followed from the dark end of the hall—measured, rhythmic, and entirely unhurried.
She lifted her chin, forcing herself to wait.
The figure emerged slowly from the shadows. First came a pair of polished shoes, then the hem of a dark, elegant dress, and finally—
The breath left Nina’s lungs.
Lady Emory, the etiquette tutor, stood before her. Her hands were folded neatly behind her back, and a small, pleasant smile rested on her lips. Nina stared at her in sheer disbelief.
It was her?
"Lady Emory?" Her voice cracked slightly, the echo bouncing off the damp stone. "What are you doing here?"
"We’ve waited so long for you." The smile on Emory’s face widened, turning entirely cold. "Annalise."
Nina’s hands curled into tight fists. For a long, suffocating moment, neither woman spoke. Then, Nina took a slow step forward. "How do you know that name?"
Her voice came out flat and controlled, but her pulse hammered like a war drum in her ears.
Emory studied her quietly, her gaze analytical. "We’ve been waiting for you to regain consciousness. It took you long enough."
Nina’s heartbeat quickened. "We?"
Emory only smiled.
"Who are you people?" Nina asked, her brow knitting together in deep confusion.
A flicker of genuine amusement crossed Emory’s face. "You’ll learn that in time." She paused, taking a step forward as her expression turned dead serious. "For now, there is something far more important."
Nina braced herself.
"Before you were killed, you sealed your powers inside the Earthstone."
Nina froze. Her powers? She had sealed them in the Earthstone?
Emory’s smile slowly faded. "You don’t remember any of that, of course, because you have no memories of your past life."
Nina’s gaze hardened. It felt entirely unnerving that this woman knew more about her than she did herself. "Why was I brought back?"
Lady Emory smiled again, an eerie, reverent look. "Because you have unfinished business, Annalise. The Blood Moon Curse is incomplete. You have to finish what you started."
"What do you mean by that?" Nina frowned, trying to piece the fragments together. "The lycans are going to shift into their beast forms on the Blood Moon and be unable to turn back. Isn’t that the curse?"
Emory let out a soft, mocking laugh. "That is what they think the curse is."
A chill washed over Nina. "What?"
"Why would we let them any of them remain on the surface of the earth? The true curse is the complete eradication of their species. If they still exist, they can be brought back. Complete eradication wipes them out of existence forever." Emory paused, her eyes narrowing. "Before you could complete the final ritual, you were captured and executed by the late Alpha."
Nina could not speak. Her heart thudded violently against her ribs.
Complete eradication...
The image of Rodrigo flashed vividly before her eyes, and she instantly looked away from Emory to hide her reaction. Her heart squeezed painfully, making it impossible to breathe for a terrifying second. She had cursed them... Why would her past self be so utterly heartless?
"Why did I place this curse?" Nina whispered, her voice tight. "Surely there are lycans who do not hurt humans. Why would I curse all of them?"
Emory’s expression darkened at her words, and then she laughed dryly, a bitter sound. "When rot reaches the basket, you don’t sort the fruit—you burn the basket." She paused, her voice softening with a strange kind of pity. "You had your reasons, Annalise. Reasons strong enough to sacrifice everything."
Emory turned toward a small, high window and walked over to it, staring up at the faint light. "That is why you need your memories back. They hold all the answers you seek."
A heavy silence passed before Nina managed to draw a steady breath. "How can I get them back? My memories."
Emory turned, taking a step closer, the shadows cutting across her face. "The Vothraki—the vault of forbidden spells—contains a ritual that can restore your memories." She paused, letting the bait hang in the air. "You have to find it and bring it to us."
Nina raised a skeptical brow, a hint of defensive sarcasm bleeding into her voice. "You want me to bring the Vothraki to you? Why would I do that?" ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Emory fell silent for a moment before a small, knowing smile touched her lips. "And how exactly do you plan to perform a magic ritual without your powers?"
Nina’s expression hardened, her jaw locking.
Emory held her gaze, completely unbothered. "Before your death, you sealed your powers inside the Earthstone. Then, you concealed its location with a Hidden Location Spell." She paused, letting the reality of the trap settle. "Without your memories, you cannot find the Earthstone. And without your powers, you cannot perform the ritual to get those memories back."
A heavy beat of silence stretched between them.
"So tell me, Annalise—how do you intend to do any of this alone?"
Nina remained silent. She didn’t trust this woman one bit, but the brutal truth was that she was running out of options.
"The Alpha is in possession of the Vothraki," Emory continued, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. "You have to bring it to us, and we will find the Earthstone and complete the curse." She paused, her eyes glinting. "You must do this before your time runs out."
"What do you mean, my time is running out?"
"You should have started experiencing the side effects of the magic by now."
"Side effects?" Nina’s mind immediately went to her recent, unexplained fainting spells.
Emory smiled and took another step toward her. "Black magic always comes at a price. You must regain your powers and stabilize this body, or you will die."
Nina’s heart thudded hard against her ribs, her vision flickering slightly at the edges. "Why would I believe a word you’ve said? Without any proof, you’re just trying to scare me into stealing the Vothraki for you."
Lady Emory chuckled. "Really? Don’t you think I know far too much to be lying?" She took another step toward Nina, but Nina refused to back down, holding her ground. "Tell me—do you want to wait around and see if I’m right, or do you want to listen to me and live?"
Nina clenched her teeth so tightly her jaw ached, but she refused to give Emory the satisfaction of a verbal defeat.
Emory straightened, smoothing her dress. "The choice is yours. I have nothing to prove to you, Annalise."
"How long do I have?" Nina’s lips pressed into a thin line. Fine beads of sweat had appeared on her forehead, and she knew Emory could see just how shaken she truly was.
Emory’s smile returned, sharp and triumphant. "Six full moons."
Nina froze, her mind racing through the timeline. Six months. She looked away, a thousand conflicting thoughts flooding her head all at once.
Emory took a step back, slipping seamlessly back into her persona as a refined courtier, and offered a low bow. "I have delivered the message. If you need my help, you know where to find me, Your Grace."
She turned to leave.
"Wait." Nina’s voice stopped her in her tracks.
Emory paused and turned around, raising an expectant brow.
"My mother," Nina began, thinking of the woman who had given birth to this current body. She hesitated, the question heavy on her tongue. "Was she a witch?"
Something dark flickered across Emory’s face before disappearing behind her polite mask. "I cannot answer that."
Nina’s eyes narrowed, a long, tense silence stretching between them. "You won’t tell me who brought me back, and now you’re refusing to reveal my mother’s identity."
Emory smiled smoothly. "I am only a messenger, Annalise. I am forbidden from saying more."
Nina drew a deep, grounding breath, lifting her chin. "Then I don’t believe a word you’ve said." She held Emory’s gaze with newfound defiance.
"I see," Emory replied softly. "Then I have nothing more to say." She paused, turning her back. "But do not forget—you are running out of time. If you change your mind, you know where to find me." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Nina stared at her back, her jaw tight. "I will not seek you out, Lady Emory. If you have the answers I need, then you can come find me."
With that, Nina turned away and began walking back toward the stairs.
"Annalise." Emory’s voice echoed hollowly through the damp hallway, stopping her.
Nina’s feet came to a halt, but she refused to turn around and look at the woman.
"About the Alpha..." Emory paused, letting the final words sink into the cold air. "He is your worst enemy. His father is the one who killed you, and Rodrigo would do the exact same thing if he ever finds out what you are. You cannot get attached to him."
