105. Curse of Love

Seff felt everything.
Every hurt and joy Zinnia and Calla had ever experienced.
They lived such exquisite lives with the kindness of simplicity. Their heads crowned with flowers, their arms filled with their newborn babies, their feet planted firmly on the ground to stand for what they believed in.
Her mind seemed stuffed with two presences, two other essences, benign but squirming to take over—if only to see their lovers one last time through Seff’s eyes.
*“This is my body! My mind! Get out!”*
Seff couldn’t exactly communicate with her past lives, nor could they communicate with her, but she could feel the emotions they seemed to send her. After all their hurts and joys, she felt only love toward Kiran and Selene, the need to tell them hello and goodbye like the need to breathe, the need for Seff to breathe and say hello and goodbye for them. She let them settle within her, and then no longer felt invaded.
Her throat burned with rawness and she could barely see through her wolf form’s eyes, but she made out the shapes of the two Alphas. It wasn’t just her heart that pulsed with longing.
*Tell him to stop being an ass*, Seff imagined Zinnia saying as she conveyed a swelling love-driven exasperation. *And I’m sorry for overtaking your body*, she also liked to hope.
Seff tried to smile Calla’s smile when she imagined her murmuring, *Tell Selene to be a little more modest*.
*Heal, Seff*, they said together, *and be free of this curse of love*.
The two Magnolias faded then, and Seff was wholly herself, and maybe a little fuller.
Her vision cleared and she felt her wound close up. Breathing became easy. Shifting into her human form gently, she found that Kiran was already holding her, chest to chest, to shield her from whatever was behind her. She couldn’t bring herself to look over her bare shoulder. Having, for lack of better explanation, channeled Zinnia, she felt comfortable and safe in his arms.
Selene appeared beside him. The two Alphas’ faces filled her sight and she felt a trifold pulse of gladness. “I’m better,” she promised. They tried to hide their relief and before they could plea for names, she said, “You let me go. You can let Zinnia and Calla go. You already did. And they…they asked you to.”
They blinked in surprise before exchanging looks. Seff wasn’t groggy enough to miss a certain meaning behind it.
She fought a smile. “You two tried to be friends once. Why not try again? Then we can *all* part as friends.”
Their reactions suggested they thought it naive, but she sensed it was also deflective of addressing the issue—and having to face the reality that they knew they couldn’t deny their loves’ last wishes.
Then she narrowed her eyes. “There’s something else in that look. What aren’t you telling me now?”
Selene assumed her scowl. “We owe you truth, Seff…”
“But another time,” Kiran finished, oddly subdued. “And without an upset crowd.”
He was holding her tightly, but not enough that she couldn’t finally see over her shoulder—and see the body lying in the center of the lawn. “Who…who is that?” Her voice cracked even though she already knew who it was.
The crowd that gathered were of course Magnolia Omegas and lesser Alphas, her own packmates, and they seemed torn on which wolf to glare at. But most were on Selene, who they had been conditioned to hate.
It wasn’t Selene or Kiran. They weren’t splattered with blood.
“Hyacinth,” Selene said quietly, taking a step back away from them. “It was time lover who crushed his skull.”
The little world she and Hawthorn had built since she confessed she loved him cracked. “Haw…Hawthorn…*crushed*…”
“He will have to be on the run,” continued the Luna, “or he will be tried for the murder of his pack leader.”
The punishment for “regicide” was death.
Seff struggled to stand, Kiran holding her tighter. “Let me go! I have to find him—”
“If he is smart,” Kiran said briskly, hesitatingly releasing her naked body, “he will run until he can gather his wits.”
“We don’t know anything except the Manor,” Seff protested, wobbling on her feet, pretending there was no mob behind her. “And he won’t feel very smart after committing…” She didn’t care that Hyacinth was dead; she hadn’t wished it upon him, and knew he deserved punishment… But she cared more for Hawthorn.
Kiran interrupted, “Do you know where he would run to?”
