Alpha Kael’s Regret (Lisa) novel Chapter 91

Kael’s POV_

Days passed.

The vial was empty.

Every last drop of the potion had been fed to Roxanne. It was carefully mixed into her soups, juices, and teas. And yet, nothing had changed. She smiled just the same, laughed with that same wicked curl of her lips and touched her stomach like she was carrying a miracle.

But I felt nothing.

No satisfaction. No success.

Only rage.

I stormed into the woods alone. The wind was slicing through my coat. My boots crushed dry leaves as I made my way toward Morana’s cottage. That crooked, moss–covered thing that reeked of old magic and secrets. My fists were clenched. My heart was pounding.

Valric was restless in my head.

We shouldn’t confront her like this, he warned. We need answers, not enemies.

“Then she better start giving some,” I growled under my breath.

I pushed the creaky door open without knocking. The room smelled of herbs and smoke. Candles burned in every corner. Strange powders shimmered in glass bottles. Morana stood in the center of it all, a dark cloak around her shoulders, her silver hair tied in a loose braid.

She didn’t look surprised to see me.

“Kael,” she said smoothly. “You’re late. I was expecting you yesterday.”

I stepped inside and slammed the door shut behind me. “I gave her the whole bottle. Every drop. And nothing happened.”

Morana tilted her head slightly. “And how many days has it been since the last drop?”

“Three,” I snapped. “Three days, and she’s still the same smug and manipulative witch she was before.”

Morana sighed and walked over to one of her cluttered tables. She picked up a jar filled with dried blue petals and poured some into a bowl.

“You are so impatient,” she muttered. “You treat magic like it’s a dagger; sharp and immediate. But some spells take time to settle.”

“So you’re saying I need to wait? More? After everything?” I barked. “You told me it would work.”

She looked up sharply. “And it will.”

I crossed the room and stood in front of her, anger boiling in my chest. “You’re lying. You scammed me.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Watch your tongue, son of the Alpha.”

“You made me believe in this powerful, womb–cleansing nonsense, and now you’re just stalling.”

Her lips thinned into a tight line. Then, without a word, she grabbed a pouch of white powder from her shelf and flung it into my face.

I staggered back.

It hit like a swarm of bees. My eyes burned. My throat caught fire. I coughed violently, trying to breathe.

Valric roared in my mind. She poisoned us!

I fell to one knee, gasping.

“You want to call me a liar? A scammer?” Morana hissed. “You think you can spit on my name and walk free? This is what disrespect earns you.”

I choked. My vision was blurring.

“Oh…” she suddenly whispered, stepping back. Her voice dropped. “No… it turned red.”

Red?

I blinked through the tears. I looked down and saw the powder had mixed with my tears and sweat, forming a red stain on the floorboards.

Morana’s face twisted with concern. “This is bad. Very bad.”

She grabbed a bucket and splashed cold water all over me.

The burning stopped.

I collapsed onto the wooden floor, soaked, but breathing. The relief was instant, like someone had punched air back into my lungs. I looked around.

The water was red.

“What the hell does that mean?” I rasped and stared at her.

Morana didn’t answer at first. She walked slowly toward her workbench, pulled out a scroll, and spread it across the table.

“It means,” she said softly, “that danger surrounds you. Not you directly, but someone close. Someone connected to your fate.”

My pulse spiked. Valric stilled.

“Sit,” she ordered.

I dragged myself onto a stool.

Morana placed both hands on my shoulders. Her eyes fluttered closed.

She began to chant.

“By the stars and sacred flame, blood and spirit, truth I claim. Let the veil be pulled away. Show what danger stalks today.”

Her voice grew deeper with each word. It was almost inhuman. The air in the cottage shifted. It was thick with power. A candle near us snuffed out on its own. My skin prickled with a strange cold.

Morana opened her eyes. They were milky white.

She placed one hand gently on my head.

I closed my eyes.

Images danced behind my eyelids. There were flickers and shadows. Then, a face.

A young woman.

Brown hair. Green eyes.

“There is a girl,” Morana murmured. “Young. Strong–willed. Her hair is brown like autumn bark. Her eyes… green like leaves in spring.”

My heart nearly stopped.

“Lisa,” I breathed.