Fallen Love
Chapter 10

Chris.

Fainting, I looked at her and then at Frank, whom she had just healed. He shook his coat and approached Esra, suspecting that his healing had come from her. But I don’t give him time to approach her and take her in my arms, getting up quickly, not in the least disturbed by the witch’s weight. I hardly dare look her in the face, thinking of what she’s done and what she is. Her python disappears, bringing Lisa towards us. She takes Esra’s hand in hers and I’m surprised to see her bracelet glisten. Tears appear in her eyes and she raises them to me.

– Please don’t kill her,” she begs.

Glancing at Esra, I clench my jaws and growl, unsure of what choice to make. Without saying a word, I head for the house, grab the care kit and take it up to the guest room, slamming the door and telling everyone not to come in. Placing it on the bed, I look at it as I try my hand at the desk, my feet up on the chair. I bring my fists to my lips, checking that her heart is beating at the right frequency. Her hair rests on the pillow, her eyelashes don’t flutter and remain closed. His many bruises and wounds jump out at me, especially the one on his ankle.

After a moment’s hesitation, I get up and remove her shoes. When I remove the shoe with the wound on his ankle, his eyebrows furrow and muffled m***s come from his mouth. I rip his pants a little to get a good look at the bite. He didn’t miss a f*****g thing, I clean the wound and bandage it as best I can, after taking care of the rest of her wounds I stare at her, not knowing what to do.

But how could I believe she was a mere human, even though I’d lied to her, she’d gone way over the line. Lisa knew who she was and didn’t hesitate to bring her into the territory, into the pack. She didn’t think to tell me, even though it was the right thing to do. Esra knew about us and never said a word. When I see her use her powers again, claws grow on my fingertips.

She’s a witch, that’s all that matters.

– No, Chris, don’t, she’s our soul mate,” screams Tracker.

– She’s a f*****g witch.

– And we’re wolves, don’t you think you could give her the benefit of the doubt, she’s helped us and saved several members of our pack.

– That doesn’t erase who she is, you know as well as I do that witches don’t do anything for free.

– Yet you saved her earlier, risking your life for hers.

– If anyone should have killed her, it’s me and nobody else.

– At least go and talk to Lisa.

I growl, not entirely agreeing, but Tracker begs me not to condemn her so quickly. Giving her a chance, I leave the room after making sure she’s asleep and go to put on a pair of shorts before joining the others in the living room. The guys get up from the armchairs as Lisa stops pacing and comes to face me.

– You didn’t kill him,” she says.

– How do you know,” asks her brother.

– I owe you an explanation,” she murmurs, changing the subject.

I cross my arms, waiting impatiently to hear what she has to say. Lisa fiddles with her fingers and looks up at the ceiling several times, sighing.

– Where do I start?

– With the fact that you’re hanging out with a witch, that would be a good place to start,” I replied dryly.

She glanced up at us and didn’t like what she saw. How can you blame us? For years, black magic has reigned on the side of the witches, and now one of them has fallen from the sky, and it’s her best friend.

– Esra is a white witch,” she says in defense of her friend.

– And how would you know,” asks Emmett.

– Because she saved my life,” Lisa said calmly.

Nick got up to join his sister, who was removing the protective bracelet to show her scars. She glanced at me to confirm that Esra was the witch who had saved her two years ago. That’s what she’s been hiding all along, the one who saved her, the one who’s been protecting her all this time, the one so linked to the snake, the one who’s been helping us with the witches, the red moons, she’s not some dead witch, no, it’s Esra all right.

My soul mate.

I sniffle and see Lisa shedding tears at the sight of her brother’s sadness. Poor Nick must be lost and sad, with the worst thing happening to him, realizing that he’s missed something important and that without Esra, his little sister would be dead and has been for two f*****g years. Lisa strokes her brother’s cheek to show him she’s there.

– I tried to kill myself, Esra came and brought me back to life, I’m sorry Nick.

– Why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped you, we could have found a solution.

