When the party was over and everyone had retired for the night, Aegis slipped down and started cleaning, not realizing the time, the sun was already rising when she finished up. Not wasting time she grabbed the bucket and fishing pole. On her way to the lake she checked her traps a few were set-off but nothing in it, so she would re-set it. All the while going unnoticed, someone was following her from a distance.

When she reached the lake she hesitated momentarily… Her parents and Tristan’s graves were on the edge of the little clearing around the lake. Since she didn’t have the right to ‘miss’ them… she lowered her gaze and headed to the deck that stretched out into the lake, at the far end, about fifteen meters into the lake the little boat was tied. She got in and undid the knot and let the gentle rippling waves, caused by the wind drift the boat deeper into the lake as she cast her line.

Today her little sprite friend didn’t make an appearance, but she didn’t mind, at least she was out of the ‘house’ and could breathe a little.

Having caught only five fish, it wasn’t much, none of her traps had been set off, meaning she only had the few fish, she hoped Mr. Davis wouldn’t be upset – which he wasn’t… rather he was worried since he had hope with her worsening cough she’d would have taken some best rest!

…

A few days have passed; while the bruises were healing, agonizingly slow, Aegis was not getting any better. Not knowing what the ‘medicine’ was, Loretta had sent in a sample to the ‘human’ hospital in town that she worked at.

“Aegis, no one’s going to blame you if you just take a break.” Loretta said just when her phone rang. Loretta held her hand, signaling she was done talking and that Aegis had to ‘stay-put’ as she left the room to take the call in private.

“Doctor Loretta? This is regarding the sample you gave for a pill you said a patient was given?”

“Yes, I’m listening.”

“Trace amount of both Aconitine and Aconite was found in the sample. And as well as silver… ?” The man over the phone stopped when Loretta asked confirming about the Aconitine and Aconite.

“Wolf’s Bane?” Loretta’s asked to double check, already her thoughts were running wild.

“Yes and silver… I’m not aware of any medicine that’s made of this combination. Aconitine’s also poisonous, thankfully the amount is minimal, less than 0.001 percent. But still prolonged usage can lead to a slow death.”

“Thank you.” Loretta ended the call…

“Everything that is fatal to a wolf…” Loretta steadied herself against the wall and then with a deep breath rushed to speak with Alpha Rodrick.

“Did you know?” She barged into his office, his mate sitting on his lap.

“Know what?” Rodrick snapped.

“That Aegis’ parents were poisoning her!”

“What?” Luna Brea was shocked.

“How? Andrew… Vanessa… They loved her, why’d the want to poison her?” The Luna asked not giving her mate the chance to respond.

“Trace amount of Wolf’s Bane and silver was found in the ‘medicine’ Aegis told me Vanessa gave her, because of some unknown virus that she contracted when she was four, nearing five.”

“Right around the time they stopped allowing her to visit us…” Luna whispered.

“I think her wolf’s dead… killed…” Loretta finished feeling the weight of her word sink her, tears threatened to spill.

“Loretta you don’t know that… Besides it’s impossible to kill our wolves without killing ourselves!”

“But… Her eyes…” Loretta hesitated.

“What about her eyes?”

“It was around that time her eyes changed, she was running a terrible fever and Vanessa… I went to check-up on her… Her left eye it was red… I think they tried to ‘kill’ her wolf… And her eyes… they’re back to normal…There's more...” Loretta was truly upset, this was not what she had hoped for when she left Aegis that day... 

“How sure are you?" The Alpha asked.

"She hasn't shifted yet, and since it seems her weakening abilities aren't 'recent' after a talk with Aiden, and it has been getting worse over the course of a few years. I'm positive. Her wolf is dead... She's human." Loretta's eyes shined with tears, but it did her little help to allow them to spill now. 

Heading to Aegis's room Rodrick had a few suspicions to why Andrew and Vanessa would potentially do something that might have ended up with their daughter 'dead' - red eyes... cursed or not he wouldn't mind... he'd just have to find a way to keep her secret until she turned twenty-one if her 'wolf' is really dead and if she's human, they could allow her to leave the pack to live a 'normal' life without fear that she'd end up a rogue.

