Chapter 88
Aaron’s POV_
I stood in the shadows of the dense forest, my hands clenched into fists. My breathing was heavy, my mind spinning with anger. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
“She wasn’t supposed to escape,” I growled, pacing back and forth. The moonlight filtered through the trees, casting long shadows around me. I felt the pull of the wolf inside me, clawing to break free, but I held it back. Losing control now wouldn’t help.
“She didn’t escape.” The witch’s voice was calm, almost mocking. She stood by the ancient oak, her dark robes blending into the night. Her eyes glimmered with an otherworldly light, and her lips curled into a small
smile. “Your bullet hit someone else, but the outcome is the same, isn’t it?”
I whipped around to face her, my teeth bared. “No, it’s not the same! I didn’t want to kill her. I wanted her to suffer. To feel what I feel every damn day!”
The witch tilted her head, her expression unbothered. “And she is suffering, isn’t she? You saw her face when that man took the bullet for her. She’s drowning in guilt and fear. Her heart is breaking because of him.”
Her words stopped me in my tracks. I closed my eyes, the image of Mira’s tear–streaked face flashing in my mind. She had looked so fragile, so broken as she knelt beside that man. Killian. The name burned in my mind like poison.
I hated him. Hated how he threw himself in front of her, as if her life was worth saving. Hated how she clung
to him, her whole world crumbling because of him.
“She deserves worse,” I muttered, my voice low and bitter.
The witch laughed softly, a sound that sent a shiver down my spine. “Perhaps. But you underestimate the power of love, Aaron. Her pain is sharper because of it. Every moment he is lying in that hospital bed, fighting
to survive, she’ll blame herself. And that guilt will eat her alive.”
I turned away, my jaw tightening. “It’s not enough.”
The witch moved closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “You’re so blinded by your hatred that you can’t see what’s right in front of you. You wanted to punish her for ruining your plans, for binding you to this curse. And now, she is bound to her own torment.”
I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. “Torment? You call that torment? She has him. She has someone willing to die for her. I have nothing.”
The witch’s eyes narrowed, her smile fading. “You have power, Aaron. Power that she can’t even fathom. But your obsession with her blinds you to it. Do you think she’ll be happy for long? Love is fragile, easily destroyed. All it takes is a push in the right direction.”
”
Her words hung in the air, tempting and dark. I clenched my fists tighter, the rage boiling under my skin. What do you want from me, huh? You promised me a way out of this curse. You said she was the key!”
“And she was,” the witch said, her voice calm. “But now, she is no longer the key. You can’t undo what’s been done. The curse is tied to her, yes, but your fate is tied to hers now. If she falls, you rise.”
I frowned, her words twisting in my mind. “What does that mean?”
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The witch stepped closer, her voice dripping with venomous intent. “It means that her happiness, her love, her life–they are the chains that bind you. Destroy them, and you’ll finally be free. You will be able to take your
reveng.”
Destroy her happiness? I thought of Killian again, lying in that bed, his body broken but still alive. The way Mira had looked at him, her heart in her eyes.
“Killian,” I muttered, the name like ash on my tongue. “If he dies…”
“She’ll break,” the witch finished for me, her smile returning. “And when she breaks, you will be satisfied.”
I stared at her, my mind racing. It made sense. Too much sense. But something about it felt… wrong.
“And if it doesn’t work?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
The witch shrugged, her expression indifferent. “Then you will need to try again until you have your revenge.”
Revenge. The word felt hollow now. Once, it was all I could think about. The curse had ruined my life, stripped me of everything I cared about. And it was all because of her. Mira. She didn’t even know what she had done,
didn’t know the price I had paid.
I thought of her again, sitting by Killian’s bedside, her tears falling like rain. Was it enough? Was her suffering
enough to fill the emptiness inside me?
“No,” I said finally, my voice firm. “Not yet.”
The witch raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Not yet?”
I turned to her, my eyes cold. “She hasn’t suffered enough. Not until she loses everything. Not until she feels the kind of pain that never goes away.”
The witch’s smile widened, her eyes gleaming. “Then we’re in agreement. Let’s see how much she can take.”
She waved her hand, and a swirling mist appeared between us, showing an image of Mira and Killian in the
hospital room. Mira was holding his hand, her face filled with love and pain.
“Watch closely,” the witch said, her voice a whisper in the wind. “This is only the beginning.”
I stared at the image, my heart pounding with a mix of anger and something I couldn’t quite name. As much
as I wanted to look away, I couldn’t.
This was my chance. My chance to make her pay.
But as I watched her lean closer to Killian, her lips moving in a soft confession of love, a strange ache twisted in my chest.
“Love is weakness,” I muttered to myself, trying to ignore the unfamiliar feeling.
The witch’s laughter echoed around me. “Weakness for some, strength for others. Let’s see which one Mira
chooses.”
I didn’t respond. My eyes stayed on the image, my mind a storm of thoughts and emotions.
One thing was clear, though.
This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
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