Lisa takes Nick’s hands with a reassuring smile, but it’s only reassuring in appearance. She shows him her bracelet before putting it back on his wrist, but Nick stops her, too disturbed by the scars under his eyes, so I step closer, placing a hand on his shoulder as a sign of presence and comfort.

– Esra helps me Nick, I’ve had a breakdown. This bracelet not only protects me, it gives me strength, preventing me from falling back into the trap.

– Does it really work? he asks.

– Yes, it does, I swear.

My beta takes his sister in his arms, repeating that he’s sorry he wasn’t there for her, that she’s had to face her problems alone and that, above all, he’s failed in his role as big brother. After this moment, we came to our senses, ready for the next revelation.

– Good,” I declared. Is what you told us about her family true or not?

– Yes, her parents were killed when she was thirteen and she was taken in by another witch who died when Esra started college. Of natural causes, she tells us.

It’s sad, I admit. She was unlucky, but don’t forget that she’s a witch first and foremost. That could be a reason to be on the bad side, any reason is good enough.

– Yeah, it’s bad luck,” intervenes Emmett, who couldn’t care less.

Lisa stares at him, eyebrows furrowed, really not happy about what he’s just said. He looked at her with one hand under his chin without batting an eyelid. She stepped back from Nick and wanted to say something, but changed her mind at the last second, hesitated, then suddenly smiled again as she looked down at the ground near Emmett. Following her eyes I see the huge snake crawling behind him. Sticking out his tongue to hiss, Emmett turns and jumps out of his chair, screaming. Lisa laughs as she approaches the reptile, which turns into a little wolf and leaps into her friend’s arms. She turns to us with a big smile.

– This is Em, Esra’s animal totem, her other half,” she glares at me. Not the same half as you, Chris, don’t worry.

– How many witches have a snake as a totem animal? Nick asked.

Hearing no answer, I stare at Lisa, who can feel my gaze, examining the little wolf in her arms, biting her lower l*p before saying what I’d feared.

– Very little.

She stares at the snake – not the wolf – then frowns before shaking her head. Oh, I don’t understand now, I look at them, amazed at their witty conversation she’s supposed to have only with the pack. We’re her family. After a few seconds, the little wolf disappears while Lisa blows out her breath.

– Great conversation,” I said.

– The bracelet also reads us in a way, which is how I asked them to help us last time.

– The arrows were Esra’s?

She nods, then I hear a g***n. Lisa leaves in a hurry and we follow her to Esra’s room. She flinches when we enter and concentrates on Lisa, who sits beside her on the bed, taking her hand. Esra doesn’t look at us, but she knows we’re here.

– How are you feeling? Lisa asks.

– I’ve felt worse, don’t worry Lisa.

As I try to understand the double meaning of her sentence, Esra tries to sit up on the bed but grimaces in pain. She lets herself fall back onto the mattress but pulls her legs out of bed, which doesn’t please Lisa, who pushes them back under the blanket.

– Where do you think you’re going?

– The witches have recognized me Lisa, they know I’m alive, I’ve got to get out of here before the others start looking for me.

– You killed them, didn’t you?

– Not the one I sent packing before joining you,” Esra whispers, shaking her head.

In other words, the one who was going to kill me but stopped me at the last moment. Esra shakes her head and runs her hand through her hair, trembling. Lisa puts her hand on Esra’s knee to get her attention.

– Em’s off on a tour of the territory to make sure no one comes to disturb us tonight.

– A snake can’t do much in the face of a threat,” says Emmett.

Esra and Lisa give him a dirty look. Okay, don’t make fun of the witch lady’s snake. I’ll make a note.

– Just so you know, Emmett, Esra’s poisoned arrows are made from Em, and thanks to her, no one will be able to cross the territory because she’s going to put up a magical barrier that can’t be breached, at least for a while. The same barrier that saved your a*s this morning.

– Speaking of barriers, how do they work? Nick steps in to save his buddy.

