《The Moon Goddess' Chosen》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: Chapter One Deep in the forest... threads of moonlight sneaked in through the dense canopy marking a clear path through the forest for a lone wolf to follow. The weirdly urate path the moonlight marked out was not a mistake. The wolf had been running for what seemed like hours now without slowing down in the quest to find safety for the people that nested on its back, or so she thought. One of the people, a mother who held onto the wolf¡¯s fur for dear life, partly to stop herself from falling off and also partly because of the intense pain that shot through her spine as the wolf ran on. Having just gone through childbirth, it hurt just to sit on the wolf¡¯s back, but for the sake of the newborn, the second person on the wolf¡¯s back, she withstood the pain. The trio pushed forward, getting ever so close to the pack boundaries. Howls filled the night, spurring them on, encouraging them to keep going with no rest. A soft gasp escaped the woman¡¯s mouth before she bit her lip to muffle the scream that threatened to escape her lips. ¡°Your majesty,¡± the wolf called through the mind link. ¡°Keep going... follow the path marked by the moon goddess,¡± the woman replied, pain evident in her voice as it came out through gritted teeth. ¡°But your majesty...¡± ¡°Nothing right now matters more than this child¡¯s life... do not slow down for any reason,¡± the Queen spoke, giving the wolf renewed motivation to keep going despite the pain that shot through every inch of her body each time the wolf¡¯s front paws struck the ground. The air the wolf breathed in started to feel like burning needles against its throat, though it still pushed forward until the forest began to open up eventually. The trees getting thinner as they now reached the edge of the forest. At the very edge of the forest that marked the end of pack territory, the sound of a lone car engine could be heard, along with two voices. One deep and one soft... a couple that spoke in hushed tones even though to these werewolves, due to their acute sense of hearing, could make out their voices. The wolf copsed at the edge of the forest, panting heavily, right where the moonlight made a boundary with shadows. The Queen rolled off the wolf immediately in an attempt to ease the pain she was in. Much to her dismay, the pain persisted, pulsing through her body like a steady drum. The couple seized their talk and retrieved shlights, ¡°No, do not turn on any lights. Werewolves have very good eyesight.¡± The queen said, her wordsing outboured along with her heavy breathing. Her mind zoned in and out of consciousness from the pain she was enduring. One hand clutched the baby with all the energy she could muster which wasn¡¯t much but just enough to secure the baby within her grasp while the other clutched her stomach applying pressure to a flesh wound that was only healing slowly but not fast enough if she was to live to see another day. The only thing that mattered to the queen now was the safety of the child and nothing more. ..... ¡°It¡¯s red light, your majesty. They won¡¯t be able to see it,¡± the man said. ¡°They¡¯ve got some hunters on their side,¡± she said, handing the baby over to the woman. The two people that they had encountered were seasoned hunters, among the best the world had to offer. If anyone could keep the child safe, it was them. Besides, they were thest people in the world that the queen could trust with this. ¡°Your majesty, you aren¡¯t fine. Let¡¯s treat your wounds,¡± the woman beseeched her. ¡°No, get the baby and go as far as you can take her. Conceal her identity. If you have a first aid kit, just give me what I need and my personal guard will take care of it,¡± she said with a hint of urgency in herboured voice... The man hurried to the blue trunk of the hatchback they hade with and retrieved the first aid kit which she then gave to the queen. ¡°You need to go to an emergency room your majesty,¡± rm rising within the woman¡¯s voice, ¡°you are bleeding a lot.¡± ¡°I am a werewolf. I will heal, besides, that girl¡¯s life is worth more than mine. She is a gift from the moon goddess herself. Protect the child with your lives,¡± the queen exined, ¡°Now go, hurry... The girl¡¯s name is Katie. You can change the other one for her safety,¡± The baby began stirring now that she was out of her mother¡¯s arms. The couple got into the car and revved the engine before speeding out of there, their lights tinted red to evade the near-perfect night vision of the wolves that flooded the forest on a hunt for the Queen¡¯s child. ¡°How are we going to raise a child, my love?¡± the man asked his partner. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out, together. We won¡¯t let anything happen to her,¡± she said, and with that, the baby stopped crying and opened her eyes. The irises of the girl¡¯s eyes gleamed a bright blue in the darkness. ¡°She really is a Royal werewolf. One of the Chosen pair, no less... this might be the most important mission in our entire careers considering that baby has the power to put an end to all this.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to do something about her eyes if we are to conceal her identity,¡± the man said, ¡°and I know just the person to call.¡± ¡°Can we trust him?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t trust anyone now. News about the baby¡¯s disappearance will be widespread before long. We are going to the secret family cabin in the North. The girl can grow up there; we will train her to be a hunter like we are... the very best. And when the time is right and we are sure she can protect herself, we will introduce her to the real world and teach her to blend in,¡± he exined. ¡°Shall we tell her about her origin?¡± ¡°No... I¡¯m afraid that is something she will have to learn a lotter, but we will tell her before she turns eighteen,¡± the man exined. They drove fast putting distance between themselves and the girl¡¯s pack. Constantly opening a can of perfume of a different kind each several kilometres to mask their scents... ¡°Just what was the moon goddess nning that got the werewolves, no the rogues, so riled up about newborns.¡± ¡°Knowing her, she did it for the safety of the werewolves, but not all of them saw it that way and that caused a war. I just don¡¯t know why she chose us to protect the girl,¡± the woman said. ¡°Are you kidding darling?¡± the man smirked before the woman joined him inughter. An inside joke on the rhetorical question that confirmed how confident they were on their abilities as hunters. .......Seventeen Years Later... Riiiiiing... the bell went snapping a teenage girl out of her sleep. The shuffling sounds of students leaving the ssroom confirmed that she had not heard anything wrong and the ss was indeed over. Math was not one of the sses that she found particrly interesting since her parents made it an issue to teach him everything she needed to know about the ss in a brutal crash course that wasn¡¯t for the faint of heart. Most teenagers from the sort of family she was from knew this and they were only in school for the formalities. It came with the territory when one was raised in a family of hunters. Hunters only had to keep the bnce between werewolves and humans. Humans and werewolves were free to interact as they wished, but under no circumstances was a werewolf supposed to use its abilities to attack a human. It was justified however if the werewolf had proof of self-defence as it wasn¡¯t unheard of for some psychopaths to capture werewolves for the sole purpose of dissecting them to find out what makes their anatomy so special. ¡°Hey, Katie,¡± a voice snapped the girl out of her thoughts. ¡°You¡¯ve been zoning out a lottely,¡± a girl said, approaching her. Sandra, one of her two best friends and fellow hunter, had been friends with Katie since they were kids, having met training to be hunters in the forest just like their parents. ¡°You still having that weird dream of yours?¡± ¡°Yeah, it won¡¯t go away, although I am now learning how to ignore it. It still gives me annoying headaches though,¡± she said. For the past few weeks that were leading to her birthday which was set to happen this weekend, Katie was having one recurring dream of the ck wolf. ¡°Does the dream ever change?¡± ¡°No, still exactly the same... the White wolf stands there and asks me why I won¡¯t let her out and why I refuse to y with her,¡± Katie replied before walking out of the ssroom, ¡°It¡¯s like every time I close my eyes...¡± ¡°We still talking about the same thing?¡± a male voice interrupted them, shutting down the topic. Kyle was another one of Katie¡¯s best friends. Despite not being a hunter, Kyle was exceptional when it came to ss and had been a good friend to Katie when she first came to this school. Werewolves, humans and hunters were no secret to the public and it was never scary when a werewolf threatened a human since hunters were always around to keep the peace. As such, the werewolves usually kept their ws to themselves... The sound of someone mming into a locker prated Katie¡¯s ears... well, usually... The trio increased their pace till they found the source of themotion. Dexter, a heavy well-built werewolf had his hands around a kid¡¯s throat. ¡°You should know your ce, runt,¡± he yelled into the kid¡¯s face. ¡°Hey, Dexter, put him down. The hunters will be here any minute,¡± one of his friends tried to calm him down and warn him, but the rage was getting the better of him. ¡°Put him down, Dexter,¡± Sandra spoke up, beating Katie to the punch. Regardless of how small she looked, she was known throughout the school as someone you wouldn¡¯t want to cross paths with and end up in a fight. Dexter turned to look at the three new arrivals, his eyes gleaming bright green, the students around clearing a path for them to get to Dexter. ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t the trio of wannabe hunters, weird eyed kid and herckeys... and yes, the weird eyed kid he was referring to was Katie, because of her very rare, dark blue eyes. Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Chapter Two High ranking wolves around the world had gleaming green eyes, and thatprised Betas, Deltas and pack warriors. It was most intense for the Betas. Alphas had eyes that gleamed bright red, fiery and intimidating. The rarest of them all was the Royals. Their eyes shone a brilliant shade of blue that was impossible to miss. They radiated an aura that left everyone who wasn¡¯t used to it utterly petrified. This made the matter of one having blue eyes, no matter how insignificant the level of blue in your eyes was, something of an omen. Normal werewolves just walked around with bright yellow irises. These werewolves were the most peaceful when they weren¡¯t either ordered to do something by high ranking werewolves or if they weren¡¯t rogues either. Children with blue eyes were shunned by many under the suspicion of a coboration with the Royals of the werewolves. Rogue werewolves were known for killing these kinds of people unting the excuse for hating the Werewolf King that much that they despised the sight of eyes that resembled his. Katie was no longer shaken by thepliment these days... she was used to watching people gasp every time they noticed the colour of her eyes. When she was younger, she threw a tantrum so that her guardians would tell her what was wrong with her eyes and they had promised then that they would tell her the truth about that when the time was right and that she only needed to be patient about it. ¡°Dexter... put the boy down. You know how the rules go,¡± Katie spoke up, her voiceid back, pocketing while she said it. Dexter seemed to be in a worse mood than he usually was and he did nothing to reduce the force he was exerting on the boy¡¯s neck. Based on the way the boy was running out of energy to struggle and the extent to which his veins were popping out of his head, Katie was able to make a calcted guess of thirty seconds before the boy would go unconscious and that is not an option she was willing to go for. ¡°You have five seconds to put him down,¡± Katie said, clenching her fist and unclenching it to show that she was going to have to use force if necessary even though she¡¯d rather they didn¡¯t cause much more of a scene. ¡°Five... Four... Three...¡± ¡°Alright, alright...¡± he said, letting the boy fall to the ground. The boy quickly crawled away, gasping for air and collecting his books on his way from Dexter. Katie got down and picked up thest book the boy had before handing it to him, a textbook on Neurobiology. ¡°I think you might be reading way far ahead,¡± she chuckled, before giving way for the boy to leave. ..... ¡°But that only means that I am transferring his pummeling to you,¡± Dexter said in a low and dangerous tone, a low growl rumbling from his chest as he said it. ¡°Do you have a death wish, Dexter? That¡¯s Katie Cha...¡± Dexter¡¯s friend was cut short when he was sent flying into the lockers with one blow, Dexter not even bothering to spare him a nce as he took it. ¡°I know who she is. So what if she¡¯s the daughter of one of the greatest hunters. I say the name Chase is wasted on her,¡± Dexter growled, getting ready to attack Katie. ¡°You definitely know how to throw a punch,¡± Katieplimented him, looking at the body of the unconscious werewolf that nowy ten feet away from her in an odd position having slid down the lockers after colliding into them. ¡°Worry about yourself,¡± Dexter yelled, before running straight for Katie, who paid him no attention. Dexter stopped halfway to clutch his stomach after receiving a heavy blow to the gut from an unsuspecting bystander. Dexter got onto his knees, clutching his stomach and before he knew it, his eyes furious with anger, a kick to the head put him to sleep. Sandra had taken care of it almost in the blink of an eye. ¡°What do we do about them?¡± she asked. ¡°Take the smaller one. We better get them to the infirmary,¡± Katie said, walking over to Dexter and picking him up like he was nothing more than a bag of flour. Sandra did the same for the smaller one, turning to Kyle. ¡°Get to ss, Kyle. We¡¯ll handle everything from here,¡± she told him, the bell going almost immediately she said it. ¡°Okay, but at lunchtime in the cafeteria, I have something to tell you guys. Something that you might just want to hear,¡± he said, turning to leave to the next ssroom. ¡°Damn it. Now I¡¯m in suspense... and you know how the clock goes slower when I¡¯m in suspense,¡± Katie said. ¡°What do you think he was talking about?¡± she asked, a smirk spreading on her face. ¡°Sneaky fox, now you just want me to get even more curious,¡± Katie whined, her friend cracking up intoughter as they made their way through the crowd paying no heed to the now dispersing crowd they had attracted. The jobs of the hunters were known and one of the main reasons for having trained hunters such as them attending a normal school was to deal with issues such as these. As a result, schools needed ess to hunter families if they were to be allowed to run so that they could guarantee the safety of the human children. This also meant that there were not too many schools that one could choose from to send their kids to study. Katie was currently going to Brigade Highschool. The second biggest high school in the world and she was there mainly to protect humans from werewolves as per the school was supposed to run. The school was now officially the safest school in the world mainly because werewolves wouldn¡¯t dare attack humans even if they had been angered just to avoid incurring her wrath. Because of who her parents were, she had gone through one of the best Hunter training programs their sick twisted minds could cook up for her and she had been groomed and trained into a well-seasoned hunter. Katie and Sandra finally made it to the infirmary where they ced the two werewolves onto the beds that were free. ¡°Hey, Nurse Tilda,¡± they greeted the Nurse when she came in. She rushed to their side and began tending to their injuries as quickly as she could whilst she ran her mouth just as fast, ¡°What did you do to them this time? You know it is because of you that werewolf families are beginning to fileints on whether or not the school is biased. Ever since you were allowed to stop werewolf violence in this school, the number of injured werewolves became more than the number of injured humans.¡± Katie kept silent about that before the nurse continued. She sighed, pausing for a bit after dressing Dexter¡¯s head... Sandra had kicked him pretty hard... ¡°There is no doubt about it. You are among the best things that have ever happened to this school in the hunter department. We have now been ranked the least violent and safest school in the world and it¡¯s all because the werewolves don¡¯t want to cross paths with you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Where is the bad news, Nurse Tilda?¡± ¡°Many important people are starting to think that this school might just be the safest ce for their children, so do not be surprised if we get quite a number of transfers,¡± she said, before walking out of the room we were in to attend to other patients in other rooms. The infirmary was an entire block that could house up to one hundred and fifty patients, which was done as a precaution back when the school was starting and the violence was stillmonce. In a world like this, instead of simply ranking grades, schools were also ranked on how safe they were able to maintain the human poption and all schools that were found to be hiding cases of violence were forced to be shut down by inspectors that were sent by both the hunters and the Royals. Katie walked out of the cafeteria with Sandra tailing her. Her thoughts were already straying away from their recent topic of discussion, ¡°So what do you think about what Nurse Tilda said?¡± Sandra asked her. ¡°Huh, Nurse Tilda... Oh, sorry, I was still trying to guess what Kyle could be hiding from us. Nurse Tilda might throw tantrums a lot, and despite her being a werewolf but her heart is in the right ce,¡± Katie said. ¡°Okay, if you say so...¡± Just then, Katie froze up, a rarity among rarities, just the same as the fear that she felt when she was in her dreams. This time though, something else had her on edge. She knew she was not a werewolf and that scents meant nothing to her. And the fact that she was human also meant that shecked that ability. But then, why in the world did she smell something so sweet and inviting. A headache started building up, hammering slowly at her skull... ¡°You okay, Katie,¡± Sandra asked, ¡°You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost or something.¡± Sandra¡¯s voice sounded somewhat distant, Katie¡¯s sense of smell bing sharper than most of her other senses to get more of the scent that had suddenly appeared. ¡°No, Sandra, nothing is...¡± images of the white wolf shed in her mind followed by overwhelming emotions of longing that she was not familiar with. The wolf stared at her intently, its snow-white fur glistening with a rare radiant shine to it. ¡°No, this nightmare is meant to only be there when I go to sleep.¡± Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Chapter Three ¡°What, you mean, you can see the wolf right now?¡± Sandra asked Katie, concern clear in her voice. ¡°Katie, look at me,¡± she said, and Katie did right before Sandra froze up once their eyes met. Something about the way she looked puzzled her. She could see every groove the skin of her face formed in extreme detail. She could also tell that she was now getting frightened as the sound of her heartbeat went into overdrive as if someone was holding a drum to her ear and banging it loudly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± her voice came out shaky as she asked the question. ¡°Tell you what?¡± Katie asked, confusion evident in her voice. The alluring scent finally left her nostrils and the White wolf dream retreated. Her vision snapped back to normal along with her hearing. Something weird was going, but the look on her best friend¡¯s face is what got worried her the most. ¡°Sandra, talk to me...¡± Katie tried soothing her slowly retreating friend and even looked behind for a source of some kind of terror, but she couldn¡¯t find one. When it was clear that Sandra was afraid of none other than her, she stopped advancing. Things were falling into ce as she thought to herself, the scent was the first thing to hit her nose, then the dream, the sight and finally the hearing. ¡°What did you see?¡± she asked. ¡°Your eyes... they glowed... bright blue,¡± she said before turning to leave. ¡°Wait,¡± Katie called to her, making her stop, ¡°if this happens again. Will everyone react as you have? Will they all walk away from me like you are doing right now? I have always been the kid with the weird eye colour and you didn¡¯t mind that, but now... it¡¯s like you don¡¯t know me,¡± Katie spoke out. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think Katie. I need some time to process what I have just seen,¡± she said. ¡°If it makes you feel any better or to make your thinking go easier, I had no idea about this any more than you did. This isn¡¯t normal for me too,¡± Katie said before walking away, this time she left by herself heading towards the school library. ..... She was far too agitated to endure a lesson and as such, she decided to skip the ss altogether and go to the library in hopes of finding an exnation of what just happened in the books there on werewolves. ... Sandra walked onto the basketball court where she picked a ball from the rack and started shooting hoops while allowing her thoughts to flow. Every time, she remembered what bright blue eyes meant in their training as hunters, she froze up. They were the rarest of colours within werewolves and they were the most dangerous type of wolves, not because they were vicious, but simply because they were the most powerful that they could give even a well-trained seasoned hunter a hard time to bring down. The image of her best friend staring at her with bright blue eyes was still ingrained in her mind and was not going anywhere. Luckily, blue eyes also meant that a wolf was a royal and that they knew the rules well and were pretty much bound to follow them, but this was Katie. Someone who she¡¯d grown up with. Royals had more control than others of the beast inside them and were less violent creatures. To be honest, they were the reasons the werewolves agreed to live with the hunters in peace and harmony. Voices caught Sandra¡¯s attention as she continued shooting hoops forcing her to stop and look at the main door of the gym. ¡°And this here would be our gym,¡± Sandra heard a familiar voice of the female teacher that taught humanities. She walked, keeping her attention on the person that she was showing around. A boy, no... this was a guy, a man if you will who was dressed in a ck hoodie. Sandra¡¯s senses tingled and went on edge on seeing the neer. ¡°Feel free to use the courts when you want to. I must also show you the...¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that? Does she work here?¡± a deep masculine voice came from underneath the hoodie. ¡°That would be Sandra and no, she doesn¡¯t work here,¡± the teacher exined. ¡°Then why isn¡¯t she in ss?¡± the deep voice came again. ¡°She¡¯s probably blowing off some steam,¡± the teacher quickly said before trying to move on. ¡°Is she a hunter? I want to y some ball with her,¡± he said before walking down the stairs to join me on the court. He took off his hoodie, revealing the first single most striking feature on his face... bright blue eyes. ¡®What is today supposed to be? Some kind of Halloween party,¡¯ Sandra thought. The guy took off the hoodie leaving himself in a light shirt and ck sweatpants. His body was built almost twice as that of Dexter¡¯s and he gave off a far more powerful presence. ¡°It¡¯s almost as if you hade to y,¡± Sandra noted throwing the ball to him and ignoring her body¡¯s instincts to get away from the guy. He caught the ball and started bouncing it about to get a feel of the pressure and adjust ordingly, ¡°I alwayse prepared. I knew I would see a basketball court and I¡¯d insist on shooting some hoops, but I¡¯m d I found someone here to y with. I¡¯m Cole by the way,¡± he said offering Sandra his hand to shake. ¡°Sandra,¡± she replied shaking his hand in kind to the gesture. The new arrival was being too nice to her regardless of her being a hunter. In fact, he was being friendly and had his guard down the entire time. Cole got down showing that he was now ready to get serious, Sandra going on the defensive, ¡°Am I supposed to believe that you are a Royal?¡± Sandra asked, the werewolf getting quite creative with his dribbles and crossing past her. Once you had been crossed over, getting back ahead was something a normal human could barely aplish... well except for Katie, although now that Sandra had seen her eyes change, she was certain she was probably not as human-like they had all been made to believe. The thought disturbing her while it made sense at the same time. ¡°Yes, I am a Royal and it¡¯s quite disrespectful not to acknowledge that,¡± he said, handing Sandra the ball for a check. ¡°Okay, hypothetically speaking, is there another way for a normal werewolf to attain those blue eyes?¡± ¡°There is, but it has never been done before. It was a countermeasure that was set up by one of the old Kings for there to be a way to select a new Royal bloodline, should one of the Royal families perish. A lot of people found the n sketchy, but then again, the king had a point,¡± Cole exined hanging from the hoop after having made a dunk past Sandra, ¡°you know, for a hunter, you are not giving me a challenge.¡± ¡°Sorry for not measuring up to your standards, but I have a lot on my mind. It¡¯s why I¡¯m here in the first ce.¡± ¡°I was wondering why you weren¡¯t in ss today. Is it something you can discuss?¡± he asked. ¡°Not really, it¡¯s so bad that I don¡¯t even want to tell it to myself... the one person who knows it,¡± Sandra¡¯s exnation of just how bad it was hitting home. ¡°You are unbelievable. First, you tell me that you don¡¯t want to tell me, then you do everything in your power to make the secret look worth keeping and then it makes me more curious to find out,¡± Coleined. Sandra stopped ying and stared at the wolf in front of her, her face turning serious as though she was now acknowledging the person in front of her, ¡°I thought you would be different.¡± Cole turned to the hoop and started making shots while they talked, ¡°Yes, most people have that misconception when ites to the royal families of werewolves. Just because we are the most powerful of all the werewolves, there assume we are also the most dangerous, which is not exactly true.¡± ¡°Howe... what about all the stories about...¡± ¡°Every single one of the stories about the atrocities of the Royal family happened centuries ago and back then ideals of the Royals were different from the way they are now. Unfortunately the past is not so easily forgotten. There is a new... no, it¡¯s an old quest for peace within the Royal family, peace with the humans and hunters,¡± Cole had made eight baskets by now without missing a single one almost distracting Sandra from what it was she was trying to ask him. Sandra sighed, her mind going back to when Katie was acting weird about the dreaming back to her. At that moment that she had opened her eyes, they glowed bright blue just like the ones of the male right before her. There was no doubt about it... and yet, Katie herself seemed oblivious to the fact that her eyes were different. On the contrary, she actually looked like she was struggling against something that she had no idea about. ¡°The question you asked earlier about a normal wolf having blue eyes. What sparked that curiosity?¡± the guy asked. ¡°Nothing really, I was just curious. I do want to make something clear though. Having bright blue eyes... Is it something that is absolute to only Royals?¡± Sandra asked Cole. ¡°Of course it is,¡± he replied, throwing the basket up once more. Their eyes followed it as it soared through the air. The curve was as perfect as it had been the entire time, delivering the ball straight through the hoop. ¡°You have been quite inquisitive. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?¡± ¡°Knock yourself out,¡± Sandra said, picking up the ball as it rolled back and starting her round of shots. ¡°Can you be the one to give me the tour instead of the teacher who has been standing there this whole time? I¡¯d like to keep talking to you. Who knows, I just might make a friend.¡± Sandra hesitated mid-throw, the ball escaping her hands with less energy than she had intended. The werewolf had surprised her with the proposal. There was almost no werewolf in the school that had any interest in befriending a hunter. Werewolves liked it when they were in control of everything around them and that did not include hunters and so they kept their distance. Sandra looked the guy up and down for a hint of deception and came up with none. The lone sound of the ball bouncing aimlessly on the ground having missed the hoop resounded through the gym. Was there a motive behind why the Royal was asking this hunter to give her a tour? Sandra couldn¡¯t see a reason to refuse while at the same time, she was sceptical about blindly epting the invite. In the end, there wasn¡¯t much she could do about it, but ept what was going on, ¡°You are one weird werewolf,¡± she said, picking up the ball and heading for the rack to ce it back in its position. ¡°And you are a weird hunter. Most would be afraid of me, just by seeing my eyes,¡± Cole said. To be honest, Sandra had already been frightened by Katie¡¯s eyes that Cole found her too numb to react to her. The timing was perfect otherwise this encounter could have gone a lot differently. To some level, this was good, for she had almost judged someone without knowing them. Cole wasn¡¯t what she expected and she was d she hadn¡¯t jumped to that conclusion. Chapter 4 Chapter 4: Chapter Four Katie walked through the library picking up random books and scrolling through their contents before cing them back into their shelves. Since it was ss time, there was almost no student in the library, except for those who spent their free sessions in the library. Katie went through the section on biology, her eyes recognizing the book on neurobiology that the boy from earlier was carrying before she continued skimming through book titles. She was particrly interested in the animal part of biology considering she was a hunter. ¡°Hey... umm, Katie...¡± the stuttering voice of a wimpy student caught her attention. She stopped skimming through the books and turned to see the same boy from before gripping the textbook and bowing his head slightly to her. ¡°My... n-name is Ash!!! Nice to meet you... Ash Myster.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, nice to see you again. How do you spell that, Myster?¡± Katie asked scanning the boy¡¯s red face and over gelled hair. He was a typical nerd, top to bottom. The boy¡¯s face lit up when she showed recognition. It wasn¡¯t unheard of for someone toe and thank her for saving them although she usually thought they¡¯d rather show their gratitude to Sandra who usually did the roughing up. ¡°It¡¯s like mister, but with a ¡®y¡¯ in the ce of the ¡®i¡¯,¡± he exined, his eyes closed the whole time, his head still slightly bowed, a smile stered on his face. ¡°You might want to ease up a bit. You¡¯ll bite your tongue with nerves like that,¡± Katie told him, turning her eyes back to the bookshelf and skimming through more titles before she found the section that started on werewolf biology. ¡°I k-know that, b-but, it¡¯s n-not that easy... for m-me,¡± he stammered yet again. ¡°Well, if I¡¯m being honest. It has to start with you. You¡¯re nervous because you are wondering how I am going to react to you. So how about you getfortable with yourself first. I advise you to tone down the gel, no offence. It¡¯s just bound to irritate werewolf noses. Befortable with who you are first... such is the starting point of building some self-esteem and confidence,¡± Katie said before pulling a book on the specifics of werewolf eyes and what makes them so peculiar. ¡°Is your neck okay?¡± ..... ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fine. Thanks for asking. You seem to be interested in werewolves,¡± Ash said to her. ¡°Yes, I am a hunter, so naturally I would want to know more about the creatures that I am meant to hunt.¡± ¡°You could ask me about them. I had read everything I could find about them,¡± Ash said. ¡°So have I and frankly I have a geek who I go to in case of such situations and when I need information I can¡¯t find,¡± Katie said, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude though. Thanks for the offer.¡± ¡°I understandpletely. I was more worried about getting Dexter into trouble with you,¡± he said, freezing Katie to the spot, ¡°please forgive him. It was my fault he got angry.¡± ¡°Oh, this is a new one,¡± Katie said, bringing her eyes back to meet the boy¡¯s gaze, ¡°and just what did a human do to piss off a werewolf that badly?¡± ¡°I saw him sneaking off with some girls and got ahead of myself when he started getting possessive with one of them,¡± the boy said. ¡°Ah, you tried to y hero, is that it?¡± Katie asked, a smirk spreading across her face, memories of her argument with Sandra escaping her mind. ¡°Yes, I did. I might have overstepped my boundaries though. It was wrong of me to question Dexter when I knew there was a possibility that the girl he was with was his mate,¡± Ash looked down in disappointment while he said this. ¡°No... looks to me like you did the right thing. Dexter is not eighteen yet, so he has no mate as the moon goddess has not yet given him one. It¡¯s as simple as that,¡± Katie pulled out the book after reading the short byline of what it was about. She was hoping to find some answers to Sandra¡¯s im before the end of the day. ¡°I advise you to steer clear of Dexter for a while so that he can cool it off. Oh, and one more thing, do not forget that it was you in danger, not Dexter...¡± Katie told him before walking away to look for a seat where she could look further into the contents of the book of his choice. ..................... Sandra started her tour of the school with Cole, with no regard to whether or not she would be missing any lessons. After receiving permission from the teacher that had been assigned to give Cole the tour, she was allowed to skip the rest of the day¡¯s sses, not that it mattered anyway. Such was the life of a hunter, academic excellence was merely a formality and one that was not stressed by the teachers of the school. ¡°So, as you can see, the school is quite gigantic...¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to go through all that useless stuff unless there is a detail that I should know about,¡± Cole asked. ¡°Only detail I can think of that I haven¡¯t told you about yet is the Founding Festival this weekend,¡± Sandra said, having given it some thought. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to be?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a celebration of the day the school was founded. Sort of like an anniversary,¡± Sandra said, gazing at the ceiling while she remembered what it was about. ¡°There is this whole thing of cutting a cake, then a ball, then craziness after that. I usually just force Katie to dance with me through the ball and she drags me out when the party gets crazy. She really needs to get out more. She says it¡¯s because....¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Katie?¡± Sandra froze at the question having forgotten that she was speaking to someone she was meeting for the first time. Cole looked curious to know after just hearing the name. ¡°She¡¯s... my best friend. We¡¯ve known each other since we were little kids. Katie Chase is her full name.¡± ¡°Chase... Do you mean the Chase hunter family?¡± Cole asked. ¡°Yes, that family,¡± Sandra confirmed, starting to feel on edge for talking about her when she had only run away from her out of fear moments before she met Cole whom she didn¡¯t run away from. The irony of that refused to stop eating at her as well. ¡°Interesting... I¡¯d like to meet her. Is she dating by any chance? Oh and don¡¯t mind that question, there is nothing behind it,¡± he said quickly defending himself. ¡°No, she¡¯s not... besides, Katie has no interest in such things. It¡¯s like she doesn¡¯t have those emotions,¡± Sandra said, the sad expression on her face undeniable before she masked it and proceeded with the tour. Sandra found Cole to be an open book as he didn¡¯t hide his thoughts and literally wore his emotions on his face. For a feared Royal, he did not give off any dangerous vibes and was actually quite fun talking to. Cole was mostly interested in sports and showed extremely exaggerated boredom each time Sandra pointed at something like aboratory or a ssroom. Nheless, the tour had to be full or else this guy was going to have trouble finding his way through the whole school. Sandra used whatever chance she got to try and find out where Katie was but wasn¡¯t able to find her. She found out that she had not returned to the ssroom after they left the infirmary and had tried checking wherever she could during the tour. The two of them nowy in the bleachers of the football pitch panting heavily having raced around it a couple of times. Sandra had suffered a severe loss at the hands of the fast Royal despite all the daily training that she endured each day with Katie. ¡°You... are... unbelievably...faaa¨Cst,¡± she panted before copsing with exhaustion. ¡°For a human, you are not so bad yourself,¡± Coleplimented, ¡°You actually made me sweat. You sure you¡¯re human?¡± Sandraughed at the remark. She wanted to tell her that Katie was much faster than she was, but that would have been possible had she not seen her eyes go bright blue. ¡°So it seems you like sports?¡± Sandra said. ¡°All werewolves do. They long to run wild in the forests without a care in the world,¡± Cole said, lying face-up across three of the orange faded seats, his hands tucked at the back of his head while he rested face up and eyes closed. His breathing was now calming down, unlike Katie who was still heavily winded. ¡®I wish I had such a short recovery time,¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what werewolves do?¡± There was a pause while Cole considered his answer, ¡°Not with rogues on the loose.¡± ¡°Werewolves attacking werewolves?¡± it came as a surprise to Sandra that rogues didn¡¯t care for fellow werewolves than she wanted to believe. ¡°Rogues do not care what you are. As long as you are not part of their pack, you are as good as dead. It is part of the reason I was brought here. My parents believe this school has the best protection to offer even though I can protect myself just fine. When I saw you were among the hunters here, I decided to see for myself the standards of the school¡¯s hunters,¡± he said. ¡°So you don¡¯t really like games like we¡¯ve been having?¡± ¡°Do not misinterpret my motives. The evaluation just happened to sh with my interests. I do like games, but I also want to know if I really am safe here like my parents seem to believe,¡± he took a stab at defending himself. ¡°That might make sense, except for the fact that you are a Royal. The strongest kind of werewolf there is. You even have the power tomand other werewolves,¡± Sandra pointed out. ¡°While that may be true... Royals don¡¯t have the power tomand rogues who have lost the grace of the moon goddess and it is against thew to use our power over other werewolves as it robs them of their will,¡± he said, getting up and offering Sandra his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s wrap up the tour, shall we?¡± Rriiinnggg..... Right on cue, the bell for lunchtime went signalling for the students to get to the cafeteria or any other area of interest that was not off-limits at this time. ¡°I need to get to the cafeteria,¡± she said, starting to move away from the bleachers. ¡°I want to know more about Katie. Is she strong... beautiful... What colour are her eyes? I¡¯m curious,¡± he asked rambling while he held Sandra¡¯s hand firmly. ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± Sandra asked him getting awfully suspicious of him. ¡°Because you seem to care about her a lot... Ever since you mentioned her name, your face has been sad like something happened between you two...¡± ¡°Those reasons all don¡¯t make sense. Your curiosity feels baseless at the same time you seem to be hiding the true reason why you want to know more about Katie. I have to go...¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t walk away from me,¡± Cole shouted after her, but she wouldn¡¯t listen and made her way from the pitch and straight for the cafeteria leaving Cole there, sweat glistening off him and making his clothes a bit irritable and clingy to his body. ¡®She wasn¡¯t that wrong,¡¯ he thought looking up at the clear blue sky in deep thought, ¡®there is a reason I want to know more about Katie. I just wish I could forget about it... but I can¡¯t.¡¯ Chapter 5 Chapter 5: Chapter Five The bell went while Katie was skimming through the contents of the book. Nothing in the book said anything about a werewolf that could hide the gleaming quality of their eye colour. The book was specific on the fact that there was nothing on the topic. A werewolf was born that way and would be that way till the day they died. Something was not adding up and the more she wracked her head about it, the more frustrated she got. She flipped through the pages once more before loudly shutting it, frustration coursing through her every pore. ¡°Umm... Katie, the bell has rung. If it¡¯s not too much trouble, could I ask you to exit the library?¡± the soft voice of a frightened librarian came from the front desk. Katie got the book and carefully ced it back in its spot on the shelf, her hands shaking vigorously while she did this. With the shivers she was having, there was no way she would be in a position to help anyone. If anyone else got to see her in the state she was in with Sandra, all hell would break loose which was the opposite of the standards she had set with her services for the school. With next to no information of what was going on with her, there was no telling when it would happen again, which made her presence in the school a bad thing. She couldn¡¯t be the one to start amotion. This day was as good as over anyway. She might have been curious to hear what Kyle wanted to tell her earlier that day, but that would have to wait. Katie made her way for the exit of the library and started walking fast towards the main door. Once she was out of the main school building, she began pacing to the main gate. Her aim was to get as far as she could from the school and head back home where her guardians had to exin what it was that was going on with her. Even if there was a slight chance she was overreacting, this was no time to be casual about it. Right when she was about to exit therge school gate, the sweet scent from earlier hit her nostrils again. This was just a reminder of how much trouble she¡¯d be in if she wasted another second at the school. Before anyone could think of uttering her name, she was out the gate and out of sight, running very fast for even her human standards. Katie ran through the forest that was not too far from the school. The same colossal forest that housed the cabin that his guardians had raised her in, training her to be the perfect hunter with each passing day of his childhood. Only Sandra knew about her home in the woods and that was only because she was a hunter as well and her parents were close friends of her guardians. The other hunters at the school, including Kyle, had no idea of its location. The cabin is where the Chase family spent most of its time, and she had been asked to go there if there was ever an emergency. On the other hand, for public appearances, they had a nice home in the estates along with everyone else in the town that they provided as a home address and kept inconspicuous. A few minutes were all it took, rather than the half-hour she usually spent running to the cabin. Katie almost fell when she noticed she had reached the cabin in a far shorter time than she normally did. She looked back where she¡¯de and at the cabin, then at her watch and trying to make sense of how fast she had gotten there without drawing on her powers as a hunter. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ she thought before walking up to the front door of the house and knocking at the door. The door swung open before she was engulfed in a big smothering hug. ¡°Oh, there is my big baby,¡± her aunt cooed once she was in. She was like a mother to her, but ever since she was a child, she had always insisted that she refer to her as her aunt even though it didn¡¯t make sense and as such, she had grown up knowing her aunt to be the most important female in her life. She froze at the door, however, unable to respond or hug her aunt back, the thoughts that were running through her head were beginning to overflow and the headache was getting worse. The White wolf dream threatened to resurface. ..... ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± she whispered in her ear. Her aunt went still, pulling away slowly such that she could look her straight in the eye and once again... shock was written on her face, a stray tear falling down her cheek, however, she did not move away from her but rather gave her another hug, ¡°Oh, honey, nothing¡¯s wrong with you.¡± ¡°Honey, did you say Katie was...¡± her uncle also froze upon seeing her eyes. A look of worry soon reced the look of shock. Katie could only imagine one thing was making them freeze, her eyes were no longer their usual deep blue... Just like Sandra had said earlier, they must have shifted to a bright intense blue. Although the reactions that she was getting from her aunt and uncle weren¡¯t what she was expecting. They actually didn¡¯t seem surprised to see her like this. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Katie.¡± Her ears went sharp on hearing his aunt speak that she could hear her heartbeat. Her face, her tears, her heartbeat... all these three did not convey an emotion of fear, but deep sadness... ........... Sandra made her way to the cafeteria, her fears had doubled at the end of the tour instead of reducing. She didn¡¯t bother checking the sses since she already knew Katie was not going to be in any of them. She got to the cafeteria panting lightly, a thin film of sweat coated her forehead. The cafeteria of the school was designed such that it amodated the hunters as per Katie¡¯s request when she was in her first year of high school. She hade up with a design of her own making... some kind of pub at one side of the cafeteria that amodated the hunters. Instead of ordinary school chairs, sofas and bar stools were put there as well as a ss table and the rest all ording to her tastes. The partition had a food bar of its own that meant hunters did not have to get food along with everyone else. Hunters were also allowed to hang out there whenever they felt like it. The other students would have envied them if it wasn¡¯t for what they went through to actually be worthy of such privileges. Being a hunter meant you would have to be on the lookout for any rampaging werewolves, not to mention protect the school from outside attacks as well. This was not all though, hunters were supposed to train hard and daily if they were to ever be full-fledged hunters one day. The ce was mainly dark-themed, with ck being the mostmon colour on every piece of furniture. A small bowl on the ss table held throwing knives that the hunters usually used to y darts at the dartboard mounted on the wall on one side of the designated hangout spot. Katie always sat in the middle of the three-seat sofa... usually with Sandra on one side and Kyle on the other before they discussed issues concerning the conduct of the werewolves and how to reduce violence any further if they needed to. Kyle sat in his usual ce striking away at hisputer... ¡°Have you seen her?¡± Sandra asked, having scanned the whole cafeteria for Katie. ¡°No... but you won¡¯t find her in the school,¡± he said, turning theptop around for her to see, ¡°cameras saw her leaving the school. She seemed in a rush too.¡± Sandra watched the video of her best friend rushing to the gate and vanishing from the screen once she was within five feet of the gate. ¡°Your video looks corrupted,¡± Sandra pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought at first until I slowed down the video. Pay closer attention,¡± Sandra watched, keeping her expression neutral as Katie went through the gate at inhuman speed. ¡°We all know she is fast, don¡¯t we?¡± Sandra said. ¡°We are all hunters here, Sandra... raised by hunters to keep the peace between the werewolves and the humans... well, except for Kyle of course,¡± one of the hunters around, Shaemus, spoke up, ¡°and we are all taught the true limits of the human body. That¡¯s why we are taught to use weapons to make up for it.¡± Sandra kept quiet for a bit, carefully picking out her words, ¡°Do any of you have your licences as graduated hunters yet?¡± she asked them. ¡°Come on... that requires one to take an exam that even the best hunters took after years of training and besides, the minimum requirement is that one must have obtained a Prometheus gift,¡± Shaemus spoke up, the others agreeing with him, chuckling at the stupid question. Sandra calmly waited for theirughter to die down before she spoke up, ¡°Katie has one.¡± Chapter 6 Chapter 6: Chapter Six It was their turn to shut up this time. Scanning through their faces, she could see shock written all over them. Shaemus, on the other hand, only scowled at the im. ¡°So the hotshot is in trouble and you are here to cover for her. Is that how it is?¡± he said, his voice going dangerously low while he said it, allowing all the malicious intent to seep into his tone, ¡°Just how much trouble is she in that you came here to tell a white lie such as that one?¡± ¡°She¡¯s telling the truth. I saw the license with my own eyes,¡± Kyle tried to pitch in. ¡°She¡¯s a freakin Chase, man. Of course, she can have a license if she wants to,¡± Shaemus yelled at him, ¡°The rest of us only have to work harder if we are to make it that far. No wonder she doesn¡¯t even care about her school life. There is probably some university ready for her once she¡¯s done with her work here.¡± ¡°Why would she be going to...¡± ¡°To get out of being a hunter, that¡¯s what... She¡¯d rather just run with her tail tucked between her legs,¡± Sandra was not sure if this was the same Shaemus that they interacted with every day or if he was someone else entirely, for the amount of hate that came with his words was more than he seemed capable of. ¡°She¡¯s the strongest one here. Why....¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one always fighting her battles for her. Who of you here have ever seen Katie actually strike a single werewolf?¡± he asked the hunters around. The cafeteria was now silent, the tension in the air as they all looked at Shaemus brimming with anger. ..... The silence went on for a while... Shaemus kept looking around from one hunter to the next, looking for any of them who would want to speak up against his im. Sandra would have, considering she had witnessed Katie take down a few rogues before, but there was no proof of an incident like that. Besides, Shaemus seemed very intent on shutting her up the most. Going against him now that he had swayed everyone over to his side was not a wise decision. ¡°Great, then I call her out to a challenge, tomorrow, at the hunters¡¯ old exercise ground in the forest. I want to see thatzy dunce getting her hands dirty for once, and when I make her eat dirt tomorrow, she will have to step down from the position of head hunter...¡± ¡°Hello, can I talk to you, Sandra?¡± a deep voice came from behind Shaemus, so clear that it shut him up immediately. The atmosphere of the room changed, a few gasps could be heard from the crowd as Shaemus turned to see the neer. He was immediately frozen in ce by the sight before him. A tall muscr guy much taller than Shaemus stood on the outside of the hunter¡¯s sidebar, his arms folded across his chest. If it wasn¡¯t for the striking intense bright blue eyes, Shaemus would probably haveshed out at the guy for interrupting him. In the world of werewolves and hunters, size didn¡¯t always matter, but in this scenario, the power difference was clear and Shaemus knew it. This, however, did not make him lose his cool, ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Cole, I¡¯m a royal. I¡¯ll be attending this school starting tomorrow. I just came to pick my tour guide and be on my way,¡± he said, shing him a wide smile that stretched from one ear to the other. Tension was in the air as the two stared each other down. That¡¯s when Sandra saw it... the reason many people, mostly females, couldn¡¯t take their eyes off the brief exchange. Cole was still in only an undershirt that slightly clung to his body translucent with sweat. Sandra did not bother arguing about it and walked out of the sidebar, dragging the Royal by the ear against hisints outside the cafeteria, frustration written all over her face. A few whistles could be heard from the male students in the cafeteria... sounds which Sandra chose to ignore. She continued dragging him even outside the cafeteria, ¡°Hey, hold on, hey would you let go so we can talk properly?¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Sandra asked anger clear in her voice. ¡°Are you mad about me addressing you in front of all those hunters? If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about you being a werewolf. I meant what were you doing back there barely dressed?¡± Sandra finally stopped dragging him to point out his annoyingly revealing look. Sweat still slightly soaked the undershirt he had on making it cling to him. Cole paused of a while looking down at his shirt and back at the look in her eyes before bursting intoughter, ¡°Werewolves don¡¯t care about that. Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± he tried speaking in betweenughs. ¡°You sounded like the few human grandparents I have had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting during my early morning runs.¡± Cole was stillughing. Sandra used this chance to drag him further until they were back in the gym where they found a few students talking amongst themselves. Sandra walked up to them, theughter drunk Royal in tow and smiled at the students, ¡°Would you kindly help get us two juice boxes from the cafeteria, please. My friend here is just too indecent to go in there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get them,¡± a small boy with slightly... no, over gelled ck hair spoke up. Sandra could barely ce where she had seen him before and brushed off the thought. ¡°Thank you very much, that would be very helpful,¡± she said, watching the boy leave the vicinity. The others remained seated, watching her with questioning gazes. Cole finally stoppedughing and came to stand next to Sandra. The students froze up, shaking nervously, frightened at the sight of Cole. They got up with their trays of food and walked out, making sure not to turn their backs on Cole. They all made their way out, finally clearing the gym. ¡°Hey...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Cole stopped her with the raise of his hand, ¡°I¡¯m already used to the reaction. It¡¯s the same every time. That¡¯s why I¡¯d want us to be friends. You would be my first human friend outside of my usual group. You know there is one w about being a Royal.¡± ¡°Since everyone the Royals would bite would gain the power of an alpha, it was impossible for them to build packs and usually ended up with a small pack of only alphas which also made decision making amongst them difficult,¡± Sandra had done her research with Katie and knew this well. Royals were powerful, but for the sake of peace, they exercised as little of their power as possible making it seem like they didn¡¯t have a pack at all and yet, they had the power of every werewolf in existence that wasn¡¯t a rogue. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s about right. I guess I should expect as much from a hunter such as yourself,¡± he said. The boy returned with their drinks, Sandra and Cole, thanking him for them before bidding him farewell. They drank for a bit in silence before Cole spoke up, ¡°So, was the loud one the one known as Shaemus?¡± ¡°Yes, that was Shaemus. He is usually quiet, but I guess you never know somebody until they get the chance to talk behind your back,¡± Sandra said, thinking back to the argument she had had with Shaemus. There was no reasoning left behind his every word he said. He was only looking for a means to an end that was desirable to him and the reason why he was trying to aplish that feat eluded her. ¡°So, he was speaking ill about Katie then?¡± ¡°Yes, and it made me sick to my stomach. I hope Katie does not ept the challenge,¡± Sandra said, ¡°but knowing her, there is no way she will pass it up.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you want her to ept it? I thought she was the strongest one here.¡± Sandra sighed, having to exin the reasons for the confusion, ¡°Yes, she is the strongest hunter in this school, but no one has ever seen her fight for real... well, except for me although it was a long time ago. I¡¯m always around to finish his fights for her before they even start. I have been doing that since we came here as freshmen.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that she is rusty inbat?¡± ¡°Not necessarily, I don¡¯t think the Chase family would let her ck off and lose focus on her training,¡± Cole nodded in understanding after hearing that. ¡°I want to see her.¡± Chapter 7 Chapter 7: Chapter Seven The trio stood silent for a while... Katie¡¯s guardian seemed too petrified to answer the question that hade from their child. Katie could feel the wolf from her dream struggling to get out, but unfortunately for the wolf, it relied on emotion and anger, all things that Katie had been taught to suppress while she was growing up. In fact, the more the wolf struggled, the more she found out how to block it out. ¡°You might want to sit down, Katie.¡± Katie¡¯s aunt was the first one to speak up, slowly pulling her to the dinner table where she retrieved a chair for her to sit on. Her beloved guardians sat on either side of her. ¡°Honey, go bring her meds.¡± Her aunt said beckoning for her husband to go and search for the pills they had been feeding Katie since she could walk. ¡°So is this it? The talk that...¡± ¡°Yes, Katie, this is the talk...¡± ¡°So you knew, then...¡± ¡°Your breathing, Katie... focus on your breathing,¡± her aunt raised her voice, putting all the authority she could muster into it. Katie began getting worried about what they were telling her and the constant probing of the wolf did not help cool her nerves. Katie then began the breathing exercises she had been taught growing up, the wolf in her imagination retreating the more she got a hold of her emotions. Now she knew why the training she was put under was different from the training the others were put through. ¡°So you can see her,¡± she said to Katie before footsteps alerted them of her uncle returning. ..... ¡°Marie, dear...¡± Katie kept calm as he revealed the crime she had obviously been carrying out for the past few days, ¡°the bottle is still full,¡± he said. The room went dead silent upon his revtion. She put out her hand, getting them from him and giving Katie two of the blue capsules from the bottle. The wolf from her ¡®imagination¡¯ wed its way back and snarled at her ferociously before she swallowed the blue pills. At first, nothing happened and then the dizziness hit her like a brick to the skull along with a hammering headache. Katie staggered wildly, the world spinning a hundred kilometres per hour. In just two steps, she tripped forward, fainting before she even hit the ground, unconscious. Katie woke up muchter, her head giving her one hell of a hammering. She brought her hand up to her forehead only to find a wet cloth there. ¡°Don¡¯t move just yet. That¡¯s what you get for skipping your medicine.¡± Katie closed her eyes in search of the wolf but found nothing. It was gone like nothing had been wrong, to begin with. Her hands felt like lead under the weight of the nket. Her whole body had lost a ton of energy in a short amount of time. The feeling of loneliness that briefly overwhelmed her was not among the reactions she expected toe from her, ¡°It¡¯s gone. The wolf...¡± ¡°Yes, that is what the medicine is for,¡± the voice of her uncle spoke up, startling her. Her mother stayed at the threshold of the door to her room, silently listening to the conversation. Katie noticed the ceiling and walls weren¡¯t the same wood she had been ustomed to before she fainted. A quick look around the room told her that she was back in her room in the estate. As it so seemed, they had moved her back to the estate to avoid a night when they did note home from ¡®work.¡¯ ¡°You must have noticed by now. You aren¡¯t exactly normal,¡± her uncle began. ¡°Just get to the point. Tell me the whole truth,¡± Katie was trying her best to keep her cool while they exined what it was they had to say. ¡°So, I¡¯m supposed to believe that I am a werewolf, is that it? I¡¯ve been careful to keep from being bitten for as long as I can remember, I have never been bitten by an alpha or a Royal for that matter.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to be bitten. You were born a werewolf,¡± Aunt Marie spoke up to speed the process along. The news hit like a brick, Katie¡¯s heartbeat getting heavy and loud in her chest. A part of her wished they were just saying stuff to prank her, but the Chase family was not known for such behaviour, especially when it came to issues of such magnitude. ¡°That¡¯s preposterous. My eyes have never been bright blue and I don¡¯t have any characteristics of a wolf. I¡¯ve seen them in a mirror enough times that I... I know the colour of my eyes,¡± Katie tried arguing, the fight between reality and fantasy was now in full swing within her mind as she struggled to grasp what she was being told as well as find a way to deny it. ¡°We have been giving you that medicine for as long as you can remember. It was meant to suppress your werewolf abilities. When the medicine is working, it removes all the characteristics of a werewolf from you including the glow of your eyes,¡± her uncle said, waving at her a stic container filled with blue pills. ¡°But then, my eyes... they are blue...¡± panic was starting to rise within her as she realized thest thing she needed right now was to know that it was actually a bad thing for his eyes to be that colour. ¡°You are a Royal,¡± Aunt Marie said, her voicepletely void of any emotion as she said it. Katie¡¯s headache threatened to split her skull as she got even more agitated. ¡°We were meant to tell you all this within this week because over the weekend, when the moon is full, on your birthday, the medicine will lose all its power on you, and you¡¯ll shift.¡± ¡°How are you so calm about this?¡± she asked them, disbelief etched into her voice. ¡°We have known about that deadline since the day we were sent into hiding to raise you and we have taught you everything we could so that you would not be defenceless,¡± Aunt Marie spoke, steeling her voice once more and hiding all emotion that she was feeling at the moment. Her eyes, however, still betrayed her and released tears slowly. ¡°If I am a Royal, why am I in hiding?¡± ¡°Because... an attempt on your life was made when you were only an infant. The moon goddess herself sent us to protect you... I¡¯m still unsure why the moon goddess would rely on humans to save her species. All she said was that you were special and your existence threatened the evil thaty in the shadows of both mankind and werewolves,¡± her uncle did the best to exin what it is he meant. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what it is that you are trying to say,¡± she told them. ¡°I only hope she speaks to you herself on your birthday,¡± her uncle spoke up. ¡°I have to go to that party on that day,¡± Katie said ¡°That won¡¯t be happening,¡± Aunt Marie said, ¡°you can attend the day part of that programme, but once it clocks seven, youe straight back here.¡± ¡°That day is special to Sandra. I will be making it to that party on that day. I also have to make sure she doesn¡¯t get carried away by having too much fun,¡± Katie chuckled at the thought before continuing, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. You trained me well. There is nothing I won¡¯t be able to handle on that day.¡± ¡°Get some rest. We¡¯ll discuss thister. We trust your judgement. On that day, if you notice you may not be able to stop it, youe right back,¡± Aunt Marie said. Her uncle got up from the chair he was seated on and made his way to the door, switching off the light once he was at the threshold of the door. ¡°Sleep tight, Katie,¡± he said. Regardless of how they looked at it, these two were like parents to Katie and she valued them more than any other Royals that would im to be her real parents. She almost asked the question... the question that would disclose who her parents were, but thought better of it and kept her mouth shut. Besides, she had all the family she needed with her. Nothing was going to change that. Her thoughts swirled into a confusing mess as she closed her eyes, sleeping to her faster than she had expected rendering her unconscious within minutes. ......... As Katie slept, the horrors of her reality trying their best to break her mind and world apart, someone watched on from far away, preferably for her own safety and convenience or simply because there was nothing that they could do for her at the moment. ¡°How long are you going to keep this hidden from her?¡± a man asked his wife, hugging her from the back while he kissed into the crook of her neck. The woman dressed in a white robe, barely responded to the loving gestures as she watched the girl sleeping, her mind deep in thought, trying to find a way she could best approach her current predicament, ¡°You need to stop stressing so much. It¡¯s not good for you.¡± This time, the man gently licked the mark in the crook of her neck forcing a reaction from her as that was probably one of the most sensitive parts of her body. ¡°Honey, it¡¯s not the right time yet,¡± the moon goddess said leaning into her husband. ¡°When is the right time then? You have watched this girl grow up and you have done nothing to interfere with her life... I thought that was all you were ever going to do, but now it seems like each time you stand at this pond staring down at her, you are holding back with all your control from going to her,¡± the man voiced his observations. ¡°You are right,¡± she did not bother denying what he said, ¡°four days from now, she will turn eighteen and her wolf will awaken. The time we have been waiting for is almost upon us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean. I thought the girl was a hunter,¡± the man said, confusion leaking into his voice. ¡°On the contrary, she is a werewolf. One of the pair that will bring peace to the humans and the werewolves,¡± she said. ¡°You remember that night that the Rogues attacked the royals to kill the newborn baby that was meant to do that. You sent me to protect her, but when I arrived, the baby¡¯s blood was in that crib and her mother had vanished along with her personal guard. I was sure that she was dead. Are you telling me that this whole time, the girl was still alive? And I been watching you loom over her for all this time,¡± a hint of agitation leaked into the man¡¯s voice as he spoke to his wife. ¡°Yes, my love, that is correct,¡± she spoke, her voicepletely void of all emotion as she did. She felt the man¡¯s hands tighten their grip around her waist before he let go and walked away from her. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°For a run,¡± he said, briskly walking out of the room, his fists constantly clenching and unclenching as he searched his mind for a way to blow off some steam. Chapter 8 Chapter 8: Chapter Eight Katie got up the next morning feeling more exhausted than she usually did and decided to go through the fitness stretches that allowed her body to get moving every time she was faced with this kind of fatigue. Hunters, being nearly regr humans, had ways to ovee many kinds of human weaknesses if only just to help them bridge the gap they had between their strength and that of the werewolves. This, however, only allowed them to survive. The Chase family of hunters was exceptionalpared to other hunters, honing their bodies till they were the perfection of human capabilities. Nheless, Katie was still miles from earning the experience that her guardians possessed and yet she was stronger than most of the hunters she had met until this point. Whether or not she was more powerful than her guardians in a duel was debatable to say the least. Thoughts of the day before ran through her mind while she stretched out her muscles. She shuddered at the thought of having to face Sandra again. Thankfully, now she knew that she had nothing to worry about as long as she took the pills that she was given by her parents. ¡®On your birthday, the pills will stop working,¡¯ Aunt Marie¡¯s voice rang in her head or was it just her imagination that told her that it was what she said. Either way, the thought of it was frightening in its own right. ¡®What happens after my birthday?¡¯ the question rang in her head as clear as daylight. One thing was certain though... there was going to be chaos after that day. She couldn¡¯t help deny the smile that made its way to her face. Deep down within her, she wanted the thrill of an adventure, but that¡¯s just what was wrong with adventures. No one ever knew what was in store for them when they went for them. School life was already as boring as it could get. The werewolves that attended the school did not offer up a challenge even to Sandra and yet she was weaker than Katie was. Katie looked at her fist, thoughts of the fact that she had almost never had to get violent against a werewolf crossing her mind. Had it made her soft or had it helped Sandra grow stronger? If she was a werewolf herself and yet she stood against them when it came to violence against the humans, did that make her a hypocrite? Random thoughts ran through her mind so much so that some of them were twisted in her motives. Some of the thoughts were more or less just wishful thinking on her part anyway. In the end, she decided the thoughts were meaningless if she couldn¡¯t get anywhere with that train of thought. Such indecision was nowing to her for the first time in her life. Nheless, there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. She continued to get ready for the day now that all feelings of fatigue and exhaustion had left her. Katie got downstairs where they ate breakfast as a family. She found that her appetite today was higher than it normally was and ended up serving twice as much food on her te as she normally did. Her uncle stared at the te, eyes wide with shock when she ced it on the table and shrugged it off. ¡°Hey, Tom, have you seen the brochure that I am supposed to be giving the Edisons today?¡± Aunt Marie said finally reaching the table whilst tying up her blonde silky hair into a high ponytail. ¡°I put it into your handbag just in case you forgot about it.¡± ..... ¡°Thank you, dear. Katie, your te certainly looks mountainous,¡± Aunt Marie said, smirking at her witty remark while she settled down for breakfast as well. ¡°I am feeling hungrier than usual,¡± Katie replied, several wolf jokes entering her mind at the moment before she brushed them off for a question that she had always wanted to ask, ¡°Why do you guys pretend to work normal jobs yet you are hunters?¡± ¡°Huh, who said anything about pretending?¡± Aunt Marie asked, ¡°We retired from being hunters.¡± ¡°But, you are still in your prime, with a reputation like yours you could have anything and work as...¡± ¡°That¡¯s about enough, Katie. You are right, we can do all of that, but what would happen to you if we did?¡± they asked. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What does this have to do with me?¡± Katie asked. ¡°We retired to raise you and give you the best childhood suited to you and to keep you safe. Just because of who you are, it will take some time before you have to let your guard down. How about we go through the brief history of the origin of the hunters once again,¡± Uncle Tom said, cing down his fork. His face depicted just the right amount of seriousness to convey the message that Katie was not getting out of this storytime session. Katie groaned loudly, ¡°Come on, we have gone through that story so many times. Why do we have to do this again?¡± ¡°A long time ago...¡± ¡°Jesus Christ...¡± Katie swore, Aunt Marie, giggling at the gesture. ¡°The moon goddess got into a quarrel with the god Prometheus and retaliated by turning two of his humans into werewolves, two brothers, Sirius and Lycaon. They were the first Royals to be created. The two brothers had the power to turn a human into a werewolf by just biting them and this was the beginning of a terrible war. Lycaon and Sirius would make an alpha with each bite, the alphas could then grant the power of a Beta to the first person they bit. Anyone from then on would be a normal werewolf without the power to turn another. The werewolves¡¯ added strength and abilities made it impossible for the humans to fight back as they were powerless against them. Prometheus was forced to watch as his people dwindled in numbers over a mere spat that he had with the moon goddess. Much as the humans were losing, if there was one thing that Prometheus had in mind when he was creating the first human, it was hope. Tired of the oppression and carnage, the humans decided to fight back. They came up with the society of hunters. Werewolves were captured in traps and experimented on to find their weaknesses and at the same time, the most elite of the human race was trained to be warriors worthy of the name. Despite the pain and bloodshed, the werewolves were still human in mind. The Royals finally conceded after realizing that the war could only lead to the destruction of both races. The hunters and the werewolves had a summit to discuss the rules of the new world. Humans were to live alongside werewolves in peace. A werewolf was never supposed to raise a w against a human even if the human was the first to cause trouble. The hunters were to deal with any issues the werewolves had and any werewolf that turned a human was to be sentenced to death. This summit is what led to the founding of Rogue wolves, the ones who did not believe in werewolves and humans being equal. The Royals, as well as the hunters, have been fighting with the Rogues ever since knowing that they were the only thing standing between them and peace for all humans and werewolves alike.¡± Katie had heard the story numerous times and it bored her just to hear it. ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°The Rogues have one thing that they are fighting for. They want to turn all humans into werewolves or to eradicate all humans from the face of the, both oues that are uneptable. They have a king we all refer to as the Rogue King. No one knows if he is an alpha or if he has Royal blood in his veins, just that he too can turn humans into werewolves. He sends hisckeys to find him humans for him to sink his teeth into,¡± this bit of information was new to Katie and in all honesty... disgusting. ¡°I feel a pointing out of you soon enough. Why are you telling me this right now? What does any of this have to do with anything for that matter?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know all the details, just that the Rogue King those many years ago, was the one responsible for trying to kill you as an infant. The Sirius Royal family was able to fake it that you died during the attack and that allowed us to hide well without suspicion,¡± Aunt Marie said. ¡°Continuing your jobs as hunters would have only meant that I would be at the risk of being discovered before I was strong enough to defend myself,¡± Katie said, the pieces finally fitting within her mind. ¡°Exactly, now finish your breakfast before you arete for school,¡± Aunt Marie summed it up lighting up as though she was just talking about some food recipe that was of no consequence whatsoever. Katie did not ask any further questions, having heard them say that they did not know all the details. She knew they would not have missed the important part of why it was that the Rogue King was trying to kill her as an infant. ............... The school building stood tall and magnificent, white covering its walls as though it was repainted on a daily basis. It was a bit brighter than Katie would have wanted it to be, but no one wasining. She breathed in deep once she was in through the gate. Just the day before, she had left in the middle of the day in a hurry. Now that she was okay, she could at least handle the situation better than she could yesterday. ¡®Now that my wolf is well suppressed, I won¡¯t even be able to get a sniff of that scent from yesterday,¡¯ she thought, curiosity getting the better of her, ¡®what was that scent anyway?¡¯ Katie walked on until she was at the stairs that led into the building, rushed footsteps catching her attention, ¡°Hey Katie, where have you been?¡± Katie looked to her right in time to lock eyes with a somewhat agitated Kyle. ¡°Family meeting, did something go wrong while I was gone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something you can¡¯t handle,¡± he said, matching her pace as they got into the building, ¡°Sandra has been acting strange. Shaemus wants to pick a fight with you and there is a new girl in school who Sandra already met which totally ruins the surprise information I had for the two of you yesterday.¡± Katie spent a few minutes trying to think over which of the headlines was more important than the other before he decided to go in order. ¡°Start with Sandra acting strange.¡± ¡°She came into the cafeteria yesterday looking for you in quite a rush. I didn¡¯t get to know what was bothering her. Anyway, that¡¯s when Shaemus snapped and announced that he will be taking you on at the hunter¡¯s training ground to see who gets to control the hierarchy from today on,¡± he said, ¡°Amidst his ranting, a guy showed up asking for Sandra...¡± ¡°Hey, guys,¡± the two friends nearly jumped out of their shoes on hearing the female intruder behind them. ¡°Do not sneak up on us like that,¡± Kyle stammered, ¡°You want to give me a heart attack. Now I know you hate me.¡± ¡°Aww, dramatic much,¡± she stuck out her tongue to him, ¡°so you were talking about me. What about?¡± ¡°I was just getting an update on what happened yesterday while I was...¡± the sound of the entrance double doors opening forcefully stopped Katie mid-sentence. ¡°Ah, cat¡¯s out of the bag. Meet Cole Lycaon,¡± Kyle whispered into a frozen Katie¡¯s ear. Chapter 9 Chapter 9: Chapter Nine Time seemed to slow when the new arrivals got into the building. Katie couldn¡¯t help but notice just how much attention they were attracting. Three guys who could easily have passed for bodybuilders, heavily muscled that it was easily noticeable even through their jackets although that wasn¡¯t what was the most frightening thing about them. The most frightening thing was their eyes. The ones of the two guys on both sides of the one in the middle were searing red. They stood on both sides of a guy whose eyes shook every human in the corridor to the core... bright blue. If it hadn¡¯t been for the bright blue that came from his eyes, they probably would have been ignored, but this colour was a perfect reminder that he was from one of the two Royal families. The students in the hallway that noticed them immediately cleared the hallway for them to pass. The three walked in, the Royal staying in front of the two alphas, a show of respect that Katie knew all too well. The longer she stared at them, the more she realized she was just wasting time, but then again, that was the same that was happening in the entire hallway. Katie turned away from them and walked up to her locker keeping her senses up as trained by her guardians. ¡°Hey, Katie, wait up,¡± Sandra called out to her as she opened her locker. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked, her voiceing out normal, well as normal as it could be. The feeling of nervousness in front of a werewolf was new to her. ¡°So that¡¯s Katie Chase,¡± a deep voice came, tearing straight through her mental defences. Something in her wanted to listen to this person longer... ¡®What am I thinking?¡¯ she thought to herself bewildered by the emotions. Something Katie was not used to, for a brief moment, Katie could feel the weakened wolf within her stir although it was not enough to shake her. She got her books and closed the locker before setting her eyes on the new arrivals. Cole gasped on seeing Katie, ¡°Your eyes,¡± a reaction that was the same for the other two alphas. ¡°Hey, Cole, you didn¡¯t tell me you hadpany,¡± Sandra saidughing nervously, interrupting the exchange. ¡°Yeah, my parents were like... if the hunters at this school are really that dangerous, then take these two ¡®hoodlums¡¯ for protection,¡± Cole said, Katie¡¯s mind unconsciously analyzing his voice. ¡®It¡¯s got a nice ring to it,¡¯ she thought before mentally face-palming herself and turning to walk away. ¡°Meet Caden and Jason,¡± he introduced them pointing at the two alphas that nked him right as she was leaving. ..... ¡°Just don¡¯t cause trouble and you should be fine,¡± she said as she walked away, ¡®I have to get out of here before I embarrass myself. Werewolves can hear heartbeats and tell emotions using that information. This ability is even stronger in alphas and Royals. If I stay too long, they will soon realise I¡¯m not asposed as I seem to be.¡¯ ¡°Someone¡¯s intimidated,¡± Cole said behind her, goading her. ¡°Yeah, keep telling yourself that,¡± she said waving at them blindly, a smirk on her face. Her biggest worry was that she would have scanned every inch of his face had they continued talking. ¡°I¡¯ll catch up with you, Cole. Excuse me,¡± Sandra said to them before jogging up to Katie and matching her pace. ¡°You guys got close in one afternoon,¡± Katie voiced her observation. ¡°I gave him a tour of the school...¡± Sandra said. ¡°I see... Lycaon... That¡¯s a name I thought I would only hear in stories,¡± she said, sighing. ¡°Does it worry you?¡± Kyle asked her. ¡°Not for obvious reasons,¡± Katie said after carefully thinking through her options. Her reaction to Cole¡¯s presence was new to her. Each time she spent in his presence seemed to rile up something deep inside her. Something that was supposed to remain buried until the day of her birthday. ¡°That¡¯s a curious answer,¡± Kyle said, watching Katie rub her temples in thought before she nearly collided with someone. It was rare for someone to bar Katie¡¯s way unless it was Dexter who was trying to pick a fight with her which Sandra would quickly take care of. Katie opened her eyes to take in whoever was standing in her way and came face to face with a smirking Shaemus. ¡°I was right. The mighty Katie Chase is all talk and no bark. You turned tail and ran from werewolves... all because you were intimidated.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯d forgotten about your little outburst. They told me you want to fight me. I probably heard them wrong, so I want to hear it from you,¡± Katie said staring him straight in the eye. ¡°Those eyes... are probably the reason why everyone is so afraid of you, but I¡¯ll tell you this. You don¡¯t scare me one bit. Today evening, I¡¯ll dethrone you, boy wonder.¡± This seemed to hit all the wrong buttons within Katie, ¡°I advise you to reconsider. I would hate to lose my cool with you as my punching bag.¡± ¡°Big talk from a hotshot whose time ising to an end. Change ising Chase and I will be the one who brings it,¡± Shaemus said before walking away from Katie. Katie closed her eyes and went through the breathing practices that they used in the Chase family to soothe anger. Sandra held her shaking hand to cool her down and as expected, she soon stopped seething. Katie walked on without another word of what had happened and made it to her next ss. Kyle bid them farewell as he did not share the same period as they did. ¡°Sandra, a favour,¡± she said, taking his seat at the back of the ss. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°If I lose control in the fight against Shaemus, I want you to stop me.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do my best... though you have more control than anyone I know. Dexter hasn¡¯t managed to piss you off and he has been doing it for years,¡± she said even though she did not leave like she thought she would, ¡°Hey, Katie. About...¡± ¡°Yesterday...¡± she interrupted her, staring out the window, her mind soaring into thought. ¡°Walls have ears.¡± This was what she said every time she was warning her that the information she was asking for her confidential and she would tell if and only if she was sure no one was listening in on their conversation. ¡°I wanted to apologise for...¡± Panic leaked into Sandra¡¯s voice. ¡°All is forgiven, Sandra. I don¡¯t think I would have handled that situation if I was in your shoes either,¡± she said before the bell went signalling the start of the lesson. ........... Cole stood in the spot Katie and Sandra had left them, frozen from the brief moment he had gotten the chance to see her face. Katie was not what he had expected, her eyes had captured his attention and even now that she was gone, the image refused to leave his mind. A reaction that he was not used to, ¡°Hey, Cole, shouldn¡¯t we get going?¡± one of the two beside him said, chuckling. ¡°Oh, yeah, let¡¯s get going,¡± his rushed footsteps only proved that he had been affected by the brief encounter. ¡°Someone is falling for a bad girl hunter,¡± one of the alphas said, the two of them chuckled. ¡°Shut up, Jason. You saw nothing... She was just...¡± the Royal couldn¡¯t shake the fact that he was more interested in the girl than he was the day before. ¡°Perfect, pristine, amazing, wonderful, you want to eat her up,¡± Jason said quickly providing all the options she did not want to hear. ¡°Unbelievable,¡± he groaned, hitting Jason¡¯s shoulder yfully, ¡°Ugh, you are such a pain.¡± Caden and Jason continued tough at his reaction which he just ignored. His mind was too focused on trying to wipe the images that gued his imagination to care about their childishness. ¡°I have watched you reject so many girls back at the pce. Many of them were even alphas. What¡¯s different about this one? Her name though... brings back memories,¡± Caden spoke when they started walking towards the examination block. ¡°I know what you mean. Her name was the reason I was so curious to know what she looked like. Those eyes... it was like she was mocking me,¡± he said, agitation clear in his voice, finally stabilizing his pace and leading them to administrative offices to pick their schedules. ¡°Then what was that? I know it was too subtle to be something of a reaction to meeting one¡¯s mate, so...¡± Cole looked at both of them as they eagerly waited for an answer. ¡®Just how many people are watching out for who I get to pick as my partner,¡¯ he thought to himself even though that did not get her out of trouble with these two. ¡°How may I help you?¡± ady interrupted them, freezing up when Cole looked her in the eye, recognition as well as shock evident in her expression, ¡°Oh, you must be Cole Lycaon. How may I help you?¡± ¡°Never time for proper introductions!!!¡± the statement came out rhetorical, ¡°we just need our ss schedules.¡± ¡°Oh, okay, follow me,¡± the teacher said, leading them on through the necessary procedures before getting them their schedules and bidding them farewell. Cole walked ahead of the others, leading them to the room. Having missed orientation, the two alpha bodyguards werepletely at a loss. Despite theck of interest, she had towards knowing what ss was what on the day before during her tour with Sandra, Cole had actually been paying attention and was in a position to lead them to the room they had been assigned for their first period without having to ask for directions. They got to the ssroom, the teacher already inside and far into the lesson topic of discussion. A knock at the door was enough to throw him off his rhythm. At first, the teacher seemed to be reluctant to attend to the new arrivals as he was in the middle of an exnation... that was until he took the time to at least see the faces of the intruders. The lesson came to a stop at that point, attracting the attention of the students who had also lost track of the lesson. This gesture attracted all the students in the ss... all except for one who remained staring out of the ss. Cole could not forget the features of the absentminded student at the back of the ss. After all, even the very clothes she was dressed in were burned deep into his memory... the memory of Katie Chase. Chapter 10 Chapter 10: Chapter Ten ¡°So ss, if I could have your attention, we have new students that are going to be joining us this term,¡± the teacher¡¯s voice came, finally prating Katie¡¯s shield of absentmindedness. She merely sighed and barely spared the new arrivals a nce as she continued to stare out the window. Some of the ways she worked of her nerves was by watching nature. In the distance outside the school, a squirrel chased another, or maybe the two were all running toward the same thing. Upon further inspection, it turned out, they were headed to the same nesting they had set up in the tree where they ced their findings of the day¡¯s meal and settled in. Katie¡¯s eyes were about to scan through the forest for another sign of life when someone tapped her shoulder. ¡®Oh, damn, I¡¯d forgotten the introductory speech,¡¯ a troubling thought travelling through his mind while Sandra shook her. ¡°Katie, if you would?¡± the teacher spoke. Katie stood up to speak, looking on to the new arrivals before she began the speech she had now made each year that she was in this school. It was the job of the head of the hunters in the school to initiate the new werewolves so that they knew what to do and what not to do in order to stay in peace while they attended the school. ¡°As you all know by now, the name¡¯s Katie Chase. I represent the hunters at this prestigious school. I hold the position of head hunter. Anyway, to get straight to the point, the same rules that apply in the real world apply here. The only difference here is that as a hunter that studies within the same school, I am much nearer to you in case of an emergency. Violence between a wolf and a human is strictly forgiven. Any form of violence against a wolf from a human is to be reported straight to me. Retaliation of any form will automatically plead the human innocent. Hunters are to be respected as they have the power to use violence where they see fit. And finally, anything concerning these rules or the conduct of a hunter is to be reported directly to me.¡± With that said, Katie took her seat, her mind shing thest statement that she had missed, ¡°Oh, and wee to Dark Moon High School.¡± ¡°Scary speech,¡± one of the alphas spoke, ¡°So are you supposed to be the toughest hunter here? You don¡¯t look so tough...¡± ¡°And yet many werewolves seem to be finding themselves in the infirmary,¡± Katie replied, her eyes back on the forest. Her interest in the new arrivals was already fading or was it simply an act that she was using to show them that they didn¡¯t mean much in this school. Nheless, she kept her senses sharp like she had been taught growing up. There was nothing that hurt more than to act cocky and not be able to back it up when the need arose. ..... ¡°If there isn¡¯t something more that is to be said, you can take your seats,¡± the teacher said to them. There was a bit of silence and shuffling while the wolves took their seats. Katie being in thest seat at the back corner with a great view of the forest and the ss as well, only had one seat that was closest to her on one side, and another that was the one directly in front of her. The one beside her was upied by Sandra and this meant that no one could get... ¡°Hey, Sandra, can I sit there?¡± the whole ss went silent when they heard the Royal ask one of the most feared girls to scooch. Katie slowly turned to see what it was that was going on and found that Sandra was being asked to vacate her seat. ¡®Oh dear, Royals sure are confident,¡¯ Katie thought. ¡°Why not?¡± Sandra replied, smiling and getting up, before whispering something into Cole¡¯s ear to which heughed. Cole took the seat beside Katie while Sandra went for the seat in front of her. The alphas took the other seats that lined the back of the room away from Katie. The teacher shook his head in an effort to get his mind back into the lesson before he continued exactly where he stopped as if his ss had not gained three new extremely intimidating students. The constant feeling of having someone staring at you couldn¡¯t let Katie lose focus again. Rubbing her temple, she got out one of the books she carried and started scribbling down something from what she knew the teacher was teaching just to pass the time. ¡°Does the big and tough hunter actually pay attention?¡± ¡°No, she simply knows everything that is going to be taught already. And I am not big.¡± ¡°Oh, that must be fun. Is there some way the petite tough hunter can help me with this after ss then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite straightforward. Sorry, I have no time for that. Like you just said, this hunter, meaning I probably have something else to do in my so-called free time,¡± Katie was expecting him to be a talker, but this was going too fast for someone that was seeing him for the first time. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with your eyes, Chase?¡± he asked her, bringing back her memories of the day before; the headache, the wolf, the pills, the fact that on her birthday, she would have no way of stopping this one bit and the fact that it was a full moon on that day. ¡°Weird question, Cole, does the full moon affect werewolves?¡± ¡°Weird question indeed even after hearing that the werewolves believe in the moon goddess,¡± he replied matter-of-factly. ¡°Never mind, just a rhetorical question. I¡¯ve just never seen a werewolf actually showing signs of being affected by it,¡± Katie said, turning her attention back to the forest looking for yet another distraction. ¡°Can you look at me when you are talking to me?¡± Cole tried, but as it was right now, the hunter was not going to spare him another second of his time which nagged him a bit. Thoughts of her peculiar behaviour bothered him. He could hear her heartbeat and from the moment they had gotten in till now, it had been steady, neither rising nor falling, except when she asked the weird question. As soon as she began getting agitated, she dismissed it. The question probably meant something to her although Cole was at a loss as he could not figure out how a useless question such as that one would matter to anyone, not to mention a hunter with as much experience as a Chase. He turned his attention to the teacher and soon found that ignoring the absentminded hunter was even more agitating than he would have liked. He was getting more and more curious to know what was on the mind of the blue-eyed hunter, but she was keeping to herself right now. Even Sandra whom he had known to be a very close friend to her, wasn¡¯t making as much progress with her as he was. Katie, on the other hand, after careful thought was finally at the conclusion that this was probably herst week in school. After the founding festival theing weekend, everything was going to change for her. She began closing her books and packing them into her bag after taking a look at the time on the clock before saying onest thing. ¡°It would be best for you to just lose interest in the bad blue eyed hunter,¡± Katie said before picking up her bag, slinging it over her right shoulder and starting the walk to the exit of the still-seated ssroom. ¡°Hey, the ss is...¡± the bell, as if on queue, rang while Cole tried to stop her, ¡°not yet over.¡± Sandra turned to him while the rest of the ss filed out. Cole stared into his book, having barely written a thing from the lesson. His mind could not stop soaring in confusion. ¡°You must be used to being undeniable,¡± Sandra said. ¡°That¡¯s not it, Sandra. Is she always like this?¡± ¡°No... not really. Something is bothering her, but one thing I know about her is that she will reveal that in her own time. For now, there is nothing any of us can do about it,¡± she said. ¡°That is troubling to know. Do you have any pointers on what buttons I can push to get a reaction out of her?¡± he asked sheepishly. ¡°You¡¯re desperate, royal boy. Assuming I follow all you are saying, which I don¡¯t, Katie is impossible to get to. On the outside, she seems emotionless... at least, that is what she shows everyone shees across who she has nothing to do with,¡± she said. ¡°She didn¡¯t seem emotionless to me,¡± it was Sandra¡¯s time to be surprised. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°She is clearly hiding a lot although I cannot put my finger on what it is exactly. Curiosity won¡¯t let it slide,¡± Cole said, her eyes now stuck on the door that Katie just went through. After a short period of silence, Sandra shrugged it off, rolling her eyes, ¡°Royals have weird taste.¡± The two alphas that were still waiting on Cole burst intoughter on hearing that as Sandra got her bag and bid Cole farewell. ¡°Why do you follow her around?¡± Cole asked Sandra before she was out the door. ¡°Is that what it looks like?¡± Sandra asked beforepletely stepping out of sight. ¡®Am I missing something?¡¯ Cole thought to himself after the reply from Sandra but decided to put it aside for the meantime. ................ Katie¡¯s new self-assigned task was to find out what she was going to do about her situation with the full moon transformation. She avoided much discussion with anyone else and went to the library once more, skipping her lesson like she had done the day before. She wanted to find out more about the werewolves and the way the full moon could affect them. As a matter of fact, it now urred to her, just how wrong she had been to ask the Royal a question such as that one as it was one that was only going to cause suspicion. She went through the section she had visited the day before, her eyesnding on a cover that said, ¡®the Wolf and the Moon.¡¯ She picked the book out and took a seat in one of her usual ces. Being a hunter of her calibre made rules quite loose on her that she no longer really cared for boundaries concerning the school and conduct. The book started with how the moon goddess was the source of the werewolves¡¯ power and it was through the moon that she would grant them even more of it. It was suicide to fight a werewolf under the light of the moon without the right equipment. This was something that hunters were taught, although Katie learnt thatter on from Sandra when she was trying to warn her of it. The Chase family never did care about that detail as a werewolf was still a werewolf whether the moon was out or not. She skipped through the pages looking for what could be a bad side effect of the full moon on a werewolf. Much to her dismay, she found what she was looking for. ¡®Werewolf moon training...¡¯ A title that began the entire topic of how wolves trained their young control from the moment they could first shift. A werewolf was not allowed near any humans until it was clear that they could control themselves when the full moon was out and make it look the effect look non-existent even when agitated. Before that happened, getting such a wolf angry alone was enough to activate its primal instincts. The training that her guardians had taken her through was now starting to make sense. Katie was just about to close the book when she saw a caption at the end of the page. Chapter 11 Chapter 11: Chapter Eleven When a wolf that has alreadye of age loses their control due to anger or the full moon, only its mate is capable of returning it to its original senses. They are therefore suspended in mind and reduced to near animals relying more on instinct than logic. That goes without saying that the difference between the werewolf as a whole and the wolf part alone is that the werewolf still retains its intelligence. Werewolves are violent creatures that can easily be angered into a rage, however, the wolf alone will go after those it holds thergest grudge with and ughter them without much hesitation. Katie¡¯s heartbeat sped up before she forcefully and instinctively calmed himself down. ¡°Hey, Katie,¡± a familiar voice came behind her. She turned to see Sandra standing behind her before she beckoned for her to take a seat close to her. ¡°What¡¯s going on with you and...¡± her speech was cut short when she noticed the book Katie was reading, ¡°Is that a werewolf book? What is it talking about?¡± ¡°Full moon transformations,¡± she replied indifferently. ¡°You could have asked me about that. You always didn¡¯t want to know much about them. Just how to find their weaknesses and how to kill them when the need arose,¡± she helped Katie recall. ¡°I know that, but...¡± she paused before finishing her statement, ¡°that was before I knew that I was one of them.¡± Sandra gasped... fear once more gripped her as it had from the day before. She did her best to push it down and stay by her best friend¡¯s side. ¡°But that¡¯s not possible, your eyes...¡± ¡°Aunt Marie and Uncle Tom told me. The pills that they have been giving me my whole life are supposed to suppress it. Turns out I was born a werewolf,¡± Katie said, a sadistic smile showing up on her face. A clear indicator that she was losing her mind over the new information that now gued her, ¡°It feels like some sick joke, Sandra. My life was just fine the way it was and now we have a royal and two alphas at the school. How did everything turn into a mess in just a matter of hours?¡± ..... ¡°What mess? There is no mess yet. All you have to do is keep taking your pills and everything will be fine, right,¡± she said. ¡°On my birthday, over the weekend... on the day, I turn eighteen, the pills will be useless and on that night, there will be a full moon,¡± she said. Sandra quickly grabbed the book she was reading and looked at the contents that she was previously reading, her eyes darting across the page at lightning speeds looking for the writing that was causing the head hunter¡¯s hand to shiver. She froze at the note, reading it over carefully before looking back at her. ¡°Your eyes... are you?¡± ¡°Yes, I... am a Royal,¡± his voice came out shakier than he would have liked. Sandra held her hands together in an effort to stop the shivers. ¡°No, you¡¯re the strongest one here and the only one who stands a chance against such a monster... no offence.¡± ¡°None taken... I agree with you though. I truly am a monster,¡± Katie said, keeping her eyes pinned to a single spot on the table as she said, one of her numerous nervous ticks. She always required something to focus on when she was providing such news. This time the wood carvings of the intricately designed library furniture seemed to interest her. ¡®Architects really got it easy,¡¯ she almost chuckled at her own joke. ¡°The dance... what about...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that would be a good idea. The safety of the students would be at risk,¡± Katie reasoned. ¡°There has to be a way, Katie,¡± Sandra was starting to panic, ¡°there has to...¡± ¡°Hush, Sandra,¡± a smile spread across Katie¡¯s face, ¡°Honestly, at times I forget that you weren¡¯t taught how to conceal your emotions. You act so tough and mighty when we face Dexter and all the other troublemakers that it slips my mind.¡± ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± Sandra asked, a tear falling down her face. ¡°I¡¯m happy you aren¡¯t reacting the same way you did yesterday. That was brutal,¡± Katie chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s not funny.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right... It¡¯s not... Instead, it¡¯sforting,¡± she pulled her into a hug, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do any...¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be attending the party on Sunday unless there is some miracle that happens. Instead, I will have to find another way to contain whatever monster that will be unleashed on that day,¡± Katie said to her. Sandra pulled back and wiped her tears, taking her seat and taking a look at the book once again. ¡°I don¡¯t think that will work though considering there is only one thing that will be able to turn you back to normal when that dayes,¡± she said. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought that far ahead. But that can¡¯t be true, there has to be another...¡± Katie was stopped by Sandra whose eyes only replied to her with questions and not answers. Sighing and giving up, Katie allowed her to proceed, ¡°If you are a Royal, what the hell are you doing here being raised by the Chase family. It feels weird not calling them your family right now,¡± she said. ¡°Something about the Rogue King attempting to kill me as an infant so I was given to them for safekeeping,¡± Katie summarized. ¡°And they ended up creating a monster hunter. Wow, you are like one hell of a freak of nature.¡± ¡°Thanks for thepliment.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, now borate that summary you just made,¡± she edged her on so that she could tell the whole story. Katie took a look through the library to make sure there was no one that was listening to them while they spoke about this. She then began her story in detail clearly stating that she had no details on the reasons for the Rogue King¡¯s actions against her life. Katie couldn¡¯t shake the creeps Sandra was giving her as she listened to the story like it was some movie, adding all the gasps at the right moment and asking her ¡®then what¡¯ each time she paused for too long. She told her the story in the same order of how everything had urred the day before. She wanted to know everything that had happened to her when she vanished the day before. When she was done, she went into her own thinking and started muttering something that she did not expect to hear. ¡°Could you be the child that the Sirius family lost to a rogue attack eighteen years ago?¡± she asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about,¡± Katie raised her hands in mock surrender. ¡°Oh, I¡¯d forgotten you spent your entire life cooped up learning the art of werewolf decapitation,¡± Sandra eximed, standing up and beckoning for him to follow her. ¡®It wasn¡¯t only decapitation, there was also a lot about dismembering and disabling, even knocking...¡¯ Katie stopped her thoughts mid-way on realizing the point that Sandra was trying to get across, ¡®Touche.¡¯ ¡°Ha ha ha, not funny,¡± following her to God-knows-where she was leading her. They walked through to the very back of therge library where the school kept old documents and newspapers. ¡°You guys are being loud,¡± the librarian whisper shouted at them. ¡°We¡¯ll try to be a bit more silent then,¡± Katie replied in the same manner ofmunication, the sound of a box hitting the ground resonating through the entire library right as she did. Silence filled the library along with the sense of awkwardness. Katie stood, with her smile still intact as a second box fell to the ground, the sound making her wince. She turned to Sandra just in time to see a third box also fall to the ground. The boxes had been so poorly stacked that touching one would cause a random one on the other side of the pile to tumble. ¡°Hey, can you try to be a bit quieter?¡± she said through his teeth, the whole library at the moment, whichprised of about ten students, was staring at them, making this situation all the more awkward. ¡°Maybe if you could help me with these, we could achieve some silence.¡± ¡°Oh, quit your whining and let¡¯s get this over with,¡± she shrugged off Sandra¡¯sint and helped her sort out the boxes until they got to the one that dated back to eighteen years ago. Within the box were newspapers that had been gathering dust over the ages. ¡°Haven¡¯t visited this in a while now,¡± Sandra said. ¡°And why exactly is it that you know about this?¡± allowing as much suspicion as she could muster to leak into her voice and even narrowing her eyes at her friend for added effect. ¡®We are the same age, aren¡¯t we? Why does she know about something that happened when we were only infants?¡¯ ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly go through all these. My parents just used to tell me things that used to happen back then. Big events to be exact, the death of the daughter of the Sirius Royal family wasn¡¯t something that wouldn¡¯t go unnoticed,¡± she said while she went through the newspapers until she found one that matched what she was looking for. She pulled out the newspaper, the top headline showing a man dressed standing with a woman crying. The picture was in ck and white although one could tell that these two were wealthy from the way they dressed. The crowns on their heads felt like overkill to Katie, but it was what it was. Royals were Royals and this was the King and his Luna. She looked on to the headline at the top of the paper. ¡°Something like that the death of a princess isn¡¯t something people just stop talking about.¡± ¡®Princess Katie Sirius, Daughter and Heir to the Sirius Royal family, Killed in Rogue Attack at the Royal Pce.¡¯ ¡°I guess it would make sense that you wouldn¡¯t know about this considering your guardians were actually supposed to hide it from you. Chapter 12 Chapter 12: Chapter Twelve The bell that signalled the start of the lunch break soon went with Katie and Sandra drowning into boring texts of testifiers of what happened that night. One thing they all had inmon was that they all tried to tell the story like they had got the most important detail of the story. Some resorted to wild and farfetched prepositions for the reasons behind the attack only for the sake of gaining recognition in the newspaper. The event of the death of the infant was something that somewhat shook the world and everyone saw something out of it. The Rogue King was a figure that struck fear into many across the whole globe, but this wasn¡¯t something that Katie could have expected. Most of the people who wrote sympathized with the Sirius family while the few who didn¡¯t, spoke the vilest of things to werewolves in general. Sandra got to packing the boxes and stacking them up, Katie slowly following suit. They organized the papers into the boxes neatly and quietly, Sandra stealing nces her way although Katie did not spare her a single one. ¡°How are you taking this?¡± she asked. ¡°You are the one that should be panicking and yet, you seem to be taking this quite well,¡± Katie said. ¡°You are still my best friend, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What if this discovery means the Rogue Kinges after me? And for all we know, the guy could even be a royal somewhere from the family of either the Sirius or the Lycaon line,¡± Katie spoke indifferently. ¡°That¡¯s not the answer to my question... Although it answers my first one, as expected from the Chase prodigy, you are calm and collected as you¡¯ve always been,¡± she surmised. ¡°A feat I could only aplish with my best friend¡¯s help...¡± this time Katie brought her dark blue eyes to meet her hazel brown ones, ¡°I¡¯ll thank you once again.¡± ..... If her gratitude for Sandra¡¯s presence had not sunk in earlier, there was no way it did not register now that she heard that. Pride filled up within her as she replied, ¡°you¡¯re wee.¡¯ The widest smile she could manage lit up her face instantly forcing Katie to smile just as well. This brief exchange was enough to quell the rage that had been building up inside of Katie... rage which she had initially nned to unleash during her fight with Shaemus. Now that she thought back, there was a chance the boy would have ended up in the hospital. They finished packing and left the library to attend lunch at the cafeteria. ¡°I¡¯m guessing it would not look too good for me to dodge lunch yet again now would it?¡± ¡°No, it would not. It will only work to help Shaemus get ahead of himself. If there is a way that you can stop him from continuing with his suicidal n, that would be a more desirable oue,¡± Sandra spoke. ¡°To be honest, Sandra, we have been digging this grave since the moment you decided to step in for me each time a werewolf wanted to cause trouble,¡± Katie told her. ¡°I was protecting the werewolves from more pain than was necessary.¡± ¡°Yeah, I hear you, but how are you going to protect this cocky hunter from it as well?¡± they rounded yet another corner that now led to the entrance of the cafeteria. The noiseing from it was louder than the noise that normally came from it, so the two stopped their conversation to pay attention to the cause of themotion. Katie reached the door of the cafeteria, her eyes ready to survey the area for the source of themotion only to find the centre of the attention right in the centre of the cafeteria. Most of the boys were surrounding two werewolves who were caught in the middle of an arm-wrestling match. Dexter was versing one of the alphas, Jason if Katie could remember correctly, that hade with Cole and the two were still locked in a stalemate, each of them unmoving. Even though it was funny to see Dexter¡¯s face contort in all fashions of ways as he tried to move the unyielding hand of the alpha, something didn¡¯t feel right about the situation. ¡°Hey, so you think Katie would let any of this kind of stuff happen in her presence?¡± Dexter asked. ¡°No, she wouldn¡¯t,¡± one of the wolves in the crowd yelled before they all paid attention to a hunter that was Shaemus. ¡°It breaks no rules, so if you feel depressed under Katie¡¯s reign of terror, you should be happy to know that it ends today,¡± this short statement would then cause an uproar within the crowd. Katie covered her mouth to keep theughter from escaping her lips. Sandra caught her gesture andughed herself. The room went dead silent. Sandra¡¯sughter was the only thing that could still be heard through the silence like a clear bell. The thud of an arm hitting a table told everyone that Dexter had just lost his arm-wrestling match. Katie masked herughter having been discovered, ¡°Now, this is new. Nice work conspiring against me Shaemus. You have done splendid work.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need any praise from the likes of you. Today, after ss...¡± ¡°I heard... you finally thought of the impossible. You have until five minutes into the fight to withdraw your challenge. Before that time pses, I will be willing to forget everything that you have so far done,¡± Katie spoke up, her voice as icy as she could make it. Chills visibly ran through Shaemus on hearing the open threat, ¡°That only means that you are giving me five minutes to pummel you in our fight. You will regret being so cocky.¡± Katie took her eyes off him and walked up to the hunters¡¯ section of the cafeteria, taking her famed seat on the sofa right next to Kyle. The ce she always sat in with Kyle and Sandra, ¡°Long time, no see Kyle.¡± ¡°Yeah, long indeed... your patterns have been more erratic starting yesterday. It¡¯s like I lost track of you the moment you took Dexter and his friend to the infirmary,¡± he said. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s about right... and I can¡¯t guarantee that it¡¯s going to get any better,¡± she replied. ¡°Will I at least know what is causing such behaviour?¡± ¡°Maybe... once I know where your loyalties lie,¡± Kyle narrowed his eyes at his friend on hearing how odd the statement was phrased. There seemed to be a variety of things going through the mind of the teacher¡¯s pet. ¡°That is an odd condition. We are best friends, not some kind of werewolf hierarchy...¡± ¡°Werewolf hierarchy is not such a bad thing you know,¡± a deep voice interrupted Kyle. In the hunters¡¯ section, Kyle was the one person who was actually allowed to be there but wasn¡¯t a hunter. They turned to face the new blue-eyed arrival. ¡°Hey, Cole,¡± Sandra greeted her whileing over from the counter with two trays in her hands, setting one down for Katie and taking her seat beside her. ¡°Hey, Sandra... Some mini nation you¡¯ve built for yourself, Katie,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯d hoped I could get to talk to you.¡± Katie stayed silent for a bit, her mind going through the number of times and the effort that the Royal was spending to try and get to talk to her. Something that wasmendable, to say the least considering she had done nothing but avoid him the whole time. ¡°What time works for you?¡± she asked. ¡°After sses will do,¡± he said, his eyes lighting upon hearing the sudden invitation. A smile that should not have got to Katie, but it did and she found herself pleased with it. She winced at the impulses that were still a mystery. ¡°Have you heard about the smackdown that takes ce at that time?¡± ¡°Is that normal by the way? Your subordinates shouldn¡¯t be walking all over you like that,¡± he pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s not normal... he is actually the first one toe up with such an idea for as long as I have been here. Anyway, just attend the fight... I¡¯m sure it will be over before you know it,¡± Katie said, dragging her eyes back to Shaemus who was still trying to win the crowd, a feat that shouldn¡¯t have been easy with Katie physically around, ¡°How are they still hearing him out? If I focus well enough, I can notice him shivering.¡± ¡°The fact that Sandra won¡¯t be allowed to help you fight this time seems to have everyone riled up. He¡¯s got the whole cafeteria convinced that you use her because you can¡¯t fight yourself and everything is just an act,¡± Cole exined, taking a seat on the other side of the table in front of them, one of the alphas taking a seat beside him, two trays of food in his hands. He ced one the table before Cole and got a seat for himself. ¡°Where did hee up with that assumption? Wait, you¡¯re following all this?¡± ¡°Yes, I am following. The funny part is when he was shivering, he exined that he is shaking with rage to throw everyone off. The skilled werewolves in the room could smell his fear, but no one was in the mood to spoil the fun. Seems werewolves want to watch a hunter get pummeled for once,¡± he said somewhat dismissively. Katieughed at his observation and watched for a bit before getting started with her lunch. For a moment she tried to ignore the cacophony that was in the cafeteria until something crossed her mind, ¡°Principal Brown is going to be so mad.¡± The people around her froze at the mention of the principal and looked back at themotion. One by one, the hunters stopped eating and stood before Katie, ¡°How do you suggest we handle the situation?¡± Katie paused to think beforeing up with a solution, ¡°Make a quick poster of the fight with Shaemus, then make it clear that the time for his campaign is over. Restrain Shaemus if need be. The crowd should disperse once it is clear that this level of disarray shall no longer be tolerated.¡± With that said, the hunters left to carry out her orders without another word, rushing as fast as they could. The poster did not need to be printed, just writing that specified what exactly it meant, something to make the fight seem official and deem the entire campaign irrelevant and not to mention... a nuisance. The prize that was being fought for was made clear that it was the post of Head hunter. This meant that a campaign was not necessary as this was nothing to do with democracy. The hunters returned only minutes after leaving with everything in order and called for everyone¡¯s attention. Sandra stood at the top of a desk to speak up, Katie looked to her side, surprised by the fact that she had not noticed her leave. ¡°Listen up everyone. It is now clear that there will be a fight after sses on the hunters¡¯ training grounds not far from the school. Whoever would like to attend it is wee. Considering the nature of this leader selection, a campaign will not be necessary as there is no need to win over people¡¯s hearts in a dispute that does not involve democracy...¡± ¡°They have to know who...¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough Shaemus. This... is not a request,¡± tension built up in the room on hearing this. Shaemus looked in Katie¡¯s direction, perceiving her expression as one that was not kidding around. A smirk formed on his face, somewhat of an indication that he was already thinking of a way to make this backfire. The hunters knew that Shaemus was good with words, but this was going a bit overboard even for him. ¡°So you¡¯re sending yourckeys again?¡± he yelled at her, right before he was attacked by Sandra. She swiftly and skillfully restrained his hands behind his back, tripping him over her foot while she did so that he fell face t on the table. She then ced her knee on his back locking him in an ufortable position with his head against the table. It had happened so fast that he had been unable to react. He could only grunt and rx as any further resistance might have caused him to break his hand. Katie got up from her seat and walked up to him. The look of hate in Shaemus¡¯ face was undeniable as he looked up at the current head of the hunters in the school. ¡°For as long as I am still the head of the hunters, you follow my rules, is that clear?¡± a brief nod got him released from the restraining hold. Shaemus held back his anger, his fear of Sandra holding him back more than he cared to admit. ¡°Sandra won¡¯t be able to save you when we start fighting. I won¡¯t hold back,¡± he spat wringing his arm in an effort to relieve his shoulders from the aches he had after enduring that hold as he walked out of the cafeteria. Katie walked back to her seat, Sandra and the rest of the hunters following behind her. The cafeteria was finally dead silent as it was supposed to be. Well, there wasn¡¯t a rule against speaking during lunch hour, but after such a disy of power, the ufortable silence made it impossible for anyone to proceed with their conversations as if nothing had just happened. Chapter 13 Chapter 13: Chapter Thirteen The cafeteria was in order after the hunters¡¯ disy that showed they were still under the leadership of Katie before the fight between Shaemus and her. Katie couldn¡¯t help but wonder what Shaemus was trying to aplish. He was one of the more capable junior hunters in the group of hunters-in-training that they had in the school, and yet... She abandoned the train of thought and decided it would be best if the principal had not learned of this himself, ¡®Something is wrong with Shaemus and there is a big chance that he can¡¯t tell what it is,¡¯ was what Katie¡¯s instincts were trying to tell her. ¡°All of you get to your respective sses after this,¡± she spoke when she was done with his meal. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± ¡°I am going to speak to the principal before he finds out about all this. Shaemus could get expelled for the stunt he¡¯s pulled. Honestly, what¡¯s got into him? He¡¯s going to be a pain if he keeps this up,¡± Katie groaned, getting up from her seat in the sofa. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. You are going to say what exactly,¡± Cole asked. ¡°Improvising is part of the job description.¡± ¡°I¡¯d have him thrown in a dungeon for insubordination,¡± Katie froze and took a look at his face one more time looking for hints of a joke anding up with none. ¡®He¡¯s serious, could be the first time I¡¯ve seen him look the slightest bit scary... well except for the blue eyes...¡¯ ..... ¡°At times, I forget that you are a Royal,¡± she said before walking away. Cole froze at the statement, conflicted on what reaction to make once again. The statement had an effect that he had not liked, making it sound like royals were ndestine savages. It was true that as a Royal, insubordination was one of the things he disliked to his very core and yet the way Katie treated Shaemus was different from how he would have handled the situation. The more he got to know the hunter, the moreplicated she got. One thing was certain though... he didn¡¯t like the effect she had on him. It reminded him too much of something he had long given up on... and buried in the depths of his memory. By Katie questioning just one of his methods, he was already revising them as if there was something wrong with them. There was nothing wrong with punishing someone for getting out of line. It was simply unforgivable, but then, that is just how it had always been done in the Lycaon Royal family. No one had ever let such a crime slide and now that he got to witness something of the sort happening, he was more than curious to know what was going toe of this strategy. Ruling with such soft-heartedness would only make your subjects walk all over you, just like Shaemus was currently doing, and yet, Katie wasn¡¯t in the least bit bothered by the pitiful disy of insubordination. Cole watched her walk away, utterly speechless. His mind fought hard looking for some form of retaliation, but nothing escaped his lips. ¡°Cat got your tongue,¡± Jason spoke up, startling him. ¡°Oh, shut up, Jason,¡± he groaned at the obnoxious alpha that was one of his best friends. Finishing his meal and dismissing the two alphas so that he could stay with Sandra and Kyle. Kyle was on average, a good person. He had noticed that not anyone would sit beside Katie but him which meant he was someone of value to her. It hadter be clear that he too was one of her best friends to the hunter, something that did not register well in his mind. Cole hid this emotion for it came across as unusual and out of line. Besides, of all the people in the hunters¡¯ section, he posed the least threat to her... he had no reflexes, his guard was down the entire time and waspletely at ease when he showed up. Kyle was not a hunter and if it ever came to it, he was not the type to take a life even if it was that of rogue. Cole was still unsure if any of the junior hunters in the school could take a life except for Katie and Sandra. He was yet to evaluate the abilities of the others although they didn¡¯t seem as sharp as Katie. She did her best to hide the fact that she was always aware of her surroundings, which made Sandra look more skilled than she was to the untrained eye. This only made Katie an even more intriguing person. Unlike Katie, who left her table a mess, the rest of the hunters cleaned up after themselves before they left. When Sandra was done, she started picking up after her like it was normal. ¡°Does she always do that?¡± Cole asked, getting up to help her out. ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°Let you do all the dirty work. To be honest, if I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say she acts, in more ways than one, like an alpha than a human or hunter in this case,¡± he pointed out. ¡°I don¡¯t really know what to make of that... I¡¯d probably just say that she is a spoilt brat if I wanted to end the conversation, but the truth isn¡¯t that at all... I¡¯m actually being trained by her,¡± Sandra said, the few hunters that were still present froze on hearing that, seizing the opportunity of hearing this information. Sandra didn¡¯t look too bothered to let them know anyway, ¡°and thates along with aplicated student-master rtionship. I do not let her do anything that she doesn¡¯t need to in my presence and this just happens to be among those things.¡± ¡°If you were topare yourself to her, how far in skill would you say she was from you?¡± Cole asked, trying to get a scope of how powerful the famous Katie Chase was. ¡°She already received her Prometheus hunter gift,¡± several gasps could be heard from all over the hunters¡¯ section including the two alphas at Cole¡¯s side. This exined a lot including her confidence towards facing a Royal such as himself. The phrase was well known in the werewolf and huntermunities as it was something that all werewolves hade to fear. Any hunter that possessed Prometheus gift was a danger to any werewolf that dared to cross them... Power that bridged the gap between humans and werewolves and when the hunters used weapons in conjunction with these powers, werewolves barely stood a chance. ¡°But I thought she¡¯s about our same age, what is she doing in school with such skill?¡± ¡°She actually turns eighteen not so far from now,¡± Sandra said, a look of amusement crossed Cole¡¯s face. He could barely contain the adrenaline rush he got from hearing what was being said about Katie. This exceeded all his expectations. At the age of seventeen, she was powerful enough to brush off the presence of a royal. Astonishing was an understatement. Jason shuddered on hearing that before speaking out loud, ¡°The Chase family is even scarier than their reputation.¡± ¡°So what gift does she have of the two?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her use it in a while. She likes training herself without it so that she can push her human capabilities to the limit and in turn strengthen her gift. As a result of this, I have almost never witnessed her using it. There is a high likelihood that she will get to use it today though, just so that she can prove a point to Shaemus. I tried my best to stop Shaemus from being stupid, but he wouldn¡¯t listen,¡± Cole had been focused so much on the questions, that he was surprised when he noticed the whole ce was already cleared including the things he had been holding himself and Sandra was now wiping the tables and counters in the bar-themed hunter section of the cafeteria. These guys were really living like nobles here. ¡°Sandra, is what you are saying true, or just trying to make her look like a goddess ofbat or something?¡± one of the hunters that were present spoke out, the shivers that racked him could be seen visibly. It wasn¡¯t almost unheard of for a hunter to be a professional before the age of eighteen and gain a license at the same time. ¡°No, Aiden. To be perfectly honest, the girl is unbelievable. I am doing the opposite of exaggerating right now,¡± the mood of those that were left in the cafeteria was now low. The fight was not even in sight yet, and it was already feeling heavily one-sided. ¡°Can I ask something else?¡± ¡°You are definitely full of questions today, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sandra said, starting the walk to their next sses. ¡°Yeah, I am. They just keeping. I can¡¯t seem to quench my curiosity.¡± ¡°What do you hope to gain from all these questions?¡± Sandra asked... a hint of suspicion in her voice. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it. I have nothing in mind. I just need to know how this society works, that¡¯s all. Katie also seems to intrigue me the more I get to know about her... no offence,¡± Cole was getting cornered fast. ¡°None taken... You already know that though. The way society works. The briefing should have covered it. You were given all the instructions that you need to know in order to study here with no problem. Keep your fangs to yourself and you¡¯ll have no problem. You can even befriend a human if you abide by those rules,¡± Sandra exined. ¡°Hey, why are you attacking me all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite simple really. I remembered what makes Royals scary regardless of their added speed, strength and heightened senses. With how nice you are, it¡¯s quite easy to forget something like that. But not with your constant questions,¡± Sandra couldn¡¯t help the scowl that formed on her face while they kept heading up the stairs, their next lesson being held on the third floor. ¡°If you could just remind me, what is it that makes Royals so damn scary?¡± Jason asked... a cloudy suspicion of what she was saying forming in his mind. Her tone had changedpletely into one of hostility. It was almost like she was someone else. ¡°Your bite...¡± Cole stopped dead in his tracks, his vision going red as his wolf reared forward in rage. It was known by everyone on the that the moment the fangs of a Royal prated the skin of a human, there could only be two oues. Either the human went through the transformation and sessfully became an alpha or the human would die. Royals were already strong to begin with, but the fact that they didn¡¯t even have to kill you to ruin your life made them much more dangerous. Anger coursed through his body on hearing the usation. The feeling of his fangs elongating came to her almost immediately his vision went red. His vision kept shifting between that of a wolf and that of a human whilst he tried to hold himself back. The image of a ck wolf was clear in his mind, fighting to get out. Everything slowed down, his eyes looked forward onto Sandra¡¯s neck as she walked on from the stairs. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. We are on the same floor as Katie right now. If Dexter ever shed his fangs, Katie would simply have me knock him out, but for you... that¡¯s another story. If she gets even a sense of your bloodlust right now, you can¡¯t imagine the number of ways she will use to restrain you.¡± ¡°Cole, you have to calm down,¡± the other one of the alphas spoke to him, rubbing his shoulders in an attempt to soothe his rage. Cole got down on his knees, closing his eyes so that he could focus on keeping his wolf in. Rage was one of the triggers that forced a wolf to defend itself... blind rage. It was one thing for someone to be angry or frustrated, but the pure blind rage was something that weakened a werewolf¡¯s control on their animal side. ¡°Two centuries, Caden, that¡¯s how long it¡¯s been since a Royalst bit a human. Ever since the agreement with the hunters, we have fought for that trust, and all for what? Tell me, Caden,¡± Cole stared into the eyes of hisrade, seeking an answer from him. For all the work they had put into bringing forth peace between the werewolves and the humans, he would not want to hear someone talk of his fangs like he still used them. ¡°The same has been for most of the alphas that currently exist, but if there is one thing you should put into consideration, it is that you cannot destroy the two centuries that the Royals before you have worked for,¡± Caden was silentpared to Jason, but when needed, he was the first to rush to help, not that Jason wouldn¡¯t help though. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I offended you in some way. I just... got protective of her,¡± Sandra spoke up, sounding closer than she had a second ago. Cole looked up to see her offering her a hand. The rage seized when she realized the gesture. One look at Sandra¡¯s face showed that she was indeed sorry for what she had said to anger him. Cole took her hand and got up on his feet, the wolf within him receding gradually. ¡°I have never seen you get angry. Are you okay, your highness?¡± Caden asked him. ¡°I¡¯m fine now, Caden.¡± Chapter 14 Chapter 14: Chapter Fourteen The bell for the end of ss rang signalling the end of the school day, a moment that Shaemus should have been dreading in Katie¡¯s opinion as well as the hunters that had heard Sandra¡¯s talk with Cole. Katie picked up her bag before leaning back into her seat as the students got out of the ssroom, impatience ying a key role in her behaviour. Cole, once again, who had taken over Sandra¡¯s seat turned to Katie, ¡°Where is this hunters¡¯ training ground?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a clearing in the forest not too far from here where junior hunters from around this area train from most of the time. It is rarely used by hunters because it¡¯s known by everyone and doesn¡¯t allow any sort of discretion. So the newbie hunters, or should I say hunters-in-training, are the ones who use it,¡± Katie said, looking him in the eye. It was getting easier, in her opinion, to look him in the eye. Scanning those bright blue irises didn¡¯t seem to be a bad thing after all. Katie remained seated even after the ss was empty her eyes focused on something outside the window. Cole moved over for a closer look and was able to see the small groups of students that kept sneaking into the forest, probably heading to the clearing that Shaemus had decided to hold the fight. ¡°Sandra speaks highly of your abilities... she says you even have Prometheus¡¯ gift,¡± Cole spoke up when the room was left with six people, Kyle included. The boy was so quiet sometimes that he could have done well for an assassin. ¡°Did she now?¡± Katie shifted her eyes to Sandra who showed no sign of backing down, ¡°Well it¡¯s no secret anyway. No one¡¯s ever asked, so I keep it to myself.¡± Katie finally stood up, handing her bag over to Kyle, ¡°would you hold this for me, just in case?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± he replied, ¡°but isn¡¯t it a bit excessive?¡± ¡°It is and I am hoping we won¡¯t have to resort to it, however, I can¡¯t shake the feeling that we might need it,¡± Cole gave up on figuring out what was in the bag as the level of discretion in the room skyrocketed. The walk to the clearing began from there, everyone staying insanely quiet as Katie, Sandra and Kyle led the way. Cole¡¯s mind began to soar, rushing through his memories to remind him of exactly what a Prometheus gift was. During the war between the werewolves and the humans, well... at that point it was more like a one-sided massacre; humans snapped and decided to train elites for the one task of killing werewolves. For a while, the war had been one-sided as the wolves were superior to the humans in more ways than could be counted, easily thinning their numbers every time they were attacked. At the time, the first hunters were being trained and each time a squad of hunters would be sent to fight the werewolves, they would be murdered or turned into werewolves. Those that did not give in to the transformation would evenmit suicide just so that they were not used against theirrades and family. ..... It was a dark time and nothing was going well for the hunters. Each time there was a failure, the hunters would train more and soar to new heights stretching the limits of their human capabilities. Forging weapons that could help them bridge the gap of power. The first time the hunters managed to kill a werewolf counted as a great victory for them and they continued to train harder until one of them killed a beta. The alpha of that pack was enraged and mounted an attack on the group of hunters. It was the first time hunters stood against a pack of werewolves and actually struck fear into the wolves that faced them. Fear, hatred, determination... these emotions fueled each and every one of them to fight back against the werewolves in this war. It was said that when the hunters showed this bravery, the patron god of the humans, Prometheus, gave each of them one of two gifts. The gift was either strength or agility. This newfound power shone the first torch of hope on the human race, something that Prometheus had deemed to be mankind¡¯s greatest power. Once humans found hope, there was no stopping them. Everything changed on that day, hunters were trained at a very young age and only allowed into battle when they had been granted a gift by Prometheus and this was humanity¡¯s weapon against the werewolf that gave them equal footing in the world. Combined with the intense training that the hunters went through, a Prometheus gift made them lethal. Agility made them impossible to evennd a hit on while strength made them equal sparring partners. This allowed them the power to even capture werewolves and experiment on them, finding out their weaknesses and turning the tide of the war even more in their favour. Introducing poisons such as wolfsbane prevented werewolves from healing and weakened them at the same time. One might have said that this was going to make life better for humans, but s, bloodshed breeds more bloodshed. The attacks on civilians increased exponentially and in retaliation, the attacks on the werewolf packs also increased. That was until the Royals and hunters called for a summit that set the rules that would then be our world today. The summit that happened two hundred years ago put an end to the pointless bloodshed and brought rise to the barbaric Rogues that still wanted to wreak havoc. ¡°We are almost there,¡± Katie spoke up snapping Cole out of his thoughts. The rich scent of damp nature hit Cole¡¯s nostrils as he took in a deep breath, along with the scents of all the humans who were waiting at the clearing not so far ahead. The turnout was unexpectedly high and there was no kind of rule on conduct, noise came from the on-lookers as though they were in some underground fight club cing bids on fighters. Their numbers littered the sides of the clearing ahead that was the training ground for the junior hunters. The clearing soon came into view, Shaemus standing in the very centre of it with his hands crossed across his chest and a smirk on his face. His heartbeat was somewhat erratic, going up and down as though he was trying to calm himself and failing miserably at it. Katie took some time to look at the crowd from the shadows. She spotted one of the less involved hunters and called him. ¡°I want you to get all the hunters that still have a sane mind and surround the area,¡± she said. ¡°What is our assignment?¡± ¡°Guard the civilians and if you notice anything out of the ordinary, stop the fight and alert me immediately.¡± ¡°Are you really going to fight him? This is pointless,¡± he said. ¡°All the more reason to keep your guard up,¡± everyone finally picked up on Katie¡¯s logic at this point. The hunter she had called then quickly left to inform the others that were not caught up in the chaos. ¡°These dummies, they are all cking off. Their trainers would be disappointed in them... I guess all newbies deserve lessons.¡± ¡°You say it like you aren¡¯t a newbie like them,¡± Cole chuckled, only to stop when Sandra gave him an rming look to get out of the territory that he was starting to tread in from behind Katie¡¯s back. ¡°Oh well, we might as well get this over with,¡± Katie said, raising her hands up in mock defeat before stepping into the clearing from the shadows. The people who saw her appear immediately gave her way to pass. As she walked through them, she could soon tell that the people in attendance weren¡¯t only students. Townspeople as well hade to watch it all with their own eyes. ¡°If it isn¡¯t the soon-to-be-history head hunter,¡± Shaemus spoke up, arousing the portion of the crowd that was on his side. ¡°Shaemus, this is a waste of time and you know it... anyway, you still have time to back out. If you do, you won¡¯t suffer any consequences,¡± Katie said. ¡°Sandra is not here to save you, you know,¡± Katie couldn¡¯t help but facepalm on hearing that. There was no getting through to him. The only way Shaemus was going to snap out of it is if he lost and was brought to the realization that he was indeed out of his league. Dexter came from the crowd along with two of his wolves nking him. ¡°Hey, Katie. You ready to get your ass handed to you?¡± he said, sparkingughter amongst them and earning a disappointing sigh from Katie. ¡°I¡¯ll be the referee for this match. Now if you could just begin so we can get this over with.¡± That seemed to be the signal for the start of the match as Shaemus started circling Katie, keeping his footwork wless as he did so, always keeping his back foot with more energy than the one at the front to allow him the chance to dart forward given the chance. Katie, on the other hand, put her hand into her pockets and retrieved what appeared to be a stop-clock. She was totally rxed and even seemed more focused on the clock than Shaemus as she messed with the winding wheel. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I did say that I will give you five minutes into the fight for you to surrender before I myself take the fight seriously. In the meantime, feel free to attack in whatever way you wish,¡± Katie said. Shaemus face transformed from one of fury to one of rage, the difference being a slight facial distortion that made Shaemus look crazier and much lessposed. If there had never been a difference between the two, now there was one and Katie could see it clearly. A vein pumped in Shaemus¡¯ forehead and he seethed uncontrobly beforeshing out, a fist aimed to connect directly with Katie¡¯s jaw. ¡®Going for the kill already,¡¯ Katie thought as she stepped out of Shaemus¡¯ way allowing him to pass by, losing his bnce in the process. Shaemus¡¯ struggled to find his bnce, his back turned to Katie who had sidestepped him without breaking a sweat. ¡°What the hell...¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t your trainer teach you never to turn your back on an opponent?¡± Katie said, watching what had be of one of the most promising hunters in the school. He had even been helpful during her climb to the top to earn the title of safest school in the world. From the time Katie had been admitted, there had never been a single human casualty and human-werewolf hostility had plummeted tremendously. Shaemus was in the same year as Katie and at first, when it had been clear that Katie and Sandra were ahead of him, he had looked up to them and evene to them for training tips. ¡®Oh, Shaemus, how did it get to this?¡¯ Katie asked herself. If this had been a life and death battle, he would surely be dead by now. An attack out of pure anger was just the quickest way to get you killed. Chapter 15 Chapter 15: Chapter Fifteen Six years ago..... The moon goddess finally reached the grand pce that was home to her former foe. The two had long since be friends in an attempt to save the two races. He became sympathetic to her when he found that she had fallen for her creation that she had made simply for the purpose of destroying the race of her foe and the two had then teamed up to save the two and end the bloodshed. ¡°Why do you think he has summoned you here?¡± her mate asked her while she walked up to the stairs. ¡°I don¡¯t know, honey, but I need you to wait for me here,¡± the request was one that she knew he would not ept so easily. ¡°You can easily know if I am in danger, so don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take too long.¡± With that, she ascended therge staircase that led to the entrance of the gigantic pce. Her heart would not stop beating anxiously as she entered the pce. Something about Prometheus¡¯ summons made the hairs at the back of her neck stand on ends. Two of the guards at the gate led the moon goddess through therge hallways until she got to a small insignificant door. The guards stood on both sides of the door and said no more signalling that this was where she was to find the god of mankind. She approached the door, her heartbeat rising even higher before she pushed the door open. ¡°Celeste, I¡¯m d you could make it. Come and take a look at this.¡± Prometheus... of all the gods, was the most approachable due to his calm personality that seemed to light up the room and relieve tension whenever there was any. His cheerful mood quickly affected Celeste, bringing her heart rate back to normal. She walked into the somewhat small room. A quick survey suggested it was some kind ofb where Prometheus would carry out his own experiments for his own amusement. ..... Shelves lined both sides of the room, poorly stacked with most of the books randomly strewn across the floor. Pots, test tubes, some with chemicals and others without, some even shattered and left on the work surfaces... this was the current state of the room. The room had one window at the very front of it that was raised high probably to keep the room dim while it was mainly lit by a firece. One might say it was always nighttime in the workshop of the god of mankind. The state of this room however didn¡¯t bother him one bit... it was probably that way to fuel his creativity or simply because he did not care. The closest thing to the firece was a set of sofas and a short ss table between them that could be used to view events that were happening on earth. Prometheus sat on the sofa, staring into the ss of the table looking like a child who had just found their favourite show on a kids¡¯ channel. Curiosity got the better of the moon goddess making her peer over his shoulder to see what it was that had caught his eye. Her heart skipped a beat on seeing what it was he was watching. Tom and Marie Chase, the hunters that she had sent to rescue Katie Sirius were training the girl of now twelve years in the ways of being a hunter. ¡°That girl is heavily talented.¡± ¡°How...¡± ¡°I know what all my hunters do at all times... but that¡¯s beside the point. This is one of the two children that were supposed to put a stop to the war that has raged on for centuries, isn¡¯t she?¡± he asked, his eyes glued to the girl going through her training with her adoptive parents. ¡°Yes, that is her.¡± ¡°At age twelve, without the powers of her wolf, she has been able to surpass many hunters that I have already granted my gifts,¡± he said, a hint of excitement in his voice. ¡°What are you trying to say, Prometheus?¡± Celeste asked. ¡°I wanted your permission. This girl... She has earned the right... No, she is more than worthy of possessing my gifts,¡± he said. ¡°But she is already a werewolf. You have never granted a werewolf your gifts,¡± Celeste tried to reason with him. ¡°While that may be true, the girl is currently training as a human to be a hunter. She ispletely oblivious to her nature as a werewolf. She is working hard and tirelessly to be worthy of my gifts, as a human. If you look at it that way, we won¡¯t have to worry about her safety if she got a gift. It would also be unfair to her if I didn¡¯t grant her a gift,¡± he said. ¡°But still, what you are suggesting will create the most powerful creature born of the human race and the werewolves. She would be a monster, not to mention, she is a Royal.¡± ¡°She will be the one to bring this war to an end. This only ensures that sess,¡± Prometheus spoke, ¡°besides, I have been watching the girl since she was born. She has been raised well and strictly. Thews are ingrained into her mind like they would be carved in stone. With your permission, I will begin...¡± .................... Present time.... Shaemus was now panting badly, having gone four minutes making futile attempts at hitting Katie in the face. His anger seemed to skyrocket every time he tried and failed tond a solid hit. Sweat beaded his forehead, his face contorted in a permanent scowl of hate as he stared at Katie, trying to calcte what way he couldnd a hit on her. ¡®The power gap between us is unreal... What¡¯s her secret? What makes her so powerful?¡¯ he thought to himself while panting. Earlier that day, one of the hunters that stayed out of themotion hade to him to recount to him everything that Sandra had told him about Katie. Thoughts of retreat had rung through his head when he heard this... but there were a number of reasons that he could not put an end to all this even if it meant that he was going to lose. Besides, if he backed out now after everything that he had said, it would have wounded his pride. Standing here now facing the monster that they had described to him did notpare to the stories. No matter how hard he pushed himself, to Katie, he was moving way too slow and it almost seemed like she had all the time in the world to evade him. ¡®Hey, Chase, could you teach me as well? The way I saw you teaching Sandra yesterday,¡¯ the memory of a time when Shaemus had been close to Katie and learnt from her, training together with Sandra even then under Katie¡¯s instruction. One thing that made them more jealous of him was that even as they worked their butts off to try and catch up to him, he kept getting further and further, widening the gap between them like he was some sort of superhuman. This discouraged Shaemus as the talent that worked hard was hard topete against, but that didn¡¯t bother Sandra one bit. She kept pushing on even when it looked hopeless, a trait in the girl that he deeply admired. Two years... that¡¯s how long it had been since he had trained with him. Taking in a deep breath, Shaemus made a fist once again. There was a lot he could not say... why he was doing this? Why he couldn¡¯t give up on doing this? The reasons behind his actions fueled his next attacks against Katie. He attacked Katie in a flurry of controlled fists and strokes... strokes that he was only able to perfect because of the help he got from Katie back then. If only Katie could see through his actions, maybe then she would know what it was that he was trying to tell her. The thought ran through Shaemus¡¯ mind, a tear escaping his eyes before he stopped attacking, his body now reaching its limit. The stop clock in Katie¡¯s hand rang then. Shaemus¡¯ energy had been spent in the span of five short minutes, but still, he didn¡¯t back down. Katie was now free to attack him, and with how weakened he was now, there was nothing he could do to stop her. The crowd had gone silent when they realized how one-sided the fight had been. It was clear who the winner was going to be before long. ¡®Shaemus has no reason to do any of this,¡¯ Katie thought, ¡®or doesn¡¯t he?¡¯ she froze on seeing the one minuscule detail on his face that didn¡¯t fit the picture he was projecting... a single stray tear. It was hard to see within the sweat that covered his face. Something else was going on here. Shaemus stood, his legs shaky, barely supporting him. His vision kept blurring in and out of focus as he looked at Katie. Katie stared him in the face, her blue eyes trying to discern the reason for the stray tear that fell down his cheek. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot, Shaemus,¡± Katie said to him, drawing upon her Prometheus and dashing forward at an unperceivable speed, for a normal human anyway and with how tired this hunter was, there was no way he would be able to follow her actions. She struck the nerve in his neck with a swift chop knocking the exhausted hunter unconscious. Shaemus¡¯st words registered in Katie¡¯s mind the moment she was done knocking him out, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, old friend.¡± Her eyes widened on realization, confirming each and every suspicion that lurked within her mind. Her heartbeat went into overdrive as well as the senses that she had been honing since she was a child. Every single person in the clearing at that moment was in grave danger and they had no idea. Chapter 16 Chapter 16: Chapter Sixteen ¡°Everyone, get to the centre of the clearing now,¡± Katie yelled putting all the urgency she could into her voice. Silence took over the clearing, the low sound of werewolf growling breaking through it, the silence of the crowd was enough to let the growl get heard by everyone in the vicinity. Panic filled the whole crowd like a storm. The lot of them ran to the centre of clearing in no particr order. The one most barred by their fellow humans were the safest as logic would have it. ¡°Hunters, surround the group and take on defensive stances. Do not let the rogues anywhere near the civilians.¡± Katie yelled her orders while she got Shaemus¡¯ body out of the fray of panic and ced him beside the gathering crowd. It would have been easy to get him trampled in that chaos. She then stationed two hunters to guard his body. The rogues did nothing to attack and only came out once everyone was cornered in a tight circle. A quick headcount of the snarling wolves gave seven as the result. The dy in their arrival was something that Katie still didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Katie, how did you know they wereing?¡± Cole¡¯s voice came as he walked up to her, leaving his alphas to guard different sides of the group. ¡°A hunch,¡± Katie said, keeping the fact that she had received the clue from Shaemus to herself. The rogues that surrounded them were seven in total. Katie¡¯s eyes darted back and forth gathering all the necessary information and his mind working faster than it normally did to find the best effective way to solve the problem at hand. The Seven wolves that surrounded them nked them from the seven different directions all around them cutting off all routes of escape. Katie currently stood with Cole by his side, facing one of them, Sandra not too far to the right, facing another. The two alphas whose names he was yet to learn were each blocking another one. Dexter, along with the other six wolves he was with covered the others while the rest of the hunters stood around the crowd in one defensive circle, their numbers easily reaching twenty. Despite the good defences, rogues would only stop attacking once they realized that this path only led to their demise. Unfortunately for them, Katie had no intention of letting them live. ¡°Cole, help the others, there is a team of werewolves under Dexter on that side,¡± Katie spoke up. ¡°What¡¯s our primary objective?¡± ¡°Kill them all,¡± she said, without a hint of malice in her voice. It was just in and simple, that¡¯s how the hunters worked. There was no room for tolerating rogues when they attacked humans or werewolves alike. Any rogue found was to be killed immediately to cut offmunication between it and the rest of the pack. ..... Katie darted forward after rying the order, vanishing almost instantly to the normal eye due to her Prometheus gift. The battle raged on for a short while, the civilians in fear the whole time as they were forced to watch wolves fight wolves and hunters alike in an effort to strip them of their lives. Katie made swift work of her kill, dashing forward and hitting all weak points that were the joints of the wolf¡¯s limbs before it had time to react. While the wolf was on the ground, Katie looped her hand around its semi-thick neck and with all her might snapped it without a second to waste. It had been swift and easy because she had kept the element of surprise and killed the unsuspecting wolf under the span of thirty seconds. She turned around in time to see Sandra evade the jaw of the wolf she was engaged with, backing her up a few meters and not allowing her to recover before attacking again. She was on the defensive, only being capable of evading the wolf¡¯s attacks. The skill with which she avoided the wolf probably told it that this was someone skilled and therefore kept her on her toes the whole time. A quick assessment of the situation told Katie that she would be just fine in the end, not like she could have let her step in any way. ¡°Agility, is that the Prometheus gift she possesses?¡± one of the hunters in the defence line asked his neighbour, specting based on how fast he was moving. ¡°That¡¯s what I want to believe, but by the way, she snapped that Rogue¡¯s neck like it was nothing. Is that strength even human?¡± the friend close byughed shivers running through them. ¡°I know... that¡¯s what makes it so hard to believe. Is it possible for her to have both...¡± ¡°Shut up, that¡¯s not possible and we both know it.¡± ¡°And yet, look...¡± therade pointed a shaky finger at the unstoppable hunter as she rushed over Dexter¡¯s wolves, grabbing the throat of the wolf they pinned down and smashing it before vanishing from sight, in pursuit of yet another target. ............ Katie returned to Sandra after finishing off the wolf that was giving Dexter¡¯srades a hard time. She couldn¡¯t me them since neither of them had ever had to take a life before. It wasn¡¯t something that coulde naturally and the purpose of the hunters was also to make sure that no one would be forced into taking such an action out of necessity. Humanity still lived on even within werewolves, as they were born that way and did not choose it. Taking a life wasn¡¯t easy on anyone, whether human or werewolf and Katie knew thatpletely. She rushed back to Sandra just in time to see the rogue she was fighting turn tail and run, heading for the forest. One other rogue darted in the same direction, and thest one walked up to Katie and lowered itself to the ground in submission. A quick scan of the clearing confirmed that four of the rogues were dead, one had surrendered and two were escaping. Cole came up to her jogging, ¡°Hey, Katie, shall I initiate the Prometheus evaluation?¡± ¡°Yes, please do. Sandra, we are going after them. None of them shall escape,¡± Katie said getting ready to follow in the directions the rogues were headed. ¡°KATIE,¡± someone yelled from within the crowd... Kyle. His hand hastily rummaged through the bag he had been given to hold, producing a ck leather sleeveless jacket. He threw it at Katie who wasted no time in putting it on and darting into the woods, in pursuit of the rogues, Sandra in tow close behind. Cole snapped his eyes away from the two hunters that had given chase and put his hand on the forehead of the rogue that still stayed down, head bowed in submission with its eyes closed. White carving lines began to trace all over the rogue¡¯s forehead, sketching an image of a howling wolf before glowing blue. This was the mark of the Lycaon royal family and putting it on any Rogue is what could kick start the Prometheus evaluation. Through this process, the wolf that was put under it would be unconscious throughout the whole process making them practically harmless. ¡°Stay and guard the people just in case there are others lurking around,¡± he ordered Jason and Caden before running in the direction Katie and Sandra werest seen headed. ¡°Cole, be careful...¡± Caden called, a hint of urgency in his voice urged Cole to look back at him, ¡°that jacket...¡± ¡°Yes, I noticed,¡± he replied, before calling on his wolf. ¡®The smell from that coat is one that no werewolf can forget once they know what it is... the smell of wolfsbane.¡¯ If there was any way he was going to catch up to them. His human legs would not make it easy with how much time he had used already used up. A swift numbness took over his entire body preparing her for the change it was about to go through. He surrendered control to the wolf within him, leaping high into the air. The sound of bones snapping and reforming rapidly could be heard while he was still shifting. His entire body was reforming and growingrger and taking on the animalistic form of a wolf. Cole¡¯s clothes fused with his body while fur, pitch ck fur, burst forth from his pores covering his entire body while the transformation ended. Arge pitch-ck wolf, easily towering to two and a half times the size of a normal onended with a heavy thud, vanishing into the cover of the forest as soon as itnded on its paws. The transformation froze everyone in the crowd including the werewolves that saw it. Cole ran through the forest, the scents of the four people he was chasing along with the wolfsbane in the jacket that Katie was carrying became clearer to him in this form. He pushed his powerful legs to go faster, zipping through the forest in hot pursuit. He could tell he was getting close. The heartbeats of the scared rogues were impossible to ignore. They too could smell the wolfsbane and no matter how fast they tried to push on, they were unable to outrun the two hunters tailing them. ¡®These two... are simply unbelievable...¡¯ Cole thought to himself when the chase finally came into sight looking as one-sided as this entire encounter had been looking so far. Chapter 17 Chapter 17: Chapter Seventeen The wolves dashed, weaving through trees trying to shake the hunters off, but regardless of how they tried to evade the pair, the hunters just kept oning. Cole pushed forward putting more power into his strides passing Katie and Sandra who weren¡¯t fazed at all by his sudden appearance until he was right beside the wolf at the back. Katie was close behind, the look in her eye telling him she was choosing now to strike. With one energetic leap, she quickly closed the gap between her and the rogue, fist clenched, a silver glint catching Cole¡¯s eye from within the sleeveless jacket that she wore. The rogue swerved to the other side in an attempt to avoid the gigantic wolf on its right and the hunter aiming for its back. If it hadn¡¯t been for Cole¡¯s abilities as a Royal, he probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed the flying kick that was aimed at the rogue by Sandra colliding clean with the werewolf¡¯s neck, the two tumbling into a rolling frenzy. ¡®Ouch, that has to sting,¡¯ Cole thought, looking back to see Katie continuing in pursuit of the other wolf, paying this one little to no attention at all. ¡°Sandra,¡± she yelled, cing a hand into the insides of the jacket and throwing something out of it. Sandra jumped off the werewolf and grabbed what appeared to be a knife in mid-air like it was nothing. ¡®What training does Katie take her through?¡¯ he thought to himself. Cole stopped the chase to aid Sandra as it seemed she needed more help. The heavy sound of her panting was a clear indicator that she was exhausted and yet, her eyes were steeled with determination like no other than Cole had seen in a long time. The rogue looked between the royal and the tired hunter in a defensive stance. It was two against one and there was nowhere left to run that we couldn¡¯t... or at least I couldn¡¯t catch him. When werewolves were cornered like this, it was obvious what they would do and that was to go for the weak one of the group they were against. If the group that they fought worked like a pack, then it was likely that they valued each other equally, and that would be their way out. A weak link, one might say, that would then be used to start a hostage situation. Sandra raised her hand, barring me from defending her before she got up and took a stance. The wolf lunged straight for her going for her neck, a quick sidestep to evade could have sufficed but the hunters were not wasting time. As Sandra sidestepped the wolf, she stabbed the side of its neck precisely where a vital artery was meant to pass and brought it down, holding the convulsing werewolf until the life left its eyes. Sandra copsed right on top of the wolf, exhausted to no end, ¡°Royals are huge... if I didn¡¯t know who you are, I would be freaking out right now. Thanks for the assistance, Cole.¡± The ck wolf lowered his head in respect and to show they were on the same page before rushing off in the direction Katie had taken. Sandra wanted so much to stay where she was and rest, but she knew Katie would be disappointed if she cked off when the job was not yet done. She got up and retrieved the poisoned knife from the wolf¡¯s neck, wiping it clean with some grass before she began jogging in their general direction, keeping her senses sharp for any sign of movement. ¡®It¡¯s been long since Ist saw Katie this serious about catching a rogue... brings back memories.¡¯ ................... ..... Cole pressed on eventually catching up to Katie who was right behind the rogue she was chasing. Something was odd about it though, Katie wasn¡¯t catching up to the wolf, but at the same time, she wasn¡¯t tired yet. For a human, she had incredible stamina. It soon became apparent to Cole that he could just spare her the trouble and kill the rogue himself. The heartbeat of the wolf they were chasing only sang a song of defeat. All itsrades were either dead or in enemy hands. There was nowhere to run and he was being chased by a Royal and a hunter, both enemies that it stood no chance against. Cole pressed forward only to see Katie raise her hand making a gesture telling him to back down. Cole couldn¡¯t tell what it was she was trying to aplish for the time being. This was frustrating for many reasons, including the fact that he was a Royal and thus listened to no one at all. His slightly rough breathing started to ease up and that¡¯s when he noticed the wolf was slowing down. The wolf could barely keep its eyes open. Its breath came out much moreboured than before. The sound of metal from a knife being drawn from its sheath reached the royal¡¯s ears in time to see the hunter rush forward and quickly cut all the tendons in the wolf¡¯s legs that allowed it to run. The wolf copsed with a loud thud, the wounds on its legs turning an ugly shade of purple due to the wolfsbane on the knife. The colour of the wounds and the acrid stench of the poison could make any werewolf sick just by looking at it. ¡°If the other wolf that is going through the Prometheus evaluation does not pass, then we will have to extract all the information we need from this one and if it does pass the test... well, this one dies,¡± Katie exined her reasons for not killing the wolf and grabbed it by the tail, dragging it back in the direction of the clearing. The sound of footsteps approaching got Cole on high alert, ¡°Rx, it¡¯s just Sandra.¡± Cole willed himself to shift back into his human form once he confirmed it was indeed Sandra who wasing towards them. The sound of his bones being reformed and snapped filled the air, slightly bothering Katie. His clothes came forth while the fur receded seamlessly as though it was intended that human skin was not meant to be seen during the shift. He continued to shrink down more until he once again stood on his two feet before them. ¡°That looks excruciating,¡± Sandra said indifferently. ¡°How does someone be a werewolf thatrge?¡± Katie asked, scepticismced in her voice. ¡°Am not really that small?¡± Cole asked her looking himself over and flexing his muscles. Thoughts of checking Cole out rushed to Katie¡¯s mind while he looked himself over as if that was going to solve anything. She looked away, the image of the white wolf shing in her mind if only for just a second. Something about Cole triggered the wolf to stir even under the heavy medication that was keeping it suppressed. There was a high chance that the wolf would seek him out if it ever broke free which was something that Katie did not want to see happening. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the others,¡± Katie said, starting to drag the wolf back by the tail. ¡°Hey, Katie,¡± she heard Cole call back, his tone serious and low, stopping her in her tracks. ¡°I know you hate rogues... or werewolves perhaps in general, but you don¡¯t have to treat them like garbage,¡± Cole approached the rogue on saying that lifted it, cing it on his shoulder like it was a sack of nothing. Normally Katie had no care what a werewolf would think of her, but she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that she never wanted him in particr to have the wrong idea, ¡°I don¡¯t hate werewolves,¡± Cole stopped walking ahead of them, startled from the rushed confession before he continued on his way without another word. ¡®There goes the chance we were going to have to talk after the fight that just urred.¡¯ It took them fifteen minutes to make it back to the clearing. As they approached the clearing where they had left everyone, Katie spoke up breaking their silence, ¡°Sandra, make a call to the hunter¡¯s guild and inform them of what has transpired here.¡± ¡°They will only listen to a pro hunter, not a junior.¡± ¡°Tell them you have been given permission by me to speak in my stead, they will listen then and if they ask you to put me on the phone, you bring it to me. Much as I doubt it wille to that considering they know that we are almost always together,¡± she exined. The crowd was no longer as tense as it had been when the rogues had attacked though they didn¡¯t make any unnecessary noise. They were still shaken up by the appearance of rogues. This had been the first rogue attack in years to happen in this town. Cole dropped the wounded rogue on the ground and walked up to the one that stilly unconscious with the Lycaon family crest shining on its forehead. Katie walked up to the hunters that were guarding Shaemus¡¯ unconscious body and turned to address the entire crowd. She took in a deep breath, preparing to be heard by all those that were present, ¡°Can I have everyone¡¯s attention?¡± The low murmurs that were milling through the crowd ceased, everyone, turning to her. ¡°The rogues that had attacked have been dealt with. The asion that took ce here was in vition of manyws and the one responsible for it put many civilians at risk. He will receive his punishment in due time, but as for now, here is what is going to happen. Night patrols are going to get tighter starting at 8:30 pm. Everyone should be within their households by that time whether human or werewolf. Werewolf proofing procedures are to be adhered to in every household. If any house is found after the agreed curfew time without their houses barred with the necessary locks and precautions, they are to be held ountable for their ipetence. Considering the time it would take for the rogues to mount another attack on our town, everyone has a window of twenty minutes to get back home this very instant and not a minuteter. Are there any questions?¡± ¡°Yes, there are questions...¡± a single voice stood out. The cacophony that the whole panicking crowd was producing seized on hearing the voice that spoke up. ¡°What gives you the authority to make all thesews on the spot? You haven¡¯t spoken to a single pro hunter. We aren¡¯t obligated to follow anything you say.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite simple. I am a pro hunter.¡± This seemed to quiet everyone down... shock was written on everyone¡¯s faces as they stared at the youngest pro hunter in hunter history. ¡°So they let just about anyone in these days... as long as you were born in the right family, I guess,¡± the man said, the crowd murmuring in agreement, a new wave ofmotion taking over them. Katie cleared his voice to speak up and began once the crowd was quiet, ¡°The minimum requirement for one to go for the hunter exam is simple. One must already possess a Prometheus gift... in other words, it is only the god of mankind, Prometheus who has the power to decide who gets a chance to be a hunter and who doesn¡¯t. That way, everyone has a chance to be a hunter and there is no bias in the selection process. Now if there are no other questions I would ask that you all get...¡± ¡°Katie...¡± I was interrupted by Sandra, her face had ¡®urgent¡¯ written all over it while she waved the phone at me. Chapter 18 Chapter 18: Chapter Eighteen ¡°Katie, the director wants to talk to you,¡± Sandra said running up to her, phone in hand. ¡°The director...¡± surprised, ¡°I thought you called the receptionist of the damn ce. How did you get to the... Hello.¡± ¡°CHASE, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?¡± Katie had to hold the phone away from her ear in fear of getting it yelled off. ¡°IS WHAT I HAVE HEARD TRUE?¡± ¡°Why would I lie about a rogue attack? Of course, it¡¯s real...¡± ¡°I¡¯M SENDING HUNTERS TO ESCORT THE CIVILIANS TO THEIR RESPECTIVE HOMES. BRIEF THEM ON THE PROCEDURES AND PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE WHEN THERE IS AN ATTACK SUCH AS THIS ONE TO ENSURE THEIR SAFETY. STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE....¡± Beep... with that said, Katie ryed the instructions to the crowd and turned her attention to Shaemus. She walked up to the unconscious form of the aspiring hunter and sat down next to him. The hunters responsible for guarding him gave her some space. It had never made sense for Shaemus to act so irrationally in the first ce and this had raised a significant amount of suspicion in Katie¡¯s mind. If the director or the rest of the pro hunters got to know about his close involvement with the attack today, he would have a lot to face. Katie debated on whether or not it was right to sell him out before he had the chance to exin himself. Even as he carried out this n of his that endangered all these people, he made an effort to send a subtle signal and did his best to conceal as much as he could. This could only mean he was probably avoiding detection. One thing was certain, he could not reveal whatever it was that was influencing him to do what it was that he was doing and the reasoning he gave did not fall into his normal flow of life. She got up and directed her attention briefly to the junior hunters, ¡°When he gets up, tell him that his punishment will be to escort the night patrol of pro hunters for a week.¡± They nodded and agreed before she walked over to Cole, her neutral expression faltering when she saw the worry etched on his face. The white wolf shed once more in her mind growling, protective instincts rolled off it in waves before the power of the medicine once again forced it back down. ¡®I wish I could say it¡¯s the wolf alone that he affects. Difficult as it is to admit, I¡¯m getting attached to this Royal... apletely illogical reaction to someone I just met.¡¯ ..... Cole sat cross-legged in front of the rogue that had surrendered as ity unconscious. His alphas stood away from him, somewhat giving him space and keeping their guard up. Katie assumed they were still keeping their guard up in case more rogues showed up out of nowhere. ¡°Hey, you okay?¡± she asked him, standing beside him. She remained quiet patting the ground beside her for him to take a seat. She sat right next to him, seeking the gaze of his bright blue eyes which he did not return. Instead, his eyes stayed pinned to the wolf before him. He seemed to be deep in thought. Katie¡¯s guess was as good as any other... nothing. ¡°So that¡¯s the famous Prometheus evaluation,¡± she spoke. ¡°Is this your first time seeing it?¡± ¡°Yes, it is my first time witnessing a wolf going through the evaluation,¡± she said, the sound of car engines reaching her ears. The pro hunters had arrived. ¡°Sandra, lead the civilians to the hunters.¡± Escorting the civilians from the clearing took time as most of them were shaken from the attack. The whole sight was a mess. Shaemus did not wake up the entire time the civilians were escorted home from the old hunters¡¯ training ground. Eventually, Katie was forced to ask some of the junior hunters to take him home. It took thirty minutes for the whole operation to bepleted. In that time, Katie was required to attend to the junior hunters as was her assignment when she was appointed the head hunter at the school. She made sure Kyle was among the first to be transported to the safety of his home, making sure to hand him the bag along with the jacket of weapons stuffed in it. To be honest, Katie really didn¡¯t need the weapons to kill a rogue. They were just what she needed to swiftly take down a werewolf without having to use excessive force. Once everyone was gone except for Cole, his alphas and Sandra, Katie gave her word that she would get the remaining people in that clearing back to their homes and with that, thest of the pro hunters left. As it stood, she was the only person who was permitted to stand in that clearing at that time. Cole and his werewolves, as well as Sandra, were all required to go to their homes when we were done with the werewolf that was going through the Prometheus evaluation. Cole volunteered to take the werewolf under his custody if it passed the evaluation and to dispose of the body if it didn¡¯t. Orders to have the wolf that was going through evaluation were given to him by the director himself while the injured werewolf that Cole had carried was taken into custody and driven off for questioning. It was kept heavily sedated even though each one of the pro hunters was capable of dealing with it. Escape for it was simply not an option. Cole stayed still and silent the entire time this happened paying close to no attention to his surroundings but the wolf before him. His alphas, whose names Katie had nowe to know as Caden and Jason stood at his side waiting patiently. Katie stood by the treeline with Sandra bored out of her mind, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to take a closer look at the process?¡± ¡°And see what Sandra? They have been staring at that wolf for an hour,¡± she groaned. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it make you even a little bit curious? None of us has ever been present for an evaluation before,¡± she said. ¡°You have a point there,¡± the two of them walked up to the trio and stood by them silently for a while before Katie spoke up. ¡°What are we looking at again?¡± ¡°We are waiting, not looking. At first, I thought this wolf would die like all the others I have ever seen go through an evaluation, but that usually happens in the first five minutes. This wolf is still alive. There might be a chance it survives,¡± the one she hade to know as Caden spoke up. ¡°Is the rumour true?¡± ¡°What rumour?¡± ¡°That the god Prometheus carries out the evaluation himself,¡± this was all information that Katie had only read in a book somewhere. ¡°Yes, that is true. Prometheus has no emotional ties with the werewolves and because of that, he is more suited to judge them without any form of bias and all those that fail, die immediately after the evaluation. Whatever goes on in that evaluation must beplicated because at least one in one thousand rogues pass it and it¡¯s not like they are lining up to be evaluated.¡± There was silence for a while after the exnation before Cole spoke, ¡°You got rid of your stinky jacket.¡± It only urred to him now that the wolfsbane that coated all the des within that jacket would be smelly for the wolves that were around, rookie mistake, to put it lightly. ¡°Yeah, I won¡¯t need them for anything anyway.¡± ¡°The confidence you have in your skills ismendable. Would you be just as confident if you up against me?¡± Cole asked, still not sparing her a nce, his voice devoid of any emotion as he spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t know why people refer to it as confidence like I¡¯m boasting. I only say what I¡¯m sure of, there is nothing like me boosting my morale,¡± this seemed to catch Cole¡¯s attention. ¡°You are only eighteen at most and you are human, so forgive me if I find it hard to believe that you could be as powerful as you im. In this world, the only family that is believed to have attained the power to go against a Royal is the Chase family, but even then, those in the Chase family that have attained that level of skill are not as young as you are,¡± he exined, ¡°What if you had to face Jason, Caden and me at the same time?¡± This kind of conversation was slowly getting to Katie¡¯s nerves. She breathed in and out, trying to avoid any unnecessary rush of blood. Not only were they trying to corner her into admitting that she could be defeated without the weapons she had just given Kyle to take, but they were also making it look like they were threatening her and that she was defenceless against them. ¡°What Prometheus gift do you think I have?¡± She asked calmly. ¡°That¡¯s quite obvious. You have the gift of agility. I canprehend a human with your strength, but your agility and speed are on another level,¡± Cole said, still using the same old tone that made it sound like he was mocking her. Jason and Caden seemed slightly confused by the exnation. ¡°Are you sure, Cole? Can a human really get to the strength that she has? I was under the impression... her agility though... You make a fair point,¡± Caden said, diving back into deep thought trying to consider what he had witnessed. Katie walked back to the tree line and stood facing a tree. Jason tapped Cole¡¯s shoulder, getting his attention and pointing out that he needed to pay attention to what Katie was about to do. Katie got into a firm stance, making fists with one leg behind the other for more stability. ¡°Is she going to...¡± A loud ear-piercing sound rumbled through the ground from the tree as a punch connected with its trunk at head level with Katie, shattering that sectionpletely. The sound was followed was the groaning of the tree stem as it buckled under its weight, its trunk no longer able to hold it. The three wolves watched in horror as the tree fell to the ground after only receiving one punch from the hunter. ¡°What do you think my Prometheus gift is again?¡± a voice came from behind them. They turned to see Katie casually eyeing them before she vanished again right before their eyes. ¡°But it¡¯s not possible... every hunter has just one of the two gifts,¡± shivers took over the royal along with the two alphas on realising just how dangerous Katie really was. ¡°Now you know... don¡¯t underestimate me again. There is nothing I have to fear from a werewolf,¡± she said. No more words were said after that exchange. The three wolves were shaken by the revtion of the monster they studied with. Chapter 19 Chapter 19: Chapter Neen The scent of fresh sap from the fallen tree had a calming effect on Cole along with the calm atmosphere in the air. The normally crushing tense moods that hang about when a wolf was failing the evaluation did not exist here. The evaluation existed to save the lives of those who still had a chance at redemption and as a result, each and every rogue that surrendered to either the hunters or the royals was immediately taken through the evaluation which would decide whether they were worth saving. Rumours that Prometheus would look into someone¡¯s future for any chances of betrayal to the werewolves were among the spections of the guidelines that he used to judge who was worth letting to live or not. Regardless of how rare it was for rogues toe out of the ordeal alive, there were still some that were known to havee out of it and sometimes they asked to meet with the rogues before they were thrown into such a feat. Over the past century, it hade to be known that when a former rogue got a chance to talk to another that was about to take the Prometheus evaluation, the chances of survival drastically went high which usually raised numerous questions on what exactly they would talk about and if at all there was any cheating involved. As a result, former rogues were banned from meeting those who were about to go through the evaluation. They waited for ten more minutes before the Lycaon pack symbol vanished from the head of the rogue. The rogue¡¯s dirty grey fur began to shimmer and glow changing into a silky smooth sandy brown coat that looked far more beautiful and dignifiedpared to what it had before. Katie stood up from her position at the fallen tree, suspicion written all over her face along with curiosity. She came over and watched the wolf stagger onto its feet too weak to hold itself up. ¡°Shift,¡± Colemanded, his eyes glowing with intensity as he said it as though to emphasize that it was amand rather than a request. The diforting sound of bones breaking filled the air as the wolf reverted to its human form. Katie watched, her eyes not leaving the body of the wolf, her feet unconsciously getting him around so that she could have a look at the face of the person that emerged. Something in her dark blue eyes caught Cole¡¯s attention, a glint of recognition perhaps. He looked back to see the fur finally disappear from the wolf¡¯s face, still looking at the ground. From the looks of it, the rogue before them was a boy. The boy rose up to his full height. His ck hair clung to his face... something was familiar about his face though Cole could not quite figure out why that was so. At first, seeming like sweat before Cole realized it was gel and the hairstyle was intentional. The boy rose to his full height that was barely Cole¡¯s height, he was young. The boy along with Katie vanished for an instant... reappearing a distance away, specifically the nearest tree that was standing, with Katie¡¯s hand around the boy¡¯s throat pinned to a tree. ¡°Katie, let him go...¡± Cole yelled at her trying to get her to let go of the boy, but the hunter¡¯s murderous look spoke multitudes in just one expression, her grip on the boy¡¯s neck was firm. The boy struggled against her hold, trying to breathe. ¡°How many are you?¡± Katie¡¯s voice was calm, but yet she spoke with so much anger that it stopped Cole from making any more attempts at calming her down. He then noticed the hint of recognition in her eye, Katie knew the boy. ¡°Tell me, Ash.¡± The boy was suffocating from Katie¡¯s hold. ¡°How is he supposed to tell you when you are choking him to death?¡± Cole asked, doing his best to keep his cool. Katie stayed in that position for a bit before letting the boy fall to the ground. ..... ¡°I can¡¯t stand to look at you and hold myself back from killing you at the same time. Cole, make sure Sandra gets home safe for me,¡± she said walking away. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going for a run,¡± she replied before vanishing, her Prometheus gift making her imperceptible to the human eye or rather more like a blur. ¡°Who knew Katie had anger issues?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t,¡± Sandra stopped him there, her fist clenched. Unlike Katie, Sandra was moreposed, but she shared the same look of anger and recognition. ¡°Who is this boy?¡± ¡°On the day before you came, we stopped Dexter from beating up a human boy in the halls of the main school building. I don¡¯t understand... we saved a human boy. What¡¯s he doing shifting into a filthy rogue right before our eyes?¡± she seethed. The boy stayed on the ground and bowed his head low to the ground, ¡°I beg for your forgiveness, Sandra. I had no choice.¡± ¡°No choice to what... exin everything starting from your name...¡± Sandra yelled at him. ¡°Fine, my name is Ash Bradford. Up until a few minutes ago, I was a rogue, just like I have been my entire life,¡± he said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe across us as a werewolf when we met?¡± Sandra asked him. ¡°Before a werewolf turns eighteen, there is a portion or rather some medicine that can be used to conceal their werewolf side,¡± he said, a gasp came from Sandra at the mention of the concealment. ¡°But werewolves that young aren¡¯t so useful in battle and so the Rogue King uses them for infiltration missions such as the one I was sent on to this school,¡± he exined. Sandra was frozen, unable to continue questioning the boy. ¡°What was your mission?¡± Cole asked, taking over for her. ¡°At first, my mission was simple... to find out why this school was on top for the school with the least violence. Suspicions were going around that for that to happen, there had to be someone that was strong there,¡± Ash exined, ¡°but when we got there, we heard of the famous Katie Chase, but she never once fought so there was no way that we could actually tell that she was as strong as everyone imed.¡± ¡°So you fed Shaemus with ideas in an attempt to make Katie fight and see her strength,¡± Sandra spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t know the details about that. Everyone had a separate mission and mine did not involve that. I was merely summoned to help them with this ambush when the time came...¡± he exined before continuing his story. Later on, I was given orders to confirm the arrival of the Royal that wasing to the safest school on the. The Rogue king does not allow everyone to find out every part of what he wants to know. That way, if one of us is caught, he doesn¡¯t lose all the information and he does it in a way that each rogue¡¯s piece of information does not make sense to anyone other than him without the rest of the information that he is gathering all together,¡± Ash exined, looking up with his eyes full of tears. He was crying and none of the people present was aware of when it was that he began to cry. ¡°How many were you?¡± ¡°Seven, just like you saw us today. Six of which you have killed... I can be sure that the other one is to die as well. It would be best if you got the information he was supposed to gather as well if you are to make more sense of what the Rogue king has in mind,¡± he said, his tears starting to fall to the ground slowly. ¡°You can stop crying now. No one is going to hurt you now that you aren¡¯t a rogue anymore,¡± Cole tried soothing the crying boy. Regardless of what he had been put through, he only looked fifteen at most. The idea of using kids to do his dirty work made Cole sick to the stomach even though his instincts told him to focus on the crying boy. ¡°Why are you still crying?¡± Sandra asked him softly noticing Cole¡¯s words had no effect. ¡°I know I won¡¯t be harmed now that I am not a rogue. Katie made sure I knew that besides... she¡¯s the reason I passed the Prometheus evaluation in the first ce...¡± a heavy silence filled the air after this was revealed. None of what the boy was saying now was making sense and yet, he said it with a smile on his face while he let his tears continue flowing. ¡°How is Katie rted to you passing the Prometheus evaluation?¡± ¡°Katie is powerful... so powerful that if the Rogue king ever knew what I found out, he would shiver in his boots,¡± the boy said, shivering even as he said it, ¡°but even with all that strength, she treated me with kindness and equality as though I was herrade when we met. She bore me no hostility, even when she took care of Dexter after he¡¯d bullied me. She made sure nothing happened while at the same time, she made her point clear... Rogues are raised to hate Royals, hunters and ordinary werewolves alike, feeding lies into our heads that make it impossible to believe anything that the Royals stand for... Katie was able to show me something else with a few kind gestures. I could go on, but after seeing this, I was able to get the confidence to take the Prometheus evaluation.¡± Chapter 20 Chapter 20: Chapter Twenty It was clear that Katie was not going toe back to this ce, though it made Ash sad that he wouldn¡¯t get to talk to her, there was nothing the rest could do to help the situation. ¡°Jason, Caden, take Ash to our ce. He will be living with us until he finds his calling,¡± Cole ordered them. ¡°Don¡¯t take too long outside. The hunters won¡¯t be happy about it if you run into their night patrols,¡± Jason said, picking up a weak Ash and helping him walk. ¡°There you go, slow and steady...¡± the soothing words continued along with the constant nagging questions, ¡°So do rogues like... get to have mates or it¡¯s some brutal breeding mashup?¡± Cole brought his hands to meet his face in disappointment, ¡°That boy is done for. I wonder what I was thinking leaving him with Jason.¡± Sandra continued giggling from the way Jason was attacking the young boy with numerous questions, ¡°Jason is an interesting character.¡± ¡°Oh...¡± Cole said, eyeing her through his hands with a smirk on his face, ¡°Do you like him?¡± Sandra watched the alpha walk away thinking over the question, her eyes wandering up into the night sky before she answered the question, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I can¡¯t tell.¡± ¡°Such a confused girl... this is why I love being a werewolf. There is nothing like not being sure of such a thing. The goddess handpicks our perfect matches,¡± Cole said, puffing out his chest proudly. ..... ¡°Oh, is that why you cannot stop staring at Katie every time you get a chance to?¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t tease me for being curious about her. Although now that I know about her and the power she wields, she scares me more than I would like to admit,¡± he said thoughtfully. ¡°Were you doubtful that she could beat you in a one on one fight?¡± Sandra asked after careful consideration of wording, keeping her voice levelled as the subject was a touchy one. ¡°Normally when a pro hunter states that they can beat a Royal, they mean it through hard work and that it would be a close match, but ultimately what they are saying is that their power isparable... but that¡¯s not the case with Katie,¡± he exined. Shivers ran down Sandra¡¯s spine when she remembered thest detail of Katie being a royal as well. Was it really fair for the gods to grant someone so much power? ¡°I have known her a long time and to be honest, I can barely keep up with her. Every time she trains with me, she leaps in milestones and learns fast. It is like she has a talent for it and yet, she never once likes to show it. I decided to ask her to train me so that I could always have someone to chase after. She trains me well, teaching me new things each time she does so, she is always patient with me. When something proves to be too hard, sometimes she even helps me find a way around it,¡± Sandra got carried away speaking about her master, her aim to show Cole that regardless of the power she held, she was still just as kind and humble as anyone else who didn¡¯t have that much power. The two walked on for a while, Sandra leading Cole to her home so that she could also let him get back to his and call it a night. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Sure...¡± ¡°Why was she so angry when she saw Ash?¡± Sandra was somewhat stunned by the question, her mind quickly exining to her that Cole knew nothing of the town that she had grown up in and this wasn¡¯t something that could have urred to him in the slightest. ¡°Katie is the one in charge of protecting the school and where she can, this town. That means every rogue that is in sight should be wary of her and yet... they were right under her nose.¡± ¡°How was she to know that there was a way that werewolves below the age of eighteen could suppress their wolf sides?¡± Cole said, thrusting his hands in the air in exasperation. Sandra was speechless for a bit before answering him, ¡°Yeah... but still, it¡¯s unforgivable... to use children as spies.¡± ¡°Yeah, I hear you on tha...¡± a scent hit Cole¡¯s nose all of a sudden. One that he knew all too well from the brief moment he had gotten a whiff of it at the school. He hadn¡¯t had the chance to track down the source when he was still with Sandra there, but this time, he wasn¡¯t going to miss it. ¡°What is it?¡± Sandra asked him when she noticed her friend¡¯s odd behaviour. ¡°I smell something... wonderful,¡± was his reply, ¡°How close is your home?¡± ¡°We have almost reached. It¡¯s at least a ten-minute walk from here,¡± she said. ¡°Get on my back. I¡¯ll get you there in a sh...¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to... Oh, he¡¯s doing it,¡± Cole was already halfway through the transformation, his pitch-ck wolf towering almost the height of two fully grown men when he was done shifting. He got down allowing Sandra to grab hold of him and climb upon his ck coat. The fur of the wolf she touched was so smooth and silky that Sandra felt like sleeping in it. The moment Sandra wasfortable on his back, he zipped through the trees, leaping over fallen trees and weaving through the forest faster than Sandra¡¯s eyes could follow. Before she knew it, the backyard of her house, along with many others came into view. The wolf stopped exactly where the tree line ended and let her slip down. ¡°Thank you, Cole,¡± a pat on the head seemed appropriate even though Cole snarled when she did it, getting augh out of Sandra, ¡°I know I haven¡¯t met many werewolves, but your fur is beautiful. Your mate is one lucky girl.¡± Sandra bid the stunned ck wolf farewell before running off to the back gate and leaping over it in a series of well-timed steps on the walls and pirs. This was something she had done more than once before and once she was in, she turned on the lock procedures for the house which immediately lined wolfsbane around the entire house sealing out any werewolf and sealing any that would have already entered. Cole stayed still, a bit stunned by the readiness of these households. A close look at all the other houses told him that every other person who lived in this neighbourhood had turned on the same kind of thing. The diforting smell of wolfsbane reached his nose forcing him back into the woods. Once Cole was back in the woods, the alluring scent that had gued his memory for days came back to his nostrils. He took in a deep breath, his eyes closed, allowing his senses to give him all the information they were capable of giving him. There was no telling how far the source of this scent was, though that did not matter to him. He was going to find its source no matter what. ¡®Mum, how will I know when I find my mate?¡¯ memory of him asking his mother came to mind. ¡®That is a question that many don¡¯t ask. Her scent will be the first thing you will pick up,¡¯ she would say, although every time she would say it, she would cry. Cole started running through the forest going as fast as his legs could carry him, weaving through the forest at threatening speeds. He could smell others, hunters, as he went through the forest, which made his journey longer as he had to take a long route around them. This spurred him to run even faster than he already was, getting even more anxious to find the source. The scent kept getting stronger and stronger as he ran through the forest. ¡®It¡¯s impossible for me to have smelt something that is this far,¡¯ he thought to himself when he noticed that he was well beyond the borders of the town. Beyond that was dangerous territory and it was dangerous to be running in this territory. Any territory that did not fall into the protection of the hunters wasbelled a dangerous zone since it meant rogues would camp in such ces. A sense of urgency and caution was starting to creep into him when he realized he was going really far from city boundaries and this was pushing his luck. The only reason he was still going was the fact the scent was only getting stronger the farther he went. He could feel himself getting closer and closer and right when he felt like he was almost there, the scent vanished. He slid to a stop, standing still, his breathing outboured and noisy. He had been running at top speed for twenty minutes. He stayed silent for a while or at least tried to make his breath as quiet as he could manage using his ears to the best of his abilities to at least hear out who it was he had been tracking. A few minutes of waiting got him the first sound, ¡°What might you be doing here?¡± He quickly turned around to the voice that had managed to sneak upon him. Fear struck through him like lightning rooting him to the ground when he recognized the face of who it was that had found him or that he had found. ¡®What was she doing this far from the town?¡¯ What was Katie freakin¡¯ Chase doing this far from the town he was so eager to protect? The memories of the demonstration of her fear and strength were as clear as day in his memory, as well as that of how angry she was when she left them back at the hunter¡¯s training ground. Chapter 21 Chapter 21: Chapter Twenty One Cole stayed still in a defensive stance from the hunter. If Katie chose to fight him at this moment, she would win without a second thought, there was no doubting the power she wielded. This hunter was the real deal, even scarier than most of the hunters that he had met up until this point. He continued to rack his brain for ways to get out of this trouble or at least some form of exnation in case things took a turn for the worst. How had Katie managed to find him? Had she been chasing him the entire time? No, that was not it, this did not feel like it... He had been afraid of the possibility of finding a number of rogues camping out in the woods outside the town, but now that Katie stood before him, that wasn¡¯t something to worry about. ¡°What¡¯s with you? You¡¯re shaking a...¡± Katie took a step forward, tripping on a stone so small it could have been dust before she descended heading for the ground with no sign of catching her bnce. Cole rushed forward, putting his head beneath her such that she fell on him. Sparks went through his body on every spot on the wolf¡¯s body that she touched with her bare skin. The faint smell of wolfsbane hit his nostrils from her hands although it was not enough to make him cringe. He made a few adjustments, pushing the body of the half-asleep hunter upwards such that he could ce her on his back. ¡°Would you really... after...¡± ¡°Forget about it. Let¡¯s get you home, Katie, or at least what I call home. It¡¯s reallyte...¡± he said before starting the run back to the ce they now called home. He felt like pping himself for having feared her when there was nothing to be afraid of. Sandra was right. Katie was still Katie no matter what she looked like or how powerful she was. And that was what mattered, she was the one person that he felt something for. It was a faint feeling of affection for her that brought him to keep trying to find out more about her. He had never thought he would find out that she was stronger than him, however. He jogged on till he was back at the hotel that the Royal family had booked for Jason, Caden and him while they studied here. They had booked a whole floor just for the three of them. ¡®Honestly, alphas had packs to run and they would rather send those two along with me to act as bodyguards,¡¯ he thought to himself, cing an unconscious Katie by a tree before he shifted back into his human form. The cellphone in his pocket shed a notification that said he had twenty missed calls from both Caden and Jason. Dailing Caden¡¯s number, Cole called him toe to help him take Katie up to their suite. .............. ¡°So where did you say you found her?¡± Jason asked, whilst he looked at Katie¡¯s face on the couch. ¡°I found her something like five miles from the town. She was severely weakened by then and copsed the moment she saw me,¡± Cole exined from the kitchen while he poured herself a drink. Caden sat on the sofa opposite the one they had ced Katie in along with Ash who couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Katie. ..... ¡°What do you think she could have been doing that far out? Do you think she was attacked?¡± Ash asked. ¡°I doubt it. If she had been attacked there would be scratches or marks on her that showed that she was attacked, even if she was the one who ended up the victor, she would still have some kind of sign. She was knocked out purely due to muscle stress and exhaustion. She has probably been pushing herself too hard for the past few days and now it has taken its toll on her,¡± Caden said voicing his opinion. Jason, on the other hand, had now switched to drawing funny pictures on her face along with writing words like, ¡®I¡¯m the strongest wimp!¡¯ and phrases like that made Katie look like she was from a bullying situation. ¡°I wonder what she will do to you when she finds out you did that to her face,¡± Caden pointed out. ¡°I¡¯ll just say Ash forced me into it,¡± he said. ¡°But I didn¡¯t even...¡± Ash began. ¡°Oh,e on Jason, leave the boy alone. You have been making his life difficult since we came back,¡± Caden groaned. ¡°I was only messing around. How was I to know that he was taking everything I said seriously,¡± he denied. ¡°Okay, Ash, from now on. Do not listen to anything thates out of that guy¡¯s mouth. He is not the kind to get serious at any one point in his life. Sometimes, I wonder how he¡¯s even an alpha,¡± Caden spoke, turning his attention to the new arrival. It was alreadying to midnight and they were yet to catch some sleep. Cole had called on this meeting to discuss what had transpired that day. Cole took a seat on the sofa that faced the television such that the four of them were on both sides of him and took a sip of his coffee before he began talking, ¡°As we all know, we have been through quite a bit under only a few hours. The rogues attacked when we least expected it and something tells me the story runs deeper than random rogue attack. This was said to be the safest town, but I guess that reputation alone might be open to discussion. I found Katie far from here as you all know and I say she spends the night here since I am in no condition to take her to her house whose location I have no idea of.¡± ¡°Can we know what you were doing that far from the city boundaries yourself?¡± Jason asked him. ¡°Oh, yeah, that. Remember the scent I told you about on the day when I first...¡± ¡°Cole, I thought we talked about you...¡± ¡°I know, I know, Caden. I have been heard that my entire life. I just want to hope that she is still out there. It is not unheard of a second chance mate to appear once in a while,¡± Cole spoke indifferently. The scent that had been guing him was simr to something that had been described to him before, but he also had reason to believe it didn¡¯t mean the same thing to him. ¡°That is true, but they don¡¯t happen when you are still this young,¡± he replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know guys. My wolf was excited... I couldn¡¯t let the owner of that scent slip away from me and so I gave chase. They must have been moving too because no matter how much I closed the gap between us, they continued to evade me. Until the scent just went dark like there was nothing anymore. ¡°Do you think that scent belongs to a rogue and Katie was in pursuit when you found her?¡± Caden asked. ¡°Yeah, but that doesn¡¯t exin the rapid vanishing of the scent.¡± ¡°It is possible if the rogue had those pills on hand,¡± a small voice said in the room. Cole turned to Ash, ¡°What pills?¡± ¡°The ones we used to use to suppress our presence,¡± he exined. ¡°I had forgotten about that. Locking up your wolves, that must be hard on the wolves within you,¡± she said. ¡°Yes, that is true. Many of them died because their wolves simply wouldn¡¯t let themselves be silenced. One is required tomunicate with their wolf side before suppressing it otherwise, they will be gued with a minimum of a huge headache and dizziness,¡± he exined, pulling his knees close to his chest and wrapping his hands around them, memories guing him while he remembered his form life. ¡°Hey, Ash, try not to think about it too much. You are safe now. No one is going to force you to do spy work anymore.¡± With that, he led the boy away from the living room and to his room to sleep. Something that the lot of them ought to have been getting. ¡°What happens to Katie?¡± Caden asked pointing at the unconscious hunter on the sofa. ¡°We¡¯ll put him in my room,¡± she said. ¡°No argument there. Don¡¯t get naughty though,¡± Caden said, lifting the hunter off the sofa and walking off with him in the direction of Cole¡¯s room. Cole stayed in the same spot sipping her coffee, her mind moving back to a memory that had been trying its best to surface, but she had blocked it. Now she let the memory take over her. ............... Cole was twelve years old when he was finally tired of hearing words of pity whispered behind his back about how he was mateless. It didn¡¯t make sense to him that people would know such information about him when he was only twelve years old and it angered him every time he heard someone speak of it. The morning of that day, he snapped during his morning training and a fight between him and one of the pack warriors broke loose. ¡®None of them have a right to make a decision only the moon goddess can. It had taken three of hisrades to keep him from disfiguring the wolf¡¯s face any more than he already had. ¡®Why don¡¯t you ask your father about this rumour? That should clear up your suspicions,¡¯ Caden had told him. Apparently, this rumour was well known to be a fact all over the pce. Hearing this from Caden made his blood boil with anger. Nheless, he heeded his advice and began the walk to his father¡¯s office on the fourth floor of the colossal Lycaon pce. He didn¡¯t bother knocking at the door and just burst in, his anger bing somewhat hard to contain. ¡°Father, I need to talk to you.¡± His father looked up from the paperwork before him, taking in his son¡¯s state and closing everything ordingly. ¡°What seems to be the problem, Cole?¡± ¡°There is a rumour going around... something about me being... mateless,¡± the word was repulsive even as it rolled off Cole¡¯s tongue. ¡°Well...¡± his father sighed, finally noticing the blood on Cole¡¯s knuckles, ¡°Now might be a good time as any... you might want to take a seat.¡± ¡°Just tell me if it¡¯s true or not,¡± Cole yelled, a yes-no answer seemingly the only thing that could make sense to him. ¡°You aren¡¯t mateless because that would mean the moon goddess did not choose a mate for you or that she decided you were not to have a mate,¡± he said. ¡°What are you not telling me, father?¡± ¡°Much as you aren¡¯t mateless... your mate is... dead,¡± he reluctantly confessed, ¡°I wanted to hold out from telling you for...¡± ¡°You can¡¯t know that... I¡¯m not eighteen yet. The moon goddess has not yet...¡± ¡°Calm yourself, Cole. The moon goddess revealed your mate well before you were born. The two of you, chosen by the moon goddess herself to bring forth the end of this war, but not everyone was too happy about that. A few nights after she was born, you as well, the two pces were attacked by rogues. We were able to fend off the attack, but the girl was... killed,¡± he said. ¡°You mean, Katie Sirius, the daughter of the other Royal family that was killed when she was still an infant,¡± Cole asked, remembering a story one of the werewolves he heard was gossiping about. ¡°Yeah, Katie Sirius was meant to be your mate... I¡¯m sorry, Cole.¡± .................. Chapter 22 Chapter 22: Chapter Twenty Two Cole remembered losing the energy to speak for days after that not being able toprehend why something so cruel could happen to him. He trained from that day, growing and improving in all matters concerning war and running a pack. He put all his work into activities that could help distract him from what his father had told him that day. The whole story was exined to him in detail along with proof and evidence of their ims presented. There was no falsified information and it was only a matter of time before he gave up hope on having a mate. As far as anyone was concerned, he was the one Royal who had no mate, arge misfortune for that matter. It meant that he would not be able to inherit the throne from his father and im his birthright. As a result, Cole found himself being pursued by daughters of alphas and betas. All trying to get ties into the Royal family. Some of them would even turn out to be rogues in disguise and would be executed immediately. Power, money, prestige... every single one of them had the same look in their eyes when they came up to him. They all made him sick to the stomach each time they made themselves too familiar with him. Cole got up from the sofa having finished his coffee and walked back to his room, his mind unwillingly going through the experiences that started to be more frequent after he turned sixteen. At some point, he wouldugh at all the silly attempts that were made in an effort to gain his favour. The concept that was being exploited was that no one knew what the moon goddess based on in choosing a second chance mate or even when she did it. It became torture running away from his steadily growing fan club. Caden and Jason would help when he wanted to be alone and distract them from him. This was partially why Jason ended up bing as loose-tongued as he was today. The three had be best friends in almost no time growing up in the same schools. Their parents happened to be among the alphas that chose to stay closer to the Royals than most. They did not expand their packs to conquerrge territories and rather just turned enough wolves to serve the Royal family. This was how the great dilemma the royals faced came to be solved since they didn¡¯t have the capability to create normal wolves. Caden¡¯s loyal personality to serve the crown made him reliable and most of the time was taken to be somebody who wasn¡¯t capable of joking around regardless of what anyone who knew him said to prove otherwise. Jason, on the other hand, was much less uptight than Caden and would make the most of a situation if it meant getting a goodugh out of it. Surprisingly, with how loose-tongued he was, he denied all the girls that came to him when they noticed how close he was to Cole, and he turned down each and every single one of them. Despite his nature, Jason valued two things that he didn¡¯t let many find out about, that was the crown and whichever girl out there was blessed to be his mate. He might not have looked it, but he was willing to treasure his mate the moment he found her without any hesitation. ..... Cole opened the door to his room, his mind snapping back to reality when the scent of someone else hit his nose. He spotted the overpowered hunter lying on his bed, sleeping like a rock. He walked up to her and adjusted her position such that she slept to one side in the mostfortable position he could think of for a hunter, a few crazy ideas running through his mind of funny ways hunters probably slept. ¡®What if she prefers to sleep upside down like bats?¡¯ He gave her sleeping form one more look before turning away. It wasn¡¯t unheard of for a hunter to wake up just because of the feeling that they were being watched in their sleep. He slipped into the shower taking his time to savour the feeling of the warm water running through his hair and down his back before washing himself down. Silence filled the intricately designed hotel room; the lights were dim to allow someone to get sleepy naturally and forfort to the sensitive eyes of a werewolf. Fatigue racked his body, his muscles screaming from the running he had endured in the short time that everything had transpired that day. ¡°Where... am I?¡± Katie¡¯s voice came out low and weak capturing Cole¡¯s attention from the dressing mirror. She turned to the hunter that was stirring and walked up to him in the hopes that she was only talking in her sleep. Much to his dismay, Katie was awake although she clutched her forehead as though her life depended on it. ¡°Should I get you some painkillers?¡± he asked rushing over to the water dispenser in the room and getting her a ss of water along with painkillers from the medicine cab. Katie grabbed the contents from his hands and gulped them down without any resistance before lying back down on the bed. ¡°I don¡¯t think pain killers will cure this headache though.¡± ¡°You could just say ¡®thank you.''¡± ¡°My bad... Hard to think of that when your head is trying to kill you. You could have waited till I recovered to suck the gratitude out of me,¡± she said, chuckling at the end, ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? You¡¯re at a hotel. In my room...¡± ¡°I¡¯m in your room...? In a hotel? You know what... never mind my location. I need to sleep before I can be able to make any life-threatening decisions,¡± she said, Cole, nodding his head humming enthusiastically to confirm every time she paused questioningly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you even a little bit worried about your safety or something? Your parents...¡± ¡°I trust you, Cole...¡± the phrase came out abruptly, shutting the Royal werewolf up and setting him on cloud nine, ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I do trust you. The Chase hunters follow their guts and mine allows me to even take my guard down around you. So I¡¯m not worried about my safety. As for my guardians, I¡¯ll talk to them,¡± she exined to him leaving him stunned by the reply. Katie was a mystery the more he got to know her and yet at the same time, she seemed simpleminded. She didn¡¯t let her emotions rule her or cloud her judgement and yet again, she treasured her emotions and took them into ount when she was doing something. It was abination that didn¡¯t seem to make sense which Cole found all the more intriguing. ¡°Wait, did you say guardians?¡± he tried asking, but she was already fast asleep, breathing in calmly and peacefully. She walked up to the bed and slipped into the covers beside her, his eyes scanning her face for much longer than he cared to admit. Her long silky ck hair still smelled of forest which only proved how much she had been running through it. The temptation of forcing her eyelids open such that he could see her dark blue eyes grew ever stronger the more he stared at her. He turned away from her if only to reach out and turn off the lights, plunging the room into darkness. An image of his ck wolf appeared in his mind, unyielding while it asserted its presence for a reason it did not provide. His thoughts, a swirling mess of what a crazy day it had been. So much so that it felt so good to finally be going to rest after the day that he had just had. Right when he was about to fall into a deep sleep, he reached out and pulled Katie into his arms, making sure she faced away from him. Sparks went through his body distracting him. His wolf did not waste time taking control of him and holding Katie. Before he had the chance to panic, she leaned back into him... thest reaction he would have expected toe from her. ¡®There is something I¡¯m missing here.¡¯ ....................... A third party watched them from a pond in her pce, her husband and mate having his arms wrapped around her, ¡°Those two can feel the bond even when it is being suppressed that much,¡± the man asked his wife. ¡°Seems that way... besides, it was a bond that was not made by me alone, but Prometheus as well... A bond that is meant to bring an end to all the senseless killing and suffering of our people,¡± the moon goddess exined, leaning into her husband who then ced a kiss into the crook of her neck. ¡°That girl, however... Did she really need to be given so much power?¡± he asked her. The moon goddessughed at the question, ¡°I¡¯ve always been wary of humans for as long as they were in positions of power and over the centuries, we have seen humans fall because of things as useless as power, greed, lust and the likes of their despicable sins,¡± she paused, ¡°However, I have watched her from when she was a child. This girl is different... that much I know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that. She is still susceptible to emotions such as anger. You saw her earlier,¡± her husband said. ¡°That is what I thought as well, but I want you to look at this one more time,¡± she told him, waving her hand over the pool of water before them. The images changed to a point in the day when Katie had her hand around Ash¡¯s neck with her pinned against a tree. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I was talking about,¡± her husband. ¡°Take a closer look darling,¡± she said to him. The man squinted at the looped images for a bit longer before his eyes widened in realization. He put his hand over the video, willing it to slow down and starting it just as Katie smashed Ash into the tree. Within the split second that the wolf¡¯s head was supposed to hit the tree, the hunter had put her hand between the back of the boy¡¯s head and the tree to avoid incurring any damage. ¡°But, how...¡± the scene before him was quite inconceivable, his mind was nk and continued to be so the more he tried to find answers to why someone would do such a thing even amidst all that rage. A further look at Katie¡¯s hand after the collision showed her knuckles dripping blood from the impact. ¡°This human... is different.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you can see it now. Chapter 23 Chapter 23: Chapter Twenty Three Cole woke up in the same position as he had slept through the night holding Katie firmly in his arms like they were a couple. Sparks flew through his body once again making the decision of letting go and waking the hunter up even harder than he thought. ¡°Katie,¡± he whispered. ¡°Your breath is ticklish. I guess alphas are deep sleepers as well,¡± she spoke up, her voice sounding like music to his ears. Cole did not understand what gave this hunter the charm or sway that she had on him and didn¡¯t know whether to take it as a good thing or a bad thing. ¡°What time is it?¡± he asked on realizing that Katie had been awake longer than he had been. Her voice bore no signs of someone who had recently woken up. ¡°Thirty minutes to the first lesson,¡± she said. ¡°I guess I should let go of you now. Hope it wasn¡¯t an inconvenience in any way,¡± he said, loosening his grip on her. In a swift rushed movement, Katie held his hands to stop their retreat and pulled them back. ¡°Just a bit longer... I like it...¡± she said, silence taking over the two, ¡°Does it bother you?¡± ¡°No... It doesn¡¯t. Though it does confuse me that you¡¯re okay with this,¡± he said before he could stop himself. ..... ¡°Same here...¡± she replied. ¡°Your scent is nice and by that, I don¡¯t mean the perfume...¡± This was regarded as apliment in the werewolfmunity much as it was said that the scent that they found most appealing was the one that belonged to their mates. There was silence before she spoke up, ¡°We should get going...¡± was all she said to break up the touching moment. Katie removed his hands from around her and walked into the bathroom. No matter how much Cole tried, he couldn¡¯t get the feeling that he had done something bad off his chest. He knew she was a hunter and from what he had been told on how one¡¯s mate was supposed to be identified, she didn¡¯t fit the criteria. Why did he feel this way now? ¡°Two days to the Founders¡¯ festival. You must be excited,¡± Katie said from the bathroom. ¡°I have no idea what that is about so I am just waiting to see for myself,¡± he replied. ¡°Well, it¡¯s almost like a ball that Sandra forces me to attend every year,¡± she replied to him, raising her voice so that he could hear her well. ¡°Oh really, and do you enjoy it every time she drags you there?¡± ¡°Sometimes, but I get out when things start to get out of hand.¡± ¡®What does she mean by out of hand?¡¯ Cole thought. Thinking back to what Sandra had told her earlier, she could remember that she was not a fan once the dance started getting wild. ¡°So you don¡¯t like having too much fun?¡± he asked. ¡°Sounds like someone already knows about my agenda,¡± a hint of suspiciony in her otherwise calm voice. ¡°That obvious huh,¡± she had seen through his words almost immediately, probably it was because he hesitated before asking or simply because someone who knew nothing about it would have asked what she had meant by going crazy. ¡°Sandra won¡¯t stop talking about that thing every year ites about. That¡¯s why I had the assumption that she had already told you about it,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. She did tell me, but then, why are you telling me?¡± She coughed as though preparing a speech and began speaking like an obnoxious school prefect, ¡°Well, I am the head hunter, aren¡¯t I? It¡¯s my duty to...¡± ¡°Cut the crap,¡± he cut her off, chuckling at her childish tone as she voiced her excuse. ¡°Never mind... I just remembered something that cancels the reason I had for starting this topic of conversation,¡± she said, stepping out of the bathroom while tying her hair into a high ponytail. ¡°Did you want to ask me to the dance?¡± he asked to which she nodded ¡®yes,¡¯ ¡°Then what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± ¡°I would have liked to take you to the dance honestly... that was my intention when I was starting this conversation, but I¡¯m afraid... that day is the same as my birthday. I will be turning eighteen on that day and my parents made it clear that I am to celebrate it home... something about a hunter initiation with the Chase family... Family traditions can suck.¡± Katie lied between her teeth throwing him off track. Her mind was a mess mulling over why she had gotten her hopes up in the first ce. After that day, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to show her face ever again since her eyes would always be glowing blue. ¡°Oh, that sucks... I did want to ask you about the dance. I guess you could say you beat me to the punch,¡± he said, his voice dropping. ¡°So how about a counter proposal...¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Yesterday, we were supposed to hang out together after sses, but after everything that happened. There was no way that was going to work out, so I propose this. I am inviting you to a walk in the woods with me today evening,¡± she said, leaning on the threshold of the bathroom door, her hair nicely done and looking ready to leave. She had done the best she could do to tidy up before she could leave. ¡°What are you trying to do, Katie?¡± there was silence for a while. The expressionless face he kept pinned to the ground was proof that he was warding off her attempts, somewhat of a one-eighty kind of reaction. Katie had followed her instincts her whole life and never once had they betrayed her, so there was something else that was interfering with this and his sudden change in mood proved it. ¡°Just think about it for a bit,¡± she said, walking towards the door of his room, ¡°thanks for everything. I owe you one.¡± ¡°What were you doing so far out of town, Katie?¡± he called back, freezing her just as she had opened the door to get out of the room. ¡°I was angry, so I ran and ran and ran and just kept on running...¡± ¡°That was reckless... you could have died. You could barely stand when I found you,¡± his voice was getting higher and higher. ¡°Oh, were you that concerned about me?¡± she turned back to look him in the eye, her mind going into a trance that very moment as she stared at him. Cole found that he couldn¡¯t utter a word for a moment, his anger dissipating as well as he stared back into her deep blue eyes. ¡°Y-yes, I was... concerned. I was concerned,¡± he stuttered. ¡°Well, I¡¯m fine now, thanks to you. Take care, Cole and think about my offer,¡± she said before vanishing from sight. Cole stayed still for a while before starting his own share of her morning ablutions. All the time he took as he prepared himself, he couldn¡¯t get his mind off the thought of going out with the hunter. It was unlike him to behave like this. It was clear to him that his wolf was attracted to her, but the reason for that eluded him. She was a hunter for crying out loud. Eventually, he managed to push all his thoughts to the back of his head and continue with what he had to do to get to school. He found Jason, Caden and Ash waiting for him in the living room, already dressed. ¡°Someone slept well,¡± Jason said, smirking at him. ¡°You need a hobby, Jason.¡± They stood up with Jasonughing his heart out and walked out of the hotel and to the cars. ¡°Did any of you guys see Katie leaving the building?¡± ¡°Yeah, apparently she knew her way around. For some reason, licensed hunters are allowed to stay in any hotel since that only means that the hotel will be a lot more secure that way, so she doesn¡¯t get to pay for a damn thing. Everything is free for them,¡± Caden said, getting slightly irritated by that fact. ¡°Does it feel unfair to you?¡± Cole asked him. ¡°To some extent, it does, but when I think about it, it doesn¡¯t. Humans are powerless in the faces of werewolves and the fear they have for them is only natural. It would not be surprising that hunters would then be valued that much.¡± Cole was d he understood that much although she could tell he was not done, ¡°But that also means humans will never fully trust werewolves. It¡¯s impossible to them and that doesn¡¯t sit right with me. In some ces, werewolves are even treated unequally. Not allowing them to participate in sports or even putting up werewolf fight clubs where werewolves are captured and made to earn their keep. It makes me sick thinking about it,¡± he continued. ¡°That is what the royals have been trying to put an end to in the past two centuries, but something new is alwaysing up. A way to show the people that werewolves and humans can be truly equal. My union with my dead mate was a n that would have helped with that,¡± Cole replied to him, ¡°but I guess the Rogue king wouldn¡¯t let that just happen, now would he?¡± The school finally came into view, Jason driving the car into the parking lot that had been reserved for it... something that, once again that his mother had insisted on when they wereing. The four of them got out of the car only to freeze at the sight of the school. The school had been lightly decorated with banners and balloons in a few ces, just enough to announce aing festival and still say that this was a learning institution. A huge banner at the top of the main front door of the main school building had the words ¡®Founders¡¯ Festival¡¯ written in huge bold block letters. ¡°Festival is in two days, but it already looks like they are setting up for it. I guess it is a big event after all.¡± ¡°The festival is on Sunday and since there is no school over the weekends, the school is designed on Friday to remind everyone to be in attendance on Sunday. That is why the decorations are made so early,¡± Ash exined. ¡°This isn¡¯t your first festival, is it?¡± ¡°It is... I just read the brochure carefully, gathering all the information I could about the school before I got in. I had to be ready,¡± he said, reminding us of the days when he was a rouge on a suicidal mission to infiltrate the most secure school in the world. Now that he had actually infiltrated it, Katie was probably angered by the fact that she had not been able to detect them while they walked about in the same school that was at the top just because of her presence. Chapter 24 Chapter 24: Chapter Twenty Four ¡°Caden, take Ash to the principal and ask for his information to be altered such that it¡¯s right and if there is any opposition, feel free to use my name. He is under my protection. Is that clear?¡± Cole said. ¡°Yes, crystal clear, since he hasn¡¯t killed anyone yet, he is still innocent,¡± Caden pointed out before leading Ash away from them. ¡°So who are you going to take to the dance at the end of the festival?¡± Jason asked me. ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet... and what do you mean by ¡®end of the festival,¡¯?¡± ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t know. The festivalsts a whole day. Students from different sses present projects and really important people attend the festival. If something is shy enough, someone can get themselves a schrship. It¡¯s one of the biggest events in the school, no, the city. Security is also tough on that day as hunters from the hunters¡¯ agency are hired to patrol the school and keep civilians out of trouble,¡± he exined. ¡®Why would Katie miss an event such as that one?¡¯ the thought echoed through Cole¡¯s mind as they walked into the school. The bell rang for the start of the first lesson as they got in. ................ Katie got home to get what it was that she would need at school. That included a bag of her books. Katie¡¯s parents did not ask many questions about where she had been considering there had been an attack the day before and instead gave her a new full bottle of pills. ¡°Keep these on your person at all times,¡± Uncle Tom said to her. ..... ¡°I can¡¯t do that. They are known now, the rogue that was put into a Prometheus evaluation. He passed it,¡± her aunt gasped, covering her mouth. It was almost unheard of for a rogue to pass that test and this was big news. ¡°That must be a special wolf indeed. Or maybe... No, it¡¯s normal for a rogue to pass that test as long as they are determined to escape that life. Something must have inspired him to turn away from that life of darkness. He¡¯s lucky,¡± Aunt Marie said. Katie went to the kitchen and prepared a quick breakfast, her guardians following her expectantly, ¡°So are you going to tell us what happened?¡± ¡°There was a lot of death in the air and the fact that the rogues that attacked us were all kids below eighteen years old. They were using the same pills that I have to conceal their presence in the school and pass for humans. They were spies for the rogue king. I wasn¡¯t able to find out exactly who they were as we just killed most of them,¡± Katie began, telling them the entire story of how the wolves ambushed them and how he captured them. He told them about Shaemus¡¯ weird behaviour but left out his suspicions. Their reactions to that information were something she wasn¡¯t looking forward to and decided to withhold it while he carried out his own investigation. She sipped her tea keeping her eyes away from their expectant faces intentionally leaving out the events of the rest of the night, ¡°I can¡¯t say much more after that. I gave Shaemus a punishment of joining the night patrol of hunters for a week.¡± ¡°So you are going to leave out everything else that happened, huh. It¡¯s fine... we just want to make something clear. We made some research, your wolf wille out gradually on Sunday and the pain of the transformation trying to force itself will continue to ravage you tirelessly. You have to keep your emotions in check through that time. A minor slip up could result in you biting someone¡¯s head off. By seven in the evening, you should be at the cabin deep in the woods where we have gotten the underground bunker ready to contain you during the transformation and through the whole night. There is no telling if you will go on a rampage when you shift, so that is a precaution that we are going to have to take. I am hoping we can make it through the night and everything will be better in the morning,¡± Uncle Tom said. ¡°Okay then, I will enjoy the festival until 6:30 that night and head straight here,¡± she said to them and continued her breakfast. ¡°Don¡¯t you guys have to go to work or something like that?¡± ¡°Yes, we do...¡± Aunt Marie said nervously, ¡°bute on, you have to tell us something about what happenedst night. Fine, at least just me, Tom can go away and leave to talk girl to girl.¡± ¡°Since when is gossip a thing in this family?¡± Katie asked, her voice going up several octaves. This was new in this family... a thorough examination of the behaviour made sense. The Chase family was good when it came to following their intuition and this told her that they could feel something happened. ¡°I slept in the same bed as Cole Lycaon,¡± this jaw-dropping news had both of her guardians stunned. Katie noisily sipped her cup of coffee for dramatic effect while she savoured the silence in the room. ¡®It doesn¡¯t get better than this...¡¯ ¡°Umm... where do we start? Why? How? When? All these questions are valid. Tell us everything...¡± ¡°You what?¡± someone yelled. This was when it was just registering in Uncle Tom¡¯s head that he was supposed to react to this. ¡°Honey, the moment passed... honey...¡± ¡°What do you mean in the same bed? You slept with him! Oh my God, you¡¯re only seventeen...¡± he began ignoring his wife¡¯s attempts at stopping himpletely. ¡°And there he goes,¡± Aunt Marie face-palmed while listening to her husband fly off the handle. There was nothing that could be said to snap him out of it now as she had already tried. She could only listen as Katie herself tried to correct him but fall into even more traps that her husband kept on setting, the story bing more and more ridiculous the longer the ridiculously one-sided conversation dragged on. ¡°Did he break you? That guy is huge,¡± Aunt Marie burst outughing at that point. Katie¡¯s face was starting to turn red under the pressure of her harassing father figure. This was a trait that both females knew about quite well where he would choose a moment to attack someone using their words against them and spinning everything they said in favour of making the storypletely repulsive and embarrassing. It was easy to eventually slip up and say the wrong words when he did this and when that happened it only helped in making the situation all the worse. ¡°I¡¯m not continuing this,¡± Katie started yelling while running to the sofa to pick up her bag pack, ¡°It¡¯s because of you my coffee started tasting funny.¡± ¡°Sweetheart, don¡¯t forget your phone,¡± Aunt Marie reminded Katie amidst her now dyingughs. ¡°I got it, thanks.¡± ¡°Get back here, we are still talking...¡± he yelled back at Katie before the front door mmed shut, ¡°Katie... Katie... This conversation is not over.¡± ¡°She¡¯s gone honey,¡± Aunt Marie spoke up, her husband beginning his own series ofughs on the floor. His wife simply rolled her eyes at him, ¡°You can be such a child, you know that.¡± ¡°I was only messing with her,¡± he tried amidst hisughter. ¡°Even after she tried her best to word her statement carefully,¡± she replied. ¡°Oh,e on, she set that trap for herself and you know it. There is almost nothing in the world at that point that could save her. I couldn¡¯t pass up that opportunity....¡± ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable,¡± she facepalmed walking past the counter and into the kitchen to wash up after Katie. It took some time before theughter seized. Tom, however, did not stand up from his spot on the ground. He simplyy their spread-eagled and spoke up, his voice low and serious, ¡°You think she found out.¡± ¡°She probably feels the bond, but she doesn¡¯t know what it is. The same applies to that Royal, otherwise, he would know what it was and tell her. The pills can¡¯t block itpletely, but the more they grow close to one another, the more feelings they¡¯ll start to develop,¡± she exined. ¡°He could not havee at a more opportune time. She will need him in the days toe,¡± Uncle Tom said. ¡°That much is true. I could not have asked for a better turn of events. Our initial n would have proved to be too much of a gamble, not to mention, it could have cost many people their lives,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s true as well,¡± he confirmed. The two shared an untold secret of how they were meant to initially handle her transformation on her birthday that was more hectic. No one in the entire world had known that theing of Cole Lycaon had been the biggest stroke of luck that had avoided the death of countless innocents. Chapter 25 Chapter 25: Chapter Twenty Five Katie got to school earlier than she expected. The perks of having an agility Prometheus gift really came in handy sometimes. She checked her watch before leaving the house and found that she had five minutes to the first bell. That was what made her choose a different path to get to the school and that was a path through the forest to avoid detection. She checked the ssroom and found that Sandra and Kyle were not yet there. Cole and his alphas were also nowhere to be seen. There was only one more ce she thought to check and that was the hunter¡¯s pub in the cafeteria. This was where they spent their free time even when they came to school earlier than needed. Sandra, Kyle, Cole and Jason were the people who upied the pub when she came in. The four of them were engaged in deep conversation before they noticed her. ¡°Good morning,¡± she greeted them before letting herself fall between Kyle and Sandra, putting her hands around them to brace herself. ¡°You aren¡¯t light, Chase,¡± Kyleined under her arm. ¡°Boy, you just need to start working out,¡± Katie said dismissed hisints, letting him go just as well. ¡°Someone is looking happy,¡± Jason said, winking at her. ¡°You shut your mouth, wolf,¡± Katie narrowed her eyes at the witty alpha. ¡°What is he talking about?¡± Kyle was the first to ask. ..... ¡°No, don¡¯t let me interrupt. What were you guys talking about before I got here?¡± Katie asked trying to get the focus off her. ¡°Kyle was asking about Ash. He was curious to know how Ash survived the evaluation,¡± Cole replied. ¡°That sounds like him anyway. Curious Kyle... You better ace the exams. With all you know, you should be able to get into the best university you can think of,¡± Sandra spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. You can¡¯t me me for wanting to know what happened after I was taken away against my will. I really wanted to see the Prometheus eval topletion,¡± he pouted. ¡°There was a big chance you were just going to be there to witness a death like all the others you had already witnessed. Speaking of which, were there any cases of trauma during the incident,¡± Katie asked Sandra. ¡°From what I could find out from my parents, there were only about seven cases. Some just fainted from being smothered within the crowd, but other than that, everyone was okay. They won¡¯t be getting excited to go for another crazy day out any time soon. Not after what happened back there,¡± she reported. Katie stayed silent for a bit before asking, ¡°How long till the traumatized civilians get back to normal?¡± ¡°The doctors said it will take a minimum of three weeks and a maximum of three months in rehab given they aren¡¯t exposed to such violence again during that time,¡± she said. She took some time to think before sighing deeply, ¡°We should get to ss. I surely hope that was thest of the rogues that infiltrated the school. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do to the next one that I would find.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone would make that mistake after watching you do something like that to theirrades,¡± Kyle said, closing his ever runningptop and packing up his bag. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have the same lessons today, so I¡¯ll just get going,¡± he said getting up with Jason, ¡°Oh, one more thing Katie... your proposal. I thought it through and I¡¯d like to you up on it.¡± Katie¡¯s thoughts froze on hearing him ept to spend the evening strolling through the woods, ¡°Yeah, that would be great. I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll be there,¡± she stammered. ¡®Where did my confidence go?¡¯ she mentally screamed. Her mind soared through the number of possibilities that could happen on an evening stroll. Despite how alien the thoughts she soared through were to her, she wanted to stay within them. Some were as messed up as finding rogues in the forest and romantically taking them apart while others were as innocent as a walk that ended in the night where they simply stared at the night sky in each other¡¯s armsying clich¨¦ love phrases on each other quite thick. The three friends stood still watching the wolves leave the cafeteria only because Katie was not budging an inch. Sandra waved her hand in front of her friend¡¯s face, ¡°Earth to Katie... what was Cole talking about?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± she snapped out of her trance to see Sandra before her, a look of suspicion on her face, ¡°It¡¯s nothing... just an evening stroll.¡± With that said, Katie began speed walking out of there... a strategy that Sandra could see through. Sandra quickly tackled her best friend. ¡°You are not running away from me after saying something that abrupt and juicy,¡± the two girls struggled on the floor. ¡°Let me go, Sandra,¡± Katie whined. ¡°No. I want gossip and you are going to give it to me,¡± Kyle could not stopughing at the two as they struggled childishly on the floor. Katie soon stopped struggling and let Sandra restrain her. ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll tell you. Cole and I are going on an evening stroll,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it. So can I tag along?¡± ¡°Are you being serious? Of course not.¡± ¡°But Jason and Cad... wait, there won¡¯t be Jason or Caden during that stroll... just the two of you,¡± Katie nodded to confirm her statement. ¡°Wow, that I did not seeing. What brought this on?¡± she asked. ¡°No idea... now can you get off me so that we can get to ss?¡± Katie asked the girl who still had her pinned to the floor. ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± Sandra hastily got off her and helped her up. ¡°A royal, huh, that¡¯s like up there,¡± Kyle began. ¡°Oh, shut it, Kyle,¡± Katie said jokingly, ¡°That¡¯s only a title. I¡¯m still stronger than him... I think.¡± ¡°Well, when you have your weapons, then you are stronger than him, but I would doubt it if you were barehanded,¡± he said. ¡°Whatever you say boy wonder,¡± Katie replied, raising her hands in mock surrender. The three walked out of the cafeteria only to bump into two other people, one of which Katie didn¡¯t want to see. The halls were empty at this time, sses have already started... and yet here these two were, Caden and Ash. ¡°This must be Ash,¡± Kyle said, his voice sounding a bit different from what it usually sounded like. Katie waspelled to look at him. She thought she noticed something of a glint in his eyes if only for a second. ¡°Yes, that is me. I know you already though I didn¡¯t know who you were,¡± he said. ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m guessing you never know someone until they show their true colours. Katie was sure surprised to find out,¡± Kyle was spitting venom and doing his best to stay calm at the same time. ¡°That¡¯s enough Kyle. I can fight my battles for myself,¡± Katie said, narrowing her eyes at Kyle, ¡°Say something that can save you.¡± ¡°Stop bullying him,¡± Caden said pulling the yellow-eyed child behind him defensively, ¡°I¡¯m guessing you weren¡¯t briefed on what he told us about the rogues he was working with. So I¡¯ll say this before he gets in more trouble with the teacher. Ash is under the protection of the Lycaon Royal family now and he has been cleared of all suspicion after agreeing to coborate with the hunters and give them all the information avable to him.¡± Katie kept her eyes on the boy hiding behind Caden. This boy was too young to be a spy. What kind of person was the rogue king? Her expression finally softened. Ash posed her no threat whatsoever and was not at fault at all, ¡°How old are you, Ash?¡± Ash froze at the question, seized by the sudden change in the mood that was being directed towards him, ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m fifteen,¡± he stammered. ¡°Well then,¡± Katie extended her hand out to him, ¡°Wee to Brigade high. You have nothing to fear here. Even Dexter is not allowed to bother you.¡± Ash shook her hand, finally getting over his fear, ¡°That was fast.¡± Katie chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s expected... Ash is fond of you,¡± Caden said matter-of-factly. ¡°Howe?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the reason I made it through the evaluation,¡± he said, snapping the group into silence. Saying something about how the evaluation went was somewhat of a big deal considering the test was never the same and no one knew the conditions to pass it. ¡°That sounds fascinating. How am I instrumental in your current wellbeing?¡± he asked. ¡°You are the reason I was able to believe in a life away from the rogues. Without that, Prometheus deems the evaluation a failure. I was determined to turn over a new leaf because of the safety you have managed to put into this school and for that, I am truly honoured to have met you,¡± Ash exined. A short and touching speech that came from the heart. Ash couldn¡¯t stop the tears that threatened to break free from his face once again. The smile on his face made it undeniable that he was overjoyed. ¡°There he goes again,¡± Caden chuckled, ¡°You really are a crybaby, Ash, but no one holds it against you. I can¡¯t imagine what you went through when you lived with the rogues.¡± Chapter 26 Chapter 26: Chapter Twenty Six Katie sat in the ssroom where she was supposed to attend her first lesson from in her usual seat. In this lesson, she finally got to sit with her best friend, Sandra by her side. Kyle sat ahead so he could focus on what was being taught in the ss. He needed that more than these two did. The life of a hunter, if sessful was already determined as long as they remained diligent in their efforts to attain the abilities needed tobat the rogues and keep the peace. As such, Kyle was required to remain attentive even though it was tempting to hang out with the hunters. Nheless, he was able to make excuses when it mattered. Katie couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of doom in the pit of her stomach. Something was badly wrong, but she couldn¡¯t put her finger on it. The Chase family trained to never evade one¡¯s intuition and Katie¡¯s intuition right now was screaming trouble. More trouble than it did the day before, but the worst part of this was that she could not figure out what the feeling was trying to tell her. She tried looking outside for nature to distract her but found nothing. She then turned to the best friend, ¡°Is it just me or does something feel off today?¡± she tried asking. ¡°Maybe you are worried about the prisoner we still have,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Why do we have a prisoner when the boy passed the evaluation?¡± ¡°Because the boy doesn¡¯t know everything we need to know,¡± she replied, ¡°so they kept the prisoner around for an interrogation so that they can see if they can dig up anything new.¡± ¡°What do you mean by the boy doesn¡¯t know?¡± ..... ¡°The Rogue king sends all of the kids on missions that are different and they are supposed to retrieve different pieces of seemingly unrted information which he can then use to decide his next move without even the spies knowing what it is that he is nning. As a result, the spies¡¯ main objective is to obtain the knowledge that is required of them,¡± she exined. ¡°So that means...¡± ¡°Katie Chase...¡± the voice of the teacher alerted her, stopping the conversation in half. She looked at the teacher who beckoned for her to look at the door. Principal Brown stood at the entrance of the ssroom d in a ck suit looking as regal as he could manage. Katie got up from her seat and walked to the door to speak to him. ¡°Follow me, Chase,¡± he said. She excused herself from the ss urging the teacher to go on as she followed Principal Brown. The principal led her out of the main building, keeping quiet the entire time they walked. Katie could tell where they were going yet until she noticed the infirmary. There didn¡¯t seem to be a reason why she would be going there and her mind couldn¡¯t figure out why. Remembering the events of the past day only made her feel like she was in more trouble than she out to have been in. They walked past the infirmary and went straight to the teacher¡¯s parking lot. A secluded parking lot that was much farther from the school entrance than the main one, which didn¡¯t make it ideal, even for the rulebreakers who wanted to use it just for the sake of breaking the teachers only rule. The Principal walked by to her ck Cadic and opened the passenger seat for her to get in. There was no questioning him with the look he wore on his face. Katie got into the massive car and waited for him as he circled around to get to the driver¡¯s seat. They were soon on the road driving at eighty kilometres per hour in pure silence. ¡°Are you going to tell me where we are going?¡± she asked him after some time in the silence. ¡°We are going to the detention centre, the Hunter detention centre,¡± she said. There could only be one reason why I would be summoned there and that was because of Shaemus. Hunters in wrong would be sent there and punished ordingly, sometimes interrogated. ¡°What did Shaemus do now?¡± ¡°Just stay quiet until we get there. You will know soon enough,¡± Principal Brown had never worn this kind of expression. It was like he didn¡¯t know what to make of what he had found out and that nothing made sense. He gripped the stirring wheel so hard that his knuckles were turning white. This was only making Katie more and more nervous by the minute. They finally reached the Hunter¡¯s Agency, a colossal facility that upied a few acres ofnd. This was where most of the hunter activities took ce and it acted as a base for the pro hunters that protected the town. As Katie entered the gate with Mr Brown, she couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy with the eyes that were staring at her. No one greeted them as they went through and they were even permitted to skip the security check. Katie tried waving at a few of them, but they would all turn away. Mr Brown finally brought her through to the three-storey building that served as the detention centre. Regardless of how big the building looked, it was partitioned into only twenty identical rooms, eight on each floor. The walls of the building were reinforced with concrete and the doors were made of steel. This was to prevent hunters with Prometheus gifts of strength from escaping. It was rare for a hunter to be guilty of a crime, but once they were suspected, there was a system for clearing their names and this was where they would put them to prevent them from making any further wrong decisions. Shaemus now qualified to be in one of these cells although he did not possess the Prometheus gift it was meant to withstand. ¡®This is overkill,¡¯ Katie thought as the two walked into the building and went straight for the stairs. The corridor went straight through the middle with four rooms on each side, more like cells. Nheless, each cell came with a bed, a reading table and a toilet. The reading table was also meant to hold books and novels of the hunter¡¯s choosing to pass the time while their issue was being handled. She finally got to Shaemus¡¯ cell on the first floor. The guard who hade with them immediately started fumbling with the keys to open the cell. ¡°Shaemus said... that you were the one who organized that whole fight and made sure he took the me for everything,¡± Principal Brown said, the words rolling off his tongue slowly. Before Katie had a chance to react, the guard pushed her through the door and mmed the door shut behind her. She rushed back to the bars that did not allow much visibility of the outside. ¡°Hey, what is this?¡± she yelled. ¡°Talk to Shaemus. Maybe you can help us make sense of this. We¡¯ll be back in an hour to see how much progress you will have made,¡± with that said, they left. The sound of their receding footsteps proved this was no joke and that they were serious. ¡°EXPLAIN THIS TO ME RIGHT NOW. WHY AM I BEING DETAINED?¡± she yelled, rage flowing through every vessel in her body while she did so. ¡®This is an outrage. They know who I am. I have no time to waste in detention,¡¯ her thoughts rumbled in fury. She punched the door, making sure to add some added power of the strength Prometheus gift to it. She continued to punch the door, making it scream on its hinges and sending the vibration through the entire cell. The door was sturdy and would not budge one bit. ¡°That won¡¯t help,¡± a voice startled her out of her rhythm. A voice she knew all too well. She slowly turned to see Shaemus lying in the bed face up with, book in hand. He lookedfortable in the bed and for once, Katie could see the same look in his eye that he used to have before he started causing chaos at the school. ¡°If it isn¡¯t the reason I am here,¡± she said to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this. I really needed to talk to you,¡± he began. ¡°Oh, quit it. You knew there was going to be an attack at the clearing, didn¡¯t you?¡± Katie asked, a hint of anger in her voice. ¡°Could you keep your voice down? The walls have ears,¡± he spoke in a hushed tone. Katie held back on her next outburst so that she could hear the junior hunter out. She pulled the chair from the reading desk and took a seat leaning forward with her chin on her hands, ¡°What is it that you can tell me?¡± she asked him. ¡°You make this easy so quickly, but I¡¯m d. Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°Just cut to the chase.¡± ¡°My mother is missing.¡± He said, keeping quiet to let it register in her mind. Shaemus was a child to a single mother who was a hunter. His father had died in a mission to a location that they believed to be the Rogue King¡¯s hideout, but it had turned out to be wrong information and a bomb went off when they arrived. The rogues had thene in and killed all the survivors of the bomb st. A merciless ambush that only fueled the hunters¡¯ hate towards the rogues even more. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Katie said to him, going silent to allow him to exin the whole story. The reason why he¡¯d been acting so much out of character. Chapter 27 Chapter 27: Chapter Twenty Seven ¡°It was about a week ago. My mother went missing, but before I could say anything to the Hunter Agency, they called me. They showed me proof of my mum being alive, a live video of her strapped to a chair and gagged. Her vitals were also being monitored. She was at their mercy and they had her bound in chains strong enough to withstand a Prometheus gift. That only told me that she had been ambushed or tricked since her gift is agility. My hands were tied... they warned me not to get any crazy ideas because they had ears everywhere. I didn¡¯t know what they meant at first until they started telling me things that I alone was supposed to know. Myst option was to hope that your intuition was good enough to pick up on everything that was going on. I was told to put on a good show and persuade arge turnout at the Hunters¡¯ training ground. I didn¡¯t want to, but what choice did I have. Any form of bad acting and my mother would be dead. I had to cause amotion and lead arge number of civilians...¡± he couldn¡¯t stomach what he was saying at this point. ¡°Keep going Shaemus. As long as it¡¯s your mother involved, I can overlook everything you did, nobody died,¡± Katie said. ¡°You might be able to overlook it, but I can¡¯t do that so casually when even now they still have my mother and might only be waiting to give me more orders that I¡¯ll have to carry out. I can¡¯t keep going for much longer, Katie,¡± Katie could shake the feeling of relief and pride for herrade. As much as he was in pain at the moment, she was only happy that he was still himself... as self-righteous as he had always been. ¡°Continue, Shaemus,¡± she told him. ¡°When we got to the clearing, I wanted to find a way to tell you. The rogues were going to attack and I knew it, but I couldn¡¯t tell anyone. The only person I could trust in the entire school was you and simply because you are a pro hunter. That speaks for itself though I didn¡¯t know that you were a pro hunter until an hour before our meeting in the clearing. Myst resort was to burn down the five minutes you gave me, wasting up all my energy, using it to try and ry the one message that I couldn¡¯t ry to you,¡± he exined, chuckling at the end, ¡°you have such a great intuition. I could see it in your eyes, the caution. The feeling that something was not right and all I needed to do was to help you confirm it.¡± ¡°Do you really think they have spies that are always watching us?¡± he said. ..... ¡°To prove it, they organized a meeting with one of them, a student in our same ss passing as a human. There was no way I could tell that he was a rogue. Even as the student stood in front of me iming to be a rogue, I couldn¡¯t help butugh at him like it was some sick joke. That was... until he punched my gut,¡± he closed his eyes cringing at the enemy, ¡°that skinny boy packed a punch. I know superhuman strength when I see it. I just never thought it would one day hit me and not to mention from a fellow student. From that moment, everyone in the school was a suspect. I had no idea how many they were or who they were. There was even a possibility of being friends with them. The perfect infiltration, they called it.¡± ¡°I met one of them. He went through a Prometheus evaluation and passed. He was just a child of fifteen years that I had saved the day before from Dexter. They are able to conceal their presence by suppressing their wolves using some pills. The downside is that the pills only work until they turn eighteen. Quite repulsive if you ask me,¡± Katie said. ¡°That boy was still young. He is bound to have less information than the others who have been there for months. Rumour has it that some of them have been there for years,¡± he said. ¡°The boy said the seven of them were all that were there and we killed them. I¡¯m hoping he was at least right in that aspect. I have one question though. Why did you choose me?¡± ¡°I trust you, Katie. I have been put through hell in the past week. Of all the lessons that you taught me back then, one seemed toe back to me and that was trusting my intuition. The only person I could feel safe handling this information with no chance of being a spy was you. I just had to find a way to get the information to you without risk of anyone hearing us. And the only way that I could do that...¡± ¡°Was to frame me and have me brought here so that we can talk about this in private,¡± Katie finished the statement, the entirety of Shaemus¡¯ logic finally settling into her mind. She couldn¡¯t me him for trying to save his mother, but she also couldn¡¯t deny the fact that he still went through with the n with no knowledge of how many of the rogues would be attacking. ¡°Exactly... I¡¯m d I could at least tell someone about it. It¡¯s been killing me,¡± heid back into the bed breathing out a heavy sigh of relief. ¡°Did they tell you why they wanted you to gather a group asrge as that one?¡± Katie asked. ¡°No, they didn¡¯t. They would only say that they wanted the school to get a bit more interesting, but that was a lie, obviously. I came to the conclusion that they were nning an attack on the civilians that I would gather on that day. Once again, I¡¯m sorry for the trouble I caused you,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s okay... my only aim right now is to get all the facts right and make a full assessment of how much infiltration they went through,¡± Katie said, ¡°I still wonder why you went through with it. What if they were more of them that attacked us?¡± ¡°Even if they were more, they weren¡¯t going to attack at once with a Royal, three alphas and a pro hunter on the scene. I don¡¯t know what their goal was, but it was suicide to attack. One other thing I noticed is that they always kept their numbers a mystery like they were many. This could have just been a smokescreen to keep me paranoid about how they were everywhere. The more I thought of it, the more I saw the chances of the civilians surviving,¡± he said. ¡°You call it survival when some of them are in rehabilitation because of the trauma they went through. In thatmotion, it was very possible for them to die just from being trampled in the fray,¡± Katie snapped at him. Shaemus closed his eyes, a painful expression gracing his face. ¡°I am not saying I justify what I did... what would you have done in my shoes?¡± ¡°You and I are very different people... especially when ites to our power difference. That said, I¡¯d probably hunt down the Rogue king. Something tells me he doesn¡¯t stay too far from the spies he wants to actively control like this. At the rate with which they are receiving orders, he can¡¯t be far,¡± she surmised. ¡°Couldn¡¯t he be giving the orders through a phone?¡± ¡°That would be a convenient way to do it, but phone calls can be tracked and listened to. If anyone caught wind of a phone call that revealed their ns, his ns would be ruined,¡± she said. ¡°You make a valid point, but what you are suggesting is...¡± ¡°The Rogue King is not far from here. He could be hiding in a hiddenpound deep within the forest well out of hunter territory. And if I am merely overthinking it, he could be in town hiding in in sight, that is if he found some way to mask his scent from every werewolf in the vicinity,¡± She said. ¡°That would be a difficult task to achieve. If suppression of a wolf only works for underage werewolves as you said, it would be hard for him to mask his presence, not to mention the fact that he is among the high ranking wolves,¡± he said. It was good to see that he could still reason even under all that guilt. The look was good on him, even after that, why couldn¡¯t she wipe the feeling of terror from her mind. ¡°Something is bothering me and won¡¯t let go of me,¡± she said before she could stop herself. ¡°You mean like...¡± Shaemus was stopped when the rushed footsteps of someone running broke through the silence of the Detention Centre. Keys rattled along with the sound of the footsteps. The person was getting closer to their door. Katie checked her watch and it had only been thirty minutes since she was locked in and not an hour. Her feeling of dread got even more pronounced the closer the person came. She got up to her feet, her body shivering with the urge to get moving. After jiggling the keys into the keyhole frantically, the door swung open, a guard tumbling into the cell and dropping to his knees,pletely out of breath that he could not speak even if he wanted to. Someone needed Katie¡¯s help and she wasn¡¯t going to make it in time... Chapter 28 Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty Eight Ash sat in the slowly emptying ssroom trying toplete the work that had just been handed to them by the teacher. Catching up when one was actually trying to live a decent life wasn¡¯t as easy as it sounded, but it was better than having to be on high alert every time in your life and making sure to take pills that hide who you are Remaining suspicious of everyone around you for probably knowing your secret and making sure to act natural while you lived with people that you knew were your enemy. Living that life was hard, although getting out of it didn¡¯t seem to be something that was easy. Some of his friends that found out about him immediately unfriended him while the ones that sympathized remained close to him even though those were also cut in half when they were threatened to be alienated just like he was. Nheless, he did not mind any of that. He had been initiated into the Lycaon pack and was finally feeling a sense of belonging that beat the fake friendships of high school. He continued writing, slowly losing track of time as the students got out. Soon the ss was empty and he was the only one there. His sensitive ears picked up on the silence. He was happy to get to feel his wolf¡¯s presence without fear of it being suppressed again. Footsteps got his attention prompting him to raise his head to look at the door as someone entered the ssroom. He sighed in relief when he recognized who it was. Someone he knew and could trust to have his back. ¡°Someone looks jumpy,¡± the neer said. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m still a bit jumpy. It will pass... that much I know.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. How is the work going?¡± something seemed odd about the person talking to Ash. He wasn¡¯t the type to just walk around alone. ¡°Can I ask what...¡± ..... ¡°You don¡¯t get to ask anything...¡± the tone changed into one that was cold and hostile, ¡°not after betraying us like that.¡± The smell of wolfsbane was the first to hit Ash¡¯s nose before his breath was cut off. Ash¡¯s assant stood holding a de coveredced with wolfsbane, one that dripped blood that was stained purple from the poison having slit Ash¡¯s throat in the blink of an eye. Ash¡¯s body fell to the ground and started to convulse and release more blood. With his throat cut the way it was, he couldn¡¯t make a single cry for help. The killer had made sure to make this quick and quiet. ¡°You know it doesn¡¯t even matter if they find you. I¡¯ll be out of here real soon and by the time they find out... well, I¡¯ll be long gone.¡± The assant threw the de out the window and walked out of the ssroom like nothing had happened, counting on the sick odour of the wolfsbane to keep the wolves away before they could smell the blood. He couldn¡¯t help the smirk that formed on his face and the feeling of satisfaction on getting rid of a traitor and in turn causing so much trouble for the hunters and the Lycaon pack. ¡®Oh dear Katie, I wonder what you will do now. I¡¯m practically dying to know,¡¯ he relished his sadistic thoughts, his heart devoid of all feelings of remorse... ........................ Cole sat partially attentive to the math teacher and partially trying to think of different ways to make the evening one to remember. That was right before the sharp pain in his chest hit like a hurricane. He cringed at the pain and put his head on the desk trying to figure out what it was that was ailing him. Caden noticed his master¡¯s condition and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know... pain, unbearable pain in my chest. Like something¡¯s been severed,¡± he said. Caden stood up from his seat in such a hurry that it caught the attention of the entire ssroom. ¡°Mr Caden, if you have a question... Mr Caden, Mr Caden, get back here,¡± Caden was out of the ssroom before anyone could stop him, his nostrils ring, looking for the one scent that mattered to him in the school other than Cole¡¯s. He ran down a few stairs before the repulsive smell of wolfsbane hit his nose. He almost turned to go back when the scent of blood mixed into the one of wolfsbane. It wasn¡¯t just any blood though, it belonged to the person he was looking for. ¡°Cole, get out of the ssroom right now. Something terrible might have happened to the new pup,¡± Caden said through the mind link. His body was frozen in ce, a feeling of dread taking over him. Cole emerged from the ssroom staggering, the teacher following behind him. ¡°If you needed to go to the infirmary, you could have just said so,¡± the teacher yelled in exasperation. ¡°This has nothing to do with my medical condition. Get back to the lesson,¡± Cole said to the teacher in an authoritative tone, ¡°and excuse my otherrade toe with me.¡± The teacher rolled her eyes in disbelief and simply walked back into the ssroom. Secondster, Jason came out and helped Cole walk, catching up to a frozen Caden at the staircase. ¡°Hey Caden, what¡¯s with the...¡± his question stopped halfway when the scents got to him as well. An alpha would be heavily weakened if it didn¡¯t know the cause of the feeling of loss and this was what was happening to Cole right now. Caden knew what the pain he described meant which allowed him to make the suspicion that Ash was in danger, but now he stood frozen unable to continue for fear of the reality that his mind kept trying to prepare him for. ¡°Caden,¡± Cole¡¯s voice had a hint of anger to it, ¡°stop wasting time.¡± The message was clear in his words and was enough to get Caden moving again. He ran ahead allowing Jason to lead Cole there at his own pace. The scent was impossible to miss and soon enough sses were werewolf students were starting to run out of the sses away from the source of the smell. Panic was taking a bit longer to set in which worked well for Caden since he was able to go through the hallway before it filled up with panicking students. Unfortunately, this also meant that the culprit had all the time in the world to make a swift getaway. He finally found the ssroom that was supposed to be the smell was thickest and got in, his hand on his nose. He turned to face the back of the ssroom and froze at the sight before him, his body began to shiver in rage, fear and loss. Emotions that, up until now, had never been invoked at the same time at such a magnitude. Ashy in a pool of blood, his eyes lifelessly staring up like he was looking at the someone towering over him. the smell of wolfsbane originated from a slit in his neck that ran across his throat. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to scream for help with that kind of wound. He also didn¡¯t know how to mind link since he was only recently a pack wolf. ¡®Who would do such a thing?¡¯ ¡°Did you find the source of the blood?¡± Cole¡¯s voice came in strained through the mind link. ¡°Yes, alpha, I found the source of the blood,¡± he said. ¡°You rarely refer to me as your alpha... What happened?¡± ¡°Just get here... and see for yourself,¡± Caden¡¯s voice waspletely empty of all emotion. All he knew was anger and a strong sense of revenge. It took everything he had to keep himself rooted to the spot on the ground. He wanted to hunt down the person that hadmitted this heinous atrocity and end their lives in the most creative and painful way he could think of. A little over a minute after talking to Cole, he turned up with Jason, ¡°Damn that scent is thick in here,¡± Jason said, his voice sounding, ¡°Hey, Caden, is this...¡± ¡°Is this supposed to be some kind of joke? If it is, then it¡¯s not a funny one...¡± Cole spoke, his voice spelling danger. ¡°That pain in your chest is what an alpha feels when they lose a pack member...¡± Caden spoke, ¡°Ash... is dead,¡± the three of them shared the same thoughts of murderous intent as they stared at the dead body of the fifteen-year old that they had only recently taken into their custody. Memories of Ash¡¯s innocent smile and crybaby nature only helped to fuel their anger. ¡°He was innocent. He was only a child,¡± Jason was about to start rambling. ¡°Stop speaking in the past tense. It doesn¡¯t help quell this rage,¡± he said. The first people to arrive were Sandra along with some of the teachers. Katie was nowhere to be seen in the group of people that came. Sandra steeled her face and made a call to the Hunter Agency to tell them of what had just transpired within the school. There was an ufortable silence for some time before the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance, however, they were not the first to arrive. No one noticed how or where she passed when getting in. Katie just appeared frozen at the front of the ssroom, her body shivering with fear. Sweat beaded her forehead and stray strands of her hair stuck to her face. To the werewolves, she still had an overwhelming scent of the forest with her which showed she¡¯d been running. ¡®Where is she from?¡¯ thoughts originated from the three werewolves as well as Sandra. Sandra had noticed her leave with the principal, but she did not know where exactly she had gone. One more thing that caught their attention was Ash¡¯s hand. In his own blood, using thest of his strength, he had endeavoured to write something on the ground but wasn¡¯t able to finish. His energy had only allowed him to write one letter. The letter, ¡®K¡¯... Chapter 29 Chapter 29: Chapter Twenty Nine Caden turned to the new arrival in the room, pure rage driving him through his next actions. This one gesture raised a lot of questions... The one person that Ash was infatuated with was Katie and it seemed less than likely for a dying person to try and write the name of their loved ones rather than their killers. The first person that came to mind when he saw the name was that of the person that stood before him right now. Each passing thought seemed to convince him more and more that he was staring at Ash¡¯s murderer. His need for justice was beginning to cloud his judgement even though no one could me him for his suspicions. Ash had been killed with a poisoned knife and his throat had been skillfully cut to make it so that he bled to death without uttering a single word of help. Not to mention the only person Kyle would have trusted to get that close to him with a weapon in hand would have been Katie as well. Everything seemed to point directly to her. The weapon that had been used as well as one that only Katie was authorized to use in the school. Katie soon noticed the malice that was directed towards her and spotted the letter that was written on the floor. From the look in Caden¡¯s eyes, there didn¡¯t look to be a way for her to calm him down and allow normal conversation. ¡°Does this look like something that could happen in the safest school to you?¡± Caden asked her, his voice shaking with anger. All of Katie¡¯s work to promote peace in this school and bring about a sense of safety was shattering right before her eyes. The mass panic that she found in the corridors proved that. Considering the reports on werewolf casualties in the school being more than humans, there was going to be an uproar of chaos when it was revealed that a werewolf was killed within the walls of Brigade high school. Katie¡¯s mind worked on summing up how much she was supposed to deal with that she didn¡¯t manage to notice the fist that connected with her jaw a secondter. Katie hit her back hard on the whiteboard at the front of the room, falling down into a crowd. Her jaw pulsed with pain from the impact of the blow Caden had delivered, snapping her out of her thoughts. ¡°Are you messing with me right now?¡± Caden asked, his voice low and dangerous. ¡°I won¡¯t let it slide the next time you try to hit me,¡± Katie said. She walked right past him and up to Ash¡¯s body, using two fingers to close the boy¡¯s eyes. ¡°Damn it, Ash. What were you trying to say?¡± Cole was astounded by her level of confidence that it only seemed logical that she wasn¡¯t the killer. Come to think of it, there was nothing she would gain from killing the boy. As far as Cole had noticed in the past days, Katie did not prefer violence and kept it to a minimum. Her fight with Shaemus spoke for itself. ¡°Where were you, Katie?¡± he asked, his voiceing out hoarse and almost inaudible. ..... ¡°I was... at the Hunter¡¯s Agency...¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid we might not be in the clear yet about there being rogues in the school that are suppressing their abilities.¡± ¡°You expect me to believe a rogue killed him when wolfsbane is thick in the air and the precision of the cut is no doubt something of a master¡¯s job. Not to mention the letter he¡¯s written on the floor...¡± he said inquisitively. The pain in his chest was beginning to subside although it still felt like he had lost something within him and hurt like hell to even think about it. ¡°Your suspicions are your own right. I can¡¯t me you forshing at any conclusions in your mind so that you can seek justice for the crime that has beenmitted today. While you have lost your pack member, I have lost everything that I¡¯ve been building since the day I set foot in this school. I¡¯m only remaining calm so that I can keep a level head while carrying out an investigation on this. And when the timees that I find Ash¡¯s killer... I¡¯ll put him through more hell than he can imagine,¡± Katie¡¯s voice was getting shaky towards the end, allowing the listeners in the room to get a sneak peek into the rage that boiled deep within her. ¡°Katie...¡± Caden called, his hands still balled into fists. This was hard on all of them and he had been the first to act out of pure emotion rather than reason, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I hit you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay... I¡¯m just surprised you have already ruled me out of this considering he wrote the first letter of my name with his dying breath.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t deny that it points to you more than anyone else that I know, but...¡± he paused, taking in a deep breath, ¡°it also doesn¡¯t make sense for you to kill someone as innocent as Ash. And for that, I will hold off on any suspicions that I have against you until we have more information. The paramedics finally made it to the room and got to work on bagging the body apanied with everything entailed in their job descriptions. The five students stood aside and watched in silence as the body Ash¡¯s body was put on a stretcher and carted away. When the stretcher was just about to pass by them, Cole ced his hand on it stopping its further progress. ¡°When the autopsy is finished, the body is mine,¡± Cole spoke, his voice low while he said it. ¡°Do you happen to be part of his...¡± the paramedic stopped when Cole stared him straight in the face, ¡°Never mind Mr Lycaon, we will give you a call when the autopsy is done,¡± With that, he let them leave with Ash¡¯s body. A sudden silence from themotion snapped everyone out of their thoughts. A sole set of footsteps stood out in the silence. A few momentster several people could be heard moving through the hallways. The first person toe through the door was a tank of a man. The man dressed in sleeveless ck leather clothes, an unbuttoned jacket simr in design to the one that Katie owned except that it could easily be twice the size. On the inside of the jacket, he donned on a thin ck shirt that did not hide a thing about his physique. The leather trousers that he wore just seemed like overkill with the bad boy outfit. Katie greeted the man with a slight bow of the head. This was a gesture that registered deep into the minds of the werewolves. The man spelt trouble in each step he took. The others that escorted close behind him almost meant nothing in the suffocating presence and authority that came off him. It was clear that he wasn¡¯t a werewolf and yet... ¡°Meet Sir Anthony Richards... the head of the Hunter Agency,¡± Katie made the introduction as was required of her in a situation where the three wolves could easily get her into trouble. ¡°Thank you for the introduction, Chase. Report...¡± hismanding voice came out booming. Katie flinched a little. She would have expected to be used to his tone by now, but it was like he yelled louder the next time he did it. ¡°I only just arrived sir, but I will ry what I know of the situation. The werewolf that passed the evaluation yesterday was murdered by what seems to have been a deced with wolfsbane. I have not yet found the weapon that was used...¡± she froze up, unable to continue with the rest that was not confirmed. ¡°Well, considering you were the first to leave the Hunter¡¯s Agency when you got the news, you should have seen more than that,¡± he said. Katie clenched her fists in anger... ¡°I was only gone an hour... How was I to know that the enemy would use a window that small tomit a murder?¡± she said, her voice low. ¡°Do you think you would have stopped this enemy if you had been around?¡± the man asked. This was a question Katie could not answer... Her mind was a mess, anger trying to cloud her thoughts. The white wolf that faintly strained to act on her anger did not help soothe her anger at all. She had to figure out a way to figure this out. When Anthony noticed he was not getting an answer to his question, he called one of the hunters that were behind him. ¡°Tell Principal to check the cameras at the entrances and exits in a two-hour span of this incident. Make sure to make a detailed recording of the names of every student with a roughly suspicious movement during that time so that we can narrow down the suspects,¡± he said. ¡°Do you really think a student is the one that did something like this?¡± ¡°After what we witnessed yesterday with Shaemus creating a diversion that risked the lives of nearly five hundred civilians, I can even suspect a helpless baby,¡± he told the hunter. With that said, the hunter left, walking quickly to ry the order. ¡°Chase... I want you to keep it together.¡± Chapter 30 Chapter 30: Chapter Thirty The order was as impossible as it could get. Cole wanted to punch the man in the face for asking someone that was supposed to be grieving to keep it together. It sounded preposterous when he said it. ¡°I¡¯m trying sir...¡± Katie said. This was a reaction the werewolves did not expect. It came as illogical to them for someone to ask something so heartless when they were faced with such hardship and Katie¡¯s reply was all the more peculiar. ¡°That won¡¯t cut it, Chase,¡± he yelled louder at her. Cole started to get angry at the sight of him. This, however, changed when he saw what Katie did next. Katie closed her eyes and took in three deep breaths allowing her mind to settle, bottling up all thoughts of the death and emotions like a trained hunter was supposed to be capable of. The effects of the anger started to leave her body. The white wolf retreated into the back of her mind clearing the fog that had gued her since she got the news of the death. When Katie opened her eyes, they were as clear as they had been that morning before the tragedy. ¡°Yes, sir...¡± she said once again. Her voice was confident this time and she looked the man in the eye with a newfound determination. The formerly shaky voice and trembling that gued her body were gone in an instant. ¡°It¡¯s that easy?¡± Cole asked her. What they were doing was simply trash to him and he did not approve of it. Katie nced his way, a small smile showing up on her face, ¡°Yes, Cole, it¡¯s that easy,¡± she said before walking out of the room carrying herself as calmly as someone who didn¡¯t care one bit about the person that had just been murdered in front of her. Some of the hunters got to investigating the crime scene while others handled crowd control in the school, trying to heal themotion that was constantly rising in the vicinity. Sandra got to the ground, mming her fist onto the ground in an effort to seize her nerves. The director of the Hunters¡¯ Agency stayed seated on a desk watching the hunters at work. He noticed Sandra¡¯s gesture and smiled a bit, ¡°Keep at it, Cadet. You¡¯ll get there.¡± ..... ¡°Do you lose your humanity when you be a pro hunter?¡± Cole asked. The man huffed at the question, ¡°Is that what it looks like to you? Well, the short answer would be yes, but the long one wouldn¡¯t be as simple.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± he said. He could only keep his palms balled into fists to help him contain the storm within him and yet Katie was already calm like nothing had happened. ¡°Well, to put in the easiest and shortest exnation, not everyone has the luxury of giving in to their emotions. The person that I would say is most affected by this tragedy is Katie, but that¡¯s just my opinion. After this, the title of safest school will surely move on to the next school in line. If things get even more out of hand when this information spreads, the school will then be shut down for further investigation. Death is death... a murder is a murder... there is no way to justify that. Themon report was that werewolf casualties in this school were more than the human casualties. It is also known that this also happened when Katie showed up. Something that only meant that the hunters here were good at restraining the werewolves was giving the school prestige, but that can easily be flipped into a story much darker... and Katie is at the centre of it. The only way Katie can get out of this is if she finds the truth behind this death, otherwise, she is looking at spending time in the most secure hunter detainment facilities. Her reputation in the hunter society as the one hunter that was granted both gifts stands untarnished, but you can¡¯t tell that to the general public now, can you? She will do everything she can to get to the bottom of this... and emotions are merely standing in the way of that,¡± he finished his exnation. Cole had not thought that far ahead about her situation and neither had Caden and Jason. Sandra, on the other hand, was angry about somethingpletely unrted. ¡°How can I be so far behind?¡± ¡°Calm down, Cadet. That¡¯s no way to catch up to your master,¡± Anthony said, lowering his voice for the first time. ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know that? I¡¯ve been telling myself that for the past thirty minutes, but nothing I¡¯m trying is working. How does someone avoid...¡± ¡°By going through the procedures that one is taught without fail. Discipline, Sandra and persistence... Do not falter in your determination...¡± Sandra struck the ground one more time with her fist, this time drawing blood, an internal battle that was clear to everyone in the room raged on in the junior hunter. ¡°I will catch up to you, Katie. No matter how far you go,¡± she said before standing up, her anger dissipating all at once. ¡°That¡¯s more like it... You really want to catch up to her that bad, huh?¡± the director asked. ¡°We grew up together, training hard. She progressed extraordinarily fast. While I asked her to try and rx, she was driven and determined to get stronger. I couldn¡¯t tell where she got her determination from, but it was clear that she was leaving me behind. By the time I even tried to keep up, she was advancing at such a high speed, it was unbelievable. She graduated not long after, we were only fourteen when she graduated with both Prometheus gifts in her possession, something that was almost unheard of.¡± ¡°Almost?¡± Cole asked. ¡°Yes, almost... It¡¯s been done before... the head of the Chase family, for example, has both Prometheus gifts. The founder of the Hunter Agency also had both gifts. Hunters with such power strike fear into werewolves just by standing in their presence. The culprit of this crime could not have dared to do this if Katie was nearby. As you must have noticed, she got here before the ambnces even did. She, no doubt ran all the way at astounding speed,¡± Sandra said. ¡°Your assumption is correct. When she was told of the incident, the steel door of the detainment centre was ripped off its hinges from the sheer force of her pushing it to go through. She was a blur after that... leapt over the gate to avoid the hustle of opening it. All that is possible with the Prometheus gifts though,¡± the director exined, confirming Sandra¡¯s story before the hunters came back to him. He turned his attention to them, ¡°Report.¡± ¡°There was a lot of wolfsbane mixed in with the blood of the werewolf that was killed and based on what we could trace, you won¡¯t believe what it is we found...¡± he said. ¡°You know that I don¡¯t like being kept in the dark,¡± Anthony said. ¡°The wolfsbane that we tested from the blood came from a batch that was issued to thest hunter that you would expect,¡± he said. ¡°Let me take a wild guess...¡± Anthony facepalmed, ¡°Katie Chase.¡± ¡°Y-yes, sir,¡± this struck fear into all those that heard the information. The hunters could ount for Katie¡¯s whereabouts at the time of the murder, but there was no saying what had happened for sure. ¡°Chase, what did you get yourself into this time?¡± the man said partially to himself and for the first time since the man had arrived, the students saw his face turn to that of worry. ¡°So it was one of her des that were used to kill Ash...¡± Cole spoke up. ¡°Seems so... situation is not looking good for her,¡± Anthony said, ¡°someone who would have ess to her weapons, I would presume if she was more careful with who she gave her jacket.¡± ¡°I agree it isn¡¯t hard for someone to get their hands on the bag that contains her jacket, but again, there isn¡¯t that big a list of people that would dare to touch it,¡± Sandra said. ¡°Yes, but still, be it as it may, someone can still choose to send someone else or could simply pay someone to take it from her. There is also the issue of the time they had to take it from her. In the end, there are just too many suspects and there would be panic if we chose to point fingers,¡± the issues that kept this case difficult to investigate seemed to be many. ¡°However, if there are rules that must be set aside in order to solve this mystery, we shall do it.¡± This breathed some new hope into the quiet werewolves. For the three of them, there was nothing that they could really do when theirrade had only been killed. For werewolves, the time of death was not the same as the time to pick yourself up. The alpha was nearly incapacitated by the feeling of loss and the rest of those in the pack had to stay with him during the time of grief. This, however, didn¡¯t mean that they were unable to take revenge on the culprit. In fact, aside from the grieving, the only other thing they could do in this state was to kill the murderer of theirrade. ¡°Where has she gone now?¡± Cole asked. ¡°I have no idea where she...¡± ¡°Director Anthony, I found something...¡± he was cut off by the same person that they had just asked for. ¡°Speak of the devil.¡± ¡°You guys were talking about me?¡± she asked on hearing that. ¡°The Royal was just trying to know what it is that you were doing at the time at least,¡± he said, ¡°What is it that you said you found?¡± Katie put her hand into her pockets and from it she procured a sharp tool, a dagger. The werewolves covered their noses in an effort to block the stench of wolfsbane that ravaged their nostrils... the acrid sickening smell from the dagger was thicker than the one that came from the cut on Ash¡¯s neck was. ¡°Nice job... where did you find it?¡± ¡°A few feet from the ssroom window out there,¡± she said pointing out the windows of the ssroom that looked to the forest and away from the school. ¡°The murderer did not want to be detected by the werewolves so they ditched the dagger.¡± Chapter 31 Chapter 31: Chapter Thirty One The director took the weapon out of Katie¡¯s hands and took a good look at it, ¡°Let¡¯s have the owner of this revealed now, shall we?¡± he yelled to one of the hunters that stood guard, having them take the dagger of his hands. The hunter timidly ran out of the room to investigate and find out who the dagger belonged to. ¡°That dagger...¡± ¡°You suspect that it could be mine, don¡¯t you?¡± Katie asked him, keeping her voice as neutral as she could even though this would be implying that she was to take full responsibility for the death of a werewolf in the school. ¡°Let¡¯s not jump to that conclusion just yet. But if we do, will youe quietly?¡± tension soared in the room as the two hunters stared at each other. There was no doubt that both of them was remarkably powerful, Katie with raw power and the Director with experience to top it up. ¡°I do not intend to be detained by the Agency,¡± Katie spoke, her voice clear as a bell and her will of ironing off her in waves. The Director didn¡¯t look like someone who took kindly to insubordination and yet, Katie did nothing to show a chance of her backing down. ¡°Does that also mean you are aware of the possibility of that dagger being yours and are ready to resist detainment if ites to it?¡± he asked her. ¡°Did I stutter, sir? I will find the culprit behind this murder and Prometheus be with them because it will take everything I have to hold back from killing them, but I can¡¯t do that while I¡¯m detained,¡± she spoke. ¡°We don¡¯t let our emotions get the better of us, that¡¯s one of the rules we hunters go by. Surely you know by now that a decision made based on emotion rather than fact is nothing more than wishful thinking. The facts are in alignment right now. There have been more werewolf casualties than human ones. Rogues attacked the school and it was found that one of them was a student at the school. Furthermore, that student has been killed. ..... You must know what we are facing right now. People are questioning the system. They think there are rogues working undercover in the school and that the hunters are helping them. After what Shaemus pulled that put hundreds of lives at risk, the murder of a werewolf by the school¡¯s best hunter might just be the tipping point of society. Resisting detainment would be something you have to rethink,¡± he said. Katie kept silent for a moment before speaking, ¡°Detainment... will only make this situation worse. This perpetrator would not have done this if I was present at the time. If I¡¯m detained, what stops him from killing another student at the school? If there is another death, the school might just be shut down. I can¡¯t even tell if it will even survive after just this one death,¡± Katie said. ¡°The one who died was a werewolf and not to mention, a former rogue. The school will continue with caution after this. If it was an innocent human, the school would be shut down at once,¡± he said. ¡°Sir Anthony, the results came back...¡± the hunter that had been sent called from the door, raising the tension in the room. Katie¡¯s heart threatened to leap from her chest. She was getting her Prometheus gifts ready for the worst-case scenario. If there was a chance that she could avoid detainment, she was ready to do what it would take. This killer was hers to catch and no one else¡¯s. ¡°Who¡¯s is it?¡± Director Anthony asked the man, his hands folded across his chest while he paid attention to the hunter at the door. The hunter looked between Katie and the Director nervously before speaking, ¡°Katie Chase.¡± The room was plunged into a deep silence while everyone contemted the news about the owner of the murder weapon. Cole knew Katie was not a fan of using those weapons and that she could have silenced Ash in a less messy manner if she¡¯d wanted to. And for that reason, he believed she was innocent. Nheless, this did not help her situation. The two hunters stared each other down for a brief moment of silence, right before all hell broke loose. The Director rushed forward at threatening speed, his bulky arms spread out so he could grab Katie. Katie, on the other hand, leapt out of reach just a moment before she was caught, avoiding Anthony at thest moment before she vanished. Anthony was at the doorway in no time barring her way out. ¡°You aren¡¯t escaping, Chase. You mighte from a prestigious family. You might have scored highest on the Hunter exam for even experienced hunters and you might possess two Prometheus gifts, but you are not above thew.¡± ¡°I am not above thew indeed, but I am the best chance you¡¯ve got at catching Ash¡¯s killer. Grant me that opportunity. I won¡¯t let you down and you know that,¡± Katie said, her body visibly rxing. This was the opening Anthony must have been looking for as he lunged for her faster some of the eyes in the room could see. His speed was incredible, but s it was without the enhancement of a Prometheus gift. Katie grabbed his hand and twisted around him, going through the strokes of a judo flip at a speed the director couldn¡¯t match. The action flung the bulky man into an aerial barrel roll that was going to get him down on his back. Katie had virtually won for the few people in the room that could still tell what was happening, Cole included although Jason, Caden and Sandra remained clueless to what was happening in the blur of motion that urred before them. The director yanked his arm free in mid-air and twisted so that hended on his feet, a movement that raised numerous rms within Katie¡¯s mind forcing her to leap back and avoid the kick that came straight for her face. The two warriors red at each other. The door was now behind Katie and she could leave when she wanted, but that would have only led to a manhunt. If she was to peacefully carry out her investigation, she was going to have to clear her charges here and now or at least get an extension on the time it would take to have her detained. ¡°What are you waiting for? The door is wide open and none of these hunters has the power to stop you from leaving if you run at your top speed,¡± Director Anthony spoke. ¡°I am not leaving until you let me lead this investigation. I want the chance to deliver the killer. Running away won¡¯t help me achieve that,¡± Katie spoke up. ¡°I already told you...¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± someone¡¯s voice butted into the conversation from behind Katie, ¡°Anthony, a boy is dead and the best thing you can think of is finding someone to me instead of finding the killer.¡± It was a man Katie knew so well as her foster father. ¡°Mr Chase, what brings you here? You¡¯re retired and this has nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a way to speak to your former superior, Anthony,¡± he replied, sizing up the hulking man who seemed adamant to let Katie off the hook. ¡°It is if you are here to defy me. Look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn¡¯t do the exact same thing,¡± this resistance seemedplicated to solve. It was obvious to Anthony that Katie was to be detained with no further question. ¡°You and I both know that Katie doesn¡¯t let emotions get the best of her, otherwise that score in the hunter exam would have been impossible to attain. Why do you refuse to hear her out? Is violence the way you have decided to solve things at the Agency now?¡± he asked him. ¡°What¡¯s there for me to know? I received evidence that makes her the centre of attention of the crime. It won¡¯t be long before word gets out about this incident and everything points towards her. I am only doing this for her own good. Knowing she has been detained will put the werewolves at ease and won¡¯t cause a panic,¡± she said. ¡°The werewolves that should concern themselves with this matter are in this same room with you. You don¡¯t see them attacking Katie. The other werewolves in this school also know of the way she handles things in this school as well as her policies. All you are worried about is the publicity of the Hunter¡¯s Agency. And while you are worrying about that and detaining her, you are giving the killer free rein to roam about the school and get more chances to kill others. So what happens if the public knows about this? That has never mattered to the Agency, but if you do detain her and another person in the school is killed, that will be a whole different story. No one doubts Katie¡¯s ability to protect this school and that is what matters right now,¡± Anthony gritted his teeth while the former hunter spelt out the whole situation for him. Rushed footsteps got Katie¡¯s attention before her mother appeared in the doorway, pushing past the hunters that blocked her to give her daughter a hug, ¡°Oh dear, I heard what happened.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay... You had nothing to worry about,¡± Katie replied, hugging her back. ¡°I had everything to worry about... You¡¯ve protected this ce since you came here and the first time you leave it didn¡¯t take long for everything to be overturned. That not something I can just brush off,¡± she said to her. Katie sighed, not letting her fa?ade falter and hugged her mother back. This did matter to her, but as her hunter, she was not at liberty to let emotions get the best of her and so the emotions of rage, sorrow and grief for the dead werewolf ravaged deep within her where no one could tell they existed. No one except for the half sleepy white wolf within her that stayed locked up by the constraints of the drugs that kept it hidden. Chapter 32 Chapter 32: Chapter Thirty Two Anthony took a moment to think about it before he rxed, pulling his phone out from his pocket and dialling in a number. ¡°Hello, yeah, take down the traps. We¡¯ll let her walk for now,¡± he said. Katie¡¯s eyes widened in shock at the revtion the Director had just made. She knew she could get away from him, but she hadn¡¯t expected him to put up that much of a resistance. There was a great possibility that the traps he spoke of would have got her. ¡°What happens now? A member of my pack has been killed,¡± Cole spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ll find whoever did this, Cole,¡± Katie spoke up, breaking from her mother¡¯s embrace. ¡°Don¡¯t make me wait too long,¡± he grumbled, ¡°This wolfsbane doesn¡¯t let me catch even the slightest of the killer¡¯s scent.¡± ¡°Where is the hunter I sent to look at the cameras?¡± Anthony shouted. ¡°Right here, sir. I came when you were in the middle of the brawl with Katie and slipped my mind while I was waiting for you two,¡± a female hunter replied timidly. Anthony¡¯smanding presence kept most of those who worked under him to be scared whenever they were in his presence. Well, all of those who weren¡¯t well acquainted with him anyway. ¡°It slipped your mind,¡± this irked the bulky man, but he wasn¡¯t in a mood to reprimand the hunter either, ¡°Never mind, proceed with the report of what you found.¡± ..... I checked the cameras and found that the room footage had been erased, so I checked through the footage of all the other ssrooms looking for a sign of a missing student in the three-hour span of this incident. I was able to discover that the video of the two of the ssrooms had been looped, probably to throw us off the trail of the ss the culprit was supposed to be in. There is no telling if the killer was in the ss of those videos that were looped or not at all. ¡°In that case, popte a suspect list of all the students in the sses that were looped and those of the students that did not attend those lessons. Check the library cameras and cross out the names of those that you find were instead studying in the library all that time. The rest of the students that remain on the list are to be put under strict surveince and searched for any sort of motives or malicious intent,¡± Anthony barked his orders. ¡°Yes, sir... Do you want me to suspect the werewolves and junior hunters alone, or humans as well,¡± thedy asked him, unsure whether it was even possible for a human to overpower a werewolf if they had never had any training and were still only in high school. ¡°Do not leave anyone out even if they happen to be your family or in some way rted to the Hunter¡¯s association. Work with Katie to solve this as soon as possible and leave no stone unturned. The sooner we catch the killer, the faster we can put an end to this mess and let the one we¡¯ve lost rest in peace,¡± he said. Hisst phrase was all the werewolves needed to know that these heartless machines called Hunters still retained their humanity regardless of the way they worked. This somewhat soothed their rage and allowed them to look at the hunters in a new light... as helpers and not merely as people who were trying to keep the school¡¯s image and bring everything back to normal just because a student died. They also felt the anger and disgust that Cole and his friends did. ¡°What can we do to help out?¡± Cole asked. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re with us again, Alpha Cole. What you can do is... take the day off. We¡¯ll handle this. You have nothing to be worried about. Take time off for your fallenrade,¡± Anthony said, his voice low again for the second time this day, rarity among rarities. Cole was not as pleased with the answer he received as he might have wanted to be and turned to Katie who stared him right in the eye. Something glinted behind her beautiful deep blue orbs, an unspoken message that they would still have their evening as nned and everything was going to be okay. Regardless, it did not change the fact that an innocent boy of fifteen years had been killed and there was no reversing this. Until the killer was caught, Cole¡¯s hunger for his blood was not going to go down. ¡°Fine then, we¡¯ll take three days off and won¡¯t interfere with the investigation, but after that, we will find this killer using our own methods,¡± he said before walking out of the room, sending onest nce in Katie¡¯s direction as he passed by her to the exit. Caden and Jason followed him quietly, their palms folding into fists and slowly unfolding in an effort to keep their emotions in check. ............ Katie was led to the camera room, Sandra in tow, to look at the footage for anything that could help her. She checked the footage of her locker and saw that it was not tampered with. Every hunter was issued a leather sleeveless jacket of a design of their liking but equipped with dagger, knives and dartsced with the poisons that were used tobat werewolves. This was something that was not to be taken lightly and only two people in the entire school were allowed to touch this jacket without Katie¡¯s permission. These were Sandra and Kyle, however, none of them would have any interest in touching this jacket as it meant nothing to them. Katie also did not like using the thing and usually kept it with either Kyle or Sandra. It was unlikely for a werewolf to seek it since the poisons could affect it just by sniffing it. That meant there was either a human that hadmitted this atrocity or there was another rogue in the school that was suppressing their wolves in the name of being a spy. The room¡¯s whose footage had been looped turned out to be Katie¡¯s room and another of the same taking a different subject from the one they were learning at that time. It was impossible to miss the moment of Katie¡¯s room being looped because it did not show her leaving the room with the principal. However, it did show the principaling to pick her and then vanishing. The killer probably made this obvious so that they would suspect that ss to be the one that had the culprit, but then again, another camera had been looked at just as well, its timer restarting after two hours to show the footage of the hallway seamlessly, but for a time that did not match. Discussions on which room the killer belonged to were pointless since a lot of different opinions could be thought of without knowing what it was that the killer was trying to hide by looping two sses. Maybe they didn¡¯t have enough time to tamper with the footage and just tampered with the sses they were from to by some time at least, but it didn¡¯t make sense. If that was the case, then they only needed to question all the students from those two sses and the ones that were absent on that day to verify their whereabouts. It soon came to light that the cameras had been left unattended for nearly an hour which would have been enough time to have all the footage tampered with. Theputer experts were also able to find out the time it took for the footage to be altered and proved that it was done at leisure as the person who altered had been at theputers for twenty whole minutes. More than enough time to deal with everything. It was even possible that this person had watched them from the cameras as they walked into the room they had left the body in. This was frustrating. The number of students that were in question easily numbered up to seventy, but that was a small group for someone who was trying to be inconspicuous. ¡®What was your n this whole time?¡¯ Katie thought, puzzled by the killer¡¯s boldness. At the end of the day, after having questioned all seventy students that were being suspected with no one turning up anything suspicious, they called it a day. Katie put her head on the desk and sighed in exasperation as thest suspect walked out of the room. ¡°This is getting us nowhere,¡± she groaned. ¡°We¡¯ll find the culprit soon enough. We just have to keep looking,¡± Sandra tried tofort her. ¡°I¡¯m not disobeying my gut ever again,¡± Katie yelled into her palms. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°When the principal called me out to go with him, I felt something was about to go very wrong, but I thought that was because I was not going to like what Shaemus had to say to me. Now I see that was not the issue,¡± she exined. Chapter 33 Chapter 33: Chapter Thirty Three The investigation finally came to a disappointing halt and the hunters that aided Katie left at the end of the school day. The two friends had had to eat their lunch from the ssroom that had been transformed into an interrogation room. Katie walked with Sandra to the clearing that had now beenbelled ¡®out of bounds¡¯ to civilians due to the incident that had urred the day before. ¡°That was a total bust. There was no one in those entire sses that acted the least bit like a killer. And yet I was sure we were going to find that person among them,¡± Katie groaned as they left the school grounds. ¡°We both knew this was not going to be an easy investigation. Just stay patient, we¡¯ll find the person responsible for this crown,¡± she said. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand why the surveince room would be left unattended for an entire hour. Not to mention it was the same hour that I was not present in the school,¡± Katieined some more. She was feeling the need to rant a bit more at how many holes the school had allowed getting into the system. ¡°Do you think it was nned that Shaemus would want to see you at that exact moment? Could it have been a coincidence?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°I sent a hunter to check on that hunch. Shaemus knew nothing of the sort... Besides, he has some other things to worry about than that. He called me there strictly to ask my assistance,¡± Katie confirmed. ¡°Have you seen Kyle?¡± Sandra asked, looking around for the boy who usually found his way to them when he was free. ..... ¡°Not really, he said something about diving into more books so that he could pass a test that they were going to be given some time soon. He vanished after that... it was right after we were done interrogating him,¡± she said. The clearing starteding into view and soon enough the presence of a lone Royal became known to them. Katie stopped to bid Sandra farewell, ¡°I guess this is where I say goodnight,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, this is where you do that. Do be careful on your way home. There is no telling if there are more rogues lurking around,¡± Katie said. Sandra gave her friend and master onest hug before jogging away from her and into the woods. A shortcut that would get her home in a straight line rather than the meandering road she loathed to follow. Cole stood at the edge of the clearing leaning with his back against a tree that bordered the near-circr field that the junior hunters used in their free time. His gaze was fixed to the ground, but his eyes told a different story about where his mind was. ¡°Hey,¡± Katie called when she got close to him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure you would make it....¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± was an odd way to start the conversation. ¡°Considering you are still a suspect of a murder of my newest pack member,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s not something I am worried about. I¡¯ll get my name cleared soon enough,¡± Katie said, moving up to him so that she could try to capture his gaze. ¡°Your confidence is astounding. Sometimes it makes me wonder if at all you take this seriously,¡± his mood was starting to lighten up a bit since she had seen him at the crime scene. ¡°How are you holding up?¡± I asked him. ¡°Not too bad actually... How¡¯s your investigation going?¡± ¡°It¡¯s annoying. Everyone seems to be innocent. I don¡¯t understand it. What was the purpose of doing that to the cameras if there is no one in the suspects that is the killer? Was the killer trying to throw us off their trail?¡± he asked. ¡°You might be overthinking the situation that you are in... anyway, I do have a question for you. Would you really have been able to catch the culprit if you were still in the building or at least on the premises?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, that is true. I would have caught them without a problem. I probably would have been fast enough to save Ash altogether... they say it¡¯s not good to think back on the what-ifs in a situation like this one... they get to you in a bad way,¡± Katie tried. ¡°Yeah, I know that. I don¡¯t know why, but I trust that you will find who is responsible for this as well. So I am not very worried about this. When you do find them, however, do not hesitate to let me know. It was the life of one of my own that they took, so make sure that I am the first one who gets this information,¡± he said. ¡°I will tell you immediately then... I don¡¯t have your number though,¡± Katie said, smiling at the oblivious royal. ¡°Oh, sorry, let me just put that in there,¡± he said, getting her phone from her hands and typing in the number, ¡°So do you know somewhere we can go for a walk that is more scenic than this plot of barrennd that does not seem to have a purpose for the time being.¡± ¡°That is a monumental insult for thend that the hunters used to train on... I do know a ce, however. Just follow me,¡± with the number in her phone, she got the phone from him and led the somewhat short walk that would find them at the tallest hill in the town. ¡°So where is it you are taking me?¡± he asked. ¡°Well, I¡¯m pretty sure you ran most of the town¡¯s forested area yesterday, but there is a piece ofnd in no man¡¯s territory that you did not see. A meeting spot, if you may, where hunters and pack leaders meet to discuss issues in private. It¡¯s currently unupied, so we can go there and rx for a bit. ¡°You just said, no man¡¯snd...¡± ¡°Yes, I did. Is the big bad alpha scared?¡± Katie spoke in a childish voice, taunting the Royal. ¡°No, I said nothing of the sort. How did you even make such an assumption?¡± narrowing his eyes at the hunter. ¡°I was only looking out for one of the werewolves under my protection,¡± she said boastfully, as though it were obvious. ¡°You¡¯re really full of it, Chase,¡± Coleughed at her. ¡°Don¡¯t call me Chase... Call me Katie,¡± the sudden change in mood got Cole to stopughing immediately. ¡°Does it bother you when I do so?¡± he asked her. ¡°It¡¯s too formal. I¡¯d prefer it if you would just call me Katie,¡± she exined keeping her eyes down to the floor. ¡®What am I thinking? Since when did I start caring about what name was being used to address me?¡¯ thoughts ran through Katie¡¯s mind trying to make sense of the odd behaviour that seemed to be taking over her. ¡°Then Katie it is. From now on, I shall call you so...¡± something about what he said set her heart at ease along with the weakened wolf within her. This was not to be interpreted by her lest she risked losing time mulling over something that she was not bound to find an answer to. The presence of her wolf had be one she was now good at noticing, no matter how faint the drugs made it, it was now clear as daylight to her that something did in fact live within her and longed to be free. She looked back at Cole and saw that something had distracted him. The hill had finallye into view. Trees surrounded the summit ending halfway and leaving a clearing of scanty grass that was kept short at the top. At the very top of the hill was a stone table that was capable of housing ten people. Chairs surrounded the table as well. This hill was known as a meeting spot whenever the packs in the surrounding areas wanted to discuss something with the hunters. It was therefore respected by many that knew it. As far as hills go, this one was not all that big and what made it even more peculiar was that it stood solely alone in the vast forest instead of standing in a group of ranges of hills. This made it a great spot to look down at everything that existed in the forest. The town of Brigadia was located far from where all the action took ce on the outskirts of the continent. Forests thrived in the wonderful tropical climate. It never snowed in this ce and was always either rainy or sunny. The ce screamed green more than any other city that Cole had ever visited. Werewolves were fond of living in ces such as this one and it was indeed what was the case even where the pce of Lycaon was situated, but the one difference was that this ce was almost a part of the forest just as the forest was a part of them. Life here was slow and caused no need for attention to be focused this way. That was until the Brigade High School rose to the rank of safest high school in the world. This was what caused the ce to be more recognized and evidently, theing of the Royals. Chapter 34 Chapter 34: Chapter Thirty Four Cole told Katie more about his home, illustrating clearly how the hierarchy of the Royals in the Lycaon family worked. Katie was able to find out that it was only when a Royal found their mate that they would then be able to take over the throne. Something about the Luna being part of the ruling body as well, being able to make decisions that the alpha was unable to make andpleting him in ways that he was not able to achieve on his own. The more he spoke of the concept, the more a longing sense of belonging etched its way into Katie before she blocked it out so that she could listen more to the voice of the Royal before her. ¡°I just don¡¯t get it. I know the intensity of a mate is much more than this, but then why do I feel like I¡¯m in the right ce when I¡¯m with you?¡± Cole finally asked mid-story. ¡°Am I ever going to know how your Dad managed to solve that issue?¡± Katie asked, her mind being ruthlessly plunged out of the tales of the Lycaon family. The two were seated; their eyes pinned on the town below them. Lights illuminated the entire town reminding them of the time that they were spending in this ce. They were in no man¡¯snd and it was getting dark when there was a chance that rogues were roaming this ce at night. ¡°Yes, you will, once you have cleared all this,¡± he said. Sighing, the intensity in the Royal¡¯s eyes finally defeating her attempt to dodge the question that he had just thrown his way, ¡°I don¡¯t know the answer to that, Cole. I know, however, that it¡¯s the same for me. I have no exnation to why I am not troubled or why my guts do not get any malice from you,¡± she said,ying on her back on the short grass, ¡°I do have a question of my own, however.¡± ¡°What might that one be?¡± ¡°Why do you insist on seeking my attention? I know how werewolves value the presence of their mates above every other female. Why then do you seek my attention?¡± she asked him. ..... Cole stayed silent for a while considering his options. This was a question he had asked himself as well, but no matter what he had tried, his wolf still spurred him in her direction. Despite him knowing the bitter truth about his true mate¡¯s untimely death as an infant. He¡¯d done a good job of distancing himself from females this whole time and yet, here he was, talking to one that could as well have been his enemy. ¡°It¡¯s your name... and your eyes,¡± he said reluctantly. ¡°Oh,¡± this seemed to connect a lot of dots for the hunter, but some did not match. She could tell he was probably viewing her as something that reminded him of the infant of the Sirius family that was murdered those many years ago. Having blue eyes was rare, which made this something that could have drawn his attention, but the fact that she was called Katie, the same name as that of the dead infant, was just what made her situation all the more convenient, ¡°I did read recently about a Royal that was attacked with the same name as mine. An infant eighteen years ago... would that happen to be what you are remembering?¡± ¡°Yes, that is what you remind me of, but there is something else about her that you probably don¡¯t know,¡± he said. ¡°What might that be?¡± ¡°She...¡± tension built in the air making the intake of this information scarier. For Katie, what he was about to say was actually a fact that he was unknowingly mentioning about her, ¡°was my mate...¡± ............. Sandra walked back to the school with the intention of securing Katie¡¯s jacket in case there was a chance the killer would want to get another de for the sake of pinning the me on Katie. It still bothered her why Katie did not get rid of the weapons if she did not need them. It was true that they made hunting werewolves a much easier job, but it did not affect her. She reached the locker and started turning thebination of her master¡¯s locker to get to the bag. Her senses suddenly went on high alert. The school was supposed to be empty at this point of the day and yet, she was sure there was a set of eyes watching her, more than one actually. Sandra¡¯s heartbeat picked up, sending adrenaline through her system, heightening her senses as far as human senses could go. She was never afraid of the dark or cramped spaces and therefore, when she was this shaken, she knew it was not a coincidence. She kept still and looked at both sides of the hallway, getting nothing in her line of sight. She continued turning the lock to the desired number in thebination. A low growl reached her ears this time. Someone was watching her. Sandra had no Prometheus gifts like Katie did. This meant she was literally a human who was still going through training. This was the predicament all junior hunters faced during their training. By the time someone was granted one of the gifts, they would have attained enough skill and sheer power to hold their own against an ordinary werewolf. She was frozen at the sound of the wolf that had cut through the eerie silence of the school. This wolf was one that was not to be messed with. The double doors at the entrance of the school creaked open. Sandra¡¯s face snapped in that direction,ing face to face with arge ck wolf. Its eyes were a searing intense burning red that cut through to her very core. Something inside told her she knew exactly who this was... it was Jason. How she knew this was beyond her knowledge as she had never had the time to observe what his wolf looked like, even when they had fought together in the clearing. This, however, was not going to help her in this situation. She could tell that Jason was out for blood at this moment. Something was wrong with the look that the wolf was giving him. At the moment that the wolf let out a loud growl, she knew that there was no reason left within him. ¡®There is nothing I can do against an alpha,¡¯ she thought, her legs immediately turning on their own ord. She turned the dial on her master¡¯s padlock to through the half-finished sequence into disarray and reset it all while she started to run in the opposite direction. The sound of paws striking the smooth floor, ws doing their best to find grip on the smooth floor reached her ears spurring her to run faster. This wolf was going to catch up with her in no time. She was going to have to find some way to get away from the wolf. A race of speed was not going to help her with that. Her mind worked fast as she rounded a corner and began running upstairs. Werewolves were built to run in the wilderness so the more she exposed the wolf to the terrain it was not meant for, the harder it would be for it to catch up. Unfortunately, what she was doing now was only going to tire her before it did the werewolf. Nheless, she went up two more flights of stairs, her heart pounding up a beat that resonated within her ears at louder than she¡¯d ever heard it before. If the wolf that was chasing her was Dexter or an ordinary one with yellow eyes, she would not have been afraid of it and ran. This, however, was an alpha. There was no chance she stood against it and the wiser choice was to survive. Once she was on the third floor, the wolf getting ever so close to her, she went for the first ssroom and mmed the door shut sliding thetch that locked it almost immediately the door fit into its threshold. The loud sound of the wolf colliding with the door made her jump back in fear. It was only a matter of time before the wolf would break down the door. She needed to find another way to survive. In this one room, she was a sitting duck that was seconds away from its demise. Jason¡¯s bloodlust rolled off him in waves as he continued to knock down the door. The alphas had been told to leave the investigation to the hunters for three days and this proved that they had merely been putting on a show and were instead nning to carry out the investigation from the start. Sandra cast away her suspicions, an idea of survival finallying to her. She climbed up to the window and opened it. Three floors up were high for even a wolf to get to from the ground which made her n perfect. She crouched and stepped onto the outside of the window, holding onto an upper ledge for support. Using this she started to proceed sideways away from the window and out of sight. Ledges that could fit only the front of her foot lined the building, somewhat of a design that had been thought of by the founders of the school, this wasing in handy for her at this moment. When she was about a metre from the window hanging onto the side of the building for dear life, the sound of the door bursting open reached her ears. The wolf had broken into the room and was frantically looking for her. She looked back at the window, her heartbeat reaching a steady heavy rhythm as it pounded. Covered in pitch-ck fur with white glistening cannines, the head of the werewolf came through the window as it sniffed the air for her before turning to meet her frightened gaze. It was obvious that the wolf could smell her fear for they stared at each other at the moment, locked in a stalemate. Chapter 35 Chapter 35: Chapter Thirty Five There was no way that the wolf could follow her to the spot she now hang on to. It could neither jump there if it chose to go to the outside of the building first. This was the only ce that Sandra could think of that the wolf couldn¡¯t get to her. Locking herself in a room wouldn¡¯t have been enough since it would have broken down the door. In her fear, she had also forgotten that the locker she was trying to open contained weapons that could have helped her stand her ground, however, against an alpha, it was doubtful that they would have been any good use to her. Thoughts ran through her head in an effort to calm her nerves over the decision she had made to evade the werewolf. Had she really made the right choice? Where she currently stood risked her life as well, for if she had fallen from that height, there was no telling just how much she would break in her body. However, thinking this way was only bound to stir up those fears and so she blocked the thoughts of falling to her doom from her mind as she had been trained by Katie to do so. ¡°You don¡¯t look like the Jason I know,¡± she spoke up, her voice shaky as she tried to reach out to the human part of the creature that pursued her. The wolf stared back at her intensely, its eyes showing signs of thought running through its mind. It was no longer barring its teeth at her which she took to be a good sign, however, there was no telling if that would be the same case given the chance to take her down. A second growl came from the room catching the wolf¡¯s attention. The head of the alpha retreated into the room for a showdown with a new arrival. There was a sound of breaking bones which Sandra recognized to be shifting sounds before the first voice was heard, ¡°Jason, what do you think you are doing?¡± Sandra recognized the voice as none other than Caden. ¡°I was checking to see if someone was going toe for the weapons. The killer would want to use them to kill his next victim or could I say her in this case,¡± he said. ¡°We were in the same ssroom as Sandra when all this went down... or did that slip your mind somehow?¡± there was silence for a while, a sigh of relief escaping her when she realized she was in the clear, ¡°Sandra, it¡¯s okay toe back into the ssroom now.¡± Sandra retraced her steps to get back into the ssroom, resting on a desk when she was finally on solid ground again with no risk of falling to her doom. Her breath came out in short gasps as she tried to calm her nerves. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for scaring you, Sandra. My wolf just lost it when I noticed you tampering with Katie¡¯s locker and I lost control...¡± ..... ¡°I don¡¯t fully understand what that means... Are you saying that your wolf gained the upper hand and took control of your body or something? I haven¡¯t heard of such a thing...¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rare urrence which doesn¡¯t usually happen in this era since the hunters have managed to keep the peace, but when someone is suspected of killing a pack member, it is next to impossible for that person to avoid being ripped to shreds by the members of the dead pack member. Our wolves are constantly in search of vengeance for their deadrade. When I saw you tampering with the lock on Katie¡¯s locker, I did not get the chance to reason with my wolf and lost control of him. For that, I am truly sorry...¡± he bowed his head slightly. His body was covered with sweat evident of a mental fight he¡¯d gone through with his wolf. Regardless of the near-death incident that Sandra had found herself in, she couldn¡¯t find any malice within her towards Jason. ¡°Never mind... I¡¯m just d to be alive after being chased down by an alpha,¡± she said, sighing in relief. Facing a normal werewolf was one thing, Sandra knew that she always had the upper hand or was at least evenly matched in skill, but for the first time, she knew she was in deep trouble and Katie was not around to get her out of it. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you almost killed Katie¡¯s best friend... Do you have any idea what trouble you were about to put us through?¡± Caden yelled at Jason when he realized just how much of a mistake hisrade had just made. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I tried to stop myself, but I was seeing red before I could do anything about it,¡± Jason tried from the receiving end of his reprimand. ¡°This is probably how Ash felt when he realized Katie wasn¡¯t around to save him the second time. Could he then have tried sending her ast message when he was trying to write with his blood?¡± Sandra said half to herself plunging the room into silence. ¡°Let¡¯s escort you to your house. Once again, I¡¯m sorry for Jason¡¯s behaviour towards you. You can feel free to think of a punishment that you can give him any time you feel like it. What he¡¯s done is virtually unforgivable,¡± Caden tried. It was true that they couldn¡¯t wipe clean what had just been done, so he was choosing the path of redemption in order to reduce the scar this was going to leave. ¡°What were you doing at the locker if it wasn¡¯t to take the weapons from it?¡± Jason asked her. ¡°Are you nuts? After attacking her...¡± Caden began, disbelief in his voice as he turned to his friend for another round of reprimand. ¡°I was opening it to get the weapons...¡± this got them to keep quiet once more, ¡°Katie doesn¡¯t need them to fight werewolves so she ends up neglecting them a lot. This must have provided an opening for the killer to use them for their own purposes, so I wanted to take them out of her locker and keep them somewhere safer. I also wanted to make sure there wasn¡¯t another de missing except for the one that was used and the one that I have with me from yesterday¡¯s attack,¡± she said. After a short moment of thinking, Jason lowered his head once more, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I don¡¯t know what I can do to earn your trust again and I know I don¡¯t really deserve it, so I¡¯ll do everything I can to earn it back.¡± There it was, the feeling of butterflies she had for the werewolf. Something she was not used to at the moment. Spending time with Katie and learning how to suppress emotions did not allow a hunter the ability to learn how to interpret some of those emotions. The end result was her not being able to decipher what made this particr werewolf interesting to her. For the first time since she¡¯d climbed back in from the window, she noticed the two werewolves before her were shirtless. ¡°What happened to your clothes?¡± The two of them looked themselves over before answering, ¡°That¡¯s kind of a long story. Caden and I were sparring in the woods. We do that every evening so that we can try and catch up to Cole. So we decided to take a rest. Caden stayed behind while I took a run and that¡¯s how I found you in the school about to open Katie¡¯s locker. I didn¡¯t mind where I ended up in my run so I think I unconsciously wound up here, though I am not sure why,¡± Jason voiced his part of the story. ¡°I felt Jason¡¯s bloodlust through the mind link and came running here,¡± he said. ¡°Oh, I see... So we are simr in a way. I¡¯m also trying to catch up to Katie, although she is a bit too far from me... and I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s about to leave an even bigger gap between the two of us. It feels pathetic actually. I can¡¯t help her while I¡¯m this weak,¡± she groaned. ¡°Might I make a proposal, then?¡± Jason asked, a smirk forming on his face while he said so. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± ¡°Well, we could help you train to catch up with Katie. Well, of course, there is the fact that we are weaker than her and...¡± ¡°That would be a good idea actually...¡± Sandra cut him off. ¡°Howe...¡± Jason was taken aback by her quick and almost immediate eptance. ¡°It would be easier for me to improve that way rather than training with Katie...¡± she said. ¡°I still don¡¯t follow...¡± Caden was the one to ask this time. Sandra sighed, ¡°When I¡¯m training with her, she pulls her punches and fights at a speed much lower than her current abilities so that I can get some practice in. This doesn¡¯t allow me to improve. Her defence is tight and her offence is also something that she shows me from time to time to be clearly a threat. Whenever I¡¯m facing off with her, she shows me numerous times that she would be able to kill me without much effort. It¡¯s frustrating... I need to train with someone who isn¡¯t as skilled so that I can improve probably along with them rather having to be constantly shadowed by Katie.¡± The logic behind her exnation was one way to look at the situation, ¡°In other words, you want to see if by training with us, you can catch up to her faster?¡± Caden tried to simplify. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it. You get it at least...¡± ¡°But you were just fleeing from Jason here, what makes you confident that we are as weak as you think?¡± ¡°I know you aren¡¯t weak, but you are definitely weaker than the monster of a master that I have training me, so I¡¯m asking you for help. The next werewolf I see below you is Dexter and he is definitely below me in skill, so I really have only you,¡± she spoke up. ¡°What about other hunters that are not as skilled as Katie though?¡± ¡°All the other hunters are busy with something. The junior hunters have mentors while the professional hunters are all stationed doing something else. Katie is the only one that I can train with and her expertise is intimidating to follow. Besides, this was your idea, why are youing up with all these alternatives?¡± ¡°I just wanted to make sure we weren¡¯t intruding,¡± Caden exined. ¡°You know... this is the most I¡¯ve ever seen you say in one conversation,¡± Sandra said, noticing Jason¡¯s silence. Jason smirked at the observation, ¡°Caden only speaks freely to people he¡¯s used to or approves of as friends.¡± ¡°Aww, I¡¯m d to know I¡¯m friends with you then,¡± she smiled wildly at the now severely embarrassed alpha. This was the start of a wonderful coboration. It was agreed among the three of them that this incident was not to be revealed to either Katie or Cole, but that the training sessions were to be nned out. After all, this was going to allow Katie and Cole to spend more time with each other, an urrence the three of them agreed was necessary as it was clear those two wanted to get to know each other some more. Chapter 36 Chapter 36: Chapter Thirty Six Cole and Katie talked until it was midnight. Arge fight on who would get to escort the other home ensued when they finally decided to see each other off. Having an alpha face off with an overpowered hunterpete on who would be better off going home with on their own seemed to be apletely pointless argument. In the end, Katie conceded to the alphas overprotective instincts grumpily mumbling something about him being an unreasonable bag of testosterone. The remark reached the werewolf¡¯s sharp ears sparking the biggestughing fit that she¡¯d ever seen him get into. The alpha was amused by the string of words that he couldn¡¯t help himself. Katie groaned and let the werewolf fall back. They walked on taking the route through the forest rather than through town that would have attracted more attention. ¡°So do you think you¡¯ll have a second chance mate?¡± Katie asked him once he was done with his outburst. After what he¡¯d revealed, she had done her best to conceal any of the roaring reactions that threatened to break through her fa?ade. To her, this was just a revtion that had been set in stone. He was going to find out exactly who she was on the day that she turned eighteen. He¡¯d informed her of every question that she¡¯d asked him about mates and was able to confirm that their unnatural attraction was being by their suppressed mate bond. This she did not reveal to him, however. The urrences when she would sniff out an alluring scent that she wanted to go to with every fibre in her being. It all made sense to her now. This was the person that caused her wolf to stir even when it was heavily dosed with the drugs that suppressed that side of her. Even as they walked in silence to her house, she felt it purr in contentment just because the two of them had been in close proximity for a long time. Cole, on the other hand, did not understand this reaction and was oblivious to the fact that the hunter he was starting to see in a different light was indeed the long lost mate that he¡¯d long given up on finding. However, each time that he looked at her, he couldn¡¯t avoid thinking about it. Even when he was about to call out to her, a feeling of guilt that he referred to her in the same first name that his mate should have had gripped him. His wolf, however, would nurse that guilt away. There was something his wolf knew that he didn¡¯t. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. The thought of it, however, does not rub my wolf in the wrong way,¡± he said. ¡°Oh, I was meaning to ask. How does it feel to have a wolf? Can you like talk to your wolf in your mind like it¡¯s some other person or are the two of you the same person?¡± Katie asked. The lights of the town were starting toe through the trees signalling the close proximity of the town. ..... ¡°That varies really. Wolves have personalities. Some learn how to speak with time while others stay quiet their entire lives. What¡¯s true, however, is the fact that they still pose as different entities from their humans and have independent emotions from those of the human. While the human can judge everything that from what they know and see, the wolf sometimes knows something else other than that. The ability of a wolf tomunicate to their human counterparts in that regard bes an important thing. The further the connection between the two, the more erratic a werewolf will act. Sometimes, you will find that a werewolf will actpletely different when they¡¯ve shifted simply because they don¡¯t know what it is that the wolf is nning to do. It¡¯s not unheard of for a werewolf to fail to find their mates simply because they did not know how tomunicate with their wolves. Although it is bing rare since we try our best to educate werewolves before they are allowed to interact with the human society,¡± he said. ¡°Oh right, you mentioned something about not allowing werewolves that haven¡¯t mastered control anywhere near humans in order to protect them,¡± Katie said, worry seeping into her voice. ¡°Yeah, why does that bother you? When you asked the question back then, it seemed random, but now I¡¯m noticing there is a reason you asked that for a reason...¡± Cole tried. ¡°Never mind that,¡± the two of them were currently milling through an alleyway that led them to the street that led to Katie¡¯s front door. ¡°You can trust me, you know?¡± Cole tried. Katie thought for a bit before answering, ¡°I think you have an entire werewolf empire whose trust you need to keep. Hold on to that... It was nothing,¡± no matter how much she tried, this was the one expression she just couldn¡¯t mask. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just can¡¯t tell you this one...¡± ¡°Okay then... I guess the amount of trust you have in me has a limit...¡± Cole replied. Katie froze on hearing that, stopping in her tracks, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, but not today... I¡¯m still trying to wrap my head around something. Does that put your werewolf heart to rest?¡± ¡°Oh, does someone care about it?¡± he asked. Katie was silent for a bit trying to decipher the meaning of the answer she was about to give. Nheless, her underdeveloped emotions that she¡¯d spent her life blocking did not yield her any reasonable answers, ¡°Yes, I do care.¡± Cole was taken aback by the answer. ¡®Would you look at that?¡¯ ¡°Fine then... That¡¯s enough for me. Now can we get you to your front door?¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually the next house,¡± she said, beckoning to the average home that she lived in with her retired hunter guardians. ¡°I did not expect the famous Chase family to live in an ordinary neighbourhood,¡± Cole eximed, looking the house up and down and taking note of the group of houses that lined the street in an identical fashion. ¡°What did you expect? Are you disappointed?¡± she asked. ¡°No, I¡¯m actually surprised. The part of your family that lives close to the Lycaon family lives a life of luxury in a penthouse. This was thest ce I would have expected Chase hunters to be,¡± he said, ¡°almost like they are here incognito.¡± ¡°No, more like they are retired and are taking a stab at having a normal life,¡± Katie for the save, she mentally panicked when she noticed the way the alpha narrowed his eyes at the house. ¡°Get home safely, Cole. Good night.¡± His voice rang out when she was at her front porch, ¡°Are you still not going to the dance on Sunday night?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t go on that night,¡± she replied allowing sadness to seep into her voice. ¡°What a shame... Goodnight.¡± ¡°Good night, Cole,¡± she said, waiting for him to walk away before she moved on to her next mission... ¡®Getting into this goddamn house without being detected... Chances of sess- Next to none.¡¯ Katie turned the knob of the front door ever so quietly trying her best not to wake her parents while she got in. If at all they had not woken up from the sound of her talking to Cole at the street, ¡®Damn their sharp ears.¡¯ ¡°So that was the famous Cole Lycaon?¡± a voice came whilst she tried to silently lock the door. Giving up her charade, she mmed the door the rest of the door and slumped her shoulders, whimpering in defeat. ¡°Don¡¯t you guys ever sleep deeply like trolls or something?¡± she whined childishly, turning around to meet Aunt Marie¡¯s sleepy face. The woman was in herte forties but still had all her sharp senses. She sipped her coffee mug, a drink she usually had heated at all times for times just like this. Her blond hair fell out of her messy bun as though she had been in a hurricane and her eyes were half-open in a permanent indication of her rushed wake up. Uncle Tom, however, was nowhere to be seen. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss that disy for anything. And here I thought you were up investigating a murder...¡± she sipped yet another sip of her coffee. Katie walked into the kitchen and poured herself a cup as well. ¡°The investigation is not going well. I intended to take my mind off it talking to Cole.¡± ¡°Well, did you have fun talking to him?¡± Aunt Marie asked, sitting on a chair by the kitchen counter to talk to her daughter. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to think. He told me of his ¡®allegedly¡¯ dead mate who I¡¯ve found out could be me,¡± she said. ¡°What makes you think that?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t so hard to connect the dots once I found out about the attack on the Sirius family eighteen years ago,¡± I said to her. ¡°We tried our best to keep that information from you while at the same time training you to handle your emotions. It will be crucial once your wolf is out... Humans aren¡¯t so different from werewolves... When we are angry, wesh out at anything that¡¯s around us. That¡¯s what the moon goddess was trying to exploit to end the human race back then when she gave rise to the first two werewolves. As long as you know how to keep your emotions in check, you will pose less of a threat to others when your wolf awakens on your eighteenth birthday. And now that you know who your mate is, you know who will be able to bring you back once you¡¯ve shifted,¡± she said, finishing the entirety of the n that had been set into motion since the day she¡¯d been born. Chapter 37 Chapter 37: Chapter Thirty Seven ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± Katie asked once she was done interpreting the information she¡¯d just been fed. ¡°What was your original n if Cole hadn¡¯t shown up and I was to shift without my mate around to bring me back?¡± she asked. ¡°That was quite simple really... we were simply going to take you to the Lycaon home for a visit during that time, but then we got news of theming here instead and cancelled those ns. It was going to be a bit more hectic than this, but it would get the job done,¡± they said. ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand... once I shifted, Cole was then supposed to sniff me out ande and instinctively bring me back to my human form, was it supposed to be that simple?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, it was supposed to be that simple. Is there something you know that we don¡¯t know?¡± they asked. ¡°I would be leaving the school unprotected in the name of going to see the Lycaons. What were you going to say to convince me to...¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t sweat the details. You know how we¡¯ve raised you. The truth was also an option,¡± she said to Katie. This was the one thing Katie could see would work in their n. If she had known all this, she would not have objected to being taken with them to see Cole if he had note to them instead, but within her, that sounded like a better way. ..... ¡°I wish it had happened that way then,¡± she mumbled. ¡°Why do you wish that?¡± ¡°On Sunday, my life won¡¯t be the same anymore... How will I step into that school as a werewolf hunter who is also a werewolf? It just doesn¡¯t make sense for me to make it seem like I knew nothing of the sort,¡± Katie spoke up. Aunt Marie burst intoughter on hearing herint, ¡°How on earth is that what you¡¯re worried about?¡± ¡°What do you mean? Is there anything else I should be worried about?¡± she asked. ¡°Of course there is something else you should be worried about... Once your identity is revealed, it will only be a matter of time before your real parents im you back from us, not to mention the anger that will be stirred up in the rogues that do not know of your existence. Cole will find out about you and will be very protective of you and so will the Lycaon family. A lot more will happen and you¡¯re worried about what you will look like when you step into the school,¡± she continuedughing hysterically, her amusement slowly inching towards embarrassment for the young hunter, ¡°not to mention, it will also mean that you will be the most dangerous werewolf in history and one that will cause fear from many across the entire globe, not just the rogues.¡± This next revtion registered differently. Katie had never taken into consideration what her power would eventually mean for the rest of the world, ¡°How is that supposed to be very important? I just n on hunting down the Rogue King and ending his life. That shouldn¡¯t worry anyone.¡± ¡°And that will be a relief to the rest of humanity, but humans are also not the noblest of creatures. You will be seen by many states as a force to be reckoned with and you will be watched by many to make sure your power is kept in check. It will bemonce for you to discover a spy or more than one watching your every move,¡± Aunt Marie tried to exin. ¡°That is nagging in all ways imaginable,¡± she stated. ¡°Yes, it is, but now you need your sleep... something tells me tomorrow is going to be an even longer day for you. There is no school, but there is an investigation that you still have to get through before your birthday on Sunday,¡± she said, getting up from her chair to push Katie up to her room. ¡°You don¡¯t have to push me to my room... I have legs, you know,¡± the young hunter tried while she was pushed all the way up the stairs and to her room. She pulled out her key and unlocked her bedroom door only to get pushed further in until she was shoved into the bed. ¡°Now get all the sleep you can before tomorrow,¡± her aunt said out loud. ¡°I haven¡¯t even bathed yet... and my shoes are still on...¡± ¡°Are you sincerely not tired at all?¡± ¡°I am, but not on the verge of copsing...¡± Aunt Marie sighed before retreating to the door, stopping at its threshold, ¡°You really do have a long day tomorrow. I received some rather disturbing news that you will have to look at in the morning to start your day, so get as much sleep as you can, because tomorrow will be another day for the ages,¡± this came as a cautionary warning that wasced with all the care in the world. Her aunt was rying a message- a plea, if you may, that Katie took to heart. It was probably something that would have prevented sleep for an ordinary person, but this family was trained to prioritise and as of right now, sleep was the most important thing to her. She took a quick bath and slipped into the warm covers of her bed. Taking off the bandaids that she¡¯d ced on her knuckles. The memory of knocking Ash against a tree came to her almost immediately, thest thing that upied her mind while she slept. Something was odd about the boy while she stopped his head from hitting the tree itself. His hair was smooth and silky as though he took extra care of it, but she¡¯d brushed the observation away as mere coincidence. Why then was she remembering that insignificant detail at a moment such as this one? She thought to herself as she drifted deeper into the dark empty abyss and went unconscious. .................... Jason served himself his serving of supper and joined his friend in the living room. Caden had his eyes pinned to the very spot that Ash had fallen asleep in the previous night. The feeling of loss wed at him once more while the memories of the young boy came flooding back to him. ¡°We¡¯ll find the killer, that we will, my friend.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help, but wonder that there is something we didn¡¯t know about Ash that was very important. I¡¯ve been trying to wipe the feeling out of my mind, but nothing has worked. Something keeps irking the back of my skull,¡± Caden said. ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing and you are obsessing over nothing. Maybe you could try contacting your wolf to see if he noticed something out of the ordinary,¡± Jason said, providing the needed assistance. ¡°I tried, but all he could say was that there were some irregrities that he noticed in the boy¡¯s build, but nothing much to go on. It¡¯s probably nothing as well,¡± he said. ¡°Yeah, like I said. How long are those two lovebirds going to stay out? It¡¯s already ten o¡¯clock,¡± Jason groaned. ¡°I think they are having way too much fun to be bothered about the time,¡± Caden replied. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re probably right about that...¡± he said, his mind wandering back to the incident where he¡¯d lost control of his wolf and attacked the one person in that school that he was starting to find interesting. ¡°What¡¯s with you and Sandra? She seems to have an effect on you,¡± Caden asked. Jason shrugged him off almost as fast as he brought up the conversation, ¡°Let¡¯s stick to the one power couple that has much clearer sparks and keep the rumours to a minimum.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter which way you spin it. I know how much you value having a mate over dating any random girl that you meet. This is not something you will be able to ignore for long. Could it be why you lost control? Would getting rid of her save you from the confusion of having her in your life to constantly distract you from your mission of finding your true mate?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Caden,¡± it was rare for Jason to get worked up over something as he viewed his world through a joker¡¯s eyes. Nothing was usually serious when it came to him, except if it concerned hisrades or his mate whom he was still bound to meet. ¡°Looks like I hit a nerve. So I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I? You have your eyes on Sandra... and it pisses you off because you know she¡¯s not your mate...¡± ¡°What makes you so sure that she¡¯s not mine?¡± Jason snapped, yelling at his friend. ¡°Well, has your wolf confirmed it? Would your wolf have wanted her dead if she was the one for?¡± Caden had his face right in front of Jason¡¯s at this point staring down hisrade, their red eyes shing in response to each other¡¯s intense emotions. ¡°She¡¯s not eighteen yet... I won¡¯t be able to tell until then...¡± Jason said, his voice low, ¡°What my wolf did was just in response to the loss of Ash, not because it was Sandra who was in that situation. ¡°If you say so...¡± Caden backed down, walking past Jason to go to the kitchen. The heat of the moment finally passed, leaving Jason to his thoughts. ¡®Caden, what are you not telling me?¡¯ he could only ask himself as in that moment he had noticed Caden¡¯s untapped rage boiling within him, threatening toe out at the slightest provocation. Chapter 38 Chapter 38: Chapter Thirty Eight Katie woke up after seven hours of sleep, an extended time of two hourspared to her usual five. This she did every weekend since there was no school and also in an attempt to remedy any excess exhaustion her body might have been going through. The things one learns after years of training. They would live and breathe under a system. A warm bath, brushing of her teeth and dressing upter found her taking a warm cup of the ever-coffee in the kitchen. She sipped her coffee whilst trying to decipher who might have been putting on an act in the students that had been interrogated the day before. Each interrogation yed in her mind clear as day as though it was happening in that exact moment. Futile as this attempt at going through the useless information was, she still found herself going through it to find any clues of who the killer might have been. Aunt Marie walked into the kitchen a few minutester heading straight for the coffee machine, her hair still a mess and dressed in a bathrobe, ¡°Good morning, sweetie.¡± ¡°Good morning, Auntie,¡± Katie replied. Aunt Marie yawned while she poured herself a cup of the hot beverage, ¡°Based on how prepared you look and the thoughtful expression on your face, I can tell you are eager to hear what it is that I have to say to you.¡± ¡°Yes, that would be correct. You read me quite clearly that it feels scary sometimes...¡± ¡°I raised you, Katie. There¡¯s almost nothing you can do to surprise me,¡± Aunt Marie said, taking a sip of coffee and savouring the taste as it rolled down her tongue. This was the true definition of a coffee addict and it was known by the entire household that getting between her and her coffee was a mistake of a lifetime. ..... Katie waited patiently as her aunt took her time to savour the vours on her pte, ¡°How can someone love a taste that long? Doesn¡¯t it get monotonous for you to slurp coffee every morning?¡± she said. ¡°How is it that mankind never gets tired of procreation through sex?¡± ¡°I rest my case... No need to get too graphic,¡± Katie said, dodging the loose tongue her auntie was about to take advantage of. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s get to the point now, shall we? Yesterday, we received various strings of information that were meant for you, but you didn¡¯t receive them because you were unreachable. The first one was about the autopsy report from the werewolf that died yesterday. There was nothing out of the ordinary from what they could already deduce from the crime scene. There were no signs of a struggle and the throat of the victim was skillfully slit before they realized they were in danger. This means that the person whomitted this crime was someone who would not arouse any suspicion of such a heinous crime. They did, however, find something that was peculiar considering everyone¡¯s method of addressing the victim. How well did you know Ash Myster?¡± she asked. ¡°Not that well... Just that he was someone he...¡± ¡°That pronoun... I guess they were right...¡± she stopped me mid-sentence. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Katie asked, her attention peaking. ¡°Ash... was not a boy...¡± Aunt Marie said, ¡°It¡¯s been rare for female rogues to appear. Every single rogue that¡¯s been killed or captured was a male. Those that were female were found to be either infertile because ofck of a uterus or suffering from traumas of **** and sexual harassment. The rogues have a... how do I put this bluntly... disgusting practice of treating the females among them as nothing more than breeders,¡± she exined. ¡°Disgusting is an understatement for that kind of thing, but then...¡± ¡°This does bring up a lot of questions indeed... It was found that in the uterus of fifteen-year-old Ash Myster was an immature foetus that had died not long after her own demise,¡± she said. ¡°Ash was... pregnant?¡± the news kept getting more and more shocking. At the age of fifteen, what she was hearing felt like needles in her spine. ¡°Yes, she was pregnant and not to mention the signs of **** that were found on her. This girl had just escaped what must have been hell by simply pretending to be a boy,¡± Aunt Marie said. ¡°Ash was still a neer in the school which probably meant she was raped before she got into the spy program the rogues are running. I already considered the rogues unforgivable for sending children to spy on hunters, but this is far worse...¡± Katie¡¯s wolf spurred from within her. ¡°Is there anything else they could tell about the condition of Ash¡¯s body and health by the time of his... I mean, her death?¡± it was difficult to switch between the two prepositions. Ash must have perfected her cover before she went into the mission, making it impossible to identify her gender. ¡°I wasn¡¯t so inclined to how this investigation was going by the time I heard of it and was thinking more of your safety at the point, but... now that I know what Ash went through, I would like you to put more effort into finding the killer and make sure you capture him alive. I have no doubt that once this information reaches the ears of the werewolves, they will be even more vicious than they already were, so be careful when you proceed with this case,¡± Aunt Marie said. ¡°I will be careful... You mentioned having received a string of messages that were meant for me... Is that all that you were told?¡± Katie asked, her mind storing the information on the deceased werewolf. ¡°Oh yeah, there is one more. I was hoping it would help you find out some clues on who the killer might be,¡± she said, ¡°The werewolf that you captured finally woke up. His limbs were rendered useless and he was put through some interrogation to try and get information out of him. He was also a student from the school although he was seventeen and was more experienced than Ash. Interrogating him seemed impossible at first until he said something... ¡®I won¡¯t say much, but I do have a message that I¡¯d like to personally deliver to the pride and Joy of the Hunter Agency, Katie Chase. The look on her face when I tell her... Makes my mouth water just trying to imagine what it would be like...¡¯ after that he wasughing hysterically with a maniacal look on his face. Further interrogation and torture methods proved to be useless against him.¡± This information gave Katie chills as she heard it. ¡°Well then, I guess my first stop will be the Hunter¡¯s Agency.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still going even when you know that the information might be useless,¡± she said. ¡°It might be useless, but as you said, there might be a clue that could lead me to find out who the killer is,¡± she said, grabbing a denim jacket from the rack by the door and slipping it on. ¡°I¡¯ll get going. Are the werewolves going to be informed about this?¡± ¡°Yes, they have been briefed as well. Don¡¯t be surprised when you find them waiting by the Hunter¡¯s Agency,¡± Aunt Marie said, ¡°Godspeed, Katie.¡± A reassuring smile in reply to the blessing was thest thing the two shared before Katie left the house. ¡®I¡¯ll find your killer, Ash. You can count on that,¡¯ her resolve burned bright as the thought ran through her mind spurring her to get moving faster and find the killer before they had the chance to make a clean getaway. Aunt Marie was starting to feel sad as she felt the time she¡¯d been living ine to an end. She watched Katie run out of the house, oblivious to what was happening. She hadn¡¯t even asked where her husband had been the whole time. It wasn¡¯t surprising for Katie to think that Tom was simply sleeping. The truth was... her husband hadn¡¯t stepped into their house since the morning the day before. ¡®Oh, Katie, you never asked why we never let you refer to us as mother and father... It was simply because... we didn¡¯t want you to anger your true parents, on the day when they came for you. .............. ¡°Cole, did you wash your face as I asked you to?¡± Jason¡¯s voice cut through Cole¡¯s sharp hearing stirring him awake as he dosed at the dinner table in the dining room. He¡¯d been rudely awoken at six in the morning by his subordinate for something that was supposedly important. Theck of clues to what it was was still unknown to him which made it hard to take the guy seriously. After having struggled to find sleep the night before trying to figure out what Katie couldn¡¯t tell her, he had fallen asleep quitete and was currently sleep-deprived. He¡¯d washed his face to try and wipe the sleep from it, but the moment thest drop of water dried, sleep was back to haunt him. ¡°We received information yesterday that you might want to listen to. The Hunter¡¯s Association reported what it is that they found out from the autopsy,¡± this was enough to chase all thest remnants of sleep from the Royal¡¯s eyes. ¡°Is there something we didn¡¯t know about the way Ash was killed?¡± Cole asked. ¡°No, not really,¡± Caden said, taking a seat opposite from him, cing a cup of tea in front of him, ¡°but there were some other disturbing bits of information that they were able to discover that we did not know about Ash.¡± ¡°Oh, and what would that be?¡± ¡°The starting point of all thatmotion would be that Ash was not a boy and rather was a girl...¡± the information resounded in Cole¡¯s mind after hearing it. Ash must have trained hard to be able to conceal her gender all that well, but the reasons for going to such great lengths were the ones that he now wanted to know. His wolf growled at the number of possibilities that one would have had to conceal their gender. It was known that finding a female rogue was next to impossible and that if they were ever found, they were either infertile or on the brink of death from ****. On very rare asions, sterile female rogues were found, but their bodies would be toned and littered with battle scars all over from the intense training they no doubt had to go through to pull their weight. There was no doubt in Cole¡¯s mind that he was about to hear the news that would rank among the most disturbing bits of information that his mind could fathom. Chapter 39 Chapter 39: Chapter Thirty Nine Katie made it to the Hunter¡¯s Agency in a matter of minutes after taking the long route, a run through the forest. The twelve-mile run that was made longer by taking the long route through the forest proved refreshing for her. The tall metallic grey gates that led to thergepound that was Hunter¡¯s Agency soon came into view, but so did the three werewolves that she¡¯d been warned about along with her best friend that she¡¯d called before starting her run. The werewolves had been held back by the guards and were causing quite themotion at the entrance. Sandra stood back and watched the chaos before her as there was no reasoning with this trio. They all held high ranks and weren¡¯t used to taking orders from anyone. At the same time, the guards at the gates were simply following orders and barring their entrance. This didn¡¯t bode well with any of them, however, considering how important they took themselves to be. A simple eptance to enter the Hunter¡¯s Association should not have been a problem, but orders were orders and these three could not get in unless they had a professional hunter with them. Katie sneaked up on Sandra, ¡°What seems to be the problem?¡± she asked her friend. ¡°Well, these guys won¡¯t be let in unless they have a pro hunter with them. I¡¯ve tried getting them to calm down, but they choose to throw a tantrum at the poor guards,¡± she flinched on hearing one of the insults Jason threw at the guards, ¡°They really have enough energy to spare.¡± ¡°Yeah, there is no doubt about that,¡± Katie replied right before the boys noticed her and stopped their noise all at once except for Jason who was still wrapped up in his antics. ¡®Foolish clowns who don¡¯t ask questions before getting answers... Mindless peasants that would jump on a spike with their butts first if they were ordered to... Rancid monkeys that...¡¯ ¡°Jason, Jason...¡± Cole tapped hisrade in a rush to shut him up, a look of horror on his face in reaction to the words that were being uttered. ¡°What is it, Cole?¡± he asked, following Cole¡¯s signs to meet Katie¡¯s face. ..... ¡°Someone¡¯s got a rotten tongue...¡± shemented, her face still stuck in the shocked expression. Cole¡¯s face went red with embarrassment as he face-palmed. Caden couldn¡¯t contain hisughter even though the two had been involved in this ritual ceremony of roasting the guards. Jason, however, had not held back on the insults and had said a lot of unspeakable words while he got creative with his insults. ¡°My image is forever tarnished by one of my best friends,¡± Cole groaned. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t act like I¡¯m that much of a disappointment. You were with me the entire time and even encouraged me,¡± Jasonined. ¡°That was before I heard the drivel that wasing out of that loose tongue of yours...¡± turning to the guards, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for anything excessive that he might have said. I do not deny, however, how frustrating it is for you to hold us here when we should be interrogating the scoundrel that could lead us to find the killer of ourrade.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how this all began...¡± Katie said, cutting Cole off before he spiralled into a fit that would start the whole cussing charade all over again. The more Cole was made to think about this, the more he would spiral out of control. ¡°Is your presence a sign that we are finally going to be let in?¡± Caden asked. ¡°Yeah, that might be the case if you promise to behave yourselves. You can¡¯t go in there cussing hunters as well,¡± Katie told them folding her hands across her chest. ¡°Fine then, you have our word that we won¡¯t cause any trouble in there. Well, I can vouch for Caden... Jason will have to give you his personally...¡± ¡°Seriously, dude, that¡¯s riching from you...¡± ¡°It is what it is, brother. You need help,¡± Cole replied, his eyes shing back on the words he heard Jason say. ¡°Jason, will you behave yourself?¡± Katie asked, breaking up the childish bickering. ¡°Behave? That¡¯s not exactly my forte,¡± this was true, although it wasn¡¯t going to be a reason for him to pass through with a mere p on the wrist. The questioning look on Katie¡¯s face had him rethinking his words, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll also behave.¡± The guards opened the gates almost instantly allowing them into the Hunter¡¯s Agency. Footsteps on the other side of the gate caught their attention as someone from the inside came to greet them. Dressed in ck fitting leather from top to bottom with a white undershirt beneath his unbuttoned leather jacket, Anthony, the Director of the Hunter¡¯s Agency came to receive them. ¡°You certainly took your time getting here.¡± The werewolves covered their ears once more, having forgotten the man¡¯s tendency to speak in the normally required volume of speech. ¡°Why was I stopped at the gates?¡± ¡°We wanted all of you toe in at the same time. Besides, the werewolf asked for Katie, so we want that to be the face of the next person that they meet,¡± he said, turning to lead them to the prison. This was the first time that Cole and his friends were actually getting to walk through the ce. Most of the buildings were kept to a in white, a colour that would have been boring, but its maintenance was outstanding. There wasn¡¯t a sign of dust or dirt on any of the walls as though they were scrubbed clean on a daily basis. Greenpounds and decorative nts decorated the widepound, surrounding the pathways and clearly demarcating them. At the centre of the entirepound stood a statue of a man holding a sword facing off against a werewolf thrice his size. The detail of the statue was astounding as it even captured the sheer determination that showed in the man¡¯s face as he faced off against an enemy that was clearly stronger than him. Just by seeing this statue, one could already tell who the victor of the story behind it was meant to be. ¡°That would be Damien, the first hunter to ever be granted a Prometheus gift,¡± the director said as they walked past the statue. ¡°From the size of that wolf, I would say he was facing an alpha. Did he have his Prometheus gift by the time he went through that fight?¡± Cole asked. ¡°No, he didn¡¯t have one. He was the most skilled fighter of his generation of trained hunters. This was back when victory against the werewolves was only but a dream. A test of the hope that Prometheus is so proud of,¡± he exined, leading them past the statue without sparing it a second nce. For someone who was the director of the facility, he probably had each curving in it to thest detailmitted to memory. ¡°That¡¯s quite a feat for someone to pull off,¡± Cole mused, keeping up with the group. ¡°Anthony...¡± Katie called, jogging up to him till she was side by side. ¡°Do you not care about the hierarchy anymore?¡± he asked her, his voice low for the first time, ¡°I know what you want to talk to me about. I have nothing to say about it except offer you my thanks. I know his heart was in the right ce, but he put the lives of many civilians at risk. That is something even I cannot overlook,¡± he said. ¡°But still, would you rather he hadn¡¯t done it then. What about?¡± ¡°She knows the cost of bing a hunter... as do you. Now drop the subject,¡± Anthony yelled this time, not allowing room for Katie to try and reason with him. Cole noticed Sandra look away from the two as though she had already deciphered what the conversation was about. ¡°Very well,¡± Katie spoke, falling back behind with the other as they left the main premises. They left the neat and tended path straight through all the white buildings and further into what seemed like part of the forest. The only difference was that someone could know that this part was still fenced in within the Hunter¡¯s Agency. Walking through the forestlike part of the premises, they came upon what seemed to be an entrance to an underground bunker. Arge mound of earth that looked more like a tiny hill, camouged well with just one side cut clean to make an entrance. The guards stood well hidden on that side. Someone from the outside would have no idea what it was. On the t side of the small structure was a heavy stone door that looked practically immovable. Cole was familiar with these kinds of structures, dungeons that were used to detain rogues like this were used by hunters all over the world. Two guards dressed in leather jackets that contained weapons stood at the door, each of them brandishing a dagger casually. They casually bowed in respect to the Director and opened therge stone door. Their strength suggested they were using the Prometheus gift of strength. Both of them heaved as the door slowly slid open revealing a dark staircase that started to light up. Bulbs lit up the staircase heading down, the walls also a stainless white. They followed the director into the dungeon. This was the first time Cole was entering one and had no idea what to expect when he did. For once he saw bulbs in a dungeon, it became clear that this wasn¡¯t one of the dungeons he¡¯d read about in medieval-set novels. The corridor at the bottom was fully lit and bordered with cells built of concrete. ¡°Try not to linger with what you see,¡± Anthony said. The walk began normally for the first few seconds before the scent of wolfsbane mixed with blood hit their noses. Katie fell back and ran back to the corridor, palming a wall on the side and waiting as it slid open unexpectedly. She walked into the room and came out with three gas masks, palming the side of the new door once more and watching it close seamlessly like it never existed. She jogged up to the three werewolves and offered them the masks. ¡°Doors like that exist all over the ce for a variety of reasons... I hope this helps with tolerance with the scent.¡± Chapter 40 Chapter 40: Chapter Forty During the walk to their destination, Cole couldn¡¯t help but look through the ss panes that offered a view into the cells. Some of the rogues in the cells were dead, others were in a state of permanent shift, unable to shift back into human. Some had severed limbs and were strapped to a table that stood at a forty-five-degree angle to allow them to sleep and wake up with no need to move. ¡°Do you not like what you see here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s inhumane...¡± Cole said. ¡°This is the cost of being a hunter. Hunters trade their humanity for the right to keep the peace between the two races. We will go to any lengths if it means finally defeating the Rogue King. Once he is dead, we merely need to kill every other rogue that avoids a Prometheus evaluation,¡± the Director exined. ¡°When you speak of giving them a chance to go through a Prometheus evaluation, you sound human just for an instant,¡± Cole replied, drawing a smile from the middle-aged man. ¡°You might just make a fine King, Lycaon,¡± he said, ¡°Protect the peace that your forefathers have worked so hard to create within this war. Maybe then the moon goddess can finally atone for wronging Prometheus the way she did.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the way you speak of our goddess... but I can¡¯t argue with what you¡¯re saying,¡± the two seemed to be getting along in Katie¡¯s point of view. ¡°Is he in ¡®that¡¯ room?¡± Katie asked, her voice once again cold in the way it normally was when she masked her emotionspletely. ..... ¡°Yes, he is... You are the only one who will be allowed to see him. No one else is allowed to see the prisoner, is that understood,¡± Anthony spoke, turning to the rest for answers. They arrived at a dead-end; something Cole was now sure was amon illusion here. Anthony ced his hand upon the wall. The sound of locks and gears could be heard rocking the wall before them before one loud click that had the stone walls sliding open, splitting in two like double sliding doors and letting them into a room that trumped everything Cole had seen with ease. Right before them were hunters inb coats standing at monitors, watching someone through a ss pane. They turned to see the director and the people he¡¯de with, ¡°Oh, Director Anthony, wee back. You brought her...¡± one of them spoke up hurriedly, a hint of shivers running through him. Arge control panel attached to the wall right before the ss panel caught Cole¡¯s attention. Words such as adrenaline, wolfsbane intake, anaesthetic, voltage and many more in rtion to torture upied the panel. Through the ss pane, a boy whose was strapped to a chair with needles poking and tubes poking into him at numerous vessels. Wires were attached to the chair and connected to a power supply. The boy in the seat barely looked seventeen. His knees and elbows were purple with deep cuts that leaked all manner of disgusting fluids. If it wasn¡¯t for the gas masks, Cole was sure he wouldn¡¯t be able to stand the stench that might have been in the room. Furthermore, the boy sat with his head limp, cuts riddled his body even appearing on his bloodstained rugs of clothes. ¡°He still hasn¡¯t said anything, sir. He insists that no manner of torture can bring him to speak and that all he¡¯ll say is what he wants to ¡®smite¡¯ Katie with.¡± ¡°What bothers me is how confident he is that whatever he has to say will hurt her and that we will just hand her over to her,¡± Anthony said, his voice low once again, ¡°Katie...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I don¡¯t think there is anything he can say that can...¡± ¡°Think about what you are saying first. Do you mean to tell me that you weren¡¯t hurt by Ash¡¯s death?¡± the question drew a sharp breath out of Katie. Anthony was right... despite all the training she¡¯d had that hadn¡¯t let her develop strong enough emotional vulnerabilities, there were still things that could hurt her. She was strong, very strong, but she could be hurt in different ways indirectly... and that was what Anthony was trying to warn her about. ¡°In that case, might I ask a question then?¡± she asked. ¡°What might that one be?¡± ¡°Am I allowed to torture him as well?¡± the question was met with silence. This was something that would have been perceived as a normal question, but something was amiss when Katie asked it. Something turned within Cole¡¯s stomach when she asked for permission to torture the prisoner. The expression on the Director¡¯s face suggested that he too was thinking, maybe trying to decipher what she meant by that. Or maybe he already knew something Cole didn¡¯t, for he wouldn¡¯t have hesitated this long over a question to continue the torture they¡¯d already been doing. ¡°Very well, do as you see fit.¡± With that, Katie walked to the side of the panel and ced her palm there, another door sliding open once again. The design of most of the door was getting on Cole¡¯s nerves. It would be impossible for someone to escape a prison-like this one without knowledge of where the doors were and without the ess that everyone seemed to have in their palms. This would probably exin why Cole could not go through the Agency without a pro hunter to escort him. They all looked into the room while Katie appeared on the other side of the ss pane. In front of the chair was a small pedestal with controls on it that Cole could not make out. Katie put her hand to the pedestal and began scrolling through the touchscreen designed piece of hardware. She reached what she was looking for and tapped it. A green liquid began to move through one of the needles that were attached to the wolf. On the main panel, one of the many screens began to react showing what had been activated to be ¡®adrenaline.¡¯ The seemingly asleep captive¡¯s head shot back as the contents of the syringe hit his system to rob him of anyst ounce of sleep he was probably hunting for. The boy looked around until his eyesnded on Katie. A smirk upied his face, an evil glint in his eyes that made Cole clench his fist immediately. ¡°I almost felt sympathy for him because he looked young,¡± Cole spoke up. ¡°Do not be deceived.... These rogue spies are rotten to the core. You should know that already from the way the rogues fail the Prometheus evaluation. It is meant to save werewolves that still have some humanity left within them. That thing you are seeing in that room doesn¡¯t have any humanity left. He finds pleasure in watching the world burn at his feet and everyone die away,¡± Anthony spoke, his voice vile. The hatred that the hunters held for rogues didn¡¯te as a surprise and it was the one emotion that they were fine with expressing freely for all to see. ¡°Yeah, his current expression says it all,¡± Cole said. The eyes that stared at Katie weren¡¯t those of an innocent seventeen-year-old. This was a cold-blooded killer who didn¡¯t give a damn about anything. It made sense that they had not been able to draw information from him by simply staring at him. ¡°I like your game face, Katie,¡± the boy said, smiling while he watched her. ¡°Did you get our little present? That traitor never did have what it took to be a true rogue... To carry out the mission that our goddess bestowed upon us centuries ago... The extermination of all mankind to everyst man, woman and child,¡± he saidughing hysterically. Katie stared at him all the while he spoke, ¡°It¡¯s hard to think rogues are born like that, Chandler.¡± The hystericalughter died down at the mention of his name, ¡°So you know my name, huh... Nothing truly escapes you, does it? It¡¯s possible by now that you¡¯ve realized that all the missing students are wolves that you killed yourself. You see this as the death of one wolf in the prestigious Brigade High School. No, there have been seven deaths in the school and they have all been registered as absent students. It¡¯s only a matter of time before everyone finds out that the missing students are either students that were undercover rogues...¡± a smirk appeared on his face while he finished the statement, ¡°or students the rogues killed and no one ever noticed until weekster, their carcasses will be found in the forest damped to be eaten by vultures in...¡± The rogue found himself unable to speak as Katie darted forward with a knife in hand cing it to his throat. One more word and hisrynx would impale itself on the sharp de. A red bead of blood leaked from the knife wound as the de dug into the skin of the boy¡¯s neck. ¡°Katie, calm yourself,¡± Anthony yelled out. ¡°Oh, but Director Anthony... I am calm...¡± her voice came out with so much venom it tore sent chills down everyone¡¯s spine. She retracted the de and walked back to the panel... scrolling through the controls before tapping the same configuration she had earlier. The same green fluid began to flow into him through the syringe in his right arm, ¡°Katie, you already... It¡¯s no use... That boy is going to die,¡± Anthony said, lowering his voice as he watched Katie pump more unnecessary adrenaline into the boy. Chapter 41 Chapter 41: Chapter Forty One ¡°Why is she adding him adrenaline?¡± Caden asked. ¡°Adrenaline heightens one¡¯s senses and increases their awareness of something. That way they can respond to stimulus faster,¡± he said. ¡°Yeah, but adrenaline, in some cases, also dulls pain,¡± Caden said. ¡°Yes, that may be true, but what happens when adrenaline runs out when you have major injuries,¡± Anthony asked. ¡°The paines rushing back to you,¡± Caden said, ¡°but why would someone do that? It¡¯s sadistic.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s mercy... Katie will torture him all she wants with him feeling barely any pain... the rest you will have to see for yourself,¡± Anthony said, his voice wasn¡¯t loud anymore as he watched this happen. It was clear that even within the Hunter¡¯s Agency, Katie was not normal in the slightest. Cole watched with more concerned eyes... ¡®Katie, what have you been turned into?¡¯ .............. ..... ¡°You¡¯re adding me more adrenaline... You¡¯re dumber than you look, Chase. This will only make me numb to any of the torture tactics you have in store for me...¡± the hystericalughing continued, the boy bing evidently more confident, ¡°Show me your worst, Chase.¡± ¡°Well, if you insist then... I¡¯ll just leave this electricity running. I won¡¯t lecture you on how much voltage a human can handle or on when it is that a werewolf can also stop feeling... I¡¯ll just turn it up to your satisfaction,¡± she said. ¡°What do you mean when you...¡± he stopped as Katie turned it up to an insane voltage. ¡°You see, you have adrenaline coursing through you. So you can withstand more than an average wolf can... You won¡¯t even notice when the meat on your bones even begins to get charred until right before you¡¯re dead, a quick painful death if you ask me...¡± she said. ¡°Is this how you n to get information out of me...¡± Chandler screamed, ¡°It¡¯s certainly an uninformed way of doing it... You think this is pain. Look at me, my limbs are practically useless and rotting. What is this going to get you? Didn¡¯t youe here for information?¡± ¡°You know...¡± Katie said, in a sing-song tone, taking her time with her words. A seat next to the panel proved convenient to drive this point into his head, ¡°I really don¡¯t care how I walk out of here. With or without information, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m not obligated to turn off that dial at any one point. I can already smell your roasting carcass even now,¡± she said, smirking at him as he turned red. ¡°You¡¯re a monster... get to the point...¡± he yelled through gritted teeth when he noticed Katie was not going to turn down the electricity. ¡°Katie, that¡¯s enough. You¡¯ll kill him without getting anything out of him,¡± Anthony yelled through a microphone. ¡°That is not my concern, Director Anthony. It¡¯s up to him if he gets to live longer really. I definitely don¡¯t feel motivated to turn down that power,¡± she said, yawning within her seat. Chandler¡¯s body was begin to smoke as the electricity continued to go through him. Katie did not show a single sign of bluffing and Chandler was starting to see just how worthless he was to her. ¡°If I die, you will never know what I know about who killed that... traitor,¡± Chandler yelled. Katie crossed her legs and leaned back into the chair rocking herself slightly, herposure that of someone that was sitting on their front porch watching fields of wheat in the countryside. ¡°Even if I keep you alive, there is nothing that guarantees that you will tell me. To be honest, you¡¯re just wasting my time. If I cannot get information out of you, then you¡¯re better off dead, but if you do tell me something, then things can change. You don¡¯t have much time though. I honestly don¡¯t care about your life and I have other leads and sources to chase. So, I would say you have about three minutes before you die from the electricity. In two, you...¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell you what I called you here. I am the one who called you here, wasn¡¯t I?¡± he yelled out at the top of his lungs. Katie stood up calmly and scrolled down the panel. ¡°Where was it... Or here it is...¡± she said, casually lowering the voltage and pumping more adrenaline into his system. ¡°No, please, no more adrenaline...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you passing out in the middle of your big reveal...¡± Chandler chuckled darkly, ¡°You¡¯re a true monster. The boss will enjoy snuffing the life out of you... I¡¯m a dead man, but there is still something that I have to tell you...¡± he said,ughing once more, ¡°It gives me a rush thinking of it every time I do... every time I think of just how surrounded you are. You will never see iting... You will be so surprised when you find out who killed that poor traitor... someone who has been in that school for far longer than you have. You will never see theming. I pity you, Chase... no, all I regret is not having the opportunity to see the look on your face when you find out. My best bet is that now that all of this has happened, he won¡¯t need to stay in hiding for so long.¡± ¡°Is there anything else you intend to say to me?¡± Katie asked. ¡°What¡¯s with that look on your face? Why do you look so calm? Why isn¡¯t any of this bothering you? I¡¯ve been watching you for a long time now... Why do you still look at me with that same bored expression?¡± the boy continued to yell out. Katie walked up to the panel scrolling through the controls, ¡°You know, you must have known what you were getting yourself into when you became a rogue and decided to carry out this kind of work. Instead of choosing a life that would get you a happy ending, you chose one that was most likely to get you killed... and look at you now, strapped to a chair with no limbs, on the brink of a gruesome death. I wonder if you ever ask yourself if you could take it all back and finally live a life that brings you joy rather than...¡± ¡°Spare me the pep talk... I know all of that. Those sweet words and empty promises are probably what got that traitor on your side in the first ce. Just because you have me in this state of weakness doesn¡¯t mean my resolve will change so easily. I see you still have the same empathy I deduced while I studied you all these years. Don¡¯t take pity on rogues, Chase. We¡¯ll kill you without a second thought because that¡¯s our one and only purpose. To rid this world of all humans and the werewolves that betrayed their moon goddess¡¯ original will,¡± with that he fell silent, staring at Katie with a defiant look in his eye. Katie tapped something on the panel. A syringe began to inject a colourless fluid into his system. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Cole asked the director from the other side of the ss pane. ¡°A drug that will give Chandler a painless death... It seems he wasn¡¯t as capable of breaking through Katie¡¯s will as he¡¯d hoped or maybe he did. With Katie, one cannot be very sure of anything, because she can hide it if she wants to,¡± the man said. Katie watched Chandler¡¯s body go limp, his gaze going lifeless and his head lolling back when his muscles went ck. She walked up to him and shut his eyes with her right palm before walking out of the room, her face still expressionless. ¡°Why did you kill him?¡± Anthony asked her once she was out of the torture chamber. ¡°He was useless to us at that point,¡± she said. ¡°Who let you decide that?¡± ¡°It was I who decided to capture him alive in the first ce. His prolonged life was decided by me. I am not wrong when I decide he¡¯s no longer of use to us...¡± ¡°You lost those privileges when you handed him over to the Hunter¡¯s Agency,¡± he said. ¡°Would it give you morefort to know that he was already going to die regardless of what you could have done to prolong his life?¡± ¡°borate...¡± ¡°His body had already been put under a voltage higher than his normal body was capable of. When the adrenaline wore off, he was going to die immediately. His healing was no longer functional as most of his cells were already halfbaked. He was living on borrowed time and he had already given up on trying to draw a satisfactory reaction out of me,¡± she exined. The two stared each other down for a while, tension building in the room, ¡°You forget that you are still a prime...¡± ¡°We just confirmed right now that it was a rogue that killed Ash Myster,¡± she stopped him before he could finish his statement. ¡°That information only works to prove your case worthy of investigation. Other than that, it was your de that cut through the boy and led to his unfortunate demise...¡± ¡°Why are you fighting?¡± Cole spoke up, stopping the exchange, ¡°Ash¡¯s killer is still on the loose and you are bickering amongst yourselves over trivial matters that shouldn¡¯t be your concern at all. What do you care what the people think about this? I just want the killer found. If anything, my say on the matter goes because Ash was my subordinate...¡± The director didn¡¯t have anything to say to that but apologize for his behaviour. ¡°What¡¯s your next step, Katie?¡± Cole asked. Katie walked out of the room without another word. Sandra followed her to find out what was going on with her best friend. ¡®Could it be that she was affected by what that scoundrel said?¡¯ Cole thought to himself. It was undeniable that she still wore an expressionless to hide something. He thought he managed when she left out the main door, a teardrop falling from her cheeks. Chapter 42 Chapter 42: Chapter Forty Two Sandra finally caught up to Katie¡¯s fast-paced walking. Tears were flowing down her cheeks, ¡°I have to get out of here, Sandra. I¡¯ll see youter. Just let me go for a run,¡± she said, speeding up to the front door and palming it. ¡°You can talk to me, you know that right,¡± Katie was gone in a sh as soon as therge stone door could fit a human being, having slipped out faster than the eye could follow. ¡®I hope you are fine, Katie.¡¯ Sandra got out of the dungeon and waited for the rest toe out. After all, without Katie, she couldn¡¯t open any of the doors that were within it. If she went back in, she wouldn¡¯t even have been able to enter the door to the room she¡¯d left the other werewolves in. Back in the control room, Anthony paced about trying to think himself. ¡°We didn¡¯t even get to question the guy ourselves,¡± Jason whined. ¡°You sure you wanted to be in the same room as someone who had been that heavily dosed on wolfsbane. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d puke your guts out,¡± Caden replied. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not the only one who would have that reaction,¡± heined. ¡°Anthony, what is the information going to help us with? Katie was upset when she left,¡± Cole spoke up. ..... ¡°The information that Chandler was withholding can only be used by Katie because it was personal to her. If she hadn¡¯t kept her cool while she was in there, he would have gotten what he wanted. All we can do now is wait for her to figure it out. Don¡¯t trust anyone who is close to her though, my best guess is that there is someone close to her thatmitted this atrocity,¡± Anthony said. ¡°Would you show us out now? This ce is not one a werewolf can find any kind offort in,¡± Cole said, silently cursing the numerous security measures that were taken in making this ce. The three followed Anthony out, finding Sandra waiting diligently outside the facility. ¡°Where did Katie go?¡± Anthony asked her. ¡°She went for a run. She¡¯llmunicate when she feels like it. Is there anything else that we are required to attend to here at the agency?¡± ¡°You say ¡®we¡¯ as though you particrly came here with these werewolves,¡± Anthony observed, narrowing his eyes at Cole and the others, getting a naughty smirk from Jason. ¡°You could say that. I have some arrangements if you may... Besides, today is a day of rest for many and tomorrow, the Founder¡¯s Festival will happen,¡± she said. This ced a look of worry on Anthony¡¯s face. ¡°Oh yes, the Founder¡¯s festival, I¡¯ll have to tell you this. Get all the rest you can. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. The same goes to you three,¡± turning to the werewolves, ¡°I¡¯ll overlook the insults that you threw to my guards while you were waiting for Katie¡¯s arrival. That tongue of yours needs a serious washout, Jason.¡± ¡°What is going to happen tomorrow?¡± Caden asked, making it his first indulgence in the conversation since they had arrived. ¡°That is something that cannot be revealed prematurely for a numerous number of reasons, I¡¯m afraid. You will be briefed when it happens,¡± he said. ¡°Okay then, we¡¯ll take our leave now,¡± Cole¡¯s mood had started to turn sour and he only wished he could go for a run. The scents that lingered on the outer parts of the gas masks as they returned them made him feel even more nauseous and disgusted by the operation that was going on in this ce. He understood clearly that rogues were unreasonable in the way they thought and couldn¡¯t be spared much mercy, but some methods the hunters resorted to could turn one¡¯s stomach. What bothered him above everything else was the way Katie wasn¡¯t affected by the things that they saw. She had shocked the rogue and half-cooked him while keeping herposure as though this was something that she¡¯d done all her life. ¡°Was Katie trained in the art of torture as well?¡± Caden was the one to ask they turned to leave. Anthony smirked, turning back to them as he was meant to get back into the open dungeon. It was surprising that the smell of wolfsbane that was in the dungeon was not leaking out. ¡°I was wondering if that was nagging you in any way. The answer to your question is yes... The Chase family has been graced with one of the most powerful hunters of this generation. She¡¯s been trained in every aspect of our not-so-pretty job. If that is all you were asking, I bid you farewell.¡± The guards heaved as they shut the stone door once again, ¡°I know you guys probably have Strength Prometheus gifts but do you still have to strain when closing that door?¡± ¡°Do you want to try it out?¡± one of them asked, stretching out his shoulder to relieve himself from the aches of having to close and open the impossible entrance. ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯m good, but if it¡¯s that hard to move, then how was it put there in the first ce?¡± Jason asked. ¡°It was installed using machines, but once it was in ce, all mechanizations were removed and the door was made manual so that it was impossible to open unless two professional hunters with the strength Prometheus gifts could open it,¡± the guard exined. ¡°Oh, so there are hunters that are stationed here with the purpose of opening and closing this thing?¡± ¡°Only when there is something that is being done here, otherwise, there are better things that I could be wasting my time with. It¡¯s just that this door can only be opened from the outside... only one person has ever opened it from the inside and it was because it had not been shut,¡± the man said, ¡°Even then, it shouldn¡¯t have been possible for them to open it alone.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t try to ask who did that. For some reason, everything that sounds impossible points to her,¡± Cole said, sighing and starting the walk that would lead them out of the facility. ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that logic. She¡¯s a far cry from ordinary... and something tells me she is still growing. She¡¯s not even eighteen yet...¡± the guard sighed. .... They walked on in silence, or rather Cole walked on in silence listening to the others. They passed by the statue of the hunter that was facing an alpha. When they entered this facility, this whole statue looked impossible and much like a dream. The werewolves have always doubted the power of the hunters and that was because they always took the hunters to be not much different from humans. ¡°So do you have some free time on your hands?¡± Sandra asked Jason and Caden. ¡°Yeah, I think we are fine. What did you have in mind... Oh, that... someone¡¯s fired up,¡± Jason said. ¡°Yeah, I agree... Are you really that eager?¡± ¡°You guys can have your fun. I¡¯m going for a run,¡± Cole spoke up as the gates came into sight. ¡°Going for a run or looking for Katie?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going for a run. I need to clear my mind and get the scent of wolfsbane off me,¡± he said, waving the others off once they were out of the gate and sprinting into the forest leaping right at the forest and shifting into his massive ck wolf mid-air. Cole was not in a chatty mood anymore and couldn¡¯t wait to get out of the facility. Looking back on the mood that he¡¯d arrived with, eager to question the rogue in captivity, he felt like pping himself when he saw what the rogue had been put through. ¡®Those rogues have some resolve. It¡¯s impossible to believe he went through all that and still didn¡¯t give up any information.¡¯ Cole ran through the forest, his thoughts a mushed mess. It was this day that he was finallying to the realization of just how ugly the life of a hunter really was. It wasmon knowledge to know that hunters were trained from their childhood. ¡®How is making a spy out of young rogues any more cruel from what the hunters were doing to their children that they trained to be weapons. These thoughts and worries troubled him every time he saw Katie put on an expressionless face and sealed her emotions from all that were around her. ..... ¡°What has got into him?¡± Sandra asked, sounding puzzled by Cole¡¯s sour mood. ¡°We really do live in different worlds,¡± Jason chuckled when he heard the question. The fact that Sandra didn¡¯t see anything wrong with everything that was going on in the dungeon of the Hunter¡¯s Agency was amusing to the two werewolves that stayed with her. ¡°Sometimes I forget that. Caden, perhaps we shouldn¡¯t take her so lightly. She could actually be more powerful than she looks.¡± ¡°I was thinking the exact same thing, Jason. What I have seen today has taught me a lot about hunters. It¡¯s no wonder we don¡¯t treat them like humans. They just aren¡¯t...¡± Sandra looked between the two. ¡°I¡¯m d you guys finally realized that,¡± she said, smiling. ¡®Maybe now they will realise just how much hunters go through in the name of peace between the wolves and humans. ¡°Do you know why some hunters take years before attaining a Prometheus gift?¡± she answered, taking their silence as a sign to continue, ¡°It¡¯s simply because it¡¯s not so simple to give up the innocent part of one¡¯s humanity and still remain basically normal. Some don¡¯t get their gifts until they know the bnce and can dive into the depths of darkness ande out unscathed. I want to catch up to Katie... but, Katie is different. She took in everything she was taught about the organization without getting that affected. It¡¯s not every day that someone looks at their first werewolf carcasses through the ordeal without puking their guts out. Katie was taught not to feel sympathy towards them after understanding the way they thought.¡± Chapter 43 Chapter 43: Chapter Forty Three Katie let loose when she ran this fast. She zipped through the trees summoning the furious ferocity of her agility Prometheus gift. This gift gave one an incredible boost in speed even if that is not what it was meant to do, thus its name being agility and not speed. However, when she ran free and untethered, everything passed by in a blur. Her mind was a mess of thoughts as memories of the words Chandler washed through her mind. It was true that she knew the names of each and every student in her school. She made sure she knew them so that no one would feel out of her scope. Some thought they hid well from her, but with full ess to the surveince room and the student files, she was able to keep at least get a nce of each and every student in the school just for the sake of doing so. As a result, she knew everyone. She had noticed the drop in the number of students in the school, but there had never been a stir. Had the rogues thought that much about their targets and only got rid of those that would not raise any suspicion. The revtion of there being far more deaths than one was not allowing her any measure of peace. She kept her eyes to the ground as she powered through the forest at top speed. Her anger threatened to pour out of her. She wanted nothing more than to release it. Something within her stirred as a heavy heart-stopping headache hammered into her head out of nowhere. She tripped, her focus stolen from her by the pain in her head. The white wolf that was chained down by the drugs that she¡¯d been taking threatened to break from its shackles, growling louder in her mind... her anger had fueled the repulsive nature of the beast within her. Her vision flickered from red to normal numerous times. She squirmed on the ground, her anger unwavering. It was proving impossible to shake it off. The pain came again racking her whole body this time and not just her head. A scream threatened to escape her lips as she continued drowning deeper and deeper into her anger. The headache and pain wereing from the inhibitions that her wolf was fighting from the drugs that she took. Far from her position, the scent of one¡¯s mate reached the nostrils of a ck wolf that ran absentminded. Thoughts of finding the owner of this scent filled Cole¡¯s mind as he changed direction and went straight for the source. This time he wasn¡¯t going to let whomever the scent belonged to escape him. He ran forward at top speed with one destination in mind, the troubling thoughts from the Hunter¡¯s Agencypletely wiped from his mind. Cole along with his wolf shared the same unique goal and that was to get to the owner of this alluring scent that even haunted their dreams. .................. ..... Seated by the pool that looked down to the realm of the living, the husband of the moon goddess watched in her absence, boredom racking his brain while he continued to watch the girl that his wife had kept an eye on this entire time. ¡°What gives... Do they have to torture werewolves that much?¡± ¡°Well, there is nothing they can do about it. The hunters are at liberty to carry out all the research on werewolves and end the Rogue King by any means necessary. It¡¯s an ugly way to get the job done, but they still have to do it,¡± she said over the mind link they shared. ¡°How long are you going to put on your makeup? It¡¯s not like this is some party you have to attend. They should be blessed to just see you in your nightgown for all I care. Although I will kill anyone who ever sees that,¡± he said. ¡°Thanks, honey. Nheless, these two are the ones I chose. It¡¯s only fair that I meet them when I look my absolute best...¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s not like you dress up for me every day,¡± the man mumbled to himself, allowing theint to reach his mate. ¡°Oh, don¡¯tin, you like me better when I¡¯m the opposite of dressed or are you forgetting?¡± ¡°You caught me there. Now hurry up ande here. Something tells me there are about to leave that gut-wrenching ce they call the Hunter¡¯s Agency,¡± he ushered her as he watched, his head calmly resting in his hands, propped up on his knees. He couldn¡¯t get the emotions that flowed out of the girl well because of the drugs that sealed her wolf, but he could tell that not all was well. ¡°I¡¯ming, don¡¯t rush me...¡± sheughed. ¡°Yeah, but you might want to get here faster... something is wrong...¡± the man said, noticing the behaviour of the girl bing more emotional than controlled for the first time in what seemed like ages. The two had never seen her lose her cool before and when she did, she was on her own. This was not a good thing considering her birthday was only a day away and thus the shackles holding her wolf were quite frail. The moon goddess rushed her final touches and rushed to her husband¡¯s side on time to see Katie trip, her eyes flickering from navy blue to a brilliant glowing blue. She twisted in pain and a scream threatened to escape her. Immense anger radiated from her even in the pain she was in. ¡°Is that bad?¡± ¡°Yes, it is... At this rate, she will shift prematurely... Her wolf can¡¯t fight the inhibitions of the drugs she¡¯s taking. She¡¯ll be in unimaginable pain...¡± she said, raising her hand over the pool of water and changing the view. A distance of three miles from Katie, a massive ck wolf approached at a blinding speed. It was only a matter of minutes before he would get to her. ¡°What are you...¡± the man¡¯s sentence was cut short when he watched his wife dive into the pool. The pool made a portal to the world they watched over. ¡°Wait, seriously, now...¡± The moon goddess descended from her ce in the heavens at a time that was unusual for her. She had watched the girl and boy their whole lives, but they had never needed her as much as they did at the moment. ¡°You¡¯re only allowed to intervene directly three times and once during the day. Why are you squandering that ability now that they are still immature?¡± ¡°There are reasons I am the moon goddess and you aren¡¯t, Damon. I don¡¯t regret what I¡¯m doing,¡± she said through the mind link and descended to the scene below her. ¡®I have to get to them before they meet,¡¯ she thought while she elerated faster. Cole is the reason for her rush to their rescue. ................. Cole ran faster feeling the scent getting stronger this time, there was nothing like the scent getting away from him this time. He could feel himself getting closer and closer. A rush of joy came over him spurring him there faster. He was so focused that he didn¡¯t notice the sh of light heading for him until something crashed before him. He hit the brakes, bracing his ws into the ground, but inevitable tumbling forward and rolling into a more stable position. He wed the ground and skidded to a halt. The first thing he noticed when he came to was that the scent was gone. He snapped his head to the new intruder only to lose all his anger at the sight before him. Ady stood before him, day plunging into the darkness of night as though it was an eclipse. Power radiated from her in pulses as she was covered in a bright white halo, her wless features illuminated in a light thatpared to one thing, the moon. She wore a white dress with her ck hair flowing and blowing freely in the now cold wind. Cole¡¯s wolf forcibly bowed down to the person before them. Cole was still too stunned for words. His mind was filled with images of thedy before them. He wanted to do anything for her. ¡°Get up, Cole Lycaon and here¡¯s what your patron goddess has to say to you,¡± Cole lingered on every word that rolled off her tongue. It was impossible for anyone to hold that much control over someone else... well, that¡¯s what Cole thought before he met this woman. He couldn¡¯t pay attention to anything else but the being beyond her and her unimaginable radiance. Her feet did not touch the ground and she floated effortlessly before him, not taking her eyes off him either. ¡°At times, I forget how much control I have over my champions. I release you from those mental shackles.¡± Like a switch had been flipped, thoughts other than those of the moon goddess rushed back into his mind. He could remember why he was running so fast. Why he was angry when the scent he was suddenly disappeared. The hopes he had of finding his mate at the source of that trail. The numerous attempts that now had him at a wits-end of finding out who that scent belonged to. He wanted to know who it belonged to, but now that the scent was gone, he was at a loss. He looked up to see the moon goddess before him and realized it was easier to ask her instead. ¡®What a convenient turn of events!¡¯ ¡°Are you still marvelling over my radiance? I know I¡¯m pretty, but I was sure I released you from that,¡± the moon goddess spoke before him. Her voice was softer than he had ever had, the words rolling off her tongue effortlessly. This form of speech reminded her of her mother who said she had been trained to speak that wlessly. This, however, was something else. If it wasn¡¯t for the freedom of mind she had finally granted him, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to reply. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine now. And yes, your radiance is beyond what I¡¯ve ever envisioned,¡± he said. ¡°You tter me, son of Lycaon,¡± she said, chuckling. ¡°My words are not worthy of being taken as mere ttery. I say it as a fact... as for the character, I¡¯m at a loss of words,¡± he replied. ¡°I feel as though that is partly an insult, but that doesn¡¯t matter as of right now. I don¡¯t have all the time in the world to speak to you since I¡¯vee to you in the middle of the day,¡± she said. ¡°What are you doing here? Whye to me during the day?¡± ¡°I was meant to appear to you tonight, but I had toe now...¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°To stop you...¡± she paused, ¡°from finding the source of the scent that you were following.¡± The look on her face was one of sadness which only made Cole more suspicious and his wolf a bit irritated. He¡¯d been so intent on finding the source of the scent even after Caden had told him to stop hunting it, and here he was being advised against this by the moon goddess herself. Chapter 44 Chapter 44: Chapter Forty Four A tear flowed down Aunt Marie¡¯s face as she watched the door Katie had only just exited. ¡°She¡¯s gone now,¡± she yelled when it had been five minutes. A set of footsteps sounded after that, walking towards her. Hands wrapped around her in a tight hug allowing her to weep silently into the warm embrace of her husband, the one person she ever allowed to peer into her emotions. A fellow hunter she¡¯d been partnered with years ago to save a group of children that had been abducted by rogues. She¡¯d fallen in love with the hunter not long after. One thing led to another and the man gained the name of the prestigious Chase family. Their family had gained enough poprity to gain the rights of usurping the rule of a woman inheriting the man¡¯s name. They were ranked like nobles in the world that they lived in. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to face her by yourself. I couldn¡¯t...¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. She wouldn¡¯t have been ready to hear what it was that we had to say. Where are they?¡± she asked. ¡°I got them a suite in the same hotel that the Lycaons are residing in. The only images they have of Katie are those on her Hunter profile and the ones that I was able to get that was of her. I made sure I didn¡¯t give them the chance to meet her now that all this was upying her,¡± he exined. ¡°Let¡¯s go and meet them. I¡¯m sure they would want to see us together at least after the journey they have heard,¡± Aunt Marie told her husband. ¡°Yeah, I guess so. Thest time we saw the queen was when she handed us Katie when she was an infant. It¡¯s been a long time, but it feels like it blew over in a sh. Thinking back to when she took her first steps and the numerous hospital visits we took her to so that she could be checked up, just because she never used to cry,¡± he reminisced. ..... ¡°Yeah, that girl didn¡¯t know the purpose of parents. She made our lives easy and difficult because we could never tell if she was sick until she either passed out or went numb with body weakness,¡± Aunt Marie chuckled. After wiping her tears, the two walked out through the back door and got into the SUV that had been hidden from sight at the back in the cover of trees. She got in the passenger seat and enjoyed the peaceful drive to the prestigious Brigade Hotel. Everything in that town that was named after it was maintained and kept at the best standards possible. Though this was easy since most of them were owned by resident hunters who had the money to run the facilities. The ride was a short one as they got there in ten minutes. Tension gripped Marie as she saw the entrance of the hotel. Expensive cars littered the parking lot indicating the presence of numerous important people that upied the hotel. They walked in and up to the reception. Tom spoke with the receptionist who called the suite. After being cleared of entry, they got into the elevator and punched in the one-time passcode that would give them ess to the level they were going to. The elevator doors opened up to reveal ady who flew straight into Marie¡¯s arms engulfing her in a tight bear hug, ¡°Oh Marie, it¡¯s been so long.¡± The jumpy human being that was being cheery was the queen. Her beautiful voice rang out like a beautiful melody draining Marie of all of her worries and tension. She reluctantly but thankfully returned the gesture and hugged her back. ¡°It sure has been long since west met, Martha,¡± she replied, taking the time to enjoy the moment with her friend. ¡°So that is the Chase you entrusted our child to eighteen years ago,¡± a voice tore through the peaceful moment. ¡°Oh honey, how many times should I apologise for not informing you about the arrangement? I already told you that I was instructed to keep the meeting to myself and my handler at the time until everything settled down,¡± she said, finally letting go of Marie. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce the people before you. This is...¡± ¡°She already knows our names, Tom. Who in the world hasn¡¯t heard of King Davin of the Sirius family?¡± the king said smirking as though he was in the spotlight. Tom couldn¡¯t help but smile at the man¡¯s aptitude for ir. He was dressed to kill in an expensive white suit that fitted him perfectly and did nothing to hide his muscr build. ¡°Yeah, about that... we made sure not to tell her about your Royal lives so that she wouldn¡¯t grow up watching the faces you disyed in the media. It would be better if she got to know you personally and not from the news or television,¡± Marie said. The air grew tense when she revealed this. ¡°Well, that makes sense. I would also want to know my little sister without having to hear her go on and on about the news she would have heard about me on the news,¡± a new voice came tore through the tension damaging everyone¡¯s opinion of the matter. ¡°Name¡¯s Drake, I¡¯m firstborn of the Sirius family. How is my little sister doing?¡± the boy... well, more like the twenty-two-year-old male that made his presence known introduced himself, dressed in a simr outfit to his father except that he had his coat off and stayed in just the shirt and white tie. ¡®Yes, the entire suite was white-themed with luxuriously designed gold pieces littered on its shoulders and chest, a pricy part of the coat. ¡°Yeah, I also want to meet Katie. She sounds like fun. How is she?¡± a young girl made herself known from the cover of the sofa that looked to the television in the living room of the suite. As such, she was out of view from Tom and Marie. ¡°Hey, Lina, can¡¯t you get over her and greet our guests in a more princess-worthy manner?¡± Drake yelled. ¡°I¡¯m not joining you and Dad¡¯s dress up game. It¡¯s childish, besides, I don¡¯t see how princely it is to yell at the top of your voice in front of your guests,¡± she yelled back. ¡°I know that, but isn¡¯t that part of your n to destroy Dad¡¯s n?¡± ¡°Kids, can you behave? You¡¯re embarrassing yourselves in front of our guests,¡± King Davin spoke up, rubbing his temples. Martha couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Follow me to the living room. We¡¯ve been expecting you,¡± Queen Martha said to them. Unlike the suit her husband wore, she was dressed in an ordinary crop-top and shorts. She looked the same as she did eighteen years ago, something humans envied about the werewolves. On one side of this coin, this was an ordinary family that hade to meet their long-lost daughter, but at the back of Marie¡¯s hunter mind, this was thergest collection of Royals. The strongest kind of werewolves who were descended from the very first Royals... the most direct connections to the Sirius bloodline. These thoughts were however drowned out of her mind by their warm outgoing nature. The werewolves in the Royal families were doing all they could to keep the memory of their ancestors¡¯ crimes buried and in the past. As it was now, it was bingmon knowledge to know that behaviour like that was not to be expected from a wolf that wasn¡¯t a rogue. Martha, Davin and Drake led them to the living room where a sixteen-year-oldy in a three-seat sofa watching the television with a sheet covering her bare legs. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t wear clothes that are so revealing, my dear,¡± Martha said warmly. ¡°Mum, we are in our home. They came in, not me. You don¡¯t see me walking around the town dressed like this, besides, I have a sheet... I have a sheet,¡± the sheet seeming to act like some sort of driver¡¯s license when Lina emphasized its presence. ¡°Okay then, at least take on less seating space. If you haven¡¯t noticed, you aren¡¯t in the pce anymore. This ce can¡¯t contain you, Drake and your father,¡± Martha spoke again. ¡°Oh, mum, I love your honesty. I thought you weren¡¯t going to rope my father into this,¡± Drake said, taking a seat. Lina sat up and took the appropriate seat covering her legs more appropriately before greeting Tom and Marie. Tom and Marie sat together in a two-seater while the King and Queen sat beside their daughter. Lina switched muted the television but left it on to provide her with an alternative object to look at if things got weird and she didn¡¯t want to look anyone in the eye. ¡°Katie is going through a lot right now. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want you all to meet him while she was in the middle of this.¡± ¡°What is she going through that¡¯s so urgent?¡± ¡°She is currently in the middle of an investigation that puts her in a terrible position if she doesn¡¯t get results,¡± Marie said. ¡°What kind of investigation?¡± ¡°A murder investigation,¡± the statement caused the tension in the room to rise rapidly. The king and queen were not pleased to hear this. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°One of the werewolves at the school was murdered with one of the des that belonged to her. It doesn¡¯t look good at all. Keep in mind that she¡¯s a hunter,¡± she said. ¡°How is she a hunter?¡± the queenughed at hearing the information. ¡°Tom, I thought you told them all of this,¡± she asked. ¡°They were tired from their flight here and I didn¡¯t want them to have to hear all of this while they were in that state,¡± he said. ¡°What aren¡¯t you telling us?¡± ¡°We trained Katie to be a hunter so that she could protect herself if need be. At the time, we were training her to be strong and not a pushover. The n was that all would be revealed once she was about to turn eighteen and she would stop her training to join the werewolves, but we never could have foreseen what happened,¡± Marie spoke. ¡°What happened?¡± Drake asked. Lina turned off the distracting images that shed on the television screen to hear the tale of her beloved lost sister. ¡°She took in everything she was taught and advanced through her training at an astonishing speed. She just kept learning faster and faster. Improving in everything she was taught, it was scary at times how fast she learnt. She quickly surpassed the other junior hunters and began to even challenge the skill of some of the pros. Of course, they were stronger than her because of having Prometheus gifts. This was until she was witnessed taking down an escaped rogue.¡± ¡°What do you mean by escaped?¡± King Davin said. One day while she was training with her best friend, Cassandra, a few rogues were being transported to the Hunter¡¯s Agency and there was an ident. The rogue escaped and ran in a random direction, but its route led it straight to the two little girls. We were in time to watch Katie snap its neck,¡± Sandra was scared out of her mind. A few dayster, Katie started exhibiting signs of increased abilities and not long after we realized she had been granted what we thought was impossible. She had Prometheus gifts.¡± ¡°You say it in the plural sense. Is that a mistake?¡± Martha asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Your daughter, Katie Sirius, possesses both gifts of strength and speed and continues, to this day, to make them even stronger,¡± Marie said. ¡°That¡¯s a lot to take in,¡± the king said, looking down in thought, ¡°What is this about a murder investigation? Did a wolf kill a human after losing control?¡± ¡°No, worse than that... an undercover rogue stole one of her weapons and silenced another that had passed a Prometheus evaluation,¡± she said. ¡°Okay, hold on, you¡¯re blowing my mind. Start from the beginning... How did we get to a Prometheus evaluation?¡± Martha said, rubbing her temples. Drake rushed to the kitchen and humbly returned with a bowl of popcorns. ¡°Little sister has a very interesting tale. She sounds scary,¡± he said, throwing one into his mouth. Marie took a deep breath, ¡°Fine then, I¡¯ll start from the point that seemed to pick up from... the arrival of Cole Lycaon...¡± Chapter 45 Chapter 45: Chapter Forty Five ¡°That statement alone sounds like a storm of disaster,¡± the king said, earning chuckles from the rest present. Tom and Marie took turns narrating the story of events that had urred to the best of their knowledge on the situation as it stood, throwing the Royals back to the events that urred on the day that followed Cole¡¯s arrival. Themotion that had urred in the school was reported while it happened. The principal had watched everything happen and left it all to Katie who handled it marvellously, but what worried everyone was the behaviour of the hunter that was causing themotion. Katie did not know it as it stood, but the Hunter¡¯s Agency had carried out an investigation of its own on the matter. Due to the interest of the Royals in Katie, the issue was sidelined and they continued to tell them what happened with the seven werewolves they confronted during the fight there. It was confirmed that this was a set-up and that the junior hunter had been used by the werewolves to get that many civilians in that one ce for a massacre. It didn¡¯t make sense why the Rogues would do that unless they really didn¡¯t know the true strength of Katie ¡®Chase¡¯ hinting that this was only a name she was using for the depth of the story. Katie, with the help of the other werewolves and the junior hunters, were able to protect everyone and dispose of five of the werewolves. One of the wolves surrendered to go through a Prometheus evaluation and the other was captured alive for interrogation purposes in case the other did not make it through the Prometheus evaluation. The story of Ash Myster was an interesting one that was summarized in bullet points so as not to take up too much time. Nheless, the Royals showed interest in getting to know his story as well and asked to be indulged. It came as no surprise to them that Ash was a woman as rogues treated females in a manner that left nothing to be desired. As a result, female runaway rogues usually passed the Prometheus test. It was rare, however, for female runaways to turn up. They then got to the point where Ash Myster was gruesomely murdered in a ssroom while she was trying to go about her new life. There was the probability that she was even bound to reveal the truth about her gender not long after she was killed. This incident made the Royals angry even though they concealed their anger with the hope of getting this story finished. After narrating the events of that, they then told them of Katie¡¯s current location which was the interrogation room as per their assumptions. After a moment of silence, the King got up and walked about the living room towards the balcony curtains drawing them to let the light in. ¡°That¡¯s quite a story... I don¡¯t me you for keeping it from us while we were tired yesterday.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you see it that way...¡± Tom spoke up. ..... ¡°She¡¯s been through quite the ordeal...¡± Drake said, cing his nearly-full bowl of popcorns on the table. He¡¯d lost his appetite when he was halfway through the story. ¡°Yes, she has... But now, we are here...¡± the king spoke, his voice shaky with rage. He opened the balcony doors to let in some wind. The wind calmed him while it blew in with a chilling rush. ¡°Father, do you think he¡¯s near,¡± Drake asked. ¡°He¡¯s probably near, but if that¡¯s not the case, then it¡¯s one of his generals. For this much rogue action to be taking ce here. It appears he stationed rogues in ces that were far from our scope as well,¡± the king spoke. It was obvious who they spoke of, for this was the one enemy that both the Royals and the hunters shared inmon... the Rogue King. ¡°When can we meet Katie?¡± Martha asked. ¡°Katie¡¯s birthday is tomorrow. We n to tell Cole Lycaon of her identity tomorrow so that he will be ready to help her shift back when the moones out tomorrow,¡± Marie said. ¡°So that is why you cancelled your initial ns of taking her to him...¡± Martha said in realization. ¡°Yes, it was utterly convenient for him to show up when he did. After she has gone through her first shift, you can then all meet her and we can introduce her to what was set into motion eighteen years ago,¡± Tom said. ¡°Yeah, we can finally bring the end of this war into view. This can alle to an end. It feels like a dream,¡± Martha said, leaning back into the chair with a smile on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t get toofortable yet... a storm ising and we must be ready for it,¡± the king spoke. ¡°Yes, Davin... I know that,¡± Martha confirmed. ¡°How does Katie do it?¡± Lina asked, ¡°Could she be as powerful as a Royal... No, that doesn¡¯t sound normal. She¡¯s not even eighteen yet. What will happen to her when her wolf is unleashed? What kind of creature will that be? Will she even have wolfsbane as her weakness?¡± ¡°Wolfsbane will still be a weakness. I heard that one of the baseponents of the drug that she takes is wolfsbane. So I wouldn¡¯t doubt that she will have weaknesses to it. However, she didn¡¯t need her weapons to dispose of rogues. I don¡¯t think she will miss them all that much,¡± Tom said. ¡°I¡¯ll have to see her for myself to determine if she¡¯s really that powerful,¡± Drake spoke up, ¡°Some of what I¡¯m hearing doesn¡¯t sound normal at all.¡± ¡°Even as I narrate it myself, I have trouble believing what I say. It¡¯s not something that words can convey in a meaningful way. You¡¯ll definitely have to see her on your own,¡± he said. ¡°My love, the forest doesn¡¯t look right,¡± the King said, taking a step outside to take a closer look. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Martha asked, getting up from her seat to go check out what the king was seeing. The others followed suit, the balcony allowing a clear view of the forest before them. Something wasn¡¯t right, as he had supposedly meant for the trees all swayed in unison, looking oddly uniform while they did. ¡°What in the... something feels... right... Hey, Marie, do you see that?¡± the Queen froze when she on seeing the two hunters. ¡°Mum, they just froze up,¡± Lina said, from her seat, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I think I know...¡± the King spoke, ¡°whispers of this sort of thing aren¡¯t unheard of among the Royals that have experienced it. It happens rarely... and every time that it does, only Royals remain with the ability to move because we are directly rted to the being that causes it. ¡°What is it that you are talking about?¡± Martha asked him. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the descent of the moon goddess,¡± he said. As if on cue, darkness covered the entire sky like someone had snuffed the sun out. The full moon shone with a sh of intense brilliance. The family watched as a single being clothedpletely in light descended from the same position of the moon in the sky. ¡°Is that...¡± the king cut his wife off. ¡°Yes, that is the moon goddess. She very rarely does this... almost once in every century and she only did it when in crisis to aid the Royals that nearly messed up astronomically in our quest to bring about peace. Something has either happened to Cole or Katie to call on her attention,¡± he exined as they watched theet-like being crush into the forest bathing the trees in the moonlight. The part of the forest that she hadnded glowed with a pulsing presence of power that was irresistible to the werewolves. They couldn¡¯t look away from the ce even if they wanted to. ¡°Should we go check out what it is that is happening?¡± Drake asked his father. ¡°No, we will honour the will of the Chase hunters and wait until Katie has gone through the shift,¡± the king said with a hint of finality. ¡°So this is what it means to be in the presence of the moon goddess. I can tell from this distance that the intensity is overwhelming if she were right in front of her. Her power is overwhelming and intimidating,¡± Lina said. ¡°Yes, it is. That we can agree on, little sister,¡± Drake spoke up, keeping his eyes on the glow that covered the forest in a neat circle. ¡°Rumour has it that she can¡¯t be located in that glow and that it actually represent how far her consciousness spreads,¡± Queen Martha said. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°That she can appear anywhere that the moonlight is... It doesn¡¯t matter how many people are in it. She controls what happens there and can appear to more than one person individually and attend to all of them without any problem,¡± the king said. ¡°You think Katie is in there,¡± Lina asked. ¡°There is not a doubt in my mind...¡± Chapter 46 Chapter 46: Chapter Forty Six Katie groaned in pain as more of it shot through her body, a change threatening to shatter every bone in her body and an inhibition resisting it with an equal amount of force. This was the product of her anger when left unchecked. The pain was immense, but Katie didn¡¯t mind it considering she was certain it was not going to kill her. Instead, she thought of all the students that were potentially dead by now without her even noticing it. Katie was in so much agony that she didn¡¯t notice the changes around her. Even when the moon goddessnded beside her with a heavy thud, she barely noticed her. She only focused on the pain and the memories that rocked her, generating more of the pain. The wolf within her tried to retract shunning its master¡¯s fury to reduce the pain she was being put through. However, the anger and sense of justice that Katie had did not allow that so easily. Fury gripped the werewolf as well forcing the transformation to progress even further. It was almost like Katie was punishing herself for what she had let happen right beneath her nose. She didn¡¯t notice when a glowing hand settled calmly on her head, dispelling all the pain that coursed through her body almost in an instant. She copsed, her body shivering with contractions from the ordeal she¡¯d just been through. Her breath came out in shallow gasps as she regained herposure. She looked up and had to shield her eyes from the light that glowed off the being that was currently in her presence, ¡°Did someone turn out the lights or something?¡± she asked, trying to get up and failing. ¡°Don¡¯t get up just yet. You¡¯ve been through a lot of time and haven¡¯t fully recovered yet,¡± a beautiful voice filled her ears, taking with it part of her senses with its lulling nature. ¡°What are you?¡± Katie asked, finally realizing the bizarre traits of the person she still couldn¡¯t look at while her eyes adjusted to the fact that it was not night, ¡°Why can¡¯t I see anything? It¡¯s like it¡¯s midnight.¡± ¡°Maybe you could tell who I was if you just looked at me,¡± the voice came again, carrying with it apelling desire toply with the woman¡¯s wishes. ..... ¡°You aren¡¯t normal, that¡¯s for sure. You are dulling my senses just by talking to me. You...¡± ¡°Just look at me already,¡± thedymanded this time, Katie¡¯s body involuntarily turning to meet the gaze of the wless goddess before her. It was instant recognition. The thoughts of doubtpletely vanished while she looked at the moon goddess. Her thoughts about the interrogation slipped out of her mind. She was slowly losing track of everything she had in her mind and filling it with images of the woman before who glowed with an otherworldly radiance. ¡°So you¡¯re the moon goddess... I finally get to meet you,¡± she said. ¡°Yes, you do and I will answer any questions that you have. I have healed your affliction and taken care of your wolf. He will sleep until seven tomorrow when the effects of an eighteenth birthday start to take root. Before that time, even emotions of anger will not spur your wolf awake. I would hate for you to shift prematurely. I want to tell you that you also won¡¯t need those pills after what I have done. So you can stop taking them now. In fact, I would prefer it if youpletely forgot those pills for they will make your first shift even more painful.¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Katie asked bluntly, shocking the moon goddess with her ignorance. ¡°I came to your rescue in a time of need. Why else do you think I¡¯m here?¡± ¡°I was not in a time of need. I wasn¡¯t going to die. The person that deserved this kind of intervention was Ash. Were you even watching when she was killed?¡± Katie asked. ¡°What I have done right now can only be done once in a generation of Royals? There will never be another time that I will appear to you during the day because I have squandered that opportunity,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, that sounds really smart. Of all the times you could have chosen, you chose now. When Shaemus¡¯ mother lies in captivity, Ash is dead, the rogues have been infiltrating the school all this time and potentially been killing people. What makes now that no one is in danger so important that you would squander such a trump card?¡± Katie did not realise she was yelling as she talked back to the goddess who slowly backed away from the fuming teenager. ¡°Are you looking for someone to me?¡± the moon goddess asked her calmly. Katie took her time to think over her actions and words, realizing all that had happened wasn¡¯t the moon goddess¡¯ fault, for she had to watch much more than the town of Brigade. A power that came only once could not be squandered on one wolf thaty within her jurisdiction when multitudes of others all over the globe would have been in a simr situation. She struck her fist into the ground in frustration, ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just so angry. I¡¯ve never been this furious. I want to... I want to kill him.¡± The moon goddess watched Katie stutter and cry through sad eyes and floated towards her, ¡°Oh my child, you¡¯ve been through so much. I¡¯ve been watching, but I¡¯ve been unable to touch you for a number of reasons. Do not despair in this situation. Learn from it. Anger is something you should never let get the better of you,¡± she said. ¡°How can I be calm after all that he said? Even for me, it seemed impossible. That¡¯s why I had to get out of there. I don¡¯t know how to move on from this,¡± Katie answered. ¡°Breath in two times, breathe out consequently. Destroy the images that attempt to crush your mental fortitude. Clear your mind of all negativities. Keep a smile on your face...¡± ¡°And when that all fails, punch yourself in the gut for your ipetence,¡± Katie finished the mantra that had been imprinted in her mind since she was a child. It was the way they were trained to deal with anger. The philosophy in the Chase family was that anger was merely a product of the mind that made people jump to the worst-case scenarios of everything and generated negative energy. It was true that anger provided adrenaline, but it also provided a clouded judgement. Katie found herself going through the steps that she had just been reciting, the training she¡¯d been through kicking in and bringing her back to normal. In a few seconds, she had stopped crying and sat cross-legged panting with exhaustion. ¡°That fast, huh...¡± the moon goddess said, shaking her head in amusement by the speed of recovery. ¡°I¡¯ve just done it so many times. Until you actually go through those motions, it feels impossible, but I know the power of that mantra well and I thank you. I don¡¯t know what would have be of me. Losing control of myself made you squander such an important power on me. It should have been used for a more important event,¡± Katie rambled apologetically. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why isn¡¯t your mind flooded with thoughts of my wless beauty?¡± the moon goddess whined, posing like a model and batting her eyshes. Katie couldn¡¯t help, but burst intoughter at the action, ¡°Probably because you put my wolf to sleep...¡± betweenughs, ¡°do you always like it when people fawn over you?¡± ¡°No, just my people, mainly the Royals,¡± she replied. ¡°Oh, in that case, oh dear goddess, there is none more beautiful than thee. Thou radiance shines upon the...¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough of that. I¡¯m even embarrassed I brought it up,¡± the twoughed at the sheer silliness of the acting. After having a goodugh, the moon goddess was able to rx after what she¡¯d just witnessed. ¡°I know that you wouldn¡¯t havee all this way just to save me from shifting. To you, I should be just another random werewolf. Do I get the full exnation?¡± Katie asked, leaning against a tree to listen to the goddess before her. Her beauty was undeniable and the glow that was constantly around her just made it seem unfair for anyone that had hopes ofpeting. Katie had finally calmed down to notice that night had descended upon the sky and that the moon stood high in the sky even though she was sure it was broad daylight. ¡°You¡¯re right. I didn¡¯te all this way just to save you, say hello and leave. I¡¯ll also exin why it was crucial that I came here,¡± she started, ¡°You are half of the pair that I chose to bring this war into sight of an ending.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Eighteen years ago, a prophecy descended from the heavens, one from me, of course. I had chosen two children to be born from the two royal families. These children came with them a power that would put an end to this war between the rogues and the entire world,¡± she said. ¡°How is that supposed to work?¡± ¡°Upon the union of these two children when they¡¯vee of age, the Royals along with all the alphas in the world will lose the power of the curse that I ce on them centuries ago and will not be able to turn a human into a werewolf ever again,¡± she said. The information hit like a stone brick. Something like this would stop the increasing number of werewolves tremendously. ¡°That sounds... too good to be true.¡± ¡°I know it does and not many believed it, but the Rogue King certainly did. And a few days after these children were born, the two pces, homes to Sirius and Lycaon families were attacked. The Lycaons were able to fend off the attack, dispensing the entirety of the Chase family that was present as well as the head of the Chase family. On the other hand, the Sirius family was not so fortunate. I took numerous measures to protect you myself because you were in the most danger at the time. Your mother was tasked with secretly taking you away and handing you over to a handpicked couple of hunters also belonging to the Chase family,¡± she exined. ¡°That¡¯s why they always reminded me to refer to them as my guardians and not my real parents...¡± ¡°Yes, that is why. It wouldn¡¯t be ideal if your real parents showed up yearster when you were capable of protecting yourself just to hear you refer to someone else as your mother and father,¡± the moon goddess said. ¡°You do realise how messed up this all is, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, I do. I realise that very much, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. The Royal families are constantly watched by the public eye. Any contact they would have made with you would immediately leak out. Besides, your parents were asked to conceal your location as well. It¡¯s only of recent that news of the famed Katie Chase has begun to spread that has caught their eye,¡± she said. ¡°I see... Is the other child the same one that I think it is?¡± ¡°Yes, Cole Lycaon is indeed your mate...¡± the moon goddess replied, ¡°and if I had arrived a momentter, he would have found that out.¡± Katie¡¯s eyes widened in shock, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Every time your wolf is released... so is your scent. And every time that happens, Cole gets it and starts running your way. Today, since youcked the mobility to escape, he almost caught up to you, but I came just in time to stop him,¡± she said. ¡°Why did you stop him?¡± ¡°So that you don¡¯t have one more thing to deal with in this state you are in. Figure out Ash¡¯s killer. I know you can. If you can do that before seven tomorrow, then you can dly let one more thing into your mind. Focus, Katie,¡± she said. The moon was starting to dim while she spoke, her appearance bing more and more translucent. ¡°Will I see you again?¡± Katie asked her. ¡°Yes, yes you will. I¡¯ll be watching over you,¡± with that said, the moon goddess vanished and the light from the sun erupted once more viting Katie¡¯s sensitive eyes and forcing her to cover them with her palm, ¡®Something tells me, I¡¯m only getting started,¡¯ she thought before letting herself lean back into the tree. Chapter 47 Chapter 47: Chapter Forty Seven Cole was at a loss of words, ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you the reason for the existence of that scent?¡± ¡°Yes, I am. I am merely here to stop you from making an inconvenient encounter. The next time you catch that scent, you will find its source. And this time, the scent will not disappear,¡± the moon goddess said. ¡°Are you the reason the scent is always appearing and vanishing? Do you keep masking it? Who does it belong to?¡± ¡°So full of questions... I don¡¯t want to give you the one phrase that everyone has been giving you since you came here. So I will give you two choices, Cole. Either I wipe your memory and let you find the source of that scent the next time you catch it or you ept that this was not the time you were supposed to find out and wait a little bit longer?¡± the moon goddess said. ¡°You want me... to wait,¡± this phrase was familiar to him. Although he could not pinpoint it now that it was dawning on him that every time he¡¯d chased down that scent, he was never meant to catch it, ¡°I¡¯m tired of waiting. How about I just let go of these delusions as everyone seems to call them?¡± ¡°Would that make you any happier? I am promising you your mate the next time you detect her. Why doesn¡¯t that make you happy?¡± she asked, floating up to him. Cole stayed down, the energy drained out of him. After the effort he¡¯d put in to try and find her even knowing that she was dead, he was ready to give it up. ¡°My mate is dead. You don¡¯t grant second chance mates this early,¡± Cole said. ..... ¡°What makes you say that? You don¡¯t know how I operate,¡± she said. ¡°Why won¡¯t you just tell me who it is?¡± ¡°Because that would not be good for either of you,¡± she replied. ¡°How long do I have to wait, then?¡± he asked. ¡°It might just be sooner than you think,¡± she replied, ¡°in the meantime, you should be recuperating from what you¡¯ve been through.¡± ¡°You¡¯re hiding something, aren¡¯t you? You can¡¯t havee all this way for something like this,¡± he asked. ¡°Actually... I did. That¡¯s how important it was. But while I¡¯m here, I could tell you more about yourself and the story behind the struggle that ensued during the time of your birth eighteen years ago,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not very interested in that. Katie Sirius is dead. I¡¯ve been doing everything I could to forget that,¡± he turned away from the moon goddess to leave. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s it then. You have no idea what was lost when she died...¡± the statement froze him in his tracks. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Do you have any idea why I would suddenly ce a mate bond between two Royals. As far as you¡¯re concerned, I¡¯ve never done that in the history of werewolves. Haven¡¯t you ever asked yourself why I did it with you?¡± she asked. ¡°All I ever wondered is why I was given a mate at birth only to have them be killed without me being able to protect them myself. That cruelty alone dulled everything else that might have mattered at that point, but please, do indulge me with the details of our failed union,¡± he spat. ¡°Well, the two of you were my trump card in bringing this war close to an end,¡± she said. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± this captured his interest. ¡°Did you think that I would randomly announce the birth of two children destined to be united when they turned of age? Didn¡¯t you think there was a reason behind all that? Didn¡¯t the efforts the Rogue King put up to avoid all tell you that he was afraid of those children?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t think about it that much,¡± Cole replied, thinking back to how he only allowed himself to drown in his own anguish and take it out through training with the pack warriors. ¡°There is nothing you could have done, Cole. Besides, what they told you helped you grow stronger,¡± she said. ¡°And what¡¯s that strength going to get me when the person I needed it for is already dead,¡± he huffed. ¡°Well, you could use it to protect the one that lies at the source of the scent you were chasing down. The next time you catch that scent, you will reach its source,¡± she said. ¡°Fine then, I¡¯ll take you at your word. How was the union of the two children supposed to bring an end to the war,¡± Cole asked. ¡°Well, we all know that werewolves that aren¡¯t either alphas or Royals can only give birth with their mates. We also know that alphas and Royals possess the power to turn humans into werewolves. As a result of this, the rogues have been constantly increasing in number and bing impossible to snuff out. Upon the union of these children, the royals and the alphas were to lose their power to transmit the werewolf gene. The curse that I ced on them centuries ago would finally be lifted,¡± she said. ¡°That would mean the hierarchy of the rogues would break up. Chaos and disorder would spread amongst their ranks and we¡¯ll finally start thinning down their numbers until none of them is left. They will no longer be able to capture women and use them as breeders either,¡± Cole couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. The sound of this was like a dream to him. Nheless, this didn¡¯t mean much with his mate dead. ¡°Although, there is no use reminiscing about such a possibility if my mate is already dead.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess that would be the case. I would ask that you not give up hope,¡± she said to him. ¡°This town has been one swarm of secrets from the moment I got here. The very first hunter that I met seemed to hold a secret and everything started to pile up from there. Am I supposed to sit idly by while a lot of things happen around me and pretend it doesn¡¯t bother me one bit?¡± memories of the times his questions had been sidelined shed through his mind. Cole knew how to y the oblivious card to throw someone off his trail just in case he intended to investigate further. This was the longest he had ever held out without investigating something that he wanted to find out this badly. The only reason he was staying on the sidelines this entire time was that this town was not exactly something he could call home. Meddling in such affairs when his stay in the town was temporary felt more like a hassle than he¡¯d intended when he came to the town of Brigade. ¡°That is true. You¡¯d think a town this far out of the werewolf territories would be peaceful andck secrets of any real magnitude, but that¡¯s not the case. I¡¯m afraid that was probably my doing. I notice how oblivious you are and how frustrating it is, so I will at least let you in on one thing,¡± she said, getting his attention. He turned back to her, his attempts at leavingpletely cancelled, ¡°All will be revealedte in the evening of Saturday before the clock strikes midnight.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so special about...¡± he stopped when he realized the moon goddess couldn¡¯t tell him any more than that considering she had now given him a clue about the time he was expecting to find the answers to all his questions. ¡°Fine, then. I¡¯ll keep out and give all the space required. After all, one day is not something that I cannot wait for. Tomorrow, I will find out the answers to all my questions.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you understand the situation,¡± she replied. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t doubt the judgement of the moon goddess...¡± ¡°I¡¯m not all that perfect considering my beloved creation, the werewolves were an act of revenge,¡± she replied. ¡°Nheless, ever since then, there is nothing you haven¡¯t done that wasn¡¯t in the werewolves¡¯ interest. Once you took control of your creation, you never made another mistake,¡± Cole continued. ¡°You give me far too much credit, son of Lycaon...¡± ¡°Do you have to call me that? It sounds like ¡®Son of Adam.¡¯ How will you be able to distinguish me from my father... ¡®Son of Lycaon One or Junior and Son of Lycaon Two or Senior¡¯?¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite sure your father would never ept me to call him any of those two names. Cole, it is then,¡± she said with a hint of finality. Cole bid her farewell and watched the goddess ascend, leaving him on the ground. Something about being in the presence of the moon goddess put Cole¡¯s wolf at ease and made him docile despite the anger that had erupted from losing the trail that they had been following. Despite his promise to the moon goddess, impatience and curiosity racked his mind the longer he ran into the forest heading for the hotel that he was staying in. However, an unusual scent hit his nostrils as he continued on his way there. It wasn¡¯t hostile, but it was something that he could ignore as well. His guard went up as he tried to figure out the source of the scent. It took him a few minutes to reach the hotel and was soon shifting to get back in. However, the scent that he was being cautious of was stronger here. In fact, it wasn¡¯t one and instead, they were many of them and each one of them was at a power that rivalled Cole¡¯s. Chapter 48 Chapter 48: Chapter Forty Eight After all that transpired that morning, Katie made the decision to walk back to the school and check through the attendance list. Her gait wasn¡¯t as perfect as it should have been once she got up, aches riddled her body from the strain she had just gone through. It wasn¡¯t like she wasn¡¯t used to the pain of muscle aches, but it was an old feeling that stirred up old memories. Memories of the time she was aiming for heights that felt like mere dreams. ......................... ¡°Katie, hurry up or we¡¯ll leave you behind,¡± Sandra called back to her friend. Katie was having trouble walking even though she did not want to trouble the adults with the details. She was secretly prolonging her training so that she could learn more and faster than the average student. Rxation just wasn¡¯t a part of her vocabry. It was just a matter of time before they found out unless she did everything in her power to conceal the fact that she was in this much pain from the intense training they were going through. All junior hunters in training at the time were required to be present for one joint training session where they would spar with each other and receive quizzes to test how much they¡¯d improved during that week. Katie had been training too hard for an eleven-year-old, and the signs were quite clear. However, the adults that led them through the forest to the Hunter¡¯s Training Ground were not about to let her skip a very crucial part of the Hunter training scheme. There was no way out of this one. ¡°I¡¯ming, Sandra.¡± ¡°Katie, when you get there, you don¡¯t have to push yourself too hard,¡± one of the adult handlers said to her. On this asion, parents and mentors weren¡¯t allowed to be present as the children were being tested on what they themselves had learnt and truly mastered. They were to know what kind of level of mastery they had attained in the skills that were being imparted. A few more minutes, the children found themselves at their destination. Many of the junior hunters in training used this time to show off to the rest of their peers that they had learnt more than the other. For some of these children, this was a time to show off their skills. None of it, however, impressed Katie for as long as she was unable to take down a werewolf, those measly skills were just what they were and all the same useless in the real world. ..... No one knew just how much this little girl understood about the cruelty of war or how much it haunted her dreams to be useless in the time of an attack and watch someone die because she was unable to save them. The adults got the tests shortly after and had the hunters go through drills. First, there were drills of endurance which meant they¡¯d have to be running a really long distance and making it to the finish line in the shortest possible time without passing out or burning out. In a way, the jog helped alleviate the stress that Katie¡¯s muscles were under if only to make the next activities easier for her. Next, were stretching exercises which the supervisors handled themselves. They made sure everyone stretched past their previous limit and kept in the best of shape. Those that had cked off during their training were given a warning. It wasn¡¯t unheard of for someone to be kicked out of Hunter¡¯s training. It was harder if that person didn¡¯te from a Hunter family. Lastly came the one-on-one battles where junior hunters were paired against others that the handlers thought were their equals based on their assessment. This was not a ce that showed muchpassion. The handlers had too many juniors to deal with that they didn¡¯t have time to look at every detail. They¡¯d make an assessment and make a match and this kept the children either constantly improving under the tough conditions or the other way round. Once a child¡¯s body simply denied the improvements they were trying to grind into it or if the child happened to be too busy that week that he wasn¡¯t able to keep up with his previous progress, it was usually a tipping point when they were ashamed in front of everyone in thisst session. The fights took ce one at a time for three minutes each with the partner everyone was assigned. This meant that everyone was watching as well. Working under such pressure was also something that they were supposed to ovee for emotions meant nothing but ck to a hunter and so they were to be shut out when in such situations. Katie¡¯s match was announced and she was to face off against a fourteen-year-old in the shape she was in. She knew the system and that this was someone who either matched her inbat abilities or was much stronger than she was. The older boys that got matched up with her carried looks of resentment in their eyes each time they got to fight her and this had been their downfall as they¡¯d undermined her every time. But this one was different, the boy carried a look of amusement when he saw his opponent. ¡°Many have made the mistake of undermining you, but I¡¯ve been wondering just how far up you are willing to advance.¡± ¡°Are we going to talk or fight?¡± Katie asked him. ¡°Is fighting all this is to you?¡± ¡°I just want to get this over with. If you want to talk, then maybe after it¡¯s over,¡± Katie knew the power of speech quite well and didn¡¯t want to allow the boy a chance to get into her head. Their fight raged on for the entirety of the three minutes, Katie copsing once they were over, but something wasn¡¯t right. Throughout the whole of it, the boy didn¡¯t do anything serious to fight her and merely evaded or blocked her attacks. It was frustrating and he made it seem like she was weak. Once the fight was done, he approached her, serious for the first time with the intention of pinning her down. This wasn¡¯t going to count now that the three minutes were done, but he didn¡¯t expect Katie to copse before he even touched her. The girl was panting heavily on the ground and a look of frustration was stuck on her face, ¡°Get up. That¡¯s no honourable way to end a fight. Get up,¡± he said. ¡°What are you mad about? You should have defeated me. You had the power to. Rogues won¡¯t spare you just because they are weaker than you,¡± she said. ¡°But I¡¯m still weaker than them. I expected more from you though. You let me down,¡± he said. Katie got up only to get back down on her knees. ¡°I did note here to impress anyone,¡± she replied before another attempt at standing. Her muscles had never screamed fatigue louder than they did on that day. Sandra ran up to her to help her stand. ¡°Katie, what¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re not usually like this,¡± she tried. The handlers surrounded them and one of them began checking Katie. The man looked like he knew what was going on. He merely needed to give any one of her muscles a squeeze and watch Katie flinch in pain. ¡°You aren¡¯t allowed to push yourself that hard. You know it¡¯s not good for you. Honestly, don¡¯t your parents teach you anything about muscle fatigue,¡± the man asked, ¡°Sandra, escort her back to her home and make sure she gets to rest.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s it. A pat on the back for mere muscle fatigue,¡± the boy mused. ¡°It¡¯s as I said, you should have defeated me when you had the chance. You won¡¯t have the pleasure of fighting me in a weakened state again,¡± I said. ¡°Big wordsing from someone who can¡¯t stand...¡± ¡°You disgust me. We are here to get better, not care about whether or not someone is impressive. We are here to train and push ourselves further so that we might someday be hunters and bring an end to this war. Trying to make small talk... talking about honour when our enemy kills without a second thought. I don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re doing here,¡± Katie¡¯s words were harsh, but the message reached the boy. Katie cared about nothing, but getting better. That was her purpose for training. Everything else was minor to her and she cared nothing of it. Her current weakened state was a reminder of that. .................. Katie snapped back to reality, the memory of that day was still clear in her memory. She¡¯d looked for the boy to apologise and been told that he quit trying to be a hunter on that day. He had left a message, however, saying that he was sure she¡¯d make the youngest hunter of their generation and he wasn¡¯t wrong. She¡¯d then hunted for his name, Jeremiah. He wasn¡¯t from a hunter family and he had hoped to be the first hunter in their family, but what Katie had told him that day had made him realise that he had no business being a hunter or so that¡¯s what she had been told. She continued walking to the school and soon enough she was there. Balloons, ribbons and decorations of all sorts covered the school in an organized manner. The preparations for the festival the next day were done and she was going to do everything she could to enjoy that day. Chapter 49 Chapter 49: Chapter Forty Nine Cole ran back to the suite, his heart a mess of emotions and his mind a storm of thoughts. Nothing had made sense ever since he¡¯d stepped into this town and there seemed to be a multitude of secrets involved in it. When his parents sent him to study at the safest school that had been ranked so regardless of its remote location, he¡¯d not expected much from the ce. Rogues had more interest in the big cities because they could take advantage of themotion there and make his getaway. This, however, was too much activity for such a small town. Well, it wasn¡¯t so small, butpared to the ce he¡¯d grown ustomed to, this ce was small and adorable in its own way. ¡®Hunters act like they aren¡¯t that many, but if an agency like the one here can exist in such a remote region, then clearly they aren¡¯t as few as they im to be. Memories of his morning were far from his memory as he kept recounting his meeting with the moon goddess. The moon goddess had fallen from the heavens just to stop him from meeting his mate. ¡®That was extreme... Perhaps there really is a good reason for all that.¡± The hotel that Cole was running to soon came into view before a collection of scents struck his nose making him stop dead in his tracks. He breathed them in deeply concluding once and for all exactly what guests he had. ck SUVs filled the parking lot confirming his thoughts on the matter. ¡®What is the Sirius family doing here?¡¯ Cole shifted back and dusted himself over before walking casually out of the forest and towards the hotel. The tension in the air as he got into the lobby was inescapable. His initial aim was to go straight for the elevator and go up to his suite for a hot bath, but s, curiosity got the best of him. Cole walked up to the reception, ¡°What¡¯s with the mood in here?¡± ¡°Oh, Mr Lycaon, there are some new arrivals on the suite above you. I just don¡¯t know what is interesting your kind with this small town of ours. Anyway, we wee you all if it¡¯s going to make this hotel all the more famous,¡± she said. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®my kind¡¯?¡± ..... ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t know. The Sirius Royal family just showed moments after you left with your friends,¡± she said. ¡°Did my friends return?¡± ¡°No, they did not. You know, when you first arrived, I thought you guys would be trouble, but you¡¯re not at all what I expected,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re quite open about that. We get that a lot,¡± Cole replied before bidding her his farewells and heading straight for the elevator. ¡®I don¡¯t want to run into the Sirius family until after I¡¯ve rested. Those guys can be a handful.¡¯ ¡°Are you okay? You don¡¯t look so good,¡± the receptionist called back to him. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Thanks for asking,¡± he replied once he was in the elevator. ¡®I wonder where Katie ran off to.¡¯ ........... Sandra walked through the forest with the two alphas, leading them deeper and deeper into the woods. ¡°Look at her leading us into the forest like sacrificialmbs,¡± Jason began after a moment of silence. ¡°You might as well be sacrificialmbs for all you know,¡± she replied with a smirk on her face. ¡°Very funny. Take Caden fast, he¡¯s far plumper than I am. He¡¯s bound to please your gods,¡± was the reply. ¡°I like the way you easily abandon yourrades, Jason. But I will take thepliment, I¡¯d make a much better sacrifice than you,¡± Caden countered. This was a side of Caden that very few ever got to see in a lifetime. ¡°So how is training done in the packs? Is it as excruciating as what hunters do?¡± Sandra asked afterughing at these obnoxious males. ¡°Oh, alphas don¡¯t really know. We are built stronger than the others, inheriting the gene from our parents. Even if we go through the same training as everyone else in the pack, we gain much more in terms of results. In the end, we don¡¯t really understand what it is for someone to put in their all to achieve power,¡± Caden exined. ¡°Wow, that would havee in handy for a lot of... Wait, if that¡¯s the case, then does it work the same way for Royals?¡± she asked. ¡°Royals are on another level. Although, they also have the most control over their emotions and in turn end up being the least aggressive. That just means there are fewer cases of them losing their temper, but it¡¯s not impossible. And each time a Royal has lost their temper, it would take a minimum of five well-trained alphas to stop the rampage,¡± Caden continued. ¡°All these questions about werewolves, is there something you didn¡¯t know? I know hunters are well-educated in the matters of werewolf history and nature,¡± Jason interfered. ¡°Yes, we are taught well, but perspective matters. The Hunters purge emotion from everything that they do and that means a lot of informationes through assessed ording to logic. So all we know sounds like it first went through a court and was assessed until the perfect story was decided. There is no room for perspective,¡± she said. ¡°You sound like you want to take a side,¡± Jason observed. ¡°There aren¡¯t really sides in this war. It¡¯s the world against the rogues or at least that¡¯s what I¡¯d like to believe. The existence of the Hunters and the different agencies around the world make it look like we are still at war with all the werewolves. Up until I met Cole, I had a very different idea of Royals. They were dangerous in my mind.¡± ¡°Do you mean to say that Cole is harmless?¡± ¡°No offence, but Cole is way too soft for the brutes we learn about in the history of this war,¡± she said. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that. After what I saw in that dungeon, your judgement is justified,¡± Caden concluded. Their destination was finallying into view. At the edge of a small clearing stood a cabin made of wood. It was well maintained and still looked habitable. For a structure this deep into the forest, it was in oddly good shape. ¡°What is this ce?¡± ¡°This cabin is owned by Katie¡¯s parents. Not many know about it, but this is where we used to go to train as kids. Her parents tried teaching me with her back then, but I wasn¡¯t... I could say as dedicated as she was,¡± Sandra exined. ¡°Very well then... we¡¯ll help you train your butt-off. Some stretches and demarcations should do the trick,¡± Jason announced... Four bouts, two victories per wolf and four losses for the hunterter, the three of themy on the ground sweating. Jason offered her a bottle of water which she didn¡¯t bother asking the origin of. ¡°You¡¯re better than I thought you¡¯d be,¡± he said to her. ¡°I feel like a fool. We are the same age, aren¡¯t we?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes, we are, but we are werewolves with alpha genes. You are human. What were you expecting?¡± Caden asked her, though impressed by her efforts. ¡°I can take down a weak rogue quite easily. I guess I let it get to my head. For humans, being able to have the upper hand in a fight against a werewolf means a lot, but I guess I¡¯d forgotten that I still have limits. In case of an ambush, I¡¯m worthless,¡± she said to herself. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Katie thought that far ahead when we were training as kids.¡± ¡°You always sound like you are trying to be Katy. Why don¡¯t you rejoice in your strength? She seems to be confident in you,¡± this was Jason¡¯s attempt at making Sandra feel better. Thoughts of the morning they¡¯d gone through were far from memory. ¡°Yes, my mentor is indeed confident in me. She always trusts me to take care of something that¡¯s within my abilities. In fact, she knows everything that I am capable of, but I¡¯m stuck there. I can see her achieve much more than she should be able to. She is always at the top of her game and never falters in anything. Of course, there was a time when she was at the same level as all of us,¡± Jason was intrigued by herst statement. ¡°You can still remember the time when she was still weak. How is it that she advanced so fast then while you stayed behind?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Well, we can probably exin that with what happened the day she got her Prometheus gifts. That¡¯s probably the same day we all realised she was much stronger than all of us,¡± Sandra said, memories taking over while she went over what happened on that day. ¡°We were ying hide and seek near this very cabin that time. Katie demanded I test my training and try and stay hidden from her. At the same time, she was ying hunter and looking for me. It was a form of hide and seek that I sometimes found scary because it brought the fears of being hunted by a werewolf to light,¡± Sandra began the story. Chapter 50 Chapter 50: Chapter Fifty Sandra had found a bush to hide within. It was hard to keep her breath quiet when she was beginning to realise just how good Katie was at tracking her. She wanted to win this game, but when Katie caught wind of where she might have gone, it was merely hopeless to watch her through the opening in the leaves as Katie slowly made progress, heading towards her. Each time she had been found in under ten minutes no matter how still and quiet she kept. Katie would circle the entire clearing until she chose a direction that inevitably would lead her to Sandra. A feat that scared the young girl every time she watched it happen. Katie never asked that their roles be switched for she seemed to be enjoying the role of hunter. Nevertheless, Sandra could not imagine what was making this easy for Katie. Nothing was making sense to her. Seeking was essentially meant to be the harder part of the game and yet Katie made it look so simple. This was beginning to feel more like a training exercise than the fun that Katie initially thought of it as. While she waited for her talented friend to inevitably find her, scuffling sounds in the opposite distance caught her ear. She was so used to this ce being empty that her ears could easily pick on abnormal sounds that did not fit the area. She looked back causing a rustle in the bush she was hiding in. Katie, no doubt heard her, but merely froze. Sandra could tell from the tension in the air that she too could hear something other than her friend¡¯s disturbance. ¡°Sandra, you cane out now. Let¡¯s wait for our parents in the cabin,¡± Katie called out, but Sandra¡¯s eyes were glued to the darkest inner parts of the woods she¡¯d heard the sounding from. Having been raised by a hunter family, their closest instinct was to think that something unfriendly wasing. They could both feel it in their gut that something was amiss and that they were not doing anything to help the situation. ¡°What is your gut telling you, Sandra?¡± Sandra began to tread backwards slowly making sure to be as quiet as she could manage. The scuffling sounds began to sound louder and more distinct. They were soon the undeniable sound of a running werewolf, paws striking the ground with force fierce enough for them to know that it was on the run. Sandra wasted no time in running back to the clearing, passing Katie at the edge who followed behind her. Before they could get to the door, the wolf lunged out from the cover of the trees and quickly closed the gap, barring their entrance. The dirty wolf snarled at the two kids, baring its teeth at them menacingly. Wounds and cuts riddled it¡¯s fur as though it had been in a fight with another and lost miserably. No, this was different. Realisation soon hit as the children recognized the knife wounds that this wolf had been subjected to. It was being chased by Hunters. There wasn¡¯t a hint of mercy orpassion behind the eyes of the beast that stared at them. Only a single emotion came from it, in and simple murderous intent. ..... Katie looked at her friend and found that she was rooted to her position, shivering and entirely grasped by fear. Sandra¡¯s eyes were slowly starting to show signs of despair, ¡°Sandra, we are junior hunters, aren¡¯t we?¡± The question came across Sandra as ridiculous...pletely ridiculous. The wolf before them did not care for the title they gave themselves. They were going to be killed, one way or another and there wasn¡¯t a thing they could do about it. She was too stunned to speak as well. The werewolf lunged at them, a deranged look in its eye. Katie chose the moment to push her friend and trip the werewolf, using it¡¯s weight against it, she made sure to throw it off its bnce. There wasn¡¯t a second to waste. Wolves did not stay down too long. ¡°The cabin, Sandra, now...¡± In that moment, a myriad of thoughts went through Sandra¡¯s mind. Why her friend was risking to sacrifice herself when there was nothing she could do against the werewolf. Katie could move and she had kept her cool this whole time that they had faced the werewolf. There wasn¡¯t a hint of fear in her. This was the difference between a hunter and a junior hunter. A hunter was not phased by emotions of fear. A hunter sprang into action the moment it was required of them regardless of whatever state they were in. To be consumed by emotion the way Sandra was merely meant that there was nothing that she could do to defend herself. The couple of years she had gone through training could not show when faced by a werewolf. She was no different than a human in this situation and she understood that. One might call it cowardly, one might have even called it despair, but Sandra did it anyway. When her best friend was facing a moment where she might have gotten killed, she ran. She did not look back either, for she knew there was no way that Katie was going to allow the wolf past her. Katie heard the wolf growl and a struggle behind her that almost had her freeze in the spot and go back for her friend, but this wasn¡¯t the time to y the hero. There was something else she could do to help and didn¡¯t involve staying behind to rescue her friend when she knew she¡¯d only freeze up. She got into the house and began frantically tossing everything about in search of something. It didn¡¯t matter what state it was in, she just needed to find it. It was something a hunter family could find lying anywhere in their house... a dagger. Specifically, one that was designed to hold poison used in killing werewolves. Katie found one strapped to the underside of the dining room table and unsheathed it. It was used and old, but it would have to do. It was better than nothing at all. She opened the door and froze at the sight before her. Katie was pinned to the ground whilst the wolf tried to bite her neck to end her life. Katie, however, summoning all her strength, punched the wolf¡¯s jaw to have it miss its target just in time. The momentary daze was enough for her to crawl further into its underbelly ande out from its side. She¡¯d thought her momentary escape through as she faked getting out from one side and turning to the other while the wolf was stuck going the wrong direction. Everything Katie was doing was futile, but the determined look on her face showed otherwise. This girl was not going down without a fight. Instead of Katie running away, she used the wolf¡¯s momentary confusion to her advantage and struck on of the visible wounds it had in its side. As the wolf whined in pain, she struck the same spot repeatedly in an effort to get the pain to confuse and slow it down more. ¡°Katie,¡± Sandra screamed throwing the knife at her. Katie couldn¡¯t help the smile that formed on her face as she leapt out of reach of the werewolf and grabbed the knife midair. The wolf froze at the sight of the knife. It looked between the knife and the face of its wielder. For once its eyes showed signs of intelligence. He was thinking about the idea of attacking a child. Sandra didn¡¯t know why, but it was at that moment that she rxedpletely and felt safe. She watched Katie circle the wolf, her eyes glued to it and her face locked in a serious expression that was bound to arouse fear in the wolf. Snarling at the little girl, the wolf attacked. Katie sidestepped and ducked, allowing the wolf to pass by her. The thought of stabbing the wolf¡¯s initial wound which was softer than going through its hide was an idea she could not pass up. This was the first time she was using a knife with the intention of killing a rogue. With all the stories of how despicable rogues could be, there was no hesitation in her actions as she drove the night into the side of the wolf and got to work performing an act that made Sandra vomit her entire lunch. Nothing about what Katie did to that wolf could be termed as merciful. Once Katie had finished stabbing it the first time, the wolf had lost the will to fight then and Katie had been left with finishing it off which she did swiftly without a second thought. The adults arrived only minutester to a scene of a bloodied Katie holding a dagger and staring at the corpse of the wolf that had just attacked them. The children¡¯s parents, along with the hunters that had apanied them stared at the scene in silence and a mixture of expressions. What they saw before them was somewhat iprehensible. ¡°Are you girls okay?¡± Aunt Marie called out, snapping everyone back to the present.... ............................. ¡°It was then that I swore to train harder and never be a burden to her again. That is also the day, however, that she became unreachable. With each passing day, her abilities began to improve exponentially until she was the unstoppable force of nature you see now. One could say she was an unstoppable force of the gods. I remember it like it was yesterday,¡± Sandra concluded the story. She couldn¡¯t help but smile at the looks on the boy¡¯s faces as they listened to her. ¡°You mean ¡®force of a god¡¯, don¡¯t you?¡± Jason corrected. ¡°Oh yeah, ¡®force of one god¡¯, because that is what she is... Prometheus, no other,¡± she said. To Sandra, it didn¡¯t matter if they noticed how nervous it made her. Katie¡¯s case was so bizarre that there was no way they would suspect that her context was indeed what she¡¯d intended to say and would have spilt premature secrets in turn. Chapter 51 Chapter 51: Chapter Fifty One ¡°What made her improve so fast after that day?¡± Caden asked. ¡°The adults exined that it was the way things happened when Prometheus granted someone a Prometheus gift. The gift enables them to reach new heights quite quickly and without having to do much, however, it eventually seems to hit a limit. A limit that can only be broken with intense training or so I was told. It was most likely that she was granted her Prometheus gift on that very day she took down the werewolf.¡± ¡°What was a werewolf doing there at that moment?¡± ¡°The wolf was being transported and one of its harnesses happened to get loose and it escaped. The wolf was being taken to the dungeon for interrogation. Intel suggested that the man was a close aplice to the Rogue King. When he escaped, the hunters had been ordered to capture him alive and the first ones toe close to catching him found him dead at the hands of a twelve-year-old,¡± Sandra said. ¡°What happened to Katie after that?¡± this question had a different context from the tone Caden used to ask. ¡°Didn¡¯t escape you, did it?¡± Sandra sighed. It was true that Katie was different after that, ¡°All I can say is that she got quieter after that and showed less emotion as was required of her as a pro hunter. She was officially given licence when she was fifteen years old to prevent causing too much contempt amongst the younger kids, but she was a pro hunter far earlier than that. Nheless, even after she got her license, she asked us to restrain from throwing the title around.¡± ¡°Sometimes I don¡¯t what to think of the tales of Katie Chase,¡± Jason chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s nothing tough about, but I can¡¯t help it when a human seems too talented.¡± ..... ¡°I would say that I got lucky,¡± an alien voice interrupted the conversation. The three looked about frantically for the source, ¡°Rx, it¡¯s just me. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d find anyone here. Where¡¯s Cole?¡± ¡°He went out on a run. I¡¯d say that he should be back at the hotel by now. Are you okay?¡± Sandra asked, remembering the tears on her friend¡¯s face when she left the Hunter¡¯s Agency. ¡°Yeah, I am. I just came here to do some thinking. I see you found some new opponents to train with,¡± Katie chuckled. ¡°Can I spar with them for a bit? Though both of them because I don¡¯t want to get bored with just one.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t you use your Prometheus gifts?¡± Caden asked. ¡°Well, if you want to limit me, then choose one gift that I shouldn¡¯t use,¡± she said. ¡°That still means we¡¯ll be facing a pro hunter,¡± Jason groaned. ¡°Scared, I¡¯ll go easy on you,¡± she coaxed. Just as the boys were about to get ready, a buzzing sound came from one of their jackets thaty in the shade under the trees by the treeline. Sandra ran to check on it and found a text that made her smile drop. ¡°It¡¯s Cole. He needs the guys to return to the hotel,¡± she said. That was their cue to leave. ¡°Katie, are you?¡± ¡°No, let them go. We¡¯ll do this another time. I¡¯ve been meaning to talk to you Sandra,¡± she replied, letting her muscles rx. The boys bid them farewell and left the cabin shifted in their wolf forms. The atmosphere changed between the two friends. Sandra hadn¡¯t nned to be found out this soon by her friend, buting back to train at this cabin had proved irresistible. ¡°You¡¯ve taken a liking to those boys.¡± There was no doubting that. The speed with which they had gotten familiar with the werewolves was unnatural, ¡°Yes, I guess I have. I also didn¡¯t intend to let you find out about this extra training for a while.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you pushing yourself even further. I would have thought having you in charge of protecting the school in my stead was enough training, but if you¡¯d rather do this, I am not against it,¡± Katie said, turning to go to the cabin. Sandra looked at her friend and noticed immediately that her gait was slightlyboured. ¡°Are you okay?¡± her voice took on an informed tone that demanded the truth from Katie. Katie noticed this and sighed in response. ¡°I was hoping you wouldn¡¯t notice. Come inside... I¡¯ll tell you while we check out something,¡± Katie replied. Sandra followed her friend in anticipation. Something was going on with her and she wanted to know what it was. ¡°Earlier when I ran off, I might have lost control of my emotions and triggered my wolf toe out. I didn¡¯t shift, but I nearly did. The result was a whole bunch of muscle pains.¡± Sandra gasped on hearing the news, ¡°Are you okay? How did you stop the shift?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t stop the shift. Considering the drugs I was taking, I don¡¯t even know if I would have shifted,¡± Katie said, leading her friend through the threshold. Katie got to moving the sofas in the living room so that she could free the carpet on the ground. Something beneath it sparked her interest. The underground bunker that was built below the cabin. It was considered off-limits to them until Katie got her license at the age of fifteen. ¡°What do you mean you didn¡¯t stop the shift? How then did everything end?¡± ¡°I mean someone else stopped the shift frompleting,¡± Katie said, getting to work on the lock and snapping it open. Sandra noticed Katie¡¯s reluctance to finish the story. The way she¡¯d arrived alone was cause for so many questions. Something drastic had happened and induced this state she was in. ¡°Who was it... was it Cole?¡± ¡°I wish it was Cole. Everything would be much simpler then since he¡¯s supposed to be my mate, but no... someone else did it,¡± she said. ¡°You throw that point around like it¡¯s something meaningless. Who was it?¡± ¡°The moon goddess...¡± Katie¡¯s hand stopped at the handle losing all energy to follow through the motions. She dropped to her knees and put her head in her hands. ¡°The bloody moon goddess saved me from death iming something about destiny and a prophecy. Who does that?¡± ¡°A prophecy... Katie...¡± ¡°There is too much behind how I got to this town. Too many things are revolving around me. I know I have to be strong, but why couldn¡¯t it stay the same as it¡¯s always been?¡± she whispered. This was Katie disabling her emotional shield. It was moments like this that reminded Sandra that she was Katie¡¯s best friend. ¡°Looks like we adapted well to the simple fact that you¡¯re a werewolf, not to mention a Royal that managed to attain Prometheus gifts at such a young age and was put in charge of security for her school,¡± Sandra began, walking up to her friend and sitting cross-legged next to her, ¡°You¡¯re not alone in this you know. Don¡¯t make me watch you.¡± ¡°I know, Sandra, I know...¡± the two stayed silent for a bit, allowing thefort of theirpany to seep in. Katie¡¯s finger kept tapping thetch nervously. Something had drawn her here and the nervous tick was now raising Sandra¡¯s curiosity. ¡°Umm... what¡¯s in the basement?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯de to check out. My guardians said something about some modifications for tomorrow night,¡± she said. ¡°What about tomorrow night?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the time of the dance during the Founder¡¯s festival?¡± ¡°Yes, that is about it. It is also the time that will be near my birthday. I came to see where I¡¯ll attend that from,¡± she said, lifting open the trapdoor. They climbed down the stairs leading into the darkroom. A flip of a switch snapped the room into brightness. It had been cleared and one thing stood in the centre of the room. Arge steel table very simr to what Katie never thought she¡¯d have to be strapped to. The table bore steel cuffs designed to hold werewolves. The only other ce such tables could be found was in the dungeons that they used to hold rogues. ¡°How the tables have turned!¡± Katie mused as she slid her fingers lightly across the table. ¡°Feels poetic...¡± ¡°Something that should be said by someone who is against me, don¡¯t you think?¡± Katie pointed out. ¡°Yeah, that is true. Do you think that idiot was telling the truth though? About students going missing and yet in actual sense they had been killed in secret,¡± Sandra asked. ¡°The mission of the rogues is to eradicate all signs of humanity in the world, but they don¡¯t do it freely. I thought of it and realised there is a possibility that he was lying. I went to school and checked for the students that have been missing. They are all fine. Chandler was hoping the clues that he was giving me about the perpetrator would get me to snap, but when that failed, he resorted to attacking what he knew that I cared about the most so that he could pile up the stress and get something out of me,¡± Katie exined. ¡°What would drive someone to have such a motive in the end?¡± ¡°Rogues have a twisted way of thinking that¡¯s unlike our own. Their pointless ideals are drilled into their minds at a very young age so that they mindlessly sacrifice themselves to achieve those same ideals. This is something that Ash survived. I don¡¯t know how, but she wasn¡¯t tainted by those ideals and was capable of being redeemed. To avoid giving in to such a dark life is much harder than to do so, but once you¡¯re in, there is no going back,¡± Katie exined. ¡°You sound like you¡¯ve thought of this a lot...¡± ¡°Yes, it is to help me figure out who it is that I need to take down...¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know how many of them that we are facing. We could be looking at so many more than the ones we faced that day,¡± Sandra pointed out. ¡°While that might be true, I will follow my gut on this one and find thest rogue. I know one is left and I¡¯ll do everything necessary to catch them,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you. What happens after you shift tomorrow?¡± Sandra asked her friend, worry seeping into her voice while she said it. Chapter 52 Chapter 52: Chapter Fifty Two The Sirius family watched the light of the moon goddess while it bathed the forest, the day having turned into night. ¡°Father, how many aren¡¯t affected by this the way the hunters are?¡± ¡°Well, this power freezes everyone except for Royals, so you can be sure that there is no hunter that¡¯s currently active. Well, except for Katie... I wonder what happened to cause this... Just then, another light in the sky drew their attention as something... no, someone descended. The four wolves lifted their hands to shield their eyes and moved back into the cover of the hotel to protect themselves from the increasingly bright light. The building shook under the force of somethingnding on their balcony. ¡°Dad, what is that? I thought the moon goddess was the other side of the...¡± The light finally dimmed retreating to a single point where a man stood. He was dressedpletely in white sleeveless armour with the head of a wolf carved into his chest. His body was built to rival even that of King Davin and the white equally matching. ¡°Father, is he your older cooler brother?¡± Drake joked. ¡°Very funny, Drake... No, this is the moon goddess¡¯ mate, Darius...¡± ¡°Always the funny one, I see Davin. The name¡¯s Sean and don¡¯t you dare forget it,¡± the man spoke, though his voice came out somewhat irritated. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again after so eighteen years. Did your wifee down thest time as well?¡± he asked. ..... ¡°No, that time she merelymunicated through dreams and visions. Something that she can do just about any time. This, however, she can only do once... I don¡¯t want to say that she made the wrong choice in using that chance now, but...¡± the man sighed, his irritation wearing off while he stared off at the ce they all knew the moon goddess to be, ¡°this time it can¡¯t be helped.¡± ¡°Are you here to hang or did youe to tell us something about why Celeste decided toe here today?¡± Martha said as she brought their unannounced guest a cup of tea. Lina looked between her mother and the kitchen searching for an answer to her mother¡¯s quick action. In the end, it was futile to try and figure when it was that her mother retrieved the cup of tea that she served their guest. ¡®Mothers, it¡¯s like they have superpowers...¡¯ ¡°Not really... I saw you guys watching and thought I might check in while my wife¡¯s away. You ready for the weekend... Did you buy a gift for the birthday girl?¡± Sean asked. ¡°If you¡¯re Sean, who¡¯s Darius?¡± Lina pitched in. Sean looked at the girl that had asked the question and took a moment to acknowledge her presence before answering in his somewhat passive tone again. For a moment, his face had shown a hint of an expression that hadtere as a warning to Lina who covered herself up with the sheet that she had nearly tossed away. ¡°Now there is a question I hoped I wouldn¡¯t be asked to answer... Davin, that one is yours,¡± the man turned his face back to the forest. ¡°Darius is a Royal... someone who doesn¡¯t appear much. He¡¯s your uncle who you have never met,¡± King Davin said. ¡°I have an uncle that I¡¯ve never met. I always thought you were an only child, father. Is he just as shy as you would like to be?¡± Drake asked. ¡°No, he isn¡¯t. If anything, he is just the opposite,¡± Davin replied. The king might have tried to hide it, but his family knew him too well. Something about his brother made shivers run down his spine no matter how much he tried to hide it. ¡°Speaking of Darius, he is not too far from here,¡± Sean said, ¡°Just wanted to let you know. I can feel my mate retreating. She will be gone soon and I must be there to tend to her. Journeys this rushed never go without consequences.¡± ¡°I have one question. What was the reason for youing to help me defend my child when the moon goddess already had another n to get her to safety?¡± Davin asked. For as long as he¡¯d known that his daughter was sneaked out of his own pce without his knowledge, he¡¯d been searching for an exnation. ¡°The moon goddess believed there was a mole amongst the Royals, so she sent me to protect the child. As a representative of the moon goddess, it was clear that she didn¡¯t intend to have the child moved. I was sent there that night with no knowledge of the n either. I was so sure of my wife¡¯s wishes that it would have been foolish of the traitor amongst the Royals to believe otherwise. Her n was perfect,¡± Sean began. ¡°The moon goddess appeared to me the night before the attack through a dream and told me everything that was to ur and exactly what I was to do in order to rescue our daughter and have her smuggled away. She also appeared to those two hunters and told them exactly where they were to meet us. I only travelled with my closest guard, Julia. She was sworn to secrecy and didn¡¯t tell a single soul, for she was to also be my way out of the pce and to the meeting spot that the moon goddess had prepared,¡± Martha continued. ¡°While the Queen escaped, I made a shy entrance andy waste to the Rogues at the pce. s, I wasn¡¯t early enough to save the girl, but that was the goddess¡¯ n as well. I was never meant to find that child and she was meant to disappear,¡± Sean finished. ¡°Why was the child meant to...¡± ¡°Are you already forgetting what I¡¯ve said? I don¡¯t have much time. There was a traitor amongst the Royals at that time. We don¡¯t know who it was, but it wasn¡¯t safe for the girl there. We had to get her out,¡± he said, ¡°As you have noticed, it wasn¡¯t long after the secret of the girl¡¯s whereabouts were distributed through the Sirius family that rogue attacks started to increase this far out.¡± ¡°You do realise you are saying that there is a mole working for the Rogue king within the Sirius family. That kind of thing would put a dark stain on the mission we¡¯ve staked centuries on achieving,¡± Davin said, dangerously. ¡°I know what I just said. Don¡¯t make me repeat myself. I only told you this because I trust everyone in this room. So when I say the Sirius family, I don¡¯t just mean the immediate family. It could even be one of your closest allies. All I¡¯m saying is that you watch your backs,¡± he said, his feet lifting off the ground. ¡°I would like to think you would be asking us to protect Katie,¡± the king said. The man chuckled, ¡°Of all the people in the world, that is the one person you shouldn¡¯t worry about. She¡¯s capable of protecting herself just fine. To the extent, I wouldn¡¯t be worried about her even if she was in the same room with the Rogue king.¡± With that said, the man floated back into the night sky heading to the moon and vanished from within its image. Soon after, a woman rose from the forest floating up in a simr fashion. The Royals were frozen at the mere sight of her and forced to take in her appearance in detail. She looked back at them and shed them a hearty smile before continuing on her way, ¡°Davin, what¡¯s going through your head?¡± Martha asked. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering what was so important that those two had to stop by,¡± he said. ¡°Did we seriously forget to ask something as important as that?¡± Drake facepalmed. ¡°Yes, my son, yes we did,¡± he replied, ¡°Though one thing is clear. The moon goddess was here to help Katie. What she was helping her with remains a mystery, however.¡± The night began to turn back into day as the sun switched with the moon almost seamlessly, blinding the werewolves at the balcony and restoring the hunters. ¡°Any more questions... How did you... what happened?¡± Tom asked, noticing the atmosphere of the room. His gut rumbled with urgency, something extreme had just happened and he needed to know what it was. ¡°The moon goddess came down from her seat in the heavens to tend to our daughter. She must have been in serious trouble for that to happen,¡± this revtion seemed to strike Marie the wrong way. ¡°She was supposed to be going for an interrogation at the Hunter¡¯s Agency,¡± she said. ¡°What interrogation?¡± Davin asked, amanding tone taking over his voice. He could detect danger in the woman¡¯s reactions and it did not rub him the right way. No one in the room liked what was going on. Marie checked through her purse and procured a phone. ¡°Who are you calling?¡± ¡°Anthony, he might know what happened during the interrogation,¡± Marie said before walking to the balcony to talk to the man on the side of the phone call. This shut the rest of the room up while they waited on the results of the call. ¡°Do I really have to wait until after the shift is done? I would also like to see my daughter¡¯s beautiful wolf. I bet she looks amazing,¡± Drake mused while scrolling through the contents of his phone, passing the time that Marie was spending on the phone. Marie came back minutester clutching her phone. Her fingers could not settle as she kept entangling them in a dance of nervousness. ¡°Katie was warned before going into the interrogation room that she was to be taken advantage of once she was in and that the victim¡¯s only purpose was to get to her. It¡¯s still unknown how much he got to her because she did not show much of a sign while she was there, but she did disy a disturbing amount of violence and murdered the victim using the torture devices that they had around. She then proceeded to walk out of the dungeon from which she vanished. No one has seen her since. ¡°Are you saying that she went missing?¡± ¡°No, what I¡¯m saying is that the Director she be given time to herself and that no hunter was to engage her unless she asked for it. In other words, she was given a day off from work,¡± she concluded. The news could have been worse, but there was nothing in what Marie had said that exined anything that would cause reason for theing of the moon goddess. Chapter 53 Chapter 53: Chapter Fifty Three The rest of the day was slow and uneventful, a day that was supposed to be designated for rest. The investigation seemed to have reached a standstill. Katie ordered Sandra to get back home and rest for the remainder of the day while she handled the rest herself. She was not going to let what Chandler had imed to go unchecked and decided to check the homes of every absent student until she confirmed they were all safe. The Chase family was taught to follow their gut and not once had it ever failed them. As long as something mattered, everyone was bound to feel something amiss if something was wrong with it. However, even with all that training, Katie had not been able to save Ash and it still bothered her. She got done with the absent students that evening and decided to go to onest stop to take a rest, the same hill that she¡¯d gone to with Cole the other day. She did not tell him to approach her that evening or that she¡¯d be there, but she hoped he¡¯d show up. Nheless, she needed some time to herself. Patience yed a key role in what she was trying to figure out, as well as a well-focused unyielding mind. A buzzing sound brought her out of her thoughts. She retrieved her phone from her pocket to tap the answer button, ¡°Hey, how are you doing?¡± ¡°Hey, Kyle, it¡¯s rare for you to call. Enjoying your sleep,¡± Katie replied. ¡°Yeah, my sleep is divine. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be with you when... it happened,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s fine... you probably had enough assignments to deal with. How much do I have to catch up on?¡± ¡°I was calling to say that I finished your share of the homework, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that. I¡¯ll teach you the rest of it when you get time. There is a concept in the physics that you said was giving you trouble a while back,¡± he reported. ..... ¡°Oh, thank you. Much appreciated. Make sure you keep your Anti rogue mechanisms turned on to keep your house safe. We don¡¯t know how many of them are still present,¡± Katie told him. ¡°You know I wouldn¡¯t do otherwise. Everyone says I shouldn¡¯t worry about you, but I can¡¯t help it. How¡¯s Sandra holding up?¡± he said. ¡°I sent her home. She needed to rest so I gave her the day off. Found her training with the alphas as well,¡± she smirked, revealing the intel. ¡°Oh my, you think there is something other than training that¡¯s speeding up that friendship?¡± he asked, his voice perking up, begging for gossip. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know, but if there is anything, then we¡¯ll find out soon enough,¡± Katie chuckled, ¡°You better get enough rest as well. Tomorrow is a long day. I heard you will be required to run one of the booths that will hold your rocket project,¡± Katie said. ¡°Can¡¯t believe you were paying attention to that,¡± he said, ¡°Getting the rest of the team to work on their parts of the project over the phone has been torture...¡± ¡°Yeah, good luck with that... I¡¯lle to check on you tomorrow then...¡± with that they bid each other farewell and turned off the phone and set it down. Laying down on the grass at the top of the hill, she couldn¡¯t help but feel the presence of someone watching her. Nheless, she did nothing to show her awareness andy down spread-eagled on the ground. ¡°Who was that?¡± Cole¡¯s voice came. Happiness would have been the first reaction Katie would get if Cole¡¯s voice came out with the usual tone it had. However, at this moment, he sounded like he didn¡¯t even hope to be here. Katie got up to see Cole walking up to her. He reached her and sat beside her, pulling up his knees and looking over to the setting sun. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯de.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning on it. Not really in a chatty mood, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to stay seated when there was a possibility that you could be here. Why didn¡¯t you call at least?¡± ¡°Well, today is not a good day for any of us. I figured after the disy in the dungeons, you¡¯d be sick to the stomach and need some time to get those gruesome images out of your mind,¡± she exined,ying back down. ¡°What about you? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Well, I was able to prove that none of the students that Chandler imed to have killed are all still alive. I guess his aim was to tick me off,¡± she said. ¡°Did he seed in ticking you off?¡± ¡°He did... Quite nicely, I might add,¡± Katie chuckled lightly, ¡°I guess there are things that can get through my emotional defence. Hunters are still human after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s hard to believe after what I¡¯ve seen in the past few days. Who was on the phone?¡± he replied. ¡°It was Kyle... He was...¡± Katie stopped as her heart pounded loud all of sudden, a rush of blood going to her head and springing a miniature headache. Shivers ran down her spine when she thought of this. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Cole asked. ¡®Every time I think of just how surrounded you are. You will never see iting... You will be so surprised when you find out who killed that poor traitor... someone who has been in that school for longer than you have. You will never see theming. I pity you, Chase... no, all I regret is not having the opportunity to see the look on your face when you find out. My best bet is that now that all of this has happened, he won¡¯t need to stay in hiding for so long,¡± the words Chandler said rang out through her mind. Why was she thinking about this now? ¡°Cole, I have to go check out something at the school,¡± Katie said, her voice came out rushed and panicked as she picked her phone and turned in the direction of the school. Cole got up and grabbed her by the arms. ¡°Katie, tell me what it is that you are thinking about. What has gotten into you?¡± ¡°Just follow me, Cole. I don¡¯t have time for this. I have to check something,¡± she begged the wolf. ¡°Okay, then, hurry. I¡¯m right behind you,¡± he said. The moment he let go of her, she vanished from sight leaving him in absolute silence. ¡®Damn, she¡¯s fast.¡¯ He thought while he let his wolf out. The two were at the school in a few minutes, arge ck wolf following Katie at a high speed. Katie rushed through the booths that were distributed in the gym and the hallways before moving on to those that had been arranged in the field. In each booth, equipmenty already set up. It was obvious that every project was already done by the time the Founder¡¯s festival was set up. It wasn¡¯t allowed for someone to set up their projects at thest minute. She continued to the field where she zipped through the different booths. Some were demarcated with cardboard while others were left in open space with only a sign to show what they were about. Projects of all nature littered all over the field. She finally came still in a secluded area. Large cardboard stood with images ofs and the stars on it. It described space and what there was to know about it. However, there was nothing in the ce. There wasn¡¯t any apparatus or equipment. At the bottom of the cardboard were a rocket and the name of the student that was leading the project, ¡®Kyle Dwyer.¡¯ Katie continued to look through the poster in a frantic search for something. From the looks of the project, there was no sign that it had been cancelled, but with it iplete the way it was, there was no telling whether it would happen or not. ¡°This one is empty. What¡¯s going on? Katie, you are worrying me.¡± ¡®I¡¯m guessing you never know someone until they show their true colours. Katie was sure surprised to find out,¡¯ Kyle¡¯s words echoed through her mind. For a moment then, she¡¯d thought she saw something wrong in the way that Kyle looked at Ash. ¡®The Chase family always follows our gut when dealing with acts of deception or things we cannot see... to answer the question you asked me one time... Yes, it is possible for something to go through one¡¯s defences undetected and that is through trust... you can¡¯t suspect someone you trust or else, trust itself loses all its integrity,¡¯ this was a lesson that had been taught once and never again. Based on their location, there was never meant to be such a problem and trust was something that was earned by someone. ¡°For a second there, I thought you weren¡¯t going to suspect me of all people,¡± a voice came from the speakers that had been raised up at the corners of the field. ¡°I called you just moments ago and you still sounded like you were my friend. Do you mean to tell me that you realised in that short time?¡± It was Kyle¡¯s voice. ¡°Don¡¯t bother talking back because I won¡¯t be able to hear you. I know, however, that you can hear me loud and clear. It was nice while itsted. You¡¯re a formidable opponent and it would be foolish of me to stay in this wretched town any longer. How does it feel to know that you lost? To know that from the moment you set foot in Brigade High School, you¡¯ve done nothing, but talk to your direct enemy. It was I who ordered the attack on the collection of people that Shaemus was so kind to collect for us. That idiot did such a terrible job that he didn¡¯t get enough of the junior hunters to lower their guard. I underestimated how much control you had over them. Nheless, it¡¯s been fun, Katie Chase.¡± Chapter 54 Chapter 54: Chapter Fifty Four ¡°Cole, how far can your ears pick sound if you focus?¡± Katie turned to Cole without sparing a second. She had finally stopped her rushed actions and looked to be in deep thought over what was going on. Cole was slower on the uptake. He had been able to recognize the voice on the speakers to be someone that he knew... soon enough, he was able to recognize it to be the boy who sometimes walked with Katie, the name, however, cameter than he¡¯d hoped. Kyle was like a shadow to him as of the three boys, he did not talk to Cole at all and the two had developed an awkward rtionship that was restricted to greetings and nods. ¡°At this time, there is nothing I can¡¯t pick up on school grounds and a little into the forest,¡± he replied, perking up his ears to try and pick up the sound. A half transformation had them getting longer and pointed, allowing him to borrow the added range of hearing that werewolves had in their wolf forms without having to fully shift. ¡°And there is no one in the area, huh. Figures, I guess he¡¯s talking through the speakers through a wireless connection that he established. What a pain! A rogue that had an education... Odd,¡± she said. ¡°No, the school is empty. Hold on,¡± Cole closed his eyes and focused, even more, waiting for that moment of silence. There was a bit of too much silence though. He managed to block his own heartbeat from the assortment of sounds that came into his ears. However, he found that he had to search for the second heartbeat that was of the person next to him. Katie¡¯s heartbeat, if only for a moment, seemed non-existent. After waiting for nearly a second, a heavy beat sounded from her chest going dead-silent in the next moment and staying that way for what felt like three seconds. The rest of the sounds did not cause any rm to go off in his mind. Nature was undisturbed in the entire school and the immediate forest that surrounded parts of it that weren¡¯t the road leading back into town, ¡°All I can hear is your heartbeat slowing down incredibly and nothing else. Are you fine?¡± ¡°Yes, I did that to reduce the distractions so that you could focus on something else. Didn¡¯t it help?¡± she asked as though what she had just said meant nothing at all. ¡°That¡¯s creepy. It¡¯s more of a distraction than a normal heartbeat that I can iste,¡± he retorted. ..... ¡°Oh sorry, didn¡¯t think of it that way. That rocket would have been fun to see,¡± she said, rubbing her temples. ¡°Oh, yeah, though it doesn¡¯t look like a rocket project. More like something educational to show how much information on space that has been gathered by the student presenting it. There is nothing impressive though. Most of it just looks like those boring lessons of the sr system that I was forced to sit through in school,¡± he groaned, looking at the poster. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. I wonder what trigger was used to know that we¡¯d reached this ce,¡± Katie mused, ¡°Wait, you paid attention in your science ss?¡± ¡°What are you trying to insinuate by that?¡± he asked, ¡°Of course, I pay attention in science ss. Werewolves also have dreams beyond the pack, you know.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very hard to imagine. With all the biology going on in those bodies, not to mention a certain goddess who¡¯s constantly watching, I find it so hard for the ¡°You¡¯ve been irritable today. Did my disy displease you that much?¡± Katie asked. She¡¯d been nning on keeping that to herself, but it was bing excessive. ¡°No, it¡¯s not you. It has nothing to do with you,¡± Cole began to walk heading for the exit, calling for Katie to walk with him with a nod. ¡°Earlier, after you left the Hunter¡¯s Agency, something else happened.¡± ¡°You caught that scent again?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Yes, I did. And this time someone stopped me from following it, someone who I didn¡¯t expect to do so. It all didn¡¯t make sense at all. It¡¯s been bothering me ever since. I was told that the next I was to catch that scent, I¡¯d find her. I don¡¯t think I should be talking to you about someone else though. It¡¯s quite weird...¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine... if it helps you feel better, then go for it. Consider me a therapist,¡± she joked. ¡°Okay, Dr Chase... I¡¯ve chased her down a lot that I feel like I don¡¯t want to find her anymore. It¡¯s irritating,¡± he huffed. ¡°Oh my... that bad, huh... Did they also tell you that you will find them sooner than you might expect,¡± she told him seeking his eyes. ¡°Yeah, I was told... wait, how would you know that?¡± it was Cole¡¯s turn to get suspicious. ¡°Just a hunch... I¡¯m still shocked that my best friend turned out to be Ash¡¯s killer,¡± Katie said lightly. Silence took over them when she said that. She had to look back when she noticed he was standing still. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Kyle, my best friend, always has his head in books...¡± she repeated. ¡°He¡¯s a human. How am I supposed to believe that?¡± Cole raised his voice. He had his hand balled into a fist. ¡®Oh, I mentioned Ash. I guess that realisation hadn¡¯t gotten to him yet.¡¯ ¡°So, you hadn¡¯t realised it... that the person I was hunting this whole time was Ash¡¯s killer or did you think I was simply looking for one more rogue,¡± she asked. ¡°I know what you were hunting, but how did you turn on your best friend so quickly?¡± he said, ¡°You sound so sure that he¡¯s the killer almost as if it¡¯s obvious.¡± ¡®Cole, your words, they arouse so much anger in me. Why do you have to make it look like that?¡¯ Katie felt like telling the Royal before her. His eyes shone a brilliant bright blue; his face was one of rage. Mixed emotions were clear in them as he looked at her. He was confused, angry, bewildered, murderous and yet hesitant, all this he showed on his face clearly. Katie walked up to the Royal until they were too close forfort. ¡°The difference between the two of us is a small one hidden behind our ability to conceal our emotions. If I was like you, Kyle would be on the brink of death by now, but I can¡¯t rush to that conclusion just yet. He was my best friend,¡± she said. ¡°How are you so calm about this? Ash is noting back and you know who killed him. Why do you stay so calm like you didn¡¯t just find out very important information?¡± he said. Katie put her hand around Cole¡¯s neck and brought him down so that she could listen to her more clearly, ¡°Want to know something? Rogues are afraid of me,¡± she said. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to...¡± ¡°The only way Kyle would have the courage to do what he did and admit he was the killer was if he had already gotten far away and was safe in a hidden location. If he was still in Brigadia, I¡¯d know it... in my gut. Kyle Dwyer is miles away from here...¡± she said, letting go of him and walking on. Cole remained transfixed to the spot. There was no doubt about it, Katie was livid... Cole couldn¡¯t tell how he hadn¡¯t noticed it earlier, her heartbeat itself was unstable as it kept speeding up and slowing down... .................................... Miles away from the town of Brigadia, deep in the forest that surrounded the remote town, a forest so thick that one would not think of staying there. The ce was referred to as no man¡¯snd for its uncertainties. In a world like this, forests were used as country and town borders and no one was allowed to venture into forests that were out of towns. It was obvious that rogues could use ces such as these as hideouts and as a result, hunters usually set out expeditions to sweep those parts and make sure there were no rogues within a certain radius from the settlement they were meant to protect. Roads through these parts were built wide to reduce unnecessary idents. The added employment of a hunter helpline for all such highways was another measure that was put in ce to help broken down vehicles in need. Each travelling car was required to have a Hunter phonebook with a list of helplines for all respective highways. The war was clear once one was out of the safe haven of a well-protected town. The Rogue King had the whole world trembling just because of his ruthless force. Deep within the forest, five men sat around a campfire gathering around it for warmth. The night was especially cold and the fire was dwindling in the wind. There was wood, but caution dictated that they would keep the fire minimum to avoid raising suspicion. It would have been easier to simply shift and have their fur act like a nket, but that would increase the range of their scents and even help the wind carry it further. A lot of measures had been put up for these kinds of people that didn¡¯t want to get caught andcked the manpower to fend off an attack. The five men were rogues that had been stationed at this outpost to pick up someone. ¡°Just who is it anyway? The guy we¡¯vee to pick,¡± one of the men asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. He¡¯s still a kid... about to turn eighteen too,¡± another replied. ¡°Wait, so he¡¯s one of those spies that were dispatched into this region seven years ago?¡± the man asked. ¡°Not really, he is more special. He was dispatched nine years ago and has been in hiding ever since. The Rogue king says he¡¯s probably more important than all of us present herebined. To the King, he¡¯s the most important asset that the rogues have...¡± the man said. His voice was rough and he radiated power that dwarfed that of the other four. He was not an ordinary werewolf and was rather... an alpha that had been given power by the Rogue king himself. Chapter 55 Chapter 55: Chapter Fifty Five The men continued to wait in the cold windy weather. A wooden cabin, covered in trees and mud to make it look more like an anthill in the forest housed their supplies and sleeping quarters, along with one other package that they¡¯d been holding as part of the boy¡¯s ns. ¡°Hey, Chad, do you think the package in there willst longer?¡± ¡°Yeah, that one¡¯s resilient... not going anywhere in my opinion. Just don¡¯t let your guard down,¡± the alpha replied. ¡°What I¡¯m wondering is what¡¯s taking that brat so long to get here...¡± ¡°Well, if he¡¯s survived this long in the ce they call the residence of the Rogue killer, then I don¡¯t see what the fuss is all about. He¡¯ll definitely get here,¡± another said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard these rumours about this self-proimed Rogue killer. I don¡¯t think there is a hunter that¡¯s deserving of such a name. Where did ite from?¡± another asked. This man sounded cocky and spoke with a passive tone that undermined the words of hisrade. ¡°So you haven¡¯t heard the stories then. They should have reached you in your camp. I know you were only recently transferred, but haven¡¯t you heard of the Rogue killer yet, Demitri?¡± Chad asked him. ¡°I¡¯ve rumours and folktales of a blur that takes the life of all those that see it and that there is a designated distance from the town that triggers its awakening. I hear of all this, and yet I wonder how that information came to the rogues when there was never a survivor. It all doesn¡¯t sound right to me,¡± Demitri boasted. ¡°Watch your words, Demitri. They might just be yourst. The information, as well as the naming of the Rogue killer, was delivered by the same spy that we are waiting on. He has been able to get the closest look at the Rogue killer. Rumour has it that he was so good at keeping his cover that he was even able to speak to the abomination without being discovered. We all know of the sharp instincts that hunters possess. What I want to know is how that boy got past those defences and stayed safe for nine years without being detected,¡± Chad said. ..... ¡°You all epted the rumours from a spy who doesn¡¯t know how to get his stories right. What a bunch of wimps! I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever let myself get taken out by a hunter if I was on a stealth mission. From what I heard, the Chase family is the only family with sharp enough instincts to detect a person on such a mission and even so, many have been known to sneak past them. My skills lie in that category. I just don¡¯t see what the fuss is about,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe when the boy gets here, you will hear the story directly from him,¡± Chad said. ¡°The boy is already here...¡± a rushed voice sounded. The boy copsed immediately he was in sight of the campfire, breathing heavily and dropping his rucksack to the ground. He shivered from the cold and gripped his bag searching for something. ¡°Took you long enough...¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t smell like a werewolf. Were we waiting on a human?¡± Demitri asked. ¡°No, part of why he went past the Rogue killer undetected is because he had his wolf suppressed. All the spies do so in order to blend in with the human poption and gather intel on the werewolves and hunters,¡± Chad said, ordering another to bring something to cover the thin boy. The boy continued to search through his bag until he pulled out an orange bottle. A single rattling sound came from it indicating it contained a single item. The boy threw the bottle to the ground and frantically searched the bag for something else, ¡°Please be in here... I¡¯ll be screwed if you aren¡¯t...¡± ¡°What are you looking for?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for my pills. If that medication wears off, I¡¯ll shift before we even get to the werewolf king,¡± the boy said. ¡°Where did you leave them so that I can get them for you?¡± the boy stopped checking through the bag for a moment, his shivers leaving his body. The rest of the men present had also gone silent on hearing the suggestion. The boy raised his head to meet Demitri¡¯s eyes. ¡°That would be the craziest things I¡¯ve heard all day and trust me, I¡¯ve heard crazy things today,¡± the boy said before realising Demitri was actually serious, ¡°Wait, you¡¯re serious. Do you realise that I don¡¯t have my werewolf abilities, I¡¯m thin as a twig with no athletic abilities and yet I ran here straight from the town at my top speed with no intention of stopping for a rest?¡± ¡°Well, considering you¡¯re as thin as a twig. There is probably no way you could have devised survived if you were discovered,¡± Demitri replied. The boy was amused by the man¡¯s level of arrogance... or was it stupidity? He looked around and noticed the others did not say a word and didn¡¯t look like they were going to say something. That confirmed his suspicions, Demitri did not know what he was talking about and was not going to believe anyone. This time the boy got up and dusted himself... he was finally breathing normally again, though his body had regained a bit of the shivering from the cold. The man that had been sent into the cabin came back with a towel which he ced on the boy¡¯s shoulders to helpbat the weather. The boy walked up to Demitri and looked him straight in the eye, ¡°Have you heard of the Rogue killer?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that it¡¯s a rumour that you¡¯ve made up to keep rogues scared of this ce,¡± Demitri said. The boy remained quiet for a moment before falling to the ground inughter. The restughed along with him although not as loud as he did. Chad remained quiet waiting for the boy to regain hisposure. When it looked as though that was not about to happen, he spoke up. ¡°Kyle, get yourself together and tell the man,¡± he said. ¡°Yes, yes, it was just too hrious...¡± Kyle chuckled before sitting up, cosying up to the fire, ¡°Anyway, since I got into my position as the Head spy of this remote town, I have never been able to give a well-informed description of the Rogue killer because of the way themunications were always time-sensitive. So you will probably be the first person that will be hearing this story in the way that I am going to narrate it,¡± Kyle said. The rest took seats on the ground around the campfire to listen to the tales of the Rogue killer. ¡°This must be good...¡± Demitrimented. ¡°Nine years ago... the Rogue King received intel that something that was of great value had been taken to this vige for safekeeping. I was not given all the details to avoid information from leaking out just in case I was to be discovered as you know how the Rogue king uses his spies. I was, however, the first spy to be sent to this region and was immediately in charge of all the others that were sent here. I watched my target grow and gave constant reports. At first, the Rogue king was reluctant to take action and thought it best to leave the child to grow up and kill them when they least expected it. When security around the child was much easier to get past. However, he never thought she¡¯d be what she is today,¡± he said. ¡°She...¡± Demitri chuckled, ¡°The Rogue killer is a woman... I feel safe already.¡± This seemed to amuse him so much... well, why wouldn¡¯t it? To the rogues, women were considered weak and it was impossible for any of them to attain the level of power that men were capable of and as such, they were treated as breeders. ¡°Will you let me finish the story then? Perhaps you will find it less scary now that the fact of her gender makes you feel so safe and powerful,¡± Kyle replied. ¡°Oh, please go on...¡± It was at that moment that Kyle¡¯s motivation to save this particr rogue diminished and he continued the story, cautiously leaving out parts that would have, without a doubt, scared him witless. ¡°When the Rogue King realised the girl had be more powerful than he anticipated, he sent rogues on stealth missions to snuff her out while she was still young. I would sit in school waiting for the news of rogues found in the forest, but not once did I hear such a thing. There was no proof that the rogue king had gone through with his words... that was until I contacted him on the matter. His answer scared me... He¡¯d been sending parties of rogues and they weren¡¯t returning. It wasn¡¯t making sense where it was that the rogues were vanishing from. Well, that was before I carried out my own investigation. No one... not even the Director of the Hunter agency or her parents themselves knew about it. Well, at first that is. Every single rogue that got in within a mile radius to the town would be killed, by none other than the Rogue killer. By the time we started wondering what was going on, we had lost over fifty rogues at the hands of a single person. It soon became apparent that unless a spy was sent to infiltrate this region, there was no way a rogue could get in.¡± ¡°Well, can I ask something?¡± ¡°Go right ahead,¡± Kyle replied. One of the rogues in their small circle retreated to the cabin and came back with a kettle which he set above the fire using a structure that he¡¯d made from wood to suspend the kettle in the air above the fire by its handle almost like an adaptation of a rotisserie. ¡°Have you ever seen the Rogue killer in action?¡± he was asked. ¡°I thought I wouldn¡¯t get to see it and only continued to report the information I was receiving. That was... until we were ordered to shake things up. The rogue king was getting desperate and wanted the girl dead... the Rogue Killer. I don¡¯t know why... so he asked us to create a diversion and try to throw her off her game. Things got interesting when we tried to use the prisoner to our advantage. I watched each of them get taken down. It was quite futile to send untrained rogues at that age into an attack,¡± he continued. ¡°Nothing you¡¯ve told me is cause for rm... so I¡¯ll ask again, where did you leave your medicine?¡± with that said, Kyle directed Demitri, the rest staying perfectly quiet about this course of action. ¡°If I don¡¯t return by midnight tomorrow, then leave without me,¡± he said before starting his run in human form, his steps barely audible as he did. This already proved how skilled he was as his scent would have been hard for the royals to pick up, but Kyle knew that¡¯s not what would have him caught. It was the same reason why he¡¯d run from that town at top speed and made sure he was miles away before checking on whether she had triggered his trap yet. Chapter 56 Chapter 56: Chapter Fifty Six When he confirmed she had indeed figured him out through the security cameras that he had hacked in the school, it was clear to him that for as long as he was close to Brigadia, he was a dead man and this urged him to run without stopping regardless of his terrible athletic abilities. He¡¯d stumbled and fallen a number of times and the sweating had drained his body of the drug that suppressed his wolf. This was causing his eyes to flicker between yellow and brown. However, this also gave him a bit of werewolf strength to finish his run. After copsing at the camp, his wolf had also gotten exhausted and stopped bothering him on trying toe out. They watched theirrade leave the camp and stayed quiet for a while so that he would put some distance between them, ¡°When are we leaving? If it¡¯s even tonight, I have no objections.¡± Kyle stunned the rest with his words. ¡°Were you nning to drive him to his death this whole time? Demitri is really skilled, you know. He was transferred into this unit for that very purpose,¡± Chad spoke. Kyle stared at the alpha with an astounding look written all over his face. If it wasn¡¯t for the bright red eyes that stared back at him, he probably would have overstepped and acted like the boss. ¡°I have a bad feeling about waiting for him. Katie Chase is not someone I want to mess with. I was only under her radar because I managed to be her friend before she had a chance to suspect me. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve survived this long, but if she gets wind that I am still less than ten miles from her, nothing will stop her from finding me,¡± Kyle tried. ¡°You sound delusional, boy wonder. There is no way that¡¯s going to happen. But why didn¡¯t you mention earlier that the Rogue Killer belonged to the Chase family... and that name?¡± Chad asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know if she belongs to the Chase family because she refers to them as her guardians, but she also doesn¡¯t know why that¡¯s the way it should be,¡± Kyle replied. Chad and the others shifted ufortably, thoughtful expressions on their faces, ¡°It can¡¯t be... Is it too much of a coincidence? Does she possess a Prometheus gift?¡± he asked. ..... ¡°Yes, she does,¡± Kyle replied. ¡°Why is the Rogue King interested in a hunter that young from the Chase family?¡± Chad was not happy with this turn of events. The fact that Kyle had left out these points was only because he was testing how hard-headed Demitri was and now he¡¯d sent himself to his death with no knowledge of how dangerous the enemy was. Although, it was hard to think that a hunter could be as dangerous as Kyle proimed her to be. Chad himself was having trouble believing the child¡¯s tales. Memories of the times that he¡¯d spent with Katie ran through his mind confusing his priorities. Kyle was never able to see Katie fighting because she always made sure he was safe and away from the fighting. Her senses were too sharp for him to risk a stealth mission either. He wasn¡¯t very talented in anything other than his art of deceit. Killing Ash was the only dirty work that he¡¯d ever been forced to go through, but that was just about it. His ideals as a rogue remained unchanged, however. And just as every rogue shared in the desire to end the human race, so did he. His cunning ways had kept him alive since he¡¯d been dispatched as a spy in this region. ¡°There are some things that are reserved for the Rogue king himself. Making a decision based on his knowledge when it has leaked into his ranks could prove dangerous. Alphas have the desire to make such decisions and it makes it difficult if he has to deal with something like that,¡± Kyle exined his reasons for keeping silent when he was asked to ry more information on the Rogue killer and his findings while he was in Brigadia. ¡°Well then, that settles that. You seem confident in the abilities of the Rogue killer. Nheless, the least we can do is trust a dead man¡¯sst wish and wait for him till the time we spoke of before leaving,¡± Chad spoke up. ¡°Such noble ways for a rogue... Did the ruffian ways of the rogues dull while I was on my mission?¡± he asked. ¡°No, they did not. Everyone¡¯s still as boisterous as ever. You might want to work on those muscles if you are to survive in there. If it wasn¡¯t for your special standing with the Rogue King, you¡¯d be scraping the barrels at the end of meals just to get something to eat,¡± Chad chuckled. ¡°May I have your name at least?¡± Kyle asked. ¡°Chad... and that¡¯s all you need to know. As for the name, Kyle Dwyer, there is not a soul among the rogues that doesn¡¯t know it. Your tales of the Rogue killer have made you quite famous,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to hear that. Although it doesn¡¯t feel that way when it¡¯s possible for me to find a dimwit like the one who just ran towards his death,¡± Kyle rubbed his temples. He¡¯d done his best to make the stories believable and yet still keep the full extent of the Rogue killers ferocity, ¡°I guess information loses integrity when it¡¯s passed through many channels. Seeing as he was from a unit that¡¯s not too familiar with this ce, he must have heard stories that sounded far-fetched and even joked about it with his friends over a beer.¡± After a moment of silence, the kettle began to his and the rogue that had set it up got to serving the tea. He added herbs and different ingredients to it that he¡¯d found in the cabin. A closer look at the man¡¯s face told Kyle everything that he needed to know about his behaviour. His cheeks were full and his body was more of fat than it was muscled. His arms were built with the muscle showing through undoubtedly, but his stomach stuck out loosely. This was usually how one could tell that the rogue was a chef. Even with their talents in the kitchen, they were still required to be strong such that they weren¡¯t a liability during missions such as this one. Kyle received the warm cup from the man and marvelled at how nice the tea smelt. He wasn¡¯t good in the kitchen and so took the time to appreciate the explosive sweetness that erupted in his mouth when he sipped the cup. ¡°Mario there is one of the best of them chefs... The Rogue king had hime with us so that he could give you five-star meals on your way to the hideout. Honestly, the man treats the spies like nobility,¡± Chad huffed. ¡°I¡¯ll enjoy these privileges while theyst...¡± Kyle said. ¡°What makes you think they¡¯ll go away?¡± Chad asked him bewildered by the boy¡¯s sudden choice of words. He spoke as though he was going to die. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I thought of that. Living the life of a spy pretending to be the best friend of that... monster wasn¡¯t as easy as it sounds. I thought I¡¯d die the moment I was discovered,¡± Kyle did not want to say it at the moment, but as he told the others this half-baked excuse, his mind continued to warn him of danger that was to lie ahead, was the Rogue killer to find out where they were. .......... Demitri ran through the forest at his top speed, keeping his feet skilfully trekking the quietest spots on the ground. Training in the art of stealth allowed one to run at their fastest and still allow them to produce barely a whisper of sound. Thoughts of the way the boy would speak did not leave his mind. He¡¯d been directed to a house near the outskirts of the town that was apparently the only one without the anti-werewolf mechanisms turned on. That way, he would be able to get in without a problem. ¡®Those guys better just wait and see. They¡¯ll soon realise just how weak they¡¯ve allowed their stealth teams on this side of the world to get. Even for pro hunters, that many stealth teams would be impossible to defeat without having a problem, ¡®The nerve on that boy... Making up such stories as though he thinks the rest of us will follow blindly. What is he trying to hide? Could it merely be that he failed at his task and wants a way to keep more of the rogues from investigating this ce? What if he¡¯s getting closer to cracking the...¡¯ something hit his nostrils as he ran through the night bringing his thoughts to a stop. ¡®Royals, many of them... what are Royals doing here? And why the hell so many?¡¯ he brought his run to a halt and sniffed the air some more. This was so that he could try and figure out how many he was talking about, but the scents were too mixed up for him to distinguish between all of them. ¡®All the more reason to stay in my human form... shifting would cause so much trouble for me,¡¯ he thought as he continued on his way as predicted by his instructions. ¡®One mile to the town... This is when the so-called Rogue killer was supposed to show up and...¡¯ ¡°Would you happen to know Kyle?¡± a feminine voice interrupted his thoughts driving his heart into overdrive. For a moment, all Demitri could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat. He hadn¡¯t been able to pick up on the scent of the person that had found him. He could tell that the voice was directed to him despite how dark it was. There was no doubt that this person was talking to him. The voice was filled with so much malice that it shook him to his core. His resolve was starting to crumble as he realised that there was no reason for a civilian to be wandering out in the woods at night. He had not yet even reached the routes that he expected the hunters on patrol to be using. This person was too far from the city and had found him as though they had even nned to meet in this very ce. ¡®How long was she watching me?¡¯ was all he could ask himself as he finally met the murderous eyes of the fabled Rogue killer. Chapter 57 Chapter 57: Chapter One Hundred Fifty Seven Katie had let Cole escort her once they were done with the school. They walked on in silence, thoughts running through Cole¡¯s mind while he thought about the new arrivals at the hotel. Katie must have picked up on his difort and poked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯ve been on edge for quite some time now,¡± he said. ¡°Just remembering what I have to deal with back at the hotel. Anything to dy my arrival there,¡± he said. When the others had joined him at the hotel, he¡¯d discussed the matter of there being Royals in the same hotel as they were. As of right now, they were toy low and not cause any rm as they did not know the reason for the presence of the Sirius family. His curiosity eventually got the better of him, ¡°Hey, have you heard of Royals in town?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t... Are there any Royals in town that I don¡¯t know of?¡± she asked. ¡°I was under the impression you would be able to detect them with your weird mojo...¡± Cole said, waving his arms around to emphasize his point. Katie rolled her eyes over his foolishness. ¡°That¡¯s not what it is... I don¡¯t know why the Chase family doesn¡¯t simply teach this, but apparently, it¡¯s frowned upon because of how far-fetched it sounds. Anyway, it¡¯s just a gut feeling that every...¡± ¡°You can spare me the lecture. I know about that. I learnt it from the branch of the Chase family that serves the Lycaon family. They told me all about it, but when I carried out my own research and tried to find out more about it, they revealed that there was nothing I could do about it since that ability is drained out of a werewolf or simply because Prometheus doesn¡¯t aid werewolves as much as he does humans,¡± he said. ¡°Talk about the gods really gives me chills,¡± Katie said. ..... ¡°I was under the impression you weren¡¯t afraid of anything,¡± Cole teased. They were finally reaching the house that they walked up to just the day before. Katie could tell there was something wrong with the werewolf, but she decided to avoid poking any harder than she¡¯d already tried. If anything, the one thing she could rte him to was someone who was trying his best to be patient about something and if she was right, he only needed to wait one more day... ¡°The gods are something else entirely... To think that this entire war was a result of one of their disputes is proof of that. The moon goddess plunged the human race into the...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t speak like that of the moon goddess. She is the guardian deity of the werewolves. I would not have you sully her name so lightly,¡± Cole spat. Katie was taken aback by the sudden outburst. If anyone, he was the one person that shouldn¡¯t have minded talking that way of the moon goddess and yet he defended her. This behaviour amused and yet pleased her at the same time. ¡°Does that mean you have nothing against her?¡± she asked him, seeking his gaze. They had reached the driveway that led to her house as their argument dragged on. ¡°I have nothing against her indeed. She¡¯s not perfect, but she¡¯s done a lot to try and make up for it,¡± he defended. ¡°Is the attack on the Sirius Royal family part of what she has done to make up for all this? The moon goddess has the ability tomunicate with werewolves at will. Unlike Prometheus who doesn¡¯t share the liberties ofmunicating with humans, Celeste has the...¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Katie... What are you trying to achieve here? My thoughts on the moon goddess will remain unchanged regardless of what you say about her. Besides, even as you say all that and continue to point out all her faults, I do not detect any malice behind your words. Only sadness... Is there something you would like to share... or is it something you also can¡¯t tell me right now and I should be patient?¡± the question was a direct attack. Just like the day before, he probed into information that she had no wishes of telling him. ¡°What¡¯s the harm in telling you?¡± she said, this time to herself, ¡°This question I¡¯ve asked myself over and over again. What¡¯s the harm in telling you, but everyone involved tells me not to. And that you must know at the right time. I don¡¯t know what the endgame is or what they are trying to do...¡± Katie fell silent, having let her emotions spill enough, her mind quickly curbed her irrational dialogue and forced her to shut up. She kept her gaze to the ground while she spoke, ¡°Good night, Cole. Trust me when I tell you that you will find out when the time is right, but for now, there is nothing I can tell you...¡± With that said, she walked up the driveway, with no n of looking back to see what was going on with the face of the Royal. Cole watched her walk up to the front porch, trying to decipher the ramblings she¡¯d let slip if only for a moment. He knew now that she wasn¡¯t the reason the information couldn¡¯t be ryed to him, but something else was bothering him. He was thinking over whether to reveal it or not. It didn¡¯t feel important at first, but the more distance she put between them, the more he felt like saying it, ¡°The Sirius Royal family is in town and they are staying at my same hotel.¡± Katie froze at the mention of the Sirius Royal family. This was not at all what she¡¯d expected when he told her that some Royals were in town. In fact, she expected him to be talking about the rest of his family. It wasn¡¯t that much of a surprise to have the Sirius family present on the day that their long lost daughter finally got to shift, but that didn¡¯t make it any easier. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to meeting them,¡± she said before opening the door and entering the house. She shut the door silently leaning onto it with her forehead with her eyes closed when she heard the click that signalled the locking of the door. Sighing, she was about to go through what had happened that day, but the room did not feel empty. No, in fact, both her guardians sat by the kitchen counter watching her regain herposure. ¡°Long day, huh,¡± Uncle Tom began having noticed her awareness. ¡°Yeah, long day,¡± she replied. She walked into the kitchen, hugging Aunt Marie and going for the coffeemaker. The one addiction that this house could not get rid of. Once she had taken in a couple of sips, the guardians began their barrage of questions, asking for details on everything that had happened during the investigation. They asked for what she¡¯d been doing the whole day after that andined about how worried about her that they were. She took her time answering each of their questions as she had only one mouth to speak and an audience that she trusted with her life. There was no doubt about it, she loved her guardians unconditionally. After what Cole had told her about the Sirius family that was living in Brigadia, she couldn¡¯t help but watch the smiles on her guardians¡¯ faces more intently almost as if it were thest time. She arrived at the part of the story where she realised Kyle was Ash¡¯s killer and paused to let it sink in. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± ¡°Yes, I am. After I found out, I ran to school to see if he was lying about having set up his project for the Founder¡¯s Festival tomorrow,¡± Katie said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand... How does that have to do with proving he was the one that killed Ash?¡± ¡°When I talked to Chandler, he told me that the perpetrator won¡¯t need to hide from her much longer and yet on my phone call with Kyle, he hinted on having coordinated the project remotely. I spent part of my day checking on missing students and managed to realise that one of them was supposedly working on his project, but when I remembered talking to them, they¡¯d been ying video games the whole day and not working on the rocket instead. One more thing that drove me to that conclusion was the fact trust...¡± she said. ¡°The only way to get under the radar of a Chase hunter,¡± Uncle Tom said, mid-exnation. ¡°Exactly... That helped me realise just how much I was on a wild goose chase. I thought I was missing something when I interrogated the students at the school on that day, but nothing was being misread. All the students were innocent. The one student who wasn¡¯t was also the one I couldn¡¯t suspect just because he was my best friend...¡± ¡°That about sums it up,¡± Aunt Marie said. ¡°By the time I had those many pieces of the puzzle sorted out, it should have been obvious. But Chandler had given me one more clue that would lead me to him. He said the culprit was someone close to me. Someone I wouldn¡¯t seeing and that he¡¯d been here for much longer than I¡¯d realised. At first, I took that to be some kind of twisted game he was ying to try and get a reaction out of me, but it fit within the puzzle nicely. Unfortunately, when I got to the school project, nothing had been set up and there was no sign of the booth was going to be used the next day...¡± she continued to tell them about the recording and everything that happened after that. ¡°Umm, Uncle Tom, where have you been the past few days? Myst memory of you is you torturing me about sleeping with Cole,¡± she said, cursing herself for noticingter than she should have. ¡°Took you long to notice... I feel so loved,¡± the man pouted. ¡°Yes, you are, Uncle... Yes, you are,¡± she replied, raising her cup to him as a toast to how much he was loved. Uncle Tom chuckled at the dismissive behaviour and gave up the tantrum before it got any further, ¡°I have been tending to some new esteemed guests in our small town,¡± he said. ¡°Would it happen to be... the Sirius Royal family?¡± Katie asked, forcing the words out of her mouth. ¡°Who told you about that?¡± ¡°Cole told me... He picked up on their scents earlier when he was at the hotel,¡± she said. ¡°Fair enough...¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I tell Cole who I am?¡± the question came faster than she could stop it. It had been eating away at her for a while and the way they¡¯d reacted to her simply knowing that her biological family was in town did not help her curiosities. Chapter 58 Chapter 58: Chapter Fifty Eight ¡°You allowed him to win your trust quite fast, huh?¡± Aunt Marie raised her brow at the young hunter. ¡°He¡¯s supposed to be my mate. What am I supposed to do rather than let him in... and what if...¡± she was stopped in the middle of her rant. ¡°Katie, you¡¯re getting emotional. Is this an effect of you being off your meds or are you starting to get feelings for Cole?¡± Aunt Marie asked, getting concerned for Katie. ¡°Aren¡¯t Hunters allowed to have emotions as well?¡± Katie whined. It was unusual to see her get emotional after training her whole life to keep everything in. ¡°They are allowed to have emotions, but they aren¡¯t allowed to have outbursts that disy weakness. I thought we¡¯d taught you this. Is there something wrong with the way we taught you the ways of a hunter?¡± Uncle Tom asked. ¡°What about in my own house?¡± ¡°Breathe, Katie... Breath in twice, breathe out consequently. Destroy the images that attempt to crush your mental fortitude. Clear your mind of all negativities. Keep a smile on your face...¡± Aunt Marie recited. Katie did as she was told to try and clear her mind. The one thing she¡¯d always done well is allowing the results of this exercise to get a hold of her. ..... She stayed silent for a while thinking through why she¡¯d allowed her mind to go off like that. ¡°Is there a reason fewer people should know about me?¡± ¡°We realised something years ago... When we told the Sirius family of your whereabouts, it was then that rogues that increasing in number and it was also in that time that you began to grow. After you¡¯d killed your first rogue and began learning to use your Prometheus abilities, you began to do the unthinkable. You began taking care of all the Rogues in the town that the other Hunters just gave up on that activity. Your senses were sharpened and you could detect a werewolf before they even came to the patrol routes. You started to take them down so much that this town could no longer tell the difference from the time when it was just a remote town to the time when we arrived and started causing trouble for it,¡± Uncle Tom tried exining. ¡°I know the story of how I earned the title, Rogue killer, but there haven¡¯t been rogue attacks in a while now,¡± Katie said, ¡°or my senses must be getting dull.¡± ¡°That¡¯s beside the point... What we realised at the rogues wereing here to this remote town for a purpose and they had only started showing up after we had informed the Sirius family of our whereabouts. We couldn¡¯t do anything about that and so the Hunter¡¯s Agency decided to help us protect you. You grew up well and surpassed so many of the professionals. It¡¯s still scary even for me who¡¯s seen it all these years and watched it happen,¡± he said, ¡°Anyway, there was no way of knowing who in the entire court of the Sirius family had caused the leak of this information to the rogues. That¡¯s how we came to realise that the moon goddess herself must have had the same thing in mind when she set up the secret transportation of that newborn.¡± ¡°Wait, so you¡¯re saying the moon goddess knew this as well?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah, I wish you¡¯d known of these suspicions so that you could have asked her,¡± Aunt Marie said. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We have all the information we need to confirm that hunch. Who can you trust among the Royal family as well,¡± Katie asked. ¡°After trusting the Royals in the mission to rectify the errors that weremitted by their ancestors, they lie below our radar of people we cannot clearly use our instincts on. It would be hard for us to find out who the traitor amongst them was,¡± Aunt Marie picked up from there, ¡°We are sailing blind. We can¡¯t tell them of our hunch and yet, we can¡¯t do anything to unmask the viin. using a member of the Royal family of such treason would bring about an uproar. The Chase family name would be stained and there would be yet another disastrous dispute.¡± ¡°I guess I understand where you¡¯reing from. However, it¡¯s unsettling... It doesn¡¯t answer my question clearly, why can¡¯t I tell Cole?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but if Cole were to somehow know something about this and the information got to the Rogue king even without his intention, there would be a target on your head,¡± Aunt Marie said. ¡°Then what happens when I shift? Will no one know about my heritage then? Will you be able...¡± ¡°You can stop there. When you shift, we will have no trouble telling the world who you are. At that point, only a fool would dare go after the Rogue Killer with her reputation and face her knowing she was a Royal that possessed both Prometheus gift,¡± Uncle Tom said, a smirk forming on his face. He couldn¡¯t look any prouder than he did at the moment. ¡°Then why does it feel like war is upon us?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Tomorrow must be an entertaining day... Don¡¯t forget, you might be very powerful, but your union with Prince Cole means the rogues will no longer be able to multiply in number. Your very existence, dangerous or not, means the end of rogues...¡± this was a valid point. And as he said it, Katie was sure of what she wanted to say to him next. After what she¡¯d felt when she¡¯d stared Chandler straight in the face. Hisughter when he felt so happy about having had Ash killed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll kill all rogues... None of them will be left,¡± Katie said, passing her convictions on to her guardians. Aunt Marie smiled at the young girl, ¡®The look in your eye... Keep that fire burning. You¡¯ll need it to achieve this. You might have enough lives on your hands, but it¡¯s nothingpared to what you¡¯ve just said,¡¯ the woman thought this while she watched her adoptive daughter continue to talk to her husband about the moon goddess. ¡®What colour was her dress? Did she touch the ground? Was her skin really so wless? What did her voice sound like?¡¯ these were the questions that Uncle Tom asked along with any others. Some of them should have been inappropriate in the presence of his wife, but once he flew off the handle in his addictions, there was no stopping him. Tom¡¯s fascination with the gods ruled his actions a lot and this was right where he wanted to be at the moment. Katie described the goddess with utmost detail so as to indulge him while at the same time, she spoke of the moon goddess lightly that one would think they were childhood friends. Aunt Marie got back into the kitchen and got to work with preparing dinner. ¡°How bad was it? The pain of shifting,¡± Aunt Marie asked once it looked like her husband was about to finish the conversation and was out of questions. ¡°The drugs were making it worse than it was supposed to be... suppressing a wolf that was only doing its best toe out. It was like I was being crushed from both the inside and out,¡± she said. ¡°Do you think you would have...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. If she hadn¡¯t shown up, I don¡¯t know what would have happened. I still have aches from the experience,¡± Katie exined. ¡°So, if I have this right, you won¡¯t be needing the pills until our designated time tomorrow,¡± Aunt Marie said, just to make sure she hadn¡¯t misheard anything. She finally finished her cooking and started serving the family at the counter. None of them seemed to be in the mood to haul themselves all the way to the dining table, which was... right next to them... ¡°No, I won¡¯t need the pills until then. What are you guys going to be doing in the meantime?¡± she asked. ¡°Oh, I had forgotten... Tomorrow before themencing of the Founder¡¯s ceremony, you will be required to give a speech thatmences the event as the head of security... and yes, you¡¯ve been elected as Chief of security of this event. Don¡¯t get carried away,¡± Aunt Marie quickly curbed the girl¡¯s excitement. ¡°You¡¯re no fun...¡± she pouted before digging into the food. ¡°Honestly, why can¡¯t you be like any other normal teenager that likes doing things that will inevitably get them in trouble?¡± the woman rubbed her temples, information of how much her daughter was going to have to deal with going through her mind. ¡°If I was a normal teenager, you would have a handful of things to deal with. I would be one of those kids that has their hands in a project with the hopes of earning a schrship from one of the big people that will be here tomorrow,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. Although this year, we might just have fewer people than we didst year because of what happened. News travels fast... many people know of the rogue attack and when you add the boy that was murdered on school grounds. It¡¯s no longer considered the safest school in the world because of that reason and it¡¯s impossible for a school to get back up in those rankings... Chapter 59 Chapter 59: Chapter Fifty Nine Lina Sirius sat in the living room catching up on thetest survival series starring Jack Boggle, a boy who¡¯d supposedly turned down the opportunity to be a hunter at thest minute just so that he could follow his dreams to be a star. The man, now age twenty-seven was part of a television show that had him venture into the wild. the parts of the world that were considered neutral territory and were restricted camping grounds. Humans weren¡¯t allowed in those regions without a license and this was the movie actor¡¯s ying field. The show was now reaching airing the first episode of the third season and Lina Sirius was not going to miss one second. She sat with her eyes glued to the television in the living room, her dress code once again something to frown upon. She cosied up into the sofa, pulling the thin sheets she had wrapped herself in for warmth while watching the opening theme of the show. Footsteps reached her ears along with the scent of her beloved older brother whom she ignored. Drake walked up to the table making sure to stay out of his sister¡¯s line of sight and picked up the remote to turn the screen off. ¡°Turn it back on, Drake,¡± a seething Lina spoke, taking her eyes off the screen to acknowledge her brother¡¯s irritating presence, well it was irritating at that moment. ¡°Dad has summoned the family for a talk. They will being from their room real soon,¡± he said. ¡°Oh, well, in that case, turn it back on so that I can watch until they get here,¡± she pleaded. Irritating as it might have been, going against Drake was just a dream of hers. There was no way she would have gotten the remote from him if she¡¯d decided to get violent. The only Royal in their generation that posed a challenge to Drake was Cole Lycaon, sole pride and joy of the Lycaon family. The boy was younger than Drake, but he could stand his ground against him. ¡°I recognise that man¡¯s hair anywhere. When you start watching his show, there is nothing that can take you off without you throwing a tantrum. We¡¯ll record the show for you so that you can watch itter, but I advise you not to go down that road,¡± he tried reasoning. ..... ¡°Fine then... Record the damn thing... I was looking forward to watching that thing in real time,¡± she sulked in her seat. ¡°Are you really nning to dress like that here as you do back home?¡± Drake asked. ¡°Only within the suite, but you say it like we are going to be having constant visitors...¡± this wasn¡¯t the second time she was being cautioned on dress code in this ce. No one ever cared when she was back at the Sirius pce. ¡°Yeah, we will be having visitors often. Mainly hunters... I also know that there is a Royal from the Lycaon family living on the suite right below us. He has two alphas with him as well... unmated alphas,¡± Drake emphasized thest point. ¡°Why are you worried about me? I¡¯m a royal. I wouldn¡¯t let an ordinary alpha get the better of me,¡± Linained though while she did so, she knew that her brother had a point. When it came tobat and physical strength, Lina Sirius was not a formidable opponent which she made up for in speed and endurance. ¡°I¡¯m just looking out for you little sister. Better safe than sorry...¡± ¡°Let me guess... The upants of the lower suite are Cole Lycaon and his two sidekicks, Jason and Caden...¡± she said. ¡°Yes, that is true... I personally have nothing against Caden, but Jason has a loose tongue and that doesn¡¯t say well to how he might conduct himself if we meet him with you dressed like that,¡± he said. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll change my dress code, starting tomorrow,¡± she said, thrusting her hands into the air, ¡°You happy now?¡± ¡°Not happy, relieved... You¡¯ve had me worried,¡± he said. ¡°Unbelievable... Can¡¯t a girl have some peace? Where are the parents you promised me?¡± she yelled before the sound of the elevator opening shut her up. ¡°Who else ising in here after the hunters we had earlier?¡± Lina asked, getting up from her seat. Walking towards the elevator door, they found King Davin standing in front of it waiting for it to open. Something was not right... the king wasn¡¯t dressed in shy clothes like he normally did when he was getting out. Instead, he stood leaning against the wall in a pair of shorts... shirtless. He radiated more aggressive energy than he normally did... He hadn¡¯t called the elevator up, someone wasing through it. Queen Martha was thest to arrive as they watched the numbers counting up to their floor. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The elevator door finally began to slide open as though on cue... The scent that seeped out got all of them on high alert... Cole Lycaon stood on the other side of the doors with his two ¡®sidekicks¡¯ on both sides of him. ¡°Long time no see... King Drake...¡± Martha stopped midstep when he noticed Cole was not his usual calm self. He wasn¡¯t here for chitchat... ¡°Long time, boy... If I remember correctly, it was at the Royal games where our familiespeted against each other to capture the g... That day was one to remember...¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Straight to the point I see... I would ask you the same exact thing,¡± Davin said. ¡°My father sent me here because he thought it had the safest school in the world. Something has got him worried that I might still be targeted by the Rogue King. How wrong he was?¡± he said. Lina had to be caught by Drake and restrained when she heard the insult to her sister¡¯s efforts. They all knew Cole was unaware of the true reason that they were here and that he was not to find out until the time was right... Queen Martha ryed instructions to them as she was the only one that the Chase hunters could trust amongst the Sirius Royal family. As a result, she had asked that her family follow her orders without questions to keep the integrity of their family. This had the king immediately figuring out that there was a mole either at the castle or within the families themselves and he¡¯d allowed the Queen to take her cautionary measures without excluding him from the bracket of suspects... ¡°I see Lina has grown up... Long time, little one,¡± Cole spoke... ¡°You¡¯re not that much older than me, Cole. Now what brings you to our suite with an air of violence?¡± she spat the question. ¡°Oh, so you noticed... Forgive my foul mood, I don¡¯t mean to cause much trouble, but I also have no desire to smile either. I¡¯ll probably wake up different...¡± ¡°You sound like someone who is about to surrender to something,¡± King Davin spoke, striking while the iron was hot... Cole lunged for the King his fangs drawn-out... King Davin kept calm as the boy lunged forward, skilfully evading him and pinning him in under a minute. The two alphas remained at the door, silently watching their alpha being restrained. They noticed his foul mood for the entirety of the day, but had no idea what to do about it, ¡°Let me go...¡± ¡°Will she want to see you like this?¡± Davin asked. Cole stopped his struggle immediately. Looking at the King through his side vision. There was no doubt in his mind that King Davin knew everything that troubled him from the statements he was using. ¡°What would you know?¡± he spat. ¡°I would know this... it¡¯s not long before your wait is over and that it won¡¯t enjoy it as much if you¡¯ve given up the way I see you are about to...¡± he said. ¡°Stop being cryptic and just tell me...¡± he yelled at him. ¡°There is a mole in the families, Cole...¡± this information had the entire room gasping, ¡°We don¡¯t know who it is... we don¡¯t want to point fingers. We don¡¯t want to cause any trouble that might damage the peace we¡¯ve built with the humans for all this time. They are afraid of us. There has been an attack on the safest school by rogues who¡¯ve been discovered to be fellow students. Hearing information about someone working with the rogues from within the Royal family will decimate everything we¡¯ve worked for. As a result, information of high sensitivity is to be kept until it¡¯s no longer consequential... Patience, Lycaon... You don¡¯t have long to wait...¡± ¡°Straight to the point I see...¡± Cole replied. ¡°If someone had at least said that much, you would never have seen me in this state, but even she didn¡¯t say anything...¡± ¡°Who... Do you mean the moon goddess?¡± Martha asked, surprised. ¡°Would you get off me first, your majesty? I¡¯m fine now,¡± Cole said. His two alphas let out a breath that they didn¡¯t realise they were holding while Drake let go of his sister. ¡°You¡¯ve really grown, Lina. You no longer look like the child you were,¡± Caden said, snapping the room into silence. He looked around to see everyone narrowing their eyes at him. Jason, however, was walking to his alpha to help him up. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something we¡¯d expect from...¡± ¡°Jason,¡± Cole finished the statement. ¡°Exactly... It¡¯s like you guys have switched roles. Jason, have you found your mate yet?¡± Martha asked. Jason rubbed his hand through his hair while he thought through the answer, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Something feels different, but I can¡¯t tell...¡± ¡°Could it be...¡± the king asked his wife. ¡°It could be, but issues like that can be frustrating if not handled with patience... Wait a bit longer Jason,¡± she said. Jason gave a small bow before getting back to what Cole was saying. ¡°Yes, it was the moon goddess. She dropped during the day to stop me from reaching her. The scent appears and vanishes a lot... it¡¯s frustrating,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s get something clear... We trust you as Cole Lycaon. Do not tell anyone other than those in this room about anything you¡¯ve heard. There is a mole who¡¯s either part of the Royal family or tends to them. I trust anyone with blue eyes that know what the Royals have been through in maintaining this period of peace. It falls upon you to keep your subordinates on a short leash,¡± Davin said. ¡°I understand... I¡¯m sorry for the way I barged in... I¡¯ll start over and greet you all properly,¡± he took the time to greet each of them individually like he would his own family, for they were... in a sense, family. However, while he did this, something else barged into their nostrils... the foul smell of a werewolf that did not belong to a pack under the Royal families. The smell was irritating to the nose of a wolf that was not part of the group of ruffians that had made enemies with the entire world, rogues... ¡°Everyone, stay calm. There is a protocol for this kind of situation. Do not forget that you are not home right now and as you might be Royals, must still refrain from taking the situation into your own hands.¡± ¡°Then what do you propose we do, O calm and collected?¡± Cole asked. The King retrieved his phone and began to dial a number. ¡°The hunters are more than capable of handling this,¡± he said before a voice came from the other side of the phone call... Chapter 60 Chapter 60: Chapter Sixty Katiey in her bed tossing and turning ufortably. The images of the day refused to leave her mind. The moon goddess¡¯ appearance, finding out Kyle was a werewolf and not to mention, a rogue that was responsible for killing Ash. Ash had been a girl who had finally found a way out of the clutches of the rogues only to have her life taken away from her. ¡®When I find you, Kyle, you will have a lot of suffering ahead of you,¡¯ she screamed in her thoughts. Katie walked out of her bed and got into the shower to soak and wash off for a bit. There was an easier way to get rid of the thoughts that gued her mind, but a dip in the bathtub seemed appealing to her at the moment and that is what she had decided to go with rather than the painstakingly effective methods that hunters used. Sometimes one just got tired of simply shutting down their urges that cruelly. She allowed herself to rx in the tub for a period of twenty minutes while she let her mind exhaust itself with the needless worry. She got out and dried herself off before walking up to her closet, ¡®Honestly, this is not like me... I have to move on... worrying about the past will only let me miss the present and one can never know when a rare opportunity wille by...¡¯ As if on cue, something snapped in her mind. A familiar rush she¡¯d grown very ustomed to in the past. It had been long since she¡¯d had this feeling... Blood rushed through her system draining the drowsiness of the impending sleep from her eyes. ¡®I didn¡¯t think there was still a rogue with the guts to approach this ce... They are getting cocky again.¡¯ A decision for clothing was now made and it barely took her any time at all to dress up and exit the house through the windowunching herself into the night... the moon was high and the air was cool against her skin... The hunt was on and the unfortunate rogue was soon within her sight... .................... Katie¡¯s parents were talking downstairs after having bid their daughter farewell. At first, they¡¯d indulged themselves in idle chitchat that had themughing, but eventually, they had to talk about it... ¡°What do you think will happen after tomorrow?¡± Marie asked her husband. It wasn¡¯t the first time they¡¯d asked each other this question, but the closer her birthday approached, the more the reality of the situation dawned on them. They couldn¡¯t help but specte. ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen. This is new for both of us. Her parents were so eager that they even came here without our knowledge. There is even a possibility that they could have bumped into her, but that¡¯s unlikely, they would have recognised her instantly,¡± he replied before chuckling, ¡°Time flies, honey.¡± ..... ¡°Yeah, feels like we only got her a few days ago... Has it really been eighteen years?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah, it has been eighteen years... I¡¯m d the moon goddess kept her promise,¡± he said. ¡°Oh, which one... the one to keep us young until we didn¡¯t have to take care of her anymore or the part of that promise when it explicitly states that we will lose her,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t speak like that...¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help it... Tomorrow is the day she will most likely be revealed to the rest of the world. There will be no hiding then. We know she can protect herself now and that...¡± she stopped her ranting when something struck a chord within her senses. ¡°A rogue... It¡¯s been a long time since...¡± ¡°Katie...¡± Marie was halfway up the stairs by the time she made the realisation of who else must have sensed the intruder. They rushed upstairs and opened the door to their daughter¡¯s bedroom. The wind blew the curtains in, the ss continuously rattled as it was banged onto the wall repeatedly from the force of the iing stream of cold wind. The girl was long gone... on a hunt as she¡¯d grown ustomed to. ¡°This will do her some good. I just feel sorry for the rogue that decided to show its face here...¡± Tom said. .................. Katie spotted the Rogue running in human form. He was a grown man, unlike the young boys and girls she had been forced to ughter not too long ago. His skills of stealth were astonishing as he zipped through the trees almost noiselessly. He seemed to have a destination in mind as he ran in a rtively straight line. She¡¯d met a number of rogues that knew how to be stealthy and few of them matched this man¡¯s skills. Using the map in her mind, she could tell that this man was headed for Kyle¡¯s house. Kyle always imed his parents were always on business trips and that it was better for them to travel less to reduce their risks of an attack. It was now clear that the house was not actually owned by anyone. He probably paid the rent himself from the money he received from the rogues that sponsored his spying operation. Katie ran in a fashion that matched the man¡¯s steps so that he didn¡¯t notice when she stepped on the ground. With this skill, she could follow him for as long as she wanted. She had a number of things that she wanted to do to him, but the most important objective was to take him alive. In the meantime, while she yed her game of cat and mouse, she observed the man¡¯s features. He was clearly a fighter as his body was covered in scars. He had astonishing endurance as he didn¡¯t break his pace the whole way or even start to sound out of breath. For one to keep such a pace and also stay as quiet as he was, they would have to run and rest the moment they got even the slightest bit tired as continuing would only cause them to lose the advantage of stealth with the noisy heaving. Once they were a mile away from the town, the closest she¡¯d ever let a rogue get to the town, she finally came to the conclusion that this man knew where Kyle was. She could tell because he looked to be headed in the direction of his house. Kyle had probably forgotten something very important there and this man was supposed to retrieve it. There was no telling which direction he¡¯de as it had be clear that rogues never used direct routes to avoid the possibility of hunters retracing the steps. ¡®My top priority is to capture this man alive... even if I have to break every bone in his body,¡¯ she thought before speaking to announce her presence. ¡°Would you happen to know Kyle?¡± she asked him. The man stopped running instantly, allowing Katie to stop as well. She could already tell he was on high alert. His face, if only momentarily, was the epitome of fear. It was amon reaction whenever she found a rogue that was skilled in the art of stealth. ¡°So, I finally meet the one they call the Rogue killer,¡± he said, his voice was hoarse and his ent sounded foreign, each wording out forced and the sybles strained. ¡°What¡¯s with your ent?¡± she asked, amused for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re toying with me, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re that cocky... You¡¯re a freakin¡¯ teenager. I¡¯m not going to be intimidated by a...¡± ¡°h h h, you¡¯ve been more boring than I expected. I wanted you to give me more of a challenge. Take a few turns on the way, notice me and at least try to throw me off course, but for two whole miles, you¡¯ve been running in a straight line at the same obnoxious pace as if there is no one watching you. You seem skilled in moving silently, but when ites to detection, you just suck,¡± she said, making her voice sound like that of a judge in apetition. ¡°What do you n on doing to me?¡± ¡°Oh, you really want to jump to that conclusion? Well, there is really no way out for you in this situation. I initially wanted to get violent with you, but the fear on your face was just too priceless. I lost my motivation when I saw it,¡± she said, smirking as she riled him up. ¡°Is that so? I¡¯ve heard many tales about the rogue killer, but none of them said you were a talker,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re well informed, I¡¯m not... I just wanted to grant you the honour of being the rogue tost the longest amount of time without an injury from me after we meet,¡± she said. ¡°You know how to run your mouth. With how you¡¯ve been keeping up with me, I know there is no way I¡¯ll escape you, so in that case, I¡¯ll just do what I was trained to do...¡± ¡°Oh, and what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Kill you...¡± with that said, the chorus of breaking bones and body metamorphosis began. Katie looked away for the most part of the process. She was feeling in the mood for a good fight to vent her frustrations and this wolf was providing the opportunity. ¡°Are you done yet? Growl when you¡¯re done shifting... we need to get this over with,¡± rushed footsteps reached her ears in time for her to leap away. From the corner of her vision, she saw the wolf continue to lunge at her, its jaws wide open ready to tear whatever flesh it got a hold of. ¡°That¡¯s not fair, you know,¡± she whined before darting out of the wolf¡¯s way at thest minute. The evasion got the wolf angry and prompted him to go faster on his next attacks. After five minutes of what seemed to be futile attempts at trying to get to her, the wolf took the next option... dashing away in the hopes that it could escape her in its wolf form. Katie caught the wolf¡¯s tail in one leap and pulled it back mming it into a nearby tree, ¡°I thought I told you that you can¡¯t escape me. No matter what you do, there is no way out for you.¡± The wolf shook off the dizziness and got up for its next attempt which Katie dly allowed. The wolf circled her baring its fangs before dashing in the opposite direction when Katie least expected it. The hunter sighed and rubbed her forehead, nodding in disappointment, ¡°He¡¯s quite clever to know he¡¯s beat.¡± Demitri ran as fast as he could, thoughts of prayer to whatever god watched over the rogues out there moving through his mind. He had given it his all and the girl was not even out of breath yet. There was nothing he could think of that could work on her. How she could even see clearly in the middle of the night bothered him so much. Was she a pro hunter? From the way she¡¯d tossed him around, she seemed to be a pro hunter, but then he couldn¡¯t tell what Prometheus gift she possessed, he wasn¡¯t light for a werewolf and at the same time, she¡¯d caught him astonishingly fast. There was... His thoughts came to a painful stop when something rammed into his side with a force he could onlypare to that of a train as he imagined it felt when hit by one. The wolf flew into the tree nearby, the painful crunch of cracking bones filling the quiet night. Pain riddled his body and ran through his spine denying him the ability to walk. He panted on the ground, trying to keep himself from moving any more than he needed to. He hadn¡¯t even noticed when he¡¯d been hit or what had hit him. Chapter 61 Chapter 61: Chapter Sixty One Footsteps reached his ears telling him the location of his assant. He lifted his head to meet the face of the same girl that had been toying with him. She was barely winded and looked bored considering the oue of what had just urred. He¡¯d not known what he was getting himself into when he started this self-assigned mission. ¡®I now understand why you couldn¡¯t tell everyone the monstrosity of the Rogue killer. No one would believe you even if you tried exining it. She¡¯s not normal even for a hunter. It makes sense now why Kyle is the most important asset to the Rogue king. He¡¯s the only one with information on this monster and yet I only dyed them.¡¯ At that moment, Demitri nned to get a message to the others on how they were to escape this. He needed to howl loudly... something that was meant to travel miles so that the rest would receive the message to start running. In his state, gathering the energy and the strain to howl was almost impossible to do so. Right when he was about to open his mouth, a hand sped around it, sealing it shut. ¡°Not one sound from you... now I know they aren¡¯t too far yet. I just don¡¯t know where they are or how far and it would take forever... not to mention I wouldn¡¯t find them if they are well hidden. All that¡¯s left is to interrogate you. I hope you enjoy your time in the dungeon... the trick to surviving that ce is to cooperate. Though I doubt you understand the words I¡¯m saying.¡± Katie searched her pockets for her phone and dialled the Director¡¯s number. After waiting for a few seconds, he picked up, ¡°What is it, Chase. You vanished for an entire day,¡± he spoke roughly from the other side, his voice low since it was night. ¡°It¡¯s good to hear your voice as well,¡± she answered him. ¡°Cut to the chase, Chase,¡± he said. She could feel the smirk on the man¡¯s face through the phone as he said it. ¡°I¡¯ve captured a rogue. My best guess is that he was going to retrieve something that Kyle left behind,¡± she said. ¡°Kyle, you mean your nerdy best friend with the good grades?¡± he asked. ..... ¡°Yes, I mean him...¡± ¡°What has he got to do with anything?¡± ¡°He turned out to be the one that Chandler was telling me about. He was the one who killed Ash. When I found out, it was toote. He¡¯d fled from town and was far away,¡± she said. ¡°That gets rid of my sleep. Can you bring the wolf to the Agency or do you have somewhere to be?¡± Anthony asked the girl. ¡°I want to go and check out the house for anything that he might have forgotten there,¡± she told him. ¡°Okay then, just tell me your location and I¡¯ll get the nearest patrols right with you,¡± he said. She ryed her location and only had to wait for the hunters to get there. ¡°You know, you are quite lucky. Kyle is sort of a celebrity right now. One that had invoked the anger of many. For that reason, you might just be able to leave... that¡¯s only if you do the right thing and cooperate. Once again I find myself telling you this and yet I know that there is no chance you would do it,¡± she said, ¡°Are you listening to me?¡± Taking her hand off the muzzle of the wolf, she snatched her hand before he got the chance to bite her, ¡°You know, you make me feel like taking you to the Hunter¡¯s Agency and restraining you myself. With how feisty you are right now, you might even think that by some miracle you will be able to escape the party that¡¯sing for you,¡± she said. It wasn¡¯t long before the sound of footsteps reached their ears. Katie turned to the group that had arrived and stood upright after squeezing the wolf¡¯s mouth shut so much that she damaged its gums. This was an effort to make howling all the more painful without damaging the vocal cords of the werewolf. A werewolf that couldn¡¯t speak was useless to them and so she made it hard for it to speak momentarily instead. ¡°Ah, the Rogue killer is back to her old tricks,¡± one of the hunters said, a tall man who¡¯d worked with the agency for as long as Katie could remember. ¡°Just doing my job, Keh,¡± she replied. ¡°Do you ever get sleep or even tired?¡± ¡°Are youining?¡± she asked. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m worrying. It¡¯s like you patrol through the night as well as during the day. You should get some rest. Nheless, you have managed to keep peace in our town even though there are numerous rogues that are supposed to be attacking it. You¡¯ve put down more than I could count and as a result, the people of Brigadia have even forgotten what it feels like to be in fear of rogues... well, that was until what happened at the school. I thank you for your service, on behalf of the Hunter¡¯s Agency of Brigadia,¡± he said, bowing his head at the end, as long as the others. ¡°You¡¯re wee, Keh. You might want to muzzle this wolf. I damaged most of the bones in his body required from movement, from the legs up to the spine, so you won¡¯t have to worry about him escaping,¡± she said. It was only then that Demitri noticed the numb pain in his legs wasn¡¯t because there was no blood reaching them, but because she¡¯d shattered his bones there as well. He scanned through his memory for a point when she¡¯d gotten time to attack his legs as well, but there was no time that he could think of. The only time that he would not have been able to feel that kind of attack was when he was hit in the side. During that time, she rammed into him and he¡¯d crashed into the tree, during all that time, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed if his leg bones shattered along with the others that were being damaged in that instant, but the memory of her breaking his legs did note through. He looked back at the Rogue killer... ¡®So you have both Prometheus gifts... You¡¯re worse than I thought you were... Just how impossible of a monster are you?¡¯ the question echoed through the wolf¡¯s mind as they hauled it away from there. Keh was stronger than he looked, holding it over his shoulders once they were done muzzling it. Katie began her run to the house that she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be visiting this whole time. Her phone rang while she was running and she checked to see a picture of the Director flexing his muscles in his famous ck leather outfit. The man looked younger than his age and did his best to keep himself looking young. She answered the phone and put it to her ear, ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hey, Katie, I was just... you¡¯re running?¡± ¡°Yes, I am...¡± she answered the man. He was silent for a bit before snapping back to his question. ¡°I was asking for a report on everything that you¡¯ve uncovered in your investigation on the killer of the werewolf in the school,¡± he said. ¡°I did not want to make a report of a culprit that I haven¡¯t caught yet, but if it¡¯s that necessary, I¡¯ll write it and email you the report before I go to sleep,¡± she said. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. We shall have your report in person tomorrow, is that understood?¡± he ordered. ¡°Yes, understood... What time tomorrow?¡± ¡°Preferably in the morning before the Founding Festival,¡± he said to her. She noticed the use of ¡®preferably¡¯ was his humble way of saying it was an order. ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll give you the full report then of everything I¡¯ve discovered concerning my investigation and hopefully it¡¯s thest that I have to... Getting tired of repeating myself,¡± she mumbled thest part. ¡°I know you¡¯re not in the most ideal of situations. Just bear with us, we are doing our best to handle this situation with the least amount of anger. You know how Lycaon is out for blood. I don¡¯t think we want a Royal losing control at this time... Speaking of which, are you ready for tomorrow?¡± he asked. Katie sighed on remembering the chains and restricting steel restraints that had been set up in the basement of the cabin, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m as ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡± ¡°If you need anything, I¡¯m just a call away,¡± he offered. ¡°Thank you, Director Anthony. I¡¯ll remember that.¡± With that, they bid their farewells. The lights of the town were starting to go through the thick foliage of the trees signalling her near arrival to the town... well, the part of it that held Kyle¡¯s home. She knew this part of town like the back of her hand... She had a number of things she now wondered. Kyle was living alone with the same excuse of his parents never being around, carefully iming that they were back when he knew she couldn¡¯t visit. It was almost too obvious and yet she had not been able to notice. Katie continued running, using alleyways and backyards to go through the town unnoticed until she reached the house she¡¯d been targeting, a wave of nostalgia washing over her... Chapter 62 Chapter 62: Chapter Sixty Two Kyle¡¯s house stood identical to the rest of the houses on his street, a building style normal in this ce giving him ess to a ground floor and a first floor. It was ample space for a family of four to live in and yet the boy had secretly had the ce all to himself. It was odd that thendlord hadn¡¯t noticed a thing, but upon thinking about... given the right money, thendlord probably wouldn¡¯t have cared who lived in the house. Katie walked up to the front porch and approached the handle, hoping it wasn¡¯t locked. The door gave way immediately she touched it, proof that it wasn¡¯t even shut. She turned on the lights, allowing the nostalgic feeling of standing in her formerly best friend¡¯s house to take over her. Memories of the times they¡¯de here were as clear as day to her. ¡°Hey, Katie, howe you don¡¯t read any books?¡± Kyle had asked her once while they hang out at his ce finishing an assignment. It had been a few years since that day. He¡¯d invited them over so that they could discuss the topic the teacher had just taught that day. Being the nerd that he was, Kyle did not have many friends, or at least that¡¯s what she¡¯d thought at the time. ¡°You know my grades aren¡¯t perfect. Don¡¯t you remember that some of the hunters call you the friend of mine with the good grades?¡± she reminded him. ¡°I know, but you don¡¯t even try to excel and your grades are fine...¡± ¡°Well, if I was someone like you that needed this education so badly, I probably would be serious about my grades. A hunter is required to have had an education as well, so I can¡¯t exactly say I don¡¯t want to read,¡± she answered him, finalizing thest parts of her work and giving him to go through it. Another memory drifted through her mind, ¡°Why don¡¯t I ever see family photos in this house?¡± ..... ¡°Well, my parents are always saying they¡¯ll get the chance to do that once we¡¯ve gone out on a real vacation. Something I¡¯ve heard is only for families that can afford a hunter escort. It¡¯s not going to happen anytime soon anyway,¡± he said, dusting the random paintings in the living room. ¡°Well, at least they send you games,¡± Katie replied. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. Fancy a race,¡± he asked, rushing over to the sofa, his mindpletely forgetting his self-assigned chores. ¡°Maybe just one... You know I always win those ones...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t remind me of your multi-talents. This time I will, young Jedi,¡± he yelled while he got hyped up for what was most likely going to turn out to be another defeat. Katie stood in the living room while the memories passed through her mind, almost as though she could see them. She walked into the kitchen and froze at the sight of a picture frame atop the refrigerator. It was a picture of the three of them... Katie, Sandra and Kyle were at the park. Katie had decided to take the nerd out of the books and the empty house so that they could have fun. Passing her hands over the picture, she gritted her teeth just slightly at the irritation the emotions were giving her. ¡®To think all that time, you were only ying the part of a best friend. You were good... you had me fooled...¡¯ she thought to herself, cursing the blind trust she¡¯d put in him. cing the picture frame back on the fridge, she opened it. It was still full of food that was going to go bad with no one to consume it. Katie knew there was still something in here that she hadn¡¯t found yet. ¡®If it was that important, then it was probably in his room,¡¯ she thought going for the stairs, ignoring the apparitions that her mind kept trying to project from the time when she was friends with the traitor. She finally got to his room, blocking out everything she remembered about it and going through the mess that was in the room. Clothesy strewn across the floor in a disorderly fashion. He hadn¡¯t had enough time to take everything. To gain the advantage of speed, it was only fair that he¡¯d packed light. That meant the clothes he took were a select few as well. Katie checked the room, flipping over the mattress along with everything that could be flipped, turned and opened. The sideboard was empty of any valuables and so was the wardrobe, but her gut spurred her to continue her search. This was thest room she was checking, having failed to find anything of importance. She wanted to leave so badly, but she knew there was something in this ce that she was supposed to find. She finally decided to check the one ce that seemed useless to check out considering the futility of her situation. The bathroom that was connected to his room. Walking into the small white-tiled room, she scanned through it. Unlike the bedroom, this one was in order. Well, there wasn¡¯t much to mess up in the bathroom. The towel was still where it was meant to be, the toothbrush gone and everything still set in its right position. She walked up to the mirror above the sink that also served as a door to the medicine cab. Opening it, she froze at what she saw. The cab was half-filled with orange tins. Most of them were empty and showed that they¡¯d been there for a while. She scanned through and found that five of them were still full with the same drug. She didn¡¯t have to touch them to know what they were. She¡¯d been using the same exact drug for her entire life... The same blue pills that she¡¯de to know were used to suppress a werewolf¡¯s animal side. She picked up the trashcan that was in the corner of the bedroom and put all the drugs into the bag. She then took out the polythene and decided to deliver it to the Hunter¡¯s Agency. If there was anything that was still important in this room, it was the drug. ¡®Kyle forgot the drug... that means he will soon be having trouble with his wolf...¡¯ The drug would only work for as long as someone hadn¡¯t crossed the age of eighteen and Kyle wasn¡¯t eighteen yet. His birthday was in a month¡¯s time. ¡®He was already running out of time,¡¯ she thought. A short calction of the pills that she¡¯d found ced their due date exactly on his birthday. Kyle had all the medicine he needed up until the point it would be useless. Katie did not waste any more time in the room and started the run to the Hunter¡¯s Agency, cutting through the town, but keeping to alleyways and ces that would arouse suspicion. Stealth was not something alien to her either and this she excelled at until she reached the Hunter¡¯s Agency. Walking up to the gates, she froze at the sight of the dosing gatekeepers. ¡®Wow, that¡¯s a new sight...¡¯ ¡°Hey, wake up. I have to get in,¡± she barked at them to get them up. ¡°Oh, Rogue killer... I thought you weren¡¯t going to show up until tomorrow,¡± one of them said, yawning. ¡°I wasn¡¯t, but I found something at my suspect¡¯s house that I want to put here for safekeeping,¡± she reported. ¡°Go right in...¡± the man said, opening the gate and letting her pass through. ¡°Are you allowed to sleep on the job like that?¡± she asked the man whose eyes were still closed. ¡°Well, not normally, but after we heard that the Rogue killer was back in action, we just felt like it was useless to stay awake all night knowing there is nothing that we are guarding the Agency for. For years, this ce has not been threatened one bit. Some people say the hunters are losing their edge with all their time they are out of action,¡± the man said, chuckling while he said, ¡°Nheless, we shall stay vignt in our training.¡± Katie ran through to the dungeon where she found the guards here dosing as well... She sighed and rubbed her forehead in disappointment before they noticed her... ¡°Oh, Katie, we didn¡¯t know you would be here until...¡± ¡°Just open the door... I only need to put this in my locker at the bottom of the stairs, so you don¡¯t have to close as I¡¯ll soon be out,¡± she said. She was done and on her way home in no time... Her phone started buzzing once more. ¡°Hello, Anthony...¡± ¡°That¡¯s Director Anthony to you,¡± he bellowed, ¡°I¡¯ve been informed that you were just sighted leaving the...¡± ¡°It¡¯ste, Director Anthony. Can we talk tomorrow? I also need rest, you know,¡± she cut him off. ¡°What did you find at Kyle¡¯s house?¡± he asked, noticing her low tolerance to his reprimand. ¡°I found the same drugs I¡¯ve been ingesting my whole life... lots of them,¡± she said. ¡°So it¡¯s true then. Kyle was a rogue spy in Brigadia high school,¡± he confirmed. Katie did not respond, letting him take in the information, ¡°Still running, huh. Get some rest, Chase.¡± ¡°I will, Director Anthony. See you tomorrow,¡± with that, she hung up. Relief washed over her when her home started toe into view. She reached the house and found her parents in the same ces she left them before she tried going to sleep earlier, ¡°Are you guys nning to sleep?¡± ¡°We almost did, but then we sensed the rogue that you went after. How did it go?¡± Uncle Tom asked. ¡°It went just fine,¡± she said before heading for the stairs, ¡°I need to get some sleep. I know tomorrow is going to be a long day.¡± ¡°Does it scare you? Tomorrow,¡± Uncle Tom asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to make of it, honestly. I know that after tomorrow, things will get a bitplicated. You raised me never to call you guys mum and dad... I now see why, but wouldn¡¯t it have been less painful if you¡¯d let me,¡± she had deciphered their question unconsciously. Tomorrow was the day that they were going to lose their daughter and hand her back to the Sirius family, her biological family. ¡°Enjoy tomorrow to your fullest, okay,¡± Aunt Marie said to her. ¡°Yeah, I will. Good night, Aunt Marie,¡± there was no way that either of them could think to make this any easier. Katie stopped halfway up the stairs and ran back down, jumping into her father¡¯s arms. Aunt Marie joined the group hug and the three enjoyed the moment while itsted. They were all in agreement at that moment that they¡¯d known this was going to happen and weren¡¯t going to do anything to cause trouble. Though knowing that did not make it any easier. They were going to be separated no matter what they did and that was all there was to it. Chapter 63 Chapter 63: Chapter Sixty Three Katie woke up the next morning feeling better than she thought she should have. The muscle aches were gone and she felt like a heavyweight had been lifted off her. The feeling of the drug in her system was starting to fade, however, the werewolf remained asleep, just like the moon goddess had promised. Katie got up and began going through her routine stretches, thoughtsing through her mind and leaving just as fast. She dismissed the case of the traitor and allowed her mind to dwell on other things such as the Festival ahead of them. It was a chance to have fun with the others and there was nothing going to put that to an end. As the troubles of the day before left her conscience, the troubles of the new one dawned on her, regardless she didn¡¯t feel at all weighed down by it. She finished her stretches and took a quick bath. Regardless of having awoken at six in the morning, she found breakfast ready and the breakfast table set. Her guardians were both putting on aprons getting ready to eat their food. ¡°Took you long enough, sleepyhead,¡± Uncle Tom spoke. ¡°Good morning,¡± she greeted, closing her eyes and allowing her nose to enjoy the amazing aromas that came from the food they¡¯d prepared. ¡°Good morning, Katie. Sit down and have breakfast. We were told about your tight schedule this morning, so we got up early to make sure you didn¡¯t set off on an empty stomach,¡± she exined before taking out a chair for her to sit. ¡°Thanks, guys. This is awesome... It looks so delicious,¡± she replied, eyeing the food greedily. ¡°By all means, help yourself to ourbined cooking. I did most of the work,¡± Uncle Tom boasted. ¡°Oh,e on, Tom. Making coffee is nothing to be proud of...¡± ..... ¡°Ouch,¡± Katie pitched in, taking a sip of her coffee, ¡°Going to be hard toe back from that one...¡± ¡°Who¡¯s side are you on?¡± Uncle Tom,pletely defeated, turned to his daughter. ¡°Your coffee is amazing,¡± sheplimented. ¡°Thank you... Not the point, you totally took her side there,¡± he swatted her distraction. ¡°I know how terrible you are at using salt. Your food is always salty. I can tell who cooked these eggs and bacon,¡± she returned. ¡°Fair enough, but I still could have asked for... Oh, never mind, it¡¯s hard to argue when you are eating like that,¡± the man chuckled when he noticed the food was a bigger priority at the moment than the argument that was inevitably going to end in his defeat. Katie would not stop gobbling up what was in front of her. ¡°You know, honey. Raising Katie has been too easy,¡± Aunt Marie said. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Katie asked, looking up from her te. ¡°It simply means that you¡¯ve been a perfect child. You never cried or gave us trouble. We were inexperienced youngsters when we were given the responsibility of taking care of you and yet, you didn¡¯t give us that much trouble. You never had any cases with the school. Never got into trouble with the other kids except for the one you insulted that one time during Junior Hunter training and got him to even move out of Brigadia,¡± Uncle Tom exined. ¡°Oh, you mean Jeremiah?¡± Katie asked. ¡°You still remember his name? That¡¯s one memory you have,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t want him to give up bing a hunter because of what I said. To be honest, on that day, he helped me out by not fighting me at his best. I had muscle aches everywhere,¡± I said. ¡°The hunters in charge of that session told us of your condition. We were forced to give you a week¡¯s rest from training...¡± ¡°That was torture. I felt like a potato lying on that couch doing nothing as your rules dictated,¡± she pouted. The family continued to enjoy each other¡¯spany for a while before something else came to their attention. Katie, who seemed to have a wolf in her stomach that day for reasons unknown to her, asked for seconds and finished the te of food with her stomach still growling for more food. ¡°Are you okay, Katie?¡± Aunt Marie asked worry etched on her face. ¡°I¡¯m still hungry. Why am I still hungry?¡± the girl whined, clutching her belly in exasperation. It was like the food was being drained right out of her belly. ¡°You did say the moon goddess made it so that you didn¡¯t have to take those pills. I might say you have a wolf in your belly,¡± she giggled at the joke. ¡°That¡¯s not funny. Am I going to be like this as a werewolf as well?¡± she asked. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d say you just need more food because your wolf is finally waking up, but considering you have both Prometheus gifts, I¡¯m not sure how much food the two of you are going to need,¡± Aunt Marie voiced her concerns watching her daughter rush to the kitchen for her third serving of the delicious breakfast. It was true that when Katie let loose, she could eat a lot considering how much energy her Prometheus gifts demanded, but this was double what she normally craved when she was holding back. ¡°Katie, you better stuff yourself with food. We¡¯ll prepare more if you want, but don¡¯t leave this house with that pit unattended. You don¡¯t want to embarrass yourself in front of Cole like that,¡± Uncle Tom began. Katie stared at the man with her mouth open, ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable. This is embarrassing no matter how you spin it.¡± ¡°Be that as it may, which it shouldn¡¯t in the presence of family, we¡¯d be happier to know that you left this house with your tummy full,¡± Aunt Marie said. Katie covered herself with her palms, ¡°Rogues are always calling me a monster before I kill them, but this is what finally makes me feel like one.¡± Her parents chuckled before getting to work nourishing her. After all, this was part of why they woke up this early; to make sure that their pride and joy was doing just fine. Katie left the house close to seven finally free of the hunger that had gued her. ¡°When you said you were hungry, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d...¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try to forget about that, mum. It¡¯s embarrassing,¡± she whined loudly, missing her vition after having been mothered the entire morning. Aunt Marie pulled her into a tight hug holding the child at the door. ¡®Where did thise from?¡¯ she thought before realizing what she¡¯d said. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean...¡± ¡°Just this once, Katie... I¡¯ll allow it,¡± Aunt Marie paused holding onto her daughter, ¡°just this once.¡± The next time they would be meeting was going to be at the cabin that evening to lock her up for her transformation. Katie hugged her back, Uncle Tom joining them a momentter before they let her go. Once Katie was out of earshot, Marie buried her face into the chest of her loved one crying softly into him while he rubbed circles into her back, ¡°She doesn¡¯t even know...¡± she sniffled, ¡°that we just had ourst breakfast together.¡± The detail had slipped Katie¡¯s mind because of the numerous ns of preparation that had run through her mind that morning. Tom couldn¡¯t find what to say... What could he say? This was breaking him just as much as it did his wife. Memories of raising the girl were shing before his eyes. They¡¯d woken up early that morning just to spend theirst morning with their daughter. They knew she wasn¡¯t going to notice their farewell breakfast, but they were okay with that... for she needed her focus and resolve for whaty ahead. Chapter 64 Chapter 64: Chapter Sixty Four Katie stood with Sandra behind the Director as he made a speech addressing the rest of the hunters in the vicinity. Every professional hunter along with their mentees had been summoned to the Agency for an announcement that was meant to drive the entire day¡¯s activities. Sandra was diligently waiting for her mentor at the gates of the facility when Katie arrived along with a few other diligent junior hunters, ¡°You guys make us lookzy,¡± Katie whispered to her friend. Sandra chuckled, ¡°Wasn¡¯t a good look for the person who is supposed to be the head of security at the Festival.¡± Katie groaned remembering what dyed her, ¡°I had a bit of a...¡± her hand rapidly flew to her belly. There was nothing to be felt there, ¡°a bit of a stomach problem.¡± ¡°Are you fine? Did you eat something?¡± Sandra asked her, concern in her voice. ¡°You have no idea. Something doesn¡¯t cover how much I ate. We¡¯ll talk about itter when we¡¯re on guard duty at the school,¡± she assured her friend. ¡®I just hope I don¡¯t get hungry soon,¡¯ she thought. ¡°We all know what day this is. Today is the Founder¡¯s festival and all hunters along with junior hunters are to adhere to the instructions that are given to them. The entire force of hunters has been divided into groups and given different tasks in order to achieve airtight security. All this information has been pinned on the request board or quest board as most of you like to call it,¡± he said before dismissing the lot of them. They easily numbered a hundred which was a lot for a remote town. Most of them were out of shape from the period of shapepared to the Director as expected from hunters that lived in a ce that rarely got attacked. Once everyone was gone, a move that was done faster than Katie expected, Anthony turned to her, ¡°You¡¯rete, I had to improvise. Nowe to the conference room quick,¡± he said quickly walking past her. ¡®I might have gotten carried away with the eating at home,¡¯ Katie thought, even though her stomach said the opposite. ..... ¡°What stomach trouble are you talking about?¡± Sandra asked her while they followed the Director swiftly. ¡°I thought I¡¯d said we¡¯ll talk about itter,¡± Katie whispered through gritted teeth. ¡°Yes, I know, but you keep touching it and it¡¯s making me worry. You look like you¡¯re rubbing a belly holding a... baby,¡± she said thest part through gritted teeth and in the ear of her best friend. Katie gasped at the revtion, ¡°I am not... Fine, I¡¯ll tell you... Are you serious?¡± her friend nodded in confirmation, a look of worry etched on her face, ¡°Ugh, fine... It¡¯s quite embarrassing. I was hungry and can¡¯t tell if I won¡¯t be any time soon.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I know you eat like a...¡± Katie hit her friend¡¯s shoulder to stop her from running her mouth, ¡°Sorry, but do you mean you ate more than usual. How many times more?¡± ¡°Almost four times the usual...¡± Sandra covered her open mouth in shock. ¡°That¡¯s unreal. Your stomach should be the size of that of a pregnantdy. How are you still normal? Stop messing with me, Katie,¡± Sandra whined. ¡°What are you two bickering about? Hurry up... Are you forgetting that we are running against time?¡± Anthony said as they came up to the Hunter¡¯s Agency¡¯s main building. He led them through the building to the conference room. All the high ranking hunters of the agency sat in the room ready for what was to be said. There were people in here that Katie had rarely seen. ¡°Hello, everyone, she¡¯s here. Wow, Frost and Jackeline, it¡¯s been long since Ist saw you,¡± Anthony spoke. ¡°We came from our posts on the highway when we heard that there was amotion from the Chase family. The couple says they feel that something bad is going to happen,¡± Frost, a bulky man who was known by all hunters to be aggressive in battle and very efficient. His Prometheus gift was strength, but his speed was incredible. Katie had only had the chance to spar with him once ande to respect the man who gave her a hard time with both her gifts. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s good to be back. The rogue killer seems to be losing her edge,¡± Jackeline spoke, ady who paired with Frost on most of their missions. These two were responsible for the dwindling requests on the quest board. A dynamic duo of agility and strength, these two were unbelievable when inbat. They¡¯d backed off the rogues that tried attacking the town only after witnessing Katie taking them down single-handedly and swiftly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that for sure, but I have been surprised in the past days. Rogues are getting bolder,¡± Katie replied, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you.¡± With the introductions out of the way, Anthony got the meeting started. He had a disturbing announcement to make, ¡°I¡¯ve called you all here to discuss something that was reported to me in the nick of time even though it¡¯s quite troubling,¡± Anthony said. He ced his hands on the table and sighed. The information that he had to share was disturbing and weighing him down. ¡°What seems to be the trouble, Anthony?¡± Frost asked the man, leaning back into his seat and crossing his arms. ¡°A reporter reached out to me and informed me that the information tarnishing the school had been withheld. After interviewing the students secretly, he discovered that none of them saw the incident of murder in the school even though some im to have seen blood in the ssroom. It was something that perturbed me to hear,¡± he said. ¡°Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting?¡± Jackeline cut him off before he was far into his exnation. ¡°The citizens of the town were shaken by what happened in the former Hunter training ground, but Katie along with the werewolves and junior hunters that were there were able to diffuse that one,¡± he said, ¡°No one was injured. That can be revealed without tarnishing the school¡¯s image. The information that the reporter was asking me to destroy was...¡± ¡°The news about the dead boy,¡± Jackelinepleted the statement, ¡°What is that supposed to mean about the integrity of the Hunters? This move, if discovered could ruin the hunters¡¯ reputation. What are you thinkinging up with an idea as crazy as that?¡± She was standing by the time she was done talking. This was turning into a heated argument. Katie did not know whose side to choose as this decision to her was a double-edged sword. ¡°Just think about it. If this information gets out, there will be a mass panic. The school¡¯s position in the rankings will plummet. It¡¯s bad enough that there was a murder in the school, but the victim wasn¡¯t a human, but a werewolf. There will be consequences. Everyone knows the safety of the school was centred on the fact that the hunters enrolled there had proved more than capable of dealing with misbehaving werewolves. Rumours will spring up about the hunters having wanted to kill the werewolves in the first ce,¡± Anthony made a fine argument. ¡°What about the werewolves? What happens to them if they learn of this? We already know the victim was part of the Lycaon pack. It¡¯s arguably the most powerful pack in the world. Do you want to go to war with the likes of them?¡± Frost said. ¡°The Lycaon pack is closely aware of what has actually happened. We would not be hiding anything from them. This is concerning the rest of the world and not the Lycaons themselves,¡± he countered. ¡°What do you n on even saying? Anything you say to cover up the slither of rumours that have already leaked out will look like a direct insult to the Lycaon pack,¡± she said. ¡°Then what¡¯s better? Think of what we are looking at here. If this information gets out, it will flush out the fact that the school was infiltrated by rogues and this won¡¯t bode well with the reputation of the school or the town. Brigadia will be a ghost town with everyone leaving. If trust breaks down in Brigadia, there will be nothing left of it. What does the Lycaon pack lose if we cover up the death of theirradepared to what we lose if we reveal it?¡± Anthony had looked at both sides of the matter with the eyes of someone looking into the statistics. ¡°No matter how you spin this... covering up the death of an innocent girl to save the reputation of the safest school is a low blow and will have an effect on the integrity of the Hunters in Brigadia. Your judgement is starting to dull, Anthony,¡± Jackeline fought back. The argument was heated and each side was set on imposing their ideals on the other. ¡°What does the defender of Brigade High School have to say about it then?¡± Anthony spoke up turning to Katie, who right up to this moment, had done her best to stay invisible. ¡°I was not... Oh, no... Can¡¯t you guys... Oh God, why did I have to be dragged into this?¡± Katie groaned. This was not part of the things she¡¯d chosen to think about for the day. ¡°Are you okay? You keep touching your stomach and you don¡¯t seem too bothered about a discussion that has you at the centre of it. What do you have to say about it?¡± Jackeline asked her. Katie scratched the back of her head thinking through her words. ¡°In my opinion, the truth is what I would go with. Ash deserves the right funeral and we can¡¯t have that if we¡¯re covering up her death. I cannot deny that rogues infiltrated the school under my watch and I apologise for that. I checked to make sure that there was no one that was caused harm by my ipetence. My goal is simple, to kill every one of them. Covering it up or revealing it to the public is of no concern to me. As long as I achieve a world with no rogues,¡± she exined. Chapter 65 Chapter 65: Chapter Sixty Five The meeting was quiet after what Katie said. Frost smiled smugly in his seat as though he¡¯d expected that from her. Jackeline visibly rxed after hearing that and shook her head, taking her seat beside her partner, ¡°Sometimes I forget the reason Prometheus chose us to be hunters,¡± Frost said from his seat. The chorus ofughter went through the members that were seated. Anthony was more bewildered, just like that, he¡¯d been put down by Katie¡¯s neutral statement. The man gritted his teeth before letting go of his tension, ¡°Very well then, we shall write a full report of the information in depth to avoid any misunderstandings. This will put a lot of pressure on Katie, but I think she can handle it,¡± Anthony said. Katie was content with that course of action. She wasn¡¯t a fan of hiding things so much, ¡°However...¡± there it was, ¡°We shall only reveal this after the Founder¡¯s Festival.¡± ¡°I agree... if there is to be anything that will bring attention to Katie, she must be at her strongest. Right now, she¡¯s still without the backing of her family,¡± Keh spoke up for the first time. All high ranking members of this Hunter¡¯s Agency knew about Katie¡¯s situation. Keeping secrets amongst the hunters was something that was so easy that there was no question. Being chosen by Prometheus was that much of a guarantee that someone could fulfil something as simple as that. ¡°Very well... I¡¯d forgotten that I was supposed to think about that as well,¡± Katie said, mumbling thest part out. Anthony stood straight with a new look of determination, ¡°I¡¯m d I could lean on the rest of you for advice in this decision. I might be your leader, but I am not without my faults. For that, I thank you all...¡± ¡°You know, the next time you n on making a decision like that one, don¡¯t forget to include the pack that¡¯s to be affected. Werewolves can be nearly impossible to deal with when they are angered,¡± Jackeline said from her seat. The meeting moved on to the rest of the arrangements that Anthony had set aside. Thankful that Frost and Jackeline were here to provide support, they were added to the hunters that were meant to guard the guests of high calibre that attended the festival. ..... Katie was put in charge of the rest and she got to business partitioning the force of hunters she was assigned. She¡¯d been given reign over four of the highest-ranking hunters in the Agency, people that were ranked above her and allowed to use them as she saw fit. It was everyone¡¯s understanding that as she was the one responsible for the security at the high school, she was better suited to handle the security of the festival as well and she¡¯d more than proven herself enough. ¡°Keh, you are to take a group of eight junior hunters to check through the vendors¡¯ stalls and make sure there is nothing illegal that is brought with them, that includes weapons, alcoholic drinks and everything else that you deem fit,¡± she said, turning to the rest. Among the others she¡¯d been assigned were Brian, Samantha and Trevor, three skilled hunters that Katie respected as well to handle their assignments well. To be honest, there was not much she needed to tell these people that they didn¡¯t already know, but for formality, she still had to do it. ¡°Brian, using a select group of five hunters to serve under you, I would like you to take control of the projects inside the school. Safety measures must be adhered to and students are to be lightly checked upon entry to avoid arousing much suspicion. Samantha is to deal with the outer patrol of the vicinity and that¡¯s the exterior of the entire festival including the stalls set up by the vendors. For this, she will select four hunters and four junior hunters for the task. Andstly, Trevor will take a group of ten junior hunters and station them strategically through the Festival. Their job is to handle surveince andmunication. Trevor will be stationed in the surveince room where he will watch the entirety of the school through the cameras and the hunters under hismand shall pay attention to the school¡¯s blindspots and overcrowded areas to use a spare set of eyes,¡± with that said, she was done assigning her four temporary subordinates. ¡°Someone is enjoying the power to scatter numbers,¡± Keh smirked. ¡°Did I go wrong somewhere?¡± she asked genuinely. ¡°No, I think you did just fine. We shall do our best to achieve our tasks as well,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s been nice watching you grow up, but I never thought I¡¯d see the day when you¡¯d be allowed to order me around,¡± Samantha shook her head in disappointment, ¡°How far I¡¯ve fallen?¡± ¡°Hey, you still rank above me in more ways than one. This is just my jurisdiction is all,¡± Katie stood her ground crossing her arms in response to thedy. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up well, Katie,¡± she replied, smiling at the girl. Once all was done, Anthony took control of the meeting again, ¡°As we all know, today is the day Katie will shift. All hunters are to be alert on that fact once it clocks seven o¡¯clock in the evening. No one is sure if her restraints will hold her. The Lycaon boy is to be informed of this at that exact time as well, so no one waste a second when it happens. Information of mobilization at seven goes to those closest to the Royal at the time of shifting. The moon will be high in the sky today by nine as this is a day the moon goddess herself has been waiting for,¡± Anthony said. ¡°Is there something you aren¡¯t telling us?¡± ¡°Hunters have no hesitation when ites to taking a life. This is not the same for werewolves that aren¡¯t rogues, however, that doesn¡¯t guarantee that Katie¡¯s wolf will go easy on the first human it sees. Protecting the citizens of Brigadia takes priority above all else,¡± the man spoke out loud as though he hadn¡¯t just allowed Katie to be in charge of security that day. ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯ll be some rabid dog,¡± Katie groaned. ¡°For all we know, you are one right now... Oh, and before I forget, Katie. Reveal your findings of the investigation you carried out yesterday,¡± the man said. Katie¡¯s expression fell on hearing this. It bothered her to have to reveal to everyone the reason why she¡¯d failed to track the rogues that had infiltrated the school. ¡°Yeah, right away. Yesterday, I was able to find out who the killer of Ash was...¡± she said, pausing before finishing the statement nervously, ¡°but I was toote and the culprit had already fled Brigadia in a hurry. I couldn¡¯t even sense their presence which meant they¡¯d gotten a pretty good head start.¡± ¡°Who killed Ash, Katie?¡± this was the question she found hard to answer. It was strange to feel nervous for the girl for this was an emotion she¡¯d never required to feel, however, it was only getting in the way at the moment and so she chose to discard it and reveal the culprit. Katie closed her eyes and opened them once more,pletely drained of emotion, the only way a hunter was trained to handle situations in this cruel world. ¡°Kyle Dwyer... that is the name of...¡± ¡°Impossible...¡± Frost is the one that burst from his seat this time, gritting his teeth in anger at the usation. There was a chorus of gasps through the people that were present in the room. Katie whispered something in Sandra¡¯s ears, directing her to the locker that contained the bag of evidence she had. ¡°I need a key to get into it,¡± Sandra asked, knowing how encrypted the dungeon was. Katie looked through the conference room and found a pen which she used to scribble her signature onto Sandra¡¯s forearm. This was another way to get through the security measures for someone that was not a professional hunter. Sandra was out in a few moments running as fast as she could. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve sent her to retrieve the evidence that I collected from Kyle¡¯s house when I searched it yesterday,¡± Katie said. ¡°You had no right to... Katie, what¡¯s gotten into you? Does trust mean nothing to you?¡± Frost visibly yelled at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you realise that this was the only way the rogues could infiltrate the school? The only way Kyle could have overridden my instincts to detect an enemy was if I trusted him. He spotted his opportunity years ago when I was enrolled on Brigade high school and became my best friend,¡± her voice was calm as she spoke, rifying how much she didn¡¯t like what had happened as well. ¡°Hey, Frost, calm down,¡± Jackeline tried, ¡°Three breaths.¡± These words were all the man needed to bring him back into a reasonable mood. The next time he spoke, he wasposed. ¡°How did youe to this conclusion?¡± he asked her, sitting down to listen to the girl¡¯s tale. Katie was relieved that he¡¯d been able to calm down, but an even bigger obstacley ahead. Telling the entire group before her the tale that led to Kyle¡¯s unmasking. Chapter 66 Chapter 66: Chapter Sixty Six Sandra came back into the room and found that everyone had settled once again. The murmurs among the hunters had finallye to a stop and there wasn¡¯t anyone present that was trying to cause a fuss about what Katie had just revealed. Katie looked at her friend and beckoned for her to bring the polythene bag over. Sandra still had no idea what was in the bag and was eager to find out just as everyone else in the room was. There was something that felt wrong with it. She¡¯d said it was the evidence that she¡¯d gathered from Kyle¡¯s house when she¡¯d gone there and that¡¯s what everyone was interested in seeing. So much so that the meeting hade to a standstill with everyone waiting to see the contents the evidence would reveal to them. Katie got the bag from her and lifted it above the table, upside down allowing all the contents of the bag to fall to the table. Numerous containers fell to the table piling into a small heap and the excess rolling all over the table. Some fell off, but Katie was not bothered by the mess she was making as her intended reaction was achieved. The entire room fell silent as they all knew what was meant to be in the orange translucent containers. Five of them were full though two fell to the ground. Anthony got up and picked one of the containers that were full and broke the seal, taking a whiff of the pills that were inside. ¡°There is no doubt about it... They are the same wolfsbane based drugs that were used to suppress Katie¡¯s wolf side. These are many... enough to supply a pharmacy for a year. What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± ¡°He couldn¡¯t dispose of them for fear of them being discovered by the others. So he kept them. By my count, they could keep him going until his birthday...¡± Katie said, ¡°This proves that he was a werewolf.¡± ¡°Yes, it most definitely does. Now run us through how you came to this conclusion. I honestly can¡¯t imagine how you came to this conclusion. I can¡¯t imagine how you did. That is one boy I would never have thought you¡¯d suspect,¡± he said. Katie ryed everything that she¡¯d used to find out that it was Kyle that had been the culprit, but in the end, she said something that hadn¡¯t urred to her since she¡¯d found out Ash¡¯s killer. ¡°Now I wonder if Ash was trying to write Ash during the time that she was dying,¡± Katie said, thoughtfully. ..... ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Jackeline asked. The two hadn¡¯t been present at the time when all this happened and had not taken a look at the crime scene. ¡°The werewolf tried to write something before her life drained out of her. The letter ¡®K¡¯ was scribbled on the ground in blood after. The nearest person that was med was Katie, but now that we have this piece of information, it is clear that she was trying to write Kyle instead. Kyle was the only other person that had ess to Katie¡¯s weapons as well. Katie had a habit of handing him her bag when she didn¡¯t need it,¡± Anthony said. The words stung, informing Katie that every time she did that, she handed all her weapons to her enemy. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, why didn¡¯t Kyle ever take the chance to kill Katie when she least expected it?¡± ¡°Killing Katie was never his mission. Considering he ran when he did, he was instructed to gather information and report to the rogue king. We have reason to believe that he has not yet gotten far,¡± Anthony spoke. ¡°What might that be? Do you mean the werewolf I found interrogating early in the morning,¡± Jackeline asked. ¡°Yes, that one. Katie confirms that this wolf was heading in the direction of Kyle¡¯s home when she captured it. If our hunch is true, Kyle forgot his drugs and this rogue volunteered to retrieve them,¡± Anthony continued to speak on Katie¡¯s behalf having noticed how much it took for her to ry the entire part of the story of her investigation. She¡¯d left out the part where the moon goddess hade down to speak to her and included his phone call and her time of realization. Once everything was said, there was a moment of silence while the hunters present took in the information. ¡°That boy had a good future. One that a Prometheus evaluation would have set straight,¡± Frost said. ¡°Katie, if you have the chance and you meet Kyle ever again, what will you do to him?¡± Jackeline asked Katie. Katie was quiet for a bit trying to interpret the question. In the end, she couldn¡¯te up with a desirable answer. ¡°I¡¯d capture him for interrogation...¡± everyone let out the breath they¡¯d been holding when she said only to hear a continuation that would make chills run down their spines, ¡°but, if he gives me a reason to kill him, I won¡¯t hesitate...¡± Her anger was clear, contained but just barely. All Kyle had to do was give Katie reason to stop valuing his life and he¡¯d be dead. ¡°Fair enough, Rogue killer. I think that brings us to the end of this meeting,¡± Anthony said, allowing Katie and Sandra to take their seats, ¡°Once again, we wee Frost and Jackeline. Just to inform all of you, Brigadia is currently hosting the Sirius Royal family. So keep in mind that they are in town and you should do nothing to insult them while you are here. If any of you meet them, you are to treat them with respect.¡± ¡°Will they be meeting Katie?¡± ¡°No, they will not. They¡¯ve been asked to wait until Katie is whole again so that they meet someone they will recognize by sight and scent as well. After all, the baby girl that they let go of was a werewolf, not a human. As such, we have given them the reasoning that we are to deliver a werewolf to them as they originally entrusted the Chase family a werewolf to care for. They do know, however, what their daughter looks like and will recognize her immediately given the chance,¡± Anthony exined. ¡°Whoever knew we would raise a werewolf girl in the Hunter¡¯s Agency?¡± Keh chuckled. ¡°I know right... It¡¯s like raising a puppy,¡± Samantha giggled. Katie gaped at thements, recognizing the formation with which she was being cornered. It was not alien to find that the stubborn lot in this organization had found new ways to make her look ridiculous. ¡°I am no puppy,¡± she huffed. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re just one of those types that look cute and can be very tough,¡± Brian pitched in. ¡°Oh, you mean like the times she ties up her hair using that lucky band of hers when she gets serious in a duel?¡± Trevor was the one to remind them this time. ¡°Now that is something I haven¡¯t seen in a while. Katie, do you still carry around that yellow hairband with you?¡± Frost asked, finally getting interested in the bickering. Katie dipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out the yellow hairband. It was an ordinary hair band stic and made of cloth, except that upon it, a pin with the image of her guardians was attached, ¡°Yeah, I carry it everywhere, although I haven¡¯t used it in a while,¡± she said. ¡°I take it then that the rogue yesterday was not a challenge,¡± Jackeline asked her. ¡°No, that guy was specializing in stealth... there was nothing he could do to escape me,¡± she flipped the question... ¡°You know something... I know we are in the middle of a crisis right now, but when all this is over. And by that, I mean the Founder¡¯s Festival and Katie¡¯s shifting, let¡¯s celebrate her birthday tomorrow night, here at the Hunter¡¯s Agency,¡± Keh said. The idea seemed to lift everyone¡¯s moods. ¡°Yeah, that would be nice. We¡¯d have like a really big cake towering high up probably with eighteen tiers to mark her birthday,¡± Samantha beamed. ¡°Yeah, and we¡¯d order drinks and food from that restaurant her parents told her that she likes so much. We all know Katie can¡¯t turn down food with her pit for a stomach,¡± Trevor pitched in. Everyone was marvelling at the idea of being able to have the party the next day and in turn causing a reaction that they didn¡¯t know was going on. The whole chaos that currently had the hunters in a spell was stopped by something sudden and very unpredictable, well for everyone except the person that it came from. A rumbling sound caught everyone¡¯s attention, echoing in the room, emanating from the famous rogue killer. The entire table went quiet and looked at the head of security. Katie dropped to the ground with her head in her hands. ¡°My life is ruined,¡± she whined clutching her belly while shey with her forehead ced on the ground. Chapter 67 Chapter 67: Chapter Sixty Seven The room was silent for a bit, its inhabitants contemting what they¡¯d all just heard from the Rogue Killer¡¯s belly. A few of them were in shock while others were holding on to thest bit of self-control they had to keep themselves fromughing at the birthday girl on the floor. Sandra did not dare approach her friend in the silence that had taken over the room. Instead, the girl shot daggers at Frost who immediately got a grip of theughter that threatened to burst from him. ¡°Katie...¡± Jackeline called the girl. ¡°Yes, Jackeline,¡± Katie answered, embarrassment filled in her voice. ¡°This new you is far more expressive. It¡¯s a good look for you. About the sound we just heard, did talk of the party make you fall hungry? I know you couldn¡¯t have left that house on an empty stomach,¡± she said. ¡°I admit that I¡¯m hungry, but I ate beforeing here,¡± Katie replied, sounding as vague to avoid revealing just how much she¡¯d eaten that morning. ¡°Well, did you eat very little? We¡¯d understand if you were on some diet to look nice in front of Cole...¡± Jackeline said. Katie stopped her mopping and looked up to meet the woman¡¯s eye, ¡°That had not crossed my mind,¡± a problem that had not yet registered in her mind until now. ¡°What if this happens when I¡¯m with him today?¡± ..... ¡°I never thought the Rogue Killer would have to worry about something as human as that, but I don¡¯t see how that should worry you now. We are going to help you solve it,¡± Jackeline said. Katie couldn¡¯t believe she had to exin herself to a conference room full of hunters. It was true that she¡¯d grown up with them and they knew she ate more than the average human, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that she was about to appear to be more of a bottomless pit after this exnation. Katie put her head back on the ground and whined loudly, ¡°That¡¯s not it, Jackeline. I ate almost thrice my normal today. I couldn¡¯t seem to get satisfied and by the time I got here, I felt like nothing was there.¡± Keh was not a gentleman in manners like this and copsed on the tableughing. Hisughter, contagious as it was, triggered hisrades to let out a fewughs as well. From giggles to explosiveughter, the likes of Keh and Trevor that didn¡¯t mind how loud they were getting, the room was filled with humorousughter. What was calming about it though was that Katie loved to see herrades happy and this did not irritate in the slightest, ¡®You can all be so hopeless sometimes for the title of hunters,¡¯ she thought beforeughing out with the others. Anthony had to stop their happy moment to remind them that time was not one of their luxuries at the moment. Samantha replied him saying, ¡°Can¡¯t you see our puppy is in need of some food? The whole world can wait.¡± Katie then had to exin that she¡¯d met the moon goddess the day before, a detail she¡¯d carefully left out before that would lead her to tell them how the goddess had taken her off the pills. Theughter came to a standstill once she was halfway through the exnation. Anthony, who was on the side of them keeping time decided to go to the kitchen and grab all manner of breakfast he could find. From the piece of the story he¡¯d heard, this puppy was in need of a tone of food. When he returned, they¡¯d theorized that the wolf that stilly dormant was demanding food in preparation for her transformationter that night. ¡°This is all I could find,¡± Anthony said, dropping a vast assortment of different snacks and food that he could find. Three maids followed behind him with trolleys of food and beverages. ¡°You don¡¯t clearly mean to stuff all of that into this poor girl¡¯s belly. She¡¯s got a boyfriend for crying out loud,¡± Jackeline teased. ¡°Cole and I aren¡¯t yet...¡± ¡°Well, it was already decided the moment you were born. You guys were made for each other...¡± ¡°I thought we¡¯d all like to have something to eat before carrying out the day¡¯s ns,¡± Anthony interrupted to plead his case with the female in charge. The males in the room refrained from making anyments regarding Katie¡¯s condition to protect whatever new feelings she seemed to be showing now. ¡°That¡¯s actually very thoughtful of you,¡± Jackeline replied, ¡°Katie, you know we care about you...¡± ¡°I know Jackeline. I¡¯m grateful for that, thank you,¡± Katie silently wished she could stay here for the whole day. The only other ce she was free to slip up and no one would know a thing. ¡°So... Any of you guys think Katie¡¯s having trouble keeping her emotions inside because of her werewolf side that¡¯s now finally emerging?¡± Keh asked once they were finally eating. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to insinuate that I¡¯ll be less of a...¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t insinuating anything, Katie. You choose your own path,¡± he stopped her. ¡®Darned adults... He¡¯d seen through me like an open book,¡¯ Katie grumbled internally. It was true that she was bing more of an emotional mess since relieving her of the drug she¡¯d been using. She knew this mainly because of the anticipation she had to be in Cole¡¯s presence once again. ............... Katie¡¯s second breakfast ended thankfully without any other jokes about her condition. This time she ate till she was considerably satisfied, her belly remaining exactly the same. Unnatural as it seemed, she quietly thanked whatever supernatural forces made it possible. The hunters barely made it to school in time for the Principal¡¯s opening speech. The VIPs had not yet arrived which was a good thing as it allowed the hunters to get done with all the security procedures. Keh and his group of juniors immediately got to checking the stalls from the different vendors that scattered around the school allowing an assortment of things to purchase when at the festival. Events such as these were rare as it was a tasking activity on the side of the hunters. So for all those that had businesses that benefited best in crowds as big as those that were attracted by such events, it was the time when they got the chance to sell their wares and make considerable profits. On one of the festivals in the past, there had been a carnival that was set up in the dead of night just for that day. This time, it wasn¡¯t as shy as it¡¯d been that time. It was the time when the school was still considered the safest school in the whole of the world, but now that news of the dead werewolf was still spreading in the form of a rumour, the vendors had decided to hold back and pack light. Nheless, the festival remained a sight to behold. Arge stage had been set up in the field upon which the Principal currently stood to address the students. The hunters hade to the conclusion to expose the killer of the student to keep Katie out of detainment. Much as this also raised suspicion of her involvement in the murder, the hunters stood by their word that she was innocent and that no ims were going to be tolerated in the face of the esteemed Agency. Katie stood behind the Principal humbled in front of the student body. The hunters fanned out all over the school and the field. It was during this time that they did their job of checking through the projects that were to be presented that day. ¡°I know you are all eager to get your projects up and running. After all, that is what this day is about for most of you. I advise that you all be disciplined and diligent with your presentations. It¡¯s very likely that you can get a schrship to great universities and schools to continue your studies. Though I don¡¯t see a ce safer than here...¡± the short man joked. No oneughed when he said this, though it was clear he hadn¡¯t said it without intending it. The Principal seized hisughter and dropped into a serene silence for a moment. The rest of the student body took this time to acknowledge the death of one of their fellow students, ¡°Every single one of you knows what happened during the past week. And for those that don¡¯t know or for those of you that heard rumours from a friend, I shall ry everything in the presence of our esteemed hunters and head of security.¡± Katie took in two deep breaths as trained and assumed the mask she carried around with her everywhere she went to hide her emotions. ¡°I have been asked by the Hunter¡¯s Agency to reveal everything as it happened and withhold nothing of the truth. This information is to be published in the newspapers around the whole world as to what happened in this school,¡± there were murmurs from the crowd as they wondered what it was that he meant by this. On this day, the parents of the students that could make it were present and this was the source of the murmurs. The move the Principal was about to ruin the reputation of the school if anything he said was wrong or if he was suspected of fraud. ¡°Principal Brown...¡± a lone voice rose up from the chaos, quieting the entire field. Everyone looked in the direction of the one that had just caught the Principal¡¯s attention. The one person the entire school hade to respect... the same person that had caused the school to rise to the top in terms of safety. Since Katie¡¯s arrival, Brigadia High School had never been the same and the entire school knew her to be the one who ushered in an era of peace between the wolves and the humans. She did not segregate between the two races and made the humans apologise as well in case they were the ones that had wronged the werewolves. If it wasn¡¯t for her reputation, she would have been suspected by the students as well, but everyone knew who Katie Chase was. It would have looked like the Principal was trying to cover up for her if she had stayed back and let him ry the entire story as he¡¯d been briefed earlier, but this way, they would hear it straight from the person who¡¯d made the most progress in the case and was at the centre of all the me. Katie walked up to the podium, the Principal stepping aside from it to allow her to get up to the microphone. A hunter is supposed to be capable of suppressing their emotions as she¡¯d seeded with this whole time. This, however, didn¡¯te in the job description. No one would train you to appeal to humans and werewolves alike after one of them was killed under your protection. She wasn¡¯t sure she could hold her fa?ade... that was until she saw a sole face from within the crowd. His blue eyes stood out amongst all the faces that stared at her and at that moment, she gained all the confidence she needed to make this speech and so much more... Chapter 68 Chapter 68: Chapter Sixty Eight Principal Brown gave the young hunter a warm smile when he realized what she intended to do at the moment, ¡°s, I will be spared the trouble of reporting events that I also just heard from the Hunters. On behalf of the hunters, the head of security has decided to step in to exin the unfortunate events that urred during the week,¡± the man said before walking off the podium, giving Katie a tap on his way to the back where he¡¯d watch the rest of the speech that she was going to give. ¡°Good luck, Katie,¡± he whispered. Once Katie was up and close to the microphone, she spotted a distinct pair of bright blue eyes and froze, remembering the state he was in the day before. She couldn¡¯t tell what he¡¯d do now that he¡¯d seen her. ¡®Have Ie to care this much? Of course, I have and it¡¯s only going to get worse... or simply more intense after today. I wonder... Cole, was I a good friend?¡¯ A smile from the blue-eyed Royal got her heart beating again with confidence. She was d he was back to his normal self even though the warmth that spread through felt like overkill. She could then proceed with the speech she was tasked with giving now. ¡°As you all know, there was a murder that took ce in the school of recent. Slightly before that murder, there was an attack in the forest that put the lives of many innocent students and citizens in harm¡¯s way. Thankfully with the help of the junior hunters and the werewolves, we were able to repel the attack and even detain one of the invaders. I shall be brief as most of this is going to appear in the newspaper tomorrow. Most of this falls on my shoulders as you all know that the murder weapon was indeed a de that was supposed to be in my possession,¡± there were gasps as she revealed this, but that was to be expected, ¡°The victim was someone who was among the rogues that attacked the students on that same day. This, however, means that the wolf went through a Prometheus evaluation and was deemed worthy of being weed into society. Most of you knew Ash Myster as a fifteen-year-old boy that was struggling to keep up his grades, but that was not all that we should have known about Ash. Ash was indeed a girl...¡± gasps erupted from the crowd and she allowed a moment of thought for the people present to go through the information, ¡°Yeah, I was also surprised by that after the autopsy. What makes me seem more likely to be the victim was the fact that when I arrived at the crime scene, Ash had written something in her own blood in an attempt to spell the killer, or so we suspect. However, she was only able to write one letter and that was a ¡®K¡¯... Not a good look for me, I know, but that¡¯s what I found at the crime scene when I arrived.¡± Katie was getting morefortable with narrating the tale of her investigation even when she continuously made everything seem like she was the one who¡¯d done it, ¡°Furthermore, I was at a loss of who the killer might have been. Usually, when there is someone behind something, I can tell. Come on, I know every face in this school and a name to match it. I continuously interrogated many of you who could have done it, but as I suspected, none of you could have done it. I¡¯m not saying that knowing each and every one of you guarantees your innocence because the rogues that attacked the students a few days prior were also students whose names I knew. However, Ash was able to reveal that there weren¡¯t any more that she knew of. Chandler, the rogue that we had in captivity was also able to confess that there was one more rogue in the school at the time and that he¡¯d be leaving soon. We made a background check on every student to prove there wasn¡¯t any other rogue amongst us. Thankfully, every single one of you is clean and we are sure that there are no more spies amongst us. The details of the check will not be given for security purposes. ..... There is only one person who could go through all these security precautions and still not be discovered after all this and that was none other than Kyle Dwyer.¡± Gasps and murmurs went through the crowd as she said, ¡°Now the rest I have to say is nothing more than useless information that the rest of you don¡¯t want to hear. I don¡¯t deny that Kyle was my best friend almost since I got into this school. He was someone I deeply trusted and couldn¡¯t think would betray me. That is also why it took me so long to figure it out.¡± ¡°Where is Kyle now?¡± one of the students yelled out, a few others yelling in agreement with him, ¡®Yeah, where is he now?¡¯ they asked. They¡¯d already skipped the fact that Katie was still a suspect in this murder which even made it harder to reveal the answer to the question. She found herself seeking Cole¡¯s eyes from the crowd. She finally found them and allowed them her eyes to stop darting about. ¡°Well, Kyle escaped as soon as he realized he was soon to be discovered. By the time we found out the true culprit of the crime, there was nothing of him left at his house and he was long gone...¡± there was silence in the crowd as she said this, most of them simply afraid to voice the doubts they were now developing in her entire exnation. Katie sighed before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m not going to bow to all of you and ask that you believe what I¡¯m saying just because I was a tad bitte and didn¡¯t catch Ash¡¯s killer, but I will say this... There is no rogue left in this school... and it will stay that way.¡± ¡°What makes you so sure?¡± Cole was the one to ask this time. Katie couldn¡¯t hide the smirk that appeared on her face momentarily, ¡°As we all know, I grew up here. The rogues that infiltrated this school, all of them besides Ash were people that came here before bing the head of security. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all heard of the incredible tales and rumours of the Rogue Killer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all a myth,¡± another student yelled. ¡°Well, some of the tales are over-exaggerated. Quick as lightning, strong as a boar, I do not like that particr phrase when describing me, but who am I to reject such appealing praise?¡± she joked about, earningughter from the crowd. A hand came up from the crowd and she nodded to allow the girl to speak, ¡°You im to be the famous Rogue killer? What¡¯s your Prometheus gift... if you are even a hunter at all?¡± ¡°Well, for the license to prove that I am indeed a hunter,¡± she said, retrieving something from her pocket. Katie raised up a redminated card that, something the hunters that were around could not allow to be shed around if it was fake. The hunters wore proud faces as they saw the badge on disy, for this was a hunter they were indeed proud to call one of their own. ¡°As for my Prometheus gift, that is not very important since any of the gifts can be effective against a werewolf. However, I will say this. The Founder¡¯s festival is held every year and offers arge opportunity for many of the students here to receive schrships that allow them to move on to follow their dreams under much better circumstances. Dreams to be scientists, engineers, doctors and so many other enticing careers and adventures. I have a dream as well... No, I¡¯ll call it a mission because I will seed, and that¡¯s to put an end to this war once and for all,¡± she said, the conviction in her voice gripping the whole crowd. Some of the hunters around gasped at what she¡¯d just said. After centuries of fighting against the rogues, this really did sound like a dream. The crowd was not going to take her seriously when she said this. ¡°What is your Prometheus gift?¡± this time Cole was the one who asked. Katie smiled at him. He¡¯d been a big help during this speech and he¡¯d just given her the opening she needed to go for the kill. The Royal couldn¡¯t wipe the smirk off his face when he asked her. ¡°Oh, both of them...¡± she answered innocently, ¡°I know that I have a lot of work, but I am not about...¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin yourself, Katie,¡± a voice shouted from within the crowd. Her eyes scanned through and came face-to-face with a pair of green eyes, ¡°We know you won¡¯t give up until you have that scumbag down.¡± This seemed to have the right amount of spark to rile up the audience into an uproar of praise. People continued to yell and shout out different praises. Some of them that had been present during the attack in the Junior Hunter¡¯s Training ground shouted things like, ¡®We saw her in the training grounds. She might just pull it off.¡¯ While those that had been ensnared by the speech from the point she spoke of dreams that the Festival was supposed to help fulfil shouted out things like, ¡®You can make it. All dreams can be reality.¡¯ Principal Brown could only stare at themotion that she had caused. The speech had gone far better than he¡¯d expected with the Royal helping out to make it sound better every time he needed to. The duo had this all taken care of from the very start. From the way Katie spoke, everyone could finally rx and feel safe in her presence. He did not know if there was indeed a checkup that had taken ce of all the students but didn¡¯t oppose it for whether it was real or not, it helped lift the spirits of those that were present. Katie proceeded to tell everyone about how the security was going to be handled. Mentioning restricted areas and ces where to approach the hunters in case of an emergency so that everyone knew the entireyout of the security system. The rules against fighting between werewolves and humans were to remain the same as expected. Most of the VIPs were to be given a tour of the projects in the afternoon and therefore the students had the whole of the morning to make sure that everything was working fine. Katie finally concluded her speech. The second part of it had been to confirm that there was action taking ce beside the words that she had delivered earlier and that everyone was indeed in the safest ce at the moment. She stepped off the podium followed by an uproar of cheers and handps. ¡°You exceeded my expectations, the Principal whispered as they passed each other.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d... That was terrifying,¡± she replied, doing her best to remainposed until there was no longer an audience. The fact that she had to focus to keep her emotions in was proof that she was bing more emotional the closer they got to her birthday. The Principal concluded the assembly and allowed everyone to go about their activities. Shortly after, Katie was also dismissed and she walked on with Sandra to make sure everything was running smoothly. The Head of Security didn¡¯t have a specific post and was not obligated to stay in one ce, a part of the job that Katie found satisfying. This way she could also tour the festival just like everyone else while keeping an eye on what was going on. ¡°Hey, Katie, can I ask you a question?¡± Sandra asked as they walked up the stairs in search of the surveince room. Theirst location to check out before they were free to carry out whatever activities they saw fit at the moment. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Did you n that speech with Cole beforehand?¡± she asked. Chapter 69 Chapter 69: Chapter Sixty Nine Katie opened the door to the surveince room, her mind paying no attention to the inhabitants of the room while she answered her friend, ¡°No, we did not n anything out. Guess it was a blessing he was in a helping mood.¡± ¡°Hello, Boss, well for today that is or at least until seven in the evening,¡± Keh spoke up. ¡°Hey, Keh, how are things going on here?¡± she asked him and watched the man smirk from behind his container of popcorns. Two hunters sat in chairs watching the monitors while he reclined in his eating popcorn and oozingziness. ¡°How can you ask me such a question? I am on top of things. Besides, I don¡¯t see anything going wrong today. There is no rogue that is capable of even thinking ofing close to this ce with the rogue killer still around,¡± he said. ¡°How do you know that? I captured one just yesterday,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, you did. That speed of yours makes the night patrols seem useless. Anyway, Frost and Jackeline put that rogue you brought inst night through the wringer. He spilt what they could manage to get out of him. He said the rest were too scared toe here and for good reason too. Even after what those two put him through, he seemed more afraid of you. Just what did you do to the rogue?¡± Keh asked. ¡°Well, he was quite skilled, so when I showed him how useless his skills of stealth evasion andbat were against me, his resolve sort of crumbled. He tried running away, but got many of his bones broken instead, so it only stands to reason that he would be that scared of me,¡± she said. ..... ¡°Well, his physique did show that he¡¯d been put through some intense training, but that can only get a low ranking werewolf so far. He was able to at least describe what his experience against the Rogue killer was like. He was warned about getting three miles within the town, but he¡¯d never thought that there was a ce that guaranteed your death once you were within three miles of it. Finding out that this was true was what scared him the most. Finding a hunter that he couldn¡¯t escape from or at least give a hard time had not been part of his experiences and he got cocky,¡± he exined. ¡°That sounds terrifying indeed... I¡¯m not that scary, am I?¡± Katie asked. Sandra took a step away from her friend. ¡°I sometimes find myself thanking Prometheus and the moon goddess that I was not born a rogue, just because of how hopeless you make them look,¡± Sandra sighed, nodding her head in disbelief at her friend¡¯s question. ¡°Same here... When Frost let the rogue continue ranting about how scared he was of you, the torture methods that were left had no effect and they left him delirious. Well, some of his bones that healed... well the ones that had minor injuries, but from the way he acted, it was like he was from hell. He wasn¡¯t even supposed to be feeling pain from those injuries after the anaesthetics that were used on him,¡± Keh said, his hand failed to make the trip to his mouth with the next shipment of popcorns. ¡°Let¡¯s change the subject... I am not that scary. Well, I¡¯m okay with being that scary to the rogues, but not humans and werewolves,¡± she said. ¡°Talk about the partner you had during your speech,¡± one of the hunters who were watching the monitors spoke up in reply to her request. ¡°I walked right into that one, didn¡¯t I?¡± Katie groaned, the restughing at her antics. ¡°Come on, tell us what¡¯s going on. I know there is nothing he¡¯s supposed to know with the moon goddess blocking the connection for now, but the boy seems drawn to you either way,¡± they began. Sandra put her hand over her mouth to muffle herughter and breathed in twice to block her emotions. ¡°Sandra, save me,¡± Katie begged the junior hunter. ¡°I know nothing of what you speak of. You don¡¯t seem to be in any trouble,¡± their eyes simply wouldn¡¯t meet while she spoke. For some reason, all theseputers were starting to look very interesting. Katie was being abandoned but her sole best friend. ¡°Sandra...¡± she called, ¡°In that case, I won¡¯t be quiet about your affair with...¡± ¡°Fine fine fine, it¡¯s been nice knowing you boys. Let¡¯s get going. Everything here looks fine and moving smoothly. We have no more reason to be here. Katie, why don¡¯t we go check on the outdoor patrols, okay? Good, thank you,¡± the girl started ranting while she pushed her friend out the door until they were out of the room and the door shut. ¡°Hey, nothing¡¯s going on between me and whoever it is your mind is pairing me...¡± ¡°You mean Jason...¡± Katie was speechless after that, ¡°Why did you choose him? You didn¡¯t even see us together which we haven¡¯t been.¡± ¡°Well, I do notice the way he¡¯s always sending you winks and small gestures of the sort. That boy cannot keep such to himself,¡± she said, ¡°He¡¯s just too obvious.¡± ¡°Yes, that is true...¡± it was Sandra¡¯s turn to groan this time as they walked on. The two were stopped at the staircase by a voice they knew of all too well. ¡°If it isn¡¯t Hunter of the month,¡± Dexter said out loud. They turned to see the Beta crossing his hands with a smirk on his face, his normal escort next to him humbly, ¡°Someone¡¯s got their hand wrapped around a Royal. I never thought you were that type of girl.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Katie asked the werewolf. ¡°Nothing much... just an observation made by me and my boys,¡± he replied, raising his hands up innocently. Katie couldn¡¯t think of him in his stubborn moods since he¡¯d stood up for her during her speech, but his attack this moment had something else behind it. Maybe it was just idle chitchat, but she knew something that might have helped her uncover what was going on behind his mind. ¡°Don¡¯t you have someone else whose life you¡¯d rather make miserable?¡± she asked him dismissively. Sandra always loved to watch their exchanges. The two weren¡¯t friends but took pleasure at jesting jokingly even though every now and then, Dexter would break the rules and have to be put to a stop, a painful process. ¡°No, not really... Ofte, I am taking pleasure in poking at couples. Our moon goddess is taking her sweet time in giving me a mate,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s not what I heard considering you won¡¯t be eighteen untilter next month. I heard some other piece of information from someone else. Were you dumped, dear Dexter?¡± Katie smirked as she finished her taunt. ¡°What gave you that idea? Nothing of the sort...¡± ¡°Well, I heard of the reason you attacked Ash that day,¡± she said. ¡°Ash was just getting himself, or herself in this case, into something that had nothing to do with her,¡± he retorted, going on the defensive. ¡°Well, who was the girl?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter anyway. Let¡¯s change the subject. I¡¯d actuallye looking for both of you and not just the hunter of the month. I saw the person that Sandra couldn¡¯t take her eyes off and the way she reacted to him,¡± he said, wiggling his eyebrows. ¡°Wait, really, but Sandra is barely expressive...¡± ¡°What seems to be going on here?¡± someone¡¯s voice cut through the air, silencing Katie and sending shivers through her body. This reaction was noted with rity in her mind as an overreaction on her part, ¡®Celeste, what the hell did you do to me?¡¯ the cursed the moon goddess. Cole was behind them staring at the odd confrontation. ¡°Is something wrong here?¡± ¡°No, there is nothing wrong,¡± Dexter broke through the silence to answer the Royal and turned to leave winking at the hunter just before he looked away. ¡°Hey, Jason,¡± Sandra said, clearly noticing her friend¡¯s state of ¡®thought.¡¯ ¡°Hey Sandra, good morning,¡± he replied. She greeted the rest while Katie also got out of her trance to greet them. The three of them looked very much like the time when they first appeared on the first day they showed up at the school. ¡°Katie, are you okay?¡± Cole asked, having forgotten to greet Sandra all at the same go. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯d like to thank...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± he stopped her, ¡°To be honest, I was having fun with that speech. You handled yourself well for a suspected murderer.¡± ¡°It was terrifying actually...¡± she replied, chuckling, ¡°If anything had gone wrong, there was the option of everyone advocating for my direct imprisonment or death sentence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not something to say so lightly,¡± Cole said. ¡°Okay, now that we have the greetings out of this, we were actually looking for you guys.¡± ¡°Anything specific you had to ask,¡± Katie asked. ¡°Yes, we have never been to this Founder¡¯s Festival thing and we¡¯re hoping to get the best guides in the school. We were told the two beauties usually walk together and are almost impossible to miss because one has strikingly blue eyes,¡± he carefully voiced. Katie felt her cheeks start to heat up and answered him quickly in an attempt to distract herself from thepliments, ¡°Well, you found them and they are currently unupied.¡± ¡°Wonderful,¡± with that said, the five friends were on their way to the lower floor to start the tour of the entire festival. Katie couldn¡¯t help but rub her cheeks when the boys weren¡¯t looking. ¡®Is this a good thing or a bad thing?¡¯ Chapter 70 Chapter 70: Chapter Seventy Katie took the werewolves through the student¡¯s projects first marvelling at the shy ones. The projects that were presented by the students from higher sses were always better than the ones that were from the lower sses. Ranging from robotics inputer studies to biological innovations that yielded incredible production, the projects that were on disy were a sight to see. Katie and Sandra took turns in taking control of their group. While Katie didn¡¯t show that she wanted to move through the festival with Cole alone or at least that¡¯s what she thought she did, Sandra made it quite obvious by leaning more to Jason when she wasn¡¯t the one exining what they were looking at. And this message was inevitably reaching Caden¡¯s ears. ¡°Hey Sandra, what¡¯s that supposed to be?¡± Jason asked, pointing to a photo booth. ¡°Oh, I see what you¡¯re doing. Come on, let¡¯s take some,¡± she rushed the guy into the booth that had been set up by students from the middle school section. The kids got to work taking the pictures of the two who were now getting carried away. Katie couldn¡¯t help but notice Caden¡¯s silence. There was tension between him and Jason. She didn¡¯t want to pry, but Sandra and Jason¡¯s current situation provided her with the perfect opportunity. ¡°Hey, Caden, are you okay?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Loving how chummy those two are getting,¡± he said. ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m not talking about them...¡± she smiled, deterring the distraction Caden had tried using. Caden¡¯s eyebrows scrunched close in frustration raising rms in Katie¡¯s mind. She backed off immediately retreating to Cole who¡¯d let her approach him. Well, he hadn¡¯t had any progress since they¡¯d woken up that morning. ..... ¡°Thought you could get through to him, he¡¯s been getting more distant even with us,¡± Cole said. ¡°I¡¯ll just leave you guys to your double date. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m going for a run,¡± he said. Cole stopped her from calling him back, a somewhat knowing expression on his face. ¡°Let him be, Katie. Something is bothering him, but it¡¯s something we don¡¯t know about. If it was somewhat rted to what was going on right now, he would have said so already. He¡¯s quite straightforward,¡± he said. ¡°So what are you trying to say? That he is worried about something that ispletely unrted to people coupling right in front of him,¡± she asked bluntly, taking a gamble in the name of answers. Cole bit back his reply trying to disregard what she¡¯d just said, ¡°Who, might I ask, is ¡®coupling up¡¯ at the moment?¡± he asked, his voice steady. ¡°The two in the booth...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Not one word,¡± Cole had his hand on her mouth to stop her from saying more. He took her around a corner and into a ssroom, ¡°We don¡¯t know if those two are meant to be mates. Jason doesn¡¯t have it in him to fall for anyone else, or at least that¡¯s what I know, but he says he doesn¡¯t know what it is he feels towards your friend. How old is Sandra?¡± ¡°She will turn eighteen in a month and a half. Are you under the impression that the two could be mates, but not know just because Sandra is not yet of age,¡± she asked him, thoughts taking over her mind. ¡°Yes, that is what I am saying. It¡¯s not unheard of for a pair to have a sense of the bond before their time arrives. This usually happens if they won¡¯t be able to meet when the time actually arrives so that they aren¡¯t apart by then,¡± he said. ¡°Are you trying to tell me that you guys won¡¯t be here in a month from now?¡± Katie did not like what she was hearing. She blocked the thoughts of the future from her mind, ¡°No, never mind that. Let¡¯s enjoy the day, you still have a tour to finish.¡± Cole noticed the disturbance in what he¡¯d said, but obeyed thedy in front of him. Now that he thought of it, that unexined feeling that Jason talked of was simr to the first time he met this hunter. He¡¯d felt drawn to her and she¡¯d flipped him off immediately like he didn¡¯t matter one bit despite his blue eyes, looking back on it now, he chuckled at the awkward situation, ¡°Very well, mydy. After you,¡± he said. ¡°Perfect, nowe on. I have to show you what happens outside of the science projects. No offence, they are fun, but there is a reason it¡¯s called a festival and not a Science fair,¡± she reasoned, holding his hand and running back to the photo booth. They searched the booth and found that the two were nowhere to be seen. Cole got his phone from his pocket and dialled Jason¡¯s number. Katie didn¡¯t know why it irked her that she might have to continue this tour with Sandra and Jason, that is if they found them. ¡°Well, he said Sandra decided to give him a private tour or something regarding a giant fish tank that was supposed to be on the other side of the festival very... very far from where we currently are and that even if we tried to chase them down, we still wouldn¡¯t get to them because they are just so... so far ... I¡¯ll stop lying now.¡± It was quite obvious with the way he was mincing words. Katie couldn¡¯t help the smile that came to her face, ¡°That was a good try though.¡± ¡°You think... I¡¯ve been practising. Taking lessons from Jason... To tell the lie and make it believable, you must be the lie,¡± he said, imitating his friend¡¯s voice in the silliest way possible. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re making good progress,¡± Katieughed at her partner. They walked on, Katie leading Cole further from the school. The festival started to change from school projects to stalls from different vendors and different setups all engineered towards providing an interesting service. ¡°This is impressive, though it isn¡¯t as impressive as the Royal games. Now those are something else,¡± he said. ¡°What are the Royal games?¡± Cole stopped in his tracks to rub his temples. Never in his life had he ever thought he¡¯d be exining this to someone else. ¡°It¡¯s only one of the most anticipated events in the world. The Sirius familypetes with the Lycaon family in a series of games that determine who¡¯s stronger and more superior,¡± he said puffing out his chest. ¡°I take it from the way you are acting that you won thest games,¡± she observed the alpha. ¡°Yes, I did. Drake barely stood a chance against me...¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°No, he gave me such a hard time,¡± he pouted, his mind floating back to the finals of thepetition when he¡¯d faced off with the oldest of King Davin¡¯s children. Back then, they used topete in many things, but time weathers down a long-distance rtionship. ¡°I haven¡¯t yed many games in this life of mine unless you call the sparring with fellow juniors training,¡± she said. ¡°What do you mean by sparring?¡± he asked. This question sparked a whole exnation of the life of a hunter. She exined the different training regimens that the junior hunters were put through before they were allowed to pick mentors. Mentors were supposed then to train the juniors until Prometheus deemed them worthy of possessing a Prometheus gift. This was the hardest part though since Prometheus gifts were rarely offered and only given to those that deserved them in all ways. For this reason, hunters possessed simr characteristics and the one sole attribute of being incorruptible. Cole stopped by an ice cream stand, forcing the storyteller to stop as well, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What does it look like?¡± he asked as he checked the prices on the menu. Ady sat on a chair inside the stall reading a book, taking almost no notice of the people that had juste to tend to her stall. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask you to do that. Ice cream is expensive in these parts.¡± ¡°Have you ever had some in that case?¡± ¡°Yes, Samantha bought me some, one day when she was taking me through the festival. It cost her a sum but she did her best to hide the payment,¡± she said. Ice cream was a raremodity that was barely produced and even less transported because of the transport costs. As a result, it was very expensive. ¡°It¡¯s expensive here because of how remote it is, but that shouldn¡¯t stop you from enjoying it,¡± he said. The girl inside the stall finally took notice of them and smiled. ¡°What vour would you like me to give you?¡± she asked him, winking at him as she finished the question. Katie narrowed her eyes at the girl but said nothing. ¡°I¡¯ll have strawberry for thedy and vani for me,¡± he said to her. She started getting their orders ready eyeing the Royal, ¡°You guys look quite chummy. You chose the right event for a date.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get the wrong idea... this isn¡¯t...¡± ¡°You might not want to y that card,¡± the girl stopped Katie. She handed Cole his cone and turned her eyes to Katie, ¡°This one¡¯s a keeper. Don¡¯t let him slip away, Rogue killer.¡± With onest wink at the girl, she turned retrieved her book and started reading again. Katie¡¯s cheeks were hot at the moment, her emotions pouring out of her in waves. She wasn¡¯t so used to this, but she didn¡¯t mind it either. ¡°So a date it is then...¡± Cole confirmed with a smug smile on his face. ¡®Was he doing something wrong? Yes, yes, he was. Regardless, he couldn¡¯t deny the pull he had towards the hunter. Her birthday was the next day anyway as he could recall. He pushed the dark thoughts that threatened to gue him and allowed himself to get distracted by her flushed face. Katie was definitely looking more expressive than she usually was. ¡°I guess so...¡± she replied, with a sigh. ¡°Eat up before it melts...¡± Chapter 71 Chapter 71: Chapter Seventy One Caden did as he had said when he was leaving the couples behind and went out for a run passing by theyers of hunter defence that had been set up around the school. Every stall he saw made him dislike the ce even more. He didn¡¯t want to be near it much longer. He didn¡¯t want to bother his friends either. The more they showed that they were moving on from Ash¡¯s death, the more distant he grew. He couldn¡¯t me them though. They didn¡¯t know everything that he did about the girl for even before she was dead, Caden had already found out that she was a female and even had a long conversation with her that got the two quite close at a level no one had gotten the chance to see. He shifted once he was well away from the festival and shifted into his coffee brown coloured wolf before starting his run. Thoughts ran through his mind, the memories of his time with Ash starting all the way from the beginning this time. He promised himself he would move on once he¡¯d gone through this and done what one might have called solo mourning. On the day Ash was taken to the suite when she¡¯d just been freed of her rogue status, Caden had told her to feel at home while Jason went on to try and make her feel ufortable. It was a sweet way of taking the pressure off someone, however, Caden was not convinced that the pressure of no longer being a rogue was all that she was hiding. Once Jason and Cole had gone to sleep, the two stayed in the living room a bit longer, silence taking over them. Caden had either projected an understanding brotherly appearance to her that made him look approachable or she had reached her limit of how much she could hold it in. It didn¡¯t really matter after she began talking. Several days ago in the Lycaon suite... ¡°Are you okay, Ash? I know Jason¡¯s questions must have been tough to withstand,¡± Caden attempted to start a conversation, taking down Jason in the process. ..... ¡°I¡¯m fine. His questions don¡¯t bother me that much. It¡¯s just that they hit the wrong spot every time he asks them,¡± she said. At the time, Caden knew that he was speaking to a boy and not a girl. ¡°That is very confusing. Would you try to shed some light on that? Coffee? Tea?¡± he asked while he stood up to make himself something in the kitchen. ¡°Any would do... I mean they hit the wrong spot because they are gender-sensitive,¡± she said. Caden was frozen for a bit while he tried to decipher what she¡¯d just said. It was true that what Jason asked her were things only boys would ask boys... ¡°I feel like I¡¯m halfway to what you¡¯re trying to say,¡± he stopped to look at her face clearly. The gel that went through her hair was excessive, but now that he looked at her clearly, this was a distraction. ¡°Are you a girl?¡± ¡°Yes, I am,¡± she replied. He would not have guessed it in a million years for it was known for nearly all rogues on the battlefield to be males. It was almost unheard of for a female to fight amongst the rogues when they had a more important job of increasing their numbers. He finished making coffee for the both of them and returned to the living room handing her the cup, ¡°Careful, it¡¯s hot... Do you mind telling me your story? If you don¡¯t want it out, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut. I¡¯m just of the opinion that you need someone you don¡¯t need to hide from while you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Well, I was nning on telling everyone someday, so I¡¯ll start with you. But you have to keep it a secret until I¡¯m ready,¡± she said. Caden nodded and made a cross above his chest along with a gesture of death where he stuck out his tongue, ¡®Cross my heart and hope to die.¡¯ The girlughed at his antics, a melody that Caden was only hearing for the first time. Now that he knew that secret, she didn¡¯t fake herugh and he was almost tempted into making her reveal her gender immediately just to keep hearing herugh all the time she did. ¡°My full name is Ashley, but I cut it short when I decided to pretend to be a boy. Myster is what I was named when I was going undercover. We aren¡¯t exactly given full names since our mothers don¡¯t know the father and considering how many children they are forced to give birth to. I only knew my mother in the rogue camps. It¡¯s rare for children who are born rogues to know their fathers since it was never official who got the woman pregnant. Breeders lived a harsh life in the rogue camps. They were supplied with everything they needed to survive, but as long as they started to look young and fertile, they were raped again and again until they conceived. It wasn¡¯t unheard of for a beautiful one to be raped even after conception. Ashley¡¯s mother was always sickly after having her. Her siblings numbered twelve and each one of them was male. They were naturally aggressive since they lived in a world where it was every man for himself until the rogues came to pick them up for training. Boys would go for training at age five while girls would stay behind and help their mothers with the daily activities and take care of them until they became of age. The camps that the breeders were in were guarded heavily by rogues as the young girls were always trying to run away from there so that they didn¡¯t suffer the same fate as their mothers. This almost never worked and when it did, the girl wouldter be discovered dead in the woods. A fate that many found to be much more peaceful than what they were subjected to in the camps. Ashley was soon to turn six when her mother gave her a proposal, ¡°I want you to escape and find peace and a home outside the life of being a rogue.¡± At first, Ashley had brushed off the idea in the hopes that her mother was just being delusional. The possibility of being free, however, was just so alluring that she came right back and asked for a full exnation. She was to pretend to be a boy and go along with them when the rogues came for the next recruitment. This n only worked because the children were many and since she rarely yed with them, they couldn¡¯t recognize her. Keeping her identity secret was barely something easy to keep during her times in training. She was always making excuses and keeping a low profile such that she was never discovered. At some point, it looked like she would never be free of the life that she had now gotten herself into. They were taught cruel ways of life. They were taught that the moon goddess created werewolves for the sole purpose of ridding the world of humans and that¡¯s what they were trained to do. Anything else was irrelevant. Well, that was until they found something useful to do. Once she was recognized as someone who knew how to blend in, the rogues took action in deploying her to the one ce they never ventured, the home of the rogue killer. She didn¡¯t know why she survived the rogue killer. It was the first time she¡¯d ever seen blood in her life. The rogue killer moved swiftly and bore unimaginable strength. She killed without hesitation and looked graceful doing it. Ashley was both moved by her efficiency and disgusted at the sight of blood and corpses. Everyone that was a part of her escort was killed while she hid in a bush watching it all happen. This was how spies were transported into the town of Brigadia. The Rogue king ordered five rogues to transport a spy with a mission already given. The rogues were decoys for the Rogue killer to get rid of. The n was effective as she didn¡¯t seem to notice her hiding. From that point, she followed the directions she was given and arrived at a house that looked empty at first nce, but once she had reached the backyard, it was clear that there was someone inside. She knocked and was let in by the other spies that lived there. This is how her life in Brigadia began at age fifteen, having only been deployed from training and straight into the field, her bag filled with werewolf inhibiting drugs that could take her till her birth date, she had three years to do everything that was required of her. The house they were inprised six fellow spies who had the money for rent from God-knows-where. The rogues in that house were pretentious and had a knack for bad-mouthing students that they¡¯d befriended, making sure to show how disgusted they were with the job they were given while enjoying the luxurious life they were living in a house with no adults. It was only a matter of time before they wondered what made Ashley so different from them or at least one of them, Chandler, who was starting to get suspicious about their new arrival. Among the rogues, trust was a luxury that one would find themselves regretting. Chapter 72 72 Chapter Seventy Two Caden did his best to listen without interrupting the girl¡¯s story. Ashley¡¯s life was filled with hardships, making it hard for him to keep a straight face when she spoke of the times she felt like she was trapped. Having kept her identity a secret for nearly ten years before being deployed into Brigadia as a spy by a convoy that was meant to be killed by the Rogue Killer. Up until this point, Caden was yet to know who the rogue killer was and stayed patient throughout the story. Beforeing to Brigadia, they had noticed from the statistics of rogue attacks that there hadn¡¯t been a single one in the past four years and yet Ashley continued to speak of their presence and knowledge of the peculiar town like they had been there the whole time. He couldn¡¯t keep himself from asking the question when it irked him, ¡°You¡¯re telling me that rogues know of this ce and only keep away because once they get within three miles, they are killed immediately?¡± he asked while she nodded. ¡°Yes, that is true. The one they refer to as the Rogue Killer always shows up without fail and there is no escape for rogues that get within that distance of the town. I was made to take the drugs far before I got into that radius so that once I hid, I would not be detected, however, that was also just spection. No one knew how the Rogue killer would get alerted once rogues were in Brigadia,¡± she exined. After this Caden asked that she continue her story, intrigued by the fact that there was someone of that much power in Brigadia. They were used to seeing just the Chase hunters at the Lycaon pce performing such rare feats. Perhaps it had something to do with the Chase family that lived here as well. There was no reason for there to be a family of Chase hunters here either which also sent his suspicions into a frenzy about what secrets they held for being here. Ash continued the story of the time she lived with the rogues in the house South of Brigadia town. This house was barely big enough for the seven of them. Since it wasn¡¯t permanent, there was no real reason for setting it up like a permanent home and so they only made the kitchen and living room presentable. The rest was up to whoever felt they had the need for order. It was not long after she moved into the house that one of them began to suspect her. Chandler began picking on her and making her stick out like a sore thumb among the rest. Soon enough the others had started talking to her and sending her for errands and something of the sort since she was the youngest in the crew. They didn¡¯t mind what she did or where she was which was fine, but Chandler did. And one day he decided he wanted to see her without all the gelled hair. She never noticed that by refusing, she only made him even more curious to know what she was hiding. As a result, he¡¯d poured water on her while she was walking through the hallway and watched as the hair let loose and fell to her shoulders. Her clothes stuck to her and revealed the entire secret. She might have been lucky that the rest of the rogues weren¡¯t around to see her, but Chandler was bad enough. The barbaric boy did not hesitate in taking advantage of the girl. Using her secret as leverage, he¡¯d threaten her and falsify the results of her secreting out. It wasn¡¯t clear what would happen to her once they found out about her, but she didn¡¯t want to find out. There was no doubt that he would make sure to put ideas into their heads so that they had the worst-case scenario ready for her. Chandler had her moved to his room iming there was something that he needed to teach the newbie concerning being a spy for the Rogue King. ..... Chandler then used this tactic to force her into sleeping with him,¡± Ash was shaken as she revealed this part. Caden had been gritting his teeth and barely noticed when he shattered the hollow handle of the ceramic cup that he held spilling its contents on the floor. He paid no heed to the cup and pulled Ashley into an embrace, rubbing circles in her bag and trying to wear down the shivers. She did not have to say the rest of the story as he could feel that she was about the end of her story. ¡°Iter realized who the rogue killer was when we were in the forest today,¡± she said. ¡°Who was it?¡± ¡°It was Katie. Katie moved like her when she was fighting the others this evening. When I saw Cole walk into the school building that day, I saw my fight ray of hope. I¡¯d already known of his arrival as that was the information that I was sent to confirm though rules stated that I was not supposed to tell the others of my mission. If I could only get Cole to start a Prometheus evaluation for me, I could finally be free of beingbelled a rogue and free of Chandler and the others,¡± she said. ¡°It would make sense considering she is the one that possesses two Prometheus gifts and is part of the Chase family,¡± he said. ¡°She possesses both of them, are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes, I am sure. She demonstrated it while you were going through your evaluation. It was scary,¡± he said, still holding the girl in his arms. Ash remained silent for a bit enjoying the warmth of the werewolf with her. She¡¯d been told stories of men who weren¡¯t rogues. Stories of how dignified they could be. Outside of the camp, in the world outside the rogues, the life that females lived felt almost untouchable and fictional. ¡°I haven¡¯t felt this safe or rxed since I could understand what fear was...¡± she said. Caden tightened his embrace, partly because he was boiling with rage. He¡¯d always frowned upon the ways of the rogues, but being in the presence of a survivor of that life made that hate even more intense. ¡°That will never happen to you ever again. Forget everything about what happened to you when you were there. You have a new life now,¡± Caden waspelled tofort the girl in his arms. His protective instincts werepletely alert. Rogues had caused a lot of suffering in the world and most werewolves trained to fight the rogues were also tested in the matter of rescue. Part of rescue was rehabilitating those that were psychologically affected by an attack. ¡°I appreciate everything you guys are doing for me. I¡¯ll do my best to lessen the burden that I impose on you. I¡¯ll...¡± ¡°Hush, Ashley, there is nothing you have to worry about. Let us take care of you,¡± he tried. ¡°No, I won¡¯t be a liability. There is a lot I want to see in this world. My mother spoke of rivers andkes as far as the eye could see. She spoke of carnivals and festivals simr to what I hear every time I¡¯m told about the Founder¡¯s festival. Foods that can make one moan the moment they touch someone¡¯s tongue. I was told that in the world outside of the camp, children were allowed to follow their dreams. I envied those stories and the people who were born with the privilege and freedom of such a life. The mission of the rogues disgusts me every time I find something about the rogues that is repulsive,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ll get to see all of that. All in good time, Ashley. You¡¯re far from the reaches of the rogues now,¡± he said. ¡°It gives me a lot of hope to feel that. I do want to know something though. Can I ask you a question?¡± she asked him. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± ¡°What¡¯s a mate?¡± the question seemed to break his heart hearing it. Rogues didn¡¯t care about that sort of thing and it would only stand to reason that she didn¡¯t know anything about them. It still didn¡¯t make sense though. Ashley might have heard a weak wolf and didn¡¯t know much when it came to using her newly awakened senses, but knowing nothing about mates a whole new level of ignorance for a werewolf. ¡°How is it that you don¡¯t know what a mate is?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the word plenty of times and from the way I hear werewolves speak of the term, it sounds amazing and sort of like what every female hopes for, but I don¡¯t get how it all works,¡± she said. ¡°Well then, perhaps you might need an education on what that means then. Ask anything that you don¡¯t understand, okay?¡± Caden went through the entire exnation of how every werewolf was granted another that supplemented them in every way. Ashley listened quietly at the description of the bond that the two shared that even allowed them to feel each other¡¯s emotions, feel what the other wanted and the effect that mates had on each other. When Caden was done, she had tears in her eyes. Caden, on the other hand, was determined to help make her time with the rogues nothing but a distant memory. It wasn¡¯t something that was going to be easy, that much he knew, but he wasn¡¯t going to give up without trying and this he swore to himself that night as she fell asleep in his arms. He took her to her room andid her to sleep. On that night, twodies slept in their suite and none of them had even seen iting. When Ash was found dead, Caden started losing his mind over the promise he couldn¡¯t fulfil. While the others were trying to get through the process of grief, he was stuck far behind them and could only distance himself for he couldn¡¯t go through the process as fast as they could. ¡®Ashley was not supposed to die,¡¯ he would yell at himself. But nothing he did could change the fact that she¡¯d been murdered. His wolf let out a howl once he was far away from Brigadia copsing on the forest floor, exhaustion and grief taking their toll on his body, ¡®She didn¡¯t have to die...¡¯ Chapter 73 73 Chapter Seventy Three Katie walked through the festival with Cole, thoughts of what the girl from the ice cream stand had said still haunted her mind while she walked on with Cole. Katie was just about to take Cole to check out one more ce before she was stopped. ¡°Can you wait for me here for a bit? There is something I saw back there that I want to get,¡± he said. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t hold you back. Just don¡¯t make me wait too long,¡± she crossed her arms while waiting for her. ¡°Someone is enjoying the festival. I thought you were the Head of security,¡± someone called to her. She turned to see Samantha standing behind her with a smug look on her face. ¡°Well, my real job begins after lunch, so I don¡¯t really have something to worry about,¡± she said innocently. ¡°Well, have fun. You deserve it, but I do want to know how you¡¯re doing in terms of hunger,¡± she asked. Katie¡¯s hand rushed to her stomach, she wasn¡¯t hungry, but there was no sensation of food in there either. This was normally something that wouldn¡¯t cause her to worry one bit, but today was a different story. It was only a matter of time before she¡¯d have to find a way out of all this. ¡°How long do you think you have?¡± Samantha asked reading the girl¡¯s expression. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I wasn¡¯t paying attention to my condition. So it could be anywhere between thirty minutes and two hours,¡± she said. ¡°Then find a way to wrap this up... that is if you don¡¯t want him to hear your stomach growling like a bear. It would be cute. The boy would have found something to spend on to please you,¡± Samantha giggled. ¡°Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?¡± a familiar voice gripped Katie¡¯s mind, the topic of discussion immediately escaping her as she wanted to know only what kept Cole away from her that long. Cole and Samantha looked between each other until they realized the person supposed to be introducing them was not going to. ..... ¡°Samantha Conners, I¡¯m a hunter. Watched Katie grow up. What¡¯s a Lycaon doing with this hunter?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, I was receiving a tour of the festival, though I think it¡¯s almost done,¡± he said. ¡°Well, if I know Katie, then she saved her best part of the fair for thest. The part of the festival that only hunters can survive,¡± she said, ¡°I won¡¯t spoil the fun, so I¡¯ll let you two get on with the festival.¡± The two bid each other farewell, Cole being careful to keep one hand behind his back making it obvious he was holding something behind his back. Cole snapped his hands in front of the girl¡¯s face snapping her back to reality, ¡°She¡¯s gone, you know.¡± ¡°Yeah, that must have been embarrassing,¡± Katie¡¯s cheeks were turning a slight pink. ¡°That¡¯s a very new look,¡± Cole sounded genuinely surprised by the reaction. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been getting that a lot today. Are you done shopping so that I can take you to my favourite part of the festival?¡± she asked him. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m done, but before we can proceed, I have something to give you,¡± he said, bringing his right hand out from behind him. In his hands, he held a ck box made of hard thick paper. The box showed no sign of what was inside it. Katie¡¯s curiosity spiked when she saw the box. She got it from him and opened it, freezing at the sight of the silver ornament thaty within the box. A silver chain ney within the box, but the one thing about it that captured her attention the most was the giant sapphire pearl it held, the silver around it swirling to give it a nice finish. She was at a loss of words and quite sure her burning cheeks should have been bright red. She wanted toin about the price of the ornament, but Cole was a prince which meant that argument wouldn¡¯t go anywhere. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± the words finally escaped her. ¡°I¡¯m d... For a second there, I thought you¡¯d forgotten how to speak,¡± he joked, before getting a hold of the ne, ¡°Let me put it around your neck and see how that goes.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she said, getting her ck shoulder-length curls out of the way to expose her neck. Cole was forced to grit his teeth as his wolf surged forward in response to the bare neck he was seeing for the first time. ¡®What¡¯s this supposed to mean? You haven¡¯t told me if she¡¯s our mate and now you want to mark her. What aren¡¯t you telling me?¡¯ he mentally yelled at the wolf within him, fighting the urge to mark the deadly hunter before him, ¡®She¡¯ll have our hide before we can blink,¡¯ he tried to sway the animal part of him. ¡°Are you going to put it there or not?¡± she asked him, pulling him out of his trance. ¡°Oh yes, here you go. I was just thinking of how much the ornament reminded me of your eyes,¡± he said, saving his hide in a different way. Katie did not know how to reply to thepliment and blushed red. ¡®I must look like a freakin tomato. This isn¡¯t exactly a private ce. Oh, what the hell... this is thest day with him in the dark. This won¡¯t have to be secret much longer.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Cole,¡± she said in reply. Cole watched her let go of her hair, numbing pain in his canines as he lost the chance that should have never been his in the first ce. He didn¡¯t know why this one girl had this much effect on him. It felt like he was being unfair to the person the moon goddess was keeping for him, but he couldn¡¯t help himself. A stupid move, but one he was ready to take full responsibility for... or at least that¡¯s what he told himself to help him sleep at night. He knew one thing for sure, he couldn¡¯t dere Katie his... ¡®Did Katie know that though? Did she know that she couldn¡¯t be his regardless of how sweet his actions were?¡¯ the thoughts gued his mind as he fazed in and out of reality. ¡°Hey, Cole, are you okay?¡± he snapped out of his thoughts to see the person before him. The sapphire matched her eyes perfectly that it felt like he was staring at her for the first time that day. She looked nothing like a hunter at the moment and for a slight moment, he forgot that she was the same scary hunter that possessed two Prometheus gifts and was potentially stronger than he was.(It was yet to be proven). ¡°You look beautiful,¡± he said. ¡°I thought you found didn¡¯t like my eyes,¡± she started, remembering his reaction on the first day they met. ¡°They were intimidating at first. Humans don¡¯t usually have eyes that colour, but I found that they suit you quite well. Prometheus blessed with a nice set of orbs,¡± he defended himself. ¡°That¡¯s quite ttering, Lycaon,¡± she summarized, ¡°Now follow me to the Archery range such that I might cream you in a game that only hunters were born to do.¡± The evilugh that followed had himughing, draining his memory of the troubling thoughts that had gued him only moments ago... ....................... The Archery range was set up in an enclosed area to protect people from any stray arrows. It was as Samantha had said it, Archers were everywhere here. Competitions were held in pairs. The junior hunters had already had their turn and left everything to the professionals that had now shown up. Cole found Katie¡¯s enthusiasm cute as she couldn¡¯t wait for their turn. He hadn¡¯t even noticed when she¡¯d signed them up. She just turned up with their number and they sat on the sidelines to watch the pairs before thempete. The professional hunters were boisterous and highlypetitive. Most of them got bullseyes, intimidating Cole to his core, ¡°Are you that good?¡± he asked his partner. ¡°No, not really. I love using the bow, but not in realbat unless absolutely necessary. I like to let my fists fly in a real fight, that way, I don¡¯t miss,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, gotcha... I have to ask though. Were the hunters always this many?¡± ¡°Not really... The VIPse with their own escorts. The scouts usually get here first and call the convoy informing them of the situation. That way they aren¡¯t in any real trouble. Though I must admit they are more than I thought they¡¯d be at this time,¡± she answered. Soon enough it was their turn and were called up to the starting points. They were each given five chances to shoot and no second chances. Cole was not the best with a bow. All he knew about it was what he learnt for the Royal games. This was one of the contests where Drake had beaten him. They handed them the bows and arrows. ¡°Have you done this before?¡± ¡°Yes, I have, but I can¡¯t say I was that good at it,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t panic and listen to the wind and you¡¯ll be all good,¡± she said to him whilst nocking her first arrow. nting one foot firmly in front of the other and pulling the string back, she looked the part of a hunter with her entire stand wless. After taking in a deep breath, she let the arrow fly. It soared through the air andnded next to the bullseye. ¡°Your turn.¡± ¡°For a second there, I thought you were going to hit a bullseye...¡± he sighed in relief before nocking his first arrow as well. Katie chuckled at him and watched the man take up his stance as well. wed as it might have been, he seemed to know what he was doing as he let his arrow fly, having given himself enough time to get ready. The arrow hit the bullseye, leaving no room for negotiation. ¡°That¡¯s going to sting,¡± he sighed, for the next three arrows, Katie did not miss a single one, while he strayed ever so close to the outer circle. ¡°Was your first shot a lucky one?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes, it was... I know you held back with your first one, so I gained a bit of confidence that it would be a close match. Once I made that lucky shot, I didn¡¯t stand a chance,¡± the Royal whined. Katie couldn¡¯t contain herughter on hearing that. She got ready with herst arrow and made a quick shot hitting close to the bullseye effortlessly. She ced the arrow in its rack and came back to Cole. ¡°How about I guide you for your next shot...¡± ¡°I¡¯m all ears...¡± ¡°Alright then, nock your arrow and show me your stance. You have a few adjustments to make if you want that arrow to hit the mark,¡± she ordered and the Royal did as he¡¯d been instructed. Katie walked around him making the necessary adjustments to his elbow and hands. She forced him to align his feet right so that he was in line with the target. ¡°Now listen for the wind and make sure to let the arrow go once it¡¯s at its calmest. That was you won¡¯t have that much of an adjustment to the position of the arrow,¡± she ordered. Cole thanked the goddess for making him a werewolf, for the bowstring, was screaming to be released. His werewolf strength, however, allowed him to hold it this long. The arrow seemed to soar through the air for ages before it hit right at the centre of the bullseye, ¡°Nicely done.¡± ¡°I had an amazing teacher,¡± he said. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind the interruption, might I cut in and ask the fairdy for one round with me,¡± a voice interrupted them catching their attention. What stood out most about the new arrival was the fact that he hid his face behind a mask. Katie couldn¡¯t quite ce his voice, but she was certain she¡¯d heard it somewhere. ¡°Sure, go ahead,¡± Cole answered, hiding his now-clenching fist. Chapter 74 74 Chapter Seventy Four The gentleman that had interrupted them was dressed to kill in a ck tux. He looked suited to be one of the VIPs that were supposed to being, easily outmatching the unprepared royal who¡¯de casually dressed in a pair of jeans and a ck shirt that was only slightly tight on him. He didn¡¯t look too bad in Katie¡¯s eyes though. ¡°Do I get the pleasure of knowing the name of my Challenger?¡± Katie asked the masked arrival. ¡°Oh, where are my manners? The name is Lawson,¡± the man said. The name rang a thousand bells in her mind, but she couldn¡¯t quite ce it. These were irritating times though. ¡°Feels like I¡¯ve heard it before. Are you from here?¡± Katie asked, nocking another arrow and getting ready for her next shot. Something was different about the way these two werepeting though. The entire archery range had gone quiet to watch their bout. Katie noticed this and decided she was not going to lose to this man. She closed her eyes feeling for the wind and let the arrow loose, hitting the outer part of the bullseye. It wasn¡¯t a perfect shot. The man then took his arrow and continued their conversation, ¡°No, not for a long time, but I am back for the festival. It is just as magnificent as they say it is for a small town such as this one.¡± The man went quiet as did Katie, focusing on the target before him. From how long he could hold the string taut, she could tell that he wasn¡¯t an ordinary human. He let the arrow loose and it soared through the air whistling as it went and impaling itself into the target at the centre of the bullseye. The man had drawn the string so far back that the arrow bore enough force to bury itself half into the wood they were shooting at. A ripple of gasps filled the crowd. Holding an arrow back with that much of the string drawn back was hard enough in its own right. Katie was quiet for a bit as we watched the arrow within the board waiting for it. The boards were changed as per her request so that they had a new one to use. ¡°You¡¯re quite skilled. I¡¯ll give you that,¡± she said, nocking another arrow. ¡°You don¡¯t sound like you¡¯re ready to give up though. Does that mean you¡¯ve been holding back on me?¡± he asked. Katie chuckled while she rested her cheek on her arm, listening to the wind with her eyes closed. Cole was getting worried, watching how far back she¡¯d drawn the string. However, the arrow still remained steady in the bow. The more force one needed to hold the string back, the harder it was to hold it steady. When Katie saw her window of opportunity, her eyes shot open and she let the arrow fly soaring through the air at blinding speed and whistling louder than thest one. It impaled the board dead centre, threatening to tear throughpletely to the other side of it. ..... ¡°So, you were holding back. I¡¯m slightly offended by that,¡± he said. ¡°You should be proud. You got me to take this seriously,¡± she replied chuckling, ¡°I don¡¯t normally get much of a challenge in this unless it¡¯s the professional hunters.¡± ¡°Am I to assume that you are a professional hunter as well?¡± he asked, nocking his next arrow, but waiting for the people who had gone to tend to the target board. The wall behind the board was being reinforced to make sure no stray arrows went through to the other side just in case someone was passing by. ¡°You really aren¡¯t from here then. Or if it was a long time ago, then you must have been here before I became a hunter,¡± she said dismissively. The man nocked his arrow whispering to himself so that she couldn¡¯t hear him, ¡°I guess you¡¯ve really grown. If the stories are right, then I was right about you.¡± Cole¡¯s werewolf hearing, being superior to even that of normal werewolves picked up on the words that the man said. This man knew Katie and he¡¯d not challenged her out of spite. He was using this opportunity to talk to her before he got the chance to reveal himself to her. From what he could tell, he was a hunter and he was sure of how important he was to Ciara. Lawson couldn¡¯t have been his first name. Cole didn¡¯t like the encrypted messages he was getting off the guy. Katie looked like she wasn¡¯t bothered one bit about the man¡¯s identity. Her head was too deep into the game to notice that there was something suspicious about the man, but then again, Katie would have detected something if he was hostile given her Chase heritage. For this reason, Cole kept his distance and watched the twopete. The man drew his arrow back until it the string began to groan from the tension it was under. The arrowhead was now at the same level as the bow. He¡¯dpletely drawn the arrow back to its limit and now he held it there waiting for the wind to calm down. Katie was impressed by this feat. The man just kept pushing past his limit. Considering these bows were designed for hunters that were trying to learn archery, they could handle the force that the man was putting into the string. Normally, the amount of force he was using would have snapped a normal bow in half. He let his arrow fly and it struck right through Katie¡¯s arrow forcing the both of them through the board. Murmurs started running through the crowd as they all stared at the twopetitors. This bout had easily caught the eyes of many that were present. Katie was at a wit¡¯s end. Considering her earlier blunder, this man was going to win. There were points awarded for the force the arrow packed as well and he was dominating that as well. ¡°The rogue killer has gotten herself into trouble this time,¡± someone chuckled beside Cole. He couldn¡¯t deny that. Her opponent was quite formidable and made his stomach turn with envy. His bout with Katie hadn¡¯t been so interesting. Katie, on the other hand, was at her human limit. If she was going to win this, she was going to have to add some Prometheus strength to it, but the bows that were being used could not handle that kind of force. She jogged back to the booth and asked for a Hunter¡¯s Bow, something that was reserved for contests such as what she¡¯d just gotten herself into. She came back holding something that amused the crowd beyond what they would have thought. The bow was made of thick metal and strained her muscles just by carrying it. There was no doubt that it was heavy and its string was made of an stic carbon-basedponent that was almost impossible to snap. The hunter running the booth ordered the juniors that were responsible for recing the board to use the ones with twice the thickness of the wood. ¡°Someone is getting serious,¡± the man mused, leaning against the post next to him that marked the standing point. ¡°You should be scared. This one is going to knock your socks off,¡± she said, smirking at him. ¡°Oh, I quiver in fear,¡± he mocked her, chuckling. He was still remarkably calm. This was Katie¡¯s third arrow and she was sure she wasn¡¯t going to miss at all in the next rounds. She nocked an arrow and pulled back on the string until the arrow was halfway to the bow, tapping into her Prometheus gift to achieve this feat. ¡°Sure you don¡¯t want to use more force than that,¡± the man taunted. She let the arrow fly and everyone watched as it impaled the board halfway through. ¡°Try to beat that... Maybe then I¡¯ll add some more force.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find that underestimating me is not a good thing,¡± the man said beckoning for the men that Katie only noticed now to bring him something. The men he called were dressed to kill as well although they looked more like butlers as they brought the man a bag, suffering under the weight of the equipment contained in it. Lawson opened it and pulled out a bow simr to the one Katie was holding, only that Katie could realise that this one was custom made and packed twice as much of a punch as the standard-issue she wielded. ¡°You are having fun with this,¡± she whined, burying her head in her hands. Lawson chuckled as he also summoned his strength to draw the string back. ¡°You know, I would advise you to give it all you have when you face me in a battle. Don¡¯t look down on me just because I look weaker than you,¡± with those words striking a thousand chords of nostalgia within Katie¡¯s mind. The man let the arrow loose after having drawn it all the way, his string screaming from the strain. The arrow whizzed through the air cutting straight through Katie¡¯s arrow as though it was nothing and taking the both of them through the thick wood. Katie looked into the bag that had been brought and noticed the man had a quiver of steel arrows. The kind that could be shot through metal and barely have an effect on its effectiveness. She was outmatched in all ways here and wasn¡¯t even sure she could keep her arrow steady under the force that he¡¯d just used to shoot hisst arrow. ¡°I must admit. You are formidable... and remarkably familiar. Though I do have to tell you that I have no idea who you are,¡± she said before letting her next arrow fly. It shot through the boardpletely, leaving only a hole at the centre of the bullseye and mming onto the wall on the other side of the target,pletely out of power. ¡°Maybe you will recognize meter on when we are allowed to meet officially,¡± he said to her. ¡°Oh, you mean you¡¯re a stowaway VIP? I didn¡¯t know hunters could be VIPs,¡± she said. ¡°Why would you think I was a VIP? Can¡¯t I be a hunter as well?¡± he let his arrow loose and it whizzed through the air. From the force it held, it force the board to fall back as it passed through the same opening that Katie had made, impaling itself into the wall at the back of the secluded archery range. ¡°Might I ask the both of you to tone down the force you are using? I don¡¯t want casualties,¡± the hunter in the booth yelled. The crowd that was present began to groan and whine at the buzzkill that had just ruined the fun. Katie chuckled at the silliness of the situation she¡¯d gotten herself into. It was clear that she¡¯d lost. In fact, she knew she lost right after the man had shot his first arrow. At the moment, he was trying to get her to take this seriously and he¡¯d seeded. When they were done, he bowed and bid her farewell, ¡°We¡¯ll meet under different circumstances. Maybe then you¡¯ll figure out my first name,¡± he said. ¡°Would it be so hard for you to just tell me?¡± ¡®Why did he have to be so cryptic?¡¯ ¡°There will be no need for me to do such a thing,¡± he chuckled before walking away, his butlers following him with their bags. Katie watched the man leave, her mind trying to figure out who he was, but s, there was nothing that she coulde up with, ¡°He seemed like an interesting fellow.¡± Thoughts of Lawson vanished when she heard the man behind her. This was the reason she¡¯de to the archery range in the first ce. Chapter 75 75 Chapter Seventy Five ¡°Cole,¡± she hugged him, forgetting her boundaries, ¡°Wait, you mean him? Can we go for another round?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can manage one more round of archery after what I just watched. I knew you were good, but I had no idea you were that good,¡± he said. He genuinely looked shaken by the bout he¡¯d just watched the two of them have, ¡°That was some demonic level archery.¡± Katie couldn¡¯t hold back herughter. She pulled away from him, ¡°Fine then, let¡¯s check out the rest of the fair then.¡± A familiar feeling gripped her as they reached the exit, turning her face red as a sound, all too clear for her liking, rumbled. She brought her hands to her stomach and sighed in embarrassment. ¡°Let¡¯s first get you something to eat. I would get hungry if I had to shoot arrows with that much force,¡± Cole chuckled, wrapping his arm around the embarrassed beauty and dragging her to the nearest stall that had been set up to look like a restaurant. It was too early for a meal, but a small snack to fill an empty belly couldn¡¯t hurt... or so he thought... ........ Cole did the best he could to try and hide his amusement when he saw Katie eating. She ordered a te of fries which had to be prepared. He wasn¡¯t sure if she was going to finish that which was no problem for him, but what happened after they arrived was beyond his imagination. One by one, the fries vanished into a bottomless pit that was Katie¡¯s stomach. ¡°It¡¯s bad to stare at Lycaon,¡± the girl said. ¡°I was just wondering where the rogue killer gets her energy and now I know,¡± he tried to save himself. ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s right. Is it...¡± ¡°Totally normal among the werewolves, yes...pletely. I was just under the impression that the hunters were more human in that regard. Is your stomach still the same?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but ask. ..... Katie chuckled at the man¡¯s silliness, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s normal. This is embarrassing, honestly.¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be. You¡¯re different today, though. You care what others think of you. What happened to bring about this change?¡± he asked. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t care what everyone in this room thinks about me. I just care about what a few people think of me. A subject I¡¯ll exinter as I find it quite embarrassing to talk of right now,¡± she said. ¡°With that ne around your neck, it¡¯s hard for me to find anything you do embarrassing. You look amazing,¡± he said. ¡°Security guards aren¡¯t supposed to look that good,¡± she joked. ...... Soon enough they were out of the restaurant to enjoy the rest of the trip through the festival. As they got out of the restaurant, Cole felt a pang of pain through his chest as a howl reached his hypersensitive ears. A howl of loss and loneliness. A howl that mourned the death of apanion. It wasing from none other than Caden and he was very far from them. He couldn¡¯t help the tear that ran down his face. ¡°What is it, Cole? You seem to be crying,¡± she asked. ¡°I just heard a howl of sorrow from a wolf that I know,¡± he said. She understood it was probably from Caden as he was the only one she knew who was still howling that loudly. ¡°When will he be back?¡± ¡°If I know him well, he wille back when he knows that he can try to move on. For now, he will let himself feel the entirety of the grief. Werewolves can¡¯t move on as easily as humans can. Most especially if they share a deep connection to the one that has died. Caden will need time to get back to himself. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about him? Considering I didn¡¯t hear that howl, isn¡¯t her far?¡± she asked. ¡°He is far, but rogues know better than to attack an alpha. He will be fine...¡± he paused, ¡°No, I am worried, but if I go to him when I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, I just might make it worse and send him on a rampage,¡± he said. ¡°Is Caden capable of going on a rampage?¡± she asked bewildered. There was something wrong with that picture since she knew him as a calm person who had a good grip on his emotions. ¡°Yes, he is capable of doing that,¡± the two continued the tour. Katie took Cole through it and forced Cole into doing a bunch of other silly things like shooting targets for a prize. He mocked him saying this was what he was supposed to be doing instead of archery. Surprisingly, he was able to win three of the bears without a problem. These they gave to random children that had been let loose to run through the festival and failed to win themselves toys of their own. Cole found himself having more fun than he¡¯d expected with the games that they went through. This festival was simr to the Royal games in some ways and different in others. It forced memories of the Royal games back into his mind. He¡¯d toured the ce that day with none other than Lina Sirius along with her brother. The three were the most esteemed guests of thepetition and had be good friends after that. However, after Drake Sirius had been made Crown Prince to the Sirius throne, he became busier and stoppedmunicating as much as he used to. Cole didn¡¯t get the reason behind why the pces of the werewolf Royal families were so far apart. ¡°Oh my, would you look at the time,¡± Katie eximed, looking at her phone. ¡°You had a phone this entire time?¡± Cole groaned. ¡°Huh, what did you take me for?¡± ¡°I know you have one. It¡¯s just that you rarely use it that it slips my mind,¡± heined, taking his out to check if he had her number. Surely enough, there it was in his phonebelled with the cutest hearts. He switched the phone off immediately before Katie could get a look at the embarrassing method of saving. It bothered him that something like that had slipped his mind. ¡°What¡¯s supposed to happen now?¡± he asked taking another spoon of ice cream from the one they¡¯d bought. ¡°Well, it¡¯s almost lunchtime. The VIPs will be arriving at that time for their introductory meal. Something to wee them from their long trips and lift their spirits as prepared by the school in the staffroom. The whole thing was already prepared. I, as the Head of Security, am supposed to be there to brief them about the security if necessary and also coordinate their hunters as required of me. I wish I could hand the job to someone else,¡± she said. ¡°You handle the job quite well. I would not be safer under anyone else...¡± ¡°That warms my heart, thank you,¡± she blushed a soft pink at thepliment. She was just a rainbow of colours on that day. ¡°Sorry for stuffing you with food though. You might not want to overdo it during that lunch,¡± he said, apologetically. ¡°It¡¯s okay... I appreciate it. I don¡¯t think I was capable of waiting that long anyway,¡± she assured him. To be honest, there was still the feeling of absence in her stomach, but she wasn¡¯t about to mention that to him. Instead, she pretended the ice cream was filling her up and decided to respectively leave the rest to him, ¡°Thanks for everything though...¡± Cole called back to her while she was leaving the table they¡¯d settled at after the trip, ¡°Hey, would one call this a date, given the question?¡± ¡°Would one want to call it one, given the opportunity?¡± she asked him. ¡°One would like that very much...¡± ¡®What are you doing, Cole? She¡¯d never say yes to something that silly knowing that you are a werewolf that is one day going to...¡¯ ¡°Then one might call it so...¡± she cut his thoughts off, winking at him before running off. He stayed frozen for a bit. She wasn¡¯t hesitating when he approached her and was letting him in. She was still guarded, but from what he deciphered, she was growing fond of him ¡®Maybe she actually likes me... No, the rogue killer wouldn¡¯t do such a thing, would she?¡¯ his thoughts were a mess until someone contacted through the mind link. ¡°Hey, where are you? Sandra left to go for some meeting,¡± Jason called out to him. Cole directed him and soon saw his old friending about the corner, covered in paint from top to bottom. His face and hair were wet along with his hands showing that he¡¯d washed up, but the rest of his clothes were filthy. ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°You have no idea,¡± the alpha replied, wiping his face once more and grabbing the ice cream on the table, ¡°Mind if I take this?¡± ¡°Help yourself,¡± Cole flipped his request over even though the ice cream had cost quite a sum. Chapter 76 76 Chapter Seventy Six Sandra and Jason came out of the booth and looked around for the others while waiting for their pictures to be printed. The children at the booth presented them with their pictures and charged them ordingly. The pictures were as goofy as they could get through few they hid for there was no way they were going to let the others see them like that. ¡°You know, we could just go on the tour ourselves,¡± Jason proposed. ¡°Yeah, that would be fun,¡± Sandra replied, looking at the pictures more clearly, ¡°Your eyes were closed in this one.¡± ¡°That was the most logical thing to do at that point,¡± he said, chuckling. The picture was of Sandra giving him one hell of a peck on his cheek. His smile was the epitome of goofy as he received the very enticing gesture. ¡°So what should we do... wait or leave?¡± ¡°I know Caden could have left. That much I could tell from the vibes he was giving off earlier, but Katie and Cole will be back soon. The tour will be much easier in pairs. I know Cole wants that as well,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure Katie is bothered about either conclusion. She¡¯ll be fine with either oue,¡± Sandra knew Katie was trying to getfortable with Cole considering after today, everything was going to be different. However, she wasn¡¯t so sure about leaving those two alone, ¡°It would be nice for those two to bond. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Minutester, a phone call from Cole reached Jason and he asked that they split up and take the tour in pairs. Cole was quick in epting the new developments and even hung up the phone before Jason had a chance to say his goodbyes. ¡°That was quick. Is he really that eager to spend time with that hunter?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong if he does want to spend time with her?¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s not his mate and from what I hear, he¡¯s about to meet her soon. This could be dangerous,¡± he reasoned. ..... ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t mind it much. I¡¯ve heard werewolves find females that aren¡¯t their mates quite repulsive,¡± Sandra said. ¡°Yes, that is true. Which makes it quite difficult when someone can¡¯t tell where a female lies between the two categories?¡± he said, sighing. He had just described his current situation. Although from what he was seeing with his friend, he was starting to see that the two of them were in the same situation. Cole just didn¡¯t want to admit it, but he was also in the same situation with the hunter. ¡°How can something like that happen?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°Well, it can happen if the person in question is their mate and not yet of age although the moon goddess rarely does that. She lets the connection through so that the two might stay in touch until the partneres of age and their wolf matures. On the other hand, it¡¯s not advised for one to dwell on these suspicions as this is only a rumour and not proven by the moon goddess herself,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s one widespread rumour,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. It creates a lot of uncertainty,¡± he replied, shaking his head to take the topic off his mind, ¡°Enough of that... Let¡¯s talk tour... Where to next, mademoiselle?¡± ¡°Oh, well, if you¡¯d follow me, my good man,¡± she replied, taking him further away from the school. Sandra took Jason through what must have been the most tiring tour of his life. Wasting no time to gape at anything, he barely got any time to think to purchase anything for her. Sandra hadn¡¯t thought of anything of the sort and was only trying to get him to her favourite activity at the festival. She¡¯d saved it forst, but also barelycked the patience to wait for it. As a result, Jason went through a crash course of the entire festival. The people of Brigadia were warm and weing. There wasn¡¯t a hint of hostility in the entire ce. Finally, they found themselves at a booth by the roadsidebelled, Paintball, tickets. A whole section of the forest had been designated for the sport and additional obstacles and hiding spots were added toplete the scene. ¡°So this is what has had you excited this entire time?¡± ¡°Yeah, I always want to have a good game each year. Normally, Katie and I try out archery first beforeing here. I¡¯m sure Cole is getting his ass handed to him in that sport as we speak,¡± she chuckled. ¡°Well, my boy won¡¯t go down so easily and neither will I in this game of paintball,¡± he said proudly puffing out his chest. ¡°You too, Sandra. What is going on here? Fancy a game of paintball,¡± a familiar voice came from behind her. Sandra turned to see Samantha walking up to her with three junior hunters nking her. She walked up to the booth and signed their names in the books, paying for their entry as well. ¡°I¡¯m not so confident as I was earlier...¡± she mumbled. ¡°Come on, you can¡¯t chicken out on me so fast,¡± she said, you¡¯re missing two yers though. ¡°I can get her one more, but the fourth is up to her or one of the yers on the other team can sit this one out,¡± the bulky man said, adjusting his baseball cap. ¡°You would join in the game, Henry. I haven¡¯t seen you in that field in quite a while,¡± Samantha joked. ¡°Haha very funny... No, I wouldn¡¯t be the one who¡¯d be joining you. I asked the Agency for assistance and they gave me troublemaker to work with. I want him to stretch his bones before I get him working again,¡± Henry said. ¡°No problem, sign him up...¡± Sandra asked. ¡°Hey, Shaemus, get over here and greet your new teammates for the next round,¡± he shouted. The hunters gasped at the name that was uttered. Shaemus came from the back of the booth dressed in a white messy apron. The boy had bags under his eyes indicating ack of sleep and he looked to have lost weight. ¡°I¡¯m going in. I didn¡¯t know that I¡¯d... the chance to y,¡± he slowed his excitement when he spotted Sandra. ¡°What is he doing out of detention?¡± Sandra asked coldly. ¡°Oh, him, the Director said something about having to do a number of chores to atone for the trouble that he caused. However, I was not told of whatever trouble it was that he caused. I was just happy to receive the assistance. He¡¯s worked hard and diligently for me ever since. He makes it to his shifts after sses and still manages to get his training in. I can tell that he¡¯s a good boy,¡± Shaemus couldn¡¯t meet Sandra¡¯s gaze. ¡°Well then, might we want to y this game then?¡± Samantha interrupted the brief awkward moment. Sandra was sure she must have heard about what the boy had done and was surprised when the female brushed off the matter lightly. Come to think of it, she hadn¡¯t heard Katie talk about the issue either and now she was getting suspicious about it. ¡°Yes, indeed, let¡¯s...¡± ¡°May I cut in?¡± a voice spot behind them. They turned to see a man dressed in a tuxedo and wearing a mask. Samantha and the man stared each other down for a while before she spoke. ¡°Might I know the name of the man that shall taste defeat at my hand?¡± ¡°The name¡¯s Lawson, dear Samantha,¡± the man chuckled bowing in front of the hunter. The female hunter immediately picked up on the ndestine manner of the man addressing them and decided to avoid exposing him, for she knew exactly who they were looking at, ¡°I see you¡¯ve grown. Well, today we shall test that, now won¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Yes, we shall. Sandra, it¡¯s been long,¡± he said, turning to the girl. Jason felt attacked by the man¡¯s familiarity with the people before him. He could tell that this man probably had a history with them. If he was to ce his age, he would be in his mid-twenties. His tuxedo did nothing to hide his built body and even made him look much more majesticpared to him. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve met. I¡¯d know... are you going to y dressed like that? It would be a shame to get such a nice outfit stained,¡± Sandra spoke while still taking in the person before her. The name Lawson tried to ring a bell, but everything she tried to pull up from her memory had something to do with Katie and in the end, she was unable to pinpoint where she¡¯d heard the name. ¡°I have a change of clothes ready for me. I came prepared for the experience,¡± he said. ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to wear camouge suits?¡± Jason asked Katie. Everyone present looked at him, finally acknowledging his presence after the young man in the tux had stolen it. ¡°Someone hasn¡¯t had the standard Brigadia paintball match before,¡± Lawson spoke up. ¡°And you have?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°Yes, I have. It might have been a long time ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday,¡± he mused, his eyes zing over as he zipped back into the past. ¡°Jason, I¡¯ll go through the rules for you then,¡± she said, leading him through a gate that closed off the interior of the site that had been set aside for paintball. There was something different about this paintball site. For one, there were monitors strapped to trees in random ces. The disys were scoreboards for the blue and red teams. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why scoreboards are needed,¡± he said. ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid you are in for a treat. This paintball game runs on a timer. There are two teams of four. In each team, there is someone that is designated the leader. When the leader is head five times, the team loses, but unless that happens, there is no need for the game to stop. A hit scored on the leader is immediately awarded thirty points while hits on the other yers are awarded two points,¡± she said. ¡°I think I see where this is going,¡± he whined. ¡°Probably, we start at different bases and hunters and not allowed to use their Prometheus gifts to attack anyone,¡± she said. ¡°Wait, that only means agility Prometheus gifts are allowed and the strength gifts can be used to remodel the site,¡± he whined again. ¡°You catch on quite fast. I¡¯m impressed. It was always unfair for me to team up with Katie, so she would be asked to pick a gift and give up the other during the game,¡± Sandra informed. ¡°Is he caught up yet?¡± Shaemus asked as he walked in with the others behind him, holding two extra weapons for Sandra and Jason. ¡°Yes, he is...¡± she announced. ¡°Everyone to their base... the match starts in five minutes. You have three minutes to pick out your team leaders and dere them on the tablet in your bases,¡± Henry said over the megaphone. ¡°We are the red team,¡± Lawson said, his mask already on his head for protection and his gun safely secured, ready for action. Sandra led them to the base where they were toe up with a strategy to beat the hunter that they were going to face. This was going to be an interesting match... ¡®If only Katie was here...¡¯ Sandra mentally groaned. Chapter 77 77 Chapter Seventy Seven Sandra had gotten herself into quite the team, she looked from one to the other while they huddled up in their base. Jason, on her right, was a werewolf alpha that she had dragged into a game he¡¯d never yed and one that she was starting to grow fond of. Shaemus was a junior hunter that was viewed as a traitor in the eyes of many. And finally, to her left was Lawson, the mysterious handsome masked man who¡¯d showed up out of nowhere iming to know her and taking their third spot. The four of them were people who all had a history with each other. ¡®How did I get myself into such a situation?¡¯ she couldn¡¯t help but think as they began their discussion. ¡°We need to pick a leader. This should be someone who is good at evasion and should stay behind while two of us go-ahead to im the victory,¡± Lawson began. ¡°What happens when they decide to choose one of their junior hunters as a leader and send out Samantha for the win?¡± Shaemus asked. ¡°What Prometheus gift does Samantha have?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Agility,¡± the three of them answered all at once. It wasn¡¯t new to them in the slightest. ¡°How are we supposed topete with that when we don¡¯t have a hunter amongst us?¡± Sandra asked without thinking too much about it. ¡°Ouch, that hurts. I¡¯m a hunter, you know,¡± Lawson defended himself. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know. You looked more of a VIP than a hunter dressed the way you are,¡± she said. Jason covered his mouth tight with his palm, looking away from the two to try and hide theughter that wanted to escape him. ..... ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I was made a hunter at such a young age of twenty-one. I am more than capable of holding my own against a fellow hunter,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s some big talk considering you¡¯re still young. Samantha is older than you by a lot and has far more experience than you,¡± Shaemus returned, jokingly. ¡°You might be right there, but that would have been a problem if we had the same gifts. She had experience in the agility gift while I have the strength gift, and she doesn¡¯t know that so we have the element of surprise,¡± he said to them. ¡°Yes, that is important, but then, how are we going to use the strength gift to our advantage?¡± Shaemus asked, deep in thought. Sandra couldn¡¯t help but notice he wasn¡¯t acting as silly as he did back when he threatened to dethrone Katie. Something was different about him. He¡¯d lost his dramatic ir and his smile never reached his eyes even though it was warm all the same. He bore a constant feeling of sadness about him. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. Perhaps we should figure out our strategy first and figure out how it will help us in that way,¡± Lawson said. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t have all the time in the world. The agility gift will allow Samantha to be on top of us and whoever is our leader in no time. So we cannot leave the leader unprotected,¡± Jason said, rushing them. ¡°You are right about that. None of us possesses the ability to evade an attack from her if she chooses that approach. Is she still aspetitive as...¡± ¡°Yes, very much so. She¡¯s aspetitive as ever. There is nothing that can stop her when she gets that fire ofpetition running...¡± a beeping sound caught their attention forcing them to look at the tablet that was ced on the desk at the back of the room. The leader of the team was one of the junior hunters. ¡°She¡¯s still as impulsive as ever though,¡± Lawson said, ¡°I think I have an idea about how we might approach this situation.¡± ¡°We are all ears,¡± Jason said. ¡°We shall go out surrounding our leader and giving them cover from three directions to protect them from the bulletsing from Samantha. Our mission shall be to advance to the enemy base, where they will no doubt hide their leader as theye out to fight. All we need to do isnd five hits on the leader and the game ends in our victory. As long as our defence is airtight, the leader of our team won¡¯t have to get hit,¡± he said. ¡°That sounds like a sound n indeed, but let me get this straight. Are we acting as human shields for the leader?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Yes, that is true...¡± ¡°Damn, you must not like that suit,¡± was his reply to his statement. They all chuckled before Shaemus asked the question they¡¯d all needed to answer. ¡°Who¡¯s our leader, then?¡± ¡°I vote Sandra,¡± Jason said almost immediately. The other two guys looked at him, shocked at how fast he had started the election. ¡°I was going to vote the same. What about you, Lawson?¡± Shaemus asked still giving the werewolf a weird look. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of alphas?¡± Jason asked, surprised at how long the boy could stare into his red eyes. ¡°Well, not as much as I¡¯m afraid of my father and Katie,¡± he said, sincerely. Lawson walked to the tablet and set up Sandra as the leader. ¡°Who¡¯s your father?¡± ¡°Director Anthony,¡± Sandra finished. ¡°Is that why he¡¯s already out of detention?¡± ¡°No, the Director has a reason for doing this. We¡¯ll just have to wait until we get the answer for him,¡± Sandra confirmed. ¡°Am I missing something?¡± Lawson asked, Jason, feeling good about himself for not being the odd man out this time. He¡¯d not even noticed how alienated he¡¯d been amongst these three old friends. It was clear that the rest did not remember Lawson, but he wasn¡¯t bothered by it... that is if he wasn¡¯t a professional at hiding it. ¡°Not much really... just that this boy here was supposed to...¡± the bell signalling the start of the match stopped their conversation in half. All of them except for Lawson put on their protective helmets and as Lawson demolished the back wall of the wooden makeshift cabin. Picking up the entire wall as though it was made of paper. He looked back to the others as they stared at him through their masks. ¡°What...¡± They all shook their heads mumbling, ¡°Nothing, nothing...¡± as they fastened the rest of their gear. They were ready to move out. Shaemus was the first to take a lookout, peeping through the window that they had for observation. A whizzing sound followed reached the werewolf ears first and he was forced to pull the human back down. Dozens of paintballs rushed in hitting the back wall that Lawson had decided to carry and colouring it all the same. ¡°What in the world,¡± Sandra eximed. ¡°Samantha brought her A-game for this one. We proceed as nned,¡± Lawson said. The team huddled up against the wall, protecting Sandra as best they could. Before they could move, Lawson punchedrge holes into both sides of his giant shield. ¡°Use these to try and spot their leader. My best guess is that the leader is somewhere in their shade. ¡°If I¡¯m getting this right, the opponents are not allowed to touch each other?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Yes, that is the essence of this n. Otherwise, Samantha would be able to push one of us away from Sandra and score her five shots,¡± he said. ¡°Why five shots? It¡¯s not that hard to score five shots on someone...¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time to figure out all those little details, just protect Sandra,¡± Lawson repeated the order. ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯ll be doing nothing in this entire battle,¡± Sandra mumbled under her breath. Lawson pretended he had not heard her and lifted his shield, leading the team to the other side of the base for their march that was no doubt, going to be the hardest to pull considering, the other teams were at liberty to shoot Jason and Shaemus. ¡°I just realized you will be hidden behind the safety of that shield that you¡¯ve made for yourself,¡± Jason noted. That way we can reduce their range of fire. You three will be shooting whoever crosses over to the other side of the shield and increasing our points in the process while protecting Sandra, the one person that Samantha doesn¡¯t have to get her eyes on. ............... Their nmenced smoothly and they were soon in the middle of the battlefield, Jason and Shaemus experiencing the full force of the assault from both sides of the protective shield. ¡°We didn¡¯t ount for the fact that the enemy could blind us, now did we?¡± Jason yelled at the top of his voice. His mask was a mixture of colours and more paintballs continued to riddle his body randomly. They tried shooting back but seemed cornered at the moment. Through all the paint, Jason got the distinct scent of the woman¡¯s perfume. Samantha was in motion, the question of where was soon answered as he breathed in deeper. They weren¡¯t allowed to be touched and yet, she was headed straight for them at a blinding speed. Thanking the goddess for reading the message as fast as he did. ¡°Sandra, get down,¡± he turned to her, covering her small frame as the hunter that was headed for them leapt in an attempt to shoot Sandra from the air where she was unprotected. Lawson used the opening to swing the shield into Samantha¡¯s position, blocking the shooters from that side. The shots that were fired by the airborne hunter all hit Jason in the back thankfully, leaving Sandra untouched. Chapter 78 78 Chapter Seventy Eight The battle had raged only began and Sandra, who had not been hit yet, felt like they¡¯d been fighting forever. Samantha had stationed two of the junior hunters on both sides of the field so that the shied was rendered useless. That left two of them at the base which meant moving the shield to a different position during their formation was not a smart choice as it would open them to three lines of fire instead of the two they were currently under. Lawson had told them the n once they were cornered in this kind of situation. Having confirmed that none of the yers on the field was the leader, they were to wait for Samantha to make her move, a decision that was fatal in judgement, by they took it due tock of any other options. Once Samantha had made her move, Lawson swung the shield to the side nk that she was trying to ess, blocking off two lines of fire at once. It all came down to thest call they had to make. ¡°Jason, go for their leader now... they left him in the base. I¡¯ll hold off Samantha, but my best guess is that we have thirty seconds before this window of opportunity closes. Make haste, you don¡¯t have much time,¡± this might have not been war, but it pained Jason to leave Sandra behind in pursuit of the leader that was the key to their victory. Shaemus immediately covered Sandra and opened fire in the direction that had been left open, shielding Sandra in the process. Thanks to the time he¡¯d spent working for Henry he¡¯d be quite the marksman and finally got a chance to blind the junior hunter on that side of the field. He continued his rapid-fire at the spot he was hiding to dy the boy¡¯s recovery. For the moment, everything was looking good, until Lawson hooked one hand around Sandra and spun the shield in the other, following the hunter that was trying to get around them and shielding Sandra from the junior hunter on the right side. Sandra and Shaemus immediately picked up on his intentions and lined themselves along the field, leaving Sandra open only to the enemy base where the leader was meant to be preupied and their base, a position now blocked by the shield, ¡°That¡¯s some unique strategy you came up with. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. Using yourselves as human shields. I¡¯m jealous, Sandra,¡± Samantha joked running to the side Shaemus was on. ¡°Shaemus switch positions with me...¡± there was no need for more words as Shaemus was not new to orders given by someone who already had a n in mind. Switching quickly and having blinded the yer on the other side, it was possible for Lawson to swing the shield about and continue their evasion of the female hunter. ¡°Jason, hurry, we can¡¯t keep this up for much longer.¡± Sandra used the chances she got to score hits on the other yers given she had excellent aim with a gun, but watching the battle that was taking ce was seeming to be more interesting than taking action. The scoreboard all of a sudden began to shoot up on the side of the red team... Jason had found the leader of the other team. No one, but Samantha noticed the smirk on Jeremiah¡¯s face when he noticed they were about to win. Out of a desperate attempt to win, the female hunter ran at the shield and stepped on it using it to shoot upward in an attempt to get a visual on Sandra. Once Sandra was in view, the finger didn¡¯t stop pushing the trigger. She managed to score three hits on the girl¡¯s head and back before the shield blocked her view once more. The bell that signalled the end of the game sounded. The red team had won the match. Jason had finished the job and Sandra was still in shock that they¡¯d beaten Sandra. ¡°Ah, damn it... You won by a hair,¡± she spat, frustrated. ..... ¡°We still won, didn¡¯t we?¡± Lawson asked cing down the contraption of wood that he¡¯d vandalized. ¡°That you did... I don¡¯t think Henry will be happy about that though,¡± Samantha replied. The junior hunters came to group up with them. This battle only seeded because there was one hunter on their team who could make up for Samantha¡¯s speed with strength. ¡°I would haveined about you vandalizing the base of the red team, but that was one hell of a match to watch. It was totally worth the vandalism,¡± Henryughed boisterouslying into the site from the entrance, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, the next teams want to y. That was the most interesting match I¡¯ve watched in a very long time. Hunters never seize to impress,¡± the man continued to muse. Jason came jogging up to them to Sandra¡¯s side, matching her steps and walking up to her so they walked at the same pace. He was covered in pain, just like Shaemus. Lawson, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t as dirty as he ought to have been given that strategy he gave. If Jason hadn¡¯t enjoyed himself, he would have found himself using the man ofing up with the n intentionally to get him dirty. However, he was not feeling so bad about it. ¡°You guys are quite close, aren¡¯t you?¡± Lawson asked after noticing the obvious signs. ¡°You could say that,¡± Sandra answered while she handed the equipment back to the bulky man. Jeremiah removed his safety helmet a tad bit too fast and watched as the mask that obscured his face fell to the ground. Sandra froze at the sight in front of her. It was someone she knew... no, it was someone Katie knew. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked Lawson, a mixture of emotions welling up inside her. Jason was as confused as he could ever be when he saw this reaction. He pulled Sandra back defensively, a reflex that werewolves always had when they were protecting their own. Since Jason had no knowledge of the man before them, there was nothing else he could do in the situation. Sandra ced her hand on the paint-covered shoulder of the sweet male in front of her. She would be lying if she said she didn¡¯t enjoy the way he was always ready to protect her. Even during the game, these protective instincts had taken over him and he¡¯d covered her when Samantha first attacked them. She couldn¡¯t hide behind him for too long, ¡°Jason, it¡¯s fine. This is just old acquaintance and besides, he¡¯s a hunter.¡± ¡°What does it mean for him to be a hunter?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Well, for starters, a hunter is by virtue bound to their fellow hunters with a bond that cannot be broken. It¡¯s not simr to that of werewolves, but a hunter can never be found to be a threat to another,¡± she said. ¡°What if one doesn¡¯t know that the other is a hunter? Can the hunter then kill the other hunter?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Smart question... I asked it a while back and turns out, the concept is a bit moreplex. A hunter is only allowed to attack werewolves and not humans. Until it is discovered that the target is a werewolf, a hunter does not have the liberty to attack them,¡± Lawson spoke up to his defence. ¡°Was that a threat?¡± Jason asked, his red eyes shing brighter. ¡°Just a mere point of information... I don¡¯t see any need for hostility here,¡± Lawson said, raising his hands up in surrender. ¡°Slow your roll, youngsters,¡± someone interrupted, ¡°Lawson here is a VIP. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing here this early, but he¡¯s to be treated with the utmost respect.¡± Sandra had a gut feeling that wouldn¡¯t go away. The only reason she did not see something wrong with Lawson was the fact that Katie also had no reason to have doubts about him. He was a hunter that she knew. ¡°Do I have your name wrong or something?¡± she asked the man. ¡°No, you don¡¯t. Lawson is my family name and the one that I would like to be called for ndestine reasons,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s such a pain... Youe this early to see one person, no doubt and stop by here without even going straight to see her...¡± Sandra started ranting. ¡°Who says I haven¡¯t seen her yet?¡± he winked. Samantha pulled her phone from her pocket, her eyes widening as she took in the context of the message she¡¯d just received. ¡°It¡¯s time for the luncheon with the VIPs. Sandra go get ready, quick... Lawson, hurry up and get back to whatever ¡®ndestine¡¯ hideout you are using and find a way back into the group that you came with,¡± Samantha barked the orders, dragging Sandra off in another direction. Just like that Jason was left alone with Shaemus, colourful and single once again. He turned to his rainbow-coloured neighbour. ¡°You know a ce we can wash up?¡± he asked. ¡°Well, I know somewhere you can wash up your face, hands and hair, but the paint is meant to stay as a mark that you¡¯ve been here. If it bothers you that much, you have the liberty of returning to your home for a change of clothes,¡± he informed him. ¡°Will it bother you if I ask why you did it? The riot when we¡¯d juste to the school,¡± Jason asked, going straight to the point, ¡°If I wasn¡¯t any wiser, I would have said you intentionally led all those people there to have them killed.¡± ¡°That is true... I did lead them all there, but I did my best to notify Katie as well. I was d she got my message as I passed out,¡± he said. ¡°You told Katie... I didn¡¯t know that bit of information. And I was there the whole time,¡± Jason said. ¡°Well, I did tell Katie. It wasn¡¯t through the use of words, but I was sure she could have told that something was amiss when I wouldn¡¯t give up attacking her...¡± ¡°Then why did you do it?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Because they had my mother... In fact, they still do,¡± he said. Jason froze at the statement. Sandra¡¯s determination in the bond hunters shared was not that misdirected and neither was her trust in the director. Wait, the director... ¡°Didn¡¯t Sandra say the Director was your father? Does that mean...¡± ¡°Yes, the Director¡¯s wife was captured by rogues and they were using her to ckmail me into having arge crowd of people killed...¡± Chapter 79 79 Chapter Seventy Nine Cole found himselfughing loudly at his friend¡¯s tale. The state of his clothes did nothing to calm theughter either and Jason couldn¡¯t me him. The story of how he got his clothes multicoloured continued to sound funnier the more he narrated it. Although Cole had gotten quite serious when he heard the name Lawson, there was nothing that could have stopped him fromughing at his friend. Eventually, it was Cole¡¯s turn to tell how his tour had gone and the tables inevitably turned in Jason¡¯s favour. Hearing how Lawson had easily outssed the two werewolves was just amusement to the both of them. Luckily for them, the girls didn¡¯t look that interested in the new arrival despite his attempts at standing out. ¡°I heard he¡¯s one of the VIPs...¡± ¡°Yeah, Samantha said something of the sort. I also know that he used to live here though,¡± Jason added, finishing the bowl of ice cream that he¡¯d very proudly salvaged from the royal when he arrived. ¡°Can we go back to the suite and get changed?¡± ¡°You definitely need a change of clothes,¡± Cole said to him. ¡°Are you forgetting the dance tonight?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not, but I also know that Katie won¡¯t being to that dance. I¡¯m not so enthusiastic about it after knowing that,¡± Cole said. Jason denied his urges to ask what was going on between the two of them as it would not be a good conversation to have while he was unsure of what was going on between him and Sandra. Sandra and he were just friends, right? Well, the idea of finding out that it was the reality was starting to seem unappealing to him. ¡®All the more reason to stay out of that train of thought...¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s terrible. Why can¡¯t shee?¡± he asked his friend. ¡°Well, it¡¯s something about a family thing they are doing for her birthday,¡± he shrugged while he said the answer. It was crystal clear that he still didn¡¯t like it no matter what excuse was being given. Jason stood up as did his friend and the two walked up to the woods. Once they were a reasonable distance in the woods, they shifted and began the sprint back to the suite... ..... .......................... The staffroom had been redesigned and all the tables moved such that it suited the asion. If one didn¡¯t know it was a staffroom, they wouldn¡¯t have guessed it was so. The tables had been covered with white cloths, dressing thempletely and adding other coloured tablecloths to it to bring the room to life. The chairs that were being used were much more luxurious and only seen on such asions. Even after all the time that Katie had spent at the school, she didn¡¯t know where they kept this kind of furniture or even how the school was capable of affording it. It was things like this that made it clear that the Founder¡¯s festival was held by more than just the school and rather the entire town. The hunters were the first to arrive and they were led to their seats, Katie taking the seat that was designated to her as the Head of Security and her mentor right next to her. The seats looked to the doorway and allowed her to see whoever got in. It wasn¡¯t clear whether this was intentional or not. ¡°I always feel out of ce on these asions,¡± Katie whispered to her friend. ¡°That¡¯s probably because most times you do things that make you stick out like a sore thumb,¡± she replied. ¡°Talking back to a VIP should not be a crime. How was I supposed to know there was a protocol as silly as that when talking back to someone from a noble werewolf family?¡± she tried defending herself. ¡°There was and you nearly cost a student a schrship that time. Of course, you are bound to feel out of ce at such an event,¡± Sandra countered, amused by her friend¡¯s dismissiveness at the grave matter. ¡°I hope you are not forgetting what that particr noble was suggesting that time. I could not just stand by while he said such things to me, you know. The nerve on that one...¡± she huffed remembering a particr werewolf that had taken a liking to her and tried adding her to the hunter escort that he¡¯de with. He¡¯d gone as far as to threaten to revoke the schrship of a student that he had only recently epted to learn in his region. ¡°Can I have your attention, please?¡± a voice cut through the murmurs that were milling through the hunters present at the luncheon. Anthony stood at the entrance dressed in a suit custom made to fit his bulky physique. He wiped his face with his handkerchief just as he was about to speak. It was rare to see him this nervous. ¡°There is something that I have to talk to you about, Katie,¡± a whisper came from the opposite side of the table. Katie turned to see Samantha gesturing for her to check her phone. In her messages, a text appeared, ¡®After this luncheon, I need to speak to you privately. It won¡¯t take much time since I know you will have other matters to attend to. I was told that you must know of this as soon as possible.¡¯ ¡®How is someone supposed to focus on a luncheon after hearing such an urgent piece of information?¡¯ Katie sighed before texting back her confirmation of the request. ¡°If I could have your attention. Before wasting any more time, I¡¯d like to present the VIPs of this year¡¯s festival. If everyone could just stand up so that we might give them the wee they deserve.¡± The hunters stood and abandoned their seats, standing ready to see the new arrivals. ¡°Because of the information that was sent out on the speech early this morning, a number of the VIPs cancelled their trips here, but I am d to announce that two of the convoys still came as nned,¡± Anthony proceeded, sweat beading his forehead once more. He was not one for wearing suits and the one he currently had on was trying to drain him of all bodily fluids... ¡°The nobles of the Haelstrom family from the Southern region of the Lycaon empire grace us with their presence once again this year. It was nice of themst year to grant one of the students a schrship to their esteemed academy back in their homnd,¡± as he spoke, three hunters walked in dressed in the right attire for bodyguards. They all oozed the power they wielded quite nicely and kept a firm gait. Behind them, a man dressed in a luxurious red suit followed, a smile on his face that he didn¡¯t seem to have the capability to disable. His eyes were a searing red as he hailed from one of the families that came from the original alphas that aided the Lycaon Royal family in the war centuries ago. Behind him, a girl dressed in a blue shimmering dress that dropped down to her ankles hugging her athletic body and fanning out at her knees. She had a calm air around her and bore a smile much warmer than the one her brother wore. Katie smiled at the girl and she returned her gesture, her red eyes lighting up along with her smile, something that was enough to leave an ignorant human with a thousand underlying questions that would not be voiced even if they were forced to. The two only knew each other on such asions and hade to see eye to eye on most things. Her brother, however, was a different case altogether, having been the one to force Katie to step out of line and speak out of turn during the previous festival. ¡°Kendra and Lionel Haelstrom are representing the Haelstrom Royal family this year as it was confirmed that they came of age. We congratte you, Lionel, for being granted the title of heir to your family,¡± Anthony was being overly formal with his speech. Those that knew him could only imagine how difficult he must have been. Pulling out a paper, he started to read the next group that wasing in. ¡°The next group is one that once lived here. A family that was elevated to the rank of nobles after their prodigious son gantly risked his life to save King Sirius¡¯ uncle, gaining a Prometheus gift in the process,¡± this came as a shock to the hunters that were present bing eager to hear what he had to say next, ¡°The Lawson family is currently one of the most prestigious families in the Royal capital of the Sirius empire...¡± ¡°Come on, Anthony. You¡¯re giving us too much credit,¡± a voice came from the outside of the door, sounding so familiar. Chuckles rippled through the audience while Anthony rxed a bit, ¡°Well, I would like to keep adding more credit to these guests, but I guess they don¡¯t need it that much since this is where they came from. Please wee, rk Lawson, his lovely wife Tina Lawson and their multi-talented and ambitious son, Jeremiah Lawson.¡± Sandra turned to see her friend¡¯s frozen expression. Katie could not take her eyes off the door at the moment they mentioned the other name to the man they¡¯d met at the Archery range. ¡®Could he really be the same Jeremiah from years ago?¡± she asked herself, doing her best to keep herposure. She breathed in twice and allowed all the emotions to vanish from her being and get buried deep down within her. The man that walked in was dressed in a fine brown suit though not nearly as luxurious as the one that Lionel Haelstrom wore. The fairdy that followed was dressed in a red gown that ented her beauty quite nicely, the jewellery just doing enough to make her final image not less than stunning to everyone that saw her. Finally, the man Katie had been waiting to see came in, dressed in the same tuxedo she¡¯d seen him in earlier. He wasn¡¯t as neatly dressed as he¡¯d arrived though. His hair was messy but in a way that didn¡¯t damage his good looks and he carried himself in a way someone that was familiar with a ce did. It was like he¡¯de back home. Jeremiah had only changed in one aspect and that was the power he wielded... Well, that¡¯s all Katie could say about how much he¡¯d changed. Everything else about him seemed irrelevant and inconsequential. ¡°Oh, I had heard of a new family of nobles dered by King Sirius himself. How is the new life going for you, Lawson?¡± Lionel spoke up, his tone barely going unnoticed. It was true that nobles were also ranked, the ones that were younger were of a lesser rank than those that were older, but the rankings didn¡¯t matter if they were from different empires. Chapter 80 80 Chapter Eighty ¡°Everything is going great. I¡¯m honoured that you¡¯ve heard of our family,¡± rk spoke up in response to Lionel¡¯s gesture. Tension had started to lift in the room but was quickly calmed by the noble¡¯s calm response. Lionel got the message that he¡¯d only caved to avoid trouble and decided against goading him further. Something that Katie saw as an improvement. ¡°I see someone no longer needs toe here with his father as part of the escort,¡± Keh pointed out. ¡°Indeed, Sir Keh. I will soon be head of my father¡¯s pack. That is as soon as my mate is revealed to me. I found that Hunter¡¯s festival might have been a good ce to look since all the werewolves and Humans from Brigadia will be attending,¡± he said, sending a nce Katie¡¯s way. Jeremiah noticed the subtle gesture and smirked when Katie did not indulge him. ¡°You still chasing the hunch of having felt the presence of a weak mate bond in the town of Brigadia?¡± Brian asked, chuckling. ¡°Sometimes I forget who¡¯s noble and who isn¡¯t when Ie to this small town. The hunters here are all so confident when speaking to high ranking members of society. One that has less to offer should learn that their opinion is less desired by the whole.¡± he retorted. Brian gritted his teeth, clearly offended by the remark, ¡°Might I greet the famous Rogue killer. I was pleased when I heard her moving speech early this morning.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee to our humble town, Mr Haelstrom. I will now address you as I did your fatherst year,¡± she said earning a frown from the man. ¡°There will be no need for such formalities when it is you that speaks to me. Although, this luxury is only extended to Katie and no one else,¡± he said. ¡°Shall we get seated then? You must have had a long trip here. Besides, that way this luncheon can get moving...¡± she said, pausing before saying his first name through her teeth, ¡°Lionel...¡± ¡°Oh, sure... As you wish,¡± with that said, the guests sat down followed by the hunters. Anthony stood at the end of the desk, a ce that was reserved for the Director of the Hunter Agency, a position that he did not seem to like very much. ..... ¡°Oh dear, Director Anthony, must you wear that coat? The sight of sweating is quite painful to witness,¡± Tina spoke up. ¡°I would say I find it quite amusing. To think someone would have to pay a price for training that got him to that size,¡± Lionel mused while Anthony took off the coat that he was wearing, leaving him in a ck waistcoat that also fitted him quite nicely. He looked much more relieved to be out of that furnace. ¡°Once again, I¡¯d like to wee you to Brigadia. As you can see, there are fewer Royals here which means this time will be much less lively. The students worked hard and I hope you find their exploits inspiring. I know I was inspired this year by the students. Regarding the current situation, they were still able to pull through and make the most of the time they had to produce something that you will all enjoy. Moving on,¡± he pped his hands and maids began moving in arranging the table the way they¡¯d been ordered. ¡°I would like to hear more on what happened with the rogues that attacked this ce. I was told this is the most secure town in the whole of the world. I¡¯m not one to brag, but I always thought thepliment was a bit overrated,¡± Lionel continued. The whole table seemed to be in tension while he was present, for hisments were always around to make everyone ufortable. ¡°It was all scheduled to be published in the daily newspapers around the globe. You won¡¯t miss a single detail when you read them,¡± Katie spoke up. ¡°Anthony dear, I was wondering where ire was... The two of us used to spend a good time during the festivals when I was still here,¡± Tina spoke up, cutting the conversation that was currently underway in half. Another attempt at silencing the man at the table. The luncheon had barely begun and Lionel was already imposing his overwhelmingly foul attitude over everyone that was present and creating what one might have called a fight with words. ¡°You ever heard of the rule about speaking out of turn?¡± Lionel spoke before Anthony could answer. ¡°Last I heard, it doesn¡¯t apply to nobles from different empires,¡± rk finally spoke up. It was clear the two weren¡¯t going to get along. ¡°On another note, there are Royals in this town from the two families. Surely we wouldn¡¯t want a dispute in the presence of the Royals themselves who clearly outrank everyone in this room,¡± Anthony spoke up to try and calm the room. ¡°What does the Director go on about, Katie?¡± Lionel asked. ¡°It is as he has said. What part am I to rify?¡± she asked, trying her best to hold back her nerves. The maids began to serve them with drinks, a perfect distraction for the near-hungry hunter. ¡°Well, you could rify on who exactly he speaks of?¡± Lionel answered. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll let the Director speak on the matter as I was not assigned to protect the Royals while they enjoy their stay in our town,¡± she said, taking a sip of the mango juice before her and gesturing for the Director to continue. ¡°The Sirius Royal family is present along with Cole Lycaon,¡± he said, stunning the VIPs. ¡°That¡¯s quite a gathering you¡¯ve got there. Any reason why they¡¯de to this ce. I know it¡¯s not for the festival as they would have been here,¡± Kendra asked, her voice being heard for the first time since they¡¯d arrived. ¡°I happened toe across Cole Lycaon when I came here ahead of time. No one in the entire festival seemed surprised to see him which only means he¡¯s been here for some time. I had no knowledge of any other Royal in the vicinity,¡± Jeremiah spoke, his urge to report his findings taking over before the Director could exin what was supposed to be going on. ¡°You are correct. Cole Lycaon happens to be a member of the student body here as his parents sent him over to see what life is like in the safest school in the world. Clearly, we have no idea what will happen after the school drops down the rankings and word reaches out to the Lycaon Royal family,¡± Anthony sounded worried as he spoke. ¡°That murder seriously did a number on the school and the town. To think a hunter would kill a rogue,¡± Lionel chuckled. ¡°Excuse me...¡± Katie asked him, failing to hold back the venom in her voice, but keeping her calm all the same. ¡°What difference does it make? The child was killed using a hunter¡¯s weapon. It only stands to reason that...¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve had enough of your opinion,¡± there she went again stopping Lionel right in the middle of his speech. This did not please the werewolf one bit... in fact, he was livid. ¡°Does the fact that you have blue eyes all of a sudden give you the right to act like you own the world as the Royals do?¡± this was a sore spot for Katie and Lionel knew it. ¡°Get your story right... A rogue killed a former rogue for betraying them and it happened to be on school grounds...¡± Katie spoke ignoring his remark. ¡°Spin the story any way you want. Those of us who know better will not be easily fooled. Until you catch the rogue you so dly want to me, we have no choice but to use the evidence before us toe to a reasonable conclusion,¡± the table was perfectly silent as the two stared each other down. Katie now remembered why she hated these events so much. It was because of one sole lonely bad apple. ¡°Fine then, take it any way you would want to... I don¡¯t really care anyway. Come up with all the spections that you might want toe up with. They are all irrelevant to me in the long run. Just don¡¯t get in my way and you¡¯ll be nothing more than the ignorable disturbance you are now,¡± she said, finally pushed over the edge. She wasn¡¯t taking anything from someone as inconsequential as him. ¡°Katie, that¡¯s going too far,¡± Samantha tried to reprimand the teenager. For some reason, this was the statement that stirred her the most to attack the excuse of a man before her. The feeling of a hand tugging at her shoulder stopped her next statement. Sandra knew Katie wasn¡¯t one to take insults so lightly, but this was something else. If she was allowed, she was going to end up angering the noble into abandoning the festival altogether. ¡°How am I supposed to stay quiet while he questions the integrity of the hunters?¡± she asked Samantha, before sinking back into her seat rubbing her temples. Lionel was a pain to deal with and now that his father wasn¡¯t present to do the talking on behalf of the Haelstrom family, he was at liberty to run his mouth as much as he desired. Chapter 81 81 Chapter Eighty One ¡°Sir Haelstrom, I would ask that you refrain from disrespecting the Hunters of Brigadia as there will be no second warning. They work diligently to keep this town safe and will not take kindly to the insults of an outsider using baseless information from rumours,¡± Anthony stepped in to end the argument. ¡°Well then, is there something else that you might want to add to that, Director?¡± Lionel added, his voice taking on a serious tone. Through gritted teeth, the Director added, ¡°I extend apologies on behalf of anyone who might have offended you during this minor dispute and hope that you can see past their misdeeds.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going out for some fresh air,¡± Katie announced walking out of the room with no authorization. This was a vition of many rules and she was probably going to end up being punished for itter. Her newly-found impulsive behaviour, however, would not let her sit and take these insults head-on without any form of retaliation. The meeting proceeded as it was supposed to. With Katie gone, Lionel was much quieter and let the rest talk on more. The maidster brought food to them and they ate while they talked about their recent exploits. rk had a lot of tales for the hunters as they hadn¡¯t met in quite some time and he was eager to catch up on what had happened while he was in the Sirius empire. He narrated that when Jeremiah had decided to quit being a hunter and decided they moved after being humiliated by a girl riddled by muscle pains and on the brink of copse. He didn¡¯t see himself fit to be a hunter much longer. None of them would have thought that he¡¯d onlye up with the story so that he would join another agency and train tirelessly away from the eyes of those he knew in Brigadia. Anthony wanted to know the reason behind this course of action, but Jeremiah was notfortable sharing it. As the conversation continued, Lionel found himself in need of a fresh breath of air, so he excused himself from the table. Sandra was worried for her dear friend who just wouldn¡¯t return to her seat even after thirty minutes had passed. Lionel, on the other hand, had gone out of his way to hunt down the hunter, using his sensitive nose to guide him to the upper floors of the school building where he found her seated at a balcony, the wind blowing through her hair. ¡®Talk of getting a fresh breath of air...¡¯ ¡°Might I join you?¡± he asked the girl who, up until now hadn¡¯t noticed his presence. It was well past noon and the sun was not as hot as it one would have thought. In fact, one would say that the scene before him was of someone who couldn¡¯t wait for the sun to set. ..... ¡°Couldn¡¯t wait for my return?¡± she asked him. ¡°No, I got worried that something might have happened,¡± he said to her, allowing his smirk to grace his face. ¡°How does it feel to be the heir to the Haelstrom pack?¡± she asked him, gesturing that he could join her. ¡°Well, to be honest, I don¡¯t how to feel about it just yet. I have a lot to learn. This will be thest time that Ie here though,¡± he said. ¡°And why is that?¡± ¡°Considering the way you are still irritated by my presence, the reason I used to apany my father toe here has faded,¡± he dered. ¡°That¡¯s a harsh way of putting it. What will happen to the Founder¡¯s festival then?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, considering there is a new noble family that will like toe here because this was their home, I think this ce will be fine,¡± he said. ¡°I would have thought that Brigadia had the power to win your heart like it did your parents before you. Though you are still obnoxiously annoying,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m used to thement. Part of my charm you know,¡± he chuckled for a bit before getting deadly serious, ¡°Come with me back to my pack.¡± ¡°I thought I made it clear that I had no intentions of doing so thest time. You had the audacity to ask me that in front of the entire meeting,¡± she said. ¡°Well, this time you only survived the advance during the meeting because you walked out before I could make it,¡± he said, ¡°And I¡¯m quite sure you¡¯ve grown smart enough this time to know that this request is one that you are lucky to be receiving. I am a high ranking noble dating back to the...¡± ¡°You can stop there,¡± she stopped him mid-sentence. ¡°There you go again,¡± he scowled, ¡°Stopping me beforepleting my sentences. Take it from me that it¡¯s absolutely irritating.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only saving you the trouble. What you envision when you think of meing with you back to the Haelstrom pack is nothing but a fantasy. To put it bluntly, it¡¯s not going to happen,¡± she said. ¡°Why do you say that? Why do you thwart my attempts?¡± ¡°I would like to start from the point where you¡¯re a werewolf alpha required to have a mate before he can take over the pack. What part of that are you trying to ignore? Anyway, there are far more reasons than I¡¯d care to count,¡± she said. ¡°You don¡¯t take it easy on someone,¡± the man before her chuckled, taking a step back from her. It seemed as though he was retreating for the first time since she¡¯d met him, ¡°I¡¯d expect nothing more from a hunter. I won¡¯t bother you anymore... Fell for a pair of sapphires. Forgive me for the trouble I¡¯ve caused. Obviously, you will since I¡¯m a high ranking noble that everyone would rather have in their good graces.¡± Even as he left, he couldn¡¯t help but try to retrain his boastful ¡®charm¡¯. ¡®Why do I feel sorry for him?¡¯ Katie thought as she watched him go back to the meeting. ¡®Just ten more minutes,¡¯ she told herself while she looked back at the horizon. The evening sky would soon show itself. When Lionel returned to the meeting and took his ce at the table, the hunters that had an idea what his calm demeanour meant and the reasons behind why he was always trying to get on Katie¡¯s nerves could tell what had happened. Sandra, on the other hand, was bewildered by the drastic change in the man¡¯s behaviour. He stillmanded respect but didn¡¯t throw it around. It never urred to her that he didn¡¯t have a reason to throw it around much longer. ¡°Katie is surely taking her time to return,¡± Jeremiah said after a few minutes. ¡°If she takes five more minutes out, I¡¯ll send someone to call her. It¡¯s like she¡¯s forgetting that she¡¯s supposed to take charge of escorting the VIPs through the festival,¡± Anthony said out loud. Katie came back momentster, taking her seat. ¡°Forgive my sudden leave,¡± she voiced her apologies. ¡°Are we going to know what it was for?¡± Tina asked absentmindedly while hacking at the fried fish she had in front of her. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t going to know that bit of information,¡± Katie confirmed beforemencing the pte-pleasing ceremony, as one would call it, for the chefs that had been called to cook this food were nothing more of extraordinary when it came to preparing delicious feasts. The table fell silent on hearing the blunt reply before splitting into random murmurs as neighbours talked amongst each other. ¡°Where are the Royals staying while they are here?¡± ¡°Brigade Hotel,¡± Anthony answered. ¡°Ah, the town¡¯s pride and joy 4.5-star hotel,¡± Lionel said, absentmindedly. Nothing seemed to interest him now that he had finished the reason foring here. ¡°Katie, I know you don¡¯t lie and all that when ites to the hunters¡¯ exploits, but I wanted to hear it from you. Was Kyle really a rogue in disguise?¡± Kendra asked the girl. ¡°Yeah, that was what I said in the speech,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯d so easily turn against him like that...¡± ¡°If that was the case, I would have caught far before he the chance to run, but he ran before I could find out and had even prepared a recording admitting that he was indeed a rogue. I also found evidence in his abandoned home,¡± she exined. ¡°I try to get you to spill the details and Kendra gets through so easily. This world¡¯s so harsh,¡± Lionel whined, sparing them a nce, ¡°Please do go on...¡± ¡°Well, thest time you didn¡¯t say please, so that¡¯s the difference between the two,¡± Katie said before proceeding with the story, ¡°He was found with drugs that suppress the werewolf inside you, though they only work on werewolves that haven¡¯t turned eighteen yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a drug,¡± Kendra said. ¡°It¡¯s an illegal drug that¡¯s can be found if someone knows where to find it. The hunters have tried their best to stop its spread and its use because its baseponent is wolfsbane. We hope we can stop its distribution since it¡¯s highly dangerous and can kill a werewolf if overdosed,¡± he said. ¡°That sounds like a drug that I don¡¯t want to know about. Why would something like this stay a secret for so long?¡± Kendra asked. ¡°Well, putting information like that out to the public can have both positive and negative advantages. However much one might say the drug is painless, it induces a human state in a werewolf and even stops the glow of their eyes. During this time, if they take an overdose of the drug, their death would be painless and for this reason, the information is kept secret such that it might not then be a cause for increased suicides or attempted murder,¡± Anthony exined. ¡°Wow, people will always find a way to make something that¡¯s basically harmlesspletely dangerous,¡± Tina eximed, her face depicting whatever horrid scenes were going through her mind. ¡°Yes, that is true. One can never know what the public will end up using certain things for. As we witnessed earlier, there is the possibility that a big part of the world did not like Katie¡¯s speech,¡± the conversation continued along those lines, going into different debates that eventually excluded Katie and allowed her to focus on the food before her. Chapter 82 82 Chapter Eighty Two The luncheon soon came to an end. Anthony stood up to dere the program that the VIPs were to follow in order to get the day going. They only had one hour to take the VIPs through the entire school to look through the projects and they would then set them free to roam about the festival though they were to pick bodyguards from the hunters that were present. Katie was excused from this job as she would not be able to fulfil this job past seven o¡¯clock. Principal Brown was called upon to take over when the VIPs were ready for the tour. They led them calmly through, having the students exin what they had been working on. The students were mostly tired since they¡¯d set all this up in the morning and were now having to exin it to the VIPs for the umpteenth time. This was viewed as part of the test. If a student was able to pull off their presentation without giving the impression of being tired and trying to get it over with, then that student would gain merit when it came down to what the VIPs finally decided at the end of the entire tour. Katie walked with Sandra behind the VIPs calmly before her phone vibrated from within her pocket. She pulled it out and saw a text from Samantha asking that they meet on the roof. This was an odd location, but also one that was guaranteed to be private as they discussed what they intended to. ¡°Anthony, if I might be excused, I have something urgent to discuss with Samantha.¡± ¡°Make it quick, Chase. It¡¯s unbing of you to miss out on the role you were given,¡± the man warned before she made her way for the roof. On the roof, Samantha was pacing impatiently, ¡°What took you so long? How did you forget that what I wanted to talk to you about was urgent?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t keep that in mind with the chaos that went down during that luncheon,¡± she said. ¡°Never mind, I have something to tell you, Katie. I heard it from your parents. I don¡¯t know what makes the Chase family so special, but it¡¯s been a blessing to have them here. That ability that you all have to detect danger. I don¡¯t know if you picked up on it, but your parents did or should I say your guardians...¡± ¡°What are you saying, Samantha? Get to the point,¡± Samantha had her hands on the girl¡¯s shoulders and they were shivering the more she rambled on without making any effort to get to the point that she was supposed to be making. ..... ¡°Okay, yeah right. I was telling you something. Your parents... no your parents are in the hotel... I meant your guardians, the ones from the Chase family that don¡¯t age,¡± she rambled on again. ¡°Samantha...¡± she paused remembering the part about not ageing. It didn¡¯t ring a bell in her memory even though she was sure that was not the point of the conversation, ¡°We¡¯ll get back to the ageing bitter. What have youe to tell me?¡± ¡°Your guardians were feeling very uneasy about tonight. So much so that they were afraid enough to call in one of the four Mighty Hunters of Prometheus...¡± she said. Katie froze on hearing the news. ¡°What do you mean? Do they mean to say that something bad is going to happen?¡± she asked Samantha, this time shaking her. ¡°I don¡¯t know Katie... I don¡¯t know... All I know is that calling on one of those four is something that¡¯s only done if there might be a war. They are the most feared hunters on the. No one matches them in power, not even the Royals,¡± she said, shaken as she said it. Hunters were rarely moved by something, but from the way Samantha was acting, something was amiss. ¡°Is the Mighty huntering here then?¡± ¡°Yes, they said he epted their request since he trusts the Chase family¡¯s ability to detect danger. As we speak, the man is on his way here, but as you can assume, he wasn¡¯t near and it might take him some time to arrive. Before hees, your guardians asked me to tell you that you stay out of trouble,¡± she said. ¡°What has any of this got to do with me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s part of what makes this all the more frightening... we don¡¯t know...¡± Katie left Samantha on the roof after remembering what she was supposed to be doing with the others. She texted Sandra so that she might get directions and catch up with the group of VIPs that were milling about the school like they owned the ce. Samantha watched the birthday girl leave, her mind a mess. She didn¡¯t know what to do and yet, from the information she¡¯d received, this was all centred on her guardians¡¯ concern for Katie. The message was being sent to all the hunters telling them that they get ready. It was a good thing Frost and Jackeline had returned. ........... The Sirius family rested in their suite after hearing what the Chase hunters that were responsible for protecting their daughter had to say. They were concerned but had nothing to do about it. It was decided that they were to meet the girl the next day after she¡¯d shifted so that they met their daughter when she was whole again. The way she was supposed to be. ¡°Are you worried, my dear?¡± Queen Martha walked up to her husband who watched the horizon with a solemn expression. She carried with her a ss of water and was dressed in a calm white gown that flowed smoothly down to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m on tension. You know of the Chase family all too well. They were the reason Cole Lycaon survived the invasion when he was an infant. They detected the danger to his life before anyone else while the ones that helped us were only called upon by the moon goddess to protect ours. Getting a warning from them is always cause for worry...¡± she said. ¡°I know what you mean, honey. Katie is a strong girl. From what we¡¯ve heard, she¡¯ll survive this,¡± they said. ¡°That¡¯s not what worries me... I¡¯ve been thinking. I looked into it and it¡¯s true what they say. Rogues are afraid toe here. So afraid that it had been a full year before a rogue was spotted in this ce. There was no need for a cause for worry and everything we have to go on ising from the odd power that the Chase family has,¡± he said. ¡°Well, if you haven¡¯t noticed, that¡¯s how they work. There was no reason for there to be an attack on the castle eighteen years ago when the rogues made an attempt on our daughter¡¯s life and Cole¡¯s. If it wasn¡¯t for the call we received from the Lycaon family, there is no way we would have known. The guards were present and so were the hunters, but they still managed to get through and make it inside the pce somehow...¡± she said. ¡°It still bothers me that I was never told,¡± she said. ¡°Well, for starters, when I did four yearster, the number of rogues that were attacking Brigadia increased by a lot. The Chase hunters reported to me that it was the case until Katie clocked fifteen years of age,¡± she said. ¡°The birth of the rogue killer... that story knows how to calm my nerves. I¡¯m sure we don¡¯t have much to worry about. Best to be on our toes. Should I call my, Arthur and Rory?¡± he asked. ¡°Your Beta Alphas, no, let them be. They need to handle the situation at the pce while we are gone...¡± she said... Beta alphas, the two right-hand men of a Royal. A royal family was only supposed to have two of theming from the Head of the family. In other words, it was only the king that was allowed to have beta alphas. They were more powerful than alphas and the clear definition of the gap between Royals and normal alphas. However, they didn¡¯t have as much freedom as normal alphas. Beta alphas were powerful and were definitely scarier than normal ones, but they were also bound to the King by a much stronger bond than anyone could fathom. As the normal alphas could dismiss a request from the King, beta alphas couldn¡¯t disobey their King. As a result, the King would even find himself being careful with his speech as every sort of request was amand in the eyes of these powerful creatures. Some argue that because of this exact rule, they were arguably more powerful than their King, but that was just a rumour that developed when it was realized that the Royals rarely got their hands dirty or even stepped onto the battlefield, leaving the Beta alphas to demonstrate their monstrous power. Davin Sirius¡¯ nerves had calmed a bit after the short talk with his wife. Lina stayed on the sofa watching her favourite show from the safety of her sheet although her mind had long since wandered from the contents of the show she was watching, having repeated the episode a dozen times. Drake paced about the room calmly, his thoughts a swirling mess. He needed to find a way to cool his nerves. ¡°Father, might I go out for a run?¡± ¡°That might do all of us some good, but to keep discretion and avoid rousing the werewolf residents, I propose we go one by one, for all those that need to go for a run. Take your time, Drake. No one¡¯s rushing you,¡± he said, the king said. The Prince was eager to let his sandy brown wolf out having heard the disturbing warning from the Chase family. Chapter 83 83 Chapter Eighty Three Katie did the best she could do to contain her nerves from what she¡¯d just heard from Samantha. Samantha wasn¡¯t someone to be shaken by something, but from the way she was acting, something was definitely wrong. One thing she could tell, however, was that the danger wasn¡¯t immediate. She¡¯d been asked to keep her guard up and that¡¯s what she did. Keeping her eyes peeled for any sort of suspicious activity. There was nothing out of the ordinary throughout the entire tour through the projects. The VIPs each chose something that had impressed them. Although something currently had them upied at the moment. They¡¯d all returned to the staffroom where they were to discuss what they were going to decide. ¡°That student that built a water purifier out of household materials was impressive,¡± Tina mused. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true, but I¡¯d go with the child who seeded in robotics. Scientific Invention is something of a trending topic these days,¡± Lionel said. ¡°I was of the same opinion. In fact, I¡¯m ready to give that boy a schrship in the Sirius Royal capital,¡± rk said. ¡°That will not be happening. I had my eyes on that one while you two were still taking a look at the water purifier. Besides, they both have potential, I say you go with that one and I¡¯ll happily take the one that has done the robotics. Besides, I haven¡¯t heard any of you say something about the one who wrote a thesis on increasing agricultural production, that one was nice,¡± Lionel was going all out. ¡°The one on agricultural production was certainly creative and open-minded, but that would help if he was given the right facilities to work with and frankly the capital is not a ce that would see that child¡¯s dreams realized,¡± Tina argued. ¡°Did you just look down on Haelstrom as a vige and not a town of economic importance or did I hear you wrong?¡± Lionel asked. ¡°You know quite well that the capital would not function without a town like Haelstrom to see that production that it¡¯s not capable of flourishes and bes great. Since we are from different empires and you seem to show less interest in that child I would probably benefit more if I informed my king of this new development and had the child taken somewhere within the Sirius capital to a ce that will foster his bright and innovative ideas,¡± rk and Tina were not going to back down very easily. ¡°What do you take me for? My issue was with the child of robotics. I¡¯m not backing down on that one. I know the one that shows great promise in agriculture would be a good pick, but there is only so many that I could take,¡± Lionel tried to defend himself seeing his grip on the child-of-interest loosening. ..... ¡°They are really going at it this time,¡± Sandra whispered into Katie¡¯s ear. ¡°Yeah, I never thought Lionel was the type to actually take interest in matters such as this one,¡± Katie replied. The discussion continued to rage on. The hunters would have said they wanted it to end and they all move on, but for some reason watching the VIPs battling over the kids and cing all points on the table seemed to amuse them and they watched the discussion go on and on. It was only when Anthony looked at his watch that he realized that they should have been wrapping this up a long time lest they risk the chance of enjoying the rest of the festival. ¡°Dear VIPs, as we have noticed your severe interest in the children that have shown talent in today¡¯s festival, we must reach a conclusion before we burn any more daylight. So I bring forth a proposal that the children that seem to have sparked an interest in both parties be handed the choice. Surely these students, given how serious they are, also know what part of the world would be better for their advancement in their fields. It would be okay to add incentives that better their academic ventures and help them reach the necessary conclusion. It will be forbidden, however, to give them incentives that do not have anything to do with the time they will be spending on their academics. Amodation of the best calibre is an obvious privilege along with food and clothing. Therefore, everything that is to be provided as an incentive is strictly for academic purposes. This being said, we¡¯d save up enough time to enjoy the rest of the festival as was nned,¡± the VIPs listened to the Director and both sides looked visibly taken by the idea that the man had brought forward. ¡°That does sound like a sound n. It would be better than fighting amongst ourselves. To be honest, I had no idea Lionel would put up this much of a fight. When he came in his father¡¯s stead, I thought he wouldn¡¯t be as interested as his father was in the years prior to this one,¡± rk confessed, sighing. ¡°I dide to do what my father does every time he was here, so I could not let him down. Besides, I might not look it, but I was chosen as an heir because I have my region¡¯s best interests at heart,¡± Lionel sounded different as though someone had locked him in a formal tone, a thought that almost made Katieugh as Sandra voiced it in her ear. ¡°Very well then. I¡¯m d to see all is not lost for the Haelstrom pack,¡± Jeremiah pitched in. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Moving on to the next program of the day. I have drawn flyers of names of VIPs and the hunters that shall be their escorts through the festival. We know that the escorts you brought with you would rather enjoy the festival themselves rather than continue to work the way they did on their trip. This is like a thank you for letting them get you here safely...¡± Anthony said, raising his voice such that the rest did not interfere with the miniature argument they¡¯d pretty much already started. ¡°These meetings have loose protocols... How did I get into troublest time?¡± Katie whispered to Sandra even though due to the silent room, many people heard her and stopped to pay attention to what she was saying, ¡°Did I say something?¡± ¡°Forgive her manners...¡± Anthony called the attention of the room once more and finished the rest that he was supposed to discuss. Basically the do¡¯s and the don¡¯ts of the festival and where to go and where not to go. Once he was done, the VIPs were excused and allowed to leave the vicinity and explore the festival, ¡°Farewell, and have fun. At eight, there will be a feast for dinner and the dance willmence at 9:30, for those of you that want to have fun swaying with your partners and shaking you tushies.¡± ¡°There are some words that man says and just makes me wonder... Where does he get them?¡± Sandra said once Anthony was gone. Katie chuckled at her friend¡¯s silliness. ¡°How was your tour with Jason?¡± she asked the girl. ¡°Why are you asking me? I am seeing a new fine piece of jewellery that really sparks with your eyes,¡± Sandra said, her voice going up a few octaves and gaining twice the excitement. ¡°I also wanted to talk about that, by the way. Katie, you look like a whole new person with that ne. So spill, was it Cole who got it for you? Oh, if only Jackeline were here to see this,¡± for some reason, Samantha was already with them and her eyes were screaming to get in on the story behind the sapphire ne that ran around Katie¡¯s neck. Katie, for the moment, was feeling like the most important person. Her job as Head of Security was certainly starting to feel like an irrelevance, ¡°Yes, it was Cole. It was such a thoughtful gift, I barely had the words to thank him,¡± she indulged. ¡°Umm, Katie...¡± a deep voice came from behind them. Someone that the three had not expected. Katie turned just in time to see Jeremiah before her, someone she¡¯d longed to see since he left them. Although she never would have thought that he¡¯d continue his training as a hunter, ¡°Would you take the tour with me?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this? Like some kind of proposal. It¡¯s a tour, but you two girls have turned it into something else entirely,¡± Samantha almost yelled, throwing her hands into the air before dragging Sandra away from the two of them. ¡°It¡¯s crazy and I know that, but what is someone supposed to do when asked for a tour, say no...¡± Sandra said while she was being dragged away, ¡°I just wish I got some jewellery. It¡¯s a nice way to make a tour interesting.¡± Katie buried her head in her hands as she watched the two hoodlums walking away, ¡°Who are they talking about? Is it the same Cole that I found you shooting arrows with?¡± ¡°Yeah, that very one,¡± she confessed. ¡°He bought you a ne... that¡¯s that pretty...¡± the man sounded astonished by what he was saying. ¡°Yeah, can¡¯t a guy buy for a girl some nice stuff?¡± she asked him, cing a goofy smile on her face feigning innocence. ¡°Well, only if the guy is meant to be with the girl. That¡¯s when it would make sense. To me anyway, but what do I know? Should we get going?¡± he asked. The two of them had just got out of the school doors when they ran into Cole Lycaon, dressed to kill and ready for the ball that night. Well, that was obviously not going to happen, but he was dressed in a ck suit that stunned Katie immediately. Though his face didn¡¯t appreciate the fact that she was in thepany of a male other than him and Katie was well aware of this fact which made this situation all the more hopeless. Chapter 84 84 Chapter Eighty Four Drake Sirius of the Sirius pack was the next in line on the throne of the Sirius family, not because it was his birthright, but simply because he¡¯d proven himself to his father to be more than capable of taking over the crown. The only person that didn¡¯t approve, however, was his uncle. The man was peculiar and old fashioned. He was far older than his father and frankly didn¡¯t look fit to be called Davin¡¯s brother. One of the secrets of the Lycaon family was that this man was no in fact Davin¡¯s brother, but rather his uncle. With humans that lived short lives and theck of information preserving tactics, it was not known to the public that this werewolf was indeed that old. Drake let his thoughts fly while he ran through the woods, his wolf leading him more and more into the forest and away from Brigadia. He did not know where the wolf was taking them, but he also didn¡¯t know his mind since rogues were no problem to him. However, the further he ran the more he became aware of a presence in the forest that his wolf seemed to be seeking. Focusing more on what he was getting at, he could tell there was a lone wolf in this forest. The wolf wasn¡¯t a rogue, so what was he doing in the forest this far from the town. He finally slowed down as he felt he was getting closer to his target. It was not long before he heard the soft whimpers of a wolf in mourning. The atmosphere in the vicinity was just as thick and sad as the wolf that inhabited it. He moved ever so slowly and carefully until he found what he was looking for. At the roots of one of the biggest trees in the forest that he had seen so far, a coffee brown wolfy there coiled up. Every once in a while the wolf would cringe at whatever was going through his mind. For him to have gotten this close without being detected, this wolf must have not been paying that much again. Drake kept wondering where he¡¯d seen the wolf for it was very familiar to him. He got even closer, knowing that he couldn¡¯t leave him there. For rogues would have gotten to him before he would have noticed either. As Drake got closer, the ce grew quieter that even his heartbeat was noisy. A step on a twig was all he would have needed to be noticed. He took a few steps back and barked to announce his presence. The coffee brown wolf was on its toes in the next few seconds, its eyes staring back at the royal. They were bright red, a colour that confirmed the identity of the wolf before him, this was Caden, one of Cole¡¯s best friends. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± he sent the message through a temporary mind link that royals were able to make with any werewolf that wasn¡¯t a rogue. ¡°Is that you, Drake?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me...¡± the wolf rxed upon confirmation of his identity and sat back down in his original position. The sandy brown wolf wasn¡¯t amused by this behaviour although he couldn¡¯t avoid the urge to try and help remedy it. ¡°What happened?¡± ..... ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to trouble you with my matters, you have far more to care about,¡± Caden replied. ¡°You might be right, but right now, the only thing I can care about is in front of me. The rest I can merely worry. Why tell me what¡¯s wrong?¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a matter of the Lycaon family and not the Sirius family,¡± Caden pushed again. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see Cole mourning the way you are...¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you take a hint? I don¡¯t want your help. I¡¯m doing just fine on my own,¡± he said. ¡°I can offer you a distraction. From your state, you will probably be here when it happens,¡± Drake said. ¡°When what happens?¡± Caden¡¯s curiosity peaked. The Royal knew something that he didn¡¯t know...e to think of it, they hadn¡¯t been given a reason for their presence... ¡°You aren¡¯t here for the Founder¡¯s festival, are you?¡± ¡°No, we aren¡¯t and frankly I¡¯m not sure if I should be telling you why we are here either, but you won¡¯t let me help you with what¡¯s going on with you. Take your pick, would you like to share or would I rather just go on and tell you the reason why mourning endlessly might just be a bad idea... ¡°Fine then... I don¡¯t want to intrude. Just tell me why I shouldn¡¯t mourn for much longer...¡± Caden asked. Drake had almost forgotten the type of person Caden was. He mentally smirked, both options that he¡¯d offered had been swatted that easily, ¡®Sneaky...¡¯ ¡°Quite simple really... The Chase family sent out a warning that everyone is to stay on high alert tonight. Something is going to happen. Something dangerous... Most say it might be a rogue attack. I don¡¯t know what it is either.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of the odd workings of the members of that family. In that case, I wille to my alpha the moment I¡¯m summoned. Just let him know that.¡± something about the way he said it made it gave him all the assurance that he needed to know that he would show up without fail. ¡°I do want to know what caused someone of your mental fortitude to get into such a state...¡± he tried again, ¡°Perhaps I can help...¡± ¡°You honour me, Prince Drake. Though I must decline that request for I do not have any intention of telling this story to anyone before my alpha gets to know of it. Besides, I doubt you possess the ability to bring back the dead...¡± so someone had died. Drake could already make a clean guess who it was for he knew that Ash had already been initiated into the Lycaon pack and was part of them. ¡°Maybe I can help distract you then?¡± There it was... the one reason the man before him hadsted as long as he did against Cole Lycaon. He didn¡¯t know when to give up even when there was no reason for him to keep going. It was a character that they always found impressive. He always followed through to the end with everything that he swore to do. ¡°You came here with the intention of cheering up a werewolf whose identity you hadn¡¯t known?¡± Caden asked. ¡°If it¡¯s that obvious, then you know that I am not leaving until I have aplished that task,¡± the prince said boastfully. ¡°You amuse me... How is your sister doing? I did promise to beat her just once in a race,¡± Caden said. ¡°Oh, she got much faster...¡± Drake said, crushing the male¡¯s hopes. ¡°Unbelievable...¡± Caden was starting to getfortable in the man¡¯s presence. Although this came along with a curiosity to know what the Sirius family was doing here. ¡°She makes up for herck of physical strength in speed and agility.¡± ¡°The next Royal games are not far... I can¡¯t wait to kick your team this time...¡± Drake started musing... ¡°Will you be allowed to attend this time? You are the oldest of us. What makes you think they¡¯ll let you participate?¡± Caden asked. ¡°It will be myst appearance in the games. It will be glorious...¡± he continued. ¡°I love the way you seem to be a professional dreamer. You will never win the games...¡± Caden scoffed. ¡°Oh, but this time I have a secret weapon. There will be nothing holding me back,¡± he said. ¡°Why would you say such a thing? Just train harder and beat Cole when you get stronger than him,¡± Caden sighed. ¡°Oh, I keep up my training, but if Cole¡¯s also training as hard as he does, I don¡¯t stand a chance against the moon goddess¡¯ chosen,¡± the Royal shrugged. ¡°What do you mean, Moon goddess¡¯ chosen? That topic was buried when the death of your younger sister was confirmed,¡± Caden said... ¡°Unless... wait...¡± ¡°Oh my...¡± Drake eximed, sarcasmced in his voice, ¡°I let it slip now, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not possible,¡± Caden¡¯s mind was a swarm of thoughts. Katie was human... she was, wasn¡¯t she? Prometheus would never grant a werewolf his gifts, not to mention both of them... It made sense that it would be the reason behind theing of the entire Sirius family. ¡°I am under the impression Cole is not supposed to know this until the time is right,¡± the wolf that was starting to get up to his feet groaned, falling right back into his original position. ¡°Did I help in distracting you?¡± Drake asked. ¡°Yes, you did... I¡¯ll have to inform my alpha about what I was thinking so that a proper burial will be given to our fallen. Although, right now, what you have told me is quite distracting... What do you require from me?¡± ¡°Stay on your toes... When the moon rises tonight... My sister will shift. Beyond that is unknown to me. I only know of the n to unite the two Chosen mates, but that¡¯s about what I know. If your alpha doesn¡¯t call to you, I will...¡± with that said, Caden was updated on what was going on in the town of Brigadia. Chapter 85 85 Chapter Eighty Five Katie looked between the two men as they stared each other down. She didn¡¯t quite understand what was going on... Jeremiah¡¯s face was indecipherable while Cole stared back with a look of annoyance. ¡°Who might this be?¡± Cole asked. ¡°This is...¡± ¡°The name¡¯s Jeremiah Lawson. I believe we met at the Archery range but weren¡¯t properly introduced,¡± Jeremiah interfered with Katie¡¯s introduction. ¡°Ah, that was you... What are you doing here then?¡± ¡°I am one of the VIPs receiving a tour guided by a hunter. I must say, I feel so safe in the arms of the Head of Security,¡± Jeremiah said, his eyes lighting up. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Jeremiah,¡± she said to him before any of this went far. However much she would rather have a second tour with Cole, she¡¯d rather the two didn¡¯t start some kind of rivalry which seemed to be Jeremiah¡¯s intention. ¡°But we only Just met...¡± ¡°Keep moving...¡± Katie cut him off, pushing him away from the Royal. Right before she vanished into the crowd, she ced her hand upon the sapphire gem thaty on her chest and winked at the Royal... A gesture that immediately set Cole¡¯s heart to rest. ¡°Is there something going on between the two of you?¡± Jeremiah asked the hunter when she was done pushing him into the fair. ..... ¡°No, not... ugh, it¡¯splicated,¡± she said to him. ¡°How is itplicated? He¡¯s a werewolf. They¡¯ve got these things they call mates and they are very possessive of them. I don¡¯t see how that can getplicated,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s take our minds off that for now... The festival has a lot to offer...¡± ¡°We used toe here as kids... well, by then we weren¡¯t friends yet, so I used toe here with my friends and not with you and Sandra. You don¡¯t have to exin anything to me,¡± he said, cutting her distraction in half. ¡°Well then, what did you have in mind?¡± she asked. ¡°I was thinking we could take a walk and catch up on what we missed. I¡¯m sure you have questions for why I left,¡± the man beside Katie spoke. ¡°You cut straight to the chase, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Most times, yes... I was more curious when I heard the title that you go by these days,¡± he chuckled, looking into her eyes while he did. He genuinely looked happy, like hunters did when they were sure werewolves no longer posed them a threat. ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite simple. I could detect the rogues the moment they were three miles away from Brigadia and that¡¯s where the trip would end,¡± she exined. The same way she detected rogues was the same way she could tell that she could feel uneasy revealing that she was a werewolf to the man. ¡°What about you? What got you back into being a hunter?¡± she asked. ¡°You...¡± Katie was frozen for a bit, trying to follow what the man had just said... ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? I don¡¯t remember doing anything much...¡± ¡°Well, there is weight in watching a young girl stand up to someone almost twice as big as her, trying her best and yet she was in no condition to fight. I was embarrassed to face you ever again, to be honest... But I wasn¡¯t going to give up. So I came up with that phoney story so that we would move away. When we got to the next ce, I did not stop training,¡± he exined. The story had Katiepletely taken... Jeremiah had listened to what she¡¯d said those many years ago. It was clear that a rogue wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against him. From what she¡¯d seen at the archery range, his strength Prometheus gift had been improved as well and sharpened. He was stronger than the average hunter with a strength Prometheus gift. ¡°What is it that¡¯s running through that beautiful mind of yours?¡± the man¡¯s deep voice cut through her thoughts. ¡°Nothing really, I was just thinking of how rude I was to you that day. I looked for you to apologize,¡± she said. ¡°I got the message. I just never sent a reply. That¡¯s how I was sure that you weren¡¯t going to forget me even if I left for this long. You¡¯ve got such a warm heart,¡± heplimented, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. Katie didn¡¯t mind something as minuscule as her hair when in the presence of someone other than... ¡®What¡¯s happening? Wait... What¡¯s Jeremiah doing?¡¯ ¡°Ummm...¡± ¡°Hey, Katie, I have something for you,¡± Jeremiah cut her off. ¡°Okay,¡± Katieplied following him, a familiar gut feeling of guilt came into her mind. This time she knew what it meant all too well and wasn¡¯t surprised when Jeremiah led her to the stall she¡¯d visited earlier with Cole. The stall owner came out and looked in between the two of them. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy to find them, but I got them. I don¡¯t usually stock up on the same colour you know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay... As long as you found what I asked,¡± Jeremiah said. ¡°I did, but it¡¯s going to cost you...¡± the stall owner said to him, putting on her poker face while talking to the hunter. ¡°Do I look like I care about the cost?¡± he asked thedy. Her face softened and for a brief moment, Katie could tell that she was only trying to get the boy out of buying the jewellery. Katie herself was still stuck in her thoughts trying to figure out how to do the same cruel thing for the second time in a single day. ¡°Very well... Here they are...¡± the stall owner said, cing a small white box in the boy¡¯s palm. She stopped him from retrieving the money he had from his pocket, ¡°They are my gift to you. You don¡¯t have to pay for them...¡± ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t do that... I know how much these are worth. I won¡¯t take advantage of such kindness,¡± he said, cing the cash on the counter and bidding the stall owner farewell. Even as they walked away, Katie looked back and saw the stall owner staring at the money with a worried expression on her face. She couldn¡¯t do much, but send her an apologetic look. Hunters were paid a monthly wage and from what Jeremiah had paid, it didn¡¯t look like he would have any financial problems. Not to mention his family was nobility. Opening the box, there was a beautiful pair of earrings. A sapphire jewel surrounded by a grandiose silver design of a flower. ¡°Try them on...¡± Katie was still stunned until this point. ¡®Getting Lionel off my back was something easy, but Jeremiah is different. I can¡¯t say yes... But it will hurt him both... Why couldn¡¯t he be back to just be my friend...¡¯ ¡°I can¡¯t ept this, Jeremiah,¡± she said to him... ¡°Why is that?¡± he asked, ¡°Is it because of him? He¡¯s toying with you. You know it¡¯s not rare for an alpha to sleep around before finding their...¡± The distinct sound of a p echoed through the grounds. Katie realized what she¡¯d done secondster after seeing her handprint on the man¡¯s cheek turning red... Despite the guilt that threatened to consume her, she couldn¡¯t hold back when he¡¯d attempted to use Cole of the heinous crimes of an undignified alpha. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jeremiah. I just can¡¯t ept this gift...¡± Jeremiah stood still, silence taking over the vicinity. He¡¯d made an error in judgement... a grave error. One that the vendor who¡¯d given him the earrings had tried to show him. Unlike Lionel, he wasn¡¯t one to back down while his dignity was still intact and gracefully give up. The hunter walked back to the stall, his fists clenched. Those that saw him knew not to get in his way. ¡®It¡¯s all that alpha¡¯s thought. He¡¯s got her twisted in his lies. She cannot be with someone like that when he¡¯s only going to break her heart. Some of those damned werewolves make me sick...¡¯ his thoughts ran. He reached the jewellery stall and threw the trinkets onto the counter. ¡°Didn¡¯t go so well? I tried to...¡± ¡°Thanks for the warning. I noticed it... and yet I went through with what I was doing,¡± he replied, his eyes pinned to the ground. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I saw her here with someone else... the Royal, his eyes were bright blue unlike her dark blue. So I assumed they were an item from the way they acted. She had the same look that told me that you were making a mistake... You can have your money back,¡± thedy tried to hand him his money. ¡°No, you keep it. Take it as thanks for trying to warn me,¡± he said before leaving the stall, fists clenched, a sign that kept the stall from calling him back. Her words remained lingering thoughts, ¡®You gave me twice the price that you were supposed to pay for them...¡¯ She couldn¡¯t bring herself to touch the earrings that had caused a man to lose his cool that bad. In the eyes of this vendor, the beautiful pieces of jewellery could just as well be cursed to always bring bad luck to their wearer. Chapter 86 86 Chapter Eighty Six ¡®Hey Jason, get over here...¡¯ Cole called through the mind link. ¡®Huh, what do you mean? I thought you were...¡¯ the Royal started tracking his friend as soon as he got a whiff of his scent. ¡®She¡¯s with Jeremiah... Giving him a tour, I suppose...¡¯ the Royal said, cutting his friend¡¯s ventures in half as he¡¯d nned to look for Sandra. Cole finally got his eyes on the alpha and started following him while maintaining the mind linkmunication. ¡®Very well, what do you have in mind?¡¯ Jason asked changing course to find his alpha instead, ¡®We could go watch a few archery bouts though I¡¯d prefer to watch people get creamed in paintball,¡¯ the alpha replied, offering distractions for his alpha. ¡®Have you heard from Caden yet?¡¯ ¡®No, I haven¡¯t heard from him,¡¯ Cole sighed, ¡®Do you think he¡¯s hiding something?¡¯ ¡®Maybe...¡± Jason replied, ¡®Where the hell are you? I¡¯ve been walking through this bloody maze. I know you are the only one in this entire festival with glowing blue eyes.¡¯ ¡®Yes, I am the only one in this entire ce with eyes that special though not the only one in Brigadia. Where are you looking, man? You know you¡¯re not going to find me eating ice cream again,¡¯ Cole said, following the clueless alpha to the shade tent that he¡¯d found him in thest time they¡¯d met. ¡®Have you been...¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s funny to watch someone look in all the wrong ces...¡± Coleughed at his friend. ..... ¡°Okay, you got me there... Now let¡¯s get out of here and get to the bloody archery range...¡± Jason said, ¡°I didn¡¯t get the chance to go there and from what I can see, it won¡¯t be daylight for much longer.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go...¡± right as they exited the tent, the two of them came face to face with someone that they never thought they¡¯d run into. Jeremiah stood right in front of them with his fists clenched. Something was different about him though... Cole could tell that he was concealing a great amount of anger. His smug look had been wiped off his face and Katie was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Oh my, Lawson... What happened to your cheek?¡± Jason asked him without reading the mood he was in. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be on a...¡± realization hit a little toote for one¡¯s liking, ¡®Oh, tour with Katie... What happened?¡± ¡°Well, my guess is that he did something stupid...¡± Cole answered. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not what happened. You have her wrapped up in your lies. You better stay away from her. She doesn¡¯t need scum like you to ruin her when she has much bigger things to focus on besides...¡± ¡°You¡¯d better stop running your mouth before we have a reason to cause a scene...¡± Cole stopped him mid-sentence. ¡°Oh, we already have all the reason to cause a scene already. By the time we leave here, you will never get close to her again,¡± the hunter meant his threat and Cole did not take it lightly. In fact, his wolf was screaming to tear the human before him to pieces. Jason looked between the two males and realized they were both past words and were about to let their fists do the talking. From what he knew, Jeremiah was a powerful hunter and if he used his gift in this fight, Cole was in trouble. Cole, on the other hand, was in a mood to remind the idiot in front of him just why the Royals are feared above all kinds of werewolves as the Apex predators of the world. His eyes gleamed brighter as the two came at each other for one epic sh... ............ Katie walked through the crowd, her right hand shaking after having pped the one person she never thought she would. It was the first time she was losing control of her emotions in her life and the effect it was having was not the best of them... She searched her mind for reasons why she¡¯d pped the boy, but there wasn¡¯t any that was strong enough tomand her hand to perform such action had she been in her right mind. She felt a presence receding within her mind. Something else had taken control at that moment to defend what belonged to her. Her wolf, seemingly asleep had not allowed something like that to happen while Katie was conscious and had taken that one matter into her own hands. ¡®Am I going to be impulsive like this when I shift tonight?¡¯ Even as she tried to me herself for losing control, she couldn¡¯t stand by and let Jeremiah say such things about Cole. ¡®If I was to do it again, I would.¡¯ ¡°Hey, Katie, what¡¯s wrong? What are you doing here? I thought you had gone with...¡± Sandra¡¯s voice cut through her thoughts and got her back to the world of the living. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Katie? You¡¯re shaking.¡± ¡°Nothing much... I just lost...¡± the words wouldn¡¯t leave her lips. ¡°Is she fine?¡± Samantha was walking up to them. Katie took the time to look around and found that she¡¯d unconsciously made her way back into the school and was currently at her locker. She opened it only to close it immediately as her nose was invaded by the worst scent anyone would have thought to find there. She brought her hand to her nose to soothe the itches that ravaged her nostrils. ¡°What the hell is in there?¡± she asked the two backing away from the locker. Sandra opened it and froze at the sight of a leather jacket. Katie moved further as the smell continued to get stronger, her eyes tearing from the acrid smell of what she now knew was a poison. ¡°It¡¯s your jacket. I thought this wasn¡¯t...¡± ¡°Never mind... Just lock that thing in there before it suffocates me,¡± Katie said, her mindpletely alert. Her time hadn¡¯te yet, but without the drugs that inhibited the characteristics of a werewolf, some of her senses were starting to get altered. Her sense of smell wasn¡¯t strong yet, but she was sensitive to the weaknesses that wolfsbane posed to her. ¡°Katie, calm down and tell us what happened with Jeremiah. He¡¯s a noble now. We don¡¯t need bad publicity...¡± Samantha asked, ying chaperone. ¡°Well, I pped him when he started bad-mouthing Cole,¡± she summarized to ease the woman¡¯s nerves. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s quite direct. I¡¯m on your side now... Would you like to talk about it?¡± Just as soon as Samantha had spoken, amotion from outside the school reached their ears. The three females were on their way to its source. Having been ced on security, there was no time to waste on the details. Humans were either running from the general direction or trying to go to it. Each had their own reasons for the direction they were running. From what Katie could tell, it wasn¡¯t a danger to the citizens. ¡°What do you think it is?¡± Sandra asked, matching her speed. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to see...¡± Katie¡¯s words got caught in her throat as she reached her destination. Three males were exchanging heavy blows. Cole, Jeremiah and Jason were going at it rough. The hunter was holding his ground against the two of them even though they weren¡¯t backing down either, ¡°for ourselves.¡± Katie was frozen for a moment before she noticed Jeremiah preparing to hit Cole with a blow that was made to be fatal. Considering what she knew from his Prometheus gift, the hit was bound to put Cole in the hospital for sure, if not immobilize him for a couple of hours. The other hunters that were in the vicinity couldn¡¯t find a way to break the sh that was taking ce in front of them. The three males were moving at a pace that could only be matched by those with agility gifts and yet the force that their hits packed was lethal. Jeremiah stopped an attack from Jason, making it seem like he was made of steel, shoving thetter a couple of metres away before taking his attention back to the Royal that was already mid-attack. ¡®So this is how much he has trained, huh,¡¯ she thought before walking forward. Sandra held Jason keeping him from getting back into the fight. Right as the two were about to meet, she stepped between them, reinforcing her palms with her Prometheus gift, she stopped their blows, ¡°That¡¯s enough...¡± ¡°Oh no...¡± a fist to the gut knocked the wind out of Jeremiah as he tried to protest. His knees buckled and he fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath. His eyes bore a look of disbelief... This was the second time he was getting hit by her... ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it, Lawson,¡± she replied, grabbing Cole¡¯s hand to lead him away from the scene. ¡°So, that¡¯s who you¡¯ve chosen,¡± Jeremiah said through gritted teeth. Katie stopped walking and turned back to him, ¡°You¡¯ve been back one day... What makes you think you own the ce? You¡¯re going back to the capital tomorrow. I advise you enjoy the rest of the festival. I told you the rules of Brigadia. We don¡¯t start fights between werewolves and humans...¡± ¡°What makes you think the werewolves didn¡¯t start the fight?¡± he asked. ¡°Because...¡± she paused staring him straight in the eye, ¡°A hunter would never start a fight with a Royal. We know what they stand for...¡± ¡°Well said, Katie Chase...¡± Anthony said, walking up to the scene. The hunters got Jeremiah up and took him away. Katie led Cole away, the Director nodding in confirmation to the course of action she was taking. Chapter 87 87 Chapter Eighty Seven Katie led Cole on quietly through the chaotic crowd. The wolf hadn¡¯t been paying attention to the effect of his ss with the hunter. Humans were afraid of Royals because they were the original werewolves and literally the only ones capable of starting the war back up again. Regardless of how much they¡¯d tried to assure the public that a time like that was well past them, there was still fear because such power still existed. Seeing a Royal and a hunter fighting wasn¡¯t going to put a good image out to the public. It was the perfect depiction of what happened during the war centuries ago and no one was ready for a re-enactment. Now that Cole was calm and no longer in the mood to fight Jeremiah, partly because his mind wouldn¡¯t stop staring at the dark-haired girl who still held his hand. He found that he was unconsciously studying the grooves of her palm where the skin touched and enjoying the light sparky sensation it gave him to be holding a part of her. Shaking the odd thoughts from his mind, an action his wolf huffed at in disappointment, he decided to try and apologize for themotion or at least exin himself. ¡°Katie, I¡¯m...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t exin yourself, Cole. I don¡¯t want to hear it...¡± she cut him off. They were well away from the festival and getting into the forest. She¡¯d led him away from the entire chaos of the festival and for a walk through the forest. The cool humid air of the forest was rxing as the sun started its journey heading down for a sunset that was a little over an hour away from them. After a moment of silence, when Cole¡¯sboured breathing had died down, he couldn¡¯t help but ask one of the burning questions on his mind, ¡°Did you really p him across the face?¡± ¡°Yeah... I don¡¯t know what has gotten into him. It¡¯s not how I¡¯d expect a noble from the Sirius Kingdom to act,¡± she said to him. ¡°He¡¯s a noble? I didn¡¯t know that. When did that happen?¡± ¡°Something about him saving my... I mean the brother of the King from a group of rogues or something, then receiving his Prometheus gift only momentster,¡± she said to him. ..... ¡°Wait, is that how it works? Someone can receive a Prometheus gift from saving a werewolf?¡± he asked. ¡°A Prometheus gift is often granted when a junior hunter has proven themselves in the virtues of a hunter and get kick-started when they perform a heroic act. For me, I saved Katie from a rogue that had escaped captivity. The gift didn¡¯te during the fight, but rather after that... During the days that followed, I was granted my Prometheus gifts...¡± she exined. ¡°I don¡¯t understand... If it¡¯s that easy, can¡¯t someone set it up?¡± Cole asked. ¡°It¡¯s not automatic, Cole. After all, it¡¯s not like the god Prometheus wouldn¡¯t know what¡¯s going through your mind while you y rogues in a ¡®staged attack.¡¯ Besides, there are hunters that have gained a Prometheus gift from just straining tirelessly. The key is to understand what the hunters stand for. A hunter cannot be granted the gift until that has sunk clearly into their minds,¡± she said. ¡°You sound very confident with the god Prometheus. I just keep wondering if there is a way around it. The rogues would definitely want a hunter on their side,¡± he noted, letting his mind flow. ¡°If we were ever to tell such suspicions through to the hunters, the whole system would crash and we¡¯d be on the verge of a crisis,¡± she said to him. ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s what would happen. Trust on a scale thatrge is something that¡¯s quite fragile,¡± Cole said to her, taking a moment to look at her. He was starting to get a feel of where she was going... The same hill that she always did her thinking from... well, at least that¡¯s what he thought she did. ¡°You love this ce...¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s peaceful enough for me to do some thinking whenever I want to. It also allows me to look at the town that I am supposed to be protecting,¡± she said taking a seat. She tapped the spot next to her and the wolf joined her. For a moment that got longer than he thought it would, she stayed silent. ¡°What¡¯s going through that beautiful mind of yours?¡± he asked, childishly. ¡°Well, a storm of thoughts honestly...¡± she replied, sighing and cing her head gently on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re sofortable with me that I find it scary sometimes...¡± Cole chuckled. ¡°Just roll with it, Lycaon,¡± she replied chuckling. ¡°Cole will do just fine. Don¡¯t use my family name,¡± Katie could hear the begging tone in his voice while he made the request. ¡°Might I get a peek into that storm of thoughts? I know there are things that are confidential, but is there one piece of information that isn¡¯t confidential.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, there is one,¡± she said, pushing him down so that he made a morefortable pillow. Katie rested her head on his chest before continuing like there was nothing wrong. Cole wanted to resist, but found that his wolf fought against him when he tried to... ¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯ ¡®Just roll with it, huh...¡¯ ¡®Does she have control over my wolf on top of the two Prometheus gifts that she has... That would be insane...¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s hear it then...¡± ¡°Well, the Chase family, my guardians got a sense that... well, that kind of power that you take to be hocus pocus... They got the feeling that there was going to be trouble tonight... Like serious trouble and I can¡¯t help but wonder...¡± she said, sounding calm even though her state suggested she was anything but. ¡°Oh, the family mojo... I¡¯ve heard of it before, but I don¡¯t know how or if it does work. What¡¯s the level of trouble they detected,¡± he asked. ¡°Something so terrifying that they had to call one of the Four Mighty hunters...¡± she said to him. This got his heart racing, something that he hadn¡¯t experienced in a while. The four were named Mighty for a reason and calling them for something wasn¡¯t something that could be taken lightly. ¡°It can¡¯t be that bad... Do you think the Rogue King might appear?¡± he asked as the first thing that came to mind. The Mighty hunters were called on when that was a most likely scenario for they were the only four humans on the that would stand the highest chance of killing the man even if he was guarded by an army. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯ve been thinking of that possibility. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s meant to cause it, but something has made the Chase family get onto their toes so much that they had to call one of those four,¡± she said. ¡°Who did they call?¡± ¡°They called the Thunderp, Jim Gordon,¡± she announced, a knowing smile on her face. There wasn¡¯t a soul alive, well in the society of those that wanted the Rogue king eliminated that didn¡¯t know the myths behind the man that had been summoned to the small town of Brigadia. Blessed with the Agility Prometheus gift, the man was said to have trained his gift so much that he had tapped into the god¡¯s powers,peting with the god Mercury in speed. It was said that when he ran, the sound of a thunderp announced his arrival and departure as he cut through the air itself forcing it to split and meet back together in one loud collision. All these were myths, however, as most that knew of them had never seen him in actual sense. ¡°Now that¡¯s someone that I¡¯d love to see in action. I know we might be in trouble considering what your parents said, but this is still something that I¡¯d love to see for myself,¡± the Royal admitted, his childish excitement getting the better of him. ¡°You do know that he is called in times of a crisis and that his presence is more of a bad omen than it is good,¡± she said. ¡°The presence of either of the four Mighty hunters is never something to smile about considering they are sent to the ces with the highest cases of rogue attacks and not enough hunters to deal with them. It is said that they deal with such cases in such a short time. Probably because the rogues flee when they realise they have made too much of a fuss in that area,¡± he said. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. I have no doubt that they would have sent one of them here if I had never got my Prometheus gifts...¡± she exined. ¡°Couldn¡¯t your parents help out back then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. Maybe they were too busy taking care of me,¡± Katie answered. In truth, she¡¯d never seen her guardians using their Prometheus gifts and was yet to pose the question to them. Now there was something else she was supposed to ask them when she met them next. However, for now, she discarded her thoughts and turned to her side such that she rested better into her ¡®man-made¡¯ pillow... A wolf purred at the back of her mind... a wolf she was now aware was awake, but still being held back by the moon goddess¡¯ power. Something she was grateful for at the moment. Having to exin that to Cole at the moment was not something she was willing to get into. The male didn¡¯t seem to mind herpany, ¡®Katie, this is not you...¡¯ she tried screaming in her mind, but those times seemed long gone. She was giving in to the stronger emotions that came with being a werewolf. While she knew that there was a time when she was supposed to bottle up all those emotions and revert to her hunter nature, this was not one of those times. Chapter 88 88 Chapter Eighty Eight Katie and Coley there talking about anything that came to mind to pass the time. Their main goal was to spend more time with each other. While Katie was certainly aware of why this came naturally to both of them, Cole was at a loss for words. Suspicions crept in but were swatted the moment they made his heart jump and be erratic. In the end, he just settled into his role and kept the lovely girl that rested on his chestpany. The sun was setting when Cole decided to mention the dance that he was supposed to be attending, ¡°Are you going to go to the dance in those clothes?¡± she asked, looking at the suit that had be dirty during his fight with Jeremiah. ¡°No, I can¡¯t go like this. I¡¯ll have to go back to the suite and get clothes,¡± he replied. Katie got off him and allowed him to stand, ¡°Well, it¡¯s about an hour before I have to go. Need an escort to your suite and back... Personal bodyguard?¡± Katie asked. ¡°I was going to just shift and run there... Then probably just drive all the way back... The car which I left at the festival...¡± the alpha said, recollecting the results of the paintball with Jason. They¡¯d used the car on their return journey and left at the makeshift parking lot outside the festival grounds. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go to the car then... Can I drive?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think... Wait, you can drive?¡± ¡°Why do you sound so surprised?¡± Katie asked him. ¡°I was just wondering what your parents were trying to do by pumping you with that many skills. It¡¯s unbelievable,¡± he said to her. ..... ¡°Does it bother you?¡± the question was packed with enough sincerity to make Cole regret hisments. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. Shall we be off then?¡± he asked offering her his hand to take. She took it gracefully and allowed the alpha to lead the way. The wolf within her was as happy as a child who¡¯d been given candy. .................. When Katie had gotten him back to the festival, everything was calm again and everyone was calm once again. There was no reason for her to have changed clothes since she wasn¡¯t going to be attending everything else that was going to happen on that day. She stopped the car in the parking lot, the music that governed the nighttime of the festival wafting into the car. Cole realized the mood was just right. He looked at his watch and saw that it was still twenty minutes to seven. Something he¡¯d been trying to achieve the whole time. ¡°Hey, can you spare thest twenty minutes to dance with me?¡± Katie looked at her watch. ¡®Sneaky alpha,¡¯ she smirked. Her next look was at her clothes which were too simplepared to the ck perfect suit the man was dressed in. ¡°I¡¯m not dressed,¡± she said sounding genuinely disappointed. ¡°That doesn¡¯t bother me. You¡¯re the only one I was looking forward to dancing with tonight,¡± he said. ¡°Hey, Cole. I was wondering where you had gone...¡± Jason interrupted. Katie looked out the window and froze at the sight of Sandra and Jason. The two of them were dressed to kill. Jason in a ck tuxedo and Katie in a stunning blue sleeveless dress that had a floral design falling down to her ankles gracefully. Her hair had been tied into a neat bun at the top of her head showing off the entire beauty that hit behind that dark hair. ¡°You guys are... wow, I don¡¯t have words for it,¡± Cole eximed. ¡°Stunning, dressed to kill, dressed to the nines, morous...¡± Katie rambled. ¡°All of those intertwined, yes...¡± Cole chuckled. ¡°We¡¯ve been wondering where the two of you were. Katie, get out of there now...¡± Sandra asked her to hurry and rushed the girl off. Jason stayed with his friend and led him through the festival... ¡°What are you guys nning?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to wait and see that,¡± Jason said, leading his friend to the school. The festival had calmed down a whole lot and lights had been put up, designing everything well and giving it a calm serene feel to it. It was peaceful and it seemed as though everything hade to a stop to prepare for the nighttime of the festival. ¡°When did you guys get dressed?¡± he asked his friend, the outfit reminding him of Jeremiah. Someone that still made his stomach turn. ¡°Well, after our scuffle, Sandra wasn¡¯t going to let me stay that dirty. She made sure I got changed almost immediately,¡± Jason chuckled, ¡°I notice someone was driving Grayback. How did you let her do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Cole hadpletely forgotten how sacred the car was as soon as Katie asked to drive. He hadn¡¯t even known what her driving felt like or if she was out of practice. He¡¯d epted without a second thought. The school was covered in warm lights that didn¡¯t hurt anyone¡¯s eyes, drawing on soft colours like yellow. Students that recognized the duo stopped for a moment to take in the appearance of the two men as they made their way to wherever it was that Jason was leading them. The school gym, which was their destination was unrecognizable. Therge room had been transformed into what was now a dance floor. The cage that surrounded the indoor basketball court was nowhere to be seen and neither were the hoops adding more space to the room. A few students sat in the bleachers, some in groups while others were couples. The sound systems were already set and a slow song was currently on with no one specifically dancing to it. Jason tapped his friend¡¯s shoulder to stop his observation of the room, ¡°What is it, Jason?¡¯ ¡°You might want to look there,¡± he said beckoning to the entrance to the gym. Cole wouldn¡¯t wipe the smile off his face when he saw the angel that graced the room with her presence. Dressed in a white sleeveless dress that gracefully dropped to her shoulders, Katie looked like an angel in the eyes of the alpha. He looked at his watch and saw that it was already seven, the time she was supposed to be leaving. ¡°How is she here?¡± ¡°We asked her parents for a little more time and they were happy to give us thirty minutes, but noter. So for thirty minutes, she¡¯s all yours,¡± Jason said to his friends as they watched the hunter walking down the stairs to join them near the bleachers. Jason left his friend and joined up with Sandra who¡¯d brought Katie in, moving on to the next part of their sneaky n. ¡°You look stunning, morous, dressed to kill, dressed to...¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t resist, could you?¡± she chuckled cutting him off. ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t. I knew that ne would look good on you,¡± Cole said, his eyes scrutinizing her countenance. ¡°That look... It¡¯s like I¡¯m under a microscope,¡± Katie chuckled nervously, her hand flying to her hair, tucking the hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture. ¡°You didn¡¯t tie your hair up as Sandra did?¡± Cole asked. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I do that under different circumstances. Do you not like it?¡± she asked. Cole knew it wouldn¡¯t be good for him to see her neck even though he wanted to. At the moment, she didn¡¯t look one bit like a hunter and everything like an angel. The music changed and got louder taking on a slow tone that was irresistible to dance to. Cole looked to the DJ¡¯s booth and noticed the two troublemakers. ¡°Now why does this sound familiar?¡± ¡°Reminds me of an old story that they used to read to us when we were kids. Let¡¯s forget about that though, in the meantime. May I have this dance, Katie Chase?¡± he asked, offering her his hand. ¡°It¡¯s the whole reason I¡¯m here...¡± she replied, taking the alpha¡¯s hand. They started dancing, the two of thempletely forgetting their surroundings. They were the only ones on the dancefloor, but the longer they danced and the more the mood affected the others that were present. More couples started to join the dancefloor, including Sandra and Jason. ¡°This was all I needed to make my day, I guess. I was so sure you wouldn¡¯t be here at this time,¡± he confessed. ¡°Well, when I heard that my parents had offered me some more time, I couldn¡¯t turn up the opportunity. Samantha and Sandra worked fast,¡± she exined. ¡°Yeah, though you still have only a short amount of time before you have to leave,¡± he said to her. ¡°Yes, that is true and I¡¯ll have to go quickly. They say I¡¯ll be cutting it close,¡± she said. ¡°Sounds like part of what I¡¯m not supposed to know. I¡¯m growing sensitive to that part of the Chase family secrets,¡± the werewolf chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just d you¡¯re taking it well. I was worried that you¡¯d still be in the same mood I left you inst evening. Thank you for your help during the speech this morning...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I was happy to help,¡± he replied. Katie was trying her best to hide the raging bliss that she felt in the arms of the Royal. She was happy to be here like it was where she belonged. Her wolf only intensified what she felt for the Royal. ¡°Stay on your toes tonight,¡± she said to him. ¡°That¡¯s not the first time I¡¯m hearing that,¡± Cole noted, ¡°Are you in trouble?¡± ¡°No, but I might need you tonight,¡± she said, her secret threatening to spill the more she spoke to the Royal. The spark she felt from his hands were starting to intensify making her supremely aware of the hands-on her waist. Her mind was not helping her situation either. ¡®Katie, the moon is rising...¡¯ a voice came into her mind, sounding familiar to none other than the moon goddess. She gasped when she heard the voice, ¡°Cole what¡¯s the time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s 7:35... Oh no, we got carried away,¡± she was out of his arms almost immediately. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I have to go... I would have wanted to stay longer. I¡¯ve honestly never wanted to dance here until today,¡± she confessed while she stepped away from what seemed to be her current addiction. Her wolf was not impressed happy by the hunter¡¯s reaction. ¡°Hurry before you¡¯rete...¡± Cole said, ¡°I¡¯m d we at least got to dance...¡± ¡®So understanding,¡¯ she thought as she left, though the thought escaped her mind when she remembered Jeremiah. As she left, Cole clenched his fist. He¡¯d got what he wanted, so there was no reason for him to be upset about her departure. Nheless, he couldn¡¯t help but feel like following the retreating angel. Chapter 89 89 Chapter Eighty Nine Katie held her dress while she ran through the halls to the changing room they¡¯d used. Sandra had left her old clothes there for when she was to run back home. Once she was inside, the wolf within her growled lowly. The restraints the moon goddess had put were starting to weaken. She had to get out of there as soon as she could. Changing clothes and leaving the dress where she¡¯d been told, she started the run to the cabin in the woods that was equipped to contain her. ¡®Hurry, Katie. You don¡¯t have much time left,¡¯ the moon goddess whispered into her ear once more. Katie found her guardians waiting for her at the exit. Aunt Marie was pacing about, her face worried, ¡°You certainly took your time... Get over here...¡± she said, leading the panting hunter to the basement and getting her on the table. Uncle Tom stayed quiet and helped get the cold steel restraints onto his daughter¡¯s arms and legs. ¡°I have something to ask you,¡± Katie said as they continued fastening the restraints. ¡°What is it, Katie? Did you have fun at the dance?¡± Aunt Marie asked. ¡°Oh, yeah, I had fun. Danced with Cole till the mate bond began to get stronger... If I hadn¡¯t been a hunter, I don¡¯t think I would have left his side,¡± she said, absentmindedly, trying to keep thoughts of the Royal to the back of her mind. Those were the thoughts that seemed to be stirring her wolf. ¡°I wanted to ask what the conditions for taking care of me were.¡± The two parents remained went quiet for a bit when they heard the question. They¡¯d kept this from Katie. So much revolved around the girl. The other part of the Chase family lived in the capital of Lycaon and kept rogues away, however, they were here to protect Katie even though there were conditions to the way they achieved this task. Conditions that had been set by the moon goddess herself and one might just say that... they were selfish. ¡°Well, on the day that you were handed over into our care, we were given some rather drastic conditions. We didn¡¯t even know that the moon goddess had that kind of power until we realized that this was a n that Prometheus must have approved of. And if not, he was just turning a blind eye. The moon goddess asked that we dedicate eighteen years of our lives to raising and protecting you...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand that. What does that have to do with...¡± ..... ¡°Well, if you would listen, then maybe you would understand what that means entirely,¡± Aunt Marie said. She might have spoken in a kind motherly tone, but Katie could see through someone scolding her even when it was that kind. The only difference was that this was easier to take, ¡°Well, we sound found that we couldn¡¯t ess our Prometheus gifts unless it was to help you or protect you. The moon goddess stopped us from ageing or even giving birth for as long as you were in our care. Katie, for the past eighteen years, you have been our life.¡± Katie had always wondered why she didn¡¯t have siblings and yet the reason was her, ¡°But that¡¯s not fair. She robbed eighteen years from you just like that and you...¡± ¡°It¡¯s not unfair, Katie,¡± the woman cut her off, ¡°Katie, you¡¯re special. In the past two centuries, there has never been an opportunity to end this war that was as great as the one that appeared on the day you were born. Do you know what will happen when you and Cole are finally united?¡± ¡°What do you mean when you say united?¡± Katie asked, her wolf inducing thoughts she¡¯d otherwise haven¡¯t imagined. She watched the wolf¡¯s fantasies of marking her mate and making love under the moonlight. ¡°I guess marking each other would suffice,¡± Aunt Marie said, in thought. ¡°I doubt that¡¯s all that will happen...¡± ¡°What do you mean? Oh, your eyes...¡± Aunt Marie eximed when she saw the sapphire orbs that her daughter had for eyes flickering bright and dim, ¡°the moon will soon be out and when that happens, we¡¯ll have to inform Cole to simply follow the scent his nose is picking up.¡± ¡°That way you still haven¡¯t told him who I am. Is that how bad it is to trust the Royals?¡± she asked. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it, Katie. Once the information reaches out there that the two of the Moon Goddess¡¯ Chosen have been united, all hell is bound to break loose,¡± she said. ¡°Is that what made you guys detect a great danger?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Well, we are not sure otherwise it would have been that urate... Wait, you can¡¯t feel a sense of danger looming over you,¡± they asked. ¡°Not as exaggerated as what you guys made it look like,¡± she replied, chuckling right before a pang of pain went through her stomach, her eyes burning at the same time, getting clearer. Her heart started beating faster and she could have sworn that she felt her blood flowing through all her veins at the same time. Aunt Marie and Uncle Tom stepped back from the girl. Her eyes were an intense blue and had stopped flickering, she was finally going to shift before their eyes. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be here for this,¡± Uncle Tom said to his wife pulling her to the exit. The woman stared once more at her squirming daughter before climbing out of the basement. Katie, on the other hand, was going through a myriad of changes to notice the adults leaving. Her wolf was trying her best to dull the pain, but the first shift was meant to be painful and there was no putting her past that. Quicker was going to have to be better. However, all these thoughts came to a standstill when her nose became sensitive. Through all the scents that wafted through the window, there was one that she couldn¡¯t ignore even if she was buried at the bottom of a septic tank(not an ideal situation, though) Katie¡¯s didn¡¯t know how she could recognize scents when she¡¯d only now gained the ability to catch a scent. However, she knew whose scent had just wafted into her nose. ................... ¡°You think she¡¯ll be fine?¡± Aunt Marie asked her husband. ¡°I know she¡¯ll be just fine,¡± her husband replied as they sat in the living room of the cabin. ¡°This ce harbours so many memories.¡± The man looked through the cabin getting a memory of the girl from nearly everything. From the time she was only an infant that couldn¡¯t walk. Memories of that baby crawling all over the ce came to his eyes. He almost reached out as though they were real. The baby didn¡¯t cry much which was something that kept them on their toes while giving them peace at the same time. It was impossible to know if a child was hungry, ufortable or in need of being pampered if they never cried about anything. For this reason, his wife had set an rm that would alert her to check on the baby every single hour of the day and night. They took shifts in the night and many times the child was fine. ¡°Our first child won¡¯t be nearly as easy to raise as Katie.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. Sometimes, I think that child knew we were inexperienced parents,¡± Marie chuckled, ¡°Remember the time when...¡± her voice was cut short when the cabin shook so violently as though it had been hit by an earthquake... They held onto the sofas for support while the tremors shook the room. The turbulence shook the cabin for barely a minute before everything went quiet once more. A feeling of dread filled the two Chase hunters. They ran out of the cabin that now sat askew having been knocked out of its foundation. ¡°There are no earthquakes in this region. What was that about?¡± Marie asked once they were out of the cabin. ¡°Hey, honey,e and see this,¡± Tom called the woman. His voice came from the side of the cabin that was raised. She came to see what kind of damage had been caused and lost all energy to use her words upon seeing the wreckage. Arge hole had been ripped into the side of the cabin, looking straight into the basement. The chains that were supposed to hold their daughtery on the floor of the basement, shattered, ¡°That was no earthquake...¡± ¡°Call the Director... No one is safe, the n has beenpromised. If Katie gets to that festival, there is no telling what she could do,¡± Tom said from within the basement. Marie was dialling the number in her phone quickly. They were running out of time. Katie had broken out of the basement like it had no walls and vanished with barely a trace. ¡°Yes, Director Anthony, listen before you spiral off into needless conversation. Katie has broken loose. I repeat, she broke out... Get all hunters ready,¡± she said, panic in her voice. ¡°Is this the great danger that you sensed?¡± the director asked. ¡°It¡¯s rted to it, but not quite... Make sure Cole is on his way to her as well,¡± she added before hanging up. ¡®Could Katie really let her wolf take over and hurt all those people?¡¯ the woman thought. One look at the full moon was enough to shatter her resolve. They didn¡¯t have time to make such negotiations when there were civilian lives in the picture. ¡®Why then do I feel like there is something else that I should be worried about?¡¯ she mentally questioned herself. Chapter 90 90 Chapter Ny Cole took a seat in the bleachers after Katie rushed out and sighed, watching his best friend dancing with Katie¡¯s best friend. The two looked genuinely happy in the presence of each other. He didn¡¯t want to admit that he envied them for they were not sure what significance their closeness posed. Remembering the words of Martha Sirius, the Queen of the Sirius kingdom, this kind of closeness was ideal if the moon goddess wanted the mates to keep in touch so that they could both be present by the time they are to find out that they are mates to each other. Otherwise, the two were to never meet again. ¡®Weren¡¯t they here to stay?¡¯ he thought to himself. The two found himself deep within his thoughts, ¡°Hey Cole, how did it go?¡± Jason asked, walking up to him with Sandra at his side. ¡°It was wonderful. Better than I thought I¡¯d like it,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯d say... Katie had never looked shy before,¡± Sandra chuckled, taking a seat beside the alpha, her face lost its smile faster than it should have. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any of the pro hunters around,¡± Cole asked. ¡°They are mostly being transferred to the outer patrols. The junior hunters are the ones conducting the activities in here with the help of a few professionals...¡± just then, Cole plunged his hand into his coat as something was starting to vibrate from within it. His phone was ringing with a number that he did not know. Almost at the same time, a scent hit his nose, one that he knew very well. Katie had been gone nearly thirty minutes, but that was of no relevance. When he was told that it would be soon, he hadn¡¯t thought it would be this soon. Sandra looked at the number and froze, she recognized the number, but couldn¡¯t tell why that number would be calling Cole of all people. Her purse began to vibrate as well and she retrieved the device only to find the same number ring on her screen. The phone was calling them at the same time, now worry starting to seep in. ¡°Who is it?¡± Cole asked. ¡°It¡¯s the Director...¡± Sandra said, somewhat panicked. She picked up the phone and lowered the volume so that only the three of them heard his voice over the speaker. It was a conference call with a number of hunters already listening in and voicing their greetings... ..... ¡°Can I have everyone¡¯s silence? I¡¯ve made this call to all of you because of how urgent it is. I was merely waiting for Alpha Cole Lycaon to answer the call. I have only confirmed Sandra¡¯s phone... Am I to assume Cole is listening...¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m right here, Director Anthony,¡± he said. ¡°Well then... That makes everything much easier. All pro hunters know what day this is...¡± the man said. ¡°The Founder¡¯s festival?¡± Cole asked, partly astounded. Who didn¡¯t know that? ¡°Cole, you are the one person that gets to her the fastest. We don¡¯t know which direction she¡¯s headed and even if we try to track her, she¡¯s probably moving too fast for any of us to catch up to her,¡± the man said. ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± ¡°I speak of the person that bears the scent that you must be getting a full dose of right now. Follow that scent as fast as you can before someone gets hurt. We are to find her immediately,¡± Sandra chose to break protocol at the moment as the Royal seemed to be frozen at the moment. She mouthed the name of the person in question, ¡°Katie...¡± Cole was out of the gym before the Director had time to exin his encrypted messages. ¡°He has gone after her,¡± Sandra informed them. ¡°Well, that can only mean you told him who to expect... No matter... It now falls upon your shoulders to find us a way tomunicate with the Royal as he tracks Katie down,¡± Anthony said to her. ¡°I have a way of doing that,¡± she replied, looking at the werewolf before her. Through the mind link that the two shared, it was going to be easy for them tomunicate back and forth. ¡°Okay then... Just sit tight and stay alert... All hunters around the festival are to tighten security and not let any werewolf through. We don¡¯t know the colour of her fur either so you are all to look out for a werewolf with blue eyes. On the other hand, Cole Lycaon¡¯s wolf is ck in colour and no one is to stand in his way. With that said, the call ended. ¡°Ask Cole where he is,¡± Sandra asked Jason. The wolf¡¯s face got a zed look while he focused on talking to his friend. ¡°How did Katie escape? I saw that equipment...¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I saw the equipment that was going to be used to hold Katie, steel chains and everything around her was reinforced,¡± she exined, trying to think through what could have happened, ¡°Did she shift before she got there? No, the Director would have said that.¡± ¡°If Katie shifted and broke out of something that required that much energy to break out of, then I¡¯m afraid we should be chasing her down as well,¡± Jason said, worry seeping into his voice. There weren¡¯t many things that could force a werewolf to resort to extreme methods to escape. ¡°There has to be something that gave her wolf the right amount of motivation to go through all that trouble to escape restraints that powerful. If they were anything like the ones we saw in the dungeon, then Katie didn¡¯t just break out because she lost control, she broke out because of something else...¡± he exined himself. The two were up and running out of the school after they realized that. ¡°We have to follow them immediately...¡± ¡°Cole just answered me...¡± Jason said to her, ¡°We have to go.¡± Jason started running faster and Sandra could barely keep up the pace. To be honest, she could tell that the wolf was holding back so that her human legs could keep up... ¡°What is it, Jason? I need to inform the Director,¡± she said. ¡°Katie was headed for the festival, or at least that¡¯s what he thought at first, but she wasn¡¯t headed for it at all. She¡¯s headed somewhere else... She says he should call for backup if he can and that¡¯s when he contacted me... He¡¯s called Caden as well. We don¡¯t where he is, but he called him...¡± Katie got her phone out and began to dial the Director¡¯s number. She ryed the information to the Director and that¡¯s when another conference call was opened, this time with Katie¡¯s parents as part of the call. ¡°Katie is not going to the festival. She¡¯s going somewhere else. We don¡¯t know where, but Lycaon says it¡¯s nothing to do with the festival and she won¡¯t stop for anything.¡± ¡°Could it be?¡± Aunt Marie¡¯s voice came through. Sandra and Jason were now out of the festival and heading for the treeline when Jason started rying some more information. ¡°Katie has confirmed her motive...¡± everyone over the conference call went silent, ¡°I don¡¯t understand everything just yet, but I¡¯ll say what Cole told me. When she sh-shifted, she caught the scent of Kyle Dwyer and that¡¯s who she¡¯s going after,¡± Jason said. A few secondster and the conference call filled with much more hunters¡¯ numbers, ¡°What¡¯s with the conference calls? What¡¯s going on? What is the Director up to?¡± a chorus of different questions came through the phone call before the Director raised his voice. ¡°Silence... Everyone pay attention. I am assigning a number of hunters to assist Katie Chase... No, I¡¯ll use her real name, Katie Sirius. The target is Kyle Dwyer whose scent has been tracked. We are to bring him in alive and protect the lives of the Moon Goddess¡¯ Chosen. Unfortunately, both of them appear to be on the front lines of all this,¡± he yelled over the phone. Jason leapt into the air shifting into a dark brown wolf. He turned and lowered his colossal form so that the junior hunter could get onto his back. Three hunters approached them from the festival grounds, Keh, Samantha and Trevor as the most experienced pros that were nearby. Jason got ready to run, the whole party ready, ¡°Lead the way Jason,¡± Samantha said. Picking the scent of his alpha, the wolf started the run. ¡®Don¡¯t do anything rash, Cole. We areing to aid you. If Kyle really is there, he¡¯s going to have quite the protection. The hunt for Kyle was on and Katie Sirius was leading it. At the Brigade Hotel, a group of Royals felt the connection of the long lost member of their family rekindle. ¡°I guess we should go meet our daughter,¡± Davin Sirius stated, leading his family to the elevator. They¡¯d been waiting far too long and now that they¡¯d found her, nothing was going to get in their way. At the Hunters¡¯ Agency, the Director paced about... something wasn¡¯t feeling right about this. The Rogue king would have done anything to have that girl killed. If Cole had indeed already met the girl when she¡¯d shifted, then she was indeed in control of her actions. That would only mean that they were no longer chasing a wolf on the loose, but rather they were following the Rogue killer to a ughter. And if the Chase hunters were right about something bad happening on this day that they even called the Thunderp, then Katie was in need of all the help she needed. Anthony walked out of the agency, slipping into his leather jacket and brandishing his phone to make onest call, ¡°Frost, Jackeline, I¡¯m sending you the locator for Sandra¡¯s phone. She¡¯s following Katie. We might just need all the help we can get on this one...¡± Chapter 91 91 Chapter Ny One Cole hadn¡¯t wasted any time in rushing to his mate. He knew who she was now and had no intention of letting her go. He had harboured his own innate hopes that the bond he felt with her was real and he¡¯d been right. A predicament that made him feel like the happiest man on earth. He had many questions. They swarmed his head, buzzing uncontrobly, but he couldn¡¯t allow them to cloud his mind and deter his mission just yet. Sandra had broken protocol to stop him from asking questions. Everything around the secrecy of Katie being a werewolf was still a mystery to him, but it was what it was. Clearing his mind, he reached the tree line into the forest and shifted, following the alluring scent to its source. From what he could tell, now that he knew she was moving, she was not heading for the festival at all, but her path seemed to pass remarkably close. It would make sense for the others to be worried about her making amotion. ¡®What am I thinking? She shifted because of the moon yet...¡¯ the question that she¡¯d asked him during the very first lesson they¡¯d had together came back to him. ¡®So that¡¯s why you asked me that?¡¯ Back then, she¡¯d wanted to know if werewolves had trouble controlling themselves under the full moon. Today was the night before her birthday and the moon was full which was a rare urrence. Once a wolf turned that age, their wolves became a more prominent part of them and in case she was taking those suppressing drugs that Ash had talked about, she was bound to shift this night. Trying to shake off the bothering thoughts, he felt stupid for having not seen the signs. Katie¡¯s appetite, her wild emotions, the sparks he felt every time he touched her. She knew everything as well, which meant she wasn¡¯t feigning ignorance when she got close to him. She knew they were mates and made sure to keep him close, or at least that¡¯s what the male would like to think. He continued running, his wolf alerting him of their close proximity. He notified the others of what he knew of the route she was taking. Getting in her path, he waited, the scent growing stronger and stronger. What did her wolf look like? Was she going to be out of control? Would she be happy to see him? What was she running after? He knew she wasn¡¯t going for him. The rapid sound of paws striking the ground caught his attention. She wasing straight for him and wasn¡¯t making a turn. It was the first time that this scent was finding him instead of running from him. His werewolf vision seemed to clear up even more as he looked into the darkness of the forest from which she was to emerge. Right when the footsteps had reached their loudest, something emerged from the cover of the trees, the moonlight bouncing off the silky white far of a majestic White Wolf. The wolf was unbelievably white without a stain on its pelt. Its eyes shone a bright blue that stunned the male. When the wolf took notice of him, its eyes widened in surprise. Cole, who¡¯d been expecting a wolf that was on a rampage was rather confused. The wolf before him did nothing to slow down and instead leapt into the air, the sounds of snapping bones filling the air as she rapidly reverted to her human form. ¡°Cole,¡± her voice rang out her arms spread out wide. The ck wolf¡¯s reflexes kicked in and allowed in to catch her just in time. ..... ¡®Katie, what¡¯s going on... What...¡¯ the man asked, opening a mind link with the girl to receive answers. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everythingter. Follow me,¡± she got up and dashed off in the same direction. Everything happened so fast that he barely had enough time to gather his thoughts. He shook off his confusion and caught up with her allowing his questions toe out in order this time instead of stuttering. ¡°Katie, where are you going?¡± he asked her. ¡°When I shifted, my nose picked a scent. I know who it belongs to and I won¡¯t let him get away,¡± she said, determination shining through her eyes. ¡°Who is it?¡± he asked. ¡°Well, it¡¯s the only person that has managed to piss me off this much since I was born, Kyle Dwyer...¡± Cole ryed the information immediately to Jason along with the details of the direction they were headed. If it was true that the coward was still close by, then he was bound to be prepared. After running for a bit, something struck him as odd. The girl was not shifting back into her werewolf form. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you shifting? It would be easier to run that way.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about which form is easier to run in, but the truth is that I don¡¯t know how to shift. I only shifted back because you showed up. My wolf was calmed immediately and allowed me full control again,¡± she exined. ¡°What were you nning on doing once you had Kyle?¡± he asked her. ¡°Well, I can tell that he is not alone, so I was nning on killing all his allies and enjoying my time torturing... Oh, sorry, I went a bit too dark there. I was going to turn him into the Hunter¡¯s Agency,¡± the answer came vaguely. ¡°That must be the weirdest answer I¡¯ve had all day. What was all that about torture?¡± he asked. ¡°Hey, I was going to hand him over to the Hunter¡¯s Agency first, then take my time asking for permission to torture him. What am I saying? That¡¯s exactly what¡¯s going to happen,¡± she confirmed. Messages from Jason came through asking him to slow down... ¡°Hey, Katie...¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t slowing down. This is the only time we can get him. I don¡¯t what he is still doing here, but he knows that he¡¯s not supposed to be close to this town or else I¡¯ll get him. I have a feeling they gave the wolf that I found yesterday some time to return. I can trace his scent here. How do you do it? Everything smells like a werewolf,¡± she said. ¡°You get used to it. Although I must say that yours is a bit too strong,¡± I chuckled. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just because I don¡¯t know how to block it yet. Other than you and the forest, I haven¡¯t smelt anything that pleasing. It was giving me a headache,¡± she groaned. ¡°And yet you still ran in one direction...¡± ¡°Kyle has to pay... for Ash¡¯s death,¡± she said with conviction. Since Ash died, the feeling of helplessness had not left the young hunter and now that there was something that she could do to avenge the girl, she wasn¡¯t going to fail. ¡°Your parents are worried. They¡¯ve said you should be careful,¡± I said to her. ¡°Hush, we are getting close. From what I can tell, they are about five of them, Kyle included. .............. Kyley in a makeshift hammock that he¡¯d got one of the rogues to tie between two trees. This was his idea of good night sleep in the forest surrounded by ¡®sub-ordinates.¡¯ The boy knew just how much he was entitled to as the Rogue King¡¯s golden goose. The wolves around, the alpha included, were below him in rank just because of the information in his skull, ¡°I told you. He won¡¯t be back. Katie has probably already killed him,¡± he groaned, boredom racking his bones. Two rogues sat on tree stumps ying a game of cards beneath his hammock, ¡°He¡¯s the most skilled stealth specialist that¡¯s been sent this way since we found out about the Rogue killer. If anyone can survive this, he can. Although your confidence in the Rogue killer¡¯s destructive power is quite questionable,¡± one of them said. ¡°You sure all those drugs that you take didn¡¯t get to your head and mess up with some of your bolts or something?¡± the other asked. ¡°Are you implying that I might just be crazy?¡± she asked the man. ¡°Oh no, I would never say that about the person that is supposed to give a report to the Rogue King,¡± he defended himself, ¡°I just fear that we are going to risk too many of our men for something that might not be the big deal.¡± ¡°What makes it so hard to understand? We are already in hiding from four of the most powerful human beings in the world, the Four Mighty Hunters. Have you heard of them? Their power isical. What makes you think the stories that I narrate are unbelievable?¡± ¡°The four Mighty Warriors are old men that have been training for far too many years. We understand their power and believe because the experience shows,¡± one of them argued. ¡°What of the one from the Chase family? He¡¯s the youngest of them. And worst of all, he possesses both Prometheus gifts,¡± Kyle said. ¡°So, what has that got to do with anything?¡± ¡°The rogue killer... possesses both gifts...¡± Kyle was satisfied by the expressions on the faces of the rogues when he revealed this information. It was enough to shut them up for a while. He¡¯d spent a great portion of his life trying toe to peace with this fact as well, ¡°Demitri is noting back... We have to go. If by some miracle he survives, he¡¯ll just lead the Rogue killer to us. We won¡¯t have anywhere to run if that happens.¡± As Kyle said it, he realised the grave error he had made in sending Demitri to Brigadia. He¡¯d been mad about the man¡¯s arrogance and made a grave error in judgement. Just as he was about to give the order for them to depart, the alpha burst from the door of the cabin. ¡°Someone¡¯sing,¡± he said... sending Kyle¡¯s heartbeat into overdrive. Chapter 92 92 Chapter Ny Two The rogues all got to their feet and huddled up, covering each other¡¯s backs in an attempt to protect each other. The sound of paws striking the ground kept getting louder and louder. ¡°Who could it be?¡± Kyle asked as he hid behind the others. In a battle, the boy was practically useless. He bore no qualities of a werewolf. Werewolves were usually built, but with the years he¡¯d spent suppressing his werewolf, he was skinny and was rather useless in a fight. All his worthy in the information in his mind. Katie¡¯s weaknesses, likes, dislikes, hobbies and everything that made her who she was. After all, that was the mission that he was sent to take care of. The footsteps got even louder, ¡°You were right about one thing, Kyle. Demitri wasn¡¯t making it back alive.¡± ¡°What... I tried to say that a hundred times. What do you hear? Can we make it if we go right now?¡± Kyle asked, starting to panic. Every part of him resonated with the single scariest statement in his life, ¡®Katie ising...¡¯ ¡°Oh rx, weakling. This is all on you. We would have gotten out of this if you hadn¡¯t sent that idiot into that territory. Now look what we¡¯ve gotten ourselves into,¡± the alpha said. ns were crumbling and despair was seeping in. ¡°We could try using the woman...¡± one of the rogues spoke. ¡°Well, that seems to be the only thing that we have to do left,¡± the man said, rushing into the cabin anding out dragging a woman ravaged by the suffering of going several days with next to no food. She was skinny and her lips were dry as she¡¯d been dehydrated. Her dressy torn at several ces and her face was scratched all over. ¡°Get her up. We¡¯ll use her as a bargaining chip, and a human shield,¡± Chad barked. The other rogues help her up. Chad stood behind her with a knife pointing to her back. With the stage set, the footsteps finally came to a halt. Arge ck wolf stood before them, perhaps thergest that Kyle had ever seen. The scary part of it, however, was its eyes. They shone a bright blue that only spelt doom for anyone that was on its bad side. The wolf had apanion who¡¯d only arrived behind it, a humanpanion, or so Kyle thought. The rogues watched as footsteps came from behind the ck wolf. Someone wasing, someone dangerous. Their livesy with the hostage that they had in their hands. Dressed in simple denim jeans and a ck T-shirt, Katie walked into view. The single most threatening feature of her appearance striking fear into the rogues, her eyes shone a bright blue as well. The only difference was that she carried herself like a hunter and not a werewolf. The presence of a powerful hunter was easy to notice if they wanted and this one was one of those that you didn¡¯t want to cross. ..... ¡°What¡¯s with that one? She¡¯s brimming with the power of a Hunter and yet her eyes...¡± Chad couldn¡¯t finish his statement. ¡°That¡¯s her. Today is her birthday. She¡¯s awakened,¡± his shoulders slumped when he noticed. ¡®So that¡¯s how you tracked me down,¡¯ he thought. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to escape her,¡± he said to them. ¡°What do you mean? We have a hostage,¡± Chad said keeping his voice low before turning to them. ¡°One more step and I kill her. You know who this is.¡± The ck wolf bared his teeth at the rogues when they uttered the threat. ¡°What are two Royals doing here? You told me the Rogue Killer was the only one after you,¡± Chad was getting anxious in front of the enemy. Kyle, who knew what was in front of him to be true, was at a loss of words. There was no way a group of four rogues was going to save him from two Royals, not to mention one that had been blessed with Prometheus gifts. For the moment, he felt like they would stand a better chance against one of the Four Mighty Hunters, but this was their predicament and they were going to have to deal with it. ¡°It took you long to catch up to me, Katie,¡± Kyle spoke up. ¡°That is none of your concern, Kyle. Now that you are in my sights, you aren¡¯t getting away from me,¡± she said, cing her hand on the side of the werewolf that stood with her. ¡®Cole, that¡¯s the Director¡¯s wife. Shaemus¡¯ mother. We¡¯ve been looking for her ever since he admitted to causing the riot out of ckmail,¡¯ she said through their mind link. ¡®I¡¯ll send the message through so that they can get here faster,¡¯ he said to her. Katie kept her eyes trained on their enemies. The four rogues before them, Kyle excluded were dead to her. (Shaemus¡¯ mother) seemed to be conscious for the moment, but she needed medical assistance as soon as possible. She started calcting the distance between her and the alpha that held the knife to her back. ¡®Can I get to them before he has the time to react?¡¯ she thought, tapping into her Prometheus gifts. ¡®Katie, wait a little longer... They are almost here,¡¯ Cole¡¯s voice came through the mind link. ................ Jason was finally caught up on the situation at hand. Sandra exined how the two had found out about Katie¡¯s special situation. There was a lot that fell into ce. The arrival of the Sirius family, the dark blue eyes, the name that resembled that of the dead princess of the Sirius family. The fact that Cole had been catching a scent that was appealing to him. ¡°So she¡¯s the missing Royal, huh. Isn¡¯t she a hunter though?¡± ¡°Yes, she is. Prometheus granted her Prometheus gifts when she saved me from a werewolf back when we were twelve,¡± Sandra exined. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. She¡¯s a werewolf. Didn¡¯t the god know that?¡± he asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Katie didn¡¯t know either. All we knew was that we were training to be hunters and Katie was getting good at it. She wouldn¡¯t stop training. If I was the god Prometheus, I would have given her a gift as well. I just don¡¯t know why he had to go and give her both of them,¡± she exined. Samantha and Keh ran beside them. The girl was on the back of the coffee brown wolf following Royal¡¯s scents. ¡°Katie¡¯s scent is intimidating. I can pick it along with Cole¡¯s scent,¡± he said. ¡°Is that how it always is? Scents of powerful werewolves can be intimidating,¡± she asked him. ¡°Not exactly. Scents sometimes carry the moods of the person that they belong to at the time. Katie caught the scent of someone that she wants to kill. That¡¯s enough to add weight to her scent. We learn all that when we are learning to track. You can tell that an animal is afraid as you track it down. You can tell that it¡¯s just toying with you as it still feels energetic or when it realises you are a lousy hunter,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s odd to hear a werewolf referring to hunting...¡± Sandra chuckled. ¡°Oh, you guys aren¡¯t true hunters. You don¡¯t know the thrill of hunting prey and the pleasure of enjoying the reward. Most especially if your prey gave you the hardest time to hunt them. Now that¡¯s a hunt,¡± Jason swooned. The two still didn¡¯t know how they were capable ofmunication. This was what the Director had tried to prevent. Thankfully for them, they¡¯d found a way around it and could ry all the information that was required of them and keep the flow of information efficient. However, the next message that came through made them feel like ipetent hunters, ¡°Cole says they have a hostage.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± Sandra asked, her heart beating faster. A hostage situation wasn¡¯t part of the n. If Kyle was to escape because a hostage, their efforts would have all been for nothing. Sandra turned on her phone and dialled the number of the Director. ¡°This better be more than the general directions that you¡¯ve been giving me. I told you that we are tracking your cellphone, so we know exactly where you are and are following behind,¡± the Director yelled into the microphone. ¡°This something else, Director. It¡¯s a message from Katie. The rogues have been found,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s good news. Why doesn¡¯t she make quick work of them and return with the traitor then?¡± he asked. ¡°They have a hostage, sir...¡± the Director went silent. His voice came through lower than it normally was, ¡°Is it...¡± ¡°Yes, sir. It¡¯s her...¡± Sandra replied, not allowing him to finish the statement. Secondster, multiple pings came from her phone as yet another conference call had been initiated. ¡®What is it this time? These things are bing time consu....¡¯ ¡°Shut your traps, hunters,¡± the Director¡¯s voice came through, ¡°We have a change of ns. Katie was never headed to the festival. The situation has changed. These rogues that are smuggling the traitor seem to have been the same ones behind the disappearance of my wife and the ckmail of my son that nearly cost the lives of our citizens a few days ago. She¡¯s being used as a bargaining chip. Ten hunters are to remain around the festival and the rest, surround the targets. Those rogues do not leave with their lives. The location is to be sent to all of your cell phones.¡± ¡°Might we help out?¡± a new voice came through the phone. Sandra knew exactly who it was although she never noticed when it was that he got included in themunication. ¡°We appreciate the help, Alpha Haelstrom,¡± Anthony spoke, the phone went off immediately. Everyone in the conference call went silent, allowing the director to say something else. ¡°Everyone that is being mobilised, make it there quickly. May Prometheus be with you...¡± with that, the call went silent. ¡°This just became a whole lot interesting,¡± Samantha chuckled, speeding up and getting ahead of the werewolf. Humans, keeping up with werewolves, the thought was troubling to the wolf. ¡®Samantha is not human, but Sandra is,¡¯ he thought to himself. The difference was clear as she couldn¡¯t even keep up with any of them. He¡¯d offered her a ride on his back for that fact, marvelling at how light she was on his back. Shaking the irrelevant thoughts from his head, he pushed his legs to carry him faster and match the speed of the hunters. They had to catch up to the Royal before anything stupid happening. The scent got stronger as a breeze pushed against his face. Something was terribly wrong with Katie¡¯s scent though. It was getting more aggressive. ¡°Katie is about to act. We have to hurry...¡± Jason said, sending the message outwards. This time, the others running next to him heard. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell her to stay put?¡± Keh asked. ¡°I did... We must hurry. They are not too far,¡± the four reached just in time to see the Rogue killer¡¯s eyes shing with pure rage. She¡¯d crouched down, ready to attack. ¡°Katie...¡± Sandra yelled out, but it was already toote. The girl set off, vanishing right before their eyes leaving behind a violent twister that pushed them back. ¡®When an agility gift has been activatedpletely...¡¯ the sound of a thunderp rang clear through the air... ¡®So that¡¯s where the namees from...¡¯ Chapter 93 93 Chapter Ny Three Kyle was the first to notice the glint in the Rogue killer¡¯s eyes. Even over the alpha¡¯s threats, she didn¡¯t seem to be backing down. If anything, she was getting ready to attack. The royal beside her remained perfectly still, unable to move from the threat. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to get away from here,¡± the words cut through his resolve like a hot knife through butter. Chad, whose hands brandished a de against ire¡¯s back, growled at the girl who only seemed to being up with a way to attack, ¡°Isn¡¯t she supposed to be important to them? You said...¡± ¡°I know what I said,¡± Kyle replied, right before he noticed the look in the weak woman¡¯s eyes. Her eyes were barely open, but they were clearly trained on the girl before them and they were sending a clear message. Kyle didn¡¯t get the time to react as the woman nodded. What followed was the distinct sound of a thunderp, the Rogue killer vanishing at that same time, if only even before the sound was heard. A violent wind passed the group of rogues, their numbers diminishing by one instantly. Kyle was alone behind the rogues that held the woman up. Looking back, the alpha was disarmed and restrained on the ground. Katie wasn¡¯t paying attention to him though as she clearly overpowered him with her Prometheus gift. ¡®So that¡¯s the sound that you hear when the Thunderp goes into motion,¡¯ he thought recalling the myths that went around the Mighty hunter. Katie vanished once more, their numbers diminishing once more... although, this time it wasn¡¯t one of them. It was the hostage that they had staked their escape n upon. The situation was looking bleak for the rogues and Kyle seemed to be losing all hope of escape. ¡®Damn it, I¡¯d escaped. We just had to make the mistake of waiting for Demitri toe back here,¡¯ he thought, his mind soaring. Cole took a moment to process what had just happened. Seeing now that stopping the girl would have been useless with the n she had in mind. He had barely been able to follow her movements. Given the speed he¡¯d seen her use before, this was beyond what he thought she was capable of. Moments after ire vanished from the hands of the rogues, she appeared right next to him panting and drenched in sweat. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you move that fast,¡± the familiar feminine voice of a new arrival reached Royal¡¯s ears. A wolf and two other hunters nked the pair. Sandra had arrived with a very familiar Jason. The wolves leapt into action along with Keh, apprehending the rogues that were guarding Kyle. Kyle, on the other hand, was already behind Kyle, a massive ck wolf that barred their path. The boy was now on the run. Katie¡¯s panting only got louder. ¡°I couldn¡¯t let them put another scratch on her. I don¡¯t know how much energy I burnt through pulling that off,¡± she said, right before she went dead silent, a look of shock on her face. ¡°You... did well, Katie,¡± the Director¡¯s wifeboured to speak. ..... ¡°Don¡¯t speak, ire. We need to get you to the infirmary and make sure that you recover,¡± Samantha said to her, before picking her up, ¡°I¡¯ll call Anthony and inform him of the rescue. What¡¯s wrong, Katie?¡± ¡°They are... too many...¡± she said. ¡°What do you mean? Who are they...¡± Samantha asked. Cole and Jason made quick work of the alpha, clearing the path to the boy that was supposedly running from an entire group of hunters and werewolves. ¡°This boy is going to be a handful,¡± Cole said casually, sending the message to those he knew could hear him. ¡°Katie, what do you mean ¡®they are too many...¡¯ Do you mean the rogues that were protecting Kyle?¡± Samantha asked. Katie nodded. Herboured breathing finally came to a stop. She tried to stand and staggered for a bit, Sandra catching her just in time and helping her to find her footing. ¡°No, not those ones... I mean the ones that havee to retrieve Kyle as reinforcements,¡± she said. ¡°How do you know?¡± Keh asked, stopping in his tracks. Keh, along with the two males were just about to go after the boy when they heard Katie speaking. The information,ing from the one person who had no trouble facing a Royal, was somewhat apocalyptic. ¡°The same way I always know when a Rogue is three miles from Brigadia. The same way the Chase family is able to tell when there is a traitor within a certain group of werewolves. The same way that the Chase family knows when something bad is about to happen. Samantha, I would like to borrow your katana,¡± Katie asked. ¡°Those aren¡¯tced with wolfsbane... they¡¯ll be...¡± ¡°You know that I¡¯m a werewolf now... I can¡¯t stand the scent of wolfsbane...¡± ¡°Oh, right... Be careful,¡± she said, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the boy is on the run right now, I would have stopped you from going after him. You don¡¯t know how far they will go to defend that boy...¡± she said to him, drawing a long de from within her jacket, ¡®Where was she hiding that?¡¯ the wolves stared in wonder. ¡°And don¡¯t ruin my de,¡± she warned before running off with ire in her hands... ¡°Hey Keh, do you have a ir?¡± Katie asked. She was acting far too calm for theirfort now. ¡°Yeah, I always carry one. Although I don¡¯t see any reason to with the way you¡¯ve been handling things in the past few years,¡± he said handing the girl the gun-shaped gadget procured from his own leather jacket. Katie emptied the weapon of a green coloured bullet and fished for something in her pockets. ¡°I didn¡¯t know why I needed to carry these today, but now I know why. My parents must have been more perceptive than I was in detecting what was going to happen here,¡± she said. In her hand, she held two items. The hunters present were immediately hushed by the significance of the two items. The first one was a hairband, an item that Katie hadn¡¯t used in a very long time. She used it every time she was announcing just how serious she was going to take something. Tying her shoulder-length ck hair into a high ponytail. Cole was stunned by the change in her appearance even though the look in her eyes brought chills down his spine. The second item was a red bullet, shaped the same way as the green one. The red bullet was one that was not held by many hunters since it was rarely used. When Anthony realised she was someone who found herself facing rogues plenty of times, he had granted her the authority to fire one. The green bullet was used to notify hunters that there were rogues in the area and help was needed. The red bullet, however, was used when someone wanted to notify the hunters of something far worse. So terrible that it was said this bullet was only to be used when the Rogue king was sighted. This wasn¡¯t a guarantee that he was, however, it was a sure chance that he was. ¡°Katie, what are you doing? The gun won¡¯t let you fire that bullet unless the situation requires it,¡± Keh spoke up, trying to stop her. ¡°This situation requires it...¡± Katie said, loading the re gun and firing the shot high up into the air with all the strength she could muster. Keh watched the red smoke trail high into the sky, the bullet exploding into a crimson disy that could only mean bad news to everyone that saw it. ¡°Let¡¯s go after him before he gets away. Sandra, I want you to stay here. Tell the rest when they get here of everything that¡¯s happened,¡± the orders were given. ¡°I¡¯ll stay with her. In case other rogues show up...¡± Jason offered. The rest of the group respected his request and turned in the direction the male had just gone. The feeling of impending doom seemed to be weighing on them as they started the run further into the forest. This was the furthest either of them had ever gone into neutral territory. Anything could happen... ....................... Anthony was watching the progress of the female junior hunter and noticed when it came to a stop. She was still a mile out. His calls had been going straight to voicemail and yet something in the pit of his stomach had him going crazy on what could be happening there. Katie had shifted and he was d that she was in control of herself, but now he couldn¡¯t tell anything that was running through her mind anymore. Would she be able to hold back if she found the boy? He didn¡¯t know if he could hold back himself, but she was another story when it came to that. She could kill him without another thought or if he gave too much of a resistance. That¡¯s what he thought of her anyway. It wasn¡¯t long before he heard the distinct sound of a thunderp. ¡°Is the Mighty Thunderp here yet? I don¡¯t see a cloud in the sky,¡± it was dark, but the stars were out as well... ¡°No, he¡¯s still far from here...¡± ¡°Then who was that?¡± Chapter 94 94 Chapter Ny Four Anthony had been joined by a number of hunters on his way to Sandra¡¯s location. He might not have understood how the Chase family knew about things that were going to happen before they ever did. It might have always been a vague warning, but something always happened and the world hade to know to always heed their warnings. This was one of them... A thunderp filled the air reaching his eyes, a sound he¡¯d only heard a few times before he finally settled in Brigadia. He¡¯d seen the Thunderp or rather he¡¯d heard the Thunderp in action once before. The man was fast and his movements were as loud as they were threatening. Rogues fleed from the sound of him breaking the sound barrier. Unfortunately, Anthony¡¯s information suggested he was still far from Brigadia. There was no way he¡¯d made it to Brigadia in that short time frame. ¡°I don¡¯t know where the sound came from but...¡± the hunter that tried exining was stopped by the distinct sound of a phone vibrating. Anthony fished through his pocket for the device, making sure to keep up his speed while he did and answered it. ¡°Director,¡± Sandra¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Give me the news that has nothing to do with updates on your position. Have you at least found Katie? What was the loud sound that I heard just moments ago? Is the Thunderp with you?¡± he didn¡¯t notice he was rambling. He¡¯d been calling them constantly and the previous call had shaken him. It was confirmed that his wife was in enemy hands and he was out for blood. ¡°We found Katie. The rogues were using Miss ire as a hostage,¡± she said. ¡°Stay right where you are. Don¡¯t let them escape. We are on our way. They won¡¯ty a single hand on her, do you hear me?¡± he yelled into the phone, getting even more fired up to make the rogues regret the day they decided to capture her. ¡°Well, I would and had nned to follow your orders, but I arrivedte. Katie got involved,¡± she said. The Director went silent for a bit when he heard the information. Katie wasn¡¯t an idiot and would have made the same judgement he would have if she was in such a situation. But leaping into action when someone that important was in harm¡¯s way would only be possible if she had a way out of it... ¡°Was she the cause of the sound I heard just earlier?¡± Anthony asked him. ..... ¡°Yeah, she was... Samantha is taking your wife to the infirmary at the moment,¡± she said. The phone went silent in the next moment. Sandra hadn¡¯t answered a number of questions that she had, however, there was nothing that he could do about it. Considering there were rogues that they had only gotten her wife from, she was supposed to be helping them with the rest of the job. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be needed for much,¡± one of the hunters chuckled beside him, ¡°That rogue killer has been stealing the spotlight for far too...¡± the man was silenced by the screeching sound of a re. Hunters were used to the sound and we all looked up to see where it wasing from. Anthony almost tripped, having expected to see green smoke, the sky was stained red. The red re was only used when... ¡°Who had that... Isn¡¯t that only given to a select few?¡± ¡°Katie had one. I gave her one when I realised that she was going tond herself in an awkward situation one time. She¡¯s the only one in the party ahead that had a red re. Hurry up, we must get there...¡± Anthony said to them. ¡°Want a ride? We could get you there faster...¡± an unfamiliar voice came from his left. The seasoned hunter found himself drawing two knives in defence, ¡°Oh, slow down there, Anthony. It¡¯s just me.¡± A man came out from the cover of the trees, dressed in a white suit. ¡®What is he doing running in a white suit? Does his vanity go that far?¡¯ he thought as he took in the appearance of the Werewolf King, Davin Sirius. His blue eyes shone brightly in the dark of night making it hard to miss him. Soon after, another man came through from the cover of the trees. This one was younger, probably in his twenties, and he didn¡¯t wear as ridiculously as his father. ¡°Father, I¡¯ll take the other two. You need to get to Little sister as fast as you can,¡± the boy said. ¡°Okay then... Where are Lina and your mother?¡± he asked. ¡°Mother ran off to help the injured woman that we passed by. Lina ran ahead to help. You know how fast she is,¡± Drake Sirius spoke. ¡°Very well, son...¡± Anthony needn¡¯t have added anything to what had been said. They were all in agreement and he only waited for the two wolves to shift and offer the much-needed rides. The hunters with agility Prometheus gifts tapped deeper into their power and pushed ahead, allowing the three that didn¡¯t have that luxury to board the massive Royals. The wolves nodded once they were ready and dashed forward, going almost twice the speed that the hunters had been going, ¡®At this speed, we¡¯ll reach them in no time...¡¯ .......... Katie brandished the katana with the mastery of a professional hunter. Having taken lessons from Samantha herself, it wasn¡¯t hard to use the weapon. They had alreadyid waste to ten rogues and Kyle was nowhere to be found. ¡°How fast can those little legs carry him?¡± Keh panted as he dealt a deciding blow on one of the rogues that were bothering him. ¡°If my guess is right, then he has got a ride from the wolves that were supposed to rescue him,¡± I guessed. ¡°Well, in that case, then we have to go faster, but they just keeping,¡± Keh said, in between breaths. Cole dealt one more blow to another one of them. ¡°On the contrary, they¡¯ve just stopped,¡± Katie notified them. They had been so involved with ying that they didn¡¯t notice that they were taking a break. ¡°What that supposed to mean...?¡± a low growl filled the air, silencing the hunter. Cole moved back and shielded the girl he was sworn to protect(and marry). ¡°These ones are different,¡± he said to them. They waited, readying their weapons and getting ready. Red eyes were the first things to be seen, however, the more they revealed themselves, the more they seized in their resemnce to alphas. These ones threatened the power of the Royals themselves. ¡°Beta Alphas... Right-hand wolves to a Royal. It¡¯s illegal for a Royal that¡¯s not the head of the Sirius or Lycaon family to possess them,¡± Cole said. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of Beta Alphas...¡± I said to him. ¡°Their power is very close to that of Royals. I¡¯ve never had the luxury of sparring with my father¡¯s beta alphas. Rumour has it that they are even more powerful than Royals...¡± he said. Katie ced her hand into his fur and felt that the wolf was slightly shivering. ¡°I¡¯ll need you to help me with this. I can¡¯t stay here while Kyle goes further ahead,¡± I told him. ¡°We must wait for reinforcements first,¡± he argued. ¡°Guys, I hate to interrupt your conversation, but these monsters are not in a chatty mood,¡± Keh said to them. The Beta alphas brandished their ws, wing the ground and snarling at them. Their impatience to kill leaked through their eyes. ¡°Fine, go ahead... I¡¯ll make an opening. Although I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to make one...¡± he said. Before Cole could attack, one of the Beta alphas lunged forward, stretching its paw out to strike him. Cole tried to go backwards, but Katie was frozen in ce. There was no way around it... He was going to be hit unless... Something smashed into the wolf¡¯s side, pushing it off its well-timed strike. They had the luxury to watch a smaller sandy brown wolf push the ck mass to the ground. ¡°Caden, just in the nick of time...¡± Cole eximed, turning back to Katie only to realise she no longer stood in her previous position. ¡°Be safe... my love,¡± he sent his thoughts through their private mind link. ¡°I will,¡± Katie replied while she ran on in the forest, however, she soon started wondering how true that statement would be when she found that rogues swarmed every inch of the forest. Her senses went haywire pinpointing rogues in all directions as she ran on. Straining her mind, tapping into the one ability that even now proved tricky to use, she was able to pick up on the location of the traitor she was in pursuit of. Kyle had already created a gap of one mile between them. It was very likely that he was riding on the back of a wolf. The rogues had one objective and that was to rescue the one person with every bit of information on Katie. ¡®I guess the Rogue king still wants me dead after all these years,¡¯ she thought as she tried tapping into her gifts to forge her way through the forest. The rogues hadn¡¯t yet noticed that someone had slipped through the Beta alphas. The element of surprise was all she had if she wanted to bridge the gap that had been put between Kyle and her. ¡°You know you can always shift and let me handle it,¡± a feminine voice sounded in her mind. ¡°What in the... Who is this? I¡¯m only used to Cole yelling in my head...¡± she replied, struggling to keep her footsteps as silent as she could with the new distraction. ¡°Hmph... Typical, the first thing you did once you had control of your body again was to lock me out like you¡¯ve been doing your whole life...¡± the image of a White wolf shone clear in her mind, however, she had trouble believing that this wolf was disappointed and she could read this expression clearly as though she was watching a human... Chapter 95 95 Chapter Ny Five Katie finally realised what the voice in her head was trying to tell her. ¡®I¡¯m not sure I can control you if I let you out...¡¯ she said to the wolf. ¡®Of course, you can¡¯t. I can handle all this on my own. I would just need to borrow your trinkets. What do you call them? Prometheus gifts... Yeah, those...¡¯ she said. ¡°What would you need those for? Don¡¯t you already have your physical enhancements?¡¯ she asked the wolf, wondering what more she was going to have to give up to her alter ego. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t eaten much, soooo... I don¡¯t have enough energy. Your gifts would provide me with that. On the bright side, you would get to rx,¡± the wolf said. ¡°What do you mean you have not eaten? Do you have any idea how much I was forced to stuff myself with today because of you?¡± I asked. ¡°I have no idea what you are talking of considering you decided to pull a Thunderp and burnt through all the food I had stored up. Such a waste,¡± she sighed. ¡°You know that I had to save that...¡± Katie paused to swiftly sh the neck of a rogue that she noticed her running through them. With one swift near silent motion, the rogue was dead and she was nowhere to be seen by those that noticed it go limp, ¡°Damn it, now you¡¯ve made me get sloppy.¡± ¡°That is not my fault at all. You have your own killer thing going on... I don¡¯t even know how you do it,¡± she replied, adding an attitude to her tone. ¡®Where did I get a wolf with this kind of personality?¡¯ ¡°You know I can hear you right?¡± ..... ¡°Of course, you can. You can hear everything in my mind,¡± Katie groaned. ¡°I think we got off on the wrong foot or something. Considering we are going to be together for a very long time,¡± she said, her voice sounding familiar, but Katie couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it. ¡°Okay, what do you propose? And make it fast because I don¡¯t have much luxury left. I¡¯m almost catching up with Kyle,¡± Katie replied. ¡°Well, I was thinking I should introduce myself. I don¡¯t know how much good that would do, but she told me to...¡± the wolf said. ¡°Who told you to?¡± Katie asked. ¡°The moon goddess... When wolves reach the right age, they develop in mind as well and gain personalities. Not all can speak, but some of us can... My name is Ashley,¡± the wolf said. ¡°Ashley... as in Ash...¡± ¡°No, Ashley. I don¡¯t think Ash is a feminine name so I will not let you call me that,¡± she said. Many questions swarmed the hunter¡¯s mind, most the wolf could not decipher for they rushed by too fast for her to notice, however, the image of a boy, who was obviously a girl pretending to be a boy kept shing through the girl¡¯s mind. ¡°Who is this girl supposed to be?¡± she asked. ¡°Never mind that... Ash is there... If I get too tired to keep going, you are going to have to take the wheel,¡± she said to the wolf, ¡°But if I ask you for control, you give it to me.¡± ¡°Very well... That¡¯s fair. I¡¯ll just be doing a bit of stretching exercises up in here,¡± the wolf said before beginning the ridiculously nagging stretching exercises within Katie¡¯s mind. ¡®This is not normal...¡¯ she mentally facepalmed before locking her eyes on the boy that rode on a dirty grey rogue at top speed. There was a destination in mind with the way the rogue ran in a straight line. If not, they were merely trying to get out of her radius. Katie was next to the rogue before it could realise what was going on. Kyle¡¯s triumphant smirk turned to a look of his despair when he learned of the new developments. One swift motion lopped off the rogue¡¯s front paws and had Kyle sailing through the air. Katie grabbed him mid-air and struck the back of his head with the hilt of the katana she held, knocking him unconscious before she¡¯dnded. The rogues, at this point, noticed everything that was going on and stopped in their efforts to back up alpha Chad. Kyle was more important in the eyes of the rogue king. ¡®I can¡¯t take all these rogues. They must be numbering into hundreds...¡¯ she thought as they swarmed her on all sides, snarling and barking at her. She waspletely surrounded. ¡®You¡¯ve got that right. They might even be able to hit one thousand in number. I admire their determination,¡¯ the wolf said. ¡®That¡¯s easy to say when all you have to do is get a front-row seat to the action that¡¯s happening before you,¡¯ Katieined, through gritted teeth. ¡®Focus, Katie,¡¯ she closed her eyes and looked for the thinnest part of their defence. To her dismay, that was in the same direction that Kyle had been going. The rogues that stood between her and the other hunters were so numerous she couldn¡¯t believe where she was. ¡®I can¡¯t kill those many,¡¯ she said. ¡°Well, then, you go the other way,¡¯ the wolf said. Katie wouldn¡¯t have done anything else either as the rogues lunged at her only secondster, leaving one option for her. She would continue running in the direction Kyle was headed. Leaping out of the rogue way, she unleashed the power of the agility Prometheus gift and downed the rogues that blocked her way, totalling four in number. ¡®They are chasing us now...¡¯ the wolf in her mind spoke, looking back as though she could see them through some back window, ¡®Wow, this ability of yours is quite handy...¡¯ ¡°Of course, you can use that as well,¡± Katie groaned... ¡®Is there anything you can¡¯t do?¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡°Apparently, I can¡¯t convince you to let me take the reins. What¡¯s your n now?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, to be honest, I was nning to keep these rogues following me and even make them rotate a bit until the other hunters realise that I¡¯m the one being chased. They would all just swoop in and kill the rest of these mutts,¡± Katie said, smirking at her n. ¡°Oh, that sounds swell,¡± the wolf said, allowing the girl to marvel at her brilliance, ¡°If you had the energy to pull it off. Feel your legs, they are aching from the strain. You are about to copse, Katie. You can¡¯t keep this up much longer. You¡¯ll get tired and your whole mission will have failed,¡¯ she said to her. It was true... everything she said was true. Katie was in no shape to keep this up. After spending nearly half her energy in the near-impossible of ire, she was running low in her reserves. But why then wasn¡¯t she let the wolf take over? Memories of the times that she¡¯d reached her limit and forced herself past it shed before her eyes. Her whole life, she¡¯d been the only one that she could count on to protect, to get the job done. Why now would she give this all up and hand it over to... ¡°Katie, listen to me... I am you and you are me. We are different in some ways, but we are the same in others. If you die, I die. If you get happy, so do I. If I¡¯m sad, you¡¯re sad and vice versa. If we kiss Cole, we both enjoy it...¡± ¡°Did you have to bring that up?¡± Katie groaned. ¡°Oh,e on. You can¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to. I know you dream of...¡± ¡°Okay, you made your point. How do I give control over to you then?¡± she asked the wolf. ¡°Now, we are talking... Okay, follow my lead. You can feel me in your consciousness. Reach out to me and I¡¯ll do the same,¡± Katie did as she was told, ¡°You¡¯re doing great. Now you are going to feel some parts of your body asking to run on their own. It feels like they are being assisted. One by one, let go of those body parts and I¡¯ll take over from there.¡± The exnation was easy enough, but once she was done and no longer in control of her body, she marvelled at the fact that she hadn¡¯t shifted yet, ¡°I thought that was how shifting was supposed to work.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s another procedure. If you want to learn it, I¡¯ll teach it to you. Although I don¡¯t see why. I could always give you control once I¡¯ve shifted,¡± she replied, tossing the boy¡¯s body into the air. Katie watched in awe as her body began to change in mid-air into the majestic form of a mighty White wolf. Energy filled her limbs... even though she wasn¡¯t in control of the wolf, she could feel the strength between each paw strike. Catching Kyle, however, seemed trivial as the boy continued to sail lifelessly through the air. A rogue took the chance to try and snatch the boy from the air. In one violent manoeuvre, Ashley leapt up and bit into Kyle¡¯s hand slinging his lifeless body violently onto her back and dashing forward faster than any of the rogues could have anticipated, leaving them behind and taking a sharp right... the wolf was enjoying her run so much that she let out a loud howl that shook the night air... reaching the ears of all creatures of the night that were out that night... A New Royal had just been announced... and her power threatened that of the Royals that were present that night... Her howl bore no violence, but insurmountable power... Chapter 96 96 Chapter Ny Six Cole found the Beta alphas to be a problem. At first nce, he¡¯d thought they simply had puffy fur that made them look intimidating, but that hadn¡¯t been the case once the fighting broke out. They were that muscled, a feat only Royals were supposed to be able to achieve. He knew the four beta alphas that were supposed to be in existence and these two were not among them. Beta alphas were incredibly powerful, but the downside to all that power was total submission to the Royal that they were bound to through the bite... After the fast-paced scuffle that Cole had gotten himself into with the werewolf before him, barely getting out of it unscathed, he was reluctant to get close to the beast again. Caden, along with the help of Keh managed to hold off the other. The forest wasn¡¯t quiet anymore. The sound of numerous paws could be heard beyond these two giant werewolves. Katie was on the other side of the Beta alphas in pursuit of Kyle before they lost their chance, but with this much of a wall behind the two of them, there was no way the hunters could get to them. Without Sandra to inform them of the hunters¡¯ progress, there was no knowing when they¡¯d get there. Cole noticed that the Beta alphas hadn¡¯t paid Katie any attention even though there was arge chance they didn¡¯t notice the hunter dash past them. Nevertheless, she was out there with no backup. Knowing this, Cole felt his confidence seep back into him. He was the closest to her and the others were still minutes away. That was enough time for the girl to get herself into an inescapable situation. He would have been fine with her going out, but after the way she¡¯d strained to save the Director¡¯s wife, he knew she was already reaching her limit. A loud howl filled the air, steeling the Beta alphas in their positions. The alphas turned in the general direction of the howl and growled in annoyance. Right before the Royal could react, something whizzed past him. ¡®An arrow...