Of course it means he had to make sure that the rest of the pack stopped with this ridiculous notion that she was 'cursed' - it had gone on long enough, he was surprised he had allowed everyone to go on the way they had without interfering, and he blamed himself after finding out just how far some of the youths had gone with their 'bullying'. He had hoped that ignoring the 'gossip' would prevent any suspicions to fall on their pack for keeping a 'red-eyed' wolf and that sooner or later everyone would 'calm down' once they saw she really was a normal 'wolf' like them.

"Wait here!” Rodrick gestured as he headed up, hoping Aegis was still in her room.

“Aegis?” Rodrick said seeing the girl on the bed behind the boxes staring up at the roof.

“Alpha! I’m sorry I’ll start work right away…” She jumped up but was quickly dismissed and asked to sit with a simple shake of his head and his hand showing her she should ‘slow down’.

“No I’m just here to… talk. Sit.” He sat next to her fidgeting with his hands he pressed a nail deep into the flesh on his thump drawing blood…

“Alpha… I’m in trouble aren’t I? I’m really sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“What won’t happened again?” He asked confused.

“Being late to do my chores? Isn’t that why you are here?”

“No… And by the way I thought I made myself clear you were exempt from duties till you turned sixteen when you came to live here?” He sighed and took out a toffee, taking off the wrapper he handed it to her.

“Eat and then we’ll talk.” He said. She hesitantly took it and popped it into her mouth, it was a soft toffee and didn’t stick to her teeth.

I familiar smell permeated the air, sending chills down the Alpha’s spine – the mix of blood and iron…

He sighed again, though the scent was very faint it was there, now really hoping that her wolf was indeed dead.

“Aegis. Your wolf… I think your ‘wolf’ was killed.” Aegis seemed upset hearing the news.

“I’m not forteen yet, you don’t know that… No one does…” She whispered trying to deny the truth… something she has felt for a long time…

“Aegis… It’s true… To save your life… after you were poisoned… You lost your ‘wolf’. Our ‘wolfs’ we treat them as a second entity, the same why we refer to our souls as a something ‘separate’ from us, yet a part of who we are. Even though it doesn’t have its own ‘soul’ or a ‘will’, so to speak of, it is as though it as a life of its own, triggered by our emotions, it is why we talk of it as though it’s a second person living inside of us. Something we have always been able to ‘feel’ and only becomes clearer as we grow older… Do you feel like there’s someone else living inside you?” She shook her head, she vaguely recalled the feeling like she had another 'side' to her an instinct that would 'talk' to her... But that instinct has been deadly silent for the last four years... Around the same time she stopped showing any clear improvement in her training.

“But that’s impossible… That means… I’m… I’m… not a wolf? I’m… human?” Aegis shook her head not believing what she almost just admitted.

“Do you feel like you have something that ‘wants’ out? Like there’s a voice ‘talking’ to you even though you know it’s your own?” Aegis stopped shaking her head, her breathing was shaky, but with a deadly calm she stood up… She needed to get out… She couldn’t stay here… This wasn’t right! She was a wolf! She wasn’t… a human…

“Aegis… Think it over… But I advise you to choose the second. Do you want to stay with the pack? Or Would you like to find a place you belong with the humans? Just know that with the humans you can never speak about us. And I’ll still ‘support’ you until you’re twenty one.” Aegis was crying… It was the most emotional she has felt for the longest of times…

“I’m staying… I’m not human… I can’t be!” She snapped and climbed down the steps as fast she could, when she saw Loretta and her Luna standing there her heart stopped… An idea that they didn’t want her anymore, something she has thought for the longest time now plagued her, it was loud and clear…

“Aegis…” Luna Brea tried reaching out, but Aegis snapped to reality and ran.

“Leave her… She needs to think; she’ll calm down and come back later.” He reassured.

“What happened up there? What did you tell her?” The Luna asked concerned.

“I confirmed the truth... Loretta's right her wolf... is silent... dying if not already dead… But there’s nothing we can do about it except let it be...” Alpha Rodrick seemed perplexed, not knowing how to tell his mate they were in grave danger if the girl did end up shifting in the next eight years...

The curse is ‘very real’…

"Even though I think it's for the best... Still a part of her... who she is... what she is... it's gone..." Loretta whispered. Alpha Rodrick now sure that Loretta knew as much as he.