Prey Of The Lycan Queen Chapter 17

~Zirah~

As Kelly leads me to the back of her shop, I can't help but glance around. To the untrained eye, it

looks like an array of trinkets and baubles, but to someone like me, it's a treasure trove of magical

artifacts. Magic clings to the air like a sweet perfume. Ethereal and a little dizzying.

We reach the back of the shop, a heavy oak door barring our way. She opens it, revealing a narrow

staircase leading downward into darkness. I raise an eyebrow at her, but she merely smiles, her eyes

twinkling with a secret.

The staircase spirals down into the basement, which is far from what I had expected. It's an

apothecary, the walls lined with shelves of jars and bottles, herbs, and all sorts of magical

ingredients. The air is thick with an earthy aroma, punctuated with the sharp tang of dried herbs.

The scent of magic is potent here. Its sharp tang combined with the sweet musk of sprouting grass

and the musty old books. It's like being trapped in between two worlds.

Regan, who has been trailing behind me silently, glances around the room with wide eyes. His hand

moves toward a jar filled with swirling, silver mist. Just as his fingers brush against the glass, Kelly

yanks it out of his reach. "Don't touch that, unless you want to transform into a Salamander," she

warns, her tone severe. "That's Sylph essence. Pure elemental air energy that can wreak havoc on

physical form."

Kelly sets the jar back on the shelf and moves over to a small table where a teapot sits. As she

prepares the tea, she begins to unravel the history of my family, our ties to the Goddess Diana, and

our association with Hecate.

"Goddess Diana, your ancestor, sometimes known as the triple goddess due to her connection of

three realms: earth, sky and sea. She is widely linked with Hecate, the triple Goddess. She is a lunar

deity who rules over night, earth and the underworld. Diana was known for links with wild animals,

hunting and fertility - all associated with Hecate's realm. Diana embodied moonlight itself and she is

the Moon goddess, the creator of Lycans.”

I take this all in with a sense of awe as Kelly hands me my tea cup with gentle reverence. As I sip

from the warm drink steam rising from it, I listen intently to Kelly's voice drifting through the room

like mist

"Hecate, on the other hand, is often characterized as a crossroads deity — one that guides travelers

through dark roads, both literal and spiritual. It's believed they were inextricably linked from birth;

though some would argue they were the same person, and Goddess Diana was just one of Hecate's

crones. Whether that is true, I guess we'll know when we cross over. But what I do know is that their

power grew together throughout time until it reached its peak in your family bloodline.”

Her words weave a story of power, of women who defied the norms and embraced their inner

magic. But with power comes conflict, and with conflict comes consequences.

"Your mother, Litha," Kelly begins, her gaze focused on the tea she's pouring, "Cursed King Theron

and, in doing so, breached the Universal Law of Magic, “Do What You Will, But Harm None.’ She

didn't just curse the King. She cursed an entire species, pushing the Lycans to the brink of

extinction.”

I stiffen, my cup halfway to my lips. I knew my mother had been powerful, but the depth of her

actions still surprises me. "And what of my own curse?" I ask, my voice steady.

Kelly placed the teapot down with a defeated sigh. "Your mother's actions had far-reaching

consequences, Zirah. It caused a ripple effect. On your birthday, you will come into full power,

however, since you are a hybrid, your Lycan side can only be unlocked if the curse on the Lycan king

is broken, otherwise, it will remain dormant.”

"So I won't become a Lycan?” Kelly shook her head in response.

After all the information Kelly divulged and instructions to mark the three sons of Theron, I can't

help but have more questions. "And if I don't mark any of them?" I ask cautiously.

Kelly takes a sip of her tea and sighs heavily. "They die. You remain a witch,” she says bluntly. Her

words send a chill down my spine. She sets her cup aside and looks me in the eye. "If you ask me, I

would just let them rot and be done with the Lycan species,” she says with a laugh. Regan growls

and gives her an angry look, but she doesn't seem fazed by it. "But don't worry, I am not her, your

highness!" she sneers the last word at him.

I take in her words, it doesn't sound so bad, remaining a witch. Up until yesterday, I believed that

was all I was, so...

"What if I only mark one?" I press on, feeling desperate for an alternative solution.

Kelly pauses to think for a moment before speaking again. "He'll live, but the other two will die," she

explains slowly. "You'll regain some extra powers from marking him, but not enough to become a

Lycan too." She meets my gaze, her expression unreadable as she adds in a quieter voice, "But know

that when you make this choice, it is irreversible.”

I take in her words carefully, digesting them in silence for a few minutes while Kelly prepares more

tea in the background. A heavy burden now rests upon my shoulders; my decision could very well

determine the fate of an entire species.

"And Theron?"

"Dies unless you mark all three, it has to be all three,” Kelly explains.

"So I have to sacrifice at least one then?" I ask her, and she smiles while Regan gapes at me but says

nothing.

"Only those worthy of you will be marked by you, if they aren't worthy your mark won't take. They're

the sins. You're their virtue, only you choose if they have earned the right of forgiveness," she tells

me.

The information weighs heavily on me, but I understand the cost of my mother's actions and the

burden that now falls on my shoulders. As I sip my tea, I think of what James said about the three

kings. It makes me wonder what I'll find when I visit their kingdoms. This is my destiny - to right the

wrongs of the past and, perhaps, carve a new future for the Lycans and witches alike.

Or condemn them

And as always, it begins with a choice - Theron's sons.