Fallen Love
Chapter 12

Esra.

Ever since I got home, I’ve been sitting in my bathtub, eyes closed, surrounded by steam. My body looks like a lobster, but I need this cocoon of warmth to soothe me. Em is waiting for me on the bath mat, adapting to the heat as well as I am. Forcing my leg a little, I pull her out of the water to see the bite on my ankle – it’s not a pretty sight. My first bite, yippee! I’m still alive. It still hurts because Em hasn’t treated me yet, but as she’s banned me from school until Wednesday, I’ll have plenty of time to rest properly.

I stayed in the bath for a good three hours, and as soon as I felt the water getting colder, with a bit of concentration, it got as warm as it had been at the start. Em stayed with me when I got out and wrapped me in a bathrobe. She follows me to my bed and pulls the blanket up over me, and once I’m fully stretched out, my python settles in beside me, keeping a close eye on me. She’s basically helping me with magic, so don’t think she’s got an arm on her side, eh?

– What are you going to do now? Em asked me.

– I don’t know, the problem’s solved now that I won’t be going there again.

– But you want to go back.

– It’s their territory, Em, and if Chris decides I shouldn’t go there any more, I will.

She’s silent for a few seconds, not knowing what to say, but there’s nothing to say. Chris made his choice and I have to respect it, he let me go and it was, I think, a difficult choice to make. Lisa had to take my part, the good thing is that Chris will have no problem meeting his soul mate without me in the way. Of course, if they’re in trouble and ask me to come along, I’d be happy to do so, but otherwise I’d never go myself. Since the case of the witches hasn’t been completely resolved, I’m staying on the alert during my three days off.

I’m working on my protection spells, trying to strengthen them as much as possible, which in itself doesn’t pose too much of a problem. The hardest thing is to find a spell to destroy the soul-mate link, I promised Lisa I’d help her, but the bracelet won’t always work, at least as long as Emmett’s around. Lisa could snap and then the bracelet would become useless as far as mental protection is concerned. With nothing at home, I went to Melinda’s looking for a grimoire that might help me, and it was easy enough to find what I was looking for as I’d arranged all the books meticulously by category.

When I got home I set to work on the ritual and how it would work. I hope I’m strong enough because this spell is forbidden, but for Lisa’s sake I’m prepared to make this sacrifice. The more I read, the more I hope to succeed, because it’s more difficult than I thought. Once I’ve finished, I see the ultimatum I’ve been given, and I slam the book down and gasp, hoping I’ve read it wrong, but judging by the look on Em’s face, I’ve read it very well, which makes me despair because there’s very little chance of it working. I’m not going to leave Lisa tied to that bastard for the rest of her life, am I? I’m trying to find another solution, a derivation of the spell that I can explore and that would work without necessarily having to choose, but whatever I find, nothing makes sense enough for the spell to succeed and there’s no way I’m doing this for nothing. It’s very complex, technical, dangerous and I’ll only get one shot at it. Disappointed, I realised that I’d spent all afternoon on this spell. I grabbed my mobile and called an Uber to bring me Mcdo.

I need to recharge my batteries a bit and there’s nothing better than junk food to relax me and forget about this bullshit spell. After 15 minutes I send Lisa a message, telling her to meet me in the university gardens at noon to explain my findings. By the time the Uber brings me something to eat, I’m writing down the steps of the spell so I can explain them to Lisa tomorrow. She needs to know how it works because I need her to be one of the main people involved. I check my revision sheets that I wrote during my three days of convalescence.

But tomorrow it’s all over, I’ve had enough of being cooped up, so getting some fresh air and going outside will do me a world of good. I’m still limping a bit, but no other injuries are present or visible. I’m doing well, I didn’t want Em to heal my ankle completely, just to take away the pain, which I think is enough. During those three days, I hardly used any of my magic, just to reinforce the protection spells. Once I’d checked everything for my return to college, I put on my pink pilou-pilou pyjamas and the doorbell rings. I open the door of the building once I’m sure it’s the delivery boy, then take a small note which I hand over as a tip, and he wishes me bon appétit. Settling down in front of 101 Dalmatians, I enjoy an evening of cocooning at its best. Alone, but top-notch, because Em has gone to sleep after her hunt.

*

When I got to the meeting point, I sat down in the shade and took out my lunch. I took out my notes about the spell and reread them as I ate one of my chicken sandwiches.

– Hey Esra!

Raising my head, I smile when I see Lisa trotting towards me. As soon as I sit down, the she-wolf hugs me a little longer than usual. It’s true that I must have worried her because I wasn’t giving out much news, concentrating on my projects. I hug her back and tell her I’m fine. After this cuddly moment, Lisa took out her lunch and asked me how my injuries were.