¡¯ he thought remembering the distinct sound that he¡¯d heard in the archery range. The arrow was aimed at one of the beta alphas who snapped it in half within his jaws, showing next to no effort in aplishing this feat. Cole, with the training he¡¯d gone through in his years in Lycaon, had never seen something of the sort, ¡®These Beta alphas are not normal...¡¯ The alphas seemed to notice his restraint and smirked. Sharing a nce, the wolves dashed from sight. ¡°What are you doing standing there?¡± a feminine voice snapped him out of his thoughts... A woman dressed entirely in leather with her red hair tied into a ponytail approached him. ¡°Don¡¯t me him Jackeline. Those weren¡¯t normal alphas...¡± Keh rushed to his defence. Sweat covered his brow and the sandy brown wolf that came following behind him was not in any better shape. ¡°I saw that they were beta alphas, but that shouldn¡¯t be much for a Royal,¡± she quarrelled. ..... ¡°No, Beta alphas are only granted to the head of a Royal family. They aren¡¯t normal and you know it. I misjudged the situation. If they were serious, we could have gotten killed,¡± he said, confirming the level of trouble they were in. ¡°If that was the case, then why did they run? And what was with the howl I heard just now? Where is Katie? Were those beta alphas the reason she fired the most sacred of all rm res? For crying out loud, the yellow would have done exactly what she wanted,¡± the woman continued to ramble on. ¡°Calm down, Jackeline. Katie went ahead to retrieve Kyle...¡± Keh tried. Just then a werewolf dashed past them in a blur of white vanishing beyond the trees that were beyond. ¡°Now that¡¯s the kind of backup that I need,¡± Jackeline smirked, nocking another arrow into her bow, a string attached to the back of it, ¡°Tell Frost when hees everything that has been discovered. Cole, don¡¯t fall far behind. Katie might need you. For all of those that aren¡¯t fast enough to follow the Rogue Killer, kill every rogue you get your hands on...¡± she yelled, letting her arrow fly. Momentster, the string went taut and she was gone, using her Prometheus gift to give her an inhuman boost of speed. It was then that Cole realised the calvary arrived. The woman was just the first to reach them. Looking back, a force of numerous professional hunters flooded the forest, some leaping through the trees at inhuman speeds and others running as fast as they could on the ground. ¡®I¡¯m d they came, but will it be enough to save Katie. Howls filled the air replying to the one that had sounded much earlier. The howls were simr, but they didn¡¯te from Katie. Cole snapped out of his thoughts, ¡°Caden, let¡¯s go...¡± ¡°Are we killing rogues or going after Katie?¡± he asked. ¡°A bit of both... I can tell from this force of hunters that there will be those gifted with speed who will get to her before us,¡± Cole said. Two wolves nked the two of them. Everything seemed to slow down as he recognised the two forms beside them. A massive ck wolf with a white star-shaped tuft of fur on its forehead stood to Caden¡¯s left. Atop his back, sat the bulky Director of the hunters, Anthony dressed in the hunter leather that everyone had on. ¡°Someone¡¯s gotten slow,¡± the wolf beside him spoke into his mind, ¡°How did you manage to lose my little sister?¡± There was only one person on the that would have spoken down to Cole as though they in a mocking tone in an attempt to get the point of them not being equals and yet still not manage to rile him up while he did, ¡°Well, she pushed ahead to capture the traitor when we were cornered by beta alphas...¡± Cole said, without realising the head of the Sirius family was hearing. ¡°Are you sure of what you are saying?¡± Davin Sirius asked Cole. ¡°Yes, I am sure... I know the strength of an alpha. These ones were stronger than I am,¡± he admitted. ¡°Ouch, you just admitted that without hesitation. Were you that scared of them?¡± Drake goaded. ¡°That¡¯s troubling and it also doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Davin said, ¡°We don¡¯t have time to pour over all those details. Pick up the pace, Cole and make sure you protect my baby girl. Drake, do the same... I¡¯ll assist the hunters in reducing the numbers of the rogues...¡± ¡°Hey Cole,¡± Katie¡¯s voice cut through the conversation. ¡°What is it, Katie? Have you found Kyle?¡± he asked her. ¡°Oh, yeah, I got him, but I¡¯m now being chased down by so many rogues. They might just be able to hit a thousand. I don¡¯t know how long I can keep this up. Are the hunters there yet? How did you fare against the beta alphas?¡± she asked. ¡°The beta alphas were experienced... far too experienced than I¡¯d like to admit. It¡¯s frustrating, but they ran off when you howled. My biggest guess is that they areing towards you. Be careful. The hunters are here and they are doing their best to wither down the numbers of the rogues. Your sister and a female hunter called Jackeline are making their way to you regardless of the rogues in their way. Back up will be there soon...¡± he said. ¡°How about the Thunderp?¡± ¡°What do you mean... the real Thunderp?¡± ¡°Yes, the real one... One of the four Mighty Hunters,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, I had no idea he was supposed to be here. No, I haven¡¯t heard any Thunderps besides the one that you produced earlier,¡± he said. ¡°What thunderp did I...¡± ¡°Oh, you mustn¡¯t have noticed since you were in motion. So weird. You produced a thunderp when you saved ire,¡± Cole exined. ¡°Oh, that exins my weakness. I won¡¯t give up...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that. It¡¯s scary. Try and send me your current location... Using that weird voodoo of yours. How far from my former position do you presume you are?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m about five miles out. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯llst. It¡¯s easier to run while I¡¯m shifted, but that can only get me much. The rogues are too many. Focusing on any one of them immediately gives the others a chance to attack and take Kyle from me. I¡¯m running out of ideas. My only hope is the rest of the hunters,¡± she said to him. ¡°Why do you sound so rxed?¡± he asked her. ¡°Huh... Oh, I have no intention of failing. I¡¯ll get Kyle back into a dungeon one way or another. It doesn¡¯t matter if I have to kill all the rogues behind me, the traitor will make it to the dungeon,¡± her determination shone through the mind link, calming the wolf. ¡°Cole... Cole... Have you understood the n? You seem to have zoned out,¡± a voice broke through. ¡°Oh, I just received a message from Katie. She¡¯s about five miles out. I heard the n and I intend to follow it. I can tell she¡¯s about to reach her limit. And I¡¯ll be there to protect her when it happens,¡± Cole said, his conviction getting to the rest of them. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to hear. Now go Son of Lycaon and pay no heed to the rogues that you encounter. Unless it¡¯s necessary, kill them...¡± Davin said. ¡°What about the beta alphas?¡± Cole asked him, hoping he wouldn¡¯t have to find them again. ¡°If you find them again, kill them. They probably weren¡¯t instructed to kill you, which is why they didn¡¯t. they won¡¯t be hard to kill without an order to kill you. Unless their alpha tells them to kill you, they can only defend themselves. Use that to your advantage when you meet them and... on second thought, knock them out...¡± ¡°That¡¯s harder,¡± Cole groaned, pushing forward and weaving through the swarm of rogues that they finally collided with. Most of them were trying to run back, but they were too slow and were getting massacred by the hunters. Those that realised they were only targets if they continued turned back to face their invaders and got the same result. ¡°Well, if you kill them, their power will just go to whoever is next in line for that power...¡± he exined. No one spoke more about the matter and they all parted without saying more. There was no need to me the families considering none of them recognised the beta alphas. However, it also meant that there was a Royal that was breaking rules and had made Beta alphas of their own. ¡®I¡¯m afraid something dark and sinister might be going on without the Royals¡¯ knowledge... and I don¡¯t like it...¡¯ Cole thought, finally finding his resolve. Katie was all he had to worry about right now... Chapter 97 97 Chapter Ny Seven The moon goddess was not one to care about lost souls and the likes of those that were dead. That was not part of her powers as a deity anyway. And indeed there was no reason for her to be meddling with the work of the god of the Underworld. She was supposed to merely watch over those of her subjects that were still within her domain and yet here she was treading through one of the filthiest parts of the Underworld. Bugs buzzed about in the muddy marsh, irritating the goddess and her mate. The duo had dared to walk the domain of the one god that didn¡¯t take intruders lightly, ¡°Was this really the only way that we could get his attention?¡± Seth asked her, groaning as he swatted at yet another fly or bug among the wide assortment of creatures that decided the Underworld was a good ce to live in. ¡°Yes, honey. There is no way to get this god¡¯s attention. Unfortunately, he also hates surprise visits,¡± she said. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what are we doing here? You know that gods are more powerful within their domain. We should disrespect him like this,¡± he said. For years, all matters concerning the werewolves had been left to the two gods that were involved in their creation, Prometheus and Celeste. As a result, the chaos that ensued on earth was spared and the two were tasked with fixing their mistake. ¡°Don¡¯t chicken out on me right now. We¡¯vee so far to turn back now,¡± she tried pleading with her significant other. ¡°I am not chickening out. My job is to make sure that you are safe... and offer you all the pleasures and desires that you might crave. Following you to the pits of Tartarus does not fall into that category,¡± the manined, making sure to keep his voice down while he spoke. He made sure to keep his voice down as well while he argued with his wife. ¡°I know... and that¡¯s all sweet when you put it like that, but I need to do this. It just might depend on everything...¡± ¡°Is this about that girl again? The one who has escaped death countless times now...¡± he pointed out, ¡°How much will you interfere in this mortal¡¯s life? If the Big man notices what you are doing, he will call this whole operation off,¡± he tried to warn her. ¡°I know what you are saying, but among all the gods that I know, this particr one doesn¡¯t have any interest in thews that were set aside by Big Z. However, what I¡¯m doing is not exactly interfering with the girl¡¯s life. Can you just follow me to the pce?¡± she said, dragging theining wolf along. Seth¡¯s red eyes flickered with even more annoyance. Knowing his wife, however, there was nothing he could do to change her mind. ..... Heter gave up and followed her like the loyal husband he was. The dark pce loomed over them in the distance, dark energy creeping from it. The intimidating presence of a god that was in their element almost petrifying them to the spot, ¡°I haven¡¯t felt this weak in a long time,¡± the moon goddess spoke through her chattering teeth. The lord of the Underworld was among the most powerful gods in existence and an audience with him was something she didn¡¯t wish to do. She¡¯d onlye here to do something she viewed as important. Soon enough, the pce gates came into view. They reached the ck iron gates. The material waspletely ck and not because it had been painted, but because it was its natural colour. ¡°What might you be doing here?¡± a voice came to them. It came from a severed head that was hung at the top of the gate. ¡°What in the world...¡± Seth leapt back, ¡°That¡¯s creepy...¡± ¡°Mean... You¡¯re not the first to react that way, however. You must be Celeste... I wonder what a goddess of your calibre would be doing risking a stroll through the Dark Lord¡¯s domain with your significant other. ¡°Can we get in, Baskania?¡± she asked the severed head kindly, ¡°Please...¡± she added, shing her pearly whites. ¡°Well, you asked so nicely, so I don¡¯t see any reason to refuse. I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m kept here, to begin with. I¡¯m bound to let in everyone whoes to see the big man. A piece of advice, Celeste... The master left his pet dog out to y with his visitors. I hope you brought one of his favourite treats. You know that mutt loves the goddess of the moon,¡± he said to me. ¡°Yeah, I came with his treats...¡± the gate slid open revealing the dark marble courtyard. Seth nearly jumped out of his skin when the door shut with a loud groan behind them. ¡°Sheesh, could this ce get any creepier? This guy knows how to design,¡± he said, staring at the statues of the souls in suffering while they spent their time in the Fields of Punishment. ¡°Don¡¯t stare at the artwork. He doesn¡¯t like it. Now that we are on the pce grounds, you might want to watch your step. Any invocation of his attention can alert him of our presence. Depending on his mood, he¡¯ll do any manner of things,¡± Celeste warned the red-eyed man. ¡°That¡¯sforting. If you get scared, you can always jump into my arms,¡± the man said, trying to calm his nerves. ¡°Aww, that¡¯s sweet, though considering I¡¯m a goddess, carrying you wouldn¡¯t be a problem either. If you get scared, don¡¯t hesitate to hold onto me,¡± she returned the gesture chuckling lightly. ¡°Werewolves is one thing. The lord of the Underworld... That might just scare me,¡± he said. Low growls suddenly filled the courtyard. For the first time since Seth had been betrothed to the goddess, he was scared to hear a growl. He was the one male that was above all werewolves, well, he was on par with the Royals, but there was no growl he knew of that could make him go on high alert. ¡°What about that?¡± his wife asked, looking past him with the calmest expression on her face. The man turned ever so slightly to see the colossal three-headed dog that stood behind him. Its three heads snarled at him, sending the message of scrutiny. ¡°Honey, do something. This is the one that you were talking about with the severed head, is he?¡± Seth asked through the gritted teeth, keepingpletely still. The three heads sniffed him and searched him from top to bottom. The dog breath was exceptionally putrid, but the sneezing and scrunching one¡¯s nose seemed to be out of the question. ¡°You¡¯re doing great honey. Let me just check my handbag,¡± Celeste said, checking through the enchanted pouch she carried with her, a smirk on her face. She was quite sure the dog would not do anything to someone that she¡¯de with and was only taking in his appearance. His methods, however, were the part that was hard to endure. ¡°You¡¯re enjoying this, aren¡¯t you? What¡¯s taking you so long?¡± Seth asked. ¡°Well, I am enjoying this indeed. I want to see if he¡¯ll like you. Try petting him,¡± she said, finally finding what she was looking for only to take the time to watch her husband aplish what might have been the hardest thing in his life, both mortal and immortal... With an excessive amount of awkwardness, the man patted one of the dog¡¯s heads lightly. This was followed by a tackle that had the three heads all fighting to get a chance to nuzzle the man, ¡°Oh,e on. You can all get a chance. For a second there I thought you were going to eat me... Ahaha,¡± Sethughed nervously while enjoying thepany of the creature. ¡°Well, you¡¯re not entirely wrong. If you¡¯d either been an intruder or a soul that had escaped the queue to the Furies, you would have been devoured by him indeed,¡± she said to him, wagging a piece of jerky in the air. The dog jumped off her husband and game to receive its treat. Celeste threw it into the air and it began to expand, making it to the size of a cow by the time the dog grabbed it, its three heads fighting for the meat all at the same time. ¡°Someone is having a good time with Cerby,¡± an ominous voice cut through the air, bringing the darkness of the Underworld back to them. They both froze at the voice of their new arrival. Well, they were the arrivals, but at this point, they hadn¡¯t expected to be found instead of finding him, ¡°Would that happen to be all you came to do?¡± Celeste took a moment to regain her voice, ¡°No, that¡¯s not all I came to ask. I have a favour to ask of you,¡± she said, making a small curtsy in respect to the divine being before her. ¡°A favour, you say... You must be brave to ask the lord of the Underworld for any of those... Oh, it has something to do with someone that met their death, doesn¡¯t it?¡± the man asked. ¡°Yes, it does...¡± ¡°Then there is nothing more that needs to be said. You know the rules very well...¡± ¡°Please, let me finish. I am not asking that you bring someone back to life. I know the rules,¡± she said. The god allowed his mind to interpret her words before answering her question. There had never seemed to be a way around his orders and yet here she was telling him that he wouldn¡¯t have to go against his rules in order to help out. She¡¯d captured his curiositypletely... Chapter 98 98 Chapter Ny Eight ¡®Maybe this was a bad idea,¡¯ the moon goddess thought under the scrutiny of the mighty Hades. ¡®You cannot back out of this now. Not when he¡¯s right in front of you. Gods this powerful don¡¯t take lightly to things that take their time for no good reason. We don¡¯t need another tragedy on our hands,¡¯ Seth spoke through the mind link that the two shared. ¡®You¡¯re not helping, Seth,¡¯ sheined, trying to regain herposure in front of the god. ¡°Well, you know the essence of the spirits of wolves,¡± she began. ¡°Oh, I remember that well. A sneaky way of you getting people to be reborn. That quite an interesting concept you came up with,¡± the god mused, his dark eyes gleaming with amusement. ¡°I don¡¯t quite follow,¡± Seth spoke up. The god turned his head to the side and watched the man as though he was only seeing him for the first time. ¡°You dared to bring a hero to my realm?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not dangerous. Besides, he¡¯s my divine significant other. His rank is just as high as mine in the eyes of the gods,¡± she defended the man. Seth was starting to feel like he had made a mistake to speak up when the goddess ran up to him and hugged him in front of the god, a sign of affection that calmed Hades. Mortals weren¡¯t trusted for their ever-shifting emotions and it was frowned upon when a goddess took on one of them for a spouse. ¡°Does his loyalty still remain?¡± the god asked, darkness creeping in from all sides of the already dark and gloomy pce. ..... ¡°Yes, he does. How else would he have followed me to the Underworld?¡± she swooned looking into the man¡¯s eyes. Seth calmed down holding the goddess lovingly in his arms and kissing her out of spite. The goddess didn¡¯t fight him in his course of action, caught off guard by the man¡¯s actions. Hades watched them patiently as they had their moment. His scepticism towards the mortal receded the more he watched them. Seeing through deception was one of his specialities and this man was smitten with the goddess as she was with him. They made a rare couple among the gods that even the goddess of love envied. ¡°Ahem, if you¡¯d only pause the love charade and tell me what you came here for so I might let you continue. Preferably in a ce that¡¯s not here. Maybe back in your moon pce,¡± Hades caught their attention. The god¡¯s words cut through the fog that came along with the moment that the lovers had themselves in. They quickly cut their love scene short, remembering the person that was in front of them. Celeste was surprised the god of the Underworld had not vapourised them or at least done something overboard with their reckless disy. ¡®The kiss was your fault,¡¯ she said through the mind link. ¡®I take full responsibility, my love. I couldn¡¯t help it,¡¯ he replied before they turned to the god. Cerberus continued to bite into his treat as though nothing was going on. The meat had been enchanted to keep growing back until the three-headed hound was full and tired of eating it. This was why it was his best treat. Once he was done, the meat would shredpletely and leave a clean white bone that he would then spend months munching on in his downtime, that was when he didn¡¯t have to guard the souls that stood in the judging lines awaiting their judgement. ¡°To answer the question that your spouse asked earlier, the concept that the moon goddess came up with concerning werewolves. You must know that at a certain age, typically eighteen, they tend to say that the werewolf matures,¡± the god started. ¡°I have heard the story before...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me,¡± Hades said calmly, the warning getting across with the slight but scary sway of the shadows, ¡°Now, as I was saying... and I¡¯ll be clearer this time. This time that they say that the wolf has matured. The kind of evolution that forces a werewolf that has not learnt to control the shift to shift uncontrobly and irreversibly unless their mate is present. Celeste asked me to help her out with that part a long time ago... it was about the time she was trying to make amends with Prometheus. The werewolves were violent creatures that didn¡¯t care about anything that lived. As long as it had life, once a wolf had shifted, they¡¯d kill it. It was a dark sight. So she came to me for help in giving wolves something that I would call emotions. The concept was simple enough. The wolf, at the age of maturing, would have a soul upy it. One that had been dipped through the River of memories and they would be reborn as the wolf part of a werewolf,¡± he exined. Seth was appalled by the information. After realising that Hades had finally finished the exnation, he turned to his wife, deciding it was better to ask her and not the short-tempered god before them, ¡°Are you telling me that every single wolf out there is a soul that has been reborn into the body of a werewolf?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, that is true. That is what I mean when I say the werewolves are my creation and have nothing to do with Prometheus,¡± she said. ¡°Okay then... What are we doing here then?¡± ¡°Oh, the man doesn¡¯t know either. This must be good. You¡¯re lucky you made an appointment beforeing here. That saved you a lot of difficulties. What is it that you want from me, goddess of the moon?¡± Hades asked her. ¡°I want you to perform an intentional rebirth for me,¡± she said. ¡°Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting?¡± Hades asked... ¡°Yes, I am. There is a dead werewolf that I want you to send through the process and send their soul to be reborn into someone that I have picked. They will mature when the full moon rises tomorrow. I want that to coincide with the rebirth of this particr soul and for the two to bebined,¡± she said. ¡°Well, I wonder why you would do such a thing considering there is nothing the soul will remember. This is a useless endeavour you are going through,¡± the god of darkness said. ¡°Well, that is what I have decided. I¡¯m confident this will help me bring the war closer to its end or at least, it will help save the life of the one supposed to bring this war to an end,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s two favours already, Celeste. Are you sure you want to be that indebted to me?¡± Hades asked. The goddess found herself smiling at the thought, confusing her spouse, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to be indebted to any other god among all the Olympians,¡± she said to him. ¡°It¡¯s been long since Ist heard someone praise me. If this is some way of getting onto my good side, it¡¯s working quite well. Consider your favour done. What is the lost soul¡¯s name?¡± he asked. ¡°Ashley,¡± the goddess replied. Seth was astonished by the disy going on in front of him. His wife had nowpletely lowered her guard and was speaking to the god of the Underworld like she would a normal person. There wasn¡¯t a hint of hostility left in the god¡¯s presence and the darkness seemed to recede to its former state. ¡®Is she really friends with the most dangerous god out there? If not, the most feared...¡¯ the question buzzed in his mind as he watched them discuss. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this Ashley have a second name?¡± he asked, slightly narked by the bluntness of the reply he¡¯d gotten. ¡°No, unfortunately, she does not. She¡¯d not yet received one by the time of her death,¡± the goddess replied. ¡°That sounds sad,¡± he said, taking out a notebook, (¡®Wait, why does a god have a notebook,¡¯ Seth mused.) ¡°Might I know the cause of death then?¡± ¡°Assassination by a poisoned de,¡± the goddess replied. ¡°Oh my... that¡¯s rough. Humans do have their ways around getting rid of each other,¡± he chuckled in amusement. Seth found that he had to grit his teeth and clench his teeth at how lightly the god was taking the death of Ashley. ¡°Well, is there anything else that I need to know about this Ashley?¡± Hades asked. The moon goddess thought for a bit before answering, ¡°I think there is only one... You¡¯ll find that despite her whole life, she was worthy of a trip to Elysium had she not met her untimely death at the hands of a spy,¡± she said. This got the god¡¯s hands still while he was writing down the information. The goddess held the soul in high regardspared to any he¡¯d ever heard her praise. Well, besides his husband and Sirius of the two werewolf brothers. ¡°Well, that is quite a description. You¡¯ll see the soul in your scrying pool once I¡¯ve allowed them to be reborn. Anymunications that you have for them at that time will be possible before the moon rises. Now if that is all you¡¯de for, I¡¯ll poof you away from here,¡± Hades said, adding a hint of yfulness to his voice. ¡°That is all, Lord Hades. You have my thanks. Call on me if you ever need me to repay the favours I owe you,¡± the goddess said. ¡°Sometimes your actions alone make the favours worthy of my time. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be asking for the payment soon, so rest easy,¡± with that said, a dark cloud covered the two lovers. ¡°Oh, and would you please reduce the number of treats you give that mutt? He gets distracted when he has a bone to chew on every time he gets bored.¡± Celeste couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the thoughts that expression on the god¡¯s face. Hades returned the gesture with a few of the rarest things the universe had to offer, his smile... Seth was at a loss for words on seeing the god smile. ¡®How is it possible?¡¯ ¡°He¡¯s probably the most misunderstood god in the universe...¡± she exined to ease the mental turmoil that her spouse was going through. Chapter 99 99 Chapter Ny Nine Katie¡¯s wolf, Ashley had been running for what seemed like hours. Well, they both knew it was much less... it was about thirty minutes since she¡¯d shifted. A nagging taste filled her mouth while she ran and she endeavoured to spit it out every time she felt the irritation on her tongue. Thinking back to what might have happened, she remembered biting the unconscious boy in an effort to keep him away from the rogues. His blood wasced with wolfsbane to keep his wolf at bay. ¡°I wonder why you used to take this stuff intentionally for all that time,¡± Ashley spoke in their mind. Her legs were beginning to tire, but the wolf showed no sign of slowing down. They had been blocked from turning and leading the rogues back to Brigadia and were now very sure of being led further away from Brigadia. The rogues were getting tired of following growing sluggish as well. Using the honed sharpened senses that Katie had developed as a hunter, Ashley was able to know when it was possible to attack and struck down any rogue that found themselves exhausted and yet still giving chase. ¡°It¡¯s not like I knew that I was a werewolf. The whole time I thought they were pills that I had been prescribed by a doctor. It was supposedly helping with my health... well, that was partly true considering the headaches I would get if it stopped taking them,¡± Katie exined. ¡°Well, I¡¯m d we shifted without those drugs in your system. It would have been the most excruciating experience,¡± Ashley sighed. ¡°Well, it was still excruciating to have to go through that shift without the drugs,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, yeah, the first shift is supposed to be like that, but the wolfsbane would have made it worse. And besides, you forgot about all the pain when you smelt Kyle. You even broke out of the underground bunker with sheer strength. No wonder we are exhausted,¡± the wolf retorted. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong, Ashley. I have rested enough. Let me take control,¡± Katie asked the wolf. ¡°What do you...¡± only then did the wolf notice what was going on. They¡¯d been running in the same direction the rogues came from for quite some time. In fact, it was the same direction that Kyle was being taken when they got him. In about fifty metres, there was arge clearing that neither of them wanted to reach. Looking back, scores of rogues chased after them. The hunters were finally in their field of detection, but still a couple of miles away from them. At the pace they¡¯d been running, there was no guarantee the hunters would keep it up either. The closer they got to the clearing, the more fear set into their system. ¡®Cole won¡¯t make it in time and I don¡¯t think anyone else can...¡¯ she thought to the wolf. ..... ¡°What do we do then? The rogues won¡¯t let us turn to take a detour. Well, if I was to fight them, I don¡¯t think I¡¯dst long. Our mission would fail... Katie, what do we do?¡± the wolf¡¯s legs screamed with exhaustion as motivation seeped out of them. Nothing was going the right way. The clearing was now just a measly ten metres away and fear set into Katie¡¯s limbs as she¡¯d never felt before. ¡°Damn it... He¡¯s here,¡± she screamed, getting motivated to move forward and run away at the same time. The moment they crossed the treeline, Katie switched with the exhausted wolf and shifted back into her human form, holding Kyle on her back like the sack of flour he was turning out to be( just seemed like it...) The rogues that chased halted in their advance at the edge of the clearing, spreading out and continuing beyond the clearing. It was a long way out, but now it was clear what their objective had been. To lead the rogue killer into a trap. She could have run back, but her legs wouldn¡¯t let her. She was still tired. She¡¯d used up all her energy. ¡®I¡¯m still weak...¡¯ ¡°No, Katie, that¡¯s not it. You¡¯re stronger than any human can hope for. Don¡¯t me this on yourself,¡± Ashley triedforting the girl. ¡°That¡¯s not it, Ashley. I¡¯ve been training for years for the moment when I¡¯d be given the opportunity to end this war. I had no idea about the goddess¡¯ ns to stop the war by uniting the two Royal families. That came afterwards. I don¡¯t want to see homes with anti werewolf precaustions to line their fences with wolfsbane before bed. Children aren¡¯t allowed to run free in the forests and hunters spend sleepless nights protecting their homes from attacks. I have protected Brigadia for four years with the intention of making it the one ce where it is okay to run out into the woods and have fun with friends. I want the bridge between humans and werewolves to disappear. Wolves are oppressed by the rules because of their nature and they can only behave and take it in. The Royals have tried their best to remain happy and avoid all the words of hate they receive when they are reminded of the atrocities that weremitted centuries ago. All hunters know this and we respect the Royals for their patience. However, while rogues still exist in this world, we will always be reminded of the nature of werewolves in the world. Hunters are stronger than werewolves... Where do we get off being the good guys when our strength can be used against humans just as well as werewolves...¡± tears were streaming down Katie¡¯s face while she exined to Ashley. The essence of her mission in this long fight against the rogues. Ashley didn¡¯t know most of it and was silenced by the conviction in the girl¡¯s voice. They¡¯d both been pushed to the brink and barely had the energy to stand... and yet they both knew that they were far from done with fighting. In fact, this was the one moment when they needed to fight the most. ¡°The world is being poisoned by a single soul. One person that doesn¡¯t want peace between the humans and the werewolves... and that is the poison that we are to remove from this world,¡± Katie said to the wolf once more. It was only now that Ashley was realising why Katie said all this. Her eyes were pinned to the darkness that shadowed the other side of the clearing. The moonlight was brighter in the clearing, allowing them to see clearly what would step out of the darkness. Katie¡¯s eyes were as sharp as they could be for a human and her other senses were even sharper for her to fight well in darkness, but she needed to see her opponent. From the cover of the trees, two figures emerged, cloaked in ck fur. They walked side by side, leaving a gap between them that was big enough for two Royals to fit. The wolves that came from the forest were very familiar. ¡®How did they get back here so fast?¡¯ Katie thought to herself. The same beta alphas that she¡¯d left fighting Cole stood before her. She could now understand that they weren¡¯t normal either. They were powerful enough to overpower even him. At her current state, she wouldn¡¯t be able to fight them... and yet, her body refused to back down. She gritted her teeth, her eyes locked onto the darkness beyond the beta alphas who had now stopped their advance. From the cover of the trees, something approached them ever so slowly. A ck wolf with starry specks of white littered all over its body emerged easily dwarfing the beta alphas. His eyes shone a brilliant blue, identical to the colour of Katie¡¯s eyes. This was the famous Rogue King, in the flesh... He¡¯d shown himself atst... and every nerve in Katie¡¯s body pushed her to do the one thing she¡¯d wanted to do since she got the resolve to end this war... To end him where he stood. Since the start of her training, Katie had never understood the meaning of the statue that resided in the centre of the Hunter¡¯s Agency with the depth of understanding that she did right now. The three wolves that stood before her were each capable of defeating her on their own and yet, she didn¡¯t have the nerve to back down. It just wasn¡¯t an option. He was right in front of her... and she was going to kill him no matter what happened. The entire war that raged on in the world was because of this one entity... Ashley shared in her rage and pushed forward, not asking Katie to pull out. The strength that was left in the wolf fuelled that strength the hunter had left. Her ears seemed to grow longer and her canines as well. She was going through a half-shift, the only way she could stand up to these beasts in the state she was in. Once the union of wolf and hunter was done, she let out a growl threatening any of the three to take a step forward. ¡®I must kill him here and now... This is what I have been training for...¡¯ she thought to herself. A whistling sound distinct to an arrow rang through the air reached her ears, but she paid it no head. That was... until she tried to push her right leg forward to attack the rogue king. A dull pain red through her thigh while she strained. Another whistling sound followed and this time the dull pain came from her left leg. She looked down and noticed the problem, steel arrows stuck out of both her thighs, ck veins pulsing around them. They¡¯d beenced with wolfsbane and from the looks of the arrows, they were made for hunters. She was still standing barely, the weight of the unconscious traitor weighing her down. She made a move to remove him from her back only to hear two more whistling sounds that sent her flying back into the bark of a tree and pinning her there. These ones had struck her shoulders and were the first ones to send agonizing pain through her system. Kyle¡¯s body was a few metres ahead of her, disyed to the Rogue King and ready for the taking. The adrenaline in her body was starting to leave her. She¡¯d delivered the traitor to the Rogue king himself. ¡®Did I just fail?¡¯ she asked herself, ¡®No, I have to finish it...¡¯ these were thest thoughts before she noticed a barrage of arrows through the slits of her closing eyes. ¡°Katie, stay with me...¡± she heard the distant voice of a woman. ¡®Who¡¯s that? I can¡¯t...¡¯ with that, she fell unconscious, having pushed herself to the very limit and finding that she wasn¡¯t as strong as she hoped she was to defeat the Rogue king... Chapter 100 100 Chapter One Hundred Jackeline, the fastest of the hunters with the agility Prometheus gift among those in Brigadia. At least, that is what she knew to be true. There were those who were faster such as the thunderp, but that didn¡¯t stop her from soaring through the trees at breakneck speed to get to the girl she¡¯d spent arge part of her life raising. ¡®Katie, I know you are strong, but this is not among the things you can handle,¡¯ she thought to herself, ¡® It¡¯s all not worth it if you end up dead yourself. You are one of the most important creatures in the world. You¡¯re no longer the famous rogue killer that handles everything on her own. You¡¯re Katie Sirius, one of the moon goddess¡¯ chosen and one of the greatest tools we have in ending this war. We cannot do this with you dead.¡¯ The hunter¡¯s thoughts spurred her to go faster. Using her slingshot arrows to propel her faster through the trees. Earning the title of the deadliest shooter was not an easy feat and she stood at the top in this field in Brigadia. Many hunters wondered why she and Frost stayed in this remote town, but part of it was because they wanted to protect the girl who was the biggest hope in ending the war. Not all hunters wanted to fight rogues for the rest of their lives and send the task on to hunters in the future. Not far behind her, a lean white wolf blessed with blue eyes dashed managing to keep up with her even at this speed. She weaved through the scores of rogues with ease paying no heed to them. One mission in mind, just as her own. The moon was high in the sky and illuminated the path they were to follow. Jackeline didn¡¯t know what to call the phenomenon. Tongues of me, the same colour as the moonlight, marked the path to the Rogue killer. She knew this phenomenon to be true for it had been spoken of before. It was how the moon goddess guided people to ces she wanted them to reach. A loud growl filled the air, getting the hunter¡¯s attention. She changed the trajectory of her next arrow and propelled herself far into the air of the night sky, high above the trees, just in time to see the girl get shot by arrows. The beta alphas were already here... ¡®Cole was right about those ones. They aren¡¯t normal,¡¯ she thought while she nocked an arrow into her bow. She released a barrage of arrows to stop one that tried to strike Katie while she was down, ¡®If I¡¯d gotten here a secondter, she would be dead...¡¯ the silently thanked the moon goddess. She was losing altitude, however, and soon wouldn¡¯t be able to fire her arrows again. Thankfully, the arrows she¡¯d fired were enough to alert the wolves of an archer that was watching. The beta alpha grabbed the boy thaty on the ground and dashed off with his lifeless body. That was irrelevant to the woman as she immediately dashed forward to Katie¡¯s side. ¡°Katie, stay with me. Don¡¯t fall asleep,¡± she tried, but it was no use. The girl fell unconscious. The wolf that had been following appeared before her almost immediately she had managed to get Katie down from the tree. Slowly and carefully, the woman pulled the arrows out of the girl¡¯s body. ¡°Who could have fired these arrows and with such precision?¡± she thought to herself. It was unimaginable for a hunter to be the one that did it and yet here they were. Arrows were issued to only hunters that were good with a bow. ¡°We need to get her to the infirmary at the Hunter¡¯s Agency. Those are the only facilities that can help treat this kind of thing. But we are over ten miles from there. How are we supposed to get her there still alive?¡± the woman thought, despair was starting to set in. The wolf before her shifted back into her human form... a sixteen-year-old girl. ¡°I¡¯ll carry her back. I¡¯m the fastest wolf that I know of. That¡¯s our best chance right now,¡± the girl said, ripping her light shirt into shreds and tying the above the wounds. She was incredibly calm about the situation they were in and immediately turned the shirt into strips to make tourniquets for the unconscious girl. ..... ¡°You must be Lina. Where did you learn to do that?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m not so good in a fight, but I make up for it in support and this is part of what one must know on the battlefield,¡± she exined while she skilfully tied above the wounds to slow the progress of the wolfsbane through the girl¡¯s body. ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear. Do you think you can get her to the infirmary in time?¡± Jackeline asked. To be honest, she hadn¡¯t volunteered only because she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to make that distance either before copsing. Rogues were still running away. It seemed they were retreating and the beta alphas had long fleed from the scene with Kyle in hand or on back... All in all, the rogues had aplished their mission without fail... The girl took time to answer her, ¡°I have to... Who else can get my sister to the facilities she needs...¡± just as she said it, thunder rumbled loud and clear. In the next few seconds, a bulky man stood before them, dressed entirely in ck. A scar ran across his forehead but did nothing to hide the warmth of his now ageing face. It was clear that he was beyond his forties, but the power he exuded was insurmountable. ¡°Let me take the girl to the infirmary,¡± he said to them, his eyes making quick work of the situation. From the experience he¡¯d had in the field, it was easy for him to make out what was going on. He knelt down and grabbed the girl in both his arms... ¡°So this is the one that¡¯s bound to lead us out of this war?¡± he asked. ¡®He got that just by touching her?¡¯ Lina asked herself. The man quickly took off his coat and threw it at the sixteen-year-old. ¡°You might want to cover up before the rogues decide you¡¯ll make a good breeder,¡± he joked. ¡°That is not funny at all,¡± the girl groaned, putting on the coat quickly, ¡°Get my sister there safely.¡± ¡°I will do my best to get her there safely,¡± he said, walking away from them, ¡°Would someone point me in the absolute direction of the Hunter¡¯s Agency then. I assume there is an equipped infirmary there.¡± ¡°Yes, there is,¡± Jackeline said, pointing the man in the right direction. Making sure he had the girl nicely tucked against his chest, the Mighty warrior was gone, a loud boom sounding with his departure. Three more booms sounded shortly after he had left, the sound intertwining to sound like a thunderstorm. ¡°That¡¯s insane...¡± Lina eximed, looking at the spot the man was standing in only moments before. ¡°Yes, it is... What¡¯s left now is to take out the trash?¡± Jackeline said. ¡°What about Kyle? That is the name of the boy that Katie was trying to capture, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked. ¡°Those beta alphas won¡¯t be easy to catch. There is no way we would catch up to them. We are only left with killing the rogues that are trying to escape,¡± she said. The rest of the hunters are on their way as well to finish this,¡± Jackeline said to the girl. In truth, she was looking for ways to blow off steam. ¡°Can¡¯t we cast Prometheus evaluations on them?¡± the girl asked. ¡°That is a luxury that¡¯s granted to rogues that willingly surrender to us. These ones are trying all sorts of things other than that. This is a battlefield, young girl. It¡¯s the reality of the world we live in. Rogues are not meant to live,¡± she said, releasing arrows into the trees. Using her werewolf vision, the girl was surprised to see that the arrows were all hitting targets and downing them. ¡°Why aren¡¯t theying into this clearing?¡± she asked. ¡°My guess is that they knew about the clearing and they also know that getting into it would make them more of targets than the cover of trees that they are depending on. I don¡¯t have so many arrows left. I might have to get into the woods myself and do this the old way,¡± she said, finally running out of arrows, ¡°You don¡¯t have to fight...¡± ¡°Okay then. I don¡¯t want to, but if you need my help, don¡¯t hesitate to call me,¡± the girl said, stunning the woman. Looking at the werewolf, she saw a look she wouldn¡¯t have recognised on the wolf unless they were in this situation. Lina Sirius was afraid to draw blood... ¡®Royals continue to amuse me,¡¯ Jackeline thought before rushing off into the battle that ensued. The rogues were starting to seem hopeless, having lost their purpose to fight. There was no reason for them to continue. Jackeline, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t feeling entirely merciful at the moment and went on a rageful rampage, cutting down any mutt that she found on the way. Chapter 101 101 Chapter One Hundred One Lina was the first to start the transmission of information between those that hade to rescue her sister. The detail of their entire battle was projected by King Sirius into the minds of everyone that was involved, including the hunters. Cole and Jason soon learnt that this was an ability that was granted to only the highest-ranking werewolves. It allowed them tomunicate with humans as well. Jason still had no idea what that had to do with the power tomunicate with humans, for he was an ordinary alpha. He didn¡¯t pose the question as there was a lot that was beingmunicated through the mind link. The hunters that got emotional about the result of the entire fight went on a rampage and killed the rogues that had been captured. Surrender didn¡¯t necessarily mean the rogue would be spared. As much as they were rogues, they also deserved a second chance. Jackeline was the first to lose it. Frost found her armed with everything that her vest had to offer. Frost had to step in to slow down the woman on her rampage. Anthony approached the restrained female after all was done. No one had ever seen her losing her cool before, ¡°You know that¡¯s not how we do things, Jackeline.¡± ¡°Nothing you can say will calm my rage, Anthony,¡± she spat at him, ¡°Not when Katie was downed by a hunter...¡± ¡°We all share in your rage, but that doesn¡¯t allow you to kill rogues that have surrendered. What tells you there wasn¡¯t one amongst them that was in Ash¡¯s position,¡± he argued. ¡°Are you already forgetting everything that the rogues stand for? Destruction of the entire human race, werewolves and humans alike. If I hadn¡¯t gotten there in time, Katie would be dead. Only Prometheus knows if she¡¯ll even make it. What do you want me to do, Anthony? The murderers are right in front of me,¡± at this point, Frost held the woman around her neck, restricting the flow of air into her lungs until she went unconscious. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you had to see that...¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not your fault. I¡¯m afraid there aren¡¯t enough words that can describe how angry I am at this result. I would have the rogues killed without batting an eysh,¡± he said, ¡°But s, rogues that have surrendered when there is at least one Royal present are subject to Prometheus¡¯ judgement.¡± They looked on to the line of rogues that sat in a line, awaiting the seal of the Sirius family. Drake Sirius moved from one to another, dressed in basketball shorts, cing his palm on their foreheads to ce the seal on them. ¡°Where is your father?¡± Frost asked. ..... ¡°He ran off to the Hunter¡¯s Agency to make sure little sister makes it. I wish I could go with them, but Cole is her mate and Lina already ran off with her father. I¡¯m stuck tending to these ones... I honestly don¡¯t even know if I want them to survive the Prometheus ordeal,¡± he said, cing his hand on yet another one of the rogues. The next one shifted in its position in an attempt to make a break for it. The whistling sound of a steel arrow, followed by whimpers of the wolf confirmed the kill when it was barely two metres from the others that waited in line. ¡°Those of you who don¡¯t want to go through the Prometheus evaluation is bound to die either way. Get out of the line and you die. Stay in line and you die. There is no way you will survive this no matter what you try. I would advise you to give in and go for the evaluation. After all, every one of you who opted for it had the hopes that it would be your only way out...¡± Anthony spoke up, erasing the hopes of the rest that waited in line with their heads on the ground in submission. Caden walked through the rogues surveying them with a look of nostalgia on his face, ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Drake asked him. ¡°Yes, I am fine. I¡¯ve always been,¡± he said, ¡°You should give up on these rogues. They are all going to fail the test.¡± ¡°What makes you so sure of that?¡± Drake asked him. ¡°Well, look at all of them. They are shaking. I can smell the fear on them. Evaluation tests aren¡¯t passed by rogues who are hoping for their lives to be spared. They are passed by rogues who¡¯d rather die than remain rogues,¡± he said. One of the rogues on the ground stopped shaking and got up calmly, eyeing him curiously. The hunters that were around tensed, the hands flying to their weapons. Caden eyed the dirty grey wolf, looking for a glint of the emotion he had seen in Ashley¡¯s eyes. ¡°Oi, Caden, are you trying to save these mutts from their deaths or what? We don¡¯t want tainted rogues to survive the Prometheus tests,¡± Anthony yelled at the boy. ¡°I am not tainting them. Most of the rogues that pass the Prometheus tests are never seeking to pass them. That¡¯s because they realise the life that they are in is wrong and there is no way they can escape it. A hunter would rather just kill a rogue on sight, so there is not much that they can do about it. Thest rogue that passed a Prometheus test that I met was a decent person with a heart unlike any other that I¡¯ve met. She strove to be better and didn¡¯t want to be a burden to anyone... I¡¯m not saying that rogues can be trusted, but I am saying that there are countless rogues out there that were unfortunate to be born into that life. You don¡¯t get to choose your parents. That¡¯s the cruelty of this world in which rogues are to die the moment they are spotted. So without knowing that, we continue to kill them relentlessly,¡± he said. ¡°Stop that, Caden. Stop seeking a recement for Ash. There was nothing you could do to save her. You can¡¯t continue to punish yourself for that. The rogues before you are getting their chance to pass the Prometheus test. If Prometheus deems them unworthy of being purified, that¡¯s final. Telling them what they must do to pass the test doesn¡¯t change a thing. The gods can peer into the soul of anyone that they want to. They¡¯ll still fail the test either way...¡± Anthony said to him. The wolf before Caden seemed determined to hear more of what Caden had to say, but after what had been said, it seemed as though the alpha wasn¡¯t going to add more to the situation. The rogue reverted to its human form, coiling to cover his naked body, ¡°So, she didn¡¯t make it?¡± he asked. ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± Caden asked. ¡°The very same person that seems to have clouded your mind, Ashley,¡± he said, raising his amber eyes to meet the alpha¡¯s searing red. ¡°Who was she to you?¡± he asked. ¡°Someone delusional... There is no ce in this world for rogues. I tried to tell her that. I helped her keep her secret, but she wasn¡¯t taking any of my advice,¡± he said. ¡°So you were there with her when she went through hell. Why do you not believe in a way out of the life of a rogue? She was born into that life. A life she never deserved,¡± he argued. ¡°So she managed to get her sneaky paws around you. Who would have known she would end up with an alpha of all people? Not to mention an alpha that has influence with the royal family. She has got to have thergest stroke of luck in the universe,¡± he beganughing humourlessly. Drake skipped the rogues that were left to reach him and ced his palm on him, silencing him for the moment. The mannded on the ground in an awkward position. The man continued talking even after he was suspended in a trancelike state. The evaluation was usually done in wolf form, but this was the first that it was being done to a human and he could still talk in that mode. ¡°Did he bother you?¡± Drake asked Caden, but the man remained silent, his eye trained on the man that had just been suspended in a trance. It was the first time either of them was seeing a rogue taking the evaluation in human form. ¡°This test is a joke... Asking me if I¡¯m worthy of redemption. I have been alive long enough to know there is no such thing as redemption for someone like me. No matter how many words a filthy god like you feeds me, you¡¯re just the same as all of them. There is nothing that you can...¡± the man¡¯s words were cut in half as he immediately started to convulse violently until he wentpletely still. His face was still and his eyes stared off into space, ¡°All humans must die...¡± were hisst words before he allowed the constraints of death to get him. Chapter 102 102 Chapter One Hundred Two News of the events of the night spread through the ranks of the hunters, stunning those that had been sceptical about the prediction that had been made earlier that day. The news never got to the Founder¡¯s festival, however, and everyone there was allowed to enjoy a good time as though nothing had happened. The sound of thunderps might have proven to be ominous and misced, but in a ce where fun was the aim, anyone would think it was another parlour trick. The Chase hunters had warned of a great danger that had even required the presence of one of the Mighty Hunters, but the man had arrived at the end of the attack, thankfully just in time to get Katie to the infirmary. ¡°Come on, Marie, we have to keep going. We¡¯ll get there soon enough if we don¡¯t keep stopping for breaks,¡± Tom called out to his wife, urging her to pick herself up and keep moving. The two had tried to give Chase when Katie had vanished from the cabin but found that they couldn¡¯t ess their Prometheus gifts at all. As a result, everything happened without them getting a chance to help. Thinking wisely about the situation, they knew they would only be dead weight if they went to the battle anyway. As a result, they¡¯d then taken the next course of action and that was to go to the Hunter¡¯s Agency. ¡°Why, Tom? Why didn¡¯t our powers return to us?¡± the woman asked between breaths. They¡¯d tried to chase after the girl, but hadn¡¯t been able to do anything without their Prometheus gifts, ¡°Katie was in danger and that¡¯s when our powers were set to activate. Why didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°We told the Royals that they would get their daughter back once she was whole. My guess is that our contract with the goddess ended the moment our little girl shifted into her wolf form,¡± he exined, trying to make sense of everything. They¡¯d been present for all the conference calls that the director had made, but hadn¡¯t been able to do a single thing to help the girl they raised. ¡°What happened to our daughter, Tom?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to call, but no one will answer me,¡± the man answered. They both knew where to go. The power of Chase intuition. They both knew where to go... they knew where to find their daughter and that¡¯s where they were headed, ¡°You might want to hold out on calling her our daughter. We both knew the day woulde when she would have to be returned to her biological parents, painful as it may be...¡± ................... Cole was the first to make it to the Hunter¡¯s Agency once the information was out. He hadn¡¯t wasted time when he was told of her situation. ¡°Hey, you need a hunter to...¡± ..... ¡°Out of my way, Marcel. Which way to the infirmary? You must know the reason why I am asking that question. Do not make me repeat myself,¡± Cole yelled at the hunter that guarded the gate, pouring every ounce of hismanding tone into his voice. At the back of his mind, he even wondered why the man had stayed behind when a battle had raged on in the forest. Seeing the mixture of rage and despair in the royal¡¯s face, the man gave up, ¡°Follow me...¡± Debating his options, Cole tried to reason whether to follow his nose or to follow the man. There was the possibility that he would spend more time hunting the infirmary if he followed her scent, but if he followed the man, he was bound to find exactly where it was that they had taken her. Falling behind the man, he allowed him to lead the way to the infirmary. Walking through the halls of the snow-white building only helped to increase the anxiety that gued the alpha¡¯s mind. ¡®Please be okay,¡¯ he sent his thoughts through the mind link. There was no reply, but he didn¡¯t feel her losing her grip on life either. A feeling he knew too well from the death of Ash. ¡°The infirmary is right around the corner,¡± Marcel said once they were on the third floor, noticing the alpha¡¯s anticipation. ¡°Thank you,¡± Cole said, barely sparing him a nce and dashing down the hall in pursuit of his mate¡¯s scent. He held back his urge to cringe as wolfsbane tainted the air. His heart went into overdrive as he realised he had reached the door to the room that she was in. Cole burst through the door, his wolf snapping forward and taking control of his actions. A thunderp found him pinned to the wall by a bulky man whose aura only made the wolf retreat to the back of his mind, ¡°Who might you be? Oh, you¡¯re a Royal...¡± ¡°Yes, I am. Unhand me this instant,¡± the Royal yelled at the man, clearly skipping the fact that he waspletely outmatched. ¡°First calm yourself. I could hear your ragged breathing before you even stepped into the building. I don¡¯t know anything that¡¯s going on. I was called here by the Chase family and arrived when this girl had been shot by four arrows and barely hanging on to her life. I have sworn to protect this girl from harm and do not know what form it might take. Identify yourself before I take it upon myself to silence you,¡± he spoke, his voice clear as a bell to avoid mincing words. ¡°My name is Cole Lycaon and that is my mate,¡± Cole spoke, ¡°Is that good enough for you?¡± ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t know much. I do recognise you now, but I am wondering what you are doing so far from the Lycaon capital,¡± hemented, letting the wolf down. The man ran a hand through his hair in frustration, ¡°I should havee sooner.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re the Mighty Thunderp?¡± ¡°In the flesh... This is the first time that I am making it toote to a fight. I can tell this girl was of so much importance. Which is why she was targeted, but...¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her yet,¡± Cole rushed from the hunter. The Thunderp kept his eyes off the curtain that obscured the girl from view. Cole was in such a hurry that he saw no use in trying to stop him from going to her. It would have only made everything harder. Cole ripped the piece of fabric out of his way, falling into a deep silence upon seeing Katie. Needles stuck out from her hand, delivering blood into her body and taking out blood from the other. This was what was done when there was the need to reduce wolfsbane from a werewolf¡¯s system. A werewolf could heal from certain doses of wolfsbane, but when it was in excess, a procedure like this was necessary. Her breath came out in short spurts even after being aided by the system she was hooked up to. The once energetic Rogue Killer looked reduced and on the brink of death in the bed before him. The memories of their parting moment were still fresh in his mind. She hadn¡¯t left him with any doubts and yet here shey, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t stop convulsing. The doctors figured it was supposed to be because of the wolfsbane, so they did this to try and reduce the wolfsbane from her system and have her heal on her own once that¡¯s done,¡± the man exined. ¡°How long until she gets back to her former shape,¡± Cole asked clenching his fists in frustration. There was nothing that he could have done to stop this... He knew that much and it hurt him to his very core... ¡°They said it depends on how well she can heal. After the wounds close up, she¡¯ll be able to walk like normal, but she won¡¯t be able to strain herself for a while,¡± he said to him. ¡°How long...¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have that information. I would advise you don¡¯t push her to do anything tasking for a couple of months,¡± the man said to him. .................. The sound of sirens filled the air as the two parents reached the Hunter¡¯s Agency, the first thoughting to their mind being their daughter. ¡°Hey, what happened here?¡± Marie asked a nearby hunter. ¡°When the rogues that had surrendered were being readied for Prometheus evaluations, something happened that caused them to pull out of submission. It wasn¡¯t pretty. They acted like rabid dogs. The hunters killed them, but a number of them were severely injured. Those that had lowered their guards found themselves with fatal injuries. The ambnces at the agency weren¡¯t enough and we don¡¯t even know if they¡¯ll make it,¡± the man said, rushing off to help the injured. The two ran pushed through the people to make it to the inside of the infirmary in search of one person... Katie. They found Cole waiting outside the door to the infirmary holding his head in his hands. ¡°Where is she?¡± a booming voice echoed through the halls. The voice was distinct to the head of the Sirius family. ¡°You don¡¯t have to yell, sir,¡± one of the nurses tried to caution the man. The infirmary was busy with everyone milling about to tend to the injured. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do... My daughter is in here somewhere and I need to see her immediately,¡± the man screamed while following the scent he¡¯d managed to track. One thing he knew to guide him was the scent of blood and wolfsbane. Marie waved the man over calming his rampage immediately. He was immediately followed by Martha and Lina who was dressed in a hunter¡¯s leather jacket. To be more specific, she was dressed in the leather jackets that were granted to the Mighty Hunters. ¡®What in the... I won¡¯t ask...¡¯ the woman shook the thoughts and led the Royals into the room Cole sat outside of. The family went silent when they got inside the room. The doctors and nurses stood aside and let them be, partly because of the fear of who they were and the sympathy for the state they were in. King Davin stepped forward with every intention of making it to his daughter, his fist clenched in anger. ¡°This is not how we were supposed to be reunited,¡± the man spoke through gritted teeth. Martha wanted to calm her husband¡¯s rage, but she struggled to keep herposure as well. Watching her child lying in the bed with bandages binding her shoulders and thighs. Fragments of the arrows that had been lodged into her fleshy bloodied in a crucible, the blood was stained purple with wolfsbane. Just then, the girl began convulsing, the machine increasing the number of beeps. Doctors came into the room in a hurry, ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you all to step out please. She¡¯s going into shock... Come on, Katie. I know you are stronger than this...¡± from the tone the doctor used, they could tell he knew her. The three could only watch and listen to what was going on in the emergency room, tension filling them while they prayed for the girl to get better. However, things weren¡¯t looking so good and Davin knew it... Using his sensitive ears to check the hearts of the doctors, he could tell that they were terrified and running out of options. Katie was teetering into the afterlife without ever getting a chance to know her family... Chapter 103 103 Chapter One Hundred Three The doctors came out of the room an hourter, avoiding eye contact with everyone that tried to seek it. They didn¡¯t look like they were harbouring any good news, but they had to deliver it nheless. After a moment of painstaking silence, a voice spoke from the group of people that waited on the information, ¡°How long will you keep us in the dark? Tell us already.¡± Most didn¡¯t dare look at the Werewolf King as he spoke to the man. He wasn¡¯t one for patience when it came to his daughter and he was most certainly not going to show any today. Cole sat with his two friends along with Sandra in the same seat he¡¯d upied for nearly two hours. Exhaustion along with the heavy sense of failure racked his body, doing nothing for his mental fortitude. He¡¯d been silent the entire time and never answered a question that he was asked. This told the rest to give him the space he needed and avoid trying to make any small talk with him. Drake had arrived with Caden after helping out with what had seemed to be ast-minute retaliation from the rogues. Drake reported everything to the Werewolf King who answered him with silence. Up until then, he hadn¡¯t cared for anything else that had happened that day and thought it was only his daughter that was injured in the fight. ¡°We managed to keep her stable, but she won¡¯t start healing. Even for a human, she¡¯s going really slow in the healing process. Her heart beats weaker and her body is not responding to any of the medication. We were able to remove a massive amount of the wolfsbane from her system that it shouldn¡¯t be affecting her improvement, but nothing¡¯s working. I¡¯ve not seen this in all my years and I¡¯m ashamed to say I don¡¯t know what else to do for her,¡± the man said. ¡°Have you tried Cadioversion?¡± King Davin asked. ¡°I have... Trying it again, however, might just stop her heart and that¡¯s not what I want to do...¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯ll allow her immediate family to go in along with her mate, but the rest must remain outside as there is not much room and she needs all the space she can get.¡± Davin, Drake, Lina, Martha, Cole and the two Chase hunters that raised the girl all looked at each other confirming that¡¯s what was meant by immediate family. Arge crowd for the room they were going into although none of them would rather be anywhere else. Katiey on the hospital bed, the constant beeping of the machine reminding everyone of the fact that she was still alive. The wounds on her shoulders had been patched up and the blood drips removed. Her breath was slow and deep like she was in a deep slumber and her fists were clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white, a gesture that none of them missed. ¡°What¡¯s your final verdict, doctor?¡± Davin asked. ..... ¡°I believe... It¡¯s all in her mind,¡± the doctor said to him, ¡°Whatever put her in that state was traumatising enough to stop her from allowing the healing process to take effect. If she doesn¡¯t pull out of it, she won¡¯t see the light of day.¡± The room fell silent for a moment after hearing the doctor¡¯s information, ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡± Lina¡¯s voice was the first to cut through the silence. Martha pulled her daughter into a motherly hug to soothe the tears that came soon after. They¡¯d only just met her and here she was... on the brink of death. ¡°Tell me something, Hunters. Is this what you meant when you said the secret had to be kept until she turned eighteen... when she was whole and perfectly capable of protecting herself,¡± Davin asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s not what we meant...¡± Tom replied, trying to keep his voice emotionless. Well, if there was ever a time that the hunter needed his training in suppressing emotions, this was that moment. ¡°Then try your best to exin how this happened. You predicted she would get into trouble. What then did you do about it?¡± the Royal argued. This time, Martha put her hand on his shoulder to stop his much-dyed advance to the Chase hunters. ¡°They called me to their aid. I¡¯m sure they would have handled this perfectly on their own if they could,¡± someone interrupted. The Thunderp said getting into the room. Lina started taking off the course only to be stopped by the man raising his hand. ¡°Oh,e on. This is my family. I was going to ask for one of thoseb coats they keep around with no one to wear,¡± Lina grumbled, wrapping the coat around her as though she sought more warmth from it. ¡®Isn¡¯t that thing full of wolfsbaneced weapons?¡¯ Tom¡¯s thoughts sailed off-topic for a moment before he remembered the reason for the interruption. ¡°When Katie ran off after catching Kyle¡¯s scent, we tried to give chase, but...¡± the words got caught in his throat. For as long as the two of them had been tasked with raising the girl, they had always been able to ess their powers as long as it was to protect the girl, but for the first time, nothing happened. Would it have changed anything? ¡°What happened?¡± the King asked, getting angered by the wait. ¡°Our powers wouldn¡¯t activate no matter what we tried. Katie was gone so fast that we didn¡¯t even see what direction she went,¡± Marie spoke. ¡°What do you mean your powers wouldn¡¯t activate?¡± Davin asked, surprised taking the rest of his anger away. ¡°Taking in Katie came with a couple of conditions,¡± Tom began, ¡°Agelessness and sterility were just a few of them. Everything changed just to raise the child.¡± The room fell silent as the information came out, ¡°I was wondering why you looked the same since thest time I saw you, but I didn¡¯t think you hadn¡¯t aged one bit. What makes you think... I¡¯m so confused,¡± the queen spoke. ¡°The moon goddess gave us a number of conditions in order to raise the child,¡± Tom exined, telling them the entire story of the conditions that were given to them by the moon goddess. Having received permission from Prometheus, she was able to alter the purpose for their gifts and direct them to the protection of the child. This meant they couldn¡¯t perform their duties as hunters, but they could teach the child to be the best hunter she could be. After all, they were Chase hunters. This all passed Cole¡¯s ears without spurring a single reaction from him. Even when the conversation picked up and attracted the attention of everyone else, his eyes remained trained on the girl in the bed. He could hear her heartbeat get weaker and each time it scared him more. She left him in the forest to retrieve Kyle when she was fine... She was so fast he hadn¡¯t even seen her leave. When had she gotten herself closer to the brink of death? Without noticing, he took a step towards her. Partly because he wanted to hear her heartbeat clearer. He wanted some miracle to happen and revive her. The doctors didn¡¯t know what to do for her and they were only hoping she would pull through at thest minute. Although this all sounded like they didn¡¯t have a way to make her better. He¡¯d never felt so helpless... All he could do was get closer to her and reach out to her. Her handy by her side, clenched into a fist. The only point on her entire body that still showed energy. The closer he came though, the more the hand rxed. He probably imagined it... the girl calling out to him. It was one of the things he felt he wanted to do anyway. Her hand felt small in his palm, ¡®How is this the same person that made all rogues flee Brigadia?¡¯ she looked small and fragile in the hospital bed. As he held her hand, their connection strengthened and threw the royal into the mind of the unconscious girl. Cole went blind... Before Cole could panic, the scent of his mate wrapped around him calming him immediately. He took in her scent even though he couldn¡¯t tell where it wasing from. On to the next... Cole was frozen by the image of a white wolf standing before him in all this darkness that surrounded them. Looking down, he couldn¡¯t even tell what he was standing on, ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°You¡¯re in our mind, I guess. I¡¯m d you were able to get here. I can¡¯t seem to reach her,¡± the wolf spoke to Cole. The Royal was entranced taking in the details of the wolf that was mated to him before he realised it was his wolf that was keeping him pinned to the majestic beast. ¡°Oh, yeah, Katie, where is she?¡± the man asked. ¡°Over there...¡± almost like magic, Katie wasn¡¯t far from them, floating through the vast void of nothingness with a dazed expression. She was still dressed in the same casual clothes from the festival, although they remained tattered and the four wounds from the arrows remained fresh bleeding profusely with no sign of stopping. She looked terrible and yet the words that came from her were not rted to the pain. Cole walked to her slowly, listening silently to the thoughts that gued her mind. The thoughts that refused to let her heal the entire time she was here. He couldn¡¯t tell if he could help her out of it, but this was a better chance than what the doctors were offering and it lit a fire within him. He wasn¡¯t helpless after all... Chapter 104 104 Chapter One Hundred Four Floating right before him, the girl that stirred up foreign emotions in the heart of the Royal, bloodied andpletely unaware of her surroundings. She mumbled incoherently... words like ¡®I almost had him... He was right there... I lost... I could have ended all this... He shouldn¡¯t have been there... Why did it have to end like that? I¡¯ll kill him...¡¯ She repeated some and growled out others, rageing off her in waves. Her wolf didn¡¯t dare toe closer for the girl¡¯s mental statepletely shed with that of the wolf. ¡°It¡¯s hard being in the same mind when she keeps going on and on about how she should have done that or could have done this or shouldn¡¯t have been this blind...¡± the wolf exined from her position away from the floating hunter. ¡°Hey, Katie,¡± Cole called out. The mumbling instantly seized, pleasing him. She didn¡¯t open her eyes, something that he needed to get her to do. He held her hand and she held onto him just like she had back in the hospital. Her emotions shifted from rage to regret and shame, ¡°Katie,e back to us...¡± There was silence for a while, her body going still, ¡°What...¡± her voice boomed,ing from all directions. ¡°Come back to us...¡± ¡°But... But I haven¡¯t finished my mission yet,¡± she spoke back, starting to sound confused. ¡°What might that mission be?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°Killing the Rogue King,¡± under normal circumstances, the Royal would have asked himself why she had that as one of his thoughts. But with the condition she was currently in, nothing else mattered to him. ¡°You can kill him another day. I¡¯ll help you do that, but we need you home... Who am I kidding? I need you home. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d live without you,¡± he said. ..... ¡°Why do you sound like you¡¯re crying, Cole? I like listening to yourugh,¡± she said to him.. ¡°Well, it¡¯s because you are dying,¡± he revealed, ¡°You got shot with four arrows...¡± ¡°Oh, that happened... I remember...¡± he stopped him, switching back to her emotions of rage. ¡°Well, for once Katie, abandon your mission ande back to me,¡± he called out to her, knowing full well he was asking her to do the hardest thing in the book. ¡°Cole... I...¡± ¡°Katie,¡± he stopped her once more, ¡°Listen to me. You can¡¯t always charge in straight into danger. That¡¯s not how you¡¯ll seed in ending this war. Most of the people that rushed to your rescue are confident that you will be the one to end him, but you can¡¯t do that if you¡¯re dead. Do you have any idea what it felt like to be unable to do anything about it?¡± Slowly, the girl¡¯s eyes began to open. He could feel her returning to him and soon enough he was also expelled from her mind. Light came crashing back to his eyes once he was out. His attention waspletely taken by the girl, the audience that watched seemingly invisible. Katie¡¯s fading heartbeat rose and the girl took in a deep breath before finally settling into a normal sleep. ¡°What in the world?¡± the doctor couldn¡¯t stop himself from talking when he saw what should have been invisible. This was the same reaction that the rest of the upants in the room had even though they did not speak. ¡®Thank you,¡¯ the voice of the wolf came to him through the mind link. He stood to leave only to be held by the hand tightening its grip around his. Katie twisted ufortably in her sleep prompting the Royal to sit back down and tuck the stray hairs on her head behind her ear. The girl rxed at his touch, leaning into his palm and finally settling again. ¡°You might want to stay by her side until she wakes up,¡± Martha spoke to him, chuckling at the two mates, ¡°Thank you, Cole Lycaon. You saved my daughter.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I would have gone on without her around. I had to do something,¡± Cole replied sheepishly. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you care so much in your life, Cole,¡± Drake chuckled, seeking the much desired effect of turning his fellow Royal¡¯s face red. ¡°Oh,e on, Drake. Can you be any more childish? That was the sweetest act of passion I¡¯ve been graced to see in my lifetime,¡± Martha defended Cole. ¡°Yeah, I must say. Quality maturity right there. You might just make the right man for my little daughter just yet,¡± Davin spoke,ughing boisterously while he said so. ¡°The apple doesn¡¯t fall so far from the tree,¡± Jason groaned. Cole was surprised to see that he was in the room as well... ¡°We were let in when we said we were part of the family from the side of the groom,¡± he added with a goofy smile noticing Cole¡¯s confusion. The jokestar added a thumbs up even after he¡¯d just followed Drake¡¯s lead in embarrassing Cole. ¡°You¡¯re all evil,¡± Cole narrowed his eyes at the three adding to their chorus ofughter. The females in the room (Sandra, Martha, Lina and Marie) shook their heads in disappointment. ¡°Boys will be boys,¡± Marie sighed, ¡°How is she? Did you get to talk to her?¡± ¡°Yes, I did. She was still stuck in a trance from the fight in the forest. I couldn¡¯t make out her words on them though. I guess we¡¯ll have to ask her when she wakes up,¡± Cole replied. ¡°Yeah, I guess so... I don¡¯t like that wait, but I guess we¡¯ll have to wait nheless,¡± she sighed. Everyone silently agreed with her. The doctor suddenly started moving, checking all sorts of vitals and monitors. He checked her pulse then went on to check her temperature all in rush. ¡°What¡¯s the problem, doctor?¡± Cole asked. ¡°Those heartbeats... they are spiking a little higher than normal. At first, I was sure it was because she¡¯d only just stabilised, but now I¡¯m sure there is another reason for that,¡± he said to them. Cole tried to get up and let them work only to get held back by Katie. The girl shifted ufortably again. ¡°No, Cole, stay where you are. Whatever you did helped her. You seem to be acting as an anchor of hope for her, something that she needs if she¡¯s to make a full recovery,¡± he said. Two nurses came to aid the doctor, switching the now empty drip with another one and preparing everything he might have needed. ¡°Her temperature is rising. Could she be going into shock?¡± he tried, but the monitor didn¡¯t suggest anything erratic. While he was just about to take his hand off her forehead, he noticed something beneath the bandages that covered her shoulders and thighs. ¡°Nurse, help me take off the bandages,¡± he asked his helpers referring to them in general. They got to work removing the bandages, tension building in the room while they did. Upon removing the bandages, the girl breathed in deeply as though she was only being released from suffocating restraints. Cole, along with the others watched as the wounds closed up and the ck veins of wolfsbane disappear almost instantly. Soon enough all that was left was the star-shaped scars from the wounds. The colour returned to her face and her body began to return to its former radiance. Silence took over the whole room as they all tried to interpret what they had all just witnessed, ¡°Is it supposed to be that fast?¡± Marie asked the wolves in the room. ¡°No, it¡¯s not...¡± the doctor replied, reaching for the canr in her arm and drawing a sample of blood. He held the syringe to a sample of blood that he¡¯d collected earlier. The difference between the two was a slight tinge of purple, ¡°How is this even possible? It takes time for this much wolfsbane to be expelled from the body. After running a couple of tests on the sample of blood, the doctor began taking the needles that were in the girl, smirking as he watched the pricks close up immediately the needles out. ¡°Cole, your father spoke of this once before,¡± Davin said. ¡°Huh, what did my father say?¡± Cole asked, breaking his focus on his mate for what must have been the first time in a few hours. ¡°He said you would heal at a rate faster than anything he¡¯d ever seen,¡± the man said, trying to recall the words of hisrade. ¡°I don¡¯t recall anything of the sort,¡± Cole answered. ¡°Have you ever observed your healing speed?¡± Lina asked him, trying to get to a faster answer. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t recall being injured...¡± Cole chuckled sheepishly. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not right. Not even once... Come on, what about the time you had your ass handed to you by my broth...¡± ¡°Language, Lina,¡± Martha interrupted. ¡°Sorry mother,¡± she groaned. ¡°I didn¡¯t get injured during that time either. Are you forgetting that I won that time?¡± Cole said, trying to think back to the Royal games. ¡°Hmm, now that I remember it. I don¡¯t remember seeing you covered in any bruises after that fight. Though I do remember giving you some while we were fighting... It¡¯s terrifying to think...¡± the man paused when he heard the soft groan of his little sister. Katie was stirring. ¡°At this rate, she¡¯ll make an extraordinarily fast recovery. From what I¡¯ve just seen, she would have healed on the battlefield had she not fallen into that state of unconsciousness and blocked her healing properties,¡± the doctor exined. Katie¡¯s eyes fluttered open slowly, allowing everyone in the room to see the bright blue gleam of a royal¡¯s iris... Her consciousness came along with a burst of an aura strong enough to silence everyone in the room. The delicate qualities were fast fading the more she became aware of her surroundings and took control of her body. ¡®I guess the Rogue killer is awake...¡¯ the thought rumbled through the hospital building... and everyone knew it... Chapter 105 105 Chapter One Hundred Five Katie looked around at the eyes that were staring at her sleeping. Many of them bore blue eyes and did not look at all like people she knew. She could tell they were important although they meant nothing to her. Her eyes lingered longer on the man that had awoken her before searching the room for people that she knew. She found that Sandra, Cole¡¯s alphas and her adoptive parents were among those that waited for her. ¡°Hey... Wee back to thend of the living,¡± Cole started. She knew of her situation that had nearly gotten her to see the afterlife and at the moment, she was staring at the dashing knight that had pulled her out of it. ¡®Come on, Katie. Why are you wasting time?¡¯ Ashley began, the impatient wolf ruining the entire moment. Katie smiled at Cole while internally scolding the wolf. ¡®You just had to voice my thoughts out to me. Besides, we have one hell of an audience,¡¯ she replied. ¡°Thank you for pulling me out of it,¡± she expressed her gratitude engulfing the man in a tight hug. The rest of the room seemed to wake up upon hearing her voice, the lot of them stunned from the moment of her waking, ¡°Katie, are you feeling okay?¡± Marie¡¯s voice was the first to cut through to her. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. What happened after I passed out?¡± she asked, skipping over the fact that she¡¯d just woken from the brink of death. ¡°I should have known you¡¯d ask for a report right after waking up from your own deathbed,¡± Tom groaned, unimpressed by the girl¡¯s behaviour. Katie couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at him. She didn¡¯t let Cole take his hand from her when he did and gave the male a pleading look. ¡°Won¡¯t I be in the way of...¡± ¡°No, I want you here. That¡¯s that,¡± she simplified the situation giving him no room for escape. Part of him was happy that she wanted him by her side while the other didn¡¯t want to be a hindrance to anything the rest wished to discuss with her. ..... ¡°Well, how¡¯s this going to go?¡± King Davin asked the one question that no one had bothered to ask, ¡°I for one would like to know just how well she¡¯s doing. Doctor, can you tell if she¡¯spletely back to normal?¡± ¡°She should be good to go for the moment. Unfortunately, the arrows were targeting the parts of her muscles that are crucial for movement. The ones on her thighs stuck too close to the tendons while the ones in her shoulders damaged her sockets. I advise that she take it easy for at least a month before she can do anything physically tasking,¡± the doctor exined, ¡°Other than that, I¡¯ll get the paperwork for a discharge ready. I believe she¡¯s fine enough to leave the infirmary.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine... I don¡¯t feel any...¡± Katie stopped as she tested out her arm rotating it in a vertical circle. A sharp pain shot from her shoulder numbing her hand while she winced in pain... ¡°I stand corrected.¡± ¡°As I said, Katie, you might look okay on the outside, but the tissues that were damaged inside are much harder for you to fix. Don¡¯t do anything tasking for the meantime,¡± the doctor repeated. Katie, acting deaf, swung her legs out so that she could try to walk, ¡°Hey, calm down. You can¡¯t skip over everything that the doctor says...¡± Cole stopped halfway when he had to catch the falling girl. She tried three more times to get up. Each time, her thighs burned with pain from the internal injuries and gave way. Cole held her steady and helped her take a seat on the bed. ¡°She¡¯s a stubborn one, isn¡¯t she?¡± a deep voice rumbled through the room. Katie looked up to see a man in his forties dressed in only a shirt and custom issue leather jeans, simr to the ones that the director wore, but these were different. They were made for someone of a higher rank than the director. The aura that came from him was much more refined than what Katie usually got from the hunters that she normally talked to. ¡°Did you see him?¡± she asked the man. ¡°Who might you be referring to?¡± the man asked. ¡°Who else would I be referring to when I ask a Mighty warrior?¡± her voice was steeled as he addressed the man. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I might have been a tad bitte. Who do you refer to? If it¡¯s the Rogue King, then I¡¯d like to tell you that he was not there,¡± the man said. Katie sighed, ¡°I guess you dideter than you should have.¡± The room fell into yet another deep silence. They wrestled to make sense of what the girl was saying. ¡°He wasn¡¯t there, was he?¡± Lina was the one to ask this time. ¡°Oh, he was there, but I wasn¡¯t strong enough to pose him a threat,¡± she said, holding on to Cole¡¯s hand tighter. She didn¡¯t say, but the man was her only anchor from the enraged state she¡¯d been in earlier. Memories of that night filled her mind once again. She could remember the feeling of being heavily exhausted. Her wolf merging with her consciousness to face their greatest foe, only to get shot down by arrows... arrows... ¡°I think you...¡± ¡°Where are the arrows that I was shot with?¡± she asked them, looking around frantically in the hopes that they¡¯d been removed from the infirmary and still around. ¡°We left them behind when we¡¯d removed them from your body,¡± Lina said, recalling the events from when she¡¯d met her. ¡°I don¡¯t remember you. That¡¯s too far into the forest for me to retrieve them,¡± she groaned, ¡°Would someone tell me what happened already.¡± ¡°Not after you answer the question. Was he there?¡± the Mighty Warrior asked her. ¡°Oh, he was there. I saw him with my two eyes. Powerful royal with two... umm, beta alphas...¡± the word was far in her memory as it was never part of the things she was meant to deal with. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. There are only two Royals in the world allowed to have beta alphas,¡± King Davin snapped. ¡°I don¡¯t see how it counts if a Royal simply never reveals that he has beta alphas in secret. It¡¯s just a matter of deceit,¡± she flipped the man over. ¡°Katie, I believe you haven¡¯t met these people just yet. Let¡¯s make an introduction,¡± Marie said. ¡°Well, that saves me quite the trouble,¡± she perked up staring at the new faces. Her wolf huffed upon noticing the girl¡¯s techniques of dying interrogation. ¡®You know it would be much easier if they knew quickly enough...¡¯ ¡®There will be a time for that, Ashley,¡¯ she said to the wolf, smiling when she calmed down. ¡°Katie, meet your biological family. It¡¯s definitely not the introduction that we hoped for. The hotel suite was even ready for your arrival, but I guess there was a change of ns,¡± Martha spoke for the family. Recognition sparked in her eyes when she recognised the two from the newspaper from eighteen years ago, ¡°I remember you two from an old newspaper. Wow, you are not the same...¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that supposed to mean? I am known for staying young and ageless if you must know,¡± therge man spoke, rubbing his hand through his hair to prove his point and smirking at the end. Cole found himself growling at the gesture even though there was no foul y in what he did. It was Katie¡¯s turn tough this time... ¡°So you¡¯re King Davin Sirius,¡± she confirmed. The Royals were among the people she¡¯de to know to be very warm to be around. They had no desire to cause trouble and were as peaceful as they could get... ¡°Yes, that is I. Right here is my lovely mate and wife, Martha Sirius,¡± he said, proudly puffing out his chest. ¡°How do you both have blue eyes? I know the Royals don¡¯t intermarry,¡± Katie said, making an observation that no one had bothered to voice the entire time the wolves had been in Brigadia. ¡°You¡¯re either sharp or have no fear for the Royal¡¯s whatsoever,¡± Davin chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. The colour of the royal¡¯s mate changes when she¡¯s imed. Specifically after marking each other... It¡¯s the final signal that a new Luna has been chosen... Well, in the case of the crown princes, that is...¡± he said. ¡°My name is Lina. I would be your kid sister,¡± the youngest of the said, smiling from within therge leather jacket that now looked like it was never meant for her. Katie looked between the girl and the Mighty Hunter... ¡°Is that yours?¡± ¡°I had to use my own shirt to stop the bleeding before you were brought here,¡± she defended herself, having been questioned numerous times on the choice of wear. Lina was not amused by the looks she was getting, ¡°This coat hasn¡¯t done a difference from the clothes I normally wear,¡± the girl groaned. A man who looked to be Cole¡¯s agemate pped the girl on the back, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry little sister. This will all blow by once you learn a thing or two from your older sister. The name¡¯s Drake, crown prince to the Sirius crown.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to announce it like that, boy. I am still the king for many years,¡± King Davin argued with the boy. ¡°Father, your time will soone to an end. Just keep the throne warm for me. Besides, I do not want to rule just yet. That paperwork is a beast,¡± Drake chuckled, spreading his contagious smile through the room. ¡°I¡¯d like to clear the room so that Katie has less to attend to. Anyone who isn¡¯t a part of the Sirius family can now get out. That doesn¡¯t apply to you, Cole,¡± Marie said out loud, thest part directed to Cole. She had noticed the fa?ade Katie had put on while the people swarmed her. she didn¡¯t want to ignore her friends, but there didn¡¯t seem to be an option when she was faced with the family that very much wanted to talk to her. The girl mouthed a quick ¡®thank you...¡¯ to her adoptive mother and sighed in relief as the numbers in the room reduced. Pulling Cole closer, she settled against the Royal like he was a pillow. The man responded by wrapping his arms around her and gettingfortable. He might have been liking his role as emotional anchor a little too much... (or maybe a lot...) Chapter 106 106 Chapter One Hundred Six Katie wasfortable with this arrangement. Attending to people in the arms of her mate. Was it embarrassing? She had no idea. Was she enjoying it? Yes, she was. Did anyone object? Nope... And so the day continued with her in her mate¡¯s arms speaking to whoever came to visit her without a care in the world about how she must have looked. Cole, on the other hand, noticed the looks he was getting. However, that did not bother him as much as the urge to mark his mate there and then. Her scent filled his nostrils every time he breathed it in and it wasn¡¯t doing him any justice. Shepletely had her guard down in his arms and continued to act so innocently... He almost suspected she was doing this on purpose, but one peek into the mind link erased all his suspicions. Katie was simply happy to be in his arms like this and there was nothing more to it. In fact, she visibly showed howfortable she currently was. This arrangement, albeit somewhat difficult, gave him the satisfaction of showing off who she belonged to. ¡°I¡¯m d to see you veryfortable,¡± Drake was the first one to speak, eyeing the couple with a hint of envy. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, big brother. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re mate is out there somewhere waiting for her knight in shining armour,¡± Katie spoke up in an attempt to lighten the mood. Without waiting for the rest to catch up on the humour, the king intervened, ¡°How has your life here been?¡± he asked, wiping off his ever-present smile and recing it with a look of concern. The Sirius family realised now that they were in front of a long-lost family member. Joking around wasn¡¯t going to get them any closer in the way they would have liked her to. In fact, they hade to collect her... ¡°Brigadia is not so bad. It¡¯s actually pretty fun. Everyone¡¯s friendly and they care about the town. It¡¯s been nice watching them getzy over the years that I spent keeping rogues away. I can¡¯t even imagine what will happen if word of the attack in the forest gets out. I know there was no civilian in that attack. There just might be a chance to keep the entire thing forgotten,¡± Katie was starting to drown in her own words. Her concern for the town seemed too powerful for her to resist. She¡¯d spent a long time caring for the town that it had be a part of her, ¡°You love it that much, huh...¡± an air of awkwardness took over the entire room. Cole¡¯s hands got tighter around her, pulling her more into his warmth. ¡°She¡¯sing to Lycaon,¡± he spoke before any of them had gathered the energy to speak. ¡°Out of the question, Cole... Shees to Sirius,¡± Martha was the one to rise before the others this time. The two red at each other intensifying the tension in the room. Lina moved a bit farther from her family in an attempt to be invisible and avoid partaking in the argument. ..... ¡°What¡¯s this argument about?¡± Katie asked, innocently. The two parties were astounded by the question though they had to keep their calm while speaking to someone who only just barely survived death. ¡°We are talking about where you will be living... As of this day, your birthday, you are no longer in the custody of the Chase family.¡± The information hit Katie like a brick wall, colliding with her entire agenda. This whole time, she¡¯d been anxious to get out of the hospital and go back home so she could lie in her bed once more. She¡¯d never missed it this much until now, yet here was an argument amongst the most powerful of werewolves in the world on where she would be spending her night. The bed in the home of the Chase hunters waspletely out of question. ¡°Do I get a say in this?¡± Katie asked them, drawing their attention once more. ¡°Considering you had no idea what the argument was about, I¡¯m afraid to give you one. When did you learn about your biological family?¡± Davin asked. ¡°That was...¡± she took a moment to think, ¡°A few weeks ago... When I deliberately stopped taking my pills, my wolf... umm, woke up.¡± She said, the male beneath her stiffening at the revtion. ¡°Wait, you mean all those times that I caught the scent of my mate? It was just you gettingzy about your meds,¡± Cole asked the girl. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s true. There is that day when you chased me into the forest. I was so exhausted that day. Thankfully, I had a few pills on me and took them before you found me,¡± she said. ¡°That exins the smell of wolfsbane on you that day. I¡¯m d that the poison is out of your system. It could have killed you,¡± he said, his voice so concerned that it hypnotised Katie into looking up at the alpha¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ahem, back to your living conditions. Cole, I ask that wee to a peaceful agreement,¡± Davin said, this time sounding humbled as he spoke. The Royals knew to take the man¡¯s request every time he offered to stop riding his high horse and act reasonably other than using the insane power he had as a Royal. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Cole spoke up. ¡°Katie was taken from Sirius when she was only an infant. Giving her away when she¡¯d never lived with us would be like she never existed. I ask that you allow hold onto her for a while and get to know our daughter before letting her open a chapter of giving birth to overpowered pups,¡± the man said, ending the sentence with a smirk. ¡°Humph, at least I won¡¯t give birth to hunter werewolves as you did,¡± Katie huffed in reply. Drake covered his mouth and looked away from his father. A simr gesture rippled through the family as they tried to spare their father the embarrassment, ¡°Don¡¯t look away from me. I had no idea she would have aeback that witty...¡± he tried, but only made it worse as they burst outughing. ¡°Maybe you¡¯d like to reconsider before you speak next time, honey,¡± Martha said to the king. ¡®Royals... what an odd group of people... To the rest of the world, they are tyrants that can kill anyone they please... Well, that¡¯s how it is known in ces where they¡¯ve never met them and the rumours still mill through the crowds. However, up close, they are the total opposite...¡¯ Katie couldn¡¯t find it within her tough along with them for a while. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just flushed. What¡¯s this supposed to mean for me? Am I leaving Brigadia?¡± she asked the male. ¡°Maybe not right now, but yes, you are leaving Brigadia,¡± he replied calmly. ¡°What, but there is...¡± ¡°Nothing here that belongs to you,¡± the alpha intervened. ¡°What do you mean nothing that belongs to me? I live in Brigadia. I¡¯ve defended this ce from a lot...¡± she said. She would have continued if it wasn¡¯t for the palm that covered her mouth and stopped her from speaking. ¡°Think about it like this. You are mated to the next King of Lycaon and a princess of the Sirius Royal family. With our union, the wares closer to an end. The rogue king will want to do a lot to get to you now that you have announced your presence. I don¡¯t have to say much more... You know what¡¯s best for this town,¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Well, that Rogue king is after you. He¡¯s been after you since the day information reached the rogues about your whereabouts. They almost seeded tonight. The more you stay here...¡± ¡°I know what you¡¯re saying,¡± Katie said, sighing in defeat, ¡°Since when do you use the information to manipte your mate...?¡± Cole only chuckled, ¡°I¡¯ll protect you wherever you go, honey. Even if you feel like returning to Brigadia, I won¡¯t stop you, but I will be with you.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask you to leave the capital toe and live here... Huh, I really don¡¯t belong in Brigadia, do I?¡± Katie said, realisation finally reaching her. She remembered the look on her Aunt Marie¡¯s face when she had revealed her school worries to her. Now that she was surrounded by her real family and had finally understood their purpose ofing, she realised just what she had meant... ¡°No, you don¡¯t...¡± ¡®So you knew I wasn¡¯t going to spend another night in that house,¡¯ Katie thought. She¡¯d run off that morning very energetically. Returning to that house was the most obvious thing to her, but now it felt like the farthest ce on the. ¡°I¡¯d like time to organise my thoughts,¡± she spoke up, undeniably dismissing the congregation before her. Davin nodded in respect and turned to walk out. Drake did the same, but the two people didn¡¯t seem inclined to move. Martha walked up to her daughter until they were right next to each other. Her ck hair fell onto her shoulders, the blue eyes ented her beauty nicely... It was like staring at her reflection... The woman hugged the younger girl without warning. Stunned at first, Katie slowly wrapped her arms around the older woman. ¡®So, this is my mother... And I¡¯m allowed to call her ¡®mum¡¯,¡¯ she thought to herself. An overwhelming sense of longing came crashing down on the girl as she realised the whole reason her foster parents had trained her to avoid associating them with the person that brought her into this world. It was as though the two couldmunicate in the silence that engulfed them... ¡°I thought I¡¯d never see you again after that day,¡± the woman whispered into her ear, images of the night she was given to the Chase hunters flowed into the hunter¡¯s mind. Her mother had risked her life, travelling with an infant, and a fatal wound in her gut as she took her to the ce the moon goddess directed her to. Suddenly the solemn expression she¡¯d seen in the newspapers looked far more urate than she¡¯d originally thought it was. The queen loved her children... and Katie was one of them... Chapter 107 107 Chapter One Hundred Seven The Royal family walked out momentster leaving the two to a short moment of silence. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Cole asked Katie, enjoying his role of ¡®cushion.¡¯ ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. Emotions as a werewolf are just a bit harder to control,¡± she replied, trying the breathing technique to wipe her emotions away from her. Unfortunately, this didn¡¯t seem to help at all. She could still feel the surging mess of emotions welling up within her. At the back of her mind, a wolf chose to make herself even less noticeable to the hunter. Maybe that way, the hunter would be able to confine her emotions like she was used to... ¡®Don¡¯t... You¡¯re a part of me as much as I am a part of you,¡¯ Katie said to the wolf within her. Ashley had taken a deep dive into the memories of her counterpart and found out everything about her. She didn¡¯t know why, but something about the memories appealed to her. She even found the reason Katie had been stunned by her name. The dead child that was still being mourned bore a simr name with the wolf. ¡°Well, for someone who¡¯s only just found out that she is going to be taken from her home, you are taking this quite well,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s like you want me to snap at you,¡± she sighed, ¡°Cole, I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Huh, that was sudden,¡± the Royal was surprised. ¡°Feed your mate, Cole. I¡¯m starving...¡± she continued, her wolf pushing forward with excitement. Cole noticed the change in her demeanour. Her voice was yful and she didn¡¯t give him the option of getting up, ¡°Before I¡¯m forced to eat you instead...¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to get cannibalistic. I¡¯ll ask Caden to bring you something. Just hang in there,¡± he said, holding up the girl who was now fake fainting. She was only getting heavier in his arms, not that he couldn¡¯t hold her. She giggled at the man¡¯s efforts only to cringe in pain, ¡°Are you okay?¡± The concern in his voice made the girl feel like melting. She almost forgot the pain that had only just shot from her abdomen, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine. It was just my stomach. I strained myself during the fight. How long was I out?¡± ..... ¡°Not long actually... Your healing speed is top tier even for a Royal. The fighting only ended hours ago. It¡¯s currently the middle of the night. Happy birthday, princess,¡± he summarised cing a kiss on her forehead... The girl huffed in disappointment... ¡°What...¡± ¡°Nothing... Were there any injuries?¡± she asked from her position across hisps, doing nothing to change it. ¡°You just have to draw the report out somehow,¡± he groaned, ¡°When I heard that you were injured, I didn¡¯t pay attention to anything else that was happening. You weren¡¯t stabilising and I was growing worried sick and when the doctors did manage to stabilise you, you kept growing weaker,¡± he exined before sending a message to his alpha to bring her food. ¡°Oh, sorry to worry you... And thanks for bringing me back. I don¡¯t think I would have gotten out of that,¡± she said, her eyes zing over. ¡°Did you really see him?¡± he asked her. ¡°Huh, who, the Rogue King... Oh yeah, I saw him. He was big and powerful... And a Royal,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, then what happened? I don¡¯t think you¡¯d let him get away from you if that happened,¡± he said to her. ¡°Of course I wouldn¡¯t have let him go. I was weak, but I would have at least stalled long enough for the Mighty warrior made it,¡± she said, ¡°They are only called upon when there is a high likelihood of the Rogue King appearing. My parent... sorry, guardians were spot on in their prediction,¡± she said to him. ¡°Yeah, they were... Can you promise me something, Katie?¡± Cole said, suddenly getting serious. ¡°If it¡¯s reasonable, then yes,¡± she replied, noting the demanding tone in his voice. Cole sighed at the reply. He had known she wouldn¡¯t be easy to convince, but he still wasn¡¯t going to take no for an answer. Part of him hoped she would realise this and give up, ¡°You are not allowed to go into battle on your own regardless of what¡¯s at risk,¡± he said to her, keeping his voice as cold as he could. It was a small price for what he¡¯d experienced when he thought she was going to die. Katie kept silent taking in the words she was sure were directed as amand and not an option. She didn¡¯t want to make such a promise, but she knew he wasn¡¯t going to drop it either. ¡®You know we did almost die...¡¯ Ashley spoke into the girl¡¯s mind. ¡®I know... I guess I just hadn¡¯t let it sink in until now,¡¯ she mentally replied. Sighing, she gave in to her mate¡¯s demands. Her shoulders rxed more than she thought was possible, relieving her of unknown stress, ¡°Fine then... You have my word on this, but...¡± ¡°I might not be able to ept that...¡± ¡°Just hear me out, okay? I don¡¯t want us to have any regrets if the time everes. I won¡¯t risk my life again if that¡¯s what you¡¯re afraid of, but the next time I do something solo, I¡¯ll ask you first. Only when you let me will I go,¡± she was practically begging him to ept the condition. Cole knew what she was trying to get at. If there was ever a time that she would get a golden opportunity to end the war, this would allow her to break her promise without going against the promise she was making to him. It was unlikely and he didn¡¯t even see a point in raising such a point. Nheless, knowing she had the liberty to act in such a situation would give her the peace of mind she was seeking. ¡°I will be the one to decide that then,¡± he epted. The door creaked open just enough to allow a blonde head to peek through. Sandra surveyed the room and backed out to see if the coast was clear before sneaking into the room, ¡°Hey, I thought you heard...¡± a voice shouted from outside before Sandra shut the door... ¡°I just had to see her. Since when were you appointed her bodyguard,¡± she shouted at the man outside, his voiceing very close to Jason¡¯s. ¡°I wasn¡¯t appointed her bodyguard, but she hasn¡¯t called for anyone else yet and...¡± ¡°You guys cane in now,¡± Katie cut the male¡¯s speech in half and watched the door burst open. Sandra leapt back just in time, barely missing being hit by the door. ¡°That¡¯s great, Katie. How are you feeling? Is it true you saw him? What happened? Does it still hurt? How did Cole wake you...?¡± ¡°Can you slow down or at least shut up, Jason? She has only woken up,¡± Sandra shook the red-eyed male, ¡°Where is that passiveposure you had just a moment ago? You wouldn¡¯t even let me get close to this room.¡± ¡°What makes you think I wasn¡¯t curious? Cole has been so worried I thought he¡¯d throw all our wolves into mourning,¡± he mumbled. Katie turned her head up to look Cole in the eye again. ¡°You were that worried. Aww, that¡¯s cute,¡± she teased the now reddening tomato she was using as a cushion. ¡°I see someone got a new pillow,¡± Sandra smirked at the girl. ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s all mine. No borrowing it...es with heating capabilities as well. I don¡¯t even need a nket in the winter,¡± Katie replied, cosying into the Royal once more. It wasn¡¯t like he wasining. ¡°You are getting way toofortable, Katie,¡± Cole chuckled, wrapping his arms lovingly around her. ¡°Oh,e on... You two should get a room,¡± a new voice poured into the room. They all turned to see Caden by the entrance holding a couple ofrge takeout bags. Katie couldn¡¯t help but lick her lips at the smell of the food. ¡®He looks familiar,¡¯ Ashey spoke up abruptly, catching Katie off-guard. ¡®Huh, what do you mean?¡¯ the wolf pushed forward in her mind to take a closer look at the male. ¡®I don¡¯t know, but I feel like I know him. It¡¯s probably a figment of a past life. It¡¯s nothing to worry about. Let me out...¡¯ the wolf protested, turning her attention back to the Royal we¡¯d captured for a headrest. ¡®Huh, no way... I do not have any idea what you have in mind. Besides, I have to talk to my friends first... Speaking of which, you are distracting me,¡¯ she countered before bringing her mind back to the present. Unfortunately for her, the room had gone deadly silent and everyone was giving her a weird look, mainly Sandra. The werewolves were either smirking or trying to contain theirughter(Jason). ¡°So your wolf talks, I see,¡± Cole pointed out. ¡°Huh,¡± Katie turned to the Royal, my mind goingpletely blunt... ¡®That¡¯s a thing...¡¯ Chapter 108 108 Chapter One Hundred Eight The Royals got out of the room only to find the man that was responsible for saving their daughter¡¯s life standing at the entrance. The entire corridor had been cleared out and there was no one who could be seen except for a few nurses that were still bustling around and helping the doctors tend to thest remaining patients. It had been a busy night and everyone was only thinking of sleep at the moment. ¡°Sir Jim Gordon, it¡¯s been a long time. I¡¯d like to extend my gratitude for rescuing my daughter,¡± the King began, giving the man a slight bow of the head. The rest of the family followed in an equally respectable gesture, Drake with a bow and the females with brief curtsies. It wasn¡¯t proper for Royals to go all out with the greetings, but necessary in the event that they were addressing someone who¡¯d rescued one of their own. ¡°I was only doing my duty to this world. Besides, without that girl there would be no hope for the rest of us,¡± he said. His voice carried volumes of wisdom and unspoken messages. ¡°So you know the tales,¡± the phrase came out sounding more like a question. ¡°No, but as I carried her here, I could tell she was something special. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she makes it to the rank of Mighty Hunter herself regardless of her werewolf hindrances,¡± he said. ¡°What do you mean by hindrances?¡± the King asked, feeling slightly offended by the remark. ¡°I¡¯m merely stating the facts, King Davin. No need to get bent out of shape over it. the werewolves possess a strong sense and need to protect their own, to groom them and make sure that the whole pack functions as a whole. No one gets left behind,¡± the man started, ¡°As a result, werewolves are the one type of creatures that can bear overwhelming emotions without being consumed by them... However, that is not the same for a hunter. Hunters do not have that luxury and it is through this that I call being a werewolf a hindrance. Perhaps she might surprise all of us and turn this around to draw power from her werewolf side, but that would be me being highly optimistic,¡± he summarised. Davin Sirius was intrigued by the detail with which the man had thought through his argument and couldn¡¯t quite counter him. Nevertheless, the spirit of the girl he¡¯d just seen in that room was not one to be taken lightly, ¡°Well, this is my daughter you are talking about. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to be a little optimistic,¡± he said. ..... They bid the man farewell and began the walk away from there only to hear him call back, ¡°Your majesty...¡± Davin froze and turned back to see the man, noticing the fast-paced thoughts that ran behind his eyes, ¡°Is there something else you wanted to share?¡± he asked. ¡°I would like to request the princess toe with me to the forest. I want to see the ce Katie was brought down,¡± the man said, keeping his head down while he made the request. It was a peculiar one and Davin was reluctant after having seen his daughter moving about with the man¡¯s coat hiding her nakedness. ¡°Only if Drake escorts you...¡± he said. ¡°That would be fantastic,¡± the man said. If it wasn¡¯t for the reputation of the Four Mighty hunters, Davin would have ordered a battalion of hunters to escort them into the woods and keep them miles apart with only cellphones tomunicate and yet still feel like it wasn¡¯t enough protection. Lina was remarkably beautiful and a bit too much of a free spirit for his liking... and it made him anxious every time he watched her unknowingly cross a line. ¡®Hunters aren¡¯t that kind of people... they aren¡¯t like the unmated males from the Capital,¡¯ he tried to convince himself. ¡®Oh, honey, enough worrying. There is nothing that¡¯s going to happen,¡¯ Martha¡¯s voice came into the man¡¯s head. ¡®That¡¯s what I hope. I¡¯ll have his head if something happens to my daughter. We don¡¯t even know if the rogues are still out there or not,¡¯ he replied, watching the trio leave. ¡°You worry too much, dear husband. I have a mind to flip the back of your head, but what good will that do?¡± the woman sighed. ¡°Well, there is you taking care of me when we get back to the suite,¡± Davin said thoughtfully while they turned to proceed with their preconceived journey. ¡°Dear Moon Goddess, I¡¯m going to end up doing that whether you¡¯re injured or not,¡± Martha giggled. It had been long since the two of them weren¡¯t in thepany of their children since they left the capital. The suite was starting to feel small and cramped with all of them having to live on the same floor and with nothing much separating the rooms. .................. Jim Gordon, the Thunderp, one of the Four Mighty Warriors. He¡¯d risen to the rank in histe forties and on that path, he¡¯d had the pleasure of working alongside multitudes of hunters. He¡¯d seen his share of violence and it wasn¡¯t a pretty battle that was being fought. He could tell how relentless the young hunter that he¡¯d carried to the hospital was. She was so determined to aplish her mission that she¡¯d not realised when she¡¯d fainted and her mind had remained in the state of alertness during battle. Unfortunately, that had impeded her healing. If it hadn¡¯t been for the doctors who helped to clean her fast-moving blood that could have spread wolfsbane to all parts of her body... or the numerous drips that were used to rejuvenate her constantly waning strength, she would not have made it. He was partly proud and frightened by the girl. She was much stronger than any hunter her age but much weaker than the Rogue King. Up until this point, there was little information on the man and those who had been graced with the opportunity to fight him had only recounted insane power unlike that of a regr wolf. Apanied by Lina and Drake Sirius, the three made it through the forest in search of the clearing that Katie had been when she was downed by four arrows, ¡°What are we looking for when we get there?¡± Lina asked him while they ran. Royals were impressive for the power they possessed to talk to humans even when in their wolf forms. ¡°We are looking for the arrows that were used against Katie,¡± the man replied. ¡°What do you mean? What about those arrows? They should be thest thing she sees at the moment,¡± Lina said. ¡°In my years, I¡¯ve learnt a few tricks from the Chase hunters. It¡¯s that my gut instinct is never wrong. When Katie asked for the arrows, she wanted them desperately, but she didn¡¯t show how much she did,¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to do with anything? They areced with wolfsbane and she can¡¯t use them like that,¡± she said. ¡°She can if she wears a gas mask. Besides, I have the feeling she didn¡¯t simply want them to add more to her quiver. I think she knows something that could be uncovered once she sees the arrows up close,¡± he said to her. ¡°And you got all that from a gut instinct,¡± this time it was the Prince to his left who spoke. Unlike his sister, he was taking the information in a calmer way. There wasn¡¯t much to go on except for the hunch he had... but that was enough for him. After all, saving Katie in the first ce in the exact position he found her... had also been a hunch. They found the clearing after running for what felt like an hour... which was actually thirty minutes. The three were remarkable in speed and were only wondering why it took so long to get to the desired location. Lina shifted back and wrapped herself up with the jacket that reappeared upon her shoulders, ¡°It was in that tree that the arrows pinned her,¡± the girl said, pointing at a tree with four holes that leaked blood, stained with purple in the four different spots. ¡°I saw it before I could get here and there was a female hunter who made it before me. She was fast and she shot arrows at a speed I¡¯ve only seening close to Cupid Shooter,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Where could you have even seen Cupid Shooter in the first ce?¡± the man snapped at her. Four Mighty warriors... Seeing one was a blessing to the few who got the chance and yet here was a girl iming to have seen another beside the Thunderp that stood before her. ¡°I¡¯ve seen three of the Mighty Warriors now. You are the third that I¡¯ve seen. I know what I¡¯m saying... Look there,¡± she said, pointing to an assortment of arrows that lined the ground in a formation that made a defensive wall from the tree, ¡°She shot them while in the air. The scene brought me a sense of nostalgia, but that¡¯s not the point. I got to Katie when the hunter had taken her down. We took out the arrows there and threw them in random directions... so if we look around...¡± ¡°You mean like this one...¡± Drake interrupted her, holding up a steel arrow that still dripped with a purple liquid. ¡°Yes, exactly,¡± Lina said, looking away from the grotesque-looking item. After a few minutes of looking around, the other three arrows were found and wrapped in a cloth that was then stored by Jim. ¡°Was that all we came for?¡± Lina asked. ¡°Yes, that was all. Hopefully, this will get us some more information. Centuries and we¡¯ve nevere close to finding the Rogue King,¡± the man sighed. The trio then chose to depart without another word. The werewolves wanted to leave the ce anyway... It deeply stunk of rogues that had been killed that very night and the forest was still littered with their bodies. Chapter 109 109 Chapter One Hundred Nine Caden thankfully realised the two lovebirds were not going to eat alone and brought more food for the four of them. Sandra set up the room so that they all had where to sit and talk (a task that wasn¡¯t that necessary, but hey...) Katie, on the other hand, sighed when she realised they were supposed to share the food and no one had ounted for her now-boundless appetite. Silence filled the room while they all settled down to eat. There had been some developments since the four friends hadst spoken and this preferably the right time to address them. ¡°So, she¡¯s a werewolf?¡± Jason began, seeing as no one else seemed ready to. ¡°Yup, she is...¡± Cole replied. ¡°The same one we were convinced was dead eighteen years ago,¡± he continued. ¡°The very one...¡± The room once again filled with silence and the sound of forks striking food and mastication taking ce. ¡°Katie, did you really see him?¡± ¡°Sandra,¡± Jason tried to snapped at the girl... ¡°What... I¡¯m curious. I know you are as well,¡± she countered. It was clear there were numerous unanswered questions among the three of them. Caden mostly remained quite and watched them bicker. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll answer some of your questions... the ones that I can. I am a werewolf. I¡¯m sure the werewolves didn¡¯t know that...¡± she said to them. ..... Caden and Jason nced at Sandra briefly before turning their attention back to the couple before them. Cole hadn¡¯t touched his food since they began eating. He discretely watched his mate while she ate. At the back of his mind, he knew the food she¡¯d been given wasn¡¯t going to satisfy her waking wolf. ¡°Katie, what about him... Did you see him?¡± ¡°Yes, I saw him... The guy was there and I tried to attack him before,¡± Cole wouldn¡¯t have known unless she¡¯d been leaning into him like she was. Her body began to shiver at the thought of what had happened in the forest. She couldn¡¯t seem to finish the story... That, however, didn¡¯t matter to him. He wrapped his arm around her hoping it would calm her, which it did. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we asked, Katie... We won¡¯t bring it up again,¡± Caden apologized narrowing his eyes at his two friends. As it turned out, Katie was not ready to discuss what had happened that night. Not even Cole knew what happened to her every time she was asked to narrate the story. As for Katie, her mind remained unable to retrieve all the information. Each time she tried, nothing came through. Thest vivid memory was of the Rogue King, but after that everything was blocked. It¡¯s not that she didn¡¯t remember, but more of she didn¡¯t want to. She wanted that part of the nightpletely out of her mind. For some reason, meeting the Rogue King had been less traumatizing than what happened next. ¡°Want more food?¡± the sound of the Royal to her left called. I was then that she realised she¡¯d finished eating and barely felt a thing in her belly. His foody in front of him, untouched and calling out to her, ¡°Why hesitate, Katie? I¡¯m hungry,¡± Ashley screamed in her mind. ¡®So you¡¯re the reason I eat like a wolf,¡¯ she groaned mentally. ¡®You are a wolf, darling and right now, I say grab that te of delicious looking...¡¯ ¡®What about Cole?¡¯ ¡°What about him?¡¯ the question was nk and Katie could tell from the wolf¡¯s emotions that she saw nothing wrong with depriving the Royal his meal, ¡®He did just give it to us. He¡¯s such a gentleman to know that I need nurturing.¡¯ ¡°Do newly awoken wolves eat this much?¡± Katie asked him,ing out of her conversation with her wolf just in time to hear Caden ask Cole something else... ¡°What was that?¡± she asked Caden. ¡°Oh, it was nothing...¡± he began only to realise Katie was not going to drop it until he said something, ¡°Fine, I asked him why he thought it was necessary to stuff you up. You don¡¯t look like someone who would umm... fancy seconds...¡± Sandra put her hand to her mouth to stop theughter that threatened to burst free from her, ¡°I¡¯ll just take this off your hands, Cole. Thank you very much,¡± Katie said, ignoring the alpha¡¯s uninformed question. ¡°Caden, how about you order more food? I¡¯ll need to eat something as well,¡± Cole spoke up, in an attempt to ease the tension in the room, ¡°And yes, Katie, it is totally normal for werewolves that have just awoken to eat a lot. It helps with their development. Your wolf might have awoken, but she doesn¡¯t have full strength yet and that can only be achieved if you eat enough.¡± ¡°Oh, okay then. On another note, someone please tell me what happened after I passed out,¡± Katie groaned. From the moment she woke up, everyone about her had been dodging the question. She was starting to get frustrated by this and the more they ignored her, the more she got worried that something bad had happened. Sandra could barely look her in the face. Something had happened indeed, but everyone seemed reluctant to tell her. Cole, who also hadn¡¯t heard a thing was wondering also started to get worried, ¡°Did something bad happen? I thought the battle ended.¡± ¡°That¡¯s... what we thought as well...¡± Sandra spoke up. Caden used the opportunity to sneak out of the room... and the others let him for a part of the story involved him. ¡°What happened then?¡± Cole was the one to ask this time. Caden was already far from earshot, praying his friend would not see an error in the actions. ¡°Well, there was Jackeline...¡± Sandra began. ¡°What about Jackeline?¡± Katie¡¯s heartbeat asked, her heart beating faster. ¡®Was she injured? What had happened?¡¯ Katie¡¯s mind rushed through all the possibilities... ¡°Katie, she¡¯s fine now. Although she¡¯s was given a sedative to keep her calm...¡± the girl tried to calm her. ¡°What happened to her?¡± ¡°She went berserk after the Thunderp rushed you away. She killed every rogue she could find... even the ones that had given up. Frost was able to subdue her, but she was raging. She hasn¡¯t woken up ever since,¡± she said. ¡°I hope she¡¯s fine,¡± Katie was only beginning to rx, ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Yes, after she¡¯d been subdued Prince Drake started working on Prometheus evaluations for the rogues that had surrendered. Everything was going smoothly until...¡± the words got stuck in her mouth. Jason put his hand on hers, nodding for her to stop talking. She¡¯d gone through for as long as she could have and he only felt that it was right for him to tell the rest. ¡°Caden interrupted the procedure,¡± he began, drawing a reaction from Cole. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Caden...¡± ¡°Caden¡¯s been mourning Cole. He¡¯s been mourning for the lost wolf. I didn¡¯t know how bad it had gotten until he began speaking to one of the rogues. Among the ones that had surrendered was a rogue that had been keeping an eye on someone we soon came to know as Ashley,¡± he said. ¡°Who¡¯s Ashley?¡± Cole asked. Katie couldn¡¯t help, but suspect who they were talking about. ¡°Ashley was Ash¡¯s real name. I guess she didn¡¯t really do much to change it when she decided to pretend to be a boy. The rogue... he spoke ill of her and was starting to get to Caden,¡± he continued. Sandra gave the young man¡¯s hand a squeeze when she realised it was getting harder to tell the story. ¡°Before Caden could react, Drake through the man into his Prometheus evaluation. That wasn¡¯t enough to shut him up though. The man continued to talk through his trance and while he spoke to the god Prometheus, he... incited the rest of those that had surrendered. The hunters had their guards down and didn¡¯t see iting. Most of those that had surrendered lost faith in salvation by the Prometheus evaluation and resolved to go down with at least one of their enemies.¡± Katie took in a sharp breath when she heard that, ¡°How many... How many casualties?¡± ¡°The hunters that were injured were... fifty in number. Thirty of them had fatal injuries. We didn¡¯t see the attacking. Caden and Drake tried their best, but there is only so much you can do to stop mindless creatures. They had no sense of purpose left, but to kill anyone that wasn¡¯t one of them. Some of them tried to even get to the Founder¡¯s festival, but were cut down before they made it there,¡± Sandra finished the story. Katie took the time to think about what she was hearing. She¡¯d spent such a long time making sure Brigadia was safe. ¡°Would one say that the hunters weren¡¯t able to defend themselves because they were... out of shape?¡± Sandra realised what Katie was implying immediately and was quick to act, ¡°Katie, this had nothing to do with you. The hunters knew what had happened to you. They knew they were supposed to stay on their toes. Caden came back into the room only momentster with the food he¡¯d ordered. He¡¯d moved fast, partly because he wanted to make it right after the story was done and partly because... he was tired of the burden he¡¯d been carrying since the death of Ash Myster... Ashley... Chapter 110 110 Chapter One Hundred Ten The room fell into a deep silence when the door swung open. Caden¡¯s eyes were a bit teary and the upants of the room could tell he had a lot to say. ¡°I got the food,¡± he began, closing the door of the hospital room. ¡°Thanks, Caden. I¡¯m starving,¡± Katie groaned, clutching her stomach. ¡°Well, I made sure to get more food this time. I underestimated the energy needed by a werewolf Rogue Killer,¡± he said, handing the takeout bags to the girl¡¯s outstretched hands. ¡°I believe you owe us an exnation now. You¡¯ve been mourning... and we¡¯ve only been able to watch. Leaving you to your time alone, but you know a wolf cannot move past grief on their own. We do that as a pack,¡± Cole began. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to distract you from what was already happening in your lives,¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? You know the packes first,¡± the dialogue continued. Katie ced her hand on the Royal¡¯s to calm him when he started to get agitated. ¡°Cole, you know Caden wouldn¡¯t have done anything irrational... What did happen Caden?¡± the room fell into silence as the stage was now Caden¡¯s. ¡°I... I talked to Ashley the night before she was murdered. Jason had already fallen asleep and she couldn¡¯t find any. At the time, we thought she was a boy, of course...¡± Caden recounted the events of that night to his friends, doing his best to keep hisposure while he did. He had quite a lot to tell them and he told with extreme patience. The wolf within Katie pushed further to the back of her mind, trying to block out the information that was being delivered which proved impossible since she was one with Katie. ¡°Earlier when I interrupted the Prometheus evaluations, I was hoping there was still a soul among the cowards thaty before us that was like Ashley... Still seeking happiness and not war and death, but... I was wrong. Rogues are just like we are taught they are. They seek the destruction of all bipeds. I know it was a na?ve thought and I can¡¯t help, but take all the me... I don¡¯t know how to fix it,¡± Jason stood up and approached his friend. ..... ¡°You don¡¯t have to hold that much in, man. It¡¯s not healthy for you,¡± Jason said, moving his seat so that he was next to the man, ¡°And no one mes you for seeking another pure soul trapped in the darkness that the Rogue king has cooked up.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have a memorial in Lycaon... And her story will be known to all,¡± Cole spoke up. ¡°What good will that do?¡± Caden asked. ¡°Well, it will clear Katie of the ipetence usations that she is being subjected to, but what¡¯s more... It will get to all the other spies out there. The story will carry a message of help to all those that seek to get out of their life amongst the rogues. We might not get many considering what happened to Ashley in the end, but it is one step in the right direction,¡± he said. ¡°And what direction might that be?¡± ¡°The same one we¡¯ve always been walking to. A life without rogues and a life without werewolf or human oppression,¡± Cole¡¯s words reached him and the rest that was in that room, ¡°We have a lot of work to do, but at the moment, I guess we should first hold off anything until after bidding our fallen the farewell that she deserves.¡± Amidst the deep conversation that had now taken a turn for deep silence, the sound of someone chewing sds broke through the silence of the room. It drew everyone¡¯s attention to the person that had now served herself a second te of the food that Caden had brought with him. Seatedfortably with Cole acting as the perfect pillow, Katie continued to dig into the food. ¡°How can you even...¡± ¡°Just because I¡¯m eating doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not paying attention. Besides, I¡¯m not the only one that can tell that it¡¯s time for all of us to get some sleep,¡± Jason took out his phone, the device came out cracked and barely able to function, a state he was used to at this point. When your job was to be the right-hand bodyguard to the Crown Prince of the Lycaon empire, owning a phone that was constantly being destroyed was normal. ¡°That device was cursed the day it was sold to you,¡± Sandra pointed out. ¡°And so were its predecessors and those that are going toe after it,¡± the man replied, finally getting the phone to work, ¡°It¡¯s quitete. Five hours to sunrise. We¡¯ll leave you two to yourselves. I still don¡¯t fully understand how the Princess survived eighteen years ago... or why Prometheus would give a werewolf his gifts, but I know I¡¯ll find out soon enough. Have a good night, you two,¡± he said, smirking and pulling Caden to his feet. Caden, whose first reflex was to reach out to the food they were denying him, startedining, ¡°Why do I have to leave at the same time as you?¡± ¡°Because then you¡¯d be the fourth wheel,¡± he said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that phrase supposed to be... Hey, what about Sandra?¡± ¡°See youter, Sandra. You should also get yourself some sleep. Wouldn¡¯t expect you to spend so much time here either?¡± Jason said, shoving his fellow alpha out the door. ¡°Who would have thought Jason was the responsible one?¡± Katie mused at the spectacle that had just urred right before her eyes. It was normally Caden that was pushing Jason around. ¡°Well, to be honest, they are both responsible. Jason just has a... ¡®colourful¡¯ character. Makes it hard to know that he can be responsible if he wants to be,¡± Cole exined. Katie had finally slowed down on the food, but whether it was her finally getting satisfied was beyond hisprehension. ¡°You have such loyal friends. I envy you...¡± she said, absentminded. ¡°That hurts, Katie,¡± Sandra mock-cried. ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t exactly react well when you found out I was a werewolf. Take this as revenge, sister,¡± Katie smirked, making her way to the evilugh that was stopped by a heart-warming hug from her best friend. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t make it. Why would you scare me like that?¡± the girl said, finally taking off the fa?ade she¡¯d been wearing the whole time. ¡°You have such little faith in your mentor,¡± Katie chuckled, returning the hug kindly. Another set of hands wrapped around the two of them. ¡°Don¡¯t scare us like that again,¡± Cole said to her. ¡®Are these the two people that are closest to you?¡¯ Ashley asked the girl. It was only now that she was realising who was closest to her... Sandra, her best friend and Cole, her mate... ¡°I can make that a promise,¡± she said to the two of them... ¡®Yes, Ashley, these are the two closest people to me. Well, outside my family,¡¯ she replied. The wolf reached out to the surface, taking in their scents as a way of imprinting. Had Sandra not read about what was going on, she would have run away from the girl. Snow white fur had grown from the back of her friend¡¯s face. Unlike the stubby facial hair of a grown man, this fur was soft like cotton and for some reason made the girl feel even more huggable. ¡°And you better stick to it. Both of you...¡± ¡°Someone is good at merging with their wolf,¡± Cole began, watching his mate in astonishment. Her fangs were elongated and her face had be more wolf than human, but she didn¡¯t seem to be straining at all. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Katie asked, finally getting out of the double bear hug. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not every day that a wolf and their human parts use the same body simultaneously. When that happens, it¡¯s called a half shift and honestly, it¡¯s notmon. Most werewolves want to be independent and find it repulsive to sync with their human counterparts even though they know of the strength that form provides,¡± he said. ¡®You¡¯re far too talented,¡¯ he thought to himself. ¡°Oh, well, I guess the moon goddess gave me the perfect match then. A wolf that gets mepletely,¡± she boasted, ¡°Now, Cole, hurry up and eat something. I¡¯ll smack you on the head if you don¡¯t.¡± Sandra, having seen Katie before the Founder¡¯s festival, finally understood why the girl hadn¡¯t gobbled up the entire meal. Despite her somewhat relentless eating, she had been thinking of Cole and was pretending to be satisfied just so that he could eat something. ¡°You two are made for each other,¡± Sandra said, getting off the bed, ¡°Have a good night.¡± Silence filled the room... Sandra was gone and the two of them were left to themselves once again. Katie reached forward for one of the takeout bags and found that there was one meal left within it. ¡°I guess Sandra knows me too well...¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Nothing... I was just pointing out that Sandra left her food behind,¡± she said. ¡°Oh my... we should...¡± ¡°Back off Lycaon, this is mine...¡± Katie¡¯s face was starting to return to normal bringing her face back to normal so smoothly that Cole almost missed the change. ¡°Alright fine, bottomless pit... Just don¡¯t get an upset tummy during the night,¡± Cole chuckled. ¡°What is it like... life in the pce?¡± Katie asked the thoughts of leaving her home creeping into her mind. Cole could tell she was anxious. It was the only way this could all go and she knew it. It didn¡¯t help make it easier though... ¡°How about we make that a story for another day. I should probably get going as well... Is there anything else you need?¡± he asked her, wrapping up his food so that he could get going. ¡°Yes, I need you to stay the night...¡± Chapter 111 111 Chapter One Hundred Eleven In the end, Cole hadn¡¯t been able to weasel his way out of the girl¡¯s request. He still didn¡¯t know why she was constantly need of him. He wasn¡¯tining, but he could tell something was bothering her and she didn¡¯t want to say anything. In fact, this was the exact way it had been before she¡¯d woken up from herma. After an hour of constantly pondering, he¡¯d fallen asleep with her in his arms... ¡®Not the way I pictured my first night with my mate...¡¯ was hisst thought before sumbing to the strong forces of sleep. He was also the first to wake up... He got out of the bed and took a shower while she slept. Once he was done and back in his clothes, he walked back into the room. He watched her scrunch her nose... Stirring from deep sleep... Her sense of smell was remarkable, he mused remembering the distance she had tracked Kyle from. In the end, they hadn¡¯t been able to keep him from escaping... The Rogue King had pulled many strings to achieve that feat. Considering the body count of rogues numbered 562 when the hunters were done counting. The rest had escaped during themotion... ¡®Just how many rogues are out there...¡¯ The sound of a yawn reached his ears and snapped him out of his thoughts, ¡°Someone finally woke up,¡± hemented. Katie looked between him and the spot on the bed where she¡¯d expected to find him in the morning before shrugging. ¡°Good morning, Cole,¡± she said. ¡°Good morning, beautiful,¡± he replied, walking over to her. He took her hands into his, ¡°Now are you going to tell me what¡¯s going on with you?¡± ¡°Oh... part of it was a demand from my wolf. She¡¯s less bound by morals than I am... The right, however, should be naughty. The other part, however...¡± she bit her lip, not wanting to let out the information. ¡°What is it? Tell me, Katie,¡± he coaxed her. ¡°I was afraid... Afraid to get back into thatma. I can¡¯t figure out what I keep trying to remember. I saw something, Cole. I don¡¯t know what it was, but without you holding me, it threatens to pull me back into that state I was in. I don¡¯t want that to happen to me,¡± the confession was scarier than the Royal had hoped it would be. ..... ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the Rogue king?¡± he asked, trying to keep himself calm. He didn¡¯t want to feel as helpless as he had before. Seeing her fighting for her life was not something he could handle twice. ¡°That¡¯s not it... This feels worse...¡± she replied, staring him in the eye. ¡°Someone woke up nicely,¡± the voice of the doctor reached them, ¡°How are we feeling today?¡± ¡°Good morning, Doctor Steven. I am feeling fine,¡± she replied, taking her eyes off Cole and shing the doctor a smile. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful... Can you try to stand up then? I want to see how we are doing,¡± the doctor said to her... Anticipation filled her when she heard the doctor mention getting on her feet again. Without wasting any more time, she swung her legs to the side of the bed and slowly attempted to stand. Cole reached out to help her, but she held her hand up to stop him. cing her feet on the ground, she got up and stood straight doing her best to do it slowly just in case she was going to damage her tissues anymore, ¡°See there is nothing to worry about...¡± she smiled at Cole. The royal smiled back at her... ¡°Try walking about, Katie. Not too fast though. You don¡¯t want to make it worse in case the healing is not yet done,¡± the doctor ordered. She nodded and focused on taking a step forward, putting energy into her right leg. However, the limb remained immovable. She strained a bit more and finally moved her leg... straining under the weight of her body, her left leg gave out and she found herself tumbling. Cole was in time to catch her from hitting the ground. She held onto the royal and let out a scream when her hands screamed upon holding onto him. Cole quickly noticed and lifted her up so that she didn¡¯t need to strain her arms as well, ¡°Doctor, what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± the royal yelled at the man. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Considering the speed at which she healed yesterday, I was under the impression that she would have healed from the internal injuries as well,¡± he replied, raising his voice to match the royal. Cole realised he¡¯d yelled and brought his voice down. ¡°What if there are fragments of metal from the arrows still left inside her?¡± he asked the man. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. We made sure to clean those out immediately we were told about how she was injured. There is nothing left. I can guarantee that...¡± he assured the royal. ¡°Cole, I know this man. He speaks the truth. Besides, if there was metal inside, it would be constantly throbbing. There is nothing of the sort as long as I don¡¯t strain my legs or arms,¡± she calmed the man. ¡°Then what could be the problem, Katie. He says you should be fine. I saw your wounds heal yesterday, why aren¡¯t you standing now?¡± he asked, his voice going high once more... ¡°If I may give a suggestion... The pain in your limbs... It might be in your mind. Your condition was unique,¡± he said to both of them. ¡°How is that supposed to be cured then? I don¡¯t remember a hunter ever having a trauma,¡± she said to him. ¡°With all due respect Katie, you are now a werewolf. And werewolves feel emotions more intensely than humans. I don¡¯t know how to help you rather say that you should try to get onto your feet at least twice every day and work your way out of the trauma,¡± he tried. ¡°How long...¡± Katie asked. The man remained silent after being asked, frozen by the fear of what he¡¯d observed. He couldn¡¯t say what he thought after he¡¯d just mentioned how sensitive werewolves were. Besides, if he mentioned the time he¡¯d deduced, she was probably bound to increase the time if she felt hopeless. When getting out of trauma, she needed all the positive energy she could get, ¡°I asked how long, Steven.¡± ¡°That all depends on you... I did mention a trauma. If handled properly, you could be fine within two weeks (arge stretch from the two months the doctor initially deduced), but if you handled it poorly, it could take you up to two months. The most important thing is to keep positive and try every day to get past it,¡± he exined to her. Ashley was listening closely during the conversation and noted the doctor¡¯s heartbeat. He¡¯d been lying the entire time and when he said thest part of the sentence, he felt better about himself. She didn¡¯t have to trante anything to the hunter that had learnt to torture rogues from within the dungeon at the Hunter¡¯s Agency. ¡°So it¡¯s two months minimum, huh...¡± ¡°Yeah... I¡¯m really sorry Katie,¡± the man said, avoiding eye contact. ¡°You have nothing to apologize for... How the hell will I be getting about without my legs?¡± she groaned. Eating alone was bound to be a problem if she could figure out a way to use her hands. Quickly testing with the television remote thaty beside her bed, she found that she could at least lift it without causing pain to re through her arms. ¡°At least I¡¯ll be able to eat...¡± Cole whined childishly, ¡°I was going to offer to feed you... Get you back for being a cushion yesterday.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so... Well, too bad... All you get to do is push my wheelchair,¡± she stuck her tongue out at him. Getting a push from his wolf, the man managed to smile, masking the deep sadness he had inside. He mentally thanked his wolf... Katie required more positivity if she was going to get better and he was going to be the first source of it... Just then, the door burst open... A girl dressed in therge coat that they all knew clearly belonged to the Mighty hunter strode in urgently. ¡°Tiny sister, you don¡¯t have to rush in like that. You¡¯ll give her a fright...¡± Lina stopped halfway through the room to turn back to her brother, ¡°When did I get demoted to ¡®tiny¡¯?¡± she huffed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not lying when I say that. You are tinier than your older sister. So it only seems fit or do you want me to switch? There are a lot of other words... Small, minuscule, microscopic...¡± ¡°Oh, I like that one... Germ-like,¡± Katie interjected, stopping her brother in his revision of the thesaurus. The manughed at her sense of humour. ¡°No, you return to little sister... Maybe you could call Katie ¡®middle sister¡¯ or ¡®scary sister.¡¯ She is the one that has the title of rogue Killer...¡± she pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s enough of your childish banter. Have you already forgotten the purpose ofing here so early in the morning?¡± another voice intervened. ¡°Oh, calm down Mr Gordon. It doesn¡¯t hurt to lighten the mood before presenting something as ominous as what you had us bring her,¡± Drake groaned. ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± Katie asked. Lina went quiet for a moment, reaching into therge coat and producing what happened to be... Four steel arrows. They reeked of wolfsbane and bore dried blood from their victim the night before. To Katie, they were thest missing pieces to the memory block she was having, ¡°May I have those?¡± she asked her sister, her voice drained of any more signs of happiness. Lina gave her the arrows, stepping back afterwards. Apparitions continued to gue Katie¡¯s mind, constantly throwing her back to that... pushing against her mental blocks to see past the image of the Rogue King. Katie had seen something else that night... and the sight of these arrows forced her to remember... All at once, the girl made a fist, snapping the steel arrows in half out of rage, ¡°Katie, what is it?¡± Cole asked, reaching out to her. His touch did not help to ease her anger. He could tell from the look on her face that she¡¯d finally remembered whatever it was that she dreaded and it pissed her off more than the Rogue King himself. ¡°I¡¯ll kill that traitor...¡± she said almost inaudibly. ¡°You mean Kyle... You¡¯re forgetting that we need him alive so that...¡± ¡°Not him... I don¡¯t give a damn about Kyle...¡± she stopped Cole short, her mind projecting thest remaining images that she¡¯d seen before passing out. Clear as day as seen through the vision of a wolf in the night, Katie had managed to see something far more dreadful and it made Cole boil with anger as well. She¡¯d seen the face of the archer... hidden within the trees, standing a safe distance from the clearing and well-hidden was the undeniable image of Jeremiah... Chapter 112 112 Chapter One Hundred Twelve Katie sat in the electric wheelchair that had beenmissioned for her and let her mind wander. Driving it around the Lycaon suite didn¡¯t feel like an ideal way to take a walk... and so she just let her mind soar while she sat at the balcony letting the cold wind blow through her hair and cooling her nerves. It had been a week since the attack from the rogues and many adjustments had been made since then. ire, the director¡¯s wife had woken up after five days in the hospital and the man had sworn to make tighten the security of Brigadia. The professional hunters were back in the field, realising now that the Rogue Killer was out of action, they had to pick up the ck somehow. The events of that day seemed to have caused far more damage than Katie would have liked, but there was nothing she could do from the wheelchair she was now imprisoned too. ¡°Katie,¡± a male voice called to her, soothing the somewhat dark thoughts that gued her mind. He was the only person capable of taking them away and she was grateful for his presence. However, the fact that they were leaving Brigadia in the state it was broke her heart. ¡°Out here,¡± she called back to him. After a few moments, his scent wrapped around her along with his arms around her shoulders. The man ced a gentle kiss on his beautiful mate, before rushing back into the room and returning with a sheet to cover her with, ¡°You¡¯ll freeze out here,¡± he said to her. ¡°You know I¡¯m made of much tougher stuff than that Cole. A little cold can¡¯t hurt me,¡± Katie returned. Sweat covered the royal and even had his skin-tight shirt drenched. It was only now that the female questioned the hug she¡¯d only received earlier, ¡°Someone¡¯s getting serious with the workouts.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been... You¡¯ll find that I can be intense when ites to keeping in shape,¡± he boasted, puffing out his chest with pride and adding a bit of the dramatic ir that brought a smile to his mate¡¯s face. ¡°That sounds like fun... Don¡¯t use that same kind of intensity on me when I get out of this thing,¡± shemented cringing at the over-exaggerated images Ashley was cooking up in her head. Most of them, however, were aimed at making Cole lookically handsome. ¡°Will you join me in the...¡± ..... ¡°Yes, please...¡± she replied before he was done. This was partly because of what happened on the first day she¡¯d tried to get everything done by herself. There were two things that made using the bathroom facilities impossible on her own. One was the pain from her muscles and the second was the wolf that constantly bothered her on missing an opportunity to spend time with Cole with less clothing. Sophisticated as Ashley might have been at times, she waspletely at the mercy of the royal. To that day, Katie had no idea if that was a good or bad thing, for it seemed Cole would do anything for her just as well. ¡°That was a quick answer...¡± ¡°Sometimes I think you just ask me that to patronize me...¡± she groaned, tapping at the joystick of her wheelchair to get her back into the room. She¡¯d grown ustomed to the device already and found that it got her everywhere she wanted to go appropriately. Nevertheless, she was helpless for as long as she was in the wheelchair and it scared her to the bone. ¡°When are we wanted in the lobby?¡± Katie asked him, dreading the moment they¡¯d have to get into that air jet to leave the ce. ¡°Well, we are royalty. I say they¡¯ll be the ones to wait for us,¡± Cole said, trying to hide the fact that he was trying to prolong the time in the shower, ¡°You know... You have a lot of packing (which they hadpleted the day before...), preparation, dressing. You have to pick the right outfit and look perfect...¡± he would have continued if she hadn¡¯t stopped him. ¡°Oh, keep going, mister. How long are you going to say all that will take?¡± she chuckled at his attempts. ¡°Well,¡± he stepped back into the suite from the balcony, looking up as though the math was difficult, ¡°That depends... You have arge wardrobe of clothes that Sandra helped you stock up on. The suitcases are a mess,¡± at this point, he¡¯d picked the girl up from the wheelchair and was cing light kisses on her lips, ¡°I would say a few hours... Five hours give or take one hundred...¡± Katie couldn¡¯t help butugh at his silliness. This is how he¡¯d be after that day. He spent every moment of his time that he could spare dotting on the girl and trying his best to make her forget the state she was in. He appreciated the hard work and weed the heavy pampering with open arms. As far as the progress went, she was now able to stand with a lot of effort and hold the position for a few minutes before she needed to sit back down. A great improvementpared to theplete inability to stand that she had when they¡¯d just started. ................. Davin Sirius groaned for what might have been his hundredth time this morning... The family sat in the lobbyughing at his impatience. They had dressed up and gotten ready for the long trip, but the couple that they waited for was making it a point to take their sweet time, ¡°Those two will send me to my grave before my time is due,¡± the manmented as he sunk even deeper into the leather sofa. ¡°Honey, you¡¯re going to ruin that suit,¡± Martha tried to warn the man. ¡°Today seems to be a day to try out new things, my love. I have never been dyed this much in my life. The least I could do is take it all out on the suit,¡± the man said. As usual, he¡¯d donned on one of his expensive white suits for something as small as travel and was now regretting the decision, mainly because of the boredom he was being forced to endure. ¡°Oh, dear... I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you like this, Father,¡± Drake spoke up, holding in hisughter as he watched the man some more. ¡°And I have never been subjected to this much waiting... I don¡¯t even know how...¡± he stoppedining after craning his neck to see his children¡¯s eyes glued to the screen of a tablet with earphones in one ear each, ¡°Oh, that makes sense... Is that...¡± ¡°Yes, Dad. Another episode of my favourite show. They began releasing the new season today and I got my hands on one of the first releases...¡± Lina said to him, trying to shut him up so that she could watch the show. ¡°Didn¡¯t you get that guy¡¯s number that one time when he came into Sirius?¡± the man asked, remembering one of the first humans he¡¯d ever wanted to kick in his life. ¡°Yes, that was him,¡± she replied, ¡°I got his number... or more like he asked for us to switch and he¡¯s been sending episodes the moment they are released. It¡¯s nice to be favoured.¡± ¡°Yeah and you have been favoured quite a lot for one lifetime,¡± Martha said, through her teeth. ¡°It¡¯s not bad to look this beautiful, mum. Besides, you should be proud. I got my looks from a beautiful Luna,¡± the girl cooed, making her mum falter for a moment, swayed by thepliment. ¡°Yes, you did get the looks from me. And like me, you should only find pleasure when your mate appreciates them,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the lecture a few times now, mum,¡± she flipped her off before turning her attention back to the screen. Just then, the door of the lobby opened and a girl came pulling a rolling suitcase. She rolled her eyes when the sound of a woman called out to her, ¡°And you¡¯re sure you got your scarves... All seven of them. It¡¯s cold in Sirius this time of the year, you know,¡± the woman said. ¡°Yes, mother. Would you stop triple checking everything already? We already went through these things yesterday,¡± she said. ¡°Honey, you know she will be fine,¡± a man spoke. The woman came in only a momentter carrying a handbag and in her hands, a pen and a notepad. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know anything about Sirius honey. Stick to the side of the continent where you came from,¡± the woman argued before moving on to the next item on her list, ¡°What about beanie hats? I remember you distinctly owning a number of them,¡± she said, twirling the pen in her hands. Sandra stopped walking to look at her mother. Atop the head of the teenager was a bright yellow beanie that screamed ¡®This is not where I belong!¡¯ The man who they¡¯d only talked to earlier came in lugging a load that surely wasn¡¯t meant to be carried by a human. Arge rucksack and two more bags along with another suitcase that... for some reason wasn¡¯t given to the wife to pull. ¡°That¡¯s one hell of a load of luggage you¡¯ve got there, Scary sister¡¯s mentee,¡± Drake said. The rest of the room looked at him, plunging the room into silence... ¡°What... I¡¯m working on it...¡± he groaned... ¡®Does he really need a title for everyone?¡¯ was the thought that went through most of the people that were present at the time... Chapter 113 113 Chapter One Hundred Thirteen The two parents finally went still when they noticed the colour of eyes that had the entire lobby vacated. Yes, there was fear for the Royals and when most of the inhabitants of the hotel had realised they were going to be in the lobby for a while, they¡¯d all found their way out to escape the pressure of the oppressing power they possessed. ¡°Oh, they are in the lobby,¡± Sandra¡¯s mother spoke, her voice raised a couple of octaves in surprise. ¡°Well, you haven¡¯t done so badly considering most humans realise there is a Royal around miles before they have actually met them,¡± Davin announced matter-of-factly. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± she replied. It wasn¡¯t a secret to anyone in the room that the woman was ufortable in their presence. It was only a reflex for someone who grew up knowing their history would go through. ¡°Oh, rx a little. I had scones made for your arrival. What¡¯s your name?¡± Martha said, presenting the woman with a tray filled with an assortment of confectionaries. Lina paused the show on the tablet and looked between her mother¡¯s seat and her current location. ¡®It¡¯s like magic,¡¯ she thought to herself. Martha chuckled at the young girl¡¯s reaction, never getting tired of making her do it, ¡°My name is Martha... Martha Sirius. What¡¯s yours?¡± ¡°Alicia... Alicia stair,¡± she replied, ¡°That hunk of a man doing me a solid over there is Benjamin stair.¡± ¡°Oh my... Such beautiful names... Take a seat and rx. We probably have a long wait ahead of us before the princess feels like she¡¯s ready to depart,¡± Martha said. ¡°Princess? Oh, you mean Katie... It¡¯s weird to hear her being referred to as a princess. I was used to hearing her being called many things, but thetest ones are too hard to digest,¡± Alicia eximed, already forgetting about the two that she came with and drowning in the queen¡¯s hospitality. ..... ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just go up and check on...¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you. Best that you let those twoe on their own. I am d that you chose toe with us. Katie will definitely need your help,¡± Drake said, holding his hand out for the girl to shake. ¡°Yeah, we are so happy that you chose toe with us,¡± the elevator opened to reveal two alphas dressed in casual, ready to depart as well. Jason wore his usual smirk and winked at the girl. ¡°Aren¡¯t you so happy?¡± sheughed at the man and went to hug him. With open arms, the alpha received her, ¡°I thought I smelt my favourite human. Although I must as what you are wearing on your head...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask, Jason. It¡¯s courtesy of an overloving mother,¡± the girl groaned. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m supposed to take that as apliment or an insult,¡± Alicia yelled from her ce on the sofa without sparing them a nce. At the moment, she was preupied with a slideshow the queen was showing her of boutiques. The two seemed to be within their element, ¡®Oh, I like that one...¡¯ one would hear from one of them. ¡°So this is the gentle... wolf or whatever that stole my girl¡¯s heart,¡± Benjamin, Sandra¡¯s father spoke, sizing up the boy and looking him up and down. ¡°Your daughter is in capable hands, sir,¡± Jason began. ¡°You too have your own agenda. Jason and I are very good friends and that¡¯s all I want to hear from the two of you,¡± Sandra said, leaning against the alpha with the widest smile she could muster. ¡°Ouch, sweetie... That hurts my feelings,¡± Jason mocked hurt. ¡°Oh, stop goofing off... My father doesn¡¯t know how to make a joke,¡± she smacked the werewolf at the back of his head. ¡°Ouch, okay, okay... I will promise one thing... And that is to protect her with my very soul,¡± Jason had suddenly taken on a serious tone. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Benjamin replied. He obviously had no idea what kind of rtionship was going on after the disy he¡¯d just seen, but he could tell that she was in good hands. ¡°Ugh, more love in the air... It¡¯s like the world breathes it these days,¡± Caden groaned, pushing the trio away from the elevator, ¡°Where are the other two lovebirds?¡± ¡°They are still up in the suite. I would think you would know considering you slept in the same suite,¡± King Davin spoke up, narrowing his eyes at the two. ¡°No, we couldn¡¯t know a thing. Cole ordered us not to go into his room or even knock today morning,¡± Jason said. ¡°Royals are forbidden frompelling werewolves to do their bidding. So why didn¡¯t you at least knock to know if they were there? We don¡¯t even know if they are awake,¡± the Kingined. His impatience stuck to his face in a permanent scowl. It was like he was going through the roughest torture out there. ¡°He didn¡¯t use his alpha tone on us, but we still didn¡¯t want to disturb him. Besides, Katie is an early riser. There is no way those are still asleep right now,¡± Caden exined. He wasn¡¯t fazed by the King¡¯s tone... something that all the Royals in the room noticed but kept to themselves. ¡°Scones?¡± the queen offered, this time gesturing to the receptionist who ordered for tea to be brought to them. ¡°Yeah, that would be nice. Thank you,¡± Caden replied, taking a seat. Everyone was finally ready for the trip. Cole¡¯s escorts, Katie¡¯s escort and the entire Sirius Royal family... The sound of the elevator echoed in the silence announcing the arrival of a new group of people. Thest ones to enter the room. Having waited for so long, the Royals didn¡¯t want to look to find out who it was... The gates opened, letting the scent of the one person they¡¯d grown fond of over the course of the week after the attack on Brigadia. The whirring sound of an electric chair reached their ears,pelling everyone to turn their eyes to the new arrival. Cole strode beside his mate, holding up tworge duffel bags and making them seem weightless. ¡°Hey, Katie,¡± Sandra was the first to greet the girl reaching around her to give her a heartfelt hug. ¡°Hey, Carrot top,¡± Katie replied, chucking at her friend¡¯s glowing head. ¡°You¡¯re hugging me longer for thatment,¡± Sandra said, prolonging the hug with the girl while slowly pulling her off the chair... ¡°Oh okay. Longer hugs it... Wait, no... You can let go of me now... Sandra,¡± Katie panicked, whilstughing at her friend¡¯s disastrous attempt at humour. ¡°What took you guys so long? You know... I want toin, but I am going to take the high road and act like you didn¡¯t just make the KING OF THE SIRIUS EMPIRE wait for three hours,¡± Davin said, yelling at the point of announcing his title. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you up, Katie,¡± Martha called out to her. The Queen¡¯s melodic voice waspelling to everyone that heard it. Katie found that her voice, however, soft seemed to soothe her no matter what situation she was in. As a result, the two were getting along quite well. Katie was finally starting to feel worth something even without her hands and legs. For as long as she was crippled, she was never going to stop feeling the sense of hopelessness that gued her. She couldn¡¯t defend anyone in her state and she had everything to lose. Lina was doing her best to get the girl to enjoy watching a movie. An act that Katie loathed from the moment she realised she needed to keep up her training. Drake, on the other hand, had all sorts of ideas. He took her through the different things that she was supposed to expect from the Sirius empire. And to top off his whole speech, he was trying to get her to join his team when they were to y the Royal games against Cole. After asking Cole about the games, Katie realised the Sirius team was actually stronger than the Lycaon team. Considering Lina had gotten a lot fast. Sandra visited a lot and moved out with Katie telling her about everything that was happening in school. After losing her ability to walk, Katie had refused to go back to school. She couldn¡¯t meet them after the speech she¡¯d given them about killing the rogue king. Her life was in shambles and everyone around her was doing their best to make sure she didn¡¯t let it get to her head. And every time someone approached her, she saw it in their eyes. ¡°Can we go now?¡± Davin asked, snapping Katie out of her thoughts. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go...¡± she replied to the king. King Davin, was probably among the kindest men she¡¯d ever met. King Sirius had a weakness of shy clothes and made sure he always looked his best, but from what Katie could tell, the man was very kind andcked the ability to hide his emotions in front of his family. The King and Queen, Martha and Davin were possibly the first couple that Katie was seeing disy this much love for each other. Tom and Marie had done the same, but being hunters, they could at least conceal their feelings when they had to be serious. Martha and Davin didn¡¯t mind when they showed their affection for each other and the way they were always in sync simply blew Katie away... Chapter 114 114 Chapter One Hundred Fourteen The whirring sound of the private jet roared at the small airstrip it had been packed in. Katie had never had reason toe to this part of Brigadia. Being one of the most remote towns in the world, the small town had endeavoured to have a small airstrip for the important hunters that lived there. People like Anthony, Frost and Jackeline were familiar with this part of the town. For Katie, this was merely thest part of Brigadia that she was going to be seeing. She hadn¡¯t even said goodbye to anyone in the school. Guilt weighed heavily on her heart. She didn¡¯t want to face them and everyone had told her that she didn¡¯t need to face them at all, but that was not enough to remove the feeling of guilt that weighed her down. ¡°If it¡¯s any constion, I told Dexter and the others that you were being transferred,¡± Sandra said to her. The girl could read through Katie like an open book. Most especially now that she was worse at concealing her emotions than before. ¡°Thank you...¡± Katie let go of the joystick that controlled her electric chair and stopped several metres away from the ne. The werewolves around all had perfect hearing and noticed instantly that she¡¯d stopped moving. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Davin asked, turning back to tend to his daughter. ¡°Not really... I¡¯m just... waiting for someone,¡± Katie replied. Not many understood how the odd ability the Chase family worked and the family was surprised to hear that she¡¯d learnt how to use it. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t exactly have an off button and currently, she didn¡¯t feel like she would leave just yet... ¡°Who might you be waiting for? I did watch you say goodbye to an entire facility of werewolf hunters. You had a birthday as a farewell party for crying out loud,¡± the manined. ¡°Honey, let¡¯s load the ne. Maybe that will be enough time while Katie waits,¡± Queen Martha said, cing her hand gently on the King¡¯s shoulder. The man instantly rxed and gave in to her request. Cole couldn¡¯t believe how impatient the man could be, although, after further thought on the matter, he doubted he would be so different if he was dyed beyond three hours. ¡°What is it, Katie?¡± he asked the girl. Sandra proceeded to back the ne and was soon followed by the two alphas that walked with Cole. ..... ¡°It¡¯s the same thing I just said. I¡¯m waiting for someone,¡± Katie replied. Cole looked back and sniffed the air. Maybe the air from the ne was interrupting his senses, but even his ears couldn¡¯t pick anything. There was almost no oneing... If she was sure that someone wasing, then they were still far and the man feared to test the King¡¯s anger much longer. ¡°Do you know who it is?¡± Cole asked. ¡°It¡¯s all those that were dear to me in Brigadia,¡± she replied, looking to the ground. Regardless of the number of times she had spoken of waiting for someone; she didn¡¯t turn back to the obvious direction they would havee from. She was, in a sense, still not ready to meet the one she was waiting for. ¡°Hey, we need to go. The ne is loaded...¡± Drake called out to them. The ne was ready to leave... However, Katie didn¡¯t move an inch and continued to look at the same spot on the ground that she had been observing. Sandra walked back out of the ne to tell her friend that they didn¡¯t have all the time in the world. Just as she was about to reach Katie, a loud chorus of footsteps resounded through the airstrip,ing from the entrance to the runway. Those that had entered the ne came out to meet the source of themotion. Katie didn¡¯t turn to see them but remained with her back turned. ¡°That¡¯s one audience you¡¯ve got...¡± Cole said, stunned by the scores of people that hade to see the hunter off. ¡°Come on, Katie. You didn¡¯t think you¡¯d leave without saying goodbye,¡± Dexter¡¯s voice came over a megaphone calling for her attention. Slowly, Katie turned her chair to meet the eyes of those that hade to see her. Dexter and the werewolves that lived in Brigadia. A few red eyes confirmed that their alpha was also present. The hunters from the Hunter¡¯s Agency stood, all of them dressed in uniform. The pros were dressed in ck while the junior hunters were all dressed in grey. One of the rare sights in the crowd was Shaemus and his mother. There was a chorus of gasps when they all saw her eyes, but this quickly brushed past them and was reced with smiles. Thest time most of them had seen her, she was ready to fight the Rogue king. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was right to let the greatest hunter Brigadia has ever had leave without a proper goodbye,¡± Dexter said once more over the megaphone before getting an elbow to the gut from a girl next to him, ¡°Oh, sorry, let me rephrase that. We all didn¡¯t think it right to let the greatest hunter leave without a proper goodbye.¡± A man graced with red eyes walked up to Dexter and asked for the megaphone, ¡°I am the alpha of the Graymoon pack that lives here in Brigadia. I can say with certainty that for the past four years, Katie has without a doubt protected our town singlehandedly... So much so that we¡¯d grownzy. It had be useless to put up security against rogues in this town. I think I speak for all of us when I say that... We are going to miss you, Katie,¡± a chorus of handps rang through the gathering of people. ¡°I¡¯ll miss my home as well,¡± Katie replied. Her voice came out hoarse while tears threatened to fall from her eyes. ¡°Oh my... Katie¡¯s crying... I guess a new eye colour is not all that¡¯s changed,¡± Dexter said, chuckling over the megaphone... ¡°Oh shut up, Dexter,¡± Katie replied,ughing with him. Dexter got serious after the shortugh, ¡°Do you still have the same goal as before?¡± ¡°Yes, I still do. My resolve remains the same,¡± she replied to him. ¡°May the moon goddess be with you. I have no doubt you¡¯ll bring us out of this war,¡± Dexter replied. For a jerk of a beta, he had surely matured. Katie had no doubt that he¡¯d mobilised the town toe here with him. Anthony stepped forward with ire leading the hunters who stood in two lines from the entrance to the jet at attention. ¡°Katie, you¡¯ve served the Hunters in Brigadia well. For years you defended this town on your own. Sandra recounted the events of the day when you were granted your Prometheus gifts. You aren¡¯t alone, Katie. We¡¯ll take care of this,¡± the man spoke. His voice wasn¡¯t as raised as it usually was, ¡°We¡¯ll take it from here, Hunter Chase.¡± With that, they all saluted. Katie, however, didn¡¯t move an inch. Cole, who had started the walk, looked back, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s left,¡± she replied. ¡°Who else could...¡± the sound of thunder stopped the Prince¡¯s words in half. From the entrance, making the shiest entrance, three figures appeared, dressedpletely in the ck leather that was granted to hunters of very high status. One of them, everyone knew... Jim Gordon, the Thunderp, but the other two were known only to Katie and the hunters. These two were the ones that had raised her for eighteen years. To meet figures of such a high stature, Katie turned the chair and stood out of it. Her adoptive mother engulfed her in a hug, ¡°You don¡¯t have to stand just for us,¡± she said. ¡°It only felt right... It¡¯s nice to see you guys have your powers back,¡± she replied. Uncle Tom was the next to hug her before he let her back into her chair. ¡°It¡¯s been nice raising a girl as talented as you,¡± he said to her, ¡°It almost feels like it went by in the blink of an eye.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to cry now when you¡¯ve always been the strong one in the family,¡± Katie said to the man. ¡°Hey, you won¡¯t find tears in a family of hunters except when they are saying goodbye to their daughter,¡± the man said. ¡®Who knew you were more emotional than Aunt Marie?¡¯ Katie thought to herself. ¡°I¡¯m d I got to see Katie Sirius with my own eyes,¡± Jim said, taking his ce in the line of hunters, but remaining at ease, ¡°You might just make the greatest hunter yet.¡± With that, Katie started the journey to the jet. The entire town was present for her departure and that was exactly how she wanted it. Whether she left in a wheelchair or a stretcher, her goodbye was meant to be made to the entire town... ¡°Someone has arge following,¡± Colemented as he fell into sync with her speed. ¡°It¡¯s not a following, Cole. It¡¯s the town I grew up in,¡± she corrected him. The people that had gathered weren¡¯t there because she was a celebrity, but because she was the girl that had grown up in the town. Everyone there knew who she was... the girl that pushed the book to the position of number one among the safest schools in the entire world, the rogue killer and now thest one that had been added... The girl who¡¯d risked it all to save the town from a horde of rogues... Each member of the town felt a kinship to Katie Sirius and that was all there was to the send-off they were giving her. Information of her being one of the moon goddess¡¯ Chosen had already spread through the town and they all understood that she couldn¡¯t stay there after being discovered. A princess of that calibre just had too much to take responsibility for... It had been an interesting eighteen years, Katie thought to herself. The stairs had been adjusted to make a ramp that let her wheelchair get into the ne effortlessly... arge uproar filled the crowd when the ne finally started moving. The citizens of Brigadia roared at the top of their voices as they watched the mightiest eighteen-year-old hunter leaving the town. Deep down, however, they knew they weren¡¯t as safe as they had been before. With Katie around, everyone had rxed. Learning of her special conditions helped them find peace with her departure and that¡¯s where they drew the strength to give her a thunderous send-off... Chapter 115 115 Chapter One Hundred Fifteen The flight to Sirius was nothing short of spectacr. They flew over all sorts ofndscapes that Katie was thankful they got to see. What she hadn¡¯t expected was for them to cover all thatnd in a short amount of time. The flight took a duration of four hours and Katie was able to tell that they¡¯d travelled many miles to get there. If she had decided to run the distance, it would have taken her days at her best. However, thinking of it in that way only missed being able to run. Ashley remained quiet most of the time... Katie would have thought the wolf was trying to rest. She decided against bothering her and moved on to the next most interesting thing. Her female best friend was turning blue. ¡°Hey, Sandra, you¡¯re glowing in all sorts of colours today,¡± she mocked the girl. The girl stood out in the bright yellow cape and her motion sickness didn¡¯t help her look any less vibrant. ¡°Just you wait... I¡¯ll be on the ground strolling in no time,¡± she countered, hitting Katie where it hurt the most... ¡°Oh, I know... And considering I was allowed to remain your mentor, you will use those legs exactly the way I tell you to,¡± Katie replied, shing her friend the brightest and most innocent smile she could muster. Sandra groaned and shifted in her seat, having received even worse news concerning what she was to expect in Sirius. Jason walked over and sat next to the girl, pulling her close to him and shooing Katie away, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you this bored in a long time... Shoo, leave my girl,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you, Jason. She¡¯s torturing me,¡± Katie chuckled at the two of them and proceeded to the next group of people... Yes, she had decided to take a tour of the entire ne. One might say she had a hidden motive or was simply too bored to spend the entire flight with her wheelchair in the same ce. She was looking for something motivating... of the sorts... The next group of people she came across was her newfound siblings. Drakey with his face to the roof, his mouth open snoring lightly. Katie froze at the sight in front of her and shifted her attention to the girl whose eyes were once again glued to the screen of the tablet she¡¯d noticed her with earlier. With earphones plugged in, the only way the girl would have known that Katie was there was if she caught her scent. Unfortunately, this also didn¡¯t get the girl¡¯s attention away from the screen. These were her blood siblings... Katie still found the concept somewhat baffling after having grown up in the custody of hunters that trained her to fight and defend herself. She moved her wheelchair closer to her brother and began to poke his cheeks to check just how asleep he was. ..... After failing to get a response, she proceeded with the tour. Next was her ¡®parents¡¯... ¡®What an odd family I have been blessed with?¡¯ she thought to herself only to lose grip of the joystick. The two Royals, the King and Queen, unlike their son, were asleep peacefully in each other¡¯s arms. The King had his hands protectively around the Queen who slept peacefully in his arms. ¡®You two just make everyone about you envious, don¡¯t you?¡¯ she mentally cursed. That was the entire crew that was travelling. Sandra had been allowed to join Katie to continue her training as a hunter and to help Katie considering she was no longer able to walk. Cole had offered to take care of all that, but only in private... An offer Katie dly declined... She didn¡¯t know anyone in Sirius besides the werewolves she had only got the pleasure of knowing for a few days and that was not enough to keep herfortable. It felt selfish of her, but it was what she wanted. She¡¯d let too much happen without her power over it. Changing homes just because you had no choice couldn¡¯t be easy on anyone. Sandraing along only made it easier for her. ¡°Can¡¯t get any sleep?¡± a deep voice asked the girl, pulling her out of her thoughts. Her reflection stared back at her through the blue eyes of the king... She hadn¡¯t noticed when he¡¯d got up and thankfully she was d she wasn¡¯t panicking in front of him as she had for the past week that he¡¯d tried to get her attention. ¡°Oh, no... It can¡¯t be easy to sleep when you are leaving your home to go to somece that you were actually supposed to have grown up in,¡± she pointed out. ¡°You really did love Brigadia,¡± the King chuckled, ¡°I hope the capital of Sirius meets your expectations. We discussed with Cole and he agreed to let you live in Sirius for five months. He wouldn¡¯t allow any longer than that. I don¡¯t know what he is in a rush for, but that¡¯s how it stands. I hope you love your stay there.¡± ¡°Yeah, I hope so too. Why does Cole get to choose that kind of thing?¡± Katie couldn¡¯t keep from asking. ¡°Cole is the only child to the Lycaon king and queen. He found his Luna. It only stands to reason that she would live with him in the Lycaon empire. There isn¡¯t much we can do about that... All we could do was get you some time to know your birth home,¡± he exined. ¡°Oh, I see... That exins a lot... In an odd forceful kind of way. How long till wend?¡± she asked him. The king stretched a bit and checked his watch, ¡°Well, we¡¯ve been in the air for about three and a half hours. We should be there in about thirty minutes. You should get some rest. There¡¯s much to do once you get there,¡± he said to her. Katie had almost forgotten that the flight was only the start of her journey. Turning the wheelchair around, she began the journey back to her seat. She found Cole just waking up from his three-hour slumber, ¡°Didn¡¯t you get any sleep?¡± he asked mid-yawn. ¡°You¡¯ll suffocate everyone in the ne if you yawn like that,¡± Katie joked about, ¡°And no, I couldn¡¯t get any sleep. I hope we don¡¯t really have that much to do when we get to Sirius...¡± Cole got up and lifted the girl out of the wheelchair with next to no warning. Once he had her straddled against himfortably, ¡°Now get some sleep, beautiful. There will be a lot to do in Sirius before you can rest again.¡± Even if Katie wanted to oppose the wolf, she didn¡¯t have the strength to do so. Only a week ago, she had nothing to fear from him because she could take him head-on in a fight and overpower him, or at least that¡¯s how confident she was of her strength, but now she¡¯d been reduced to someone powerless to a normal yellow-eyed werewolf. She cosied up against the man and let herself drift off into sleep, with help from her werewolf who was purring from being so close to her mate. ¡®You can be simple-minded sometimes, Ashley...¡¯ ¡®Oh, just shut up and sleep, Katie...¡¯ ............................ The nended only thirty minutester and Katie was deep into her sleep at the time. Cole, who had no wishes of waking her watched as the ne was offloaded. Sirius was cold this time of year and he had packed consequently, ¡®Caden, could you pass me two jackets?¡¯ the manmunicated to one of the alphas unpacking. Looking back at his friend, Caden realised what the jackets were for and retrieved them from his suitcase. Cole carefully insted his beautiful mate and carried her out of the ne. ¡°Are you going to wake her?¡± Lina asked him when she realised he was not helping with the unpacking. ck cars drove over to the private jet, letting out the drivers to help with the unpacking and transportation. ¡°I¡¯m not waking her. Any objections?¡± he asked. No one was in the mood to oppose him on that and proceeded with what they were doing, ¡°How far to the pce?¡± ¡°Thirty-minute drive... I don¡¯t...¡± Davin stopped speaking when Katie¡¯s eyes snapped open. The girl was far too alert for someone who had only woken up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Katie?¡± Martha asked the girl... Katie sniffed the air for a while trying toprehend what her senses were trying to tell her, but there was nothing definite, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about the capital. I can¡¯t interpret a thing.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. I need to know where I am in order to be able to pinpoint what my senses are trying to tell me or where they are trying to lead me. I know nothing of Sirius. I can¡¯t tell a thing,¡± she answered. Sandra brought the electric wheelchair to the couple making Cole groan in disappointment. Katie chuckled at the man¡¯s reaction and let him lower her into the wheelchair, however, the moment he let go of her, she began to feel very unprotected. The spots she¡¯d been shot through started to itch reminding her of her inabilities. ¡°If you are still getting those odd vibes, then just tell us the general message involved,¡± Lina groaned, getting tired of watching the scene in front of her. She still had two years before maturity and this only made her feel more anxious to skip the two years. She was partially d that Royals matured a little earlier than ordinary wolves which meant she didn¡¯t have so long to wait for her mate. She was discouraged by her brother though... the man was well into his twenties and was still single. It didn¡¯t bother him one bit, but she wouldn¡¯t want to wait that long. ¡°I can say one thing,¡± Katie spoke up, catching everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°There are rogues here...¡± The drivers that were still transporting the luggage froze at the spection. Katie noticed the tension and her mind went to work trying to discern how safe they were. Without her powers to protect her family, the least she could do was provide holes in their defence. ¡°The princess appears to have cold feet,¡± a man spoke up walking up to them. Katie looked towards him. This one was different... He¡¯d not carried a single bag and he was bulky enough to give Anthony a scare... His eyes shone a bright red that put other alphas to shame. Katie had seen the colour somewhere before... The man before her at the moment was none other than a beta alpha... ¡°Jackson, how has Sirius been with me gone?¡± Davin greeted him hugging what appeared to be his oldrade. ¡°Sirius has been boring without a bit of your re, your majesty,¡± the man replied, chuckling at the king¡¯s enthusiasm. His words were kind to the king and showed no sort of malice silencing all of Katie¡¯s red lights... This man was good in her eyes and it hadn¡¯t taken any effort to rule him out of the people that she couldn¡¯t trust... Chapter 116 116 Chapter One Hundred Sixteen Laying by the pool and taking a sip of nectar, the drink of the gods... The moon goddess relished the taste of it on her tongue. It was only rarely that she got to enjoy a meal. The gods didn¡¯t need much nourishment and so every meal was for the sake of pleasing their tastebuds... She¡¯d watched the entire fight that happened and was trying her best to keep her moods up. Nothing was going right... She knew her call with granting Ashley a rebirth as Katie¡¯s wolf was the right one, but that had only gotten the girl to ept her wolf in the middle of battle. Had it not been for that, Katie would have not managed to even meet the Rogue King. However, now that Katie had survived the near-death experience, she was stuck in a wheelchair which was the opposite of what she wanted to happen. The sound of footsteps caught her attention. Her husband walked up to her with a tter of heaven¡¯s finest ambrosia... ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± she began. ¡°Oh, you mean the ambrosia... I could just take it back or eat it all on my own,¡± Seth replied, threatening to retrace his steps. ¡°Ugh, Seth, you know what I mean. The girl... What in the world is she doing?¡± Celeste screamed at nothing in particr. Seth walked up to her and moved the ss of nectar far from her so that she didn¡¯t spill the drink. The goddess sighed, ¡°How can you be so calm?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t exactly know everything that¡¯s going on... I saw her getting hit. And now she¡¯s recovering, what¡¯s the problem?¡± he asked her, trying to see what he was missing. ¡°My chosen ones do not take that long to heal. Cole doesn¡¯t even know what wounds on his body look like,¡± she groaned, ¡°I¡¯ve checked the girl¡¯s body myself. She has no injuries left. Her body is in pristine condition... if not, she¡¯s even better than she¡¯d been before.¡± ¡°Really... Wait, you checked her. You know you¡¯re not supposed to interfere again. After what you did thest time...¡± ¡°Rx Seth. I didn¡¯t do anything like that. I just had Ashley tell me what¡¯s going on with the girl¡¯s body. There isn¡¯t even an injury in the girl¡¯s body and from what I could tell, she was supposed to be stronger after pushing herself past the limit like that,¡± she exined. Seth walked up to the pond the goddess was lying beside and looked down at the scene that was ying. The Sirius royal family had finally been reunited with their daughter, ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that reunion touching. They are even about to show her about the capital,¡± the man swooned. ..... ¡°That¡¯s not helping... You know what... We should ask an expert,¡± she finally concluded, her resolve shining through the mind link they shared. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t mean your brother?¡± he asked only to realise how foolish a question it was, ¡°Oh,e on, Celeste. Wasn¡¯t involving the Lord of the Underworld too much, to begin with?¡± ¡°I am not involving any of them in this war. I¡¯m just going to them for advice and a few favours. In truth, they aren¡¯t interfering in the war below,¡± she was quick to defend herself. ¡°Of course, you keep telling yourself that,¡± Seth groaned, taking a bite of the ambrosia on his te before cing it down and following his mate... After he¡¯d caught up with her quick steps, he asked, ¡°So when are we starting a family? Just hypothetically speaking...¡± ¡°We are immortal, Seth. That could as well as be after the war is over and humans are living together with werewolves in peace and harmony,¡± she said to him, pushing therge doors of the pce open and walking out to the courtyard. The man made sure to keep up the pace as the woman seemed to be in a hurry. ¡°WHAT?!! But that¡¯s probably two more centuries from now,¡± heined, skipping over his implication that Katie would not be able to end the war in the time that she had. ¡°No... you humans really have an odd way of looking at the time. Just think of it this way, whether we have children now or in hundred years, they¡¯ll all grow in an instant and stay like that for all eternity, undying... If you were nning on raising them and instilling things like morals and ideas into their heads, think again,¡± she exined. ¡°You make it sound so dark and boring...¡± Even after being brought back as her divine spouse, she still treated him like a human whenever he used human concepts with her. ¡°Yeah, I guess you could say it is... You¡¯re not the first one to want a child amongst the gods. Maybe we¡¯d actually get blessed with a child who doesn¡¯t grow so fast. It¡¯s happened before...¡± she shrugged, ¡°But that¡¯s not a conversation we are supposed to be having now of all times.¡± In a sh of light that engulfed the two of them, the goddess and her spouse vanished from the castle courtyard, reaching their destination in barely a blink of an eye. To human eyes, this would have been a random shooting star streaking across the sky. The gods couldn¡¯t bother themselves with such details anyways. ¡°What¡¯s with this ce?¡± Seth covered his eyes when he realised the pce they were visiting gleamed brightly with a sh of golden brilliance. He couldn¡¯t keep his eyes open at the sight of it. It was like staring into the sun... ¡°I forgot you still have some of your mortal quirks... You might want to look at it more before wend. It is the sun, you know,¡± she said to him. ¡°I am not going to try and understand what you have just said,¡± he eximed and kept his eyes trained on the bright structure until his eyes adjusted, allowing him to view it much better. When theynded, the brilliance of the pce was all but gone and it now stood normal. It was still gold, but didn¡¯t hurt to look at... ¡°He likes being shy. Reminds me of a certain werewolf king,¡± the moon goddess said, continuing the walk to the entrance like nothing had happened. Seth strained to get his bearings right and catch up to the goddess. This was the difference between a hero and a goddess. ¡°What are you going to tell him?¡± he asked her, wondering what she was cooking up this time. ¡°Hush, I need to figure that out before we find him,¡± she said to him. One more look at her face told him all he needed to know. The moon goddess was beautiful and even more so to werewolves that they¡¯d lose much of their thinking speed just by staring at her. However, after being reborn as her spouse, he could look through those charms and discern her expressions. She was stuck in thought on whatever she was supposed to be telling her brother... He never got tired of watching her at work. The moon goddess was serious as long as it came to her creation and for two centuries, she¡¯d been working to bring them out of their oppression. The gods were restricted from doing a lot when it came to mortals and they both knew that, but it didn¡¯t mean they were exempted from providing indirect help and this was what the moon goddess had been learning to perfect. After walking through the pce for what felt like ages, they finally found the room that exuded the most divine energy. This was only possible when a god was not trying to make themselves known to the people around them. Celeste pushed therge doors of what she¡¯d nowe to know as the Sun god¡¯sboratory. The male god stayed unfazed at his worktable looking through a microscope at whatever his current project was, barely sparing them any attention. Celeste, however, had expected this to be their invitation in and she walked up to him and stood on the other side of the table he was working from. ¡°Nice to see you pay me a visit, dear...¡± the man stopped when he saw her, ¡°Oh, you... What do you want, Celeste?¡± ¡°A proper greeting would have started this off quite smoothly,¡± she replied. ¡°And yet the sun must still set and the moon must still rise. I am a busy man, you know. Especially when I¡¯m working on a new gue to set on those darling humans down there,¡± he mused, taking a look at the telescope once more with a mischievous smile. The god, Apollo... He went by many titles... The god of gues, the god of music, the god of Archery, the god of Prophecy, the god of the Sun, the god of Medicine, the god of poetry, the god of light, the god of truth among other things that the god loved about himself. For all Celeste knew, he could have also been the god of all men that loved boasting about their good looks. Chapter 117 117 Chapter One Hundred Seventeen ¡°And here I was thinking that you would be working on a cure rather than a gue for once in your life,¡± she retorted, rolling her eyes at the god¡¯s petty hobby. ¡°Oh, my son, dear Asclepius is the one who¡¯s always handling the cures. Trying to prove to his father that he can undo every type of cruelty I set on the humans. Sometimes I think that boy is delusional about my love for him. Doesn¡¯t he realise I¡¯m making him greater?¡± the gods twisted logic failed to worm its way into Seth¡¯s mind. He simply couldn¡¯t understand what Apollo was getting at. ¡°Do these puzzles ever get you closer to your son? I¡¯m sure he just loves the humans a bit more than you¡¯d like to ept,¡± Celeste tried. ¡°I would only ept your opinion if you assumed the form of you that I respect. So... ¡®Celeste,¡¯ get on with it... As you can tell, I am quite busy,¡± he said. Seth was wondering what was going on between the two of them considering they were supposed to be siblings. ¡°I have a medical issue that I¡¯d like to run by you,¡± she said. ¡°Can¡¯t you just go Asclepius? The ¡®god¡¯ of medicine, ugh,¡± he raised air quotes around his son¡¯s name, ¡°Unless it¡¯s a werewolf in trouble, then that means you had no choice but toe to me.¡± ¡°Do you think you can put aside your deductive reasoning for once? I have a problem, it¡¯s medical, it¡¯s with a werewolf. I decided toe and ask for my brother for help. Before your son, you were the one who knew everything to do with medicine. Those of us who still remember those times stille to you if we ever need such help,¡± she tried to reason through the man¡¯s ego. ¡°You and who else... You¡¯re the first one toe to me for help with anything medicinal in a very long time. I was thinking ofpletely going for the title Apollo, god of gues and pandemics,¡± he continued. ¡°Brother, will you help me?¡± she asked him. There was nothing left she could say to convince him that he was still respected as a god of medicine. Asclepius had far surpassed him in that right and was known across the human world as the god of medicine. This was Apollo sulking after having lost that power. ..... ¡°What makes you think I¡¯d help you? Gods can heal all kinds of injuries with a flick of their hands. Go do that,¡± he said. ¡°The person I¡¯m trying to heal has no injury to heal brother,¡± this got god¡¯s attention. ¡°Now that is interesting. It¡¯s no wonder you came to me. I wonder if one of my gues got to them. Follow me to my scrying pool so that I might see this poor soul in need of the Lord Apollo¡¯s help,¡± his voice boomed across the castle while he strode out of theboratory. The two followed him as he led the way to the pool he used to watch over the human world. Opening the room he spoke of, a cloud of dust drenched the got in brown dirt. Celeste hadn¡¯t caught up to him and did all she could to preserve herughter. Quite embarrassed the god walked into the darkroom, lights turning on automatically and illuminating the countless books thaty inside gathering dust in the room. ¡°After what happened with the werewolves and the big man banning all godly interference except for you and Prometheus... well, until you fix your mess, I haven¡¯t visited this room. Years of civilisation and development fell after what you pulled,¡± he said to her, ¡°But all is forgotten, dear sister. Who is it you want me to look at?¡± Celeste, feeling a slight pang of guilt walked up to the pool at the centre of the room and cast a glow upon it, springing it back to life and wiping all the dust off it in an instant. Seth was getting used to seeing the impossible. Well, after how long he¡¯d been in his rtionship with the goddess, he knew what to expect every time he walked into another god¡¯s domain. ¡°That¡¯s her,¡± her voice brought him out of his thoughts and he looked into the pool to see the girl being carried out of the ne by her mate. The two fit together like puzzle pieces that almost made him envious. Had he not married the goddess herself, he would have been. ¡°Who exactly? The one being carried. She¡¯s in more shape than most of the people around there. And brimming with so much raw power and potential. I can tell she¡¯s not even in her prime yet and she still holds so much power. Maybe if you¡¯re talking about the one holding her,¡± the god said. ¡°Who, Cole... No, he¡¯s fine. I¡¯m talking about the girl he¡¯s holding,¡± she said to him, getting slightly frustrated. Right before Apollo could protest, he saw the girl get ced into a wheelchair. His eyes, after hundreds of years in the field of medicine, noticed all the twitches the girl¡¯s muscles made. The dormancy of her arms and legs and yet keeping the strength they held. It was like she was in good shape, but didn¡¯t even know, ¡°Now I see the problem...¡± ¡°Finally, some good news... What seems to be the problem?¡± she asked, getting excited. ¡°It¡¯s all in her head,¡± the man said. ¡°That must be the least anticlimactic diagnosis you¡¯ve given in the centuries that I have known you, brother. What do you mean it¡¯s all in her head?¡± she asked. ¡°I mean just that... The girl doesn¡¯t know she¡¯s fine or at least, she does but doesn¡¯t ept it. It¡¯s quite bizarre what the mind of a human can do. I watched the man cut his son¡¯s head off just because he thought it was a vine of grapes,¡± the man mused. ¡°That was... a very long time ago, brother...¡± ¡°I know, but when you¡¯re as bored as I¡¯m getting, you remember a lot about the past. I¡¯ve also realised I¡¯ve never once done something just from the goodness of my heart. I¡¯ve heard humans speak of such a thing. So for once, I will do it for you dear... sister, even though I like you better when you don¡¯t look like that,¡± he spoke. ¡°I assume you¡¯ll be leaving now,¡± he said, sitting cross-legged to watch the pool. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t allowed to use this room,¡± she said. ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m not allowed to interfere with humans, but nothing says I can¡¯t watch them. I¡¯m curious to know how this girl¡¯s life goes. I have never seen a human brimming with this much power from the gods. You must be scared to take measures as drastic as this... Good luck, Celeste. Fix this crap, so that I can get to messing around with humans once more,¡± he mused, ordering one of his servants to bring him a te of ambrosia. His experiment waspletely forgotten and now upied by what seemed to be a far more interesting movie. They strode out of the room with their mission done and with more hope for the future than what they¡¯d arrived with. Once again, Seth was left astounded by the efficiency the moon goddess had gotten out of this endeavour. ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡°I asked for a favour and got it done,¡± she replied as though nothing special had happened. ¡°I didn¡¯t even notice him use any power to diagnose the girl. He just stood there and looked at her,¡± he continued to grumble. ¡°Are you surprised? Asclepius might be good at his job, but his father was the first to study the human anatomy to the letter. Apollo got so absorbed in making gues that he didn¡¯t notice his son surpass him. Before long, the boy had invented something that could even cheat death. Something like that would only make him earn the title, ¡®god of medicine.¡¯ ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys afraid of mentioning names of gods so easily?¡± Seth asked. ¡°That¡¯s only for gods that are much more powerful. Asclepius is a peacefuld,¡± she replied. They were only getting to the courtyard of Apollo¡¯s pce when Seth stopped the moon goddess tugging on her hand. She¡¯d been moving so fast she didn¡¯t notice he wanted to talk to her. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you and your brother on good talking terms?¡± he asked her. ¡°Seth, look at me. I¡¯m the moon goddess, Celeste. The version of Artemis that doesn¡¯t go ording to her original vows. Do you really think he would be happy to see me in this form?¡± she narrowed her eyes at him, ¡°Oh, let¡¯s go already...¡± Thest statement he meant to say to her was drowned out by the sound of a twister that developed when they began their travel back to the pce. White light enveloped them and cast them across the sky, ¡°You¡¯re still lovable just the way you are...¡± He knew it to be a fact... after all, why had Apollo stayed to watch what his sister was up to with the werewolves... Chapter 118 118 Chapter One Hundred Eighteen Driving through Sirius was nothing short of magical... The city was full of more people than Katie was used to and the coboration between werewolf and human was almost nothing to think about. Humans traded with werewolves, ate with them and everything else that was required of the world that Katie wanted to see. She found that children also yed amongst each other without a care for the colour of their eyes. ¡°You look like you are enjoying the view...¡± the man she¡¯d only nowe to know as Jackson spoke from the driver¡¯s seat. Katie sat in this vehicle with Cole and Sandra, the trio two people that she was mostfortable with. The pce was said to be a thirty-minute drive away and she¡¯d almost rested through the whole of it. The different scents that worked their way into her nostrils and the different numerous sounds of life in the bustling city didn¡¯t let her rest through the ride. ¡°Why would anyone want to miss the sight of this kind of city?¡± she replied, staring as they drove past a group of cyclists racing. It didn¡¯t matter what they were and Katie soon found that she was going to have to keep her opinion of races to herself. ¡°This is one of the only few ces where the dream of the Royals shines through. The people here have met the Royals in person. Their positive energy is quite contagious,¡± Jackson exined, noticing the expression on the girl¡¯s face through the driving mirror. Katie had been working for so long to achieve something simr in Brigadia, but she hadn¡¯t had as much progress as what she was currently witnessing in this ce, ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± she replied. A wide smile spread across the beta alpha¡¯s face. Unlike the others she had met the other night, this one was kind and didn¡¯t bear any negative energy towards her. Closing her eyes to feel for any signs of trouble like she was taught, she found that nothing came through on her radar. She knew nothing of the new world she was in. There were new scents, new sights, new experiences, new people and she wasn¡¯t used to any of it. ¡°We¡¯ll be at the castle shortly,¡± Cole told her, sensing her difort. ¡°What¡¯s going to be done once we get to the castle?¡± she asked the beta alpha. ¡°We¡¯ll first take you through a tour of the castle and then to the room that...¡± he paused for the moment, ¡°That you will be staying in with your mate. The rest of what you would like to visit will be left to you. Later this evening, your parents have asked that you meet with them for a walk. The venue of this will be of their own choosing and they might require your consent when deciding this. After that, you will be allowed to do as you please for the rest of the day.¡± ¡°That sounds like a lot of moving,¡± Katie groaned, ¡°Just how big is the pce?¡± ..... This got Jackson smirking once more, ¡°You don¡¯t have long to wait... In fact, you should be seeing it in the next few seconds,¡± he said. Katie sat up straight and looked ahead. She¡¯d barely noticed when it was that they¡¯d exited the city and started a path through a more forested area. Luxurious houses were littered on both sides of the road they were currently on, perfectly blended into the nature that sprung around them. At the end of the road, however, arge gate stood tall, but it couldn¡¯t hide the massive structure behind the walls. The gates opened to reveal therge pce. The windows of the car went down the moment they were inside the gates, letting in the morning air. ¡°They weren¡¯t joking when they said Sirius was cold this time of the year,¡± Sandra shivered from the front seat. Katie looked out to the clouds that enveloped the sky concealing the sun from view. Normally, the cold would have gotten to her already, but this was yet another reminder that she was no longer human. ¡°Sandra, make sure to keep your condition known to me whenever it¡¯s required,¡± the order was clear. ¡°So, you don¡¯t feel the cold, huh...¡± ¡°Not one bit...¡± she sighed. .............. Katie was prepared for a day of definite boredom. The Royals spoke of tours and getting her used to her new environment. ¡°This can¡¯t be easy on you,¡± Cole spoke after a moment of silence. The giant staircase had been fitted with a ramp to help her move about on her wheelchair. ¡°That¡¯s not it...¡± she replied, trying to swat the unease that wouldn¡¯t leave her. ¡°What is it then?¡± he asked her. The werewolves that noticed the convoy immediately offered to help with the offloading and started to take them into the pce. A fewdies walked up to them, their eyes gleaming green and took notice of Cole¡¯s blue. ¡°It¡¯s the fact that I don¡¯t know this ce. I can¡¯t tell what my senses are trying to tell me. I¡¯ve never run through the woods that surround this ce. I can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s trouble I sense or merely a friend that I¡¯m supposed to meet. It¡¯s like reaching for nothing in the dark,¡± she exined. ¡°You mean your Chase mojo?¡± Cole asked, remembering the grand send-off that she¡¯d known of without any prior knowledge, ¡°I found it impressive at the airstrip.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s impressive even to the users,¡± she chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you two around here. Are you from the Lycaon Royal family?¡± a female voice cut through their conversation. Katie looked and locked eyes with a werewolf with green eyes. ¡°Hey, Crysta... Long time no see,¡± Lina¡¯s voice cut through the slowly forming tension, catching her friend¡¯s attention... Katie, who hadn¡¯t had the time to take in the blonde girl¡¯s features had only gotten shbacks of a simr beta¡¯s son, Dexter. ¡°Hey, Lina. You¡¯re back, already. When did that happen?¡± the girl asked her friend. The other two that the girl walked around with had the yellow eyes of a normal werewolf kept their eyes suspiciously trained on Katie. ¡°Who might this be?¡± one of them asked, curiosity leaking through her voice, ¡°And what¡¯s Cole Lycaon doing here?¡± ¡°Ah, you know who I am...¡± Cole spoke up, ¡°That¡¯s odd. I was sure to keep cameras away from me growing up.¡± ¡°Yes, that might be true. However, I was at thest Royal games and watched when you took down Alpha Drake in the final fight,¡± she piped up. This was a genuine fan of the Royal and didn¡¯t raise a single red light within Katie¡¯s defences. ¡®Your powers are so weird...¡¯ Ashley huffed, not approving of the girl¡¯s conduct around their mate. ¡°Lina, might we get introductions out of the way?¡± Katie asked her sister, getting ufortable under the scrutiny. ¡°Someone¡¯s eager... You have blue eyes. I know all the Royals from the Sirius...¡± ¡°Hold your tongue, beta...¡± Katie said before she could stop herself. Her eyes gleamed a bright blue and stop her. With a sharp inhale, the girl went perfectly still. The girl began to slowly turn pale and recognition hit the royals farter than they would have liked. Lina rushed to her friend and shook her, her blue eyes gleaming in a way simr to what Katie¡¯s eyes had done... ¡°Snap out of it Crysta,¡± it barely took seconds for the girl to snap out of the trance and gasp for air. Cole came by Katie and squatted in front of her, looking up so they met eye to eye. ¡°I thought you...¡± ¡°I know the rules, Cole...¡± she cut him off. ¡°Then why did you do that? The Royals don¡¯t take kindly to abuse of that ability or even using it at all. If anything were to...¡± ¡°Cole, it won¡¯t happen again, okay. I just need some fresh air,¡± she stopped him once more and wheeled out of there, with one destination in mind, the main gates. Cole knew she couldn¡¯t get far by herself and chose to follow once she¡¯d cleared what had happened here. ¡°What¡¯s with her? Doesn¡¯t she know what kind of crime that is?¡± Crysta started, finally finding her words. Cole could tell that she was livid and wanted retribution for receiving amand. This was the gift that had been banned amongst the Royals. Simply because it couldn¡¯t be rejected. A werewolf, ifmanded by a Royal, could even kill themselves. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that Crysta. Forgive my sister¡¯s manners. She doesn¡¯t know much about being a werewolf,¡± she said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense, Lina. You don¡¯t have a sister,¡± Crysta argued. ¡°I do... The same one that was thought to be murdered eighteen years ago,¡± Lina tried. ¡°I would like to apologise on behalf of my mate for her behaviour. I¡¯ll talk to her... If I¡¯m being honest, she¡¯s only been a werewolf for a week. She doesn¡¯t know how all of this works just yet,¡± he said to the girl. The statement struck a different chord from what Cole could have hoped. ¡°Lina, your sister died eighteen years ago. I know the Royals had hope in that girl being their saviour, but she¡¯s gone. Where did you even get that girl from?¡± Crysta asked. Her friends seemed to agree with her words. Cole, on the other hand, chose that moment to take his leave. With a short bow, he walked away from them... He wasn¡¯t aware of the green eyes that followed his every move... ¡°Crysta, I was with you at the Royal gamesst time we went, wasn¡¯t I?¡± her friend asked her. The green-eyed girl whacked her friend on the head and huffed walking away from them... Lina stared on in confusion, ¡®What just happened?¡¯ Chapter 119 119 Chapter One Hundred Neen Cole finally caught up to the girl at the main gate. With next to no resistance, the gates were opened for her to get out. Cole didn¡¯t like the ease with which she could get out and red at the wolves that had opened for her before going after her, ¡°Katie, where are you going?¡± he called to her. ¡°Cole, I need a tour of the outside,¡± she went straight to the point. ¡°Huh, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± the tapping her feet made against the foothold told him what she wanted, ¡°Well, there is a way,¡± he said smirking. The girl¡¯s face lit up in excitement, a look the Royal hadn¡¯t noticed he was missing this entire time. ...................... Nothing beat the feel of air rushing through someone when they were running at speeds that made everything pass by in a blur. There was a freedom that it offered Katie every time she diminished the significance of distance by reaching a speed higher than that of an average human. The feeling wasn¡¯t any different atop the ck wolf that had offered to take her through the forest. She felt at peace as they ran through the forest. Travelling, getting shot, almost dying, losing the ability to walk, shifting into a werewolf and gaining a new family... It was borderline insane what had happened to the girl in the span of one week... Cole could feel the emotions that were released when she let herself be one with the nature that they ran through. Unbeknownst to him was the ability that was constantly active mapping the entire forest as they went through it. Katie ignored the workings of her gift and let the mapping go on... It was part of what she¡¯d wanted to happen anyway as she was constantly on edge without being able to clearly detect what was happening in the surrounding woods. The sound of running water hit the girl¡¯s ears and got her out of her reverie, ¡°Cole, is there a river near here?¡± she asked him. ¡°Yeah, the River of Sirius...¡± he hated to say the name, ¡°These specific royals just loved naming everything after themselves. They say Sirius was the humbler of the two of the first Royals, but his descendants are surely made of some other genes.¡± ..... Katie couldn¡¯t help, butugh at theints. This very same thing could be seen in the king¡¯s conduct... He loved the attention he got from dressing in white... along with the attention he got from moving around with a wife that he clearly thought of as the most beautiful person in the world. Katie groaned at the memory of the two... ¡®Do they really have to be like that in public?¡¯ ¡°You mean your parents... Oh, wouldn¡¯t you like us to be just like them?¡± Cole, who had received thement along with visuals through their mind link, inquired from his mate. ¡°I¡¯ll notment on that. Where is the river?¡± she said, however much her wolf went out of her way to sendforting thoughts to the wolf. Cole chuckled at the difference between the two personalities, ¡°You have an interesting wolf. The river is nearby. We¡¯ll be there very soon...¡± ......................... After taking a dip in the river,pletely conducted through the help of her mate, Katie was able to finally rx her mind. The male loved tending to his mate despite the roles and responsibilities he¡¯d been trained to handle throughout his life. The creases that threatened to scar her face were now gone and she looked at ease for once... Her clothes were wet, but she didn¡¯t seem to mind that... ¡°Would you like to tell me what¡¯s going on with you?¡± he asked her. The question brought Katie¡¯s mind back to reality, her look of peace leaving her altogether making Cole regret asking. She now looked a little worried instead, ¡°Cole... do you know what I thought would happen after I had shifted?¡± she asked. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. What was that?¡± Katie chuckled, covering her face in embarrassment, ¡°It¡¯s so silly now that I look at it, but I thought that I¡¯d be going back to school the next day and have to live with the fact that I was a werewolf that was heading the junior hunters and security of the school. In fact, I was getting ready for the big reveal and everything. Everything would eventually settle and my life in Brigadia would continue the way it normally was. With my two best friends... I would have never seen a fraction of any of thising...¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t realized...¡± ¡°Hush, Lycaon... I¡¯m not going to be a pain. I just needed some fresh air to rx my mind. I¡¯ll learn to walk again... then I¡¯ll learn to fight again and we¡¯ll soon be back on our mission to defeat him,¡± she said to him, looking him straight in the eye. There was a moment of silence between the two as they stared at each other, ¡°It¡¯s ¡®we¡¯ now...¡± ¡°You made me promise I wouldn¡¯t do it alone. So that¡¯s what you get,¡± she replied... ¡°If it means I get to keep you safe from him, that¡¯s fine with me...¡± getting severely interested in the colour of her eyes and with how they constantly shone a strong blue. It was almost as though life pulsed out of them. Without thinking, the man found himself kissing her and without objecting, she kissed him back... ¡°Oh, how sweet...¡± a voice interrupted them. Cole growled at the man for the rude interruption, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind me. I just love watching young couples before I kill them.¡± Cole didn¡¯t let muche from him before he¡¯dunched himself into an attack. Trying to get the upper hand before the man could get ready for a fight. Katie was more curious about the way the man was dressed. Dressed in leather armour that left his arms exposed and a kilt for his legs. He looked like an ancient warrior. However, that did nothing to dull the danger he clearly posed them. Before Cole could get to the man, he¡¯d already been overpowered and knocked unconscious. ¡°Ouch, that looked like it hurt,¡± the man went again, lifting Cole by his shirt and tossing him the nearest tree from the treeline that bordered the river shore. ¡°What do you want?¡± Katie asked. From the years she¡¯d spent training her Prometheus agility gift, she was able to follow the man¡¯s movements while Cole had rushed in blindly and underestimated his opponent. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re wondering why or how I took him down so fast, it was simply because he was reckless. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve seen this boy fight in a more formidable manner. Love must be getting to his head these days,¡± the man continued to ignore Katie¡¯s questions. Straining her legs, she tried to get to her feet only to fall to the ground as pain rushed through her like electricity. Her knees had buckled under the pain and brought her down almost immediately, ¡°Oh my... You lookme... Should you be straining yourself like that?¡± ¡°I asked you what you are doing here...¡± Katie repeated through gritted teeth. The man reached for his waist belt and retrieved a dagger, ¡°Nothing much really. I just realised this might be the right moment to save the Rogue King some trouble and kill the weak wolves that are causing him one hell of a headache...¡± he was ying with the knife tracing the artery on the man¡¯s neck with the shaft of the dagger. Fear finally set into Katie¡¯s system... Cole was at the mercy of this man and she was immobilised, ¡°Oh,e on, Katie... I don¡¯t want to kill you without having a little fun first. I can slit his throat very easily and you are going to remain seated there and watch when the doctor told you your injuries were only mental... That¡¯s path...¡± The man stopped halfway through his speech just in time to dodge a fist aimed at his jaw. Katie¡¯s feet buckled once more and she tumbled past Cole. It had taken every ounce of energy she had to get up and activate her abilities... Her legs screamed from the strain... ¡°That pain you feel... Can you believe it¡¯s all mental? What troubles you?¡± ¡°Shut up...¡± ¡°Oh you will have to make me shut up, youngdy. Other than that, I have the liberty to say everything I want. Are you probably still ming yourself for not being able to capture Kyle like you promised and letting Ashley¡¯s murderer just go?¡± the wolf went still at the mention of her name... ¡®What?¡¯ ¡°Or maybe are you ming yourself for losing to Jeremiah and also letting him go. Or is it because you let the Rogue king go...¡± The man leapt out of the way just in time again. Katie¡¯s fist this time smashed into a tree, the wood groaning under the pressure of her strength. ¡°I told you to shut up...¡± ¡°Oh, that one was close... So you can move after all... I¡¯m afraid you still can¡¯t touch me with those measly gifts of yours,¡± he boasted, loading him onto his back like luggage. With only thoughts of losing Cole, Katie didn¡¯t have time to care about how much pain or stress her legs and arms were under. Once she found that she could bear it and move... she wasted no time in using that chance to pursue Cole¡¯s assant... Chapter 120 120 Chapter One Hundred Twenty Katie was quick to follow; this time her legs didn¡¯t hurt. Adrenaline pulsed through her body energising her to keep up the assault. However, the oddly dressed cosy character nimbly dodged all her attempts, smirking and making unnecessaryments every time she got close to hitting him. She finally copsed deep in the forest, having failed tond a single hit on the man. Her breath wasboured and the guilt that weighed on her conscience was reaching its limit, ¡°I know I failed... I was there. I watched Kyle get taken away and I watched as four arrows put holes into me... surrounded by hundreds of rogues... I¡¯m not a god. What could I have done?¡± she yelled at him. ¡°There it is... The true despair behind shouldering the burden of others. You say you will protect them all from the rogues and then make the mistake of thinking you have to do it all on your own. You train yourself alone and leave the others behind. What good did it get you when in the end, you were going to be killed because of it. What would you have aplished?¡± the man continued to ask. ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯d watched the way your parents used to fight... Or even that dynamic duo, Frost and Jack ontern, is it?¡± ¡°The name¡¯s Jackeline...¡± ¡°Whatever... My point is that you don¡¯t have to face everything on your own. You have much to lose if you do that. I¡¯ll make a deal with you. I¡¯ll spare his life if and only if...¡± Katie paid utmost attention to the conditions she was being given. Knowing full well there was nothing she could do to save Cole, she would have liked to know the alternative and hopefully negotiate. She hated being the one being forced topile, but her wounded pride was nothingpared to the pain she¡¯d feel if she lost him... ¡°You turn down your Prometheus gifts and walk up to me... I¡¯ll ce the Royal at my feet and when you finally touch him, I¡¯ll let you go. If you cannot do that... Then I¡¯ll kill him,¡± he said to her. Leaping away from her to put distance between them. Katie had expected something vile, but it wasn¡¯t the case. How could she blindly believe what the man said...? She knew she couldn¡¯t get away and could attack him... In fact, she was totally at his mercy and yet he continued to toy with her. Turning down the power the gifts gave her, she felt the energy leave her legs and the pain return. She ced one foot in front of the other and closed her eyes... and attempt to rid herself of the pain. ¡®The pain is imaginary... It¡¯s all in your head... A collection of all your failures justing back to make sure you never get the chance to fail again...¡¯ this was Ashley¡¯s voice now. ..... ¡°What are you talking about, Ashley?¡± ¡°I have visited your memories, Katie. I¡¯m sorry for the life you¡¯ve lived until this point, but you must ept that mistakes happen. Otherwise, you¡¯ll never be able to bring about the world that you seek,¡± she replied. Walking to Cole¡¯s unconscious body was a sea of pain that dulled her very thoughts. The face of the unconscious prince seemed to be the only thing that kept her focused on the goal before her, ¡°Katie, your parents gave up too much for them to merely watch you fail. You need to get up.¡± ¡°What parents?¡± ¡°All four of them, Katie... All four of them,¡± the wolf continued. The more Ashley spoke to her, the less the pain got. Her foot suddenly hit an obstacle and nearly made her tumble. It was Cole¡¯s body... ¡°I see you made it... How do your legs feel?¡± ¡°They are fine...¡± even after everything the man before her had done, she did nothing to attack him. ¡°You¡¯re not attacking me... Why is that?¡± he asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t felt the need to attack since you appeared before us. I figure your someone I should know,¡± she replied, finally looking the man in the eye... ¡°That¡¯s good to hear... You might call me Seth,¡± in a puff of white smoke, the odd man was gone and so was the pain in the girl¡¯s hands and legs... ¡°Thank you...¡± she mouthed to the nothingness before her... Katie got down and checked the male before her for any injuries. Surprisingly, he bore no scratch on his body. ¡®Damn, do you even get injured?¡¯ she marvelled. She was sure the strike that took him out would have been powerful enough to leave a mark, but s the man was unharmed and beginning to stir awake. ¡®I guess that was another one of the moon goddess¡¯ attempts to keep me alive. How many favours will I owe that goddess when all this is done?¡¯ she chuckled to herself while she got the royal to his feet. ¡°What in the world happened? Katie...¡± Cole¡¯s voice came out groggy as though he was from sleep. ¡°Did you enjoy your nap?¡± she asked him, waiting for the oaf to realise where he was putting his weight. ¡°Oh yeah, it was a peaceful nap. Haven¡¯t had one in a while... Wait, was I supposed to be sleeping? Why are you carrying...¡± he went silent, his eyes snapping open to look his mate up and down right before giving her the biggest hug she¡¯d ever seen him give. ¡°Took you long enough,¡± Katie chuckled, holding on tight to the man. ¡®Did it feel this way when you almost lost me?¡¯ Ashley¡¯s words mirrored Katie¡¯s exact feeling. For a moment, they both believed Seth was going to kill him and had found themselves utterly helpless... ...................... Seth finally returned to the pce on the moon where his wifey with her mouth agape staring at the scene that had just happened in front of her. Seth returned to the pce changing out of the outfit he was into something that was more fitting of this era... after walking a few steps into the pce he shuddered once more at the memory of having to wear those clothes every time he was sent to intervene with mortals on behalf of his goddess. Finally making it to the room they watched over the world below from, he began his string ofints and grievances without noticing the look on his wife¡¯s face. ¡°Why do I have to dress like that every time? It¡¯s preposterous. It¡¯s definitely no longer right to dress like that in this day and age. And not to mention the fact that I wore that outfit so many bloody years ago. Do you have to make me wear it again every single time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what you wore when you died. It¡¯s thew that if you are to intervene with the humans on my behalf that you dress in thest connection you had to mankind,¡± she said to him. ¡°That is a very absurdw and I want it removed. Ugh, I look like a barbarian in those clothes,¡± he continued. ¡°But you were once proud of them. One of the greatest warriors I¡¯ve ever known,¡± the moon goddess praised, ¡°And besides, I think you still look amazing in that outfit.¡± ¡°Name one thing about it that you like and if it¡¯s terrible I am going to...¡± ¡°It¡¯s symbolic, Seth. You need to get that through your skull. Katie would have not been able to tell that you weren¡¯t a threat unless you wore it. Besides, it shows off your biceps...¡± the woman mumbled thest part, popping a piece of ambrosia into her mouth before looking back into the pool. Seth chose to end his tantrum at that point and help ease the nerves his wife was obviously trying to keep hidden from him. ¡°What¡¯s bothering you, honey?¡± he asked her, rubbing her shoulders and pulling her into his hands. ¡°Did you have to go rough on her that much?¡± she asked him. One of the things he liked about her was her empathy and it shone every time she watched her creatures go through suffering. It had been centuries since the war began and she hadn¡¯t lost that part of her. ¡°I needed to get her to forget about her legs for the moment and focus on saving her mate. I didn¡¯t even know she like her mate that much. I do feel sorry for her wolf though. Staying restrained the whole time you watch your human half fail to get your mate from the enemy mustn¡¯t feel good,¡± hemented. ¡°No, it mustn¡¯t. I hope she can carry on from now. I don¡¯t see us helping her a lot from this point onwards,¡± the moon goddess¡¯ voice was filled with worry, but Seth knew better... after all, he¡¯d been there to fight the girl. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about her. She¡¯ll be fine now. Take a close look at where she is,¡± he pointed to the girl and zoomed out to provide an aerial view. The River of Sirius was well over fifteen miles from where they were and Katie hadn¡¯t seemed to notice the distance they¡¯d travelled. ¡°But how...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know... The girl kept me on my toes... well, for a mortal. I thought the distance would wear her out, but she was relentless and kept attacking me each time like it was her first. I must say I was impressed. She can walk now and is only going to get stronger from here on out. So fear not, my love... ................................ Chapter 121 121 Chapter One Hundred Twenty One Davin Sirius sat in his office going through the paperwork he¡¯d just asked Jackson to generate. After the time his daughter had spent in hiding, there was a lot to do for her identity to be set straight. He couldn¡¯t care less about it since she was known to be his daughter. Well, she would be during the announcement and wee dinner prepared for that night. He didn¡¯t sit in the office to do paperwork on this joyous day. He sat in his office to clear his head. Sandra had recounted the events upon their arrival between one of the beta¡¯s daughters and Katie. It wasn¡¯t a good look for the Royals and Katie had disappeared since then along with the Lycaon boy. ¡°You should stop stressing yourself, you know,¡± Martha spoke up, walking into the office in a white flowing dress. She¡¯d been known to wear a lot of white, but only because of her husband¡¯s love for the way it made herparable to an angel in his eyes. She walked up to him and put her arms around him to help calm his nerves. ¡°I know,¡± he agreed, sighing, ¡°What did beta Raymond say about his daughter¡¯s vition?¡± ¡°Well, he hasn¡¯t said much on the matter. So I invited him here so that we might talk to him together,¡± she replied. The phone at the royal¡¯s desk started to ring almost immediately. Checking the caller, he answered and turned the speaker on. ¡°Alpha, Beta Raymond is here to see you,¡± Jackson¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Let him in. Thank you, Jackson,¡± the king wasn¡¯t a great fan of the man that was being brought to him for a number of reasons, but necessity called for this meeting. Royals had to be careful with everything they did... even the way they spoke simply because it was very easy for them topel other werewolves to do their bidding. It was still unknown to them whether Katie had done it as a mistake or whether she had intended... However, they were ready to keep this matter away from her. A tall man came into the office only momentster dressed in a suit as though he was just from a business meeting, ¡°Did we interrupt your programs, Beta Raymond?¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind that. I was only leaving my workce when I received this information. Wee back, Alpha Davin... Luna Martha,¡± he greeted them before casually taking a seat in front of them. ..... ¡°Thank you for the warm wee. I hope nothing bad happened during our leave,¡± Martha added warmly. She started rubbing circles into her husband¡¯s shoulders, passing the gesture off as a nervous tick meant to calm the alpha down. She knew of the friction between the two and couldn¡¯t bear to screw up the discussion. ¡°Everything was just fine, Luna. I had no idea there was still a Royal who was not aware of the rules,¡± he began. ¡°Yeah, there is one that¡¯s still unaware of the powers of a Royal and we are doing our best to give her the proper training,¡± Davin said, tensing upon hearing the phrasing of man¡¯s questions. ¡°Oh, it was Lina. I¡¯m surprised she would do such a thing. Isn¡¯t she good friends with...¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t Lina. It was Katie...¡± the queen stopped him. The man paused for a moment processing the words that had just reached his ears. ¡°My King, I was among the pack warriors that risked their lives to defend your daughter eighteen years ago. You mentioned she¡¯d been killed in that rogue attack. I¡¯ve been hearing whispers of her return. Would you care to exin what that¡¯s all about?¡± he asked, trying his best to control his temper. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯d gone to confirm when we left. The child was rescued that night and she was taken far away and hidden. She¡¯s been raised by hunters the past eighteen years,¡± Davin exined. ¡°And where might this girl be?¡± he asked, folding his hands across his chest. ¡°Well, she went out with Cole Lycaon. I don¡¯t know of their current whereabouts. They wille back when they feel like it,¡± Davin answered, his forehead gaining a few more creases from worry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, honey. She will be here by nightfall,¡± Martha tried. ¡°I know she won¡¯t leave. She shows that much courage. I can¡¯t me her forshing out after everything that¡¯s happened, but I do wish there was something more we could do to make her stay here a better one,¡± Davin said, going off into his thoughts. ¡°You lost me when you said Cole Lycaon,¡± Beta Raymond interjected, ¡°What might he be doing here?¡± ¡°Have you already forgotten the story of the Moon goddess¡¯ chosen Royals,¡± she asked him. ¡°Oh, you mean the ones that will strip all Royals and alphas of their power to turn humans into werewolves?¡± he inquired, drawing on the memory from eighteen months ago. ¡°Yes, that one. Isn¡¯t it wonderful? The rogues will no longer be able to multiply,¡± Martha squealed, ¡°The war will finally reach a foreseeable close.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at it,¡± the Beta said. There was no excitement in his voice and the good news didn¡¯t appease him, ¡°I¡¯m only voicing my concerns when I say this. And I ask that you don¡¯t take any offence in the matter. For years, the hunters have been working with the Royals to stop the Rogue King. This has always provided you with amon enemypared to the beginning when you were both enemies. With the Royals¡¯ power gone and the rogues dwindling, who do you think the hunters will turn their bows too?¡± he asked. ¡°That¡¯s a pessimistic point of view, I see. If that were to happen, the hunters would be split into many factions since not all of them would agree to put down werewolves once the rogues are dead,¡± Martha argued. ¡°Your optimism makes you blind, my queen. I have only given my opinion on the matter. With regards to the use of the Royal tone on my daughter, I will turn a blind eye just this once. It mustn¡¯t happen again. I also expect an apology,¡± he said to them before standing up to take his leave. ¡°Hey, Beta Raymond,¡± the king called back to the man¡¯s retreating form. ¡°I remember you saying something about taking your daughter on a tour to search for her mate. How¡¯s that working out for her?¡± the man asked. ¡°I would say she doesn¡¯t have long until she¡¯s realised who her mate is,¡± the man replied with a proud smirk on his face. Davin returned the smile in kind, making sure to leave no holes in his faked expression. The two waited until they could no longer hear the man¡¯s footsteps even through their enhanced hearing senses. ¡°That man gives me chills,¡± the king spoke up first. ¡°Oh, you worry a lot. I do get chills from his daughter though. I remember the incident at the Royal games five years ago,¡± the woman said. ¡°And to think Cole doesn¡¯t remember her. I would have loved this to be one of those rxing family reunions,¡± the king sighed. ¡°What makes you think it won¡¯t be?¡± she said, giving him a peck, ¡°Nowe out for some fresh air. The paperwork will wait. This is simple enough that you can even have Jackson or Dalton look through it,¡± giving up onining, the man let the office be and walked out with his wife. There was much to prepare. .......................... Cole was now wondering how long they still had to get to the castle. Having walked for thirty minutes without any sign of the ce, he couldn¡¯t help, but wonder how he¡¯d gotten that deep in the forest. He looked to his guide and saw that she didn¡¯t falter in the direction she was leading him, ¡°How much longer do we have until we get there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just know that we are very far out. Probably a few more...¡± ¡°Can we shift then and make it there faster?¡± he groaned, getting a feel of what King Davin was going through earlier that day, ¡°Were you able to get a feel of the ce to soothe... your mojo?¡± ¡°Cole, how much do you remember from that moment?¡± she asked, finally tired of his somewhat erratic behaviour. ¡°Well, it¡¯s all a mess. I was with you at the river and then that¡¯s it. I want to ask what happened next, but I feel like I don¡¯t need to. I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m not freaking out about you walking normally. What¡¯s up with that?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve ovee my trauma... I can walk just fine now,¡± she boasted. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Can you run like you used to? Who else knows? How long was I out?¡± ¡°How can we fix whatever is going on with your head first? You must have been hit pretty hard...¡± it was only then that she realised a faint glow in the werewolf¡¯s eyes. She took a step closer to him and watched him reluctantly take one back. ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked him. ¡°I honestly... don¡¯t know,¡± he resigned settling down, ¡°I know something happened, but my mind¡¯s a mess. What happened?¡± ¡°Well, we were attacked by someone I¡¯m pretty sure is associated with the moon goddess,¡± she replied. A moment of silence went through the two of them... ¡°What...¡± was all he could say after an exnation that vague... Chapter 122 122 Chapter One Hundred Twenty Two After exining everything that had urred, Katie was able to catch him up to speed with their current situation and the reason why they seemed too far from the castle. He took in most of the information without any hesitation except for one thing that bothered him, ¡°I don¡¯t think I could have been taken out that easily,¡± heined once again, drawing a sigh from his mate. ¡°Cole, he wasn¡¯t human or werewolf. He was much more powerful than that. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the power behind his fist was actually meant for you to sleep deeply,¡± she said. ¡°You suspect some kind of magic in y now?¡± the man mused. ¡°We¡¯ve seen a man that runs and breaks the speed barrier releasing the sound of thunder and you find magic to be surprising,¡± Katie countered. ¡°Yes, I find the magic to be surprising. Just how much chaos do you think the world would have if such a thing were to happen normally. Soon enough we¡¯d be flying about on dragons,¡± he threw his arms into the air. Katie couldn¡¯t help butugh at how fast his mind had rushed to the extremities of magic. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be drastic for something to be called magic, you know...¡± to this, he did not answer. After walking for a bit in silence, ¡°Have you finally cleared your mind?¡± ¡°Thankfully, yes... I guess I just needed a ride from my mate and a visit from a diety to set me straight,¡± she replied, giggling at her own phrasing. ¡°Yeah, I guess so... Let¡¯s get back to the pce then. You have a party to attend,¡± the alpha said, shifting into his giant ck wolf. ¡°Have I ever told you that you have a beautiful wolf?¡± the girl said to him while they rushed back to the pce. With the wolf¡¯s enhanced sense of smell and hearing, Cole could tell where the city was and the rest was obvious to him. ..... ¡°You keep that saying things like that and you¡¯ll be marked before long,¡± the man replied through the mind link. Katie had only heard the word a few times and it wasn¡¯t one of the things that she had never thought of that would happen to her. ¡°Wait, when you say ¡®mark¡¯, you mean...¡± ¡°What else do you woulde to mind when I say something like that?¡± he asked her, his voice was serious and yet keeping its usual calm tone. She wrapped her hands through the wolf¡¯s fur and allowed herself to rest on him. ¡°Maybe not just yet...¡± ...... The pce of the Royal family of Sirius was built with more space behind it than was in front. Mainly because that¡¯s where several events were held within the pack. Most of the pack members were still wondering what the fuss was all about. The king and queen had drafted an entire program that was to be followed to the letter. A barbeque was being held... (well, werewolves and meat, even after centuries of development, remained inseparable...) The betas and the alphas of the Royal pack milled about ordering those that could to help get things ready. Different people took on different tasks like setting the bonfire, hunting and everything else that was needed to get this barbeque going. ¡°It needs to be perfect,¡± Drake could be heard from one side of the backyard as he supervised everything that was going on. Lina couldn¡¯t be bothered to help the rest with whatever they were doing. After all, with all the manpower they had, there was nothing she needed to do to help them. She walked past her brother, having seen preparations and satisfied with everything going on, walking on to get a sneak peek at her phone in her bedroom. Coincidentally getting a whiff of an odd scent that she¡¯d never smelt before, she started to follow it. It was not her mate¡¯s scent, for she knew the anticipation her wolf would have had for a miracle that gigantic, but it was peculiar and her strong sense of smell (some could have called it too strong for her own good) picked up on it. Walking through the halls, she heard hushed voicesing from one of the rooms. Maybe it was curiosity or her sheer love for gossip, she didn¡¯t know what pulled her closer to the door and strain her ear to find out what was being spoken about... ¡°How did you get your hands on it?¡± one of the voices said. ¡°Why ask? You want to get a sample. This will definitely get results this time,¡± another voice said. This one she could recognize immediately to be none other than Crysta. ¡°But Crysta, it¡¯s not right to spike one of their drinks. You could get into big trouble if you were discovered,¡± another hushed voice spoke up, sounding timid inparison to the others. ¡°Oh,e on, Bree. Don¡¯t be a wet nket. Just imagine me bing next in line to be Luna. Our lives could be so different,¡± Crysta said, sending Lina¡¯s heart into shock. She¡¯d always known about Crysta¡¯s obsession with men in power, but she was never around long enough to know just how bad it was, but the more she thought about it, Crysta would have never told another royal about her ns. It wasn¡¯t because Lina didn¡¯t spend enough time with her friend... it was just because of the colour of her eyes. ¡°Crysta, why do you want to be a Royal? They have so many restrictions that they are basically powerless,¡± one of them said. A sad truth... They had power because of what they meant in the werewolfmunity and they couldn¡¯t be overthrown because of the fear of their power. As a result, they remained in power, like it was supposed to be. Those who knew how to use thew knew how to walk all over them without tripping over any rms. ¡°Every time she walks up to us, she mocks us with how low we are,¡± the girl began, her voice filled with malice and hate. Lina couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. There was only one female in the pce that interacted with Crysta, ¡°Then there is that new one that hase. She looks down on me even when she¡¯s crippled... A defective royal to me,¡± shemented. ¡°What kind of werewolf rides in a wheelchair?¡± one of them giggled, ¡°Did you notice the ramps they added to the stairs to cater for her movement? It¡¯s got to be embarrassing. The way Cole ran after her. It was like he was taking pity on her.¡± ¡°After tonight, Cole will know who he deserves to be with. It¡¯s only a matter of time now,¡± Crysta¡¯s voice came. Lina chose that moment to leave the room alone having learnt what she needed to. Crysta had a sinister n in mind and Lina couldn¡¯t help, but giggle at the foolishness of whatever hopes the girl had. She did get one thing right though... She was the right age to have a mate and any im she made on a male was to be taken seriously... Well, that would be until everyone would discover if she was lying or not... ¡®This might just get interesting...¡¯ no one could me the girl for wanting a little bit of drama on the day her sister returned to the pce. In her mind, it was only a way to teach the girl who to associate with and who not to... ¡°Hey, Lina, aren¡¯t you going to help out?¡± someone called out to the girl. The girl who¡¯d called her carried a flowerpot of roses, probably for the ceremony. She was the daughter of one of the pack warriors who liked to work in the pce, dressed simply in floral dresses and didn¡¯t mind what anyone thought of her. ¡°I was... going to my room,¡± Lina groaned, after receiving a re from the one person in the entire castle that she could call her ¡®best friend.¡¯ ¡°Oh,e on, Honour. You know I don¡¯t like heavy lifting.¡± ¡°Come on and help me do the decorating. You can tell me all about Katie while we do that,¡± Honour replied, ignoring the princess¡¯ints, ¡°Well, tell me... How is she? Rumours are going around that she actually used the Royal tone on Crysta.¡± ¡°Yeah, Crysta had iting. I actually knew my sister would snap at her one day, but I who would have thought it would happen the moment they met. Personally, I thought it was hrious even thoughughing at her would have made her situation much worse. ¡°What are the King and Queen going to do about it?¡± she asked. ¡°They spoke to Beta Raymond. She¡¯s been forgiven although it sounded like it was thest warning...¡± Lina exined, giving her friend a side hug as she took the flower pot out of her hands. Honour, just like Lina didn¡¯t inherit much of the strength that came from being a werewolf. That didn¡¯t stop them from trying their best to help the pack. Being an ordinary werewolf, however, wasn¡¯t the same as being a royal and that made Honour much weaker than Lina. ¡°I envy that strength of yours, Lina,¡± she said, wiping sweat off her brow. ¡°Just keep that flower shop going and you won¡¯t need to have it,¡± Lina giggled at her friend. The two proceeded with the decorations, taking on the gigantic order that the Royals had issued to the flower shop. Lina regretted her cking goals when she realised just how much work her friend had to get done before the barbeque... ¡®When will you learn to depend on me for more help?¡¯ she wanted to say, but then again... she liked that about Honour. Chapter 123 123 Chapter One Hundred Twenty Three The Sirius pack was surrounded by three packs that had formed from the Royals of the past. They were the three that didn¡¯t leave the Royals when the war had raged on centuries ago. And they were also the ones that knew the depth of the Royals¡¯ mission. Partly the reason why humans in the capital of Sirius were sofortable living with them. A hierarchy had been established to maintain the order amongst the werewolves with the Royals at the very top. The King¡¯s Beta alphas were ranked above all the other alphas in Sirius. They didn¡¯t form packs either as their main priority was to serve the king. Beta alphas, albeit powerful,cked the power to defy the king even if he was only voicing his opinion of something. It was cruel, but also a consequence of the Royals of the past trying to control the bloodthirsty werewolves. The strongest of the alphas would be selected to be beta alphas which gave them more power over the rest but robbed them of their free will. As a result of this, the king was always careful around his beta alphas to keep his wishes hidden from them. This allowed them to retain their sense of self. Davin walked out the huge exit at the back of the pce and smiled at the finished preparations. Cole hadmunicated through mind link that they would be arriving soon. Everything was going ording to n. Tonight was the announcement of the return of his daughter and one of the moon goddess¡¯ chosen. Nothing could go wrong... or could it? The mouth-watering scent of roasted beef wafted through the air. ¡°Now that smells good,¡± Davin spoke more to himself. ¡°Yeah, definitely. I hope Katie loves it. Lina went out of her way to help with the decorations,¡± Martha said, walking up to the king. King Davin¡¯s wife was dressed in one his most favourite white gowns, flowing to her feet and sweeping the floor. It might have been his love for aesthetics or just an odd obsession with the colour of peace. Nheless, the Queen looked nothing short of dazzling. ¡°Lina, really? Are you sure you saw the right daughter?¡± the man asked her, pulling her into his arms. The queen giggled, ¡°Yes, it was Lina. I almost asked why she was doing it, then I say Honour with her. That girl is quite the influence on dear Lina,¡± the woman chuckled, letting her husband shower her face with pecks. ¡°Have you heard from Katie yet?¡± Davin asked, ending his shower of love. ..... ¡°She is going to get changed,¡± a new voice came from behind them. Cole Lycaon was dressed in a ck tux, fitting his bowtie... Martha could see arge difference between the time before he found out who his mate was and now... He was glowing. ¡°Someone¡¯s happy,¡± she chirped. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know the half of it. Something smells good,¡± Cole turned his face in the direction of the numerous bon fires that had been set up, ¡°I hope it all goes well,¡± he said. ¡°What could go wrong? This event will be perfect. The return of my daughter and a better future for the werewolves once the moon goddess¡¯ nes to fruition,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I get the feeling something¡¯s amiss. Maybe Katie¡¯s weird mojo rubbing off on me,¡± Cole chuckled. Just then a group of female werewolves came up to the male and asked that he join them. Cole, politely bidding the king and queen farewell, followed thedies, taking note of the one from earlier, Crysta. They walked up to a counter that had been set up outdoors and was serving refreshments, ¡°How are you liking Sirius so far?¡± Crysta asked him, crossing to the other side of the counter. Cole took a seat on one of the stools, ending his visual scrutiny of the girl¡¯s skimpy outfit and focusing on other things like the smell of beef waiting to be devoured. ¡°It¡¯s breath-taking. People are hospitable, I would say... I haven¡¯t spent much time touring,¡± he said. ¡°Oh, why¡¯s that? There is so much to see in Sirius. Have you heard of the Great river of Sirius? It has the most beautiful waterfall you could possibly imagine. It¡¯s also a perfect diving spot,¡± the girl said, preparing him a drink and setting it on the table for him to drink. ¡°Oh, that sounds fun indeed. I have seen the river though. Just today actually,¡± he said, taking a sip of the cocktail she¡¯d just presented him. ¡°Oh really... I could show you how to enjoy yourself there the next time we go,¡± she smirked. Cole was so upied in identifying whatever was odd with the different scents that invaded his nose that he missed the smirks that spread across the girl¡¯s face. Her friends, who pretended to be making finishing touches to the makeshift bar mirrored Crysta¡¯s expression... Their mission had been aplished. ........................... ¡°I don¡¯t need all these things you are adding to my face,¡± Katie screamed at the girls around her for the umpteenth time as they tried to apply yet more makeup to her face. Courtesy of her sister, Lina, she was being forced to dress up to the nines. ¡°You need them if you are going to look your best, princess. Princess Lina was strict with her orders when she told us to make you look good,¡± one of them tried. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my face? I look perfectly fine,¡± she huffed. ¡°You look like you were in a fight with a tree, your highness. No offense, but where have you been? And your hair, it¡¯s like you¡¯ve been inside a tornado...¡± she continued. Katie gasped at the remarks and preened at herself in the mirror once more. Her hair was indeed a mess, though a casual one that she was used to and her face, barely blemished was fine (ording to her standards anyway...) ¡°I agree with the hair, but there is nothing wrong with my face,¡± she huffed grumpily. A melodious giggle filled the air,ing from a girl Katie hade to know as Honour. She was allegedly Lina¡¯s best friend. Katie hadn¡¯t found anyone in Sirius yet who had a soul purer than hers. She cared about everything worth caring for and carried herself in a way that was only deserving of Royalty... and yet she was supposed to be amoner when ced among other werewolves. ¡°What do you think, Honour?¡± Katie asked her. ¡°I think we can put a bit of foundation on your face, but your hair really needs a makeover. I can tell you like it shoulder length, so we won¡¯t be snipping any part of it,¡± she exined. Sighing deeply, Katie gave in to their demands, ¡°Very well, do as you may. Just don¡¯t turn me into doll. Make sure I keep my natural look though...¡± ¡°So, is that the kind of thing Cole is into?¡± one of them asked her, prying into her affairs right at the core. ¡°I won¡¯t engage in that conversation,¡± Katie chuckled... ¡°Oh, you¡¯re no fun. I heard something from the other girls. He has quite a fan base,¡± the girl began. ¡°Oh, yeah. Although not many of them make themselves known because everyone knows Crysta has got her eyes on him. Rumours have been spreading about the two of them being mates,¡± another chirped in, working while Katie listened. ¡®Did you really have to exclude yourself from this conversation?¡¯ Ashley spoke up, clearly irritated by the information the girls were delivering. ¡®I didn¡¯t think they had information of their own. I¡¯m just as curious as you are, but...¡¯ ¡®Let me out so I can ask them personally. You are too calm in front of these people,¡¯ she screamed, forcing her consciousness out. ¡°Umm, Katie... Can you stop doing that thing with your face? It makes it hard to apply makeup,¡± Honour¡¯s once quiet voice made it through the girl¡¯s argument with her wolf. She looked up to see white fur gracing her facial features. She¡¯d never seen herself in a mirror before, but had felt it thest time she faced the rogue king. The effect of Ashley trying to bring herself forward was a half shift that made her look less of a human. Her ears were longer, the fur covered the top of her forehead and fell down in a neat line to the top of her nose, reducing the closer it got to the tip. The rest of her face remained normal except for the eyes that glowed brighter. The changes were minimal but significant, giving her an entirely new look. ¡°I¡¯d been told you were someone special, but you¡¯re something else,¡± one of the girls spoke first, having watched Katie¡¯s face return to normal. ¡°Was that the fabled half shift?¡± Honour asked. ¡°Yes, it is. I¡¯m guessing Katie knows nothing about it, just like Lina said. It¡¯s what happens when a wolf that¡¯s verypatible with their other half merges in a shift with them. That¡¯s what happens. They both take control of the human body and achieve that,¡± she exined. ¡°Why does Katie have to be the one with that kind of gift?¡± another asked, storming out of the room in frustration. ¡®Being talented is going to get you in quite a bit of trouble,¡¯ Ashley observed from the back of Katie¡¯s mind. ¡®I¡¯m guessing we aren¡¯t supposed to reveal the fact that I¡¯m a hunter with both Prometheus gifts...¡¯ ¡®Yeah, I think that might be safer...¡¯ the wolf replied, sighing, ¡®The price of having such an awesome wolf like me... Fame will soon be suffocating you...¡¯ ¡®Are you being cocky...¡¯ Chapter 124 124 Chapter One Hundred Twenty Four King Davin, yet again, found himself feeling impatient for the second time that day. The party was now twenty minutes in and drinks had been served, however, the guest of honour was still to be seen. ¡°Hey, Davin...¡± ¡°Mind your tone, Phillip,¡± Martha cut him off. ¡°Oh, forgive me, Your Highness. King Davin, are you sure you¡¯re not making a big fuss over this... seemingly too good to be a true discovery. We know this was the month in which she was born and you don¡¯t normally act normal at that time. Isn¡¯t this a bit... much?¡± the red-eyed man voiced his concern, taking another sip of the drink he¡¯d been served. ¡°I appreciate your concern, Alpha Phillip, but she will be here soon. What I can¡¯t believe is the fact that none of you has seen her this entire time,¡± the king sighed. ¡°I heard that she was seen exiting the premises immediately we arrived. She only needed some time to take everything in,¡± Martha told his husband, trying her best to keep him in his happy moods. It was rare for the man to get impatient considering all his orders were normally followed to the letter. This girl was doing the entire opposite of that. ¡°Where is Cole? Maybe he could tell us where she was the entire day...¡± Davin perked up, standing up swiftly and smoothing his white coat. He scanned the crowd and found him... (by scent). The alpha had his time upied with a girl dressed to seduce... if only it were possible. However, Cole was not objecting to all the signals she sent his way and it troubled the king¡¯s mind. He walked up to him only to be stopped by an announcement through the mind link, ¡°King Davin, the princess is on her way. She¡¯s done preparing herself,¡± Jackson¡¯s voice came through. Panic set into the King¡¯s mind. He¡¯d known she was getting ready but hadn¡¯t thought too much about it. He walked up to Cole and whispered into his ear, ¡°You might want to keep your eyes peeled,¡± with this he left the man contemting the meaning of the short gesture. Something was wrong with the boy... or maybe it was his imagination. Calling the entire crowd to attention, the King walked up the stairs so that he looked down on all of them from the top of the staircase. He would be the first one to see Katie when she came. The familiar warm presence of his wife by his side settled by him, setting his nerves at ease instantly. Lina was the first one toe through the door, pushing it wider to reveal the girl behind her. ..... The two parents gasped upon seeing their daughter dressed in a blue sleeveless dress, her hair tied was tied in a neat bun that exposed her fair skin. ¡°Is it a good idea to expose her neck on a day like this one?¡± the queen asked as their daughter walked up to them. ¡°That all depends on the two of them. We have nothing to say about that,¡± he replied before turning around and calling for everyone¡¯s attention. The whole crowd went quiet instantly, ¡°There was a slight dy due to some... Unforeseen circumstances...¡± this was the first time the king was speaking about tardiness and he didn¡¯t make it look natural at all. ¡°Is everything okay, your majesty?¡± Alpha Philip called from his seat. ¡°Yes, everything is fine now. There are probably rumours moving about on the reasons for this barbecue as well as the reason why we haven¡¯t let the lot of you dig your fangs into the meat before you,¡± he began, forcing a ripple ofughter through the crowd, ¡°I¡¯ll say what has brought us here and not what the rumours are saying. My daughter didn¡¯t die eighteen years ago. She was rescued that night and taken into hiding to keep her safe from the rogues that tried to kill her. As of today, she has returned to the castle and this is her wee ceremony.¡± ¡°You mean to tell me that we are about to set eyes on the famous, Katie Sirius,¡± another one of the werewolves spoke out. ¡°That would be what my husband just said. Try to contain your excitement,¡± Martha cut in, proudly. Katie, on the other hand, just felt her nerves double... probably triple upon announcing her arrival. ¡®How can you be nervous when you have me as a wolf... Stay confident... I saw a memory of you giving a speech once. You were inspirational.¡± ¡°Those people knew me and I knew them. There wasn¡¯t a face there that I couldn¡¯t ce and everyone knew who I was. That was nothing like this at all,¡± she mentally yelled. ¡°Well, maybe you could focus on something else. Like Co... There is something wrong with his scent,¡± this was thest thing Katie could have heard with the stress she was under. ¡°Katie, breath in and out twice...¡± ¡°Are you trying to get me to do the thing that the hunters used to make me do when I needed to...¡± ¡°Yes, that is what I¡¯m talking about, Katie. Now do it now...¡± it didn¡¯t take a fraction of a second before the hunter had lost all expression from her face, bracing herself with a small smile. This had been harder for her in the past few days, but with Ashley¡¯s support, everything was fine. She walked out of therge doors, the hints of nervousnesspletely gone from herposure. Her mother received her with a hug, followed by her father, King Davin, ¡°You guys didn¡¯t have to go through all this trouble, you know...¡± ¡°Oh, we had to. It¡¯s only proper that we wee our daughter back with one of the most anticipated ceremonies for werewolves,¡± King Davin said mid hug. ¡°I can smell the love for this event,¡± Katie chuckled, enjoying the assaulting scent that threatened to make her mouth water. Ashley, who could no longer be felt at the back of the girl¡¯s mind was also waiting for the right moment to join the party... the eating party. ¡°Katie, might I ask you where your wheelchair is and how the hell you are walking?¡± Martha asked her, doing her best to mask her surprise. ¡°That¡¯s not the same girl that you brought earlier today,¡± a voice broke through from the audience. Katie¡¯s eyes rushed to the source and spotted a man with green eyes, dressed in a suit and staring at the king in rage. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Katie¡¯s voice rang clear, rattling everyone¡¯s nerves. Without Ashley to keep her hunter side intact, her voice came out cold and demanding, yetcking all the elements of the Royal tone, ¡°Would you rather use my father of deceit?¡± She asked him once more. An air of awkwardness went through the backyard, ¡°Let¡¯s not make this day any gloomy, alright. Beta Raymond, watch your manners. The person in front of you all is indeed our daughter... and one that I¡¯m proud of,¡± Martha said, hugging her daughter once more in front of the crowd. The party was then allowed tomence, Katie luckily dodging whatever speech they would have wanted her to hold. Retrieving her phone, she contacted Sandra and met up with her before she¡¯d look for Cole. Reversing the order of that search only felt impossible, even though she was worried about her mate. If he¡¯d been in imminent danger, she would have felt it, but he seemed to be okay. ¡°How are you enjoying your evening?¡± Katie asked the girl who she found partaking in a pool game against a group of males. ¡°I¡¯m enjoying myself much more than I thought I would. Jason introduced me to a few of the pack warriors. Some male, some female... I don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t like the female ones, but they are very friendly,¡± she said, hitting yet another one of the balls into her desired target. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to hear. Although it¡¯s not fun watching you y a game that you are too good at,¡± Katie said to her. ¡°Well, it was my idea to challenge a pool master. It should be obvious for a hunter to be an expert in this game,¡± Sandra groaned while getting rid of another one. ¡°I¡¯ll carry that lesson with me for the rest of my life, Sandra,¡± the werewolf spoke up, leaning against his cue with no hope of winning the game. ¡°That was quite an entrance, Katie. Do you always speak with such amanding tone?¡± ¡°Oh,e on, Gunther. She¡¯s my mentor. Of course, she knows how tomand,¡± Sandra spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t usually speak like that. I just didn¡¯t like the way the beta spoke to my father. It was disrespectful,¡± she retorted, trying to find the man through the crowd and giving up after a failed attempt. ¡°Oh, you mean Beta Raymond. He¡¯s always trying to get the king off his game. The rest of us don¡¯t know what his game is, but he¡¯s always trying something. Just earlier there were rumours about the princess... Katie, using the Royal tone on her... Something like that would have caused quite a stir. Beta Raymond chose to overlook it, but it feels like there was more at y. Anyway, those are just my spections,¡± Gunther shrugged, ¡°Sandra, would you fancy teaching to y pool as you do?¡± ¡°Back off, Gunther. She¡¯s mine... If anyone¡¯s learning pool from this hunter, it will be me,¡± the voice of an interrupting alpha pitched in from behind Sandra and swept her off her feet, literally. ¡°Then someone asks where child abuse starts from,¡± Katiemented, watching the two, ¡°Have you seen Cole?¡± ¡°He¡¯s... over there...¡± dread filled the girl as she turned to follow the direction Jason was pointing. Surrounded by three girls that seemed heavily interested in every word that came from his mouth, Cole¡¯s hand stirred a drink, that Katie was sure was not the first he had had, while he slipped further and further into the grasp of whatever tonic she could tell was in it. However, even after knowing all that, she wasn¡¯t the least bit bothered by the sight in front of her... That was until she recognized Crysta to be the one that wouldn¡¯t keep her hands to herself... despite Cole¡¯s efforts. Chapter 125 125 Chapter One Hundred Twenty Five Sandra noticed the scene before her a littleter than she would have liked. Katie was walking over to the counter of the makeshift bar with murder written all over her. ¡°Hey, Katie, wait,¡± the girl rushed over to her friend and stopped her in time. Crysta noticed the two and gave a knowing smirk. Cole didn¡¯t seem to notice what was happening as he had his back turned to them. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he have caught my scent by now?¡± Katie asked the girl. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Katie, but...¡± the girl¡¯s voice was drowned out of the hunter¡¯s perception when she noticed only one thing wrong with the scene before her... and that was the ss that was being presented to her mate. She¡¯d already watched him drink one before, but the girl before him kept bringing more. Katie¡¯s senses had never let her down and knowing what she knew made her even angrier than she would have been. ¡°Hey, Cole,¡± she called out when she was behind the man. Cole reluctantly turned back. His face showed confusion as he looked at his mate. He was happy to see her but also bewildered that he hadn¡¯t noticed her approaching him. The two girls beside him barred Katie¡¯s advance which angered him. ¡°Would you step aside so that I might hold what¡¯s mine?¡± Cole asked the girls politely. ¡°And what exactly might that be?¡± Crysta asked, leaning over the counter so that she was closer to the royal while he answered the question. Katie clenched her fist in anger upon seeing what was going on. Despite her minimum knowledge of the way werewolf society worked, she knew this was all sorts of wrong. Cole stood up and walked past the girls, pulling Katie into his arms, ¡°I¡¯d like all of you to meet, Katie Sirius, my mate. Katie, why can¡¯t I catch your scent? I have to be very close...¡± he announced, the question directed more to the girl in his arms who didn¡¯t fight his hug, but rather returned it. ¡°Maybe you¡¯d like to ask the slut who¡¯s been drugging you,¡± Katie replied to him, before pulling out of their hug. ¡°What would make you say something of the sort? Do you have any idea who I am?¡± Crysta snarled at her. Katie walked up to the counter and took the ss of the counter. ..... ¡°Sandra, I¡¯d like to have this ss tested...¡± she handed the ss over to the girl. With Sandra gone, Katie didn¡¯t think she had anyone else to stop her from pummelling the beta that had crossed thest line she could allow. Two people she cared about most besides her family and she¡¯d drugged one of them. ¡°Katie, wait... besides my senses, there was no more damage,¡± Cole said, pulling her into another embrace... this embrace she fought. ¡°You don¡¯t know that Cole. There could be more effects only waiting to rear their ugly heads. This b...¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Katie. I¡¯m resistant to drugs,¡± he said briefly, bringing her struggle to a halt. ¡°What do you mean you are resistant to drugs?¡± she asked, turning so that she could face him. ¡°I mean exactly that... Any drug doesn¡¯t work on me. Whether a poison or medicinal, I¡¯m resistant to them. It¡¯s only rarely that they mess with a few of my senses. Those are the powerful ones though... Which I think the girl has used against me...¡± he exined. ¡°And you expect me to turn a blind eye at something like that...¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s acting like a bigshot. What exactly can you do against me, little pup? Rumour has it that you¡¯re so new to being a wolf that you don¡¯t even know how to shift. I¡¯ll swallow you whole little pup,¡± Crysta¡¯s voice came again. ¡°I can rip your head off your shoulders,¡± Katie replied, anger threatening to get the better of her. As a trained hunter, that was only something she could do if she was facing a rogue, but Crysta didn¡¯t have to know that. Crysta began tough upon hearing this, ¡°Oh, I doubt that. Even Lina has trouble fighting me. The Sirius females are reallycking in physical strength. The only difference is that you are more inexperienced. There is nothing you can do to hurt me,¡± Crysta said, ¡°As for the im of being mated to Cole. No one is going to take that crap for long.¡± ¡°What was that, Crysta?¡± Cole¡¯s voice broke through the argument, ¡°What delusions have you gotten yourself convinced about? I was going to let the poisoning slide, but not using Katie of lying...¡± ¡°You¡¯lle to your senses soon enough, Cole,¡± Crysta smirked before prancing away from the bar, her friends in tow. ¡°Let¡¯s get you something to eat,¡± Cole told the girl, who just nodded and let the male take the lead. Ashley chose that moment to return from her self-imposed restraints. ¡®I just want to shove that girl¡¯s head five feet into the ground...¡¯ ¡®What¡¯s stopping you?¡¯ Katie giggled. ¡®Well, royals have many rules that bind them. If that wasn¡¯t the case, I would have taught her a lesson. Until we know just how much we are allowed to do without tripping any rms, I can¡¯t act on my emotions. Which is why you are to use that hunter training that turned you into a killing machine for a while now...¡¯ ¡®Killing machine... Did you have to say it like that?¡¯ the girl groaned, before getting invaded by the smell of seasoned barbecue. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s amazing,¡± she swooned, getting the te Cole had brought to her. It wasprised of only meat. There was nothing else to supplement... ¡°Is this even legal?¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®legal¡¯?¡± Cole asked as he took her up to a table. The ¡®gentleman¡¯ in him made him pull out a chair for her to take a seat. ¡°It¡¯s only meat... No fries... Nothing else, but meat...¡± ¡°Did you want me to add something else...¡± ¡°No, this will do just fine,¡± Cole chuckled at her reaction before she began to dig in. ¡°It is hard to rear animals with rogues still out there, but the capitals are some of the ces where the rogues don¡¯t attack for purposes as small as stealing cattle. That would be suicidal of them. So the meat here is quite abundant. When you couple that with hunting, there is just enough for everyone. I expect you to eat to your fill,¡± he exined. ¡°Mm-hmm, I hear you, Cole. You should as well,¡± she replied, absentmindedly (partly Ashley¡¯s fault) ¡°I¡¯m surprised no one is asking you how you are walking yet,¡± he mused. ¡°They are all focused on keeping this event perfect. I bet they will have that question on their mind tomorrow morning. Or maybe if...¡± Cole had to look up from his meal when Katie went silent. The girl looked about the backyard frantically. Her eyes scanned the environment fast, but didn¡¯t seem to pick up on anything. ¡°Katie, what is it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. There is someone here. Someone who wasn¡¯t here before but...¡± ¡°So that¡¯s the famous Katie Sirius,¡± a voice came from behind Katie. Cole hadn¡¯t noticed the man¡¯s approach even when he was the one who would have been first to see him, ¡°Are you looking for someone?¡± Unlike King Sirius, this man was dressed in a ck suit of the same design and looked significantly older than the king. His eyes glowed a bright yellow that announced his status all too well. Cole couldn¡¯t recognise him, which only meant he was a royal in the Sirius family. He was well built and exuded an aura that rivalled that of the rogue king himself. The few wrinkles in his face did nothing to make him look weakened by age. As Katie took in the man¡¯s appearance, she got a deep sense of insecurity. ¡®This man is powerful,¡¯ she thought to herself. Ashley silently agreed with her... ¡°Umm, no one in particr...¡± she replied. Could he have been the one that she was sensing the entire time? Either way, she looked at it, this man was beyond her capabilities. She hadn¡¯t assessed the other members of the royal family and hadn¡¯t intended to as they were her family, but this man gave her chills. The king came rushing towards them, ¡°Hey, how did you get here so fast? Hey, Katie... yeesh, that¡¯s a lot of meat. Not princessy of you... Meet my brother... Alpha Sean of the Sirius pack... Once again, how the hell did you get here so fast?¡± Davin continued, pulling his brother away from the two of them before they had time to be acquainted. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of him, but I¡¯d never seen him up close,¡± Cole mentioned, keeping his eyes on the man. ¡°What¡¯s his story? He gives me chills,¡± Katie asked him. ¡°Well, he¡¯s Davin¡¯s brother... That¡¯s what everyone says, but he also looks older than Davin which is odd. I would think that the firstborn of the King would take the throne. So I can¡¯t tell you I know what¡¯s going on between them,¡± he exined, ¡°Is something the matter...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± Katie said, poking the food before her, ¡°I just can¡¯t shake the feeling that I can¡¯t trust him. There is a lot of plicated¡¯ here that it¡¯s suffocating. If it wasn¡¯t because of the trouble I caused my parents by using the Royal tone, I would have broken that girl¡¯s nose,¡± she sighed. ¡°I would have liked to see that, but that¡¯s just about how far I¡¯d let you go. Has anyone told you how beautiful you look tonight?¡± Cole began. ¡°Well, no one that I cared to hear it from,¡± the girl replied, finding it harder to look the royal straight in the eye. Just then, Katie noticed the change in their surroundings that had gotten Cole topliment her. Music yed in the background and a few couples had gotten up to dance. The party, she realised was a gathering with no specific agenda besides having fun... Beautiful flowers lined the walls and trees, bringing the ce alive in an array of beautiful flowers and lights carefully ced amongst them. Katie saw iting a mile away, ¡°Would you grant me this dance, Katie?¡± Chapter 126 126 Chapter One Hundred Twenty Six The couple swayed together to the music enjoying the peace that came with being in each other¡¯s arms. Cole¡¯s senses were starting to clear up as the poison left his system. He could take in her scent much easier... an aphrodisiac scent that had him fighting his wolf for control. Katie hadn¡¯t dressed before with her hair tied up and he¡¯d known the effect that one time that she¡¯d let him put a ne on him. He¡¯d wanted to mark her without her knowledge then even without knowing if she was his mate. ¡°Umm, Katie, what made you tie up your hair this time?¡± he asked. ¡°Do you not like it?¡± she asked him, ¡°I thought I¡¯d show off the ne you got me back then.¡± The sapphire ne hung loosely upon the girl¡¯s chest. ¡°That¡¯s not it... You look... stunning. I just remembered you tying your hair up once before with a hairband. What was that about?¡± ¡°Oh, that. I tie my hair when I¡¯m going to take a fight seriously. That¡¯s why I carry that around with me. That way, I can¡¯t have that much of an excuse. Cole, are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine... You have your gifts... Well, I have mine as well,¡± this caught the girl off guard. She knew he was one of the moon goddess¡¯ chosen, just like she was. But she¡¯d never thought they¡¯d be perks to that. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough,¡± Cole winked at her. The girl groaned at the meaning behind his words. ¡®Why do I have to wait?¡¯ ¡®I wonder if his gifts are...¡¯ Ashley asked, in deep thought spiralling entirely in the wrong direction. ..... ¡®Is this seriously one of those times when you have to go back to your primal instincts?¡¯ Katie asked the wolf, peeking into the thoughts of the wolf. ¡®Hey, you never know what it is. He did say that you¡¯d see soon enough. One of those times happens to be today night... in the bedroom,¡¯ she replied. ¡®You need a hobby, Ashley,¡¯ Katie giggled, bringing herself back to the present. .................. Davin sat in a table on the balcony of his office, looking to the backyard and overseeing the entire party below. Opposite him was the wolf that everyone knew to be his brother. To his right, his mate who he wrapped one hand around, just like he always wanted. ¡°What brings you here, Uncle?¡± he asked the man. ¡°Now why would I miss the return of my granddaughter? I heard of quite the scuffle that you went through back in Brigadia. Now, why would a small town like that give you so much trouble? You were there for nearly a week. You¡¯re growing soft, Davin,¡± he said.- ¡°What might be your point, Uncle? I¡¯d also really like to know where you got your information from,¡± Davin said. ¡°Oh, my source doesn¡¯t really matter. He¡¯s been instructed to stay hidden from you anyway. As for the girl over there, what can she do besides be pretty and wary of everything around her? I heard she was supposed to be moving about in a wheelchair. Howe she¡¯s walking around normally?¡± Sean was full of questions... and Davin was hesitant to answer any of them. This was the one royal that was never ounted for. He didn¡¯t cause trouble, but he didn¡¯t show any interest in aplishing the mission of the royals. In fact, he enjoyed the fear the humans had for royals. ¡°I¡¯m about to ask her about that myself. It does bring me joy that she can walk again though. For now, let¡¯s leave it at that,¡± Davin tried to take the attention off her daughter. ¡°Oh, Davin, you always try to turn a blind eye to everything that seems to bring down your mission. This mission of yours... It makes you soft. I watched the girl hold back while a slut tried to mess with her mate. All of you are pathetic. If that were me, the girl would be six feet under along with anyone who would oppose me,¡± Sean said, looking at the people at the party. He scanned through the crowd and frowned when his eyes fell upon beta Raymond. ¡°Where is my champion hunter?¡± the man asked. ¡°Who do you speak of?¡± Davin asked, ¡°Oh, you mean Jeremiah. I don¡¯t really know. I haven¡¯t seen him in a while.¡± ¡°Well, I sent him to Brigadia to stand in for me at the Founder¡¯s festival. He hasn¡¯t contacted me since then,¡± Sean announced. After the suspicions that Katie made about the boy, Davin had kept out an eye for him, but hadn¡¯t been able to find anything. Jeremiah had vanished like mist... the Hunter¡¯s Society imed to have let him go after he caused quite the scene at the festival and that was thest they saw of him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask his family? I believe you ced them in a town not far from the capital. If they went back there like I suspect they did, then you should be able to find out what happened from them instead of chasing a man on the run,¡± Davin said. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about Jeremiah being on the run, Davin,¡± Sean spoke in a low voice, narrowing his eyes at the alpha, ¡°Now tell me what actually happened to Jeremiah?¡± The two royals stared at the two discerning different ways to approach the situation without breaking into a fight. Martha noticed the tension and chose this moment to step in. She ced her hand on her husband¡¯s hand, ¡°Let¡¯s calm down, boys. I¡¯ll narrate what we know... To help your investigation go along smoothly...¡± ¡°Why would you hide anything from me in the first ce?¡± Sean grumbled. ¡°Well, that¡¯s easy... Jeremiah shot Katie with four arrows... You might want to rethink your champion¡¯s position,¡± Davin said to him. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. Did you see him yourselfmitting the act?¡± he asked, fury pouring out of him upon hearing the usation. ¡°Katie saw him before she was downed by four arrows heavily dosed with wolfsbane. We don¡¯t need more proof than that. You can check her memories if you want although I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll find anything other than what we¡¯ve just told you. If that wasn¡¯t the case, then where is Jeremiah right now?¡± Davin countered. The older royal looked back into the crowd and spotted the girl who¡¯d reported Jeremiah¡¯s actions. Katie wasn¡¯t one to miss lurking eyes and she looked up at him amidst her dance with Cole. The look on Sean Sirius¡¯ face was one of amusement... ¡°You have that much confidence in what she can do. How did shee to be shot by Jeremiah then? Do you have an exnation of what might have coerced him to do something so foolish?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what game he was ying at, but Katie was shot when she¡¯d just confronted the Rouge king,¡± Davin said. It was like everything he said unlocked another door to boundless information that the man wanted to hear. ¡°It sounds like you have quite the story right there. Might we get some more refreshments? I want to hear all about what happened in Brigadia,¡± the man said, taking a seat. His feelings about the traitorous champion seemed all but history now. ¡°What do you n to do about your champion?¡± the King asked. ¡°I n to have him interrogated. That¡¯s if he ever shows his face again. I would have ordered his death since I¡¯m not nearly as soft as you, but since it was I who rmended him and his family to be awarded the status of nobles, I would like an answer before having him hanged,¡± he exined. ¡°I find your ways to be ugly. Werewolves killing a hunter... It will turn the tide in this war. We won¡¯t have the full allegiance of the hunters if that happens,¡± Davin said. ¡°Oh, does that mean we are supposed to just sit back while the hunters themselves shoot down royals? Are you going to tell me that Katie was only grazed by those arrows? That you do not feel any sense of revenge boiling up within you every time you realised your baby girl almost died when you¡¯d only got her back a second time...¡± ¡°Enough Sean... We get your point,¡± Martha raised her voice for the first time in weeks. The royal knew to hold his tongue when the Queen got agitated, out of respect for thedy. ¡°I¡¯m d we can see eye-to-eye on this. Honestly, each generation of kings is weaker than thest. It¡¯s like you want the humans to forget their ce and assume superiority over the werewolves,¡± the man sighed. ¡°That is not what this is about and you know that. Humans will always know that they are not the same as werewolves and they will always witness their weaknesses. When I look down there, I see our future closer than we ever thought it¡¯de to be. Once their union isplete, it will only be a matter of time before all the rogues have been purged from the world,¡± Davin said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard your scriptures, Davin. No need to go over them again. Now tell me what happened in Brigadia before my tea gets cold,¡± the man said, pouring himself a cup from the kettle that had been brought to him. The air of hostility was finally clearing... The two finally gettingfortable around each other... The Queen sighed at the oddity before her, ¡°You boys are a handful...¡± Chapter 127 127 Chapter One Hundred Twenty Seven The remainder of the night, fortunately for Cole, went uneventfully and they were able to enjoy the celebration. Unbeknownst to the hunter that had sent her pupil on a near-impossible errand, Sandra had gone, along with Jason as her escort to the one and only ce that this big city had inmon with Brigadia (Well, the only thing they had inmon of the things that the girls cared about) ¡°Are you sure you want to go in there?¡± Jason asked the girl as they stood by the colossal gate of the Hunter¡¯s Agency. ¡°Well, I¡¯m a hunter... Junior hunter with Katie Chase as her mentor. Of course, I have to go in there and test this alcohol for any... drugs. I don¡¯t even know what she¡¯s suspecting. Cole looked fine to me,¡± Sandra started, about to go off in a string ofints. ¡°Cole is immune to drugs. The strong ones only dull his senses, but that¡¯s it. You can¡¯t use him to find out whether something was drugged or not,¡± Jason informed, forgetting how abnormal it was for Cole to have such an ability. ¡°Is that a normal urrence in werewolves? And when you say drugs, do you also mean wolfsbane doesn¡¯t work on him?¡± Sandra asked, suddenly interested in the new topic of distraction. Using the distraction, Jason rang the rm at the gate and continued with his exnation, ¡°No, it¡¯s not normal, but considering he was one of the two children that were born with the mission of ending the war with the Rogue King, we all figured he¡¯de with some added abilities. I haven¡¯t seen him depending on them so much these days though...¡± ¡°Is it possible that he drank all that knowing that it was poisoned?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s not...¡± ¡°Huh, that was blunt. Is that carelessness or something else?¡± ..... ¡°Not really... Alcohol itself can¡¯t get him drunk so... He doesn¡¯t really mind what he drinks anyway. Unless his nose can pick up on the drug, it¡¯s safe for him. If it still smells and tastes like alcohol, he will drink it. It won¡¯t get him drunk and he honestly gets bored by the drink in the end and you won¡¯t find him drinking any form of it if there is no asion to do so,¡± Jason rambled, trying to finish the exnation and dispel the nerves he was getting from standing at the entrance of a facility full of highly trained werewolf hunters. The gate began to unlock in a series of clicking soundsing from the locks inside. With one loud click, the gate began to slide open. On the other side of the gate, an oddity of a man stood before them. He was dressed in tight pink clothes from top to bottom that had Jason wondering if they were custom made... ¡®Who wastes their time turning leather pink?¡¯ the man triedprehending... What was more threatening about the man, however, were the quivers he carried. He carries four quivers in total, two at his hips strapped to his thighs and two on his back, making the arrows appear from both sides of his shoulders. His bow was firmly in his hands, folded at odd angles to make it more portable. ¡°And who might you lovelies be? It¡¯s rare for a werewolf, much less one that¡¯s an alpha to show their faces at the doorstep of an esteemed hunter¡¯s agency,¡± the man¡¯s voice came out with a girlish ring to it and he carried himself with a bounce in his step until he was in front of the visitors. ¡°My name is Sandra stair. This is my friend, Jason...¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the rushed introductions? Slow down, dear. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to bite you,¡± the man giggled at Sandra¡¯sck ofposure. The girl couldn¡¯t quite ce her finger on it, but this man scared her a lot and she couldn¡¯t figure out why. That was before she took another look at the arrows in the man¡¯s quiver. The tails had been made to take on the shape of a heart. His entire pink theme going on was starting to make sense. ¡°Would you happen to be Cupid Shooter?¡± the girl asked him, hoping he would say he was the one. ¡°Oh my... I had no idea I was this much of a celebrity. How in the world did you know, girl?¡± the man replied, fanning himself with his free hand. ¡°It feels like the most obvious thing in the world now that she¡¯s said it,¡± Jason groaned, forgetting the person he was talking to. Sandra felt like digging a hole and escaping... The worst part was... Jason wasn¡¯t done, ¡°Isn¡¯t Cupid Shooter supposed to be some old dude though?¡± This earned the boy a smack on the head that rang through the entire Agency regardless of their position at the entrance. The hunters that moved about inside the agency stopped to see what had happened, but only chuckled at the sight, continuing with their activities. ¡°You were sort of asking for it,¡± Sandra told Jason, walking up to him. Whether it was by instinct or because she wanted to was unknown to the girl. For she didn¡¯t think twice about it before pulling Jason into her embrace. ¡°Are you two a couple?¡± Cupid Shooter asked. Heat rushed to the girl¡¯s cheeks, ¡°I would like to think so,¡± Jason replied, hugging her back, the pain of the p to the headpletely forgotten. ¡°Oh, I love a good story. Why don¡¯t you tell me what brought you here and I might just help you out? But on one condition... You two are going to have to tell me all about how you met,¡± a mischievous grin took form on the man¡¯s face as he couldn¡¯t wait to hear everything the two had to tell him. ¡°Why do things always have to getplicated? And what are the odds that I would be meeting more than one of the four Mighty Hunters in less than a month? There are people who see one in a lifetime... I must be lucky,¡± Jason cooed, his mind half focused on the caring girl in his arms. ¡°What do you mean ¡®two¡¯? Oh, I was right about you two. Come on in, now. Don¡¯t be shy,¡± the two broke out of their hug to follow the ¡®Embodiment of the colour Pink.¡¯ ¡°My mentor sent me to get this alcohol tested for any kind of drug. It smells just fine to me and I honestly think she¡¯s being paranoid, but I still have to get it tested. She can tell if I were to lie to her, not that I would lie to her if she couldn¡¯t tell,¡± Sandra began. ¡°What makes her think it¡¯s been drugged? Has someone been found to have odd symptoms of a poison? It might help theb know what they are looking for,¡± Cupid Shooter tried. ¡°She¡¯s a peculiar character. Her hunches are usually right anyway. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she was right about this. And no, there was no one that showed symptoms of being drugged,¡± Sandra was wondering how much she was allowed to reveal to the man. It was like every question would lead to something else. If she really wanted to hide something, then she was going to have to mind the way she spoke, ¡°Is this where you always work, Mr Cupid Shooter?¡± ¡°You know I have a name, right. The name¡¯s Frank Silver... Though I honestly wish it was Frank Pink instead. Parentscked the kind of style I¡¯d like to go for. I don¡¯t work here. I was told toe here and keep an eye out. Anything beyond that is still a mystery to me. Apparently, something interesting is going to be happening in this capital,¡± the man exined, taking them on a detour from the main building to what appeared more like a hospital ward... the smell of medicine and drugs just wouldn¡¯t spare Jason¡¯s nose. ¡°Who sent you here then?¡± Jason asked him. ¡°That¡¯s aplicated question. There is a council that handles those details. I have never bothered to know who those are,¡± he mentioned. ¡°I didn¡¯t know we had visitors... Frank, what have I said about letting in unauthorised personnel,¡± a feminine voice came from behind them, forcing the two to turn around and Frank to groan in frustration. ¡°Oh, Beatrice darling, why would anyone I bring in here think of crossing me? It¡¯s likemitting suicide. And you know I wouldn¡¯t have brought them in without a reason,¡± Frank began his exnation, walking up to Beatrice and holding her hand, bearing the fakest serious expression known to mankind. Beatrice was dressed in the normal casual ck that hunters normally wore and had hair that fell to the same height as Katie¡¯s. However, she had brown hair and looked well out of her teens. There was no dismissing the air of power that surrounded these two figures aside from the fact that the Mighty Hunter was significantly stronger than Beatrice. ¡°I know you would bring a rogue in here just for the gossip,¡± sheshed out at him. Frank backed up dramatically with his hand on his chest, ¡°I¡¯m offended, Beatrice. I had no idea you think so little of me and them... Messengers of the Royal family itself,¡± he faked tears and pointed to the two visitors, ¡°To have them reduced to lowly rogues is nothing short of heartbreaking...¡± ¡°Okay, enough of your antics... They are so embarrassing. How do you even pull them off? Don¡¯t answer that... I just want to know who they are and what they are doing here,¡± she finished the summary of what she wanted for him and gestured for him to speak. ¡°You¡¯re no fun, Beatrice...¡± ¡°How did you know we¡¯de from the Royal family?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Well, first, you¡¯re an alpha that I don¡¯t know of. Second, your girl there spoke of drugged alcohol which I¡¯m assuming is from the barbecue party they are hosting right now. It¡¯s not that hard to connect the dots. I do have a few inquiries though. You spoke of your mentor and I¡¯m quite sure hunters weren¡¯t invited to that party. Now that you¡¯ve confirmed my first suspicions, what were you doing there?¡± the man asked. Suddenly this was against them and Frank had already switched from friendly to hostile in the blink of an eye. His fingers casually caressed the tail of one of the arrows in the quiver by his hip. The bow in his hands unfurling to its full length and stretching the string taught... ¡®The fastest arrow in the world was now aimed at them...¡¯ Chapter 128 128 Chapter One Hundred Twenty Eight Silence took over the vicinity, along with the other hunters that were minding their own business. Sandra knew all the stories that sang the Mighty Hunter¡¯s praises. After witnessing the Thunderp only a week before, she knew they were more than stories. It didn¡¯t matter whether he had the arrow nocked or not, there was nothing that could stop him from firing his arrow true to his target. It made up for himcking the agility gift. ¡°Let¡¯s not do anything we¡¯ll regret here. No one¡¯s an enemy here,¡± Jason tried. ¡°Says the werewolf that led a girl into a Hunter¡¯s Agency and almost got away with seeing everything inside it,¡± Beatrice began. ¡°Let¡¯s start over. I¡¯m Jason... I came to the capital of Sirius with my best friend, Cole Lycaon. We mean no trouble by being here... This girl here is a junior hunter,¡± he tried. ¡°Any one of you can say a variety of things to get out of trouble. I would like to speak to you ¡®mentor¡¯, if you have one at all,¡± Cupid Shooter began. ¡°Why can¡¯t we just check the database of hunters? My name will be there. As for my mentor, you might know the name already. She doesn¡¯t like receiving much attention which is why I was trying to keep her identity under wraps,¡± Sandra began, calming her nerves. ¡®We are not in trouble... We are not in trouble... If anything goes wrong, I can just call Katie.¡¯ ¡°What the name of this mentor you speak of?¡± Beatrice raised her voice, cutting Sandra out of her thoughts, ¡°I have never seen your face around here. There hasn¡¯t been news of a huntering here. Just the return of the Werewolf King. I heard he was returning with his... Can you believe it, Frank? He was supposed to be returning with his daughter,¡± the woman pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°I heard of that as well. Jim Gordon was among the people the advocated for meing here, by the way. Something about making sure this ce was safe for the first month of the Royals¡¯ return. I am supposed to be keeping an eye on the girl and making sure she doesn¡¯t get into trouble. In fact, I was on my way to the pce to see this marvel for myself,¡± Frank said. ¡°We are having a seriousmunication problem right now,¡± Jason sighed, ¡°And yet we are on the same side...¡± ..... ¡°Huh, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Beatrice asked this time, taking an interest in the change in Jason¡¯sposure. ¡°Well, we came along with the Werewolf King and just dropped here from the party to test a sample of alcohol that the princess thought might be poisoned, nothing more, nothing less,¡± he summarised. ¡°Would you happen to have proof of your whereabouts?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you call the king himself? If that¡¯s too cumbersome, you could try calling Drake or Lina... Or even Cole. I¡¯m sure that hoodlum isn¡¯t doing anything worthwhile,¡± Jason continued, forcing a chuckle out of Sandra. ¡°Can we test the beer or not? We¡¯ve taken a lot off your time as it is,¡± Sandra pitched in, holding up a vial of the liquid for them to see. Sighing deeply, Frank deactivated his bow and took the vial from the girl, leading the way into the hospital ward in search of theb. ¡°You two handled yourselves well. Take a seat there and we¡¯ll test the vial as well as check out your alibis. Try anything funny and you won¡¯t see my arrowsing.¡± With that said, the man left them in the sofas of the lobby waiting for theb results. After a short period of silence, Jason spoke up, ¡°Katie makes giving orders look so easy.¡± ¡°Yeah, she does. It¡¯s only the messy jobs that she never lets me do... Unless she is ordered to let me do them,¡± Sandra answered, leaning into her seat forfort. ¡°What kind of messy jobs?¡± ¡°The kind that you saw in the dungeon back in Brigadia. She does the torturing herself and only lets me do anything connected to harming wolves when she needs my help,¡± the girl¡¯s mind shed back to the time they¡¯d been invaded by rogues and had to protect arge number of people from them. ¡°It feels like a long time ago when we were defending Brigadia from an all-out rogue attack. My muscles still ache from that day...¡± ¡°I thought you got better,¡± Jason asked in a caring tone, moving closer to the girl. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine in a few days. They are only dull aches left,¡± she said, allowing herself to lean into the man¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Katie¡¯s walking again...¡± ¡°Yeah, she is... We haven¡¯t asked her how, but I¡¯m d she is,¡± Jason replied, wrapping his arm around her. ¡°I¡¯m not...¡± this caught the man off-guard. ¡°Why is that?¡± his mind soared through all possibilities of why a friend would want the other to stay crippled, but it all boiled down to jealousy and all other sorts of negative conclusions. ¡°She¡¯s going to start pushing herself again. Harder than she¡¯s ever pushed herself before. You didn¡¯t see her while we were growing up as children. She¡¯d train so hard she¡¯d fail to walk for days and even then, she would still find ways to train herself. It was only after she got her Prometheus gifts that she learnt to slow down. She was allowed to take on me as my mentor and trained me while making herself better. After the attack that night, she was subjected to a fear that she thought she¡¯d taken care of. The fear of not being able to protect those she cared about,¡± there wasn¡¯t a better way she could put it as she kept remembering the past... Before Katie even got close to the title, Rogue Killer... ¡°It must have been hard for her to get where she was at such a young age. To be shown that she wasn¡¯t where she needed to be yet in a way as cruel... Makes you wonder what she¡¯ll do next. At least she has you two,¡± Jason spoke up, rubbing circles into the girl¡¯s back. ¡°What about me? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about you and Cole. You¡¯re not nning on letting her drown in training again. You can help her regte and not overdo it. She might just miss everything important in her life if that¡¯s all she ever does,¡± he exined, ¡°I should know. I watched Cole almost do the same thing when he was told of the way his mate died.¡± Thest statement erased Jason¡¯s speech from the girl¡¯s mind, blinding her with curiosity, ¡°How old was he when he found out she was dead,¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure... Caden and I became friends with him when he was twelve. He was a loner who would only speak when he wanted to challenge pack warriors. His parents were trying to get him to be more social with the other werewolves, but we soon found out why he didn¡¯t like doing that. It¡¯s not every day that you learn you won¡¯t have a mate when you turn eighteen. Everyone around starts looking like the lucky ones. Every girl thates your way is basically not yours and already nned for by the moon goddess. It shouldn¡¯t have affected him when he was young, but the rumours are hard to keep down,¡± Jason exined. ¡°Would that happen to be how he found out he was immune to drugs?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°Oh no... That¡¯s another story,¡± Jason burst out intoughter, ¡°And a hrious one at that... The first time I saw someone apologizing so much to his friend after shooting him with an arrowced with wolfsbane...¡± ¡°That does not sound like a funny story...¡± Sandra narrowed her eyes at the man. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t sound funny when you don¡¯t know the details, of course. Besides, Cole is basically imprable. The arrow barely scratched him...¡± he argued, holding back more of hisughter. Sandra pinched the bridge of her nose once more finding something he¡¯s said interesting. One statement just led to another and another and another... ¡°What do you mean by imprable?¡± Jason stoppedughing to analyse their conversation, ¡°I have just realised you know nothing about what Cole can do. The rogue killer really knows how to steal the spotlight of the winner of the Royal games. Didn¡¯t it ever bother you that Cole won against Drake in the Royal games and yet Drake is older than him by about four years give or take a few?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been to the Royal games and barely had any interest in them growing up. Partly because I had no idea what they are about,¡± she answered innocently, gracing her face with the widest smile she could manage. ¡°The results are back and your alibis check out... I don¡¯t know how your mentor or whatever found out, but there was definitely a drug in this. A dangerous one too... I actually thought it was out of cirction,¡± Frank spoke up, walking up to them with a bunch of papers and an envelope to put them in. ¡°What drug was it?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s an aphrodisiac. Although it is designed to affect werewolves only and make them obsess over one person in particr. It fakes the symptoms of a mate bond gone wrong... I call it that because of how catastrophic it always turns out. In the wrong dosage, it can be very dangerous to both the victim and the one that has drugged them. ¡°What you¡¯re saying is that a werewolf that takes this will fall head over heels for whoever served it?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°Well, basically yes and no... The drug must contain the DNA of the person serving it if it is to work for them. Otherwise, it makes the wolf attracted to the person that has rigged it with their DNA. It is dangerous and wears off in a matter of hours. Excessive use of it has been known to cause problems such as nose bleeding, headaches, nausea and a lot of other nasty things. You said that there was no one who had been affected yet, so I ask that you warn whoever is at that party of what is in that drink. There could be more... ¡°No, I doubt they are more... considering I might know who spiked the drink and who the target was,¡± Sandra stopped him. Sighing deeply, the girl received the envelope from the hunter, ¡°The big city is going to be a handful...¡± Chapter 129 129 Chapter One Hundred Twenty Nine The slow dancing time finally came to an end and whoever was chosen to handle the music decided it was best to spice things up. The mood changed the moment the music changed, switching it to the fast-paced and clearing the stage of romantic couples. With the slow ageing process amongst the werewolves, it was times like this that many of them forgot just what boundariesy between teenagers and youth. Well, the two had something inmon when it came to enjoying the thrill of a rave, but the age bracket might have been a little bitrger than human limits dictated. A forty-year-old werewolf could just as well be mistaken for a twenty-year-old and so the chaos began, shoving the Royal couple off the stage and to the side where they watched the werewolves go wild with smiles on their faces. ¡°Have you seen Sandra?¡± Katie yelled over the sound of the music. ¡°Not really... It would be hard to find her in this crowd if she¡¯s in it. Let me try talking to Jason,¡± Cole replied, keeping his voice levelled as though there was no music. When Katie strained to hear him, she was surprised by how clear he sounded even with the music that was zing. The lights in the trees had also taken on an entirely different array of lights and shes, perfectly simting the lighting of disco in the open space. ¡°Did you enjoy the drinks with that she-wolf?¡± Katie asked him, trying to figure out what must have been going through his mind. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t get drunk and I don¡¯t like the taste of alcohol that much. So I don¡¯t think I did,¡± he replied, keeping his eyes in the crowd. His eyes searched the crowd relentlessly, ¡°Have you seen Caden?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. What do you mean you don¡¯t get drunk and what did Jason say?¡± Katie asked, following the wolf that was now walking about thepound in search of his friend. ¡°Jason said they ran into someone at the Hunter¡¯s Agency who is helping them get the beer tested. Other than that, they are fine,¡± he replied, finally getting his eyes on a group of males around a pool table. ¡°Hey Gunther, I heard you were beaten by a human girl in a game of pool,¡± one of the men spoke up, smirking mischievously while he said it. The others looked at him questioningly. All he had to do was fall for his friend¡¯s trap and he would be eaten by the wolves of friends that he had gathered around him. Amongst the crowd that was watching the game was Caden. He held a bottle in his hand and continued to watch the game, staying silent whilst listening to the conversation. ¡°Oh,e on guys. You can¡¯t bring this up again. I don¡¯t know what a human was doing here or where in the hell she had such badass skills at the pool, but I was about to ask her for a rematch. If only she hadn¡¯t been interrupted, I wouldn¡¯t have...¡± ..... ¡°Oh, stop running your mouth, man. We saw you get beaten without getting the chance to even defend yourself. It was sad to watch, you know,¡± another one of them cut him off, ¡°What was her name, anyway?¡± Caden chose this moment to walk away from the group, Cole choosing this moment to approach him, ¡°Hey, Caden, where have you been?¡± ¡°Oh, hey Cole,¡± his expression remained nk while he spoke, ¡°I¡¯ve been here and there... did a bit of exploration. This ce is really huge. Did you need me for something?¡± After thinking through his thoughts, ¡°Was just checking on you. Now when was thest time you beat me at anything other than pool?¡± ¡°If you are asking for a Royal beat-down in the one thing that youck talent in, then who am I to reject you,¡± Caden smirked. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll eat those words. This time, I have a good luck-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t finish that statement. Luck will only get you so far, Cole,¡± Katie cut him off and to Caden, ¡°Don¡¯t go easy on him.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, Your Highness. You have my word,¡± Caden replied with a slight bow. ¡°Oh, is that how it is...¡± .................... ¡°Cole Lycaon, the heir to the Lycaon throne, stares at the odds stacked against him in a match against his subordinate, Alpha Caden. It¡¯s been a tough game. We¡¯ve seen extraordinary games tonight, but this might just be the second most epic that we¡¯ve seen since the start. With five red balls on the table and one yellow, Alpha Caden is running out of chances to...¡± ¡°Do you have to add thementary?¡± Cole raised his voice at Gunther¡¯s antics. Caden hadn¡¯t been kind when they were ying and had done quite a number of moves that had gotten Cole backed up against a corner in a short but intense game of pool. ¡°I like thementary. It helps me know who is winning,¡± Caden came to the man¡¯s defence, rousing cheers in the slowly growing crowd. ¡®How did we get to this point?¡¯ Katie sighed, watching the two men-now-boys to her battling it out in a game of pool. ¡°Alpha Caden braced for the victory, can only stare at his adversary with pity as the...¡± ¡°Nope, thementary has to go,¡± Cole snapped out of his focus upon hearing how pathetic Gunther was determined to make him look, ¡°It sounds so biased. Who¡¯s side are you on, Gunther?¡± ¡°I¡¯m on the winning side,¡± Gunther replied bluntly, drawingughter from the crowd. ¡°Ouch... Might we have an unbiasedmentator now?¡± Cole tried. ¡°Cole, you don¡¯t have so many shots left and a long way before you can beat me at a game of pool,¡± Caden pointed out, tearing the royal¡¯s focus from thementator once again. Cole didn¡¯t have a choice, but to continue the game regardless of what was being said. Gunther hovered over the two of them making sure to turn every small detail into an extremely over-exaggerated scenario. Thementary brought a bigger audience and all watched as Cole was defeated in one game of pool... .................. ¡°Come on, Cole. It wasn¡¯t that bad. You¡¯re the one who asked for it,¡± Caden tried cheering up his friends while they sat as yet another makeshift bar away from the pool table. ¡°It was a disaster, but I will be graceful in my defeat. You won the game fairly even though you were slightly under the influence of alcohol,¡± Cole said, puffing out his chest. ¡°You noticed, huh. How does it feel to be unable to get drunk?¡± Caden replied, letting his washed-out state through his fa?ade. He¡¯d been trying to act normal the entire time, but Cole had been able to see through it. ¡°Of course, I would notice if you were drunk. You aren¡¯t the best at hiding it,¡± Cole answered, getting his friend up and pushing the bottle in his hand away from him, ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of here.¡± Helping out seemed to be the only natural thing to do for the hunter, followed by the swarming questions in her mind, ¡°I¡¯ve heard it a few times now. What do they mean by you aren¡¯t resistant to drugs?¡± ¡°Oh, I hadn¡¯t told you. I can be poisoned, can¡¯t get drunk and basically can¡¯t be affected by any drugs in my system. Perks of being one of the moon goddess¡¯ chosen,¡± he replied. ¡°What seems to be the problem?¡± Drake¡¯s voice caught their attention, ¡°Let me, Scary sister.¡± He said, relieving Katie from having to carry one side of the alpha. ¡°He might have drunk a bit too much,¡± Cole replied. the four of them went back into the pce. Following Cole¡¯s instruction, they made their way to the guest room Caden had been allocated when they arrived. ¡°He was fine during the game of pool and even after. How is he barely able to stand now?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Well, it could be that he was straining himself to stay awake and sober, but when he was already highly under the influence of the alcohol. It¡¯s rare and happens most when a Royal or alpha is involved. The moment they are discovered, it works like allowing them to let loose and this happens,¡± Drake exined. The two managed to get him onto the bed. Caden was asleep by the time they ced him on the bed, ¡°This is not the Caden I remember from the time when you had them help you in the Royal games. ¡°He has been downtely. I don¡¯t know how to turn things back to the way they were. I guess we¡¯ll just have to let time heal him,¡± Cole replied. ¡°Who¡¯s Ashley?¡± Drake asked. When he noticed the weird looks he was getting, he continued, ¡°He talked about her when he was talking to the rogues that night. They knew her as well, but I was clueless about the whole thing.¡± ¡°Ashley was a rogue that managed to renounce her rogue status during a Prometheus evaluation. After her death, we found that Caden had heard her entire story...¡± ¡°He¡¯d chosen to protect her and lost her anyway,¡± Drake surmised the remainder of the story, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of such a thing. If it was his mate, he would be dead or at least about to. I¡¯m d that¡¯s not the case. Cole still needs someone to be there for him when the Sirius family wins the Royal games this year.¡± ¡°Just when you were starting to sound like apassionate person, you go and say something so useless,¡± Cole sighed, rousing the angelicughter of his mate(Well, one could say it was highly exaggerated by the mate bond between them...) Chapter 130 130 Chapter One Hundred Thirty Fortunately for Katie, the rest of the night went uneventfully and the couple slept peacefully. Katie considered this fortunate when she woke up without the urge to kill Crysta that morning. It was a refreshing feeling. Letting go of the anger from that incident had proved impossible the night before and she¡¯d gone quiet just to conceal it. It wasn¡¯t like there was much she had to say anyway. ¡°It¡¯s five in the morning and you¡¯re awake already?¡± Cole groaned when he felt her roll out of the bed. ¡°Says the man that¡¯s awake at the same exact time,¡± she countered, rolling back so that she faced him. ¡°Well, I have to make sure to put Caden through hell in today¡¯s pack training. Waking up at this time is just a small price to pay for that,¡± he answered. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to say right now. You woke up this early for revenge... on your best friend... after losing a game of pool where he was drunk... thest part is quite embarrassing though,¡± Katie giggled. ¡°That is not helping. I would have thought you¡¯d be trying to save him from his torment,¡± Cole tried, pulling the girl closer to him, a mistake that he realisedter. His wolf surged forward and tried to seize control of him. ¡°Umm Cole, am I imagining things or does something happen to you every time we hug?¡± Katie asked, after noticing the silence that took over them. Every time he embraced her, she would feel him go tense and he¡¯d go silent. His scent got stronger as well and she¡¯d notice how hard it was for him to let go of her. ¡°I do remember you asking for some time before we got to that,¡± Cole exined, ¡°Even though it gets harder to watch you walk around without my mark on your neck.¡± Fear coursed through Katie¡¯s body chilling her to the bone at the mention of being marked. She¡¯d only heard rumours about how werewolves bit their mates to signify that they¡¯d been imed by another. It was something they took pride in, but at the time, all she saw was a painful barbaric practise that wasn¡¯t even logical to her. At the time, she was human, but now... ..... ¡°Cole...¡± she whispered into his ear, forgetting everything she¡¯d learnt in hunter training. Cole wasn¡¯t a random wolf that she could beat up at the slightest sign of trouble. This was Cole... thest person that would ever want to hurt her. The same person that was able to save her from herma when she nearly died a week ago. ¡°I can hold my wolf back, but there is a limit to how many times I can deny him the opportunity of marking you. You must make up your mind about this soon, Katie. Receiving a mark is nearly painless when there is consent. If I lose control and mark you against your will...¡± ¡°What makes you think you can... Why wouldn¡¯t I fight back?¡± Katie¡¯s voice had never sounded smaller. It was like the Prometheus gifts that made her powerful simply refused to intervene... Cole ced a kiss on the girl¡¯s neck and marvelled at the effect it had on the girl sending shivers through her entire body, ¡°Do you still think you¡¯d fight back?¡± ¡°Would you really lose control of your wolf if I take long to ept your mark?¡± Katie asked. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know... I¡¯ve heard of werewolves losing control and doing things I would never dream of doing to you. I don¡¯t think I would let my wolf stoop to a level that low,¡± he exined to her, however, the more he took in her scent, the more he realised just how hard it was to keep his word, ¡°How ironic?¡± ¡°What¡¯s ironic?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be affected by poisons and drugs... and yet, your scent has an overwhelming effect on me,¡± he replied. His wolf began to calm down and retreat having confirmed the difficulty level of the task at hand. Katie felt the man¡¯s hands finally rx around her and she was able to rx as well. ¡®You better let him do it soon. I know it¡¯s scary, but we can¡¯t put him through all that,¡¯ Ashley piped in, smitten by the man who had his arms wrapped around them. ¡°Cole, you said something about pack training,¡± Katie asked all of a sudden, pulling away from their hug to look him in the eye. ¡°Oh yeah, that. It¡¯smon for all packs. The able males and females are trained inbat and everything else required to keep them capable of protecting the pack from a variety of enemies,¡± he exined. ¡°Well then, what are we waiting for? You have your whole revenge thing going on and I have to find Sandra and get the results of the drug you drank yesterday,¡± with that, she broke out of their embrace and began to prepare for a morning training session. Cole sighed, craving the warmth of her near him, but unable toin about it, ¡°I might just let Caden off the hook. I¡¯m interested in challenging Drake once again. He says he¡¯s gotten a lot better since thest time we trained,¡± Cole mused, trying to formte a n for the morning. ................... The morning was cold and refreshing against the hunter¡¯s skin. Sandra¡¯s parents weren¡¯t kidding when they said the ce was cold this time of the day. She¡¯d found the junior hunter¡¯s room and woken her friend up for training. Like her mentor, she was responsible for all her training and she¡¯d been cking off in her duties. Sandra rubbed her palms against her bare arms in an effort to generate some kind of heat. Katie had insisted they train with less clothing so that the girl would get used to the cold, but Sandra held underlying suspicions that the girl had ulterior motives. They finally walked out of the pce and into the backyard, which had already been cleared. Werewolves were scattered about the ce in small clusters, all dressed in simr outfits. ¡°You made it. I thought Sandra woke up as early as you,¡± Cole called out to them while he jogged up to them, his two ¡®henchmen¡¯ in tow. ¡°I¡¯m human, Cole. Do notpare me to your monstrous girlfriend,¡± Sandra barked at him, wiping her eyes once more, ¡°I should be fine after a few minutes of jogging.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still an exceptional human,¡± Jason spoke up, cing a kiss at the back of Sandra¡¯s hand, with a smirk on his face. ¡°Good morning, Jason,¡± Sandra replied, ¡°Caden, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Caden rubbed his forehead and grimaced in pain, ¡°Just a terrible headache. Nothing a few painkillers won¡¯t be able to fix. That¡¯s if I don¡¯t heal by the time we reach the training grounds.¡± ¡°Training grounds?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s where we are headed. I hope you can keep up big sister,¡± a new voice joined them. Lina walked up to them dressed in a baggy tracksuit. Her face beamed when she realised she would have to run with her sister. ¡°No, no, no... She just started walking again. You are not going to push her to your insane speeds so early,¡± Coleined, stepping in between the two of them. ¡°I agree with Cole. Little sister, take it easy on your Monstrous Sister for a bit. When we are sure that she¡¯s fine, we¡¯ll let you race with her,¡± Drake pitched in. ¡°Did you just call me...¡± ¡°Still working on it... I¡¯ll soon find the right title for you. Until that timees, you will have to endure the choices I¡¯ve drawn up. Isn¡¯t that fine, Murderous Sister?¡± ¡°Lead the way, Cole. I am not having this conversation,¡± Katie screamed, pushing the alpha to start jogging out of there. The restughed at her before falling in line. Lina groaned when she realised just how slow they were going and decided to run ahead. Katie couldn¡¯t help but overhear her mumblingints, ¡®First, they dress me like a dead body in a body bag, then they stop me from having fun with my big sister... What more will they stop me from doing?¡¯ After a while, they¡¯d split into two after Caden challenged Jason to a race. ¡°Lina is treated like Daddy¡¯s little girl,¡± Katie couldn¡¯t help, but point out. ¡°Oh yeah... Father would never let anything happen to her. She used to hate it until Mother told her the story of your disappearance eighteen years ago. When Mother and Father were blessed with another daughter, Father vowed against failing her the way he feels he failed you,¡± Drake exined. ¡°But he didn¡¯t...¡± ¡°We¡¯ve tried to convince him otherwise, but there is nothing that can be done about it. He loves his daughter too much,¡± Drake cut her off. Katie almost let the thoughts get to her before something else hit her mind, ¡°Hey Sandra, what did you find out yesterday? I heard you went all the way to the Hunter¡¯s Agency. I appreciate that. Now, what did you find out?¡± ¡°Oh, is the cripple trying to join us in training as well... That¡¯s going to be interesting,¡± a feminine voice pitched in before Sandra could answer her. The hunter looked up into the early morning sky... ¡®Are you up there, Celeste? Forgive me if I end up dismembering one of you werewolves...¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t think prayers work like that... You know what... Never mind,¡¯ Ashley sighed upon hearing the girl¡¯s utterly ridiculous silent prayer. ............. Celeste, on the other hand, was having a fit ofughter when the prayer reached her. Seth sighed heavily at the oddly phrased prayer... Chapter 131 131 Chapter One Hundred Thirty One Crysta, back in her winning mood, was back with her goals in sight. Katie ran with Cole, a sight she found revolting. For as long as she could remember, she¡¯d been smitten with the Royal since she¡¯d set her eyes on him. She could almost feel the presence of a mate bond between the two of them even though it was not there. When she¡¯d found out about the death of the princess of Sirius when she was only an infant, she¡¯d (regretfully) felt overjoyed by the news. Fantasies of helping the royal forget his shattered destiny dominated her mind and she¡¯d groomed herself for this exact purpose. She¡¯d rejected every boy that had ever tried toy her hands on her through the years and now that she was supposed to be with him, he stood with someone iming to be Princess Katie. It was uneptable and the sight of the girl disgusted her to the core. The Sirius pack had spent a long time getting over the loss of the princess and had finally moved on, ¡®We don¡¯t need the ghosts of the past or at least ghostly apparitionsing back to haunt us... I¡¯ll show everyone that you aren¡¯t who you say you are. Hang in there, Cole, my dear. I¡¯ll break whatever spell she has on you soon enough,¡¯ she thought. Crysta had fled the party the night before with her ns thwarted and having received the visual of the couple dancing within each other¡¯s arms. It only helped fuel her anger towards the couple. She wanted Katie gone and that was exactly what she was going to do. ¡°Oh, is the cripple trying to join us in training as well... That¡¯s going to be interesting,¡± she started, reaching the group that jogged around Katie. Prince Drake had also fallen for the girl¡¯s trickery. He grew quiet when the girl announced her presence. Bree and Ginger ran beside her, keeping the pace quite easily as they caught up with this group. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were the one to reject one of your own, Crysta,¡± Drakemented, drawing the girl¡¯s attention away from Katie. ¡°What makes you think ¡®this one¡¯ is one of us?¡± the girl spoke with disgust in her tone. ¡°Where is the doubt?¡± ¡°Werewolves are strong, Drake. She¡¯s... well, she¡¯s a cripple who¡¯s only learned how to walk. I would be surprised if she¡¯s got some fight in her at all,¡± the girl argued, ¡°Just look at the pace you¡¯re using. I could sleep for a day and still catch up to you.¡± ..... Drake, who had seen the girl in action only a week ago, cringed at the inuracy contained in her information, ¡°Take those words back...¡± Cole was the one to react this time. ¡°Oh, Cole darling, you noticed I was here... And you haven¡¯t even greeted me yet,¡± the girl¡¯s voice went soft at the mention of Cole. She shed her pearly whites at the Royal who returned a nervous one. ¡°Cole, how far to wherever it is that we are going?¡± ¡°I will not be telling you that...¡± this was all Cole had to say to get the girl running faster. ¡°Try to keep up, Cole,¡± she called back. ¡°Wait, you shouldn¡¯t push yourself so much. What if...¡± ¡°I have to know just how much I have achieved in recovery. I can¡¯t do that at this pace, Cole, please,¡± she called backpedalling so that they faced each other when they spoke. Crysta hid the frustration of seeing the girl take the pace so easily as well as the nerve to ignore her while she spoke. Cole sighed, seeing the logic behind the girl¡¯s logic, ¡°Very well, but the moment you feel as much as an itch, you stop for a rest... You¡¯ve got to promise me on that...¡± ¡°Promise... Thanks,¡± she replied, cing a quick peck on the alpha¡¯s cheek, ¡°Come on, Sandra. No cking.¡± ¡°Why is it called cking when I do it and not when you do it?¡± Sandrained, speeding up to catch up with Katie as she quickly put a distance between herself and the group they¡¯d been running with. After a few moments, the two had vanished as the forest obscured them from vision. Cole could still tell how close they were even though they started to get out of earshot. ¡®The perks of being a werewolf and having a mate whose scent is the easiest thing to discern,¡¯ the man thought proudly to himself before getting serious about the Beta¡¯s daughter that had somehow made her way beside him. ¡°You don¡¯t really believe that she¡¯s...¡± ¡°Yes, Crysta. I do... I know what I feel, okay. Just drop this act before you get embarrassed,¡± Cole snapped at the girl. Jason and Caden looked at the two in shock... ¡°Do you guys know each other?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Last night, while I slept, I remembered someone who always offered me water and encouragement when I was going for the games,¡± Cole confessed with a sigh. ¡°Now that wasn¡¯t so hard, was it? Drop the act, Cole. You...¡± ¡°Remember a girl that was kind and fun to talk to. What happened to you, Crysta? Make one more mistake, Crysta. I won¡¯t be so lenient,¡± he cut her off, taking on an angrier tone, ¡°Katie¡¯s been through enough already. You shouldn¡¯t be part of the rest of her burden.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what she has done to your head, but I won¡¯t stop until I prove she isn¡¯t who she says she is,¡± Crysta returned mirroring the royal¡¯s anger before running off in pursuit of Katie with Bree and Ginger in tow. ¡°Caden, Jason, keep an eye on Crysta for me, just for now. In case she does something stupid,¡± he said to his two best friends. ¡°Yes, Alpha Cole,¡± they both replied in unison, their eyes shing brighter as they took in themand. This, however, went unnoticed and the two royals watched as the males sped ahead at inhuman speeds. Cole sighed... he was finally alone with Drake, something that he was aiming for. He hadn¡¯t spoken to his royal counterpart in a long time. The two of them were destined to take over the Royal Werewolf families in a few years¡¯ time. A friendship between the two of them was all but inevitable, considering, no one else in the world understood what they went through. ¡°Long time since we had a heart to heart,¡± Drake started. ¡°And now is the time that you want to start?¡± Cole asked. ¡°That depends... Do you want to talk about it? Your father...¡± Drake asked him. Cole¡¯s eyes widened when he heard the words leave the prince¡¯s mouth. No one had reason toe to a question such as that one and yet here he was being questioned about him. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to talk about it... and I¡¯d be happy if you didn¡¯t either,¡± Cole warned Drake. Drake raised his hands up in mock surrender. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. My lips are sealed. Can we get back to jogging now, please?¡± Just then, the loudboured breathing of someone who was exhausted reached their ears. There weren¡¯t supposed to be humans this deep into the forest in case there were wild animals in the area. Upon straining their ears, they found that the panting wasing from someone ahead of them. Rounding a tree, they found a girl dressed in a sports bra panting heavily whilst leaning against the tree. Her breath wasboured and she barely had the energy to open her eyes. When she did, the Royals breathed out in relief upon noticing her yellow eyes, ¡°Someone¡¯s heavily winded. Long time no see, Honour.¡± ¡°Long time... no... see, Your highness. How is Lina so freakin... fast?¡± the girl replied between breaths. ¡°I would advise against trying to keep up with Lina. She¡¯s a Royal and none of us know why or how she keeps getting faster. How did you end up...¡± The girl understood the context of the question, ¡°I was running and Lina found me. She wanted me to ¡®push past my limits,''¡± Honour replied, making air quotes with her fingers, allowing herself to fall to the ground on her knees. She was heavily winded, ¡°That girl probably has an engine for a heart. She was barely winded by the time I ran out of energy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not particrly strong yourself,¡± Drake replied, offering her his hand to take, ¡°Come on... You could try running at our pace. You¡¯ll get there earlier and won¡¯t have to take one of Jackson¡¯s punishment drills.¡± Groaning loudly, the girl took the man¡¯s hand and got up to her feet. She staggered, prompting Drake into holding her steady with one arm on her back, ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I woke up early and started this run so that I¡¯d survive Jackson¡¯s drills just this once. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to make it,¡± she confessed with a sigh, her breath getting slightly more even. ¡°Ahem... and this is...¡± Cole interrupted. ¡°Meet Honour... Lina¡¯s best friend, if I have my notes right. The two of them always wander off and spend a lot of time in her mother¡¯s flower shop when Lina is not training or finding some other way to get into trouble,¡± Drake exined. ¡°Lina is getting smitten with that actor, Jack Boggle. Ever since she got his contact, they¡¯ve beenmunicating a lot and she gets to watch enough of the series before it¡¯s even released. So I wouldn¡¯t say she¡¯s going to get into any more trouble just yet,¡± Honour chuckled. ¡°We better get going if you¡¯re to make it,¡± Drake warned, noticing light starting to seep through the canopies. They were expected to reach the training grounds before the first streaks of sunlight. Far before sunrise... they were running out of time. They started the jog to the training grounds then and when Drake grew worried for the girl, he offered her a ride. As a Royal, his clothes remained intact when he shifted back and forth unlike normal werewolves and Betas. This ability was only reserved for alphas and Royals and that¡¯s what allowed them to get away with this one white lie... Chapter 132 132 Chapter One Hundred Thirty Two Katie ran with Sandra, trying her best to avoid pricking her non-existent imaginary injuries. She found that once in a while, pain shot through her with no source at either one of the four scars on her body. When she persevered through the pain, it vanished just like it came and the sensation annoyed her. Although all that didn¡¯t annoy her the way Crysta did. With Ashley¡¯s enhanced senses, she could tell that the Beta¡¯s daughter had sped up to catch up to them. Katie didn¡¯t go too fast for fear of wearing Sandra out. She knew what Sandra¡¯s limit was since thest time they¡¯d trained together. Remembering this allowed her to clear her mind. She had a duty to her friend and mentor and one that she had to fulfil. ¡°Is this pace too fast for you?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Umm, Katie, how do you know where we are going?¡± Sandra asked her. ¡°I can hear those ahead of us and those behind us. That¡¯s what¡¯s guiding me... along with Lina¡¯s scent... That girl is really fast,¡± Katie replied. ¡°It¡¯s rare for you toment about someone¡¯s speed. Don¡¯t you think you could beat her if you were given the chance to race her?¡± Sandra asked, sounding normal, a detail that was important to Katie. Sandra was not straining one bit to keep up with her. Katie was sure this was the speed at which the girl was supposed to get winded. ¡°Maybe... Umm, is it okay if... No, forget it. Let¡¯s pick up the pace. I can tell that we are about to make it,¡± she shook her head. ¡®Of course, she was training while I was stuck in a wheelchair,¡¯ Katie remembered the week she¡¯d spent in her wheelchair. ¡°Understood,¡± the girl replied without resistance and even allowed Katie to gauge just how fast they were supposed to run. They were practically running at a pace that a human would have trouble with... That¡¯s when Katie heard it... the deep breathing technique that hunters were trained to use when they needed to draw on energy stored deep within their reserves. When mastered, it could boost the physical limitations of a junior hunter so that they weren¡¯t useless in a battle. Thest time Katie had fought with Sandra, she¡¯d almost mastered it. She would have never expected her to master it in the week that she was gone... At this rate, Sandra should have been more than capable of keeping up with Katie when she let go without using her Prometheus gifts albeit for a shorter time than Katie could take using the technique. This was amazing news to her... ¡°You mastered it... I can¡¯t believe it. Of course, I can, you¡¯re Sandra,¡± Katie mused. Out of excitement, she¡¯d started running faster... Sandra didn¡¯t reply as all her focus was on keeping her breathing regr lest she risked copsing out from exhaustion. Katie noticed this and proceeded with what was now clearly a training session... ¡°Let¡¯s put this to the test. The clearing is close... I can smell therge gathering of werewolves... four hundred metres, give or take... Run, Sandra, run... Try to get there before me...¡± ..... With an excitement squeal from Katie, the two let go of their shackles and dashed for the clearing. It became apparent to Katie that the people following them had almost caught up when they chose to increase their speed and the boost put a reasonable distance between them. However, she was enjoying the thrill of being able to run with her best friend for the first time to let something like that ruin her mood. ........ Sandra copsed next to a tree, missing it while she was aiming to lean against it. Katieughed at the girl¡¯s state... Her legs would not listen to her and her breathing was a sore sound to the ears. ¡°Kay... Kay... Katie... How in the world aren¡¯t you tired? I know... you... weren¡¯t using your gift,¡± Sandra panted. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to running longer distances with time, Sandra. I¡¯m impressed you were able to manage that distance alone. I¡¯m so excited,¡± Katie squealed in excitement. ¡°How did the two of you get here?¡± a feminine voice reached Katie¡¯s ears, draining the happiness from her immediately... ¡°Can¡¯t we get a moment when we don¡¯t have to deal with this one?¡± she muttered through gritted teeth, more to herself, ¡°Don¡¯t you have some training to attend to?¡± ¡°Yes, that I do... And so do you. Alpha Jackson has asked that we pair up with opponents of our choice. There are two ways to do that. The pair can either agree to be sparring partners or through a challenge,¡± the girl said. ¡°I¡¯d prefer thetter. It means I get to fight whoever it is that I want to with no excuses,¡± she replied... Katie turned to the girl before her who was starting to regain her breath,pletely ignoring the well-bred athlete behind her. Sandra was the same, but the difference between a wolf and a human was quite distinct when it came to athletic build. Humans weren¡¯t blessed with the physical advantage that werewolves were blessed with. ¡°Hey, what did you find out about the sample of alcohol that you got tested?¡± Katie asked the girl. Sandra looked between the two females before her, ignoring the ones that followed Crysta around and started debating on whether it was a good idea to disclose this kind of information to Katie at this moment. It was already clear that the girl was trying to get on her nerves, but without the information that Sandra had gathered, Katie still had the ability to hold back from attacking her. Katie noticed her hesitation and her expression went dark, ¡°What did you find Sandra? What was in that alcohol?¡± this time her voice was clear to the girls behind her. Fear shed in the eyes of the girl before her, sealing the information further into Sandra. Katie looked behind her, but the girl had already masked her expression and folded her hands across her chest, furrowing her brows in frustration. ¡°Is a teeny tiny aphrodisiac for the man¡¯s worries such a bad thing?¡± she smirked at the girl. Ashley surged forward and was only hindered by Katie¡¯s restraint forcing the girl into a half shift, her eyes gleaming bright blue with fury. She wasn¡¯t able to hold back the dangerous growl that came from her throat. ¡®Give me control, Katie.¡¯ The wolf yelled in her mind. Katie hadn¡¯t heard anything from Sandra yet... and that was all that kept her rooted to her spot. The wolves in the clearing that were only taking their downtime to stretch and get ready for the morning drills looked in their direction. ¡°A half shift. Impressive... I guess you do need training wheels for that crippled body of yours.¡± The scent of Katie¡¯s mate brought her some more control and calmed her nerves. Cole was by her side instantly, two alphas standing between the two girls. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we got here before werewolves. It¡¯s crazy,¡± Sandra said, breathing out to show how tired she was. ¡°Katie, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Cole asked the girl in his embrace that was still stuck in a half shift, ring daggers at the one and only Crysta. ¡°Sandra found out what was in the drink you had yesterday, but she won¡¯t tell me what it was and that excuse of a girl is starting to get on my nerves,¡± she answered, her face returning to normal the longer she was in his arms. She found everything about him calming... albeit annoying since she wanted to rip the girl beyond Caden and Jason to shreds... With a loud call from Alpha Jackson, the audience disintegrated. Crysta walked away from them with her two followers in tow. Katie didn¡¯t know what to make of the girl¡¯s reaction. ¡°You are going to be a celebrity now... It¡¯s not every day that people find a werewolf capable of a half shift and making it look so easy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like everything I do is special,¡± the girl groaned. Cole chuckled, ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t expect the moon goddess¡¯ chosen to be anything, but extraordinary.¡± To the sky, he finished the rest of his statement, ¡®I¡¯d almost forgotten that...¡¯ it was almost as though he¡¯d directed the thought to his patron goddess. It didn¡¯t matter anyway since she was always watching him. .... ¡°It¡¯s about time he realised that... Who in the world reaches the age of eighteen without ever seeing his blood and still think he¡¯s normal,¡± the moon goddess mused. ¡°Probably because he watched his mate do all these amazing things that it made him forget about what made him special as well,¡± Seth tried, jotting down another number in his Sudoku puzzle. He did these when he was feeling like challenging his mind. The moon goddess looked away from her pool and eyed her husband deep in thought. This was one of those times when he just didn¡¯t mind anything that was happening in the world of mortals. ¡°The person who invented this game was really something...¡± ¡°Really... a miniature game like Sudoku has torn your focus from our mission...¡± ¡°Nothing is more rxing like food for the brain my dear. You should try it sometime,¡± the man replied, his face lighting up as he jotted down another digit that had just be known to him. ¡°Victory... a few more obvious numbers and it¡¯s done... This one was so hard... Mwahahaha.¡± The moon goddess chuckled at the childishness, ¡°I don¡¯t need ¡®food for the brain¡¯ when I have you to keep mepany.¡± ¡°Oh darn it... This six has appeared twice,¡± he screamed, startling the moon goddess. She thought he was done, but he ced the paper notepad down and began toasting it in mes... a deranged look on his face... ¡°Oh, honey, you were never really cut out for mind games...¡± the moon goddess burst outughing at his revenge against the ¡®piece of paper...¡¯ ¡°What happened to all that talk of rxing food for the brain?¡± Chapter 133 133 Chapter One Hundred Thirty Three Jackson yelled out orders to the werewolves, telling them to take positions with their partners and go through a variety of drills. Each of them was to make sure that the other was not cking and doing everything right. After all, they were going to spar at the end of it all. If either of them was not well prepared by the time they finished with the exercise drills, they were done for... The mode of training was also meant to build trust, something Katie devised after thinking through the cruel things she could do to Crysta before the actual sparring began. She shunned the thoughts, but wouldn¡¯t quite put them past the girl, ¡°Katie, are you okay?¡± Cole snapped her out of her thoughts as she helped her up. Her anger had dissipated upon the werewolf¡¯s arrival. ¡°What happened, Jason?¡± ¡°When Crysta left Katie momentarily, I might have thought she¡¯d backed off, but I guess I was wrong,¡± Jason reported, more mechanically than expected. ¡°The girl asked Alpha Jackson for the opportunity to put the princess through the wringer. Jackson epted asking her to go easy on Katie since she only recently started walking again,¡± Caden added, taking the pressure off his friend. Cole rubbed his temples in frustration, ¡°Just when I thought things couldn¡¯t get any worse.¡± ¡°Are you worried?¡± Katie chuckled. ¡°Crysta is a tough one. She gives Lina a hard time as well,¡± a girl, whom Katie hadn¡¯t taken the time to notice intervened. She had yellow eyes and barely had any muscle as the other werewolves did. Katie was amazed she¡¯d even made this distance at all. The girl stood beside her brother, Drake. Thetter barely stayed oddly silent by her side. He wasn¡¯t one to linger where he was not needed, but something kept him here... Katie filed her far-fetched guess to the back of her mind with an image of Ashley nodding approvingly, ¡®That makes a lot of sense...¡¯ she replied. Katie only rolled her eyes at the wolf¡¯s enthusiasm towards the subject. ..... ¡°Honour, I see you made it early today. What a surprise? I¡¯m going to miss watching you try to hard to finish some of my punishment drills today,¡± the boisterous hulk of a man yelled while he made his way over to us, ¡°Is everything okay over here? I saw a bit of amotion and decided to start this a bit early.¡± ¡°Yes, everything is fine. Can you...¡± ¡°That¡¯s great then. Katie, you¡¯ve been paired with Crysta upon her request or more like challenge...¡± the man said without waiting for Cole to finish his sentence. ¡°-reconsider your selection for Crysta and... Never mind,¡± Cole knew the rules and there was no backing out of a challenge when one was made. This was one of the few ways Crysta could exploit. After what she¡¯d done the day before. ¡°We can postpone the challenge if that¡¯s okay with you,¡± Jackson offered. ¡°No, let¡¯s just get this over with. I don¡¯t want to have to go another day thinking of a duel between that girl and I,¡± she sighed. To Sandra, she continued, ¡°Sandra, you¡¯ve been getting better... much better. Keep it up and you might just make a good hunter yet.¡± ¡°Whenever that will be...¡± Sandra sighed, before getting up from her ce on the ground. The god Prometheus didn¡¯t provide any sort of sign of when one would get a gift and many hunted the gifts for the better half of their lives. ¡°Well, don¡¯t lose hope...¡± Katie replied before jogging away to join her particrly annoying partner. It was the first time either of them was seeing the girl approach Crysta without hate in her eyes. However, the truth was flipped, Katie was having the hardest time keeping Ashley at bay and the reason she thought she could still act normal was Cole¡¯s presence. Sandra remained frozen for a bit, her mentor¡¯s words going through her mind on a loop. ¡®Hope... The only thing Prometheus offered the humans. He¡¯d created a race that was weak in all aspects. They had the ability to think and work with their hands, but they bore so many physical limitations. Some took it to be a joke when it was taught that the god left them only one thing to ount for everything he hadn¡¯t given them... hope. Hope was meant to drive the humans through all their hardships. ¡°I¡¯ll catch up to you, Katie. Just you wait...¡± Sandra whispered. Jason, who¡¯d been close heard her words and smiled. Ever since the attack on the rogues, Sandra had a new fire that burned within her... He would know. He¡¯d been training her the entire time Katie was in a wheelchair and her improvements were astonishing, to say the least... ¡°Would you be my partner?¡± the alpha asked her. ¡°You know my father asked that you keep me safe, not beat me to a pulp,¡± she replied, taking his outstretched hand. ¡°And there are ways that I can protect you by beating you to a pulp. You¡¯ve been doing well, Sandra. Don¡¯t slow down now,¡± he said to her. It might have been a feeling or the fact that the girl had spent a lot of time with the werewolf. She noticed something different about him. was it the fact that the shirt he wore was a little too tight-fitting on him. She couldn¡¯t tell if she¡¯d seen the shirt before either. ¡°Yeah, I won¡¯t slow down,¡± she shook off her nerves and focused on the task at hand... honing her skills and finally catching up to Katie Cha-Sirius. Katie went through a number of stretches as she got ready to train with her chosen partner, ¡®How are you so calm when she¡¯s right next to you? We have the same mate, how are you blocking me just by his scent... I¡¯m the werewolf, not you... I am. I demand justice,¡¯ Ashley was on a rampage in her mind, but the girl was not going to let it show... Well, she was sure she could keep the wolf at bay... That was until Crysta decided to open her mouth. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid you might break?¡± the girl asked, ¡°Phonies don¡¯t usually gain physical abilities.¡± ¡°Have you ever even talked to Cole? You seem very convinced of your rtionship with him?¡± Katie asked the girl while she reached forward to touch her toes, holding the position. ¡°Of course, I know him. It might have been a while ago, but I know what I felt then. And what he felt as well,¡± she recounted. A tinge of... was that jealousy, etched its way into Katie¡¯s emotions before shaking it off and moving on to the next question. ¡°What makes you think he still remembers or cares? He¡¯s never mentioned you... Not even after meeting you yesterday,¡± Katie mentioned, changing her position to an overhead stretch. This was all in an effort to check that her muscles did not suddenly re up in pain when she was inbat. Crysta was going through her own preparations as well, taking the opportunity to lower her guard against the girl she continued a nuisance. ¡°He still remembers me... I¡¯m confident about that. And I¡¯ll soon show him that I am more worthy of him than you will ever be.¡± ¡°What makes you so confident?¡± Katie asked more to herself. The girl¡¯s determination to kick her out of the picture was unwavering and very disturbing. That only meant there was a reason she was so sure the Royal would turn to her eventually... ¡®Don¡¯t waver in your determination to crush her, Katie. Stay with me, Katie,¡¯ Ashley started arguing in my head. ¡°Well, if you are so curious, I might just be inclined to tell you,¡± Crysta lowered her voice and approached the girl so that she could whisper into her ear, ¡°I am the reason Cole was able to forget everything about losing his mate in the first ce.¡± Katie froze upon hearing the words that were uttered in her ear. For all Cole knew, she¡¯d been dead eighteen years ago, who was he to resist a girl who happened to want to take his troubles away. These words came with a lot of interpretations, but the worst of them reached Ashley and brewed up a storm of violence. Crysta smirked, seemingly happy with herself. Jackson was done presiding over one of the pairs just then and walked up to them, ¡°Are the two of you ready? We¡¯ll use this sparring session to determine the strength of the princess. Since we already know how strong Crysta is.¡± The man spoke, failing to notice Katie¡¯s anger through her quickly applied fa?ade. ¡°Okay then... Let¡¯s get this over with already,¡± Katie replied, getting up on her feet. Katie was up, but unstable, her gifts and wolf inplete disarray. Ashley, having been granted ess to these specific items, was ready to use everything at her disposal to make quick work of the tramp before her. ¡°Ourw dictates that the ones going to have a duel bow to each other as a sign of respect. A pack is only as strong as its weakest link and through trust and the bond that joins us, we must make ourselves stronger and the pack as a whole,¡± the words touched the hunter, but to Ashley, there was nothing heard. The other wolves in the clearing stopped their training and came to check on these two. It was long since there was something this interesting and none of them was going to miss it. Cole, having taken longer than he would have liked, felt the murderous intent rising within his mate the closer they got to allow them to fight. ¡®This is bad,¡¯ his heart sunk when he saw his mate¡¯s eyes sh brighter... Her wolf had taken full control of her and oblivious Crysta had no idea she was staring death right in the eye with a smug look on her face... Chapter 134 134 Chapter One Hundred Thirty Four Jackson was happy to see that these two had been getting along, well from his point of view. The girls had been talking to each other with no problem and he saw no problem in letting them fight. Maybe Katie could learn a thing or two from the strongest warrior her age. It was only natural that the wolves would fight once in a while anyway... As he began his count, he noticed the bright gleam in the royal¡¯s eyes and her awkward silence. Katie didn¡¯t take her eyes off her target and watched her every move. Her body was still, tense at only the right spots that he hadn¡¯t noticed at first. He had felt this before, during their hunts. This was the state a predator assumed right before they lunged at their prey and made their presence known with full assurance of their attack. It was only in rare incidents when prey survived such an attack. However, he noticed this all toote. His hand was already down upon his third count and the match was initiated. Crysta leapt for her target, determination in her eyes... This was thest slow action... If he hadn¡¯t been a Beta alpha, he would have missed most of what happened next. A massive ck wolf sprung onto the scene and nipped Crysta¡¯s shirt at the back, yanking her out of the designated fighting area, right before a blur past the spot she was just standing in. The loud boom of a collision came from the other side of the clearing. The wolves took some time to realise what had just happened. Jackson looked back to where the princess had been only a moment ago and saw a nk space... The wolf that had pulled Crysta out of the way shifted back into Cole Lycaon and his attention was on something else. Everyone looked from the Royal to the origin of the booming sound... A tree began to fall behind the girl who walked back with a murderous re on her face. ¡°Katie,¡± Cole called out to her, rushing forward so that he was right in front of her. The girl stopped walking to look at him. ¡°When...¡± she asked him. Cole remained quiet for a bit, trying toe up with the right words, ¡°Two years ago...¡± ¡°Did you have to act like you didn¡¯t remember her? Why defend her if you had no idea who she was?¡± Katie asked him, her voice going up. Her eyes shone an intimidating bright blue that didn¡¯t faze the royal one bit but brought chills down the beta alpha¡¯s spine. ..... ¡°I didn¡¯t remember her. I wouldn¡¯t lie to you. It was only yesterday that...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear the details. Just fix it... All of it. When I return, I don¡¯t want that scamp hanging around you... Is that clear?¡± she yelled at him. The royal nodded before the girl vanished right before him, rushing into the woods at a speed that was obviously impossible for werewolves. The only wolf that ran close to that speed was Lina Sirius and she was considered an anomaly, ¡®What¡¯s with the females of the Sirius family?¡¯ the Beta alpha wondered. Cole brushed a hand through his hair in frustration. ¡°Okay everyone, back to your pairs. I¡¯m evaluating the next ones and making sure you give me all your effort. After today, you will all know where you lie and you will all have to work much harder to impress me the next time we do this. Do not make me repeat myself...¡± The next matter at hand was the petrified girl who¡¯d kept her eyes on the fallen tree the whole time the two royals were talking. Crysta was shaken with shivers all over, along with anyone else who didn¡¯t fear things they didn¡¯t understand. The king had told Jackson the story, but he hadn¡¯t believed it, well, personally. It just seemed impossible for a werewolf to be granted Prometheus gifts. Cole walked up to Crysta and squatted down next to her, ¡°What is she?¡± The girl asked him. ¡°She¡¯s both a hunter and a werewolf. She had asked that I keep it a secret for the meantime while everyone got used to her. I guess that ship sunk now that you got her wolf to go feral,¡± Cole replied. ¡°How is anyone supposed to suspect that kind of thing? There has never been a monster of that kind. You were the only weird werewolf I knew of until now,¡± she voiced her fears. ¡°When I told you that she was my mate, you should have guessed that she wasn¡¯t an ordinary werewolf either. Stay away from me until you¡¯ve made amends with her. I don¡¯t want to watch her lose control again. Just a week ago, she was incapable of such a thing,¡± the man cursed as he walked away from her. Jackson, who had been listening to the conversation, approached Crysta and took a seat before her. The girl allowed herself to fall onto her back, her eyes zed as she stared at nothing in particr. Her mind wouldn¡¯t stop reying the terrifying events that had just happened to her. Katie¡¯s body had grazed her as she sped past and the girl had gotten a good measure of the attack she¡¯d dly leapt into. The tree that fell only momentster just gave perspective... ¡°She almost killed you, you know,¡± Jackson pointed out the obvious. ¡°I know that... more than anyone,¡± the girl replied, fear still coursing through her. Up until this point, she¡¯d remained undefeated for a year. A few males imed their victories after sweating in a duel against her, but the females knew who was on top, including Lina whocked any upper body strength. Her speed made up for it in more ways than she could count, however, and that seemed enough for the Royal. ¡°What would have happened, I wonder. After your death by the hand of a feral Royal,¡± Jackson mentioned. Cole, who had kept a listening ear nearly pped himself for staying behind while Katie ran out. The wolf shifted and was out of the clearing before his friends could ask what he was thinking. After noticing the direction he ran in, they understood his intentions... The only question was if he could catch up to Katie. They¡¯d all failed during the attack a week ago in Brigadia... ¡°Alpha Jackson...¡± Crysta called to the man. ¡°What is it, Crysta?¡± ¡°Can you tell me her story? How did she survive, if that¡¯s even her at all?¡± the girl asked. Perhaps she¡¯d been thinking of herself alone. Letting go was not going to be an easy thing, but... it was better than bringing death upon herself. Katie was unbelievably strong and part of the reason for her question was to learn how the girl had amassed that kind of power by the age of eighteen. ¡°Well, I only know a part of it, but I can tell you that it was not an easy one. She thought she was human for a big portion of her life and during that time, she was taught to fight,¡± the man summarised. ¡°That story if very vague, Alpha Jackson,¡± Crysta eximed, ¡°Don¡¯t you know the rules of gossip? You never summarise a story. You must give details.¡± Jackson chuckled, d to see a part of the girl he¡¯d known back. The fear was still evident in her voice, ¡°I have more people to evaluate. Maybe another time. I just hope you know your ce in all this now.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Crysta sighed, letting go was not going to be easy, ¡°I do...¡± but her hands were tied. ¡®And I called her unworthy of Cole only to watch her down a tree that could have been me. I wonder how she got crippled when she was that much of a badass. I can¡¯t even tell if she¡¯s stronger than Cole.¡¯ Taking another look at the fallen tree, ¡®I don¡¯t think Cole can do that though. Damn it, Jackson, you¡¯ve left me with more questions than answers...¡¯ the girl cursed as more questions swarmed her mind... ................... Cole ran through the forest, following the scent of his mate. It was the one thing his wolf could never lose track of. The wolf was that confident of that. He could tell that she was confused along with a lot of other things, ¡®Where are you, Katie? Please hang in there...¡¯ Cole had taken long to piece it together and he was mad at himself for not realising it while it happened before him. Katie had almost killed someone for a petty reason such as jealousy... It wasn¡¯t like her, but she¡¯d done it and that was bound to crush anyone¡¯s spirit. Cole pushed his legs to run faster as he followed her scent. After running for a while, he noticed a log that he¡¯d passed the third time... Backtracking, he began to recognise where he was... ¡®What in the world?¡¯ it was only then that he realised her scent had been scattered. Was it some kind of cloaking ability? He was at a loss for words, but he couldn¡¯t find her. Panic was about to set in when he noticed a sound that had been there for a while... The sound of water rushing... ¡®The river...¡¯ The ck wolf ran to the river and found that the scent was mild there and stretched all over... ¡®Her scent was scattered by the water... Could she have crossed it or did she take a swim?¡¯ The wolf walked along the river bank until he noticed a body lying on the other side of the river lying unconscious. He recognised the clothing instantly and dove into the river, fighting the current until he was on the other side. ¡°Katie, Katie... are you okay?¡± Cole called out to the girl, having shifted the moment he was out of the water. He put his ear to her nose, listening for her breath... His heart sunk in fear... she was barely breathing... Chapter 135 135 Chapter One Hundred Thirty Five ¡°Come on, Katie... Come on,¡± Cole called out to the girl while he applied pressure to the point right below her ribs in short bursts. ¡°Not the way I pictured this day going... Now pleasee back to me,¡± he yelled to her. He was far from the clearing and the only person he knew that could get to them was Lina... Even if she got to them, there was not much she could do either... ¡°Why do you get injured when you are very far from a hospital?¡± Cole argued as he continued the procedure he¡¯d been trained. He ced his lips against her soft ones and tried what he could... Just then, the girl coughed up tumults of water into his face... Unfazed by this, the man ced a peck on the girl¡¯s cheek, ¡°Just how many times are you going to scare me?¡± Katie reached out and hugged Cole tight, ¡°Cole, you found me...¡± she spoke into his shoulder, ¡°Ashley went crazy. She wouldn¡¯t listen to anything I said.¡± ¡°Hush... I¡¯m here, okay. Everything is alright,¡± Cole cut her off, lifting her into his arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to... Umm, nearly get myself killed,¡± she apologised, looking at the ground. Cole took a seat by the treeline, allowing the girl to rest on his chest. He was quiet for a bit... ¡°Who¡¯s Ashley?¡± ¡°Oh, my wolf...¡± she replied, drawing her lips in a tight line. She hadn¡¯t meant to reveal that to anyone, but now it was out there. ¡°Ashley Ashley... Why is your wolf so conveniently named?¡± he mused, his mind wandering through the possibilities of this being the same girl that had been killed in Brigadia, ¡°Is she...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Cole, but she might be the reason I don¡¯t feel so bad being a werewolf,¡± Katie replied, letting go of the stress in her muscles. A brief silence went between them before she asked a question, ¡°How¡¯s Crysta?¡± ..... ¡°That¡¯s thest person I¡¯d expect you to ask about,¡± Cole scoffed. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to...¡± ¡°I figured. You¡¯re not one to snap like that. Do you have control again?¡± he asked her. ¡°Yes, I have control of myself again,¡± she replied, ¡°What am I supposed to do, Cole? I don¡¯t want to ever be trapped in my body ever again.¡± ¡°You can talk to your wolf about that. Listen to me, Katie,¡± he lifted her chin so that she looked him in the eye, ¡°Wolves never lose control when something is about them...¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked. ¡°I mean your wolf only lost control because she couldn¡¯t stand it when someone close to her was threatened. Crysta knew what she was doing when she was pushing your buttons. Don¡¯t get mad at your wolf for that,¡± he tried. ¡°I¡¯m still trying to see how my wolf has been a good thing. Ever since she showed up, I¡¯ve been hungry all the time, emotional and now I almost killed someone. How am I supposed to be convinced there is anything gooding from that?¡± she argued. Cole sighed, hurt by the words the girl was saying, ¡°Your wolf allows many around you to understand you. You don¡¯t always have to hide your feelings. And eating is the same for everyone. Just a little bit extra for a royal... There is a lot you wolf helps you to experience that you wouldn¡¯t have if you were human,¡± he tried. ¡°I haven¡¯t experienced anything good from my wolf since we were reunited... How do you even live with it? Knowing there is something that can take over your body and make you do something you¡¯d regret even if you wouldn¡¯t have done it yo...¡± the man pressed his lips against hers while she was still talking and cut her off... ¡®You think too much, beautiful,¡¯ the man said through the mind link. Katie gave in as sparks washed over her whole body and sapped the strength to argue from her all at once. The two remained in each other¡¯s arms until Cole pulled away. To the girl¡¯s amazement, her mental torment had been brought to a halt. ¡°Is that better?¡± Responding with an obedient nod, Cole lifted the girl up, ¡°When you do let me mark you, you will know much more about what it means to be a werewolf. Werewolves protect their own regardless of the consequences. They do not think through it as humans do. We are bonded to one another and will never leave another behind or unavenged. You don¡¯t have to think about it... that¡¯s a hunter¡¯s job,¡± Cole said to her. ¡°So if I had killed Crysta...¡± ¡°You would not be responsible for her death. She would have brought that on herself,¡± Cole finished the exnation. ¡®The Royals were exempted from a lot of their powers, through thew and yet... in werewolf society, they still held as much power as they were supposed to... ¡®That¡¯s twisted...¡¯ Katie thought to herself. ¡®Katie...¡¯ Ashley¡¯s low voice came out. The wolf was weakened and in bad condition after having exerted herself so much with the Prometheus gifts, she couldn¡¯t tell up from down. ¡®Rest up, Ashley. I¡¯ll take it from here...¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Katie. Can you forgive me? I had...¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t think about it, Ashley. Of course, I forgive you. Just don¡¯t go jumping into a river next time before you¡¯ve learnt how to swim,¡¯ Katie replied, chuckling softly. Cole carried her along the river bank, taking notice of the internal conversation the girl was having. ¡®It feels like you should be scolding me for much more than jumping into a river,¡¯ the wolf replied, ¡®Still, Katie, I am truly sorry.¡¯ With that, the wolf went silent and Katie brought her eyes back to the present. ¡°Now this reminds me of the way you used to carry me when I couldn¡¯t walk,¡± the girl mused. ¡°Can you walk now?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah, I think I can manage,¡± Cole carefully ced her down as though he was holding ss. The girl couldn¡¯t help but be charmed by how careful he was every time he was handling her... ¡°We¡¯ll have to cross the river. You¡¯ll ride on my back... You are also in dire need of a change of clothes,¡± the man took in her wet and muddy attire all over... ¡°Do you mind telling me what happened between you and Crysta? Not in a bad way... She just said something I had never thought of,¡± Katie asked him... ¡°Well, what exactly did she tell you?¡± he asked her. ¡°Well, she told me that she was the reason you forgot about your deceased mate,¡± Katie replied, making sure she got the meaning across in the way she¡¯d understood it. ¡°Oh, she was really asking for it,¡± Cole shook his head in disappointment, ¡°During the Royal games, I met a girl... At the time, my only friends were Caden and Jason... well, the only ones that I cared about. The others were all just adoring fans that wanted something from me and I did my best to avoid them. I didn¡¯t think she had any bad intentions then... I still don¡¯t know if she does.¡± ¡°Are you saying she was something other than a gloating scamp who¡¯s full of herself?¡± Katie asked, washing her face in the shallow water of the river. ¡°Yes, exactly that...¡± ¡°What was she like then?¡± ¡°She was... kind, caring and many things that males would like in a mate. We dated for a bit. It was two years ago. I decided to end our rtionship,¡± he replied. ¡°Why did you end it? You had no mate and she seems willi...¡± ¡°What was supposed to happen on the day she turned eighteen and found her real mate? Was she supposed to reject the wolf the moon goddess had paired her with just to be with a royal?¡± he made a decent argument, ¡°There were other reasons why I did it, but that¡¯s what I convinced her about. For some reason, she was convinced the moon goddess would grant me a second chance mate and she would be happy to fill that position.¡± ¡°Is it always that simple?¡± Katie asked him. ¡°I don¡¯t know how it works, but the moon goddess doesn¡¯t just pair people because they like each other. We didn¡¯t talk after that and with time, I buried myself into assignments from the King. By the time I met you in Brigadia, I¡¯dpletely forgotten about her... and I was not going to remember after finding out that you were my mate,¡± he confessed. Katie couldn¡¯t help but feel holes in the story, but she chose not to press him further and allowed him to shift so that they might get back to the pce. ¡°Have I ever told you that you have the most beautiful fur coat I have ever seen?¡± Katie began... ¡°Don¡¯t patronize me, Katie. You haven¡¯t seen yourself,¡± the man asked. It was only then that Katie actually took it into consideration. ¡°Your right, Cole. I haven¡¯t seen myself. What do I look like?¡± she asked him, forgetting they were already halfway through the river... Much to her surprise, the sudden movements from her excitement didn¡¯t faze the wolf one bit... ¡®Cole has abilities of his own that aren¡¯t like other normal wolves... Could it be that...?¡¯ she couldn¡¯t put her finger on it, but she could remember something simr to the man never seeing his blood before... ¡®What is that supposed to mean?¡¯ Chapter 136 136 Chapter One Hundred Thirty Six The couple had been walking for a while in silence after Katie argued that she didn¡¯t want him to carry her all the way. Nheless, Cole had made her promise to speak up once she was tired of working. It didn¡¯t matter if she was very tired or just a little bit winded, she was going back onto his back the moment he noticed she was tired. ¡°So, you are resistant to drugs, huh?¡± Katie tried, seemingly understanding that for the first time. Since she was no longer angry at Crysta, this was the first time she was actually noticing the odd character. ¡°I have been saying that since you started overreacting...¡± Cole said, regretting his words instantly, ¡°Not that...¡± ¡°Cole, I overreacted... I know that, but you exined why, so I was not in wrong,¡± the girl flipped her hair to one side. Cole chuckled, ¡°You¡¯ll get the hang of it soon enough. As for the immunity, yes, I am immune to basically anything that¡¯s meant to alter my body in any way.¡± ¡°How did you find out you were immune to drugs?¡± Katie asked getting chipper since they were about to get into storytime, or so she thought. Cole¡¯s expression got dark and his eyes became zed, ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I just hadn¡¯t thought about that in a long time,¡± he paused before continuing, ¡°When I first shifted into my jet ck wolf form, my father was fascinated by the power he possessed at such a shortage and got me examined. There were many tests that were carried out. Strength boost that I¡¯d forgotten, ¡°Oh, I must add that I¡¯m almost impervious to sharp objects... Emphasis on the word almost. If it¡¯s strong or sharp enough, it might scratch me.¡± ¡°Did you gain that from the same tests your father was running on you?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s basically it. He did apologize when he was done and after I had ignored him for a few weeks. The needles wouldn¡¯t work and there was no more need for him to run tests if the scientists couldn¡¯t find ways to probe my body,¡± he finished. There was no malice in his voice even though Katie felt he should have been mad at her. ..... ¡°You¡¯re not angry at him?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not... I wish I could be though. Can we talk about something else?¡± it was pretty obvious that he was hiding something from her. The girl decided to look past it. She¡¯d hidden her identity from him for a while in Brigadia. A short game of tit-for-tat shouldn¡¯t hurt. ............................. Breakfast... Lina¡¯s best meal of the day. For several reasons other than being the most delicious meal of the day. The girl was the first back to the pce with her best friend holding tight to her white fur on her back. ¡°Do you have to run so fast?¡± the girl stumbled, holding onto her friend as she tried to wait out the dizzy spell. ¡°You need a lot of work, Honour. You¡¯ve got to feel the rush of wind and the feeling of being free. Nothing beats running through the forest at top speed,¡± Lina mused. If it hadn¡¯t been for the delicious aromas of various foods that wafted through the air, she would have preferred to go for another run. s, her belly screamed to be fed. ¡°Where do you think Katie is?¡± Honour asked her friend. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I know that girl can take care of herself. Did you see that tree she put down? It was insane. I knew she was strong, but that was excessive,¡± Lina wandered off the topic of her sister¡¯s disappearing act. Indulging her friend, ¡°You did say she was a hunter with two Prometheus gifts. I don¡¯t see anything surprising except the fact that she nearly killed one of her own.¡± ¡°Crysta had what wasing for her,¡± Lina shrugged it off, ¡°Now hurry up and get your bearings straight. You¡¯re going to make my headstart seem like a waste of energy.¡± Shifting back into her human form, she helped her friend walk to the pce... The nearest wolves were still far from reaching the pce, a difference that worried most of the wolves in the kingdom. ¡°I know, but still... It must be hard on Katie. She left looking disoriented,¡± Honour continued to worry. ¡°Thoughts like that won¡¯t make her better, Honour. What you can do is make sure her breakfast is ready when shees back. A little bird told me she has quite the appetite,¡± Lina yelled, shaking her friend at the shoulders. ¡°Lina, you¡¯re making the dizziness worse...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you were already dizzy...¡± ¡°I was getting better,¡± Lina onlyughed at her. The royal stopped shaking her friend and draped her hand across her shoulders and led the dizzy girl up the stairs. Before they had made it to the front door, the first wolf made it. Another royal, winded and tired from trying to keep up with his little sister. The man shifted and copsed on the ground. ¡°You got faster, Drake,¡± she mocked the tired man. ¡°Don¡¯t patronize me, little sister. Unless you would like me to be your next sparring partner,¡± the girl opened the door and vanished from sight, avoiding any further threats from her brother. ¡®Honour suits me just fine... thank you very much...¡¯ she answered through the mind link. A quick bath in the royal chambers allowed exhaustion to seep out of the two girls. They had used this same morning routine for as long as they could both remember even the times Honour got herself into Jackson¡¯s punishment drills. The beta alpha would be mean about them and did not tolerate failure. ¡°It¡¯s been long since Ist went through training without getting further assignments at the end of the training,¡± Honour¡¯s voice came from the bathroom while Lina worked on her ck hair in the mirror. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a while. I heard my brother helped you get to the training grounds in time,¡± Lina asked, raising her voice so that the girl could hear her. ¡°Yes, he helped. It was out of character for him, but he carried me part of the way,¡± the girl mused. Lina rolled her eyes at the swooning tone in her friend¡¯s voice. ¡°Ohe on... I know werewolves usually find their female mates to be younger than them, well except for Katie and Cole who were born in the same month, but...¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying to say that your brother is off-limits?¡± Lina¡¯s mouth hung open at the usation. She peeped into the bathroom making eye contact with the werewolf in the bathtub. Her amber-coloured eyes were so simr to her hair, a feature Lina always noticed even when she didn¡¯t want to. ¡°My brother is six years older than us, Honour. The odds of...¡± ¡°I know what you mean. You should know, however, that Jack is also that much older than you,¡± Honour countered. Lina remained silent and left the bathroom. It was a truth she didn¡¯t want to face, ¡°Lina... We are only looking out for you.¡± ¡°I know... I just wish you could do that without having to sound so mean...¡± Lina sighed, getting back to her dressing mirror andpleting her finishing touches to her appearance. ..................... The two reached therge double doors to the dining hall and grunted while they pushed them open. Honour had dressed in another one of her sundresses and done little to tame her hair, letting it fall below her shoulders and only braiding the front to keep it out of her face. To Lina¡¯s surprise, Katie was already seated at therge table on the other side of the room, reserved for royals and the beta alphas. ¡®When did she...¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m d she¡¯s okay,¡± Honour¡¯s face lit up when she saw the girl seated at the table with Cole seated beside her. The man had her involved in a deep conversation about the foods that were native to Sirius and kept handing her those he thought she¡¯d enjoy the most. This was a treat for the new royal and Lina gritted her teeth in frustration, ¡®That was my idea...¡¯ ¡°Well, now we have to think of something else to do with her during the weekend. I wanted to take her out on a run, then I heard that Cole had done just that before the wee ceremony. Just how many things is that guy going to steal from me? Perhaps I¡¯ll lock him in a...¡± ¡°Umm, Lina... Isn¡¯t the aim of taking her out as a family to spend more time with her?¡± Honour cut her off during her rambling. ¡°Oh, yes, that¡¯s part of it...¡± ¡°Part of it?¡± ¡°We have to show her the best that Sirius has to offer and make her wish she would never go anywhere else. She¡¯d continuously visit Sirius even after getting married to Cole and the two of us, with you obviously would spend our time ying pranks on big brother and have him chase us. With her Agility gift and my ridiculous speed, the slowpoke would...¡± ¡°Lina, you¡¯re getting louder,¡± Honour tapped her shoulder and brought her back to reality. ¡®Curse werewolf hearing...¡¯ the girl mentally mumbled. ¡®You can curse their bond as well. Quit standing there and join us, Lina. You know Honour is wee to sit at this table as well,¡¯ Queen Martha¡¯s voice came through the mind link. ¡®Thank you, your majesty. Good morning,¡¯ Honour replied with a slight bow. The two made their way for the table with Lina thanking the goddess for keeping the dining hall somewhat empty while she mumbled her nonsense. ¡°That was a colourful entrance, little sister,¡± Drake began. ¡°Uh, Drake, hi, good morning. Did we meet today? I missed you in the training grounds,¡± Lina rapped, taking a seat on the other side of Katie, against her wishes. A mental battle on whether she feared her brother more than she wanted to get to know her sister had urred in her mind and she¡¯de to the resolution that Katie could protect if something went wrong... ¡°Why is the dining hall nearly empty though?¡± Katie asked absentmindedly(or was she...), changing the topic and saving Lina a whole lot of nervous exining. Drake could be petty when he wanted to be and Lina just wouldn¡¯t stop looking for ways to rile him up... ¡°Oh, it¡¯s simply because you¡¯re allte,¡± Davin announced, rubbing his temples. People taking his time was starting to be normal and he was starting to get used to it. As long as Martha calmed him down every time he found himself waiting for someone else instead of them waiting for him, it was fine... Chapter 137 137 Chapter One Hundred Thirty Seven Katie¡¯s mind wandered about the dining hall, trying to get a bearing of how the werewolf society worked. It had finally dawned on her that she was supposed to know how all of this worked since she was the princess of the Sirius family, ¡®Still not believing that though,¡¯ she sighed. ¡®You better... A wolf of my calibre would not be awarded to any random being of fewer qualifications,¡¯ Ashley intervened, puffing out her thick chest fur. Katie was now sure she¡¯d look like that wolf when she shifted. ¡®You find me... adorable. That¡¯s not eptable, Katie. Take it back...¡¯ ¡®When you live your life learning how to kill werewolves, one that¡¯s as white and puffy as you cannot be scary whatsoever,¡¯ Katie shrugged. The wolf slumped over in defeat. The truth was too much for her to take. Katie didn¡¯t have anything to fear from wolves. She took a bite of another dish that Cole had rmended and took the time to enjoy the burst of vour. Not much made it to Brigadia because of the transport costs. The variety of foods that were avable to her in the capital were somewhat overwhelming, ¡°Hey, Cole, don¡¯t feed her everything in the menu in one meal. You¡¯ll ruin what I had nned for the weekend,¡± Lina intervened, finally having had enough of this. Cole was going to spoil her all at once before either of them got the chance. ¡°There is so much for her to see and experience in Sirius. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find something else to show her. Besides, she needs the nutrition,¡± Cole flipped her off and took another bite of his meal. ¡°Katie, don¡¯t listen to that man. He¡¯s only going to make you get food poisoning with this bad a mixture of foods,¡± Lina tried after noticing she had no bright future attacking the prince. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lina. Sandra hasn¡¯t had any of this, so you get another go. Speaking of Sandra, where is she?¡± Katie asked. ¡°She¡¯ll be here soon. Jason saw her to her room a few moments ago,¡± he reported after a moment of silence using the mind link. Just then, Katie went silent and eyed the door, narrowing her eyes while she did. It was only for a moment, but she¡¯d felt the presence of something sinister in the castle or was it just her imagination. After Kyle, she couldn¡¯t tell anymore. She was wary of everything and it was messing with the teachings that she¡¯d received from her parents growing up. ..... ¡°Katie, I heard you had a little incident at the training grounds,¡± King Davin finally spoke. The table went silent. They knew his tone of voice well. Katie didn¡¯t. ¡°Oh yeah, I lost control of my wolf. Does that happen often?¡± she asked, not sensing the trouble the others knew she was in. ¡°It only happens when a wolf has a reason to attack someone, but it almost never happens for the person the wolf attacks to be a member of their pack,¡± the man replied, trying to sound more serious by the minute. Katie thought through his words, ¡°Am I a part of the pack?¡± Davin¡¯s expression softened at the question. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel a connection with the pack?¡± Lina asked her. ¡°No, not really. If its something like what I feel with Cole, then I don¡¯t think I have that,¡± Katie replied, causing augh to ripple through the table. ¡°Umm, Katie, the mate bond is a little bit more intense than that,¡± Cole chuckled, ¡°but you weren¡¯t so much off the mark. Close your eyes.¡± Katie did as she¡¯d been instructed, ¡°Clear your thoughts and try to listen...¡± It took a while longer than Katie would have liked for her to start hearing the whispers of the wolves around her. Conversations flowed through her mind from one wolf to another. ¡®Did you see the way she rushed at Crysta? A plus for the scare...¡¯ ¡®Do you think the two of them nned to scare the girl so that she might back off?¡¯ ¡®Maybe they did... What were the odds of Cole pulling Crysta out of the way at the right moment?¡¯ ¡®Hey honey, can you take the kids to school today? We have more customers today than usual and I have to get to the restaurant to...¡¯ ¡®Say no more. I¡¯ll handle it. Juste back in one piece, okay...¡¯ ¡®Yes, I will. Love you...¡¯ The conversations continued to weave through the girl¡¯s mind. Teenagers gossiping, men arguing, couples chatting, children bickering, pack warriors discussing shifts, all of it swarmed her mind and the most amazing part of it was that she felt a connection to all of them. She could tell where they were, if they were in physical pain, if they were happy or sad, all of it... ¡°There you go,¡± Cole¡¯s voice brought her out of her thoughts and the voices came to a stop. ¡°I thought most of those were private conversations. How could I hear all of them?¡± she asked. Martha ced down her fork and rubbed her temples, ¡°It didn¡¯t even take a few tries for her to get the hang of it.¡± ¡°I know right. It¡¯s insane. I¡¯m jealous,¡± Linained, before her face beamed, ¡°What if that¡¯s part of why she¡¯s one of the moon goddess¡¯ chosen pair?¡± ¡°What are you getting at, little sister?¡± ¡°Well, we all know about Cole¡¯s insane healing abilities and immunity to poison. Well, Katie is also a fast healer, but what if her quick adaptability is what makes her so special?¡± Lina mused. ¡°We¡¯ll put a pin in that,¡± the king spoke up, ¡°On another unrted note, I finished with the paperwork involving the school you¡¯ll all be attending. As per your arrangement in Brigadia, the lot of still have to go to school. Sometimes I forget that Cole is still eighteen and has to attend school as well. Sandra¡¯s transfer has also beenpleted, so everything should be in order.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe I still get to go to school,¡± Katie groaned, ¡°and this time as a werewolf hunter that¡¯s also a werewolf hunting another starry werewolf that could potentially be a part of my family.¡± ¡°Did you just say ¡®starry,¡¯?¡± the king asked. ¡°Oh, yes, I did. The Rogue king¡¯s...¡± ¡°No offence, but I thought you were being delusional when you said you saw the rogue king. He¡¯s only been seen a few times and every time he was seen, the same description you¡¯ve given described him. Unfortunately, we¡¯ve never believed that either because there isn¡¯t single royal that has a wolf of that pelt,¡± he cut her off, voicing his conclusions. Katie shrugged off the insultingment as she wouldn¡¯t have believed the Rogue King¡¯s presence either if she hadn¡¯t seen him for herself. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have me, Jason, Caden, Sandra and Lina by your side, so you have nothing to worry about,¡± Cole told her. ¡°That does make me feel better,¡± she replied, her appetite returning to her. ¡®You should just kiss him on the lips every time he says something touching...¡¯ Katie rolled her eyes at Ashley¡¯sment, her senses ring up all of a sudden. She turned her eyes to therge double doors as they heaved open. Sandra rushed in carrying her phone and keeping it far from her ear. Whoever was on the other side of the phone call sent shivers down Katie¡¯s spine. ¡®Why can¡¯t I eat in peace?¡¯ she groaned. ¡®Make sure you finish the food before you Katie... I¡¯m still hungry,¡¯ Ashley replied, silently cursing that she wasn¡¯t the one in charge of moving their body at the moment. ¡°Katie, it¡¯s for you. Why won¡¯t you answer your phone?¡± Sandra asked. Memories of diving into a river of water shed through the girl¡¯s mind. ¡°It fell into a tank of water,¡± she lied bluntly shing a nervous smile. ¡°You got it wet, huh... Well, that will have to wait until you finish talking to Samantha,¡± Sandra announced. Once Katie had the phone, Sandra took the time to greet the royals. Lina called for the girl to take a seat besides Honour. ¡°Hi, my name is Honour,¡± Honour began, her vibrant smile gracing her face. ¡°My name is Sandra, hi... Am I allowed to sit here? These seats are...¡± ¡°Amazing, expensive, worth more than our ¡®peasant bottoms¡¯,¡± Honourmented cheerfully. Sandraughed, nodding in agreement as she sat. This brief moment of happiness, however, was shut down by the sound of a woman yelling out of the phone Sandra had just passed over... ¡°KATIE...¡± Samantha¡¯s voice came through the phone. ¡°Yup, that¡¯s the woman who sent me running here even though she was miles away from here,¡± Sandramented while she served herself with something she had no idea of. A move she came to regret... it was packed full of chilli. ¡°Hi, Samantha, how are you doing today?¡± Katie replied, in her most cheerful voice. The woman on the other side of the phone was clearly angry, but Katie couldn¡¯t help, but smile. It was the first voice she was hearing from home and nothing it could say would wipe the smile off her face. ¡°Don¡¯t use that tone on me. Where is my katana?¡± the woman asked... ¡°Where is your... Oops,¡± the smile was gone. Chapter 138 138 Chapter One Hundred Thirty Eight Katie ced the phone on the table and put her head in her hands while the phone continued to utter the woman¡¯s arguments along with a mixture of profanities that should have not reached Lina¡¯s ears. Lina shrugged them off when Drake eyed her. ¡°Katie, are you even listening to me?¡± ¡°Yes, Samantha although I can¡¯t echo some of the words you¡¯ve used. I¡¯m not even sure I understand all of them,¡± she replied. ¡°What a delightfuldy?¡± Martha spoke, focusing on her te as though she had been thinking out loud. The rest of those at the table knew otherwise... ¡°Katie, was that the queen I just heard? Am I in speaker?¡± Samantha asked, her voice low this time. ¡°You asked me to put it in speaker once I reached Katie so that you could give her a ¡®piece of your mind,''¡± Sandra chipped in. ¡°Oh yeah, I said that. You¡¯re majesties, I am sorry for the noise and more than numerous words that might have slipped out on asion,¡± she apologised, regaining her formal tone. ¡°Not a problem, hunter. Is that all you had to ask Katie? We could send you another katana crafted from the best smiths in Sirius to rece the one that you lost,¡± King Davin spoke up. ¡°The king is there too. What kind of audience did I have?¡± Samantha asked, groaning while she asked. ¡°The entire royal family...¡± Lina pitched in happily. ..... ¡°Oh poor Lina. She¡¯s still so young,¡± Samantha cried. Katie was holding back a fit ofughter though not as much as the two alphas that had reached the door just in time to hear the conversation. Jason and Jackson wereughing while Caden stood beside them with his mouth open, reys of the insults went through his mind... ¡®What did Katie do to make sweet Samantha so mad?¡¯ ¡°Katie, I called with more than just the announcement on my katana and yes, a recement would be nice. Thank you very much, your majesty,¡± Samantha was humbled and dead serious all of a sudden. ¡°Not a problem,¡± King Davin replied, hoping the hunter would continue to exin what was happening, however, Katie picked up the phone and turned off the loud speaker. She was gone before any of them could stop her, vanishing with a tempest of wind in her wake. ¡°Hunters can be so secretive,¡± Martha groaned. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t exactly allow them to freely walk the royal grounds either,¡± Lina replied. ....................... Katie ran out to the back of the castle, taking the shortest route that her memory could provide and Samantha waited for the girl to get to somewhere more private before they could talk, ¡°I¡¯m clear, Samantha. What seems to be the problem?¡± ¡°Frost and Jackeline received new assignments. Since they are ranked highly amongst the hunters, they are called on when something grave is about to happen. They were sent to investigate the movements of the rogues. After what happened with Kyle, the hunters took their chances and decided to track the movements of the rogues that escaped.¡± ¡°Can the information they gathered lead us to him?¡± Katie asked her. ¡°I can¡¯t be so sure. Her first report made it back to Brigadia. The reports return to the Agency where the hunteres from for confidentiality. The higher-ups are then the ones that deal with the information based on what¡¯s been gathered. Your parents are still here, so they were able to confirm that we had no traitors in our midst. However, that is not the case with the other agencies. It¡¯s been established, following Jeremiah¡¯s betrayal, that there might just be hunters out there that are acting as double agents. I don¡¯t know what something like that mean for hunters, but there is chaos in the hunter society. Some of the hunters even think you were lying about the whole thing, after all, you aren¡¯t only a hunter, but a werewolf as well,¡± she exined. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for causing all that trouble. What was in the report that returned to Brigadia?¡± Katie wanted the information that was going to help her to deal with the rogues faster and was curious to know what happened to those that escaped. ¡°Well, the report stated, that the rogues split on their journey into two groups. After further investigation, she was able to tell that the biggest part of the force of rogues was sent to the Lycaon empire and not the Sirius empire. It was impossible to confirm which of the forces had Kyle with them. We don¡¯t know where the Beta alphas went and we also have no idea where Jeremiah is,¡± there were too many missing bits of information. It was good to have a bit of inteling in from someone she trusted, though and that was something in itself. ¡°What are the rogues looking for in the Lycaon empire? I thought they were after the chosen,¡± Katie asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We found that a bit suspicious, but without knowing everything, we couldn¡¯t be sure. It¡¯s not easy to carry out an investigation in no man¡¯snd. Rogues cane from anywhere. It¡¯s their yground. We couldn¡¯t even tell where a force of rogues thatrge came from in such a short time. Many of the hunters are bing a little... cautious of the missions they take on,¡± ¡°You mean they are bing scared,¡± Katie corrected. ¡°Prometheus doesn¡¯t choose wimps, Katie,¡± the woman retorted, shutting down Katie¡¯s rush of anger, ¡°Otherwise, how are you doing? Is Cole treating you right? How long till the marking? I need details, girl.¡± ¡°Umm, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m obligated to discuss such with you, but I can tell you that he¡¯s the sweetest hum-I mean werewolf that I¡¯ve ever met,¡± she replied. ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re boring me. I asked for details,¡± the woman groaned, ¡°Your parents got their gifts back and they are still as fit as they were eighteen years ago. Chase hunters are not human...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call themter on... Somewhere after school. Oh, I¡¯d almost forgotten to tell you. I can walk again,¡± Katie yelled out thest part, forgetting the entire purpose of finding a ce to speak ndestinely. She looked around the backyard and shrugged off the odd looks the wolves were giving her. ¡°That¡¯s great to hear, Katie. Can you umm... do that thing again?¡± Samantha asked her. ¡°What thing?¡± Katie was now curious. ¡°You know... the one the thunderp does. I was just in time to see you do it. I still can¡¯t believe what I saw that day,¡± Samantha exined, sighing while she did. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I was in the heat of the moment that day. I had to save ire¡¯s life. Anthony had been miserable for the longest time that I¡¯d ever seen him and the woman looked to be in bad shape. How is she?¡± she asked. ¡°She¡¯s getting better. She spars with a few of us when she gets the chance. She¡¯s not yet back to her former state, but she¡¯s making good progress. I shall send her your regards, along with everyone else,¡± Samantha told her. ¡°Thanks, Samantha,¡± the girl couldn¡¯t wipe the smile off her face as she talked to one of the people that had raised her. ¡°Hey, kiddo,¡± Samantha said, getting serious once again, ¡°Take care of yourself this time. Don¡¯t rush into a fight you can¡¯t win. There are so many people that you can save when you¡¯re alivepared to when you¡¯re dead.¡± Samantha was not the first one to make that very same speech. Cole had given her something simr a while back and she¡¯d promised him to stay out of trouble unless he allowed her to. ¡®Right before I ran into a river and nearly drowned to death...¡¯ ¡®I said I was sorry. How many times will I apologise for that?¡¯ ¡®You need swimming lessons, wolfie.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll be careful, Samantha. Take care of yourself as well,¡± she replied. The phone went silent a momentter leaving the girl standing still. Memories of her growing up swarmed her mind, threatening to overwhelm her. ¡®Hey, you know Cole will know if you get overwhelmed again...¡¯ ¡®Did he know when I was about to drown in a river?¡¯ ¡®No, I had blocked him out?¡¯ Ashley replied. ¡®Then that was thest time that you do something like that,¡¯ she scolded the wolf. Ashley sighed as they turned to return to the table that the dining hall. It was a short walk when someone waspletely overwhelmed by thoughts. The mind link of the entire pack swarmed her mind. It was now filled with gossip of their newfound princess being a hunter. There wasn¡¯t much doubt about it left. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll have to embrace this truth as well...¡¯ As she rounded a corner, she ran into none other than Crysta .... The two girls stared at each other unmoving. Katie wasn¡¯t going to say anything to her as she had nothing to say to her. She didn¡¯t feel sorry for trying to snip her head off her shoulders moments ago. Crysta took a few steps back and took a short curtsy, stunning the princess, ¡°Will you ept my apology?¡± Cole had spoken of the girl¡¯s character from before Katie was in the picture and Katie had wondered what would change a person like that. ¡®Don¡¯t cave so quickly, Katie...¡¯ Sighing, the girl replied, ¡°I¡¯ll have to think of it when I do receive it.¡± ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I am sorry,¡± the girl replied before walking away from Katie without another word, ¡°I won¡¯t pretend to like you though.¡± Oddly enough, the tone in herst statement brought a smile to her face... ¡®d you aren¡¯t a suck-up to those in power...¡¯ Chapter 139 139 Chapter One Hundred Thirty Nine Lina made sure they¡¯d all packed the right things needed for the first day of school as she¡¯d been assigned the tour guide for her new big sister. They were to go their separate ways once they got to the school, but before that, she was in charge. Taking her phone out of her pocket for the umpteenth time, she checked the time once more, ¡°So this is what father felt like,¡± she mumbled, more to herself. ¡°Should I go and make sure she¡¯s alright?¡± Honour asked her, fixing a flower in the girl¡¯s hair without asking her for her permission. ¡°You just want me to look like a tree, don¡¯t you?¡± Lina sighed. ¡°It¡¯s only one flower, and it¡¯s beautiful. The blue flower ented the royal¡¯s eyes nicely even though it wasn¡¯t the way she would have wanted to dress. ¡°If I needed a hair ornament, Honour, I¡¯d buy one,¡± she reached for the flower but thought better of it when she saw her friend pouting, ¡°Okay, fine, just this once. Would you stop looking at me like that?¡± ¡°You take your natural beauty for granted so many times. It pains me sometimes,¡± Honour replied, retracting her defensive pout. It worked on Lina every time even though she never asked for anything big from the girl. ¡°Oh, did someone decide to grow a garden in their hair?¡± a voice came from the other side of the pce gates. Crysta walked out with Bree and Ginger by her side. The two blondes snickered at thement, hanging on their leader¡¯s every word. Lina merely looked away from the girl as though she was a passing gnat that would soon find its way to somewhere else, ¡°I don¡¯t understand the rtionship between you two,¡± Honour began, but stopped the moment she noticed the tears that stained her friend¡¯s eyes. Crysta flipped her off and waltzed into the forest, taking the shortcut that wolves took to get to the school, when they didn¡¯t want to use a car, ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± The royal raised up her hand to silence her friend. This was not a discussion they were going to have and Honour knew that well. ..... ¡°We finally made it,¡± Katie¡¯s chipper voice pitched in, breaking their silence, ¡°Where is the car? Or are we going to walk there?¡± ¡°I would have preferred we ran, but father had to assume his fatherly stature and act like your legs were not doing okay... Ugh, we¡¯ll be walking,¡± Lina mimicked a disgusted teenager, one that she was, having wiped all signs of her previous mood in an instant. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s one crew you¡¯ve got, Katie. You guys went to pick one person and you returned with five,¡± Honour mentioned. ¡°I don¡¯t think I got your name,¡± Katie spoke up, taking her time to take in the girl¡¯s appearance. She stood out like a sore thumb but projected the warmest aura she¡¯d met amongst the wolves. ¡°My name is Honour... Honour Leni,¡± she replied, shing Katie a smile that only reminded her of Martha Sirius. ¡°Okay, now that nature girl has made her introductions, can we get to school before lunch?¡± Lina said through gritted teeth. ¡°There it is...¡± Katie pointed at her friend, ¡°Your resemnce with the King. Both of you really hate beingte. I¡¯m not usuallyte myself, bute on... It¡¯s my first day. Take it easy, Lina.¡± ¡°Someone is used to walking outside of the rules...¡± ¡°Took the words right out of my mouth,¡± Katie smiled at her, ¡°Lead the way, Princess.¡± ......................... The Sirius School of Academic Excellence and Integrity... Katie spent more time staring at the lengthy name of the school. Sandra stared at it with the exact same expression. From Brigadia High School to the Sirius School of Academic Excellence and Integrity... ¡°Sandra...¡± ¡°I see it, Katie. When you think you¡¯ve seen it all,¡± Sandra voiced their thoughts. Cole backtracked to find what they were looking at and found that it was the name. Looking between the two girls and the lengthy name that he obviously already knew about, he started to chuckle. ¡°Why the long name?¡± Katie asked. ¡°It¡¯s like I came here to sightsee,¡± Lina groaned. ¡°If it bothers you so much Lina, you can proceed to ss,¡± Katie told her. ¡°You have been out of school for almost two weeks and you don¡¯t find that mildly disturbing. Assignments and all the work that you have not yet...¡± ¡°Who could have thought the biggest fan of Jack Boggle was a bookworm?¡± Katie cooed, ¡°Get to ss, Lina. We¡¯ll be fine. And take mother nature with you as well.¡± Honour stared at the girl in shock. ¡°Oh, I like that one. You should rece Drake in the field of nicknaming,¡± Lina replied, dragging the speechless Honour away from Katie and her gang. ¡°Well, it¡¯s been the five of us since the beginning of this mess, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Katie pointed out. ¡°Now there is something I can agree on,¡± Caden spoke for the first time in hours. He¡¯d grown quieter over the days, but only to the point that everyone could tell he was fine. The school was so massive that it got Katie¡¯s blood racing just looking at it. Brigade High School could notpare to this school and the name just made her cringe at the thought of whoever thought it would make a good name. ¡°Well, at least they already know we are supposed to be here. Let¡¯s just get to our sses.¡± ¡°Which sses?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°That¡¯s part of the adventure, Sandra. Onward,¡± Katie strode forward with an excited expression. She was in a good mood that day and there was nothing that was going to ruin it. ¡®Why does something bad happen every time you get too happy?¡¯ Ashley asked when she found the trend bothersome. ¡®Well, the world is not ready for this kind of happiness, Ashley,¡¯ Katie replied. Right after she said that someone else made themselves made their presence known to them. ¡°So that¡¯s why you weren¡¯t in ss yet,¡± Crysta spoke up from the top of the stairs at the entrance to the school building. Cole put his hand around Katie, the preconceived notion that Katie would be losing her temper any time sooning into y, ¡°You don¡¯t even know if we decided to take the scenic route,¡± Katie huffed. ¡°Of course, follow me and I¡¯ll show you to your ssrooms,¡± Crysta replied, turning around without another word. She hadn¡¯t greeted them or acknowledged Cole¡¯s presence. Cole loosened his grip on his mate and the group followed her. ¡°I asked the principal to allow me the honour of giving you a tour of the premises. This ce is just huge, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get to know everything within a day or two. It¡¯s a pretty simpleyout for a city-building.¡± ¡°So everything in the city is built to intimidate those from the countryside, got it,¡± Katie noted. ¡°Basically,¡± Crysta chuckled, ¡°To your right, you will see the path that takes you to the infirmary.¡± ¡°Which of the two races find themselves in there more, humans or werewolves?¡± Katie asked. ¡°That number is always changing. When the hunters are in a bad mood, the werewolves will get pretty roughed up, but when there ck off, the humans find themselves with more victims. I wouldn¡¯t worry about it though. There is less violence in Sirius than in other ces across the world,¡± she exined, moving on. ¡°That way, you will find the cafeteria...¡± the tour continued until they¡¯d gone through the entire school except for the top floor of the main building, a detail that Katie had noted during their tour. The trip ended on the third floor of the main building which housed the sses they were supposed to be attending. ¡°Any questions,¡± Crysta asked, turning to look at them. Katie was swarming with a lot of them. Jason beat her to it, though, ¡°Umm, why did you take us around the whole school if the sses were just here?¡± ¡°You said you wanted to take the scenic route to the ssrooms. Did I do a bad job?¡± she asked. ¡°No, no, you didn¡¯t. You actually aced the role of tour guide,¡± Jason replied. ¡°I have a question,¡± Katie spoke up and proceeded when Crysta gave her attention, ¡°What¡¯s the top floor?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s where the hunters hang. Werewolves don¡¯t go there,¡± Crusta answered. Cole had his hand around Katie¡¯s waist once more when she turned to the stairs. ¡°Why can¡¯t I go there, Cole?¡± ¡°Because you have a ss that you need to attend right now,¡± Cole replied. ¡°It¡¯s almost over and...¡± ¡°You¡¯ll go there when you have some free time. For now, you need to get to ss,¡± he cut her off before she could pour out her numerous reasons. ¡®There is no convincing him, Katie. You might want to give this one up...¡¯ The girl looked at the stairs with longing eyes, ¡°I will check out that floor before the end of this day. I just have to see what it looks like.¡± ¡°Is it true that you are a hunter?¡± Crysta asked her, ¡°I don¡¯t want to listen to rumours.¡± ¡°There is no use hiding that anymore. Yes, I am a hunter,¡± Katie replied. ¡°So weird...¡± Crysta mumbled to herself, shaking the thought of the abomination before and walking into the ss... Caden walked ahead after Crysta, Jason following with a goofy expression... ¡°I¡¯d like to introduce our new student... I mean two students... Oh my God, how many are you? It¡¯s like I¡¯m being attacked,¡± the teacher¡¯s voice came from the inside of the ss. Sandra was the next to enter and Katie heard a sighing from the teacher, ¡°Where is Katie Sirius?¡± she asked calmly. ¡°Oh, right here,¡± the girl announced her presence, popping in through the door. Laughter went through the ss upon her entrance... ¡°Are there more of you?¡± ¡°No, just me... The other four can speak for themselves,¡± the girl replied, ¡°We are sorry for the tardiness. The tour was long...¡± ¡°Not too long, I hope,¡± the teacher replied, ¡°Can I have the others introduce themselves so that we can proceed with the ss?¡± With that said, the wolves introduced themselves along with Sandra. The ss seemed to find her just as interesting as the rest of them, for she was a human walking amongst powerful werewolves... ¡®What would make her special?¡¯ Katie could see how that would be confusing... Chapter 140 140 Chapter One Hundred Forty Katie scanned the room for a seat while she waited for the others to get done with their introductions. As it so happened, the royal did not need to introduce herself. She¡¯d been expected by the school, but for some reason, the others weren¡¯t. This confirmed theck of flow of information between the two royal families that she¡¯d been trying to figure out. ¡°Trevor, would you do the honours?¡± the teacher spoke up, breaking Katie out of her survey. She¡¯d found a perfect seat at the back left of the room. The girl didn¡¯t like attracting attention in the ss and the vantage point allowed her to look at everyone in the room as what was outside. Unfortunately for her, the windows that looked out to the vibrant green of nature was already upied by a group that gave her chills. ¡®Why does this feel familiar?¡¯ the girl couldn¡¯t help, but wonder. The boy at the very back right corner stood at the teacher¡¯s summons. He was built better than most a human and looked like he could handle himself in a fight. This was no ordinary human and all five of the new arrivals could tell. ¡°As the teacher just mentioned, my name is Trevor. That is all that you will need to know other than the fact that I am the head hunter in this school, the student division. Everything concerning werewolf-human violence is to be reported directly to me. I do not expect any of you to be causing any trouble in this school. I have the power to issue a suspension and... Prometheus-forbid, an expulsion,¡± the ss descended into silence at the violence in the boy¡¯s words. Katie was smiling her ears off at the sight before her. She¡¯d been the head hunter at her former school and had to make the same... ¡®Wait, why is he in this ss? I was just exceptional...¡¯ the thought hit like a meteor. The girl raised her hand. Trevor sighed before allowing her to speak. ¡°Why is the head hunter in this ss?¡± she asked. Sandra caught up with the reason for the question. ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m the best. That much should be obvious,¡± he flipped her off. Ashley stirred within Katie¡¯s mind, ¡®He would be nice to toss around...¡¯ ¡®Did you miss the part where he said no causing trouble?¡¯ Katie asked the wolf, pushing her to the back of her mind. ¡®The details are usually boring until you decide to get involved,¡¯ Ashley replied, yawning and retreating to the back of her consciousness. ..... ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s about right,¡± Katie replied, turning to the teacher, ¡°Is there anything else we must know?¡± ¡°I just have a question. How are the five of you all supposed to be in the same ss? Is this supposed to be some kind of security detail?¡± the teacher asked, running her eyes through them suspiciously. ¡°That is not part of what you¡¯re obligated to know. They are in the system, their papers check out and the royals can vouch for their presence here,¡± Katie replied with a hint of hostility in her voice. The teacher backed off. ¡°You can take your seats then,¡± the teacher said, with her hands raised in surrender. Katie took her seat at the desk that mirrored Trevor¡¯s purely out of habit. Unbeknownst to her, the hunter had taken notice of the way she was conducting herself. ¡°Do they intrigue you, Trevor?¡± one of his friends asked him. After a moment of thought, ¡°It¡¯s hard to deny that. Two royals, two trained alphas and a human girl who might just be a hunter. This school year might just be interesting after all.¡± ....... Lessons proceeded normally and Katie was disappointed to find that they were teaching something she had read about in Brigadia. ¡®Reading ahead makes education boring... Or is it my hunter parents that made the mistake of teaching me?¡¯ Sandra, however, was struggling to keep up and found that she had to borrow a textbook and make a few summaries of the work that she¡¯d missed during their trip. The bell that signalled lunch break sounded and Katie internally rejoiced for the freedom. In her current seat, she didn¡¯t have the option of looking out the window. They were raised and tinted to keep students from being interrupted by whatever happened in the hallway. ¡°Someone hates school,¡± Jason mumbled as he finished the work he had. Caden peeped into his friend¡¯s book and facepalmed. ¡°None of that is right at all. Sandra, can I see your work? It might make the slightest bit of sense,¡± Cadenined. Sandra passed over her book. Caden¡¯s face lit up as though he¡¯d found gold and he began to copy everything he saw like it was the gospel. ¡°I believe they would call that giarism,¡± Katie sighed. ¡°And you haven¡¯t written a thing in your notebook,¡± Cole noted beside her. ¡°Katie knows everything that has been taught. She gets ridiculouslyzy when she is taught something a second time,¡± Sandra beat her to the exnation. ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys going to have lunch?¡± a feminine voice interrupted them. Crysta stood before them with her hands folded across her chest. If it wasn¡¯t for the red lights she raised in Katie¡¯s mind, she would have openly called her beautiful, but that was far from a possibility now. They looked around and noticed the ss was nearly empty. On the other side of the ss, Trevor and one of his friends sat in a heated discussion, or at least that¡¯s what they looked like they were doing, ¡°Oh, I hadn¡¯t noticed the ss was empty already,¡± Katie replied. ¡°Follow me and I¡¯ll show you where the Sirius wolves hang,¡± Crysta offered, smirking with her hand outstretched for Caden to take. Caden took the girl¡¯s hand and stood up, a gesture they all recognised as an eptance of the girl¡¯s offer. They packed what they had and followed the girl out. ¡°So the rumours say she¡¯s a hunter, huh,¡± Katie¡¯s ears perked up at the conversation taking ce at the other corner of the room. Werewolf hearing came in handy that way, but for a hunter, he was being sloppy at keeping his conversation ndestine. Katie¡¯s hunter mind was already looking for reasons ndestine. As the head hunter, Trevor was not supposed to be prone to such a mistake. ¡®That¡¯s just cruel...¡¯ Ashley groaned finally catching up with Katie¡¯s thoughts. Crysta led them through the halls straight to the cafeteria. ¡°So, since you guys are royalty, you just have to make the order and the food will be brought to you,¡± she exined. Upon noticing our arrival, a human behind the counter rushed out from the other side of the kitchen. She fumbled, wiping her hands against the fabric of her apron. She brandished a notepad and spewed the contents of the menu in a hurry that Katie almost missed some of the things that she said. ¡°Ohe on, Kendra. You don¡¯t have to be that scared of them. They don¡¯t bite you know,¡± Honour¡¯s angelic voice interrupted. The girl walked up to them dressed in an apron simr to that of the shaking nervous girl before them. She picked the pen and notepad from the girl, ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here, Kendra.¡± ¡°Look who¡¯s doingmunity work once again,¡± Crysta rolled her eyes. ¡°There is nothing wrong with lending a helping hand every now and then, Crysta. You should try it out sometime. It might show a side to you that you don¡¯t even know exists,¡± Honour countered, ¡°Now if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll take your orders and have them brought over to you in the Den.¡± Katie¡¯s eyes widened at the mention of the ¡®Den.¡¯ That hadn¡¯t been part of the tour, ¡°Very well, runt. The Den, bring only the best on the menu today extra meat. You know how it goes.¡± ¡®Does she has to be so mean when she¡¯s speaking to her?¡¯ Katie wondered internally. ¡®Well, that¡¯s what happens when a powerful werewolf is speaking to one that¡¯s weaker than it. It¡¯s just how it works,¡¯ Ashley exined. ¡®That¡¯s sick and twisted,¡¯ Katie retorted. ¡®Well, it could be worse. I didn¡¯t expect that behaviour in the Sirius pack, but I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Honour should only be grateful she doesn¡¯t get picked on every time those above her get to see her,¡¯ Ashley shrugged. ¡°If you would only follow me, I¡¯ll show you where the Den is,¡± Crysta called to them. Katie was about to turn to leave when she noticed a part of the cafeteria that didn¡¯t seem to fit. Nostalgia came rushing back like a storm. Cole had his hands around the girl before she could rush over to that part of the cafeteria. ¡°Maybe another time, dear. Let¡¯s get the tour part of being here done, then you... I mean, we can do all the exploring that we want to,¡± she whispered into her ear. ¡°How can I deny it when you say it like that?¡± Katie said, giving up her struggle. ¡°Do you think she knew we were here? I know our scents are well hidden by the wolfsbane-lined walls?¡± the voice of one of the hunters reached her again. ¡°I doubt it. That was just the look of someone curious at everything they see,¡± this voice she knew to be Trevor. The bitterness in his tone was impossible to miss. ¡°Umm, Cole, did you happen to hear what the hunters were discussing when we were in the ssroom?¡± Katie asked Cole, who now had his hand around her waist. Simrly, hers was draped across his shoulder. ¡°Not really... They talk in tones hushed enough to keep werewolf hearing out of their conversations. Are you worried about something?¡± he asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing important...¡± .......... The Den turned out to be a separate building from the main school building and it was filledpletely with werewolves. A few humans were littered here and there inrge groups of werewolves even though it was clear who was supposed to be there. A ring was set up in one corner of therge building and tables were arranged all over the ce for them to have where to eat and talk. Groups of all sorts littered the room, couples, goths, glorious pack warriors. The only reason anyone needed to be here was to be a werewolf. Katie was impressed... Chapter 141 141 Chapter One Hundred Forty One The sound of paper brushing against paper was almost the only thing that echoed through the room as an unknown man skimmed through the contents of a report that he¡¯d been given. A few weeks ago, he¡¯d made an investment in a force of one thousand wolves and ended up losing more than half that number. And all for what, a beaten-up spy that has barely spewed any information that can help me get closer to my goal,¡± he mumbled to himself while he went through the papers. Just then there was a knock at the door and he allowed his visitor entry. The door creaked open and arge man walked, wiping his hands clean with a handkerchief that he ced into his pocket. His shirt, however, still showed the slightest stains of blood, ¡°Give me some good news,¡± the seated man, who was clearly in charge and in fact the rogue king, asked. ¡°I¡¯ve tried quite a variety of measures, but it seems the boy has lost his voice. He won¡¯t say a thing, not to anyone. He won¡¯t even open his eyes when I try. I have had the mind to gouge them out just because of that. He won¡¯t respond to anything. We don¡¯t see him eat and when he does, there is no one to watch him do so. His wounds heal fast and his blood has already lost all signs of wolfsbane,¡± the man reported. ¡°That¡¯s odd, huh... Oh well, I don¡¯t much need for him though. How much longer until we can attack again? This time, we¡¯ll have to be strategic in our attack,¡± the Rogue king said, reclining in his rotating chair. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to attack so soon. It¡¯s not everyday someone gets to see a katana-wielding royal decimating the ranks at an insane speed,¡± the man reported. ¡°We know where she is. There is no reason for them to be so afraid if they know where she is,¡± the rogue king raised his voice. One of the things that angered him even more than the human scourge that infested the was insubordination that was caused by fear of the enemy. ¡°That¡¯s not the only person the rogues fear, my lord. If I must remind you, the Mighty Warriors have been deployed. We¡¯ve been able to ount for three of them who¡¯ve been deployed in Lycaon. The whereabouts of Cupid Shooter still remain unknown to us,¡± the man continued. The Rogue king, getting angry, flung the documents at his table and began pacing about the room, visibly angry. The man before him flinched and took a step back from his master. Centuries of nning and we are presented with the opportunity to take the world back into the moon goddess¡¯ original n. The humans, no matter how hard we¡¯ve tried seem to find a way to survive. But this time, it will work. We¡¯ll get rid of all of them along with the traitorous wolves that stain this world and walk around calling themselves beings of the goddess.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, master? What makes everything different this time?¡± the man asked. ..... ¡°Has he made it here yet?¡± the king asked, snapping out of his fantasies and dismissing his subordinate¡¯s question to proceed to what was of more importance in his mind. A short moment went by as the werewolf ryed his reply to the king, bringing a smirk to his face. ¡°Perfect,¡± the rogue king replied, striding out of the office in quite a hurry. Therge man followed him closely until they reached the small living room that visitors were meant to see whenever they came. The rest of thepound¡¯s interior was a secret that no one had ever gotten the blessing to find, ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t my good friend?¡± the rogue king announced boisterously and pulled a blue-eyed man into his embrace, ¡°Tell me that you bring good news.¡± ¡°Quite... I bring quite good news,¡± the man replied, ¡°The princess has not been marked yet and she shows a fear for the procedure. You can rest easy for now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. That way, I don¡¯t have to kill her,¡± the rogue king rified, hoping the other man would cringe at his reply, but this man had seen his share of fear. The rogue king was always impressed by the number of things this man was capable of. ¡°Well, as long as you keep it that way, we won¡¯t have a problem on our hands. Aidan, this is the kind of man you should look up to. He alwayses through with his promises and never misses an appointment. The perfect business partner...¡± ¡°He could at least learn to take a joke,¡± Aidan sighed beside the Rogue King. The man chucked at his alpha¡¯sint. ¡°Join us for a meal. Aidan, what more do you have for me concerning that failed operation,¡± the king asked. ¡°Well, we were able to discover all the bodies of the rogues that were sent to retrieve the boy except the scout. I believe his name was Demitri. He was one of the promising ones that could sneak up on a beta alpha even though they were paying attention to the sounds around them. He was impressive, but I cannot tell if he survived the attack,¡± Aidan announced. ¡°Then the runt is the one we need to get that information out of... Switch up your techniques... He needs to taste wolfsbane in quantities that actually hurt. This will get him to say something,¡± the Rogue King said dismissively. ¡°You might want to know something else though,¡± this peaked the Rogue king¡¯s interest, ¡°She can walk again. I received information that she was supposed to be stuck in a wheelchair for a while... What happened to that?¡± The king was quiet for a bit, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it too much. As long as she doesn¡¯t suspect you, she won¡¯t have reason to attack you,¡± the Rogue King said. A chef walked up to them and ced arge covered tter on the table. He lifted the lid to reveal the well roasted body of a deer. The more than alluring aroma of the dish filled the men¡¯s nostrils and brought along with it an appetite that they needed to satiate. ....... The school bell that ended the school day finally rang releasing Katie from what she now viewed to be torture designed especially for her. She wanted to get out of this ce the second she could. They waited for the students to file out of the ssroom and stood up to leave, however, Trevor had other ns, ¡°Katie Sirius, we were never properly introduced.¡± The boy¡¯s voice reached her ears. For some reason, this was no man to Katie. He just didn¡¯t look like onepared to Cole. ¡°Umm, you know my name. I know yours. I heard your speech, got some chills down my spine. What more do we have to talk about besides the top floor and why no one goes there?¡± Katie asked. Jason, whispered something into Sandra¡¯s ear. The girl mmed her book closed and turned to her mentor. Looking between the two of them, Katie sighed and waved them off. They were gone in a blink, leaving Caden, Cole and Katie with Trevor and two of his friends, both of whom Katie had not noticed until now. ¡°What interests you about the top floor? It¡¯s only a ce for hunters. And seeing as you are...¡± Trevor stopped talking when Katie raised a red card in front of his face. One of the rarest things on the, a hunter¡¯s license. ¡°Are you mocking me?¡± Trevor¡¯s bitterness was raw and fresh in his voice. ¡°I¡¯d give it to you so that you can make sure it¡¯s not a fake, but you don¡¯t look like someone who even wants to check it,¡± Katie replied. ¡°They say power can get you anything, but I had no idea it could get someone a hunter¡¯s license,¡± the boy said. Katie had grown up around hunters and knew a lot about them and how to fit into a hunter society. It was different now that she was a werewolf as well, but there were some things that wouldn¡¯t change. ¡°So you¡¯re still a junior hunter... I was almost impressed,¡± Katie replied his harshment with one of her own. Trevor was taken aback by the usation. His friends looked at him with questioning gazes. ¡°Now what could possibly give you that impression?¡± Trevor¡¯sposure hadn¡¯t fallen even once. Katie was now bored... ¡°What a let-down! I¡¯m leaving. Just so you know, Trevor, the Prometheus gifts are earned, not bought. Lots of training is not enough to get you to be a pro hunter. If that fails to get into your skull, then you are far from getting where you need to go,¡± Katie walked past the three of them. Cole was by her side before she was far from the ssroom. ¡°That was a bit harsh, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it. Hunters are supposed to show humility and discipline. He was everything but that... He is clearly a skilled fighter, but he oozes self-importance,¡± she exined. ¡°So, you¡¯ve never met a hunter that values themselves above others?¡± this got Cole curious. He could remember a particr hunter that got on his nerves every time he thought of him, but he knew to hold his tongue every time he wanted to mention his name. It was taboo to mention the name Jeremiah around Katie... Chapter 142 142 Chapter One Hundred Forty Two Katie found the Den amusing. It was nothing like what she¡¯d done back in Brigadia. The hunters would hang out in their own section, but they still had to bring their food from the cafeteria. This was different for Katie since Sandra was the one always doing that bit of work (after she¡¯d insisted to treat her mentor as such, of course). Katie pulled the human girl close to her and took a seat on one of the many tables that littered the ce. Crysta cringed at the choice of table and cleared her throat to speak, ¡°That table is beneath your stature. The top werewolves get to sit there,¡± the girl pointed off to a raised, secured section. The walls in that part of the den were coloured a dark chocte and the tables well varnished. Luxurious sofas were arranged around a long expensive table with one at the very end of it covered in small gems carefully ced in intricate designs. ¡°That¡¯s a bit overkill, don¡¯t you think?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Yeah, it is, but the alphas and I wouldn¡¯t ept anything lower,¡± Crysta boasted and led them to what Katie had decided to dub the ¡®VIP section.¡¯ Seated in some of the sofas were Bree and Ginger. Ginger sipped a drink in a wine ss, one that Katie didn¡¯t want to know about while Bree checked her nails and checked her face in the mirror to pass the time. Three other people sat in the vicinity, males to be precise and their eyes shone a deep red, ¡°The new princess finally showed up,¡± one of the men spoke up. Hey across the sofa with a newspaper on his chest while he rested. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯d only gotten herself momentarily lost. Can you show some respect, Wyatt?¡± Crysta scowled at the boy. ¡°Rx, Crysta. This is a ce for rxation. There will be no need to be formal. I¡¯m sure the princess agrees,¡± Wyatt spoke up, turning to face the princess, ¡°She¡¯s even more beautiful up close...¡± ¡°You might want to keep thepliments to yourself,¡± Cole interjected, his eyes shing blue. ¡°Ignore him, your Highness. He forgets his manners,¡± another boy spoke, puffing a ring of smoke from the cigar none of them had noticed he was holding. Katie wanted to ask which of the two was forgetting their manners, but decided against it, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This smoke is not dangerous to anyone. Just the highest quality you¡¯ll ever find.¡± ..... He was situated furthest from the rest of them, but that had nothing to do with the smoke being harmless, ¡°You¡¯re addicted to it and you dare to call it harmless,¡± Katie replied, speaking for the first time since they¡¯d arrived. ¡°Oh, so she speaks,¡± another spoke up, ¡°Beautiful voice too... The goddess doesn¡¯t take half measures when making the royal¡¯s now, does she?¡± ¡°You¡¯re walking on thin ice Derrick. Wasn¡¯t it a few days ago that you dered Crysta to be the prettiest werewolf in Sirius,¡± Wyatt spokezily, keeping a crazy grin. Katie could tell they were in their element. In the Den, these werewolves were free to be whatever they wanted, even if that meant they were going to turn out to bezy couch potatoes. ¡°I know what I said, Wyatt. Liam agreed with me and the vote was amongst the three of us. The coward in you made you back out, but enough of that. I¡¯m more interested in who gets to sit in the king¡¯s chair. Ever since Drake and Lina backed out of the Den, that seat has been vacant. Princess Katie or Prince Cole... this is a toughie now, isn¡¯t it?¡± the boy was clearly enjoying his instigations. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Lina sit there anymore?¡± Katie asked, pulling off her absentminded act and taking a seat right next to the one they tried to get her into a fight for. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether to call that graceful or stupid. It doesn¡¯t matter to me who sits there anyway. On the matter of Lina, we don¡¯t quite speak of her. That¡¯s a question you will have to ask either her or Crysta,¡± Wyatt replied, returning his eyes to the newspapers, ¡°Hmm, the hunters stopped releasing the good information that we always want to hear.¡± Sandra took a seat next to Katie and Cole, along with the two alphas, took seats on the other side of them. The royal chair was left vacant despite there being two royals in the room at the moment. None of them noticed the twitch in Crysta¡¯s expression. She¡¯d expected one of them to take the position, but it seemed they were stillcking of a leader. Katie turned her eyes to Crysta. She hadn¡¯t known the two had a history. They were divided by an age gap of two years and wouldn¡¯t have had that much of a chance to interact. She¡¯d noticed the odd looks they gave each other every time they met, but beyond that, she was stumbling in the dark, ¡°I would rather have that runt say everything herself. If I was to tell the story, she would only look worse than she already does...¡± Crysta shrugged and took a seat in between Bree and Ginger. As if on cue, the food arrived. Honour came carrying two tes of food and was followed by arge number of the kitchen staff. They were all served in silence and they waited for the kitchen staff to take their leave. Right when Honour was about to leave, Crysta asked, ¡°Where did the runt go today?¡± ¡°I am not sure. Would you stop calling her that? You know it is a show of disrespect to the royal family,¡± Honour returned. Her cheeks flushed red as she tried to stand up for her friend. However, she was trembling, having stepped into something that she couldn¡¯t win even in a hundred years. Crysta was surprised by the girl¡¯s boldness and looked up from her food to observe her foe. After a quick scan that made Honour feel like digging a hole and escaping, ¡°How about you tell that runt to say what you¡¯ve said straight to my face. Maybe then I¡¯d consider letting it go. She knows what awaits her if she does that. Assuming she even gets the guts to say it.¡± Honour turned to walk out of the room, her fists clenched in frustration. There was nothing she could do against the beta¡¯s daughter. She knew her limits and was only happy that Crysta hadn¡¯t taken it upon herself to beat her for standing up against her. It¡¯s just how it worked, the weak didn¡¯t have much say in anything that happened and Honour knew this. Katie hadn¡¯t seen her sister in the cafeteria or the Den and this got her worried. Had something happened between her and Crysta that it got her out of the Den? Questions swarmed her mind, but there were no answers to the questions. ¡°Prince Cole, how is Lycaon?¡± Liam asked, smashing the cigar he was halfdone with into the ashtray and walking up to the table. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Have you been there?¡± Cole replied. ¡°Hmm, I think I travelled to Lycaon two years ago for the Royal Games. I enjoyed those very much,¡± the boy continued. Katie had almost tuned out the wolves to focus on her food when Wyatt called her out. ¡°So we all know the princess is a hunter, but we don¡¯t know what gifts she possesses. I certainly enjoyed watching her almost...¡± ¡°Watch your tongue, Wyatt,¡± Crysta snapped at the alpha. ¡°I do not have such an obligation, dear Crysta. That probably would have worked if I was an omega like Honour,¡± he announced, continuing with his conversation, ¡°Watching the strongest warrior among the females get a look of fear was more satisfying than I¡¯d like to admit...¡± ¡°And yet you just admitted it,¡± Derrick intervened, ¡°Can you go one hour without putting someone down?¡± ¡°Well, I only state the truth. I¡¯m not the one who decided to make that truth interesting or degrading,¡± the boy chuckled. Katie rubbed her temples, hoping Wyatt would forget all about her amidst their bickering. ¡°Never mind... I¡¯m curious as well. What power does our princess possess? We already know what the prince can do, now we want to know what the princess can do,¡± Derrick asked. ¡®Is there something else that Cole can do and you have no idea about?¡¯ Ashley asked the girl. ¡®I don¡¯t know,¡¯ Katie replied, ¡°Well, I have both Prometheus gifts and no, I will not answer questions.¡± ¡°No one asked a... wait, two gifts, that¡¯s impossible,¡± Liam was the one to react this time, ¡°Something like that being true would disobey so manyws of the world. Stop messing around, your Highness.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only wondering whatws my existence would break,¡± she said, stuffing her mouth with more food. She had no intention of answering any questions, like she¡¯d just said. The alphas realised she was serious about that when she stopped paying them any attention. ............. The rest of the meal continued with the three alphas and Crysta talked of everything and nothing they could think about. Katie was soon able to find out that these were only the sons of the three alphas, except for the beta alphas, that lived in the capital. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Cole¡¯s voice broke her out of her thoughts as they walked on to thest lesson of the day. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck, the shock going through her like it usually did when came close to the ce he was supposed to mark. Sighing, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Just wondering what happened with Lina.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the girl will tell you as soon as she gets the chance to...¡± he answered her. Just then, something started to vibrate in his pocket. The prince pulled his phone from his pocket and found the caller to be ¡®Her Majesty¡¯ as he¡¯d saved her... His face grew an expression that Katie had trouble reading. From what she could remember, Cole¡¯s mother was dead. Why then was... ¡°I need to take this...¡± with that, Katie was walking to ss without her mate. ¡®Just imagine all those hours without his scent...¡¯ Ashley groaned. Katie rolled her eyes at the wolf¡¯s antics and decided againstmenting... Chapter 143 143 Chapter One Hundred Forty Three The bell that ended thest session soon went setting the school into the chaos caused by students breaking off from school. Excitement filled the air, many of them rushed out before the teacher could finish what he was saying about assignments and extra credit assignments. He soon realised it was hopeless and resigned to his seat. Katie chuckled, d that school remained the same everywhere. This time, she wasn¡¯t so sure about the concept the man had taught and had been able to distract herself from thinking about her mate while he was away. Thankfully, he stepped back into the ss after a few minutes had gone by(not that she needed him to breathe or anything.) ¡°So the mighty Katie has got a few kinks in her armour of education,¡± Jason announced peeping into the work the girl had managed to produce from her mind. ¡°I am not the goddess of wisdom, Jason,¡± she replied, looking at her effort one more time before closing the book. Sandra had enjoyed the lesson as it was about werewolf history. She¡¯d read so much about it that she barely needed to focus on the topic. Katie had spent her time learning how to kill them instead and reading about their strengths and weaknesses. Her eyes were glued to the sleeping wolf beside her. Jason noticed and pulled her into a hug, pulling her away from Caden, ¡°Careful, he bites in his sleep and I have the sole responsibility to protect you,¡± he joked. ¡°Maybe you can try to do your protecting in a different way than this. I¡¯ve never seen Caden sleep in a ss,¡± Sandra asked. ¡°He sleeps every once in a while. I am surprised he slept today though...¡± Jason announced. ¡°That shirt though. Has that shirt always been that small?¡± It was one of the shirts that Katie hade to know as Caden¡¯s, but it had never been that small on him... ¡°No, it¡¯s not always been like that. The two of us are going shoppingter,¡± Jason spoke up. ..... ¡°It¡¯s rare for werewolves to find ssrooms to beforting,¡± a voice cut through their conversation. Katie found her eye twitching at the sound of their new arrival. She was fine with Crysta nowadays, but this was someone else. Someone she wanted to teach a lesson in humility. How to do that proved to be a problem though... ¡°What brings you here, Trevor? I was certainly sure you were done giving the weing speech,¡± Katie asked the boy with a wide smile on her face. ¡°I only wanted to ask what it felt like to be alive again. I also did some digging and found out very fantastic news about you,¡± Trevor spoke thoughtfully. Katie wasn¡¯t sure how much a junior hunter could get from the information that was concealed from them. They were considered liabilities to the system amongst the hunters. Getting Sandra to be allowed into the meetings back in Brigadia had been a very hard thing to pull off... Based on the boy¡¯s behaviour, Katie couldn¡¯t quite ce how much he would get with his connections.¡± ¡°Cole, are you done with your part of the essay?¡± Katie asked the royal,pletely ignoring the hunter before her. ¡°I am almost done indeed,¡± he replied, ¡°Some of these events feel like an oversimplification of what happened though.¡± Katie chuckled at his reply and looked into his work. Her jaw dropped as the first lines of the story were not only well written but heavily detailed. ¡°It¡¯s no surprise you know so much about werewolf history, but this is still too much. Were you ever thinking of bing a history teacher part-time?¡± ¡°A king working as a part-time history teacher...¡± he paused trying toprehend what she¡¯d just said, ¡°I would only do that if my student was my mate.¡± With this he continued writing, leaving the princess flushed... ¡®Dashing, isn¡¯t he?¡¯ Ashley began swooning over their ¡®perfect¡¯ mate. ¡°Already skipped to the silent treatment. I must have hit a nerve,¡± Trevor cleared his throat. ¡°The only nerve you¡¯re hitting is...¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not finished. I heard that on the night you shifted, you attacked a whole number of hunters in Brigadia and some of them are still recovering as we speak,¡± he cut her off to voice his discoveries, ¡°I¡¯m watching you, Katie Sirius. You might think you¡¯re some new hotshot, but that doesn¡¯t matter to me. I will make sure you fall in line like the rest of the werewolves in this school.¡± ¡°I¡¯d expect nothing more from the head hunter. I am still wondering why they don¡¯t have a real hunter as the head hunter though,¡± she groaned at the end, a direct attack on the boy¡¯s capabilities. ¡°Well, try getting into trouble and you might just see why a pro hunter is not needed,¡± the boy boasted and walked out of the ssroom. ¡°There goes my visit to the top floor...¡± Katie sighed. Cole was finally done with his essay and was getting everything packed up when he noticed Caden holding his packed bag in his hands. ...................... Before Katie could go into the forest to make the return journey, Cole held her back, by the wrist, ¡°How about we take the scenic route?¡± he began. ¡°Not happening, loverboy. By the time we get a family outing, she¡¯ll have seen everything and there will be nothing new to show her,¡± Linained making it just in time to crash the royal¡¯s ns. ¡°Okay, Lina, how about this? Choose three ces or one or two in the capital that you would really like to show Katie and I won¡¯t take her there. You can tell me what you don¡¯t want her to eat as well until you get the chance to spoil her yourself,¡± he suggested. Lina seemed taken aback by the offer. The royal had found apromise she could agree on, ¡°Oh, so the runt has shown her face atst...¡± Crysta¡¯s voice could not have chosen another time to be annoying. To Katie¡¯s surprise, Lina did not react to it and only continued to talk to Cole. ¡°Fine, Cole...¡± she brought her hand up to his ear and began whispering to him. At first, Cole¡¯s face was normal, but then he began to regret why he¡¯de up with this n. When she was done, he smiled brightly, ¡°You¡¯ve really thought this through, haven¡¯t you?¡± Lina nodded in response, ¡°Very well. I will keep away from those specific ces.¡± ¡°Oh, you guys are taking the scenic route. Nice... Might I...¡± ¡°Continue to the pce and pretend you saw nothing...¡± Katie interfered, having guessed Crysta¡¯s request to be a tour guide. ¡°I was going to say cover for you at the pce in case you came backte, but that could work just fine,¡± she responded, nodding in disappointment as she walked away. Cole whispered into the girl¡¯s ear, ¡°Your mojo doesn¡¯t help you to read minds, does it?¡± Katie watched the others going and she turned to leave with Cole as well... ¡°Jason, are youing?¡± Sandra¡¯s voice reached the royals¡¯ ears. They turned to see the alpha frozen in one ce. On one side stood Katie, Cole and Caden while Sandra stood on the other. He didn¡¯t answer Sandra¡¯s question and only remained in that one position. ¡°Caden, what about you?¡± Katie asked the alpha, wondering what he was doing following the two of them. ¡®Did I read something wrong?¡¯ she wondered. ¡°You guys can go on to the pce. We¡¯ll be fine,¡± Cole answered. It was only then that Jason broke from his trance and walked up to Sandra. He didn¡¯t show the royals his face, but tears were welling up in his eyes for the first time in a very long time. He couldn¡¯t exin what had just happened to him. One could say his vows had shed and he didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°What was that about?¡± Katie asked when they were finally gone. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± Cole replied, leading her back and onto the road that led into the capital. They were still a few hours from nightfall and Cole intended to use that time to show his mate the city. There was so much to experience in Sirius that Katie had never experienced in Brigadia and it was what he intended to show her. Every night in Sirius was like a festival in Brigadia. The best part Katie might have found was that ice cream was not nearly as expensive as it had been back home. This way she didn¡¯t have to ask for any of it and feel guilty for asking. The humans in the city didn¡¯t care if they were in the presence of werewolves or not. They only knew to avoid angering them and everything would be fine. Before long, Katie found herself in a club with her mate, a twist to the night, that she had not seening. ¡°So do you tend to party a lot?¡± she asked over the sound of the music. ¡°Only when Caden and Jason feel like partying... and that happens to be a lot of times,¡± the prince answered. It was only a short while before the two royals were enjoying the party. Katie forgot to tell her mate that this was her first time in a club or rather Ashley decided against all in the name of having fun with him. The power of music and alcohol soon took hold of the girl and had her drunk by the end of the night. .............. Cole called Caden and had him bring a car to pick them up. Holding his mate to him while they drove back to the pce, the wolf rubbed circles into her back, ¡°That was my first...¡± the girl grumbled. ¡°I hope your healing is as quick as mine,¡± Cole answered. ¡°I will be fine, Cole. Depending on how bad the hangover will be, I might never go back there,¡± she replied. The hounding headache was already setting in, ¡°Definitely not going back there,¡± she said again before passing out in his arms. Cole brought his hand to her forehead, ¡°Are you sure, your Highness? You know what that does to you...¡± ¡°She¡¯s my mate, Caden. I would do this a thousand times before I decided it was a bad thing,¡± Cole replied. His hand began to turn ck at the point of contact with his mate. She gasped as the pain from the headache left her body and finally settled into a peaceful sleep. Cole was used to the sensation of taking pain from someone. It was usually a pain more dangerous than the one he was taking, but considering how fast he healed, it was always for an instant. Chapter 144 144 Chapter One Hundred Forty Four Darkness everywhere. Not a single source of light. And yet, the scent of her loved one was still thick in the air. She tried turning about and looking for his body, but he wasn¡¯t there. Confused and alone in the darkness of whatever ce she¡¯d found herself in, Katie started to realise the numerous anomalies with this setting. She wasn¡¯tying down beside Cole anymore. She wasn¡¯t lying in a bed either. She was standing upright with no energy wasted while doing it. The worst part though was that she could see a thing. Well, that¡¯s what she¡¯d thought would remain the case. Eventually, she began to see shapes and dim light filling the ce she was in. Soon enough she could tell that she was in a room made of stone. Part of the stone wall was covered in moss. If it hadn¡¯t been for her mate¡¯s scent constantly wafting into her nose and calming her senses, she would have been overwhelmed with panic. She checked her mind to be sure of what had happened the day before. She had gotten angry about Trevor and the way he acted toward her. Well, disappointed would have been a better word, but her reaction scratched that off her list of excuses. She¡¯d t out cancelled her ns to visit the top floor when she saw the boy climbing the stairs and instead gone out with her mate... to a club. She had many questions as to how she¡¯d even ended up in her bed, dressed up and next to her mate, however, she was sure of the mild memory... ¡®I turn eighteen and go straight to a club like a spoilt teenager. Aunt Marie would not have liked that...¡¯ While she tried to reprimand herself, she heard the shifting sound of fabric made by someone when they turned in their sleep. Apanying these suspicions was the sound of someone breathing out. Katie was now sure that she was not alone. She squinted her eyes in an effort to adjust to the surroundings. Drawing on her wolf¡¯s power so that she could at least use the sight of a werewolf, she was disappointed to find it unavable to her. Was she sleeping? Was this a dream that didn¡¯t let her do what she wanted to? She took a step back and came into contact with bars so cold she had to back away from them. The stone walls were only on three sides as she now discovered and the fourth side was an entrance to a prison cell. Her eyes finally cleared and she was able to see that she wasn¡¯t alone in the cell. Once again panic threatened to surge, but the scent of her mate all around her gave her the calm levelheadedness she needed in this situation. Now that she wasfortable with having a roommate, she took a closer look at the oneying on the ground. A boy who was slightly older than her rested in one corner of the room, dressed in rugs that were familiar to her. At least, the colour of the original clothes was familiar. The boy was bound in cuffs and shifted ufortably on the hard stone ground, ¡°K-Kyle, is that you?¡± There was no doubt in her mind that she was staring at the boy that betrayed her and had her perforated with arrows. The boy¡¯s breathing came to a stop... He could hear her. He turned around even though he didn¡¯t open his eyes... ¡°I guess the hallucinations have begun. Just leave me alone already.¡± ¡°Kyle, what have they done to you? What am I doing here?¡± both of the cell¡¯s inhabitants had no answer to thest question. ..... ¡°Have youe to gloat or remind me of the mistakes I made?¡± the boy asked, ¡°Just leave me alone already. You¡¯ll soon have your wish on the day I die. Just spare me until then. It¡¯s not long.¡± He curled up into a ball and wept. Shivers shook the boy and caused thest of Katie¡¯s resolve toe tumbling down. What scared her the most was the fact that she bore no hatred towards the boy whatsoever. He¡¯d betrayed her and killed Ashley in the process, but even now as she stared at him, she wanted nothing to do with him. She didn¡¯t want to kill him... and she didn¡¯t want to see him die either. She came closer to him and ced her hand on his back. He tensed up at the touch... ¡°What happened to you, Kyle?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who to me anymore, Katie. I want you to kill me. Just finish the job. There is nowhere left for me to go,¡± just then, his eyes opened to reveal something that scared Katie right out of her dream of the boy. His eyes, instead of a normal amber were crimson red. .................. Katie woke up suddenly having seen her former best friend in a cell with eyes that were only deserving of wolves that served the kings. A thin film of sweat covered her body, probably from what she¡¯d just gone through in the dream. Katie was deeply curious as to why his eyes had changed to that colour, but also bore no exnation. Cole¡¯s hand tightened around her, bringing down her nerves. It was as if the royal could sense her emotions even when she was asleep. ¡®It would be hard to hide my emotions from you...¡¯ the girl sighed. cing a gentle kiss on his cheek, she stepped out of the bed and went to the shower. Setting the bathwater to the right temperature, she filled the bathtub and sunk into the water to calm her nerves. It was exactly what she needed after what she¡¯d just witnessed. She didn¡¯t know what she was supposed to feel now that she¡¯d seen Kyle again. Whether it was real or fake did not matter. She bore him no ill will and found that fact threatening. If they were to ever meet and the others didn¡¯t know of her current opinion of the boy, they would probably make a decision they would regret. It wasn¡¯t right to use their emotions to drive their actions. Well, that¡¯s what she¡¯d learnt with the hunters. Ever since Ashley had awoken, she¡¯d been nothing but emotional and no matter what she did, she couldn¡¯t just turn it off. Looking back to the day of the wee ceremony, Ashley had tried to pull back from her so that she wouldn¡¯t snap at the girl at the time. However, that wasn¡¯t something the wolf couldpletely ignore. The girl had been trying to spike their mate¡¯s drink. ¡®Ashley, are you there?¡¯ Katie called. The wolf barely stirred upon hearing her summons. She waspletely silent for the first time. It was only now that Katie noticed that her eyes weren¡¯t as sharp as they usually were. Concern leaked into her now rxing mind. She stepped out of the shower and walked up to the mirror by the sink. Just as she¡¯d suspected, the girl that stared back at her had dark blue eyes. There wasn¡¯t a glow in them like they normally were. ¡®I think I¡¯ve heard enough shocks for the night...¡¯ she thought to herself, lowering herself back into the shower to wash off. Little did she know that Ashley was indeed awake. The wolf wanted nothing to do with the traitor. She¡¯d seen Katie¡¯s memories and knew the anger that had boiled within her when Kyle had betrayed her. She¡¯d experienced it all. It was only then that they saw Kyle that the wolf had figured out how to withdraw from the hunter, cutting off everything that made her a werewolf. Katie, unknowingly, was left with only what she would have called her hunter part. Sensing the girl¡¯s difort from the image that stared back at her in the mirror, Ashley forced her to rest. Katie didn¡¯t know where the sleep came from, but she was fast asleep in the tub before too long. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Katie,¡¯ the wolf whispered. ..................... Bzzt bzzt... the royal pped the annoying rm that woke them up hours before sunrise for pack training. Thankfully, there was always something beside him that would calm him down immediately. Cole turned over to touch his mate and found the sheets beside him empty. His eyes shot open and his wolf surged forward frantically searching for her. Following her scent, he ran to the bathroom and instantly rxed. Much of his body hurt from using a particr power the day before even after being warned by Caden. He rubbed his temples when he realised she was fine. Katiey unconscious in the bathtub with her head resting in the padded crook that had been designed to lean out when one was in the tub; rest. She¡¯d fallen asleep... He reached into the water and pulled the girl out of the water. Shey limp in his hands, a sight that he was starting to get used to, ¡®I am getting tired of seeing you like this, but I will happily continue to do so as long as you promise never to let anyone see you like this...