Chapter 92: Hallow creek
"So..." she asked with an amused smile, "what does this humble medium owe the pleasure of such a late night visit?"
The medium smiled, her amber eyes gleaming with delight. One of the hooded figures reached up and gently pulled back her hood.
Thick cinnamon curls fell over her shoulders as her face was revealed. Her hazel eyes were icy cold as she looked at the medium, or rather, the chief of Hollow Creek, a witch village.
"We need to talk," she said.
The chief nodded, then pointed toward her drawing room. Witches were cautious creatures by nature.
"Of course. This way," she chimed, leading the visitors into her drawing room.
The room was dimly lit. Outside, it was pitch dark, as though the town were dead, yet this was one of the largest witch settlements in the Nowhere Territory. After they were seated, a servant quietly entered and served tea. The rich aroma filled the room as the herbal tea was poured, the warm cups taking away the chill from their hands.
After they had settled in, the chief took a slow sip before gently setting her cup on the coffee table. Her expression remained calm.
"From your visit, I am free to assume the spell failed again," the chief said, staring straight into those calculating hazel eyes.
Eloise’s gaze darkened with something dangerous.
"It didn’t work," she spat, her mind drifting back to the night of the trial. It was the second time Yuki had slipped through her grasp. Her instincts had been right from the start. That vixen certainly had a few cards up her sleeve.
Something flashed through the chief’s eyes.
"Their bond must be stronger than you believed. You made the wrong bet." The chief shrugged. "I warned you from the start. It is hard to disrupt a fated bond, but you were convinced she had faked it."
Eloise’s teeth gritted.
She had wholeheartedly believed Yuki was not genuinely mated to the brothers. She had believed Yuki had somehow forced the bond, so her plan had seemed simple. If Yuki could fake it, why couldn’t she? Her plan was straightforward: use the trial to destroy the bond, then forcibly latch the brothers to herself.
But it had failed.
"So am I supposed to let it go like that?" she asked. "I can’t imagine a future other than the one I always believed was mine. There is no way I’m going to let that vixen have it so easily," she hissed, her fingers curling into a tight fist.
A cool forest breeze drifted in through the window. The chief took another slow sip of her tea so it would not burn her tongue.
"I would advise you to stop. Two attempts against her have failed. That is a fair warning. Interfering with fate doesn’t always end well," she said with a shrug.
Eloise shot to her feet, her chest rising and falling.
"You’re going to say that after everything I’ve paid you?" she sneered. "I thought you were the chief of Hollow Creek, the Witch Queen’s sister, yet you can’t handle something this simple?"
Something flashed across the chief’s eyes as she set her cup down. Her fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest while she fell into thought.
"If it is that simple, why don’t you contact the Queen herself?" the chief asked casually.
Eloise fell silent.
She knew she couldn’t. The Witch Queen would never interfere with the Ravencourt family.
"I thought as much." The chief offered her a gentle smile. "It’s not that I can’t. I’m simply cautious. Your battle for power isn’t worth starting a war, and werewolves clearly outnumber us."
"This has nothing to do with war," Eloise cut in.
The chief’s gaze darkened.
"If I interfere and you become Luna, then later fail to give them an heir and the truth comes out, things might not end well," the chief stated.
Eloise’s face went pale.
"But this can’t be the end..." she whispered.
The chief pursed her lips, her fingers tracing the rim of her cup.
"Have you ever wondered why the Ravencourts are cursed?" she asked.
Eloise’s brows furrowed.
She had no idea. As far as she knew, the Ravencourts had been cursed for generations. How was she supposed to know?
"How is knowing that going to help me?" she asked.
The chief’s finger paused against the rim of the cup.
"Because if you understand the curse, it can be broken."
"Break the curse? That’s impossible," Eloise blurted. The Ravencourt curse was ancient.
"No curse is impossible to break. In fact, knowing what caused it is already half the solution." The chief’s gaze darkened. "You have two options. Either break the Ravencourt curse or convince the brothers to reject her. Then, by some stroke of luck, you might become their second chance mate. Aside from that, I don’t see many other options."
Eloise’s fists clenched.
"That’s all you’re going to say? It’s not that you don’t have the power. You simply choose not to," she spat.
The chief nodded without hesitation.
Eloise scoffed. Without another word, she turned around.
"Then I’ll have to find someone strong enough," she hissed, marching out with her companion trailing behind her.
The chief stood by the window and watched the sedan drive off the property until its taillights disappeared into the darkness.
She released a breath of relief as soon as Eloise was finally gone.
A calm, deep voice spoke from behind her.
"She isn’t going to give up easily."
The chief froze for a moment before slowly turning around. A tall figure stood in the doorway, shrouded in darkness that concealed his face.
"I already did what you asked," she said, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Despite being powerful enough to kill him, she still found him intimidating.
"And I hope you keep it that way," the man drawled.
His eyes flashed red.
The chief instinctively stepped back.
"I wouldn’t do anything to risk my sisters or their sons. A witch is always loyal to her coven," the chief said firmly.
The man smiled. His white teeth caught the light, making the smile genuinely terrifying.
"Not all witches are loyal to their covens, especially the powerful ones," he said.
The chief’s hand clenched.
"You think she’ll find them?"
"Who knows? If she’s desperate and can’t get the Witch Queen, she might seek out the witches who lost the succession war... the ones with no loyalty left to the coven."