Rule 35, Alpha

-Chapter 16-

Nothing is working...

For an entire week I've practically spent every waking moment in my home, scouring through every single one of my books and spell books to search for a solution to help Alec...to find any clue as to what's taken control of his body and mind so I can rid him of it...

And still nothing.

Almost every book I own, including the ones Aunt Serena left me, are scattered across the basement, sitting open on tables and stacked haphazardly on the floor. Some have been marked with promising sections that might help later on, some leaning precariously in the corner of the room because they are useless to me now, and the stack in front of me that's slowly dwindling are the ones I haven't checked yet...but I'm currently too distracted and aggravated to continue searching through them.

From Gemstones and Grail to Medieval Magick, Fortune Telling and Familiars, and even Potions and Purifications...I kept hitting dead ends....it makes me feel hopeless...and even more guilty. Alec is the way he is because of me...and I can't even find a way to fix it. What kind of witch, or sister, does that make me then?

I've even gone as far as trying divination and consulting the crystal ball Auntie used...and all I got was a vision of cloudy, black smoke that obviously foretold a dismal but unknown future....

But I can't afford to quit trying...I have to find a way...

The sound of something sliding over paper catches my attention, and I look up to see Zuzu staring up at me from the table, his tongue flicking out as he slowly rears up so that his head becomes level with my chin, and I can't help but chuckle when he boops my chin with his nose.

"Hey you...I see you're craving attention again." I murmur as I rub a finger over his head, feeling the giant muscle that is his body flex at the enjoyed attention.

"Why don't you go take a nap? I'm sure you've stayed up long enough today." I ask him, knowing full well that he understands every word. He's spent the entire day either assisting me with my search through the dozens of books, fetching things from the higher shelves, or just offering his companionship as I did...so I know he's quite tired.

He slithers off towards the stairs after flicking his tongue again, and I sigh as I return back to my work...he's not the only one who is tired, I haven't had more than three hours of sleep a night in the past week, and only half of it is due to my work ethic. The other half is due to the weird changes with my body that have been occurring the past few days...like the excessive warmth from a fever that comes and goes, the stronger sensitivity to smells, my physical strength gradually increasing...and the distraction that comes from thinking about my werewolf mate...

The mate that I've been pushing away for the past few days...despite the intense desire to be close to him. My personal desires shouldn't be my top priority right now...even if Butch argues otherwise. I know he's concerned about me, but with my brother in trouble I need to focus on fixing the problem, and doing it in a way that doesn't drag Butch and his pack into more danger than I've already caused...

But it still doesn't stop my brain from trying to convince me to go to him otherwise...or giving me blush worthy thoughts when I try to ignore the urges, and equally blush worthy dreams when I do manage to sleep at night.

Shaking my head to clear both my thoughts and heated cheeks, I head upstairs and through the empty house to check the bookshelf in my room for any more potential research material...only to come up with nothing...

"You look frustrated babydoll..." A deep voice murmurs, sending a shiver down my spine before I turn on my heel to face the owner...and my heart picks up speed as I recognize the molten steel eyes glowing in the dark room.