¡¯ the man¡¯s thoughts began to wander as he dried her off in a procedure that he¡¯d grown used to when she was injured. She had fought him at first, but after he¡¯d shown her that he only wanted to help her, she¡¯d epted him. Thanks to the mate pull, this was easier than it should have been... Chapter 145 145 Chapter One Hundred Forty Five Katie woke up to the soft strokes from her mate rubbing circles in her back... ¡®Wait, wasn¡¯t I in a bathtub when I fell asleep?¡¯ she thought before blushing red, ¡®Not again... That was supposed to end with the times I was injured...¡¯ she mentally groaned... ¡°Someone is finally up,¡± his morning voice reached her ears. Katie looked up at the royal. He cradled her in his arms as though she was a baby. ¡°And I was supposed to be in a bathtub and yet I¡¯m...¡± ¡°Alive and well... What were you doing in the bathtub anyway?¡± the male asked. ¡°Bathing... Is there anything else people do in bathtubs?¡± Cole thought through this phrase and decided against the answer he wanted to give. ¡°Let me rephrase my question. What woke you up in the middle of the night only to sleep in the bathtub?¡± he narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°Were you worried...¡± ¡°You keep dodging the question,¡± she replied, finally giving up her ruse. She¡¯d tried to avoid the conversation for fear of having to tell him what had happened during the night. Gathering the courage, ¡°Fine, I had a nightmare. A freakish dream that woke me up in the middle of the night. I went to take a dip and fell asleep in the tub. Does that answer your question?¡± ¡°Partly...¡± the man continued investigating, ¡°There isn¡¯t much that can scare the Rogue Killer. So what was the nightmare about? If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± ..... The girl sighed and began after seeing no way out, ¡°I was in a dungeon... a prison cell with Kyle. I don¡¯t know what it was. Everything felt so real... Even his emotions seemed real.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s a problem though. Kyle is a weakling. You have nothing to fear from him,¡± he noted. ¡®Talk about suspicious. Here I thought I would be able to keep the scary detail to myself,¡¯ she thought. Cole could tell when she was lying through their bond and she¡¯d heard that he would gain the ability to know what she was thinking once she¡¯d been marked. ¡°That¡¯s not the part that was scary. The scary part was the fact that his eyes were red instead of yellow,¡± she answered. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s bound to be scary, although it wouldn¡¯t make sense for the Rogue King to make him an alpha then through him into a cell. I don¡¯t know what to make of your nightmare,¡± he concluded, ¡°I do know, however, that we arete for pack training. I¡¯ve heard Jackson can be a jerk when he wants to be. Get dressed.¡± With that said, the girl dressed up. She¡¯d escaped the question that loomed over her head. Having drowned the boy in the fact that the nightmare had scared her, she had dodged the fact that anyone would have expected her to get angry the moment she saw him and that¡¯s how she wanted it to be. ................ Katie stretched her limbs, getting ready for what awaited her. This morning, Jackson had changed everything and told them to pair up, but one of the members in the pair was going to fight in their wolf forms and the other would fight in their human forms. It was a hard practice since the shifted wolves wouldn¡¯t have much trouble losing. However, he had told them this was necessary in case they were ever fighting rogues and they couldn¡¯t shift. This detail had made Katie curious... ¡®There are moments when a werewolf can fail to shift.¡¯ As she stretched, she gathered the nerve to ask the girl who¡¯d volunteered to fight her once again. Crysta had been graceful in her challenge today, however, and wasn¡¯t proud when it came to fighting the girl. To Katie, she was now looking ambitious. ¡°What can make a werewolf fail to shift? That part, I did not understand,¡± she asked Crysta. ¡°That answer is quite simple, wolfsbane,¡± Crysta replied. ¡°Simple as it might be, I don¡¯t know what it means. Now please get to the part where you exin,¡± she replied. Crysta sighed and began to exin, ¡°Wolfsbane works to reject everything wolf in the body of a werewolf. When a werewolf is shot with wolfsbaneced in the weapon when he or she is still in their human form, they develop headaches and lose ess to their wolfs. This is different from a wolf that had already transformed. Wolfsbane robs a wolf of everything that makes them special. Their ability to heal, their ability to hear far distance and even introduces allergies. If the allergy a wolf has to the wolfsbane is too strong like air blockage, they will die in a short time. Are you starting to get the gist of it?¡± ¡°Yes, I think I understand what you mean. Do werewolves usually find themselves being dosed with wolfsbane?¡± Katie asked, now getting curious as to why they were worried about such a scenario. ¡°Ever since thest attack on the castle. It was said there were hunters on the opposite side of the battle. A lot of werewolves were shot with wolfsbane and found themselvespletely defenceless. From that day onward, it was a rule for us to learn how to fight without being able to shift. Wolfsbane saps our strength and leaves us barely human. For some, it takes away far more than that. We can only try to make things harder for the rogues if there was ever an attack on the capital,¡± she exined. ¡°How do you know all of that?¡± Katie asked her. ¡°I was only an infant then, just like you were. My parents told me the story of what happened on that day. The story of how the king and queen lost their baby girl. The empire was in mourning for quite a while. Only to realise the girl was alive this entire time. Not many of us like shedding useless tears, you know,¡± the girlined. ¡°Oh, would you have shed any tears?¡± Katie asked, with a smirk on her face. ¡°That depends on if you¡¯re worth my tears,¡± she replied, taking her eyes off the princess and onto another princess in particr. ¡°That pair is not meant for each other,¡± she mumbled to herself and started walking up to Lina and Honour who was also getting ready to get this over with. Katie looked with interest... ¡®Am I supposed to do something about this?¡¯ she wondered to herself as she watched the two collide. There was obvious tension between Crysta and Lina. Katie couldn¡¯t put her finger on their rtionship. From her point of view, Crysta was one big bully. ¡°Hey, Jackson,¡± the girl yelled out, ¡°I would like to make ast-minute change to my choice of partner.¡± ¡°Jackson, who was busy tending to others who had their forms wrong, turned to see what the fuss was all about. He let the pair he was training to practise what he¡¯d shown them and walked up to Crysta. ¡°What is it now, Crysta? You¡¯re not getting cold feet, are you?¡± therge man joked. ¡°As if,¡± the girl rolled her eyes so much they might have spun in her skull, ¡°Anyway, I want to switch with Lina. I¡¯m taking on Honour. Maybe the family can have some time to bond, but tomorrow, the princess is mine as usual,¡± the girl announced, dragging a winded Honour out of the ce without giving Jackson the chance to oppose her. How could he? She gained privileges by being the best amongst her female peers. ¡°Well, Lina, looks like you get to spend some time with your sister,¡± Jackson announced, ¡°Or are there any other changes that you¡¯d like to make?¡± ¡°No, this should work just fine,¡± Katiemented. ¡°Are you kidding me? Katie will beat me to a pulp,¡± Linained. Katie didn¡¯t want to deny it, but there was genuine fear in her sister¡¯s eyes. ¡°Would you rather face someone like Sandra then?¡± Katie asked her. The girl looked towards the human that had been pinned by Jason at the other side of the field. It was embarrassing to watch her try, but she never gave up trying and kept going again with the alpha. Lina wondered what the girl was doing with Katie in the first ce. In the pce, she was weakpared to everyone. Although not as weak as Honour... at this, she cringed, ¡®That girl needs divine intervention...¡¯ ¡°Fine... I¡¯ll give your junior hunter friend a go... It¡¯s not every day that you get to face the wondrous Lina Sirius,¡± Lina boasted. ¡°Uh-huh, because Lina is the most powerful werewolf in the whole of Sirius and we should all bow down to her Highness under her overwhelming radiance,¡± the man chimed, his voice filled with sarcasm, ¡°Sandra, there is a request here.¡± Crysta paused in her thoughts to look back at the royal she¡¯d left to fight Katie, ¡®Forfeiting already... Just when I think you can¡¯t get any worse,¡¯ she mentally scowled. The sight of Lina irritated her on so many levels and seeing the girl backing out of a fight with the hunter only made her angrier at the girl. She found herself paying attention to Lina even when it was not necessary though for reasons she kept only to herself. Not even Bree and Ginger knew anything about her take on the youngest princess. ¡°Oh, I see you¡¯ve chosen to ck on your training today,¡± the familiar male voice that belonged to none other than Wyatt, theziest alpha she¡¯d ever seen in her life. The man walked up to her with a delta in tow caring not for what the delta wanted from him. She assumed this was supposed to be his excuse for a training partner. Honour was feelingpletely out of ce in between the best fighters of their generation. Wyatt might have beenzy, but when he wanted to, he was a formidable opponent. He spent a lot of time training in private and cked off when the group training began. Chapter 146 146 Chapter One Hundred Forty Six Crysta rolled her eyes at the alpha and signalled for Honour to get into her defensive stance. Because of the normal wolves¡¯ inability to retain their clothes when they shifted, Crysta volunteered to be the one to shift, but that was only going to happen once she was sure the girl before had a few basics in her brain if there was any to understand what was about to be taught, ¡°Wyatt, why don¡¯t you find someone who can actually handle the kind of training you need?¡± The alpha looked to his right and regarded the delta before him with a shrug, ¡°Alfred can do what¡¯s needed. He¡¯s been such a big help.¡± ¡°You mean he¡¯s helped you get out of training without having to go through the extra drills,¡± Crysta replied, showing Honour how to block, ¡°Come on, girl. Move your hands and feet. This is not some fashion show for nature lovers.¡± Honourplied and tried to put some energy in her already tired muscles. The fists that came at her were a little swift for her to handle, but she did her best to block and dodge for she knew Crysta was holding back a lot. In a real fight against her, she would have recognised nothing but a blur for the delta. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s what gets in your mind when you see someone be so sessful in everything they do, then who am I to deny your right to an opinion. Are you seriously going to train that runt?¡± the alpha asked her, noticing the girl taking her partner seriously. ¡°I suggest you find Liam and bother him. This particr person has a lot of kinks to work through,¡± the seriousness in Crysta¡¯s voice reached the alpha loud and clear, and he did not like it. ¡°I¡¯ll let this slide just this once. Have fun dealing with that runt,¡± with that, the alpha left them alone, the delta following him briskly. He looked troubled and upon further inspection could be found to have bruises all over from what he was going through with Wyatt. Honour started to lose her focus and ended up getting hit more times than she would have liked, forcing Crysta to take a break from the pummelling, ¡°What is it, runt? Are you tired already?¡± Albeit winded, Honour was losing focus for other reasons. A gnawing curiosity that just wouldn¡¯t go away and only got stronger the longer she kept it in, ¡°Why are you training me?¡± she asked. ..... ¡°Oh, so you were only distracted. You won¡¯t have time for distractions in the real world. One stray thought could mean the end of your life,¡± Crysta replied. When the girl¡¯s persistence to know the answer didn¡¯t waver, she sighed and went on to exin, ¡°Fine... It was because of what you did yesterday. You stood up for someone who didn¡¯t deserve that kind of loyalty. How you take this session is entirely up to you... It could be what you get for raising your voice at the future delta of this pack or it could be a sign of acknowledgement... Runts don¡¯t go around standing up to people stronger than them.¡± ¡°Aww, you do have a heart,¡± Honour couldn¡¯t help herself. ¡°Payback it is. Get ready. I won¡¯t go so easy on you this time. Once you have the basics down, I¡¯ll give you a few tips to surviving longer in case you¡¯re attacked by a werewolf,¡± she started,mencing a series of attacks that were faster than what the girl had been getting used to. With time, Honour started matching up to the speed of the delta and was soon winded by the intense exercise. She copsed,pletely out of breath, only three minutes after they had started fighting. Crysta watched her patiently, wondering how weak one could possibly be. After how long she¡¯d spent training and keeping her body in the best shape possible, she¡¯d simply forgotten the feeling of weakness. Honour wasn¡¯t a fighter. She was delicate and weak and oddly beautiful in her own ¡®green way¡¯. She wasn¡¯t meant to be on the battlefield. ¡°Have you been skipping out on training?¡± Crysta asked, trying toprehend this. The girl was basically Lina¡¯s age mate and yet she was still this weak. Pack training started at the age of fourteen and continued until one retired from safeguarding the pack which was a very long time away in case the wolf lived a long life. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. I have beening to these things since we were supposed to, but there is no improvement whatsoever,¡± Honour replied, in between her quick shallow breaths. There was more she could exin concerning her breathing and how she easily ran out of breath. How it was always hard for her to do anything tasking from the moment she could walk, but upon remembering the person she was talking to, she held her tongue and left it at that. ¡°Well, you will have to find a way through it. If you can¡¯t do that, then I never want to see y the hero again. You won¡¯t always be able to defend yourself. Lina obviously can¡¯t...¡± Just then, Crysta¡¯s attendance got taken up by themotioning from a gathering group. She could see through them to watch the action that took ce at the centre and she was just in time to watch the human girl pin down a slender white wolf. The junior hunter had defeated their princess in her wolf form. ¡®You just keep on hitting newer lows, don¡¯t you Lina?¡¯ Crysta thought to herself. Honour came up to her in time to see what had just happened. Jackson confirmed the winner of the duel and Lina shifted back to her human form after being released. The audience roared in praise of the junior hunter... They¡¯d always love a good fight. Lina, on the other hand, was nearly petrified by her defeat and looked like she might just enter the ground. Without looking around for anyone else, the girl looked Crysta in the eye. ¡®What look are you trying to give me? You should have trained with your stronger sister, but you had to go and ask for something you thought was simpler,¡¯ Crysta was utterly disappointed. Lina vanished from the scene faster than normal eyes could witness although she was still visible to Crysta who paid her no further attention. ¡°What difference would it make if she was facing off against a rogue?¡± Crysta asked the girl before her. Honour barely heard what the delta asked her. She was far too worried about her friend and tears stung her eyes. The girl¡¯s state tugged at something in Crysta¡¯s heart, but she shoved the emotions far within herself. There was no room for something of the sort when it came to Lina. She was a lost cause to the pack... or at least, that¡¯s what she believed to be true. ¡°Hey, get back in form. You haven¡¯t finished with me yet and I¡¯m not nning on training runts for the rest of my life,¡± she barked at the Honour. ¡°Yes, of course...¡± Honour replied after watching Katie run off after her sister. She wasn¡¯t confident of the girl catching up to Lina, but she was a better option than Honour could have ever been. She¡¯d also seen her speed when she¡¯d fought Crysta the previous day. Perhaps there was a chance she could keep up that pace. Honour was sure Lina could keep at her top speed for a longer time than any other wolf and this was what made catching her impossible in the pack. ¡°Oh, the runt has shamed the pack even more now that she was beaten by a human,¡± Liam spoke up, walking up to them with Wyatt and his delta in tow. ¡°Where is your training partner, Liam?¡± Crysta asked. ¡°He¡¯s only taking a short nap. It¡¯s nothing to be worried about. I heard you were training the runt¡¯s runt, but I hadn¡¯t believed it to be true,¡± he responded, scanning Honour¡¯s appearance, ¡°She looks like she could faint any second.¡± ¡°She¡¯s weak. That¡¯s for sure, but good enough for a female,¡± Crysta said. All eyes were on Honour as they tried to gauge why on earth Crysta had taken on such a partner for the first time. ¡°Is this going to be a daily thing?¡± Wyatt asked, with a hint of excitement. ¡°What are you so happy about?¡± Crysta snapped at him, narked by his behaviour. ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. Watching a royal getting their ass handed to them...¡± he breathed in deep as though he was on drugs, ¡°No amount of weed can top that feeling. I would think this is something that you would get a kick out of. Are you having a change of heart? Is it now that you have decided to get on the royal¡¯s good side. It would definitely exin what you are doing training this brat.¡± Crysta¡¯s eyes shed with defiance as she stared at the alpha talking back at her. Since he wasn¡¯t her alpha, she didn¡¯t have the obligation to answer any of his questions. His questions did reach her though... She hadn¡¯t thought through everything when she¡¯d decided to help Honour with her training, ¡°I was only giving that runt the chance to recognise how weak she is. Training this one just happened to be the price...¡± Honour, who had been given an entirely different reason began to wonder what exactly was happening before her eyes. If it hadn¡¯t been for the sway Crysta had already established over her, she would have been appalled by her response. ¡°So that¡¯s the reason for these bruises...¡± Honour scoffed, her mind soaring back to the girl that had just left the clearing in a rush. ¡®Please, be fine, Lina...¡¯ Looking at the two of them, Liam scoffed and walked away from them, shaking his head in disappointment. ¡°Watch your step, Crysta. It¡¯s almost like you¡¯re going soft,¡± Wyatt said, choosing that moment to walk away from them as well, his partner in tow. The two were quiet for a little bit longer before Honour spoke up, ¡°It¡¯s not easy being you, is it?¡± ¡°Shut up and let¡¯s get back to training,¡± Crysta barked at her, shaking off the question. Honour didn¡¯t argue and got ready for the continued assault that had taught her more than she¡¯d learnt in months, ¡®It¡¯s harder being Lina...¡¯ Crysta thought to herself... Chapter 147 147 Chapter One Hundred Forty Seven Katie rushed through the forest, keeping her senses up for anything that might hurt her sister. She didn¡¯t intend to catch Lina immediately as the run she was having was good for whatever she was going through. Keeping up with the white wolf, however, would not have been easy if she didn¡¯t have her Prometheus gifts. Katie followed her for what felt like thirty minutes...A perception of time that she¡¯d trained to be fairly urate while she was still living in Brigadia. The time she spent running allowed her to enjoy the thrill of the wind brushing through her fur. ¡®Being a werewolf isn¡¯t all that bad,¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡®I¡¯m d you are finally starting to warm up to me,¡¯ Ashley smirked. Before Katie could answer her, her senses red up... She could tell they weren¡¯t alone. She¡¯d given her sister a distance of half a mile from her to keep herself from being detected, but this wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d expected when she did this. They were being followed, or they¡¯d already been spotted. Whatever it was, she knew their opponent was going to be attacking them soon. ¡°Katie, where are you?¡± Cole¡¯s voice came through the mind link. ¡°I¡¯m following the princess. I¡¯ll soon catch up to her. What¡¯s wrong?¡± she replied. Her mind was then split between the crisis before her and what it was that had caused Cole to call on her. He sounded panicked and that was a cause for her to worry... ........ Coley against a tree, panting after the drills he¡¯d been through with Caden, ¡°Are you getting stronger for some reason? You never used to keep up with me this much,¡± he asked between breaths. Caden, who was already starting to catch his breath, replied, ¡°Yes, Alpha Cole, I have been getting strongertely. I don¡¯t know why, but it¡¯s the same for Jason. Maybe some kind of growth spurt that you are yet to go through yourself.¡± ¡°Whatever it is... You¡¯re cheating. Would you stop adding a title to my name? It¡¯s creepy. We are friends, remember,¡± Cole had tried pushing his friend¡¯s odd behaviour to the back of his mind, but the longer he spent around him, the more it bothered him. Caden had woken up that day addressing Cole with his title and hadn¡¯t once dropped the act, even when he didn¡¯t seem to be minding the title. ..... Caden, hearing the request, scrunched his eyebrows in thought, ¡°Very well, Cole...¡± ¡°What is it, Caden? You want something... Spit it out,¡± Cole asked. ¡°Permission to go shopping?¡± the male asked. Cole blinked once, twice.... ¡°What...¡± ¡°My clothes aren¡¯t fitting me anymore. Oh, the same goes for Jason. He¡¯s upied with hisdy which is why he hasn¡¯t asked yet, but we were nning to...¡± ¡°You can go shopping whenever you want... I just don¡¯t understand why you have to be weird when asking for something like that. What¡¯s going on with you? What aren¡¯t you telling me?¡± Cole asked him. ¡°I don¡¯t know that yet...¡± Caden had to bite his lip to keep Cole¡¯s title from leaking out of him. A thought came across Cole. He¡¯d seen simr behaviour before, but he couldn¡¯t believe this to be the case and so he overlooked the matter. ¡®Maybe it woulde to pass...¡¯ ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t the Crown Prince of the Lycaon Empire,¡± a voice interrupted them. Cole took in the new arrival... An alpha that was being followed by a green-eyed wolf. Be it a delta or beta, Cole didn¡¯t have the interest to find out, ¡°You¡¯re looking terribly winded. I would say your henchman here is in better shape...¡± ¡°Do I know you?¡± Cole asked... The boy¡¯s face went nk with shock from the question. Recovering, ¡°Apologies, your highness. My name is Derrick Ward, Future alpha of the Golden Moon Pack. We met in school yesterday, so I¡¯d assumed you would recognise me,¡± the boy introduced himself, slumping his shoulders in disappointment. Cole took the time to think back to the time they¡¯d been in the Den, ¡°Oh, that was you. Pleased to make your acquaintance. You didn¡¯t sound too boastful then. I wouldn¡¯t have matched your faces.¡± Cole replied. Before their conversation could progress any further, arge crowd started gathering around two people that seemed to be getting ready for a duel. They hadn¡¯t heard themotion before the start of the duel, but they were in time to see it start. Sandra took on a defensive stance as a white wolf circled her... The slender build of the white wolf told Cole she was built for speed and not strength and the blue eyes that gleamed from the wolf¡¯s head told him that this was none other than Lina Sirius. ........... Sandra couldn¡¯t get a grip on her nerves. Her mentor had gonepletely bananas, ¡®Katie, why would you send me into a fight with a royal. I¡¯ve never beaten Jason even once. How the hell am I supposed to fare against a royal of all creatures. This was the worst assessment she was getting from Katie since she¡¯d be her mentor. How was she supposed to defeat the fastest wolf in Sirius, not to mention the princess... Lina didn¡¯t wait for Sandra to make the first move and dashed in to make the first move. Sandra¡¯s training kicked in as she evaded the wolf¡¯s attacks. Seeing the girl¡¯s nimble movements, Lina increased the speed of her attacks and rammed into the hunter. It was a simple attack that was meant to knock the wind out of her opponent. However, Sandra saw the opportunity and began what she¡¯d been taught all the years she¡¯d been with Katie. Hunters had to rely on everything they could use to achieve their goals and Sandra was not about to give up. She¡¯d noticed Lina¡¯s attack and breathed out just as she was hit. This allowed her to recover faster than the wolf had expected. She slid around the wolf, using her soft fur as a handhold, she got herself tangled in the wolf¡¯s legs, tripping her. The two tripped and began to roll off. There was a struggle in which Sandra expertly twisted out of Lina¡¯s focus and got her more tangled. Before Lina knew it, Sandra had herpletely restrained in a position that didn¡¯t allow her to move without breaking something. She¡¯d underestimated Sandrapletely and been publicly shamed before the wolves of the Sirius empire. Her wolf pushed forward in anger, trying to get the better of her... to the wolf, this human deserved to die for what she had done, but Lina knew the rules. This was the aim of the exercise after all. Jackson ran up to them and checked that Lina had been defeated. Before the girl could descend into a rage, she noticed Sandra¡¯s shivers. The junior hunter¡¯s heartbeat only sang a song of fear. ¡®It waspletely self-defence, huh... Katie has a promising student...¡¯ After being dered the winner, Lina shifted back into her human form, having been let go. Her eyes scanned through the crowd for someone she didn¡¯t want to have seen this disgrace of a fight. Unfortunately for her, there she was. Standing beside her best friend with a look of annoyance was Crysta. The delta could not be any more disappointed in the disy she¡¯d just watched. If she¡¯d fought Katie and lost, there wouldn¡¯t have been a problem, but Sandra was still a junior hunter... The thoughts were all halfbaked by the time the girl ran from the clearing and straight into the forest. Cole watched his mate follow her soon after. After all, there was no one else there that was capable of keeping up with Lina Sirius. Sandra walked back to her former partner and embraced him in a hug, shivers taking over her... ¡°Still think you don¡¯t have a chance of catching up to Katie...¡± Jason tried. ¡°Oh, shut up. I only used the element of surprise that I still had. Lina had never seen me fight before and didn¡¯t know the full extent of my abilities...¡± ¡°You won, Sandra. Celebrate that before you spiral down into the statistics,¡± Jason stopped her and hugged her a bit tighter before letting go. It was only then that they noticed Cole walking up to them with Caden eyeing the scene before them in disbelief, ¡°Hello, Alpha Cole...¡± ¡°What did I just watch?¡± Caden asked in wonder, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a human that agile before.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up, Caden. I was trying everything I could to survive,¡± Sandra cried. ¡°You had me fooled. You handled that like an expert. Is that what happens when an Agility gift is used right?¡± Caden continued to ask. ¡°More ttery... Jason, help me,¡± Sandra turned to the alpha holding her. ¡°I hear no ttery,¡± Jason huffed. Coleughed at the three before congratting Sandra on her victory. ¡°It¡¯s not every day that a human bests a royal in a match even if the royal is not taking things seriously. You might just be the first...¡± Cole voiced his own praise, turning the girl even redder... ¡°You guys are mean...¡± Sandra huffed, shifting her eyes to the ground in an effort to avoid the eyes of the three men that had her cornered. A scream filled the air catching their attention... They turned to see a girl crouching away from Crysta. It was Honour and she was keeping her face hidden from Crysta as though shielding herself. Crysta scoffed at the girl and walked away, having had her fill with whatever she had been doing, ¡°Maybe I was wrong about you,¡± she said as she walked away from her. Drake was by the girl¡¯s side before anyone else, anger in his eyes. Before he could snap at the girl that was walking away from her, Honour held his face in her palms so that she could ry a message, ¡°Don¡¯t get mad at her. It wasn¡¯t her fault. I just lost focus during our training drill...¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean she had to continue beating you mercilessly even after you asked her to stop. That is no way to train...¡± ¡°No, Prince Drake, that¡¯s not it. She normally does that until I get back into focus, but this time I couldn¡¯t, so I screamed. Please do not be mad at her. Instead, listen to the source of my distractions,¡± she tried. Her words finally reached the royal who¡¯d almost decided to abandon reasoning with her, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Lina... She¡¯s in danger and I don¡¯t know how to get to her,¡± she announced... The information made Cole¡¯s blood go cold at the information he received... ¡®Didn¡¯t Katie follow after Lina?¡¯ Chapter 148 148 Chapter One Hundred Forty Eight Katie continued to run through the forest on all fours, striking the ground harder each time to push her faster. At some point, it felt like she wasn¡¯t touching the ground. She weaved through the trees at blinding speed in an effort to get to her sister. That¡¯s all that mattered at the moment. Cole had told her everything he¡¯d heard from Honour. After getting her to ry everything calmly, Honour had told them that Lina was abducted. Katie couldn¡¯t believe it considering she was still dutifully following her sister¡¯s scent. From what she could tell, the girl had not run to the river like Katie had the day before, she had instead run along with it. Katie continued tracking her scent, trying to get to her faster, ¡®Curse the headstart I had been giving her...¡¯ Katie¡¯s senses started picking out the sources of danger not far ahead. ¡®Rogues within Sirius. What a surprise... And here I thought the fun was in Lycaon...¡¯ Ashley said, allowing her bloodlust to be revealed to Katie. ¡®Would you like to take the wheel then, Ashley?¡¯ Katie asked the wolf. ¡®Can¡¯t we do this together? We stand a better chance that way,¡¯ Ashley asked, paying attention to their surroundings to keep Katie from getting too distracted by their conversation. At the speed they were running, there was no telling if she would trip on a root sooner orter were her focus to be disturbed. Katie¡¯s ears finally picked up on the voices of the rogues she was looking for. Her sister¡¯s scent was also stronger now that she was closer to them. She slowed down and started to proceed slowly. ¡®Katie, you¡¯ve been running long enough to keep your scent undetectable for now. However, it shall spread in a short time from now. You still have a window to sneak up on them before they sniff you out,¡¯ Ashley informed her. The snow-white wolf proceeded, sneaking up on the rogues. She was just in time to find three naked men throwing her sister¡¯s still body onto the back of another rogue. A growl escaped the girl before she could stop herself. The men went still for a moment. Having loaded the girl on the dirty grey wolf, they also shifted and faced their intruder. They were taken aback by the blue eyes that stared back at them. The three that didn¡¯t have luggage stayed back while thest of them ran away, ¡®Sometimes I wonder why they run from me,¡¯ Katie thought to herself. Letting out a growl, she rushed to the rogues before her, exposing herself from her hiding ce... Before she could get to them, however, her ears picked up the distinct sound of arrows... ¡®Damn it, there is an archer...¡¯ she cursed, veering out of the way just in time to dodge four arrows. The arrows were metallic and identical to the ones that had been used against her back in Brigadia. ¡®Could it be him?¡± Ashley asked the girl. ..... ¡®Yes, it could be him. The rogues travel fast since they don¡¯t have to avoid neutral territory. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he was also here,¡¯ she replied and decided on a different course of action. If she couldn¡¯t fight these rogues, she would have to run after the one that had her sister and stop him from getting too far. The whizzing sound of more arrows caught her attention, ¡®How did he change positions so fast?¡¯ she asked herself, diving out of the arrows¡¯ way. ¡®Ashley, we are too big of a target in our wolf form,¡¯ the girl told her wolf. ¡®Very well, we shall fight through a half shift,¡¯ the wolf replied and allowed her to shift back. During the shift, more arrows whizzed past her, but only brushed past her as she became small enough to fit behind the cover of the tree she¡¯d used to hide. ¡°Damn you, Jeremiah,¡± the girl yelled out loud. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you figured it out that quickly,¡± the voice of the male came back, ¡°Surrender and die, mutt...¡± Was this the same person she hade to know in Brigadia? The sound of a growl got her attention as a rogue showed up beside her. Katie leapt out of the way and out of her cover. Arrows sang through the air, their aim true... Katie twisted, tapping into her training and caught the three arrows at the shaft before taking cover. She tapped into her Prometheus gift and dashed forward in pursuit of her sister... Using a zigzag motion to throw the archer¡¯s aim off... ¡°So you can catch arrows, huh. Jackeline taught you well...¡± Jeremiah¡¯s voice rang through the trees, however, it didn¡¯t go far. The rogues were losing distance, but Jeremiah wasn¡¯t and Katie hadn¡¯t yet been able to tell where he was or how the hell he was keeping up with her, ¡°Do you have to run in that erratic style? It¡¯s only consuming your energy and I honestly won¡¯t miss it just because you¡¯re making sharper turns... Honestly, watching a wolf using a Prometheus gift is disgusting...¡± Katie soon got to know the meaning behind his words when an arrow whizzed past her while she turned to make another corner in her motion. He was skilled, even more so than she¡¯d initially judged. ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is how someone like you is working for the Rogue King. Prometheus would never...¡± ¡°Prometheus realised the error in his judgement. All werewolves deserve to die. You are the biggest abomination in that regard and a symbol of the revenge he has dered on the werewolves,¡± he stopped her short. ¡°You¡¯re spewing nonsense. Is that the crap the Rogue King is feeding you?¡± Katie tried, tapping deeper into her agility gift to run faster. She was on top of the runaway rogue in no time, however, arrows stopped her from getting her sister from the rogue, ¡°How are you even keeping up with me?¡± Katie couldn¡¯t help but wonder... That was until she remembered the way Jackeline used to use her bow to travel... ¡®Oh, so that¡¯s what you¡¯re doing...¡¯ Taking advantage of her senses, Katie ran back and found the three rogues that were pursuing them, ¡®Katie, are you sure about this?¡¯ ¡°Just trust that we have that much strength left in us, Ashley. We can¡¯t let them take Lina,¡± Katie replied... ¡°What are you nning?¡± Jeremiah¡¯s voice called out from ahead. Katie rammed into thest of them, the feeling reminding her of the time she did something simr on the day before her birthday... If she¡¯d used the same strength this time as she had then, the wolf was bound to be immovable. It didn¡¯t matter anyway since the poor guy was going to meet his death anyway... In exchange for Lina¡¯s of course... Katie held the immovable wolf and dashed forward, past the others and far ahead to the one that was still trying to abduct the princess... ¡®Persistent idiots...¡¯ Ashley cursed... ¡®Well, we are miles from the clearing. There is no one that can get to use this far out. So this is the perfect opportunity to abduct the princess of Sirius,¡¯ Katie replied, getting a feel of just how far she was from home. The singing of arrows reminded her of the reason she¡¯d brought the wolf along, pulling it by the neck as though it was a banner... Katie raised the wolf above her head and smirked as the arrows that were meant for her went through the wolf... ¡°What the...¡± Jeremiah¡¯s voice burst intoughter. It was genuine at first before changing to amusedughter, ¡°I would have never thought of that... Not in a million years, but still... Crap...¡± Getting caught up in hisughter had allowed Katie enough time to ram into the other wolf and get her sister all at once. She ditched the other wolf she was holding and turnedpletely to the rightpletely veering off the path they were following. ¡®Last time, there had been a whole mob of rogues that wouldn¡¯t let me do something like this, but this time it¡¯s different...¡¯ ¡°Ugh, useless henchmen... I guess I¡¯ll have to do this myself,¡± Jeremiah bellowed. This was not the same person Katie had known growing up. He was different when he threatened to fight her like that. When he aimed arrows at her. ¡°Did you get so mad at me for turning you down that day?¡± Katie yelled out as she continued running in a straight line. She merely needed to get to her destination where she would at least be able to draw him out... The river.... ¡°Oh, I¡¯m over that. You don¡¯t mean much to me. I would just like to see you die now...¡± his cackle filled the air as he confessed his sick desires. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not dying any time soon, so I would hate to disappoint you once again,¡± she replied. A bright light came through the forest up ahead. The end of the treeline. She was going to make it... ¡°So that¡¯s your n... What a shame! I just made it and you seem so focused on that one destination that you will never be able to dodge the arrows aimed at your back,¡± his words were followed by the whistling of numerous arrows fired consecutively and extremely fast. He was right... Katie was focused on breaking out of the forest... So focused that turning was going to be a problem if she was to dodge. Everything seemed to slow down before her. She could tell where each of the arrows was... Her ears had isted each of them... A total of eight arrows. How he¡¯d fired that many consistently was beyond herprehension. At her fastest, she would have been able to catch four to five arrows without caring about dodging them. However, she was carrying her sister... facing the river the fastest she could manage... She¡¯d been cornered... ¡®Ashley, what do we do...¡¯ Chapter 149 149 Chapter One Hundred Forty Nine Eight years ago... Katie had been seated cross-legged for three hours now... Nothing she¡¯d done had worked so far. Her adoptive parents had done everything they could to teach her the secret behind Chase¡¯s precognition, but she wasn¡¯t getting the hang of it, ¡°It¡¯s not working... I¡¯ve tried everything I could. It¡¯s just not possible,¡± the young girl groaned, finally breaking her concentration. ¡°This is new. Are you giving up already? What happened to that ambitious goal of yours?¡± Aunt Marie asked the girl. ¡°Well, I have been working on it for hours. How am I supposed to...?¡± the girl stopped herself, closing her eyes in frustration. She didn¡¯t want to give up. She couldn¡¯t... Not when she wanted to protect those she cared about, ¡°What am I doing wrong, Aunt Marie?¡± she asked the woman. The woman smiled at her adoptive daughter. She admired her inner fire. Every time things seemed impossible, the girl had a way of pulling her mind back and focusing on the task at hand, ¡°Hmm, perhaps you already know. The power of precognition muste from your strongest convictions. You want to protect those closest to you. To make sure they can smile and not have to worry about rogues or danger... Well, how do you feel every time you remember that? Keep your heart pure and focused on your goal and it will never lead you astray,¡± the woman replied, ¡°Now, how about we try this again.¡± ........... ¡®Why did that return to me now that I am about to be skewered once more by arrows? Keep your heart pure and focused on your goal... I could not be any more focused than I am now... I¡¯m trying to protect Lina, of all people...¡¯ Katie mentallymented. Just then, the whistling sound of several other arrows reached her ears... ¡®Another archer...¡¯ the loud nking of metal as arrows collided in the air above her sounded next. She could no longer feel the arrows heading for her. The girl came to a sudden stop just outside the treeline, ¡°Damn it, what is he doing here?¡± Jeremiah cursed. Another arrow came from the forest, although it was aimed at the ground before the girl and whistled louder than the others. This was thest arrow that was shot by Jeremiah before the rogues showed up. ¡°Oh my, you definitely know how to get yourself in all sorts of trouble, dearie,¡± a feminine... wait male voice, caught the girl¡¯s attention. Katie looked behind her and saw a man dressed entirely in pink holding a pink bow. He bore three quivers, two at his hips and one on his back... His hands¡¯ movements were barely noticeable as he unleashed an assault on the wolves that attacked. Katie stayed still as the arrows whizzed past her at blinding speeds. ..... She could tell the bow he was holding that he wasn¡¯t a normal hunter. The power that poured off him was enough to tell that he was extremely skilled. Although Katie was finding trouble making observations when her nostrils were constantly assaulted by the numerous cosmetic products the man had applied to his body. She decided to trust her senses and let him prove what side he was on through his own actions. That was... if he didn¡¯t attack her when she wasn¡¯t looking. ¡°Thank you,¡± she managed, cing her sister against a tree. She began to check her vitals like she was trained. Lina thankfully was unharmed. Her train of thought immediately soared into the nearest questions. Where the rogues hade from? Why they¡¯d tried to abduct a royal and how they¡¯d even managed in the first ce? It was hard to think Lina would be overwhelmed by anyone when she was as fast as she was. ¡°Would you care to fill me in on what happened?¡± the man broke the girl out of her thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure. I was following her so that she didn¡¯t hurt herself or something, then she got attacked. She must have told someone in the pack through the mind link. I found her pursued by four rogues and a hunter,¡± she gave the short version of the story. ¡°Of course, I see...¡± the man replied, ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, girl?¡± ¡°I was hoping I could wake her up so that I don¡¯t have to carry her the whole way,¡± she suggested. Curiosity sparked within her a bitter than she would have liked. Turning slowly, she took in the man¡¯s appearance. Now that she was used by his oddities, she could look beyond them to recognise the arrows and bow he was using. The arrow tips were shaped like hearts. She nearly cursed herself for missing it. ¡°Would you happen to be...¡± ¡°Frank Silver... Yes, darling. That¡¯s me. Frank Silver, at your service,¡± the man said, gloating as he said his name, ¡°Charmed, I¡¯m sure...¡± ¡°I was going to go with Cupid Shooter, but your real name will do as well. What are you doing this far out... in the middle of nowhere?¡± Katie asked him, lifting her sister. She gestured for the man to help her carry the girl... Silver was appalled at first, only to shrug it off when he realised the person before him didn¡¯t care what title he held. ¡°I was assigned in Sirius to protect the one and only Katie Sirius. I have been looking for an opening to introduce myself. This was just the right opportunity. I have a question,¡± the man asked. The two of them walked with the girl between them following the direction they¡¯d followed. When they reached the corpses of the rogues that Frank had killed, the man pulled a re gun from one of his pockets and shot upwards. A trail of green smoke went into the air, producing a loud sound as it did. Katie took the time during the distraction to pay attention to thest arrow Jeremiah had shot. The arrow was odd as its shaft seemed too thick for an arrow. She reached out for it and picked it up. It was a rare arrow, but not one she hadn¡¯t heard of, ¡°What¡¯s the message?¡± Allowing the Mighty hunter to hold Lina, Katie broke the steel arrow in half and allowed the roll of paper inside to fall into the palm of her hand. Noticing the missive, her heart began to pound faster... ¡®What was the meaning of this...?¡¯ ¡°Just what is this supposed to mean?¡± the words left her mouth as she folded the paper. ¡°I am not sure. I also don¡¯t know what to tell you. You could just throw away the message and never know what it contains, but you could also read it and decide what to do with whatever is inside it,¡± Frank tried. ¡°He shot four arrows through me. How am I supposed to believe the messages someone like that sends me?¡± she argued through gritted teeth. There wasn¡¯t a fibre in her body that wanted to know what he wanted to say. Was it an apology? Perhaps he was taunting her even more. Maybe it was a promise to kill her the next time they crossed paths. There couldn¡¯t be anything good inside of it and yet, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to destroy the letter. ¡°Are you going to just stare at it or are you going to see what it says?¡± Frank asked her, ¡°You could give it to me so that...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll read it,¡± the girl answered. With shaking hands, she unfurled the crumpled paper, careful to keep the paper from tearing. Her mind swarmed with different scenarios of what it could contain and she also had different wishes about how she was going to react. If only she knew where he was so that she could give him a piece of her... The girl¡¯s thoughts were cut off as Ashley read the note out loud in her mind, ¡°Cole¡¯s mark should look good on you. Can¡¯t wait to see it.¡± the wolf was speechless at the words before her. Katie tore the note a momentter and sighed, ¡°Just when I hoped he would say something sensible.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t seem hopeful to find something sensible in the words of the note. What makes you think they are meaningless anyway? You should look nice with that hunk¡¯s mark on your neck,¡± it was only then that Katie noticed Frank peeping over her shoulder in search of gossip. ¡°I¡¯m not ready to get marked just yet. Just imagine having the teeth of a wolf go through your shoulder. Of everything the wolves do, that one sounds far too painful,¡± she groaned, returning to her sister. Just as she was about to get her sister up, the girl began to stir awake... Frank held his tongue when he noticed this took the girl¡¯s attention away from him. ¡°Hey, Lina, how are you feeling?¡± Katie asked, sending a message through the mind link informing her of the girl¡¯s condition. She added that she would exin everything once they were back, avoiding the headache she would get from a worried Cole if he knew what had actually happened with the rogues and Jeremiah. ¡°I feel like I was hit by a raging Katie...¡± she whined, rubbing her eyes and squinting to adjust to the light. Katie was stunned by the phrase, ¡°Is that going to be a thing now?¡± ¡°Well, it will be if Drake decides to name you Raging Sister or something along those lines,¡± Lina joked, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well, you nearly got abducted by rogues...¡± Katie helped the girl up and continued to exin everything that happened while the girl was knocked out as they walked on. Frank, this time, however, did not help the girl walk. He continued behind thedies keeping a very sensitive ear to anything worth of gossip from the girls, ¡°What do you remember?¡± ¡°I remember running away after... Whatever... I just kept running until I was tired which is something I rarely do. I shifted to take a break, but everything goes ck from there,¡± she exined. ¡°They must have snuck up on you when you were resting, but how could they have known where you¡¯d be or that you¡¯d be weak. It doesn¡¯t make much sense,¡± Katie spiralled off into her imagination. ¡°Thank you, Katie... For saving me,¡± Lina replied. ¡°What is family for?¡± Katie replied, shing the girl a wide smile. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that sweet?¡± Frank scoffed. Clearly, this was not the kind of gossip-worthy information he was looking for. Chapter 150 150 Chapter One Hundred Fifty After what seemed like ages of walking, the trio took a rest at the river bank. They decided they would follow the river and make a beeline for the castle when they got close enough,pletely ignoring the training that obviously continued without them. Lina¡¯s strength was not returning to her and Katie was less than willing to carry both her and muscr Frank back to the castle. The younger girl, reaching her limit, took a rest on one of the exposed buttress roots by the tree line while Katie washed her face in the stream. ¡°Why do our parents let you wear tights, but not me?¡± the girl yelled, frustrated. ¡°Oh my, you¡¯ve been holding that in, haven¡¯t you?¡± Frank piped in, ¡°My guess would be that your sister is already imed by her rightful mate and you aren¡¯t. I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s taking longer to get marked though,¡± thest part the man mumbled more to himself so that Katie would not hear him. Unfortunately for him, the girl¡¯s sharp hearing wouldn¡¯t let that slip by. ¡°What does that have to do with anything? I can dress the way I want. Crysta does and I don¡¯t see anyone telling her she¡¯s doing the wrong thing,¡± Lina grumbled. This struck a chord within Katie, who hadn¡¯t wanted to get into the conversation that would end up involving what was going on between her and Cole, ¡°Speaking of Crysta, what¡¯s the story between you two?¡± Lina¡¯s face got sad immediately and she looked away from her sister, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about that.¡± ¡°Why is that? You¡¯re my sister. I would want to destroy anything that gives cause you to make such a face,¡± Katie replied. She came up to her sister and pulled her chin up so that she would look at her. Lina yanked her chin out of Katie¡¯s grip... ¡°You¡¯ll only be like her. I don¡¯t need someone else that I care for to start shunning me like I have the gue,¡± the girl mumbled more to herself. She half-hoped Katie hadn¡¯t heard anything she¡¯d said, but that was just wishful thinking. The Royals had exceptional supernatural abilities and Katie wasn¡¯t the same retard she was. ¡°That would never happen and you know it...¡± Katie consoled her sister. She sat beside her sister who looked away from her once more. ..... ¡°You say that, but if you knew her back then, you wouldn¡¯t. She wasn¡¯t always such a pain. She cared for people. She was a good friend. I still find her doing it without realising it or when she thinks no one is looking. Many times, but she won¡¯t ever admit it to my face... Just because...¡± Katie was lost, but she could tell they were making progress. Frank settled down on a patch of grass in front of them to listen in on the story. However, for once, this was a story that wasn¡¯t going out to his fellow hunters(gossipers). It was far too personal for him to vite. Lina, finally ready, decided to narrate the story clearly, ¡°Crysta and I, we¡¯re best friends... It was a long time ago though. Before we were even able to shift. I was always faster than her when we were kids and having no real strength, we were evenly matched. Obviously seeing as I was a royal, I was meant to be stronger than her... That¡¯s what we all thought at the time. When we were eight, she finally went through her first shift. The first shift normally urs during that time. Thetest could be nine or even ten, but even through that time, I was still waiting on my first shift. Crysta began to get stronger and then on the day I shifted, my wolf wasn¡¯t powerful... Not the way a royal was supposed to be anyway... I wasn¡¯t as big as the rest. I barely had any strength, but instead, I was fast. Werewolves use their strength to protect the pack, but my abnormality wasn¡¯t good for something like that. I was mocked and shunned by the rest of the werewolves of our generation. They would im my speed was only good for running away when things turned for the worse. I was only lucky that I wasn¡¯t the crown heir to the Sirius throne. The pack wouldn¡¯t have been approved. With Wyatt and Liam running the rumours, there is nothing I could say to convince anyone of anything other than what they feel is right. They deemed me an abomination and before I knew it, Crysta had turned against me as well, along with all the others. I wasn¡¯t seen as a royal anymore...¡± ¡°Children can be cruel,¡± Frank was the first toment when Lina was done narrating her story. Katie was at a loss for words. Here she was trying to fight for the freedom of werewolves when the werewolves were already creating their own kind of oppression amongst themselves. She brought her palm to her sister¡¯s cheek and wiped the tears that rolled out of her eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t see a reason to cry when they don¡¯t see how great you are...¡± she told her. Lina stopped her sniffles and took a hard look at her sister¡¯s face. Where was the hate and scorn she was used to when she faced her peers? ¡°You¡¯ll soon see it the way the others do...¡± ¡°I highly doubt it... To be honest, if I was to choose either one of the gifts, I would have chosen the Agility gift. That way, I¡¯d never bete when my loved ones needed me toe running. Strength can take on many forms. Until you see that, you won¡¯t be able to shine like the bright light I know you are,¡± Katie continued, pulling her sister into a hug. ¡°Take it from me, girl,¡± Frank pitched in, ¡°Being different doesn¡¯t make you an abomination. One would argue that a person like me could never have made it as a hunter, no less a Mighty Warrior. My hands are soft and I hate going through pain, but I made it here anyway. Embrace your strengths and nothing can stop you.¡± Coming from someone who knew what the girl was going through, Lina felt even better about herself. In fact, it was the first time she was looking at her speed as more of a blessing than a curse. She loved to run, but had hated it because it made the others shun her, ¡°What an odd trio we make?¡± Katie joked, taking notice of the odd pattern. ¡°I was about to say the same thing. The first werewolf to hold Prometheus gifts, the fastest werewolf in history and me, the prettiest man in all thend,¡± Frank boasted. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to be...¡± ¡°Frank Silver, at your service, madam,¡± the man interrupted, introducing himself in the process. ¡°Oh, right... That also works,¡± Lina replied. ¡®What are the odds of meeting him a second time. Although I didn¡¯t get to talk to him thest time. Wait, what is he doing here?¡¯ .................. The trio reached the castle than they would have liked, but having been attacked by rogues, they were taken care of and weren¡¯t asked about much. Katie was summoned by the King to give a report of what had happened and she went there with the Mighty Warrior. Handing Lina over into Honour¡¯s hands, she bid the girl farewell and left to meet her father. The office of the King of Sirius was far more organised than she thought it would be. The man had his handsome face skimming through different papers. His hand constantly darted to the pen by his side when he needed to scribble something down or sign a document. He took some time looking through something at his table before acknowledging their presence, ¡°Good morning, Katie. Good morning, Frank,¡± the man greeted, barely fazed by the Mighty Warrior¡¯s presence. ¡°Good morning, Father,¡± Katie replied, taking a look around. There were portraits of different kings of the past on the walls. The office was wide enough to house a different section that was designed like a living room. As Katie was about to take her eyes off the living room part of the office, she noticed someone she wouldn¡¯t have expected. The queeny asleep on one of the sofas. It was the first time he was seeing the woman¡¯s hair in a state slightly below perfection... It brought a chuckle out of the girl. The king noticed what she was looking at, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I just thought her looks were always perfect like those of Celeste. I¡¯m d to know she¡¯s human,¡± the observation brought a momentary smile to the king¡¯s face before he realised a more important note within what she had just said. ¡°You¡¯ve seen the goddess before?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, I have seen her. She¡¯s... pretty,¡± Katie confirmed. ¡°Huh, and that¡¯s what you noticed about her. Interesting. On to more important matters, I need to...¡± just then, the door burst open with no warning. The sweet scent of her mate invaded her nostrils. Cole rushed into the room and pulled the girl into a hug. ¡°I was worried. What took you so long. You held out on me. You¡¯re supposed to keep me up,¡± he paused when he noticed the Mighty Warrior in the room, ¡°dated on everything that happens to you.¡± ¡°Umm, Cole, I¡¯m fine. I promised never to do anything I can¡¯t handle ever again and that¡¯s what I n to do,¡± she told Royal, pulling out of his embrace. The king was d to see this kind of disy from his future son-inw, ¡°Cole Lycaon, you might want to knock the next time you feel like barging into my office.¡± ¡°Apologies, your Majesty. Can I stay to hear the report then?¡± ¡°Of course, I would be happier if all the Royals were here to hear this. Proceed, Katie. What happened in the forest? It¡¯s good to have you hear, Frank,¡± he said, recognising the Mighty Warrior¡¯s presence once again and beckoning for the three of them to take their seats. Drinks were brought to them while Katie went through the story of what happened during her pursuit of her sister up until the moment when they were saved by the Mighty Warrior. The king had many questions, but held them in and let her continue the story until she was done. Katie tried her best to narrate everything and only left out the part where the rogue hunter left her a note. It just didn¡¯t seem important to her. Cole had questions as well and kept putting them aside for the sake of her story. She didn¡¯t even hold back when it came to Lina¡¯s revtion. Here she asked the king if there was a clean solution to her situation. And the king was happy to discuss it as well... Chapter 151 151 Chapter One Hundred Fifty One When Katie was done telling them of what had happened, the queen awoke from her sleep and ordered a serving to be brought to them in the office. Katie barely noticed the beautiful woman join them at her husband¡¯s side. The servants made sure to bring in everything and set it up as quickly and efficiently as they could without interrupting the discussion that was going on amongst the royals. ¡°Regarding Lina¡¯s situation, I was not sure it was that bad and I know that is irresponsible of me,¡± the king confessed. ¡°No one is ming you, dear. I asked the other alphas to keep their children on a short leash ever when it got bad, but I guess the damage had already been done. She¡¯s been growing more and more distant with the pack since then and only staying in contact with one free spirit,¡± the Queen said. ¡°You¡¯re talking about that girl, Honour,¡± the King surmised. Queen Martha nodded in reply. It wasn¡¯t enough to get their daughter to regain her confidence and pride in the family she was born in, but there were only a handful of things they could do. ¡°I could help train her. It couldn¡¯t hurt to teach her to use that speed to her advantage. She might just be able to use that speed of hers to achieve...¡± ¡°That is not something you will be able to do for a while, dearie,¡± Frank interrupted Katie. It was the first time he was speaking since the start of the meeting and Cole finally got the chance to take in his appearance. He¡¯d seen him before but hadn¡¯t got the chance to talk to him that time. ¡°Are you...¡± ¡°Ugh, Frank Silver, yes it¡¯s me. The morous Cupid Shooter strikes faster than the eye can follow. Is that the introduction everyone¡¯s been looking for?¡± the man groaned. ¡°Yes, Frank. That is the introduction we¡¯ve all been looking for,¡± the Queen smiled. ..... ¡°Right. Anyway, I was telling the princess here that she will be training under me for the rest of her stay here until I deem her capable of protecting herself from that archer,¡± he said. ¡°I am perfectly capable of handling Jeremy,¡± Katie replied, angerced within her face. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t. That boy has been taking it far too easy on you and you haven¡¯t even noticed it yet. I got all the information from the person who told you how to wield a bow. You are capable of catching four arrows fired at you in quick session. I witnessed that boy fire six arrows at your back. If you weren¡¯t a Chase hunter, I would say you made a foolish move to keep running in my direction,¡± Frank lectured. Cole tensed at this revtion, ¡°Wait, what...¡± ¡°Calm down, Cole. The girl wouldn¡¯t have done something like that without knowing of my presence or at least sense it like the Chase hunters all seem to do. Gives them an advantage in the battlefield that we can¡¯t all rely on. I won¡¯t have you run around with a target on your back that you can¡¯t evade,¡± the man finished his speech... Katie was d she¡¯d been defended even though she hadn¡¯t been sure of her senses at the moment she was going to be shot. ¡®We¡¯ll talk about thister,¡¯ Cole¡¯s voice came through the mind link, trumping all her hopes ofing out of it unscathed. ¡°What exactly are you doing in Sirius Frank?¡± the king asked the man. ¡°I was sent here to keep an eye on the princess while the situation of the rogues was being investigated. The Thunderp decided he had nothing he could teach after having heard her break the sound barrier once. I was advised to further her training in archery and teach her how to take advantage of her strength gift. I can¡¯t believe the power of a Mighty Warrior is being redirected into helping one person achieve more power. There are so many other people I could be helping right now,¡± the manined. ¡°I don¡¯t need training. You can just skip on to the next town,¡± Katie said, trying her best to keep an indifferent tone, ¡°Just who has ever heard of the hunter being trained by another hunter?¡± ¡°Ah, is someone embarrassed because she¡¯s not as powerful as she thought she was?¡± Frank started. ¡°No... Yes... Fine, you can train me. I know I¡¯m not nearly strong enough to bring that wolf to its knees just yet,¡± Katie gave up the fight against the pink-d man. ¡°You know you¡¯re not alone,¡± Cole reminded her. ¡°Yeah, I know that...¡± .......... When the meeting was done and they were done eating, Katie and Cole bid the king and Queen farewell. Frank established that her after ss sessions were to be taken up by her training and he promised a gruesome training regimen. She didn¡¯t really mind considering she was used to pushing herself to the limit. As they were getting out of the office, Katie¡¯s senses red up just in time to see the King¡¯s ¡®brother¡¯ at the door. She had her suspicions about the man, but there was never any real reason for her to make any investigation on him. And so, she greeted him and passed by him without another world. The office was silent for a bit while the Chosen got out of earshot. ¡°What were you able to find out?¡± the king asked him. ¡°Well, the hunters were cagey on their information, but they revealed enough to let us know that Sirius is safe for now. The rogues are converging within Lycaon and I don¡¯t know why yet. I have suspicions, but nothing definite,¡± Sean reported, taking a seat beside the Mighty Warrior, ¡°Morning, Silver.¡± ¡°I am much more interested in the enthusiasm with which the young ones treat me. You¡¯re all boring,¡± the hunter groaned. ¡°Yeah, the young ones... Just keep your hands off ours,¡± the queen warned, ¡°Sean, what about your other source? Have you been able to contact them to find out what they have to say about this whole situation?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t been able to reach that one in a while and it¡¯s getting me on edge. You¡¯ll be the first one to know when I get to know,¡± the royal replied, ¡°The rogues that came from Brigadia are travelling fast. One might say that they have a target in mind. The hunters that are tailing them can tell that there is somewhere they are going. There is still a lot of ground to cover, so they can¡¯t tell where it is that they are going.¡± ¡°Well, is the capital of Lycaon still part of their potential destinations?¡± Davin asked. ¡°Yes, the capital is still part of their destinations. However, the hunters have that ce heavily guarded. Would the rogues really be that suicidal?¡± Sean asked him. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it past them. They gathered arge number to retrieve a spy and lost many in numbers at the hands of the hunters there. If they are travelling as fast as you say and they have a very specific mission in mind, they might just invade the capital,¡± he said. ¡°That would be suicide. Two Mighty warriors are near the capital. They wouldy waste to them if they dared to make a move that dumb,¡± Frank informed them. The king furrowed his brows in thought, ¡°I have a very bad feeling about this.¡± Ever since Katie had been attacked, nothing seemed to be going right. There was so much unease amongst those that were in power, ¡°What do the Hunters have to say about one of their own shooting my daughter?¡± This question was directed towards Frank Silver. He¡¯d expected the king to eventually say something on the subject, but had hoped he wouldn¡¯t be the one to provide that answer, ¡°There have been reports of hunters working undercover as rogue hunters beside the rogue king. None of them know of the man¡¯s appearance or his whereabouts. He¡¯s a very slippery fellow...¡± ¡°I asked about Katie being shot by another hunter. The arrows wereced with wolfsbane and nearly killed her. I need an exnation for that,¡± the King cut him off. Martha rubbed circles in her husband¡¯s back to calm him as this was neither the time nor the ce for him to get angry. Not to mention the person he was directing his anger at. Frank had the power to bring down the werewolves in that room without breaking a sweat and they all knew it. ¡°That is what I was getting at... I know what the boy did was stupid, but the hunters refuse to ept him as a traitor. Doing that is going against Prometheus himself. You¡¯re an eyewitness to his strength Prometheus gift. For now, I would like to think that he was only protecting his cover. Now that I think of it, he did give the princess a message in the forest although she was too angry to decipher it,¡± the man said. ¡°Are you saying Katie left something out in her narration?¡± the king¡¯s anger seemed to vanish at the usation. ¡°I¡¯m only saying what happened. Before the boy ran from me, he shot a message arrow at the ground before the princess and there was a note inside it. It didn¡¯t admit his intentions although it did confirm that he was watching her,¡± Frank confirmed. ¡°What did the note say?¡± the Queen asked him. ¡°It said, ¡®Cole¡¯s mark should look good on you. Can¡¯t wait to see it.¡¯ I don¡¯t know what that was supposed to mean, but it definitely had the princess tearing up the paper. Does she know him or something?¡± the man asked. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if the two were once friends. I do know that Jeremiah and his family came from Brigadia after he gave up on trying to be a hunter only to have him continue his training in the capital. Do you think the message had some hidden meaning?¡± the Queen spoke this time. She¡¯d been the one who¡¯d tended to the family when their child had risked his life to save Sean a long time ago. The royal was cruel enough to humour the boy¡¯s heroic nature and only got surprised when he held up a good fight. Not long after the incident, he¡¯d then got his gift and intensified his training in the capital while his family was granted nobility under the kingdom of Sirius for his heroic actions. ¡°I would like to think there was meaning in what he said,¡± Frank replied, trying to drown information from his brain even though he came up with nothing. Chapter 152 152 Chapter One Hundred Fifty Two Katie sat on the bed in their room hugging a pillow while her mate paced about the room. She¡¯d messed up and didn¡¯t know what to tell him, ¡®Curse that Mighty Warrior.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t pin this on him,¡± the male before her argued. It was at times like this that Katie wondered if there was any privacy within the mind links. She almost asked, but realised Cole was far too angry to be bothered with something as insensitive as that. Ashley remained silent as well, watching the alpha pacing about the length of the room. It was the first time Katie was realising she waste for school. After all those times she¡¯d been tardy without having to worry about it, why did she care now? Just when Cole¡¯s pacing became unbearable, she spoke up, ¡°Are you going to keep walking about the room like that or are you going to say something, Cole?¡± The werewolf stopped pacing and stared at her so intensely it made her feel like turning invisible. She let herself feel him through the bond they shared. He was a storm of emotions that she couldn¡¯t process all at once, anger towards the rogues that had attacked her, anger towards her for jumping into danger, anguish at the possibility of losing her, ¡°Katie, this is the third time...¡± Who would have known that he¡¯d been counting this whole time? Katie could remember what it had felt like when she thought she would lose him. it wasn¡¯t an emotion she wanted to experience again, ¡°This wasn¡¯t the same thing, Cole. I didn¡¯t...¡± ¡°Six arrows were aimed at your back. It only spells that you were facing danger once more,¡± the royal stopped his seemingly endless words and took a seat at the foot of the bed, burying his head in his hands, ¡°What am I going to do, Katie? Every time I get to know that your life was in danger, I just lose it.¡± The girl crept closer and ced her hand on his shoulder, ¡°Cole, I¡¯m right here, aren¡¯t I? I¡¯m safe.¡± ¡°Yes, you are...¡± he replied, holding her hand in his, ¡°You were here yesterday as well. And now here you are. Between that time, your life was in danger. It makes having you here with me feel like a fleeting moment. Frank said you were being watched by Jeremiah. I let you out of my sight and he attempts to take your life. You aren¡¯t to get out of my sight from now on,¡± Cole¡¯s voice sounded more demanding at the end. Katie was taken aback by the sudden change in his mood. She knew what he was trying to do. He wanted to protect her, but... ¡°Isn¡¯t that taking it a bit too far, Cole?¡± she asked the royal. ..... ¡°I don¡¯t see how. I will be able to protect you if you don¡¯t get out of my sight,¡± he said to her. ¡°Cole, that won¡¯t work. You need to...¡± the words were stuck in her throat. They both knew what she was about to say. It was getting harder toe across that kind of thing these days though and now that she had just tried. ¡°You¡¯re thest person I¡¯d lose trust in Katie. That¡¯s not the problem,¡± Cole replied. ¡°Then I¡¯ll make sure you always know where I am and you can decide if you want toe with me or not. You can also send me with Jason or Caden if it everes to it. How does that sound?¡± she tried. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would say you were trying to get rid of me,¡± Cole replied. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it,¡± the girl chuckled, ¡°I just don¡¯t want us to be weird. You¡¯re wee to be at my side any time and you shouldn¡¯t be surprised if I cling to you every once in a while,¡± she smiled. His emotions were starting to clear up. ¡®Oh, Cole, you¡¯re so sweet...¡¯ this she hoped he didn¡¯t hear and when he didn¡¯t react, she got curious. ¡°How do I know what thought you¡¯ll hear and which one you won¡¯t hear?¡± ¡°Huh, oh, that¡¯s as simple as a choice. If you choose to hide something from the rest of the werewolves, then they will never know. Otherwise, every werewolf can know what you¡¯re thinking. And the more enthusiastic the thought is, the louder it gets. That way, the pack can always know what everyone is feeling. It¡¯s easier to know who is in pain in case of an emergency. Werewolves are quite social,¡± he exined. ¡°No kidding...¡± .............. Lina was bewildered when she heard what her friend was trying to tell her. Honour had been given a message to ry to the princess, but she hadn¡¯t known the girl¡¯s reaction would be this explosive, ¡°What does she think she¡¯s doing? She¡¯ll cause a whole storm of problems at the school,¡± the girl reacted. ¡°Oh dear, you really have no intention of going back to the den. Ever,¡± Honour asked. ¡°No, I swore I would never go back there. Have you already forgotten what it was like thest time I was there,¡± she asked the girl. ¡°I work with the cafeteria during my meals, remember,¡± Honour tried. It was the reason she¡¯d never known about the princess¡¯ status the first time they met. While the princess was mocked and ridiculed, Honour was only hearing rumours from her friends in the cafeteria kitchen and the gossiping werewolves that picked their food from the cafeteria. ¡°Oh, I¡¯d almost forgotten. You¡¯d never know what it was like. You weren¡¯t there to witness them shame me in front of the whole pack,¡± Lina shivered at the memories while trying to put distance between herself and her best friend. ¡°Come on, Lina. It can¡¯t be that bad. You don¡¯t have to run to some restaurant in town every time you¡¯re going to have lunch. It must get exhausting and lonely even for you. ¡°It¡¯s better than having to walk through that ce and have so many eyes on me. Talking behind my back and yet my hearing is good enough to hear each and every one of their conversations. You don¡¯t know what that¡¯s like, Honour,¡± the girl argued. ¡°No, I don¡¯t and I don¡¯t want you to have to go through it for the rest of your life. Where did that fire within you go? When you¡¯re running, you don¡¯t let anything faze you. You know who the alpha is. This is no different,¡± Honour said to her. ¡°That¡¯s something totally different, Honour. It¡¯s not the same and I won¡¯t go through it...¡± she was just about to run away when Honour spoke yet again. ¡°You know, Katie is really looking forward to meeting you there. She even promised to beat every wolf that caused the least bit of trouble,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s stupid. Royals aren¡¯t allowed tomand other wolves using their tone,¡± she argued. ¡°She said nothing about using her authority as a royal. That¡¯s something else. Sandra also offered to teach you how to fight using your speed. That way you don¡¯t have to run away all the time. You can be strong in your own way, Lina,¡± Honour offered her a hand. The girl nearly through the gates of the school, but her friend had stood with her to keep her from her depressing routine. It had been a long time since she¡¯d done anything differently... ¡°Don¡¯t you have to work in the cafeteria?¡± ¡°I told them that I might be a bitte today. You are more important to me, Lina,¡± she replied. Lina took the girl¡¯s hand and followed her back to the school leading her to the Den. It had been years since she¡¯d been here. ¡®Katie, what are you thinking?¡¯ The girl walked into the Den and the ce went dead silent. Every nerve in her body asked that she bolted from the ce. This was thest ce she wanted to be in. What difference wasing here supposed to make to her? Was she supposed to suddenly act tough contrary to what she¡¯d been doing this whole time? Honour led her till she reached the steps that led to the section for the royals, alphas and high ranking werewolves. Unless she was allowed in by one of them or carrying their food, she wasn¡¯t to proceed beyond that point. It¡¯s just how it was and no one dared to question it. Lina knew this and forced her legs to move forward. For a wolf that was fast on her feet, walking felt very hard at the time, but she had to avoid showing weakness. The very thing that she was known for... ¡°The long table of high ranking werewolves remained silent. Katie turned to see her sistering toward them. Her face beamed in happiness. In all honesty, she hadn¡¯t thought Honour would be able to convince her that easily. Not for the first day at least. She¡¯d nned to do this every day until Lina epted after being nagged for too long. This was better. Beckoning towards the chair at the end of the chair that had been vacant since their big brother¡¯s graduation, Katie smiled at the girl. Lina was stunned for a moment. Katie was older than her and yet she hadn¡¯t taken the seat. What was this supposed to mean? Looking at the other side of the chair, she noticed Cole Lycaon sittingfortably with his alphas next to him. None of them was bothered by the fact that the seat was empty. ¡°You asked that I stay quiet as I watch this runt take a seat in the most important ce on this table,¡± Wyatt was the first to speak, ¡°How am I supposed to stomach such a disgrace at this table?¡± Lina took a step back only to bump into someone who she was sure wasn¡¯t there. She turned to see her sister blocking her exit. Looking back to Katie¡¯s seat, it was vacant. ¡®When...¡¯ ¡°Wyatt, one more filthy word out of you and you will know just how weak you are inparison to a royal,¡± Katie spoke up without sparing him another nce, ¡®Take your rightful seat at the table, sister. No one will stop you from taking it,¡¯ her sister¡¯s voice came through her mind. ¡°It¡¯s about time if you ask me,¡± Derrick spoke up from his seat at the table. This was all Lina needed to gain the confidence to take another step forward. Katie was a weirdo, but Derrick having her same opinion was something else. It only meant there were others that were as mean as Wyatt and Liam. Lina walked over to the luxuriously designed chair and took a seat. Honour smiled at her friend and entered, ¡°What may I get you?¡± she asked her. Lina was stunned for a moment before she spoke up, ¡°Come on, Honour. You know me more than anyone. I¡¯ll let you decide,¡± she said with a wink. Her friend chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re a junkie and I¡¯m not. Do you really want to go with that choice of words?¡± ¡°Bring something healthy and you¡¯ll regret it, Honour,¡± Lina hurriedly threatened. Honour stared back shocked, ¡°Very well. But just this once. It¡¯s not good for you.¡± With that, the girl took orders from the rest of the high ranking wolves and walked off. ¡°And here I thought Honour would be invited here just like Sandra was,¡± Liam spat. ¡°Oh cheer up, Liam. You know I wouldn¡¯t turn away the opportunity to serve someone more suitable for my services than you,¡± Honour replied before anyone else. The alpha stood up from his seat right only to freeze at the presence behind him. Katie stood behind him with a mischievous smile on her face, ¡°Do you have something you want to say, Liam? I suggest we use our words.¡± The alpha¡¯s face went through a myriad of angry contortions before he took his seat, ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Chapter 153 153 Chapter One Hundred Fifty Three The bell for the end of thest lesson finally went. Katie was still staring at the board at a discussion a student had decided to start with the teacher over a concept that he¡¯d arguably understood differently after reading ahead. Watching the two of them try to reach the same conclusion had been fun for the hunter, but not for the rest of the ss that had no idea what was going on. The student had clearly read a more unorthodox method of reaching the conclusion, but the teacher wanted to set him straight and this seemed to drag on the lesson longer on one concept than it should have been. Trevor had made ament to arrest the boy for assaulting werewolf brains with his conflicting forms that got the ssughing before the teacher continued to curb her lessons on the boy. Eventually, the lesson ended and here they were. An emptying ss and a confused Jasonter. Sandra helped her friend with the work he had not understood and Cole closed his books, leaving his work unfinished, ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you going to finish that?¡± ¡°No use... I¡¯ve already understood. You barely write a thing. I don¡¯t see why I should have to,¡± heined, ¡°School feels like such a waste of time when I think of the lives that we¡¯ll live afterwards.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not exactly right,¡± she told him, ¡°But I know where you¡¯reing from.¡± ¡°So, I checked the database yesterday and turns out you check out. You¡¯re a hunter after all,¡± Trevor¡¯s voice chipped in. The girl had tried to pretend she hadn¡¯t seen him approaching, but his presence was hard to miss. ¡°That is what I told you. What brings you here anyway?¡± she asked him. ¡°Why would you ask me such a question? You are a hunter, aren¡¯t you?¡± he scoffed. Katie finally understood what he was meaning, ¡°Yes, I am. And one that highly outranks you, junior hunter. What¡¯s your point?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Oh, are you suggesting you want the position of head of hunters? I¡¯m not giving that up,¡± Trevor quickly said. ..... ¡°Well then, I don¡¯t see why I should have to answer to any obligations you assume fall to me as well. You might want to change the way you manage your security though. Move with hunters around you only when you are also on patrol. Otherwise, you are only reducing the effectiveness of the hunters here. Or do you suddenly feel you have everything here under control?¡± ¡°As long as you and your new lot don¡¯t cause any trouble, there will be no trouble in this school. Is that understood?¡± he tried gaining ground over her. Defiance shone through Katie¡¯s face for a moment before she decided this argument was not worth it, ¡°Whatever... Are you done, Sandra?¡± ¡°Almost...¡± the junior hunter had been distracted by their discussion that her exnation hade to a pause. She proceeded with her exnation even though she was now sure Jason was just asking her these questions so that he could have some private time with her. He seemed to be getting the hang of everything faster than she thought he would, but she indulged him. ¡°What¡¯s her deal? What¡¯s a human doing hanging around werewolves?¡± Trevor was still here. Katie sighed and ced her head on the desk before her... ¡®This will never end. Kill me Cole...¡¯ the royalughed at her antics. ¡°Is there a problem, officer?¡± Jason asked Trevor, speaking for Sandra. ¡°I was speaking to thedy. What are you, her mate?¡± Trevor spat. Jason was about to stand when Sandra held his shoulder and forced him back down. ¡°Katie is my mentor. Is there anything else you would like to know or is today¡¯s inspection over?¡± Sandra spoke so kindly that it got Katie to look up from her desk. ¡°So, you¡¯re a junior hunter. We have a meeting in a few,¡± Trevor spoke up. ¡°Maybe not today, Trevor. I¡¯ll hold onto her for a bit. She¡¯ll help you out when she¡¯s free maybe. As of right now, she has quite the training to go through,¡± Katie spoke up. The head hunter scoffed at the group and walked away shaking his head in disappointment, his henchmen right behind him. ¡°Do you think that was thest time we are going to hear of him?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Katie replied. ............... ¡°Do you really have to go?¡± Cole held on to the girl. Katie had just dressed up for her training with the Mighty warrior. However, her mate was not liking the thought of having a Mighty Warrior hammer more hours of training into his beautiful mate, ¡°He¡¯s going to torture you. I can already imagine the wicked smile on his face while he makes you go through hell,¡± the manined. ¡°Now you are being overly dramatic. Do you want him to put me through more hell for beingte?¡± Katieined, although secretly loving the attention. ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you, would you stay just a little longer? The hell will be worth it then,¡± he whispered. ¡°Ah, that is evil of you,¡± Katie hit the man yfully with a pillow. Cole had her pinned down and once more in this unfair world of werewolves, she found herself utterly powerless against him. Asking nicely seemed to be the only way out of this one. Cole chuckled but showed no sign of letting her go. Instead, he snuck a kiss into the crook of her neck, her ultimate weakness, ¡°Cole, how about you escort me to the training grounds then? That way, we shall part muchter than you would like and I wouldn¡¯t bete to my first ever training session with one of the four Mighty Warriors.¡± Fortunately, this reasoning reached the royal and he reluctantly let his mate up from the bed, holding her in his arms and setting her down like ss. ¡®Charmed, I¡¯m sure,¡¯ Ashley piped in with the richest British ent she could manage. ¡°Shall we?¡± Cole asked the girl. ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± the royal offered to take her to the training grounds riding on his back iming it would save her the energy she would need during her training. Her guts, however, told her this was a big mistake, but how could she say no to the man pleading before her. And with all the times she had enjoyed riding on the back of the ck wolf, how could she deny the opportunity to experience that once again. Before she knew it, she was atop the back of a massive ck wolf racing through the woods at maximum speed with the wind whipping through her hair. It was a liberating feeling that she still enjoyed to this day. Whether she was running in her human form using her gift or in her wolf form or even when cole ran with her on his back, she enjoyed every second she spent at high speed. She didn¡¯t understand how the werewolves woulde to oppress one of their own who had been blessed with the chance to experience what she could. s, her joyride came to an end. The faster and more enjoyable it was, the quicker it would end. A detail that she did not like herself. Frank was found pacing about the field with a scowl on his face. When he noticed a ck wolf bringing the person he was supposed to be training, his face went red, ¡°You¡¯rete.¡± ¡°I know I know and I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean toe...¡± she paused when she saw Lina and Sandra going through intense sparring drills on the other side of the clearing, ¡°..te. I didn¡¯t mean toe.... How long have those two been here?¡± ¡°They got here thirty minutes ago. Mr Lycaon, would you try to refrain from detaining my student when I set a time for her to train,¡± Frank barked at the wolf. The ck wolf bowed in respect to the man and walked to the side of the clearing settling in the shade cast by the shadows of the trees that bordered the clearing. Katie realised he was here to stay. The words she¡¯d heard that morning echoed through her mind and brought a smile to her face, ¡°What are you smiling about?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. What are we starting with, ¡®master¡¯? That word leaves a bitter taste in my mouth,¡± Katie pretended to cringe as though she¡¯d bitten into a lemon. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s so bad, then you might want to call, O Great and Powerful Apollo... You know, because I¡¯m the greatest,¡± the man joked. ¡°I don¡¯t think that specific god would be too happy with being impersonated. Cupid might be a better name...¡± ¡°Oh, you know me too well. Cupid will work just fine, dearie,¡± the man retrieved the quiver on his back and unfurled his pink custom bow. We¡¯ll start with boosting your agility. I¡¯ll tone down my speed and work you up. I hope you¡¯re ready. Jim told me you¡¯re fast. I just hope you¡¯ve got the speed to back such high praise from a mighty warrior,¡± Before Katie could get ready, an arrow whizzed right for her. She quickly tapped into her gift and dodged it, however, that was not the end of the assault. ¡°Good thing you brought a ride. You won¡¯t need your legs to go back home,¡± Frank added, firing three arrows in quick session before Katie had the chance to recover. ¡®Wait, what...¡¯ The girl thought as the arrows came straight for her. She quickly cartwheeled out of the way, but her senses told her she had far more arrowsing her way. A simple evasion of the three didn¡¯t mean a thing. Her muscles burned from the strain that came from no rest. ¡®He¡¯s going to kill me...¡¯ Katie mentally whined, getting on her feet to flee the arrows that followed her, whizzing past her too close for her liking. ¡°The only way you¡¯ll be able to pass this training is if you can get the bow from me. I won¡¯t go all out because that would make this impossible, but don¡¯t think I¡¯ll fight you at a level below that of Jeremiah,¡± the man finished the instructions, short and simple. But Katie also knew there was no way she could get to him at her current speed. She could barely dodge the barrage of arrows that threaten to fill her with holes. That was how Katie¡¯s training with the Mighty Warrior, Frank Silver began. It wasn¡¯t a walk in the park. Chapter 154 154 Chapter One Hundred Fifty Four Lina Sirius of the Sirius empire found she still had some pride left when the human began to tell her what to do. It was annoying to be tutored by someone her wolf viewed as weak before her. To be honest, though, her wolf hadn¡¯te off as proud in a long time and Lina didn¡¯t ward off the pompous attitude when it came. It was a breath of fresh air. What was left was to grow stronger through whatever means Katie kept trying to tell her off. Sandra was shaky at first, but upon noticing the royal¡¯s will to learn more from her, she chose to do her best to teach her everything that she could. She was d to find that the wolf was as flexible as she was quick. Well, she had to be if she was going to learn the manoeuvres that were going to be taught. At her request, Jason epted to help them out. He was going to serve as an opponent for them to work with. He would have rejected the offer if it had been anyone else, but Sandra who had asked, but s, he had a weak spot for the junior hunter. Much as he showed up muchter than he was supposed to, they were d he was around. Lina found the different tactics she was being taught to be difficult at first, but when she would look to the side where her sister was training against a lunatic who kept shooting her with arrows, she would get motivated to keep working. Once in a while, Jason would get distracted by the training that was taking ce in the other group in the clearing. It was just unbelievable to watch someone try to outrun arrows that were fired at a rate that was equally astonishing. Lina, despite her efforts, was not able to pin the alpha, even though he noticed her improvement, ¡°You know Jason. It would help for you to lower your guard a little bit so that Lina could know she was doing the right thing,¡± a voice interrupted them. Cole sat in the shade of a tree not far from them. ¡°Alpha Cole, I¡¯ll try to lower my guard then,¡± Jason answered immediately. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want you to lower your guard. You¡¯re an alpha. I want to know I¡¯ll go against an alpha and win,¡± Lina yelled, dropping to the ground,pletely exhausted. ¡°Would you like me to teach you how to use a weapon instead?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to hurt an alpha in that way. Just to make them submit and that wouldn¡¯t happen if I used a weapon. We¡¯ll continue this training. If it means I can overpower someone like Wyatt, I¡¯ll keep at it until I get it right,¡± her voice shone with determination as she spoke. ¡°Very well,¡± Cole replied, ¡°Jason can stay the way he was then.¡± ..... Sandra demonstrated the moves again and pinned Jason as expertly as she was meant to. However, every time Lina tried, it wasn¡¯t the same result. Cole could tell the royal was making quick progress, but whether it was Jason she was supposed to use as a training dummy or it was herck of body strength that hindered her sess remained to be discovered. .............. Katie had been going at it for longer than she cared to admit. The Mighty Warrior was toying with her. No matter what she tried, the arrows flew straight into her face no matter what she tried. She was trying everything she could. Whenever she chose to go in for Frank, he would quickly predict her next positions and bar her progress. She was simply too slow for his quick bow. She continued to go at it without holding back, ¡°You know... Jim said something I couldn¡¯t believe. She said you were able to release one of those thunderps. You know, when a hunter runs so fast they break the sound barrier and cause that awfully loud noise to erupt.¡± Katie knew what he was talking about and she remembered how exhausted the ordeal had left her. Given her tiring state, speaking was not something she could handle. Frank noticed this and closed his bow, ¡°Let¡¯s take five. I need to ask you about that...¡± Katie copsed onto her knees, finally sealing the ess of her agility gift. Exhaustion set in quickly and she was immobilised for three minutes while she tried to regain her breath. Frank hadn¡¯t noticed how hard he¡¯d been pushing the girl and now that she was recovering, he couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for her, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me I was pushing you too hard?¡± ¡°I have to get stronger. There is no shortcut for that kind of thing,¡± she replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t be a Mighty Warrior by drying myself closer to death with each training session,¡± the man argued. ¡°I don¡¯t have as much time as you did. I know it. I feel it. The danger that¡¯s creeping closer. I am told of the whereabouts and movements of the rogues, but everywhere I turn, I feel like I¡¯m getting closer and closer to him... The Rogue King. I don¡¯t have much time before I will meet him. I have to get stronger,¡± she exined. ¡®So this is the same fighting spirit that the first hunters had,¡¯ the man thought to himself as he stared at the girl resting on the ground. She was something else. He didn¡¯t think there was someone who would keep pushing themselves with noints. It was dangerous and he didn¡¯t like it. The times when hunters had to push limits just to gain power over the werewolves were gone, but... ¡®So that¡¯s what it means to be the one to bring this war to its end,¡¯ it was now that he could see what the Thunderp saw in the girl. ¡°Do you still remember how you were able to achieve the thunderp back in Brigadia?¡± the man asked her, half-hoping she would say no. When she¡¯de to him for training that evening, he¡¯d known what he was going to do, but now he was just following through the motions. ¡°Yeah, I still remember. What about it?¡± ¡°Well, you are going to have to do that for me once here. After that, we¡¯ll call it a day. I am going to fire an arrow at that tree when you are ready... Your goal for now... is to run faster than it,¡± Frank said, getting up and unfurling his bow. Tears stung his eyes as he gave her his orders. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Katie. I know this might be asking too much of you, but I know what you are trying to achieve... and you can¡¯t get that the easy way.¡¯ Katie got up from the ground and stretched her limbs. Exhaustion racked her body and she wasn¡¯t sure she could achieve what this man was trying to make her do. However, she knew what she was required to do. It wasn¡¯t easy, but she had to do it if she was going to have any hope of bing as strong as she needed to in order to put an end to this war. Cole had taken his attention off her and that calmed her. This wasn¡¯t something he would have approved of, but she had to try. Or at least that¡¯s what she told herself. ¡°Well, are you ready?¡± Silver asked her. ¡°I have to gather energy from my gift first. I can¡¯t just go that fast without getting ready for it,¡± she exined. ¡°Oh, alright, take all the time you need,¡± Frank answered, holding the arrow he was about to shoot. To pass the time, he picked arrows that were embedded in the ground around them and returned the ones that were broken back into his quiver. Katie got into a ready position and took a deep breath, gathering all the power she could from her gift. Frank reached for an arrow when an odd draft of wind blew past. The wind went utterly still. He could feel it caused by the gathering of immense energy. This wasn¡¯t normal in the slightest. He turned to notice Katie crouching, ready to unleash the full power of her gift in one go. ¡®So that¡¯s why it¡¯s so draining. You don¡¯t even know that it doesn¡¯t need that much power. That thunderp you released must have been loud that day,¡¯ the man chuckled to himself. ¡°I am going to fire my arrow now. Your mission is to go faster than it. If you want to make it more interesting. You can catch the arrow yourself,¡± the man, letting the arrow he¡¯d nocked in the blink of an eye dart off in a random direction. There was a moment of silence when he¡¯d just fired his arrow. A moment so short he could call it that it was only Frank who noticed it. After that, a thunderp boomed through the forest scaring birds out of the trees and shaking the capital. There wasn¡¯t a cloud in the sky and yet, the sound of thunder could be heard for miles. A tempest of wind followed the girl¡¯s sess, blinding Frank in the process as it kicked up so much dust. When the dust had cleared. Katiey by the treeline, holding his arrow. Well, that was before she copsed and went unconscious. ¡°Well, you dide with a ride,¡± the man mumbled. Cole was at her side in an instant. Checking her vitals, he could tell she was fine. Sighing in relief, he allowed anger to follow, ¡°Just what were you thinking? You know that could have killed her,¡± he yelled at the man. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have and you know it...¡± before the words could get to the alpha¡¯s mind, he had mmed the pink-d archer against a tree, ¡°I would calm down if I were you. I am training your mate to be stronger so that you don¡¯t have to worry about protecting her.¡± ¡°I can protect her just fine,¡± Cole growled at him, ¡°You can join the list of things I have to protect her against.¡± ¡°You will do well to know who you are talking to,¡± the man spoke, keeping his voice calm. However, the anger in Cole¡¯s mind wouldn¡¯t dissipate. He wanted this man to be put in his right ce for pushing his mate too far beyond her limit. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn who you are. You don¡¯t get to walk away after doing that to my mate. Or did something happen to your ears when the thunderp rang too close to you?¡± the royal¡¯s eyes shone a bright blue. His wolf was angry as well and this wasn¡¯t something he could simply let go of. Chapter 155 155 Chapter One Hundred Fifty Five Lina was in the middle of sparring with Sandra. Sweat glistened on their bodies showing the thin film of sweat that covered the two females. Jason had been sidelined by the royal iming he was simply impossible to beat. This didn¡¯t mean she had given up on beating him, but the girl was curious about her new master. She wanted a chance to fight the junior hunter and know the quality of someone that was being trained by Katie Sirius. ¡°Come on, human. Aren¡¯t you tired yet? We¡¯ve been going at this for quite some time. Don¡¯t you feel tired? Your knees aching for the relief of having to sit down,¡± she tried, going in for another attempt at restraining her master. Sandra had allowed her to attack whenever she felt like it. The aim was to move as swiftly as she could and take advantage of the flexibility she had been exercising. Sandra leapt back just enough to dodge the kick. Lina could tell this was calcted to counter her and back away before Sandra got the chance to. For a second, Lina could have sworn the junior hunter had an evil smirk on her face, ¡°Good reflexes. How did you know you were done for?¡± ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± the wolf replied. This time it was Sandra that attacked. The junior hunter was not slow, but Lina was starting to keep up. Her improvement was visible for those that had been present through their entire training session. She sidestepped the girl¡¯s attack and moved in, keeping track of Sandra¡¯s entire body. ¡®It was almost too easy. The girl was wide open... Just as Lina was about to make the first sessful hit on her master since the start of this training session, the booming sound of thunder reached her ear. This was followed by a tempest of wind and dust that forced the trio to shield their eyes. Jason was by their side almost immediately, shielding them from the source of the dust. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Lina shouted at the top of her voice. Her ears were ringing in her head. It was at times like this that she didn¡¯t want to be a royal. ¡°It¡¯s a thunderp,¡± Sandra replied. ¡°I know that but there isn¡¯t a cloud in the sky,¡± if it hadn¡¯t been for the girl¡¯s werewolf hearing, she wouldn¡¯t have heard Sandra¡¯s reply over the ringing in her head. And she didn¡¯t even know she was yelling out loud. Jason held on to Sandra even after the tempest of wind had settled. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked her. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. Jim Gordon¡¯s thunderp is not that loud. I know one other person that would make something that loud,¡± the junior hunter rushed, getting out of Jason¡¯s grip to look for her friend. Katie was the only other person she knew that was capable of a thunderp. Looking back to the others that were training with them, they saw what looked like Cole pinning Frank Silver... ¡°This is bad.¡± ..... .......... Frank Silver was reaching his limit of tolerance for the wolf holding him. He possessed the strength Prometheus gift and this royal was just an annoyance to him. Nheless, he knew the reason for his anger. After all, he hadn¡¯t wanted to put the girl through all that himself. Everything he asked her to do, she wouldply without aint even though it was well beyond her abilities. When the royal had attacked him, he hadn¡¯t resisted, but now that there was no reasoning with him, he was getting more inclined to use force. ¡°Cole, let him go,¡± Lina¡¯s voice cut through their tense staring contest. ¡°Not after I have his word that he¡¯s to stay away from her,¡± Cole¡¯s voice came cold. ¡°Jason, do something. Tell him that he¡¯s gone berserk,¡± Lina tried, but the alpha was frozen at the sight. In fact, he looked like he was ready to back his alpha if it came to it. Frank was now at his limit. There was no way he was backing away from the mission he¡¯d been given. He¡¯d seen potential in the girl. He was sure of what the Thunderp had told him. All the Mighty Warriors knew what it took to get the power they possessed. The amount of training they had to go through, but Katie wasn¡¯t like them. She had the potential to quickly amass power that trumped them and a measly royal was not going to keep him from getting her there. Tapping into his strength Prometheus¡¯ gift, he pushed the royal away from him. Cole wasn¡¯t surprised when the push came. He was thrown a few metres beforending on his feet right in front of Jason. The alpha growled at the hunter, but Cole raised his hand to stop him. Frank was quick to unfurl his bow and with it, he aimed an arrow at the alpha, ¡°Think about what you¡¯re doing. If ites to it, I won¡¯t be opposed to shooting your joints and immobilising you until youe to your senses.¡± The royal only smirked, ¡°You¡¯re wee to try.¡± With that said, he ran at the man. The fastest bow had been aimed at him and yet he still pushed forward, ¡®What¡¯s with this couple?¡¯ Frank mused as he let four arrows loose from his bow. To his surprise, they merely scratched the royal and the wounds they caused we gone in an instant. The wolf collided with him, mming him into the tree at the back... ¡®Right where you had me... ¡® The Warrior recovered and pushed the royal off him once more, but this time, Cole wasn¡¯t pushed as far as he¡¯d expected. Frank¡¯s training kicked in and he delivered a fist to the man¡¯s cheek. Adrenaline in their systems, the two males were not pulling any punches. To his surprise, Cole was barely moved by the punch. The next blows were aimed at the hunter. Even after guarding against them, he felt the pain from the fists that were thrown. Sandra wanted to stop them, but she hadn¡¯t expected what she was watching to happen. Cole wasn¡¯t fazed one bit by the overwhelming strength the man had and he was returning attacks that rivalled the mighty warrior himself. Frank had thrown his bow away after realizing he wasn¡¯t going to be able to use it against the wolf. His skin was nearly imprable and he healed too fast. ¡°Cole, that¡¯s enough,¡± Lina tried yelling. If he hadn¡¯t been a royal, she would have broken theirws and used her royal tone against him, but this wasn¡¯t going to work on him. Cole was stronger than her. ¡°That won¡¯t work. You know royals rarely get angry. If Cole is going on a rampage, there is only one thing that can stop him,¡± Jason mentioned. Lina¡¯s memory finally caught up. It was as he¡¯d just said. Royals had the most control over their wolf sides. Cole was beyond their reach and from what they were watching. ¡°What if Frank doses him with wolfsbane? The man could kill him or put him in hospital,¡± Lina argued. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly true. Cole is immune to wolfsbane and his skin is built like a tank. His body absorbs more shock than that of an average wolf. He could just as easily overpower Frank,¡± Jason provided information, but he looked unable to do anything to stop the fight that was happening before them. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before he went feral and ripped his target into pieces. The more Frank resisted the wolf, the angrier it would get. There was only one more thing that they could do. Lina looked about the clearing and finally spotted her sister. Katiey a distance from them, unconscious. The girl gasped at the sight, ¡®So that¡¯s what got Cole angry. This all makes sense now,¡¯ she realised. Wasting no more time, she ran to the girl and began to shake her awake. ¡°Come on, Katie. Wake up. Cole needs you,¡± she called to the girl. Through the mind link and physically. Whatever could get to her first was what she needed to use. However, the girl continued to sleep. ¡°Come on... If you don¡¯t wake up, one of them is going to die. If you don¡¯t stop this, something bad will happen.¡± To the girl¡¯s surprise, her face began to change as a transformation she¡¯d seen recently took over her. Snow white fur curled around her face and dropped down her forehead in an arrow that reached her nose getting less the more it reached the tip. Bright blue eyes fluttered open. There wasn¡¯t a sign of the hunter, ¡°My name is Ashley. Katie won¡¯t be able to wake up in a while. How can I help?¡± ¡°You¡¯re here...¡± ¡°Wolf, yes. That I am...¡± the wolf smiled sheepishly, exposing a set of sharp fangs. ¡°Never mind, hurry up and help Cole. He¡¯s about to go feral,¡± she helped the wolf up and led her to the fight that was taking ce. Ashley watched with an expressionless face as Cole continued fighting in her name. She wanted to do a variety of things Katie wouldn¡¯t have done, including requesting the wolf¡¯s mark, but that wasn¡¯t what Katie would have done. She¡¯d already betrayed Katie¡¯s trust once. She wasn¡¯t about to do it again, ¡°Cole...¡± she called out to him. Frank noticed the girl¡¯s presence and chose this moment to put distance between himself and the angry royal. Dashing in time to miss yet another painful fist, he grabbed his bow, unfurled it and shot an arrow into a tree in the forest. Cole was not as fast as he wanted as the man was swinging away from him using the stic cord the arrow had released. Ashley was in front of him before he could take another step. The male stopped right in front of his mate. Her scent overwhelmed his senses, ¡°Cole, I¡¯m here. You don¡¯t have to keep fighting him. I¡¯m safe here with you, aren¡¯t I?¡± The words were like needles to the male, but they reached him. Her presence was an injustice to the rage that he felt. Slowly, he embraced the girl before him. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re safe as long as you¡¯re with me...¡± he replied. Frank fell from the tree he was in, breathing out. His face was bloodied more than he would have liked and he had aches in ces he didn¡¯t think he could... ¡°What the hell are you two made of?¡± he yelled out angrily. Chapter 156 156 Chapter One Hundred Fifty Six Lina ran up to the Mighty Warrior, ¡°Frank, are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Just haven¡¯t received a beating of that level in quite some time. It¡¯s like I was fighting a brick wall,¡± the man groaned, turning his hands to reveal the wounds that had formed on his knuckles. Something about the man¡¯s hands looked wrong, but Lina couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it, ¡°He feels next to nothing. I don¡¯t know if it happens when he¡¯s angry or if he¡¯s always like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for his...¡± the man raised his hand to silence the girl. ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologise. I should have handled that situation more professionally. I might have gotten ahead of myself when I underestimated him,¡± he admitted. ¡°That¡¯s very high praiseing from you,¡± Lina replied, helping the man up. ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t had a fight like that in years. Maybe against my fellow peers,¡± he replied only to gopletely still at the sight of Cole. The wolf was still staring at him. His eyes didn¡¯t leave him, but he didn¡¯t attack with Katie in front of him. After hugging the girl tight, his eyes closed and he seemed to rx with her around. Ashley was d he was calming down. She knew he was not yet aware of the change in his mate just yet. He needed to calm down first before she could reveal that Katie was still unconscious. The girl had used too much energy that she hadn¡¯t been able to stay awake and waking her seemed to be a problem even for the wolf. ¡°Cole, are you okay, now?¡± Jason asked him. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± Cole replied, before lifting his mate up and starting the walk back to the pce ..... ¡°Alpha Cole, wait,¡± Frank called back to him. Cole merely stopped walking and stayed quiet. Taking this as a sign that he should speak, he continued, ¡°Don¡¯t stop her from continuing her training with me.¡± Cole was quiet for a moment before he answered him, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± With that said, the wolf was gone through the forest. His top priority was his mate and there was nothing else he was focused on. ¡°It won¡¯t always be like this you know,¡± Ashley tried. It was only then that Cole noticed the girl¡¯s half shift. The half shift was usually possible when both entities were present, but why couldn¡¯t he feel his mate¡¯s human side. Her defiant nature was gone from her and she leaned more into him without any of her adorable resistance. She didn¡¯t offer any of her witty remarks. He remembered the wolf he¡¯d seen within her when she was in herma. ¡°So we meet again. I didn¡¯t get your name thest time,¡± he said to the wolf, cing her down when they¡¯d put some distance between them and the others. He shifted into his massive ck wolf and allowed the girl onto his back before dashing forward, the destination set. ¡°My name is Ashley,¡± she replied. ¡°Is your name a coincidence?¡± he asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. The moon goddess chose me because I would be the wolf Katie would ept without any resistance. She doesn¡¯t know the details because I was never meant to tell them to her. It would mess with her rtionship with Caden seeing as he was attached to my former life,¡± she exined. ¡°And you remember your former life?¡± Cole asked. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I only know what the moon goddess told me before I was sent on her birthday. The same day when all wolves mature,¡± she exined, ¡°The rest is what Katie knew about the girl and what Caden told us that day in the hospital.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. So you¡¯re the reason she has much clearer emotions now,¡± the wolf chuckled, ¡°How is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s unconscious. She¡¯ll be okay as long as she gets some rest,¡± Ashley replied. Cole was d she was fine, but wasn¡¯t sure what he was supposed to think about the man that had put her in that state. The thunderp this time was even louder than the one she¡¯d released when she was saving Anthony¡¯s wife. It was no doubt the man was going to teach her to make that kind of thing normal and Cole didn¡¯t know what to think of it. Sandra¡¯s words came back to her. Katie was bound to train harder now that she knew she wasn¡¯t strong enough to defeat the Rogue King. It wasn¡¯t a life he wanted to watch her drown into. What would happen after the Rogue King was defeated? Would she continue training? She wouldn¡¯t know what to do then. Cole wanted to see her capable of letting go and having fun like the time they¡¯d gone out to the city. ¡°Protect her, Ashley. She¡¯s got more recklessness than I¡¯ve ever thought possible,¡± Cole beseeched the wolf. His emotions went through the bond they shared and ensnared the girl¡¯s wolf, seizing the embers of defiance that shone within her. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can...¡± ............................ Sandra held Jason back when he tried to follow the couple, ¡°Let them go. They need time alone.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you...¡± ¡°Worried about my best friend...? Yes, yes I am, but Cole knows the best for her right now. I had the chance to witness that when she was paralyzed. He did everything to make her forget her shorings. To forget her failure. There is nothing that wolf won¡¯t do for her,¡± she replied, ¡°And neither of us can top that right now.¡± ¡°Frank, you need to see a doctor. Your injuries,¡± Lina tried to convince the pink-d man. Frank Silver was starting to feel all the effects of the hits he¡¯d taken during his scuffle with the royal and was even staggering when he tried to walk. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can¡¯t be that injured by a werewolf. Only the head of the Chase family can inflict... Ouch, that hurts,¡± the man winced in a high pitched voice when Lina touched one of the few bad bruises on his face. She got a towel from within her sweatshirt and gave him to wipe himself. Finally conceding, Frank sighed, ¡°Damn it... What¡¯s that alpha made of?¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of the perks of being a Chosen of the Moon goddess. He adapted to many things and that¡¯s how he ended up like that. Indestructible... The only people that give him trouble are his father¡¯s beta alphas. Other than them, I¡¯ve never seen a wolf best him in a fight,¡± Jason replied. ¡°I have heard of the power of beta alphas, but if they are anything like him, then I don¡¯t want to have to fight any. I hope these don¡¯t leave scars,¡± the man winced. They started the walk back to the pce. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. You will be just fine if you don¡¯t irritate them too much,¡± Lina replied, scanning him once more to make sure he wasn¡¯t worse than she¡¯d assessed. ¡°Did Katie really learn how to reach the Thunderp¡¯s speed?¡± Sandra¡¯s voice filled the air. Everyone went quiet for a moment. Jason knew what she was like when she watched her mentor reach even new heights. It pained him every time to watch her feel inadequate. He had tried to exin that she wasn¡¯t supposed to beparing herself with Katie and for a moment she seemed past it. After what had happened that day, he wasn¡¯t so sure anymore. ¡°Yeah, she did. I didn¡¯t think she would do it at first, but that was before I knew how good she was at pushing herself past her limit. It¡¯s like she doesn¡¯t feel the pain of having to push past your limit. The effort that it takes to stress your body past its breaking point. She breaks past it like it¡¯s nothing and shoots up with untethered. She was exhausted when I asked her to do it,¡± the man exined. Shivers ran through Sandra when she imagined what her mentor was like. She¡¯d watched her growing up and this shouldn¡¯t have surprised her, but it did. It was simply impossible to get used to watching Katie push past her limits, ¡°An even bigger gap...¡± ¡°One that you will close with time,¡± Jason pulled her into a side hug, ¡°Until then, lean on your friends. You know we are always here for you and so is Katie.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Sandra replied, leaning into the man¡¯s warmth. The cold evening wind had begun to blow through the forest. It was getting dark and the stars were already out, spreading out over the navy blue canvas, twinkling with a mesmerizing brilliance. ¡°Are you two a couple?¡± Lina asked at the same time as Frank. ¡°No...¡± ¡°Yes...¡± Sandra and Jason replied at the same time. ¡°Come on, Jason. How long are you going to insist on us being a couple?¡± the junior hunter groaned. ¡°Until the moon goddess herself tells me to back off,¡± the man boasted. Sandra rolled her eyes at his confidence. ¡°You¡¯re impossible,¡± she sighed. However much she tried to swat his ims over her, he was relentless. There was nothing she could say to sway his decision on the matter. Secretly though, she wished she was the one for him. He was loving and cared for her. She¡¯d seen the king and queen. She¡¯d seen Cole and Katie. And she was starting to get envious. ¡®Does taking advantage of his kindness make me a bad person?¡¯ she would ask herself. .............................. Chapter 157 157 Chapter One Hundred Fifty Seven Cole reached the pce with Katie or Ashley in this case. The wolf was getting sleepy from having to be in control of Katie¡¯s human body. It was easier when she was in her wolf form. This exhausted her when Katie was not awake. It was like she wasn¡¯t where she was supposed to be. Eventually, she¡¯d told the massive ck wolf that she was going to retreat. By the time Cole had reached the castle, the wolf was fast asleep and he had to carry her to their bedroom. He had no problem with this... In fact, he enjoyed his disy of dominance over the girl. It told the other males to keep away. The guards at the gate saw him and immediately informed the king of their arrival. Pack warriors surrounded them the moment they were inside the gates, ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Cole asked them in a serious tone. ¡°The king has ordered his daughters to be found and brought to him immediately. After hearing the sound of the thunderp and failing to contact Katie Sirius, he became worried and ordered they be found,¡± one of the wolves exined. ¡°Very well. I will go and see the king right...¡± ¡°That will not be necessary,¡± Davin¡¯s voice boomed from the grand stairway. He descended the stairs to meet them in the courtyard. The pack warriors let him through so that he could reach them, ¡°Cole, what happened?¡± ¡°Frank pushed her past her limit and she passed out,¡± Cole exined. ¡°Take her to the infirmary...¡± ¡°No, send the physician to check up on her in our room. I won¡¯t have her sleep in a hospital bed,¡± Cole replied. There were a few gasps at the defiance in Cole¡¯s voice. It wasn¡¯tmon or even heard of for a wolf to defy the king. After thinking it through, the king conceded, ¡°Very well. I have to ask though. Why do I smell blood on you? I know it¡¯s not your blood?¡± ..... ¡°It¡¯s Frank¡¯s,¡± Cole shrugged, ¡°I might have lost my mind a little...¡± ¡°A little, huh. Is he okay? Of course, he¡¯s okay. I¡¯m only wondering where your injuries are,¡± Davin asked. ¡°They healed,¡± Cole replied. There was silence in the courtyard as they interpreted what the man had just said. Queen Martha was the first one to interfere with the gathering. ¡°What are you all standing there for? Cole, take her where she can have proper rest. I know you like holding her, but that¡¯s not exactly a bed, you know,¡± the queen raised her voice just enough for everyone to hear her while she rushed out of the pce doors. It was the first time the woman had ever raised her voice in Cole¡¯s presence. She wasn¡¯t yelling either... Nodding in appreciation, Cole was gone from the courtyard as quickly as he could. The king disbanded the pack warriors and sent them back to their former assignments considering he knew where his other daughter was. The nagging feeling of being followed left Cole when he realised the girl¡¯s parents were not going to leave her side until they were sure of her condition and so he let them follow him. It was not like he could have refused them from essing any part of their castle as they wished anyway. ¡°What happened, Cole? I felt Katie go dark through the mind link and couldn¡¯t reach her even if I tried,¡± the king asked him. His voice was filled with concern for his daughter. ¡°Frank pushed her past her limit and she copsed,¡± Cole replied briefly. ¡°Was that the loud boom we heard?¡± the queen asked him, remembering a simr event from a while ago. ¡°Yes, that was it. I didn¡¯t even think she could do that again until Frank asked her to,¡± Cole exined, finally reaching the door. The king pushed forward and opened the doors to the room. Cole ced the girl in the bed and sat by her side, finally turning to face the King and Queen. The queen walked over to the other side of the bed and took a seat by the bed. ¡°What about Lina?¡± ¡°Lina was training with Sandra. She¡¯s doing well. They stayed behind to tend to Frank. Or at least that¡¯s what I think they did,¡± Cole replied, tucking a stray strand of his mate¡¯s hair to the back of her ear. ¡°Well, that does sound like kind caring Lina. When she¡¯s not watching that gadget of hers, of course. How bad was the fight between you and Frank?¡± the queen asked. Her inquisitive mood was not giving as Cole hoped it would. Something told him she was going to keep asking until she had all the answers she was looking for. Just then, a woman reached the door and knocked, even though it was still open. She was dressed in ab coat with borderline decent wear beneath, a stethoscope draped over her shoulders. She had a kind expression and two nurses followed her with a trolley of the equipment she needed to tend to the girl. Bowing, ¡°You called for me, your majesties.¡± ¡°Come in, Doctor Caitlin,¡± the queen came in. Cole left his side of the bed and gave the doctor the space she needed to tend to his mate. ¡°Careful. She¡¯s fragile,¡± he added. The doctor, making a quick assessment of the girl before her, ¡°This girl is far from fragile.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question, Cole,¡± the queen spoke up. Cole mentally groaned. Whether it was curiosity or intuition, Cole had no idea how her woman was able to tell that he was hiding something. ¡°Fine, it was an ugly fight. We fought. Exchanged deadly blows. He tried to shoot me at some point and my wolf nearly went feral against him,¡± Cole blurted everything out. The queen was barely fazed by his outburst, ¡°That¡¯s the short version. Now calm down and tell me everything.¡± Queen Martha tapped the part of the bed beside her beckoning for Cole to take a seat beside her. The male gave up and sat beside her, starting the entire story from the beginning. ....... Lina had been walking with this group for a little while in silence when the king contacted her, ¡°Lina where are you? Katie went silent. Do you know what happened to her?¡± ¡°Calm down, Father. Cole is bringing Katie back to the pce right now. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s fine. Something happened during her training. I believe Cole will be in a better position to tell you everything though considering he watched everything as it happened,¡± she responded. ¡°Very well then,¡± her mother pitched in, ¡°We¡¯ll ask him when he arrives. Your father thought it was best to deploy a search for the girl before he thought to contact you. Honestly, Davin goes overboard when ites to his daughters,¡± the queenmented. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, mother. I am fine. I¡¯m actually returning with Frank right now,¡± Lina replied. She looked to the right and found that the man was beginning to stagger. His eyelids could no longer hold steady and he was reaching his limit. Redirecting her focus to the pack doctor, she immediately called out for help and gave directions to where the man was to be found. ¡°Jason, help me hold him,¡± she called out to the alpha. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine,¡± Frank tried toin when they held him. Just the day before, Lina had been in that exact position and the Mighty Warrior couldn¡¯t help but think of the irony of the situation. ¡°Oh, quitining,¡± Lina snapped at him. ¡°Have you contacted him?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Yes, I did. We should take him to Honour¡¯s flower shop. It¡¯s nearer from here and the pack doctor has sent one of her assistants to help out. Hopefully, it¡¯s not too serious. Just how hard were these guys going at it. ¡°How do you know the flower shop is open?¡± Jason asked her, picking up the pace with Sandra in tow. The girl soon noticed the strain the royal was under and switched with her. ¡°Because I can¡¯t contact her. That¡¯s how I know she¡¯s at the shop,¡± the answer was only more confusing, but she was confident of what she was saying and that was enough for Jason. ....... Honour was browsing through the flowers on the shelves, thinning and makingst touches before she closed up shop. It was just another day at work. The phone at the reception rang and the girl rushed to pick it up. ¡°Blue Rose flower shop, how may I...¡± ¡°Honour honey, would you make sure to water the roses please?¡± her mother¡¯s sweet voice came through from the other side. ¡°Mother, did you have to say that over the phone? You could have used the mind link, you know,¡± the girl groaned, picking up the watering can and walking up to the roses. ¡°Not when you are tending to flowers. You tend to block out the entire pack¡¯s mind link when you¡¯re doing that. Have you finished closing up shop? You need to get back home before it gets toote,¡± the woman¡¯s voice came through to her. ¡°I¡¯ll be done soon, mother. Don¡¯t worry,¡± she replied before turning off the phone. Her short moment of peace was interrupted by a loud banging at the front entrance. The girl rushed over and gasped at the state of her visitors. Lina was standing beside alpha Jason and Sandra who held a beaten man dressed in the pinkest male outfit she¡¯d everid her eyes on. She opened the door quickly and let them in asking the one question that came to mind before hearing anything else Lina had to say, ¡°What happened?¡± Chapter 158 158 Chapter One Hundred Fifty Eight The pack doctor finished her check-up of the girl and stood up to make her report, ¡°The girl is alive and well. She has used up plenty of energy. Much more than she should have been capable of using. She¡¯ll need nourishment when she wakes up, so make sure she gets all the food she can eat. I would advise that she doesn¡¯t go to school tomorrow if she hasn¡¯t regained her strength by then. The muscles in her body have been torn more than I would like to see in anyone that¡¯s undergoing training and those are going to hurt like hell when she wakes up. Other than that, she will be fine. Nothing a good sleep and a good meal can¡¯t fix,¡± the doctor reported. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± the queen replied, casually dismissing the doctor, ¡°If I may ask, has Lina contacted you.¡± ¡°Yes, she has. I sent an assistant to tend to her patient, but I will go there now to make sure everything is in order,¡± the doctor replied before walking out in a hurry. Her assistants rolled out the trolley to try and keep up, shutting the door behind them as they left. ¡°What happened with Lina?¡± Cole asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. She cut us off before we could ask, but my guess is that Frank is not looking so good,¡± the king replied. ¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t have snapped the way I did. Frank might be strong and swift with a bow, but his body is more fragile than I thought. I don¡¯t even know how someone gets that strong without getting battle-hardened,¡± Cole replied. ¡°Well, he is the fastest archer, so, aside from the calluses on his hands, he might have never had to get into a fight. Even if he did, he probably set standards that wouldn¡¯t get him hurt,¡± the queen exined. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope that he pulls through just fine. We might end up with a crisis on our hands,¡± the king sighed. ¡®It¡¯s been long since a wolf gave a hunter that much of a beat down. It could weaken the alliance between the two races,¡¯ Davin thought, allowing his thoughts to reach his wife. ..... ¡®Don¡¯t go there, Davin. We know the Mighty Warriors are built sturdy. He will pull through and probably then we can know who was wrong to hit the other and have this all resolved quickly,¡¯ she replied, trying to calm her husband. ....... Honour let the four in and arranged a table where they couldy the man to rest. She didn¡¯t know what was happening, but her instincts kicked in. She brought the man a ss of water to drink and set aside pillows for him toy his head, setting a sheet over him without warning. Lina watched in awe as the girl got to work... ¡°Wait, where did the pillow and the sheetse from?¡± ¡°Mother likes to take a nap once in a while, so she keeps them in the office and takes a nap there when she feels tired,¡± the girl exined, sending her mother a message apologizing for her tardiness in advance. The doorbell rang when a man walked into the shop, startling them. He was dressed in the right attire for a doctor, a stethoscope hanging around his neck, and didn¡¯t waste time with pleasantries as he took immediate notice of the patient. He opened his first aid kit and got to work, checking his vitals and cleaning his wounds. The four stepped away from the man while he worked, ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°He took one hell of a beating during a fight with Alpha Cole,¡± Jason reported before Lina could speak. ¡°Sounds like a strong man. Was there a reason for the alpha to be so rough with him?¡± he asked them. ¡°It involved his mate, so he was losing his senses at the time. I don¡¯t think it urred to him that he was supposed to go easy on the guy,¡± Jason replied. During the check-up, the ringing of the bell that announced the arrival of someone else invited three more guests. A woman, the pack warrior, along with two more female assistants, ¡°How is the patient, Morgan?¡± ¡°Not as good as I would have hoped, I¡¯m afraid,¡± the man replied, not taking his eyes off the man, ¡°We might have to transport him to the hospital to have him treated expertly. His life might not be in danger from what I gather, but we don¡¯t have enough to get him back in shape to the best of our abilities.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d I thought ahead then. The car is outside. Let¡¯s get him to the hospital,¡± the woman ordered. Jason helped them carry the man out and ced him in the back seats of the car making sure he was in the mostfortable position. Frank groaned whenever his stomach was touched and went into a state of half-consciousness. He was in more pain than he¡¯d let on. ....... Lina reported everything that had urred to her parents while she waited with Jason and Sandra in the waiting area at the hospital. Frank had been rushed into the hospital on a stretcher and the doctors hadn¡¯t told them any of their observations before they went in. The king and queen were getting worried and almost chose to pay the man a visit, but Lina convinced them against it. Instead, she chose to stay at the hospital with her best friend and the two ¡®lovebirds¡¯ so that they would wait for the results, ¡°Who is that man?¡± Honour asked her when they were finally seated. ¡°That is Cupid Shooter, but he prefers to be called Frank Silver,¡± she replied. ¡°You¡¯re messing with me, right?¡± when the girl didn¡¯t reply, Honour got worried, ¡°You¡¯re not kidding. How did a Mighty warrior take a beating?¡± ¡°It was Cole...¡± the exnation continued, narrating everything she could to the girl. ¡°Was Cole injured?¡± the girl asked. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell if he was. He heals so quickly that there was barely a scratch on him,¡± Lina replied. Sighing, she mumbled more to herself, ¡°What a disaster for a ¡®first day¡¯ of training?¡± Sandra stayed beside Jason waiting for the doctor to return with the results. She leaned into the man¡¯s shoulder, finding him to be a little warmer than normal, she inched closer. The man noticed and put his arm around her, ¡°Air conditioners were not meant to be used during the night.¡± The sun had set a little under thirty minutes ago and the sky was starting to darken. ....... The doctors finally returned with the results from their tests. The woman kept an expressionless face since she didn¡¯t want to scare them any more than they already were, ¡°I don¡¯t know the details of what happened between the man in there and the royal, but he clearly shouldn¡¯t have gotten into that fight.¡± ¡°Is he going to be alright?¡± Lina asked. ¡°Yes, he will make a splendid recovery. He won¡¯t be able to use his hands for firing arrows for a little bit since he got his knuckles hurt. It was like he was punching a wall. Did he miss at one point and hit a tree?¡± the doctor asked. ¡°No, he didn¡¯t,¡± Lina sighed. This was the second time she was seeing Cole fight. He¡¯d gotten far better than the time he¡¯d faced off against her brother and his abilities had considerably grown since then. ¡°Okay then... He also has a few broken ribs and his head was hurt pretty bad that¡¯s given him a mild concussion,¡± the woman continued, ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s it. Any questions you would want to ask.¡± ¡°Yes, when can he be free to leave?¡± Honour asked. ¡°A week at least. That man is in no condition to exert himself,¡± the doctor answered. ¡°If you want to see him, you can follow me, but I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be waking up today,¡± the doctor silently led them to the room that Frank was in. His shirt had been removed and bandages wrapped around his torso. His hands as well were bandaged focusing on the knuckles. A venttor had been ced on his mouth to help him breathe evenly. ¡°He didn¡¯t look his bad when the fight was done,¡± Jasonmented. ¡°Well, the adrenaline must have worn off and the true extent of his injuries kicked in after some time. It happens to everyone. I¡¯ll leave you to have a moment. Visiting hours end in forty minutes,¡± with that said, the pack doctor was gone from the room, leaving them alone in silence. ¡°Cole broke his mate¡¯s trainer, huh,¡± Jasonmented amidst the silence. What bothered him was the fact that he felt no sympathy towards the man before him. ¡°That¡¯s not what I told him to do when I mentioned Katie getting obsessed with training,¡± Sandra sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any sympathy, Jason?¡± Lina asked the red-eyed male. ¡°I probably would if his opponent hadn¡¯t been Cole. I watched him fire four arrows at my alpha. I¡¯m afraid that was the moment sympathy flew out the window,¡± he replied. ¡°Huh, it was out of self-defense,¡± he replied. ¡°Self-defence would have been him epting that he¡¯d done something wrong so that Cole would keep from trying to kill him. He let his pride get the better of him and tried to put Cole down with his hands instead of choosing a peaceful approach. You don¡¯t hurt a werewolf¡¯s mate and choose a path of violence, then expect some sort of peaceful resolve,¡± Jason exined. ¡°How about we stop debating this in this room?¡± Honour interrupted them, ¡°What are we going to tell the king and queen?¡± ¡°That question might be a bitte. The king asked the doctor for the report over the mind link and contacted me. They areing here as we speak,¡± Lina said, keeping a bored tone as she did, ¡°Perfect, Cole, just perfect...¡± ¡°Does Cole know about the doctor¡¯s report?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Yes, he does. He was with my parents when they were told. What¡¯s that got to do with anything?¡± ¡°Well, he might just be able to help,¡± Jason replied, getting questioning looks from everyone in the room, ¡°Much as I hate to see him do it...¡± Chapter 159 159 Chapter One Hundred Fifty Nine Cole hadn¡¯t thought he¡¯d be hearing about the man that had put his mate into this state so soon, but s, his wishes were not what the world had in store for him. It was not long after the doctor had left that Lina¡¯s messages started toe through the mind link. Since Cole was not yet established within the general mind link of the Sirius werewolves, there was not much he could listen to unless it was intended that he listened. He had to wait as the king and queen listened to what their daughter told them before they ryed the information. The king finally came out of his daze for the second time, ¡°How hard did you hit him?¡± and asked the question Cole was now tired of hearing. ¡°Just tell me what happened to him,¡± Cole asked. ¡°Well, ording to the doctor, the man is in hospital and he won¡¯t be released untilter on. His injuries turned out to be worse than he¡¯d made them look and the effect was even worse once the adrenaline was out of his system¡± Davin ryed the short version of the story. ¡°Great, now I¡¯m also the one responsible for cing a Mighty Warrior in a hospital,¡± the man sighed. However, his wolf, that was usually more attentive to Katie¡¯s needs (however possible that was...) had already beaten him to another grave issue. Cole¡¯s eyes snapped open when he realised what it was trying to tell him. ¡°Can we go to the hospital and visit him?¡± he asked the royals that had already began discussing what they were supposed to be telling the other hunters on the issue at hand. They had to find a way out of this before the hunters decided the rogues were not their only enemies. ¡°What¡¯s going to the hospital supposed to help? Lina already said she¡¯ll handle everything there,¡± Davin replied. ¡°No, I need to see the man and atone for what I did to him...¡± he paused, looking back at his sleeping mate, ¡°Before Katie gives me an earful on how I put her trainer in the hospital before she could learn anything from him.¡± ¡°What could you possibly do? The man won¡¯t be able to move in while. Katie is going to give you an earful anyway...¡± ..... ¡°Davin, just let us apany the boy to the hospital,¡± Queen Martha stopped her husband during his rambling. Her words stopped him from finishing and further seized his attempts at trying to make sense of Cole¡¯s request. ¡°Very well then. We leave immediately. We don¡¯t have all night,¡± the King responded, striding out of the room. ¡°He¡¯s always been quick to judge,¡± the queen sighed. Walking up to Katie and cing a kiss on her daughter¡¯s forehead, ¡°Something tells me she¡¯ll be as good as new tomorrow.¡± Cole knew what she meant although a part of him wished she was wrong. It would have been nice for Katie to know what it¡¯s like to have muscle pains after pushing herself that hard. ¡®Caden,e to my room and stay my mate¡¯s side until I get back. If anything happens to her, you tell me.¡± ¡®I¡¯m on my way,¡¯ his response came almost immediately, ¡®If I may ask, what did happen to Luna Katie.¡± The title sent shivers down Cole¡¯s spine. He¡¯d known this to be the case soon enough, but he¡¯d never thought of heard her being called his Luna before and he liked the sound of it. ¡®She¡¯s just sleeping, Caden. She¡¯s exhausted from her training today and I would like you to watch her. Doctor¡¯s orders were to have her eat something and drink the moment she woke up,¡± Cole told him. ¡°Very well... I¡¯ll get right on it,¡¯ while all this was said, Cole followed the Queen and caught up with the king. A car was already parked outside waiting for them. The king informed Lina of their departure and let her know that they wereing. However, he did not give a reason why as he didn¡¯t exactly have one that made sense to him. ¡®If I may ask, Alpha Cole. Where can I tell her you are in case, she asks?¡¯ Caden¡¯s voice came again. ¡®Well, you can tell her that I went on a midnight run. That would help lessen the rage that would be thrown in my face when she actually finds out where I am,¡¯ he replied. ¡®I¡¯ll just wait for you to tell me the details when youe back,¡¯ Caden replied with a sigh. There seemed to be endless questions and using the mind link often made situations awkward for the people physically around someone. ¡®Good choice, Caden. I¡¯ll exin it all with time. For now, don¡¯t tell her of my actual whereabouts or of the fact that we had this conversation in detail. Did I interrupt something you were doing,¡± Cole asked. ¡®No, you didn¡¯t. I was just getting ready for a hot bath...¡¯ he paused, ¡®Right after the game I was ying with the other pack warriors that were resting from the patrol.¡¯ His confession came rushed like it was killing him to reveal. ¡®You don¡¯t have to hide that from me. I see you¡¯re getting more into Gunter¡¯spany. I hope you don¡¯t pick up his very unnecessarymentary,¡¯ Cole replied, ¡®We¡¯ll talkter, Caden.¡¯ ¡®Yeah, we shall...¡¯ ......... The royals found Katie in the patient¡¯s room patiently waiting for their arrival. Sandra was starting to get sleepy and had taken a seat to the side with Jason by her side. Lina chose to remain standing while Honour also took a seat herself, ¡°Lina, are you okay?¡± was Martha¡¯s first question. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s Frank you¡¯d like to worry about,¡± Lina replied, hugging her mother and sparing Cole a short nce. After what she¡¯d seen earlier, it wasn¡¯t so easy to get used to his presence and Cole painfully noticed the change. His wolf triedforting him bringing up images of his unconscious mate that he simply had to protect from the man¡¯s brutal training. ¡°I¡¯m d to see that you are okay,¡± finally letting go of her daughter, Martha moved forward to the curtain that was barring their eyes from seeing the patient. The king took his time and hugged his daughter, his pride and joy. Something Drake would have gotten jealous about if he had been present. ¡°Where is Drake?¡± she asked. ¡°He went out with Phillip to handle some issues earlier this afternoon. He¡¯ll be back either tomorrow or if he¡¯s really that desperate, in the middle of the night,¡± the king ryed. The sound of he curtains being drawn cut his reunion in half. Despite proposing their journey to the hospital, Cole wanted to be anywhere else, but in this room. Maybe back with his mate where he was supposed to be. That sounded like a better idea. Martha gasped at the state she found the man in. He looked worse than she thought was possible for a man of his stature, ¡°How did you even manage to inflict this much damage?¡± the queen gasped. Cole sighed, ¡°I would start by reminding you that your son didn¡¯t lose to me in the magic games because I was better than him inbat, but simply because he couldn¡¯t inflict enough damage to put me down before I brought him down.¡± The king thought this through for a bit, remembering the irregrities that had been in the fight during thest royal games, ¡°That still wasn¡¯t enough for you to bring down a man of this level.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the same boy I was back then, you know,¡± Cole replied, walking through them until he was right beside Frank. Jason stood up and grabbed Cole¡¯s hand getting his alpha¡¯s full attention. ¡°You don¡¯t have to...¡± ¡°That is my decision to make,¡± Cole cut him off. Jason backed off, noticing the narky mood questioning Cole brought him. He didn¡¯t change his mind about his decision, but there was nothing he could do about it. The alpha hated what he was about to do, but he had more than enough reason to do it, just like he had more than enough reason to do it back then... ¡°What exactly are you trying to...¡± the king went silent when he saw something he couldn¡¯t describe begin to happen. Cole held the man¡¯s hand in his and slowly, his veins began to turn ck, pulsing with an energy that flowed from the ckened veins on Frank and straight into Cole. The rest watched in a mixture of emotions as a miracle took ce before their eyes. Taking off the wrapping on the hunter¡¯s hands, he watched the bruises on his knuckles vanish and the skin return to its former state, leaving nothing like a scar. The same injuries, however, began to form on Cole¡¯s wrists, healing almost as quickly as they came. Theysted longer than any of the other injuries any of them had the opportunity to see him get. Every injury that vanished from the man was seen rapidly appear on Cole and vanish just as fast. This continued for well over three minutes with utter silence in the room. When the ck veins finally receded, Frank breathed in deeply and settled in a sleep that was no longerboured. His breathing was fine and he looked as good as new. Cole, on the other hand, staggered backwards and copsed into the nearest seat he¡¯d taken the liberty to remember. Queen Martha rushed to his side, ¡°Are you okay, Cole? That couldn¡¯t have been easy...¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve been hit by a tank,¡± Cole replied, ¡°The only way to injure me or cause any definite pain is to have me heal someone else¡¯s injuries and take them as my own.¡± Chapter 160 160 Chapter One Hundred Sixty Queen Martha called the pack doctor and had her take Cole¡¯s vitals. Another doctor came to make an examination on Frank Silver. Lina and the rest were pushed back to the waiting area. Once again, they were stuck waiting for someone toe out of the hospital room. This time though, none of them was worried about what had happened to the Mighty Warrior. ¡°What did I just see in there?¡± Honour was the first to ask. The girl had hoped to go home after a normal day at the flower shop, but the world had other ns for her and now she¡¯d just watched a royal healing someone else and taking on their injuries. ¡°Well, I am just as clueless as you. I would like to say Cole healed him, but Cole looked really exhausted when he was done. I¡¯m now wondering if it was worth it,¡± Lina replied, taking a seat beside her best friend. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to wait and ask him what happens when he uses that... ability of his,¡± the queen responded, hoping the conversation would end until the alpha arrived. s, curiosity was simply too strong. ¡°I would like to know as well. I wonder when the boy will being out of that hospital room,¡± the king asked, redirecting the question to the pack doctor through the mind link. ¡°Well, the doctor says he will be out soon enough. Ten minutes never killed anyone.¡± ¡°Honey, we are in a hospital. You might want to refrain from using that kind of...¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. Ten minutes never put anyone in aa. Better?¡± he asked with the widest grin. ¡°Never mind...¡± she sighed, taking a seat beside him and cosying up to him. silence took over the group as they waited for the royal toe out of the hospital room. It was the longest ten minutes in Lina¡¯s life. She knew there was an exnation for everything that she¡¯d seen that day and that it was probably what she was going to get out of the Cole when he came out, but the wait was unbearable. .... ..... Just when Lina was about to stand up, the doctor returned with Cole following behind her. He looked better than they¡¯d left him, but he looked paler than he normally did. Queen Martha stood up from her seat by the king. ¡°It¡¯s been long since she¡¯s been like this,¡± the manmented more to himself, staying seated. The woman shrugged off hisment and proceeded, ¡°Cole, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll live. The effect will wear off in a few days,¡± he replied. ¡°He just needs rest and lots to drink. Have him keep up that routine and he should recover in a few days,¡± the pack doctor concluded, ¡°I won¡¯t ask for details, but whatever Alpha Cole did to the man in there has him in better shape than I¡¯ve ever seen a human before.¡± ¡°Yeah, that about makes up for what I did to him,¡± Cole sighed, turning from the doctor and walking towards the exit, ¡°Thank you for everything doctor.¡± He said as he left. Jason was by his side almost immediately. ¡®Huh, he just left...¡¯ Lina ran after him, struggling to keep up with him, ¡°Come on, you can¡¯t leave without telling me anything about what I¡¯ve just seen. Cole, what was that back there?¡± the girl bombarded him with questions. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it, okay and I¡¯m hoping it¡¯s thest time you ever get to see me do that. It hurts like hell and I won¡¯t be doing it just for anyone,¡± he snapped at her. Shocked by his reaction, Lina fell back. She wasn¡¯t done and when she¡¯d recovered, she sped up again trying to match his strides, ¡°I don¡¯t want to ask you to do it for anyone. I just want to know what I saw. Since when can you heal others?¡± they reached the front doors and Cole went through the doors. The crowd following him had no intentions of giving up their pursuit and made sure to keep him in sight. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to tell us that much, Cole,¡± King Davin¡¯s voice froze everyone in their tracks, including Cole. It was easy to ignore the young girl beside him, but the King was a different person altogether. After thinking through it, he conceded, ¡°Let¡¯s get to the pce and talk in your office.¡± Seeing howte it was, Honour asked Lina if she could leave them. The girl was excused and given the king¡¯s chauffeur to see her home. Jason took the driver¡¯s seat, shocking Lina. The girl held her tongue, but envy racked her brain, ¡°He¡¯s barely old enough to drive.¡± ¡°I qualify in more ways than you can hope to match,¡± he replied with a smirk. cing a peck on Sandra, he opened the passenger seat for her. Queen Martha enjoyed watching the way the wolf treated the hunter, but sometimes it was nothing more than funny to her. To her surprise, she found the back door open for her. The king stood there holding it for her to enter. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± she cooed. ¡°Just this once. Since the driver is not here, it wouldn¡¯t make me a gentleman if I let my Luna open the door herself,¡± he replied with a smirk. The queen giggled, getting into the car. ....... Lina¡¯s curiosity was not always her best trait and it was definitely not one now that she kept having to wait to hear what Cole had to say to them. She¡¯d spent a long time trying to ept her brother losing to sixteen-year-old years ago, but now that she had seen what Cole could do, she wanted an exnation. Food and refreshments were brought to the alpha¡¯s office where they all sat in silence as Cole gotfortable. Jason rubbed circles on Sandra¡¯s back. The girl¡¯s mind wandered about what had happened that evening. She was trying to make sense of what she had seen and trying to understand how she¡¯d gotten so lucky to have witnessed all of it. Among all the witnesses, she was the only one that was human. She was so ordinary that she sometimes joked that she¡¯d be able to stare a dragon in the eye with all she¡¯d seen. Cole finally sighed. He knew he wasn¡¯t getting out of this one and so he arranged his story, ¡°Where to start... umm...¡± ¡°How about you tell us when you found out you could do that and what exactly it is,¡± the king replied. ¡°Very well... That sounds easy enough. I found out I could do this a few years ago. One year to be more specific,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s quite recent,¡± the queen cut in. ¡°Yeah... it really is... Sometimes it feels like only yesterday... One year ago... Cole was back from his vigorous training that day. His friends, Caden and Jason, came in with him copsing into the sofas in the living room, exhaustion racking their bodies, ¡°Cole, how can keep up this training every day and not get exhausted? What are you?¡± ¡°That is a question I have already answered,¡± the boy replied, ¡°Catch.¡± He threw bottles at the two of them. The two boys caught the bottles and drained them of their contents. ¡°He says it¡¯s all to beat Drake the next time he meets him without any excuses,¡± Caden sighed. ¡°What does that make us if he gets too strong?¡± ¡°Oh,e on, Jason, you know who my beta alphas will be when the timees. You two and no other... So, make sure I don¡¯t leave you in the dust,¡± Cole encouraged them. The three of them had grown up together and one of the things the boys had promised Jason to put his mind at peace and allow him to forget his lost mate was that they would get strong enough to aplish what the hunters were failing to do. ¡®Kill the rogue King...¡¯ ¡°That¡¯sforting to hear even though it sounds like you¡¯re letting me down easy. Did your father finally tell you his thoughts on our mission? We are supposed to be setting off to search for him soon. Your seventeenth birthday is not far,¡± Jason asked. The boys had made a n to leave the castle for a year so that they may track down the traitor that was the source of the war. Their mission was overly ambitious albeitcking proper guidance, ¡°He doesn¡¯t talk much these days. Between all the meds and the pack disputes he has to solve, he barely has any time left to answer anything,¡± Cole replied. ¡°That¡¯s a bummer. All the more reason we need to go out and hunt the rogue king though. He wouldn¡¯t have to worry about rogues with the Rogue King dead. That stinky wolf will never see youing and even if he does, there won¡¯t be much he¡¯ll be able to do against you. Sometimes I wonder if Cole¡¯s actually made of metal, nuts, and bolts,¡± Jason joked. ¡°Yeah, and the next time you think something like that, you¡¯ll have to spar with me with no protective gear,¡± Cole responded. ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯ll take an actual tank over you any day,¡± the threeughed at thement before a message came through the mind link, informing Cole of news that drained the colour from his face. ¡°What is it, Cole?¡± Caden had barely asked when the boy was running up the stairs. Jason had his mind open when the message went through and had unintentionally heard the unprotected message... ¡®Get to your father¡¯s room... He might not have long left with us...¡¯ Chapter 161 161 Chapter One Hundred Sixty One The kingy in the bed in his room. The curtains were drawn and the doors to the balcony opened, letting in a cool breeze. Cole came running and stopped at the entrance of the room. The stench from his father¡¯s failing organs hit his sensitive nose harder than ever before. The odour rolling off the dying man was not for the faint of heart and Cole could barely stand the sight his father was in. ¡°What happened?¡± his voice broke through the silence. He paid nothing to the warnings the nurses tried to give him. His father hadn¡¯t been in such condition when he¡¯d left the pce that morning. The pack doctor, a frail old man whose wisdom in medicine was yet to be surpassed by anyone in the kingdom of Lycaon let the alpha pass to reach his father. ¡°You always love to make a loud entrance. Would you learn to keep your voice down once in a while?¡± the king¡¯s voice was weak. Alpha Miles Lycaon of the Lycaon empirey on his deathbed and his head swarmed with worries that he wouldn¡¯t let out of his mind. ¡°Father, what happened? You weren¡¯t this bad when I left you this morning,¡± Cole tried. ¡°And where was it you had so dutifully gone? To train with your betas, again. How¡¯s that going?¡± the man dodged the question. This time the doctor answered the boy¡¯s question. ¡°I found trace amounts of wolfsbane in his blood. I don¡¯t know how it got there. Just to be sure I had the whole pce checked, but there was no sign of wolfsbane in the utensils used by the king or anything he came into contact with for thest twenty-four hours,¡± he began. Cole knew there was more. The man had been working for the royal family for a long time. Probably longer than Cole was alive. ¡°Then what was it?¡± ¡°It was an injury that I suffered eighteen years ago... The day we allid down our lives to protect the child chosen by the moon goddess to lead this war to its inevitable end,¡± the king spoke. He went into a fit of coughs that had Cole heavily worried. Squinting his eyes while the king went through this painful ordeal, the alpha could only hold his hand while he went through it. Whether it was his imagination, the boy hadn¡¯t noticed, but his father seemed to breathe better the more he squeezed his hand. Once out of his feat, the man continued his story, ¡°The hunters were summoned to protect the baby at all costs. We had nothing to worry about and the rogues didn¡¯t stand a chance. At first, we thought they were desperate until the hunters became overwhelmed. It soon became clear that we werepletely surrounded. I had never thought the rogues could be that many and they kept oning regardless of how many they killed. ..... Eventually, one got through the defenses and went straight for the room you were in. I¡¯d stationed guards at the entrance and they did their job of apprehending the rogue. I rushed in to make sure you were alright. That¡¯s when I saw them... the others. An elite team of alphas that had scaled the walls of the castle. One of them was a beta alpha. That wasn¡¯t the hard part though... The hard part about dealing with them was what they wore. Armour that had dripped wolfsbane. Their very clothes seemed soaked in it and they wore masks to keep themselves from being affected. The head of the Chase family came to my aid in a sh. It was a hard and long fight and we¡¯d won. I let my guard down and one of the rogues stabbed with a knife doused in wolfsbane...¡± ¡°That should be enough to kill a royal,¡± Cole replied. ¡°But it¡¯s enough to fatally harm them if they don¡¯t get the right treatment in time. By the time I was treated, my wound would not heal anymore and as time went on, it continued to infect the rest of my body, spreading the wolfsbane through my system. At least, that¡¯s what my doctor tells me. My time is almost upon me, Cole,¡± the words felt like needles to the boy. An alpha was not supposed to die before he¡¯d been seeded and that could only happen once his heir had found their mate. Cole had no mate and he was an only child. His father¡¯s death was simply impossible for him at the moment. Looking down at the hand he held. Through the foggy sight that his tears created, he could see the ckening hand. He felt a dark ache as well. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he paid attention to what was going on. It wasn¡¯t rocket science and his instincts knew what was happening at the moment, ¡°Cole, what¡¯s happening to your hand?¡± Feeling somewhat energetic, even though he didn¡¯t know how or when he¡¯d regained some strength, the king lifted his head ever so slightly enough to get a glimpse of the ck that moved from him and into his son. ¡°You didn¡¯t heal because you weren¡¯t treated in time. If I take on your injury, you won¡¯t have to worry about the healing part.¡± ¡°Another ability... This one is too special toe without a cost, Cole. It could kill you to save a dying man,¡± his father tried. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if that man is my father and you know I¡¯m tougher than that. We have a lot we haven¡¯t done yet, father. You can¡¯t leave just yet...¡± the more the boy talked, the more colour returned to the king¡¯s face. His illness was fading. The veins on the boy began to extend, covering his whole hand and sneaking past his shoulders. The pain was starting to feel unbearable. Cole ced his head down and bit into the covers to keep from screaming. ¡°You don¡¯t have to overdo it, Cole. I will be fine now. You¡¯ve bought me time...¡± The king yelled at him this time. A pair of hands pulled Cole from his father suddenly, cutting their connections the moment they were no longer in contact. Cole barely took notice of his assant. He was consumed with the pain from trying to heal his father. Since this was the first time, he was doing something like this, he also had no idea what was going to happen... ¡°Cole, Cole...¡± a feminine voice called out to him. He¡¯d copsed on the ground, drained and with no energy to get back up. The ck veins still swarmed about his body and he healed slowly. The pain was all he knew at the time. He only wanted some form of relief and before he knew it, he had fainted. ...... Back to present time... ¡°I woke up the next day with a pounding headache and pains in all my muscles. The healing process was slow which is saying something considering I barely get time to notice my injuries,¡± Cole finished the story, making sure to send it privately through a mind link he opened with the others in the other car. They all needed to hear this once. He didn¡¯t want to tell the story more times than he had to. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I should look at that as a gift or a curse,¡± Lina spoke up after a period of silence. ¡°Well, it was a blessing for my father. I don¡¯t want this story getting out. I¡¯m not a healer and I never will be,¡± he announced with a hint of finality in his voice. There was no further discussion on the topic. Anyone in his shoes would have done the same thing anyway. Sandra leaned back into her seat and sighed, remembering the events of the day. ¡®I¡¯m d Frank will be okay though,¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡®You know I can still hear your thoughts when they aren¡¯t guarded,¡¯ Jason¡¯s voice came into her mind. ¡®I was under the impression that ended in Brigadia?¡¯ she asked him. ¡®Well, that¡¯s what I thought as well, but I found that I could still hear you without even focussing,¡¯ he replied, ¡®Are you going to tell Katie anything of what happened to Frank?¡¯ ¡®There will be no need to tell her. Frank is okay and he can therefore continue to protect her. I don¡¯t need to intervene,¡¯ she replied, yawning. Sleep was starting to tug at her eyelids... ¡®The first day of her training and she was able to crack a thunderp that loud. I wonder how fast she was going when she did so. I also wonder if she¡¯s going to learn how to do it without losing her breath. Just how far will you go for me to catch up with you...¡¯ Jason heard the girl¡¯s thoughts and decided to remain quiet. He looked at her momentarily when the thoughts went quiet. She had fallen asleep in her seat. The pce was now in view and he could tell that everything in the pce was calm. Caden, diligent as he was, hadmunicated the state of the pce with disturbing detail, along with the assignment he had been given to protect the Luna. It was only after Caden had called by her title that Jason realised just how precious Katie was to the Lycaon empire. ¡®Caden, is everything okay on your end?¡¯ he called through the mind link. ¡®Yes, the Luna is sleeping soundly. Her breath is a lot better. Are you almost to the pce? Is Prince Cole with you?¡¯ Caden asked. ¡®Yes, I returned with him. He healed the Mighty Warrior. It might be best to prepare a meal for him before he goes to bed. Something light and nutritious,¡¯ Jason replied. ¡®I¡¯m on it. Wee back, Jason,¡¯ Caden replied... Jason took some time to his thoughts... When he¡¯d first reached out to Caden on matters concerning their alpha, his friend had been very alert on the matter and agreed with him at every turn. To Jason¡¯s surprise, he was also serious about this and couldn¡¯t joke about it when it came to the welfare of his alpha, no matter how much he wished he could. This hadn¡¯t been the case when they¡¯d set out to Brigadia from Lycaon. Chapter 162 162 Chapter One Hundred Sixty Two Darkness came in every direction. Cold from a menacing breeze mixed with all sorts of scents the girl could only cringe at. When she was in this state, she wasn¡¯t allowed to have preferences. She could feel so much around her and yet she was sure she wasn¡¯t there. At the same time, she was unconsciously aware of her mate¡¯s presence. She was sure she had gone to rest before he was able to get into bed with her. It was only after a short moment of strain that her memory returned to her. She¡¯d used up all her energy to achieve something she¡¯d thought was impossible for her. Instead of sadness, the girl was filled with bliss. She was a step closer to getting even more powerfulpared to her enemies. If the enemy was only werewolves, there wouldn¡¯t be much reason to worry, but they were more than that. With hunters that had turned against them and sided with the Rogue King, Katie had to work much harder if she was going to get her hands on him and there was nothing that was going to stop her from getting to him... As was her determination. Her thoughts were cut short by the grunt of a boy. She strained once again to see about her only to get assaulted by the sudden appearance of numerous pains riddling her body. The girl tried to reach for every part of her body that pricked, but there was nothing there. She felt like wing the pain out for there was nothing she could do without anything to tell her she was actually injured. Her mind doubled in confusion as the pain intensified, highlighting numerous phantom cuts that were littered all over her body, ¡°Would you keep quiet? You¡¯ll get me into more trouble than you already have,¡± a voice came from the darkness, snapping her senses back to normal. ¡°She looked about and this time forced herself to make out what she was trying to look at. After a moment of silence and muffled pain, she was able to make out the familiar walls of a cell. She had been here before and she turned around immediately, looking for Kyle. Right where she¡¯d seen him the day before, the boyy on the ground, but he was much different from thest time she¡¯d seen him. His face had cuts all over it, purple liquid oozing out of it... Upon further inspection, she found that it was not all that was on the boy¡¯s body. Through his tattered rags of clothes, she was able to tell that the cuts weren¡¯t just on his face. They spread all over his body. She touched a spot that itched her and found it to be the exact gash that was on the boy¡¯s body. She could feel the pain he¡¯d been put through, however, that hadn¡¯t been the case before. ¡°What happened to you?¡± she asked him. ¡°Well, since I can¡¯t find the energy to answer a single question that I am asked or even open my eyes, they decided it was best that they would use wolfsbane to force me to talk. Wipe that looks of pity off your face... It was I who killed Ashley after all... And I did it with pleasure, only to have you rip my life away from me,¡± he spat. A surge of anger came from within a different entity in her mind and body. Katie held Ashley back. Thest time she¡¯d been here, Ashley had been asleep and hadn¡¯t been able to show her what she was supposed to feel towards the boy, however, the anger never became hers as it normally did. The wolf normally felt emotions that aligned with Katie¡¯s and they would be one. The two of them weren¡¯t that different and yet, Katie remained calm when she was sure she was supposed to be angry. ..... ¡°Ashley, what do you suggest?¡± Katie asked the wolf. ¡°I suggest you tell him that the colour of his eyes is yellow and tell him exactly what he can tell the rogues when theye to interrogate him,¡± she replied. ¡°That is a very odd request,¡± she replied. The wolf¡¯s anger seized just quickly and the two were soon engaged in a discussion. ¡°I want to see what will happen if you do all that. You don¡¯t have to use your royal tone tomand him. I just want you to try and talk to him so that we can know if he still has hope of atonement. If he¡¯s too far gone, then we kill him without a second thought,¡± she replied. Katie wanted to argue. So much of the wolf¡¯s answer had not made sense, ¡°Are you okay, Ashley?¡± ¡°Yes, I am fine, Katie. I¡¯m just hoping we could find out more about this situation we are in. We¡¯ll be fine. Our mate is with us,¡± the wolf replied. ¡°You know I can hear the both of you, you know. Oh, you have a mate now. Look at you, Katie. Living the life while I simply rot away in a cell and get tortured by rogues every day,¡± the boy spat, ¡°This is all your fault.¡± ¡°What do you mean this is all my fault? And yes, I am living a happy life. I found my family and moved in with my mate. Well, not technically... He more like moved in with me and we¡¯ll be soon moving on to Lycaon, but that¡¯s beside the point...¡± the girl rambled, ¡°Why, Kyle? Why did you betray me when I gave you everything you ever asked for? Ashley only received one good gesture from me and was ready to leave the rogues, but you were able to be my best friend. I could have done everything you ever asked of me and you still felt it necessary to betray me...¡± ¡°Are you done, Katie? Are you done telling me about everything you think I did wrong? You have no idea what it¡¯s like to be born a rogue. Let that dead friend of yours tell you. One small slip up and the payment is death. I only did what would get me out of the ordinary rogues. With your head delivered, I would sit at the top in the ranks of the rogues and never have to worry about anything. If you haven¡¯t noticed, the world you are fighting for isn¡¯t exactly free. It is we who are free...¡± Kyle spewed words that only tarnished his image in her mind. The girl was now used to the pain of the wounds on her body, ¡°Are you real or are you just my conscience trying to tell that I did the wrong thing?¡± ¡°Oh, is someone having doubts? You know that if it were a nightmare, I would have already grabbed a knife and slit your throat,¡± he smirked. ¡°Well, if you haven¡¯t noticed, I control my dreams. If I was given the chance to dream of you, it would be about your demise in the ugliest way possible. Anyway, do you have something to tell me about bonds and connections that the werewolves share? ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know a thing. I¡¯m a rogue remember,¡± he replied. ¡°Oh, right... So, you¡¯re useless. I have something to tell you,¡± The boy seemed to perk up in attention to Katie¡¯s summons, ¡°Your eyes, from now on, they are yellow.¡± ¡°Of course, they are yellow. That¡¯s not my problem. My problem is the fact that I can¡¯t open them when a roguees near. I don¡¯t get it one bit...¡± ¡®Katie,¡¯ Ashley perked up, ¡®It¡¯s his wolf. Hemunicated with me. Kyle has never had the chance to connect with his wolf and he hasn¡¯t listened either. The wolf took control of some of his body parts and he wasn¡¯t able to rat you out like he wishes to. ¡°Well, open your eyes, then,¡± Katie ordered him. Instincts dictated he would obey her out without fail and he did. Katie froze at the sight before her. The raging red in his eyes was swarming with an amber that threatened to flush it out. Kyle, not having power over his open eyes, covered them with his hands. They itched so much they dripped with tears, ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± he nearly yelled. Thankfully, Katie did not feel pain from this specific development. After a short moment of pain, the boy before her removed his hands from his face. His eyes shone the bright amber that she¡¯d expected from him. ¡°What¡¯s happening right now?¡± Katie thought out loud. Kyle looked at her for the first time, getting the chance to look at her for enough time. The night before, the girl had escaped before he had the chance to take in her appearance, ¡°You look happy. I would have thought with the scars in your arms and legs coupled with the betrayal of your best friend would leave you crippled,¡± he genuinely said. His wounds were starting to heal and the pain was disappearing. He scoffed at the sudden change in hisposure, ¡°I thought it was a coincidence yesterday, but when you came to visit, my injuries healed after you left as though I¡¯d been given a power boost. Now that you¡¯re here again, I can¡¯t help but noticed I don¡¯t feel the sting of the wolfsbane anymore,¡± he mentioned. He couldn¡¯t look her in the eye any further and so he looked down, kneeling before her like a servant tending to their master. The posture puzzled Katie heavily, ¡°That can only mean you¡¯re about to leave again.¡± ¡°You said something about this all being my fault,¡± Katie replied. Kyle furrowed his brows at the usation, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. I don¡¯t know how considering that is only something I was able to decipher from my wolf. You¡¯re the reason for everything happening to me. He makes sure I never forget it and I¡¯m starting wonder just what you did to destroy my life this much,¡± he replied, ¡°Maybe you could figure it out ande here and reverse it. I know I will be seeing you soon. You better fix me, Chase.¡± With that, the image of the boy vanished before her eyes. ¡®How is it my fault?¡¯ she wondered. Chapter 163 163 Chapter One Hundred Sixty Three Katie woke up the day afterwardster than they normally did. She looked to her side and found her mate soundly asleep beside her. Looking beyond him, she found that they¡¯d missed the rm. Either that or the man had decided to turn it off that night. Cole¡¯s hand unconsciously wrapped around her, ¡°Where do you think you are going?¡± he grumbled, barely opening his eyes. ¡°Well, if you haven¡¯t noticed, we should be following the others for pack training,¡± she tried, turning to face him in the bed. The royal made no effort to get out of the bed and showed no sign of letting her go. ¡°You¡¯ve been exempted from that training considering youpletely depleted your energy yesterday,¡± Cole replied. His tone wasmanding. Katie could tell he wasn¡¯t going to back down in this... ¡°Who decided that?¡± she asked, letting go of the tension in her muscles. ¡°The pack doctor did... It was part of her advice to help you heal from what happened,¡± Cole replied, pulling the girl closer to him. Katie snuggled up closer and asked the looming questions on her mind. ¡°What happened after I passed out?¡± ¡°Well, that might be a long story. I¡¯d prefer you pull it from my memories. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be capable of putting it into words,¡± the royal spoke up bringing his hand to cup his mate¡¯s cheek. The two of them closed their eyes and allowed themselves to meet within the bond they shared. Katie was getting used to this kind of connection the werewolves shared. In fact, she found it to be very handy when it came to rying the true emotions behind someone¡¯s words. Katie watched in silence as her mate got angry on her behalf and put a Mighty warrior into a hospital bed. Each time she felt like arguing with him, his emotions assaulted her. It was hard to oppose someone when you felt the anger that they had in the moment that they had it. Cole¡¯s emotions were all over the ce and Ashley did nothing to oppose them. In fact, the wolf was supportive of what had happened. When Katie had reached the point Cole decided to go to the hospital, she asked that they ended the connection. Cole stopped the inflow of memories reluctantly. Katie didn¡¯t want to know what happened after that. Frank silver was in the hospital and that alone was very dangerous to her mate, ¡°Cole, you do realise a royal hasn¡¯t struck a hunter in centuries? Your actions could put an end to all your efforts.¡± ..... ¡°You didn¡¯t let me finish,¡± he tried. ¡°What¡¯s left to finish Cole? You put the man in the hospital. I spoke with him the other day and found that he¡¯s never actually taken a beating in his life. Cole, what were you thinking?¡± she spiralled. ¡°Katie, calm down. Frank is okay,¡± Cole raised his voice, shaking her to get her attention. Katie went quiet for a while. Cole was not making sense and at the moment, she was sure of what she had seen in his mind. None of it was a lie or the emotions would have been impossible to fake, ¡°What are you trying to say? I just watched everything in your mind.¡± ¡°No, you watched a part of it. Now would you like to watch the rest,¡± he replied. curiosity gripped the girl¡¯s mind. How could someone that was in hospital with injuries that serious suddenly be okay within the same night. Closing her eyes, she allowed the bond they shared to do its work and let the royal¡¯s memories through. She watched as he went to the hospital and used a power she hadn¡¯t heard of to heal the man. Katie was quiet all while she watched her mate take the pain of the hunter and restore him to his former state. It was both scary and miraculous to watch. Unfortunately, she felt all the emotions and pain that her mate was feeling through all that and she instinctively hugged him when she felt it. Cole appreciated the gesture and did nothing to fight it... When the memory was done, he let silence take over them. ¡°Well, you were right about me eating you for breakfast if Frank was stuck in that state,¡± Katie mumbled to herself. ¡°I figured... Can I ask something of you, Katie? Actually, it¡¯s two things right now,¡± Cole asked. ¡°Anything,¡± she replied, noting the meaning of her statement, ¡°Except having me marked right here and now. I¡¯m still not ready for that...¡± she quickly added. The male nodded in confirmation as his thoughts had already begun to fly through the possibilities of finishing that one thing this one time that he¡¯d got the opportunity. s, she wasn¡¯t ready yet which didn¡¯t bother him as much as it used to. Veering back to what he¡¯d meant to say earlier, ¡°You aren¡¯t to push yourself so hard. Not like you did yesterday and you are also to eat enough to replenish your lost strength.¡± Katie stared at him for a moment. Despite wanting to keep Cole happy, ¡°We need to adjust those conditions,¡± she grimaced. It was heartbreaking to have to disagree with Cole. The royal furrowed his brow in annoyance. ¡°In what way exactly?¡± he asked. ¡°Well, I have to push myself if I¡¯m to make it to where I want to be. On the other hand, I can promise to slow down a bit,¡± she replied. ¡°That won¡¯t do. You won¡¯t train with him again if you are going to push yourself that hard, Katie,¡± his voice held a hint of finality. Katie had almost forgotten that Cole had banned Frank from training her any further than he¡¯d already done. ¡°That¡¯s not fair, Cole. You know its necessary,¡± she replied. The male didn¡¯t reply. He only stared at her, ¡°You can¡¯t force me to agree to something like that. You might as well stop me from training altogether.¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite sure your adoptive parents didn¡¯t train you to push yourself this hard either. You aren¡¯t meant to hurt yourself. Every time you do that, you leave yourself vulnerable. What makes you think the rogues will stand by and watch you reach your weakest points before they make a move against you,¡± Cole replied. ¡°We are in the capital, Cole. There are no rogues this close to the castle,¡± she tried to reason, but the man was far beyond reasoning with. For once, the girl wanted to push herself out of his grasp despite the overwhelming weakness that overtook her when she was with him. mming her fists weakly on Cole¡¯s chest, Katie noticed him wince if only slightly. It was clear to her that the small gesture of frustration had physically hurt him. ¡°Cole, are you okay?¡± He sighed before answering, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Cole. I can tell you are in pain,¡± she replied, her voice going up a few octaves. ¡°Among the side effects of me healing someone is that my healing speed is reduced. It will take me a bit to get back to normal,¡± he exined. Katie froze at the revtion. He¡¯d seemed so fine when he woke up. ¡°How many side effects are there as a result of using that power?¡± she asked him. ¡°Well, I get the injuries of the person that I heal and my healing is slowed. It might be faster than that of the person that I healed, but it isn¡¯t as fast as it normally is. I lose a lot of energy and remain weakened for a few days. Oh, I can¡¯t heal a fatal injury. That would kill me as well and leave the person I have healed perfectly fine,¡± he exined. ¡°Oh, I see... Did your powerse with a user¡¯s manual or something?¡± the girl chuckled. Cole chuckled along with her, ¡°No, they didn¡¯t, but with research, one was made.¡± It was a white lie and Katie saw right through him. Cole had been hiding something from her, but she hadn¡¯t pushed him to tell her what it was. She would wait for him to tell her. Maybe this had also been a part of it. ............... Crysta stood in the training fields waiting on the person she¡¯d officially booked for the morning training sessions. The she wolf knew that she could learn a lot from Katie, but couldn¡¯t get over her pride to admit it. Unfortunately for her, the girl never showed up and she didn¡¯t want to use the mind link to contact her since it would have made her sound like she cared (which she did not... obviously...) The girl walked up to Lina and Honour who were still going through the morning aerobic drills before Jackson gave his orders, ¡°Hey, runt, where is your sister?¡± she asked Lina, ¡°The one that doesn¡¯t suck as much as you and is too nice for her own good that it¡¯s even disgusting.¡± ¡°Did you just call Katie nice?¡± Lina wondered. ¡°Well, considering I was hanging about her mate and bullying her sister and yet she doesn¡¯t show a single sign of hatred towards me. Not to mention the fact that she got you of all people back into the den, yes, she is too nice for her own good,¡± the girl replied. Lina hid the smile that graced her face, ¡°Well, Katie was told to take the day off after what happened yesterday. The same goes for Cole, so you might not be seeing her today.¡± ¡°Hey, Crysta...¡± a voice came from behind the girl. Lina¡¯s smile fell when she saw the source of the voice. Liam stood behind the girl, folding his arms, ¡°Ah, I see you¡¯re speaking to the runts again. What are you trying to prove?¡± ¡°Can you mind your own business, Liam?¡± Crysta replied, standing between the two groups. Liam noticed the defensiveness that came off Crysta and scoffed, ¡°It¡¯s like you want to make me sick. Anyway, I¡¯de to ask if you¡¯re free. I don¡¯t see that prissy princess around, so I thought we might train.¡± ¡°What happened to your usual training partner?¡± she asked him. ¡°I think I might have broken him. Now don¡¯t make me repeat myself. You and me, now...¡± hemanded. Chapter 164 164 Chapter One Hundred Sixty Four Crysta had no choice but to follow the alpha¡¯s orders. Liam, to be more specific, wasn¡¯t so happy when he was disobeyed. He might have not been the alpha of his pack and only an heir to his father¡¯s pack, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that he outranked everyone that didn¡¯t bear blue of red eyes. Crysta walked away from Lina and Honour, her gut twisting as she got nervous. When they¡¯d gotten their own ce to train or more like after Liam had forced a few wolves to move from a location of his own choosing, they got to training. Jackson¡¯s orders had not yet been issued, but Crysta knew Liam more than that. He didn¡¯t listen to many instructions and today wasn¡¯t about to be the first time he did. Dashing forward, he sprung into an attack. The girl blocked his fist sessfully, surprising Liam, ¡°For someone who didn¡¯t see thating, you¡¯re quick fast. I¡¯d forgotten what it was like to spar with someone worth my time,¡± the male praised her beforeunching into another attack. He had the girl on the defensive before long. ¡°Well, you¡¯re the one who normally picks weaklings to train with you. How do you expect to improve if that is the way you go about your training?¡± Crysta replied through gritted teeth. ¡°While that might be true, I only do it to get over the formalities of having to be here for morning pack training,¡± he replied, increasing the speed of his attacks. Crysta was forced to try and keep up with him. Seeing as she was only a delta¡¯s daughter, she wasn¡¯t nearly as strong as he was and it was only her continued training that allowed her to stand her ground against the assault. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Don¡¯t you think the training that¡¯s done here is useful?¡± she replied. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s useful alright. And its only use is to allow high ranking wolves like us to assert our dominance over the weaker ones. No matter how much they train, they can never reach the power we have. Take that runt for example... I¡¯ve watched her train so much, but Jackson is always making her run extra drills for beingte. She¡¯s probably the biggest idiot I¡¯ve met in a while,¡± he continued. Crysta¡¯s eyes blurred for a moment as her wolf surged forward and pushed an attack through an opening the alpha had been leaving since the beginning of this training. Crysta didn¡¯t stop herself. She couldn¡¯t... Not after hearing what the wolf had said about Honour. Amongst all the runts in the pack, that was the only one that Crysta respected. Liam was taken aback when he received a fist to his gut that got him to his knees coughing, ¡°How...¡± ¡°Well, you haven¡¯t been training with anyone worth training with. You say you don¡¯t need to train, but my eyes would suggest that I¡¯m weaker than you and yet here you are, coughing at my feet,¡± she said, squatting down. ..... Liam grunted in pain. He was recovering, ¡°That was a lucky hit. Don¡¯t get cocky just because you managed to sneak one hit through. I have more questions for you, Delta. He got up to his feet and the sparring continued. This time though, Crysta had warmed up and was able to keep up with him, keeping him on his toes as well. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? Do you actually n to atone for the years of torment you¡¯ve put that girl through?¡± ¡°You think it would be okay for you to keep picking on the same person that outranks you. Grow up and see the reality Liam. She¡¯s the daughter of our king and it¡¯s only a matter of time before she realises how much power she holds over you. To her, you¡¯re just an insect. Katie has decided to train her. With that speed of hers, you¡¯ll soon be nothing to her,¡± she replied. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re only being nice to her because you fear her. Don¡¯t make meugh. Nothing is going to change here until we graduate. She will remain the runt she¡¯s always been. She doesn¡¯t fit in. She¡¯s a weirdo and you know it. Unless you¡¯d like us to consider you a weirdo as well,¡± Liam threatened her. Crysta only got angrier by this and in doing so lost control of her ethics. Before she knew it, she was fighting with all her strength. Liam realised the line he¡¯d crossed. The girl¡¯s fist flew fast and heavy. Even guarding against them felt like a chore. He hadn¡¯t been training seriously in a while and she had kept her training up. Seeing through the openings in his defence was easy enough and Crysta had broken through his defence shortly after losing control of her anger. Seeing a moment of weakness, the delta held the alpha by the neck, blocking his legs with hers from the back, she flipped him so that hended on the ground with her hand at his neck. He chocked from the force she¡¯d used, but she barely paid heed to what she was doing to him, ¡°You keep thinking like that and you might just be put down for treason... and don¡¯t be surprised if I¡¯m the one who brings that judgement upon you.¡± She let go of him and started to walk away from him, ¡°You¡¯re no saint either...¡± ¡®Not after betraying someone you considered your best friend...¡¯ thest part he said through the mind link. Crysta froze at hisst statement. It brought chills down her spine, but also gave her even more rity on what she should have done a long time ago... ¡°I have to start somewhere...¡± she replied. Liam was shocked by the reply... ¡®No, you don¡¯t have to start anywhere. Nothing has to change. She can stay at the bottom like it¡¯s always been. Are you afraid of Katie? Is that who you¡¯re afraid of? Tell me what has made you change your mind all of a sudden...¡¯ Crysta blocked out the boy¡¯s messages and walked up to the two friends. Lina was trying to get Honour to get a certain pose right. It had nothing to do with training or stretching. Upon hearing what the two girls were talking about, the girl nched. They were trying to copy a pose from a heroine in one of the shows Lina had been following. ¡°What might you two be doing, if I may ask?¡± Crysta interrupted their... immersive training session. ¡°Well, if you haven¡¯t noticed, we are trying to improve our coordination by trying out new...¡± ¡°You can stop there. I don¡¯t really care, Lina. Follow me, runt. We have more training to do. I¡¯ll leave Sandra to the other one,¡± Crysta cut Lina off, grabbing Honour¡¯s hand and leading her away without another word. Despite the rudeness of the way Crysta spoke, Lina was keen to catch something she hadn¡¯t heard in forever... Crysta had called her by her name... Lina... .................... Somewhere far from where the castle was, a wolf walked through the woods. He¡¯d been through these hidden woods more times than he¡¯d like to admit. This was the only ce he knew to contact them. They didn¡¯t give him any other location and for that reason he was bound to always return to this same ce. If it wasn¡¯t for the freedom he had as a person, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to make these trips as many times as he did without anyone questioning his whereabouts. He reached the camouged cabin in the woods he¡¯d graced with his presence and entered the hidden door that had been painted and covered in moss to make it look as natural as its surroundings. The man entered the cabin after confirming the scents of the people he¡¯de to see were inside. ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t the one man I always have the pleasure of meeting,¡± the rogue king boisterouslyughed. The man the entire world would like to see murdered sat before him in a chair sipping a cup of coffee or at least that¡¯s what his nose told him. ¡°Do you have any message for me?¡± the man asked the king. ¡°My my my... always skip right to the point. If it wasn¡¯t for my respect for such a quality, I would have thought you didn¡¯t want to be involved with aw breaker like me,¡± the kingughed once again. ¡°Well, you do pose a threat to my cover. These frequent visits are making it harder for me to keep my cover. I need another way to contact you so that we don¡¯t have to...¡± ¡°No, that won¡¯t be happening. If I¡¯m to contact you in any other way, a rogue will bring you the information that you need to know. Turning to the chair beside him, the rogue king retrieved an envelope and handed it to the man, ¡°General Amanda is a pretty one. Would you like to have her for your own once I have taken the throne?¡± ¡°What do you mean taken the throne?¡± the man asked, taking the envelope from the king. ¡°Well, it¡¯s quite obvious really. To gain control over all the wolves in the world and lead the humans to their final destruction through a singlemand, I will have to take one of the two thrones. I might just challenge both of the kings and take their thrones without another thought,¡± he thought to himself. This was the first time the man was hearing of this and despite everything that went through his mind, he was forced to keep a neutral expression. It was one of the skills he¡¯d picked up along his life. Staying neutral to any and all information that was presented to him, ¡°Well, that would definitely be a colourful day for all of werewolf kind. Call on me in case of any help you require...¡± the man said, turning to leave. ¡°I¡¯m d you brought that up... I do need your help in carrying out a specific task,¡± the rogue king replied. The wolf froze at the statement. He¡¯d offered his help out of courtesy, but hadn¡¯t expected to be called on immediately. ¡°I need to take someone out of the picture if I am to achieve this and you will help me do it,¡± he replied, ¡°When I do be king, you can have Amanda...¡± ¡°What would you like me to do for you, your majesty?¡± the rogue king smirked at the man¡¯s obedience. They both bore eyes of the same colour and yet it gave him pleasure to have the other bow to him. ¡°I like the sound of that...¡± the rogue king mused. Chapter 165 165 Chapter One Hundred Sixty Five ¡°Katie Sirius, might you tell us what the answer to the question is?¡± the faint voice of the teacher tugged at the girl¡¯s consciousness, ¡°Katie Sirius... I repeat, Katie...¡± ¡°I heard you the first thousand times, Miss Downey. I don¡¯t know the answer to the question,¡± Katie replied. ¡°You could have said that the first time,¡± the teacher scowled before moving on to the next student. In truth, the girl had no idea what the question had been. The ss was one that she¡¯d taken before with her parents even though they were nearing her coverage. She didn¡¯t dwell on it as her thoughts once again drifted to what she¡¯d heard that morning from her mate. She¡¯d thought he was only a little injured, but it showed in his walking even when he tried to hide it. Cole was not okay and she wished she could do something for him. After watching him take a beating from a man who was using the strength Prometheus gift, Katie was sure there was nothing she could do. Cole could take one hell of a beating and still look normal and yet he could be injured by the very power he was blessed with. It was a cruel predicament and she didn¡¯t like it. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± she sighed. ¡°Well, you might want to act like it. Stop worrying about me,¡± he replied. ¡°Can you please stay out of my head?¡± she groaned, ¡°I¡¯m allowed to worry about you. Unless you want to order me against it.¡± ¡°First of all, ouch... Second, your thoughts are all over the ce. The whole pack could probably hear them considering you aren¡¯t shielding them in any way. And third, worrying about me will only make you miss out on what you¡¯re supposed to be doing. Are you even paying attention to what the teacher is saying...¡± he was cut off by the teacher¡¯s voice. ..... ¡°No murmuring in my ss. I have had enough of you delinquents making noise in my ssroom. If you have something to say, then say it,¡± the teacher said as she wrote a definition on the board. ¡°Well, I know now...¡± Katie replied, with a cough to cover up her moment of speech. Cole remained quiet after that. The teacher was obviously not human and could still hear them even if they whispered more. The humans in the ss looked about the ss, but to them, it was quieter than normal. There would have been no doubt if the teacher herself had been hearing the conversatons of the wolves through the mind link. Ding Ding Ding... the annoying sound of the bill came shortly after and the students barely waited for the teacher to wrap everything up before they were filing out of the ssroom. Unless the ss was still in session, there was nothing that could stop the students once the bell had been sounded. The teacher rushed to her desk and pulled out sheets of paper that she meant to hand out. Fortunately for her, a group of men started to walk into the ss along with the principal. The men were all muscr and carrying werewolf scents of the forest. Amongst them was none other Sean Sirius, the one royal that remained a mystery to everyone that saw him. The principal stood beside the man, ¡°If we could ask for a short moment of time to make a small announcement,¡± he began, ¡°ss 8b will be taking a trip with another ss, specifically 6c to the Sirius wildlife reserve. This offeres from the royals. Due to theck of enough security personnel, only a few sses shall be going for this trip per weekend. You will spend a night at the hotel there on Saturday night and we shall return on Sunday. Is there anything you would like to add, Prince Sean?¡± ¡°Yes, I would like to add that everyone is to take this trip as both an educational and leisure experience. No one is to conduct themselves badly. A chance like this onlyes once in a life time and I was feeling generous when I received the idea. The king approved of it and handpicked the sses that were to start the trips. As you might have noticed, both of his daughters are in those sses, so consider yourselves lucky for that reason,¡± he finished, ¡°That will be all. The rest will bemunicatedter and letters for you to give to your parents will be handed out soon enough. Make sure they are ready for that time and have given you their signatures of approval.¡± With that said, he left with the wolves he¡¯de with. Three of them and all of them green eyed. They carried the auras of betas, a breed that was stronger than the deltas. It was debatable and no one really cared to get into it. Stories of Crysta beating up Liam were already starting to move amongst the werewolves. Without Crysta¡¯s approval and Liam¡¯s consent, they were all but rumours. Crysta refused to take responsibility of her actions and continued through her day like nothing had happened and Katie couldn¡¯t help, but take notice. However, to her, fighting amongst wolves was just stupid. She didn¡¯t like it and it angered her. .................. The wolves in the den didn¡¯t stare at Lina so much anymore when she walked in and the wolf was thankful for that. After what she¡¯d been through on the first day back to the Den, she hadn¡¯t thought it would get any easier after that, but she was able to enter the den, with Honour escorting her of course. She found her sister already seated there and for the first time, furrowing her brows at her phone. ¡°Hey, Katie...¡± Lina greeted her, taking next to no notice to the alphas that were seated at the table with the rest of the them. Cole was relieved she was gettingfortable even though he wouldn¡¯t have minded if she took her time in getting used to this. ¡°Hey, Lina,¡± the girl replied, keeping her attention on the phone. ¡°What is it? You seem to be holding...¡± the girl froze, ¡°a new phone. Good for you. What happened to the old one?¡± ¡°Well, the old one fell into a pool of water. Long story,¡± Katie replied. ¡°Were you able to get all your contacts back?¡± Lina asked her. ¡°Well, that¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to do right now, or in other words, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve done, but now...¡± the girl groaned in frustration. ¡°What is it?¡± Lina asked, curiosity getting the best of her. ¡°Well, look at this,¡± Katie turned the phone so she could see the message telling her sister she couldn¡¯t make a call to someone in Brigadia. The money was just not enough to make such a call. Lina giggled, ¡°Just ask mum and dad to get you hooked up. You won¡¯t be able to make that phone call without paying a certain amount that I¡¯m afraid you might not have.¡± ¡°I have that amount, but I also can¡¯t seem to ess my ount,¡± the hunter groaned. ¡°Oh, I¡¯d forgotten you were a...¡± ¡°I still am, Lina. I still am,¡± the girl argued. ¡°You haven¡¯t done anything that a hunter is responsible for doing ever since you got here. Some of us were simply under the impression that you weren¡¯t a hunter anymore,¡± Sandra pitched in with a smirk. ¡°Oh shut it, stair. I will always be a hunter. That¡¯s until the Rogue King is brought down. I¡¯ll step down from that job when that happens,¡± Katie replied, sticking her tongue out at her friend. After finally giving up on the phone, she ced it back into her pocket and moved on to something she thought was worth discussing. The hunter¡¯s mind was always working in weird ways, but more than once, she¡¯d be happy it was that way, ¡°Cole, what happens when a royal bites someone?¡± Honour took their orders before Cole got to answering the question. Unfortunately for him, there was someone else thinking of answering the question, ¡°You don¡¯t even know something as basic as that and you call yourself a hunter,¡± Wyatt spoke up. Katie turned to look him in the eye, ¡°I do remember specifically asking Cole this question. Were you taught that when you knew something someone else didn¡¯t, then speaking trash like that was the way to go?¡± Wyatt was at a loss for words, ¡°I was taught that all wolves were supposed to know this before they even got into their first ss and that all hunters were taught this before they were ever granted their gifts. Are you sure you are fit to pose as a hunter when you don¡¯t know something as simple as that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Wyatt,¡± Cole spoke, up calming Katie just as well, ¡°I¡¯ll exin everything Katie. You already know that the bite of a royal turns a human into a werewolf, but not just any werewolf. They turn into alphas. I know you wouldn¡¯t have asked this question unless you had another reason for asking. There are other situations in which the bite of a royal does something other than turn a human into a werewolf. A bite is used to mark... a bite is used to kill and a bite is used to give power,¡± he summarised. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Katie asked him. He¡¯d just twisted this logic upside down. ¡°Well, it only means, I can bite your neck and leave a mark, iming you as mine. I can bite a wolf and kill them. To be more borate, the bite of a royal, based on the intention behind it, will kill a wolf like a deadly poison. Thest one is the one that¡¯s done when allowing a wolf to change packs. It also makes that person, by default, an alpha,¡± he exined. Katie¡¯s heart went into overdrive when she heard what Cole had to say about all of this. She had the faint memory from a time when she¡¯d been in the forest in Brigadia. When she was trying to hold on to Kyle. She hadn¡¯t wanted to kill him just yet and as she was losing grasp of him, she¡¯d bit down into his hand. There was no other reason she could find for the colour of the boy¡¯s eyes or the connection they shared. ¡°Well, what is the third one like? The one where a royal is choosing beta alphas,¡± she asked. ¡°Well, under normal circumstances, a royal will only have to make a choice and the beta alphas would gain that power, but as part of a ceremony, that alpha is required to bite each of them to initiate them as the first two and only wolves that royal will ever bite. By doing this, the royal won¡¯t be able to will the power of the beta alpha into another werewolf unless they bite another wolf, which is strictly forbidden,¡± he replied. Katie couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing, or at least, she¡¯d known all this and merely didn¡¯t want to think about it. The silence in her mind was almost unbearable. Ashley had retreated to the back of her mind that her presence was so faint. Just then, Cole¡¯s eyes widened in shock, ¡°What¡¯s with your eyes?¡± ¡°Oh, my wolf is sleeping. That has been happening for a while now. Every time she goes to sleep, my eyes lose that glow,¡± Katie quickly exined. Their food finally arrived and they were served ordingly. ¡°You¡¯re so weird sister,¡± Lina confirmed as she dug into the food her friend had brought. She sent her gratitude through the mind link and made sure to invite the overworking female to enjoy the meal with them and only let the matter go when Honour epted. ¡°Yeah, you can say that again,¡± Katie replied absentmindedly... ¡®This is so messed up.¡¯ Ashley didn¡¯t want to face her other half. After all, she had been the one in control when she bit into the boy¡¯s arm that day. Chapter 166 166 Chapter One Hundred Sixty Six Cole was worried for his mate ever since it was done. The girl hadn¡¯t spoken much after the revtion he¡¯d made back in the den. The silence was unbearable. Even though the entire time they¡¯d been in the ss, he hadn¡¯t been able to focus. Katie could feel his unrest and it was starting to get on her nerves. The girl¡¯s eyebrows, ever so slightly, twitched in annoyance. ¡°Cole, would you let it out already?¡± she whispered. Cole¡¯s face beamed before he contained his happiness, ¡°What¡¯s up? Talk to me. You¡¯ve been awfully quiet.¡± ¡°Cole, I am also trying to figure it out myself,¡± the silent ssroom of students began to look back at the whispering duo, silencing them. They both looked at the teacher¡¯s desk and found that the teacher was not paying attention to them. ¡®Mind link, Katie,¡¯ Cole spoke directly to her mind, ¡®And you can focus our conversation being private so that no one can eavesdrop.¡¯ The girl sighed and ced down her pen. She didn¡¯t need to solve the third problem anyway, ¡°I had the dream again... The one where I talk to Kyle.¡± Cole was silent while he interpreted what she was saying. It was only the second time she was having this kind of thing, but that was far from the issue. It got to her, it felt real and it had happened for the second night in a row, ¡°Did you bite him?¡± he asked her. ¡°Yes, I did bite him. The rogues were going to have him and I bit his hand to keep him in my possession. Shortly before I found the Rogue King and got shot by Jeremiah,¡± she replied. Cole thought through this for a while beforeing to a conclusion, ¡°We¡¯ll have to consult your father on this. I am not as knowledgeable as he is. Even if I was toe up with my own theory, it would still be a theory that I wouldn¡¯t be able to prove. If he says the same thing I¡¯m thinking, then we might have a problem on our hands. One question...¡± Cole asked her, pausing for a while to rethink his motives. ¡°What is it...¡± the suspense was killing the hunter and she wanted so badly to know what her mate was thinking about. ..... ¡°Do you still bear hatred towards Kyle?¡± he asked her. Katie¡¯s blood went cold as though the sun had left the world and left it cold and deste. The one thing she¡¯d never wanted to reveal to anyone was this very fact. The hunters wanted Kyle to pay for his crimes and hearing from her that she wanted nothing to do with him would be... ¡®hypocritical so to speak.¡¯ ¡°I guess that answers that... I won¡¯t tell anyone if that¡¯s what you¡¯re wondering, but if what I think is happening is true, then you won¡¯t be held ountable for any of this.¡± A glimpse of hope got hold of the girl, ¡°What do you mean by that? Do you mean to say the disappearance of my anger towards him has something to do with the fact that I bit him?¡± ¡°Well, pretty much. It¡¯s a rare situation, but it¡¯s not unheard of,¡± Cole replied. His emotional unrest was gone, but that was the beginning of Katie¡¯s unrest. She wanted to know what was going on in Cole¡¯s head, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Katie. You do trust me, right?¡± ¡°I should have used that on you just a moment ago,¡± the girl grumbled, burying her mind back into the confines of mathematics, a subject she had a talent for and nearly no use for. ....... The bell rang, signalling Katie dreaded training time, ¡°Cole, will you be apanying me to the training grounds again. Yesterday turned out to be...¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t. I need to take care of that thing you¡¯ve got going on with Kyle,¡± he replied. Katie was stunned, trying to figure out how he¡¯d skipped over what had happened the day before and let Frank train her without his supervision. The royal closed his books and stood up, picking up his bag. Katie almost missed the slight wince that came from him. ¡°Take it easy, okay...¡± ¡°I will,¡± he smiled, cing a peck on the girl¡¯s cheek and walking out. Caden had packed his bag as well. He bowed, ¡°Later, Luna Katie,¡± he said before walking out to follow Cole. Katie blushed red on hearing the title. ¡°Since when did...¡± ¡°Caden and I decided to acknowledge the fact that you are the future Luna of the Lycaon pack,¡± Jason rified. Sandra, on the other hand, was smirking with her face stuck in her book, ¡°Someone is starting to sound like a wife already. And to think she was only eighteen years old,¡± the girl dramatically ced the back of her hand on her forehead, ¡°Oh, the romance... It¡¯s choking me...¡± Jason wasughing at the girl¡¯s antics while Katie blushed even redder. ¡°Oh, I see someone was never taught to conceal their emotions. How did you be a hunter when you can get embarrassed like that?¡± Sandra lost her smile and silently groaned... Trevor simply couldn¡¯t take a hint, ¡°Why are you still so interested in this humble group of werewolves. I am studying in the capital of Sirius, my very birthce. So I don¡¯t see what could possibly have you so curious about me.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive the fact that I don¡¯t believe a word thates from you. You can see how hard it is for me to believe you¡¯re a hunter when you haven¡¯t even paid the top floor a visit. You know there is all manner of luxuries up there. We can watch over the whole school from the surveince room there. A true hunter would know the benefits that came with essing that facility,¡± he described. Katie knew the angle he was taking and couldn¡¯t help, but be appalled, shocked, and impressed at the same time, ¡°You¡¯d actually stoop as low as using treats to tempt into joining you up on the top floor.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a curious hunter. I will be drawing the patrol routes for the trip. Do you have a preference so that I can fix you at the time of your convenience? Or are you a retired hunter that no longer knows how to do her job?¡± he asked her. Katie couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. Although on second thought, she realised this was Trevor she was talking to. He seemed to be capable of using any manner of techniques to reach his end goal, ¡°What happens if Ipletely refuse to join you in the patrol?¡± ¡°Well, if you didn¡¯t know this already, there are pro hunters up there that juste to chill out and see how things are going. If they find out that the only hunter in the school was not even taking part in keeping civilians safe as is the duty of a hunter, they might start to question where it is you lie in all this. I already filed a petition for the verification of your license,¡± he spoke up. ¡°The licensees after the hunter. If I didn¡¯t have one, I would just show you Prometheus gifts and you¡¯d know that I am a hunter,¡± she replied. ¡°Well, we have seen Lina Sirius run almost as fast as a hunter with the agility Prometheus gift, but you don¡¯t see us running around iming she¡¯s a hunter. Considered you are rted by blood, you could be the same case,¡± he replied with a smirk on his face. ¡°Katie, you don¡¯t have to y this game with him,¡± Jason interjected. ¡°Quiet, wolf. This has nothing to do with you,¡± Trevor spat at Jason. The short interruption was enough to break Katie out of Trevor¡¯s argument and she was thankful for that. ¡°No, you¡¯re right, Jason. See youter, Trevor. I will do my job however I see fit. After all, Prometheus doesn¡¯t choose people who aren¡¯tpetent enough to handle the tasks he gives us. As for your invitation to the top floor, I will have to turn it down.¡± Lina ran into the ss at that moment and froze at the sight before her. Katie went silent as well, ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No, nothing¡¯s wrong. Frank just called iming you should already be halfway to the training grounds. What are you still doing here?¡± she replied, ¡°And Sandra, we have a lot to take care of. Is Jasoning along? Dealing with the Hulk as a sparring partner might prove to be an impossible task.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to work on yourbat until I am sure you¡¯re ready,¡± Jason replied. ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯ll never be able to beat you,¡± she replied with a groan. ¡°Well, you might be able to beat Wyatt by the time we¡¯re through with you, but I¡¯m a different case,¡± Jason replied with a painful smile. The phrasing of his answer bothered Katie although she gave up on thinking about it when no answer returned to her. ¡°As you just heard, Trevor. I have no time to waste with you,¡± Katie mentioned, bouncing out of her seat. She was only halfway to the door, with the others behind her when she heard the boy¡¯seback. ¡°A pro hunter going through training... That must be embarrassing. Are you defective or something?¡± there was venom in the boy¡¯s voice and Katie was reaching her tolerance limit... ¡®Does this boy just live to annoy me...¡¯ she mentally screamed. ¡®Can we... you know... rough him up a bit?¡¯ Ashley knew no other way to help her friend other than to offer a violent solution. Chapter 167 167 Chapter One Hundred Sixty Seven Trevor stood behind the girl with a grin that announced his feeling of triumph over the royal. He¡¯d only been trying to get the upper hand in the matter and ended up angering her. However, the junior hunter had not noticed the error in his approach to this situation and only continued to feel as though he was on top of the world. Sandra noticed Katie was barely hanging on to her control, ¡°Hey, Katie. I¡¯ve wanted to race you again. However, you aren¡¯t going to use your gift this time. I want to beat you fairly,¡± she intervened. Katie knew her friend was trying to save the foolish boy and thankfully, sheplied. She¡¯d caused the royals quite a mess already with the incident with Crysta and Cole wasn¡¯t exactly in the clear with what he¡¯d done to the Mighty Warrior. If Katie were tosh out at this ignorant boy, there would be even more trouble for them. ¡°You know you will never be able to beat me. Sometimes I wonder why you even try,¡± the girl replied before rushing off with her friend. Jason turned to the boy eyeing him with all the malice he could muster. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I have a benevolent Luna. Next time you try something like that, I will personally make sure that I put you in your ce,¡± Jason threatened the boy. ¡°And you think the words of an alpha can scare me? You¡¯re more ignorant than I thought,¡± the boy replied. He wasn¡¯t wrong to feel that way... After all, if he was as powerful as his position dictated, then he wouldn¡¯t have that much trouble with an ordinary alpha. Someone like Wyatt would steer clear of this boy. ¡°Watch yourself, hunter. You might just regret every word you hurl at us,¡± hemented before turning to follow the three girls. Lina had run off with the others, her love for a challenge in speed getting the best of her. ............ Cole found his way to the King¡¯s office, doing his best to put on a brave face every time he bumped into someone or anytime, he was forced to strain his muscles. He was still sore from having to use his power to heal Frank and it was only going to get worse. Before leaving for school that day, the Mighty Warrior had pledged to take it easy on Katie. He didn¡¯t want to lose the right to train her and Cole, deep down, had known he¡¯d never meant to hurt her in the first ce. ..... He wasn¡¯t worried about the training his mate was about to go through, but he was worried about everything else she¡¯d told him about the dreams she¡¯d been having. He needed to confirm his suspicions with the king before it was toote. He continued up the stairs until he came to the king¡¯s office, a soundproof room that made it impossible for eavesdroppers to listen to anything but allowed those inside to hear what was happening outside. This design was made in case the room was to ever bepletely vacated and the king was inside without any protection. That way, there would never be anything that caught them off guard while keeping their presence in the room a secret as well. It was the perfect panic room (one might add...) Cole barged into the room only to close the door, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to get the images from his mind. The king and queen making out in the office, their hands all over each other. The royal smirked, ¡®The quirks of having a soundproof room...¡¯ he thought to himself while broadcasting his thoughts to the king inside the room. ¡®What did you see, Lycaon?¡¯ his voice boomed in his head. ¡®Don¡¯t panic, your majesty. I didn¡¯t see anything inappropriate. Otherwise, that would be a memory I¡¯d beg you to take before Katie stumbled upon it,¡¯ Cole replied with a chuckle. It was not unheard of for the king and queen to have fun in that room, but they could at least lock the door... The boyined in his mind. ¡°Come in,¡± Queen Martha¡¯s voice came through the speaker at the side of the door. Cole slowly and reluctantly opened the door, letting his head through to scan the room. The king was seated at his chair with his head in his hands while the queen blushed couldn¡¯t help but snicker at his embarrassment, ¡°What do you want, Lycaon?¡± ¡°Probably tips on how to...¡± ¡°Get to the point, Lycaon. Before I lose my temper,¡± Davin growled, sensing Cole¡¯s joke. ¡°Simmer down, King Davin. I do have something to tell you in regards to my mate. I think she might be in trouble,¡± Cole began, finally getting into the room and letting go of the heated moment he found the two enjoy. He silently wished no one ever walked in on him and Katie in such a situation. The oue of such a situation was simply impossible for him to predict. The reason for his interruption seemed to catch the couple¡¯s attention, ¡°What about Katie? What¡¯s wrong with her? Did you mark her without permission? Did you yell at her? Did her wolf...¡± ¡°You can calm down now, your Highness,¡± Cole cut Queen Martha off, ¡°Considering you would never be able to guess what happened to her even if I gave you a thousand tries.¡± Cole rubbed his temples as he took a seat on the opposite side of the table. The queen was seated in a chair beside the king, one that had only been recently moved to get her closer to him. The detail didn¡¯t bother Cole although it did make the desk arrangement feel a little weird. ¡°Could you tell us everything already?¡± Davin almost begged him. ¡°Well, she¡¯s been having dreams of an old... ¡®acquaintance¡¯ of hers,¡± he began. ¡°An odd way to put it. Katie knew everyone in Brigadia... Well, almost everyone. It was a small town. An acquaintance would be...¡± ¡°I see your point, your Highness, but that¡¯s beside the point. She shouldn¡¯t be having these dreams in the first ce and now that she¡¯s asked me about bites and their effects, I¡¯m starting to suspect something,¡± Cole replied, cutting the Queen¡¯s rambling off once again. ¡°What was she asking in particr? Better yet, who has she bitten? I hope she didn¡¯t bite anyone...¡± Davin replied. ¡°I wish that was the case, but she did bite someone,¡± Cole replied. The king sighed and ced his head in his hands, rubbing his temples. The queen was equally shocked by this revtion, however, her reaction seemed held back. ¡°Who did she bite?¡± the queen asked. ¡°She bit Kyle. During the time that she was trying to keep him from being captured by the rogues, she bit him to keep him within her possession,¡± Cole replied. The king spoke from within his palms, ¡°And considering she wasn¡¯t intending to kill him, the bite never poisoned him. Instead, she formed a bond with the rogue...¡± the king began to voice Cole¡¯s suspicions. ¡°I told her to wait so that I could confirm my suspicions on the matter. Do you think that mutt will be Katie¡¯s beta alpha?¡± Cole asked. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it. Did Katie tell you the colour of the Kyle¡¯s eyes?¡± Davin asked. ¡°She said the boy¡¯s eyes were red. She seems to know what she did to the boy, however, I doubt she knows everything about what happens to the first two bites that a royal takes,¡± he replied. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. We can have her kill him the next time she gets a vision,¡± king Davin replied. Cole snapped at the man, surprised by his sudden suggestion, but even more surprised by the calmness with which he said it. The king had his hands drop to the table before continuing with what he was saying. ¡°Katie has been trained to deal with this sort of thing. All she has to do is tell the beta alpha to stop breathing and he won¡¯t breathe until he is dead and gone,¡± Davin continued. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too drastic? That boy has information that we can use. Katie can have him obey her as a spy within the rogues. ¡°That is taking too much of a risk. You know the rules, Cole. The king and queen are supposed to have only two beta alphas in total and that¡¯s the end of that. You already chose the alphas that you will take on as your betas. Katie doesn¡¯t get to make such a choice. In that regard, Kyle must die,¡± Davin was firm in his opinion on the matter. ¡°What if Katie doesn¡¯t agree to that solution? You know how the bond between a royal and a beta alpha is... The Beta Alpha will never disobey them and the alpha, in turn, will feel all their pain, all their grief, their happiness. They lose all malice towards one another and gain a different kind of understanding concerning master and servant. They cannot betray each other or rather, the beta alpha cannot betray his alpha,¡± Cole rified. ¡°Has Katie told you she bore no hatred towards the person that killed a rogue she¡¯d only just saved,¡± the Queen asked. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t answer me when I asked. That pretty much told me everything I needed to know,¡± Cole replied. The king was rubbing his temples in deep thought as he processed this information. ¡°If Kyle gets to live and the hunters find out that he¡¯s a beta alpha, I don¡¯t know what they will do. The rules that bind the royals and the power they hold were drafted a long time ago and for a reason. Two beta alphas per empire, that¡¯s how it¡¯s always been...¡± ¡°We¡¯ll find a way, but killing Kyle when he could help us from the inside is not apromise I will be making,¡± Cole replied, making his point perfectly clear. The argument ended with him standing in challenge to the King, an action he regretted as his head immediately began pounding with a nearly unbearable headache. Chapter 168 168 Chapter One Hundred Sixty Eight Sweat, hard work, pushing limits and so many other things took ce during the training Katie was going through. She still hadn¡¯t gotten closer than one meter to the Mighty Warrior. His arrows were calcted to corner her and make all her running seem predictable. With all the energy she could muster, she hadn¡¯t been able to get closer to the man. ¡°Is it just me or did you get significantly slower?¡± the man¡¯s voice sang from the clearing. Katie was panting wildly while she tried toe up with a strategy. If she couldn¡¯t get this part of her training done, she would never be able to move on to the next thing. Frank had so much he could teach her and yet here she was trying to learn how to outrun Jeremiah¡¯s arrows. Something she viewed as a waste of time. ¡°Oh well, if you don¡¯t stop hiding, I will be forced to use specialised arrows to smoke you out. You know I don¡¯t joke about things like that, so I would advise you toe out and give this another try,¡± Frank wasn¡¯t joking and Katie knew it... ¡°I¡¯m counting to three. One, two... Oh, there you are...¡± The girl was out and aiming for the win. She ran straight at him, robbing him of the ability to predict where she might have nked when he shot his arrow. Nheless, the confident Mighty Warrior let his arrows fly. Four of them, fired in quick session that it seemed they¡¯d been fired at the same time and straight for the girl. Katie nked to the right only to switch directions at thest moment and go left. Everything happened so fast that Frank had to stay at his best to keep up with the girl¡¯s speed. It wasn¡¯t as fast as the Thunderp¡¯s, but it was definitely a challenge to deal with. Straining his arms, he changed his target to follow the girl¡¯s steps. The girl tapped into something deeper, having driven herself into a corner. Frank fired his arrows and had them strike the ground where the girl had just been. However, his eyes were sharp. He could still see the girl no matter how fast she had gotten. A smile graced his face as he swiveled on his heel and aimed his bow at the path the girl was bound to take. He hadn¡¯t told her his observations thus far, but she was faster than she¡¯d been the day before. After tapping into her power that much and fainted, she must have made it easier for her to get to higher speeds without noticing how strenuous it was to do so. Frank was impressed... ¡®It¡¯s only the second day,¡¯ he mused while he let more arrows fly, cutting off all of Katie¡¯s routes. She barely dodged some as they were well calcted to hit her by the time she got somewhere. At some point, the man was sure that she could sense where he intended to shoot, or maybe she could merely sense the arrows and avoid danger at thest moment. However, something was wrong and he could see it. Despite the increase in speed, the girl was making less progress than she had the previous day. He¡¯d seen her ingenuity the day before. Futile as it had been, she was focused on her task and more determined to get to him. Today, she even took rests and asked for breaks, as though she knew she wasn¡¯t going to achieve her goal that evening, ¡°Alright, take a break.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been denying my requests for a break for a while now and now when I¡¯m just about to get to you, you...¡± ..... ¡°Take a break, Katie. I won¡¯t repeat myself,¡± he replied, firing a volley of arrows twice as fast as what they¡¯d agreed for the training. The increase in arrows backed the girl back until she was backed up against a tree. The arrows that continued to follow hit spots ufortably close to her body. Frank stopped his barrage of arrows and stared her straight in the eye. He had only used up two of his quivers and wouldn¡¯t be bothered to retrieve arrows from thest one. It was only a matter of Katie defying his orders. Finally conceding to the man¡¯s demands, the royal dropped to the ground, exhaustion filling her muscles as the adrenaline left her. Her breathing wasboured and her mood terrible. She¡¯d been trying so hard. Her hand kept making a fist and unclenching in frustration, ¡°What am I doing wrong?¡± ¡°Well, you are not focused,¡± Frank confirmed. Katie looked up at him in disbelief. The look in his eye wiped the defiance from her attitude. He took a seat beside her leaning against the arrow-riddled tree, ¡°So what¡¯s on your mind?¡± he asked. Katie sighed, ¡°The junior hunter at the school was giving me a hard time. I¡¯m trying to work through the anger.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just breathe that away?¡± the Mighty Warrior asked. ¡°That doesn¡¯t always work. Sometimes I can, others... It¡¯s not that simple,¡± Katie replied with a defeated sigh. Ever since she¡¯d awakened her wolf side, she wasn¡¯t able to reign in her emotions. In fact, it had proved to be one of the hardest things she could do. She felt emotions strongly and didn¡¯t know how to handle all of them considering she¡¯d never even had the time to interpret them. ¡°Oh, so you mean the wolf inside you makes it hard to interpret your own emotions or does she deny you the peace of mind when you try to achieve it?¡± this was unknown territory for anyone in the world. A hunter that was a werewolf had never been seen and hence dealing with one had never happened either. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. It would be so easy to get over it, but I can¡¯t seem to do so. With everything that¡¯s going on, he¡¯s an extra nuisance that I seem to have the desire of taking out my frustrations on,¡± she exined. ¡°With everything that¡¯s going on? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± he asked. Katie realised he was never in Brigadia and needed a rundown on most of what she was trying to exin. If it could help her get better and improve, she was willing to give it a try, ¡°Well, to put it in simple terms, I thought I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with Kyle so soon, and in a way that¡¯s as weird as what¡¯s happening now. Not to mention Jeremiah whom I¡¯m now sure is always watching my every move.¡± ¡°There are a lot of holes in that exnation. Exin to me who this ¡®Kyle¡¯ is and exactly how you figure Jeremiah is watching your every move,¡± Frank asked, trying to sound polite. The girl went through the short version of the story to exin who Kyle was. The Mighty Warrior couldn¡¯t help but grimace at some of the parts of the story. When she was done with that she moved on to Jeremiah¡¯s case. ¡°I can tell Jeremiah is always watching me... That is basically just a feeling that I am sure of. After all, the moment Lina was tired, the rogues seemed to get her at the right moment. Catching a wolf that fast is bound to be impossible and yet they were able to do it. I know that¡¯s not enough proof, but I know what my adoptive parents taught me. I follow my gut on that...¡± she replied. ¡°Do you mean to tell me that he could be watching you at this very moment?¡± the man asked her. ¡°Yes, although I don¡¯t think you will be able to find him. A job like this can only be given to someone who knows what they are doing. Maybe Jim Gordon could have been able to find him. His speed is incredible,¡± shemented. ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it and say that he won¡¯t attack as long as he knows he can¡¯t seed or that he might lose his life even if he does manage to kill you,¡± the Mighty Warrior took a stab at summarising the situation. ¡°Well, basically, yes... Although I don¡¯t think he can pin me down,¡± she replied, leaning against the tree with him, finally breathing normally. The two of them stared to the far side of the clearing where Katie took Lina through unorthodox drills of self-defence. It was amazing to find out that not only was the princess fast, she was extremely flexible as well. It wasn¡¯t long before they were building up her agility. Frank was quiet for a bit before he finally spoke up, ¡°I think I get the gist of it now. Although there are a lot of missing bits of the story that you are keeping from me. I will tell you something though. The boy at the school... It wouldn¡¯t hurt to humour him. He¡¯s in charge of all the hunters-¡± ¡°Junior hunters...¡± Katie interjected... ¡°You do realise that includes your friend, Sandra,¡± he replied. ¡°I am her mentor. She doesn¡¯t have to do anything that I haven¡¯t told her to do,¡± Katie tried. ¡°That only counts if she has an assignment that you¡¯ve given her. While she¡¯s free, she is obligated to follow the boy¡¯s orders. I do not want to get in between anything that¡¯s happening here, but if I would, life would be much easier if you let the boy think he was controlling you. That way, you get to keep Sandra and everyone goes home happy,¡± Frank replied. ¡°What about his unending insults and quips? They are frustrating,¡± she groaned. Somehow this conversation was easing the anger she had developed towards the head hunter at the school. ¡°You¡¯ll be surprised how people change when everything starts to go their way. It¡¯s only to keep the peace. I don¡¯t want to have youe here and lose focus during training...¡± Frank replied with a smile on his face, ¡°Now, are you ready to give this another go?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s try this one more time...¡± As expected, the girl was focused this time and much tighter with her turns, giving the Mighty warrior a rough time. If it wasn¡¯t for the four arrows limit that he had set, she wouldn¡¯t have gotten to him, but he had set it and she did break through his seemingly tight defence and ce her hand on his back. It had happened faster than he could follow. A smile graced his face, ¡°Would you look at that? You caught me.¡± Chapter 169 169 Chapter One Hundred Sixty Nine A brown envelopey on the table with a written missive within it. It was from the so-called source the king had mentioned when he¡¯d spoken to his ¡®brother.¡¯ The man paced about the room wondering what could be in the letter. His thoughts swarmed in his head. He¡¯d gotten himself into a very precarious situation and he didn¡¯t know how he was going to get himself out of this one. Well, it wasn¡¯t his fault for getting himself in such a situation. He¡¯d only been following the wishes of his very goddess. At least, that¡¯s what he¡¯d known for as long as he could remember, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since youst spoke to me, Celeste. You know we had a deal. I was never to be blind at any one point in this sick twisted game of yours.¡± The man walked out to the balcony and spoke, looking hard at the moon. She¡¯s out there, risking her life every day and you choose to remain silent. Well, today is thest night I continue with this. If you don¡¯t give me an answer, then I won¡¯t keep this up. I¡¯ll get her out and quit all this even if it¡¯s thest thing I do.¡± The man stared at the moon, keeping his hard stare unwavering. For someone who had no idea who he was or any information on werewolves, he looked like a mad man talking to the moon. He kept his voice low so that no one could hear him, but his face spoke volumes of the turmoil within him. It wasn¡¯t normal to find him expressing himself, but this was one of those few times when he let his emotions be disyed freely on his countenance. When he was sure there was no one watching him, but Celeste herself. Having said what he wanted to, he walked into the shower and got himself ready for sleep. Without reading what was in the letter, he got into his bed and drifted off to sleep. It wasn¡¯t hard for him considering he¡¯d been sneaking about the empire for quite some time. He was exhausted and losing the drive to keep up with the schemes he¡¯d gotten himself involved in. Far into the heavens, the goddess stared down at the alpha¡¯s sleeping form. She¡¯d been keeping her distance from this one for a while, but as it seemed, she had run out of options. She knew him well and wasn¡¯t about to take a gamble on letting him go wild. ¡°Are you going to talk to him?¡± ¡°I have to... If I don¡¯t, who knows what he¡¯ll do?¡± the goddess replied. ¡°The gods are starting to take notice of your involvement with the werewolves. Some of them are viewing your actions as direct interference with their actions,¡± Seth tried, but the goddess had made up her mind and he knew that what he was saying was only falling upon deaf ears. Sighing, he gave up, ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll do what I can to cloak you.¡± ¡°Thank you, my love,¡± she replied. Laying by the pool, she closed her eyes. She was out of chances to physically visit her creatures, but she did have one more way tomunicate with them, although the more she used it, the more the other gods began to take notice of her increased involvement in the lives of the mortals and the rules about this were irond, the consequences for breaking them just as dire. ..... Sean, the king¡¯s uncle, slept soundly, his mind constantly wandering through memories of a single person that he¡¯d only rarely met. Someone he cared about deeply but had only barely met. The moon goddess watched the man¡¯s mind as it wandered about and her heart clenched with guilt. When she couldn¡¯t take it any longer, she called out to him, ¡°Sean...¡± The man¡¯s mind ceased immediately. He looked about his now-empty mind in search of the voice he¡¯d now grown ustomed to. In the back of his mind, the most beautiful woman a werewolf could every their eyes on floated about in a white flowing gown. ¡°There you are. What¡¯s going on? Why won¡¯t youmunicate with any of us? I have noticed even your beloved Chosen are stumbling in the dark. You haven¡¯t shown them anything to guide them and the Rogue king is on the move. He has ns that could end everything we¡¯ve worked for. Why do you continue to sit idly by and watch?¡± the man snapped at her, ¡°Did I have to first threaten you to have youe down to me?¡± ¡°Calm down, Sean. I don¡¯t have so much time here. I came to tell you to keep doing what I asked you to do. It is crucial that you stay a step ahead of the Rogue King. Please, Sean. This is a request from your goddess. Would you rather have me on my knees?¡± she asked. Anger boiled inside the man¡¯s heart, ¡°You know werewolves don¡¯t want to hear you beg them one bit. We¡¯d follow you in a heartbeat and eveny down our lives as long as the cause is just as you¡¯ve always been to us. Don¡¯t ever think twice before asking me to do something for you. That said, however, we had an agreement, Celeste. You were tomunicate to me and not keep me in the dark for more than a month.¡± ¡°I know the terms of our agreement and you of all people should know that I wouldn¡¯t break it unless something was amiss,¡± she replied to him. Sean was about to react when he interpreted what the moon goddess was trying to tell him... ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± the moment he asked her this, the image before him began to vanish. The moon goddess was always risking when shemunicated with them. Sean had found out about the rules that bound the gods and now he knew this was one of those rules that were keeping her away from them. She had taken a gamble when she came down to talk to him and at that moment conveyed the biggest form of a warning she was capable of making without tripping any rms. The man woke up to a start after having had a vision from the moon goddess. He rushed out of his bed. His mind waspletely drained of sleep. It was like someone had just given him a dose of the strongest coffee the world had to offer. He tore the envelope open in a hurry, his mind finally set back on his mission. His eyes skimmed through the letter with so much urgency that he almost missed the scented perfume that wafted into his nostrils when he opened the letter along with the beautified handwriting that had been used when writing the letter to him. The person that had sent it always used the same style when making it and it was because of this that the rogue king had stopped questioning the man on what the letters contained. The very person they both knew as General Amanda seemed to have a personal interest in the royal and the rogue king had no objections as long as his orders were obeyed. The two were therefore allowed tomunicate through whatever means necessary that didn¡¯tpromise the man¡¯s ndestine arrangement with the rogue king. The letter dropped to the ground, leaving the man to his thoughts. His thoughts raced about as he tried to digest what he¡¯d just read. He¡¯d been holding on to the letter, waiting for a message from the moon goddess since she hadn¡¯t spoken to him in a while, but now that he¡¯d read the letter, he didn¡¯t know what to think anymore. It bore nothing, but terrible news. So much so that the notes of love that were contained within the letter hadpletely slipped the man¡¯s mind and left him to his thoughts. ¡°Hey, your pacing is bothering the mind link. Can you keep your muttering to yourself?¡± King Davin¡¯s groggy voice came through the pack mind link, shoving Sean¡¯s growing thoughts from his mind if only for a moment. It was long enough for the man to think clearly for a moment. He wanted to do something about what he¡¯d read, but he didn¡¯t know what to do that could aid in his mission without breaking his cover. Looking out the window, he spotted the dull glint of silver, something he was used to seeing at this point, ¡®That boy can be quite obvious sometimes,¡¯ he murmured before leaping off the balcony and shifting into his midnight ck wolf, dashing into the woods at the fastest he could manage, keeping his steps stealthy. The moonlight seemed to carve around the midnight wolf and keep it invisible as it travelled through the forest. The boy residing in the tree he¡¯d spotted didn¡¯t move an inch as the royal approached him. He waited patiently for the man to reach the tree before he lowered himself. The massive midnight ck wolf shifted back into its human form, ¡°You¡¯re being too obvious. If I was able to spot you, what do you think Katie will do?¡± ¡°Oh, Katie can spot me just fine. The girl is always aware of my presence no matter how well I conceal myself. Chase hunters are troublesome to deal with that way. Besides, don¡¯t you think I let you see me so that I can talk to you?¡± the boy smirked, leaning in to whisper something in the royal¡¯s ear. Sean¡¯s eyes widened in terror if only for a moment and went expressionless before the withdrawing boy could see him. ¡°That sounds fantastic. Long live the Rogue King...¡± ¡°Long live the Rogue King, indeed...¡± Chapter 170 170 Chapter Seventy Katie was seated in that ssroom, her hand sped around her pen very firmly. She remembered everything the Mighty Warrior had mentioned the day before with painful detail. Every now and then, she stole nces on the other side of her mate to watch the junior head hunter. Trevor seemed focused on his work that he didn¡¯t notice her do this. ¡°So, he told you to make friends. What¡¯s so wrong with that?¡± Cole asked through the mind link. However, the hint of difort was evident and he did nothing to hide it. ¡°Oh,e on. You cannot be okay with this. Dere this absolutely stupid so that we might move on from this,¡± she begged even knowing it was futile. The alpha raised an eyebrow at her, ¡°Anyw I can dere bears the same weight as somethinging from your mouth. In fact, in this country, you hold more power than I do since you are a princess of Sirius.¡± ¡°I know all that Cole,¡± she groaned, cing her head on the desk. Cole looked at the whiteboard at the front of the ss and his mate¡¯s notebook. All the answers were already there. ¡®When did she get the time to learn all this when she was always training?¡¯ his thoughts unknowingly flew through the mind link. ¡°Sometimes my parents would make me learn all this when I was training and others were taught when I was too weak to train. As it seemed, learning new things always seemed to calm me down and it was when I was trapped in this cycle of learning, that I seemed to take in everything they wanted to teach me. I was a weird kid,¡± she replied through the mind link. ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t call you weird. You turned out just fine to me and that¡¯s all that matters,¡± the alpha said, cing a peck on her cheek. The girl kept her head down to hide her flushed expression. ................ ..... The bell eventually rang, signalling the end of the lesson and sending everyone off to their lunch break. Katie¡¯s head was still down by the end of the lesson. Sandra tapped her shoulder, ¡°Aren¡¯t youing, Katie?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I have something to do with that nosy junior hunter,¡± she replied, making her best impression of someone who really didn¡¯t want to go through with something. ¡°Oh, I never thought you¡¯d spare him a second thought. Do you want me to stay behind in case you need backup?¡± Sandra normally didn¡¯t ask this question, however, she felt as though she had a different assignment that was more important than protecting Trevor from the wrath of the Rogue Killer. ¡°No, you have another charge to take care of. Make sure she doesn¡¯t get into trouble,¡± Katie replied. Sandra got the message. She might not have been as strong as Katie was, but she wasn¡¯t about to fail in her mission to protect the princess. When they were all gone, Cole stayed by her side. ¡°Do you want to be my bodyguard as well?¡± she asked the alpha. ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t be much good in this state,¡± the alpha chuckled, reminding her of the pain that still gued him. It had been two days since the incident, but the royal was still trapped in the pain that he¡¯d got from healing the Mighty Warrior. Aspensation for the pain that he was going through, Frank had promised to take care of Katie during their training and make sure to ount for every single injury on her body. That meant he was to make sure she returned spotless which was easy for a wolf that had her healing speed. To be careful, the hunter had ordered a new set of arrows that was harmless in training although they still hurt when they hit Katie. ¡°You should probably go and help Sandra protect my sister. The other alphas fear you even in your weakened state which isn¡¯t the...¡± ¡°What¡¯s the usurper royal still doing here? I would like to assume thedy hase to her senses and wants to talk to me alone,¡± Trevor smirked as he walked up to the pair. Cole was the one to make a fist in anger this time. ¡®Can you believe I was staying back to try and ask you to control your temper around this dimwit?¡¯ the man¡¯s voice came through the mind link, ¡®How can one measly junior hunter be so annoying?¡¯ Katie chuckled at his reaction, ¡°Go ahead, honey. We¡¯ll talkter.¡± Cole calmed down at the peck on his cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t let this tiny demon get to you, sweetheart. I¡¯m watching you, junior hunter,¡± the royal replied, thest part directed at Trevor who he red daggers at. The boy chuckled and waited for him to leave. When Cole was out of earshot, he spoke up, ¡°He¡¯s a colourful one. Must be fun having him as a mate.¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a real sweetheart. What have you wanted from me since the first day, Trevor?¡± she asked the boy, feeling ufortable with making small talk with the boy. ¡°Straight to the point, huh. You should really be more respectful of someone who is going to be your senior,¡± he replied, beckoning for her to follow him. ¡°I don¡¯t see how you can possibly ept me as a hunter and yet still im to be my senior. That¡¯s just severely messed up,¡± the girl replied, slinging her bag over her shoulder and following behind him and his two right-hand men (boys... ahem...) Trevor led her straight to the stairs only to stop at the stairs, ¡°Am I to expect cooperation from you from this point onwards?¡± Katie bit back the remark that threatened toe out of her. ¡°One step at a time, Trevor. I would advise you to stop trying to push your luck.¡± She replied with a smile on her face. The boy saw straight through it and understood this was as far as she was willing topromise. Shrugging, he began to journey to the top floor, ¡°It was worth a try.¡± ................ Lina made her way to the den in high spirits. a feeling she¡¯d forgotten about. For a long time, she wasn¡¯t able to feel like she could fit in with the others, however, Katie¡¯s encouragement and the training she was getting from Sandra and Jason seemed to be teaching her a new way to look at her ¡®misfortune.¡¯ She walked into the den, paying no heed to the looks a few of the wolves still gave her. Her destination was already set and her mind wouldn¡¯t let go of the images of that day¡¯s special. She nned to invite Honour to eat with them as well this afternoon. After all the girl had done for her, she clearly needed to rest for a bit. Her wolf notified her of something she hadn¡¯t taken note of. There was a scent missing in the Den. The scent belonged to the most feared female in the pack. ¡®Where is Katie?¡¯ she froze at the door to the VIP seats. Cole was seated with his alphas nking him. However, Katie was nowhere to be seen. ¡°A certain pup can¡¯t seem to find her mother,¡± Wyatt wasted no time in utilizing the moment of weakness. He could tell who everyone in this room feared. Cole wasn¡¯t in shape to stand up for her and the other two were alphas just like Wyatt and Liam. Lina concealed her fear and walked up to the chair. A hand appeared on the other side of the chair. Liam eyed her up and down, deciding on whether he should regard the wolf as anything worth allowing to live. ¡°What makes you think that now that your sister is back from the dead, you get to walk around like you own the ce?¡± Liam spat. ¡°She was probably thinking the princess¡¯ words were final. You do know she will move to Lycaon soon enough. What will happen to you then?¡± this was the very phrase that stopped Cole from reacting when he did. If he reacted now, they would only wait for him to leave and the cycle would start all over again. When Liam was just about to utter another word, a feminine voice interrupted him, ¡°Are you that scared of the girl?¡± the table turned their attention to the source of the voice. Jason smirked at what he saw before him. Sandra stared at the alpha, trying her best to keep herself levelheaded while she spoke to him. She¡¯d never fought an alpha before and hadn¡¯t been willing to fight one that wasn¡¯t Jason in a while, but this one was one she was running out of respect for. ¡°Oh, did the prodigal daughter¡¯s escort suddenly think she might cut in for her? All of you make me sick. Have you ever seen this runt on the battlefield? She¡¯s always the first to run away. If you ask me, that¡¯s only a skill that¡¯s required by a lone wolf,¡± he spat. ¡°Well, then no one asked you. She¡¯s a royal that clearly outranks you. She¡¯s faster than you and my guess is that she can handle herself better in a fightpared to you,¡± Lina¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Sandra seemed to be giving her ranks she was not yet worthy of. ¡°Oh, what makes you think that?¡± ¡°She¡¯s just...¡± ¡°Shut up, runt. I¡¯m curious to hear what the junior hunter has to say. I¡¯ve seen my share of surprises this year and I¡¯m honestly just starting to pick an interest,¡± he cut the girl off. ¡°You must be mistaken, Liam. Royals are stronger than alphas... far stronger. That being said, Katie wouldn¡¯t go to Lycaon and leave her sister without a way to protect herself,¡± she began. The alpha looked between the royal and the junior hunter, so Sandra continued, having got his undivided attention, ¡°I give her to the end of this week and she won¡¯t need protection from the likes of you.¡± ¡°Of course, she doesn¡¯t need protection from me. She can always run away,¡± Liam scoffed at the seemingly obvious detail. ¡°Then let me rephrase that. By the end of this week, you¡¯ll be the one needing protection from her, should you ever get onto her bad side,¡± the girl replied, keeping her voice as calm as she could. Lina couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. She was being handed over to the likes of Liam mercilessly and yet she was sure there was no way of beating him if they were ever matched up. Liam began tough after hearing the words that came from Sandra. Crysta came in at that exact moment to find the boyughing. She took her seat at the table between the already present Bree and Ginger, ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± she asked. ¡°You just missed the craziest im in all history. Sandra just said the runt will be capable of beating me by the end of the week. I would have her locked up for such a thing, but it was too good of a joke for me to take seriously,¡± he replied, taking his seat at the table. Crysta eyed the junior hunter, trying to decipher what could have made her say such a thing. She¡¯d been paying attention to Lina during the training and had noticed her slowly changing attitude towards training. She didn¡¯t freeze up when approached and even spoke freely with Cole and the alphas of the Lycaon empire. ¡°What are you afraid of then? What do you say to a little challenge?¡± the delta spoke up, finally getting her to take on the matter. The table fell dead silent. Liam was stunned by the bold move the delta had taken. ¡®How did it get to this?¡¯ Cole groaned, however much he¡¯d noticed Sandra driving the conversation to this exact point. She had Liam right where she wanted him. ¡°End of the week then... We¡¯ll decide the ce during the trip.¡± Chapter 171 171 Chapter One Hundred Seventy One The top floor was like a different part of the school. Junior hunters swarmed the ce, doing different manner of leisure activities. While some were always reading to make sure they could fall back on studies when a Prometheus gift failed to present itself, the others that were more confident took on different things like table tennis and pool. Katie nearly asked what a table tennis table was doing in the hunter¡¯s lounge, but she decided to ignore it. Trevor dismissed his henchmen and led the girl to a part of the floor that had been designed like a caf¨¦, ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± he asked. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t seen the whole floor, but so far so good,¡± Katie replied. The first room had been a reception where a female junior hunter worked at the table, letting them in. The second had been straight-up leisure. From quiet to chaos, then a little quiet as there wasn¡¯t much chaos in the caf¨¦ part of the floor. She was now getting curious about the other rooms further in. After the caf¨¦ area, the floor was split into two halves by a corridor that was bordered by numerous rooms. She guessed they were all offices, although to whom she didn¡¯t know. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but it¡¯s a ce where all hunters can rx when things get... tooplicated,¡± he replied. ¡°In other words, the junior hunters are allowed to dodge lessons,¡± Katie fished out the hidden message. ¡°We¡¯d like to use the phrase, ¡®taking a casual break.''¡± he replied. Katie chuckled at the cover-up, ¡°Well, I say it¡¯s not okay, considering all of these hunters don¡¯t know if they will ever be hunters in the long run,¡± she replied. Prometheus seeks certain qualities in a hunter and this that¡¯s taking ce right here is burying those qualities,¡± she replied. ¡°You say this is making themzy and removing their ability to be hunters, but I say the reverse is true. They are being given the chance to prove that all these distractions cannot keep them from keeping their minds on the target at hand,¡± he countered, ¡°Speaking to someone who wouldn¡¯t stay awake in thest lesson, you need a rest as well.¡± A girl walked up to them with a tray holding steaming cups. Within the cups was a liquid that brought numerous memories to the girl. Telling the cup with the most imperfections through her increased sense of smell, she picked the cup with the better coffee in it. One more sniff just to be sure it was the right thing. ¡°Someone likes their coffee...¡± Trevor¡¯s voice brought her back to reality. ..... ¡°Oh, about resting in the ss. I already knew what the teacher was teaching, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that aspect of this hunter¡¯s life. Besides, I have already received my Prometheus gifts and my license, I don¡¯t exactly get to pick a career after graduation,¡± she responded. Her eyes then moved to the different picture frames on the walls. They depicted hunters that hade through the school. Different photos of all shapes and sizes lined the walls, evenly spaced and lightly decorated. Some of them were group photos withbels at the bottom while others were single pictures of head hunters of the past. Some were in ck and white which showed how old they were. Trevor noticed the girl¡¯s sudden interest in the pictures, ¡°You know yours could also be up there someday.¡± ¡°I have enough ces I would already like to get my picture taken,¡± she kindly turned him down, ¡°Might we get to the point. I came here to know your intentions. Consider this my way of giving you the chance to exin yourself. It¡¯s clear that you won¡¯t stop trying to catch my attention. Dazzle me or this is thest time you will be seeing me in this ce,¡± she repeated. ¡°Is the pce that good of a ce? I should visit it sometime. To think you¡¯re not impressed by all this, you must live in a ce lined with gold,¡± the boy joked, however, the girl did notugh at his humour. Sighing, he ced down his cup of coffee, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll get straight to the point. You know how the junior hunters don¡¯t usually get information from the pro hunters. It¡¯s only protocol since we haven¡¯t proved our worth to the god of mankind just yet. However, there is a bit of information thates through here and some of it has me worried.¡± ¡°Are you trying to get a reply from me? I am under no obligation to confirm anything you say. Besides, I haven¡¯t been inmunication with the other hunters for a while now. I might not be able to confirm what you are asking of me,¡± she replied. ¡°Fair enough. However, this is serious. I want to make sure we don¡¯t fail to do our job in this school. That¡¯s keeping the students safe from any form of violence and keeping the peace. That goes for whether the student is a werewolf or a human,¡± he began, his voice losing all humour. He was starting to sound more like a head hunter and Katie found herself marvelling at the transformation. ¡°For a moment, I could have sworn you didn¡¯t know what your job was,¡± the girl chuckled, ¡°what is it that you wish to ask me then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard whispers of the situation with the movement of the rogues. Every bit of information thates my way is that they are mobilising and gathering within Lycaon. A gathering muchrger than anything we¡¯ve ever seen... and yet, I can¡¯t help, but feel like they are drawing our attention away from the small group of rogues that lies in wait inside of Sirius,¡± he continued. ¡°What makes you think there are rogues in Sirius?¡± Katie asked him, taking on a serious tone as well. She¡¯d been sensing the eyes of Jeremiah on her for a while. She knew he was always watching her and that he was only waiting for the right time to strike, but couldn¡¯t find one withoutpromising himself. As a result, she was still safe from him, and yet he kept his location hidden enough for her to be unable to find him if she wanted to. It was a hard feeling to live with. ¡°I don¡¯t know if there are rogues in Sirius. I just know they couldn¡¯t have left Sirius entirely and that the ones that are left in Sirius might have a special mission to aplish that¡¯s different but rted to the mission of the others that are gathering in Lycaon. It feels like a hunch, but I can¡¯t help but wonder if it¡¯s a possibility and if it is, I don¡¯t want the students of this school to have to suffer from this,¡± he exined. His face, for once, showed genuine concern for the students. ¡°Your suspicions are not far from mine. I know there is a group of rogues in Sirius, but I don¡¯t know where. I don¡¯t know what their motives are or when it is they will choose to attack and who they will attack. I just know that with rogues being this careful about their actions, you might be onto something. They might just have hidden motives,¡± Katie confirmed what she could without giving up information from what Samantha had told her a while ago. The boy nodded in response to her answer, his eyes zed over while he thought long and hard. With the little ess to information that a junior hunter had, he only had to use his intellect to protect the school. Normally, standard procedures would work just fine, but something had the boy worried that he¡¯d decided to do his own form of investigation into the matter. He had nothing to go on, but all of his hunches hit the mark. Katie was impressed although she didn¡¯t show it. ¡°Can I make a request, Katie?¡± the boy asked. He hadn¡¯t touched his coffee since he¡¯d gotten serious. ¡®What a waste of good coffee!¡¯ the thought ran through Katie¡¯s head before she replied. ¡°Depending on how much it requires of me, I will grant it or not,¡± she replied. ¡°I know I have been pushing your buttons out there. Forgive me if I find it hard to believe who you say you are. Prometheus has never blessed a wolf with gifts before and you being the first just gets on my nerves somehow. However, I did ask the pro hunters at the Hunter¡¯s Agency and they confirmed you really are one of them even though you haven¡¯t visited the Agency yet. I want to ask for your help during the trip. There is so much I don¡¯t know about protecting a moving group of humans. Please...¡± this evening was full of shocking times for the royal. After having been through such trying times with the head hunter, she was shocked to see another side of him. ¡°What makes you act like such an- forgive mynguage- ass out there?¡± she tried being calm about it, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. He¡¯d really been pushing his luck. ¡°To be honest, I had already built a reputation by the time I ran for the head hunter. I was not the best human being at the time and I got the lesson beaten into me by the previous head hunter. Before the boy left, he showed me what it meant to be a hunter. No matter how strong one is, they cannot let that strength get to their heads and they must always act as though they were weak in any situation. The lives of innocents came first before all others along with many other lessons that shape a hunter. When I get back into society, I can¡¯t help but wear the mask of my former self. It keeps my enemies unaware of my true potential and allows me the chance to keep a low profile while in in sight,¡± the boy exined. ¡°So, you¡¯re just ying the role of a dim-witted leader,¡± Katie rubbed her temples. ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that. You make me sound like a clown,¡± Trevor chuckled before his face went serious once more. ¡°Will you help me?¡± ¡°Yes, I will, but you will not be giving me instructions. As for my mentee... She¡¯s busy, most of the time, but if you do happen to get her free, you can fill her in on your ns for the trip. As long as I¡¯m helping out on that, she will as well,¡± Katie replied. That seemed to wrap up the serious part of their conversation. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve got that out of the way, are you seriously mated to Prince Lycaon?¡± the girl nearly choked at the question. ¡®How long have you been holding in such a silly question?¡¯ her thoughts rushed while she struggled to regain herposure. Chapter 172 172 Chapter One Hundred Seventy Two The air was thick with the feeling of defeat as Sandra pinned a royal for the fourth time in a row. Each time she did so with even more ease. Jason stood at the edge of the clearing watching them in silence. He could feel the tension between the two of them. Katie had told them the oue of her meeting with the head junior hunter at school and Lina was still not speaking to Sandra after organising a fight between her and an alpha she was sure she couldn¡¯t beat. Sandra stood up, panting from the exertion. Her thoughts were muddled, asionally straying over to her added responsibility to the school. Every time she felt like she was going to buckle under the pressure of all of her responsibilities, she¡¯d remember the responsibilities of one that had earned the name of the Rogue Killer. Katie had never uttered a word of defiance when she was given a task and she¡¯d climbed through the ranks through sheer hard work. It was insane and abnormal to think about, but Sandra had watched it all happen. She¡¯d watched the gap between her and her friend grow considerably fast until she was skilled enough to even qualify to be a mentor. It was frustrating to think about, but it also drove her to work harder. The royal had been working hard as well and hadn¡¯t had much time to evaluate her progress. Well, she¡¯d rather put that on hold to help Lina anyway. Looking back at the royal panting on the ground, ¡°Get up, Lina.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pointless. I¡¯ll find myself on the ground exactly the same way I am. There is no point to all this,¡± Lina snapped, ¡°So, I¡¯ll stay right where I am.¡± Sandra hadn¡¯t told Katie of this recent development for fear of what reaction she would be getting. Her job had been to protect the royal and she¡¯d gone and booked her a fight for the weekend, ¡°Are you still mad at me for setting up that fight?¡± ¡°Well, naturally...¡± Lina replied calmly, however, her anger didn¡¯t seem to ry the message. The girl turned her head in the direction of her sister on the other side of the clearing. The hunter was learning something else that day and finally had her hands on a bow. The Mighty Warrior, as usual, was taking her through training that was unlike anything the juniors were taught. Lina¡¯s face was sad and bore a sense of longing. ¡°What about her?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°Every time we make ns, somethinges up. I can¡¯t help but wonder if the trip we are having this weekend has something behind it. We had nned to have spent time as a family this weekend, but Uncle Sean had to go and ruin everything. I can¡¯t even begin to imagine where he got a crazy idea like this one,¡± she said. Sandra was at a loss for words. ..... ¡°You¡¯ve been thinking of that for some time, haven¡¯t you?¡± she replied, offering the royal a hand and helping her up. ¡°Yes, I have been thinking about it a lot. I¡¯m always thinking about things I will never get to be a part of,¡± her voice got higher. ¡°Well, look at the bright side. If you can pull off this fight with Liam this weekend, then you won¡¯t have to think that way for much longer,¡± Sandra tried veering the girl to the point of theiring to the clearing. Lina thought through what the girl had said. Sandra hadn¡¯t noticed just how true her words were and chose to remain ignorantly pleased with the results, ¡°Very well, we shall continue this painful training of yours. However, I need a way to get better faster. At this rate, I won¡¯t be able to...¡± ¡°You might want to stop thinking that way. There is no shortcut to power. Only through discipline can you get where you want to be,¡± Sandra scowled at the girl who only pouted at her response. ¡°You¡¯re no fun. There is always a way through to power that doesn¡¯t involve as much work as you are putting in,¡± the thought was enticing and Sandra found a little trouble shaking it even after nodding in denial. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if someone untalented was thinking that way, but you have got speed that trumps that of any wolf that has ever been known. If there was one as fast as you, I would be surprised we never heard of it. Take pride in that and focus on learning how to use it to your advantage,¡± Sandra took a stab at a pep talk. This was normally Katie¡¯s job and she found her mind drained from only saying the few words she had. Lina sighed in response. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with. I won¡¯t lose to Liam this weekend,¡± Lina replied. To Jason, the girls before him were simr in more ways than one. They¡¯d both been surpassed by their peers and were pushing themselves to catch up. His mind wandered to Caden. ¡®How is he?¡¯ he asked Caden through the mind link. ¡®He¡¯s going into the sick phase of his healing process. The doctor has him isted in his room. I asked her to keep this situation under wraps so that the alpha would heal in secrecy, but he isn¡¯t looking good,¡¯ Caden replied. ¡®Keep an eye on him, Caden. We just have to wait two more days and he¡¯ll be back to normal,¡¯ the alpha replied, his chest growing tight with worry for his alpha. ¡®I know... It doesn¡¯t make it any easier to watch,¡¯ Caden replied, recing the towel on the alpha¡¯s head. Cole wanted to swap the alpha¡¯s caring gesture, but he barely had the energy to do so. ¡°You don¡¯t have to spend your time here with me, you know. You could go out and look for your mate. You did turn eighteen and you can¡¯t know where and when she might pop up,¡± the royal spoke. Caden allowed the man¡¯s words to travel through the mind link so that his friend could hear him as well. ¡°You don¡¯t usually say such things when you are healthy. I¡¯d rather search for my mate once you¡¯re back to full health,¡± he replied. Cole¡¯s mind was barely conscious by the time Caden was done talking to him. ¡®His temperature worries me...¡¯ ¡®Let¡¯s stay strong for him,¡¯ Jason replied, turning his attention back to the training females before him. It seemed Lina had no interest in getting beaten by him today. Nheless, there was more than training to distract the wolf. He could spend his free time watching Sandra... That was more than he could ask for. ........... ¡°What...¡± the girl asked once again. It was the second time she was hearing the MIghty Warrior say this, but she hadn¡¯t yet allowed it to sink in. Frank, on the other hand, was d to repeat it as many times as he needed to. ¡°I said, I decided you were too strong to use a normal bow and had one made custom made for you. It isn¡¯t as good as mine is considering I¡¯m awesome. More than you can hope to imagine, but it will definitely be an improvement for you. How many arrows can you shoot consecutively?¡± the man asked her. It was then that Katie remembered the times when she was determined to beat the Rogue king with her bare hands. As a result of this, she had been veryzy with her archery training. Once she¡¯d been able to shoot two arrows in quick session, she¡¯d abandoned the art and only focused on getting a better aim, ¡°Oh, can we learn something that¡¯s not archery, I forgot my bow... The one that you just announced to have got for me... yeah, that one...¡± the girl tried, futility reeking. The Mighty Warrior stared at the girl with a look she¡¯d never seen before. ¡®Is that supposed to be shocking?¡¯ the girl thought. ¡°Well, I guess the all-perfect Katie Chase is not so perfect after all,¡± was the first thing the man thought. ¡°Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I am trying to understand what¡¯s making you so happy,¡± she asked him, letting her shoulders drop in embarrassment. ¡°No, it¡¯s neither. For a moment there, you were starting to sound like the perfect and model child who never skipped on any assignment and worked themselves to death. What kept you from learning archery?¡± the man asked her. ¡°Well, I always imed I would take down the Rogue King with my bare hands,¡± Katie looked at her hands and let the memory of Cole fighting Frank flow through her. She could tell how weak she waspared to the two of them. Her speed was an added advantage, but when it came down to it, she was useless if she couldn¡¯t overwhelm her foe. She didn¡¯t want to underestimate the Rogue king, so it was safe to assume she couldn¡¯ty a finger on him in her current state, ¡°Now that I look back on that wish, I don¡¯t think I am capable of it.¡± ¡°Oh, dearie... Why do you look so down? Last time I checked, you have the strength Prometheus gift as well. What makes you lose faith in that?¡± Frank asked, getting closer to her and pulling up her chin so she looked him in the eye. ¡°Cole showed me the memories of the fight you had with him. What good was your strength Prometheus gift against him? I¡¯ve spent a lot of time teaching myself to fight... All for what, to just grow up and realise I need to learn how to use a bow and arrow if I¡¯m to ever see my goals realised,¡± Katie barked. Her voice was bitter and it stung in more ways than one. ¡°You¡¯re the moon goddess¡¯ Chosen and so is Cole. What you two possess is nothing like the other wolves. You should neverpare Cole to anyone else for he is the only wolf of his kind in the whole world. Don¡¯t doubt your strength because of what you... Wait, you can share memories?¡± Frank asked all of a sudden. ¡°Yeah. Why do you sound so surprised?¡± Katie asked. The man before her thought for a bit before answering, ¡°I was just wondering what it would be like to share memories. Definitely ruins my image in front of my student. Now get up. As soon as you can shoot three arrows in quick session, we shall not call it a day,¡± Katie could tell that the man was not joking when he said this. She, therefore, chose to try her best even though he was asking too much of her. Chapter 173 173 Chapter One Hundred Seventy Three Finally done andpletely drained of all bodily strength, the girl dropped to her knees and hugged the ground, ¡°I could sleep right here,¡± she told her trainer. ¡°I know that, but I won¡¯t be letting you do that if I¡¯m to avoid another beating from your boyfriend,¡± Frank replied, picking the tired girl up like she weighed nothing. ¡°Are you nning on carrying me all the way back to the pce?¡± Katie asked himzily. She hid the excitement of having to get to the castle without using any energy from the man. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have the energy to make the trip, so I¡¯m helping,¡± he replied, starting the walk back to the pce. Lina and the others had already left them and the sun had only recently set. Without even realising it, Katie fell asleep in the man¡¯s arms. ¡°Figures...¡± Frank sighed. Even when he was trying to keep her from pushing herself too hard, the girl was doing so. Just when he was about to tell her to rest, she¡¯d seeded in what they were trying to do. The walk to the pce was a quiet one. The wind was cold against the hunter¡¯s skin. Nightlife in the forest was starting to get active. It wasn¡¯t like the man hadn¡¯t been through forests his whole life. He¡¯d walked through many of them during the hunts they had in neutral territory. However, never had he been forced to take notice of the nature around him. The trees swayed to and fro in a beautiful rhythm that sapped the man of his exhaustion. The wind blew at the right pace and it made him want to stop and take a rest. He took one more look at Katie and realised just how peaceful she was sleeping in the wild. ¡®Could this sudden change be because of you?¡¯ the man thought to himself. He shook his head to clear the thoughts that swarmed his mind, ¡®No, that¡¯s crazy. No one has power over nature. These two have got me on my toes that it feels like I¡¯m starting to hallucinate a number of things.¡¯ ......... ¡°Get up, Katie...¡± Frank nudged the girl once they were at the gates of the pce. Yawning, the royal woke up and took in her surroundings. Once she had her bearings right, she took a step towards the gate only to realise Frank was not going in with her. She looked back at him, ¡°This is where I get off,¡± he said to her. ¡°Oh, okay then. Thanks for carrying me home,¡± the girl replied. The two bid themselves farewell and went their separate ways. Unbeknownst to Katie, she was being watched by a pair of wolves. These werewolves she knew and trusted. This kept her radar from picking up on their spying behaviour. ..... ¡°What are we going to tell her? Do you think she¡¯ll react well to the Alpha¡¯s state?¡± one of the spying wolves asked the other. ¡°You know Caden. You need to let loose once in a while. She¡¯ll be fine. After all, he¡¯ll only be like this for a few more days,¡± Jason replied. They watched as the girl reached the stairs and started her ascent into the pce. ¡°Here goes nothing,¡± Caden replied. The two of them left their spots and waited for their Luna at the top of the stairs that would sooner get her to her room. Katie reached them only momentster and narrowed her eyes at them. ¡°You¡¯re hiding something,¡± she guessed immediately. Jason went to speak and found that his words got caught in his throat. Seeing his friend¡¯s dilemma, Caden stepped in, ¡°We just want to make sure you don¡¯t freak out when you see him.¡± Jason looked down in embarrassment, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what we are here to do. Alpha Cole is not doing so well and we hoped to cushion the blow before you got to see him.¡± Katie was gone from sight before he was done with his sentence. The girl ran towards their room as fast as her exhausted legs could carry her. The alphas remained silent for a bit before turning to follow her. They found her beside her mate, checking his temperature. Cole hadn¡¯t responded to anything in the past hours and the two alphas were starting to worry. Although this wasn¡¯t the first time, they were seeing him in this state, it never got easier. Sensing his mate¡¯s touch, the royal stirred, his eyes fluttering open to meet her teary ones, ¡°You know I will be better in a few days from now.¡± Since getting bedridden, the royal hadn¡¯t been able to think clearly, but Katie¡¯s presence made him want to try. ¡°A few days from now is not now, Cole. You look like you¡¯re on your deathbed,¡± the girl replied. The prince chuckled, ¡°I must rock the dead look since you still look like you can¡¯t take your eyes off me.¡± Katie couldn¡¯t help but smile at his humour. Even in this state, the man had the audacity to joke, ¡°You¡¯re such a dummy.¡± she replied before turning to the two alphas before her. ¡°You can leave the rest to me, Caden, Jason...¡± ¡°Yes, Luna,¡± they responded, shutting the door on their way out. Katie sighed and reached for a towel on her mate¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯ll just have this changed for you,¡± she responded. Her instincts kicked in and she began grooming her mate. She ordered food for the two of them brought through the mind link and made sure Cole. When the food was brought to her, she made sure to help him take in what he could at a pace that he could manage. ¡°You have to eat something you know,¡± she argued when he finally gave up on eating any more than she¡¯d given him. ¡°It all tastes like it was made in a sewer,¡± heined. ¡°Well, if you weren¡¯t as ill as you are, you would appreciate it, but since you aren¡¯t, you don¡¯t get to criticise anything with a tongue that dysfunctional,¡± she replied. Cole groaned, ¡°I don¡¯t have to eat to survive. I¡¯ll be fine. This is torture.¡± ¡°No, what¡¯s torture is me having to worry for you while you arrogantly reject the food that¡¯s supposed to save you,¡± she snapped at him. The girl sighed upon realising her outburst, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to yell.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. How about this then?¡± the man suggested, beckoning for the girl to bring her ear closer. He whispered something into her ear that got her cheeks flushed and sent shivers down her spine. ¡°Okay then... Eat up,¡± she responded, trying her best to pay no heed to what he¡¯d just said. Cole wore a look of triumph as he willingly epted, ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Katie giggled at his silliness, her mind wandering back to the time she¡¯d been crippled and unable to do much. He¡¯d done anything and everything he could to make sure she was nevercking anything. It was as though he was trying to make her forget her condition at the time. ¡°This takes me back.¡± Cole¡¯s mind had been wondering the same thing, ¡°Only difference is that I know I will get better. You were in a bad ce back then.¡± ¡°Yes, yes I was...¡± she sighed. Cole finished his meal and was fast asleep before long. Katie reced the towel on his forehead with another and made the bed beside him before she could get some sleep herself. Her mind wandered to the words he¡¯d only just whispered to her and a smile graced her face... ¡®Sneaky...¡¯ ............ As time went on, the day for the trip finally arrived. With more training from Sandra and a lot of exhausting sessions with Frank, the two sisters were different. Sandrained, for what was the umpteenth time since they¡¯d woken up that morning, ¡°But I don¡¯t want to have to do it. Patrol is boring...¡± ¡°I know it is, but we have to so that we can keep the peace with Trevor. Just bear with me for now. Besides, you could learn a thing or two from these hunters,¡± Katie tried. ¡°I don¡¯t have much to learn from them that you can¡¯t teach me. We both know that Katie,¡± the girl huffed. ¡°Well, if you two could stop bickering, I would like my sensei to take me through somest-minute drills before we have to go back to the pce,¡± Lina interrupted the girl¡¯s conversation. Katie raised her hands in surrender, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t let me keep her. Break a leg, sister. Not literally though.¡± Sandra groaned, dragging Lina from the hunter, ¡°You owe me for this, Katie.¡± Katie was left to contemte if she meant training her sister or cooperating with Trevor. Two arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her into an embrace. Cole ced a kiss on the girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Those two are quite lively,¡± the man¡¯s sudden actions sapped her of her strength once again, a feeling she just couldn¡¯t get used to. ¡°Yeah, they try their best. I actually like watching them make progress,¡± she replied, trying her best to ignore the tingles that littered her body. ¡°Well, there is a lot that¡¯s been happening with your presence here,¡± Cole replied. ¡°Oh, would you like to enlighten me?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, would you look over there?¡± Cole replied. Katie turned to see none other than Crysta. However, the person she was training was thest person anyone would have expected. The girl was training Honour, Lina¡¯s best friend. Most of the wolves were still trying to interpret the meaning of this. The information that had reached Katie was that Crysta had stopped associating with Liam and Wyatt and instead taken a liking to the young girl that was Honour. No one knew why and no one opposed her considering there weren¡¯t many that could stand against her. Thest one to do so had gotten his face in the dirt. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure that has something to do with me,¡± Katie said, absentmindedly. It was the day of the trip and excitement filled the air. It was extremely unusual to have a ss move out in such arge number and most of them were excited. Katie, on the other hand, was getting thergest danger detection on her radar. The feeling in her gut... It reminded her so much of Brigadia... ¡°Keep on your toes, Cole.¡± Chapter 174 174 Chapter One Hundred Seventy Four The sses that were meant to go on the trip all met in therge parking lot at the back of the main school building. Chaotic noises came from all the students as many of them had different things to talk about. Excitement was in the air filling most of them. Trevor held up a roll call sheet, reading out the names of the different students that were supposed to be present along with the junior hunters that had been allowed to go along with them. Katie arrived only moments before her name was called out with her gang ofters. The part of her group that had already been called out made sure to clear with him. It was a habit she wasn¡¯t looking to break and no one was willing to stand up to her on the matter either. It wasn¡¯t like she was looking for a straight-up student report at the end of the school year. ¡°They are... fewer than I thought they¡¯d be,¡± Katie noted. In her mind, the group that was going to have this trip was a swarm of troublemakers that was going to turn the lives of the junior hunters into hell on earth. s, the total headcount was right under one hundred and fifty which Katie considered a considerable number of students. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be that much trouble.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what they all say before the students decide to go wild in the woods. Mainly the werewolves in the group, with all of them thinking they are superior to the creatures out there,¡± Cole responded. Katie had almost forgotten he¡¯d been a werewolf in his earlier school days. ¡°Are you speaking of yourself?¡± she asked him. ¡°No, just the many students I had to go out to look for when they wandered a little beyond pack territory. They can be unruly sometimes. Thankfully, the pack link allows the other wolves to be able tomunicate with them and get to know their location. It¡¯s even easier with mates,¡± he mentioned. ¡°You don¡¯t say...¡± Katie dragged off into another one of her thoughts. Pinning an idea, she shook her head free of the thought and jogged up to the head hunter standing on a table taking note of thest of the students. ¡°Hey, Trevor...¡± ¡°When did those two be so chummy?¡± Sandra grumbled when she noticed the way Trevor had stopped picking on Katie. In fact, one could say they had be friends, ¡°One conversation. Is that all it took for him to have her wrapped around his finger?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think the Luna would let anyone control her. It¡¯s just not a part of her nature. I would think there is some sort of mutual understanding between the two of them,¡± Jason replied, putting his hand around the junior hunter, ¡°Cheer up, Sandra. Didn¡¯t you hear the ce Prince Sean chose for us to visit?¡± ..... ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I missed that part of breakfast,¡± she replied. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a rare urrence and one that you will enjoy very much. We are going to one of the two only game reserves in the entire world. The Sirius wildlife game reserve... One of the only ces that were put aside to protect wildlife,¡± Jason said with pride filled in his voice. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of such a thing. Why would a reserve be needed to protect wildlife? Isn¡¯t wildlife all it is? Protecting seems like a waste of resources. It would be like tending to wild animals,¡± the girl replied, her mind rushing through the many injustices this arose in her mind. Jason thought through this for a bit before answering, ¡°As you just said, you have never heard of such a thing. Today, you will get to see one. I hope to be impressed. I went to the one in the Lycaon empire. It was nothing short of breath-taking. The perks of being one of the prince¡¯s right-hand men,¡± he puffed out his chest in pride. ¡°What was that you just said?¡± Sandra asked. Her ears had unnervingly picked up something through his whole exnation that was beside his point. ¡°The part about having gone to the reserve in...¡± ¡°No, after that...¡± ¡°The one where it was breath-taking or the part where I hope to be impressed,¡± Sandra pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°Try the phrase that got you so proud of yourself,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Oh, the part where... Oh, you¡¯ve never heard me say that have you?¡± he asked. ¡°No, I¡¯ve never. I thought you and Cole were simply best friends,¡± Sandra sounded sad as she spoke to him. ¡°Well, yeah, we are best friends. And who better to be his beta alpha than his two best friends,¡± Jason replied, puzzled at the sudden change of mood, ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°I read once that a beta alpha is bound by his alpha¡¯smand,¡± she replied. ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s true, but that hasn¡¯t happened yet?¡± he replied, a smile gracing his face. ¡°Why would you say that?¡± she almost reminded him of the numerous times Cole hadpelled him without him even noticing. Now that she thought about it, she realised Cole hadn¡¯t realised what he was doing either. All his requests were never meant to be orders and yet... ¡°Because the king of Lycaon has not yet been changed. It¡¯s only after Cole bes king that we¡¯ll take our ce as his Beta alphas,¡± he replied. A multitude of arguments lined up in the observant junior hunter¡¯s mind, but she chose to hold her tongue just this once. Her questions didn¡¯t seem to have a happy conclusion and that worried her even more than what was happening to Jason and Caden. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Katie¡¯s voice reached their ears and caught their attention. Trevor hade down from the table and rubbed his temples as he spoke to the agitated royal. They all came to meet them to figure out what the fuss was all about, ¡°What is it, Katie? Am I to put a hole in the hunter¡¯s gut?¡± Cole began, smirking at the boy. ¡°You don¡¯t scare me, runt,¡± Trevor returned, keeping his cool as well against the royal. Cole was impressed by the boy¡¯sposure even when he shed his eyes at him. ¡°Well, turns out we won¡¯t be receiving help from the Hunter¡¯s Agency. They say the hunters that protect the reserve will be more than enough help in keeping the students safe. And my presence seems to be an added advantage,¡± Katie exined. ¡°Well, what about Frank? Can¡¯t you ask him toe?¡± Caden asked. ¡°Well, thest part was his words. My hands are tied in this case. Can we just get the students loaded up? I won¡¯t let this small detail ruin my first visit to a preserve. One that was proudly named after me, no less,¡± Katie chirped up. Cole reached out to point to tell the girl that she¡¯d gotten that small detail wrong, but she proudly sauntered away, ¡°I think she¡¯s enjoying this a little too much,¡± he concluded with a nervousugh. ¡°She¡¯d better. It¡¯s almost impossible to get the chance to visit the reserve without hiring hunters. In other words, she¡¯s been hired to guard this group of students. I don¡¯t know what kind of skill one requires to be trusted with this many students,¡± Trevor responded before turning to leave. ¡°Make sure you follow her orders if she ever gives you any,¡± Cole warned. ¡°Yeah, whatever,¡± the boy replied, without another nce. Another group of students arrived with a little bit more luggage than was required and he went up to them to make sure they were on the list. Once he was sure that everyone was around, he informed the teachers that were going with them and took his ce at the table once more to make one more announcement. ¡®It was time to load up the bus and get going. Katie, on the other hand, had fished something out of her pocket to dial a number that she¡¯d not spoken to in a while. She cursed herself for having waited this long to call them, but in the end, she had to talk to them. It was far too important for her to hold off. She waited patiently as the call went through. The momentary memory of her sister telling her of the way their father handled all the phone bills regardless of how far they were willing tomunicate popped into her mind before the other side of the call picked up, ¡°Hello... Can I know who I¡¯m speaking to?¡± tears pricked the girl¡¯s eyes. She hadn¡¯t heard the voice of the woman who¡¯d raised her for so long she¡¯d not known how much she missed her. ¡°Hi, it¡¯s Katie...¡± Chapter 175 175 Chapter One Hundred Seventy Five The phone remained silent for a while after the girl had replied. She could hear the woman on the other side of the phone gasp when she heard the voice of her adoptive daughter. It had been so long. A momentter, she spoke up, ¡°Let me get, Tom so we can all... talk, okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I would like that,¡± she replied. There was a lot ofmotion on the other side of themunication and Katie could swear she heard the woman say, ¡®Tom, hurry up. Our daughter just called. She wants to know the famous recipe that you always bragged about in your disastrous morning pancakes,¡¯ the girl giggled at the usation. ¡°What, really... Let mee. She shouldn¡¯t go anywhere. I have it all inscribed in my head,¡± the man¡¯s voice was getting louder apanied by a few crashing sounds akin to that of furniture. Katie cringed at what he must have been going through to reach his wife, ¡°The trick is to get them a little bit charred. Just a little bit...¡± The two womenughed at his exnation, ¡°Yes, honey, we know that part quite well,¡± Aunt Marie replied. The sound of her adoptive parentsughing was heavenly to the girl¡¯s ears and she wished they could be together again and have one of their coveted pics in the woods. Memories wouldn¡¯t stop crashing into the girl¡¯s mind the longer she listened to them. They soon noticed her absence and called out to her, ¡°Hey, Katie. What happened to your previous phone? I don¡¯t think I recognise this number?¡± ¡°Oh, it fell into the water and I pretty much lost everything that was in it. This is another one Lina got for me. Courtesy of the king,¡± she replied. ¡°You mean your super-rich father,¡± her adoptive mother cooed. ¡°I know right. I imagine her riding in the back of a limo and having the time of her life in the city. Don¡¯t lose out on your training. Cole can be a trouble maker, but you¡¯re also a hunter and you have a duty to the hunters,¡± her adoptive father added. ¡°Yeah, I hear you, Uncle Tom. And you know I don¡¯t fancy cars and luxurious life. I won¡¯t lie though. Life is not half bad in the city. I have a lot of fun. It has its share of problems, but nothing I can¡¯t handle,¡± Katie replied. ..... ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. However, we did know that you¡¯d call home today. What¡¯s the matter, Katie?¡± her father¡¯s voice got serious all of sudden. ¡°Leave it to a Chase hunter to always be a step ahead,¡± she mused before answering, ¡°We are visiting the Sirius game reserve today. A group of two sses and I¡¯ve been assigned as the only professional hunter to escort them. I don¡¯t like the feeling I¡¯m having about this,¡± she replied. ¡°That¡¯s odd. The rogues are gathering in Lycaon. What makes you feel like they are gathering there instead,¡± she responded. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about the rogues gathering in Sirius. However, there is a group of them that stayed behind in Sirius. I don¡¯t know where they are or how to locate them, but I am sure that they are always watching my every move,¡± she replied. ¡°Well then, if that¡¯s the case and they aren¡¯t as many as the ones that attacked Brigadiast time, then I would ask that you stay vignt. After all, we got a report from Cupid Shooter. You¡¯ve made scary progress in the past five days that he¡¯s been training you,¡± Aunt Marie responded. ¡°Oh, yes, I¡¯ve made a bit of progress. I can definitely try to do what the Thunderbolt can now... Although, just a few of them before I¡¯m too tired to push further. I won¡¯t resort to that unless it¡¯s to save a life,¡± she answered. ¡°Did you see the bow we sent you?¡± Uncle Tom asked her. Just then, the girl felt the small bag on her back get heavier. Earlier that morning, Frank Silver had given her the bag as a good luck charm, but she hadn¡¯t taken a look inside. She fumbled to take the bag from her back while her adoptive parents pondered her silence, ¡°She hadn¡¯t opened the bag, had she?¡± ¡°No, my love, she hadn¡¯t yet. Frank probably wanted her to be surprised when she saw it. The first thing Katie saw when she opened the bag was a ck and red quiver. She took the quiver out and marvelled at the unique design of red streaks that went around the ck quiver and arrows as well. ¡°Since your nose is sensitive to wolfsbane, we made sure to leave the wolfsbane out of the order. You should be able to take down rogues just as easily. I hope you won¡¯t have to deal with many though,¡± Aunt Marie¡¯s voice. ¡°This must be the second most exciting gift I¡¯ve had since I came here,¡± the girl marvelled, ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Second... Did someone upstage us? Do you have another bow or maybe a katana? I know you¡¯re not the kind of person to take a bouquet of flowers,¡± her adoptive father came through the other side. ¡°Well, it was nothing like that. I would also like that gift to be a surprise,¡± the girl, cing the phone down beside the bag while she picked out something she never thought she¡¯d own. Inside the bag was a folded metallic device she¡¯d only seen with one person. She took note of the designs on this one as the red streaks this time came from the very centre of the device. She had to see it in its full glory. Her memory returned the motions Cupid Shooter usually went through when unfurling his bow and she marvelled as the two ends of the bow came out from their resting positions and stretched a ck string taught. The red streaks had been well designed to radiate from the front of the bow and outwards in a fiery behaviour. It made the bow look menacing. ¡°We call it the Phoenix bow,¡± her mother¡¯s voice came. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± she replied. ¡°Woah,¡± a voice came from the back of the bus. Katie had gone to the other side of it for privacy. Sandra couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the marvel before her. ¡°Where did you get that?¡± ¡°My parents sent it. Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡± Katie replied. ¡°Hey, Sandra. How is Sirius treating you?¡± Aunt Maries¡¯s voice screamed through the phone. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s all fine. How are my parents?¡± she asked them. ¡°Your parents are fine. We aren¡¯t in Brigadia though. We¡¯d call them if that was the case. You should borrow Katie¡¯s phone and make a quick call before you go on that trip. Do your best to enjoy the visit to the reserve,¡± the woman spoke back. ¡°Well, I still don¡¯t understand how protecting wildlife allows it to remain wildlife, but I will see what the reserve has to offer,¡± the girl sounded skeptical of the marvels they were bound to see at the reserve. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve never been to a reserve... I will refrain from spoiling the experience. Keep an open mind though,¡± the woman replied. Katie could practically feel the smile on her adoptive mother¡¯s face as she said this. ¡°Katie, is that bow the same one issued for Frank?¡± the girl asked. ¡°Yeah, it is... Want to try it out?¡± ¡°Well, the string is said to be so taut that someone without a strength Prometheus gift cannot pull it one inch. I don¡¯t think I would be able to use it even if I tried,¡± the girl chuckled nervously. Once again, Katie marvelled at her friend¡¯s wide range of information. ¡°Sometimes I wonder where you get the time to read all that,¡± she replied before trying the string herself. Just as her friend had said, the string didn¡¯t budge one bit. It was so strong she couldn¡¯t move it one bit even when she tried hard. It was only when she let the power of her strength Prometheus gift that the string gave way to her tries. It was only then that she noticed gears at the side letting more of the string out. The mechanism that let an arrow from this bow fly wasplicated and calibrated to handle in insane strength of hunters with the strength of Prometheus¡¯ gifts. ¡°It makes sense why his arrows are so blindingly fast when he chooses to get serious when using his bow,¡± Katie mumbled. ¡°Have you gotten the chance to see him serious with his bow?¡± Aunt Marie asked. ¡°Once before...¡± memories of the time he¡¯d saved her from Jeremiah bombarded her mind. She¡¯d barely noticed the man¡¯s arrows that time, but she thought that was only because she hadn¡¯t been focused on the arrows. It was only then that she realised he¡¯d been taking it easy on her during their training. ¡°The Mighty Warriors are scary people.¡± ¡°You can say that again,¡± Uncle Tom replied, ¡°Katie, I don¡¯t know how important this information is to you, but we feel your presence in Lycaon will be very important in the near future. We don¡¯t know how soon, but it¡¯s like a war is brewing. The pce in Lycaon is guarded heavily. It feels like a repeat of the war eighteen years ago. Keep on your toes...¡± ¡°I will...¡± Katie replied. Sandra took note of the warning. She got the feeling the bow in her friend¡¯s hands was going to be important sooner rather thanter. ¡°Oh, Katie, I meant to tell you that the bus is all loaded up. We have to get going,¡± Sandra told her right when the engine of the massive vehicle roared to life, sending rocking vibrations through the bus. ¡°Very well...¡± Katie replied. She bid her parents farewell, promising to call themter on... ¡®As long as I don¡¯t lose my phone again...¡¯ she told herself with a grimace. They were ready to go... It felt like the start of an interesting adventure. Katie couldn¡¯t deny the goosebumps it gave her. She entered the bus and took a seat beside Cole. The prince wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into an embrace, wrapping a warm scarf around her as well. The sun wasn¡¯t out yet and the wind seemed to keep the environment cold. ¡®Thanks...¡¯ she thanked him through the mind link. Chapter 176 176 Chapter One Hundred Seventy Six In a location unknown to the royal families, well, except for one person that was yet to be unveiled. Deep within the dungeons of the small establishment, chains fell to the ground as a guard began to uncuff one of their prisoners, ¡°I¡¯m d you finally came to your senses. The king will be very pleased with the decision you¡¯ve made,¡± the guard spoke up, cleaning the boy¡¯s wounds to the best of his abilities with the cloth he¡¯d brought. However, the grime that covered the boy eventually proved to be too much for him and soiled the cloth beyond recognition, ¡°I have no idea what hade over me, but the king can rest easy knowing that I am fully on his side in this war. I would like to see that girl on her knees after all. After all the humiliation she¡¯s put me through, it¡¯s the least I could wish for,¡± the boy replied. ¡°Ah, revenge. Hold on to that. It¡¯s a powerful tool that will keep you at your sharpest,¡± the guard helped him up and led the yellow-eyed boy out of the cell. Kyle could not believe the torture hade to an end and not to mention it was all because of the same person he now imed to despise. His position among the ranks of the rogues had not yet beenpromised for as much as he knew and as long as it stayed that way, he could continue to be of help to the ones he rightfully served. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Kyle asked the man in front of him. ¡°I am taking you to your room. It is where you¡¯ll be staying. You also need to take a bath. You stink like rotten wolfsbane. We can¡¯t have a high ranking rogue smelling like the pit of werewolf hell,¡± the manmented, cringing at his own descriptions. Kyle sighed and simply let him take the lead. The corridors were dimly lit by candles on the walls. From the cold in the air, he could tell that they were underground, however, that was all he could know. ¡°Do you know where we are?¡± Kyle asked him. ¡°There are reasons why you were brought here unconscious and reasons why you leave here unconscious. There aren¡¯t many people in this world that know the location of this ce. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know where we are,¡± the man replied, ¡°And even if I knew where we were, the rogue king is the only one that can permit you ess to such information, so I wouldn¡¯t be telling you without his permission.¡± Kyle sighed once again and let their conversation simmer down. He was walking a little bit longer before the man piped up again, ¡°So the reports about you meeting this person that you named the rogue killer. Were they all make-believe?¡± ¡®Why did everything have to circle back to that one pesky little werewolf girl,¡¯ Kyle internally screamed. ..... ¡®You will do well to respect our alpha,¡¯ his wolf piped in mentally. ¡®I know, I know... Old habits, I guess...¡¯ ¡°No, those stories were real. Every single one of them. I saw it with my own eyes, you know.¡± ¡°How did you see it with your own eyes when you¡¯re a rogue as well?¡± the guard asked. ¡°There is clearly a lot you don¡¯t know about me it seems... I was the spy that was sent to Brigadia to collect information on a certain person that was said to pose a threat to the Rogue King himself. I didn¡¯t know how important or how dangerous that person would be until I met them. Living undercover was never easy. Watching more spiesing in with different missions. Doing my best to keep them in line. They got themselves killed due to their arrogance as well. I even lost count of the number of rogues that died at the hands of that one hunter,¡± the boy mused. His mind was torn between pride and fear. He knew he had nothing to fear from the girl as she wasn¡¯t his enemy anymore and yet he was proud of how strong she¡¯d be. All at the same time, he had watched her mercilessly bring down rogues that tried to infiltrate Brigadia. ¡°No one said anything about a hunter. You were sent to observe a werewolf,¡± the man argued. ¡°Oh, I was observing a werewolf alright. I would tell you more about my findings, but I believe the rogue king would want to hear from me himself,¡± Kyle boasted. The man remained silent for a bit before answering, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you might want to bathe as fast as you can. The king will be leaving quite soon and he does not like to be kept waiting.¡± Stunned by this response, Kyle began thinking through the numerous changes this sudden movement was going to bring. He¡¯d thought the king would stay in this specific facility where he would lead the others and put an end to all this, but now he didn¡¯t know how that was going to work. They finally reached a door to a room that the guard stood beside. Kyle hadn¡¯t been paying attention to his surroundings as it had now gotten a lot brighter and he could feel the breezeing from outside. He pushed open the door to the room the guard beckoned for him to enter. The only window in the room stared directly into the stump of a tree, shielding any sort of clue as to where he was. The floor, walls and roof were made entirely out of wood and based on the slight sway of the floor when he walked across it, he could tell he was in a building built entirely out of wood. The guard noticed his wonder andunched into an exnation, ¡°This entire building is made of wood and designed to camouge as part of the imprable part of the story. Someone can look at this very facility and think it was just dense nt life.¡± ¡°Brilliant,¡± Kyle replied before checking out his alleged room. All basic supplies had been set up for him. All except for a phone, which meant he wouldn¡¯t bemunicating with the outside world. It didn¡¯t matter to him anyway. He merely had to wait for his master to fall asleep and approach him in the night through the link they shared. To one side of the room, he noticed another door and walked over to it. Inside was a shower, a toilet and everything he needed to freshen up, ¡®How do they get the water to run without giving up their location?¡¯ he thought to himself. ¡°I¡¯ll have a fresh set of clothes brought to you. In the meantime, soak up and get ready to meet the king,¡± the man announced before leaving in a hurry. ¡°Won¡¯t mind if I do,¡± Kyle said more to himself while he filled the bathtub with warm water, ¡®Where do they even get warm water from?¡¯ Kyle was only in the shower for three minutes when loud bangs sounded at his bathroom door, ¡°Hey, I thought I was clear when I told you to bathe quickly.¡± The boy sighed, ¡°So much for enjoying a nice hot bath. At least the smell of rotting wolfsbane is off me.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t realised how bad it was making him break. The normal air, free of wolfsbane was starting to feel far more refreshing. He¡¯d been deprived of it for far too long that he felt he could nearly taste it. What more could a traitor like him wish for... ¡°Well, are you going to get out of there or what?¡± the guard¡¯s voice came again. Kyle got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his body, not failing to notice how toned his body was getting. A side effect that he now knew all too well. It was only a matter of time before this would catch up to him. He would have to find a way to exin his change in physique before the rogues got suspicious. Hiding the colour of his eyes could only get him so far. Opening the door, ¡°Did I take too long?¡± The guard took a short pause before shrugging off the boy¡¯s appearance, ¡°Whatever, your clothes are on the bed over there. Get dressed. You¡¯re about to meet the rogue king himself. Considering he¡¯s asked for you himself.¡± Kyle hurriedly got dressed when the guard had just left. He was a mess of thoughts and emotions. ¡®What am I going to even tell him. He knows a lot...¡¯ ¡®Hey, Kyle, stick to what the alpha told you to do. Pretend to be any other kind of spy recruit and make sure you deliver the basic information about Katie,¡¯ his wolf intervened, cooling his nerves. ¡®To think j was still in the spying business...¡¯ ¡°Well, it was only a matter of time before this kind of this got out. I can¡¯t believe I get to meet him now, after all these years without any way to contact him,¡± he mused, even though his opinion of the man had changed over the time he¡¯d been in the dungeon. The rogue king was a cruel leader and one that Kyle didn¡¯t want to follow. Morals we¡¯re still raw and setting in the rogue¡¯s mind. The guard led him on through the numerous dimly lit corridors. He soon began to notice the stairs that led up and down the building. Stairs that he¡¯d barely noticed when they¡¯d beening up. ¡°Here we are. From here n out, you are alone. I cannot proceed with you through this door. I sure do hope you tell me of your time in Brigadia once you¡¯re done exining it to the rogue king,¡± the man said before walking away. Kyle kept trying to see anything past the in meaning of the words he¡¯d used. ¡®Is that man a rogue at all?¡¯ Shrugging off his thoughts, Kyle pushed open the door he¡¯d been brought to and had to cover his eyes at the light that invaded them. The room the king was in was much brighter and much wider than all the others. The light was natural, which meant it came from outside. The scent of freedom in form of forest dew wafted into the boy¡¯s nose. He could barely resist the chance to pounce out of the rogue encampment, but he kept his urges to himself. ¡°So you finally came through to your senses, young spy. I was beginning to think you were a lost cause and a terrible investment,¡± the king spoke up. Kyle allowed his eyes to adjust until he could take in the sight before him. Tables and chairs were arranged in this room to allow it to act as a meeting area. The light from outside came in through windows, however wide, calcted to keep the insides of the room hidden from anyone who happened to pass by. The rogue king was dressed in ck clothes that fitted him quite nicely. What caught the boy¡¯s eye was the man¡¯s leather overcoat that had precious gems embroidered into it. It was a sight to behold. At the rogue king¡¯s side stood a hulking man dressed simrly. He looked more like a club bouncer and he radiated power on par with that of the king. However, his eyes were red and this told him that he was looking at one of the rogue king¡¯s two beta alphas. ¡°Well, I¡¯m d I came to my senses as well. I don¡¯t know what hade over me,¡± the boy replied with a brief smile on his face. Chapter 177 177 Chapter One Hundred Seventy Seven Kyle stood in the room, feeling the powers inside the rtively small room crashing down on him. The intense re he received from the beta alpha was exceptionally hard to ignore. The rogue king was not looking so weing either. Kyle could still remember the first time the two of them had met. When he¡¯d been asked personally to take care of that one little assignment that got him into a school for nine years, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Kyle began. The king¡¯s gaze shifted upwards, ¡°Oh yeah, I met you when you were only a little boy. I¡¯d say you turned out well. Even though you¡¯re still as skinny as a twig. We can¡¯t me that on you though. Your wolf was being suppressed for all that time. Would you like to get on with your findings? As you might have noticed, I don¡¯t have all the time in the world right now?¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± Kyle asked,pletely ignoring the fact that he¡¯d just been given a direct order, however much it hade off as a request. ¡°You were given a direct order by your king. Would you disrespect him by answering him with a question besides the point? Maybe I should have you taste a little more wolfsbane before you...¡± the king raised his hand to stop his beta alpha¡¯s rampage. Had he left him to continue running his mouth, the man would have taken it a step further and injured the boy. ¡°Well, that is not what I asked you. If you answer me well, I might be more inclined to tell you where I¡¯m going. However, it¡¯s best that you don¡¯t involve yourself in my activities. They do tend to get dangerous,¡± the king replied. Kyle wanted to ask him if they could go together, but that felt even creepier than the question he¡¯d first asked. If he kept asking questions, it would prove he was up to something, but if he simply let it go, he wouldn¡¯t have the right information to report to Katie when hemunicated with her next. ¡°I¡¯ll start with the girl you sent me to investigate. I remember asking you to pull me out of that mission at some point when I realised the girl was nothing more than a weak human,¡± Kyle started. ¡°I sent you to investigate a werewolf by the name of Katie Sirius. Why do I hear you speak of a human?¡± the king asked. ..... ¡°Well, that¡¯s simply because her identity was hidden from the people of Brigadia as well. She was called Katie Chase there and believe it or not... She was every bit as human as I was,¡± Kyle began, making a deep dive into the story of how he came to be acquainted with this girl. He spoke of her training to be a hunter and even gave the information of her receiving a Prometheus gift of agility. From what he¡¯d discussed with his alpha, he was to reveal that as her only power. The rogue king listened quietly as he went through the story, telling him more about Ashley¡¯s death. The death of a traitor that he carried out himself. This information pleased the king very much and the boy continued with the story, adding in a grain of lies every now and then to keep the story lively. It was the perfect depiction of a wolf so powerful, the rogues that had attacked never stood a chance. He exined with vivid detail, the times he had watched the girl take down several rogues that had attacked in the middle of the night. She was a force to be reckoned with. When he was done, he let the king think through the words of his story. There was a lot that had been said and a lot that the king had not yet learned. However, there was a hint of scepticism in the king¡¯s voice, ¡°You expect me to believe that this girl I sent you to investigate... somehow managed to get her hands on a Prometheus gift and was suppressing her wolf as well for all those years. Why do I find that very hard to believe?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to believe it. You can check my memories if you would like to. I have spoken only the truth,¡± Kyle replied. The beta alpha began to speak, ¡°I say he¡¯s bluffing.¡± ¡°Calm down, Aidan. I heard about the dead traitor rogue, but I never could have thought that boy was the one that killed her.¡± ¡°Your majesty, we saw the rogue killer ourselves. She was a werewolf. She bore no Prometheus gifts. Merely the ability to use a half shift without any effort,¡± the man responded, pleading to his alpha to rethink trusting the boy. ¡°Well, we can¡¯t trust everything we hear, but in this boy¡¯s case, I trust his words. Alpha Chad was able tomunicate in his dying moments. The girl wasn¡¯t normal. This boy was only meant to prove that to me. She might be more of a threat than we think,¡± his mind was burning through options as a car burns through fuel. ¡°She might not be as much of a threat as you might think. There is one weakness that every strong person has,¡± Kyle offered his counsel. The rogue king looked up at him, narrowing his eyes at him. ¡°And what might that be?¡± he asked. ¡°Well, family... and when I say family, I don¡¯t always mean blood rtives. If you were able to capture the people she cares about, you would have everything you need to put her down,¡± he replied, shrugging, ¡°Easy, wouldn¡¯t you think?¡± The rogue king burst into a peal of boisterousughter that stopped their conversation momentarily. Aidan rubbed his temples at the boy¡¯s statement, ¡°What makes you think it¡¯s easy to capture a member of the royal family?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that easy to capture one. However, if the opportunity ever opened up, you would take it and the girl would have no choice but to give herself up for her family,¡± he replied. ¡°You say that like she¡¯ll just choose to sacrifice herself without giving it much thought. She can¡¯t be that reckless,¡± the king replied. ¡°There is nothing reckless about wanting to protect one¡¯s family. She will do whatever she can to protect them, even if that means she has to be taken hostage,¡± Kyle continued, ¡°Those are just my thoughts though. I have no experience in that kind of thing. I just happen to know what matters most to that girl. It¡¯s the reason she amassed so much strength in the first ce. To protect those she holds most dear.¡± The king thought through what the boy was saying and came to a conclusion, ¡°Aidan, you will remain behind and work with that royal that keepsing in. Work with him and bring that girl to her knees. It¡¯s crucial that we gain control over her in theing days. The world is about to know of a new era and I would like the goddess herself to watch as everything the traitors thought they were building is brought to the ground.¡± The king¡¯s words sent shivers down Kyle¡¯s spine for he sounded more than confident and Kyle had no idea what he was even talking about. He¡¯d only switched sides recently and had ended up doing the same job he had when he was working for the enemy. After all, it was all he was good at. If he could find out more about the rogue king¡¯s sinister ns, he would be of more use to his master. ¡®How did I get myself twisted in such arge web,¡¯ the boy internally groaned. ¡®Well, that was probably the day you chose to spy on Katie in the first ce,¡¯ his wolf replied. Having a talking wolf was starting to feel normal even though he knew it was a rare urrence. The king picked up a small duffel bag and ced contacts in his eyes. Blinking a few times, the man¡¯s eyes swirled and turned amber, ¡°How do I loo,k Aidan?¡± ¡°Like the most powerful yellow-eyed to ever walk the earth?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t doubt your abilities to tter me, Aidan. I will take my leave now. I leave this ce under your care, Aidan. Everything goes through you, is that clear?¡± the king spoke up. ¡°Yes, your Majesty. You know I can¡¯t let you down,¡± he responded. Kyle looked the beta alpha up and down when he wasn¡¯t looking. ¡®Looks like I will have to be extra careful around this one. The royals were more rxedpared to their subordinates. That specific concept worked exceptionally for the beta alphas. Kyle¡¯s mind struggled to grasp just how much more dangerous his situation had be. ¡®I know what you¡¯re thinking, Kyle. We¡¯ll have to be extra careful from here on out,¡¯ the wolf responded before he got the chance to inform him of the gravity of their situation. They both bid the king farewell and watched as he shifted into his massive starry wolf, dashing into the woods. He was gone quicker than they could think capable. ¡®He must have trained hard if he was to get to that speed.¡¯ Kyle had only seen that kind of speed with the rogue killer. He racked his brain over the matter. ¡®Could she be faster or not? That¡¯s not even it. How does a werewolf even get to that speed in the first ce?¡¯ Silence passed between the two males before the beta alpha broke it, ¡°You do realise you¡¯re not allowed to be outside like this?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry about that. I just thought I¡¯d see him off as well. Any idea where we are?¡± Kyle asked once again. ¡°Another thing that the rogue king must permit someone to know about. You won¡¯t be getting that information from anyone until you are deemed worthy of that information,¡± the man replied with a hint of malice in his voice. ¡°Oh, very well, I¡¯ll stop asking then. Call on me if you need my services or any more rification on the Rogue Killer. That is what I was sent to document after all. I could even have a sketch drawn if we have someone of that talent,¡± Kyle mused, his focus pinned on the door that led back into the dark inner parts of the encampment. ¡°Well, you aren¡¯t needed as of yet. I would figure out what to do as my pass time in the meanwhile. The only rules here are that you aren¡¯t allowed to step outside. Oh, and one more thing... Keep asking those odd questions and you might just find yourself being questioned by the king himself on what side you¡¯re truly on...¡± Aidan warned. ¡®Damn, he¡¯s good...¡¯ the boy painfully observed. Chapter 178 178 Chapter One Hundred Seventy Eight Kyle had learned how to make histe-nightmunications at will. It was bing second nature for him to find himself talking to his alpha in his sleep. He sat in the mental space he¡¯d reconfigured, waiting for his alpha to show up. He knew nothing of what was happening in her life... It didn¡¯t bother him no matter how much he wanted to know about her life. After all, he had nearly cost her the lives of countless humans that she¡¯d sworn to protect. She¡¯d gone and betrayed the only person that cared to know what colour was his favourite, what food he liked to eat, what dreams he had for the future. A tear went down his cheek as the memories of the past went through him. They were so near and yet so distant. He¡¯d singlehandedly destroyed everything he¡¯d built with her. A mission to be a spy for the rogue king had split his mind and ripped his heart in two. ¡®I envy you, Ashley,¡¯ he whispered into the darkness. ¡°What was that?¡± a feminine voice rang out. Katie¡¯s voice rang out clearly into his mind and it still bore the same amount of kindness it always had. She didn¡¯t bear any hatred towards him and sometimes he let it get to him that they could go back to being the friends they once were. He allowed light to filter into the mental space he¡¯d created, allowing a scene of a beautiful forest to spring to life. ¡°I was just thinking out loud. How are you, Alpha Katie?¡± Kyle greeted his alpha. The girl looked around their surroundings trying to get her bearings while Kyle merely watched her, seated by a tree. ¡°Is this where you actually are or did you manage to alter everything somehow?¡± she asked him. ¡°No, I was able to alter everything you see. I am not actually here. Your n worked... a little more than I thought it would. I have rejoined the ranks of the rogues, however, they have so many secrets even amongst themselves that it seems I am unable to find out much. I am sorry about that,¡± he responded. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Kyle. You did what you could. Could you at least tell me if you¡¯veid your eyes on the rogue king just yet?¡± she asked him, curiosity getting the best of her. ¡°The rogue king left early this morning for the kingdom of Lycaon. I¡¯m not sure if that means that the base I currently am is located in Sirius. I can¡¯t tell much considering they won¡¯t let me know the location of this ce without the rogue king¡¯s permission,¡± he replied and then went on to narrate everything that had happened that day. ¡°I was sure to tell the story exactly the way you wanted me to. Are you going to tell me why you had me lie about you possessing one Prometheus gift? If they¡¯d checked my memories on that...¡± ..... ¡°They would have found the lie to have been true. Considering what kind of wolf you are, anything I tell you bes the truth. It doesn¡¯t matter if you know what the truth is or not. If I say something, then that is what it shall be,¡± Katie cut him off. The boy¡¯s eyes widened in realisation. ¡°That¡¯s very sneaky of you, Katie. I like it...¡± the boy smirked. ¡°Oh, shut up, Kyle,¡± the girl chuckled before getting into deep thought once again. I will inform the hunters of this development. I hope everything goes ording to n.¡± She sighed. ¡°Is the might rogue killer actually scheming in the background?¡± Kyle asked her, wiggling his brows. ¡°You make it sound creepy... Stop getting any ideas, Kyle. I¡¯m only doing what won¡¯t get me into any more trouble than required. Cole made me promise to keep from making any irrational decisions. Now I¡¯ve got to y most of my moves smart. It¡¯s very hard to keep up with everything that¡¯s going on. It was only recently that I discovered my sister was going to go up against one of the alphas in the pack to try and prove her dominance as a royal. It¡¯s a stupid idea. I mean, we are trying to fight a real enemy and here are these wolves having rivalry amongst themselves.¡± Kyle couldn¡¯t help butugh at the girl, ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re forgetting about the rtionship you had with Dexter. The two of you were always trying to prove who was above the other. Dexter clearly knew who was more powerful, but his hard-headed nature wouldn¡¯t let him give up,¡± the boy exined. ¡°And he continuously kept trying and trying to get me off guard. Just how many visits to the infirmary was he going to have before he realised he was never going to beat me,¡± Katie sighed. ¡°Well, if you would ask me, I¡¯d say that was his way of getting your attention,¡± Kyle replied. The bit of information got Katie off guard. When she thought more about it, Dexter had felt like a nuisance at some point, but that made him all the moremon in her daily activities. She had to deal with his antics until a time that she warned him to get him suspended. ¡°Well, I never noticed what he was trying to do then,¡± Katie smiled. Their time wasing to an end. ¡°One more male that did that was Lionel. I know I wasn¡¯t there at the Founder¡¯s Festival, but from the previous ceremonies, I could tell that boy wanted you to notice him so badly,¡± he replied. Katie¡¯s cheeks got flushed, ¡°Dexter and Lionel are two different cases,¡± she argued, her image fading even more from view. ¡°How so...¡± Kyle asked. He could sense she hadn¡¯t told him something about Lionel, but time wasn¡¯t on their side. They¡¯d already spent an hour in this mental space and Katie¡¯s mind was shifting into a deeper form of sleep that couldn¡¯t let her keep this up. Katie held her tongue as she vanished from view. Lionel had confessed his feelings to her during the Founder¡¯s Festival and that wasn¡¯t the same for Dexter... was it? ¡®Ugh, what is wrong with all of them? I was the most feared hunter in the whole of Brigadia.¡¯ she felt like screaming out. The scent of her mate calmed her mind and she was fast asleep in minutes. ............ ¡°Katie, you might want to wake up,¡± Cole nudged the beauty that slept on his chest, ¡°Wow, you slept really deep. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I just... didn¡¯t detect any trouble during the...¡± her mind went nk when she looked out the window. Out over the horizon was thergest water body she¡¯d ever seen in her life. It stretched as far as the eye could see. Seagulls cawed in the air. The sun was only rising and it made a beautiful reflection on the surface of the waterbody. ¡°I take it you¡¯ve never seen the sea before,¡± Cole took note. The girl nodded and continued to watch as the bus took a turn away from the waterbody. Katie¡¯s senses began to re up. There was a lot in the woods that brought her senses to re up like this. She put her hands to her head to soothe the continuous inflow of information. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Just way too many creatures in the woods,¡± she responded. Cole couldn¡¯t help but stare at the girl in awe. ¡°You might have been stuck in a remote town your whole life, but you¡¯re closer to nature than any of us that have had the chance to be in nature,¡± he mused. The voices in the girl¡¯s mind started to go down as she adjusted to the different creatures in the woods. Sandra sat by Jason with her hands folded. ¡°A game reserve... How barbaric? When do we get to the hotel?¡± she asked the man beside her. ¡°Well, we still have quite the drive left to get there, to be honest. The reserve is sorge that we might as well have finished half the journey,¡± he responded, holding in hisughter. Sandra turned to him with a nk expression on her face. Her idea of a reserve could not have been more inurate. She looked out the window and managed to get different glimpses of the wildlife. Birds of different colours tended to their young, while others hunted for food. Some of the justzied around their nests. The girl looked beyond the treetops and caught a glimpse of a bushy tail dashing into the woods as the bus passed by. The reserve... She pulled her phone from her pocket and pulled up a map... The reserve was easily fifty miles across... ¡°Who has the power to designate all thisnd untouchable?¡± the girl mused. ¡°Do you still think making a reserve would rob the creatures of their wild nature?¡± Jason asked her with a smirk on his face. ¡°You could have at least told me it was this big. I didn¡¯t think it was this big,¡± she groaned. ¡°Well, now you know.¡± Katie opened the window to let in the wind that whipped her hair backwards. Just as she¡¯d expected, the air in the reserve provided a thrill of the wild that only called out to her. She wanted to run through the woods, a look Cole could read straight through. ¡°And here I thought I was a fan of the wild,¡± Cole chuckled. ¡°Well, you could join me for a run when we¡¯re free,¡± Katie replied with a wink. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who keeps saying Jeremiah is always tailing us?¡± Cole asked. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve been on a bus for hours. He¡¯d also need time to catch up to that. I don¡¯t know what means of transport he¡¯ll use, but he¡¯ll definitely be here by the end of the day,¡± she chuckled. ¡°You say it like he¡¯s a friend that you¡¯re counting on...¡± ¡°Oh no, I still want to make him taste dirt. I just know he won¡¯t be making any dangerous moves,¡± she replied. ¡°Well, that would have been the case when Frank was always around to protect you...¡± Cole replied... ¡®I guess that¡¯s urate,¡¯ the girl thought to herself. She didn¡¯t have the protection of Cupid Shooter anymore. Although, for some reason, that didn¡¯t seem to faze her. Chapter 179 179 Chapter One Hundred Seventy Nine The bus finally stopped its rhythmic vibrations and came to a stop in the parking lot of arge hotel. The chaos from the students started then. The teachers had their hands full with trying to govern the unruly rascals. Most of them wanted to go exploring already, something that was a breach of security procedures. Katie kept silent in her seat as the chaos ensued. It was fun to watch and she continuously giggled at Trevor, the busy body, ¡°Hey Trevor, you missed one,¡± she called out to him through the bus window. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be helping him?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°Yes, I am supposed to be helping, but watching is much more fun and irresponsible of the hunter they brought. The boy needs a bit of training in crowd control, so I¡¯m supervising,¡± the girl whipped up an excuse, refusing to make eye contact with her mate. Cole ran his hands through her hair, fixing the mess of strands the wind had made when she¡¯d opened the window earlier. Katie went perfectly still as he did so... Looking back at Trevor, she found that he was going to mess up his job before long. ¡°Trevor, try standing at the entrance of the hotel and making roll call of everyone that goes through it,¡± Katie offered her opinion. The boy looked up at her and walked off to the hotel entrance. Katie shrugged, ¡°That was simple enough.¡± ¡°Of course, it was,¡± Cole replied. The bus finally started to get empty. The students finally got organised in the yard inside the hotel premises and the teachers went to address them. ¡°Shall we join the others, Cole?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to make a sweep of the area and make sure it¡¯s safe?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°Well, there are four hunters on the four corners of the hotel, so...¡± the alpha raised a brow at the girl. ¡°Why are you so insistent on me taking this job seriously?¡± ¡°Well, because I know how powerful you are. If you were to confirm the hotel to be safe, I would believe you in a heartbeatpared to a group of hunters I¡¯d never met,¡± Cole replied, cing a kiss on her forehead. ..... ¡°You¡¯re treating me to dinner,¡± she huffed before walking out. ¡°I was already nning on that,¡± the manughed as he watched her disappear leaving a light tempest in her wake... ¡°I also haven¡¯t seen you run untethered in a while...¡± Jason, on the other hand, was having more trouble waking up his partner. The girl was sleeping so much she wouldn¡¯t wake one bit no matter what he tried. ¡°Hey Cole, is she dead?¡± he called out, his voice raised in pitch. ¡°Huh, why would you think such a thing? She¡¯s still warm, isn¡¯t she?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°Well, yeah, she¡¯s still warm, but she won¡¯t get up... It¡¯s like she¡¯s in aa,¡± Jason almost screamed at this. Cole shook his head in disappointment. His friend was just far too immature for him, ¡°Try carrying her then. She obviously doesn¡¯t want to wake up now.¡± Just then, the fearful man got a look that could only resemble that of someone who¡¯d been offered heaven. ¡°Carrying Sandra to her bed and tending to her every need until she falls madly in love with me for being such a gentleman and...¡± SMACK... ¡°Ouch...¡± The boy turned back to see Lina standing with Caden snickering behind her. ¡°You better keep those thoughts to yourself. Besides, girls get their own rooms during trips like these, so she won¡¯t be needing you to spend the whole night tending to her. ¡°I was only speaking of one possible future of this. The possibilities are endless. I could carry her to her room and she wakes up on the way only to pretend to be asleep while I whisper my undying...¡± SMACK... ¡°Ouch, you have got to stop doing that...¡± ¡°Caden, can you carry Sandra to her room, please? I¡¯m afraid Jason has a few screws loose,¡± Lina asked, ignoring the alpha¡¯sment. ¡°Oh no, Caden. You know she¡¯s uncharted territory for you. Lay one finger on her and it will be your head on a tter,¡± Jason cradled the sleeping girl even closer to himself. ¡°Just how obsessed are you with this girl?¡± Lina mused. ¡°Enough to believe she could be my mate someday,¡± he replied, rubbing cheeks with the sleeping girl. ¡°You¡¯re too confident about her being unable to wake up, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cole asked. ¡°Oh, I tried a lot of things to get her to wake up, but she¡¯s totally fallen asleep. It¡¯s like I¡¯m the perfect pillow,¡± he joked, cradling the girl even more, ¡°What are we waiting for? Lead me to her room so I mighty my beautiful princess to sleep.¡± Lina chose this moment to give up on trying to curb this foolishness, ¡°Right this way. You¡¯ll be carrying her for a while considering we have to first wait for the teachers to have everything sorted and hand us our room keys.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind having to carry her for a thousand years,¡± he replied cheerfully. ¡°You might soon realise why no one wants to get into As¡¯ shoes. The weight of the earth for a minute might be okay, but centuries upon centuries is a whole other matter altogether,¡± Caden warned the boy. ¡°And even then, I¡¯d do it as long as it was for her...¡± he replied, barely fazed by his friend¡¯s words. ¡°He¡¯s gone off the deep end, Caden. Might as well let him be,¡± Cole tapped his friend on the shoulder. ¡°Yes, Alpha Cole,¡± and just like that, Caden stopped bothering Jason on matters concerning him carrying his potentially future bride. This group was thest to go through the hotel gates, walking up to the boy holding a notepad ticking off names, ¡°Ah, the runts of the group finally showed up. Names, please.¡± ¡°Alpha Cole, Alpha Caden, Alpha Lina, Alpha Jason and junior hunter Sandra,¡± Cole replied with a smirk on his face. Trevor was barely shaken by the man¡¯s response. He merely ticked them off and began to wonder. ¡°Huh, Runt Cole, where is your better half?¡± he asked, ¡°She seems to be the only one that has not yete through this gate.¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s surveying the area, making sure she knows just how safe this ce is,¡± Cole replied, walking away from Trevor. The hotel was made up of only four buildings,rge ts built in a square. Thepound inside had been partitioned with paths and gardens that were well tended to. One could say it was the one part of the reserve that was tended to and yet still close to nature. The gardens had chairs and tables littered around for those that would like to rx in the cold wind at whatever time they saw fit. ¡°If everyone could just pair up and receive their keys. Register your room number and roommate on the same list Trevor has. Make sure you cooperate with the hunters. They work to make this ce as safe as possible and we don¡¯t want to make their work any harder than it has to be. Even if some of you are werewolves, I wouldn¡¯t be too confident of your abilities against a lion or a bear in the woods. Do I make myself clear?¡± the teacher yelled out her orders to the students who responded in utter boredom. Having mentioned hunters and safety, they were more willing toply and did so as fast as their numbers could allow, ¡°Katie is surely taking a while toe back, huh,¡± Caden made an observation, eyeing the gates. The girl was still not back yet. Cole wasn¡¯t as worried as he was though... When he thought of contacting her, he only got the feeling of liberation. Katie was having fun... A smile graced his face. .............. Katie took off in one direction intending to go around the whole of the hotel to make sure there were no entry points for intruders. As she ran, she noticed everything passed by her faster than it usually did. She¡¯d gotten faster and it was easier to run too. She barely used any energy to reach the speed she used at this point. It gave her a feeling of freedom to run untethered by her previous physical restraints. Memories of thest days of training flooded her mind. Frank Silver had told her something very interesting... ¡°Producing a thunderp isn¡¯t as hard... Well, for you. It isn¡¯t as hard as you might think. You only need to tap into your gift and use it to a level that brings you to a speed twice your normal. It won¡¯t be as loud as the thunderp you normally make since that is you at your maximum. I don¡¯t even know how you can see when you overclock your abilities like that,¡± the man rambled on. He¡¯d exined with a series of examples. Trying to make sure the girl didn¡¯t overdo it unless he wanted to hear from the prince once more. In those days, Katie would constantly check on Caden to know how he was doing. Thankfully, they came to an end and by the time she had herst day of training, she¡¯d finally caught the meaning behind Frank¡¯s terrible exnation. It made sense for someone who didn¡¯t have the agility gift to have trouble exining how it worked. Katie was pleased with the man¡¯s efforts despite her reluctance to be trained in the first ce. The man had trained her to use her strength as well. She was meant to fire arrows that soared at a higher velocity than the ones she was used to. It had been exhausting to shoot them, but eventually, he¡¯d rified that learning to use the gifts to the best of their capabilities was essentially what made a Mighty Warrior. It was only after Katie realised how his bow worked that she realised just what he meant. The Mighty Warriors were the perfect embodiment of the gifts Prometheus entrusted the hunters with. Katie ran past a couple of hunters standing guard at different parts of the hotel and waved to them before running ahead to look for more breaches in security. For all she¡¯d realised, the hotel was built well with three exits and one fire escape(which was a little fewer than she would have rmended) The different exits were either locked or guarded. Cameras had been ced at all the right angles to capture activity outside the hotel. There was nothing out of order for her to report back. As the girl was making herst turn to the entrance of the hotel, the rushing sound of footsteps reached her ears. She turned her neck to see a woman rushing up to her. She looked to be in herte twenties and had short ck hair that made her look more like a rebel along with her rebellious looking clothing. Katie came to a stop and turned to the woman. The woman stopped at well and took one look at her, freezing at the sight of the girl before her, ¡°Your eyes...¡± Chapter 180 180 Chapter One Hundred Eighty ¡°Umm, yeah, I¡¯m a werewolf,¡± Katie began, getting nervous in front of this girl. ¡®Pull yourself together, girl,¡¯ Ashley pitched in. ¡®Easy for you to say. You¡¯ve never had to exin that you¡¯re a werewolf and a hunter at the same time. For some people that¡¯s considered serious hypocrisy,¡¯ she responded. ¡®Is it really?¡¯ ¡®No, not really. As long as hunters and werewolves remain on the same side in this war, it will never be a problem,¡¯ Katie replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a werewolf run that fast in their human forms. Are you special in some way? I heard Katie Sirius was back in...¡± the woman stopped talking, ¡°Where are my manners? My name is Ange Sullivan, what¡¯s yours?¡± ¡®Well yed, Ange.¡¯ ¡°My name, as you already guessed, is Katie Sirius,¡± Katie responded. ¡°Now you must run with me. I haven¡¯t heard anything interesting happen in this reserve in a while. Is that okay with you?¡± the woman asked. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine. It won¡¯t hurt to get back thirty minuteste,¡± Katie replied, unconsciously cing a time limit on their escape from their duties. The two females ran into the woods, tapping into their Prometheus gifts and allowing the rush of running through the wild to take over them. For Katie, this was one of the few ways she could feel free from the different responsibilities she had in her life. Running as fast as she could, or simply running beyond human capabilities and watching her surroundings zip past her in a blur. ¡°I have tried to run faster than a werewolf would and you can still keep up. I have my suspicions that you¡¯re using a Prometheus gift, but that would be crazy. Would you happen to be simr in talent to your younger sister?¡± Ange asked. ..... ¡°Well, no, I¡¯m not nearly as talented as my sister. The answer is simple. I am a hunter as well as a werewolf,¡± Katie replied. The woman was quiet for a while. It was a blunt exnation and one that didn¡¯t make sense to her. Katie could read from her expression that she was still deciding on how to take the information that she¡¯d just received. As Katie had nowe to know that it wasn¡¯t always good news to tell someone that she was of the two groups. It didn¡¯t bode well with some people. ¡°Why would our patron god decide to make such a decision?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I trained really hard to get where I am. And besides, I didn¡¯t know I was a werewolf back then,¡± Katie replied. As a source of distraction, she allowed her senses to kick in once more. The voice of the wild was even louder in the woods. There seemed to be a creature all around them. The only reason she still felt safe was the speed at which they were running. She still wasn¡¯t able to pick out what creature was which, but she could know that some were in the trees while others were deep in the ground. Katie could feel their intentions to be primal and drawn to instinct. As they rushed past them, they would recoil in fear of what had just rushed past them, gauging the enemy to be much more enabled than they were. This gave Katie a bit of confidence as they dashed through the forest. ¡°What do you mean you had no idea you were a werewolf when you were training?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story. To cut it short, you might want to check the files of hunters. You¡¯ll find a ¡®Katie Chase¡¯ within them. Back then, I had no idea I was even royalty. I was just the adoptive daughter of two Chase hunters that had raised me as their own,¡± Katie exined. The woman¡¯s expression finally softened, ¡°Oh, so you really are the daughter of the king and queen that was believed to have been killed eighteen years ago?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me. It was a secret that was kept from me as well. And as I grew up, I was taught to fight. With my wolf suppressed, I needed to learn to defend myself. I never thought I would receive my Prometheus gifts at such an early age. I was a professional hunter long before my eighteenth birthday,¡± Katie replied with augh. ¡°That¡¯s insane. Normal people get those gifts in their twenties or even their thirties. Looks like you¡¯vee to turn the White Star Hotel upside down,¡± the woman yelled excitedly, suddenly speeding up. Katie¡¯s ears perked up at the name the woman had just said. She knew the reserve had been named after the royal family as most of everything general had been in the capital, but this she hadn¡¯t thought about. ¡°Is that the name of the hotel?¡± she asked her, catching up to the woman almost effortlessly. ¡°Oh, were you under the impression it would have someme name like the Sirius Game Reserve Hotel?¡± she joked. ¡°Of course, I thought that. That seems to be what happens to everything in the Sirius empire. The Great Sirius River along with everything else in the capital gets named after the royal family,¡± Katie groaned. ¡°Well, it is said that the kings of Sirius had a habit of being shy. In fact, that came to be their only w in the long run. While Lycaon was a more aggressive royal, Sirius cared more for the way he looked. He wasn¡¯t into wiping out the human race aggressively like his counterpart was those many centuries ago. When peace finally came about yearster, it wasn¡¯t a surprise when he ordered everything built in the capital to be named after him, well, everything that he deemed worthy of carrying his name was immediately adopted. The White Star hotel was an exception considering there is already a hotel in the capital named after the guy. Honestly, how can one person want his name spread that much?¡± the woman wondered. Katie was hearing a lot of this for the first time. She had noticed the way Sirius wolves were taken to be more docile than Lycaon wolves, but she¡¯d never looked for a reason behind it. After all, that wasn¡¯t exactly a history about her ¡®ancestors¡¯, until they were... ¡°I wonder if Drake will be as shy as Dad when he takes over the throne of the Sirius kingdom,¡± Katie replied. ¡°Huh, what are you talking about? Aren¡¯t you one of the moon goddesses¡¯ chosen?¡± the woman asked her. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s that supposed to do with anything?¡± Katie asked. The woman froze for a bit, thinking through her words, ¡°I thought I read everything about the two of you right. You are from the two different families and the union between the two of you should bring the two families together, shouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, I will be the Luna of the Lycaon pack, and the two families will be united through my union to Cole, but that won¡¯t have to mean the royal families get dissolved into one or something of the sort,¡± Katie replied. ¡°Huh, I guess I had it all wrong then. If Prince Drake doesn¡¯t end up turning into another snowman, the world will freeze over,¡± Ange joked, turning back towards the hotel along with Katie in a smooth arc. ¡°Race you to the hotel...¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re on...¡± Katie replied adrenaline filtering into her system and pushing her to run faster. Katie let of all her shackles and let herself run free. Unbeknownst to her, Ange fell back behind her, seeing as the girl before she was letting off sounds simr to low-sounding thunderps. She was running faster than she¡¯d ever thought she could and made it look so easy and effortless as she did it. The woman pushed herself to run faster, a smile gracing her face, ¡®You have so much potential in you. Your face speaks of happiness and yet your strength only speaks of the pain you¡¯ve been through. You must be the strongest person I¡¯ve ever met.¡¯ It was this same feeling of liberation Katie felt her mate tapping into while she ran straight for the hotel. She was much more aware of his presence in her life and couldn¡¯t think of life without him anymore. Life as a werewolf was starting to get better for her. The closeness between the werewolves was a blessing to have. It allowed them to know when one of their own was not alright and it didn¡¯t matter whether it was emotionally or physically. This connection was even deeper with mates... Her mind flew back to the days she¡¯d tended to him when he was bedridden. ¡®I wonder if I did a good jobpared to when he took care of me...¡¯ ¡®Yes, Katie, you definitely did,¡¯ Ashley replied. The girl finally reached the hotel gates and came to a stop before she came into view of the students. She was panting lightly and her body still pulsed with adrenaline from her run. She could keep this up much longer, but she knew she had other things to take care of. Ange came out from the forest a few minutester. She was panting a little more than Katie was(more like a lot more) ¡°You¡¯re way too fast. You teenagers... Strong bones...¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not that old to make such an excuse,¡± Katie raised her voice in response. ¡°Oh, what do you know? My back is killing me. Help me up, youngdy...¡± Ange feigned weakness and copsed, bringing Katie down with her in a bear hug. Katie merelyughed at her antics. ¡°You¡¯re hopeless, Ange,¡± she joked. ¡°Well, at least there aren¡¯t any rogues that run at that speed in this world,¡± the woman replied. Katie couldn¡¯t help but remember a report from a subordinate she¡¯d only recently learnt to control. He¡¯d exined that the Rogue King was not slow either. Now that she thought of it, the beta alphas in Brigadia had made it to the clearing before she had... The thoughts brought shivers down her spine... ¡°Well, the low-ranking ones at least...¡± Ange lifted her head to watch the girl¡¯s expression, ¡°You¡¯ve met him, haven¡¯t you? The Rogue King.¡± ¡°Yes... I have...¡± Chapter 181 181 Chapter One Hundred Eighty One The king sat in his office going through thest of his day¡¯s paperwork. Exhaustion purged his mind and threatened to seize his tireless work, but he persisted. Queen Martha sat in a chair near his with her head rested in her arms on the desk. She¡¯d fallen asleep trying to help her husband. Every once in a while, he¡¯d pass a hand through her hair, sending sparks through him. The effects of the mate bond never got old. One never got used to them and never wanted to. There was a knock on the door that startled the woman awake. She ced her head back on the desk, a slight headache threatening to gue her mind, ¡°He¡¯s finally here, huh.¡± ¡°Yes, he is... Katie¡¯s information points to him alone. We have to hear him out before we make our decision on what we are to do with him,¡± the king replied. Katie had told them everything, without the man¡¯s presence. While she wasn¡¯t sure if he was on their side or not, she knew he had something shady about him. This had also led her to reveal the presence of a beta alpha sired by her in the ranks of the rogues. ¡°Well, Katie¡¯s method of information of gathering is crazy, to begin with,¡± Martha replied. ¡°Yes, that is true, however, it wasn¡¯t like she had a choice when she bit the boy that day. I just wish she¡¯d told us that earlier. Well, betterte than never,¡± the king ced his hand on a button at his desk, ¡°It¡¯s open,¡± he spoke up. The door pushed open, letting the man in, ¡°I¡¯m not one to like being summoned,¡± the man began. ¡°I know, Uncle. You like appearing at times convenient for you. You must know then that I have called you here on a matter that is urgent and needs to be addressed urgently,¡± the king said to him. ¡°Was it so urgent that I was not to go on a trip that I had arranged on my own? Where is that soft wolf of a boy you chose to be your heir?¡± the man asked, finding that the prince was not around. ¡°He asked that he leave to visit another pack. He¡¯s getting quite anxious to find his mate. He¡¯s already checked through most of the packs in the Sirius empire and he can¡¯t seem to find her. ..... ¡°Oh, that¡¯s sad to hear. I guess the goddess also sees things my way. He¡¯s not fit to lead this pack,¡± the man responded. ¡°I am well aware of your insecurities about my son, Uncle. But like I¡¯ve already said countless times, that was not a decision for you to make and it is only my consent that the boy needs to be named Crown Prince,¡± King Davin responded with a smile on his face. ¡°Ugh, whatever, what is so urgent that you had to call me here?¡± the man asked. ¡°We¡¯ve received information that you are working with the rogues. I¡¯ll just get straight to the point. Is it true or is it not? Keep your mind link open so we might be able to confirm the truth. You don¡¯t have anything to worry about. I didn¡¯t think it would be...¡± the king stopped rambling when the man before him didn¡¯t reply to the usations that were being thrown his way. Sean remained quiet and tried his best to conceal any expression from his face that would make him any more guilty than he already was. His cover had been blown without him doing anything. He searched his mind for the mistake he could have made. He couldn¡¯t tell at what point he¡¯d made a mistake. He couldn¡¯t tell when it had been that he¡¯d let this happen. ¡°What led you to such a preposterous conclusion?¡± he kept his voice levelled to avoid conveying any emotion, however, that was beside hismon behaviour and definite giveaway. ¡°I would tell you, but you would probably find some way to give that information to the rogues. We heard that there was a mole within the royals. I never could have thought it was you of all people,¡± the king¡¯s sighed. His voice was filled with sadness. Through the mind link, he called on the pack warriors that weren¡¯t far from his office to take the royal and lock him in the dungeon. Sean didn¡¯t resist his arrest and stood up, allowing them to bind his hands with ease, ¡°You could be making arge mistake you know,¡± Sean spoke up. ¡°Alpha Phillip, make sure he gets the mostfortable cell. He¡¯s still my uncle,¡± the king told the beta alpha that bound the royal. ¡°Very well, your majesty,¡± Alpha Phillip replied. Sean found that reasoning with the king at this point was a lost cause. The man didn¡¯t seem to be capable of listening to anything else he had to say. In his mind, this all depended on other pawns of the goddess that had driven him into this situation in the first ce. Alpha Phillip sent pack warriors ahead of him to prepare the dungeon the royal was going to be ced in. He had not yet had a hearing and considering his status among the wolves, treating him with animosity was not yet an option. ¡°Don¡¯t you think I might escape if you make me toofortable?¡± the man took a stab at idle chit chat. ¡°Even if you manage to escape, the hunters will have you before you can get too far. I won¡¯t be too inclined to go easy on you either if that were to happen,¡± the alpha replied. Sean cringed at the thought of having to go against one of Davin¡¯s beta alphas. He shuddered at the thought and decided to stuff any other hopes of escape he had lurking in his mind. ¡°Well, then would I at least get a ymate in my dungeon once in a while?¡± the man asked him. ¡°You are really trying to push your luck now, aren¡¯t you?¡± the alpha replied with a smirk, ¡°I¡¯ll ask the king and see if something can be arranged.¡± Sean sighed at the man¡¯s response. Even when he¡¯d been used of working with the rogues, the Sirius royal family continued to treat him with respect. They were simply too soft-hearted. That was the same reason he didn¡¯t find Drake to be fit for the role of king. But then again, he was just like his father. The man¡¯s eyes had seen years beyond what a normal werewolf was capable of and he was yet to see the downfall of the Sirius empire, for the exact same reason he had for their weakness. ¡°I guess a ymate would not be too bad, regardless of the conditions that king gives me,¡± he replied, finally reaching the lowest chamber of the dungeons. This part of the dungeons was cleaned regrly of moss and kept in sparkling condition for reasons the royal had never been able to find. When the king found out about a betrayal within the pce, he had done what he could to keep this specific cell clean. He didn¡¯t know he would be the one ending up on the other side of the door to this cell. The alpha led him in and took off his bindings. The room had a bed within it and everything he¡¯d need to stayfortable. Unfortunately for him, the shower was merely a partition to one corner of the room with a metal bar that held a drawing curtain. ¡°The shower only has cold water. The king saw no use in adding such expenses for a traitor,¡± Alpha Phillip exined, ¡°But the toilet¡¯s got shing water, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that. You will be given three meals a day with no regard for your choice in the matter. Whatever the king decides you have for a meal will be left to him. I would stay on my best behaviour to make sure he keeps the meals reasonable. There is no reception this deep into the dungeons, although that won¡¯t matter since you can alwaysmunicate through the mind link. The king will have you blocked from private mind link conversations that have nothing to do with you, so tomunicate, you will have to speak directly to him.¡± ¡°Quite the set of rules he¡¯s got there,¡± Sean sighed, falling into thefy bed that had been made for him. ¡°You¡¯d have to expect a lot of restrictions considering your current situation. He¡¯s pretty convinced you¡¯re the one that had the rogues get the confidence to invade the pce eighteen years ago,¡± Alpha Phillip coaxed. The royal noticed the attempt to draw out information and only shrugged, ¡°They barely needed a nudge. They already seemed convinced that those two children would be the end of them and they made the choice to attack all on their own,¡± Sean sealed his lips, having said that much. It was enough for him to remain locked up for sure, but not enough to get the king into a rage over his actions. ¡®Damn that goddess... I hope you know what you¡¯re doing...¡¯ ¡°Very well. If that¡¯s all you¡¯ll say, I will take my leave now. I would mind the right side of the headboard. There tends to be a bit of an ant problem. Try to stay in this room, will you?¡± the beta alpha said while walking out of the room. Sean watched the door and listened to the numerous clicking sounds of the locking mechanism. By the time they were done securing him, he was sure there was no way he could escape. He almost called them back that he would die of starvation when a machine above his head jumped to life, blowing a cold breeze into the dungeon. ¡®Just great... Of course, they ounted for the air conditioning, but not the hot bath water,¡¯ he mentally groaned. Taking a look at the toilet that was said to have shing water, he grinned at the simple set-up of the toilet. It was right next to the bath area with two rolls of toilet paper at the top of the water cistern. ¡°I know this is the best dungeon, but it¡¯s still a freaking dungeon with below royal living standards,¡± he mumbled through gritted teeth. ¡®This must be the lowest level I¡¯ve ever been forced to... and all for what... How did they even find out that I was a spy in the first ce?¡¯ thoughts ran through his mind, although he was unable to solve a single one of them on his own. It was all just questions and no answer. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Amanda. I got caught...¡¯ Chapter 182 182 Chapter One Hundred Eighty Two Katie entered the gate and found a lonesome bored-looking Trevor. The students were either milling about the hotel or stuck in their rooms on their cell phones. The real fun part of the trip was to start the next day. Before then, the students were enjoying their first school freedom where they didn¡¯t have to worry about their studies. Katie knew she waste... In fact, the butterflies in her stomach filled her with guilt for having veered off general procedure. The girl shook all signs of her guilt from her countenance and approached Trevor, filling her voice andposure with all the confidence and superiority she could muster. She wouldn¡¯t need to do all this if she hadn¡¯t gotten distracted. Her only hope now was that the boy didn¡¯t see through her fa?ade. ¡°Trevor...¡± ¡°Sirius... You took an awfully long time making a sweep of the area. One might say you were trying to dodge the assembly,¡± the boy replied. ¡°I happened to run into one of the hunters that guard the tourists. In that case, they will also be helping in protecting the students. That conversation might have taken me longer than I thought it would,¡± Katie exined, ¡°Run me through what the assembly was all about.¡± Trevor narrowed his eyes at the girl who gave him a genuine innocent smile, ¡°The teachers gave everyone a room key. Well, in pairs. Obviously, everyone is to be paired with someone of the same gender, but for some reason, you and Runt Cole get to have the same room all to yourselves,¡± the boy responded in a bored tone. ¡°You sound jealous, Trevor,¡± Katie smirked at the boy. Trevor scoffed at her insinuation, ¡°Oh please. Just try to keep it down in there. The rooms are not soundproofed. Your room number is fifty-eight.¡± With that, he walked away, having ticked the girl off his list. Katie was tongue-tied for what felt like minutes even though it was only seconded... Trying her best to ignore what the boy had said, she walked up to the first entrance into the nearest t she could find and started reading through the room numbers. Her ears perked up, taking note of the different things the students were gossiping about. Some of them hade with games to y through their first night at the hotel. Others hade with movies ranging from romantic movies to action series and anything else that could entertain a teenager. Some of them merely wanted to gossip about boys and even had sleepovers in their rooms. The students were full of all sorts of energy to do all sorts of things that night. One room caught Katie¡¯s ear though. She looked up at the room number. ¡¯36¡¯ The room wasn¡¯t empty, but no sound came from it either. She was curious to know what was going on with whoever was in that room. This hunter wasn¡¯t one to pry into matters that weren¡¯t her own but call it whatever one might want to call it, she wanted to know who was in that room. And just like that, the girl barged into the room without asking for anyone¡¯s permission. She was stunned immediately as her eyes met the most floral room she could have ever imagined. ..... The room had been organised and nts ced in the right ces to give it the feel of nature. Not to mention scented for added effect. The air condition had been set to the perfect setting that it felt like a cold breeze all the time within the room. Katie was impressed by this level of organisation. The person inside the room, however,y on her bed with a book in her hands and headphones in her ears, locked in a world outside reality. Honour looked at peace and within her element in that room. The faint scent of Katie¡¯s sister still hung about the room, but Katie was sure she was meant to be there. After a moment of silence, Honour lifted her gaze from her book and spotted the royal. Her eyes widened in shock and she removed her headphones as fast as she could, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t hear you over the sound of the...¡± Katie raised her hand to stop her from rambling, ¡°I hadn¡¯t said anything yet, so you can put those worries aside.¡± The girl seemed to rx at that, ¡°You startled me. My mother keeps saying I tend to space out a lot and many times miss what happens around me. I hoped it wasn¡¯t the same thing that was happening just now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not... Is this your room together with Lina¡¯s?¡± Katie asked her. ¡°Yes, it is. She¡¯s busy preparing for her fight with Liam. She can barely notice me when she gets all worked up. She¡¯s always been like that though. I don¡¯t know if I would call it a good thing, but I do hope she learns soon enough what¡¯s worth fighting for in this world,¡± Honour sighed. ¡°You¡¯re wiser than I gave you credit for...¡± Katieughed. ¡°Why does that sound like a major insult?¡± Honour asked her. ¡°Oh, it was apliment. I¡¯m d Lina has a friend like you. She¡¯ll definitely need one when she falls,¡± Katie replied, with a hint of sadness. ¡°Do you think Liam will defeat her?¡± ¡°Whether he defeats her or not is not the issue. Lina has the chance to choose a path she¡¯ll regret whether she loses or wins. There is a lot that influence can do to a person... as well as defeat,¡± Katie had thought through this entire situation Sandra had gotten the girl into. While she knew why her friend had done it, she didn¡¯t like the possibilities of what mighte of it. Liam was someone who despised having to train typically because he was an alpha and felt that his inborn power was more than enough for him to be considered superior to those that did have blue or red eyes. Lina¡¯sck of physical strength only worked to anger him and treat her like an abomination in contrast to all alphas and royals. Katie hoped her sister could learn what she needed to learn in time. ¡°You could have told your sister what you¡¯re thinking so that she might gain more confidence in this fight and also know the right way to bring Liam down,¡± Honour pointed out. ¡°I could... But I¡¯m afraid she wouldn¡¯t learn anything that way. And so, I chose to put myself out of this one. Maybe when she finds that I¡¯m not actively cheering her on, she¡¯ll realise it¡¯s not something I approve of and find that it¡¯s useless. Those are all just my spections of the brilliant ways this could all turn out. It¡¯s not what I think she might do in the long run. Which is what makes you so important. You stay by her side like I¡¯m sure you always have,¡± Katie exined. ¡°Yes, I have always stayed by her side. I just never thought you of all people would let her be at a time when she needed you,¡± Honour replied. ¡®Is that what she picked out of all that?¡¯ Katie thought as her chest felt tighter with guilt. ¡®Well, you did speak in riddles. You were bound to get one of those as her answer,¡¯ Ashley pitched in. Katie was at a loss for words and didn¡¯t know what else to tell the girl. Awkward silence took over the room and Honour wanted nothing more than to break free of it, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll stand by Lina when she faces Liam. And I will tell her what you think about all this. Maybe then she too will understand what disapproval from an elder sister feels like.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll watch your tongue when you tell her of my reasons for keeping out of the fight between Liam and her. Is that clear?¡± Katie asked the girl with a smile that forcefully reached her eyes. The awkward smile told the girl all she needed to know about what the girl was trying to tell her, ¡°Or you could just show up at least. Your sister has been training hard for the chance to prove her worth in the pack. I would think you know a thing or two about fitting in,¡± the hunter was taken aback by the response. Without further discussion on the matter, she turned around and reached for the door handle, the girl called back, ¡°Katie, you do care for your sister, don¡¯t you?¡± The question got Katie¡¯s heart racing faster than she thought it would have. Honour was the one person she knew to be closer to Lina than anyone else. It was why she asked her for help in bringing her to the Den in the first ce. She did care for her little sister, but the question she was being asked only meant she hadn¡¯t been acting like it and that part she hadn¡¯t intended, ¡°Yes, I do care for her.¡± The girl made her way for the room she¡¯d been directed to, paying no mind to any other room numbers. Without knocking or asking, she barged into the room, a habit she was meant to break but hadn¡¯t gotten around to doing so just yet. Cole was seated at a desk with his hand holding a device to his ear. He turned around, startled by the sudden intrusion only to rx when he found that it was Katie. ¡°I¡¯ll call youter,¡± he said before turning off the phone. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Katie closed the door behind her and sighed. This room was different and not as brightly coloured as the one she¡¯d just visited. The colour theme in this room was navy blue, a colour that was more of her style as a hunter. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Who were you talking to?¡± ¡°One of my father¡¯s beta alphas back home. There is a matter he said a royal had to make the final decision to before anything was decided upon, so I was discussing it with him,¡± he exined. ¡°Oh, anything else you¡¯re hearing from home that I might find interesting,¡± Katie asked. ¡°Other than the increasing number of rogues in the forests bordering the capital, nothing to be reported,¡± he replied. ¡°You know that we are linked right. I know when you are hiding something. Now hurry up and tell me,¡± the girl answered, dropping onto the bed so that she might hear him out. Cole looked away from her before saying the one statement he never thought he¡¯d have to say at such an early stage in his life, ¡°My father is dying...¡± Chapter 183 183 Chapter One Hundred Eighty Three Katie took a seat beside her mate giving him her undivided attention as he exined his situation. It was a story she was bound to find more than revealing. Cole sighed, finally choosing to start it all from the very beginning. ¡°Healing my father for the first time made us realise that I couldn¡¯t heal himpletely. Something that fatal could only kill me if I was to use that power to heal it. The trade-off is usually that painful. So, I came to the decision that I would help him out every time it got worse. The King didn¡¯t like this. After all, he is the king. He¡¯s meant to be the strong one in the family and here he was depending on his son. A few days after my birthday, he caught wind of some information that he wouldn¡¯t reveal to me. He asked that, ¡®for my security, that I go study at the safest school in the world. I didn¡¯t know what he meant at the moment. That was until I found you there and got very interested. Your shy birthday confirmed his intentions. However, he cannot go long without requiring healing. And soon enough he loses the ability to walk or do pretty much anything.¡± ¡°Those phone calls you¡¯ve been having...¡± ¡°Some from his attendants as well as my stepmother, while others were from his beta alphas on matters that required my approval,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your father,¡± Katie sympathised. ¡°It¡¯s alright. He¡¯s only been like that for a year,¡± Cole replied, with a deep sigh. ¡°Could that also be the reason why the rogues have been gathering in Lycaon?¡± Katie wondered, dropping onto the bed with her head in thought. ¡°You never seemed to be one for detective work,¡± Cole chuckled. ..... ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I, more than most, do my share of detective work in this line of work,¡± Katie rose to her defence. ¡°What do you have for me then, miss detective?¡± Cole smiled, pulling the girl into an embrace to which she did not object and simply cosied into. ¡°We haven¡¯t heard of someone from the royal family that fits the rogue king¡¯s description that got me thinking for quite some time. It¡¯s only still a theory. You once said there was a way to transfer the power of a royal in case their lineage was about to meet an end,¡± Katie suggested. ¡°One of the Kings in the past came up with a way to do that, but I didn¡¯t think it was ever done. That¡¯s why it was never thought that the rogue King could be a royal, to begin with,¡± Cole replied. ¡°Yeah, but couldn¡¯t any of the royal¡¯s rtives do that very same thing and create a new bloodline that carries the power of the royals?¡± Katie asked. ¡°How long were you thinking to cook up something as diabolical as that?¡± Cole was bewildered by the reality of this possibility, ¡°It would be possible, but the goddess¡¯ blessing remains in the two original bloodlines. The king who devised that technique made it to save one bloodline in case it was about to meet its...¡± ¡°In case one bloodline was about to meet its end,¡± Katie finished his statement for him. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing my bloodline is yet to end then,¡± the prince replied, rubbing his hand tenderly across the girl¡¯s neck. ¡°On another note, someone had more than a simple security check.¡± Katie¡¯s eyes widened at the usation, ¡°I did no such thing. I take the security of my charges very seriously. I would never do anything until the security check was over...¡± ¡°Oh, so it was afterwards...¡± ¡°One of the hunters felt like going for a run. I think she was just testing me though. She ate my dust, hehe,¡± Katie added mischief into her voice. ¡°You¡¯re enjoying yourself a little too much. Anyway, Sandra, who seems to be your entire life, brought your things in, including that shy new werewolf murdering device that you got from your parents,¡± Cole mentioned, shuddering at the bow he¡¯d seen. ¡°Oh yeah, that one. I¡¯ll have to keep it real well. If I ever hope to be as good as one of those four. They are scary,¡± Katie replied. ¡°Oh yeah, how do you even keep firing that thing. Just pulling that string took far too much energy,¡± Colemented. ¡°You tried it out?¡± Katie¡¯s mind was running ridiculous images of Cole trying to imitate a might bowman with the red fiery bow. The mischievous Ashley wasted no time in sending the images to Cole and chuckling to the back of Katie¡¯s mind. Coleughed out at the images that bombarded his mind. ¡°You don¡¯t have tough. If I only I could spank Ashley...¡± ¡°Well, if you must know, that¡¯s not so far from what I was trying to achieve. The string proved too impossible to deal with though,¡± this got Katieughing. ¡®Who knew Cole could goof off?¡¯ ........... At the time the hunter was talking to Lina¡¯s friend, the girl had only been out in search of thevatories, the most important facility to any human or werewolf. This was a simple enough task. The girl was soon through with what took her there only to find a party of three outside the exit. Wyatt had his attention on his nails, the only other part of this world that seemed to matter to him other than his smoke. ¡°Oh, she came out. I thought for sure we¡¯d have to call the fire department,¡± Liam remarked, getting Wyatt¡¯s attention. Their thirdpany was Crysta. ¡°Liam, you know tomorrow is the day when you get to have your fight with Lina. When you said you had a business that needed attending to, this was not what you meant,¡± Crysta barked at the alpha. ¡°You will learn to respect one of these days, dear pack warrior. I know what happens tomorrow. I only came here with a proposal. I want to see what my opponent is made of and when I say that I don¡¯t mean I want to fight with her,¡± Liam replied. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering when the runt got the respect to be called by her name. It makes me want to gag,¡± Wyatt replied, ¡°However, I will abide by Liam¡¯s request and y nice for the evening.¡± ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Crysta asked them. Lina wanted to sneak past the three, but she knew their attention waspletely trained on her. She knew not of their intentions, but she wanted nothing to do with it. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not something that serious. We still have a few hours before sundown. The day is still young and yet the teachers feel this trip should begin tomorrow. I was thinking of a front-row seat to the wild. We¡¯ve always been allowed to run free in the woods back at the pce, but those are nothing like what¡¯s out there. The four of us, I was thinking... A run through the woods. For old times¡¯ sake...¡± Lina¡¯s senses red up. The temptation of rushing through the wild was tempting more than anything. She¡¯d run before but only imagined running in the wild. The animals that ran through the woods, the sound of nature and the different smells she wanted to experience. Her wolf side felt it too, the need to taste that kind of freedom. ¡°There... The princess gets it.¡± Lina hadn¡¯t said anything, but her face had said everything that they needed to know. She wanted to deny it. Crysta¡¯s face told her to deny it, but her mind got muddled by her desires. ¡°If it¡¯s not for a long time...¡± ¡°Nothing more needs to be said. It¡¯s settled,¡± Liam cut her off boisterously, ¡°Come on, Crysta. You can¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t feel it. The primal need to run through the woods. To be one with nature...¡± Crysta wasn¡¯t one to fall prey to his charms, however, there was something else at stake now. Liam had yed his cards right and gone for the princess first. Crysta wasn¡¯t done making amends with her just yet and knew her words meant nothing if she tried to spur her away from a chance at ¡®freedom.¡¯ The only other option was, ¡°We better be back before sundown. Anyter and I¡¯ll have your head.¡± ¡°Oh, big words for the delta,¡± Wyatt said in a singalong voice, ¡°If you would only follow us,dies.¡± ¡°How are we even going to get out of the hotel?¡± Crysta asked. ¡°Well, that¡¯s easy enough. Straight through the main entrance,¡± Liam walked on with all the confidence in the world. ¡°And who exactly would be letting you out at that time?¡± a new voice intervened. Trevor stood leaning against the gates of the hotel, holding his notepad. ¡°We¡¯ll be letting ourselves out. It¡¯s not against the rules now, is it? It¡¯s still daytime,¡± Wyatt began. The air filled with a dangerous silence as they watched the two stare themselves down. It had been a while since wolves went against hunters. The title of a head hunter was not awarded by mistake and the wolves all knew that. ¡®What are the odds we¡¯d run into him right before getting out?¡¯ suddenly freedom felt like the furthest thing from reach for Lina which only made it more enticing to reach. Chapter 184 184 Chapter One Hundred Eighty Four ¡°Wyatt ck...¡± Trevor spoke in a deadly tone. ¡°Trevor Waters, it¡¯s been a long time since you¡¯ve thought to cross paths with me again,¡± Wyatt replied. Liam, for once, stepped back for the two to chat. ¡°Yes, it has been a long time. We struck a deal not to interfere with each other then. As long as you stayed on the good side of the rules as all wolves are meant to,¡± Trevor replied. ¡°Well, my mind¡¯s foggy on the terms that came out of our little scuffle, but I do remember you cutting me a little bit of ck on all the stuck up rules you¡¯ve got stringing up the wolves at the school. We were clear on one thing though. I was not to hurt any humans,¡± Wyatt said thest part in a dangerous tone. Trevor¡¯s face contorted into one of anger. He wanted tosh out at the wolf but had no real reason to. He knew they shouldn¡¯t be crossing the gate at this time, but they showed no sign of backing down. Memories of a time he¡¯d crossed paths with this particr alpha still stained his mind like it was only yesterday, ¡°You heard the teachers. You can think of exploring tomorrow... with the rest of the ss.¡± ¡°Look around, Trevor. We are werewolves, creatures of the wild. That is where we ought to have fun from. We aren¡¯t going to be out tillte and that¡¯s fine in my book. And you know I won¡¯t be backing down on this. I say it¡¯s fine that my friends and I go out for an evening stroll, no humans are allowed. Those things are just too fragile,¡± the conversationalists spoke as though they each wanted to solve this in the least violent way possible. ¡°Werewolves or not, the rule on rxing was issued to all students...¡± ¡°Trevor, Trevor, don¡¯t push your luck. There are only so many of your rules that I can take before I feel like causing an uprising. We don¡¯t want to cause another incident... We are in a wildlife reserve after all,¡± Wyatt¡¯s voice had suddenly gotten very low and warning. The hunter stared at him sharply for a moment. He barely flinched before him. Lina was amazed he was that confident before an alpha when she¡¯d watched Sandra do theplete opposite. Sandra was afraid of alphas and yet she was very skilled as a hunter. Lina knew Trevor wasn¡¯t one to be messed with either, but he was still a junior hunter. However, without knowing what he could actually do, she couldn¡¯t tell how strong he actually was. ..... ¡°You know you don¡¯t faze me one bit, ck. I have no problem putting down a mutt that steps out of line. You¡¯ll find that the boy you tasselled with a while back is not the same boy that stands before you now...¡± Trevor spoke. Wyatt remained quiet, his hand balling into a fist as though getting ready to get violent, ¡°Be back before sundown or I¡¯ll be forced to give you the pain to remember.¡± With that said, Trevor stepped aside and let the party of four through to the outside of the hotel. ¡°You¡¯ve made a great choice, Trevor.¡± Wyatt was bright and cheery once more and sauntering out the gates. While he passed the hunter, he whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you don¡¯t give me orders.¡± The wolves jogged off a distance from the hotel, aiming to plunge into the forest once they¡¯d found the right spot to shift. This was an issue for the delta of the group. Crysta found a suitable ce to set her clothes and shifted into a sleek grey wolf. ¡°Must be a hassle having to care about shredding clothes every time you have to shift,¡± Liammented, letting his wolf forward. ¡°Onlyes to show that alphas are far more superior to the wolves below us,¡± Wyatt responded, shifting as well. Lina didn¡¯t have anything to say about the grey wolf and only shifted into her white slender wolf. She would have been the biggest wolf given her status, but without the usual bulk of the royals, she was merely the tallest of them. The four wolves were soon rushing through the woods together. Lina, not wanting to leave the rest behind, kept pace with the rest of them as they raced through the woods. The alphas let loose and rushed forward leaving the two females behind. Crysta wasn¡¯t particrly interested in partaking in their madness. She¡¯d only tagged along to watch the princess and make sure the alphas didn¡¯t try anything before the decided date of their duel. ¡°Crysta, shouldn¡¯t we catch up?¡± Lina spoke through the mind link when her ears picked up on the distance the alphas were leaving between them. ¡°What are you even doing here, Lina? Why couldn¡¯t you just refuse their offer and stay in the hotel?¡± Crysta snapped at the girl. ¡°Oh, did you want toe here just the three of you or something? I don¡¯t see any harm in a little run through the woods,¡± Lina replied, going on the defensive. ¡°No, what do you take me for? These are not the woods back home, Lina. Back home, your parents let you run around well beyond the night, but this is different. There are creatures in these woods. Wild animals that only think of survival. What would happen if a snake were to bite you or a lion to think you threatened its cubs?¡± the girl scolded her. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise I came here with a chaperone. What¡¯s happening to you? I would think you¡¯d like this sort of thing,¡± Lina replied before dashing faster, trying to put distance between herself and the girl. ....................... Back in the hotel, a huntery by her mate with her eyes closed while he continued to work through the different notes, he¡¯d made on whatever information he¡¯d received over the phone. Oblivious to him was the fact that Katie was wide awake and vividly noting the progress of the four troublemakers. They were getting dangerously close to her three-mile radius limit of detection and she didn¡¯t like it. The rogues hadn¡¯t caught up to them yet, at least they weren¡¯t within three miles from them. Katie could tell that much, however, there was a lot more that could hurt the wolves if they got too reckless. ¡°Just because you have fangs and ws doesn¡¯t give you the permission to put yourself in danger¡¯s way,¡± the girl thought out loud. ¡°That¡¯s a lesson I¡¯ve been hoping you¡¯d learn for a while now,¡± her mate voiced back, keeping his eyes on the papers before him. Katie got up to look at him, partially insulted. She didn¡¯tin though. There was truth to the words he was using. ¡°I¡¯ll try to stay out of trouble, Cole, but I wasn¡¯t talking about myself,¡± she replied. ¡°Oh, you mean the four wolves that decided it is nice to take a run through the woods?¡± he asked her. ¡°Yes, those are the ones I mean. So, you¡¯ve been noticing them too,¡± Katie observed. ¡°Well, you might have your mojo, but in this case. If the wolves are part of the pack, I can keep track of them. Your mojo would help better for humans in this case,¡± the alpha replied. ¡°I guess that would make sense. Using the mind link to tell the location of lost wolves still gives me a headache. I was holding out on learning that skill in a while,¡± Katie said, getting up from her ce on the bed and dressing up in a better shirt suitable for running. ¡°I¡¯lle and help,¡± Cole said, cing down his papers, ¡°This work was getting boring anyway.¡± ¡°Thanks, Cole,¡± the girl reached for the fiery bow at the dressing table but thought better of it. She didn¡¯t think she would be needing the weapon for what they were going to do. The couple walked out of the hotel only to find Trevor at the gates wearing a sour look, ¡°What are you guys doing out at this hour? Are you also going out on an evening stroll?¡± the boy asked. ¡°When did someone decide to make you a gatekeeper?¡± Katie asked the junior hunter. ¡°I decided to fill in for all the junior hunters that came with us today. However, tomorrow, there is an allocation of roles that I made sure to mail to all hunter and junior hunters that are present for this trip,¡± he spoke formally. ¡°I was sure the two of you were on bad terms. What happened?¡± Cole asked, looking between the two of them. He¡¯d held out long enough and required an exnation. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we have time for all that exnation. We have runaways to catch up to,¡± Katie urged her mate, trying to dodge the question. ¡®To think Frank¡¯s advice worked and got me to be buddies with Trevor of all people...¡¯ ¡°Oh, those troublemakers. How did you know they got out? Were you watching them when they tried to rough me up to get past? Why didn¡¯t you help me?¡± the boy asked. ¡°Oh, I wasn¡¯t using my eyes to watch you at the moment. When I noticed that scuffle, I thought you had it all figured out,¡± Katie replied, feigning ignorance. She¡¯d been aware of the tension. After all, that was what she was trained to detect, ¡°Nothing bad happened, so no harm done.¡± ¡°I keep losing more and more trust in you, Katie,¡± he replied, ¡°Be careful out there. You better take care of her, runt.¡± The two walked past her leisurely, the forest as their destination, ¡°Are you going to let him talk to me like that? I have tried so many ways to get him to stop that does not involve dislocating one of his body parts, but he makes it so hard.¡± ¡°Both of you better y nice or I will have a variety of disciplining methods toe up with for the both of you,¡± she replied, ¡°See youter, Trevor. Cover for us if we take too long.¡± ¡°Do you think you will take too long?¡± the boy called back. ¡°Well, I did mention we were after runaways. They might have wandered a little too far from the hotel than I had allowed them to,¡± the girl spoke. Trevor refused to add anything to that as his mind began to ponder the meaning behind her words. Now that he thought of it, she sounded like she was saying she hadn¡¯t seen any of them even leave the hotel. ¡®How does she know if they¡¯ve gone too far from the hotel or not?¡¯ he wondered to himself, ¡®The only family that is known for an ability simr to that is... It can¡¯t be... Can it?¡¯ Chapter 185 185 Chapter One Hundred Eighty Five The four ¡®runaways¡¯ rushed through the forest without a care in the world. The leader was Liam as he seemed to be the only one who knew where they were going. He led them through the forest, through clearings and creaks. Lina allowed herself to feel the freedom of running through the forest as part of a pack. Fitting in had been hard for her since she shifted. She¡¯d been shamed by so many that every time she thought of this same thing, she got angry when the memory of one person came to mind. Honour... the princess of nature had been trying to get the girl to realise just how beautiful her wolf was. Without realising it, she¡¯d begun elerating into the lead, drawing closer to Wyatt. The alpha noticed the wolf¡¯s zed expression and smiled inwardly. The only thing this runt was good for, running faster than the wind. ¡°You¡¯ve always been faster than the rest of us,¡± he spoke through the mind link kicking her out of her thoughts. The girl looked about and realised who had just spoken to her. Slowing down, she allowed him to take the lead once more. The alpha took the lead and made an effort to keep the pace so that the girl wouldn¡¯t get too bored. ¡®You might be a weakling, but your speed has always been something the rest of us envy about you,¡¯ he thought to himself. His thoughts were shielded from everyone and he meant it to stay that way. They were running for a while, barely taking the time to rest. Okay, they didn¡¯t rest a single bit until they reached Liam¡¯s desired destination. The sea... Lina skidded to a halt as they broke through the treeline to meet the edge of a cliff metres away. The scene before them had the girlpletely frozen. For a moment, she seemed to fade from existence. The slender white wolf walked as though in a daze closer to the cliff to get a better look. In the evening sun, the sea was a dazzling sight to behold. The setting sun cast kaleidoscopic rays onto the water and lit the sky in a flurry of colours. The sea roared with an energy that was contagious to the girl. It was like it was calling out to her. The salty sea breeze blew into her fur blending her more into the nature around her. For the other three wolves that were watching, the girl had never looked more like one of her kind. Lina¡¯s eyes closed as the wind blew into her. She wished she could be here forever. A screech in the sky caught her attention, snapping her blue eyes open. The enhanced vision of the wolf caught sight of a Great Eagle in the sky taking an evening flight. The two hunters were of one mind. She spotted the subject of the eagle¡¯s attention, a fish swimming unsuspectingly within the waves. It was as though the wolf¡¯s eyes zoomed in and watched as each of the eagle¡¯s feather¡¯s pressed against its body as it folded its wings and angled into a nosedive. The King of the skies skilfully plucked the unsuspecting fish from the water and spread his wings, taking to the sky, back into his domain with his meal in talons. ¡°I could be here forever and never want to leave...¡± the girl didn¡¯t notice she was speaking out loud. Liam and Wyatt shrugged off the obvious marvel before them and walked off to the edge of the cliff, ¡°It¡¯s a steep drop,¡± Liam mentioned. Lina looked down from the sky to take note of their subject of interest. ..... The white wolf inched forward and took a look at the bay down below. The harsh waves crashed onto the side of the cliff making the loudest of noise while they did. Sharp rocks jutted out of the water looking up at them. The waves constantly crushed onto the rocks, chipping away whatever small part of the weathered rocks they did, sharpening them even more. ¡°A deadly one too... Talk of skewering,¡± Wyatt replied. It was a drop so steep it was dizzying to look down. ¡°It¡¯s deadly enough without the sharp rocks,¡± Lina answered unconsciously. It was the first time she was speaking to them directly since they came. The white wolf sat to brace herself while she stared down at the roaring waves. Crysta finally snapped out of the trance she¡¯d been set in watching the white wolf. She didn¡¯t like what was happening at the moment. These two alphas were never without an ulterior motive, ¡°Best to leave the edge then,¡± she told the princess, urging her away from the cliff. When she finally had the entranced wolf away from the edge of the cliff, she turned her attention to the alphas. ¡°Why did you bring us here, Liam?¡± she asked the alpha. ¡°Can¡¯t a man juste to see the beautiful scenery and enjoy nature with a few friends?¡± he asked, faking an innocent pout. ¡°No, not in your case,¡± she responded, shielding the princess from the two males. Lina was not stupid to think the two of them were just being nice. She had hoped Crysta would be a little less direct though. Going against them without any hint of caution wasn¡¯t something she was used to. The hunters could stop fights between werewolves and humans, but that was all they could do. A fight between werewolves was out of their jurisdiction. This is what had gotten these alphas their reputation. Werewolves wouldn¡¯t cross them and that wasmon sense. Crysta herself wasn¡¯t fond of crossing them. In fact, until only a few days ago, she was one of the people that cared nothing for what they did even if it involved Lina. Liam¡¯s cheery mood dropped all of a sudden, ¡°Why do you have to go and ruin all the fun? We could have had a fun evening without any trouble. Now you¡¯ve gone and ticked me off,¡± he began. Lina had heard the same tone with Wyatt when he was speaking with Trevor. The two were ticking time bombs only waiting to blow off. ¡°Ticked off or not, I still asked you a question.¡± ¡°I came here to make a proposal. The runt is to step down from the fight or something very bad will happen to more than just her when she loses. You know how we treat weaklings in our pack. Especially those that act like like they are entitled to anything when all they truly are is a waste of space,¡± Liam spat. ¡°I only see one waste of space here and he¡¯s standing right before me,¡± Crysta spat at him. ¡°Watch your tongue, Delta. You will know your ce. I have no challenge in ce for you. I might just lose my temper and choose to teach you your lesson right now,¡± the boy ck and white wolf that was Liam snarled. ¡°What makes you think you scare me, Liam? I did just call you a waste of space. I don¡¯t call just about anyone that unless I¡¯m sure they are indeed wastes of space...¡± ¡°Woah woah woah, let¡¯s calm down here. We didn¡¯te to create more unnecessary violence,¡± Wyatt got in the middle of them, ¡°We¡¯re not barbarians. We only came here to make sure the princess knew what she was getting herself into. Speaking of the princess, she hasn¡¯t said anything about the fight since we got here. She¡¯s the one we wanted to ask these questions.¡± The two males turned their eyes at the white wolf behind Crysta. Lina hadn¡¯t thought she¡¯d be pulled into this argument so soon. Her heart had been pounding from fear of the violence that was about to happen before her. She tried so much to get her mind into the whole violent thing, but every time she tried, her mind wouldn¡¯t let her go through with it. She understood what it meant to fight one another. There was the possibility of injury and that¡¯s what she¡¯d been up against in Brigadia. A real fight against rogues was nothing like what these boys were trying to put her through. The more she thought about the fight, the more she realised something about it. It wasn¡¯t a way for her to teach Liam a lesson... He seemed far beyond redemption. She saw that fight as a way for her to prove herself worthy of being called a protecter of her pack. After all, that¡¯s what it meant to be in a pack. They look out for each other, not push each other down. ¡°Lina, do you have anything to say?¡± Crysta called her out of her thoughts. ¡°Oh, yeah, I will be there in the fight tomorrow. Wasn¡¯t that supposed to be obvious though?¡± she said without thinking through her words. Her words angered Liam even more than he thought they would. They were barely filled with fear. Instead, the girl sounded confident that she could beat him. ¡°You really think you stand a chance against me when you barelyck any strength in that body,¡± the wolf argued. Lina noticed the anger in his voice. She felt ite off him in waves. He didn¡¯t like the way she looked down on him. However, Lina was tired of all this. The colour of his eyes suggested she was meant to be stronger than him and yet, he looked at her as though she was a new werewolf that was even beneath those that possessed amber eyes. It frustrated her. ¡®I guess Katie is rubbing off on me...¡¯ ¡°Yes, I think I can...¡± she replied, with the same tone of confidence. Chapter 186 186 Chapter One Hundred Eighty Six Liam was astounded by the confidence with which the white wolf before him spoke back. He¡¯d always seen her be beneath him. This made him livid. ¡°So, your sister shows up and you start feeling like you¡¯ve grown a pair of wings,¡± the wolf spoke into the girl¡¯s mind. ¡°Back off, Liam. You know Katie is not allowed into the fight between you and Lina. The rules of a duel are clear,¡± Crysta spat at him, trying to get his waves of malice to point in some other direction. ¡°What are you trying to protect, Crysta? Don¡¯t tell me you actually feel sorry for her after all these years,¡± the alpha continued. ¡°Don¡¯t shift your venom to me. You¡¯ve been stuck in a loop of imaginary power for far too long, Liam. You know none of us would ever let you lead the Den. The only rightful leader for that position is Lina. That has always gone unsaid within the Den,¡± Crysta defended the girl. Lina was taken aback. For someone who¡¯d been bitter toward her for so long, she was witnessing one turnabout. ¡°Oh, is that what you believe...¡± ¡°Enough, Liam. You¡¯ll get the chance to prove the runt¡¯s inferiority when the timees... Tomorrow,¡± Wyatt said, walking up to the other alpha, ¡°Save your strength and anger for that time. She will know not to cross us ever again.¡± These words seemed to calm the alpha down. Everything that came from Crysta and LIna was only fuel to a fire that had already been lit. Lina let go of a breath she was not sure she¡¯d been holding. Everything was finally calming down again. She could go back to enjoying nature. The sun was vanishing beyond the horizon and darkness was starting to set in. ¡°Just so you know, Lina. We¡¯ll never ept you as a part of the pack,¡± Liam said as he turned away from the girl. The confidence that had been welling up inside the white wolf began to fade rapidly as the darkness that had gued her for thergest part of her life set back in. The fear that she could never fit into the pack that she¡¯d been born into. Crysta noticed the change in the white wolf¡¯sposure, ¡°Lina...¡± she was gone before another word could be said. Reaching her through the mind link was already rendered impossible as she instinctively blocked her mind from the pack. ¡°Oh, that was just great Liam,¡± Crysta barked at him. ..... ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything she didn¡¯t already know. I was only being blunt about the in truth. We¡¯ll never...¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll never ept her into the pack. The rest of us know what it means to bear the eyes blessed by the two royal families a long time ago. She will be epted by the rest of us and if you have something wrong with that, you know she possesses the power to strip you of your power as an alpha. One measly alpha doesn¡¯t mean a thing to a royal. Keep this up and the royals might just get tired of your stupidity,¡± Crysta didn¡¯t realise she¡¯d been yelling at the alpha. Liam, in his anger, struck the wolf before him with his paw, sending the smaller wolf rolling away from him. Crysta steadied herself with her ws before she bit a tree at the treeline. Liam¡¯s wolf red a bright red as rage seethed through him, ¡°Just what do you think you¡¯re doing, Crysta? You were one of the ones that let this happen. What makes you think you can walk away from all of it? The socialdder was established a long time ago. You cannot just decide it¡¯s going to be flipped over on a whim. The runt is below us... That¡¯s how it has been and how it will always be...¡± the ck wolf was walking closer to the smaller delta, his power rolling off in waves that forced his will on the other wolf. ¡°You don¡¯t realise what you¡¯re trying to go up against, do you Liam? Have you cared to ask about the story behind the girl you are trying to dismiss,¡± Crysta asked? ¡°What are you babbling about now?¡± Liam asked her. Wyatt remained calm and shifted his attention to the delta that had sparked his interest as well. ¡°I speak of her sister. You try to undermine hering as something insignificant, but you know nothing about her. I have taken the liberty to ask around. She was raised by Chase hunters. She¡¯s a hunter of a ss of her own and a werewolf that we know nothing about. Lina gets the confidence to stand up to you after all these years. That¡¯s not something just about anyone can do. I¡¯ll give you a hint. The thunderp the other day. It was bright outside and yet... we all heard, clear as day,¡± the girl spoke in riddles for she didn¡¯t believe everything she said herself. ¡°Are you so scared that you will say everything you can to save your skin?¡± Liam was amused. ¡°Guys, we better get back to the hotel. It¡¯s getting prettyte,¡± Wyatt spoke with a tone of finality. Unlike Liam who was a spitfire, Wyatt was much more vicious and wasn¡¯t questioned when he chose to make a decision, something that he rarely did. The two formed a duet that was feared by all werewolves within the school. The three of them were soon running through the forest... ¡°Do you think Lina is...¡± Crysta was stopped when her paw suddenly got caught in the ground. Without warning, the other two wolves also tripped and found that they could not proceed with their run. The ground around them was constantly shifting. ¡°What is this?¡± Liam was the first one to ask in a rush. ¡°Stop struggling, dummy. It¡¯s quicksand... and we are in one hell of arge pit of it. We should be able to get out just fine if you could stop freaking struggling,¡± the alpha warned his friend, along with the girl before him. ¡°We didn¡¯te across this when we came through here,¡± Liamined, mming his hands into the mud in frustration. Crysta had finally stopped struggling as well. However, it wasn¡¯t fun to stay still when one was constantly sinking into the ground. However, working together in this kind of situation was the only thing that she reasoned could get them out of this situation. ¡°What now, boys?¡± she asked them. ¡°Well, we should be able to slowly swim out of this quicksand. I advise you don¡¯t panic though. Stay in your wolf form and pad your way out. That should help you... Oh great, my leg¡¯s stuck,¡± Wyatt sighed, ¡°This day keeps getting better and better.¡± ¡°Now this is an interesting turn of events,¡± a new voice reached their minds. They all turned to see a massive ck wolf seated calmly a few metres away from them watching them sink slowly. The wolf had blue eyes, confirming the only royal they¡¯de with besides the two females that they both knew possessed white wolves. Cole Lycaon was somehow right there watching them sinking, ¡°What brought you guys out here in the first ce? I¡¯m just heavily curious.¡± The wolf before them was calm as though they weren¡¯t going to sink in a few minutes, ¡°Could you get us out first before you ask questions. If you haven¡¯t noticed, not all of us enjoy watching our lives shing before our eyes,¡± Liam retorted, adding a hint of sarcasm into his voice. The ck wolf walked around the pit to the back where they¡¯d entered it from. Cole then stretched out to the nearest wolf before him and pulled him out slowly by a scruff of fur at his neck, ¡°This is so embarrassing,¡± Wyatt sighed. ¡°Reminds me of a mother wolf transporting her young,¡± Crysta mentioned. ¡°You did not have to point it out,¡± Wyatt added with a groan. Once the three of them were out of the quicksand, Cole asked them a question they didn¡¯t know he would be asking any time soon, ¡°Where is Lina?¡± Liam, on the other hand, was looking about forpany, ¡°There is no way the mighty Cole Lycaon came out here all on his own. Where are his alphas? Or at least that mate of his that seems to be causing an uproar through the whole of Sirius.¡± ¡°Well, you guessed right. I did note on my own and I don¡¯t know where my partner is. We split up as she went on to look for Lina. Now tell me where Lina is,¡± Cole repeated his order, this time with more urgency. ¡°She went on ahead of us. You should have met her before you met us. You know how fast that girl is. I have no doubt she ran right on top of this quicksand before there was a chance that she could sink into it,¡± Wyatt was quick to answer. The other two knew he wasn¡¯t speaking the truth. ¡°Have you tried contacting her through the mind link? Ask your significant other. She might have already found her?¡± Crysta intervened before the alpha would realise they were trying to fool him into believing a phoney story. Wyatt gave her an odd look, but she ignored him and continued to divert the royal¡¯s mind away from their folly, ¡°I have tried contacting Lina for a while now, but my messages won¡¯t go through. Let me try with Katie. She probably already found her.¡± The massive wolf went into a daze as he startedmunicating with his mate. Wyatt used that moment to send Crysta a private message, ¡°Why won¡¯t you lie to him? Are you trying to suck up to those in power now as well? I know of your...¡± ¡°Oh, shut up, you idiot. Haven¡¯t you noticed he was able to track us down without any help? That¡¯s only something that can be done by a pack member. If he could do that, then it¡¯s true that he would have been able to see through your deception through the mind link. Do you still think through your words before you speak?¡± Crysta barked back at him. ¡°Thank the goddess. She found her,¡± Cole replied. Crysta sighed in relief. The girl was safe now that she was with her sister. That was more than she could have asked for. After all, the only reason she¡¯d tagged along was to make sure the girl was safe from these two. ¡°The three of you have a lot of exining to do... And I¡¯d suggest you did that before my mate gets her chance to interrogate you. She tends to lose her temper...¡± Chapter 187 187 Chapter One Hundred Eighty Seven Katie and Cole ran through the forest for a while before the hunter picked up on the exact locations of three of the wolves they were looking for. ¡°You know you could have easily done it using the pack link,¡± Ashley groaned in the girl¡¯s mind. ¡®Maybe next time you can share this information before having me focus on a ridiculously hard technique from a family I only recently found that I am not a part of by blood,¡¯ Katie replied, rambling as she did. ¡®No need to yell. I¡¯ll tell you next time. You have bigger things to worry about. I have been trying to reach Lina¡¯s wolf the moment I noticed she wasn¡¯t among the wolves you found. She¡¯s closed herself off from the pack. Something must have happened between the wolves for her to go dark like that. ¡°Cole, would you deal with those ones while I look for my sister?¡± Katie asked the ck wolf that ran beside her. ¡°Yeah, I can do that. Be careful. Jeremiah might have followed us here,¡± the alpha replied. ¡°Aww, it¡¯s nice when you worry about me,¡± the girl cooed before veering off their general direction and focusing on an entirely different target. Katie partially wondered what the three wolves were doing in one ce and not trying to get back to the hotel, but left those thoughts to the back of her mind. Her sister was still missing and she needed to find her quickly, ¡°You better be careful too, Cole.¡± She called back. ............ Lina Sirius ran with no particr direction in mind. Well, that had been after she realised she was lost. Her obvious destination had been the hotel, but after running about the forest for much longer than she would have expected in a direction she was sure was the hotel, she came to the conclusion that she waspletely and utterly lost. Her ears and nose continued to pick up on different smells. Many of them were new, but that wasn¡¯t the part that frightened her. It was the fact that she could tell the intention behind each scent. The animals of the forest weren¡¯t so kind to intruders and she found that every direction she turned, there was a scent she felt she should stay wary of. The problem of running at such a high speed was that it made tracking difficult. She couldn¡¯t run at top speed and track at the same time. ..... After going around in circles, dodging a myriad of different animals that gave her a murderous stare the moment they saw her, she confirmed there was nothing she could do to find her way back to the hotel. Her mind gued her with constant worries of never being able to fit into the society she was born into. What Liam had said made sense to her... It always did and it always had. After all, that had been her life for as long as she could remember. Filled with the sense of loneliness she thought she¡¯d gotten rid of, Lina kept herself closed off from the rest of the pack and walked into a cave to find some warmth. Little did the girl know that the cave belonged to a mother bear that had left her cub to rest within the warm confines of the cave. The wolf had left tracks at the very entrance of the cave and all evidence of her invasion. How could she know! This was her first time in the wild and she knew nothing about it. ............. Katie ran through the forest in search of her sister. It was starting to feel like she was never going to find her. The voices in the woods were far too many for her to filter and no matter what she tried, her power as well as the voices of the creatures of the woods reached her mind the same way and filtering them out was almost impossible for her. However, giving up was not an option and she continued to trudge forward. The search was futile and she dashed through the woods like a gust of wind, keeping at the right amount of speed to be barely a disturbance to the wildlife as well as keep an eye out for her sister. Her eyes and ears were peeled for any sign which never came and right when she was about to give up, she heard something... A whisper, no, a growl, or was it a squeak... It didn¡¯t make sense that the sound wasn¡¯t human, but what was even more bizzare was the fact that she understood what it had said or squeaked, ¡®The forest is full of white wolves today. They are just whizzing past like it¡¯s mating season...¡¯ Katie might have been offended by the meaning behind the sounds, but she was now even more curious to know where it was they had seen a white wolf. Skidding to a stop, she searched the woods for the sound of the voice and soon enough came face to face with a pair of squirrels. The two creatures stared at her curiously before squeaking once more... ¡®What is she looking at...¡¯ ¡®I think she¡¯s looking at you...¡¯ ¡®I have seen many things in my lifetime, but this might just be the weirdest of all of them. Maybe I¡¯m just imagining things,¡¯ Katie thought to herself. ¡°Maybe she finally ran crazy,¡± the other squirrel squeaked before bursting into a fit of squeakyughter. The girl was even more amused by this. The more she watched the two of them, the more she heard their speech clearly. ¡®What would even be the use of being able to understand these woond creatures?¡¯ the girl thought to herself, ¡®However, if they could help me find my sister...¡¯ She cringed at the thought of having to ask squirrels for help. There was simply so much wrong about the situation and yet, there was everything natural about it as well, ¡®I might be bing more animal than I ever thought I¡¯d get,¡¯ the girl thought to herself once more. ¡°Did the other white wolfe through here?¡± she tried, however, her voice came out as more of a bark. This was, by far, the most ridiculous thing she¡¯d ever tried and felt like the stupidest wolf in the world for even trying it. ¡°This one is quite rude despite her charming appearances,¡± one of the squirrels told his friend. ¡°Yes, yes, very rude indeed. How dare she speak to us in that tone? Although I am curious to know why the wolf wants to know where the other wolf is. Maybe the two of them are fighting for a mate,¡± the friend responded with augh. ¡®Let me take the wheel, Katie,¡¯ Ashley whispered into the girl¡¯s mind. ¡®Did you know werewolves could understand other creatures?¡¯ Katie asked her. ¡®Oh, no. Werewolves can¡¯t understand other creatures. It just so happens to be one of the abilities that have been granted to you as the moon goddess¡¯ chosen. It is an honour to have such an amazing gift. Just think about it. We could find out where Lina is pretty easily with this power. Just let me do the talking,¡¯ the wolf replied. The hunterplied and let the wolf take control of the body, ¡°This wolf is bipr...¡± one of the squirrels observed. ¡°Oh yeah, I have heard of those. I haven¡¯t gotten the chance to see one though. So you mean she could either be very mean or very nice right now?¡± the friend asked. It was amusing to both the wolf and the girl to watch these two speak as though they were normal humans. ¡°May I have your assistance in finding the other white wolf? She¡¯s my sister and I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve lost her,¡± Ashley took a stab atmunication. She sounded much less fiercepared to her counterpart who internally rolled her eyes at the wolf, ¡®Show off...¡¯ ¡°Oh, I like this one. She¡¯s super nice... Tell you whatdy. Your white sister might have been a little bit... okay, very lost and she might have sort of walked into a mother bear¡¯s den. I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll make it and even if you go to help her, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll make it either,¡± the squirrels announced. ¡°Can you take me to the den? Maybe I can reason with the mother bear and get her to let my sister go,¡± Ashley replied. ¡°No, that won¡¯t work. The mother bear listens to no one. If you go there, she will definitely kill you as well. I say you forget about your...¡± ¡°I¡¯m a wolf and wolves don¡¯t leave any of their own behind. Please... I¡¯m begging you. Help me find my sister. You don¡¯t have to get involved with the mother bear. I will handle that on my own,¡± Ashley replied, cutting the squirrel off on his depressing preconceived conclusion on her situation. ¡°Well, you ask so nicely it makes it so hard to resist what you are asking me to do for you,¡± the squirrel replied calmly, ¡°Follow us. We¡¯ll show you to the den and once we¡¯re there, we¡¯ll be on out way. You¡¯ll never hear of us ever again.¡± The squirrels, dashing through the trees, began to lead the girl to her destination. It wasn¡¯t long before Katie began to spot a small set of wolf tracks, separated by arge width. Her sister had an impressive stride when she was running. Katie admired the girl¡¯s athletic trail until she found another set of footprints,rger footprints. The sound of arge growl tore through the forest¡¯s calm atmosphere... ¡°Katie, have you found her?¡± Cole¡¯s voice came through the mind link. ¡°Yeah, I found her,¡± Katie replied. What she didn¡¯t tell him was just how much trouble the girl had gotten herself into. Chapter 188 188 Chapter One Hundred Eighty Eight Katie ran faster when she noticed the two sets of footprints. The scent of the bear was fresher than that of the white wolf she¡¯d been searching for. It was only now that she was finally able to pick up on the path the girl had taken. It seemed she had also been running about in circles before she settled into the cave. ¡°Lina...¡± Katie tried calling through the mind link, but there was no response. The girl had blocked them out. All that was left was a race against time. Bracing herself lower to the ground, the white wolfunched into a sprint faster than she normally ran. Lina, on the other hand, stood in the centre of a cave, sandwiched by two bears. One was a sleeping cub and the other was the cub¡¯s mother who had only just returned from her hunt. Two fishy on the ground at the entrance of the cave. They smelt fresh and made Lina¡¯s stomach growl, ¡®Not at a time like this...¡¯ The bear growled at her anger written all over its body. The bear took up too much space, blocking all forms of exit that the wolf had hoped for. Fear gripped the girl as she stared at therge angry bear. The bear took another step into the cave, forcing the girl to take a step back. A growl warned her of her actions and she looked behind only to notice the sleeping cub was the next thing she would be stepping. Lina stepped aside and pushed back so that she avoided the cub. The bear was still for a moment... Katie knew there was no excuse for her intrusion and there wasn¡¯t a thought in the bear¡¯s mind that suggested letting go of the home invader. ¡®If only I could speak to animals, this could be a decent negotiation,¡¯ the girl thought to herself. Her wolf tried getting her to contact the other werewolves toe and help her, but she perished the thought at the influence of Liam¡¯s words, ¡®No one will help us when they know we might just die from this. If anything, it will be an opportunity for them to receive information about the death of the runt. The perfect tragic story for the unfortunate abomination of a royal,¡¯ the girl responded to the wolf¡¯s pleas. When it was clear that the girl was not going to let the mind link open, the wolf went dead silent. The light rumble of thunder reached the insides of the cave, sparking recognition in the girl¡¯s eyes. She knew there wasn¡¯t a chance of a cloud in the sky and there was only one person close enough that could run fast enough to produce such effects. ¡®She learnt to control how much energy she uses when running...¡¯ the girl noticed. The bear sniffed the air and took notice of the change in the wolf¡¯s demeanour. Something waspletely wrong and the bear could tell. A loud growl got the young cub to wake up. There was a period of confusion before the little cub ran to his mother, hiding beneath her legs for protection. It was only a moment before a new scent filled the air. The sound of rushing footsteps soon came to a stop. Lina never thought she¡¯d ever be happy to see her beloved sister step in to rescue her. Arge majestic white wolf with bright blue eyes walked into the cave filling the space to the same size as that of the bear, ¡®I never noticed how big Katie was...¡¯ Lina thought to herself as she admired her saviour. Katie was relieved to find her sister unharmed. ¡®Those damned squirrels barely put me at the entrance of the cave,¡¯ she grumbled mentally, ¡®At least they pointed me in the right direction. Besides, I doubt I could have made it in time if I followed at their pace.¡¯ ..... ¡°So there are more of them. Stay hidden, son, I will make sure these mutts never see the light of day,¡± the trantion of a growl ryed itself into Katie¡¯s mind. She wanted to spend some time screaming at the fact that she¡¯d just discovered an ability she still found no use for... Well, she was just about to try and negotiate for her sister¡¯s life, but she saw no other time she would ever need this power. The more she thought of it, the more she realised the ability was probably going toe in handy much more than she¡¯d initially thought it to be. Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she spoke up, letting Ashley ry her messages, ¡°We mean you no harm. My sister wandered off and got lost. I havee looking for her,¡± Katie replied to the bear. The bear was frozen for a moment and so was Lina. For a moment, the girl wondered whether she¡¯d heard her sister right. The wolf had just spoken through sounds she wasn¡¯t sure where possible and the message had actually been tranted in her mind. It was almost as though the wolf was making actual human words and yet she wasn¡¯t actually doing so... ¡®What in the world...¡¯ ¡°I was sure mutts of your kind could not speak thenguage of the wild. What are you?¡± the bear asked the hunter. This part of the conversation waspletely lost to Lina. The bear sounded like it was growling and Katie barely flinched at what looked like a threat. ¡°I am one of the moon goddess¡¯ chosen. I have only noticed that I have the ability to speak to animals. I¡¯m actually still getting to understand how it works. Thankfully, I can exin what happened with my sister to you and spare any bloodshed,¡± Katie tried. ¡°Oh, you misunderstand. Your sister is not going anywhere. Anyone who enters my cave is bound to be killed by me and that¡¯s how it¡¯s always been,¡± the bear replied with a low growl of annoyance. ¡°I ask that you make an exception. That girl is the daughter of the Werewolf King. If you killed her and I told him that she was killed even after trying to negotiate with you, the Werewolf King will not hesitate to send a pack of wolves to hunt you down,¡± Katie responded. ¡°So now you threaten me? You¡¯ve got some nerve, chosen one...¡± the bear spat at her, ¡°The rules of the wild are not the same as those in the big pce you probably live in.¡± ¡°I know that, but I know there is a rule of the wild that works in the human world as well. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Kill that girl and the pack will seek revenge for their fallen one,¡± Katie tried. She had tried asking nicely and was running out of patience with the bear. It was already veryte and her sister needed her to sleep if there was ever going to be a chance she could beat Liam. The bear stared at the white wolf for a moment, taking in the colossal size of the abnormal wolf that continued to negotiate for the release of her sister. ¡°I can tell that you¡¯re powerful. Why don¡¯t you just take your sister for yourself without bothering with me?¡± the bear asked her. Katie was shocked by the question for a moment. The girl sighed and let her eyes drop to the small cub that was between the bear¡¯s paws, tucked away in the safety of its mother¡¯s body. ¡®Aww, Katie¡¯s a softie...¡¯ ¡®Only when ites to kids...¡¯ Katie defended herself before Ashley could make a big deal out of the situation. ¡°You¡¯re protecting one of your own, aren¡¯t you? That cannot be a questioning from you,¡± Katie replied. The bear looked back at the white wolf trapped within the inside of the cave and back at the one that hade to her rescue. The resemnce was impossible to miss. They were rted and the one that had wandered off was definitely younger than the other. ¡°You can leave with your sister,¡± the bear conceded, stepping out of the cave to let the werewolf out. Katie bid the bear farewell and was soon dashing with her sister, the hotel set as their destination. ¡°Since when can you speak to animals?¡± Lina yelled through the mind link. The hunter cringed at the girl¡¯s surprise, ¡°Well, I only found out today when I was looking for you. I need an exnation for that though.¡± ¡°Oh, it is said that the chosen ones were given random powers by the goddess. I guess speaking to animals was one of yours. Are you telling me you don¡¯t know your powers yet?¡± Lina eximed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I was getting powers from the goddess and I honestly don¡¯t think I want powers from her. I keep remembering what Cole¡¯s ability did to him just for using it. It¡¯s not something I would like to go through,¡± Katie said to her. ¡°It isn¡¯t always something that can backfire like that. Look at how resilient he is. You can barely scratch him. That might even be the reason Drake lost in that fight as well as the same reason Frank lost against him,¡± Lina spiralled off into more thoughts. Katie, however, was worried for her. ¡°What happened, Lina? What are you doing out here?¡± Katie asked her, finally letting go of her issues with speaking to animals. It was an issue she¡¯d wish to address another time. Lina¡¯s mode dropped. Instead of talking to her, the girl ran off faster than they had been running. Katie got even more worried by this reaction and tapped into her Prometheus gift to keep up with her sister. ¡°Lina, please tell me. You¡¯ll get us lost again if you keep this up.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to protect me whenever something goes wrong, Katie. So just let it go and leave me alone. I can find my way back to the hotel,¡± the girl yelled back through the mind link. The mind link allowed the flow of emotions if someone focused and Katie had been trying to read her sister since they¡¯d gotten out of the cave. ¡± I can¡¯t leave you like this... You¡¯re bordering self-destruction... No one can go through what you¡¯re going through on their own. I hope it doesn¡¯t anger you, but I¡¯m not going anywhere, Lina,¡± she reached out running beside the slender white wolf. Katie could feel her own bulky wolf getting tired and yet she could tell that Lina was only getting started. ¡®If only you knew how impressive you are...¡¯ the girl thought to herself. Chapter 189 189 Chapter One Hundred Eighty Nine Lina ran faster, trying to get away from her prying sister, however, the hunter was far from done. She sped up and blocked the girl¡¯s path, growling at her, ¡°How long will you be running?¡± the hunter barked at her, ¡°That will never solve any of your problems. You forget the colour of your eyes, Lina. The world will always revolve around you.¡± ¡°You know nothing about me, Katie. Just leave me alone. You only walked into my life recently. I wouldn¡¯t expect you to understand when you haven¡¯t been part of our kind for that long,¡± the younger wolf retaliated. Katie was taken aback by her response, but it was not enough to make her back off, ¡°This has nothing to do with me spending thergest part of my life as a human. I wasn¡¯t any human. I was a part of the Chase family. Everyone was always looking at me for results and I had to make it happen...¡± ¡°That¡¯s different. Hunters aren¡¯t driven by their emotions. They are just walking robots that have the same beliefs and a system that¡¯s fair. Werewolves rely on strength and emotions. They listen to their hearts. If I am not fit to be a royal in their eyes, there is nothing that can change that,¡± Lina argued. ¡°You¡¯re not weak, Lina. You¡¯ve never been. You are what you believe you are...¡± ¡°It¡¯s so easy for you to say. I doubt you¡¯ve ever failed in your life even once. You¡¯re so perfect. The one junior hunter that was able to receive her Prometheus gifts before she was even eighteen. Aplete prodigy. How would you ever know how I feel?¡± the girl yelled at her. Since the start of this argument, Katie had chosen to keep her head strong no matter what the girl threw at her. After hearing thising from her, she felt as though she couldn¡¯t go on. Lina noticed her odd silence, ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the hotel...¡± Katie said after a moment. Turning around, the girl started off in a jog, ¡°Are youing?¡± ¡®What... just happened?¡¯ Lina thought to herself. She¡¯d only been yelling at her perfect sister, she hadn¡¯t known there was something that could hurt her. She never showed weakness no matter what was thrown at her. Lina knew this from what she¡¯d seen and all the stories that she¡¯d heard about her. This was different... ¡°Katie, wait...¡± ............ ..... Cole and the others finally reached the hotel, shifting back into their human forms. The delta had to go back to the ce she had kept her clothes to dress up. The royal began pacing about in frustration at what the wolves had done. Wyatt chose this moment to walk away, ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Cole growled at the boy. ¡°Umm, my room. That is where we¡¯re supposed to be, isn¡¯t it?¡± Wyatt feigned innocence. ¡°Not until I¡¯m done with you,¡± Cole growled at him. ¡°Alpha Cole, we got stuck in quicksand. Did you honestly think we could make it back in time in such a condition?¡± Wyatt continued. The royal walked up to him fuming and stopped too close to the alpha forfort, staring him in the eye. The alpha stared back at him with a clear amount of defiance. Before Wyatt could utter another word, he crumpled to the ground, clutching his stomach from a sudden punch from the royal, ¡°You¡¯re walking a thin...¡± ¡°Oh, shut up. You¡¯re in need of an education. You got my mate¡¯s sister lost in a game reserve. Do you have any idea what you have done?¡± Cole yelled at him. ¡°I allowed her to let loose in the wild. She¡¯ll make it back. You said the princess was found and safe. Isn¡¯t that what we should be focused on now?¡± Wyatt replied betweenboured breaths. Cole chuckled darkly, ¡°It seems you have never seen a hunter spill blood.¡± Wyatt¡¯s blood went cold at the royal¡¯s words, ¡°What are you trying to say, Alpha Cole?¡± he asked, getting up. He¡¯d recovered from the assault, but felt the effect would take a while to heal. ¡°Katie Sirius has no control of her temper yet. Make a mistake and she just might kill you. It wasn¡¯t long ago that I saved Crysta from losing her life. How dense can one werewolf really be?¡± Cole was writhing. ¡°Cole, you can calm her down, can¡¯t you? I tried to keep the princess out of trouble. That¡¯s got to count for something,¡± Crysta asked Cole. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can, but you all know the nature of a werewolf. You will be on her hitlist until you find a way to ount for what you have done. Unless her wolf can forgive you for the stunt you have pulled, you better watch your back,¡± Cole replied, rubbing his temples. Taking his anger out on the wolves before him just didn¡¯t feel worth it at the moment. He was more worried about his mate. He could feel a multitude of emotionsing from her. ¡°Why are you all on edge? It¡¯s not like there are rogues in the game reserve,¡± Liam shrugged. ¡°Oh, is that what you think?¡± Cole asked, trying to recall when the alphas had be so oblivious to the situation they were in. ¡°Why would rogues be so far from the two moon goddess¡¯ chosen?¡± ¡°What...¡± the three of them eximed in unison. Cole looked from one to the other and sighed, ¡°The rogues are always looking for an opening to kill one of us. Just a few days ago, they almost captured Lina. I can¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t even know that. Does the alpha evenmunicate with the pack?¡± ¡°We thought those were all rumours. Alpha Davin never confirmed what happened,¡± Crysta responded. ¡°I see... Well, now you know...¡± just then a voice interrupted the four of them. ¡°Wyatt ck, we had an agreement,¡± turning around, Cole took in the image of the junior hunter before him. Trevor, for the first time, bore a dangerous look on his face. He barely showed his expression, but his tone tranted his message. He was angry. An agreement had been broken and he wasn¡¯t in the mood to let it go. ¡°Did we now?¡± Wyatt replied, his eyes shing red at the junior hunter before him. Cole got the impression something more was going on before him and he chose to give the two of them some space so he could watch what would unfold. ¡°Yes, we did... And you broke it. Now surprise there, however, you won¡¯t be getting off with a p on the wrist,¡± Trevor said coolly. The alpha growled at him and this was followed by the metallic sound of a chain. Thick chains dropped from the junior hunter¡¯s sleeves before he brandished them. ¡°Junior hunters are not allowed to have weapons without authorization, but no one said we couldn¡¯t improvise. Think long and hard, dear alpha. Attacking me might just be the reason you get to enjoy this tour with a limp in your step.¡± The threat was clear as day. Cole smirked, ¡®This must be interesting.¡¯ The alpha looked at him, possibly for help, but he only shrugged and made it clear he wasn¡¯t nning to interfere, ¡°You¡¯re a traitor, Cole Lycaon,¡± Wyatt whispered into his mind. ¡°Call it what you may. You brought this on yourself. I would believe your father would have wanted you to show how mature you are before getting the chance to be crown heir to his pack,¡± Cole replied with a shrug through the mind link, ¡°I would think hard and well before rushing to any decisions.¡± This advice stung considering Cole had only recently given a Mighty Warrior a massive pummelling. ¡®I feel like the biggest hypocrite right now...¡¯ he mentally chuckled. His wolf agreed. ................ Lina followed her sister in silence. She finally opened up to the mind link again so that she could reach out to her sister, however, the girl had blocked plenty of the openmunication through the mind link, ¡®Huh, she got good in controlling what flowed out of her mind this quickly... She really is a fast learner. Which proves my point?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s a cold night,¡± the girl tried to break the silence. ¡°A werewolf shouldn¡¯tin,¡± Katie replied with no hint of interest in her voice. ¡°Well, we can also tell. It¡¯s only right that we canin as well,¡± Lina continued. To this, her sister did not respond. The girl sighed, ¡°Was it something I said?¡± ¡°Try again, sister,¡± Katie replied after a moment of silence. Sighing, Lina replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Katie. I wasn¡¯t thinking when I we were arguing.¡± Katie was silent a while. Lina had the time to question everything that could have been running through her sister¡¯s mind. Her curiosity was eating at her. This whole time, the girl was the perfect wonder that never did anything wrong, with the exception of showing upte to school. No one ever said anything wrong about the girl and even when they spoke of how she didn¡¯t know how to hold back during training, Lina saw it as a good quality. There was simply no getting past her perfect image. ¡°Gaining Prometheus gifts at an early age isn¡¯t normal, Lina. Something has to have happened in someone¡¯s life for something like that to happen,¡± Katie replied finally, ¡°And I¡¯m not perfect either. I stumble all the time. I even fall... If it wasn¡¯t for Cole, I¡¯d be dead...¡± Chapter 190 190 Chapter One Hundred Ny Lina was speechless at the revtion. Her sister¡¯s voice was filled with both sadness and fear. Emotions that didn¡¯t fit the picture Lina had of her. She remembered the girl that had downed a tree from missing a hit that was meant for Crysta. She remembered the girl that had been the source of a thunderp that rumbled through the capital of Sirius. She was achieving feats that were only known toe from people twice her age and yet, here she was... showing a side Lina never thought she had. ¡°Why would you say something like that? You¡¯re great at everything you set your mind to...¡± Katie chuckled at the girl, ¡°We all have our faults, Lina. They might not always be clear, but they are there and they are dangerous to every one of us.¡± ¡°What fault do you have? Surprise me...¡± Lina asked. ¡°Well, you were there in Brigadia. Why don¡¯t you tell me?¡± Katie answered her with a question. Lina didn¡¯t want to think back to that moment. She had been among the only people to reach her sister when she¡¯d been shot by four arrows. She had offered to carry her away. Seeing that her sister had understood what she was trying to mean, ¡°No one starts out strong in this world, Lina. We do what we can to get stronger. True strength, however, doesn¡¯te from how many wolves you can defeat. You watched me get downed by an archer. Was that a show of strength or recklessness?¡± ¡°You do realise you are insulting yourself right now?¡± Lina asked her sister. ¡°I know what I did wrong, Lina. I¡¯m not perfect. I just can¡¯t stand back when I know I can do something. The two of us... We¡¯re faster than most in the pack and with that speed. There are times when every second counts, Lina. You¡¯re not weak,¡± Katie told her. ¡°That¡¯s very easy for you to say...¡± Lina grumbled, ¡°You know nothing of...¡± She stopped herself, noticing the repeat of the same words she¡¯d only apologised for. ..... Katie noticed this and chose to shed more light on what she wasn¡¯t understanding, ¡°You said something about me knowing nothing of failure,¡± Lina remained quiet at the girl¡¯s words... ¡°Well, that¡¯s not exactly true... I have lost so many times. Would you consider the battle in Brigadia a win for me?¡± ¡°You keep going back to that stupid battle. You could have never known that a hunter was helping the rogue king,¡± Lina grumbled. ¡°Oh, is that what you think?¡± Katie chuckled, ¡°Did you know that I can catch arrows fired at me?¡± Lina perked up in surprise, ¡°That¡¯s even more impressive... wait, why didn¡¯t you catch those ones then?¡± ¡°I was at my limit. Holding Kyle, facing the rogue king and both his beta alphas, no energy left in my body and with hundreds of rogues behind me. I was trapped and I¡¯d gotten myself in that situation,¡± Katie responded. ¡°You didn¡¯t have a choice, Katie. They were going to take him and you had to do something or else they would have taken Kyle. You couldn¡¯t stand back and let them take him,¡± Lina argued. ¡°And what would that have gotten me... Jeremiah spared me. He¡¯s a much better shot than that and yet he intentionally shot my joints,¡± Katie replied. Lina remained quiet for a bit. She couldn¡¯t argue with the girl¡¯s logic, however, she had no idea it haunted her as much as she showed her, ¡°Does it still haunt you? Do you think you made the wrong choice?¡± ¡°I try not to think about it. There was too much I didn¡¯t know about what I was getting myself into. It was the perfect trap. If Jackeline hadn¡¯t showed up in time, the rogue king would have killed me,¡± Katie sighed. ¡°That woman was scary...¡± Lina shuddered, ¡°Katie, what are the conditions for someone to get Prometheus gifts?¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s true. It¡¯s not like Prometheus if fond ofmunicating with humans, but if I was to say, it would be someone¡¯s character,¡± Katie answered her thoughtfully, ¡°Now race me, Lina Sirius...¡± Lina¡¯s wolf perked up at the challenge, ¡°I¡¯m not actually sure where the hotel...¡± Just then, the girl picked up on the scents of the other wolves that had already made it through to the hotel, ¡°Never mind, you¡¯re on, Katie ¡®Chase''¡± Katie chuckled at the girl¡¯s enthusiasm before skidding to halt, forced to stop by a tempest of wind that formed when the white wolf beside her suddenly dashed forward, vanishing from view before Katie could tell what had just happened, ¡°Katie let me take over, please...¡± Ashley begged once more...¡± ¡°Why do I get the feeling you have something up your sleeve, you sneaky wolf?¡± Katie groaned as she allowed the wolf to take control of her body. Immediately Ashley had taken control of the girl¡¯s body, she shifted back into her human form and back into her wolf form. The difference almost went unnoticed to Katie, but she didn¡¯t feel the same... So much so that she simply got too curious and had to know what had changed. Instead of the bulky strong massive white wolf she usually transformed into, she wasrge and slender. Built for speed and not strength... ¡°Oh, Lina is going to be so jealous... When were you going to tell me this was possible?¡± Katie asked her. ¡°Three powers, Katie... That¡¯s what the moon goddess granted her chosen, however, they were all meant to reveal themselves at a time when they needed them. That is why I cannot tell you each of your abilities until the time is right. Consider it a wild card though. Alhtough, with the power you already have, there is the option of you never learning about your third power,¡± the wolf replied before feeling the ground in her paws. The feel of the new body was different. She felt as though moving was as simple as breathing. After getting a feel of the transformation, she dashed forward, leaving a dust cloud in her wake as well as the light sound of thunder. The usual exhaustion the girl got each time she used this much speed didn¡¯t catch up to her this time. The wind was much easier for her to cut through while she ran and she found that she could run much faster when she wanted to. The two entities barely noticed when it was that they¡¯d taken control of the body and in total sync, rushed forward after their sister. The hotel was in view when they finally caught a glimpse of the white wolf rushing before them. Katie¡¯s senses red up. She could tell something was wrong. Digging deeper, she rushed forward and caught up to her sister, her protective instincts kicking in. She had no idea what was happening, but she didn¡¯t like it. Whatever it was, she was going to put an end to it... or so she thought... ........ ¡°You like messing about whenever you get the chance to, don¡¯t you, Waters? I have warned you so many times to keep to yourself if you don¡¯t want to have trouble with the werewolves. I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t forgotten what happened a few years ago. You fancied yourself a hero at the time. Or have you forgotten what the job of a hunter is?¡± Wyatt asked him. ¡°You know, Wyatt... I am the head of security. It doesn¡¯t matter whether the student is a werewolf or a student. Just this once, your actions don¡¯t matter whether they involve humans or not. Get in line and listen to what I tell before we have a problem on our hands,¡± Trevor replied. Words he knew would get on the werewolf¡¯s nerves. It made no difference to him, these were words he¡¯d wanted to tell the boy for a while. ¡°You get on my nerves, you know that,¡± Wyatt growled at Trevor. ¡°I know that, Wyatt. That wouldn¡¯t be the case though... If you only listened to what I asked of you. I wonder how you will get the position of future alpha if you keep up this rebellious streak,¡± Trevor shrugged, raising his hands to entuate his meaning, ¡°Honestly, what will they do with you?¡± The alphaunched into an attack, shifting into his ck wolf in the blink of an eye. That had been thest straw for him and he was determined to teach the junior hunter a lesson on respecting the race that bore red eyes. Trevor smirked and sidestepped just in time to dodge the attack. In the same moment, he began to wrap his chains around the wolf and restrain him. The chains went around the wolf¡¯s neck. Trevor got onto his back as though he¡¯d mounted a horse only to force the wolf to the ground with his legs wrapped around Wyatt¡¯s torso. The wolf was choking from the swift hold that now had the chain blocking his windpipe. Cole was impressed by the refined swift moves the hunter had utilised to restrain the wolf, something he hadn¡¯t been expecting. Just then, the low rumble of thunder reached their ears. Cole¡¯s wolf got excited, rming him of the new arrival, ¡°She¡¯s here,¡± Cole spoke up just as two slender white wolves with striking blue eyes emerged from the forest. They looked identical although one rushed faster than the other, her focus diverted to themotion that was taking ce before them. From the bond he shared with the white wolf, Cole was able to tell who it was. She looked very different from thest time he¡¯d seen her shifted, but her scent was exactly the same... intoxicating. The white wolf began to circle the two struggling creatures. ¡°Wee back, darling,¡± Cole pitched in. ¡°Thank you. Who knew Trevor could restrain an alpha. I¡¯m impressed. The chains are quite impressive as well as an idea,¡± Katie observed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to stop them?¡± Cole asked the white wolf that constantly circled the two fighters. ¡°I would, but after what Wyatt has done, I would much rather prefer watching him choke,¡± Katie replied with venom in her voice. For some reason, Cole was convinced she would kill the wolf otherwise. He stole a nce at Liam who was doing his best to remain invisible. It was obvious he was a part of the nningmittee for this little charade and yet the me was all falling to Wyatt... ¡®Such a coward...¡¯ Lina walked up to them after shifting into her human form and found the Trevor and Wyatt struggling on the ground. She wasn¡¯t one to let a fight keep going, but there seemed to be tension between the two of them and she wanted nothing to deal with any of it. ¡°Well, Wyatt, what do you say? Will you listen to what I have to say?¡± Trevor asked the wolf he had restrained. Wyatt had tried everything, but every move he made only made the chain around his neck even more unbearable. He then chose to shift back into his human form which was much smaller. Maybe then he could... before the thought was done, he felt the chain tighten around his neck the smaller he got. Trevor had been prepared to keep the chain around his neck even if he shifted. After realising just how stuck he was, he grumbled ¡°What do you suggest?¡± Chapter 191 191 Chapter One Hundred Ny One Trevor let go of the wolf, pushing him away as though Wyatt was a filthy rag that he didn¡¯t know was on him. Katie was impressed although she had no intention of expressing it to the boy. However, the short disy of power wasn¡¯t enough to quell the anger that raged on within the royal. ¡°You will be assigned to the patrols with the rest of the junior hunters. We are a little short on human resources. I¡¯m sure that will be no problem for you,¡± Trevor spoke up, folding his hands across his chest. ¡°Yeah, whatever...¡± Wyatt let his head fall into his hands. Right beside him, Katie had stopped pacing, ¡°and why is Lina hanging over me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m right here, Wyatt,¡± Lina spoke up, raising his mind for added effect. Wyatt¡¯s expression fell as reality finally came crashing down on him. The wolf beside him shifted back into her human form... Well, she was far too angry to make it that far and stopped in her half-shifted form which Wyatt found much scarier. The creature beside him had white hair(fur) that came down in a thinning line down to her nose. Her eyes were bright blue and clearly furious. ¡°Katie...¡± Cole called out to her. ¡°Not another word, Cole,¡± the girl ordered. ¡°Think about what you¡¯re doing, Katie. You can¡¯t make irrational decisions when...¡± the royal tried to reach her. ¡°I am perfectly aware of that, Cole. More than most of you, but I cannot let this go like I didn¡¯t find my sister about to be prey to a bear,¡± Katie yelled at him. The images only then flowed into the man¡¯s mind. Cole had nothing more to say on the matter. After the unbridled rage he¡¯d read from his mate, he knew his sway on her was limited. He only hoped there would be a body to return at least. He wanted to rush to her and stop her, but his wolf disagreed with that course of action. ¡®If you go too far...¡¯ he started through the mind link. ¡®Have a little faith in me, Cole...¡¯ ..... ¡®I find that hard to do when Crysta almost lost her life...¡¯ the girl was taken aback by this response. She mentally sighed before getting back to reality to pass her judgement. ¡°The royals have let the rest of the alphas do what they want for a long time that you are all starting to act a little out of line,¡± Katie spoke up. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk. You¡¯ve only been a royal for a few weeks,¡± Wyatt spat at her while she walked about. The girl¡¯s mind had alreadye up with a solution that could quell her anger without having to get violent with the boys. ¡°Well, I am a royal nheless. I have done my research, surprising as it might be, but I have done so. Alpha Wyatt and Alpha Liam are henceforth stripped of the right to take the position of alpha of their packs. Until you prove yourselves worthy of leading a pack, you will not be able to take over from your fathers,¡± Katie said to them. Wyatt rose from his spot on the ground, ¡°That¡¯s outrageous. You don¡¯t have the right to do such a thing.¡± He bellowed at the girl, his eyes shing bright red. ¡°I have half a mind topletely strip of your title and have you demoted straight to a normal werewolf,¡± the girl snapped back at him. The two of them stared at each other intently, tension building through the air. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have the power to do such a thing,¡± Liam¡¯s voice cut through the air, ¡°Does she?¡± ¡°She does... I have rarely seen it being done, but she can do it,¡± Cole sighed. ¡°And she is the only one that can revoke it. Your parents will be unable to help you out of this. Until the royal that dered this revokes it, you cannot be crowned heir to your pack.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. It breaks the rule of the royals renouncing the control they have over the rest of the werewolves,¡± Wyatt argued. ¡°It does... if Katie used her tone to enforce thisw. To keep the peace, your parents will have to abide by the rules and end all procedures to have you crowned,¡± Katie was able to calm down as her mate made the necessary exnations. She walked up to her sister and in a soft tone, ¡°Let¡¯s get you to your room.¡± Katie walked away with her sister, ¡°What about Crysta?¡± Liam mumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t lump me in with the likes of you. You can lick the wounds of your stupidity on your own,¡± the delta huffed, walking away from them. When she¡¯d just reached the entrance to the hotel, a mind link came through to her from Liam, ¡®Is that how much we mean to you?¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t try to guilt-trip me, Liam. I told you what¡¯s happening. It¡¯s up to you to ept the truth and find a way to fit into the world as it was meant to be. The life you thought you would lead... That¡¯s not what happens in the real world. You had your fun... Now wake up, unless you enjoy drowning,¡¯ Crysta replied, feeling a pang of pain that she¡¯d left them there. Cole gave his mate a tight hug as she passed by him, ¡°I didn¡¯t know...¡± he began whispering. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Cole. I blocked you out when I noticed how much trouble the girl was in. I didn¡¯t want you to worry about it,¡± The two of them parted and Cole stayed behind with the three boys. Trevor watched the scene with a look of interest. ¡°Katie and Cole make everything here so much more interesting. I only recently heard of someone giving a Mighty Warrior the beating of his life,¡± Trevor piped up when the girls were gone and burst intoughter of his own. When no oneughed with him, he only shrugged and continued tough on his own. The others only looked at him with looks of surprise... ¡®Talk of weird...¡¯ ¡°What are you still doing here?¡± Wyatt spat at the royal. ¡°I will make sure the two of you make it to your rooms as well. Who knows what could happen thiste in the night?¡± Cole replied with a sarcastic smile on his face. Liam was the first to start the walk back to the hotel, ¡°The room won¡¯t find us waiting out here. Damn you, Katie Sirius.¡± Even as the alpha walked, he could feel the sudden decrease in the power he held. The boost given to him by his status was starting to fade. He could feel that he was weaker and this only made his anger burn brighter, ¡®She thinks she¡¯s above thew and can walk around doing whatever she wants.¡¯ ¡°You will be careful what you say about the future Luna to the Lycaon empire,¡± Cole said to him, following behind Wyatt. ¡°I will say whatever I wish should be said...¡± ¡°Liam, that¡¯s enough,¡± Wyatt spoke up, cutting his friend off before he could make everything worse. Cole smiled at the smart move from the alpha. There was nothing good that could havee from saying more about the matter. ¡°It¡¯s never toote to choose a different path. Have you heard of an alpha¡¯s hunt?¡± the royal asked them. ¡°We have heard of it, but it¡¯s only something the royals go through. The alphaspete in the woods, performing various tasks that can only be aplished by the one who is destined to be king. It¡¯s a foolish tradition that I find useless,¡± Liam replied. ¡°Well, only someone that would find it useless would be this bad at ruling a pack. Until Katie deems you worthy of taking over your pack, you won¡¯t be able to. Your powers as an alpha diminished. You¡¯re a stubborn one...¡± ¡°Quiet, all of you... Just... shut it...¡± Wyatt snapped at the two of them. Cole spared him a nce and took notice of his crestfallen expression. His anger softened at the sight of the alpha. Unlike Liam, Wyatt looked sad about what had happened. ¡®There might be hope for them yet...¡¯ ............ The three girls walked together, Crysta staying behind them while they made their way to Lina¡¯s room. The sound of their footsteps echoed through the halls. The soundsing from the other rooms were limited and few. ¡®These students are quiet... If only those in Brigadia were this quiet during lunch hours. They would make the meal so much more enjoyable...¡¯ ¡°Do you have to follow us all the way, Crysta?¡± Katie asked the tail following them. ¡°Well, if it doesn¡¯t bother you, I would also like to see that the princess makes it back to her room,¡± the delta replied, sending them into another short silence, ¡°...along with one other thing.¡± ¡°I was almost impressed,¡± Lina chuckled. ¡°Well, I would have done this anyway, but what I¡¯ve seen today has left me curious. Every day with the moon goddess¡¯ chosen is a day of new surprises,¡± Crysta argued, calming down while she finished. ¡°Well, then out with it then. What are you asking?¡± Katie asked her. ¡°Well, I saw youe from the forest with Lina. You looked just like her and I don¡¯t mean you were white. I mean...¡± ¡°Thin, slender... malnourished...¡± Lina interrupted. ¡°I said nothing about thatst one and it¡¯s not true,¡± Crysta snapped at her. ¡°If only I¡¯d heard that these past years, I would believe you,¡± Crysta was silenced. It was finallying out. Lina was not going to make her redemption easy and she¡¯d known it. It still didn¡¯t prepare her for what was to happen, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lina. It was never true.¡± Lina was taken aback by the sudden apology, ¡°No...¡± she replied, her voice breaking, ¡°You don¡¯t get to apologize for that easily after all this time. People don¡¯t just turn a new leaf the moment someone new walks into town.¡± Katie was surprised by the sudden outburst and found herself going over the words that had just been spoken or more like yelled. ¡®Huh, someone¡¯s new is in town, who came into... Oh, they just talked about me and I didn¡¯t even notice...¡¯ she shrugged. Chapter 192 192 Chapter One Hundred Ny Two Katie stepped away from the two girls and leaned against the wall aside from them. If only there was a way she could be invisible, this would have been a good time to do it. Lina red at the delta before her, an expression Katie found hard to decipher stered on her sister¡¯s face. Emotions were mixed into her countenance as though she was deciding how to feel about the person before her. ¡°I know that Lina... and I won¡¯t try to pretend I didn¡¯t do anything to make your life terrible these past years. I know what I have done and I know what I should have done, but still...¡± the delta bit her lip and looked away from the royal. The words couldn¡¯t quite get out of her. ¡°Still what, Crysta?¡± Lina called out to her. The delta sighed, ¡°I won¡¯t let it go on the way it¡¯s been all this time. I might be toote. I might be on time, but I will do what I must to put an end to this,¡± her voice was almost a whisper. ¡°Sounds more like something you tell yourself to sleep at night,¡± Katie pitched in all of a sudden. Crysta snapped at her, a look of shock on her face, ¡°That¡¯s...¡± ¡°Cruel, I know,¡± the girl said, pushing off the wall and walking up to the delta, ¡°However, if you want to aplish the small dream I just heard you whisper, you¡¯ll have to be a lot louder than that.¡± ¡°I will do it,¡± Crysta growled at Katie. ¡°Oh, I know you will try. I¡¯ll just be watching to see how far you¡¯re willing to go,¡± Katie replied, ¡°Good night, Crysta. We¡¯ve reached Crysta¡¯s room.¡± Katie put her arm around her sister and steered her away from the seething delta. A smirk that she hid from Lina appeared on her face. She was happy to finally see someone step up amidst the unfairness that surrounded her sister. ..... The door of the green floral room opened the moment they reached it, revealing a slim girl dressed in a green night gown. She didn¡¯t bother with greeting them as she was very sleepy to take pleasantries into consideration, ¡°You spend a really long time in the bathroom, Lina,¡± Honour yawned, rubbing her eyes. ¡°You opened this door before we knocked. Stop pretending to be sleepy,¡± Lina scoffed and pushed past her friend. Honour got out of the girl¡¯s way just in time to avoid being shoved back into the room. Lina stomped over to one of the two beds and allowed herself to fall into the bed. Katie stepped into the room and closed the door beside her, sighing, ¡°I would tell you not to forget where the shower is, but there are more important things to talk about than that.¡± ¡°I will take a bath, no problem. What are you still doing here, Katie?¡± Lina asked. ¡°Well...¡± she stalled, ¡°I wanted us to be clear that I won that small race we had.¡± Lina perked up from her bed and faced the hunter, ¡°No, that is not true. I won it and we both know you cheated. Since when does your wolf look exactly like mine.¡± ¡°Oh, that was cool, wasn¡¯t it?¡± the hunter swooned, remembering the feel of the wind when she ran in her new form. She cut through the air with so much ease that she didn¡¯t realise how much the air itself had been holding her back. Her mind soared back to the experience and finally to the point where she was sure she had beaten the girl to the clearing before the hotel. ¡°No, it¡¯s not good. You don¡¯t know what happens to werewolves that look weird like me. You don¡¯t have to be happy about having a form that¡¯s...¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting tired of hearing you putting yourself down,¡± Katie snapped at her. When she noticed the look of fear on her sister¡¯s face, she calmed down, rubbing her temples, ¡°You¡¯re the fastest of all of them. I¡¯ve been a hunter the biggest part of my life. I know what speed means for those of us that have hunted down rogues. I hope Sandra has been teaching you well.¡± Lina¡¯s eyes widened at the realisation, ¡°I thought...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of watching werewolves fighting werewolves when rogues still roam the killing both races. It¡¯s pointless and childish... However, I didn¡¯t say I was against it. Do your best tomorrow,¡± Katie told her, searching for the door. ¡®This would be a good time for an exit...¡¯ Ashley sang in her head. ¡®And now it feels like you¡¯ve just ruined it...¡¯ ¡®Well, I would be thinking of where Cole was right about now if I were you,¡¯ Ashley stirred her focus. ¡°I need to go check on Cole and the two rejects...¡± Katie mentioned before opening the door, ¡°Have a good night.