– I’m limping a bit, but it’s only temporary.

– Are you still in pain?

– No, don’t worry.

There was a little silence while we ate and then I started to tell her about the spell, how it works and the possible side-effects it can have. I take out my notes to show her so that she can read for herself. When she gets to the part about the ultimatum, she closes the notepad and gives me a serious look.

– Forget it Esra, I’d rather stay tied to Emmett than have you take all his risks.

– I can try, but I can’t guarantee it’ll work.

– No, really, out of the question,” she growls at my idea.

I try once more to tell her I can do it, but the yellow look in her eyes dissuades me, so I give up and place my hands in front of me. I don’t dare talk about the pack, about Chris, about what it’s like with the witches and the other wolves. So I tell her what I did during my three days and she laughs when I tell her about my meals – which were sandwiches or delivered dishes – and the films I watched, all Disney. When I’d finished telling her about my life, Lisa began to tell her about hers since I’d left.

– Alice, Franck and Isa came over after you left on Sunday, they wanted to thank you.

– To thank me! What are you thanking me for?

– You saved them Esra! OK, you’re a witch, but without you we’d have lost a lot more.

– I’m not doing this to get thanks Lisa, you know that.

– Yes, I know that, but I wanted you to know.

I shook my head, delighted all the same that there are members of the pack who don’t hate me, that my status as a witch isn’t an obstacle to them wanting nothing more to do with me. I hope to see them again, but I’m under no illusions.

– Do you remember Noah?

– Of course I do! I smiled.

The memory of the cub who narrowly escaped death brings back memories of our meeting. The witches took their toll, the one I killed and the one Lisa tore to pieces. The poor little thing was so scared that I couldn’t ignore it. I’m glad she’s heard from him and that he’s doing well.

– It’s his birthday next weekend and his father would like to meet you.

I let out a laugh and looked at her, half-serious, half-serious.

– Does he even know I’m a witch?

Lisa scratches her head, confirming that he knows nothing about my true nature, unlike her son.

– Listen Lisa, it’s nice of you to think of telling me, but it’s not a good idea. I’d give you a present to give him, but nothing more.

– OK, but it’s a shame.

Seeing that it was time to go back to class, I left Lisa in the gardens and went off to my next lesson – Behaviour Analysis – for four hours I thought of nothing but my lesson as the exams were coming up. But the teacher uses examples that I can only compare to my own situation, and I question myself. Am I that naive? To believe in kindness and benevolence when I’m chased away as soon as anyone finds out who I really am?

Of course, I dream that everything will return to normal in the magical world, but that’s impossible, I don’t sink for love of my parents and because that’s never been my personality. I end my day with two hours of yoga. From time to time I take time out to relax when I’m under a lot of pressure. It’s almost dark when I get out of college. So before I go home I go to a general shop and arrive ten minutes before closing time. I begged the shop assistant to let me take what I needed and that I’d do it very quickly. Finally she gave me two minutes to find what I wanted, pay and get out of the shop. Luckily for me, I just took a light wooden box and paid what I owed. The sales assistant kept quiet, but I could hear in her head that she was hesitating whether to give me a second thought about just one small item or to let it go, given that I’d found it in less than ten seconds.

I’m happy with my purchase and go for a walk, enjoying the cool evening breeze. I’ll make little Noah’s present this evening, so it’ll all be done. I walk past the bars, restaurants and snack bars on the corner, and the smell of food wakes up my stomach, so I decide to go into a restaurant where they offer takeaway food. The bell tinkled as I walked through the door, making the guy behind the till look up and smile at me as I walked slowly towards him.

– Good evening,” I began. I’d like to know if you still do takeaways?

– Yes, of course, I’ll give you the special of the day?

I saw the sign on the wall with a menu of chicken with curry sauce served with rice and an apple crumble for dessert. Yum, I was right to stop here. Taking out my credit card straight away, the guy goes off to announce my order, amused, then comes back to cash me in. While I’m waiting, I move to the side so as not to disturb him, take out my mobile and play one of my games of the moment, Happy Color – it consists of colouring in photos with numbers for each colour – in short, it keeps me busy. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and when I looked up I was surprised to see Lisa. We hugged, happy to see each other even though we hadn’t planned to.

– Esra! What are you doing here? she exclaimed.

– Well, I went to buy a box to put Noah’s present in, and I got hungry on the way out, so I stopped here, and what about you?

Lisa smiles sadly at me and I realise who’s there, so I shake my head and say it’s nothing. I stood at the counter, trying not to move my ankle, which was quite sore from standing so much, Lisa noticed but didn’t say anything.

