Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen - New Information - Damian's POV

After returning to the estate to get dressed, Maya and I head to the scene where Lyle is. One of my patrols has been standing with him, guarding his body until we arrive. Once they see us coming, they move away, so I can see him. Ethan takes the note from Lance and looks down at it. He sighs heavily before handing it to me. 'We're coming for you." The words feel anticlimactic. 'That's it?" 'Apparently so," Ethan says, scoffing. 'We knew that." I shake my head and flip it on the back to ensure there isn't a hidden note somewhere else, but there's nothing. It's just a plain sheet of paper with those four words. I look down at Lyle's body, grief instantly consuming me. But now is not the time to mourn. I hate it that it has come to this. 'Bury him in the pack cemetery. Make sure he is done right." 'Keep him away from the ones we buried before?" Lance asks. I grimace as I remember who he is talking about. 'Yes. Ensure Lyle is with those who didn't betray us." We head back to the estate, with Ethan and a few warriors on our heels. As soon as we are away from prying eyes and eavesdropping, we circle around my desk in my office. Now is the time to plan for war. 'The vampires and other packs are still going to come for us," I state. 'Even though the threat has passed, they still call for my death." 'Your father must have given them something to make them determined to kill you," Ethan says. 'They bought a lie," I say, keeping my eyes focused on the note on my desk. It's the paper I got from Lyle's hand. 'And they are refusing to see that the prophecy is almost past. The curse will be lifted as soon as -" My eyes dart to the side as my words trail off. Maya is standing there, rubbing her hands together. 'As soon as I return the bite." 'Yes," I say, my voice quieter now. Suddenly, her eyes go wide and she looks at one spot on the wall, unmoving. I reach out, touching her arm lightly to see what is going on, but she doesn't answer me. Her skin shines and something else takes over. I'm not sure what is going on, because it sure wasn't part of the prophecy. 'I see it all," she murmurs. 'Lorcan killed his brother over me." 'You?" I ask. 'Wait. What?" Her words shock me. Surely, the whole part about reincarnation isn't right. 'You and I were together, but Lorcan stole me," she whispers as tears fill her eyes. 'You were killed because of me, but we were fated mates. He stole me. Then he did it again five hundred years ago." Time stands still as I hear her words. 'No, this isn't possible." She reaches up, covering her mouth. 'I'm the one who did this." 'No, you're not," I say, moving closer and trying to comfort her. 'You're not the one who did this. If I died, then it was me. All me." 'No, I cast the curse." The room is so quiet that you can hear a pin drop. Her admission makes me cold and hot all at the same time. 'What do you mean you're the one who cast the curse?" She holds out her hand, sparks jolting off her palm. 'My family line is witch blood." Her eyes flutter. 'When he killed you, I cursed the line to get you back. If I couldn't, then all wolves would die. This is our last chance." 'Then mark me, claim me. Do whatever you will," I urge her, uncaring of who is in the room with us. 'I'm yours." She turns toward me, her eyes solid white. 'If I claim you now, it won't work." 'Why won't it? You're willing and I have claimed you." 'Because without all of my powers, I can't undo the curse." Her eyes return to normal before she collapses. I catch her before she hits the floor, then look at the others gathered. 'No one speaks a word about this. Do you hear me? No one. We can't risk any of this leaving this room or we will all be dead. Worse case, some who wanted to rebel before might try again." 'How does she awaken her powers?" Ethan asks without skipping a beat. 'I don't know. I just found out she's part witch and that this all happened before. My brother wasn't completely wrong." It feels weird to say that out loud. How can this be? What am I supposed to do now? 'Do you think it has something to do with the others coming?" I shake my head as I pull her with me to sit in the leather chair. 'It has to be. Why else would they keep coming? The vampires have a leader who is as old as this curse. He must know something." My mind reels from the new information. She's a witch and now a wolf. Not only that, but she's the key to freeing us completely from the curse and the one who cast it. My eyes widen as the thoughts cross my mind. 'I have no idea what we're doing," I say, my voice barely audible. 'I thought it would be simple. She'd bite me and this was all over, but now there's more to it. What do the vampires know that we don't?" 'More like what did your brother and father know?" Ethan says under his breath. I shoot him a look. 'Well, we can't ask them, now can we? Plus, I don't think they knew everything. Father loved my brother more, so of course he'd want him to live more than me." I shake my head again, trying to process all the rampant thoughts running through my mind. This is all too much. And now I know how she has felt all along. It feels like I'm in a world I don't understand and I may never overcome it.