Revelations

Lena's POV

After everything that's happening, the attacks, the strange marks on my skin, and the mysterious warnings from Asher, there was only one thing I knew for sure.

I was tired of being kept in the dark,"I need to know," I said, my voice a whisper. "Who is Nora?"

Asher's eyes looked toward the window, his back turned to me. I could see the tension in his shoulders, the way he was avoiding looking at me.

I wanted him to tell me the truth, to stop hiding anything back from me. His silence took a very long time, and I pushed harder for him to speak again, trying to stay calm even though I was very afraid.

"She's one of mine," he said at last, his voice low, like he did not want anyone else to hear it.But the words only made me more confused.

"One of yours?" I asked him. "What does that mean?"

Asher sighed, turning to face me. His face was hard, but his eyes—his eyes were full of something deeper. 

"She's one of my pack," he said "But she's not just that. She's been... given the job of watching you."

"Watch me?" I repeated, my heart starting to skip. "Why? What do you mean, watch me?"

He raised his hand and ran it through his hair in frustration. "You're involved in something bigger than you know, Lena. Your power—it's bound to me, to my curse."

My stomach twisted even more , and I felt a cold chill run down my spine. And I still could not understand. None of it even made sense. "Your curse?"

Asher nodded his head in response, his eyes carrying a pain I couldn't quite figure out.He took a deep breath and spoke again, quiet this time, like the words were like a weight on him.

"My father betrayed me," he said, his voice mean. "He made a deal with a dark force—something ancient. He switched my life for power. And I have been cursed ever since because of that betrayal.

My curse is tied to you, Lena. To your bloodline. Your powers."

I could not breathe for a moment. I felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. "But how? Why me?"

"You're the key," he said, his voice serious this time. "Breaking my curse—awakening your powers—will release a power that has been locked away. 

It's tied to your family's bloodline, Lena. But if you try to awaken it, it will either save us or destroy everything. And it will kill you."

I stood in shock looking at him. "Kill me?" I said my voice was shaking. "What do you mean?"

His eyes changed for a moment and for the first time, I saw a break in his cold, and heart hardened character. 

"Unlocking your powers, Lena... it's dangerous. The power inside you is too much for anyone to control. But you have to learn how to protect yourself, you also need to learn how to survive."

I looked at him, and my mind began shifting to multiple thoughts all at once. trying to make sense of everything. This wasn't just about me anymore. 

This was not even just some random curse or strange powers. My life was now linked to something bigger, and to something more dangerous.

"Where does Nora fit into all this?" I asked, my voice shaking. "Why is she working with you? What does she want from me?"

Asher's expression changed again, and I saw a flash of anger in his eyes. "Nora is part of this too. But she's not on our side, Lena. 

She just wants to use you. I don't know what she wants , but she's not working for our benefit."

Everything felt like it was going out of control, I did not know to trust anymore. Asher? Who was I supposed to turn to when everything around me was breaking apart?

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. It was quick and sharp, the kind of knock that made my heart race. I looked at Asher.

"Stay here," he said quietly, his voice serious. "I'll handle it."

I nodded, too afraid to even say a word. I stayed quiet and calm, my hands shaking as I watched him going toward the door. 

He opened it very gently without a sound, and standing there was Seraphina Moon—the same witch who had warned me about the curse before. 

Her eyes were still cold as I remembered them the day I first met her, when she stepped into the room, the whole atmosphere changed.

Asher stepped aside, letting her in, but I could feel the enmity between them. This was not a friendly visit.

"I told you that we will meet again," Seraphina said, her voice sounding like a knife that was cutting through the silence. 

She looked at me with a force that made my heart skip. "But you still don't know the whole truth, do you, Lena?"

My breath got caught in my throat, every part of me tense, waiting for what she was going to say next.

"The mark on your wrist?" she continued, her eyes locked on me. "It's not just a key. It's a curse, tied to your life force. It is connected to everything."

A curse tied to my life force? What did that even mean? How could an ordinary mark on my wrist be a curse? 

"Everything you thought you knew is wrong," Seraphina said, her voice sounding very cold. like she was trying to take in the moment.

 "Unlocking your powers will not only break Asher's curse. But it will cost you your dear life."

Asher's voice broke through the shock of what she had just said and I turned to see him looking at me, his face filled with regret.

 "I'm sorry, Lena," he said. "I never wanted this for you. But now you know the truth. You can't unlock your powers without facing the consequences."

I felt everything collapsing around me. My life, my powers, everything I thought I knew—it was all caught up in something dangerous, something I could not even understand. 

And now I had to make a choice: unlock my powers which would be a huge risk to my life, or just walk away from it all.

I needed to make a choice because time was the one thing that was no longer on my side.