– What are you going to get for Noah? she asks.

I take the wooden box out of my bag and realise that my idea isn’t very good for a child.

– I was thinking of making him a bracelet like yours, but he won’t like it.

– Of course he will, Esra, don’t you think?

My order arrived carefully wrapped in a plastic bag, and I thanked the waiter, who wished me bon appétit, and went back behind his counter. I turn to Lisa.

– I’ll be off now. I’ll see you tomorrow?

– Don’t you want me to take you home? You’re in pain, I can tell.

– I’m going to humhum on my way out.

The she-wolf took a few seconds to understand my humhum, which meant teleporting. We hugged to say goodbye, then I stepped outside, the fresh air giving me a much-needed breath of fresh air. In a hurry to get home, I headed for a small alleyway hidden from view not far from the restaurant, but just as I was getting ready to teleport, a noise made me stop dead in my tracks. Glancing behind me, three men were staring at me at the entrance to the alleyway. Avoiding them would be the solution, except that the only way out is precisely where the men are.

In the dark I can’t make them out any more than that, but if I put Em’s eyes on them they’ll see and go and warn anyone. I doubt anyone will believe them, but they mustn’t know anything. Especially as I haven’t got my forget-me-not dust, how stupid not to have it with me all the time. Despite everything, I try to find another way out but the only possible one is to teleport, except that I’d be revealing my powers, which is unthinkable. The men don’t speak or move, which is really strange. I press my plastic bag against myself and then start.

– Excuse me, I’d like to get through.

If I approach slowly, maybe they’ll move over and let me go, except that when I start to feel relieved to be passing between two men, I’m suddenly grabbed by the hair and pulled back. The shock stunned me and I landed on the ground. When I got up slightly, the three men stood over me and studied me with smiles that were anything but friendly. I’d really like to use magic but I can’t, it’s forbidden and unfortunately this action would bring me closer to the dark side.

Even though I’m afraid of what might happen next, I’ll have to manage on my own. I try to get up but one of the men sits on my legs, another holds my arms flat against the ground and the last one doesn’t move, just looks at me, smiling. I close my eyes, trying to concentrate and call out to Lisa for help. I pray that she’ll hear me and come to help. A weight on my stomach makes me open my eyes and hands unbutton my shirt.

– Let me go,” I say harshly.

With what little courage I have left, I try not to give in to them but it’s no use, they ignore me as they continue to undress me, I’m getting really scared. With my shirt completely open, I struggle as best I can to keep him from touching my bra. My eyes search for something and see a rotting cardboard box on the floor. I can’t do anything else before the inevitable happens, so I throw it at the guy, who then topples over onto his side. I kicked the guy on my legs but the guy on my side quickly came back towards me. Well, it was all for nothing, getting attacked by a cardboard box was a completely lame idea. I’ll keep my head up because I didn’t use my powers or a powerful spell on them, even if I’m not going to like what happens next. Honestly, a witch who lets herself be mugged has seen it all.

– Did you do this? he exclaims, pointing at the cardboard box.

I shake my head in the negative. I’m still hoping they’ll let me go, but I’m naive as the hand on my stomach starts to move downwards.

– NO, LET ME GO, HELP ME,” I shouted at the top of my voice, tears welling up in my eyes.

The guy had just enough time to slap my face before he found himself thrown behind me, the weight on my legs and arms gone. I hear grunts and screams from the guys who look like they’re suffering. I sit up quickly, clutching the sides of my shirt. That was f*****g hot.

– Esra! Oh my Goddess of the Moon, are you all right?

Lisa, thank God. She helps me to my feet and then inspects me to see if I’m all right. I reassure her, but she doesn’t know what she’s doing. She sees the bruises on my wrists and the red slap on my cheek, which is also getting hot. I button up my shirt again, my hands trembling as I try to wipe away my tears, but others replace them. Glancing back to where a battle is going on, not having my night vision, I can’t see what’s going on. But barely five minutes later, I’m surprised to see Emmett, Nick and Chris coming towards us, they lead us out of the alley so I quickly grab my handbag and my food, which I hope isn’t crushed.

– Are you all right? Nick asks me.

– Yes, yes, thanks for coming.

– When Lisa got up in a frenzy and said your name, we didn’t have time to figure it out,” continued his brother.

– Why didn’t you use your powers? Emmett asks.

– I’m not allowed to, it’s a bit like you, no-one’s supposed to find out about your animal side, which implies that Em didn’t intervene.

