It was supposed to be a two-day journey to reach the Blood Witch, and Visena was on edge the entire time. 

She trained with Eve and Liam to keep her mind busy, tried not to annoy Jed, and cast coy looks at Gideon. However, it was almost impossible to stay focused during training when Gideon was in her eyesight.

"Okay, stop." Eve clicked in front of Visena's face. "What the hell is going on between you two?"

Visena swallowed the lump in her throat before looking pointedly at Eve. "I don't know what you're talking about." Visena went to do some pull-ups when Eve grabbed her arm.

"Come with me." Visena jogged behind Eve with an eye roll until they were deep into the forest.

"Are you planning on killing me and hiding my body in the woods?"

Eve smirked a little as they came to a small clearing. Birds chirped and fought near a small pond. Tiny tadpoles swum near the muddy fringes, and bees pollinated happily. "This is so cute." Visena sat next to the pond and smiled.

"I thought you might like it, and I needed to get you out of earshot of Alpha." Eve realised how creepy she sounded, but Visena seemed none the wiser.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Eve joined her by the water. "Is there something going on between you two?"

Visena blushed and coughed. "I mean, no. No, there's nothing I don't think."

"I have never in all the years of knowing Alpha seen him act this way to a female." 

The remark made Visena feel warm all over.

"He is extremely loyal, and he is waiting for his mate. I don't know much about Fae, but I know they can be... tricksters." She finished looking over at the Fae woman.

A heavy sigh passed Visena's lips as she thought about how to reply to the accusation. "I would never want to do anything to get in the way of Gideon finding his mate."

"See, the fact you call him by his name is insane. Nobody calls him that and gets away with it, except for you."

"I'm not putting some kind of spell on him if that's what you think..."

"I don't know what I think. There's just something about you that I think he and the other pack members feel drawn to."

Visena swirled her fingers in the pond, and a few tadpoles came to investigate. "Okay? But I feel drawn to him too, I guess."

"Explain."

Visena was used to Eve's brashness, but it still hurt, feeling the distrust coming from her.

"It's gonna sound really weird."

"I'm all ears."

"His smell. I mean, the way he smells is like crack to me." Visena laughed awkwardly into her palms. Sometimes being honest was so embarrassing. "I remember smelling it before you guys even found me with Janna."

Eve's breathing quickened slightly.

"What's wrong?"

After drawing in a ragged breath, Eve spoke again. "Is there a chance you could be cursed?"

...

The walk back was uncomfortable, to put it lightly. Visena had jumped up from the pond and walked away from Eve briskly towards the packhouse. Eve shouted after her, but no meaningful words met her ears.

What if she was cursed? What if the witch that cloaked the intruder did something to her too...

What if all the feelings she had were a lie? What if she was being used to hurt the Invictus pack?

To hurt Gideon...

Her eyes burned, and her nose started to run. She swiped her forearm across her lower face angrily. It felt like the tears would come for the first time since losing her memories. Hives appeared on her chest and neck, and she started to run. There was no way it was true. 

Visena felt it with her whole being. The feelings were real. But Eve's words wouldn't stop ringing in her head. What if? What if? What if?

A scream bubbled in her throat as she crossed out of the treeline. Her vision swam, but she refused to let them fall until she was hidden in her room. She didn't get the chance because Gideon stepped in her path and grabbed her shaking shoulders.

"What happened?" He tried to look at her, but her hands covered her face. He looked through the trees where she had burst out and saw Eve looking sheepish. His stern look had her cringing. 

Visena tried to shrug from his grip, but he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and walked her from prying eyes. 

Once they were in the packhouse, he tried again, "Visena, what happened with Eve?" She could only shake her head before burying her crumpled face into his chest. He held her close and breathed into her hair.

His shirt felt damp from her tears, and it pained him to see her so upset. He had to breathe through the growing rage he felt towards Eve. 

Surely she wouldn't hurt Visena. I told them all to keep her safe. His thoughts went wild as he held her quivering form. "Let's go to your room."

Visena shook her head again and lost her balance as Gideon moved. He took her fall in stride and scooped her into his arms. She managed to keep her face buried in his shirt, but from that angle, he could see an angry red rash splashed across her chest and up her neck. What the fuck happened.

When they reached her room, he felt the pull to keep walking down the hall. Visena's sobbing had eased, but every other breath was a hiccup. He kept walking to his room and opened the door. The busted window now had a temporary plyboard nailed over it, dimming the room—the only natural lighting from the open bathroom door.

Gideon leaned his body over his bed and tried to unpeel Visena from his chest. She was, as he suspected, fast asleep but her grip on his shirt was unwavering. He lay her down and slipped out of his shirt. She pulled it against her splotchy cheek and nestled down.

Gideon retrieved a fresh shirt and sat next to Visena on the bed. Large beading droplets still coated her eyelashes. After gently brushing her hair off her face, Gideon tucked her under the covers. His heart thumped against his rib cage as his fingers touched her cheek. She was painfully beautiful even after crying her heart out. 

The anger rose in his throat again, and this time Gideon headed for the door.

It was time to unravel the mystery. 

A/N

Well, this would have been useful a few chapters ago! But alas, she obviously needed a big cry.

Does anyone else feel good after crying? I literally cried watching Encanto

You should totally watch lol

Until next time,

<3