Chapter 39: A witch

**Alice’s Point of view**


I look at Elliot, pleadingly. No good excuse comes to me and I pray that he has more imagination than I do, but he is as dumbfounded as I am.
Another person arrives with a book and a glass of rum in the hand.
"Alice, Elliot, I think I've got it." Says Prince Benjamin.
What the hell is he doing here?
"Oh, Goddess! Prince Benjamin! I'm so sorry I didn't see you!" Rose says, bowing slightly.
He looks at her, his face hard. He is very tall and finely muscled. His dark suit brings out his golden hair and his ice-blue eyes, almost white.
"I'm sorry young lady, but we are busy." He says emotionlessly as he walks over to our table to put down his glass and a very thick green book that looks ancient.
A loud sound of broken glass is heard in the back of the room. We rush towards the noise and find a broken window. We separate to search the room but no trace of any intrusion. 
We meet at the table and after a stern look from the Prince, Rose stammers an apology and leaves. Elliot and I sigh with relief as we hear the door close.
"Thank you so much, Prince Benjamin." Says Elliot.
"You two should be more careful, she could have seen you. And I already told you to call me Ben."
"What are you doing here?" I ask.
"I was following you, obviously. Wouldn't it be nice if the three of us had a little chat?"
We both nod. "I've been doing research all afternoon and I think I've figured out how they got into our territories undetected." I say as I leave to get the book that gave me so many answers.
Elliot pushes the champagne glasses and Ben picks up the book he brought to make some space.
"What's this?" Elliot asks, pointing to the green book with his chin.
"Oh, nothing. It was to be more believable." Answers Ben.
I open the book to the page I marked with a satisfied look. I spent hours there before I found THE answer.
They lean over it and straighten up, eyebrows furrowed.
"So, you think a witch is behind this?" Elliot asks, unconvinced.
I nod. "It's the only explanation. No werewolf is capable of doing this. There's not even a legend about it."
"Yeah, but there's just one problem." Says Ben. "They're all gone."
"Or they are hiding." Says Elliot thoughtfully. "They never have been liked in the supernatural world and far too many were hunted and killed by humans. Even though it's been a long time since anyone has seen one, that doesn't mean they don't exist anymore."
I nod. "So now we know that the Alpha who is after us is working with a witch." I conclude.
"Not necessarily." Ben says, hand on his chin and eyebrows furrowed. "We make potions to mask our scent without their help, just by following one of their recipes. Maybe they too have a potion to, well, to do what they did." 
It's not stupid. I have a feeling it's a potion that requires a little more than just mixing herbs but after all, I don't know anything about magic.
"Well. Now we just have to find out who has access to such knowledge. There are a few books here that contain potions and spells that are accessible to everyone, but nothing of this magnitude. I mean, crossing borders without the Alpha knowing? It's still a deep, deep connection."
"Maybe too deep for it to be 'wiped out' if I may say so, with just a pot and some frog slime." Says Elliot. 
Benjamin is reading the page I opened but couldn't read all of it because it's written in Latin, Greek and Hebrew. His eyebrows are furrowed and he scratches his chin.
"What is it?" I ask, concerned. 
He raises his head. "It's ancient Hebrew so I'm not sure, but the spell written on this page is for going into a territory without being spotted by the Alpha."
I nod. "Yes, that's what I thought it said in Latin." I confirm.
"And, did you understand what needs to be done?"
I shake my head and see him hesitate.
"Tell us." Elliot says.
He sighs. "First of all, only a witch can cast this spell. And...she needs a member of the pack."
Elliot nods. "It's pretty logical. Members of a pack come and go as they please, so maybe the spell can 'pass' that link to someone else." Elliot supposes.
I frown. "That's super weird. It must take a huge amount of energy to do that. Like, really really huge. It might even take several witches!"
We turn to Ben, who has pursed his lips. "You're right. And there's only one thing that provides that much power. A sacrifice."
We look at each other with Elliot, mouths agape.
"I don't understand. Do you mean spill blood? Like, cut your palm and stuff like that?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "If I'm reading this correctly, a member of the targeted pack must be killed and their bond is passed on to another werewolf who can then behave as if he really belongs to that pack."
Elliot falls heavily into the chair, in shock. He blinks several times and gulps down the two flutes of champagne. He glances at Ben's glass and with a shake of his head, Ben signals that he can drink it too, which he does.
He doesn't seem to be feeling any better so Ben calls a servant to bring the three of us a variety of alcohol. I'm not sure it's wise to be drinking at a time like this, but that doesn't stop me from gulping down the glass of gin Ben hands me.
"So, you're saying that someone from Elliot's pack was murdered." I say disbelievingly. 
"That's impossible." Elliot says between gulps. "None of my members is missing."