The three males nod, understanding my words and my choices, as they have the same laws as I do about a lot of things. Lisa had explained to me that if a human knew about this, there were two options: either he would be transformed or he would die. Knowing that the transformation of a human is double or nothing, as having no supernatural genes the mortal couldn’t survive the transition. So there’s more chance of dying than becoming a werewolf.

– What were you doing here?

For a few seconds I’m speechless, just long enough for my brain to realise that Chris has just spoken to me. At the same time his eyebrows furrow as he looks at my wrists, which I’m trying to hide, and then he takes his mobile out of his pocket, cutting off the call he was receiving to turn his attention back to me, which bothers me.

– Answer him, Esra! Lisa urges me in my head.

– I wanted to teleport but they arrived before I could.

He didn’t say anything more and I thought again about the box for Noah, felt around in my pockets and my bag but couldn’t find it.

– Oh no,” I whispered worriedly.

It must have fallen in the alley, I thought.

I made a U-turn to get back into the alley, but I didn’t count on the boys getting out of the way. How am I supposed to get past guys who measure no less than 1m90 and 100 kilos of muscle? Compared to a little witch of 1m70 and 60 kilos, I’m very small and it would be child’s play to make me waltz.

– I dropped the box for Noah’s present and I need to get it back.

– You’d better not go back there, the others are in the coaltar, but you’d better not go,” said Nick, still blocking my path.

– Well then, can you go? Please do.

Nick looked at him, intrigued like the rest of us, before the Alpha took the box out of his jacket. At first I don’t dare pick it up because it’s in his hand, but he holds it out to me so I grab it in three seconds and check it for damage, which fortunately isn’t the case. After thanking him, I carefully put it back in my bag. I don’t get any answer, but it doesn’t matter.

– You’re going to give Noah a bracelet,” says Emmett.

– Yes, I couldn’t think of anything else, and at least he won’t be bothered by any more witches.

– We’ll explain it to his father,” says Nick.

I nodded, because in any case, someone would have to tell him about the powers of the bracelet, it’s not a toy. Seeing that our conversation had lasted long enough, well I mean a conversation with a witch. I took my leave and turned to leave, but a pain shot through my ankle, so I quickly held on to the wall to get it up and in as little pain as possible. As soon as I get home, Em will take care of me because I’ve had enough. An arm holds me back and I see Chris; when he meets my eyes he immediately steps back and Lisa takes his place, leading me to a car.

Only the brother and sister got in with me while the other two went who knows where. The journey was made in silence, I didn’t dare say anything in Nick’s presence, even though he seemed to be the only one who was the least reticent towards me. In fifteen minutes we arrive in front of my building. I open the door, thanking them, and slam it, ready to go back into my building, only to cry out in surprise when I see Chris and Emmett hiding in the shadows. Lisa joins me in a second ready for battle but relaxes when she sees her Alpha and her soul mate. Nick also gets out of the car while I fiddle with my wooden box. Right, I’ve got to say something.

– Er… you…. Do you want to come up? … I’m going to make Noah’s bracelet, so you can have it by Sunday.

– Yes, absolutely, I want to see what it’s like at your place,” enthuses Nick.

Lisa agrees too, Emmett just nods after Lisa says she’s coming too. As we looked at Chris, he turned away and headed for my flat, we followed him up the stairs and I noticed he was rejecting someone’s call again. When we got to my floor I went past to unlock my door, key in hand, but before opening I turned to them, a little embarrassed. This is my house, it’s not their territory and there are rules here about who can enter. Luckily, Lisa knows them.

– You’re going to pass through a kind of crystal circle, don’t panic, it’s just to see if you have any bad intentions, they’ll light up for a few moments and then you can move on. Lisa? Can you go ahead and show them, please?

– Yep, no worries,” she replies, coming towards me.

I went in first, then passed through the circle before putting my coat and shoes on. Lisa followed me and stayed in the circle for a few seconds, which lit up without waiting. Chris then walked past, staring at the crystals around him, I know he’s probably wondering if they were there when he was last here, which isn’t the case as Em had removed everything that represented magic from my flat. Emmett passed by on his guard, not at all confident but relieved when the crystals lit up and finally Nick jumped in which made me laugh slightly.

Lisa and I stand aside and we watch the boys discover my home with my books on magic, my photo frames with Melinda and then some with Em, since I was sixteen. It’s what Chris is staring at that surprises me, then I have some witchcraft items, a few sachets containing forget-me-not powder – very useful for mortals – and some salt placed on the entrances and exits. Then there’s the most imposing person in the room, my python, who’s watching us, lying quietly on the sofa. I can see the guys recoil when Em straightens up, Lisa laughing openly.

– So you guys are scared? she asks ironically.

– In case you don’t remember, this snake has swallowed people whole,” replies Emmett.