“I—Maybe.” Hawthorn had only left Magnolia Manor to visit family in the Winter pack. He would probably seek refuge with the only wolves who would protect him—until they found out, and the question of who they were more loyal to arose. “I have to go find him.”
Kiran and Selene exchanged another glance, but before either could speak, Aster shoved her way toward them and barked, “Lord Kiran.” Seff barely knew the tiny Omega, but it wasn’t hard to pick up on her fiesty personality. “Do something about this before the pups see!” She turned sharp eyes on Seff. “And why are you not devastated and confused by this? What happened, for gods’ sake?!”
Seff wouldn’t hide the truth when it was never her intention to hide it. Raising her voice into the night, she announced, “Hyacinth was supposed to return with me, Hawthorn, and Allium to put him on trial for the planned murder of my parents, Linden and Alarik Bleize.”
A wave of shock rippled through the gathered with traveling whispers.
Aster stared at Kiran. “Is this true?”
The Sun Alpha nodded. “He confessed it himself. He attempted to kill Seff, had Hawthorn Henbane not defended her.”
The news did not sit well, especially if they had never heard of Hawthorn, who was not painted in a very heroic light.
“He didn’t have to kill him,” Aster snapped, seemingly the voice of the crowd. “Murder is not justice in the Magnolia.”
Seff saw Selene roll her eyes in her peripheral.
“Go find him, Seff,” continued Aster, “and bring him back to the Manor. I’m going to send a letter—”
“No.” All attention jumped to Kiran, who positioned himself in front of Seff and Selene despite their objection. “I will, explaining the whole fucked situation with the full story. Selene has nothing to do with any of this.”
A Magnolia male stormed forward, pointing at the Luna. “Why are you defending her?! I heard her tell him to run! She’s an accomplice!”
“Yes,” another Omega shouted. “She wanted Hyacinth out of the way so she could take over our pack and take Omegas whenever she wants!”
Next to Seff, Selene snarled, “Oh, for fuck’s sake, I thought you Magnolias *wanted* to be chosen—”
Kiran held her back with an outstretched arm. His voice was deadly calm, sending a shiver down Seff’s spine, when he said, “I do not tolerate mob mentality in my harem. What I say goes. And what I say, my lovely Magnolia consorts, is that you not judge your packmates so callously. You want justice? Very well. But that requires subjectivity.”
Seff couldn’t help but feel almost proud of his civility, even if it was forced for her sake. She knew he’d much rather roar and send the crowd away with a threat.
But then his eyes and tone sharpened harshly. “So keep your damn opinions to yourself.”
Seff heard gasps and widened eyes at their lord’s own callous words. She scrunched her brows at him, proudness faltering. So much for civility. Selene wanted to roar as well, but she was stone-faced when Seff glanced over at her. She shook her head imperceptibly. *Just let it all be*, it seemed to say.
“Sienna,” Kiran said loudly, the voice of a leader booming across the lawn, “help the Magnolias take care of their Alpha’s body. We will send any volunteers to return him to the Manor with an Alpha escort. Seff Bleize-Amaranth will be required on my orders and Magnolia majority allegation to seek Hawthorn Henbane and bring him to the Manor to await fair trial. Luna Selene will return to Castle Night. Are there any objections?”
If Seff had been on the receiving end of that tone and question, she would have been thoroughly subdued, terrified to go against his order. And that resonated, making every gathered wolf exchange nervous looks and more whispers. But they did dip their heads submissively; their Alpha’s word was law.
Aster was sourly sucking on her teeth but had no more words to spit. When she met Seff’s gaze, hers didn’t soften, but she mouthed, *I’m sorry*.
Seff offered a brief nod and mouthed back, *I’m sorry, too*.
“Disperse,” Kiran barked.
Movement broke out. Seff felt no remorse for Hyacinth as her own estranged packmates struggled to carry his body wherever Sienna halfheartedly directed. She only hurt for Hawthorn and herself—what a terrible task she was given—or forced to accept.
Kiran rested a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention away. “Let’s talk privately.”