Chapter 61 

~Valeria ~ “Is this it?” I ask myself. The witch’s memory plays in my mind. “Hilda! Please! Help me!” A hooded woman barges into Hilda’s cabin—my grandmother. “You must be mad to barge into my home like this, knowing who I am,” Hilda barks at her. The old log cabin is thick with dust and cobwebs, filled mostly with herbs, crystals, and strange trinkets. In the corner, a shelf holds glass jars packed with bones, flesh, and other grim items. Half‑burned candles give off weak light, leaving shadows in the cabin’s corners. Ravens perch wherever they can, flying in and out through the open window, their black feathers scattered across the floor. “I am desperate,” the woman cries. “If you can’t help me, then I might as well just die! So kill me now if it is your wish.” The young woman pulls back her hood, revealing purple patches of skin all over her body. Horrible bruises. Hilda grunts. “It would be much easier than what you’re asking me to do, girl. Severing a mate bond is nearly unobtaina