Well, does he talk? First time I’ve heard him so little I’d forgotten what his voice sounds like. I almost talk more than he does. Em gets off the sofa, urging me to sit down, I pull my trousers up to my shins and without waiting she bites me. Our guests had a reflex movement but Lisa put her arm in front of them to prevent them from advancing, Em withdrew a few seconds later and the fang marks vanished all over my wound. I stood up happily and jumped up and down a few times, testing my ankle, which was as good as new.

– Finally, I’d had enough,” I sighed.

– Why didn’t you do it in the first place? Nick asked.

– I wanted to heal normally, I usually always do that, but with what happened tonight, I couldn’t wait in this state any longer. Well Lisa, if you’re thirsty or hungry, you know where it is, I’ll make the bracelet.

I left them in the living room and went to my bedroom, out of sight. I took a thread out of a box made from Em’s venom, like my arrows, then recited a formula that I’d modified slightly, the thread became indestructible and as the stones and small symbolic charms appeared, the necklace took shape. I decided that a necklace was more suitable for a boy, so the necklace rose into the air during the spell and landed on my desk when I’d finished. Looking at my work, I smiled with pride and then had Noah’s name engraved on the box. Returning to the living room, I stopped when I saw Em and Chris staring at each other, my footsteps roused them from their duel, and Em spoke to me.

– I tell her who’s stronger between the wolves and the witches.

– So who won?

– We did, but he wants to make sure that you’ll never be a threat to his pack, as you’re….

– A witch, yes I know,” I cut her off irritably.

Em looked at me without adding anything and then evaporated to go and eat little rabbits or squirrels or any other food on legs. Hesitating between annoyance and excitement, I look at each of them in turn in my world, well all except Lisa who is quietly eating a yoghurt in the kitchen, examining the members of her pack in my house. She turns her head towards me and thinks the same thing, given the way she’s examining their reactions to being here.

– What’s this?

Turning my head I see Nick with a bag in his hands, he pulls out a handful of powder and throws it at Emmett, I can’t make a move to stop him as Emmett gets all the powder on his face making him sneeze. Not that. Nick laughs as his pack brother sits on my sofa, dazed. Chris goes to land in front of him to see if he’s okay but I doubt he is. F*****g shitty curiosity. Mouth wide open, I take a shot so the wolf doesn’t get too big a dose.

– Hey, Emmett, are you all right, mate? inquired the alpha.

– Who are you exactly,” whispered Emmett.

My eyes narrowed as I realised he’d taken quite a dose. I stopped myself from gutting Nick and at the same time Lisa came to my side. Thanks, at least I’ve got an ally in this room. Chris exchanged a few words with his Beta, then gave me a look that wasn’t at all friendly. I wanted to justify the state of his wolf when it also turned its head towards us and leapt to its feet to stand in front of Lisa, who didn’t understand what was happening. Nor did I, to tell you the truth.

– Mine,” he said excitedly.

– WHAT,” exclaimed Nick.

Oh shit, only me, Lisa and Emmett knew about their bond. Lisa didn’t want anyone to know and neither did Emmett. Once again I caught Chris’s gaze, just as surprised as Nick’s, but when he saw me at the opposite end of the spectrum from their reactions, he understood that I knew. In my defence, having saved Lisa from death, I must have been aware of this detail. Chris stares at me, not knowing what to do, and Emmett stares at Lisa with a big smile on his face, which is quite a change since he never smiles that guy.

Just as he’s about to take Lisa in his arms, a growl interrupts the silence and Emmett is violently propelled against my TV, which shatters under his weight, along with the coffee table that was holding it up. But no, I loved my TV. Emmett got to his feet, grumbling at the sight of Nick in front of Lisa, which represented an obstacle to approaching his soul mate. Just as he’s about to charge, which seems to delight Nick who’s ready to fight, I get in between them at the same time as Chris. We end up back to back, him facing Emmett and me facing the brother.

– Emmett, calm down,” roars his Alpha.

– I don’t take orders from you,” he growled. All I want is my soul mate.

– F*****g dream on,” exploded Nick. Because of you she almost died.

Emmett was shocked, his eyes wide as he looked at Lisa, who was staring at the ground.

– I don’t understand, we’ve only just met,” he said calmly.

– What the f**k is wrong with her? Nick asks me.

– You’ve thrown him some forget-me-not powder,” I explained. And a hell of a lot of it to make sure he doesn’t remember you.

– You leave that around?

– Nobody comes to my house and Lisa knows not to touch it.