His sister looks at Esra to see if she can talk, but against all odds it’s the witch who explains. When my parents were the Alpha of the pack, once a year their witch friends came to reinforce the magical barriers, and no one could cross them unless they were part of the pack. Suffice to say, it’s better than an alarm system, and we’ve escaped some pretty nasty quarrels and surprise attacks.

– In fact, it requires a little ritual,” begins Esra. It’s nothing too serious, the Alpha just needs to put down his b***d and the sorcerer who casts the spell to tie up the barriers that will be set up around the territory. It remains visible for a few seconds before becoming invisible. Em sets up temporary barriers, handy when you need to move fast, but by morning they’ll be gone.

– Is this something you know how to do? asks Nick.

– Of course it’s a basic spell,” replies Esra with a shrug.

Feeling the guys’ eyes on me, I force myself not to ask her if she can do one for us, but I can’t see myself asking her that. No, clearly not, and I’m not comfortable with that, especially as I’m not convinced of her status as a white witch. Despite all she’s done for us and Lisa tonight for over two years, I’m reserving judgment. Glancing at Esra, who doesn’t look at me, preferring to stare nervously at her fingers, I head for the door, followed by Nick and Emmett.

– She helped the pack, she can sleep here tonight, I declare harshly.

Although she’s in the room, I address Lisa very clearly. Closing the door behind me, I stood in the corridor to listen to what was being said. It’s not right, but I need to know the fate I have in store for her. The fact that she’s my soul mate shouldn’t cloud my judgment, because she’s a witch and should be treated as such. The boys go to their rooms, but listen too.

– How long before you’re cured? Lisa asks.

– Usually a few days.

– Not before?

– No, Em will repair the most damaged part, but the rest will have to heal naturally.

Esra sniffs, then I hear the blankets moving, which intrigues me, so I sit up on the wall I was leaning against, frowning.

– I’m sorry about Chris,” Lisa whispered. I thought he’d change his mind.

– Don’t be, you can’t make him go against his ideas.

– It’s not fair on you,” the she-wolf snapped.

– I’m used to it Lisa, I’ll get over it.

There’s a loud crash and then something breaks. What the hell are they doing?

– Damn it, Esra, just lie there.

– I don’t want to stay here.

– You don’t have the strength to teleport,” says Lisa.

She can teleport? Now that’s cool.

– I can’t stay in the same house as them Lisa, who’s to say they won’t try to kill me once I’m asleep.

– I’ll protect you Esra, stay and rest tonight, you’ll be home tomorrow if you really want to leave.

An inhalation followed by an exhalation is followed by a muffled sob, but I hear it very clearly.

– Esra, I’m sorry. It’s my fault you’re like this.

Her voice is weak but she’s not crying, so I deduce that the tears are coming from Esra, when Tracker also comes to this conclusion. He lies in my mind sad and helpless in the face of his soulmate’s sadness, except that I can no longer think of her as such. An Alpha with a witch, pff that’s nonsense.

– Don’t blame yourself, I’m here because I wanted to be…, Esra cleared her throat before resuming. I knew what I was going through with Chris was temporary.

– Esra, you and Chris are different,” said Lisa.

I hope she doesn’t tell him. She can’t know, ever.

– Don’t worry, I won’t tell her,” intervened Lisa through the pack link.

There’s a blank in which Esra must wonder what Lisa is talking about.

– Yes, it’s different, he’s an Alpha Lisa and I’m a witch, even a troll wouldn’t want me,” laughed Esra evilly.

– Please don’t say that.

– Don’t I? When he didn’t know who I was, he looked at me with pleasure, smiled at me, but now he looks at me with disgust Lisa, how do you want me to take it?

– I’d never let you down, never,” the she-wolf assured me with conviction.

I heard sniffling and wondered if they were hugging. A few minutes later, Esra decided to take a shower and so, with Lisa’s help, they went into the bathroom. Heading for the first floor, I leave the house, take off the shorts and transform.

I need to run, my head’s going to explode if I stay in the same house as Esra.