¡± The two of them replied and with that, the girl walked out of the room and into the hallway. She let her bond open up to her mate and began to follow where it is she felt he would be, ¡®See, I told you it was much easier for you to look for someone through...¡¯ ¡®Oh, would you stop praising your abilities already? He¡¯s not in our room and that is what should be causing you reason to worry,¡¯ Katie tried. ¡®Oh, you haven¡¯t seen what I have. Cole is more than capable of taking care of himself,¡¯ Ashley replied. ¡®What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡¯ the wolf was silent and non-respondent after that, earning a loud groan from Katie as they neared a room that radiated testosterone. The door was open and five werewolves upied it. Cole stood with his alphas facing Liam and Wyatt who were seated still on a bed paying attention to the royal that spoke to them. The voices from the room went silent as soon as the girl had seen them. Cole turned to face her, ¡°Hey honey. Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No, I was just wondering where you were,¡± she replied, staying at the threshold of the doorway, ¡°Jason, where did Sandra sleep?¡± ¡°Wondering where many people are is more like it,¡± Cole smirked. ¡°Well, if I¡¯m not mistaken, your follower is bunking with Crysta. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a wisebination, but it is what it is. The delta wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. It was either Honour or Sandra and that was final. I felt sorry for Bree and Ginger. Crysta barely pays them much attention these days...¡± Jasonmunicated. Sensing his mate¡¯s unrest, ¡°You understand what we¡¯ve just discussed. I don¡¯t think I need to add anymore on the matter,¡± Cole summarised the confrontation and walked up to her, ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I just realised there are a lot of people to watch out for and I can¡¯t be in all those ces at once,¡± she replied as they walked away. ¡°I can vouch for Crysta. She has purely good intentions,¡± Caden spoke up, keeping emotion out of his voice while he did. ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it,¡± Katie responded without sparing it a second thought, ¡°Would you get me to their room at least. That should be myst stop before I get to bed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quitete, Katie. You should get some rest,¡± Cole tried, even though he was well aware of her response to his suggestion. ¡°I will get the rest I need, Cole. All in good time,¡± it was no use arguing with her. ¡®You¡¯re impossible, my love,¡¯ Cole¡¯s voice echoed in her mind bringing a smile to her face. She pecked him on the cheek, ¡°I will make my way back to you when I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take too long,¡± Cole replied, taking the stairs up. Katie followed the two alphas down the stairs. The care with which the royal spoke brought warmth to her heart. ¡®It¡¯s nice to get tired knowing you¡¯re going to end up in bed with someone as amazing as...¡¯ ¡®Your thoughts leave me speechless sometimes, Ashley...¡¯ ¡®And yet you never let me finish them,¡¯ the wolf groaned, ¡®One of these days, I will take over your body and do the things that we were meant to...¡¯ ¡®And then you wonder why I stop you from finishing thoughts of that kind,¡¯ Katie cut her off once again. This time Ashley remained quiet and started to recede to the back of her mind, ¡®We aren¡¯t so different though...¡¯ Katie could feel a smileing from the wolf. ¡°What are you smiling about?¡± Jason asked the royal. He¡¯d been watching her, along with Caden, but the two had chosen to remain silent. It wasn¡¯t the first time the girl had made expressions without provocation. ¡°Oh, nothing. An inside joke with my wolf,¡± Katie replied. ¡°Figures...¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± the girl asked. ¡°Well, Luna Katie, you tend to let the emotions thate from your conversations with your wolf slip out. It¡¯s clear for many people to see and also a little bit...¡± ¡°Spit it out...¡± ¡°Creepy...¡± Caden gasped at the word that had just escaped hisrade¡¯s mouth. He stepped away from the two of them. ¡°Do you guys need a room?¡± he asked. Jason shed him an angry look, but the man only shrugged at his friend. He wasn¡¯t the one in trouble after all. ¡°No, not really. I like Jason¡¯s honesty. What about you, Caden? Do you think I look creepy when I make expressions from the conversations with my wolf?¡± Katie turned to the alpha, ignoring a now-swelling Jason. The alpha looked as though he was about to explode with pride for his noble deed of honesty, while his counterpart turned blue with fear of insulting his Luna. Chapter 193 193 Chapter One Hundred Ny Three The air in this part of the world was humid and the heat was intense, although just enough to remind you to walk with an umbre or a cap at least. A ck SUV cruised across the highway at dizzying speeds. The highway was void of any cars allowing them to drive at speeds one would otherwise advise against. The inhabitants of the car were headed somewhere urgently and they didn¡¯t mind the speed the driver used. A couple in the back seats spoke in hushed tones, ¡°Do you think they are all there this time?¡± the man asked. ¡°Well, that would be one rare oddity. We¡¯ll be lucky to find Thorrin there at all,¡± the woman replied. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s far too busy toe to a family meeting. Who can me him anyway?¡± the man replied as though it was obvious that the mentioned person was fond of missing such rare asions. The woman at his side stretched for what felt like the hundredth time since the start of the car ride andy on hisp. ¡°You remind me of a cat,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Oh, shut up. I sometimes wonder what you¡¯re made of. That was one hell of a flight. Why did Brigadia have to be on the other side of the world?¡± the woman groaned, making herself morefortable best she could. The car was spacious and they were the only inhabitants, a luxury they hadn¡¯t enjoyed in eighteen years. A window separating them from the driver slid down to allow them to view the other side of the car, ¡°We are reaching the Chase mansion, my lord,¡± the driver spoke. ¡°Thank you, Marx. Stop the car at the main gates. We¡¯d like to take the scenic route to the house,¡± Tom ordered before the window closed once more. It didn¡¯t take long before the car came to a stop. They got out of the car and watched Marx drive away. ¡°It¡¯s been long, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Marie spoke up. Tom looked into the gardens that barred their direct path to the luxurious mansion thaty a safe distance of five hundred metres away from them. He sighed, his senses picking up on everyone that was inside. He doubted part of the information that came into his mind but didn¡¯t mention a thing to his wife, ¡°Yes, it has been a long time since we were here. I wonder what has changed.¡± ..... The couple took their time while they walked through the gardens, taking the time to look at everything that didn¡¯t look the same. ¡°Remember the time you fought Alice when she was still a novice one time.¡± ¡°Oh, that... We were just having fun as girls,¡± Marie replied when they came across a metallic bench with a dented armrest. The woman ran her hand across the dented metal armrest. I remember panicking after she hit her head on this. I thought I¡¯d killed a hunter. It was the hunters¡¯ gravest crime, and I seemed to have stumbled upon it,¡± Marie thought back. ¡°I was surprisingly calm that time. The girl was too stubborn to go out that way. She must be in her thirties right about now,¡± Tom replied with a smile on his face. However, his wife didn¡¯t smile back. ¡°That¡¯s all we can do, isn¡¯t it? Guess at her age without even knowing where she is or if she¡¯s even alive,¡± Marie spoke sadly. ¡°We will meet her again, you know. She might look older than us when that timees, but nothing will be different,¡± Tom tried tofort her, but his voice wasn¡¯t as convincing as he wished it could be. Hunters were stationed in different parts of the world the moment they turned professional and there was nothing they could do about it. Those that got better as professionals were even harder to find. There was no guarantee that they would see theirrade ever again. Instead, the man turned his face to look at the mansion, ¡°We should get going. The family is waiting for us,¡± he said. Rubbing the tears from her face, Marie stood up and turned to the mansion. ¡°You¡¯re right... Let¡¯s go...¡± the couple braced themselves, holding hands and making their way for the mansion ahead. They came to therge wooden doors and pushed them open to reveal the group of people on the inside of the mansion. ¡°And the prodigal duo returns after eighteen years. Long time no see Thomas,¡± a man lounging on a sofa spoke up, keeping his eyes stered on the cards in his hands. He wanted nothing to break his concentration and yet, that seemed to be an impossibility in the family he had been born into. ¡°I see he¡¯s no different,¡± Tom mentioned. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind him, dear brother. We are happy to have you,¡± a woman got up from her seat followed by the other two seated in the same game of cards. ¡°Thank you, Evelyn,¡± Tom replied as he embraced his sister. ¡°You¡¯re wee, little brother. So you weren¡¯t kidding when you said you weren¡¯t going to age one bit,¡± Evelyn mused, taking in the young look of her brother. He barely looked a day older than thest time she¡¯d seen him. ¡°So you¡¯re back now, are you? Do we have a hunter or a werewolf?¡± a voice interrupted. ¡°Nice to see you too, Lazarus,¡± Tom smiled at his uncle walking up to the new arrival and hugging him, ¡°Is Thorrin here?¡± The room went dead silent at the mention of Thorrin. They all looked ufortable at the mention of the man, ¡°Umm, it has been a long time... And for once he actually showed up to a family meeting,¡± Lazarus said. ¡°Uncle, it¡¯s not like anything bad has happened to him. He¡¯s the...¡± ¡°Most powerful hunter in the world... and also the most paranoid Chase hunter you will ever find. Go easy on him when you see him. So much rides on his shoulders that he doesn¡¯t know how to hold it all,¡± Uncle Lazarus cut him off. Their uncle was a bulky man and a retired hunter that had trained them growing up. He knew them inside out and if he¡¯d noticed something wrong with the Mighty Warrior in their family, there was definitely something wrong with him. Signalling to his wife, the two of them ascended the stairs, guided by Thomas¡¯ uncle to meet thest of their family. Thorrin Chase stood at the balcony that was raised highest in the highest part of the mansion overlooking thendscape. The sun was high in the air and the scenery posed no reason for such scrutiny and yet the man continued to stare out at it, ¡°You¡¯ve been gone a long while,¡± Thorrin¡¯s voice sounded. It was deeper than Tom remembered and held more power than he could fathom. ¡°I guess we have been gone quite a while. It was a little after our wedding when we got called for a mission to save on the...¡± ¡°I know the details, brother,¡± Thorrin cut him off. Thomas went quiet and watched his brother closely. Noticing the silence, Uncle Lazarus chose this moment to leave the room. When the man was well out of listening range, Tom walked onto the balcony to take a closer look at his brother. The man before him looked much older than him despite their two year age difference. Even with the time that Tom had spent unable to age, his brother looked to be ageing faster than he should have, ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, brother?¡± Thorrin finally took the time to look at his brother. He looked him up and down, sighed and set his eyes back on the horizon, ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to track him with no sess. I think of a lot of things these days. I feel I have the power to bring an end to him butck the means or the blessing from Prometheus to do it.¡± ¡°Well, I do know someone with that exact same dream. The only difference is that she already set her eyes on the Rogue King and lived to tell the tale,¡± Tom replied. ¡°I heard that story a while ago. I wanted to hear you confirm it yourself...¡± he said quietly, ¡°Are you still the same as you left, Tom?¡± ¡°Yes, I am. Why would I be any different?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t bother to disturb the two of you because you had been chained by the moon goddess to a responsibility that was worth it, but now I can only wonder whether you¡¯re back, but chained by the goddess in a different way,¡± the man responded. Thomas drew a short breath at the statement. He had something else in rtion to addressing, but now seemed to be the wrong time, having driven the conversation in this direction, ¡°I was thinking of going to Sirius.¡± The man tore his gaze from the clouds and looked at his brother with a confused expression, ¡°Whatever for?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but I know there is trouble brewing there as well. We all know how the foresight of the Chase family works. It¡¯s never clear and yet, it never lets us down,¡± Tom exined. ¡°I feel no danger associated in that ce. It¡¯s well protected,¡± Thorrin said to him before his eyes widened in realisation, ¡°Oh, so she¡¯s about to do something stupid again.¡± Tom nodded in response to the man¡¯s words, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s a possibility.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you taught her anything? For someone who was raised by the Chase family, she is very disappointing. I would give her a thrashing if I ever got to...¡± ¡°She reminds me of you, Thorrin,¡± Marie stopped him this time. The man turned and set his eyes on the woman for the first time since they had got into the room. Saying he hadn¡¯t noticed her presence would be a grave error. He seemed to be aware of everything miles and miles within the mansion. However, with his concentration split, he couldn¡¯t do everything that was required of him. Pleasantries were amongst the things he¡¯d taken out of his responsibilities topensate for the strain he put on himself on a daily basis. Seeing her face after all these years, however, seemed to release all the tense veins that pulsed in his head. He looked visibly rxed for the first time since they¡¯d met him on this balcony and he seemed to look younger when he rxed, ¡°Marie...¡± was all he could say. Chapter 194 194 Chapter One Hundred Ny Four ¡°It¡¯s been long, Thorrin. You look awful,¡± she replied shing the man a kind smile before getting enveloped in a hug thatsted longer than anyone could have withstood. ¡°What happened to you, Thorrin?¡± she asked him. ¡°Well, not much really. I¡¯ve been stationed in so many ces and trying to keep myself busy. ying as many rogues as I could to make this world a better ce. Now that I think of it, I haven¡¯t thought much about anything else since I set out to purge the rogues. ¡°Could you still be angry at me?¡± the woman asked him. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I was at first, but... I couldn¡¯t do anything about that. I found sce in performing my job and honing my abilities. I earned the title of Mightiest Warrior because of it,¡± he responded. Tom couldn¡¯t read into him anymore after he¡¯d seen his wife. The story of their lives had been burned to the back of his mind. None of his reactions to his wife surprised him. He only sighed and smiled at his brother¡¯s much more rxed state. ¡®Eighteen years and you¡¯re still trying to walk away from all this. I don¡¯t think I would have taken that long getting over it...¡¯ ¡°Are you going to Sirius with him as well?¡± the man asked her. ¡°Yes, I am. I have to check on Katie before she gets herself into more trouble. I thought I¡¯d lost her thest time. Why can¡¯t you feel anything going wrong in Sirius?¡± she asked. ¡°I can feel everything about to happen in Lycaon. I have ordered for hunters to be deployed in Sirius, however, the readings I¡¯m getting from Lycaon show more signs of ¡®him¡¯ being here,¡± Thorrin replied. ..... ¡°I see. I hope you find him this time,¡± she replied. ¡°Why do you have to go? You aren¡¯t responsible for that werewolf anymore. She has parents now. If she gets into trouble, it should be on them, not you,¡± Thorrin huffed. ¡°Well, I might have lost my responsibility to the goddess, but I gained a daughter in those eighteen years. If she everes here, she is to be treated like family,¡± Marie replied. ¡°A Chase werewolf... We¡¯ll see how that will go,¡± the man responded, ¡°Now if you would follow me, we have a meeting to start.¡± The Mighty Warrior, in much higher spirits, sauntered out of the room and led them downstairs to the lobby where the rest of the family had gathered. There were more people in the room. An old couple greeted Marie and Tom as they were seeing them for the first time. ¡°I¡¯m d we are all here. As the main branch of the Chase family that still stays on the right path of producing quality hunters, and I, as the head of this family, call for this meeting to start,¡± Thorrin called to all of them. ¡°Since when was Thorrin crowned the head of the family?¡± Marie found herself whispering to Evelyn. ¡°Well, that was right after he became a Mighty Warrior. We were all surprised by our father¡¯s decision, but it was final and there was nothing any of us could do against it. He is the most powerful Chase. None of us has the power to oppose him. I see your presence did him some good,¡± Evelyn whispered back, winking at the end. The woman sighed at her friend¡¯s statement and paid attention to the ¡®Head¡¯ of the family. ¡®So the head of the family is the same person that has never attended a family meeting. Nice reputation,¡¯ the woman thought, ¡®Is he really that busy or did he give up everything in his life when we left?¡¯ ¡°It warms my heart to see that the family cane together once again after such a long time. I don¡¯t know what the rest of you had organised and I know that we are in the middle of a crisis at the moment. Rogues flooding the woods surrounding the Lycaon capital. The locals barely feel safe in their homes and there has been nothing done to curb their numbers. I could say that I¡¯m disappointed in what the hunters have be after all this time. Perhaps the peaceful times have made them go soft...¡± ¡°Would you refrain from insulting the very organisation you work for, Thorrin? It¡¯s beneath you,¡± Uncle Lazarus spoke up. Refreshments were brought into the room and set on the table while the meeting continued. ¡°You¡¯re right about that. Anyway, I asked around and heard that there has been a group of hunters deployed to investigate the movements of the rogues,¡± Thorrin spoke up. ¡°Clever...¡± Tom replied, his gaze set on nothing in particr as he deciphered the situation. ¡°Enlighten me, dear brother,¡± Thorrin spoke up, taking a seat and staring at his ¡®all-knowing¡¯ brother. Tom noticed all eyes had been shifted to him and cleared his throat, ¡°Well, with this many rogues in one ce, there stands a chance that ¡®he¡¯ could appear. The hunters have gathered most of their resources to protect Lycaon. If they wanted, an all-out attack on the rogues could wither the rogues in number more than we ever have since this all started. But if there is to be a chance of getting the rogue king, spooking the rogues would not be the right move for this kind of thing. Sending a small group of hunters to investigate and make sure if the rogue king was around would be a clever move. That¡¯s all my opinion though.¡± Thorrin rubbed his temples, ¡°I guess you¡¯re still the same as you¡¯ve always been. That¡¯s the same thing they said. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s important that they send spies when the Chase family can just feel for the abomination pinpoint his position.¡± ¡°You make it sound so easy brother and yet here we are, fighting a war that our predecessors have been fighting for years. The Chase family has been around for generations and yet we aren¡¯t any closer to bringing this war to an end,¡± Micah spoke up. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? We finally have someone amongst us that possesses both of the man god¡¯s gifts. We have never been closer to bringing the rogue king down than we are now,¡± Thorrin bellowed at the man. ¡°I¡¯m just saying the obvious brother. When Tom and Marie sensed him thest time, there was nothing they could do about it and you surely couldn¡¯t make it to them in time. That was the one time we were sure the rogue king was going to make an appearance and Jim Gordon was only in time to save Katie Sirius from meeting the furies,¡± Micah replied. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so hard on the man, Micah. You know he ran to Brigadia at a pace that can only be matched by Thorrin. Isn¡¯t that right, brother?¡± Thorrin stared between Evelyn and Micah, before shrugging. ¡°I guess that¡¯s what happened,¡± he sighed. ¡°Micah might be right about one thing. We don¡¯t seem to be making progress in bringing the rogue king down. In other news, the new arrivals will be leaving immediately. I¡¯ve been informed that they feel they will be needed elsewhere.¡± The table looked in the direction of the couple, ¡°What am I hearing, Thomas?¡± the man¡¯s parents spoke for the first time since the meeting had begun. ¡°Father, mother, there is trouble in Sirius that we must attend to,¡± Tom spoke up, tension clear in his voice. Marie noticed and ced her hand on his hand, easing his uneasiness. ¡°What he meant to say is that we are going to check on a troublemaker that might have gotten herself in more than she can handle once again,¡± Marie spoke calmer than her husband could manage. ¡°That¡¯s a very quick departure. Could you at least stay for a few nights so that we can catch up?¡± Tom¡¯s mother asked. The man finally rxed. They hadn¡¯t chosen to chain them down instead which had been his fear. (Well, the fear of all children leaving their homes after just making it back after a long time) ¡°We¡¯lle back as soon as everything is done, mother, but we don¡¯t have much time. She¡¯ll get herself in trouble in no time and Sirius is a great distance from here,¡± Tom spoke up much calmer. ¡°Very well... I must ask you something, son. Are you finally back with us or are you still under an agreement with the goddess?¡± his mother asked him. ¡°We are hunters again. Our powers have been fully restored and we n to get back to work,¡± Tom replied. ¡°So you gained a daughter,¡± she replied. Tom was shocked by her reply. The rest of the family smiled as they caught up in their mother¡¯s trap. ¡°Don¡¯t keep her from us for too long. She¡¯s responsible for your eighteen-year disappearance. We must see the person who¡¯s so important you¡¯d detect she was in danger from the other half of the world,¡± Micah winked. Tom was, once again, speechless. His brother had given apletely misleading perspective on the situation and now that he stared at the ¡®Head¡¯ of the family, he noticed the evil smirk on his face, ¡°Wee back, Tom.¡± Thorrin stood up from his seat and pped his hands loudly. Large double doors at the other side of the lobby swung open to reveal arge white cake. The cake was far toorge to be eaten by those that were in the room, and yet, it brought with it a nostalgic feeling. The ornament at the top of the cake that mimicked a couple at their wedding sparked the memory this cake induced. It was a replica of the wedding cake that had been made for Thomas¡¯ wedding to Marie. ¡°We thought we¡¯d order the cake you had on thest event for this family as a whole,¡± Thorrin spoke up. ¡°Yeah, that and the fact that none of us got to taste it that day,¡± Evelyn added. Tom chuckled at the memory, ¡°I forget what happened to the cake that day.¡± ¡°Oh, I would so much like to tell this tale,¡± Micah¡¯s face glowed. His moment of glory had arrived. It wasn¡¯t just any moment of glory. It was the moment of glory he would need to stump on his perfect older brother. ¡°There we all were... well, almost all of us. The cake stood at the centre of the gardens in its glory. The couple was about to be escorted to make the first...¡± ¡°Oh, can we skip this one? There is not a soul in this room that doesn¡¯t know the story,¡± Thorrin rubbed his temple. Chapter 195 195 Chapter One Hundred Ny Five ¡°Eighteen years is a long time, Thorrin. My memory isn¡¯t what it used to be. Go on, Micah. I love your storytelling...¡± ¡°Why, thank you, mother...¡± the man bowed low as though he stood before royals, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I will continue my bad. Each and every one of us stared at the pair as they took slow and I mean painfully slow steps towards the cake. After all, this was the moment everyone waited for in the ceremony. The cake shared the couple that was being wed and a demonstration of undying love. Anticipation and excitement were all that we could think of. There was no doubt the couple themselves had been waiting for this moment. It was clear as they held onto each other with so much tenderness it could make Aphrodite jealous. The only person missing at this event was dear Thorrin. The hunter had imed to be handling ast-minute call to work and missed the wedding deliberately. None of us would have expected what happened next. Right before the couple could reach the delicious cake, a thunderp and a tempest of wind invaded the gardens, taking with them the cake and the hopes and dreams of the onlookers. Spread into thousands of crumps and clumps of whipped cream and icing sugar, sticking to a humanoid figure was the cake that the family had been saving their appetites for. The hunter that had just crashed the party stood from the wreckage...¡± ¡°Enough... How many times must I apologize for that one mistake? I didn¡¯t want to miss my brother¡¯s wedding. I came rushing to the party as soon as I finished the work I was doing and happened to miss my step,¡± Thorrin bellowed. ¡°Yeah yeah, brother. That is what happened and we love you for the sentiment. However, you did rob a scrumptious meal from everyone that attended that party,¡± Micah snapped out of his acting to respond to his brother. ¡°And I paid for the damages that were caused. What more do you want from me?¡± he replied. ¡°Calm down, son. You know you¡¯re brother was jesting. We know your intentions were true,¡± their father spoke up, noticing the rising anger in his son and its inability to simmer down. ..... ¡°Whatever... This meeting was meant to end the moment that cake came in anyway. You can all do whatever you want now. This meeting is over...¡± with that, Thorrin stormed out of the lobby and outside the mansion. ¡°Hmm, I wonder what kind of mask he wears when he¡¯s working out in the field. He¡¯s far too short-tempered to...¡± ¡°He can handle work just fine, Micah. It¡¯s this ce that brings up all the emotions. I think it¡¯s a beautiful thing actually,¡± Marie cut him off, getting up, ¡°Honey, might we do what we never got the chance to do?¡± the woman offered her husband a hand. Evelyn looked into the book that she¡¯d been writing notes into. ¡°Writing minutes of this meeting is going to be harder than killing the Rogue King himself,¡± she tossed the book away and retrieved the cake knife that rested neatly on a te beside the cake. She brought the knife up to the couple and presented it to them with a short bow, ¡°This might be long overdue, but hey, you haven¡¯t aged a bit. It¡¯s like you only paused the wedding and forced everyone out before going on with the event,¡± the woman smiled. Marie picked the knife from the woman¡¯s hand, ¡°Thank you, Evelyn.¡± Her husband brought his hand to his wife¡¯s and held the knife with her. The family stood around them once again and watched them as they walked up to it to make the first cut. Unbeknownst to the rest of the family, memories of the couple¡¯s time with their daughter shed between them. They¡¯d raised the werewolf for eighteen years and had gone through a lot in the time. No matter what they tried, it wasn¡¯t just the two of them... It was the three of them. It always had been... A bright white sh made everyone aware of the camera in the room. The couple inwardly thanked the owner of the camera and proceeded with the ceremony. They would cut the first slice of the cake into many pieces and feed each other a piece and seal it with a kiss. ps filled the room from the small crowd of Chase hunters that watched this happy couple disy their undying love for each other. When the lovebirds were done, a loud pop sounded, snapping everyone¡¯s attention from the couple. A sloshing sound and the thick smell of champagne reached their nostrils. Music, albeit unexpected, filled the room and set the family into a partying mood faster than they could have thought. It was only after many minutes that the couple noticed a group of hunters hade in with the cake to celebrate their arrival. ........ The hunters sat on the sofas spreading stories of the past andughing at the numerous jokes that were made about their past. Some were new faces while others were old friends that the couple hadn¡¯t thought about in a while. However, Alice wasn¡¯t one of them as Marie had hoped. She stood up to leave the gathering, ¡°What is it, honey?¡± Tom asked his wife. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just going to check on Thorrin. He hasn¡¯t returned since the meeting and I¡¯m getting worried. I just want to make sure he¡¯s okay,¡± she said to him. ¡°Very well... Don¡¯t let him keep you too long. If you can get him toe back here, that would be great,¡± Tom replied. Marie nodded and walked out of the lobby and out into the gardens. The fresh air did a lot to bring her out of the haze the party had caused her. She was walking through the winding paths of the gardens for a while before she finally found him. Thorrin... the most powerful hunter in the world, sat on a park bench by a fountain, his eyes on the water as it sshed down into the pool. He had a few seeds in his hand that he threw into the water at random. ¡°Sounds like a st in there,¡± his voice came out sadly. ¡°Yeah, only one more person and it would be a st for the history books,¡± the woman replied. ¡°Well, one good entertainer would definitely put a spin on that party. Micah tries his best, but I can¡¯t imagine the chaos that two of him could cause,¡± he mused. ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about your brother or...¡± ¡°I know... I was just messing with you. However, you misjudge me. I wouldn¡¯t be a good thing at that party, so just forget it,¡± he replied. ¡°Now what would make you say something like that?¡± the woman asked him, ¡°Your family loves you, more than you care to notice. You wouldn¡¯t have been made head of the family if it wasn¡¯t for that exact reason, but you snap at everything in your path.¡± ¡°And yet, for some reason, they won¡¯t let me be,¡± he replied, ¡°Why are you out here, Marie?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to check up on you,¡± she responded, sitting next to him. Thorrin pushed over putting the space of a whole-body between them. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± He remained quiet for a bit almost forgetting that he had to reply, ¡°No... Nothing is wrong. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Chapter 196 196 Chapter One Hundred Ny Six Marie wished she could ignore the sadness in Thorrin¡¯s voice. He sounded sadder than she¡¯d ever seen him and she would know. After all, she¡¯d nearly grown up in this household. She¡¯d been in the lives of the Chase family as she grew up and had even learnt their ways while she¡¯d been there. In all that time, she hadn¡¯t had the chance to see Thorrin fall this far into a depressed state, ¡°You didn¡¯t ram into that cake by mistake, did you?¡± he nodded to confirm her suspicions. ¡°I couldn¡¯t withstand the thought of you going through something like that with my brother. I would like it if no one knew that I did that on purpose. s, I am sure the very thing I tried to prevent that day just happened today,¡± he replied. ¡°Thorrin, it¡¯s been eighteen years...¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t look a day older, dear Marie. It¡¯s even worse that way. You look exactly the same as you did thest time that I saw you. I guess we both don¡¯t want to change in one way or another,¡± he cut her off. Frustration, along with a myriad of other emotions that he didn¡¯t have a mind to decipher assaulted him and hecked the will to hold it all back before the woman that sat across from him, ¡°You should get back in there. Tom will be getting worried if you spend too much time out here.¡± ¡°What does he have to worry about? There isn¡¯t a rogue in a mile¡¯s distance and...¡± ¡°Me... He has me to worry about...¡± he cut her off, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine out here on my own. I have my own thoughts to worry about. Probably stop them from swallowing me whole.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be happening, brother,¡± a male voice interrupted them. Thorrin sighed, getting up from the bench and walking up to the fountain, away from his brother, ¡°I see you haven¡¯t forgotten to utilize your potential to sneak up on your family,¡± Thorrin spoke up. ¡°That wasn¡¯t my intention, but I dide out here to bring you back into the party. The cake is amazing. I¡¯m afraid Micah might have invited monstrous devourers. They just keep bringing it down in size like little mice,¡± Tom responded. ..... ¡°I won¡¯t be...¡± ¡°Thorrin... It¡¯s been eighteen years. You should use this time to be with the people you abandoned for eighteen years,¡± he replied. The Mighty Warrior snapped his eyes at his brother, ¡°Yes, Micah told me everything. The moment we left, you were gone without another thought. The family hasn¡¯t been the same since then. Father made you the head of the family with the hopes that you woulde home once in a while, but you stayed away.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been busy, Tom. You wouldn¡¯t know a thing. You¡¯ve been ying house for eighteen years. Do you even remember how to wield a weapon,¡± Thorrin snapped at the boy. ¡°Boys, that¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t have to argue about this,¡± Marie snapped at the both of them sealing them both immediately. Thorrin stared at Tom with a look torn between hate and something they couldn¡¯t decipher. ¡°Boy wonder, they keep saying... And yet, the one who always gets his way is right in front of me,¡± Thorrin said in a lower tone. Marie snapped at Tom as he readied a counter for his brother. She red daggers at him despite the words that threatened toe from him, ¡°Juste back in the house, Thorrin. It¡¯s not the same when the family is not full...¡± Thorrin stared at the mansion and then to the ground. The musicing from the mansion could barely be heard from this far, but it was clear there was a party going on inside. The more he looked at the mansion, the more he felt more distant from them. They celebrated the union of his brother with a woman he¡¯d only wanted for himself, ¡°How am I supposed to act normal in a party between the two of you. Don¡¯t you realise what torture that is?¡± ¡°You misunderstand, Thorrin. We see someone who hasn¡¯t been able to move on after eighteen years. We don¡¯t live as long as the werewolves do. If attending this party can bring you closer to moving on, then it¡¯s worth it,¡± Tom replied, approaching his brother. Tom¡¯s presence brought so many things out of Thorrin. The two of them stared into their eyes for a while, ¡°I miss my big brother. Don¡¯t you wish we could go back to the way we used to be,¡± Tom tried. ¡°Your voice sounds like that of a siren. Trying to lure me into a trap, promising riches andfort,¡± Thorrin responded sadly. Taking his brother¡¯s offer meant he would be letting go of their past and epting it. His heart had clung to it for a very long time and all for what. He¡¯d been hurting for so long. The rogues that he¡¯d killed in the time that he wasn¡¯t with his family had faced his fury, but after everything he¡¯d done, he was still the same. Nothing he¡¯d tried had worked... ¡®Why not try this path?¡¯ ¡°It won¡¯t be easy, Thorrin. It¡¯s been eighteen years after all. We can¡¯t forget that all that time has passed since thest time you showed your face here, but we are family. Not even time or the gods can change that,¡± Tom continued. ¡°Our father... at one point, asked if I was ever going to get married. Apparently, Micah and you were wasting his time. He wanted a grandchild sooner rather thanter...¡± Thorrin spoke out of the blue. For him, it was one of the only few moments in his eighteen lonely years that had breathed some life back into him. He¡¯d cut everyone off and yet, they still tried to reach out to him. Facing them wasn¡¯t easy, but he felt guilty every time they let him in without any resistance. It felt so hard and yet, they always made it sound so easy and called it hard once again. ¡°What did you tell him?¡± ¡°I told him I¡¯d sleep on it... But that was about seven years ago. He didn¡¯t talk about it again. I don¡¯t know if the stories of my exploits reached his ears or if he simply figured I was in no mood to think about getting to know someone else,¡± he replied, plunging them into silence. ¡°Well, I wish you could have talked more about it. It would have given the old man some entertainment,¡± Tom chuckled. ¡°What¡¯s she like... the girl you raised,¡± Thorrin spoke up all of a sudden. ¡°Well, she reminds me a lot of you. Although, she might just be a tad bit too hardworking. It¡¯s insane,¡± Tom replied. ¡°I find that hard to believe. I know one other person that used to train as hard as I did. If you¡¯d never been called to raise that girl, you would probably be the one holding the title of Mightiest Warrior and not me...¡± ¡°We can never know what could have been, Thorrin. What we can do is realise what has happened and embrace wherever the future takes us,¡± Tom lectured, pausing before inviting his brother once again, ¡°The cake is better than advertised. You¡¯ll like it.¡± He stretched out his hand and allowed the man to call his brother to him. Thorrin disregarded his brother¡¯s hand and pulled him into a strong hug. Shocked at the sudden show of affection, Tom was frozen for a moment before hugging his brother once again. ¡°It will all get better... We shall be thest generation to see the rogue king... This, I can promise you...¡± ¡°You speak of the girl you raised. Is she as good as you advertise?¡± Thorrin asked him. ¡°Well... She has the potential to be something impossible and that¡¯s what I intend to see her be. She might just be the one to bring him down and bring an end to all of this,¡± Tom replied, ¡°We¡¯d finally be able to go fishing and camping without authorisation from the Hunter¡¯s Agency.¡± ¡°It sounds like a dream when you say it, but a dream that for once, feels touchable...¡± Thorrin replied, breaking from their embrace. ¡°Come in, brother. I don¡¯t trust Micah with cake. He could have some hidden for future consumption regardless of the consequences,¡± Tom chuckled. Marie stayed as insignificant as she could and barely noticed when a tear rolled down her eye. Choosing Tom over the other brother had broken the family. Drama amongst the three of them had been at its peak years ago and she was now d that the sun was finally shining down on them. They walked back into the mansion and the party continued. Thorrin, as expected, fit into the crowd almost seamlessly. With help from Micah and Evelyn, the air of awkwardness had barelysted a second. Thorrin¡¯s lighter mood was a surprise to everyone, but they all chose to keep it to themselves and enjoy the party. They yed games of all kinds and filled the night with different challenges that brought them closer. Most of them were from his memory of the things they used to do for fun as they were children. Their parents worked as referees for most of the games and all disputes were settled by a coin toss. The night moved faster than they could have hoped it to and they were soon fast asleep. Bringing morning to them even quicker than they wished. ...... Chapter 197 197 Chapter One Hundred Ny Seven The car was packed once again waiting for the two Chase hunters that had only just arrived a day before. Evelyn pulled her fellow woman into a hug, ¡°You know, you look like eighteen freaking years younger than me, missy,¡± the woman squeezed her friend. ¡°I know, Evelyn. Although I feel a lot older than that. After all, I have raised a child,¡± she replied. ¡°Oh, shut up... You¡¯ve not done much. From what I¡¯ve heard, the girl is so obedient and tame that you almost missed her when she caught a fever and didn¡¯t say anything,¡± the two had sleptter than the men and had taken the liberty to actually sleep in a bedroom, unlike the boys that had slept in their lobby, sprawled on sofas. The house was inplete disarray and she saw mountains of chores, but s, it had all been worth it. ¡°Thank you, Marie.¡± ¡°Huh, where did thate from?¡± ¡°You fixed them... the boy wonders,¡± Evelyn whispered into the woman¡¯s ears. Marie took a while to interpret her statement, ¡°Oh no, that wasn¡¯t me. It was all them.¡± ¡°You give yourself far too little credit. What happened to them was never your fault and it could have been worse. You have always been one of the many things that make the bond between them so strong,¡± she replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t do...¡± ¡°Tom walked outst night to go find you. Depending on what he saw, you started all of this,¡± Evelyn cut her off, ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll visit. It¡¯s been far too long.¡± ..... ¡°I will, Evelyn. We don¡¯t n on staying in Sirius for too long. It¡¯s only for a short time. We¡¯ll be back as soon as we make sure the girl¡¯s safe,¡± Marie replied. At the back of the car, the three boys loaded the car with the bags that belonged to Tom and Marie, along with everything the two thought would be needed, ¡°You¡¯re taking a lot of weapons for a short mission. What do you need katanas for? None of you has ever liked them,¡± Micah asked, staring at the collection of weapons that filled the trunk. ¡°Well, those are not for us and I don¡¯t think she will need them. Although, she is skilled with the des and if it would help make her work easier, then why not?¡± Tom shrugged. ¡°That girl sounds scarier every time you talk about her. Is there anything she isn¡¯t good at?¡± Thorrin replied, zipping up the bag Micah simply wouldn¡¯t let go of. ¡°Well, she is terrible at rxing. I¡¯m quite sure thates from her constant need to protect her own It¡¯s not fun to watch. She also doesn¡¯t like using weapons even though she¡¯s good at using them,¡± Tom replied. ¡°So she¡¯s gifted. Do you think it could be one of the gifts she possesses as one of the Moon Goddess¡¯ Chosen?¡± Micah asked. This bit of information sparked an interest in Tom. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Does Cole Lycaon have some gifts of his own?¡± he asked them. They both looked at him with a look of disbelief. Thorrin nodded in disappointment. ¡°So that¡¯s what happens when you cage yourself from the world for eighteen years,¡± he sighed, ¡°It was in the royal games two years ago when we realised he wasn¡¯t like the other werewolves. He was different. He wasn¡¯t as skilled as Drake Sirius at the time, but for some reason, the crown prince of Sirius submitted to an uninjured Cole Lycaon. It wasn¡¯t noticed by many, but the wolf was impervious to all the attacks that were thrown at him. Those that noticed the oddity were asked to keep it to themselves by the king of Sirius. The hunters took it to heart that they were preventing a leak of information simr to what had happened only sixteen years prior and nothing was spoken of the matter.¡± Tom was astounded by the information he¡¯d just received. He tried going through his memories looking for something out of the ordinary, but there was nothing he could think of that was odd from the child that he¡¯d raised with his wife, ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything out of the ordinary with Katie. Without her werewolf side, she was basically your average human being.¡± ¡°Well, there is no use in dwelling on that. You can ask her about it when you meet her next. For now, just focus on saving her reckless behind and I will be seeing you as soon as you can return to us, brother,¡± Thorrin spoke up, pulling Tom into a heartfelt hug. ¡°I know the two of you are like twins, but this hug has got to be a group hug,¡± Evelyn¡¯s voice interrupted them, joining the brothers. Thorrin chuckled at her childishness. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t leave me out of it. It¡¯s always been a life-long mission of mine to oppress the boy-wonders whenever I get a chance,¡± Micah piped in, joining them. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to me-... Micah, that¡¯s too much energy for a...¡± ¡°Oh, suck it in, brother. I¡¯ve missed you for eighteen freaking years. I ought to squeeze the life out of you,¡± Micah replied. A sh brought the siblings into reality, ¡°Oh, this is one for the ages.¡± Turning around, they all set their eyes on Marie who couldn¡¯t get her eyes off the picture she¡¯d just taken, ¡°So cute...¡± ¡°Is she going to...¡± ¡°Just let it go, brother. That picture is probably backed up to her hunter¡¯s ount or something even harder to get it away from,¡± Tom sighed, closing the boot of the car. His senses began to re up, a warning that they¡¯d already taken enough time out of their chances of protecting one of the people they held most dear. ¡°Make sure you give the rogues in Sirius a thrashing for the ages and make it clear that their time ising to an end. I, on the other hand, will be on the lookout for the rogue king,¡± Thorrin told his brother as he got into the car. It was both an encouragement and an order from the head of the family. ¡°I will do everything in my power, brother,¡± Tom replied to him. ........ Katie stood in the middle of a room much different from what she was used to. This room was ventted by one window to one side and a door on the opposite side that had been sealed shut. Amp lit the room dimly and a boy sat next to it writing down notes that came to his mind. She knew who he was and hade to see him through the same methods many times before. This time there was no pain in her body... Instead, she was eager, an emotion that was usuallying from the boy until she found the strength to push their connection to the back of her mind. ¡°I like the new prison. Did you manage to get out of the cell once your eyes were fixed?¡± she asked him. The boy barely looked up from his writing, ¡°Yeah, I was able to do what you asked of me. Thankfully, the rogue king did not suspect...¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen him?¡± she asked, cutting him off. ¡°Yes, I have,¡± the boy spoke, pausing in his writing. He could barely proceed from that point. Only earlier he looked as though he had lots to tell her and yet he¡¯d gone quiet all of a sudden. ¡°Well, what happened? Spill it...¡± ¡°He left this camp in the morning. I had only just met him and given my report on the rogue killer before he left in a rush. Katie, I must warn you. I¡¯ve never seen a wolf quite like him. He doesn¡¯t radiate a dangerous aura, just like all the other royals I¡¯ve met, but he scares me half to death by merely shifting. He¡¯s strong, Katie, really strong...¡± he said to her. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t sure you¡¯d seen my strength, I wouldn¡¯t have been scared by that, but now that you say it, I can see what you¡¯re trying to say about him,¡± she replied, thinking through what he¡¯d just said. ¡°Well, I had to see him for myself and I couldn¡¯t believe a wolf could achieve that kind of power. I guess there was a reason the hunters in the past never managed to kill a royal. It was always an alpha and very rarely, a beta alpha, but the royals proved to be a challenge for them. However, the royals right now might be a little weaker than the royals back then,¡± he replied. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be too sure about that. Would you mind sharing an image of the rogue king with me? I need to know if I should keep an eye out for him,¡± she asked. ¡°I wish it were that easy, but I don¡¯t think you know the rogue king,¡± he said but shared the image anyway. She had never seen the man before and there wasn¡¯t a doubt in her mind that this was the image they were looking for. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen such a man either,¡± a voice interrupted them. The scent and allure that came with the owner of the voice that came beside her only meant one person. Cole¡¯s form materialised into the room with him standing before the boy, ¡°Hmm, can I see his eyes?¡± ¡°Well, Kyle, go ahead and show him the real colour of your eyes. They are to return to normal once he¡¯s done checking them,¡± the boyplied with his alpha¡¯smands. Well, there was no way he could disobey, however much he might have wished. ¡°Huh, he really is your beta alpha,¡± Cole replied with a shrug, ¡°We need to get him out of here before the rest of the signs begin to show.¡± ¡°What are you saying, Cole?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying he¡¯s going to start getting stronger than an average wolf and get bigger so that he can fit into his role of beta alpha. If they find out what he is, they won¡¯t hesitate to kill him. You don¡¯t want to feel the pain of losing a beta alpha. It¡¯s excruciating,¡± he replied. ¡°A way to break him out of this ce...¡± ¡°You should forget about me, you know. I was a dead man the moment I got bitten by her. I might want to get out of here and live the life I rejected. Protect the Luna that I am now dutybound to serve...¡± he paused, sighing, ¡°But I know the crimes I¡¯vemitted. You might have forgotten Ash¡¯s innocent face, but it was I that slit her throat and let her bleed out in that ssroom. You would choose well to let me die.¡± ¡°He makes it so hard to reason with him, doesn¡¯t he?¡± Cole sighed. ¡°You¡¯re not going to make any more progress than I¡¯ve made,¡± Katie chuckled, ¡°Listen to me, Kyle. You have never been forgiven for the crimes you¡¯vemitted. Don¡¯t forget that. Even if we save you from the hellhole, your life won¡¯t be easy. Out there, you¡¯re a dead man... a wanted man. And well, in here, you¡¯ll soon be a dead man. The choice is yours though. Out there, we can keep you from dying. I can¡¯t make any promises and say you won¡¯t be uninjured because you are going to be put through a lot, however, death will be off the table.¡± The boy looked between the two of these people wondering which one of them was more insane than the other and if he was worse than them for loving that insanity. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that will be possible...¡± Kyle replied. ...... Chapter 198 198 Chapter One Hundred Ny Eight The students in the reserve awoke the next day to an outdoor room organised by the hotel. Long tables had been set up in the gardens outside, with seats enough to take all of them and the food already spread out. The teachers in charge of them were already up and making sure everything was in order. Katie looked down from the window and yawned, letting in the noise from the students gossiping. ¡°Oh, just look at all of them down there. Not a care in the world for the rogues that want to capture their princess... or is it because of the mighty hunters that are protecting them that they feel there isn¡¯t need to panic or fear anything?¡± Katie mused. Cole stirred awake and rolled towards the clock, ¡°Your oversleeping tendencies are starting to get into me.¡± He groaned. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re just embracing your inborn talents to bezy, my dear. Good morning,¡± Katie replied, walking into the bathroom to start her morning ablutions. ¡°Good morning... One of these days we are going to take a vacation and escape the world,¡± Cole mused. ¡°I had no idea you were capable of dreaming, Cole. Do you have anywhere specific in mind?¡± his mate indulged him. Before it had been a passing thought, but she seemed to be following his line of thinking without any resistance. ¡°Well, maybe we can think of that when we finish our mission. There haven¡¯t been any decent vacation ces to visit like I¡¯ve read of in books. An ind resort perhaps... Without rogues, that would have been a perfect idea,¡± he replied. Katie¡¯s voice didn¡¯te from the bathroom for a bit. Right before the alpha was going to worry about it, she spoke up, ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered what the rogues even use for transport. Do they just run from one part of the world to another or do they have some sort of transport system? ck market vehicles that allow them to move from one ce to another. If we were to go to an ind for a vacation, would they swim their way to the ind or would they use a boat... And if they used a boat, wouldn¡¯t we be able to detect it before it got to the shore.¡± ¡°This sounds like talk from someone who actually wants to have a vacation,¡± Cole got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom. Katie stared into the mirror with her hair pulled up so that she saw her appearance in the mirror without it falling down her shoulders. Cole¡¯s wolf pushed forward in his mind, trying to gain control of the royal to no avail. ..... ¡°Well... I think about it once in a while. It would be nice to allow myself to forget about trouble for a little while...¡± Katie replied. ¡°Did you detect the rogues?¡± he asked her, noticing the worry that leaked through their bond. ¡°Yes, I did. They made it herest night,¡± the girl responded. Cole drew a short sigh upon hearing her reply. So much for a trip without rogues to worry about, ¡°I could have been able to tell their exact positions if I had the time to do that. I can¡¯t transmit their positions to any of you and with these many, I can¡¯t keep track of all of them at once. It¡¯s frustrating...¡± the girl stopped rambling when a pair of strong hands wrapped around her. ¡°Where?¡± Cole whispered. His mind invaded hers and she closed her eyes to let him in better. ¡°Most of them are crowded miles from here, close to the cave I found my sister in. They keep moving, but I don¡¯t know what for. There is another group that scouted the hotel yesterday and retreated beyond my field of detection,¡± Katie replied. ¡°How did you know about the ones that were near the cave your sister was in?¡± Cole asked her, ¡°That¡¯s miles from here. Last I checked...¡± ¡°They reached there while Lina and I left yesterday. Yesterday was a close call... If we hadn¡¯t gone for those troublemakers sooner, the rogues would have gotten to them,¡± she replied. Cole was quiet for a bit, ¡°You¡¯re trying to be more careful this time.¡± ¡°Yes, Cole. I am trying. That¡¯s not a talent I have though, so don¡¯t count on it so much,¡± she replied with a heavy sigh. ¡°I know that. I can tell how much you want to snuff the life from the rogues in the forest. They¡¯ve put themselves far enough to fool your senses. Since we are low on hunters, we won¡¯t be able to know where they are camping out, so we are travelling blind. It would be best to make sure everyone is protected at all times,¡± Cole replied. ¡°Yeah... That feels like a lot of work though,¡± Katie replied with a groan. ¡°Oh, I can see your inborn talents ofziness awakening as well,¡± Cole chuckled, lifting the girl up abruptly. The hunter, who was now used to anticipating his whims, wasn¡¯t shaken by the sudden gestures. ¡°I am notzy, Cole Lycaon,¡± she replied with a huff... ¡°Yeah yeah, that¡¯s right, Luna Katie,¡± the title brought goosebumps and ran a shiver down the girl¡¯s spine. ¡®Do you have to use that title too? I have Caden and Jason already using it. It¡¯s overwhelming enough with just the two of them.¡¯ ¡°Well, you should get used to it. You are mine and you will be my Luna. Among the many uncertainties that stand ahead of us, that is not one of them,¡± Cole replied, cing her down in the shower and tugging her buttons off one by one. Katie sighed, ¡°Even then, there is no rule that says I have to getfortable with it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll do fine, honey. You¡¯re a natural leader,¡± he replied, ¡°I can see it in your eyes.¡± ¡°Hahaha, very funny, Alpha Lycaon...¡± she replied with a smirk on her face... ...... Trevor sighed when he saw the famous power couple reaching the tables when half the students were already done with their meals. Cole¡¯s alphas, along with Sandra sat together, talking about a multitude of things the junior hunter had no intention of getting to know about. ¡°What¡¯s the problem, Waters?¡± a feminine voice came to him. He looked to his side and took note of the woman and man that had been assigned to work with him in protecting the children. They were both hunters and good ones, as rmended by the manager of the hotel. ¡°The other hunter we¡¯ve been waiting for has a tendency to bete for just about everything that her life calls her to. It gets frustrating, but she does what she wants.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like much like a hunter. Point me in the right direction. I would like to see this imposter. Perhaps she¡¯s a junior posing for a real hunter and...¡± ¡°Alice, just look for the beautiful girl with blue eyes that isn¡¯t Lina Sirius,¡± Trevor cut her off, rubbing his temples. The woman scanned through the crowd and set her eyes on a couple of werewolves. They were royals and from the looks of it, mates to each other. She recognised the girl but had no idea what to think of the scene before her. The two of them made their way to a group of alphas and... ¡°Is that a human with them? Who is that girl?¡± Trevor stole a nce at the table, ¡°That would be, Sandra stair. I can¡¯t find anything special about her, but shees as a package deal. Where the hunter goes, she goes and that¡¯s how it¡¯s been for as long as I¡¯ve seen them. They don¡¯t seem particrly tight. The girl spends her time with one of the alphas and Katie pretty much does anything she wants.¡± ¡°That¡¯s odd. I would think the hunter was the girl¡¯s mentor, but if they barely interact, I can¡¯t see a rtion there,¡± the man replied. ¡°It baffles me, but she doesn¡¯t tell me much, so I can only say what I¡¯ve devised for myself,¡± he replied. ¡°You juniors are always trying to get some information one way or another and let you know that you are better off without it,¡± the woman chuckled, popping another fork of food into her mouth. ¡°Well, yeah, the pros won¡¯t tell us anything. I know the rule is that no one is to be trusted with information until Prometheus himself grants them ess to it through a gift, but that only separates the two sections of the hunters. The junior hunters can¡¯t work with the...¡± ¡°Just listen to what your mentor tells you and keep at your training until you prove your worth. Once you have your gift, you can then be able to ask all the questions you have,¡± the man cut him off. ¡°I see... Are the rules so absolute that no one is above them?¡± the boy asked. ¡°Yes, they are absolute. What are you getting at?¡± the man asked. ¡°Well, Katie Sirius acts as though the rules don¡¯t apply to her. She barely does anything that a hunter would do. I haven¡¯t seen her going to the hunter¡¯s agency. I haven¡¯t seen her patrolling around the capital like the others and she isn¡¯t in any of the rosters that are set up at the agency,¡± he responded. ¡°You sound jealous, lead junior hunter. Shouldn¡¯t you be pleased that she hasn¡¯t reced your position as the head-hunter,¡± Alice asked him. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think anymore. I asked the agency to send the students off with a number of hunters to protect them, but the moment they realised Katie Sirius was going to be a part of the group, they shut me down iming it would be a waste to send another hunter when the situation in Lycaon was already stretching their forces thin,¡± he sighed. ¡°Lycaon... Now there are some memories,¡± Alice spiralled off into her memories. Chapter 199 199 Chapter One Hundred Ny Nine ¡°That is beside the point, Alice. They left me with an eighteen-year-old werewolf that seems to be getting more and more upied by her love life than worry about trying to protect the students that she was put in charge of,¡± he responded. ¡°You might be giving her far less credit than she deserves. Some hunters show their effectiveness when the timees. I know a few that don¡¯t need to be woken up in case of a werewolf attack, no matter the time,¡± Alice replied. ¡°Morgan, try to help me out with this one,¡± Trevor rubbed his forehead. ¡°Well, I would if I hadn¡¯t seen Evelyn Chase in action one time. The woman was shooting arrows with her eyes closed in the middle of the night as though it was broad daylight,¡± he replied. ¡°The Chase family is off-limits when ites to oddities,¡± Alicemented, chuckling while she flowed through her memories of the family. ¡°Yes, that is true. If I¡¯m not mistaken, you had Thorrin Chase as your mentor once. Did you pick up on their odd skills while you were there?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I picked up a feel of some of them. Well, it¡¯s just one ability really that they seem to have that¡¯s out of the ordinary. That same ability and the fact that they are multitalented. It¡¯s like they were all built to do this job,¡± the woman replied. ¡°You make them sound like mythical creatures. Stop creeping me out, all of you,¡± Trevor snapped at them, rousing a chuckle from them. ¡°I heard that two of them went missing on some top-secret mission to raise a child to be a hunter and the ultimate weapon against the rogue king,¡± the man whispered. ..... ¡°Morgan, perhaps you¡¯re putting a little booze into your coffee this morning,¡± Trevor mused peeping into the man¡¯s cup. ¡°He speaks of a rumour that moved through the hunters. It was never confirmed by the Chase family so it took on so many different forms as it went through the pros. Some of them said the two hunters that had left were looking for a location of the moon goddess so they could severe her connection to the werewolves, making all of them human once more,¡± Alice continued. ¡°That sounds even more like a dreampared to the first one,¡± Trevor mentioned. ¡°Meh, you barely heard the others. Some were just in hrious,¡± Morgan shrugged, ¡°Anyway, did you draft the list of all the junior hunters you have and split them into the three groups that are going to be guarding the three groups that we are taking through the reserve?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, I finished all that. Here is the list of the names. I made sure to give more of the junior hunters to the group with Katie in it, considering I don¡¯t believe in her skills whatsoever,¡± Trevor groaned. ¡°Then in that case, I will be switching with her and taking the group with more junior hunters,¡± Morgan spoke up, taking a sip of his coffee. ¡°Do you have any idea what she did when the bus set off from the school yesterday? I was sure she would be alert and make sure nothing interrupted us or that nothing went wrong,¡± he seethed. ¡°What did she do?¡± the others indulged. ¡°She slept... The whole way. There wasn¡¯t a single point in the journey when she was awake. Something bad could have happened in that time and yet she just slept. I have to tell you. I don¡¯t know what to make of her just yet. She¡¯s more of a wolf than she is a hunter,¡± the boy replied. ¡°Watch your tongue, boy. You know hunters do not look down on each other. Every hunter chosen by the Man god had the potential to protect people should the need arise,¡± Alice replied. Trevor sighed, ¡°Prometheus be with us... This is going to be one long school trip.¡± With that said, he set his eyes on the seemingly carefree royal and self-proimed hunter that was meant to protect a third of the students they had gone with. He¡¯d seen signs of the respect she was given by the werewolves that were always around her, along with Sandra, the junior hunter that spent more time than any human in thepany of werewolves. The whole group was a bunch of oddities that didn¡¯t make any sense to him in the slightest. .......... The meal finally came to an end and the teachers requested the students to gather at the front of the hotel where they would receive instructions and a whole rundown of the agenda of the day. To excite the students, a bonfire that night was promised by the hotel staff. This got their moods up and made them morepliant with everything the teachers said. A tactic that had been suggested by Morgan. Katie bid her gang of werewolves and humans a short goodbye and broke away from them to find Trevor. She still had no idea what the agenda of the day was going to be like and yet she was sure she was supposed to be helping out. ¡°Hey, Trevor, what¡¯s up? Good morning, Alice and man that I have not yet been introduced to.¡± ¡°His name is Morgan and you will do well to remember it. When were you nning toe to me for this?¡± Trevor asked, showing her the copy of the list the teachers had just gone with. Katie snatched it from his hands and skimmed through the names... ¡°This list is so boring. You separated me from everyone I know. It looks clear that you were making groups based on people that get along, but you separated me from my family and friends. What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Katie asked him. ¡°What is that I hear? Are you ying favourites? You¡¯re a hunter...¡± he responded. ¡°Yes, I am a hunter, but this list is all wrong. You should at least ce me in the group that contains Lina and Honour so that I can...¡± ¡°Good morning, Luna Katie,¡± a voice cut her off. The girl sighed at the title. The voice was feminine and Katie¡¯s mind paired a face to it. She turned around to find Crysta standing with her two friends beside her. Looking back at the list, she found that Crysta¡¯s name was in the list that had Lina. ¡°I will do everything I can to protect her.¡± ¡°Well, you better. If you hear me tell you to keep your guard up, you better. That¡¯s my sister you¡¯re protecting,¡± Katie replied. ¡°I love how much faith has been put in me and the junior hunters that are in charge of protecting this group,¡± Morgan sighed. Katie turned around to face the man. If it hadn¡¯t been for the rogues she detected in the forest, she would haveughed at hisment, ¡°Keep your guard up, Morgan.¡± ¡°Is that a threat or a warning?¡± the hunter asked. Katie thought about her words before responding, ¡°How about a word of advice?¡± Alice covered her mouth to muffle the outburst that nearly escaped her. Morgan turned to her and hit her shoulder, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re on my side here, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I am just watching you get ordered by an eighteen-year-old... I cannot take sides in this one,¡± she said drawing her lips into a tight line, keeping herughter to herself. ¡°Anyway, we better get going. The tour is about to begin. Besides everything, I hope you don¡¯t forget what brought you here. Have some fun with this? This reserve is a beautiful ce,¡± Morgan mentioned before walking away from them. When he was far from them, he rubbed his temples, clearly disturbed by the royal¡¯s words. The students found three oddly designed vehicles outside the hotel. They were wider than their buses and givenrger tyres to allow them to move on the underdeveloped roads spread throughout the reserves. There wasn¡¯t a sign of a roof on these vehicles. Each one could hold a number of up to fifty students. The colour scheme was cream mixed with many shades of brown. Once they were all grouped up into their respective groups, they were ready to move about. Katie noticed one thing that was bound to make her trip even worse than it already was... The two troublemakers that were meant to serve their time with Trevor had been added to the group of hunters that were going to help her in protecting the group she¡¯d been assigned. ¡®This should be interesting. All the junior hunters sat in the back seats of the car and kept their eyes peeled in all directions... Well, that was the protocol Katie had devised but made sure to remind them to check out the sights as well. ¡°What¡¯s in the bag?¡± Wyatt asked her, noticing the bag she had brought along with her. Katie looked at the bag beside her, ¡°Well, it¡¯s something that you¡¯ll never find a use for. Although something that I will find a use for.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too vague, even for you. Just show me what it is and let¡¯s be done with it,¡± he continued. ¡°Wyatt, read the mood and back off,¡± Liam spoke in an irritated tone without sparing his friend a nce. Wyatt stopped his retort from leaving him and looked the other way. Katie looked from one side to the other. She¡¯d never seen a rift between the two werewolves and yet here they were... ¡°This should be fun...¡± she sighed as the engine roared to life and wheeled them away from the hotel. .......... Chapter 200 200 Chapter Two Hundred ¡°Who wrote this list?¡± Cole asked the hunter that had been assigned to their car. ¡°It was your head hunter. He seemed to think it was perfectly drafted so that everyone was in the right order,¡± the woman replied, ¡°Is there a problem here? I could make sure you get left at the hotel, your highness.¡± ¡°Oh, you have one attitude. If this was drafted so well, then why would he separate mates for a full day?¡± Cole asked with annoyanceced in his voice... ¡°Oops... That might be my bad. Sorry about that. We¡¯d probably switch if she was still here, but I guess you¡¯re stuck with me for now,¡± the woman said to him with a smile. Cole regarded her appearance for a moment and decided against making this such a big deal. Her ck leather clothes and odd piercings gave her a rebellious look and spelt danger, a word that he didn¡¯t want to cause at the very beginning of the trip. ¡®Katie...¡¯ the royal called out to his mate. ¡®Yes, alpha Cole,¡¯ she called back after a short pause. The alpha cringed at the title for one of the first times in his life. When his friends used it, he could tolerate, however, it was different with his Luna, ¡°You can cut that out for now,¡¯ he tried. ¡®Cut what out exactly,¡¯ Katie feigned innocence. Cole sighed heavily and got into the car, taking a seat beside Jason. ¡°Where is Sandra?¡± the alpha his friend, noticing the girl wasn¡¯t at his side for what looked like the first time in a while. ¡°Well, she has been assigned to protect the car we¡¯re in. The hunters get to sit at the back of the car and that means I can¡¯t be by her side. Duty calls and all that. Where is Luna Katie?¡± he asked. ..... ¡°I would assume you already know that. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed the close eye you¡¯ve been keeping on the both of us. You and Caden both... Speaking of Caden, where is...¡± The royal was stopped by an ear-piercing transmission that cuts through the mind link and into the minds of all the werewolves that were around. It was the strongest and loudest mind link he¡¯d heard in a while and it wasing from none other than Katie Sirius. ¡®This transmission goes to all werewolves. You¡¯re all obligated to make sure the humans are in close proximity to at least two werewolves so that we can be able to track anyone that gets lost. The mind link is to be open for all werewolves and those that have their mind link closed off are to open it up immediately unless they would like to risk their lives in the reserve. This is for the safety of everyone in the reserve, nothing else. Your private conversations can still be shielded, but you are not to block out themunications from the rest of the wolves. Inform the humans of these developments to ensure we work together in making this work,¡¯ her voice was clear and demanding of all werewolves that heard her. ¡®Isn¡¯t that a bit extreme? If you don¡¯t know how to handle your job, just tell us so that we might put our trust in someone else?¡¯ a voice came through the mind link. There was an unbearable silence among the werewolves before the girl replied. ¡®I willmunicate the positions of the rogues as soon as they get too close to one group of werewolves. Considering we¡¯ve been split up like this, going after the rogues would only give them the room they need to cause more harm to the wolves and humans here. Keep in a group to stay safe. If you¡¯d kept your mouth shut, Liam, I would not have been forced to tell you thisst part. The humans mustn¡¯t know of this or else we shall have a mass panic on our hands. I don¡¯t think any one of us wants to watch someone die on this trip, now would we?¡¯ Katie replied. ¡®I don¡¯t understand your logic, alpha Katie. How does doing nothing about the rogues keep us safe?¡± another wolf asked this time. ¡®I could have done something if we were dealing with a few rogues that were moving in a small group, but they have split up. If I go for one of them, the others get an opening to attack the group that I¡¯m protecting. Rogues won¡¯t attack unless they know the power of the group they are fighting. As long as a hunter is in your sight, you should be fine,¡¯ Katie replied. ¡®Why don¡¯t you just let us kill the rogues and be done with it? What¡¯s the use of the training that we go through every morning of every day from the moment we start to shift,¡± another wolf replied, raising some chaos over the meeting. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about the training that you¡¯ve been put through. I haven¡¯t gone through the different things that Alpha Jackson has you doing. If it happens to be the very thing that I see every morning, then I would say that training was meant to teach you how to protect yourselves. You won¡¯t be able to use that same amount of training to kill rogues, let alone attack them,¡± Katie replied. ¡®What do you know?¡¯ another asked. This voice was familiar, but Cole couldn¡¯t seem to quite ce it. The other wolves went quiet when the voice spoke. Katie didn¡¯t seem to notice who it was that had spoken through the mind link. ¡®Hmm... that would be a story for another time, I guess. Rogues don¡¯t go down easy... Well, when the person fighting them is a basic human or an average werewolf. They train so hard that they have fully mastered the power that their shift gives them. I don¡¯t think any of you have ever been trained to fight a beast that cares nothing about the life it brings down. Rogues won¡¯t hesitate to kill you once they have the chance. My instructions were clear. Every werewolf is to keep the humans in sight. I didn¡¯t ask anything else of you,¡¯ Katie replied. With that said, the meeting came to a halt. The mind link remained as open as the royal left it and gossip from those of the wolves that didn¡¯t shield their conversations started to leak into the mind link. Cole listened to a few of the words that came from the other wolves and backed away immediately, ¡°Hey, Katie...¡± ¡°What is it... Cole?¡± she asked him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°As well as I can be. I¡¯m counting on you to keep an eye on that car...¡± ¡°Slow down, Katie. What has you on edge, Katie?¡± Cole asked her, cutting her off. On the other side of themunication, the girl tried to focus on her mate¡¯s voice. She barely showed a reaction on her face, but within her mind, a mental fight to sort through a multitude of information that continuously bombarded her mind. ¡®Katie, you have to turn off that weird power of yours. It¡¯s going to give you... I mean, us one hell of a headache,¡¯ Ashleyined, trying to block the noise from her ears to no avail. The sounds wereing from everywhere and all of them were jumbled. What was worse was the fact that each and every sound that cut through her senses was interpreted immediately and thrown into the mess of information that she could barely sort through. ¡®I need to find a way to separate these two powers or else we¡¯ll be moving around blind, Ashley,¡¯ Katie yelled back at her. ¡®No, that¡¯s not true. You can still tell if there is going to be dangerous without having to focus on finding out the rogue¡¯s positions,¡¯ she replied. ¡®And what good will that do me if there is going to be someone about to die at that moment and I don¡¯t even know which group of rogues attacked whatever group of children,¡¯ Katie replied. ¡®Katie, calm down then. Calm down and concentrate. Don¡¯t force the animal sounds out. Let them in and focus on using both powers at the same time. It will be no different from you concentrating on your powers in a noisy club,¡¯ the wolf replied. ¡°Katie, are you okay?¡± Cole¡¯s voice came again through the mind link. The girl took in a deep breath and tried to do what the wolf had just told her. The animal sounds wouldn¡¯t stop. Instead, the crease in her brow lessened as she let the voices in. The animals made the same kind of din that the students made in the car even though they had the oddest of analogies when they spoke to each other. After embracing the fact that she would never be able to hear ne animal sounds again, she switched her mind to the mate she¡¯d not been able to answer. ¡°Yes, Cole, I¡¯m fine,¡± the girl replied. She could finally use her power again. She could tell where the rogues were, however, it was all clearer. She could feel her radius had stretched to take a wider area. ¡®Would you look at that? The Chase family borrowed power from nature, huh,¡¯ Ashley scoffed, ¡®Who would have known?¡¯ ¡®Are you really the same person that was reincarnated if that is at all what happened? I would like to think you¡¯re just as ignorant as I am sometimes, but there are things you know that I don¡¯t expect you to have a clue about. I need an Ash-education,¡¯ Katie sighed. She noticed she didn¡¯t even have to focus to keep her radius of detection up. She could feel everything without an ounce of focus from her. That included the different animals that were in the preserve. ¡°If you could look to your right, you will see the Colossal Great White Rhino. These creatures are very rare. They were hunted in the old days for sport until they became endangered. Annoy that big boy there and he will be looking to throw this car on its side,¡± the teacher, teaming up with a ranger, told them all they knew about the animals in the reserve. ¡°So many humans this time. Do they ever get off theirzy butts and use their legs?¡± the rhino¡¯s deep guttural voice came through to the girl¡¯s mind while it continued to munch on a patch of grass. The car paused for those that had phones to take the necessary pictures... ¡°Lazy doesn¡¯t evenpare...¡± Katie sighed. The rhino looked up from the patch of grass and at the hunter, locking eyes with her... ¡®Crap,¡¯ the girl mentally cursed. Chapter 201 201 Chapter Two Hundred One The drive through the reserve was nothing short of breathtaking and the students took the time to enjoy the sights as they took them in. They were able to get their eyes on a multitude of creatures in the reserve. The guides were specifically charismatic and made sure to entertain the students with all the interesting facts about the creatures that theyy their eyes on, ¡°The wild, huh... who would have known it¡¯s so beautiful?¡± Honour¡¯s voice cut through to Lina¡¯s ears. The girl turned her head from a running deer to look at her friend, ¡°Huh, I would have thought you would be the first to have such a thought, Honour. Oh, queen of nature and all creatures under the moon,¡± Lina replied with a hint of drama at the end of the statement. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true and I would have taken this trip another way if your sister hadn¡¯t butted in and ruined the mood,¡± the girl responded through gritted teeth. ¡°Hey... Calm down. I know what she did was annoying, but it was for the safety of all of us. You know it¡¯s her job to keep us all safe. She¡¯s doing...¡± ¡°A very lousy job, Lina,¡± Honour leaned into her chair and looked away from the beautiful scenery that surrounded her. ¡°Is something bothering you, Honour?¡± Lina asked her friend. The girl sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, ¡°No, nothing is wrong.¡± Lina frowned, before humming, ¡°You¡¯re missing a lot, you know. You can make the most out of this trip while you still have the chance. Like taking pictures of the flora in the reserve. I¡¯m sure I caught sight of one of the flowers I saw you drawing once... what was its name again? Lotus lunaris- or was it lora-lunaria...¡± The girl perked up at her friend, ¡°Where... where did you see them?¡± her eyes scanned in all directions looking for the nt that had just been mentioned, ¡°And the name is Lotus Lunaria...¡± she paused and went sighed, sinking back into her seat, ¡°And it only blooms at night.¡± ..... ¡°Well, then why don¡¯t we look for some when the timees?¡± Lina asked her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just hear your sister warning us to...¡± ¡°She said we weren¡¯t to let the humans wander about on their own. She didn¡¯t say we couldn¡¯t wander about on our own,¡± Lina rephrased her sister¡¯s words. ¡°She said there were rogues in the woods. I don¡¯t think going into the woods at night would be a good idea. And to look for flowers no less...¡± she replied, ¡°You¡¯re also forgetting that you have to deal with your duel this night.¡± ¡°Cheer up, Honour. We will be able to do all that. The moon will be up at nine in the night and we will be out by then, in search of the lotus luna-whatever... The duel won¡¯t be until twilight and we will be there by then,¡± Lina replied to her. Honour narrowed her eyes at the girl before her, ¡°You¡¯re different somehow,¡± she observed, ¡°I like it. What about your sister? Won¡¯t she get mad if we sneak out on our own to find the flowers?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I know Katie, well, I know a part of her for the short time that I¡¯ve been with her. If she wanted us to stay put as though we were in a prison, she would have said so, but she only asked us to keep the humans in sight. That can only mean she wants this trip to continue as it should be. She doesn¡¯t n to keep us from having fun in the woods if we can,¡± Lina replied. ¡°You¡¯re not making sense, Lina. First, listen to yourself. Just imagine all the students were to spread out into the woods in all directions...¡± ¡°She¡¯d be able to protect them all as long as the wolves kept their eyes on the humans,¡± a voice interrupted their conversation. They turned around to see arge alpha seated behind them. To Caden¡¯s right was another alpha that looked into the woods. His interest wasn¡¯t on anything in particr and he kept his eyes darting about the scenery that passed by them. To Caden¡¯s right was Crysta who wouldn¡¯t make eye contact. ¡°What are you talking about? No one can...¡± ¡°You have never seen Katie fighting, have you?¡± Caden cut Lina short, ¡°I guess that¡¯s why you¡¯re sceptical of her methods. You¡¯re right, Lina. If Katie didn¡¯t want you all to move about and be as free as you would wish, she would have said so. She hadn¡¯t meant to tell you about the rogues, but you just wouldn¡¯t stop asking questions, now would you?¡± he rxed back into his seat. Honour¡¯s mind was running in circles trying toprehend what she was hearing. She had interpreted everything wrongly and hadn¡¯t even thought to ask the royal what she had meant to pull something as cruel, ¡°You would calmly suggest someone¡¯s ability to protect people who aren¡¯t even in one ce.¡± ¡°Katie is no god. That¡¯s for sure, but she did tell you to keep the mind link active so that she might reach you. If you¡¯re about to walk into rogues, you¡¯ll know. The perks of being raised by the Chase family,¡± he said out loud, getting awkward stares from everyone that was listening. ¡°You mean that¡¯s not some rumour milling about the packs,¡± the male to his right spoke up for what was the first time in a very long time. ¡°So you can still talk, Derrick,¡± Lina returned before Caden could answer him. ¡°Yes, I can still talk. I¡¯ve been busy, so buzz off,¡± he replied. ¡°Oh, busy with what. I don¡¯t see how someone like you would be busy when you barely have anything to do. Would you mind borating?¡± she asked him. ¡°It¡¯s personal. I won¡¯t talk about it and that¡¯s that. How are you focused on me when someone just said the Chase hunters raised your sister?¡± his voice went up a few octaves. ¡°Because I already knew that. You forget that I was among the group that went to pick her up from Brigadia where she was raised,¡± Katie replied. ¡°Brigadia... the remote vige up north. What would she be doing that far from civilisation?¡± Crysta asked her. ¡°Take a wild guess, Crysta. The rogue king is after you. A. You flee to the capital that he tried to kill you from or B. You flee to a remote town that he would never think to look,¡± Lina asked. ¡°Well, then how did she end up in a wheelchair?¡± Crysta asked her. ¡°What wheelchair?¡± Derrick asked. Lina only realised Katie had gotten better before thergest part of the pack had seen her in her crippled shape. Well, Lina hadn¡¯t seen her recover either and the exnation the girl had also decided to keep the whole situation a secret. ¡°Yeah... that. Brigadia was attacked on the night of her birthday. It¡¯s a long story, but the good thing is that she¡¯s okay now,¡± she responded. ¡°Yeah, well, about these flowers. Can a lone alpha tag along?¡± Derrick mentioned out of the blue. Lina regarded him for a moment, trying to decipher his thoughts, however, he wouldn¡¯t meet her eye. Of the three alphas that attended the school, he was the only one that didn¡¯t seem interested in the hierarchy, but he did nothing about the bad things that happened either. In Lina¡¯s eyes, he wasn¡¯t any better than Liam or Wyatt. ¡°What would a lone alpha, as you say, be doing looking for flowers?¡± Lina asked him. The boy¡¯s lips drew to a t line, ¡°I... umm, want to see them. That¡¯s all. Can we leave it at that? They are rare and sometimes regarded as a myth. If we can find them... I would want to see them,¡± he responded. Narrowing her eyes at the boy shortly, Lina gave up and returned to her seat, ¡°This is an impossible trip. Now we have followers to the lootusnarius,¡± sheined. ¡°You¡¯re doing that on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± Honour groaned. ¡°Whatever do you mean, my queen!!! Or was it the Lotus emporium?¡± they joked. ¡°That¡¯s even worse. Now I know you¡¯re doing this on purpose. If you¡¯re going to read my diary, try to read it right,¡± Honour replied. ¡°Wait, diary?¡± Crysta¡¯s voice reached their ears. ¡°Oh, I forgot we have a set of eavesdroppers,¡± Lina sighed. ¡°Well, it doese with the territory. We are werewolves. Where there is gossip that¡¯s within earshot, we will know it,¡± Caden shrugged. ¡°Yeah, well, I use nts tobel months of the year in my diary. Lotus Lunaria happens to be April,¡± Honour mumbled thest part, setting her eyes on the flora that passed by them, ¡± ¡°Thank you, Lina. I almost ruined a perfectly fun trip,¡± Honour confessed. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet. I would be more interested in hearing your thanks when we find the...¡± ¡°Moon lotus... Let¡¯s keep it that way,¡± Honour cut her off before she coulde up with another ridiculous name for the nt. Lina had read her diary before... Well, there wasn¡¯t much to hide behind the girl¡¯s exterior. She was who she was and there was nothing she dared to hide. She promised not to do it again, but she had found out one thing about her friend. The moon lotus was her very favourite flower and it only bloomed in the wild and at night which made it one of the most impossible flowers to ever find. ¡°Alright then... Moon lotus it is,¡± Lina replied with a smile. With her friend¡¯s foul mood lessened, she could enjoy the trip through therge reserve a little bit more. There hadn¡¯t been anothermunication from her sister. Lina had no idea if that was a good thing or a bad one. Chapter 202 202 Chapter Two Hundred Two A ck stretched limo, a small crew of pack warriors, mostly betas and deltas and a four-hour drive found the crown prince of Sirius in a pack of wolves that still resided within the Sirius empire. Well, there was a lot that was in that domain and he usually preferred to travel by air, but that didn¡¯t seem to be a luxury this time. Besides, he wanted the time. The drive was long and he allowed it to go on in silence until the very end. All the while, his mind wandered about a myriad of thoughts, but most of all, the real reason he¡¯d decided to visit this pack. There was something he was looking for and this was the only ce that would provide him with this answer. The car finally came to a stop. His sensitive ears could pick up on the sounds going on outside the car. He sat in wait as the wolves got ready to receive him. The door finally opened, and he walked out, ensuring a firm posture and a regal posture that insinuated power and only power. It was a requirement that he found physically exhausting. A man approached, however, much younger than he¡¯d expected. His resemnce with the person that he had expected to see was uncanny, ¡°Wee to the Golden Moon pack, Prince Drake. Would I take your father¡¯s absence as a sign that he is not interested in a pack located this far from the capital?¡± the man before him spoke up while he received him. ¡°Ah, Alpha Lionel, it¡¯s been a while and no, you misinterpret my father. He has far more to deal with back at the pce,¡± Drake replied, ¡°Is this what a warm wee looks like this far south. ¡°Well, when we of the Golden moon like to stick to the point. Will I be getting more information on the king¡¯s pressing matters? The golden moon pack would like to help in whatever way we can,¡± the man replied. ¡°I appreciate the offer, Alpha Lionel, however, I do not know of my father¡¯s intentions and wouldn¡¯t want to make a decision that is against him. That¡¯s beside the reason for my visit though,¡± Drake replied, growing impatient. ¡°Ah, the search continues. It seems you are growing restless. Your mate wille to you when the time is right, your highness. You merely need to be patient and calm about it all. You might not even know that she¡¯s in the capital,¡± Lionelmented, signalling for him to walk with him. The driver gave the keys to the car to someone who would park it and fell in line with the deltas that followed the two leaders. ¡°Well, I know what you mean to tell me, but as you already know, we are granted our mates when we turn eighteen. Royals are sometimes known to find their mates before they even turn eighteen. I am turning twenty-three soon, Alpha Lionel. I cannot afford to stay quiet as the years go by,¡± he replied. ..... The man sighed, ¡°You remind me of a time I used to chase a girl I was sure would be my mate when she came of age. I was stubborn at the time and ill-advised in the field of patience. If you don¡¯t learn to be so, you will find yourself driving you and your wolf to insanity,¡± the man replied. Drake took time to regard the alpha that he was speaking to. He¡¯d met Lionel before... This wasn¡¯t him. ¡°Your advice has been heard and noted,¡± Drake replied, ¡°You sound different, Lionel. Has something happened? Did you find your mate?¡± The man chuckled, ¡°No, I haven¡¯t found her yet. However, I was made the heir to this pack not so long ago. Since then, I¡¯ve turned a new leaf. Under the advisement of my father, I will make sure I bring my pack more prosperity than ever before,¡± he announced. It was only a matter of time before the packhouse came into view. The wolves preferred to live in forested areas as it provided them close ess to nature andfort to their wolf counterparts. The packhouse here had been built into the forest with the least amount of modern technology. There wasn¡¯t a sign of a paved road the closer one got to the packhouse, however, the grass was tended to and the ground levelled the closer one got to the packhouse giving it a natural touch. Drake finally realised the source of the quietness that filled this ce. All the wolves had been paraded at the front of the packhouse in lines, ¡°One would say that you knew I wasing,¡± Drake observed. ¡°Yes, we did know when you would be arriving and made the necessary preparations for your arrival,¡± Lionel replied and walked him through ane that had been left clear to allow them through. Drake¡¯s wolf didn¡¯t even perk up at the mass gathering like he usually did. He could raise his hopes up before even getting the slightest of signs that his mate was among the members of this pack. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, would I know where your father is?¡± Cole asked the alpha. ¡°Oh, father decided to take a trip to the capital of Lycaon. He¡¯s among the alphas that have decided to return to the royal to support him in the protection of the capital,¡± he exined. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Did I hear you right?¡± ¡°Yes, you did. I¡¯m sure you know of the king¡¯s condition. He¡¯s sick and dying... the information is being held from the masses to prevent mass panic and there are rumours that the prince of Lycaon has vanished. Rogues everywhere... threatening to storm the capital. When this information reached most of the alphas, they chose to leave the packs with a few warriors to reinforce the protection of the king of Lycaon. It¡¯s a noble cause, but if my father dies in a war that might break out, we will be left with a pack with only half a leadership,¡± he replied. ¡°Well, I guess you know more about patience than I could have imagined,¡± Drake replied before finally reaching the front of the group of wolves that had been assembled. Gesturing with a wave of his hand, ¡°To the right, you have all the mateless females that havee of age. The others are females that have eithere one year to acquiring mates or lost their mates. Take your time in your search,¡± Lionel said to him and walked with the alpha while he went from one wolf to the other. ¡°Such a fragile and yet strong thing, the mate bond,¡± Lionel mused. ¡°You make it sound like something you haven¡¯t made your mind about. Do you find it meaningful to an all-powerful alpha or me, a royal?¡± Drake asked him. ¡°Well, I definitely have my thoughts about it, however, whether it should be used as an excuse for someone being capable of leading a pack is just in hogwash to me,¡± there were gasps through the crowd of females which the alpha ignored and continued milling through the women with the royal. ¡°Well, ¡®excuse¡¯ is a strong word. Have you ever understood why a wolf chooses to get apanion? Just onepanion that they spend the rest of their lives with. Apanion that matters so much that they could be called a missing part of them that had been given life. Apanion whose death could just as easily lead to the other,¡± Drake asked, looking into the eyes of a beautiful brte. The mind of his wolf touched the mind of the brte¡¯s before retracting... ¡®It wasn¡¯t her...¡¯ Disappointment immediately spread across the girl¡¯s face and she let her shoulders droop, however, Drake only moved on like he¡¯d seen nothing. He was used to the reaction at this point. ¡°You would subject me to the lectures I have received from my parents and grandparents and everyone else that hears my take on werewolves having mates of their own,¡± Lionel groaned. ¡°Have you ever been alone, Lionel? Have you ever been truly alone?¡± Drake asked the alpha. ¡°I don¡¯t think I understand that question,¡± Drake replied. ¡°Well, what¡¯s the longest you¡¯ve even turned off your mind link and kept everyone out of your mind?¡± the royal asked him, moving on to a blonde and getting the same monotonous reaction. ¡°If I remember correctly, it was about an hour. I don¡¯t remember ever going longer than that,¡± he replied. ¡°That was quite brave of you. How did you feel at the end of that hour?¡± Drake asked. ¡°I speak for myself and not those about me when I say it felt like the life was being drained out of me,¡± he replied, ¡°My thoughts were much louder and slowly throwing me into a depression unlike any that I¡¯ve felt before. What does this have anything to do with a mate?¡± ¡°Well, having a mate is simr to having someone that can never let the world go silent around you. You can block everyone out, but blocking your mate is something much harder. You will never be alone once you¡¯re with her and you would never dream of being without her. Your thoughts are clearer and you can make decisions based on a different point of view. Your mate will never be like you. They are always different andplement you perfectly. I guess what I¡¯m trying to say is that once you have your side, you¡¯replete. And a leader that¡¯splete is in all ways more powerful than one that isn¡¯t,¡± he replied. Lionel was quiet for a bit. He¡¯d not heard the story told with this kind of analogy. It only made sense that the prince had ever been cut off for much longer than an hour. His opinion on the matter began to waver, ¡°I¡¯ll think on it.¡± His words brought a smile to the prince¡¯s face. The girl before him misinterpreted it and brought forth an awkward time of exnation. Chapter 203 203 Chapter Two Hundred Three Prince Drake went through thest half of the group without the hope of finding the one person that he was looking for. It was sad to those that realised the pain it was putting him through. The prince was supposed to get a mate soon if he was to let his father step down from the throne soon, but that was starting to prove a strenuous feat. An exhausting one at that... The girls no longer felt bad when their wolves didn¡¯t confirm the existence of a mate bond between them. From the prince¡¯s mood and expression, it seemed he was sure there wasn¡¯t even one amongst them that was the one he was looking for. A little hope still lit up once in a while, but it was all for nothing. After having heard the words from the prince, Alpha Lionel was more inclined to help him find what he was looking for, however, there seemed to be a predetermined conclusion to the search the prince was making. As he reached thest female amongst the group of wolves that were below the age of eighteen, he spoke up, ¡°Did youe here to find your mate or to confirm that she might not exist?¡± Lionel asked him. ¡°Did I mince words over the phone when I stated the purpose of my visit?¡± the prince answered him with a question and proceeded to the young girl that stood at the end of the line. This girl had grey eyes unlike the usual yellow and blue. When she noticed it was her turn, her eyes turned a bright amber so fast that the prince thought he might have imagined the colour of her eyes for a moment. ¡°No, you didn¡¯t, but you can¡¯t me someone for not having trust in a phone conversation. There is no ess to the mind link that way and lying is pretty easy since someone doesn¡¯t have to look you straight in the eye,¡± he responded. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re insinuating or at least, I would like to pretend I didn¡¯t hear what you just said. I came here for two reasons. One was discussed over the phone and once I¡¯m done checking with thisst werewolf, that reason will be done with and we¡¯ll be left with one other thing that I¡¯d discussed with your father,¡± Drake said to him, walking over to the girl and staring her right in the eye. ¡°What was the other reason for your visit if you don¡¯t mind enlightening me?¡± Lionel asked him eyeing the girl ufortably, ¡°You don¡¯t have to check her. She¡¯s a runt thatcks the ability to even shift into her wolf. She won¡¯t do a king much use in any situation.¡± ¡°Matese in all forms. All you have to do is find them. They always have a way theypliment you in the least way you could ever expect,¡± he repeated. ¡°Oh, so I¡¯ve heard. It¡¯s phrases like that that make it the concept impossible to understand for unmated males like I,¡± the alpha responded. ..... The prince went still and quiet as he stared into the female¡¯s eyes. His wolf didn¡¯t perk up anymore. The situation was the same as all the others. However, something was different about this one. Their wolves touched consciously and when they did, the prince¡¯s wolf bowed to that of the girl before him. The same girl that had just been called a runt. Curiosity wed its way into the prince, ¡°What¡¯s your name, girl?¡± the prince asked her. ¡°Madeline, your highness,¡± the girl responded quietly. She shook in the presence of the prince, however, he wasn¡¯t fooled one bit. There was something about her wolf that was special. He made a quick mental note to ask about her before shaking out of his daze, ¡°Well, Madeline, you¡¯re thest one out of your whole pack... And you are not the one either,¡± he said to her. The girl nodded in response, ¡°Aren¡¯t you disappointed?¡± he asked her. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. You¡¯re not going to find your mate here. I knew that to be the case the moment you arrived,¡± the girl responded. ¡°Madeline, that¡¯s enough,¡± Lionel yelled at the girl, interrupting the prince¡¯s response. The girl¡¯s face turned into one of fear and she took several steps back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, alpha Lionel. I didn¡¯t mean to...¡± ¡°You¡¯re on kitchen duty today. Well, you already were, but now you¡¯ll be serving the king himself as well as cooking the best dish you can think of for him. If he¡¯s even a little bit displeased, then you will have failed your chance at atonement,¡± he responded. When the girl was done apologizing profusely and gone, Lionel dismissed the rest of the pack and asked the quiet prince to follow him into the packhouse, ¡°So you would rather feed me on the food of someone who you¡¯ve just punished as a way to give them a chance at atonement. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen that strategy of disciplining anywhere,¡± Drake finally spoke as they approached the dining hall. It was arge room, though not asrge as what the prince was used to back at the pce. The tables were made of one of the finest kinds of wood and made sturdy, well vanished and arranged into columns that Drake couldn¡¯t put into order. Normally, he could tell where the king was meant to seat and where the rest of the pack members would sit, but he was at a loss this time. There was no distinction in this hall whatsoever. ¡°Well, it is a technique that my father devised to allow the pack to grow. When someone does something wrong, they are challenged to do something from one of their talents that¡¯s challenging and if they manage to pull it off, they are dismissed with a mere p on the wrist, however, if they don¡¯t manage to seed, they are given any manner of punishment that the alpha deems fair,¡± Lionel exined. Drake thought through the methods of the alpha, ¡°That¡¯s some serious out-of-the-box thinking,¡± he groaned, ¡°Going through all that to have his pack produce talented werewolves.¡± ¡°Well, yeah... the way of life in the Golden Moon pack is a peaceful one that allows us to be closer to nature, however, everyone here has got a dream of their own and if there is anything the alpha can do to help them achieve it, then they will do their best to do so. Anyone without such ambitions is put into a series of tests that help them find what they are good at naturally. We call it the Selection,¡± Lionel continued exining. ¡°Does someone like you get to take the Selection?¡± Drake asked him as they took random seats at one of the middle long tables. Some of the pack warriors that followed him about took seats on other tables and left the prince and the alpha to their conversations. ¡°Well, with a system like that in ce, you could never run out of a variety of people. I bet you have amazing healers and craftsmen. However, does that mean you¡¯re low on pack warriors?¡± Drake asked. ¡°Not really... for those that are found to have clear fighting prowess or at least reasonable potential for greatness in defence when ites to fighting aside from the talent that would have been revealed in the Selection, a minimum time of training is required every day to keep them in fighting shape. Only wolves that can¡¯t fight at all like Madeline are exempted from this rule,¡± he continued. ¡°I see... When is it that we shall...¡± ¡°If it isn¡¯t Prince Drake himself?¡± a feminine voice called out from the entrance of the dining hall. One look at the door revealed a beautiful girl in a blue dress that only barely hugged her body, falling elegantly to the ground and giving her an entrance worthy of a queen. Her red eyes ented the power she emanated through her elegant gait towards them at the table. It¡¯s been a while, alpha ire,¡± Drake greeted her. ¡°Oh, yes, it has been a while. I was only tending to the gardens when I heard we were in the presence of royalty. My brother was never one formunication when it came to these kinds of things,¡± she exined herself. ¡°No need to exin. I would have only thought you were out on important matters that needed your attention, so there is no harm in beingte,¡± Drake waved her off. She took a seat beside her brother, ¡°You are too kind, your highness. Unfortunately, all I know of your visit are rumours about youing here to seek your mate? Would it really be the cause for your arrival...¡± she asked. Lionel hid the annoyance in his heart, for he had sent out a strict order that everyone be present when the prince arrived. However, his sister had ignored his orders... as she always did and was now making the smooth lies she made when their father was around. Thankfully, she was never doing anything too dangerous to cost her brother anything. The potential to slip away scared her brother more than anything else though. ¡°Yes, I dide for that exact reason, but that¡¯s not the only reason I came. It¡¯s already clear to me that the search for my mate is not going to be an easy one and I wouldn¡¯t havee at all if there wasn¡¯t a bigger chance of me finding her or something else that could help me find her,¡± the mention of this got the two alphas to gasp. ¡°That method is a secret that...¡± ¡°Oh, rx, I¡¯ve already spoken to your father on the matter. He reacted just like you did the first time I mentioned it to him. However, my information sources are not wrong and I know what I¡¯m saying is true. Your faces show it all. Anyway, he epted... to help the kingdom of Sirius keep flourishing,¡± he replied. ¡°Where did you get that information? You¡¯re not supposed to know anything about her,¡± ire was furious. The prince sighed, ¡°I know of the reasons you keep the Seeker a secret and I will do nothing to expose her existence. If I¡¯m to make a guess... It was thest girl I checked, wasn¡¯t it? What was her name, now... Madeline, was it?¡± alpha ire lost herposed face for a moment to the restraints of fear while Lionel got even angrier. ¡°What if she is?¡± he asked him, dangerously. ¡°Then I would like to ask her about my mate. As I said, I only came because there was a way this pack could help me find her. I have checked more than half the packs on this world and none of them had the person I was looking for. Your father already said yes to the idea. You two are all I have left to convince. I want the Seeker to tell me what I wish to know... For the future of the Sirius kingdom.¡± The two of them calmed down for the moment, ¡°What about the other thing...¡± Lionel asked him. ¡°Huh, what other thing?¡± Drake was now confused. Picking up the pieces, he realised there must have been another reason for someone toe looking for the Seeker, ¡°Wait, is there a reason other than searching for mates that the Seeker could bring a wolf to this pack?¡± ¡°There is one other thing... I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ve never heard of it, so I will leave you clueless about that point,¡± Lionel responded. ¡°Ohe on, Lionel. He will only go and look for the information. The rich kings have all the money and resources to get such answers in the blink of an eye,¡± ire shrugged. ¡°Yeah, I tend to forget that. Very well then...since he didn¡¯te with that many guards and has no time to change his ns, I¡¯ll let him in on a secret only if he promises to keep it to himself and nevere here for that same reason,¡± Lionel formted the contract. ¡°Now you have me highly curious. You have my word,¡± Drake responded. ¡°Well, the Seeker... as the title goes, has the power to locate the Origin...¡± Chapter 204 204 Chapter Two Hundred Four Drake was silent for a moment trying to take in the information he¡¯d just been given. Pieces of his memory strained to grasp the full meaning of what he¡¯d just been told, but none of them seemed to fit. There was too much that was rumoured about this particr chapter and he hadn¡¯t particrly thought he would ever need to know what it was, ¡°Can you borate more on the Origin? It seems to have slipped my mind.¡± The two alphas looked at him in disbelief. Noticing how he didn¡¯t care what they thought of him, they let his ignorance on the matter slide and proceeded to exin, ¡°The origin is where the two friends, Sirius and Lycaon...¡± ¡°Were granted the power of the werewolves and given the orders to tear down the human race,¡± Drake finished the sentence almost mechanically. It had alle rushing back to him the moment the two of them had started exining. His mind gave him far more information than he wanted to know. The Seeker was capable of finding that same ce and now that he thought more and more about how something like that could be dangerous, he began to understand why the presence of the Seeker was kept a secret from all werewolves, ¡°Oh my... You have quite the mission on your hands, now don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Does that mean you understand how important it is that this remains hidden from the rest of the world?¡± ire asked him. ¡°Yes, that is what it means. Now does this chef that you hired take all the time in the world to prepare food or am I the one who¡¯s simply too hungry from my four-hour trip?¡± Drake asked, clutching his aching belly. Lionel looked about and summoned one of the guards seated around them, ¡°Would you go to the kitchens and find out what¡¯s keeping that girl too long?¡± The delta nodded quickly and rushed out of the dining hall to find the girl that was supposed to be delivering the food they wanted to have... Once again, the prince¡¯s mind wandered, ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that Madeline has the power to find the Origin?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t have the right training to achieve such a feat. Her mother, however, has the power to do such a thing. She¡¯s far more talented than that runt and the girl shows no interest in learning how to use the power that has been passed down through generations in her family. Honestly, I don¡¯t know why father tolerates how lightly she takes her gift,¡± the man sighed. Just then, the double doors opened allowing a crew of women dressed in aprons and a general white outfit through to the dining halls. Madeline led them with a trolley in hand. She walked up to the prince¡¯s table and began to set it up for them to start the meal. This all took a while before they were set to eat. ..... The girl was asked to stay behind such that the prince might judge her cooking before she proceeded to the next thing on the menu. Waiting for this proved to be more trying than hearing the results of all her hard workbined, for the prince seemed to be enjoying himself, tasting every bit of the spread in front of him like he had all the time in the world. ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t the Giant Crab that the Golden moon pack is famous for,¡± he would say and spend his time savouring the food in front of him. Lionel found this entertaining and couldn¡¯t help snicker at the girl¡¯s nervousness. The prince was halfway through his food before Lionel realised he was going to finish it before passing his judgement. ¡°Well, what do you have to say about the girl¡¯s cooking?¡± Lionel said, his voice going up even though he was speaking to someone that was clearly more important than him and in every way more powerful. ¡°Well, it¡¯s better than most I have tasted here in the golden moon pack. She has real talent. I was enjoying my meal so much that I forgot she was still standing there. There is still room for improvement though which is not a problem considering she is so talented at such a young age. How old might you be, girl?¡± the prince asked. ¡°I... I¡¯m only sixteen, your highness...¡± the prince nched at the answer. ¡°Lionel... you set me up with sixteen-year-olds...¡± he said, turning back to the alpha on the other side of the table. ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t want you to find your mateter on and me me for not showing you girls that young, in case she came from this pack. It¡¯s not unheard of for a girl to feel the mate pull by the age of sixteen,¡± Lionel replied. ¡°If she¡¯s a Seeker though, doesn¡¯t she know who her mate is? Why would you still show her to me?¡± the prince asked as though it was very obvious. The room fell dead silent, ¡°It¡¯splicated for the sake of the Seeker. They won¡¯t receive a mate that easily. They can¡¯t tell who their mate is, but they can tell who everyone else¡¯s mate is. The painful part is that their mate can tell that they are the one, but the Seeker can¡¯t tell. The mate pull can only be realised after the male that ims to be destined for her has proved to be worthy of her. In a way, they are gems that must be fought over.¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know...¡± Drake said thoughtfully, ¡°Wait, fought over? Do they ever have more than one mate?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure. None of us can tell, but it¡¯s normal for three males to im they are mates to the Seeker. Whether they all feel the pull and fight for her or whether one of them feels it and the others merely pretend so that they might win themselves a Seeker is not known,¡± Lionel sighed, ¡°You can proceed with overseeing this meal, Madeline. You¡¯re forgiven for your previous mistake.¡± ¡°Thank you, Alpha Lionel...¡± The girl turned to walk back and bumped into a chair, steadied it and continued on her way, making sure to be careful to watch her step on her way back. Drake sighed before continuing his meal, ¡°I heard Katie Chase is in the capital of Sirius.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t go by that name anymore. You would know that if your information wasplete,¡± the prince scoffed at him. ¡°Well, it¡¯s what¡¯s written on her hunter¡¯s license and what I prefer to call her,¡± Lionel replied. Drake¡¯s mind began to buzz about the real reason he hade to this pack, ¡°Well, just make sure the other royals don¡¯t hear you calling her that. I would personally make sure you didn¡¯t call her that, but I¡¯m currently thinking about different matters... Wait, is that safe?¡± Walking through the main entrance was a girl holding a tray of cups filled to the brim with juice. Drake had seen this before... thest time that he¡¯d attended this very pack. The person serving the table was meant to bring refreshments on a tray and this was used to demonstrate their incredible stability. However, this was the first time he found it to be challenging. The person carrying the tray this time was none other than Madeline. She was ridiculously clumsy and shook with the vigour of a jackhammer. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she walked toward their table. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s part of the meal. A little bit of entertainment if you will as well as the only part of the craft that the girl is ridiculouslycking in. Drake swallowed hard when he heard this... The girl continued to walk toward them and began to serve them one by one. She sessfully served the prince and moved on to her alpha and his sister. It was a task that everyone in the dining hall watched with the utmost scrutiny. The girl was serving them all until... it happened. Drake turned just in time to see the girl trip. In the corner of his eye, he saw a retreating leg as though she¡¯d been tripped. He didn¡¯t have the time to dwell on it much longer as the girl fell, much less reach out to save her from the terrible fall. The sound of shattering ss filled the hall rousing a round of gasps from everyone but chuckles from one particr table. Ignoring the obvious sabotage, the prince stood up to approach the girl, ¡°Just how clumsy can...¡± Drake raised a hand to silence Lionel as he began scolding her. ¡°Are you okay?¡± the prince asked the girl, lending her his hand to help her up. The girl stared at the hand outstretched for her to take. With tears welling up in her eyes, she pped away his hand and ran out of the dining hall. Drake stared until she¡¯d left the room before speaking up, ¡°Five minutes... That¡¯s all the time I¡¯m giving for the person that tripped her to step up and that¡¯s me being very... very lenient.¡± Lionel looked back at the deltas and betas with a look of disappointment, ¡°Your highness, would you let me handle the punishment for the delta.¡± ¡°First thing¡¯s first... I want the wolf that did it to step forward,¡± Drake said. When no one stepped forward, the royal spoke up once again, but quieter, rubbing his temples, ¡°Alpha Lionel, royals aren¡¯t known for getting angry. Would you tell me the two things that can calm down a royal that has gone feral?¡± ¡°A beta alpha and their mate,¡± Lionel sighed before looking through the betas at the table. He walked up to the table, staring at one of them in particr, ¡°Well, what are you waiting for, Victor?¡± ¡°What... What makes you think???¡± ¡°Would you want to face the anger of the entire pack or just mine... I don¡¯t know how many people would call your stunt funny when you find out just how stupid that was. Are you forgetting the person that cooked the food that you have chosen to call the best in the pack?¡± the alpha cut him off, trying his best to keep his temper in check. Victor stood up and walked up to the royal, bowing down low in respect, ¡°Your alpha will decide your punishment. I¡¯m afraid a punishment from me would probably kill you. If I don¡¯t find the punishment you¡¯re given satisfying, I will punish you myself and trust me when I say you won¡¯t like it that... you won¡¯t like it... Don¡¯t let me down, Lionel. ire, lead me to the Seeker¡¯s house. I have questions to ask of her,¡± he ordered, turning around to walk out. ¡°She¡¯s only a runt who can¡¯t even shift... Why must I face any punishment for putting her where she should have been in the first ce?¡± Victor grumbled, however... it was loud enough for the prince to hear every single word... and he was inexcusably livid... Chapter 205 205 Chapter Two Hundred Five The dining hall had gone silent once again. Drake could not believe what he¡¯d just heard... Well, on second thought, he could believe it. He¡¯d seen it before... A wolf getting bullied and treated differently from the others just because they were weaker. He¡¯d seen it and for fear of the rules, he¡¯d kept it out of it. However, someone had opened his eyes to a number of things in the short time that she¡¯d been at the pce. The one person that did what she felt like and as long as it kept the justice intact. Drake was tired of all of it. For years he¡¯d heard of reports of what was happening to his sister and then one day, he¡¯d seen it happen. It wasn¡¯t long before they had gone looking for Katie in Brigadia. The girl had been bullied by the rest of them simply because she couldn¡¯t do anything about it. She was different, but that didn¡¯t have to make her a target. It was cruel and he hated himself for doing nothing. Before he¡¯d thought of doing something about it, someone hade through with a simple solution that didn¡¯t make the rules into ount. Katie wouldn¡¯t take this discrimination sitting down and it had lit a fire within the royals in the capital of Sirius including Drake. ¡°Is that so...?¡± he asked, his voice low and dangerous. The room had gonepletely silent. Alpha Lionel stepped forward and got a deadly stare from the prince, sealing off any more hopes he had to stop the royal from carrying out his own form of justice. ¡°Yes, it is. Werewolves are powerful and strong. We are the apex predators that prey on the weak. A runt like that one has no right getting respect from the rest of us.¡± ¡°I see and is that because she was born that way or because she was toozy to work for the power that you seem to have been born with or should I speak slower so that you might get my point clearly?¡± the royal was now walking back to the man who faced him defiantly. ¡°Oh, I get it... You¡¯re angry because that one reminds you of her. So that¡¯s why you¡¯re taking a liking to her. How the royals have fallen?¡± Victor replied with a smirk on his face. Lionel rubbed his temples... He didn¡¯t want to watch anymore what was going to happen before him. ¡°You¡¯re born with all this power and all of a sudden you feel like you¡¯re above everyone else in the world that¡¯s weaker than you, is that it?¡± the prince asked him. ¡°That¡¯s thew of nature... Always has been...¡± he replied. ..... ¡°On this day, you will know why the royals were made without the urge to kill every living thing that walked the earth that was weaker than them,¡± Drake replied, cing his hand on the man¡¯s chest. The man backed away from the royal, sensing the malice in his voice, however, he was already toote. Drake had got a hold of his shirt and in one forced pull, lifted the man into the air. He made look effortless as he mmed his back into the nearest table and held him there struggling... ¡°You were given the power of a mere delta and that was enough to make you forget how weak you once were. Maybe you¡¯d like to take a mile in that girl¡¯s shoes. This is the punishment I was meant to give you the moment you¡¯re alpha failed to please me with his... However, you¡¯ve earned it all on your own. You will never be able to shift again in your life until you¡¯ve been forgiven by the Seeker¡¯s daughter and yours truly... Additionally, you will regress to the power of an average werewolf...¡± the royal let go of the man and watched him shiver on the table vigorously. ¡°Is it wise to do something of the sort?¡± Alpha Lionel asked the prince. ¡°He should be grateful... I didn¡¯t cut off his ess to the mind link. This was me being lenient...¡± ¡°Hold on, prince Drake. This goes against the rules against using your powers topel the wolves...¡± Lionel argued. ¡°It goes against thew topel werewolves against the humans. This matter isn¡¯t between the hunters and the werewolves. We turned away from oppressing the humans. I will not stand by and watch my own kind oppress themselves. We are not savages,¡± Drake argued, ¡°Now are youing or what... Throw that disgrace into the dungeons for a week so that he learns his lesson.¡± The orders were ryed to the frightened deltas and betas that stood frozen before their shiveringrade. When Victor had the power to open his eyes, he looked cold and hugged himself. The colour of his eyes was bright amber and it shook every delta to the core... ¡°Are we really that insignificant to the royals?¡± ¡°Is that what you got out of all this?¡± ire wondered, touching the fallen delta¡¯s forehead when the alpha and royal were out of the room, ¡°He undermined someone weaker than him. My father has spent his life trying to show all of you that we can all be strong in a different way that¡¯s not just your physical strength. My brother finally learnt that and that¡¯s when he was granted the right to take his father¡¯s ce. That girl has the potential to find the Origin. Now many of you don¡¯t know what that means and it is useless information to you, but to someone that can use that information, it is dangerous. That¡¯s why we protect the Seeker. Oh, Victor, your world hasn¡¯t yet ended... There is a way to get back to the way you were before, but it won¡¯t be easy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t...c-care about that... I will make that royal rue the day he crossed me,¡± the werewolf cursed, turning to look at the door that the royal had gone through. ¡°You don¡¯t want to take that route. I can guess the reason the Royals have be more active. If what I¡¯m guessing is true, they are more dangerous now than they have ever been before. You don¡¯t want to against them lest you risk your death,¡± ire tried. ¡°I don¡¯t care if they think they are gods... I will bring him down from his high horse...¡± the man replied. The woman sighed heavily, ¡°Take him to the dungeon.¡± The betas lifted him from the ground and began the journey to the dungeons... Rage boiled within the man¡¯s mind and filled him with hate. ¡®I¡¯ll make you pay and one day I¡¯ll put you down... Mark my words, prince of Sirius...¡¯ ............. Drake calmed down during their walk to the house they were looking for... It was the Seeker¡¯s abode. His mind was easily cleared when he realised who it was that he was going to be meeting. Memories of the sadness his sister held haunted him in his dreams. Ever since Katie had begun breaking rules in the pce, he got the urge to do a variety of things that he believed would be better for the pack. It wasn¡¯t just him. His parents were feeling it as well. A lot had to change if the wolves were to live in harmony after... after the rogue king was defeated. ¡°Is it her...? Katie, I mean... Is she the one that brought this streak of rebelliousness out of you?¡± Lionel asked the royal, slowing down so that they walked at a slower pace and take a longer time to reach the house. Drake sighed at the question, ¡°You could say that... Katie had a lot to do with it.¡± ¡°You do realise there are consequences to being reckless. The rest of the alphas won¡¯t take it lightly if they hear that the royals are just misusing the power they promised to keep away,¡± Lionel spoke up, ¡°And neither will the hunters.¡± ¡°I know what you¡¯re saying, Lionel,¡± Drake sighed, ¡°There will be consequences and I will face them when ites to it.¡± ¡°Huh, you sound like her. You do what¡¯s right first and face the consequencester,¡± Lionel replied with a smile on his face, ¡°Here we are.¡± The cottage they stopped right in front of was small and beautiful, made from strong hardwood. Drake walked up the stairs, allowing the alpha to lead the way to the cottage. The scent of cinnamon wafted out an open window before they had got to the door, bringing the feeling of home to the royal and alpha. ¡°You¡¯re lucky she¡¯s friendly. Seekers aren¡¯t known to be friendly. I say that from experience with the Seeker before her and the one before that. Well, it was my father that had experience with that one and his father told him of the one that was even before that and the..¡± ¡°I get the point, Lionel, the prince stopped him from saying more...¡± ¡°Oh, right. Well, it¡¯s rude to idly stand by someone¡¯s door as though we¡¯re nning a robbery or kidnapping of sorts,¡± the alpha mentioned before reaching forward. The door swung open before the alpha could do anything to reach it, ¡°That was an interesting conversation about my predecessors, alpha Lionel. I would have liked to think that I¡¯ve atoned for their misunderstandings.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Selene, but the past remains the past. Despite how it may sound, I¡¯ll still stand by my description of the Seekers before you. You are far more approachable and warm inparison to all of them,¡± the alpha defended. ¡°Now I¡¯m trying to figure out whether I should be proud or try to emte them. Perhaps I¡¯ve strayed off the path that the Seekers are supposed to take,¡± the woman replied. ¡°No, you¡¯re perfect just the way you are,¡± Lionel panicked. The woman before him was shorter than him and her face was only starting to age. The remnants of her youthful beauty were only starting to fade and her face took on one of wisdom that far exceeded her years. She had a warm smile and an attitude to match. Her voice was equally warm, banishing all nerves that gued the prince¡¯s mind. He felt hope that she would be able to help him. ¡°What brings you here, alpha Lionel? And who is the guest that you bring with you? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen him around these parts,¡± the woman shrugged, taking in the prince¡¯s appearance, ¡°Is he some sort of noble?¡± Drake¡¯s lower jaw dropped in shock at the woman¡¯s oblivious act. He wondered whether something was covering his eyes since he was sure she would at least be able to tell from his eyes that he was a royal, ¡°Sometimes I forget how much time you spend inside this cottage of yours...¡± Lionel sighed. ¡°Well, are you wearing contacts? I¡¯m sure those eyes aren¡¯t supposed to be that colour. You would get arrested for impersonation if anyone from the royal family got to know what you¡¯re doing walking around with blue contacts,¡± the woman advised. This got the royal tough instead. ¡°I¡¯ll be on the lookout for anyone that uses contacts to impersonate me then,¡± he replied with a chuckle. Silence took over the three as the woman took her time to decipher what the man had just said. Her eyes darted from her alpha to the bring until they widened in the realisation of the person she was in the presence of... ¡°And I was talking in the presence of an actual royal...¡± ¡°I sometimes wonder how such details slip your mind. I was sure to inform the entire pack that the man wasing today,¡± Lionel replied. ¡°Oh yeah... You did, didn¡¯t you?¡± the woman chuckled... ¡°It¡¯s like half the pack listens to those announcements. You¡¯ve got to make them a lot shorter. One speech during the pack meeting is long enough, you don¡¯t have to make others in the pack link as well,¡± the woman huffed and left the door open a little wider, letting them in. Inside the cottage, a teenage girl walked by with a te of breakfast foods in her hand... she froze at the visitors that had stepped into her house. ¡°Hey, Madeline...¡± the Seeker yelled at her. The girl was quick to respond, but the prince had already seen what he needed to see. Her eyes had been grey and without a hint of the amber that appeared in every average wolf. Chapter 206 206 Chapter Two Hundred Six ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mother,¡± the girl apologized to the Seeker. The Seeker only sighed at her carelessness and waved her off. The girl was gone in the blink of an eye to what Drake guessed was her room. ¡°Might I get you anything to drink?¡± the woman asked them, gesturing to the sofas in the living room. The cottage was cosy and despite how satisfied the prince was, the smell of cinnamon just had an alluring pull to it. ¡°A cup of tea if it won¡¯t be much trouble,¡± he replied, taking a seat opposite alpha Lionel. The alpha looked about the cottage, his thoughts soaring through the possibilities of their visit. It made sense to him now that the prince would go through the females first. Knowing about a Seeker wouldn¡¯t have required him to go through the needless work, but he¡¯d gone through it anyway, ¡°So did you n every part of this visit with my father?¡± Lionel asked. ¡°Well, yeah... He just never mentioned his sudden absence,¡± Drake responded, ¡°Congrattions on earning his approval. I didn¡¯t think he would give you this much responsibility so soon.¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the new leaf I only turned a while ago, I would have taken that to be an insult, your highness. Seeker, the prince does not like to be kept waiting,¡± the alpha yelled. ¡°I know that¡¯s you putting words into his mouth. That man is a thousand times more patient than you¡¯ll ever be,¡± the Seeker¡¯s voice came back from the kitchen with a hint of a giggle. ¡°Well, now that you know who doesn¡¯t like to be kept waiting, would you hurry this along? I seem to have forgotten my room wide open and have a thing for privacy,¡± Lionel tried again. ¡°You will say just about anything to get things to move faster. I¡¯m just surprised you haven¡¯t started telling me we are under a rogue attack,¡± the Seeker¡¯s voice sounded again, this time,ing closer to them though. She finally came into view holding a tray in her hands. On the tray were two cups of what Drake¡¯s senses told him were well-brewed cups of cinnamon tea. ..... ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for your tea,¡± the alpha huffed. ¡°And yet it is what you¡¯ll have. This world doesn¡¯t always offer what we want to have now, does it, Lionel?¡± she asked him with a smile on her face. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t...¡± ¡°Great... I¡¯m d we see eye to eye. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? I never thought the prince of Sirius would being to my doorstep to see me in particr,¡± she said to him. ¡°Well, I came to ask for your help. They say you have a gift that can help you find mates,¡± Drake announced without wasting time in any more idle chatter. ¡°You get straight to the point, huh? I just don¡¯t understand why you would being to me for something like that though,¡± the woman shrugged, taking a seat beside her alpha. ¡°Why is that? I¡¯ve been searching for her for almost a year now,¡± Drake responded. ¡°Huh, a year... That¡¯s odd. Aren¡¯t you sixteen?¡± the woman asked as though it was obvious. The two males stared at her with looks of concern and shock. The Seeker was bothered for a moment by the looks they were giving her, ¡°What... Did I say something wrong?¡± ¡°Umm... Well, you have his age wrong by a lot of years... He¡¯s turning twenty-three soon,¡± alpha Lionel said to her. ¡°Huh...¡± speechless, she looked between the two werewolves, ¡°Oh, the two of you are serious about that. I can see where the problem is now.¡± ¡°What is it then?¡± Drake asked her, getting slightly hopeful with the news he was hearing. The woman might have been a bit odd, but the way her eyes turned grey whenever she was trying to figure out what they asked of her told him there was more to her than her odd eye colours. ¡°Well, your mate is a little too young. You¡¯re actually searching for her two years too early. You won¡¯t be able to find her for another two years. She¡¯s sixteen at the moment. I don¡¯t know who she is if you want to ask. The rules don¡¯t let me know your mate¡¯s name if she hasn¡¯te of age yet. However, there is something odd about her,¡± the Seeker said. Drake was disappointed, however, thest thing the woman said caught his attention. ¡°What do you mean by that? Is she alright? Injured? Sick? Tell me already,¡± he asked. ¡°She¡¯s neither of all the things that you¡¯ve said, but I would say your mate is special. So special that the entire fate of a race could rest upon her one day,¡± the woman said, ¡°How shees to be so important is beyond my scope of abilities. I¡¯m sorry about that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Can you at least tell me her location so that I know where to start when the timees?¡± Drake asked her. ¡°I can¡¯t do that, but you won¡¯t have trouble finding her. Something tells me you¡¯ve been staring at her for a while now. Patience should help you get through the next two years without much trouble. However, I would ask that you train yourself to be able to protect her when the timees. She¡¯s going to need the protection,¡± the Seeker said before a tear rolled down her cheek. Her grey eyes flickered back to amber and didn¡¯t go back. ¡°That¡¯s never happened before... I can¡¯t see much more... My power... It won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Lionel asked her, panic starting to fill his voice. ¡°My best guess is that I was not meant to pry anymore than I should have. I do know what I had found out before the connection was severed though,¡± the woman said with a thoughtful expression, ¡°Your mate... She has a very strong connection to the moon goddess.¡± ¡°What... The only people who have connections to the moon goddess at the moment are the moon goddess¡¯ chosen. The royals have weak connections inparison...¡± ¡°I do remember saying she was sixteen. That only means she isn¡¯t one of the Chosen. Perhaps the goddess did something and stopped the oracles from releasing a prophecy about it for her protection,¡± the Seeker surmised, however, it was all just a theory and they had no way to prove it. It was the best they had, but all they had as well. ¡°What about Lionel over here?¡± Drake piped up, trying to diffuse the tension in the room. ¡°Huh, me... No, I don¡¯t need to know where she is or if she exists just yet,¡± the alpha spoke up, backing away from the Seeker. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, you coward. I don¡¯t have ess to my powers at the moment. I don¡¯t know if it is permanent, but I do want to know why you don¡¯t want to find your mate,¡± the woman rested her chin on the armrest and stared up at the alpha with pleading eyes. Lionel went quiet for a moment, ¡°Not yet... I can¡¯t find her just yet. Not when I still have passing thoughts of someone else that I¡¯m sure doesn¡¯t belong to me...¡± ....... Katie looked stared at the white rhino, holding her breath as though it was the only thing keeping her from being attacked. The rest of the students didn¡¯t seem to notice. The rhino had noticed the girl¡¯s ability to understand them and was curious. Katie hoped rhinos could read facial expressions. This could go in a totally wrong direction. ¡°Moving on... We have far more to see in thisrge reserve, so getfortable and expect to be amazed. Hopefully, we shall get to see the family of rhinos that resides in this park. They are the sweetest with little B,¡± the guide continued. ¡°B?¡± one of the students asked. ¡°Yes, that was what we all decided to name her. It wasn¡¯t my first choice, but it¡¯s what we settled on at the end of it all,¡± she announced. Katie continued staring at the rhino and made sure to keep eye contact with him while they passed it. ¡°Aren¡¯t I lucky?¡± was all the rhino said before going back to grazing. ¡°Naughty kids...¡± Wyatt spat. Katie turned to him and looked for the ones he spoke of. Taking notice of the group of kids that were giggling in the middle section of the car. At first nce, there was nothing wrong with the group, but after taking a longer look, Katie noticed one of them holding a ck and red slingshot. ¡°Hmm, I would think of you in that group of kids as well. What makes you different?¡± Katie asked him. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t go around oppressing creatures that have done nothing to me and are of no consequence to me whatsoever. I wouldn¡¯t even call it fun since the creatures can¡¯t fight back. If I was to get crazy with a slingshot, I¡¯d probably be shooting someone that could fight back and not a squirrel,¡± he responded. ¡°Did you say squirrel?¡± Katie asked, her eyes darting about until theynded on a pair of squirrels a distance away. They were almost out of sight by the time Katie noticed them... and one of them was injured. She didn¡¯t know if they were the same ones that had helped her the day before, but the sight brought something boiling within her. The gigglesing from the naughty students didn¡¯t help calm her down one bit. ¡°Yeah...¡± Wyatt spoke up, ¡°Squirrel is what I said.¡± Katie nearly turned on the students, but something kept her from doing anything. The student holding the slingshot was a human. Her blood went cold... The rules weren¡¯t the same when it came to dealing with this group. She sighed and turned a blind eye... ¡®Strike one, kids...¡¯ The students were in constant awe each time they saw a creature they had never seen or only heard of through the television and read about in books. Animals of all shapes and sizes filled the reserve and each had a story to it. At some point, Katie felt like asking the guide if some of the stories were made up. Almost all the young ones had been named as well as their mothers. A few carnivorous animals were seen, scaring the human students in the group. Katie facepalmed at the sight of a girl holding onto a boy that was equally scared by a lion that had only yawned as they passed its mostly sleeping pride. The students with the slingshot had been using it as much as they wanted focusing on nothing of consequence and Katie had noted each and every time they had used the slingshot to irritate an animal. They had eventually gotten bored and stopped using it or so the girl thought... The car came to a stop, ordered by the guide who had spotted something interesting, ¡°If you could all look to our right. One of the many things we hold most dear in the Sirius game reserve is this wonderful pair. The third part of this small family is the same one we saw earlier. So here we have young beautiful B and her mother, Pa.¡± ¡°Of course, they rhyme,¡± Wyatt grumbled. Katie chuckled only to feel her senses re up in her mind. She turned about looking for the source of trouble. She detected no odd rogue movement about them and yet she still knew there was danger around them. If only she had been a second faster, she would have noticed the boy that had the slingshot stretched to its limit and aimed at the young calf that fed next to her mother, oblivious about the projectile aimed at her forehead. Just then, the slingshot let loose of the stone, aimed straight at the cub. From all the practice Katie had gone through in archery, Katie could tell this shot had been made perfectly and would spell doom for the rest of them... ¡®I should have gotten that slingshot the moment they hit strike three...¡¯ she thought to herself while she tapped into her Prometheus gift. Chapter 207 207 Chapter Two Hundred Seven Katie leapt out of the car with the intention of catching the stone before it struck its mark. She was faster than she had been in Brigadia and was sure of her capabilities to stop the disaster that was to happen. With a light thundering sound, she dashed forward and snatched the stone from the air before it hit the young rhino. Little B, frightened out of her wits, darted away from the girl in fear. Her mother shielded her and stared got into a defensive stance, grunting at the girl with a murderous look in her eye. Katie went totally still and turned her hand to show the rhino the stone that had been focused on her child. Ashley reached forward and forced a slow half shift onto the girl. The animal-like appearance calmed the rhino a bit... ¡°Forgive the human for his stupidity. I will be sure to reprimand him,¡± Katie whispered. The rhino stared at her for a moment, the students along with the guide went silent, watching the scene before them. With her back turned to the car, the students hadn¡¯t noticed the transformation that had taken hold of the girl while she stood still in her staring contest with the rhino. The rhino, as though understanding the intentions of the werewolf before her, turned away and walked off with her young one. Katie sighed in relief... she was sure the rhino would have done its best to flip the car on its side if she hadn¡¯t stepped in. Ashley retreated, ¡°Pa says you better keep the humans away from her daughter...¡± ¡°That would be for the best,¡± Katie replied, walking back to the car and getting in through the entrance. The students remained quiet as she made her way to the obvious cause of this awkward environment. When she reached the boy, the slingshot was out of sight... One look from the hunter and the boy produced it from his backpack. Katie held the slingshot in one hand and shattered it before handing it back to the boy. The boy gasped in horror and stared between the broken slingshot and the person that had just shattered it, ¡°Do you have any idea how much this cost?¡± ¡°Far more than your life and the lives of everyone here...¡± Katie replied and waited patiently for the boy to take it from her. ¡®Umm, Katie...¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t remind me, Ashley...¡¯ Katie sighed, letting her scowl fall into a look of kindness. ..... ¡°Having fun has never been a bad thing, but be mindful of how you do it,¡± Katie told the boy before walking away from him. She took her seat at the back once more... ¡°Is the tour going to continue or not?¡± ¡°Oh yeah as I was saying, you got lucky to witness one of thest remaining families of the Great White rhino in existence. It is said that they were hunted for sport a long time ago and their numbers dwindled. They live a long time and take even longer to procreate which made it easy for their numbers to rapidly fall during the time that they were hunted. How could we know for sure though... This is information from a time that we know nothing about in this day and age... We might just be guessing about just like the dinosaurs we¡¯ve seen in books,¡± the woman joked, lifting the mood. The car started back up and started moving. Katie¡¯s mind wouldn¡¯t let go of her experiences in the wild. She was connected to it in more ways than she wanted to admit and it raised so many questions within her. It offered her new ways to keep everyone safe, but she also had no idea how anything worked and that paused arge problem for her. ¡°So... you care about humans?¡± a voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned to notice a smirking Wyatt on her right. ¡°I was a hunter before getting into this Moon Goddess¡¯ Chosen business. Of course, I care about humans,¡± she replied. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ll have to make a choice when the timees?¡± he asked her. ¡°Nope, I don¡¯t think so. I would like the same for the rest of the werewolves. Humans are meant to be a part of our lives just as much as we are a part of theirs. It¡¯s the only way to unite the two races and keep conflict from ever starting up in between them,¡± Katie exined. ¡°You speak like someone who spends most of her time dreaming of the impossible and cooking up worlds filled with rainbows and butterflies,¡± Wyatt replied. ¡°Now wouldn¡¯t that be something?¡± Katie mused. ¡°Huh...¡± he snapped his head in her direction, a look of shock on his face, ¡°I was kidding...¡± ¡°So was I,¡± she replied with a smirk on her face. Wyatt sighed, ¡®What¡¯s her deal?¡¯ ........... Cole groaned once again... boredom tearing at his every body cell... He was stuck in the one car that didn¡¯t have his mate in it and he was absolutely bored... He yawned and looked about the car. Jason was trying his best to ignore his alpha¡¯s bored mood. It mirrored his own, but he tried his best to keep that to himself. Trevor was in their carriage along with Liam, one of the troublemakers that had been assigned to help the hunters in protecting them. Cole hadn¡¯t heard from Katie in a while and it was worrying him. His wolf was eventually able to calm him down. The wolves, being able to feel the bond much stronger than their human parts, could convey a few messages sometimes without their human parts knowing a thing about it. Katie was doing just fine, as his wolf had convinced him. He finally came to the conclusion that he would talk to her the next time they met. He could tell there was something going on with her that she wasn¡¯t mentioning. ¡°Hey, we need to do something before the boredom decides we don¡¯t deserve to live,¡± Jason tried. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± the royal asked him. ¡°Well, we could talk about something I¡¯ve wanted to ask you. I thought the beta alpha transformation would only happen after you had be king of Lycaon,¡± Jason asked him in a hushed tone. ¡°Yeah, that is what I said. What does that have to do with anything?¡± Cole asked him as though nothing he was saying was a need to panic. ¡°Well, what¡¯s happening now? You know your father is the king. Why would we be transforming into beta alphas this early,¡± the wolf asked him. ¡°Well, I thought you knew about my father¡¯s situation. I normally have to heal him once a month...¡± Cole paused. ¡°Yeah, I still can¡¯t believe you go through that, but you don¡¯t lie and that¡¯s what you chose to tell us that day we asked you. What¡¯s that got to do with anything?¡± ¡°As time went on, my father was starting to get weaker much faster. At first, the injury was in his pancreas alone and caused him a lot of pain, but that was all it was and I could heal it to the point where it was painless... However, the more I healed him, the faster the infection spread. The body didn¡¯t continue to fight the infection that had taken his pancreas and it began to spread. Once a month turned into twice a month and soon thrice... it wouldn¡¯t end. So when we left, he made me promise to only go back once I¡¯d found her and made sure she was fine withing back with us... It¡¯s taking longer than I would have thought.¡± ¡°You make it sound like you don¡¯t want to go and save him,¡± Jason grumbled. ¡°I have been talking to him on the phone. Beta Alpha Raymond Benjamin helps me out every time I want to talk to him. The man is as stubborn as he¡¯s always been. The doctor doesn¡¯t give me any good news when I ask him for the bright side of this whole ordeal,¡± Cole continued. ¡°What about the rogues that are gathering in Lycaon? Benjamin told me about those ones as well. They seem to be aiming for the pce, but they aren¡¯t making a move,¡± Jason asked. ¡°I have heard of those ones as well and hunters have been deployed to keep the pce safe,¡± Cole replied. ¡°I would be a little bitfortable if I knew the Perfect hunter was there as well,¡± Jason sighed. ¡°Well,st I checked, he was also called to help and he epted the call,¡± Cole replied. ¡°Huh, who could have thought the Lycaon pce would be the first to see the famous, Thorrin Chase?¡± Jason smirked. ¡°Yeah... I only wish I could see the monster in action. Someone who¡¯s so powerful they say he doesn¡¯tpare to any of the other Mighty Warriors,¡± Cole mused. His boredom was starting to dissipate as he relived the days of his childhood. His best friends were present on the day they were told about the Four Mighty warriors. They were all impressive, however, talk of the fourth and most powerful of all of them had them dropping their jaws and fighting to imagine what he was capable of. It was impossible to believe anything they were told and disregarded most of it... for a time. ¡°If you could only look to your right, you will see one of the few remaining Great White Rhinos. It was said that they were hunted for the sport back in the past, however, since they live long, take a long time to mature and also have one offspring at a time, their numbers quickly dwindled quickly and now only barely scrape by,¡± the guide¡¯s voice broke through to the two boys. ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t think we have one of those in the reserve back home,¡± Jason said thoughtfully. ¡°No, we don¡¯t have one of those monsters,¡± Cole responded, taking in the gigantic creature that was easily the same height as their bus back at the hotel, ¡°I wonder what it would be like if the goddess had given us the power to shift into a creature other than a werewolf. Could have been a tiger, lion or even that rhino...¡± Jason turned to look at his friend who wouldn¡¯t take his eyes off the creature. ¡°You have the weirdest thoughts, my friend...¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be meeting the rest of the cars at the beach for lunch and take the scenic route back to the hotel. There will be a bonfire... as promised, in the night to mark the end of the day,¡± the mentioned meeting of the other cars was the only thing that made it to Cole¡¯s mind. That and the look the rhino had given him as they drove past it... almost as though it saw something in him or maybe because it could tell he was a werewolf. ¡®I must really be having a lucky day...¡¯ the rhino mumbled before going back to grazing, even though it was understood by a single soul in the car. Chapter 208 208 Chapter Two Hundred Eight Word of the incident with the rhino spread through the students like a wildfire. The open mind link was buzzing with gossip of Katie¡¯s confrontation with the rhinos in the reserve. The more this information spread, the more the boy that had caused it all felt like going invisible, which was obviously impossible. Katie¡¯s group was the first to reach the beach. She hadn¡¯t thought much of it until the salty scent of the sea reached her nose. Ashley was getting excited the closer they got to the water. Awe was the first reaction from everyone that saw it... therge ocean that spread out as far as the eye could see. Arge water mass, almost unthinkable to someone that had never seen it before. ¡°Wow,¡± one of the students said out loud. The guide had gone quiet upon reaching the ocean and stered a smile on her face. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have said it better myself,¡± she said, ¡°On days when there is no one here and I need a ce to think, I like to go up to the cliff ore down here to clear my mind. The view never ceases to amaze me.¡± Katie looked to her left and noticed a high cliff not so far from where they were. The waves made a lot of noise as they crashed onto the jagged rocks in the bay. Taking note of the safety hazard, the girl continued to take in the sights. Her neck felt stiff from another force that wanted her to take in everything faster. She looked up and took notice of an eagle soaring high in the sky. Respect for the hunter burned deep within the girl as she stared at his serious eyes scanning the waters for his next unsuspecting prey. ¡°When you think you¡¯ve seen it all,¡± the girl mumbled to herself. The car came to a stop and let them all out. It was only a short whileter after the other two cars reached the beach and parked next to theirs. Katie snuck away from the beach and leapt into a tree, taking a position that allowed her to watch all the students at once. Her senses hadn¡¯t let go of the rogues one bit and she was curious about one danger in particr. Wyatt and the other junior hunters had noticed her queer mood and let her to herself. Katie made sure to remain as quiet as she could on her perch up in the tree. ¡°How long?¡± a voice came to her ear. ..... ¡°It made sense soon enough... Are you alone?¡± Katie asked the voice. ¡°Won¡¯t you at least look me in the eye?¡± the voice came again. ¡°No, I won¡¯t. I might just get the urge to behead you the moment I see you,¡± she responded with a smirk on her face, ¡°I noticed you wanted to talk to me...¡± ¡°Well, I did want to talk to you, but I didn¡¯t think you would be this willing to talk. Not after...¡± an arrow tip at the back of the girl touched a spot on her shoulder the girl knew all too well. One of the four scars that she wore was proof of the battle that had nearly cost her life. ¡°That is why I won¡¯t look you in the face. I can¡¯t do much attacking anyway. If I can keep these students happy and blissfully unaware of the danger around them just a little longer, then that is what I will do. However, if this isn¡¯t a friendly meeting, then I don¡¯t mind exposing the danger you pose to them,¡± she responded. ¡°Oh please, I would never hurt humans. Werewolves, however, I can attack if ites to it,¡± Jeremiah answered with a sigh. ¡°Aren¡¯t hunters...¡± ¡°I only got the guts to shoot you when you performed a half shift. It wasn¡¯t human... and that, I can shoot,¡± he cut her off before she could argue with him. ¡°So that day in the Founder¡¯s festival...¡± ¡°I was trying to make sure the rogue king had lied to me about you being a werewolf. I milled about looking for signs of the rogue killer and any signs of her being a werewolf as the rogue king had suggested, however, there was no such luck,¡± he replied. ¡°Why can¡¯t you kill the rogue king the next time you see him? It makes all our work easier,¡± Katie said to him. ¡°I wish it were that easy, but the man is more powerful than any werewolf I¡¯ve ever seen it. I could even say that he has gifts himself. You once said it was your mission in life to put an end to this war. I have seen what you¡¯re capable of and yet you haven¡¯t even reached your prime. Keep at it, Katie. Many of us feel as though we are reaching our limits but you, you only keep pushing higher. I know I¡¯m thest person that should be telling you this, but I would say you¡¯re the one person that has the potential to beat the rogue king, however, not as you are now. You need to get stronger if you are to bring him down,¡± the man spoke to her. She heard him put his drawn arrow back into its quiver... He was leaving. ¡°Wait, so you¡¯re not on his side. How many of you are working for him undercover?¡± she asked him. ¡°There are many hunters that are bound to the man in ways that they can¡¯t begin to count. He captures people they care about the most or puts threats on their lives and uses the hunters. Some are simply undercover and sneaking information back to the Hunters,¡± he exined. ¡°Which one would you be?¡± Katie asked him. ¡°I am among the ones being threatened, however, I would like to make contact with the hunters. To be more precise, the only hunter that I know I can trust is you. Would you work as my contact to the rest of them?¡± he asked her. ¡°How is that supposed to work? You make it sound so easy, but the moment he finds out you¡¯re ying the part of a two-faced traitor, he¡¯s going to kill you,¡± she told him with a hint of annoyance. ¡°Oh, you make it sound like you care about me,¡± Jeremiah replied in a cocky tone. ¡°My hatred for you vanished the moment I realised I could kill you without sparing much of my energy,¡± she smirked. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m quaking in my boots...¡± Jeremiah chuckled, ¡°I¡¯ll be careful. You know the rules of undercover work. Take me to be the one undercover... Take care...¡± With that, he was gone... Katie¡¯s focus came back to her surroundings and noticed someone at the base of the tree leaning against it, oblivious to the hunter above... Or so she thought... His alluring scent soon told her exactly who he was, erasing all thoughts of him being unaware. With his experience in tracking, (an assumption she¡¯d made...) there was no way she could have been hidden from him. The hunter leapt out of the tree andnded beside Cole Lycaon. The man had his hands folded across his chest, ¡°Anything you would like to share? You seem to be far busier than I realised.¡± ¡°Well, I am in charge of keeping everyone here safe and we have arge group of rogues running about the reserve. Of course, I¡¯m busy,¡± she responded. Cole sighed, looking up into the tree, ¡°Who were you talking to?¡± ¡°You heard all that, didn¡¯t you?¡± the girl groaned. There was just no hiding anything from her mate. ¡°I should start rethinking how strong this mate bond is... everything I knew about it seems to be heavily insufficient in exining it.¡± ¡°Oh, what didn¡¯t you know about the mate bond?¡± Cole asked the girl pulling her into a side embrace and leading her back to the crowd of students. A group of two hunters and a head junior hunter, sighed when they realised they wouldn¡¯t be getting to talk to the girl once she had been captured by her mate. Cole led her back to their group of werewolves. ¡°Well, it makes everything easy. I can tell you everything and be sure that you¡¯ll take it well... and...¡± the words got caught up in her mouth. The rest that she intended to say just couldn¡¯te out verbally. ¡°It lets us say everything we wish to say without having to use our words,¡± Cole said when he realised her tongue had gone heavy, ¡°Would you like to tell me through a private mind link?¡± Katie thought it through before answering, ¡°Maybe when this is all over.¡± Cole had heard this phrase before, ¡°When all of what is over...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t noticed yet... The rogues in the reserve... I n to bring them all to the ground,¡± she said to him coldly. Cole knew it was inevitable, but the way she said it reminded him so much that he was mated to a hunter and that her cold killer side was just as much a part of her as the caring one that didn¡¯t want to see a single scratch on her sister. ¡°Hey lovebirds... We just talked to one of the guides. The bonfire will have venison,¡± Jason yelled at them as they reached the small gathering. ¡°And for some reason, it has got these two hoodlums very excited,¡± Sandra said bluntly pointing at the two beta alphas. ¡°I¡¯m only wondering if they think they will be allowed to eat it raw... Or do they think they get to hunt the deer as well?¡± Katie picked up on her friend¡¯s lines. ¡°Ha ha ha, make fun of us all you want. It will be usughing when you finally get to taste it yourself,¡± Caden puffed out his chest. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that...¡± Katie froze when a group approached her from the back. With her powers at their maximum, she knew where everything was and was unconsciously keeping track of everything. Anything that made her heart rate spike was cause for concern and the group behind her brought a feeling of happiness, but one of concern as well. She turned around before anyone could tell her of their arrival and met face to face with Lina, her beloved little sister. The girl looked nervous and wouldn¡¯t meet her sister¡¯s eye, ¡°How are you doing, Lina?¡± ¡°I would like to apologize for...¡± her lips drew into a thin line. Katie thought hard to remember what it was she was apologizing for but came up nk. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t remember what you might be apologizing for, so I guess it¡¯s forgiven and forgotten,¡± Katie replied. Lina¡¯s eyes darted to her sister¡¯s thoughtful face. ¡®Sometimes I forget how warm you can be one day, then scary on another...¡¯ ¡°Very well then... Can I ask something of you?¡± ¡°What is it, Lina?¡± ¡°We are going out tonight... Early before the duel with Liam... We want to look for moon lotus flowers...¡± the girl began to exin. She stopped waiting for her sister to lecture her on how careless she was being to go out at night when she¡¯d only been warned about it the day before... ¡°Hmm, is that all?¡± the hunter asked her. Chapter 209 209 Chapter Two Hundred Nine ¡°Did you hear me?¡± Lina raised her voice at her sister. ¡®Aren¡¯t you going to tell me it¡¯s a bad idea? Do you even know what a moon lotus is or are you just letting me off easy because I¡¯m your sister?¡¯ ¡°Yes, I heard you. Do you want me to escort you or are you going with Honour and Derrick alone?¡± Katie asked her, ¡°You could go with Caden to be safer...¡± ¡°But you said there are rogues in the woods...¡± Lina replied, ¡°Why then would you let us go out very easily?¡± ¡°Listen to me, Lina. Tonight... It won¡¯t be very different from that night. So be careful and don¡¯t do anything stupid,¡± Katie replied in a serious tone, ¡°The only difference is that these ones aren¡¯t quite as many. Those were a storm of rogues that we had to deal with that day.¡± Despite the grave nature of the information that the girl was telling her sister, she kept her voice cheerful as though there was nothing that the wolf had to worry about, ¡°For someone that¡¯s trying to warn me about rogues, you¡¯re oddly rxed.¡± ¡°Well, I would be scared if I was the rogues actually. I n to bring them all down,¡± Katie replied cheerfully, ¡°I am curious though... Like there is something I¡¯m missing here.¡± In the back of her mind, she thought there was something wrong with what the rogues were doing. They didn¡¯t attack at all and for as long as Katie had been keeping her guard up, they¡¯d stayed fairly far from the students as though they were aware of her watchful eye. It was only one enemy that had approached and even then, she had known his intentions and they had nothing to do with attacking the students, ¡°If there is nothing left, I do hope you find those... what did you call them?¡± ¡°Moon lotus flowers... they only bloom in the night,¡± Lina replied with a nervous chuckle. ¡°Oh yeah... aren¡¯t those called Lotus Lunaria?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what they are. I waspletely clueless. I¡¯ve never heard an alternative for their name,¡± Katie wondered. ..... ¡°Oh, they have many names. Their rtion to the moon makes Moon lotus the perfect nickname to give them,¡± Cole pitched in, ¡°Keep them safe, Caden.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do everything I can, alpha Cole...¡± Katie smirked at the grimace on her mate¡¯s face when he was addressed with his title. Beta alphas that we¡¯re also your best friends made a title unbearable. ................. The two hunters along with Trevor sat in a triangle, discussing matters concerning security. There was a lot they had to discuss concerning the safety of the students. They discussed everything they could think of, from the security at the bonfire and an interruption that brought all their ns crashing down when they¡¯d only just begun. ¡°I have a proposal,¡± Trevor began. An idea boiled at the back of his mind and he wanted it off his chest. If he was to pull it off, he was going to need to convince a lot of people, but that didn¡¯t seem to worry him one bit. ¡°Well, let¡¯s hear it,¡± Alice answered. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have the bonfire here?¡± he said, staring back at the beach. Students kept themselves away from the water even though they looked as though it was the one thing they all wished to do, ¡°The students want to get into the water. This ce could be turned into a camping ground. The students could have all the fun they wish to... Just think about it...¡± ¡°That would be a good idea, but we don¡¯t have all the security we need to pull off arge scale camping trip,¡± Morgan objected. ¡°Well, the Hunter¡¯s Agency seemed to find it reasonable to send this same group of students off with only one hunter. And the hunter they sent was meant toe, had they known of her presence or not. You told me to stop underestimating her, so I don¡¯t see much reason to worry,¡± Trevor continued. ¡°Have you thought of what she might think about this before you make her work a lot harder,?¡± Alice asked the junior hunter. ¡°Well, she seems pretty fine guarding thisrge group. Each time I see her, she¡¯s rxed and doesn¡¯t seem too bothered by the potential dangers in this ce,¡± Trevor said. ¡°Have you heard the rumours before you begin to run your mouth?¡± Morgan asked him. ¡°Who hasn¡¯t heard them? ¡®Student stands up to rhino after another student attempts to attack her already injured cub¡¯,¡± Trevor groaned out the headline, ¡°Can we move on to the camping I was suggesting? It will really help lift everyone¡¯s spirits. Especially the werewolves...¡± ¡°What about the werewolves?¡± Morgan asked him. ¡°One of them had me know that they were warned on rogues taking shelter in the reserve. Most of them are on edge because of this exact reason. And you wouldn¡¯t guess what simple-minded overrated self-respecting...¡± ¡°It was Katie, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Alice stopped him halfway. ¡°Yes, it was. Please let us hold the bonfire here. It would do those scared werewolves some good. I also heard that there is going to be an official duel between a couple of them at twilight. With an event like that one, we can keep an eye on them,¡± Trevor said to them. ¡°I am starting to see your point. We¡¯ll have to talk to the guides and send the cars back to the hotel for equipment. Call on the third hunter at the hotel for extra protection. Finally, thest point is that we have to find a way to talk to Katie. She is too taken by her werewolf minions that she doesn¡¯t have time left for the hunters. I wonder a lot if she¡¯s a hunter and not a werewolf, but I guess blood is thicker than water,¡± Alice began, letting her eyes hover above the group of werewolves that had the girl immersed in a conversation. Sensing their conversations, Katie excused herself from her group of werewolves and walked up to the hunters, ¡°Don¡¯t let them keep you too long, alright?¡± Cole had called out to her. ¡°I can¡¯t make any promises,¡± she replied before sauntering over to the hunters she was meant to protect the two sses with. ¡°What are we talking about?¡± she asked them, taking a seat beside Alice. ¡°Well, you, of course... You¡¯re having so much fun we are wondering if you¡¯re doing your job,¡± Morgan began, ¡°Well, those were Trevor¡¯s thoughts...¡± ¡°I know what it looks like. You¡¯re all free to feel that way. Anyway, I would warn you all to stay vignt. There are rogues in the reserve. I forgot to mention that earlier.¡± The hunters looked at her like she¡¯d lost an eye and was talking like nothing happened, ¡°And you know this because...¡± Alice trailed on, waiting for her to pick up. ¡°I just know that... If you want me to find you one at the moment, you¡¯d have to keep up with me until we got to one. Unfortunately, that would alert them that I know of their presence and I am not aiming for that. The rogues that have decided to follow me to the reserve shall meet their ends soon. Although I still need them for onest task,¡± she said half to herself. Alice looked at her with a suspicious look, ¡°Would you borate on how you would be able to find the rogue so fast? I was under the impression you were going to track it down, but at the speed that you¡¯re talking about, it¡¯s like you know the exact location of the rogue in question.¡± ¡°Yes, that is exactly what I mean. Anyway, I found you talking about something, but I still don¡¯t know what it was about,¡± Katie tried edging them away from the questions she was sure they were trying to ask her. ¡°If I¡¯m to guess, I would say you came here only because you felt it was the exact thing you needed to do at the moment,¡± Alice groaned. It was Morgan¡¯s turn to look at hisrade. ¡°Am I missing something here?¡± ¡°I knew something wasn¡¯t right about one of the students the moment they arrived yesterday,¡± the woman replied. ¡°That¡¯s why you excused yourself to go check them out yesterday,¡± Morgan continued, piecing it together. ¡°Yes, I did. And was I given the shock of a lifetime when I find the girl that was handed over to the Chase family for protection against the Rogue King,¡± she said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure there would be anyone out there who knew anything about that,¡± Katieughed nervously. ¡°Well, I was stationed somewhere else at the time. And Marie Chase... was my best friend. She told me everything,¡± Alice continued. ¡°Well, in that case, you know what brought me here then,¡± Katie responded. ¡°Trevor was suggesting that we have the bonfire here and we set up tents in the sand. Camp out for the night and enjoy the stars,¡± the woman reported. Katie¡¯s mind red up with excitement. It was an excellent idea, but one that came with several other dangers. If the rogues were to attack, they would be cornered and have nowhere to run. ¡°That is a very good idea, but I think it¡¯s beyond my abilities. I won¡¯t put humans at risk,¡± the girl responded. ¡°Ohe on... That¡¯s not something I expected to hear from the same person that has been training with Frank Silver,¡± Trevor groaned. ¡°How do you manage to doubt her skill and ept it all in the same day?¡± Alice asked the boy, amusementced in her voice. ¡°What can I say? It¡¯s a talent of mine. I know she¡¯s powerful. I haven¡¯t gotten to see her in action just yet, but from the way the rest of the werewolves fear her, I can tell she¡¯s not your ordinary werewolf. It¡¯s hard to believe it though when I see her mulling around with her mate like there is no danger left in the world,¡± he sighed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a Chase hunter for you. They don¡¯t need their eyes or ears to see everything,¡± Alice smirked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Katie Chase?¡± Impressed by the woman¡¯s deductions, Katie smiled in response, ¡°This would ce us all on the same page now. I¡¯ve been watching... everything.¡± Chapter 210 210 Chapter Two Hundred Ten After thatst detail concerning the girl¡¯s attention in the matter of security, talks amongst the hunters proceeded smoothly and it was atst decided that the students could not be allowed to have a camping trip with rogues in the reserve. It was a decision Trevor came to hate very much, albeit necessary that they take Katie¡¯s advice into consideration. The two experienced hunters knew more than to go against the warnings of a Chase hunter and Katie was now considered part of that family... as it said on the license Trevor was sure he¡¯d read clearly the first time. Seeing the license for the second time and taking note that thest name that was used wasn¡¯t Sirius simply blew his mind. The first time he¡¯d seen it, he¡¯d not paid any attention as he already suspected she had a fake one for emergencies. Once the students were well rested and had enjoyed a meal that one of the cars had gone back to bring for them, prepared by the hotel kitchen staff, it was time to set off. The destination was the hotel they were all eager to return to. On their way back, the students were in a much more cheerful mood. With their bellies full, some fell asleep in the cars and missed the sights they passed by, ¡°It must be nice to befortable and always sure of being safe. Not having to worry about rogues or anything that could snuff out your life the moment you made a mistake,¡± Katie mumbled to herself. Wyatt looked to his side... the girl was letting her eyes skim through the variety of nt life and the asional rare animal that zipped past them. The guide was quiet and the ride was silent as they made their way back to the hotel. It was in no way close to the beach and they took a route that Katie soon found to be quite long. From what her mental map said, the roads were made to meander through the reserve and allow the best viewing of what the reserve had to offer. ¡°It never crossed the mind of whoever built these roads that someone would want to take the short route back to the hotel. I could walk straight through the woods and make it back to the hotel on time,¡± Katie sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not all woods you know. Besides, I wouldn¡¯t want the car to get stuck in quicksand,¡± someone mumbled beside her, having had enough of what she kept saying to herself. ¡°Oh, was I bothering someone... What do you know about quicksand? And... Oh, that exins the muddy scent from yesterday. Three get caught in quicksand while one gets caught in a mother bear¡¯s den. What were you even nning to do out there?¡± she wondered. Taking her attention off the alpha and back to the passing trees. It was as he had said, though... The reserve wasn¡¯tpletely covered in forest. As the guide had said to them before, the lions didn¡¯t like living in the woods and spent most of their time in the parts of the woods that were rather filled with scattered trees and plenty of tall grass. Katie noticed the drastic change in vegetation but didn¡¯t pay it much attention. It was all the same to her, anyway... a way for the rogues to hide from them. ¡°What could they be waiting for?¡± she wondered to herself. The entire day had offered the rogues a chance to attack the students and cause major damage, but they hadn¡¯t done anything to give away their presence. This form of coordination scared the girl a lot. She thought of asking the boy what he could know about all this, but there was nothing she could think of... Just then, a thought crossed her mind... ..... ¡°Hey, have you heard from the pce at all?¡± she asked the wolf beside her. ¡°Why would I bother calling back there when I¡¯m literally on a vacation. It¡¯s a relief I get to spend some time away from there after all,¡± Wyatt spat. ¡°Someone¡¯s in a bad mood. I was only asking to check if you¡¯ve heard anything from them,¡± she replied before using the mind link to talk to her mate. ¡°Hey, do you know what they did with my uncle or at least what they are nning to do with him,¡± she asked Cole. Cole¡¯s voice came back groggy, ¡°I¡¯m not sure about it all, but I heard something about confirming your suspicions before locking him up.¡± ¡°So if he¡¯s currently locked up, then it would mean...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s locked up just yet...¡± as though her memory was moving in slow motion, the girl remembered she had a phone whose service had been paid for. She retrieved the device from her pocket and began to fiddle with it until she reached the contacts and dialled her mother. Before she could do anything else, her eyes spotted the most irritating piece of news any teenager would ever want to hear. ¡°It¡¯s been like that since we got here. There isn¡¯t a bit of signal in this ce. If you wanted to call for help, forget about it,¡± Wyatt said. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t a preserve have any kind of signal? What if someone got bitten by a snake. It just doesn¡¯t make sense for a ce like this to have this bad signal. Communication is very useful in a ce as big as the one they were in at the moment...¡± the girl said, adding a string of light curses to match her mood. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t mind, some of us are trying to sleep here. It¡¯s not like the imaginary rogues you saw will be attacking us at all. Just because one person said there are rogues in the woods doesn¡¯t mean there actually are there,¡± he said to her, coiling up with his back turned to her. She thought of telling him to wake up and fulfil his assigned duty, but let go of the matter... ¡°Cole, something is terribly wrong...¡± she said through the mind link. ............. The hotel soon came into sight as the evening sun was beginning to set. The students got out of the cars and began to stretch as they left the car, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to summarise everything that you¡¯ve learnt from this trip. I will be asking you all to present your reports on Monday in the morning lesson,¡± the teacher yelled at the students as they retreated to the gates with loud groans andints. The woman giggled at their childishness and watched them all as they left in clusters. This trip had put a smile on all their faces... ¡°Are you having fun as well?¡± Katie asked the teacher. ¡°Oh, this is a fun trip for everyone. Coming to the reserve has always been a dream of mine, but I have never been able to aplish it until the duke approached me on the matter,¡± the teacher replied. ¡°He approached you first before announcing it to all the students?¡± Katie asked. ¡°He approached the whole administration at the school and was told to pick out the first sses that he would want to send out on this trip. He came to me and the teacher of the other ss. We wondered why he was being very specific but figured he was trying to get his family members to go for the trip first before any other ss. None of us opposed him... Besides, we both wanted to see the reserve as well,¡± she replied cheerfully. Katie smiled back and climbed off the car. It was only a few moments before the other cars caught up to them. The teacher continued to let the students off with a message concerning a report due Monday. Katie soon began to giggle at the faces the students gave her each time she bombarded them with the information. Before she could approach the other cars, her senses red up at the same time a loud screech reached her ears, tranting to words she could understand almost immediately and seamlessly. Katie looked up and spotted arge eagle soaring high in the clouds. She¡¯d gotten his call loud and clear. She turned to the hotel and rushed in... paying no mind to the different people that had wanted to talk to her at that moment. Cole looked up and noticed the bird as well... ¡®I wonder what the eagle¡¯s doing so far from the ocean,¡¯ he was sure he¡¯d seen the eagle¡¯s nest not so far from the shore as it continued to hunt. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up with your mate? She just ran off yet we have to deal with this issue ofmunication. Without cell phones working, we can¡¯tmunicate,¡± annoying Trevor¡¯s voice reached his ears. He turned to see the boy holding up a walkie for him to receive, ¡°Just get this to her. I know she has a lot of things she deals with. That much is clear to me now.¡± Cole¡¯s frustration cooled down. For a moment, he could have sworn he saw a sincere look in Trevor¡¯s eye, ¡°Are you going to just stand there looking at this thing like it¡¯s a bone or are you going to take it to your mate like a good puppy ying fetch?¡± And it was gone... ¡°Sometimes I just wonder if you have some kind of death wish,¡± Cole chuckled and took it from him. ¡°No witty remark... I guess I¡¯d already given away too much,¡± Trevor replied. ¡°Yeah...¡± Cole said, turning to leave. The look of disgust towards werewolves was gone from Trevor¡¯s face. ¡®This ce is just full of surprises... One after the other...¡¯ Cole thought as he started to make his way for the hotel. Jason had already found his way back to the junior hunter that was being let off her job as part of the guard for the vehicles. Sandra allowed herself, for once, to leap into the werewolf¡¯s arms and make peace within his embrace. ¡°It¡¯s been such a long day... How can these werewolves think of brawling at midnight when we¡¯ve already had such a long and tiring day?¡± ¡°You should get some rest before dinner. This night is not going to offer you much sleep,¡± he responded in a calm tone, taking in the scent of Sandra stair. ¡°Did you hear something I don¡¯t know of yet?¡± she asked him. ¡°Yes, I did... There are rogues in the reserve. I don¡¯t know what they are doing, but they have been in the reserve the whole day... ording to Katie...¡± ¡°Katie¡¯s instincts on this kind of thing are sharp. She¡¯s right if she tells you there are hostiles in the reserve. How many of them?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°We didn¡¯t think to ask her that. How the hell is she supposed to know how many they are?¡± his voice went up at the bizarre question. ¡°Katie can know how many they are... I should have known this earlier and asked her at the beach,¡± she responded, ¡°I thought she was merely warning her sister to be careful, but now I realise what she meant by saying this night was going to be like the other one... She meant the one in Brigadia. When nearly a thousand rogues descended on the town of Brigadia and nearly cost her life.¡± ¡°Hey, hey, calm down. You can think about all thatter... After you¡¯ve rested for a while. You¡¯re not as strong as she is and you know that, but you must be at your strongest if ites to its worst. That¡¯s the only way you can be of help to her. You know how much she counts on you,¡± Jason tried, ¡°Besides, you know I won¡¯t budge on this... fighting me on it is just useless.¡± ¡°You should have led with thest part. Just take me to my room already,¡± the girl sighed, pulling out of their embrace. Without noticing it, Jason brought his thumb to her face and wiped a tear off her cheek. ¡°You will catch up to her one day, but there has never been a shortcut to that kind of power and while that is true, you should constantly be aware of your limits,¡± he continued. ¡°You¡¯re coaching me like you were hired as a recement for my mentor,¡± Sandra chuckled. ¡°Well, until you decide to go back to being trained by your mentor, I will be standing in for her,¡± he puffed out his chest. Sandra could onlyugh at his confidence... ¡®If only you knew how weak you are inparison to her...¡¯ ¡®A few months ago, I would have agreed to that, but now... I¡¯m not so sure...¡¯ Jason¡¯s voice rang through her mind. The girl had forgotten that they were still able tomunicate through their minds and still had no idea what the answer to them having that ability was...¡¯ Chapter 211 211 Chapter Two Hundred Eleven Lina got off the car with Honour once everyone was in the car, putting the teacher¡¯s instructions to the back of her mind. ¡°Well, when are we meeting to go and search for the moon lotus flowers,¡± a voice they¡¯dpletely forgotten about spoke up from behind them. ¡°I forgot you were serious about following us tonight. Well, we shall go an hour after the sun has set... That puts the time for the bonfire one hour away, so that¡¯s all the time we shall have to find the flowers. I just hope they are not too far from the hotel,¡± Lina said to herself. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask one of the guides whether she could help you find them?¡± Katie¡¯s voice broke through to all their mind links, including that of the beta alpha that had been keeping his presence hidden from all of them. He merely wanted to hear their discussions. The moon lotus wasn¡¯t exactly something he found that interesting and so watching them was his next best option. ¡°Thank you for that enlightening information, sister. We would really like...¡± just then, Lina went quiet as she looked up to the sky. The hotel had balconies for random rooms and a few of them had gotten lucky enough to be ced in such rooms. Among those that had earned that privilege were Katie Sirius and her mate. Looking up,pletely by instinct, Lina had spotted her sister seated on the railings that prevented one from falling, aplete vition of safety precautions. Herpanions looked in the direction she was facing and froze just as well... Right beside the princess, perching on the railings beside her was thergest eagle that any of them had ever been ced to set their eyes on. The eagle looked on into the sky and perchedfortably beside the princess as though the two were best friends and were having a conversation. Lina was sure they were having a conversation, however, the rest of her friends didn¡¯t. Using a private mind link, ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t going to reveal that ability to anyone. You asked me to shut up about it...¡± ¡°And you will shut up about it... This friendly King of the skies only decided to pay me a visit to discuss the matters going on in the preserve. Turns out, I have enough mail from the animals in here. I don¡¯t want more than the people I trust to know any of this. Just take it that this eagle happened tond near me and is confident enough to perch near a werewolf,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Very well, sister... Will you be watching over us when we go for the Moon lotuses?¡± Lina asked her sister. ¡°I¡¯m always watching over you, Lina. For as long as I¡¯m able to reach you, I will always be watching over you,¡± Katie replied, a smile gracing her face. She looked down at her sister and winked... Lina lost her fear of the rogues at that moment... ..... ................ Katie was in her room before anyone could even think to follow her. Well, anyone but her mate that had already noticed the haste with which she left the cars behind. He was curious, but let the feeling slide. He could always ask herter anyway... Once in the room, she rushed straight to the balcony without thinking much of what state she was in... Her shoes left mud stains all over the tiled floor, but she barely noticed. Her mind was entirely drawn to the bird in the sky that had summoned her. Therge eagle was perched on the balcony, having made the quietest descent andnded perfectly on the railing, making barely a sound to attract the attention of the students down below, ¡°You honour me with the haste with which you heard my summons, dear girl,¡± the eagle¡¯s deep voice sounded in her mind, tranting from whatever sound Katie was no longer able to hearing from the bird. ¡°Sometimes I feel like I¡¯m going crazy when I hear one of you speaking to me,¡± she mumbled more to herself. ¡°Well, you¡¯re definitely not running crazy. It has been a long time since one of your kind was able to speak to us and now, after very many years, when the world has needed the help of the rest of its inhabitants, another hase to us,¡± the bird replied. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Katie asked. ¡°It is of no consequence whether you know this information or not. Get used to speaking to us first before you end up insulting the entirety of the animal kingdom,¡± the Eagle spoke up, ¡°Your tone is rather rude...¡± Katie was silenced once more... It was the same as the day before. Everything she said came out harsh ording to the feedback she got from the animals she spoke to. If it hadn¡¯t been for Ashley, she probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to rescue her sister the day before... ¡°I get that a lot... Could you, perhaps tell me what I¡¯m doing wrong. I don¡¯t think I understand how speaking to animals quite works...¡± The eagle turned to her and regarded her for a moment before returning its gaze to the sky, ¡°When you speak as one with the wild, you speak with the pride of the race with which you stand for. A wolf is proud and mighty... Like most hunters out there... When you speak, you must embody that pride and address every creature you meet with only the best you can muster at that moment. That is what we creatures of the wild call respect... Anything less is considered harsh...¡± the bird exined. The hunter was stunned by the bird¡¯s words... The hunter was stunned by the eagle¡¯s words... When she heard the eagle speak, she heard nothing but the pride of a hunter... It was somewhatforting to hear the eagle speak that way. It was exactly what she expected from the ¡®King of the Skies...¡¯ Mustering up the courage to speak, the girl decided to take the Eagle¡¯s word for it and try his way of speaking. She could remember the same way she spoke to Trevor and the other junior hunters that were beneath her. However, there was a difference when she spoke to those she respected and those she didn¡¯t. The creatures of the wild were among those she would have considered worthy of her respect. After all, they had helped her in finding her sister. Keeping that in mind, Katie continued to speak, ¡°What could be the reason the King of the Skies would be visiting someone like me?¡± she tried. Katie could have sworn she heard the Eagle chuckle, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to call myself the ¡®King of the Skies.¡¯ Perhaps it¡¯s something you humans came up with to describe my kind. Out of all the birds that roam the skies, I am honoured to be considered the king of the skies,¡± the Eagle replied. Katie smiled and walked up to the railing, taking a seat beside the eagle. The creature barely budged despite the proximity, ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of me?¡± ¡°None of us have a reason to fear you. Even if you were to ughter each of us, we would still remain loyal to you,¡± the eagle spoke up. Katie lost the smile that had only started to form on her face. Chills ran down her spine as she heard the confessioning from the eagle. ¡°Why would you say such a thing?¡± Without noticing her change in demeanour, or simply choosing to ignore itpletely, the Eagle continued his exnation, ¡°Now that you know that you can understand all of us, you might want to know the few ground rules thate with the power that you have... Humans are superior to other creatures and to keep the peace between them, the creatures of the wild keep away from them. Humans are tyrants... Cruel and not deserving of the throne they¡¯ve been given. As such, we cannot coexist with them without a bridge to allow us to do so... ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Katie asked the Eagle remembering to keep the authority in her voice once again. The eagle was surprised at the girl¡¯s sudden change inposure. He¡¯d frozen for a moment, but managed to find his voice again... ¡°What you do with the power you¡¯ve been given ispletely up to you. Your power will let you call on the creatures of the wild whenever you need us to help you. However, there is a difference between a queen and a tyrant and so is the power they yield,¡± the Eagle warned or advised. Katie couldn¡¯t find the difference between the two lines... The eagle didn¡¯t make it clear which of the two he was trying to aplish... She remained silent for a while before speaking up, ¡°There is something else that brought you here.¡± ¡°Nothing escapes you, it seems... I came because I was the only one that could get you and I brought a message from Pa. She thanks you for protecting her baby when one of the humans tried to shoot her. The little cub is still growing and has a weak hide, so thank you,¡± the eagle said to her. ¡°I¡¯m d she¡¯s okay. I was honestly protecting the humans from Pa in the first ce. So, there is no need to thank me so... Tell the squirrels that I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t able to protect them, even after they helped me find my sister,¡± she replied... Guilt etched its way into her... ¡°Do you think the humans cared for the action you managed to stop?¡± the Eagle asked her. ¡°Yes, they did. What that boy was doing was barbaric and they all knew it,¡± she replied. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t they do anything to stop him. Why did you have to be the first one to react?¡± the Eagle asked her, ¡°What you did today has never been done before. It¡¯s happened before... Poor B getting hit by another... It¡¯s happened before and even then, the humans did nothing to stop it. They merely scolded the one responsibly and let the next one do the same thing. You, however, stopped it while it was happening... There is a very big difference...¡± The eagle¡¯s words gave the girl something to think about. However, before she could think of it, her sister¡¯s voice came into her mind. The voice calmed her down... Lina spoke kindly to her when she spoke, almost as if she was sorry for what had happened the day before. To Katie, she saw progress and only hoped she could guide the girl to a more desirable form of self-esteem that could help her realise her full potential... ¡°Have you seen moon lotus flowers?¡± Katie asked the Eagle... ¡°I know where they are... but they haven¡¯t bloomed in many years...¡± the Eagle¡¯s voice reverberated through the air, holding an ominous feel to it. Katie was finally curious. Chapter 212 212 Chapter Two Hundred Twelve ¡°Is there something else you wish to tell me, Eagle?¡± Katie asked the bird. ¡°Well, I do have onest thing I have to ask you. For the past day, there have been wolves milling through the woods and grasnds of the wild. They bear ill intentions and are scaring the creatures of the wild. Do you have any knowledge of these creatures?¡± the eagle asked her. ¡°Oh, those ones... I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s my fault they are here. They seek my destruction,¡± she answered with a heavy sigh. ¡°That is unlikely. The power of your aura doesn¡¯t make that seem possible,¡± the eagle replied with what the girl could have sworn was a chuckle. ¡°Yeah... While that may be the case, I can¡¯t keep myself from worrying. They could have a n this time,¡± she mumbled more to herself, ¡°Makes me wonder if power is all one needs to win a war.¡± ¡°Would you like me to pass the message along? The wolves that roam the wild will be observed by every animal in the woods and there won¡¯t be a time when any of them will be able to hide from you,¡± the eagle offered. ¡°That¡¯s a generous offer. Won¡¯t it be much trouble for all of you?¡± ¡°How many times will I tell you that we will serve you until the very end, well, your very end?¡± the eagle said with a hint of finality. Bidding the girl farewell and took to the sky. The students that noticed this remained stunned for a moment. One of the guides searched their mind for a possible exnation for what they had just witnessed. The two of them had simply sat next to each other for a long time. Katie had looked to be speaking to no one in particr until the bird flew away. ¡°Can anyone exin what we were looking at a moment ago?¡± one of the students asked. ..... The eagle soared higher and higher into the air, heading back to the nest Katie had spotted. The girl¡¯s ears got every bit of themotion that was taking ce beneath her but chose to ignore it all. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± a voice reached her, along with a scent she was still failing to get used to(even though she had no intentions of getting used to it). Cole wrapped his arms around her and pulled her from her seat on the railings taking her indoors. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Just worried about what¡¯s going to happen tonight or what might happen,¡± she replied. Cole searched her eyes for something else, ¡°Hey, talk to me...¡± ¡°I can talk to animals, okay. Damn it,¡± the girl covered her face. Cole, on the other hand, was frozen for a bit, looking between his mate and the balcony that had hosted an eagle when he¡¯d walked into the room. ¡®Talking to...¡¯ ¡°You mean you were able to talk to that eagle... A real conversation?¡± the royal asked and she nodded in response, however, she wouldn¡¯t meet his eyes. His silence didn¡¯t help her at all either, ¡°That¡¯s so cool.¡± He finally replied... ¡°Huh...¡± Katie peeped through a slit in her fingers. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it before, but those are just stories. Who could ever think something like that was real. I know the chosen are to have a total of three abilities, but I didn¡¯t realise how random those powers could be,¡± Cole groaned, ¡°Can we trade? I can do away with the healing power of mine.¡± ¡°Is trading gifts granted by celestials even possible?¡± Katie asked her mate whilst trying to digest the reaction she¡¯d just gotten from him, ¡°Besides, what use is an ability that only works in a ce where there are animals. When we return to the capital, there will be less of the wild there. I won¡¯t have much use for the power.¡± ¡°Huh, for a hunter, you¡¯re not being as open-minded as I thought you¡¯d be. Animals will always be able to find you if you call for them. At least that¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard from the legends that move through the werewolves. The capital is not without the wild either. Birds can work as spies for you and report anything you want to know...¡± Cole stopped talking when his mate raised her hand up in gesture. ¡°I think I get your point. I need to lie down... Probably get some rest before the sun sets... Lina and her friends are going hunting for moon lotus flowers... and I want to follow them when they do so,¡± Katie replied, going limp once she was above their bed. ¡°Oh, moon lotus flowers... Do they really believe such a thing exists?¡± Cole asked. Katie looked up at her mate... ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Well... The moon lotus is a flower that has been written about in many books, however, it doesn¡¯t make sense for a flower of that nature to exist. Even though there is proof that it has been seen before from peering into the memories of the people that said they saw them and drawings of what they looked like. What I¡¯m trying to say is that no one has seen a moon lotus in ages... Scientists have begun to make up theories about them not being real... After all, what kind of flower blooms only under the light of the moon,¡± he exined. ¡°Oh, I think I understand what you mean... However, the Eagle did tell me of their existence in the forest, however, they haven¡¯t bloomed in a long time,¡± Katie said, drifting into a light sleep. Cole let the girl rest and spoke after she couldn¡¯t hear him, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you might have to be their guide to the flowers then. It¡¯s almost impossible to find them when they haven¡¯t bloomed under the moon¡¯s light. They could just as well be random flowers in the vast forest...¡± .......... The former spy of the rogues walked through the empty base looking for something to entertain himself with. There was nothing he could do in this ce. After loitering in what he found to be an underground base for hours, he chose to get out for a breath of fresh air. There was barely anyone left in the base... A few rogues cleaned about and made sure everything was in order. However, besides that, he found nothing interesting. Sniffing the air told him of their absence... The rogues hadpletely left the base without his knowledge... ¡®Did they go without telling me? The nerve on those guys... I could have been a major asset to them...¡¯ ¡°Hey, new guy... I¡¯ve seen you walking about aimlessly. Get over here...¡± the boy froze at the voice that spoke to him. He¡¯d only found the exit to the outside world... It was different from the one that the rogue king used when he was going out... He looked about and finally spotted someone at a rack polishing workout equipment. From the man¡¯s somewhat toned body, he could tell that he was trained... Well, everyone was trained as long as they weren¡¯t spies. The spies were sent out before they had any real muscle on their bodies. When or if they returned, they werepletely out of their element. Well, except for those that forced training on themselves while on their missions. Kyle had chosen to take on the character of a nerd and had to y the part. Pretending to be a nerd and working out just didn¡¯t mix, ¡°Oh, you meant me...¡± the boy eximed when the werewolf red daggers at him. ¡°Do you see anyone else here?¡± the man scoffed, ¡°Now hurry up and help me with this.¡± Kyle ran up to him and got to work polishing the different pieces of equipment. Some of them were weapons while others were dump bells and everything else that could help the rogues build their bodies into the perfect killing machines, ¡°Speaking of everyone, where is everyone?¡± he asked the man whilst polishing a... hammer (His mind had failed to formte what it could possibly be used for...) ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? They went out on a hunt. Something about bringing down the Chosen ones before they marked each other. It¡¯s a mission that¡¯s very important to the rogue king. I¡¯m guessing you weren¡¯t told because you would have be dead weight if you had chosen to go... After all, that¡¯s all you were during your rescue mission... dead weight,¡± the man spat. ¡°I might have been dead weight, but I served my purpose. I told them all they need to know about the rogue killer. This mission wouldn¡¯t be possible without that information,¡± Kyle tried... ¡°And the price of that information was nearly five hundred rogues... What¡¯s that supposed to be, some kind of win. And here I thought they would bring in someone who could increase the strength of the rogues a hundred-fold... Instead, theye back with a kid that can barely defend himself from a puppy,¡± the man spat once again. ¡°Hey, I did my part. I sent warnings, time from time... I told the rogue king to leave that ce alone. The hunters there... It¡¯s like they weren¡¯t even guarding a remote town,¡± Kyle argued. ¡°And so, what... Do you forget the mission of the rogues? Did you find any of the beta alphas to be hurt? They were both perfectly fine... There was nothing wrong with either of them... And why is that you ask? It is simple... The hunters there were weak... I heard alpha Aidan the other day saying the girl was slower than he¡¯d expected. The information you gave was inurate,¡± the man yelled back at him. ¡°I gave urate information. Do you think Alpha Chad would have been taken out that quickly yet he had a hostage?¡± the boy asked him. ¡°Excuses... I smell excusesing from you... Finish up all this and make sure you run fifty rounds about this clearing. Make yourself more useful... Your days as a spy are over... Now it¡¯s time to pay for the lives you cost us that day,¡± the man threw down the dumbbell he was holding and stormed out of the clearing. Kyle looked about the clearing and noticed how closely packed the trees were... It waspletely fenced by the thick trees that were pressed so tightly together that it looked as though they were one tree stretching out in a circle... He continued to polish the equipment... A few minutes into the silence, he began to feel the presence of his alpha in his mind... ¡®This is an odd time to be receiving a transmission from her... And this feeling... It¡¯s so familiar... Almost like the tension, I felt before that night...¡¯ Chapter 213 213 Chapter Two Hundred Thirteen Lina stood at the threshold of her door fiddling with the applications on her phone. It was something she did every time she was waiting for someone in particr. Another crashing sound came from the inside of the room along with grumbles from the same person she was waiting for... ¡®How hard could it be to pick out clothes to wear...¡¯ the girl thought, frustration making its way into her mind. ¡°What¡¯s going on in there?¡± Lina jumped back, letting go of her phone in the process at the voice that had popped up behind her. Before taking notice of the person that had sessfully sneaked up on her, she had to save her phone, a mission that took much longer than she would have liked. The dynamics involved in catching a flying phone only amused her audience. When she finally had it, she sighed in relief... ¡°Soooo...¡± and the process started once more... This time the girl didn¡¯t forget she was in the presence of a stranger. ¡°Derrick, don¡¯t sneak up on me like that,¡± she pped the alpha who wouldn¡¯t stopughing at her... ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± another voice came. Lina turned to face Crysta. ¡°Oh, nothing... what are you doing here?¡± Lina asked. ¡°She came with me,¡± said another person behind her, ¡°or more like begged me to let her help in protecting you.¡± Caden walked up to them and peeped into the room... ¡°Is she always like this?¡± Another crashing sound came from the room, forcing all of them to cringe... ¡°Yes, she¡¯s always like this when she¡¯s going to do something she loves. She wants to dress for the asion and when she¡¯s looking for the clothes to wear, she messes up everything,¡± Lina groaned. ¡°Well, she better get herself together. We don¡¯t have all the time in the world. Once it¡¯s time for the bonfire, we will being straight back here...¡± Caden mentioned, getting his head out of the room and leaning against the wall. Lina counted the number of people that were going with them. Two alphas and one delta... ¡°I seriously don¡¯t need this much protection.¡± ..... ¡°Oh, you do. Katie would go on a rampage if something were to happen to you,¡± Caden replied. ¡°You don¡¯t think Katie is that petty, do you?¡± Lina asked the alpha. Curiosity tore through her consciousness. It had been that way since her sister had saved her from the bear¡¯s cave the day before. She hadn¡¯t scolded her as much as she thought she deserved... Everything had been med on the two alphas that had taken her out that night as though it was obvious. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not so sure. We all have something that will make us break. Katie is strong... Strong people usually have one weakness... The ones they care about most,¡± Caden replied. ¡°What are we talking about?¡± a new voice interrupted them from the inside of the room. Honour was finally done dressing up. She had a navy blue scarf around her neck and was dressed in a grey turtle neck and grey sweatpants... ¡°Are you feeling cold?¡± Caden asked her. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not as good at staying warm like everyone else. I still need the instion,¡± the girl replied. ¡°That scarf... Is it?¡± ¡°Yeah...¡± the girl cut her friend off, ¡°It¡¯s my grandmother¡¯s. She would have liked to see the moon lotuses herself, so I¡¯m taking a part of her with me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you were looking for this entire time. I thought you weren¡¯t going to ever wear it again,¡± Lina asked her. ¡°I can¡¯t seem to get rid of it. I don¡¯t want to anymore,¡± she replied with a hint of sadness in her voice. The girl pulled the scarf back up to her nose and gave it a deep sniff, ¡°Besides, she used it so much that there was no amount of detergent that I could use to take out her scent.¡± ¡°Well, the moon lotuses won¡¯t find themselves,¡± Caden announced, signalling their time to leave. Lina locked the door behind them and the group was soon out of the hotel and into the woods. A lone royal stared at the crew from the top of a balcony. ¡°You¡¯re runningte you know...¡± Cole said to his mate. ¡°I know that, Cole. You shouldn¡¯t worry too much about how I¡¯m going to get to them anyway. You know that I can track them quite easily,¡± the girl inside the room said while she fumbled to get the proper clothes to wear while she was out in the woods. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to take your bow with you,¡± Cole reminded her. ¡°Aren¡¯t youing along?¡± Katie asked him. ¡°No, I will cover for you while you¡¯re gone. In other words, I am taking your post while you¡¯re gone. Now that I think of it, there is something Trevor wanted me to give you,¡± he said, holding out the walkie he¡¯d been given. The girl stared at it for a moment, ¡°Communications are down... Do you think the rogues did it?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re suggesting I grab a team of wolves to check out the mast, I humbly decline. As for the rogues, yes... I think they took outmunications to keep us from calling for backup,¡± he replied. The girl took the device from him and pocketed it. She¡¯d dressed in a hood and sweatpants... Retrieving her quiver and bow, she bid her mate farewell and was off to find the group of wolves that was out on a hunt... ............ Lina and her team had been running through the woods for a decent period of time before Derrick asked for a rest. They had no idea where they were supposed to find moon lotus flowers or where they were supposed to grow, but Honour wasn¡¯t going to rest until she found them. The girl rode upon her friend¡¯s majestic white wolf... a suggestion that Lina had made and wasn¡¯t epting any objections. Honour had a weak wolf that wouldn¡¯t get them far. ¡°You have to rest, Lina. I know the flowers are important, but we won¡¯t be able to find them if you don¡¯t have the energy to keep running,¡± Honour patted the white wolf beneath her, trying to reason with her. Derrick shifted back into his human form and leaned against a tree, panting heavily, ¡°Someone is out of shape...¡± Crysta spoke from the top of a coffee brown wolf. Since she was a delta that wouldn¡¯t shift without ripping her clothes to shreds, Caden had offered to carry her. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re any better...¡± Derrick spat back. ¡°Well, I might be just a little bit better, but you¡¯re right, I¡¯m incapable of covering this much distance without showing a hint of tiredness. These two are in their own league,¡± Crysta admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t get it... He¡¯s just an alpha. How does he have this much endurance?¡± Derrick said in between gasps. ¡°I¡¯m a beta alpha. Try to keep that in mind next time,¡± Caden shrugged. ¡°Since when did you be a beta alpha. That¡¯s a title that goes to the king¡¯s...¡± ¡°Spare me the lecture... I know what a beta alpha is and the rules for making one, but as it stands, the current king is losing his grip on the mortal realm. I don¡¯t know how long he has left, but as he slips away from us, his power starts to move on to his son and that¡¯s how this happens,¡± the coffee brown wolf exined through the mind link. ¡°Well, that makes a bit of sense...¡± Derrick replied, before shifting back into his werewolf form and letting Lina lead the way, ¡°Hey Lina, what¡¯s the deal with your sister? There are way too many rumours going about...¡± ¡°What rumour are you trying to clear up?¡± Lina asked. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see... Forgive how I phrase the rumours or how they might sound. I only heard them from the very people that spread them,¡± he apologized before mentioning one, ¡°There is this one that says she¡¯s a vige girl that was found to have blue eyes and the ability to make them glow...¡± ¡°That is a very odd way to phrase a rumour,¡± Lina eximed. ¡°Yeah, it is... The werewolves are having mixed feelings about her and I¡¯m not sure which side is making more progress. We don¡¯t know much about her and yet she walks around the pce like she owns the ce. To many, it¡¯s irritating while to some, it¡¯s the way it should be. She adapted to her new home very fast and doesn¡¯t take smack talk from anyone. It¡¯s the way a royal should be, but I guess none of them expected it.¡± ¡°I think I understand what you¡¯re trying to say. Well, if I was to think about that rumour, I would say it¡¯s almostpletely wrong. The only part that¡¯s right is that she¡¯s from a remote town and the town is called Brigadia. She grew up there her whole life and knew nothing of her werewolf origin,¡± Lina exined. ¡°Well, what makes her worthy of being a royal then?¡± ¡°Her blood, Derrick. Let¡¯s not forget what makes one a royal, okay?¡± Lina replied. The alpha went silent for a short while before speaking up, ¡°You¡¯ve grown more confident.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t...¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It actually makes me happier to hear you talk back. I just hope you remain that way when she has to go,¡± he chuckled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if she remains that way or not. By the time Katie leaves, everything will be different,¡± Crysta interrupted the conversation. ¡°You sound confident. Why do you think everything will be different when she leaves?¡± the alpha asked. ¡°Haven¡¯t you felt it yet? Everything is changing... It was the first time that a royal used theirmanding tone on anyone. And there were no consequences... That¡¯s only the beginning of it all,¡± Crysta spoke up. ¡°Crysta, is there something you know that I don¡¯t?¡± Lina asked the girl... ¡°She doesn¡¯t know anything, Lina. She just has one incredible sense of hope,¡± someone¡¯s voice interrupted them... they all looked to their right and noticed a human figure running with them. It was Katie... and she was keeping up with them. Chapter 214 214 Chapter Two Hundred Fourteen ¡°Umm, Katie, how long have you been following us?¡± Lina asked her, ¡°And how the hell are you keeping up in your human form. Is that a quiver?¡± ¡°One question at a time, little sister. Do you remember that thing that we talked about the other night? The one that you weren¡¯t supposed to tell anyone,¡± Katie spoke, running closer to her sister. ¡°Yeah, I remember that... What about it? I noticed you were using it earlier at the...¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the one. I¡¯m d you remember. Well, I asked around about the set of flowers that you¡¯re looking for and found out something a little disturbing,¡± Katie said to her. ¡°What did you find out?¡± Honour asked before the princess could say a word. ¡°Well, the moon lotus flowers haven¡¯t bloomed in a very long time which makes them almost impossible to find,¡± Katie replied. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make them impossible to find,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Well, where do you n on finding them?¡± Katie asked her, curiosity etched in her voice. ¡°Well, nts that follow the sun and not the moon grow in a pattern that¡¯s the opposite of that of the moon lotuses. We would be running deeper into the woods... specifically looking for what I might call, the heart of the woods.¡± ..... ¡°Honour, nature girl, you¡¯re not making much sense right now,¡± Katie tried. Everything the girl had just said had gone in one ear and out the other, making absolutely no sense in her mind. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s no use... Lina, turn here and pay attention to what I keep asking you to pay attention to,¡± the girl said, leaning into her friend¡¯s ear. Katie backed away from the pair and watched in amazement as they weaved through the trees. The further they ran, the more the trees pressed closer to each other. They kept getting closer until the wolves all came to a stop... ¡°We can¡¯t proceed beyond here while shifted. Let¡¯s proceed from here on foot,¡± Caden¡¯s voice rang through the mind link. The girl on his back slid down and they began the walk through the closely packed trees. It was as though someone had nted the seedlings with the worst kind of spacing in mind. ¡°What would force a forest to grow so oddly?¡± Katie mumbled. The trees had very thick stems and yet, they still grew next to each other so closely. Theirrge buttress roots got entangled with each other, restricting ess to the ground as the group went through the small gaps which only got smaller. The gaps became smaller and more winding as they proceeded. ¡°Honour, are you sure this is where we should be going?¡± Derrick¡¯s voice bounced through the tight spaces they were moving through. ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± she said to him. ¡°Well, how do you know where we are going?¡± the boy asked her, ¡°No one has seen the moon lotus flowers in a very long time.¡± ¡°I know, I know, you¡¯ve said that a dozen times already,¡± the girl replied, once again stunning the boy. This was the second time either of the two girls was talking back at him. He froze for a moment, losing sight of where they were all going. They had gotten separated while trying to find different routes to the same destination. The mind link allowed them all to keep track of their own movements... ¡°You stopped. Why did you stop? Did you find something?¡± ¡°No...¡± he paused, ¡°I haven¡¯t found anything. Let¡¯s keep on going. That¡¯s if you¡¯re sure we are moving in the right direction.¡± Katie was still quiet and moving through the forest. Her curiosity was now beyond what she could contain. She was eager to find out what was on the other side of the mass ofpact trees they were trying to find their way through. Leaves and branches had be scarce at the bottom and looking up didn¡¯t help either. The branches at the top merged and sealed away the top of the trees. No light came through... It was dark, however, she didn¡¯t find any other way for light toe through even if it was daytime. ¡°Anyone having trouble seeing what¡¯s before us?¡± Caden asked them. Being werewolves, this hadn¡¯t seemed to be a problem and for once since Katie had be one, she couldn¡¯t see nothingness on the other side of the trees. On the upside, the odd formation of the trees wasing to an end. However, they were all blind for once, ¡°Hold on, I have my phone...¡± Katie¡¯s senses red up at the mention of a phone. She¡¯d been focused on where the girl was taking them that she hadn¡¯t taken into ount the darkness of the forest at this time of the night. The moon was out, but the canopies were so thick that barely a trickle of moonlight came through, ¡°No, wait...¡± the shlight flickered for a moment. Everyone went silent, waiting for the royal to exin her sudden outburst. The girl¡¯s senses brought everything crashing into her mind all at once. The light had been noticed by three hostile wolves and she was sure of all their locations, ¡°We proceed through the trees to the clearing at the centre without light,¡± Katie¡¯s voice sounded through the mind link. ¡°Are there rogues outside the clearing?¡± Lina asked her through the mind link. ¡°Just move it, little sister. The faster you get there, the easier it will be for me to exin everything,¡± she responded. Tension filled the wolves as they went through the thinning spaces they had to go through until they plunged into the darkness. Once they were in the clearing, their vision was lost for as long as they tried to make out anything that was in the clearing. The small openings in the tight defence of the trees were all their eyes could see at the moment. ¡°What now, Katie? You have us all on edge,¡± Derrick¡¯s voice tore through the darkness, followed by the sound of a growl. ¡°I guess that answers your question,¡± Katie replied, ¡°Lina, turn on your shlight... No, in fact, all of you, shlights on... I want this ce glowing...¡± They all did as they were told, lighting up the clearing they had trapped themselves in. All hope seemed lost until a metallic sound of an unfurling bow reached their ears. Lina looked at her sister and saw the girl draw an arrow from her quiver and nock it... She aimed it straight at one of the gaps in thepact trees and drew the string back before letting it fly. Katie¡¯s hand swiftly reached for another arrow without paying attention to the other¡¯s destination. Her movement was fluid as she immediately retrieved another arrow and nocked it, changing her target to another spot and letting the arrow fly just as quickly. This one was followed by a loud whimper. She¡¯d hit something... The sound barely fazed her as she drew another arrow and let it fly, her speed increasing as she continued to let arrows loose on the wolves that had surrounded them. Lina watched her sister in awe as she let the arrows loose as though everything was moving slowly. Well, for a werewolf as fast as she was, everything could have been moving slowly for her. The hunter shot with deadly uracy. Her sharp ears confirmed that each arrow was making contact with flesh that belonged to one of their enemies. However, the most surprising part was the fact that Katie had her eyes closed the entire time. Her ears had grown longer and white fur covered the back of them. After what seemed like an eternity for the girl, the arrows came to a stop and the hunter furled her bow, ¡°That takes care of six of them,¡± Katie mumbled, using her abilities to search for more rogues in the area. Three of them had seen the sh of light and had alerted three others who¡¯d made it to them in time. ¡°How could you...¡± ¡°I¡¯m a hunter. Some questions should just be left unanswered. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to hide the bodies of the ones we¡¯ve killed. Even if we could, the scent of blood will give it away...¡± Katie said, thinking to herself, ¡°You can turn off the shlights now... Before they attract any more rogues.¡± ¡°The rogues... How many of them are there?¡± Caden asked her. ¡°About forty of them, give or take a few. I haven¡¯t had the chance to count them. That will take much more concentration and they would all have to be within range for me to count them,¡± she replied. A squeaky sound reached Katie¡¯s ears, along with information, ¡®The other hostile wolves are far from here, but there was another that didn¡¯t get within the range of your arrows. Would you like the creatures of the wild to snuff the life out of him before he warns hisrades?¡¯ ¡°Yes, that would be helpful. Thank you,¡± she replied, with as much authority and respect as she could muster for the small woond creature. ¡°You¡¯re learning to speak like a wolf... fast learner, I see. And you found the moon lotuses without our help. Fascinating,¡¯ the squirrel was gone before she could ask him anything else. The girl looked about, but failed to see something in the pitch-ck darkness... ¡®What do you mean we found the lotuses?¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Honour asked her... ¡°and why did I understand you yet you sounded like you were speaking a foreignnguage?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a story for...¡± ¡°Ohe on, Katie. It doesn¡¯t hurt to tell the werewolves of your abilities,¡± Lina groaned, interrupting her sister¡¯s thought process. Having the power to move so fast and a lot of strength was one thing, but being able to understand animals was another. Katie thought her world would crumble the moment she realised her secret was about to be revealed. Chapter 215 215 Chapter Two Hundred Fifteen ¡°It¡¯s not like they will exploit you...¡± Lina continued. ¡°Exploit... Who said anything about that?¡± Caden asked. ¡°How about one of you turns on a shlight? The moon lotuses are here. Honour was leading us in the right direction all along,¡± Katie said with a hint of finality on the matter. Lina sighed, ¡®Then you take me to be the pathetic one...¡¯ ¡®No... I¡¯ve never. You¡¯re stronger than you know and I¡¯ll keep saying it until the day you believe it,¡¯ Katie¡¯s voice replied to her sister privately. Three shlights jumped to life and illuminated the clearing. They all saw nothing for a while as their eyes adjusted before gasping all at once... Right at their feet was arge collection of grey nts... They looked as though they were suspended between life and death. It was a rather horrid sight... ¡°They haven¡¯t seen the light of the moon in so long. It could be centuries for them to be drained of this much light,¡± Honour spoke up. ¡°If it had been centuries, they would be dead and rotting by now,¡± Derrick interfered. ¡°You im to know something about these flowers, then go and say something as uninformed as that,¡± Honour replied, holding back the insulting words she wanted to use. Derrick froze at the girl¡¯s statement, ¡°How long has this streak of talking back been going?¡± ..... Honour¡¯s mind had already moved on and his words only passed by her ears without making much sense. She brought her hand to the tapering end of one of the grey flowers... ¡®How I wish the canopy above us could clear up and let the moonlight through?¡¯ the girl¡¯s thoughts soared. Katie¡¯s attention was all of a sudden drawn to the nature girl kneeling down in the centre of the clearing lightly touching one of the dead flower¡¯s petals. A familiar sensation of power wasing from her. She¡¯d felt the power somewhere once before, but couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it... Where had she felt that power before... Without having much time to think it through, a light wind went through the enclosed clearing... Along with the wind, small streams of moonlight began to pierce through the canopy. Their eyes snapped upwards into the sky just in time to see the canopy opening up in the rarest of disys. The leaves blew out of the way and the branches began to shrink away from the centre of the canopy. It was a bizarre sight to witness with one¡¯s own eyes, but it happened before them and the branches cleared the way and let the full light of the moon reach the forest floor... With the moon¡¯s light, came a wave of blue lighting from the luminous flowers. The grey of the flowers vanished and was gradually reced with a glowing blue that snuffed out the light of their shlights and lit up the forest floor in an undeniably marvellous glow that had the group speechless. They moved about the clearing marvelling at the flowers before them, ¡°As I live and breathe, I never thought I¡¯d ever get the chance to see them...¡± Katie was about toment when she noticed something else that had slipped everyone¡¯s vision. Honour... The girl was covered in the same glow of the moon lotuses. Katie walked up to her and lifted her chin from the flower she wouldn¡¯t take her eyes off. The girl¡¯s glowing face held an unnatural beauty that brought a crashing wave of nostalgia to the royal when she saw her. There was a delicate yet powerful and deadly air to the girl at the moment. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Derrick asked Katie. ¡°Why can¡¯t she move? Honour aren¡¯t you happy that you found them. They are more beautiful than I thought they would be.¡± Lina fell silent when she saw the girl, ¡°Yes, they are breathtaking...¡± Honour sighed. ¡®Katie, Lina, do I look different?¡¯ the girl asked through the mind link. ¡®Yes, you¡¯re glowing,¡¯ Lina replied, ¡®What are you?¡¯ ¡®I am the same person you¡¯ve always known,¡¯ the girl replied, pulling her scarf to cover part of her face. The scarf lit up in an intricate pattern when she touched it... ¡®I don¡¯t even want to know what any of this means.¡¯ ¡®But you must...¡¯ ¡®My mother will be able to exin everything when I get home,¡¯ she replied, getting up from the ground. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take one of them?¡± Lina asked her. The girl looked around her... at the field of flowers at her feet, which was glowing the same colour as her skin at the moment... ¡°No, I think I will leave them where nature dictated them to live. The flowers are sacred to the werewolves... And they affect the growth of nts wherever they grow. It would be best if they were left here...¡± Lina rushed up to her friend before she reached the edge of the clearing, only to stop when she watched the trees moving out of the way for the girl to walk past them without the hustle they¡¯d gone through when they were getting there. Honour walked off, leaving the royal too stunned for words. ....... The group returned to the hotel that night without much spoken amongst them. The only one that seemed to find their silence weird was Derrick and none of them bothered to fill him in on what had happened in the field of flowers. Katie was astonished, but what she had seen and was now trying to figure out was keeping Honour on edge about it all. She¡¯d tried a few attempts at conversation, but the girl had not paid any attention to anything she had to say. Eventually, the hunter had given up and walked the crew back to the hotel. ¡°Lina...¡± Caden¡¯s voice finally cut through the silence when they started seeing the lights of the hotel. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Did you find what you were looking for tonight?¡± the alpha asked. Lina thought to herself for a while. She was supposed to be happy about what they had found in the woods, but the person that had needed this the most had only be sad the moment something magical happened to her. The glow that had taken over her body started to fade the further they moved away from the clearing and they had all watched the clearing close up the moment they all left, almost like no one was ever meant to go inside. Taking on the responsibility for the two of them, ¡°Yes, yes we did,¡± she replied. ¡°Well... Isn¡¯t that cause for celebration? I remember someone saying these flowers haven¡¯t been seen in a very long time,¡± Caden tried. ¡°What we found today, isn¡¯t an answer to a question, but a doorway to more questions. Questions to which I don¡¯t know the answers or where to begin looking. I can say one thing though... Honour...¡± the girl with the slight glow about her face turned to look at her best friend. Thin streams of tears were evident on her face. None of them had heard her cry, but the connection through the mind link that shattered to reveal the girl¡¯s true emotions spoke volumes. Lina reached for her friend and wrapped her arms around her, ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out together, Honour. You know that, right?¡± Honour did not reply to her friend¡¯sforting words... She merely leaned on her shoulder and let the tears flow... The glow about the girl¡¯s body and that within her scarf finally died down, but her tears didn¡¯t. Katie beckoned for the males to proceed and leave the girls to her. With a short farewell, the two males were gone. Katie watched the two girls... Their connection reminded her of Sandra. The two grew up together and were soon separated by the amount of skill they¡¯d acquired growing up. If it hadn¡¯t been for her bing a mentor to her best friend, they would have stopped seeing each other as soon as the hunters saw no use for her being the head hunter of Brigadia high school. ¡°The two of you... Stay with each other tonight... I don¡¯t want to have to look for one of you when the other is nowhere to be found. Honour, the powering off you. It¡¯s familiar... It¡¯s not hostile. I wouldn¡¯t feel down if I had it. Nheless, you do have to look for answers. I suggest you start with the scarf that seemed to glow along with everything else in that ce,¡± Katie told them, beckoning for them to follow her back to the hotel. ¡°Katie, could Derrick see Honour glow back there?¡± Lina asked the hunter. ¡°Can we not talk about me like I¡¯m someb experiment?¡± Honour interfered. ¡°It¡¯s that kind of thinking that I wish you could keep out of your mind, Honour. I wasn¡¯t normal either and there were always different hunters wishing to know what made me different from the rest, but I didn¡¯t let that catch up to me,¡± Katie tried. ¡°Well, did they ever see you glow like a freaking light bulb?¡± Honour nearly snapped at her. ¡°Well, no... But picture what they will say when they find out that I can speak to animals... I don¡¯t even think I will be telling anyone that,¡± she scoffed, looking away from the two girls before her. ¡°So that¡¯s who you were talking to back at the clearing...¡± the girl replied, ¡°Is that also how you know there are rogues in the forest?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something else... but the animals can tell me of everything happening in the forest with more detail than I¡¯m capable of gathering on my own,¡± Katie replied. ¡°You know, Katie... Werewolves value the ability tomunicate with the wild. After all, it is a part of this world that they feel they have a right to belong to. It¡¯s an ability rarely found amongst us, but not unheard of. And every time there is someone that is granted that ability, they are respected and treated with the utmost respect. I don¡¯t know what the moon goddess intends to do by giving one person so much power, but it definitely isn¡¯t normal,¡± Honour said out loud, ¡°Maybe you just don¡¯t know enough about your kind yet.¡± Chapter 216 216 Chapter Two Hundred Sixteen ¡°Hmm, you have more knowledge on your... our¡± she cringed, ¡°kind than most that I have met,¡± Katie said to the girl as they neared the entrance of the hotel. A lone figure stood at the hotel gates and watched them as they walked up to it. ¡°Well, that¡¯s Honour for you. She has read too much on everything useful and useless in this world,¡± Lina replied, leading her friend into the hotel, past the lone werewolf standing at the entrance. Katie recognised him and felt her blood run cold. Where the fear came from remained a mystery to the girl. Onest detail twinkled at the edge of her mind, forcing her to call after the girls that were leaving. ¡°Honour, I don¡¯t think Derrick noticed anything. You can be sure of that much,¡± she said to them before they vanished, mouthing silent gratitude. Cole stood at the hotel entrance, remaining quiet even after the other girls had gone past earshot. ¡°Well, how did it go?¡± ¡°We found the flowers... Along with a group of rogues that were dealt with,¡± Katie responded. ¡°Tell me about the rogues...¡± ¡°I dealt with them rather quickly. There wasn¡¯t much to them after all,¡± she responded. ¡°Then what was with the tense mood Caden returned with. I couldn¡¯t get much from him and his memories. He didn¡¯t seem to notice anything besides blooming lotuses and a gloomy amber-eyed werewolf. What the hell happened out there, Katie?¡± Cole asked. The girl stepped back and looked her mate in the eye... The genuine worry in his eyes shattered past her walls and sent the fear away... ¡°Let¡¯s trade memories. I also want to know what Caden saw out there.¡± ..... ........... Sandra woke up to the low hum of noiseing from the gardens within the hotel. Her mind was foggy on what had happened before she fell asleep. Looking through the meagre memories that made themselves avable to her, she found that there was nothing much she needed from them. She only needed to know the reason she¡¯d chosen to fall asleep. This reason was also good enough to bring her mind back to reality faster than she¡¯d intended to on an average day. Rising up from the bed as fast as she could, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, instantly calming her, ¡°Get up very fast and you¡¯ll ruin the effect of the rest you needed,¡± a voice whispered into her ear. She allowed herself to rx for a moment before speaking to the man that held her. ¡°What¡¯s the time? Am I...¡± ¡°You¡¯re right on time, Sandra. The bonfire has only begun and that puts the duel even further away. Calm down,¡± Jason¡¯s voice filtered into her mind. Taking in a deep breath, the girl finally let her thoughts flow in a more orderly manner. ¡°Thanks... I was afraid I¡¯d oversleep,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s no problem... Can I ask something?¡± the alpha asked, taking his arms off the now-rxed girl, ¡°You seem more aware of things you shouldn¡¯t be aware of. Is there something I¡¯m missing here...¡± ¡°Being around Katie and training with her has got its perks. I¡¯m not good at it like she is, but it started happening recently. The bonfire sounds amazing... I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re still here when there is... ¡®venison¡¯ out in the gardens,¡± the girl said, putting air quotes on the word ¡®venison¡¯. ¡°Well, yeah, we are going to have a bite of that amazing tender explosive concoction of vours, but I was not going to have any until you woke up,¡± he replied. Sandra sighed and got up from the bed. She walked up to the dressing mirror and looked at herself in the mirror, judging that she needed a shower before getting out of the room, ¡°Let me just get ready.¡± ¡°Take your time... No need to rush,¡± Jason replied, leaning into the covers and gettingfortable. His wolf was in the exact same mood. For as long as the two were near this female, there wasn¡¯t anywhere else they¡¯d rather be on the... ¡®Caden, report...¡¯ he said through the mind link he shared with his fellow beta alpha. ¡®Well, they are both fine. In fact, they are more than fine... The beta alpha counterpart sent images of the two royals staring at a batch of venison that was being roasted by one of the hunters as though it was one of the treasures that life had to offer, ¡®You can continue taking care of your kitten.¡¯ ¡®My ¡®kitten¡¯ is doing fine, thanks for asking. Keep in touch in case anything happens. Sandra feels like there is something bad going to happen tonight. She wants to protect her friend just as much as we want to keep the Luna out of harm¡¯s way...¡¯ ¡®Sometimes I wonder if she¡¯s in need of any protection, then I remember what happened in Brigadia,¡¯ Caden replied, ¡®I¡¯ll tell you first in case anything happens.¡¯ ¡®Thank you, Caden.¡¯ ......... The hotel staff knew how to throw a party... Music, which none of the students had seening, boomed across the gardens, setting the mood for all those that thought a bonfire was a bad idea. The actual bonfire that had been set roared and reached higher than any of them had thought possible. The three hunters worked the grills with a lot of meals set to be grilled and served to the hungry students who still wanted more meat. Among these happened to be the royals of the Sirius household. Putting aside their differences, the royals crowded the grills and made orders for meat. Lina took some time to adjust to her sister¡¯s appetite. The girl didn¡¯t mess around when she put her mind to it. Food just seemed to vanish into a bottomless pit. Cole, on the other hand, was encouraging her to eat more. (Not that he wasn¡¯t eating a lot himself...) Derrick sighed when he realised the royals were lengthening the lines and tried to sneak in a request through Lina¡¯s orders. Crysta stood to the side of everything and sighed... ¡°One deer, that¡¯s all they brought... What were they thinking?¡± Jason arrived a moment toote... Everything concerning venison had been consumed. When the hunters switched to ordinary beef, half the royal poption and alphas had vanished from the grills to find something else to do. A section of the gardens had been designed for those that wanted to dance... The school goofballs had taken the stage first and set the rhythm that got couples on the floor. Katie was only wondering how they could have so many couples in two sses and had even taken the time to personally count them herself. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you ate everyst piece of venison,¡± Sandra yelled at the couple once she found them eyeing the dancing couples. The numbers vanished from Katie¡¯s mind... ¡®I know that voice...¡¯ ¡°Oh, Sandra, where have you been?¡± she pulled the girl into a hug, ¡°How could anyone miss this much fun? Have you seen therge contraption that keeps spewing fruit punch?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you finished everyst drop from the fountain, Katie. Did you even hear what I said?¡± Sandra groaned from under her hyper friend¡¯s arm, following her where her aimless feet carried them. Jason stayed beside Cole, chuckles leaving him as he took in the sights, ¡°The people of the Sirius reserve sure know how to throw a party.¡± ¡°Well, yeah, but I would rather say the students know how to party...¡± Cole had just said that when someone crashed into the dancing party and screamed, ¡®WHO WANTS TO PARTEEEE?¡¯ The music switched up to disco and everything was different. Arge crowd of unruly students milled into the couple¡¯s crowd and it was chaos beyond that... ¡°I guess that¡¯s what happens when you awaken the beast inside of teenagers that know nightlife in the capital,¡± Jason eximed, shifting his head to the right as a ss cup flew past him and crashed further back. ¡°Chaos indeed...¡± Cole confirmed. The two boys slowly shuffled away from the dancing crowd and back to the grills. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me...¡± Jason¡¯s voice brought Cole¡¯s attention from the party people and to the grills. There, exposed for the whole world to see, on a bench with his mate, was Sandra digging into thest skewer of venison. Cole could tell it was venison from the scent, but he¡¯d been sure the whole of it had been finished by the time he was done. His mate was only tapping his friend¡¯s back. ¡°It¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said to her. Jason walked up to them, taking a seat opposite them, ¡°Well, if there was one extra, then there was obviously another, right Luna?¡± Katie looked up from her friend and regarded the beta alpha. She then looked between her best friend and the beta alpha, ¡°Umm...¡± ¡°Sandra, dear...¡± ¡°It¡¯s all mine, Jason,¡± she cut him off. Cole walked up to his friend and helped the disappointed beta alpha out of the vicinity, masking hisughter from them, ¡°Come on, Jason. You know how it is for those that are tasting venison for the first time. You should let them have thestugh for now. We¡¯ll probably get to eat it again once we return to Lycaon...¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very long time from now, Cole and you know it...¡± ......... Chapter 217 217 Chapter Two Hundred Seventeen The party went on until the full moon was high in the sky. The fire had finally died down... The students ran out of energy. Those that had overdone it crashed on the grass, snoring loudly. No alcohol had been brought to the party, but the teenagers had somehow managed to bring themselves into a state close to that of drunk teenagers. The junior hunters had then been tasked with getting all of them into their respective rooms. Katie had started helping them out with getting the students to safety when the rest of her friends joined in to get the students to safety. Twilight... the hour they had all been waiting for finally came. It found Katie standing on the balcony with her mate... The time for the duel between her sister and Liam had finallye... The alpha had chosen the location and the werewolves had all gathered outside the hotel, ready to head out. The beach was the location for the fight. Katie was sure it was far if they took the car, but running through the woods provided them with a straight path to the beach that would take them a minimum of thirty minutes to get there at top speed... Caden and Jason were asked to go with the group and keep them safe from the rogues. Katie, however, seemed sure the rogues wouldn¡¯t attack them just yet. ¡°What happens now?¡± Cole asked her as they watched the wolves leaving the hotel. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel weird for the alpha to ask his Luna what the n is supposed to be?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Not really... Not when I¡¯m in a ce that¡¯s not my home. I¡¯m the future King of Lycaon, not Sirius...¡± he answered with a shrug. ¡°Would be interesting to see you take charge of an army of werewolves...¡± the girl mused, ¡°We have quite the work to do tonight. I¡¯ve been trying to keep the thought out of my mind and the minds of every werewolf. Keeping them in the dark was the only way to let them enjoy this. The fun is over now, Cole...¡± a screech from high in the sky stopped the girl from talking. The two looked up into the sky just in time to see an eagle descend upon the balcony,nding effortlessly on the railing. ¡°What do you have to for me, King of the Skies?¡± Katie asked the eagle, remembering her guidelines for speech. ¡°There is rather interesting chatter going on... the hostiles know of everything you are supposed to be doing here. They know of the duel between the two wolves. And they n to let it proceed until the time is right,¡± the eagle spoke up. ..... ¡°So you understand what the eagle is saying to you right now?¡± Cole asked the girl. ¡°The rogues know everything that was meant to happen here today. They are going to attack after the duel. I guess my uncle was reallymunicating with them after all. Kyle¡¯s information must have been right...¡± she said to him. Katie turned to the eagle, ¡°Have the creatures of the wild keep away from the fight tonight. It¡¯s a fight amongst werewolves. They should stay as far as they can from this fight,¡± she said to her. ¡°Might I make a request?¡± the eagle asked. ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°I would like to ry your orders to the creatures of the wild that don¡¯t have the will to fight in this war that you¡¯re about to get into,¡± the eagle spoke, ¡°Some of us long for a time that we might be useful to one as great as the woman that stands before me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered...¡± thinking through the Eagle¡¯s words, ¡°Very well... I will ept help from only those that can help.¡± With a bow, the eagle set to the sky. Katie couldn¡¯t help but feel the rush of blood in her system. She was excited and scared at the same time. They had the rogues all figured out... Why then was she afraid of... .... Lina reached the beach first having carried Honour on her back the whole way. Her wolf was pumped for this fight. Fear, excitement, anticipation and emotions that clouded her thinking flooded her mind. She needed the time to think to herself, ¡°Calm down, Lina. Your mind¡¯s a mess,¡± her friend told her. ¡°Well, I have never won a fight in my life, Honour. Not after my wolf failed to show up on time. Then shows upter with only half aplete version of a wolf to offer,¡± the girl snapped at her friend. ¡°It¡¯s a gift stronger than you think. Katie and Sandra have shown you that from time to time. It¡¯s now or never, Lina. Don¡¯t let fear stop you,¡± Honour replied. ¡°You know, Honour. I don¡¯t even know if what I¡¯m doing is right. If this was all right, wouldn¡¯t Katie be here to watch me fight him today?¡± the white wolf was yelling at the top of her voice. Just then, another wolf burst forward from the treeline. Lina was surprised by the speed with which this one had caught up to her and was even more surprised when she realised this wolf was none other than a delta. Crysta had pushed herself to the limit to keep up with her. The wolf reached her and copsed at her feet panting wildly. ¡°What possessed you to run that fast?¡± Lina asked the wolf before her. Crysta stayed silent for a bit before answering, ¡°The desire to tell you that you have all it takes to put Liam to the ground.¡± Lina took a step back from the wolf. It was like the wolf before her was an entirely different person. All those years the girl had spent treating her shed before her eyes along with the years before that... the years when they were still best friends, ¡°You havee so far, Lina. I¡¯m not the only one that wishes to apologize to you. And more are toe... when they all realise it, they wille back to you. No matter how much you deny it, the colour of your eyes will never change. Many hate you for it while others love you for it. Only a royal is capable of achieving the impossible amongst the werewolves... and your speed is truly impossible. Why else would you be so fast if not for the colour of your eyes? You¡¯re not weak. Katie sees that and so do I. Who am I kidding? Everyone sees it... they are just too afraid to admit that someone with your kind of speed and strength can be stronger than them in the long run,¡± she exined, standing up. Her panting was getting less and she could finally stand upright. ¡°Well then, tell me this. Why isn¡¯t my sister here?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, if you would ask me, I would say your sister stays away to keep herself from ripping the people that give you a hard time to shreds. You know how impulsive she can be,¡± Crysta said with a hint of pride in her voice. The words, albeit unproven, calmed the girl¡¯s nerves. ¡°Crysta...¡± Lina called out although the rest of the words she wanted to stay remained unknown to her. Instead, memories of the past came flowing between the minds of the two werewolves and the two of them remembered them quite clearly. Memories of a time before the wolves had turned against Lina. A time when the two of them had been the best of friends... ¡°Always by your side, Lina. That was what I promised then... Allow me to make that promise once more. This time though, you know my intentions,¡± the delta announced. The rest of the werewolves found the three wolves. Lina had shifted back into her human form and was nked on both sides by a ck green-eyed wolf and a girl dressed in a turtleneck and ck sweat pants. The scarf around her neck blew in the night¡¯s wind. The moon¡¯s light was bright on the beach. The light of the full moon gave them the perfect lighting they needed for the duel. Wyatt and Liam shifted into their human forms and ordered two wolves to draw a circle in the sand... the circle that the two of them were meant to fight within. It was going to be an official fight and going by the standards set by the royals in case of resolving an issue through the use of violence. Wyatt walked to the side of the fight so that he was looking at the two fighters at an equal distance and out of the circle. ¡°This has not happened in a long time and on this day, we shall decide if Lina deserves the respect thates with the title that her eyes im for her. The title of a royal alpha. This title has been held by many before us, but never before has it been held by someone unable to fight or defend the pack... and for that reason, wee here today to witness the first disy of power by Lina Sirius. Tired of being looked down on, the royal has decided to prove her might to all the wolves of Sirius. Her challenger, Liam White.¡± Chapter 218 218 Chapter Two Hundred Eighteen The two challengers stepped into the fight. The wind grewpletely still. ¡°Without wasting any more time, under the moonlight, witnessed by the moon goddess herself and the Sirius pack, the duel between alpha Liam and royal alpha Lina shall now begin.¡± Lina¡¯s heart went into overdrive once more, tension leaking into her every pore and fibre of her being. She searched her mind for the first sign of a strategy and came up nk. The alpha before her smirked, noticing how scared she was. ¡°Just like it¡¯s always been. You don¡¯t deserve to bear the respect of your family,¡± Liam spoke up, as he began to walk straight for her. Lina¡¯s wolf surged forward in anger, clearing the fogginess in the girl¡¯s mind. Just as the man reached her, the girl breathed out thest of her fear toward the man before her. She felt something unravel inside her right before Liam¡¯s fist made a connection with her jaw as though she¡¯d only been waiting for a moment like this. ¡®Huh, this is quite familiar...¡¯ she thought to herself as she remembered the many times the same person had used a move very simr against her. Gasps filled the crowd as they watched an alpha take an offensive move against a royal in an official duel. They had made fun of her and made her life hell for as long as they could remember, but never enough to raise the attention of the royals themselves. Now that it was under the moonlight, the werewolves weren¡¯t sure if they¡¯d just skipped a rank and shamed the royal before the very goddess that blessed their family. It seemed as though the priorities had been flipped. Silence took over the audience... a look of annoyance spread across Liam¡¯s face when he saw the girl before him still standing right where she had been. Lina wiped a drop of blood from her bottom lip, ¡°I didn¡¯t know your punches were the same even when you were asked to punch someone. I¡¯d say you hit like a girl...¡± The next attack came without warning or preparation. ¡®Predictable,¡¯ the girl thought to herself as everything seemed to slow down, ¡®All these years and this is the bully I couldn¡¯t stand up to.¡¯ Lina had regained herposure and saw Liam¡¯s fist moving as slow as everything else that didn¡¯t possess the Prometheus gift of agility. Instincts kicked in from the numerous training sessions Lina had been through with the junior hunter, Sandra. She took the misguided fist and pulled his arm in the direction it was originally going, performing the now-natural motions as fast as she could and as fluidly as she could manage, flipping the alpha almost effortlessly over her shoulder, adding a little more energy to the movements and mming his back into the ground. ¡®Your speed is your weapon, Lina. Would you want to know something about hunters, Katie?¡¯ a memory rang through the girl¡¯s mind while the fight proceeded. Sandra had been taking her through different ways of using someone¡¯s force against them along with ways of turning speed into strength. ¡®No, and I think you have enough stories about the hunters to put me to sleep every night for three months...¡¯ Lina had replied right before failing to restrain the beta alpha, Jason yet again, ¡®Come on. Could you turn off your powers just once so I can fight someone normal?¡¯ ¡®Well, hunters like to y a lot of arm wrestling when they have nothing to do,¡¯ the girl proceeded, ¡®Be freer when using your arms and let the movementse naturally and quickly as well... Your initial momentum tells your brain the speed at which your reflexes should kick in and when.¡¯ ..... ¡®And they call us the brutes,¡¯ Lina replied, taking another try at the alpha following Sandra¡¯s instructions to the best of her abilities. ¡®Well, did you know that any hunter that has a Prometheus gift takes part in this arm-wrestling?¡¯ Sandra said to her. ¡®No kidding... Wait, what would someone without any real strength be doing in an arm-wrestling match with someone armed with a Strength Prometheus gift,¡¯ Lina asked the girl, losing focus in the middle of an aerial manoeuvre. Jason used the chance to grab the girl by her torso and bring her crashing to the ground with a grunt of pain. It hadn¡¯t been the first time but given her fast healing, Jason had stopped worrying about her hard he hit her. ¡®You¡¯re getting better...¡¯ Sandra¡¯s voice rang in her mind. ¡®I definitely am...¡¯ she replied to the memory right before mming the alpha into the ground as hard as the force she¡¯d gathered could allow. Gasps rang through the night when this happened. Lina¡¯s eyes shone a bright blue as her wolf forged forward in an awakening. ¡°I¡¯m not the same person you used to make fun of Liam...¡± she told the coughing alpha. Liam got up and dusted himself off, ¡°You get one lucky hit in and you get ahead of yourself.¡± Lina smirked, ¡°It seems you are in need of more education.¡± Liam lunged for her and into a flurry of attacks that the girl dodged with so much ease it made him look like he was aimlessly iling about. Lina could tell from the amount of calction he put into his attacks that he wasn¡¯t just iling about. Each attack made it seem as though he was trying to discern a pattern to her movements, a strategy that would have worked if he wasn¡¯t moving this slow to Lina. When the girl finally grew tired of dodging his attacks, she allowed her palm to meet with the side of his fist and followed through with another technique simr to what she had done to him the previous time. However, this time, she kept his arm in her grip and made sure hended with his face on the ground. She then twisted his arm so that his palm nearly touched his shoulder de. It was a painful position that had the alpha frozen for fear of dislocating his arm. ¡°Surrender now... as you should have noticed, if I wanted, I could dislocate your bones in a number of ways and in any that I want. You¡¯repletely outmatched and ridiculously slow. You can¡¯tnd a single hit on me and I can do what I want to you,¡± she said to him. The alphaughed darkly, ¡°You don¡¯t really think I believe that for a second.¡± ¡°Alpha Liam...¡± the girl spoke up filling her voice with all the authority she could. Within her mind, she screamed at herself, wondering where her dominant attitude hade from, ¡°You have constantly disrespected someone who ranks above you and you have been tolerated for a while. Even after being denied the right to take your father¡¯s ce as alpha, you remain ignorant of the crimes youmit time and time again. I will give you five seconds to forfeit or else...¡± ¡°Or else what...¡± the alpha asked before a pop was heard echoing across their beach. Liam gritted his teeth to keep a scream from escaping him. Lina had dislocated his shoulder and kept the arm in that position. She released him and allowed the man to observe the consequences of hispliance. ¡°You have thirty seconds to forfeit... Something else will be breaking once your time is up,¡± Lina dered. Liam sat up and painfully pushed his shoulder bone back into its socket. He turned to the girl that had just disrespected him... ¡°You¡¯re going to regret that...¡± Lina raised her eyebrows at him in surprise, ¡°You know... Crysta was right about something. There is a lot that¡¯s going to change here. Look at my eyes Liam. What colour stares right back at you,¡± the royal ordered him and walked up to him so that he could take a better look. The eyes pulsed a bright blue... ¡°Don¡¯t forget your ce, alpha Liam.¡± The next attack was much slower and more predictable than the rest. The girl sighed in disappointment. She moved about him, keeping her speed faster than he could visually follow and twisted his dormant arm behind his back, tripping him at the same time. Knocked off bnce andpletely unaware of what was going on... the alpha was surprised to find himself in the same position he¡¯d only been in a moment ago and a popping sound followed soon after. This time he didn¡¯t have the time to prepare himself for the attack and he yelled in pain, ¡°Fine, I forfeit...¡± he said to her. ¡°Neverpare yourself to a royal, Liam. You aren¡¯t even close to the power of a beta alpha. I would know... That idiot gave me one hell of a hard time,¡± Lina said to him letting go of him and turning her back to her friend. The circle that had been drawn in the ground vanished immediately, a light wind blowing the sand, signalling the confirmation from the moon goddess. The duel was already over... A growl filled the air... Everyone went quiet... Lina turned just in time to see a ck red-eyed wolf rushing towards her with its fangs bared. The wolf was slow, however, she hadn¡¯t expected the alpha to resort to something that was clearly illegal. Before the royal could react, a grey wolf rammed into the alpha that attacked her, sending the two of them rolling to the side. The two wolves fought for the upper hand, their senses disoriented, before backing away from each other. The grey wolf shielded Lina and snarled at the alpha menacingly, its teeth bared and ws extended in a stance that only disyed hostility to its enemy, ¡°That will be enough, Liam. You lost,¡± the voice struck a chord in Lina. ¡®Just how far are you willing to go to redeem yourself, Crysta.¡¯ Liam snarled at the defiant wolf before him, anger filling him even more. The hypocrisy of it all was unforgivable, ¡°Hey, Liam, now might not be the time to let your anger get the best of you,¡± Wyatt tried, levelling his head. ¡°You lost the right to advise me a while ago, Wyatt. Just get out of my way,¡± the boy barked at the alpha. Looking at the royal surrounded by the very wolves he¡¯d been surrounded by only a few weeks ago, he couldn¡¯t help but feel detest for the girl. Going against her when she¡¯d only watched the duel would only cause him more trouble than he would have liked. And so, he dashed off into the woods, trying his best to put as much distance between the pack and himself. At the same time, he shut himself off from the pack¡¯s mental link. Lina sighed in relief when it was all done, ¡°I thought for a moment there that I was a goner.¡± ¡°Really, how would you think that when he barely had the chance to touch you?¡± Honour eximed, looking her friend up and down, ¡°Are you the same person I¡¯ve always known?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, I am. Sandra made it look so easy to turn my speed into a weapon and it...¡± ¡°That was a brilliant disy,¡± an eerie voice interrupted the girl. Along with it came a cold breeze that brought everyone to a halt. Their senses didn¡¯t lie to them either... the scents that were carried in the breeze belonged to none other than their natural enemies, rogues. Lina turned to look at the source of the voice. Leaning against a tree, a rxed look on his face was a huge man of simr muscr build to Alpha Jackson. ¡°Who are you?¡± Lina asked him, keeping her voice defiant. A couple of growls came from the woods behind the man revealing two more wolves. The three all bore red eyes... ¡°Oh, you shouldn¡¯t be asking me such a question when you¡¯re so close to your end,¡± the man replied. ¡°There are only three of you. What makes you think you can take on a whole pack?¡± Lina asked him. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t think we need more than the three of us toy waste to this sorry excuse for a pack, but since you insisted I¡¯ll just show you that we came in more than just strength, but numbers as well,¡± the man smirked. Emerging from beyond the treeline, rogues began to walk into the moonlight cutting off every possible escape route in an instant. They were cornered between the rogues and the ocean. ¡°I love the looks on all your faces... That fear... It¡¯s what we live for when carrying out the goddess¡¯ wishes...¡± Chapter 219 219 Chapter Two Hundred Neen Jackeline had been assigned to help in following the rogues that retreated after the fight in Brigadia. After a failed attempt at trying to prove whether the Rogue King was among the group that had left the remote town, their results hade up inconclusive. All they had to go on was the words of Katie Sirius. Staring into the fire they had lit that night in the woods, her mind soared through whatever topic she could find to alleviate the boredom that surrounded her. The whistling sound of an arrow got snapped her out of her reverie to wee the female hunter that came in swinging. The only people that had been assigned this job were a small group of five women all blessed with the gift of agility. It was the perfect team that could keep their distance from the rogues if anything wrong happened. ¡°Well, the rogues are increasing in number, that¡¯s for sure,¡± the woman shrugged, slumping down next to Jackeline, ¡°Jackeline, be my pillow. I¡¯m tired...¡± ¡°Hey, find your own pillow,¡± Jackeline piped up when she realised what was about to happen. The woman let herself fall onto the previously rxed woman, ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re filthy. Get off me... This isn¡¯t funny...¡± ¡°What do you have to report, Elena?¡± another woman asked, ignoring the obvious goofing around that was happening before her. Jackeline¡¯s assant, Elena, spoke up without bothering to release her friend. ¡°Well, the rogues are definitely picking up more numbers on their way to the capital. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s too early for us to confirm their target, but I would say they are going straight for the capital. It doesn¡¯t matter how many detours they take, they seem to have that destination at the focal point of their movements. They have currently made camp five miles from here. The group is sorge that it¡¯s too easy to locate them now. Attacking them, however, would be suicide,¡± Elena reported to the other woman. ¡°Get off me already... I¡¯m not your personal cushion, you know...¡± Jackeline finally forced the woman off her, getting up to her feet. The irritated woman shuddered and walked away from Elena with every intention of putting as much distance between the two of them as she could. ¡°Take a seat, Jackeline. We should all be present to hear the rest of Elena¡¯s report,¡± the other spoke to her. ¡°I¡¯ll listen from way over here, thank you very much. Shouldn¡¯t we wait for the others though?¡± Jackeline asked, right before the sound of a twig snapping reached their ears. Jackeline¡¯s hand instinctively flew to the quiver while the other readied her bow before she realised they weren¡¯t in any danger. From the cover of the trees emerged two more women, each carrying a pair of rabbits. ..... ¡°Today¡¯s hunting session was a major sess,¡± the one ahead of them announced, caring nothing for the volume of her voice. ¡°Four rabbits, I wonder who¡¯s going to gulp down all of that,¡± their leader replied, ¡°I dere a meeting to discuss our next course of action.¡± ¡°What more are we supposed to do except report the rogue¡¯s course of movement, Sera?¡± Elena asked the woman, curiosity leaking into her tone. As far as they had been concerned, they had done everything that had been asked of them and they would continue to do so. ¡°Well, that will all depend on the answer to the next question I have for you, Elena?¡± Sera spoke up. The two women that had arrived gotfortable and began preparing their catches for supper. Skinning them as quietly as they could. ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°If you were to estimate the numbers you saw today, how many rogues would you estimate to be in thatrge force of werewolves?¡± Sera asked her. Everything went dead silent as they waited for Elena to tell her the answer. Failing to realise what the answer to that question would determine, the woman shrugged and answered based on her opinion of what she had seen, ¡°I would ce those mutts within the ranges of thousands and they only seem to be getting more with time.¡± Sera remained quiet for a while to think over what the woman had said. Jackeline thought she saw the woman¡¯s hands shaking while she held them closer, ¡°Well, it¡¯s worse than I thought it would be. It would be safe to assume that the rogues are only going to keep getting more and more in number until they reach the capital. If a force asrge as that gets to the capital, I don¡¯t think the hunters will be able to contain their rampage,¡± Sera confirmed. Jackeline¡¯s heart went into a panic at the mention of the capital defenceless, ¡°Did you tell me there were Mighty Warriors stationed at the pce? The rogues won¡¯t be able to get past them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid you overestimate the abilities of the world¡¯s strongest hunters. The king has something nned... Deploying a force thatrge could only mean he¡¯s fighting for something he¡¯s sure will tip this war in his favour...¡± the woman sighed, rubbing her hands together. Jackeline got the feeling she was trying to keep warm, ¡°We¡¯ve been given a new mission... And simply thinking of it gives me chills.¡± Waiting for the woman to continue proved to be the wrong move as she remained quiet after telling them, ¡°Well, don¡¯t just stop there. Tell us what the mission is going to be,¡± one of the cooking hunters spoke up. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve been asked to get even closer to the rogues and find out what it is that they are trying to achieve here. We are to blend into the shadows and confirm the reason for the roguesing together on such arge scale,¡± the woman spoke up. The others were quiet for a while, waiting for the woman to cheer up and tell them that she was joking. After a short wait, they realised she wasn¡¯t lying one bit. The rogues were gathering in arge number and the woman had just told them to march straight into their midst and carry out espionage amongst them, ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± Jackeline was the first to speak up. ¡°I don¡¯t think she is,¡± another spoke. ¡°No, Brenda, you have no idea what¡¯s going on inside her head. I want here it from her,¡± Jackeline snapped at one of the hunters cooking. ¡°You heard exactly what I said Jackeline. We¡¯ll be infiltrating the force of wolves and finding out a way to bring them down. A week point... We need to find out what the rogue king is nning if the hunters are to stand a chance against the rogues in thising battle,¡± Sera confirmed before an argument could break loose. ¡°I know what you are saying, Sera, but I also know just how impossible it is for us to pull off something like that. We¡¯ll be dead before you could know it,¡± Jackeline argued. ¡°That all depends on if you let yourself get caught. Our orders are clear... We shall find out the rogues¡¯ ns and report to headquarters, lest we risk the lives of countless many in the capital of Sirius,¡± Sera spoke up. Every hunter knew the price of bing one. They wouldy down their lives if it meant they were going to protect humanity. It¡¯s how it had always been and there wasn¡¯t a sign of it changing. However, after the fight in Brigadia, Jackeline didn¡¯t believe she could fulfil her mission at all by putting herself in obvious harm¡¯s way. She couldn¡¯t betray the people she¡¯d sworn her loyalty to and watching herself bring herself into a suicide mission was not an option for her either. ¡°I don¡¯t agree with that strategy. We should find a way to get that information that will not lead to our deaths,¡± Jackeline said to them. Looking from one face to another, she realised none of the others would look her straight in the eye. All was lost before she could say anything about it... ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you would all walk straight into thousands of wolves looking for information that could get you killed before you came out.¡± It was like her words reached deaf ears. They barely reacted to what she said... and it irritated her. They all reminded her of someone else... Someone so reckless that she¡¯d done... that exact same thing. ¡°If there is a chance...¡± Elena had begun... ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough. I¡¯ll take a walk...¡± the woman turned around and walked from them, ¡°You¡¯re all crazy... Every single one of you.¡± ¡°This meeting...¡± ¡°Is over as far as I¡¯m concerned,¡± Jackelinepleted before vanishing into the cover of darkness. The hunters about the fire were left in silence, wondering which was crazier, the fact that they had just signed on a mission that had almost no chances of survival or the fact that one of them had outright told them it was a stupid thing to do. Up until this point, it had been unthinkable for a hunter to think of their own safety before that of the humans they were meant to protect. ¡°So she really did go berserk in Brigadia...¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not allowed to bring that up,¡± Elena scolded herrade. Chapter 220 220 Chapter Two Hundred Twenty Jackeline ran through the woods until she was tired of running, her thoughts wouldn¡¯t let her rest. She couldn¡¯t find it in her to ept the fate they¡¯d only spelled out for her moments ago. ¡®How could they all just sit there and ept the orders they were being given? Sera literally just told them they were going to walk into the biggest army of rogues they¡¯d ever seen and they barely put up any resistance...¡¯ Fishing an arrow out of her quiver, the woman began to dig into the bark of arge tree that stood somewhat secluded from the others. She had run about the area and found nothing to be lurking about. She needed to clear her mind somehow. If it hadn¡¯t been for the bright moon that night, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to make sense of her surroundings as urately as she did now. Once she was happy with the digging she was doing, having created five depressions into the bark of the tree, she gave herself arge distance from the tree, climbing up into a tree and making the target almost impossible to see. From her position, she nocked an arrow, her thoughts rushing out along with the one activity that allowed her to think. She let the arrow fly, along with everything that contributed to the tangled mess in her mind. Memories of the one hunter that had been by her side for the longest time her mind allowed her to remember, Frost... This was the first assignment she¡¯d received in a while that prohibited her from going with him. It was important and requested by one of the highest-ranking hunters in the world. None of the women that had been summoned for the task were in the position to refuse it and no other was in a position to oppose this decision either. They had then tracked the rogues ande up with a conclusion on where they were headed. ¡°You will be just fine, Jackeline,¡± Frost had told her the evening before she left. ¡°No, Frost, you know I won¡¯t. You, of all people, were there when I lost my nerve. You know what Prometheus uses to determine who bes a hunter. Hunters don¡¯t lose control of their emotions,¡± she said to the man. ¡°No, that¡¯s not true. Prometheus grants hunters their gifts based on the work they put into protecting humans from werewolves. That¡¯s all there is to it. Once a hunter proves they can control their emotions, they are considered worthy of attaining the gifts, but it has never meant the others that desire the safety of all humans are less worthy of his gifts,¡± he replied, pulling her into a hug, stopping her pacing tendency. Jackeline remained quiet within his embrace, her eyesnding on the reminder of her defective nature. She ran her fingers along with the bandages that bound the cuts along his arms, ¡°The irony of your words is painful, Frost. Not when I see you covered in bandages because of me. Maybe I am what they call me... A defective hunter, after all...¡± ..... The man sighed heavily, ¡°Do you really think hunters should be able to suppress every single emotion?¡± Something about the way he¡¯d asked the question then had made her look away from his bandages and seek his eyes. They held tears of sadness, but never let go of them, ¡°We are good at suppressing them. All in the name of thinking rationally. However, when do we reach our limits? Aren¡¯t we allowed to find a way to relieve ourselves of those emotions when they be too much for us to carry? After all, at the end of it all, we are humans, just like everyone else. Humans, hunters, and werewolves... we are all the same inside,¡± the man said to her. Jackeline was speechless while he spoke to her. His face caused her even more confusion... Frost had never shed a tear since she hade to know him. He was the strongest man she knew, both physically and emotionally... and yet, at that moment, he¡¯d allowed her to see a weak side of him. ¡°You¡¯re not weak for letting your emotions get the better of you. It only proves that you¡¯re human. We might be better at controlling our emotions than the average human, but it doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t have them. Otherwise, the Man god wouldn¡¯t give us these gifts. He only grants them to humans... which is what we are.¡± Another arrow sang through the air, striking the target once again... ¡®We are all human, huh... Then why are they giving their lives for a mission that they all know they won¡¯t be able to seed in?¡¯ Her fifth arrow sang through the air and struck right into the bark of the tree, at the centre of the fifth hole that the woman had curved out. With this arrow, the chaos in her mind died down... She¡¯d made up her mind on what she was going to do. Dropping from the tree she¡¯d been hanging on, she walked up to her target tree and found the arrows had gone far too deep for her to pull out. Sighing, she left them there and tucked her bow away, heading for the camp. She found Brenda and rose to finish up preparing supper, ¡°You¡¯re right on time, Jackeline. Careful, one might think you smelt the meat from miles away,¡± Elena joked. ¡°Well, I did know how long it would take them to make it, so that¡¯s also reason to suspect me to be a wolf. It smells good, Rose,¡± she replied. ¡°Aww, don¡¯t I get apliment? I cooked mine as well, you know,¡± Brenda whined. ¡°Well, you can share it with Elena. I call dibs on Rose¡¯s cooking. It¡¯s divine...¡± Jackeline replied, gettingfortable beside Elena, ¡°I¡¯ll take the first watch. Just rest when you feel like it.¡± ¡°Oh, how did you know we had voted you to take first watch?¡± Elena asked, humbly receiving her share from Brenda, ¡°You know Brenda, I think your cooking is fantastic. You don¡¯t have to listen to that mean...¡± ¡°Rose, where is my share of the meal?¡± Sera spoke up getting out of her tent to have supper with the rest of them. ¡°Why won¡¯t you...¡± ¡°Her cooking is better. We all know that. No offense, Brendah...¡± Jackeline wasughing to herself as she watched the whole scene unfold. ¡®Sera¡¯s brutal...¡¯ ¡°Come to my tent, Jackeline. I need to talk to you.¡± Theughter was gone in an instant as though she¡¯d just been called to the principal¡¯s office. Jackeline got up and followed the woman to her tent, taking her food with her. Looking about, she realized just how much of their luggage they would have to abandon if they were going to get close to the rogues. Running with it would be impossible for all of them. Within the tent, anterny beside a sleeping bag, along with a couple of notebooks and a satellite phone formunication. ¡°What is it you wanted to talk about?¡± Jackeline asked, getting nervous. ¡°Have you made up your mind on whether you will be joining us?¡± Sera asked her, her voice serious... as it usually was. Her silence spoke more than she hoped it would, ¡°I guess that settles it then...¡± ¡°Settles what?¡± Jackeline questioned, her voice raising up a few octaves. ¡°You won¡¯t be joining us for this mission. I will be sending you back home,¡± Sera responded. ¡°Huh, and the rest of you?¡± she asked her. ¡°The rest of us will be continuing with the n. Sending someone for a tough mission that they haven¡¯t agreed upon is just the same as sending them to their deaths. We¡¯ll manage with just the four of us, is that understood?¡± Sera spoke up. Jackeline¡¯s eyes wouldn¡¯t leave the ground. Everything the woman had just said was meant to be good news to her ears, however, the thought of leaving them to such a suicide mission was even more cowardly of her, ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°What would that be, Jackeline?¡± ¡°If the information you seek was somehow found out before you went for this mission of yours, would you keep it up?¡± Jackeline asked. ¡°That is highly unlikely, so I won¡¯t think of it,¡± the woman replied. Jackeline stood for a bit before turning around to exit the room. ¡®This changes nothing,¡¯ she thought to herself as she left the tent. ¡°Hey, Jackeline, get this. Brenda¡¯s food is much better than Rose¡¯s. You just have to try it...¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be falling for that,¡± Jackeline replied, walking right past them. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to finish up your food?¡± Rose¡¯s kind voice rang out. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry anymore,¡± Jackeline replied, leaping up a tree and making her way to the high branches in the shortest time possible. .............. It was well into the night when Jackeline came down from her perch in the tree. The fire had gone out and resigned to a light red glow. The othersy sound asleep in their tents. Just when the girl thought she would enjoy the silent cover of night, Elena¡¯s growl reached her ears... ¡®Honestly, Elena doesn¡¯t act the least bit like a woman,¡¯ Jackeline thought to herself, frustration itching at her to find a way to shut the hunter up lest she awoke the entire forest. Jackeline picked up a few extra arrows from her backpack and reced the ones she¡¯d lost to a tree earlier before setting out to fulfill her mission. The one n she¡¯d hoped to achieve before any of these loyal hunters would surrender their lives. Dashing forward, she let her thoughtse and go as they could. She stuck downwind and kept her steps as quiet as she could making her way to the front of the rogues in thergest beeline she could estimate. ¡®If everything goes ording to n, I should be able to find all the answers without having any trouble... Of course, when does any n ever go ording to n?¡¯ she chuckled to herself before finally seeing the first sign of a werewolf. There were some that were awake, just as she thought they would be... Taking to treetops gave her the cover the wanted... After getting well within the group of wolves at the front, she retrieved a pair of binocrs from her pocket and began to search through the crowd. At the very front of the pack of wolves was a colossal wolf she could only confirm was a beta alpha... ¡®If only I was powerful enough to subdue one of those... This would be much easier. The woman continued to look through and found that some were in their human forms watching and guarding. ¡®Sleeping in wolf form definitely allows them to keep their senses sharp, however, I get the feeling this is normal for them. Their senses must have dulled already after getting used to ignoring some sounds during sleep as wolves. Taking the time to think through her n and keeping her heartbeat steady, she spotted her target, basing her criteria on choosing him solely on the fact that he looked easy to subdue. Chapter 221 221 Chapter Two Hundred Twenty One She took her time carefully nning until she was sure about who she was going to capture. Capturing one from here would have been stupid, however, she had a n. Skillfully leaping through the trees to put some distance between her and the rogues, she fired an arrow straight at one of them, missing her target¡¯s ear by an inch. There was barely a stir amongst the rogues as the arrow that had been shot went almost unnoticed. Her target, getting very scared by what he heard searched for the arrow and retrieved it. Fearstriken, he rushed to another wolf that was patrolling, ¡°Hey man, there is a hunter hiding out in the trees,¡± he tried raising his case. ¡°Ugh, not this again... Every time something spooks you, you start to b on about hunters lurking up and about,¡± hisrade responded, smacking the scrawny-looking wolf on the back. ¡°Man up and stand at your post.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Clyde. Maybe he¡¯s onto something. Send him out and see how he does look for imaginary hunters,¡± a feminine voice interrupted them, rousingughter amongst them. The wolf they spoke of seemed to get angered by how lightly they took his ims and stomped away from them. ¡°Don¡¯t trip on imaginary stairs on your way there,¡± another yelled after him,ughing in response. ¡°You take it too far sometimes, Clyde. Cool off the boy,¡± the feminine voice came again, this time more serious. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am, but if I may ask, do you think he will be able to make it to our objective in one piece. He seems to be far too timid,¡± Clyde asked. ¡°Well, there is strength in numbers, don¡¯t forget that. If you send one of his kind at an enemy, they can just as well be paperweights to a hunter, however, keep adding more of them and the hunter will surely fall. That¡¯s only if they are enough and if they keep oning,¡± the female voice spoke. It was thest that Jackeline paid attention to before turning her attention back to the wolf she¡¯d targeted. The man was storming off in the direction she¡¯d hoped for... Everything was going ording to n... even more reason for the girl to worry. She looked back at the collection of rogues she was about to leave behind her. They were truly many in number, however, if she stayed quiet, she was sure she would put some distance between her and them. She left to follow the wolf she¡¯d captured after saying a mental prayer to Prometheus that she would never have to go back there... Her hopes were that this scrawny wolf had the information she needed to bring the suicide mission to a halt. What she didn¡¯t take note of was the fact that a single pair of red eyes was watching her vividly, taking note of her every movement. ..... The wolf, oblivious to the hunter that followed him through the trees continued to walk in one direction. With time, Jackeline was sure the man was going to get lost, for he began to divert from the straight path an arrow would have taken, ¡°Ah, dang it, perhaps they were right. I really am just delusional and get spooked easily,¡± he spoke to himself. He stopped moving and started turning about, searching the trees. The stalking hunter chose this moment to slide down to some lower branches. Just as she was about to leap out of her hiding spot, a voice rang out through the darkness, ¡°There you are. I thought you were going to get lost again.¡± ¡°Alpha Amanda, what are you doing out here?¡± the man responded, fear and... was it, ¡®respect¡¯ in his voice. Jackeline couldn¡¯t believe anything like that was possible amongst these savages. ¡°I came looking for you of course. You dropped this, so I figured there must have been a reason you were so sure about a hunter being here. Unfortunately, hunters don¡¯t have bows that shoot arrows strong enough to goe from this far... unless you¡¯re dealing with Cupid Shooter. That bow is special,¡± the woman responded. ¡°Oh, well then, is there something else I can be of assistance with?¡± the man asked her. ¡°Well, I would like it very much if you hurried back to your post and made sure to believe in the number of rogues that surround you. Do you really think there is a sane hunter alive that would choose to attack this massive group of rogues? They would have one hell of a death wish,¡± Amanda chuckled, ¡°Now, scram.¡± Silence filled the air as Jackeline watched her target rush back to the safety of the group of rogues. This time there was no hope of her getting another since the alpha beneath her had carefully worded her message to keep him from falling for her tricks again. ¡®What¡¯s this feeling in the pit of my stomach?¡¯ Jackeline¡¯s thoughts echoed in her mind as she stared at the back of this female alpha. This was the first time she was seeing a female alpha amongst the rogues. Perhaps females could never be allowed to... ¡°I know you¡¯re up there... I thought we¡¯d chat for a bit. Nowe down,¡± the woman spoke up. Jackeline remained quiet for a bit, hoping the woman before her was only bluffing. The woman sighed heavily and turned around so that Jackeline was no longer staring at her back, but instead, she watched her chest. The hunter swallowed hard, keeping as silent as she could until it happened. The woman¡¯s searing red eyes were staring right into her hazel brown. ¡®Why do they have to be so damn scary when they do something like that? And when did a woman be an alpha?¡¯ ¡°Now that we¡¯ve established the fact that I know you¡¯re there, would youe down now so we can talk?¡± the woman responded. ¡°What makes you think I would do such a thing?¡± she asked her. ¡°Well, I do not intend to capture you, but I guess you already know that. So I¡¯ll make you a deal. I have information that I want to know and you have something that you want to know. I honestly couldn¡¯t care less about whatever wicked scheme the hunters are cooking up. The point is that right now, we both need each other and as a symbol of my good faith, I will allow you to put as much distance from the rogues as you feelfortable and you can flee as soon as you see necessary,¡± she said to her. Jackeline took her time to think it through, ¡°What if I just shoot you right here and now?¡± ¡°Well, I am one of the most highly trained generals of his majesty, I think it will be hard to dispose of me with a mere bow and arrow. Are you in or not... It¡¯s not every day that I get the opportunity to meet an overly ambitious hunter. Just the thing I need,¡± the woman replied. The two of them were soon dashing away from the rogues. Once they were afortable distance away from them, Jackeline signalled that they could stop. She was panting with exhaustion and made sure to stay high up in the tree to rest while keeping an eye on the wolf, ¡°You don¡¯t let your guard down. I guess that¡¯s to be expected from someone like you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a female rogue alpha. How is it even possible?¡± Jackeline said, in between breaths. ¡°Well, let¡¯s make one point clear before you go on to ask me questions that will, in the end, be entirely useless to you,¡± the woman said, finally getting serious. She looked up into the tree, making eye contact with the hunter. Jackeline¡¯s hand gripped the bow, tension filling the air... With her bow at the ready, she watched the woman¡¯s eyes shift to a bright blue before going back to a crimson red. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Jackeline asked. ¡°My name is Amanda. The rest is unimportant since rogues do not givest names. Anyway, I¡¯m not who you think I am and far from your enemy...¡± Jackeline stared at the wolf, trying to wrap her head around everything that had happened... ¡®This was definitely not part of the n...¡¯ she internally groaned. ¡°Well, my my... You¡¯re just full of surprises...¡± Jackeline replied, lowering her bow and cing her arrow back into her quiver. ¡°What can I say? Nothing has been the same since I chose to run away from the rogues and met the person that got me in this situation that I¡¯m in at the moment,¡± Amanda replied, taking a seat, and leaning against a tree. ¡°What situation?¡± Jackeline asked. ¡°Females are never allowed to get as powerful as I did and I would never have made it this far up the ranks if it hadn¡¯t been for the power I got during my escape. I was asked to go undercover and it was through that I was able to work my way up. When the Rogue King recognized my abilities, I was exempted from the same treatment that all the other females get amongst the rogues. ¡°You¡¯re not letting me know much, are you?¡± Jackeline sighed and watched a smirk grow on the woman¡¯s face, ¡°Very well. I will ask you my questions then. What is the Rogue King nning? Why is he gathering this many rogues in Lycaon?¡± ¡°Well, I figured that is the question you¡¯d be asking, however, I am surprised you weren¡¯t able to figure that out by now. It¡¯s quite simple actually. The king is sick... He¡¯s currently lying on his death bed. On the other hand, the prince has not yet marked his mate. If the Rogue King can kill the king before the prince marks his mate, he will gain the power of the Lycaon family.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with anything? Doesn¡¯t he have the power of a royal already? Not to mention the fact that he¡¯s got to be connected to the royal families somehow. Is he a lost rtive or something of the sort?¡± the woman asked. ¡°Oh, no, that¡¯s a long story. I don¡¯t know it fully myself, but it¡¯s one long and sad. He isn¡¯t connected to the royal families in any way and does not bear what he seems to call the obedience towards the brainwashed goddess that controls the royals,¡± Amanda responded. ¡°What does he want with the power of the Lycaon family then?¡± Jackeline asked. ¡°Well, if he had that power... Well, that pretty much changes everything. He would then be able to control everyst one of the wolves that bears the power of the Lycaon family running through them,¡± Amanda replied. Jackeline¡¯s eyes went wide with terror... With the force that the rogue king had gathered, he was pretty much guaranteed to break through to the king with these numbers. Chapter 222 222 Chapter Two Hundred Twenty Two ¡°Well, you¡¯ve answered my question, now I¡¯ll answer yours. What¡¯s your question?¡± the woman asked her. ¡°Honourable... I might just like you,¡± Amanda smirked, before looking at the ground and losing her happy expression, ¡°I mentioned earlier that I was undercover. Well, I have someone I have been talking to from the inside, however, I can¡¯t seem to reach him.¡± ¡°What¡¯s his name? Maybe I could help you deliver a message for him,¡± Jackeline replied. ............. The female hunter could barely think through what she was supposed to tell the others when she returned to their camp. She was a mess of emotions and there was nothing she could do about them. She couldn¡¯t get what the woman had told her out of her head, nor could she get the fact that she trusted every word she¡¯d said without a second thought out of her mind. Why she trusted the woman was lost to her, but she knew everything she¡¯d been told to be true. Amanda was a werewolf undercover and Jackeline believed every word she¡¯d heard. Unfortunately for the alpha, she didn¡¯t have any information on the person she was seeking. She did know, however, who might know who the person she was talking about was and had every intention of getting the girl¡¯s message to him. Zipping through the trees, her heart was singing only praise for a mission well executed. It had gone far better than she had hoped and now she would do everything in her power to keep the others from carrying out their suicide mission. When she finallynded in the clearing that held their tents, she found Sera seated at the front of her tent. When she saw the girl return, she looked surprised that she was back, ¡°Have you finally changed your mind or did you forget a souvenir that you just had to return to your darling, Frost?¡± ¡°Never make fun of Frost and I most certainly didn¡¯te here to join your suicide mission. I came for a rather different reason altogether. Do you remember the question I asked you before leaving your tent?¡± Jackeline asked her. ¡°A preposterous one, I might add,¡± the womanmented. ..... ¡°If you consider it preposterous, then you really don¡¯t expect this whole crew to make it out of this ordeal alive,¡± Jackeline replied. ¡°What¡¯s your point, Jackeline?¡± ¡°I was able to get the information you need to call this off. The reason the rogues are gathering towards the capital of Lycaon,¡± the woman replied. After a nod from Sera, Jackeline began to tell her of what she had discovered, making sure to alter the details so that it wasn¡¯t discovered that she spoke to one of the rogues and let them rejoin their pack with their life still intact. Sera was thinking for a long time before she spoke up, ¡°Would you care to tell me how you got this information so quickly?¡± the woman asked. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy to get it, but I also didn¡¯t want to leave the rest of you here knowing you were going to meet your deaths. I took a very long route to get to the front of the force. They are many... thousands like she said, but s, the leaders of the rogues were at the front, like I suspected. I don¡¯t what level of luck I had to be able to find them talking about the very ns the rogue king had, but it was convenient for me and I took the chance to pay attention to every detail,¡± Jackeline responded. ¡°Did they spot you?¡± ¡°No, but they almost did,¡± she repeated. ¡°How did you avoid being spotted?¡± ¡°I silenced the rogue that was about to expose my presence with a swift urate shot to the throat. He barely had the time to react,¡± Jackeline reported, keeping her voice firm as she was interrogated. ¡°Let me see your quiver...¡± the hunter took the quiver from her back and handed it over to the older woman who then began searching through the arrows. One was missing, as was expected. ¡°Would you swear on your life that the information you are reporting to me is the absolute truth to the matter?¡± Sera asked her. ¡°Yes, I would...¡± After a heavy sigh, ¡°Very well then... we shall proceed with what we have been doing and keep our distance from the rogues. I shall report your findings to the hunters and have them inform all concerned parties. I don¡¯t know how this will help us turn the tide, but if they can use this information, then that¡¯s good.¡± ¡°You did hear me talk about the reason the rogue king wants the king dead, didn¡¯t you?¡± Jackeline asked. ¡°Yes, I did, bute on, what are the odds that the dead mate of the Lycaon prince will suddenlye back to life. I¡¯m seeing the possibilities of an all-out war here,¡± Sera replied. ¡°What... So you haven¡¯t heard. The princess was never dead, to begin with,¡± Jackeline chuckled. ¡°Those rumours don¡¯t sit right with me. If the two of them had already met, then the princess would have been marked already. This would all be for nothing. The rogue king doesn¡¯t seem bothered about the prince. I heard the boy is safely tucked away in the Sirius empire. Just what is he hoping to achieve by running away to safety?¡± Sera huffed. ¡°Just how fractured is your intel, Sera?¡± Jackelineughed out. ¡°Huh, is there something you know that I don¡¯t?¡± the woman asked her. ¡°Well, yeah, I practically raised the princess of Sirius. So yeah, there is something I know that you don¡¯t. Katie Sirius is the mate to Cole Lycaon... We should get a message to them so that they know what this is all about,¡± Jackeline said to her. ¡°You¡¯re just full of surprises, aren¡¯t you? And here I thought you were merely a defective hunter. I guess you just think differently from the rest of us,¡± Sera shrugged, getting up to retrieve her phone. Jackeline was confused on whether to take it as apliment or an offence. Looking up at the half-moon that gave them the light they used now... she wondered, ¡®Is there something else you were trying to tell me that time as well... Frost...¡¯ ...... The hotel was quiet that night... the students barely made noise this time, exhausted from the party they had just had. The moon was high in the sky and the emotions of the werewolves that were watching the duel filled the mind link. Cole and Katie found themselves blocking out the excitement from most of them. ¡°Do you think she will win?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°Yeah, I think she¡¯ll do just great, however, it¡¯s what happens after that I¡¯m afraid of,¡± the girl responded. ¡°Well then, should we get going then?¡± the man said, reaching out for her hand, however, Katie didn¡¯t budge an inch. She looked to the ground with a look he couldn¡¯t decipher. ¡°Cole, you¡¯ll have to there on your own and help them. Sandra and Jason have already gone to help. You¡¯re the only one left. I¡¯ll ask one of the hunters to follow ahead, but I can¡¯t leave the hotel... Not yet anyway,¡± Katie responded. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Katie,¡± Cole asked her, worry seeping into his voice. ¡°Well, I¡¯m staying behind. I don¡¯t know why just yet, but I am staying behind,¡± the girl wouldn¡¯t meet his gaze and kept her eyes to the ground, ¡°I¡¯m not alone, Cole. Am I?¡± He¡¯d used the words on her once before... However, having them thrown back at him was something else. Katie was the one that took on most of the burden on her own. This was the first time she was letting someone take care of keeping everyone safe. It was against her very nature and yet... she was trying. ¡°Do you think there will be an attack on the hotel?¡± he asked her. ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling. I have always trusted my gut, but having to do the same when you have no proof that the enemy ising is worse than anything I¡¯ve endured so far,¡± she replied. ¡°Your mojo is so confusing...¡± Cole chuckled. He was running out of time and they both knew it. However, from the direction the girl was facing, he was now sure she wasn¡¯t going to follow him to the beach. The royal walked around her so he was right in front of her. Pulling up her face so she looked him straight in the eye. He wiped away a stray tear with his thumb, smiling down at his mate. ¡®So beautiful.¡¯ ¡°Follow your gut, like you always have. However, don¡¯t do anything dangerous without consulting me, as you promised. Is that understood?¡± Katie nodded in response to his demands, ¡°And you bettere back to me, is that understood?¡± ¡°I will nothing less, my love,¡± he replied before cing a kiss on her lips. Katie watched the ck wolf vanish under the cover of the woods. Her senses had red at thest moment... before they could proceed into the woods. It was faint, but looking back on the hotel, she realized just how many humans she was left unprotected. Each time she thought of leaving, her gut filled up with dread... And yet, she was sure there was something going to happen out in the woods that she had to deal with. ¡®She couldn¡¯t be in two ces at once... could she? Her mind worked fast as she made her way back into the hotel. She reached her room and got her bow from the dresser before rushing up to the top floor where she was sure to find the hunter¡¯s rooms. At the top of the floor, she found stairs leading to the roof. She could sense two beings at the roof and that¡¯s where she went as fast as she permitted herself indoors. She pushed the door to the roof open and stumbled through, misjudging the strength she¡¯d used. At the roof, a man she¡¯d not yet seen and Alice stood on opposite sides of the roof, watching the woods quietly and diligently. They both turned to look at her when she came through the door, ¡°Katie, is something wrong?¡± Alice was the first to ask. ¡°Alice, I need your help. The werewolves are at the beach... all of them, and the rogues are going to make their move there soon,¡± the girl told her in between breaths. ¡°Well, you¡¯re a hunter, can¡¯t you do that? You have alphas at your beck and call and you ask me to help you,¡± the woman replied. ¡°I¡¯ll take your ce here, Alice. Help me with this just this once,¡± the girl asked her, her eyes pleading with the older woman. Alice was bing more and more curious about the girl¡¯s request... Looking to the direction in which the beach was, ¡°And you promise that I will find some action in that direction?¡± the woman smirked while she eyed the ocean in the distance. Katie smiled at her response... ¡°One more thing though,¡± Katie told the woman, ¡°Take this...¡± Alice looked back to see the hunter before taking off her official hunter leather jacket, ¡°What do I need with this?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not for you. Get it to Sandra for me. The girl will need it,¡± Katie replied. Alice was curious now more than ever. ¡°Well, I will be asking a lot of questions when I return,¡± the woman replied before leaping off the rooftop. Katie looked up into the night sky. The moon was full and clear and the wind was cool on her bare skin. The thin cloth that now covered her exposed the one part of her that she¡¯d kept hidden from the rest of the world for a long time. However, tonight was the one night she didn¡¯t care if it was to be seen. After all, it was the same day she¡¯d nned to show it. Unfurling her bow, she looked on to the see, closing her eyes and letting her other senses take care of aiming the arrow she was to shoot first. Chapter 223 223 Chapter Two Hundred Twenty Three Lina watched the roguese out of the woods and trap them in one dangerous semicircle. There was nowhere to escape and they hadn¡¯te with a single hunter. Stepping out from the crowd of wolves, Caden stood in front of them, ¡°You made a grave mistakeing here tonight,¡± he spoke up to the alpha on the other side of the tree line. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m shaking with fear at the mighty Alpha Caden. I don¡¯t think even you have the power to take care of this many rogues on your own. Your death might just be one of the most entertaining things I see on this trip. You know, if you hade with that hunter of yours, you might just have had a chance. Her aura was monstrous. However, when I saw thisrge group of wolvesing here with barely a hunter for protection, I was simply filled with excitement,¡± the man¡¯s face continuously contorted into a disgusting grin. Caden¡¯s mind worked fast, but only brought up bad news for him. He didn¡¯t want to subject any of the wolves to a battle that could result in their deaths and yet... ¡®I could try forging an opening for them to escape, but they are so many. That will only split them up into many groups...¡¯ his thoughts got cut short as the ground began to shake vigorously. The rogues stopped their advance and began to look about, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± the rogue leading them yelled out, but no one answered him. The ground continued to shake and before any of them could figure out what was happening, an explosion of vines erupted from the ground in a flurry of green, wrapping around the rogues and restraining them instantly. The vines restrained the rogues, but they were still mped in groups. Caden took the chance to yell out his orders to the rest of the wolves that were with them, ¡°All of you, head for the hotel while they are still trapped.¡± The vines were starting to get weaker and let the rogues loose. The wolves took the chance to make a run for it. Spreading out into groups that only confused the rogues. The vines gave way and one of the rogues leapt out to attack Lina. Caden turned quickly with every intention of stopping the rogue in its tracks. However, before any of them could react, an arrow went through the rogues, back bringing it down instantly. Caden looked in the direction of the arrow... ¡°The hotel is that way...¡± With that said, everyone knew their destination, Lina grabbed Caden¡¯s hand when he was about to shift, ¡°Caden, we have to keep them in a group. If they run about in panic, they will get lost. There is quicksand in the forest. If any of them gets trapped in it, there won¡¯t be anyone to save them...¡± ¡°We¡¯ll keep them together Lina. Is your friend okay though?¡± Lina looked to her right and noticed Honour stumble backwards in extreme dizziness. The same blue glow she¡¯d had in the field on moon lotuses was only getting off her at the moment. She rushed to her and caught her before she fell. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Honour and get her to safety,¡± she said to Caden, ¡°The rest of you and all the alphas are to help with getting the wolves back to the safety of the hotel.¡± ..... ¡°Lina, let me help protect Honour,¡± a female voice rang in her mind. She¡¯d now grown ustomed to hearing the voice popping out of nowhere. ¡°Just do what you want, Crysta,¡± the girl replied before shifting. With Caden¡¯s help, Honour was ced on her back. The girl held onto the white wolf¡¯s fur so tight that Lina was sure she was going to rip the fur right out of her hide. The rogues snapped at the vines which kept shifting between weak strands and strong thick vines. ¡°I don¡¯t know what saved us or how long it will hold these rogues down, but all of you are to make it back to the hotel before something bad happens.¡± Lina was dashing through the forest at blinding speed with her friend on her back as soon as she had mentioned that. ¡®Hold on, Honour. You have to hold on. We¡¯ll make it there soon.¡¯ ¡®No, Lina, not the hotel. Take me back to the Lotus Lunaria,¡¯ her friend¡¯s voice came through. ¡®What are you talking about? You need to rest, Honour. Just look at you, you can barely stand,¡± she replied. ¡®I was the one that summoned the vines, Lina. Take me to the moon lotuses, Lina, please,¡¯ it was as though she¡¯d just beenmanded by her mother and she found herself taking a detour in search of the moon lotuses. She had no idea where they were and yet... here she was dashing in a direction she¡¯d never known fully aware of what she was going to find in that direction. The trees seemed to be letting them through the forest and clearing the floor of all obstacles. Wisps of moonlight came through the canopy, illuminating a path for her to follow. ¡®Very well, Honour. I¡¯ll take you to that side... Only because you begged me though,¡¯ the girl replied as she dashed at her fastest through the forest. ¡®Thank you, Lina.¡¯ Lina rushed through the forest with one destination in mind. She had no idea why she was headed there or how it would help her friend, however, no matter how much she tried, she couldn¡¯t quite control her own feet. Her wolf pressed on with all the energy she could manage heading towards a location she didn¡¯t even know existed. The woods were constantly shifting and the moonlight illuminated a path for her to follow. Eventually, the blue light from the blooming flowers reached her eyes. She came to a stop at a wide entrance to the field of flowers that she was sure wasn¡¯t there before. Laying down at the centre of the clearing, she watched the trees move back in ce, sealing them inside the clearing. The white wolfy her friend down and shifted back into her human form. The girl was glowing a radiant sky blue and the flowers seemed to lean towards her, ¡°What in the world is happening to you, Honour?¡± she asked more to herself. The girl before looked far too tired to answer her anyway. ............ Cole had only been running through the forest for a while when a group of wolves rushed past him. essing the mind link, he began to ask them, ¡°What is happening?¡± ¡°Rogues... Many of them... Trapped in vines... So many... Vicious rogues... Lina won the duel...¡± numerous voices filled the mind link giving him iplete pieces of information that couldn¡¯t help him. He blocked out the voices and linked with his alphas, ¡°Jason, Caden, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Well, there are rogues in the woods. Our aim is to get the wolves of Sirius together as they run back to the hotel. As far as I can tell, most of the rogues are still trapped at the beach. Caden, Liam, Wyatt and Crystal are taking care of returning the rogues back to the woods. Sandra and I are going to check on the rogues at the beach,¡± Jason replied. ¡°Caden, what¡¯s the situation with the wolves being returned to the hotel?¡± Cole asked. ¡°Well, everything is going fine as long as we keep this formation. We¡¯ll be at the hotel in a few minutes if all goes well,¡± Caden replied. ¡°When does that ever happen?¡± Cole replied, rushing forward with the intention of getting to the beach. His wolf sensed danger in that direction and that is what he followed. The feeling in his gut was simr to the one he¡¯d had when he¡¯d faced beta alphas thest time, but a little different. .............. Jason brought his running to a sudden halt when he felt the ground moving. The beach wasn¡¯t far off, however, what his eyes saw couldn¡¯t be described as normal. The was everything wrong with the vines that continued to constrict around the rogues, letting them loose and grabbing them more at the same time. A few rogues were breaking through their natural cages, using the short times when the vines were weak to break through. It was a tedious process as the vines kept growing back and trying to cage them all over again, but there was progress. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t stop all of a sudden without warning,¡± the girl on his backined. ¡°Comin after we¡¯ve disposed of this load of trash,¡± the alpha replied, keeping his eyes on the scene before him. Sandra turned and froze at the sight before her. ¡°We should put them out of their misery before they get a chance to resist us, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± Sandra asked him, unsure of what to do in this situation. ¡°You sound like you¡¯re trying to read this out of a hunter handbook,¡± the alpha chuckled. ¡°Well, there was nothing in the handbook that talked about dealing with rogues that were trapped by moving vines,¡± the girl replied, walking out to the beach. ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared?¡± Jason asked her. ¡°No, I¡¯m angry... the rogues pulled a cheap move attacking defenceless werewolves,¡± the girl replied. ¡°And here we are about to bring their lives to an end while they struggle for their lives,¡± Cole¡¯s voice sounded, calling for their attention. The royal walked out from the cover of the trees and straight to one of the struggling rogues. Without a second thought, he pushed his hand through the vines and grabbed the wolf by the neck, pressing the wolf to the ground until a sickening crunch rung through the air. Seeing their fellow wolf lying there unconscious, the other rogues began to struggle. Cole proceeded to the rogues that had made it partly out of their caged prisons and began to put them out of their misery, ¡°What are you waiting for, Jason?¡± ¡°Oh yeah,¡± the alpha replied before getting to work. ¡°Don¡¯t think for a second that our enemies are redeemable,¡± Cole said to the hunter who stood behind them as they carried out the dirty work. ¡°Oh, I know what rogues are like... After all, I was there when Katie was granted her Prometheus gifts. I have never felt any sympathy for them ever since,¡± she replied. Just then, a woman appeared beside her with a bow in hand and began to kill the rest of the rogues without letting the wolves finish the job. However, herst arrow was caught by herst target. One of the rogues was fully free from the cage and he snapped the arrow into pieces. ¡°That was a pathetic disy...¡± his deep voice echoed through the night. ¡®He is dangerous,¡¯ Sandra¡¯s senses surmised. Chapter 224 224 Chapter Two Hundred Twenty Four The air seemed toe to a stop when the man voiced his presence. It wasn¡¯t normal to see a rogue in their human forms. This was one of those times when they felt they were in very big trouble. Sandra looked around her and found that the man was alone against her, Cole, Jason and Alice... Yet she still felt like the odds were barely in their favour. ¡®I¡¯m probably just in a hurry to see this man put down,¡¯ she tried to convince herself. ¡®You¡¯re not the only one that feels uneasy around him. The only other rogues that confidently unt their human forms are the Rogue King¡¯s beta alphas and those have not been seen in quite some time. Well, in their human forms that is,¡¯ Jason exined to her through the odd mind link that the two of them shared. ¡°It¡¯s nice to know there is one of you that still has the spirit to reveal their human forms,¡± Cole spoke out loud. The man narrowed his eyes at the royal, ¡°There is more than a few of us that can do that... Well, I speak of the Rogue King¡¯s generals... I am one of them. You may call me Br and it is I that shall see to your end, heir to the Lycaon throne,¡± the man said with a slight bow. ¡°Confident for a man that¡¯s outnumbered four to one,¡± Cole replied, clenching his fist in anger at the man¡¯s im. ¡°The fact that you value numbers over the skill of a fighter is all the more proof that this will be yourst hour alive,¡± the man sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s skip the chitchat... I don¡¯t have all day. After all, we didn¡¯te here to kill just one of the moon goddess¡¯ chosen. Both of them are meant to leave thend of the living tonight as ordered by our king himself,¡± the man replied, training his eyes on the prince. An arrow whizzed past Cole and to the man only to be snapped in half effortlessly once again. Before Cole could react, four arrows whizzed past almost at the same time as though they had been fired by four different people. The man¡¯s hand zipped through the air, grabbing each arrow as though they¡¯d been frozen in air for him to pluck. ¡°The archer might as well give up... I¡¯ve been trained to catch six arrows fired simultaneously.¡± Cole barely wasted a second, ¡®Jason...¡¯ the beta alpha reacted at his alpha¡¯s beckoning and went on the offensive. Cole was the first to reach the man, taking the initiative to throw the first attack, his fist aimed at the man¡¯s face. The rogue deflected the blow effortlessly... a move the alpha had anticipated. ¡®This might be more of a challenge than I thought...¡¯ he thought to himself as the years he¡¯d spent training suddenly kicked in allowing him to fluidly move on from the missed opportunity. He blocked the man¡¯s counterattack and stepped back as his beta alpha stepped into the fight, not giving the rogue startling the rogue with the odd switch between the two. The two of them worked together like a well-oiled machine, attacking in turns that never once collided as though they knew what the other was thinking. Together, the two of them seemed to have the rogue on his toes... ..... Sandra took the time to recognize the skill with which Jason used while he was fighting. It was like nothing she had been able to witness during the time they¡¯d been training together. It was enough to tell her that she was not yet a threat to him. Either that or the power of a beta alpha was making him a better fighter. The fight between the three wolves raged on, getting faster and faster until Sandra could only barely follow their movements... ¡°Amazing...¡± she eximed, entranced by the choreography before her. Averting her focus on the wolves, Alice held out something to the girl, ¡°Sandra, I was asked to hand this to you. I don¡¯t know what the girl was thinking, but apparently, she thinks you are worthy of this... I personally...¡± ¡°Is that Katie¡¯s hunter jacket?¡± she asked the woman, cutting her off without noticing... something else bothered her... She couldn¡¯t tell what it was... but she knew she was supposed to be somewhere else... The jacket proved it all... ¡®What could you have in mind, Katie?¡¯ Sandra got the jacket from the woman and slipped it on, turning her eyes back to the fighting wolves. Cole and Jason managed to push the man back until he stood in the water... The fight was not looking up for them, but not for the rogue either. He seemed to be holding his ground even against two of the most powerful werewolves in the world. It didn¡¯t make sense to Sandra. ¡°Yes, it is...¡± Sandra looked back at Alice and remembered her question... It had been rhetorical... Having worn the jacket before, she knew what it was before she¡¯d even asked the question. She knew where each weapon was and knew how to draw them out at the time when she needed them. It wasn¡¯t something she was in need of training... With the jacket, she felt safer as it would be easier to dispose of rogues with the weapons at her disposal... ¡°Is sheing?¡± Sandra asked, her heart going into overdrive the moment she asked. ¡°No, she¡¯s not...¡± Alice replied. This was all she needed to know that they were not out of the woods yet. There was no way she couldmunicate with Katie and Katie wasn¡¯t one tomunicate everything she was thinking. Most of the time, she had to figure out what it was that her mentor was nning. However, it was clear there was trouble back at the hotel that the girl had stayed behind to take care of. What they were taking care of here was nothing inparison. ¡°Is there any other hunter left at the hotel?¡± she asked Alice. ¡°Yes, I left Morgan there along with the others although they are asleep. Why would you ask?¡± Alice asked before recognition snapped in her eyes, ¡°I knew there was a reason she stayed behind and asked me toe here... However, I¡¯m not that much help here. What could be worse than this?¡± ¡°This man we are struggling to defeat. He¡¯s not a beta alpha... If I¡¯m guessing right, the foe Katie is going to face is much tougher than him,¡± Sandra replied right before she watched what she thought was impossible. The rogue got the upper hand and delivered powerful punches that pushed both Cole and Jason a good distance away from him. ¡°The two of you, given the right guidance would have made fine warriors... But s, you¡¯re nothingpared to me and your training is far too simple... Gaining the amount of skill that...¡± he stopped talking as a loud whistling sound pierced through the air as though shutting him up. Two more simr sounds were heard before everyone caught up with what was happening... Blood trickled down the side of Br¡¯s mouth as he looked up beyond the forest... ¡°So that¡¯s where you decided to watch over the fight from...¡± with that, he coughed and slowly fell into the shallow water he stood in. Sticking out of his chest were three ck and red arrows. No one had noticed them until the man had bled... ¡°An arrow from Cupid Shooter¡¯s bow... that¡¯s what he asked for... I guess that¡¯s what he got.¡± Alice mentioned. Sandra snapped out of her daze and rushed to Jason, ¡°Jason, are you alright?¡± ¡°Yeah... besides the fact that I just got beaten by a normal alpha... I never thought I¡¯d see the day...¡± ¡°You¡¯re a beta alpha. You can¡¯t imagine what it means to push back not just a royal alpha, but Cole Lycaon. Are they all as monstrous as him...? The generals... and if so... what are the beta alphas like? Or the Rogue king for that matter?¡± Cole barely noticed he was yelling while heined. His mind rushed with the different possibilities of trouble they were in. He¡¯d never felt an average alpha close the power gap this much. Considering his added abilities, he was more than shaken by the man¡¯s capabilities. ¡°That¡¯s just it, Jason... Cole. Katie stayed behind. She¡¯s noting. I know her... she wouldn¡¯t stay behind unless there was a reason she was doing so... I know the humans could have been protected by the hunters, but she took it upon herself. I¡¯m suspecting...¡± ¡°A beta alpha...¡± Cole had shifted before Sandra could finish her statement. Jason reacted a secondter and followed his alpha¡¯s example, shifting into his brown wolf. The girl reluctantly took a seat on the brown wolf... ¡®It¡¯s times like this that I wish I had an agility Prometheus gift,¡¯ the girl thought to herself. ¡®Well, you will have one in no time if you keep up your training,¡¯ Jason replied to her thoughts. ¡®I sure hope so...¡¯ Alice was beside them as they rushed back to the hotel as fast as the wolves could zip through the forest. The blue-eyed ck wolf beside was the cause for the most worry... ¡°I warned her to keep out of danger unless we¡¯ve discussed it,¡± he voiced his thoughts to Jason. ¡°Then trust that it¡¯s what she nned,¡± Jason replied, ¡°We cannot start jumping to conclusions.¡± At the mention of Katie getting into trouble, Cole had lost all thought of the rogue they¡¯d been fighting and set a new goal. Jason shifted his attention to his fellow beta alpha, ¡°Caden, let¡¯s hear some good news...¡± The mind link was quiet for a bit before the reply came, ¡°Ummm... I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you on that... I have bad news instead...¡± Chapter 225 225 Chapter Two Hundred Twenty Five Caden was tasked with coordinating the wolves rushing through the forest. He knew the direction they were supposed to be going and all he had to do was keep track of the wolves as they rushed through. Through the mind link, this was more than easy. With the help of the three alphas they¡¯de with and Crysta, he was able to get them well-coordinated and keep the panic to a minimum. Most of them were spooked by the fact that rogues had only surrounded them a moment ago. It didn¡¯t help that they were saved by nt life either. Both experiences made the wolves hard to control, ¡°Crysta, how is your side?¡± he asked from the back of the pack. ¡°Well, they are pretty much rxed now... They aren¡¯t talking yet though. It might take some time for them topletely shake off the experience they have just gone through,¡± she replied to him. ¡°What about you, Wyatt?¡± he asked the alpha he¡¯d assigned to the other side of the pack. ¡°Same here, really. There is nothing out of suspicion. I hope the rogues we left behind don¡¯t break free and chase after though. I believe we¡¯ve had enough of a scare for one night,¡± Wyatt replied. ¡°Liam,¡± Caden called out. ¡°There is nothing wrong here, either. I thought they¡¯d all be too scared that they¡¯d trip just from trying to run faster than they should through the woods, but they are surprisingly calm. So everything is fine at the front right as well...¡± Liam replied. The same reply came from Derek at the front left of the pack. Everything was going as nned and Caden was starting to feel rxed... until a message came through the mind link. This message was personal though and was not to be heard by the rest of the wolves that he was running with... ¡°Alpha Caden...¡± it was Katie¡¯s voice, ¡°I want you to look at the wolves you¡¯re running with carefully. Try mind-linking with any that look suspicious... I have a bad feeling in my stomach.¡± ..... A sinking feeling of danger sank into Caden¡¯s mind. He felt as though he¡¯d lose his supper just from what he¡¯d heard. He rushed forward and into the wolves and started to look around like his Luna had suggested. At first, he was relieved to see the normal vibrant fur of the pack wolves... That was until he saw one of the wolves running with them bearing messy fur... It was matted with dirt and the scent that came off the wolf was unlike any that came from a pack wolf. Upon trying to mind-link with the wolf, there was no response. It was only then that the beta alpha realized it wasn¡¯t just one of them... the rogues were many and scattered through the wolves as they ran. ¡®They mixed in with the rest of us when we were panicking...¡¯ he thought to himself. Before the beta alpha could despair, a voice rang in his head, loud andmanding, ¡°Do not despair, Alpha Caden. Mobilise the wolves that can fight and make sure you keep track of the rogues... guide the pack wolves slowly to the side of the pack and get the rogues to the centre of the running pack... Once they rogues are all together, give them hell.¡± ¡°Easier said than done, Luna Katie,¡± he replied. ¡°Well, for the sake of getting the pack out of this unscathed, this is one of the ns I coulde up with... If the rogues aren¡¯t attacking even after infiltrating the pack, then I have one more request to make of you...¡± Katie said to him. The wolf didn¡¯t like the tone behind his Luna¡¯s voice, but nheless, he could do nothing butply, ¡°What would that be, my Luna?¡± he asked her and paid attention to what his Luna had to say to him. Hearing everything that he was supposed to, he switched to carrying out her orders. They made sense to him and he wanted to do everything he could to make sure he put the rogues down before anyone was hurt... The image of the rogues going mad in Brigadia a while ago shed through his mind. He¡¯d watched them reign carnage on the hunters that had them surrounded... the bloody images in his mind only motivated him to carry out Katie¡¯s orders spectacrly... Starting a privatemunication with the three alphas and delta, he began giving orders to them... ¡°I don¡¯t want the others to notice the situation we are in otherwise there will be mass panic and the rogues will be coaxed to bring down as many as they can. The rogues need to believe their n is still working... otherwise, they will take down as many as they can before they can meet their death. It¡¯s one of their tactics that makes them very dangerous...¡± ¡°I¡¯d say they are silly for not using that strategy now...¡± ¡°If what Katie says is right, then the n keeping them docile at the moment will allow them to wreak far more havoc,¡± Caden replied, allowing them to take in what he was saying before they could carry out the n. ¡°I have an idea,¡± Derek spoke up all of a sudden. He exined his n to the others and waited for confirmation. ¡°Has this ever been done before?¡± Caden asked as he seemed to be the only one unfamiliar with this n. ¡°Well, yeah, we¡¯ve done it before... although, back then, it was just for fun,¡± Crysta replied. ......... The alpha rushed to the front of the pack, ¡°Listen up everyone... To ease the tension, we shall be doing something you all know very well... We are going to run in a diamond formation, however, I will be the one shuffling everyone...¡± Caden pushed to the back to watch what was about to happen. The rogues couldn¡¯t hear anything going on in the mind link which he depended on in this n... Derek began working his magic, cing orders on individuals. Each one that was told to reposition themselves was to slow down and the others around were to adjust ordingly to allow them to gain their new assigned position... It was like moving puzzle pieces, but thankfully, the objective was a simple one, get the rogues to the centre of the pack and iste them from the rest of the wolves... Everything was working right until a voice reached Caden¡¯s ears... It was a clear voice from someone who wasn¡¯t shifted. He allowed his eyes to scan through the pack and surely after a while he spotted something that should have been a part of them... ¡®A human...¡¯ ¡°Caden, let¡¯s hear some good news,¡± Jason¡¯s voice filtered into his mind. It was impossible to think of good news after what he¡¯d just seen. Like clockwork, the voice he¡¯d heard had reached the ears of not just the pack wolves, but the rogues as well. The rogues could hold off killing other wolves, but the whole mission they followed was to wipe out the entire human race... The situation had changedpletely, ¡°Umm... I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you on that... I have bad news instead...¡± The rogues began to lose theirposure... Looking at the formation within the pack, they weren¡¯tpletely confined to the centre and he¡¯d hoped that wasn¡¯t the case, however, their renewed attraction made them realise just how close they¡¯d gotten to each other... ¡®Damn it...¡¯ ¡°Jason, there is a human here... We need back up really quick... the rogues... they are everywhere...¡± his words were followed by the hostile growls from the rogues as they picked up on what was going on. Their n was falling apart and there wasn¡¯t much that he could do about it... ¡®Switching to n B... Minimize casualties... Not my favourite n, but the best that I can manage at the moment...¡¯ It felt as though he was trying to convince himself more than telling the others. The five of them tore through the pack with the aim of engaging the rogues. The other wolves noticed and instinctively spread out, leaving the rogues at the centre surrounded by the four alphas and delta without warning... It had all, but worked except for one thing that Caden had hoped to stop... Two rogues had broken away from the others and were pursuing the wolf carrying a human girl that hade along to watch the duel. ¡®How hadn¡¯t we noticed them?¡¯ Before Caden could change his direction, he mmed right into the collection of rogues they¡¯d managed to gather... The rogues had not had the time to process everything when they realized they¡¯d been isted... well, two of them had gotten away, but the rest of them were now surrounded... ¡°Jason...¡± ¡°Just take care of the rogues, Caden...¡± ....... Sandra couldn¡¯t help but feel like something was going to go really wrong the more they ran. Jason sensed this from her and tried his best to press on... However, he didn¡¯t know what use he would be if they got to their destination when he was already exhausted. Caden¡¯s reply had shaken him a bit... He could now tell that the girl on his back had heard it loud and clear as her heels dug into his sides... ¡°Hey, perhaps you could...¡± he was stopped by a newmunication from his fellow beta alpha, ¡°Jason, there is a human here... We need back up really quick... the rogues... they are everywhere...¡± this was the only thing that he needed to hear to pour renewed energy into his system... However, it was different for the girl on his back. Upon hearing this, Jason felt significantly lighter and the next thing he saw was the same very girl many metres ahead of them and finally out of sight... ¡®What did I just see?¡¯ Chapter 226 226 Chapter Two Hundred Twenty Six Alice could barely believe the sight before her. The girl who she¡¯d known to be a junior hunter had just shot off at a speed faster than that of the wolves they were following. This level of urgency was what told her something was terribly wrong... She tapped into her abilities and dashed forward, doing her best to keep up with the girl as she dashed forward. Growls filled the dark forest notifying them of the rogues that were in the forest... Just then, the woman was able to identify the rogues ahead, along with the other wolves that had scattered away from them and seemed to be regrouping further away from the scene... They were unprotected... the girl before took a sharp turn dodging the mass of rogues before them that clearly outnumbered the alphas that surrounded them... Alice was about to stop when a voice rang through her mind, ¡°Go and help her... She¡¯s gone after a human.¡± She didn¡¯t wait to ask who it was that had just spoken into her mind. Her Prometheus gift seemed to react all on its own at the mention of a human in trouble... However, what she found upon following the girl was beyond her wildest imagination... ¡®Who is this girl?¡¯ .... Sandra didn¡¯t know what happened and she barely had the time to process it. She only knew she had to protect the human and that is what she set her mind to. She used everything she¡¯d learned during her training to rush after the rogues that were after the human without paying attention to everything else that was happening before her. Katie had been teaching her how to follow her senses no matter how thin they were and she¡¯d never been more sure in her life than she was at the moment. The moment she¡¯d heard there was a human among the pack, she¡¯d been sure of everything her gut was trying to tell her. She knew what she had to do and how to do it. Whether she could pull it off or not was not a question she asked herself... which is why she barely noticed when she whizzed past the wolves and burst forward faster than a human was meant to ever go. She caught up to the rogues that were chasing the wolf harbouring the human and allowed her hands to slide into the jacket she wore, retrieving des she¡¯d grown ustomed to using whenever she was granted the chance. Katie had taken her along many times to hunt rogues when she felt they had attacked... Her senses were so sharp that she knew of this before they were even a danger to Brigadia... Sandra barely hesitated when she reached the first one. The rogue turned to the right just in time to see a de plunge deep into its side. Sandra brought her feet to a stop, allowing the de to cut through the beast¡¯s hide before she pulled the de out and madecerations to the wolf¡¯s joints, making quick work of its ligaments before starting her pursuit of thest one... Since Katie¡¯s werewolf side had activated, the des were as expected, free from wolfsbane and not as deadly as she had hoped they would be. Sandra soon caught up to the other wolf as it was about to make an effort to leap and get to the human... The girl quickly cut the wolf¡¯s hind leg¡¯s ligaments, downing the beast and delivering a killing blow to its throat. With that done and her sinking feeling of danger gone, exhaustion came crashing down on the girl¡¯s body. She¡¯d been running so fast for longer than she¡¯d ever managed... ..... Shey beside the dead beast with her arms spread out, panting... Alice was in time to see everything happen. She¡¯d been so impressed by the junior hunter¡¯s quick work of the rogues that she¡¯d kept from helping her out... After all, she had also noticed something else happen in the same exact moment... Sandra was at the precipice of her own awakening... ¡®Had you known this would happen, Katie?¡¯ Alice asked herself. If the girl hade with them, the opportunity to have this girl attain a Prometheus gift probably would have never presented itself. ¡°Get up, Sandra... You still have a lot to aplish. The forest is stained with more rogues than you can imagine,¡± the woman responded... ¡°Why can¡¯t Katiee and help?¡± the girl on the forest floorined. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kept Katie behind, but as you said, it was probably something more troubling than everything we¡¯ve seen now...¡± the woman said to her, offering a hand for her to get up. ¡°Yeah, I know what I said... I hope I¡¯m not right. I don¡¯t want us to have to deal with someone more dangerous than the man at the beach,¡± Sandra replied. ¡°You seem to be handling yourself well. Can you still run?¡± the woman asked her. ¡°I should be able to after a short rest... I don¡¯t get it... where did the roguese from? They are far more than... Reinforcements...¡± ¡°Can you also detect your enemies just like the Chase family?¡± Alice asked, nocking an arrow and pointing it randomly in the direction they came... ¡°I¡¯m not as good as Katie is, but I keep trying. I¡¯ve learned a lot from my mentor, but I¡¯m not as fast a learner as she is... However, if I¡¯m right, then, the rogues called for reinforcements. Either that or they nned to fool Katie¡¯s senses by bringing a dummy number first before the main force came inter...¡± the girl tried exining. ¡°That exins why the girl stayed behind to protect the hotel. Who knows how many they are...¡± she paused as a rogue rushed out from behind the trees towards them, delivering an arrow right between its eyes and retrieving another arrow just in case the first one prove ineffective. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say you know of the same ability,¡± Sandra observed. She was finally breathing evenly. ¡°Well, I grew up with the Chase family for a time... so yeah, I did learn something,¡± she replied, ¡°although it is not as much as what you and Katie Sirius seem to know. Are you well rested now?¡± Sandra wiped her bloodied de against the pelt of the rogue she¡¯d killed, and stood up, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m now well-rested...¡± ¡°Very well... then try to keep up with me...¡± .......... The battle in the woods raged on as the rogues spread out to attack the now disorganized pack of Sirius wolves. Most of them weren¡¯t capable of fighting to the death. They¡¯d been trained to defend themselves and only a few were worthy of joining the ranks of the pack warriors at their ages. Cole and Jason joined Caden and the rest of his crew in trying to bring down their numbers. The rogues scattered and changed their objectives cornering any wolf they could find. For those that had the chance to witness it, the creatures of the forest woulde out of hiding and down the wolves with whatever means necessary. Bees and hos stung the wolves... Squirrels transmitted all the information to the Eagles that reported to a master that was unknown to the wolves. Ants crawled onto the unsuspecting rogues and irritated them until they couldn¡¯t focus on anything other than the creepy crawlies on them. Cole bit down on a wolf right before he saw a bear rise onto its hind legs ande down on a retreating rogue, ending its life with a powerful bite to the throat... ¡®What in the world is going on?¡¯ the royal asked himself when he noticed the ants crawling through the fur of the wolf he¡¯d just put down himself. ¡°So, Katie decided to embrace her second ability,¡± he smiled to himself. He felt a little safer knowing they had far more numbers than they¡¯d initially thought... At the heart of the forest, two wolves stood in a field of beautiful lotusespletely isted from the fighting and panic. Honour had copsed at the centre of the field the moment they¡¯d gotten there... Lina watched as the trees closed up the path that had allowed her to get her friend to the moon lotuses in her wolf form. ¡°Honour...?¡± she asked the girl pulling her head into herp. ¡°You know I¡¯m not going to die, right?¡± Honour replied, opening her eyes to meet her best friend¡¯s blue orbs. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t look so good, so of course, I¡¯m going to worry about you,¡± Lina replied before looking about her. The blue lighting from the moon lotuses had spread to her friend once again... ¡°You don¡¯t have to act like you don¡¯t see the change that happens when I¡¯m near the moon lotuses,¡± the girl replied. Lina was quiet for a bit before answering, ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful change, Honour. You don¡¯t...¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about what I look like, Lina...¡± ¡°You¡¯re worried about what it means...¡± ¡°Yes, Lina... Yes, I¡¯m worried about what it means.¡± Her best friend replied. The girl who was always positive and cheerful was looking worried for the first time in her life. Lina didn¡¯t know just how worried she was supposed to be that she was witnessing this for the first time. Chapter 227 227 Chapter Two Hundred Twenty Seven Sethy beside his wife rolling in the ever-increasing boredom of the moon pce. She hadn¡¯t taken her eye off the scrying pool in such a long time that he was beginning to think she¡¯d forgotten him. However, each time he dared to look into the pool, he saw something that was cause for worry and let her be for the moment. She didn¡¯t dare send him there to help and yet she continued to worry about them deeply. ¡°Why do you just watch and do nothing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because, at times like this, the other gods are watching as well. Since I¡¯ve been moving about asking for their help, they are now watching them more than ever. If I intervene, they will know and be forced to start an investigation about the things we¡¯ve been doing to help them,¡± she replied. Through the link they shared, he could sense the deep worry she had for the wolves down below. He was about to suggest something when a knock at their door got their attention. The moon goddess looked up at the door with worry in her eyes. None of them had expected a visitor, but then again when was there ever a time when a goddess expected a visit. Everyone seemed to be a goddess who came with always knowing when it was that someone would be visiting. Celeste got up from her ce by the scrying pool and beckoned for Seth to take her side as she willed the door to open. On the other side of the door stood a presence that none of them expected to ever show up the moon pce. The presence of this new arrival was enough to force both of them on their knees with barely an effort, ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to visit me so soon, father...¡± the moon goddess spoke up. ¡°I¡¯d rather speak to you in your more respectable form. As for you boy, leave us be...¡± the god¡¯s voice boomed across the halls. ¡°That will not be necessary, father. He will stay. It¡¯s been a while since you left your ce at home,¡± the moon goddess spoke while her form began to morph into a form she¡¯d been known for at a time before theing of the werewolves. Zeus eyed Seth, rethinking the thought of turning him to ash. The boy had so much influence over his daughter that it bothered him to the core, however, getting rid of him was just another way for him to lose his daughter at the same time. He¡¯d already forced her hand in many things and she¡¯d tolerated him to the best that her free-spirited soul could allow. This would be stretching his luck. Swallowing his pride, he allowed himself to disregard the once mortal and move on to matters that had brought him, ¡°Can¡¯t a fathere down from his pce to visit his daughter in a lower realm such as this one which I see remains the same...¡± ..... ¡°I don¡¯t expect to find anything with Olympus when I return to it. You¡¯re two years early, father,¡± the moon goddess said to him. ¡°Oh, I only came to witness the awakening of the one that would be taking your ce in two years¡¯ time. We should catch up when the timees. There has been a lot happening on Olympus while you¡¯ve been tampering with the mortal down on earth. It shouldn¡¯t have been good for you to deal with those fleshlings,¡± the king of the gods spoke up. ¡°And I see you still hate them just as much as you always have...¡± ¡°Yes, that is true. I would see them destroyed given the chance, but s, there are a number of the gods that would rather have the humans stick around. I hope you don¡¯t think for a moment that I have not been witnessing your meddling with them,¡± the king spoke up. ¡°Is that what brought you here, father?¡± the goddess replied. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. If you¡¯re in such a hurry to listen to what I came to do, I¡¯ll get to the point. I came here to make sure you still remember what it is we agreed on when you decided to watch over the humans and offer your guidance in allowing them to co-exist with that traitor¡¯s creatures?¡± the king spoke formally this time. ¡°I remember what we spoke of, father. In about two years from now, I am to give up my title of goddess of the moon to a mortal that I have chosen to ascend to this position as a minor god of the werewolves,¡± the goddess replied to her father, ¡°the mortal was chosen long before she was ever born and she is to be finding out about this arrangement in a very short while from now...¡± ¡°And this is what I came to oversee...¡± the god of gods replied. Seth had his mouth agape while he listened to the conversation between the two gods. His mind began to work out the missing pieces while they spoke with each other, ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow... When was all this decided?¡± He would have flinched if it hadn¡¯t been for the goddess holding his hand when the god of gods turned to face him, ¡°Well, if you weren¡¯t so young, you might have known that your dear Artemis was never meant to spend an eternity taking care of those fleshlings. She was supposed to spend two hundred fifty years watching over them and no more than that... In two years, that time will finally run out and she will return to Olympus, relinquishing her title to someone of her choosing... Or someone chosen by the fates to take her ce. ¡°Who has been chosen to take over the position of the moon goddess after all this time?¡± Seth was only getting more curious. ¡°How about you hold off the questions?¡± Artemis asked her betrothed. It was rare for the man to speak to her in this form. She was moreposed and barely showed her emotions and yet... after spending all this time with Celeste, he could tell whaty behind her cold beautiful stare. ¡°Very well,¡± he replied to her, letting his curiosities rest. ¡°If there isn¡¯t anything else you would want, father. The pce is open for you to tour... I would give you a tour personally, but as you know... I do not have my grandfather¡¯s power to bring time to a halt. The werewolves are involved in quite the scuffle... One that I must attend to...¡± Artemis replied to him. Zeus debated his reaction... something he was doing the second this day. This realization made him realise how much of a soft spot he held for his daughter, but s, he didn¡¯t have to put up much resistance with a decision such as this one, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I would like to watch you work. After all, I felt as though this time I would like to see for myself how the moon goddess carries out her responsibilities.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s true that you have been keeping a closer eye on me this entire time,¡± the goddess replied whilst her form changed yet again into the one Seth had grown used to. ¡°Well, yes... I have been watching you more closely. You¡¯re about toe home after all... It¡¯s only natural that a father would get curious about what his daughter has been doing after all this time watching over the humans... Are you anywhere close to finishing that pointless war you started with the traitor?¡± the god of gods asked. ¡°You still hold the position of best at holding grudges, father. I was able to get over the argument I had with him and yet you can still remember what he did millennia ago,¡± the goddess replied as she took her ce by the pool. She adjusted it showed to scenes... Two extremelyrge scenes... In one scene... she watched over a reserve that was now in chaos as the fighting had broken out while within the other, two armies charged at each other at top speeds... arrows raining from both sides to down their enemies... Seth had not been paying that much attention to know that there was something as much as a war taking ce on earth. He did his best to hide his ignorance as he watched the two scenes. He had no idea what his goddess was going to do to bring this war to a close without intervening while the god of gods himself was right next to her. ¡®Perhaps, I really should have left the room when the king had asked me to...¡¯ he thought to himself. It was the biggest war that he¡¯d seen in over a hundred years... ¡®When did this happen?¡¯ he asked his goddess through his mind link... To exin that... I¡¯d have to go a little bit into the past... Twelve hours to be exact... Sudoku is not the only thing you should be paying attention to.¡¯ Chapter 228 228 Chapter Two Hundred Twenty Eight Thorrin hadn¡¯t wasted time after his sibling had left. The family reunion had allowed him to clear a lot that was on his mind he was able to decide pretty much everything that he was supposed to do next. Ordering a small family meeting, he dered that the entire family was going to Lycaon to reinforce the security around the capital. The resolution was that they were going to put the rogues down no matter how many of them they found there. The family was all for the brutal murder of thergest collection of rogues in history, however, they were not stupid. Measures had been ced to try and ensure victory... Thorrin stood on a balcony at the top of the pce, overlooking most of the capital. His ten-mile radius senses were detecting more and more rogues moving into the woods. An order had been issued that all households were to be reinforced with anti-rogue measures. Wolfsbane was supplied to all families to keep their doors sealed and an order was issued that all houses that were to be used for residential purposes were to be equipped with a bunker and supplies that could weather out the storm that was toe. ¡°How many are they?¡± a voice called out to him. He looked to his right and greeted his sister with a nod... ¡°Enough to make the beach jealous... It¡¯s like he¡¯s throwing everything he has left in his arsenal... I would have never thought the rogues could be this many. An order was issued that the spies try to figure out what it is he is hoping to achieve by all this...¡± ¡°A messenger came here just a moment ago to deliver that exact message,¡± the woman replied, handing the Mighty Warrior a sheet of paper. His eyes scanned through the details inscribed on the paper in his hands... After what seemed like an eternity, the man spoke up, ¡°Very well... If the king is the one they are after, then I shall take my ce at the king¡¯s door. They won¡¯t get to him.¡± ¡°No, I object, brother. Let me be the one to guard the king. Come on... Even Micah can take care of that on his own. You have a duty to the rest of us to make sure you put the Rogue King in his ce. I know it, Thorrin. He will be here today and I know he might end up proving too powerful for the rest of us to handle. Please Thorrin... We will protect the king. Let you be the one to bring the rogue king to his knees.¡± Her voice was filled with so much conviction that the Mighty Warrior wasn¡¯t so sure he was still speaking to his sister. For so long, he¡¯d thought he was the only one that shared in the desire to put down the rogue king so quickly and yet here was someone else telling him to follow his path to the finish, ¡°Very well... I shall bring him down even if it¡¯s thest thing I do.¡± ..... The woman breathed out a sigh of relief, ¡°That¡¯s so good to hear. I wouldn¡¯t befortable giving that assignment to anyone else. Although I hate to say this, the higher-ups have given you an extra order toe with the long-awaited victory against the rogue king.¡± ¡°What might that be?¡± he asked her. ¡°They want you to bring him in alive. Given the chance that you can bring the rogue king alive, it will be considered to be more of an achievement than bringing him down when he could even have an heir waiting to take his ce,¡± the woman said to him. Thorrin was quiet for a while thinking over his sister¡¯s words... He brushed his hand through his thick locks of hair before sighing, ¡°That¡¯s going to be such a bother...¡± ¡°I know,¡± she replied with a chuckle... ¡°I have been detecting different groups of werewolvesing into the capital. Might I know what that is supposed to mean?¡± Thorrin asked her. ¡°Oh, the werewolves called for help from the other packs and all packs that were willing sent a detail of all the pack warriors they could spare to help in protecting the capital of Lycaon. They have all been checked for suspicion. They are clean as far as security goes... The new queen seems to know all of them quite well. The hunters weed them after verifying who they were... I didn¡¯t pick up anything unusual from them except a few who were verified as well...¡± ¡°Why did you stop? We always follow our senses. You of all people know that...¡± ¡°Yes, Thorrin, I know, but when the rest of the hunters have agreed to ept the werewolves in and all you have to go on is a feeling that they might be dangerous, people start to question your sanity,¡± the woman replied, cutting him off. ¡°They know which family we are from. We have the liberty to dismiss someone simply because we don¡¯t like the way they look. Tell me you didn¡¯t just let someone like that just watch around the castle,¡± Thorrin replied rubbing his temples... ¡°No, of course, I didn¡¯t. I had to re-establish the security detail around the pce and change the criteria required for one to ess the pce grounds. This was to make sure someone like that could not enter without being watched or stay outpletely,¡± she replied. Thorrin looked on the horizon beyond the balcony... He could feel the weight of theing battle, this was no time for him to start questioning those amongst themselves when the enemy drew near, ¡°The rogues will attack tonight, Evelyn. Make sure we don¡¯t have potential traitors amongst us when the fighting breaks out. We are protecting the king. We don¡¯t need to have people among us that we have to worry about.¡± ¡°I understand, Thorrin. I will get to it, straight away,¡± Evelyn said before leaving his presence. The hunters of the world had never been forced to bring this many of their forces out to one ce. The rogues had caused more of a stir than ever before... ¡°I will just make sure the rogues that had surfaced today fail to see the light of day tomorrow,¡± he said more to himself as he stood on the balcony. His eyes opened but merged with his other senses to expand his vision beyond its physical capabilities. It was as though he was staring at all of them... Just then, his senses spiked the highest since he¡¯d ever learnt to use them... Pinpointing the direction and position, he could practically feel the Rogue King as though they were in the same room... ........... ¡°Where are my generals?¡± the Rogue King¡¯s voice boomed through the forest. He didn¡¯t even do anything to conceal his presence. He was several miles from the capital, however, it was still unusual for rogues to announce their presence in the manner with which he did. The rogues around him scattered to give way for the generals to reach the man before he chose to show how impatient he could get. General Gander was the first to arrive. The man wasrge and known for his strength. All the generals were simr in skill which made him an enigma as he had to be as quick as the others to be called a general in the first ce. The only ones that were known to pull off such a feat at his size were the beta alphas... After all, their power dictated that they be that size. This man was naturally bulky and yet he could pull his weight. This was probably what made him the scariest of the generals along with his deep voice. ¡°You seem to be in good moods today, your majesty,¡± he said, bowing low with one knee to the ground. The second to make it to him was General Amanda. The woman strolled in yawning as though there was nothing scary about the blue-eyed man that had summoned them. She took her ce beside the bulky man in a simr position, ¡°You called, my king.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to see that...¡± THUD... went a sound not far from the king. They all turned to see another red-eyed man or... boy at this point, rolling about in the grass... ¡°Ouch ouch ouch, that is not the way it was supposed to look,¡± the boy rolled about, trying to ease the pain in his back. Whatever manoeuvre he¡¯d tried through the trees had got him tond on his back right on top of a buttress root. It wasn¡¯t a surprise to any of them as the boy was known for simr antics... The rest of them waited patiently as he finished nursing his wounds... As he did so, another voice pierced through the air, ¡°I see Benji hasn¡¯t forgotten his ways... You know it¡¯s disgusting of you to emte the hunters...¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be such a stick in the mud, Samson. You also know how cool they look when they zip through the trees like that... It¡¯s creative of them,¡± the boy replied, finally recovering from his fall. Samson, the moreposed man took his ce beside Amanda. ¡°My Lord,¡± he announced. ¡°If I¡¯m to pick up where Samson left off, you look like a monkey when you try to do that Benji. Now get in with the others before I emte his majesty¡¯s impatience, ¡°A new voice interrupted them... This one was more powerful than the other generals and his presence calmed the king. The man wasrge and his eyes burned a bright red... His aura was nothing less of a beta alpha and his name was Thane.¡± Benji picked himself up and took his ce beside Samson bowing to the rogue king, ¡°My King, we are at your service...¡± Thane sighed nodding his head and took his ce in front of them before taking a bow as well, although his was more of that of a butler and not knightly in any way. The king, pleased with their response proceeded with his words, ¡°Well, now that I am here, shall we?¡± Smirks spread across their faces as they confirmed what they had wanted to hear since they¡¯d heard their king¡¯s summons. Waiting for the king had been excruciating, but the time for them to carry out his wishes was finally upon them and nothing could make them happier... Chapter 229 229 Chapter Two Hundred Twenty Nine Thorrin departed from his ce on the top-most balcony and retreated into the empty room it belonged to. Looking about the somewhat dusty room, his mind ran through the records of the battle that was the reason for its emptiness. It was the room that once housed the royal family eighteen years ago. Looking back at it now, he hadn¡¯t been powerful enough to protect them then. He didn¡¯t expect that to happen again though. He walked out of the room and surveyed the security detail about the castle before making onest destination. Therge double doors that greeted him on the highest floor of the pce only brought sadness to him. Even as they protected the king, his life was slipping away from his fingertips. The hunters at the door stepped aside and let the mighty warrior inside. Inside the room, nurses tended to the dying king as hey on the bed in the worst condition ever known to a werewolf. The pain was all the man had known for a long time. Werewolves could heal from almost anything and when one got stuck with something incurable, it was torture. All that and the man had held on. ¡°Your majesty...¡± ¡°I... read the report your hunters brought to me,¡± the man¡¯s strained voice came through the mask he wore. ¡°My King, you should not strain yourself,¡± the queen rushed to his side, holding onto his hand as though to tell the man he still had more to live for. The king¡¯s eyes opened for the first time in a while and he turned his head to stare at his wife, ¡°I might as well tell what I know about the situation if it can help to bring this war to an end.¡± After getting confirmation from her, he turned to face the Mighty Warrior. It was then that Evelyn came barging in, no doubt her senses telling her that she was meant to listen to everything that was going to be said at that moment. The king spoke and he spoke clearer than they had ever heard him in months, making sure to keep his story clear and coherent while he did. There was much for the Mighty warrior to note down, along with everything he needed to know that would put an end to the war. When the king was done telling them what they needed to know, he went to sleep without a warning. The room was plunged into a deep silence that was much weed by its inhabitants. Thorrin turned immediately to leave, his coat waving in response to his sharp movements and with that, he was out of the room. Thorrin walked through the scores of hunters and wolves that stood about him. He was to lead them to thergest battle seen in a hundred years. It was thergest collection of rogues that had been seen at that time. Standing at the gates of therge courtyard, the man began speaking, ¡°A day like this has not been seen in ages... And to be honest, I don¡¯t know whether I should be happy about it or not. On one side, we¡¯ve been presented with the first chance in a long time to bring the rogues¡¯ number tumbling down. On the other hand, the rogues couldpletely outnumber us and bring our numbers tumbling down. Seeing that as the worst-case scenario, I stand before you with confidence that we will seed. Some of you might ask where I get this confidence from... Many of you will just to the conclusion that it is because I am Thorrin... the Perfect Warrior, but that is not what gives me courage and confidence. ..... I am confident that the odds are in our favour because I know my enemy. I know his strengths. I know his weaknesses. I know what he wants and what he is doing here. I can use that against him and bring his n tumbling down. The rogues seek to snuff out the king so that the rogue king might gain the power to control werewolves all over the world...¡± there were gasps throughout the crowd upon hearing that. ¡°As most of you can guess, the moment he obtains such a power, he won¡¯t need his army of wolves, for he will be able tomand any and all werewolves in the world. This war will surely be over and the rogues will have won if that were to happen. Now that you all know that, defeat is not an option in this battle,¡± the Perfect Warrior spoke up. ¡°But what about the rogues... They keeping. Surely you don¡¯t think our numbers can hold them back forever,¡± one of the alphas that were present asked the man. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that... although I do hope that our numbers can hold out long enough for the Rogue King to meet his end,¡± Thorrin replied, watching for the gasps and questioning looks they all received, ¡°Yes, the rogue king himself is present for this battle... and he will be my target tonight.¡± Thorrin¡¯s senses spiked as the rogues stirred. He turned to face the direction of his foes, ¡°s, the battle shall be started by the rogues... I advise that you kill your foes and not simply maim or knock them out... That way, they will stay down when you bring them down,¡± he said to them before walking out the gates with the army behind him. The hunters were dressed in leather while the wolves dressed in whatever wasfortable for them. Some packs chose colours to signify their pack warriors while others didn¡¯t bother with formalities. Some of the wolves were extremely well-trained while others weren¡¯t as blessed... All were greeted with weing hands and allowed to help out... ¡°Do you really sense him?¡± a masculine voice came from the right of the Perfect Warrior. Thorrin looked to the right to see his good friend andrade, Jim Gordon, ¡°Yes, Thunder... I know he is here...¡± The man beside him sighed, ¡°This wouldn¡¯t be the first time you have felt his presence before, you know...¡± ¡°Well, who was I to know exactly how powerful the man was supposed to feel... And to think each time I had detected a phoney king, it had been one of his meddlesome generals,¡± the man cursed... ¡°Wait, what are you picking up this time?¡± Jim asked him, his voice rising a few octaves in panic. Thorrin looked to his side and took in the sight of one of the Mighty Warriors disying an emotion that was unsightly on anyone bearing that title... ¡®fear...¡¯ He sighed and reported his observation, ¡°A good number of his generals are here along with a beta alpha.¡± ¡°That¡¯s...¡± ¡°Catastrophic... I know...¡± Thorrin did not have to be told twice. He¡¯d faced the generals before and only got the chance to get a glimpse of a beta alpha. The creatures were not normal and they both knew it, having gone against them before... ¡°The generals shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem for you or me, but the beta alpha...¡± ¡°My goal is the rogue king... I do not have time to worry about those beneath him... I shall cut straight through to the rogue king and strike the snake at its head,¡± Thorrin said, wrapping all his conviction in one statement. A loud horn sounded through the air, signalling the sight of the first rogues breaking the tree line outside the capital. The hunters and werewolves remained watching them as they came closer. Far behind the main force, archers aimed their bows to the sky and let loose a volley of lethal arrows, each one of themced with the deadly poison that was used against the werewolves. One of the many things that gave the hunters an edge over the werewolves in a war such as this one. Thorrin watched with the rest of the hunters as the rogues fell at the moment of contact. The fallen rogues were very quickly reced by numbers far more than what they had just witnessed. The next volley of arrows was able to down arge number of them. The ones that made it through unscathed were taken care of by the hunters on the ground. ¡°We¡¯ll take all the help we can. The archers did what they could,¡± Thorrin spoke in a tone that suggested he was speaking to himself. The message in his words, however, was carried through the ranks of werewolves and hunters as a signal that the time to stand about was finally over. Before the Perfect Warrior could take any action on his own words, those about him rushed forward. The world seemed to go silent while the two armies rushed forward to meet each other head-on. There was a peace to it. The peace the hunter felt before any of his own had been put down. The rogues had every intention of bringing the world to its knees. Losing a battle such as this one would have more consequences than there had ever been. The two Mighty Warriors stood beside each other watching the battle rage on before them. ¡°Shall we?¡± Jim asked the man. The question bothered the Perfect Warrior... after all, he was the one that knew what they were up against. He¡¯d sensed the generals of the Rogue King... It was thergest gathering of the powerful rogues that he¡¯d ever felt in his life and yet even after knowing how powerful they all were, their power in the presence of the rogue king felt like nothing he¡¯d ever felt in his life before... Noticing the Perfect Warrior¡¯s silence, Jim chuckled, ¡°Does he really feel that powerful?¡± ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t felt something like this in my life. I have goosebumps,¡± Thorrin replied with a shudder and augh. ¡°That¡¯s somethinging from the Perfect Warrior. Do you think you can bring him down?¡± Jim asked. After the years Thorrin had spent training his body to be the perfect weapon against the rogue king, shuddering at the moment of truth wasn¡¯t something he was surprised would happen. After all, it was as though he was getting to take the final exam that he¡¯d been preparing for a very long time. He was nervous, ¡°You know there is nothing that can faze me anymore, Jim. Of course, I can beat him...¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear... For a moment there, I thought you were actually scared,¡± the Thunderbolt chuckled, hopping onto his feet and stretching out his muscles. He could feel the time for them to get going drawing nearer and nearer. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t use the word ¡®scared¡¯, Jim,¡± Thorrin replied, turning his face in the direction they were headed and letting the Power of his gifts flow into his body. He fastened the buttons at the top of hisrge coat and got ready, ¡°I would use the word, excited...¡± This was what the thunderboltst heard before his friend vanished before his eyes, tearing through the battlefield with a goal in mind. The man barely wasted a second in following his friend, a smirk stered on his face as they both raced forward, their coats blowing in the wind. Jim Gordon,cking a strength Prometheus gift retrieved a de from his coat and got to work with each rogue he went by. Thorrin, on the other hand, used his bare hands. One fist from the dashing human would send a rogue crashing through many of itsrades at a deadly force that two more behind it would be killed from the impact. ¡®It¡¯s like watching a human wrecking ball in action...¡¯ Jim thought as he did his best to keep up with the Perfect Warrior. To Evelyn who watched from the balcony Thorrin had stood on moments ago, two loud thunder ps rang through the air along with two lines of blood and dead wolves appeared in barely a blink of an eye as the two beings tore through the force of werewolves, ¡®You two better be careful,¡¯ the woman sent her silent wishes. The two of them had been together on missions before during Thorrin¡¯s search for power. ¡°The rogues... Do you think they will break through?¡± one of the female hunters that stood with her spoke up, holding tight to her bow. ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen, but we are to keep them from getting any closer than they should. Honestly, if we get to fire any arrows, then we might as well assume the rogues will make it as far as the interior of the pce,¡± Evelyn replied. Her blood boiled to help her fellow hunters in battle, but s they were to stay behind and protect the king... ¡°To think all this bloodshed could be put to an end...¡± she held her tongue before any of her words got out. ¡®Walls have ears...¡¯ her brother had told her. Instead, she finished it in her mind, ¡®by someone who¡¯s not even here.¡¯ Chapter 230 230 Chapter Two Hundred Thirty Lina sat with her friend finally starting to look better even beneath the blue hue that covered her. The air around them was calm and yet there was a deep feeling in the royal¡¯s stomach as though there was everything wrong with the forest at the moment. ¡°You must be seeing beauty all around you,¡± her friend¡¯s voice broke through the silence. ¡°Well, obviously, I¡¯m in a fieldpletely filled with moon lotuses glowing under the moonlight... With a friend that glows just as beautifully as they do,¡± the royal replied. ¡°Yourpliments make my skin crawl just as much as the glow of my skin,¡± Honour replied before getting up from her friend¡¯sp. For some odd reason, Lina wasn¡¯t offended by her friend¡¯s words which only served to make her more suspicious. ¡°Well, what about you? You¡¯ve always wanted to see them. Aren¡¯t they...¡± ¡°They are more beautiful than I could have ever imagined, however, they are not the ones I see. I see a battle raging on and on in the forest. The pack... everyone is in trouble. It¡¯s like I did nothing at the beach,¡± the girl replied, rubbing her temples as though in pain. ¡°What do you mean, Honour? You said earlier that the vines at the beach were your doing. I didn¡¯t think you were serious...¡± the look the girl gave her confirmed everything she¡¯d been trying to deny. The way the flowers here responded to her. The way nts had always responded to her. The opening when they¡¯de... It was undoubtedly an ability she¡¯d never seening, ¡°But I¡¯ve never heard of a werewolf that could control nts. There have been odd werewolves over the years in an attempt to put an end to the rogue king¡¯s reign, but you would be the first to bear the power over nature.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s all it is. I can¡¯t exin it, but I can see everything in the forest at once and it¡¯s giving me one hell of a headache. I know using my power to help them would only tear me to pieces. I don¡¯t know what to do. The rogues just keep oning and I don¡¯t know what to do,¡± the girlmented. Lina walked up to her friend and held her hand in hers, bringing her to open her eyes. Her mind searched for an answer to their problem... There was only one she coulde up with, but she wasn¡¯t sure if something like that could help, ¡°Can you see my sister?¡± Honour nched for a moment losing track of the battlefield as she stared back at her friend. It was a bizarre question... she¡¯d been looking at the entire battlefield and not seen the hunter at all. It was as though she¡¯d abandoned her kind at thest moment, ¡°Of course, I have not seen your sister... She hasn¡¯t set foot from the hotel since the rogues decided to tear through the pack.¡± ..... ¡°Then where is she?¡± Lina asked her. Sensing the girl¡¯s hesitation, ¡°Please, can you see her? It might be important.¡± Honour gave her resistance and searched for the girl, focusing her powers on the one ce she was sure the hunter was... Getting a clear view of the hotel from the sky from what she was sure was an eagle, she saw the hunter. Katie stood at the top of the hotel with an arrow nocked into her bow, focused on the forest, however, she wasn¡¯t firing. It was as though she was waiting for something. ¡°She¡¯s just standing at the top of the hotel with her bow ready. How¡¯s that supposed to help?¡± Honour reported. Lina¡¯s eyes glowed with excitement... ¡°It all makes sense now... Katie didn¡¯te because she had to protect the hotel, but she didn¡¯t leave uspletely unprotected either... She just needs a little help.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Lina?¡± Honour was confused now. She felt the presence of something more within her friend¡¯s eyes. It wasn¡¯t the normal sh of blue she was used to when a werewolf was about to shift. She ignored the feeling as she found no way to exin it to her friend. ¡°I have been wondering how Katie does it, but I have a feeling she could help you put an end to this war without much effort from you. Do you remember when we got attacked by the rogues the first time we came here?¡± Lina tried before continuing her exnation. From Katie¡¯s vantage point, she felt her time grow ever closer... ¡®My muscles were starting to get stiff...¡¯ she told herself as she readied her bow. ......... Cole chased down every rogue he could at the fastest that he could manage, taking note of the ones that got away from him and rying their positions to his beta alphas. Biting down on the neck of the fourth unfortunate rogue that he¡¯d caught up to. ¡®Damn, they just keeping.¡¯ His voice roared across the mind link of the protectors. ¡®Yeah, although I had never thought they would be this easy to put down,¡¯ a feminine voice replied. Crysta seemed to be having more fun taking out her anger on the rogues than most. Right when Cole was about to approach another rogue, a pair of alphas came crashing through, throwing the rogue off his path, which was directed at a civilian wolf that was running away from him. Cole nearly dismissed the two, but curiosity got the better of him. ¡°This one is mine, Wyatt... Why won¡¯t you focus on another rogue?¡± it was an odd argument. ¡°Oh,e on, Liam. You know you get ahead of yourself when you start to feel powerful and let your guard down,¡± Wyatt replied, as the two of them circled the poor rogue. Liam got angry at the argument andshed out at the wolf. The other alpha stopped pacing and watched as his friend mercilessly pinned the wolf and bit down on its throat against all its resistance. In the end, it didn¡¯t matter if a wolf was trained. A stronger well-trained wolf would put it down against all its resistances and snuff out their life. This was why alphas were never crossed by those beneath them. ¡°As you can see, Wyatt, I am perfectly fine. I don¡¯t need your help with rogues as weak as these,¡± Liam barked at him before running off away from him. The alpha looked on in the direction the other alpha ran off in and turned in the opposite direction in an attempt to leave his friend be. However, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to let him go... ¡®No, I¡¯ve known you my whole life, Liam... I wouldn¡¯t be able to live with myself if you got killed just because you were blinded by your rage towards me,¡¯ the alpha thought to himself before turning around to follow the path his friend had taken. Cole shook off the haze that came with watching the two quarrelling wolves and focused his mind on saving the pack. Feeling for signs of distress through the mind link, he was able to find another group of wolves that was in fear of being killed. These were the groups they prioritized above everything else to minimize the casualties. The royal rushed through the forest, making sure to direct any that he found in a general direction they were meant to be going. The message was clear through the mind link, however, the distress didn¡¯t help them. Talking to them physically helped them clear their minds and got them moving in the right direction. The battle wasn¡¯t looking too good for any of them. On Cole¡¯s way to the group of wolves, Cole witnessed Crysta bringing down more wolves than Cole could have thought her capable of. She was vicious when she chose to be. Cole rushed through the woods just in time to find the wolves that were feeling the most distressed in this situation... Shouting at the top of her voice was... Bree, one of Crysta¡¯s friends. The two girls had shifted back into their human forms forgetting they didn¡¯t shift back with their clothes. Either that was the case or this was a strategy they¡¯de up with at some point during their run from the rogue that was currently before them. Cole was about to intervene when something stopped him. Right before his eyes, the rogue began to bite and shake himself all over. Something was totally wrong. It wasn¡¯t the first time he was seeing it this night, however, each time he saw it happen, he froze at the sight. The oddities happening in the night were also what was keeping him from growing a massive body count. ¡°Hey Cole, I was looking for you.¡± A voice snapped the royal back to reality... Sandra was walking up to him with a de in hand. She stopped and took notice of the rogue rolling around in pain before them and ignored it, turning to the wolf before her. ¡°Have you seen Katie?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. She hasn¡¯te to the forest yet,¡± he responded before turning to the two naked girls, ¡°The two of you should shift right now... The hotel is that way.¡± He signalled, pointing the girls in the right direction with a nod of his head. The two girls didn¡¯t need to be told twice, stepping as far away from the rogue as they could, they fled the scene, leaving the two with the rogue. Sandra walked up to the rogue and stabbed into its throat expertly severing a crucial artery. The beast struggled for a short while before goingpletely still. ¡°Do you need a ride?¡± ¡°No, I think I can manage,¡± Sandra replied. The two of them were running back, having confirmed that there was no more distressing through the mind link, ¡°Is it over?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. For as long asmunications are down, the rogues are going to keeping here with confidence that there will not be any backup. They can keep sending more and more numbers and wear us out,¡± Cole responded. We need to get those that cannot fight to the hotel and protect them while we figure out a way to bring us out of this. The two of them began the run back to the hotel. Cole was surprised the girl could keep up withoutining. Her pattern of running reminded him of every hunter he¡¯d ever run beside in his life. She was not the same person he¡¯d known. Just before he could ask her, loud howls filled the air notifying them of the increasing number of rogues that were attacking... ¡°Just how many of them are there. They are supposed to be in Lycaon, so what are they doing here?¡± Sandra cursed into the night sky. Chapter 231 231 Chapter Two Hundred Thirty One Katie stood at the top of the hotel roof, feeling all the carnage that took ce in the forest. She couldn¡¯t do much at the spot she¡¯d assigned herself. And every part of her wanted to leap down and bring hell raining down on all the rogues that dared to attack her pack. However, her senses told her it would be thest thing she wanted to do for a number of reasons that remained hidden even from her. ¡®This is when I wish I paid more attention to my adoptive parents on how to decipher these annoying senses. If they were in my ce, they would havee up with about three reasons why they could advance from this position.¡¯ ¡°You must be the hunter that was brought along with students. Care to enlighten me on the situation,¡± a voice said behind her. She had noticed the man when she¡¯d found Alice but hadn¡¯t cared to introduce herself before. Staying in her position, her arrow nocked and ready for action, she spoke up. ¡°My name is Katie Sirius... If you wouldn¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to know who I¡¯m talking to before continuing,¡± the girl replied. ¡°You can call me, Gant. I work here with the other three hunters. I have only started working with this group and I can¡¯t help but feel the uneasiness in the air. That along with the fact that you fired three arrows straight at nothing,¡± the man said to her, trying to get around to meet her gaze. His mouth dropped agape when he saw that the girl he was speaking to was in fact closing her eyes. ¡°I wasn¡¯t shooting at nothing and if you must know, the forest is full of rogues right now... You should have noticed the trouble the moment you realized there was no sort ofmunication,¡± she said to him. The man took out his phone and tapped a few buttons to confirm what she was saying, ¡°This might be a problem. Withoutmunications, we cannot call for reinforcements... We are cornered.¡± ¡°Well, I understand all that, but that¡¯s not going to solve our problem now, will it?¡± Katie responded. With a quick exnation of the situation, the man was caught up and in a far more amodating mood. It was worse than he¡¯d expected. ¡°We must find a way to getmunications back up. There is a cell tower not so far from here. Hunters with the agility Prometheus gift would have no problem getting to it,¡± Gant spoke up. ¡°Well, that would be the best thing right now. Although I don¡¯t think it will be that easy,¡± Katie said thoughtfully before a screech reached her ear. The girl turned her ear to the sky and listened. ..... ¡°It seems there is one more talent amongst you. There are two girls in the field of blue. One of them radiates an aura, unlike anything I¡¯ve ever known. However, she seems to have the ability to see through nature. It¡¯s nothing like what you¡¯re doing and she also seems to have the ability to control nts as well. I was graced with witnessing the field of blue open up when it did,¡± the Eagle spoke to her. Its majestic tone reminded her of the might of the creature she spoke to. Matching its superiority when talking was starting to feel more like a chore when it soared up so high. ¡°I¡¯ll have to talk to her. Keep watching the battlefield for me from the sky,¡± the girl replied to the eagle. With a screech, the bird flew higher, gaining a better viewpoint of everything that was happening. ¡°So I wasn¡¯t imagining things, was I?¡± Gant spoke up when she was done talking to the Eagle. ¡°No, they weren¡¯t. Might I make a request of you? Get me more arrows... All the arrows that you can find,¡± Katie said to the man with a smirk on her face. Sensing the urgency in her voice, the man was gone from the roof in search of the best arrows they had in storage. The top floor of the hotel had a section dedicated to the hunters. Searching through Alice¡¯s best stash of weapons, he was able to get his hands on three more quivers of perfectly sharpened grey arrows. They would have to do whatever task it was that the girl was going to aplish at the moment. ........ When Honour was just about to give up on the dormant hunter on the roof, an idea began to form in her mind. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was thinking about. It didn¡¯t make sense when she thought about it, but looking at the girl¡¯s position at the top of the hotel, she couldn¡¯t help but think this girl was standing there for a reason. ¡°Well, can she help?¡± Lina asked her. ¡°I¡¯m not sure... Hold on a second, Lina,¡± Honour focused her power on a few trees that obscured a straight line from the hunter to a rogue that threatened to attack a pair of students. The task was difficult and somewhat hard to do, but she eventually aplished it by creating a small clearing through the canopy straight to the forest floor. When she felt she couldn¡¯t hold the opening any longer, she let go of it... A whistling sound filled the night, startling the girl and her friend. ¡°What was that?¡± Lina asked her, looking about for any sign of the source of the sound. Honour took one more look at the rogue she¡¯d been trying to expose and just as she¡¯d suspected, the rogue had been impaled by an arrow snuffing out its life with deadly uracy. Looking back at the hunter, she saw Katie draw another arrow and pull her bowstring back... ¡®Honour, with your help... this can end much faster...¡¯ the hunter¡¯s voice reached her mind. The glowing girl forced her eyes open and snapped out of the oversight she¡¯d been using, panting from the exertion... ¡®How did she know I was the one that did that? Did she know I could do it all along? Does she know where I am? Did she stay behind because she knew I would be here and help her in this exact way...?¡¯ Questions swarmed her mind in an attempt to make sense of what had just happened, but no answers were echoed back. Instead, hope lit up within her. If what had just happened could do so again and again, they could be able to bring this entire disaster to an end. ¡°So it was Katie...¡± Lina chuckled. ¡°Yeah, it was... I don¡¯t know what to think of her yet, but for now... I¡¯ll work with her to bring this to an end. Stay by me, Lina,¡± Honour asked her friend. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like there is anywhere else I can go. Besides, I don¡¯t think I would be much help out there,¡± Lina replied. ¡°And that¡¯s the way you should be Lina,¡± Honour said to her. The girl didn¡¯t understand what her friend meant by that, but when her eyes began to close, she chose against asking her what she was trying to say. Honour¡¯s mind exploded with the entire scene of battle before her, ¡°I see someone¡¯s finally ready.¡± Katie¡¯s voice came into her mind. It was more than the girl¡¯s voice. It was as though her entire presence had made itself avable to her. Honour could feel the tension in the girl¡¯s muscles... Her eagerness to put down the rogues that gued the forest, ¡°Don¡¯t mind how many of them you expose to me or if you mistakenly expose one of our own to my line of fire... I will only shoot down the enemy.¡± ¡°I know what I¡¯m supposed to do, Katie. Just mind about ying your part,¡± the girl responded. It was as though the air in the forest went totally still once Honour focused... all the wolves in the forest felt it... Something wasing... Sandra stopped running and looked in the direction of the rogues that were now visible to them. It was like they¡¯dpletely gone slow in her vision. She wasn¡¯t quite sure yet what was happening to her, but she was d it was happening. However, this was something else. Even with the boost in speed that she¡¯d received, something worse was about to happen. One that she would not be able to follow... Just then, the girl noticed the trees lurch violently letting in numerous paths of moonlight... Streams of light filled the forest floor turning it polka-dotted... That¡¯s when the air was filled with the sound of numerous whistling arrows. She¡¯d heard the same sound at the beach earlier. The other wolves in the pack came to a stop as they watched arrows break through the forest roof and strike the iing rogues. They rained down in torrents, taking down rogues at a rate none of them could believe. Not a single arrow missed... and they all struck to kill... Red arrows at first and soon the colour was different... Grey... They all watched as the rogues that had previously struck them with fear were brought down with barely any effort. The shifting of the trees was a cause for panic, but with how fast the arrows hit, the wolves began to feel as though the arrows were causing the violent nt movement as well. ¡°Everyone is to return to the hotel at this moment,¡± Katie¡¯s voice filtered into the mind link. ...... Honour sat up breathing hard as exhaustion racked her body. She¡¯d used a lot of her concentration and power to pull off Katie¡¯s requests. Once the will of the hunter had got a hold of her, she¡¯d had no choice in how she controlled the trees. It was as though Katie was controlling her power through her just from her intentions alone, ¡°Your sister... She¡¯s scary.¡± ¡°What? Katie can be kind and warm when she wants to be...¡± Lina replied. ¡°I won¡¯t be fooled by that kindness ever again. She ended the entire battle just that easily and might have even taken control of me in the process. Just how much blood lust does one need?¡± Honour wondered to herself, shuddering at the emotional state of the hunter that had controlled her powers just moments ago. The forest was free of the attacking rogues... There wasn¡¯t a single one left to terrorise her pack. A few cries of pain still lingered about the mind link and they drew the girl in. ¡°Lina, let¡¯s go tend to those that have been injured,¡± Honour announced, the trees in the clearing making way for them to leave. The girl shifted into her white wolf and began the run back to the hotel with her friend on her back. As they ran, Honour felt for their pack and subconsciously guided them to a path that she created with the trees, parting them to create one straight route back to the hotel. Before they knew it, the pack was running together with onemon destination. Those that had been too injured to run rested on the backs of others. At Katie¡¯s speed, they had caught up to the rest of the pack without anyone ever noticing they had been behind. A ck wolf came up next to her, ¡°Where have the two of you been?¡± Cole¡¯s voice sounded in their mind. ¡°We were in a field on moon lotuses... Honour had me take her there,¡± Lina replied indifferently. ¡°Well, I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe. I¡¯m sure Drake would have had my head if one of you got injured,¡± the royal replied, ¡°In any case, I hope that¡¯s thest we see of them. Katie did what she said she would do... She got rid of all of them.¡± ¡°Did she tell you that herself?¡± Lina asked him. ¡°No, she didn¡¯t. Is that supposed to mean something?¡± ¡°I think you already know what that¡¯s supposed to mean. Considering she was able to tell that there were rogues around far before anyone saw any sign of them, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re out of the woods yet...¡± ........ Chapter 232 232 Chapter Two Hundred Thirty Two Back on the balcony, the female hunter let her bow tter to the ground, gritting her teeth at the pain that stung her fingers. Blood dripped from them from the number of times she¡¯d drawn back her bowstring and released it. If it hadn¡¯t been for the fast healing of her body, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to shoot a quarter as many arrows as she¡¯d achieved that night... ¡°You should have worn some protecting gloves before doing something like that...¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Gant. It¡¯s only a scratch. It should heal up in no time,¡± Katie cut the man off before he could continue stating the obvious. ¡°Is it over?¡± the man asked her. ¡°No, it¡¯s not... There is still one more rogue. He¡¯s different from the rest and he¡¯s not attacking. It¡¯s as though he wants us to go to him,¡± she said, pointing in the enemy¡¯s direction. ¡°Well, that could be the case considering you¡¯re pointing in the direction of the cell tower. If we go there, we will be facing against a foe that¡¯s been trusted to keep this ce isted,¡± Gant spoke up, ¡°I don¡¯t understand their motives though. I never thought the rogues to be this organized in their methods of attack. Staying put for an entire day waiting for the right time to strike doesn¡¯t seem like the rogue kind of strategy to me.¡± ¡°Well, to be perfectly honest, there has always been a strategy. Making them attack mindlessly is just a way to make us lower our guard and think they don¡¯t have a strategy behind all their actions. After everything I¡¯ve seen, I know the rogue king always has some sort of wicked n in y. If he had his way, he would have killed Cole and me a very long time ago,¡± the girl said. ¡°How are you a hunter?¡± ¡°A question that I am getting tired of answering...¡± Katie replied before giving the man a short rundown of how she got to be a hunter, ¡°Now would you be so kind as to ry the same story to the rest of the hunters here. I really don¡¯t want to have to go through it all over again.¡± ..... Just then, the thrumming sound of running wolves reached the girl¡¯s ears. She stayed at the top of the hotel and watched all of them burst through the tree line... Many of them were carried atop their friends as they were too injured to run. Others were tired and copsed almost immediately. Katie¡¯s eyes scanned through the crowd, making a roll call of her own. ¡°I see the mutts have returned,¡± a voice sounded behind her before a gasp came along with it, ¡°Your shoulder...¡± ¡°I know about my shoulder. Can you get your junior hunters down there as soon as possible and get to treating the injured already?¡± she asked Trevor. ¡°Well yeah... I can do that. However...¡± a nket of warmth wrapped around the girl, startling her from her thoughts. Atop her shoulders sat a woollen jacket obscuring the sight the junior hunter was trying to hide. Either that or he was merely being a gentleman and covering up the girl. None of it mattered as Katie didn¡¯t get the chance to thank him. He was gone before she could offer him her gratitude. Sighing, the girl leapt from the roof and gracefullynded on her feet with barely a sound before the group before her. Honour and a group of females who knew a lot about first aid had the rest of those that could move running about looking for medical supplies. Looking through the wolves lying on the ground, Katie took in the sight. Some had a few scratches and bite marks while others were in worse situations with fractured bones and wounds that were too deep forfort. Priorities had been set to those that had been injured most severely first in an attempt to avoid the loss of any life. Guilt ripped through the girl¡¯s heart as she questioned her method of taking action that night, ¡°I guess you took my advice after all.¡± An alluring voice broke her out of her thoughts. Katie turned to face the royal... He held a first aid box in one hand and had his focus on a group behind her. The hunter let the man past her so he could get the equipment to a junior hunter that had only just arrived and was tending to those that he could. ¡°What was the purpose of you staying behind?¡± another voice came to her. Katie turned arounding face to face with Alice and Sandra. Sandra was dressed in the jacket Katie had asked Alice to deliver to her. The worst part was the fact that the girl couldn¡¯te up with a reason why she stayed back. She¡¯d followed her guts like she always had. At first, she¡¯d suspected she was meant to be protecting the sleeping humans, but they had never got into any trouble, how then was she supposed to exin what had happened. ¡°Katie, your fingers...¡± Sandra gasped. The hunter brought them up to see that her wounds hadn¡¯t healed yet, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use gloves?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that would have helped unless they were special gloves,¡± Katie replied, ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re fine though. I wasn¡¯t sure what would happen without me around.¡± ¡°Oh, she was more than alright. You should have seen her. She was a monster out there. I was honestly more scared of her than I was of the rogues,¡± Alice praised the girl, wrapping an arm around her, ¡°I¡¯m just d that whole thing is all over. I¡¯m exhausted. They were so many of them.¡± Katie¡¯s eyes widened in fear at thest statement before she masked the emotion, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but it¡¯s not over just yet.¡± Alice stared back at her, losing her smile, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what the rogues were nning, but untilmunications are back up so that we can call for backup, this is not over yet. I¡¯m going to the cell tower. I know there is a rogue there guarding it. I¡¯m hoping it¡¯s not one of the rogue king¡¯s beta alphas. If it is, then life¡¯s going to get a whole lot moreplicated. I don¡¯t know if staying behind while you guys go out there was the best choice and I won¡¯t know that until this is all over. I just hope it is. I wouldn¡¯t want to hold any regrets...¡± ¡°I¡¯m going with you to the cell tower,¡± Cole¡¯s voice came from behind the girl. She barely flinched, although she noticed the animosity in his voice. ¡°Have I done something to offend...?¡± turning around she paused when she noticed the object of Cole¡¯s confusion. ¡°I could burn it if you¡¯d like. He only lent it to me after I¡¯d taken off my hunter jacket.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see it burnt then...¡± Cole replied. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± the girl chuckled before taking the jacket off her and tossing it away from her body. The alpha¡¯s eyes followed the jacket with his eyes until it hit the ground. Seeing as that wasn¡¯t convincing enough, Katie approached him and hugged him, ¡°You mustn¡¯t have suspicions like that when I just exposed my shoulders in front of the entire pack.¡± Cole gasped, looking around to see the look on everyone¡¯s faces. It was as though the world had stopped and most of them were looking at one odd sight, ¡°Oh carry on with your tasks. It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve never seen a mark before.¡± He snapped at them. Sandra, however, came close to them while Katie was not looking and ran her fingers over the bite mark on the girl¡¯s shoulder. The hunter flinched at the touch and turned within her mate¡¯s embrace to look her friend in the eye, ¡°How do I look?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s definitely a good look on you,¡± the girl responded before running her finger on the miraculous part of the mark. At the centre of the two rows of a wolf¡¯s teeth marks was the mark of a wolf howling at the moon, ¡°It¡¯s more beautiful up close. How does that even work?¡± ¡°When the moon goddess epts the mark that¡¯s been made by the pair that¡¯s gone through the marking process, that appears after the mark has healed,¡± Cole exined. ¡°I don¡¯t get it... What happens if the mark is not epted?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°Well, it proves the couple is not actually meant to be by the goddess¡¯ creed. And a bond like that is shunned among the werewolves,¡± he replied. ¡°I don¡¯t understand... Isn¡¯t this what the whole world has been waiting for? The marking of the Moon goddess¡¯ chosen and don¡¯t marks have to go both ways?¡± Alice asked. ¡°Well, yeah, that¡¯s basically true. We masked our connection to the two pack links when we marked each other to hold back the panic... As well as privacy,¡± cole responded before pulling back his shirt¡¯s cor to reveal the mark that appeared on his shoulder as well. Sandra bit back augh upon seeing the mark, ¡°Talk about having your teeth in your man.¡± ¡°Oh shut up, Sandra,¡± Katie barked at the girl before getting interrupted by a serious Alice. ¡°We need to get this information to the hunters so that they purge the rogues in Lycaon. If they know the rogue¡¯s bite doesn¡¯t have any effect on them, they can cut through them unrestricted.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled... we¡¯ll be going to the cell tower. Is there anyone here that knows how to get the message out the moment we get there?¡± Katie asked her. ¡°You¡¯re looking at her. However, I¡¯m low on energy, so I would appreciate it if I don¡¯t get to fight whatever monster we might face. If it¡¯s anything like the one we met at the beach, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t want to get involved in a fight like that,¡± Alice requested. ¡°Very well...¡± Chapter 233 233 Chapter Two Hundred Thirty Three A few nights ago... Katie stood on the balcony after two days of watching over her healing mate. Cole had been ill for those two days and Katie had been taking care of him, however, ording to what the royal had said to her, he was supposed to be getting better that very night. She didn¡¯t know when that was going to be, but the tension of having to wait for his fever to break had kept her awake. As a result, she¡¯d stepped out of bed to bask in the cold wind. Her mind kept her constantly aware of the hunter watching her every move. Looking in the distance, she could see a hint of a metallic bow in the cover of the trees. For someone who was supposed to be hiding, he wasn¡¯t doing a good job. After calming down, she tried to think through the message he¡¯d sent her. Going through all that trouble to rile her up seemed pointless to her. If he was really jealous of the wolf, he would have found some way to put him down and not Katie herself. Her mind had been working on solving whatever it was that Jeremiah was thinking and she¡¯de to a conclusion. A sweet scent wafted into her nostrils, calming all her nerves. The metallic glint within the trees vanished... the wind itself seemed to still, announcing the arrival of the only being in the world capable of weakening Katie Sirius, ¡°Someone can walk again...¡± She said as his strong arms wrapped around her waist, ¡°Well, it¡¯s all thanks to special treatment from a special someone,¡± Cole replied, cing a kiss in the crook of her neck. The girl found herself leaning into the man holding her, feeling safe instantly. When no malice was detected from the watching hunter, she was now sure of her decision. ¡°You know I can wait till your ready,¡± Cole whispered into her ear. ¡°Well... Just epting your offer that day made me realise I want you to do it. I don¡¯t understand much about werewolves yet, but I do want to be yours...¡± her words came out before she could stop herself. The hunter bit her lip to stop any more froming from her. Cole took the chance and spoke up, ¡°I would like nothing more, Katie. From the moment I saw those dark blue eyes, I was sure there was something I wanted from the person that owned them. At the time, I didn¡¯t know what it was, but now I¡¯m sure of what I saw that day. My mark will be proof of my dedication to you and that you belong to none other than me.¡± ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Katie asked when she¡¯d found her voice. After what she¡¯d been through, she found the question absurd. She¡¯d gone through a lot of pain and yet here she was asking if a bite was going to hurt. ..... Cole kissed the crook of her neck, ¡°You won¡¯t notice the pain.¡± Before Katie could ask what that was supposed to mean, her wolf pushed forward in response to his. Cole¡¯s breathing changed, growing deeper... ¡°Just get on with it, Cole.¡± The male royal sank his fangs into the shoulder of his mate, as close to her neck as he could. A myriad of feelings went through the girl... She felt the minds of all the wolves in her pack and almost as though a part of her mind was opening, she felt the minds of those in Cole¡¯s pack as well. She felt the promise that was made by the moon goddess. The power of the royal¡¯s bite sapped out of all werewolves that existed. She was fully aware of everything that was going to happen to the werewolves. Werewolves were not to give birth unless they had slept with their mates and only their mates. Katie felt her connection to Cole grow stronger. She caught glimpses of his memories and felt him catch glimpses of hers as well. Her pain became his and so was their happiness... Amidst the numerous sensations that went through the girl, the pain of the bite was only a passing thought. As Cole retracted his fangs, a pleasurable sensation went through Katie drawing everyst bit of strength she had left from her. Cole carried his mate in his arms back into the bedroom andy her on the bed. She was still stuck in her half shift for reasons she had no clue about, ¡°Why am I still in this state?¡± she whispered. ¡°Because this goes both ways...¡± Cole replied. Katie¡¯s eyes snapped open when he said it. She barely needed to check with Ashley as the wolf had already focused her mind onpleting the ritual the two of them had started. Marking Cole brought with it even more intense sensations than the first. Their bond getting even stronger than she would have thought possible. However, when all was done, the two were so weak they could only sleep that night with barely another word spoken between them. Masking their minds from the two great packs kept the realization from reaching the wolves. The moon goddess¡¯ chosen had just marked each other and not even the royals knew it had happened. None of them knew about the loss of their power. ........ Present time... ¡°Lina, can I get more gauze over here. I¡¯m running out. Bandages as well and hurry,¡± Honour spoke up while she worked on stopping the bleeding of one of the severely injured wolves. She¡¯d so far managed to do what she could do for a number of them, but her heart never once calmed and her pace didn¡¯t waver. Lina could barely keep up with the girl¡¯s diligence as they worked hard on keeping everyone alive and well. The junior hunters did the best they could and helped out. They got every single medical supply they could find in the hotel. The ones they could get from the vehicles had been the first to run out causing them far more trouble than they could have thought. Spotting Trevor rushing out of the hotel gates with another kit, Lina rushed up to him, ¡°Hey, can I have that?¡± ¡°Sure, however, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be getting more where that came from. Try to use the supplies sparingly,¡± the junior hunter tried. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s something I can guarantee with the pace at which she¡¯s going,¡± Lina replied, forgetting there were others helping as well. ¡°Well, considering the others can¡¯t handle as much of the severe cases as she can, I can imagine how much she must need,¡± Trevor said, following the girl through the fray. Seated next to another wolf, Honour got to bandaging the boy¡¯s torso. She¡¯d finished cleaning up his wounds and his healing had started kicking in. ¡°How many of the severe ones are left?¡± Ryan asked as he beckoned for two junior hunters to get the boy away. Once the students had been helped, they would then be taken to their rooms where they werein to rest. ¡°I don¡¯t know... I haven¡¯t had the time to count,¡± the girl replied, taking the kit from Lina and moving on to her next patient. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the healing aspect of werewolves, we wouldn¡¯t be able to get through this unscathed as we are going to.¡± ¡°Well, that sounds like good news. What¡¯s with that look of concern on your face?¡± Trevor asked. ¡°The bite marks... Some of them look like they might havee from alphas,¡± she announced... ¡°Please try to lie still. It¡¯s going to sting a little.¡± She said to the wolf she worked on as he flinched at the sting of the medicine. ¡°That¡¯s bad indeed... If any of them takes on the will of the alphas that bit them, they would start to wreak havoc,¡± Trevor said, just before silence took over the wolves. The junior hunter paid attention to the source of attraction and found that they were staring straight at Katie Sirius. She had taken off his coat and thrown it away. It was only then that he realized what a mistake it had been to give her that when Cole could get his scent off it. The male royal was just beginning to rx, ¡®Revealing myself to them would definitely pose a problem...,¡¯ his thoughts were cut short when he watched the male reveal the mark beneath his shirt as well. The two of them marked... and Trevor knew the implications of that. ¡°Honour, do you remember any of the wolves you¡¯ve worked on seemed to have been bitten by alphas.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember a few of them. After all, I worked on them for the longest time. They were injured quite badlypared to the others,¡± she replied as she finished dressing the boy¡¯s wounds and moved on to someone else, ¡°I¡¯m d those that were in dire situations are done now... Although, one of them was human...¡± Trevor stopped watching the royal couple to look at Honour. The girl had a different air about her. She was a free spirit earlier, but this was different. She was now in charge of whatever she was doing. Lina followed her every single order and stayed at her side every step of the way in case she was needed. Something else he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on resonated within his very being. He shook his mind free of his thoughts and went back to what had caught his attention earlier... ¡°Did you say... human?¡± Chapter 234 234 Chapter Two Hundred Thirty Four Honour gave orders to the rest of the junior hunters and wolves that were giving first aid to the injured. The rest that was left was nothing they couldn¡¯t handle. However, what ushered her away from the treating grounds was none other than Trevor Waters. The boy wanted her to lead him to the human she¡¯d mentioned with severe injuries. An entire first aid kit was saved for the human as well as he was bound to be unable to heal. The terrifying detail he¡¯d heard, however, was the fact that the boy had been bitten by an alpha of all wolves. ¡°What makes you think this boy was bitten by an alpha, to begin with, and what was a human doing with the werewolves out in the woods at twilight?¡± the junior hunter bellowed as they rushed through the halls of the hotel, led by the junior hunters that had taken the boy to his room. Tense was the air about them, except for Honour whose only job had been to patch the boy up to the best of her abilities. ¡°I know this because I took some time working with the pack doctor back at home. Healing is one of the things a werewolf as weak as I am ought to learn if they are ever going to be of any help in the end. The bite marks of an alpha aren¡¯t the same as those of an average werewolf. I¡¯ll show you once we get there even though I¡¯d hate to force a patient to go through something like that,¡± she said to him. Finally rounding one more corner, the junior hunters came to the door that belonged to the boy and knocked at door. After waiting a few painstakingly long seconds, the sound of the key turning the lock came through from the other side of the door. The door creaked open and to their surprise, a feminine face popped up from the other side of the door. ¡°What is a girl... You know what... I don¡¯t even want to know anymore. I¡¯ve had to deal with a lot more than this today. Where is the boy?¡± The girl, who was dressed in a robe led them to the boy whoy in a bed with numerous bandages on his boy. Trevor froze at the sight before him. This was perhaps the one person who¡¯d been injured the most among all that had been involved in the battle, ¡°I tried to tell him to stay behind, but he wouldn¡¯t listen to me,¡± the girl began. ¡°Try to refrain from lying,¡± Lina snapped at the girl, shutting up her sobs, ¡°You went with him. There is no doubt about that and you can¡¯t say you were going to keep him safe and make sure he didn¡¯t do anything stupid when the stupidest thing he could have done was stepping out of the hotel at night.¡± ¡°Lina...¡± ¡°Someone is not the same person I hade to know. Anyway, Honour, if you don¡¯t mind, I would like you to exin how it is you came to the conclusion that this boy was bitten by an alpha,¡± Trevor asked. ¡°Well, if I¡¯m to show that to you, I¡¯d have to take off the boy¡¯s bandages and trust me... that is going to hurt him,¡± Honour replied. However, she brought out the first aid box and opened it to retrieve a pair of scissors. ..... ¡°No, wait... What if I could prove he¡¯d been bitten by an alpha without you having to open his bandages. He¡¯s been through a lot of pain already,¡± the girl yelled at them when Honour was just about to get to opening the boy¡¯s wounds, ¡°I might not have kept him from going and even gone with him myself, but... I do care for him. Don¡¯t cause him any more pain than he¡¯s already been through.¡± Honour looked between the girl and the head junior hunter, ¡°Well, what is your final verdict?¡± The boy sighed before answering, ¡°What do you have in mind, girl... and make it quick.¡± The girl sat down crosslegged and took in a deep breath before letting her robe drop to the ground revealing her naked upper body with only a bra to cover her body. ¡°Oh my... cover up... Are you going to strip...?¡± ¡°Oh shut up, pervert. Would you take a look at her back before you say something you¡¯ll regret saying?¡± Honour smacked the boy¡¯s head, ¡°And you... Why didn¡¯t you ask to be treated? That will get infected if you don¡¯t pay attention?¡± Honour grabbed the first aid box and rushed to the girl to begin cleaning therge bite mark on her back. The room fell into silence for a moment while the girl got to work on the injured human girl. ¡°I figured he was in a much worse condition than I was. He had to get treated before I did and I had to make sure he was put in bed to rest.¡± ¡°Well, after taking care of him, why didn¡¯t youe for treatment yourself?¡± Honour replied... the girl barely replied when she spoke up, ¡°You were bitten by the same wolf, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, I was... I don¡¯t think the girl that saved us even realized what kind of wolf it was. I¡¯d just been bitten when he threw himself in the way to save me. We got separated from our friends when the chaos began. Not having a mind link makes it impossible for your werewolf friend to find you in chaos when the mind link is all that werewolves depend on. By the time they found us, Peter... he¡¯d gotten himself beaten up pretty badly trying to protect me.¡± ¡°So you figured you could help him out by making sure he got treated... After all, you were going to heal up eventually after being bitten by an alpha,¡± the girl gasped at the usation and her back stiffened, ¡°don¡¯t move so suddenly, you¡¯ll start bleeding again.¡± ¡°Oh, right...¡± sheplied, rxing under Honour¡¯s care, ¡°Well, yeah, that is what I thought would happen, but...¡± ¡°Nothing is happening to either of you,¡± Trevor replied calmly, ¡°What if you shifted then? Your n... What if it worked and you inherited the will of the alpha that bit you? What were you going to do then? Attack all the humans in the hotel and bring forth an even bigger tragedy than what we are facing at the current moment.¡± He was yelling by the time he was done. ¡°That¡¯s not it...¡± was all the girl could reply in an effort to keep from exploding, ¡°You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like Trevor. To be bitten by a werewolf... to be cornered by a werewolf and think your time has finallye. To watch your boyfriend get bitten just because he¡¯s trying to protect you. A human against an alpha...¡± ¡°That¡¯s not his job, damn it. That¡¯s my job. As a hunter, I¡¯m the one meant to carry the burden of protecting you from werewolves. Your job is to stay put where I say is safe and make sure you stay that way... Make sure you stay alive. How could you have been so stupid?¡± it was as though everything the distressed girl said made the head hunter only angrier. ¡°But you weren¡¯t there. We all make mistakes, Trevor and now that we¡¯ve made ours, you can¡¯t possibly rte to what it must feel like. To get bitten by an alpha and survive it... It¡¯s like being cursed. None of us will ever be the same again. When we do shift, will you put us down the very same way you¡¯ve been trained to put them down?¡± Trevor went dead silent and looked back at the girl seated being treated. He¡¯d never been asked this question before and facing the reality that not all rogues were forced into being rogues was only harder. After all the training he¡¯d been taken through, he¡¯d never questioned what he was taught until this moment, ¡°No one will ever be turned by a bite ever again, so don¡¯t worry about it, okay.¡± ¡°What is that supposed to mean, Trevor?¡± Honour and Lina asked him at the same time. ¡°The moon goddess¡¯ chosen were both marked. The power of the royals must be restricted now. The power to turn a human into their werewolf has been lost,¡± Trevor replied. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly believe such a thing?¡± the girl¡¯s voice came cold. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Isn¡¯t that good news for you?¡± Trevor asked her, the happiness that had previously welled up inside him diminishingpletely. ¡®Had she nned to shift and take everyone here down with her. Has the will of the alpha that bit her already gone so deep?¡¯ ¡°No, Peter won¡¯t be able to heal. I have tried my cell phone. There is no service here. That treatment won¡¯t be able to heal him. He can barely move as it is. Hisst hope was that the transformation would heal all his wounds,¡± the girl replied. ¡°You would have him turn into a bloodthirsty beast and kill hundreds more than doing everything you can to get him to a hospital,¡± Trevor asked her. ¡°Were you asleep during the ride here? We are very far from the capital or any form of civilization. There is no way we could make it to a medical centre in his condition,¡± the girl argued. ¡®Try not to move so suddenly...¡¯ ¡°Do you know why it would be so hard for me to answer your question, L? If the two of you were to be werewolves, you would have no control over your wolf sides. Without the time to mature them and learn control, they would overwhelm you and you would start to attack the very creatures the hunters are sworn to protect. So yeah... I would put you and your boyfriend down if you shifted,¡± the silence fell over the entire room, ¡°the only hope the two of you have is to make it to a medical centre and you will make it there.¡± Chapter 235 235 Chapter Two Hundred Thirty Five Trevor¡¯s intentions were well-received by all that were in the room and the argument ended there. The girl didn¡¯t bother him with any more of her delusions of healing her boyfriend through the power of healing that the werewolves possessed. Lina had never thought about the job of the hunters getting asplicated as it had been that night. Although, thinking about it gave her an understanding of howmon it must have been. After all, the rogue king was only capable of creating alphas through his bite. With how many he¡¯d bitten over the ages, it only made sense that there would be enough alpha rogues to cause a lot of trouble for the hunters. The rogues were always increasing. Looking at the two humans in the room, Lina realized they were the first to get bitten and have hope of staying human. ¡®Seeing them remain human will mark a miracle...¡¯ she thought to herself, thinking back to the many times she had to be careful with her fangs as they were potentially the most lethal kind in the world, along with the rest of her family. ¡°Hey, Trevor. Come and take a look at this,¡± Honour broke the silence when she was just about to start applying the bandages over the girl¡¯s bite mark. ¡°Huh, no, I don¡¯t need to see it anymore. I have all the proof that I...¡± ¡°Just get over here. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll ever get another opportunity to see what the bite of an alpha looks like and know what the difference is,¡± she said to him. Sighing, the head hunter came closer and squatted next to her to make out what it was she was showing him, ¡°Well, it looks like all the others to me.¡± ¡°I see you don¡¯t pay attention to detail,¡± Honour groaned before pointing out the one thing that should have made a difference, ¡°Look at the upper row, there are two deep wounds where there should be one for the canines.¡± The junior hunter squinted for a bit before his eyes widened with recognition. His eyes darted about the bite mark and he found that there was proof of six canines in total instead of the usual four, ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯ve never realized it. Alphas have one more pair of canines in their upper jaw. Depending on the anger of the royal, they can grow up to twelve canines. Well, they usually grow twelve when they¡¯ve gone feral and just want to kill everything in sight. Luckily, I¡¯ve never experienced that and hope I never do,¡± Honour exined before wrapping up the girl, sealing her wounds. ..... Trevor turned to the two junior hunters that had escorted them there and asked that they stay watching the room for a few more hours to make sure the two victims of the attack remained, ¡®human.¡¯ The junior hunters reluctantly agreed... The fact that the head hunter was being cautious only shattered their confidence. ¡°What do we do when they do shift?¡± one of them asked. ¡°Well, you keep the door closed and call for help,¡± Trevor tapped their shoulders, ¡°Or you could put your training to the test. After all, they won¡¯t turn into alphas or anything like that so I suspect they¡¯ll be the weakest kind of werewolves you will ever get to face in your lives.¡± With that said, he walked out. Honour helped L up and made sure she got in bed safely, ¡°Is there anything that I can get you before you fall asleep. A cup of water perhaps.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, Honour,¡± L replied, turning to face her boyfriend¡¯s bed, ¡°If only you could miraculously heal him. That would be more than I could ever ask for. If it was even possible.¡± The girl chuckled before falling asleep. Honour remained quiet for a bit watching the girl sleep, ¡°It¡¯s rare to find humans that are this selfless. I wish these two never change.¡± Lina didn¡¯t know why or what it was that made her even question it, but she felt the air shift in the room. Maybe it was just her imagination speaking, however, it didn¡¯t stop her from speaking her mind, ¡°Your wish might juste true. Who knows?¡± ...... The two females left the room and returned to the hotel gates to see if there was any more healing that was required of them or if more healing was required of Honour. As it had turned out, most of the injured had been treated and moved already. They were barely needed to handle the rest. All those that had been severely injured had been handled well. Thankfully, they were werewolves which allowed them to rx a bit knowing they would heal given time. Lina looked about frantically in search of someone else. She grabbed the first junior hunter that was passing by her by the sleeve, ¡°Hey, have you seen Katie?¡± ¡°N-no... I haven¡¯t. Have I done something wrong?¡± the boy stammered. ¡°No, move on... Where is she?¡± she said more to herself, letting go of the boy and searching for her next victim. She¡¯d disturbed two more by the time a voice stopped her rampage. ¡°Are you going to do that to the entiremunity? At this rate, you¡¯ll even wake the sleeping humans and ask them the same questions,¡± Sandra said to her. Lina let go of the one she was holding and approached the junior hunter, ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too, Lina,¡± Sandra replied. Jason chuckled beside her, watching the spectacle and choosing to stay out of it. ¡°Sandra...¡± ¡°I know I know. You should be worried. If it¡¯s any constion, she asked me to give you a message. Her message was that you were to stay put at the hotel and do nothing to follow her. You are not to enter the woods again until the sun rises as well. I thought she was going to keep giving you orders until they could fill up a scroll, but thest part of the message was that she was d you were safe. She didn¡¯t know what she could have done if you were hurt in this whole mess. And she would like you to stay that way... ¡®safe,''¡± Sandra exined. ¡°Oh, is that it? Where has she gone?¡± ¡°I will only tell you that if you promise to stay put when you hear it,¡± Sandra replied. Lina thought through her options before asking, ¡°If I try to go after her, will you stop me?¡± ¡°Of course, I...¡± Sandra had started to answer when she got an idea that forced Jason to finally speak up. ¡°No, none of you are going after her. That is final. If you won¡¯t stop her, I will,¡± he spoke up pulling the girl into a side hug to emphasize his point. ¡°Well, yeah... I¡¯d have to stop you from following her. I¡¯m tempted to go after them if I¡¯m being honest with you, but I know better than to go against a Chase hunter. Thest time that happened, the roguespletely overwhelmed us,¡± the hunter replied, tears welling up in her eyes. ¡°Okay then... Tell me what happened,¡± Lina asked, giving up all her hopes of running after her sister. The silence that came from the girl was the only indication that more was happening than any of them was letting on, ¡°This is not over, is it?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go in... You might want to take a seat...¡± Jason asked them, ushering them towards the hotel gates. ........Before Katie¡¯s departure... ¡°Do you have any energy left? We might be going into something more dangerous than anything you¡¯ve been through tonight,¡± Katie told the female hunter before her. ¡°The rest of you know nothing about the cell tower. I am hoping the damage is not serious so that I can fix it. I¡¯m no expert, but if there is any hope that we could get a message outside the reserve, then I would like to take it,¡± Alice responded. ¡°Katie, you forgot this up there,¡± a male voice interrupted them. Katie turned to see Gant running towards her with her bow and a spare quiver half-filled with grey metallic arrows. ¡°Oh, hey Gant. Thank you for this,¡± she replied, taking the bow and quiver from him. Using her Strength gift, she began to fold the bow into its diminished form against all the tension that kept it unfurled. The spectacle kept the rest of them silent until the girl had the bowpletely down in size. She attacked it to the back of the quiver and slung the pack over her shoulder before looking up at the watching faces. ¡°What...¡± ¡°What gift do you have?¡± Alice asked her. ¡°I would have thought that was obvious at this point. You raced with me on the first day we were here. That already tells you what gift I have,¡± she said. ¡°Strength or Agility... which is it, girl? No, I am certain you¡¯ve got the one of agility down, but...¡± ¡°Why is that question always so hard? Are they really that few hunters that possess both gifts?¡± Cole pondered more to himself. ¡°To be precise, I only know of one other hunter with both gifts,¡± Katie replied. ¡°You¡¯re scary, Katie Sirius,¡± Cole replied. ¡°I know, honey. I get that a lot,¡± she replied, leaning into him for a moment, ¡°The wolf at the cell tower. He¡¯s like nothing we¡¯ve faced. Every one of us going is to stay vignt.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. What are we waiting for? Let¡¯s get going,¡± Sandra said, determinationced in her voice. ¡°You¡¯re not going, Sandra,¡± Katie raised her voice, sending chills down her friend¡¯s spine. ¡°What!¡± was all Sandra could say upon hearing Katie¡¯s words, for this had never happened for as long as she¡¯d known the hunter. Chapter 236 236 Chapter Two Hundred Thirty Six Sandra was at a loss for words at first, until she realized she wasn¡¯t going anywhere if she didn¡¯t fight for her chance to go with them, ¡°Katie, you¡¯re kidding, right? Tell me you¡¯re joking. I¡¯ming with you.¡± ¡°No, Sandra. This one is not something you can handle in your current condition. You¡¯re not going anywhere this time. You¡¯ll stay behind and you¡¯ll protect the humans here,¡± Katie replied sternly. ¡°No, Katie. I need toe with you. You need my help. You¡¯re always doing everything on your own. You might have made us think we were doing something out there tonight, but you nned to eliminate all the rogues at once with your bow. Admit it, Katie. You want to do it all on your own again even after promising never to do that again,¡± the girl argued. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it and you know it. Sandra, you¡¯re not ready for something like this. I¡¯m not putting you in danger. I might not be able to protect you this time,¡± Katie responded. ¡°I don¡¯t need your protection, Katie... Ugh, Alice tries to talk some sense into her,¡± Sandra snapped at her. ¡°You¡¯re right, Sandra. You don¡¯t need her protection...¡±¨C¡°See, Katie, I¡¯m more than...¡±-¡°But I agree with Katie on this one. You should stay behind.¡± The girl was astounded. Before she could argue anymore, Alice held her by the shoulder and pulled her away from the group to have a private conversation, ¡°Hey, stop arguing with a Chase hunter. From what I¡¯ve seen, this girl trusts her instincts more than I¡¯ve ever seen anyone do so in my life. You should stay put.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not staying behind. You don¡¯t even have a valid reason to keep me behind. We asked her a question earlier and she couldn¡¯t answer it. What reason do you have for siding with her after all this?¡± she asked. ¡°That group of rogues that attacked us when we were heading to the hotel. I believe they were meant to attack the humans in the hotel, but we happened to be in their way. The rogues didn¡¯t know about the vines back at the beach. They wouldn¡¯t have known where we would be. Katie stayed behind to protect the hotel from that group of rogues. She couldn¡¯t exin it because she hadn¡¯t reasoned any of her instincts out. On another note, I¡¯m surprised she was able to figure out you¡¯re useless in any other battle we are to have,¡± the woman answered. ..... The girl calmed down long enough to listen, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying she doesn¡¯t know about your awakened abilities. You¡¯ve been exerting yourself far more than you should have today. The gift takes time to set in and yet you have been drawing on it this whole time. You need to rest. If we take you with us, you¡¯ll copse before you know what¡¯s going on with your body. Your body is on fire, Sandra, but you don¡¯t see it yet. Take a break and rx, you¡¯ll thank meter,¡± Alice tried exining. Looking back at the time Katie had got her gifts, Sandra could remember the girl getting weaker during that week that followed, but she¡¯d never associated it with the changes that were happening within her body. Just then, the realization hit her that she was speaking of something she didn¡¯t believe she even heard, ¡°Wait, gift... what gift? I¡¯m normal.¡± Alice sighed, ¡°You¡¯re such a confused child. Do you really think you were moving that fast back there because of all the training you¡¯ve had over the years? You might have been fast, Sandra, but the speed you¡¯ve been using tonight is beyond anything a human could ever hope to achieve. Rest, Sandra. You¡¯ll get the time to show off to your mentor when you¡¯re all better. On the other hand, she¡¯s not going to be alone out there. I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡± Sandra sighed seeing the sense behind the hunter¡¯s words, ¡°Fine then... I¡¯ll stay behind. However, it will be the first time and hopefully thest. Take care of her for me.¡± ¡°And here I thought it was you that needed to be taken care of,¡± Alice replied. ¡°Oh, you haven¡¯t met Katie. She would never have agreed to stay behind even if the world depended on it,¡± Sandra chuckled. The two of them finally made their way back to the group. ¡°I¡¯ve decided I¡¯ll be staying behind,¡± Sandra replied, ¡°but it¡¯s not because I...¡± the girl was stopped when her friend enveloped her in a hug. ¡°I¡¯m d, Sandra. Please stay safe... Also,¡± the girl began to whisper into her ear. A message that was meant for someone else she¡¯d grown to care for dearly, Lina Sirius. Sandra promised to deliver her message to the girl, hugging her friend back. ¡°Alpha Cole,¡± Jason spoke up, getting his alpha¡¯s attention. He¡¯d used his title, so there must have been something serious he wanted to ask for, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can I stay behind as well?¡± Silence took over the group. The hunters felt it was the wolf who was being obnoxious for opting out of what should have been a mission for the strong. Before any of them could raise anyints, ¡°Yes, you can.¡± ¡°Hey, Jason. Make sure Lina doesn¡¯t follow after us. She might think she¡¯s stronger now since she can fight and stand up for herself. She doesn¡¯t realise it yet, but she was never meant for the battlefield,¡± Caden said to her. ¡°If there is nothing else that needs to be said, might I ask that we all go?¡± Katie spoke up, ¡°We don¡¯t have as much time as we might think we do.¡± ¡°You have one annoying mojo, Katie Chase,¡± Cole groaned upon hearing her warning. Katie chuckled in response, the two of them shifting into their ck and white forms. The only difference this time was the wolf marks on their shoulders. A white howling wolf in the ck fur of Cole¡¯s ck wolf and a ck howling wolf in the white fur that was Katie¡¯s. ¡°The two of you could not look more like a match,¡± Sandra groaned, ¡°Be careful out there, Katie.¡± The white wolf nodded... The group was gone only moments after. Caden, Cole, Alice, Gant and Katie were gone in the direction of the cell tower. If all went well, they would be restoringmunications and getting the students out of the reserve before anything bad happened. ......... The group of five rushed through the woods. The smell of blood was thick in the night from the number of rogues that had been killed that night. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we don¡¯t have a single death on our side tonight. What kind of luck is this?¡± Katie¡¯s thoughts leaked to the other two alphas. ¡°I guess the moon goddess is watching over us tonight,¡± Caden replied with a chuckle. More seriously, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it either. It was worse when you made us realize the rogues were within us. I can¡¯t even tell when it was that it happened. If I¡¯d been more vignt about that.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have known, Caden. I also detected them only when they mixed within you. You handled the situation well. I¡¯m d you were able to neutralize them. I don¡¯t think I would have done that on my own,¡± Katie chuckled. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have said it better myself. I wasn¡¯t on my own back there. If it hadn¡¯t been for the alphas, Crysta, Cole and the animals that, for some reason, kept attacking the rogues, we would have lost a number of them,¡± Caden replied. ¡°Yeah, we definitely had our share of help today. Let¡¯s try to make sure we get them all to safety,¡± Cole said to them. Katie looked to the hunters that ran beside them and noticed Alice¡¯s breath getting rugged. The white wolf rushed forward and beckoned for the woman to stop running before offering to give her a ride, ¡°Get on... You¡¯ve been pushing yourself a lot tonight. You need to rest for what we are going to face ahead.¡± Alice paused for a moment before climbing up onto the white wolf, ¡°You really are a werewolf and hunter at the same time with both Prometheus gifts.¡± ¡°Are you still finding it hard to believe?¡± the white wolf asked with a chuckle catching up to the others easily. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s hard to believe. Not to mention the fact that you were raised by her of all people,¡± the woman groaned at the end, ¡°To think she vanished for eighteen years to raise the scariest creature to ever walk the.¡± ¡°Okay, now you¡¯re making me sound like a creature of an apocalypse,¡± Katie replied with a chuckle, ¡°I would hardly call myself scary when my mate was able to put a Mighty Warrior in a hospital bed.¡± ¡°Oh, so that wasn¡¯t some rumour milling through the hunters,¡± Aliceughed out loud. ¡°I was hoping that could remain a secret for a long time,¡± Cole tried. ¡°Cupid Shooter is not one to stay quiet. The man lives for the drama and gossip of this world. It¡¯s so bad that none of the hunters believes him when he speaks unless he makes it clear that he¡¯s being serious,¡± Gant pitched,ughing as well. Just then four arrows whizzed past them, forcing the wolves to skid to a stop. Katie, on the other hand, slowed down to a stop as though she¡¯d expected the arrows to miss them. The white wolf got down allowing Alice to climb down while the others immediately went on the defensive looking about for the source of the arrows whilst hiding behind trees in the direction they thought the arrows hade from. ¡°Katie, can you find some cover already?¡± Cole tried... ¡°It¡¯s him, isn¡¯t it?¡± The girl shifted back into her human form and looked back where they came, ¡°You definitely took your time showing yourself,¡± she yelled into the night. After a moment of silence, a masculine voice yelled again, ¡°Why would I show myself to the hunter that took down forty rogues in less than three minutes. Seriously, Katie, what kind of training have you been taking with that monster of a Mighty warrior?¡± the familiarity that spoke back was like a bullet to Cole¡¯s mind. ¡®Huh...¡¯ his mind went. Chapter 237 237 Chapter Two Hundred Thirty Seven ¡°The training was gruesome, Jeremiah. If you had been given the chance, your hands would fall off,¡± Katie replied with a groan, her mind shing memories of the week she¡¯d had with the man. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not as weak as you might think I am. I could have gone through the training just fine,¡± Jeremiah tried, puffing out his chest. ¡°Oh, you have no idea, Jeremiah. He¡¯d definitely put you down before you thought of getting through the very first thing he considered a trial. It was like he was trying to kill me. Considering you don¡¯t have an agility gift, he would have killed you,¡± she replied with a chuckle. ¡°Why do I get the feeling he was training you tobat my arr...¡± ¡°Would someone first exin to me what¡¯s going on before I decide whether or not the person before me should live or die?¡± Cole¡¯s voice dangerously cut through the air. Katie turned to see her mate feigning a smile on his face. A terrible attempt... ¡°Well, to put it simply, this boy here is a spy for the hunters. This information mustn¡¯t get out, but I am telling you so that you don¡¯t kill him,¡± Katie responded. ¡°Then can he exin why he shot you with four arrows?¡± Cole asked, ¡°He nearly killed you, you know.¡± ¡°Let me exin that...¡± Jeremiah asked, stopping Katie¡¯s intervention, ¡°First of all, I apologize for any trouble I have caused you. I had to keep my cover. As some of you might know, I was granted my powers when I saved a certain werewolf from rogues a few years ago. The werewolf I was saving was the king¡¯s brother, Sean. I hadn¡¯t realized I was saving someone who could handle himself at the moment and he watched as I risked my life to save him from the rogues. I killed the ones I could and could never figure out why thest one simply ran away. ..... ....... Precisely three years ago... Moving close to the capital had been the best decision for Jeremiah¡¯s family. What they hadn¡¯t known when they were shifting was that their son was nning to join another branch of the hunters. Jeremiah didn¡¯t tell his ordinary parents everything that happened to him. After all, how could they understand anything he was going through. They were civilians who knew nothing about the hunters and what they went through to attain their gifts from the Man god. Every time they asked if he was fine or asked that he would take a rest from the tedious training, it only got on his nerves. He¡¯d witnessed the training of many of the hunters ande to know what it was to be a human and work up to the level of a werewolf. The creatures were strong without even training their bodies. The hunters were even responsible for keeping the civilian werewolves safe as well. Jeremiah knew them well... the civilians were as weak as a human either. It angered him, but he trained diligently... Or at least he¡¯d thought he did... until he met a girl he came to know as Katie Chase. The girl was much younger than he was, but she was said to be at the same level as he was in her training. At the time he met her, she was a small frail creature, however, the skill with which she took down his peers during their training only made her scary. When the time came that the two of them would do battle, he¡¯d fought her, but she¡¯d been too weak that day. She¡¯d not fought him the same way he¡¯d seen her fighting the rest of his peers, but once he found out the reason for that, his ideals had shattered. His friends, the other junior hunters... They were all doing their best. The hunters that supervised them told them they were doing well and gave extra drills to those that weren¡¯t doing well. This girl though... She didn¡¯t care about what the adults thought about what she was doing. She trained herself to the ground. She trained until she couldn¡¯t move and even then she tried to get some training in. He¡¯d never said it to her, but her presence suffocated him. She learnt fast and surpassed him with ease even when he tried to keep up with her. When he tried training with her, he¡¯d got so tired that he hated everything about bing a hunter... but she kept going. Her ideals... the reasons that drove her to keep this up ate him up even more... ¡®What about us, Katie? Aren¡¯t we all trying to achieve the same thing? What makes you feel like you¡¯re different from the rest of us? No, it¡¯s clear to see that you are different from the rest of us, but I don¡¯t see anything special about you. You¡¯re human just like the rest of us. Why then are you able to train so hard?¡¯ the questions slowed him down. His parents worried about his health and thought that he would get depressed. He withdrew from the hunter program and asked his parents if they would move out of Brigadia. Moving out of Brigadia had allowed him some fresh air... ¡®I¡¯ll be a hunter in no time... and return to Brigadia and show you, Katie. Just you wait... It¡¯s no doubt you¡¯ll be a hunter by then though.¡¯ It hadn¡¯t been long after they¡¯d settled in a town outside the capital that the boy had joined the hunter¡¯s agency nearest to his home and continued with his training. However, this time he chose to train as hard as his body could take. Everything was going in his routine n until he heard it... the sound of a growl deep within the woods. Jeremiah didn¡¯t know what took over him that evening. A normal human would have run in the opposite direction, but he had done the opposite and run straight into the rogues. As he¡¯d suspected, three rogues had an old man cornered and he ran in front of him, getting defensive immediately. The rogues snapped at the human with the intention of killing him and his training kicked in. They weren¡¯t alphas and he had a hunting knife with him that evening. At the cost of his life, the boy had battled the rogues and brought two of them down, stabbing inurately in all the weak spots that he could remember while staying out of their clutches. When he was done with two of them, dark spots filled his eyes and exhaustion filled his body... ¡®No, there was another one left...¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re one brave kid,¡± the voice of an old man reached his ears right before he passed out. Jeremiah woke up the next morning in a hospital bed. Seated on a sofa beside him was a man reading newspapers along with his parents who¡¯d fallen asleep on the sofa. The man folded the newspaper and the centre to look beyond at the boy lying in the bed, ¡°You¡¯re awake... That¡¯s good.¡± It was only then that the boy noticed the colour of the man¡¯s eyes, ¡°Your highness... Are you okay?¡± ¡°What gives you the idea that I wouldn¡¯t be?¡± the man replied, before folding the newspapers and cing them on a table. ¡°You¡¯re one brave boy. Are you a junior hunter? I just have to ask?¡± he asked the boy. ¡°Yes, I am. I was training in the woods nearby when I heard the rogues growling,¡± Jeremiah replied. His mind started working for the first time since he¡¯d heard the growls and kicked into his instincts. The rogues hid killed had a snowball¡¯s chance in hell of defeating the royal, ¡°What were those rogues doing there though?¡± There seemed to be a spark in the royal¡¯s eyes, ¡°Looks like you¡¯re not as dumb as I¡¯d taken you to be. I would like to ask you something, Jeremiah.¡± Jeremiah, at that moment, knew that he wouldn¡¯t be liking whatever woulde from the royal¡¯s mouth and the man sensed his reluctance, ¡°I honestly don¡¯t like what¡¯s happening at the moment, but you happened to save the wrong person. As you already know, I was more than capable of handling myself back there. You saved someone that wasn¡¯t in need of being saved... But that act of bravery has also given you a way to redeem yourself both as a hunter and someone that wants to protect humans in need.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Jeremiah asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel it yet?¡± the man asked, ¡°the power that is coursing through you at the moment. Don¡¯t you feel like you could snap anything with your bare fists if you tried?¡± Before the man had said it, Jeremiah hadn¡¯t noticed. Despite his weakened state, he did in fact feel stronger than he¡¯d normally felt. As though it would be something normal to him if he just started bending steel bars, ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t y dumb with me...¡± the man snapped at him before taking a deep breath, ¡°Honestly, I just need your help. It¡¯s nothing that goes against your beliefs. In fact, you¡¯ll be able to get the hunters even closer to aplishing their goal. The downfall of the rogue king.¡± ¡°You say that like it¡¯s very easy to do,¡± Jeremiah asked him with an incredulous look on his face. ¡°Well, it gets easier if you choose to be a spy for the hunters,¡± the man said to him. A look of fear spread across the boy¡¯s face when he heard the man¡¯s words. He¡¯d never thought of something of the sort. The man before him was asking him to join him in espionage against the most dangerous creature in the history of their world. ¡°You asking me to walk amongst them without killing them. How am I supposed to do that?¡± he asked. ¡°We all have a role to y, Jeremiah. We are not all meant to kill them, you know. What do you say?¡± he asked him. Sean Sirius, the brother to the king was ying the part of spy and no one knew about it. And here he was asking Jeremiah to take a path into the world of suspicion and potentially gruesome death in case he was discovered. ¡°How can I trust someone I just met?¡± he asked him. ¡°You can trust your guts. In my world, trust is not something you can rely on. You can¡¯t tell anyone about anything unless you trust thempletely. To be honest with you, finding someone you can trust with anything when you¡¯re a spy is almost impossible. When you do find someone you can trust without a second thought, which I advise is a bad idea, you report to them. That way, your efforts will not be for nothing when you die,¡± the man said to him. Chapter 238 238 Chapter Two Hundred Thirty Eight ¡°You speak to me like I¡¯m going to join you without a second question. You live a shady life. I can¡¯t even tell which side you¡¯re on. I could just take this information to the king, you know. Who knows? You could be the rogue king himself,¡± Jeremiah narrowed his eyes at the man. ¡°So many questions you must have. I agree, they are all valid suspicions. However, if I was the rogue king, I would bite you right here and now and order you to do everything I want. Besides, that man, after meeting him, is beyond anyone¡¯sprehension. I can¡¯t say for sure if there is a hunter alive that can take him down. Maybe the Perfect Warrior, however, it is hard to say,¡± the man replied. ¡°Why are you telling me all this? Stop assuming I¡¯ll join you,¡± Jeremiah tried fighting it. Deep inside, he cursed himself for falling for the man¡¯s words. His offer was tempting. He wanted to help the hunters bring down the rogue king and he was offering a method that wasn¡¯t so easy toe by. He would be able to tell the hunters everything he knew about the rogues from the inside. Even as he tried putting up a front, his mind worked faster than he wanted it to. He already knew the only person in the world that he could trust with all the information he ever found out about the rogues. The only person that was bound to listen to him without asking any questions and act on her instincts. She wanted the rogue king put down so much that there was no way she would have refused something of this kind, Katie Chase. ¡°I can see it in your eyes. I saw it even when you fought to defend me. You¡¯ll do anything to bring the rogues down. How many kids your age have trained themselves well enough to bring down two rogues by this time? You¡¯re different. I can tell within you that a Prometheus gift is awakening. Listen to me, boy. You have talent and there is a way you can put it to good use in a way no one else can. This opportunity doesn¡¯te to anyone. It¡¯s rarer than the gifts you chase for your entire lives and you happened to stumble upon it at the same time as your gift. Take my offer, kid. We could make a difference,¡± the man¡¯s words only sealed his decision. After staying silent for a while, Jeremiah spoke up, ¡°You knew I was going to ept before you even said a word, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I hoped you would. Besides, I¡¯ve been looking for someone I could work with far longer than you can imagine,¡± the man confessed, ¡°you might just be the person I¡¯ve been looking for.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to be buttered up with more sweet words. I¡¯ll take you up on your offer, Mr...¡± ¡°My name is Sean Sirius. You will find working with me to have its perks,¡± the man replied. This was how the two men met. And it was this partnership that led to a series of events. Following the events of Jeremiah¡¯s bravery, his family was granted a rank of nobility and a good share of the prince¡¯s fortune as gratitude for saving the man from the rogues in the woods. The appearance of his Prometheus gift was only proof that he had indeed put his life on the line to protect the man in the woods. ..... He was dered a hunter not long after... The prince then introduced him to the world of the shadows. After proving his worth to the rogue king, he was sent by the rogue king as a spy against the royals. He was the one asset of the rogue king that could be allowed to sneak through the hunters. The rogue King, being a busy man, rarely had jobs for the boy and he spent a while simply training and getting more and more lethal at his craft with a bow. Seeing his worth, the rogue king started to send him on more missions where he was to make sure to keep the hunters in line. He performed his jobs well and helped the rogues escape where necessary, however, what he learnt about them only proved more troubling than anything else he ever thought he¡¯d witness. He learnt of the hunter¡¯s patrol routes beforehand and gave the information to the rogues. To keep his hands clean, he also caused coincidences such as fire rms to get the humans moving so much that none of them would be in danger from the rogues. ....... Jeremiah told them the biggest part of his story to keep the male royal from ripping him to shreds, ¡°Katie, I have a lot I would like to tell you about them, but I haven¡¯t had the chance to do so yet. Believe me when I tell you that you know nothing about them at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Well, before you interrupted us, we were heading to the cell tower to getmunica...¡± ¡°I know where you¡¯re going. I¡¯m just wondering if you have some kind of death wish going that direction,¡± Jeremiah said to her with a deadly serious tone. The tone with which he spoke brought chills down their spines. ¡°Two royals, a beta alpha and two hunters, what do you take us for, boy?¡± Gant argued, oddly disturbed by the boy¡¯s ims. ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be enough to bring down the creature you¡¯re going to find there. And to make matters worse, you can¡¯t kill him without creating another like him somewhere else in this world,¡± Jeremiah sighed, leaning against a tree, ¡°You can¡¯t just rush into this without a n.¡± ¡°Looks like there is a hunter out there with a head on their shoulders,¡± Cole chuckled, ¡°How many rogues are guarding the cell tower?¡± ¡°Huh, wasn¡¯t I clear when I said ¡®creature¡¯?¡± Jeremiah eximed, raising two fingers to make air quotes, ¡°It¡¯s only one rogue there. He¡¯s getting oddly bored waiting for you and he¡¯s very sure you¡¯ll go to him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s just one rogue and you think we won¡¯t be enough for him. Your confidence in the rogues makes me think you¡¯re on their side,¡± Cadenined, having a mental debate on whether the man was really that powerful or whether the spy before him was exaggerating. ¡°Well, I had the chance to live among them for a while. I have seen them in their training. Heed my warning, Katie. You¡¯re impressive in so many ways, but you¡¯re a few years or months behind the skill you need to go against them on your own,¡± Jeremiah repeated his warning. ¡°It¡¯s like the one at the beach. He was far too skilled for a rogue and had no problem facing up against Jason and me. He held his ground and even managed to push us back... Well, that was until three arrows went through his chest,¡± Cole spoke. The admittance of his potential defeat felt like rubbing salt in a wound. Katie finally had a handle on how much they were trying to warn her of the danger before them, ¡°Well then, in that case, we deserve toe up with a n to defeat him or at least subdue him.¡± Katie said to them. Her mind was set on seeing this through. Even after all they had told her about the man before them, she wasn¡¯t fazed by the warnings. It was a look of determination that Jeremiah hade to love about the girl. He knew what it looked like. It was the same as it was back then. The little girl that didn¡¯t know the meaning of the words ¡®give up,¡¯ ¡°That same look of determination is the reason I shot you with four arrows back then.¡± Without saying much about why he¡¯d done it, cole could already understand what he meant by the words, ¡°So she was really up against the rogue king and his two beta alphas and still nning to fight him with a boy on her back?¡± ¡°Yes, I could tell her muscles were screaming for relief and yet her eyes and growl only screamed ¡®I¡¯ming through...¡¯ The rogue king was going to kill her for sure had she taken a step closer to him. So I shot her with four arrows to get her away from the rogue king¡¯s reach and also to get Kyle off her back. That is what they hade for that night. They would have killed her that night if it hadn¡¯t been for the hunter that made it only secondster and Lina who wasn¡¯t far behind. ¡°You used arrows bathed in wolfsbane. How do you exin that?¡± Caden asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t have any other arrows to use. If I¡¯d chosen to clean them, she would have been killed while I was cleaning them. I took a risk that night... I¡¯m d she¡¯s standing before me right now because of it,¡± Jeremiah exined. More questions swarmed the girl¡¯s mind, but she kept them to herself. After all, at the moment, they were all scolding her for her reckless tendencies, ¡°This time will be different.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like talking to a brick wall,¡± Jeremiahmented, falling to his knees. Chapter 239 239 Chapter Two Hundred Thirty Nine Thorrin rushed through the forest beyond the capital of Lycaon, keeping track of all the major rogue general signatures in his mind. As it seemed, the rogue king had split his forces into toons and spread them around the capital to spread the attention of the hunters. Taking calcted routes with the Thunderp on his tail, the two men rushed through the scores of rogues bringing down as many as they could that stood in their way. The forest echoed with the sound of thunder from the two beings that tore through it, bringing an end to scores of rogues. However, the numbers were far too many for any of them to count they kept going forward with only one being in mind. Finally feeling his presencee closer, Thorrin came to a stop right before they reached a clearing. Jim stopped right next to him. The rogues werepletely gone from this part of the forest. There wasn¡¯t a single general near them from what Thorrin could tell. ¡°What is it, Thorrin?¡± Jim asked, wiping his de of the blood that covered it. ¡°He¡¯s toying with us. The rogue king ordered all his generals to leave him alone,¡± he replied. ¡°What? Why would he do such a thing? Are you telling me the bastard is out there on his own right now?¡± Jim panicked. ¡°No, he¡¯s not alone. There is one other that¡¯sparable to him in power. His beta alpha, no doubt about it,¡± Thorrin spoke up. We¡¯ll have to be very careful here. We can¡¯t just charge in without a n. ¡°A n... that¡¯s a new oneing from you,¡± Jim chuckled. ¡°Yeah, well, it¡¯s not much of a n than an insurance strategy,¡± the man said before pulling two katanas from his coat, ¡°I won¡¯t be using my bare hands this time.¡± ¡°Are you sure you know how to use those things?¡± Jim asked him with a raised brow. ¡°WHAT??? Of course, I know how to use them. I am called the Perfect Warrior for a reason. There isn¡¯t a weapon in existence that I can¡¯t use,¡± the man argued, feeling highly insulted. ..... ¡°Whatever you say, man, just be careful where you wave that thing,¡± Jim flipped him off. ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be a problem. We are going to separate the two of them. You¡¯ll take the beta alpha and I¡¯ll take the rogue king,¡± Thorrin suggested. Jim turned to his friend and yelled at the top of his voice, ¡°That¡¯s your big n?¡± Thorrin backed up, ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s wrong with it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s bonkers, you idiot. It would never work for...¡± ¡°Would you two juste out here already? You know we can hear everything you¡¯re saying. Oh for crying out loud, they are like a couple,¡± a deep voice resonated from the clearing. The power from the being that spoke out loud was undeniable and it sent shivers through the two Mighty Warriors. They both came out of the woods to meet arge man standing next to one that wasn¡¯t so bulky. The less bulky man, despite the appearance, bore blue eyes and radiated a more dangerous aurapared to that of his beta alpha beside him, ¡°So, that¡¯s him, huh. He really isn¡¯t one of the members of the royal family after all.¡± Jim observed. The Perfect Warrior turned to look at his fellow hunter with a raised brow, ¡°What gave it away?¡± ¡°Well, there has been all this talk about his n to kill the king of Lycaon so that he would gain some sort of power, but I never thought it would be true. Come on, you can¡¯t tell me you weren¡¯t the least bit curious?¡± Jim asked him. ¡°It¡¯s that kind of doubt that I wanted to sow out of the hunters so that we could all work as a single unit,¡± Thorrin said to him. ¡°And yet here you are, facing the Rogue King on your own. Do you really think the two of you could face me and live to tell the tale?