I cross my arms against my chest, determined to make her swallow her reproach, when you don’t know, you ask instead of doing anything, especially in a witch’s house. Chris refrains from grumbling, as does Nick. I’m going to stand in front of Emmett to help him, otherwise we’ll have to sleep in the living room and all I want is for them to get the hell out of my house.

– If you’ll let me, I’ll help you get your memory back.

He nodded, glancing at Lisa who was still avoiding looking at him. I asked the Alpha’s permission anyway and he gave it to me with a nod. After a sigh, I raised my hand to Emmett’s face so that he could concentrate on it, then violet smoke was sucked into my hand. I instinctively close my eyes but the blow doesn’t come, so I open my eyes and see Lisa beside me with her shield up and running. Wow, I think that’s the first time he’s saved my life.

– What gives you the right to raise your hand against her? said the she-wolf as she moved forward.

– She’s the reason I lost my memory,” he said curtly, glowering at me.

– It was Nick who gave you the powder, not Esra.

Emmett said nothing, content to stare away. Chris and Nick come and stand at my ends, waiting for their turn to act. Except I can feel Nick waddling off to my right, which really annoys me. I take Noah’s necklace out of my pocket and put it in the little box that teleports into my hand, then hand it to Chris. He gives me a puzzled look, so I clarify.

– Noah’s present, he just has to take it off before he transforms, otherwise it’ll break and he has to be the only one wearing it, no-one else, otherwise he’ll get a good electrocution,” I say in one breath.

Insisting on the box I put under his nose, he took it, having no choice, his still intrigued look not reaching me. He put the box back in his jacket, exactly where he took it out when I thought I’d lost it.

– Lisa?

She looked at me and I stopped myself from smashing Emmett when I saw tears on his cheeks, only I wasn’t the only one to see them as Nick threw himself forward, but this time I stopped him and blocked him so that he didn’t make any more movements and above all didn’t break anything.

– Block them all, Esra,” Lisa asked me.

– He’s not ques….

Chris couldn’t finish his sentence until I blocked him and Emmett, and for several minutes the three males tried to get out of their invisible prisons but had to realise that it was a wasted effort. When they calmed down a little, I was proud to see them out of breath.

– Free us Esra,” Nick asks me.

– Talk it over with your sister.

I’m going to sit quietly on my sofa and let Lisa sort this out. At that moment Em appeared, looking at the three trapped wolves before joining me on the sofa, sitting on my legs and enjoying the show.

– Hey, if I give them a dirty spanking, will they laugh?

– What do you have in mind? I asked curiously.

Em’s usually pretty good when it comes to making jokes. I already feel sorry for the boys for what she wants to do to them.

– I make them believe that hundreds of tarantulas are crawling all over their bodies, she tells me proudly.

– I wouldn’t recommend it, but check with Lisa.

I’d rather absolve myself of all responsibility,” Em proposed to Lisa, who of course loved the idea, but would only allow her to do it if the boys didn’t cooperate with her words. Lisa turned to the boys with her hands on her h**s, looking at them in turn.

– Well, as you’ve heard, yes, Emmett and I are soul mates.

– That’s why you tried to kill yourself,” Chris guesses.

– He doesn’t accept the link, what else could I do?

– F*****g tell us,” says Nick. And you f*****g tricked us, you bastard,” he spits in Emmett’s direction.

He doesn’t even defend himself, just looks at Lisa, waiting for her to confide in him about their relationship. He completely ignores the other two. Lisa continues, once again capturing everyone’s attention.

– For three years before I tried to die, I was trying to create a bond, a love or even just a friendship, but you know very well what your time was taken up with. After Esra brought me back, I tried to pull myself together but the temptation to start again was very strong, which is why she made me this bracelet, she raised her wrist towards them to back up her words. From then on, I became stronger emotionally, my she-wolf finally saw the light after years of darkness and cold, Esra gave us her strength and energy, although she kept an eye on me to make sure I didn’t try anything new.

– You know you’re like a sister to me, I’d take you to hell if I had to,” I said, smiling.

Lisa let out a laugh and winked at me. The guys glanced at us, not sure what they were seeing and what she was getting out of it.

– We’ve developed a kind of bond with Esra, my she-wolf has connected with Em instead of her soul mate and the same goes for me, hence the fact that we can communicate by thought. As I said, she’s diminishing the soul-mate link, which means I hardly feel anything for her any more,” she says, pointing at Emmett with her chin.

– So if I’ve understood correctly, Esra has declared herself your soulmate instead of Emmett,” Nick asked, surprised.

– When you put it like that, yes,” replied his sister.

Unexpectedly, Emmett let out a loud growl at me, startling us all, and Em reacted immediately by getting up to challenge him. But he was still blocked, which enraged him. Lisa, her nostrils flaring, slapped him in the face with a force that made his head spin.

