Chapter 36: Anger & Innocence

Alexandra sneered at the Medium Witch; hoping that she saw the wrath and promise of death in her dark eyes.

Her wolf wanted to be released, to stalk the witch. The animal wanted to see the witch's face when her jowls lifted, revealing ivory white teeth; teeth that would have no difficulties tearing through flesh.

'She has to have something to do with the curse,' the Luna snarled. There was no other answer, no other way. Lydia had a motivation and reason to lash out at them, and the damned woman was more than capable of producing a curse-- she was a witch, after all!

Lydia took a step back, her dark eyes going wide. "What is the matter? Is everything alright?" Then she gasped, her face paling. "Is it Clint? Is he alright?"

The witch's voice was soft... fearful. It was as if she truly did care for the former Delta; as if he were more than just a body warming her bed.

"Clint is fine," Sasha lied. "But we need to speak to you... in private."

There were too many ears around... human and otherwise.

The Medium Witch's eyes danced over all of the wolves. Alexandra could practically see the tiny wheels turning in Lydia's simple, lacking mind.

A bird of prey circled high above, letting the humid winds carry it.

The Luna nearly rolled her eyes. She loathed humans; their simple minds and souls were nothing compared to those of the supernatural. And on top of that, they were weak... pathetic; a human wouldn't stand a chance against a pixie, let alone true, powerful magic wielders.

Even if the human had turned to witchery, their mundane magic was feeble and exhausting.

"Come in, come in," Lydia said, finally. Turning her lanky body, and pushing open the trailer door, she held it open for them.

Even now, Lydia's face looked so, so familiar, but just like all of the other times that they'd met, Alexandra just couldn't put her finger on it...

The males moved first, all stepping in front of the women to no doubt check the trailer.

Sasha met the Luna's eyes with a shake of her head, her chest rising and falling with a deep sigh.

"Males," The Oracle mouthed, rolling her eyes.

Alexandra gave her a curt nod, then looked away. She wasn't in the mood for small talk; she just wanted to find the witch that had cursed Adeline, and rip her apart, limb from limb.

"All clear," a male said a few minutes later from inside the trailer.

Lydia flashed her a small, knowing smile.

Alexandra felt her wolf rise within her, challenging the boundaries that kept it from taking over and teaching that disgusting, whore of a witch a lesson.

'How dare she look upon us,' the wolf within her snarled, its hackles raising in aggression.

Dear God, she hated witches. Everything about them caused her lips to curl in disgust.

They were lazy, relying on magic and spells to survive the vast, dangerous world of the supernatural. Unlike wolves that used intelligence and strength to protect not only themselves, but their families, witches used their magic in selfish, dangerous manners-- to curse those who had, somehow, "wronged" them. Family and relationships didn't matter to them, they probably didn't even know what it meant to be in a family, to choose others' needs over your own. In fact, they loved destroying wolves' lives, taking away anything and everything from them.

But Alexandra would never allow another witch to hurt her in that way ever again. She wouldn't allow it.

"Come in, come in." Lydia ushered, waving her hand into the trailer. The witch's eyes were a soft chocolate color, striking against her clear, flawless skin. A golden locket rested against the witch's chest, right above the place where her heart beat, the letter 'V' inscribed in it's clean, lustrous surface.

Alexandra's eyes narrowed on the witch, but when her mate entered her mind, telling her that the trailer was safe, she tore her attention away from the woman.

Letting Sasha enter the trailer first, Alexandra lifted her lip at Lydia, baring elongated, ivory white teeth.

The bitter scent of fear emitted from Lydia as her face drained of color.

Alexandra's wolf let out a satisfied growl, 'Good. She should be scared of us.'

The cry of a red-tailed hawk pierced the air, the bird swooping low, then veering out, away from the trailer in a great, controlled circle.

It's head tilted-- giant, calculating brown eyes roving over the landscape, probably looking for the smallest movement of a rodent.

Alexandra stepped inside the small, tidy trailer, and out of the sight of the bird of prey.

