ALPHA MANUEL'S POV

“Love potion?” Ryan asked, his brows drawing together in confusion. He turned to look at me, eyes narrowing slightly. “Why would Laura make a spell like that?”

I didn’t have an answer. Truthfully, I was hearing it for the first time too.

Aurora reached into the handbag hanging on her shoulder. She unzipped it slowly, then brought out a folded piece of paper and a small, dark glass bottle. Without a word, she placed them gently on my desk.

“This spell is the easiest to perform,and the easiest to notice among the sorcery spells,” she continued, her voice steady but quiet. “Regardless of how simple or ‘safe’ it looks, there’s a reason it’s still classified as forbidden. I don’t know who she used it on, but whoever it is… they’re in danger. No sorcery spell ends well.”

Ryan’s eyes shifted between the bottle and the paper, then back to Aurora. “She could’ve used it on someone she knew,” he muttered. “Maybe she gave it to one of her friends?”

My gaze rested on the small bottle, resting on the desk. It was nothing fancy, just a dark vial sealed tightly with a waxy cork, but the faint scent rising from it stirred something strange in me. It was… familiar.

And yet, I was certain I had never seen this bottle before.

I picked up the bottle, turning it slowly between my fingers as I brought it closer to my face. The scent tugged at something deep in my memory, but I couldn’t place it. I furrowed my brow, trying to crack the familiarity, where had I smelled this before?

“What’s in the bottle?” Ryan asked, beating me to the question lingering in my mind.

“It’s the freshly brewed love potion,” Aurora answered calmly. “It’s in powdered form, easy to mix into food or drinks without anyone noticing.”

I tilted the cover carefully to open it. The moment the seal broke, a sharp scent rushed out. It hit my nose with an unexpected sting, making me jerk back in surprise. My body leaned away instinctively, breath catching in my throat.

“What? Does it stink?” Ryan asked, his tone alarmed at my reaction.

But it wasn’t the smell itself, it was the realization that followed. The scent, I’d smelled it before.

Then it clicked.

The familiarity wasn’t from memory, it was recent.

“Aurora,” I said slowly, my eyes fixed on the open bottle in my hand, “how long would this spell take to wear off… if someone already consumed it?”

She shook her head gently, her expression grave. “It doesn’t.”

My stomach dropped.

“It’s one of the reasons it’s forbidden,” she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. “It can’t be reversed. It can’t be cured. It doesn’t wear off. And the person who consumes it…” Her eyes flicked from me to Ryan, then back. “It either turns them into a creature called a windigo… or kills them.”

I sighed, trying to keep my voice calm even though my chest felt tight. “Leave whatever you’re doing and find out more about this love potion spell Laura made,” I instructed, my eyes fixed on Aurora.

“Uh… that’s everything I could find out about it,” Aurora said, her voice small. She shifted her weight, clutching her bag tighter against her side. “If there’s more to it that can lead us to how Laura was killed or who was behind her death, then I’d have to know how to perform sorcery.”

I felt something sharp twist in my gut. I slammed the bottle down on the desk, the thud making her flinch. “I don’t give a fuck if it leads to Laura’s death,” I snapped, my tone colder than I meant it to be. “All I want you to do is find out whatever you can about that love spell and how to get the cure. I don’t care if it means risking your life to learn sorcery, just come to me when you’ve figured it out. Now get out.”

Aurora froze, her eyes wide. The fear in her face cut through my anger for half a second, but I didn’t take the words back. She blinked twice, her lashes trembling as she forced back the tears welling in her eyes. Without another word, she turned away and walked out, shutting the door behind her with a soft click.

As soon as she was gone, Ryan blew out a low breath and sat back. “Wasn’t that a bit harsh?” he asked carefully.

I didn’t answer him. I just looked away, jaw clenched.

“Hey, man… are you alright?” he pressed, leaning forward in his chair.

I reached up and tugged at the knot of my tie, pulling it loose. It felt like it was choking me. I ripped it off and tossed it onto the desk. “I think I know why I suddenly ‘broke the curse’ of not finding a mate,” I said bitterly. “It was that damn love potion.”

Ryan stared at me. “What? Are you sure?”

“Even though it seemed like I’d found my mate, I never felt the connection,” I said, my voice rough with anger. “I didn’t have that sudden urge, didn’t feel the bond the way everyone says it hits you. Instead… I ended up in bed with her sister.”

“Chill, man…” Ryan said, holding up his hands a little. “How did you even figure out Laura made the love potion for you? I don’t understand.”