¡± the man¡¯s deep voice came again. ¡°Oh, we are more than capable of putting you in your ce?¡± Thorrin replied. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think that to be urate one bit. I do admire your confidence before me, however. The way you bicker like a couple before me is simply astounding. I haven¡¯t seen something of the sort in so many decades. Armies havee after me and they have never seeded even with the power of Prometheus at their fingertips and they have failed. I don¡¯t see how the two of you can...¡± just as the man was still talking, the loudest thunderp burst through the forest. Thorrin was right above the man within the blink of an eye. It was as though he¡¯d just appeared from thin air. His katana was already taking its path through the air aimed at the man¡¯s neck. Everything seemed too slow for the two of them... ¡®The entire world has wanted to know of the day that youe down. Might as well be in the middle of an obnoxious speech just as the one you are making right now.¡¯ An unknown force yanked at Thorrin¡¯s coat right when he thought he¡¯d make the cut, yanking him backwards with more force than he¡¯d ever had the chance to experience from another being. The Perfect Warrior flipped through the air, obeying the pull that had just been exerted on him and steadied himself as he flew back in the direction he¡¯d juste. His hands shivered with the katanas in his grip... He¡¯d just been tossed back even at the breakneck speed he¡¯d been using and the beta alpha that had done it had made it look like a walk in the park. ¡°The hunters these days don¡¯t even have the manners to listen to a man while he¡¯s talking,¡± the rogue king spoke, running his hand across his neck. A drop of blood seemed to trickle from a cut made by the katana before healing right before their eyes, ¡°You got quite close... although, I don¡¯t think that could have helped you if I¡¯d decided to move.¡± ¡°Thorrin, what did I just see?¡± Jim asked him, gripping his own de until his knuckles turned white. ¡°You better believe your eyes, Jim. These two are on a level all on their own...¡± to the rogues, he yelled, ¡°How... How is it that you can manage to attain so much power without a blessing from a god?¡± ¡°Oh, so you haven¡¯t noticed have you? The colour of our eyes only tells us how much power the goddess we are able to ess through the gift she gave us. Your own Man god values the ingenuity of the humans far more than the power they seek, so it is quite clear that he gave you part of what our goddess gave us to even the ying field. Your powers are no more than a cheap mockery of what the werewolves were blessed with. After all, we are the apex predators and the hunters of the wild. It¡¯s ironic honestly... to think humans could ever dream of standing a chance against us,¡± the man went on, narrating stories as though he really enjoyed the sound of his voice. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many stories you have to tell. Today will be the day that you meet your end or at least today will be that day that you see your shady empire tumble to the ground,¡± Thorrin argued, gripping his des with firmer. This time when he got reached the man, the beta alpha hadpletely blocked his way. The speed at which the creature moved astounded him. Switching his de strokes, he made ateral sh aiming for the beta alpha. With a swifter movement than Thorrin had anticipated, the man got down to the ground just in time to dodge the des. Instincts kicked as the Perfect Warrior let go of the des and leapt back, reaching for a throwing knife within his coat. The beta alpha was right on top of him before he could throw them. His face was locked in an expressionless face... ¡®No, it was a face that someone only wore when they were confident of their abilities. Thorrin dug deeper into his abilities in an attempt to move faster than he already was. Retrieving items from his coat seemed to be a waste of time as it offered an opening every time he did it. The two men soon got involved in a fist fight, the two of them locked in a blurry draw. Shivers went through Jim¡¯s spine as he watched movements that even his experienced eyes couldn¡¯t quite follow. ¡°If you can¡¯t even deal a decisive blow to my beta alpha, I don¡¯t see what makes you think you can fight me,¡± the rogue king spoke up in a bored tone. A grunt of pain reached Jim¡¯s ears and he looked back to see Thorrin¡¯s body stuck in the bark of trees several metres from the beta alpha. The Perfect Warrior pulled himself from the Thorrin-shaped groove and dropped to the ground on all fours coughing and trying to regain his bearings, ¡°How is he, Thane?¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s definitely more powerful than any of the ones I¡¯ve met. The generals weren¡¯t lying when they said there was one of them that was worth fighting,¡± Thane responded. Jim was beside the Perfect Warrior in a sh, helping him up, ¡°Hey, that looked like it hurt. Are you okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s surprising how you can worry about me when the enemy is right in front of us,¡± Thorrin replied amidst his coughing fit. He turned to the side a spit a considerable amount of blood, ¡°Damn it... we can¡¯t heal as they do. We are at the disadvantage here.¡± ¡°I can only tend to you because these two are acting like we are mere flies to them. They wouldn¡¯t even think of a sneak attack as we would,¡± Jim said. ¡°Why would we do such a thing? It¡¯s useless,¡± Thane spoke up, his deep voice punctuating his confidence in the power he bore. ¡°The higher-ups made an impossible request of me, Jim,¡± Thorrin said to his friend. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Jim asked. ¡°We were asked to capture the rogue king alive. I never thought the man himself would be as powerful as what we face today. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to fulfil that request,¡± Thorrin announced, opening the top buttons of his coat. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re finally seeing to reason. You would never be able to defeat...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be killing him here and now,¡± the Perfect warrior¡¯s voice cut through the clearing stopping the man in his speech. A pungent smell made its way to the rogue king¡¯s nose. Thorrin held a small knife in his hand and had shed his coat. However, the knife wasced with far too much wolfsbane. ¡°I see the gloves havee off...¡± the rogue king said in a more serious tone. He could tell the man had changed his entire opinion of the situation they were in, ¡°Maybe now you¡¯ll fight like half the descent warrior worthy of fighting me.¡± Chapter 240 240 Chapter Two Hundred Forty Evelyn watched the battlefield before her, the sound of thunderps filling the forest time after time, sending fear through the rogues that heard them. The hunters were holding their own at the moment, however, her senses began to tell her something else. The rogues had begun to spread out. She took note of the powerful signatures within each group. It was soon clear that they were forming a strategy and had leaders within them. ¡°She got her transmitter and hit a button on it,¡± The rogues are spreading out. They seek to find new entrances into the capital. She said into the mouthpiece and waited for a response. ¡°With all due respect, Mrs Chase, we¡¯ve got our forces spread quite thin keeping them at bay as it is already. The battle is not looking good. Many of the hunters on the battlefield are starting to get tired already,¡± the hunter on the other side of the phone call spoke up. Without putting up a fight, the woman retrieved her phone from her pocket and made a phone call, ¡°Where are you right now?¡± ¡°Oh,e on, Ms Evelyn. You can¡¯t be that cold to me. You didn¡¯t even greet me,¡± the male voice on the other side of the phone call spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for your antics, Anthony. I asked for your help because you of all people understand the dangers of fighting an army this overwhelming without a n,¡± she said to him. ¡°Yes, I do... and I know the consequences of sending your strongest men ahead instead of using them to protect the many,¡± he said in a more serious tone. ¡°That wasn¡¯t an option in this case. The rogues just keeping... Thorrin thought it would be better if he cut the snake at its head. You know how headstrong he can be,¡± the woman replied. ¡°Yes, I do... In any case, you¡¯re in luck...¡± the man said to her. The sound of a ne reached her ears the moment he said this... In the distance, arge ne was flying heading for the castle. ..... ¡°I knew I could count on you, Anthony. Keep away from the main battle. That¡¯s the least of your worries. The rogues are trying to surround the castle. It¡¯s like the first group was used as a decoy to get the hunters busy. Our defences have been severely weakened,¡± she said to him. ¡°Understood, Evelyn. We¡¯ll do what we can to reinforce the pce¡¯s defences. It would help if you could get some archers to shift their attention from the main battle. After all, they can¡¯t do much there anymore anyway,¡± Anthony spoke up. ¡°Okay then...¡± she replied, turning off the phone she was using to ry the message through the transmitter in her other hand. Watching their reinforcements leap out of the ne and take their positions around the pce, parachuting expertly to their perfect positions, she felt as though she was a tad bit safer. What caused her more worry though... was the powerful rogues that ran with these groups. ........ Anthonynded on the opposite side of the pce, far from the actual fighting and began to detach the parachute from his body. Just as he was taking his chute off, he heard the sound of a growl ahead... He¡¯d been sure there was nothing on this side of the capital. The Great Sirius river, the part of it that crossed the Lycaon capital, cut through the entire city. Anthony decided tond on the bridge and hold his ground, keeping the rogues from getting through to the castle without risking arrows to their sorry hides. ¡°Looks like they figured it out before we could do any real damage. I really don¡¯t get how they are always so fast to detect our ns.¡± The hunter froze at the voice that reached his ears. It sounded like that of a child, ¡°Oh, quiet Benji. Does the word stealth just pass through one ear to the other? Honestly, it¡¯s like your brain is a hollow tube that contains nothing but games at the back of it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re no fun, Samson. I wonder why the master chose to put me with you and not Amanda. She would have humoured me a lot more than you do. It¡¯s just not fair,¡± the childish voice came again. This time, a man and a child came out from the back of a building bickering like children. Before the hunter could tell them off, rogues began to file out of the buildings surrounding the two of them. It was only then that the man noticed the colour of their eyes. The man and the boy both possessed red eyes, ¡®Just great... I had to choose the one ce they would all want to go. Away from the action. Looking to the right, he saw that he¡¯dnded with only two other hunters. Against therge mass of rogues before them, they had one hell of a chore to go through. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve got my work cut out for me,¡± Anthony chuckled. ¡°Not really...¡± the child¡¯s voice came again, but much closer than he¡¯d remember it. Opening his eyes, he was just in time to see the boy soaring through the air with both legs outstretched and aiming at his head. The hunter raised his hands just in time to protect himself. Expecting the weight of a child, he braced himself. However, when the child¡¯s feetnded on his arms, the force wouldn¡¯t stop increasing. The two of them went crushing across the bridge with the boy on top of the hunter, using him like a human skateboard, ¡°Oh my, had he really underestimated me that much?¡± the boy eximed, leaping away from the man on the ground. Anthony got up from his position on the ground and withdrew a knife from his jacket, getting ready to fight the little pest before him. ¡°Oh, you should have done that before I¡¯d hit you the first time. Take a look,¡± the boy said to the man, pointing to something on the man¡¯s body. Anthony brought down his hands and only then noticed a deep bite mark on his forearm bleeding profusely. The boy was next to him while the man was distracted, delivering a surprisingly powerful punch to his gut. ck spots began to fill the man¡¯s vision as he crumpled to the ground. ¡°I really messed up this time, didn¡¯t I?¡± the hunter chuckled, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I was beaten by a child.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not just any child. His methods might be childish, but you didn¡¯t stand a chance against him. Another void spoke up from farther away, ¡°If I were you, I would take a nice long nap.¡± With a kick and a powerful hit to the back of the head, Anthony was knocked out. The other hunters that hadnded next to him seemed to be in a much simr condition, no doubt by the other alpha that they had met. The rogues rushed past the bridge passing the two alphas as they walked past it. ¡°I can¡¯t even keep count of the number of hunters we¡¯ve bitten into now. Their blood tastes so much like the power of the goddess. Our master¡¯s n was pure genius. Our army will not only crush the other, but it will grow more powerful andrger. ¡°You can¡¯t begin to doubt the king¡¯s judgement. Of course, he knew what he was talking about when he gave us those orders,¡± Samson shrugged. ¡°Ohe on... You know the n was perfect just as much as I do,¡± the child said, leaping up to match the height of his peer. ¡°Yes, I know of the rogue king¡¯s brilliance. It¡¯s like no other... As long as we follow him, we shall bring about the end of the human race just like it should have been centuries ago,¡± Samson confirmed. ¡°That¡¯s more like it, Samson-y,¡± the boy cheered, ¡°Although, I was hoping the hunters would be a little bit more powerful than what we¡¯ve so far faced. It¡¯s not fair that the powerful ones rushed on to face the king.¡± ¡°Those were just mere idiots trying their best to meet their graves at such young ages. We have nothing to worry about,¡± Samson replied, ¡°And do not call me, Samson-y.¡± Just as he said it, the two of them went silent as the air was filled with the sound of whizzing arrows. The rogues that had gone ahead of them began to drop dead faster than they thought they wouldst. ¡°They call for reinforcements quite fast. Let¡¯s try to keep our numbers a little bit respectable so that we have enough pawns by the time we get to the king, shall we?¡± ¡°I agree with you...¡± the boy replied as the two of themunched forward to get the archers under control. The archers tried to shoot them, but all their attempts were thwarted as the two abominations snapped their arrows without wasting much time. The rogue alphas would then bite into each archer they found before knocking them out. They moved far too fast for the archers to react in time. Being archers, closebat was not among their talents and they were taken out by the quick and nimble alphas. Both their strength and agility were impossible for them to match in their situations. It only took a matter of moments for the archers to be taken out. ¡°To the castle?¡± Samson asked, wiping the blood from his lips. ¡°After you, Sir Samson the strong,¡± the boy said bowing to let the man past. Samson looked at the pce from atop the roof they stood on. ¡°It¡¯s far too easy. Well, that¡¯s what they get for being too weak. You know they might have stood a chance if they had kept the other werewolves in the capital. The ones they call civilians... yeah, those ones... Would have made for a bigger army for the king?¡± the man said, sliding down the nting roof and leaping to the ground,nding elegantly and continuing their march to the pce. ¡°I know, right. We would have far more wolves to fight that way,¡± the child responded, ¡°Shall I inform the king of our progress?¡± ¡°No, not just yet. Let¡¯s get to the pce entrance first. It¡¯s not that far anyway,¡± Samson replied. Chapter 241 241 Chapter Two Hundred Forty One Seated at the entrance to the somewhatrge facility at the top of a hill, the beta alpha that posed a threat to the wolves in the reserve yawned heavily. Boredom seemed to be tearing away at him, ¡°This sucks. That idiot Thane gets to go along with the master and face far more powerful foes while I stay behind and y the role of babysitter to some kids on a trip. And what¡¯s with that over-confident rogue killer. She¡¯s supposed to be here already,¡± the manined. ¡°I had no idea you were that eager to meet her,¡± a feminine voice tore through the air. The man looked from his spot on the floor with a bored expression and locked eyes with Alice. ¡°You¡¯re not her. I have no interest in fighting you of all people. I want to fight the person famous for the title of Rogue Killer. She must be powerful if she can get a title as scary as that one. Honestly, it gives me shivers just hearing that name. I want to meet her so much. Don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m not a fan or something. I just want to see the look on her face when I beat her to a pulp and reverse the image she¡¯s built this entire time,¡± the man began rambling, standing up from his position on the ground. ¡°Ugh, your delusions are disgusting to listen to,¡± Alice responded, crunching her nose. ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s true,¡± the man responded, stretching his hands. He sniffed the air for a moment with his eyes closed, ¡°I see there are quite a number of you. cing a game of hide-and-seek. I would be led to assume you already know that you can¡¯t win against me. Would you alle out and fight me at once? After all, that is what is going to happen eventually.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not what will happen...¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll die before you have a chance even to get one hit in,¡± the man cut her off in a deadly serious tone for once since he¡¯d begun running his mouth. Seeing that his point had hit home, he continued, ¡°The lot of you are going to die here. However, I don¡¯t want it to be boring, soe out and put up a good fight.¡± ¡°You know how to run your mouth. That¡¯s for sure,¡± another voice came from the woods as Caden revealed his presence to the man. Cole came through after him, ¡°But I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to hold your own against all of us.¡± Gant came out from the woods as well, the four of them surrounding the rogue at once, ¡°If the five of you had a n of some sorts, it¡¯s terribly awful. That¡¯s what I¡¯d expect from a group that has realized they don¡¯t stand a chance against me. Let¡¯s get this over with. I amte for some celebratory news. My victory against the Moon goddess¡¯ chosen and the rogue king¡¯s victory against the hunters in Lycaon.¡± ..... ¡°Rogues can be quite delusional,¡± Cole said through the mind link as he dashed forward. Caden mirrored his movements, the two of them having trained together, fell into sync almost immediately. They were both attacking in alternating turns before long... Gant, astonished by the refined fighting techniques of the two werewolves took a little longer to join them against the rogue, taking a position behind the man to keep him from being pushed backwards. Even against three enemies, the rogue seemed to be holding his own, dodging their attacks easily and weaving through them as though they left wide holes in their defence. For thest person hiding in the woods, she thought her senses were deceived when she detected how fast the man moved. She opened her eyes to see for herself and was distracted long enough to see the man dodge their attacks with unbelievable speed. He was yet to counter them... As she watched at the moment, they were moving far too slow for him and he let them humour themselves with their futile attempts at attacking him. The girl broke drew her bowstring back and tried to feel for a hole in his defences, but only got blocked by them when she realized the man was barely straining. Even with everything he was doing, the man was bound to catch an arrow from her bow, regardless of how fast it was moving. The information was scary and her arm screamed from the strain of the bowstring. ¡°Stick to the n, Katie,¡± Cole¡¯s voice came into her mind, sensing her intentions to join them. ¡°You¡¯re all more pathetic than I could have anticipated,¡± the man said, picking them off one by one, beginning with Gant who went sailing through the air after only one fist to the gut. The man had made it look far too easy... The second to be flung was Caden. The beta alpha had guarded a hit to his face only to receive a powerful kick to his side. Cole tore his attention away from his momentarily fallenrades and switched to a one-on-one fighting style to better cover his defence, ¡°Oh, you seem more formidablepared to the rest, however, you¡¯re still far too young and inexperien...¡± the man¡¯s words stopped when Colepletely ignored his strike to the gut and struck his chin with an uppercut that sent him flying... As the man flew into the air from the force of Cole¡¯s attack, Katie felt an opening and felt her body move almost faster than her decision to fire. Two arrows immediately soared through the air and into the man¡¯s shoulders. ¡®Don¡¯t kill him...¡¯ Jeremiah had warned them. The force of the arrows threw him further back and into the concrete wall that surrounded the cell tower. The man grunted in pain reaching for the arrow in his shoulder. Three more whistling sounds filled the air representing the three arrows that now went through the palm that was trying to reach for an arrow and his two thighs. A look of anger spread across the man¡¯s face as he pulled his shoulder from the wall... Another arrow rang through the air. To Cole¡¯s surprise, the man caught it with his uninjured arms. ¡°Oh well, I¡¯m out of arrows now,¡± Katie said, rushing from the forest and straight for rogue... Right before she could reach him, he broke free of the arrows that pinned him to the wall, letting out an angry roar as he snapped the metal arrowheads,¡± and fell to the ground. Katie stopped just in time to miss the arrow he tried to stab downwards with, his calction deadly urate. Her senses closed off the chance they had to put him down easily. ¡°That was a good try,¡± the man cursed as he pulled the arrows out of his body. The wounds closed up almost as soon as the arrows were taken out. ¡°Yeah, it was definitely a try of some sort,¡± Katie replied, feeling as though their troubles were only beginning. ¡°How is he moving after taking that much damage?¡± Caden groaned as he stood up. ¡°Well, he¡¯s a beta alpha. His healing speed is much faster than that of an ordinary werewolf. He probably doesn¡¯t feel as drained as we¡¯d like,¡± Katie replied. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a beta alpha too, you know,¡± Cadenined, ¡°I don¡¯t think I have as much stamina as this one is demonstrating.¡± ¡°You need more confidence, Caden,¡± Katie said to him. ¡®Ashley, would you like to help me out here?¡¯ Her wolf pushed forward, uniting once more with her human side. Katie¡¯s ears grew longer and white fur came up from her head, trailing down into a tip as it got closer to the tip of her nose. The fur in her head changed the colour of her ck hair and gave it a snow white at the top, leaving the rest that fell down to her back as ck as night. ¡°As I live and breathe... It¡¯s a half shift. Do you have a tail when you do that?¡± the rogue asked, stretching a bit. ¡°WHAT??? Of course, I don¡¯t...¡± the girl responded with a yell. ¡°OH, then I guess it¡¯s notplete just yet which makes you less of a threat than I¡¯d initially thought,¡± the man responded. ¡°You¡¯ll be singing a different tune when we¡¯re done with you,¡± Katie responded with a smirk on her face. The man was about to say something smart in return when the girl was right in front of him. ¡®I forget she can do that...¡¯ he thought to himself as he sidestepped her. To his surprise, the girl pivoted on her foot, immediately adjusting to his evasion so that she was in his blindspot, ¡®She¡¯s well-trained...¡¯ The rogue turned in a smooth arc to match her speed only to find himself in the way of another fist that was headed toward his face. The man quickly got down to avoid her attack, she was totally open... or so he thought, the girl recovered before he could think to attack her. The two of them were involved in this dance for a while, none of them managing tond a hit on the other. To the others that were watching, these two were involved in a blurry exchange that barely made the foggiest sense. It was a stalemate that Cole couldn¡¯t find a way to break. Just as he was about to resign from the battle, he felt his mate¡¯s consciousness invade his, ¡°Cole, I need your help. I can¡¯t beat him on my own.¡± ¡°I can barely follow your movements...¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t really matter. You managed to put a Mighty warrior in the hospital. There is a lot you can do to help in a situation like this. You¡¯re the one who talked of being open-minded. Earlier you managed to make an opening by utilizing that indestructibility of yours... I have an idea...¡± Chapter 242 242 Chapter Two Hundred Forty Two Fighting the alpha at the speed the Rogue Killer was forced to push herself had a nostalgic effect on the hunter. She found that her mind so often reached into her past. She¡¯d been trained by two Chase hunters. One of them, Marie Chase, had been responsible for teaching her everything she knew about martial arts. The lessons with her mother were the most rxing for her. When all was said and done, in a fight that was this fast, the girl was pushed to follow her instincts and depend purely on muscle memory. Thoughts about what she was meant to do to break the enemy¡¯s defences only helped to slow her down. ¡®To think a rogue could achieve this level of mastery over the bnce between agility and strength,¡¯ the girl thought to herself as she vaulted over the beta alpha. It was tempting for her to close her eyes, however, she needed to take in the information so she could react ordingly. After all, she¡¯d been taught to keep an eye when her senses failed her. The beta alpha ced his foot forward and pivoted, using the stray force that would have left him exposed to attack the girl instead with ateral strike aimed at her neck. With his ws extended, this attack would bring her down for sure. Katie was below the level his hand came only a second too soon andunched into a counter. The man¡¯s second hand was in ce to protect him just in time. The two were locked in a fluid motion, each of them looking for an opening. No matter how faster the other tried to go, the other only increased their speed to match them. It seemed as though the fight was now boiling down to which of them was going to hold out more in terms of endurance. Neither of them had the stamina to keep it up forever, but then again, no one could tell just how long they were going to go at it. ¡®Katie, we can¡¯t defeat him on our own. We¡¯ll run out of strength before too long,¡¯ Ashley¡¯s voice rang out in the girl¡¯s mind as they continued their flurry of blocks and counterattacks. ¡®I¡¯m all ears, Ashley,¡¯ the girl replied. ¡®We haven¡¯t revealed to him that we have a Strength Prometheus gift yet. The moment we do, we shall lose the element of surprise. We need help from him...¡¯ the girl said to her. Katie didn¡¯t have to ask who she meant, for the white wolf went slightly out of sync thinking of their mate. ¡®Focus, Ashley,¡¯ Katie yelled mentally as she hit guided a dangerous kick from its intended target, ¡®This man¡¯s hits pack a lot of energy. We can¡¯t bear to slip.¡¯ ¡®Oh, you worry so much, Katie. This man is not even a royal. What do we have to fear from him,¡¯ the wolf replied. ..... ¡®It¡¯s good to hear that you still have your pride as a royal intact,¡¯ Katie replied, ¡®Let¡¯s try to sync with Cole. He might be able to help us with this.¡¯ ¡®You mean the same thing we did with that girl earlier,¡¯ the wolf asked, ¡®Do you think it will work again?¡¯ ¡®It will if we close our eyes. It¡¯s only then that we can share our senses. To think we found that out just earlier tonight,¡¯ the girl scoffed internally. Just as she was crouching low to dodge one of the man¡¯s deadly kicks to the side, she felt her thigh muscles start to scream out in pain, ¡®And we have to hurry. We don¡¯t have much time left.¡¯ The two of them hadpletely ignored their surroundings to keep their minds in the fight. Their lives depended on it. From what the girl had witnessed before joining in. The beta alpha was indeed powerful enough to take them all down. It all depended on staying at her best until the opportunity to bring him down presented itself. Clearing her mind, she allowed her senses to feed the information about her opponent into her mind. It was only when she felt as though her eyes were providing her with second-hand information that she closed them and started fighting on pure instinct. It was also then that she began to feel the presence of those that around her. Her mate stood not far from them with his fists clenched. The mate bond fed her with the emotions of someone who wanted to help so dearly. A smile graced the girl¡¯s face as she pivoted around the beta alpha, diverting one of his fists andpletely switching positions with him. It was like a dance the two were involved in at some point. However, gripping was only bound to get you killed. ... Cole wondered what his mate meant when she contacted him during her fight. Although his feelings were immediately snuffed out when he began to feel his mate¡¯s impulses down to thest letter. He could tell how many decisions she was forced to make in every second that the two of them fought. He could tell that she was only trying to keep herself from meeting one of his more than mortifying blows. Cole might not have been as fast as the creatures before him, but he did feel as though there was something he could do. His wolf surged forward in an attempt to aid him instead of distracting him, ¡°Don¡¯t fight your wolf, Cole. Let him forward.¡± ¡°How is that even supposed to work? My wolfing forward only means me going to the back,¡± he replied. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t always mean that,¡± Katie replied. ¡°Are you going to teach me something about werewolves in the middle of a fight,¡± the royal asked his mate astounded that she could even talk to him while fighting for her life. ¡°Well, to be honest, I can only talk to you because we are fighting as one right now. So it¡¯s like I¡¯m thinking to myself,¡± the girl replied. Cole remained silent for a moment before realizing what she meant. His impulses kicked in and he began to circle the two brawling werewolves. Katie moved more than the beta alpha, using what Cole was now sure to be her Agility gift to keep on her toes and out of reach of the man¡¯s deadly attacks. Almost like a bell, heunched into motion aiming for the beta alpha who was entranced by his mate. The rogue barely noticed when a fist connected with his side, the force of the impact sending him tumbling. Katie vanished and picked the man by his heel before he had the chance to react. The girl was spinning on her heel, holding the bulky man by his foot as though he weighed nothing. Cole picked up on her next intention and aimed at the man¡¯s swinging body with a round kick that connected with the man¡¯s face, knocking him fast unconscious with a sickening crunch. Katie dropped the man immediately and fell to her knees, panting heavily. The quick and nimble female hunter that had apanied them rushed to the man and stabbed his thighs and shoulders with des that reeked of the poison all werewolves dreaded. The reaction of the wolfsbane immediately stained all the veins at the wounds and turned them a sickening dark purple as had been the final step of their n. Alice got up, breathing a sigh of relief and turned to the cell tower, ¡°I can¡¯t believe what I¡¯ve just witnessed. That man was extremely powerful and you took him down. I guess you can back up your confidence when you put your mind to it,¡± she said to the tired hunter. ¡°I don¡¯t think I got him because I am well-trained in...¡± the girl¡¯s panting voice was stopped by the sound of a generator kicking back to life. ¡°You¡¯re right, my daughter. The rogue was not fighting at his best. And here I was thinking you had gone soft after all this time,¡± a voice interrupted them. Katie¡¯s eyes went wide with recognition. She¡¯d known the voice all her life and didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be hearing from the same person so soon. The crew looked up and noticed a female hunter standing atop the concrete wall. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail and she donned on a coat and full leather wearmonly used by hunters that bore the agility gift. ¡°Marie... Is that you?¡± Alice¡¯s voice took the words from Katie¡¯s mouth. She looked between the two of them and saw more than a look of recognition. ¡°It¡¯s been long, Alice,¡± Aunt Marie responded, leaping from the top of the wall andnding right before the woman. The two of them engulfed each other in a warm hug, tears flowing from both their eyes. ¡°Far too long, Marie. You don¡¯t even look a day older than thest time Ist saw you,¡± Alice responded. ¡°And you¡¯ve grown into quite the fine young woman,¡± Aunt Marie responded. ¡°Not nearly as strong as the young hunter I witnessed today,¡± the woman replied, beckoning to the tired royal on the ground. Cole had taken his ce beside her and began to search her for any injuries. Just as he¡¯d thought, the girl was covered in numerous bruises that stung to touch. ¡°Well, she¡¯s one of a kind. You might want topare yourself with normal hunters,¡± Marie chuckled. Right when Katie was about to ask them what was going on, her senses red up, warning her of iing enemies. Footsteps came rushing through the woods. Katie got ready only to see Jeremiah bursting through the woods with sweat staining his face. He was breathing very badly and looked like he might die from pure exhaustion. What kept Katie from worrying about the spy was how spotless he was. There was barely a scratch on him, ¡°Katie, he called the rest of them,¡± he said after copsing before him. ¡°That was what I was about to tell them. Long time no see, Jeremiah,¡± Aunt Marie spoke up, chuckling at the boy¡¯s state, ¡°You¡¯re looking quite fine yourself.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mrs Chase. I would like to ask when it was that you got here, but there are roguesing this way. Although they are not as many as the dead ones in the forest,¡± the man responded, panting even louder and more dramatically, ¡°Those of us graced with strength were never meant to run this much.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so rxed for someone who just came to warn us about an enemy. Speaking of which, where did those roguese from?¡± Katie asked, chuckling at the man who¡¯d copsed before her. The stinging from her bruises began to heal unnaturally fast that she was forced to look at the man rubbing circles into her forearm. ck veins were spreading across his palm on every spot that made contact with her skin. ¡°No, you don¡¯t get to use that power,¡± she snapped, pping away his hand or more like trying to p away his hand. ¡°You don¡¯t seem that worried?¡± he asked. ¡°Well, that¡¯s because we handled pretty much everything this busy body was going to put herself through tonight. The sun will rise soon... I only hope it rises with all this behind us,¡± Marie spoke. A groaning sound beside them caught their attention. The hunters and werewolves looked toward their enemy on the ground. The man was already stirring and his nose had already healed, ¡°That¡¯s some major resilience. I¡¯m d the wolfsbane seems to be doing its job.¡± The man looked about him and resigned to his position on the ground. With his hands and legs paralyzed, there was nothing he could do, ¡°Why did you call for reinforcements?¡± Katie asked. ¡°It¡¯s pointless for us to keep fighting now...¡± the beta alpha let his head roll over to the side, his eyesnding on the one thing the rogues had dreaded since the beginning of their battle against the rest of the world. The mark on Katie¡¯s neck and everything it stood for... With that said, the man¡¯s eyes seemed to go very still almost as though they didn¡¯t bear the energy to make sense of the light that went into them. Marie walked up to him and put her index and middle finger to the man¡¯s neck... ¡°He¡¯s just out cold although... I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve felt a pulse this slow before. It¡¯s almost like the soul has lost all drive to keep living...¡± Chapter 243 243 Chapter Two Hundred Forty Three Evelyn was standing by the balcony when she heard the distinct sound of unfurling parachutes in the air. The hunters werending in their chosen positions. However, what she got her attention was the one that seemed to be aiming for the same balcony she was standing on. The woman stepped away from it and allowed the woman parachuting tond there, ¡°Would you care to exin why you chose a ce as guarded as this one?¡± The woman who hadnded barely allowed herself the time to get the parachute off herself. In quick haste, she responded, ¡°It¡¯s not as guarded as you might think. The bridge has been breached and the archers that were sent to help have been taken out. It happened so fast that I had the chance to change my destination. I had to bring warning to the pce,¡± the woman responded, ¡°They areing and they are powerful.¡± ¡°Who was at the bridge?¡± Evelyn asked. ¡°Anthony was at the bridge. I couldn¡¯t believe what I saw and I couldn¡¯t follow it quite like I normally do,¡± the woman replied. Evelyn closed her eyes and took in their surroundings through her other senses. The woman spoke the truth about theing enemy. They walked at a pace of their own and made progress towards the castle, snuffing out whoever came before them as though there wasn¡¯t a hunter that could stop them. Upon sensing their presence, the hunter could tell these weren¡¯t normal rogues even though they seemed to be the only rogues that were making progress. The others as powerful as these two weren¡¯t moving any closer to the pce which gave the woman some sort offort. ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll have to y it smarter. Bring me a good bow and four quivers,¡± the woman ordered before walking off with a new destination in mind. Evelyn exited the pce and took to the streets of the capital in search of a high tower and to keep her senses on the iing alphas. When she found the tower she was looking for, she climbed up to the top as quickly as she could mimicking the agility of a cat as she scaled the building. Catching her breath at the top of the t-topped tower, Evelyn picked her transmitter and tuned it to a different frequency, ¡°Micah, you¡¯re going to...¡± the woman was stopped when her brother spoke from the other side almost immediately, barely giving her time to exin anything. ¡°Yeah, I heard you went out on your own to fight those monsters. What are you thinking Evelyn? You might be strong, but you¡¯re not on the same level as Thorrin or Jim. They had trouble with those monsters years ago. Have you already forgotten?¡± the man argued with her. ¡°I know what I¡¯m getting myself into, Micah. You don¡¯t have to lecture me about it. But they¡¯ve already cut through our defences on this side of the capital. We¡¯re cornered and they¡¯ll make it to the king in no time if nothing is done about this,¡± she replied, filling her voice with all the determination she could muster even though her nerves only got worse the more she felt the enemy draw near. ¡°Protect the king, Micah. You¡¯re thest line of defence against the rogues.¡± ..... ¡°What does it matter? I can tell Thorrin already got to the king. My senses don¡¯t fool me one bit. No good news hase back from him yet. If he can¡¯t bring that guy down, then this is all for nothing,¡± Micah said to her. ¡°Get a grip, Micah. Haven¡¯t you noticed?¡± ¡°Noticed what?¡± the man¡¯s voice came surprised. ¡°This is the biggest gathering of hunters in history. The oue of this fight cannot be defeat. Otherwise, the whole world is forfeit. Protect the king and under no circumstances are you to let them into his chambers,¡± Evelyn ordered, determination pouring into her as she did. She switched off the transmitter and turned her eyes on the attackers going through. The first rogues toe through were average wolves that she downed without a second thought. She had an arrow ready almost immediately after letting one fly. Her speed made it seem like she was barely moving her hand from the bow. The smell of burning rubber hit her nose as the friction wore away at her gloves. She was done with most of the rogues without breaking a sweat. Her senses told her she had snuffed out most of them, but something waspletely wrong. Her eyes darted about the scene in search of the source of the odd feeling in her stomach. From the same streets that had only previously poured out numerous rogues, a man walked into view with a smirk on his face. He turned his face to her and smirked, his eyes reflecting the malice in his heart that chilled her to the bone. ¡°Why does he always have to steal the spotlight from me?¡± a childish voice came from behind her. The woman¡¯s body went stiff with fear... there was nothing childish about the voice behind her for the being that bore it only held the worst of intentions towards her and she could sense all his bloodlust. ...... Not far from the main battlefront, another pair of huntersnded. These two hadn¡¯t seen each other in a while and were now getting the chance to fight together once again. They were both sure there was nothing they couldn¡¯t handle for as long as they fought together. After all, they hade to be known as the dynamic duo of hunters. ¡°Ouch, that was one roughnding,¡± the man groaned as he got up from the ground. He had brought along with him a backpack that had weighed him down, bringing him to the ground much faster than the chute was supposed to bring him. ¡°Well, it was you that decided to bring that thing along with you. Now I suggest you get ready before it¡¯s toote. I don¡¯t want to have to be the one to bring you to your senses, Frost,¡± the woman said to him. ¡°Oh, you know I¡¯m always ready for something like this,¡± Frost smirked, opening his backpack and retrieving the object of his steep descent. From the backpack, he retrieved a weapon madepletely of metal. A long chain trailed out and soon enough, from the bag emerged tworge spiked balls attached to the chain from both sides. On all spikes was a protective rubber cone to keep it from cutting through the bag while he carried it which he began to take off at fast as he could. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it, Jackeline?¡± the man asked the woman. ¡°Yes, it has... and it has been even longer since thest time you chose to use that as your weapon in battle,¡± the woman replied with a smirk. The woman was about to say more to him when a growl came from within the forest on their side of the capital, ¡°Just when you think you finally got some time alone...¡± she sighed, retrieving her bow and aiming at the rogues that soon enough began to rush out of the woods. The woman shot as fast as she could, taking out a total of seven before she dropped the bow and reached for the swords at her sides, ¡°Feels just like old times, Frost,¡± the woman smirked. Frost was by her side in no time, the two of them getting into sync just in time. The two hunters fought in coordination with each other. The woman did the precise shing that finished their opponents while the man bashed them with his deadly weapon. The two of them were almost always back to back and they spun into the centre of the fighting without a problem. Two beings walked out from the cover of the trees and watched the two of them fighting. Even when the rogues threatened to overwhelm them with numbers, the spiked balls were working their fastest to keep a sphere of protection around the two warriors, ¡°One would expect those two to fall easily with all these overwhelming numbers we have,¡± the male spoke up. The female, Amanda, took a short pause as she recognized the fighting female, ¡®That idiot was supposed to stay away from the fighting...¡¯ ¡°General, is there something on your mind?¡± the male asked her when he noticed her spacing out. ¡°Huh... um, no. It¡¯s nothing, Br. Those two might prove to be a problem to the armies we brought to infiltrate the enemy from this side of the capital, don¡¯t you think?¡± she asked him. ¡°Oh, no, they won¡¯t pose a problem. The only ones that were bound to cause us any trouble decided to go after the king himself. To be perfectly honest, I think they would have had a better chance of bringing us down if they had focused on bringing down the generals first with their strongest. But in the end, there wouldn¡¯t have been much of a difference. Our king is on a different level. They can¡¯t bring him down even if they tried...¡± ¡°Yeah...¡± the woman paused, ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± The rogues before them stopped attacking and started to back up. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you all starting to get scared?¡± Jackeline yelled at them. That was before she spotted the generals by the treeline. Her eyes shed with recognition of one of them. It was Amanda, however, the expression on her face suggested she was hostile at the moment. Aside from the fact that she had seen her not so long ago and had seen apletely different side of her, this had just switched from a matter of kill or be killed to utter maybe-kill-or-maybe-be-killed drama, ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me right now.¡± ¡°What is it, Jackeline?¡± Frost asked her from her back, keeping his eyes on the rogues on his side. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s in my ce to say,¡± the woman replied. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to...¡± the man was stopped by the voice of Br. ¡°Hey, Amanda. That woman is acting like she¡¯s seen you before. Have you fought a weakling like her before?¡± the man asked. ¡°Something like that... I was sure she¡¯d kicked the bucket back then. I guess some hunters never stay dead,¡± the woman replied, hoping the hunter would get the message to keep her cover. Jackeline looked about her and saw the looks she was getting from all the rogues. They all just wanted to see her dead. The more she thought of it, the stupider it sounded, ¡°Good thing the rogue king didn¡¯t tell us to kill the strong ones. They will be a nice force to add to his army.¡± Amanda added. This only offended Jackeline more... ¡°What the hell, Amanda? Is that supposed to make me feel any better?¡± ¡°For the goddess¡¯ sake, this is too much of a hassle,¡± Amanda sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. ¡°What feels like a...¡± Br was stopped when a hand went straight through his throat without much warning... ¡°Just keep quiet and slowly descend to the depths of hell, Br,¡± she cut him off. The rogues shifted their attention to the general, fear spreading through them. Br choked on the blood that spilt into his windpipe. Unable to speak and losing much blood, he could only sumb to the darkness of death that took him momentster. ¡°Jackeline... What¡¯s going on?¡± Frost asked. ¡°I¡¯ll exin it allter. Right now, I ask that you help me wipe out every single rogue in this group,¡± the woman said to him leaping back to her bow. She started firing as fast as she could, aiming at the ones furthest from her. Frost, having fought beside the woman for a long time, immediately read her actions and began to wipe them out as fast as he could, his spiked balls flying through them faster than any of them could react. On the other side of the rogues was a general who seemed to have turned against them. The first ones to try and flee had felt she was still on their side only to get taken out in a few swift attacks. The three beings began to take them out, blocking all their exits and making quick work of them. Those that almost escaped were shot with poisoned arrows to vital spots that they didn¡¯t make it that far. Chapter 244 244 Chapter Two Hundred Forty Four Frost let his spiked balls fall to the ground, his muscles screaming in pain after the exertion he¡¯d put himself through. He was panting badly and could barely keep himself standing. Blood stained his clothes as his method of fighting had proved to be messy when taking out the enemy. The upside to using his deadly spheres was that even when they didn¡¯t offer a killing blow, they rendered the enemy unable to keep fighting after the first attack. ¡°This just got a lot moreplicated,¡± Amanda¡¯s voice reached their ears, ¡°What are you doing here? You were supposed to flee after I gave you the king¡¯s ns.¡± ¡°What are you doing here? You looked like you were ready to kill us,¡± Jackeline yelled back at the alpha. Amanda held her tongue before replying, failing to meet her eyes, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been the first hunters I would have killed.¡± Frost went on full guard at the suggestion, ¡°Jackeline, get away from her. She¡¯s dangerous.¡± Jackeline backed away from the woman as the man suggested, although she didn¡¯t feel like fighting her, ¡°Frost, she¡¯s the one I told you about. The person who told me everything about the rogue king¡¯s ns.¡± ¡°What...¡± he eximed, fear shing in his eyes, ¡°No, that¡¯s not how verified information is collected, Jackeline.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t lie about any of it. However, at the time, I didn¡¯t know about the king¡¯s ns to invade the capital. In other words, I didn¡¯t know his battle n,¡± Amanda pleaded. ¡°Rogues don¡¯t have a battle n. They just attack until there is nothing left in their path,¡± Frost argued. ..... ¡°Oh, you misunderstand. Rogues do have ns. Well, those of us that climbed the ranks and know what to do with the others. Most of the time, the rogues that end up dying in an attack were only decoys, like the pawns you see at your feet. These are all decoys that the king can just throw around. Their overwhelming numbers are what makes them invaluable to him when he¡¯s carrying out a n like this.¡± ¡°How many of them are they?¡± Frost asked. ¡°That¡¯s not quite the problem right now. It¡¯s what he has nned now. To turn all the hunters that are opposing him into rogues. The army that he can raise from that kind of army will simply be catastrophic, not to mention what he stands to gain from killing the king of Lycaon,¡± Amanda spoke up. ¡°What about you? Which side are you on? You were clearly going to kill us just now,¡± Frost said to her, with a hint of resentment. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to kill you. I was going to knock you out and leave my bite in you. That was the king¡¯s orders after all,¡± she corrected, ¡°However, I would have never thought the first hunter I would run into would be the only one that knows my secrets. I only had two choices really. Either I killed you before you said a word, or killed Br and im he was killed when he got careless with the enemy. I chose to...¡± ¡°What are we doing talking to a rogue like they can be reasoned with? Honestly, Jackeline, what¡¯s been going on?¡± Frost cut Amanda short when he got bored listening to her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you hear her out? She¡¯s not a rogue by choice,¡± Jackeline argued. ¡°That¡¯s literally the same case for all of them. There is no rogue that chooses to be a rogue. They just get bitten and inherit the will of the alpha that bit them. Then go on rampages killing everything in their path,¡± Frostid it out as simply as he could. ¡°Some are born into it, Frost. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve already forgotten about Ashley. Didn¡¯t her existence teach you anything about what a rogue¡¯s life is like? If they happen to resent that life, there is nothing that keeps them from finding a way out if they are strong enough,¡± Jackeline argued. ¡°Don¡¯t pull that card on me, Jackeline. You¡¯ve not always been this soft on rogues before. You can¡¯t start now when you were the one who witnessed what they did to Katie with your own eyes,¡± he countered. ¡°You¡¯re not even listening to me, are you? It¡¯s like we are going in a loop. You just saw her killing rogues and you have the audacity to doubt her,¡± Jackeline argued. To this, Frost had no argument. He looked between the woman staring dangerously at him and the rogue she was defending. Amanda wasn¡¯t in the least bit bothered by their argument. In fact, she was poking one of the dead wolves before them, ¡°Are you guys done already? You must like each other very much.¡± ¡°Huh, w-what gives you... that i-idea?¡± Jackeline¡¯sposure crumbled immediately. The woman shifted her attention to the red-eyed rogue. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen something so obvious in my life. Anyway, it¡¯s not my ce to judge whatever way you choose tomunicate your emotions to each other. As I was saying earlier, the rogues have nned to turn each and every one of the hunters here into rogues. I didn¡¯t know the hunters were this weak, but then again, Samson did tell me about his encounter with one of the Mighty Warriors. They really are as weak as they im to be,¡± the woman said, ending her poking charade and getting up to meet their eyes. ¡°What are you going to do now? We won¡¯t exactly let you through to attack the capital,¡± Frost asked her. ¡°You trust far too...¡± ¡°I trust Jackeline. Not you. Let¡¯s make that perfectly clear. You¡¯ve offered me no reason to trust you,¡± Frost cut her off harshly. The rogue general looked about the battlefield as though pointing out all the proof they needed. When her gesture didn¡¯t make sense to the man, she sighed, ¡°Whatever helps you sleep at night. If I can¡¯t go back to my king and if I can¡¯t proceed to the pce, there is only one option left for me to do.¡± ¡°and what might that be?¡± Jackeline asked her. ¡°I¡¯ll help you put an end to this war...¡± the woman said, looking onto the capital before her, ¡°Before things take a turn for the worst. The rogues were ordered to leave all the hunters alive and leave the generals to mark them while they were unconscious.¡± ¡°I got that part, but how is it supposed to help us in the long run?¡± Jackeline asked her. ¡°Well, to be perfectly honest with you, the only way the rogue king would put an end to this was if thest two people that stand in his way achieved what they were brought into this world to do. The power to strip the wolves of the abilities that make them the perfect tool to annihte all humans...¡± ¡°Stop speaking in riddles and skip over to the part where we do something about all this,¡± Frost groaned. ¡°We have to get the moon goddess¡¯ chosen to mark each other before the king of Lycaon dies. The rogue king has been pulling strings with his spies... trying to y it safe, but when he heard of the king¡¯s illness, he changed the game. He stopped trying to keep Cole and Katie apart and decided to just kill them and the king of Lycaon. Kill three birds with one stone, he called it,¡± the woman finished. ... Micah could tell when it was that his sister stopped responding to her surroundings. He sensed the very moment she was taken out and began preparing for the worst. ¡°Honestly, Evelyn, what were you thinking?¡± he cursed before turning to the security detail that filled the floor on which the king was being taken care of. What her sister had done was get rid of all the wolves that surrounded the two powerful figures that were making their way toward the pce. ¡°Everyone better get ready. The enemy is finally upon us. On this day, we put our lives on the line to protect what we always have. Mankind... While protecting the king certainly is an indirect way to it, it sure is a way to make sure we don¡¯t lose the war against the rogues. Lend me your strength in fighting the enemy that approaches us. I ask that you all pull out all the stops. It doesn¡¯t matter how much of your gifts you expend, unless you intend to kill particr foes, nothing will work against them...¡± ¡°Oh, I do love a good speech,¡± a voice rumbled through the halls, shutting the hunter up, ¡°Honestly, making it to this point has been one boring walk, hasn¡¯t it, Benji?¡± Just then, the boy made his presence clear at the opposite side of the hall... almost half the security detail had already been downed and none of them had noticed the swift movements of the rogues before them. Micah, quickly getting serious, reached into the insides of his coat and thrust the poisoned knives he could find from within its pockets. The boy moved faster than he had anticipated, dodging all of them with a series of leaps through the air. He moved very fast and used anything he could find, from a hunter in his way to the walls on both sides of him. The chandeliers at the ceiling seemed to be part of the things he could reach as well doing all he could to escape the flying projectiles all while smiling at the hunter¡¯s attempts to put him down. Sensing the enemy to his back, Micah got down just in time to dodge the fist that had been aimed at the back of his head. He retrieved another knife swiftly and shed at the man¡¯s thigh, however, he was only able to nick the skin as the man pivoted out of the way of the de, bringing himself into a fighting stance meant to apprehend someone who was fighting against someone armed. The speed with which the man moved told Micah that he was well-trained, ¡°So you¡¯re the so-called generals of the Rogue King.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve guessed correctly. You get full marks for that one, however, that will not save you from the fate that awaits you. You will be defeated here and now, the man responded. Two hunters came to Micah¡¯s aid after snapping out of their daze. The rest seemed to be upied with the agile boy. Chapter 245 245 Chapter Two Hundred Forty Five The hunters backing Micah attacked the man without warning. Micah didn¡¯t do anything to stop them as he saw no way that could have helped him or them in the slightest. The man was quick on his feet and he saw the hunters¡¯ movements far before they ever made them. Grabbing the wrist of the first one with a motion so fast that the hunter might have been standing still, the man turned and flipped him over his shoulder. Whilst the hunter was still airborne, his back aimed to the ground for a painful crash, the rogue turned on the other and struck his throat with the base of his palm, choking him and dazing him as well. The unsuspecting hunter was now starting to see ck spots in his vision from the lightning-fast attack. Micah chose this moment to attack the rogue... while he was still trying to deal with hisrade. The fight was taking ce within the confines of agility. A gift that Micah didn¡¯t have, however, he had to do what he could to fight against the general before him. Aiming for the man¡¯s side, Micah went to stab his gut. However, the man¡¯s motion and focus shifted to the newbatant almost like he¡¯d anticipated the surprise attack. With ateral swipe with his hand, the side of his palm knocked Micah¡¯s hand off-course specifically aimed at the wrist knocking the de free in the process. The man grabbed him by the rest and pulled him towards him. Knocking the hunter off bnce, Samson punched Micah with deadly force in the gut. The other hunter that was only recovering from the hit to the throat was about to attack when the man pulled at Micah¡¯s wrist and swung Micah in his direction. The energy from the rogue was enough to lift Micah off his feet and have himpletely used as a projectile, sending the two of them crashing against the wall. Behind him, the other stood up only to fall to the ground unconscious with a boy standing behind him. Blood dripped down the side of the boy¡¯s mouth as he¡¯d bitten all the hunters in the room, ¡°You don¡¯t even care for keeping them in the right shape before you bite them,¡± Samson sighed. ¡°What¡¯s the fun in that? The bite is a gift that allows them to heal from whatever injuries I deal them. I¡¯m honestly doing all of them a big favour. They get to witness the miracles of turning into a werewolf, isn¡¯t that amazing?¡± the boy said with excitement in his voice. He twirled around hisrade and looked at the man who was only trying to get up from the floor before them, ¡°This one is quite strong.¡± ¡°Yeah, he was quite strong. I was impressed. When I pulled him, he resisted a great dealpared to the rest. He¡¯s clearly well-trained,¡± Samson replied, ¡°I had to resort to brute force with him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a highplimenting from you,¡± the boy said, whilst staring at a staggering Micah as though he was an interesting specimen. ¡°You monsters have my respect. Thorrin wasn¡¯t kidding when he said you were powerful. You took out the entire security detail in such a short time. It makes me wonder what the reason for all this was,¡± Micah said through gritted teeth. ¡°Well, that is high praise indeeding from him. I almost barely got away from him with my life, but s, he isn¡¯t here and I have gotten much stronger since then. No doubt he has as well... which is why he felt it was best for him to go after our king,¡± the man said, ¡°You don¡¯t look too good yourself. I was sure I used enough energy to knock you out, but would you look at that? You¡¯re still standing. Now that I take a closer look at you, I can see you have the same looks as that nuisance.¡± ¡°Shall I...¡± ..... ¡°No, Benji. This one shall be mine. I shall make him my very own beta. I think it¡¯s fitting of someone like him,¡± the man replied calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way. I hold no grudge against your brother. I just like how poetic this sounds...¡± Micah felt his intentions far before he started moving and tried his best to move in hopes to get away before it was toote, however, the man before him was quick on the uptake. There was no way he could escape. Even with his eyes closed, he could only draw one conclusion about what was going to happen. The wind was knocked out of him in one swift move and everything went ck. Benji leaned back against a wall and in a serious tone, spoke up, ¡°The door is right there. We can finally fulfil the mission the master sent us here to do.¡± ¡°Yes, we can... and we shall waste no time in aplishing it,¡± Samson replied, standing up and retrieving a handkerchief from his pocket that he used to wipe his mouth clean of the blood that trickled from the sides. ........ Thorrin stood panting with hisrade after what felt like an eternity of battling the two enemies before them. Exhaustion threatened to eat his muscles alive. They screamed for relief, but the enemy before him was not one he could just turn his back from, ¡°You know, Thorrin. The title of Perfect Warrior is quite fitting. You¡¯re not as weak as I had thought you would be. I haven¡¯t taken a hunter this seriously for as long as I can remember. You¡¯re all pawns for the Man god. I don¡¯t really understand what he¡¯s thinking putting you against us anyway. He gives you half the power you need to defeat us and you go along with it. It¡¯s pathetic. However, it¡¯s different for you. You have all of it. It¡¯s like he was sure you could do it.¡± Thorrin smirked at the man¡¯s words, ¡°Well, I never thought I¡¯d be getting motivated by the very enemy I¡¯m fighting.¡± ¡°Do your best to keep me entertained while my generals take care of everything, would you?¡± the king said to him. Thorrin shot past the beta alpha and was in front of the rogue king before Jim or Thane had the time to react. However, the king himself moved fluidly to counter the man¡¯s attack. The two of them were soon locked in a battle of endurance. The king was quick and nimble as well as powerful. One direct hit from his attacks would render almost anyone unable to fight anymore. The same could be said for Thorrin... and yet for as long as the fight had droned on, none of them had been able tond a decisive hit. Jim breathed badly as he watched hisrade continue to fight even when it had seemed as though he was out of energy to continue with the fight. It was intense to watch and he felt as though the Perfect Warrior would copse soon. It was as though watching the two of them fight would tire one out just from watching. They both moved at incredible speeds that they couldn¡¯t afford to take one look away from each other. The king fought well and held his ground and managed to do it while barely looking strained, while the Perfect Warrior fought a losing battle... That is what anyone watching would be led to believe. Watching the man fighting before him, Jim began tough. Thane looked at the one he was meant to fight, ¡°Have you officially lost your mind? Just dere it already.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it... Watching myrade put his life on the line and fight with everything that he¡¯s got just reminded me of something. I¡¯ve been aplete and utter fool,¡± Jim replied amidst hisughter. ¡°Would you like to borate on that?¡± Thane asked, crossing hisrge arms and lending an ear. ¡°You¡¯re an odd bunch. You¡¯re so confident that you would indulge my words,¡± Jim wondered. ¡°Well, there isn¡¯t a being in the world that can defeat us. If you two are meant to be the most powerful amongst the hunters, then I don¡¯t see something to fear from the hunters. So, yes, do go on...¡± Thane announced. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s okay with you. Thorrin once told me something. A Mighty Warrior isn¡¯t just an exceptional hunter... They are the pirs of survival for all of mankind. At the time, I didn¡¯t understand what he meant by that, but I guess now I do,¡± the man spoke. At the same time, he once again allowed himself to reach into the pool of energy he got from his gift, ¡°at this moment, beta alpha, you are standing face to face against the Thunderp, one of the Four Mighty Warriors. You better be afraid.¡± While the man spoke, the air seemed to distort about him. He was pooling arge amount of power. Now that he thought of it, he remembered something simr when he was making his way to Brigadia once. There was a girl there that had used so much power that she¡¯d produced among the loudest thunderps that he¡¯d ever heard in his life. It had been a stupid move at the time, however, after all the training this old man had been through, pulling off something like that was not going to be a problem. Over the years, Jim had learnt to hold back with his speed to conserve energy andpletely forgotten that this was on the table. Thane began to feel the sting of static from the air, the hairs on his arms and legs raising from being charged. Something was different about the man before him, ¡°Oh, it seems you¡¯ve chosen to take this seriou...¡± Jim was right before him before he could finish his statement elerating to a speed beyond that the man had expected. The beta alpha brought up his hands to protect his head from the double kick that was aimed at his face. Jimnded on the man¡¯s forehands and followed through with all the force from his speed. In the next moment, the beta alpha shot across the clearing and right into a tree. The rogue king faltered at the thunderous p that rang through the forest. At the moment that he faltered, his opponent spun around in a deadly round kick that connected with the rogue king¡¯s side, a crunch sounding at the moment of contact and sending him flying across the clearing as well and in the same direction as his beta alpha, ¡°I¡¯m d to see you finally remembered why it is we called you the thunderp.¡± Jim was brimming with power from his gift. He¡¯d forgotten what it felt like to truly let go of his limitations, ¡°Yeah... I¡¯dpletely forgotten.¡± ¡°This is such a hassle,¡± the king¡¯s voice came as he groaned, preparing to get up from his spot on the ground. Just as he was about to stand up, a look of absolute horror shed across the rogue¡¯s face. The king fell back down to his knees, ¡°What...?¡± The Mighty Warriors were shocked to see the man falter in hisposure. The look on his face was one of horror and he spaced out regardless of the enemies before him. His eyes looked at nothing in particr and it was soon clear that what scared him was nothing his eyes could see. The beta alpha didn¡¯t look that ready to fight either. The hunters looked at their enemies who seemed to be slowly deteriorating in their confidence. ¡°There is nothing you can do to prove what any of them have just said.¡± ¡°Any of who...¡± Thorrin was stopped by a rustel beyond the treeline. Just then, Jackeline and Frost emerged from the cover of the trees with a phone in hand, ¡°Would you like to hear it from the future king himself or the future Luna? Take your pick. They are both on the opposite side of this phone call.¡± ¡°Wait, Jackeline, are you telling me he¡¯s right there with you?¡± a feminine voice came through from the other side of the phone. ¡°Yes, Katie... he¡¯s right here before me. Thorrin... I mean, the Perfect Warrior was just giving him a thrashing. As I can guess, the other captives have already told him what happened. He knows what¡¯s happening and that all this was for nothing...¡± ¡°I see... Well, his n in Sirius failed as well. So perhaps he can be captured without putting up much of a fuss knowing running away will breed him no results as well. The hunters have agreed to make a full sweep of everything in no man¡¯snd. The flush-out n that was made eighteen years ago is going to be implemented. We¡¯ll find out where every one of his breeding centres is and put an end to his wicked acts. It¡¯s only a matter of time,¡± Katie spoke from the other side of the phone. ¡°What about my beta alpha?¡± the rogue king spoke up. ¡°Oh, he speaks... Your beta alpha has been well contained. You have nothing to worry about. We¡¯ll take care of him as best we can,¡± Cole spoke up from the other side of the phone as well, ¡°Cutting offmunications was definitely one way to bring yourself to ruin. In trying to keep us from calling for reinforcements, you also stopped him frommunicating with you about recent developments. When he saw the marks on our shoulders, he wanted to tell you everything. He fought valiantly to escape, but there is only so much you can do against the rogue killer.¡± Jackeline reached into her coat and retrieved cuffs to ce around the rogue king¡¯s hands. The man barely put up any resistance as she put his hands behind him and started cuffing him. Thorrin was bewildered when everything was all of a sudden over, ¡°What exactly happened?¡± he asked the woman before him... ¡°Well...¡± Chapter 246 246 Chapter Two Hundred Forty Six Katie was briefed by Marie on what was going on in Lycaon based on what they had been told on their way to Sirius. The woman hade with the feeling that something terribly wrong was going on in Sirius... and she¡¯d been right. ....... Not long before the invasion of the reserve in Sirius.... ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep pacing, you know,¡± Marie told his impatient husband, ¡°This is the fastest mode of transportation after all. We will get there in time.¡± ¡°That still doesn¡¯t put my feelings at ease. Katie promised she wouldn¡¯t get herself in trouble. I can¡¯t help but think there is something more to this. We didn¡¯t raise a reckless girl, you know.¡± ¡°Oh, honey, you can never predict how a child will turn out. You, of all people, know that. Just look at Micah. None of us ever thought he would get a Prometheus gift and yet, he got it eventually. His heart was in the right ce despite howzy he¡¯d always been. Katie caught on with everything we taught her with next to no resistance. She was bound to have a w somewhere,¡± the woman tried. ¡°I know and that¡¯s what¡¯s putting me on edge. Her constant need to protect everyone leads her to make irrational decisions. I know she has proven that she can think rationally from time to time, but when she really thought it mattered, she flewpletely off the handle. She can¡¯t stand it when someone¡¯s life is in danger and she ends up forgetting her life matters as well...¡± The woman sighed, ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that logic. You¡¯repletely correct.¡± Silence fell between the two of them. Tom resumed his pacing about the length of the ne drawing a deeper sigh from his wife, ¡°This is going to be a long flight.¡± Just then, the phone at the table began to buzz. The woman looked at the number on it... It was from one of the higher-ups. The ones who never even got to fight at all, but dictated the actions of the hunters and where they were to be stationed based on the information they received. It had been a while since these two had been summoned by them and the organization had even given up considering how much they did everything on their own. ..... The two of them eyed each other and the phone, none of them wanting to answer it, ¡°What do you think they want?¡± Tom whispered. His wife narrowed her eyes at him, ¡°I haven¡¯t answered it yet. Why are you whispering?¡± When the man only smiled sheepishly at her, she hit the answer button and greeted the person on the other side, voicing her name as well as that of her husband. ¡°It¡¯s good the two of you are together. We need to ask a favour of you,¡± the man on the other side asked. Out of all the hunters in the world, these were among the only few that the higher-ups had to beg to handle a job. They usually did what they wanted and told them off, iming they were doing something that was far more important which was usually true. After being told off so many times, they received fewer calls from them. ¡°Well, we are headed to Sirius. Unless this favour is in line with what we are trying to achieve, I don¡¯t see a reason to help you out,¡± the woman replied. The man on the other side of the phone coughed at the reply before regaining hisposure, ¡°You know one of these days, we might just clip your wings.¡± ¡°If this is one of the threats you¡¯ve been practising all these days, Councilman, you are getting even worse than you used to be,¡± the woman replied. ¡°Well, dly, I don¡¯t have to threaten you this time. You happen to be going to meet the very person we want to talk to,¡± the man said to her. ¡°What is that supposed to mean, Councilman?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s about the war in Lycaon. I will take you through our findings and why it is important that you get to your adoptive daughter as soon as possible,¡± without much resistance from the couple, the man on the other side began to go through the events and findings they¡¯d made. There were many questions that came up along the way, but the couple tried to keep them to a minimum until the Councilman was done speaking. ¡°Well, that definitely makes our reunion a lot more important than I would have thought it to be,¡± Tom groaned. ¡°Exactly... the two of you are to find Katie and get her through tomunicate with Lycaon. If the information of her being marked can reach the rogues, their formations will crumble. They don¡¯t have reason to attack the capital if their goals won¡¯t be achieved,¡± the man said to them. ¡°What happens if we get to the girl toote? What if she¡¯s not marked by the time we find her?¡± Marie asked them. ¡°Well, then... It¡¯s all a race against time now, isn¡¯t it?¡± the councilman said to her, ¡°Find her and make sure she gets marked as soon as you can. This means you also have to find the prince of Lycaon as well.¡± ¡°We understand,¡± Marie confirmed. She was just about to turn the phone off before the man¡¯s voice came through from the other side. ¡°And Marie... Wee back. The world has been missing its pir in the time you¡¯ve been gone. It¡¯s good to see you back,¡± the man said to her. ¡°It¡¯s good to be back, Councilman Henry. You have no idea,¡± the woman replied with a smile on her face. When she turned the phone off, she turned to face her husband, ¡°Well, it seems Katie didn¡¯t get herself in trouble after all...¡± ¡°Yeah, trouble seems to have found her instead,¡± Tom finished her suspicions. .............. The ne reached Sirius deep into the night, a time that none of them had nned to arrive. However, upon looking down on the capital, their senses confirmed that they were not going to find their daughter down there. Instead, they had the pilot fly the ne ording to their instructions. ¡°A game reserve... What is Katie doing this far from the capital?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but something smells very fishy about this all. Not to mention, I detect another person of interest,¡± Tom spoke up. ¡°Yeah, I can detect that too. We are going to have to split up at the moment. I will go after Katie and get her tomunicate with the Lycaon while you can...¡± the woman froze in her words. She could tell something was wrong on the ground they were going to. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, honey. She will be just fine,¡± Tom tried to calm her down. They both faced the forest below them, the back door of the ne opened and the wind began whipping through their hair, uninvited. It was an experience they hadn¡¯te to do in a long time. More than eighteen years to be honest, ¡°Good luck, Tom said to her right before she let herself fall from the ne. The male used the handrails to go back to the pilot against the roaring wind from the open door, directing him to fly over the forest in a direction unknown to him either. He knew where he was going albeitpletely by instinct. ¡°Sir, are you sure this is where you want to go?¡± the pilot asked him. ¡°Yes, it is... Why, what do you see?¡± Tom asked, budging into the pilot¡¯s room. ¡°Well, it¡¯s all thick forest and there is barely a sign of life. Not to mention it¡¯s no man¡¯snd outside the reserve. The dangers in that forest are bound to be more than the dangers in the reservebined,¡± the man said to him. ¡°I¡¯m a hunter. I¡¯m not sure there is a lot on this that can hurt me. Most of the creatures that can hurt me are already in Lycaon, so I¡¯m quite sure I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Tom replied, heading back to the back door and leaping out as well. .............. Katie listened without batting an eysh at the tale her adoptive motherid out to her. She barely asked any questions... Mostly because she didn¡¯t have any... Her mind was all but mesmerized by the fact that the woman spoke before her. The two of them hadn¡¯t seen each other in such a long time that she only wanted to spend time with her. This part of her intentions she kept to herself, even though she was sure Cole had already read through them like she was an open book. ¡°By the time Inded, the fight in the forest had ended and you were headed here with your friends. I knew you were going to get into a fight with the wolf at the cell phone tower. You heading out here is what told me there was something wrong withmunications. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was to help you... Your enemy was quite strong indeed, but the moment he saw your mark, he did exactly what the council thought would happen. He lost his will to fight. You fought him whilst he only had the interest of protecting himself.¡± ¡°If that was the case, then why didn¡¯t he run while he had the chance?¡± the girl asked her. ¡°He had to wear you out first so that you wouldn¡¯t follow him. He would have never thought you would be able to best him in a duel even if you put had your mind to it. With the entire n on the verge of copse, he couldn¡¯t find a way out of his situation. He could have also wanted you to defeat him. Telling his king of this discovery was bound to bring the rogue king into a simr state which would then cause him to get captured. To put it bluntly, there was nothing he could do about it...¡± ¡°It¡¯s like you were thinking out loud before you gave me that answer,¡± Katie grumbled before speaking aloud, leaving no chance for the woman to counter, ¡°So just because Cole marked me in time... the rogues havepletely lost the war?¡± Katie asked, passing her hand on the mark on her shoulder. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly true. The Moon Goddess came up with the same n eighteen years ago that was sure to bring the rogues down. If the chosen were allowed to live, it would mean the end of everything they stood for. That¡¯s why she sacrificed so much to keep you safe and away from the rogues,¡± Aunt Marie exined. Chapter 247 247 Chapter Two Hundred Forty Seven Katie stared at the man on the ground before them. She had heard everything her aunt had to say about the situation at hand, ¡°So with just one phone call, this can alle to an end?¡± she asked her. ¡°That is what we¡¯re going for. I know it¡¯s not the way you thought this would all end, but an ending is an ending. There is nothing more to it than that. When all is said and done, humanity hasn¡¯t seen a brighter day than today, Katie. Your union with Cole brings the tyranny of the rogue king to an end. You will be able to see the man that¡¯s been behind all this behind bars. His execution will be announced and the n the hunters hade up with eighteen years ago will be seen to the fruition.¡± ¡°What n are you talking about, Aunt Marie?¡± Katie asked her. ¡°Well, it went by many names, but one of the most famous names we used at the time was the purification n. The hunters were to go through all no man¡¯snd snuffing out thest of the rogues. They were to find all their hiding ces and cleanse the world of thest of their kind. Without them being able to multiply and breed, it was only a matter of time before they would bepletely wiped from the face of the.¡± Katie listened to her adoptive mother¡¯s words as though they were a fairy tale from a foreignnd. After everything she¡¯d put herself through her whole life, this didn¡¯t feel like it was the way it was supposed to end and yet... It¡¯s what they all had wanted. She couldn¡¯t argue and it wasn¡¯t in her ce to question their decisions. There was one thing she couldn¡¯t let go of in spite of everything, ¡°Why does he get to live?¡± she asked. ¡°Oh, you mean the rogue king,¡± her adoptive mother sighed, ¡°To be honest with you, the world would be a better ce if he wasn¡¯t in it and Ipletely agree with you. The man should be put down as soon as possible instead of wasting time giving him the chance to ¡®reflect,''¡± the woman said, raising her fingers to quote the word ¡®reflect¡¯, ¡°...on his actions. He deserves to be put down and his powerpletely erased from this world. In my opinion, as long as he still draws breath, there is someone out there that he¡¯s oppressing and those people deserve to go to sleep knowing they are safe as well.¡± ¡°Katie,¡± Cole called out to the girl. As she had now grown used to the attention his voice demanded of her, she replied by allowing her undivided attention, ¡°The phone call. We can make it as both of us. The rogue king would have less of a problem believing us if the both of us speak to him.¡± ¡°Yeah... I guess that would make sense,¡± while the offer made sense to the girl, she could feel the warmth with which the alpha made it. He was also allowing her to feel like she didn¡¯t have to do it all on her own and Katie appreciated the gesture much more than he would have thought. ¡°I¡¯ll get in contact with headquarters then...¡± Aunt Marie replied, getting her phone out and dialling the necessary phone numbers. ..... A buzz came from Katie¡¯s pockets almost scaring her out of her skin. She retrieved the phone from her pocket and her eyes widened when she saw it wasing from none other than the king of Sirius, ¡°Hello, father...¡± ¡°KATIE, WHAT IS GOING ON OVER THERE?¡± the man yelled through the phone. ¡°What do you mean? What are you doing awake thiste in the night?¡± she asked the man, trying to withstand his screams. ¡°Well, I have just woken up, to be honest, but I¡¯ve been trying to reach your phones for an hour. Why couldn¡¯t I get through to you?¡± the man asked her. ¡°Well, there was a bit of an incident at the reserve,¡± the girl said to him, staggering a little. The royal by her side caught her just in time, steadying her just in time. With trouble gone, exhaustion seemed to be seeping in fast. ¡°Are you okay?¡± the king asked her. ¡°Yes, I am fine, but there are injured students at the hotel. I was able to getmunications back up, but I don¡¯t think some of the students will be able to make the return journey,¡± the girl said through the phone. ¡°I will get medical personnel closest to the reserve travelling as soon as possible. You and Lina are toe back to the pce first thing in the morning. I received an odd phone call while I was trying to reach you. Bring Cole as well... We have something troubling to discuss,¡± the king sighed. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll be there as soon as we can,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Katie...¡± the man paused, ¡°Take care of yourself. I was given a full report on your tendencies, so don¡¯t go around trying to get yourself a few fractures. You might be able to heal but you can still feel a lot...¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, father. The rogues have been defeated. I have no more reason to break my bones, okay?¡± the girl chuckled, cutting the king short. The king groaned, ¡°Honestly, Katie, what am I going to do with you?¡± Earningughter from his daughter, ¡°Goodbye, father. You should get a little more sleep as well. The reserve is quite far, so we won¡¯t be back home untilter today. You can do what you¡¯ve always done with me though...¡± ¡°And what might that be, Luna Katie?¡± The girl, along with her mate gasped at the man¡¯s words, ¡°How long?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a royal that¡¯s one of the two royal families. Wouldn¡¯t you think I¡¯d notice on the day when most of my power was stripped from me,¡± the man chuckled through the phone, ¡°However, when I heard the rogues were still gathering in Lycaon, I realized the rogue king hadn¡¯t noticed which was thanks to the way you masked your marking ceremony.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t know what would happen if we revealed our marking. So we didn¡¯t tell anyone and kept the two packs from finding out as well. Did we do the right thing?¡± the girl asked him. ¡°Hmm... I cannot tell you if you did the right thing or not. You¡¯ll have to see the results of that when you hear the oue of the battle in Sirius and weigh the other possibilities,¡± the king groaned, ¡°But if you wanted to know what I think, you did the right thing.¡± ¡°Thanks. That¡¯s reassuring...¡± Katie replied even though something in the pit of her stomach turned when he mentioned the battle in Lycaon. ¡°Stay safe, Katie,¡± the man said through the phone, ¡°The same goes for you, Cole.¡± Katie leaned into her mate, ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll be fine.¡± A beeping sound signified the disconnected phone call. Just then, Marie walked up to her with the phone in her hand. ¡°Is Katie with you?¡± a familiar voice came from the other side of the phone. It was feminine and she knew exactly who it was. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m right here, Jackeline. I heard you were supposed to...¡± ¡°Whatever you heard might have been true. I¡¯m sorry for the hurry, Katie, but at the moment, we don¡¯t have that much time to chat. The battle is ugly, but if this works, then it will all be over,¡± Jackeline said to her. ¡°Are you okay, Jackeline?¡± the girl asked next. The other side of the phone call went silent for a bit. It sounded like the woman on the other side was running. Where they were running to remained unknown to Katie, ¡°Of all questions, you could ask... You haven¡¯t changed one bit, have you, Katie?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve changed a lot,¡± the girl responded smugly. ¡°You always were such a terrible liar. Your parents came to your aid just because they detected you had something dangerous up your sleeve, but from what I¡¯ve heard, you haven¡¯t done it yet. While I make it to the rogue king, spill it,¡± Jackelinemanded. Katie couldn¡¯t believe they¡¯d read through her that fast. Jeremiah walked up to the talking crew and spoke before Katie had found the courage, ¡°She asked that I help her get to Kyle so that she can rescue him.¡± ¡°WHAT??? Wait, is that even possible?¡± Jackeline yelled. ¡°Well, from thest group of rogues that the beta alpha summoned, I can tell their base is almost abandoned...¡± ¡°So he is your beta alpha after all,¡± the rogue paralysed on the ground surmised. ¡°I told you to think of it what you want. You know about him and me, so simply draw your conclusions. I won¡¯t indulge you by confirming which one is true,¡± Katie responded. ¡°You¡¯re only trying to get me to stop suspecting you and you¡¯re pretty smart with your words, but...¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that you¡¯re all talking to? Is that the beta alpha you¡¯ve defeated? Wow, I still can¡¯t believe you were able to defeat one of those things. No, I don¡¯t believe it. Not after what¡¯s happened at the capital,¡± the woman mentioned. ¡°What exactly happened at the capital?¡± Cole¡¯s voice finally sounded, sending the entire group into silence. Jackeline couldn¡¯t think of a way to answer the man... She would probably have to tell him everything she knew herself... ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your majesty...¡± ¡®Your majesty...?¡¯ Chapter 248 248 Chapter Two Hundred Forty Eight The two generals made it into the room, taking out everyone that posed any resistance to them. That included all the medical personnel that was tending to the king. The man in the bed did not bat an eysh while the people around him were brutally put to sleep, including his wife. The king stayed silent through the violence around him. He was surprised, however, at how careful the rogues were being in subduing their enemies. It was as though they knew the enemy posed them no threat as long as they made it to their goal. ¡°If it isn¡¯t the king of the Lycaon Empire. This old crone has really fallen. Get a load of the scent of death thates from him,¡± Benji pinched his nose, backing away from the king. Samson walked up to the side of the king¡¯s bed, ¡°You know why we¡¯re here, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, I do. Although, I don¡¯t know why you bother,¡± the king asked, ¡°After all, I was meant to die today.¡± ¡°Oh, we all thought you would kick the bucket much earlier than today. To be honest, I think you knew all along what would happen if you died before your son found his mate, so you have been holding on to your pathetic life to buy him more time. The rogue king noticed this strategy. Honestly, I don¡¯t see how someone in a hospital bed and with barely any energy can put up this much of a fight. At the end of the day, you were like that one thorn in the king¡¯s side that he couldn¡¯t seem to get out of the picture,¡± Samson said to him. ¡°I would like to ask you something, general of the rogue king,¡± the king turned to face the general at his bedside. The man only remained silent. Taking that as a sign to proceed, the king spoke up, ¡°What made you think you didn¡¯t have to kill the hunters and enemies you found on your way here?¡± Silence took over the two of them, ¡°You must be dense for a king, considering that has an obvious answer. Don¡¯t you see the colour of my eyes?¡± ¡°Well, did you ever consider the power of your bite to be nothing more than a bee sting?¡± the king asked him. ¡°Now I¡¯m sure the Lycaon king haspletely lost his mind,¡± the man began tough hysterically as though the king had just cracked the funniest joke in history, ¡°I have turned many wolves in my time and they have all followed me as rogues. Most of them never made it, but hey... They all proved we could always get more. And with your death, we¡¯ll be able tomand all the wolves in the Lycaon empire to do our bidding. We¡¯ll be unstoppable. I hate to cut our conversation short, but your time to die hase. Killing you has never felt any more satisfying.¡± ..... The rogue raised his hand into the air and extended his ws. Right before he could bring his hand down on the king, ¡°You don¡¯t even think to interpret what I¡¯m saying.¡± This was what the king said before the man brought his ws down on the king¡¯s throat. ¡°You know, Samson. You me me for being the heartless one, but...¡± the boy paused in his words almost as though the breath had been knocked out of him. Samson looked up to see someone standing not far from him holding the boy¡¯s unconscious body in their arms. He recognized the one that had just attacked the boy, however, he couldn¡¯t understand what the woman was doing awake. ¡°What are you doing awake? The venom from my bite should have kept you out for at least five hours,¡± the general barked at the woman. Evelyn looked at the man before him and the bite mark she¡¯d only tight up a few moments ago with a few bits of fabric she¡¯d found. The bite hurt no more than a normal wound did and it confirmed a lot, ¡°You almost wiped out the entire hunter¡¯s association. I can¡¯t believe we could be defeated so easily by a bunch of mutts. Not to mention this kid did most of the damage. Give up now while you have the chance.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? We have the upper hand here. There isn¡¯t a person alive that could...¡± it was only now that the king¡¯sst words reached him. ¡®You don¡¯t even think to interpret what I¡¯m saying.¡¯ ¡®Did you ever consider the power of your bite to be nothing more than a bee sting?¡¯ ¡®What made you think you didn¡¯t have to kill the hunters and enemies you found on your way here?¡¯ The words the king spoke could only sound like those of someone who knew something that he didn¡¯t. ¡°Hey, what are you doing? Weren¡¯t you bitten?¡± ¡°I see you¡¯ve begun to catch up,¡± the woman replied. Just then, hunters began to file into the room,pletely surrounding the man. All the hunters that filed into the room barely looked worn out. While Samson still had a lot of energy to spare for an escape, he didn¡¯t see a need to do so. Without the power of his bite, everything he had done until this point waspletely pointless. They had lost thousands of rogues in this attack, telling them they were to knock out the hunters. overwhelming them with numbers. It didn¡¯t really matter if a few of them were killed by ident. They only needed the majority in the end... ¡°No, they haven¡¯t yet marked each other. We were sure of...¡± thinking back to those that were responsible for delivering them with information, the man began to doubt just how much was true with the information he was given, ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense. I¡¯ve seen that kid kill hunters before. He wouldn¡¯t betray us one bit. There is nothing for him amongst the hunters. He has his ce among the rogues.¡± Delusions began to set in as the hunters apprehended the man. Evelyn handed the boy over to other hunters that came in and they began to secure him as well, tying him up with chains and cuffing his hands and legs so fast that one could have thought they were afraid of him waking up. The female hunter retrieved her phone from her pocket and began to make a phone call when amotion came rushing to the king¡¯s room. ¡°Can we speak to Evelyn? We have the information we¡¯d like to deliver,¡± the woman made her way through the hunters and soon reached the man and woman that were waiting outside. They were both winded, no doubt from the running they had to do in order to make it to the pce. ¡°What seems to be the problem?¡± she asked them. ¡°We have a way to end the fighting. If the rogues get to know the king can¡¯t turn more hunters into rogues like they think he can, then they will lose their will to fight. They just have to know of their unknown weakness,¡± the man said in between breaths. ¡°Oh, so is that what happened with the generals in there?¡± the woman said thoughtfully. ¡°Well then... In that case, why don¡¯t you go meet the rogue king himself?¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t mean...¡± ¡°Yes, we are to make a phone call to the higher-ups and have them connect us to the Moon Goddess¡¯ Chosen so that they can confirm their union. If that can happen before the rogue king himself, then we can end it. We can end it all. We¡¯ll make sure the king of Lycaon didn¡¯t lose his life for nothing,¡± the woman said to them. Frost and Jackeline could barely believe what they were hearing at the time. With the desired number of phone calls, the two of them had Katie and Cole on the other side. All they had to do was make it to the rogue king deep within the forest. ¡°He¡¯s fighting with Thorrin and Jim. You won¡¯t be in that much trouble when you make it to them. The woman said to them... I will stay behind and handle damage control.¡± As soon as that was said, the two of them bowed in respect to her and were gone. Evelyn walked up to the window panes on the other side of the wall. Looking out at the carnage that had taken ce in the capital, she dreaded counting the losses on their side with her whole being. The fight was still going on, however, the hunters had lost most of their strength and the rogues seemed to be overwhelming them. ¡°Hunters, we shall proceed to the battle ahead of us and put an end to all this.¡± The hunters that had just recovered took one look at the battlefield and obeyed the woman¡¯s orders. .............. Katie got all the information Jackeline knew of as she made her way to the fight going on deep within the forest. The sound of fighting was clear to her once they got close. A loud thunderp confirmed the two groups were fighting at their best. Shivers ran down the girl¡¯s spine as she silently prayed for the safety of the hunters fighting for the sake of humanity. ¡°Damn... Jim is a lot stronger than he lets on...¡± Frost said more to himself. The two of them had gotten there just in time to see the king and Jim go down. However, there seemed to be a change in the king¡¯sposure. It seemed their arrival was only rubbing salt in an open wound. As Katie and Cole spoke to the man, it became clear he¡¯d alreadye to know of it through a mind link with his generals. The rogue king was walked back to the capital. Thest of the rogues were taken care of. ¡°So, he¡¯s gone then?¡± after the king had been taken away. Somehow, Jackeline was sure the boy was not talking about the rogue king at all. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Cole.¡± Chapter 249 249 Chapter Two Hundred Forty Nine Tom Chase looked about the woods as the ground came up during his descent from the sky. There wasn¡¯t a sign of life in the woods he was searching through. Pulling the chute out, he slowed his descent, making it into the canopy of the woods. The hunter took off the chute and made his way to the forest floor, following his senses as he walked through the forest. He waspletely oblivious to his surroundings, but it wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d gotten himself in a situation like this one. He followed his instincts through the woods. The trees were packed together in a way he couldn¡¯t believe. He followed through, making his way through the woods in an effort to get to the ce his senses were leading him, ¡®Honestly, Katie, what would you be looking for in a ce like this?¡¯ The hunter forced himself through the ever-decreasing spaces until he could feel as though he might never make it to his goal. However, the harder it got to move, the more he felt like his goal was within reach. He reached out before him when he felt his ribs pressed against the two trees on both sides. To his surprise, there was free space only a short distance beyond him even though he wasn¡¯t sure what was beyond thepacted trees. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll have to find a way through...¡¯ the man sighed... Expelling most of the air within his lungs, he pushed himself through with all the energy he could muster, having studied the walls and surmised that he had a slim chance of going through. Once he was through the woods, he copsed on the floor panting heavily. Looking about the clearing proved to be impossible for the human as there was barely a shred of light let in by the thick canopy from above. ¡®If I had no idea how to use my other senses, this would have been quite the problem,¡¯ the man thought to himself whilst getting off the ground. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± a voice rang out in the night. Tom¡¯s hand instinctively reached into his coat for one of his des. Before him, was the object of Katie¡¯s downfall. Up until that moment, the man hadn¡¯t known who or what it was Katie would want from such a ce. He hadn¡¯t expected someone to live this far in the wild as well. There was barely a sign of a cottage in the woods and yet, his ears told him the owner of the voice he heard before him, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Kyle.¡± The boy backed up against the door he¡¯d used to ess the clearing. His sharp eyes retrieved what he needed to see in the clearing. Before him, stood Katie¡¯s adoptive father. His hand was ced inside his coat in a simr manner to one he¡¯d seen Katie use before in Brigadia. Every time she meant to use a throwing knife, she would reach out to the des on the opposite side of the hand that retrieved them to allow her the required force tounch the deadly projectiles. Considering this hunter was not a werewolf like his dear alpha, he was sure the des contained wolfsbane. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been some time. What brings you to my humble abode, Mr Thomas,¡± the boy asked in a shaky voice. The auraing from the man also confirmed he had his powers again which was only worse news for him. ¡°Well, I came here because Katie wants toe here. She was going toe here once she was done dealing with the rogues at the reserve. Although I¡¯m not sure I know what she would be doinging here. Would she being here to kill you or capture you?¡± the man questioned, ¡°It¡¯s not like you have any idea anyway. I shouldn¡¯t have...¡± ..... ¡°No, actually... I¡¯m d you asked even though you won¡¯t believe the answer that I give you. Katie is far too caring for her own good. Even when she disys how tough she is to everyone, she doesn¡¯t do anything without a reason. I¡¯ve never seen her hit anyone out of pure rage and even when she tried to do it, she made sure those people didn¡¯t get hurt. I found it weird sometimes...¡± ¡°Would you get to the point? I came here for a happy reunion with my daughter and for some reason ended up out here looking for the one boy that almost caused her to lose her life,¡± the man argued. ¡°That wasn¡¯t me. It was Jeremiah and to be honest with you. Katie is the one who seemed to want to kill me that day. You didn¡¯t see the bite she put in me that night. I was suffering from it for days after that,¡± the boyined. ¡°Wait, Katie bit you?¡± Tom asked. ¡°Yeah, she did...¡± There was silence between the two of them. Tom couldn¡¯t sense any trickery behind the boy¡¯s words, but it only made less sense to him, ¡°How are you still alive if that¡¯s the case?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she meant to kill me at the time. I was unconscious and woke up without the ability to do anything that could bring her harm. For some reason, that included opening my eyes,¡± Kyle exined. Tom sighed, letting his hands fall from his jacket, ¡°This makes things a whole lot moreplicated. Are there any other rogues here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I know there is one that I found cleaning equipment earlier, but other than him, I haven¡¯t seen anyone else in thispound,¡± he exined as he led the man through the corridors and halls of the bizarre establishment. As Tom followed the boy, he came to realise that this was all beneath the canopy. As to how the rogues were able to aplish it was beyond hisprehension. He knew, however, that they would not be able to find it if they hadn¡¯t known what they were looking for. He began to take mental notes of the nature of the establishment. It was soon clear to him that everything was built within the bizarre nature itself. The forest, at this point, had grown to be imprable and the rogues had taken advantage of that to build something that could never be discovered simply because nature made it seem like it was impossible to build within it, ¡°This ce must have taken many years to build.¡± ¡°There are many others like it. With how the average rogues are treated, I don¡¯t think it took as long as it would have. The rogue king can force his will on those he has bitten and the alphas can also enforce their will on the others. It would only be a matter of time with the rogues working almost nonstop to have this entire ce built,¡± Kyle exined. His cooperation only astounded the hunter more. As they rounded a corner, Tom sensed another presence and sent two throwing knives flying into the darkness. The rogue before them barely had the time to speak as one of the knives had gone through his throat. Tom rushed forward, d that light had sprung into his eyes, and grabbed the man, allowing him to fall to the ground calmly and taking thentern in his hand away from him. ¡°I was meaning to ask you,¡± Tom asked the boy, ¡°Why are you being so cooperative?¡± Kyle sighed, ¡°I am under the influence of my alpha. I don¡¯t have much of a choice these days. Her will is greater than my own. I wish... no, I wished to have a life of luxury under the rogue king¡¯s rule while she wished to bring him down. She was more than determined to do so. And I went along with it. I didn¡¯t have much of a choice. She¡¯s more superior to me in every way... and yet...¡± ¡°And yet what?¡± ¡°And yet, she doesn¡¯t want to kill me,¡± Tom gasped at the revtion. Once again he sensed no trickery behind the boy¡¯s words. Instead, they sounded sad and distant, ¡°That fool... She thinks she can save me even after everything I¡¯ve done. When you showed up here, I was half-hoping you wouldn¡¯t catch on.¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± Tom asked. There was a silence between them, giving Tom the desired time to figure it out, ¡°You know I wouldn¡¯t have done it without a proper reason. Killing a rogue that¡¯s on its own with no backup. Not to mention my daughter¡¯s childhood friend. You don¡¯t really think that¡¯s something I would have done, do you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have much to say in that regard, but if you had gone through with it, then she wouldn¡¯t have to deal with trash like me. I have betrayed her in the worst way imaginable and she chooses to give me another chance. The rogues were going to figure it out soon enough. I just had to stay here...¡± ¡°Then I shall take you to Katie and she will pass her judgement,¡± Tom said to him before taking down one more rogue. The hunter didn¡¯t detect any danger within thepound and they walked out of it smoothly. It was only after they were far from it and walking in the direction of the reserve that a massive explosion shook the ground. It hade from the direction of thepound. ¡°Well, there is another way I could have left this world. It¡¯s like the world doesn¡¯t want me to die. That¡¯s got to be a punishment more painful than death,¡± the boy mumbled to himself. ¡°Just save your suicidal talk forter. That explosion was meant to take out Katie in case she came to rescue you. And if she didn¡¯t... well, they would be getting rid of a traitor. Either way, you were getting out of the picture,¡± Tom surmised. Kyle could barely believe it. When he¡¯d felt his master¡¯s emotions earlier, she¡¯d beening up with a n to get him out of thepound. It made sense to him now, but it also made him much sadder than he already was. ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense, Katie. Just give up on me already. You won¡¯t find any good in trying to redeem a lost cause...¡¯ Chapter 250 250 [Bonus chapter]Chapter Two Hundred Fifty Katie returned to the hotel along with the others and went through the damage report with Trevor. The junior hunter had spent the entire night awake as well. His eyes showed his exhaustion, but he held himself firm while he told her everything he could about what happened with the pack of wolves that had gone out that night. He also took her to the room containing the two humans that had been bitten that night. Honour had taken it upon herself to rece their bandages every two hours. They didn¡¯t look to be in good condition, but given the news Katie gave them, they would make it. Lina came rushing into the room while Katie was checking the boy¡¯s temperature. Almost forgetting the reason she hade into the room in the first ce, the hunter greeted her sister with a warm hug, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d listen to me when I told you to stay behind.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would make it back here in one piece,¡± Lina replied. ¡°Well, I am here now,¡± Katie chuckled, ¡°How is everyone holding up?¡± ¡°I have tried my best to lift their spirits. It seems stories of the rogue killer can do the trick. Sandra knows quite a bunch even though they sound heavily exaggerated,¡± the girlughed, pulling back and wiping the tears from her eyes, ¡°Father called around an hour ago. He was furious. He thought I¡¯d been putting off his calls this entire time.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll probably run himself to the grave with worry one time,¡± Katie added, allowing her mind to drift. She still had to check on many people, ¡°I guess it would be best if we went from one room to the next until we made sure everyone was fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll single out the rooms that contain only humans so that you know which ones to skip,¡± Trevor offered, leading the way out. ¡°Speaking of Sandra, where is the girl?¡± Katie asked once she had cleared her mind during their inspection. Lina¡¯s smile faded at the question, ¡°She said she didn¡¯t want to talk to you just yet. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ..... ¡°You have nothing to apologise for. I will talk to her myself when we get the chance,¡± Katie responded. There was so much for her to do and many friends to check up on that she couldn¡¯t choose which one to start with. ¡®When did I be so popr?¡¯ ¡®This must be what it¡¯s like to develop an ego,¡¯ Ashley pitched in. ¡®ASHLEY...¡¯ ¡®And to think I was one of the people youpletely forgot about. Honestly, what kind of person are you? How can you forget your other half?¡¯ the wolfined. ¡®I... I didn¡¯t forget you, Ashley. I could never...¡¯ ¡®I was just messing with you, Katie. Your mind is a mess. You¡¯re tired and you still can¡¯t stop thinking about that one person they stopped you from saving, can you?¡¯ Ashley asked. ¡®No, I can¡¯t. Can you help me save him, Ashley?¡¯ the girl asked the wolf. Thinking back to the battle in Brigadia when the wolf had takenplete control of her body and the hunter had gone to rest. The boost was significant, but eventually, the two of them had exhausted everything they had ande face to face with the same creature that had been defeated that day. ¡®No, Katie. I can¡¯t help you.¡¯ ¡®Why not?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s quite simple really. We made a promise to him. At the moment, I¡¯m the only thing keeping you from copsing where you stand. You used up a lot of energy when you were firing arrows earlier, but you refused to acknowledge it. That bow can only be used by someone with a strong gift because it required immense energy for anyone to use it. You used it as though it was a very normal bow. Not to mention the battle you had with the rogue up at the cell tower. We cannot do anything at the moment,¡¯ the wolf said to her. ¡®I will do something about it. You know I will...¡¯ ¡®Katie, you¡¯ve been ignoring some of your senses. And you¡¯ve been doing it for a while now. You only take what you think will help you and leave the rest,¡¯ Ashley cut her short. Katie got the feeling this was the beginning of her very own intervention. However, it was taking ce in her head. She took the time to break away from their conversation to speak to the wolves they found during their inspections. Their werewolves were healing nicely and the stories from Sandra and Lina seemed to have done well for their moods. Whenpared to a pack that had onlye close to being annihted by rogues, they were making progress. Much to Katie¡¯s surprise, the humans had slept through the entire ordeal as though nothing had happened, ¡°Were we really that quiet out there?¡± she asked Cole. Cole got the feeling she was exaggerating the scene in her mind, ¡°Well, we weren¡¯t exactly whispering while we fought off the rogues, but it wasn¡¯t loud enough to wake a sleeping human. You forget they have a terrible sense of hearing.¡± ¡°Oh yeah... that¡¯s right,¡± she eximed. Cole groaned at the odd imagination he¡¯d read from her mind, ¡°I¡¯m astonished you can keep up with her, Cole,¡± Aunt Marie interrupted the couple. ¡°Well, that is kind of my job. She tends to overdo it a lot of times. I just want to make sure she doesn¡¯t do it,¡± he said to her. ¡°It¡¯s almost like you don¡¯t trust her to handle herself carefully,¡± Aunt Marie narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°I don¡¯t trust her in that regard as much as I can throw her,¡± Coleined. ¡°Hey, Cole, that¡¯s mean. I can take care of myself if I put my mind to it,¡± Katie tried to plead her case. ¡°Then what was that I heard about you trying to save Kyle after getting rid of the rogue,¡± Cole asked her sending the party into silence. Talk of Kyle hadn¡¯t surfaced in a long time and not many were happy to hear the name. ¡°What do you mean by saving Kyle? It sounds like a joke to me. Doesn¡¯t putting him in the ground sound like a better alternative?¡± Caden spoke up first. His intention had been to raise morale, but the death re Katie was giving Cole didn¡¯t help the situation. ¡°I might have bitten Kyle when I was trying to secure him back in Brigadia,¡± Katie announced, taking her eyes off Cole. ¡°You know, Katie. You always seem to have one interesting thing about you after another. There is this rumour I¡¯ve heard that you control animals. Of course, most of us did witness the eagle that hung about you while you watched over the forest, but one can never be too sure until...¡± ¡°Turns out I can, Trevor. I only found out recently when a certain someone got themselves trapped in a bear¡¯s cave. It came as a shock to me as well. Although I wasn¡¯t nning on revealing it so soon. Then again...¡± ¡°If you hadn¡¯t shown that power, Katie, we would have had more than a few injuries. Many of the members of your pack would be dead by now,¡± Cole said to her, pulling her into a hug. The door to yet another room with werewolves opened to reveal Crysta seated at her bed, her eyes trained on the far wall and her mind deep in thought. The girl snapped out of it to see her new visitors. On the other bed was Sandra lying down in her bed. She shifted her vision to the door, taking note of their visitors and shifted her attention back to the white ceiling. Katie walked into the room and straight to her best friend¡¯s bed. The girl barely spared the hunter a nce, ¡°Hey...¡± ¡°Katie...¡± Marie called out to the girl, ¡°We¡¯ll handle the rest of the inspection.¡± Katie nodded and mouthed a silent ¡®thank you¡¯ before allowing the rest of them to proceed with the inspection. Lina grabbed the spacing delta¡¯s arm and dragged her out of the room against her will and numerousints. Silence filled the room once the rest of Katie¡¯spanions were gone and the two of them were left to themselves. Sandra rolled away from the girl and pinned her eyes to the wall away from her, ¡°I awakened my gift, you know. Saved a lot of wolves out there.¡± Katie gasped at the revtion, ¡°That¡¯s amazing. We should...¡± ¡°Celebrations would be nice. However, what is it supposed to mean for us, Katie? Without you as my mentor, I won¡¯t be obligated to stay by you wherever you go. We¡¯ll be separated before too long by the Hunter Organization.¡± Katie frowned at her friend¡¯s thinking. While what she¡¯d said was true, Katie couldn¡¯t imagine a world in which she allowed something like that to happen to the two of them. ¡°Hey, Sandra... We shall be together as long as the two of us are best friends and hunters. I don¡¯t think Jason will let that happen either.¡± ¡°What makes you think Jason has the power to keep me from being stationed somewhere else?¡± Sandra asked her. ¡°Well, you have quite the number of things you don¡¯t know yet... For starters, the rogue king was defeated tonight,¡± Katie smiled at her friend. Sandra¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock as she heard one of the most imaginative sentences to be made in their lifetime. She turned around to see her friend smiling without a hint of a joke in her voice. She didn¡¯t take her words back either... It was as though she¡¯d just started dreaming... without ever falling asleep. Chapter 251 251 Chapter Two Hundred Fifty One Marie told the girl everything she knew herself about the situation at hand. The rogues had finally attacked the capital and she was yet to be briefed on everything that had happened. While the girl wasn¡¯t surprised by what was going on there, she was wary of the casualties that would result from an all-out attack by the rogues. Later on, she told her about the news of the rogue king¡¯s apprehension. Just like Katie had reacted, it was anticlimactic and the two of them couldn¡¯t reallye to terms with the fact that it had ended the way it had. Katie didn¡¯t have reasons for why she felt that way rather than her turning stomach while Sandra took on a more rational approach. ¡°I don¡¯t think the world can truly feel safe as long as the rogue king is still alive. If news of his demise got out, the world would be so much happier.¡± Shocked by the girl¡¯s words, Katie began to wonder which approach sounded less like that of a psychopath, not forgetting the fact that she waspletely fine with the idea of beheading the wolf. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t what is going to happen to him now, but we should be fine with what we know now, I guess,¡± she tried. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right,¡± Sandra replied, searching for her friend¡¯s gaze. Katie had been spacing out every time the two of them took a moment of silence, ¡°Come on. You know you can tell me anything on your mind without having to worry.¡± ¡°I know someone else that said something simr once,¡± Katie responded before she could stop herself. The girl quickly looked to see her friend¡¯s mouth open in shock from the usation, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡± ¡°Then, by all means, tell me what you did mean, Rogue Killer,¡± Sandra spat. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t say my nickname like that. You make me sound like a heartless maniac,¡± Katieined only to space out once more... She was quiet for a bit. Sandra gave the girl time to gather her strength, ¡°Well, that name was given to me by him, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You mean Kyle? Is he the one on your mind?¡± Sandra asked, finally noticing a trend. Katie heaved a sigh and nodded in confirmation. ¡°Yes, he is on my mind. With Jeremiah¡¯s help, I can find him. We left the boy to guard the beta alpha back at the cell tower. With the right injections of wolfsbane, he can keep the wolf sedated,¡± Katie said to her. ..... ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand what you are saying, Katie. Do you think Kyle is close by?¡± Sandra asked her. ¡°Yes, I think he is. I don¡¯t know how I can tell. Maybe it has something to do with him being connected to me through a link, but I¡¯ve felt closer to him ever since we got to the reserve. I¡¯d decided I would rescue him the moment we defeated the wolf at the cell tower, but I hadn¡¯t expected to find Aunt Marie there. The woman stopped me before I could do anything about it,¡± Katie exined. ¡°I see... Would you like us to go after him? Just the two of us. It would be like a reunion amongst friends. We would finally knock the sense into that boy and drag him back here with a tonne of wolfsbane in his system. The number of people that want to bash his face in has only been growing in number. It would be a shame to keep them from getting that opportunity. Not to mention you...¡± ¡°Have no anger towards him whatsoever...¡± Katie intervened before the girl could make further assumptions. Sandra took her time to think through what she had just heard. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°I bit him, Sandra. Since he was the only person I¡¯ve ever bitten. It makes him my beta alpha by default. His death will be like losing a limb and I bare no ill will towards...¡± ¡°I know what happens when a royal bites someone for the first time and, to be honest with you, I don¡¯t think Kyle will ever be the same again after something like that. The Kyle that betrayed us is as well as dead,¡± Sandra sighed, falling back into the bed, ¡°And we better rescue this one before you get a stake through the heart.¡± Excitement coursed through Katie¡¯s body when she heard her friend¡¯s intentions, ¡°Do you mean it, Sandra?¡± ¡°Yeah, I will help you get him from wherever it is they are keeping him. But I¡¯m only doing it for your sake. I would very much like to see the traitor buried deep in the ground-¡± ¡®But you just said...¡¯ ¡°-which I won¡¯t be doing when we find him.¡± Katie pulled her friend into a hug when she was done dering to help her, ¡°I guess I should be giving this back to...¡± ¡°Oh no, keep that as a gift from me. I didn¡¯t know why I felt like giving it to you at the time I did, but now I do. You were meant to get your gift today. Consider that your graduation gift... well, before I get you the official one and a more appropriate gift on your aplishment.¡± ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Sandra screamed, wrapping her friend in her arms once more. Katie chuckled, ¡°This day is full of hugs.¡± ¡°Deal with them,¡± the girl replied, pulling away from her friend, ¡°Although I did wish I could get both gifts as you did. I guess that¡¯s something reserved for the truly gifted ones in this life.¡± ¡°Oh,e on, Sandra. You of all people should know one gift is more than enough to take down a royal if used well,¡± Katie responded. ¡°I know, I know, but just think about it. The rogue killer and the one she mentored all those years only to have her get both gifts as well. The looks we¡¯d get from the organization. We¡¯d be...¡± ¡°You dream quite a bit, don¡¯t you, stair?¡± Katie mused, ¡°Yes, you do. Very much indeed. Instead of trying to get something that¡¯s heard of to be nearly impossible. Why don¡¯t you focus on instead bing one of the Mighty Warriors at an age younger than anyone ever has?¡± At this, the royal began to smirk evilly, ¡°Prodigy would be beneath you. You¡¯d be a god amongst your peers.¡± ¡°There you go again stating the impossible as always,¡± Sandra slumped over with a look of disappointment, ¡°You forget that I don¡¯tck your pain tolerance, Katie. No, I think you simplyck pain receptors.¡± ¡°What is that supposed to mean? With the right guidance...¡± ¡°With the right guidance, I¡¯ll dig myself an early grave. Besides, Katie... You said it yourself. The rogue king was apprehended. The hunters will be making a sweep of the entire world and putting an end to all rogue activities. It might not take a long time, but they won¡¯t need new recruits like us.¡± Katie¡¯s mood fell at the girl¡¯s suggestion. She was right about that. With the rogues gone, there was no need for the hunters. Normal werewolves were already well behaved as it was and they lived among the humans with no problem. Those that hated the werewolves were getting less and less from what she¡¯d seen in the capital. It was only a matter of time before the world would head into a peace that had not been seen for centuries. ¡°I know what you mean. Let¡¯s cross that bridge when wee to it. For now... let¡¯s go and get the pipsqueak in need of lifetime redemption,¡± Katie said to her. The two girls got up and headed to the door. Opening it, Katie was surprised to see Cole standing at the side of the threshold, leaning against the wall with his head thrown back against the wall. ¡°So you were indeed nning to sneak away. The sun¡¯s about to rise you know. Would you have been able to be back here before it was time to leave the reserve?¡± he asked her. ¡°I was... I mean, I am going to get him out, you know,¡± the girl steeled her nerves against him. Cole turned to face her, maintaining his neutral expression, ¡°When you finally find him, what will you do? Bring him back? I know that will only get him killed.¡± ¡°I will bring him back and I will order everyone to cut him some ck. If you haven¡¯t forgotten Cole, his death is not good for me,¡± the girl responded with a hint of forced determination. The royal had more power over her than she realized. ¡°What makes you think you¡¯ll be able to pull it off? From what I know, the boy won¡¯t be left without protection. Are you in the right condition to fight rogues right now? What happens when you find one of the rogue king¡¯s beta alphas or his generals for that matter?¡± he asked her. ¡°The rogues aren¡¯t exactly putting up that much of resistance now that the king has been captured. Cole, I think I¡¯ll be fine. Although, if I do find that the situation is beyond what we can handle, I¡¯ll back out,¡± she exined. ¡°We... You sound like you¡¯re going with an army,¡± the royal chuckled. ¡°Huh... I wouldn¡¯t call a hunter and an indestructible royal an army, but yeah, it¡¯s quite reassuring to have them around before stumbling into Rogue territory,¡± the hunter replied. ¡°I don¡¯t remember agreeing toe with you two,¡± Cole groaned, ¡°How long does it take you to get tired of running about?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t saying you¡¯re tired now, are you?¡± ¡°I said nothing of the sort. Let¡¯s get going,¡± Cole put on a brave face, pushing his smile to its limits even though he¡¯d not foreseen the exertion that he was now certain they were about to go through. Unlike his mate, he knew his limits and didn¡¯t push them as much as she did. It was something that was unique to her and her alone. Chapter 252 252 Chapter Two Hundred Fifty Two The trio made their way to the hotel exit, making sure to stay as quiet as they could. The closer they got to the hotel exit, the more she felt something wrong was about to happen. As they neared the gates, Caden and Jason joined them as though they¡¯d known where they were going. The two males did not ask questions. Katie sighed when she saw Lina and Crysta joining them as well. It was almost as though everyone knew where they were going and that there was nothing that could talk her out of it. Just then, a thought crossed her mind that made her feel more like a fool than she would have liked. Her adoptive mother stood at the gates with her arms crossed across her chest, ¡®Of course, she could sense it the moment I decided to go after Kyle.¡¯ ¡°I didn¡¯t think you had a rebellious side to you, Katie. But then again, there is a first time for everything,¡± the woman said to her, stopping the group in their tracks. ¡°There is nothing rebellious about it. I just have to get the boy out of there...¡± Katie paused. Not everyone around knew the reason why she needed to get Kyle away from the rogues. ¡°Oh, and why is the boy¡¯s survival so important to you? And before we go any further, you are talking about Kyle, right?¡± the woman asked. ¡°WHAT?¡± Caden was the first to react to this question. Katie rubbed her temples at the man¡¯s reaction. She¡¯d known it wouldn¡¯t be easy for them to ept Kyle to be the person she was trying to save, but in Caden¡¯s case, she was sure this was a much bigger problem. ¡°In any case, your uncle went in that direction. I¡¯m guessing he already has him now and bringing him now. That is... if he hasn¡¯t killed him already,¡± Katie¡¯s adoptive mother spoke up. ¡°Wait, you sent Uncle Tom after him on his own,¡± Katie asked. ¡°He¡¯s far more capable of handling himself than you are in this state,¡± the woman argued, ¡°Speaking of which, I watched your entire fight with that beta alpha. I was impressed. When did you get faster?¡± ..... ¡°Huh... Oh, I¡¯ve been training with Mr Silver. I had to get more agile if I didn¡¯t want to meet one of his arrows,¡± the girlughed nervously. ¡°Katie, if I heard correctly, Mr Tom is going toe back here any second with Kyle or news of Kyle¡¯s death?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°So that traitor is the reason we¡¯de to help you after all?¡± Caden asked in a moreposed tone this time. ¡°Kyle is not dead yet. So I¡¯m guessing he will be here. If at all they areing alr...¡± she was stopped in her tracks when the sound of footsteps reached her ears. In the silence, there was only one thing that assaulted her senses more than the distinct sound of footstepsing from the outside of the hotel... and it was the rapidly increasing heart rate and murderous intenting from the beta alpha behind her. Reaching into her Agility gift as fast as she could, the girl rushed in front of the dashing beta alpha and tripped him before securing his hand behind his back in a restricting lock that had him go still, ¡°Get off me, Katie.¡± ¡°Caden, do not forget who you¡¯re speaking to,¡± Cole intervened. The beta alpha gasped in fear at his alpha¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Alpha Cole,¡± he apologized, ¡°But you know what he did. Why aren¡¯t you as angry as I am right now?¡± ¡°Well, if that¡¯s what you think about the boy, then why don¡¯t you ask yourself what we think about him in the first ce?¡± Cole asked him calmly. The footsteps were getting closer... The tension got higher in the air as the new arrivals got closer. Katie released Caden when she noticed he wasn¡¯t seething any longer. ¡°Is that a weingmittee I see?¡± Uncle Tom¡¯s voice cut through the silence. ¡°Mr Thomas, I don¡¯t think there would be a weingmittee for a criminal such as me. It might look like one, but it¡¯s only themittee that will see to my execution in the next few seconds,¡± another voice came and rang through the air. The whole world seemed to go silent when the two of them appeared on the other side of the gates walking side by side as though they were friends. Katie noticed Kyle wasn¡¯t as thin as he used to be. His yellow eyes were the wrong colour and she was repulsed upon seeing them. Angry growls filled the air all aimed at the same person. Kyle jerked backwards in fear as he only realized just how many wolves had been present at the gate. ¡°Long time no see, Kyle,¡± Katie spoke up. The boy scanned through the crowd for the voice and came face to face with the blue-eyed girl that had only greeted him a moment ago. She was, even more, intimidating in person. The bright blue eyes only screamed danger more than she¡¯d been before with dark blue eyes, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say a long time exactly, but... It¡¯s good to see you¡¯re fine.¡± ¡°Exin all this,¡± Caden ordered Katie. This was the second time the man was being assertive and for some unknown reason, Katie felt like putting him in his ce. She¡¯d never had much trouble with someone below her talking to her that way, but now that Caden was doing it, she didn¡¯t like the effect. ¡°Watch your tone, Caden,¡± Cole intervened once more, sensing his mate¡¯s battling emotions. Through the mind link, ¡®Are you trying to get on her bad side? You know how the werewolfmunity works and Katie is only new to it?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Alpha Cole. But look at that thing there... How can we let Ashley¡¯s murderer just walk in here as if he never did anything wrong in the first ce? You know what it is to lose a member of your pack... No, you know what it feels like when a member of your pack is murdered. You felt that pain on that day as much as I did... We both found her body mutted that day. How can you be so calm after all that?¡¯ the man argued with him, turning to her alpha in the process of arguing. ¡®And I asked that you be patient before making decisions you¡¯d regret. Who do you think was betrayed the most that night? Katie had lived with this boy for much longer than any of us. She trusted him with everything and yet she isn¡¯t the one overreacting at the moment,¡¯ Cole replied. ¡°Hey, Kyle, you do know how angry you made people here before you decided to leave us, don¡¯t you?¡± Katie¡¯s voice interrupted him. ¡°Yes, I do... I was asking Mr Thomas to kill me while we were still at the base. That would make this all...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make jokes like that, Kyle,¡± Katie¡¯s voice cut him off dangerously. ¡°Understood, Alpha Katie,¡± the boy responded immediately, bowing slightly in submission. ¡°Huh,¡± went Tom, ¡°And here I thought you were exaggerating. So it is true then, isn¡¯t it Katie? He told me what happened. That¡¯s the only reason I didn¡¯t kill him.¡± Katie sighed at the question, ¡°Fix your eyes already, Kyle,¡± the girl said to him. ¡°Huh, how¡¯s that supposed to work? It was you that turned them the colour that they are now. How am I supposed to...¡± the boy stopped when everyone¡¯s expression turned from angry to shock within seconds, ¡°What... Is there something behind me?¡± ¡°Katie, why are his eyes red?¡± Jason was the first to find his voice. ¡°Surprise... I would have wanted to kill Kyle as well, but something happened during the battle in Brigadia. When I was trying to keep Kyle from the rogues, he was about to fall off my back. The boy was unconscious at the time. To keep him from falling into their clutches, I caught him... with my teeth,¡± the girl confessed. ¡°And from that moment, he was cursed to serve you,¡± Lina concluded. The girl fearlessly walked forward till she was right in front of him, ¡°He¡¯s been bulking up as well. How did you do the thing with his eyes?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been using him as a spy within the rogues. I ordered him to have his eyes change back to yellow. At the moment, I didn¡¯t know it was a possibility, but my wolf surely seemed to know more about this than I did,¡± Katie shrugged. ¡°Amazing...¡± Lina replied, before letting her shoulders droop, ¡°Although, how are we going to make him pay for his crimes when he¡¯s tied to you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind what you do with him. As long as he stays alive anyway, there is nothing that happens to me. To be honest, I would have liked to punish him as well, but there is no hatred in my heart left. I only see someone who will do anything for me. I can¡¯t do anything against him and the same goes for him,¡± Katie sadly dered, turning around, ¡°Caden, you¡¯re in charge of whatever happens to him.¡± ¡°Umm, Katie...¡± ¡°You¡¯re ordered to stay alive, Kyle. Is that understood?¡± to Kyle, she said in a harsh tone. ¡°Yes, Alpha Katie. U-understood,¡± he responded with all his confidence drained from him. Sandra could only snicker at the oue of this meeting. ¡®I hadn¡¯t expected an oue as interesting as this one. Kyle gets to be tortured by everyone that holds a grudge against him with only one condition. The boy is to stay alive by all means. There is nothing off the table as long as it won¡¯t kill him. No doubt the order for him to stay alive is what will let him fight back when something that could kill him is involved... I wonder what I will do. Considering Katie lost all her anger towards him... Perhaps, I should embody her anger for the both of us...¡¯ ¡®Sandra, honey... Your thoughts are scary sometimes...¡¯ Jason¡¯s voice interfered with her scheming. ¡®I didn¡¯t tell you to take a look,¡¯ she chuckled. Chapter 253 253 Chapter Two Hundred Fifty Three Caden walked up to the boy, still keeping the guise that there was nothing he was going to do, right before delivering a full-force uppercut that threw the boy outside through the gate. Kyle groaned in pain and rubbed his jaw. To his amazement, he was already healing. His jaw hurt a lot and he was sure it had been broken, but the healing had already kicked in. He couldn¡¯t tell if this was a good or bad thing considering the fact that the things that could kill him with this much healing had just reduced in number. ¡°Follow me... I will deal with your punishment as my Luna has ordered,¡± Caden said to him. ¡°Wait... Luna?¡± the boy asked, surprised. He had been focused on those around that wanted to kill him that he hadn¡¯t taken the time to take in his alpha¡¯s appearance. Now that he thought back, his mind could perfectly picture the mark on her shoulder. He¡¯d failed to acknowledge it in the heat of the moment, but his mind was now going through the different implications of her mark, ¡°You don¡¯t mean...¡± ¡°I see you don¡¯t know a lot of things... The rogues you were so intent on leaving with, will be no more. The war is over, Kyle. If I were you, I would embrace your new life as her highness¡¯s beta alpha. You¡¯re in for a world of pain, but then again, I¡¯m sure the two of you knew that before deciding you wereing back to live among us,¡± Caden said to him. ¡°Caden, don¡¯t overdo it, okay? King Sirius might want to do something to him. He better get back to Sirius in the right condition,¡± Cole waved his beta alpha off. Caden stared at the wolf at his feet and could only feel cheated for not having the chance to see him breathe hisst. It was nagging although, with more thought on the matter, he found that he had all the time in the world to remind the boy of the crime hemitted. There was nothing he could think of that would satisfy him concerning Ashley¡¯s loss and he had no idea if torturing the boy would help hime to peace with it either. After all, ¡°Even if I drop you in all the hell on earth, it stays the same... You get to live while Ashley never had that chance. You don¡¯t deserve what you¡¯ve been given.¡± Kyle hadn¡¯t been forced to kill many in his lifetime, but that statement affected him more than he thought it should have. The boy sighed, ¡°You make it sound like I want to be alive.¡± Watching the shocked expression grow on Caden¡¯s face, he smirked, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. What¡¯s the point? If you¡¯d ask me, I¡¯m in the perfect hell. I would rather be dead, but I¡¯m alive. Ashley would rather be alive, but she¡¯s dead. It¡¯s the perfect form of unfairness this world has to offer. Do what you will with me. I honestly don¡¯t care the slightest bit.¡± ¡°In that case, follow me to my room. You¡¯ll be my personal ve until we get to Sirius. Any funny business and you will know the true definition of pain... Though if I do that, Cole might get mad at me for bringing you to Sirius in the worst possible shape,¡± Caden shrugged, gesturing for the young alpha to follow him. Kyle got up to his feet and dusted himself off. Moving his mouth at odd angles as though something was stuck in his teeth, he found that his jaw waspletely healed and the pain hadpletely subsided. He¡¯d started to notice his increased healing and it only worried him. ¡°So you¡¯re Kyle... The boy that has caused Katie so much pain. It¡¯s sad to see you in a situation where Katie can¡¯t hurt you. You¡¯re probably nning to turn your back on her once you get the chance,¡± Lina said to Kyle while he passed her at the gate. ..... ¡°Hmm, there is a part of me that would have wanted to do that, but as time has passed, I¡¯ve resigned to my new life. Beta alphas don¡¯t have much choice when ites to obeying their masters. We cannot do anything to hurt them. It would have been possible for me to betray her if the rogue king had bitten me and switched my allegiance, but he didn¡¯t figure it out in time. And now that Katie has been marked by Cole, that wouldn¡¯t work even if he tried,¡± Kyle said to the princess, standing beside her at the gate, far too close forfort. ¡°Hey, Kyle... don¡¯t waste my time. Make sure you¡¯re right behind me,¡± Caden¡¯s voice came from the hall. Kyle felt his gut wrench as the orders took root. Just givingmand over to Caden was enough to have him following his every word like he was some loyal pet. The boy rushed past Lina in a hurry to catch up to the beta alpha. The boy had put thought into his situation. Lina could tell he had his hands tied and there was really nothing he could do about it. ¡®So, then... Have you decided to endure what this life is about to throw at you? It won¡¯t be easy,¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡°I see he¡¯s ready. I wonder what this endeavour will breed for that boy,¡± the hunter beside Lina spoke more to herself. ¡°I don¡¯t really know if this endeavour will do anything for him. If he can learn to embrace life again, then maybe something cane of this. I know for a fact that the boy wants to die,¡± Tom answered, stunning those that were listening. ¡°What makes you think such a thing?¡± Jason asked him before anyone else could. ¡°Well, when I was bringing him here, he hinted on it... twice. The first time, he almost tricked me into killing him. Obviously, the rules that bind the beta alphas didn¡¯t give him many options. He couldn¡¯t attack me because I matter to Katie, so he hoped I would kill him once I saw him. Unfortunately, I quickly realised that he was why Katie wanted to go out there. I know she wouldn¡¯t do that just for the sake of killing him. The second time he hinted at it was when the rogues¡¯ base exploded. We¡¯d already escaped, but he wished he¡¯d still been inside at the time it did,¡± Tom exined. ¡°What¡¯s making him that suicidal?¡± Marie asked. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see why he wouldn¡¯t be suicidal?¡± Sandra intervened, ¡°Everything he worked for and believed he was going to have once he was done with his mission crashed and burned right in front of him. There is nothing more for him to live for. Moving over to our side after everything he did just doesn¡¯t seem like an option to him.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you always analysing the situation? What would Katie do without you?¡± Marie celebrated. ¡°Katie is smart in her own right. She doesn¡¯t even struggle to keep up in sses. She¡¯s always ahead of...¡± ¡°Oh, you forget Sandra. Katie gave up a lot to get that good. You lived your childhood a little more than she did. Your parents, being civilians knew how to let a child have fun. At the same time, you made your own research and learned everything that you know with next to no help at all. Katie might be better than you in the ssroom, but she had tutors for that sort of thing,¡± Marie stopped the girl before she could continue putting herself down. Sandra, in a lower tone, ¡°It sounds like... you¡¯re trying to say Katie is dumb.¡± ¡°What... No, now that¡¯s an extreme. I didn¡¯t say she was dumb. She does value her instincts over logic though, so in the end, you¡¯ll find her leaping first into an illusion of fire before proving if it¡¯s real or not,¡± the woman sighed. Sirens began to ring in the far distance getting their attention. ¡°Get the severely injured humans moving. It¡¯s about time they were taken to an adequate emergency room and treated appropriately,¡± Tommanded them before turning to his wife, ¡°We¡¯ll have to report everything that has happened here to the Council.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know... I guess it¡¯s not over yet...¡± the woman said in a worried voice. ............ It was not long before the ambnces arrived, taking the most injured first. Trevor helped the junior hunters take them out and worked on waking the other students. It was agreed that the humans that had slept through the entire ordeal were to be informed in the calmest manner possible. Since most of them didn¡¯t need to be bothered by the details, none of them was to know the full extent of the injuries that were incurred that night. The werewolves were mostly sleepy by the time they had to get into the school bus. They got to packing their things and cing them on the bus. The teachers, who were in shock after hearing what happened from the hunters offered to help Trevor get the students ready. They handled the roll call and organization of the students as efficiently as possible while the hunters and werewolves were given all the time to get ready. Most of them were still injured from the entire ordeal and needed more time to get ready. ¡°Katie, we have to get going,¡± Cole called the girl taking her sweet time in the bathroom. When no sound came through, the man walked up to the door and opened it without prior warning. Freezing at the doorway, he found his mate staring into the bathroom mirror. Her eyes had gonepletely dark blue. There wasn¡¯t a hint of werewolf within them. ¡°Katie...¡± Chapter 254 254 Chapter Two Hundred Fifty Four The girl turned to face Cole, pulling out of her thoughts, ¡°Yes, Cole... I heard you. WAIT, why did youe in here without knocking? What if...¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like there is anything I haven¡¯t seen before. Although I am surprised to see your eyes dark blue again,¡± the alpha said, pulling her attention away from the question she¡¯d asked him. ¡°Oh, that... It happens... Every time that my wolf isn¡¯t with me,¡± she exined, a feeling of loneliness seeping into her voice. Cole hadn¡¯t heard the phrase before. It was the first time he was hearing of it. Wolves didn¡¯t leave their other half. They were glued to them. Although, now that he looked at his mate, he didn¡¯t even get the scent of her wolf from her. The sweet alluring scent that drew them closer had decreased a lot that he could barely recognize it. What did show that she was still his mate though was the mark on her neck, ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean.¡± ¡°I had a feeling you would say something like that. I¡¯ve never even seen it happen to a wolf before, so why would it be normal at all?¡± she replied, ¡°There are times when my wolf vanishespletely from my mind. I don¡¯t know why that happens, but she¡¯s usually back within seconds. The first time I noticed it, I only blinked and she was back. But it was soon pretty obvious that my wolf would leave me from time to time. Soon I noticed that just telling her to retreat to the back of her mind and leave everything to me was enough to turn my eyes dim. When that happens though, I lose all the energy I get from her. It feels the same as it did before my eighteenth birthday,¡± the girl confirmed. ¡°What are the other times when she disappears?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°Well, the other times that happens is when she goes to sleep and leaves me awake. None of us have got any sleep tonight, so I asked that she went to sleep. If we don¡¯t get a chance to sleepter, I might just find myself sleeping while she takes control of my body,¡± she responded. A memory shed through Cole¡¯s mind of the time her wolf had taken control of her body just for the sake of having him pull out of a feral state that would have gotten Silver killed. ¡°Well, in that case, we better get ourselves on the bus fast enough.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right about that,¡± the girl responded. ..... The two of them were gone without another word, taking their belongings out of the door and bidding the hotel farewell. Just as she was about to board the school bus, she heard someone call out to her. ¡°Katie, wait up...¡± the girl turned around in time to see someone running up to her. The woman was winded and didn¡¯t look too good. Alice was panting by the time she got to Katie, ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t think you¡¯d leave without saying goodbye... did you?¡± ¡°Well, I was hoping not many would see me like this, but no... That was thoughtless of me,¡± Katie apologized. Alice took the time to look the girl in the eye. Her eyes had lost their werewolf glow and she looked more like a lethal hunter that would bring a rogue down just from the fierceness of her gaze, ¡°Oh my... You look better with the glow to your eyes.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m starting to think so as well. Although this is more intimidating, don¡¯t you think?¡± Katie said, putting on the most intimidating face she could manage at the moment. Alice startedughing at the girl¡¯s acting while she caught her breath, ¡°Well, you aren¡¯t the only one that¡¯s been having trouble with themselves. After a night of running around trying to protect your lot, I¡¯m yet to regain my strength. It¡¯s like I don¡¯t even have my gift anymore.¡± ¡°I have heard of something like that. When a hunter gets so tired that they feel the blessing has beenpletely drained from them. ¡°Yeah, it has happened to me a few times. Most of us just pass out when we reach that point so we never get to experience what happens to us,¡± she exined, ¡°Anyway, Morgan and Gant got bored and decided to survey the forest for... well, they were salvaging for arrows that could still be used. Gant was impressed by your skill with a bow and got all your red arrows back. Although he said four were missing,¡± she exined. ¡°Oh yeah... there are three that I shot far off at the beach. I¡¯m not sure if I hit something though,¡± Katieughed nervously. ¡°You did hit something alright. You were the reason we got out of that fight unscathed,¡± the hunter praised, before removing the quiver at her back, ¡°Here you go. We reced your missing arrows with one of my own. It¡¯s for all your help with protecting the kids.¡± ¡°No, honestly, you didn¡¯t have to do all this, Aunt Alice. I was in charge of protecting this lot so you didn¡¯t have to go through all the trouble really,¡± Katie tried. ¡°Huh... did you just call me ¡®Aunt¡¯?¡± the woman asked. Katie paused her nervous acting, ¡°Oh, I noticed how close you are with her... Aunt Marie. The two of you were like sisters when I saw you earlier. It only felt right, you know,¡± she responded. Alice was quiet for a bit before smiling, ¡°Right... I¡¯m stilling to terms with those two. A werewolf with this much power from the gods... You¡¯re bound to have plenty of anomalies. It¡¯s like you were meant to be the perfect weapon against the rogue king.¡± ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t say that when the man is now in captivity. Besides, without Cole¡¯s help, I don¡¯t think I would have been able to put that beta alpha down,¡± Katie responded, ¡°The rogue king is said to be on an entirely different level.¡± ¡°Yeah... Well, I wish you the best, Katie. Do not forget to invite me to your wedding,¡± the woman said before bounding off, leaving Katiepletely flushed... ¡®W-wedding...¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t you want one?¡¯ Cole¡¯s voice rushed into her mind as though he¡¯d been paying attention to their entire conversation. ¡®Hey, have you been...¡¯ ¡°No, the bus is ready to go, Katie. We¡¯ve been waiting for you,¡± Cole¡¯s voice came from the door. She turned to the man and saw his outstretched hand inviting her into the vehicle. Taking his hand, she allowed him to lead her into the car and to their seat close to the back. The bus door closed and the car began moving. Almost as though the motion was meant to rock her to sleep, the girl began to get sleepy, ¡°Don¡¯t waste a single second of it,¡± Cole pulled her against him so she sleptfortably beside him. The girl fell asleep faster than he thought possible. Watching her sleep, he couldn¡¯t help but sense the constant uneasiness that was going on within her. It was like the news of the rogue king¡¯s apprehension had only kept her on edge than rx her. ......... Tom and Marie waited at the hotel and watched the girl go while they waited for the Hunter¡¯s Agency to send more vehicles that they were meant to transport their captured rogue in. The beta alpha had already consumed most of their wolfsbane with his insane healing rate. They would have to resort to cutting up his tendons using poisoned des to keep them from healing. After all, they were harder to healpared to his paralyzed muscles. ¡°Did you see her eyes?¡± Tom asked. ¡°Yes, I did. It seems she has more anomalies than any wolf to ever be born,¡± Marie responded. The man beside her turned to see an armoured vehicle appearing, its engine roaring loud enough to wake the sleeping rogue, ¡°So you brought this much security for me... I¡¯m honoured.¡± He said in a bored tone. ¡°You don¡¯t sound that honoured,¡± Marie said to him. ¡°I don¡¯t really care about anything presently. You can carry on as you wish,¡± the man responded, attempting to go to sleep. From the passenger seat of the armoured track, a man dressed in pink leapt out of the truck only to freeze at the angry sight of Marie Chase. ¡°Oh hey... Marie. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°You let theme this far from Sirius without protection?¡± the woman yelled at him. ¡°No... I mean... Come on... You know how I hate bugs. Besides, she needed a life lesson to teach her a bit of archery. From what I¡¯ve heard, I believe I¡¯ve done a good job of training...¡± the man was stopped when the woman before her flipped him, mming him onto his back violently. ¡°This has nothing to do with training. Students were nearly killed in what was meant to be a ss trip. What do you have to say about that?¡± Marie replied. ¡°Katie was ready. She wouldn¡¯t have let that happen,¡± he said under the pressure of her foot, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, fourth pir, Marie Chase.¡± Marie hadn¡¯t heard anyone call her that in a long time and was shaken by it, ¡°You trained her well. She¡¯s well on her way to bing like him. Thorrin...¡± The woman let go of the man allowing him to stand once more, ¡°I just wonder if she¡¯ll ever make it now that the man has been captured.¡± ¡°Well, with the Chase family surrounding him, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll go anywhere...¡± Chase mentioned to her, ¡°Hey Tom, will you be chasing after your wife now that you¡¯re both out of retirement.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need some fancy title to prove my worth as a hunter... I know my capabilities,¡± Tom replied, sighing at the man¡¯s antics. ¡°Oh,e on, you can¡¯t say you¡¯re not in the least bit jealous. You¡¯re currently in the presence of two of the most powerful hunters in the world. It must make you at least shiver with inferiority,¡± the man said in a mischievous yet cheerful voice. ¡°Your level of creepy has only skyrocketed, Silver,¡± Tom replied, ¡°Nowe help me get this delinquent loaded up already...¡± The ease with which the man dismissed his taunting had Silver sighing heavily with boredom, ¡°Coming... king of boredom...¡± he cursed, ¡°You¡¯re no fun...¡± Chapter 255 255 Chapter Two Hundred Fifty Five Lionel Haelstrom could barely contain himself as the car sped across the asphalt towards the capital of Lycaon. This was the third group heading there to defend the king. This time he¡¯d chosen to go with them for he feared his father was in grave danger. Against his sister¡¯sints to keep him in the pack, he left in a hurry. His beta, seeing that the man could barely contain himself, had chosen to take on the role of driving. ¡°Hey, Lionel, we should prepare an excuse to present to the alpha for disobeying his orders,¡± the beta tried. Lionel barely heard his beta¡¯s words. His mind wouldn¡¯t stop running the different possibilities that could be taking ce in the capital. It was only when the thick scent of blood hit his nose that he realized there was something wrong with what had happened. Looking forward, he noticed they¡¯d just about reached the capital, ¡°The smell of death is thick in the air,¡± his beta said. ¡°Add the smell of rogues to that assumption,¡± Lionel replied, getting even more unsettled in his seat. This was only getting worse than he had worried about. The car got ever closer to the pce and his fear for what awaited him only got worse the more he thought of it. Along the streets, they noticed vehicles moving about on clean-up duty. Arrows were lodged all over the ce. Some of them had missed their targets while others sticking out of werewolf corpses. The smell was pungent and the wolves wanted nothing but to get away from the source of it. ¡°What happened here?¡± his beta alpha asked. The car continued on through the city passing simr sights of the carnage that had taken ce. They parked outside as there seemed to be more than enough cars that hade to see the king and prepare for the attack. From what the wolves could tell, the fight was all over. Breaking out of his daze, Lionel pushed himself forward to the pce, passing the open gates. What awaited him on the inside forced him to halt even more. Arranged in manynes as far as his eyes could see were caskets of different designs. At first, he didn¡¯t want to believe what he was seeing, but soon enough, he was sure of what was before him. The caskets contained the fallen on the side of the hunters and werewolves that hade to help out. Each hunter that intended to pass by them spared a second to bow in silence to those that had fallen in the battle before proceeding on their way. A few of the hunters stayed by the caskets of those they knew and they were left to grieve for as long as they needed. Mustering his courage, Lionel moved from one casket to the other, noting the names that were written on each. His mind searched for a single name... He had to make sure his father had made it out of the battle alive. He didn¡¯t know what he would do otherwise. After going through them for what felt like an eternity, he reached thest of them and confirmed that his father¡¯s casket was not among them. ¡°Let us enter the castle. Perhaps that way, we shall...¡± ¡°Lionel, is that you?¡± a familiar voice reached his ears. The werewolf turned to see the face that had now been etched into his memory. One of the first faces his eyes had been graced to see the moment he was born. His father stood at the far end of the group of caskets with his father in a cast. His injuries were clear, but the red-eyed man was clearly alive and that¡¯s all that mattered to Lionel. The man rushed up to his father and engulfed him in a hug, d he still got to keep his father. ..... Skipping over the greetings, Lionel asked the king, ¡°What on earth happened here?¡± ¡°It was a war, Lionel. What else do you think happened? Thousands upon thousands of rogues attacked us. I never even thought the rogues could even make that big of a number,¡± the alpha replied, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you are well, Lionel. I thought I was clear when...¡± ¡°Let¡¯s skip the scolding, father. I tried simply sending more warriors to ensure your safety, but I couldn¡¯t rx knowing you could be in danger,¡± Lionel replied, ¡°And it seems I was right. What happened to you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Lionel. Just got beaten up by one of the rogue king¡¯s generals during the battle. I had no idea those monsters were packing much strength,¡± the man said, wincing at the memory of what had happened to him. ¡°If you had trouble with another alpha, I¡¯m now worried,¡± Lionel eximed, taking another look at the cast his father was wearing on his left arm. ¡°It¡¯ll heal, Lionel. Don¡¯t worry about...¡± ¡°Alpha Lionel, I didn¡¯t think I would see you here,¡± a voice interrupted them. Lionel turned to face a yellow-eyed werewolf approaching him. The man had once been a proud delta but had been demoted by the prince of Sirius in a fit of provoked anger. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you made it out of this ordeal unscathed as well, Victor,¡± Lionel replied, noticing the wolf barely had a scratch on him. ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t easy. I can tell you that much. Thankfully, I never got to meet a general like our alpha. I know I would have been killed for sure. Have you paid your respects to his majesty?¡± the man said to him. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Oh, you haven¡¯t heard...¡± ¡°Victor, watch your tongue,¡± Alpha Maelstrom thundered. In a lower tone, ¡°If someone hears you saying such things with a tone that¡¯s almost happy, you might just join the fallen.¡± ¡°Apologies, alpha... I do advise your heir to pay his respects though. It would allow us all to ept what¡¯s happening much faster,¡± the man returned with a slight bow. Lionel walked past the man and went straight into the castle,pletely oblivious to the calls of those that watched him go. His mind couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. The possibility of the hunters winning the battle would only mean they were able to save the king¡¯s life. Why then would the king be dead?¡¯ The man reached the doors that led into the king¡¯s chambers only momentster and found a crowd standing by the door in silence. A few were let in every few minutes for a reason Lionel had still refused to believe. He believed there was something else they could have been essing the room for. However, the more he noticed their solemn expressions, the more he came to the brink of eptance. His pack made it to him and waited with him as their turn to enter finally came. Inside the room, was a neatly designed casket, open at the head only to allow all that entered to see the person it contained. Lionel froze at the sight of the king before him. As he looked down on the king¡¯s corpse, the man¡¯s eyes closed and finally peaceful, Lionel didn¡¯t notice the slight smile that graced his face. The widow seated at the other side of the casket smiled along with him. He¡¯d been one of the few to visit the king once before. A memory that he¡¯d buried a long time ago resurfaced, reminding him of the pain the king had been in when he¡¯d been alive. His failing body was only causing him more pain. Lionel had never known how the man had survived this long, but now that he saw him rest peacefully, he couldn¡¯t hold back the smile that graced his face. ¡°How was he in his final moments?¡± he asked the widow. ¡°Well, he was braver than I remember him. He didn¡¯t fear death one bit and once he was gone, the man that had taken his life was more terrified than the one he had killed,¡± the woman replied. Lionel wasn¡¯t so sure what the woman meant, but he wasfortable with his ignorance. For now, he would grieve the king¡¯s demise. ....... ¡°Hey, Katie... wake up. We¡¯ve arrived,¡± a voice urged the sleeping girl to wake up from her sleep. Cole watched the girl at his side try to rub the sleep from her eyes. When her eyes did open, the bright blue light of her werewolf¡¯s returned before dimming to a normal bright blue. ¡°Oh, hey Cole, where are we?¡± the girl asked him. ¡°Where else? We¡¯re at the pce,¡± the royal responded. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense... Did they bring all the students to the pce with us,¡± she asked him. ¡°No, it¡¯s more like I carried you into the car that brought us to the pce,¡± Cole responded, chuckling at the girl¡¯s sleepy behaviour, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you this tired in your entire life. It¡¯s a new look on you.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up, Cole. And yes, I am tired,¡± Katie responded, pinching the bridge of her nose as she sat up. The car they sat in had gone silent and she was slowly bing aware of her surroundings, ¡°Cole, let¡¯s open our mind link to the two packs again. There is no reason to hide what happened anymore now that the rogues know about it.¡± ¡°Yeah, I was going to ask you that when you got up, but now that you¡¯ve said it, I¡¯m worried,¡± Cole responded. The girl smirked... Her whims were starting to have an impact on Cole as well. It was a privilege she enjoyed very much as someone that was trained by the Chase hunters, ¡°Well, maybe we¡¯ll find out something by doing that.¡± When Cole did not reply, she looked to her side and noticed he¡¯d gonepletely silent and spaced out, ¡°Cole, are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure. At this distance, I shouldn¡¯t be able to sense something as far as Lycaon... But...¡± he paused and looked down in thought, ¡°No, maybe it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Well, if you were trained by my parents, they would tell you to investigate that feeling because it might be something indeed,¡± Katie responded. As soon as the words sank into the alpha, he was out of the car and rushing up the stairs of the pce. Katie sighed and took it upon herself to get their luggage back to their room, ¡°I better tell him that I¡¯ve been meaning to have us go to Lycaon as soon as we got here... I have a bad feeling of my own,¡± she said to herself as she got out of the car and watched him disappear from sight. ¡°Do you need help with your bags?¡± someone asked her and she nodded, epting the help as she was tired. Chapter 256 256 Chapter Two Hundred Fifty Six Cole rushed through the pce in search of the king¡¯s office. He had to ask something that was on his mind and wouldn¡¯t let him settle. Reaching the door, he rang the bell that had been ced at the door, waiting impatiently at the entrance for the door to open. His impatience grew even thinner by the moment. The king¡¯s voice came through the small speaker at the side of the door along with a click from the door. The door swung open before Cole could push it open to reveal Queen Martha holding it open for him to enter. The woman looked around him for a moment, ¡°You came alone, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, I did. Were you expecting someone else to show up?¡± he asked. The woman sighed, ¡°Yeah, I was expecting you toe here with a few more, but I guess you¡¯re the most important at the moment. Although it would be good if you hade with Katie.¡± Cole walked past the queen and greeted the two rulers before taking a seat in front of the king¡¯s table. ¡°How was your trip, Cole?¡± ¡°Well, besides the rogues that tried to kill us, there was nothing out of the ordinary,¡± Cole said right before remembering the ability his mate had uncovered the day before. The king was silent for a bit taking in the information he was given. He asked Cole to give a detailed exnation of what happened and the alpha gave a detailed exnation of what happened while they were at the reserve. The king listened silently as Cole narrated his version of the events that urred at the reserve, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m somewhat disappointed. Katie should have snuffed them out while she had the chance during the day and brought them all down before they had a chance to endanger the entire pack.¡± ¡°Honey, would you wait for her to get here before you have to yell about her methods?¡± the queen tried to calm her mate. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll...¡± the man stopped speaking when the door opened to reveal the hunter they were looking for, ¡°Talk of the devil. Katie, there is a lot we have to discuss.¡± ..... ¡°And what might that be?¡± Katie asked her father. She noticed the angry expression on his face although she found that she couldn¡¯t react to it. Cole noticed her mind was swarmed with thoughts that werepletely unrted to the subject. While he couldn¡¯t figure them out, he could tell they had nothing to deal with what the king was about to say. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you kill the rogues when they were still gathering? Before they had a chance topletely overwhelm the pack. From what I¡¯ve heard, the humans weren¡¯t even attacked. You were meant to...¡± ¡°I took care of it in the most efficient way I coulde up with and no one was killed. If I had rushed into the situation, I would have gotten myself worn out like thest time and risked being killed. So I yed my cards the best way I could think of,¡± Katie responded, somewhat irritated. Her eyes darted to Cole and she moved to approach him, but the king was not done. ¡°All you did was stand at the top of the hotel while carnage took ce in the forest. What¡¯s that if not saving your own skin? And what¡¯s this I hear about you bringing the traitor straight back to the capital?¡± the king bellowed. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this, Father,¡± Katie raised her voice for the first time. Looking slightly winded by the effort, the girl turned to Cole and grabbed, ¡°Now,e Cole, you need to get ready.¡± ¡°Cole was confused by the girl¡¯s words, but couldn¡¯t deny the level of urgency in her voice,¡± he got up to follow her, only to find that the king stood by the door, keeping out of her line of sight. ¡°Where is it that you¡¯re going?¡± the king asked, keeping his voice down with thest of his self-control. ¡°I¡¯m going to the capital of Lycaon,¡± Katie responded, ¡°I know you said I had to stay here for about three months, but...¡± ¡°Did anyone tell... Wait, you¡¯re only feeling like going to Lycaon or has...¡± the king felt as though the words he kept trying to dodge would only be needles to the two in front of him. From the look of surprise on her face, he could tell she was surprised. The man chuckled, ¡°Your intuition is sharper than anything I¡¯ve ever witnessed.¡± The king stepped aside without further argument. His anger seemed to have quelled for reasons Cole wanted to know. ¡°That¡¯s actually why I came here. I wanted to ask you something,¡± Cole said to the king, ¡°I need to ask you something concerning... my father. I opened my mind link earlier and couldn¡¯t feel him. I know we are far from Sirius, but it¡¯s too quiet. I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s even there. It¡¯s like he broke away from the pack and I know that¡¯s not true.¡± ¡°Cole, have you already forgotten what Jackeline told you?¡± Katie asked the alpha... It was only then that the alpha remembered the conversation that the two of them had heard with the hunter on the phone. It was almost like he was hearing this for the first time or that his mind hadn¡¯t interpreted anything a moment earlier. ¡®Wait, Katie wants to go to Lycaon... why would she...¡¯ ¡°Cole...¡± Katie¡¯s voice rang in the background as the royal tried to find his bearings. He hadn¡¯t felt his father¡¯s absence yet and when he¡¯d been told that the man was dead. He had nothing primal to force him to take in the truth of the statement. His mind rushed off in thoughts of the past and many irrelevant details that only worked to slow him down, ¡°Cole...¡± he heard her again, but this time her voice was clearer. Her scent brought him back to reality. The royal hugged his mate tight as though she was all his sanity depended on and at that moment, let his tears flow. His father was gone... and he wasn¡¯ting back. ....... Lina got out of the car and pulled her phone from her pocket. Before she could head up to the pce, she noticed numerous missed calls on her phone. Someone had been calling her and she¡¯d barely noticed. Unlocking the phone, she found that the calls had been from none other than her best friend, Honour. She dialled the number again and waited for her to answer. The ringing sound ended almost instantly and the sound from the other side was almost enough to shatter her eardrums, ¡°LINA, you dunce... I¡¯ve been trying to call you so many times. What are you doing? Where are you? You¡¯re supposed to answer when a friend calls you in her hour of need,¡± the girl yelled from the other side of the phone. ¡°Someone¡¯s energetic after a night of no sleep,¡± Crysta¡¯s voice reached her as she walked up to the royal, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help unpack the car?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s usually done for me-¡± she said, covering the mouthpiece before returning her attention to her friend in distress, ¡°Hey, Honour, what are you trying to say? I haven¡¯t heard you speak this energetically since the first time someone tried to put alcohol in your hibiscus tea.¡± The other side of the phone went silent for a while, ¡°I wonder why you have that memory in your head. You know how serious I am about my herbal tea. Besides, I wouldn¡¯t consider one of the sweetest types of tea herbal. However, that was criminal... Hey, stop distracting... or continue distracting me... Whatever works for you. Lina, help me. I¡¯m nervous. Would youe to our home? I actually haven¡¯t gone home yet. I¡¯m at the flower shop. I haven¡¯t been able to get the guts to go home yet,¡± the girl rambled on through the phone. ¡°Hey, slow down a moment there. What¡¯s keeping you from going home?¡± Katie asked the girl. ¡°Well, it¡¯s easy. I¡¯m afraid of a confrontation with my grandmother. You know I can¡¯t go back in there without me thinking about what happened back at the reserve. Would youe with me? Maybe with you by my side, I will be able to take in whatever she has to tell me,¡± the girl begged. ¡°You know I wouldn¡¯t turn you down. Let me get a change of clothes and meet you at the shop. Does that work for you?¡± Lina asked the girl. ¡°Yes, it does. Lina, thank you very much. I appreciate it,¡± Honour said through the phone. Lina smiled at the reply before the phone went silent. ¡°That¡¯s not a smile I see every day,¡± a feminine voice said from the stairs. Crysta came bounding down the stairs, ¡°Is she alright?¡± ¡°For now,¡± Lina replied, ¡°I just have to make sure she stays that way.¡± Chapter 257 257 Chapter Two Hundred Fifty Seven Katie got her mate to their room and started packing clothes for the both of them. Her body moved on its own, going through their closet and picking out what she thought would be the best fit for him. Her mind was in constant search of his, sending constant reminders that she was around him. The royal was doing his best to stay in his best condition, but he wouldn¡¯t bring himself to. ¡°Katie, what¡¯s driving you?¡± he asked her at one point. The girl had kept quiet for a while thinking through her answer, ¡°You don¡¯t want to know that answer, Cole,¡± she replied when she found no meaningful answer behind what drove. Not meaningful enough in his state anyway. ¡°The Lycaon empire doesn¡¯t need a ruler who¡¯s not yet ready to rule them, Katie,¡± Cole said to her. ¡°Cole, you might not be ready to rule Lycaon, but no one has asked you to get ready. And in the meantime, I know you can run that empire. I¡¯ve seen you do it,¡± Katie said from within the closet. She had picked out the necessities and was now working on carefully packing the duffel bag they were to use in the meantime. Cole had gone silent after her remark and she searched for his presence through the mind link, keeping note of his state at every second, ¡°I thought I was sure to hide my work from you.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to, Cole. I wondered how one could make so much time for me. Why one would when they were the prince of an entire empire? That¡¯s when I realized it. Every time I would set my mind to doing something, yours would go to work shortly after. It was either when I was training or handling something without you. One day I found documents at your desk. You¡¯ve been helping your father run the empire this entire time and I¡¯ve been watching you do it.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± Cole asked the girl. ¡°I meant to say something, but the rogues in the reserve got in my way. I couldn¡¯t tell you then. I didn¡¯t get the chance,¡± the girl replied, zipping the duffel. She walked out of the closet and ced the bag on their bed and took a seat next to him. ..... Cole his hand covering his face to hide his expression, but his mate could feel his turmoil. All of it, ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide it from me, Cole.¡± ¡°We are about to go out, Katie. I have to get myself ready to face the world,¡± he tried to steel himself. ¡°No, Cole... You don¡¯t have to. You stink from the trip,¡± the girl responded. ¡°What did you say?¡± Cole chuckled. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not taking it back. Now get up and shower...¡± the girl began poking and edging him closer to the bathroom. Just when he was about to reach it, she stopped pushing him, ¡°Until your done washing off, you¡¯re allowed to be vulnerable.¡± Cole went quiet and pulled Katie into a hug once more. The hunter was shocked by the sudden movement, but warmed into his hug only a momentter, ¡°I will be with you the whole way, Cole. While I might not know what you¡¯re going through and have never experienced it, I will be there for you if you need me. Through all of it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Katie.¡± ............ Lionel walked through the castle touring the different activities that were going on. As it so happened, the beta alphas were found among the fallen. It was no doubt the two creatures had died the moment their alpha¡¯s life had been snuffed out. Their families sobbed at their caskets. The hunters were asked to bring the caskets of the beta alphas to the king¡¯s chambers so that they might side with him even in death. Beta alphas, the two werewolves that were sworn to serve the royals till their death. It didn¡¯t matter if it was a request from their alpha, it was to be executed no matter the circumstances. Lionel moved on to the dungeons where some of his pack mates had been stationed. Within the concrete hallways, he found numerous cells holding criminals that were of no significance to him. However, the ones that he hade to see caught his attention beyond anything he¡¯d seen before. The first ones were alphas, each of them bound in thick chains and their mouths gagged to prevent speech. Each of the alphas differed from the other, ¡°These must be the ones working under him.¡± ¡°No, that man and child are just some of his generals. I heard that another one... a woman managed to get away while another was killed by a hunter called Jackeline. They spoke of another general that was killed in the Sirius kingdom, but those are only rumours. They are very dangerous,¡± one of the guards told him. The alpha squinted as he noticed one of the generals was more chain than muscle, ¡°The red eyes of the small being locked with his and shed a frightening shade of red, ¡°Is that a child?¡± ¡°Yes, sir... They say he¡¯s the one who knocked out most of the hunters,¡± the guard exined with a shudder. Lionel continued on his way and came face to face with the most important cell since he¡¯de. Bound in chains and raised from the ground were two beings that radiated power on levels unimaginable to the alpha. The first one to lift his head towards him was who he assumed to be a beta alpha. Lionel felt like the gaze alone would pin him to the ground and suck the life out of him. The man, noticing his situation, shrugged and looked away from him. ¡°That¡¯s been the same reaction for everyone that¡¯se here. The beta alpha looks at you first and if you don¡¯t flinch at his gaze, the rogue king does it... No one has survived that one... It¡¯s like a game to the two of them... They¡¯vepletely resigned to doing nothing... Their king seems to have given up everything.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Lionel asked. The guard that had been narrating turned to look at him. ¡°Oh, you haven¡¯t heard.¡± ¡°Heard what?¡± Lionel asked him, turning to face him, but staying painfully aware of the beings in the cell before him. Even with how chained they were, the man couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy in their presence. It was as though they could break free of their bonds easily. ¡°Well, rumour has it that the Moon Goddess¡¯ chosen marked each other. When the rogue king got to learn of that development, he surrendered without further resistance,¡± the man said to him. ¡°What... Just like that?¡± the alpha asked. ¡°Yes, just like that,¡± the man responded, ¡°The man¡¯s years of tyranny are over by something as simple as that. Talk about divine intervention.¡± Lionel couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing and another part of him only pieced together the fact that Katie had been united with Cole atst in ways words could no longer describe. ¡°So the power of the royals has been stripped away from them just like that.¡± ¡®It¡¯s ironic that they did it themselves...¡¯ .............. Thorrin sat in the great conference hall within the Lycaon pce waiting on the hunters that he had called to attend a meeting he had called. Something bothered his brain worse than he could describe. The sun had already set and the night was approaching fast. Most of the hunters had taken a rest during the day. He, on the other hand, hadn¡¯t been able to rest with the different waves he was receiving. ¡°It must be troublesome to be a Chase hunter,¡± Micah said, walking into the conference room as the first arrival. Behind him, Evelyn made her arrival. The two of them had dark lines under their eyes and they yawned with tiredness etching its way all over their bodies. ¡°I agree...¡± Thorrin replied, ¡°Thankfully, I believe the rest of the hunters have had all the rest they would need to take care of anything should the asion arise.¡± ¡°I believe so as well...¡± Evelyn was interrupted by the opening doors as many hunters began to file into the room, taking random seats until they were all seated. Before Thorrin could talk, servants came in with refreshments and began to pour drinks for all of them. The hunters, most of who had just woken up, began to sip the delightful tea. Thorrin, on the other hand, eyed the tea. It did not attract him as his nerves were more focused on what he was supposed to say. The scenting from it, however, was somewhat soothing. When the maids had gone and everyone was ready to talk, Thorrin stood up from his seat, ¡°I¡¯m d that you could all gather after everything that has happened. I have only recently spoken to my brother in Sirius and he confirmed that the new King of Lycaon was on his way here. The ceremony will soon be taken care of with everyone present. As we have had a whole day to rest, it¡¯s nice to see that most of you took advantage of it and... Hey, Micah, I know you haven¡¯t slept all day, but you don¡¯t have to nod off here...¡± Thorrin called to his brother at his side as the man got dizzier and his eyes got even more droopy. When Thorrin reached out to his brother, he watched as the man fell forward unconscious with a thud. Simr sounds went through the entire room... It was only then that Thorrin noticed what was happening... ¡°The tea... Stop drinking the tea...¡± It was a warning that was a moment toote. Every hunter had taken their dose of the sleeping draught. Chapter 258 258 Chapter Two Hundred Fifty Eight Deep down within the dungeons, a few dashing figures rushed through finding next to no resistance as they rushed through looking for a few cells in particr. The hunters had all left their posts to attend a meeting and the werewolves were left to guard the prisoners in the dungeon. It was not long before they all made it to the cells of the rogue king and his generals. They each shared keys and got to work on working with the locks which gave away quite easily. When the rogue king was finally no longer under restraints, the man stretched his arms and legs, ¡°You know... that method of locking someone up doesn¡¯t allow them to take a piss when they want to,¡± the manined, turning his head at odd angles releasing cracking sounds. ¡°Well, you won¡¯t have to worry about that anymore, your majesty. We can leave as soon as possible,¡± the man said to him, ¡°If you would onlye with us, we can show you the fastest way out of the capital.¡± ¡°My my, aren¡¯t you ying the hero? Let me see your eyes,¡± the rogue king said to the man ordering him around. Stepping into the light of a torch, the man revealed his face to the rogue king, they were a bright amber... a colour that the rogue king normally considered worthless. ¡°You¡¯ve barely had any of the blessings the moon goddess graced us with. What gives you the right to give me orders?¡± the king said to the man. ¡°If I guess correctly, I would say you have run out of options at this point and you¡¯ve epted your fate. Without the power to create more rogues to aplish your mission of eradicating humanity, your mission is as good as a dream. What if I told you that there was a solution to that problem you¡¯re facing, your majesty,¡± the man said to him. ¡°As I live and breathe... I had no idea you would turn out to be useful, but I¡¯m impressed. By all means, lead the way,¡± the kingughed out loud, his voice booming across the dungeon. ¡°You must be quiet your majesty,¡± Victor told him. ¡°Oh, you worry too much. In the world that Ie from, we with power reign at the top. It¡¯s not something you would understand,¡± the king replied in an equally loud voice. The generals snickered at the man¡¯s ignorance. ..... ¡°If you feel like you need some protection, dear...¡± ¡°Victor, my name is Victor,¡± the man said to him. ¡°Well, Victor... I will protect you from whatever foe that might seem to want to see you dead. Of all the spies and allies I¡¯ve gathered among the weaklings of this world, you might just happen to be the most important one of them all. Now let us go find someone that wants to stop us from getting out of here,¡± the king replied boisterously. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen the king this excited in a while. Thest time was when he came up with the n to attack the capital,¡± Benji smiled, watching his king adoringly. ¡°You¡¯re nning to go looking for a fight when I only got you out?¡± Victor asked the man, bewilderment filling his voice. ¡°Is that what it sounded like? You yellow-eyed are quite quick to jump to worst-case scenario kind of conclusion,¡± the king mused only to start his way to the exit of the dungeon. On his way, he asked the generals to destroy the cages that held more criminals within them. The generals wasted no time in doing as the king had ordered. The child that Victor had almost left tied up seemed to be the most enthusiastic when it came to causing mischief. Watching him work made the wolf regret doubting his abilities. As the boy didn¡¯t seem to have noticed his reluctance to release, Victor hoped it would stay that way. ¡°Well, as long as we get out of here while the hunters are all knocked out.¡± The king paused in his gait and turned to face the man that had broken him out of his prison. The others that had helped him aplish this feat didn¡¯t seem to matter to him. Clearly, the yellow-eyed pipsqueak had orchestrated the entire breakout and was controlling the people he was using, ¡°Did you say you knocked them all out?¡± ¡°Yeah, a powerful sleeping draught did the trick. You wouldn¡¯t have wanted the entire family of Chase hunters following you,¡± Victor answered. The king¡¯s shoulders slumped, ¡°I wanted to spar with that Perfect Warrior again, but s, the man was bested by the cheap tricks of one that was weaker than him. I would scold you for that, but I guess I can¡¯t me you for your normal-like thinking.¡± The king then turned away from Victor and proceeded with his walk. The prisoners that were released rushed out at top speed with the intention of making the most of the chance they¡¯d been given at finding freedom. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t look down on me like that. I wasn¡¯t always stuck with disgraceful colour in my eyes,¡± Victorshed out. ¡°Oh, and what colour were you blessed with if I may ask?¡± the king went. ¡°I was a delta with forest green eyes,¡± Victor said, his fist clenching in anger. The repulsive face of the person who stripped him of his power still shone brightly in his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the same person and it filled him with more hatred than he could contain. ¡°So you freed me so you could one day take revenge on the royal that stripped you of your power?¡± the king surmised. ¡°I will take revenge on him one way or another. I will take away everything that he holds most dear until the day hees begging me to kill him. Or at least, that would be the most desirable oue. After all, he did the same thing to me and left me powerless. I won¡¯t beg him to return my power, but I will make him suffer for what he did,¡± the man replied. The rogue king looked at the man seething behind him and smirked, ¡°Hang on to that feeling. In a world where you¡¯re as weak as you are, it¡¯s only the strongest of convictions that can get you through the hard times. In any case, these viins will provide the perfect distraction for our escape. I don¡¯t like using such cheap underhanded techniques, but I do want to hear what you have to say about reversing the goddess¡¯ magic.¡± The group walked out of the dungeons and found the wolves that had been sent as reinforcements battling the escaped viins. It was a spectacle for the king, but s, Victor wouldn¡¯t let the man take in the carnage in front of him. Just as they were about to disappear into the forest, the sound of a thunderp filled the air. The king couldn¡¯t help but shiver in excitement. The man looked back at the scene behind him and saw what he¡¯d been looking for. The Perfect warrior was working his hardest to apprehend the escaped prisoners. The king smirked at the sight of the man upied, ¡°I wonder if you¡¯ll be able to catch up to us. If you do, that will make this escape all the more interesting.¡± It was almost as though the man was talking to himself. The sun was about to start its descent and the air was cooling. The rogues took in the timing of their escape... ¡°Talk about the perfect weather for a beat down.¡± This came from Benji... The boy had made it into a tree and the look on his face only brought more butterflies through Victor¡¯s stomach. Right when the king had entered the forest, one of the hooded figures that had been following them took off their garments to reveal their yellow eyes and was soon followed by another. Each time the king saw their yellow eyes, he felt as though he¡¯d been handed more of a burden that was only going to be ughtered at the first sight of a hunter. Thest one, however, brought a smile to his face. Revealing the face beneath the hood, the king and his generals came face to face with General Amanda. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you doing well, your Majesty.¡± The woman said to him. ¡°And it¡¯s nice to see you as well. What kept you from revealing yourself earlier?¡± the king asked her. ¡°Well, breaking out all those prisoners just sounded like work for these young men. So I waited for them to be finished,¡± the woman shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s devious, Amanda,¡± the boy was already atop her in a branch hanging low by his feet so that his face was right above hers, ¡°I like it.¡± ¡°No one¡¯s more devious than you, Benji. Honestly, your size and voice stopped fooling me a long time ago,¡± the woman replied. ¡°That¡¯s a smart observation to make,¡± the boy smiled even though it only added to the dread his adversary felt toward him. The group continued to move in silence before the king got bored enough to ask the one question on his mind, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m tired of waiting. Tell me what I want to know now or you lose your life...¡± the king was stopped by the sound of a ne. His senses and wolf all perked up at the presence inside the ne. To a normal eye, the n was merely passing by, but the king knew better. His ears began to extend as he drew on his wolf¡¯s power. ¡°What is...¡± Victor was stopped in his tracks when the door of the ne shattered with a violent jerk and a being shot out of it at threatening speed. Blue streaks of light seemed to surround the being that had emerged from the ne... It was a girl and the look on her face shattered his fears for the rogue king instantly. Looking beside him, he noticed a smirk grow on the rogue king¡¯s face. ¡°I knew one of them wouldn¡¯t let me down...¡± Chapter 259 259 Chapter Two Hundred Fifty Nine Katie sat in the ne alongside her mate, feeling more anxious by the minute. Up until this moment, her stomach had been turning with dread. She couldn¡¯t figure out what it was, but she knew it was worse than anything she¡¯d ever felt and she had to find a way to put an end to it. Cole had noticed her anxiety growing the more they neared his home. The entire flight had been quiet and the girl had almost left with him alone. She was in a rush to get to the Lycaon empire which nearly scared him. Tom and Marie had got her to slow down and let in the king of Sirius and her mother, Queen Martha. Drake hade along as well, along with Sandra and Cole¡¯s beta alphas. When the crew was ready, the ne had then taken off. The flight to Lycaon was not a short one and with their short dy when they were boarding, Katie had the pilot change course so that he flew right over the pce on his way to the airport. Before Cole couldin, Marie had stopped him. The Chase family knew something that they weren¡¯t telling him. He chose to keep his questions to himself. After all, his assumption was that they were anxious to confirm the news about his father¡¯s death. The closer they got to the pce, the more Katie¡¯s anxiety grew and at some point, Cole was perfectly sure this had nothing to do with seeing his father¡¯s corpse, ¡°Katie, what¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked, pulling her close to him. The girl looked him in the eye. He¡¯d managed to get his mind in order after his short mental breakdown, but now the stable girl that had helped him through it had the cloudiest expression he had ever seen. Her eyes zed over as though he didn¡¯t see him directly and she was shivering. The bright blue of her eyes seemed to leak from her eyes. Cole had never seen werewolf eyes ever get that bright, but she stared back at him with a ghostly expression. Her face was pale and he found himself caressing his cheek in an effort to find out what was going on with her. ¡°Cole, something terrible is about to happen,¡± the girl told him. Everyone on the ne heard her speak. They saw how shaky herposure was. Those that could tell felt the power of her gifts flowing through her. It almost felt like there was static in the air. Like the air in the ne had been ionized by the power she was unleashing into her body. ¡°What do you mean something terrible is about to happen?¡± Cole asked the girl. ¡°Well, by that... I...¡± the girl went silent for a moment before vanishing right before his eyes. She had only just disappeared when Marie took her ce, her arms grabbing nothing in her feat to catch the girl. Cole¡¯s eyes darted around and he was just in time to see his mate in a half shift, a blue aura surrounding her. She was on the upper half of the wall exactly opposite the door to the ne. It was only for a split second that she was there. The next motion shook the ne as she shot out to the door and tore out of the ne along with the door. ¡°Katie... No,¡± Marie rushed to the door, having recovered from the sudden events. Everyone rushed to the door and windows to witness the girl who¡¯d leapt from the ne and was now tumbling to the forest below. Her hair was white at the top and her ears were visible indicating her half shift. A loud growl rang through the air as she continued to fall... In response to her roar, another came from the forest below. ..... ¡°She can¡¯t make a jump like that from this height. Does that girl have a death...¡± Sandra stopped speaking when another one of them leapt from the ne. It was Cole this time. Caden pushed forward... ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it. Everyone else is to wear a parachute. We don¡¯t want any of you to get the wrong idea. None of you is capable of surviving that fall,¡± Marie yelled at the top of her voice, trying to overpower the sound of the roaring wind and that of the ne. The rest of them began to put on the parachutes they could find in the ne. The situation had just escted from what they had thought was a simple visit to the kingdom of Lycaon. Thunder could be hearding from the pce and the forest as well. It was soon clear that nothing was right at all in the capital as well. ¡°Tom...¡± ¡°I will go to the capital and handle everything going on there. Go and help Katie. Take Sandra with you along with Jason. I will go with Caden,¡± Caden heard them distributing roles very fast that he nearly missed the point where they mentioned he wouldn¡¯t be helping his alpha. Those designated to help Katie were out of the ne before Caden couldin about it, ¡°Looks like it¡¯s just me and you buddy. Prove to me that it¡¯s not just muscle under all that macho alpha aura of yours.¡± Tom said, slinging his hand around the beta alpha¡¯s shoulder cheerfully. ........ Katie could barely follow her own movements as she descended upon the forest. Anger filled her along with despair and determination. The well of emotions stirred up all the power she¡¯d been conserving within her. She¡¯dpletely stopped feeling the signs of her prior fatigue and was focused on what was before her. Removing the bow from her back, she attached a string to it and got ready to use it to slow her descent. In a fluid manoeuvre of well-practised moves, shended on the forest floor, abandoning the arrow the moment she wanted tond. Before her, was the man she¡¯d been told had been captured only the day before. She wasn¡¯t surprised he was the reason she would being to Lycaon so fast. His escape was something she couldn¡¯t allow. ¡®That¡¯s not it, Katie...¡¯ Ashley warned the girl, ¡®The rogue king... He has something more sinister in the workings. I don¡¯t know what it is, but I¡¯ve been studying the way you detect danger. You¡¯re right to be on your toes. If we lose him now, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll like what happens afterwards.¡¯ Katie¡¯s mind was clear for the first time since she¡¯d started detecting the trouble. Her wolf had made a perfect exnation of the situation and it allowed her more focus on what was before her. ¡°So that¡¯s the creature the goddess was sure would put an end to me. Honestly, this is over...¡± the rogue king was startled when a thunderp rang through the air, having the girl before him with her fist outstretched and aimed at his face. Those around him moved in ordance with the attack and to protect the rogue king. The king leapt back before the fist could connect with his face and watched with a smirk as the rest of his generals attacked the girl. Katie barely faltered, moving on to her next course of action, she let her hand touch the ground and used it as a pivot tounch a kick into the gut of the child that had decided to attack her from above. Benji went flying, the wind was knocked right out of him. The hunter pushed off the ground and spun through the air, her knee going straight into Samson¡¯s chest before he could react. Amanda was only coteral damage from the girl thrusting Samson about like a ragdoll. The rogue king¡¯s eyes widened in shock at the fluid movements that had taken out his generals and the speed with which she had executed them. ¡®What¡¯s with the bright blue aura leaking from her eyes? Does she have more of the goddess¡¯ blessing than normal royals?¡¯ the man wondered, watching as the woman made direct eye contact with him. Murderous intent behind her gaze struck him like a knife. If it hadn¡¯t been for Thane¡¯s quick movements, the king would have found himself with a disfigured face. The beta alpha stepped in the way to stop the fist that was meant for his alpha. Thane put up his forearms to shield himself from the girl¡¯s punch, however, the energy behind it was enough to push him back much more than he¡¯d ever anticipated. The beta alpha flew past the rogue king who crouched mming into a tree. The tree groaned from the weight that had rammed into it. The rogue king found that he had to evade the next movement almost immediately, ¡®She hasn¡¯t even slowed down.¡¯ He thought to himself as the girl immediately nted one foot ahead to support her in her next movement, ateral elbow. The king leapt away from her, narrowly dodging her attack, but the girl was already in motion, catching up to him moments after he¡¯d felt far from her. A silhouette of a wolf covered her as she leapt for him. Fear gripping the rogue king, the man dashed further back just in time to avoid the jaws that mped down on his former position. It was only then that the girl stopped her movements and shifted back into her human form, eyeing the rogue king. The generals were only now recovering and surrounding her. Thane did the same even though he looked to be in the worst shape of all. The girl was not fazed by the people that surrounded her. In fact, she kept her eyes trained on the one person she¡¯de to kill. ¡°So you¡¯re the famous rogue killer,¡± the king confirmed with a smirk. Just then a figure appeared right behind the girl, taking on a stance the king was familiar with. The woman that had just added to their group of enemies was a hunter that his memory fetched from very many years ago... ¡°It¡¯s been quite some time, Marie Chase,¡± the man announced. ¡°I didn¡¯te here to talk,¡± Katie stopped the more-than-chatty rogue king in his reunion speech. Chapter 260 260 Chapter Two Hundred Sixty The rogue king¡¯s generals sensed the girl¡¯s intentions andunched yet another attack to stop her from getting to their king. Katie¡¯s body moved almost on its own, taking the three of them out as fast as she could before attacking the rogue king once again. This time, there was someone who stopped the beta alpha from attacking her. Marie rushed forward and engaged the beta alpha, blocking Thane¡¯s ess to Katie. Getting frustrated by the woman¡¯s intervention, the man attempted to swat her away with full force as someone would swat a fly with the confidence that their hands were undeniably faster than the nimble creature. The woman, using the element of surprise, flipped the man over her shoulder and mmed him down hard with his back to the ground. The rogue king in his fit to avoid being hit by a rampaging Katie, felt his beta alpha¡¯s surprise, ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate her. That woman is one of the Mighty Warriors. She¡¯ll snuff you out if you fail to take her seriously,¡± the man shouted, only for one of Katie¡¯s fists to connect painfully with his gut. The force from the fist threw him straight through the stem of another tree like the obstacle meant nothing. Katie¡¯s body was fuming with more of the blue light that enveloped her. She started her walk to the rogue king. The injured generals watched the girl walk up to the man, afraid to attack once more. Gritting his teeth, Benji was the first to muster his courage and try another attack on her. Dashing at the fastest he could manage from her blindspot, the girl turned to him almost as though she¡¯d expected him toe. Samson saw his chance, while she was distracted by Benji and moved in. The girl, changed her motions almost to match the new man¡¯s invasion fluidly blocking the young boy¡¯s fist, but then grabbing his now stationary hand and flinging him fast into hisrade¡¯s chest. The two of them were gone from the battlefield almost as fast as they¡¯de. Katie continued her walk to the king. ¡°What kind of being possesses this kind of power?¡± Samson asked, the woman before him. Amanda had decided on keeping her distance from the girl. ¡°I don¡¯t think she has that much power. More like she¡¯s at her peak at the moment and there is not a force in the world that would get the jump on her,¡± Amanda tried to find her own exnation. The king stood up from his spot on the ground beyond the fallen tree. The girl stopped her advance on the king and watched him as he stood up. ¡°You¡¯re powerful. I¡¯ll give you that. It¡¯s about time I took this seriously,¡± the more the king spoke, the deeper his voice rumbled. The rogue king¡¯s eyes shed blue and ck fur began to spout around his face while his face distorted to give him a more wolfish appearance. Katie took in his appearance, a half shift like hers... all except for one thing. Behind the rogue king, a ck starry bushy tail appeared. ¡®Aplete half shift,¡¯ Ashley¡¯s voice came into her mind. ¡®Does it matter...¡¯ Katie asked her. The wolf was bound to tell her why it was significant, however, sensing the girl¡¯s emotions, it was irrelevant for her to say anything about it, ¡°Not now... It doesn¡¯t matter. Our objective remains the same and that¡¯s what we¡¯ll do.¡¯ The king was before Katie in the next moment, surprising her with the significant increase in speed. The girl side-stepped dodging his kick by a hair and got into the fight as well. The two of them roared in a fight that was now more equal. The rogue king was no longer overwhelmed and he could contain the monstrous strength of the blows that were thrown at him. ¡°You¡¯re powerful. I¡¯ll have to give you that...¡± he was stopped when the girl¡¯s knee connected with his chin in an upward jump that sent the rogue king flying in the air. ..... The rogue king recovered in mid-air andnded on his feet, sliding back until he stopped by a tree, ¡°Talking will only get you killed, so by all means, keep it up,¡± Katie¡¯s voice came cold. ...... The beta alpha fought with all his heart and soul after being warned by his king, however, no matter how much he tried, the woman before him was always a step ahead of him. At some point, the beta alpha was sure this woman was far more than a simple step ahead of him. Her attacks didn¡¯t pack a punch to them, but they were many and overwhelming. Even when he tried his best to keep on his toes, the woman weaved around him and stepped in the right ce to have him trip over his own footing. She kicked at his knees and hit the insides of his elbows and his throat while she made sure to stay out of his line of sight. ¡®She¡¯s aiming for weak points while keeping in my blind spot.¡¯ The man¡¯s thoughts rang through his mind while he tried to do something about her. ¡°You know, you would be much easier to take down if I had my knives. You¡¯re really nothing but a hunk of muscle. The one in the reserve was much faster,¡± the woman said, taking a breather away from the alpha. Thane looked to his alpha and saw what he could only describe as a fight between gods... The two of them were fighting at immense speeds and the wind from their attacks was violent. ¡°She really wants to kill him,¡± the man smirked, ¡°That¡¯s the only way one could ever hope to defeat the rogue king anyway.¡± He had been out of breath but had now recovered. ¡°I underestimated you, but I won¡¯t do something like that again.¡± Marie chuckled at the man¡¯s motivation to fight and went in for the next attack. However this time, there was someone else that decided to join in. A boy showed up in front of the beta alpha with a wicked smile on his face. One that caught the womanpletely off-guard before the one behind her struck her with the side of his palm and knocked her unconscious. The sound of a thunderp tearing through the sky brought them all to believe they hadn¡¯t seen the worst of their worries just yet. The man they¡¯d all feared to catch up to them had finally caught up and he was closing in faster than any of them wished he could, ¡°Can¡¯t those hunters ever run quietly? Especially the ones that have all the power to run like bullets,¡± Samsonined, rubbing his shoulder in an attempt to soothe the pain he¡¯d got from being tossed around by Katie. ¡°I don¡¯t see an opening,¡± Thane¡¯s voice silenced them. They looked in the direction the beta alpha was looking and found a fight between their king and the new arrival. None of them had thought it was possible to have the rogue king use his half shift in a fight, but now they were watching it happen and the girl was keeping up with him... No, she was giving him a tough time to beat. ¡°Do you think it has something to do with that blue aura around her?¡± Benji asked. ¡°It might... she¡¯s expelling more divine energy than I¡¯ve ever felt our king do,¡± Thane said to them. ¡°What are you...¡± just then, a man dashed into the small clearing, aiming straight for the rogue king. As expected, the girl shifted her position and let the new arrival take her ce against the rogue, only getting back into the fight when he waspletely open and covering for him. The two of them fought fluidly together without evermunicating. With a roar from the rogue king, he struck the man in the gut and followed through with a kick that sent him flying and wasted no time in doing the same with the girl. The girl shot across the field in what might have been the first attack to grace her body. The rogue king was panting, but he¡¯d finally made his first step towards progress... ¡°So she¡¯s using all the power of the gods she has in her body to see her mission to the end. I¡¯ll give you something to think about girl. After this, you won¡¯t be able to ever lift a finger again. Expel all that energy and you will lose just as much as I will.¡± The king was panting while he spoke, but he didn¡¯t look like someone who wanted to go again with the two of them. The girl pulled herself from the bark of the tree she had mmed into and growled lowly... a silhouette of arge wolf enveloping her body in blue... Her eyes shone a bright blue but left her irises dark blue. Before she could attack again, a ck wolf dashed before her and shifted into a young man with blue eyes. The man quickly hugged the girl tight. The silhouette of the wolf vanished just as soon as she was in his hands and her determined look to fight vanished as well. ¡°We can strike now that...¡± Thane had begun only to stop. ¡°No, Thane... We leave now... While the Chase family is still weak. While we still have the upper hand. More wille the longer we stay here. There is no guarantee the sleeping draught that the boy used willst much longer. In the history of the rogues, this was the rogue king¡¯s first disy of fear for his own life... and the rogues retreated. Chapter 261 261 Chapter Two Hundred Sixty One Lina finally got to her friend. Without noticing it, the rain had begun to pour down on her on the way to the flower shop. Having told her chauffeur to ditch her once she was near the shop, she now dreadfully regretted her words which shed through her mind quite vividly... ¡®You can go now. I don¡¯t need you...¡¯ ¡°Oh,e on, it was shining brightly just a moment ago,¡¯ the girl cursed while she made her way to the flower shop not far from where she had chosen to be dropped off. staring up at the sky, streaks of blue lightning dashed across the sky, followed by the rumbling of thunder. ¡®It¡¯s just ordinary thunder and lightning. Stop overthinking it, Lina. Get a grip of yourself,¡¯ she told herself, rushing for shade. ¡°Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of yours,¡± a mocking voice came beside her. ¡°You know, you didn¡¯t have toe after me, Crysta,¡± the girl replied. She hadpletely run out of the energy to fight the delta, but the girl seemed determined to mend what had been broken a long time ago. ¡°I know that Lina, but I want to. It¡¯s nothing more than that,¡± Crysta responded. Sighing, the girl continued their light jog and soon made it to the flower shop. The rain had started drizzling and the warmth of the sun had been drained from Sirius in a matter of minutes. I almost felt humid... as though the weather had been that way for days. ¡°You took a long time to get here, Lina,¡± Honour¡¯s irritated voice weed them at the door, letting them in as soon as they¡¯d arrived. ¡°Hey Honour,¡± Lina called back. The two friends embraced each other as soon as they crossed into the flower shop. Honour held on tighter to her friend than she normally did and Lina offered herself asfort to the girl, ¡°How are you holding up?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m doing fine as much as emotionally possible,¡± Honour replied, anxiety leaking through her words. The girl couldn¡¯t hide the nerves that wracked her mind. The same nerves had kept her from going straight home. ¡°Well, for someone who¡¯s about to ask why they looked like a lightbulb in a field of glowing flowers, you¡¯re doing more than okay,¡± Crysta pitched in cheerfully. ..... ¡°You¡¯re the worst, Crysta. For a moment, I thought I¡¯d finally been able to get a grip. Now I¡¯m back to square one,¡± the girl covered her face and shivered at the thought of the confrontation they were about to make. Lina reached for her friend and pulled her into another hug before sticking her tongue out at the delta she¡¯de with, ¡°If I were in your shoes, I¡¯d choose to be excited.¡± This got Honour¡¯s attention, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± the girl asked her. ¡°Well, you were glowing in the woods from what I¡¯ve heard the two of you say, but what I was more curious about was the nts you were controlling. Is that something you¡¯ve always been able to do? Is it why you guys run a flower shop? You have no idea how curious I am. Not to mention the fact that you saved us back at the reserve. The more answers you get, the better equipped you¡¯ll be at handling the next step. I¡¯m not saying there has to be a next step, just that... well...¡± ¡°I understand what you mean Crysta,¡± Honour cut her off. The girl¡¯s face held a sad smile, ¡°I guess the strong will always look for ways to protect those they care about the best they can. I haven¡¯t been able to protect anyone at all in my life. That day was the first time...¡± she paused, ¡°Crysta, you might find this ability of mine to be a blessing, but deep inside me, I don¡¯t think of it as such. The closer I get to know the answer behind it, the more I feel like it will bring me more harm.¡± Crysta was confused at the girl¡¯s words and further brought to ask the question on her mind, ¡°Why would something that helped you save so many people bring you harm? From the way I see it, it would be harmful in the wrong arms. But it¡¯s you who has this power...¡± ¡°And would I be the best person to have a power like this? I have seen Lina try so hard to protect the wolves of Sirius. She has been called useless her entire life and yet she did everything she could to protect those she held most dear,¡± Honour said to her. ¡°What about you? Don¡¯t you want to protect those you hold close to you?¡± Crysta asked her. ¡°I...¡± rrrinnng... the phone went at the desk of the flower shop, ¡°Who would be calling in this rain?¡± Honourined, rushing to the counter of the flower shop to pick up the phone. ¡°Umm, hello...¡± ¡°So that¡¯s where you are. The school called us and said you¡¯d returned from the trip. Honour what are you doing at the shop at this hour? You know we weren¡¯t going to work today. You only needed toe straight home...¡± ¡°I¡¯ming home, Mum. I just needed to get some fresh air... and to make sure you didn¡¯t do anything wrong to the flowers,¡± the girl quickly covered her tone. ¡°You¡¯ve never been good at lying and you shouldn¡¯t learn to lie either. Did something happen at the reserve, honey? You know you can tell me anything,¡± her mother¡¯s voice came from the other side of the phone. ¡°Yes, mum. Something...¡± she paused, and with a sigh, ¡°wonderful happened at the reserve.¡± Her voice said anything but ¡®wonderful¡¯. ¡°Oh, what was it? You don¡¯t sound that happy that something happened. Did a boy ask you out?¡± the woman asked with a gasp, ¡°Oh, dear, what¡¯s his name? When do I get to meet him?¡± ¡°Mother, I am a werewolf. I have to wait till I¡¯m eighteen to start thinking about such urrences. Would you stop letting your imagination run wild like that, mum? That¡¯s not even close to what happened,¡± Honour yelled into the phone. By the time she went quiet, so had her mum. Tears stung her eyes from getting her mum¡¯s antics out of the way. ¡°Well then, don¡¯t keep me waiting like this. What happened?¡± the woman asked in a much moreposed voice. ¡°I found a field of moon lotuses, mum,¡± the girl said to her, ¡°They are just as beautiful as you¡¯ve always said they¡¯d be. They shone a bright blue under the moonlight and they were breathtaking to look at. Lina was with me along with Katie and one of Cole¡¯s beta alphas. I don¡¯t think there is a flower in the store thates close to the marvel we witnessed. Well, since it was the middle of the night, they were glowing and in full bloom...¡± ¡°Come home, Honour. We need to talk,¡± the woman cut her off, her voice had lost its former cheer and only screamed mncholy. ¡°What is it, mother?¡± ¡°It has something to do with our family. Honestly, your grandmother has been pushing me to tell you this sooner, but I kept pushing it further hoping you could enjoy a normal childhood a little longer. Juste home, Honour.¡± The woman on the other side of the phone was clearly saddened by her daughter¡¯s news. The phone was silent in the next second, leaving Honour holding on to it even though it had gone entirely silent. ¡°What does she have to tell me?¡± the girl whispered more to herself. She¡¯d never thought her family could hold any secrets. They were only a normal family living in the capital. There was no secret for them to hold. No connection to the royals. Nothing of what was happening to her made sense in the slightest. Lina got out her phone and dialled the number of the car she¡¯d only sent away moments ago, ¡°Yeah, I know what I said. Just get here asap, okay.¡± After hearing, ¡®Yes, your highness¡¯ from the other side of the phone, the girl ended the call with a groan. ¡°Ugh, he¡¯s not going to let go of this...¡± ¡°Well that was your fault, to begin with,¡± Crysta responded. ¡°Ugh, it wasn¡¯t I that decided the weather forecast was wrong today. Come on, it was supposed to be clear sunny skies,¡± the girl screamed, holding her phone for the delta to say. Clear as day, her phone still said it was meant to be sunny at that moment. Upon seeing the image of the sun on the girl¡¯s phone, Honour averted her eyes, a bad feeling creeping into her stomach, ¡°This just keeps getting better and better.¡± ¡°Huh, do you mean the rain could be your doing?¡± Lina asked her. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it has the same feeling of unnatural,¡± she responded before taking a seat at the counter. Lina noticed her friend¡¯s depressed state and the weather... It was the perfect weather for the girl¡¯s state. ¡°Who knows... your mood could be the one causing this weather just as much as your control over nts. Who knows anything anymore?¡± Crysta voiced her thoughts while they waited for the car. .............. The chauffeur arrived and followed the princess¡¯ orders with minimal resistance to get her riled up. They now sat in the car, waiting for Honour to get the guts to leave the car. Her home was only a few steps away from them. They only needed to exit the car and make their way to the building. Lina put her hand over her friend¡¯s hand, ¡°Hey, whatever it is out there, we¡¯ll be together. You don¡¯t have to go through it on your own.¡± Honour felt her friend¡¯s warmth. She truly wanted to help her and Honour appreciated her help even though she only felt all the more alone in this situation. Steeling her nerves, ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with.¡± ............ Honour¡¯s mother weed her guests and seated them around a table before serving them some herbal tea. The smell of cinnamon wafted through the air and calmed their nerves. From the stairs, an old woman descended the stairs, the sudden entrance startling Honour from her seat, ¡°Grandma, you don¡¯t have to push yourself so hard, you know that...¡± ¡°Yes, I do, but you took so long toe that I thought you¡¯d rushed off to your room,¡± the old womanined before hugging the girl before her, ¡°We¡¯ve missed you, Selene.¡± Honour froze at the name the old woman used with her, her hands shivering at the mention of the name she¡¯d been nicknamed a long time ago. Tears stung her eyes and she felt as though everything was piecing together before her eyes. Her parents hadn¡¯t kept anything from her... She¡¯d only chosen to look away from the fairy tales they¡¯d told her as she¡¯d grown up. ¡°All those stories...¡± ¡°Well, Honour, it¡¯s about time you knew the full story and the origin of that fairy tale,¡± her mother, holding a cup of tea and looking down, barely able to meet her daughter¡¯s eyes. She¡¯d been running from this the most in their family... Chapter 262 262 Chapter Two Hundred Sixty Two It was only after everyone was seated that Honour¡¯s grandmother started the story that had been passed down in their family for so long they didn¡¯t bother to keep records of how long it was. An estimation was all they could keep track of, ¡°It was about two centuries ago when the story of our family began. The goddess of the hunt was in the need of an object of vengeance against the humans. As a goddess, there was much she could do to bring the humans to an end and I¡¯m not so sure what rules kept her from using ordinary means, but she came up with apletely devious n at the time. It was the cultivation of all the cruelty she could muster at the time. She¡¯d been wronged by the Man god Prometheus and she had to do something to him that would leave him torn beyond repair. There aren¡¯t many things one can find in the world that can do that to a god, but she found something. The Man god valued one thing above all others in his eternal life and that was the creation he¡¯d made and even gave fire against Zeus¡¯ better judgement and was punished for it. She chose to turn the humans against each other and bring them to kill each other until nothing was left of them. Back then, humanity was starting to prosper. Humans had proven to be intelligent indeed and there weren¡¯t many things she coulde up with that were effective at the time. If she was to wipe out the whole of humanity, she was going to use a power that would stay present until all humans were gone. A powerful curse... What better curse than that of the moon? One visit to the moon pce was all the goddess needed to have control of its power. It was said she struck a deal with the goddess Selene. In truth, it was when our family began. A lone child was sent down on earth and handed to a human family to raise. Since the werewolves were cursed using the moon¡¯s power, the child was no human either. She was but a weak average werewolf child that was fated to give birth to the one who wouldter take her ce back in the heavens.¡± Honour¡¯s heart beat even louder at the words that came from her very own grandmother. It wasn¡¯t every day that someone said you were descended from a bloodline of a fallen goddess, ¡°Grandmother... I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°The deal that was struck was tost a good two hundred and fifty years. In that time, the goddess nned to aplish total human annihtion,¡± the old woman continued. ¡°It can¡¯t be true. The goddess has been trying to save humanity and stop the rogues...¡± ¡°Honour...¡± Honour¡¯s mother made a move to silence her but was stopped by the old woman. ..... ¡°I know you have a lot of questions, a young one and you have the right to ask anything on your mind. It¡¯s true our family is weak and has no connection to the royals, but that was the point of it all. The goddess Selene was to be kept as far from the power of the moon so that the goddess of the hunt could utilize its power with no interruption. We are the weakest werewolves in the world, but also the werewolves with the power of bringing the goddess down from her throne,¡± the woman exined, ¡°For she never belonged there in the first ce.¡± ¡°Why would the moon goddess turn against her original mission if she was meant to wipe out all humanity?¡± Honour asked the old woman. ¡°Well, that is quite simple really. As the years passed by, the goddess of the moon grew to love her creations. Prometheus didn¡¯t me her for falling in love with them either and he was the one that agreed to help her in her mission to bring peace to the two races that now ruled the earth. A faction of the wolves chose to veer off the new path that the goddessid down for them. They didn¡¯t agree with her newfound love for the creatures that were the reason for their creation in the first ce and so the rogues came to be,¡± Honour¡¯s grandmother exined. ¡°So what are you trying to tell me, grandmother?¡± Honour asked when she found that no other question could be asked other than why she had been told this entire tale. ¡°On your eighteenth birthday, the two hundred and fifty centuries wille to an end and you will be summoned to your ce at the moon pce and you will take the goddess of the hunt¡¯s ce as the moon goddess,¡± the woman announced as tears broke from the wells in her eyes. ¡°What...¡± Honour ced the cup on the table as the news finally registered in her mind. cing her cup on the table, she turned to her mother. The woman stood at the threshold and tried to dodge her daughter¡¯s eyes, ¡°Mum...¡± She was stopped by the pooling tears in her mother¡¯s eyes. None of them had the nerve to make up a story as silly as the one they were telling her at the moment. So it had to be true... ¡°What about everything I¡¯vee to know since I was a child? How a wolf finds their mate when they turn eighteen... one that lives to protect them and only findfort in their wellbeing...¡± ¡°You will have a mate,¡± Lina pitched in, ¡°You will have one Honour.¡± ¡°What makes you so sure of that?¡± the girl asked her friend. ¡°Because I¡¯ve met the current moon goddess¡¯ mate. I also heard that he was there on the day Katie was born. He helped them fight the rogues while the moon goddess had Katie stolen from her crib,¡± the girl said before her. ¡°When...¡± ¡°We were in Brigadia when it happened. The day the moon goddess came down from the sky,¡± Lina said to her, ¡°so believe me when I tell you that you will have that life. Besides, you won¡¯t be alone in all this.¡± ¡°Lina... I need some time to think,¡± Honour managed, rushing out of the room, without sparing the room another nce. ¡°She had to be told much earlier than this,¡± the old woman shook her head in disapproval. ¡°I was trying to keep her from harbouring a burden that was still miles away from her. She didn¡¯t need to know about all this now,¡± her mother argued. ¡°Enough, the two of you... Honour doesn¡¯t need any of that right now,¡± Lina snapped at the bickering females, ¡°Whether it waste or early, what would you have done in her shoes? What would you have thought if someone just told you one day that you were fated to be a goddess?¡± ¡°You have something wrong, dear. The girl is already a goddess. Her power is just suppressed by her loose connection to the moon. When the goddess of the hunt officially leaves the moon pce, it will call for her and her power won¡¯t be held back much longer,¡± Honour¡¯s grandmother exined, ¡°It¡¯s impossible for any of us to put ourselves in her shoes for they aren¡¯t the shoes of a human being. The gods and goddesses are quite different from us.¡± ...... The rogue rushed through the woods at the pace the weaklings that had rescued him could manage. After all, there was no reason to his escape without them. They held the key to his sess in his mission. His mind searched for all possible exnations for what they could havee up with, but he couldn¡¯t think of any. He¡¯d had a spy to tell him of the moon goddess¡¯ n to bring about his end by taking some of the lethal power she¡¯d bestowed upon the royals and he¡¯d done everything he could to bring that to an end. Now that he thought of it, he¡¯d been cautious at the time when he tried to kill the children. Looking at his generals, he remembered their absence at the time. The rogues weren¡¯t as strong at that time as they were now. ¡®If I¡¯d had my generals at that time, those children wouldn¡¯t have grown up to be a pain, ¡°Your majesty, what did we just witness?¡± General Amanda asked ¡°Well, that would be the power of the gods trying to snuff out what they would consider a weed in this world,¡± the man replied cryptically. He¡¯d felt the powering off the girl during his fight and even known just how much exaggerated her power seemed to be. ¡°Why didn¡¯t we kill her while we had the chance? If she gets any stronger, we might not be able to put an end to her,¡± the woman argued. ¡°I know what you mean, Amanda, but what we just witnessed was more than just strength and years of training. That was a girl desperate to keep me from escaping. Which is why I want to know what our new friend has to say to us?¡± the rogue kingmanded, facing the yellow-eyed wolf that ran with them. ¡°Oh, you mean me... I¡¯m honoured, my king...¡± ¡°Skip the ttery and get to the point,¡± the rogue king spat at him. ¡°No need to be rude about it. In any case, the moon goddess is going to have a recement two years from now. There is a girl somewhere in the Sirius empire. I don¡¯t know who she is just yet, but I know she will be the mate to the future king of Sirius and she will be the next moon goddess,¡± the man announced. The king¡¯s first reaction was to shun this information as it sounded even more sphemous than anything he could have ever thought of. Right as he was about to strike the man, Victor backed away and continued speaking, ¡°Just think about it, your majesty. The possibility of there being such a person means you can have the power of the royals returned in an instant. I can prove my words... just give me the chance to do it,¡± Victor was now backed up against a tree waiting for the man¡¯s final decision with his eyes closed. ¡°How...¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to pay a visit to the Golden Moon pack... and retrieve a Seeker,¡± Victor said with a smirk on his face... ¡®I¡¯ll get my vengeance, Drake Sirius. Just you watch me...¡¯ Chapter 263 263 Life Over Mission Cole held onto his mate as tightly as he could without causing her any pain. After all the times she¡¯d gone weak just by being wrapped in his arms and the confidence he¡¯d had in her reacting that way. He hoped they would all vanish and just this once, it would happen again. Katie struggled with the war in her mind. It was the second time she wasing face to face with the rogue king. The only difference was that this time, she had the power to put him down, or at least, that¡¯s what she thought and felt coursing through her body. Without caring for the rogues behind him, Cole let them flee, his mind trying to find entry into that of his mate. Katie had blocked everything out in her state of despair. The rogue king had taken the opportunity to run. ¡°Cole, let me go. I have to finish him off before he gets away.¡± ¡°You made a promise to me, Katie. I don¡¯t intend to let you break it,¡± the man responded, holding the girl even as she resisted. ¡°No, you don¡¯t get it, Cole. If we let him go...¡± ¡°If I let you continue drawing on that kind of power, you¡¯ll be gone. That¡¯s a risk I cannot take,¡± the royal cut her off. Katie wasn¡¯t sure what Cole was trying to tell her. ¡°Cole, you¡¯re not making any sense. I have to...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you ever feel it, Katie? Don¡¯t you ever notice when your body has reached its limit? You¡¯re not a machine, damn it. You can¡¯t be fixed the way they can. Once you break this body, you don¡¯t get another one. You¡¯re made of flesh, not metal and no one said you were made to put down the rogue king at the cost of your life,¡± Cole tried. ¡°I¡¯m a werewolf, Cole. I¡¯ll heal. Let me go now before he gets away,¡± the girl tried yelling while she felt the rogue king reach the ends of her scope. She struggled against his hold over her, but her energy diminished below what she needed to break free. He was the one thing she couldn¡¯t hurt even if she wanted to. ¡°No, Katie... You¡¯ve not been listening to me this entire time. So, listen. Your body is on fire at the moment. If you can¡¯t feel it, then believe that I can feel it for you. You¡¯ve been drawing on power that¡¯s more than your body can handle. Can¡¯t you tell?¡± the royal whispered into her ear. Katie stopped squirming inside his embrace for the first moment. She could feel it, the power leaking out of her and flowing through every vessel in her body. She had unleashed all the gifts she had at once. ..... ¡®Katie, once you turn off your gifts, you¡¯ll go into a state of pain while I focus on healing the both of us,¡¯ Ashley said to the girl, making sure Cole could hear her words. ¡°So, you knew what was happening and you still let her go through with it?¡± Cole bit back the venom in his voice, but it was undeniable. ¡°Forgive me, Cole, but Katie and I aren¡¯t so different. She¡¯s not wrong. The rogue king is going to tear this world in half if he gets away,¡± the wolf replied right before a scream tore through the forest. The aura around Katie hadpletely vanished and the drawbacks of her exertion were starting to kick in. A fire roared through every cell in the girl¡¯s body as her muscles rxed from the stress they¡¯d been under. It was like she¡¯d been stretching all of them without noticing and the pain was only registering now that the adrenaline was gone. Everything hurt. Cole¡¯s heart rushed into panic as he searched for ways to help his mate. Activating his power to heal, he started taking the pain away from her as she writhed in his arms, ¡°Hey, Lycaon, ce her on her back. I know something that might help.¡± Someone interrupted him. Looking to his side, he saw the man that had been hit by the rogue king in an attempt to help Katie overwhelm him. Doing as the man had asked, he ced Katie on her back, ignoring the ck veins that had already spread across his own body more rapidly than he¡¯d ever seen them do so. The man shook his head to clear his thoughts and expertly hit pressure points about the girl¡¯s neck with his thumbs, using a calcted amount of force. It happened so fast that Cole almost missed it himself. The screams and writhing died down and the girl went unconscious. Cole watched for her even breathing and sighed in relief, ¡°I don¡¯t know what I would have done if she had continued fighting the rogue king.¡± ¡°She has more power from the gods than any of us. It exins how she was able to overwhelm the rogue king like that. Has she always been that powerful?¡± the man asked him. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not... That was her giving it everything she had at the cost of her own life if it came to it... All for the sake of others... What¡¯s wrong with you, Katie? When will you realise that your death would mean pain for those you care about the most?¡± Cole said more to himself, carrying the girl into his arms. His healing power still activated, he continued to take away his mate¡¯s injuries which were all internal and riddled throughout her entire body. The man before her reached for Katie¡¯s adoptive mother and carried her into his arms. He looked at her lovingly... It was an expression Cole knew all too well. ¡°Does she mean something to you?¡± he asked him. ¡°Oh... yeah, she¡¯s my... sister-inw,¡± the man replied with a cough, stunning Cole. ¡°Wait, that would make you...¡± ¡°Thorrin Chase, one of the Mighty Warriors just like her,¡± the man introduced himself, ¡°It¡¯s an honour to meet the king of Lycaon as well.¡± He said with a bow. Cole looked away, forcefully reminded that his father was no longer in thend of the living. ¡®I was going to say Micah Chase, but I guess that¡¯s even cooler,¡¯ the alpha thought to himself before replying. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you,¡± the royal replied before turning to go to the capital. He stopped when he noticed thest person they¡¯de with just stood there watching a vacant spot in the direction the rogues had taken, ¡°Hey, Drake, what is it? Did you see something?¡± The royal was quiet for a while, searching his mind for an answer, ¡°Yeah, I thought I saw someone I knew.¡± The face of the amber-eyed wolf was sealed in his mind and his wolf growled at the memory. He could feel something wrong with the wolf¡¯s presence at the scene, but couldn¡¯t tell what it was doing there or where he¡¯d seen it before. ¡°Oh, who was it?¡± Cole asked. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t remember his name. Although I do remember him annoying me and I got him demoted,¡± Drake said, turning to walk away, ¡°No, it couldn¡¯t have been him. Maybe I was just seeing things. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Cole didn¡¯t reply, hoping the conversation on ¡®might or might not have been¡¯ would end right there. There was so much happening that he wanted nothing more to be added to it. The rogue king had escaped right before his eyes and once more, his mate had faced him. This time, however, she wasn¡¯t poisoned and Cole was sure she was healing. It was a relief to know she was going to be fine rather than hear the doctor give you news of her potential death. ¡®If I hadn¡¯t jumped in, were you really going to fight him till the divine energy ripped you apart, Katie?¡¯ the man asked internally, ¡®Who am I kidding? Of course, you were going to do it.¡¯ The memory of the time she¡¯d trained with Silver and ended up unconscious proved more than he needed to know. Katie didn¡¯t know when she¡¯d gone too far with something physically impossible for her and this one quality scared the royal. ....... Darkness was all that filled her surroundings. She was sure there was nothing around her. Only darkness and nothing else. It was peaceful for a time, but then questions began to ripple across the darkness, echoing in her mind. ¡®Why she had done what she had done? What she had intended to do afterwards? Why she didn¡¯t think before acting drastically?¡¯ To some degree, these questions didn¡¯t make sense to the wolf. She didn¡¯t believe in having limitations. She only knew something had to be aplished. She had to kill the rogue king. It was what she¡¯d resolved to aplish her whole life. After all the suffering that the rogues had brought upon the world, there was no better way for her to bring an end to the suffering. Her thoughts battled the questions around her. She wanted to impose her reasoning upon wherever they came from. ¡°Your reasoning is so basic and primal. For someone who didn¡¯t have their wolf for the first part of their lives, you definitely ended up more like a werewolf than anyone I¡¯ve ever met,¡± the clear voice snapped light into the girl¡¯s eyes. She hadn¡¯t thought anyone was around her, let alone that the darkness could be vanquished. Once the light had dimmed out, she took in her surroundings. White walls that went as high as she could see. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing. There wasn¡¯t much in therge room but pirs of white and far at the front, a throne of white. Seated on the throne was a figure she could recognize quite well... The moon goddess, Celeste. Her radiance and beauty, not to mention the way her wolf fawned over her, were all impossible traits to forget. ¡°I guess we meet again, moon goddess,¡± the girl smiled, even though it didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°I would not have wanted to meet you when your body was being put back together cell by cell. Honestly, what were you even thinking about exerting yourself like that? Not to mention you almost kicked Ashely out of your body,¡± the woman sighed heavily. Chapter 264 264 A Lone Queen ¡°I did what I thought was best. If Cole hadn¡¯t...¡± ¡°If Cole hadn¡¯t stopped you, you would have died. And the rogue king knew his ce as well. If he¡¯d done something to get you from Cole¡¯s grip, he would have risked getting killed as well,¡± the moon goddess confessed, ¡°The two of you would have perished. He clearly knew the right answer to his problem.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re always watching us, huh?¡± Katie¡¯s mind, agitated, was all over the ce. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m always watching. I am your goddess after all,¡± Celeste responded calmly looking upon the girl like she was a child that didn¡¯t realise all she did for her. The goddess¡¯s face then took on a much sadder frown, ¡°Although, I won¡¯t be your goddess for much longer. I hoped the rogue king would give up all this while he was still in custody, but s, that has not happened.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t quite understand the first thing you said. What do you mean you won¡¯t be our goddess?¡± Katie asked her, worry seeping into her voice. The previous defensive tone she¡¯d used was gonepletely. ¡°You almost sound like you¡¯re worried about me...¡± the woman smirked at the girl. ¡°Clearly it was a mistake and one I shall not be repeating,¡± Katie huffed and turned from the goddess. The goddess chuckled at her antics, ¡°But... what am I doing here?¡± ¡°Well, if I¡¯m being honest, I wanted to talk to you. To tell you what¡¯s happening in the heavens,¡± the goddess replied quietly. ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with a mortal such as me? The gods can do whatever they like,¡± Katie replied indifferently. ..... ¡°Yes, that is true. However, among those things is taking me away from the position of the goddess of the moon. While I might be the one that brought the curse of werewolves to mankind, I didn¡¯t use my power. The goddess that¡¯s meant to seat at this throne will soon return and I shall step down and resume the normal duties that I¡¯ve always meant to be doing,¡± Celeste announced. Katie turned back to look at the benevolent being seated on her throne. She couldn¡¯t form words. She didn¡¯t know what to think at first. ¡°When?¡± ¡°On the next goddess¡¯ eighteenth birthday,¡± the goddess replied. ¡°So the goddess is... human?¡± Katie asked her. ¡°Well, she stems from the family of the weakest werewolves in the world,¡± the woman responded. ¡°Oh, I see... So she¡¯s a werewolf, but just a... Wait, Honour?¡± Katie couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. The goddess nodded to confirm the girl¡¯s suspicions. Katie¡¯s mind froze at the information she¡¯d been handed, ¡°How do I end the rogue king once and for all? He¡¯s already killed so many and now he¡¯s out there. He won¡¯t be easy to track now that he¡¯s more cautious of me... I had that one chance...¡± ¡°The rogue king will be much easier to find now than you might imagine,¡± the goddess replied, ¡°But I think you won¡¯t get the time to participate in the investigations this time.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t participate in the investigations thest time as well,¡± Katie argued. ¡°Well, you did y a major role in the king¡¯s movements. He might have mistimed his attack when you hid your marking, but it was all based on your actions,¡± the goddess said to her, ¡°But this time, you won¡¯t y any role in his movements.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not making sense,¡± Katie asked her. ¡°Well... You¡¯ll understand itter when you¡¯re awake... For now, just take care. Get lots of sleep and wake up to your mate. He¡¯s waiting for you, you know. I¡¯ll have lots more to tell you the next time we meet,¡± the goddess waved her hand while the girl thought of aint to make. However, she was sent back into her body before she could make up her mind. ¡®Is it just me or is the goddess hiding something from me?¡¯ the girl thought to herself, trying to figure out what had triggered the thought. Before she knew it, she¡¯d lost the ability to form coherent thoughts altogether and drifted into unending darkness. ....... Katie¡¯s eyes fluttered open and she awoke to the sound of a beeping machine. the scent that had been driving her wolf crazy for the better part of thest months wafted into her nose. Trying to move her body sent pain through every muscle that she thought she had and some she found new to her. She bit down on her lip at the sharp pain that shot through her body from the mere effort. ¡°Hey, slow down... You¡¯ve only just woken up, Katie,¡± his voice reached her ears calming her senses and thwarting the pain, yet still filling her with regret and fear at the same time. Tears began to stream down her face while she thought through the goddess¡¯s words to her. ¡°Cole, I¡¯m sorry...¡± ¡°You have nothing to apologize for... No, you were reckless,¡± the man corrected himself, ¡°You were very reckless and you nearly got yourself killed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m...¡± Cole ced two fingers on the girl¡¯s lips to keep her quiet. ¡°No, Katie... An apology is meaningless if you¡¯re going to do it the next time like your life doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Cole replied, falling back into his seat beside her. Katie, against the pain in her neck, turned to face him. He¡¯d done his best to wash his face and keep hisposure, but she could tell from just one look at him. Great pain was eating at him. ¡°Then... thank you,¡± the girl replied after a moment of silence. Startled by the sudden change, the man looked her in the eye, ¡°For what...¡± ¡°For saving my life...¡± Cole stood and reached out for the girl, pulling the girl into a hug and taking away her pain while he did. It was the second time she was in a position where he had to take care of her and she hated it. The mate bond they shared allowed both their emotions to be heard by the other... And Katie could tell how much worry she¡¯d caused him. How to apologise, however, was quite beyond her at the moment and so, she could only weep in his arms... ....... Thorrin returned with Tom¡¯s wife and got her to the infirmary. The pce was in a state of disarray. Tales of a coffee brown wolf and a hunter apprehending the escaping prisoners filled the mouths of those that had witnessed what had happened. The hunters that had been knocked out woke up only moments after everything had happened. The prisoners that managed to escape were long gone by then and Tom, along with the capable werewolves that were present worked at getting the recaptured prisoners back into their cells in the dungeons. Not a word was heard from Cole Lycaon while his mate was recuperating during that time. The Perfect Warrior had the other hunters take care of bringing the capital back to a state of calm. They swept through every part of the city in pursuit of the criminals. Word was sent to all citizens to stay in their homes and activate their rogue protection systems while the situation was taken care of. A few more criminals were apprehended during their widespread search and once it was clear that they¡¯d searched everywhere, a roll call was made and seven escaped prisoners were taken note of. Wanted posters were immediately printed and citizens were advised to keep a look out and measures were taken to keep them safe. The work only reminded Thorrin that he hadn¡¯t had an ounce of sleep, but soon enough it was all done. He sat in the conference room with barely an ounce of energy left within him. ¡°Thorrin, you need to get some rest,¡± Evelyn said to him. ¡°Yes, I know that... The girl... Did she wake?¡± he asked her. ¡°Yes, she did. Cole Lycaon took care of her and set her to sleep before anyone could be allowed to see her,¡± Evelyn replied. ¡°Okay then... I¡¯ll pay my visit to her tomorrow then,¡± the man replied before copsing on the table... ¡°A bed would have been a better option, dummy,¡± Evelyn grumbled before turning to her brother who was only just arriving, ¡°Get him a nket, Micah.¡± ¡°Of course, because you¡¯re my boss,¡± Micah replied with a smug look on his face. ¡°No, he¡¯s the boss of both of us. Besides, I have somewhere to be right now and you have... Oh, wait, nothing to do at the moment besides going to sleep,¡± the woman whisper-shouted. ¡°Oh, and what makes you think my sleep is really not that important? I wouldn¡¯t want to burn out like that man over there. I¡¯m quite sure he would have got the rogue king if he hadn¡¯t spent his time awake and run out of divine energy,¡± Micah was now leaning against the wall yawning heavily. ¡°You¡¯re just trying to be obnoxious right now, aren¡¯t you? The only sleep you¡¯ve had was given to you by a sleeping draught. You hadn¡¯t slept either. Why am I having this conversation with you? Your brother is cold over there. You know he would have done the same thing for you if he was in your...¡± ¡°Alright alright... You¡¯re giving me a headache... I¡¯ll go get the stupid nket. Gosh, Thorrin, have you been giving her yelling lessons again?¡± the manined, walking out of the conference hall. Evelyn took one more look at her brother and listened for his even breathing. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t me yourself for losing him. You did all you could. No doubt you¡¯ll get him next time,¡± with that, she left the conference room and started her walk to the king¡¯s chambers. Within the room, the woman she¡¯de to see was seated sipping a cup of tea while she watched the orange sky turn darker. The sun had already set and thest rays of light were only starting to disappear. ¡°You came... I thought you would decline my request,¡± the woman sounded surprised. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t. Although I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be of any help to you,¡± the woman responded with a slight bow. ¡°I haven¡¯t left this room since it happened. I don¡¯t even know how to conduct myself outside this room now. How will they look at me? What do I say to them? How do I keep myself from breaking down in front of them? It¡¯s all too much for me,¡± the queen replied. ¡°You won¡¯t have to do any of that. Your subjects know what you¡¯re going through. All werewolves know what it is like to lose a mate,¡± Evelyn tried despite her being human. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right,¡± the queen responded, wiping a stray tear from her face. Stepping around the three caskets, the hunter came up to the queen. Her eyes bore a darker shade beneath them and her make-up was all wrong. ¡°But you can¡¯t go out looking like this,¡± she said to her, gesturing to her entire figure. The gown was a mess as well, bearing blood stains from god-knows-where... ¡°What!¡± the queen eximed, taking a look at her dress beforeing to the inevitable conclusion that the hunter was telling the truth. Blood stains and creases riddled the once morous dress she wore indicating her conduct in the past hours, ¡°Oh, I see what you mean. I don¡¯t even know if he¡¯s holding up just fine. He hasn¡¯t even had the chance to see his father and yet... I was able to sense his distress through the mind link.¡± Chapter 265 265 Eutopia The queen discussed everything she had on her mind with the hunter, bringing the two of them closer as they spoke. She allowed the hunter to call her by her first name and let her skip all the formalities. As someone who was watching the woman hurt, Evelyn allowed herself to be the shoulder she needed. Once the queen was done freshening up and had donned a fresh lc gown, the queen finally stepped out of her chambers with Evelyn in tow. Their destination was the emergency room where the future alpha and luna were currently upying. Evelyn watched as the queen froze with her knuckles held up to the door before knocking. The moment of tension as she rethought her decision was so excruciating that Evelyn ended up knocking at the door herself, ¡°Come in...¡± a tired male voice called out from the other side. The queen pushed open the door and graced the room with her presence. Cole had his head in his hands, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He¡¯d fallen asleep in a chair next to the sleeping girl. ¡°Hello, Cole,¡± the queen greeted her. ¡°Queen Margaret...¡± the man froze at the sound of the queen¡¯s voice, ¡°I hadn¡¯t expected you toe here. Not thiste anyway.¡± ¡°I also thought you were in Sirius making sure to keep your mate safe and introducing her to the life of a werewolf and soon-to-be Luna before rushing her into the role of being queen of the Lycaon empire, but here we both are,¡± the queen rushed her words. ¡°Well, we can never know what will happen in the future. Whether it¡¯s in the distant future or just a few hours away. One moment she¡¯s alright and the next...¡± he gestured to the sleeping body of the girl, ¡°Well, you can see where I was going with that.¡± ¡°What happened to her?¡± the queen finally gave in to her curiosities. ¡°She overexerted herself when she was trying to stop the rogue king from fleeing Lycaon. I don¡¯t even know how she was able to tell that the man was going to escape in the first ce. If she had known the entire time that we were on that ne, she could have made a call to the hunters that were already here.¡± ..... ¡°We cannot always know what our senses are trying to tell us. If I¡¯m guessing correctly, she might have merely felt that something ominously wrong was going to happen in Lycaon and came as fast as she could without knowing what it was in the first ce. The moreplex the problem, the harder it is for us to discern what it is. Sometimes, it¡¯s something we are trying to avoid that could cause a problem in the future that we can¡¯t even foresee. We aren¡¯t perfect,¡± Evelyn exined, noting her moment to clear some of the prince¡¯s confusion. Watching the man as he talked only proved to her that he was worrying himself sick over the girl¡¯s reckless actions. Cole sighed upon hearing her exnation and looked at the girl in the bed. Reaching out with his hand, he tucked a stray hair behind her ear, ¡°That would be the most logical way to put it. The inevitable way to make it seem as though she¡¯d never intended to put herself in that state.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I know anyone who¡¯d want to be in a hospital bed at any one point in their lives. Have a little more faith in her,¡± Queen Margaret spoke up. ¡°You came here to ask me about my father¡¯s funeral?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°Yes, that I did. Now that you¡¯re here, it can happen the right way. With you as his heir and sessor to the Lycaon throne. It¡¯s nice to see that you found your mate as well and even got marked,¡± the queen congratted him. ¡°What was he thinking sending me away in the first ce? If I had been there, he would have survived. I wouldn¡¯t have let them get to him,¡± Cole argued, ¡°So many hunters and he still died.¡± ¡°Cole, don¡¯t question the decisions they took. There was a lot that happened. You weren¡¯t here to watch it all,¡± Queen Margaret argued, ¡°In any case, that¡¯s not the way he would have wanted you to embrace his sacrifice.¡± ¡°What sacrifice...¡± a knock at the door snatched the man¡¯s attention as an ageing doctor entered. The man was known for his healing capabilities and so, Cole was ready to hear what the man had to say. ¡°You¡¯re right on time, doctor. The prince needs to hear what was happening to the king in his final moments. What the king meant to have him know before he passed,¡± the Queen asked of him. Bowing to the queen and prince in greeting, the man began his narration of what was happening to the king, ¡°As you know, your majesty, I was always the first to run tests on the king before deciding on how to treat him. When you came into the picture two years ago with your healing abilities, we were overjoyed. Sure that the king was going to survive the illness that ailed him. But that wasn¡¯t the case. With time, he was deteriorating even faster and he needed you to heal him a lot more frequently in a month. If he didn¡¯t stop relying on you, it was only a matter of time before he died. Iter found out that his cells were starting to get weaker since they were no longer required to fight off his illness. That¡¯s when he came up with the decision that his heir had to meet his mate. He says it came to him through a dream from the goddess herself. I didn¡¯t believe him at the time, but I was also the only person he told along with the queen that Cole¡¯s mate was indeed located in Brigadia. When he sent you off, he gave you two orders. One was to finish your education in the safest school on earth while the other was to make sure you only returned home after you¡¯d found your mate and showed her what it was to be one with one another. What he didn¡¯t tell you was that he knew where your mate was and that you would be meeting her in that exact same school. For fear of the information reaching the enemy, he told no one of this, not even you.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he tell me?¡± Cole rested his chin on his hands, trying to take in the information he was receiving. A whole part of his father¡¯s n that he¡¯d never even suspected, ¡®I guess it was too much of a coincidence.¡¯ The doctor was shocked by the man¡¯s question that he posed one of his own, ¡°You believe the part about him speaking to the moon goddess?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve spoken to the moon goddess myself, so I wouldn¡¯t call the man crazy,¡± Cole shrugged it off, ¡°Now, if you would answer my question please.¡± ¡°Yes, your majesty. He chose not to tell you so that you wouldn¡¯t tell your beta alphas. With how information had leaked eighteen years ago amidst those exchanges, he wouldn¡¯t have wanted to jeorpadise any chance you had at finding her. Furthermore, he wanted you to experience what it was like to have a mate and guide her towards epting what she was and not forcing her into it,¡± the man tried to exin. ¡°In other words, he wanted Katie to be marked of her own free will? I knew that much from how he insisted I not force her into anything over the phone, but I never thought how much he¡¯d thought into it,¡± Cole replied. ¡°Yes, the marking only takes ce once and if it¡¯s not done right... well, that leaves a scar. If she let you mark her, then I can assume she marked you as well. Forceful marking never goes both ways,¡± the doctor exined. ¡°Yes, she did...¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Margaret sighed, ¡°The two of you will make a lovely royal couple.¡± Cole turned red at the woman¡¯s words and turned his attention to the girl in the bed, ¡°I¡¯m pleased to hear that. Is there anything else I need to know?¡± ¡°There is one more thing. The king knew of the possibility of being attacked in his weakened state just in case the rogue king would want to take the power of the Lycaon family for himself, but he miscalcted how quickly the rogue king would move. He didn¡¯t think they would move that quickly which is why he was pleased when he felt the bond form between the two of you the day you marked each other,¡± the man exined, sending the room into a deep silence. Cole merely rubbed his temples, trying to fathom how much his father had read into the situation. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth Cole, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Evelyn spoke, stunning the room and sending into a deep silence. Cole had never known the words to mean so much and yet they freed him of all his frustrations. Of course, the hunters wouldn¡¯t have intentionally let his father be killed by rogues. They had done everything the could to keep the king safe and it hadn¡¯t been enough. ¡°Two mighty warriors and a whole collection of hunters and they couldn¡¯t do a thing against the rogue king. They might have downed arge number of his forces, but...¡± ¡°There was a traitor amongst us that helped the rogue king escape,¡± Evelyn interjected, ¡°Don¡¯t you wonder why you were only backed up by one hunter?¡± Now that Cole thought about it, he had an odd memory of the rogue king talking about a sleeping draught. The whole situation was a mess, ¡°This is the second time the rogue king has been involved in a rogue attack and once more, my mate has ended up in a simr situation. We¡¯ve shed with him twice...¡± he paused, allowing his mind to go through all that he knew, ¡°And I can¡¯t call either one of those times a win for us... No, I can¡¯t. We¡¯ve most definitely been losing.¡± ......... Sandra sat in the waiting room outside of Katie¡¯s emergency room, going through a newspaper she wasn¡¯t even interested in. It was the nearest thing she could find to distract her. The details within it were of no concern to her and she wished she had a novel or a book instead, but there was nothing she could do about it. Her mind tried to run away from the painful reality that gued her. The newspaper would have been effective if it had involved something interesting... Instead, it only allowed her eyes to ze over while the shes of the battle in the woods roared through her mind. She¡¯d been there the entire time. There had never been a time in her life when she¡¯d felt more useless to help Katie than when she stood in that forest watching her fight with so much skill and power that it froze her right to the core. She didn¡¯t want to think about how useless she¡¯d been. How much more she could have done if she had simply gone with Mr Tom instead, ¡°You know, worrying yourself sick like that will only get you in worse shape. Honestly, what difference is there between you and Katie anyway?¡± Jason¡¯s voice tore her from her thoughts. The alpha had returned from an errand. Thinking back, now she remembered what it had been like... for the three of them to watch the fight happen. The rogues on the other side hadn¡¯t dared to cross either while the two titans battled. Only Cole felt the need to stop what was happening. After all, he was the only one that could peer into the girl¡¯s mind. ¡°He must have felt the pain she did...¡± she said, looking up from the newspaper. Jason held out a book for her to take. In his other hand, he had a bag filled with yoghurt packs. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t work that way really. If the wolves had a conversation during that time, maybe that could have been how he came to know...¡± the man exined, taking a seat beside the girl, ¡°You know, you will be able to help her out soon enough.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing that for some time and I¡¯m starting to feel like it will never happen. She¡¯s proceeded to even higher levels. When we talked earlier, I thought she was joking about wanting to be a Mighty Warrior but now I¡¯m not so sure,¡± Sandra chuckled. ¡°You know, Sandra... only one person gets to kill the rogue king. If Katie manages to pull it off, what does that make you?¡± Jason asked. ¡°The person that helped her get there. I could hold off the beta alphas and provide all the support she needs.¡± ¡°Then what does that make Cole and the other hunters with the same goals and dreams?¡± he asked, holding a metallic can of soda out to her. The girl took the can from him, ¡°Thanks. What¡¯s your point?¡± the girl groaned. ¡°My point is that you¡¯re too focused on trying to emte your mentor. Things like that will only get you disappointed. She¡¯s trying to achieve her dream while you¡¯re trying to achieve her dream as well. What do you want?¡± Jason asked her. ¡°Well, honestly...¡± Sandra thought back, ¡°I just want to live in the world Katie is trying to create. To truly live a life in it. A world of peace, where we don¡¯t have to worry about rogues trying to kill us. Eutopia.¡± Chapter 266 266 Rogue Meets Seeker Seated in the living room of a lovely cottage watching television was a rather peculiar youngss graced with beautiful amber eyes that ever so often blinked grey. With the weekend only starting, she had quite the number of shows to catch up on, with a few rmendations from friends at the restaurant she worked in. There was no better time to bezy than now after she had saved up so many episodes of her favourite shows over the week. ¡°Hey, Madeline, would you turn it down a little?¡± her grandmother called from inside her bedroom. The girlplied with her grandmother¡¯s wishes and reduced the volume of the television. Popping another chip into her mouth, she smiled at the scene unfolding before her. Romanticedies weren¡¯t many to choose from, but with each one she watched, she found herself swooning over the characters and dreaming of herself as one with the shows. Lucky for her, she wasn¡¯t picky about whichever of them she picked out and her friends gave her so many rmendations that she could never go wrong in finding the right series to follow. ¡°It¡¯s nice to know how to rx you know. It¡¯s good for you,¡± a deep male voice suddenly pierced the peace of the lovely cottage. Sensing the cold heartless nature contained within the voice that had just spoken, the girl turned in her seat as fast as she could losing her nket just as quickly. The man before her was muscr but not as much as the other standing beside him. The red-eyedrge man seemed to suck the life out of her by simply gazing at her. ¡°What are you people doing in my house?¡± the girl asked in a tone that started off strong but ended up shaky while she took a step back. The one who scared her most, however, was the less muscr man who only now decided to show her his eyes. The bright blue hue that emanated from them and the fact that she had no idea who he was in the royal family could only mean one thing. She was standing in the same room as the man who wanted to bring humanity to the ground and all the wolves thatplied with peace along with it. When the man was about to speak, his voice got caught in his throat while his face lit up in excitement at something he¡¯d just seen, ¡°They really do sh silver every once in a while.¡± The rogue king mused. ¡°It¡¯s like I was telling you. This home of freaks is just the tip of the iceberg. The royal family has a number of things they are hiding and these happen to be some of them,¡± a new voice, although much more familiar to the girl rang out from behind the rogue king. A hooded figure stepped out from behind her and took off his hood to reveal his face. Madeline went weak in the knees and fell to the ground. The man beneath her hood had been someone she¡¯de to know and respect, ¡°Victor, why?¡± ..... ¡°Oh, why not? I get to have my revenge on the pesky royal. It¡¯s a win-win situation,¡± the man smirked, showing nopassion in his yellow eyes. ¡°The lot of you have some nerve entering the Seeker¡¯s home unannounced,¡± a feminine voice came from across the room. On the other side of the room was an older woman with grey eyes. Hers didn¡¯t shift back and forth. They were permanently set in grey. ¡°You could have made an appointment, you know,¡± the woman greeted, walking up to her granddaughter and helping the girl up. Her grandmother¡¯s touch was calm and seemed to chase some of the fear from her. ¡°You¡¯re one confident granny, Beatrice,¡± Victor spoke up. ¡°And you¡¯re one spineless traitor. Utterly shameless too. What do you hope to gain from helping him?¡± the woman asked, getting her granddaughter up, ¡°Madeline, dear, would you go and make these intruding ruffians some tea?¡± Madeline, against her immense anxiety, rushed to the kitchen to carry out her tasks. The rogue king watched the woman with curiosity in his eyes. Herposure was like steel under his gaze and she carried herself as though she¡¯d been visited by ordinary people who¡¯de to see her for her gift. This angered Victor even though he felt he should hold his tongue and avoidshing out at the woman. Beatrice took a seat and gestured for them to take seats as well, turning off the television in the process and stealing away the nket that had been dropped by her daughter, ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there gawking. Take a seat and let me know what brought you here.¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re better off standing,¡± the king replied, ¡°Besides, you don¡¯t want us getting your carpet wet and dirty. It¡¯s been pouring for a few days now. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡± ¡°Yes, the rain does feel strange these past few days. It¡¯s almost as though it pours with the intent of never stopping and we all feel that it¡¯s still going. Now, I asked you to take a seat knowing what state youe in. Don¡¯t make me repeat myself,¡± the friendly tone she¡¯d been using vanished at the end. Like clockwork, the rogues were seated as if they didn¡¯t want to be sent to their rooms as punishment, or worse, ¡°That¡¯s much better now, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m happy you were considerate enough to take off your shoes as well.¡± ¡°You know, Thane. I like this woman. She reminds me a lot about Amanda,¡± the king chuckled, thinking of his female general. ¡°Oh? And what is this, Amanda like?¡± Beatrice asked the rogue king, sitting back in her chair as well, regarding him with the same air as one would a new friendly acquaintance. ¡°Well, she¡¯s stubborn like you and one hell of a spitfire. Although, I wouldn¡¯t put much confidence into your words if I were you. I tend to break away from that spell once things go too far,¡± the king rumbled. ¡°Well, the only reason the ¡®spell¡¯ is working is that it¡¯s the only way you¡¯ll be able to get what you want. And I hope you understand what I mean by that in its entirety,¡± the woman replied, raising her fingers to put quotes around the word ¡®spell¡¯. Just then, Madeline came in, tremors racking her body as they always had when holding a tray of delicate ceramic cups. Realising her mistake, the older woman got up and helped the girl set down the cups before letting her serve their guests. Victor groaned, ¡°I was sure I would get to see her spill that tea. Why did you intervene?¡± ¡°While her training might have helped her improve over time, she has always been far too shy when serving you, Victor. You wouldn¡¯t want her to spill hot boiling tea on you, would you?¡± Beatrice replied in a sweet tone. Madeline looked sad when they spoke of Victor. ¡°Is this why you left her?¡± the woman asked him. This time the rogue king was interested. ¡°It was never my intention to be her bodyguard in the first ce. Lionel must have had a goodugh when he sent me to take care of her,¡± the man spat. His words were like daggers to the girl and she fled the room before she could hear more rushing up the stairs to her room. ¡°There goes our room service,¡± Thane sighed, helping himself to the sk so he could serve himself the tea that had been brought to them. Chapter 267 267 Breaking the ¡®Spell¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m curious to know what happened between the two of them,¡± the king asked, rubbing his hands together with a goofy expression on his face. Beatrice couldn¡¯t believe she was seeing the man act this way and chuckled a bit, ¡°Well, he was assigned to protect the girl. It was his only job and for a time, that¡¯s all he did. As time went on, their rtionship became more... well...plicated,¡± the woman said with a sad smile, ¡°He wasn¡¯t making fun of her anymore and instead, he was... helping her. I¡¯ve never seen her improve so fast since she started pursuing her dream of...¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Might we proceed to what we came here for, your majesty?¡± Victor snapped, having had enough of the conversation. The old woman¡¯s eyes seemed to light up as she had hit a nerve. Deciding against her next statement, she spoke up, ¡°Well, I do hope you find what has led you down this path and that you won¡¯t regret it when you find it.¡± The rogue king looked at the amber-eyed man a little longer before changing the subject, ¡°Fine... On to our purpose ofing here. We came here because of something a little bird told us once. Depending on the way you answer, we may or may not think of torturing you into telling us what we need to know.¡± ¡°Well, what might that be?¡± the woman asked. ¡°We came here to know the identity of the moon goddess. And we don¡¯t mean Celeste. We mean the one that¡¯sing after her,¡± the rogue king exined as briefly as he could. ¡°What good would that... Oh, you seek to reverse the goddess¡¯s power that was unleashed by her chosen pair. Were you not satisfied with the time you had to...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t dodge the question. It¡¯s quite simple. Who is the next moon goddess?¡± the rogue king responded, running out of patience for the woman¡¯s conversation, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re ying at, but you might want to give it up. Calling the pack warriors here will only get them killed. Stop stalling.¡± ..... ¡°I sense mates of others... not goddesses,¡± the woman replied sternly, raising her voice to emphasise a point, ¡°and here I thought the rogue king hade to his senses and wanted to know whether he was blessed with a mate or not?¡± ¡°Oh, I see what you did there, but I won¡¯t fall for it,¡± the rogue king narrowed his eyes at the crafty woman, ¡°You will tell me what I need to know. Where is the next moon goddess?¡± The conversation had taken a turn for the worst. Had the king asked to be directed to his mate, the woman would not have had any trouble doing so. However, this was different. She was supposed to deliver to him something that was out of her capabilities, ¡°The power to sense the goddess does note in my job description.¡± The rogue king leaned back into the sofa he was seated in, taking in a deep breath, ¡°I was told of a wolf you sensed not long ago. One that was far too special to be anything but the future moon goddess... The next words thate out of your mouth had better be the truth or else you will be in for a world of pain. As I said, a little bird told me what you know. You merely have to tell me where to find her.¡± The woman chuckled at the man¡¯s words, thinking over her words before speaking. cing her cup on the table, she took the time to think about what he¡¯d said. The rogue king was in all ways the ruthless person he was said to be and would no doubt do what he said he would if her answer wasn¡¯t satisfactory. ¡°Do you n to waste my time now?¡± the king asked her. ¡°I did sense someone special a while ago, but I never did confirm that she was indeed the moon goddess just that she was special. Not to mention how obnoxious it sounds for the moon goddess to be a werewolf among us,¡± the woman replied. ¡°That¡¯s the wrong answer,¡± the man sighed, ¡°Thane...¡± ¡°Yes, your majesty,¡± the beta alpha adhered, getting up to apprehend the woman. ¡°No, not her... I know the look in that woman¡¯s eyes. She won¡¯t break so easily. But there is a way we can skip right over to the part where she tells me where I can find the moon goddess,¡± the king said with a smirk. A look of fear simr to the one that was on Beatrice¡¯s face, shed within Victor¡¯s eyes before heposed himself. ¡°You mean the girl that went upstairs in tears a moment ago?¡± the question was rhetorical and the king didn¡¯t dare to answer it. Victor was the first up the stairs along with Thane. The king was left alone, seated with the woman who could only look up in fear. ¡°You seem awfully calm for someone who¡¯s about to watch their granddaughter be tortured for something she didn¡¯t even do,¡± the man smirked bringing the cup of tea that Thane had just prepared for himself up to his nose. He sniffed it for any kind of drug before taking a sip, ¡°Oh my, this is good. What did she put in this?.¡± Ignoring the question, ¡°My granddaughter has nothing to do with any of this. You must understand that my power doesn¡¯t look for goddesses. I look for mates. The souls of werewolves are connected strongest to their mates. That¡¯s what I can find, but there is nothing more to it than that,¡± the woman responded, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. ¡°I didn¡¯te here looking for excuses. After all, there is something you know about the moon goddess that you¡¯re not telling me. You know who she is... How else would I have known that it was you who divined that someone who¡¯de to you recently was fated to be with...¡± the man asked her. ¡°Your majesty...¡± Thane¡¯s voice came from the top of the stairs. From the emotions that the rogue king felt through their mind link, tension built within him as he wished the man had good news for him, ¡°The girl is gone.¡± Chapter 268 268 Rain and Gloom Katie stared into the mirror before her, passively taking in her appearance. Her mind worked at keeping her in the present. Her body had healed a lot with Cole¡¯s help and thankfully without getting him into his weakened state. By forcing him to stop using his ability when it got too much for him, she was able to keep him from falling ill. She felt sore in so many ces and barely had the energy to walk. Heavy rain pelted the ss panes of the windows in a rhythmic tone that gave the girl peace of silence. The asional waves of heat swept through her as her body adjusted to the cold temperature. The door to her room opened admitting a majestic-looking woman dressed in a ck beautiful gown. The queen walked up to the girl who¡¯d barely spared her a nce and stood behind her. In the mirror, she looked like a porcin doll, having applied just the right amount of makeup to bring her face to perfection. Beneath all the looks, she was a mess waiting to be fixed, ¡°It¡¯s time, Katie.¡± The queen spoke, cing her hands on the girl¡¯s shoulders. Katie¡¯s eyes blinked twice as she came to reality. She was in Cole¡¯s room... His room in the pce in Lycaon. While the two of them had spent a while in Katie¡¯s room, moving into his room had been a whole different experience. Everything in the room was covered in the alpha¡¯s scent that the girl, along with her wolf, Ashley could barely find the ability to focus while enveloped in it, ¡°Yeah... I¡¯ll be there in a minute,¡± her reply sounded distant. The queen looked into the mirror, watching the girl¡¯s bright blue eyes, ¡°Well, that¡¯s what you said a solid ten minutes ago to the maid I sent to get you,¡± the woman replied. Katie thought back and got the faint memory of someone talking to her earlier. She hadn¡¯t even thought about her reply at the moment. She could barely focus on what was in front of her. Ever since that day... it hadn¡¯t been the same for her. She¡¯d not been able to move on her own unless someone pushed her in the right direction. ¡®Oh yeah, someone dide for me...¡¯ The will to move her body was nearly at zero. She spent all the time she could resting. When she was visited, she paid attention to only those she cared about and even then, they could tell she was pushing herself. As a result of this, the burial of the king had happened without her and a memorial was set for ater date when the Luna would be able to attend. Thinking back on Cole¡¯s words to hold the ceremony in her presence, her mind began to clear a little bit, ¡°Would you walk with me?¡± the girl asked, speaking in a tone so low the queen wouldn¡¯t have heard if it wasn¡¯t for her werewolf hearing. Smiling at the beautiful girl in the mirror, the queen replied, ¡°Of course, dear... Juste with me.¡± She took her hand and led her out of the prince¡¯s chambers. It had been like this for the past few days. To be more specific, it had been a week. ..... Cole, who had seemed more broken than her at first, had started picking up the ck, while she only fell into a more reserved state confining herself to their room, partly because she didn¡¯t have the strength to move about, however, she wasn¡¯t sure it would have been any different if she had been strong enough. Katie walked through the halls with the queen avoiding eye contact with anyone as much as possible. The marble floors seemed more interesting than anything else and she gazed at the mesmerizing patterns that swirled within them until they reached the main doors where she stopped for a moment. The queen pushed open the doors open, letting in a cold breeze from the exterior of the pce that sent shivers through the girl¡¯s body, ¡°It¡¯s been like this since that day, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Katie asked the queen... ¡°...the rain?¡± The queen sighed, looking into the clouds in the sky that were always present, ¡°Yes, Katie. It has been like this for a little over a week. We haven¡¯t seen the sun since the day the king escaped. It¡¯s not just here in Lycaon though... It¡¯s been happening in Sirius too.¡± ¡°Is it why my sister cannot make it to the ceremony?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Your sister and father won¡¯t be able to attend for that reason indeed. I would have asked that they drive all the way here, but that would be risking their lives and the journey is not the shortest. The rogue king is still out there and we¡¯ve heard the reports about how powerful he is. You certainly...¡± the woman stopped when the princess¡¯s eyes shed a bright blue. She was falling deeper into her daze than she¡¯d intended, ¡°Katie...¡± The girl held her hand up to stop the apology that wasing her way, ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s... just get to the ceremony.¡± The queen silently cursed for having made a mistake. Katie fell into a daze every time she was reminded of the reason that had brought her to Lycaon in the first ce. The queen beckoned for the servants to bring them umbres to shield them from the rain while they went to the car. The queen and princess boarded the car that had been waiting for them and were both driven away... The burial grounds were filled with hunters and civilians from all over Lycaon and the surrounding areas. Many of them hade to attend the memorial for the king while others hade to pay visits to those they had lost in the battle a week before. As it had turned out, more hunters had been lost during the fighting than they had initially thought which made the week of mourning that much depressing. Most of the ones that were in the castle had survived with minor injuries, but the ones that had been at the front lines barely had anyone standing. The werewolves had lost many of their own as well... and most of them had been buried in this same cemetery out of respect for their service to the empire. The ck car carrying the two Lunas was opened to release the twodies. The two royals walked elegantly into the cemetery, holding hands and making their way through the crowds to the gathering a little into the scattered woodsy part of the cemetery. While most of it was covered by short grass, there was a part that had trees that provided shade to the graves below The part of the cemetery had been reserved for royalty and beta alphas of the past. Katie¡¯s eyes, which had barely done much in the past days, scanned through the scores of people as they parted ways for her to pass. She was looking for her friends... People she knew, but most of all, she was looking for the only other person that reminded her she was alive. The one person whose presence was the equivalent of a pinch to check if someone wasn¡¯t dreaming. His scent was harder to pick up in the rain, but as they got closer to what she thought was their destination, she finally picked up the man¡¯s sweet scent as well as the depressing mood he tried to cover up. Three tombstones stood at the centre of the gathering the people had made. Katie could make out the names of the deceased king, Trevor Lycaon. Cole¡¯s eyes shot open when he picked up on the faint scent of his mate and darted in her direction as she approached him. On both sides of the king¡¯s tombstone were his beta alphas, Duncan and Cross. Katie hadn¡¯t known how risky the life of a beta alpha was until the moment they told her of their passing. The two of them had offered to fight on the front lines to keep their rogues at bay and had even made it through the worst of it, but with the king¡¯sst breath came their passing as well since their lives were directly linked to his. The hand of the widow at her side got tighter the closer they got to the tombstones. Looking at the three tombstones, Katie was only now realizing that the woman had not lost only her husband, but three close friends as well, ¡®Makes me wonder if I¡¯ve been a brat this past week,¡¯ the girl thought to herself, almost forgetting the weakness that wouldn¡¯t leave her body. In front of Duncan¡¯s tombstone stood a woman with a girl in front of her. The girl had her face covered with her palms, but the sobs were still clear to the werewolves that were near. Even in the rhythmic sound of the rain against leaves and ck umbres, they could be heard. Katie looked around at the solemn looks on the people¡¯s faces, expressions she¡¯d worked so hard to get rid of. Her dream had never felt so far from her like it did now. It felt almost unattainable... and her irond will to keep pushing forward faltered. ¡°I¡¯m d you could make it,¡± Cole¡¯s whispered into her ears, snapping her back to reality. Cole stood in front of her, his scent invading her personal space, but warming her at the same time. She felt his loss more than anyone in the vicinity. The mate bond they shared ensured it. She couldn¡¯t smile as brightly unless he was able to as well... ¡°I had to,¡± she replied, pulling the man into a hug, ¡°I said I would.¡± Evelyn was by the queen¡¯s side without anyone noticing. The queen, however, seemed to have expected it and hugged her friend before turning back to face the tombstones before them. ¡®Where does one even start?¡¯ a question echoed in Katie¡¯s mind as she stared at the tombstones of the very people that had held the empire before Cole¡¯s time as king. ¡®Well, there is the part that the public gets to hear,¡¯ Cole said to her through the mind link. ¡®And the other part?¡¯ the girl asked her, looking him in the eyes. ¡®Well, the other part is the one I¡¯ll tell you when we get back home,¡¯ Cole responded, before turning to the gathering. As the next king, there was no one of higher ranking at the ceremony other than him, ¡°Now that my Luna and the queen have arrived, there is no reason for us to wait any longer. The ceremony shall now begin,¡± he announced calmly. As soon as he¡¯d said that, someone came from the crowd. Katie¡¯s senses tried to pick up something from him, but in her state, she could only tell that she should have known him. Yet another thing she¡¯d painfully started getting used to since that day. The toll her body took to interpret messages that wereing from her senses. Her senses were much more muffled than they used to and even when she did interpret them, her solution was barely close to a favourable answer. She hadpletely shut them off as they took more effort than her morale allowed. ¡°My name is Thorrin Chase. I asked the future king to allow me to speak first. Hopefully to ease up the tension, but also so I would get the chance to say everything I knew of King Trevor Lycaon. You all know me more as the Perfect Warrior, but on this day, I am Thorrin. A man that hase to bid heroes farewell. Today... We... We celebrate the life of Trevor Lycaon and his beta alphas, Duncan and Cross.¡± Chapter 269 269 Memorial Katie paid attention to the speech given by the man meant to be her uncle Thorrin, her eyes numerous times taking note of how built his body was. It only stood to reason that he was indeed the famous Perfect Warrior. Thorrin spoke of times before the prince of Lycaon had been born. He made jokes about different encounters he¡¯d had with the king, some embarrassing while others touching. Ultimately, Katie was able to paint the deceased king¡¯s image as that of an honourable man worthy of all the respect given to him by the two empires. The king did his best to cater for every part of his empire, no matter how far it was from him. At some point, Thorrin pointed out that the capital seemed like the furthest thing from the king¡¯s mind when he was dealing with matters concerning the empire. Thorrin¡¯s speech was long, but it covered most of what they wanted to hear on the asion. The man made sure to keep his exaggerations to a minimum as well as hisughter, or at least, that¡¯s what Cole¡¯s emotions told Katie. Every time something sounded exaggerated, his grip on her hand would tighten and she would take it as a hint that it wasn¡¯t how her mate remembered his father or sometimes as a sign that the memory was one he didn¡¯t want to revisit. Nheless, he held his tongue. Shuddering for what felt like the hundredth time, the girl pulled her coat around her tighter, the words fading away from her mind as her attention wavered and she tried to get warmer, ¡°You¡¯ve been less chatty for the past week,¡± Cole¡¯s voice leaked into her mind. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, Cole,¡± she replied earnestly. Even as they stood before the headstones, she had nothing to say except another apology. ¡°It isn¡¯t bothering me or anything. I just want to know what¡¯s on your mind. Would you perhaps let me in?¡± Cole¡¯s voice came again. The girl sighed, leaning into the man at her side, ¡°You¡¯ve been patient with me. Thank you. I could let you in, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯d find anything in there really. It¡¯s like time stopped for me the moment he got away. Like I had been thrown back many years in progress,¡± the girl replied, looking to the man speaking beyond the headstones. Thorrin was concluding his speech when she finally tuned back into her surroundings. ¡°While we call this a ceremony to celebrate the life of the king, we do not forget the implications of holding it. After all, we could have held this ceremony while he was alive. His legacy stands before us, the remnants of proof of the promise made by the moon goddess. ..... The hunters shall not let the king¡¯s death be in vain. We shall keep on working our very hardest to bring an end to the terror the rogue king still brings to our hearts and the hearts of our loved ones. This is a promise I dere on behalf of the rest of the hunters,¡± the man dered with a bow to the future king. It didn¡¯t take long for Katie to realise he was saying this to Cole more than the rest of the werewolves present. Taking his cue, Cole took a step forward to rece Thorrin. When Katie resisted his sudden motion, the man turned to his mate, ¡°Hey... Is something wrong?¡± he asked her. Katie turned red, ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re forgetting I have trouble addressingrge crowds,¡± the girlined through the mind link, punctuating her thoughts with a questioning look. ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t seem to have trouble at the Founder¡¯s Festival,¡± Cole reminded her. ¡°I did... I don¡¯t even know what that would have turned out to be if you hadn¡¯t helped me. For goddess¡¯ sake, you didn¡¯t even know if we were mates back then,¡± the girl said to him. Cole nearlyughed out loud at the sudden change in the colour of his mate¡¯s face. It was the first time he¡¯d seen a drastic change in herposure that whole week that it was refreshing. ¡°So now you have your answer,¡± he winked, ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll spare you this time, but you¡¯ll have to be with me on the rest,¡± he said to her, letting go of her hand. ¡°Wait, the rest? What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Oh right, we are mates. This, obviously is not the only speech you¡¯ll ever have to make,¡± Katie groaned, realisation turning her even redder. ¡°You won¡¯t have to say anything this time. Just stand at my side. I think much more clearly with you around me,¡± the alpha confessed, bringing warmth to the girl¡¯s heart, ¡®You could have tried that line before the burial, I probably would have done my best to attend,¡¯ this she shielded from the royal. Doubt filled her mind on whether it would have changed a thing. Hesitantly, the girl took the man¡¯s hand once more and the two of them walked to the other side of the headstones where Cole would then get the chance to address the gathering. Whispers could be heard throughout the gathering crowd. Katie¡¯s ears chose this moment, out of the entire week, to awaken, ¡®Is that supposed to be his mate?¡¯ ¡®I heard she just chose to impersonate the girl who died eighteen years ago,¡¯ another would go. ¡®I don¡¯t care who she is, the two of them look like they were made for each other. Just check her out. And what¡¯s with that monstrous aura? Her innocent facade doesn¡¯t fool me one bit,¡¯ the most prominent voice made its way to Katie¡¯s ears. When Cole cleared his voice, everyone went dead silent, ¡°Thank you, Thorrin. I¡¯d expect nothing more from the one of the four. I also had no idea you had that many stories of my father... Took far more time than I thought it would,¡± the crowd chuckled at Cole¡¯s nervous joke as he checked his watch. Having cleared the tension, he began speaking, ¡°I always find introductionsplicated when they are not made for me... considering everyone makes their research before meeting me. I¡¯m the one who ends up having to pay attention to others¡¯ names in the process... I will make one nheless. Cole Lycaon, son of Trevor Lycaon and future king of the Lycaon empire. I would say a lot about my father that put a smile on my face. s, Thorrin took those that were before and after my short lifetime. In any case, I am d he had that much of an impression on someone who wasn¡¯t even a part of our pack. I think I speak for the entire pack when I say that my father was a benevolent leader who valued every pack under his care. What the pack doesn¡¯t know, however, was everything that he did for me as his son. While he might have cared for the pack far more than you all demanded of him, he never failed to make time for his family. After the death of my mother, he was torn and in depression. None of us knows what that pain is like except what we¡¯ve heard from werewolves that have recovered from it. My father was king at the time. With one child and a shattered bond. With all that much to shoulder, it would have ripped anyone into pieces, but here I am standing before you all. I don¡¯t doubt the moon goddess granted him a second chance mate because of his strength as well. He certainly deserved one. She made him smile again and had a more fulfilling life towards the end of his time,¡± the queen¡¯s eyes got teary at Cole¡¯s words. ¡°Calling him a strong man would be an understatement. For the empire of Lycaon to remain intact after everything he went through. It¡¯s quite a feat. One that I¡¯m not sure even I would have withstood. Sir Thorrin, I¡¯ll hold you to that promise you¡¯ve made today. As the future king of Lycaon, I ask that the rogue king see his final day while I am still king,¡± Cole said to the man. Thorrin recognized the fire within the young king¡¯s eyes and understood how big amitment it was for him to ept as well. The girl beside him seemed to burn with a passion when he spoke so confidently about bringing the rogue king down, ¡°Yes, your majesty. To this, I pledge. After all, I also became the most powerful hunter to aplish this very task before the end of my time.¡± The queen spoke after Cole and praised her husband as a lover and a king. Her words were as sweet as they were kind. The crowd lingered at her every word as though she had read them from a holy manuscript. She didn¡¯t take that much time speaking and let the mates of the beta alphas take their turns. The memorial hadn¡¯t been held for one person after all. Katie listened to what they all had to say about the deceased. The happy memories were good for the gloomy mood. As she giggled at a joke made by alpha Cross¡¯s mate, she noticed the rain let up for the first time in a week, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you smile in so long,¡± Cole pulled her closer and nuzzled into the crook of her neck. The girl turned red once more and looked around in panic, ¡°Werewolves don¡¯t mind this kind of thing, besides, my mark is right... here.¡± Nerves ran through the girl¡¯s entire body the moment Cole licked the wolf-shaped mark on the girl¡¯s neck, ¡°Cole, I don¡¯t care what other werewolves think about this. Stop right now...¡± the girl cried through the mind link. The man chuckled and pulled away from her neck, recing the woollen scarf she¡¯d donned, ¡°Thanks, I could barely think.¡± ¡°Oh, so you like it when I do that,¡± Cole asked her with a hint of mischief in his voice. The girl giggled at his silly thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ve been worried about you, Katie. Are you okay?¡± Katie thought back to the week. To the countless times that Sandra and Drake had tried to cheer her up. Combined with Jason, she was surprised by her reluctance to their charms. The queen tried dressing up and taking her on walks which she denied or simply tea on the balcony, but it hadn¡¯t worked either. Ashley had done her part as well, popping into her mind every now and then with apletely new idea. In the end, nothing had worked to cheer her up. Her adoptive mother, Marie was the one who¡¯d realised it not long before this day that she had not yet regained her strength and that she was partly sulking because of that. The girl took a deep breath, ¡°One step at a time, Cole. I¡¯m going to get better.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that,¡± Cole replied. ¡°Yeah...¡± she paused, breathing in the rain clear air, ¡°The rain is starting to let up. Maybe we could watch a sunrise or a sunset one of these days.¡± Cole looked up as well, with a look of worry on his face. It was only for a moment before the man smiled as well, ¡°Yeah... one of these days. One of these days, we¡¯ll wake up to the rising sun.¡± Chapter 270 270 Fireflies... and Tea The memorial endedter rather than sooner and the royal family was driven back to the pce where Katie was ecstatic to drop onto the bed, having gone through the numerous greetings and short conversations that were demanded of her. Cole took off his coat with a chuckle at the girl¡¯s attitude, ¡°It was so long. Did we have to stand for all that time? My legs were killing me,¡± she groaned. ¡°Are your muscles still hurting?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°No, not as much as before... but I¡¯m not as strong as I normally am,¡± the girl replied, rolling onto her back so she might see her mate, ¡°You were definitely happier today.¡± ¡°Oh? I wasn¡¯t so sure you noticed,¡± Cole replied sarcastically, walking into the bathroom. ¡°Well, of course, I noticed. I might not be able to detect emotions clearly through our bond, but I can tell when your smile is ten times brighter than before,¡± she replied with a chuckle. ¡°I have been meaning to ask you about that. You mentioned it earlier,¡± Cole¡¯s voice took on a hint of urgency. ¡°Oh, well, the art of noticing someone¡¯s smile as genuine is...¡± the girl started only to be cut off. ¡°No, not that,¡± Cole chuckled. He remained silent and waited in silence as the girl figured out what he was saying. She¡¯d known what he meant from the start. ..... ¡°I guess there is no dodging the one,¡± she sighed, turning her attention to the ceiling before exining, ¡°It¡¯s like I am always exhausted. I can¡¯t ess anything concerning my powers. I¡¯m not worried about it. I think I just need to take it easy for a while.¡± ¡°Of course, you wouldn¡¯t be worried. You don¡¯t know if there is anything around you going wrong. You can¡¯t tell at all. So of course you wouldn¡¯t be worried.¡± Cole¡¯s voice came from the bathroom. ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped. Besides, since the rest of the Chase family is not showing any trouble, I don¡¯t see a reason to worry,¡± Katie replied. ¡°Yeah, I guess so... Hey, would you get over here?¡± Cole called out to her. ¡°Yeah yeah, I¡¯ming. You know...¡± Katie paused at the threshold, crossing her hands over her chest with a proud look, ¡°You cannot live without me.¡± ¡°As long as you get to sleep beside me and wake up beside me, I¡¯ll be fine. ,¡± Cole replied. ¡°Oh, I am so right...¡± she continued before getting whisked into the bathroom. .......... Cole found a note on the bed when he got out of the shower. His mate decided to stay behind and soak for a bit in the warm water. ¡®Alpha Cole and Luna Katie are hereby invited to have tea with the queen in the gardens at 8:00 pm.¡¯ ¡°Umm, honey, we have been invited by the queen,¡± Cole called out to his mate in the bathroom. ¡°What? Why? Doesn¡¯t she realise I have to brush my teeth for two hours, brush my hair, try out different clothes and, and...¡± the girl started rambling on about the different things that didn¡¯t mean as much as the queen¡¯s invitation. ¡°Yeah, get it out of your system,¡± Cole mumbled, hearing the girl go on and on barreling through her mind in search of an excuse. ¡°You knowining won¡¯t get you out of it. Why do you bother?¡± Cole replied when she¡¯d finished. ¡°It¡¯s part of the process I guess,¡± the girl sighed. Afortable silence came over the two of them. ¡°Have you tried essing your gifts?¡± Cole asked the question that had been burning in his mind. ¡°No, not yet, but then again, I don¡¯t think I would be able to ess them when I¡¯m still this weak. I¡¯m going to give it some time,¡± she responded. At that moment, Cole hadn¡¯t thought to look at his mate as a sense of sadness took over her. Shaking off the thoughts and depression, she changed the subject ¡°Hey Cole, you said something about telling me your side of the story concerning your father.¡± ¡°Oh yeah...¡± he paused as the memories came pouring back into his mind, ¡°I did, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me, Cole,¡± she quickly intervened, hearing the sadness in his voice. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it, Katie. I¡¯ll tell you. Let¡¯s just get done with tea with my mother first,¡± Cole replied. ........... The queen was seated on a chair watching the different couples that lived within the pce mill through the gardens. The time she had chosen was preferably peaceful and one that many mates chose to enjoy the lovely gardens. The timing was right and the lights that lit up the beautiful gardens made it an even more beautiful ce for them to take walks and spend time together. It was also the time when most of them didn¡¯t have more work to do. ¡°Katie, fireflies have no fire-rted power within them nor are they creatures rted to the Apollo. I¡¯m trying to tell you that they were merely named because they look like flying sparks of me. There isn¡¯t much to it,¡± Cole¡¯s voice interrupted the peaceful silence. The queen was suddenly curious to know what had gotten the man so riled up. ¡°Yes, Cole I have heard you saying something of the sort, but then how do you exin the way their bodies glow in the dark? Do you really believe there is a natural process in a biological organism that can allow them to emit light in the dark? Except for the power of the gods that make the eyes of werewolves glow, I cannot think of any other exnation,¡± Katie argued. ¡°You¡¯re being impossible right now, Katie. Fireflies are fireflies. You don¡¯t have to over-think it. Have you been talking to Celeste again? She might be the one putting all these ideas into your head,¡± Cole was starting to get suspicious. ¡°No, not really. Well, I talked to her a few days ago, but she didn¡¯t say anything about fireflies,¡± Katie argued. ¡°Aha, so you have been talking to the goddess. What have the two of you been discussing behind my back?¡± Cole was even more suspicious and was sessfully changing the topic. If his mate would not see things his way, perhaps she would lose track of the conversation and forget the point she was trying to make in the first ce. ¡°There is no world where I and that goddess would be on the same page,¡± Katie chuckled right before they reached the gazebo the queen was seated in. Katie stoppedughing when the queen stood suddenly. The girl took a low bow to acknowledge her. ¡°Uh... Katie... No... You don¡¯t have to...¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to see you doing well, queen mother,¡± the woman facepalmed and groaned. ¡°And here I thought you didn¡¯t have this side to you,¡± the queen groaned. Chapter 271 271 One Step at a Time Cole chuckled at the older woman¡¯s reaction before engulfing her in a hug.¡±How are you doing, mother?¡± he greeted. ¡°As well as my wolf and I can take. And please, would you tell your mate to drop the formalities?¡± the woman replied warmly, her blue eyes beaming with pride as she regarded her son. ¡°She seems to have a mind of her own, mother. You must have overheard our conversation about fireflies. She seems set on investigating everything that makes no human sense to her,¡± Cole replied, pulling away and letting Katie through. The woman hugged Katie just as heartily holding onto the girl longer than normal etiquette dictated. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I would make an investigation. I¡¯ll just have someone do that for me. Since I am no longer Sandra¡¯s mentor, this might just be a little harder than it would have been,¡± Katie groaned. ¡°Huh, I had never thought Sandra was your shortcut to all your useless errands or had I?¡± Cole whispered, ¡°So you¡¯ve been torturing the girl all this time. I knew there was something fishy...¡± ¡°Hey, Cole, don¡¯t get any ideas. I haven¡¯t been giving her any unreasonable orders. It was only that one time that... and that other time... No, forget about it,¡± Katie¡¯s face turned red once more. The queenughed at the two of them while a servant brought them refreshments, ¡°I¡¯ll have to apologise and acknowledge her efforts while she was training under me.¡± ¡°Mother, I think you should have prepared far more than this,¡± Cole directed his attention to the queen, avoiding eye contact with his mate. ¡°Wait, huh... Do you mean?¡± ¡°Uh huh, just keep theming,¡± Cole nodded as though he was reading the queen¡¯s mind. Katie wasn¡¯t sure what was going on until the queen turned to her with a horrific expression. ..... ¡°Hey Cole, what did you tell her?¡± Katie yelled at the alpha. ¡°I only told her that you, unlike other people I know, have arger appetite than most,¡± he replied with a smile. The girl looked between him and the queen and decided against an outburst... ¡°Tell that to someone else and we¡¯ll be in a whole different situation,¡± Katie responded with a huff. ¡°Oh my... I¡¯m d you¡¯re warming up to me,¡± the queen replied, ¡°In that case, you won¡¯t mind me having invited someone else.¡± ¡°Hello... Am Ite?¡± Sandra¡¯s voice piped in. ¡°Come on, Sandra. You¡¯re a hunter now. You¡¯ve got to be more like... Why are you all so early?¡± Jason¡¯s voice abruptly came after hers, mimicking that of a soldier at the end. It was no longer a surprise to find the two of them together. Where there was Sandra, there was Jason, it was that simple. ¡°I am not going to change overnight, Jason,¡± the girl returned with a voice even less confident than before. ¡°I thought you were working, Jason,¡± Cole narrowed his eyes at the uninvited man. ¡°Well, I was... No, I am still working. I just took a break to walk this beautifuldy to her destination,¡± Jason replied, sighing in disappointment. ¡°Hey, Jason, you¡¯ll work yourself to the ground if you don¡¯t take a break once in a while,¡± Sandra voiced her worries. ¡°Well, it¡¯s short walks with you and the fact that you worry for me that keeps me healthy,¡± Jason replied, cing a peck on her forehead, ¡°I¡¯ll see youter, Sandra.¡± The girl was speechless as he walked away, her face flushed from his words and actions. ¡°A hunter with a werewolf,¡± Katie whistled, ¡°and I thought fish couldn¡¯t fly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make assumptions, Katie,¡± Sandrained, taking a seat at the other side of the table after bowing in acknowledgement of the queen. Cole might have dropped his jaw when Sandra did not acknowledge him. She simply looked at Katie and continued, ¡°How are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sandra. It¡¯s the tea parties and the fact that you worry that have kept me alive this whole time,¡± the hunter imitated Jason. ¡°You y dirty, Sirius,¡± Sandra covered her face with her palms, throwing the table into a chorus ofughter, ¡°But more seriously though, how are you, Katie?¡± Katie thought about her answer this time, having noticed the deep concern behind the girl¡¯s question, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know honestly. I¡¯ve never been so... tired in my life I guess.¡± ¡°You sound like someone that let the rogue king run off and is taking far too long to get back up,¡± Sandra replied. ¡°Hmm, I think there is more to it than that, but I can¡¯t be too sure. It¡¯s not like any of my abilities are working right yet. Back then, I could tell there was trouble going on in Lycaon and something else boiling within Sirius. I epted I couldn¡¯t do it all on my own and let the hunters in Lycaon take care of everything as well as those I trusted in Sirius as well. It was terrifying and very stressful, to be honest, but everything was going well... until something unforeseen managed to slip past my foresight,¡± Katie said to her, ¡°Ever since that fight with the rogue king, it all went silent... everything. Like my ears are working... but not.¡± ¡°What if the rogue king took a vacation as well?¡± Sandra tried. ¡°¡®What if¡¯ indeed...¡± Katie chuckled, raising her fingers in the air to quote her words, ¡°How is life as a hunter treating you?¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t started yet. I haven¡¯t yet got my license which means I¡¯m still a junior. Your uncle promised to help me out with itter. I would like you to...¡± the girl stopped her question halfway, but Katie had already picked up on her train of thought. ¡°It would be my honour, Sandra. I will go with you,¡± she responded. All those about the table were astonished to hear her ept to step out of the safety of the king¡¯s chambers once more, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you all worry. I also know that I can¡¯t just do nothing. Step by step, I will get back to my normal self.¡± ¡®Sometimes I wonder if the rogue king really did take a vacation as well,¡¯ she thought to herself. Cole hugged the unsuspecting girl, excited to see that she was finally showing some positive improvement in her attitude. Even as he was happy to see that, something wed at the back of her mind. A suspicion that wouldn¡¯t let him bepletely happy and he couldn¡¯t shake it. ¡®Katie is getting better, isn¡¯t she?¡¯ Chapter 272 272 Unexpected Company The tea party proceeded harmoniously among the four of them. Against all of Cole¡¯sints, the queen brought up different parts of his life growing up that she found hrious and others that she found inspirational. Katie, who was carefully listening and hanging at her every word, was astounded by what the boy had gone through to learn how to fight. At first, Cole¡¯s father had done nothing to train him. Instead, the boy had challenged the beta alphas time and time again to duels which he lost plenty of times. Among the embarrassing parts was when the queen thought it would be nice to take the boy swimming. Cole hadn¡¯t shown any enthusiasm towards the idea even though it was meant to be fun for them and nothing more. As a boy who¡¯d grown up observing the pack warriors, he knew weakness was one of those things he was never to show in his life. In the queen¡¯s words, ¡°Normally, when I would propose something fun for the two of us to do, the boy would jump at the idea, trying to get me to the venue before we even had time to get packing, but this time, Cole wanted nothing to do with me. It was like I was a stranger.¡± Eventually, the queen got the boy to the pool, after a lot of persuasions and sweet talking. Cole was not an easy child to convince, however, he had a soft spot for the queen and at the end of the day, she inevitably found out that the boy did not know how to swim. Hrious as the discovery might have been, Cole was proud of that story. After all, it was the day he got his first swimming lesson from his stepmother. ¡°Oh, Katie, why don¡¯t you tell us how you learnt how to swim?¡± Cole asked her when it seemed she wouldn¡¯t let go of the issue. ¡°Um, my life isn¡¯t that eventful. You¡¯ll get severely bored,¡± Katie replied with a tight smile, stirring her tea nervously, ¡°Well, except for the parts with Sandra in them. Those were always fun. There were a few times when we had fun with my adoptive parents, but I was pretty much good at everything by the time we came to having fun.¡± Katie hunted through her mind for a time she had had fun with her parents when it wasn¡¯t hunter-rted and found that the memories were few. Being a hunter was every bit a part of the first part of her life as breathing. Taking her swimming was just another fitness training and a way to improve her breathing and endurance. ..... ¡°What about the parts with me in them?¡± a new voice dismantled the peaceful atmosphere. Katie sighed when she heard Kyle¡¯s voice. As someone who¡¯d intentionally cropped the boy¡¯s parts out of her narrations, this was a very inconvenient situation. Appalled by the rude interruption along with the several red gs that the sudden intruder raised everywhere he went, Katie¡¯s voice went up several octaves, ¡°What are you even doing here? Where is Caden?¡± Cole had his arm around the girl, ring daggers at the boy that had just made his presence known. While Kyle was virtually incapable of harming Katie, Cole didn¡¯t trust him around his mate one bit. It couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡°Right here, Luna. And you, prisoner, keep your mouth shut,¡± Caden ordered the boy whoplied immediately, ¡°I onlye to inquire about something from Alpha Cole. It couldn¡¯t wait and I didn¡¯t feel it appropriate to interrupt his mind in the middle of this important... um, party.¡± ¡°Well, this lunatic can speak while you speak with Cole,¡± Katie replied, prying Cole¡¯s protective hand from her. She gave him a reassuring look. Reluctantly, the alphaplied and stood up to attend to royal matters. When Cole was gone, silence surrounded the table. The queen suddenly felt like she was in thest ce on earth she could have chosen to be and the air was getting oddly thinner. ¡®And when it was I that called on this tea party,¡¯ she mentally cursed. ¡°Oh my, do we live in the mountains now? The three of you clearly have a lot to catch up on,¡± the queen excused herself quickly with a cup of tea in her hands, even when Sandra¡¯s eyes begged her to stay. The air was still humid from the rain that had gued Lycaon for a while. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s just the three of us once again. It¡¯s been a while,¡± Kyle was the first to break the silence, grinning widely at the two of them. He hovered his hand above a te of scones and turned to look at his alpha. Katie noticed he was asking for permission and nodded in approval before the boy popped one of the scones into his mouth. ¡°Yeah, I guess it is the three of us again,¡± Katie replied, pointing to a spot far from her, ¡°Sit there.¡± ¡°I love the hostility... It¡¯s fresh and warm. Like biting into a warm piece of meat,¡± the boy joked before losing the smile on his face. ¡°If I had my way, I would make sure you don¡¯t see meat for the rest of your life,¡± Sandra sighed, ¡°But s, you need it to be able to protect Katie with every ounce of energy you can offer.¡± ¡°Now now, guys, this is no way to have a reunion. Kyle is reformed now, aren¡¯t you, Kyle?¡± Katie asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like I have that much of choice in the matter,¡± Kyle replied, plunging them into yet another awkward silence. ¡°Kyle,¡± Sandra spoke up, ¡°Knowing what you know now, would you still go back to the rogues if you were given the chance?¡± The boy couldn¡¯t bring himself to look the girl in the eye, ¡°Am I meant to answer that truthfully?¡± ring at the boy, Sandra spat, ¡°No, you don¡¯t. That reaction answers all the questions I had already.¡± Katie was not so easily convinced by the boy¡¯s reaction to the question. The two of them shared emotions and she could tell something was up, ¡°Well then, go ahead.¡± Shocked, he asked, ¡°Go ahead and do what, Alpha Katie?¡± ¡°Go ahead and answer the question truthfully,¡± she asked him. Kyle was indeed shocked to hear that she had a question like that for him. He had expected to dodge the question with another question, but she¡¯d seen straight through him. Chapter 273 273 That bad, huh! The expression on her face told him everything he needed to know. And the fact that she was his alpha, he could not bring himself to disobey her words. It was impossible for beta alphas. Every now and then he was reminded of how chained he was to the girl. ¡°The rogues value strength more than anything. I wasn¡¯t strong or useful in any other way once my cover was blown. I¡¯ve seen the way they treat those weaker than them and fell victim a few times to a few of the lighter errands the weak go through. The entire time that I was with them, it was only the rogue king that kept his promise to treat me in a special way inparison to the others. But the others were envious of my position with the rogue king. Even if that was the case, I could tell he was about to see no use for me. I was as good as dead already. The explosion back there that was meant to kill me while I was still there proved it all.¡± Sandra looked back at the boy before, her hateful expression melting off her face, ¡°So, no, I wouldn¡¯t go back to the rogues knowing all that I know. But then again, that could be my master¡¯s resigned mood talking,¡± it was Katie¡¯s turn to be shocked this time, ¡°You didn¡¯t even know I had arrived. You didn¡¯t catch my scent or even sense my presence. Are you okay, Katie?¡± The girl looked between both her friends, a heavy feeling of nostalgia hitting her more than ever. This wasn¡¯t the first or second or any number of countable times that they had shown this much worry towards her. Even though Kyle had been pretending back then, it had been real to her and it was real to her now as well. Each time they had hung out together and found that one of her arms was in pain from the gruesome training or that she was limping from an injury. Each time she¡¯d tried to hide what was happening with her, one of them had seen straight through her and forced her toe clean, ¡°I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about me, okay?¡± ¡°Spill it, Katie Sirius,¡± Sandra barked, pointing a spoon at her and wiping the smirk from her face. Seeing no way out of her situation, she sighed, ¡°At first, it was just the gifts I noticed were missing. That is normal for a very tired hunter, which I feel like right now, but then, I¡¯ve not been able to recover any of my werewolf senses as sharply as before. It must be because I¡¯m tired. ..... It can be nothing more than that. I¡¯m just tired and that¡¯s all there is to it,¡± she tried convincing herself even though it didn¡¯t sound that way, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, I¡¯ll be fine soon.¡± Sandra lifted the spoon from her tea and let it fall back into the cup she was stirring, ¡°Well, if you say so... On the subject of hunters, I¡¯m having my evaluation tomorrow.¡± ¡°Oh my... Sandra, that¡¯s awesome. You mean you¡¯ll be able to get your license tomorrow?¡± the girl asked, ¡°Wow, that takes me back.¡± ¡°Yeah, I would like it if you coulde along if... if that¡¯s okay with you?¡± the girl asked, nervously. ¡°Oh, I was obviously going to tag along, but what would make you think I wouldn¡¯t?¡± Katie asked her with a raised brow. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve beenid back this past week. You barely left your room and I was growing worried. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be able to make it,¡± the girl responded. ¡°No, Sandra... Of course, I¡¯ll make it. I made a promise I woulde, didn¡¯t I?¡± Katie tried. In a lower tone, ¡°I admit, I¡¯ve not been able to do much in the past week. I¡¯ve wanted to do nothing more than to vanish into nothingness. I failed in my task and I almost got myself killed at the same time. I felt like I couldn¡¯t get anything right. Like I¡¯d failed everything...¡± the girl exined, ¡°But I am getting better. I promise you that.¡± Sandra smiled upon hearing her friend¡¯s words, ¡°That¡¯s more reassuring. For a moment there, I thought you were broken.¡± ¡°Yeah... Same here,¡± Kyle responded with a nervousugh. ¡®My Luna, I hear what you¡¯re saying... but...¡¯ ¡®Just let it go, for now, Kyle,¡¯ she stopped the beta alpha from prying any further. ¡®Very well, Alpha Katie,¡¯ he responded respectfully. It wasn¡¯t even hard for him to forget about what he was about to tell her. His body did it for him. ¡®In exchange for all that power, the beta alphas would lose theplete free will over their actions and be bound by the will of the royals thatmanded them. There wouldn¡¯t be a thing in the world that could break them free of this bond and they would serve that royal until their death...¡¯ Caden¡¯s lesson rang through his mind as clear as a bell. During the ¡®torture¡¯ Kyle was supposed to receive from Caden, the beta alpha had been teaching him the roles of a beta alpha. He had learned a lot from him. Cole had been around while they took care of some of the issues concerning the kingdom. The three of them worked like a well-oiled machine. Every time Cole was tired, they would take over for him and when any of them felt tired, they were allowed to notify the king. The king would then decide whether they were to rest. In Cole¡¯s case, he was always allowing them to take a few breaks and when they were done with the work or left with enough for him to do on his own, he would dismiss them entirely. The most tedious part of their work was the paperwork and the next most tedious part of their work was the hearings from the empire¡¯s citizens. The applications for a hearing would take a long time to be approved and when it was time for the king to hear them out, he had to be present and pay attention to what they had to say to him. The beta alphas could take his ce in case of an emergency. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t so much work that they didn¡¯t have any free time. They, once in a while got some free time. It was during this time that Kyle was tortured within the dungeons by Caden. ¡°How are you doing, Kyle?¡± Katie asked him when she felt waves of diforting from him. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m... well... better than I was with the rogues,¡± he replied. Katie¡¯s memories of the times she saw him with wounds all over reminded her of the reason Caden was taking him around. ¡°That bad, huh...¡± she grimaced. ¡°How was I to know that the man had taken a liking to that cross-dresser?¡± he groaned, trying his best to ignore the pain that shot through his chest when the injuries to his ribs were triggered. Chapter 274 274 Magic? Katie decided against speaking about Kyle¡¯s situation and continued on to take a sip of tea. The boy eyed them for a while before speaking. ¡°You know, under normal circumstances, I would be expecting something like poison. In the world I grew up in, trust is not something you can simply stumble upon.¡± ¡°I agree... Katie, why are you keeping him around again?¡± Sandra asked, letting all her unbridled hate for the boy fill her voice. ¡°What... Why would you, of all people, be asking such a question, Sandra? You know just how harmless he is. Just look at him. Bruised and eating healthy without a single harmful thought in his mind. I would know if it was there,¡± Katie responded. ¡°For some reason, even after the little muscle he¡¯s put on, he looks more harmless than he was as a scrawny kid from high school,¡± Sandra replied with a frown. The boy¡¯s presence irked her and the fact that Katie tolerated it irked her even more. ¡°Yeah, sometimes I forget that he¡¯s the same scrawny kid. Although the only difference this time... is that he¡¯s not pretending to be that scrawny kid,¡± Katie responded with a genuine smile. ¡°What is the trio talking about?¡± Caden¡¯s voice suddenly piped in, ¡°I hope Kyle is not causing much trouble.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think ¡®Kyle¡¯ would pose a threat to two hunters,¡± Sandra replied with a chuckle. ¡°Looks like I had nothing to worry about,¡± Cadenughed. Cole cameter with the queen in tow. ..... ¡°Cole, don¡¯t worry one bit about that issue. I¡¯ll deal with it,¡± the queen said to Cole before announcing she would like to retire to her chambers. Having noticed howte it was, she excused herself and exited the gardens. With her gone and time ticking well into the night, there wasn¡¯t much reason for the gathering to continue. Kyle bid Katie and Sandra farewell and followed his caretaker, ¡®Caden¡¯ who was returning for onest hour of work. Sandra reminded Katie of the next day¡¯s ns before leaving as well. ....... The female royal preened into the mirror while she tied her hair up into a bun, ¡®Ashley, just how much can Kyle know from the connection we share with Kyle?¡¯ Katie spoke to the wolf within her. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the wolf replied with barely a care in the world. ¡°You don¡¯t sound worried at all about that,¡± Katie argued. ¡°I¡¯m not worried, Katie. It¡¯s the freedom of having him as our beta alpha. He can¡¯t do anything that would be negative to us. Even if he was to be drugged and tortured to the brink of death, his loyalty would not waver,¡± the wolf replied in a bored tone. ¡°You make it sound like he¡¯s being bound by absolute magic,¡± the girl shuddered at the wolf¡¯s demeanour. ¡°Hmm, magic would not be the word to use, but yes... It¡¯s something like that,¡± the wolf responded, ¡°And don¡¯t you dare act surprised. You transform into a gigantic white wolf that keeps its clothes when it shifts back. Not to mention you¡¯re currently speaking to me, an entity in your mind. If that¡¯s not magic, then you¡¯ve got something terribly wrong with your logic.¡± ¡°Oh, I had never thought of it that way...¡± Katie chuckled nervously before stepping out of the bathroom. Her remark, however, left an image of the white wolf shaking its head in disbelief at the girl¡¯s mind. ¡°Someone¡¯s taking her time,¡± Cole called out. ¡°Well, I was once told that my scent is so hard to miss, so I was trying to wash myself down real good,¡± the girl chuckled. ¡°To hide your scent from me, you¡¯d have to use divine energy for that,¡± Cole chuckled lightly. ¡°Divine energy?¡± The smile on the alpha¡¯s face fell when the girl asked, ¡°Sometimes I forget how much you don¡¯t know about werewolves and hunters.¡± ¡°Huh, hey, I learnt everything I needed to learn about them,¡± Katie huffed, finally deciding to proceed from caring about her hair. She walked into the closet and began searching for a nightgown. ¡°Perhaps not enough though. Divine energy has been called many names, magic being the mostmon name for it...¡± ¡®And to think I¡¯ve just been talking about something simr with my wolf,¡¯ the girl thought.¡¯ ¡°...Although it simply means, the power of the gods. No one knows the limits of the gods or if they even have limits, but that they are lead by Zeus... well and all the other stories we know about them.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard that much. How does this have to do with anything though? You made it sound like there is a lot that I don¡¯t know about divine energy,¡± the girlined. ¡°Well yeah, there is a lot you don¡¯t know about it,¡± Cole said getting up from the bed and walking into the closet where the girl had just donned a purple silk gown. The royal didn¡¯t stop in his advance and before the girl realised what was happening, he was carrying her out of the closet and to the bed. Katie didn¡¯tin and instead wrapped her hands around his neck and studied him while he continued. Images began to slip into her mind of the girl fighting the rogue king, ¡°The blue aura that was surrounding you while you were fighting was that same kind of energy. I have never heard of it leaking out of someone like that, but there was no doubt about it when I saw iting from you. At some point, it looked like you would split with your wolf if you¡¯d continued using it like that. It¡¯s that same energy that turns our eyes a different colour and makes them glow. Blue only shows that royals have the most divine energy from the goddess.¡± cing the girl on the bed andying beside her, he continued almost seamlessly and effortlessly. Katie wondered if she was really that light or if he was simply that strong, ¡°The red eyes show the next level of power the others have. The same goes for green and yellow. That extra power is what allows alphas and royals to shift back and forth without losing their clothes. Does that make more sense now?¡± Katie gasped when everything seemed to snap into ce in her mind. She¡¯d wondered a number of things, but had never gotten to asking them. This was one of them and Cole had just answered it for her, ¡°Well yeah, that exins a lot...¡± she agreed, staring past his mesmerising blue eyes, ¡°You had something to tell me. Do you still think you can...¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll tell you. After all, this is the only day that I¡¯ll allow myself to go that far back in my past,¡± Cole said to her with a chuckle, allowing the images of his past to filter into his mate¡¯s mind. Katie felt incredibly close to him when the memories of Cole began entering her mind. Seeing the world through the eyes of a younger Cole was nothing like hearing the stories narrated by words only. She wanted to know all of it. .......... Chapter 275 275 Beloved Queen Little Cole spent the biggest part of his early years getting out of his father¡¯s way when he could. The kind and benevolent leader was kind to his entire kingdom except for the one thing that was the cause of his sadness... Cole himself. All through his life as a child, Cole had known the king for his rage fits and the experiments that were carried out on him. The man cared nothing for his well-being. Diving into the detail was hard for him as he told the story... Thankfully, the bond he shared with his mate made it easier for him. She saw what he remembered and through that, few words were required for an exnation. Day after day, the boy was pierced, poked and prodded and the scientists that had epted the king¡¯s offer took the time to study the divine energy that flowed through the boy¡¯s veins. As it turned out, the boy had far more powerpared to the ordinary royal and research was made to try and discover what made him special from the rest of them. At first, there were no results and it seemed the boy was just the same as all of them, but then... After everything they had done to his body, something manifested within him. A power to resist torture. He became impervious to needles and resistant to the drugs they used. When the king was sure there was nothing else he could do to the boy, he let him be. Cole soon came to know, after numerous attempts to get his father¡¯s attention, that he was not meant to be in his presence. The sad part abouting to this realisation was that he couldn¡¯t me him. After all, he¡¯d heard the stories about his father and mother before he was born. It was his birth that had brought about the demise of the king¡¯s wife. Resentment towards the concept of a mate had almost grown within him, but the new queen, Margaret had curbed it from him before he could begin to hate them. ..... ¡®Call it weird... but in my eyes. A bond that was so strong that it left a man as powerful as my father stranded was beautiful,¡¯ he tried exining his reasoning. ¡®The story about my father and how he came to lose his mate was known through the castle. There was nothing he could do to prevent her from dying. He watched her lose her life while the doctors tried all they could after my birth. She¡¯d lost a lot of blood and was fading fast. The king was not strong enough to protect her, or at least, that is what I chose to believe on that day. In order to train me to be able to do what he couldn¡¯t. I had faced the bitterness that came from his loss. He might have put me through a lot, but once I had gained my resistance to torture, I continued to see him in pain. The only difference this time was that he couldn¡¯t put all his frustrations onto anyone else.¡¯ Cole narrated as the images of the boy training with the pack warriors, challenging the beta alphas and extra in the woods when he was supposed to be rxing. Katie almost found something simr between the two of them, but Cole, unlike her, knew when he¡¯d hit his limit. Once he did, he would retire for the day. ¡®I challenged pack warriors to duels and lost many times, but with time, my skill and strength grew. By the time I left home, the only ones I couldn¡¯t beat were the king¡¯s beta alphas and the top warriors that came second only to the beta alphas,¡¯ he continued, showing the numerous times that Alpha Cross had thrown him across the training arena. The boy never gave up and kept getting back up until he couldn¡¯t do so anymore. During this time, he made two friends who would stick with him through it all, Caden and Jason, admiring his spirit. The two of them trained with him and did their best to keep up with their alpha. The intense training got them out of their peers¡¯ league fast enough, but it was still not enough to beat the beta alphas even when they teamed up. ¡®When did you and your father start to...¡¯ Katie was still asking when the images stopped rushing and started going back in reverse. ¡®It might be the most vivid memory I have of him. It was also the day that everything changed for us. When he started acting like my father for the first time and started making up for the lost time. I was about eleven at the time,¡¯ Cole said to her before going quiet and letting the memory y for his mate to watch. The eleven-year-old version of Cole had gathered his nerves and was finally going to talk to his father. It had been a while since the man had even looked him straight in the eye, but Cole was confident that he had to talk to him. He reached the king¡¯s office and knocked at the door. When no answer came through, Cole pushed the door open. To his surprise, the door budged and let him through. He was stunned by what he saw inside. Papersy strewn across the ground. Bottles of alcohol were randomly scattered about the room and the office stunk of booze. His father had his head on the desk, snoring very loudly. Cole entered the office and looked about the room, trying to understand why the king would subject himself to this kind of life each and every day. It wasn¡¯t the first time he was hearing of something like this, but the first he was seeing it for himself. His father¡¯s beta alphas had made ament or two about his cringe-worthy habits. Cole walked up to the sleeping royal and froze at the item in his hand. Under the man¡¯s hand was a picture frame of a stunningly beautiful woman. Cole knew the picture well. How couldn¡¯t he? It was the picture of the person that had brought him into the world. His mother and the former queen of Lycaon, Helena Lycaon. Chapter 276 276 Her Name Was... The boy spent his time cleaning his father¡¯s office, putting away the bottles and trash lying around. He arranged his father¡¯s desk in the best way that he could. After having paid attention to the matters the beta alphas often discussed, he found that some of the documents on the king¡¯s desk were of things that he¡¯d heard about. Cole arranged the work into piles of finished and unfinished. There were those he tried to go through on his own, leaving drafts of his solutions in the finished pile and others he arranged in a way the king could go through as fast and efficiently as he felt possible. Things he didn¡¯t understand at all got their own pile as well. When he was done, he sat on the sofa on the other side of the king¡¯s desk and nodded off from waiting for the king to wake up. The king woke up momentster to an organised office with his head pounding in pain. Before he could appreciate what had been done for him, he saw the boy sleeping on the sofa. A scowl immediately graced his face. One that Cole had now grown used to, ¡°Get up, boy. What are you doing in my office?¡± Cole¡¯s sharp ears picked up on the harsh voice and his reflexes kicked in, allowing him to seat up and react quickly, ¡°Oh hi... Father...¡± ¡°You should stop calling me that. I am the alpha of the Lycaon empire. So you will address me as such,¡± the king barked, rubbing his face before looking about his desk. It was not in the order he had left it and he could tell from the boy¡¯s childish handwriting that he¡¯d been messing around with his work. ..... The picture frame in his hand told him the boy had not touched it. ¡°You have some brains to know you shouldn¡¯t have touched this. What were you doing at my desk?¡± ¡°Well, I hadn¡¯te to get into your work or anything. I just came here to talk to you. I heard from the beta alphas that you had a meeting tomorrow in the morning, so I thought I would help with some of the work. Let me...¡± ¡°This is none of your concern. Do you hear me? You don¡¯te into this room. You don¡¯t show your face. Damn it, have you forgotten everything I¡¯ve told you till now? Has nothing got into that thick skull of yours boy?¡± the man yelled at Cole. The boy was quiet for much longer than the king could wait, ¡°Well boy, what do you have to say for yourself?¡± Cole sighed, ¡°I came earlier to ask you something about...¡± the boy swallowed. The words were stuck in his throat. He hadn¡¯t thought it would be this hard for him to say it. Breathing in deeply, he spoke up ¡°I wanted to ask what she was like... the queen. My mother. I¡¯ve heard only what everyone knew about her, but I know there isn¡¯t someone who would know more about her but you. So I was thinking...¡± ¡°You have no right. None whatsoever... Do you hear me?¡± the king bellowed and watched the boy shrink back from his fury. Even after his outburst, however, the boy didn¡¯t rush for the door. He stayed in his seat. ¡°I can¡¯t be injured or at least, it¡¯s difficult,¡± the boy reminded the king before he could strike him. The king sighed and rubbed his temples. The boy was still before him and very insistent on staying... and it was getting on his nerves, ¡°This boy must be testing my limits,¡± the king mumbled to himself. To Cole, ¡°Yeah, what of it?¡± ¡°Well, the reason for this power is all the needles and poisons that you had injected into me. I can¡¯t me the scientists since they were only ordered by someone else. I know the person responsible for all my suffering though.¡± ¡®The boy¡¯s finally gone mad. It wasn¡¯t a secret to him that I ordered all that,¡¯ the king inwardly sighed, watching the boy speak. ¡°It¡¯s my mother,¡± the boy answered bluntly, keeping his eyes away from his father. The king¡¯s anger began to boil anew, dwarfing what he¡¯d felt before towards the boy. Through gritted teeth, ¡°You¡¯ve got some nerve to say such a thing...¡± ¡°No, Father...¡± the boy cut him off. His breath became sharp and uneven. He had never stood up to him before, but he had to one day and today was the day that he¡¯d chosen to do that. The king was surprised by the behaviour. ¡°Oh, is there something you want to say? Come on... Let¡¯s hear it.¡± ¡°I have heard stories about my father and mother. I have heard of the kind and dashing Alpha Trevor Lycaon,¡± the king smirked at the boy¡¯s words, ¡°But that¡¯s not the person I¡¯vee to know. When the kind king looks at me, he scowls and starts thinking of ways to remind me of the sin Imitted.¡± ¡°Sin?¡± the king wondered, almost shocked by the boy¡¯s words. Cole continued as though he¡¯d missed his interruption. ¡°My crime of being born and robbing him of his mate. I can¡¯t imagine what that must have been like... After all, that day, you lost the most important person in your life and merely gained a reminder of that,¡± the boy was finally done seething. Little Cole took his seat once again, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about so many things. Royals¡¯ minds develop fast. I knew I had to have done something wrong at a young age and I soon found out what it was. I could have solved it all my way, but the new queen taught me everything about being royal. My responsibilities and what it means for me to be who I am. What it means for me to be a firstborn. Many times I wonder if I could ever be as strong as you are...¡± ¡°Strong?¡± the king asked, this time Cole heard him. The king¡¯s rage had simmered down as he got to hear the thoughts that swarmed his son¡¯s mind and not the boy he always scowled at when he saw him. ¡°Yes, strong. You lost her and yet here you are, still running the kingdom. They say many would take their own lives in that situation, but you are still running the Lycaon empire in spite of all that,¡± Cole praised the king. ¡°What makes you think you are not strong?¡± the king sighed, going through the other documents that wereid in the unfinished pile. ¡°Well, for starters, I haven¡¯t felt the kind of pain you have, but I already feel like I¡¯m at my limit,¡± the king paused at the boy¡¯s response and tried to decipher, ¡®limit... what limit?¡¯ ¡°I have thought about it so many times. What would it be like to be free of all of this? What would it be like to leave my life behind? At this point, anything is better than what I¡¯m going through right now.¡± ¡°What gives...¡± ¡°You know father...¡± the boy cut him off once more, letting his eyes wander the portraits in the room, ¡°You might have lost your mate that day... but I... it was like I was born without a family.¡± Silence took over the room... the king¡¯s eyes looked misty as he thought through the boy¡¯s words. The two of them had never had a conversation. ¡®They grow up so fast,¡¯ the king thought to himself. Realising he¡¯d missed the boy¡¯s entire childhood life. ¡°What kept you from running then?¡± while the king didn¡¯t want to think of it, curiosity tugged at him. ¡°I¡¯m royalty... and your only heir. The entire werewolf empire depends on us. If I were to vanish one day, I would forsake many of them. I read the documentation on the transfer of the power of a royal in case an heir was not present. I didn¡¯t like it either. So... countless times, I have dismissed the idea. I was stuck for a long time, but everyone has a breaking point... or so I¡¯ve heard. Before deciding on leaving, I decided toe here and talk to you first,¡± the boy exined. The king looked from the boy to the picture frame in his hand. The simrity between the two people was uncanny. In mind as well, now he believed. The boy reminded him so much of her that it hurt him every time. He¡¯d tried everything he could, but the boy wasn¡¯t going anywhere. He was more of a constant reminder than the pictures and the memories he heard. He was a spitting image of her in character as well. It was like she was right in front of him, but not the same and it tore at him. And now of all times, he was channelling more of her than he¡¯d ever thought possible. The queen had died to bring a miracle into the world. ¡°Do you hate me, Cole?¡± the king asked. ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± the boy chuckled, ¡°I merely admire you. I know it¡¯s weird, but I also know you¡¯re not perfect. You were bound to snap one way or another and if I was going to be on the receiving end, I wouldn¡¯t have minded that much. The empire is still standing and many werewolves look up to you.¡± ¡°What brought you here, Cole?¡± the man sighed, ¡°I could just call on the beta alphas to give you a thrashing for your behaviour?¡± The king looked up when the boy wouldn¡¯t answer. Cole had his eye pinned to a portrait somewhere else. Turning to see what he was looking at, he came face to face with the former queen, ¡°What would she have said to bring you back?¡± Cole asked. ¡°I won¡¯t try to think through that question. I know what she would say and I wouldn¡¯t be so happy to hear it either. Cole, confronting me about what¡¯s happened the past years is not going to fix anything,¡± the king finally said to him. ¡°I know that, father... And that¡¯s not what I came here to ask you about. I just... wanted to know what she was truly like. I¡¯ve heard stories from almost everyone in the pce, but not from the person that¡¯s supposed to remember her the best,¡± Cole answered before smiling dejectedly, ¡°I guess I won¡¯t get that much. I¡¯ll let you be, father... I¡¯m sorry for bothering you.¡± The boy bowed and turned to leave swiftly. The boy¡¯s swift movements were enough to hide the tears that had started to stream down his face, ¡°Cole, wait...¡± the young prince froze in ce, ¡°Take a seat.¡± The king resigned to his seat. Looking once more at the files the boy had tried to solve on his own, he found that he¡¯d done the work wonderfully. There was nothing wrong with the boy his wife had given him. Even after doing all he¡¯d done to him, the boy still tried to reach out to him... just like his mother had done before him, ¡®Your son is just like you,¡¯ he thought to himself, wiping the ss protecting the picture in his hand as though she could hear his thoughts. The face of the beautiful Queen Helena¡¯s warm smile filled the king¡¯s mind as though encouraging him to take the first step towards reconciliation with his son. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with the two of you?¡¯ He handed the picture he was holding in his hand over to the boy in front of his desk. Cole, slowly took it from him, ¡°Her name was Helena and she was the greatest person I¡¯d ever met.¡± Chapter 277 277 Sunrise... and a Healing Heart Katie was pulled from her mate¡¯s memories only to find that Cole had fallen fast asleep. When he had fallen asleep was not known to her. The faint traces of tears on his face showed that he¡¯d probably fallen asleep a while ago and continued to dream after he was sleeping. She caressed his cheek, wiping a fresh new tear that broke from its confines mirroring a simr glistening bead one of her own, ¡®I guess strengthes in many forms.¡¯ She thought to herself, noticing the man was finally free of the gloom that had gued his mind. A cold breeze pushed open the doors of the balcony, notifying the girl of a change that she could only describe as a miracle. There was a drop of rain falling anymore, not even the slightest drizzle of rain and the faint traces of a power that had arrested the sky were gone... ¡®So it was you...¡¯ With the calming breezeing from the balcony, the girl was soon lulled to sleep as well. The night passed even faster than the girl could have imagined and she rose early the next morning, a rarity that hadn¡¯t urred in quite some time. ¡°Hey... Hey... Sleeping future king, just how long are you nning to stay in bed?¡± Katie poked her mate¡¯s cheek beside her. ¡°As long as I feel I need... What are you doing up at this hour? It¡¯s not even six yet. You haven¡¯t been able to get up this early in a while?¡± the alpha groaned, pulling a pillow from under him and covering his head. ¡°Well, I... That doesn¡¯t matter right now,¡± the girl huffed ripping the pillow from his grip, ¡°Now get up and look and follow me.¡± Once Cole realised she wasn¡¯t going to let him be, he rolled out of bed and got ready as fast as she could let him(which almost got him out the door in a shirt put on inside out). ..... ¡°Come on, you¡¯re taking far too long,¡± she called to him, dragging him through the pce in a jumpy mood simr to that of an excited child. Losing the remaining embers of sleep was easy once Cole heard a voice that excited. ¡°Hey, wait up. You¡¯ll trip if you keep running that fast,¡± Cole called out to Katie as he tried to keep up the pace, ¡°How are you this energetic though?¡± Hope, as well as worry, seeped into his voice. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. What matters is what I have to show you?¡± the girl responded, quickly. Cole followed her as she bounded up the stairs and to her destination. ¡®She definitely knows her way about the pce. As he followed, he soon figured she was heading for the top floor. A smile graced his lips when he noticed she was starting to regain her cheery nature. They finally reached the top floor and ascended the stairs that led into one of the towers. Katie had vanished into one of the rooms at the top whilst the alpha followed his mate¡¯s scent with a smile he simply couldn¡¯t wipe off. ¡°Now what¡¯s so nice about this ce that you wanted to...¡± he froze upon entering the room. From his memory of the pce, it was one of the few rooms in the ce with a balcony and also one with the best view of the pce grounds, however, with how high it was into the air, no one used it for fear of falling idents. The room was now being used as a storeroom, or so Cole had thought. The room had beenpletely cleared and cleaned till it was spotless. The floors and furniture were sparkling clean, but that wasn¡¯t what caught his attention the most. It was the beautiful girl who stood on the balcony letting the wind blow through her long dark locks. This exined the change in her scent¡¯s intensity, but now he was worried that she was being a little bit too free-spirited for safety, ¡°Hey, Katie, you have to be...¡± ¡°Cole, look... Out there... Over the horizon,¡± the girl pointed excitedly, before stepping out of the way for him to see what she was saying. Red streaks of sunlight painted the sky announcing the arrival of a light that hadn¡¯t been seen in over a week. Seeing the sunrise had never felt so nostalgic before. After the rains that had terrorized the empire, it was starting to look like they would never see it again, ¡°Is that...¡± ¡°Sunrise, Cole. The sun is rising again,¡± the girl ran back to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him to the balcony as well, ¡°Come on.¡± Following her, the near-petrified alpha watched the sun begin its journey for the first time in a little over a week. It had been a long time since they¡¯d seen the sight. The sky turned beautiful shades of red that swirled with clouds painting a perfect scenery with the vibrant green of the woods below it, ¡°I never thought it could look so... beautiful.¡± Katie smiled at her mate¡¯s realisation, ¡°Yeah... It¡¯s also a symbol of the peace in your heart.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it,¡± she responded, nting her lips on his. He got the message she was trying to tell him in one go. While he didn¡¯t want to believe it was his fault for the missing sunshine, the warmth from his mate¡¯s embrace wiped all distracting worrying thoughts from his mind and allowed him to simply ept the moment for what it was... and enjoy it. ¡®Perhaps, it would be better if I didn¡¯t overthink it...¡¯ he replied through the mind link. ........ The princess ordered that their breakfast be brought for them in their room. The assortment of cookies and bread that were brought had no idea what they¡¯d been signed up for. Cole made sure to keep Katie¡¯s te at least half full without her noticing. With how happy she was, he was sure she was capable of eating so much more if she didn¡¯t realise what was happening. Over the past days, he¡¯d noticed a significant drop in her appetite and this was his first attempt at remedying it. When the girl noticed, ¡°Hey, what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°I was just helping you reach the scones. I wouldn¡¯t want you to stretch so far to reach them, dear,¡± the man chuckled nervously. ¡°Cole, you¡¯re holding a muffin,¡± the girl groaned, ¡°If you¡¯re trying to make me eat, don¡¯t lie about it.¡± ¡°Well... umm, I just want you to get better faster. Have you eaten to your fill since that day?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. What does that have to...¡± ¡°Aha... So you are still healing? Are you okay?¡± the royal cut her off, trying to break through his mate¡¯s protective barrier. Chapter 278 278 Shimmering River ¡°Of course, I am okay. Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± Katie asked, this time noticing the worry behind his words and action. No matter how much he told him that, he just didn¡¯t seem capable of letting it go. ¡°Your metabolism is faster than it was in Brigadia. It can only mean you¡¯ve been trying to heal your body with everything you eat. Bare with me, Katie, but you need to get better and I¡¯m worried about you,¡± he pleaded, holding his hands up with his palms together with his head bowed down. Katie looked at the man before her and sighed. She could feel the worrying from him through their link, ¡°How could I say no to something like that? I don¡¯t want to see you doing something like that in public though. Come on... It¡¯s embarrassing,¡± she blushed red. ¡°Huh, what¡¯s embarrassing about a girl with an appetite? It is the easiest way for me to know that you¡¯re returning to your old self,¡± Cole replied with a hearty smile. The girl found herselfughing at his statement. It was not the first time she¡¯d heard himpliment something she found embarrassing. Thest time she could remember was the time she¡¯d talked about her ability to talk to animals. His reaction had blown her expectations. This was no different, ¡°Was it something I said?¡± ¡°No, no, Cole. It¡¯s not,¡± she replied when herughter began to die down, ¡°Now let¡¯s finish up. Sandra should be waiting for me by now.¡± Continuing in her private thoughts, ¡®You¡¯re just perfect.¡¯ Her following thoughts weren¡¯t without worry though, ¡®My old self... huh?¡¯ ......... ..... Sandra stood in the parking lot leaning against a ck SUV while she waited for the hunter/former mentor. Humming to a tune she¡¯d heard recently from Jason¡¯s phone, she continued to wait. She¡¯d been waiting a short while before she heard rushed footstepsing towards her, ¡°Sandra... Sandra...¡± Katie¡¯s voice came from the car at the start of the parking lot. The hunter was... oddly winded, but still tried to speak, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m...te... Oof, those are so many stairs.¡± ¡°Are you okay, Katie?¡± Sandra asked the girl as she tried to catch her breath. She put her hand to her friend¡¯s forehead and noticed there was barely a drop of sweat. Her temperature was alright as well. ¡°Yeah, just a little winded is all,¡± Katie replied, ¡°We should get going. Do you know where the Hunter¡¯s Agency is?¡± ¡°Yeah, I know where it is, but Jason assigned us a driver. He¡¯ll wait for us until we are done and bring us back... Or take us shopping as I¡¯d originally thought to do.¡± Katie smirked at the girl¡¯s idea, ¡°Very well. What are we waiting for then?¡± she responded, smiling at her friend before heading for the door of the SUV. When the former mentor had taken her seat in the car, Sandra tried looking back to gauge what distance the girl had run to reach her. No matter what way she looked at it, she just simply couldn¡¯t find a reason for Katie to have been panting as badly as she¡¯d been doing. Scrunching her eyebrows in confusion, she entered the car. The two of them sat in the back and asked the music to be turned up while they waited. Taking in the sights as they drove through was breathtaking for both of them, ¡°It¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t it, Katie?¡± ¡°Yeah, it is. Lycaon doesn¡¯t have the same feel to it as Sirius, but you can¡¯t deny the peace in this city. Even after what happened a week ago, the city seems to be healing already,¡± Katie responded. ¡°Exactly... the people here though... They know their food,¡± Sandra replied, pointing to the restaurants as they drove through the city. Katie wondered what the girl was trying to point out when she spoke of food, but dumped the idea the moment she realised her stomach was already drained of all its contents. ¡°Food is one thing all werewolves have in-mon...¡± Katie went silent as the car drove over a bridge. Out the window, they could clearly see a river that flowed through the city much like the one in the Sirius capital. The sun was rising over the horizon and its rays bounced off the surface of the smooth flowing river, giving it a beautiful ssy appearance that captured the eyes of anyone that saw it. The river seemed to flow through the capital and continue on endlessly into the forest and vanish as far as the eye could see. ¡°Beautiful,¡± the girl eximed before she could stop herself. ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± the driver intervened, ¡°one of the two Great Sister rivers. This one was never named by the king of Lycaon, so the Sirius empire chose to call the entire thing the Great Sirius river even though they are originally two rivers to speak of.¡± ¡°Do the rivers have any connection to each other?¡± Katie asked, suddenly interested in knowing what the man had to say. ¡°Well yeah, ording to what the legends say. It¡¯s said that the two rivers meet at a confluence deep into no man¡¯snd. When the two royals were looking for humans to turn and increase their forces, they went their different ways at that confluence, following the river upstream and the rivers led the two of them apart until they found the ces on which they built the two Great capitals and founded the empires.¡± Katie mused as they passed therge bridge, mesmerised by the sun reflecting off the gushing water. The rest of the journey was a little quieter as they soon reached the Hunter¡¯s Agency. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s huge,¡± Katie eximed when they got out of the car. ¡°Oh, I just realised you never once visited the Hunter¡¯s Agency back in Sirius,¡± Sandra remembered, ¡°Our little facility back in Brigadia is nothing inparison.¡± The girl chuckled nervously, shivers going through her body... Katie noticed and pulled her friend close, ¡°Hey, calm down, okay? You¡¯re going to do great. Once you have a gift, it¡¯s not going... anywhere.¡± Sandra thought she felt something wrong with the way the girl said her words of wisdom, but seeing as she was doing her best to cheer her on, she couldn¡¯t let her mind focus on anything other than the task ahead of her, ¡°Yeah... you must be right...¡± she convinced herself. Chapter 279 279 Unrivaled Potential And Withering Resolve Sandra walked through the intricately designed gates of the great facility with Katie following behind. The royal wouldn¡¯t let her eyes settle on a single thing. Unlike the one they were used to back in Brigadia, this one consisted of multiple buildings that towered almost thrice the height of the highest one in Brigadia. The hunters that milled through were far too busy to pay them any attention which felt more like a relief to Sandra. Thinking back to the Agency in Brigadia, it would have been hard for them to go anywhere without a hunter approaching Katie to make some kind of brief conversation before moving on. The two of them hade to know the hunters at home that it felt like a big family. ¡°This is nothing like the one in Brigadia at all, is it?¡± Katie mused whilst looking around. ¡°Nope, it¡¯s nothing like it at all,¡± Sandra responded, getting her bearings and leading Katie to the main building or so Katie thought. It was the one facing the gates directly. Inside, the building was cool with air blowing through it evenly from the air conditioners ced at every entrance. However, stepping into the main building did not save them from the utter confusion of being here for the first time. ¡°I¡¯m d the two of you could make it,¡± a male voice came to their rescue when they were just about to make it to the counter. Delighted, Katie was hugging her adoptive father before he had time toin about it, ¡°I missed you too, Katie.¡± ¡°Mr Tom, where am I...¡± ..... ¡°Oh, your examination will be conducted in one of thebs. Follow me if you will,¡± Tom responded, walking them to the desk at the reception. The man spoke with the woman at the other side of the desk and got the paperwork necessary. While Sandra worked on signing the papers, the man inched closer to his adoptive daughter, ¡°Are you feeling better, Katie?¡± Katie sighed, ¡°Well, I am trying to. The pain in my body is almost gone, but...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± the man asked her, now worried that something might be worse than he¡¯d imagined. Upon seeing the man¡¯s worried expression, Katie couldn¡¯t help but lose the courage to get her words out. ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing, Uncle Tom. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she forced a smile. ¡°Are you sure?¡± she nodded, getting him to let it go. Tom looked her in the eye and decided against pressing the matter any further, ¡°Very well. The family said they would like to get to know you.¡± ¡°What...?¡± Katie nched. Her memories of the man that had spoken at the memorial came back to her, ¡°Come to think of it, there was that man at the memorial yesterday. Who was he?¡± ¡°Oh, that is my brother, Thorrin. Did you get to talk to him?¡± ¡°No, I went straight home after all the tiring speeches. I was feeling exhausted,¡± she replied with a sad smile. ¡°Exhausted? What do you...¡± ¡°I¡¯m done with the paperwork. What¡¯s next, Mr Tom? Do I get my blood taken and checked for traces of the gift within it? What¡¯s supposed to happen?¡± Sandra interrupted. ¡®Safe...¡¯ Katie breathed out in relief at the interruption. ¡°Oh no. It¡¯s nothing like that Sandra. Let me take you to theb where you¡¯ll be tested,¡± the man announced, leading the way to the elevator. The trio remained silent as they followed Tom¡¯s lead. It was evident that Sandra was indeed nervous about the test she was about to go through. Katie had already gone through hers and pretty much knew there was nothing for her friend to worry about, but none of that would have helped the nervous girl. They could both only watch everything unfold before them. Stepping out of the elevator on the third floor, Tom stepped out as another hunter went in. There was a look of surprise on the woman¡¯s face before she rxed. Katie, used to that reaction, only passed by her as though nothing had happened. Simr reactions were seen as they walked through the hallway, attracting more attention. On both sides, they found there to beboratories with different instruments, almost all of them in use. At one point, Katie¡¯s nose began to itch as she got a whiff of wolfsbane being tampered with in one of thebs, ¡°What is this ce for, Uncle?¡± ¡°Well, this is where most of the research is carried about. It would also happen to be where humans are trying to bridge the gap between science and divine energy. As of right now, there has been next to no progress on the matter,¡± he exined. ¡°Of course, there wouldn¡¯t be. You get to see someone shifting from their human bodies intorge wolves. How will that ever connect with science?¡± Katie huffed. ¡°You¡¯re right about that,¡± the man chuckled, ¡°However, there are some stunning discoveries to be made along the way.¡± Finally leading them to the room they were going to. This one bore no windows or doors that let them see inside. Katie searched her mind for a sense of what was inside, but nothing came through, as she¡¯d expected. Not even the detection of life in the room let alone the number of people inside. She was still far too tired to pick up on anything. She normally subconsciously kept watch of a three-kilometre radius, but at the moment, there was nothing she could pick up on. The door opened almost noiselessly leading them into arge room filled with machines and monitors. There was a ss ahead separating the observation room from the other part of the room. On the other side of the ss which Katie was now sure peeked down below, was a racetrack with plenty of obstacles. In the middle of the racetrack was a single machine that Katie knew quite well. It was built like the reverse of a weight bnce. The hunter being tested would be required to lift the handle as much as they could with both hands and the versatile equipment would measure just how much force they were able to output. If the force the hunter was capable of using was abnormally more than their physique suggested, then it would be confirmed that they had the Strength Prometheus gift. Katie had gone through both tests as her adoptive parents were confused as to which gift she had. Until it was epted that she had both gifts, it was impossible for any one hunter to believe that she¡¯d been granted both. Some of them convinced themselves that she was just really athletic, but the truth came out on the day of her examination. ¡°Hey, Katie... that race track,¡± Sandra shivered at what she was supposed to go through. Katie looked at the obstacles on the racetrack. Most of them were standard obstacles, however, there was barely any distance between them, ¡°You forget that it¡¯s an agility gift, Sandra, speed is sort of like a side effect of that agility.¡± ¡°What if I was just really good at controlling my breathing out in the woods and that¡¯s why I was able to...¡± ¡°Your confidence is boundless when you¡¯re protecting others. I would have never thought something like this would put you on edge,¡± Katie chuckled at her friend¡¯s behaviour, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sandra. You¡¯ll do great.¡± Sandra sighed and walked in as well, ¡°Well, hunters, I have brought a candidate of my own.¡± Most of the scientists that hadn¡¯t already noticed them turned to see them, ¡°Oh, Hunter Thomas, we thought you were just making an inspection.¡± Tom sighed, ¡°While it might have been nice to just drop in and watch you all scram in attempts to fix everything wrong on yourputers, that is not why I am here. This here is Sandra stair and I believe she is in possession of an agility gift. We are here to have it evaluated.¡± ¡°Oh, okay then. She¡¯ll have to get dressed in one of the uniforms,¡± the man answered leading the girl away from them. .......... ¡°Okay, Sandra, we would like you to just rx and do this just like would to get through the race track as fast as you can. Try to stay rxed. If you have the gift, you won¡¯t actually exert yourself as much as you think you have to,¡± the man said over the speakers. Sandra looked up to the ss and began to wonder what kind of room they were in and how it was connected to the other building they¡¯d been walking through. The architecture just seemed tooplicated to make sense in her mind¡¯s eye. The girl stretched her limbs in the hopes of getting rid of the nervousness that racked her. Thetex outfit they had her wear was not helping her nerves either. It was almost like she could feel the machines within the uniform that was reading her vitals. Lights above the starting point began to blink red while a beeping sound simultaneously red through the entire room. After blinking three times, the lights went green and Sandra was off, raising a small plume of dust with the force of her foot. ¡°Woah, that was unexpected. She¡¯s faster than the average beginner. Are you sure she has only just awakened this gift?¡± one of the scientists asked while poring over the readings on the screens excitedly, ¡°The scanners on the suit are picking up massive readings of divine energy. They are way too high for someone who¡¯s only just awakened their gift.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Katie asked the man. ¡°Well, it either means her gift has been active, but she kept it from everyone else or... She has a will to improve herself so much that it¡¯s forcing her body to work at peak levels. If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯re looking at someone with the potential to grow really strong in a short amount of time. It¡¯s not unheard of. I can think of a few hunters that had these same kinds of readers. Quite a few indeed.¡± The way the man said ¡®quite a few¡¯ made it obvious who he was talking about, however, the hunters ignored his enthusiasm and turned their eyes on the girl dashing about the obstacle course. Katie watched her friend weave through the obstacles almost effortlessly. The obstacles were many and difficult to evade, but for some reason, Sandra was having no trouble with any of them. At some point where she had to jump hurdles, it seemed as though the girl was only slowed down during the moments when her feet did not touch the ground, ¡°Look at her go. It¡¯s like she was made for that gift.¡± The girl eximed watching her friend dash about almost blurry to her eyes. ¡°She definitely has potential,¡± Tom responded firmly. While the girlpleted the rest of the course, Katie went through the door that would take her to the other side of theboratory that Sandra was in. Picking a bottle of water on her way there. The race course was also meant to test endurance. From how big it had been made coupled with theps Sandra had already run around it, Katie could tell the girl was about to reach her limit. Reaching the bottom of the stairs leading onto the race track, the girl stopped, taking note of her ragged breathing. Sweat had already started to form on her brow. She¡¯d been trying to ignore it, but the more something like that happened, the more she worried about it. ¡°Hey Sandra,¡± she called out to her friend who¡¯d only just copsed at the centre of the racetrack, ¡°You did well, Sandra.¡± ¡°You think so... You think I was going too slow, don¡¯t you?¡± the girl¡¯s shoulders slumped. Katieughed at her friend¡¯s usations. ¡°Here, drink up, Sandra. You¡¯ll have a license in no time,¡± she handed her friend the bottle, kneeling beside her while she tried to recover. Her eyes wandered from her tired friend andnded on the machine that measured the strength Prometheus¡¯ gift, her thoughts wandering as well, ¡®You were so fast... Honestly, I could barely follow your movements.¡¯ For a moment, she let her hand rest on the machine meant to test grip strength. Sandra wasn¡¯t watching this and no one else was. Katie, however, kept her neutral expression when she squeezed the machine as hard as she could. It wouldn¡¯t budge. Chapter 280 280 Daydreaming It had been a week since the school trip to the reserve and the news of the Lycaon king¡¯s death had reached the kingdom of Sirius. Receiving the horrid ount of the events had gotten the usually jovial mood in the Sirius empirepletely down and sombre. The werewolves of the Sirius empire were in mourning. The depressing rain that didn¡¯t seem to have an end to it kept the mood down longer. It was almost as though someone was making it rain on purpose. Umbres had be the one essory everyone had to carry around with them. ¡®Oh, Katie, I hope you¡¯re fine,¡¯ Lina thought to herself while she stared out the ssroom window. The rain constantly pelted the ss pane in a rhythmic tone that neither sped up nor lessened. The loud ringing of the bell snatched her out of her thoughts and brought her back to the present. ¡°Hey. Daydreaming again, I see,¡± a familiar voice brought more reason for her to keep going. News of Katie¡¯s condition had reached them only a day after finding out what Honour was. Her heroic rush to keep the rogue king from escaping was quickly forgotten and reced with deep worry for her life. ¡°Well, yeah. I can barely keep myself awake with all this rain,¡± Lina stretched, covering her mouth to hide the yawn that escaped her. The princess got up from her seat and started packing her things. ¡°I can¡¯t believe school continued as if nothing had happened at all,¡± Honour slumped her shoulders. ..... ¡°Oh? The school was going to continue with or without what happened. I just don¡¯t understand why you had toe to school after the time you had,¡± Lina regarded her friend with sympathy. ¡°Come on, Lina. You know you can¡¯t survive school without me. I had toe here to take care of you. Who else would do that?¡± Honour joked. ¡°I can think of a few names,¡± a voice interrupted them. ¡°I was actually just thinking of only one name, but it seems...¡± Lina let her sentence linger as she took in the new escorts she was getting. Ginger and Bree were standing on both sides of the delta. The two girls bowed slightly to acknowledge the girl¡¯s superiority, ¡°How did you even get here so fast? The bell has just rung. It was literally a moment ago.¡± Crysta smiled proudly, ¡°When one¡¯s as diligent as I am, time itself seems to bend to get me where I¡¯m supposed to be in a shorter time than...¡± ¡°She gets out of ss before the bell had even rung. The teacher doesn¡¯t even call after her these days,¡± Bree cut her off nonchntly. Lina thought she noticed a glint of disgust, but dismissed it in the next second as part of the paranoia she¡¯d developed towards the three girls. ¡°You¡¯re no fun, Bree,¡± Crysta huffed, stepping aside to let Lina through. The royal, recognising her gesture started leading the way to the Den. Honour walked beside her, narrating all the horrors of a carnivorous flower she¡¯d onlye to know about from the library. Lina was convinced from the start that the nt could only be found in fairy tales as she couldn¡¯t begin to fathom the idea of there being a nt alive that her friend had never heard of. Nheless, the girl listened to Honour go on and on about one of her favourite topics. Before any of them had noticed, they were taking their ces in the Den, ¡°Honour, in all your research on nts, have you ever found something that¡¯s resistant to wolfsbane at least?¡± Lina asked, her mind having stumbled on the random idea. ¡°Huh, none that I¡¯ve heard of, but if there was ever such a thing, it would probably take even longer for someone to turn it into a medicine,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Howe?¡± Lina asked. ¡°Werewolf anatomy isplicated that most of the drugs they use on us have taken decades to develop. I¡¯ve heard there arebs all over the world that are meant to bridge that gap with next to no sess in the field,¡± Honour responded, ¡°Now if I may take my leave.¡± ¡°Honour, you¡¯re eating with us today,¡± Lina reached for her friend¡¯s hand before she could leave the VIP section of the Den. ¡°But Lina, I have to...¡± ¡°Let them handle it for today. You don¡¯t have to. Please, Honour. Just for today,¡± the girl begged her friend. Honour squirmed under her friend¡¯s pleading gaze. The word ¡®no¡¯, along with all other gestures of refusal hadpletely vanished from her vocabry. Like an angel sent from the skies, a voice came from outside the VIP section, ¡°Enjoy yourself for once, Honour. It¡¯s not like an official member of the staff. One volunteer less won¡¯t make us slower in the job we signed up for.¡± ¡°You hear that. You get to stay,¡± Lina grinned widely. The Fates must have been smiling with her at that moment. ¡°Wait, this whole time, you were doing that work as a volunteer?¡± Crysta sounded bewildered. ¡°Yeah, is that weird?¡± the girlughed nervously, taking a seat beside Lina for the first time. ¡°No, it¡¯s not weird at all. Just disgustingly nice,¡± an irritated voice interrupted them. Lina finally noticed the alpha seated at the opposite side with his head on the table. Once again, a cigar was missing from his mouth and he was just as irritable as always, even more so without the nicotine in his system, a drug that seemed to affect werewolves just the same as humans, but with less harmful effects on werewolves. ¡°Someone is in a bad mood as always,¡± Lina raised her voice so he could hear. Wyatt lifted his face so he could look the royal in the eye through the narrow slits made by his eyelids right before slumping his head back down. There wasn¡¯t another word from him after that. Liam never showed up to the VIP section that day... as it had been for days on end since the trip. The two alphas never talked to each other anymore and Wyatt was always grumpy. Whether the reason was his friend ignoring him or something else entirely was not known by anyone around him. After all, he was known for caring about nothing in his life. He just did as he pleased and everyone let him be. Perhaps that lifestyle was finally catching up to him. The day proceeded in high spirits for Lina and her friends as their goal was to continue having a normal school life. Every once in a while, the moment of that decision would rattle through Lina¡¯s mind. The day they found out about Honour... *** ¡°Lina, what are we going to do about this? Are we to remain quiet or tell the king?¡± Crysta had asked her while they sat in the car on their way back to the pce that night. They spoke through the mind link to keep the driver from hearing their conversation and even then made sure to keep their conversation hidden from the pack link entirely. ¡°No, we cannot let father know anything about this just yet. Honour still has almost two years with us. If people were to find out what she is, there is no telling what will happen,¡± Lina said to her. ¡°I know that. Keeping quiet helps Honour continue living a normal life, but then what happens to you and her? I¡¯ve never seen Honour in a mood to be alone even from you,¡± the girl continued asking her questions. Lina wanted to scream into her ear to shut up, but the more the girl spoke, the more Lina got a grip of what she was supposed to be thinking about. Without her obnoxious guidance, the girl would have gotten herself stuck in a loop of worry for her dear friend. After giving it some thought, the princess replied, ¡°Fine, this is what we will do, Crysta. We will let her know that her secret is safe with us... ...stly, we will continue our lives as though she didn¡¯t just receive the worst news from her parents. We will help her live out the rest of her life as a werewolf in happiness. It will be our mission to help keep her mind off all of this,¡± Lina told the girl. Crysta took a moment of hesitation before smiling in contentment, ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± ¡°Try not to call me that...¡± ...... ¡°Lina... Earth to Lina,¡± the girl snapped out of her thoughts once again, ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s like you¡¯re daydreaming most of the time,¡± Crysta sighed. Looking around her, Lina noticed the ss was already empty. ¡°Did I miss the bell?¡± she asked. ¡°You seemed to have missed a lot more than the bell,¡± Honour replied. Your notes are not evenplete.¡± ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Lina eximed, taking a look at the notes in her book that had stopped making sense half a page from her hand. Her handwriting had stayed alright even though she didn¡¯t understand what she¡¯d been writing. A purr and information dump in her mindter told her that her wolf had taken over for her during the session. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll have to do more research on the matter when I get home. That¡¯s if I remember to do it at all,¡± she said to herself before getting up from her seat. The group of five walked out of the school building, brandishing umbres and started their way to the car, ¡°Crysta, you get Bree and Ginger back to the pce. I¡¯ll walk Honour home.¡± ¡°The car can take all of us where we need to go, you know. We could drop Honour off at her ce and...¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to take the scenic route home today,¡± Lina cut her off despite the obvious raindrops that pelted her umbre. Crysta took the hint in her voice, nodded with a slight bow and led the two girls into the car without another word. ¡°Don¡¯t make mee looking for you, Lina,¡± the delta yelled out before entering the car herself. As a parting gesture, they waved at them while the car drove off. When the car had gone, the two friends began their walk, ¡°This rain doesn¡¯t seem natural,¡± Lina cursed. ¡°Well, that might just be because it isn¡¯t,¡± Honour replied cheerfully, ¡°Why did you feel like walking today?¡± ¡°I wanted to talk to you privately. Lately, it¡¯s almost as if Crysta is always around me and I don¡¯t know if you would tell me what I want to hear with her around,¡± Lina voiced her reasons. ¡°Oh, I see. So that¡¯s the reason I¡¯m standing out here in the rain,¡± Honour chuckled. ¡°Yeah, are you mad?¡± Lina asked her, the humour failing to reach her. ¡°No, Lina, I¡¯m not mad. I¡¯m not bothered by the rain. One of the perks of being a goddess I guess. Makes sense why I¡¯ve never been sick in my life,¡± the girl exined, letting her umbre fall to the side so the rain would reach her directly. Lina rushed to protect the girl, only to stop when a sound came from the forest to their side. The two girls turned at the same time... Lina¡¯s wolf urged her forward and sheplied. Right when she was about to reach the first tree, a dark-haired girl, drenched from head to toe in rainwater stumbled out of the woods barefoot and fell to her knees, her legs seemingly no longer able to support her body. Her face was pale and held a ghostly expression. Her clothes were torn in random ces and she seemed to have cuts all over her body, probably from the woods. ¡°Someone... help... My mother. Rogues...¡± not much else came out of her before she copsed on the ground before them. Chapter 281 281 Jane Doe Lina reached down and touched the pale girl¡¯s forehead and gasped. She¡¯d started to heat up, ¡°We need to get her to your ce quickly before shees down with a bad fever,¡± she said, shifting into her white wolf almost instantly. The decision hade so naturally, the princess already sensing more than she was supposed to from the state of the girl. Honour helped her get the girl on her back and took a step back, ¡°You too, Honour.¡± ¡°Will you be able to carry us both?¡± Honour asked her friend with a raised brow mixing into the worried gaze she cast at the unconscious girl. ¡°I can¡¯t leave you behind. I also want you to keep her steady. Have you ever been made to carry someone who was unconscious?¡± Honour sighed at the question. It was a no-brainer, ¡°It¡¯s like the ground is their friend and they just keep reaching for it,¡± Lina was speaking fast through the mind link. Honour got onto her back, sensing the urgency of the matter and started to take the shirt off the girl as a first aid precaution, ¡°I¡¯ve never been made to carry anyone, Lina.¡± Honour pondered on whether Lina had simply forgotten she could shift as well, ¡°Try to keep the ride smooth, Lina. This girl is not exactly light.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me about her weight,¡± the wolf¡¯s voice came forced through the mind link. Before Honour could get off the white wolf, fearing the weight might be too much, they were dashing through the trees at dizzying speeds. Honour gripped her friend¡¯s fur tightly, her head jerking back with so much force from the sudden burst in speed. The trees were a blur as Lina zipped through the forest. Her umbre, however, was lost to one of the branches it got stuck in during the sudden dash. The base of Honour¡¯s back hurt from the strain of flexing her muscles too much to keep from falling off, ¡°You should give me a warning before you do that,¡± the girl groaned. ..... ¡°Oh, sorry, Honour. I wasn¡¯t thinking much after seeing that girl. She doesn¡¯t look too good right now,¡± Lina replied through the mind link. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right about that,¡± Honour replied, leaning forward to resist the wind that threatened to throw her off the wolf¡¯s back. The backyard belonging to Honour¡¯s house soon came into view. Lina stopped to have the girl removed and they both took her inside,ying her on one of the sofas. Honour¡¯s mother came into the living room after hearing themotion that was stirring within her house. She paused when she saw a random girl, drenched in rainwater and lying down on the sofa, looking far too pale. ¡°Honour, get me the towels,¡± the woman immediately switched into her caring mode that saw past the mud that had been introduced into her house. ¡°I was going to do that, mother,¡± Honour replied, stepping away from the girl. ........... Lina ended up staying to watch through everything they did to get the girl stable and warm. Honour¡¯s mother seemed to know what she was doing and it was obvious where the girl had learnt everything she knew from. After setting the girl in Honour¡¯s bed, the two girls returned to the living room, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have kept you here all this time,¡± Honour apologized. ¡°What are you apologising for? We¡¯re the ones that decided to bring her here, remember?¡± Lina reminded her. ¡®I¡¯ll just take that one,¡¯ Honour kept the thought to herself. ¡°Yeah, but if I had suggested we take her to the hospital, then perhaps we would have both gone home early enough. I¡¯ve also got you into trouble with Crysta,¡± Honour responded. ¡°Oh, Crysta won¡¯t mind this one bit. More importantly, that girl. Keep me updated when she wakes up,¡± Lina said, approaching the kitchen. She quickly entered the door and hugged her best friend¡¯s mother as she washed her hands. The woman had chosen to help them and stay out of whatever they had gotten themselves into, a decision that would very rarely be taken by an adult and Lina was grateful. Stepping out of the kitchen and to the door, Honour continued. ¡°That much is obvious,¡± Honour said, escorting her friend to the door. The two of them bid each other farewell with a heartfelt hug before Lina shifted into her white wolf and was gone. Honour barely had time toin about her mode of travel. Lina was gone and dashing through the woods, taking on the appearance of a white blurry streak. This approach meant she would have to take a long route to get to the castle. With how fast she had gotten, the distance to the pce didn¡¯t bother her in the slightest. Her mind, however, wouldn¡¯t stop drifting back to the girl they¡¯d met. She¡¯d said something about rogues before she went unconscious and it had raised so many red gs within Lina. Considering her state when they found her, she had been running for a long while. ¡®If rogues had been chasing after her in her human form, they would have caught up to her, wouldn¡¯t they? Unless she got some kind of head-start,¡¯ she thought to herself. The girl reached the castle and shifted back, making her way into the pce, cleaning her feet at the entrance. Because of the endless rain, the pce had ordered an ample supply of doormats to try and reduce the mud getting into the castle. They were also being changed much more frequently. This, in turn, created more work for the women that had to deal withundry, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡°Hey little sister, we¡¯ve been looking all over for you,¡± Drake called out to her while she was approaching the stairs. ¡°What for?¡± she asked the man. ¡°Father wants to meet with us,¡± he responded. The two of them went up to the man¡¯s office where they found that their mother had prepared refreshments in the homey part of the office, ¡°I¡¯m d the two of you could make it here in time.¡± ¡°Mother, where is Father?¡± Drake asked, straight to the point. ¡°Your father will be here within the next few minutes,¡± she responded, gesturing for them to take their seats. They helped themselves to the cups of tea their mother had already prepared for them. Knowing the queen, there was no other way. The king walked in momentster and took a seat next to his wife, ¡°Well, we have a matter to discuss as a family. I would have wished for your sister to be here, but the situation doesn¡¯t allow it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Dad?¡± Lina asked, worry seeping into her voice. Perhaps they had got a report on a recent rogue attack to tie the girl she¡¯d found in the woods back to the scene. Chapter 282 282 Blood is Thicker than Water ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Dad?¡± Lina asked, worry seeping into her voice. Perhaps they had got a report on a recent rogue attack to tie the girl she¡¯d found in the woods back to the scene. ¡°Well, it has something to do with your uncle. He¡¯s...¡± the king started only to cut be interrupted by Lina. ¡°Is he really our uncle? He looks and feels a lot older than that,¡± Linained, her mind quickly switching topics. The moment she¡¯d realised this was nothing concerning rogues, her mind had moved several miles and caught up with the king, quickly interrupting him in the process. The queen gave her a quizzical look, but soon ignored her daughter¡¯s sudden burst of misconduct. ¡°No, he¡¯s not your uncle. He¡¯s your grandfather. Although, he¡¯s only my father¡¯s brother which would actually make him your great Uncle. I think you understand what I¡¯m trying to say,¡± the king exined or at least did it the best way his flustered mind could let him. The rest of the family could clearly see his mental struggle. And it was absolutely odd for the king to be in such a state which only made the situation look even graver. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, then why call him our uncle?¡± Lina asked with a smirk on her face. Upon seeing the girl¡¯s smirk, the king sighed, ¡°I¡¯m d to see you¡¯re still cheerful in light of everything that has happened.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing my best to stay cheerful, Dad. It¡¯s not so easy toe to peace with the fact that your grandfather was working for the rogues the entire time you¡¯d known him,¡± the girl¡¯s smirk fell and was reced with concern. ..... ¡°While that may be true, I ask that we go and have a chat with him. We never got to hear his side of the story,¡± the king suggested. This, however, seemed to be the reason behind his restlessness. An act of treason was an act of treason. There was no way to spin it and yet the king was allowing Sean the benefit of the doubt and still dying his judgement. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, Father. You already know that he was the one that had the students sent off to the reserve where an army of rogues was waiting for them. What more proof would you need?¡± Drake stood up, bewildered by the thought of giving the man in the dungeons a chance. ¡°Drake, don¡¯t raise your voice when talking to your father,¡± the queen¡¯s voice rose above Drake¡¯s. ¡°Forgive me, mother,¡± the prince took his seat. King Davin sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose. ¡°It¡¯s fine, but I have known Sean longer than any of you. He¡¯s not the kind of person to do things without a reason. He wouldn¡¯t have worked for the rogues unless there was a reason why he was doing so,¡± the king tried. Drake did not look convinced. ¡°What can you think of that would bring him to act like that? And more importantly, why are we discussing a traitor when there is one walking by my sister¡¯s side?¡± Drake said, his voice getting irritated once more. ¡°We agreed that matters concerning Kyle were to be left for Katie to decide. There will be no more discussion on that matter. Is that clear?¡± the king was starting to lose his calm demeanour. Noticing he was pushing his boundaries, the man raised his hands in surrender, ¡°Very well, Father. I¡¯ll leave it be. I just hope our negligence doesn¡¯te back to bite us when we least expect it.¡± The king let the man¡¯sment slide and proceeded to his suggestion, ¡°I was suggesting we go to the dungeon and question him ourselves as a family. He¡¯s bound to tell us something if we approach him that way and even if he doesn¡¯t, we need closure once the worstes to pass.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to put him down, do you?¡± Drake sighed, ¡°What aren¡¯t you telling us, Father?¡± Lina was almost starting to believe Drake was in favour of killing their grandfather as thews dictated. His aggressive reaction to the matter had brought down her own voice. ¡°Well, you might not believe it, but when my father was still alive, your grandfather Sean was every bit the rebel. He would never stay for too long at the pce and went wherever he pleased, whenever he wanted to. He hated the concept of a family and even more so, that of a mate. There was nothing that could appease him and yet...¡± the king paused, smiling at the memory. ¡°Come on. Don¡¯t end it there,¡± Linashed out, finally finding her voice in the name of boundless curiosity, ¡°And yet what...¡± The king chuckled at his daughter¡¯s enthusiasm. The twinkle in her eyes when she was curious was one he¡¯de to know all too well, ¡°The king at that time trusted no one more than his brother. Every time the man came back from his travels, he would talk to the king as if time hadn¡¯t passed at all. Their bond was the strongest brotherly bond I¡¯d ever seen and I grew to trust the man. When the time came that my father died, he was the one that read his will. As it had turned out, the two men were so close that he knew all the king¡¯s secrets and it was said that the king shared his as well. If there is anyone the king trusted blindly then, it was him.¡± ¡°That sounds like an enormous level of trust for the king to have in one person,¡± Lina replied. Drake turned to her sister, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you trust me that much too, sister?¡± ¡°Forgive me, brother, but it would be Honour before you if I¡¯m being honest,¡± the girl revealed, disregarding the hurtful meaning behind her words, ¡°And you¡¯re free to interpret that in whatever way you see fit.¡± ¡°Wow, Honour means that much to you?¡± the king sounded surprised. ¡°Yes, she does,¡± she replied, before quickly attempting to change the subject, ¡°Now can we go and see Grandpa Sean or what?¡± ¡°Oh yeah... Let¡¯s go and see him. I had Alpha Jackson prepare a security detail just in case he tries to escape. Now let¡¯s go...¡± the king held up a key with a smile on his face... ¡®You¡¯re just happy you get to see him again,¡¯ Lina mentally groaned. Chapter 283 283 Family Interrogation The king led them through the castle, past the guards and down into the dungeons where they found the door that to the cell that held their Grand Uncle. They waited in stiff anticipation as Beta Alpha Phillip worked on the lock of the steel door barring them from Sean. Finally hearing that satisfactory click the door swang open and the king stepped in without any hesitation. The guards that hade with them almost reached out to keep him from going in, but froze when they realised it was the king they would be offending by doing that. Instead, they got ready to defend him should anything bad happen inside of the cell. Inside of the room was organised presentation waiting for them. A used set of utensils was set by the door ready to be taken away. The royal within the cell was seated atop his bed, crosslegged andfortably reading a book with only the soft yellow light of amp to aid him peruse through the text. ¡°It¡¯s been raining quite heavily this past week... or weeks. With no direct connection to the moon or some way to see the sun all the way down here, I can¡¯t seem to tell when we switch days,¡± the manmented without taking his eyes from the book. The family entered the room and had the door close behind them. With quietint from the guards, they left the family to themselves, ¡°How are you doing, Sean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing well... except for a certain ant problem,¡± the man eyed a peculiar crevice too close to his bed forfort. Shrugging off the memories that ran through his mind, he ced his book down and looked at his family with warm weing bright blue eyes. He then pointed to the two far corners of his bed, ¡°The young ones can sit there. The adults are more than wee to remain standing.¡± ..... ¡°You don¡¯t seem to0 bothered by the fact that I put you here,¡± the kingmented, ignoring his uncle¡¯s obvious attempt at banter. ¡°I am not bothered in the slightest. I¡¯ve been preparing for the worst. I¡¯m also disappointed, to be honest. You should have put in one of the ordinary cells where the inmates get to jeer at me and spit... or killed me for that matter,¡± the man responded with a chuckle. Sean¡¯s tone bore no venom towards the king. In fact, it almost sounded as though he was sure to get himself into this situation somehow and was ready for the consequences. Either that or he had a n to escape the restricting walls. ¡°Darling, perhaps this was a waste of time,¡± Queen Martha turned to her husband, having noticed the calm demeanour of someone that wasn¡¯t going to give them answers. ¡°No, Martha, not yet. Sean, if there is something you can tell me, just tell me,¡± King Davin¡¯sposure was starting to crack once more. They hadn¡¯t even spoken that much to the treacherous royal. Sean was quiet for a bit before answering him, ¡°And here I thought you didn¡¯t have any hope left for me. What¡¯s wrong with you, Davin?¡± he sighed. ¡°My father...¡± ¡°Trusted me with every ounce of his soul... I can only imagine that¡¯s what made you have so much hope in me. Out of respect for you father, I will at least let you in on something,¡± the family got ready to hear what the man had to say for himself, ¡°I have been working for the rogue king for a much longer time than any of you could possibly imagine. To be urate, I would say... twenty years...¡± The room was quiet for a bit before the king spoke up, his voice rising steadily with trembling rage, ¡°So, it was you that told the rogues of the birth of the children then?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say something of the sort. Although that would have put me on the Rogue king¡¯s good side,¡± Sean¡¯s eyes zed over as if considering the option. ¡°Then what happened?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d believe what I have to say. I can feed you any kind of information I would like right now and all you¡¯d have to do is choose to believe me or not. I wouldn¡¯t want you doubting me just because I gave you my word,¡± the man replied. This was going nowhere and oddly, they all understood his logic, ¡°In any case, I do have a way to prove what I have been doing all this time.¡± The king moved back and leaned against the wall. He knew there was nothing easy about this situation and hadn¡¯t known what to expect either. The frustration was almost too much to contain. Finally giving in to his wife¡¯s recent request, ¡°Martha, you¡¯re right. It was a waste toe here after all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to see you¡¯re head¡¯s finally working again,¡± Sean fell back on his back and opened the book he¡¯d been reading, ¡°I think this visit is over.¡± Lina tried toe up with something to tell the man, but didn¡¯t know what to say. He kept his gloomy demeanour as he always had, but his reasoning was not wed. If anything, he seemed to be helping the kinge to his senses. However, that was what had brought them down as a family. To speak to him as a family. It went without saying that the king needed the rest of the family to keep him grounded. From Drake¡¯s point of view, Sean had merely bought himself time to convince the king another time. Or was probably stilling up with a story that he could use to manipte him. Nothing from this short visit had changed his mind about the man before them. When the king was about to reach the door, Sean spoke up, ¡°Whatever you do, don¡¯t decide on killing me just yet. If you can do that much for me, I can promise you that I won¡¯t escape.¡± ¡°At this point, even your promises feel like lies,¡± the king sighed, ¡°But I will grant you that request for as long as I can hold out. It won¡¯t be in my power for that long, you know.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that,¡± the old royal replied before the door mmed shut, locking him back in the loneliness he was ustomed to. ¡®This cage and the outside world have always been one and the same for me anyway... empty.¡¯ the man¡¯s voice echoed through the mind link of the Sirius family. ....... Chapter 284 284 Motivation to Train After their visit to the dungeons that night, the king allowed them all to return to their chambers where Lina nearly retired to sleep. Nearly... Had a nosy delta not reminded her of the notes she was supposed to make research on, maybe, just maybe, she could have slept without thinking about it. The blue-eyed girl cursed for having suggested it. Fortunately, with the help of her wolf¡¯s jumbled memories, the girl caught up fast almost as though she¡¯d been in the ss and attentive the entire time. Waking her up the next morning, sun rays from the rising sun warmly greeted her along with the peaceful chatter of birds in the morning. Her ears almost felt relieved to hear the pleasant sounds of the wood creatures. Without meaning to, a smile spread across her face as she sat up to look outside the window pane. It was a sight worthy of celebration and one that felt almost plucked out of a fairy tale, ¡®I never thought I¡¯d miss the sun this much...¡¯ ¡°Lina, hurry up and get down here. Alpha Jackson had decided we are going to have a morning drill to loosen up our tense muscles,¡± Crysta¡¯s voice yelled into the girl¡¯s head, tearing her away from the angelic moment of peaceful bliss that had graced her morning. ¡°What is he doing making such an order on a fine day such as this?¡± the girl asked, resisting the urge to yell back at her friend. ¡°Well, normally, drills take ce even if it rains, but after the death of the king of Lycaon, they were put on hold. The sun today just makes it feel like the right day to start back up again. We¡¯ve not had one of them in a while,¡± the delta exined. ..... ¡°You sound like someone who knows the man¡¯s favourite colour. Honestly, how do you always know so much?¡± Lina asked, crawling out of bed and into her closet for a change of clothes. ¡°I make it a point to research before giving you my morning report,¡± the girl replied with pride oozing in her voice. ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like a beta alpha,¡± Lina whined, getting ready for the morning drill. Her mind rushed back to the girl she had ¡®rescued¡¯ from the forest the day before. ¡°Honour, did the girl wake up?¡± she called out through the mind link. ¡°Good morning to you too, Lina. What¡¯s wrong with werewolves and getting up early,¡± Honourined from the other side. ¡°Hey, get up, Honour. Move yourzy bottom already,¡± Lina urged the girl, realising her best friend had only woken up because of her. ¡°Fine fine, you don¡¯t have to be pushy about it,¡± Lina could have sworn she heard the girl yawning. It took her a few moments to get a reply from the girl, ¡°Well, she¡¯s still asleep. I¡¯m just d mother could help her. She looked much worse than she actually was.¡± ¡°Thank the goddess... umm, never mind that. Could you ask your parents to keep her in the house if she wakes up and to contact us as soon as she does?¡± Lina asked her, grimacing at the mine bomb she¡¯d stepped on. Still groggy with sleep, Honour barely noticed, ¡°You¡¯re awfully interested in this girl. Was it because she said something to do with rogues?¡± Lina tried to find a reason why she was interested in the girl, but couldn¡¯t find one. However, the thought of letting the girl go or be taken care of by someone else made her heart beat even faster in her chest, almost as though the girl was a nexus of danger that she couldn¡¯t let out of her sight, ¡°There is something about her. I can¡¯t quite put my finger on it though,¡± Lina replied honestly. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve ever been this vague before. You¡¯re crystal clear about wanting to wear questionable clothes, but not clear about wanting me to babysit a stray puppy,¡± Honour sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I had no idea you were so against it.¡± ¡°I slept on the sofa, Lina. I slept on the sofa,¡± this seemed to end their discussion on Honour¡¯s attitude about keeping the girl around. Comfort came before anything else... which was rather contradictory when Lina considered her helping nature at the end of the day. Perhaps Honour¡¯s helpful side only extended to everything else that didn¡¯t involve her beauty sleep. ............... The backyard was full of far more werewolves than Lina could remember ever running with before. She knew it wasn¡¯t going to be as hectic as it had always been, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that there were far more werewolves present than she was used to seeing. ¡°Hey, Lina, I¡¯m d you could make it,¡± Crysta jogged up to her with Bree and Ginger following behind. Once again, Lina caught a glimpse of disgust on their faces. However, the speed at which it was covered up was so fast that she almost felt like she¡¯d imagined it. ¡°Yeah, I was thinking of skipping today as well, but I had nothing to kill the time,¡± Lina replied, looking through the crowd for reasons of therge turnout. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ve noticed?¡± ¡°Noticed what exact...¡± the girl¡¯s question hung in the air when she began to see a few familiar faces. Soon enough she was seeing far more familiar faces than she had at first nce. Most of them were students from her ss. They¡¯d all joined in that day, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Well, you know how most of the students find it hectic to work for the position of pack warrior even when Alpha Jackson tries to advise them to do it for other reasons like self-defence?¡± Crysta¡¯s question was rhetorical. ¡°I think you missed ama somewhere in that sentence,¡± Lina chuckled, ¡°So they all showed up for today¡¯s drill. But why?¡± ¡°It should be obvious really. They are all freaked out from what happened at the reserve,¡± the girl responded in a proud tone, ¡°Most of the students were totally stumped out when they figured out how useless they were during that fight.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes more sense,¡± Lina replied in a low tone. Thinking back as well, she hadn¡¯t been much help during that battle as well. She remembered helping Honour get to the field of lotuses, then helping her out when she was giving first aid to the injured, but that was it. Honour had told her everything that happened while the two of them were safely enclosed in the field of flowers, ¡°I wasn¡¯t much help either.¡± ¡°On the contrary, if you hadn¡¯t put Liam in his right ce that night, we probably would have lost one of our own. He was far more cooperative and didn¡¯t bark at any orders he was given which would have been the opposite if he had defeated you,¡± Crysta was ready with a counter. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you to always see the bright side of things,¡± Lina smiled, feeling somewhat less useless. It wasn¡¯t long before alpha Jackson had them running through the woods enjoying the dawn of a new day. Chapter 285 285 Unbroken The Rogue king sat in the carelessly crafted wooden chair delving deep into the different memories and ns that he had for the world as he always did when he was bored and in need of some destructive thoughts. Every once in a while he mmed his fist on the table before him, riddling it with cracks, angry at the recent n that had been foiled. He knew he¡¯d done a number on the kingdom and that the number of hunters that threatened him had greatly reduced. However, he was also at a loss as he had lost far too many rogues, not to mention the fact that he couldn¡¯t just make more anymore, ¡®Weaklings, all of them...¡¯ ¡°Your majesty...¡± ¡°WHAT IS IT?¡± he yelled at the voice that interrupted his thoughts. Looking back, he saw Thane bowing to him. The beta alpha was barely fazed by his outburst and merely rose to proceed with his report. ¡°I only bear bad news with me, not that it¡¯s a surprise with recent developments,¡± the bulky man started, taking a seat on the other side of the table. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can force you to turn in good news alone, so tell me what you¡¯ve found out,¡± the rogue king grumbled. The presence of the beta alpha and his calmer demeanour were enough to keep him grounded. He was also the only person allowed to see him in such a state. ¡°Well, the rain has made it hard to move through the forests, so I have ordered a few operations carried out at a time. Our first priority was to see if all sources of more forces were done for. General Samson checked out one of our breeding farms. He was only meant to check if there are candidates that can join the rogues as a whole, but he came back with worse news than I¡¯d asked him to get,¡± the man started. ..... ¡°Let me take a wild guess here. He found out that the females couldn¡¯t conceive now that the goddess¡¯s chosen have been united, isn¡¯t that right?¡± the king rubbed his temples. ¡°Yes, sire. How did... ?¡± ¡°It was all in that damn prophecy. Part of the spell would restrict females from conceiving unless they¡¯d mated with their mates. Whether it¡¯s the goddess¡¯s will or not, rogues have never been able to find their mates. I wouldn¡¯t imagine that as a possibility now,¡± the king exined. ¡°Can¡¯t we have the woman we have in the dungeon reveal to us the mates of all the rogues we throw at her and have those females abducted instead?¡± Thane offered. The king was quiet for a moment, thinking through the man¡¯s suggestion. It tore at his curiosities far more than he wanted it to. It meant he would get to know who his mate was as well, but he also knew why he¡¯d kept away from the idea. Having the rogues find their mates would lead to catastrophic oues. If their mates were strong-willed, they would be able to cause an uprising, one of the things he couldn¡¯t afford to have at the moment, ¡°It¡¯s a tempting idea and a good strategy, however...¡± he stopped, trying to think over his next words. ¡°Well, if the fear of rule remains absolute, I don¡¯t see how anyone would go against you. A death penalty for any traitor. Besides, we could take the rogues through a screening process before they were taken to the Seeker,¡± Thane continued. Debates like this were not umon between the king and his beta alphas or sometimes even his generals. ¡°Your idea is very tempting indeed, but not one we¡¯ll be carrying out. The power of a mate goes against so much. There are many ways for them to rise against us if we go down that path. Consider a situation where one of the rogues realises their mate is an alpha of a pack and wants to be with them, but because it¡¯s too dangerous to get alphas involved, we end up denying him that luxury, what then?¡± the king waited for a sh of understanding to appear in his beta alpha¡¯s eyes before continuing. Leaning back in the ufortable wooden abomination of a seat, he asked, ¡°What about that other thing I asked you to look into?¡± ¡°Well, the search for that has still led us to a dead end. And not to mention the rain. We can¡¯t seem to get far with this downpour,¡± Thane replied solemnly. ¡°Honestly, how long does this rain n on falling? Let¡¯s pay our prisoner another visit,¡± the king stood up finally, paying the beta alpha¡¯s expression of defeat no attention as he headed deeper into thepound. Thane followed his alpha to the room they were keeping the woman in and opened it, letting the king in. ..... Held up by chains attached to her wrists. Covered in cuts stained purple, oozing with pus caused by her body fighting the toxins of the wolfsbane. The strange purple poison emitted an odour that the king had grown used to. After using it for torturing prisoners so many times, he didn¡¯t mind the smell anymore, having grown numb to the stinging pain in his nostrils, ¡°You¡¯re one resilient woman, I¡¯ll give you that. Stubborn too. I would never have thought an old woman like you would cause me this much trouble and one that doesn¡¯t look her age. I saw some of your papers when we searched the house, you definitely know how to keep your looks.¡± The woman lifted her head weakly and looked the king in his eyes, shrugging the twistedpliment, ¡°Nothing a little beauty treatment can¡¯t do for you. You¡¯d be surprised how young one can look with a little surgery.¡± With a scornful look, ¡°So you finally decided toe here yourself. Did you get tired of letting yourckeys do your dirty work?¡± ¡°Do not forget who you¡¯re talking to, woman. I¡¯m the rogue king. A name like that is built on mountains of bodies. I have put down hunters more than you can think of counting. I¡¯ve tortured souls much more powerful than you...¡± ¡°Trust me on this, ¡®your majesty¡¯,¡± the woman chuckled, lending him her gaze and cutting him off, ¡°You won¡¯t find another soul as strong as I. I promised you this while we were still in that house. The only way you could have gotten any information out of me was if you had followed the required procedures while we were having that cup of tea. Believe me when I tell you that you¡¯d be better off killing me,¡± raspyughter filled the little room as she spoke to the rogue king, ¡°I hoped you would pick a hint while we were there. You lost your chance to earn my assistance. And to think I wasted such wonderful tea.¡± Her sadness towards the tea was almost genuine. The woman barely noticed the king moved when his fist connected with her gut. She spat blood from the impact and gasped for air, but the cry of pain and plea for help never once left her lips. His strength was iprehensible, but the woman¡¯s choice had already been made. Amidst her fits, she began to chuckle even more, ¡°It¡¯s futile, you know. I might as well be a punching bag for you to take out your frustrations.¡± The king took the time to take in the woman¡¯s appearance. It was clear that she was in a lot of pain. Cuts of wolfsbane, broken ribs and it seemed as though she was not healing at all. She was ready to die. A wolf¡¯s healing slowed down considerably when it lost the will to keep fighting. She was willing to die to keep whatever information she was keeping from him, ¡°Find her daughter.¡± ¡°You¡¯re majesty. Where do we even start with that?¡± Thane asked. ¡°Do I look like I care about that? Send a message to everyst rogue out there and make sure they spread out. We can¡¯t afford to attack anyone at the moment. We don¡¯t have that much manpower. It¡¯s no doubt the hunters are going to start sweeping through no man¡¯snd in search of thest remaining rogues. We can¡¯t have them finding us. Until then, the rogues are to search for that girl until she¡¯s found. She¡¯s our closest link to making this woman say something if she in fact does know anything.¡± ¡°Your majesty, don¡¯t you think this decision is a little bit too hasty? These changes are far too drastic,¡± Thane tried, however, the king was done listening to other suggestions. ¡°No, they aren¡¯t. The Chase family can detect us because of our blood lust towards humans and the rest of the wolves that turned away from our goddess¡¯ originalmands. If the rogues can get rid of that blood lust, the Chase family won¡¯t be able to detect them even if they tried. They won¡¯t be able to tell whether they are normal wolves or not. Until we find a way to reverse what the moon goddess did, we cannot afford to get sloppy,¡± the king exined his n. Thane was silent for a bit, clenching his fist, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you taking the cautious means to ovee anything, your majesty. You crash all your enemies with your fist. No one has the power to oppose you, your majesty.¡± The king smiled at the words his beta alpha said, ¡°Believe it or not, Thane. Up until thest group of generals we had, I didn¡¯t have that kind of power. I¡¯ve always been powerful myself along with you and Aidan, but the three of us weren¡¯t enough. Those generals were going to lead an empire, unlike anything the world has ever seen. Our ns just happened to collide with the wrong generation of hunters as well. I¡¯ve been ying it cautiously this entire time. Don¡¯t make that misjudgment.¡± ¡°Understood, your majesty. Can I ask something?¡± ¡°What is it, Thane?¡± ¡°What are we going to do about my partner? Aidan stays in custody of the hunters,¡± the beta alpha asked. ¡°That¡¯s part of the mission I¡¯ll be giving the rogues. We don¡¯t know where they are holding Aidan and they are no doubt holding him the best way they can. They know that I¡¯ll get another beta alpha if they kill him, so their best move would be to keep him alive and to also keep him from killing himself as I¡¯m sure he would have already tried to do,¡± the king ordered. Thane had kept one question forst. The king hadn¡¯t said anything about what he was going to be doing during that entire time, ¡°What about the two of us then, your majesty?¡± The king smirked at the question, ¡°Well, you and I, my dear Thane, have a special mission of our own. We shall be following the Great Sirius river... downstream,¡± the king smirked. ¡°You don¡¯t mean?¡± a look of fear shed across the beta alpha¡¯s face. ¡°Yes, Thane. We shall journey beyond the known world and find the ce of our Origin. It is said the two kings purged everything beyond the two rivers and that there isn¡¯t a trace of humanity left there, but that¡¯s where we are going. To find the Origin of werewolves,¡± the king announced. The woman before him opened her eyes in shock as she heard the man¡¯s ns, ¡°Oh! Did you happen to hear what I said?¡± ¡°Oh, she did...¡± a voice interrupted them as someone walked into the cell, ¡°And there is another power the Seeker is capable has and that happens to be the ability to find the Origin.¡± A glint of excitement shone in the rogue king¡¯s face as he looked at the woman¡¯s face, ¡°Would you look at that? You¡¯re not so useless after all.¡± ¡°You know I won¡¯t be saying anything,¡± the woman smirked in return. Even in her battered state, she didn¡¯t seem to show any fear toward the rogue king. The king lifted her head by her chin and stared right into her eyes. The cold gaze of the rogue king along with the power that radiated off him seemed to wipe the smirk right off her face. The king¡¯s smirk got wider, satisfied by the result. ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll see about that...¡± Chapter 286 286 Her name is Madeline Lina could barely keep the girl from her mind while the day slowly and painfully went on. The best part of their day was the clear sunrise. While Crysta and Honour did their best to distract her, Lina couldn¡¯t find it within her to keep her thoughts away from the girl they¡¯d found at the edge of the woods. When the final bell that ended the school day rang, she was the first to react to it, despite her absentmindedness. She packed her bag, but still had to watch the students filing out. Struggling along with the numbers was simply not how she wanted to go about leaving the school, ¡°Honour, you¡¯re normally faster than me when leaving the ssroom.¡± ¡°And I would ask that we keep it that way, Lina,¡± the amber-eyed girl chuckled. Crysta was already waiting for them when they walked out and Lina had expected nothing less. ¡°Where are we going?¡± the delta¡¯s voice had a skip to it when she spoke. ¡°How did you know we were going somewhere?¡± if there was ever a time she wanted to lose the delta, it was now. Even when Lina knew that was more of a challenge than she was ready for. ¡°At first, I was just messing with you, but now I know you are going somewhere and I want in,¡± the bouncy tone was gone and Crysta had now matched their pace, Bree and Ginger falling behind her while she did. ¡°You¡¯re so persistent, Crysta. You don¡¯t have to follow me everywhere I go, you know,¡± Lina snapped at the delta. A pang of sadness crushed through when she turned to the delta. She¡¯d done nothing to deserve the cruelty and yet Lina didn¡¯t seem to find another way. ¡°Ouch, that hurts, Lina, but I¡¯ll let it slide. I¡¯m stilling with you though,¡± unfazed by Lina¡¯s tone, Crysta stood firm. ¡°You don¡¯t even sound hurt at all. Honour, wish her away or something,¡± Lina turned to her friend for help, however, the goddess simply raised her hands up in surrender and backed away from the two girls. ..... ¡°My hands are tied, Lina,¡± she responded. Crysta smirked at the girl¡¯s pained expression. Seemingly defeated, Lina responded, ¡°Fine, you cane, but on one condition.¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°Youe alone,¡± she replied, eyeing the two girls behind them. Bree and Ginger still gave Lina the creeps. Not to mention how she kept catching glimpses of scowls on their faces when they had to deal with her. Crysta looked to Bree on the right and Ginger on the left. They both looked at her expectantly, neither of them willing to speak up on the matter. Interpreting their expressions, Crysta felt the need to defend her friends, ¡°Wait, what? That¡¯s not fair,¡± this time Lina was not listening to anything she had to say and merely held her gaze. Tapping her foot, Crysta finally sighed, ¡°Fine fine.¡± ¡°Crysta, you¡¯re kidding, right?¡± Bree was the first to speak up, rage on her face. ¡°Bree...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it, Crysta. We¡¯ve watched you get out of your way for this... I don¡¯t even know what to call her. And all for what?¡± Bree argued. Crysta was tongue-tied, ¡°I thought so. Let¡¯s go, Ginger.¡± When they were finally gone, Lina spoke up, ¡°You don¡¯t have a reason for what you¡¯re doing, do you? My sister is gone. You have nothing to fear anymore, you know.¡± ¡°Not you too, Lina,¡± Crysta sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s just go. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to change my mind about going.¡± Lina hesitated for a bit, once again stunned by the girl¡¯s resolve to stay by her side before leading them out of the school building and onto the most direct path to Honour¡¯s home. While they walked, Lina couldn¡¯t help but notice Crysta¡¯s silence. Her bouncy mood had simmered down to an almost neutral calm even though Lina wasn¡¯t fooled by the delta¡¯s effort to hide her sadness. Curiosity bared its ws at her, but she fought the urge to ask the girl what she had on her mind, ¡°You are not to tell anyone what you see unless I decide it¡¯s safe to do so.¡± ¡°Huh, is it something illegal?¡± Crysta almost sounded worried. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I¡¯d never do something illegal. You¡¯ll see once we get there.¡± And they finally did get to Honour¡¯s house. Knocking at the door, it swung open and admitted them in. ¡°The girl woke up. Now, what have the two of you gotten yourself involved in?¡± Honour¡¯s mum whisper-yelled once they were inside and the all windows had been closed. ¡°What do you mean, mother? What¡¯s going on?¡± Honour replied in the same manner. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the girl you had me lock up in your room. What in the world is wrong with you girls? What are you doing with ¡®her¡¯ daughter and what has that poor girl been through?¡± the woman¡¯s tone was vindictive as though they were the ones responsible for whatever state she was in. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®her¡¯? Who is ¡®she¡¯?¡± Lina asked the woman, the curiosity she¡¯d only managed to suppress came barreling down on her once more. ¡°Oh, for goddess¡¯ sake, just follow me,¡± the woman groaned, leading them up the stairs and to Honour¡¯s room. Inside the room, the girl was coiled up on Honour¡¯s bed hugging her knees close. She tried to hide her face as much from view. The girl looked up at them and inched away from them, ¡°Who are you people?¡± her amber eyes glowed in the dark. A glimmer of emotion shed through her eyes when she locked eyes with Lina, but it onlysted a second and was reced with a look of fear. ¡°We are...¡± Lina paused when her eyes flickered from amber to grey and back, ¡°... the ones that found you passed out in the woods. What¡¯s with your eyes?¡± At the mention of her eyes, the girl flinched and tucked her head back behind her knees. She used the covers on the bed to try and vanish even more from view. Lina was almost certain Honour would explode with anger, but the goddess remained calm. ¡°There is nothing wrong with my eyes,¡± the girl squeaked, shuddering violently from the memories that roared through her mind. Lina noticed this and chose to put the subject away. Looking at her friends, she gestured that they stay back while she entered the room. When she was halfway through the room she spoke up. ¡°This is as far as I¡¯ll go unless you let me,¡± Lina¡¯s tone was soothing, a tone she¡¯d learnt from her mother. It was the same tone she¡¯d use to stop her from crying andfort her whenever something bad happened. She got used to hearing it, particrly during the time she¡¯d shifted. Ridiculed for her odd slender white wolf, she was almost always crying. Surprised by how close the royal hade, the girl tried to move further, but her back was already tightly pressed against the wall and she¡¯d already reached the corner. Slowly, she lifted her head from beneath the covers to look at the royal who¡¯d ventured further than the threshold of the door. The blue-eyed girl before her took a seat on the ground, ¡°Would you tell me where you¡¯re from?¡± The girl remained silent, ¡°Very well, I will introduce myself first. I¡¯m hoping that will make you feel safer.¡± The girl nodded and Lina proceeded, ¡°My name is Lina Sirius, what¡¯s your name?¡± The girl was shocked by the name. It was simr to one she knew... Simr to another royal that had once shown her kindness, ¡°M-Madeline,¡± the girl¡¯s hoarse voice shakily, ¡°Are you...¡± her question stopped halfway before she started coughing uncontrobly. ¡°I thought this might happen. I brought her some tea,¡± Honour¡¯s mother interrupted, stepping into the room with a cup on a tray. The girl eyed the tray longingly for a moment, tears stinging her eyes as memories painfully resurfaced, ¡°Was it something I said? Do you not like tea, miss?¡± ¡°Mother, why do you treat her with so much respect?¡± Honour asked, tearing through the tense atmosphere in the room. ¡°That will be a discussion for another time. For now, let¡¯s try to get Madeline asfortable as she can get. We won¡¯t ask you anything you don¡¯t want to answer, Madeline. We also ask that you approach us on anything you would like for as long as you intend to stay with us,¡± the woman asked politely, bowing to the girl as she held out the cup for her to take. The girl reluctantly reached for the cup the woman was holding, ¡°Do you know her... m-my grandmother?¡± the girl asked. It seemed the two had gotten more acquainted despite her fearful demeanour. ¡°Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t get to meet her, but I did meet someone else rted to you and they told me so much about her,¡± the woman replied with a sad smile. Only one other person coulde to Madeline¡¯s mind when she phrased it like that. She took the cup from her and took a sip of the tea. The taste was identical to the one her grandmother prepared. The girl was surprised by it and looked up at her, ¡°Is this...¡± ¡°Yes, she taught me how to make it. I must say, the instructions were rather strict. The sugar has to be just right and measured to perfection. I always found that part to be the most troublesome, but your mother wouldn¡¯t let me get it wrong and I got ustomed to preparing it that way,¡± the woman replied, her eyes seeming to ze over while she relived past memories. ¡°Personally, I used to sneak a little more sugar into my own cup when my grandmother wasn¡¯t looking,¡± the girl replied and for the first time since she¡¯d woken up, allowed a smile to grace her face. ¡°A little secret just between me and you,¡± the woman said, bringing her hand so that she could whisper to the girl, ¡°I also do that every now and then, but pretend to be the tough mother.¡± The girl burst outughing that she nearly spilt the cup she was holding, ¡°Mother...¡± Oddly enough, the others had not heard what the two were talking about. Lina was surprised the woman had made even more into the room than they¡¯d noticed. She was practically next to the girl and she hadn¡¯t reacted with the same fear she had for Lina. ¡°Honour, is it okay if Madeline stayed here longer?¡± the woman turned to her daughter. Honour didn¡¯t need an interpreter to know her mother was asking her to give up her bed a little longer. Lina turned to look at her conflicted friend. ¡°Hey, Honour, can I stay as well?¡± Lina asked. ¡°W-What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Honour asked, taken aback. ¡°Well, it¡¯s been long since west had a sleepover. So I was hoping we could have one,¡± Lina asked. ¡°As will I,¡± Crysta spoke up proudly, leaving no room for discussion. Lina... was not amused. Honour¡¯s mother chuckled at the three girls, ¡°You girls are so kind. Well, Madeline, is it okay if the four of you spend the night? It might help you rx. From what I can tell, you weren¡¯t that injured, but you do need to get your mind off whatever horrors haunt you. So, what do you say to a slumber party?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never had one of those before,¡± the girl replied shyly. Lina eyed the two of them with a suspicious gaze... Was this what jealousy felt like...? ¡°Oh? Then there is no way you¡¯re turning down this opportunity then, Mady. Wow, this is going to be so fun,¡± Crysta yelled, skipping over a nickname for the girl like it was nothing and also being the first to break the silent and tense air that had gued the room since they had arrived, ¡°I will go out and get supplies. Lina, can I borrow your driver?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how borrowing a driver is a thing, but go on ahead,¡± the girl replied. The tension in the air seemed to dissipate. ¡°Yesss...¡± the girl continued and was out the door before anyone could stop her. ¡°How nostalgic...¡± Lina hummed, trying to push back the dam of past memories that she¡¯d been keeping away for years. Chapter 287 287 Slumber Party With the help of Honour¡¯s mother(who wouldn¡¯t let Crysta do all the shopping by herself), the three girls got extra sleeping bags and were able to shop for ¡®appropriate¡¯ snacks and treats for their slumber party. The enthusiasm radiating from the three girls brought a smile to the woman¡¯s face,pared to the doom and gloom that had graced their house ever since they told their daughter that she was a goddess. Honour had done her best to put the topic to rest and hadn¡¯t brought it up again. Fortunately for her, no one seemed to be bringing it up again. They all acted normal around her. It was fun... with a tinge of sadness to it for those who knew what the girls were trying to keep away from their minds. It wasn¡¯t going to be long before she¡¯d have to address the issue ande to terms with it, but for the time she had left, she could at least have fun with her friends. Shaking her head, the woman banished the thoughts from her mind and got back to shopping to help Madeline getfortable. Lina rushed through the supermarket getting everything she thought would be necessary only to have most of them turned down by Honour¡¯s mother. As it had turned out, Crysta had brought apletely wrong menu. Tequ and all the other versions of alcohol she was trying to get were simply uneptable. Turns out, she didn¡¯t have to do that much with Honour and Lina around. The two girls let loose and went wild once they were inside the shopping mall, ¡°Come on girls. Are you trying to give the girl a stomachache?¡± the woman tried. ..... ¡°She¡¯s supposed to enjoy herself. It¡¯s a slumber party and honestly, I haven¡¯t had one myself in quite some time,¡± Linained, watching yet another box of snacks get shelved by the overly cautious woman, ¡°I could cover part of the expenses or all of them if that¡¯s the problem.¡± ¡°No, Lina. I don¡¯t think the king would like it if his money was suddenly being drained by his teenage daughter out for a slumber party he doesn¡¯t even know about. I hope you know what you¡¯re doing,¡± the woman rubbed her temples, taking out the extra box of choctes the girls had just added to the shopping cart. ¡°Oh,e on. He doesn¡¯t let me do a lot as is. This ispletely within the guidelines he¡¯s set for me,¡± Lina giggled, her face beaming at the sight of gummy bears. ¡°I want to believe you, but...¡± the woman looked at the shopping cart with a worried expression. Even with her filtering the cart, they had somehow managed to fill it up, ¡°The number of chips alone is enough to feed an orphanage of starving children.¡± she chuckled, taking out yet another thing the girls really didn¡¯t need. ¡°At this rate, we are going to buy food that will be done before anyone has gone to sleep,¡± Crysta pitched in, holding up a bottle of champagne for the woman to verify. Honour¡¯s mother looked at the brand and lit up, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a nice one.¡± ¡°I know right,¡± Crysta mirrored her enthusiasm, the faint glimmer of hope shining through her eyes. ¡°No. Quite sneaky of you,¡± the woman cut her off before she could even think of putting it in the cart. Laughing at the disappointed girl walking away from her, ¡°Is there anything else you would like to ce in here?¡± Honour finally walked back to the cart and went through the things they had ced in it, ¡°None that I can think of.¡± ¡°I think that concludes the shopping part of the slumber party. Honestly, shopping is much more fun when you¡¯re not the adult in the group,¡± the woman whined. ¡°Well, maybe tomorrow you could bring her to buy clothes,¡± Lina mentioned while they got the cashier to go through everything. The woman looked back at the pleading royal, ¡°At least, let me handle that one, please.¡± Sighing, ¡°You¡¯re one persistent royal. I¡¯ll give you that.¡± ............. Madeline took some time to get used to what was happening around her. The storm of enthusiastic girls prepared the sleeping bags in the living room. On the table, the food had been arranged in an enticing manner that had the girl salivating. She was almost tempted to start without them. When Honour¡¯s mother had made sure they didn¡¯t need her anymore, she warned them to keep the noise reasonable so the neighbours would be bothered and let them have their fun. Or at least, she got out of their way and watched them for about an hour from the top of the stairs. ¡°How is she doing?¡± Honour¡¯s grandmother asked the eavesdropping woman. ¡°Oh, Mother, you scared me. The girl¡¯s doing alright. Lina and Selene are doing their best to make her feelfortable. We have nothing to worry about... for now,¡± the woman said to her mother, turning back to the four girls having fun in the living room. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Now would you stop listening in and leave them to themselves?¡± the old woman chuckled, ¡°It sure would be nice to be young again.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll watch them a little bit longer. Honour has never had this many friends over,¡± tears welled up in the woman¡¯s eyes as she watched her daughter never lose her smile. ................. The girls spent the night doing everything and nothing at all. Music, series, games and food were therge variety of activities they had to choose from and it was Madeline they made pick each activity. Finally passing out at midnight. Honour was thest one to fall asleep, having witnessed her friends at their craziest without the influence of alcohol. ¡®I wonder what they would do if they were drunk,¡¯ she chuckled to herself before letting her eyes wander to the girl sleeping beside Lina. When Madeline had finally warmed up to them, they¡¯d started noticing her true nature. She had eyes that shed between amber and silver although they had chosen not to ask her for fear of ruining the fun. She was incredibly honest and almost incapable of lying. She loved to eat and could barely hold back that it was funny. It was soon apparent that her cheeks were not in the right shape because of her time in the woods. Honour was sure this detail was hard to notice. The girl didn¡¯t show signs of any malnourishment, after all. Honour envisioned a girl with a round face and full cheeks that made her look even younger than she was. Her hair flowed down slightly below her shoulders and was wavy in nature. She was also one of the first people Honour had ever met that were so true to themselves. There wasn¡¯t an ounce of deceit or pretence behind everything she said or did... much like the royal that was sleeping right next to her. Lina had taken a shine to the girl almost immediately and the girl had responded in kind. The two of them were far too familiar with each other for people that had only just met. ¡®Even after everything you went yourself through mentally, you still managed to pull through unscathed,¡¯ Honour stared at the sleeping royal tempted to brush the hair on her forehead. Her eyes further scanned the room to Crysta, the oddball that wouldn¡¯t give up on fixing her friendship with Lina. Trying to figure out what went through her head when she ignored Lina all that time was nearly impossible. However, Lina wasn¡¯t letting her in as easily as Honour would have. After all, the two of them did have an odd rtionship even before Lina had regained her confidence, ¡°The two of you were always meant to be best friends,¡± Honour whispered to herself. ¡°I guess...¡± Lina¡¯s voice tore through the silence, ¡°You might be right about that.¡± Honour was stunned to see one of them still awake. The royal turned away so Honour couldn¡¯t see her face. ¡°I know you¡¯re awake, Lina,¡± Honour tried, but the girl wouldn¡¯t reply, ¡°Crysta won¡¯t hold on forever, you know. I know what she did to you. But eventually, she will get the feeling you don¡¯t even want her in your life anymore. I¡¯m not speaking for her, but I know I wouldn¡¯t stay around if I got the idea that someone wanted nothing to do with me... especially after showing her my weak side.¡± After a moment of silence, ¡°Good night, all of you.¡± An hour after the girl had already fallen asleep, Lina let out a deep sigh, pulling her covers tighter around herself, ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know that, Honour?¡± ................ The next day was announced by a yelling mother who seemed more than happy to rip the younglings out of their cosy sleeping bags, ¡°Get up, get up. Alpha Jackson already announced today¡¯s drill. You¡¯re allte and no, of course, I¡¯m not talking about you, Madeline dear. I¡¯m speaking to the rest of these freeloaders.¡± ¡°Mum, you choose the worst methods of waking children,¡± Honour yawned, covering her mouth with one hand and unconsciously pulling her covers back up with the other. ¡°Well, you better be grateful I didn¡¯t choose water to wake you,¡± the woman chuckled. This joke drained the rest of the sleep from the three girls. Madeline, on the other hand... Remained sound asleep like a rock. Lina was astounded by the girl¡¯s sleep, ¡°She¡¯s in for a world of pain when... if she starts attending the drills.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t the drills optional?¡± Honour asked her. ¡°Well, they are meant to be optional, but after what happened in the reserve, the king is thinking of making thepulsory,¡± Crysta responded, stretching her muscles to wake herself up, ¡°Honour, can I use your shower?¡± ¡°Sure, but wouldn¡¯t it be better if you used it after...¡± ¡°Just show me where it is,¡± the girl cut her off. ¡°Sure,¡± Honour got to giving directions and stopped questioning the delta. ............ Madeline got up that day with no one beside her. Her voice was raspy from exertion the night before and she cringed at the craziness that had happened the day before. Looking about her, ¡°Someone finally decided to wake up,¡± Honour¡¯s mother approached her, holding a cup of tea. ¡°Thank you,¡± the girl thanked her, taking the cup from her. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. We¡¯re family... or at least that¡¯s what my mother has told me,¡± the woman responded. Madeline found her presence so calming that she was nearly convinced she cast a spell with her sweet voice. Lina and Honour had simr charms to them, but the woman before her just seemed to know the right things to say all the time. The girl found that she nearly spilt her entire story the day before just because of how safe she felt when she spoke with her. ¡°What do you mean by us being family?¡± the girl asked her, curiosity shining in her eyes. The woman chuckled at her enthusiasm, ¡°Well, I will exin it all to you when we go shoppingter today.¡± ¡°Huh, what do you mean? Am I going to be living here?¡± Madeline asked, now shocked to hear. ¡°Of course you are. Where else did you expect to live?¡± the woman asked her, going back into the kitchen where she returned with a te full of various confectionaries and ced them on the table. The girl took a seat on one of the sofas while the woman went about fixing the disorganised living room. ¡°I don¡¯t want to cause you any trouble,¡± Madeline replied, ¡°I can already tell Honour wants to sleep in her own bed again.¡± ¡°Honour is more intuitive than you might think and the kindest person you¡¯ll ever meet. Well, Lina rivals her when ites to that, but I will assure you that she likes this arrangement better than anything else,¡± the woman said. ¡°I could tell she didn¡¯t like the idea of me taking her bedroom. I don¡¯t want to be a bother,¡± Madeline replied, miraculously skipping over everything the woman had just said. ¡°And we wouldn¡¯t want to send out a girl with no ce to live. Not to mention a rtive of ours,¡± the amber-eyed woman took hold of her hands, maintaining eye contact, ¡°Honour can tell you will be here for a while, so a more permanent arrangement would put her at ease.¡± ¡°Are you...¡± ¡°Stop worrying already. I¡¯ve already told you we are more than happy to have you stay with us,¡± the woman replied, taking note of how the girl¡¯s eyes shed grey every once in a while. It was the furthest thing from normal. ¡°When someone thinks it¡¯s normal for people to move about with glowing eyes, they meet one that flickers between colours.¡± The girl hid her face at thement. Honour¡¯s mother rushed, ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to do that. Don¡¯t cover them. They¡¯re beautiful.¡± ¡°They are also dangerous,¡± the girl cried from under her palms. Chapter 288 288 Busted Lina¡¯s boredom increased exponentially the more school went on. After getting acquainted with the new girl, she was only trying her best to stay attentive to the teacher. However, her mind wouldn¡¯t stop wandering to the different things she wanted to do once school was over. Her wolf didn¡¯t help her this time either. She was equally excited to take part in these post-school activities. ¡®Wolves are more intuitive than their human counterparts,¡¯ was what the girl could think of when she felt the wolf get a little more excited than she was. ¡®But that only means neither of us is focusing today,¡¯ she almost cried out loud. The teachers¡¯ words seemed toe from someone in another room...pletely muffled... ¡®h h h...¡¯ they¡¯d go. One after the other. That was until one of them happened to mention the most feared topic in school, ¡°Your finals areing up next week. Use the weekend to prepare for them. As I said yesterday, the timetable has been pinned to all the noticeboards and for those of you that prefer the use of technology, check your emails.¡± Everything concerning extra-curricr or the werewolf empire was wiped from the girl¡¯s mind the moment she heard the news about their exams. ¡®This world hates me...¡¯ ......... Madeline, after a lot of discussion with Honour¡¯s mother, gave in to be taken to the mall to procure new clothes. ..... The woman put no limit to what she could buy, but as someone who was raised in a family that wasn¡¯t blessed with so much, the girl was inclined to get clothes she was sure were within an average werewolf¡¯s price range. ¡°You said you would tell me how our families are rted,¡± the question that had been lingering on her mind finally surfaced. ¡°Oh yeah, I said that, didn¡¯t I? Well, for one, I know your family bears the power of the Seeker. Your mother, unfortunately, didn¡¯t have that gift. She said the power would skip a generation and only appear in the females of your family,¡± the woman started. ¡°You seem to know a lot about me. It¡¯s unsettling,¡± the girl¡¯s painfully honest voice from within the changing room. ¡°You misunderstand, Maddy,¡± the woman replied, ¡°We merely agreed that it was best if our parents stayed apart, but in truth, the two of us would have met a long time ago.¡± ¡°Why did you choose to keep the families apart?¡± It was like every question brought even more questions. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you know how risky it is for someone to know that you are the Seeker, don¡¯t you?¡± the woman replied. ¡°Yeah, I know that. We also have the power to find the Origin and it would be bad for us to find such a thing,¡± the girl replied nervously. ¡°Exactly. Our family has something we keep secret as well. We don¡¯t have odd eye colours, so we don¡¯t really have to do much to keep ourselves hidden. No one would be able to know who we were unless something triggered the one we protect.¡± ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Madeline asked, still milling over her newfound nickname. ¡°Well...¡± she lingered for a moment, ¡°I mean Honour. She¡¯s special and the reason the two families were separated,¡± the woman replied, ¡°I have questions, Mady. I can¡¯t imagine what you¡¯ve been through to get here and I thank the moon goddess that it was my daughter and Lina that found you. Fate could not have been any kinder to you. I will wait for you to getfortable before telling us what you have been through. How to say this... We are rted through our ancestors. Somewhere along the way, the families were separated and for some reason, an ability manifested in yours. It¡¯s probably because of the divine energy that¡¯s unique to our bloodline. Eventually, I met your mother. The two of us didn¡¯t know much at the time, but we bonded so quickly that it was too much of a coincidence. One day, I went to visit her in the Golden Moon pack and that¡¯s when your grandmother revealed everything about our past.¡± The girl remained quiet in the changing room for a longer interval that worried the woman, ¡°Maddy!¡± ¡°Fate hasn¡¯t been kind to us,¡± the girl quietly replied before stepping out of the changing room to reveal her new outfit. The woman pped her hands enthusiastically at the transformation she was witnessing. Her smile proved contagious enough to wipe the worried expression off the girl¡¯s face. ¡°We are definitely buying that one,¡± the woman said to her, adding it to the growing pile she¡¯d already gathered. ¡°Don¡¯t you think they are too many?¡± Madeline asked, frowning at the pile of clothes. ¡°Not in the slightest. Besides, the bill is not on me this time, so don¡¯t worry,¡± the woman said proudly, bashing the guilt that tried to w its way into her conscience. ¡°Would you like something to eat? All this shopping has me tired.¡± The question was met with a stomach growl from the girl, ¡°I would normally be really embarrassed by that, but I¡¯m too hungry to care.¡± ¡°Perfect, let¡¯s just pay for this and head over to the restaurant across the street. The ce is amazing.¡± Madeline followed the woman and watched her retrieve a blue credit card from her purse to pay for their clothes. On the card were the names Lina Sirius. ¡®Royals can be filthy rich,¡¯ she stared ck-jawed. They¡¯d spent so much on a random stranger already. They waited for the clothes to get packed before taking the clothes out. Madeline was grateful for having followed the woman on this trip when they got to the restaurant. The scents of food made the girl crave it more. ¡°The weather finally got better,¡± the girl observed. ¡°Yes, it stopped raining yesterday, but you spent most of the day sleeping,¡± the woman replied, ¡°What would you like to order?¡± The girl lifted theminated menu in front of her and started scanning through the different items on the menu. Most of what she saw was familiar to her and in the end, she went with what her nose told her and asked her to pick. The scentsing from the restaurant kitchen were not doing her any justice. Honour¡¯s mother hit a bell at their table when Madeline confirmed she had made a choice and a beautiful blonde waitress was at their table in no time. The woman directed the waitress on what they wanted and the blonde dutifully noted down their orders on a pad. Madeline thought the waitress lingered too long staring at her before leaving their table. ¡°While we wait, would you mind telling me what you¡¯ve been up to? Well, before whatever it was that brought you here?¡± the woman asked her. Madeline managed to skip past the blur of terrifying events that hung in her head and looked back to times that were much happier, ¡°Well, before all this, I was actually working hard to be able to run my own restaurant one day.¡± ¡°Wow, looks like I brought you to the right ce. Am I to assume you know everything on the menu then?¡± the woman asked her. ¡°Yes, I do know everything on this,¡± she chuckled, ¡°Although half of them are considered rare delicacies back in the Golden Moon pack. It¡¯s not so easy to transport some of the ingredients. It was hard for me to even learn how to prepare some of those dishes because of it.¡± ¡°Wow, okay... Now I know I won¡¯t be making dinner by my lonesome today,¡± Honour¡¯s mother smirked. ¡°Wait, what... That wasn¡¯t... Oh, the cat¡¯s already out of the bag,¡± the girl groaned, letting her head fall to the table. ¡°Hey, if it¡¯s that much of a bother, I could let you skip today. After all, you¡¯ve only just started to know the city. There is so much you haven¡¯t seen yet. It would be a shame to have the day ruined by a promise to cook...¡± the woman¡¯s voice seized abruptly catching the girl¡¯s attention. Honour¡¯s mother had her eyes pinned to something behind her. Looking about, so did everyone else in the restaurant. The mood in the restaurant hadpletely changed. Tension was in the air and no one was saying a word. The sound of screeching tyres filled the air, notifying Madeline of what they were all looking at. Madeline turned behind her and saw men getting out of a ck SUV and heading off to the same boutique they¡¯d just bought clothes from. The werewolves from the car each had green eyes and reeked of strength and power of seasoned warriors, ¡°Of course, the girl didn¡¯t say anything about this. Just how many secrets do those girls think they can keep?¡± ¡°Huh, what are you talking...?¡± this time, Madeline went silent, taking notice of thest person to exit the vehicle from the passenger seat. He was more rxed than the other men and didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry to go into the boutique. His eyes scanned the area surrounding him, moving from person to person, building to building, stall to stall, establishment to establishment. He was scanning for anything out of the ordinary. Madeline¡¯s heartbeat went into overdrive as the man¡¯s gaze came closer to hers. She¡¯d seen him somewhere... In fact, she¡¯de in this direction in search of the same face. The only person she¡¯d known outside their pack to be able to help them, Drake Sirius, the royal that had paid them a visit not so long before everything had fallen to pieces. In the deep silence that felt like it could be sliced through by a knife, their eyes locked if only for a second. Madeline was sure her heart skipped a beat. Drake wasn¡¯t this serious thest time they¡¯d met. His presence was much warmer. The prince continued surveying the faces before his eyes darted back to Madeline. Scrunching his eyebrows, he rubbed his temples as if hoping he wasn¡¯t seeing things, but s, the girl didn¡¯t vanish or change face when he looked at her again. He wasn¡¯t seeing things, seated right before him was the granddaughter of the Seeker. The sudden sh of grey in her amber eyes confirmed his suspicions, ¡°You look like you¡¯ve seen him before... Oh, he¡¯sing this way and he also looks like he¡¯s seen you before,¡± Honour¡¯s mother rambled, but the stunned girl couldn¡¯t find it within her to break her gaze with the alpha. Judging from her reaction to the royal, the woman made her own conclusions. Adding that to the credit card she¡¯d just used in the cloth shop, she was now quite sure of what the royal hade to investigate. ¡®Well, this is just swell!¡¯ she cursed, putting on a bright smile to greet the son of the king that ruled them all on this side of the globe. ¡°Madeline, was it?¡± Distracted by his words, Mady¡¯s mind spiralled for a moment. ¡°Y-yeah, that¡¯s me...¡± Chapter 289 289 Lunch with a Prince ¡°Y-yeah, that¡¯s me. I¡¯m d you remembered,¡± the girl replied, tearing away from the dazed state she¡¯d been in. The prince then took a look at the woman that was with her. For a moment, it seemed as though he would recognize the woman, butter brushed off his suspicions. ¡°Is she a rtive of yours?¡± He asked, taking a seat at their table despite the numerous red gs his wolf was raising. ¡°Yeah, you could say that,¡± Madeline replied, ¡°I was meaning to talk to you, by the way. What brings you here? Those men don¡¯t look like they¡¯vee shopping for clothes,¡± the girl asked, skipping formalities. Honour¡¯s mother was petrified by how close the two of them seemed. ¡®Wasn¡¯t she avoiding Lina back when they first met?¡¯ the woman thought. The spectacle before was unlike what she would have expected. However, the reply given by the prince was enough to wipe the thoughts from her mind. ¡°Well, we got an rm that Lina¡¯s credit card had been used, yet we¡¯re sure she¡¯s supposed to be in school. Father thought I should check it out and ensure my sister is still the same one I know. Honestly, how can one girl cause me so much trouble after I just returned?¡± Drake sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your highness,¡± Honour¡¯s mother intervened, ¡°That might have been my fault. Or Lina¡¯s for that matter.¡± ¡°Oh? Please do exin,¡± the prince¡¯s expression turned serious. The woman reached for her handbag and showed him the blue card she¡¯d used to purchase Madeline¡¯s clothes. Drake stared between the card and the woman, trying to piece together any possible reason for the woman having the card. When his mind came up with none, he sighed, settling deeper into his chair, ¡°I think you have a lot to tell me.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness, but I would prefer it if you asked your little sister instead. She seems to be the mastermind behind all this after all,¡± Honour¡¯s mother was defeated. ¡®And here I was... trying to keep my distance from royals. I should have known it would be impossible the moment Lina came into Honour¡¯s life, but then again, that might just be the person she needed. Trading one thing for another.¡¯ ¡°Little sister, when did you be such a handful? I was only gone a week,¡± the prince cursed. The pack warriors checking the store finally stopped when Drake sent a message through the mind link. ¡°I¡¯ll take that card from you now, please.¡± ..... The woman reluctantly handed over the card, pouting while she did... ¡®That was going to pay for lunch as well.¡¯ ¡°Alpha Drake, you found it. What shall we do with the per...¡± ¡°Go back to the pce without me. I¡¯ll catch up when I¡¯m done talking to them,¡± Drake cut the man short. Without further conversation, they bowed and exited the restaurant. Drake sighed and rang the bell at their table, ¡°I hoped this would be a minor case of my sister entering some sort of rebellious phase and it would all blow over...¡± he paused, finally taking in the significance of Madeline¡¯s presence, ¡°but I¡¯m guessing that will not be the case.¡± ¡°No, it won¡¯t,¡± Madeline replied, ¡°There is trouble. Something terrible has happened. It took everything I had just to get here,¡± Madeline replied solemnly, ¡°I get the feeling that I¡¯m toote.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re willing to tell him everything?¡± Honour¡¯s mother eximed, ¡°How do the two of you know each other anyway? I know for a fact that the prince has never visited you.¡± Before the girl could speak up, Drake intervened, ¡°I met her on one of my trips to find my mate. They have a warm little pack in the South. She has the cutest of passions that just made her impossible to miss. Not to mention the way her eyes kept shing grey when she was intimidated or anxious. Who would forget such a person after all that?¡± Madeline shrunk back in her seat. ¡®Oh please, Mother Earth. Swallow me...¡¯ ¡°Hey, that¡¯s supposed to be private. It¡¯s not like I make them change colour on purpose.¡± ¡°I know you don¡¯t, but I do wonder if you have some sort of control over them,¡± Drake replied questioningly. ¡°It¡¯s more the other way round really. They are supposed to be grey all the time. Keeping them amber is what¡¯splicated,¡± the girl answered sadly, ¡°I was supposed to learn how to keep them amber so that I could pursue my dream without anyone noticing my strange eye colour...¡± her words stopped there, seemingly hitting a wall. Drake was stunned for a moment shaking his head as the waiter ced his food on the table. He ordered his own and did his best to contain himself while the food was set for the others to enjoy, ¡°This reminds me. How goes your dream to open up a restaurant?¡± ¡°Oh, that... I was doing great. I¡¯m thankful for the support you gave me that one time, but... Now I don¡¯t know where to begin,¡± the girlmented, covering her face, her mind flying through the dangers of her returning home. So much had happened since the prince had left the Golden Moon pack and she was now starting to wonder whether his help was for better or worse. Punishing Victor had clearly made him worse off a person than she¡¯d believed him to be. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re here for long, perhaps you could intern for a bit at one of the restaurants here in the capital. I could rmend you,¡± the prince offered. ¡°Really? You would do that. It would be great,¡± the girl¡¯s eyes lit up, staring at the prince in excitement. There wasn¡¯t a hint of her former gloom left in her eyes... ¡®Such a quick transformation,¡¯ Honour¡¯s mother grinned. This girl was like a rollercoaster of emotions. ¡°Yeah, I would. Lina will soon be out of school anyway. The two of you can have a grand tour of the town. If you¡¯d like, you could pick whichever ce you would want to work from,¡± the prince replied. ¡°I¡¯d rather you rmend a great ce for me to work,¡± the girl mumbled. ¡°That can work as well,¡± he replied eyeing his food as it was brought almost immediately after he¡¯d ordered it, ¡°The fish here is the best. I¡¯m so d I came here today.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you here to bust your little sister?¡± Honour¡¯s mother asked. ¡°Of course, I was. I was supposed to drag her back to school. They are supposed to be having exams soon,¡± the man replied, although his attention waspletely overtaken by the food before him. ¡°You say it as if you would have let her off the hook if she wasn¡¯t nearing any exams,¡± the woman countered. ¡°You have me there. While I would hate to change the topic from my adorable little sister, might I ask where you¡¯re living while you¡¯re here, Madeline?¡± Drake asked. ¡°I¡¯m living with Honour at the moment,¡± the name startled the prince for a moment. ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t remember them having a guest house,¡± the prince thought to himself. ¡°We don¡¯t have a guest room, but we are more than happy to host family,¡± the woman replied. Drake looked at the woman once more and the resemnce between her and the wolf he seemed to care so much about became so clear that it felt like a lens finally snapping into focus. ¡®Oops...¡¯ ¡°Oh my... I hadn¡¯t recognized you without Honour around. You¡¯re Honour¡¯s mother, aren¡¯t you?¡± the prince asked, bowing slightly in respect to the woman before her. ¡°Huh, why are you bowing to me? I¡¯m just the mother of any other random werewolf you could find out there,¡± the woman panicked, ¡°You don¡¯t have to show me that much respect, your highness.¡± ¡°Oh, but you¡¯re mistaken. You¡¯re the mother of my little sister¡¯s best friend. The mother to the girl who¡¯s stuck by Lina¡¯s side no matter what she¡¯s been through. That alone demands respect for raising a noble beautiful youngdy such as her,¡± the prince countered. ¡°Honour, what have you been getting yourself into?