– It’s thanks to her that I’m alive, not you, so you owe her some respect. Thanks to her, you no longer have to worry about pushing me away.

– You’re mine Lisa and you know it,” he growls.

– You’ve got to be serious,” Nick snapped. You don’t ever talk to him again, you stupid bastard.

– STOP IT,” growled Chris, stopping us all dead in our tracks.

For several seconds nothing happened, just silence until Lisa moved to fetch my bag of forgetting powder. The boys don’t know but they suspect her intentions. I stand up.

– You shouldn’t have known,” Lisa sighed to Chris and Nick. Nothing will be the same now that you know and I don’t want your relationship to change because of me.

– You’re my sister Lisa, for God’s sake, how can I not feel your sadness? I’m sorry, but I can’t.

– Which is why she’s giving me the bag. You have to forget about this.

I open the bag and get ready to take out a small handful, enough to make them forget about tonight. But as they’re wolves, they won’t forget for long. The evening will come back to them little by little but nothing will be affirmed and will remain in a corner of their memory as long as no one brings up the subject. Only Chris clearly remembers everyone as the Alpha, his metabolism wiping out the effects of the powder, a basic element of sorcery. But we still have a few weeks before the powder dissolves completely from his body. I approach Chris ready to throw the powder at him before I hear.

– Don’t look at me like that, Emmett,” Lisa gasped.

Seeing her back, Em approached her to support her, which displeased her soul mate. Returning to Chris, who didn’t take my eyes off me, I raised my hand and poured the contents of the powder little by little over Chris’s head.

Dimentico

(Forget it)

He closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them and frowning, seeing how close we were he wanted to move back so I unblocked him so that he could put some distance between us. I then took care of Nick, while they got their heads together I finished off with Emmett, when they forgot about the evening he stood in a corner saying nothing and pouting as usual. Lisa looked at him, holding back tears, so I stood in front of her and gave her a hug.

– Right, let’s go!

Faced with her Alpha’s order, Lisa stepped back, assuring me that everything would be fine, then left my flat with the three boys. I close the door and lean against it, exhaling deeply. I exchange a long look with Em, who sums up the evening we’ve just had. Excruciating. My eyes went to my completely unsalvageable TV and I resigned myself to going out and buying a new one tomorrow if I had the time. The plastic bag containing my meal on the table beckons but a knot has formed in my stomach and I can’t swallow anything. Shame, it tasted so good too. Em joins me at the door and rests against me, giving me her warmth.

– Don’t just sit there moping Esra, take a shower and go to bed,” my snake urges me.

I smile at her and wait for her to move so I can get up. I drag my feet, go to the bathroom and take a hot shower, wanting to get rid of the cold sweat running down my arms and back. I respect Lisa’s decision to erase their memories, but everything has to come out at some point, and given the way it happened I thought it best to use the forgetting spell. But one thing puzzles me, although Emmett has forgotten the present to the point of not recognising Chris and Nick, his reaction to Lisa was really spontaneous and he was really happy to have found her.

So why does he behave like that with her? I don’t understand his choice, he’s been in Chris’s pack for five years from what Lisa told me, the reason must be something that happened during that time. But what was it? Yet when I gave him back his memory, it was as if he wanted to mark his territory by learning of my link with Lisa. He obviously cares about her, but he’s stopping himself from being with her. Why is that? I’ve no idea, Lisa doesn’t know either and far be it from me to ask Chris if he knows the answer. Emmett runs away from the soul-mate connection, he never claimed Lisa and allowed himself to date other girls as a bonus, right under her nose. He hurt her, humiliated her by cheating on her, OK they’re not together but they’re soul mates so technically they’re together, they belong to each other.

It pisses me off to say it because I’d so much like to destroy their bond to free Lisa. But I guess I don’t have the strength to help my she-wolf. My thoughts are with Nick, Nick the protective brother, always there for his sister. First he learns that she’s been in contact with a witch, that she nearly killed herself because of her soul mate, and that this guy is one of her brothers. That’s a lot. Well, he’s forgotten the last two points, but all the same, I can’t ignore it. I’d like to help him but I don’t know how. I’d have liked to have a brother or sister, to be able to count on each other, not to feel alone, to be loved by someone of my own b***d. I’m not saying I’m jealous of Nick and Lisa, but I envy their relationship.