It took a moment before the Medium Witch followed suit. As the rest of the wolves and the Oracle found their respective spots in the trailer, Alexandra watched the witch with a glare.

In the small window next to her, she saw the brief flash of brown pass overhead, its feathers sending it far up into the clear blue sky.

When the door to the trailer closed softly, Lydia turned towards her unannounced guests.

"Now..." she said, pulling the rope of hair over her shoulder, twisting and pulling on the dark ends. "Why are you all here?"

"Why are you all here?" The witch asked.

????

Dillon felt his wolf come forward, appearing in his eyes. His large, muscular chest rumbled with a hardly suppressed growl-- he couldn't help it; it was all the wolf inside of him could do at the moment.

The things that the man wanted to do were tripled when the wolf came forward.

It didn't even matter if this was the witch that had cursed their pup; they wanted flesh beneath their paws and blood on their tongue.

But now wasn't the time.

Not yet, at least...

"We came here to ask you some questions regarding a possible curse," Sasha answered, a crooked grin spreading across her face; but her golden eyes seemed to burn with a hidden, fiery passion. "And you are the lucky, not-so-lucky winner! You have been blessed with the presence of the most powerful, most beautiful Oracle in modern times, but, sadly, these flea-infested mutts are here, too."

Lydia balked, her eyes going wide. "A curse? And you think I welded it?"

"I didn't say that, Lydia." Stepping forward, closer to the Medium Witch, Sasha cocked her head. "And, is that all you got from my little speech, just then? Did you miss the part where I insulted the wolves? Or the part where I said that I am the most powerful Oracle in recent years, possibly even in history?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Dillon took in a deep breath, then released it, trying to find the patience to keep from snapping at the woman.

'Women these days.' He groaned in his mind.

"Now is not the time, Sasha." The Alpha gritted out, his voice taking on a deeper tone due to the presence of his wolf.

This time, Desmond spoke up. "Do you know anything about curses? How to weld them?"

The witch's eyes bounced from wolf to wolf, her fingers twisting and pulling at the ends of her braid. When her innocent, wide eyes landed on Alexandra, she shook her head. "Curses are one of the most complicated, difficult spells to weld, even for fully blooded Brujas. But they require a certain type of magic, a magic that human-turned-witches don't possess."

Sasha nodded her head, "She's telling the truth. The night before we left, I went through the books that I had brought with me. Medium Witches have mundane magic, a weaker form of natural magic. But curses require a skilled, experienced hand to weld them, and only full-blooded Bruja Matrons can weld them. Lydia isn't strong enough to weld a curse, let alone a Rage Curse, if she tried, it would've destroyed her."

Snarls and growls rippled through the trailer, all aimed at the Oracle and the wary witch.

"Why the Hell didn't you tell us before we drove here?!" Alexandra snapped, taking a step in Sasha's direction. "We left my daughter... chained up, to drive here!"

Desmond bared his teeth at the Luna, pushing his mate behind him.

When Alexandra took another step, her claws replacing her human nails, Dillon stepped between the pair.

'Back down, Alexandra. Now.' He snarled at his mate, pushing his dominance onto her. Dillon never liked using his dominance on his mate, but sometimes, it was necessary. His mate was an amazing woman, she was fiercely protective, intelligent, and a great leader, but her wolf was constantly pushing for control.

Challenging for it.

Pushing out his dominance on his mate, he watched as her dark eyes dimmed, then her claws retract.

Closing her eyes, Alexandra let out a heavy breath.

When the witch stepped forward, the Luna's eyes snapped open.

"I think I know who could've welded that curse," Lydia said.

That grabbed Alexandra's attention. "And?" She hissed.

Lydia chewed on her bottom lip before answering. "Her name is Belladonna; Belladonna Fleur."

Growls filled the trailer as that ancient, dangerous name left the witch's lips.

No one answered right away.

They didn't even seem to be breathing.

Finally, Alexandra answered with a low growl."She is the Matron to the most powerful coven in history. If we go after her, we're practically digging our own graves."