¡± Honour¡¯s mother whined. When the prince wouldn¡¯t stop bowing, she calmed herself, ¡°Very well, although I didn¡¯t know just how close she was with Lina,¡± she lied. ¡°Huh,¡± Madeline eximed before getting a death re from the woman that shut her up. Drake missed the small exchange as his food was now a cause for more concentration. Madeline chose to change the subject to something that had been bothering her, ¡°Why did your food get served almost instantly?¡± ¡°I¡¯m royalty, little wolf...¡± It was that simple. ....... Lina walked Honour home that day, stopping at the entrance to the small cottage once they were there, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to get in?¡± Honour asked her. ¡°No, I¡¯m going to head on home. I have a lot of reading to do,¡± the girl replied nervously. ¡°You¡¯re worried about, Crysta, aren¡¯t you?¡± Honour tried. ¡°She didn¡¯t evene to say anything the entire day. She wasn¡¯t even there at the Den. She haspletely vanished. It¡¯s bothering me. Not to mention the fact that she¡¯s closed herself off from the mind link,¡± Lina rushed out. ¡°Or she could be simply ignoring you. Have you tried that one?¡± Honour chuckled. ¡°I will try to look for her. I¡¯ll also try to get some work in so I¡¯m notpletely clueless in the exams,¡± the girl was just full of excuses. Honour noticed her difort and bid her farewell. The royal was gone before anything else could happen. Honour, on the other hand, rushed to her room expecting to find a certain werewolf and was shocked to find her room empty. The sleeping bags they¡¯d used the day before were organised and folded in the living room, but from the state of the house, there didn¡¯t seem to be any sign that someone had been around. Resorting to something she rarely did, she tried catching their scents. Her mother¡¯s, along with the strange yet familiar scent of their guest were faint. ¡®They¡¯ve been gone a while.¡¯ The girl rushed to her grandmother¡¯s room and knocked as urgently as she could without startling the olddy before entering. The woman wasfortably knitting in her chair, by the bed. Newspapers that she no doubt had already finished reading and an empty cup of teay on the table on her side, ¡°Wee back, Selene. Your mother has not been around the whole day if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡± ¡°How long do you n on calling me that?¡± the girl asked her. This was one of the few times she got to hear that name and it irritated her eardrums. ¡°Instead of getting angry at me, try to consider that it is your name. Whether you like it or not,¡± the woman replied harshly. cing her knitting on herp, she sighed, ¡°Maybe you will be morefortable with it... when the memories return.¡± Chapter 290 290 Crisis Lina reached home faster by jogging or rather running very slowly in her own perspective. The air at the pce was tense and the princess almost thought the other werewolves were intentionally averting their eyes from her, but she shook off the feeling and focused on what had brought her to the castle. ¡®Hey Crysta, why won¡¯t you answer me? I¡¯ve been trying to get a hold of you the entire day,¡¯ the girl tried through the mind link, but once again, nothing came through to her. ¡®Could something be the matter? Maybe she finally hit the limit Honour was talking about... I thought she was focusing on her books, but I couldn¡¯t detect her presence at school either. Did she skip school?¡¯ the girl wondered. Nothing seemed to make any sense to her the more she tried. Lina rushed up the stairs and into the pce, panic starting to set into her mind. She rushed through the hallways and stairs, trying to dig into her memory in search of the delta¡¯s room. The deltas had their own section of the pce, but everything from there was a mystery to the princess. Lina roamed through the Deltas wing in search of some sign of the girl¡¯s room. Just when she was about to give up her directionless search and ask one of the random werewolves traversing the halls, she bumped into a familiar face. Lina stopped her rush when she spotted Bree and then skipped all formalities. ¡°Hey, Bree, have you seen Crysta?¡± the princess asked amidst her tired panting. Bree scanned the girl¡¯s face and mind link as though looking for some sign of deceit, but when it turned out that the princess was indeed sincere in her question, she revealed her own worried expression, ¡°No, no I haven¡¯t. She hasn¡¯t been answering her cell phone either. Now that you¡¯ve turned up looking for her, I¡¯m starting to get worried.¡± ¡°Where is her room?¡± the worried Lina asked urgently. Bree turned on her heels and started leading the girl in the direction she¡¯d juste from. ¡°I tried knocking, but no one would answer,¡± the girl replied, ¡°I figured she probably wasn¡¯t in...¡± ..... ¡°What¡¯s with all themotion?¡± a deep voice interrupted the girl¡¯s words. The two turned around to see prince Drake making his way toward them. His expression was a mixture of frustration and relief, which only made sense because of the mind link they shared. Lina was only more curious to know what could cause his brother to be frustrated in the first ce, ¡°Father has been looking for you and what are you doing in this part of the pce?¡± Lina couldn¡¯t help but feel the prince still had more to say on the matter. ¡°Drake, I have no time for exnation, but Crysta has gone missing. I haven¡¯t been able to reach her. Not through the mind link and not through her cell phone either,¡± the girl stopped her brother to ry the information. Finding his calm, the prince thought for a bit before replying, ¡°Have you tried feeling for her location? I know she isn¡¯t in there.¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot about that,¡± Lina facepalmed, right before closing her eyes to focus. Her nerves made it harder. Despite her now calm atmosphere, the girl¡¯s heart was moving faster than it should have. She was getting more and more worried for the delta and that didn¡¯t help her focus any better, ¡°I can¡¯t do it, Drake. Why don¡¯t you try?¡± ¡°Honestly, little sister. I¡¯ve taught you how to do this so many times,¡± the man sighed. Ignoring the urge to turn this into another training session for the young princess, he focused on his own. It was much easier that way. Lina waited for his answer as time ticked by painstakingly slowly. The longer he spent silent, the more she was anxious to know what he¡¯d found out. If Crysta was near, the prince would have had no trouble finding her, or that¡¯s at least what she thought was the case. Her mind was starting to lose grasp of what was valid and what wasn¡¯t. The prince was like that for two whole minutes searching for Crysta through the mind link. His eyes darted from side to side wildly under his closed eyelids almost like he could see something entirely different when he was in this state. With the power of a royal, there wasn¡¯t anything stopping him from finding her no matter what the circumstances. Another illegal secret of the royals (they could force themselves into the minds of their subjects regardless of how hard the wolf had tried to block them out. This did not apply, however, if they were searching for a royal that had blocked themselves from the mind link.) Even so, the man¡¯s eyes opened in an expression Lina had feared, shock. ¡°I can¡¯t feel her...¡± ........... Lina and Bree were silent for a moment, trying to decipher the man¡¯s impossible words. Perhaps he¡¯d misspoken and used the wrong words. Maybe he had found her, but not in the ce he¡¯d expected and then said somethingpletely different from what he¡¯d intended to say. Maybe he was simply pulling Lina¡¯s leg so he could get a reaction out of her. Drake wasn¡¯t one to y pranks, however. And his expression said otherwise. ¡°What do you mean ¡®you can¡¯t feel her¡¯?¡± Lina¡¯s voice rang with disbelief. Bree was more shocked by the girl¡¯s level of worry. The girl had been led to believe the princess didn¡¯t care one bit about Crysta... ¡®Odd.¡¯ ¡°We¡¯re royals, Drake. We should be able to...¡± ¡°I know that, sister. But no matter what I try, it¡¯s like she¡¯s not a part of the mind link,¡± he argued. ¡°What are you saying, Drake? Your words aren¡¯t making sense,¡± Lina countered her brother. ¡°They aren¡¯t making sense because you don¡¯t want them to make sense, little sister. In any case, death is only one of the unlikely reasons this could happen. I¡¯m hoping that¡¯s not the case. She could simply be unconscious or poisoned by wolfsbane,¡± the man rubbed his temples, ¡°Damn it, it¡¯s one problem after another.¡± Hisst statement seemed to garner more attention from the girls. With everything escting with Crysta, Lina hadn¡¯t expected her brother to say something like that. He hade looking for her oozing frustration and relief. Could he have been relieved that she was okay and frustrated that he couldn¡¯t find her or was there trouble that he had wanted to protect her from? Chapter 291 291 Hard Decisions ¡°What do you mean, ¡®one problem after the other,¡¯?¡± Bree asked him this time, taking note of the prince¡¯s entrance earlier. He¡¯d been in a rush to find the princess, no doubt he¡¯d found her the same way he was trying to find Crysta just now. ¡®Lina, my mother, as well as Madeline... I can¡¯t find them,¡¯ a panicked voice came through to Lina¡¯s mind. The voice was one that usually set Lina¡¯s mind at ease. However, hearing it this way was something else entirely. ¡®Wait, slow down. Aren¡¯t they at your house?¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s where they are supposed to be. Grandma said they haven¡¯t been home the whole day, so I thought I¡¯d check the flower shop, but it¡¯s been closed the whole day as well. Mum wouldn¡¯t do that unless something urgent had happened,¡¯ Honour replied. Lina could swear she heard the girl pacing from the other side of the mind link. ¡°Little sister, Father is calling. We have something urgent to discuss,¡± Drake called, snapping out of his trance from the discovery of a missing wolf case. ¡°Tell Father that I¡¯m busy right now. I don¡¯t have time to start visiting Uncle Sean right now,¡± an attempt to reduce the number of issues she had to deal with at the moment. ¡°It has nothing to do with our uncle. It¡¯s something else entirely. I hope it helps with you finding a missing girl, but I also hope it doesn¡¯t,¡± Drake replied vaguely. Lina couldn¡¯t ce his tone, but after hearing himmenting on how there was something else to be worried about, she wasn¡¯t so sure she wanted to know how much trouble they were in. Whether it was connected to Crysta or not, she got the feeling she¡¯d be better off having the two as separate cases altogether. ¡®Calm down, Honour. You could try asking around or feeling for them through the mind link. I¡¯ll help out as soon as I can,¡¯ Lina replied. Sensing Lina¡¯s distress, the amber-eyed goddess epted and went silent. ..... ¡°I¡¯ll catch up with youter, Bree. Have Ginger and anyone else that can help look for her in ces she might be. Ask Alpha Phillip or Alpha Jackson for help if you must. Just please help me find her. I¡¯ll join you as soon as I can,¡± with that said, Bree nodded in response and waved her off. The princess followed her brother and the two of them made their way to the king¡¯s office. Drake pressed the button at the side of the door and waited for the clicking sound of the door unlocking, inviting them in. Inside the office, the atmosphere was even tenser than what Lina had already experienced. Her father was seated at his desk with his chin resting on his hands, his mind deep in thought. Her mother sat beside him, wearing a worried expression for the king. Seated in front of the desk were thest two people she¡¯d expected to find in the king¡¯s office... Honour¡¯s mother and Madeline... Without thinking, the girl rushed to their side pulling Madeline into a sudden embrace, ¡°There you are. You had me worried.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We would have told you what was going on, but the king said we should wait for you instead and that¡¯s what we did.¡± ¡°Honour reached home and didn¡¯t find you there. She¡¯s been searching for you guys everywhere,¡± Lina replied, finally letting go of the girl, ¡°At least that¡¯s two of them found,¡± she said more to herself before setting her eyes on a blue card on the king¡¯s desk with her names engraved in it. Her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Would you contact Honour and tell her toe here as well? I think it would be better if she was here as well,¡± Honour¡¯s mother told her. Lina tried to read her expression in search of any sign of trouble, but the woman was excellent at keeping her face indifferent. She ryed the message to the girl through the mind link. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone pick her up so we don¡¯t waste any more time than we have to,¡± the king announced, his gazending on nothing at all as he went into a mental discussion with someone else. While the king was doing that, the queen spoke up, ¡°Lina, why didn¡¯t you tell us you were going to lend someone your credit card? We thought you¡¯d ditched school and gone shopping.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry about that. Wait, you monitor my credit card usage? That¡¯s private, mother,¡± the girl fumed, her mind quickly going on the defensive. ¡°No, Lina. We don¡¯t monitor your credit card, but when we get a call from the bank telling us that someone cashed out that much money in a boutique when you¡¯re clearly supposed to be in school, that¡¯s cause for worry,¡± the woman argued. Lina fumbled to find her words before giving up, ¡°Fine... I¡¯m sorry, mum. I should have told you about Madeline.¡± ¡°Yes, you would have and I¡¯d like to think you know better, but here we are. Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± the queen clearly wasn¡¯t done with her. ¡°We found her in the woods. She was tired and her clothes were torn with cuts and bruises all over. She passed out and went on incoherently about rogues. What was I supposed to do at the moment? I took her to the one ce I knew was safe beside the pce, and then got her treated. Since she was wearing clothes and barefoot, I could tell she¡¯de a long way without shifting. I¡¯m not sure rogues would fail to catch someone barefoot running in the woods. In any case, if they came looking for her, I had no doubt they would find her if she was at the pack infirmary. Later on, she wouldn¡¯t quite answer us, so I was hoping to give her some time for her to gather her thoughts and I wasn¡¯t nning on hiding her forever,¡± the girl tried to exin. ¡°While your reasoning certainly has consideration for the girl¡¯sfort in mind, didn¡¯t you think to question yourself on how many people you were putting in danger? You¡¯re a royal, you know there is no safer ce for her at the pce if you wished it to be. I¡¯m just stating this with no real meaning behind it,¡± this she seemed to aim at Madeline, ¡°but often when girls turn up like that, they¡¯ve only just escaped from one of the breeding farms that the rogues keep hidden.¡± ¡®That¡¯s not what this is at all,¡¯ the girl mentally yelled. However, all she had to go on was a gut feeling which wouldn¡¯t help her situation. Royals were meant to be reasonable and take their subjects into consideration before making the right decision. Gut feelings had no room in that line of work. Conceding defeat, the girl let her gaze fall to the floor and in a lower more respectful voice, replied ¡°I didn¡¯t think of it that way, Mum. I ept this as my mistake and I¡¯m sorry.¡± This was the second apology she was making to the queen and a rare asion, to say the least. The queen smiled at her daughter, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lina. Stumbling once doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ve reached the end. I know there are times when you don¡¯t have all that time to think about what you¡¯re doing, but with time, you¡¯ll learn when to make the right decisions and fast enough. I can say this one was not a bad one exactly either... That¡¯s if no one gets killed or brutally wounded because of it.¡± Rather than findfort in the queen¡¯spliment, the girl only felt more dreadful knowing she could be the reason for the death of many. A beeping sound came from a machine at the king¡¯s desk. The king hit the button on it and the door swung open. Honour came rushing and enveloped the girl in another sudden hug, ¡°Where have you been, Mady? I¡¯ve been worried sick.¡± ¡°It seems the two of you have taken a quick liking to the girl,¡± the king chuckled. Madeline hugged the girl back, a tear escaping her eyes, ¡°I¡¯m okay, Honour... really.¡± Chapter 292 292 Painful Memories Once Honour and everyone else had settled, the King began to speak, ¡°Now that we are all here and well acquainted, I would ask that Madeline reveal her story. I don¡¯t want to make this sound too formal. Feel free when speaking,¡± the king spoke, trying his best to get rid of the edginess in his voice. ¡°It¡¯s hard to be informal when the person you¡¯re speaking to dresses up in a shy suit and is the literal King of Werewolves,¡± the girl replied nervously. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment. I do look good, don¡¯t I?¡± the king replied with a smug smile. The girl chuckled at his gloating. For someone who was meant to be feared, he didn¡¯t show it. However, her happiness was shortlived and her smile fell almost as soon as it had appeared. When she dived into the memories she was supposed to recount. Her mind went still with fear of everything that had happened, ¡°Oh... Yeah... What happened? Where do I start?¡± her voice was distant and distraught. Honour squeezed her hand, feeling that she was reverting to the state they¡¯d found her in on the first day she woke up. ¡°The beginning is always a good ce to begin,¡± the king said to her. The girl nodded and searched her mind, finally deciding to tell them everything from the point it took a turn for the worst. ¡°It was raining. About the second day since the rain had begun. I¡¯d never known it to rain so much. It was odd, but that wasn¡¯t the problem,¡± her mind wandered as she tried to get a grip of herself. A warm hand covered her other clenching fist and she looked up to see Honour¡¯s mother smile warmly at her. ¡°Take your time. We¡¯ll all listen,¡± the woman said to her. The girl nodded and continued. ..... ¡°I had never seen him before that day, but as I was cleaning the house, he came in unannounced. I was so scared out of my skin I couldn¡¯t move an inch,¡± fear filled the girl¡¯s voice as she spoke and the hands covering hers tightened. The girl drew in a sharp breath and steeled her nerves, continuing with the story despite the darkness that threatened to swallow her whole. ¡°The R-Rogue king was in our house that night. His presence was suffocating. I thought I was going to die then and there, but then... My grandmother came in. She acted like he was any other person that came to us for help and had me serve them tea.¡± ¡°Them?¡± Honour¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Yeah, it wasn¡¯t just the rogue king. There was another, an alpha whose presence was as equally terrifying as that of the king. Just staring at either of them would make any average wolf feel like they¡¯d visited hell and back. My wolf could tell how much trouble I was in and every instinct was telling me to run away, but my grandmother was there and she barely showed a sign of fear. I almost spilt tea all over them just from shaking, but my grandmother was quick to act and helped me out. I was sure I was going to die that night. While I was serving them tea, one of themmented on having wanted to see me slip once more,¡± the girl paused, biting her lip as though the memory hurt her more than that of the rogue king in her house. The mention of another person in the house got Drake¡¯s attention. This person, despite not being an alpha, was someone close to the girl. Drake couldn¡¯t help but feel as though he knew who it was she was talking about, but why she felt sadness from his treachery was beyond hisprehension. This man had been present when the rogue king had escaped. There had been a face of one of the cloaked werewolves that made him feel betrayed. His tension built up as the girl continued, ¡°The man that had spoken was Victor.¡± Everything made sense to the prince then. ¡°Who¡¯s Victor?¡± the king asked. ¡°Victor is one of the delta¡¯s that prince Drake had stripped of his position. He¡¯s out for revenge. I don¡¯t know what his goal is, but I know he is the one that led them to us,¡± the girl responded. ¡°So you had a traitor in the Golden Moon pack. Was he a rogue the entire time?¡± the king asked. ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t. I guess he must have gotten really angry when I punished him,¡± Drake intervened. ¡°What was your reason for punishing him?¡± the king asked his son. There was no mistaking the slight hint of anger in his voice. ¡°The delta was looking down on Madeline at the time, so I warned him. That¡¯s when he insulted our family. I had to put him in his ce,¡± Drake replied, bowing down on one knee in submission to his father. The king sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you lose your temper before. Rise, Drake. We¡¯ll have this discussion another time. Ms Madeline, please continue.¡± ¡°Victor imed not to care about me during the time he was assigned as my bodyguard. I thought I would be fine with it, but I wasn¡¯t. I¡¯ve always had trouble keeping my true feelings hidden. My grandmother doesn¡¯t think there is anything wrong with it, but it¡¯s also why I can¡¯t...¡± she paused. ¡°Never mind. I¡¯m going off-topic. After hearing Victor speak so harshly, I ran upstairs. I couldn¡¯t stand being in their presence any longer. They radiated pure evil. While I was upstairs though... My grandmother started to talk to me through the mind link. She told me to pack light and leave the house through my window. It was raining, but she suggested it was better than me dying because of the power our family held.¡± ¡°The power of your family?¡± the king was forced to ask this time. The girl¡¯s amber eyes began to sh to grey and back to amber until they shone a clear silver. The king held his surprise in, hoping it was directly rted to his question. ¡°My family is the one that holds the power of the Seeker,¡± the girl revealed. Gasps went through the office before she looked back at the ground, ¡°I¡¯ve had to hide it my whole life because of the dangers thate with being a Seeker. Not to mention the fact that I don¡¯t want to be a Seeker.¡± ¡°I¡¯m confused. The power to seek out mates is a bad thing?¡± the king asked her. While it was reasonable that the Seeker would wish to remain hidden, he found nothing bad about the power at all. If he¡¯d known of their existence as no more than a myth, he could have found his mate much faster than he did. Now that the king thought about it, Drake had gone to the Golden Moon pack to seek out his wolf but had returned without good news. In fact, after that day, he¡¯d cancelled the rest of his ns to visit other packs, stating that it was a useless endeavour. ¡°The Seeker has another... power... if I may, that makes it impossible to keep safe if we are ever discovered,¡± she exined. The king pinched the bridge of his nose, ¡°That exins my son¡¯s visit to the Golden Moon pack. Just how many things are you younglings nning to keep from your parents?¡± ¡°My informant had me know the Seeker was to be kept a secret. I couldn¡¯t share that information for fear of jeopardising her safety,¡± the prince replied. ¡°I am your father...¡± ¡°And the same person that trusts our grandfather... Great Uncle... Uncle.. ,¡± the prince countered, fiddling withbels and cutting his father off. ¡°You have a point there,¡± King Davin grumbled, settling back into his seat, ¡°makes me want to give him more punishment than the ant-infested cell I gave him.¡± ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± the girl asked them. ¡°My uncle. He¡¯s working for the rogues as a spy within the royals. Even after being captured, he makes it seem as though he was doing the right thing, but never mind that, please go on with your story.¡± The girl nodded, ¡°Well, my mother continued to instruct me even when I ran through the forest. I was to run straight for the capital. My best hope was to find prince Drake and tell him of what happened. After all, he¡¯s the only royal who knew about us.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you do that as soon as you were able?¡± the king asked her. ¡°Davin, do you have no heart? The Golden Moon Pack is nowhere near the capital. It rained for an entire week and this girl turned up on thest day. She hasn¡¯t had an easy journey,¡± the queen snapped at the king. ¡°Forgive my bluntness, Ms Madeline. How did you survive that long in the woods?¡± the king asked her. Queen Martha facepalmed. A genuine smile graced the girl¡¯s lips, ¡°The rain made it easy since everything was hiding from it. I had to make it to the capital before it stopped raining. I just never thought it would rain for five whole days.¡± ¡°It makes sense why you slept for the whole day yesterday,¡± Honour replied, ¡°How are you feeling now?¡± The girl had already started checking Madeline for a fever. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Honour. You don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± the girl whined, but there was no shaking the mothering girl. ¡°Hey, you could never be so sure. Katie also slept for a long time after only a night of exertion,¡± the girl replied. The tales of Katie hade up a lot during their slumber party the previous night that the girl didn¡¯t have to ask who they were talking about. ¡°I¡¯m okay, Honour. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t know how to survive in the woods. Although I really don¡¯t want to taste raw meat again,¡± the girl shuddered, simultaneously stunning those in the room. ¡°Oh dear, it¡¯s like I¡¯d forgotten I was speaking to a werewolf,¡± the queen giggled. Her contagiousughter spread through the room, lightening the mood. ¡°I remember a time Drake went out on a hunting trip with Dad...¡± Lina began. ¡°You promised never to speak of that, little sister,¡± the prince put his hand over her mouth before she could continue her story, stirring theughter only more in the office. ¡°I was hungry and Father wouldn¡¯t light the fire for me,¡± the prince defended himself. ¡°Well, I¡¯m d you learnt thatter on... After three days of eating raw meat. Were you trying to kill...¡± ¡°FATHER...¡± the prince yelled at the man for finishing the story. ¡°Oh, was I supposed to keep that a secret as well?¡± the king was ying dumb. ¡°Oh, forget it. My reputation is already miles below the sea,¡± the prince groaned, falling back into his seat in defeat. When theughter had died down, he asked, ¡°When are we going to the Golden Moon Pack, father?¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you asked. We¡¯ll be going there tomorrow. For now, all of you are to get some sleep. Lina, get your guestsfortable,¡± he asked. ¡°Your majesty, if you may. I would like to stay behind,¡± Honour interrupted the king abruptly. The details had not been sorted outpletely, but something told Lina that when the king spoke, he was telling everyone in the room and not just the royals concerned. Chapter 293 293 Home Alone... and a Road Trip The next day was as good a day as any to have a vacation. With the sun out after a whole week of rain, who wouldn¡¯t want to have a nice day out to rx, but that wasn¡¯t the case for the Sirius family. ¡°Do we all have to go?¡± Drake asked the king while they stood outside the trio of cars that had been assembled to transport them. ¡°No, we aren¡¯t all going. I will be going personally and you will be staying behind in my ce. I haven¡¯t visited the Golden Moon Pack in a while. Sending you would make it look as though they aren¡¯t worth my time,¡± the king sighed. Drake didn¡¯t know whether to be offended or not. He¡¯d just been told to sit this one out... ¡°Oh, Drake looks like he was in the need of a trip,¡± Lina swooned, batting her eyshes at the man for missing out. ¡°Not quite, I¡¯ve already been on two trips with barely time to rest in between. I would like to enjoy some time at...¡± ¡°I am not leaving you behind to rx, Drake. Honestly, you should be more exemry to your sister as the crown prince,¡± the king stopped his train of thought. The prince ripped his gaze away from the gloating sister, ¡°Perhaps you need someone to watch over you while I¡¯m away.¡± ¡°Father, I already have alpha Jackson and Phillip to watch me. Those two will make sure there isn¡¯t a decision that hasn¡¯t gone through them. And they are enough to make this assignment hell,¡± the prince cried. ¡°Honour, keep him in line for me, will you?¡± the king turned to the girl, ignoring his plea. ¡°Wait, what, why me of all people?¡± the girl was shocked by the sudden turn of events. ..... ¡°Partly because I¡¯ve reconsidered who goes and who stays. Drake was already meant to stay behind in my ce. You, however, are staying behind for other reasons,¡± the king said, giving the prince no room for negotiation. ¡°Very well, your majesty. I will stay behind,¡± the prince replied, standing aside while the Queen, Lina and Madeline got ready to go. Just as he was getting ready to see them off, he saw Alpha Jackson approaching the cars, dressed in a suit, ¡°What... why do you get to go?¡± ¡°Oh, I happen to be the one in charge of security, young prince. Try not to screw up anything while I¡¯m gone,¡± the alpha smirked before heading to the first car in the convoy. The three of them were gone without another word. ¡°You¡¯re happy you get to stay behind, aren¡¯t you?¡± Honour asked the prince, narrowing her eyes at him. His act felt too wless. ¡°More like I¡¯m relieved. I went to Lycaon on one of Katie¡¯s whims and I¡¯d only been back from the Golden Moon pack shortly before that. I would like to rx for a little while,¡± the prince admitted. ¡°Anything you say, your highness,¡± Honour replied with a smirk on her face, ¡°I just hope everything is okay when they get there. I would also like to know what reason the king has for keeping me here.¡± ¡°Oh, if the king doesn¡¯t give a reason for you to go, then there was probably another reason why you stayed that wasn¡¯t his opinion. I know my father well so...¡± ¡°In other words, it was my mother that told him to leave me out of this,¡± the girl rushed. ¡°Let¡¯s not jump to conclusions, but I wouldn¡¯t rule her out of your list of suspects,¡± Drake suggested. ¡°Very well. You will now take me to my mother and we shall question her together,¡± before Drake knew it, Honour was dragging him to the flower shop against his will. ¡®This girl skips the whole formalities of me being a royal... I like it,¡¯ his thoughts rang out excitedly. And his wolf was in agreement. .................. Walking got them to the flower shop in a much longer time than the prince would have liked, but eventually, they were there. Instead of using a car, the girl stormed off without giving Drake a chance to point out the use of a car to travel faster, ¡°You know we could have gotten here a lot faster.¡± ¡°You royals like to unt around the money and power you have at your disposal. Walking is good for you. Besides, I needed the walk to think through whatever reasons my mother could have for keeping me here,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Are you saying you have an idea of her reasoning?¡± the prince asked her. ¡°Well...¡± the girl dragged it on while knocking at the door, ¡°Maybe...¡± The door opened only a moment after she had started knocking, ¡°Honour, I see you stayed behind. What a coincidence! We haven¡¯t tended to the shop in a week, love. Help me out with the flowers.¡± The girl sighed upon her mother¡¯s acting, ¡°Your lies still need a lot of practice.¡± Drake was chuckling at the antics. The two females knew each other too well. He¡¯d worried that Honour was jumping to conclusions earlier, but that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°Would you like some help?¡± he asked her. ¡°No, we¡¯ll handle everything no problem,¡± Honour replied. The prince surveyed the room, taking note of the indoor wilderness that had now grown disastrously without anyone to tend to it. ¡°Are you sure?¡± the prince asked. ¡°If you insist, I guess I don¡¯t mind you helping, but don¡¯t you have more important things to do right now?¡± the girl asked her. ¡°If I get something urgent, I will be contacted. At the moment, I shall help you since you are also part of the empire. In a way, I am still doing my job,¡± the prince gloated. The excuse was crystal clear, but Honour was d he wanted to help. ¡°Yeah, keep telling yourself that while you get to helping me prune the roses,¡± the girl replied with a giggle. ¡°Understood,¡± the prince bowed before getting the tools required to get the job done. Honour chuckled at his behaviour and nearly forgot she was supposed to be working as well. ¡°Hey, Honour, how in the world do you get through this shop? It¡¯s like a forest in here. I know it¡¯s a week, but this is a forest,¡± the man yelled from within the disaster of nt life, ¡°Ah, roses have thorns. Whyyyy?¡± he screamed, albeit unharmed. Honour bit back augh, ¡°Of course, they do. Don¡¯t you know the phrase ¡®as prickly as a rose,¡¯?¡± the girl asked amidst herughter. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Why would girls fancy a nt that¡¯s this vicious? Goddess, they are everywhere,¡± the man cried and hencemenced their morning of gardening. ¡®I¡¯m right here,¡¯ the girl thought to herself, imitating the role of the goddess he¡¯d called out to. It was the first time she¡¯d thought of something about the role that wasn¡¯t ominous... ¡®I wonder...¡¯ ..................... Lina enjoyed her hobby of spoiling people her age and letting Madeline watch episodes of her favourite shows on her tablet was just one way to do that. Madeline was bored at first, but as the story behind what they were watching started to make sense to her, she started to lose all her sleep and get glued to the screen before her. ¡®Mission aplished...¡¯ ¡°Careful, you two. One chatterbox is enough in this family,¡± Queen Martha warned as she noticed a new problem blooming right in front of her. ¡°Oh, I beg to differ. This way, I don¡¯t get to bother exining all of this to you simple-minded oldies,¡± Lina flipped her off. The queen¡¯s jaw dropped at her daughter¡¯s reply. ¡°You walked into that one, honey,¡± the king rubbed his wife¡¯s back. ¡°I know, my love. Though I guess I don¡¯t have to worry about getting an earful about a human surviving the wild. I wonder where they get the rogues he fights at some point. Perhaps they use the ones the hunters have in captivity,¡± the queen began to question. ¡°Well, you¡¯d probably know if you ever gave the man the chance to exin it all to you,¡± Lina interfered. ¡°These rogues are also acting. I doubt they have real rogues in the show,¡± Madeline suddenly interfered although her eyes remained pinned to the screen. ¡°Just when I was sure we were warding the conversation away from us, we stumble into it and in far more detail,¡± the kingmented, breaking the awkward silence that was about to build. ¡°Yeah, I guess so,¡± Lina replied. She watched the rogues on the screen more. The words she¡¯d heard Madeline say a moment ago reminded her of the rogues she¡¯d faced in the reserve. Remembering the feral murderous wolves made the ones in the video look more like a joke. How it had slipped her mind still bothered her. It was all the more proof that she had not been present during the entire fight in the reserve. The king noticed the change in her daughter¡¯s demeanour, ¡°Lina, you should be d you haven¡¯t been through something like your friend has.¡± ¡°On the contrary, I¡¯ve been protected my whole life. There was that time when I was abducted, but I barely felt that as well. I was unconscious the entire time. Katie was the one to save me that time,¡± the girl replied, ¡°Makes me wonder if there will ever be a time when I¡¯m useful.¡± ¡°Lina, you must realise that saving someone requires that person to be in danger in the first ce. Praying for something like that to happen would not exactly make you the hero you¡¯re trying to be,¡± the queen chuckled. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about it like that. It doesn¡¯t change what¡¯s been happening though. When everyone was attacked in the reserve, I didn¡¯t help either,¡± she replied. ¡°You¡¯re safe without a scratch on you. For those of us in this car, that¡¯s all that matters,¡± the king replied sternly, ¡°My familyes before my kingdom.¡± ¡°Is that why you argued with Katie that day?¡± Lina asked him. ¡°Yes, that is why we disagreed, but...¡± the man got sad, ¡°I waspletely wrong then. Katie had taken everything into consideration. I don¡¯t think I would have had anyone take care of it any better than she did. She acknowledged her weakness and put her trust in others to take care of the pack while she positioned herself in the one ce that would let her get rid of most of the rogues without spending too much energy in case a beta alpha had shown up. I was impressed.¡± ¡°Those are highplimentsing from you,¡± Queen Martha eximed. ¡°Yeah, they are. I just wish I had told her that before she rushed off into that ne. She wouldn¡¯t let herself get any kind of rest. Drake¡¯s report was thorough. The girl¡¯s an enigma...¡± Chapter 294 294 Broken Home The Golden Moon Pack was ready to receive the royals when they arrived, having gotten the information about their arrival a littlete and very abruptly. The king was impressed by the speed with which the pack got ready to receive them. The alpha of the Golden Moon pack along with his heir was waiting for them at the pack house and looked to have been waiting for a while even if they had only been there a few minutes. King Davin chose to keep his detection of the sentries a secret. It was only natural for the pack to know precisely when the royals would be arriving. The cars were weed and led to the parking lot of the packhouse. The king was impressed by their take on nature. They built as little with unnatural materials as they could and it kept the wilderness growing freely and beautifully around them turning their humble pack into a perfect integration of nature and man-made structures. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to have you, your majesty,¡± the alpha greeted when the king stepped out of the car. However, as more royals stepped out of the car, the man realised his error. The wolves that hade with him to wee the king bowed in the presence of the three royals, ¡°Allow me to correct my words, your majesties. It¡¯s a pleasure to have you all visit our humble pack. I trust your journey here was...fortable and not too long.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not every day three royals set out to visit a ce such as this on a whim,¡± the king replied, ¡°When you¡¯re the king of an empire, you learn to love a nice road trip.¡± ¡°I do remember simr tales of your family travelling on a whim to a remote town known as Brigadia,¡± the alpha replied, his voice filled with wonder. The man was clearly in the dark about the happenings of the visit, ¡°I used to go there myself for their lovely festival.¡± ¡°Oh, that... Yes, we had to pick a member of the family that had been living there. I don¡¯t think I would count that. In any case, we didn¡¯te here for the asional royal visit,¡± the king spoke, emphasizing an authoritative tone in his voice. ..... ¡°I thought it was unlikely for the king to make an abrupt visit such without a reason,¡± the man replied with a chuckle, ¡°To what may I owe the pleasure?¡± ¡°More like to whom?¡± the king replied allowing Madeline to step out from behind them. The alpha¡¯s eyes widened in concern when he saw the girl. Madeline wouldn¡¯t meet the man¡¯s eyes under all the attention she¡¯d gathered. Her cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment. ¡°Thank the goddess. I thought we¡¯d lost you,¡± the king sighed in relief. His shoulders slumped and released a tension he hadn¡¯t known he was holding. However, there was no smile to grace his face. Instead, the deep-set creases in his forehead only deepened with worry, ¡°However, you¡¯re not the first ones here on this matter and I fear for worse news to be uncovered.¡± ¡°Is anyone injured?¡± the king asked with growing concern. The alpha was silent for a moment, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to make of it, your majesty. I guess it would be best for you toe and take a look for yourself.¡± The alpha then turned and began to lead the king¡¯s party to the house of the Seeker. Curiosity burned in their hearts as they yearned to get to the bottom of whatever it was they were dealing with. Soon enough, they¡¯d arrived at the cottage that was meant to be Madeline¡¯s home. Lina noticed the girl who¡¯d been walking beside her slow down the closer they got to the house. The two of them soon fell behind the rest of the group. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± she asked Madeline, ¡°You can stay behind if you don¡¯t want to...¡± The girl swallowed in fear before shaking the thoughts from her head violently, ¡°No, I want to go in. It¡¯s just... scary. He was here... in my house. I don¡¯t think I can be as brave as my grandmother that day. She barely flinched,¡± the girl said, a shiver running down her spine as she remembered the suffocating presence of the rogue king. ¡°Well, she might have just been faking it. Who knows? Your grandmother is your grandmother. No one said you have to be like her. You¡¯re meant to be you. Her strength is not the same as yours. Someone once told me that strengthes in many different forms,¡± Lina said, cing her hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder. At that moment, the girl jerked back from the girl as though Lina¡¯s hand was made of fire and gripped the spot her hand had just touched. Lina noticed the way her eyes shed bright silver before settling down into their calm grey that she covered up with amber, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The girl was stunned for a moment before replying, ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure. It just felt like I had relived one of the moments that night,¡± the girl replied. Lina wanted to pry further but noticed the horror in the girl¡¯s voice. What was odd, however, was that for the first time in her life, she wasn¡¯t curious to know what had made the girl flinch. ¡®It must be something bad if neither I nor my wolf wants nothing to do with it,¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡°Very well,¡± she replied, lending the girl her hand, ¡°Would you want toe in then?¡± Madeline reluctantly took her hand, as if afraid to touch Lina again, and followed her into the house. On the inside of the house, the living room was organised. Without the scent of blood, there was no way any of them could tell what had happened. A man was standing by the seat Madeline remembered her grandmother to be seated in, ¡°This is where the civilian was,¡± the man mumbled to himself. ¡°Yeah, that is where she was,¡± Madeline replied involuntarily, ¡°That¡¯s where she always sits... or sat in this case.¡± The man looked up to see her. His hair was ck and short and the muscles beneath his dark green shirt were toned and clearly visible. If it wasn¡¯t for the leather biker jacket that covered added more coverage to the man¡¯s body, he would have been considered a walking statue of perfection. His eyes flew between her and the stairs that led up to her room as though he was trying to piece together one thing after the other. Before the man could speak, a deep voice filled with authority interrupted him. ¡°Who are you?¡± the king demanded. Chapter 295 295 Micah The man looked around, taking note of the new guests, ¡°My name is Micah Chase. Living under my brother¡¯s shadow makes it hard to be recognised. Now that Tom and Marie are back in the picture, it¡¯s going to be even harder,¡± The man replied, standing up only to bow to the royals in the room. ¡°Micah Chase, I thought you were still in Lycaon,¡± King Davin asked, calming at the mention of one of the members of the renowned family of hunters. ¡°I was supposed to be there, but Thorrin detected trouble in this part of Sirius. Since it was raining heavily at the time, there was nothing he or any of us could do. The rogue king definitely was here, but I don¡¯t understand what he was doing here. He came and only tampered with one home. He also left no carnage in his wake. There is no blood or bodies. No sign of a struggle. None of it makes sense,¡± the man said, speaking more to himself while still trying to find clues to what happened in the house. ¡°The Chase family keeping tabs on the rogue king again,¡± the king chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s more like Thorrin chasing his hunches. Although he¡¯s not the only one that does that. The most interesting story that¡¯s still going around is that of a hunter who flew from Sirius just to intercept the escaping Rogue King.¡± ¡°Katie says the Rogue King was not to be allowed to escape by any means necessary. Any idea what she was so afraid of?¡± Queen Martha asked Micah. ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m more interested in how the man escaped the dungeons,¡± Micah cursed. Silence took over the entire room... an awkward silence that demanded the attention of everyone in the room. The king was the first to look around for reasons for the end to the asional murmuring. The werewolves of the Golden Moon pack would not look him straight in the eye. The silence was so thick that it felt like one could cut through it with a de, ¡°Is there something I should know?¡± Micah looked up in time to hear the exnation, ¡°The traitor that set the rogue king free was from our pack, your majesty.¡± The alpha admitted. As it had turned out, the Golden Moon pack were aware of the betrayal. ..... ¡°Ah, Victor, if I remember the name correctly,¡± the king nodded. ¡°Yeah, Victor...¡± the king cut him off. ¡°What was he doing in the capital again? I thought he¡¯d been demoted,¡± the king asked. ¡°I see you¡¯re informed. No doubt Madeline told you everything. He asked Lionel to let him prove his worth to the prince, iming he would never be able to be given his rank back if he sat down and did nothing. His courage was inspiring. None of us was able to look past his deception,¡± one of the deltas began to exin. ¡°How did youe to learn of his treachery?¡± the king asked the alpha. This time, he turned to his son, Lionel. Lionel sighed and looked up at the king. Despite the terror that assailed him when he locked eyes with the king¡¯s blue orbs, he continued, ¡°He confronted me on that day... after drugging my drink with a sleeping draught. It was his own sick way of getting a reaction out of me after leading him to the rogue king myself.¡± Micah stopped his obsession with the room and walked to the girl standing beside Lina. Intimidated by the man¡¯s sudden interest in her, Madeline¡¯s eyes began to shift back to grey, her focus on keeping them amber wavering under the scrutinisation. ¡°You were here that night, weren¡¯t you?¡± The girl nodded, taking a step back from the hunter. Realising his awkward mistake, he stepped out of her personal space, ¡°Apologies... I just figured you were the missing piece of the puzzle.¡± ¡°Is my grandmother still alive?¡± the girl asked him. Micah was silent for a bit, ¡°I honestly can¡¯t tell. There was no sign of a struggle as far as I can see from the state of this living room. Considering no one else in the whole pack was attacked, the rogue king probably came here for a reason. One that I think you might know. I don¡¯t know why he chose this house to attack. I see nothing special about it, but I do think he took your grandmother alive for a reason. Care to share?¡± The girl sighed, secretly relieved he didn¡¯t say the rogue king had killed her. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t mean she was safe either. Madeline started exining the story of her escape and thest moments she saw her grandmother. The whole time, the members of her pack that were present paid attention to what she was saying critically. A few of them couldn¡¯t help but stand proud when they heard the way the Seeker had handled herself in the presence of the rogue king. The alpha of the pack walked about the room when she was done with her story, ¡°The rogue king is going to try his best to get whatever information he thinks he can get out of the woman.¡± ¡°What of the Origin? Is that important to him?¡± the queen asked them. ¡°I don¡¯t know, honestly. It¡¯s more like a mystery really. No one has ever seen it. It¡¯s only a tale and even if the king finds it, I¡¯ve heard that he might not be able to use it, but who can tell?¡± ¡°What is the Origin exactly?¡± Lina asked, irritated after hearing the term so many times. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just something the hunters can never forget,¡± Micah interrupted them, taking a seat and crossing his legs, ¡°It is said to be the ce where the two original werewolves were given their power. The ce where moon goddess touched the ground on the day she first arrived to curse her first two followers. It¡¯s said that each time shees down, the ce she sets foot on, transforms into a field of moon lotuses. But then again, those are all stories.¡± ¡°Stories... legends... that¡¯s all we have to go on right now,¡± the king sighed, ¡°Madeline, you¡¯ll be living at the pce back in Sirius.¡± ¡°What? Madeline is a member of the...¡± one of the deltas began to oppose him when the king turned to face him furiously. ¡°There will be no further discussion on this matter. One Seeker is already missing. I don¡¯t intend to have let another go missing as well,¡± he said with a hint of finality. The delta backed away from the king as he marched out of the cottage. ¡®What on earth is going on here?¡¯ the king¡¯s thoughts thrashed about his mind in search of an answer. A wave of frustration echoed through his mind. He desperately wanted to find an answer to at least one question in the raging sea that assailed his mind. But s, he would not be granted one... Not so soon at least... Chapter 296 296 Do not despair Honour, with the help of the prince and next to no help from her mother, was done pruning (and sometimes hacking at branches that had grown a little too much). With well-exined instructions from the girl, they both managed to put the flower shop back in order after three hours without incidents( there might have been a few). The prince rushed the trash out of the shop and came back in as Honour ced thest pot on disy. Wiping the sweat from his brow, ¡°This is no easy task, you know.¡± ¡°It gets hard the moment you don¡¯t take delight in doing it,¡± the girl replied, barely showing a hint of exhaustion from the work they¡¯d been doing. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would ever find chores impressive. You don¡¯t even look a little worn out. You should take some delight in the morning training drills,¡± Drake joked, pouring himself a drink from the water dispenser. Honourughed out loud at his joke, ¡°Now that would be something. But if it were the case, then Katie would have infinite endurance.¡± The prince came around and watched as the girl¡¯s fingers wouldn¡¯t let go of the petals of thest nt she¡¯d ced in its ce, ¡°You really love flowers, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t? They are so delicate and beautiful,¡± the girl swooned over the vibrant colours of the flowers within the shop, ¡°Each one is unique in its own way as if mother nature knows the meaning of beauty(which I think she does) and they are always around for just a short amount of time, gracing the world with their beautiful colours just before they fade away. The nt then works to bring more colour to this world. That short moment the flower blooms means a lot.¡± In her rambling, she willed the nt before her to disy the process she envisioned in her mind. Forgetting about the royal¡¯s presence, the nt began to grow buds which bloomed immediately into vibrant yellow flowers. ..... The petals bloomed so fast that they were flung from the bases of the flower, fluttering about in a beautiful spiral motion of yellow radiance. The sudden movement startled the girl for a moment. Noticing her error, she remained quiet and waited for the prince to speak. ¡°That exins why the nts in this shop grow so fast and are the prettiest, might I add. Just like the one that tends to them.¡± Skipping over the obviouspliment, Honour whipped around so she could stare the prince straight in the face. The expression that met her gaze wasn¡¯t one she¡¯d expected at all. While one would be frightened after seeing something like that, Drake was barely shaken. ¡°Aren¡¯t you freaked out?¡± Honour asked him. ¡°Not really... not after what I have seen in the past few weeks. I watched my sister put the rogue king in a tight spot, harnessing divine energy to levels I could not begin to believe possible. You are sort of like the cherry on top,¡± the prince chuckled, rubbing the back of his head nervously. However, when he did, Honour noticed a freshly bleeding cut running along his middle finger. Honour¡¯s smile faded almost immediately. She hurried forward and reached for his hand,Drake, you¡¯re hurt,¡± the girl eximed, her voice filled with worry. ¡°Oh, this will heal... you don¡¯t have to...¡± the man was immediately silenced when a chilling sensation went through him yet leaving a warm feeling in its wake. Puzzled, he watched the wound on his hand close up almost instantly. In a matter of seconds, the wound was gone and hadn¡¯t even left a scar behind. Honour, who hadn¡¯t been able to control that much of her power before was mystified by what happened. However, this time she¡¯d taken note of what triggered her powers into doing her bidding. That mental note aside, there was now the case of the royal standing in front of her. He¡¯d witnessed her using her powers twice now. She looked up from his hand with a pained expression. It was a silent plea. ¡°Your secret is safe with me, Honour. For as long as keeping it won¡¯t put anyone else in danger,¡± the man winked. Without giving her much room to exin herself, ¡°Now, what¡¯s next on your to-do list?¡± A sense of relief washed over the girl along with one of longing. Not knowing the source of her odd feelings, she couldn¡¯t deny she wished she could exin everything to him. She shook off the thoughts that gued her mind and spoke up, ¡°Pushing you back to the pce where you shall tend to the rest of your duties.¡± ¡°What... no, those are already taken care of. You have to believe me. I don¡¯t...¡± ¡°No excuses, we are going to the pce right now,¡± the girl shouted over the sound of his voice. The prince chuckled at her attempt, but followed her lead nheless, ¡°Mother, I have finished tending to the flowers, like you wanted me to.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re such a dear. Have fun you two,¡± the woman replied, turning Honour¡¯s face red. To hide the reaction, the girl continued to drag the prince outside, keeping her face to his back. ¡°Move it, Sirius...¡± ...... It was almost dusk when Honour yawned out of sheer boredom. Drake had been seated at his father¡¯s desk for what felt like ten hours but was in fact just three. The two of them had made it to the pce and had ate lunch before Honour forcefully dragged the prince to take care of his father¡¯s work. Drake was loving the attention. There was a lot of work at the king¡¯s desk that he needed to go through. ¡°Ugh, is this all the king does every day?¡± the girl yawned, helping Drake file one more document before stretching her arms. ¡°More or less... It gets worse when there is intion or during the festive and harvest seasons. Too many people sought his approval for many of their ideas in the capital and others quarrelled overnd. It¡¯s nuts,¡± the prince replied. Noticing the girl¡¯s obvious boredom, he stopped what he was doing, ¡°How about we go for a walk?¡± ¡°That would be nice. Do you have that kind of time to spare?¡± she asked him. ¡°No, not really, but I do have something I need to check out,¡± the man responded, his face getting somewhat worried. ¡°Very well, what is it?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, Crysta was missing in the morning. I want to go out and ask whether she has been found yet,¡± the man replied. He then scrunched his eyebrows in worry... there was something else he wasn¡¯t saying. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you start with that? We¡¯ve been going through useless papers about people filingints. Look at this,¡± Honour held up one of the papers they had just been through, caring not for folding it too roughly, ¡°This was someoneining that her mate was cheating on her or at least she suspected it.¡± ¡°I was expecting to find missing persons report in one of these pointing out that Crysta was missing, but after I didn¡¯t find it, I assumed she was found. That is the procedure, but then again, I have tried contacting her and I haven¡¯t received a response through the mind link and none from Bree either,¡± the prince replied, ¡°I have a bad feeling about this.¡± ¡°Who else knew about this?¡± Honour asked. ¡°Lina knew, but I can guess she¡¯s been overwhelmed by Madeline¡¯s case that she might have forgotten,¡± Drake replied thoughtfully, ¡°Bree was also with her when the two of them discovered the girl had gone oddly silent.¡± ¡°What are we still doing here? Let¡¯s go check her room first,¡± Honour urged him out of his seat. Drake was out the door faster than she could follow before he remembered she couldn¡¯t exactly keep up with a royal¡¯s speed. ¡°Youing...¡± he called after her. The girl snapped out of her daze and hurried up to him. ¡®He¡¯s no Katie, but he¡¯s still fast...¡¯ ¡°You know I am... Lina would never forgive herself if something happened to that Delta,¡± Honour mentioned. Drake wanted to ask what that was supposed to mean but decided against it. He had known the two were getting close, but Honour¡¯s description of their rtionship didn¡¯t make sense to him. ¡®I thought Crysta didn¡¯t like Lina... at all.¡¯ They reached her room and just like before, there was no reply from the other side. Honour got out her phone and tried dialling her number. After a while, Drake asked her to keep quiet for a moment. The prince then closed his eyes and began to focus. He was far too focused to notice that as he closed his eyes, white fur slowly grew from his face and his ears elongated tapering into tips with the aim of gathering all the sound they could. He sorted through the many sounds and searched for the one sound he was looking for, ¡°I can hear her cell phone ringing.¡± When he was sure about the source of the ringtone, he rushed through the hallways in pursuit of the phone. Honour knew she only had to keep calling the phone and let him follow the sound of its ringtone. She kept track of him through the mind link and made her way through the pce. ¡®Was... was Drake always capable of a half shift?¡¯ The royal led her out of the pce and into the forest bordering the backyard. She found Drake staring at a phone in a purple case vibrating on the ground... In a pool of dried blood... Honour¡¯s blood went cold at the sight, ¡°Is that... Crysta¡¯s phone?¡± Drake didn¡¯t reply, his mind working on the next step, ¡°Have you heard from her friends?¡± ¡°You mean Bree, Ginger or Lina? I haven¡¯t heard from any of them,¡± Honour replied quickly. ¡°Bree knew she was missing as well,¡± Drake said more to himself. Searching the mind link, ¡°Try calling her phone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have Bree¡¯s number, Drake, but it shouldn¡¯t be hard to get,¡± the girl replied, searching her phone for someone else who could help. It did not take them long to figure out that Crysta¡¯s friends had gone missing as well. ¡°Why don¡¯t we try calling her parents?¡± ¡°Crysta¡¯s guardians are ambassadors for the king. She lives on her own,¡± Drake replied. A short whileter, the prince mmed his fist into a nearby tree, ¡°How didn¡¯t we pick up any form of distress through the mind link?¡± ¡°Either both of them were caught off guard and knocked unconscious before they had the chance to call for help or they were led away by someone they trusted... at least, that¡¯s what I can say for the others. Crysta was definitely knocked out. I don¡¯t want to think about what could be happening to...,¡± Honour stopped in her rambling. She didn¡¯t want to give in to despair. Drake began pacing about, ¡°Can¡¯t you follow her scent?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been far too long now. With the scent this faint, there is only one wolf I know capable of following such a trail. If we could find the ce Bree or Ginger were captured, we could be able to follow those scents,¡± the prince replied. Honour noticed his tone... the tone of someone who had already given up on their chances of saving the girls. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t give up now. Think about Crysta and her friends for a moment. If you were in their shoes, what would be going through your mind at the moment,¡± the girl asked. ¡°I would be seeking ways to escape and break out before...¡± ¡°You¡¯re a royal, Drake. Deltas don¡¯t have the power that you do,¡± Honour scolded him. Drake fell silent, staring the girl in the eyes. ¡°I would be hoping to be saved by someone. Anyone would do, I guess,¡± he guessed, ¡°I don¡¯t want to think about what they could have been through already.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t give up on them, you know.¡± ¡°No, we can¡¯t,¡± his mind worked on finding different ways to save the girls. As he thought through a solution, he began his broadcast to the entire pack, notifying them to stay vignt and report anyone else that had gone missing. As he addressed the pack, a voice interrupted him. ¡°Perhaps, I could be of help,¡± a man greeted them. Chapter 297 297 Captivity The prince and girl turned to face the new arrival. Drake hadn¡¯t even heard the man approach him. In his hand, he held Crysta¡¯s cell phone and from the looks of it, he had already surveyed the scene, ¡°I came as fast as I could. How many have gone missing?¡± the man¡¯s familiar voice rang out. ¡®Where have I seen this man before?¡¯ Honour wed through her memories in search of the man¡¯s face, but couldn¡¯t seem to find it. To her surprise, Drake looked a little relieved instead of startled by the man¡¯s sudden appearance, ¡°I can¡¯t be sure yet. I have confirmed that three are missing, but they are from those I¡¯m aware of. I didn¡¯t expect to see you this far from Lycaon, Thomas Chase.¡± The man¡¯s face snapped into focus in the girl¡¯s mind. She¡¯d seen him at the reserve. This was Katie¡¯s guardian and one of the famed Chase hunters. ¡°Well, I was supposed to be watching the newest member of the Chase family, by my senses have been picking up random pieces of Trouble all over the world. The Chase family has been distributed after only justing together after a long time. It¡¯s a tragedy honestly,¡± the man sighed. ¡°Drake?¡± the girl spoke out, sensing the power that came from him. She¡¯d never been introduced to the hunter before. ¡°This is Thomas Chase. He¡¯s Katie¡¯s adoptive father,¡± Drake replied and the man took a simple bow. ¡°So you would be Katie¡¯s father figure. The photographer behind all her coveted baby pictures,¡± the girl responded. Thomas chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t start pointing fingers. It wasn¡¯t my idea to take those. I can¡¯t wait for the time I¡¯ll embarrass her with them though.¡± ..... ¡°Do you know where the girls have been taken?¡± Drake asked him, noticing them drifting off-topic. ¡°No, I don¡¯t know that and I doubt we¡¯ll be able to find out either. The only thing we can do is trap whoever has captured them. If I¡¯d arrived a little earlier, I would have found them, but by the time the ne touched the ground, the trail had gone cold. I could only find one of thest ces I detected trouble and this was one of them,¡± the man exined. ¡°How much do you know concerning our situation?¡± ¡°I was eavesdropping. It seems the rogues know how the power of the Chase family works,¡± the man observed. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± the prince asked. ¡°Well, we can detect the murderous intent of the rogues. If I¡¯m correct, the girl is still alive. And for as long as the rogues don¡¯t kill them, we won¡¯t be able to track them using my abilities. However, that doesn¡¯t keep them from dying from other means like starvation,¡± the man exined, frustration leaking into his voice, ¡°I was thinking...¡± ¡°You have my attention,¡± the prince gestured for him to proceed. ¡°You said three people had already vanished. It could be possible that we ca set a trap for the culprits. I had to say it but we¡¯d need bait,¡± he said to the prince, smirking at the girl behind him. Honour took longer than she would have liked but when she did, she groaned, ¡°How are we going to draw them out exactly? You seem to have everything figured out?¡± ¡°Well, to be honest, I¡¯m only using the information you¡¯ve given me. So far, we only know that the culprit captured the girl that you called Crysta along with her friends. You talked about her guardians and they are unreachable. From the looks of it, the three victims are all rted. I would think the culprit intended to make it impossible to be discovered in time. Is there anyone else that would have been willing to check on her in a short while? Maybe we can pick up on a pattern here,¡± the man asked. ¡°She pushed away the only other people that were that close to her in light of recent events. Liam and Wyatt don¡¯t seem to mind where...¡± ¡°Have you been able to find her yet?¡± a male voice interrupted them. ¡°Talk of the devil,¡± Honour pinched the bridge of her nose after hearing Liam¡¯s voice, ¡°What do you want, Liam? Didn¡¯t you hear the prince mention you were to move in groups and not once let your guard down?¡± ¡°Look at you acting like you¡¯re in charge. I¡¯ll just ignore you and wait for my answer. Have you found the girl yet or not?¡± Liam dismissed the girl. ¡°You will treat her with respect, Liam,¡± Drake spoke to him. The alpha¡¯s eyes widened in shock at the man¡¯s words. They were practically sphemy to him, but his experience with the royals had taught him more than to get into an argument with them. ¡°Very well. I apologise for my disrespect. It was wrong of me. Happy now?¡± he forced a smile. ¡°Huh, it¡¯s not like you to simply ept, so I¡¯ll take what I can get. As for your question, we don¡¯t know anything... yet. You know she¡¯s not the only one missing?¡± the prince told him. ¡°Yeah, I know that, but she¡¯s the only one missing that I actually care about. The ones that followed her weren¡¯t as important,¡± Liam replied, folding his arms across his chest. ¡°You can be so heartless and proud of it at the same time,¡± Honour was amused by the man¡¯s character. ¡°Look who¡¯s figured it out,¡± he rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh Liam, you didn¡¯t really mean all those mean things you just said?¡± Wyatt shouted from the exit at the back of the castle as he jogged towards them. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean them, but I would be morefortable to have you take Crysta¡¯s ce in all this,¡± he yelled back at the approaching alpha. ¡°Haha, very funny... You would probably be captured immediately as well, just like Bree and Ginger to keep the royals from noticing,¡± Wyatt replied. His voice didn¡¯t mirror the venom in Liam¡¯s voice. It was calm... and almost hurt... ¡®Get a grip, Honour. Wyatt is not capable of feeling hurt,¡¯ the girl shook off the illusions. ¡°I can¡¯t believe something useful came from all this useless banter,¡± the prince sighed, ¡°So they capture someone along with everyone that can tell that they¡¯ve gone missing so that their trail will run cold before anyone has noticed. While this is just one way to look at it, it¡¯s a step in some direction. Why though?¡± the prince pondered. ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s because...¡± Honour stopped her sentence when a foreign consciousness invaded her mind. It was simr to the time when Katie had forced her to sync with her... After a short pause, she spoke up, ¡°I think I might be able to lead us to Crysta.¡± That was all she said before allowing herself to shift for the first time in many moons. Honour very rarely shifted in her life and chose not to... for her wolf was just as weak as she was. While it was stronger than her physical body, it was nothingpared to the strength of the average wolf. Without warning, she rushed off into the woods, following the voice and feel of the mind that had reached out to her. ¡®We don¡¯t have much time, Drake,¡¯ she yelled through the mind link, ¡®She sounds really weak.¡¯ The girl¡¯s frightened voice spurred the prince into motion. In a few seconds, arge white wolf with a ck patch on its back stood in his ce and darted in Honour¡¯s direction. ¡°Now we are getting somewhere,¡± Thomas Sirius eximed, using his bow and arrow tounch himself off the ground and send him soaring through the woods and in pursuit of the small(well, as small as a werewolf could ever be) grey wolf that had just left. Arrows that were tied to strong cords were used in this fashion usually by hunters that didn¡¯t have Agility gifts. When Katie received her gifts, the man had put off teaching her this technique any further. The man was airborne and tearing through the woods before the two alphas could tell what was happening. They shifted as well and followed, catching up to Honour with no problem at all. The grey wolf¡¯s speed left little to be desired. ................ The taste of blood, the smell of wolfsbane and the throbbing pain that purged her head were the first things that were made clear to the waking delta. Crysta groaned in pain as she struggled to get up. The sudden motion dosed her with an immense dose of dizziness that had her reeling to empty the contents of her stomach. Without having had breakfast that day, there was nothing to eject from her stomach and so the girl was only heaving painfully on the ground. When the painful ordeal was done, she copsed on the cold hard floor again, the scent of loam floor making its way into her nostrils. She hadn¡¯t managed to open her eyes yet and she was already feeling her consciousness drifting away. It took everything to stay awake. Her throat was dry and she was both thirsty and hungry. Voices started to make their way to her ears, ¡°What do you think happened to her?¡± one asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but she doesn¡¯t look so good. That wound at the back of her head worries me. We need to get her to the doctor quickly,¡± another came. ¡°Forget that, Ginger. We can barely move. Not to mention we don¡¯t know where we are,¡± the girlined. This time, Crysta recognised the voices. Her memories hurt to return, but she could barely focus on anything. ¡°Would you two shut up? You¡¯re making the headache worse,¡± she whispered. ¡°Crysta, you¡¯re awake. Crysta, we¡¯ve been worried,¡± Bree yelled to get her attention which was the absolute opposite of what the girl wanted to hear. ¡°Quiet down, Bree. Didn¡¯t you hear what she just said? Keep your voice down, already,¡± Ginger tried. ¡°Oh, st it. She doesn¡¯t get to order us around after the way she¡¯s been treating us,¡± Bree yelled back at her friend, ¡°Crysta, how could you prioritise that usurper over us?¡± ¡°Are we really going to do this now?¡± Crysta coughed, this time trying her best to get up without triggering another wave of dizziness. Her muscles hurt so much that she was barely able to hold her weight. ¡°When else shall we do this? When or if we do get out of here, you¡¯ll just go back to ignoring us and tending to everything that royal wants,¡± Bree yelled. Crysta¡¯s head rattled with more pain as the girl yelled at her. She got up and felt something cold at her wrists. Touching them confirmed what they were, cuffs attached to chains that restrained her. She didn¡¯t need to open her eyes to know where they were. ¡°Lina is my friend, just like the two of you,¡± she replied through gritted teeth. She held her eyes shut as though keeping her head from exploding from the headache and massaging her temples. ¡°I wish I could believe that,¡± Ginger chuckled when Bree didn¡¯t answer her. Crysta kept her breathing steady for a while, focusing on only that while she tried to think of what to tell her friends. She had indeed been ignoring them for a while and she hadn¡¯t even taken their feelings into consideration. ¡°Bree, Ginger, I¡¯m sorry...¡± pausing for a bit before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m honestly nearly at my limit in all this. I was hoping to rekindle the friendship I¡¯ve wanted to restore for years now.¡± ¡°What do you mean, years? You¡¯ve shown no interest in Lina since the day you acknowledged she was weaker than you,¡± Bree snickered. Crysta sighed, cringing at the memory of the day she abandoned the only person she¡¯d considered her best friend, ¡°And that is the day I regret the most in my life.¡± Chapter 298 298 Treason Bree and Ginger were taken aback by the girl¡¯s statement. To them, that had been a moment of realisation that the royal was indeed beneath them... And who better to prove it than the strongest of all the females their age? Crysta hadpletely shamed Lina in front of all their peers. With Liam and Wyatt¡¯s backing, they had put Lina in her ce, ¡°Stop lying to yourself, Crysta. You were ecstatic that day. The girl that had always gotten the special treatment just because of the colour of her eyes was getting what she deserved.¡± ¡°Enough, Bree. That¡¯s not what was supposed to happen that day. Liam and Wyatt staged all of it. If they had shamed Lina themselves with the risk of me standing up against them, it wouldn¡¯t have gone well and they knew it. They would have looked like the bad guys. After all, Lina already didn¡¯t like them. So they set me up... No, I was too much of a coward. I hid behind the fact that Lina was not physically strong like the rest of us and I continued to hide my guilt, trying to make myself feel better... That was until someone else showed up and showed... no, reminded me of the power of a royal.¡± To herself, the girl thought, ¡®Those blue eyes don¡¯t grace anyone by mistake.¡¯ ¡°Katie Sirius is not here anymore. You know...¡± ¡°Katie is not the reason I switched sides. Katie was just the one who made me realise I was being a fool. That girl doesn¡¯t even care about the battles we have with each other. The rankings of royals, betas and deltas... she doesn¡¯t care about any of it. She could talk to about anyone and treat everyone the same. While the royals demand respect, she still shows those weaker than her the same respect if the situation requires it,¡± Crysta said to them. ..... ¡°She looked like a brute to me,¡± Ginger huffed. ¡°Oh, she definitely is a brute. She will use her fists against thew itself if the situation called for it,¡± the girl chuckled, ¡°But all that showed me one other thing, she wasn¡¯t the kind of person that could betray Lina. Even when we thought she could do nothing to Liam and Wyatt, she went ahead and stripped them of their right to seed their fathers as alphas of their packs. I was already inspired far before she even did that,¡± the girl continued, ¡°I wanted to fix what I had broken all those years ago. I had to be Lina¡¯s friend again no matter what.¡± ¡°What does that make us then?¡± Bree asked her, this time in a quieter tone. ¡°That makes you the friends that wouldn¡¯t support me when it mattered,¡± Crysta replied. ¡°No way. Lina doesn¡¯t deserve that kind of respect and you know it. She¡¯ll only have us demoted like the others. We can¡¯t trust...¡± ¡°Do you even hear what you¡¯re saying, Ginger? What do you even know about Lina Sirius? She¡¯s done nothing to any of us. When we chose to abandon her and she did nothing. We stabbed her in the back and made her life hell every chance we got... But not even once did she even think about revenge. I was honestly jealous of someone with a heart that full,¡± Crysta chuckled. ¡°If her heart was really that full, why hasn¡¯t she epted you back as a friend?¡± Ginger spat, ¡°Don¡¯t go and start thinking that now that she¡¯s back in the den, she¡¯ll just forget everything you did to her.¡± ¡°You have it wrong, Ginger. I will never forget what I have done. Each time I said something against her or raised my hand against her, the moment was engraved into my memory. Each time I looked at her scornfully, I felt worse than any of you had the chance to notice.¡± Thinking about the princess, Crysta overlooked her headache subsiding. The horror retreated to the back of her mind, allowing her to think more. Everything she¡¯d been holding back from her friends was finallying out. She hadn¡¯t told anyone about why she was doing what she had done. This was the first time she was telling anyone. While the two ¡®friends¡¯ she¡¯d kept at her side were not the kind to get sentimental, they had stuck with her for years... That had to count for something, didn¡¯t it? ¡°So what? It¡¯s not like the past is going to change just because you had a slumber party,¡± Ginger shrieked, rage pouring out of her voice. Crysta¡¯s eyes shot open for the first time since she¡¯d sat up and her blood went cold. The ground was made of loose moist loam. The remnants of the scents of rain were rich in the cave they were in. Her eyes easily adjusted to the dim lighting in the cave. She looked up and came face to face with a raging Ginger. The girl was standing in front of her with her hands crossed over her chest. To her right, Bree was tied up the same way as Crysta was, but had a blindfold over her eyes, ¡°Ginger...¡± the rest of her words wouldn¡¯t leave her mouth once she had seen her friend staring at her with scorn. ¡®H... how did she know about the slumber party?¡¯ the question reverberated through the girl¡¯s mind, rousing the headache that had only recently simmered down. ¡°You were once the cool one, you know,¡± the girl said to her, ¡°But now look at you, bowing to someone you¡¯ve scorned for the bigger half of your life. You¡¯re pathetic, do you know that?¡± ¡°Ginger, what is the meaning of this?¡± the girl asked. ¡°No, you don¡¯t get to say anything, Crysta. You don¡¯t get to judge me. You only get to watch as I kill the precious girl you¡¯ve been working so hard to be friends with.¡± ¡°Huh, but she¡¯s a member of the royal family. Why would you do such...¡± ¡°Royal my foot, Crysta. You of all people should be able to understand me. You said it yourself all those years ago and for years that followed. She¡¯s an abomination that¡¯s not worthy of her ce in the royal family. I¡¯m only doing you a favour,¡± the girl replied with a sly smile. The logic itself sounded so far-fetched... as though Ginger was channelling someone else entirely. ¡®Is that what I sounded like?¡¯ ¡°Crysta, what¡¯s happening? What are you guys talking about? I lost track of the conversation,¡± Bree asked from her ce on the ground, sounding panicked. ¡°Rx, Bree. Nothing that concerns you anyway. I¡¯m only trying to get our friend back from that witch¡¯s spell. Yeah, that¡¯s what it must be. The girlpelled you to grovel at her feet, didn¡¯t she?¡± Ginger smiled as she figured out the reasons for her Crysta¡¯s erratic behaviour. ¡°No, Ginger. That¡¯s not what happened. Haven¡¯t you been listening to everything I have told you?¡± Crysta yelled, the strain had her head reeling with another dizzy spell and one hell of a pounding headache. ¡°Oh, you shouldn¡¯t exert yourself too much. That wolfsbane really hits hard,¡± Ginger cooed, crouching down next to Crysta¡¯s weakened form. Cuts were littered all over her forearms, glistening with the familiar purplish toxin. Ginger lifted Crysta¡¯s head by the chin so they would look each other in the eye, ¡°You know, I¡¯ve always envied your green eyes. They are beautiful... You would waste all your power in service to an abomination like that.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not an abomination,¡± Crysta argued through gritted teeth. ¡°Oh my... Her mind control must really be powerful. Just what limits do the royals have when ites topelling others? Perhaps they can even turn your memoriespletely different to fuel their ambitions. How did you let that weakling get the jump on you? Oh, don¡¯t answer that. It¡¯s obvious. You¡¯ve been growing soft. After all, how would a rogue be able to get the jump on you that easily?¡± Crysta¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock as she heard the girl speak of a rogue, ¡°What rogue?¡± ¡°Oh, did you really think I had brought you here all on my own? I had some help,¡± the girlughed, whipping her hair back in pride, ¡°Come in... Amanda.¡± Just then, a woman walked in from the small sign of daylight up ahead. From what Crysta could tell, they were in a cave that dipped below the ground,pletely blocking out the light of day. ¡°Is there something you would like me to do for you? Anyone else you know that could follow us this far?¡± ¡°Oh no... We agreed toe this far so that the only ones that could be able to hear her cries for help were the royals. They wille after her... the fastest will be Lina and she will make it here first. That will be your chance to bring her down,¡± Gingerughed out loud as she spoke of her brilliant n. ¡°Had you really nned to tell her your entire n? I thought you wanted to lead her on until the moment I killed her friend,¡± the woman asked her. The scariest part wasn¡¯t that the woman was a rogue, however. It was the colour of her eyes. They shone a searing red. Crysta had never heard of a rogue cooperating with a werewolf sofortably. The oddity made her question just how dangerous the woman actually was. Crysta tried to remember how she¡¯d been captured, but there was nothing there. Everything went ck before she had the chance to acknowledge the intruder... ¡®This woman is a professional killer...¡¯ ¡°That was the initial n, but it proved far more boring than I could have imagined. The thought of having to sit on the ground in chains, lying to her. No, that was no fun. I want her to know it all and watch it happen while she sits by. I want to remind her of who is strong between her and the sorry excuse of a royal she worships,¡± the girl exined, spilling all her hate into her words. ¡°Ginger, how long?¡± ¡°I have wanted to see that brat dead since the day she sat on the throne in the Den. The nerve on that dead girl for walking in and thinking she could take over everything. Katie didn¡¯t know what grave she was digging and now I have my chance to show her how the werewolf world truly works,¡± the girl answered with a crazed look on her face. ¡°You¡¯ve gone insane, Ginger. Teaming up with a rogue of all people. Have you even realised what could happen to you if the royals find out about this?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s going to tell them?¡± the girl said with a look of delusion on her face, ¡°Oh, I heard you say all this stuff about being confident now. That you¡¯re not a coward anymore. I know it was all because that girlpelled you. She must have finally snapped and decided topel you to...¡± Just then, the whistling sound of a knife ringing through the air... a sharp knife from the sound it made, filled Crysta¡¯s ears, followed by the tearing of the fabric. The girl looked ahead of her to the eyes of the girl that was talking to her. She had stopped talking and now coughed arge amount of blood. Her hands flew to the de going through her torso before she copsed on the ground. ¡°You¡¯re right, Crysta. The royals would not be happy about what this girl has to say,¡± Amanda said, standing over the body of her friend. However, what filled Crysta with dread was the colour of her eyes. Instead of the bright red that she¡¯d seen earlier, this woman stared at the wolf at her feet with a bright azure stare. Chapter 299 299 Helpless Feeling ¡°What...¡± the delta just about screamed at the sight before her. Bree choked on her own voice. The girl was frightened. Albeit blind, her heightened senses picked up on what had happened. The scent of blood was thick in the damp cave air. ¡°Hush, little wolf,¡± the blue-eyed rogue rushed over to Crysta with keys in her hands. When she reached for the locks, she paused and looked the frightened Crysta in the eye. Her azure eyes seemed to be looking straight through to the delta¡¯s soul, but... for someone that had just killed her friend, she looked nothing like the cold-blooded killer and that perturbed Crysta most of all, ¡°Before I release you, you will agree to my terms.¡± ¡°What... what do you mean, ¡®terms¡¯?¡± Crysta asked her, shocked, surprised, in fear and very curious all at the same time. Something about the odd blue-eyed woman before her calmed her even though she was sure this wolf was a rogue... Reluctantly, she nodded her head. ......... Honour ran through the forest as fast as she could, however, due to hercking physical abilities. She needed plenty of stops before she could continue leading the wolves through the woods. They had not gone deep into the forest and had long since past the training clearing, but the girl pressed them further into unknown territory, ¡°Honour, do you have any clue where you¡¯re taking us?¡± Liam asked her first through the mind link. Thinking back to the state she was always in during their morning drills, he was almost sure she wasn¡¯t supposed to be capable of running this long without copsing... ..... Drake shared the same suspicions and worried about the girl¡¯s condition. She wasn¡¯t the strongest wolf out there... In fact, she was the weakest he¡¯d ever seen. ¡°Yes, I know where I¡¯m going, damn it,¡± the girl yelled in frustration, panting with exhaustion. She wanted to stop runningpletely and rest. Her wolf wanted to rest and return to its usualpletely dormant state. Her legs wanted to give out. Drake came closer to her, worry radiating from his colossal form. The girl was sure she was half his size each time she tried topare the two of them. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t push yourself so hard, Honour,¡± the man tried. ¡°I have to... I can¡¯t tell where she is unless I¡¯m in my wolf form,¡± she argued. Yelling out in frustration, the grey wolf skidded to a stop, using her ws to break, ¡°Damn it, I lost her...¡± ¡°Because your emotions are yelling louder than her voice,¡± Drake replied soothingly. If only for a moment, the prince felt as though he was teaching his sister how to control her senses all over again. ¡®Nostalgic...¡¯ ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I need to focus. She doesn¡¯t have much time,¡± she paced about, keeping her eyes closed and searching the mind link once more. ¡°You will do nothing to help her if you can¡¯t calm down yourself. Calm down and you will be able to find her,¡± the white blue-eyed wolf asked her. ¡°I can...¡± ¡°Honour, look at me,¡± this time, he called her out more strongly. His voice arrested her senses against her will and forced her to turn to him. The royal calmed down, ¡°That¡¯s one step in the right direction. Now, listen to me, Honour. You won¡¯t be able to find her if you keep letting your emotions through a tantrum of their own. I understand that she¡¯s weak and can¡¯t really project her own thoughts as strongly as a normal wolf, so you have to make it easy for them to reach you. It might be hard. Your friend is on the brink of death, but that¡¯s what makes this all the more important. Your emotions can¡¯t get in the way. Crysta¡¯s life is all that matters right now and that means you have to clear your mind.¡± The girl took a few deep breaths and listened to therge White wolf before her. Once she had calmed down, Crysta¡¯s voice made it through once more, ¡°Please hurry... You have to get here,¡± it was clearer this time and she heard actual words and not just the lingering feeling of a familiar consciousness in the mind link. ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon, Crysta,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Honour, I wasn¡¯t sure you could hear me. Thank the moon goddess,¡± the girl¡¯s relieved voice came back through stunning her with the exmation, ¡°I meant the other...¡± ¡°I know what you mean, Crysta. Just hang in there. We¡¯ll be there soon,¡± the girl replied, ¡°Can you tell us about the ce you¡¯re in so that we can find you much faster?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m in a cave right now, but beyond that, I don¡¯t know where I am. I don¡¯t even know how far from the pce I am,¡± the girl replied weakly. The weakness in the normally strong delta was like a stab to Honour¡¯s heart. The girl was always strong and spoke with so much confidence. Hearing her sounding weak was just... wrong. ¡°Who else is with you?¡± Honour asked, starting her run with renewed energy and paying attention to the girl¡¯s voice. ¡°This way,¡± she called to the rest. ¡°That¡¯s much better,¡± the prince grinned proudly(if at all a wolf would grin), following the girl as she led them through the woods. ¡°I¡¯m with Bree and Ginger. Ginger is injured badly. You shoulde quickly. I don¡¯t know how long she has,¡± the girl replied with a sob. Her voice was breaking at the mention of her friend. ¡°What about the one that captured you? Do you know anything about the culprit? We need to be prepared for what we might find there,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Oh, the culprit... they left,¡± Crysta sighed. ¡°What do you mean they left?¡± Honour yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t... yell at me.¡± ¡°Sorry. You probably have a headache right now,¡± the girl replied, ¡°Do you have a description of your assant so we might keep on the lookout?¡± ¡°No, you aren¡¯t listening, Honour. She leftpletely. You won¡¯t find her,¡± Crysta replied, ¡°I¡¯ll exin it all when you get here, but if you really need to know what she looks like...¡± The image of the woman that had been keeping Crysta and her friends hostage popped into the girl¡¯s mind. Honour didn¡¯t know what to think of the emotions she was getting from Crysta. She didn¡¯t seem to resent the person that she imed to have captured which only worked to confuse her more than she already was. She passed along the image and had them open their minds so she could broadcast the location of the girl she was tracking. With a stronger sense of where the girl was, it was easier for her to expose her mind to the mind link they shared. Liam and Wyatt rushed forward, leaving the hunter, prince and girl behind to follow them at Honour¡¯s pace, ¡°Young people are always in a rush to get things done. Rushing into situations unprepared. Don¡¯t they know it¡¯s one of the reasons they will never be able to win anything in this life,¡± the hunter sighed as he weaved through the woods, vanishing from them to keep up with the wolves ahead. ¡°How will he be able to catch up with them if he can¡¯t hear us over the mind link,¡± the girl asked. ¡°I would have thought the first question would be how he is able to urately move through the trees at that speed and not get hit by a tree branch. Not even once,¡± the prince chuckled to himself. ¡°Do you always like goofing off?¡± the girl asked him. ¡°Not always... but when the situation calls for it, it helps to lighten the mood. If you can smile no matter how bad the situation has gotten, you have not yet lost,¡± the man replied. Suddenly, his goofing off sounded more like another life lesson... and Honour didn¡¯t mind. In fact, she was startled by his response, ¡°I don¡¯t know how that made sense, but it did,¡± she replied. ¡°I thought it would. We¡¯re almost there. Be on your guard,¡± the prince replied before they found the clearing that led to a cave. The cave had been hollowed into a mound of earth and then burrowed downwards to create more room on the inside. From the looks of it, it was man-made... or wolf-made for that matter. While simple, it provided ample shelter to whoever would need to use it in case of rain. ¡°Do you think a rogue was using this to hide out in the woods?¡± Honour asked. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to find out. Stay behind me,¡± he asked Honour as they walked closer to the cave. ¡°Hey, have you found them?¡± he asked over the mind link. ¡°Yes, we did, but Ginger is in urgent need of treatment. She¡¯s bled a great deal. Crysta is not looking too good herself. Bree is the only one that could be able to move on her own,¡± Liam¡¯s voice came out. ¡°Get Ginger and Crysta back to the pce infirmary as fast as you can. I¡¯ll ask the medics to intercept you once we are within range of the pce,¡± the prince said to them. The scent of blood soon reached them as Liam came out holding Ginger close to him. They had used her shirt to try and stop the bleeding, but that was only something that could onlyst so long. ¡°This looks really bad. Shift quickly. I will keep her steady while you rush us back to the pce,¡± Thomas said,nding beside the alpha and taking the girl from his arms. He gave no time for discussion and the wolf quickly followed his instructions... after Drake had urged him to do what the man had said. When the two of them were gone, Wyatt himself came out holding Crysta in his arms. She was awake but barely alive. Her lips were dry and her eyes sunken, showing all signs of dehydration. None of them could tell how long she had been here. ¡°We were together just the day before,¡± Honour whispered. ¡°I never made it home the next morning,¡± Crysta whispered back, having heard the girl¡¯s words. ¡°Alpha, what are we to do?¡± the alpha asked Drake. ¡°You will shift and take Bree with you and I will bring these two back with me. Try to make sure I don¡¯t catch up to you,¡± the prince threaten-I mean advised. The alpha nodded and watched the two of them leave as well. Bree was quiet the entire time and didn¡¯t say a word as she was taken away from the cave. Drake turned away from Honour and asked her to shift back into her human form. She was to hold Crysta steady while they rode back to the capital. Honour chuckled at him being a gentleman and shifted back into her human form, ¡°You can look at me, Drake.¡± ¡°Huh, you¡¯re not a royal or an alpha. Doesn¡¯t that mean...¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the same as all the average wolves and deltas, Drake,¡± the royal was even more stunned to find that the girl still had her clothes on. ¡®Oh, of course. I wonder what else she can do?¡¯ Therge white wolf lowered himself to the ground and allowed the two girl¡¯s getfortable on his back. ¡°Are you two ready?¡± ¡°Yes, Drake... Let¡¯s get her to safety,¡± Honour replied, holding Crysta as firmly as she could. Her chest, however, constricted in pain, ¡®I guess now I know why Lina always felt she couldn¡¯t help anyone because of her weakness although... she didn¡¯t know what she was talking about. I can barely keep Crysta stable...¡¯ her thoughts ranted while the prince dashed through the forest at a speed almost twice Honour could manage in her wolf form and at top speed. And even then, she could tell that he was going slow enough to keep the two girls atop his back... Chapter 300 300 Secrets From the Luna The giant royal wolf that Honour sat on holding Crysta close to her zipped through the woods at astonishing speeds, one destination in mind. To Honour¡¯s surprise, the ride was smoother than she¡¯d ever experienced. Lately, Lina had grown fond of using this mode of travel when she didn¡¯t want to use her driver, however, those times were nothing inparison to what she was experiencing at the moment. The prince¡¯s paws struck the ground noiselessly while still dashing through the woods unrestrained. The difference between the prince and the princess was clear, but Honour couldn¡¯tin, considering she was only a spec inparison to these bright shining stars. Honour was sure that at the speed they were going, they were going to reach the pce in no time. It was only after rushing through the woods for almost ten minutes that she realised how far they hade. She hadn¡¯t yet recognised her surroundings and Drake continued to press on even faster, ¡°Those boys are going faster than I thought possible,¡± the prince chuckled, ¡°Looks like they¡¯ve been training.¡± Honour hadn¡¯t noticed, but the prince had not yet caught up to the other alphas. It was a difficult feat to aplish, ¡°You could just be the one that took a wrong turn or something,¡± the girl replied absentmindedly. ¡°I am keeping track of them through the mind link, so I don¡¯t think that¡¯s exactly a possibility,¡± he replied. ¡°Then you¡¯re just moving slowly,¡± the girl replied, in a smug tone. ¡°I like the enthusiasm,¡± the prince chuckled. Honour couldn¡¯t help the smile on her face as well as notice the odd way she let down her guard when she was around the prince. ..... Her thoughts wandered to the girl in her arms. She had gone unconscious soon after they¡¯d found her in the cave. Honour remembered what she had done with the prince before, but looking down on the girl, a frown etched across her face. Her hands strained beneath the girl, summoning the powers she¡¯d used time and time again, but nothing happened... Seeming to read her mind, the prince asked, ¡°Can you... you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been trying, but nothing is working...¡± the girl sighed, ¡°... and yes, Drake, I am as calm as I can be. I don¡¯t know why it won¡¯t work now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Honour. We¡¯ll get her to the hospital in no time. You already helped us find them. You¡¯ve done more than enough,¡± the prince replied. Honour wiped a stray tear off her sleeve. The prince¡¯s words were the opposite of what was in her heart. She was weak and hadn¡¯t been able to help them with anything... and yet, he sounded sincere. Shaking her head free of the depressing thoughts, she changed the subject. ¡°You could have taken Ginger to the medics first, you know,¡± the girl voiced her concerns. Drake was quiet for a while before answering. His thoughts wandered to the decision his sister had taken only days before. It might have not been the best decision she could have made, but she had taken the responsibility and made one as well. And so had Drake... If Ginger died because of his selfish intentions, that would be all his fault. ¡°I had to make sure everyone was making their way home. It makes no sense to save one and have another ambushed,¡± the prince reasoned. It was an excuse that the girl saw through. The mind link was open between the two of them and his emotions wereid bare. ¡®So he lets his guard down around me as well...¡¯ ¡°Alright. I just thought it would be easier for the faster one to get Ginger to the medics is all,¡± she wondered, letting her eyes wander until they settled on the unconscious delta in her arms. To herself, she asked, ¡°Why did she contact me?¡± The trio continued in silence for a while. The prince had no answer for her, ¡°We¡¯ll ask her that when she wakes up and is getting better.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess so...¡± ........... A dark-haired girl sat on a bench watching her friend practice with a bow. It had been a few days since her license had been issued and during that time, the newly licenced hunter had been trying to sharpen some of her skills and testing her newfound abilities. Katie happily offered some instructions for her to follow and the girl used her knowledge to the best of her abilities. ¡°Sandra, try not to get agitated,¡± Katie called out when none of the girl¡¯s arrows would hit the bullseye. ¡°Easy for you to say. You¡¯re an archery genius,¡± the girl yelled back, letting another arrow loose. This arrow sailed even further from the bullseye than all the others. The girl sighed and walked back to Katie, taking a seat next to her, ¡°And here I thought I was getting better.¡± ¡°You will get better. Just don¡¯t let your emotions get the better of you,¡± Katie replied. ¡°Now that I have a gift, just watch as I catch up to you, Katie. You won¡¯t see meing,¡± the girl yelled enthusiastically before picking up the bow and arrow once again. Katie sighed and watched her take another chance at shooting arrows. ¡°Don¡¯t forget a single one of your lessons. Pay attention to the breeze, and rx. An archer can feel it when an arrow is going straight for their target,¡± Katie called out. ¡°It¡¯s easy for you to say. You¡¯re already perfect,¡± the girl grumbled, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm herself. She was so focused on the target before her that she didn¡¯t notice Katie go silent. Everything vanished from her world. The target and her arrow were the only things that made sense to her at that moment. Feeling for the wind, she adjusted her aim and let the arrow sail through the air. It hit the circle right outside the bullseye, ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± Sandra cursed out loud. Katie watched, suppressing the tinge of sadness that had been eating away at her every time she watched her friend try to chase her mirage, ¡°Do I really look that perfect to you?¡± ¡°What else would you look like, but perfect? You protected our town singlehandedly back in Brigadia. You went head-to-head with the rogue king and had him running for his life. Just when you seem to have done something amazing, you go and trump those limits and soar even higher. How else would I describe you? You¡¯re like the perfect hunter. Blessed with both Prometheus gifts. We all look up to you, you know,¡± the girl replied. Katie sighed in defeat, watching her friend let another arrow loose, ¡°And look where that got me,¡± she said more to herself. Sandra did not hear her. ¡°Hey, what has been going on with you and Coletely?¡± the girl asked her. ¡°Huh, oh, he¡¯s just busier these days. Nothing much really. Not to mention the coronation they are preparing for. Honestly, being a royal is so much work,¡± the blue-eyed girl groaned. ¡°What? You¡¯re a hunter and you¡¯re thinking about being a royal as so much work,¡± Sandra chuckled. Katieughed as well, ¡°Oh, yeah, being a royal is a lot of work. While the hunters might have their fair share of chores, I get to rx every once in a while.¡± ¡°I think I understand what you mean,¡± Sandra replied, ¡°Would you check my bag? I got some documents that I thought you might be interested in looking through.¡± Curiosity worked its magic and had Katie searching through the girl¡¯s bag faster than she could finish her sentence. The papers inside the bag weren¡¯t many and had been bound neatly in a leather pouch. Katie opened them and found pictures of the beta alpha they had defeated in the reserve, ¡°They¡¯ve moved him to a maximum prison in the Sirius capital,¡± Katie observed. ¡°Yes, I think it¡¯s somewhere at their agency there. He¡¯s to be interrogated to see if he can be useful. However, they have proved him to be extremely dangerous after running more tests on him,¡± the girl replied. ¡°What are they going to do with him?¡± she asked her fellow hunter. ¡°As of right now, the decision has not yet been made, but I¡¯ve heard rumours that he will be put in a state of suspended stasis to keep him from either dying or escaping,¡± Sandra let another arrow loose, losing any care for hitting the bullseye... Then hitting it without even meaning to... It was a frustrating cycle of disappointment... ¡°What a waste of resources! To think killing him is not an option. Beta alphas are even harder to deal with than the rogue king himself,¡± Katie sighed, remembering the number of times she¡¯de face-to-face with the colossal abominations. They were bigger than the rogue king and far more relentless when they set their minds on something. Fortunately, neither of them had been able to injure anyone close to Katie. However, that was only a matter of time. Anything could happen. ¡°Yeah, if he had been one of the rogue king¡¯s generals, he would have been killed the moment the agency was sure he wasn¡¯t going to give them any more information,¡± the girl replied, ¡°Speaking of generals, I heard you killed one yourself.¡± ¡°Huh, me, a general. I didn¡¯t face a general,¡± Katie panicked. ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb with me. The impressive part is that you didn¡¯t even notice you were killing a general when you were doing it,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Oh, shut up, Sandra,¡± the girl replied, closing the documents after skimming through them. A male voice interrupted the Luna while she was skimming through the documents. It was a voice she was now getting used to and even found herself worrying when he didn¡¯t check in every once in a while. ¡®Alpha, there seems to be trouble going on in Lycaon. The king is keeping it from you for yourfort. Permission to report it to you,¡¯ Kyle¡¯s voice invaded the girl¡¯s mind. ¡®Are you now spying on the king and his beta alphas?¡¯ Katie replied angrily. ¡®That was not my intention your majesty, but I happened to hear them saying you weren¡¯t to know about it and yet I¡¯m of the opinion that you should know about this,¡¯ he replied. ¡®Very well, meet me at the exit of the Hunter¡¯s Agency. Tell alpha Caden that I have summoned you and take your leave,¡¯ the girl said to him. ¡°What is it?¡± Sandra asked her, walking up to her, ¡°You spaced out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Kyle. He has some information for me,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Okay then. Let¡¯s get going,¡± the girl smiled, ¡°Permission to p him if I happen to feel like it.¡± ¡°Granted,¡± Katie sighed, slinging Sandra¡¯s bag over her shoulder and walking away. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you enjoy watching him getting beaten,¡± Sandra asked, doubling her pace to catch up to her friend. ¡°I don¡¯t, but then again, I can¡¯t help it. I know he is no harm to us anymore. To me, he¡¯s not the same Kyle as the one that betrayed me, so I don¡¯t enjoy seeing him pay for crimes he¡¯s unable to continue carrying out,¡± the girl summarized. ¡°Oh, I see. Is something bothering you, Katie? You know you can talk to me,¡± Sandra had always been able to see right through Katie and the Luna was stunned by the sudden offer. ¡®Can we really tell her?¡¯ Ashley¡¯s voice rang out in her mind, a rare urrence these days. The girl sighed, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sandra. I¡¯m just worried about what Kyle has to tell me. It sounded urgent.¡± The newly-licensed hunter let it slide, but one of the powers of being Katie¡¯s best friend was seeing through her lies. Katie rarely ever needed to make lies unless she was lying about the pain she was feeling from the training she put herself through. The Luna found that to be frequent as she was almost always suffering from some kind of muscle pain from the excess training. ¡®Although, this time, it doesn¡¯t seem to be something caused by training. I haven¡¯t even seen you touch a bow since you woke up,¡¯ Sandra was even more worried for her friend, but she knew asking wouldn¡¯t help. All she could do... was wait. Chapter 301 301 Fired Up Again... Sandra and Katie found Kyle leaning against the wall adjacent to the main gate, humming to himself with his arms crossed in a tune Sandra could have sworn were familiar. The boy didn¡¯tin about anything at all even when Katie felt some of the pain he was feeling from the asional torture that served as his punishment. In fact, he smiled when they approached him, ¡°How are you doing?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Of course, he¡¯s not doing well, Katie. You don¡¯t have to ask him that question,¡± Sandra cut him off before he could speak. Katie, however, didn¡¯t take it as an answer and remained silent waiting for Kyle to speak up. ¡°I¡¯m getting used to it. The wounds heal faster. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± he replied humbly with a slight bow. Sandra raised her hand against the boy and watched him flinch, ¡°Ohe on, Kyle. I¡¯m only teasing you. You make it too easy.¡± The new hunter grumbled, ¡°Would the two of you lighten up already?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll lighten up when I hear some good newsing from Kyle¡¯s mouth,¡± the Luna sighed, turning around to the direction that led them back to the pce, ¡°Go on, Kyle.¡± ¡°Yeah, right. I have been hearing a case going about. Abductions randomly urring throughout the city. No one knows the culprit, but the missing person reports won¡¯t stoping in,¡± Kyle exined. ¡°Is there a specific pattern to the people that are disappearing?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Well, at first, there didn¡¯t seem to be a pattern at all. A child born to a noble family was abducted. He was their first born so you can imagine the noise the nobles are giving the future king. ..... There was the other case concerning a girl that was about to make her debut as a musician. I don¡¯t usually pay attention to specific music icons, but this girl was apparently said to be really good. I heard the music, she¡¯s really...¡± ¡°Does your secret crush on the woman have anything to do with the case?¡± Katie interrupted him. ¡°In my opinion, it does. Caden asked that I help out and I did a little more digging into those that were being captured. The culprit hasn¡¯t been found yet even after the Chase family visits the different homes belonging to their families. It¡¯s a mystery to everyone,¡± Kyle said to her. Katie took this bit of information as ack of murderous intent to keep the culprits from the Chase hunters¡¯ radar. ¡°Well, who else vanished?¡± she asked. Kyle continued to tell her about the different cases that he¡¯d heard of. Each one had one thing inmon which Katie found easier to see just because Kyle kept insinuating something about the people that had vanished. ¡°Each one of them had something going for them. Their lives were going great and they had great potential the culprit abducted them. What¡¯s the end goal for something like that?¡± Kyle summarised at the end. ¡°My guess is that with that big a number of potentially important people, the culprit is hoping to collect a heavy ransom. And since it¡¯s within the capital, the people are going to turn to the royals for help. They will be asking Cole for help and the perpetrator could just name a high price. Being royalty, Cole will be able to meet the price,¡± Sandra deduced. ¡°That is a usible approach to the whole matter. Has the Perfect Warrior been able to detect any foul y?¡± Katie asked. ¡®I was about to ask if you had, but I guess that¡¯s a no,¡¯ the boy replied through their shared mind link, ¡°No, the Perfect Warrior hasn¡¯t been able to detect anything yet and it¡¯s... getting on his nerves.¡± ¡°Well, this is definitely a tough one. I have no doubt the hunters are out there trying to find any clue that could lead them to the culprit,¡± Katie sighed. ¡°What are you going to do, Katie?¡± Sandra asked the Luna. She was in no state to y detective, but Sandra was sure she would not let it go without offering some sort of help. ¡°I will have to visit the ces visited by the person that was captured most recently,¡± the girl replied. ¡®Ashley, are you strong enough toe out?¡¯ she asked her wolf. ¡®Not as strong as I¡¯m supposed to be, but if I understand where you¡¯re going with this, I might be able to help,¡¯ the wolf replied weakly. ¡®That¡¯s all we¡¯ll need, Ashley. Thank you,¡¯ the girl would have given a tight-lipped smile if she was speaking to someone on the physical ne. ¡®No problem, Katie,¡¯ the wolf replied before going silent once again. The silence in her mind brought her more sadness. It had been like this since that day and almost nothing had changed. ¡°Katie... Your eyes are dimming again,¡± Kyle told her in a tone that dictated that it was normal. ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± Katie sighed, letting her eyes sh a vibrant blue once more. It was something she¡¯d learned from her wolf. When Ashley waspletely withdrawn, the glow in her eyes dimmed out and left her with the dark blue orbs that, she only recently discovered, her mate had once feared. ¡°Are you doing alright?¡± Sandra asked her once more. ¡°Yeah, my wolf that¡¯s still a little weak is all,¡± she replied truthfully. Unlike Kyle, Sandra was not aware of her current werewolf weakness. They continued walking to the pce, talking of other cases that the boy had been looking into. Many of them he used as jokes that made him snicker at the beta alphas. Cole was fond of leaving them to handle duties that were utterly impossible to imagine a king taking care of on his own, for example, squabbling among the nobles. As they neared the pce, the number of people that would bow in respect to Katie began to increase. This was what notified the girl that their walk was sooning to an end. She ceased herughter and assumed a moreposed Luna-worthy elegance before walking into the pce. Kyle could barely contain himself as he watched the girl pay attention to everyone who passed by, greeting her and apanying her name with the title of ¡®Luna.¡¯ ¡°Do you have something to say, Kyle?¡± the girl raised her voice when they reached therge double doors at the pce entrance. ¡°Well, I have been with you for arge part of my life and trust me, I don¡¯t know when it will stop being funny every time I hear someone referring to you as the Luna of the Lycaon empire,¡± heughed out loud,pletely disregarding his alpha¡¯s agitated tone. Katie giggled at his silly behaviour, ¡°When your punishment is done, you¡¯ll have to get used to people calling you Alpha Kyle.¡± This was enough to shut him up, ¡°That¡¯s not funny, Katie.¡± ¡°It sure is. How is training with Caden going?¡± Katie asked him. ¡°What training? I know nothing about any training,¡± Kyle huffed. As they rounded a corner on their way to the king¡¯s office, Katie collided with a wall or more like a Cole-scented body... and one that her wolf(along with Katie) wanted to drown in. She staggered back, trying to get her bearings, but Cole pulled her into a hug, raising her off the ground to meet his height, ¡°Where have you been?¡± ¡°Hunter¡¯s Agency, Cole, I need to breathe,¡± the girl struggled in his suffocating embrace. The royal reluctantly let go of her and set her down, ¡°Well, what¡¯s buzzing about your busy mind? I thought I was sure to keep you aware of matters concerning the kingdom.¡± ¡°Speaking of the kingdom, is everything going fine?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah... why would you...¡± seeing the beta alpha standing behind his mate, he stopped speaking. He then turned to Sandra who took a cautious step back and raised her hands in the air, surrendering, ¡°You are to leave that to me.¡± ¡°I can help you, Cole.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not ready to start exerting yourself again just yet,¡± the royal argued. ¡°Since when do you decide when I can help you or not? You don¡¯t seem to hold back when you want to help me with something,¡± she countered. ¡°No, Katie, that is different and you know it. I would let you help me if you were fine, but you¡¯re not fine Katie,¡± the man raised his voice to match Katie¡¯s, looking her dead in the eye. Tears swarmed the girl¡¯s face before she wiped them away, ¡°You don¡¯t have to remind me, Cole. I know I can¡¯t do much.¡± Cole pulled her into a heartfelt hug. It stung to see tears in her eyes, ¡°You¡¯ll get better again, Katie and when...¡± ¡°Come with me then,¡± the girl cut him off calmly. ¡°Go with you where?¡± ¡°The homes of the people who¡¯ve been abducted or at least the most recent that you know of. I only mean to help you track them,¡± the girl replied, ¡°I won¡¯t do any more than that.¡± ¡°Katie, you care too much for people in danger. I can¡¯t guarantee you won¡¯t rush out into danger again. If you pull the same stunt you did the Rogue King, you could die...¡± ¡°I know, Cole. You¡¯ve never let me forget it. Are youing with me or not? I didn¡¯t break my promise thest time I made one,¡± the girl replied. ¡°What... You jumped out of a ne and attacked the most dangerous man on the. How was that keeping your promise?¡± Cole eximed. ¡°You have a point there, but that time, I had help. I didn¡¯t go alone, right?¡± she tried, shing the taller man a bright smile. ¡°Goddess, help me. It¡¯s like talking to a brick wall,¡± Cole pinched the bridge of his nose. Katie took this as her victory and pecked the alpha¡¯s cheek. ¡°Thank you, Cole. You can call Caden... or Jason as well. Hurry up... I¡¯ll be waiting by the car,¡± the girl gave him his orders and was off, abandoning her original path to the king¡¯s pce. Sandra chuckled, ¡°It is nice though... To see Katie fired up again.¡± ¡°Yeah, there is no denying that,¡± Cole replied, smiling as he watched his mate skip away with her beta alpha following closely behind, ¡®I just hope you get better soon. We could really use your help right about now...¡¯ he silently wished. Chapter 302 302 Snow White Luna Katie thrummed her fingers on the dashboard, sighing for the umpteenth time, ¡°Where is he already?¡± the girl groaned. The beta alpha in the back seat chuckled. ¡°You told him you¡¯re going to track down the person that has been abducting people in Lycaon. There is a preparation process for that kind of operation. Besides, they have you to protect when they get there,¡± Kyle replied. ¡°Oh, stop exining everything Kyle and tell me how you¡¯re finding Lycaon and I want the unaltered truth this time,¡± the girl turned to her beta alpha for distraction. Kyle was quiet for a bit before speaking, trying to avoid her piercing gaze, ¡°You know I don¡¯t have a will of my own just yet. I¡¯m not allowed to have a will that¡¯s against you. I only care to protect you and do everything in my power to defend those that are dear to you. Beyond that, I don¡¯t really have an opinion,¡± the boy replied with a nervous smile. ¡°So you¡¯re still only a walking shadow of your former self?¡± Katie sighed. She was visibly disappointed but didn¡¯t show signs that she¡¯d lost hope. ¡°No, I¡¯m not, but I haven¡¯t found something else to fight for either. I would like to think of it as being on the verge of a new beginning,¡± he replied honestly. ¡°Your truth is starting to confuse me a bit. If you were to find your mate, would that give you something to fight for?¡± she asked him. ¡°That¡¯s a bit extreme, but I guess the answer to that would be yes,¡± he chuckled. Just then, a group of werewolves emerged from the pce. Pack warriors that Katie had nowe to recognise by face although not by name. She hadn¡¯t ced that much effort into knowing those that surrounded her yet as her mind was still gued with worries concerning herself. ..... However, one of them had managed to get under her skin. A beta¡¯s daughter to one of the alphas that lived within Lycaon. Cole had told her to just give the woman time as she was a former suitor that had approached the prince, but Katie couldn¡¯t let it slide that easily, thinking back to her experience with Crysta. ¡°Why is she here?¡± the Luna groaned. ¡°Who?¡± Kyle asked, peering out the window, ¡°Oh, you mean Be? Come on... She¡¯s hot and popr with the guys as well as an excellent warrior. She¡¯s honestly better than many I¡¯ve met up until this point.¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying to make me feel worse than I already do. I thought you said there was no training for you,¡± Katie countered. ¡°That¡¯s because there isn¡¯t any training for me. When Caden feels like he needs a punching bag, he takes me into the ring and practically... beats the crap out of me,¡± Kyle shuddered, sinking into his seat. ¡°Come on, Kyle. You¡¯re a beta alpha. You¡¯re meant to be stronger than that,¡± she encouraged, turning to face him in the back seat, ¡°You stand your ground the next time and defend yourself.¡± ¡°What if he orders me to stand still?¡± Kyle asked her. ¡°Well, if that happens, then you tell me straight through the mind link. I¡¯ll free you from his control immediately,¡± she answered. Kyle sank even deeper into his seat. His new orders were the most frightening he¡¯d had yet, ¡°That will piss him off and encourage him to break a few bones this time.¡± ¡°It also means you¡¯ll get the chance to learn something from him. You and I both know what¡¯s going to happen to you,¡± she reminded. ¡°You should just have me killed,¡± the boy replied in a voice barely a whisper, ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t deserve to serve someone like you.¡± ¡°You feel that guilt eating at you, Kyle? When you stop feeling guilty for what you did, I¡¯ll have Caden stop punishing you,¡± Katie responded, ¡°Until then, hang in there and do what you can to make the most out of this situation.¡± After a short silence, ¡°Understood Alpha Katie.¡± ¡°What are the two of you talking about?¡± a cheery girl¡¯s voice came as Cole approached along with Jason, ¡°Oh, Cole, you can sit in the back with me and have Jason drive.¡± The girl¡¯s voice was like that of a siren, bearing the tone that was nearly impossible to resist... and it got on Katie¡¯s nerves. ¡°Be, I¡¯ll drive,¡± Cole replied, opening the driver¡¯s door, ¡°Otherwise I¡¯ll get rusty if Jason does it every time.¡± The girl pouted, but let it slide and let Jason through the back door. Katie could have sworn she was aware of the other beta alpha that was inside the car and had intentionally kept her distance. Katie did what she did best and ignored her, ¡°Cole, where are we going?¡± ¡°Well, the home of the musician that was supposed to make her debut on the day of my coronation,¡± Cole replied, checking his phone for the address that was sent to him. ¡°Oh, that sounds like trouble. I hope she¡¯s fine,¡± Katie responded, ¡°Is she human or werewolf?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a werewolf and one of the only few capable of a half shift. It makes her even more animated when she¡¯s on stage,¡± Cole replied. ¡°Good morning, Luna Katie. How is the morning treating ya?¡± Jason¡¯s cheery voice pitched in from the back seats. In her feat to ignore the girl, she had ignored Jason as well. ¡°It¡¯s going great, Jason. Thanks for asking. I would have thought you would stay behind with Sandra like you didst time,¡± Katie replied, wiggling her eyebrows at him through the driving mirror. ¡°As much as I would have liked to do that, I was the one that visited the family of this girl, so it would be easier if I was the one that they met again to continue this investigation,¡± he responded. ¡°Oh, that makes sense,¡± Katie replied as Cole started the car engine. The king ced a kiss on his mate¡¯s forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it,¡± he said one more time. Katie was sure her ears would fall off with how many times he¡¯d said that. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Cole,¡± she replied in a low tone. When Cole wouldn¡¯t drive, she slumped back into her seat, defeated, ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better...¡± and they were off. ........... The family of the musician didn¡¯t give them much trouble in letting them gain ess to the girl¡¯s room. With Jason apanying them, they were more inclined to let them in. As he¡¯d exined, they were instantly calmed by his presence, ¡®Huh, Jason is a charmer...¡¯ Katie¡¯s eyesight was invaded by a storm of pink when they entered the room, ¡°Ah, I¡¯m going blind, Cole. Everything¡¯s pink.¡± The kingughed, ¡°That would be the aim when you enter this room.¡± They moved about the room and searched for anything that could have retained the scent strongest. ¡°How about this? Will this help?¡± Be smirked, holding up underwear between her index finger and middle finger. ¡°A shirt will do, Be,¡± the girl replied with a stic smile, ¡°Something from one of her previous performances perhaps.¡± Ignoring the beta once more, she moved to the girl¡¯s wardrobe and opened it. After rummaging through the different morous outfits, she sighed in disappointment. ¡®Nothing... Everything had been washed clean and perfumed to perfection. ¡°How about this?¡± Katie turned to see the missing musician¡¯s mother holding up a shirt, ¡°It was the one she was wearing before she changed into her stage clothes. And those stage clothes were thest thing I ever saw her wear. The words brought tears to the woman¡¯s eyes. Katie approached the woman and held her hand in hers. Training as a hunter involved learning how to talk to civilians, and herforting voice was nothing short of spectacr, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll do our best to find her.¡± Almost immediately she touched the shirt, the scent of the girl was imprinted in the back of her mind. ¡®I¡¯ve got it, Katie,¡¯ Ashley told her as she brought the shirt up to her face. ¡®No kidding...¡¯ Katie was astonished by how fast it had worked. She hadn¡¯t even needed to bring the cloth to her nose. Just to be sure, the girl did so anyway and the scent was the same. ¡°Katie, you got something?¡± Cole asked. The Luna nodded. ¡°Yeah, I have, but I won¡¯t be able to track her down in my human form. The scents are stronger when I¡¯ve shifted,¡± she exined. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll be with you the entire way. You are not to push yourself just because you feel like you¡¯ve nearly reached them, is that clear?¡± Cole argued. ¡°Yeah, I hear you loud and clear, Cole,¡± she grumbled before heading out of the room and down the stairs. Cole rubbed his temples and sighed. ¡°Cole, aren¡¯t you being a little overprotective?¡± Jason asked him. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. I¡¯ve watched her get injured far too many times. It¡¯s not done me any good,¡± the king replied. Turning to the musician¡¯s mother, he thanked her for her cooperation and walked out, following the path his mate had taken. They were out of the house and gathered in a group before long. Cole addressed the whole team Katie was supposed to be leading on the procedures to be followed. Katie, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t be bothered to pay attention. After all, she was now sure she wouldn¡¯t get a chance at the action... not like she would try if she got the chance. ¡°How does it feel to be on the sidelines? Are you really that weak?¡± Be walked up to her. The Luna had barely noticed her approach her and was almost startled by her sudden appearance. She was grateful for having Kyle stand between the two of them at the right moment. If it hadn¡¯t been for him, Katie was sure this beta would have crossed her personal space, ¡°What are you, her bodyguard?¡± ¡°More or less... Luna Katie isn¡¯t in the mood to talk to you, so I will kindly ask that you step away,¡± he replied. ¡°After all the times alpha Caden has put you in your ce, you have the nerve to stand up to me,¡± Be smirked. ¡°That¡¯s enough, both of you,¡± Katiemanded, ¡°We don¡¯t need a fight amongst us when there is already one we are going to. Working together should be our goal here.¡± ¡°Oh, look at who¡¯s acting like you¡¯re in charge,¡± the girl replied. Katie balled her fists in anger at the girl¡¯s disrespect, but cursed inwardly when she couldn¡¯t find the strength she sought, ¡®So this is what it feels like to be weak.¡¯ Cole finally finished talking and turned to them, ¡°Hey, Katie, are you good to go?¡± ¡°Yeah, I am,¡± the Luna replied, turning her attention to the wolf within her. ¡®Ashley, are you there?¡¯ ¡®You know I am. Is it time yet?¡¯ the wolf responded groggily. She sounded as though she was only waking up. ¡®Yes, Ashley, it is time. How long can you stay up?¡¯ Katie asked the wolf. ¡®If we don¡¯t try to draw on too much power, I can stay up for a couple of hours,¡¯ the wolf replied. ¡®Very well... Let¡¯s hope that¡¯s all the time we¡¯ll need,¡¯ she replied before allowing the wolf to take over her body. The girl¡¯s eyes shed a brilliant blue before the transformation reced her body almost instantly with that of arge snow-white wolf. The wolves that had apanied them gasped in awe as they witnessed her brilliant wolf. The rays of the sun bounced off her silky white fur, enhancing her beautiful form. ¡®Hahaha, beat that... Be,¡¯ Ashley gloated. Katie was sure the wolf had hunted for a way to twist the beta¡¯s name and failed. Cole chuckled at the wolf¡¯s remark and shifted into his own ck version of hers, the two of them mirror opposites of each other, ¡®Should we get going before you manage to make that girl shift out of raw jealousy?¡¯ ¡®Yes, my love... I shall lead you to the abducted wolves in style...¡¯ the wolf replied, ruffling her white glistening fur in pride and holding her nose high. This brief demonstration was aimed at crashing a certain admirer of her mate, but it was short-lived as she had to focus on tracking down the lost musician. Cole was dumbfounded... He¡¯d never seen this side of his mate... and also took a mental note to keep his distance from Be onwards. With that brief disy of dominance, the hunting party was off, following the two wolves in their cars and staying ever vignt, ready to defend them as soon as the opportunity arose. Chapter 303 303 Another Side to the King The convoy of vehicles followed the white wolf through the city, following the scent of the missing musician for almost thirty minutes. Katie would sometimes hear the wolves talking and take note of what was useful to her. As it seemed, they¡¯d passed the stadium that the girl was supposed to be performing at a little while ago. As they continued through the city, stopping only to ask the bare minimum of questions, Katie eventually stopped running when she reached an alleyway. The scent was faint, but she was certain it was the one and was sure of where they were. The white wolf silently rolled her eyes when she heard one of Be¡¯s controversialments. The pack warriors moving with her urged her to remain quiet lest she risked angering the king. ¡°Katie, the cars can¡¯t proceed from here,¡± Cole mentioned through the mind link. ¡°That¡¯s why I stopped for you to give the next order. They¡¯ll have to go on from here on foot,¡± the girl said to him. A hand settled deep into the fur on the white wolf¡¯s head startling the girl and forcing her to flinch at the sudden contact. Looking beside her, Katie noticed Thorrin Chase, the Perfect Warrior and someone she was meant to consider her uncle. ¡°Hey, rx, it¡¯s just me,¡± the man chuckled, before patting her head once more. The white wolf was easily taller and bigger than him, but from the power he exuded, it was as though she was only his pet. Katie nudged him and projected her thoughts into his mind, ¡°Uncle, stop petting me. That¡¯s embarrassing.¡± ¡°I find your wolf form far too adorable... even though you¡¯re a little too big for a wolf. You¡¯ll just have to deal with it. I can¡¯t resist. Seriously, who gets to see, no less touch a wolf this white and fluffy?¡± the pack warriors pretended not to be watching this conversation and hid their snickers in coughs and sneezes, for those that really couldn¡¯t keep it in... Except for Be... the beta was grinning from ear to ear. However, what happened next had her scoffing... ..... ¡°You know, he is right. You are one fluffy wolf,¡± Cole confirmed. ¡°Cole, don¡¯t encourage him,¡± Katie gave up on the hopelessness of the two males that apanied her. ¡°Are they through here?¡± Thorrin asked her. Katie nodded before starting the walk through the alley, ¡°They are. I don¡¯t know where exactly though. I just know that this alleyway is the only way to get there. Her scent is strong here. She definitely went through here,¡± the girl replied. ¡°I can pick up a few signs of life in here, but nothing malicious. I don¡¯t understand this at all. Ever since he left, I¡¯ve been picking up senses of trouble, but nothing too definite. It¡¯s new territory for the Chase family,¡± Thorrin cursed. His hand was still deep within the girl¡¯s fur, gently caressing the white wolf¡¯s fluffy head. The war between sleep and embarrassment was starting to shift in tide... and when Thorrin finally stopped petting the girl, she wasn¡¯t so sure which was worse anymore... ¡®Ashley...¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t you dare me me for giving into our nature,¡¯ the wolf was quick to defend, having seen thising a mile away. Katie was developing a habit of ming her for everything she didn¡¯t understand that happened to her. At the end of the alleyway, they found a door locked with chains. Thorrin easily snapped the chains with his bare hands making them look simr to merely strips of tape that had been used to lock the door. ¡®Katie, we can¡¯t proceed from here in our wolf form. The ceiling is too low,¡¯ Ashley replied. Taking note of the difference between the door and their form, the girl asked, ¡°Can¡¯t we... change size as we did back at the reserve?¡± ¡°That needs more divine energy since it¡¯s one of our abilities and umm... we are running low on that,¡± the wolf replied sadly. The girl shifted back into her human form, but not quitepletely, her ears and the top of her hair remained white. The fur that sprouted from her head ovepped the ck and made her look as though she was wearing a white helmet since the rest of the hair that flowed down her back remained ck. The girl continued following the scent, Cole already at her side in his human form. She could tell he was ready to defend her in case of anything and with the impervious nature of his body, she couldn¡¯t think of anyone better suited for the task. The building was quiet and dark for the most part as there was barely a window that let in any light. Katie continued walking through, following the scent of the girl. She picked up other scents, but couldn¡¯t quite distinguish them. The scent of dust was also thick. Her ears darted in all directions in search of sound, until... a heartbeat that waspletely out of ce reached her ears. Looking around, she realised it didn¡¯t belong to any of the people she was leading through the building. Katie strained her ears to locate its source but found that she didn¡¯t have to do so much. The heartbeat got louder the more she followed the scent. Her eyes widened when that one heartbeat turned to two... and two turned to four. Soon enough, she heard several heartbeats echoing from the direction they were following. Her own body tensed and she barely noticed when she began to increase her walking speed. Cole¡¯s hand grabbed hers as he noticed her sudden need to move faster, ¡°Where?¡± he asked through the mind link. The girl point to a door at the end of the hallway. Thorrin, however, was already on his way to the mentioned door. The wolves followed the Perfect Warrior to the door and waited quietly as he opened it. Tension filled the air as they tried to keep their element of surprise. There was no sign of movement inside the room, but they couldn¡¯t afford to let their guards down. Cole stepped forward to shield his mate from whatever awaited them within the room. Katie could only squeeze his hand more... ¡®He doesn¡¯t have to protect me from this far out...¡¯ she yelled in her mind. ¡®I¡¯ll protect you any day, Katie. Powerful or powerless, that will never change,¡¯ Cole replied to her thought. ¡®Stop reading my mind.¡¯ ¡®You meant to tell me that, but you probably didn¡¯t realise it. Katie, don¡¯t push yourself. No one decided you were to protect the entire world. Allow us the chance to protect you for a change... as you have done for everyone else for a very long time,¡¯ the king said to her in a loving voice. It was hard to stay mad at him when he spoke that way. The door creaked open and Thorrin walked into it as though there was no threat waiting for him inside the room, ¡°Alpha Cole, call an ambnce... or many for that matter,¡± he yelled, startling the entire group of wolves. The group rushed through the door and found a staircase leading to an underground floor. At the bottom of the stairs, was a door that led to a room containing arge number of hospital beds. Each and every bed held a body, ¡°Uncle Thorrin, are they...¡± ¡°No, they are still alive, but barely. If nothing is done soon, however, they will...¡± before he could finish his statement, a screen glitched to life. ¡°My my my, would you look at that? You identally found myir,¡± Katie felt anger boiling within her. Thest person to have done something of the sort had been Kyle, but she had found Kyle and that had been different. This one was someone else, ¡°I believe you all know my name. I am ¡®The Boogeyman¡¯ as I¡¯d like to call myself and my speciality is stealing dreams... and causing nightmares. The young people in this room all had their hopes and dreams shining brightly ahead of them. The looks on their faces when I¡¯d captured them and let them know they were never going to go to that concert or be the alpha of the pack they had been told they were destined for. It was priceless... Nevertheless, I didn¡¯t intend to kill them. No, not one bit... In fact, I meant to let you know that I had captured them so that you coulde running and save them. Well, it was kind of a win-win situation for me because, if you saved them, then you would get my message, but if you didn¡¯t, their dreams would be crushed and mine as well.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him, get all these people to the hospital,¡± Cole yelled at the top of his voice. ¡°Oh, this is only a recording, by the way. I am not actually in the room that you see me speaking from. This was a happy experiment though. I have heard... no, we have heard stories of the Rogue killer, so we wanted to test her for ourselves and to be honest, it was all a lie,¡± the man burst into an evil cackle. Through his darkughter, he continued to speak, ¡°We picked them off one by one and she didn¡¯t even notice a thing. The legends were all make-believe. Well, I guess you really can¡¯t believe the word of a traitor.¡± This time Katie felt angering from someone else. Kyle could barely contain himself as he listened to what the man was saying. ¡°The beta alpha moved up to the screen and looked about it, feeling for its different sides until he found what he was looking for, a sh drive stuck in the side of the monitor. The moment it was out, the screen went nk, ¡°We¡¯ll find everything he recorded on this.¡± ¡°Well done, Kyle. We really didn¡¯t need that voice whispering into the minds of the wolves here,¡± Thorrin congratted him, taking the sh drive and getting to work helping the wolves take the victims out of the basement. ¡°What do you think he was trying to aplish and who were the others he was talking about?¡± Katie asked Cole. ¡°The criminals that escaped the dungeon on the day the rogue king broke out. Many of them were captured, but a few of them survived. We searched the entire capital, but there was no sign of them. I now know what happened to them,¡± he exined. ¡°They regrouped and teamed up and now they are plotting something against the capital of Lycaon?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Yeah... that¡¯s what I would assume,¡± Sandra spoke for the first time. ¡®Where did shee from?¡¯ Ashley was startled. ¡®She¡¯s been here the whole time,¡¯ Katie responded. The wolf went quiet for a bit before speaking up, ¡®We¡¯ve found them, haven¡¯t we?¡¯ ¡®Yes, yes we did... You did well, Ashley.¡¯ ¡®Yeah, feels nice to know I can still do something,¡¯ the wolf replied. Katie could feel the warmthing off her alter ego. However, in the next moment, she felt herself revert to her human form. Her mind was quiet once more... Far too quiet... Katie turned away from the monitor and approached a child that was lying a bed asleep. The boy was still breathing steadily and didn¡¯t seem to be hurt. She reached out for the boy before Cole stopped her, holding her hand gently. ¡°Let the others handle this,¡± he asked her in a calm tone. Be walked up to them and carried the boy into her arms. ¡°Yes, Luna Katie. Let¡¯s handle the hard work. You can just sit still and look pretty, okay?¡± ¡°Be, that was uncalled for,¡± Cole scowled. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not the reason she...¡± ¡°Apologise to your future Luna, Be. Or would you be better off hearing me sending you into exile?¡± Cole had gone from calm and soothing to livid in a matter of seconds. Seeing that she had overstepped, the woman bowed to Katie and apologised before scurrying away with the young boy in her arms, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have thought you would snap at a woman up until now,¡± Katie teased Cole, batting her eyshes at him, ¡°And all just for me...¡± ¡°I have my limit, Katie,¡± he groaned, pulling her into a hug. It was only then that the Luna noticed the man was trying to calm his rage. Smiling, the girl hugged him back. ¡°Well, I am right here and nothing has happened to me. It¡¯s not like Be would have gotten the chance to attack me anyway...¡± ¡°If you wish it, I could have her moved out of Lycaon,¡± Cole whispered into her ear. ¡°No, we won¡¯t be needing that, Cole,¡± the girl replied, wondering where he¡¯d been hiding his overprotective and possessive side all this time. Chapter 304 304 Viinous Recording Cole left to help out with the rescue after asking Katie to stay put. The girl nearly screamed at him, but the kiss he ced on her forehead didn¡¯t allow her frustration to leak through. A meeting waster held in the conference room containing all the high-ranking werewolves in the capital concerning the incident that had just urred. Katie sat in the luxuriously crafted throne next to Cole¡¯s empty one, which dwarfed hers inparison. The Luna sighed, not caring to show her attitude to the alphas and betas that had made it to the conference room and joined her in waiting for the king to join them. ¡°What is a human doing in this room?¡± Be groaned. ¡°What human?¡± Katie asked, faking amusement. She scanned through the tables dramatically, her eyes skipping over Sandra like she was a wolf as well. The newly-licensed hunter narrowed her eyes at her friend, her mind trying to figure out what she was ying at. ¡°The one that follows you everywhere,¡± the woman replied, ¡°Obviously...¡± ¡°Oh, you mean Sandra. Last I checked, she is a hunter. That¡¯s the same qualification as my uncle and Aunt Evelyn,¡± Katie replied turning to the members of her adoptive family that were in the room. ¡°Katie, let¡¯s not have another one of your childish squabbles this time,¡± Evelyn spoke up, eyeing the girl. The Luna looked between her aunt and Be, then rolled her eyes and gave up the meaningless squabble. ¡®Ashley, are you okay?¡¯ she asked the wolf within her. ..... ¡®Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Just a little exhausted,¡¯ the wolf replied, ¡®Permission to rest...pletely.¡¯ Katie sighed, noting the meaning behind her wolf asking forplete rest. It wasn¡¯t the first time, ¡®Granted.¡¯ The glow in her eyes vanished while she had her eyes closed. ¡®This is going to be interesting,¡¯ she thought to herself. The doors swung open, letting Cole in along with his beta alphas. Kyle was walking along with them. The king walked up to Katie¡¯s seat and ced a kiss on her forehead before taking his ce beside her. ¡®That throne is painfully bigger than mine,¡¯ the girl mentally groaned. Cole¡¯s amusement came through the mind link. Caden and Jason remained standing behind him and so did Kyle, however, he stood behind Katie, ¡°There is no ce for a...¡± ¡°Hold your tongue, Be,¡± Katie snapped, finally looking up to reveal her cold dark blue orbs. The girl was tongue-tied, but now forpletely different reasons. Cole turned to Katie and hesitated when he noticed the change in her appearance. His shock then turned to worry, ¡°How are you holding up?¡± he asked. Katie was stunned by how fast he¡¯d read through her, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Cole. Just a little tired is all.¡± The king interpreted her tone as a sign that he was to stop pampering her and skip to the point. ¡°I¡¯m d you could all make it. Thanks to Luna Katie, we were able to uncover the hideout where the missing people were all being kept and we were able to get all of them to the hospital without any deaths. A few of them were only left with a short amount of time to live had we arrivedter than we did,¡± Cole began. ¡°How did the Luna lead you to the hideout when no one else could?¡± one of the older-looking alphas asked. ¡°She tracked them down. As we all know, tracking someone down is almost impossible when the trail has already been allowed to run cold. That¡¯s not always the case for the Luna,¡± Cole exined. ¡°That¡¯s impressive,¡± a hint of pride shone through the man¡¯s wizened crimson, nodding in acknowledgement, ¡°Please carry on.¡± ¡°We found a recording in the hideout. It seems the criminals expected us to find their victims. Watching it would have cost us valuable time, so I chose to y it in full during this meeting before we decide on what happens next,¡± Cole continued. Kyle took a step towards therge screen pinned on the side of the wall on the other side of the conference hall. Finding the port on it, he set it up. The video yed following what Katie remembered up until the point that Kyle had unplugged it earlier, ¡°Well, the likes of us criminals that have been locked up for so long have learnt a lot during the time we¡¯re in that dungeon of yours. We know how the Chase family can detect someone just because they walked into their radius of detection. We know that they detect anyone like that to be bad the moment they let their murderous intent get the better of them. Detecting their power through their aura is also another way which can be suppressed. I¡¯m only letting you know that you are not going to stop what¡¯sing. King Cole Lycaon is going to have a coronation in one week. We shall be there in the flesh. If you ever do find this video, then you have a heads-up. It would be fun to get through some tight security.¡± ¡®What do they even want?¡¯ ¡°As for what we want, that¡¯s simple,¡± the man continued as though reading Katie¡¯s mind, ¡°We want revenge for the years we were locked up. It¡¯s that simple. It¡¯s quite clear to us that something is wrong with the rogue killer. She was the one that gave the rogue king a hard time. With her out of the way, the rest of you don¡¯t stand a chance.¡± ¡°They arepletely ignoring my presence,¡± Thorrin sighed. ¡°Oh, we haven¡¯t forgotten about the Perfect Warrior. That¡¯s a challenge we are willing to take. It will be fun. See you all there,¡± the man winked, only tough crazily and turn off the recorder. Katie hadn¡¯t missed the most important part of the man¡¯s appearance. The red eyes that had stared right back at them through the whole video, ¡°Who is that man?¡± ¡°He¡¯s one of the rogue king¡¯s former generals that I captured. His time in prison must have lowered his value to the rogue king as he didn¡¯t regroup with him after being released. Either that or the rogue king¡¯s new generals are simply more powerful,¡± Thorrin answered Katie¡¯s question. The girl stared nkly at the table before her, only cursing at herck of ability to help, ¡°What did he mean by there is something wrong with the rogue killer? I thought that was Luna Katie.¡± This time, it was Be that asked. ¡°I¡¯m not in fighting shape at the moment. They must have noticed,¡± Katie sighed. ¡°Umm, might you exin your eyes as well?¡± a younger alpha asked, impatience breaking his threshold for tolerance, ¡°I mean, who else wasn¡¯t curious?¡± The rest at the table didn¡¯t look him in the eye. They¡¯d all been holding it in. ¡°My wolf is... how should I put this? Asleep... As I said, I¡¯m tired,¡± the girl replied with a sigh, ¡°Cole, what are you going to do about the coronation?¡± The question barely phased the royal. It seemed he¡¯d been thinking of the same thing, ¡°Might I suggest we continue with the coronation as scheduled? You invited the wolves of Sirius if I remember correctly. I can have Thomas and Micah return on that flight and add them to the security detail,¡± Thorrin spoke up before the king. ¡°I was thinking of letting the ceremony proceed as nned,¡± Cole replied thoughtfully, ¡°If we let the ceremony continue. It could be the one chance we get to recapture these criminals.¡± The discussion continued with what they were to do for the ceremony. As it so happened, the entire security detail had to be adjusted and the conditions for attending the coronationpletely changed. Since Cole wouldn¡¯t let Katie participate in any one part of the program, she lost interest in the entire meeting. And to keep the future Queen from acting on her own, Cole assigned Sandra to protect her. This job came along with the job of keeping her in one ce in case any trouble broke out. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t be able to fight even if I wanted to,¡¯ she mentally sighed. The silence in her mind was almost deafening. It was only her and her thoughts without even a hint of a reaction from Ashley. .......... Lina heard about the news of Crysta¡¯s condition while still in the car. Honour told her everything that had happened over the phone while they drove back to the pce. When the king noticed it was something important, he had the princess turn on the phone¡¯s loudspeaker and listened to the entire narration of events from the girl, ¡°I knew I had to stay behind,¡± the king cursed. ¡°No, honey, you made the right choice to visit the Golden Moon pack. This gave Drake a chance to grow as the crown prince. Not to mention the golden Moon pack had not received you in a long time,¡± the queen tried. King Davin sat back in his seat. ¡®What¡¯s done is done?¡¯ he told himself before speaking up, ¡°Honour, how is Ginger doing? You mentioned she was in the most dangerous of all of them?¡± The phone went quiet for a moment before the girl replied. Her voice was almost inaudible and she could have wished to be asked anything else at the time, ¡°Ginger did not make it, your majesty... The doctors checked her stab wound and found that it had hit vital organs and severed important arteries. From the look of the knife wound, it was done intentionally to let the girl bleed out.¡± ¡°Who would do such a thing?¡± Martha asked, a hint of disgust in her voice. ¡°Well, I¡¯m guessing it was the same person that captured them. Crysta has not yet woken up. When she does, I¡¯m hoping she can tell me something. She is the reason we found them after all,¡± Honour said to them. ¡°How about you wait for the royal family first?¡± the king asked her. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m thinking the royal family would overwhelm the girl. If she¡¯s not awake by the time you all arrive, I will talk to her with only one person. Lina,¡± Honour replied firmly. The king was shocked by the tone the girl used with him, but even more surprised by the fact that his wolf was not offended by her tone. Instead, the wolf was inclined to follow the girl¡¯s orders with no questions asked. ¡°Very well, Honour. Have it your way,¡± the king chuckled, ¡°But you will ry everything useful that she tells you.¡± Chapter 305 305 Mother¡¯s Pride The ride back to the pce was excruciating and got even more so when the queen and king refused to drop her at the hospital. After Honour¡¯s disy on the phone, Lina soon realised her parents were sulking. Beta Alpha Jackson drove through the pce gates at painstakingly slow speed. Thankfully, the werewolves did not swarm the royal convoy when they got in, however, Lina was stopped when she reached the door. Her mother¡¯s voice was both calm and steeled in a tone she knew all too well. ¡°Do clean yourself up first, dear. We wouldn¡¯t want some of that filth to infect our delta patient,¡± the woman would not meet her eyes, but Lina was sure she was being very serious at the moment. Gritting her teeth in frustration, Lina exited the car and rushed to her room, ignoring most of the people that stopped to show their respect for the passing royal. She was in a hurry to get to the hospital, it simply could not wait. Right when she was rounding a corner to get to her room, she caught a glimpse of prince Drake at the end of the hall. The man¡¯s face beamed at her, ¡°Little sister, I have something to tell you,¡± Drake yelled out right before she dashed into her room and mmed the door behind her, locking it before he could enter, ¡°That¡¯s rude.¡± ¡°Stay out of my room. I¡¯m going to have a bath, change and go straight to the infirmary,¡± the girl yelled from the inside of her room, working as fast as she could through her actions. ¡°Well, I do have something to tell you, and like the hospital, it cannot wait,¡± Drake replied, cing his ear to the door of the girl¡¯s room. The girl did not respond, but he could pick up the different sounds that came from her bustling about the room. With the sound of objects falling and furniture tumbling, the prince frowned in worry, ¡®She¡¯s going to hurt herself at this rate. Though she should heal just fine.¡¯ Soon enough, he heard another door m shut, signifying she¡¯d entered the bathroom. ..... ¡°What am I supposed to call this?¡± a voice drew his attention from the door. Slowly, the prince turned to see one of Alpha Jackson standing there with his arms crossed. The prince felt his cheeks heat up and realised what this looked like. He had his hands propped up against the door and his ear pinned to the thick wood. ¡®Oh, dear!¡¯ ¡°I am trying to make sure my sister doesn¡¯t hurt herself. You saw how she rushed out of the car like idents were beyond royalty,¡± he smiled nervously. ¡°I see. Well, considering you have no powers that can make that possible through you listening to whatever it is you think you are listening to, I would advise you to give the girl her privacy,¡± the man spoke slowly and clearly. ¡°Very well,¡± Drake awkwardly stepped away from the door. ...... When Lina was fresh and done dressing, she stepped out of her room and took a breath. Her mind was finally clear, and she broke into a sprint. Enhanced by her werewolf¡¯s abilities and her particr innate aptitude for speed, she sped through the pce before anyone could acknowledge her presence. As the fastest wolf in existence, a fact that she clearly forgot, the girl was tearing through the halls, leaving everyone barely a chance to get out of the way while she rushed through the halls, ¡®Please be fine, Crysta,¡¯ she silently prayed. The royal hospital was not far from the pce. In fact, for the safety of the werewolves in the pce, this structure had been joined to the pce at the farthest point of the West Wing. The hospital was also built into the fence that went around the royal grounds, giving the citizens that chose to use it a way to ess it without entering the pce grounds. The doors to the hospital were finally in sight when a feminine voice resounded within her mind, ¡®Lina, is that you who¡¯s causing amotion in the pce?¡¯ Queen Martha was not amused. ¡°I¡¯m at the infirmary, mother. You don¡¯t have to worry about that now, okay?¡± the girl replied. ¡°Lina Jeanie Sirius, who are you talking to?¡± the woman bellowed through the mind link. The girl cringed at the voice in her head and the weight of anger behind it. It was rarely that the royal family used her unofficial middle name. Lina was reminded of it only when she was about topletely forget it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mum. I didn¡¯t mean to... I have to see her, mum. Can I go now?¡± the woman sighed, allowing the two minds to meld closer with each other. Lina felt her mother¡¯s consciousness get more pronounced within her own in a way that was less of an intrusion and more of a warm embrace. Her warmth was always the same, but each time she felt it... It was a new sensation. Her mother was worried and curious. ¡°Where have you been hiding this worry, my daughter?¡± the queen¡¯s loving voice came through this time. Lina stopped at the doors of the hospital and rested her head on the cold hardwood of the entrance, breathing lightly from the exertion. The answer was difficult for the girl to convey, but against her nerves, she spoke up, ¡°Before we left for the Golden Moon Pack, I knew something was wrong with Crysta. I suspected she was missing, but...¡± the girl broke. ¡°You were taking care of Madeline, Lina. If you hadn¡¯t been with us, that girl would never have said anything about what happened to her that night,¡± the queen tried. ¡°I know that mum, but now Crysta is lying in a hospital bed, Ginger is dead and I wasn¡¯t even here. I could have rushed Ginger to the hospital. You know I¡¯m fast enough to do that,¡± the girl argued through the link. Tears threatened to break loose from the looming well, but she blinked them back. The queen was silent for a while before speaking up, ¡°You¡¯re so much like Katie. I guess you¡¯re both my daughters after all...¡± Queen Martha lingered, ¡°You should go see Crysta now.¡± Before the queen¡¯s consciousness withdrew from her own, she got the sense of something unexpected... Was it... pride!!! Chapter 306 306 Dam of Worries ¡°Thank you,¡± the girl echoed through before rushing into the infirmary in search of the room that exuded her best friend¡¯s scent. She didn¡¯t even notice the nurse that asked her who she¡¯de to visit. She didn¡¯t notice the scent she unconsciously followed when she was looking for Crysta¡¯s room and when she did reach the room, she blew right through the door and to the bed where Crysta had been,pletely missing the amber-eyed girl that had stood up to greet her. ¡°Crysta...¡± the rest of her words were stuck, caught in a dam of muddled thoughts and emotions raging within her and leaving her speechless. ¡°Hey, look at you. You¡¯re crying and sweating really badly. Have you been jogging?¡± the girl in the bed asked her. ¡°I was running, not that it matters. Although, I was worried... maybe a little,¡± the girl replied, faking a smug tone. ¡°Oh, did you run all the way from the Golden Moon pack?¡± the delta smirked. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. We returned today,¡± Lina eased up, walking up to the girl¡¯s bed, ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Like I just got left out of an interesting road trip,¡± she joked. Her light mood calmed Lina¡¯s dam of emotions and thoughts, quieting them down. However, that came with the rity of seeing her friend¡¯s state... ...and remember that there wasn¡¯t a thing she could have done to protect her. ..... Lina was quiet for a moment. Her words were gone. Her eyes moved from Crysta¡¯s face to the machines that had been attached to her hand and further to the different bandages that had been used to patch her up. She could tell her friend was badly injured. The dry lips told her she¡¯d been dehydrated before the treatment was given to her, ¡°Tears... I never thought you¡¯d worry about me that much... again,¡± the injured girl didn¡¯t chuckle this time. She looked d. ¡°Shut up... There is just something in my eyes,¡± Lina snapped at her, rubbing the tears from her face. However, the uncoordinated actions only made her look more like a mess and brought her already weak defence crashing down, ¡°I was... so worried. When Honour called... I didn¡¯t know what to do. I almost jumped out of the car, but that wouldn¡¯t have helped one bit.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t think you¡¯re faster than a car,¡± Crysta replied with a sigh, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Lina. You can stop worrying about me now. Besides, I had Honour who took care of me. There is nothing that doctor can¡¯t diagnose.¡± It was only then that Lina noticed her friend in the room. Before Honour could say anything, Lina had her engulfed in a hug, ¡°Honour, thank you for saving her. I¡¯m d you were here,¡± Lina thanked her profusely, tears still flowing. For a girl that was said to becking in strength, she was far stronger than the average human. ¡°Yeah, you got that right. If Honour had left, I don¡¯t know what I would have done,¡± Crysta said in a mncholy tone that caught the attention of the two girls. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Lina asked. ¡°She was the one I contacted for help in that cave, but if she hadn¡¯t been here, I don¡¯t think I could have made the connection. I have a lot to tell you, Lina... Honour,¡± the girl said to them. The two girls brought chairs closer to the bed and gotfortable while the girl got ready to tell what happened to her. ¡°Take your time, Crysta and don¡¯t force yourself to say anything you don¡¯t want to,¡± Lina said to her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I think I can talk to the two of you without having much trouble,¡± she forced a smile, ¡°Who else would worry for me this much? Not even my parents love me the way my best friend did.¡± ¡°That¡¯s... that¡¯s why you wouldn¡¯t give up?¡± Lina was beyond words. The two of them had been best friends long before they stopped and Crysta had been trying her best to get that back. ¡°Having friends the way I did when I sided with Liam and Wyatt. It¡¯s not the same. Not even close. Friends don¡¯t have to be many or hang at whatever you say and do. I missed all that and don¡¯t deserve to have it back. I wasn¡¯t going to give up until I was certain you wanted nothing to do with me,¡± Crysta exined. Lina couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to herself, ¡°I missed you too, Crysta.¡± ........... When the tears had finally stopped flowing and the two girls had calmed down, Crysta began her narration, ¡°It was after the slumber party. That morning as I was going back home. I met Ginger on my way there. The girl asked for us to have a private conversation and also asked that we go somewhere that we would not be overheard. There are not many ces where that is possible in a world of werewolves. She took me to the back of the pce where we were to talk. I thought she was acting weird, but then again, the two of them had been acting weird since I started supporting the princess... I should have listened to my hunches then.¡± ......The morning after the slumber party...... Crysta had followed Ginger through to the pce and the girl had taken her into the woods behind the pce, stopping her walk at the far corner of the woods, a suspicious ce for anyone to be holding a conversation. ¡°Hey Crysta, anything you would like to tell me?¡± Ginger asked in a tone that Crysta could not quite ce. The girl had her back turned to the delta and without a way to view her face, Crysta was oblivious to the girl¡¯s emotions. As it so happened, Ginger had cut herself off from the mind link, which made this even more suspicious. ¡°None that I know of. We could have just gone to my room, you know. I doubt anyone can hear us from over there. Why did we have toe here?¡± Crysta asked. ¡°You were at her house, weren¡¯t you? The house of that weakling. Admit it, Crysta,¡± the girl argued with her. ¡°And what if I was?¡± Crysta replied, ¡°Does it suddenly make me a criminal?¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. It makes you a traitor and a hypocrite. What do you see in them all of a sudden, Crysta?¡± Ginger sounded genuinely baffled. ¡°I see the friend that I lost, Ginger. Nothing more than that. I see an invaluable friend that I¡¯ve been giving hell for all this time and she¡¯s never once thought to do the same and yet she¡¯s clearly more powerful,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Oh, is that so? She must be powerful indeed to have you in this kind of delusion. It was you that dered how weak she truly was,¡± the girl sounded dejected, as though she had given up on her argument, ¡°You¡¯ve been brainwashed, dear Crysta.¡± ¡°What are you saying, Ging... er?¡± a sharp pain radiated through the back of the girl¡¯s head, immediately tinging her vision with dark spots. Dizziness invaded her senses as she fell to the ground and lost consciousness. Chapter 307 307 Over the Edge ¡°When I woke up next, I had a pounding headache and everything was spinning. At first, I didn¡¯t know what was happening. My memory didn¡¯t return as fast as I would have wanted it. So, I thought we were all there together. Those were the other two voices I was hearing. Ginger was talking to me. Bree was yelling and nothing was making sense, but then... It started to make sense when I saw Ginger standing over me with no chains holding her,¡± Crysta described. ¡°She was the one that had organised everything. At least that¡¯s what I had expected. She was sure of her mission. So sure that she told me how everything was supposed to y out. How she was nning on using the rogue to... to kill Lina the moment she came to save me.¡± ¡°Rogue... there was no rogue when we saved you yesterday,¡± Honour said to her. ¡°That¡¯s the other thing I wanted to tell you about. Ginger never stood a chance of being saved. The rogue she thought was on her side stabbed her in the back and killed her,¡± Crysta told them. ¡°Was this before or after you had contacted me?¡± Honour asked. ¡°I was only able to contact you because the rogue told me how, but she made sure the girl she¡¯d stabbed would bleed out or would at least be near death by the time the rescue party found us,¡± Crysta exined. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying, Crysta. Are you saying a rogue saved your life or am I misinterpreting something?¡± Lina asked, more confused than Crysta intended her to be. ¡°Ginger was being unreasonable. She just wanted to see you dead and was willing to do anything. Even side with a rogue, but she should have known a rogue wouldn¡¯t have let us live at all. ..... I got lucky, I guess. The rogue she chose was not a usual one. Her eyes glowed blue when she felt like it and turned back to red at will,¡± the girl narrated. Her audience remained quiet and as she was about to continue a voice interrupted them. ¡°The woman killed Ginger... supposedly because of her despicable crime, then told Crysta all she had to do to contact one of two people,¡± they all turned to see Bree standing at the door frame. The girl had a look of defeat in her eyes, ¡°I would have never thought Ginger capable of that. I know we both hated Lina, but I didn¡¯t know she would go to such lengths. After everything we did to try to make Crysta forget about you. Honestly, what do you see in this girl? And why is Lina worried about someone who isn¡¯t worth her time? Was it not enough for her to humiliate you for years? Why value a traitor? It doesn¡¯t work like that.¡± ¡°You were able to tell that I value her. If you could see past that, then you have your reason why it should work both ways,¡± Lina chuckled. The girl did not return her warm reply. Instead, she stared coldly at the princess and shrugged, ¡°Rest up, Crysta. I can handle the rest of the story.¡± ¡°How can I trust that you won¡¯t twist the story?¡± Crysta asked, ¡°I¡¯ll finish it myself. Thanks for offering.¡± The air seemed to shift in response to the answer as Bree searched for her mind for a reply, ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll let the three of you be. Sorry for interrupting,¡± the girl was gone before they could think of stopping her. Crysta sank into her bed, a bad feeling turning in her stomach. ¡°Is there anything else you know about the rogue that captured you?¡± the girl asked. ¡°Yes, I know something about her. She gave me a message to deliver to you,¡± Crysta replied, ¡°The woman called herself Amanda and she was one of the rogue king¡¯s generals. She hade to Sirius on her own in search of someone. While she was searching, the girl found her and ckmailed her into helping out with the insane n to kill the princess of Sirius, iming the girl was an abomination to the royals. I asked the woman who she was looking for and she told me she was in search of the king¡¯s uncle, Sean Sirius,¡± Lina gasped at the mention of her great uncle. They had tried visiting him and for someone who was a spy for the rogues, he was far toofortable in his cell. ¡°What else did she tell you about my uncle?¡± the girl asked. ¡°She said I was to ask the king to release him by order of the moon goddess. I don¡¯t know what that is supposed to mean, but she made it clear that I had to get the message to the king like that. It was all too confusing, not to mention the headache I had at the moment I was hearing all that,¡± the girl replied. Lina¡¯s curiosity seemed to peak higher than she had initially suspected. She knew there was more to her uncle than she¡¯d been told, but now that she was hearing his nameing from a rogue that had saved Crysta¡¯s life, she was curious as to what the man had to hide from the king. ¡°We¡¯ll get the message to the king for you. Get all the rest you can, okay?¡± Lina said to the girl in the bed. ¡°Why has everyone been telling me that one thing?¡± Crysta replied, ¡°I can do what I want, damn it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯tin...¡± ¡°No, I have to. I have been cooped up in here for far too long. At least tell me how your trip went. I need something to get this mind moving or else I¡¯ll lose my mind in here,¡± Crysta cut her off. ¡°Alright then... I¡¯ll tell you how it went. After all, I was meant to tell you about it anyway,¡± Lina chuckled, settling back into her seat and starting her own detailed narration of the events that happened in the Golden Moon Pack. Madeline¡¯s story had Crysta silently wishing she hadn¡¯t asked about the trip after all. ¡°How is Madeline doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but the king had a room chosen for... Oh, I don¡¯t even know where her room is. I came rushing straight here,¡± Lina groaned. The princess had barely paid anyone any attention once she¡¯d heard of Crysta¡¯s condition. Her mind had beenpletely overtaken by the need to reach her friend and make sure she was okay. ¡°Yeah, no kidding. You didn¡¯t even see me when you walked in,¡± Honour couldn¡¯t resist the scowl that appeared on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. I didn¡¯t even notice I was causing that much of an inconvenience for everyone.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you came here running as fast as you do when in the forest,¡± Crysta groaned. ¡°I didn¡¯t... If I¡¯d done that, I would have been able to make any sharp turns. I probably would have caused a serious ident if I had moved any faster than I did,¡± the girl mumbled to herself... which was entirely beside the point. ¡°I finally see the resemnce between you and Katie,¡± Honour piped up. ¡°Huh, really, what is it?¡± the girl asked her. ¡°You¡¯re both impossible to convince once you¡¯ve made up your minds,¡± Honour beamed. She¡¯d stumbled upon a golden discovery. Crysta wouldn¡¯t stopughing at the observation. ¡°It¡¯s like talking to a brick wall. I¡¯ve witnessed it before as well,¡± she rified. ¡°Hey... that¡¯s not like us at all,¡± Lina tried, but it was all in vain. The girls had already made up their minds on the two royals. ¡®Is it a bad thing or not?¡¯ she couldn¡¯t help, but think to herself. .......................... Exiting the infirmary, Bree continued walking with a destination in mind. Her hands wouldn¡¯t stop curling into cruel fists in frustration. The genuineughter and tears that hade from the hospital room only worked to haunt her mind. ¡®After everything we¡¯ve been through, you would still side with her. I know Ginger took it too far, but her emotions were justified in my book,¡¯ the girl argued with herself. Finally making it to the entrance to the dungeon, the girl bowed respectfully to the green-eyed guard that protected the metallic entrance, ¡°I would like to visit someone please.¡± ¡°Oh, who might that be?¡± the man, who had tried his best to ignore the loitering girl finally gave her his attention. ¡°I would like to visit the king¡¯s brother, his highness, Sean Sirius,¡± the girl said to the guard. The man¡¯s eyes widened in surprise before getting serious, ¡°Oh? Do you have approval from the king to make such a visit?¡± ¡°Do I need the king¡¯s permission to pay him a visit that badly?¡± she asked, doing her best to keep her calm. ¡°Yes, you do. Without it, you can¡¯t even get within hearing distance of the prince¡¯s cell,¡± the man replied sternly, however, now he was curious to know why a random girl wanted to see the man all of a sudden. It was not like the prince had anyone he was particrly familiar with. He kept to himself and very easily swatted any attempts made in his direction. Even the guards that visited him for his routine check were intimidated by his oppressive aura. Those who tried to make any conversation immediately regretted uttering a single word. He was nothing like the rest of the Sirius family. The girl briskly walked away from the dungeon without uttering another word and was standing before the king¡¯s office as soon as her legs could get her. Her mind was working hard for a reason she could give the king for wanting to visit his brother. The woman that had helped them escape gave her all the information she needed to handle herself better than her departed friend... Bree had taken the time to make all the necessary deductions from what she witnessed in the cave... She was almost certain her n was going to work. The door clicked open, allowing her to enter, ¡°Lina, I was about to... Oh, Bree? Surprise seeing you here. To what do I owe the pleasure?¡± the king asked the girl, setting down the papers he¡¯d been sorting and paying all attention to the girl before him. That¡¯s how the king had always been. Behind the seemingly self-serving nature that he exuded with his shy suits, he took everyone in his kingdom to be a high priority. Bree had only witnessed it a few times and hade to love their king for it. Even now as she looked at him, she recognized the kind benevolent king of the Sirius empire, ¡®Your kindness might be your greatest weakness,¡¯ she bitterly thought to herself. Chapter 308 308 ckmail A reason to visit the prince... A reason to visit the prince... A reason to visit the prince... The statement kept going through the girl¡¯s head that shepletely forgot that the king was waiting for her to speak. King Davin had to snap her out of her thoughts, ¡°Bree, are you okay? I was told you made a full recover...¡± ¡°I would like permission to visit your brother, your majesty,¡± the girl rushed, missing the fact that the king was in the middle of his speech. A frown ran across the king¡¯s face, ¡°Why is that?¡± the king asked her. There weren¡¯t many things the girl could tell the king that would get her his approval. The mere fact that the prince didn¡¯t associate with anyone made this requestpletely out of ce. If she chose to lie to himpletely, it would be impossible to hide her deceit when he hadmand over the entire pack link... So she went with an altered version. One that would be almost undetectable ¡°I just want to know why he did what he did. I want closure... and I want to hear it from him,¡± the girl said to the king. The king was quiet for a moment, trying to think over what the girl was saying. Her request must have been the weirdest he¡¯d heard all week, but after what she had been through, he was more inclined to listen to what she had to say. He couldn¡¯t help the curiosity that wed at the back of his mind, ¡°Why can¡¯t you wait for his trial just like everyone else?¡± The girl¡¯s heartbeat went into overdrive. The king wasn¡¯t letting up like she had hoped he would. ¡°When I was captured, I overheard something. I¡¯m not sure what I heard, but I would like to ask him about it. Please your majesty. It won¡¯t take me long to ask him,¡± the girl tried once more, ¡°It might be nothing considering I was scared out of my mind. It was so scary. I thought I might die from starvation. Not to mention after losing...¡± ¡°Alright alright... I will let you visit him, but you only get five minutes to talk to him,¡± the man sighed, pulling a form out of one of the drawers behind his desk. He filled in the nks before stamping it following through with his signature. The girl took the form from him and bowed in thanks before exiting the room. She barely noticed the presence of the people in the room. Queen Martha had been seated on the sofa, paying close attention to the girl¡¯s eyes as she spoke, ¡°Something feels off with that girl. There is so much going through her mind.¡± ..... ¡°Getting captured can do that to you. She almost died,¡± the king replied sadly. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right. But why does it feel like it was something else... almost like she was consumed by hatred?¡± the queen searched the mind link and found that the girl had blocked her emotions from flowing into the mind link. Respecting her privacy, she decided against a mental invasion, ¡°Just to be sure, I¡¯ll alert the guards to be weary of her actions.¡± Bree returned to the guard at the entrance of the dungeon and held the form out for him to hold. The guard looked between the form and the girl. ¡°You weren¡¯t even gone for thirty minutes.¡± The man eximed, grabbing the form and searching it for any sign of forgery, but it proved authentic. Just then, a transmission came through from the queen that notified the girl had indeed received the confirmation from the king. ¡°Just who are you, girl?¡± the guard narrowed her eyes at the girl. She had amber eyes... a rank lower than he was and yet she had gotten closer to the king than he could ever hope to... under an hour no less. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand the king one bit,¡± the girl replied, walking past the guard, ¡°I would like the key to Prince Sean¡¯s cell, please.¡± ¡°Oh, that stays with me,¡± the guard replied, holding up antern and gesturing forward, ¡°If you would just follow me.¡± The girl gritted her teeth and balled her fists. Withholding her discontentment, she went along with the man¡¯s words. The man led the girl through the dungeon until they got to therge metal door that was the only known entrance to the prince¡¯s dungeon. Unlike the other cells, this one did not allow anyone to look into it and was locked more securely than the others. ¡°Why is he locked up in such a manner? He¡¯s royalty, you know.¡± The girl snapped at the guard. The man only chuckled, ¡°Compared to the other prisoners, he is living the dream. Hey, don¡¯t argue with me. King¡¯s orders.¡± He replied, opening the door and walking in with two more guards before her, ¡°Stay outside a moment. It¡¯s protocol for any civilian visiting him... not that he gets any visitors at all.¡± The girl waited impatiently as the guards worked inside the cell. She heard the sound of chains, but noints came from the inside of the room. After a short while, they stepped out, ¡°You have five minutes to speak with him. After that, we¡¯ll be hauling you out of there against your will.¡± With that, she was left alone to enter the cell. On the inside of the cell, she found the prince chained at his wrists that had been raised so he would not be able to try anything dangerous. There was no doubt that anything he tried would plunge his system with a dose of wolfsbane. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re the reason my novel was so rudely interrupted. And yet I was getting to the good part,¡± the royal spoke up when she¡¯d just entered. The inside of the room was neat and on thefortable side for a prison cell. There was no window in the entire room... just good air conditioning. The bed he was seated on was even better than the one the girl slept on in her home. He was well fed and had a pile of books on a side table that she was sure was constantly growing taller with each passing moon. ¡°You don¡¯t even know who I am, do you?¡± the girl snapped at him. ¡°Am I supposed to know who you are? That would be such an unreasonable request if I was to remember everyone I ever met... and one hell of a chore,¡± the man chuckled, ¡°What brings you here? I don¡¯t even understand why Davin would let someone like you through. Has he really grown that soft?¡± ¡°You¡¯re nothing like the king at all. How are you two even rted, to begin with?¡± the girl spat at him. Sean¡¯s expression went dark for a moment. It was like she¡¯d hit a nerve, however, the girl couldn¡¯t imagine him acting any other way than he was now. He was the insufferable royal that everyone knew as the Lone Wolf. The man was quiet for a moment, narrowing his eyes at her and finally spoke seriously, ¡°That look in your eye. You¡¯re angry at someone. What brings you here, girl?¡± The girl looked to the door and noticed she was being listened to. Through the mind link, she said, ¡°You¡¯re going to help me get back at the royal family.¡± ¡°Oh, what makes you think I would ever help you achieve such a thing?¡± the man asked her. ¡°Information is a very valuable thing, you know. Does the name Amanda mean anything to you?¡± the girl smirked and watched as his eyes widened in recognition of the name she¡¯d just uttered. ¡°It does mean something to you. I can pretty much piece together everything from here on. You¡¯re in league with the rogues for reasons very simple to werewolf kind... There aren¡¯t many things in the world that can break the loyalty of a wolf to his pack... In fact, it might be the only thing in the world besides family that could have caused you to do what you did... Love... Isn¡¯t it?¡± the girl asked him. The question was rhetorical. Sean¡¯s expression gave it all away. The man that was alwaysposed around everyone had just shown emotion at the mention of a single name. At that moment, it was like she¡¯d just cracked the hardest shell in the known world. Sean almost looked ordinary, if not for the bright blue gleam in his eyes. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m going to help you?¡± the royal asked her, however, this time he wasn¡¯t in a mood tough. His eyes scanned her face constantly. It made Bree¡¯s skin crawl. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me at all anyway. I will get back at the royal family and you will help me do it. Amanda recently abducted me, you know. She told my friend to deliver a lot of information to the king. I yed dumb and remained ¡®unconscious¡¯ the entire time. I know more than you think I could, so I would suggest you listen to what I have to say. If you don¡¯t I¡¯ll just twist all this information in any way that I want and you could find yourself facing a death sentence before long,¡± the girl replied with a steeled expression. Of course, she said all this through the mind link. The advantage of doing it this way though... was that Prince Sean could feel her conviction flow into her mind along with. What he couldn¡¯t tell, however, was if she was bluffing. He wanted to invade her mind, but the strain that would take was more than the wolfsbane in his shackles would let him handle. Sean stared at the girl before her. The look in her eyes was not foreign to him. He¡¯d seen it before. She meant what she was saying and might have been willing to go to great lengths to achieve what she wanted to, but she didn¡¯t have enough to sway him just yet. His mind questioned how much she knew about Amanda and she kept this hidden just as well, ¡°You know nothing.¡± The girl smirked, ¡°You sound so foolish right now. I¡¯ll let you in on one of the little secrets I heard...¡± the girl whispered something to him through the mind link. The smirk on her face wouldn¡¯t leave long even after she was done talking. Sean gasped upon hearing her words. The reply only proved she knew more than she was letting on even more. It wasn¡¯t like him to get cornered by someone so... ¡®powerless¡¯, ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Now we¡¯re getting somewhere,¡± the girl¡¯s dark smile grew even wider... if that was at all possible. ¡°It¡¯s quite simple really. I want to get back at the royals for what they¡¯ve done to me, so I will have you take me to Amanda and the rogues,¡± the girl replied. The prince paused, but upon remembering her threats, allowed her to proceed. ¡°I can¡¯t get out of this cell,¡± he replied. ¡°You leave the escape to me. I wille to get you out of here at midnight, so make sure you¡¯re ready by then,¡± the girl said to him, ¡°My time is almost up now. We¡¯ll talk about the rest when we are far from here.¡± A knock came at the door, admitting the guard into the cell. ¡°Your time is up,¡± the guard said to her. ¡°Oh, I hadn¡¯t noticed,¡± the girl replied. Sean wondered where the tear that flowed down her cheek hade from, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you would conspire with the rogues to kill your own niece. I believed in you, prince Sean, but... but...¡± ¡°Was that really true?¡± the guard asked. ¡°Yes, it was. I had onlye here so he would tell me that the rumours were true. This man truly is a viinous criminal that should be punished for his crimes. To think someone would want princess Katie to be killed when she was only an infant and a hope to the entire kingdom.¡± ¡°This way, miss,¡± the guard wrapped an arm around her and led her out of the cell. It was only Sean that noticed the girl had already set her n into motion, ¡°I hope the king gives you a punishment fitting of your crimes.¡± The guard spat, getting worked up from the state of the girl disying crocodile tears. The guards freed him from his chains and locked his room. The novel by the king¡¯s bed no longer seemed interesting after what he¡¯d just heard. ¡®You don¡¯t get it, do you, little girl? I promised him I wouldn¡¯t leave this cell...¡¯ this thought wouldn¡¯t leave the confines of his cell... and he was sure even if she had heard him, she wouldn¡¯t care one bit. Chapter 309 309 Letter to the King Lina spent most of the time she could spare with Crysta doing everything the girl asked of her and even called on one of her servants to deliver her tablet from which they watched a few of their favourite shows. The three girls had decided to forget about finals that were only the next day and chose to simply have some fun. Madeline, who asked that they didn¡¯t remind her of the topic, joined them in the fun. It wasn¡¯t like either of them hadn¡¯t been serious with their studies for a moment. A failing grade seemed like the only thing they had to avoid in light of what they¡¯d gone through that weekend. When Crysta had finally fallen asleep, Lina leaned back into the chair, ¡°What now?¡± Madeline asked them. The girl hade looking for them and chosen to hang out with them when she realised they hadn¡¯t filled her in on their agenda once the delta fell asleep. ¡°Well, now we have to return to the king and report everything Crysta told us. That was what Honour agreed to after all,¡± Lina replied, ¡°It¡¯s such a hassle to give reports.¡± ¡°This one is important though. Who would have known the king¡¯s brother would have such secrets bottled up?¡± Honour wondered. The situation was getting more and moreplicated... ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s scary. I wonder what his reasons for conspiring with the rogues are and the woman Crysta mentioned. What is she? Can she do the same thing Madeline can with her eyes?¡± Lina asked Honour. ¡°Why are you asking me? I have no idea. Madeline, can you change the colour of your eyes to blue?¡± Honour asked. ¡°No, I can only change them to yellow which is the colour that every average werewolf should have. You can¡¯t just switch your eyes to a rank that¡¯s higher or basically not yours. The colour that your eyes shine represents how much power you have from the goddess of the moon. From what I¡¯ve learnt. The behaviour of that woman¡¯s eye colour ispletely new to me,¡± the girl exined. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Honour answered. The theory only confused her more since she was the weakest werewolf she knew about. It didn¡¯t make any sense to her at all. ..... ¡°Let¡¯s just get going already...¡± she concluded, forcing Lina, the immovable statue, out of her seat and out of the infirmary. Outside, the moon was already climbing through the sky, making its trek across the starry sky. The girls had barely noticed how time had moved while they were in the infirmary. Lina just hadn¡¯t seemed ready to leave the room and they had stayed there until Crysta had fallen asleep. She seemed to be making a quick recovery. Even her mood had gotten severely better. However, this would not be the case once she heard about Ginger¡¯s situation. ......... The king opened the door, admitting his daughter, her best friend and the girl with grey/amber eyes in. They locked the door behind them and took their ce in the congregation that had gathered, ¡°I¡¯m d you could make it, you three. As it so happens, there is trouble in both kingdoms. While our kingdom seems to be in the clear, Lycaon is in more danger.¡± ¡°What happened? Is Katie okay?¡± Lina rushed. ¡°Yes, Lina. Your sister is fine. I honestly wouldn¡¯t be that worried about her,¡± the king replied, ¡°Under normal circumstances, that is... It seems Katie wasn¡¯t able to detect anything. I know we should rely on her, but it is worrisome to know that the girl is only growing weaker by the second.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not following, your majesty,¡± Honour was the one to speak this time. ¡°From what Thomas has told us, Katie has not been seen exerting her powers like she normally would. While it¡¯s too close to the time of her hospitalisation to tell what¡¯s going on with her, it is starting to cause some level of worry to go through the hunters. Katie hasn¡¯t shown any signs of recovering to her former state for a week now. She can walk and carry out her activities as normal, but she gets tired much faster now and has numerous moments of weakness. When that is coupled with the recent events in the Lycaon capital, it is safe to assume that things will only take a turn for the worst at the coronation at the end of this week,¡± the king exined. ¡°Cole is going to be crowned king? What¡¯s going to happen at the coronation? Is someone targeting him?¡± Lina asked. ¡°The criminals that escaped during the dungeon break have banded together. At first, it was abductions, but now they have made it clear that they are going to attack the coronation ceremony,¡± the king confirmed. Lina was quiet for a moment. As it so happened, the others in the room knew of these developments and didn¡¯t raise any questions, ¡°We shall discuss the guest list for the coronationter, but for now, we would like to hear what you heard from Crysta,¡± the king turned his attention to the girls. ¡°Oh, yeah, Crysta. She mentioned the name of the rogue that captured her along with the absurd colour of her eyes,¡± the girl mentioned. ¡°What does anything have to do with her eyes? Was she one of the rogue king¡¯s generals?¡± the king asked. ¡°It seemed that way, but Crysta saw something else that confused her. The woman¡¯s eyes shed blue when she wanted them to do so and when they did, she also gave the girl a message to deliver to the king of Sirius,¡± the room grew tense at the mention of a message that was directed to the king. This was not what any of them had expected to hear at all... A message from the rogues. ........... Outside, the guard that had been taking care of protecting the dungeon was packing his bag, excitement written all over his face, ¡°I finally get to go home after a hard day¡¯s work,¡± the man sang to himself. One of the guards on the inside yawned, ¡°Well, there he goes again. Can you skip the part where you talk about your daughter this time?¡± he yelled to the departing colleague. ¡°I am not the one that decided the lot of y¡¯all should remain single,¡± the man replied as smugly as he could. ¡°Just because you found your mate in high school doesn¡¯t mean you should rub it in our faces, okay?¡± another man replied, walking towards the dungeons to rece the dotting father, ¡°Honestly, you¡¯re hopeless sometimes.¡± ¡°On the contrary, my night shiftrade, I am full of hope. Hope that my little one grows up into a beautiful strong woman that will bring joy to her father and no one else,¡± the man was on cloud nine and there was no bringing him down from there. ¡°You realise when your daughter grows up, she¡¯ll also find a mate like you did in high school and will start...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare, Daniel? She will always be Daddy¡¯s little girl,¡± he snapped before bing happy once more, ¡°Now goodbye single males. I will go and visit my lovely family. Do take an example from me and raise a happy family as well. Feel free toe to me for advice as well. I am a master.¡± He winked before skipping away from the dungeon entrance, leaving his recement to reorganise the office for his night shift. ¡°That¡¯s one jolly werewolf. Perhaps far too jolly,¡± Daniel chuckled to himself. Just as he was about to settle in, he heard a voiceing from the office¡¯s other side. ¡°Where is the guard I showed my clearance earlier?¡± a girl spoke from the outside the office of the head guard. ¡°Huh,¡± the man looked out to the girl standing on the other side. She was beautiful, however, she was nothing like the woman he¡¯d known to be his friend¡¯s mate, ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but I think you missed him. Would you like to leave him a message? It would be odd for you to bother him through the mind link at this hour of the night?¡± ¡°Okay then... would you write my message down then?¡± the girl asked him. ¡°Very well. Let me just get a paper and pen. Damn you, Troy. You¡¯re one hell of a yer,¡± the man chuckled to himself as he finally got a pen and paper from the drawer, ¡°Very well... what would you like to tell him?¡± ¡°Well, I would like him to know that he stood me up the other night and I will be giving him another chance to make up for it tomorrow. If he doesn¡¯t show up then... I will...¡± the girl went quiet. The man thought he felt a pinch at the back of his neck when she stopped talking, but the quick healing his wolf provided him allowed him to look past it. He looked up and asked him. As soon as he stared at the girl, her image split in two and the world began to spin, ¡°What will you do to him if he... Woah... What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Perhaps you had a lot to drink. Are you even allowed to drink on the job?¡± the girl asked him, watching him with a smirk. ¡°I don¡¯t... I don¡¯t drink,¡± the man said, panting as exhaustion racked his body, ¡°Damn it... You did this, didn¡¯t you?¡± The girl went through the door and into his office. The other guards that saw her getting into his office only smirked and continued to stand guard as diligently as they had been trained to be. If only they¡¯d known what was really happening inside. The girl on the inside held the man and ced his head down at his table. The wolf didn¡¯t have the energy to resist her after the drug she¡¯d just used against him. Searching through the room, she found the key to the cell she was searching for. From her small handbag, she found the small devices she¡¯d carried with her. ¡®Wolfsbane vapour... This stuff cost me a fortune. Just a sniff of it will have all the wolves in here struggling for their lives. It¡¯s not lethal, so they will be fine...¡¯ she thought to herself for a moment, ¡®I don¡¯t care anyway. Even if they die, it won¡¯t mean much to me by the time I¡¯m done.¡¯ With that, the girl stepped out of the room and let the devices she was holding roll out of her hand letting out deadly puffs of smoke that tinged the eyes of the guards far before they had the time to react. The girl covered her face with a gas mask and walked through the dungeon with another of her smoke grenades in one hand and a key for one cell in particr. ¡®All too soft...¡¯ Chapter 310 310 Wave of Distress Seany on his bed, his keen sense of hearing picking up on a load of the tumbling bodies on the other side of the door that kept him confined in the dungeon. It was about time the girl would be breaking him out. The man narrowed his eyes at the door, searching for some other reason to stay within the cell. ¡®Perhaps, I could kill the girl once she opened the door...¡¯ the thought turned his stomach. Sighing, the prince¡¯s expression softened, ¡®I me them for being soft... but I guess I¡¯m not so different. I¡¯m sorry, nephew. I promised to keep from breaking out of this prison, but depending on how much this girl knows, she now has the upper hand. I will find another way to prove my innocence to you...¡¯ His thoughts were interrupted by the clicking sound within the lock of the door. Knowing that there weren¡¯t guards on the other side of the door brought him chills. Immediately the lock of the wolfsbane-lined door clicked open. The mind link connecting him to the wolf on the other side opened. Unbridled darkness and rage filled the being that pushed the door open. A thick white gas wafted in through the crack of the door. Covering her face was a ck gas mask that hid the girl¡¯s face. The werewolf he¡¯d met earlier walked in and tossed a gas mask onto the bed. ¡°Put that on...¡± The man picked up the mask and ced it on his face, his thoughts continuing, seemingly undisturbed, ¡®...the day that I will prove to you that I am indeed innocent.¡¯ The man fastened the mask as instructed and followed the girl out of the cell that the king had ced him in. What he saw on his way out assured him of the girl¡¯s conviction. The numerous guards that kept the dungeons safe were all lying on the ground unconscious. A thick white gas covered the entire floor. ¡®Is it fine for them to be lying in the gas like that?¡¯ he wondered. Bree, on the other hand, walked by them without paying them any attention. ..... She didn¡¯t have that much power physically, but that didn¡¯t stop her from storming the dungeons and breaking him out. There was no doubt in his mind that they were going to leave the pce without any trouble, ¡°Block your connection to the mind link. That way, they won¡¯t track us down,¡± the girl ordered. The prince wondered where her genuine respect for the royals had been hidden. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. Have you any idea how painful it is to be cut off from the mind link?¡± the royal replied, almost dramatically. ¡°I know what it¡¯s like and I also know that it¡¯s not something that bothers you,¡± the girl turned to him viciously. He could have sworn she was scowling. What frightened the royal, however, was not her tone, but the fact that she¡¯d read right through him once more. ¡®Just how much does she know about me?¡¯ he wondered. ¡°If it bothers you at all, you can keep the connection to be open, but that¡¯s all you get.¡± They were out of the dungeons and out of pce grounds with next to no resistance. Anyone that tried to approach the girl would get a shot of some substance to the neck that would knock out the werewolves almost instantly. By leaps and bounds, they were deep into the forest with only the moon to provide them with any kind of light under the cover of the trees. The royal couldn¡¯t help but look back at the pce as it was diminished by distance. They had actually escaped. The panicking sounds that had filled the pce when they were about to escape had not even bothered Bree for a moment. Prince Sean was almost sure he heard her mutter under her breath. It was a statement he¡¯d said himself numerous times, ¡°Soft... all of them...¡± Whether it was mncholy or bitter hatred behind her words, the prince could not tell. .......... Lina continued the narration of her story to the king, ¡°Amanda wanted the king of Sirius to know that Sean Sirius was innocent. She knew you wouldn¡¯t believe her though, so she offered to free Bree and Crysta as a show of goodwill, but Ginger... the traitor was meant to die. There was nothing that convince her otherwise...¡± ¡°What was her reason for making such a decision?¡± the king found himself asking before his daughter could finish. Honour took over from there, ¡°It was because Ginger¡¯s half-baked reason for abducting Crysta was so that she could kill Lina,¡± this sent a wave of silence through the room, Honour then continued, ¡°She wanted the rogue to kill Lina the moment she showed up to save Crysta. Beyond that, the girl hadn¡¯t thought it through that clearly. It seemed as though her hatred for the girl was far more rooted than mere reasoning.¡± The royals listening were gripped with the fear that there was one amongst them with this much hatred towards them. ¡°Is that all the rogue had to say?¡± the king asked. ¡°She also mentioned she would wish for a time toe when the entire family could be together again... and be truly happy,¡± the girl replied, however, her tone sounded unsure of what this meant. ¡°It¡¯s getting exhausting to keep track of the number of people that can fake having a royal¡¯s power,¡± the king rubbed his temples. ¡°Crysta didn¡¯t seem to think she was dangerous. In fact, the girl¡¯s wolf was inclined to sympathise with the rogue that had captured them,¡± Lina continued. ¡°And Crysta told you this herself?¡± the king asked. ¡°No, she didn¡¯t. It¡¯s just from my own observation,¡± the girl replied nervously. Knowing this information without consent would have been an invasion of privacy, however, she felt the need to speak her mind. ¡°Very well,¡± the king replied,pletely missing the admittance to the crime and taking a moment to think through everything he¡¯d been told. Just then, arge wave of distress rang through the mind link. The queen was at her feet in a second, gripped by the thunderous wave of paining from numerous werewolves through the mind link. The king, on the other hand, searched for the location of the distress, but couldn¡¯t find it. ¡°Who and where are they?¡± Drake yelled, barely able to hear his own voice, searching his own mind as well. Honour and Madeline looked about the room, unable to hear this same distress signal as intensely as the royals. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Mady tried but got no answer. ¡°They fall unconscious before we are able to detect their locations. Someone is using wolfsbane on them,¡± the king confirmed, ¡°Alpha Jackson, confirm whether we are under attack and make quick work of the situation.¡± The beta alpha was out the door and on his way hunting down the source of distress and neutralising the situation. ¡°I don¡¯t think he will be able to find them,¡± Honour announced. ¡°Do you have an idea where they might be?¡± the king asked her. ¡°No, I don¡¯t, but perhaps we might be able to figure it out if we ask werewolves located in different ces of the pce and the capital. It could help narrow it down,¡± Honour offered her advice, rubbing circles into Lina¡¯s back. The girl looked on the verge of copsing from the intense mental invasion. The queen was silent for a while albeit in anticipation of something, ¡°Darling, what did happen to that girl?¡± ¡°What girl?¡± the queen asked. ¡°What was her name?¡± the queen strained, ¡°the one who used to hang around Crysta.¡± ¡°Oh, you mean Ginger or Bree...?¡± ¡°I meant to say, Bree,¡± the queen corrected, the moment she heard the name. ¡°She went to the dungeons to check on Sean, but that¡¯s about all I know of thest time she was spotted,¡± the king responded. ¡°I would have thought she would be with these three, but she wasn¡¯t with them, so naturally, I chose not to worry over nothing, but...¡± the queen paused, ¡°if she¡¯s anything like Ginger, we might just be ignoring something very problematic.¡± Lina was the first out of the office, rushing faster than anyone could follow even with their eyes. Her speed was unmatched in the whole kingdom and they could only follow with no hope of catching up, ¡°Lina, be careful. Rushing in first won¡¯t help do much good if you only end up in the same situation. Don¡¯t forget that you were the target in the first ce.¡± ¡°They have been poisoned, mother. I can¡¯t just sit back,¡± the girl cut her mother off, rushing to the dungeons. She was at the entrance by the time she was done talking to her mother, despite the great distance between the two ces. The queen thought back to a girl who¡¯d rushed into a simr situation and got surrounded by hundreds of wolves. It was like it was happening all over again. However, the simrities between her two daughters didn¡¯t end there. They were also the stubbornest people she knew when it came to saving lives. Trying to talk some sense into her daughter would do her no good, ¡°Be careful,¡± the woman whispered through the mind link. The rest of the royal family made it several momentster and gasped at the sight before them. A light smoke that tinged their eyes and nostrils the moment they inhaled it held them back from the dungeons, ¡°Why would anyone...¡± the king stopped his own question in half when he came to the realisation what was happening, ¡°So he escaped... even after suggesting he wasn¡¯t going to do so.¡± ¡°Darling...¡± the queen tried, sensing his rage, but he was already too far gone. ¡°No, Martha. It¡¯s enough. All of it... I¡¯m at my limit. I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Sean is a traitor. What more can he say after something like this? It¡¯s clear to me now. It has been the entire time. I have just been ignoring the truth this whole time,¡± the king was livid. The pain that came from the wolves of his pack only intensified his anger. Honour made itter than the royal family had. She was even slower than them... and Madeline was not so far ahead of her. Without noticing what was keeping the royals back, she walked through to the entrance of the dungeon and began to check the pulse of the wolves thaty inside, ¡°They are still alive, but barely. They¡¯ve inhaled too much of the gas. We need to get them to the hospital quickly.¡± Micah and Thomas appeared out of nowhere and rushed through to help, breaking the royals from their shocked trances. Honour¡¯s actions seemed to have spurred them into action. They carried the guards out of the dungeon and ced them out clear from the smoke where the royals, along with betas and deltas that hade at Alpha Jackson¡¯smand, worked to get them to the infirmary. In total, they ended up counting a hundred and eleven werewolves that had been affected by the gas. ¡°Your majesty, what about the prisoners that were affected as well?¡± ¡°All the prisoners that are werewolves are to be isted and medical equipment taken to their cells where they will be treated and nursed back to health once the gas has been cleared out,¡± the king replied, setting that task to Alpha Phillip. It was deep into the night when Lina and her friends finally left the infirmary and slept in her room. The next day was meant to be finals at their school and they¡¯d barely got time to get their sleep in. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Is it because of Katie¡¯s state or is it because she¡¯s not around anymore?¡¯ Lina couldn¡¯t help but ask herself. When her sister made an appearance in Sirius, the kingdom started to feel more lively with her around. The girl, without much effort,manded order while keeping her surroundings calm with her free-spirited nature. ¡°Rest up, Lina,¡± a voice crawled into her mind. A hand brushed the hair on her head, soothing her deeper into a slumber, ¡°Just like your sister.¡± The girl¡¯s eyes fluttered open and she stared at the queen. She hade to check on her daughter and found her tossing about in her bed. Her thoughts were a mess andpletely far from what she was supposed to be focused on. ¡°Mum, I...¡± ¡°Hush, Lina... You have exams tomorrow. You¡¯re not above the rules of your school, you know. Even though we took a lot of valuable time from you,¡± the queen cooed. The girl sighed and bit the inside of her cheek. The queen chuckled lightly, ¡°Just one question.¡± It was an unfair offer. She had so much to ask. She couldn¡¯t possibly summarise it all in one question. Thinking it through, she chose the one at the top of her mind, ¡°Will they be fine? The werewolves that were poisoned.¡± The queen smiled at her daughter, ¡°Yes, my dear. They will be fine.¡± Lina¡¯s heart slowed down if only a little... With that, she closed her eyes and set her mind at ease. With the queen in her room, it wasn¡¯t long before she was fast asleep... In the presence of her greatest safe haven. Chapter 311 311 Captive Bree and Sean were running from the capital for many hours before the girl was certain they were far enough from the capital to be tracked. After having made their getaway, they were now stranded in the middle of nowhere. Sean was not sure if this was part of the girl¡¯s n or if there was something else she had prepared. The prince remained quiet through their entire journey, never once voicing his opinion about her actions and the silence was starting to irritate her. If anything, the prince was impressed by her endurance. He was sure the average wolf was not supposed to be able to keep this pace for more than an hour, but the girl was proving him wrong. While she was visibly tired and more winded than he was, she was still in incredible shape inparison to the pack warriors her age that was of the same rank. The prince didn¡¯t give Bree any directions or advice and never onceined about her decisions. The woods were dangerous, but the prince never once warned her of any dangers. Bree was convinced he would do nothing if she found herself trapped by the creatures in the wild the moment he didn¡¯t warn her of a bear she almost awoke. When she asked why he hadn¡¯t helped her, he merely shrugged. It wasn¡¯t hard to see the logic behind why he¡¯d done nothing. Prince Sean was not even a little bit repulsed by his actions. From the girl¡¯s point of view, she somewhat understood why he would feel that way. After all, seeing her dead would only free him from her. Eventually, the girl got tired and rested on therge root of a random colossal tree in the forest. ..... Sean leaned against a tree opposite her and sighed. Listening to her breath, he could tell she was getting exhausted, but then again, the pack she had been carrying along with her the entire time, could just as well contain what she needed to acquire more strength. ¡°Why don¡¯t you say anything?¡± the girl barked at him. ¡°What¡¯s there to say? You broke me out of the dungeon and endangered the werewolves in the dungeons without batting an eysh. There¡¯s nothing for me to tell you,¡± the man scoffed, sliding down the tree and taking a seat as well. The girl didn¡¯t miss the disappointmentced in the royal¡¯s voice. It irked her to think he would judge her. ¡®You¡¯re no saint either,¡¯ she wanted to retort, ¡°What about you? You escaped from the dungeon after betraying the royals. You can¡¯t exactly go back to the pce.¡± ¡°I am not worried about myself. I used to be a lone wolf so I have no trouble returning to that life,¡± the man shrugged. ¡°Whatever, none of that matters anyway. You¡¯re going to call your girlfriend,¡± the girl told him. ¡°Hmm, how is that going to help you?¡± Sean, skipping over Amanda¡¯s newfound title, narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°No questions. I¡¯m the one in charge right now. Call her,¡± the girl ordered, her eyes holding only hate toward the royal. Sean had had just about enough of her attitude and he was now drawing the line to her disrespect. In an attempt to get up and summon power from his wolf, the royal fell to his knees, losing the feeling in his legs and soon after, his whole body. His legs seemed to have given up the moment he¡¯d stood up, ¡°Oh, you haven¡¯t noticed yet, have you?¡± the girl smirked, ¡°I poisoned you too. Come on... I¡¯m not stupid to break a royal out of the dungeon without a backup n.¡± The numbness in the royal¡¯s limbs continued to spread through his body, ¡°What kind of poison is this?¡± Sean asked her. He hunted through his mind, but there was nothing that reacted the way this poison did towards him. His wolf normally fought all toxins that entered his body, making him almost immune to all poisons. And even those that worked weren¡¯t this effective. The poison that had rendered him immovable at the moment was stronger than any he had ever experienced. What was worse was that he couldn¡¯t tell when it was that he had been poisoned. He knew he hadn¡¯t been infected and that he hadn¡¯t breathed in the gas from the dungeons... ¡°It¡¯s a poison that inhibits the flow of divine energy. The hunters have learnt a lot concerning the power of the moon lotuses. This one was my personal favourite out of all of them,¡± the girl chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. What does the moon lotus have to do with any of this?¡± the man asked her. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know, do you? The hunters really do keep a lot of information from the royals. Luckily for me, I have done my homework. Unlike Ginger, I was not going to do something that would get me killed that easily. That girl was so impatient. I¡¯m not so different, but I wouldn¡¯t go in that blind. She didn¡¯t even the rogue she had hired. Enough of that though. In any case, I made my research. There are many ces you can get what you want for the right price. Wolfsbane, information, wolfsbane deployment devices... Most of them don¡¯t make it through because of the diligence of the hunters, but just a few are enough to cause the damage I needed,¡± the girl narrated. From what the girl had said, the king was still at a loss on how to get movement back into his system, ¡°What about the drug you¡¯ve just used on me?¡± the king asked her. ¡°Oh, that. It¡¯s a new one that inhibits the use of divine energy, which means the more divine energy one has, the more effective it is. I had no doubt it would work for you. The royals have the most divine energy out of all the werewolves and probably even more than the hunters, so it was bound to work on you for sure. Now... call your girlfriend,¡± the girl said to her. ¡°What makes you think I can call her,¡± the man asked her indifferently. ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb with me. She only showed up because she couldn¡¯t contact you. I can only imagine that was because of the punishment the king gave you. I tested it out. That cell wouldn¡¯t let you mind link anyone outside the cell. You couldn¡¯tmunicate from inside those dungeons and she came to see what was going on. Now, call her,¡± the girl ordered once more. ¡°From the looks of it, you seem to know far more than I do. So how about you answer my questions...¡± the man stopped talking when he heard the tearing sound of fabric. Something waspletely wrong... He couldn¡¯t feel anything because of the odd drug that had paralysed his body, but the sudden movement of his shirt exined what was going on. The girl had ripped his shirt at the back. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Hmm, I never thought you would bepletely paralyzed by this. It seems you can¡¯t even feel a thing. I don¡¯t have all day, Sean. Call her or else I start cutting up your back. I know you won¡¯t be able to feel it which, honestly, I don¡¯t care about...¡± the girl smirked, ¡°but I bet she can feel it.¡± ¡°What makes you think our connection is that strong for us to be able to share the pain?¡± the prince¡¯s voice had gone up in volume. ¡®This girl is insane.¡¯ ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t even begin to count the number of ways she proved that to me. Was it the way she spoke about you or maybe the way she could change the colour of her eyes? You can take your pick. Besides...¡± the girl scraped the edge of her knife over the scar of bite mark set on his shoulder, ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone has ever had the chance to see this.¡± Shivers went through the man¡¯s body as the nerves under the mark intensified the light touch of the knife, ¡°If you don¡¯t call her, I will start to cause her pain. I don¡¯t think you would...¡± ¡°You¡¯ve made your point, girl,¡± the king sighed. ¡°Now wasn¡¯t that much easier?¡± Bree replied triumphantly before recing her smirk with a deep scowl. ¡°Try to get her to bring you a shirt as well. I don¡¯t want to have to look at your shirtless self for the entirety of this trip,¡± the girl added, walking away from the prince. ¡°Are you going to just leave me here?¡± Sean called out. ¡°Oh, all the poison does is inhibit the use of divine energy. The more you draw on your wolf, the worst it gets. You should be fine as long as you keep your wolf back,¡± the girl mentioned to the man, ¡°Just in case you try something else, I have wolfsbane... the real thing.¡± ¡®Did she just threaten me?¡¯ the prince was dumbfounded. Shaking the thoughts from his head, he asked another burning question, ¡°And how do I take the poison out of my body?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for those details. Your body might just reject the poison like every other useless thing that enters your body, but I¡¯ll have given you a new dose of the drug by then,¡± the girl yawned, settling down under a tree as she had before. ¡°I¡¯m not going to just let you inject me with some kind of drug,¡± the man argued while the girl merely chuckled at his statement. He could feel malice in her voice as well as the mocking attitude in her mind. ¡°Just go ahead and call Amanda already,¡± the girl chuckled to the man. Sean was defeated at the moment. He had his wolf go to the back of his mind and as he did, the feeling began to return to his body. It was cool in the night air, however, it wasn¡¯t as humid as he would have expected of a kingdom that had received a deluge of rain for an entire week. Focusing on the connection he shared with the rogue the girl was referring to, Sean called out to her, ¡°Hey, General Amanda. I would like you to meet me in Sirius. You know how to find my location.¡± After a moment of silence, a reply came through, ¡°It was far too quiet without your voice in my head. You¡¯re being formal. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re in trouble. Stay put, I will be there.¡± Sean thought of warning the woman of the girl but held back his worries. She was more than powerful enough to deal with the girl on her own. The prince finally regained control of his body and rose from his ce on the ground. The girl before him was starting to fall asleep in the darkness of night. The king saw this as an opportunity and stood up to approach her. If he only could... his thoughts were stopped by a sudden tug at his leg. Looking back, his eyes noticed a chain going around his leg and to the tree he¡¯d been leaning against not long ago. Without his wolf¡¯s strength, it would be impossible to break the chain. Just to try, the king went held the chain and summoned all his strength in an attempt to snap it, but the more his wolf was drawn out, the weaker he got. Before he could tell what was happening, he copsed on his back, his entire body had gone numb once more. ¡°Don¡¯t bother, Sean. You won¡¯t be able to break the chain. I make the rules now,¡± the girl¡¯s cold voice broke the silence of the night. ¡°I thought you were asleep,¡± the king asked her. ¡°I had to pretend for a bit to see what you would do. I guess I was right. You would probably kill me if you were given the chance,¡± the girl sighed. Sean stared off at the canopy. Next to no light from the moon made it to the forest floor, but the light that did make it seem like there was an entirely different collection of stars in the sky that night, ¡°You¡¯d be surprised,¡± he replied, as hisst words of the night. ¡®In truth, I wouldn¡¯t care what would happen to you if I took you back to the capital. The rest would be up to them.¡¯ His own thoughts brought questions to his mind, ¡®Can I even make it back to the capital myself? Would the king listen to me if I tried? No, Davin has his limits. He wouldn¡¯t... I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d even get the chance to plead my case one bit,¡¯ he chuckled to himself. Chapter 312 312 The Prince¡¯s Rogue Mate Amanda spent her night in one of the numerous caves the rogues had be ustomed to in no-man¡¯snd. She had been doing this for a while. Following the king¡¯stest orders was hard to aplish and worry about Sean at the same time. Luckily for her, this time, her mission was in the same ce as her mate. At least, that¡¯s what she¡¯d thought. The news about him being locked up in a prison was like a stab in her heart. In her rush to find someone who would tell her about Sean¡¯s situation, she had only crossed paths with Ginger, a bitter girl who wanted to use her to achieve her own selfish and treacherous goals. She could have just ignored the obnoxious girl, but after hearing the girl¡¯s intention, her n to do so had changedpletely. However, that situation had gone by. She had killed the traitor and resumed her mission. Everything was supposed to proceed normally. The royals were bound to understand why she did what she did. After all, they all didn¡¯t think twice before killing rogues. That had been no different. Her hopes, however, had been crushed that night when a familiar voice invaded her mind. The message from the prince that night worried her so much that she barely got any sleep that night. When it was soon clear that she wasn¡¯t going to get any sleep, she left the cave and started her run through the night following the location of the royal through her mind. His power was weaker than she was used to and this fact only scared her more. The wolf came to stop when she caught the scent of someone else near Sean¡¯s location. She slowly circled the area, staying as quiet as she could and staying downwind in the almost still air and keeping to the deepest shadows to hide her form. Her stalking paid off when she saw a girl resting not far from a sleeping royal. The girl¡¯s sleeping form held a knife in one hand and the other rested on a bag. Within the bag, she could barely make out the contents. ¡®Is that a gas mask? Whatever...¡¯ she took her eyes off the girl¡¯s bag and froze when she recognised the person before her, ¡®Wait, what is she doing here?¡¯ ..... Almost as though he¡¯d sensed her presence, the king snapped awake and looked around, staying silent even after waking up from the deepest depths of his slumber. The general sighed, relieved and proud of the man¡¯s diligence. Their eyes soon locked with one another. The female wolf was about to approach him when his eyes began speaking a differentnguage. The woman took note of the chain that was tied to the man¡¯s ankle but was now confused as to why he hadn¡¯t yet broken it, ¡°What¡¯s the problem? This girl is barely powerful enough to bring you down even with your hands tied behind your back and a blindfold covering your eyes,¡± the woman asked him through the mind link they shared. ¡°She poisoned me, but I don¡¯t know when. I can¡¯t use any power from my wolf side. Using the mind link alone makes me dizzy,¡± the man replied, his voice sounding strained. Amanda¡¯s eyes snapped back to the girl as she regarded her in a new light. She was among the ones she¡¯d captured not so long ago. She¡¯d just gone and betrayed the kingdom that had saved her. ¡®Is the other one just the same? No, that one seemed to be the victim of that situation.¡¯ The woman was trying to judge Crysta, but found no reason to believe her capable of this same kind of action, ¡°I should have killed her as well. It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll put her down right now,¡± she said through the mind link. Just as she wasing out of her hiding ce, the girl stirred awake and rubbed her eyes, ¡°Are you going to just stand there and look at me? Shift back into your human form already. Unless you want to faint and experience unimaginable pain,¡± the girl yawned. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± the prince asked. ¡°Oh, haven¡¯t you noticed it yet? You¡¯re definitely dense. She¡¯ll copse soon if she continues to use the divine energying from her wolf. So I would ask that you tell her to shift back into her human form,¡± the girl spoke again, this time adding emphasis to her words. Sean¡¯s eyes darted around andnded on the gas mask that was peeking from her bag. It was when he squinted that he finally saw what he¡¯d been looking for. It was almost imperceptible, but small wisps of pale white gas were escaping the gas mask¡¯s inlets, ¡°That gas mask... It¡¯s constantly spraying poison into the air.¡± ¡°So your brain works after all. It cost me a ton to get these, so I would ask that your mate not waste my time,¡± the girl said, walking up to the prince. Amanda made an effort to rush to the girl, but her legs gave the moment she thought of exerting herself. The ck wolf before them copsed to the ground, ¡°Amanda, shift back into your human form. The poison has no effect on you in that state,¡± the man said to her. Amanda followed his instructions and shifted back into her human form. Sean went silent when he saw her shift back. The woman lifted herself to her knees, ¡°That¡¯s one neat poison she¡¯s got there,¡± she cursed, however, the words flew in one ear and out the other for the prince. ¡°It¡¯s been long, little Alexa,¡± Sean greeted. The woman froze at the nickname he¡¯d used to call her, deep memories of the past spreading through her mind. She felt as though something of a shell had cracked to reveal her true self. Tears tinged her eyes... ¡°It¡¯s been so long indeed.¡± ¡°Oh, this is rich. I was sure this was all impossible, but the royal actually has a rogue mate!¡± Bree eximed as he watched the two of them. However, neither of them paid her any attention. Sean had his attentionpletely taken by his mate before him. The two of them hadn¡¯t met in a long time... So long that Amanda found herself letting her tears through. ¡°When is this all going to end, Sean?¡± was one of the questions she had burning in her mind. ¡°I haven¡¯t spoken to her in a while. I don¡¯t know. She doesn¡¯t actually speak much these days,¡± Sean replied. ¡°I haven¡¯t spoken to her either. The king is looking for her, by the way,¡± the woman replied. ¡°Isn¡¯t that supposed to be impossible? It¡¯s not like there is a ce on earth that can take you straight to the moon pce. That would be impossible,¡± the man scoffed, but he felt his words were somewhat more wishful thinking. ¡°I don¡¯t know about going to the moon pce. I don¡¯t know what he hopes to achieve by going where he is going, but if he manages to somehow contact her, I don¡¯t know what that might bring him. It might just spell doom for the rest of the world,¡± the woman replied. ¡°Nothing... It would get him nothing,¡± Sean replied firmly. ¡°You might be wrong about that. There is a new goddess. From what I can tell, this might be what he¡¯s gone to find out,¡± the woman replied. ¡°What are the two of you talking about?¡± Bree yelled, ¡°I didn¡¯t call you here so that you might have a lovers¡¯ quarrel.¡± The two mates stopped their discussion and turned to the girl they¡¯dpletely forgotten about, ¡°That reminds me... you¡¯ve now captured two royals, what do you hope to achieve? Do you now n on capturing all the royals and having the one called Lina sacrifice herself for them?¡± the woman asked. ¡°That would be impractical,¡± the girl yelled back, ¡°And no, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m going to do. I only need one dead. There is several ways for me to do that...¡± ¡°Be a rogue already,¡± Amanda snapped at her. The girl was taken aback by the invitation, ¡°What...???¡± ¡°Yeah, I would like to ask the same question,¡± Sean now turned to his mate with a quizzical expression. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t care what you want to do. I¡¯m going to kill you whether I¡¯m poisoned or not. That¡¯s just how it is for you at the moment. Be a rogue because I won¡¯t let you choose any other option,¡± the woman said to her. ¡°You¡¯re insane. I¡¯ll have my wishes fulfilled by you. There is a girl that doesn¡¯t deserve the family she was born into and I will see her put to an end,¡± the girl gritted her teeth in anger, but continued, ¡°We are going to find the rogue king...¡± ¡°Out of the question... The rogue king will kill you the moment he talks to you,¡± Sean intervened. With Amanda by his side, he felt the fog over his mind finally lift. There weren¡¯t many more secrets to keep and the two royals now outnumbered the girl. Not to mention how long he¡¯d wanted to be reunited with Amanda. ¡°Not necessarily... She has information and she has a conviction to have the royals put down. Maybe she just hates one of the royals... It¡¯s more than enough for a king with almost no army,¡± the woman observed thoughtfully, once again confusing her mate. ¡°Why are you telling her that?¡± Sean asked his mate. ¡®Who¡¯s side are you on?¡¯ he wanted to yell at her. ¡°Because I want her to know more about her options. I, won¡¯t let her rejoin the Sirius pack. She¡¯ll be taken down just like her friend earlier, but if she joins the rogue king, that¡¯s different,¡± the woman replied. ¡°I don¡¯t understand you one bit. Are you on the side of the rogues or the royal family?¡± the girl asked. ¡°I am on the side of bnce. The rogue army is full of angry wolves that live in chaos. There is a constant struggle to rise to the top and be more important to the king. Greed, bloodlust, malice, and so many negative emotions that make up one side of this war. The other one, however, is full of people that only seek peace in this world. You only get to choose one and when I find anyone that ims to be on the side of the empires yet they don¡¯t fit in, I offer them only two options... if they can take them. That anger will allow you grow stronger as a rogue, but if you choose to go after the royal family as you are now, you will only be weak and you will be captured and taken to the dungeons like all the other criminals who¡¯ve tried,¡± the woman exined. ¡°Aren¡¯t the rogues scattered now? The hunters are going to sweep through no-man¡¯snd andpletely cleanse the world of the rogues,¡± Sean replied. ¡°It¡¯s that operation that has spread the rogues out this much. They are to blend in with themon poption and pretend to normal. Clear themselves of any form of malicious emotions so that the empire won¡¯t be able to use the Chase family to filter them out,¡± the woman exined. ¡°Alexa, what are you trying to tell me?¡± Sean asked her. ¡°I know you weren¡¯t supposed to break out of that dungeon. This girl cannot go back either. As it looks right now, the three of us are stranded with nowhere to go,¡± the woman spoke up. ¡°I do have where to go. I¡¯m...¡± ¡°Just going to get yourself killed. I¡¯ll strike a deal with you, young girl. You either join us... Dump that silly poison of yours... The three of us will pretend to be a model family while we await the rogue king¡¯s orders. Until then, none of us can aplish anything.¡± ¡°What¡¯s happened to the rogue king? Why do you speak of him like he¡¯s inessible?¡± the girl asked the woman, panic setting into her voice. It wasn¡¯t just that, however. The fact that the woman and man weren¡¯t in the least bit worried even after she had the upper hand only told her she was cornered. She knew the power of the poison she had procured, but the two wolves before her were still moving like normal. It wasn¡¯t like they had goneme. They could still move just fine. ¡°The rogue king... is not avable at the moment,¡± Amanda¡¯s voice was blunt and emotionless, like the ruthless voice of a mother that was finally tired with her child¡¯s stubborn and meaningless antics, ¡°That was what we were talking about when you so rudely interrupted us.¡± Chapter 313 313 Finding the Origin The journey to the south, following the legends of their origins, proved to be more perilous than the rogue king had initially thought. The vegetation in this unimednd was impossible to deal with. Imprable vines that seemed to grow back the moment he cut them. More vicious animals that didn¡¯t pay the king any respect because of the power he emitted. The man was utterly fed up with it... and yet, he showed no signs of turning back. His trip further south, however, only continued to get worse. On their way, Beatrice noted how the trees started to grow closer to each other, getting more difficult to walk through. Since the start of their journey, it was the most bizarre thing they were seeing. Without giving themselves room to grow, these trees were getting dangerously close to each other and the deeper into the woods they went, the closer they got still... almost like they were trying to merge at their trunks. Soon enough, the light from the sun waspletely blocked out, leaving these wolves to travel with the power of their enhanced sight. Their eyes glowed in the dark like ominous torches. The woods got even more interesting, however, when they offered them different routes through the forest. The king was the first to notice it when they found themselves and a y-junction of trees. Left and right was a thing now... It was either they went left or right... And the trees only grew closer the more they went in. Stranded between the closest tree trunks the rogue king had ever thought to squeeze through, the man kept his breaths short for fear of cracking a rib or worse, ¡°Hey, Thane, are you having better progress with getting through?¡± the man yelled at the top of his voice. ..... ¡°No, your majesty. Are you sure this is the ce?¡± the beta alpha yelled back. ¡°Absolutely. Haven¡¯t you noticed how nature itself won¡¯t let us through? We followed that damned river. I had no idea it would take us this long to make it here, but this is definitely the ce,¡± the king sounded delusional as he forced his way even further through the impossibly tiny space. ¡°Your majesty, you shouldn¡¯t push yourself too far. What happens if you getpletely stuck?¡± Thane yelled, sensing the king¡¯s strain. Therge man tried retracing his steps in the maze of tightpact trees, but could barely tell where he¡¯de from. It was like someone had curved out a confusingbyrinth using trees. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to make it to the Origin at this rate,¡± the woman they had brought along for the journey sighed. ¡°Oh, so now you¡¯re being cooperative. I don¡¯t remember asking you to speak this time. You¡¯ve not even been that much of a help,¡± Thane yelled at the woman beside him. The king had ordered him to keep a close eye on the woman. Something bothered him though, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you tried to run away?¡± ¡°Oh? And what would that get me? The gateway to our goddess is not so far from me and you¡¯re wondering why I¡¯m not running off in the opposite direction?¡± the woman raised her brow, ¡°Are you dumb or just full of it?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant. Haven¡¯t you noticed there are pathways that I can¡¯t get through? Why haven¡¯t you tried to escape? I know you¡¯re not stupid. You could have made a break for it the moment I wasn¡¯t paying attention,¡± the beta alpha countered. ¡°You expect me to believe that when you¡¯ve been ordered by your king to keep me contained. Do I look that dumb to you?¡± the woman scoffed. Thane found himselfughing loudly at her reply. Hisughter echoed through the maze of trees, ¡°Oh my, I haven¡¯tughed that hard in a while. You¡¯re smarter than I was giving you credit for.¡± ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s like you have war for brains,¡± the woman sighed. ¡°Let me get this straight. Simply because I was ordered to keep you still, you haven¡¯t tried to get away?¡± Thane asked for rity. ¡°It¡¯s because you were ordered to keep me contained that makes it nearly impossible for me to escape and you¡¯ve kept your guard up since then. It¡¯s almost impressive,¡± she shrugged. ¡°The two of you seem to be having a good time,¡± the king¡¯s groaning voice bounced off many sides of the maze. ¡°We were just having a short chat, your majesty. Have you been able to make any progress?¡± Thane asked, dragging the woman with him through the maze and relying on his acute hearing to try and trace where the king was. Eventually, they found him just dislodging from another opening in the maze that was far too small for him. ¡°Damn it... It¡¯s like the openings visibly get smaller the more I try to get through,¡± the blue-eyed man cursed. ¡°Well, it might just be that the moon goddess doesn¡¯t want to see you,¡± Beatrice shrugged, ¡°You can never know what¡¯s going in a goddess¡¯s mind.¡± ¡°On the contrary, I know the goddess would not deny someone with the colour of my eyes a visit,¡± the rogue king replied, barely noticing the mocking tone in the woman¡¯s voice, ¡°But then again, this maze is getting us nowhere.¡± The king was getting angrier at the moment. Seeing the anger in the man¡¯s eyes, Beatrice took a step back. ¡°Damn it, this is getting us nowhere,¡± the man yelled into at nothing in particr. Out of the blue, he began to punch the tree bark before him, not with as much strength as Beatrice had thought he would... at first, ¡°My Lord, what are we to do now?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get through one way or another, Thane. There is no doubt about that. The Seeker has done more than I could have hoped from her, considering her stubborn attitude. The woman sighed, ¡°I told you nothing.¡± ¡°Deny it all you want, you can¡¯t stop yourself from giving off the subtle signs of an answer. Your powers guided us here and you didn¡¯t even notice it,¡± the king chuckled, continuing his assault on the tree bark in front of him. The more he did this, the calmer he seemed to be, however, his punches only increased in energy. ¡°I don¡¯t quite...¡± ¡°It¡¯s your eyes,¡± Thane cut her off, ¡°They glow brighter the closer we get to the Origin. I¡¯m sure you could feel it yourself and each time we took a turn in the right direction, your heart would skip a beat. You didn¡¯t even have to say a word.¡± The woman was stunned by the observation they¡¯d kept from her. After having taught her granddaughter to change the colour of her eyes to keep from being discovered, it felt somewhat ironic that she would be the one that needed the ability more in the end. Beatrice went silent and watched the king spend all his frustration on something that wouldn¡¯t feel pain, ¡®For someone that¡¯s meant to be killing everything in sight, you think quite a bit.¡¯ Thane leaned against the tree beside her, ¡°Does he always get like this when he¡¯s frustrated?¡± Beatrice asked him. ¡°I don¡¯t always know what¡¯s happening in the mind of the king. Sometimes, it¡¯s like he¡¯s not even here. That is just one of the things he does when he needs to think,¡± Thane sighed, half wishing he could read more into the king¡¯s mind sometimes. The king¡¯s punches began to take on a much stronger tone, the vibrations of each one shaking the tree-maze as a whole. ¡°That¡¯s insane strength,¡± Beatrice mused. ¡°Yeah... I guess you could say that. I don¡¯t even understand the hunters praising their puny gifts when royals are capable of matching them and surpassing them in a much shorter time,¡± the man spoke. Beatrice simply took this to be his way of showing off the power the rogue king possessed. Not long after silence had taken over them, the rogue king stopped his tantrum and took a look at his knuckles. His face bore a smile that only made Beatrice¡¯s stomach churn in fear, something was wrong, ¡°Have you figured out something, my Lord?¡± Thane asked expectantly. ¡°It¡¯s just like I thought. There is divine energy keeping us from going through to the Origin,¡± the king replied. ¡°What? How shall we get through if...¡± ¡°Not to worry, Thane. I¡¯ve taken care of it,¡± as soon as the king said it, the ground began to rumble even more vigorously than it had when he was punching the wall of trees. Beatrice stumbled in search of something to hold onto but found nothing. Everything was trembling and the closest branches were high up creating a canopy that sealed them in the natural somewhat unnatural maze. Watching in shock, the woman watched the great trees slowly shift against their groaningints. They moved away from each other, those that had merged splitting in half and unravelling until the forest was spread out normally. Enough for a full-grown bear to walk through unrestricted. ¡°At this point, we could just as well as bid the world farewell,¡± Beatrice sighed. ¡°Any idea what the rogue king gets to do here?¡± Thane asked. ¡°No clue... this ce has never been found since the beginning of our race. I never thought it would look like this though,¡± the womanmented, taking in the clearing the woods had appeared before them. The rogue king walked through the clearing. The sun was setting far over the horizon, the first sign of light they were seeing since entering the maze. ¡°Thane, we shall wait for the moon toe up. The moon goddess can be summoned in a field of glowing moon lotuses such as this one,¡± the rogue said absentmindedly. ¡°How do you know that?¡± Beatrice asked him, ¡°Information about the ways ofmunicating with the moon goddess has long been forgotten.¡± ¡°You should really stop thinking of me as an ordinary werewolf. I am the rogue king... The true king of the werewolves and I know everything to do with our history,¡± the man replied, sitting cross-legged at the centre of the field of moon lotuses, ¡°Now... we wait.¡± ........... Nightfall came quicker than Beatrice would have liked. She¡¯d hoped time would stand still and deny the rogue king a meeting with the moon goddess. She wondered what a meeting with the goddess could get him considering she was the one that had created the special wolves meant to bring about his end. It didn¡¯t make sense one bit for him to be so hopeful about meeting her, ¡°You make it sound like the goddess favours you. The rogues don¡¯t even get the chance to have mates. You know... I could help you find yours if you let me...¡± ¡°I¡¯m not falling for that, Seeker. If the goddess is to choose someone for me, it will be in the future after I¡¯ve purged this world of all humanity,¡± the man replied strongly. ¡°Your obsession amuses me. What do you hope to achieve by killing the humans?¡± the woman asked him. ¡°You don¡¯t get it and you probably never will. I will speak to the one that gave me the mission to bring them to an end,¡± the man replied without sparing her a nce. He¡¯d been seated since they¡¯d arrived and the woman was starting to wonder if he never felt the muscle pains that were already starting to get a hold of her back muscles. Getting up, she started the walk to the edge of the clearing. However, her gait was cut short by a rather sudden rush of blood. Her breath went erratic and she found herself in need of much more air just to say conscious. A calm serene breeze blew past the clearing before all the air wentpletely still. It was like someone had exhaled. Her wolf was more active than she¡¯d ever felt it in her entire life. As if on cue, the dull flowers that littered the clearing began to glow a dim blue that got stronger with time. They all bloomed and grew in number, springing to life and lighting up the entire clearing in a dazzling azure hue. ¡°It¡¯s been forever... Rana,¡± a soft beautiful voice reached Beatrice¡¯s ears. She turned ever so slowly and came face to face with the most beautiful woman she¡¯d everid her eyes on. Her actions were not her own anymore as she bowed to the goddess before her. The rogue king was not shaken by her sudden appearance or if he was, he didn¡¯t show it, ¡°It¡¯s been very long indeed, dear Celeste.¡± His tone was friendly and so was hers... ¡®What¡¯s going on right now?¡¯ Beatrice couldn¡¯t help but ask herself as she watched the two beings greet each other like old friends instead of rivals. Chapter 314 314 Negotiations with a Goddess The rogue king got up from his spot on the ground and began pacing about the clearing in front of the goddess. Celeste remained patient and followed his movement with her celestial gaze as the man gathered his thoughts, ¡°I have so many questions.¡± ¡°And I can answer some of them, but not all,¡± the goddess replied. ¡°Okay then... are you against me?¡± the man asked her. ¡°You would believe that while you still breathe right in front of me?¡± the goddess sounded offended. ¡°Yes, I would. Countless of my people have died and you¡¯ve brought up others to oppose me,¡± the man argued. ¡°But s, you¡¯re still standing even after everything that¡¯se after you. What does that tell you? If I wanted you dead, I would merely order you to choke,¡± the goddess shrugged. ¡°Then exin it to me. Why do you continue to tolerate theirziness? Why do you continue to let them live when they turned their backs against you?¡± the rogue king asked, abandoning his former doubts of the goddess¡¯s loyalties. Celeste¡¯s eyes suddenly shed in anger at his words, ¡°They haven¡¯t turned their backs on me and you know it. If anything, you¡¯re the one that¡¯s not listening to what I have been telling you for over two hundred years,¡± Celeste was livid. ¡°Oh, I have been listening alright. All I see is someone who wants peace when she should seek revenge instead. I¡¯ll never ept what you said all those years ago. I will follow his wishes to the letter and bring an end to that destructive race,¡± even after annoying the moon goddess, the rogue king continued talking to her casually. ..... ¡°You continue to underestimate the Man god. I stopped the war because I knew what he was capable of. The hunters are working with the werewolves that listened to me to bring down the rest of you. I watched you before. I know you don¡¯t have much power left after that defeat in Lycaon,¡± the goddess countered. ¡°You have been watching then. You continue to let them do what they want. I will not stop until every one of them is dead or a rogue just like your original wishes suggested and I have no doubts that you still feel the same way about them,¡± once the rogue king had started talking this way, Celeste was pretty sure he was too far gone. ¡°No, I don¡¯t and you shouldn¡¯t either. How long will you keep this up? How much longer will it take you to stop this madness?¡± the moon goddess argued. She was getting even more frustrated with the man, but he didn¡¯t seem to let any of her words through. ¡°Tell me, Celeste. Have you really forgotten what happened?¡± the king walked up to the goddess until he was too close to her forfort. However, the goddess did not take a step back. She¡¯d been rooted to the ce she¡¯d appeared since the moment she¡¯de, ¡°Have you really forgotten what he did to you all that time ago? Do you not remember the sight of your fallen sisters?¡± The goddess¡¯s eyes began to well up with tears as she stared off into nothing, ¡°I know what happened, Rana. Unlike you, I was there.¡± ¡°And I can tell from the tears in your eyes that you¡¯ve never once forgiven him for what he did to you,¡± the rogue king grinned. ¡°I found something worth more than senseless revenge, Rana and it is something I wished to bestow on all of you. Why did you reject the blessing I gave you?¡± ¡°You speak of that diator, don¡¯t you?¡± the rogue king spat, ¡°What more has he ever done for you other than hang on your every word and follow you like a lost puppy? He¡¯s nothing more than a tool for you and you call that a gift. What worth is hepared to the sisters you lost in one of the Man god¡¯s experiments?¡± The rogue king¡¯s words were like sharp des to the goddess¡¯s heart and even when she was being disrespected like this, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to reprimand him for his way of thinking. The goddess fell to her knees and sighed, ¡°I have really grown tolerant of my creations over the years, haven¡¯t I?¡± The rogue king chuckled at her obvious words, ¡°You should put it bluntly and say you¡¯ve grown soft. I can barely call you the goddess that brought my kind into existence. On another note, I would like to ask you about a second moon goddess.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have long, Rana. I¡¯ve devoted so much time to you with the hope that you would see past the anger I showed all those years ago, but you haven¡¯t moved forward one bit,¡± the woman sighed. ¡°I have moved forward a lot actually. I¡¯ve learnt so much about divine energy and how the royals have an abundance of it. I¡¯ve been able to reach heights that no one has in two hundred years. Not even that pawn of yours will be able to stop you,¡± the man chuckled. ¡°Oh, do you mean Katie? What did you think of her?¡± the goddess asked, her face lighting up. ¡°She¡¯s definitely impressive, but after that desperate show of power, I¡¯m not worried about her anymore. She¡¯ll gradually fade away and die fromck of divine energy in a body that has been trained to run on it,¡± the man smiled wickedly, ¡°So much for that attempt at stopping me. Do you really wish me dead that much?¡± The goddess facepalmed, sighing heavily, ¡°You misunderstand a lot, but I won¡¯t me you and won¡¯t bother exining myself either. You¡¯ve never listened to me anyway. Talking to you now would never change that fact. What brought you here, Rana?¡± The rogue king had finally stopped pacing and noticed the change in the goddess¡¯s demeanour as she asked him the question, ¡°I came to ask about the second goddess. Somehow you are dodging the question.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have much time left, Rana. It¡¯s like I told you... I dedicated my time to you, but you¡¯ve failed to see it,¡± the woman replied. ¡°I have been watching. I have been listening. My enemies have been doing so as well. None of your actions has been engineered towards helping me,¡± the rogue king answered coldly. ¡°Then why are you here? Why are you speaking to me as you know me? Why do you reject everything I tell you ande back to me all the same? Have I not proven to you that I am not your enemy?¡± the goddess yelled at him. ¡°You have done so... many times, but I don¡¯t understand your actions. They are quite contradictory,¡± Rana replied, ¡°One day, you try to bring me down with force, then the other, you whisper into my ear. You spout nonsense of a world with no violence. What has happened to you? Have you already forgotten how the Man god ughtered your...¡± ¡°Watch your tongue, Rana. You¡¯re not speaking to the right goddess about that. What happened to the goddess of the hunt has nothing to do with what happens to the werewolves,¡± the goddess snapped. The conversation had now lost its calm w and the two beings were openly arguing with each other. The rogue king was barely shaken by the goddess¡¯s sudden outburst... if not a little shaken. ¡°Now you¡¯re trying to ignore the past. You¡¯re a mess, Celeste, while my mind is clear. I know what¡¯s wrong and right in this world. I know what¡¯s evil and that there is injustice in letting their crime go unpunished,¡± the rogue king suggested. ¡°It¡¯s like talking to...¡± the moon goddess rubbed her temples, remembering another one of her royals that was just like this one, ¡°There will be a moon goddess that will rece me. I hoped that the world is at peace when that timees.¡± ¡°So you hope for my death at that time,¡± Rana responded. ¡°Everything I tell you goes in one ear and out the other. It wouldn¡¯t make a difference even if I told...¡± ¡°Just tell me where the goddess is,¡± the kingmanded. This was not lost on the moon goddess and she visibly scowled. ¡°I tell you a lot because of the colour of your eyes, but I don¡¯t have the power to tell you where Selene is. She¡¯s hidden well... even from me,¡± the goddess exined. In a dangerously low voice, ¡°And I would ask you to watch your tone.¡± Rana skipped over the warning... ¡°You say you¡¯re not against me. I will ask you to give me the power to spread our kind once again. How¡¯s that sound?¡± the king smirked. ¡°It sounds like something I wouldn¡¯t let you have. Why would I do such a thing?¡± the moon goddess asked, slightly bored. ¡°You know how reasonable I can be. I could have that girl executed right before your eyes. It would be a waste of her talent and not to mention the fact that she is one of the kinds you blessed. And you know you wouldn¡¯t be able to do a thing about it,¡± the man continued. The goddess sighed, finally locking eyes with the Seeker that had been frozen the entire time they spoke. It was just like all werewolves to do so when they saw the goddess for the first time, ¡°I¡¯ll grant you that power then... However, it will be on a condition.¡± Rana took his time considering her words, ¡°I know you grant my requests, however, you grant theirs as well. What aren¡¯t you telling me?¡± the king asked. ¡°The condition is that you¡¯ll be the only one with this gift. Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll be able tomand you if you get a blessing straight from me?¡± the goddess smirked. ¡°You wouldn¡¯tmand me to something I don¡¯t want to,¡± the king replied. ¡°Who¡¯s contradicting who now?¡± the goddess chuckled. ¡°One more thing... Do you hate me for what I¡¯m doing?¡± Rana asked. ¡°I don¡¯t hate any of my people, Rana. I might hate what you have allowed yourself to be and hate what you have done, but I would never hate you,¡± the goddess¡¯s reply was even more twisted. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve agreed and you¡¯ve acknowledged thest question you had for me, I will do as I please,¡± the goddess took on a colder tone, ¡°You will get the power you¡¯ve asked for, but you will be the only one with this ability and you will not be able to spread it. Every being you bite will be a werewolf, but they won¡¯t be able to spread this curse for you. I created this ce to allow any royal toe in, but that¡¯s all I did.¡± As she spoke, the goddess began to ascend into the sky, the light of the moon was particrly brighter around her. ¡®Run, little one,¡¯ the goddess¡¯ voice reached Beatrice¡¯s ear, snapping her mind back into reality with a sense of urgency that spurred her into action. Her wolf reacted faster than she did, shifting and making a break for it. The trees had begun to rumble and groan at the power that summoned them to move closer to each other once more. The king picked up on the goddess¡¯s tone and meaning and so did Thane,unching straight for the trees. With a wave of her hand, the creeping vines of the trees barred the king¡¯s way and let the Seeker through all at the same time. Thane weaved past the first tree that barred his way only to be hit by a branch from another, hurling him back to the centre of the clearing. The canopy crept back up from the top of the clearing obscuring the moon¡¯s light. The blue glow of the lotuses died down. Beatrice ran as fast as she could, her heart bursting with excitement and fear. But none of that was as dominant as another feeling that gripped her every fibre... Freedom. She didn¡¯t look back and as the groaning sounds of the trees died down, so did the foreboding presence of the beta alpha that had been holding her captive... ¡®I¡¯m free of them. Thank the goddess... finally,¡¯ she cried, immediately shifting her goal to finding her missing granddaughter. Chapter 315 315 Luna¡¯s Mind Katie woke up to the feeling of an empty bed, her hand reaching out to the somewhat warm spot beside her. The same spot that Cole¡¯s body was meant to be. Sighing, she searched the mind link in her groggy state for her mate, ¡°Someone finally woke up,¡± Cole¡¯s soothing voice wafted into her mind. ¡°Yeah, and to an empty bed no less. What¡¯s got you up so early? It¡¯s not like the sun is up yet,¡± the girlined. A king had many duties, but Cole wouldn¡¯t have minded making time for the beauty lying alone in his chambers, however, ¡°Jason called me early this morning to go through the training drills with him. The former beta alphas had a system that wasn¡¯t that easy to follow, so I¡¯m helping him rewrite it before he has to take the Pack Warriors through it.¡± ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s also a part of your life you have to take care of?¡± the girl groaned through the mind link, her frustration wafting through their mental connection in soft waves. The amused grin on the king¡¯s face was not going anywhere. ¡°You sound disappointed. I had no doubt you would enjoy this part of my life more than the average person,¡± the blue-eyed male countered. Katie was almost sure she heard him grunt, which got her curious. ¡°Are you sparring with him right now?¡± she asked, her eyes still closed and her hands unconsciously cuddling the pillow that was drenched in her mate¡¯s scent. ¡°Yeah, how did you notice?¡± while Cole had tried to keep his voice calm and soothing, devoid of any of the physical strain he was putting his body through, the girl had seen through this facade. ¡°So predictable. Boys do love to flex their muscles,¡± the girl chuckled before rolling out of the bed. ..... ¡°Speak for yourself. I remember someone that downed a tree just to prove she had the strength to put me down,¡± Cole replied, his voice going up in pitch and losing every ounce of calmness it previously had. Might as well, since the girl had already figured it out. ¡°I think I wille and watch today,¡± the girl replied, walking into the shower for a morning bath. Her hands shuddered at the thought of going to the training arena where the Warriors spent their time honing their skills. The capital of Lycaon was protected by much more than hunters and since their decrease in number after the battle against the rogues in the capital, the wolves had to work more to improve their security. ¡°Will you be okay?¡± Cole asked her, concernced in his voice. ¡°Yes, I will be fine, Cole. Don¡¯t worry about me. I wouldn¡¯t want Jason to get ahead of himself,¡± the girl sighed before turning on the shower and feeling it roll off her fingers while she adjusted the taps, in search of the right temperature. A thin veil of steam came off the water, dimming the bathroom and covering the girl inforting warmth. When the water was just right, she stepped into the tub and drew the curtains. ¡°Oh, that won¡¯t be happening. Indestructible, remember,¡± the man replied through the mind link. ¡°Yeah, I remember. I wonder if you can be injured by other things that aren¡¯t so physical... Maybe lightning could have done a number on you, but I guess that¡¯s out of the question now,¡± the girl mused. ¡°I don¡¯t think someone would hurl a lightning bolt at me and what do you mean it¡¯s out of the question?¡± he called back. ¡°Your tone tells me you know what I¡¯m talking about. You have to learn how to control it you know. It could be quite useful in bringing him down. It could also make up for yourck of speed,¡± the girl suggested. Cole was quiet for a moment, ¡°I guess a hunter remains a hunter.¡± What the king didn¡¯t know was how the girl recoiled in the bath and sank till only her face was just above the surface. The water allowed her to feel better even after everything she was going through. The wolf she¡¯d used to help them find the missing people, Ashley hadn¡¯t spoken a word since then and her eyes had stayed dark blue since that day. It had been two days since then and her mind was starting to feel far too quiet. ¡°I¡¯ve changed a lot since I got my werewolf side, you know...¡± she paused, however, nothing else would escape her mind, ¡°...Now let me bathe. I¡¯ll meet you in a few.¡± The mind link went quiet once more and there it was. The feeling of loneliness that Katie had never had the chance to feel. ¡®Damn it. I spent my whole life with a clear mind. Why is so hard for me to get used to her being gone? She¡¯s just resting after all. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s dead or something worse, right...?¡¯ her thoughts stopped when images of a rogue girl who¡¯d been killed by her de shed through her mind. The girl closed her eyes and submerged herself into the water with the hopes that the rush would get her mind clear. However, the more she sank into the water, the worse it got. There was no escaping the darkness that crept into her lonely mind. It was almost suffocating. Theck of oxygen under the water surface seemed to be the least of her problems. She was used to holding her breath for long periods of time as part of her training. She¡¯d also been trained to control her emotions to a scary degree, however, all those lessons seemed to fail her now. The girl tried to think of the teachings she¡¯d been given, ¡®Breath once... Breathe twice...¡¯ rising to the surface, she tried, but... it never worked. Outside the surface of the water, a heavy mist filled the bathroom, dulling her sight. She couldn¡¯t tell if there was anyone in her room. She had lost the ability to detect those around her. Her mind was so quiet... The sound of the disturbed water she was emerging from screamed louder than she normally perceived it. Just when she thought she couldn¡¯t take much more of the excruciation silence, a warm voice tore into her mind, ¡°Hey, Katie.¡± ¡°What is it, Cole?¡± she tried to sound calm, achieving her goal of fooling him. ¡°Open your mind to the collective mind link of the pack. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re capable of ignoring it, but wolves are known for running mad when they spend too long on their own. The only one that has ever seeded in ignoring the social nature of our kind gained the title of the Lone wolf. His name eludes me, but I know he was a royal of the Sirius pack,¡± the male replied casually. His casual tone and the oblivious nature of his reply were enough to banish the darkness that her mind had conjured up. ¡°Oh, okay... I¡¯ll open up in a moment then.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± after that, he went silent again. Once he¡¯d slipped out of her mind, she noticed the change in her mood. It was like day and night. Without any voice in her mind, she waspletely alone. She had no one. While it was not true, theck of that reminder was enough to allow her to forget it. Sighing deeply, the girl let her mind free to wander to the rest of the wolves in the kingdom. It was the first time she was opening up at all. The action was as simple as it was when she spoke with Cole. She didn¡¯t have to do anything much, but let her walls down. ............. Jason was just about to get the jump on his alpha. After working so hard to find a weakness in his defence, he was finally going to get in. He was going tond a hit on his king for the first time. Excitement gripped him as he crouched to deliver the uppercut that was almost inevitable to dodge. His legs flexed, gathering all the energy that he would need to make this effective and decisive. Just as he was about to rise up, his heart pounded harder in his chest as a wave went through the whole mind link. Dizziness gripped him as he felt a new presence within the mind link. Cole staggered back, likely from the same effect, ¡°Cole, who... who is that?¡± his voice trembled, feeling the overwhelming power that demanded attention in the mind link. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to ignore the person that had just been added to the mind link. ¡°It¡¯s... It¡¯s Katie,¡± Coleughed out loud, ¡°I had no idea she¡¯d never opened herself up to the mind link before. Her presence is overwhelming.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding. That¡¯s impressive,¡± Jason replied, retrieving water from the side of the ring they were sparring in, ¡°Not even the king and queen have thatmanding of a presence. The Chosen of the Moon Goddess are really in their own league.¡± ¡°Do you mean to say my presence is as imposing as hers?¡± Cole narrowed his eyes to slits. ¡°Well... we¡¯re used to you. You barely exert your power on your subordinates, so when the king passed away, we barely noticed you¡¯d taken his ce. You were in grief more than the rest of us. The transition was almost seamless,¡± the beta alpha replied, getting deep in thought as he exined. ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear. I wonder what will happen now though,¡± the king smiled. Just as he¡¯d said that footsteps echoed through the halls that led to the training arena. The two wolves turned their attention to the entrance and were almost shocked to see the person that came in. Holding a duffel bag was Be. The delta was dressed in a sports bra and sweatpants, ready for the morning drill. ¡°Talk about being more than ready to pummel someone,¡± Jasonmented. Cole chuckled at hisment and directed his voice to the delta, ¡°You¡¯re quite early, Be.¡± The girl sighed, ¡°I was hoping to find more than just the two of you. Not long before the week of rain we had, this ce would be full by now, with pack warriors training their butts off. I hope it¡¯s as fun as it used to be.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re new to this whole managing the pack Warriors thing, so you¡¯ll have to be patient with my beta alpha,¡± Cole replied. ¡°Oh, they will have to keep up with me. I don¡¯t n on going easy on any of them,¡± Jason replied. His reply brought a smirk to the girl¡¯s face. ¡°That¡¯s what I would like to hear,¡± with that, she started warming up with a few jogs around therge training hall as well as perfectly executed stretching exercises. By the time she was done warming up, the room was starting to fill up with quite a number of wolves all going through the warm-up drills. Jason stood up and called the whole room to attention. The wolves turned to face him as he was going to talk. The sudden silence got the better of him, ¡°I was not expecting that quick of a reaction,¡± the man joked. Ripples ofughter went through the gathering. However, before he could speak, a presence made itself known to all the wolves in the training arena. They all turned instinctively to the entrance waiting in anticipation for the person that was headed their way. The sound from the other side of the door was rather jolly. ¡°You should have told me you would be bringing me along to this. This time I don¡¯t want to fight another royal. That¡¯s the one ground rule I don¡¯t want you to break.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, Sandra, you know I¡¯m not going to do anything here. You can rx. Seeing as I¡¯m not your mentor anymore, I don¡¯t have to...¡± the absent-minded girl quieted down when she noticed the silence in the room they¡¯d just walked into. The ceiling was much higher than she expected and the room was quite spacious, holding four rings at its centre and a lot of training equipment all around the room. Unlike Sandra who nearly cowered under the attention they were attracting, Katie sounded oblivious, ¡°Now this is impressive, don¡¯t you think, Sandra?¡± ¡°Y-yeah...¡± the new hunter replied nervously. Katie finally took note of the watchful eyes that filled the room. She looked from one wolf to the other, trying to figure out what had caused them to be so interested in the two of them, ¡°Did we interrupt something?¡± was all she could ask bringing a wide smile to Cole¡¯s face. ¡®I would have been freakishly nervous if I was in her shoes. Now, this is a Luna.¡¯ He thought to himself. Chapter 316 316 What are the Odds! The girl¡¯s question broke most of the wolves from their trances and they shifted their attention back to the beta alpha that had been previously addressing them, ¡°Not really, but... what are you wearing?¡± a feminine voice cut through the tension in the air. Despite the respect Katie¡¯s presencemanded, this particr voice managed to pull off a bewildered tone, almost filled with disappointment. Katie searched for the source of the voice until shortly after, she came face to face with Be. The delta had made herself known to Katie for quite some time... even when she had done her best to vanish from the public eye in the past few weeks. Katie had no strong opinion of the girl... yet, but was constantly reminded of how simr she was to Crysta when they¡¯d met for the first time. Drawing from that experience, Katie couldn¡¯t bring herself to be mad at Be¡¯s obnoxious behaviour... yet. Katie then looked herself up and down quizzically, ¡°A jacket and a wonderful one might I add, a shirt and heavy sweat pants... Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Very wrong. Who trains dressed like that? Do you want to drench those clothes or do you want to boil within them?¡± the girl continued to ask her, now implying something was wrong with the Luna. ¡°Oh no... You misunderstand. I¡¯m not training with you today,¡± Katie hastily exined, starting to see that they were being a major distraction. Considering she was not going to train with them, she would have preferred to be invisible. ¡°Now, if I could have your attention,¡± Jason coughed, breaking their short argument. Katie silently thanked the man for saving her and dragged Sandra away from the delta and closer to the ring containing her mate and a very loved Jason. Be narrowed her eyes at the two, but said nothing and walked away. Everyone then turned their attention back to Alpha Jason, ¡°Alpha Cross had several drills he would take you through. While I agree that they were essential, it¡¯s not the training I¡¯m used to as an individual and I honestly think we can do better.¡± There were murmurs through the crowd, mostly of disapproval, until one of the wolves spoke up, ¡°Alpha Cross¡¯s drills were especially difficult to keep up with. Do you mean to tell us they are simply too easy for you?¡± a man asked. From the red hue in his eyes, Katie could tell he was able to speak up solely from his authority as an alpha, even though he didn¡¯t carry the aura of an alpha that was also the head of a pack. ..... ¡°Cross¡¯s drills were aimed at improving your strength and core endurance. However, that was all they were focused on. Nothing on here was meant to improve your coordination, agility or even your reflexes. There is a lot I could go on about what was wrong with his system, but I won¡¯t get into that since this was still the stronger empire,¡± ¡®Hey,¡¯ Katieined in the background, springing a smile to the alpha¡¯s face. However, Jason continued with only a nce. ¡°For the first session of the morning, we shall...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see anything wrong with what Alpha Cross was training the Pack Warriors. They were particrly the strongest in the kingdom. Our Warriors are much stronger than those from the Sirius empire,¡± Be was the one to object this time. Katie found herself chuckling at her im. Unfortunately for her, the whole room seemed to have gone quiet at the exact same moment sheughed. Noticing her error, her eyes darted about the room, ¡°Did I say something funny?¡± ¡°No, you spoke the truth, but I didn¡¯t think you would like topare yourselves to them,¡± Katie replied casually. ¡°Why not?¡± the delta rolled her eyes. At this point, Katie was wondering whether to be impressed by her forwardness when speaking to high-ranking werewolves. It was rare for a delta to speak up to an alpha, not to mention... a beta alpha. Thinking harder on it, she was also one of the few werewolves that could achieve a half shift. Katie wondered if there was a boost that it gave someone, but shelved the suspicion forter. ¡°Well, they don¡¯t train to be able to handle themselves in a fight. They train to be better in self-defence. That said, they wouldn¡¯t do well against hunters but can hold their own against average rogues. Not to mention, the hunters there will protect them from any threat worth the trouble. They train just about everyone in the pack, not just the Pack Warriors. The differences are quite many,e to think of it. Looking at this gathering, I can tell there is arge chunk of the Lycaon pack missing,¡± Katie replied, ¡°Carry on, Jason. I¡¯m sorry for the interruption.¡± After apologising to Jason, Katie thought she imagined a gasp going through the crowd. Nevertheless, Jason picked up from where he¡¯d left off without letting Be counter. Katie could see the girl visibly holding back more of her... ¡®opinions¡¯. ¡°Luna Katie is right. We cannotpare ourselves to the wolves of the Sirius empire. It¡¯s a much more docile...¡± ¡®Wait, what...¡¯ Katie mentally stormed the alpha¡¯s mind. Jason didn¡¯t even show a sign of having heard her this time, ¡°...pack and they choose to train everyone in the pack in the art of self-defence. The powerful pack Warriors from their pack have a separate training regimen that allows them to learn much more than just self-defence, but that can only get them so far when they also have to train with the rest of the pack. All of you are to pair up now. Since I¡¯m sure you all have fighting experience, I¡¯m going to have you face off against each other. One of you will be on the offence while the other will be on evasion... And I mean evasion, not defence,¡± The alpha then turned to Katie and her best friend and called, ¡°Sandra...¡± ¡°Yes, Jason,¡± another chorus of murmurs went through the crowd. ¡®Did she forget he¡¯s an alpha or is she naturally a brat?¡¯ ¡®I saw them holding hands the other day.¡¯ ¡®No way, you don¡¯t think...¡¯ ¡®But she¡¯s a hunter, she could at least show some respect.¡¯ Ignoring the murmuring chaos that was starting to get louder, Jason spoke louder,manding silence, ¡°I would like you to help me with this one.¡± Sandra paled at the request and started looking between Jason and Katie, usingly. Katie raised her hands in surrender, ¡°Hey, you said I didn¡¯t have to make you do anything and I didn¡¯t... I¡¯ll just get out of your line of sight, okay?¡± The blue-eyed girl was out of her friend¡¯s presence a momentter. Jason¡¯s awaiting silence stopped Sandra from pulling the Luna back. Katie stepped away from them and watched as she was called into the training ring, grinning widely, ¡®What are the odds?¡¯ ...................... Chapter 317 317 Thawing a Bitter Heart An hourter, boredom racked the girl¡¯s mind as she watched the training go on and on. She was getting tired of watching this go on and on. Not to mention the involuntary shivers that went through her the more she felt like sparring with someone. She wanted to let loose for once, but she also knew the strain she would be putting on her body if she chose to go all out along with the earful she would be getting from her mate. Cole was helping Jason out but had taken a role as his deputy during this exercise and this clearly showed the rest of the pack who was to be in charge of this morning¡¯s drills. ¡°You¡¯re certainly living afortable life,¡± a feminine voice interrupted her train of thought. Without paying attention to the person that had spoken, she replied, ¡°Hardly. I hate that I can¡¯t do anything. Would be fun to spar with someone for once?¡± ¡°Oh, does that mean you can fight?¡± the voice came again. ¡°Well... I could fight but now if I tried, I don¡¯t think I would be much good. I¡¯d probably copse five minutester from exhaustion,¡± the Luna sighed. Katie finally turned to see herpanion and froze at the sight of a sweaty Be wiping her face with a face towel. The girl was well-built and seeing her up close made Katie realise how much she¡¯d underestimated her physique. ¡°What would you say about me, then? Am I a worthy opponent?¡± the girl asked her. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure. Your strength is impressive for a delta and you have the endurance to back it up, but I¡¯m afraid your movements are too slow,¡± Katiemented, sighing, ¡°I¡¯m not saying I¡¯ll fight you since that would defeat the whole purpose of me trying to get better.¡± ..... ¡°You¡¯ve been resting for more than a week now. I haven¡¯t seen you do anything that suggests you¡¯re the rogue killer the rumours talk about. I think you¡¯re too scared to get back into fighting him. He must have scared you... the rogue king. I saw what his generals could do... but only for a second,¡± her hand passed over the scar of a ruthless bite mark that marred her belly, never to disappear. The fact that she¡¯d done nothing to try and hide the scar told more than Katie wished to let her know and from the number of deep canine marks, Katie could tell that she¡¯d been bitten by one of the generals, ¡°Who knows? Maybe you¡¯re right,¡± the Luna admitted. Just then... another person came jogging up to them and copsed right next to Katie, panting his lungs out. Kyle was beyond exhausted and turning pale as a ghost. He looked like he was breathing in far more than his lungs could hold, ¡°I was wondering if you were still in thend of the living,¡± the Luna chuckled, starting to wonder how she hadn¡¯t seen him this entire time. Her eyes had been fixated on Jason and Sandra training the rest of the pack... and a certainly dashing king. ¡°You have no idea, Katie. I¡¯ve tried following your orders, but... but...¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± a voice boomed from the other side of therge training hall. Caden came jogging up to them and for a moment, ignored Katie, ¡°Hey, you fail to fight me, then run for your life like a frightened gazelle? Are you even tired or are you simply pretending to be?¡± the alpha berated his charge. ¡°Caden, please, I¡¯ll do any of your beta chores. I¡¯m so exhausted. I¡¯ll even do one of those... What do you call them... Hearings, yes, those boring hearings that go on for hours,¡± Kyle argued, bowing at his feet. ¡°Yikes, you¡¯re not ready for one of those yet... and they are extremely boring. I won¡¯t let you near any of them until you learn to keep your eyes open through one. Hmm, the fact that you¡¯re begging me for mercy means I¡¯m doing a good job,¡± Caden boasted, puffing out his chest and for a moment, Katie wasn¡¯t sure if the boy was going through the torture of apprenticeship. ¡°Good morning, Caden,¡± Katie called out. ¡°Good morning, Luna Katie,¡± the alpha bowed respectively before turning to Be, ¡°Be, a pleasure to see you here.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re still torturing that one,¡± the girl sighed, shaking her head. Katie found her speed to judge astounding and it made her chuckle. The Luna reached for the beta alpha bowing to Caden on the ground, ruffling his hair like a little child. In a caring tone that Kyle had now learnt to discern, she asked, ¡°How is it going, Kyle?¡± Kyle lifted his head from the ground and made eye contact with his alpha. The fear that had been written all over his face vanished instantly and his tense shoulders rxed, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s gruesome and painful. Although it doesn¡¯t feel like torture anymore so that¡¯s a good thing, I guess.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably because it wasn¡¯t meant to be torture in the first ce,¡± Katie chuckled. ¡°Huh, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Kyle was confused. ¡°Ugh, what¡¯s wrong with you, Kyle? I stopped torturing you a long time ago. If you¡¯re going to protect Katie at all, I can¡¯t have you remain a weakling,¡± Caden groaned, ¡°Now get up and follow me. Katie, thanks for nothing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Caden. Train him well for me,¡± the girl replied with a smile, watching the two of them walking away with a joyous heart. Katie could tell Kyle was getting ustomed to his new life and that he was finally growing close to Caden in a different way than they¡¯d initially viewed each other. She only hoped this friendship would continue in the way she¡¯d hoped it would. When Caden had switched from torturing Kyle to training him was still lost on the wise Luna. ¡°You¡¯re one sneaky Luna,¡± Be chuckled. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, Be,¡± the Luna winked. Sandra was the next toe up to the two of them, panting just like Kyle had been doing so a moment ago. However, this girl didn¡¯t copse on the floor beside them as Kyle had. Instead, she wrapped her arms around her friend in a damp embrace, ¡°It¡¯s like deja vu. Sandra.... Ah, why would you do this to me when you¡¯re so sweaty?¡± Katie screamed, trying to get away from her friend. Sandra¡¯s grip was iron-d. ¡°This is payback for putting me against Linast time and now for leaving me to that beta alpha. Have you ever fought Jason before? It¡¯s like fighting an immovable monster,¡± sheughed in response to her friend¡¯s squirming. Be was dumbfounded... There was nothing wrong with her Luna... at all. In fact, she was everything right with the world, or at least, that¡¯s what it felt like in that moment. Chapter 318 318 A Lonely Morning in Katie¡¯s Weakened State Sandra only had a short time to rest before she was called to help the beta alpha. As it had turned out, the beta alpha was trying to adopt a more flexible way of training that would train the warriors to be better warriors and teach them a little more about martial arts and the use of agility. Since they were agile in their wolf forms, nothing was keeping them from adapting the same in their human forms as well. Katie watched it all, her connection to the mind link keeping her from the creeping darkness that threatened to swallow her whole. The imprable mental fortitude she¡¯d spent a long time building had started to crumble the moment her wolf-side was allowed to manifest... and it was no more. However, when she was connected to the mind link, it was impossible for her to feel left out. Her consciousness brushed with that of many other wolves in the pack. Many who she hadn¡¯t known were in the pack. The Lycaon pack that she¡¯d been staying away from... weed her presence warmly. It was also more interesting when she felt the frustration of all the Warriors that found the training to be more gruesome and unnecessary. (This she kept to herself and promised to point out to Jasonter on.) Be left her after getting a bit of rest and returned to her sparring partner. The two of them were impressivepared to what Katie had originally thought them to be... or was she simply getting softer on the girl. Nevertheless, they were well within the limits she¡¯d personally set for averagely high-performing deltas. It would take far much more work for them to get in a league capable of facing up against an alpha that had done their training right. It was a predicament that was unfair, but the world was set that way. When they started stretching at the end of it all, Katie stood up and walked toward her mate, who was working with the alphas that lived within the Lycaon empire. ¡°Come on, Coville. I¡¯ve heard more from your parents concerning your abilities than what you¡¯re showing me now. Surely you don¡¯t think you can beat me if you gave it your all. Show me what you¡¯re made of,¡± she found Cole goading another wolf as they faced off. ..... The young man was already drenched in his own sweat and panting tiredly and Cole still looked like he was only warming up. ¡°It¡¯s like asking someone to keep going at a steel wall,¡± the Luna chuckled. Cole was surprised by her sudden arrival that he took his attention away from the man for a second. Coville took the chance... They say opportunityes once in a blue moon... And he seized it,unching into a well-timed attack that Cole had already seening. There were several ways that Katie could have seen Cole evading the man¡¯s attack. While the young alpha was still rough around the edges, he was stronger than the betas Katie had been watching and his stance proved he knew how to maximise his body weight to deliver a full-force blow. If Cole had been a normal werewolf, he would have been in trouble indeed. However, the royal simply turned his back to the alpha and waited for the impact. There was a small crunch that resounded after the impact. Shortly after, Coville was grunting in pain, clutching his throbbing fist. With a pained expression, he cursed, ¡°What the hell are you made of?¡± ¡°Quitining, it only means you haven¡¯t strengthened your body enough,¡± Cole replied smugly. The rest of the alphas that were meant to go up against him inched further away. ¡°So the rumours about the steel tank are true,¡± one murmured. ¡°Well, yeah, they are true. Wait, wasn¡¯t it our pack that came up with those rumours? Why are you in doubt?¡± Cole argued with them. With Katie present, the alphas were less inclined to speak their minds. ¡°Are you still going at it?¡± she asked him. ¡°I hoped not, but they are so terrible it¡¯s maddening,¡± the royal replied, cing a kiss on his mate¡¯s forehead, ¡°Don¡¯t get too busy this evening.¡± The girl smiled in return to his gesture, ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll just...¡± exhaustion set into her limbs at that moment, setting a deep frown on her brow, ¡°...just go andy down for a bit.¡± Cole¡¯s expression turned to that of worry. Katie bowed her head slightly and excused herself from the training arena... colossal gym... She was now convinced it was just thergest gym she¡¯d ever seen. The Luna made her way to the royal chambers with next to no resistance. The wolves she passed bowed to her in respect and she smiled along, greeting the few she could before proceeding further up the pce. Katie made it to the king¡¯s chambers and flopped onto therge bed. Just like she¡¯d expected, her body was already requesting rest... Her muscles screamed joyously at the end of her exertion. ¡®At this rate, I¡¯ll be as worried as Cole is... No, that king is definitely the king of worry. I¡¯d need the training to defeat him,¡¯ the girl chuckled at her internal joke. Normally, Ashley would be the one tough in response to this, but the wolf was not there to cheer her on. ¡®I miss you, Ashley. I hope you¡¯re fine.¡¯ As expected, there wasn¡¯t a reply from the wolf... just like it had been for the past two days. Katie ordered breakfast to be brought to her room before letting herself rx. Tears stung her eyes as she thought of how useless she was getting with each passing day. Bound by the promise she made to keep herself from exerting herself beyond her limits, there wasn¡¯t much she could do. A knock at the doorter let in a young woman pushing a cart with an assortment of breakfast delicacies for the Luna to enjoy. ¡°I hope it¡¯s to your liking,¡± the woman said with an elegant curtsy. Katie sat up and opened her eyes wide in shock. There were at least ten different types of bread on the cart alone. ¡°It¡¯s honestly... much,¡± the girlughed nervously. The maid shuddered at thement, ¡°I can... take... Oh no, the head cook will have my head.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll eat what I can and force a little down Cole¡¯s throat before sending what¡¯s left back down,¡± the Luna hurriedly suggested. The maid giggled, ¡°Very well. Have a nice meal, your majesty,¡± the woman curtsied once more before heading for the door. ¡°Oh, one more thing... If there is something on that table that you would like, please take it with you. I know Cole¡¯s tummy is too shallow for what I have in store for him,¡± the Luna said with a broad smile. Awkwardly, the maid sauntered back to the cart and picked avish loaf of frosted bread. When she was gone, this was Katie¡¯s first choice. Katie picked up the bread and bit into it. A burst of sweet goodness assaulted her tastebuds, spurring her to eat more than she¡¯d initially thought herself capable of. When she was done, she returned to the bed and dropped into it again, sighing happily, ¡®That was good. More than I expected...¡¯ her thoughts were interrupted by a flutter of wings at the balcony. ¡®That¡¯s odd...¡¯ She turned to see a pair of pigeons perching by the railing. Chapter 319 319 Unexpected Guests As expected of one of her abilities, she heard one speak, ¡°So you mean she¡¯s meant to be in this room?¡± ¡°Yes, she is in this room. I can tell. I can smell one of the blessed wolves just by being in the same ce as them,¡± the other cooed, sounding feminine unlike the other. ¡°What... Our kind doesn¡¯t have any significant sense of smell. Stop lying,¡± the male argued. ¡°We do too. Just because you spent your entire timest week getting pelted by the rain doesn¡¯t make the rest of us unable to detect scents like you?¡± the female countered. ¡°Hey, I was scouting for water nymphs. They could have just been pouring rain over our nest,¡± the male replied. ¡°Yeah yeah yeah, and look what that got you?¡± ¡°Might I ask why you chose my balcony to be the ce for your argument?¡± the girl called out from her spot on the bed. ¡°Oh my God, you weren¡¯t kidding. She is the one...¡± the pigeons pped into the room andnded on the bed beside her, ¡°And now I¡¯m in the king¡¯s chambers. Hey, Da, do you have one of those things the humans carry around when they are having fun?¡± ¡°You mean cameras, Finn,¡± the female replied, standing still as she watched the male walk about the bed in an odd rhythm that wasn¡¯t meant for pigeons. ..... ¡°Yeah yeah, one of those. I would like to pose beside this rare beauty here and all go ¡®Chilling with the Luna''¡± the pigeon eximed, hopping over till he was too close to Katie¡¯s face forfort. The Luna sneezed, getting a rich scent of rain from the pigeon. ¡°Your partner wasn¡¯t joking. You smell of rain,¡± the girl eximed, sitting up to avoid the pigeon¡¯s feathers. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be... It felt like I¡¯d been imagining it earlier, but you really do understand our speech. And you speak just like your kind should,¡± the two birds on her bed shocked her, even more, when she turned to see that they were bowing to her. It felt like a practised pose but splendidly executed, nheless. ¡°You can stop that now. I was only getting used to hearing animals talk. Seeing them bowing is another thing entirely,¡± the girl sighed, ¡°Is there a specific reason the two of you came here?¡± Katiey down on the bed a little further from the male pigeon in hopes of avoiding sneezing once more, ¡°Yes, we did. Well, we¡¯ve been stalking you and we¡¯ve noticed you¡¯re very sad,¡± Da spoke up,pletely skipping over the ton of creepiness in her phrasing. ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Well, we want to cheer you up. Is there anything you would like us to do for you, your majesty? We could put on a show or bring you nuts to feast on,¡± the male pigeon picked up excitedly. Katie turned to the cart filled with breakfast foods, ¡°I¡¯m quite full, thank you. And I¡¯m also just fine. If one of you could get me a way to return my powers to the way they are supposed to be, that would be much appreciated,¡± the girl said, drawing a tight smile. As expected, ¡°That¡¯s not something we can do, unfortunately.¡± ¡°I figured. I can¡¯t find any other way for you to help me then,¡± the girl cut Da off and turned her attention to the ceiling above. The birds went quiet for a bit as the girl stared at the ceiling, ¡°Well, we didn¡¯te with giving up in mind. So, we shall cheer you up even if it means we drag the smile out of you.¡± ¡°What could a couple of birds do?¡± the girl asked, missing the insult behind her words. ¡°I¡¯ll ignore the obvious implication of what you have just said. As an apology, I would ask that you follow us, your majesty,¡± Da said, anger radiating through her words. Katie found the spectacle rather amusing, butplied, ¡°If it will make you happy.¡± The proud method of speaking she had to adopt when she was talking to animals shed with her current mood in ways she didn¡¯t want to think about... Katie wasn¡¯t feeling particrly proud of herself at the moment... Ignoring the strain it took to keep up the facade, she followed the birds as they fluttered to the balcony. The female flew out to the forest while the other stayed behind, ¡°What¡¯s she going to do?¡± ¡°She¡¯s gone to call for backup. We chose this time toe because there is no one below. If it came to it, sneaking you out would be no problem,¡± Finn answered in a chipper tone. The Luna sighed and waited with her eyes closed. Just when she was about to ask how they would be sneaking out, the rhythmic beating sound of massive wing beats reached her ears. The girl¡¯s eyes snapped open and turned to the balcony. Approaching her balcony were two giant eagles with the pigeon that had flown away moments ago leading them. The scene almost looked like it had been plucked out from a movie. ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± she asked. ¡°This is your way out of here,¡± Da replied, staying in the air. The two eagles set their massive talons on the railing and took the time to bow to the girl. ¡°I don¡¯t quite under...¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re quite slow on the uptake. Put out your arms and these two will carry you from here,¡± the pigeon spoke hurriedly. Katie couldn¡¯t believe her ears. She thought to herself, wondering whether it was safe for her to follow through with what this pigeon was telling her. She had no idea where they would be taking her and without her power to detect ill will, she couldn¡¯t decipher the intentions behind these creatures¡¯ actions. ¡®Believe in them, Katie. Creatures of the wild have never needed to lie. They do what they feel like doing, not like humans do and just as I will. When I get my next opportunity to... to kiss Cole,¡± was all the girl heard from her sleeping wolf before Ashley went silent once more. ¡®Wait, what...¡¯ Katie turned red. Chapter 320 320 Flying Luna... and a Frightening Realisation Katie expected the eagles¡¯ talons to be rough and bring her bruises and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for them to roughly yank her from the balcony. To her surprise, however, her feet left the ground before she felt any significant pressure on her arms. Peeking through one eye, she found they had long taken off from the balcony. When she did though, her second eye opened as well, taking in the marvel before her. She had long left the balcony and was gracefully soaring higher into the sky. The feeling of breaking free of the restraints of gravity washed a wave of excitement through her. She looked up at the eagles, musing over their graceful wing strokes that swiftly carried them up without seeming like a burden in the slightest. The two majestic kings of the skies pped their wings in perfect sync and soared through the air calmly. Their grip on her hands was soft and barely perceptible. ¡°Just rx. We¡¯ll be there in no time,¡± Damented over the roar of the wind. The little pigeon was floating behind them, keeping up them on the stream of air that was let through by one of the eagles. The two pigeons had taken two positions behind the eagles. It almost looked like they were being carried by the eagles as well. The eagles flew lower and closer to the beautiful greenery of the forest, going further and further away from the city. If she didn¡¯t think of the eagles that were carrying her, the Luna could feel as though she was the one flying. Feeling the need for more speed, she muttered, ¡°A little rush would be good.¡± Da was not one to lose focus on the person she was tending to and had heard her speak to herself, ¡°That¡¯s not a tone for a werewolf to have,¡± the pigeon huffed. However, before the Luna could reply, the eagles suddenly tucked their wings into a short drop before beginning a vicious climb, ascending higher and higher into the air at incredible speed. The sudden rush frightened the girl for a second before she rxed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ..... ¡°Well, you did ask for a bit of a rush and that is what you shall have,¡± Finn chuckled. That being said, the eagles only elerated faster and took the Luna further into the sky. Katie¡¯s initial shock was gone and now reced with exciting anticipation. She looked back to the capital and gawked at how small it already appeared. They¡¯d only been flying a short time, but the castle was already farther than she¡¯d thought it to be. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to go back before evening, won¡¯t I?¡± ¡°We swear it on our lives, your majesty. You¡¯ll make it home in time for your date with the king,¡± one of the great eagles¡¯ voices rumbled deeply above her. The voice startled her, but not enough for her to miss the admittance to another invasion of privacy. ¡°You guys have a stalking problem,¡± she chuckled, ¡°Let¡¯s see what you can do.¡± The eagles¡¯ wingbeats got even stronger at the sound of a challenge. When they were high into the sky that the forest itself was just a patch of green, they hovered for a moment, turning to their desired destination before tucking their wings slightly close to their bodies. Everything was frozen for a moment as they reached their peak height. Katie¡¯s body continued up just for a bit,pletely horizontal in the air. The two eagles, however, began angling their streamlined bodies to the ground. Katie was sure they would be falling straight down, but that wasn¡¯t quite the case, the eagles soared almost horizontally, losing only the slightest of altitude. It was slow at first, but soon, Katie realised it was only momentary. The Luna was soon screaming in delight as their speed started to pick up and the eleration had the wind roaring at her. While the Luna was enjoying her flight, she missed the point when the eagles angled down and tucked their wingspletely into a sharp nose dive. The wind was so vicious it wouldn¡¯t let Katie open her eyes, but the feeling of freedom... was not lost on this seasoned hunter. The joyridested a short time, but for the Luna enjoying it, it took much longer. She could feel the freedom the eagles felt when they were in the sky. Gravity was not a force to be worried about. Instead, it was something to help them merely tell up from down. If she had it her way, she would have stayed in that moment for eternity. s, the flight came to an end and the eagles slowed down gradually. The sound of rushing water was the most significant when the blurring of green finally came to a stop and the wind calmed down. The eagles came closer to the canopies and began to follow the river downstream until the water began to pick up speed. Katie felt she would be swept away by the current from simply looking at it. Looking further ahead, she saw the rivere to an end. The moment of realisation came a bitte when they were passing right above the waterfall that fell a few hundred metres. The sudden change in altitude sent a dizzying feeling through the girl... suddenly she was very grateful they were flying. ¡°Don¡¯t struggle. You¡¯ll bruise your hands,¡± one of the eagles warned the squirming Luna, easing the tension that had gripped her in ce. ¡°Oh, right... I had almost forgotten...¡± The rest of her words were lost to the roar of song and fluttering wings as a multitude of birds erupted from the trees on the other side of the waterfall, flying high into the air and flocking around them. Katie was astounded by their sheer number. Her ears picked up on the different sounds of excitement... ¡®Is that her?¡¯ ¡®Oh my, she¡¯s so pretty.¡¯ ¡®I wonder if she can talk to every one of us... maybe she only speaks to wolves?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s one thing to see her, I can¡¯t wait to hear her speak.¡¯ ¡®Do you think she sounds like the wolves do?¡¯ ¡®Alphas can be intimidating, you know...¡¯ The excitement warmed the girl¡¯s heart and rxed her earlier tension. The eagles took her down and set her by the river bank. As soon as they¡¯d set the girl down, the entire gathering of birds quieted down and perched in the different trees that bordered the river. The vibrant colours from the different species of birds brought a smile to the girl¡¯s face, ¡°Now this would be picture-perfect,¡± she said to herself, checking her pocket. It was empty. From the silence came the sound of a low growl. Katie turned, curious to find out why the growl had not inspired fear in her. From the cover of the trees emerged a lion. The creature waspletely out of ce in the forest, but then again, it was right in front of her, as clear as day. The birds bowed to the creature nheless, ¡®So it wasn¡¯t practised!¡¯ she wondered internally, remembering the gesture from the pigeons. ¡°What¡¯s a lion doing in this kind of ce?¡± ¡°The power that resides within someone like you is more than enough to adjust the ecosystem,¡± the lion¡¯s voice boomed across the low-lying riverbank they stood on. When the lion was a safe distance before her, it bowed low, ¡°We wee you, Katie Sirius.¡± ¡°I am honoured although I don¡¯t exactly know what I¡¯m doing here,¡± the girl smiled nervously. A pigeon fluttered from the trees andnded atop the lion¡¯s golden mane, ¡°It¡¯s like I told you before. The creatures of the wild are at your service. You were sad... so that¡¯s what we are here to fix.¡± The girl was stunned by the pigeon¡¯s words that she lost her words for a moment. ¡®Isn¡¯t this a bit much?¡¯ the girl wondered. She looked around, seeing the different species of birds and relishing in their vibrant plumages, however, something crept into her mind. Even with the vast numbers of these birds, none of them had the power to return her to her former self, ¡°What can you all possibly do for me? I mean no offence by it, but I can¡¯t think of a...¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know how to rely on others, do you? I heard of it, but I didn¡¯t think it was this bad?¡± the lion cut her off, chuckling deeply, ¡°Didn¡¯t you realise how much help you had back in the reserve? If it wasn¡¯t for the creatures there, a number of the wolves you were trying to protect would have died.¡± ¡®How much do these creatures know?¡¯ the girl was shocked they knew about what happened in the reserve. She held off the question of how they¡¯d found out about it. After all, two eagles had brought her here from the pce. There was no telling what kind of birds had made the journey to spread the information. ¡°I will make it a point to thank them the next time I see them. However, we were in a reserve. That was their territory. This is different. I¡¯m getting weaker with each passing day and I don¡¯t know what to do about it. Sending a lion into the capital would only cause mass panic.¡± ¡°Who said anything about sending a lion? Your creativity needs a little work,¡± the lion chuckled, ¡°there is always room to learn something new.¡± The lion turned away from the girl and gestured for her to follow it. Katie walked alongside the creature and into the woods. The air in the forest was full of energy. The creatures about her were all in high spirits that she found contagious. The stubborn light smile on her face was proof of that. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it bother you to serve under someone who doesn¡¯t see your use?¡± the girl asked. ¡°You don¡¯t mince words, do you?¡± the lionughed this time. His voice was akin to that of a wise king... A king simr to King Davin. The simrity brought a feeling of nostalgia into the girl. ¡°Saying things the way they are usually helps the conversation make progress,¡± she replied, trying to fight the fatigue making its way into her body. The lion noticed her rugged breathing and offered to carry her. To this, she declined and instead asked if she could pet him... which was beside the point, but she found it irresistible, ¡®This must have been how Uncle Thorrin felt back then.¡¯ Against his pride, the lion epted, ¡°Your mane is silky and smooth,¡± the girlmented, shock in her voice, ¡°It would make a nice pillow.¡± ¡°I do not intend to be someone¡¯s pillow. Even if that person is you, your majesty.¡± ¡°I was only messing around...¡± After a short pause, the girl came to a stop and took a seat by a tree, breathing out sharply. Sweat had already started trickling down her face. She focused on keeping her breath calm and steady, but her exhaustion was already visible. The flight through the air and the time she had spent in the gym had been enough to rob her of all her strength, ¡®Where is that breakfast I had earlier?¡¯ she mentally yelled. She was, however, aware that the food would have done nothing in providing her strength. She could still eat, but she didn¡¯t recover. The exhaustion she felt had nothing to do with her diet, ¡°This is bad. You¡¯re running out of divine energy,¡± the lion observed. Even worried, the lion was able to pull off his proud royal tone. ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°We heard what happened in your battle against the evil werewolf. The scourge that disrupts the natural order of the wild as well. He was the one you went up against and I¡¯m afraid... During that battle, you might have pushed yourself past what you¡¯re supposed to. You¡¯re going to lose all your divine energy,¡± the lion exined. ¡°Oh...¡± ¡°And that¡¯s what we¡¯re doing here. We came to help you,¡± the lion tried, ¡°For starters, what gues your mind when you¡¯re on your own?¡± ¡°A lot really... but mostly, I feel useless for not being able to help anyone in my current state. The kingdom is under attack and I can¡¯t do anything about it. Cole won¡¯t even tell me what¡¯s going on because he doesn¡¯t want me to worry, but he doesn¡¯t realise that¡¯s impossible. I am worried,¡± the girl spilt her mind out, ¡°My wolf has almost gonepletely silent...¡± She didn¡¯t know why she was so open with the creatures around her, but she didn¡¯t feel guarded towards them either. Without being able to sense someone¡¯s ill will, she couldn¡¯t tell whether they meant to help her, but that all didn¡¯t seem to matter one bit... Just then, the thought she¡¯d dreaded most this entire time was able to form in her mind... and it spilt out just as soon as it was formed, ¡°Why does it feel... like I¡¯m running out of time?¡± Chapter 321 321 Crumbling Walls... And a call for help Feeling the walls she¡¯d learnt to build around herself finally groan for thest time, the Luna gave in to the call of the wild. She¡¯d been offered help many times before and all those attempts had been eating away at her resolve. This time, she wasn¡¯t able to do anything without any help. It almost felt like fate was ying a cruel trick on her. For a long time, she wanted to scream in frustration each time she found that she was only getting weaker, but that could onlyst so long. Now she was surrounded by creatures that had ventured into ces alien to their habitats for the sole purpose of helping her. Her resistance crumbled atst and she gave in, speaking of everything that had gued her mind. She spoke of the escaped prisoners that threatened the king¡¯s coronation and the victims she¡¯d managed to save. She mentioned theck of power that made her useless. Her weakening state sapped more of her strength with each passing day. She spoke of the training moments in the colossal gym that she wasn¡¯t able to attend. She spoke of Kyle and how much she wanted to help him. She spoke of the family she¡¯d not had so much time to spend within Sirius. She spoke of her adoptive family that she hadn¡¯t even gotten the chance to get to know as well as she could have wished. When the Luna was done talking, she felt a thousand times lighter and had barely noticed the tears that were streaming down her face. ¡°It looks to me like you¡¯ll be needing us more than we had realised ourselves,¡± the lion concluded, inching closer to her face. Katie moved back to escape the approaching lion only to collide with the tree she¡¯d been leaning against. Before she couldin(not like she could. Against the king of beasts, she could do nothing), the lion was licking her face. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this is helping,¡± the blue-eyed Luna found herself giggling. She wrapped her arms around the lion¡¯s massive neck, drowning her arms in his majestic silky mane in an attempt to move him away from her. ..... This, however, proved useless. The struggle against the lion was futile. It was much stronger than she was in her weakened state. When the lion was sure the salt of tears was gone from the Luna¡¯s face, it stopped licking her, ¡°You¡¯re much weaker than you were described by the creatures of the reserve.¡± The girl sighed, ¡°Yeah... I¡¯ve just been talking about that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s decided,¡± the lion finally pulled away from her and bowed, ¡°We will be your strength for as long as we are able and for as long as you need us to be.¡± The lion dered. A bear and three more lions made themselves known to the girl, drawing closer to the first lion and bowing in a simr gesture... ¡®I worked so hard to make sure I was the one everyone had to depend on. I never thought the tables would turn so fast...¡¯ while she wondered how she had reached this situation. Growing up in Brigadia and even earning the title of Rogue Killer and one hell of a reputation, she couldn¡¯t have thought the words would ever escape her, but they did, ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you. Lend me your strength,¡± she could have sworn the lion leading the group smirked at her reply... or was it simply her imagination ying tricks on her. ........................ Lina Sirius, princess of the Sirius empire, fell into her bed with a washed-out ghostly expression frozen on her face. She was so mentally exhausted, she qualified to have smokeing out of her brain simr to the animations she¡¯d watched as a child. Oddly enough, the small analogy did run across her mind a couple of times. Atst, her finals were over. Three days of gruesome examinations, courtesy of her parents. Honour, who hade to the pce with her, hung her jacket on the coat rack beside the door, chuckling at the girl¡¯s antics, ¡°Why did they have to make our ss do everything in three days while the rest of the school gets to have their exams spread out?¡± Lina screamed. ¡°I would guess your parents made that happen, but what do I know?¡± Madeline replied with a shrug, popping a chip into her mouth from the half-filled bag she¡¯d carried from Honour¡¯s house on their way to the pce. ¡°I wish I could be more like you, Madeline. You don¡¯t have to go through all this work and risk brain damage. I am wondering though. Why don¡¯t you have to go to school again?¡± the girl whined. ¡°I should have my share of school, but the king hasn¡¯t had everything concerning my presence here sorted out. In the meantime, I won¡¯t be able to proceed. Hopefully, I can finish without being held back a year. Luckily, I didn¡¯t develop schstic ambitions. That would have been problematic. Being the daughter of the Seeker...¡± her expression darkened, ¡°Is said to be too dangerous for that kind of ambition.¡± The girl stared at the ceiling in thought before continuing further, ¡°I asked my grandmother to at least let me follow my dreams of bing a chef and opening up a restaurant of my own someday. I¡¯m not the only one with that dream, but I have the talent for it. I don¡¯t know how she did it, but she was able to convince the alpha of our pack to let me apprentice in my free time.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cool. I wish there was a rule against me going to school. Maybe something like... rulers have to learn more about their kingdom and how to rule it instead of wasting their time in school or something like that?¡± Lina continuedining, sounding less and less like a princess. ¡°Do you want to be a ruler though?¡± Madeline asked with a raised brow, ¡°It sounds like a hassle.¡± ¡°Huh, ruling the wolves isn¡¯t a hassle. It¡¯s fulfilling. The royals bear the responsibility of keeping the wolves happy and satisfied with the world as it is. I¡¯m not nearly as good as my dad when ites to making decisions and doing the right thing when it counts, but he gives me something to look up to,¡± the girl¡¯sining tone hadpletely vanished from her voice as she exined. This specific topic lit up a fire in her eyes that the other two girls had never noticed before. ¡®Huh, Lina as a queen. Now there is a thought I would have nevere up with,¡¯ Madeline thought to herself. ¡°It must be that royal blood of yours talking,¡± Honour sighed, ¡°Have you forgotten the meeting we have with the king today?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I almost forgot,¡± Lina¡¯s voice was nowing out of arge pillow, sounding muffled and even more childish now. ¡°No, youpletely forgot. We should get going now,¡± Honour walked up to the girl and started nudging her. ¡°Honour, we could at least first sleep for an hour before having to deal with matters of the empire?¡± Lina nuzzled deeper into the pillow, her free hand searching for another to bury herself under. ¡°You can sleep when you¡¯re done talking to the king. You know he rarely calls on you. It might be something important,¡± Honour replied in a serious tone. ¡°Do you think it would have something to do with my grandmother?¡± Madeline¡¯s voice silenced the room. Lina peeked at her from underneath the pillow, ¡°We¡¯ll find her, Madeline. The hunters are going to be notified to keep a lookout for her when they finally make a sweep of no-man¡¯snd.¡± ¡°I know... but how long do you think it would take the hunters to go through the different parts of the world? What if the rogues have...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t allow yourself to think like that? You¡¯ll run yourself crazy. For as long as you haven¡¯t felt that pain in your chest that suggests she has died, you are allowed to hope and pray for her safety,¡± Honour stopped her, flinching slightly at her odd words... ¡®Pray... To whom, I wonder.¡¯ ¡°Put a smile on that face. We have a royal to meet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a royal too. You should put on smiles whening to meet me too,¡± Lina held her nose high, having sat up from the bed. ¡°Ugh, you know what I meant Lina. Let¡¯s get going,¡± Honour chuckled, now making her way for the door. Lina took that to be a signal for them to actually leave and got up from the bed... against her will. ..................... Chapter 322 322 News of a Wounded Sirius The king was seated in his office, rubbing his temples and not at all on top of things like he usually was, ¡°It¡¯s like the world is trying to implode from the inside out,¡± the man eximed just as the three girls were making an entrance. ¡°Is something wrong, Father?¡± Lina called out. ¡°Yes, Drake. Something is wrong. Well, I¡¯m not sure if I would... wait, Lina, could you please stay in character?¡± the king eximed, finally noticing it was a feminine voice that had referred to him as ¡®father.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s contagious. I can¡¯t help it sometimes,¡± the girl chuckled, taking her seat in front of the king¡¯s desk. The king took his time before addressing them. Queen Martha had refreshments brought to the office and served the king. He was oddly tense for a normal meeting. The tension in the room made the suspense worse. ¡°I¡¯ll get to the point. We rushed your exams because you received an invitation to go to King Cole¡¯s coronation. We have all been invited, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll all be able to go, obviously. While we¡¯re there, it would be important that you pay your respects to the departed king of the Lycaon empire,¡± the king started, drawing a tight-lipped smile. The king wiped his brow, avoiding his daughter¡¯s eyes. Lina noticed the king¡¯s white knuckles along with all the other nervous ticks she rarely witnessed from the king... he was hiding more than he was letting on, ¡°Dad, what aren¡¯t you telling us?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s Katie. Beta Alpha Caden reported her condition. She¡¯s not doing well,¡± the man replied in a low tone. A gasp went through the room. Drake was the only one that didn¡¯t react that way. ¡°After what she pulled in Lycaon against the rogue king, there were bound to be consequences,¡± the male sighed. ..... ¡°That was to be expected and she was hospitalised, but this is different. She was supposed to get better like werewolves always do. What¡¯s even more troubling is that medical tests return iming she¡¯s perfectly fine and yet she continues to get weaker and weaker as the days go by,¡± the king¡¯s royal aura wavered. Deep lines of worry appeared on his forehead as he ryed the information. Drake held back his next reply while Lina¡¯s breath turned uneven. ¡°That¡¯s not all though,¡± the queen picked up. ¡°What could be worse than that?¡± Lina muttered. ¡°Lycaon is under attack.¡± When silence was all that greeted her, she continued, ¡°During the rogue king¡¯s escape, there were several prisoners that escaped the dungeons. These prisoners didn¡¯t leave as everyone had hoped. Instead, they stayed behind and began abducting people and wreaking havoc. As of right now, it is known that they will make an attempt against the empire during the coronation. Their goals are not yet clear, but a recording of one of them revealed this much.¡± ¡°This is not good. Katie cannot defend herself if they were to find her,¡± Lina rushed out. ¡°Yes, that is true. The future king notified us that her room is guarded at all times and that she doesn¡¯t go anywhere without a skilled escort. It¡¯s not like she can travel that much either,¡± the queen replied with a sigh. ¡°Father_¡± ¡°Yes, Drake... Oh, sorry, Lina,¡± giggles rippled through the room. ¡°I would like to go to Cole¡¯s coronation,¡± the girl replied. Madeline trained her eyes on the girl in shock, ¡°Lina, are you sure about that?¡± ¡°Yeah... I am. Katie was there for me when I was almost kidnapped. I would like to help her in whatever way I can,¡± the girl smiled, ¡°I¡¯m also really worried about her. It can¡¯t be easy for her to be... ¡®weak¡¯.¡± The girl scrunched her brows as though she¡¯d tasted something funny... ¡®That whole sentence felt wrong.¡¯ ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Madeline asked. Without ever having the chance to see the hunter, the girl knew little about the person they were talking about. ¡°I almost forget you weren¡¯t here when she was. Katie is the sister I talk about. She¡¯s... really... really strong,¡± Lina replied, ¡°And she¡¯s used to protecting everyone that matters to her... or at least... was. The thought of her in a weakened state feels alien to my mind. It must be eating her from the inside out.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to agree with you on that, Lina,¡± the queen agreed, ¡°And I would like the whole family to go to Lycaon to give her the support she needs. Alpha Jackson and Alpha Phillip were able to hold the fort when we went to Brigadia, this will be no different.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. We¡¯ll be making our way for the capital in two days,¡± the king announced, noting the final tone in his wife¡¯s voice and ending the purpose of their meeting. In all honesty, it sounded like it was the decision he was hoping they would reach from the beginning. ¡°What about Bree?¡± Honour asked. ¡°We¡¯ll have to keep an eye out for that one. I can tell she has cut herself off from the mind link. Sean hasn¡¯t done sopletely, even though we can¡¯t reach him. The two of them are far from the capital now. Knowing him, the girl is safe, but that¡¯s from what I knew of him before all this,¡± King Davin scrunched his eyebrows. His opinion on the man was still shifting within his mind, never taking full form. This was the same state of his emotions towards his uncle, ¡°I¡¯m afraid we are stuck on that matter.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll check with Bree¡¯s parents and see if I can figure out anything from there,¡± Drake replied. ¡°Thank you, Drake. If she kept a diary and happened to leave it behind... Doubtful, but... It wouldn¡¯t hurt if you tried.¡± With that said, the meeting was closed and the three girls left the room quickly, following Lina¡¯s lead. The king smiled upon realising her intended destination. ¡®I guess you and Crysta will be just fine,¡¯ he thought to himself. Chapter 323 323 Makeover Katie once again woke up to the emptiness of a bed with her mate gone and the lingering warmth of his presence already starting to dissipate. A nagging frustration worked its way into her mind, ¡°Cole, one of these days, I¡¯m going to throw you into a torture chamber.¡± A heartyugh came from the other side of the mind link, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t want to wake you. I also didn¡¯t know how long you were going to stay awake so I...¡± ¡°Ugh, stop apologizing. I know you have your duties as the king. I would only be slowing you down,¡± the Luna replied, wondering when it was that she would be able to help him with those same duties... However, that also posed another problem. If she ever did get well enough to get back to her responsibilities, that would mean she¡¯d finish thest remaining part of the school before going into the looming chaos on whether she was a hunter of the Chase family or the future queen of the Lycaon empire. The girl shuddered at the thoughts before bringing her attention back to the alpha talking to her. ¡°Not at all really. Caden and Jason would be able to pick up the ck if I asked them to. Can we have breakfast together?¡± he asked her. Memories of the previous evening flooded her mind. Just like he¡¯d requested, she¡¯d managed to get back to her room before evening hours, thanks to a lift from the eagles that apanied her. The king had already prepared a car for them where he took her out into the city for ate evening dinner at one of the most peaceful parks situated on the outskirts of the capital. The beauty of the park was that it was far from the pce, quiet and surrounded by beautiful greenery. A few other couples used the ce and Cole informed Katie of how famous the ce was for the same kind of reservations he¡¯d made. ..... ¡®That... was a date. No doubt about it... but why do I feel like I want him to say it that way,¡¯ the girl rolled in the bed shivering both at the childish thoughts and the fact that they wereing from her... the Rogue Killer. ¡°Where are we going this time?¡± the girl cooed. ¡°The gardens... You can meet me there in thirty minutes but take your time. Don¡¯t...¡± ¡°I won¡¯t push myself, Cole. Although, some things are worth pushing me for,¡± the girl smirked and thus ended the mind-link conversation. Katie got up from the bed and sauntered into the shower to get herself ready. Twenty minutes were enough before she came out only to be startled by the humming woman seated by her bed. The shock quickly turned into warmth and love. This specific woman¡¯s presence brought warmth to Katie¡¯s heart. She bore the one face that Katie had known the longest and had grown very fond of, ¡°Good morning, Aunt Marie.¡± The hunter looked up at her adoptive daughter before smiling warmly, ¡°Good morning dear.¡± Marie got up from her ce on the bed and rushed the girl into a warm embrace. Katie was all for hugging until she realized she was dripping. This realization cameter than it should have. Opposition was no longer an option, ¡°Wait... wait, I¡¯m wet. Should you really be...¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a little water, dear. Now get over here. Besides, you¡¯ve done much worse than a little water,¡± Aunt Marie pulled the towelled girl into one of her familiar bear hugs, paying no mind to the girl¡¯s wet body. Thest part of herment left Katie mortified, ¡®What¡¯s that supposed to... Oh...¡¯ ¡°Royals use expensive soap,¡± the woman muttered while she dragged her adoptive daughter to the dresser and beckoned for her to take a seat. Aunt Marie then started idly working on beautifying her daughter... something she¡¯d done countless times before during their conversations, ¡°We haven¡¯t talked together for a while, Katie... just the two of us.¡± ¡°No, no, we haven¡¯t,¡± the girl shrunk into her seat. A tap on her shoulder notified her to keep her back straight and she quickly adhered to the silent order, ¡®Although, I¡¯m also curious as to how you got in here.¡¯ ¡°I can try to understand what¡¯s happening in your mind. How are you holding up?¡± Marie didn¡¯t sound surprised. ¡°I try to keep from thinking about it, but it¡¯s so hard. Every time I get dizzy after walking for only a short while. Every time I wake up and feel ten times heavier. I tried powering through it at one point, but...¡± the girl paused and shook off the memory of her on the day of her best friend¡¯s evaluation test. ¡°At first, it was frustrating, but now-¡± the girl stopped speaking and cut the thoughts from her mind, lest she risked leaking her emotions into the pack link. Most of the time, the general positivity of the pack overpowered her depressive mood swings... and when everyone was asleep in the night, Cole¡¯s arms wrapped around her in a safe cocoon. There was a period of silence while the hunterbed through Katie¡¯s silky hair in smoothforting strokes. Staring into the mirror, she found that the woman was paying far too much attention to her dark hair. ¡°Your hair is beautiful, you know. Does he tell you that?¡± the woman swooned. The mischievous grin that appeared on her adoptive mother¡¯s face sent chills down her spine. ¡°Huh... what does that have to do with anything??¡± replied a confused Katie. Chuckling, the woman exined, ¡°Honestly, I have to say I¡¯m d you¡¯ve been able to feel what it is to be weak and helpless again. Don¡¯t get me wrong. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want you to be strong again. It¡¯s just that I wanted you to realise what it¡¯s like to rely on others and trust that they wille through for you.¡± The woman¡¯s words heavily rhymed with those of a certain lion she¡¯d spoken to not so long ago. ¡°Yeah, I might know what you mean. I don¡¯t really have a choice in the matter now. I can barely do anything without asking for help now,¡± the girl¡¯s mind began to wander to hertest collection of new helpers. Finn and Da were responsible for reporting to her when any of the animals had something to tell her and they also offered herpany when she was alone in the king¡¯s chambers. ¡°On the note of getting all the help that I can take, I can talk to animals now.¡± Marie stoppedbing the giddy girl¡¯s hair. The myriad of thoughts that crossed her mind was lost to Katie. ¡°How many of your powers have you discovered as one of the goddesses chosen?¡± she asked with a hint of urgency. ¡°Oh? Let me see... I haven¡¯t used the first one a lot and I¡¯m notpletely sure how it works. That time I used it, Ashley was in control of my body. I¡¯m not really sure what she did, but a few adjustments to my shift boosted my speed by a lot. I was racing Lina that time,¡± the girl said thoughtfully. ¡°Oh, did you win?¡± the woman asked curiously, rubbing her daughter¡¯s shoulders. Her thumbs rubbed over the star-shaped wounds on the girl¡¯s shoulders. The scars from the time she¡¯d been shot by Jeremiah. ¡°Yes, I did. Although, I realised Lina hasn¡¯t trained herself as much as I have. If she¡¯s already that fast at that age... I don¡¯t know what to make of her potential,¡± the Luna chuckled, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to control that power, but I do know how to speak to animals. Now that¡¯s something I can control.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Though you do realise you just happily admitted to being able to speak to animals. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you when you suddenly be the Luna that negotiates with rogue carnivores,¡± the woman chuckled. The girl giggled at the hunter¡¯sment, ¡°I¡¯m proud of the ability to talk to them. At least, that way, I can help out with the investigation without straining myself.¡± The girl raised her head high in pride. Aunt Marie didn¡¯t share her opinion, ¡°Now I know who to call when I have a rat problem.¡± Katie¡¯s mouth dropped in horror, ¡°Keep talking like that, and I might just be the cause of your rat problem.¡± Aunt Marie exploded into a heartyugh. Katie didn¡¯t share in this humour and only huffed... her small tantrum was only temporary as the sound of her mother¡¯s contagiousugh swatted all her stubborn attempts. When the woman was done, she pulled the girl¡¯s hair back and ced it to one side,pletely exposing her neck and the most prominent symbol on the Luna, Cole¡¯s mark. Aunt Marie caressed the sensitive spot and stopped only when Katie started to look ufortable, ¡°You have friends, you know... and a mate that loves you very much. Sandra is getting bored training by her lonesome these days. She wishes you could go with her,¡± the woman continued. ¡°I know that... I wish I could make the journey,¡± the girl sighed. She¡¯d thought of going there the day before, but hadn¡¯t regained enough energy to do so. Before she knew it, her date with Cole came and went faster than she could follow, ¡°Speaking of my mate, I have breakfast with Cole in the gardens. Could we do this a little faster?¡± ¡°The king will wait for you even if it kills him. I haven¡¯t got to talk to you in so long,¡± Marie huffed. In a solemn tone, she added, ¡°Why did you have to grow up so big?¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s a new one. You were always the one telling me to eat my vegetables so that I can grow big and strong.¡± ¡°I asked you to eat your vegetables in case you grew up, but I didn¡¯t ask you to grow up. You could have just stayed the young little girl I could protect. We could have lived in the remote town of Brigadia happily. It would have been nice to have time be frozen in time while we were there,¡± the amount of sadness in the woman¡¯s voice was impossible to miss. Something wed at the back of Katie¡¯s mind as she listened to her adoptive mother, but she couldn¡¯t quite figure out what it was. All she could tell was that there was a sadness in her tone that didn¡¯t seem to go away...even when she smiled. Had she really missed talking to her for that long? Or was something else amiss? She wondered if she was missing something or if her mother was keeping something from her intentionally. It wouldn¡¯t have been the first time. Seeing her through the mirror again, however, the thoughts melted from the girl¡¯s mind. She stood up from her seat and enveloped her mother in a warm hug. The older woman gave in to her daughter¡¯s disy of affection. ¡°You know I will always be your daughter, right? It doesn¡¯t matter how old I am. You raised me,¡± the girl tried. Sighing, Marie spoke, the tinge of sadness Katie had heard before getting heavily suppressed, ¡°Just look at you. We¡¯re practically the same height now. Not to mention my frozen age kept me young that whole time. It¡¯s like we¡¯re sisters.¡± ¡°Does it bother you?¡± the Luna asked. ¡°Just a little. Thorrin, Alice, Micah, and Evelyn all grew older while the two of us stayed young. It¡¯s like we were plucked from time.¡± ¡®That¡¯s more than a little bothered...¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that,¡± Katie tried. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. In any case, I should be asking you how the king is treating you,¡± the woman pulled away from her daughter with a smirk on her face. ¡°The look on your face has me confused. Is that a trick question?¡± Katie narrowed her eyes at the woman. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t y dumb with me,¡± Aunt Marie wiggled her eyebrows. ¡°I guess growing up also means I get to see the shameless side of you,¡± Katie was mortified, ¡°I thought Uncle Tom was the only one capable of making me cringe. I should have known there was more to it.¡± Aunt Marie erupted into peals ofughter, ¡°You¡¯re cute when you¡¯re trying to hide what happens between the two of you,¡± Katie sighed in disbelief as her adopted mother continued tough at her. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I have a breakfast to attend with my dearly beloved,¡± the girl huffed, turning her attention to the closet. ¡°Oh, let me get you ready for it,¡± the woman replied, catching the girl off guard. It had been a long time since the woman had helped her get ready for anything, ¡°I know. This can be practice for when I get to prepare you for your wedding.¡± The woman piped up. Katie¡¯s heart leapt into overdrive at the mention of a wedding, ¡°What... what wedding? No, get those ideas out of your head.¡± The Luna panicked. ¡°Huh, I thought the two of you are happy. Why wouldn¡¯t you get married?¡± Aunt Marie sounded genuinely confused and that in itself was enough to scare Katie even more. ¡°We are happy. We are very happy the way we are right now... A wedding is just another step that I hadn¡¯t thought about. Come on, who gets married at the age of eighteen?¡± Katie was still freaking out. ¡°Oh... Oh, you don¡¯t know, do you?¡± Aunt Marie beamed with a gleam of realisation on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t know what?¡± Katie raised a brow. ¡°Well, a mate is your perfect match. Werewolves don¡¯t really care about the age at which they get married. Even if you find your mate when you¡¯re only eighteen, the wedding is only a short step away. It happens so fast, you barely have the time to notice it. Before you know it, you have little ones running all over...¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you,¡± Katie covered Marie¡¯s mouth. Her face was a deep shade of red and her breath was rugged from the detailed description of the rest of her summed-up lifeid out before her. Aunt Marie began to chuckle, prying the girl¡¯s hand away from her mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s get you ready for your date with Cole,¡± the woman guided her to the closet and picked out the outfit. By the time Katie was done dressing up or whenever it was Aunt Marie was done beautifying her daughter, Katie was certain she¡¯d made a mistake to let her handle it. She was dressed to kill for a simple breakfast. ¡°Is there something I¡¯m missing here?¡± the girl asked the woman, cringing at the dazzling reflection that stared back at her through the mirror. ¡°If you can¡¯t see how beautiful you look right now, then you¡¯re missing just about everything,¡± the woman replied. Katie took one more look into the mirror. It was like she¡¯d been transformed into a different person and yet stayed the same. The light make-up had allowed her to keep her naturalplexion. The dress was a light shade of yellow, sleeveless, flowing into a beautiful eruption of flowery decorations below her waist till it only lightly touched the ground. ¡°You just decided to design a princess, didn¡¯t you?¡± the Lunamented bluntly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you one though?¡± Marie asked, cing her hands on her shoulders and staring into the mirror. The twodies stared back at each other through the mirror. ¡°I guess you have a point there,¡± Katie replied. Just then, her cheeks turned a shade of pink. Nervously, ¡°Do...Do you think Cole will like it?¡± ¡°He¡¯d have to be as dense as a tree to miss this level of beauty,¡± the woman gave a reassuring smile. ..... Chapter 324 324 Anxious Pair Cole sat in the gazebo patiently and anxiously waiting for his beautiful mate. Thirty minutes had already gone by and there was no sign of her. The pack link confirmed her current location, so he had nothing to worry about concerning where she was. Besides, it wouldn¡¯t help even if he asked her where she had been. The stories she¡¯d told him of the creatures of the wild the day before had only confused him more. He knew she could speak to animals, but what she described... Shaking the thoughts out of his mind, he reached for something in his pocket and rolled the small cubic items, feeling its smooth edges between his fingers. This peculiar item was another reason for his anxiety. When he thought of what he wanted to talk to Katie about, he couldn¡¯t rx and the object in his pocket only made this more challenging for him. The king thought back to what had happened to him since he left the capital to go to Brigadia... a small town located so far from the capital with an outstanding rating on their school¡¯s security system. It was at that outstanding school that he had met the girl he was now patiently waiting for. It felt like a very long time ago, but it wasn¡¯t even close to making a year since he¡¯d met Katie. His life hadn¡¯t been the same since then, however. Despite the Sirius pack¡¯s attempts at concealing her, she¡¯d stuck out far more than he had and even gotten injured in the process. It wasn¡¯t like he could have been injured badly in the process. ¡®Maybe they don¡¯t attack me because it would be harder to bring me harm?¡¯ he idly posed the question. However, it was met with the calm silence of the Royal Gardens. He almost called her through the mind link, but etiquette kept him from being so rash. As the time wore on, his anxiety only climbed higher, ¡°What are you worried about, your majesty?¡± Caden asked him, walking up to the gazebo. ..... ¡°What are you doing here? Katie¡¯s almost here. What are you doing here?¡± the man whisper-yelled through gritted teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen the king of Lycaon this anxious before,¡± Caden chuckled, ¡°...no, change that to never. I have never seen the king of Lycaon anxious... ever.¡± ¡°No kidding. What gave it away?¡± Cole shrugged. ¡°Well, I could feel it through the beta mind link. I came to check on you to see if you¡¯re doing alright,¡± the man replied. Being bound to a royal as a beta alpha made it impossible for either of them to hide anything... It was simr to the mind link shared by mates... only restricted byws that bound the beta alphas to their royals. If anyone were to ask Caden what was going on in the king¡¯s head, he wouldn¡¯t be able to answer that because hecked permission from the king... and if the king suddenly made a request through that mind link, the beta alpha wouldn¡¯t have the slightest bit of power to resist themand. ¡°Well, as you can see, Caden, I am fine,¡± Cole replied, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s part of my job, my king,¡± the man bowed, ¡°Where is Luna Katie?¡± ¡°She¡¯s getting ready toe here and I would want you to be gone by the time she gets here,¡± the royal replied. His anxiety was now on a level of its own. Caden raised his hands in surrender and backed away from the gazebo, ¡°Good luck then. If you need any help though, you know you can ask.¡± With a wink, the beta alpha bid him farewell. When the beta alpha was gone, the king sighed and leaned back into his seat, ¡®What was that about?¡¯ However, the king didn¡¯t have the brain power to worry about two things at the same time. When he remembered the item within his pocket, all thoughts of Caden¡¯s sudden appearance would vanish from his mind. Just as he was about to give up waiting, the alluring-almost intoxicating scent of his mate permeated the air announcing her long-awaited arrival. He searched the garden path and finallyid eyes on her. However, he hadn¡¯t expected what he saw standing in his mate¡¯s ce. She hadn¡¯t dressed the way she normally did. Her hair had been tied into a beautiful bun, exposing the mark on her shoulder in the sleeveless yellow dress she was wearing. The star-shaped scars set on her shoulders stood out like battle scars reminding him of a time when she would have left the world of the living and that they could get through anything together... The girl made her way to the king at a pace unrecognizable to him. In his mind, her gait could havested a decade before she made it to him. She was frozen in ce, a portrait caught in the perfect shade of the morning sun and the pinnacle of beauty, ¡°Good morning, Cole.¡± Her greeting snapped Cole out of his daze. ¡°Uh yeah... I just lost myself staring for a second. You look... breathtaking. Like a princess stepping out of a fairytale,¡± the blue-eyed man smiled warmly. Katie¡¯s cheeks felt hot from hearing thepliment. ¡°Thanks for thepliment. You don¡¯t look half bad yourself,¡± she replied. Cole got out of his seat and offered her one, pulling her chair out for her to sit. ¡®What¡¯s with him today?¡¯ Katie¡¯s inner voice screamed, ¡®We are having breakfast, aren¡¯t we?¡¯ ¡°Was it much trouble for you to get here?¡± he asked politely, ¡°I made sure the flowers were trimmed to perfection.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t noticed that. They definitely made the walk here more colourful,¡± she gave a taut smile, taking in the view of the flowers that surrounded them. ¡®What¡¯s he talking about? They look exactly the same as they always have,¡¯ she mentally groaned. ¡°You didn¡¯t like them, did you?¡± Cole¡¯s disappointment was even worse, ¡°I knew I should have had them all changedpletely.¡± Panicking, ¡°Huh, no, that¡¯s not it. I just thought the garden has always been perfect. Although, now that I take another look, they do look better than they always do. They¡¯ve lost all their... uh, imperfections.¡± The flowers in the garden had always looked beautiful whether they were tended to or not. ¡°If you say so,¡± the king replied, ¡°Help yourself to anything you like.¡± The girl regarded the spread on the table and for one of the first times in her life, the food looked like it was too much for her to eat, ¡°Someone has an appetite today.¡± ¡°Huh, I eat normally for a wolf, but this is a two-wolf job. And this time, you shouldn¡¯t expect me to eat everything you fail to,¡± Cole narrowed his eyes at his luna. Katie chuckled at the memory. It was only the day before. She¡¯d sorely misjudged when the king woulde around and surprised himte after their date with a cart full of food she¡¯d left over from breakfast. ¡°Well, you can count one wolf out. I¡¯m not as hungry as I normally am,¡± the girl replied before starting to eat. Cole shrugged it off, setting a new mental mission to at least make sure she ate what he deemed was enough for the wolf to survive. The couple spoke of everything and anything that came to mind. Cole¡¯s nerves diminished the more they spoke. His mate was open with him as he was with her. His mind was put more at ease when he was reminded that he didn¡¯t have to be perfect for her to keep talking to him. She focused on no one and nothing else... as did he. ¡°Did you think she would make it that day?¡± their conversation continued. Katie always seemed to have a story hanging at the back of her mind. More stories than one would expect toe from a small town such as Brigadia and from someone that spent arge part of their life training. ¡°I was not sure. I mean Jackeline is good at archery, bute on... she¡¯d bruised her fingers. Back then, I wasn¡¯t as good as I was at the Founders¡¯ festival and I found shooting an arrow to be hard even at my best. That shot was so fun to watch. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever got a rush from an archery game like that one. Jackeline was... still is amazing,¡± the girl mused. ¡°Ah, the Founders¡¯ festival, that takes me back. What did you think of my archery? Quite impressive, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Cole puffed out his chest. ¡°Oh, you need a lot of work, dear. Quite a bit. However, I did like our game back in Brigadia. It was the calmest game I¡¯d had in a while... an amazing breath of fresh air,¡± the girl smiled. ¡°I loved that whole day. Each part of it is etched into my memory like it was yesterday,¡± Cole found himself answering deeply without thinking twice about it, ¡°Life has certainly gotten interesting ever since the day I met you.¡± Chapter 325 325 Indescribable Bliss ¡°I would add the word ¡®chaotic¡¯ to that description. Wonderful would be the other,¡± Katie¡¯s calm demeanoursted only a moment, ¡°I mean... being attacked by seven rogues was no normal thing back in Brigadia.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true,¡± the man chuckled shortly before his expression fell again. Katie noticed. ¡°Hey, Cole. Is there something you¡¯re not telling me? You¡¯ve been oddly anxious this whole time. Is everything alright?¡± ¡°You noticed, huh? And here I thought I was doing a good job of hiding it,¡± the man replied with a nervous chuckle. After a short pause, ¡°No, there is nothing wrong. There is something I want to tell you though. Would you walk with me, Katie?¡± Katie started feeling anxious as well. She had no idea what was going on in the man¡¯s mind and it was driving her borderline crazy. She stood up and walked beside the king. The gardens provided a calm mood for the two of them, ¡°I¡¯ve been doing a lot of thinking on the matter and remembering quite a lot.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°We met in Brigadia when my father sent me there and from the day I set eyes on the same dark blue beautiful eyes, my life hasn¡¯t been the same. We¡¯ve been through quite a lot.¡± ¡®Wait, what¡¯s happening right now?¡¯ Katie¡¯s mind was rushing a million miles per second. ¡°Although you¡¯ve been through much more than I have. That much is obvious. I have worried,ughed, wept, but most of all, I have loved,¡± Katie¡¯s cheeks suddenly turned red at thest part. ..... She knew a lot about Cole¡¯s life from the time they¡¯d spent together, but when he did things like this, she couldn¡¯t see iting no matter how much she tried. It was impossible for her to know what he was thinking. Her words were stuck when she felt she must have spoken up. Her heart had already been set aflutter and Cole had her undivided attention... ¡®Maybe he¡¯s going on an expedition and is trying to say goodbye.¡¯ Well, most of her attention... The part of it that could still interpret the wordsing out of her mate¡¯s mouth. Cole continued, ¡°So, I shall ask you what has been on my mind for a while now?¡± ¡®This is it...¡¯ anticipation assaulted her mind. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to make it official until after the coronation, but...¡± from his pocket, the king retrieved a small ck box. Katie¡¯s eyes widened in shock when she saw it, ¡°Would you do me the honour of marrying me?¡± The girl was stumped by the man¡¯s request and hadn¡¯t even noticed when it was that he put down his left knee. His blue eyes bore into hers with so much emotion it was overwhelming. The Luna couldn¡¯t help but wonder if her adoptive mother had known that this was going to happen. It didn¡¯t matter to her now that she was being asked to marry the man. Her answer was stuck. She couldn¡¯t find a way to phrase it... and it was breaking her. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± She nodded, ¡°No... no, nothing¡¯s wrong. I just...¡± her words were gone. Cole frowned, confused by the reply. It was a matter of her saying yes or no. Nothing so difficult about that... right? Doubt... suspicion... ever so slowly crept into Cole¡¯s mind. Just when the girl was about to give up on her speech, something awakened within her. ¡®Honestly, Katie. You¡¯re hopeless without me,¡¯ a groggy voice woke up from her slumber. Cole¡¯s second thoughts stopped when he saw the girl¡¯s eyes flicker to life, restoring the light within them and signalling the return of her wolf. Ashley took control of the girl¡¯s body and fulfilled her promise. The blue-eyed female reached down and wrapped her arms around Cole¡¯s neck... And kissed him... ending the torrent of thoughts that swarmed the king¡¯s mind. Through the mind link, the two of them spoke vividly. Katie felt then she could exin what she wanted to tell him, ¡°Cole, will you hear me out?¡± With the girl in his arms, he was weakened in resolve to deny whatever exnation she had for him, ¡°I...I¡¯m listening, Katie.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯ve heard me talk about it before. The world I intend to build. To put an end to the rogue king and end the prejudice between the wolves and humans,¡± the girl said to him. ¡°Yeah, I remember you saying something like that,¡± he sighed... still holding onto what little patience he had left. ¡°In a world like that, there will be no need for hunters. No need to protect everyone from our kind. There will be no need for children to fear the forest. Travelling without hunters to protect you. A world without fear... We would be free to go anywhere we wish. It will be a world where everyone can be happy without having to look over their shoulders for rogues,¡± the girl paused, she could tell he was yet to see her reasoning which was why she had saved this part forst, ¡°It would also be a world I would like to raise our children in.¡± Cole was taken aback by her words that he broke their kiss. Looking into his mate¡¯s bright eyes, he opened his mouth to speak. Katie¡¯s eyes were stained with tears he hadn¡¯t noticed before. The girl put a finger to his lips silencing him while she continued with the rest of her exnation, ¡°I would never dream of saying no to you, Cole. Would you just wait for me a little longer?¡± It wasn¡¯t a request, but a plea that brought more tears to the girl¡¯s eyes. ¡®So that¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t reply. I hadn¡¯t even thought she¡¯d considered it.¡¯ If only words could describe his happiness. (A/N: Author¡¯s library of descriptive words runs speechless) ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Katie,¡± he wiped away a tear, ¡°I can wait for you. I wouldn¡¯t dream of being with anyone else, so I¡¯ll wait.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Katie pulled Cole into a tight hug. The male bit back his tears. Even with her hugging him tightly, he could feel her strength wasn¡¯t what it used to be. In fact, her arms held him with less energy with each passing second. Without warning, he carried her into his arms and started the walk back to their room. The girl sighed, ¡°So you noticed.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss it,¡± he replied sadly, ¡°Try to take it easy, Katie.¡± Usually, Katie would roll her eyes and give in to his words. However... this time was different. Katie¡¯s eyelids closed and her head fell back. The prince adjusted his hold on her so she rested on his chest. She was heavier... She¡¯d gone unconscious, stopping Cole in his tracks. ¡°I can¡¯t keep watching this,¡± his words weren¡¯t aimed at anyone in particr but himself... ¡°I¡¯m d we¡¯re on the same page,¡± a male voice raptured the silent harmony of the Royal Gardens. Cole turned to face the sudden arrival and regarded him with a slight bow. The man returned the gesture with a bow of his own. ¡°What do you have in mind, Thorrin Chase?¡± Chapter 326 326 I¡¯m Hopeful Thorrin made his presence known to the king after the girl had fainted in his arms. The king was not the only person that had been worried about the girl¡¯s condition. ¡°How is she doing?¡± the warrior asked Cole. ¡°She knows how to keep herself well rested at least, but with how this is going, I wake up worried that she might not open her eyes,¡± the king replied in a sad tone, ¡°I can¡¯t lose someone else.¡± ¡°You have the whole Chase family working with you on this. We won¡¯t let anything happen. The world is not ready to lose her just yet,¡± the huntermented, following the king as he took her back to the pce. ¡°You¡¯ve been watching, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, we have...¡± Thorrin stuttered and rushed to defend himself, ¡°I¡¯m not talking about your date if that¡¯s what you¡¯re trying to say, but yes, I¡¯ve been watching her progress. She was eager to get out when she was fine, but the amount of time she could spend exerting herself kept getting smaller and smaller. The Chase family has been worried as well.¡± The man¡¯s change in behaviour went unnoticed by the king. Cole lingered for a moment, weighing his options. Keeping Katie in the dark and oblivious to the worry that surrounded her had be more of an instinct. Sighing, ¡°Speak your mind, Thorrin.¡± ¡°We have started searching for reasons for her condition. Why she wasn¡¯t improving and how we could save her... Marie spent a lot of time in the family library, along with Evelyn. Her condition is almost unseen. Considering she¡¯s been blessed by two gods, burning through that much divine energy as she did that day was bound to have unforeseen consequences. I¡¯m d you got to her before her body was destroyed. However, some level of damage had already been done. Katie¡¯s body lost the ability to retain divine energy, so it continues to leak out of her. Without being able to retain it, she¡¯ll keep deteriorating until that day you¡¯re afraid of,¡± Thorrin exined solemnly. ..... ¡°Tell me something, Thorrin. What happens when she runs out of time? Will she...¡± the words got caught in the king¡¯s mouth. ¡°No, she won¡¯t die. At least, not under the right conditions,¡± the man replied, ¡°If she¡¯s hospitalised in the right facility, they can keep her alive, but that¡¯s not a life I could wish for anyone.¡± Cole¡¯s gaze was set on the beautiful sleeping girl in his arms. He wondered whether his proposal had escted her emotions and rushed her to her limit. ¡®Could she have fainted because...¡¯ Cole forced the thoughts out of his mind lest they slow him down when he needed to be at his best to help her. In Katie¡¯s current state, she couldn¡¯t do anything to bring her goal closer to fruition, ¡°She wants to end the war in her time.¡± ¡°That was the resolution the hunters came up with when the two of you were born,¡± the man sighed. It felt like they¡¯d taken one step forward and a thousand steps back, ¡°As I speak, teams of hunters have started scouring no man¡¯snd in search of the remaining forces of the rogue army. We will have the remaining rogues rooted out from their very hiding ces. Information provided by Tom has proven useful in identifying the subtle signs of their settlements.¡± ¡°I wish you the best of luck in that regard. If you need help from the empire, I will be willing to offer you any assistance,¡± Cole replied, somewhat absentminded. As they entered the pce, they came face to face with Be. The delta was shocked to see Cole carrying her unconscious Luna, ¡°What happened to her, Cole?¡± ¡°You forget to call me by my title,¡± the king sighed, ¡°She just ran out of energy is all. At least I got to see her wolf this time.¡± Be stood aside and bowed to the king as he passed by, ¡°She¡¯s taken half the time she did three days ago,¡± the girl muttered to herself. The king ignored her worried mutterings and continued on his way to his chambers. By the time he had made it, another hunter had joined the two of them. Marie, Katie¡¯s adoptive mother, had something to share with them. ¡°Marie, have you discovered something that could help her?¡± Thorrin asked. ¡°Yes, I did. I¡¯m not sure though. It sounds more like a myth from the looks of it,¡± the woman replied. ¡°At this point, anything will help. It¡¯s already been established that everything we know in the field of medicine won¡¯t help us treat her condition,¡± Thorrinmented. Their progress up until this point was not encouraging, to say the least. ¡°Well, I found something alright. The gods are the ones that gave the hunters and werewolves their... abilities and from what we know, this girl was blessed by both of them. I know it¡¯s a gamble, but if we can find a way to let her meet with either of them, we could be able to ask them to heal her,¡± the woman replied. ¡°When you said myth, I didn¡¯t know how crazy you were thinking,¡± Cole interrupted. He already felt like giving up before she¡¯d even started. ¡°I can tell you¡¯re out of ideas as well. You can¡¯t heal her any further, can you?¡± Marie countered his tone. ¡°No, there is nothing physically wrong with her. Her injuries are different. Not normal if I might say,¡± the man replied, ¡°In any case, I know you wouldn¡¯t bring up something this far-fetched unless you had found some sort of evidence. What makes you so confident we can talk to one of the gods? It usually works the other way round.¡± ¡°I know Katie has spoken to one before. We just have to find a ce where the gods have ever touched the earth. It bes a nexus that allows them to return to the without affecting it drastically,¡± the woman exined. ¡°Like a field of moon lotuses locked away by an unnatural growth of moon lotuses,¡± a feminine voice interrupted them. Cole¡¯s eyes darted to the girl he¡¯d onlyid down to rest a moment ago. Katie¡¯s eyes were open and bright blue. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen your eyes that colour,¡± Marie responded. Cole reached for her hand and held it in his. Her smile was weak and it was clear she wasn¡¯t going to be awake for so long. ¡°It won¡¯t be long,¡± she replied, ¡°Talking to the gods, huh? I wonder what good that will do.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all we have got right now. We can take you there now,¡± Marie replied. ¡°No, not yet. I will go after the coronation,¡± the girl strained. ¡°Katie, don¡¯t be stubborn. You¡¯re not looking good as it is. Dying for four more days will only...¡± ¡°My mind¡¯s made up, Uncle Thorrin. I will stay here until the coronation. Once the coronation is done, I will not fight any decision you make,¡± Katie¡¯s voice was both steeled as well asced with a subtle plea. ¡°Will it work though? We are only specting,¡± Cole asked. The people in that room, except Thorrin, were well-acquainted with her impervious will and determination. Once her mind was made up, there was simply no way of talking her out of it. ¡°It has to, Cole,¡± she replied, ¡°A positive attitude is the first step on the path to recovery.¡± ¡°You got that one right,¡± Aunt Marie gave her a warm smile, ¡°Keep that smile and you will be better in no time. Just so you know, Katie, this is thest selfish requesting from you that I will tolerate. Now rest.¡± The girl smiled, an emotion akin to relief crossing her eyes before she closed them to rest. The two hunters left the room. As they walked off, Thorrin couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Hey, do you think she would stop making selfish requests just because you told her that?¡± ¡°If she agrees to it, then yes. She¡¯s not one to break agreements,¡± the woman replied with a sigh, ¡°I hope this works.¡± ....................... Cole stayed by Katie¡¯s side, unable to let his mind wander to the rest of the things he was supposed to take care of. His thoughts were interfered with by the warm feel of a hand intertwining with his, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not worried, are you?¡± ¡°Of course, I am. That¡¯s obvious,¡± he replied. The girlying in the bed before him had not slept as she¡¯d been ordered to do so. With Cole around, that was not going to happen easily. The day was still young and the girl didn¡¯t want to spend it allying down. s, she didn¡¯t have that much of a choice. Lifting her hand alone was proving to be a chore. ¡°I will be fine, Cole,¡± she tried. ¡°You don¡¯t know that Katie and you don¡¯t have to lie about it,¡± Cole nearly yelled. The tight knot forming in his chest did not help the situation. Katie took note of the bitterness in his tone. He was doing his best to hide it, but he wasn¡¯t okay with her state, ¡°I can still speak to animals though. So that¡¯s something.¡± ¡°When do you get that chance?¡± If it hadn¡¯t been for sharing memories, Cole wouldn¡¯t have believed the girl¡¯s stories, but now that she was a lot weaker than she had been then, she couldn¡¯t take any more of such trips... and she hadn¡¯t. ¡°Theye to me when I want them to or when they feel like it. There is this pigeon called Finn. I think he has half a brain or maybe he¡¯s just trying to impress the other female, Da. The two of them get along. I wonder if...¡± ¡°Katie,¡± Cole interrupted her. The girl paid attention to him once more. His pained expression had only gotten worse. ¡°I guess distracting you won¡¯t work this time,¡± the girl sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Cole. I don¡¯t know why, but I know I¡¯m not done yet. I know how much you worry. Sometimes, I feel like blocking the mind link because of the gloomy thoughts that you harbour. Being your mate means I get to listen to them more than the others, but I will be fine. I can¡¯t prove it, but I know I will.¡± The girl nearly chuckled, ¡®How did I be the one tending to my healthy mate?¡¯ ¡°You haven¡¯t been able to detect danger since you got into...¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough gloom from you,¡± the girl snapped at the king. Cole was shocked by the reaction. Katie pinched the bridge of her nose, ¡°I already have my mind to torture me, Cole and I¡¯ve only recently been able to get past that. You have a kingdom to run. Now more than ever, Lycaon needs you. There are criminals on the loose, so go and do something about that.¡± Surprisingly, her words and positive attitude did the trick. While Cole¡¯s gloom dissipated, a bit of shame came along with this newfound rity, ¡°Right... the escaped prisoners... That¡¯s a whole other mess to deal with. I want you to rest, Katie. I¡¯m sorry for the gloom. I couldn¡¯t help it. Not after...¡± ¡°I know, Cole. I can¡¯t me you, but trust me with this. You¡¯re not going to lose me too, okay?¡± the girl smiled. Cole couldn¡¯t put his finger on it, but her tone was simr to one he¡¯d heard once before. She reminded him a lot... about his father in the days he was sent to Brigadia. The emotion that came from her through the mind link was more positive than he¡¯d ever detected from her. She bore no fear of the condition she was in. If she did have any, he would have detected it. It wasn¡¯t like she was hiding anything from him. The king reached for the girl and hugged her tightly, ¡°Very well. I will tone down my worry, but you can¡¯t keep me from worryingpletely. That would be impossible.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to keep yourself from worrying. I know I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep myself from it either if you were in my ce. Just dial it down a notch, and I¡¯ll be fine. I wouldn¡¯t ask you of this unless I was sure of it.¡± ¡°Are you sure of it?¡± he raised one brow in question. ¡°I¡¯m hopeful, Cole,¡± she chuckled, ¡°I will be fine.¡± It almost felt like the girl in his hands would vanish the moment he let go of her. She had grown so precious to the king that he couldn¡¯t imagine what he would do in a world without her. She hugged him back with the strength she could muster. ¡®Will hope be enough?¡¯ Cole thought to himself... Chapter 327 327 Coronation Day The days up to the coronation went by slower than Katie would have liked. Without her strength returning like it normally did, the girl resorted to reserving what was left of it which limited her movements and hangout areas down to the king¡¯s chambers and the gardens... on asion. Cole stopped pushing her to do anything that would exert her in the slightest and checked up on her far more times than she preferred. Regardless of how sweet his checkups were, they only reminded her that she was worrying everyone about her condition. Cole¡¯s frequent checkups also reminded her that he was now getting better at masking his worry. Either that or the king actually missed her presence so much that he found himself returning to her many times through the day, ¡®It¡¯s not like he sleeps somewhere else in the night, sheesh...¡¯ Katie was notining. Her inner selfish princess loved the attention she got from her mate. Da and Finn visited her daily and kept herpany when the king and her visitors were not around. The birds, having been all about the city, had all manner of stories to keep the girl entertained. Finn¡¯s odd imitations of humans got Katie every time. Unlike the people that visited Katie, the Creatures of the Wild that did manage to visit her looked past her weakened state which was refreshing for the girl. Hearing the words, ¡®How are you feeling today?¡¯ from everyone that came to see her was starting to get on her nerves. Thankfully, Da and Finn never once brought it up. They only showed signs of remembering this when Katie showed that she was straining. Only then did they let her rest. It was refreshing to speak to someone without being reminded of her condition. However, regardless of how slow the days went by, the day of Cole¡¯s coronation was eventually upon them. With nothing from the criminal group and no signs of suspicious activity in the entire capital of Lycaon and the surrounding areas, Cole¡¯s coronation day finally arrived and preparations were made just like the king had ordered in the meeting they had earlier that week. Katie was starting to grow anxious, ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯re going to be okay, Cole?¡± she asked him. ¡°How many times are you going to ask me that? I will be fine. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re being crowned Luna of the Lycaon empire,¡± the man chuckled, whilst tying his tie. The girl stood up from the bed in an effort to help him, only to fall back down. Her legs shook from the weight of her body, but she kept the worry to herself. ..... ¡°I guess being a king is in your blood. If you do feel anxious though, you know you can always call on me and I¡¯ll be right by your side,¡± the Luna tried. If Katie had been in Cole¡¯s situation at the moment, she would have shivered with fear, but he wasn¡¯t... ¡®So cool.¡¯ Cole walked up to her and ced a kiss on her lips, ¡°That¡¯s my Luna. I am fine and will continue to be fine, but if you do happen to feel anxious, there is always space for you by my side, darling.¡± ¡°So blue... Your eyes, I mean,¡± the girl blurted out, stunned by his sudden disy of affection. The first thing at the top of her mind simply rolled off her tongue. ¡°So are yours. I see Ashley is with us today,¡± Cole smiled, cupping her cheek, ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yeah, it has. What about the criminals though? Have you gotten close to catching them?¡± Katie frowned, leaning into her mate¡¯s touch. ¡®Has Cole always been this much of a softie?¡¯ Ashley¡¯s weak voice resounded within her mind. The wolf was mentally purring in response to its mate¡¯s attention. The presence of her wolf, however, made her wonder if Cole ever had to go through the same split personality situation she went through when Ashley was awake. Shelving the question, she tuned out of her mind before the king could notice her wandering mind. Cole ced another kiss on her lips and returned to preening in the mirror, ¡°They haven¡¯t done anything to draw attention. I guess they are ying this careful. Our trackers, unfortunately, are not as good as you are. The trail always runs cold. Those escaped criminals are that careful, I guess.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a normal wolf, so you can¡¯t me your trackers. They¡¯re probably doing the best they can,¡± Katie replied. The door swung open inviting in thedies that Katie had now gotten used to seeing, ¡°Cole, that¡¯s enough canoodling for you. Come with me,¡± the queen barked, pulling the man before he couldin, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Katie.¡± The woman winked at her... ¡®I do not like what you might be insinuating...¡¯ the Luna thought to herself but smiled fondly nheless. Cole picked up his coat on the way out and exited, his mother pushing him to move faster with each passing second. Katie was almost sure she heard his wolf whimper, but perhaps it was just her imagination. When her mate and his mother were finally gone, she regarded the two that had remained. Two of the most important females in her life. Sandra and her adoptive mother, Marie, ¡°Good morning,¡± she greeted them. ¡°Good morning, dear. Let¡¯s get you ready,¡± Aunt Marie replied. The girl made her second attempt to stand, steeling her nerves as the dizziness returned. This time, she was able to stand her ground and start walking, ¡°You know, Cole could have done that,¡± she argued. ¡°I know that, but considering how much time the two of you take when he decides to get you ready, that would be counterproductive,¡± the woman replied. Katie winced at the memory her mother forced her to remember. Theirst day in Brigadia had riled up her father just because he had to wait for hours for her and Cole to meet them in the hotel lobby. ¡°Katie, are you feeling okay?¡± Sandra interrupted when she couldn¡¯t hold it in much longer. ¡°I¡¯m as fine as I¡¯ll ever be, Sandra. Thanks for asking,¡± Katie smiled, stepping into the bathroom, ¡°Would the two of you just wait for me for a bit? I¡¯ll try to be quick.¡± .......... Chapter 328 328 Throne Room Sandra was set on getting the girl¡¯s hair done and Aunt Marie worked on her make-up. Knowing Katie, the woman did her best to keep it simple. Searching her mind for a random topic to talk about, she began, ¡°One day, you¡¯re going to be challenged for Cole. I¡¯ve seen quite a several unmated females that stare at you and him with envy.¡± ¡°That will not be happening. I believe Be is behaving these days,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Oh, is that thepetition you¡¯d scouted?¡± Sandra pitched in mischievously. ¡°No, she is nopetition. She was just someone that seemed interested in him. I¡¯m much better looking than her and obviously stronger,¡± the girl raised her nose high with pride. The two women chuckled, ¡°Katie, how do you want me to do this?¡± Sandra asked when she was donebing her dark locks. The girl looked at herself in the mirror. Her dark hair fell upon her shoulders in beautiful waves. It had always been that way, but the girl didn¡¯t take the time to notice. She was far too interested in training to mind her looks. Her time being powerless had allowed her to notice a few things about herself, ¡°I know I normally don¡¯t care about it, but I¡¯d like it to stay the way it is.¡± ¡°You sure... I could make you look much better you know. Boys, especially werewolf boys, like to see your neck a little more exposed,¡± Aunt Marie said a little absentminded. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not looking for a look that will appease werewolf boys much less, distract Cole from the ceremony. When I think about it, this is also the look Cole fell for back then,¡± she replied. The two women gasped, but remained quiet. ..... ¡°What is it?¡± Katie looked between her adoptive mother before her and the girl in the mirror. ¡°No, it¡¯s probably nothing. Katie, are you feeling well?¡± Sandra asked, feeling the girl¡¯s forehead. Aunt Marie did the same, ¡°I think I know what you mean, Sandra. She¡¯s really burning up.¡± ¡°Not funny, both of you,¡± Katie groaned. Sandra chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s not normal for anyone to hear you talk about your emotions so casually.¡± Sandra wasn¡¯t wrong. The observation brought an air of silence to the room. Back then, Katie could barely express her emotions in front of people. She¡¯d learnt how to suppress them to a frightening degree and had even slowly started to forget how to interpret them. If it hadn¡¯t been for Ashley... ¡°How quickly times change!¡± Katie muttered. .............. Cole sat impatiently in the seat that had been set for him in the front row of the throne room. His suit was starting to feel stuffy even though he¡¯d never thought of it that way. The tension in the air was suffocating. It was like someone wanted to bring an end to him through his clothes. Maybe it was just the nerves finally catching up to him, ¡®Ha, nerves...¡¯ he mentally scoffed, then shuddered, unsure of what else it could have been. His eyes darted to the pristine thrones that overlooked the whole throne room raised higher than everything else. Before these majestic thrones was arge stage that had been decorated with fine red carpets. Tapestries depicting moments of the past hung on all walls. However, behind the thrones were portraits of the former king and queen. These were changed every time a new king took over control of the empire. Just like his father before him, the tapestries that hung at the back of the throne room were to be changed. This ceremony though, would only ur once it was official that he¡¯d found his Luna. In other words, on their wedding... ¡®I wonder how long that is...¡¯ shaking the thoughts from his mind, he allowed his thoughts to wander once more. Hunters had taken different points of the pce to protect them from any attacks and the throne room was starting to fill up with wolves that had been invited to attend the ceremony. Many of them were from noble families with close rtions to the royal families and families that could be traced back to times during the war against humans. Caden walked up to his alpha, ¡°There hasn¡¯t been a sign of any of the criminals since the start of the ceremony.¡± ¡°Stay vignt, Caden. We can¡¯t know what they n to do at all. Honestly, with how quiet they have been this whole week, I can¡¯t help, but feel uneasy,¡± Cole responded with a slight shiver. ¡®Is the air in here getting colder or something?¡¯ The beta alpha bowed and left the royal to his thoughts. Jason approached him from behind, facing the throne he was set to inherit by the end of the day, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve entered this room,¡± the man said, startling the king. ¡°Oh yeah, after my father fell sick, he wouldn¡¯t use this ce anymore, but then again, the kings of the past stopped using the throne room for a lot. It was soon reserved for hearings and ceremonies like this,¡± Cole sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories about this ce, but most of them are so old that they are told differently by every elder that tries,¡± Jason chuckled. His mind seemed to be exploring the history of their kingdom now that he¡¯did his eyes on the thrones. ¡°Yeah... there is one that will never change though. This was the ce where the kings dered the end of their war against the human race and it was probably the beginning of the war against the rogue king,¡± Cole answered, ¡°When my father finally started talking to me, he would tell me stories of the old kings in the way his father told him. The sudden transformation was like night and day.¡± ¡°King Trevor was a benevolent ruler. You have some big shoes to fill,¡± Jason snickered. ¡°I know that more than anyone,¡± Cole sighed, ¡°How long is she going to take?¡± ¡°Who? Do you mean Katie?¡± ¡°No, I mean the queen. She¡¯s the one to initiate the ceremony in my father¡¯s ce. Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s got the jitters,¡± Coleined. ¡®Or is that what I¡¯m afraid of? It¡¯s not normal for the Luna to be the one to conduct this ceremony?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll go and check up on her.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± The throne room was nearly full with everyone that had been invited. Cole sat in silence, his mind wandering into the pack link and reporting the general emotion of excitement and happiness that filled the wolves of the Lycaon pack. Some of them were more anxious than excited while very few exuded envy and disappointment, ¡®I guess we can¡¯t be rid of those,¡¯ the king sighed. Just then, a new presence announced itself to him. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Cole Lycaon,¡± a deep voice called on Cole¡¯s attention. The young king quickly got to his feet and acknowledged the new arrivals. The entire Sirius family stood before him, dressed to the nines and looking far too elegant. Their presence brought him the peace he never thought he was missing. King Davin and Queen Martha stood before him with the queen¡¯s arm looped around that of her husband affectionately. Her dress was an exceptional gorgeous white that matched the king¡¯s shy white. ¡®That suit has no creases. I¡¯m sure of it,¡¯ Cole thought to himself, covertly straining his eyes in search of one. The king had outdone himself. Standing behind them was Lina Sirius, dressed in green and her older brother, Drake Sirius. The princess was looking beautiful as well and for only a flicker of a moment, Cole thought he saw an unusual resemnce to his mate flicker within the girl¡¯s blue orbs. Or maybe he¡¯d just imagined it. Drake Sirius, on the other hand, was in a navy blue suit, fitted perfectly that it turned him into a portrait of a model. Nheless, he was able to ruin that marvellous illusion with his calcting eyes that darted about the entire throne room in search of something he wasn¡¯t bound to find. ¡°It has been a while indeed,¡± he replied with a slight bow and a signal to their seats at the front beside him. ¡°Where is my sister?¡± Lina asked all of a sudden. ¡°She¡¯s getting ready,¡± the man replied. ¡°I thought you¡¯d normally help her do that. I remember a certain time when she couldn¡¯t walk,¡± Queen Martha stifled with augh. ¡°I¡¯d be better off if she could heal up already. I like taking care of her, but it¡¯s scary as well,¡± the king sighed. This, however, aroused worries within the Sirius royal family. They had only heard about her condition. Cole¡¯s mood now confirmed their need to worry. Chapter 329 329 Animal Companion Jason rushed up the stairs until he made it to the queen¡¯s chambers. Stopping at the door and acknowledging the two wolves that guarded it, he knocked. From the other side, the melodic sound of the queen¡¯s rang clear, ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Alpha Jason, your highness,¡± he replied. ¡®Hmm, maybe queens practice speech. Although I can¡¯t imagine Katie would start speaking like that once she was officially the Luna of Lycaon,¡¯ somehow he doubted these thoughts. Katie had spectacrly pulled off the respectable hunter act when they¡¯d first met her in Brigadia. Perhaps she could also pull off being the elegant queen like Queen Martha and Queen Margaret both did. ¡°Oh, Jason,e in,¡± reluctantly, the beta alpha pushed the door open and walked in. The queen sat in front of her dresser, staring into the mirror with an expressionless face, ¡°Is he growing anxious?¡± The beta alpha kept himself from taking in the disturbed state of the room, ¡°Quite the opposite actually. He might be a little worried that you¡¯re taking long.¡± ¡°I suppose. He¡¯s just as confident as his father was regarding matters concerning the kingdom. It¡¯s a strength possessed by the royals of Lycaon, I suppose,¡± the elegant woman sighed. ¡°Well, Katie is also confident when she¡¯s protecting people,¡± now that Jason thought about it, this was his first time speaking to the queen alone. Without Cole to divert her attention away from her, this was very different. Having the attention of the Luna was not as pleasant as he¡¯d imagined it to be. This was the most powerful woman in Lycaon, probably followed by Katie and he had no idea how to conduct himself around her. ¡°They make a sweet couple. I would never have thought he would find her, but then again, my husband had no doubt,¡± the womanmented, snapping him out of his panicked thoughts. ¡°Your highness, is something the matter?¡± Jason asked. It wasn¡¯t that he wanted to make conversation with the queen, however, he was curious to know why she wouldn¡¯t get up from the chair she currently upied. ¡°I just... can¡¯t bear to see the kingdom move on so fast after his death,¡± her expressionless facade was gone, reced by the face of someone that was still going through mourning of their lost loved one. ..... Was Cole also simr to her? No, Jason would have noticed... or had the king simply learnt to hide it. Lately, Cole¡¯s emotions were also getting harder to read. With the recent death of his father and Katie¡¯s state on top of running an empire, the king was starting to shield his true emotions. ¡°I don¡¯t think I follow,¡± Jason replied. ¡°How can you not? I am a grieving woman and...¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean it like that,¡± the beta alpha cut her off. When she remained quiet he continued, ¡°When Cole¡¯s mother died, I heard that the king could barely move on, but the kingdom needed its ruler and he had to forge a path forward even though it was the hardest thing at the moment. It was his duty to do so. Losing his wife didn¡¯t mean he had to let go of the kingdom. The empire knew what he was going through and didn¡¯t press him unless necessary, but he held strong for the sake of countless others that relied on him. I know Cole is well aware of this fact,¡± the beta alpha replied. ¡°You are the worst at pep talks. Do you know that?¡± the woman chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I know that, but I can¡¯t give a good pep talk on a day like this. Look outside, your highness,¡± the queen tore her gaze from the mirror and looked toward the balcony Jason had walked up to. ¡°What am I supposed to be seeing?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s cloudy, your highness. I believe you noticed the rain when the king died. Cole is not having fun with this either, but it has to happen,¡± the man replied, ¡°I would know. The only person that can feel his emotions more than Caden and I, is Katie.¡± ¡°You could have led with that,¡± the queen sounded defeated... atst. .......... Katie had the other women leave before her and walked up to the balcony. They¡¯d settled for a deep blue floral dress that was much simr to the one that Marie had made her wear to her date with Cole. It was also a dress that Katie would never have worn if she was given the choice. Regarding fashion, she didn¡¯t understand as much as the other females. She did, however, remain stubborn in matters concerning her face and hair. She¡¯d been defeated when choosing a dress and fallen prey to an argument that went, ¡®You¡¯re not on the security detail. You don¡¯t need to wear something that can let you run.¡¯ That had been enough to get her to agree to thedies¡¯ demands. A lone pigeon fluttered toward her andnded on the girl¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Good morning. Today is the day, isn¡¯t it?¡± Da chirped in delight. ¡°Yes, it is. What have the others decided?¡± ¡°They have all chosen to help as they had many days ago. We¡¯ll take care of the details involving how we shall get into the throne room. I can barely contain the excitement. That is one of the parts of this pce that has an ancient feel to it,¡± the pigeon cooed. The girl didn¡¯t bother asking. The creatures of the wild had done a lot for her already and every time they said they would get something done, they did... Katie was still unsure whether to consider it scary or overlypetent. Da¡¯s excitement did not go unnoticed, ¡®We are trying to catch criminals, right?¡¯ Katie chose to keep this question to herself and proceeded to more important matters, ¡°Do you know who the criminals are?¡± ¡°Yes, we do. I will show them to you when we get to the throne room. The rats, roaches, lizards and all the other small creatures that were able to overhear peculiar conversations... It was all too easy,¡± the pigeon replied... ¡®Is it just me... or does Da sound a little... smug?¡¯ the female pigeon had her breast puffed out in an obvious manner of pride. Chapter 330 330 Compromised...! ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner?¡± she asked. While she would have liked to yell at the pigeon, straining herself this early in the day would have been unwise. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be done. You needed your rest to make it to today, so we took a gamble. We will get them today and keep them from causing any harm,¡± the pigeon replied. Katie sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose, ¡°Very well, Da. Let¡¯s get going then. Stay close to me.¡± With that, Katie walked back into her room with the pigeon perching on her shoulderfortably. Her secret was not as important as the lives of the people that were going to attend the coronation. Katie exited her room and came face to face with Kyle. The beta alpha bowed low, as well as the other two wolves nking him on both sides. ¡°Good morning, Kyle,¡± Katie greeted delightfully. ¡°Good morning, Luna Katie. You¡¯re practically glowing today,¡± he returned. His eyes settled on the pigeon that perched on her bare shoulder, however, he chose to dismiss the matter... for now. ¡°Well, I am well rested and happy,¡± Katie answered, paying no mind to the humble bird and walking past the beta alpha. Kyle kept a distance between himself and the Luna and followed her through the pce halls. ¡°Might I ask what the creature on your neck is doing? Perhaps you¡¯ve chosen to carry a pet now?¡± Kyle asked when he could hold back his suspicions. He grimaced when the pigeon cooed at his remark. ¡°The bird is mypanion today,¡± Katie replied lightly. ..... ¡°Oh, and this... bird knows this as well,¡± he asked her, walking ahead so he could see her expression. His alpha¡¯s bright blue eyes regarded him for a moment before setting her eyes back on the halls. Kyle pulled back when he realised she wasn¡¯t going to tell him any more than that, ¡°And here I thought we were making some kind of progress,¡± he slumped his shoulders. Katie opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when Da suddenly interfered, ¡°Katie, that maid...¡± The girl scanned the passing wolves and came in eye contact with a maid pushing a food cart. Chills went down Katie¡¯s spine at the sight of the woman. They were still on the floor that housed the king¡¯s chambers and as far as she knew, no one had ordered any food. Katie also couldn¡¯t find her face to be familiar. She¡¯d not taken the time to memorise the faces of those that served her, but it was odd tock even a spark of recognition. The next words that came out of Da¡¯s beak put all the missing pieces together, ¡°She¡¯s one of them.¡± Fear gripped the Luna at the words of the bird on her shoulder. Almost immediately after the bird had cooed, a shiny glint of silverware reached her eyes. Kyle sensed the tension and stepped in between the two immediately barring the maid¡¯s path from the Luna. ¡°Kyle, seize her now,¡± Katie ordered and themand gripped the beta alpha¡¯s whole being. Sensing that her cover had been blown, the woman retrieved a knife from underneath the white table cloth on her cart and attacked Kyle. Kyle evaded her knife¡¯s path swiftly and held her wrist, yanking it at an odd angle and forcing the piece of cutlery out of her hand, ¡°That¡¯s dangerous, you know,¡± he eximed before forcefully twisting her arm and mming her to the right wall. The sheer strength behind Kyle¡¯s actions rendered all her actions useless. Once he¡¯d gripped her hand within his, the fight was pretty much over. With her face pinned ufortably against the wall, she struggled against his iron grip but soon found these struggles to be useless. ¡®When did Kyle get that strong?¡¯ Katie thought to herself. She¡¯d noticed his physique change as time passed, but the change was still substantial for a few weeks of being a beta alpha. ¡®Well, I guess any kind of strength should look monstrous to me in this state. Perhaps, my perspective is not the same as it has always been,¡¯ she tried reasoning but was ultimately defeated within her own mind. Kyle had handled this situation far too swiftly than she¡¯d expected... and Katie felt a lot safer with him around. The rogue woman raised her other hand in surrender. The other guards escorting Katie approached them and restrained the woman. Before the woman was taken away, she regarded Katie with a wicked glint in her eye, ¡°You¡¯re even weaker in person. By the end of today, you won¡¯t be a threat to our king anymore.¡± ¡°Thest time I checked, the king really liked me,¡± Katie feigned ignorance, ¡°And couldn¡¯t get hurt by a mere kitchen knife either.¡± While Katie knew she was referring to the rogue king and not Cole, she stubbornly refused to acknowledge the man as royalty, ¡°And the other king is my father, so I¡¯m afraid you either mad or delusional... or both.¡± Kyle watched the woman get taken away from them. Wiping the thin film of sweat on his brow, he asked, ¡°How did you know she was going to attack you?¡± ¡°You can thank mypanion for the heads-up,¡± she gestured to the bird on her shoulder with a kind smile. Now it all made sense. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me. You can talk to animals now!¡± the boy sighed, ¡°It¡¯s like the gods are trying to make a demi-god out of a human.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can talk to them and they know the criminals by face and voice,¡± the girl giggled to him. The beta alpha was taken aback by her words, ¡°Wait, that would make you the biggest thorn in their side. What are you going to do now that you can identify them? You could help this investigatione to an end. They could...¡± the beta alpha forced himself to stop thinking too much. His job was simple and his alpha¡¯s calm demeanour only suggested she¡¯d thought about all of this already. All that remained was for him to listen to her instructions and help if he could. ¡°Naturally, I will take them down before they can cause any harm,¡± the girl shrugged. ¡°Even in your state, you¡¯re just as frightening as ever,¡± Kyle chuckled, ¡°In that case, I request permission to help you out with your mission.¡± ¡°Permission granted,¡± the girl replied, retrieving her phone from her purse. ¡°It will be like old times, except that this time you can fight for a change.¡± She chuckled. Kyle looked different as well. Kyle¡¯s whole mood was significantly lighter. For once, she didn¡¯t detect any sad or gloomy emotionsing from him and there were no signs of torture anymore, ¡°I take it Caden is taking it easier on you.¡± ¡°Yes. Can I ask why you had to hand me over to him in the first ce?¡± Kyle asked as they resumed their walk. The wolves that followed them were reced momentster and the lightmotion in the halls died down almost as though nothing had happened. The only sign of this short attack was the message that was carried along covertly toward the future king of Lycaon. ¡°Caden was the one most affected by your crime. So, yeah, I had to give him a chance to get closure. Has he asked you yet?¡± the Luna asked. ¡°No, not yet. I guess he¡¯s not yet ready to let go of her yet and I can¡¯t exactly me him,¡± the beta alpha replied. ¡°How are you finding the capital, Kyle?¡± this question, while phrased differently was exactly the same one she asked every time she wanted to know about his progress. Kyle sighed heavily. He knew she wouldn¡¯t stop checking on his progress. He wasing to terms with his predicament and also finally epting the fact that the rogue killer was far too soft for her own good. ¡°The capital is fine, I guess. I¡¯ll save you the effort and tell you that my thoughts have not changed. I only live to serve my master. Nothing else.¡± ¡°Oh... Very well then,¡± Katie sighed. ¡®Beta alphas are not capable of lying... What will it take to get you to start living again?¡¯ the thought lingered on the girl¡¯s mind for a moment. When no answer woulde to her, she shelved it with all her other pending questions. With so little energy to spare, there was only so much she could take care of... and there was a band of criminals atrge. And they had already infiltrated the pce. Chapter 331 331 Suspicious Gang Of Thugs Deep in the forest, a group of suspicious beings walked through the woods, their movements barely perceptible. From how smoothly they navigated the woods and based on the confidence in their stride, it could be deduced that they knew where they were going. To an oblivious observer, they didn¡¯t seem to be going to the pce, however, it was their target. Their rxed journey led them to a deep pit with fresh dirt forming its edges from the digging that had been taking ce there. The leader of this suspicious group repulsively stepped onto a mound of dirt, cursing under his breath. Standing over the edge of the deep dark pit, he waited. ¡®Being a parent is a true liability. Makes sense that the rogues were able to crush those hunters in thest war.¡¯ The leader¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of pantinging from inside the pit. He took a step back and watched a man climb out of the dark pit with a shovel in hand. Using all his energy, the new arrival lifted himself to the rim of the pit and fell on the dirt panting. His clothes were covered in dirt and he was filthy from the hardbour he¡¯d been doing. Blisters could be seen on his palms. Having formed and ruptured due to the hardbour. However, all that hadn¡¯t slowed him down in his job. He¡¯d worked tirelessly, pushing himself through the pain of having his own hands cut and mutted by the hardwood of the shovel he¡¯d been entrusted with, ¡°You¡¯ve certainly been working hard,¡± one of the men in the group snickered. The leader ignored hisrade and proceeded in a calm tone, ¡°Our deal was simple. You get done with digging by the end of the coronation. Only then would we honour our end of the deal. From the looks of it, however, you¡¯re barely done and the coronation is about to begin.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m done, sir. I¡¯ve done what you asked. Please give her back to me,¡± the dirty man, frightened out of his mind, got to his knees and began begging the leader of the criminals, paying no mind about the dirt he was cing his forehead on. A woman in the group regarded his sorry state with a look of disgust... ¡®He¡¯s no more than an insect. Such gives me more reason to wipe these foul creatures from the face of the.¡¯ ..... ¡°Well, I¡¯ll have to confirm your words first,¡± the man responded, beckoning to one of his men. A somewhat built man with green eyes leapt into the pit and vanished into the darkness. They waited for him for the better part of thirty minutes for him to return. Gripping the edge of the rim of therge pit, the man hefted himself up effortlessly. ¡°He speaks the truth, my lord. The tunnel makes it straight to beneath the pce. No, it¡¯s not just that, the tunnel stops somewhere and meets a collection of tunnels. The one I followed led me to one of the store rooms. I¡¯m sure there are other ces the tunnels can lead us, however, all might be just within reach of the ground floor,¡± the man gave his detailed report. ¡°See, I did what you required of me. Now, please, let my daughter go. I beg of you,¡± the man begged hysterically. ¡°Do you know why we picked you out?¡± the leader smirked, ¡°It¡¯s because you don¡¯t interfere with the empire¡¯s matters. Those of you that think hermit life is the way to avoid the war feel like you¡¯re all high and mighty. So I¡¯ll tell you this. You won¡¯t see your daughter. Perhaps you could do something to persuade me into giving her back, but it¡¯s pointless now. Besides, we don¡¯t have time to start ying hide and seek with the little devil,¡± the man turned his attention away from the grief-stricken hermit and leapt into the pit. His goons followed him with snickers and smirks on their faces. The man looked into the pit with a look of despair, ¡°What have I done? Megan, I¡¯m sorry.¡± The hermit sobbed into his palms, dreading every possibility that could result from his actions. It had earned him nothing and he was now bound to see the chaos and suffering happening in front of him... because of him. While he was sobbing, a guttural growl filled the air, snapping him out of his weeping. He looked around the forest floor in search of the source of the sound and soon came face to face with a majestic creature with an equally magnificent golden mane. Despite the creature¡¯s menacing power and oppressive aura, he felt at ease in its presence. If he was to choose the suspicious group of thugs that had taken his daughter away from him and this lion, he would have chosen the lion. However, now the creature was walking up to him. Its golden eyes were set on him, never once shifting their gaze. The hermit found himself dreading whatever it was the lion wanted from him, ¡®Please, don¡¯t eat me...¡¯ he thought to beg, but this was a lion. It couldn¡¯t possibly understand him. If anything, he thought any sound he made would sound more like a challenge to the majestic king of beasts. .......................... Katie didn¡¯t like the attention she garnered by simply showing up in the throne room. The moment the doors of the room swung open to admit her along with her beta alpha, she felt everyone¡¯s eyes flying to her. The scrutiny was overbearing. Nevertheless, with Kyle not far behind her, she pushed through and made her way to the front row of the chairs in the room where she was d to find a collection of familiar faces... ¡®her family.¡¯ Katie¡¯s nerves melted away at the sight of her family and all her obnoxious thoughts of decorum. Her family was here. The Luna embraced her mother, father, Lina, Drake, Marie and Sandra before taking a seat beside her mate, ¡°Don¡¯t I get a hug?¡± the man asked her. ¡°You already have my heart, isn¡¯t that enough for you?¡± she teased him, cing a peck on his cheek. The sentiment got him flushed. ¡®Nice colour to see on the king of Lycaon,¡¯ Ashley giggled. ¡°Y-you can¡¯t say things like that. I¡¯ll forget my entire speech,¡± Cole responded, taking note of the pigeon that had taken flight to her chair once she started hugging everyone. The girl didn¡¯t seem bothered by the creature. ¡®This might be one of the birds she kept going on about... Fan, was it? No, that¡¯s not it... What was the other one... Diana... I¡¯m in trouble,¡¯ the king sighed. ¡°Your majesty, might I get rid of the foul bird that¡¯s been hanging about you?¡± Jason asked with a slight bow. Kyle covered his mouth to hide hisughter... and walked a distance away from the spectacle. ¡°Foul bird! How dare he!¡± Da cooed in anger. ¡°No, Jason, you will not get rid of my pet friend,¡± the Luna quickly replied. ¡°There has never been a single animal in the throne room. Why would we make an exception today of all days?¡± he countered. Katie looked about her before rubbing her temples, ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re forgetting thergest number of people in this room are werewolves.¡± ¡°Back off, Jason. Have some respect for your Luna¡¯s wishes,¡± Cole intervened before the two of them would start bickering, ¡°It might be unusual for someone to bring a bird into the throne room, but I know Katie wouldn¡¯t... Wait... Katie, what¡¯s going on?¡± Cole¡¯s words had sounded better in his head. However, now he was on to something. Katie rarely ever acted on a whim. She was also not one to casually embrace her ability to talk to animals in public. He knew this much about his mate from the first time she had revealed this ability to him. Chapter 332 332 Now Anxious?!! Katie noticed the look of realisation on his face and figured he¡¯d connected all the dots. ¡°You certainly took a while to figure it out. It¡¯s simple really,¡± she then gestured to the proud pigeon perching on her shoulder, ¡°Da happens to know the faces of the criminals and might even be able to anticipate their attacks before anything bad happens.¡± ¡°We have had men stationed at all entrances into the castle and no one has spotted any of the criminals said to attack us today. It¡¯s only a matter of time before we find them,¡± Jason replied, defending the security he¡¯d set up. The Luna scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. Hadn¡¯t they got information about the attack on her yet? Something wasn¡¯t adding up. Kyle stepped forward before Katie could respond, ¡°That might be true, but on our way here, we were attacked by one of the criminals pretending to work here.¡± Cole¡¯s face paled, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I hear about this as soon as it happened?¡± ¡°First of all, Cole, I¡¯m fine. Kyle protected me... much more than I thought he was capable if you ask me,¡± the Luna mumbled thest part. Kyle was not amused, ¡°Secondly, we shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusions and start pointing fingers just yet. That will only bring more confusion. Could have just been ack ofmunication from the guards. I assumed they would tell you about this, but I guess they are taking longer than expected. The worst-case scenario is that they ran into some trouble. In any case, worrying about this past mistake will only give our enemies more time to prepare a coordinated attack,¡± Katie exined her reasoning. The prince sank back into his seat, rubbing his temples. His mate was making sense right now. In fact, she was acting more level-headed than he¡¯d expected. Something still bothered him, ¡°How did they get into the pce though?¡± The bird perched on Katie¡¯s shoulder poked her at that moment, calling for her attention, ¡°Tunnels, Katie. Tunnels that connect to nearly every room on the ground floor of the pce. You won¡¯t even see theming,¡± the bird replied, ¡°I also advise you don¡¯t tell Cole about this until he¡¯s done with his speech. It might throw him off.¡± ..... ¡®Thatst request is bitter. Do we really have to?¡¯ Ashley groaned in her mind. Katie was quiet for a moment before speaking up, ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet, but Da will be able to identify them if ites down to it. Jason, make sure you keep a watchful eye, even on those that have already entered the throne room.¡± With that, the girl was no longer interested in speaking of the matter and her expression said it all. ¡°Understood, Luna Katie,¡± Jason was gone in a sh. The doors of the throne room swung open once again, admitting someone dressed much more elegantly inparison to Katie. The only other person in the room that had dressed in a flowing gown as exquisite as the one the queen wore was Queen Martha herself. All eyes fell on the queen as she glided into the room. Her gait was almost impossible to discern. Her bright blue eyes radiated power that forced all the wolves that faced her bow to acknowledge their ruler. She made her way to the two thrones at the front that overlooked the throne room. Sitting on the throne that was meant for the Luna, designed just as luxuriously as its counterpart, but in blue rather than red. Gems were encrusted in intricate patterns into the chair¡¯s very arms and legs, giving it a look of grandeur like no other. It was the throne of a king. Caden walked to the podium in front of the thrones, dressed in a suit with an earpiece and mouthpiece to make him audible over the well-positioned speakers, ¡°Good morning,dies and gentlemen. We wee all that were able to attend physically and those that watch on or listen from thefort of their homes to the coronation ceremony of the future king, Cole Lycaon. Without spending any more precious time, I¡¯d like to invite the Queen and Luna of Lycaon to speak on behalf of her regime. To speak on behalf of the king, Alpha Trevor Lycaon.¡± The queen stepped up from her ce on the throne and began to address the gathering, ¡°Katie, what is on your mind?¡± Cole¡¯s voice invaded the girl¡¯s mind. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to bother your speech. It turns out, the pce might have already been infiltrated. ording to Da, security might not be able to keep them out of the throne room,¡± she mentally sighed, ¡°Please try to keep your reaction to a...¡± ¡°WHAT???¡± Cole¡¯s voice was louder than Katie had expected. ¡°Oh dear,¡± the girl rubbed her temples, ¡°Please try to stay calm.¡± The girl sent the queen an apologetic grimace... hoping she would understand that it was a mistake that wasn¡¯t meant to happen. The woman had stopped speaking when Cole snapped. Murmurs rippled through the room. ¡°I will calm down when those bandits are caught,¡± the prince replied, in a much lower tone ignoring the disturbance he¡¯d just made. Whether it was because he was trying to avoid more of amotion or whether he didn¡¯t care about what he¡¯d just done was lost on everyone that bothered. He sank back in his seat. If he hadn¡¯t been anxious before, he was now, ¡°Would you apany me to the front when my turn to speak arrives? This would be a good opportunity to introduce you to the pack as my mate anyway.¡± Katie was caught off-guard by his request, ¡°Wait, what... That was so sudden.¡± ¡°Please, Katie...¡± he pleaded. The girl wanted to continueining, but one look at his trembling hands told her all she needed to know. She ced her smaller hand over the king¡¯s trembling hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, not that she could have squeezed it any harder. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be with you every step of the way.¡± Chapter 333 333 Royal Speech The queen, after going through her short speech of introduction and wee invited Cole to step up. The throne room took on a different form of silence. The anticipation and excitement in the room were so noticeable they nearly took physical form. Caden walked onto the raised tform from the other side holding out a red pillow. On ity a golden ceremonial crown Katie had never got the chance to see in person. ¡®I never thought this asion was this fancy,¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡®I would expect nothing less for a king of the werewolf empire,¡¯ Ashley huffed within her mind. The girl felt a tug on her hand and stood along with the future king of Lycaon. As it so happened, Cole was still on edge after hearing what she had said, but her close proximity kept him calm to some extent. With her close by, the prince could rx knowing he could protect his Luna. He squeezed her hand gently, suppressing the raging storm of emotions that now had him on edge. Knowing there were people in the pce that would attempt to take his mate¡¯s life was not the best thought for someone about to inherit the throne of an empire. His wolf wanted to gut them right where they stood... On the other hand, he wanted to be by his mate¡¯s side. There was the matter he¡¯d spoken to with the Chase hunters that chose this moment to resurface. There were murmurs through the crowd, but Katie blocked them out and focused on keeping her gait steady even when her legs protested. The flowing dress that she¡¯d donned did not allow her the mobility she was otherwise used to. When Cole was right in front of the queen, he reluctantly let go of the girl, ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere,¡± Katie whispered into his mind. The pigeon on her shoulder pitched in quietly, ¡°The two of you look even cuter together than I had initially fantasized. It¡¯s clear he cares for you more than anything else in the world.¡± The girl nodded in response to the bird and faced the audience as Cole took the microphone. ¡®Wait... I have a pigeon...¡¯ Katie forced the thought from her mind and decided to y it cool. She had made her entire entrance with the bird by her side. How was this supposed to be any different? The gazes that she met this time, however, felt like they were drilling holes into her very soul, ¡°You know, if I didn¡¯t know any better, I would say you need me more now than I do,¡± Cole¡¯s voice chuckled in her mind, ¡°Get over here.¡± Distracted by his words, her mind spiralled for a moment before she stepped closer to him. The alpha chuckled and wrapped his hand around her waist, pulling her even closer to him, ¡°Before I get into the speech you all know I spent nights on, I would like to introduce my mate to the pack. This lovely beauty before you is Katie Sirius of the Sirius empire. She will be my... and your Luna and future Queen.¡± ..... Katie shed a nervous smile at the stunned wolves watching them. There was silence before a few ps that slowly increased to a thunderous roar that went through the crowd. The girl had been convinced they would like her. But this reaction set her nerves at ease and allowed her to wave to the crowd at least, ¡°Did you have to do this in public?¡± ¡°It¡¯s normal for an alpha to demonstrate possessiveness of their mate. Besides, I know you like it. Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t,¡± Cole whispered into her ear. The girl¡¯s face went red with embarrassment. ¡®How can he say things like that while the entire pack stares at us?¡¯ Her reaction seemed to prolong the ps and introduce a mix ofughter and whistles into the apuding werewolves. Katie found that it was all that had been needed to lower the tension in the room. Cole seemed just as pleased with the results. His nerves vanished as well as he began his speech, ¡°This speech was well-written, but while I was reading, I figured it would sound well practised and so I threw it in the trash and no, you cannot go fishing for it. I¡¯ll say whates to mind because, in the end, that¡¯s what¡¯s important. I don¡¯t consider myself capable of being a king as great as my father was. He was certainly a strong man with no equal. On the other hand, I am much younger and not nearly as experienced as he was. What I do know that I had inmon with my father though, is our love for the Lycaon empire. The reason he didn¡¯t buckle when his world was dark was his love for the empire. I may not be as strong as him, but I will, to the best of my abilities uphold the vision that¡¯s been passed down from one king to the other. To protect the empire with all their being and strive for the prosperity of this kingdom, no matter what the future holds. To let others lean on them while they lean on them for guidance when they are lost. I am not alone in my leadership and if I ever falter, I know I will have someone by my side to set me straight. To a prosperous future,¡± Cole¡¯s speech was inspiring and captivating that it had the whole room grow quiet while he spoke. His voice started normal, but as he continued to speak, his voice was filled with more and more conviction that entranced the whole audience. An uproar of apuse filled the crowd after they realised he had finished speaking to them. Cole turned around to face the thrones that stood side by side in the throne room. The queen stood to the side of his path to the throne with Caden holding the red cushion hosting the crown. Katie hadn¡¯t noticed Jason approach the podium, but he stood on the other side of the queen with a red cape in hand. No doubt meant for the king. Cole walked to them with Katie following slightly behind him. She watched with a proud smile as the king epted the crown that was ced on his head. Jason went around him and set the red cape on his shoulders as he received the crown at the same time. When the king rose to his full height, his whole demeanour was different and it garnered more praise from the audience. Cole continued his walk to the thrones and turned to face the people of the empire that he would rule for years toe. This was only the beginning... Chapter 334 334 Melody The moment Cole spent looking regal was short-lived to those that broke out of it in time. Whichprised everyone besides Katie. The Luna was still frozen at the moment, having witnessed an alpha take his ce as king. It wasn¡¯t every day she got to watch something like that. Cole called out to the frozen form of his mate, ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be beside me, you know.¡± The girl snapped out of her trance and slowly but gracefully took her ce in front of the throne the queen had only been seated on moments before them, ¡°Sorry, you looked a thousand times the ruler I thought you would,¡± she replied. Cole chuckled and took his seat on the red throne. The Luna followed suit and sat as well. Her eyes finally met the gazes of the crowd watching her and wished she¡¯d only looked up. Katie was not used to getting direct attention from many people at once and this was one of those moments. Most of the people in the crowd looked at her with looks of fascination and pride. There were a few that had calcting gazes, almost as though they were judging the way she carried herself. The few young children allowed into the throne room, most bearing red eyes, looked at her in awe of her beauty and elegance(however much she thought she wasn¡¯t qualified to receive thestpliments). What kept her heart from spiralling out of control were two things. The scent and proximity of the man seated at her side. His mind and physical presence were always aware of her presence. If she was to breathe unevenly, he would know... and Katie had no doubt that he would shift his attention from the entire empire to tend to her. The other thing that set her at ease was the looks on her family¡¯s faces, ¡°From a girl struggling to be a mighty hunter in a remote town...¡± ¡°To a queen of the werewolf empire. Quite the tale, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Cole whispered. Caden took the stage after the apuse had died down and began introducing the next part of the ceremony. As a form of celebration, performances were held before the king. It was only after Katie consulted Cole that she realised the day was only beginning. They also had to address all the noble families that would havee to attend the ceremony. Grasping the magnitude of the event, Katie gotfortable in her seat. They watched all manner of performances that had been gathered for the ceremony. Some were funny, others were thrilling and others were breathtaking. Katie found herself having a st while they watched them alle and go. ..... Each performance was unique and the Luna couldn¡¯t bring herself to rank any above the others. Caden and Jason yed their roles perfectly as well, introducing the different people with as much vigour as the ceremonymanded... Well, Jason was outshining Caden in that department... no one was judging. The boisterous beta alpha simply couldn¡¯t be matched by anyone. ¡°And now we shall have someone that the locals havee to know as a rising star in the entertainment industry. She has been seen performing a few times. The audiences that have witnessed her have only been left with good things to say about her. She struck the royal house as a marvel that should be acknowledged. I¡¯d like to invite Ms Candice Turner to the stage,¡± Jason¡¯s voice was filled with mystery and wonder. He was taking his act to a whole new level and had the people hanging at his every word. There was mixed apuse from the audience, probably from people that knew the name that the beta alpha had just mentioned, ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s her name,¡± Cole eximed. ¡°What do you mean? Who is she?¡± Katie asked the king, confused as to who they were talking about. The king gestured to the young girl that was stepping onto the podium before them. She was dressed to kill in a morous jade dress that showed her figure yet kept her decency. A delicate bnce that had been captured masterfully. Her make-up had been done expertly and she walked with the elegance of an experienced entertainer despite how young she looked. Katie was about to ask Cole once again who she was when the memory resurfaced. The girl that had been kidnapped by the bandits when she was supposed to entertain people at the king¡¯s coronation, ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s her,¡± Katie replied, her curiosity soaring high. ¡®This should be good...¡¯ The girl took a hold of the microphone from Jason and held it in slightly shaking hands, ¡°My name is Candice Turner. Normally, I would just sing and get off the stage after the apuse... but... I would like to offer my gratitude to our beloved King and Luna for rescuing me,¡± the girl said, turning to the king and Luna. ¡°I am d to see you doing well. I¡¯m sorry you had to go through all that,¡± the king replied, barely fazed by her sudden actions. Katie regarded Cole for a moment. On his throne, he looked like the ideal king and fit the position so naturally that he made it look as easy as breathing. After the girl had bowed to the two of them, she turned to the audience, ¡°The song I¡¯m singing today is to express my gratitude to the king and queen and my love for our empire,¡± the girl said to them, her melodic voice almost squealing with excitement. A band had snuck onto the stage while she was making her introductions and setting up their equipment as well. The music began softly, a flute and soft guitar filling the air in the throne room and silencing thest of the murmurs. Katie found herself paying more attention to the girl than she had in the previous performances. The girl¡¯s eyes were shut and her head began to sway to the slow music. The rest of the band filtered in and not long after, went silent signalling her cue to join in... Her singing voice, unlike her normal voice, was even sweeter and so beautiful that it had everyone gasping at the sudden transformation. From the very start of the song, the audience belonged to this one girl. Goddess smiling down from the bright clear night sky Bless the crown that guides Protects and Nurtures Your Children With strength, hope and courage The King and Queen forge a path anew For the world to follow And evesting peace to keep for as long as they stay true Lycaon, Sirius, pirs of an Empire We owe it all to their benevolence And to the Moon that Watches from above ¡®This girl sounds like she¡¯s been living in your mind, Katie,¡¯ Ashley humbly chimed in. Katie didn¡¯t reply... For her ears were paying close attention to the girl¡¯s song, as was the entire audience. For a girl her age, Katie was impressed by her skill. Her voice was all that could be heard in the entirety of the throne room. It was almost wless when she sang the notes to perfection and everyone in the room didn¡¯t want the marvel to end. Just when the song hade to an end and apuse had filled the Great Throne Room, the pigeon perched on Katie¡¯s shoulder cooed loudly. This sound wouldn¡¯t have been enough to stop the heavy apuse. What joined it, however, was more than enough. The sound of hundreds of pigeons reverberated through the throne room stunning the whole crowd. The words that came from Da¡¯s beak... were thest words the girl would have ever wanted to hear from the bird after a performance that enchanting, ¡°They are here. They are within the audience...¡± Chapter 335 335 Unbroken Luna The dirty man stayedpletely still in front of the lion that had just appeared before him, wondering what the beast wanted with him. His nervesy between frightened and confused. He didn¡¯t know what to do in the presence of the king of breasts. What was worse was that the lion was not attacking him, ¡®Would you just get it over with? If that¡¯s what you want,¡¯ his mind screamed, ¡®What¡¯s a lion even doing this close to the capital?¡¯ The lion, however, had other ideas. It walked up to him and gestured to the hole he¡¯d dug with his own hands using its... paw. The man looked between the pit and the lion in more confusion. The gesture alone caught him off-guard that he had no idea how to respond. The lion could tear him to pieces if he gave it the wrong ¡®impression¡¯. Did the king of beasts even care for what impression he gave? He was already covered head-to-toe in dirt. The fear of angering the beast kept the man petrified in the spot he sat on. The lion growled in warning, snapping him out of his daze. ¡°He wants you to go inside with him,¡± a woman¡¯s voice tore through the tense atmosphere. The man¡¯s eyes darted around and came eye-to-eye with an old woman walking towards him. She held a walking stick in her hand and walked with a bear next to her. Another sight that was set to live within the man¡¯s nightmares, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Do you understand... them?¡± the man gestured to the two mighty beasts with a shaky finger. ¡°Yes, I do and so does the one other that you¡¯ve set those criminals on their path to kill,¡± the old woman replied. ¡°What could I do? They have my daughter. It¡¯s not like I could let her die,¡± the man was now screaming. He had led a group of murderers to the king and lost his daughter in the same process. Dying to these two beasts was a mercy to him at the moment. His whole world was shattering. The lion turned to the woman with a growl the man found oddly specific in tone, almost like the lion would never growl in a simr tone ever again. All the same, each growl sounded the same... intimidating and promising a gruesome death. ..... ¡°If your daughter is the one they have in captivity, the lion knows where she is, but you are to help us stop what you have unleashed on Lycaon. The king and queen need you now more than ever,¡± the woman said to him. ¡°Very well then. I will help, but...¡± ¡°I will rescue your daughter and make sure she remains safe. I still have enough strength in these old bones to do that much. You, on the other hand, are going to lead him to the throne room and get him in through the hidden passage in the throne room. Since you¡¯ve had time inside the tunnels, I¡¯m hoping you know the way there. I¡¯m hoping the criminals were slowed down by theirck of information on navigating the tunnels,¡± the woman ordered. For the first time in days, this dirty hermit bore a look of hope and new energy flowed into his system, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best then. Please take care of my daughter,¡± the man requested, cing his forehead on the ground, ¡°Please... she¡¯s all I have.¡± The old woman sighed, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. I will rescue her for you. Just keep our end of this bargain, okay?¡± The hermit¡¯s once-shattered heart was filled with more relief than he could have asked for. Without wasting any more time, he dove into the pit and the lion followed through, easily keeping up with the hermit in his weakened state. In this situation, however, speed was not all they needed. Proper direction would get them anywhere fastest no matter what speed they used. The two of them rushed through the dark damp tunnel that soon connected to one that was sturdy and old. Built with concrete, these tunnels suggested there were tunnels that had been established to run under the pce a long time ago. Having had the time to go through the tunnels to prove that they were the ones that would get the criminals into the pce, the hermit knew the way to the throne room. It only took a short time for the two of them to make it to the throne room and to the secret door that would admit them into the pce. The door was open when they got there... ....................... At Da¡¯s words, Katie stood from her seat abruptly, stunning her mate, ¡°What¡¯s the problem, Katie?¡± Cole asked. The bird beside her had cooed at the end of the performance and Katie¡¯s reaction and fear was enough to tell him that something was wrong. Knowing what the girl had told him earlier, ¡°Where are they?¡± was his next question. ¡°Da, how...¡± panic filled the girl¡¯s voice. Her muscles tensed but also buckled in resistance to her powerful reflexes. Instinctively, the former hunter reached for her reserves of divine energy, but they were empty. The boost she usually got when she did this didn¡¯te. She was frozen in ce, only able to scan through the crowd in horror. ¡°We¡¯ve got that covered,¡± Da replied, cooing louder into the silence of the throne room. The room went silent for a moment as the girl continued to search the room. ¡°Cole, what¡¯s going on?¡± one of the alphas in the front rows asked. He opened his mouth to ask more only to be shut down by a loud flutter of wings that filled the halls. The audience turned around and witnessed the door burst open and admit a thundering swarm of pigeons into the throne room. Katie gathered her strength or what was left of it and walked up to the girl that had been singing, taking the microphone from her. Against all her nerves, she spoke up, ¡°I believe you¡¯ve all heard about the criminals that nned an attack on the pce on this day.¡± The girl called out on the microphone. Thorrin was beside her within the blink of an eye. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Katie?¡± the hunter red at her. ¡°The pigeons are going to flock around the criminals we¡¯ve been looking for,¡± the girl said to him, with the microphone away from her mouth. The Mighty Warrior was stunned by her reply and turned his eyes to the swarm of pigeons that was impossible to prate with the naked eye. They were so many that they had blocked his sight of the ceiling. Panic had started to set in the room as the flock of birds descended on the audience. Unable to do anything, the hunter watched the frightened crowd disperse in an attempt to escape the birds. It was a chaotic mess of fluttering wings, screams and coos in the throne room. Oddly enough, the birds kept away from the royal family at the front. The chaos looked like it wouldn¡¯t end, but that¡¯s when it started to take form. As more people dispersed, the pigeons would let them through, allowing them to escape the messy swarm with next to no scratches. Those that escaped the swarm to stand to the side of the throne room, closer to the wall would not be touched anymore by the pigeons. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like...¡± ¡°Get these filthy fowls off me,¡± a bitter male voice echoed through the throne room. Contrary to what was happening to most that escaped the raging pigeons, the owner of this voice was receiving a very different. While others were able to escape the flock¡¯s wrath with no injuries at all, this man was being pecked so many times that wounds riddled his arms and face. He could barely see and the pigeons that had initiallycked a target in the chaotic mess seemed particrly focused on giving him the pecking of his life. He fought to get free from the pigeons, but with the dense flutter that obscured his vision and the sheer number of birds about him, he was disoriented and unable to tell up from down. His aimless thrashing didn¡¯t help with his situation. If anything, he was only getting himself more confused by trying to attack what he could not see. One of his lucky thrashes would get a bird in his grasp and the man would mercilessly snuff the life from the creature by closing his fist with angry force. ¡°Katie, what is going on?¡± Thorrin asked her in a calmer tone this time. The room was starting to regain some semnce of organised chaos and the screaming of the people was starting to die down as they escaped the raging pigeons. The Luna turned to Thorrin with a pained smile, ¡°I can talk to animals... What better way to survey the city unnoticed? I asked that theye here and help me identify the criminals.¡± Thorrin foundprehending the Luna¡¯s will impossible. Taking his gifts would have been thest straw that would break him. If he was in her shoes, he would have given up already. She could barely stand as it was... and yet... ¡®So that¡¯s why you caught the eye of two gods... An unbreakable will.¡¯ Chapter 336 336 [Bonus chapter]First Time On the Sidelines Thorrin watched as five individuals were finally filtered out from therge crowd. The hunters in the room approached them. As the hunters got closer to these individuals, the pigeons surrounding them flew away giving the hunters ess to the bloodied werewolves. While their faces were not still as recognisable because of all the blood, they were still able to identify them as the criminals that they had been looking for. Katie stood relieved that no one had been hurt in the skirmish. The hunters went to work restraining the criminals only to step back as the five of them shifted immediately. The room was soon in the presence of five hostile wolves. Three of them could be identified as rogues while two weren¡¯t. The hunters got ready for the fight that was to take ce. Katie stepped back from the scene before her and got closer to Cole. The king was already by her side, so she didn¡¯t have to retreat all the way back to the thrones. ¡°It seems they don¡¯t mean toe quietly,¡± Thorrin sighed right before he vanished in a blur. His tremendous speedunched him straight for the nearest wolf with the intention of putting him down with one hit. After all, his strength was quite enough for him to put the wolf down in a single move. As he was about to make contact, however, the wolf swerved to the right, letting the man through. The Perfect Warrior was caught off-guard, but not left defenceless. Thorrin nted one of his feet on the armrest of the seat the wolf had been sitting on and with incredible bnce and skill, used the sturdy wood to change his orientationpletely to face the wolf. The wolf, shocked by his quick reaction, turned to the people standing all around the room, petrified in fear. This was a fight he couldn¡¯t win, however, if he could only get a hostage... Another blur interrupted its path as Sandra appeared right in front of the wolf, wielding two hunting knives. The wolf nted his feet on the ground to break his speed, just narrowly surviving a swipe that would have marred his muzzle or... at his initial speed, taken his head off. Adjusting her hold on the knives, the girl went on the offensive the moment her attack was missed. The wolf rapidly and smoothly shifted into his human form and leapt back to escape the wrath of the female hunter, forgetting the warrior behind him. Thorrin put the man to sleep with a punch to the back of the head, ¡°You¡¯re good. Or maybe, Katie¡¯s a good teacher,¡± the man eximed. ¡°Both... Both is good...¡± ..... ....... The other four wolves picked up on the first wolf¡¯s way of thinking and chose to do what they did best. ¡®Wreak Havoc...¡¯ With their attack n already falling to ruin, their intentions were known to all that watched them and that was to bring down as many civilians in the room as they could. Killing even one would mean a great failure to the hunters that were protecting them. It went without saying that the wolves could already feel the noose wrapped around them getting tighter. From the moment Katie exposed them, the odds were no longer in their favour. ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone out of this room. There could be others out there,¡± Thorrin yelled. This only made the wolves in the room more anxious to leave. Staying in the same room with criminals this vicious wouldn¡¯t allow anyonefort. Marie danced around another wolf, not once allowing the wolf to catch sight of her. All the while delivering nicks and cuts at the right spots with a poisoned de. Unlike Thorrin, she was not underestimating her opponents. Not after what had happened with the rogue king. Before the wolf she was fighting could tell what was happening, the tendons in his legs were already cut and purple veins were spreading from the wounds. The wolf crumpled to the ground with a painful grunt and passed out. The hunters moved in to restrain the wolf while Marie set her sights on another that was being held back by three hunters. ¡®I¡¯m just d I didn¡¯t dress the same way I dressed my daughter,¡¯ she mentally apuded her decision. *** King Davin pulled up his sleeves and grabbed the unsuspecting wolf nearest to him by the scruff of the neck. Almost as though it weighed nothing, the king bashed its head into the back of a neighbouring chair and rendered him unconscious regardless of the wolf¡¯s struggles. The other wolf was just as quickly dealt with and with more hunters getting a grip on the situation, the king only needed to block one of its escape routes while they handled the rest. Thest of the wolves turned to the stage and ran at full speed. Katie took a step back only to feel the fabric in the way of her shoe. The dress she wore was not manoeuvrable at all and she could have sworn she saw the wolf smirk at the sight of her fidgeting to get away. The wolf leapt from below the raised tform before the thrones only to get caught in the neck by the palm of the newly crowned king. Katie looked back at the throne and where Cole was currently standing. Sighing in relief that she was protected, she was about to turn away. ¡°Katie,¡± Da cooed, ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with your mate.¡± Katie turned fast and her eyes widened in shock. Cole was angry enough to kill the wolf dangling in his hands. Shaking off the strange thoughts Ashley was trying to project from watching Cole defend them, the girl pushed forward and ced her hands on Cole¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Cole...¡± her voice did the trick. The alpha let the wolf fall to the ground. Jason rushed forward and knocked him unconscious, finishing his alpha¡¯s job. ¡°How are you so calm right...?¡± Cole froze at the sight of his mate, ¡°Katie, what¡¯s wrong with your eyes?¡± At the same time, another voice yelled from across the throne room. Katie recognized Sandra¡¯s voice amidst all the chaos. However, the voice was getting fainter and fainter. ¡®That¡¯s not right...¡¯ The third item to fight for her attention was the sudden appearance of a sixth wolf diving straight for her with its maw open wide. Her instincts kicked in to help her evade the wolf. She wanted to pivot out of the way of the iing wolf. This time was different though. Everything was starting to move slower and her legs roared in fatigue and rejected themands she gave them... Her energy was already spent. Chapter 337 337 Last Sparks of Divinity Sandra watched in fear as her friend stood helplessly in the way of an attacking wolf. She saw the girl¡¯s attempt to escape her fate and also noticed how her eyes shed brighter blue in fear. She¡¯d been walking and standing for more than two hours which was far longer than Sandra thought her capable of. She could only imagine Katie had already reached her limit. Sandra was far from the tform housing the two royals and knew she couldn¡¯t make it. Calling out to her best friend had not done much to change her fate. The rogue was still going to reach her. Everything seemed to be moving slowly as more divine energy filtered through her system, boosting her body to its peak performance. The girl let her Prometheus gift run loose and dashed for the girl even when she knew she was already toote. Her mentor was just about to be attacked. Cole¡¯s attention tore away from his mate¡¯s frighteningly bright blue eyes and to the wolf that came out of nowhere. Reacting fast, he pulled his mate away from the wolf as fast as he could, putting himself in between the two. She wasn¡¯t as indestructible as he was. The newly crowned king held on to his mate and waited for an attack that never came. Instead, a growl filled the room and two creatures crashed next to the thrones in a nasty tangle. Cole looked back and was even more stunned to see arge lion wrestling wolf that had just attacked his mate. The whole room was petrified by the sight and watched the king of beasts dominate the fight against a very disoriented werewolf. The wolf tried shing and biting at his new attacker, but the lion was faster and much stronger than him. The lion tripped the wolf and mped its jaw down on the wolf¡¯s neck. ¡°Don¡¯t kill him,¡± Katie¡¯s voice broke through the silence. The lion froze at themand and let go of the wolf. However, the lion ced both of its forelegs on opposite sides of the wolf, pinning it to the ground. The girl¡¯s knees finally gave out. Sensing his mate¡¯s weakness, Cole caught her and lifted her into his arms, ¡°This is the second time you¡¯re having to carry me like this. I hope you don¡¯t think it will be a habit.¡± ¡°I will do it even when you¡¯re not weak. That¡¯s a promise. So you hurry up and get better,¡± the king replied to her. ¡°Katie, are you okay?¡± Lina appeared before them, startling them with her sudden appearance. Cole looked between the ce the Sirius family had been upying and the girl that had just reached them and shook off the obnoxious speed she was capable of. ..... ¡°Yeah, not a scratch on me,¡± the Luna forced a smile. ¡°No, Katie, that¡¯s not what I mean and you know it. Look at you. Your eyes won¡¯t stop glowing,¡± the girl argued. ¡°My eyes are always glowing. It shows that I¡¯m a...¡± ¡°No, Katie... Damn it, would you stop ying dumb with me?¡± the girl screamed at her. Katie froze at her sister¡¯s tone. Lina was genuinely worried and unlike her mother, she reached her limit of tolerance much faster, ¡°I will be fine, Lina. You shouldn¡¯t worry like that. I will get better and put an end to this war like I¡¯ve always said I would.¡± Thorrin made it to the girl in time to interrupt the sisters¡¯ first conversation in weeks, ¡°Those bright eyes are not a good sign. Katie, I would like you to stop pushing yourself,¡± the man replied. ¡°No, not yet. The animals that helped...¡± ¡°They will go back to the wild where they belong. You don¡¯t have to worry about them,¡± the man responded, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure of it. This, I promise. Now rest... Before we have more to worry about than we might be able to fix.¡± Heeding the man¡¯s plea, Katie turned her face to stare once more at her loving mate. Cole¡¯s expression was almost unreadable at first, but the bond they shared spoke volumes about the man¡¯s emotions andid them bare for her to notice. It was as though his world was beginning to crumble all over again. After losing his mother and father, Katie was all he had left who mattered to him on levels no one could rece, ¡°Promise me you will be fine,¡± the Luna whispered. With her energy already at its limit, it was a miracle she was still conscious. That¡¯s what her blue eyes were showing. Thest reserves of divine energy she had were keeping her conscious, but that couldn¡¯tst long. In her current state, she found herself unable to convince Cole that she would be getting better. They still didn¡¯t know of a cure for what was affecting her. Her worries, not surprisingly, were not for her own safety. Cole didn¡¯t have a scratch on him and was currently carrying her with next to no effort and yet she worried more about him than herself. ¡®I wish there was another way I could ease his pain,¡¯ the girl thought to herself as her mind descended into the dark abyss of her empty consciousness. This time she didn¡¯t dream like she normally did. Everything simply went dark and silent. In the far background, the receding sounds of the voices from those that cared about her faded more and more. She could swear she heard a lion¡¯s growl amidst the chaos that surrounded her, but s, that was all it had been... a growl. It wasn¡¯t like she could understand what the creature had been trying to convey to her. With barely any divine energy left, her ability to discern the meaning behind that growl wouldn¡¯te to her. ¡®Da...¡¯ she thought to herself. The pigeon was no longer perching on her shoulder. .................. Watching everything from the confines of the moon pce was the goddess of the moon. Her fists were clenched, and her face locked in a pained expression as she watched everything happen outside of her scope of control. Seth found that for once, he couldn¡¯t do anything to ease her nerves. Ever since they¡¯d been visited by the god of the skies, she¡¯d been watching her interruptions more and couldn¡¯t risk breaking the rules or bending them like she used to lest she risked attracting his attention. There was one thing he could say to her though, ¡°You chose a special one.¡± The goddess lifted her head to face him, a warm memory running through her mind, ¡°I always do, don¡¯t I?¡± The man chuckled and pulled his wife into a warm hug, ¡°My time is long gone... but she still has time.¡± Chapter 338 338 Secret Tunnel Cole turned to Thorrin, concealing the emotions that threatened to explode from his heart, ¡°You said...¡± ¡°I know what I said. We have to get going. Marie, would you call the doctor? We need to have her stabilized before transporting her,¡± the Mighty Warrior was already steps ahead, ying the part of the level-headed powerful hunter to perfection. What was inside, however, was an entirely different matter, but Thorrin didn¡¯t have the luxury of letting his emotions cloud his judgement. This was what the hunters had trained themselves to do in situations when no one else could function clearly. As soon as requested, Marie vanished from view. Caden and Jason got to overseeing the hunters that were securing the prisoners, diligently reporting all their decisions and discoveries to the king so he knew he would have nothing to worry about. Cole seemed petrified at the spot with his unconscious mate in his arms. The girl was breathing, but there was something eerie about how she slept this time. He could sense it and so could his wolf. The fear that had gripped him every morning when he woke up. The fear he hoped would nevere. And one that almost seemed impossible. Waking up to someone who waspletely fine, but unable to wake up was a nightmare he¡¯d had, but that still wasn¡¯t something he thought possible. However, after watching a swarm of pigeons save the empire from rogue criminals and a lione to Katie¡¯s rescue, why would this be impossible? Cole was now certain that Katie was incapable of waking up from this slumber. ¡°Cole, what¡¯s happening?¡± a deep voice called out through all the chaos. The hunters guided the frightened wolves out of the throne room, giving the royals and everyone that was needed the space to sort out these unfortunate events. Cole looked up from his mate and regarded the King of Sirius approaching him with the rest of the Sirius family. If Cole had expected Katie to wake up soon, he probably would have had the ability to be frightened by the man¡¯s booming voice and scary demeanour, but this didn¡¯t phase him. He wanted only to know that his mate would be well. s, the Mighty Warrior had not exined everything to him and he could not be sure of what was going to happen, ¡°Katie... has been pushing herself a little bit... and I¡¯m afraid her condition has reached the point we were trying to avoid.¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®she has been pushing herself a little bit¡¯? You brought her onto the stage on your own. We all saw you do that,¡± the king countered. ..... ¡°That was for her own protection. She had just told me of the attempt on her life on her way to the throne room, so I chose to bring her here,¡± Cole replied, keeping his voice levelled and unintentionally distant. The sirens of an ambnce soon reached the tense air of the throne room. Thorrin was about to walk off when the lion that was going unnoticed leapt off the raised stage. With the criminal it had pinned captured, the king of beasts thought to proceed to other matters that required his attention. Katie was in good paws after all. ¡°Oh no, that big cat is not going...¡± Thorrin paused when he noticed the beast race off in a direction opposite from the exit. The mighty warrior followed the lion, curiosity finally taking a hold of him. Leaving the chaos behind him, the man followed the lion. Not far from the two thrones, at the back corner of the throne room that wasn¡¯t as lit as the rest of the room, the lion came to a stop. The wall looked odd at that point, almost like it had been mistakenly built out of alignment with the rest of it. The lion pushed the wall with both of its paws and it budged, easily gaping open to reveal arge tunnel on the other side. On the other side of the hidden door was a man covered in dirt from head to toe. The man tipped his head to the side in confusion. The man before him didn¡¯t look like a rogue criminal. In fact, his shivering hands signified terror, yet when the lion walked past him, he barely flinched, ¡°Who are you? I see you have met this lion. Did the Voice of the Wild send you here?¡± Thorrin asked him. When he noticed the confusion, he added, ¡°An old woman that can speak to animals.¡± ¡°What... No, I mean, yes... Oh no, you weren¡¯t supposed to see me. All I was supposed to do was warn the king before the attack,¡± the man fidgeted, ¡°but I waste. I don¡¯t have any connection to the woman if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. Please, you have to believe me.¡± The Mighty Warrior pinched the bridge of his nose, ¡°Come with me now.¡± The man took a step back only to bump into the muscr body of a lion that was clearly in agreement with the hunter. Slumping his shoulders, he gave up and followed the Mighty Warrior through the hidden door to the throne room. Thorrin found the king still standing in the same position he¡¯d left him although with more of the Sirius royal family surrounding him, ¡°Your majesty, I found this man hiding... dare I say it... Hiding in the walls. It seems there was a tunnel the criminals might have used to get in undetected.¡± ¡°Are all the criminals ounted for?¡± the King asked in reply. ¡°No, there is one that hasn¡¯t been ounted for yet. Counting the one that was captured when Katie was on her way here, that leaves just one of them,¡± Thorrin answered, reserving hisments concerning the sudden discovery of secret tunnels. ¡°He¡¯d be foolish to attack without allies. But just in case, keep security tight until he¡¯s found. In the meantime, let¡¯s get Katie to safety and stable,¡± Cole responded. Thorrin grimaced... the king wanted results. Results he hadn¡¯t yet presented. ¡°Very well, however, there might be just one problem.¡± ¡°What might that be?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you know about the werewolves that used to talk to animals. They have been known to show up and vanish just as quickly as they came. All we know about them are myths and legends. I had Marie look into the matter and she found one... here in Lycaon,¡± the man said to the king. ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± thankfully, Cole¡¯s tone was still levelled. Thorrin was hoping he would stay that way by the time he was done with his exnation. ¡°I found a trend in how they used to appear. It was usually after or before the moon goddess had appeared in person to one of the royals,¡± the man said, ¡°If I¡¯m right, which I usually am. They protect the ces the goddessnds in and keep werewolves and humans away from them. They use nature to tame human routes and drive them away from those ces.¡± ¡°This history lesson is taking a long time. Is there a point to all this?¡± King Davin asked this time. The royals weren¡¯t as patient as the hunter had hoped, so he skipped to the end. ¡°The woman we are looking for can help us fix Katie. She has to know a way to reach the gods themselves. I¡¯m hoping they can help with what¡¯s happening to her.¡± ¡°What makes you think the gods are going to do anything for her? They don¡¯t interfere with humans,¡± Queen Martha argued. ¡°I know that, but her condition was caused by divine energy. In a way, if she dies, it will have gods written all over it, sooo....¡± ¡°ckmail, are you trying to get them mad?¡± King Davin chuckled. ¡°We don¡¯t have to go that far, but if it means getting her better, I might be inclined to use it,¡± the Mighty Warrior responded. The doors of the throne room burst open and admitted the medics that Marie had called. Cole ced the girl on the stretcher and watched them take her away. ¡°Will it work?¡± a female voice filled the room. Cole turned to the source of the voice. Stunned, he watched the tears rolling down Sandra¡¯s face as they took her friend away on a stretcher. Katie¡¯s best friend... and the only other person that had always been there was something that was happening to her. Cole hadn¡¯t known Katie nearly as long as she had. Perhaps, the only other person that knew her that well... was Kyle. Chapter 339 339 [Bonus chapter]Still gat it!!! After promising to rescue the daughter of a man she¡¯d never met before, the old woman made her way through the forest on the back of therge brown bear. Unlike Katie, she¡¯d had her abilities for years and had gotten used to using them only as though she was breathing. When shemanded the creatures of the wild, they moved in a more organised manner, paying attention to her every thought as if she was the queen of a hive. However, achieving this level of mastery over the ability hadn¡¯t been that easy for her. There had been many times when the creatures grew tired of her control and sought ways of silencing her. At other times, she felt the power was more a curse than it was a blessing. That¡¯s why it amazed her when she saw the wild chaos that swarmed the girl that had only recently obtained the power to speak to animals. Katie was unaware of the magnitude of power she possessed, but she also didn¡¯t seem interested in having it. ¡®A very odd girl indeed...¡¯ ¡°Something¡¯s on your mind,¡± the bear¡¯s voice hummed, sending familiar vibrations through its rich brown fur. ¡°Yes, something is on my mind. I was there that day you all invited her to the forest, remember? She is something else,¡± the woman exined. ¡°Yes, that she is. And yet I¡¯m not sure she realises it yet,¡± the bear¡¯s voice was more formal than she¡¯d heard it when speaking to Katie, but it didn¡¯t bother her. They were different people. She didn¡¯t expect to receive the same treatment as the princess did. The old woman chuckled to herself and set her mind back on the task at hand. Following the majestic eagle in the sky, the bear forged through the forest at a reasonable speed, prioritising the old woman¡¯s safety over that of the girl they were going to save. They finally came across a small cottage in the woods. The cottage was well-maintained, no doubt belonging to the hermit that had been made to dig a way to the hidden tunnels of the pce, ¡°And I was so sure those tunnels would never be opened again,¡¯ the old woman sighed. ..... ¡°Someone¡¯s here,¡± the bear¡¯s voice came, tensing the woman and wiping away her wandering thoughts. ¡°Of course, there is someone here. The girl we came to see,¡± she tried, half-hoping the bear was wrong about his observation. After all, the woman couldn¡¯t see anyone from the distance they stopped to look at the cottage. ¡°No, there is someone else. I don¡¯t think that girl would have a heartbeat this audible,¡± if the bear had the capability, he would be rolling his eyes at the implications in the woman¡¯s words. ¡°And here I thought I was going to have it easy,¡± the woman groaned, dismounting and continuing on foot, keeping to the cover of the trees. ¡®I¡¯m thankful I smell like nature itself. Otherwise, this man would have been alerted already... that is if he¡¯s a werewolf with a good nose.¡¯ The woman closed her eyes and focused on the eagle in the sky, conveying a message that only he could hear. Soon enough, the eagle began to screech loudly. The sound from the eagle being so close to the ground was almost unbearable for those with sensitive hearing. The bear took note of the woman¡¯s idea and circled about the cottage, keeping out of the obvious line of sight for anyone that woulde barging out the front door. Just as expected, the inhabitant of the cottage unlocked the door and exited in search of the source of the noise. The man looked up into the air for the bird that was giving him a headache. While he looked up, oblivious to the rest of the new upants of his surroundings, another sound to his right suddenly caught his attention and sent a wave of terror deep into his bones. The re from the sunlight made it hard to see what was happening as he had to adjust, but the sound was distinct and terrifying. Any rogue would know what animal made that noise, ¡°What¡¯s a bear doing this close to the capital?¡± the man cursed. A bear wasing his way and from the sound of its angry growls, it was out for blood. He reached for the door handle, but due to his temporary blindness and unfamiliarity with this specific door handle, he missed it and only stumbled further from the safety of the cottage he was trying to take shelter in. Cursing loudly, he reached for the handle once more, this time more desperate than thest. His legs felt like they were made of jelly and the fear that gripped him only increased drastically, slowing him down even more. The Voice of the Wild smirked, watching the bear tackle the confused man and knock him unconscious with one swipe of its mighty paw. She emerged from the cover of the woods and approached the bear, almost skipping in excitement from the action she had just witnessed, ¡°That was awesome. Exciting. Well done all of you. Looks like I still got it. Who said old people couldn¡¯t fight? Haha... Take that, Lawbreaker.¡± The bear... rolled its eyes, ¡°You stood still and watched everything. You know what... You were awesome, mydy.¡± ¡°You bet I was. Don¡¯t forget it. I¡¯m unstoppable,¡± the woman boasted. ¡°I have not and will never forget it, mydy,¡± the bear dutifully replied. The woman, with assistance from the bear, got the man propped up against the cottage wall and tied him up with vines and rope they could find lying around. When she was proud of their work, they walked into the cottage. It was as simple as it could get. With just enough to get the man and his daughter through the day. However, after the ruffians had taken advantage of his abode, everything had been tossed this way and that. The old woman hefted the fallen table upright and set it in the centre of the room, wiping the beads of sweat that were already forming on her brow from the exertion. Surveying the cottage, she searched for the item of her interest, the man¡¯s daughter. A pigeon fluttered into the cottage, sensing the woman¡¯s questioning mind and led her to another room which had the door wide open. Chapter 340 340 Voice of the Wild, Guardian of the Forest, Nature¡¯s Puppeteer, Lurking Wolf The woman hurried through the wide open door and froze at what she found in the room. Bound tightly in rope was a young frail girl sleeping in an untidy bed. There were scratches all over her body and fresh cuts probably from the rough treatment she received from the rogues. Her hands had been tied behind her back and the knot around her legs connected to them, keeping her in an ufortable position that didn¡¯t allow her any relief. Salty trails of the deluge of tears she¡¯d let down could still be seen staining her innocent face. One look at the girl was enough to realise that she had cried herself to sleep and run out of energy to struggle against the ropes that bound her. The old woman got to work untying her. Deep red bruises were forming ugly rings on her wrists and ankles. Lacerations made by the rough rope mercilessly drew blood from the bruises. The sight forced her to cringe in disgust, ¡®I hope those heartless brutes get what¡¯sing for them and then some...¡¯ Once the girl¡¯s limbs were free, the woman made an effort to carry the girl, but only managed to make half the journey to the main door before setting the girl on a sofa, panting heavily with exhaustion. ¡°In my younger days... she would have been... as light as a feather,¡± the woman breathed heavily, falling into the space left beside the girl tiredly. This was the only sofa in the small cabin. Aside from it, there was a brilliantly crafted wooden stool on the other side of the table. It wasn¡¯t still so beautiful anymore, however, scratches riddled its once beautiful polished surface, ¡°It¡¯s like they were trying to rid the man of everything good in his life.¡± The girl sleeping beside the old woman looked like a healthy six-year-old. Besides the cuts on her wrists and ankles, she bore no scars on her body which was meant to be an impossible feat for someone that lived this deep in the forest. ¡°Your father has raised you peacefully... even though he¡¯s only a lowly hermit,¡± the woman eximed before making another attempt at carrying the girl out of the cottage. ..... She made it out the door and ced the girl at the threshold, ¡°You were talking to yourself again,¡± the bear eximed. ¡°Yes, yes, I was... and that there...¡± pointing to the girl leaning against the wooden door frame, ¡°That was me, okay. I was the one that carried that girl from her room to this ce,¡± the woman announced, nodding in acknowledgement of her own feat-a seemingly permanent grin of delight set on her face. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to hold her while I rush the two of you to the nearest hospital,¡± the bear replied, ¡°If you ask me, you¡¯ve barely hit your stride.¡± ¡°You¡¯re no fun, Brian. You know that. No fun at all,¡± her jovial expression fell. ¡°I would be better having fun if I knew you were going to be safe. Make sure you¡¯refortable before we start our journey. You could have stayed hidden as you have been. That was always so much easier,¡± thest part was said quietly, an opinion the bear couldn¡¯t hold in much longer. The woman, having rested, set the girl on the bear¡¯s back and climbed on with her. She took note of the girl¡¯s steady breathing and regarded the man they had tied up. Nodding her head in disapproval, she dismounted, fetched the ropes that had previously bound the girl and reinforced the man¡¯s bonds, making sure to leave him in a position that was much lessfortable and impossible to move in or escape. His hands had been tied together behind him and his legs pulled as far back as possible. This position was much more strainedpared to the one the little girl was in. Children also tend to be more flexible than adults. ¡°Karma has to work some way... hmph.¡± The difort was set to torment him only the moment he awoke and he would be relieved only when the king¡¯s Warriors came to get him. The woman ordered the eagle to stay watchful of the man as they left and started their journey back to the capital. The girl needed to get to a hospital, ¡°Soooo, am I leaving you at the edge of the forest or are we storming the city?¡± ¡°We are storming the city, Brian. We are storming the city,¡± the woman screamed in excitement at her own n. Reckless as it was, she was trying to attract as much attention to herself as she could which was the entire opposite of the purpose of her being. ................... The ambnce took the Luna to the hospital in a rush, only allowing Cole and King Davin to ride with them. The two kings watched everything happen in heavy silence. King Davin¡¯s daughter and King Cole¡¯s mate. The two of them were no longer fighting each other. Or more like King Davin was done attacking Cole. The new king of Lycaon had enough to worry about as it was. Katie was in an emergency room as fast as the paramedics could go and her family was soon gathered in the waiting room, patiently awaiting the doctor¡¯s results. ¡°Caden, where is he?¡± Cole asked the beta alpha that had managed to make it first. ¡°He¡¯s on his way with the rest of the Chase family that was present,¡± the man responded, ¡°He¡¯ll be here soon.¡± ¡°Cole, do you have a n in mind?¡± King Davin¡¯s curiosity finally broke through. ¡°I¡¯m not sure at the moment. I knew this was going to happen eventually. Katie wasn¡¯t getting any better. I wasn¡¯t the only one who was worried though and I was working with the Chase family on the matter. They say they found some form of an answer,¡± he responded, his voice distant yet again. After a few more minutes of waiting, they could soon hear the rushing steps of a small number of people. Cole guessed they¡¯d arrived but didn¡¯t bother to stand up to meet them. Micah walked in first, followed by the rest of his family. To the king¡¯s(the two Kings) surprise, they saw one other person with them. A man covered in dirt, following Thorrin like a lostmb. As it so appeared, Cole remembered the man from earlier, but now that he was seeing him again, he wondered what made him so important. Thinking back to their conversation in the Throne Room, he realised he¡¯d rushed the Might Warrior in his exnation. ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡± was the first question out of the newly crowned king¡¯s mouth. ¡°He is the reason I can¡¯t find the person I¡¯m looking for. She¡¯s gone by many names over the years, The Voice of the Wild, the Guardian of the Forest, Nature¡¯s Puppeteer, The Lurking Wolf... the list goes on and on,¡± Thorrin exined. ¡°Those are names attributed to the myths of someone that can control nature. No one has ever seen her in person,¡± Cole responded, somewhat agitated. ¡°I... If I may speak, I met the Voice of the Wild...¡± without even meaning to, all attention was now turned to the man that had just spoken. He wasn¡¯t one to speak in the presence of arge gathering, not to mention oneprised of the most prominent hunter family and both royal families of werewolves. He¡¯d spent his whole life staying away from these same three factions that ruled the world... and yet, here he was, capturing their undivided attention. Chapter 341 341 Ha! Who Knew Royals Could Hurt? Thest of the hermit¡¯s meagre confidence vanished as soon as he intervened in the conversation between the Mighty Warrior and the king of Lycaon, not to mention the Sirius family that was in the waiting room along with them. Catching the attention of all the people in this room had been one of his taboos as a hermit. He didn¡¯t believe in the system that ruled their world. Whereas others had to cower in fear because of rogues living in no man¡¯snd. He preferred to go wherever he pleased. However much that exposed him to danger. Miraculously, this hermit had managed to get by and raise his daughter lovingly without ever being disturbed by any of the factions raging war on the. Now here he was, standing in the nexus of that very war. ¡°Well, go on. We don¡¯t have all day, as you might have noticed,¡± Coleshed out when the man was tongue-tied. ¡°I¡¯d like to apologise first. They made me do it,¡± the man threw himself to the ground before the king. Cole scrunched his eyebrows in frustration. ¡®That¡¯s beside the point. Who cares what you did? It¡¯s already history... Wait...