Even though Lisa and I are related, we’re not b***d related. This guy is the only one who doesn’t completely scare me when I’m around them. He’s thanked me, helped me and smiled at me several times. He even thought some of my magical actions were cool, which I have to say relaxed me quite a bit. Honestly, he’s starting to mean a lot to me, especially as he didn’t get upset when he found out I had a strong bond with his sister and that I was a witch. I’m still wary, but a lot less so than Emmett, who wanted to eat me up for being so close to Lisa instead of him, which is entirely his fault. And finally Chris, his gaze isn’t the same as it was at the beginning, he’s cold, cruel, mean, I repulse him I know I do, he just tolerates me because of Lisa and the fact that I helped his pack but that’s all. Maybe he’s given up on the idea of killing me but he’s not at all happy about my presence.

In any case, unless I have to, we’ll end up closer to each other, unless I erase his memory with a heavy dose of dust so that he forgets the fact that I’m a witch and enjoys it while it comes back to him. Which I wouldn’t do, I’m not that desperate or selfish. What little time we had together was all new to me, but I’d still have very good memories of it. When I got back to my room in my pyjamas, Em appeared on my bed and waited until I was under the blanket to tell me.

– I went to see Lisa while you were having a shower.

– How is she?

– She’s… in the clouds, it was a lot for her tonight.

– I know, I’d reinforce her bracelet, I’m afraid she’ll relapse.

– I’m afraid of that too.

I turn off the light and force myself to relax a little so that I can fall asleep. I manage to fall asleep and that’s when I have to concentrate, I think of Nick. I visualise him sleeping, trying to project myself into his dream. Only I’m stopped by a barrier, a black wall preventing me from reaching him. I try several approaches but only one works, Lisa, thanks to our link the wall vanishes, letting me in.

The scenery is familiar, here I am in the college cloakroom, steam surrounds me preventing me from seeing properly, but a voice reaches me.

– Lisa, no.

I turn round and see Nick standing there looking at Lisa on the floor in a pool of b***d. Oh he’s reliving the moment she tried to kill herself, I wonder how he knew where it happened. Lisa must have told him because she’s the only one with me who knows.

– Lisa, wake up,” he cries, now on his knees.

Determined, I went over to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He flinches at first, but calms down when he recognises me. He looks at Lisa, then runs his hand over his cheeks to wipe away the tears that were running down. I lower myself to his sister’s level and run my hand over her slashed veins, which are gradually closing. The b***d and the blade marks disappeared. I raise my head towards him.

– Don’t hurt yourself, Nick.

– I can’t help it, if it wasn’t for you, Lisa would be dead.

– But she’s alive, don’t get stuck in the past.

Nick looks at his sister for a few seconds, runs his fingers through Lisa’s hair to free her face. Taking hold of Lisa’s wrist, her bracelet appeared, hiding her scars. Lisa’s body disappeared and the scene changed to take us to Chris’s house, where we saw Lisa sitting on the floor looking up at the sky, tears rolling down her cheeks in silence.

– I’ve ruined everything with her.

– Don’t be silly, it’s complicated for her to confide in you because you’re a man, you’re Chris’s Beta which means you can’t be distracted.

– Did she tell you this?

– Not directly, although Lisa is still thinking about death and she’s worried about you.

– Is she thinking of another attempt?

I turn to Lisa, who is now staring at her bracelet. I sigh as I approach her, followed by Nick.

– She’s fragile, Nick, my bracelet helps her, but sometimes her pain gets the better of her.

– So the fact that you’re linked allows you to anticipate? To be there when things go wrong?

– Yes,” I answered, shaking my head. I’m not here by chance Nick, I want you to keep a close eye on her, when nobody knew about me I could come to your house discreetly but now that you know, I can’t afford to intrude on your territory.

Nick looks at his sister, runs his hand over his forehead and sighs, then turns to me, looking sorry.

– I’m really sorry about Chris’s attitude towards you, you’re a good witch, I understand why Lisa was defending you so much.

– He’s following his own ideas, Nick, and I can’t go against him or try to prove him wrong. It won’t change his mind if he doesn’t want to consider it.

– It’s not fair on you,” he growled.

– You sound like Lisa,” I said.

He smiled at me as he came closer, and to my astonishment he took my hands in his, raised them to his face and placed a k**s on them. I blushed slightly, which surprised me so much. When Nick noticed my state he smiled, amused.

– Why are you blushing?

– I’m embarrassed by your gesture, I’m not used to it,” I explained.

– You’re very lonely,” he commented.

– It’s the life I’ve chosen.

Although he nods, he doesn’t understand what’s at stake in my words and my choices. Taking several steps back, it’s time for me to get out of his head and back into the world of my own dreams.

– Keep an eye on her, please.

– I will!

He smiles and goes to join his sister, while I leave, relieved. For a first-timer in the world of dreams, I did pretty well.

Another acquired ability.