I let out a bitter laugh, but there was no humor in it. “Two months ago, Laura and I were working on a case together. She was involved because of a medical report. After we wrapped it up, she invited me over to her place, said she had something important to talk about. She served me this weird tasting coffee. It tasted awful and I couldn't finish it. It has the same stench from that bottle of love poison.”

“Whoa. Really?” Ryan reached for the bottle and popped the cork open, then immediately recoiled, scrunching his face. “How do people take this while being conscious? It’s disgustingly bad.” He shoved the cork back in and dropped it onto the desk like it burned him. “What are you going to do now? If what Aurora said is true about the consequences of this love potion… things could get real ugly for the pack.”

I shot him a cold look. “Don’t you think I know?”

The door to my office opened, and Bianca walked in like she owned the damn place. Her long, straight red hair fell perfectly over one shoulder, a deliberate contrast to the tight dress clinging to every curve she loved to show off. She always dressed like that, like every hallway was a runway.

We had history, Bianca and I. Enough late nights and bad decisions to fill a book. But somewhere along the line, I knew I’d never want someone like her as my Luna. She, on the other hand, never gave up. She was relentless, weaving herself into every corner of my life she could reach, even managing to convince my mother and father that she’d be perfect for the position. But not me. Never me.

I rolled my eyes at the sight of her and leaned back in my chair, arms folding across my chest.

“Hey, Bianca,” Ryan greeted, his voice carefully neutral.

“Hello, Ryan,” she replied sweetly, flashing him a smile. But when her eyes landed on me again, the smile vanished, replaced by something sharp and cold. “What? I don’t even get a ‘hi’ after the stunt you pulled the other night?”

I sighed, too tired to deal with her usual games. “What are you doing here, Bianca?”

She scoffed, a harsh sound that matched the glare she shot me. Her eyes glinted like she was daring me to push her further.

“It’s one thing you abandoned me the minute you found your mate,” Bianca spat, her voice dripping with bitterness. She crossed her arms, nails digging into her skin as she glared at me. “But crawling your way back into my bed the night of the coronation and leaving in the middle of us about to… have it out? That’s insane. You know what’s even crazier? Finding out you slept with the same witch who killed your mate, and then you let her go free.”

“Wait a minute…” Ryan cut in, his brows shooting up as he turned to me. “Manny, you were with her that night?”

“Yeah, he was,” Bianca snapped before I could open my mouth. She shifted her cold stare back to me, eyes narrowing like she was trying to read my mind. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You don’t remember what happened that night, do you?” She let out a harsh laugh and shook her head. “Then that bitch must’ve done some kind of juju on you, to make you leave me for her.”

She dragged a chair from across my desk and dropped into it without waiting for an invitation. Her knee bounced as she leaned forward, voice sharp and accusing. “That explains everything. Everything that went wrong that night, Laura’s death, your betrayal, it’s all Aurora’s fault. She needs to be punished for what she did.”

“Bianca,” I said, my voice flat. “Leave us. Now.”

She hesitated, her eyes burning holes through me, then shoved herself out of the chair. Her heels clicked sharply on the floor as she stalked to the door, throwing one last glare over her shoulder before she left.

The door shut with a dull thud. Ryan exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned to face me again.

“Bro… what happened to you that night?” he asked carefully. “If Laura used that spell on you, you wouldn’t have ended up in bed with Aurora. You know…” He glanced at the closed door, then back at me. “I think Bianca’s right. Aurora isn’t to be trusted. She could’ve helped cast that spell on you.”

My teeth clenched, jaw ticking as anger flared in my chest. “Aurora didn’t force me into anything,” I snapped. My voice was sharp enough to make Ryan flinch back slightly.

I blew out a slow breath, dragging my hand across my mouth. My tongue darted out to wet my dry lower lip. “I took advantage of her that night, Ryan. She didn’t force me to do anything with her, she didn’t even know what she was doing. She was drunk. I took her into my bedroom.”

Ryan’s eyes widened. “You remember what happened that night?”

“Vaguely.” I let out a bitter laugh with no humor in it. “I don’t remember much, just the part with Aurora. I was drunk out of my mind, and she was too. I’m glad she doesn’t remember either.”

I grabbed my phone off the desk, ignoring Ryan’s look. My thumb hovered for a second before I found Leo’s number, my personal assistant.

He picked up on the second ring. “Alpha?”

“Go pick up Aurora from where she’s staying and take her to my house,” I ordered, my voice cold, steady. “She’ll be staying with me from today.” I ended the call before he could reply.

Ryan let out a soft scoff. “What’s that for?”

“Aurora can’t be trusted, right?” I said, my voice low, my eyes fixed on the door Bianca had just stormed through. “Then I’ll keep her where I can see her. And I’ll make damn sure she figures out how to break the spell Laura used on me.”