Switched Fates

Lifting the Curse

The wolf hesitated for a moment, and then was off inside the old cabin. The cabin, unlike the memories that the spell had shown, had now fallen completely into disrepair. Slats from the roof had been blown off, the door was off its hinges. The poor she-wolf must have experienced the worst pain imaginable if she came here every full moon.

Elodie wasn’t able to take in any more of her former home, as a man was suddenly standing in the doorway. He was mostly naked with some kind of fabric wrapped around his waist. He had short blonde hair with a perfect tanned physique and deep brown eyes. He was handsome with chisel features and well over 6 feet tall.

"You need to come in here, I have her, but I can't smell her, and she is too weak". He said, breathing extremely heavily. Elodie lowered her hood and held her breath. She should run now. He found the she-wolf. She is safe now. She will be alright. Elodie’s future was not. The memories of this place were starting to become too much. But she saw the panic in his eyes. He was really concerned about the she-wolf. I am going to regret this so much, she thought. She exhaled as she walked towards the cabin.

Luckily for her, due to the disrepair of the cabin, it was a bit easier to ignore that this was the same place she had experienced the most traumatic events of her life.

Before her, lying across the floor, whimpering in pain, was a pure white wolf . She was small, especially compared to the wolf she had just seen.

"Do you know her?" Elodie asked the man as she knelt beside the wolf. She started to softly pat her white fur. "I’m not sure, I think I do, but I can’t be certain. I sensed her a bit before, so she has to be in my pack. But I can't smell her at all now".

"What do you mean? She's a wolf in your territory unless she is a rogue". "No, she's not a rogue, rogues have their own scent. But I get nothing from her". "Her pain" Elodie said, "she is going through heartbreak." "Yes, her mate bond, her mate must be with someone else", he responded.

Elodie swallowed, she read about werewolf’s mate bonds. It was said that wolves could die from the pain of their mate being with someone else.

"Why would her mate do that to her"? Elodie cried. "Maybe he doesn't know about her. And I don’t think I can take her to the pack hospital because she is already so weak.." "Are you her mate? You were looking for her, right?" “I thought witches were smart. Do I look like I am with someone right now?!" He scowled “Hey I am no dog expert!” A growl came from him. He didn't like that comment. “I just thought since you were looking for her, you must have known”. Elodie continued.

"I sensed her, but then she came to this side of the forest and I lost her" he snapped back.

Elodie’s heart started to race. He must be part of Alpha's unit if he was concerned about her. Why else would he be out looking for her but not know her, or be her mate! She wanted to spring to her feet to run as fast as she could. There was no way this guy was going to let her go. She wouldn't be leaving the territory without interrogation or worse. Her eyes came back to the white wolf. She couldn't leave though, not without trying to save her. Elodie took her paw in her hands.

"You're not going to do this alone anymore, you will be okay." she whispered to the wolf,

“Bring her outside” Elodie said to the man as she got to her feet and walked out of the cabin.

The man gently and delicately picked the wolf up. Elodie’s chest twinged slightly at the sight of this. So many emotions running on high tonight, my body doesn’t know how to do anything anymore, she thought.

He gently placed her down on the grass outside the cabin. Elodie pulled a short knife from the hem of her cloak. “What do you think you are doing!?” He snarled. “Trust me” Elodie said and quickly nicked the she-wolf’s foot.

The she-wolf flinched a little but did not stop from whimpering and panting heavily.

"Hey! I feel that!" The man said, flexing his hand. "I still can't smell her though!"

“My lantern is still lit, so you won’t be able to smell much of anything.”

“The pain of the wound and her blood should draw her mate to her. Hopefully, he will get to her in time. I’m going to have to undo my spell completely though, as there is still a barrier that is hiding the scent and presence of this cabin. I'm pretty sure the spell has entwined with her."

Your pack…they will smell me too, and” Elodie paused. She was going to have to trust this man, this werewolf that she didn’t even know the name of. Once I undo the spell, everything will come back, it will be just as strong and intense as the day it happened. Elodie was scared. Not of the wolves but of the pain she knew she was going to feel again. s Her body will experience all the pain she had shut off those many years ago. She will have to relive them completely. It was going to be impossible to get away from anything that was coming her way.

“I’ll protect you” he said, his brown eyes filled with concern and sincerity.

Elodie nodded. For some reason, it was easy to trust this werewolf. A feeling she thought she would regret very soon. She took a big breath in and closed her eyes. She started to sing the lullaby again, breathing in the magic of the cabin. She could feel the magical wall protecting them from the outside slowly falling down and the magic returning to her. The cabin started to fall apart, as it seemed like Elodie's spell was the only thing keeping it up after all this time. Elodie’s memories kept flashing in her mind one after the other. She knew they were replaying ghost-like images all around them. It was breaking her heart all over again. She didn't regret sealing them away, the pain of it all was so unbearable. She opened her eyes to see her past self, placing a small wrapped bundle into a small grave in the ground, hysterically weeping. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Which, in a small unexpected way, comforted her. She knew it was the man. It didn’t make any sense. Why was he showing her compassion? They were mortal enemies. A she-wolf from his pack was there struggling with her broken heart, and he was supporting her. It didn't make any sense. The spell faded and so did her lantern. She knew they were coming, she tried to get up to turn around to run. But the pain of everything she had lost hit her all at once, she couldn't breathe, her chest felt like it was caving in. She had locked these memories, this pain in this cabin for so long, and now it was released, pouring back into her. Her voice echoing in her head with thousands of unanswered painful questions that she will never get the answers to. What did I do wrong?! I failed you! Why did you leave me?! I'll always be your mother! I'll always love you. Her vision was going, blackness was encroaching from the edges. She tried to get to her feet but fell back. "Don't let them get me" she whispered as a black wolf with blue eyes emerged from the darkness snarling and growling at them, and a somewhat familiar growl responded.