Chapter 40: Chapter 40

"Yes, we will protect each other." I murmured to him, making him glance back at me and our eyes clashed. My lips stretched into a wide smile, feeling glad for his care as my cheeks flushed in a blush at his intense stare. However, our attention was pulled away before we got too lost in each other's eyes.

"Yeah, that's right. We will protect them no matter what." Alpha Nathan added as he took his hand off of Luna Kasey's shoulder to hold her hand in his own.

She smiled back at him as she replied, "I know you will!"

"And so don't be scared, we won't let anything harm you in there." Alpha Sloan said in a promise as he looked at Luna Hailey with a reassuring smile.

She smiled back at him as she nodded, "I know you won't."

Kaden and Carter stayed so quiet as they only observed us that I almost forgot that they were there. It made me wonder what was going through their heads as they stood silently in our midst of couples.

"Now, let's get going before the afternoon passes." Alpha Wyatt said with a small smile on his lips at seeing all the love and care going around even though his mate didn't offer any to him nor did he. I was guessing that it had to do with what happened earlier and also the secret has made the couple seem off.

We all started forward and made our way towards towards the Forbidden Forest. It felt even more quiet as we walked through it. The air was not nice as it smelt like someone had died there or more than just someone. We passed through some shrubs, passing some tall trees on the way before we reached a clearing with short grasses. Suddenly, I saw Alpha Clause in Lycan form as Alpha Ross stabbed his claws into his abdomen while he was also in Lycan form.

Pain etched on my Alpha mate's face and Alpha Ross threw him to the ground. I felt tears slipped down my eyes as I ran to him, grabbing onto him. I hugged him as I sobbed, "Clause, don't leave me! You're stronger than that! You can't die just yet!"

"Your mate is dead, you should die too. What are you waiting for in the world? What happiness is there without your soul mate?" I heard a feminine voice whisper in my ear and I started believing it.

"That's right, if Alpha Clause isn't here with me, why should I be alive? What's the point of living without him?" I said as I held one hand over my chest, clutching it at the pain that I felt in my chest.

"Yes, you are better off dead with your mate. Follow your mate and stab yourself." The voice whispered in my ear again and out of nowhere, a large knife appeared in my hand as if magic was used.

When I didn't move to stab myself, the voice felt closer as it muttered, "Stab yourself now! You're better off dead!"

As soon as I processed those words, I concerntrated on the voice that was whispering into my ear and turned my hand in the direction of the voice in one quick movement. A pained hiss filled my ear and the illusion that I was placed in vanished. Alpha Clause wasn't dying and Aloha Ross wasn't even there with us. I knew that it had to be an illusion since my Alpha mate was powerful and strong, he wouldn't die easily, and the hypnosis was literally telling me to kill myself.

I turned around to see that there was a small black snake on my shoulder. It seemed to be the voice that was whispering into my ear, so I quickly hook it off of my shoulder, trying not to scream at how a snake was actually on my shoulder. As it landed on the ground, I raised my booted foot and stepped on it hard. It seemed dead as I lifted my boot and I heard a screech come from a woman.

I looked in the direction to see a woman in a black dress with purple hair as she raised her hands, moving her fingers slightly as if controlling the little snakes that I saw on Alpha Clause and the others' shoulders. She growled at me angrily as a shocked look showed on her face. She pointed at me with a long finger nail as she asked me both in surprise and anger, "How did you escape my illusion?! How is that possible? Everyone listens to it, believe it and eventually dies there!"

"Well, I'm not everyone and I'm not going to let you kill me, my mate or my friends!" I yelled in anger as I ran towards her.

She raised her hand to shoot purple lights from her hand, but I jumped up, changing into my wolf form in the air. I landed on top of her, my front paws digging into her chest as I growled at her. Fear flashed across her face and she quickly surrendered, "I swear that I will release your friends if you don't kill me!"

I growled even deeper this time as I bared my wolf teeth at her, threatening her and letting her know that it wasn't enough. She looked even more scared as she quickly said, "Fine, okay, I will stay away from all of you forever, and I will never try placing you under another illusion or try hurting you again."

That was good enough for me, so I backed off and got off of her as I shifted back into my human form, in my previous clothes. I watched her with narrowed eyes as I placed my hands on my hips, waiting for her to do as she promised. She frowned as she looked at me, "I always keep my promises you know, so you don't have to look so skeptical."

"I would believe it if I see it." I replied in a firm voice as I looked over at my friends before looking back at her.