C21 ALEXANDRU POV

Alexandru – Point of View

I punch the bag over and over again, watching it swing wildly as it takes the brunt of my rage. I don't stop. I can’t. I keep hitting, hoping the impact will crush this conflicted chaos inside me.

I can’t sleep. Can’t eat. All I’ve done for the past week is replay her words, Adaline’s voice, trembling with fear beneath her forced calm. I want to go to her, to help her. I'd have to convince her, but I doubt she'd need much. She needs saving.

And I want to save her.

But I don’t know how, not from here.

I can feel her. She's so fucking sad. Broken. And still, so damn stubborn. I don’t know why she won’t just come home.

“Fuck!” I shout, and punch the bag so hard it flies off the hook and slams into the wall.

“Knew I’d find you here,” Rick mutters, stepping in with Zach at his side. I don’t turn around. I feel every inch the beast I am.

We grew up together, Rick, Zach, Elena, Alina, Catalina, Faye... and Adaline. They were older, but we had unity. We had Pack.

“There’s someone here to see you,” Zach says.

But I’m already spiraling -

...had a little bit of an accident... my boyfriend is here...

...is Alexandru there... is he okay?

I exhale sharply, trying to regulate my breathing.

“Calm yourself, Luc. I saw your Adaline, or, as she insists now, Aurora.”

I freeze, turning slowly to see Blu standing there, smiling like it’s a joke.

“Talk,” I growl, the fury inside me boiling.

“She was hexed,” Blu says.

I clench my jaw. Hexed. Cursed. I knew something was wrong. She’s been suffering and alone, and I wasn’t there. The thought of her in pain makes me want to rip the world apart.

“Alexandru!” Rick barks.

I look up, my eyes have shifted, my fangs and claws are out. They’re on edge. Good.

“Easy, Luc,” Zach says, his voice steady.

I suck in a breath and reel myself back.

“Which witch?” I ask, calm now, but the kind of calm that could kill.

“Listen to me first,” Blu says. She doesn’t wait for my nod.

“She was hexed, probably because they could feel her power. I felt it too, just sitting beside her. But she was holding it in. I just hope it doesn’t explode. She was eating her feelings after a therapy session, looked like hell. A mess.”

My teeth grind, but I stay silent.

“I didn’t tell her who I was at first,” Blu continues. “Just sat with her on a park bench. But I had to reveal myself, she was in pain, Luc. Shooting pain, and from the way she was acting, she’s been enduring it for a while. She knows something’s wrong. Knows we’d fight and die for her if she’s ready, but she’s weak.”

“Adaline is not weak,” I snap. “She’s the strongest woman I know.”

Blu shrugs. “Well, this version of her? She’s cracked. I got a glimpse into her mind before she shoved me out. She was ready to die, Luc. She didn’t care about anything. Tired. Hopeless. Spent most of the conversation crying. It broke my heart.”

That hits me like a blade in the gut.

“I cured her of the hex,” Blu says. “Used it to trace the witches, a small shop outside Louisiana. Two sisters. Probably practice necromancy and alchemy too, so maybe... don’t kill them. They could be useful.”

I snort. They’ll die. No matter what she says.

“Go on,” Rick urges.

“They were likely drawn to her hybrid nature. Hard to tell which side of her is stronger right now, but from the spell she cast weeks ago, it’s looking like the witch half. That spell? It was careless. Accidental. And even then, she drew power from our Ancestors, across continents, Luc. Do you understand what that means? Adaline, Aurora, whatever name she wears, is one of the most powerful witches born in a thousand years. Her power could annihilate the cosmos. And she’s falling apart.”

I swallow, the weight of it pressing down on me.

“Luc,” Blu says, gesturing at me, “you’re the most powerful werewolf alive. Not even a wolf, you’re a Lycan. Rarest and most dangerous. But if your mate learns to wield her power, she could beat you. Effortlessly.”

Pride swells in my chest. The thought of training with her, fighting beside her... it fills me with a joy I can’t explain.

“Now imagine the two of you, together. You’d be unstoppable. But that kind of power draws enemies. Those witches were only the beginning. No one’s supposed to hold that much magic... but the Pack could.”

“If she figures it out herself,” Zach says, rubbing his face.

“Lies on your shoulder, the fate of a world unseen,” I whisper, recalling the Seer’s words. Everything is starting to line up.

“So in a nutshell,” Rick mutters, “we’re royally fucked.”

I bite my knuckle, thinking.

“We can’t help her,” I say aloud.

“She’s her own worst enemy,” Blu agrees. “Even though the hex is gone, she’ll still be dealing with the aftermath, anxiety, depression, all tied to her awakening. She told her therapist she thought she was going insane. That’s what waking up feels like for her.”

“She’s repressing everything,” Blu continues. “If she were just a wolf, maybe it’d be easier. But she’s a witch too. She could tear her house down, with herself in it.”

“Don’t say shit like that,” I growl, and she nods, murmuring an apology.

“I can’t be with her,” I say, jaw tight. “But I can eliminate the threats. All of them.”

They don’t argue.

“Tell me about her boyfriend,” I add, voice sharp.

Blu smirks. “He’s clean. Cyprus. Just a regular guy from Texas. Her best friend, Zoe, also clean. Chef. She’s close with a married couple too, both harmless.”

I nod slowly, some relief trickling in. But then I remember the Seer’s warning. A traitor close by. I’ll run background checks myself. One can never be too careful.

I strip off my gloves. I have two witches to visit.

“Be careful, Alexandru,” Rick says, using my full name. A warning.

“I’ll be fine. I can’t protect her directly. So I’ll start by hunting every threat to her peace.”

I walk out of the gym before they can say another word.

“Be back in time for drinks,” Zach calls after me.

__

The second I step inside, the scent of wolfsbane and vervain hits me. Amateur hour. Wolfsbane might work on a baby wolf—but not me. I’m at the top of the food chain.

“Childish trick,” I scoff, scanning the shop. It’s small, cluttered with herbs, crystals, and figurines.

“The Lycan,” a voice calls.

I turn to find an old woman watching me.

“And you’re the witch who hexed my mate,” I say coldly.

“That would be me,” another voice answers. An identical woman walks in. “We’ve been expecting you,” she adds. “Though she rejected you, so not your mate, technically.”

I ignore the jab and study the space. The vervain still lingers. For vampires.

“Trying both wolfsbane and vervain?” I ask, baring my fangs. “That’s cute.”

“It’s not for you,” one of them says. “It’s for something bigger. Something darker. An abomination.”

I laugh. “You just described me.”

“No,” she says, accent thick. “There’s something coming. A creature drawn by her power.”

“That’s why we tried to kill her,” the other adds. “The hex was meant to destroy her. But she suppressed the power.”

I growl and lunge, only to be blasted back by a protection spell. I stagger, bracing myself.

“You’re here now, Lycan,” the older one says. “So listen.”

“Think about the prophecy. A breed unseen. Power of day and night. Strength of sun and moon. What has the power of both sun and moon? Your wolves are bound to the full moon. So what is it, if not a wolf?”

I narrow my eyes. Something clicks.

“What does vervain work against?” her sister asks.

A knot tightens in my throat.

“Vampires,” I say.

Then I laugh.

Because that can't be possible...