Nature is not a place to visit 46

Chapter 46
*“Curses can be tricky things.”*
*Nisha J. Tuli*
Hudson was still screaming when they placed him in one of the newly-renovated guest rooms, his eyes glowing gold and
growling at anyone within reach.
Ambrose, Rae, Mia, Akeem, and a couple of guards all piled into the room, the guards holding Hudson down when
Ambrose instructed them to. Despite all the ruckus Hudson was causing, Ambrose was quiet. Thoughtful. Like he was weighing how to deal with this situation.
Unfortunately, I was neither quiet nor thoughtful.
“You can fix him, right?” I asked frantically from my spot beside Rae and Mia. “You can make him better and figure out
how he got like this?”
“I already know how he got like this, little wolf,” Ambrose said, but he didn’t take his narrowed eyes off Hudson’s flailing
body. The next word was a snarl from his mouth. *“Witches.”*
My stomach twisted into knots.
“Witches?” I repeated.
I took another look at my brother, out of his mind with suffering, and my mouth went dry.
“Yes,” Ambrose said, walking a little bit closer to Hudson’s bedside. Hudson snapped at him, his canines more prominent
than ever, but Ambrose didn’t look the least bit fazed by the attempted assault. “This is from a spell – a curse, more
accurately – and those are cast by witches.” Although he still looked relatively calm, I could see there was a new kind of
rage simmering underneath the surface now.
It felt personal now.
Suddenly, blue light encircled Hudson’s limbs, acting like magical restraints that kept him strapped to the bed. He was
still growling and snarling, but the magical cuffs – which I definitely *didn’t* recognize from personal experience – kept
him from moving around too much.
Ambrose stepped closer, placing one of his hands on Hudson’s forehead. More blue light emanated from his fingertips,
and Hudson stilled under his touch, his eyes closed.
I – and just about everybody else in the room – watched with bated breath as Ambrose worked his magic. Literally.
My fingers itched to do something useful other than just stand around.
Several seconds went by before Ambrose pulled away, and the magical cuffs disappeared into thin air. I expected Hudson
to jerk up in bed, just as frantic as before, but he didn’t. His eyes remained closed, but soft snores began to fill the silence
of the room.
He was sleeping.
Ambrose’s gaze flickered to me, his eyes softening. “He’ll be okay, little wolf,” he told me, “I’ve reversed the curse. He’ll
be sleeping for a little while, but other than some soreness, he should be back to normal when he wakes up.”
I’d never felt so much relief course through my body all at once. Hudson was going to be okay. He wasn’t going to die or
be stuck in some eternal loop of an agonizing transformation.
He was going to be okay.
My body sagged, exhaustion creeping in the aftermath of all the adrenaline, but I fought it back. I still had questions.
Even more now.
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“I don’t understand,” I said, keeping my eyes fixed on Hudson’s peaceful form, “Why would a witch curse my brother? He’s never interacted with a witch in his lifetime, let alone pissed one off.”
It wasn’t Ambrose who answered me but Akeem. “Perhaps that is true, Your Majesty,” he said, rubbing his chin
thoughtfully, “But if I may suggest a theory, I do not think this curse was meant as a personal grudge against your
brother.”
“No,” Ambrose cut in, and I could see the rage simmering beneath his multi-colored eyes again, “The witches know of
my return, and most likely, the connection I have to my mate.” He growled low in his throat. “And since they weren’t able
to get to me or my mate, they settled for the next best thing. That curse was designed to give your brother a slow,
agonizing death.”
“It’s possible they thought hurting your brother might draw you back to your pack,” Akeem added, “As well as His
Majesty. I do not believe they were expecting your two companions here –” his eyes flickered to Rae and Mia. “ – to travel
with him.”
“It wasn’t ideal,” Rae said, and she looked a little less shaken up than she had earlier. “But we weren’t sure if this…thing
was contagious or not. Marcus and I agreed that it’d be best if only one or two of us stuck with Hudson, lessen the risk of
it spreading to our entire pack. Mia and I are the fastest ones in the pack.”
My blood boiled.
This hadn’t been some accident, this had been an attack. Against me. Against Ambrose. People I didn’t even fucking
know had tried to kill him. And they might’ve succeeded had it not been for Rae and Mia.
My fingers itched again, and I dug my nails into my palms.
“The attack on your brother will not go unavenged,” Ambrose said, his voice barely above a growl. “I told you I would fix
this, little wolf, and I meant it. An attack against my mate, and those closest to her, is an attack against me.”
I believed him, and yet, it did nothing to lessen the way my blood boiled.
“Rae said she tracked an unusual scent fifty miles,” I explained, “Maybe we could go after that. It’s some sort of start.”
Beside me, Rae nodded firmly. “I can still find it again, even from here. I remember the way, I can take us there.”
“No,” Ambrose said, and I whipped my head around so fast I might’ve gotten whiplash. I opened my mouth to demand
an explanation, but he was already talking. “I don’t doubt what you smelled or tracked, but witches are crafty creatures.
They know a werewolf’s strongest sense is smell, and it wouldn’t be out of the question for them to plant a scent as bait.
I will find who did this, but I will not let anyone into this room, especially my own mate, walk into a trap.” His eyes
gleamed in the dim light of the room as he said, “These witches will find that I can be just as crafty as they are.”
“Perhaps I can drum up a list,” Akeem chimed in, “Of nearby covens that might have the means to perform this kind of
curse. I believe my family has some record of witch covens.”
“Maybe I can help,” Mia said, her voice meek as she avoided eye contact, “I’m, uh, half-witch. I don’t know much, I’ve
never grown up in a coven or around other witches, but I know a little bit about my mom’s origin.” She fidgeted with the
sleeve of her jacket as she spoke.
Akeem smiled softly. “Of course. That would be very helpful.”
One by one, the room became empty as everyone ventured off to do their own thing. The guards went back to their post,
Akeem and Mia disappeared to research witch covens, and even Ambrose left when Akeem pulled him away with some
new tidbit.
Some part of me wanted to join them – if only not to feel completely useless – but I couldn’t bring myself to leave Hudson’s side. What if he woke up and the curse returned? Ambrose had seemed confident that he’d reversed it, but…
If nothing else, I didn’t want him to wake up scared and alone.
Rae was the only one who stayed with me, looking just as eager as I did to see Hudson wake up.
Most of the adrenaline had given way to exhaustion, but I wasn’t able to sleep. My mind still raced with questions and
new anxieties about what this might mean for all of us.
None of those questions came with answers – not right now anyway – so I did the only thing I could.
I sat by my brother’s bedside, digging my nails into my palms until they bled.