Page 41 of Pack Nightmare

Despite Lex’s faith in the guy, I’m not willing to trust him any further than I can throw him.

Shuya, however, I like. She reminds me of my own grandma.

A loud rumble of thunder echoes through the house, followed by a deafening clap that shakes the walls.

Shuya cackles with delight. “Oh, it’s a good one, no doubt about that! My pumpkins love a good drink before harvest.” She settles back in her seat and smacks her lips just as the roar of heavy rain begins overhead. “Well, I suppose we ought to get down to business, Lilliana.” Shuya turns her beady eyes to Lex.

“It’s Layla,” my mate tries to correct her, but the old lady slaps her hand on the table.

“No, no, no. Lilliana is your true name, just like my Leaf. You can’t fully claim your power until you claim the name. It doesn’t matter what you call yourself, but when dealing with those that are magically inclined, you weaken yourself by denying it, girl. There is nothing more powerful than your true name. Truth is powerful.”

Layla’s eyes flash, her voice strong and rising as she speaks. “I the truth is I never heard that name until just over a year ago. I’ve been Layla my entire life. The truth is my family was cursed, and that name came with the weight of a magical feud that I knew nothing about, but now am singularly responsible, at eighteen, for protecting an entire pack from. The truth is-”

“The truth is that life is unfair, child,” the old woman cuts her off gently. “That doesn’t make it any less true.”

“If I’d never left LA, I’d never have been cursed,” Lex argues.

“No, you’ve been cursed since before you were born. The difference is, you simply didn’t know it before, like you didn’t know your true name.” Shuya leans toward Lex, her eyes narrowing. “But now you do. So the question is, what are you going to do about it?”

“That’s why I’m here,” Lex throws up her hands. “Derrek thought you might know something that could help me.”

The old woman’s eyes flash to Derrek. “My Leaf is a smart boy,” she seems to agree. “He left too, tried to forget his true name, but he’s back now, isn’t he?”

“So, do you know something that can help me or not?”

The woman’s wizened face curves into a clever grin. “I know something that could help Lilliana Harridan. But it wouldn’t be of much use to a Layla Harris, I’m afraid.”

Lex realizes she’s been outfoxed immediately, and her teeth dig deep into the flesh of her lower lip to restrain the retort that’s clearly on the tip of her tongue.

The downpour on the roof is deafening in the silence as we all wait with bated breath. The pressure of the storm sets my teeth on edge, raising the hairs on the back of my neck again.

Lex pulls in a deep breath, takes a slow sip of tea, and tries again.

“My name is Lilliana Harridan. I was born Lilliana Harridan, and I am the alpha of the Smoky Falls pack, who was apparently cursed by your mother. Do you know of a way I can undo the curse?”

Shuya mimics her movement, casually sipping her tea. “The truth is a tricky thing, dear. It may be something you don’t want to hear.”

“I promise you, I want to hear it. Please.”

The old woman’s eyes glaze over momentarily, as if she’s mentally traveled to another place. When she returns her focus to the room, she’s no longer serene or patient.

“There is danger headed this way, and you all must leave. Now!” She pushes away from the table and starts trying to shoo us from our seats.

The other guys and I jump to our feet at the mention of danger, but Lex refuses to budge. “First, tell me how to break the curse.”

“There’s no time for this, girl. I always love visitors, but you’ve overstayed your welcome. Go. Come visit another day. I’ll make lemon bars.”

Landon tries to tug her toward the door, but Lex doesn’t move an inch.

She slams her fist on the table, and when she speaks, her voice is fused with the alpha double-timbre. Surely she knows it won’t work on the witch, but I’m uncertain if she’s even doing it on purpose at this point. Standing, she commands, “Tell me how to break the curse!”

The old woman snorts. “You can’t order me around, girl, alpha or not. You hold no power here. And you know how to break the curse; you’ve known it all along. But none of you can see what is right in front of your nose. Until you do, there’s nothing I can do for you.

“But I mean it when I say you have to leave, now. Azalea is coming, and I can’t protect you from her. You need to run. You’re nearly out of time.”

“Lex!” Derrek’s voice is strained, and when I glance his way, his face has gone deathly pale. “She’s not kidding. We need to leave.”

“Wait, who is Azalea?” Thrown off, Lex allows Landon to tug her a few steps. Jared looks as if he’s considering throwing her over his shoulder and bulldozing his way outside, and I’m about ready to encourage him.

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