¡± ¡°The Perfect Warrior has not yet deemed you a criminal. There must be a reason for that. Raise your head and continue talking about the guardian already,¡± Cole leaned his chin on his fist, supporting himself on the armrest of his chair and regarded the man with a sideways nce. It was taking a lot to conceal his patience, but he wasn¡¯t fooling anyone among the people that knew him. ¡°Well, I was forced to dig open the tunnels that go under the pce. And the people who made me do it. They captured my daughter and promised to give her back only after I was done doing what they asked of me,¡± the man exined regardless of the king¡¯s words. Cole found it both annoying and bold of him. ¡°Is that all?¡± he sighed. ¡°When the time came that they were going to use the tunnel I dug, they didn¡¯t meet the end of our bargain. They just left me there. I didn¡¯t know what to do. I couldn¡¯t go home without her. While I was still trying to wait for an idea toe to mind(hopelessly mopping), the lion approached me. And soon after, she was there. She came out of the woods, impossible to detect... and protected by a bear. The Voice of the Wild told me she would help me get my daughter back and asked that I lead the lion to the throne room, hopefully before the criminals got there,¡± the man exined. ¡°That exins that... I¡¯m grateful for that lion stepping in the middle of things. Thatst rogue caught us all off guard,¡± Cole responded, ¡°Where did you say your home was?¡± ..... ¡°Well, it¡¯s a cottage deep in the...¡± The man stopped talking when the sound of running footsteps and a loudmotion ruthlessly interrupted the room¡¯s calm atmosphere, getting everyone¡¯s attention. The door to the waiting room soon burst open, admitting Jason panting hard. He was exhausted and nearly copsed at the sight of the king. ¡°Y-your majesties... Well, of course... I would use majesties now instead of majesty, but since there is only one that I actually want to talk to, I should be... changing my phrasing to...¡± ¡°Jason, get to your point,¡± Caden suggested. The beta alpha hadn¡¯t noticed the irrelevance behind his rambling but picked up soon on the room¡¯s mood. Still tired, he skipped to his message, ¡°Th-there¡¯s a woman outside with a child... and you won¡¯t believe what else. She has a bear.¡± Cole stood and left the room briskly before many of them had the chance to react to the news. The royal family followed behind him, along with the Chase family and the dirt-coloured hermit. Chaos echoed through the halls stemming from the outside of the hospital. When they made it outside, they were stunned to see a bear growling at everything and everyone in sight. A woman stood beside the bear, holding an unconscious little girl close to her. The medics and guards were at a loss. Proceeding with this situation was proving to be a challenge. With a dangerous bear and a child in need of assistance, the two groups of people were stumped. ¡®They don¡¯t teach this in training...¡¯ one muttered to himself. Cole regained hisposure and walked up to the trio. He expressed no fear towards the bear and the closer he got to the three of them, the calmer the creature became, ¡°You must be the Voice of the Wild,¡± he announced. ¡°Indeed I am. Though I am not too proud of being called any other name in the list of names I¡¯ve been given,¡± the woman responded. ¡°The girl needs to be treated. Would you order your umm... bear to back down?¡± the bear growled at the man before them. ¡°His name is Brian,¡± she huffed, ¡°And you¡¯ll do well to remember that.¡± ¡°Right...¡± Cole replied, walking up to the woman with next to no attention paid towards the bear. He lifted the girl out of the old woman¡¯s embrace and turned to the hospital, ¡°A certain hunter has told me you might be able to help me.¡± The woman smirked for a moment before letting her expression fall, ¡°Yes, I might be able to help you. I know told about the situation and I¡¯ll do my best.¡± The tightness that had grown permanent in Cole¡¯s chest finally drew loose, if only by a little. Hope was getting hard to hold on to, but now, he could hope again. He ced the girl into the care of one of the nurses and regarded the hermit, ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s your daughter. You should go and be with her,¡± Cole said as he passed the hermit. The dirty man bowed in respect for the king and rushed off in the direction they¡¯d taken his daughter. ¡®I wonder if he intends to walk around like that without taking a shower,¡¯ Cole kept these thoughts to himself. ¡°Where is the miracle Luna now?¡± the old woman asked, standing beside Cole. The king turned to his right and regarded her sudden appearance. If he hadn¡¯t been so consumed with worry for his mate, she might have just scared him, ¡®Undetectable, huh? I can¡¯t even pick her scent from this close.¡¯ ¡°Right this way,¡± he responded, turning to the direction his mate was in. Having intended to give the man a fright, the old woman took a mental note of the state the king¡¯s mind was in and steeled her resolve to help in any way she could, ¡®Who knew royals could hurt? Ha! That¡¯s a first. Right, reviving Sleeping Beauty should be my task now.¡¯ ................. Chapter 342 342 Jane?! Fauna Katiey in the hospital bed, her chest falling and rising in a painfully even rhythm. Theck of irregrity in her breathing only proved her terrible state. This was just what the body was used to doing. If there was even an ounce of consciousness, she could have taken a deep breath at least once in a few minutes, but she didn¡¯t. Cole found he could stare at her for any amount of time he desired without ever turning away, almost like he¡¯d lose her the moment he took his eyes off her. Nevertheless, there was nothing he could do. He¡¯d already done his best and it was because of his efforts that her body was in the best form it could ever be. Even then, she stilly in front of him, healthy and unconscious. Cole found himself missing her sapphire orbs more and more. The ne he¡¯d bought her on the day of the Founder¡¯s festival had been ced back on her neck once the doctors were done stabilising her. The swirling blue colour within the blue jewel waspelling to look at but only slightly less than his mate¡¯s eyes were. The thought that she might be stuck that way or might even die after some time scared him to the core, but he kept hoping. The girl had asked for that much at least. The bond they shared revealed all her emotions in herst moments awake. Instead of worrying for her life, she¡¯d been worried for everyone else she troubled with her weakened state. The old woman walked up to the girl and ced her hand on the girl¡¯s forehead. She then felt her forearms before taking a step back with a wistful expression. The woman felt tongue-tied for a moment, trying to discern what she was looking at, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this before.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Cole asked, his eyes beaming with the first emotion since the girl had copsed. ¡®A clue... anything is better than nothing at this point.¡¯ ¡°Her body is in perfect shape... more than that... If this girl could move...¡± the woman froze, shivering from her discovery, ¡°It¡¯s amazing. Honestly, what was she doing to have her body this fine-tuned and what does she eat?¡± the woman eximed. Cole¡¯s shoulders slumped and lost his hopeful expression, ¡°You¡¯re not being serious, are you?¡± ¡°I am... I thought she was weak when I saw her, but this is something else. She really is only being held back by the poor flow of divine energy in her body,¡± the woman observed. ..... Cole¡¯s eyes snapped open and lit up with curiosity. In a levelled tone, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Well, consider a system that handles divine energy is identical to our bodies. It¡¯s also adjustable... which is why we are able to change our forms into werewolves and back. Knowing how ductile, one would never think such a thing could be damaged, but that¡¯s not true. Under the right conditions... When a mortal fulfils these requirements and pushes past what their divine vessel should be capable of handling, it¡¯s possible they can break it. This, however, should be practically impossible. No one should be capable of pushing themselves beyond the limits set by divine energy, but... She broke whatever was inside her that helped her store divine energy and keep its flow manageable. Humans were never meant to have that kind of power, to begin with. Too much of it would rip our bodies to pieces,¡± the woman exined with a sombre tone at the end. It was then that Cole realised what she was saying... or rather, it was then that everything started to make sense to him. The memory of Katie battling the Rogue King offered him the exnation he required. During that battle, the blue aura of divine energy had been leaking out of his mate. It was the only exnation he could have for it. His wolf had felt that something was very wrong with Katie and at the time, he¡¯d acted on pure instinct, stopping Katie before she continued to hurt herself. ¡°Can you help her?¡± ¡°Hmmm, not in a way that you would expect. I¡¯m no doctor and if I¡¯m being honest, this can only be treated by the gods themselves. She will have to talk to them,¡± the woman responded, ¡°Oh my, I didn¡¯t introduce myself. My name is Fauna... some people call me Jane, but I don¡¯t go by that name anymore.¡± ¡°You call yourself Fauna and disregard the names you¡¯ve been given,¡± Thorrin joked. ¡°Unfortunately, the name was a catalyst that brought on my numerous titles, but I would like to be called by that name, please. It fits perfectly with my role in this world,¡± she responded. ¡°Very well then, Fauna. What are you suggesting?¡± Cole regarded her with new hope. For the first time since Katie had started getting weaker, there was some semnce of a solution in sight. ¡°We can take her to any ce the gods have ever touched the earth. That¡¯s usually something they can do once in fifty years. During those fifty years, the heals from the power that altered its very structure during that time along with getting sealedpletely from human interference,¡± the woman said to them. ¡°What do you mean ¡®getting sealed¡¯?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°It¡¯s not a wonder that these ces are unheard of. There is a reason they are hidden from the rest of the world. Many of those reasons are already showing themselves in society as it is,¡± the woman grumbled, ¡°Humans let curiosity control them when they don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for them.¡± By now, Thorrin and Cole had realised the woman¡¯s thoughts were moving faster than the two of them could catch up. Her usually jovial eyes were now staring into space as a vast memory shed within them. ¡°Do you know a ce here in Lycaon, don¡¯t you?¡± Thorrin intervened. ¡°I knew a ce in Sirius once, but the power there is almost spent. Other nexuses such as this have long been swallowed by nature. There is one other ce that I know of, but no one is allowed to go there. Do any of you know of a ce where the Moon Goddess could have set foot in thest hundred years? I know she appears to the royals, so I¡¯m hoping you could help me answer that question,¡± the woman smiled widely. Cole sighed and sank into the seat he¡¯d upied, trying to think as much as possible. Almost as soon as he¡¯d started thinking, his eyes beamed with emotion as a vivid memory came to him, ¡°I never thought I¡¯d be going back there so soon.¡± ¡°Going back where?¡± Thorrin asked. After a calm sombre silence, he replied. ¡°Brigadia.¡± Chapter 343 343 [Bonus chapter]Odd family Seated in a chair under the shade of a cottage in the woods was the king¡¯s uncle. He skimmed through the newspaper he¡¯d only procured earlier that morning. Keeping track of what was happening in the world was his only way of knowing if they were being followed and if they were safe. Two slender warm arms wrapped around the man¡¯s neck in an embrace. The man turned to and kissed the new arrival on the lips before she asked, ¡°What are you reading?¡± ¡°The daily newspaper,¡± Sean replied. Amanda took a look at the page he was reading and noticed a halfway-done crossword. ¡°Are you certain?¡± sheughed fondly. ¡°I was also passing the time, checking on my intellect to make sure it¡¯s just as sharp as it used to be,¡± the man replied with a smug look. ¡°Of course, you were,¡± the woman chuckled. The door burst open, letting out an irritated girl, ¡°Ugh, the two of you are so disgusting. What are you even doing? If you¡¯re going to make an heir, hurry up and do it already.¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s jealous. You know, Bree. Even if we have one, she will never be able to rece you in a million years,¡± Amanda joked. ¡°You mean ¡®he¡¯, dear,¡± Sean pecked the woman and pulled her from behind him, guiding her to sit on hisp. ..... Complying with her mate¡¯s wishes, she continued once she was seated, ¡°No, I meant ¡®she¡¯. It doesn¡¯t matter anyway. I know we¡¯ll have both genders at some point,¡± the woman tried to let it go. ¡°The firstborn though. That one will be a strong male,¡± the king replied with a proud look on his face. ¡°I pray the goddess rewards us with a bundle of joy that will quell that unnecessary pride that resides within you,¡± the woman tapped his nose. ¡°I can¡¯t say no to that,¡± Sean smiled and shelved away the argument, ¡®I¡¯ll take that win.¡¯ ¡°Ugh, get a room. It¡¯s like I¡¯m watching a romantic show. Since when does the king¡¯s brother say more than a single sentence?¡± the girlined, ¡®What has be of my life?¡¯ ¡°Since he found his mate, I guess,¡± Amanda responded. ¡°That makes me curious on so many levels. How are the two of you mates to begin with? I don¡¯t mean to pry, but she¡¯s a general for the rogue king. There is simply no way the moon goddess can make a mistake like that,¡± the girl asked, sitting across from the two of them in a chair of her own. ¡°We could tell you what happened. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a secret to anyone that knows that the two of us are mates,¡± the woman replied thoughtfully. ¡°Oh, this has got to be nice,¡± Bree smirked, rubbing her palms together. After spending time with these two, she was starting to get very bored and now... the most interesting kind of entertainment hade out of nowhere... gossip. ¡°Well, I was running about the woods and happened to run into a handsome lone wolf bathing under a waterfall. I might have overstayed my wee and the two of us locked eyes. It was like fate, as many would say. We talked for a while and I was able to convince him to help the rogue king from inside the empire, the end,¡± the woman exined with a giggle. ¡°That summary is far too quick. Do you really remember that little of what happened?¡± Sean asked the woman in hisp?¡± ¡°Oh, I remember much more than that. I just wouldn¡¯t want to get into it with someone who ckmailed you into losing your nephew¡¯s trust,¡± the woman replied, narrowing her eyes at the girl. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anyway. I¡¯m hungry,¡± the girl raised her hands in surrender and stood to leave. ¡°I was just about to fix something up,¡± Sean beamed. This was Amanda¡¯s cue to get off hisp. She did, however, not without cing another kiss on the man¡¯s lips. Bree took note of how quick Sean took her requests and couldn¡¯t help, but get a familiar sensation in her mind. It was akin to the way her parents cared for her as a child. ¡°I can cook something for myself. You don¡¯t have to do anything,¡± the girl argued. She almost added something else just to spite the older man, but he didn¡¯t seem to be listening. His reply came just as fast. ¡°Oh no, I like cooking. So just getfortable and I will have everything done. What would you like to eat though? Amanda brought home venison in the morning. I know that could make anyone¡¯s mouth water from the mere thought of it,¡± the man responded, walking into the kitchen. Bree clenched her fist... this had been going on for the bigger part of theirst week and she did not want it to be her new life, ¡°The two of you are stalling. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t caught up on your scheme? I can...¡± ¡°What can you do, Bree? You don¡¯t have that mask of poison anymore and the two of us healed from it already. Not to mention you¡¯re powerless against us. If it weren¡¯t for Sean¡¯s request, I would have killed you already. So please do tell... what can you do?¡± Amanda¡¯s mask of tolerance had dropped. It was always the first to drop. Sean¡¯s however, was always on... or was he simply that kind to her. Bree couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°Threatening her won¡¯t do any good, you know. Honestly, will you be threatening our kids as well?¡± the man called from the kitchen. ¡°Honey, our kids won¡¯t try to stab us in the back. This one has betrayal written all over her,¡± the woman called back, taking a seat in the living room. The royal didn¡¯t continue with the argument and Amanda took the hint as their discussion on the matter ended. ¡°The two of you are so confusing. Is this what you were nning to do from the start?¡± the girl asked. Aftering to a stalemate, or rather, after her loss to the two royals, they had travelled through the forest and brought her to this peculiar cottage in the middle of nowhere. The two wolves seemed to know where it was... but Bree couldn¡¯t help but feel like there was so much more to them that she was missing. They talked, acted and kissed like they¡¯d been in a happy marriage for a long time, each being a safe haven for the other... It was... Weird(for someone who hadn¡¯t seen iting). Chapter 344 344 The Futility of Rage ¡°You certainly want to know everything,¡± the woman sighed, ¡°If you must know, the rogue king ordered all rogues to relinquish their bloodthirst and blend in with the general poption. Doing that will keep the Chase family from finding them even if they make a sweep of the entire no-mansnd.¡± Bree already knew all this, but every time she felt trapped and tried getting them to exin why they were stuck living in a cottage in the middle of nowhere, this is what Amanda would reply. Still, the conversation would not end there. ¡°But that¡¯s simr to giving up. They will find those breeding camps he has scattered around the globe, won¡¯t they?¡± Bree tried. ¡®Why wasn¡¯t the rogue king doing anything about this? To the mind of a young wolf who depicted the royals as powerhouses with next to no limits, it was harder for her to understand why everything was the way it was. She¡¯d never even asked herself why the rogues chose to hide in no-mansnd in the first ce. ¡°Yes, they will. But at this point, those are also useless. He could only rescue the children there that had a chance of growing into strong rogues. Besides that, the females in those camps were rendered barren the moment the Moon Goddess¡¯s Chosen marked each other,¡± the woman exined with a sigh. This was just another different route the girl had taken to this conversation... ¡®This is getting exhausting.¡¯ ¡°That really put a dent in the rogue king¡¯s power, didn¡¯t it? It¡¯s hardly a levelled ying field in this war anymore,¡± the girl observed. Having brought the man¡¯s newspaper with her, Amanda began finishing his crossword... and correcting a few of the things he¡¯d gotten wrong. ¡°Which side do you think is going to win in the end? And no, war is never a levelled ying field. Everyone does what they must to gain the advantage and win the battle,¡±cking any form of entertainment, Amanda often surprised herself with how patient she¡¯d be toward this girl. ¡°If I was to pick a side, I would go with the one I found to be fighting for equality. Since that wench was born, I¡¯ve found our system to bepletely unfair. She¡¯s the whole reason I realised the rogue king was fighting for something better,¡± the girl responded. After a short moment of silence, Amanda asked the girl, her voice raising in pitch, ¡°Have you ever met a female rogue?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking at you right now, aren¡¯t I?¡± the girl raised an eyebrow. ..... ¡°I¡¯m the only one that¡¯s allowed to fight among the females. And that¡¯s only because I was strong enough to earn the rogue king¡¯s respect,¡± the woman replied, ¡°If you didn¡¯t know this, females are only used for breeding. The rogue king sees them as nothing more than a tool to help him increase the numbers of rogues in this world.¡± ¡°How did you survive that?¡± the girl asked. The woman went silent for a moment, memories washing over her face. There was a storm of emotions in her eyes that Bree had thought she was incapable of expressing, ¡°There was a time I tried to run away, but certain conditions led me to where I am today. When the rogue king found my strength to be what he was looking for, he made an exception and bit me to grant me the power of an alpha. I was just lucky. The rogues are not what you make them out to be. I would know... It¡¯s how my mother died.¡± It took everything for Bree to keep herselfposed. Suddenly, her once so clear path was not so clear anymore. She was now having trouble trying to fathom what the rogues were doing in this world. All the stories they had of them were just that... stories, but hearing them from another rogue had a different feel to it. It was real, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that,¡± the woman waved off her apology. After a short pause, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s his goal?¡± ¡°His goal... Oh, it¡¯s simply to eradicate all of mankind. There is not much more to it than that,¡± the woman shrugged, turning her attention back to the crossword. Bree pondered the woman¡¯s words for a while, trying toe to terms with what could have brought on such a decision, ¡°What made hime to that conclusion?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something even he doesn¡¯t share in detail. Although, if I¡¯m to guess, he knows what actually happened to the moon goddess centuries ago in her feud with the Man god. Knowing that could have driven him to anger beyond redemption. He values a world that¡¯s saved from the cruelty of mankind,¡± she responded. ¡°How are werewolves any less cruel?¡± The woman smirked, feeling herself finally make progress with the stubborn girl, albeit in a way she hadn¡¯t expected, ¡°We feel emotions more vividly than humans do. A human can do something with no emotion behind it. They are prone to anger and hatred and can lean away from love when it¡¯s their salvation much easier than werewolves. This could be the same thing that started the war between the two gods. However, for some reason, the moon goddess changed her mind during the war and the Man god forgave her for attacking his creations. I don¡¯t know what he would stand to gain from that, but it was a peace that could have been. The rogue king just had to appear and harbour memories that reopened old wounds.¡± ¡°You say humans are cruel, yet it was you that killed Ginger without batting an eysh,¡± Bree attacked. ¡°I know what I did, but I could not stand what the girl was nning to do. Betraying the royal families is the first step in the rogue king¡¯s direction. So I cut the scourge at its roots before she could do any more harm. You may want to justify your anger towards the girl that was born royalty instead of you, but that same anger is clouding your judgement...¡± ¡°You know nothing about me,¡± Bree spat. ¡°I don¡¯t need to. I heard what I wanted to from your dead friend. She was so angry that she tried to use me to kill a royal. You were on your way to do something simr, but miscalcted,¡± the woman replied. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I know what I was doing. I know riding the world of Lina Sirius is a grave crime that is unforgivable, but I am repulsed by the mere thought of watching others bow to a weakling like her. Werewolves are strong and the strong are above the weak. It¡¯s how it¡¯s always been and how it¡¯s meant to be,¡± the girl was now yelling, ¡°I would only be doing the world a favour.¡± ¡°What about you, then? What happens to you?¡± Amanda asked, ¡°Have you thought about what will happen after all this? Have you been in a battle before? What if you lost Crysta in this meaningless tantrum you¡¯re throwing? Have you ever felt the warmth of a mate bond? Would you want to die before experiencing it? To die fighting someone who probably doesn¡¯t know anything about you beyond your name. From what I heard the other girl saying that time, it sounded like this royal you hate so much was loved... And honestly far more powerful than you¡¯re giving her credit for. The world doesn¡¯t need fixing and you certainly don¡¯t have the right to im you¡¯re fixing anything. The only thing that needs fixing here... is you.¡± Chapter 345 345 Second Chance The words from the female rogue royal hit hard. Bree had sought her out to get to the rogue king, but this woman had only spelt her errors out for her and it irritated her to the core. She searched her mind for a wittyeback, but nothing came to her rescue. She¡¯d messed up, she knew that now. Unlike Ginger, Bree didn¡¯t have it in her to go through with something that wouldn¡¯t work. In fact, she would have started all of this in the first ce if Ginger hadn¡¯t tried it first. Thete girl¡¯s actions had given her the push toe up with a n and she had, however, she¡¯d also allowed a lot of holes to sneak into it, ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand anything.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t I now?¡± the woman searched her eyes, ¡°I¡¯ve lived in a world so cruel that you couldn¡¯t begin to tell which side was right or wrong, up or down if I was to throw you into it. And you almost marched yourself right through the doors of hell.¡± Calming down her tone, Amanda continued, ¡°Earlier, I heard you speak of the breeding camps the rogue king keeps around like it was something normal, but do you have any idea what happens to the women in those camps?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard the stories. I know what happens. You don¡¯t have to spell it out for me,¡± the girl replied. Disgust was beginning to set in her mind. ¡°Do you have parents?¡± Amanda asked. When the girl didn¡¯t answer, the woman¡¯s jaw dropped. The girl before her had held such a strong front when they¡¯d met that she wouldn¡¯t have thought she¡¯d lived such a sheltered life, but then again, she could sympathise. There were a few things she could think of that could make hersh out like that, ¡°You¡¯ve lost something dear to you, haven¡¯t you? Or at least, you feel like you do. I¡¯ve noticed one simrity between you and your friend.¡± ¡°What might that be?¡± the girl mocked. This sudden mind-reading was starting to get on her nerves. ¡°Chris... Christle... No, Crysta... Yeah, that girl we captured that day. She¡¯s the one the three of you care about so dearly. I won¡¯t pretend to know what the three of you have been through, but I know it can be fixed. Anything can be fixed if youe clean and try to fix it,¡± the woman said, half to herself. ¡°You say it like it¡¯s so easy. Have you evere clean about what you¡¯re doing?¡± the girl asked. ..... ¡°Yeah... I have done that once before. It¡¯s the reason my mate and I were still going this long, but we didn¡¯t do it with the current king. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s that easy to do. With honesty, time and patience, rtionships can be fixed. I don¡¯t know what happened between you and Crysta or Liana-¡± ¡°You mean Lina...¡± ¡°-yes, Lana. The three of you can fix whatever mess you¡¯ve got yourselves in,¡± the woman exined. While the wrong name she used made Breeugh, the point got across. Through her giggles, ¡°You didn¡¯t strike me as someone that could offer advice.¡± ¡°Ugh, tell me about it. I me the man in the kitchen. He brings out the worst... or the very best in me,¡± the woman groaned, tipping her head so she stared at the man working in the kitchen. ¡°Are the two of you finally getting along? The food is almost ready,¡± Sean yelled from the kitchen. ¡°No, in fact, we are wrestling at this very moment,¡± Amanda lied, chuckling with the girl who was now warming up to her. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m really good at wrestling. Just letting you know. If I find that you are interested, I¡¯d be d to teach you a lesson or two,¡± the man yelled back from the kitchen. ¡°Oh my, is that really Prince Sean making a threat?¡± Bree was the one to ask this time, ¡°They are normally scarier than that.¡± The royal in the room went silent for a while before his voice came through, ¡°It¡¯s easier to make threats when you spend that much time away from your significant other.¡± ¡°That exins why you are so grumpy all the time. How long have the two of you known each other?¡± Bree asked. The two of themughed at the question, ¡°It¡¯s been quite some time, Bree. Honestly, let me see... If I was to estimate, it would be about forty years... maybe more. Just so you know, Sean is the king¡¯s uncle, so... It¡¯s been a while.¡± Bree¡¯s smile dropped at the mention of how long the two of them had been apart, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It has nothing to do with you, really. And everything to do with our goddess. It was her n after all,¡± Amanda quickly replied. ¡°So, we¡¯re telling her now?¡± Sean asked from the kitchen. ¡°Yeah... I believe she can tell right from wrong once again,¡± the woman replied. ¡°That was fast,¡± Sean replied with a chuckle, ¡°In that case,e help me set the table before we get into that story.¡± With that, Amanda invited the girl to help them get ready for a filling lunch. It might not have been much or permanent, but Bree felt what it was to be a part of something. Amanda didn¡¯t desire her death anymore and Sean didn¡¯t want her hurt or injured in any way. For the gloomy brother of the king, he was oddly kind and considerate. Almost like his personality was often hidden when he was in the presence of others. The three of them set the table, idle chatter milling through them with a hint of dark humour from the rogue royal. Having lived within the rogues for a long time, the woman¡¯s military tendencies often leaked into her personality, although it only gave her an irresistible charm of her own. When the table was finally set, Sean was the first tounch into story time, taking the girl back to a time before the two powerful wolves had even met. ......... Chapter 346 346 [Bonus chapter]The Day They Met A little over forty years ago... At a time when King Davin had only been a small prince, barely capable of performing any tasks in the name of their kingdom. At the time, he was still only a child. Back then, the current king¡¯s brother was not known for staying in the same ce for too long. He was far too antisocial and wild to be capable of such a thing. He moved about the globe as though it was his home and spent more time in no-man¡¯snd than any wolf on the that wasn¡¯t a rogue. Rumours spread about why the man was like this. Some suggested he was simply too powerful to care about the rogues out there... as he never seemed to have trouble dealing with them when he was attacked. While others suggested he was in cahoots with the rogues. Regardless of these rumours and the fact that the king knew nothing of his brother¡¯s exploits, he allowed Sean to do as he pleased, letting hime and go at any time withplete autonomy. Seeing that the king tolerated his behaviour, the kingdom let the matter rest... however, not before nicknaming him, the Lone Wolf. A ck wolf calmly plodded through the woods one hot afternoon, making it to a raging waterfall. Despite how harsh the water beat down on the rocks beneath it, it seemed like paradise in the afternoon heat. Sean had been hunting for a myth and this had been the furthest he¡¯d made it following the great Sirius river. At its confluence with its other sister branch was a waterfall. The man had taken the time to observe the area surrounding it. The confluence was surrounded by rich vegetation and was brimming with divine energy. The ce where the first kings of the past parted ways and established the two empires on opposite sides of the world, using this great river to guide them. The ck wolf shifted back into his human form and stripped, cing all his belongings at the river bank before taking a dive into the cool river. The life of a lone wolf was filled with the constant need to refresh one¡¯s mind. To keep himself from drowning in his own thoughts, he often found himself doing different extreme activities that set a pace for him to keep himself grounded. To keep himself from going insane from the painful silence that surrounded him. Only so rarely did he get the chance to let water from a waterfall beat down on his back. ..... Usually, the man would have decided against it, but his wolf was convinced it wouldn¡¯t hurt one bit and so, he went for it. After struggling a bit against the weight of the falling torrent of water, the man stabilised under the water and calmly let his mind wander. Without his knowledge, a weakened panting wolf made its way through the grass and onto the river bank. The tired small wolf was starving and panting heavily from exhaustion. She was lost and barely had anything to eat. Well, she hadn¡¯t known which way to go in the first ce, but she ran, nheless. The cruelty of the wild was nothingpared to what she was running from. Thinking back on it, she decided this was much better than the alternative. The sound of the river was soothing. Dying by a river did not sound like such a bad thing. ¡®It would be peaceful,¡¯ the grey wolf thought to herself, moving closer to the river. Just then, her nostrils red with a sweet scent that swept her drowsiness away immediately. She looked about the river bank in search of the source of the scent, but couldn¡¯t find it. After walking along the river bank, she made it to a waterfall. There were clothes and a bag at the river bank, but no sign of their owner. The grey wolf walked up to the clothes and gave them a sniff before backing away. The scent she¡¯d been following was intensified in the clothes. She could just roll in them and die a happy starving wolf within them, surrounded by this sweet scent. The bag beside them, however, caught her attention before she could carry out this craziness. She shelved her recent idea and moved on to the bag. She began to open it using her paws and mouth. It was a slow task in her wolf form, but eventually, she got the bag open. Within the bag, she found a loaf of dried bread and a juice bottle. Along with other necessities that her mind wanted nothing to do with. She was practically drooling at the sight of the contents within the bag. The wolf shifted into her human form, curling up when the biting cold breeze blew against her bare body. Without caring for the bag¡¯s owner, the woman began to eat the bread in a rush and gobble up the juice inside. It tasted heavenly and choked her more than once, but the more she consumed it, the more her other senses dulled. She couldn¡¯t remember thest time she¡¯d eaten... well, anything. ¡®If there is a goddess out there that cares about werewolves, thank you so much,¡¯ she mentally screamed to the sky, savouring the food she was eating. ¡°Someone¡¯s been starving. You¡¯re eating like an animal even in your human form,¡± a voice broke through the silence, sending a wave of dread through the woman. She froze and turned her head towards the water and saw a man standing at the river bank with his hand on his hip, stark naked. The woman quickly averted her eyes at the sight of him and inched further away from the man¡¯s belongings, ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him? Could he be like one of those savages that don¡¯t care for...¡¯ ¡°No, please, finish up,¡± Sean¡¯s voice cut her thoughts short. The man¡¯s voice was nothing like she was used to. Instead of the cruel andmanding tone that she was used to hearing from men, this one sounded kind. The voice of a male being kind was foreign to her and the generosity even more so. She wasn¡¯t supposed to believe his words. She shouldn¡¯t have... after all, he could have been asking her to eat up so he could take her back in one piece. What other reason was there? He was standing naked behind her after all. Regardless of these doubts, she couldn¡¯t find it within her to doubt him... and she had an idea why. That sweet scent she¡¯d caught earlier... It was everywhere now... and she knew the source. Tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrobly. Tears she didn¡¯t know she had. Her life was so rough that it never called for tears. They were a sign of weakness... and yet here they were. She didn¡¯t even try to dry them off. The biting cold of the wind suddenly came to a stop as a warm jacket was wrapped around her back. He was right behind her now. He didn¡¯t bark at her or ask her to do anything he desired. The wolf inside her knew why. She also knew why. What were the odds of her finding the one werewolf out of millions that the rest of the women from her home would never get to see... ever. And she was overjoyed... She found her mate. Chapter 347 347 Virtue of Kindness Sean dressed up, leaving aside the jacket that wrapped around the young girl. When he was done, he watched the woman before him hungrily gobble what he¡¯d packed in silence. Staring at her, he tried to guess her age. While she looked considerably young, he couldn¡¯t call her a young girl either. She was definitely beyond her twenty mark. Beyond that, the prince was drawing a nk. He did know, however, from the scenting off her that she was indeed his mate. Surprisingly, the prince didn¡¯t care that she was weak. What mattered was that he¡¯d found her and could save her from the starvation that was eating a hole into her stomach. Now that he thought about it, what was his mate doing out in the middle of nowhere? There wasn¡¯t supposed to be anyone this far down the river. There could always be the obvious answer that she was from one of the Rogue King¡¯s breeding homes, but she looked too young inparison to the few escapees he was acquainted with. His curiosity eventually got the better of him, ¡°Can I know your name?¡± The woman looked up from the bread in her hands and looked around in search of a third person. When she was sure there was no one else he was talking to, she swallowed the food patiently residing in her puffed-out cheek. Before she could talk, though... she was choking on the chunk of bread she¡¯d forced down. The girl struggled against the dry bread when the prince closed the gap between them and guided the juice bottle to her lips. Having forgotten about the drink, she hurriedly gulped down the juice to force the near-dry bread down her throat. ¡°You might want to slow down,¡± the prince chuckled. When she¡¯d regained herposure, the woman inched away from him, sending numerous red gs through the prince¡¯s mind. He pulled his hand away from her, ignoring the slight sting the rejection came with. She¡¯d probably been through a lot. After all, she was in the middle of nowhere. Who would willinglye out into the woods with no direction or understanding of where they were going. He took off his shirt and handed it to the woman, finding the jacket minimal covering, ¡°Use this to cover yourself.¡± The woman eyed the shirt as though it was a treasure. In her mind, she would be bathed in his scent and the thought made her wolf leap with joy. This didn¡¯t bode well with the initial reaction she¡¯d had to his touch though... and there was a lurking regret. She had many habits she wondered if she had to break now that she¡¯d found her mate, ¡°Are you sure? I wouldn¡¯t want you to be cold,¡± she tried. ..... ¡°Between you and me, I¡¯m better off naked, but I know that will make you ufortable. Now put it on, you¡¯ll catch a cold,¡± the man responded warmly. The woman was malnourished and much more prone to the cold than he was. She took the hint of finality in his voice and received the shirt from him before gesturing for him to turn away. Sean rolled his eyes and turned away from the woman as she dressed, ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± ¡°Oh... my name is Amanda. What¡¯s yours?¡± she replied. Her voice was muffled by chewing. Sean took this as a sign that he could turn back. ¡°My name is Sean... Sean Sirius,¡± the man responded. The woman wasn¡¯t taken by the man¡¯s name as she quickly continued to eat the food he¡¯d given her. ¡®She is cute when she is eating,¡¯ went his thoughts as he observed her, ¡®She takes on a keen resemnce to a cute chipmunk.¡¯ The amber in her eyes identified that she wasn¡¯t all that strong, but something else got his attention. It was the fact that she didn¡¯t feel like anyone from either of the empires and hadn¡¯t yet shrunk in fear from the colour of his eyes, ¡°Where are you from?¡± The woman was stunned by the question. She didn¡¯t want to answer it and the appetite that had been driving her all this time was all but gone at the moment the man asked her about where she¡¯de from, ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer that. I think I can make a guess about that. Don¡¯t worry about it though. I don¡¯t really mind.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want your pity,¡± she stated bluntly. Instead of the reaction she¡¯d expected, Sean beganughing at her, ¡°I¡¯m thest person that would ever offer you something like that. Believe me when I say that... but, you¡¯re different. You¡¯re my mate and that changes the way I would treat you, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to. I¡¯m a rogue and you¡¯re a... what are you... Wait,¡± it was only then that the woman took note of the man¡¯s eyes. They were bright blue. A colour that she¡¯d dreaded for a long time and been told at the breeding centre about its meaning and that those who possessed it were werewolves of untold power, ¡°You¡¯re a royal. No, this has to be a mistake.¡± ¡°Quite shocked that you¡¯re only noticing that now. You must have been really hungry. And here I thought my mate was going to be a normal alpha or delta from another pack... I would have never thought she would turn out to be a rogue. What are the odds!¡± In truth, the odds were next to none, ¡°I know a lot about how other female werewolves would act around me if they ever found out I was their mate, but this is a whole new situation I hadn¡¯t prepared for.¡± The woman only moved further away from him, ¡°I ran away... from the rogues. I don¡¯t know where I am and I definitely don¡¯t know who you are. Honestly, I was ready to die at this point. There is no point in my struggle anymore. I¡¯ve escaped from them, but I don¡¯t know what else to do now. No one would simply take in a stray rogue. I don¡¯t know how the world beyond the rogues works. I cannot be of use to anyone. All I know is that I craved freedom from my former life and now that I have it, I can die knowing I found it.¡± The hidden meaning behind her words was clear. She was telling him that he didn¡¯t have to take in a stray like her. That it was okay if he left her out to die. She was ready to die for she had already aplished her task: To escape her life of captivity and she¡¯d seeded. Something like that, however, took a special kind of strength. Anyone could train their bodies, but that didn¡¯t y a role in helping them escape the rogues. Someone would have to be cunning and extremely determined to pull off something so foolish. Sean smiled. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a... colourful n. How about we go with this one instead? I could teach you what you need to know about the outside world and you can choose what you would like to do about it. I¡¯ll protect you and nurse you back to health because honestly, you¡¯re already far too malnourished to do anything on your own. I¡¯ll teach you to hunt. I¡¯ll teach you to cook and everything else you need to survive. This is the minimum I¡¯ll do for you... if youe with me that is,¡± the man responded. ¡°What¡¯s the maximum?¡± Amanda asked, suddenly curious to hear what the prince was hiding in that beautiful mind of his. She liked him already... He was peculiar and she couldn¡¯t read him, but that¡¯s what made him even more interesting. All she could tell for now... was that her mate was kind. Too kind. Chapter 348 348 Cruel Request Sean was quiet for a bit, thinking it over before answering, ¡°I¡¯m still figuring that out as well. We can get to those detailster on. Let¡¯s just take it one step at a time, okay?¡± ¡°No... I cannot ept you...¡± ¡°Ah sorry, I forgot to tell you. You don¡¯t get a choice in the matter, I¡¯m afraid. There is no single way I can picture you walking away from me now. I, as well as my wolf, won¡¯t let that happen... and even if you manage to do so, I¡¯ll only follow you until you give up and ept my offer. The hunters and royals know about the breeding camps the Rogue King keeps around, but they don¡¯t know where they are since they also know nothing about no-man¡¯snd. And even I, who has toured no-man¡¯snd the most, have never found one. So when I find a rogue woman wandering in the middle of nowhere, I can¡¯t just turn a blind eye. You probably don¡¯t even know where you are. Follow this river down and you¡¯ll undoubtedly perish. Not much you¡¯re going to find down there. Rumour has it that it¡¯s where the famous Origin is supposed to be.¡± At this point, Sean was waving his arms about, wriggling his fingers in a motion to indicate spookiness. His tone, however, was as blunt as ever and defeated the purpose of his demonstration. Nevertheless, the woman understood what he was saying with an intricate level of rity. Sean sighed, having spoken so much and still made no progress in making his point. ¡®Social interactions are really hard,¡¯ he mentallyined before trying again. Amanda remained patient as he gathered his thoughts. Despite the front she was putting up, she wanted to stay in his presence as long as she could. ¡°You¡¯re my mate... I would want you to know happiness and smile genuinely. I would like you to eat your fill and at least put on that weight. You don¡¯t look so good, if you hadn¡¯t noticed,¡± Amanda¡¯s expression fell at the man¡¯s words. She hugged herself and moved even further away from the prince. ¡°Perv...¡± Sean¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I was being honest here. Although, you can¡¯t keep me from wondering what you would look like in perfect health,¡± It was Amanda¡¯s turn to be mystified. Seeing an opening, Sean continued, ¡°I would like you to know what it was to spend a dayzy in a home that you can call your own. To sleep without worrying about what will happen tomorrow or what happened today. To truly live...¡± ..... The more he spoke, the more tears welled up in the woman¡¯s eyes. Suddenly, her grasp on reality and fiction was starting to blur. The wordsing from Sean¡¯s mouth sounded like utter fiction. ¡®Who on earth lives such a life? There is always someone out there whose job is to make your life hell, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ There was a lot she didn¡¯t know, a lot she hadn¡¯t experienced and a lot she couldn¡¯t verify, but her wolf asked her to trust him. Her consciousness couldn¡¯t keep up with the way her emotions were all over the ce. She wanted to run into his arms and yet she also knew to keep her distance from men as they were the ones that caused their suffering in the breeding camp. It was a dilemma that tore at her from the inside. The oblivious royal could not see this internal battle but was sure it wasn¡¯t going to be easy to drag the woman along with him on whatever adventures he had in his mind. s, it was his ambition to discover what her life had been like and to find what his wolf wouldn¡¯t let go of. The creature seemed hellbent on bringing the worst headache upon him if he ignored the drive that was pushing him to take care of the woman before him. Before Amanda could speak, the temperature dropped several degrees and the calm breeze slowed and almost went still. The woman rubbed her arms to gather some heat. Sean¡¯s wolf pushed him to embrace the woman, but his logical side wouldn¡¯t let him proceed with such drastic action. However, his other senses told him the sudden change in their environment was not just the random decision of mother nature. The warmth of the sun was gone from view. The man looked into the sky and was shocked to find the sun gone. In its ce was the moon, glowing brighter than he¡¯d ever seen it. A silhouette of a woman emanated from the moonlight that reached them. Amanda followed his line of sight to the sky and was nearly petrified by the being he saw in the air. Floating down to them was the most beautiful woman she¡¯d ever seen. The connection with her was so great that she felt she could stay looking at her for eternity and never get tired of it. She was everything the wolves dreamed of. The moon goddess looked down on them with a warm motherly smile on her face... there was also a hint of pride in her expression and entrance. Something that said, ¡®Bow down to your goddess, mortals. It is I, the divine and beautiful gracing you with my presence.¡¯ Of course, she would never say this. ¡°You certainly love your entrances,¡± Sean interrupted the slow descent of the moon goddess. Celeste was startled by hisposure. He barely showed a fraction of being entranced by her, ¡°You¡¯re an interesting one, Sean Sirius.¡± ¡°You appear once every fifty years to a royal of your own choosing. Are you sure you chose the right royal this time? I think you would be better off choosing one of those in power at this moment?¡± the man responded, getting straight to the point. ¡°Oh no, I know I¡¯ve chosen right. I have been watching you for a while now and I had foreseen your meeting with your mate. How do you like her?¡± The man regarded the woman before him. She was small in frame, but her eyes shone with the most determination he¡¯d ever been blessed to see. He already knew she had a will of fire that burned within her from the short interaction they¡¯d just had. Even in her weakened state, she looked far from backing down from anything that crossed her path, ¡°She¡¯s special alright. She¡¯s got a warrior spirit that burns brighter than any I¡¯ve seen,¡± the man smiled. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have described her any better,¡± the goddess replied with a warm smile. Amanda found herself tearing up once more. Where had she been hiding all these tears and why were theying down right now? No matter how much she tried to wipe them, they wouldn¡¯t leave her alone. For once in her life, Amanda felt the tension leave her musclespletely. The tension in them that was held by the constant fear for her life was leaving her for the first time. At the moment, she was in the presence of her mate and the moon goddess... the two beings she knew would never hurt her. While mates could sometimes hurt each other, it wasn¡¯t the same with Sean. Amanda had already gleaned enough into his personality to know he wasn¡¯t one to jump to violence so quickly. She had eaten his food without permission after all and now she was wearing his shirt and jacket. They didn¡¯t know what she¡¯d been through, but somehow, their presence was enough to make her forget all of that. That¡¯s why the next thing the goddess said struck a heavy chord of curiosity and one more emotion... terror... inescapable fear, ¡°And I¡¯m afraid that same warrior spirit has summoned me to the two of you to ask your help.¡± The goddess made a slight bow to them. ¡®Why do I get the feeling I¡¯m not going to like what she has to say?¡¯ Sean had asked himself. Just like his mate, he had a very bad feeling brewing in the pit of his stomach. Chapter 349 349 Rise of General Amanda The Moon Goddess¡¯s request was nothing short of cruel. After only letting the two werewolves get acquainted for less than an hour, she intervened to spring an unreasonable request on both of them. Her timing, however, was purposeful to keep them from rejecting her proposal. Any longer and there was no telling how willing they would be to cooperate. Celeste asked that the female be sent right back into the rogues, to work against them from the inside... as a spy. The goddess did not give them full details as Sean asked her to give them time to think about it. Sean led his mate away from the goddess and to one of the cabins he had littered in no-man¡¯snd. In this small home, they rest... or Amanda rested. Sean hunted for the first two days and nursed his mate back to health, spoiling her more than she ever thought possible. For a while, Sean forgot the moon goddess¡¯s request. When Amanda was ready, he took her hunting, swimming, running and everything else he could think of to do out in the wild. This far south, there was a shortage of rogues to run into, so there wasn¡¯t much to worry about. One evening, the coupley on the soft grass. Amanda rested her head on the prince¡¯s chest, groaning lowly, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have eaten that much.¡± Sean chuckled, ¡°With your enhanced metabolism, you¡¯ll be hungry in a few hours.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m getting out of that phase. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m still skinny,¡± the girl argued, only to sigh with exhaustion. The past month had been the best for the two werewolves. Sean was much more than she felt she deserved. He was kind and everything she¡¯d ever wanted in a mate, which made the next words toe out of her even harder to say, ¡°We can¡¯t ignore her forever.¡± Sean looked down at his mate, then made her turn to face him, ¡°Yes, we can.¡± ¡°No, we can¡¯t. I know you can¡¯t. You wouldn¡¯t even be able to live with yourself if you knew you abandoned werewolf kind...¡± she replied. Sean felt his heart fall. He wanted to argue with Amanda, but he knew she was right. She¡¯d gotten to know him a lot during the time they¡¯d spent together and he¡¯d gotten to know her as well. ..... If there was ever a werewolf that could pull off such a dangerous task, it was her. She was headstrong and determined to seed in anything she set her mind to. The bones of the deer carcass they¡¯d just eaten for supper were proof of that. It was her first sessful hunt. Considering she had no prior experience inbat or hunting, it had taken her a while to get the hang of it. Even then, however, she had been learning everything Sean taught her at remarkable speed. This was also how he¡¯de up with her nickname ¡®Little Alexa¡¯ to mean ¡®Little Warrior.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s not fair,¡¯ he thought to himself, letting his head fall back on the grass and his gaze onto the nket of stars in the night sky. Having heard his thoughts, Amanday back on his chest, ¡°The world is not fair, Sean. It¡¯s never been...¡± ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to go through with this,¡± his voice had lost its usual jovial tone and was now reced by a humourless, broken one. ¡°You know where I¡¯m from, Sean. I have a chance to bring it to the ground. You have a chance to help me do it. The Rogue King won¡¯t always be as docile and cautious as he has been for the past decades. One of these days, he¡¯llsh out. This way...¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin it to me, little Alexa. I know I can¡¯t do anything to change your mind. I¡¯ll respect your decision. That doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it,¡± Sean replied, staring hard at the crescent moon in the sky. All this was because of the goddess that resided there. She was the reason he was going to say goodbye to Amanda. For a lone wolf that barely had anyone he cared about this much, this was a tad rougher than it should have been. That night, the royal marked his mate and so did she. The two of them were then plunged into a dream wherein they met the moon goddess a second time. They¡¯d decided to go along with her n after all. Celeste began exining the details to them. The royal was to pretend to be on the Rogue King¡¯s side, which wouldn¡¯t be hard for the Lone Wolf. Rumours were already spreading about his coboration with the man. While working with the Rogue King, Sean was to act as a spy for him, delivering next to urate information that would allow him to secure the rogue king¡¯s trust. It was a gamble, but the moon goddess seemed confident in seeing it work. With the girl marked, she was to gain more power from her connection to the royal. The moon goddess offered her the power to conceal her mark as well as to change the colour of her eyes and allowed the dream to dissipate. The following morning, Amanda returned to the rogues where she spent a while earning her stripes. With her strength constantly increasing, she could defend herself against the males. It was never easy at first. Amanda often got into fights with the other males and, unsurprisingly, she would beat up any male that tried toy their fingers on her. Before long, she proved her worth by showing how much stronger she was than the average werewolf. Luck was on her side(or she¡¯d nned it all out). The Rogue King had been watching when she almost got taken down by an alpha. The man had taken an interest in her quickly. With her unpolished fighting skills, she could defeat others who had been undergoing training for much longer. ¡®A diamond in the rough...¡¯ he¡¯d thought at the time. The Rogue King made an exception just this once and trained her himself. She grew stronger much faster than most he¡¯d taught before and she only continued to grow stronger. He couldn¡¯t believe how strong she was getting he got curious as to how strong she would be if he¡¯d made her an alpha. It was not long before the rogue king bit her and granted her the power of an alpha. With that, she earned the rank of lieutenant within a year and aimed for general through continued training. The rogues, including the generals, grew to respect her strength for it was clear that she was blindingly unique inparison to the rest of them. She never took a joke lightly and was heard to even kill males that got too close to her forfort, so the rest kept their distance and the rogue king didn¡¯t object to the way she acted. Once she was lieutenant, she had a meeting with the rogue king where she spoke of something rare she¡¯d encountered, a lone wolf, a royal that was the brother to the king. One who wanted to help him topple the two empires. The rogue king was cautious about the woman¡¯s idea at first, but eventually, he agreed to meet with this royal who had supposedly given the lieutenant a ce they would meet. After scouring the area for hostiles, it was confirmed that the royal was indeed alone and that was when the Rogue King first met Sean Sirius, the Lone Wolf. He preached his false ambitions of bringing down mankind... Of the cruelty of mankind that made him sick to his stomach. Being the lone wolf that he was, this was not difficult to fake. Merely iming he was a lone wolf to stay from humans was enough for him to get through some of the rogue king¡¯s defences. As expected of the rogue king, words were not enough to convince him... so he asked for proof of his loyalty. Sean exposed the king¡¯s most lethal secret to the rogue king, the tunnels that went under the pce. Tunnels that had only been known to the royal families¡¯ most trusted confidants. The rogue king had a party scour the pce grounds for said tunnels and the proof of their existence got Sean into the Rogue King¡¯s trusted circle immediately. This revtion, however, wouldter cause the death of many within the Sirius pce and theirplete concealment. ......................... Chapter 350 350 King¡¯s Orders Bree sat glued to her seat, wide-eyed as the story came to an end. She¡¯d long forgotten about the venison on her te and got engrossed in the tale of the two lovers. Once Amanda said ¡°The End¡± with a sigh of relief, the girl remained frozen for a moment before blinking back to reality. She couldn¡¯t believe what she had just heard from the two of them. ¡°You said forty years, but...¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lot more than that, I know, but... I like to think of it as a shorter time. We¡¯ve just spent so much time apart,¡± the womanmented, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. Sean held her hand and gave it a squeeze. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet, you know,¡± he said to her. ¡°I... I, of all people, know that. That murderer is still out there. Until he¡¯s been put down, our mission is not yetplete. This week we¡¯ve had. I really needed it, you know,¡± the woman sighed. ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯re leaving,¡± Bree chuckled nervously. ¡®Could she be leaving though? I thought...¡¯ The woman stood up to return her te to the kitchen when she staggered for a moment, gripping the chair she¡¯d been seated on so tight that her knuckles turned white. Her other hand let go of the te she was holding and held her head, an expression of agony recing her previously calm face, ¡°Damn it...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The rogue king... I¡¯ve never heard him speak this loudly or furiously before either. Something has angered him so much. I don¡¯t know what it is though,¡± the woman replied through gritted teeth. Sean rushed over to his mate and guided her back into the chair, making sure to avoid the broken shards of the ceramic utensil. ..... ¡°What has made him angry? What is he saying?¡± the prince¡¯s voice wasced with concern for his mate¡¯s wellbeing. Even after getting this far from the Rogue King, it seemed he could still assert some level of dominance over her. The woman sat back in her chair and ced her head in her hands. Her face no longer showed signs of pain, but now she looked tired and there was a thin film of sweat glistening on her forehead. Themunication wasplete. That much was clear, but she didn¡¯t look any happier about it either. After gathering her thoughts, she attempted to speak, ¡°He...¡± Amanda paused, swallowing hard, ¡°He has asked me to break Aidan out of captivity.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Aidan?¡± Bree asked her. Sean, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly who she was talking about. ¡°Aidan... is one of his beta alphas,¡± she responded with a hint of dread that sent chills through the little cottage in the woods. ............................ A man dressed in gentle casual clothes held the hand of a smiling jumpy boy who led him on through the market. With how fast the boy forced him to plod forward, it was getting harder to keep cautiously tapping with his walking stick ahead of him. In a delicate bnce, with the man somehow never falling or matching the boy¡¯s energy, they slowly made it through the supermarket, ¡°Hey uncle, isn¡¯t this one of the things on your list?¡± ¡°What is that, dear boy?¡± the man asked. ¡°A gigantic grapefruit with the insides of an apple,¡± the boy smirked. ¡°No, that¡¯s not one of the items,¡± the man sighed disappointedly. ¡°What about this?¡± ¡°That is...?¡± ¡°Pickled peppers,¡± ¡°Also not one of them...¡± ¡°This?¡± ¡°That is...?¡± ¡°Pickled plums.¡± ¡°Try to get serious, Benji,¡± the man groaned, letting the boy¡¯s name slip. They¡¯d been shopping for groceries and making painfully slow progress. Benji who was the perfect container of boundless energy didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry to leave either. He leapt from one thing to another, dragging the older man along with him. The list of groceries was a basic one and yet the boy was hellbent on making the trip hell for the man. Nheless, the blind man kept his cool throughout the entire trip. Once they were done shopping, they started their trip back to the small building they were renting. It wasn¡¯t so big but did hold a first floor and a ground floor. Once inside, the man locked the door and allowed the walking stick to clutter to the ground. He took off the sunsses that shielded his eyes and opened the striking bright red eyes that were hidden beneath them, ¡°You were trying to piss me off on purpose, weren¡¯t you?¡± Samson chased after the boy in the house. ¡°Yes, I was. Come on... It was fun, admit it. You were going along with every little thing I was saying. It¡¯s not every day that I get to bother you that much. You usually have limits to how much you can tolerate,¡± the boy dashed through the house, evading Samson¡¯s attempts to capture him with ease whilst giggling in delight. On the other hand, Samson found himself tripping over many things in a feat to capture the boy. He hadn¡¯t thought of what he would do to the insufferable little imp when he finally caught him, but he couldn¡¯t think of that when catching the boy alone was among the hardest things in the world. It was a punishment none of the rogues would ever want to endure. Eventually, he gave up chasing the boy. It was impossible to catch the most agile general. ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re insufferable. Try not to do that again, okay? The next time, I don¡¯t think I will be able to keep our cover,¡± Samson replied, straightening himself up and starting work on tidying up the home. ¡°Impossible. I will do it again. This is part of your training, remember? You¡¯re the one who wanted to learn to be more patient,¡± Benji replied in a serious tone. Before the man knew it, the boy was on his back. Thanks to his strength, the boy was light to him, but the speed with which Benji had gotten there still made him astounding. It was what made him one of the rogue king¡¯s generals. His agility, along with his abnormal blood-lust... ¡°Get off me, Benji. Remember that I am one of the rogue king¡¯s generals, as well, and your equal,¡± the man growled through gritted teeth. ¡°You¡¯re one of them alright. I just don¡¯t know why I got you for a babysitter. You barely know how to keep your blood-lust in check,¡± the boy sighed, leaping off the man¡¯s back and heading up the stairs, ¡°Try to keep your anger contain-¡± Just then, the two of them staggered as the rogue king¡¯s voice invaded their minds. They hadn¡¯t heard from him in a while and the sudden invasion of his voice only brought exciting grins to their faces. His voice, regardless of how far it sounded, was brimming with more power than they¡¯d ever heard it contain... it sent shivers down their spines. The two rogues remained quiet, nearly bowing down in response to the imposing weight of power that filled their master¡¯s voice. When the rogue king¡¯s message was done, Benji turned to the werewolf standing in the living room. Samson¡¯s blood-lust had broken through and the look on his face could give anyone nightmares, ¡°Understood, your majesty,¡± the man replied loudly, chuckling to himself, ¡°Get ready, Benji. We¡¯re going on a wolf hunt.¡± The boy sighed, ¡°You need to see a therapist, Samson.¡± Chapter 351 351 Letter to the King A grey wolf with dark brown spots at its feet and silver eyes that shed amber every once in a while dashed through the woods, stopping every now and then to take a drink or to hunt. Her goal was still far from reach and she didn¡¯t dare buckle under the pressure of having run so many leagues following the Great Sirius river upstream. Beatrice hadn¡¯t gotten much sleep or rest for that matter since she¡¯d run from the rogue king. It had been three days since the day she¡¯d run off. Her muscles were starting to ache with fatigue. Her sense of distance had be greatly distorted by how much she¡¯d been running through the woods and her mental state was starting to suffer the effects of istion. She lost count of her estimates on the evening of her second day of running and just kept to the river. It was all she could do to keep herself from sumbing to the emptiness that threatened to invade her mind. With her mind link having gone entirely silent, she was not sure how long her wolf and her couldst before the insanity got to her, ¡®Damn, how does the Lone Wolf do it?¡¯ she cursed, remembering a time that the alpha of the Golden Moon pack had told his son to disconnect from the mind link for a mere one hour. The boy hadn¡¯t been able tost the whole hour and yet this woman had now gone three days, not to mention all the time she¡¯d spent as a captive of the Rogue King. This hadn¡¯t bothered her as much then as she had the rogues to toy with, but now... there was no one. It was just her, her wolf, the forest and the monotonous sound of the flowing river. Nheless, the grey wolf pressed forward, pushing through with what little strength was left in her limbs. ¡®I have to make it to the capital. There is no other way. I have to warn the king.¡¯ These thoughts were wiped from her mind when her ears picked up on sounds from the forest. It was not far from the river and the longer she paid attention, the more she felt slightly relieved. Her nose picked on a scent and the rest of her senses red up as she entered a pack territory. She¡¯de across a human settlement. She broke away from her path along the river bank and made it for the small town. It was not arge town and it wasn¡¯t noisy either. The buildings were simple, however, the business in the town was bustling. The sound of the people within the vige was more lively than those at the Golden Moon pack. If the woman was to guess, this town was much more prosperous than the pack she was from and probably inhabited some humans as well. Without clothes to wear, she couldn¡¯t shift anywhere as the royals could. She circled the settlement and finally set her eyes on a cloth line. Beatrice shifted when no one was watching, stole a few clothes from the line and sauntered into the town, barefoot and started her search for relief. ..... She wanted a way to get to the capital faster. She had no money with her or any way to identify herself, but if she could get a vehicle going to the capital, she could figure something out. There was hope. Beatrice was walking for a while before she came across an inn. The establishment was rather humble and had been paintedpletely white, ¡®Maintaining this can¡¯t be easy,¡¯ she thought to herself before entering the inn and seeking out the receptionist, ¡°Good afternoon,¡± she greeted. What she hadn¡¯t ounted for, however, was her appearance. Beatrice¡¯s hair looked like it had taken a trip through a sandstorm and without much nourishment, her skin had long lost its normal glow. Her fatigue cast a look of madness in her eyes and the dark circles around her eyes didn¡¯t do her any good either. She was a mess. ¡°Oh, good afternoon. Err, would you like me to serve you with something?¡± the woman asked her, recing her initial look of shock with a warm smile. One look at her new customer and she could tell the woman was not from their beloved town, ¡°What brings you here? This pack is not usually wee to unexpected guests.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go. I don¡¯t want to get into any trouble with your townsfolk, so if you don¡¯t mind. I would like to know which way to Sirius and if possible get some transport if isn¡¯t much trouble,¡± Beatrice tried in the politest way she could muster. The scentsing from the kitchen didn¡¯t do her any good. After having eaten raw rabbit for breakfast, the craving for some nice bread and a nice cup of herbal tea wed at her insides. The receptionist stared her down. From her messy hair, fresh clean clothes that barely fit and bare feet, her warm smile didn¡¯tst, ¡°What are you running from? I doubt you have the money to pay for anything. Would you happen to be from one of them breeding houses?¡± Beatrice was visibly offended by the woman¡¯s suspicions. While they were valid, she couldn¡¯t allow their implication. Her politeness was gone, ¡°No, my situation is much worse I¡¯m afraid. I would like to talk to the king at once. Is that too much to ask?¡± ¡°Yes, it is too much to ask. The king is not in Sirius at the moment. He went off to a coronation in the kingdom of Lycaon. It¡¯s such a pity really. Losing the King of Lycaon yet his son was onlying of age. That man was lucky his son had a mate at the time too,¡± the woman clicked her tongue and grimaced, showing her pain towards the king. Although this was only idle chatter that barely interested Beatrice, the receptionist was now stalling and it was visible. Since Beatrice had crossed into this pack¡¯s territory, she had got a feeling of danger creeping into her mind. The silence in her mind did not help her situation as it magnified the slightest of suspicions into irrational fear. The woman grabbed the receptionist¡¯s arm and squeezed it tight, trying to regain her self-control. The receptionist looked displeased by the sudden action and wore a look of disdain. The malnourished Seeker was too weak to even bruise her, but that didn¡¯t stop the action from offending her, ¡°Unhand me at once.¡± Reluctantly, Beatrice let go of the receptionist and tried again, ¡°If you could just point me in the right direction, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± The receptionist was even less inclined to help her now, ¡°Why would I let a cloth thief out of my sight now? That would make me quite the citizen now, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± the woman smiled at her, a smile that did not reach her eyes. Nothing seemed to be going in Beatrice¡¯s favour since the two had begun talking and the more they spoke, the more the woman began to feel something wrong was about to happen. She hadn¡¯t stopped running this long since escaping the rogue king. Beatrice finally stood from the counter... to leave. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for having bothered you. I shouldn¡¯t havee here, to begin with,¡± Beatrice said to her, rushing towards the door. Men that had been watching the argument immediately blocked her exit. Beatrice turned to the receptionist with a pleading expression. She was getting desperate. Sighing, ¡°No, she¡¯s alright. Let her through.¡± The men rxed at the woman¡¯s orders and let Beatrice through. As soon as she had gone through the door and the men took their seats once more, a pair of two entered the store. A man and a boy, wearing suspicious sunsses. It was a disguise that anyone would find suspicious. The pair took a seat at the counter, ¡°A beer if you may,¡± the boy uttered first. ¡°The beer is for me... My nephew will have a cup of hot cocoa, if you may,¡± the man spoke up, barely sparing the ring boy a nce. Despite appearances, these two radiated very deadly auras. Then inn went deathly quiet and the tension was so thick it was tangible. Chapter 352 352 Deadly Duo The two new customers carried on like there was nothing happening. When Ca tried, she found that the sses they were wearing were nearly imprable to the naked eye. Even with her enhanced sight as a werewolf, there was nothing she could glean from the other side of the dark shades. ¡®I don¡¯t think I want to look them in the eye,¡¯ she averted her gaze. Thankfully, they acted as though they hadn¡¯t noticed her staring. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to his drivel. My nephew tends to let his mouth get the better of him,¡± the older man responded, nonchntly. ¡°Your... um, nephew sounds like a delight. You can¡¯t get bored with him around,¡± the woman responded nervously. For once, she wished her customers had made their orders to go or something that shortened their stay at the inn. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s one of the sharpest tools in the shed. I wouldn¡¯t call him a delight though,¡± the man smirked, avoiding eye contact with the boy. ¡®Are they arguing?¡¯ Sadly, the tense air around them didn¡¯t allow for such casual thoughts. Ca was still very much afraid of these new arrivals, ¡°What brings you to this part of the Sirius empire? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you around,¡± Ca asked them before turning to get their orders. ¡°We don¡¯t intend to stay in this small washed-up neighbourhood for too long. We just need to find a little bunny that¡¯s gone missing. I¡¯m sure you might have seen her pass through. After all, you do know every face in this town,¡± they held out a sketch for her to see. Surely enough, the woman¡¯s face faltered before she expertly reced her smile. If it had been anyone else, they probably would have missed this. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen that one,¡± the woman replied. ¡°You know, Samson. It could be that your drawing was a little inurate,¡± Benji suggested with a hint of sarcasm. ..... ¡°My drawings are always perfect, Benji. It¡¯s something his majesty agreed on as well. Besides, Ca...¡± in a more serious tone, ¡°Your heart skipped a beat.¡± Samson tucked the paper back into his pocket. His hand, swift as lightning, grabbed the back of the woman¡¯s head and brought it crashing down on the counter and bouncing back with a loud thud. Ca¡¯s hands flew to her bleeding nose, finally catching up to the whirlwind of motions that had just happened. It had happened so fast that the moment she hit the table felt more like imagination than reality in her head. Her body had been rxed the whole way, giving no resistance to the man¡¯s quick movements. This man was bad news. The woman took a step only to bump into someone. Short as he was, Benji was immovable. The little boy groaned in disappointment, ¡°Samson, can we switch ces? Guard duty isn¡¯t meant for me. All I get to see is this woman¡¯s rump. You, on the other hand, would love this very much.¡± ¡°Try getting serious for once in your life, Benji,¡± Samson pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing the futility of trying to reason with the boy. His face turned serious once more, ¡°Now, let¡¯s try this again, shall we?¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not any way to treat ady,¡± a man¡¯s voice intervened, ¡°Let her go.¡± Samson¡¯s fingers twitched in frustration as he turned around to take a look at the man standing up for the woman. His eyes burned a bright green with anger at what he had just done to Ca. ¡°I hate hero-type wannabes. You¡¯re not even powerful enough to lick the Perfect Warrior¡¯s boot and stand in front of me... Confident, brimming with self-righteousness... As if there is anything you know about what I¡¯m doing. Ca... You¡¯re going to tell me where that woman in the picture is... or else I¡¯ll ughter everyst werewolf in this inn.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell him a thing, Ca. You don¡¯t get to walk in here and make demands like you own the ce,¡± another stood up. All the other men in the inn followed his cue and stood to defend the innkeeper. ¡°It¡¯s pitiful watching insects stand up for one another,¡± Samson eximed before turning into a blur of motion. Momentster, the ripping of tissue and crunching of bone rang clear through the inn. Gasps rippled through the room as everyone that finally managed to catch up to his movements witnessed a scene of a man with his hand plunged into the delta¡¯s chest. The man that had spoken up first coughed out a multitude of blood, clutching the arm that held him up helplessly, ¡°You¡¯re making my outfit dirty.¡± With that, Samson flung the man across the room allowing everyone in the room to take in the lifeless corpse that had only taken him less than ten seconds to kill. ¡°I¡¯ll talk. I did see her.,¡± the woman screamed, giving up all efforts to resist Samson. She¡¯d already lost one customer and a dear friend. The woman she¡¯d tried to defend was not even worth that much to her, to begin with. However, keeping quiet would only get more of her friends killed and she didn¡¯t want that. She¡¯d already seen enough. ¡°Finally, one of you with brains that work,¡± Benjimented from behind her. Thinking back on it now, she had never noticed the boy get behind her in the first ce. He¡¯d moved so fast when the man mmed her head on the counter that she had never perceived his movements. During the time that the man had mmed her head on the counter, the boy had ghosted to the back of the counter without anyone noticing. That should have been an indicator enough for her, but it hadn¡¯t been. Probably because the boy had distracted her with his inappropriate words. No, that had also been the moment when the delta had chosen to stand up for her. It wasn¡¯t that they hadn¡¯t caught up to how dangerous these two were, they¡¯d simply wanted to do something to put an end to their silent oppression... which had been a miscalction on their part, ¡°I don¡¯t want to see anyone else get hurt,¡± Ca pleaded. This pair was in a league of its own... One that none of them could begin toprehend. Chapter 353 353 Landing in Brigadia Cole stayed by his mate¡¯s side every chance he had. Even on the way to the airport, he sat in the same van together with the Voice of the Wild. They monitored her unchanging situation with looks of concern even though there was nothing that any of them could do about it. The van eventually reached the airport where two royal jets were already waiting. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s reckless for both royal families to neglect their duties all at once?¡± Cole asked King Davin when they met outside and watched Katie¡¯s body be moved carefully into the Lycaon Royal jet. ¡°I don¡¯t let the empire stand in my way when ites to my family. Whether it¡¯s reckless or not, I don¡¯t want to miss any part of their lives that matters. It¡¯s selfish of me, but that is my decision. That¡¯s why I took my whole family to Brigadia when it was time to get Katie back,¡± the king replied. ¡°What happens if that decision ends up getting your people killed?¡± Cole¡¯s voice wascking in emotion, but the King of Sirius could understand his situation. ¡°If my daughter were to die when I was out there ving away at my desk or visiting a random pack, answering to disputes of the people, I would feel much worse than if the situation was reversed. My family matters the most to me. The empirees next. While we are growing up, we are taught to put the empire first at all costs, but after losing Katie once and watching my friend, Trevor lose his wife, I realised what was more important to the both of us. We don¡¯t just want to protect our kingdoms. We want them to be ces where our families can live happily,¡± the man tried to exin. ¡°That¡¯s a twisted way to look at things. Sounds like you¡¯re just denying all your responsibilities in the name of family,¡± Colemented. ¡°You¡¯re right about that,¡± the king replied with a sigh, ¡°But I¡¯m not going anywhere until I know she¡¯s on her way to recovery.¡± ¡°Very well then,¡± Cole responded, setting his eyes on the unconscious girl once more. In her unconscious state, Katie looked at peace. The prince wondered if she actually was at peace or if her mind had simply gone silentpletely. It would be one of the first times that would have ever happened. ..... It was like whatever was iming her life was doing it as painlessly as possible, ¡°It¡¯s not unsettling to see her calm and not worrying about something.¡± ........... Brigadia had four cars ready to receive the party when they had just arrived. Sandra was the first to exit the jets. Her parents rushed forward from the crowd that had gathered to receive them. The new hunter fell into her mother¡¯s embrace and did the best she could to hold back the tears that threatened to escape her. Samantha approached her along with Keh, ¡°So, it¡¯s true then?¡± the blonde hunter asked in a sombre tone. Theck of an answer was all Samantha needed to draw her conclusion. After hugging and greeting Sandra, the hunters approached the people exiting the nes. The hatch at the back of one of the jets opened, to release an ambnce that contained the girl being stabilised by machines just to keep her body from running out of energy. Upon Anthony¡¯s request, Cole opened the back of the ambnce to reveal the girl sleeping peacefully within it. The boisterous hunter stared at the girl inside for a moment, trying to discern what could possibly put her in such a state. s, he didn¡¯t have a clue what he was looking at, ¡°I hope you find what you¡¯re looking for in Brigadia.¡± ¡°You sound like you know what we¡¯re looking for,¡± Cole replied. ¡°Maybe... I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re looking for, but...¡± the man sighed, ¡°I might have a faint clue.¡± Cole¡¯s expressionless face finally showed a hint of surprise when he heard what Anthony said. Anthony took this as a sign to continue, ¡°The forest... It¡¯s like it¡¯s been recreated since Katie left. It started happening not long after the two of you had gone, but none of us could figure out what was happening. The patrols were getting harder to keep track of when everything was no longer looking familiar. There have been rumours of moon lotus flowers in the forest, but no proof of them. Even those that im to have seen them can¡¯t exactly find them again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because the forest will do everything to keep humans from finding the ce the goddessnded, but even nature is not that perfect and that¡¯s why people like me exist with a calling to keep such cespletely hidden from humans,¡± an old woman¡¯s voice intervened. The two men turned to face the woman that had crept up behind them. ¡°And you are...¡± ¡°My name is Fauna. I will be leading the king to this same ce you¡¯ve spoken about. It¡¯s meant to be the epicentre of power in your forest and the ce where the moon goddessstnded which, other than the Origin, makes it the one ce that we can be able tomunicate with the goddess again,¡± the woman exined. Anthony looked between the king and the woman, waiting for the punchline, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re serious right now, aren¡¯t you? Couldn¡¯t you find some human way to fix her problem? She¡¯s always been pushing herself and each time she broke, we pulled her out of it and got her back on track. What makes this so different?¡± the man argued. ¡°Believe me when I tell you this Anthony. Nothing humanly possible can be done for this condition. She might have taken it a bit too far this time... even for her,¡± Cole sighed, ¡°We don¡¯t have much time to waste. Let¡¯s get her there as soon as we can.¡± The prince closed the door of the ambnce, signalling the end of this short break in their journey. ¡°Wait.... where is Micah?¡± Thorrin asked loudly. ¡°He sensed blood-lust somewhere in the Sirius empire and chose to go after it instead,¡± Evelyn replied. ¡®Rogues?¡¯ Chapter 354 354 Living Forest ¡°What about you? Did you detect it?¡± Thorrin asked, worryced in his voice. ¡°Yes, I did, but I would not be surprised if you took it to be your worry for Katie. Let¡¯s leave that to Micah. He should be able to get it done,¡± Evelyn shed a forced smile. The Perfect Warrior put aside his worries and proceeded to the cars that hade to pick them up. Their state of urgency didn¡¯t allow them to visit the Hunter¡¯s Agency. Instead, they drove to the road that would get closest to the ce where Katie and Cole had met the moon goddess. The more they got there, the more the sound of the girl¡¯s heartbeat grew erratic. Cole noticed and held her hand. The small gesture was enough to calm the unconscious Luna. This sudden reaction to the ce they were going gave Cole some form of hope, ¡°Will it hurt her?¡± he asked the old woman that had chosen to ride with him. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. This has never happened before, you know,¡± Fauna replied. The prince didn¡¯t notice, but the woman was watching these two with calcting eyes, almost as if she was having her own mental argument, trying to make out the meaning of all this before her. ¡°Then how do you know how to treat her?¡± Cole wasn¡¯t done asking. ¡°I don¡¯t, your Majesty. That¡¯s why I know this might be the only way you have to get her better. Wasting time looking for a cure for something that has never existed before wouldn¡¯t help,¡± the woman sighed... ¡®What royal is capable of this much worry? Something¡¯s wrong with them... all of them.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just Cole she¡¯d noticed acting this way. It was the other royals as well. Particrly King Davin towards his Queen. The man was always aware of her presence and spent almost all his time by her side. ¡®Maybe they hit their heads on boulders or something.¡¯ The ambnce finally came to a stop. ¡°All we have to do now is...¡± ¡°I will be proceeding through the forest with you and Katie from this point on,¡± Fauna interrupted. ..... ¡°What do you mean by that? I aming with all of them. That is final,¡± Cole argued. When the woman saw the look in his eye, she chose to rephrase her words, ¡°Very well then, but the moment the forest starts to bar our way actively, they stop walking, is that clear?¡± Cole didn¡¯t know what she meant, but nodded all the same. ............. Cole carried his mate in his arms as they traversed the forest. Memories of their encounters in these woods would sh through his mind every now and then. He wasn¡¯t alone though. Many others were apanying him. Jason and Caden had stayed behind in Lycaon to run the empire... With the help of his stepmother, they wouldn¡¯t have much trouble as long as nothing too drastic happened. The cool cloudy weather forced most of the people around him to rub their arms in the cold, but no oneined. As they walked further into the forest, Cole¡¯s eyes began to glow brighter and Fauna took note of the change. ¡°The goddess can onlye down once every fifty years on her own, but the reason for that is to allow the earth contain the divine energy thates with her arrival. That also means nothing is stopping her from returning to the same ce shended in soon after... The effect would not be felt that way,¡± the woman muttered to herself. Cole nodded in understanding, but he was now getting ufortable with the woman¡¯s constant staring, ¡°Is something the matter?¡± ¡°Oh, no. I was just wondering how bright your eyes will be by the time we make it,¡± the woman smiled. Almost immediately, the old woman bumped her head into a low-lying branch and yelped in pain. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. That branch came out of no...¡± A scream could be heard from someone else. Looking back, Sandra had tripped on a root and fallen on Samantha. Another painful grunt was heard, this time from Anthony. The boisterous hunter looked up at the branch he¡¯d also bumped into, ¡°You think you¡¯ve seen it all, then that happens,¡± his raised voice boomed as he pointed at something in the trees. The whole party turned to where he was pointing. Vines were moving along the trees, merging into great sturdy branches while other branches were splitting into vines that reformed into different shaped branches. The roots were also moving in a simr manner, shifting the very positions of the trees slowly. It was a freakish process that seemed to speed up the deeper they walked into the forest. ¡°This is what I was afraid of. The forest will try to stop us from proceeding. It would be better for everyone to stop here except Cole, Katie and I since I¡¯m sort of a guardian. It¡¯s only until we¡¯ve made it to the centre,¡± Fauna exined. ¡°How will we know you have made it to the centre? Cell phones don¡¯t work within this ce,¡± Anthony asked. ¡°Wait, seriously... That¡¯s important. How did it slip your mind?¡± Thorrin yelled, pulling out his phone and staring bluntly at theck of bars on his phone. ¡°Well, we were all so determined to get the girl there that it just slipped my mind,¡± the manughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head, exposing the scar of a wolf bite on his forearm. ¡°You¡¯ll know we have reached when the forest stops moving about. For now, just stay put,¡± Fauna replied before taking more steps into the forest. Cole bowed slightly to the rest of the party and left, following the Voice of the Wild with Katie in his arms. Samantha took a seat on a root with an exasperated sigh, only to stand when the creeping buttress root wouldn¡¯t stop moving, ¡°That¡¯s so creepy,¡± she shuddered. ¡°And I thought you¡¯d remain seated,¡± Evelyn chuckled, having watched the whole spectacle in high definition. Chapter 355 355 Deep Instincts Cole followed the woman keeping wary of the moving vines. The deeper they went, the faster they moved and attempted to block their progress. Cole found that he had to dodge a branch that stuck out almost too suddenly. The first time this happened, he looked at the branch and wondered whether it had been trying to knock him unconscious. After a few more times, however, once when he had to leap over the approaching root and another when he had topletely evade one aiming for his stomach, he was bing more convinced that he wasn¡¯t a special guest at all, ¡°I thought you said they were going to try and keep the others out, but not the three of us,¡± the man asked her, dodging yet another one, pulling his unconscious mate closer to his body. The king thought he felt Katie shift her weight, but diverted his attention when the groan of tree bark became audible with the moving ntlife. Without noticing it, the two of them dodged much more vines than before and started to pant in exhaustion. ¡°Yes, that is what I know, but my information is iplete. I know the royals are the only ones that have ess to ces like this. Royals and a few special beings, but each one gets permission from divine power,¡± the woman said to him, ¡°Have you ever read anything about the origin?¡± ¡°No, I have never read anything about the Origin. Up until a few days ago, that was all but a myth to me. Why would something like the Origin of Werewolves exist in the first ce and no one¡¯s been able to find it,¡± the man grunted? The vines were stepping up their game and now working much faster. At some point, the trees before thempletely moved together and merged at the stem blocking their pathpletely. The two then moved to the side to find another way to keep going forward. ¡°The Origin exists and just like this forest is protecting the ce where you and your mate met the moon goddess, the Origin protects itself. I have been...¡± the woman was stopped in her tracks when more trees moved together andpletely blocked their path this time. The trees behind them were starting to do the same. Fear was starting to set, ¡°Damn it. It¡¯s trying to lock us in. I have been the guardian of the forest for a long time and not once has the ce rejected me. What am I missing?¡± Cole looked around and realised they were about to be sandwiched by the trees, ¡°Come on,¡± Cole called the woman and started walking through the tunnel the trees were starting to form. Going back was going to be a better option, when the alpha found an opening to leave, the trees quickly barred his way as well, ¡°Wait, why can¡¯t we go back as well?¡± ¡°We are intruders now. The forest won¡¯t let us leave,¡± the woman said to Cole. ¡°You speak like the forest has a mind of its own,¡± Cole yelled, trying to find another opening. This time though, the trees blocked the tunnel-like exit she was trying to use and started pushing in on them from both sides. ..... ¡°Well, with divine magic, a lot is possible. I wouldn¡¯t put it against this forest to have a mind of its own,¡± the woman said, starting to breathe badly. ¡°Then talk to it, damn it. You talk to so many creatures. Can¡¯t you talk to this forest as well?¡± the man asked. ¡°That is a desperate point, King of Werewolves. I can talk to animals. My name is Fauna. It has nothing to do with...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about that at the moment. You¡¯re standing with the Moon Goddess¡¯s chosen and are about to be killed by a forest. The world is doomed if nothing happens. I need ideas,¡± Cole argued with her. The woman stopped arguing and looked around for some way out. The vines only kept slithering and merging to form much sturdier branches that sealed their escape routes. The girl within Cole¡¯s arms started squirming involuntarily, ¡°Come on, Katie, you¡¯re not making this any easier by struggling,¡± Coleined, trying to keep her still. Her weakness made it easy for him to still her, but he could tell she was notfortable. The girl could be detecting a missing requirement to our entry. I certainly have no idea what we¡¯re missing,¡± Fauna tried suggesting. ¡°Have you looked at the girl you¡¯re trying to use at the moment?¡± Cole growled at her. ¡°Yes, I have, but at this rate, we¡¯re going to be trapped. Try getting something from her actions. It could be a sign. I heard from one of the creatures that she had a very sharp intuition. It could be that same intuition trying to get her mate out of trouble,¡± the woman tried. Pushing on the vines in an effort to slow their approach. At first, it looked like they were merely trapping them, but as time went on, it became clear that they were closing in closer and closer. They were going to be crushed. Finally seeing no way out, Cole ced Katie down and stared at her, searching her movements for a clue. Her fists kept clenching, but something out of it was odd. Her nails kept extending into ws and retracting all the same. She didn¡¯t have enough energy to sustain a shift, but Cole could tell it was her aim, ¡°Katie, closing your fist and shifting is quite dangerous,¡± the man reached out to stop her from hurting herself. When he held her hands, she strained to fight him until she gave up. The man sighed in relief, ¡°This is no time for you to be relieved. We are in a bit of a pickle here,¡± the old woman yelled at him, skidding backwards from the force of the trees closing in. ¡°I know, but Katie was going to harm herself if she kept it up. I couldn¡¯t help myself,¡± Cole shrugged, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his mate¡¯s ear. When he looked back at her beautiful face, he noticed her lower lip pulled into her mouth, caught in between her teeth. Her jaw trembled with strain from what she wanted to do. Cole brought his hand to the girl¡¯s lip and gently pulled her lip out, ¡°Now you¡¯re trying to bite your lip? What¡¯s this all about?¡± Chapter 356 356 Cocooned in Green ¡°Wait, what did you say?¡± the woman behind her asked. ¡°She was trying to bite her lip. Does that mean something?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°Of course it means something,¡± the woman replied, abandoning the futile attempt at keeping the trees at bay and rushing back to the king, ¡°Do you trust me?¡± she asked him. ¡°It¡¯s not like I have a choice at the moment,¡± Cole shrugged. ¡°Meh, fair enough,¡± the woman replied. ws sprouted from her hands and she shed her hand across the king¡¯s palm. The ws stopped at the surface of the man and cracked. Cole gasped at the sight of the woman¡¯s bloodied nails, ¡°Aaaah,¡± she screamed, ¡°Damn it. What are you made of? That is not skin,¡± the woman replied. ¡°You should have told me before you did something that stupid. My skin is nearly imprable and at the moment, none of us has the tool to cut me. What were you trying to do anyway?¡± he asked. ¡°The blood of a royal is what we need. The forest will only know who we are if we present the blood of a royal as proof of permission to be here. The origin will allow any royal, but this one will allow the royal that was here thest time,¡± the woman said to him, ¡°It¡¯s my theory anyway. Now it makes sense why I could ess the one back in Lycaon. I was a fool to think the rules were the same. ¡°You need my blood huh,¡± Cole looked crestfallen, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to give you such a thing.¡± ¡°Well, what about Katie¡¯s? She was here as well thest time, wasn¡¯t she?¡± the woman asked, looking at her. If the two of them weren¡¯t werewolves, everything around them would be pitch-ck... The space around them was bing increasingly less and less and the woman was not sure about her theory either, ¡°Hurry, Cole.¡± ..... ¡°Don¡¯t rush me... You¡¯re asking me to cut my mate. It¡¯s not that easy, you know,¡± the man yelled back at her, ¡°Not to mention she won¡¯t have given me permission to do so.¡± ¡°Oh,e on. She wouldn¡¯t want you to die either. Would you get moving already?¡± having had enough of the woman¡¯s nagging, Cole bit the tip of his mate¡¯s finger and watched the blood flow from it. As if the forest sensed the blood, a vine reached out from the bark behind her and coiled around her hand, allowing the blood to seep into the green vine. The man watched the vine retreat from his mate and he healed her immediately. The two of them stood waiting for the forest to stop crushing them for a bit before realising nothing had changed, ¡°You said this would work.¡± ¡°I know what I said, okay. But it doesn¡¯t look like we are in any better situation now, does it? We might need your blood as well, Cole,¡± the woman replied. ¡°What if that doesn¡¯t work?¡± Cole argued. From certainty to a gamble in less than a minute... Were they going to die her? Was the aggressive nt life that threatened to sandwich them actually going to crush them? ¡®Just when you think you¡¯ve seen it all... Vampire nts,¡¯ Cole¡¯s thoughts ran amok. ¡°How can we know that when we haven¡¯t tried? Look, I know you don¡¯t have much reason to trust me here, but hey... If it doesn¡¯t work, we could always just wait for our deaths. It would be the grandest death in the history of werewolves... death by trees, but I¡¯m sure of this. Please trust me,¡± Fauna tried. Cole looked back to Katie and noticed she was much closer to him than before, her face was so close he could smell the perfume she¡¯d used for the coronation... ¡®Nice choice... If only we weren¡¯t in this situation,¡¯ he thought to himself before snapping back to reality. They were running out of space fast... and time. It wasn¡¯t long before the trees would have thempletely encased in a constricting cocoon of bark. ¡°There must be something else that can go through that armour of yours that you haven¡¯t thought of,¡± Fauna tried encouraging. Her voice was only a distraction. Cole wracked his brain helplessly for a way out of this situation, but nothing came to him. He had tried... many times after realising what his abilities were. Breaking his skin was one of the few things he didn¡¯t know to do. He could remember a time he¡¯d tried to intentionally injure himself, but it hadn¡¯t worked. Just like someone could trigger their tickles themselves, his armour rendered him immune to harm and even more from himself than others. Wolves that had found themselves trying to bite him had staggered back with cracked teeth and left him with pinpricks that healed less than secondster. This thought, however, had gotten to him. Bites... Werewolves that had bitten him before weren¡¯t able to. But even then, the answery within that same thought. It had been staring him straight in the face. The night that he¡¯d gained his most coveted scar. The day was etched in his mind like it was yesterday, never to be forgotten for as long as he lived. Katie was the only one that had ever bitten him without having to be held back by his body¡¯s indestructible capabilities. ¡°She¡¯s my weakness... and my strength. The irony,¡± he muttered to himself before pulling his mate into an embrace. Backed up against Fauna, the woman asked, ¡°Now what are you doing? This is not the time for you to be embracing your mate. The two of you will die if you don¡¯t do anything about this. Damn it... I can¡¯t move. Cole, do something.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t move either...¡± Cole replied through gritted teeth. The forest hadpletely closed in on the three of them. Air was bing a meagre resource and panic was hitting its ceiling. In despair, Cole extended his ws and attempted to pierce the insides of his palm, but it was just as he¡¯d thought. Nothing happened. Neither his ws nor the skin of his palms gave way.¡± Katie was unconscious and unable to do anything. Cole was unable to break his own skin despite all his attempts. Fauna was... well, Fauna was Fauna. The old woman was cursing every decision she¡¯d ever made in her long life that led to this point. Being crushed by the same nature that you protected and... to some degree, controlled. ¡®This can¡¯t be it...¡¯ she mentally called out. This was partly a mental plea to the moon goddess that brought her into this mess in the first ce. Chapter 357 357 Bad news... Understatement... Within the mess of groaning nt life and rapidly creeping vines that continued to entomb the newly Crowned King of Lycaon, the future Queen and the Voice of the Wild, a sole high-pitched scream akin to that of a dying weaver bird rang clear. The same scream continued long after the trees had stopped moving. Cole was almost sure the trees shuddered at the power this scream held within it. Sadly enough, it was a nuisanceing from the old woman trapped with him. When Fauna ran out of options, she¡¯d chosen to scream her lungs out. A feat that would have been counterproductive. ¡®Doesn¡¯t she realise there is barely enough air left for the three of us?¡¯ Thankfully, the trees had stopped moving and a resonating shudder was echoing all around them. Peeking through one of his tightly shut eyes, the alpha realised they weren¡¯t being crushed anymore, something else was happening. ¡°This has got to be some cruel joke,¡± he coughed under the cruel pressure pressing from all sides. Without warning, the pressure on them vanished and a deep breath of air made its way into the man¡¯s lungs. The vines receded faster than they¡¯d moved in,pletely spreading and letting the trees space out again. The ground rumbled from the rapid movement of nt life. When the greenery finally stopped moving, they had spread out like they normally were in a normal forest assuming the serene stillness of a peaceful forest. Cole was even able to recognise what part of the forest they were in. The very positions of the trees were etched deeply into his memory. A wave of nostalgia washed over him reminding him of the time he¡¯d met the moon goddess. How could he ever forget the trees that surrounded him that night? It was the time he¡¯d almost found his mate. He¡¯d been evaded for so long... and on that day, the goddess herself had stopped him from seeing her. The only difference, now, however, was the blue incandescent flowers that covered the ground. Moon lotus flowers were littered all over the ground forming a trail leading deeper into the forest. Fauna was still panting from the ordeal. She heaved a breath, ¡°That was close. How did you manage to...¡± the woman stopped speaking when she noticed something bizarre with Cole¡¯s Luna. Trickling down the side of her lip was a thin trail of blood, but somehow the woman could tell it didn¡¯t belong to her. The answer felt so simple all of a sudden. The prince bore Katie¡¯s mark on his shoulder and that could only be possible if she could break his skin, ¡°Your mate can bite you.¡± Cole smiled warmly, rubbing circles in Katie¡¯s back. This was hisst hope, but he hadn¡¯t thought it would work. Katie was unconscious and he didn¡¯t even know what waking her up would do to her. Even then, she had been struggling to pierce her own palms earlier, almost as if she¡¯d known what they needed to do to survive this situation. Cole, then hoped that she would be able to bite him even while asleep. It was a gamble, but it was one that had paid off. He had also run out of options leaving him with that one course of action. ..... ¡°I remembered the day she marked me. There was no resistance to her teeth like there normally is. It was the only way I could think of,¡± the man exined. ¡°Clever, but how were you sure she would bite you?¡± she asked, ¡°She shouldn¡¯t even be able to move in the first ce.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one that mentioned her ¡®amazing¡¯ intuition and instincts. I just had to trust that she would do it,¡± the man replied with a shrug. He then took a step forward in the direction of the lotus flowers. He knew where he was going now that the forest was back to normal and required no direction in taking to the nexus of divine energy they were in search of. It was the ce he¡¯d first met the moon goddess. The day she dyed him from meeting his mate by one day. Back then, the girl was being protected from the rogue king, disguised as a hunter. A powerful one, though... Katie was nothing like he would have ever expected his mate to be. It wasn¡¯t long before they finally reached the field of moon lotus flowers. Cole¡¯s eyes were now glowing brightly in response to the massive influx of divine energy in this field of flowers. The flowers were glowing a bright blue simr to the shade of his eyes and beaming with divine energy. ¡°This is it, isn¡¯t it?¡± Cole asked her. ¡°Yes... this is it. ce her at the centre of the field of flowers,¡± the woman instructed. Without warning or notification, Fauna moved further from the centre of the clearing. A dark expression threatened to rece her jovial countenance. She¡¯d done a fantastic job of keeping this facade... but now that they were here, Fauna was not sure she could keep it up much longer. As Cole ced Katie down, he noticed numerous scratches on her back. Tapping into his power, he healed the slight blemishes that the violent trees had left. Katie¡¯s appearance was pristine in the field of moon lotuses, almost like she was made toy there, untouched by faults... groomed to perfection. The rest of the party that hade with them made it to the centre of the forest not long after the king hadid his Luna in the field of moon lotuses. Still dressed in the blue dress that she¡¯d been in during the coronation, Katie looked like a princessying down in a field of flowers. The blue flowers seemed to respond to her presence and hugged her body nicely, wrapping her beautiful frame with a blue mist of divine energy. Cole didn¡¯t know this, but he was the only one that could see the bright glow of the flowers. This glow was visible to him because of the divine energy in his body as one of the goddess¡¯s chosen. This, however, was fixed by the events that followed, allowing everyone else to view this scene the same way. The light of the sun was the first to leave the world. The flowers glowed a bright blue and extended their blue hue onto the girlying down. A silhouette of a beautiful woman appeared kneeling beside her, ¡°You made it,¡± Celeste sounded immensely relieved. Her attention waspletely taken by the girlying down before her, ¡°You¡¯re a difficult one. And after I helped you beat the wolfsbanest time.¡± Cole recognised the woman from thest time they¡¯d met. Almost everyone else in the field had no idea who she was but knew no other that could have shown up after they¡¯d sought her out. It was the moon goddess herself. The silhouette slowly took on more colour until she was clear and present in the flesh. Everyone else in the field was stunned by her presence, so stunned that they could not speak, ¡°Can you help her?¡± Cole asked her. The woman¡¯s brows scrunched up as she passed her hand above Katie. Celeste sighed sadly, ¡°She has gone and done it now, hasn¡¯t she?¡± she said, cutting the sleeping girl¡¯s face. Looking back at the alpha, she steeled her expression, ¡°I... I can.¡± Celeste¡¯s eyes moved from the royal and surveyed the crowd that had apanied Cole on this journey. She made eye contact with Fauna and froze for a moment. The Voice of the Wild had lost her ever-present smile and chipper attitude. Fearing that this mask had been broken, she broke eye contact and stared at the ground before her, bowing to the goddess in a respectful gesture. ¡°I can already tell there is bad news. Just tell me already,¡± Cole spoke up, having missed the silent exchange. ¡°I¡¯ll start with the good news. There is a way I can help her return to full health,¡± despite saying this, Celeste kept an indifferent expression. Cole¡¯s tension was getting worse but knowing it was bad news awaiting him kept the king from rushing the goddess. ¡®Ignorance is bliss... so the saying goes,¡¯ rang his conflicted thoughts. The clearing went eerily quiet, a sombre mood taking over them as they awaited the goddess¡¯s next words. The Royals of Sirius, The hunters of the Chase family, the hunters of Brigadia... The three families cared for Katie dearly. Celeste was sad to reveal it to them, ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it will take. An injury like this has never happened before. If I¡¯m to heal and return her to her former state, I can¡¯t know how long it will take. I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll take her to the god of medicine. Her treatment will begin then.¡± ¡®Bad news... bad news... bad news...¡¯ Cole¡¯s mind searched through her words for the hint of horror he¡¯d been looking for. At first, it didn¡¯t register... All he¡¯d wanted to know was that she would be fine, but then... ¡°I can heal her instantly if I separate her from everything that makes her more special than the ordinary werewolf she would have been born to be, but that would mean she wouldn¡¯t have the power to defeat the Rogue King anymore.¡± No matter how slow Cole¡¯s mind could get, understanding the Goddess¡¯s words was inevitable. After all, this was among the worst things that could be said to a wolf... ¡®Bad news... That¡¯s an understatement. You might as well be saying the world ising to an end...¡¯ Cole¡¯s thoughts were turning mncholic... his mind struggled to hold onto hope... hope that he could have heard her wrong. Hope that there was another way. Hope that... hope that he was dreaming... that he was having a nightmare and he would wake up to his mate sleeping peacefully beside him. ¡°The god of medicine wouldn¡¯t happen to live nearby, would he?¡± A glistening tear rolled down the goddess¡¯s face while she shook her head and mouthed the word ¡®no¡¯. Across from her, a simr expression appeared on the Voice of the Wild. ¡®Truly Bad News... Katie was going to be taken.¡¯ Chapter 358 358 Surrounded By Love ¡°What about thatst thing you said about healing her instantly? I didn¡¯t quite catch that,¡± Cole asked after a moment of silence. It was almost like he was trying to fill the heavy silence that had taken over the clearing. ¡°She would still be a werewolf, but she wouldn¡¯t have the powers of one of my Chosen or those of a hunter either. She would be an ordinary royal wolf, free from the additional power I bestowed upon her when she was born,¡± the goddess replied. Cole sighed,ying his eyes on the sleeping princess, ¡°I don¡¯t think she would be happy with that. She did promise to get better, but that is not what she would call... better. No, not when she wants to bring him down.¡± The goddess sighed in response to his words, ¡°It¡¯s not forever you know. She will return to you when she¡¯s all better.¡± Silence swept through the whole clearing as many of them broke from the spell of seeing the goddess for the first time, ¡°Can we at least say our goodbyes?¡± Sandra¡¯s voice broke through the silence. Her voice sounded hoarse, almost as though she¡¯d been crying, but no one asked. ¡°Yes,¡± the goddess replied, waving her hand over Katie¡¯s body. The swirling blue mist that hung low in this field swirled over her body in a miniature tornado of power, taking form. As the mist swirled faster and faster above the girl, it began to take form, shifting from a cloud of blue mist to a floating ghostly human figure. A silhouette of Katie appeared above her body. The body itself remained immovable. Ghost Katie¡¯s eyes fluttered open and she regarded the scene before her. The goddess addressed her, ¡°I¡¯m guessing you heard everything that¡¯s been said?¡± Katie nodded to confirm the goddess¡¯s words before turning to the people that were present because of her, ¡°Hello, every...¡± her voice got caught in her throat when she finally took in their expressions. ¡°Mum,¡± she called out. Both the Queen and her adoptive mother looked up at her, ¡°Both my mothers...¡± a tear broke slid down her face, ¡°Father... both of them. Lina, my sister, Drake, my brother, my best friend, Sandra. Anthony, Samantha, Keh, Jackeline, Frost, Aunt Evelyn, Uncle Thorrin... You all came. Oh my... This is a little embarrassing.¡± ..... ¡°What¡¯s so embarrassing about being surrounded by the people that love you?¡± Sandra frowned. ¡°The part where I¡¯m speaking to them as a ghost that has been summoned to say my goodbyes. I left Brigadia to try and put an end to the Rogue king... and yet I return immovable. So, yeah, this is a little embarrassing,¡± Katie grimaced. A giggle rang through the crowd, ¡°You¡¯re crying. You¡¯re feeling embarrassed. It only sounds to me like you¡¯ve grown up quite a bit. Teaching you to hold in your emotions had you unable to express them. I guess you did learn something out there in the big cities,¡± Samantha replied, with a sad chuckle. Katie had never thought of it that way. In fact, she thought learning how to express her emotions was just a form of weakness. ¡®I couldn¡¯t have done it without Ashley,¡¯ Katie thought to herself. ¡°Yeah, I learnt a lot... and ate a lot as well,¡± the Luna replied, ¡°I have so many stories. Maybe when I return, we could y a little more paintball. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d like to give Kyle a good smack on the head as well,¡± Katie chuckled. The ghostly apparition of the girl floated up to the five hunters that had apanied this party and bowed to them, ¡°I¡¯m so grateful to the five of you... and all the hunters of Brigadia as well.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this, Katie. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going away for a long time,¡± Keh tried to stop her. Theck of reply from the girl and the goddess¡¯s failure to look them straight in the eye suggested otherwise, ¡°No, Katie, you must return to us,¡± Keh panicked. ¡°I will return, Keh. I just don¡¯t know when that will be,¡± Katie tried to fake a smile, but the ghostly tears that shimmered on her face betrayed the purpose of her words. Without a physical form, Katie felt awkward hugging them so she settled for bidding them farewell. When she was done bidding them farewell, she floated to the Sirius royal family, ¡°Mum, Dad, little sister, Lina and my obnoxious big brother, Drake.¡± ¡°You know, I¡¯m perfecting my act of being a gentleman,¡± Drake replied to her, however, his usual friendly tone was gone and reced with one filled with mncholy. ¡°We lost you once before and we¡¯ve only got you back,¡± King Davin said through gritted teeth. He balled his fists in frustration. Katie bit back tears as she watched her family. The gathering of people that hade with her was the reason that kept her focused on her mission every day. The reason she found the strength to keep fighting the rogues every day. For her to create a world where those she loved would live in peace and happiness, free of the fear that tormented this world, ¡°I know you will be back, but that doesn¡¯t make this any easier.¡± ¡°Why did you have to get so reckless again?¡± Lina bit back her own tears. Katie smiled fondly at her younger sister, ¡°When something bad is going to happen, I don¡¯t always know how to hold back, Lina. If my efforts achieved anything, they only brought the Rogue King fear and he¡¯ll still be cautious, but ultimately, I failed to capture him. I ask that you keep everyone around you safe. Something gave him a reason to escape. Something gave him hope that he could win this war. It was so important that it even forced him to retreat and not risk getting recaptured. If you find out what it is, keep him from it as much as you can. When I return and he¡¯s not defeated by then, this will all end.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t toured Sirius yet, you know,¡± Queen Martha changed the subject. Now that Katie thought about it, she hadn¡¯t gotten the chance. Immediately her trip to the reserve had ended, she¡¯d gotten herself into this situation. She¡¯d missed out on their first family outing, ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t. So we¡¯ll have to do that when I return.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that,¡± the Queen¡¯s words wereboured and betrayed the facade she was putting up. With her goodbyes said, Katie floated to her adoptive family. From each group she left, her heart felt heavier. She didn¡¯t know if she could make it, but she had to keep going. After all, this was thest time she would be seeing them in a long time. Katie regarded the pair tasked with raising her since she was an infant. Thomas and Marie Chase beheld the girl they¡¯d raised, ¡°How didn¡¯t we see thising?¡± Marie covered her lips with her palm to keep the words that threatened to pour from her. Thomas and Marie Chase were the closest Chase hunters to Katie when she set out for Lycaon that day and they had detected something wrong was going to happen to their daughter. They hade rushing to her rescue. They had apanied her to Lycaon... They had watched her and helped her in her fight against the Rogue King. All their efforts had done nothing to stop what happened to her. They still ended up watching her lose all her strength and eventually copse... immovable. Their abilities weren¡¯t always clear. While they thought the true danger was in Lycaon and even helped Katie try to stop it, they hadpletely missed the signs of her pushing herself well beyond her limits. It was simply unavoidable. Even then, who could have thought her injuries would be this dire? So dire that a god could only treat her. Chapter 359 359 To My Best Friend ¡°You can¡¯t know the future. And even the little of it you can detect allowed you to save me from the explosion at the reserve. I also can¡¯t thank you enough for saving Kyle as well. It¡¯s not something I thought I¡¯d say... but still, I¡¯m grateful... and,¡± her words were gone, swallowed up by the growing anguish that threatened to consume her. ¡°One moment we have a daughter and the next, we don¡¯t... Who knew life would be that cruel?¡± Tom sighed, pulling his wife closer to him. At a moment when he wished he was speaking with his daughter¡¯s physical form, his grip on Marie¡¯s waist would get slightly tighter. ¡°I don¡¯t think I follow. As far as I¡¯m concerned, I¡¯ve never stopped being your daughter,¡± the girl replied sternly before softening, ¡°I forgot to tell you back then, but I was excited to see you guys back at the reserve. I hadn¡¯t known when I would be seeing you again.¡± ¡°Yeah, and I forgot to tell you that I was present the whole time you fought that beta alpha. I watched you defeat him with Cole¡¯s help. You were amazing. I hadn¡¯t thought you¡¯d grown that much,¡± Marie responded. ¡°I had been working on my movements a lot... but that was thest I was able to move that well I guess,¡± she responded, ¡°Spoil me all you can when I return... And if at all, I find a younger sibling, I¡¯ll spoil them rotten.¡± ¡°You better keep your word. Who wouldn¡¯t want to have you for a big sister?¡± Marie replied. Thorrin stepped forward, so he was side by side with Marie and Tom. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the family reunion. We¡¯ve already waited long enough for the day to meet you as a family,¡± Thorrin replied... ¡®So much I hadn¡¯t done. I guess I shouldn¡¯t have spent that week sulking,¡¯ Katie thought to herself. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss it,¡± the girl replied, ¡°Take care of my parents for me. I think... no, I know they are really rusty.¡± ¡°We trained you, Katie. That¡¯s not something that can be achieved by someone who¡¯s rusty,¡± Marie chuckled. ..... When the moment had passed, Thorrin spoke with a slight bow, ¡°I won¡¯t let them get carried away. One Chase is more than we can spare.¡± Katie felt the pull to hug her parents, but thinking about the state she was in, she decided against it and floated on to someone else standing in the clearing. Sandra stood staring at the ground, unwilling to make any eye contact with her mentor. ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t want to say goodbye without letting me look at you?¡± ¡°No... I just don¡¯t want to cry any more than I already have. The lion saved you and I was relieved. I thought I¡¯d lost you then. Why couldn¡¯t you just thank him and stand back up like someone who had been saved?¡± the girl asked her. Katie thought back to the moment and remembered another dashing figure that had tried to save her in the throne room. ¡°Oh, Sandra...¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I knew I wouldn¡¯t make it back then. I was d when... but then, you didn¡¯t get back up. Now, look at you. I always knew I would be the first between the two of us to go down in this fight,¡± Sandra¡¯s voice threatened to break once more. ¡°We¡¯ll both be standing when this is all over. It doesn¡¯t matter how many times we tumble. Would you watch over Kyle for me, Sandra?¡± the girl requested. ¡°Won¡¯t that be up to the Hunters to decide?¡± Sandra asked. Katie turned to the Chase family. They¡¯d been listening in on the conversation. Thorrin took a step to the right and then another to the left, just to confirm the ghost¡¯s eyes were pinned on him, ¡°Alright, fine, I¡¯ll see what I can do about it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Uncle,¡± Katie replied, shing him a brilliant smile before turning back to her best friend, ¡°On a serious note though, Kyle will need all the help he can get. I can think of no one better suited for the task. Oh, Caden is a big help as well.¡± ¡°What about my birthday? I¡¯ll finally be turning eighteen,¡± Sandra knew mentioning this to a Royal would mean a lot. After all, they had been waiting for that day. It would be the day when she¡¯d find out the truth about her rtionship with Jason. Was Katie really going to miss that? What if Jason was wrong? What then...? Katie went silent at the mention of Sandra¡¯s uing birthday. It hadpletely slipped her mind or she¡¯d merely kept herself from thinking about it. She was going away for a time that wasn¡¯t defined... However much the goddess hid the estimates of time, Katie had a feeling it was better not knowing. That still meant she was going to miss a lot. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t get my hopes up,¡± the girl replied, letting her happy expression fall. She¡¯d tried going for a cheery approach, but the fact that she was leaving her best friend before she¡¯d even turned eighteen still darkened the mood, ¡°I¡¯m not dying, Sandra.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t make it any easier, Katie. You¡¯re being handed over to a goddess. They don¡¯t even live in the same ne we do. You¡¯ll be gone... like really gone. We know you¡¯ll get better, but... we don¡¯t know how long you will be gone...¡± ¡°If I might speak clearly for your friend, the world will feel the hole you¡¯re leaving behind,¡± Thorrin spoke up, ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to say that as well. I heard what you did at the reserve and what you used to do here in Brigadia. Not to mention, I watched the rogue king retreat and get overwhelmed by the force of one girl. You might not be dying, Katie, but you are going to be missed by many,¡± Thorrin exined. ¡°I know that... More than you know,¡± the girl replied in a low tone. Katie turned her attention back to Sandra and glided closer until she was right by her friend, whispering, ¡°I forgot to tell you that you make a cool hunter,¡± Katie said to her friend, ¡°I¡¯m d I got to see that at least. I wasn¡¯t such a bad mentor. I¡¯m sorry for sending you on so many unreasonable errands.¡± Sandra chuckled, ¡°You should have seen what Shaemus used to go through. You weren¡¯t unreasonable and I loved helping you out. I was the perfect shadow. What are best friends for?¡± Katie was stunned by this reply, running out of words for her best friend, ¡°Now that you¡¯ve got that off your chest, you should go to him. I might not be a werewolf, but it doesn¡¯t take a mind link to tell what¡¯s going through his mind.¡± With her goodbyes done, Katie floated back to the site of her unconscious body to meet thest person she wanted to talk to. The blue-eyed king hadn¡¯t left his spot on the ground. The red ceremonial cape was still set on his shoulders and the crown was nowhere to be seen. The ghostly silhouette knelt on the other side of the sleeping body and sought the man¡¯s bright blue eyes. Chapter 360 360 Deluge ¡°Cole,¡± she called out to him, taking note of his balled fists. His knuckles were already turning white from how much he was clenching his fists. Katie hadn¡¯t talked to him first for many reasons... and for the storm of emotions, his presence was bound to force out of her. Out of everyone in this clearing, Cole was the one person she didn¡¯t want to say goodbye to for more reasons than she¡¯de to realise. It was because of him that she believed she didn¡¯t have to be alone. Even when she was at her worst, Cole was the one person that was bound to stay by her side. Imagining a world without him... and his world without her... It was a tad too much for this emotion newbie, ¡°Cole, would you look at me?¡± Katie called out once more. Cole looked up into the blue eyes of the silhouette. To everyone, this was a ghost that didn¡¯t hold every feature of the girl, appearing slightly transparent and without the right shade of her light skin, but Cole¡¯s wolf altered his vision and gave him the right image. It was almost unbearable to watch knowing he couldn¡¯t hold her. Katie smiled once she¡¯d taken a look at his face, ¡°Have your eyes always been this captivating?¡± ¡°Yes, they have. You¡¯ve just always been too slow to notice,¡± Cole¡¯s tone was heavy, trying to dy the inevitable conversation they were bound to have. The girl nodded in response. Turning to the moon goddess, she bowed slightly. ¡°Can I take something with me when I leave?¡± she asked the goddess. ¡°That would be better actually. Having something to tie you to the mortal world will be helpful up there,¡± the goddess replied. Excited, Katie turned back to her mate. ¡°Cole, there is something in my pocket,¡± the girl asked him. ..... Cole did so and from within the pocket, he retrieved a small circr piece of metal with a small diamond set in it, ¡°I... I thought you said...¡± ¡°I remember what I said... but I was overwhelmed at that moment and I¡¯ve had enough time to think since then. On the night before the coronation, I realised that the day we made it official is the day that I was actually afraid of. But for as long as that day hadn¡¯te, there was nothing wrong with me wearing it. In fact, I¡¯m proud to have it on me. I meant to ask youter... I guess the time never came,¡± she said to him. Events on the day of Cole¡¯s coronation had kept Katie from asking this. Cole reached for her sleeping body¡¯s hand and slipped the ring through her middle finger. The ring appeared on the silhouette as well and she stared at it with a proud smile. The smile fell and she stared at Cole for a while before wrapping her arms around him. Surprisingly, she didn¡¯t go through him, but he couldn¡¯t feel her either. It was the perfect image of being hugged by a phantom, ¡®I don¡¯t want to make this hard for anyone, but I don¡¯t want to go anywhere. I still had so much to do,¡¯ the girl said through the mind link. Cole was taken by surprise when she admitted she didn¡¯t want to go. When she had been pushing towards going with the goddess the entire time, he couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. ¡°You wille back, Katie,¡± his words were strained and it had taken him a lot to find his voice, but he forged on, ¡°And when youe back, I¡¯ll be here... waiting for you.¡± Knowing someone would be waiting for her had never felt more special than it did when Cole said it. It was like she¡¯d been waiting for him to say those exact words. Tears streamed down her ghostly face and her real body as well. Something had changed, ¡°The requirement for you to leave the mortal realm has now been met. You¡¯ll be able to go and return much easier now,¡± the moon goddess interrupted. ¡°Did you tell me that so that...¡± ¡°No, Cole. I had no idea there was a requirement. Wait for me... What am I saying? I know you will be waiting. I¡¯ve always known. I just wanted to hear you say it,¡± the girl sobbed. ¡®Maybe when I do return, we could go through with that request you made,¡¯ she said through the mind link. ¡®Are you sure? What about taking out the rogue king first?¡¯ Cole asked. ¡®I don¡¯t n on letting him roam much longer if I find him around,¡¯ the girl replied. ¡°Don¡¯t sulk when I¡¯m gone, you¡¯ll get wrinkles on your forehead,¡± Katie said out loud. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± ¡°Take better care of Queen Margaret. She lost him as well, you know,¡± Katie continued. ¡°Yeah...¡± ¡°Take care of yourself as well...¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t work yourself too hard. That¡¯s what you¡¯ve got Jason and Caden for. Kyle can also help once he¡¯s got the hang of it,¡± Katie was starting to tear up more. ¡°Mm-hmm...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t drown the world in rain anymore. The sun makes people smile more,¡± she continued. For some reason, there was always something that popped up in her mind when she thought she was done. Cole didn¡¯t reply this time... Instead, tears just rolled down his face. ¡°Be the good King I believe you to be...¡± Cole wasn¡¯t going to answer her, but something was starting to happen. The flowers in the clearing were starting to glow brighter. ¡®The requirement had been met.¡¯ Katie was leaving. ¡°You have my word. So get better, alright?¡± Katie nodded, ¡°Yeah...¡± after a short pause, realising she was finally out of time, she finally said the words she¡¯d hoped she wouldn¡¯t get to say, ¡°Goodbye, Cole.¡± As she said it, the unconscious body on the ground began to float, following the retreating goddess. The two continued to ascend illuminated by a giant full moon glowing brightly in the sky. Cole watched the girl vanish in a burst of blue light that showered the forest in divine energy and with that, his mate along with her scent and everything that assured him of her existence was gone. His mind went dark and his wolf confirmed the absence of her wolf as well. Katie Sirius was gone from thend of mortals. She was out of reach. There was nothing he could do ever to reach her... nothing but wait for her. It stung... It stung so much that the man couldn¡¯t hold back the emotions he¡¯d held since the girl had gone unconscious. With one final cry, the sky turned cloudy and quickly started drizzling. The light drizzles quickly turned heavy, lightning streaked the sky and thunder boomed loudly as the sky let down a depressing deluge of rain. For those that hadn¡¯t figured it out yet, it was now clear why it had rained for an entire week when the king of Lycaon had died. Cole Lycaon was grieving... Chapter 361 361 Cruel World Beatrice rushed through the little town in search of a way she could evade the figures she¡¯d just spotted entering the inn she¡¯d escaped. It was a miracle they hadn¡¯t noticed her escape. No doubt they had been tracking her scent as well. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter, I need to keep going before they catch up to me,¡¯ she encouraged herself. It could be that the two of them had simply been in the area, but the woman wasn¡¯t taking that chance either. After her time spent in torture, she knew the lunatics that were after her. She knew she was supposed to run as far as she could from them. Knowing the Rogue King, he¡¯d probably sent them after her. ¡®He¡¯s trapped after all, but... if he really didmand them, that¡¯s one hell of a range for his mind link to make,¡¯ she shuddered at her thoughts. Beatrice noticed a bakery that had just opened and rushed in, desperate for someone who could help her, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not supposed to be in here unless you¡¯re going to buy something,¡± the baker inside yelled at her, putting away his apron. ¡°Please, kind sir. I need to make it to the Sirius capital. It¡¯s very important. If you would only point me in the right direction, I¡¯ll be out of your hair,¡± Beatrice tried hiding the panic in her voice. Faking calmness when being pursued by some of the most dangerous alphas on the was no easy feat... and she failed miserably. ¡°Oh, what are you running away from? Are you a criminal? Are you one of those that escaped in Lycaon? I heard that lot¡¯s full of scumbags of all sorts that would just love to swindle whoever they sink their teeth into,¡± the man spat at her. Her appearance did not help her case and she couldn¡¯t me him. Seeing no chance of getting through to the man, Beatrice turned to exit the bakery. ¡°Sorry for wasting your time, sir,¡± she yelled back at the man and rushed out of the bakery, making yet another attempt in a restaurant she found a couple of blocks over. The same story yed over with the waitress inside. This one threatened to call the pack warriors on her if she didn¡¯t leave the restaurant. With panic written all over her face, there was no one willing to believe her. She wasn¡¯t normally frightened by her adversaries, but that notion had been shaken during her time in captivity. She¡¯d endured more pain than she¡¯d experienced in her whole life alone and she didn¡¯t want to go back to that. When she realised asking for help would get her nowhere, she did the only other thing she knew that could get her as far as possible from Samson and that obnoxious little kid. She shifted and ran. She ran as fast as her paws could carry her which wasn¡¯t nearly as fast as an alpha was capable, but what else could she do... It¡¯s not like she could just look for the alpha of this peaceful pack and tell him that two generals of the Rogue King were after her. Knowing those brutes, they wouldy waste to the entire pack just to get to her. Beatrice didn¡¯t even know if they¡¯d been ordered to recapture or kill her. Thetter scared the wits out of her. ..... Listening to the sound of the river, she ran upstream and went ever so close to the river bank. She made sure to keep the river in sight, but never once rushed out from the cover of the trees. Even with the distance she kept between her and the two alphas, fear pulsed through her body with heart-throbbing intensity. She felt like everything she was doing was futile. The two wolves that were after her were vicious and, in every possible way, merciless. After escaping the Rogue King, she was convinced their orders were absolute. She was to be killed on sight and so, she used the adrenaline rush to push herself even faster toward the capital. She had to make it to the Capital. ........... ¡°Would you like to borate on what she was looking for while she was here?¡± Samson asked the scared she-wolf before him. The woman was shaking so much that she had barely managed to get any information through her lips. It was amon reaction he came to know from people who were witnessing murder for the first time. ¡°Sh-she was looking for a way to leave the town,¡± the woman said to her. ¡°Oh, and where was she going?¡± the man asked. It was only now that Ca realised the woman being chased was probably important, for she was in a hurry to go to the capital. Sensing her hesitation, Samson sighed, ¡°Do you want me to kill another one before you¡¯re ready to tell me everything without leaving out a single detail? And honey, don¡¯t lie to me. I can tell when someone¡¯s lying by simply listening to their heartbeat. Trust me, from how you¡¯re shaking right now, you¡¯re incapable of lying to me,¡± the man threatened. Ca didn¡¯t need to know how dangerous this man was... The mere fact that he still sounded normal after snuffing out someone¡¯s life told the whole story. Murder was only second nature to him. The situation changed the moment everyone in the room realised how dangerous the two really were, ¡°Benji, try learning a thing or two about being a gentleman.¡± The man shed the boy behind Ca a disgusted look, ¡°I think we¡¯ve made our point.¡± ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re no fun. One moment, you have your hand on another man¡¯s heart, the other moment, you¡¯re trying to protect a woman¡¯s dignity. Honestly, make up your mind. You¡¯re either a crook or not,¡± the kid responded, stomping back to the front of the counter. ¡°You forget that none of us is a crook in the slightest. Now would you butt out of my interrogation? She was just about to spill everything,¡± the man spat. ¡°Well, the woman said she was going to a pack to the east of the Sirius capital. I don¡¯t know which exact...¡± ¡°Do you have a death wish, woman?¡± Samson asked the woman in a dangerous voice, ¡°Speak the truth or one more of your customers dies. If I get too bored, I might just kill all of them.¡± ¡°No, please don¡¯t. The woman was going to Sirius, but that¡¯s all she told me. I swear. She didn¡¯t say much, but she had to get there as soon as she could and it was urgent,¡± Ca exined. ¡°Well, did you tell her where to find transportation then?¡± the man asked. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. She wasn¡¯t dressed like some of those rich nobles that can afford that kind of transportation,¡± the woman replied. ¡°So you sent her away without giving her direction, huh? Surprisingly, you¡¯re not lying this time. So I will take your word for it. One more thing though... which way did she go when she left the inn?¡± the man asked Ca. Ca pointed the man in the opposite direction she¡¯d seen the woman going in an attempt to dy them at least, ¡°And here I thought we were starting to be best friends.¡± Ca watched in horror as the two brutes snapped the necks of two more of her customers like it was nothing before walking out of the store, ¡°That¡¯s for lying to me.¡± Tears streamed down Ca¡¯s cheeks when she saw the horror that had unfolded before her. Her mind was on the verge of copse. One moment, they were alive and well... and the next, their bodies were lifeless before her, never to move again and their lives staring off into nothingness. The rest of the customers started to panic, keeping their distance from the dead bodies. Ca shakily walked out from behind the counter and approached the two that had been assaultedst, feeling for a pulse. Just as the man had said, their bodies had gone cold and there wasn¡¯t a pulse to indicate life. ¡®Rogues... and they are after that woman,¡¯ Ca surmised, ¡®But what can anyone do against those monsters?¡¯ As Ca silently mourned her deceased friends, she sent a silent plea of forgiveness, for she couldn¡¯t afford to lose anyone else. She wasn¡¯t going to interfere with this manhunt. There simply wasn¡¯t something she could imagine that could be done to save the innocent woman she¡¯d selfishly sent away from her inn, ¡®I¡¯m sorry,¡¯ shemented, both to the three that had lost their lives and to the woman running for her life. It was obvious to her... that the woman that was being hunted would be dead by sunset. After all, when the two mysterious men were leaving, she¡¯d noticed a crimson glint from behind the sunsses they wore. They were alphas... Generals of the Rogue King himself. A pair of arms wrapped around Ca and pulled the weeping receptionist into a firm embrace... ...The world can be a cruel ce... ................. Chapter 362 362 Between A Rock and a Hard ce(Blood-thirsty murderous wolf)... ¡°Hey, Samson, you said she was going to be in that inn. Howe she wasn¡¯t there? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the rogue general with the strongest sense of smell?¡± Benji whined, ¡°Start exining yourself.¡± Despite the gravity of their mission, the boy was acting quite childish. There wasn¡¯t the slightest hint of nerves in his voice. Samson was used to this by now. Out of all the Rogue King¡¯s generals, Benji was probably the one who never showed any fear, ¡®Must be his insane speed and agility that get to his head,¡¯ the older man thought to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t need to exin anything, Benji. We merely entered the store shortly after she had left. Now follow me while I try to pick up her trail once more. She couldn¡¯t have gotten that far,¡± the two of them walked along the streets until they reached a bakery where Samson found himself entering. It was the same situation. Her scent was strong in the bakery, however, he was certain she was not in the bakery. ¡°Are we seriously going to go through that entire interrogation thing again?¡± Benji groaned. ¡°Would you have it any other way? I¡¯ve noticed you take pleasure in hurting people that appear stronger than you,¡± Samson smirked. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right about that. Hey, Baker, there is been a woman running about. She obviously looks suspicious. If you could point us in the right direction, we would be happy to leave your fine establishment,¡± the boy rushed the words out his mouth, forgetting his appearancepletely. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little too bossy for a child?¡± the baker narrowed his eyes at the boy. These two would have passed for ordinary people or at least, cops, if they hadn¡¯t been wearing dumb sunsses. Benji couldn¡¯t help the twitch of anger that showed on his face. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for...¡± Samson tried to intervene. ¡°No, Samson... it doesn¡¯t really matter how long this takes. The woman will die,¡± Benji said through gritted teeth. As a general, getting resistance from those beneath him was not something they were all used to... Samson included. But that¡¯s why it was good for them to work in pairs. That way, they could watch out for each other. When they both forgot to restrain the other... a scenario simr to what happened at the inn would most likely y out... Carnage... ..... ¡°You forget, Benji... that we actually have a time limit for which we can rampage like this,¡± the man reminded the boy. The boy cursed, stopping the fangs that had only started to elongate in his mouth. Simon turned to the baker, ¡°Ignore him, good sir. We¡¯ve already lost enough precious time as it is and we would like to find that woman before she or anyone else gets hurt.¡± Samson tried. They¡¯d already shown a clear amount of their vicious nature to the bakery. What they didn¡¯t notice, however, was the blood on Samson¡¯s sleeves. For wolves that were used to the sight of blood and ying it off as normal, this easily slipped their mind. The baker noticed this before he said something he would regret. These two were not to be messed with. These were monsterspared to the hysterical woman he¡¯d thoughtlessly sent away. Monsters he couldn¡¯t defend her or himself against, ¡®What did she get herself into? I... Wait, I know that scent... on his sleeves.¡¯ He recognised the scents of the wolves that had fallen to these two almost instantly. Keeping a fluid act, the baker decided to y dumb. ¡®I have a wife and child. Getting involved in this might end up leaving my mate a widow. The heartbreak would not be good for her or my son.¡¯ With his mind made up, he replied, ¡°I thought she was dangerous for sure. She went in that direction not long ago. If you hurry, you might be able to catch up to her,¡± the baker hurriedly pointed them in the direction he thought he saw her go. This process was repeated when they reached a restaurant momentster. Samson made a point of lying about the woman¡¯s capabilities this time to make it sound like she was a fugitive of the empire. The ruse worked like a charm and had them out of the restaurant faster than any of the other ces they had been. The wind that was blowing somewhat viciously made it clear to Samson why he couldn¡¯t tell if she¡¯d just entered or left a store. The scent within the stores was stronger than that on the streets because of the blowing wind that scattered it. Without any way of discerning whether she was in the stores they entered or not, their progress was slow right until the moment they made it to the edge of the forest. Benji smirked, ¡°So she wasn¡¯t able to get the transport she was seeking after all.¡± ¡°No, she wasn¡¯t able to. It looks like we¡¯re going hunting,¡± the older general chuckled, letting his wolfe forward. Tworge vicious wolves with bloodshot eyes were soon tearing through the forest at blinding speeds in pursuit of the woman¡¯s scent. .......... Beatrice had been running for the better part of an hour by the time her ears caught the sound of the vicious rogues chasing after her. Her fears were confirmed... the two alphas were chasing after her. Their superior wolves were stronger than hers and she was sure they would catch up to her soon. A loud howl reached her ears, pulling her out of her thoughts. They had closed the gap so fast that she could now hear the rapid ploughing of their paws and ws against the forest floor. In an effort to get away from them, the female wolf rushed for the river abandoning the cover of the trees. Arge crimson-eyed brown wolf tore out of the forest the moment she¡¯d made it to the water. Stunned by the sudden sh of fur, Beatrice dived into the rushing tide. The water was rougher than she could have imagined and immediately forced her under without an ounce of mercy. Beatrice¡¯s grey wolf struggled against the tide. The brown rogue wolf struck the ground in anger and started to follow the struggling wolf downstream. Striking aimlessly at the water, Beatrice fought to gain control of her dizzying ride. She¡¯d already swallowed a few gulps of water whilst trying to get some air, choking her as some of it escaped into her windpipe. Her head felt like it was on fire from the inconsistent supply of air. She tried to hold her breath when necessary and nearly failed to catch a breath when she was able to. The ever-increasing panic did not help make this any easier. She¡¯d long lost her grasp on the concept of up and down. All that mattered now was survival. Without noticing, she pushed herself closer to the bank the brown wolf was waiting from. The wolf made a sound akin to a smug chuckle. With one swift swipe of his deadly paw, the brown wolf struck her head, knocking her ruthlessly against a rock. The grey wolf went limp, going unconscious and sumbing to the ruthless tide that carried her along even faster. Before Samson could react, the water took the unconscious wolf away, speeding up even more than it had before. Another dirty-grey wolf rushed beside him, watching the female get washed away by the waves. They both watched the river widen and spread out into massive rapids with plenty of rocks jutting out all over. The grey wolf crashed into a few of them before drifting over to what seemed like the edge of the world. ¡®You don¡¯t think...¡¯ ¡®Yeah, it¡¯s a waterfall,¡¯ Samson confirmed through the mind link. The two of them watched her go over the edge. Rushing to the bottom of the waterfall didn¡¯t help them find her. The river muddled her scent and drowned it out. They weren¡¯t going to be able to find the grey wolf even if they tried, ¡®I don¡¯t think she could survive that, Benji. We¡¯ll report what happened to the Rogue king. It¡¯s not like we can find her body either. The river chooses where to dump it and we don¡¯t have the luxury to...¡¯ Just then, the sound of a ne reached their ears. ¡®Damn it... that can only mean one thing.¡¯ ¡®Run, Samson. This is no time to think,¡¯ Benji¡¯s voice rang through the mind link. Looking to his side, the dirty-grey wolf had already vanished. The older alpha wasted no time in running as well, ¡®We have to make a ten-mile distance to escape their range of detection, so run like your life depends on it... dammit.¡¯ ¡®My life does depend on it. Do not lecture me,¡¯ the man bit back, his paws striking the ground as hard as he could to make the fastest getaway he could manage, which made him appear as a blur to the normal eye. Chapter 363 363 When A Hunter is Late Micah Chasemandeered the nearest ne he could find idle at the airport, leaving his family behind to track down the newest threat that had shown up on his radar. The pilot had said something about routine check-ups, but the hunter didn¡¯t listen to all those excuses. Something bad was about to happen and he could feel it deep inside the core of his Chase being. The blood lusting off the rogues that had caught his attention demanded immediate attention. The ne flew as fast as he could force the pilot to take it, but a feeling of dread filled him. Along with this feeling came deep regret... ¡®Will I make it?¡¯ he constantly asked himself. What was worse about this ability they all honed at such a young age was that they didn¡¯t know exactly what they were looking for. Micah was chasing a mere gut feeling... one that kept getting worse by the minute. By the time he was sure of where he was supposed to jump off the ne, the blood lust he¡¯d detected was starting to diminish. It made sense to him now that they were running, ¡°Open the door,¡± he ordered the pilot. The pilot was caught off guard, but one more yell from the hunter was enough to get him moving. He flipped a switch without furtherint. Micah was out before the pilot couldin about this decision anyway, ¡°Hunters are so daring these days, I guess. Either that or they just keep getting dumber,¡± the man eximed, banking the ne to look for somewhere tond. ¡®I¡¯m d I checked the parachutes before flying the ne.¡¯ Micah had leapt from the ne with a parachute, but even as he descended, he felt the culprits tearing away from reach at an rming speed. He cursed and closed his eyes with the aim of increasing his radius of detection, but the rogues only dashed faster than his parachute could descend. Micah scanned the river below him and caught a hint of red and glided toward it. By the time his feet touched the ground, the world had gone quiet once more. The blood lust was gone and he felt what he always did when he showed up toote, ¡®regret.¡¯ The hunter balled his fists in frustration, feeling the need to scream out in fury. He¡¯d detected this blood lust from Lycaon. There wasn¡¯t enough time for him to make the trip, but he¡¯d travelled anyway, not wasting a moment of time. Nevertheless, it hadn¡¯t helped. The rogues were gone... and he now felt he was going to miss something else that was just as important. Brushing away his troubling thoughts, Micah started walking downstream, searching the river and soon enough, he found what he¡¯d seen on his way down, blood on a rock. Two sets of tracks rushing downstream and the sign of a short struggle by the river. He ran upstream and noticed they were supposed to be three sets of tracks... ¡®One of them fell into the river.¡¯ Judging by the river¡¯s roaring sound, it would have been a stupid move. ..... The scene yed in his head as clearly as he could decipher from the tracks that were made in the soft soil of the river bank. ¡®They were hunting a wolf, but I can¡¯t tell any more than that. The one that jumped into the river must have been certain of death if they¡¯d gotten caught. After all, the chances of surviving in this water are next to none... Generals?¡¯ he thought to himself before retrieving his phone from his pocket and dialling a number. Waiting for a moment, the voice of the pilot came through, ¡°What is it, sir?¡± ¡°Can you tell me if there is a town or any settlement close to the ce Inded?¡± Micah asked. ¡°Not really, sir. Not far upstream would be the capital of Sirius where I am headed now tond the ne. Will I be seeing you soon, sir?¡± the pilot responded. ¡°No, that¡¯s not where these wolves wereing from,¡± Micah mumbled, noting the absence of paw prints further upstream. Is there a town further downstream from where I am?¡± he asked the pilot. ¡°Well, there is one that I know of. A beautiful small town with wolves and humans alike. One of those towns that live in harmony with both races, but it¡¯s quite a distance from where you are,¡± the man said to him. ¡°I see... In that case, I will go to the capital and get a car to take me to that town,¡± Micah concluded. ¡°Very well, sir. Am I dismissed then?¡± ¡°Yes, you are. Thank you for your service,¡± the Chase hunter replied, hanging up the phone and starting his walk upstream. ¡®Who would have wanted to go to the capital so badly and who would have wanted to keep them from making it there? I know there is something crucial I¡¯m missing at the moment.¡¯ The memory of the missing woman of the Golden moon pack shed in his mind, but he shook his head in disbelief, ¡°That pack is so far from here. She wouldn¡¯t be able to make that trip running through the woods. This is all so confusing.¡± ........................ Micah reached the Sirius capital and made it to the Hunter¡¯s Agency where he requested a vehicle that would take him to the small pack that was apparently two hours away from the capital. His reputation as one of the Chase hunters sped up the process and without resting too much, the man was on his way to the small town the pilot mentioned. This was all based on a hunch, but he wanted to leave no stone unturned before closing his investigation. ¡®We cannot save anyone, even with the abilities that we have, there will always be someone we¡¯ll never be able to get to in time, regardless of how early we get the sense that they are in danger,¡¯ a phrase that had been repeatedly drilled into his mind while growing up. What made it even more painful and realistic though, was what he found at the town he¡¯d gone to investigate. The whole town was in a state of panic and ambnces had just arrived, taking casualties... or was it, bodies away from an inn. Micah filtered through the people and searched for anyone that could have the information he was looking for. That¡¯s how he found Ca, the receptionist of a small inn from which three of her customers had been killed. The woman was struggling to keep her sanity. The very concept of how she was still alive along with that of how the rogues had killed without second thought roared through her mind, sending her into a dazed state. The only words that she was able to utter for Micah to make the most sense of were, ¡°They had red eyes.¡± Everything else that came out of her was incoherent. He understood her situation though... Normally, those red eyes would have been thest thing anyone would see before getting killed. ¡®So they were in a hurry to leave. They must have known one of us would show up if they kept this up.¡¯ Chapter 364 364 A Rare Sight of Two Later that very day, not far from the waterfall where it had all taken ce... where the Seeker had fallen down to her doom, a beautiful couple was taking a stroll along the river, oblivious to the struggle for life and death that had happened hours earlier. The two lovebirds were in a world of their own making, drowning in the perks that came with being in love with each other. It was a bond that could make Cupid jealous. They spoke of everything and nothing whilst enjoying each other¡¯spany. Kisses here and there when they felt like it. The pic basket in the girl¡¯s hands started feeling heavy and the boy took it from her only momentster. They switched this role like this frequently before they finally found the right spot to sit and rx. Walking through no-man¡¯snd was impossible without an escort, however, the hunters had secured a few portions of no-man¡¯snd for many purposes. Having scoured these areas for rogues, the hunters guaranteed safety. Thend could then be used for a variety of activities. asionally, couples, like these two, after paying a certain amount of money, could get away with something like this. The girl selected a neat spot with evenly short grass and a nice breeze andy a scarlet nket on the green grass by the tree line. The river¡¯s flow was slow at the point they¡¯d chosen. Taking a seat on the nket, she invited her boyfriend to join her. The boy winced as he took a seat beside his beautiful girlfriend, a gesture that did not go unnoticed, ¡°How does it feel?¡± the girl asked him with a look of concern. Instinctively, she reached for the part of his stomach that had been stitched recently. It was a wonder he had all the energy that he showed. It was only that he hadn¡¯t shown any sign of tiring that she¡¯d allowed him to walk as long as they had. ¡°It¡¯s getting better,¡± he replied,ying his eyes on his girlfriend¡¯s face, ¡°Besides... the pain vanishes every time you look at me that way, like a magic elixir.¡± ¡°Keep saying things like that and you might bring yourself more pain instead,¡± the girl chuckled, cing a kiss on the boy¡¯s lips, ¡°Want to see what I prepared?¡± ¡°Yes, please... I¡¯m famished,¡± the boy replied with a smile. The girl got to unpacking the pic basket immediately, humming to a tune as shey the food on the nket. It was a tune the boy had heard beforeing from her. Whether it was meant to be a luby or one of the songs she¡¯d found in a store, it worked wonders on the boy¡¯s moods, ¡°It¡¯s a miracle we¡¯re here today, you know.¡± ..... ¡°Are you letting your mind wander back to that night?¡± the girl asked, ¡°We did something dumb... and we made it out alive. It won¡¯t happen again and I won¡¯t let you...¡± ¡°Yeah, you already gave me that speech, L. I don¡¯t think I had ever seen you cry before,¡± the boy sighed, cutting her off before she could finish. The insecurities of that night still crept back to the girl¡¯s mind. How she¡¯d allowed her boyfriend along with some other werewolf friends to drag them into the forest in the middle of the night. The same night they witnessed Liam getting beaten repeatedly by the princess of Sirius. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to ever get a reason to cry ever again. Am I clear on that?¡± the girl red at him. ¡°Cross my heart, darling. Now let¡¯s see what we have... You packed pizza! But... but, isn¡¯t it cold by now?¡± ¡°Not when you have a sk to keep it warm for you,¡± the girl gestured to a small stic container that held the scrumptious meal. He then noticed how abnormally thick it was and that steam was stilling off the toppings of the slices within it. ¡®Did she actually make it? Or did she order it? No, she said she brought homemade food?¡¯ Beside the box was a vacuum sk, a few cups, fruits and a dish of scones, ¡°This exins why the basket was heavy. How were you even able to carry all this, let alone prepare it all?¡± ¡°Hey, quitining. Is it not good enough?¡± the girl asked. Her disappointment was not lost on him. ¡°Oh, no... It¡¯s perfect. In fact, I was thinking you might have overdone it. You¡¯re all I need for this date to be perfect. Anything you would have brought would have been good enough for me,¡± the boy replied, panic filling in his voice. The girl blushed red, ¡°You never used to say words that sweet before. Ever since you were let out of the hospital...¡± ¡°Hush, L. I know what I was before then,¡± the boy ced his finger on her lips, gazing into his hazel brown eyes, ¡°I won¡¯t put you through all that again. Back then, I didn¡¯t know how much you meant to me and I¡¯m sorry it took nearly dying for me to realise that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you finally did. You should have heard Trevor that day. He was torn. He said he would have killed us if we... Peter...¡± the girl called her boyfriend when she realised he wasn¡¯t paying attention to her. The boy was looking beyond her with a curious face that soon turned to fear... Following his gaze, the girl set eyes on something bobbing up and down by the edge of the river. It took her a moment to recognize what she was looking at. The girl rushed out to the riverside and found a woman floating by the river¡¯s edge, unconscious, naked and surrounded by a faint shade of red water... Blood... ¡°Peter, call the hunters. She needs to be taken to a hospital. Bring the nket so that I might cover her.¡± L¡¯s raised voice snapped Peter into motion. He packed the items they brought hurriedly and called out to the man that had escorted him. He was meant to keep a distance between them so as to keep their conversations private, but if any of them called out to him, he was within earshot of a yell. The boy picked up the nket and rushed to his girlfriend, holding it out so he didn¡¯t see the naked woman floating in the water. L quickly wrapped her up and struggled to get her further away from the water. ¡°Here, let me help,¡± Peter offered when he realised the woman was wrapped. ¡°You¡¯re injured. You¡¯ll open up your injuries,¡± the girl argued. The hunter they had called soon broke out of the cover of the trees, walking casually... however, the thoughts that had been swarming about his mind vanished when he set eyes on the trio. ¡°What seems to be the... Oh Lord Prometheus,¡± he eximed, rushing to them. He started on giving the woman first aid to get the water that he could out of her system. The couple gave him space and watched as he went through standard procedures. When they tried to discern her age, however, they couldn¡¯t quite tell which was which. At first nce, this woman was well within her forties... probablyte forties, but a more observant look would quickly wipe that illusion from the eyes. She would start to look much younger the more you looked at her and snap back to her forties when you tore your gaze away from her. It was easy to ignore this, but a cause for curiosity. It was not long before the woman coughed out multitudes of water. The moment she regained her breathing, her body went still once more, retaining the rhythmic expansion of her chest... ¡°She¡¯s alive,¡± the hunter sounded shocked by this, but this was all the more reason to move faster. He ordered the couple to follow him as the trio rushed the woman to the hospital as fast as they could. Everything happened so fast... they were soon seated in the waiting room, waiting for the doctor¡¯s report. L turned to her boyfriend when the chaos seemed to have died down, ¡°I¡¯m sorry our date got interrupted.¡± Surprised, ¡°Huh, that wasn¡¯t your fault, L. Our date was perfect. I just hope that woman makes it. She seemed to be in terrible shape.¡± ¡°Yeah, I hope she makes a full recovery as well,¡± L replied leaning her head on her boyfriend¡¯s shoulder. The two embraced and it was not long before they¡¯d fallen asleep. The hunter, watching the young couple, shook his head in disbelief. ¡®Where does someone find a couple in love like these two? I¡¯ve seen a few couples in this line of work, but none so much in sync with each other unless they were werewolves. It¡¯s truly a rare sight.¡¯ The man stood up from his seat and picked up his phone from his pocket, ¡°I better report this incident to the agency and the king¡¯s office while I¡¯m waiting here.¡± It was standard procedure when someone was found. If these people happened to be werewolves, the empire would want to know exactly what happened to them. Chapter 365 365 A Week¡¯s End ¡°That¡¯s a crazy n. You could die... no... Correction, you will die. What are you thinking? Try thinking about your own safety for once,¡± a blonde blue-eyed female yelled again. This female was the only mix there was between royalty and the rogues... the one wolf on the that yed both parts. With neither side knowing which side she was on. And it had been intended that way. She¡¯d also been trying to get her mate toe up with a different n, but the man was even more stubborn than she remembered him. Thest time they¡¯d had a simr discussion, he¡¯d been opposed to every idea she had, but hadn¡¯t resisted. This time, however, he was ying along, but not in the way she expected. ¡°I¡¯ve made my decision. I won¡¯t die,¡± the man replied. ¡°What makes you think that? You broke the king¡¯s trust. Do you really think he¡¯ll take it easy on you? It doesn¡¯t work like that, Sean. The world is cruel and executing someone is a simple thing,¡± the woman tried arguing. ¡°Execution might be a simple thing in the world you¡¯ve grown up in. A world I wished I could have protected you from. I¡¯ve not slept well since the day you left. If you didn¡¯t go through with the orders the rogue king has given you, I¡¯d feel even worse than I already did. This week has been... the best I¡¯ve heard in decades. I slept soundly for the first time,¡± the prince¡¯s smile was pained, but he forced it through. For the time that they had lived together in this cabin in the middle of nowhere, Bree had gotten to see a side of the prince she never thought existed. As far as everyone knew, he was a cruel man that didn¡¯t care for anything in the kingdom. He came and went as he pleased and never fulfilled his duties as a royal except when explicitly asked by the king. What she saw of him now made more sense than she could have ever imagined. ¡®The royals are strong. Enduring all that time, not only without your mate by your side but also knowing that your mate is almost always in the presence of the most dangerous werewolf in the world. To know that she¡¯s risking her life every day in his service and that there is nothing you can do about it,¡¯ Bree¡¯s thoughts wandered. It had to be an excruciating existence and for this, Bree had grown to respect Sean Sirius. Bree watched the exchange in silence. When shepared the man before her to the one she¡¯de to know growing up, she was astonished by the difference. It now made sense why he was always bitter and never smiled. The truth behind his bitter personality was nothing but endless pain... Pain that he endured. Sean had endured more than she thought possible for a single werewolf. It was a miracle he was still able to smile after all this time, ¡°I¡¯ll defend him when we meet the king,¡± the girl interrupted, ¡°I¡¯ll tell the king it was all my fault and take the me for everything.¡± ¡°I also can¡¯t allow that. You made a mistake just like Ginger, but you don¡¯t have to...¡± ..... ¡°Ginger paid for it with her life. It won¡¯t be fair if I only get through this with a p on the wrist. What a joke that would be!¡± the girl scoffed, a stray tear breaking loose from the dam she was holding... Yes, she was afraid of going back. Afraid of going back to her friends. Afraid of facing Crysta again. Afraid of facing the fact that she¡¯d made a heavy mistake. She was afraid of seeing the ce Ginger had beenid to rest. She was afraid of setting eyes on Lina again. She didn¡¯t resent the princess anymore. She¡¯d watched the suffering the royals go through first-hand. She was afraid of admitting it. But even after all her nonsensical actions, she had to stand there and hear Sean try to defend her from it all. While he was trying to risk his life for someone whose name he hadn¡¯t even known before she broke him out. Bree was trapped in a sea of emotions... It wasn¡¯t fair. Why wouldn¡¯t she be punished? Bree couldn¡¯t live with that. She wanted to do something. What could an average wolf with amber eyes do in the face of royals and hunters... She didn¡¯t know... but that same wolf had captured royals... She wanted to do something. Having gotten a glimpse of her resolve, the pair sighed, ¡°Very well. Do what you see fit. The point of all this is to get you back into Sirius and help Amanda get through this without getting into any more trouble than she¡¯s already in.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one tough mission you¡¯ve been given,¡± Bree grimaced, remembering the mission Amanda had been given... Breaking Aidan out of captivity. She was going to have to go up against hunters. ¡°Yeah... well, let¡¯s get going now, shall we?¡± Amanda had heard enough. These two were simply in crazy. It felt worse when Bree didn¡¯t try to stop Sean from making such an obnoxious n. She just went along with it. ¡®Is it like this for all of them? All who grew up within the empires...¡¯ She bit back all the words she wanted to scream at Sean. Deep down, she knew he was doing it because he cared for her, but it didn¡¯t make it any easier. Trying to get him to go with her had failed almost immediately as she brought it up. .............. The Hunter¡¯s Agency was soon in sight. Arge facility filled with massive white buildings all engineered towards training and developing weapons and hunters that would protect the empire from the threat of rogues. One of whom was headed right for it with two escorts from the Sirius capital. It was odd that the facility had been built far from the pce, but then again, it worked in their favour. They didn¡¯t have to worry about any of the wolves from the pack identally bumping into them in the woods. The trio finally stopped under the cover of the trees. A few feet away from their hiding spot were therge gates of the Hunter¡¯s Agency. This was as far as they could go as a trio. It was time for them to split up. Amanda hugged Bree first, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t let me find you plotting again,¡± the woman scolded. In a softer tone, ¡°I might not be the one to find you the next time. Stay out of trouble. You have people that love you. Don¡¯t take that for granted.¡± Bree wanted to say something to the woman. To wish her good luck or something. Good luck with that though... Bringing the empire down along with the rogues or was it to wish her good luck in breaking out one of the most dangerous rogues on the? It was a difficult thing to do. Amanda, however, wasn¡¯t looking for these words. She turned to her mate after cing a peck on silent Bree¡¯s forehead. Sean and Amanda shared onest kiss and a heartfelt hug. The woman¡¯s eyes changed from sapphire blue to crimson red before she dashed off. Silence hung in the air as Sean took in what had just happened, ¡°When is the next time you will be seeing her?¡± Bree asked him, trying to fathom what was happening. His reply... was even more worrying. ¡°That¡¯s not up to me, unfortunately. It could be from a few weeks to several years,¡± Sean replied, sighing heavily, ¡°Let¡¯s do our part.¡± Nodding in agreement, Bree held out her hands together at the wrists and allowed the man to tie them with a rope they hade with. This partly reminded her of the time she¡¯d tied Sean to a tree... ¡®Ah, dark times... Not like these aren¡¯t dark either...¡¯ Sean then led her like a ve to the front gates of the Hunter¡¯s Agency. The sight of the two of them, as expected was cause for rm. Sirens screamed off at the centre of the Hunter¡¯s Agency. The guards quickly drew their weapons, but they were too slow in their reaction to the new arrivals. Having let go of Bree, Sean dashed forward and knocked them out, moving faster than they¡¯d thought him capable. His element of surprise was gone almost instantly, but he¡¯d already aplished what he wanted to... creating a diversion. Grabbing one of the weapons from the unconscious guards, he secured Bree and held her with the sharp edge of the knife by her throat. The hunters were confused by many things happening at the moment. The king¡¯s brother had shown up after being reported as an escaped prisoner in possession of an innocent girl. Showing up with that same innocent girl at the Hunter¡¯s Agency made no sense whatsoever. ¡°What brings you here, Prince Sean?¡± a voice tore through the chaos. ¡°Ie here on orders from someone greater than I am. In exchange for this girl, you will hand over the alpha you hold prisoner,¡± Sean threatened in the mostmanding tone he could muster. Frank Silver was not impressed by the sudden disy. ¡°What makes you think you can leave with the man unharmed? Even if we make the exchange, we won¡¯t let the two of you leave here. It¡¯s a futile n you¡¯vee up with. Besides, you¡¯re already surrounded. Using the girl as a human shield won¡¯t get you anywhere,¡± the Mighty Warrior was confident in the hunters he had. ¡°You underestimate the rogue king¡¯s beta alpha. He will have no problem dispatching a few hunters such as these ones,¡± the man replied, as confident as his voice could go. Silver narrowed his eyes at the man, ¡°I¡¯ve never known you to be someone who¡¯d resort to such an underhanded technique. While I don¡¯t know you at all, I can tell this is your first time doing this. Put the knife down and there won¡¯t be arrows fired into your back and shoulders. You¡¯re royalty, so I cannot kill you just yet. That doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t injure you though. That being said, I think you can already smell it, can¡¯t you? The wolfsbane in the air.¡± Chapter 366 366 Things Don¡¯t Always Go ording to n Sean looked around. He was surrounded by hunters spread around him in an even circle. They could easily fire an arrow from his blind spot. It was not like he could use the girl to defend himself, but then again, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t risk the life of this girl, now would you?¡± Silver sighed. From his back, he retrieved his custom bow and let it unfurl to its full pink length. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and aimed the arrow at Sean, ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t. Maybe one of these hunters would miss and hit the girl, but you know I wouldn¡¯t.¡± The king shuddered at the sight of the bow that was currently aimed at him. The fabled Cupid shooter was so good of a shot that it was not known for him to miss his mark even once. With Bree in front of him, it was just the same as her not being there either and with how fast the arrow whizzed through the air, it was unlikely he could threaten to injure her. Seeing that he was indeed cornered, he raised his hands and let the girl go. The hunters quickly pulled the girl away from him. ¡°Restrain the girl as well. She has a lot of questions to answer. Not after she injured all those people to break this criminal out of his cell.¡± Silver ordered, whilst walking to the prince calmly. ¡°You wanted me, didn¡¯t you? The girl was merely following the orders of a royal,¡± Sean argued against the hold the hunters had on him. ¡°Oh no, dear. All you did was escape. Whether you influenced the girl or not doesn¡¯t matter. After all, she was the one that used wolfsbane to poison the guards and make your escape. She¡¯s just as much a criminal as you are. Although, I would say she¡¯s not as bad as you. Seeing as you were the reason for the attack on the capital eighteen years ago,¡± Silver scowled. ¡°That was not me and you know it. The king knows it wasn¡¯t me either,¡± Sean yelled through gritted teeth. ¡°Oh, I hope you have a good story to feed the king. After that stunt you pulled, he was livid. I would not be surprised if you were executed on the spot,¡± Silver spat. While these words were only mere words to the hunter, they meant a lot more to someone he hadn¡¯t perceived yet. ¡°Nooo,¡± a feminine yell broke through their conversation. Silver turned just in time to catch glimpse of a woman with red eyes. The second thing he saw, however, was a muscr man dashing for the wall behind her. They had not been paying attention to anything else. The torn purple-stained clothes the man was wearing were all too familiar to Silver. ..... He¡¯d been looking at them for the better half of the week, thinking of new ways of getting the man to spill the Rogue King¡¯s secrets. His hand dashed to the arrows at his hip a second toote. Aidan vaulted over the security perimeter like it was a minor pavement. He was out of the facility in a single leap. The woman, however, was more reluctant to escape. Her eyes were pinned to the man on the ground with tears rolling down her eyes, ¡°What are you...¡± When three arrows lodged into her shoulders and thigh with enough force to send her flying backwards through the air, Sean stopped talking. She barely had the time to react to what was happening, ¡®No...¡¯ Groaning against the hunters restraining him, Sean suddenly tossed them away with all the strength he could muster, which was more than he thought himself capable of, and made his way to the woman. His mind was clouded by raging emotions. The image of his mate being shot with so many arrows wouldn¡¯t leave his mind. It felt like that image had reced the nothingness someone saw when they closed their eyes... It was always there. Silver raised his hand to stop the hunters from approaching him, ¡°Stop... let him move. I¡¯ve seen that look somewhere before...¡± The hunters watched the man walk up to the fallen rogue and fall dejectedly to his knees beside her. Silver folded his bow neatly and gave his next orders swiftly and quietly, ¡°Capture the three of them. Make sure the woman gets the treatment she requires before the wolfsbane makes her wounds incurable.¡± The hunters quickly got to work, securing Sean up once more and carrying the woman off to be treated. Sean didn¡¯t resist them as he had a while ago. His eyes were empty and zoned out. His mind had stopped processing logic the moment he saw the purple veins pulsating from the injuries the arrows had made in his mate¡¯s body, ¡°This is a mess,¡± Silver cursed to himself. He knew the look on the prince¡¯s face all too well. It was only a look he¡¯d seen on werewolves. The clouded look they got when they saw their mates in danger. The primal instinct that took over them to protect their mates. Sean¡¯s face, however, fast-forwarded to part of despair. When they realised there was nothing they could do to protect his mate, his rage faded. While there were still signs of it in his quivering arms, there was only so much the prince could do against Frank Silver. Bree stood frozen at the sight of the carnage that happened before her. ¡®This wasn¡¯t part of the n... Why?¡¯ the girl¡¯s thoughts echoed into the silent void of her own mind. Sean hadn¡¯t nned to get his mate captured. Amanda wasn¡¯t supposed to get captured. This was not part of the n indeed. Knowing his mate¡¯s efficiency, Sean had decided to y decoy so her mission would go smoothly. There was a Mighty Warrior at the facility after all. If Amanda hade face-to-face with Silver, there was no telling what could have happened. The most likely scenario would be that she would get captured. The hunter was a formidable opponent. The advantage they had over him, though, was that he wasn¡¯t from the Chase family. A Chase hunter would not have been fooled by this n at all. They would have sensed something was amiss and stopped Amanda before she got the chance to free Aidan. Why were they releasing Aidan in the first ce? This was all too twisted. But every time, Bree asked herself this question, she remembered the answer she¡¯d been given. Amanda had to keep her cover within the rogues... and that involved having to continuously prove her allegiance to the rogues... This, unfortunately, involved releasing one of the most dangerous wolves on the... That hadn¡¯t gone ording to their n though, had it? The sounds around her sounded distant. Her eyes were nted on the purplish tinge of wolfsbane-tainted blooding from the arrow wounds in Amanda¡¯s body. How does onee out of this? What will they tell the king? Will the king want to listen to any of them? Were they going to die? Were they going to treat Amanda? Different questions rang through the girl¡¯s mind as she remained still and silent, cut off from the world. She couldn¡¯t even tell who was in wrong this time. Sean was the king¡¯s uncle, but she couldn¡¯t deny the fact that he¡¯d aided in the release of one of the empire¡¯s enemies. No matter what way she tried to look at it, things had just taken a turn for the worst. Chapter 367 367 Let Them Flow The royals of the Sirius empire returned two days after Katie vanished and when the rain had finally calmed down in its downpour. As it so happened, Cole was trying his best to distract himself from what had happened. When they left Lycaon, the newly crowned king had resorted to having a screen in front of his face when he wasn¡¯t carrying out his duties, which was much more than he should have. Jason and Caden were doing most of the work although no one wasining. As it so happened, Kyle asked for a few days off. The king granted him his request and asked that Sandra keep an eye on him. With entertainment as his closestpanion, Cole would at least be able to keep the rain at bay for the royal jet to work for the day. Crestfallen and drained of their contagious smiles, the family¡¯s mood didn¡¯t seem to be getting better during the flight back to the empire. Alpha Jackson awaited their arrival at the airport but was shocked by their moody air. It was not long after the ne hadnded that the weather turned cloudy. ¡°Your majesties, did something happen?¡± the burly red-eyed man asked them. ¡°Yes, Jackson. A king was crowned,¡± the king replied, tapping his fingers on the dashboard. Jackson noticed the bitterness behind his tone and the generally sombre mood surrounding the royals. Even Drake was showing a mood gloomier than it usually was on days he was reminded of being mateless, was in one of his own... if remainingpletely silent could be considered foul. Lina sent him a silent greeting before averting her gaze. Queen Martha gave him a tight-lipped smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. Her usually jovial warm eyes only held one emotion... suppressed mncholy. This wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d seen King Davin or Queen Martha like this but still didn¡¯t know how to approach his king on the matter. ¡®This has nothing to do with the coronation,¡¯ curiosity was already working wonders, ¡°Are you going to tell me what happened or not?¡± ..... After everyone had taken their ces in the car, the queen spoke from the backseat, ¡°The moon goddess took Katie... To heal her from her injuries...¡± The beta alpha was rendered speechless by this information. It hadn¡¯t even been three months since the girl had been returned to them and had already been taken away from them. The queen didn¡¯t expect a reply and the car fell into a sombre silence as Alpha Jackson drove for the capital. How long... How long was he going to sit back and watch the war rip families apart? It wasn¡¯t just the royal family, but other families as well within the capital. Katie was one of the few werewolves that knew this all too well. One of the few that fought with so much vigour and ambition to put an end to it... and yet, she was the one that got taken out of it. She might have been gone, but something told Jackson that this was the beginning of something much bigger than they¡¯d ever seen. He found himself staring at one werewolf in particr through the driving mirror. Lina Sirius, who had taken a liking to the princess in the short time she was in Sirius. A shiver ran down Alpha Jackson¡¯s spine... A feeling that could only be interpreted by his wolf. To his alter-ego, the werewolf they were staring at was going through a metamorphosis. While it was premature, it was clear as day that something wasn¡¯t the same in the innocent girl. Something was broken... if not, something had snapped into ce, setting something else in motion. This observation was kept from the beta alpha and he was soon watching the road as he focused on getting the royal family back to the capital. Lina stared at the passing trees, trying to deter her thoughts from the gloomy mood that gued them, but to no sess. Her emotions were an indecipherable storm that she couldn¡¯t shake... or even make sense of. There were no tears falling down her cheeks, oddly. But she didn¡¯t know how to let them through. ¡°Little Sister, you doing okay?¡± Drake¡¯s caring tone brought her to reality. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine, Drake,¡± Lina gave him a thin smile, ¡°What about you?¡± Unlike the girl that was trying to seem strong in front of her family, Drake had no trouble revealing what was going on within his mind... and it was no clearer than what was happening in Lina¡¯s, ¡°Hmm, who knows?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an answer,¡± she chuckled. ¡°I know...¡± he paused, ¡°Can you me me though? We can just seek ways to cope with what¡¯s happened, but there is no right way to feel right now... or, no easy way to feel,¡± Drake¡¯s voice went down a few decimals as he tried to process his own thoughts. The zed expression on his face sent chills down Lina¡¯s spine. To her, she was witnessing an impossibility... Drake shouldn¡¯t have been capable of vulnerability. That¡¯s what she¡¯d grown to know. What she witnessed now was proof that even he wasn¡¯t made of stone. ¡°The best way to get through this is as a family. Like we¡¯ve always been,¡± Queen Martha spoke up, ¡°How about we have a meal to honour Katie today.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not dead,¡± Lina replied. ¡°Yes, I know that, but how would you exin the mood in this car? We would have done it anyway. On the day that she would be officially leaving Sirius to take her ce at Cole¡¯s side in the Lycaon empire. She was always going to leave eventually. We just didn¡¯t think it would be this soon,¡± the queen exined, ¡°So how about it? To honour the few moments we had with her and her monstrous appetite.¡± The mention of Katie¡¯s appetite brought memories of the girl rushing through Lina¡¯s mind. It was like rubbing salt into a wound that was already bleeding profusely. ¡°Let¡¯s do it then,¡± Drake answered. The rest of the people in the car silently agreed as well. The car soon reached the pce and let them out. There was a pause as the Royal family stepped out of the car. The king asked Jackson to disperse the crowd that was inevitably gathering around the car. While this happened, Lina remained silently nted in her seat. Drake sighed heavily and squeezed her hand before stepping out as well. When she was ready, the princess stepped out as well. As soon as she was out of the car, the princess was abruptly embraced by a girl in a yellow sun dress, nearly tackling her. If it hadn¡¯t been for how oddly light the girl was, the two of them would have fallen to the ground, ¡°Hey Honour, I missed... you too.¡± The hug, being one from someone Lina loved had an unexpected effect... An effect that made speech hard... Before she knew it, she couldn¡¯t form words without sobbing, so she remained quiet and held onto her best friend. Crysta joined in with the two of them. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lina? I can feel your heart bleeding,¡± Crysta asked the girl. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you all about it when we get to my room,¡± Lina replied, wiping the tears that threatened to escape from her. Breaking from their embrace, she moved to the trunk and retrieved her pack. Crysta immediately yanked it from the girl¡¯s hands, narrowing her eyes at her. ¡°Princesses don¡¯t carry heavy stuff,¡± the delta huffed. ¡°And then they wonder why I have almost no muscle on me,¡± Lina sighed, ¡°Where is Madeline?¡± ¡°Right here,¡± another feminine voice replied, walking over to them and hugging Lina, ¡°How was the coronation, Lina?¡± ¡°Oh, the coronation. I almost forgot about that,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Howe? It must have been the highlight of the entire trip,¡± Madeline eximed. ¡°Yeah, it was meant to be, wasn¡¯t it? Let¡¯s head up, already. I¡¯ll tell all of you about it. I also meant to tell you that the queen is holding a feast tonight... in memory of my darling older sister,¡± the girl said to them, rushing ahead in an effort to hide the grief on her face, ¡°That damned hero...¡± she muttered as she walked away. Her clenching fists did not go unnoticed. The three girls behind her looked at each other with looks of concern. They followed her to her room where she waited until the door was locked. They were alone... just the four of them. Lina¡¯s closest friends. Silence filled the room as they awaited the girl¡¯s speech. Instead of speaking though, Lina crawled into her bed and forced her face into one of therge soft pillows. The shivers that racked her body only momentster told the whole story, ¡°Oh Lina...¡± Honour gasped rushing for her friend. The dam she¡¯d been holding back had finally broken. .......... Chapter 368 368 Troubling News The king walked out of the car and stretched a bit beforezily against the closed door. The royals had the power to peer through the mind link even when others tried to block them out. It was out of respect for everyone¡¯s privacy that they didn¡¯t use the mind link whenever they detected resistance through the mind link. King Davin eyed his daughter with sadness. Out of all of them, she was the one hurting the most. She put on a brave face in front of all of them, but she wasn¡¯t fooling anyone among the royals, ¡°Will she be okay?¡± Drake¡¯s voice yanked at his attention as they watched Lina go up the stairs with her friends. ¡°Why would she be alright?¡± the question was rhetorical, ¡°Not after what Katie did for her. I never would have thought the two of them would grow so close in the short time they were together,¡± the king sighed. Mixed with his sadness, was a hint of pride. Katie fitting into the royals had also been a worry of his... as it so happened, the girl hadn¡¯t had trouble fitting in. In fact, royalty weed her more than he¡¯d expected, ¡°If I¡¯m being honest though, we all need some space right now. The pack felt Katie¡¯s presence even when she regardless of her carefree nature... They will feel her absence even more.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree with you more,¡± Drake replied, right before someone else spoke up to their side. Alpha Jackson¡¯s usual confident tone failed him this once.¡±Your majesty...¡± The words wouldn¡¯te out easily. ¡°Uh,¡± the alpha rubbed a hand through the back of his dark curly hair, his eyes darting about. ¡°Take your time, Jackson,¡± the king said warmly even though his emotions screamed an entirely different message. The beta alpha could detect the contradiction but chose to ignore it. He was already struggling to find a way to speak as it is. ¡®Onemand from the king... that¡¯s all he needs to have me say everything,¡¯ the beta alpha mentally cursed. King Davin had mastered the art of allowing his beta alphas free will, however, it wasn¡¯t always a good thing. Sometimes Jackson wanted the king to order him to do something so he wouldn¡¯t hesitate in getting it done. Now was one such time. Taking a deep breath, the beta alpha began, ¡°While you were gone... Well... let¡¯s just say things weren¡¯t as quiet as you hoped they would be.¡± ¡°What could be so important that you couldn¡¯t wait until after the feast tonight?¡± the king raised a brow at him, ¡°Was there a rogue attack? I¡¯m sure there isn¡¯t something you couldn¡¯t handle on your own.¡± ¡°Well, my lord... This wasn¡¯t something I could handle. In fact, they insisted that you¡¯re the only one that could handle it. It¡¯s... your uncle. He¡¯s been captured by the hunters. The hunters... they have... um... suggestions... suggestions on what you should do to him. They worry me,¡± slowly and with a grimace, the information came out of the beta alpha for the present royals to digest. ..... The king rubbed his temples, ¡°My family must be made of drama. Take me to him at once.¡± Martha chuckled at thement, but couldn¡¯t deny his words. It never did get boring in the family of royals. ¡°Want me toe with you?¡± Queen Martha asked him. The king looked back and noticed Drake deep in thought. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, father. I¡¯m going to the gym. I need some way to... distract myself.¡± Drake had felt like meeting up with Honour, but after seeing Lina leave with her, the thought was shelved forter and he moved on to the next option. The king nodded and watched his son leave them, ¡°Are you sure you want to meet Sean after all this?¡± ¡°He¡¯s family. Of course, I want to meet him. Perhaps this time, we¡¯ll get some better information out of him. He did break his promise after all. That¡¯s the least he can offer us,¡± the queen responded with a tight smile. ¡°Very well,¡± King Davin epted. Jackson had them get back into the car and drove off for the Hunter¡¯s Agency. ¡°Didn¡¯t you take him to the dungeons once they¡¯d found him?¡± the king asked, his curiosity starting to grow. ¡°Umm, we weren¡¯t able to do that. They said he was caught on their premises. In a way, it gives them right over how long they get to hold him,¡± the man replied. The king sighed. Something was adding up, but with everything on his mind, King Davin could barely begin to decipher what was happening. He simply wanted to get the meeting over with and probably have the man transferred back into the castle where they could keep a closer eye on him. Reaching the gates to the facility, the king was shocked to find Frank Silver waiting for them in full uniform. His pink leather outfit and three quivers made him look like a man ready to ughter an entire pack of rabid rogue wolves, which he was fully capable of doing, had he been given the order. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Frank,¡± the king greeted politely when they exited the car. ¡°A long time indeed. I heard you¡¯d gone to attend a coronation. How did it go?¡± the man asked him. ¡°It was... unexpected and certainly furrier than I remember it used to be. We¡¯ll get into thatter. Would you show me to my brother now?¡± the king asked. ¡°Odd, I could have sworn he mentioned he was your uncle instead. Well, I guess he doesn¡¯t look old enough to be your uncle. That would be weird now, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Silver chuckled. ¡°Let¡¯s just go meet him. I¡¯m exhausted enough as it is,¡± the king replied, shrugging the minor details the pink leather-d man had just tried to get out of him. ¡°Right this way... but before we go. Might there be some secrets the royal family is keeping from the hunters?¡± Silver asked with a dangerous tone in his voice. This tone usually got much thinking twice before answering him, but he wasn¡¯t talking to just about anyone. Silver was speaking to the king of the Sirius Empire who had just lost his daughter a second time. The king almost missed this silent threat, but when he did notice it, he didn¡¯t have the nerve to take him seriously. Instead, he sighed, ¡°Every family has its share of secrets. If you¡¯re asking to know if they are intended to keep disputes between the hunters and werewolves from arising, it¡¯s nothing of the sort. They are merely family matters we hold between us.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope family matters is all they are, indeed,¡± the Mighty Warrior replied, starting the walk deeper into the facility, ¡°Just so you know... the rogue king¡¯s beta alpha escaped.¡± He said matter-of-factly, his hands balling into hard fists. This... This got the King¡¯s attention... Chapter 369 369 Prisoner¡¯s Demands The king walked through the Hunter¡¯s Agency with his hands sequentially curling to fists and uncurling. Queen Martha tried her best to soothe his anger, but there was only so much she could do. After hearing the tone Silver used when speaking to him, he couldn¡¯t contain himself. Queen Martha had been hoping the hunter would drop his threatening tone, but the other male also showed no signs of letting up. Whatever had happened while they were away hadpletely shattered the trust he held in the royals. This implication was not lost on the king... and in his passive mood, he would have been able to overlook this behaviour. If he¡¯d stayed passive that is... ¡°After all that talk of seeking peace, I¡¯m a little disappointed honestly,¡± the hunter leading them with Silver mumbled, making the situation even worse. Martha felt her mate¡¯s hand grow tighter around her waist. While he wasn¡¯t hurting her, she could tell just how much he was using her to keep himself sane. Disrespect did not yield good results in the presence of alphas... and their mates were the only thing that could keep them sane in such a situation. Martha was almost convinced the hunters hadpletely forgotten everything they were taught about werewolves. ¡°You will watch your tongue, Marco,¡± Silver snapped the man, smacking him across the back of the head in a disciplinary gesture, ¡°We might not know what¡¯s going on, but that doesn¡¯t give you the right to jump to conclusions.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with you? One moment you want to bust them for their secrets and the next, you¡¯re on their side. Make up your mind,¡± Marco replied, rubbing the back of his head. ¡®Well said, Marco,¡¯ Martha thought to herself. The Mighty Warrior¡¯s actions were very contradictory. It was like he was shifting between two extremes, trying to make a decision... a decision that he would not regret. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make up my mind. If it turns out the royals are not what they im to be, the world as we know it would be turned upside down in war and bloodshed. Death is not something I enjoy bringing on creatures other than rogues. I hope for a good exnation for all of this. Even so, that¡¯s all I have... Hope. Things are not looking too good as it is,¡± these words were directed more to the royals walking behind him. Davin¡¯s hold on his mate loosened as he got to peak into Silver¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right about that. Not to mention the hunters aren¡¯t in their best shape after that attack on Lycaon,¡± Marco briefly nced at the king and queen walking behind him and sighed. They soon reached a thick metal door and opened it to reveal a room much like a torture room that was normally used by the hunters during interrogations. Split in two, the entrance led them into a room full of controls with a ss pane attached to the control panel dividing this room from the other section containing the captive that was being interrogated. ¡°This is not how a royal is treated even as a captive,¡± King Davin snapped at the people in the room. ..... ¡°Rx, we haven¡¯t done anything to him... yet,¡± Silver sighed. The King let go of his mate and walked up to the door that led to the torture chamber. He almost looked like he would rip the door off its hinges, but when he reached it, he nced at the hunters working the controls, raising a brow at one in particr. The hunter panicked as he searched for the lever that would unlock the door, forgetting to seek permission from Silver. Queen Martha followed after him with a worried look. On the other side of the ss pane was a man seated on the side of the bed inside, staring off into nothingness. The room was soundproofed and the ss could only let light through from the other side, so he wouldn¡¯t have known if anyone was watching him or not. The abrupt clicking of the door alerted him of his new visitors. Sean turned expecting to see Silver or one of his friends only to turn white with shock at the sight of the king and his wife. The two of them did not look happy with him one bit. His demeanour rxed a momentter, ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t sure you woulde.¡± ¡°And why exactly wouldn¡¯t Ie to my uncle¡¯s aid? Honestly, I¡¯m still trying to wrap my head around what you¡¯re doing,¡± the king sighed, ¡°Years, Sean. It¡¯s been years. Far before I even became king, we¡¯ve tolerated your disappearances. Do you have an exnation for me?¡± Memories of the day Sean had escaped the dungeons came back to him, but the rage he¡¯d had at that time was nowhere to be found. He couldn¡¯t let him off the hook this time, though. This time was different... this time, there were werewolves that were injured by the wolfsbane that had been used to escape. Now that Sean was looking at him once more, he searched the prince¡¯s eyes for something. He was searching for the hint of malice... the malevolent intent toward the throne. It didn¡¯t exist... both physically and through the mind link... Why then? What was the reason behind his actions? Could he have found a way to fool the mind link? These thoughts were banished to the back of Davin¡¯s mind as they yielded no result. The problem, however, was still in front of him. Sean was not going to magically disappear and he was going to have to deal with this one way or another. The blue-eyed prince searched the king¡¯s face, ¡°I thought for sure all you would want would be my death.¡± Davin stayed quiet, waiting for an answer to the question he¡¯d asked. Sean tested his patience plenty of times he¡¯d expected something other than the right answer. ¡°Yes, I do have an exnation. The same one I gave your father before he chose to let me do whatever I felt like.¡± The king¡¯s frustrations left him all at once, returning his turmoiled mind to a serene silence, ¡®What?¡¯ He had suspected something, but hadn¡¯t been sure of it, ¡°So my father did know something he wasn¡¯t telling me...¡± ¡°Yeah, he knew something. He would have been a terrible king otherwise. Although I¡¯m not so sure if I¡¯d call him the best either,¡± the man said to the king, ¡°I would like toe clean, but only to you and Martha. That also applies to the female rogue I was captured with. Bree would be better off if she was freed. Promise me nothing will happen to that girl. She¡¯s a little too innocent to be involved in any of this.¡± Davin scoffed... The man was making demands just already. There wasn¡¯t much he could do to deny him any of them considering none was extreme, but he was still acting like he was on top of everything. Even when the hunters were ready to stick needles of wolfsbane into his system to get information out of him. Was he really that confident? The king and queen left the room without another word and met a pondering Frank, ¡°He¡¯s asking for too much, you know.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± the king asked. ¡°He aided in freeing the rogue king¡¯s beta alpha. I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t let him go. If we are to let him go, the woman he¡¯s trying to take with him stays behind,¡± the man responded, ¡°She can¡¯t get anywhere in her condition anyway.¡± ¡°What woman?¡± Davin finally asked, throwing his hands into the air helplessly. After having heard them talk of her so many times, he couldn¡¯t help but realise she yed a key role in all this. ¡°Oh, his aplice. The two of them nned it quite well. We¡¯ve been questioning Bree, but the girl won¡¯t say anything except that we let Sean go free as well as the other woman and...¡± the man paused, ¡°Perhaps you¡¯d like to talk to Bree yourselves. Her words don¡¯t make the least bit of sense.¡± ¡°What about the woman? Can we talk to her?¡± ¡°No, you won¡¯t be able to get anything out of her,¡± the man replied indifferently, leading them to the exit. ¡°Why¡¯s that? Did something happen?¡± as Davin asked this, he noticed the mask of indifference the hunter reced his countenance with. It was a technique he¡¯d nowe to recognise, ¡°What did you do?¡± the king growled. ¡°She was escaping with the rogue king¡¯s beta alpha. I did what I had to do to keep her from escaping. Unfortunately, the beta alpha was gone before I could do anything,¡± Frank replied, ¡°At the moment, she¡¯s still unconscious.¡± Davin, for once, noticed how odd it was for Frank to let the man slip from his grasp. It hadn¡¯t been that the Rogue King¡¯s beta alpha overpowered him. There wasn¡¯t a scratch on the man. In fact, there wasn¡¯t a sign that he¡¯d been injured at all. Instead, Cupid Shooter was beaming with frustration... He¡¯d been tricked. Chapter 370 370 Brainwashed It was now clear why Silver was frustrated. The Mighty Cupid Shooter had been tricked. It wasn¡¯t that he¡¯d engaged the beta alpha in a fight and lost. He simply hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to engage the criminal. The beta alpha had slipped out from under his nose and escaped while he was the one in charge of keeping him in custody. This did not look good for him. Davin was somewhat impressed by the man¡¯s capability of restraint. A failure like this would surely have him making irrational decisions in a feat to regain his reputation. That was what sparked another curiosity though. Frank was able to contain himself... there must have been a reason for that. A reason why he¡¯d paused everything and waited for the king himself to show up. Not even allowing alpha Jackson to deal with any of this. ¡°Alright then. Have Sean transferred into something that doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s about to have his eyes gouged out,¡± the king said dismissively to the other people in the room. They nodded in acknowledgement of his order and began making preparations to have the man moved while they left, dosing him with sedatives to keep him fromshing out just in case. ¡°You¡¯re not taking this seriously, your majesty,¡± Frank¡¯s impatience began to leak once again. He wanted answers, ¡°Is there something you¡¯re not telling me?¡± ¡°You might want to exercise some patience. When dealing with matters like this, patience is a valuable asset. The story you¡¯re looking for. It¡¯splicated... and stories like that don¡¯t just fall into yourp,¡± the king replied, failing to meet his gaze. King Davin had his own reservations on the matter at hand. While Frank thought he was the only one being kept in the dark, the king was as well... And that much was clear to him now. Frank decided against retaliation. He could tell the king spoke the truth, however, that did not make anything easier for him. He turned to lead them to what the Davin soon confirmed to be holding cells. Most of them were empty and a few were upied by criminals dressed in purple. The colour of wolfsbane when it got in contact with werewolf blood. Looking closer at the clothes, one could notice the stains that were intentionally hidden by this odd choice of colour. In each cell were a bed and a small table on which the prisoners would eat or do some reading if they ever got the chance, ¡°You¡¯re holding a young girl in a ce like this.¡± ..... ¡°Believe it or not, we were able to tell that the young girl was part of the crime and had done it of her own free will. I don¡¯t know what kind of brainwashing or how powerful kind has to be used on a girl to make her ept to coborate with rogues. We¡¯ve held onto the information that she is here with us. There is no doubt that her parents will storm these walls once they find out she was involved in the attack. At the moment, we don¡¯t even know what to make of the entire situation. After we figured out that she was an aplice of the prince, she went mute. Hasn¡¯t said a thing since then. I¡¯m hoping you can get the rest out of the girl. I was trained to interrogate rogues, but this one ispletely out of my experience.¡± They finally reached a cell where the girl was. Seeing the girl now, the king was shocked to see that her clothes were clean and she was barely injured. Inparison to his uncle, this girl was basically untouched. Bree turned to see the king and queen. She smiled, but when they didn¡¯t smile back, her expression fell, ¡°So they told you I was involved in the breakout.¡± ¡°They told us what they have found from the investigations they¡¯ve carried out. We want to hear your side of the story now,¡± King Davin tried. The memory of the day when she asked for a form to visit the prince shed through his mind. At the time, Martha had got a feeling she was going to do something drastic. If only they¡¯d acted more on that intuition... What could it have gotten them? The girl used gaseous wolfsbane to incapacitate all the guards. No one could have anticipated that. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe me even if I told you what was going on,¡± Bree sighed, letting her gaze fall back to the floor. The cell she was in was much the same as all the others in this small section of the facility. The only difference was the book that had been set on her desk. ¡°You might be surprised by how open-minded I can be. Just try me,¡± he asked. ¡°I never intended to break the rogue king¡¯s beta alpha out, but I did break out Sean from the dungeons of my own free will,¡± the girl said to him. ¡°That¡¯s funny. I¡¯m certain he told me you were very innocent,¡± the king eximed. The girl chuckled, a smile gracing her face before she let her head fall into her arms, ¡°Of course, that¡¯s what he would say. That man¡¯s as dense as he is kind. It was only a week, but I feel like the version of him that I know is theplete opposite of the one you know.¡± Davin was shocked by the sudden praise she gave his uncle. ¡®Since when does my uncle get along with anyone?¡¯ Suddenly, the thought of brainwashing felt well within reason. ¡°I only know what my father told me of him. The man trusted him blindly and never once questioned him,¡± the king replied, ¡°However, I¡¯ve never been given a reason to believe that.¡± ¡°Yeah, the former king is the only one who really knew him. This isn¡¯t how this was supposed to happen. What was he thinking when he came up with such a ridiculous n?¡± the girl mumbled to herself. ¡°I see why Frank couldn¡¯t get anything out of her. She knows a lot more than she can tell all at once,¡± the girl was shocked by the Queen¡¯s observation, but she wanted to correct them on a few things. Bree stood up and walked up to the bars. ¡°You¡¯re partly right, your majesty, but then again, I can tell you this with absolute certainty. Your uncle is thest person in the kingdom you should be putting behind bars. Not after what he¡¯s been through,¡± the girl replied. ¡°We¡¯ve all been through something, girl. How does that justify letting one of the most dangerous werewolves in the history of time?¡± Frank snapped at her. Barely shaken by the outburst, the girl turned to face the hunter, ¡°You don¡¯t know pain, Frank Silver. Your skin is wless. Your muscles are well-toned without a single sign of you ever getting your butt kicked. I won¡¯t deny that you worked hard to get to where you are today, but you¡¯ve not known pain your entire life and definitely not the pain I speak of. Pain that never goes away. Pain that you have to live with... or not live at all.¡± The more Bree spoke, the harder it was to understand what she was saying. The girl ¡°You¡¯re so young. You¡¯ve not even graduated yet. What would you know?¡± the man countered, ¡°Do you even realise what you¡¯re defending? The rogue king has killed millions and one of his right-hand men has been let out of captivity. Do you even know what will happen to the world just because of this? Do you have any idea how many could die because of such a careless action?¡± The girl went silent and returned to the bed,ying down in it and staring at the ceiling without another word. She was done talking to Frank. ¡®Death of many... that¡¯s the only way they ever look at it, isn¡¯t it? That¡¯s why the actions of those two are almost impossible to justify... This is truly a mess,¡¯ the girl thought to herself. The king¡¯s voice interrupted her thought, ¡°What about the woman who helped the beta alpha escape? What is she?¡± ¡°Oh, you mean Amanda. Amanda is someone special to Prince Sean. You¡¯re gonna like this. She¡¯s his ¡®Queen Martha¡¯, to put it simply,¡± the girl smirked. The king gasped while the queen froze and went white. Davin took a step back from the bars shielding him from the girl. ¡°B-but... Sean has no mate. None that I know of,¡± the information took time to register in the king¡¯s mind, ¡°Take me to her.¡± Silver sighed at the sudden request. Bree wasn¡¯t going to say much more than she already had. He¡¯d learnt almost nothing about her motives or what she was hiding. All he knew was that there was the possibility of some reason behind their actions. Why they couldn¡¯t say, however, was still lost on him. Narrowing his eyes at the girl onest time, he turned away from the cell and started to walk away. The king steeled his expression and allowed Cupid Shooter to lead them through the gigantic facility. He was going to meet the fabled ¡®mate¡¯ that belonged to his uncle. He couldn¡¯t believe it at all. ¡®Sean doesn¡¯t have a mate, does he?¡¯ went the king¡¯s thoughts. Silver led them out of therge building and into another, sending shivers down the king¡¯s spine. The building they¡¯d entered was filled with people dressed inb coats and hunters moving in and out, each with some form of affliction ailing them. Some were merely coughing while others had injuries that were best left undescribed. The smell of medicine assaulted the king¡¯s nose. This was the medical wing. Without slowing down, the Mighty warrior led them up two shifts of stairs and into a room barred by arge metallic door. Despite its outer appearance, the room was fully equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment. A beeping sound came from the machine hidden behind the curtains that surrounded a bed. This room had two doctors monitoring it and working on the patient obscured by the curtains... The mood suddenly dropped and a weak heartbeat made its way to the king¡¯s sensitive ears... escorted by the sound of slowboured breathing. Chapter 371 371 [Bonus chapter] Sleeping Warrior Fresh white bandages wrapped the woman at three parts of her body, both shoulders and stomach. These were the three ces where the arrows had broken her skin... arrows that had beenced with wolfsbane had gone through her. She was breathing steadily with the help of the machine that monitored her vitals. The constant beeping of the machine was more proof of her being alive than the subtle rise and fall of her chest. She was barely breathing. Regardless of the fact that she¡¯d almost died, though, something told him she was going to be alright. There was more fight left in this specific female. Even in this weakened state, when killing her would be the simplest thing to do, she radiated the aura of a warrior. Her body¡¯s state reminded him very much of Katie¡¯s. The only difference was that female felt much wilder than Davin¡¯s daughter. Davin now had to confirm the question burning in his mind. Frank stepped to the side, letting the royals through the drawn curtains. The closer Davin got to the woman in the bed, however, the more his wolf whispered the frightening reality that stared him in the face. He could feel it. The abnormally high level of divine energy in the being sleeping on the bed. It was the same as that of a royal... In fact, it was quite simr to the that of the Chosen. It was simr to that of someone that had been graced with some ability from the moon goddess herself. What was worse was the scent of his uncle that lingered all over the woman¡¯s unconscious body, mixing with her own in a perfect blend, ¡°I had the same reaction when I saw the way the prince looked at her and ordered to have her hospitalised immediately. We might not see eye-to-eye, but the hunters don¡¯t want to destroy the peace that exists between the royals and the humans,¡± Frank exined, ¡°Take a look at her shoulder. I think you¡¯ll be even more confused by what you find there.¡± The king snapped from his daze and moved over to the woman, pulling the light blue garment that concealed her left shoulder. The skin was bare and he sighed in relief for a moment, but there was still one more side to check. He wasn¡¯t in the clear yet. As soon as he¡¯d forced the garment free of the skin there, his blood went cold. The mark there was just as real as she was. Set in her shoulder were two deep rows of teeth from a wolf bite with the dark image of a howling wolf at the very centre of the mark. Passing his hand over the grooves the teeth marks left, he counted the number of particrly deep marks that the canines left. As he¡¯d feared, they were twelve in total with six for each jawline, ¡°The mark of a royal.¡± ..... ¡°Can you be sure that the person that marked her was indeed your uncle?¡± Frank asked him. ¡°Yeah, it was him,¡± the man sighed, pulling a chair from behind him and settling in it with his head in his hands. The king rubbed his temples, ¡°This is getting more and moreplicated.¡± ¡°Does it have to be?¡± Queen Martha spoke up. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be, but there are so many questions that keep arising. A rogue holding the mark of a royal and helping a beta alpha escape. It¡¯s not looking too good at the moment. Sean doesn¡¯t seem to be in the mood to talk either as long as he is here and his conditions aren¡¯t met,¡± the king replied. ¡°He¡¯s the one in custody and you¡¯re considering his conditions? What kind of king are you?¡± Silver asked him. ¡°The same one that wants to ask you to release him into my custody. And before anything, hear me out. You can send hunters to make sure he doesn¡¯t escape or go anywhere. I can lock him up with hunters to guard him, but while we are here, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to say anything,¡± the king reasoned. ¡°I can¡¯t make a decision like that. You know that your majesty,¡± Frank replied with a sigh, ¡°I¡¯ll need far more than that.¡± The king was quiet for a moment, ¡°Hmm, very well. Give me two days with him then. If I have nothing useful from him in that time, then he cane back here... indefinitely. You get to decide how much security is around him during those two days.¡± It was now Frank¡¯s turn to think this through. After a moment, the man resigned, ¡°Very well, you can have him. He will have two hunters aware of his whereabouts at all times. Their methods of guarding him will bepletely up to them. You have far too much hope in that man, your majesty,¡± the man replied. The king sighed in eptance and eyed the woman in the bed, ¡°there are some lines which can only be crossed once and once it is done, there is no going back. Until I know what¡¯s with her, she is to be kept in pristine condition. Ensure that she¡¯s healing well.¡± ¡°Hold on. I¡¯ll get a notepad for the orders you¡¯re giving here. Don¡¯t forget how little power your title holds when you¡¯re here. The master of this fine establishment is the only one above me, I¡¯ll have you know. So make reasonable requests,¡± Silver said, making no attempt to write down the king¡¯s orders. Davin didn¡¯t indulge him though. He simply remained silent and unmoving. Silver realised soon that the man was serious. They were to treat someone that had just broken one of the most dangerous wolves in the world like royalty. Didn¡¯t the man take a moment to assess what that meant? As these thoughts ran through the Mighty Warrior¡¯s mind, he realised there was nothing he could say to change this decision. Thrusting his hands into the air in defeat, ¡°Fine, she¡¯ll be treated like ss.¡± ¡°Thank you, Frank. For all you know, this woman could be of the same value to the empire as Queen Martha or princess Lina,¡± the king said to the man, finally standing up from the chair. ¡°Maybe Queen Martha should free the Rogue King¡¯s beta alpha first before we start making such assessments,¡± Cupid Shooter mumbled to himself. ¡°What was that, Frank?¡± Martha asked, feigning ignorance. ¡°I said this woman couldn¡¯t possibly rank as high as your gracious self,¡± the man quickly changed his words, ¡°That kind of respect and elegance takes a certain amount of work to gain.¡± ¡°Oh... Your words are too kind, Frank,¡± Queen Martha giggled. The hunter sighed... ¡®I know she heard me... Why does she have to torture me so?¡¯ Chapter 372 372 Waiting on a Lone Wolf ¡°From a rogue that broke out the Rogue King¡¯s beta alpha to one of the royals. That kind of autonomy does not exist. You must know that at least,¡± Frank raised his voice to the retreating king. He wanted to sound threatening, but from what he¡¯d already witnessed, that was not going to get him anywhere. Either the king was really tired or he was just used to hearing people make demands of him... or was it something else? ¡°I know, but we can¡¯t be too sure of the story until we hear from Sean and hopefully get the truth out of him,¡± the king waved with his back turned to the Mighty Warrior, walking away with his queen by his side. When they were gone, Frank mmed his fist into the wall in frustration, paying no mind to the cracks that now riddled it, spreading out in a grotesque web of destruction. ¡®With that mentality, the man will have you eating out of the palm of his hand. I won¡¯t be fooled that easily,¡¯ his thoughts raged on. Marco entered the room only moments after the king had left, ¡°What would you have us do?¡± Silver was pacing for a while, trying toprehend his next step. The wound to his pride was still fresh and continued to w at his mind. This made rational decision-making a longer process. Nheless, Frank was well-trained and allowed himself time to think through his decisions. One irrational step and he could give an order based solely on the anger he had for losing the beta alpha. There hadn¡¯t even been a fight. He had one simple job... and that was to keep him in custody and work on getting some answers out of him. It shouldn¡¯t have been that hard for someone in his physical state. The scene of therge wolf vaulting over the perimeter wall with so much ease shed through his mind. None of the search parties had been able to find him, regardless of how long they searched. This search probably would have been more fruitful if they¡¯d had a Chase hunter on their side. The female lying in the bed wouldn¡¯t have gotten to rescue him in the first ce if there had been a Chase hunter on the premises. But those were all thoughts of the past. Regrets he couldn¡¯t take back. The process of healing from this failure... this mishap, for a Mighty Warrior. Someone who was meant to be a pir among the hunters. Someone that was supposed to be unbeatable and someone that ensures safety. This was going to take time for him to get over... And the hunters were definitely going to take a long time to forget about it. There was a possibility that he would even have his title taken away from him. ¡°Silver... Sir. Earth to Cupid Shooter...¡± A distant voice snapped the man out of his thoughts. ¡°Oh sorry... I zoned out for a second there. Follow the king¡¯s instructions for now and have Prince Sean and Bree released. Prince Sean is to remain under tight surveince while the girl is to have one escort. If you can spare it, have the hunters tailing them remain a safe distance away so that they can achieve the optimum level offort they require. It¡¯s imperative that the king have no excuses when the timees that we ask for them to return,¡± Silver told him. ..... Marco spared the cracked wall a nce and decided against asking about it. He¡¯d already witnessed the man¡¯s erratic behaviour. From his point of view, he could somehow understand. The Master of the Agency was not around, so Silver was the one in charge. There was no telling what would happen once she returned. Switching his attention to their third captive, ¡°What about her?¡± Marco asked, pointing to the woman lying asleep in the bed. ¡°Cuff her hands to the bed to keep her secure. Other than that, make sure she¡¯s well taken care of and is healing well,¡± the man replied softly, ¡°If that mark is what I think it is, we could have quite the disaster on our hands.¡± ¡°You sound like you¡¯ve not yet made up your mind about the situation we are in,¡± Marco asked him. ¡°No, I¡¯m taking the realistic side of the story, Marco. We won¡¯t let a phoney storye from the king, but we also can¡¯tpletely disregard the possibility of him having one. And until we know what to believe, we don¡¯t disturb the current bnce of things. We won¡¯t make any irrational decisions. We¡¯ll take all precautions necessary to keep the people safe, as we¡¯ve always done,¡± Silver replied. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Marco paused. Frank knew how to act tough, but he had a soft spot for things like mates and virtues he considered beautiful. This was known by all those that got the chance to know him. It was no wonder he wasfortable with the word Cupid in his name. He would kill for an awesome love story... and this situation was reeking of one, ¡°Had I been in your shoes, the only ce she would be worthy of would be the dungeons.¡± Silver chuckled at the man¡¯sment, ¡°I know this is unlikely, but if Prince Sean walks out of this and regains his former status, you would regret ever bing a hunter.¡± With that said, Cupid Shooter walked out of the room himself with Marco following behind. In a more serious tone, ¡°However, I do not want a war on my hands. The death toll in the Lycaon capital was not pleasant to hear about.¡± ................ There was a feast at the pce, where the events that had taken ce at the coronation, and in Brigadia were told to all those who were concerned. Mainly, the alphas and betas that lived within the Sirius pack. While the princess was not dead, none could deny that this felt oddly familiar. She wasn¡¯t with them anymore... and they certainly had no way of visiting her either or evenmunicating with her. Katie Sirius did not exist in thend of mortals... just like it was when someone died. The feast itself was filling, but quieter than all other feasts that had ever been held in the Sirius pce. The Royal family weed this silence as a sign that the rest of the wolves understood the pain of losing another one of them so quickly. The message from the hunters came in informing them that Prince Sean would be released the next day, into their custody. The king didn¡¯t know whether to tell Sean about Katie¡¯s disappearance or not. It would be information the Rogue King would love to hear. The night quickly passed and soon, a small group of three was seated inside the king¡¯s office waiting on the prince¡¯s arrival. The Queen had watched her mate get agitated before, but this was nothing like she¡¯d ever seen. His beliefs were battling inside him and there didn¡¯t seem to be a way to stop it from happening. Jackson stood in the office with the two of them while they waited for the prince to arrive. The king had been like that for a day, wondering what to do with the prince the entire time. ¡°Your majesty, I know I¡¯ve already said this countless times, but you need to calm down,¡± Alpha Jackson tried. ¡°I want to calm down, but this has been eating at me for a while now,¡± the king replied, finally stopping at one wall and tapping his fist on the wall a couple of times as though trying to make a decision on what to do. When that did not help, he was back to his pacing about the office. The queen poured him a cup of tea at his desk, ¡°Honey, this might help you calm down.¡± She tried, walking up to him and rubbing the man¡¯s shoulders. The woman¡¯s charms always worked like magic when she tried but he never took this long to react to them. Eventually, he conceded and followed through with her request, taking a seat at his desk. When he was seated, Queen Martha ced her hands on his shoulders, rubbing her thumb smoothly over the fabric covering the mark she ced on him. The king visibly shuddered under the gesture, losing what little pacing energy he had left in him. Davin visibly rxed under the queen¡¯s attempt to rx him, ¡°This cannot be healthy,¡± he mumbled. ¡°And I was so sure you would kill him the next time you saw him,¡± Jackson chuckled, ¡°So I guess you¡¯re growing even softer if that was even a possibility.¡± ¡°I was also certain I would kill him. There wasn¡¯t a shred of doubt in my mind. s, he is alive and well, walking and breathing the same air we do. I don¡¯t feel like killing him anymore,¡± the king responded, ¡°It¡¯s odd, but there is nothing I can do about it.¡± A beeping sound came at the machine on his desk followed by a voice, ¡°I have the prince with me. Might wee in?¡± Alpha Phillip¡¯s voice came through the speaker. The king pushed the button that admitted them in. The wait was over... Chapter 373 373 [Bonus chapter] A peek into Sean¡¯s Web of Secrets Following the clicking sound from the door, Alpha Phillip pushed therge door open to admit the group of three he was escorting. Alpha Phillip, unlike Alpha Jackson, was a quiet man who was rarely seen with the king. He preferred to actively carry out his errands andmunicate through the mind link when the king needed something. That said, he was always present in case the king needed him to physically be. The two were very good friends and the beta alpha preferred to hang out with the king physically when it was less about work and more about having fun. The life of a beta alpha was a busy one and anyone who didn¡¯t know better would think the king only had one instead of a pair. Following the beta alpha into the room was a blue-eyed wolf of considerably leaner build and a few lines forming on his forehead. He was older than he looked but did a great job of ying the role of the king¡¯s older brother who rejected the throne to be a Lone Wolf. To many outsides of the Royal family and some within, Sean was the ck sheep of the family. One that didn¡¯t care for the ongoing operations of the empire. He simply did as he pleased... and the king tolerated it for as long as he was present when called upon. Following the prince were two hunters with weaponszily at their side. Normally, the hunters preferred to keep these weapons hidden within their garments, but these two men disyed them for all to see. It was possible that they had prepared extra for this specific mission. Sean got seated in front of the king¡¯s desk while the other three he¡¯de with remained standing. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to say something?¡± King Davin started once the silence was reaching peak awkwardness. ¡°I keep thinking you¡¯ll ask a question,¡± the man responded. ¡°You can always start with a greeting,¡± Queen Martha chipped in with a smile, ¡°You look well, Sean.¡± ¡°Thank you, Martha. I¡¯ve been well,¡± the prince bowed slightly to the queen. His phrase sparked memories of thest week he¡¯d had. He¡¯d really been stuck in his own little world. ..... King Davin sighed, ¡°Might I ask the hunters and beta alphas to leave this room?¡± The royals in the room turned to the hunters,pletely disregarding the fact that beta alphas had also been mentioned, ¡°No... We must hear the confession from him as well.¡± The king sighed, ¡°No, no you don¡¯t. I promised I would get the truth from him and give Silver the exnation he¡¯s been looking for.¡± One of them opened his mouth to fight him on the matter, but nothing came out. He hadn¡¯t lied. The deal was simple... Sean was to be allowed all manner offort if they were going to ensure some form of results. Right now, the king held more power than they did. Without saying another word, the man let his hand fallzily on the hilt of his sword and walked out briskly. The other hunter didn¡¯t argue with the king... or even show any sign of doing so. This man simply walked out without any argument. Alpha Jackson and Alpha Phillip followed behind them, closing the door on their way out. The only people left in the room were the five royals. Drake and Lina had remained quiet this entire time, watching everything as it happened around them. Now that it was just family left, the air felt much lighter. The king got up from his seat and walked to the balcony doors at the far side of the office with his cup of tea in hand and opened the doors, letting in a cool breeze. Lina spared her uncle a nce but didn¡¯t say anything, making it clear that she wouldn¡¯t be participating much in this meeting. Her expression remained neutral. Drake, on the other hand, smiled and waved at Sean, ¡°Good afternoon.¡± ¡°A good afternoon to you too, Drake,¡± Sean smiled. Drake shifted ufortably in his seat. Sean was smiling... ¡®What happened during that week?¡¯ the prince couldn¡¯t help but wonder. ¡°You can start from the beginning. Whenever it was that you started working for the rogue king. When you decided it was a good idea to spy on royals and report to the rogues,¡± King Davin initiated. Sean¡¯s smile fell. The prince finally assumed a serious expression... an expression that somehow retained a hint of despair. Lina thought she imagined this and shook it off, ¡°It was the other way around. We were the ones on the inside, keeping the rogue king at bay through false details mixed with the truth while at the same time, he demanded... favours of us. We were inclined, on asion, to give away something that might have been useful to him so we could keep his trust.¡± ¡°What were these ¡®favours¡¯?¡± King Davin was still looking out the window, his eyeszily surveying the kingdom from this high up. Sean paused, almost like he was thinking of a better way toe clean. He¡¯d done this before. He¡¯d sat in this same office with his brother decades ago with Amanda and the two of them had exined to him their situation. At that time, they¡¯d asked him to keep it all a secret. Here he was again, about to exin it to Sean. The difference this time, however, was that he didn¡¯t know if this could solve anything. Sighing, he spoke up, ¡°We told him of the tunnels that ran under the castle... a little bit before you were born, the rogues used them to invade the pce. At the time, I hade clean with my brother and we prepared a show for the rogues that attacked. I¡¯m surprised the Rogue King didn¡¯t catch on that time. Regrettably, a few lives were lost that day. What I was less proud of, however, was telling him about a prophecy.¡± ¡°So it was you that told him about the birth of the Moon Goddess¡¯s chosen. What were you thinking? What makes you think you have the right to be a spy for the rogue king? You do realise what that entails and what it makes you look like to the rest of us?¡± Davin asked. ¡°Yes, I know what it means. I know everything it stands for. I¡¯ve lived my whole life revisiting that day, hoping there could have been something I could have done differently that day,¡± Sean raised his voice, ¡°But it¡¯s not that easy,¡± the manughed humourlessly, ¡°When is anything ever easy, really? It wasn¡¯t even my decision to tell the Rogue King about it,¡± the man responded, ¡°On the day that I met my mate, the moon goddess appeared to the two of us and assigned us this role... the role of double agents so she could tear the rogues up from the inside.¡± The room wentpletely silent at the mention of the moon goddess. It had caught them all off guard, ¡°You¡¯re joking.¡± ¡°I have only ever told your father this. Bree, as well, since she seemed to realise the mistakes behind her actions. She might just make a fine young woman,¡± the man responded with a smile although he refused to meet his nephew¡¯s eyes. Sean¡¯s smile failed, ¡°I know I messed up. I won¡¯t deny that, but... before you make a decision, I¡¯ll tell you everything about that day. Celeste didn¡¯t leave me any option. It must really irk her that she can¡¯t intervene directly, so she tries as best as she can to pull the strings she can. I know you remember what happened at the reserve. The rogues that attacked the children that had gone out there. Yes... I knew that was going to happen.¡± ¡°And you told no one at all. Youpletely stayed quiet while royals were nearly killed,¡± Davinshed out. The cup in his hand quivered with rage. Martha hurriedly took the cup away from him. ¡°I know what I did, Davin, but that solved another problem at the same time. Katie and Cole would not be able to rush to Lycaon. No, they wouldn¡¯t... and what¡¯s more, I was trying to buy time for the prince to mark his mate,¡± Sean argued. With Katie marked, the Rogue King¡¯s ns would be thwarted. Everything he¡¯d been working to build woulde to a stop. Amanda worked on the inside, dying the Rogue King¡¯s orders to attack. She bought us every second we needed to keep the power of the Lycaon family from shifting to the Rogue King,¡± Sean made apelling argument. It showed a ring depth of how much he¡¯d known about this whole situation. ¡°So you knew... everything. You knew the Rogue King was nning to kill Trevor. You know the rogues were nning to kill Katie... and you did nothing,¡± Davin wanted him to simply admit to this. ¡°I didn¡¯t just sit back and watch. I advised the girl long before she was marked to get it done. I also had Jeremiah warn her of this as well. Doing it in a way that could be traced back to me would raise too much suspicion. I already had rumours going around of my involvement with the rogues.¡± Sean sighed, then asked a question that wiped the anger from the king¡¯s entire being. ¡°Would you really have wanted Katie to grow up in the same pce as someone like me?¡± After revealing just how much he was capable of doing without even trying to exert himself. After revealing how much of a threat he posed to the Royal family... This changed everything they¡¯d known about that night when both pces had been attacked. The Royal family knew of the moon goddess¡¯s involvement in rescuing the princess, but no one could have thought that the entire attack was triggered for the same purpose of rescuing the princess from the spy in the Royal family. Chapter 374 374 Sean¡¯s Confession A deep silence settled in the king¡¯s office as they took in Sean¡¯s revtions. The moon goddess had made the decision to keep Katie out of their lives solely to protect her from someone else she was using in the royal family. ¡®That¡¯s so messed up. What¡¯s she thinking?¡¯ the king¡¯s thoughts raged in a storm of turmoil. He was slowly losing his sense of what was right and wrong in all this. Partly because he was dealing with a family member, so his emotions were heavily biased, though his logic wasn¡¯t. Something still didn¡¯t add up though. Since the beginning of this conversation, he¡¯d been hoping for an exnation that could clear his uncle¡¯s name. A story that was believable... one that could exin why he did everything he did and still prove him innocent. Of course, now that he¡¯d heard what the prince had to say, he wasn¡¯t so sure innocent is what he could call him. He¡¯d already caused the death of many by following the orders given to him by the goddess. Come to think of it, staying quiet would have been a better option for him, ¡°Why tell us all of this?¡± Sean, being ahead of all of them and with a clear mind, knew what this question meant below the surface. He¡¯d prepared to answer it since watching his mate get skewered and dosed with a painful amount of wolfsbane. His words were simple, ¡°I¡¯m done, Davin. I do remember saying it¡¯s fine if I returned to the dungeon. Make your final judgement, but I¡¯m done ying both sides.¡± This did not need to be exined to them. While they didn¡¯t know the whole story, it was clear that he¡¯d been through a lot. Davin, personally knew how close the man was to his father. It couldn¡¯t have been easy having to keep such secrets from the ones you cared about the most. ¡°What of Bree? You used her to escape and put her life in even more danger. I can¡¯t let something like that go,¡± the king responded, ¡°Many wolves were injured by the smoke she used.¡± ¡°I take full responsibility for the girl¡¯s actions. Manipting her was wrong and I will ept any form of punishment you have to give,¡± before the king could ask any further questions on the matter, he continued, ¡°As for the woman, the Rogue King ordered her to free the beta alpha. Bree and I were meant to be a distraction and the girl was to return to her normal life when all this was over while I returned to the dungeon. That was how it was supposed to go, but Amanda just had to ruin it,¡± Sean sighed, ¡°How is she doing?¡± ..... ¡°She¡¯s stable for now.¡± Davin paused. This reminded him of something he¡¯d been meaning to ask the man, ¡°Can I see it?¡± Lifting his hand to his left shoulder, the prince moved his shirt out of the way to reveal the bite mark with a howling wolf silhouette ced at the centre of the concentric rows of teeth. The room had already been silent, but there seemed to be a ripple of shock going through it when they saw the mark on his shoulder. King Davin took a seat at his desk and ced his head back in his hands and groaned unceremoniously, ¡°Since when did my life be thisplicated? None one should dare answer that... Katie brought a dose of her own chaos already. Who would have thought there was something already brewing within the pce? Long before she was even born.¡± ¡°You remind me so much of your father, you know. He always wanted to believe there was good in everyone and ended up trusting me more than he should have. I was always looking for a way to leave this pce and have a thrilling adventure... and yet when I returned, he acted like I hadn¡¯t gone a single day. I never understood it... and I still don¡¯t,¡± he responded kindly, finally looking the man in the eye. Davin¡¯s mind shot back to the girl he was taking a shot for. Bree had broken him out of the dungeon and the man was taking all the me... ¡®How are you any different from me?¡¯ he mentally screamed but chose to keep this to himself. Instead, he asked, ¡°Do you still think of me as a weak king?¡± ¡°Yes... very much,¡± he chuckled, ¡°But there is strength in that weakness. A rare strength that inspires so much more. A strength that I will never have.¡± The king of Sirius was a lenient benevolent ruler who almost never gave severe punishments, but at the same time, he was respected by the whole empire. No one defied him and there was peace among the werewolves. The empire prospered under his rule, inspired by his positive shy and kind character. It wasn¡¯t so differentpared to the rulers of Sirius before him. It was a trait they shared. Many times, Sean felt he wasn¡¯t the same as all of them. He understood that this world was cruel and unforgiving. There was no room for leniency. Why then had he given up the throne and allowed his brother to take it? The answer stared at him every single day he was at the pce. While the world was cruel and unjust, everyone dreamt of a world that was anything but that. A world where kindness, peace and prosperity flourished. In a world like that, Sean would be out of ce as its king. The only people that could sustain such a world... were people like Davin. ¡°You might have it already, but simply fail to see it. I hope you find, one day, that you were right where you belonged the whole time,¡± the king replied. The man before him leaned back into his seat storing the king¡¯s words deep into his mind. ¡®We¡¯ll see about that, your majesty,¡¯ Sean thought to himself. ¡°I¡¯m done helping the goddess. I hope she can forgive me for walking out on her.¡± ¡°Why would you...¡± ¡°It¡¯s been far too long, dear nephew and I¡¯m honestly tired. Do whatever you have to. I will stand by your decision no matter what it is,¡± Sean responded, while he did, he actually started to look tired, letting go of whatever tension had been keeping him active. ¡°What if my decision happens to be your execution?¡± ¡°That is unlikely, but I hope it doesn¡¯te to that honestly,¡± the man chuckled. ¡°I thought he was going to say something cool like, ¡®so be it,''¡± Lina interrupted. It was the first time anyone other than the two had spoken up. ¡°Life is of so much value, Lina. I don¡¯t think I have to tell you that though. Who would have thought the girl who¡¯d been called so weak would stand out this much in the end?¡± Sean eximed. ¡°In what end, grandfather? I¡¯m still sixteen and have to go to school. Nothing... well, for me, nothing is changing,¡± the girl suddenly turned sullen. ¡°Yes, you are only sixteen. So young and so strong. You should challenge your brother for the throne,¡± the prince spoke up. The room gasped at the utterance, ¡°That¡¯s no joke, Sean,¡± the king snapped, standing from his seat. Barely shaken by the outburst, Sean spoke up, keeping his same tone, ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, nephew. My words don¡¯t usually have to make sense.¡± Chapter 375 375 Awakening ¡°And yet you sound quite sane,¡± the queen stepped in for her enraged husband. ¡°Sanity trantes to what you make of the world. Whoever said I was insane?¡± the man sighed, his words only turning more cryptic, ¡®Knowledge can be heavy,¡¯ he thought to himself, ¡°Don¡¯t waste another day on me. Make the decision. Either I stay in the dungeon or you hand me back over to the hunters,¡± Sean stood up and turned to leave. ¡°Do you even care for your life?¡± the king called for him. The man didn¡¯t bother answering the question. Instead, he opened the door and came face-to-face with Honour. The girl was stunned to see him as was he. The two of them stared at each other for a while before Sean shook off his surprise and walked past her, ¡®Correction: Knowledge can be painfully heavy.¡¯ Honour watched him walk off for a while before the king called out to her, ¡°Honour, is there something you wanted?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I was just looking for Drake... or Lina. Boredom eats at me,¡± the girl replied with a smile. Lina ced her hand on her brother who¡¯d tried to stand and pushed him back down, ¡°You get to spend way too much time with her. I¡¯m starting to wonder what you¡¯re even doing together. Dad, perhaps now could have been the right time to tell him what happened to the girl my dear sister.¡± ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know. One doesn¡¯t simply turn their backs on the Rogue King.¡± With that said, the sixteen-year-old was gone from the office and walking off with her friend. ¡°Phillips, call on the hunters. We¡¯ll have them regain custody of my brother for a ten-year sentence,¡± the king replied. ¡°Are you sure about that, your majesty?¡± the beta alpha asked him. ..... ¡°Yes, I am. Bree will be released and the exnation for her involvement will be that Prince Sean manipted her into doing everything that she did. I will speak with Frank Silver personally and tell him what truth I can about the situation,¡± with that, the matter was closed. ............... Lina walked on with her friend, heading to Crysta¡¯s room. The two girls had now gotten used to walking to the part of the pce that housed the deltas. Greeting the few they passed by, the two of them pushed Crysta¡¯s door open without knocking, a habit that Lina insisted on keeping regardless of how disturbing it was. The two of them were stunned when the inside of the room was already graced with a visitor, ¡°Oh Bree, hi. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be here.¡± ¡°Yeah, I also had no idea you¡¯d made it a habit toe here,¡± the girl replied with a nervous smile. The green-eyed delta stared between the new arrivals and Bree looking for something missing. ¡®What could it be? Oh yeah... Where is that re? This is weird,¡¯ the delta thought to herself. ¡°Bree, are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I have nothing against the princess anymore. She can do as she pleases. It doesn¡¯t bother me,¡± Bree raised her hands in surrender, ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Back to who we¡¯ve been talking about, would you like to go see her?¡± Crysta asked, ¡°I was actually hoping we would all go together.¡± ¡°Who are we...?¡± Lina stopped herself before she¡¯d finished the question. It was painstakingly obvious who the two of them were talking about. The third member of a trio that she¡¯d gotten used to seeing as she grew up. As soon as Crysta had dressed up in clothes warm enough for the chilly air outside, the four girls left the pce for the walk. Clouds hung heavy in the sky, showing no sign of a downpour, but also denying the sun any purchase. It had been like this since that day. The sun never once came through... Lina was somewhat grateful even though it felt selfish to be so... Smiling when she¡¯d lost someone dear to her just didn¡¯t feel right. These clouds were also the sign of a grieving alpha. The four girls walked the way to the cemetery infortable silence until they stood before arge grey headstone. Bree knelt before the headstone, reading the words that had been engraved into it. The circlet of flowers ced on it had begun to wither. Honour reached out to the flowers and ced her hand above them. A hum of divine energy emanated from her hands. Soon enough, the drying brown petals began to quiver in a light breeze as a brilliant metamorphosis took over them, their vibrant colours returning to them gradually till they were fresh and beautiful again. To top it off, roots from the circlet grewrger and crept into the ground, nting themselves firmly in the soil and blooming a few more flowers that surrounded the beautiful circlet, ¡°So you¡¯re the one that saved us back at the reserve?¡± Bree asked. ¡°Katie yed arge part in it too,¡± Honour replied. ¡°Katie... She must be having fun in Lycaon, now that...¡± ¡°Bree,¡± Crysta stopped the girl from continuing. She looked around and read the faces of her friends. Lina¡¯s face spoke the most out of all of them. Bree turned back to the grave before them and closed her eyes in prayer. The illusion of peace and silence was not without its cruel share of pain. It was a silence that screamed louder than any noise they could make. Even without the certainty of being attacked by rogues, they could feel their problems only beginning. The war was nowhere close toplete. ¡°Now I understand why she always felt that our teenage squabbles were a meaningless waste of time. There is so much pain in this world already,¡± Bree whispered softly. In the cold quiet cemetery, her whisper to the ears of her werewolf friends was just as loud as that of a normal person talking. The story of the king¡¯s uncle was still fresh in her mind. The sacrifices he¡¯d had to make to keep the kingdom safe. Even as she knelt down in front of her friend¡¯s grave, tears streamed down her face, ¡®Why was I the one to survive? I did the exact same thing you did... why did you have to die for it and I lived? You didn¡¯t even hurt as many people as I did. Why should I move on as if nothing happened... Like I did nothing. I know what I did... and yet he wouldn¡¯t let them charge me for any of it...¡¯ The words that echoed in her mind were not lost on the girls surrounding her. Crysta knelt down beside the girl and pulled her into a warm hug, ¡°You don¡¯t have to forget her, Bree. You don¡¯t have to forgive yourself immediately, but you can¡¯t stay in the same ce either. You can¡¯t remain stuck. She wouldn¡¯t want that at all. You know how stubborn Ginger could be. We move forward... and rebuild. That¡¯s all we can do... so that the ones we¡¯ve lost didn¡¯t die for nothing.¡± Lina knelt down on the other side of the girl, joining the two of them. Whilst Crysta¡¯s words hadn¡¯t been directed at her, they allowed her to see past something she¡¯d failed to since watching her sister disappear. What could she do without Katie around? How was she supposed to go on as if nothing had happened? Perhaps there was something she could do. Something that showed Katie¡¯s effort was not for nothing. Lina had defeated Liam because of her sister¡¯s encouragement. While Katie hadn¡¯t cared for the argument they had, she did help her find her courage. Katie helped her find her strength... and she wasn¡¯t going to let it go to waste. Madeline and Honour remained standing, both for reasons they couldn¡¯t discuss. The feeling Madeline had gotten a long while ago, in Lina¡¯s presence had returned to her. A feeling she didn¡¯t know how to feel about. Wanting to avoid experiencing it again, she kept a short distance away from the princess. Honour, on the other hand, noticed a profound change in the princess¡¯s aura. She¡¯d noticed it since they came back from their trip, but now it was much more pronounced. The divine energy within Lina... It was different... It flowed differently and raged like a storm while still retaining the tranquil nature of a calm bottomless sea. Whatever power the princess resided within her... It had gone active. Chapter 376 376 When the Clock Strikes Midnight Sandra yawned loudly, throwing her head onto the desk in agonizing boredom, ¡°If I see another request to go collecting firewood from no-man¡¯snd, I¡¯ll personally go out to their homes and give them a smacking,¡± the hunter groaned. The crimson-eyed beta alpha next to her chuckled whilst going through a different pile of documents of his own, ¡°It¡¯s important that there be fuel for the people to cook. Those applications allow those that aren¡¯t a part of the pack to sign in for the next expedition into the woods. It¡¯s safer than trying to do it on your own, plus it¡¯s freepared to hiring hunters,¡± Jason replied. Sandra sighed and lifted her head once more, taking in the appearance of the quiet empty office they were working in, ¡°What happened with your usual help though? It¡¯s rare to have you workingte like this with no one around to help, not to mention this workload is insane. I¡¯d say you were preparing all this work as an excuse for me to help you with it.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t preparing it for you if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. Though now that I think of it, that would have been a good strategy to get me into spending more time with you. Why didn¡¯t I think of this sooner?¡± Jason smirked, ¡°We¡¯ve been having less and less time to ourselves. It just seemed like the right opportunity for me. Caden took Kyle out for a run. I had thought the boy had gained some respect by now, but Caden still likes to tease him like the person he was given to torture a month ago.¡± Finally turning her attention back to the documents in front of her, Sandra flipped over to the next and grimaced at the heading, ¡®Request to join Hunting Party In One Month¡¯s Advance. Target Animal: Stag.¡¯ Sandra sighed, ¡°Has he forgiven him yet?¡± Jason was stunned by the question, ¡°No, he hasn¡¯t... He doesn¡¯t feel like torturing him anymore though. He¡¯s passed that. Have you forgiven Kyle?¡± Sandra stopped skimming through the document before her and ced it down... ¡®Dear Alpha King Emperor Supreme and Mighty, Steel Cole: After teaching my daughter to use a bow, I request that she join the next...¡¯ the document went... ..... ¡°Katie asked me to take care of him while she was gone. You know how much I respect the girl. Back then, when I saw her eyes with barely a shred of animosity towards Kyle, I thought, ¡®It¡¯s probably better that way.¡¯ Before I knew it, I had found it in my heart to forgive Kyle as well. After all, he has devoted his life to serving Katie now. We can¡¯t hold on to that hatred or else it will eat us from the inside out.¡± Jason paused to think over her words, ¡°What do we do for Ashley then?¡± ¡°We visit her grave and leave flowers. Speak to her as much as we can with the hopes that the words will reach her from beyond the grave,¡± the girl replied, turning back to the papers in her hand, ¡°I know I have been doing that. It¡¯s the only way I could get over the guilt of forgiving Kyle.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve thought about it a lot, haven¡¯t you?¡± Jason asked. His attention on his work was long gone and he was now staring at the hunter before him. Sandra¡¯s dark brown locks were trimmed to shoulder-length, giving her a more dangerous appearance. However, to this beta alpha, she only looked more beautiful. Her neck was also much more exposed now. ¡®Restrain yourself,¡¯ he would tell his wolf. ¡°Yes, I have... Ah, another request to collect wood,¡± the girl rubbed her temples, having moved on to another document in her pile, ¡°What do they need all that firewood for anyways? It feels excessive.¡± Stealing a nce at the clock on the wall that showed that it was nearing midnight, Jason stood up and approached the girl. He offered her his hand, ¡°Would you fancy a walk with me? To clear our minds.¡± Sandra eyed the pile of work they still had to go through, then figured she needed the refreshment. The offer was far too enticing for the hunter to pass up. Smiling, she took his hand and epted his request, following him out the door. The alpha led the girl through the back exit of the pce and into the gardens where the air was cool and the atmosphere was quiet and calm. Sandra wondered where everyone was, but another look at the time confirmed they were probably asleep already. She¡¯d spent so much time with Jason that she hadn¡¯t noticed when time drifted by. ¡®Time flies when you¡¯re having fun, I guess,¡¯ she thought to herself. The air in the gardens was cool and refreshing and cleared Sandra¡¯s mind. As the breeze blew through her hair, rxing her exhausted mind, her thoughts wandered about the different memories of the past month. Without Katie around, she¡¯d foundfort in spending time with Jason when she got the chance, training every chance she got and monitoring Kyle¡¯s progress. The relentless ticking of time cannot be slowed and after what had felt like an eternity for the silent alpha, the clock finally struck midnight. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around Sandra from behind. The pair had walked into the gardens, guided by the warm yellow lighting that was neatly ced through the beautiful nt life. They¡¯de closer to the famous Royal gazebo. Normally, Sandra would leap out of his grip and smack him for scaring her, but this time was different, sparks went through her body and sent shivers down her spine. Her knees went weak by the mere action... ¡®I knew it,¡¯ Jason thought to himself. ¡®Oh, so today¡¯s that day!!!¡¯ Sandra mentally screamed. Not even her hours of research into how the mate pull worked could have prepared her for what was happening right now. Her thoughts were quickly getting muddled and reced by one thought alone. ¡°Jason,¡± her voice called him softly, ¡°What¡¯s going...¡± ¡°You¡¯re my mate, Sandra,¡± he replied. The girl¡¯s heartbeat kicked into overdrive, ¡°What...?¡± Hearing it from him was different from her numerous spections. Not to mention the tone of his voice. He¡¯d never heard Jason sound so serious before. And Jason also made it a habit never to lie to her, which wiped the rest of her doubts from her mind. Sandra was speechless, clueless about how she was supposed to feel about this. She¡¯d kept her distance from Jason with a fear that had slowly turned to a certainty that she would never be his. On the other hand, Jason had made sure to keep her closer and to keep her in sight. ¡°I¡¯ve always suspected. It had to be you. I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling. I just had to wait for you to turn eighteen,¡± the man whispered into her ear. Sandra brought her hand to the werewolf¡¯s arms around her and gasped. Jason was shaking... momentster, emotions flooded her mind. Emotions that didn¡¯t belong to her. A flood of confusion, sorrow, relief, pain, longing, love... so many at once. She could tell they weren¡¯t her own and she¡¯d felt the presence of Jason¡¯s mind so many times that she could easily tell whose emotions these were. He was holding onto her like she could vanish at any moment, just like Katie had left Cole a month ago, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m right here.¡± Chapter 377 377 Morning Jog Jason¡¯s hold on her rxed slightly. Sandra¡¯s senses felt magnified with him this close... The difference between her attraction to him moments ago was colossal. While she could still control herself enough to keep from saying something silly, this change did not go unnoticed. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re still here. It doesn¡¯t feel real. I¡¯m bound to aid Cole as his beta alpha, which means I can¡¯t just do as I please, but you... You don¡¯t have that kind of restriction. You can go anywhere you want. Your family is not even in Lycaon. You could have stayed in Brigadia after Katie was gone and I¡¯d have no right to reject that decision. You could have been stationed somewhere after bing a hunter. You could have chosen toplete yourst school year after Katie left and...¡± ¡°Jason...¡± Sandra called, silencing the beta alpha at once, ¡°I know you¡¯ve always had an eye out for me, but I never thought you were this serious about it,¡± leaning back into his embrace. She might have as well just ept the reality, like her best friend before her. Jason chuckled, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve had my eye on you since the moment we met. You know how seriously I take the bond between mates.¡± ¡°I might have heard a thing or two about that... but why me of all people? I¡¯m... human,¡± Sandra sighed. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter to me,¡± the man chuckled, ¡°A mate is one¡¯s other half. Their perfect significant other. Finding out that person is human makes no difference to me. You¡¯re perfect just the way you are.¡± The hunter blushed heavily. She knew Jason was the asional smooth talker but he¡¯d never been this aggressive with his words before. It was like he was trying to melt her on the spot. When the alpha noticed the silence that had overtaken the two of them, he asked, ¡°Would you go on a date with me tomorrow?¡± Frozen Sandra almost forgot the muscles required to keep talking. She was still trying to process what was going on and she took a minute too long to respond, ¡°Y-Yeah... How long have you been nning this?¡± Jason finally released her from his hold and allowed her to face him. Rubbing the back of his head nervously, ¡°I don¡¯t think you want the answer to that.¡± ..... ¡°Jason¡¯s a creep, huh,¡± she confirmed. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t say it like that. It makes me feel like a pervert when I was clearly just hoping and praying to the moon goddess every day that my wolf and I were not wrong,¡± the man -panicked. ¡°Can the goddess be that cruel though? To lead you on and...¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. It¡¯s just that some people can be easy to talk to and a desperate unmated male could mistake that to be a sign. Although, I know what that feels like. We were different and I couldn¡¯t ignore it. The doubts are hard to keep away though,¡± he exined. ¡°I understand... and I¡¯m d,¡± Sandra pulled him into a hug. There they were again, the sparks that went through her body every time the two of them touched each other. Everything had changed so fast. While Jason had been clearly obsessing over the day when this would happen, Sandra had her own version of longing that kept her close to him. ¡°Your kindness has been driving me crazy.¡± Her inaudible words were not lost on the beta alpha¡¯s keep hearing and a smile spread across his face as he hugged her back. ¡°Happy birthday, Sandra.¡± ....... Sandra woke up the next day for her morning jog rejuvenated and ready to conquer the day. She sat up abruptly, only to fall back in the bed as memories of the night before stormed her brain. A chilling rush went through her as she remembered the ns she had for the day. It was going to be her first date with Jason. The first date with her ¡®mate.¡¯ The word sounded foreign as she tried to roll it off her tongue. She¡¯d read about the concept many times and every time she remembered what she¡¯d read, she¡¯d get goosebumps. The girl forced herself out of bed minutester and joined the pack for the early morning drill. Lycaon training wasn¡¯t the same as Sirius training. It was much more gruesome even though it passed like a breeze for someone that had been mentored and trained by the Rogue Killer. Sandra still remembered how much her friend trusted her to put down a normal rogue as though it was as simple as breathing. It hadn¡¯t been simple for her, but she bore through it, chasing after the elusive Katie while still watching her go further from her. ¡°Your head seems to be somewhere else today,¡± Kyle¡¯s voice broke through her thoughts as they jogged through the forest with the rest of the pack. ¡°Yeah, well. Today is not a normal day either,¡± the girl smiled at the thoughts in her mind, then smirked darkly, ¡°A day you might never see in your life.¡± ¡°Oh yeah. It must be an amazing day for you. I don¡¯t even know my actual date of birth,¡± he replied bluntly. ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s not what I meant, even though I¡¯m d you remembered my birthday,¡¯ Sandra suddenly got the urge to facepalm. Her mischievous statement had been rendered useless as well. Kyle didn¡¯t have a birthday. ¡°The fact that you remember my birthday only makes me wonder what kind of stalker you are,¡± she stated bluntly. ¡°Huh, of course, I would remember. You forget it was my job to keep track of Katie¡¯s actions. I knew everything about her and her friends. One could say I was...¡± ¡°More than a stalker then. You were probably a peeping Tom as well,¡± Sandra cut him off. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thetter, but I see your point now,¡± he sighed, ¡°Walked right into that one, didn¡¯t I?¡± he grumbled causing Sandra tough at him, however, the next thing he said knocked the smile right off her face, ¡°You and Jason, huh. Congrats.¡± ¡°How did...¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the alpha happier which is saying something considering he¡¯s always jolly,¡± the boy replied, ¡°Try to keep up, will you?¡± Sandra hadn¡¯t noticed her pace slow down and sped up to keep up with the rest of the pack. ¡®I guess it couldn¡¯t have been a dream now, could it?¡¯ she thought to herself. Chapter 378 378 Dilemma Sandra stood inside her room, petrified by the choices she hadid out before her. One was a pale yellow dress that was rather simple. One of those dresses that werefortable, not too much and yet, not too little either, allowed perfect mobility at the same time. This was her best option for a casual outing. Her eyes zed over this option andnded on her other options. Her desire to look her best on this date drew her eyes to the other two dresses in the room. One was red and identical in design to the blue dress that Katie had worn on the day of Cole¡¯s coronation. Sandra had bought this dress from a boutique recently strictly for the nostalgic feeling it gave her. She hadn¡¯t exactly nned to wear the luxurious dress, but her impulses wouldn¡¯t let her leave it behind and she¡¯d ended up bringing it home with her. The third was a deep green, littered with gems at the lower hem. It was made of silk and veryfortable. However, one look at the dress was all it took for someone to realise how expensive it was. This one had been passed down to her by her mother and was very precious. While it was a special dress that she would like to wear in Jason¡¯s presence, and easily dwarfed the red one in beauty, its sentimental value only demanded the best of asions for her to wear it. The three dresses posed a heavy battle in her mind as she tried to pick one out. While she was pacing about in thought, the door to her room swung open only, forcefully admitting someone Sandra hadn¡¯t been aware of. With her back turned from the door, Sandra scowled. There weren¡¯t many that could simply barge into her room, ¡°Kyle, how many times will I...¡± the rest of her words choked their way back to whatever vile nest she¡¯d hatched them. Instead of locking eyes with the obnoxious beta alpha, she hade face-to-face with Queen Margaret, ¡°Oh, your majesty,¡± Sandra wiped off her shocked expression and bowed in respect to the elegant woman, ¡°Can I help you with something?¡± ¡°Yes, you can tell me why Cole¡¯s beta alpha is going to have to wait half the day for you to get ready,¡± the woman asked her before setting her eyes on the dresses on the bed, ¡°Oh my, these are beautiful.¡± Her quarrelsome demeanour vanished in a sh and was reced with the attitude of ady much younger than she usually acted, ¡°Which one are you going to wear?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m stuck on choosing one from these three and I can¡¯t decide which one would be best for this,¡± the girl groaned before getting into the exnation of what each of the dresses meant to her. The queen listened to her patiently, nodding at the end of each statement she made. They were valid reasons for her dilemma, but the queen was already years ahead of this youngling and could make the decision with less confusion. ¡°I think you should choose the yellow dress. It suits you very much. Makes you look like an angel while the others make you look more like... well, a ruler. The green one though, you can¡¯t wear that to something as trivial as a date. You¡¯ll know when to wear that one,¡± the woman voiced her opinion. ¡°Is that all you got for me? No offence,¡± Sandra pinched the bridge of her nose. A decision that had been this hard to make could not be solved in the blink of an eye. It couldn¡¯t be so easy. That¡¯s just not how Sandra had thought this would go. Perhaps, she¡¯d expected the queen to fuss over the fine details of each of the dresses andpletely dissect the reasons why one of them was a better decision than the other. ..... She¡¯d expected the queen topliment her on what each of them did for her appearance and which one would be more attractive to the beta alpha. Then they would drift off into talks of what the date would probably be like and waste even more time before randomly picking one dress with both her eyes closed. But this didn¡¯t happen. Queen Margaret had skipped it all and given precise reasons why thought so. ¡®It can¡¯t be that simple.¡¯ The queen sighed and grabbed the yellow dress from the bed, pushing the girl to the dresser and setting it before her, ¡°Look at the person in the mirror. She¡¯s practically glowing and she¡¯s happy. The aim of this date is to have fun with the person you¡¯ll spend the rest of your life with...¡± ¡°You say that far too lightly...¡± Sandra interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s the truth. Back to the dress. In my opinion, the other dresses... have much heavier attachments to you than this one. If he doesn¡¯t give them perfectpliments, you won¡¯t like it. They are also literally heavier than this one. If I might add, in this dress, you¡¯re you, Sandra stair. The person Jason wants to spend the day with. The person Jason has been waiting for a long time... I would know. In the other dresses, you also have someone else in mind and that¡¯s not what that alpha needs now. Do you want any more reasons? Because I can keep going.¡± The girl sighed and took the dress from the queen¡¯s hands, holding it against her chest and staring at her reflection in the mirror, ¡°I understand what you mean.¡± ¡°Good. Now sit and let me get you ready. It¡¯s been a long time since Ist helped someone get ready for one of these. I¡¯m excited,¡± Sandra was surprised by this request, but couldn¡¯t deny her the chance. In all honesty, she was relieved the queen was going to help her. Sandra sat down and let the queen work her magic. The woman hummed to a tune while working on her with her eyes closed. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard from Cole. Do you know where he is?¡± Sandra asked. ¡°The king has errands that require his attention once in a while. So he¡¯s not always going to be around,¡± the woman replied briefly. Sandra scrunched her brow in confusion. Something about the way the queen said this was all wrong. The hunter allowed it to slip her mind a momentter, but the queen¡¯s words had sounded slightly rehearsed. ¡°I see,¡± Sandra shrugged. The people that had been present for training were less than usual that she¡¯d even resorted to sparing with Be. The female delta had taken a liking to Sandra(mainly because of how skilled she was) and the two of them were always sparring partners when that part of morning training came around and Jason didn¡¯t require Sandra to help anyone else out. ...... Chapter 379 379 Bright Lights Jason had been waiting by the car for a while, getting more and more anxious as time went on. Queen Margaret had left him to make sure Sandra was alright and reported through the mind link that she would help her get ready. Dressed in a well-fitted tuxedo, Jason was a sight to behold. He didn¡¯t know if he had overdone it or if this was just right, ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys taking this a little too far?¡± the male voice of a familiar beta alpha interrupted his train of thought. Kyle emerged from behind the massive ck car, taking in Jason¡¯s unusual appearance. He¡¯d even cared to work on his hair, giving the dark wavy locks an attractive shine. ¡°Huh, no, we aren¡¯t. And you better behave yourself while I¡¯m gone,¡± Jason snapped at the rookie beta alpha. ¡°Hey, rx,¡± Kyle raised his hands up,ughing lightly, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you tense before... Scratch that. I¡¯ve never seen you tense... ever. I didn¡¯t even know you had nerves. Werewolves are weird when they meet with their mates, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Is someone jealous?¡± Jason asked with a smug smile. ¡®Yes, little beta, I am an entire level above you. I have a mate and you don¡¯t. And she¡¯s beautiful... Mwahaha,¡¯ Jason felt like saying. Knowing Jason, Kyle could glean all this from his smug tone. The beta alpha rolled his eyes, barely shaken by the usation. ¡°No. Not in the least,¡± Kyle turned his back to Jason waved his goodbye then and was gone. Watching him leave, Jason couldn¡¯t help but ball his fists. It had been almost two months since he¡¯d joined them and yet he was still the same. He carried Katie¡¯s will with him, but beyond that, he was a walking husk that wanted nothing more to do with his life. For a beta alpha, that was all they needed to live, but they were werewolves as well. ..... Like all werewolves, they reserved the capability of making their own decisions. They had dreams as well and when the royals realised this aspect about their beta alphas, they normally kept their orders to a minimum to allow them to live their lives. ¡®What did she see in you?¡¯ the man thought to himself. These thoughts were wiped from his mind in the next second, as though Kyle had never spoken to him in the first ce. A sweet alluring scent wafted through the air, arresting more of his focus than he had the power to resist. It was a sensation he was not yet used to. A scent that entranced him the moment he caught a whiff of it. ¡®The scent of his mate.¡¯ At the top of the pce stairs, the girl was dressed in a yellow flowing dress that dropped down to right below her knees. Seated atop her head was a round sun hat that matched the dress perfectly. Sandra had not gone overboard with jewellery or make-up. In fact, she looked more like herself than he¡¯d ever seen her. She didn¡¯t bear the barbaric tendencies of her mentor and this outfit depicted that and more of her womanly charms. While Katie had been obsessed with getting stronger and even failed to learn a lot more than fighting rogues, Sandra had the chance to get to experience other things. Which exined why the girl liked paintball far more than archery. The bag she carried was small as well, barely able to contain more than a phone. From the look of the material, however, Jason could tell it was nothing too pricey. Sandra walked down the stairs with a slight spring in her step and twirled around before him, ¡°How do I look?¡± Now that she was closer to him, Jason noticed more about his mate than he¡¯d initially tried to. While her hair colour was simr to Katie¡¯s dark locks, there was a tinge in hers. Her hair sat neatly on her shoulders in wavy locks. ¡®Huh, not a single scar on her face. That had to be hard.¡¯ ¡°Jason.¡± The alpha shook off his daze, ¡°Oh yeah, sorry, I was too stunned for words,¡± he replied sheepishly rubbing a hand through his silky hair, ¡°You look stunning, Sandra.¡± That said, the beta alpha produced a small ck box from his pocket. The girl eyed the box in Jason¡¯s hand and walked closer to him. The man opened the box and watched in satisfaction as the girl gasped. In the box was an intricately designed ne with three amber opals set in delicate silver metal that curled around them in elegant curls, holding them in ce delicately as though they¡¯d shatter the moment they fell out of the silver grasp. The amber within the opals seemed to swirl if stared at for too long, ¡°Turn around for me, dear.¡± Sandra, flushed, turned around and took the hat off before holding her dark brown locks out of the way. Jason¡¯s wolf surged forward once her neck was exposed. He¡¯d never felt his wolf surge forward as much as it did now. ¡®I¡¯ll have to make a point of telling Caden this little detail if he ever does find his mate,¡¯ he thought to himself. Caden¡¯s wolf was fundamentally more aggressive than his. This was partly the reason why Caden was generally quieter than him. The influence of his wolf would have made him appear short-tempered otherwise. Closing his eyes, Jason took a deep breath and gently ced the ne where it was meant to be. He ced a kiss on her neck when he was done, ¡°That should do it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so close,¡± the girl shakily whispered. ¡°Does it bother you?¡± he snickered. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. Where are we going?¡± The hunter pulled away from him with a smirk and ced her hat back on her head. ¡°That hat will be in the way. Lose it...¡± ¡°Oh, I thought you said I looked stunning wearing it,¡± Sandra teased. Jason approached the ck SUV and opened the door to the passenger seat for the girl, ¡°Using your hat for creating distance from your mate. There has got to be a crime for that in our constitution. I would have it confiscated in the name of the king.¡± Sandraughed, getting into the car. The man pushed the door closed and rushed over to the driver¡¯s seat. Starting the car, the couple was off, ¡°I heard you love paintball,¡± the man smirked. Sandra beamed at the mention of her favourite game. She could still remember thest time she had a match. At the Founder¡¯s festival, where Jason had tried his best with Jeremiah and Shaemus. Thinking back on it now, it felt like it was a distant memory and yet not even half a year had gone by, ¡°Feels like forever since thest time we yed.¡± Sandra hadn¡¯t known what to expect from Jason on their first date. Would he be taking her for a meal or was there some other n he had in mind? There was the issue of him working. Would he have to stop the day in half and return to work? If that were the case, Sandra had no doubt she would follow and help him with the work he had to do. Thanks to Thorrin, her first assignment from the Hunter¡¯s Agency had been indefinitely postponed so she could watch over Kyle and Cole at the pce. Now that Jason had suggested paintball, she couldn¡¯t help but feel it was the best option to help her take her mind off everything they¡¯d been through. A game of paintball... Sounds like a lot of fun. ¡®My dress... I¡¯ll figure something out.¡¯ Her thoughts were interrupted by Jason¡¯s attention-grabbing voice. ¡°The only difference this time is that we won¡¯t be versing a very fast hunter and grouped with a potential spy for the rogues,¡± Jasonughed, reminiscing the past events, ¡°It¡¯s been a quiet month.¡± ¡°Well then, let¡¯s try to make this a day we won¡¯t forget. It¡¯s not healthy for us to keep dwelling on the past, you know,¡± Sandra responded. Jason smiled, turning to see her beautiful smile briefly before returning his eyes to the road. ¡® The remote town of Brigadia raised two bright lights...¡¯ Chapter 380 380 Perfect Mate The day proceeded with paintball, lunch... and, after Jason¡¯s relentless requests, a few video games that Sandra was not familiar with. The hunter was reluctant at first and when she epted, she took the time to adjust. Before Jason knew it, she was putting up a fight. Her instincts as a hunter didn¡¯t let her down when it came tobat it seemed. Even when thatbat took ce in a virtual world. Sandra found the feeling of victory much more rewarding than she¡¯d initially anticipated. After all, it was the first time the girl was actually getting to defeat her mate in somethingbat rted. Sandrater urged him to take the day slower... His tension had not gone unnoticed. Jason obliged, cancelled the storm of other activities he had nned and took her to the park where they found a table set with tea and refreshments, steam rolling off the rims of the cups that had been set for them. Sandra looked about them in search of Jason¡¯s little helpers but was at a loss. They were just that good at hiding. Before taking a seat, the man peeked under her sunhat, ¡°I know the weather is fine today, after a long period of time without the sun, but do you have to hide your face from me?¡± Sandra smiled, finally taking the hat off and cing it on the table, ¡°Since you wouldn¡¯t stop whining, I guess I¡¯ll have it off for the rest of the day.¡± Jason was quick to give her a kiss on the cheek before shing her a dazzling smile, ¡®He just wants to kill me with charm today,¡¯ she mentally groaned, ¡°Thank you,¡± he replied, pulling her seat out for her. ¡®Definitely wants to destroy me...¡¯ the hunter silentlymented. ¡°Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed your helpers preparing something everywhere we went. I know you were ready-¡± she shuddered, ¡°-far too ready for the paintball, but this was sudden. You couldn¡¯t have heard it all done that fast,¡± she gestured at the table. ¡°You¡¯re right about all of it. I had helpers. It would be next to impossible for us to go wherever we wanted without me giving some sort of order,¡± Jasonughed nervously, ¡°I just wanted our date to be perfect.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to go through all that trouble to impress a girl that already finds you impressive when you don¡¯t try,¡± Sandra smiled. ..... ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m only trying to match the perfection I¡¯ve been graced with,¡± the man replied with a mischievous grin. The girl chuckled. Having heard hispliments longer than anyone, she was learning to expect them when they came. He didn¡¯t seem capable of missing the chance, ¡°Perhaps you should have worried more about who would be eating all this. I don¡¯t share my best friend¡¯s appetite,¡± she chuckled, picking up a cup of tea. The all-too-familiar scent of cinnamon overwhelmed her senses. There was no doubt the tea had been prepared to perfection, just the way she liked it. Jason was not taking any chances. Not even when she¡¯d brought up theint about her dress getting messed up in their game of paintball. It felt too convenient for there to be a beauty salon not too far from the field for her to wash off and resume her dating outfit as if nothing had happened. It soon dawned on Jason that she was going to take tea and nothing more. ¡°This reminds me of the time Cole was invited to a tea party with one of his suitors,¡± the man chuckled. ¡°Oh, and what did he end up doing?¡± ¡°Hmm, he had me deliver a letter of him declining her invitation. She was so mad at him. She all went, ¡®Who¡¯s going to eat all this?¡¯ like she¡¯d meant to feed him until he was fat and couldn¡¯t walk,¡± Jason narrated. Sandra couldn¡¯t hold herughter, ¡°I would see how this would remind you of that time. I¡¯m guessing you ate everything in his stead though.¡± ¡°No werewolf could have been prepared for what she had made for Cole. It was more of a feast for a nation than a tea party. She took the phrase, ¡®The door to a man¡¯s heart is his belly,¡¯ quite far too seriously,¡± he replied chuckling. ¡°It should be. It would be a shame for you to reject my cooking,¡± Sandra sighed, the satisfied glint in her eye did not vanish while she faked taking a sip of her tea. ¡°You can cook? Why haven¡¯t I had any of that before?¡± Jason asked, his face beaming at the idea of his mate making a meal. ¡®Would it take good, divine... or would it be a demon spawn presented on a tter. Whatever I¡¯d eat it all withoutint. If it¡¯s not good, she can get better, but that smirk tells me she knows how to cook.¡¯ The anticipation was slowly taking root in the beta alpha¡¯s mind. The two of them continued talking for the better part of the evening. Jason stopped trying to impress her exceedingly and returned to his usual normal self, cracking jokes and doing all he could to keep a smile on her face. The conversation between the two of them flowed so naturally that it sometimes surprised Sandra. She thought of herself as a quiet person, but with Jason, she wasn¡¯t the same either. Her mind was more active and everything on her mind just came tumbling out with no end to it. She didn¡¯t have to think of what to say and feltfortable speaking her mind in his presence. ¡®If only we could get stuck in moments like these,¡¯ she thought to herself. Eventually, the sun made its steep descent over the horizon, bathing the sky with smooth crimson rays. The cool wind and the warmth of the evening sunmanded a slower conversation between the two of them. Upon Jason¡¯s request, they had taken a stroll through the park and found a ce where they could watch the sunset, ¡°Watching the sunset on a date. I¡¯ve read that a couple of times,¡± Sandra mentioned. Yet another one of the things she did that Katie never had the time for... Reading novels. ¡°It might be, but I¡¯ve had a phrase before that went... ¡®Something as simple only gets more beautiful when you watch it with someone you love,¡± Jason¡¯s words shocked the girl. Once more, he was going a little too deep with hispliments. ¡°Yourpliments areing off a bit strong today, don¡¯t you think?¡± Sandra hid her reddening face, wishing for her hat to return to her. It was much easier to hide her face under it. Unfortunately, they¡¯d left it at the table where they¡¯d been seated, no doubt intentionally. ¡°Either that or you¡¯re finally starting to take them seriously. I¡¯ve always meant everything I¡¯ve said about you,¡± the man responded. Sandra couldn¡¯t help the rush that came over her. It was different when she wasn¡¯t trying to stop his advances. His words held more meaning now... They weren¡¯t the same asional flirtatious lines he¡¯d used on her since they¡¯d met. Jason cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes, ¡°I like around, calling myself ¡®perfect,¡¯ but I couldn¡¯t have been granted a more perfect mate. I must be the luckiest beta alpha in the world.¡± ¡®...Someone wake me up right now...¡¯ Sandra swallowed. Jason¡¯s soft crimson gaze was so close to hers right now. ¡®...This can¡¯t be real...¡¯ Chapter 381 381 A Rogue... General?!!! The golden orb in the sky finally touched the horizon in the distance as though settling to fondly watch the couple¡¯s love blossom, Jason seized the moment and kissed the hunter before him. Not allowing her shock to keep her still too long, Sandra kissed him back. Sparks went off between them, sending rushing waves of emotion and love through the special mind link they shared, intensifying their already deep love for each other. The odd mind link that had connected them for so long now felt natural, almost like it was always meant to be there. ¡®Perhaps it is I who¡¯s the lucky one,¡¯ Sandra thought to herself. For a brief moment, Jason was all that mattered. That brief moment felt like an eternity, and a blink in time all at the same time etched into her memory in great detail. The couple stood together until the warmth of the sunset had left them. Jason had never found himself in a situation where he had nothing to say, but here he was... ¡®What are the odds of me not having words to say to my mate?¡¯ he mentally chuckled. ¡°You missed the sunset,¡± Sandra spoke up, turning to the darkening sky. Jason chuckled, ¡°I had something more beautiful to stare at... and the best part, this gem doesn¡¯t vanish at the end of the day.¡± Sandra turned red once more, ¡°Do you have some sort of handbook or did you take a crash course in cheesy lines?¡± she finally asked. ¡°Ites naturally, I guess. It¡¯s not hard for me to praise someone so wonderful,¡± he replied. Pulling away from their embrace, Jason held out his hand for her to take. It was time for them to go. Sandra nced to the far west, where the sun had just disappeared. The dark veil of night was quickly approaching. Turning away from the dissipating red rays, she turned to the small crescent that was now making its elegant climb into the night sky. ¡®I guess all good dayse to an end. I managed to make it to eighteen as a hunter... And I have a mate too, just like you did, Katie. Not that a mate¡¯s something a human would be looking forward to. I hope you¡¯re watching me... Katie.¡¯ ..... Jason then led her to the car where he opened the door once more for the girl to enter. Sandra was reluctant to enter the car, ¡°The day ising to an end already. Everything goes back to normal tomorrow, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Hmm, if you call me having to kiss you every morning and constantly boast about having the most beautiful and loving mate in the world normal, then yes, it will go back to normal,¡± he chuckled. The hunter smiled at the thought and entered the car, ¡°You won¡¯t actually keep bragging to everyone everywhere you go, will you?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? The looks on their faces when they realise I¡¯m not as single as the rest of them. Oh, that will be golden,¡± the man smirked, his mind running various simtions of him trampling over the other pack warriors. When he¡¯d closed the door, she sighed, ¡°I guess bing an official beta alpha didn¡¯t make you any more mature,¡± watching the jolly beta alpha rush over to the driver¡¯s seat ¡°I thought you would hire someone to drive the car.¡± ¡°I would have liked to do the same, but Cole was early to call on everyone today... and quick to dismiss me. Honestly, I¡¯ve never seen the castle this empty before.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Sandra asked, concern seeping into her voice. ¡°He said he found one of the rogue generals while he was out hunting with a few of the pack warriors. Yes, I was shocked as well. Shocked to see him alive, that is, but considering the man¡¯s practically indestructible, I couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility. The fight was brutal and Cole had w and bite marks all over him. He had a slight limp in his step and I could tell he was still healing. I don¡¯t know what amount of luck he had to manage to bring the monster down, but he¡¯s doing well. When I asked him if I could help out, he shot me down, along with the queen. Considering you were trained by the Luna, he asked that I keep you in the dark about this and enjoy my date. Kyle offered to help keep the date going smoothly. He¡¯s the one who¡¯s been running around making preparations before we got everywhere we intended to,¡± Jason exined, gripping the steering wheel a little tight while he did. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s hurry back to the pce. We need to make sure they¡¯ve returned. I would also like to personally scold him for being so stupid. Honestly, how is a date more important than the king¡¯s life?¡± the girl pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. Jason chuckled, ¡°After finding out I had found my mate and that mate was you, you¡¯d be surprised how different the reasoning between humans and werewolves gets?¡± ¡°So I¡¯ve heard. I¡¯m not sure I understand it fully either. Let¡¯s just hurry back. That alpha owes me a good smack to the head,¡± the girl sighed, leaning back into her chair as the car sped through the city. With how fast Jason was driving, Sandra was sure they would hit something on their way home. The look of seriousness and concern on his face and the speed he drove only brought her more worry and panic. At times like this, she often found herself checking to see if her seatbelt was fastened. ¡®A rogue general, huh... If that monster is anything like the thing the wolf that attacked us in the reserve that time, he could have been killed... That¡¯s if he can be killed. I don¡¯t even know what to think. He was able to put Silver in the hospital. So... maybe he can stand a chance against a general. Still, it¡¯s foolish to deal with a monster like that without all the help one can get.¡¯ ¡°How did Colee across the general?¡± ¡°He was out on a morning run. I didn¡¯t even notice him leaving the pce. Caden woke me up to look for him and that¡¯s when we found him at the main entrance, covered in scratches from top to bottom and breathing badly. He took his time to catch his breath. When he was finally able to talk, he was giving orders. I understand he didn¡¯t want to cause mass panic, but still... It was a grave matter.¡± Sandra didn¡¯t ask any more questions after that... It took them half the time it normally would have to get back to the pce. The beta alpha, following his mate¡¯s orders to waste no more time, rushed out of the car to get to her door. Sandra groaned and pushed the door open herself, ¡°Oh, for goddess¡¯s sake, Jason, we don¡¯t have time for that routine.¡± ¡°There is always time for chivalry, my dear. Follow me,¡± somehow, Jason managed to sound serious as he said this and led her from the courtyard with a sincere sense of urgency. They hadn¡¯t even parked in the designated parking lot, not that it mattered. Jason opened therge double doors only to be met by silence. The pce was eerily silent. There wasn¡¯t a sign of life in the pce at all, ¡°If they are not in the pce, who knows where they could be? I¡¯m starting to worry. I¡¯ve been trying the mind link and no one will answer me. At first, I thought it was obvious we would find them here, but now I don¡¯t know what to think,¡± Jason spoke in a tone unfamiliar to his usualid-back character. Following as fast as she could in her yellow dress, the hunter followed behind him, terror starting to flood her system with adrenaline. She now started to wish she¡¯d brought some weapons with her. Her memory shed to the small knife that was hidden in her bag, but even that had been left behind in the car in haste. Jason silently led her through the first floor of the colossal pce. Judging by the direction he was following, he was going to... ¡®The throne room? Did they start using it again... or are they hiding there?¡¯ ¡®The weather was nice today, wasn¡¯t it?¡¯ was Sandra¡¯sst thought before therge double doors of the pce throne room swung wide open. On the other side, darkness... but only for a moment. The darknesssted only a second long enough for the girl to get into the right spot before bright lights shed through the whole room. The doors opened to reveal thergest crowd of familiar faces she¡¯d ever been graced to see in a single ce. All at once, so loud she thought her ears would burst, they shouted, ¡°Happy Birthday,¡± stunning the girl. This was followed by music, noisy poppers and celebratory ultions from the guests. Jason smiled at the stunned girl frozen in the halls, ¡°Surprise... Happy Birthday, Sandra.¡± ¡®Why... why is my birthday being held in the Lycaon Throne Room?¡¯ shocked Sandra was once again overwhelmed by the attention she was getting. She wasn¡¯t that important, was she? Chapter 382 382 Surprise Celebration Sandra walked into the room, too stunned to remember to scold her mate for lying to her. The throne was filled with arge gathering of both familiar and unfamiliar faces she found it dizzying to identify them all. From hunters she¡¯d grown up with in Brigadia, to those she¡¯d met in Sirius, not to mention everyone she¡¯d ever known who mattered to her former mentor as well. The first group of people she reacted to, however, were her parents. Spotting them in the crowded mess, the girl ran up to the two of them and leapt into their arms, ¡°You remembered. How did you make it here without me knowing about it?¡± ¡°Cole just dropped by Brigadia and asked that wee here. It was a shocking and very sudden surprise though,¡± her mother¡¯s voice sang. Overjoyed, the girl almost forgot there were plenty more people to greet in the throne room, ¡°Congrattions, sweetie. On finally bing a hunter and happy eighteenth birthday. We have a lot to talk about, my dear.¡± Sandra pulled away from her mother¡¯s embrace. The woman was smirking, an expression Sandra found odd on her mother¡¯s face, ¡°Well, don¡¯t leave me hanging. What¡¯s he like? Do I have to tell him how much you love your beauty sleep and never to wake you up on a Sunday morning or is he smart enough to figure that out by himself?¡± ¡®That¡¯s more like it,¡¯ Sandra grimaced. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine, mother. He knows better than to mess with my sleep. More than a certain hunter I knew...¡± ¡°I¡¯m so confused, who are we talking about now?¡± Sandra¡¯s father pitched in, confusion written all over his face. s, Sandra had many more people to greet and her mother noticed it. ¡°I¡¯ll exin everything, honey,¡± to Sandra, ¡°Do spare some time and meet with us when the party is over.¡± The woman nced to the side and pulled her daughter close, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about you and that beta alphater.¡± With that, the stair family walked away from their daughter, leaving her and her mate speechless. ¡°That sounds terrifying,¡± Jason groaned from behind her. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. There is nothing to worry about... I hope.¡± ..... Before the beta alpha couldin, a female voice pitched in somewhat loudly, ¡°There she is. Sandra stair, in all her glory.¡± Samantha¡¯s voice sparked a glint of fondness Sandra released her parents before leaving them to wee the hunters of Brigadia. Sandra turned in time to see a group of hunters walking her way. Samantha, Jackeline, Frost and Keh had all managed toe to the party. The girl embraced Samantha first and the others in session, ¡°I¡¯m so d you guys could make it.¡± The older hunters beamed with delight, ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re d we coulde here as well. This party was meant to be huge after all. We wouldn¡¯t miss it. On the other hand, Anthony decided to stay behind to... ¡®protect¡¯ Brigadia. He sends his regards.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, really. I wish he could have made it though. I know how much he loves eating,¡± the girl joked. ¡°Agreed. He was second to one person alone,¡± Samantha joined in. ¡°Sandra,¡± Jason suddenly interrupted, ¡°Allow me to step away for a moment. His majesty summons me.¡± ¡°No problem. Doe back as soon as you can,¡± Sandra replied, already feeling his absence. The beta alpha ced a kiss on her lips before leaving her to the hunters of Brigadia. ¡°Oh my... They grow up so fast, don¡¯t they?¡± Jackeline swooned. ¡°Wh... what do... What about you and Frost?¡± Sandra blurted out in an effort to escape the spotlight. Thankfully, this worked like a charm. Jackeline was turning red while Keh and Samantha regarded the two. ¡°Now that I think of it, I have wanted to know what your rtionship is like, Frost... Jackeline?¡± Keh narrowed her eyes at the two. Frost kept his calm, but Jackeline wouldn¡¯t meet their eyes. The man didn¡¯t show any signs of answering them. His guard was up, but that wasn¡¯t the same for Jackeline. Sighing, ¡°We were looking for the right time to tell you, but we¡¯ll be getting married in a few months.¡± Suddenly, the union of Jason and Sandra was nothing but old news. Jackeline and Frost were finally together. Who would have thought? The hunters spoke for a bit before a blue-eyed girl made her way to them, ¡°Hey Sandra,¡± Lina interrupted them. ¡°Oh my, Lina... How many people made it here tonight?¡± Sandra asked, surprised to see the princess of Sirius present as well. ¡°I believe everyone came. Everyone that ever meant something to the two of you... and a few more,¡± the girl eximed, ¡°The mood¡¯s been gloomy since she left. This was a nice way for us all to let loose a little. Everyone that ever cared for her. You were Katie¡¯s best friend. The two of you were inseparable even though sometimes it didn¡¯t seem that way.¡± ¡°How are you doing, Lina?¡± Sandra hugged the royal, the girl needed it. Something felt odd about the royal, but she couldn¡¯t quite figure it out. Lina was still the same emotional girl Sandra hade to know... but she seemed a little more... determined. There was a rare fire in her eyes. ¡°Better than I was,¡± Lina replied. In a hushed tone, she added, ¡°Hey, I heard you and Jason are...¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re mates,¡± Sandra finished the statement for the royal. ¡°No way. You¡¯re kidding,¡± this did note from Lina. And the two girls turned to a green-eyed delta holding a ss of fruit punch in her hand. Sandra was tempted to ask if it was pure fruit punch, knowing Crysta¡¯s tendencies to desecrate drinks. She¡¯d even been confident enough to spike the king¡¯s drink once before, ¡°I thought it was a joke of some sort. So have the two of you...¡± ¡°Oh my goodness, Crysta. Do you have to jump to conclusions that quickly? Your hunger for gossip hasn¡¯t gone down one bit,¡± Honour smacked the delta at the back of the head, making her presence known as well as she scolded the girl who¡¯d almost asked something too private forfort. ¡°So, this is the mighty Sandra stair,¡± another girl spoke up before making a well-practised curtsy. The hunter giggled, ¡°Perhaps you should save the curtsy for the day you meet the Luna of Lycaon, I¡¯m just an ordinary hunter,¡± with that, the hunter returned the gesture with a wobbly curtsy of her own. ¡®Who knew that required practice?¡¯ This brief moment of embarrassment was wiped away by the next thing she saw. All of a sudden, the girl¡¯s amber eyes shed grey before returning to their original amber. ¡®Odd... but cool too,¡¯ Sandra kept these thoughts to herself. ¡°And you are...¡± ¡°This is Madeline. She¡¯s the daughter of a... Oh my, we can¡¯t speak of her so lightly now that I think of it, but she¡¯s been living with us for a while. She appeared shortly after Katie rushed over to Lycaon. She¡¯s wanted to meet you and Katie for a while now. All she has to go on are the stories that have been told,¡± Lina exined. ¡°Is it fine if we speak of her like a legend... or perhaps a hero? She was unbelievable. I know she wille back, but I can¡¯t go a single day without hearing someone say her name. If that¡¯s not a legendary hero, I don¡¯t know what is,¡± Crysta rambled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t casually refer to her as a legend. After all, one needs to die to be a legend,¡± Cole¡¯s deep voice came from behind Sandra, frightening the oblivious hunter. Sandra turned to see the king behind her smiling brightly, ¡°Happy birthday, Sandra. I hope you are having a st.¡± Sighing, ¡°I wish she could be here to celebrate it with me. I was there for her birthday. It would have been fun. I don¡¯t think I can eat that much cake without a bottomless pit to help me.¡± Cole chuckled at herment, ¡°Yeah, that cake didn¡¯t know who it was messing with. Close your eyes for me, Sandra.¡± This one phrase got the whole room quiet down. The volume of those talking had already started dropping when the two started talking, but Sandra hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it. The changing colours of the wall lights slowed and took on deeper shades of deep blue, red and green. Sandra looked about and noticed the change in the atmosphere. While she knew there was something they had to hide, she couldn¡¯t quite figure it out, ¡°Did I do something?¡± ¡°Did you do something?¡± Cole raised a brow at her. Noticing her error, she wiped any thoughts that crept up, ¡°No, nothing. I did nothing.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if you did. Will you close your eyes now?¡± he asked once more. This time the girl noticed he meant no harm in asking her to close her eyes and sheplied. ¡®How many surprises will they keeping up with? They¡¯ve already done more than enough. And wasn¡¯t Cole supposed to be hunting some... Ohhh...¡¯ ¡°I see someone survived a Rogue general,¡± the girl grumbled. ¡°Well, it was a close call. If I¡¯d even been a tad bit unprepared, I would have been a goner,¡± Cole smirked, ¡°But I¡¯d say it was worth it.¡± Cole took the confused girl¡¯s hands and guided her through the colossal throne room heading for the centre. The girl strained her hearing, but couldn¡¯t tell what was going on. Everyone had gonepletely silent and there wasn¡¯t a clue as to what was happening. The suspense was killing her and she almost opened her eyes. The moment the thought of opening her eyes crossed her mind, a beta alpha¡¯s hands covered them, ¡°You might ruin a miracle without meaning to.¡± Chapter 383 383 A New Beginning Sandra sighed, giving up her futile resistance and followed the two werewolves patiently, trusting Jason and Cole to guide her through the throne room blindly. She couldn¡¯t see... and yet, Jason¡¯s consciousness assured her of each step she took forward, almost like she could see through his eyes. ¡®This is freakier than a trust fall,¡¯ she thought to herself. Soon enough, the two wolves of them came to a stop. Since Sandra couldn¡¯t hear a thing, her other senses began to heighten, trying to discern her surroundings. She could tell something big was about to happen. Maybe they had prepared something astonishing for her to see. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s new hunting gear, but no... That¡¯s so Katie... I wonder.¡¯ Sandra tried gleaning through the mind link she shared with Jason for some form of an answer, but nothing came through. When she had just given up on figuring it out, she heard a whisper..., ¡°You can open your eyes now.¡± The hands on her eyes came free, giving her the chance to see what they wanted to show her. Sandra kept her eyes closed for a moment, suddenly frightened to open her eyes. The voice that had just whispered to her wasn¡¯t male at all. The hunter opened her eyes, going mute at what she saw. Standing before her was a blue-eyed girl dressed in a blue dress that was an identical copy of the red one she¡¯d given up on wearing earlier that day. For a brief moment, Sandra forgot to breathe. It was Katie... thest person she expected to see on her birthday, ¡°Happy Birthday, Sandra.¡± The sound of her voice itself lingered in her mind. It was a sound she never thought she would get to hear again... not in a long time from that night. Sandra embraced the girl before her, ¡°Y-you came... but how?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss it for the world. Congrattions on turning eighteen,¡± Katie giggled, hugging her friend back. The slight hint of sadness in her voice told her all she needed to know. This wasn¡¯t permanent... but that¡¯s what made this even more special, ¡°It¡¯s a miracle you¡¯re here at all. I don¡¯t want to know the details. Thank you foring.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee... Umm, Sandra, I can¡¯t breathe,¡± Katie struggled as her friend held onto her tighter. ..... ¡°You might vanish again. I¡¯m just making sure,¡± the girl whined. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t vanish until midnight, so let¡¯s try to have fun,¡± Katie replied, tapping her friend rapidly for the chance at relief. Sandra finally let go of her friend and studied her. She didn¡¯t look much different from the day she had vanished which was somewhat disappointing. She didn¡¯t know what she was supposed to expect, but hey... her friend had juste from the realm of immortals... there must have been some form of change, right...? The rest of the party was now resuming the conversation now that the surprise was over, ¡°The two of you look cute together. Are you sure you¡¯re not mates?¡± Frank¡¯s voice sang through the air, breaking the tension in the air... and recing it with several mixed reactions. ¡°Frank,¡± Cole and Jason turned to the hunter at the same time with looks of anger. ¡°Oh my... I was only kidding. Alphas can be so uptight,¡± Frank raised his free hand daintily in the air while the other brought the wine ss he was holding to his lips for a sip. Katie giggled, ¡°I¡¯m d you could make it, Frank.¡± ¡°Yeah, I had to. When I heard that I would get a chance to see my student, I just had to make it. It¡¯s a surprise that goes beyond your best friend¡¯s birthday. Then again, Sandra, you do realise how lucky you are, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Katie responded before Sandra could, trampling any insinuations that were about to be made clear, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss my best friend¡¯s birthday. If you ask me, I would say she¡¯s loved very much.¡± Sandra¡¯s eyes watered at the girl¡¯s response, ¡°You¡¯ve never let me forget it.¡± Memories of the times they¡¯d spent with each other rang clear in her mind. The one that shone the brightest was the one on the day that Katie had killed a rogue to protect her. The look in the girl¡¯s eyes was not so different from the one that she had right now. She wouldn¡¯t let anything happen to her best friend. ¡®Oh, Katie! You don¡¯t change no matter what form you take,¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve been forgotten,¡± a dejected voice interrupted the two friends, followed by a loud sigh. Katie and Sandra, startled, took a step away from the source and turned to witness the saddest-looking Kyle to ever grace the. The beta alpha, for some reason, had gone unnoticed since the party had started. Cole looked around for Caden but gave up when he couldn¡¯t find his other right-hand man. Kyle should have been noticeable in the crowd, but as it had turned out, no one had, ¡°How long have you been standing there?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Now he¡¯s resorting to being a creep,¡± Sandra mumbled. ¡°I just got here. Happy birthday Sandra. Also, that hurts... I would never stoop as low as that,¡± the new beta alpha announced, ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you, Katie.¡± The characteristics of a beta alpha had finally gotten to him. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you doing well too. Is it just me or have you... gained weight? You should start working out,¡± Katie suggested, eyeing the man before them. Kyle looked himself down. He¡¯d buffed up since thest time the two of them had spoken and this was simply an insult, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault I have a huge appetite. At this rate, I¡¯ll be bigger than Caden,¡± an evil smirk graced his countenance, ¡°then the tables could finally turn around.¡± ¡°I had no idea you would like to torture him for a change,¡± Sandra chuckled. ¡°Not torture him, but finally send him flying in the ring. Just imagine... Me, of all people, bringing down one of the steel tank¡¯s beta alpha¡¯s,¡± he mused. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t see that happening. But hey, you¡¯re also allowed to dream,¡± Sandra countered. ¡°Oh, mark my words, Sandra. You just sit tight and watch,¡± the boy huffed, ¡°Enough about me though. Let¡¯s get this party started.¡± ¡°I agree... It¡¯s not like we have all night, now do we?¡± a woman¡¯s voice called for their attention. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Sandra turned to Katie, failing to discern the direction from which this voice hade from. ¡°If the three of you would follow me, please?¡± a feminine voice interrupt. Sandra turned to see Samantha dressed in a power suit. Her hair had been tied back and her smile curved into a wicked one. The night was only getting started and it seemed a lot had been prepared for them that night. Katie smiled fondly at the female hunter from her home town. Hooking her arm around the hunter and beta alpha, ¡°This is going to be fun, let¡¯s go,¡± she giggled, pulling the two of them with her, following Samantha out of the throne room. Back in the throne room, Jason approached his alpha, ¡°Is this what you would have wanted to spend the only chance she gets toe here on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a special day for Sandra. One that Katie wouldn¡¯t have liked to miss. I¡¯ll spend the rest of my life with Katie, which won¡¯t be the same for Sandra. This was the best time for her to use this chance,¡± Cole replied. While his words sounded sincere, his face told a different story and Jason didn¡¯t pry any further. ¡°That¡¯s very selfless of you. Thank you,¡± Jason thanked the man with a bow, ¡°It¡¯s the greatest present you could have gotten Sandra... and one she¡¯ll never forget.¡± ...... The aftermath of the party was written clearly in the minds and memories of all those that had been present that night, etched into their heads as the night their Luna returned to congratte her best friend on turning eighteen and finding her mate. Sandra was lying fast asleep when the sound of curtains being drawn cut through thefortable silence of the room. The warmth of the sun¡¯s rays soon covered her face, forcing her eyebrows to scrunch in irritation, ¡°Who is in my room this early?¡± she grumbled, turning within the covers. ¡®Wait... how did I even get into my bed?¡¯ she wondered before forcing one eye open. The white sheets in her bed were unfamiliar to her. The bed itself was muchrger than her own... despite all that though, she felt like it was where she was meant to be... ¡®Wait.¡¯ Before she could say much, a pair of strong arms scooped her with her covers, ¡°Who knew you could sleep this long?¡± Jason¡¯s voice rumbled. The alpha pulled the girl into an embrace. This gesture was met with next to no resistance. In fact, the girl cuddled closer to him. ¡°I had a long night, Jason. Where...? Oh...¡± she stopped her question in half, suddenly feeling sad. Memories of the night before came into her mind. ¡°She went back to the Moon Pce. After you passed out, she met with Cole five minutes before midnight and that was thest we saw of her,¡± Jason said to her. ¡°Oh, I see...¡± the girl breathed in deeply, ¡°I¡¯ll never forget... my eighteenth birthday. I see the sun is out.¡± ¡°Yeah... I guess Cole was able toe to peace with all of this,¡± Jason replied. After this, Sandra had a mountain of questions waiting for him. The beta alpha exined everything that had happened that day. From the lies that involved a rogue general to the games that had been prepared for the girls that night. Cole had started preparing it much earlier, travelling to Brigadia where hemunicated with the moon goddess and had her agree to let Katiee down once for Sandra¡¯s birthday. When this happened, the king invited everyone that was interested to attend the birthday that night. The royal family of Sirius, the hunters of Brigadia and the Chase hunters along with Sandra¡¯s parents were the most important people on the guest list. Still, it had gradually grown, harbouring some other unexpected personalities like Lionel Haelstrom and the Mighty Warriors. After returning to the pce, they then spent the whole day that she was not around preparing the pce for the event. The surprise, the games, the food and everything was taken care of while Jason had taken her out through the capital on their first date. It exined how the beta alpha hadn¡¯t had a single job to do that whole day and where the king had been the night before while they worked on his work. In the end, the night was a sess and the girls had enjoyed the night to the fullest, tiring themselves out so much right before midnight. Sandra remembered passing out on a sofa, but couldn¡¯t remember what happened after. She could only assume Jason had brought her to his room after that and she¡¯d slept soundly. ¡°Did Katie tell you anything?¡± Jason asked her suddenly. ¡°Oh... Yeah, she did. Gave me quite a lot to think about actually. I can¡¯t just sit still forever, now can I?¡± the answer was as vague as she could make it, but Jason understood what she meant him to. Even with Katie gone, nothing had stopped, ¡°I¡¯ll catch up to her... like I always said I would... I might even surpass her. Who knows?¡± The beta alpha sighed in contentment, ¡°That¡¯s the hunter I¡¯ve always known.¡± Chasing Katie... that¡¯s what she¡¯d always been doing. The only difference now... was that she didn¡¯t sound like she was trying to achieve the impossible. She had a Prometheus gift now... and this heavily changed the game. Chapter 384 384 Timeless Healing Lying motionless in a pool of water was a girl in a blue dress. This pool had no definite depth, for it could act as a portal to the realm of mortals or as a simple looking ss through which the goddess watched over the werewolves. The water bore special properties... and was currently being used to sustain the life of a human. The human mind wandered about its thoughts. Unconsciously trying to discern what was real and what wasn¡¯t. Her imagination ran rampant with memories from random parts of her life. Her childhood, the time she spent in the Sirius empire and the short time she got to spend with her mate when she was in the Lycaon empire. Happy memories caused her unconscious floating body to smile while sad ones did the opposite. Impulses tore at her mind trying to get her to see to her mission, but the strong hands of sleep held her back and kept her still in the magical pool of water. Time was incalcble and when the day came that her eyes did flutter open, she was unaware and incapable of calcting how long she¡¯d been lying there adrift in the pool. ¡°Careful now, Katie. You don¡¯t want to sink when you¡¯ve only regained consciousness,¡± a sweet feminine voice sang into her ear. The alluring voice would havemanded her attention if she hadn¡¯t been in presence of the divine entity for a long time. It was unmistakable. Maybe it was this samemanding effect that forced her limbs to remain still or the way she felt her wolf rx and felt the tension leave her shoulders. In the presence of the goddess, everything made sense... and didn¡¯t make any sense at the same time. It was all as it was. The mess of memories and thoughts stilled and her desperate need to grab control of time and what was happening in her life ceased at once. ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡± Katie¡¯s voice resounded hoarsely through the white room. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too,¡± the goddess was now floating in the air above the girlteral to her horizontal floating body. The two of them stared into each other¡¯s eyes while speaking in the almost empty room. ¡°Forgive me, goddess,¡± the Luna replied humbly. Without a way to bow, she hoped simply averting her gaze would do the trick. ¡°You¡¯re being oddly respectful. It¡¯s unnerving,¡± Celeste replied with a giggle. ..... ¡°Would you rather I didn¡¯t give a hoot what you said or did then?¡± Katie returned a questioning gaze. ¡°It¡¯s not like it matters, but I would like it if you showed me a little more respect,¡± the goddess replied, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°I do respect you. Although the first time we met, you sort ofe across as someone that cared so much about their looks and to an obnoxious level. With the way Ashley couldn¡¯t take her eyes off you, it was obvious that was your intention.¡± ¡°Huh, fair enough. However, as a goddess, I must look my best when appearing to my champions. Tell me, Katie. How do you feel now?¡± the goddess asked her. The girl noticed the goddess had dodged her question, but couldn¡¯t bring herself to snap at her. It soon became clear to her why she wouldn¡¯t simplysh out. When the girl reached out to the woman above her, the hand she felt was trying to reach out didn¡¯t move an inch. The girl turned to her side, observing how her fingertips twitched at the slightest effort to move them, ¡°I¡¯m... I can¡¯t move. No...¡± Katie began panicking. ¡°Hush little one,¡± the goddess ced a hand on the girl¡¯s chest, ¡°Rx, we had to do it to keep your muscles from being exerted every time you moved. It was a necessary precaution. Thankfully, your body is well-preserved that you won¡¯t awaken weaker than you were before,¡± the goddess exined to her. Feeling the touch of the goddess, the girl¡¯s attention was snapped away from her paralysed body and to the goddess. She was a mortal... being touched by one of the beings that was considered divine, ¡°How long have I been here? Would you please tell me that at least? Is Cole fine? What about the others? Sandra? I was at her birthday...¡± ¡°I see some habits never change. All in good time, warrior princess. You will get your answers all in good time. For now, you shall heal,¡± the goddess finally released the girl¡¯s chest and returned her hands to her chest, ¡°While that happens though, I would like to have a chat with you.¡± Katie searched the goddess¡¯s eyes for an ounce of pity, but there wasn¡¯t a single speck. Either that or the woman before her was trying to protect herself, ¡°Goddess of the Moon!¡± the girl stopped her from proceeding with her narration. A one-sided conversation was simply too unbearable for Katie, even in her state. If they were going to talk, she wanted to at least have her questions answered. Celeste sighed at the mention of her title. The girl was weak, but it didn¡¯t stop her from being as stubborn as she always had, ¡°I would like to tell you, but to the gods, time is tricky. I can¡¯t tell you how long you¡¯ve been here.¡± ¡°You just won¡¯t tell me, will you?¡± the girl asked her. The mask that the goddess had been keeping copsed and was reced with a look of sadness. She shook her head in disapproval, ¡°I can¡¯t tell you how long you¡¯ve been here. It¡¯s better that way,¡± she replied. ¡°I see you won¡¯t let my patient rest,¡± a male voice interrupted them. Looking to the left, Katie noticed a handsome man walking up to them with a silver staff in his hand. He was dressed in white robes and the staff itself had two snakes coiling along its shaft. It was a caduceus, a symbol that Katie was sure to have seen somewhere. She couldn¡¯t remember where it had been. In ce of the man¡¯s eyes were two white orbs... with no iris to stare back at her. The man raised the serpent staff and waved it above the girl¡¯s paralysed body. The eyes of the two snakes began to glow, red in one and blue in the other. The same happened to his eyes, one turning blue and the other red, as he seemed to have an internal conversation for a short moment. When the staff had returned to its normal state, he sat by the pool cross-legged and stared at the two snakes on his staff, going perfectly still. ¡°Who is he?¡± Katie asked the goddess. The Luna could have sworn she saw the man¡¯s lips twitch at the question. ¡®Can he hear me or is he pretending...?¡¯ Chapter 385 385 Infuriating Request ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with his eyes?¡± Katie continued to think out loud, ¡°I wonder if those snakes bite.¡± Unknown to her, the goddess was starting to turn pale. With a nervous tone, Celeste spoke up, ¡°This is Asclepius, my nephew and the god of medicine. I asked him for a favour. He¡¯s the one overseeing your treatment,¡± the moon goddess replied. ¡°Well, that¡¯s nice to know. How long till I¡¯m good to run about, Doc?¡± Katie grinned,pletely switching her attention to the male beside her. ¡°First of all, never as a god for his name. You might just get yourself vaporized. Secondly, do not call me... ¡®doc.¡¯ I¡¯d rather have my forceps thrown into a volcano than hear such an obnoxious acronym used to address me?¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Katie replied in a small voice, drawing her lips into a tight line and staying quiet. The god of medicine sighed, ¡°Your situation is aplicated one. I¡¯ve rarely spent this much time on a patient. I never thought it was possible for a human to injure themselves the way you did.¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying to tell me that I¡¯m reckless, aren¡¯t you?¡± the girl groaned. ¡°Reckless has its limits. You were desperate,¡± Asclepius replied without a hint of emotion in his voice. ¡°Oh,e on, Ace. She was reckless if she could mess herself up this bad,¡± the goddess argued. ..... ¡°It¡¯s only my opinion, but I say she was selfless. She thought more of others when the time came which is more honourable than reckless,¡± the man replied, ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, the rogue king didn¡¯t pose her much of a threat as he did everyone else and please, don¡¯t call me ¡®Ace¡¯ in front of a mortal.¡± ¡°Did you hear that, Celeste? I¡¯m selfless... and honourable... Oh-nah-ray-bow,¡± Katie wiggled her brows at the goddess floating above her. Celeste giggled, ¡°I¡¯ve known that since you started training under the Chase family. You trained until your muscles were...¡± ¡°This is curious,¡± the caduceus-wielding god interrupted them. ¡°What is it, Ace?¡± the goddess asked and watched one of his wless brows twitch in frustration. ¡°I know she damaged her spiritual vessel, but her natural body is in such good condition. It¡¯s remarkable. At this rate, she would have been a force to reckon with even if she wasn¡¯t one of the chosen... although, that¡¯s only the case if she ever got the rest she needed and healed right,¡± the man responded. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Well, it only means you¡¯ve never had enough rest. Never had a real vacation. Either that or your body gave up on trying to heal itselfpletely because of the intense training you put yourself through. There is so much untapped potential packed in this body of yours,¡± the man replied before taking his eyes off the snakes for the first time. ¡°We stick to the original n, Ace,¡± the goddess spoke sternly. ¡°Very well, mydy,¡± he bowed and waved the caduceus over the girl once more, ¡°I¡¯ll try to speak as simply as I can. The spiritual vessel is what one develops once one starts to tamper with the divine aspects and entities of this world. In other words, gods... It allows you to wield divine energy. Depending on how strong of a vessel you are, the more power you can wield. Divine energy can be increased to a certain degree and the amount of power that one can contain within themselves can also be increased. What¡¯s with this muscle structure though...¡± ¡°Asclepius!¡± the goddess snapped at the male god. Asclepius stopped his rambling and returned to his exnation. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve just never seen anything like it. It¡¯s almost impossible to ignore,¡± the man responded with a sigh, ¡°Alright, what you, Katie achieved has never happened before, for someone tomand more power than they should be able to. It¡¯s no wonder you ruptured your spiritual vessel.¡± ¡°How long will it take for you to help me out? For my... ¡®spiritual vessel¡¯ to be healed,¡± Katie asked the man. The man paused at the sudden question, taking his time to think it through, ¡°Mortals are always trying to find out how much time it needs to do something. Not knowing that the less time you give something, the worse it turns out. If a tree is not nurtured with love and care, as well as patience, it would only wither or grow deformed. It exins why your body shows signs of so much exertion and next to no time for proper healing. Then again, I sometimes forget that human lives are so short.¡± ¡°You¡¯re also dodging my question,¡± Katie sighed. ¡°If I was to make a rough estimate, I would advise you to getfortable. You¡¯re going to be here for a few years,¡± the man said to her, ¡°From a year to a decade, it¡¯s hard to determine how long, depending on how your body responds to my powers.¡± Katie gasped at the time the man mentioned. It was a very long time he spoke ofpared to how long she thought she would be returning to the earth, ¡°That¡¯s far too long.¡± ¡°Settle down, Katie. You brought this upon yourself, so you must live with it. There is another way for you to leave here quicker, but it might just bring the world to an end instead,¡± the woman replied. ¡°How do I ensure I heal in the least time possible?¡± the girl asked. ¡°Well, you do that by going to sleep the entire time,¡± Asclepius smirked, ¡°I know that would give me all the peace and quiet I need to focus.¡± Katie sighed and closed her eyes, ¡°Wait, before you sleep. There is something I¡¯d like to discuss. It¡¯s something concerning the rogue king... and the way I would like you to bring him down.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to just kill him and be done with it?¡± the girl groaned. The goddess paused before speaking more softly, ¡°I would like it if you didn¡¯t kill him...¡± Katie¡¯s eyes snapped open, disying a fury that burned deep within her. If it wasn¡¯t for her paralysis, she felt like she would have thrust her fist in the goddess¡¯s gut, ¡°That makes no sense at all.¡± Chapter 386 386 [Bonus chapter] War Council ¡°It will all make sense in a moment. You can rest now and I¡¯ll let your mind wander to the past... To a time before the rogue king existed... and let you see how he came to be. I¡¯m hoping this will help you see some reason behind my request,¡± the goddess sounded sure of her demands. ¡°That¡¯s one selfish demand. I guess death is just too much of a release for him though. I¡¯ll see what you want me to see. It¡¯s not like I have a choice in the matter,¡± Katie responded, allowing her eyes to finally close. The goddess sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, but kept her thoughts to herself. Asclepius waved his caduceus over the Luna¡¯s body. Almost instantly, Katie¡¯s body and mind went still all at once, sent into a deep state of stasis with her mind operating at minimum brain function. In this state, she was unable to dream on her own. Without the goddess¡¯s intervention, her mind would bepletely nk. In this kind of slumber he¡¯d sent her into, she could even be considered more dead than alive, ¡°Isn¡¯t that taking it a little too far, Ace?¡± the goddess asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. I am eager to see what this human is like in her peak condition. You¡¯vemanded quite the audience among the gods. Many of the minor gods are watching to see what will happen next. It¡¯s like watching a tale of the heroes of the past, but in the present,¡± the young god responded with amusement filling his voice. Now that the goddess thought of it, Asclepius was probably helping her to keep this ¡®show¡¯ going on longer. The Moon Goddess only sighed, thankful that he was at least taking his role seriously, ¡°Very well... I¡¯ll just take her mind delving through the past in this state of deep sleep. It makes no difference... except that the memories will be rooted deep within her mind. She¡¯ll know it all by heart.¡± ......................... The journey to the past was not at all expected. In this deepened state of sleep, consciousness was difficult to determine initially. It felt like watching a movie in high definition while not being aware that one was a mere spectre watching the events of the past. Feeling as though one was a part of the story and yet not expecting themselves to participate in these events. ¡°If we attack different small towns and bolster our forces with more humans, we¡¯ll be more powerful. The hunters won¡¯t stand a chance against us one bit and we can finally wipe them out once and for all. Don¡¯t forget that they cannot easily multiply the way we can,¡± a man mmed his hand on the long table,manding others to listen to him. His searing red eyes burned with a hatred for mankind. One that Katie had never had the chance to witness. ..... She took a moment to recognize where she was but was soon able to distinguish this as the Lycaon pce¡¯s throne room they were seated in. Many alphas were seated at a table with maps strewn across the table, discussing war ns with the king who was seated on his throne watching and listening. The king of Lycaon looked young, but his eyes told a different story and the aura about him was scarier than the royals that Katie had met in her own time. ¡°Your majesty, this is preposterous. Continuing to create rogues is going to make it impossible to control the empire. Not to mention it takes time to train them into werewolves worth a grain to the empire. Our purpose is to put an end to humanity. I say we attack the humans where they are weak and wipe them all out while we still have the chance. Using well-calcted attacks, we can throw the hunters off their bnce and get them off guard. We have the advantage in this war. We must take it,¡± another alpha stood up, challenging the one that had just spoken. ¡°No, that¡¯s counterproductive. Without numbers, it will take longer to rebuild once the war is over and that¡¯s something none of us wants to be put through,¡± another growled. ¡°We might take a long to rebuild after that, but we won¡¯t have so many to worry about. Fewer mouths to feed. Have you ever tried rebuilding with an over-bloated poption? It¡¯s like starting a quest with no end in sight,¡± ¡°Silence,¡± the king¡¯s voice boomed through the halls, ¡°Watching you bicker like children gives me a headache worse than what I get from arguing with Jeanie... which is quite impressive in its own way.¡± The king¡¯s beta alpha chuckled beside him, ¡°They have the empire¡¯s best interests at heart, your majesty. We all do.¡± ¡°This much I know, Davion, but with the way things stand at the moment, I¡¯m not even sure what the empire¡¯s best interests are,¡± the king rubbed his temples in disappointment. The room went silent, the bickering alphas turning their concerns to their king. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean, your Majesty?¡± one of the alphas asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been having dreamstely. The goddessmands an audience with the two Emperors. Sirius and I will be leaving our kingdoms to speak to her at the Originter today,¡± the king replied with a sigh, ¡°Something won¡¯t stop turning in my stomach if you know what I mean.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the goddess. She would never wish anything bad to happen to the empire, would she?¡± a man¡¯s voice rumbled through the throne room. At the entrance of the throne room, a man with striking blue eyes leaned against therge doorframe with his hands folded across his chest. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, brother. I trust you had fruitful travels,¡± the king raised his voice rising from his seat and walking to meet his brother. ¡°The rest of you are dismissed. Until I return from the Origin, there will be no further discussions on the war. Use the time to recuperate and prepare your troops for what¡¯s toe.¡± ¡°This is new, even for you, brother. To dismiss the War council with an order to rx when going on a trip to the Origin. Normally, you¡¯d tell them to wreak havoc. What¡¯s with the sudden change?¡± the man asked. The king¡¯s brother appeared younger than him, with shorter hair and curious blue eyes. While the king looked wizened, this man looked ambitious and eager to get back into action. ¡°Cirrus, walk with me,¡± the king sighed, walking past his brother and out of the throne room. The other royal followed diligently, suddenly concerned for his older brother. Chapter 387 387 Jeanie Sirius The two royals exited the throne room, leaving the members of the War Council behind. Outside the throne room stood a beta alpha that served the king¡¯s brother, Cirrus. The man was as hulking as all beta alphas were, but something about his face raised several red gs within Katie¡¯s mind. Unfortunately, she had no control over how these events unfolded and could only spare a second to try and remember where she¡¯d seen him before returning her attention to the events before her. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed, for now, Rana,¡± Cirrus told the crimson-eyed man. With a bow, Rana walked away from the two of them, not saying a word, ¡°You have one diligent beta alpha.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m lucky to have him,¡± Cirrus responded, ¡°What is it you wish to discuss?¡± The king searched the halls for eavesdroppers before visibly rxing. In a grave tone, he answered, ¡°The dreams of the goddess that I¡¯ve been havingtely. They are not the same as they used to be. She doesn¡¯t speak to me with hate in her voice anymore. I have been noticing the change in her behaviour. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gotten a hold of her or if she¡¯s simply growing tired of war, but I can tell she¡¯s not so inclined to kill the humans as she¡¯s always been,¡± the king said to Cirrus. Cirrus began tough out, lightly at first before he started to sound borderline deranged that the king cast him a worried nce, ¡°Are you okay, Cirrus?¡± ¡°Yes, I am fine. The question is... ¡®are you?''¡± Cirrus returned, touching his brother¡¯s forehead with the back of his palm as though checking for a fever. ¡°I am fine, Cirrus. You know that.¡± ¡°Then what would possess you to believe a goddess¡¯s hatred could be quenched that easily? She¡¯s an immortal being... time doesn¡¯t wear down their grudges,¡± the man snapped at his brother. Something about what the king had just suggested rubbed him the wrong way. ¡°You know what it¡¯s like Cirrus. We all want to follow what the goddess wants us to do, the royals more than anyone else. That way, we don¡¯t risk angering her any further than she already is. If I¡¯m not feeling up to war after talking to the goddess, then surely it must mean something,¡± the king replied ignoring his brother¡¯s disrespectful tendencies. If anyone else had raised their voice at him, a number of punishments would have been in order. ..... ¡°We don¡¯t know the mind of the goddess. We cannot know because we are mortals, unlike her and don¡¯t pretend to understand her either,¡± Cirrus argued. His frustration disyed on his face easily, causing deep lines to distort his otherwise handsome face. ¡°It¡¯s not like you to rush to anger. You¡¯re usually the cool-headed one of the two of us. I would prefer if it remained that way, Cirrus. Now, would you take over the pce for me while I¡¯m gone? Make sure they follow my orders. I would not like to use my authority as a royal to force my subjects to adhere to my will,¡± the two of them had finally exited therge doors of the pce, making their way outside the colossal gates of the Lycaon fortress-pce. The king of Lycaon shifted into hisrge grey wolf and was gone in a sh, dashing faster than Katie thought was possible for the werewolves... even for a royal, the grey wolf had vanished too fast. Cirrus watched the king disappear into the forest surrounding the pce with narrowed eyes, ¡°What do you mean, you don¡¯t want tomand your subjects? Did you hit your head in the night? Your power was meant tomand your subjects,¡± the man spoke to himself. His hands balled into fists periodically unclenching as he formted a n. ¡°Your Highness, is something the matter?¡± a deep voice interrupted him. Cirrus looked to his side and noticed his most trusted beta alpha already approaching him. The man bowed to the prince when he was an arm¡¯s length from him. ¡°No, Rana. At the moment, nothing is wrong, but something might be soon enough,¡± the man replied, ¡°Would you watch the pce in my stead? I will be going after my brother and the queen of Sirius. I have to see it for myself or at least, hear it for myself,¡± Cirrus asked. ¡°You needn¡¯t ask, my king. Just give the order and it will be done,¡± Rana bowed to him once more and turned in the direction of the pce. Cirrus watched his beta alpha as he retreated to the pce. Shaking away his thoughts, he shifted into an auburn wolf and vanished into the woods, following the grey who¡¯d left only momentster. The journey to the Origin was a long one that took them the better of four to five days to make. On the journey, they followed the Great Sirius river downstream at top speed and hunted in the evening before they rested. They would pick up where they left off in the morning and run many miles as fast as their legs could carry them, covering suchrge distances at once that this feat was nothing short of astounding. The Great River met at a confluence before leading further to a thick forest overflowing with divine energy. The king of Lycaon found a snow-white wolfzily lying by the river bank at the confluence and growled at her. This wolf didn¡¯t flinch at his threatening tone. She merely stood and stretchedzily before opening her eyes. The white wolf¡¯s striking blue eyesplemented the coat beautifully, giving her the appearance of a divine wolf pulled straight from the covers of a fictional novel. Katie dismissed her stunning resemnce as the connection she shared with the wolf through blood. She quicklyposed herself, having gone dumb from the breathtaking sight of the white wolf. However, what happened next had her mentally gawking once more. The wolf shifted into its human form and in its ce stood a beautiful woman with white hair, ¡°You certainly took your time,¡± the woman¡¯s voice sang out. ¡°Oh, shut it, Jeanie. You know there isn¡¯t a wolf in the entire world as fast as you,¡± the king snapped at her, having shifted back into his human form as well. He stretched the stiffness out of his shoulders and started the remainder of the journey on foot. ¡°Oh, I know how fast I am,¡± the woman replied with an air of aplishment or was it boastfulness? ¡°Yeah, it probably took you two days to get here instead of the normal four,¡± the man replied. ¡°One and a half days. I had the time to rest while you made your way here. Can¡¯t you find some way to be as fast as me?¡± the woman groaned, ¡°It gets boring when I have to wait for you.¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t and if you¡¯re so fast, then why don¡¯t you just start the journey two days after we choose to set off?¡± the king argued. ¡°Wow, you used your head! I¡¯m shocked.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still as insufferable as always,¡± the king was now pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°Only when I¡¯m talking to you,¡± Jeanie¡¯s voice sang out, leaping from one side of the king to the other. She was all over the ce and unlike the king who was dressed in respectable luxurious clothes fit for a king and that barely allowed much movement, this woman was dressed light and leapt from one thing to the next, asionally moving through trees as they made their way to the Origin. Jeanie did not hesitate to mix a bit of banter into their conversation as they travelled. She never once asked about war or death, but rather some other topics that the king found bizarre and utterly useless to their cause. In addition, she had grown a habit of infuriating him so much that he reached his limit... and yet he couldn¡¯t attack her. She was a free spirit Katie had seen once before. ¡°Do you have an idea why the goddess could have summoned us?¡± she finally asked. The king massaged his growing headache and sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know what she called us for, but... it might have something to do with the reduced bloodlust that we¡¯ve been sensing from her.¡± ¡°Yeah, I have been wondering that exact same thing. So you¡¯ve been paying attention as well. Congrats, Hamedale. You¡¯re not a mindless brute after all,¡± Jeanie giggled. ¡°I am royal, aren¡¯t I? Of course, I would have dreams to receive instruction from the goddess herself. That¡¯s obvious. And what do you mean by, ¡®Mindless brute¡¯?¡± ¡°Her changed mood is not as obvious as you might think though. My sisters stopped receiving dreams of the goddess a while back and if I ask you, I think you¡¯ll find that Cirrus hasn¡¯t either.¡± The king hadn¡¯t thought about it that way and was shocked by her observation, ¡°You don¡¯t think...¡± he stopped speaking, keeping his spections to himself. At this point, he could easily say something that could be found sphemous. Cirrus was right about one thing, ¡®We don¡¯t know the mind of the goddess.¡¯ Chapter 388 388 Object of the Moon¡¯s Redemption The two royals continued their journey to the Origin, shifting the topic of conversation to lighter subjects. Incidentally, the king was now interested in Jeanie¡¯s ¡®pointless¡¯ topics of discussion. He didn¡¯t groan when she talked about her sisters and potential mates in court. This change in attitude didn¡¯t stop Hamedale from inquiring about military matters within the Sirius empire. And likewise, the queen asked about what kind of women flocked around him or if he had picked out a mate at all. When the king showed his difort with the topic, she groaned loudly, ¡°Come on. You can¡¯t tell me you¡¯ll be single your whole life!¡± ¡°Can we change the subject, please?¡± Hamedale had asked, adding the first hint of politeness to his voice in a long time. Sighing, Jeanie obliged and asked about his brother and the beta alphas in the Lycaon empire as well as his ¡®War council¡¯. Surprisingly, Hamedale entertained all her questions and answered them dutifully while she also answered his as well. As it turned out, Sirius wasn¡¯t as powerful as Lycaon in terms of military might, but the king respected his world-dominating counterpart just the same. She might have been less vicious than he was but that did not fool him one bit. To the king, Jeanie was by far one of the most dangerous werewolves on the and he could admit this without a second thought. Eventually, they made it to the forest that loomed ahead of them and without hesitation, walked into it. The river flowed into this forest, prompting them to follow in the direction of its guidance. The river continued on and on and soon enough split into numerous streams and rivulets, spreading outward and covering more ground. The flow of the river had slowed considerably and started to encroach on thend about it more almost like a failed attempt at forming ake. The king and queen leapt over the streams and rivers, using stepping stones that seemed too conveniently positioned. For a period of time, it seemed as though they were trying to follow the river from the stones that stuck out of it. A boat would not have helped either, since the streams only continued to get smaller. Eventually, when the streams were too small and there was morend than water, they all seemed topletely turn away from their destination and split into a ¡®Y¡¯ shape, taking random left or right directions and strictly avoiding on destination... straight ahead. ..... Watching out for each other¡¯s steps in the soggy soil, they crossed the numerous streams without incident and started in the direction that the river seemed to be masterfully avoiding. Arge grove of trees hid a clearing at the end of their road, a bright blue ethereal light peeping through the trees and inviting them through. ¡°How long has it been?¡± the king whispered, keeping his eyes on the distant light beyond the cover of the thick oak trees. ¡°A few months honestly... although, I thought we would take longer to return to this ce,¡± the woman replied with a slight shiver. Meeting the goddess in their dreams was one thing, but standing in the presence of the immortal celestial was something else entirely. Just keeping control of their wolves proved to be a chore in the goddess¡¯s presence. ¡°Yeah, same here. Let¡¯s go and see what she has to say. Standing around won¡¯t get us anywhere,¡± the king chided, forging forward and breaking through the circlet of trees that surrounded the beautiful field of moon lotuses. At the centre of the field was a woman kneeling stroking the soft divine petals of the beautiful flowers... the smile on her face was one they were not used to. ¡°It¡¯s just like it is in the dreams... That smile...¡± They both tried to take a step forward, but their eyesnded on a body on the ground and went still at the sight of someone else in the goddess¡¯s presence. Hamedale turned to Jeanie, searching her eyes for some sort of answer, but the woman was just as clueless as he was. She shook her head and suggested they keep going. Taking a few steps forward, they were both able to witness the man thaty in the field resting in front of the moon goddess. None of them was sure if he was asleep or otherwise. What they did know, however, was that the goddess had a connection to him. Something of an emotional tie... which didn¡¯t make sense. The goddess of the moon had no emotional tie with a human, ¡°Ourdy, we came as fast as we could after hearing your summons.¡± The goddess looked up from the man on the ground and regarded her two guests who¡¯d bowed down with one knee to the ground, ¡°Sirius and Lycaon, you both came. I¡¯m sure Hamedale travelled as fast as he could. Jeanie, on the other hand... You don¡¯t look the slightest bit worn out,¡± the goddess greeted them, ¡°Thank you for heeding my summons.¡± Jeanie would have chuckled at the light tone the goddess was using if it wasn¡¯t for the deep-rooted respect their wolves held for the goddess of the moon. It was almost suffocating to have another entity within you force you to act dignified in front of a deity, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have it any other way, our Lady. Forgive my intrusion, my Lady, but who is the man lying on the ground before you?¡± Hamedale spoke up, curiosity winning the battle against his wolf. ¡°Oh, him... He¡¯s a werewolf named Seth and I intend to make him my immortal husband,¡± the goddess replied. The two of them gasped at the thought of their goddess taking an immortal husband. Jeanie was the first to speak up, ¡°Is there a reason why you wouldn¡¯t have picked a royal to be your immortal husband instead? For all I know, he could be a peasant inparison.¡± Hamedale turned to the queen, mortified. She¡¯d already skipped the fact that their goddess had even considered taking on a lover. This was an outrage. ¡°Mortals always look at the person¡¯s status and appearance before making a judgement, not considering the happiness they seek in the first ce. I will correct that among the kind that I created,¡± the goddess spoke, her voice both icy and cold yet kind and gentle, like that of a parent teaching their child a lesson while they sat around a warm fire. ¡°I don¡¯t think I understand,¡± Hamedale spoke up, significantly more confused than Jeanie. ¡°I called the two of you here so that I might tell you what¡¯s about to change among the wolves. I trust that you ordered the werewolves under yourmand to cease all attacks until you returned,¡± they both nodded in confirmation before letting the goddess continue her speech, ¡°Everything is about to change, my dear one.¡± The goddess rose to her full height, ¡°In light of recent events, I¡¯ve found something stronger than my hate and was able to conquer it... in exchange for something greater. Something I can¡¯t just dismiss now that I¡¯ve seen it with my own eyes and felt it with my ageless heart. Something that eludes the gods for millennia before they find it again. I thought that by cursing the Man god¡¯s creation, he would lose what was most dear to him, but I guess he didn¡¯t have to fight back. I just had to watch as something beautiful emerged from my own darkness.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t follow, my Lady,¡± Lycaon stated. ¡°Ugh, seriously Hamedale, are you this much of a dunce? The goddess has found love. I¡¯m just as shocked as you are, but even I¡¯m not that blind,¡± Jeanie snapped at the man beside her. ¡°A goddess doesn¡¯t just fall in love with a mortal. That¡¯s just not how it works,¡± Hamedale snapped as well. How was Jeanie taking all this so lightly? She almost sounded... delighted, proud, and happy that the goddess was spewing such nonsense. ¡°I know that... which is why this specific person must have been really special if he could charm the goddess...¡± ¡°Charm would not be the word I¡¯m looking for,¡± the goddess interrupted. ¡°Huh, you weren¡¯t charmed. How did this happen then?¡± Jeanie asked. Hamedale facepalmed, ¡®What¡¯s going through that head of yours, Jeanie? You almost sounded like you were happy someone had bewitched our goddess,¡¯ Hamedale mentally screamed. Thinking more about it, he realised this was beyond the kind queen. She wasn¡¯t one to think along the lines of treachery. Instead, he figured she must have used that thinking to justify the goddess¡¯s drastic change in behaviour. ¡°During one of the raids on the human settlements, he protected his sister from a rogue that attacked them in their vige. The rogue was an alpha, but he didn¡¯t stop protecting his sister even after being turned himself. It was only a matter of time before the alphamanded him to change her as well, so the two of them ran when they got the chance. I¡¯ve been watching him since then... His name is Seth... the blind diator. Chapter 389 389 Goddess of Regret ¡°His newfound strength got him a decent job as a diator amongst the humans. Humans crave entertainment in these dark times. It¡¯s a wonder they are still alive when they are such natural brutes at heart. Humans are cruel, but the two of them weren¡¯t the same as the others. One was a werewolf while the other was human and it didn¡¯t matter to them one bit. All that mattered was the bond that joined them and nothing else. A bond of love that was stronger than anything I thought possible for them. He deserved more than he got. In any case, everything was going well for a while until... he was discovered. I¡¯d been indirectly living in his life, unable to interfere and happened to run into him on his way to the underworld. This mortal, for reasons I¡¯m still dying to understand, agreed to be my immortal husband when I asked him and here we are,¡± the goddess exined, blowing through the man¡¯s entire life in a few short sentences. The two of them were speechless after hearing the goddess¡¯s story. Being mortal, they could decipher the look she wore each time she stared at the unconscious diator before her. Seth had sharp features and well-defined muscles that could only be achieved by a seasoned warrior. Despite his appearance, however, he bore a kind expression on his lifeless face. ¡®I¡¯d have a better time believing the goddess had been charmed instead,¡¯ Hamedale mentally sighed. He simply couldn¡¯t wrap his head around this whole situation. The two of them had made the long journey to hear the goddess¡¯s new ns for the war. Nothing could have prepared them for what she actually had to say. That she¡¯d fallen in love... Preposterous! And yet, no matter how much they wished it weren¡¯t true, Seth¡¯s body wouldn¡¯t disappear. He remained there, still and unmoving... as solid as ever. He wasn¡¯t going anywhere. ¡°What about the war, your Majesty?¡± Jeanie spoke up in a shaky tone. There was so much wrong with this situation. ¡°The war wille to an end. Lord Prometheus had already agreed to have the humans meet with the royals and decide on a peace that will grace the two races... No more bloodshed,¡± Celeste responded. ..... Hamedale stood up abruptly, ¡°And this...¡± he visibly struggled for a fitting description, ¡°...excuse of a werewolf is the reason you¡¯ve chosen to end the war?¡± ¡°Hamedale, shut up. It¡¯s not our ce to question our Lady,¡± Jeanie snapped at her fellow monarch. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not your ce Jeanie. You¡¯ve not been taking your duty seriously this whole time. Instead of preparing for war, you¡¯ve been cking off with your sisters and slowing down in your divine mission,¡± Hamedale fumed. The white-haired woman was tongue-tied at the usation. They¡¯d shared stories on their way to the Origin, but not once had the king mocked what was happening in Sirius, ¡°I am a queen with people of my own. If caring more for their happiness than meaningless war makes me weak and ipetent, then so be it, but I will not have you disrespect our Lady in my presence.¡± ¡°And what would a queen as small as you do about it? You barely have the strength to lift a human ory a finger on your enemy,¡± the man¡¯s words stung. Surprisingly, they didn¡¯t bring Jeanie down one bit and Hamedale was used to this headstrong woman¡¯s indomitable spirit. The woman vanished right before his eyes, leaving a small gust of wind in her previous position. Hamedale¡¯s instincts kicked in. The goddess was too slow to stop the argument. Before she knew it, the two of them were fighting right before her. The king, following his sense of hearing, spun on his heel with his fist outstretched in an arc meant to strike the lightning-fast werewolf attacking him, but he was a second toote, despite how fast he was. Jeanie¡¯s body vanished right before him before a kick to his back updated his knowledge of her position. Turning to attack only brought him a simr result, this time, a scratch to his face had him grunting in frustration. The wounds started healing immediately and he easily ignored the pain, searching for her next move. No matter how fast he tried to anticipate her movements or how quickly he reacted, Jeanie always countered and dealt her own damage. The only reason the king was not down yet was that Jeanie¡¯s attacks were like scratches to him. She wasn¡¯t stronger than him and his body could withstand far more than she was able to deliver. The queen had a speed and agility advantage, which gave her the upper hand, but that wasn¡¯t enough to make Hamedale submit to her. The king might have been slower than her, but he had no intention of losing their duel. Her attacks did not pack a punch and she continued to assault the king and began aiming for specific points of his body. Jeanie aimed for his knees, face, back, gut and insides of his elbows whilst dashing about his confused form. The numerous strikes to his weak points were taking their toll and the king dropped to his knees soon, panting with exhaustion. iling about after what he thought was her location had not worked for him. If anything, it only made him look like a madman trying to fight off a swarm of bees. ¡°You im to be strong, but you can¡¯t evennd a single hit on me. Who¡¯s on his knees now, Hamedale?¡± the blurred royal finally came to a stop in front of the king, a miscalction on her part. For the king lunged at her and delivered a full-force punch to the gut knocking the air right out of her lungs. ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Celeste¡¯s voice boomed. Vines erupted from the ground, seizing the king and raising him from the ground before violently pinning him to a tree at the edge of the field of lotuses. The goddess glided over to the coughing woman and waved her hand above her. Her coughing stopped and Jeanie quickly regained her breath andposure. ¡°Thank you, my Lady,¡± the woman bowed. The goddess looked away from her and to the king struggling against the hold of the vines, ¡°Exin yourself, Hamedale.¡± Finally realising he had no way out, the king stopped struggling and let his hands go limp, ¡°Beforeing here, I was reminded of the reason all this began. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wrong for you to do what you¡¯re doing, but I don¡¯t think we can just forget what happened either.¡± ¡°I said nothing about forgetting I was wronged either. That much is clear, however, the matters between the Man god and I are simply what they are. Having humans die for something their patron god did won¡¯t solve anything. Not to mention, Lord Prometheus apologized and erased the humans of the knowledge that could bring that abomination back into existence.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± the man said through gritted teeth. Celeste went still and silent for a while, her eyes zing over while her mind was swept back to the past. Back to a time when she almost found the happiness she¡¯d craved for so long. Everything was going so well for her back then, ¡°The humans were testing something that day. Something perilous and catastrophic and thought there was no one in their testing area. Humans can¡¯t perceive the divine if we do not intend them to, anyway. My hunters happened to be nearby. The casualties that resulted from this experiment had not been their intention. I was consumed by rage that I cast this curse. Prometheus, instead of arming the humans with more knowledge, robbed them of the very knowledge that could defend them. The knowledge of how to create any more of that... abomination,¡± the woman exined. ¡°Do you mean to tell me that you¡¯ve reconciled with the Man god already?¡± Hamedale asked, allowing himself to finally rx. ¡°The Man god has not retaliated. He never intended to attack me, I see that now and he¡¯s only given them ways to defend themselves. His creations did and he tried to correct what he did. However, bringing my hunters back is beyond his abilities, so he got rid of what killed them. Nevertheless, I proceeded with my onught. And he stood by and watched it happen,¡± the goddess exined. ¡°In more ways than one, the man before you showed me the simrity behind the Man god and his creations. They make mistakes, they ept them and they live with the consequences no matter how harsh. They heal, rebuild and love again. It¡¯s a beautiful cycle that makes their short lives worth living. The gods spend ages searching for what they find in less than a century. They find it so fast. I¡¯d spent so long in search of it, and when I¡¯d just found it, I let my pride and rage get the better of me... and lost everything.¡± Chapter 390 390 Separate Entity After Artemis¡¯s exnation, King Hamedale calmed down. They¡¯d both been fighting in honour of their goddess with only their different opinions to me, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be a bother, but the whole purpose of this curse that brought my kind was to wipe out humanity. Without that purpose, what happens to us then?¡± The goddess smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking of something. Humans are wed in so many ways, but every once in a while... once in a blue moon, there is a union amongst them that¡¯s so perfect that even the gods in the heavens above watch in awe. I want that to be the case for my wolves albeit more frequently. Perhaps there can be happiness born from the darkness that brought this curse upon the world of mortals. I want to pair them the right way so that they never have to go through the pain humans go through when pursuing what they keep mistaking for love,¡± she exined. ¡°That feels totally beside the point, but please, do go on,¡± the king replied, sighing. ¡°I¡¯ve decided that whenever a wolf reaches the age of eighteen, they will receive a mate that they must seek out. There will be no happiness otherwise should they choose to mate with one other than the one I have chosen for them,¡± the goddess replied with a grin. ¡°You¡¯re giving us quite a lot to think about this time, aren¡¯t you, my Lady?¡± Jeanie giggled, sitting in the field cross-legged, ¡°A mate that every one of us looks forward to meeting. One that you¡¯re fated to be with till the end. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what happens when your mate dies after the two of you have met or if your mate dies before the two of you ever meet? I have so many questions now. What happens if you don¡¯t find your mate? And how does one find their mates anyway?¡± Hamedale was stunned by the woman¡¯s enthusiasm towards the idea the goddess had just brought upon them. ¡®Isn¡¯t she supposed to be thinking of things like... What happens to the war now? What will I do with my War Council? What happens if the humans attack us again? What happens if they betray us and try to take revenge on the werewolves?¡¯ The vines restraining him weakened and shed away, letting him drop to the ground. ¡°Oh, I can answer all your questions. Like I said, I¡¯ve been thinking a lot about life after the war...¡± the goddess piped up, getting closer to the Sirius Queen. ¡®I guess we are not talking about the possibilities of a civil war or human uprising then...¡¯ the king mentally groaned, ¡®Maybe I¡¯m just being paranoid... Maybe...¡¯ ..... In silence, he listened to the two females¡¯ exchange and learned all that he could about the goddess¡¯s new intentions. In the end, she didn¡¯t seem like she wanted to discuss anything military at all. In fact, she spoke like apletely different person. So much that he couldn¡¯t keep his mouth shut, ¡°Goddess, you¡¯re different. Where is your bow?¡± The goddess smile fell from her face the instant he¡¯d asked, ¡°How can I say this? Hmm, I think it would be better if you did not refer to me as Artemis and only as Celeste from now on. The two of us... aren¡¯t exactly the same anymore. I am the goddess of the Moon and the patron goddess of the werewolves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how much you¡¯ve put this war behind you, huh?¡± he asked. The goddess merely nodded in response. ¡°Well, in that case then, we shall carry out your orders to the letter and reconcile with the humans. There will be no more bloodshed from either of the two sides and we shall strive to build a peaceful world where the two species can live together in peace and harmony,¡± the man bowed to the goddess. In the end, Hamedale wasn¡¯t a fan of war either. Not after everything he¡¯d seen so far. The goddess before him smiled warmly at the two royals, the standing direct descendants of Sirius and Lycaon. When Lycaon was one to follow her orders to the letter and without much resistance, Sirius had always been the free spirit who questioned all her decisions. For Sirius, she had to make sure she¡¯d understood the order given. Celeste was d when Jeanie reacted positively towards her abrupt change. This change in her behaviour had not been sudden though. Celeste had just taken her time to show it. She¡¯d been watching the blind diator for a while and every now and then, his pure heart had chipped away at her darkness, allowing room for something new to emerge, ¡°I¡¯m d. Now depart from the Origin and bring forth a new era of peace.¡± The two werewolves shifted before their goddess, arge but slender white wolf and arge bulky ck wolf. Before they could leave, however, the white wolf¡¯s feminine voice rang through their minds. Jeanie stared at the man on the ground while she asked, ¡°Oh, by the way, I remember you saying something about him being called, ¡®The Blind diator.¡¯ What did you mean by that?¡± Jeanie asked. ¡°Oh yeah... He needed some way to hide the colour of his eyes, so he would cover his eyes with a cloth wrapped around his head, sealing away his vision. His sister was actually the one that would help him tie it on every morning. His other senses were sharp enough for him to perceive his surroundings well enough. For a time, he was an enigma and a very entertaining fighter to watch. Defeating your opponents without sight is quite entertaining. But then again, that¡¯s also where the suspicions startedter on. And when the humans found out about him, neither he nor his sister was spared,¡± the goddess responded sadly. ¡°That¡¯s so cruel... Why?¡± ¡°They could risk him getting amand from an alpha. He was simply too dangerous. At least, that¡¯s what I tell myself of their reasoning... It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. He¡¯ll be fine now. Now go. Tend to your people and make sure something like this never happens again,¡± she urged them with a bright smile. ¡®There it is again. The image of the goddess smiling,¡¯ Jeanie whispered into Hamedale¡¯s mind. ¡®I know, Jeanie. It¡¯s new, but I think it suits her better than the scowl of anger she wore back then,¡¯ Hamedale replied, noticing the significant change in his goddess¡¯s demeanour. To the two werewolves, she¡¯d transformed into apletely different person in such a short time. The two royals didn¡¯t need much persuasion to leave the Origin. After receiving their dismissal, they vanished in the next moment to carry out the goddess¡¯s bidding. Katie couldn¡¯t believe her eyes as she watched the slender wolf vanish seconds before the king¡¯s wolf, raising a mini-tornado in her wake. The colour of the wolf, the speed and the attitude were almost an exact match with someone else deep within her memory. She grasped for the memory but found she was unable to do much in this deep unconscious state. Her memory wasn¡¯t as essible as she would have liked. Finally deciding it was a problem for another time, she returned her attention to the goddess who¡¯d now floated back to the sleeping man on the ground. Celeste gently stroked his hair with a smile on her face. It seemed like the goddess was going to wait for Seth to wake up. The reason he was asleep in the first ce eluded Katie¡¯s mind, so she looked around in search of another detail of more interest, but found nothing. ¡®Isn¡¯t something supposed to be happening right about now? Well, other than watching the goddess fawn over Seth like he¡¯s a diamond the size of an apple,¡¯ the girl asked herself. She¡¯d seen the two of them before, but she didn¡¯t know how much the goddess thought of her mate. Just when she thought there was nothing more to watch from this scene, a sudden rustle of grass reached the girl¡¯s ears. There was no draft of wind that could cause it and she was sure there were no animals in this part of the world because of the intense divine energy. Her eyes or better, her focus darted about in search of the source of the sound. Something was obscured by the darkness created by the cover of trees. Someone else was out there. Someone else hade to the Origin that day... Katie wanted to believe that one of the two monarchs had returned with more questions, but something deep in her gut told her this was not the case... And this gut feeling only turned worse... It was the same feeling she got whenever something evil was about to happen. The same feeling she had many months ago when the King of Rogues had shown up in Brigadia. She shivered at the thought of this evil and strained to pierce the darkness obscuring this image. If Katie could choose one word to describe this feeling, it would be ¡®ominous.¡¯ Chapter 391 391 Do Not Forget, Thine Goddess... Never Forget From the shroud of darkness, a man emerged ever so slightly illuminated by the glow from the moon lotuses. His face was one that wed at Katie¡¯s sluggish memory. The hunter struggled to find the name of the man she¡¯d only seen moments ago. Her deep unconscious state seemed to affect even the most recent of acquired memories. Fortunately for her, the memory surfaced this time, much faster than her previous attempts to remember something. This man was named Cirrus, the brother of the king of Lycaon. ¡®Yes, Cirrus, that¡¯s the name... yay...¡¯ the girl chided herself for following the story, but the chills that ran down her spine sent these brief feelings of triumph fleeing to the depths of her soul. Something about this man rubbed her the wrong way. In her ghostly form, she could only hiss at the man like a cat detecting danger. The goddess from the past, however, could not see her and so her attempts were all futile. Celeste looked up from the handsome sleeping figure in response to the disruption, ¡°So you¡¯re the reason I haven¡¯t left this ce yet,¡± she observed, casting a withering smile at Cirrus. The man was quiet for a while before taking a few steps forward, unknowingly passing through ghost Katie¡¯s wispy body. He stopped walking when his eyesnded on the man lying before the goddess, then scanned the rest of the field as though in search of something else, ¡°Where is the goddess of the moon?¡± Katie was stunned by this statement. She¡¯d heard the other royalsment frequently that something was amiss with the goddess¡¯s appearance, but she¡¯d thought that only had to deal with her expressions... and, as recently mentioned, the absence of her bow, but now that this man was present, she had a feeling the change was much more pronounced... ¡®From now on, you will call me, Celeste,¡¯ the phrase returned to her. ¡®Huh, a memory when I wasn¡¯t even trying. Convenient,¡¯ she thought to herself. Could it have been that the moon goddess actually looked profoundly different before meeting the human that was currently lying before her? Katie banished the thoughts when she realised the flow of events was not going to pause for her to think. ¡°I¡¯ll overlook that just this once,¡± the goddess replied gracefully, ¡°What are you doing here, Cirrus? I summoned your leaders and not anyone else. Last I checked, you are not the King of Lycaon and neither are you the Queen of Sirius.¡± ¡°I came here of my own volition. When the king said where he was going and how he thought you¡¯d been acting, I just had to see it for myself. I don¡¯t see your bow or any of your hunting tools, my Lady. If you are the goddess Artemis, then perhaps you¡¯re not feeling well,¡± his voice rumbled. It wasn¡¯t just his voice that soundedpletely bossy, but his whole posture was wrong as well. Instead of kneeling before his patron goddess as the royals had done before him, this man was standing upright without a hint of respect in his voice. If there was anything in his posture that showed some sort of emotion towards the goddess, it was his look of contempt towards the goddess¡¯s current form. ..... ¡°You walk in here and forget your mannerspletely, then expect to order me around and demand I answer your questions. Have you lost your way, Cirrus? This is not like you. Perhaps you hit your head and wandered in the opposite direction of your capital. It¡¯smon for warmongers like you,¡± the goddess¡¯s voice dropped in gentleness. The air changed pitch slightly, signifying her slight irritation with his behaviour. Calmly, the royal replied, ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about me. All you know is what you order me to do. You¡¯ve never let us keep our free will, so you think we are exactly what you think of us.¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not true. It might have been true the first time I sent Lycaon and Sirius out to purge all of humanity, but I¡¯ve long since abandoned that kind of rule over my creatures,¡± her voice came cold this time. The royal before her emanated only malevolence. No matter how she tried to look past it, there was no hiding his intentions. He wasn¡¯t here simply talk to her. He wasn¡¯t here to ¡®receive orders.¡¯ He was here to have previous orders withdrawn and changed. Before his goddess, all wasid bare for her to see, ¡°Where have you been hiding this hate for them?¡± ¡°I have not been hiding anything, my Lady,¡± Cirrus said with a mock bow, ¡°The wolves that Imand have imed the most humans in the history of the empires and will continue to do so. I will be the one to finish the job you gave us years ago. I will bring the human race to its knees and have them begging for their lives. I will exact your vengeance more spectacrly than you could have dreamed even at the peak of your rage.¡± ¡®Evil...¡¯ a familiar feminine voice resounded through Katie¡¯s mind. The girl recognised this voice all too well. It was Ashley¡¯s voice. The wolf was finally awake... and she was watching this as well. ¡°I think you¡¯re mistaken. You will do no such thing. Instead, you will apologise for it all and help your brother bring peace to the two races. There has been enough bloodshed already,¡± Celeste bellowed. Her fists trembled in anger and the blue mist rolling off the flowers swirled around her. No matter how angry she got though, she couldn¡¯t directly harm the human. There were divine rules against this sort of thing... otherwise, the human race would have perished long ago. ¡°I won¡¯t forget, my Lady. You might have forgotten, but I won¡¯t. I¡¯ll never forget it. The king before me cast his memories unto me... and I saw it all. The brutal massacre of your sisters on that fateful day. They were brutally murdered and I will never forget what I saw in those memories. The grief, the anguish. It¡¯s partly the reason why I rejected the throne in the first ce.¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Celeste shrieked, covering her ears. Storm clouds rumbled overhead in resonance with her anger. A furious wind began to swirl in the air, tearing away the calm peace that had taken over the Origin, ¡°You won¡¯t rekindle old hatred by springing up memories of the past. Those are ghosts, ancient visages of a nightmare long past while the future lies ahead of us. I wouldn¡¯t pick a world of destruction when peace stares me right in the face... Not again... Never again... My sisters were sworn to serve me until they die in battle... and that is what happened.¡± ¡°So now you choose to hide from the past. To sully the memory of your dying sisters with a false hope of peace. What¡¯s peace going to do to bring them back? Calling their deaths ¡®the past¡¯ doesn¡¯t make their deaths any less cruel and unjust. I stand before you with a blue shimmer in my eyes, not because I wished it, but because you did. All of this is for you... and we will fulfil your wish,¡± the man remained calm even when the goddess seethed in rage before him. Finally seeing her anger as futile, the goddess forced herself to simmer down. Cirrus was unshaken by her disy of power and wasn¡¯t going to change his mind regardless of what she did. That didn¡¯t wipe away the anger she held towards his foul words, but it did force her to resort to different methods of expressing herself. Celeste took a few deep breaths and Cirrus watched the storm clouds leave and the howling wind settle. When the goddess opened her eyes, the warm smile returned to her. Her tone, however, was borderline insane, ¡°I can see you¡¯re already too far gone. For that, I apologize.¡± ¡°Something¡¯s not right here,¡± Cirrus narrowed his gaze at the goddess, ¡°What are you plotting?¡± ¡°You will not harm the humans,¡± the goddess spoke with a steeled expression. Her kind facade was gone and reced by something else entirely. This wasn¡¯t a suggestion, but rather an order and the moment she said it, it took root in the royal before her. Cirrus struggled with the pain in his mind, but the goddess¡¯s power was already taking effect. By the time the painful ringing had quieted down within his head, all the hate he¡¯d born towards the humans had seized to have an impulse on him. He didn¡¯t notice it then, but his hate still had an effect on him, one he was bound to realise soon. Cirrus felt empty and everything about him felt cold. His eyes were lifeless, void of all the drive that had driven them before. He¡¯d spent so much effort trying to fight the humans that he¡¯d never noticed what he was without this mission. Without the mission to kill the humans, he was nothing... He knew nothing else. His whole life until this moment had all been about revenge in the name of the goddess, but now even that was gone leaving him nothing but a husk, ¡°Now, doesn¡¯t that feel better?¡± the goddess asked him, her smile returning to her face. ¡®He... he can¡¯t do anything, right?¡¯ Katie internally asked herself. She¡¯d watched the man getpletely drained of the will to keep on fighting, but then... why did she feel like this was not over... ¡®I¡¯m not sure, Katie. Something feels very wrong,¡¯ Ashley echoed. Chapter 392 392 Mate? The world was silent and Cirrus felt the will and fire he¡¯d had moments ago diminish and wither away. The goddess had robbed him of everything he was and still imed it was all better. All his aspirations turned to dust by amand, ¡°How is this better?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been misguided, Cirrus. You might want to use the rest of your life to rediscover what this world is all about. There is a lot you could learn. I¡¯ll make sure to give you a mate that suits you. Probably then you can look past mindless bloodshed,¡± Celeste grumbled. Straining against the goddess¡¯s orders, he wanted to deny everything she told him, but his struggles were all in vain. His body went limp and the words got stuck in his throat when he thought of defying her. The pressure would build within his mind, forcing him to abandon the treacherous train of thought. It had been a long time since the goddess hadmanded them to do anything for her. Not with this level of power infused into her voice anyway. Now that he had been given some perspective, he could see what kind of free will he¡¯d been taking for granted before, ¡°This... isn¡¯t over, Lady Artemis.¡± he mumbled through gritted teeth before standing up to leave the clearing. Right, when he¡¯d reached the edge of the Origin, the goddess spoke up, her voice infused with more divine energy as she issued another order. ¡°I would prefer it if you called me by the name, Celeste from now on. The same goes for all the wolves under my patronage,¡± she said to him, ¡°And one more thing. Wolves are forbidden from returning to the Origin. From this day forth, the Origin is to be wiped from their minds and wither into nothing but a myth in the minds of my subjects.¡± With that said, a beam of blue light shot from the moon in the sky above, taking the goddess, along with the body of the man on the ground with her. ........ Cirrus Lycaon barely made it back to the Lycaon capital in one peace. Strangely, his wolf had grown significantly weaker and even hunting was starting to feel like a chore. As the days drifted by in the wilderness, he discovered the source of his diminishing strength. With the slightest hint of returning strength, his thoughts immediately took on a train of thought aimed at reducing the number of humans in the world. The moment his thoughts went in this direction, the strength was sapped out of his bones, leaving him with barely enough to walk. In this state, he was crippled... in a sense. ..... During his travels, he wandered upon a town of humans and walked into an inn, making sure to keep his head down and not draw much attention to himself. He sat in the corner of the inn and waited for the waiter to approach him. The writing at the front of the counter mentioned the different dishes they offered. He had enough money on him to get a meal, but none to get a room, ¡®I guess I¡¯ll be sleeping out in the woods tonight,¡¯ the thought to himself while he drummed his fingers on the wooden table before him. ¡°Hello sir, how may I help you?¡± a sweet alluring voice made its way into his ears. With it came a sweet scent that forced his wolf to the surface. All his instincts heightened and a fraction of his strength returned to him in an instant... like an adrenaline rush... The reaction he had brought him untold happiness and at the same time, filled him with unfathomable dread. When he raised his head to meet the waiter¡¯s shocked face, he thought he¡¯d never seen anyone more beautiful than the girl before him. The girl before him appeared much younger than he was and like every waiter was required to appear, she was dressed to the nines, making her stand out in contrast to the quality of the rundown establishment. Cirrus Lycaon was never one to care about women he found on his travels. With the money and power at his disposal, getting a woman to bow to him was no task and yet the one he saw before him felt utterly different. He couldn¡¯t tell what was going through her amber orbs either... Wait, amber... The recognition of her eye colour snapped him out of his daze, ¡°Mate?¡± her voice rang out, with a hint of confusion. Hadn¡¯t the message of such a thing only got out from the pces recently? The inn went silent at the mention of the word. It wasn¡¯t long since the announcement hade through from the King of Lycaon and Queen of Sirius. They all knew what a mate was, but not many had met their mates yet. This was officially one of the first pairs to meet in the entire two empires and in a town as small as this one. The owner of the inn came out from behind the counter to meet the couple, ¡°Would you look at that? Jane, are you sure this man is...¡± The burly innkeeper went silent when the prince¡¯s cold blue expression turned on him. The man that had just walked into his small inn was a royal, ¡°Your h-highness, I hadn¡¯t noticed. I¡¯m sorry for not noticing early enough. What would you like? We can spare a room for you to rest in for the night. You can rest with your mate as well if that pleases you.¡± ¡°None of that will be necessary,¡± the prince cut him off, standing up and walking past the girl without sparing her a second nce, ¡°I was just leaving.¡± Just like that, the prince rushed out of the inn. The door mmed shut behind him, shaking the thin streams of dust off the exposed girders. Jane¡¯s heart felt like it was shattering into a million pieces and yet still straining to stay whole. When they¡¯d been told about the mates they would all be receiving, no one mentioned there would be a chance of meeting one that was icy cold and an inconsiderate real piece of work. Among her raging emotions was one known to all werewolves... anger. She was angry, ¡®Who does he think he is?¡¯ she mentally yelled. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but the stubbornness within her wouldn¡¯t let them fall without having a chance to say something. ¡°Jane, now I know what you¡¯re thinking...¡± the girl sidestepped the innkeeper and rushed out the door before anyone could talk to her. Sighing, the old woman stared at the gaping doorway. It was already turning dark outside and a harsh wind was picking up, ¡°This won¡¯t be good.¡± Chapter 393 393 Jane¡¯s Resolve Jane reached the outside of the inn and began searching for the royal that had just left the inn. ¡®He didn¡¯t look too good. He couldn¡¯t have gotten far.¡¯ Before long, her nostrils perked up as she picked up on a sweet entrancing scent, ¡®There you are.¡¯ Her wolf spurred her in the direction she needed to go and she soon found the man about to exit the town and disappear into the forest. Despite his sorry state, he looked serious about what he was about to do. Something told her he would be fine, regardless of what he looked like now, ¡°Where are you going? It¡¯s night and it¡¯s cold. You can spend the night at the inn. You can have your supper at the inn and continue your journey tomorrow. No one will charge you anything because of who you are. I¡¯ve noticed from your bare feet that you have been in a bind or two, but you don¡¯t have to sleep outside,¡± Jane tried. ¡°Perhaps you should be more worried about yourself. My health is not of your concern. Just because the goddess thought you fit to serve me doesn¡¯t make you worthy of my attention. The colour of your eyes alone speaks volumes on that,¡± the prince arrogantly spat. His words were like needles to her heart even though she¡¯d only just met him. It was frustrating. Even so, his attitude towards her, his tone... it all hurt. Something within her told her to turn away from him before he continued on this destructive path, as though sensing he wasn¡¯t done talking, while at the same time, turning away in itself felt like a painful thing to do. There was no way out for her... and she hadn¡¯t asked for any of it either. A total stranger... someone she had never met, was about to cause her more heartache than her own parents were capable of. ¡°What¡¯s your name, Royal?¡± the girl asked, herposurepletely changing. ¡°It¡¯s Prince Cirrus to you, runt,¡± the blue-eyed man responded harshly, cementing the decision she¡¯de to only moments earlier. ..... ¡°Very well then,¡± Jane ced her hand on her heart and began speaking formally, ¡°I, Jane Riverwood, reject you, Prince Cirrus Lycaon, as my mate.¡± In a more informal tone, hot tears streaming down her face, ¡°I... I honestly hope I never see you again.¡± With that, the girl turned on her heels and fled the scene as if the prince was a gue, disappearing into the small town. The prince stood frozen in ce... wondering what had just happened. He knew nothing of the girl that had just spoken to him... and yet he felt like he¡¯d lost his only andst source of happiness. Why was something within him trying to encourage him to chase after her? More importantly, had he just been rejected by a meremoner? ¡®The nerve on that girl... To reject someone of status as high as me... Noble women can only dream of being with a man like me. Ugh... her loss, not mine...¡¯ Not knowing better, the prince also turned away and continued on his journey to the capital. The world was already quickly changing... and Cirrus had just missed the main focal point that was bringing about this change. ............ He shifted and dashed through the woods, hoping to make quick time on his journey, however, his wolf felt slower this time than it had been through the entire journey, drained of more than just mere strength... He was drained of the very will to return home. Images of the beautiful girl crying as she rejected him shed through his mind and his heart involuntarily jerked at the memory of her. His chest felt heavier and doubts worked their way into his mind. ¡®I know nothing about this woman. Why won¡¯t I stop thinking about her? She knew nothing about me... why then did she cry while rejecting me? Why did she reject me in the first ce? I¡¯m the prince... Any woman in the two empires would be lucky to be adored by me,¡¯ his thoughts ravaged in his mind, shifting between two perspectives, one that wanted to know more about the girl, while the other... an over-bloated ego that wanted nothing but to see that same womane rushing back to him in the realisation of the mistake she¡¯d made. No matter how much these two sides fought, no answer would not present itself to him. The prince reached the castle a few dayster. The courtyard was filled with more people than he was normally used to. At first nce, it looked like a pack had been invited to the pce grounds, but eventually, among the people that regarded him, he noticed one with hazel eyes. What¡¯s more, was that they didn¡¯t have a glow to them. All about this person, wolves walked by without sparing a worried nce. In fact, this odd personality fits into their society quite neatly. The image disturbed him greatly, increasing the weakening effect of the goddess¡¯s orders. It was soon clear to him that several of the excess people in the courtyard were indeed human. Not just any humans, but hunters. In addition to the repulsively dull eyes and obnoxiously mixed eye colours, they all carried weapons unique to themselves, but kept them sheathed as though they were a natural part of them that were ced there for show or ceremoniously, ¡°You finally returned. Get to the throne room this instant,¡± the king¡¯s voice boomed in his head. ¡°Did you finally muster the courage to order me around?¡± Cirrus chuckled. ¡°Yes... and surely you know that means I¡¯m not pleased with your recent endeavours,¡± the king responded. The man sighed and started his trek to the pce throne room, shoving his way through the milling hunters. None of them appeared to be in the mood to fight, but when they noticed him draw close, their hand rested on the pummels of their des, but never once unsheathed them. The prince smirked at their reflexes, ¡®They are afraid of me. If only I wasn¡¯t cursed, I wouldn¡¯t mind messing with them a little.¡¯ s, the goddess¡¯s orders were absolute. ¡°Your highness, I knew I sensed you close by. W-what happened to you? You look horrible,¡± Rana¡¯s deep voice made the beta alpha¡¯s presence known to the prince. ¡°Thank you for thepliment, Rana. Have my bathwater prepared so that I might wash off... It¡¯s been a tiring trip,¡± Cirrus ordered, d to see his loyal beta alpha in the flesh. Rana bowed to his alpha and was gone in a sh to carry out his bidding. The prince soon made it to the door of the throne room... ¡®I wonder which endeavours he speaks of... the visit to the goddess or the girl in that small town. I didn¡¯t even get to know the name of the town. Oh well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll never see her again and don¡¯t intend to either.¡¯ Chapter 394 394 Something about a River... And something about a Forest The prince took his time to clean himself up and tend to his aching muscles despite the king¡¯s urgent summons. He was far too tired to take his younger brother too seriously. There was also the matter of hunters walking freely on royal grounds. Now that he had the time to think about it more clearly, he gritted his teeth in anger, ¡®The nerve on those hunters. How dare they waltz in here carrying weapons and act like they are friends with the wolves.¡¯ The warm water was soothing and allowed the man to recover from his angry fit. It¡¯s not like he could do anything against them anyway. His energy was immediately drained at the thought of retaliation, so there was no point in running himself mad. ¡®Where are the women though?¡¯ he thought to himself, ¡®Did Thane happen to forget? Odd...¡¯ Cirrus froze in the bath, finding himself repulsed by his own thoughts. This new reaction to having women around him was severely intensified by his canine alter-ego. As though making a point, a hallucination of a beautiful woman appeared before him, albeit highly exaggerated. Cirrus dipped his head into the water, ¡®So this is the power of the goddess... It¡¯s frightening. No matter... I am still alive, aren¡¯t I? She could have killed me, right? And if that¡¯s the case, then perhaps she left me alive for a reason.¡¯ Cirrus¡¯s thoughts brought him a hounding headache but did nothing to break his unrelenting will to see the goddess¡¯s mission through. Sighing, he exited the bath and wiped the thoughts from his mind. ¡®Let¡¯s see what the king is so worked up about?¡¯ ........ Cirrus soon stood before King Hamedale in the throne room, wondering what he¡¯d done to irritate the great man. The king cared for the werewolves a tad bit more than the mission the goddess assigned them and he did so without letting it show. Cirrus was one of the few that had been able to see right through him. However, seeing him livid was one of the few rarities he never wanted to get on the wrong side of, ¡°You summoned me, your majesty?¡± the prince dipped his head in a mock bow. ¡°Yes, Cirrus, I did,¡± the king pinched the bridge of his nose. The anger he was trying to soothe was clear through the mind link, ¡°Where have you been, Cirrus?¡± ..... ¡®Ah, so he hasn¡¯t heard of the short encounter with the peasant of a mate I was granted. Either that or he¡¯s holding that information forst.¡¯ ¡°I followed you. I won¡¯t deny that, but merely to confirm the moon goddess¡¯s ¡®questionable¡¯ state.¡± ¡°You assaulted the goddess with your... I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this... ¡®twisted¡¯ ideals. That goes against a myriad of rules,¡± the king looked like he might blow up at any time and the mind link reflected that anger with pristine waves of fury directed at the prince. ¡°You don¡¯t have to scold me, brother. I already got my fair share of that,¡± Cirrus sighed. The energy in his body was only getting less and less. Even more so with hunters roaming the pce grounds. If Cirrus had his way, he would unleash carnage on those filthy bipeds, but s, this would note to pass. As he turned to leave, he heard the sound of rushed footsteps and a surge of fear gripped him. His instincts kicked him, but his body didn¡¯t respond. Cirrus was far too slow... far too weak at the moment to react. The attacking footsteps were too fast for him to follow and before he could react to them. The king¡¯s imposing figure appeared in front of him and his hand gripped him by the neck and crushed him against a pir in the throne room. The king held him up with one arm, choking him by the neck. Cirrus grabbed at the king¡¯s hand, trying to break free, but it was all in vain. His hands were barely any use against the king¡¯s superior strength. No, correction... an amber-eyed wolf would probably put up more of a fight than he was doing. Cirrus grunted in pain and stopped struggling... It was futile. Instead, he stared his brother in the eye with a dark cold expression... ¡®Do you mind?¡¯ he growled through the mind link. The king¡¯s eyes widened in horror at the realisation of this weakness and he let the man drop to the ground. Hamedale backed away from the prince, watching the man before him cough and struggle to regain his breath. ck spots stained Cirrus¡¯s vision and his thoughts echoed loudly in his aching mind, ¡®So this is how it feels to be weak.¡¯ ¡°Exin, Cirrus,¡± the king¡¯s anger had vanishedpletely, now reced with concern for his brother. Having recovered, Cirrus scoffed, ¡°Nothing I¡¯d openly admit. In any case, I¡¯ll say this. I¡¯m resigning from the army. I won¡¯t be much use to them in this state, anyway.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve had a long journey, Cirrus. You should get some rest. Let¡¯s not make hasty decisions like that,¡± the king tried, helping his brother up. ¡°I¡¯m not weak because of the journey, brother. I¡¯m weak for entirely different reasons. It¡¯s the reason my journey was long in the first ce. It took everything just to get here. A week is too long for a journey from the Origin, Hamedale,¡± the man sighed, epting the king¡¯s help. ¡°This is not like you though. Did the goddess say something to you? I know your actions caused her to banish us from the Origin, but I didn¡¯t know she¡¯d done something to you,¡± the kingforted. ¡°Oh, she did something alright,¡± Cirrus replied as the two royals left the throne room. A crowd of humans was walking up to them as they exited the nearly empty throne room. ¡°Is something the matter, King Hamedale?¡± one of the hunters spoke up. ¡°Oh no, my brother is just tired from his journey. I¡¯m escorting him to rest in his room. My beta alphas can guide you for now. I¡¯ll return shortly,¡± the king replied in a tone Cirrus was not familiar with. When they were finally alone, ¡°Did you practise how to use an authoritative voice?¡± ¡°I did. I spent a while on it too. Did I sound cool?¡± Hamedale perked up, grinning from ear to ear. ¡°Now I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m speaking to a child or a deranged adult,¡± Cirrus groaned. The king chuckled, ¡°I met this woman out in the woods. She could speak to animals and she was delighted to meet me. I entertained her for an hour since she had always wanted to meet the King of Lycaon. What stunned me out of all her abilities though was the way she spoke to the creatures of the wild. She spoke with an air of confidence and authority. She sounded like the Queen of the beasts when she was talking to the animals. So before leaving her, I had her teach me to speak like that.¡± ¡°Your story gets more unbelievable the more I hear it. You know there is no one with the power to speak to animals,¡± Cirrus raised a brow at his younger brother. ¡°Oh, but there is someone with such a power. I should remember her name. Ah, what was it again? It sounded like a river... and had something to do with a forest... Riverbark, no... Waterwood, no, that wasn¡¯t it either...¡± the description the king used struck several cords at the man¡¯s heartstrings. ¡®It can¡¯t be, can it? ¡°Riverwood?¡± Cirrus asked, his heartbeat speeding up a bunch. ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s the name. She was a kind soul and had one respectable ability. I wish I could have had more time to speak to her, but...¡± ¡°Of course, she wasn¡¯t an average werewolf,¡± Cirrus chuckled himself, having long tuned out of his conversation with the king. ¡°Huh... Cirrus, did you meet her as well?¡± the king paused to observe his brother¡¯s expression. Cirrus was the kind of person to show either anger, amusement, disdain and a wide range of emotions on his countenance, but the one he wore now was unknown to Hamedale. Something was wrong with Cirrus... He looked... ¡®broken.¡¯ Chapter 395 395 Rana¡¯s Proposal ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we met the same person, but I did meet a... Riverwood. She just wasn¡¯t speaking to animals though,¡± the man responded dejectedly. ¡°Are you okay, Cirrus?¡± the king asked, concern seeping into his voice once more. The gloom and depression that hung about his brother were not lost on him. He¡¯d noticed it for a while. His eyes were zed over as though his mind were somewhere else and it was only getting worse. The will and fire he¡¯d witnessed from him for therger part of his life were gone from his eyes. He was a walking husk of his former self, ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say... I lost everything, Hamedale,¡± the man responded to him. As the king led him up, a voice reached them, ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯ve been looking for you. Your majesty, can I take him off your shoulders?¡± Rana asked the king, bowing to him. The king searched his brother for an opinion and when Cirrus nodded to confirm it was okay, Rana looped an arm over his shoulder and took over the role of a crutch, ¡°The hunters are waiting for you, your majesty. Lady Jeanie and the noblewomen of the Sirius empire have also arrived.¡± ¡°Thank you, Rana. Today marks the start of a new era,¡± the king walked off, brimming with so much pride and excitement that it made the prince smile, not for the reason behind it, but because he hadn¡¯t seen his brother this excited in ages. When the king was gone, Cirrus wiped the smile off his face and asked his beta alpha, ¡°Do you feel the same way as he does?¡± ¡°My Lord, you know I only feel the same as you do... which I cannot understand at the moment,¡± Rana said to him, ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Yes, Rana... I was stripped of my purpose, but now that I think back on it, that was nothing inparison to what she did after. She granted me a mate almost immediately after,¡± the man replied. ..... ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Where is she? Your mate must be powerful indeed and worthy of being your Luna,¡± the man replied, ecstatic. The prince smiled at his enthusiasm, but wouldn¡¯t mirror his emotions. ¡°Quite the opposite actually, Rana. She was an average wolf. She was beautiful and I could tell from the moment I met her that she was kinder than any creature I¡¯d ever met. She reminded me so much of Lady Jeanie,¡± the man spat. ¡°If you speak so highly of her, my Lord, then why do you sound so sad?¡± the beta alpha replied. ¡°I might have been a bit harsh in how I spoke to her. You just heard that she was a normal wolf. To grant me a mate that¡¯s not even a delta. The nerve on that goddess,¡± the man cursed. Rana gasped at the man¡¯s words, ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡± Cirrus was appalled by the beta alpha¡¯s reaction, ¡°I thought your emotions were the same as mine. What¡¯s this?!¡± ¡°Your majesty... with all due respect, and I mean that since you¡¯re the person I respect most in the world, you¡¯ve done, perhaps, the stupidest thing I¡¯ve ever heard you do,¡± the man chuckled at the end, finally making it to his room. ¡°I was not the one that rejected the other,¡± the prince huffed. ¡°Rejected by your mate? Wow, you might be the first. You also must have been more than a ¡®bit¡¯ harsh. What did you expect her to do when you were a ¡®little¡¯ harsh to her? Have you even thought about it one bit? Have you put yourself in her shoes at the moment? A stranger you¡¯ve never met shows up and is supposed to be your mate, then they treat you like gravel just afterying their eyes on you. What else was she supposed to do? At that moment, you were the one person that could cause her the most harm in the world, so she had to protect herself from you. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she doesn¡¯t want to ever see you again,¡± Rana voiced his concerns. The memory of herst words echoed through the prince¡¯s head, ¡®... and I honestly hope I never see you again in my life.¡¯ ¡°She¡¯s not as smart though. Anyone would want a royal to be their mate. The power thates along with that is just...¡± ¡°Anyone like that would be shallow and not worth your time. The woman you just walked away from didn¡¯t care one bit about your title. She rejected you because of the kind of person you showed her you are. Royal or not... she knew what she wanted and that wasn¡¯t what you showed her,¡± the beta alpha continued. ¡°Women throw themselves at my feet because of my title. What¡¯s one less average wolf?¡± the prince spat. ¡°Oh, dear. Where is your head, my Lord? Didn¡¯t you take the hint when you had to have your bath by your lonesome when you returned from your trip?¡± the beta alpha helped the prince to his bedding and pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°So that wasn¡¯t a mistake on your part? You did that intentionally, didn¡¯t you?¡± Cirrus narrowed his eyes at the prince. Rana stared at the prince before him, mystified, ¡°Yes, I did and not because I was trying to displease, but simply because there are no women allowed to spend their time with someone other than their mate. Didn¡¯t you hear the king¡¯s new orders?¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°Oh, dear... You¡¯re so clueless...¡± Rana took two steps forward and pressed his forehead to his alpha¡¯s, transferring a plethora of memories of the prince instead of exining it all, which would take forever. By the time thest of the memory transfer was done, the prince had a mortified expression on his face, ¡°My days just keep getting better and better...¡± he screamed sarcastically, falling back into the soft covers. A moment of silence took over them before the beta spoke up. His tone was inquisitive, almost as if he was only nowing to terms with what the prince had just disclosed, ¡°Sooo... you actually met your mate?¡± ¡°Yes, Rana. What part of that do you want me to spell out?¡± the prince replied, irritated. Rana didn¡¯t seem to notice as his curiosity had grown stronger than the fear of angering his prince, ¡°And you¡¯re very fine with having her out of your life. Nothing wrong with your wolf or anything...¡± ¡°What do you expect me to do, Rana?¡± Cirrus forced a yell out of his weakened body. ¡°I expect you to look for her, your highness... and apologise,¡± the beta alpha sighed, ¡°I can feel the emptiness within you. It exposes the sadness you¡¯re trying to ignore. I propose you go out and look for her. I coulde with you. She might turn out to be much more than you judged her to be.¡± Rana¡¯s words hit home. They gave Cirrus the encouragement he needed to sit up from the covers. They gave him the courage to look past his over-bloated ego. He wanted to know more about Jane Riverwood. ¡®Is it just me or has Rana been talking back at me?¡¯ the prince regarded his beta alpha, ¡®What is the worlding to?¡¯ Chapter 396 396 Winds of Change ¡°Rana, I need some time to think?¡± the prince finally told his beta alpha after a moment of silence. Rana¡¯s emotions were far too distracting for him to focus on what he wanted for himself. The beta alpha wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d been before. Rana had expressed his opinion strongly when it came to how he should have treated Jane and had left his alpha feeling slightly guilty for his stupid actions. Noticing the prince¡¯s turmoil, the beta alpha bowed in respect and excused himself from the room. With the man gone and his door closed, the prince dropped into his bed, exhausted. This short moment of relief was short-lived. An image of his sad mate materialised in his mind. Cirrus¡¯s wolf wasn¡¯t willing to stay quiet either. ¡®Damn it. Why can¡¯t I get that image out of my head?¡¯ he cursed in his mind. When Cirrus left the town, he¡¯d not thought much about his rejection, but his wolf didn¡¯t agree with him. ¡°Hey, Rana... about my usual escorts. I¡¯m not sure I heard you right the first time.¡± ¡°Your usual escorts dismissed themselves, sir,¡± the man responded before he had asked. ¡°Find me one, Rana,¡± the prince ordered out of desperation. Rana¡¯s response didn¡¯te through from the other side, but he was sure the beta alpha would begin his search even if it was futile. It was just how their connection worked. Thinking through his illogical orders, he asked in a calmer, more sombre tone, ¡°You¡¯re sure they¡¯ve all left.¡± ¡°Yes, sire. After the news from the king a few days ago, most of them changed their opinions of the royals and tried to chase after the power they wielded. They were of the opinion that none of them would ever be able topare to the royal¡¯s true mate in the end. It would all be for nothing to have some random femalee in a swoop the alpha off his feet without even breaking a sweat. ..... King Hamedale has already shown his distaste for the women that hung around him. After issuing these orders, he showed that he was even more irritated by their presence, so they all... quit,¡± Rana exined once more with a hint of hope in his voice. Hope, that the prince woulde to terms with what was going on. Cirrus sighed and sank deeper into soft covers, ¡°Don¡¯t bother searching then,¡± he relinquished his orders. His mind, once more brought forth the image of the woman that had rejected him a few days ago. He¡¯d not even noticed before, but his wolf projected her body with staggering rity and detail. Her features were every bit attractive as her strong personality from the little he¡¯d gathered from their brief encounter. ¡®She rejected a royal when others would be trying to do otherwise... Ugh, screw it,¡± the prince cursed, getting up from beneath the covers, his eyes burning with the fire from his new goal, ¡®I¡¯ll find her... and probably make her pay for causing a royal so much trouble.¡¯ To his surprise, when his thoughtspletely stopped humming on about the goddess¡¯s revenge, his strength returned to himpletely and when he remembered, it was cut in half yet again, somewhat like an encouragement for him to go looking for the woman. ¡°We leave soon, Rana. Get ready.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness,¡± the alpha responded, his voice regaining its formal tone. ¡®I can feel you smirking through the mind link, Rana.¡¯ ¡®I do not know what you mean, sire,¡¯ Rana replied. Cirrus paused in his advance to the walk-in closet. Rana¡¯s voice had gone up a few octaves. He was definitely smirking, wasn¡¯t he? Shaking off the thoughts, he changed into clothes suitable for travel and donned a pair of leather boots before making his way for the kitchens. The kitchens were busier than usual in preparation for the guests they¡¯d received, so he asked they carry on with their duties and serve him discreetly and without breaking their workflow. While he ate at the table he¡¯d been provided, he couldn¡¯t help but tune into the conversation of the wolves in the kitchen, ¡°Do you think they will agree to the king¡¯s conditions? Do you really think werewolves and humans could ever be at peace?¡± went the first wolf he heard. To this, he scoffed almost silently, wondering what foolishness could make them assume something like that. After all the carnage that his toon had reaped through the humans, he was sure that would be an impossibility. ¡°I hope so. You know I have a human family out in the Sirius empire. Ever since I was bitten, we haven¡¯t spoken. I would hate to lose the opportunity to reconnect with them,¡± another replied, turning the pieces of seasoned venison he had boiling in a hot pot. ¡°Wow, seriously. I have a sister in a remote town. She¡¯s the prettiest thing you could have ever imagined. I got bitten while I was out hunting and led the rogues away from the town. I¡¯ve never seen her ever since and have never even risked a visit for her safety,¡± another woman replied. The other members of the kitchen staff offered their sympathies to the two wolves before moving on to speak of their different hopes for the future. Cirrus stared at the wolves working in the kitchen. He didn¡¯t know whether to be disgusted by them or angry... ¡®Insolent... The nerve...¡¯ Instead, he finished his meal and marched out of the room with his fists clenched, ¡®Wimps, all of them. They only care for themselves. They should have given their lives for the cause...¡¯ His destination had now changed, shifting away from the vige he was supposed to be looking for and his energy diminished significantly as he changed course and made for the throne room. Without knocking, the prince pushed therge double doors open, ignoring the warnings of the men at the entrance. The king was in the middle of his speech when he saw his older brother standing at the entrance of the throne room, ¡°Now there is a face I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be seeing. Are you feeling better brother?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m feeling a lot better, thank you,¡± Cirrus replied with a practised smile. The pretentious prince walked up to the king and took a position beside him, pushing his beta alpha further away from the king, ¡°Apologies for the tardiness. I wasn¡¯t exactly here on time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Cirrus,¡± an angelic voice resonated through the room, capturing the prince¡¯s attention and withering away at the frustration that had been building within him. The voice belonged to the only other royal with a higher status than his own. The Queen of Sirius. Jeanie was d in a beautiful white dress that went well with her snow-white hair. Her sapphire eyes were as sharp as ever as though they could see into the depths of the prince¡¯s soul. Despite her intimidating appearance, Cirrus wasn¡¯t fooled. Jeanie was the kindest being he¡¯d ever been graced to meet. A sentiment that was rarely ever awarded to a royal werewolf. ¡°Queen Jeanie, I see you¡¯re looking fair as always. It¡¯s a pleasure to see you doing well,¡± he said with a slight bow. ¡°Yes, Cirrus, I am well. Although I wouldn¡¯t say the same about you. Are you sure you¡¯re doing alright?¡± the Queen asked him. ¡°I am. I just thought I wouldn¡¯t want to miss such a pivotal moment in our history,¡± the man responded, regaining his quietposure. He stood by the king like a statue while the hunters spoke with the two royals. They drafted terms for a peace treaty between them and the humans and began to pick out new roles for the hunters. As they spoke, Cirrus noticed a few things that were peculiar to him. The hunters no longerid their hands to rest on the pommels of their weapons. They didn¡¯t flinch when the king or any other wolf for that matter made a sudden movement. Not to mention, the wolves didn¡¯t show any signs of this kind of reaction either. What he noticedter tore at his heartstrings even more. The hunters and wolves had abandoned any semnce of order of sitting at therge table. They had all mixed with each other. Generals of the king¡¯s War Council were seated with notorious hunters known for ying some of the most decent werewolves in their history. They shared drinks that were brought to them and talked as though they were old friends. Thest hints of fear towards the hunters still existed, but only as mere scars to an old darker time. The world was really changing. The hunters were epting of this new peace treaty. If there was anyone in this room that wasn¡¯t fine with what was happening, it was Cirrus. ¡®This is wrong...¡¯ he thought to himself, but his thoughts... like his voice, held no power to the thundering winds of change. Chapter 397 397 The Realisation of a Impossible Dream Cirrus now realised he¡¯d made it to the throne room a littlete. Lying at the centre of therge hardwood table was a golden scroll on which the seals belonging to both empires were stamped along with a signature of the lead hunter¡¯s representative. The Peace Treaty he had been hoping to try and put a stop to had already been concluded. What he was attending now was a meeting drafting the guidelines that would guide the world into the new era and it was going smoothly... almost like both sides had been wishing for something like this to happen. ¡®Those hunters knew they didn¡¯t stand a chance against us,¡¯ he screamed internally. Speaking up now, however, was only a recipe for disaster. Not a soul in this throne room still had the mind to go against the hunters anymore. Cirrus wasn¡¯t one to act out impulsively when the odds weren¡¯t in his favour and very rarely were they stacked against him this much. Hunters were to be deployed into all towns and their roles drafted. The hunters were to keep the peace between the werewolves and the humans. Wolves were to refrain from attacking humans and humans were to do the same. Cirrus almost smirked at the sheer ridiculousness of the words that were exchanged in the throne room, but all that vanished when the queen spoke up. Despite Lady Jeanie¡¯s tendencies to dream of a world that was too good to be true, she was rather down-to-earth. Queen Jeanie pointed out the pitfalls and difficult parts of their n and also pointed out that it wasn¡¯t going to be easy. Her speech went on to encourage the werewolves and hunters in the room that this was exactly what made their mission all the more worth it. In a matter of minutes, the motivation swirling through the room was impossible to ignore. This wasn¡¯t a mere dream they were discussing. This was a n that was going to be implemented, regardless of how long it took. The two sides were ready to put everything on the line in the name of peace. The hunters were to act as the peacekeepers to make sure this would happen as written. The two empires were recognised and the werewolves were all to be ced under either banner, organising the packs all over the world to bow to one of the monarchs. The royals were to abandon the power that allowed them to control other wolves and were to never use their alpha tones ever again. This part of their power was deemed too powerful and detrimental to the goal of peace since a wolf could be made to act against their will. ..... ¡®Oh, I know for a fact that Hamedale would never...¡¯ this thought was cut short when the king of Lycaon was the first to agree to this term. The prince had been sure the king and queen would reject this condition, but when they embraced it without an ounce of resistance. The prince was dumbfounded. The wolves were to keep their ws and teeth to themselves. Biting a human was strictly forbidden and even more so for alphas and royals. Royals were not allowed to possess beta alphas except for the king and queen of the two empires. When all was said and done, the hunters expected each empire to have only two beta alphas and no more. The hunters and the empires were considered partners and none a servant to the other. This allowed autonomy of the hunters within the empires, however, a hunter that was found in vition of the rules or upholding justice wrongly was to be handed over to the monarchs of the empire they were found in and the royals would then be allowed to pass their judgement. By the time the peace summit drew to a close, Cirrus was rooted to his spot and unable to take a step nor utter a single word. He¡¯d watched the rules and guidelines for a new world be drafted right before him and they were all going about it as though nothing had happened for the past decades. The war had raged on for so long. It was impossible to believe it wasing to an end right in front of him. His mind simply failed to make the transition. The hunters and werewolves around him were overjoyed by the developments, including the royals. Hamedale was more chipper than usual, the strong and powerful king that usually sent chills down the spines of everyone that heard his name... was celebrating. ¡®When...?¡¯ he wanted to scream out. If he hadn¡¯t blocked out the mind link, his voice would have been thundering in the minds of those that were connected to him, ¡®When...?¡¯ the numerous smiling faces before him only made it harder to keep coherent thought. ¡®The audacity... The pretence... The hypocrisy... The nerve on them all,¡¯ he raged on within his mind. His face kept a calm and regal warm expression he¡¯d learnt to put on in front of those ranked higher than him... who used to be his brother and Jeanie. Now, it seemed the hunters were now a part of that list. All about him, the royals moved about, greeting each hunter personally and the asional hug from time to time. The formal part of the summit was done and now, they were allowed to get to know each other more. All of it worked to enrage the prince, ¡®WHEN DID THE ROYALS GET RID OF ALL THEIR BLOOD LUST?¡¯ ¡®You fail to realise that your parents had this ruthless animosity toward the humans much more than Jeanie or your brother ever did. Deep down, all of them were hoping for there toe a time of peace. A time when all the meaningless bloodshed woulde to an end. Do you have any idea how many families were torn apart? Even I only came to learn of that recently. Your brother and Jeanie, however, have always shouldered this burden,¡¯ an ethereal voice rang through his mind. ¡®Oh, so now she talks to me,¡¯ he mentally argued, but there was no response. He was about to scream back at the nothingness that had echoed in his mind when he remembered a faint image of a manying on the floor of the Origin, ¡®That exins a lot.¡¯ After a short pause, he noticed the queen staring at him. The king ended the meeting and allowed everyone to exit the throne room, inviting them to the backyard of the castle that had been prepared to house all their guests with a grand feast for the ages. The hunters, yawning and stretching from the fatigue of having sat through the peace talks, epted his invitation and exited the throne room talking amongst themselves and the members of the War Council that had warmed up enough to be considered friends. Cirrus observed them better this time. None of them even dared to touch their weapons. Their guards werepletely down. They didn¡¯t fear the wolves anymore now... ¡°Someone doesn¡¯t believe what¡¯s happening. Did you think it wouldn¡¯t work?¡± a feminine voice interrupted his focus. The room had been cleared, leaving Cirrus, Rana, Jeanie and Hamedale in the throne room. The king and queen had dismissed their beta alphas, hoping to get a conversation with Cirrus alone. His odd mood had not gone unnoticed by those with a connection to the Royal mind link. Cirrus noticed they were all looking at him and sighed, ¡°You¡¯re right, as always, Lady Jeanie. I didn¡¯t expect them to go along with this ¡®petty¡¯ attempt at achieving peace.¡± Now that they were royals alone, Cirrus didn¡¯t mind letting out a bit of the venom he had stored within him. It wasn¡¯t a surprise either. He was the most notorious general when it came to the Royals¡¯ former mission, iming the lives of countless humans and also bing the one responsible for Lycaon¡¯s impressive military might. ¡°Petty?¡± the white-haired monarch raised a brow at him. Now that he got an even closer look at her, she¡¯d lost all the signs of the previous warrior that she was, taking on a more graceful feminine appearance... all in preparation for the peace talks. ¡°That¡¯s what I would call it. I see no reason for them to simply bury the hatchet and yet... they speak with the attitude and tone of noblemen and women who have wanted peace all along. It¡¯s almost like they couldn¡¯t win and they knew it, so the option of peace was a lovely opportunity for them,¡± the prince spat. ¡°I was sure you¡¯d changed your mind about the humans. Do you really still harbour such deep hatred toward them?¡± the king asked with a chuckle. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised. However, that doesn¡¯t really matter at the moment. I don¡¯t have the strength to fight them anymore anyway and you all look invested in this pipe dream,¡± Cirrus shrugged, ¡°So I¡¯ll y along. Don¡¯t you have a party to attend?¡± ¡°Yes, we all have a party to attend,¡± the king replied, raising a brow at his brother. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must decline the invitation, your Majesty. I have something else to do now. Did you pack, Rana?¡± Cirrus turned to his beta alpha. ¡°Yes, my lord. Everything¡¯s ready,¡± the beta alpha replied. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Hamedale¡¯s voice went up a few octaves in curiosity. ¡°Somewhere far from all this. Might help me clear my mind,¡± the man replied walking away with a wave, ¡°Send them my regards on my behalf. And don¡¯t worry, brother. I¡¯d never do anything to jeopardise something you¡¯ve worked so hard on. The goddess made sure of that anyway.¡± The king sighed when the man was gone from the throne room, ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll be able to ept this new world?¡± Jeanie asked him, her eyes stuck to the ce his body wasst seen. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Our parents forced their ideals on him at a very young age. It was that exact same reason that he chose to give up the throne. He never did show me what they showed him. The will of the Old Kings lives deep within him. I worry for him,¡± King Hamedale replied with a sad expression on his face, ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll be able to fight the old kings¡¯ will and be a man of his own. One that can ept this new world we¡¯re building.¡¯ ¡®See that, Ashley. I¡¯m not the first to want such a world...¡¯ ¡®I know that Katie, but then... Why didn¡¯t that worlde to be? What happened to change all this? It doesn¡¯t add up.¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t go detective on me, Ashley. Stay with me...¡¯ the Luna shrieked. Chapter 398 398 Her Home? The prince started his journey feeling his wolf¡¯s enthusiasm towards this mission. It was refreshing to run through the woods in pursuit of something so wholeheartedly again without the feeling of his energy being constantly drained from him. This, however, was different from his usual hunts that involved a lot of blood lust. This hunt was for something he was not used to looking for at all. His mind projected thoughts of hope and happiness like nothing he¡¯d felt before. He¡¯d almost given up on this journey, but one look from Rana wiped all his doubts away from him. The beta alpha had never encouraged him to do anything so independently before. It almost felt like the goddess had visited him in his sleep, but that would have been obvious considering he could feel the faint remnants of her divine energy if that had been the case. Wiping the conspiring thoughts from his mind, he let his thoughts wander and was almost shocked by what he had to think to himself. ¡®I wonder what she¡¯s like. What her life has been like? What the... ugh, perhaps I can dream as well... Albeit restrained,¡¯ He continued to rush through the woods, searching for something his wolf yearned for... a little more than he himself did if he was being honest with himself. Cirrus knew what it was like to deny one¡¯s wolf¡¯s desires. It escted from a little mental difort to excruciating irritation that wouldn¡¯t let one sleep regardless of how soft the bed was. To Cirrus¡¯s surprise,(one of many surprises he¡¯d witnessed that day) his wolf retraced his tracks with deadly uracy. It didn¡¯t matter if it had rained the day before or if he¡¯d been weak on the way to the pce. The wolf simply knew where to go. The ck starry wolf behind him followed diligently, keeping up even when the prince¡¯s wolf ran at top speed. The sun eventually set and with the approaching darkness, they had to bring their journey to a pause. Fortunately for them, they had been prepared and set up camp in the forest. They hunted, had a warm meal and spent the night in nature. The next morning, the Cirrus was up before dawn, ¡°Get up, Rana. We are almost there,¡± Cirrus nudged the beta alpha awake. Cirrus, who was still sleepy,zily lifted his eyelids and felt the sensation of the sleep draining out of him. Sometimes the power of his alpha¡¯smands fascinated him instead of scaring him. If the orders were eptable, he could work tirelessly until the work was done. The beta alpha¡¯s blind loyalty made it impossible for him to see the effects of being overworked. Either that or there really was something magical about the prince¡¯s absolute orders. After packing their belongings, they started the journey once more. Cirrus followed his instincts to the letter, more than he¡¯d ever trusted them in his life. Not like he had a choice, but because he¡¯d never felt his wolf vividly participate in a hunt like it was doing today. He practically had no reason to deny his senses. ..... Sooner than Rana had expected, they reached the town Cirrus had run from a few days ago. He stopped at the spot it had happened. The ce he¡¯d watched the most beautiful girl cry and reject him after he¡¯d been nothing but cruel to her, ¡®I-I... I¡¯ll need to apologise about that.¡¯ He shifted back into his human form in a swirl of blue divine energy, his clothes materialising and settling back on him. Rana shifted back into his human form as well and the two walked into the small town. There were murmurs from those that recognised his eyes, but nothing he wasn¡¯t used to. Soon enough, Cirrus stood before the inn where he¡¯d met her, taking a moment to breathe... and entered it. They were just opening up when he entered. The man at the counter was wiping it when two men entered the inn, dressed in expensive tunics that screamed royalty. The man that had returned was nothing like the rugged royal they¡¯d witnessed a few days prior. ¡°Your highness,¡± panicking, the man bowed to the highly-respected wolf that had just entered the little inn, ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting someone of your status ever to grace this small establishment with their presence. What¡¯s mine is yours, your highness?¡± ¡°I have no need for anything of yours. I only seek one of your employees. A woman by the name of Jane Riverwood. Have you seen her?¡± the man was shocked by the mention of the woman¡¯s name. ¡°Jane, sir? I¡¯m afraid Jane quit her job yesterday, your majesty,¡± the man quickly answered. ¡°Exin yourself,¡± the prince demanded, masking the pang of guilt that involuntarily made its way to his heart. ¡°After a strange royal she imed to be her mate a few days ago left her, she hasn¡¯t been the same since. She was always jolly and kind, but that spark of light in her eye hadpletely vanished from her. She quit, iming there was something else she had to focus on and needed to dedicate her life to it,¡± the man rushed his exnation. When he recalled the royal, however, he looked up from the ground and regarded the prince for a second, trying to discern the face of the royal before him and that of the one he¡¯d seen that night. ¡®They can¡¯t be the same, can they?¡¯ the innkeeper kept his thoughts to himself. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®quit¡¯?¡± the prince asked the man before him. ¡°Exactly that, sir. She quit her job. I could show you the way to her home if that¡¯s okay with you?¡± the innkeeper offered. Heaving a deep exasperated sigh, the prince allowed him to show the way to the woman¡¯s home. Knowing the woman had quit her job rubbed him the wrong way, ¡®Did she quit because of me or is there another reason? He said something about her focusing on something else. I wonder what that¡¯s about. Maybe it¡¯s an excuse she was using.¡¯ They finally reached a small cabin at the edge of town. The innkeeper knocked at the door and bowed before leaving the two gentlemen at the door to the woman¡¯s house, ¡°Thank you very much for your help.¡± The prince shed the man a smile and fished a gold coin from his pocket which he offered the man his thanks. The man was stunned by the prince¡¯s token of gratitude and shook his head in denial. Suddenly, he was more willing to offer more information to the royal. ¡®This is not the same cruel man,¡¯ he convinced himself before adding to his story, ¡°You might want to go easy on her. She wasn¡¯t the same after the man left her days ago. Either the man was actually her mate or she was embarrassed for iming he was. I don¡¯t know which is which or if any of this is helpful to you, but...¡± ¡°I understand, kind sir. I will keep it in mind,¡± the prince was slightly d the man hadn¡¯t recognised him from thest time he was in the town. His clothes were so rugged at that time and he was in a weakened irritated state that would exin why the people couldn¡¯t recognise him. With that said, the innkeeper left them at the doorway of the small cabin. Despite the location of the cabin, it was well-taken care of. All the wood was masterfully polished and without a sign of termites. The prince knocked at the door once more and this time, the door slowly swung open by just a slit to allow the person inside to peer out at them from the inside. On the other side, a pair of amber eyes stared back at them from behind the door. Normally, werewolves with this colour of eyes would be frightened by the blue-eyed royals, but this amber pair only narrowed its eyes at him in detest. ¡°So you finally return,¡± a hoarse voice came from behind the door. ¡°Do you n on letting us in? I know those aren¡¯t the eyes of the person I seek,¡± the prince replied, his wolf having confirmed this was someone else in the span of seconds. While there was the lingering faint scent of the person he was looking for, the one before him was not Jane. ¡®Why is her scent faint? Isn¡¯t this her home?¡¯ Cirrus wondered. ¡°No, I don¡¯t n on letting you in. If you¡¯re looking for Jane, she¡¯s not here,¡± the woman spat back. ¡°Then simply point me in the right direction,¡± the princemanded. ¡°With a rotten attitude like that, I¡¯d rather she took her chances with a toad,¡± the woman on the other side scoffed, letting the door open wider and casually walking back into the cabin. There was no use arguing with a royal loose canon. That was only a recipe for death and any sane wolf could easily realise that. The prince entered the small establishment and took a look around. There wasn¡¯t much in the house, but what caught his attention was the slightly stronger scent of his mate. She was not in the house, as the woman had said and from how faint the scent was, it was as though she¡¯d been gone a while. Even then, however, the prince was fairly sure this is where she was supposed to be. ¡®Was this... Jane¡¯s home?¡¯ Chapter 399 399 Higher Calling Cirrus took a second look around what he could see of the cabin¡¯s living room. Unlike every other ce in this town, this house still held traces of his mate¡¯s scent, and what was more was that he could tell these traces weren¡¯t going anywhere for a long time. This was Jane¡¯s actual home. Cirrus let his eyes settle on the woman before him once more. The amber in her eyes was the same as all the others he¡¯d seen growing up, so there shouldn¡¯t have been anything in those eyes that could tell him if she was rted to Jane... and yet, his wolf held suspicions. Maybe it was the way the woman talked back to the royal with a tad bit less restraint than a normal wolf, or maybe it was how her sad expression made images of his heartbroken mate sh through his mind. ¡°Are you... Jane¡¯s mother?¡± Cirrus asked. ¡°Who¡¯s asking? Huh, Prince Cirrus of Lycaon or Commander Cirrus of the Death toon, or maybe the crown prince that declined the throne so that he could kill more humans than any other monarch in history. You know, when I heard you were her mate, I almost...¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± the prince growled, balling his fists in anger. ¡®The audacity of this woman... Is her daughter just as...¡¯ Cirrus, however, didn¡¯t get a chance to finish his rambling thoughts as the woman continued speaking, paying no mind to the prince¡¯s angered mood. ¡°Surprising, I would have thought you¡¯d be proud of those titles,¡± the woman narrowed her eyes at him, ¡°Just give up on my daughter. You treated her like trash the moment youid eyes on her. I don¡¯t want her to ever see you again. I thought I would be blessed enough to spend the rest of my days without getting the chance to, but I guess we can¡¯t all be winners, can we?¡± ¡°You speak of me as though I¡¯m a scourge. I was merely following the will of our goddess,¡± Cirrus forced himself to calm down before this woman and leaned against one of the wooden pirs that held the structure of the cabin. She was the mother of his mate after all. He mentally wondered how long he would have to endure this torture before she could talk, but still managed to suppress the urge to threaten the woman into telling him what he wanted to know. ¡°Someone who kills that many people and still sleeps peacefully at night. What more am I supposed to expect from you?¡± the woman spoke with him with so much distaste that it irked the prince. Nheless, he held hisposure. ..... ¡°Will you tell me where she is or not?¡± he asked coldly. ¡®How long is she nning on keeping her sister¡¯s location hidden from me? More importantly, if she¡¯s so happy that I was finally out of her life, why does she look sad?¡¯ he thought to himself, however, no answers came to him. The woman took a seat at a table to the side of the wall opposite the prince, twiddling her thumbs somewhat nervously, ¡°I don¡¯t want to...¡± she sighed, choosing to change her words, ¡°Will you first tell me why you want to know where she is?¡± ¡°That should not concern you.¡± ¡°And yet it does. She¡¯s my daughter. I would never let her into the custody of someone that will never show her happiness. You only know to take the lives of others and tear families apart. You wreak havoc everywhere you go and yet... Taking you to her suggests you want to do something other than take lives. You would bemitting to bringing life into this world. Something you¡¯re not good at... You broke her heart once before. What more could you want with her? Perhaps you want to kill her now that she¡¯s rejected you,¡± this woman¡¯s words were like daggers to the prince¡¯s heart. Hearing these words from the goddess or the royals was one thing. They knew why he had done what he had done, but hearing it from someone that had never met him before. Was this what everyone thought of him? The wolf that tears families apart and leaves a trail of death everywhere he goes. ¡°You dare to speak to the prince of Lycaon in such a manner,¡± Rana bellowed angrily, finally blowing a fuse. The beta alpha had chosen to remain quiet and let his alpha handle all this, but he also had his limits of tolerance. ¡°Rana,¡± the prince raised his hand to stop his advancing subordinate. The beta alpha settled down and stepped away from the two of them with a slight bow in respect of his alpha. The glow in his eyes dimmed once more notifying them that he had cooled down, ¡°Forgive me for overstepping, my Lord.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Rana,¡± the prince sighed before turning his attention back to the slightly shocked woman, ¡°I didn¡¯te here to cause your daughter any more pain. I came here to apologise for the way I treated her,¡± the prince paused... The rest of his speech felt like something that would carve a hole into his very being just by uttering the words. Nevertheless, he knew what he wanted to say. The past days had shown him enough for him toe to this conclusion, ¡°You¡¯re right in many ways. I only know death. I¡¯ve brought it upon so many that I¡¯ve lost count, but s, the goddess robbed me of the power to reap any more lives. Now I am in search of thest flicker of hope and light that is still within reach.¡± ¡°Forgive me if I don¡¯t believe a word you¡¯ve said,¡± the woman scoffed without giving the prince¡¯s words a second thought. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to convince you of this. The only one that matters to me now is Jane, no offence. You might be her mother and I will treat you with the respect you deserve and also thank you for giving birth to someone as beautiful and intelligent as her, but I must find her first. Maybe I could find a way to...¡± ¡°You won¡¯t find her,¡± the woman stopped him short. Cirrus wanted tosh out and he did... However, as he did, he couldn¡¯t help but notice the way she¡¯d kept her tone indifferent when she cut him off. ¡°Will you not tell me where to find her?¡± Cirrus was starting to lose his patience. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean. I¡¯m just speaking facts that you will not find her, at all. She left with her belongings and said she¡¯d gone to fulfil her purpose in the wilderness... And trust me, if she doesn¡¯t want to be found, the wild itself will shield her from you,¡± the woman replied in a sombre tone. She continued to twiddle her thumbs nervously in a reaction simr to a nervous tweak or a side-effect of staying away from an addiction. The woman wasn¡¯t exactly dressed regally, but her appearance was in no way graceful either... even for someone who lived in a vige as small as this. ¡°You¡¯re not making any sense. What are you saying?¡± the prince pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°It¡¯s been like that her whole life. She can talk to animals but has never had a use for the ability. It was a few days before you wandered upon this vige that she received her calling from the goddess. She was to conceal the Origin from the rest of the world. Her role is to obscure the location of the Originpletely. That means, she will vanish as well,¡± the woman replied, ¡°If you¡¯d made it here this morning, you could have caught her before she left,¡± the woman tried to exin. ¡°I¡¯m a royal. We can ess the Origin if we want to,¡± the man replied. ¡°You¡¯re not listening to me. She¡¯s been nning this for a long time. The moon goddess is determined to hide the Origin from the rest of the world and a girl was born that would help her bring that dream to fruition. We¡¯ve always known of her miraculous ability and respected her for it, but we didn¡¯t know that this is what it would be used for.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve lost your child to the goddess. How are you not...¡± it only made sense then why the woman¡¯s voice was hoarse, why she looked dishevelled, why she didn¡¯t care what she sounded like in front of the most dangerous werewolf in the world, why she constantly twiddled her thumbs... It was no wonder that the scent of booze hung in the air. The faint traces of tears were finally clear to the prince, now that he took a closer look at the woman, ¡°You¡¯ve been crying.¡± Like a dam breaking from intense pressure, the mother of Cirrus¡¯s mate broke down before him, ¡°Of course I have. My little girl will nevere back to me. What did you expect? Maybe... just maybe if you¡¯de here sooner, you could have kept her from leaving. I never thought I would look to the Commander of the Death toon for help, but... My dear Jane... my Fauna...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find her,¡± Cirrus rushed to the woman and squeezed her hand in an effort tofort her. He gave her his word, promising to find the girl before rushing from the cabin with Rana diligently following behind. The woman continued to silently weep inside her cabin, pondering the words of the prince, his determination against what she knew to be true of her daughter¡¯s disappearance. In a low hoarse voice, void of all hope, the woman silentlymented to no one at all, ¡°I don¡¯t think even you have the power to make such a promise... your highness.¡± Chapter 400 400 Veering off course The prince dashed through the woods, following his mate¡¯s scent as best as his wolf could follow. After getting out of the girl¡¯s home, he¡¯d been able to pick on the trail it took... and just like her mother had mentioned earlier, the trail led straight into the forest and in the direction of the Origin. It was only a matter of time before Jane¡¯s scent grew even stronger, spurring him to strike his paws even harder on the ground. The grey wolf, together with the starry ck wolf, tore through the forest at dizzying speeds in search of the prince¡¯s runaway mate. The night was upon not long after they¡¯d begun their search. Cirrus had no desire to give up chase. In fact, he was sure he could keep running for days on end without stopping. This, obviously, wasn¡¯t the case with his beta alpha. The more hours that ticked by, the shorter the prince¡¯s patience grew... and so did the growing feeling of anxiety. What if he didn¡¯t find her like Jane¡¯s mother had tried to assure him earlier? The thought was just as terrifying as it was dreadful. ¡°Your majesty, we should stop and camp,¡± the man¡¯s beta alpha interrupted Cirrus through the mind link. ¡°I can¡¯t do that, Rana. She had arge headstart and I don¡¯t how far she¡¯s gone already. I can¡¯t even tell if she¡¯s even alright. What if something happens to her in all this madness? What if the goddess offered her some sort of sanctuary and reaching the Origin will only spell our failure? What if she¡¯s not even stopping to rest just so she could get away? If she does sleep in the night, that¡¯s only a chance for us to catch up to her,¡± Cirrus went frantic, ¡°We¡¯ll hunt, then continue our search when we¡¯re not as hungry as we are now.¡± The beta alpha didn¡¯t argue... not like he could anyway. Soon enough, they¡¯d spotted an unsuspecting doe and killed it with barely a chase. Their movements were silent when they hunted and painted an image of the experienced hunters they were. When they were full and had just rested for the smaller part of an hour, they continued their search for the girl. Overflowing with determination and a burning desire to see this through, the prince led his beta alpha through the forest, following his mate¡¯s scent once more. What got on the prince¡¯s nerves, however, was how the scent had almost vanished over the span of a few minutes. It was almost... unnatural. ..... The two of them ran like this for two days before the prince realised where they were going and got the bright idea to just race for the Origin. Since it was now clear that she was heading for the Origin, the prince switched his attention to going back to the ce where the goddess had forbidden all wolves from ever going again. With this slight change in means of navigation, the prince was able to rush faster, unhindered by the role of having to focus on Jane¡¯s scent. Knowing her destination, Cirrus allowed them to rest for the first time in two days. Rana copsed to the ground as soon as the prince allowed it, revealing how tired he actually was. Cirrus, on the other hand, had a hard time sleeping that night, but when he did drift off, the clutches of sleep were tighter than they¡¯d ever been, holding the two wolves down for longer than the prince had ever slept in his life. The sun was high in the sky by the time the prince awoke. The man got up feeling groggy. The tree he¡¯d been leaning against seemed several times thinner than it had been when he fell asleep and groaned slightly against his body¡¯s weight. Cirrus dismissed the thought and turned to his beta alpha. ¡°Hey, Rana, get... up. What the...?¡± Unlike Cirrus, who¡¯d woken up to an oddly immature tree, the crimson-eyed man was in a simr, but several times more dire situation. The king froze at the sight before him. Growing around Rana were creeping nts that thickened by the minute and looped around his limbs and torso at frightening speeds, ensnaring the beta alpha in a growing cocoon of green. ¡°Rana, wake up,¡± the prince snapped out of his daze and rushed to his beta alpha. The unintentionalmand took root in the beta alpha and his eyes shot open. However, when he tried getting up from the ground, the vines stopped growing and took hold of his body, securing the roots¡¯ purchase of the earth and holding him firmly close to the ground. Cirrus willed his nails to extend into sharp ws and began shing at the vines that held hispanion¡¯s body captive. ¡°Your Highness, what is the meaning of this?¡± Rana¡¯s voice was panicked while he fought against the surprisingly sturdy grip of the rogue vines. Cirrus, at some point, wondered whether his beta alpha was ying a prank on him, but shook the thought upon remembering the man¡¯s loyal character. With the strength the man was capable of, he¡¯d been sure breaking out of the vine grip hold would have been a walk in the park... but that wasn¡¯t the case. Rana¡¯s muscles were bulging in his struggle against the vines. He was using more strength than he normally required to lift a full-grown human and even that wasn¡¯t enough. Rana groaned against the vines holding him down, summoning all the strength he could muster. Having cleared his mind from the morning grogginess, he was finally able to assess the situation he was in and summon all his strength to escape his flower prison. The prince saw an opening and shed at the taut vines, striking at their thinnest points. His ws cut notches into the vines and weakened their overall grip on the beta alpha. After a short moment, the weakest of them began to snap, giving the beta alpha some room to move. Rana wasted no time once he¡¯d noticed an opening. The man braced himself for another powerful tug at the vines. This time, he was in a better position to tear himself from their grip. After a loud groan, the sound of snapping vines filled the air, some being ripped from the ground at their very roots, raising a small dust cloud around the beta alpha in the process. The crimson-eyed wolf was soon torn free from the green cage. The moment thest one had snapped and there was nothing else pulling the man to the ground, Rana copsed yet again, panting with exhaustion. The vines didn¡¯t move again and the rumbling of the green life around them hade to a standstill, ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Rana coughed. Cirrus retracted his ws and ran his hand along one of the trees surrounding them. Something feltpletely wrong with their surroundings. The trees weren¡¯t at all in any way he remembered them. He wasn¡¯t in the habit of memorising his surroundings before he slept, but when he looked around, his instincts were all wrong. Where he expected to lean against a tree like he had the night before going to sleep, there was nothing. The ground was moist and slightly less disturbed than the bed of torn vines that Rana had ripped himself from. At first, he¡¯d thought it was just his mind ying tricks on him, but something was definitely wrong about this. ¡®nts...?¡¯, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but let¡¯s keep going.¡± The two wolves shook off the shock and hunted, prepared a meal and ate to their fill, they turned in the direction of the Origin and resumed the journey. A second before leaving their camp, Cirrus looked back to the spot his beta alpha had almost gotten encased in vines and noticed there wasn¡¯t a shred of the odd wriggly vegetation left. The vines were nowhere to be seen and all the signs of the recent struggle had vanished. What was even more peculiar was that the grass had grown back to normal and assumed a clean carpet undisturbed. ¡®Something is very wrong,¡¯ the prince¡¯s grey wolf snarled at the patch of green before turning away. He took a reluctant step in the direction they were following. His mate¡¯s scent had gone even fainter over the course of the night it made him feel like he¡¯d made the mistake of resting that night. He could not tell how much further they were supposed to be going before finding her. The two of them tore through the woods in pursuit of Jane Riverwood, the woman Cirrus was fated to live the rest of his life with. ¡°Your highness, if we are going to the Origin, shouldn¡¯t we be following the flow of the Great Sirius River?¡± Rana suggested after they had been padding through the forest for a while. The prince would have scoffed at the beta alpha the moment he heard this question, considering the best way to find the Origin was to follow the Great Sirius river. Everyone knew that... and so did the prince. Cirrus had actually been listening to the sound of the rushing water to guide him through the forest and south to the Origin. It was that simple, really... and yet, now that he strained his powerful sense of hearing, he heard... nothing. ¡°Yes, Rana... we should... be following... I was listening to the tide a while ago, but... When did we veer this far from the Great River?¡± Cirrus asked, shock and anxiety rattling his nerves. ¡°I thought you were listening for it as well. But yesterday, as the dusk drew near, I noticed how quieter it got the more we ran looking for the Origin,¡± therge starry wolf rumbled replied, ¡°I thought maybe that her scent had gotten stronger and that you¡¯d figured she wasn¡¯t going to the Origin exactly. Now, however, I know the river is nowhere near us.¡± ........ ¡®Ashley...¡¯ Katie looked around the scene surrounding the two wolves, wide-eyed. ¡®Yes, Katie... I see it too...¡¯ the wolf replied, mirroring Katie¡¯s horrified tone with one of her own. Chapter 401 401 [Bonus chapter]The One That Got Away ¡°I want to agree with you, Rana, but we haven¡¯t changed course since we started running for the Origin,¡± the prince argued. The world was now starting to spin with his mind providing incoherent pieces of information. Cirrus was running for the Origin... he had been running for the Origin, right. Somehow, the sound of the Sirius River did not reach their ears. If someone was indeed looking for the Origin, this would be the first thing they ought to look for, but the river was nowhere in earshot. ¡°No, we haven¡¯t. Well, that¡¯s what it seemed like when you figured she was following the river, but we¡¯ve been slowly drifting away from the river. At some point, you started running so fast that I couldn¡¯t focus on the sound of the river. I simply had to keep up with you,¡± the man responded, trying to make sense of all this as well. Now that Rana had the chance to think about it, he could now tell his alpha had been acting a little bit out of character since their run began. The prince pondered, pacing about the forest floor in search of an answer to their sudden misdirection situation, ¡°I followed the sound of the river and we ran downstream. I¡¯ve made this journey countless times before, Rana. I wouldn¡¯t make such a mistake...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t doubt your familiarity with the way to the Origin, my Lord, but do you recognise where we are at the moment?¡± the beta alpha asked him. Just as the man turned to look around, the scent he¡¯d been tracking vanishedpletely from his nostrils, like someone had blown out a candle, leaving hisst sign of direction gone. Without the certainty of his mate¡¯s scent, all he had to look for was the Origin. Cirrus had been searching for Jane and not the Origin and somehow, he had lost track of both. The prince looked around, the grey wolf¡¯s eyes widening in shock, ¡°Rana... I¡¯m going to ask you an odd question. Which way are we running?¡± ..... Rana, who¡¯d also been pacing about, spun in a random direction and pointed to his back, ¡°We came through...¡± the trees he pointed to werepletely identical to the ones he¡¯d perceived as the forward direction and those on the sides. It was only then that the beta alpha noticed that all the trees around them had turnedpletely identical to each other, surrounding them in a clear circle that couldn¡¯t be distinguished from any side. What was worse was that eh canopies had ground thick enough to obscure the sun in the sky. They couldn¡¯t tell which way was North... which way was South either. The streams of light that managed to make it through the thick canopies tore straight to the ground, bending in no particr direction. The prince had woken up at an odd time and lost his sense of time. They couldn¡¯t tell which side the sun was supposed to be headed, which way was east or which was west... ¡°No, this is impossible.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that we lost track of where we were going, Rana. We were led off track, but the forest itself,¡± Cirrus observed, remembering the odd behaviour of the vines that had almost buried his beta alpha alive that morning. The prince frantically scanned the ground, but just like he¡¯d suspected, their pawprints had also vanished, reced by a fresh vibrant patch of green grass. It was like they¡¯d never taken a step before. To test how dire their situation was, the prince forced a paw print into the ground and watched with his own eyes, as the soil bulged back up and the grass repaired itself,pletely obscuring the signs of his movements in a matter of seconds. ¡°What do we do now, my Lord?¡± the beta alpha asked, turning yet again in an effort to tell where they hade from. Even the sound of the wild had gonepletely still. There wasn¡¯t a creature in sight. No birds... no squirrels... nothing. There wasn¡¯t a sign of life at all in all directions, ¡°We could try picking a direction and running that way.¡± ¡°That could take us forever, Rana. We¡¯ve already been running for days now. Who¡¯s to say we won¡¯t die of starvation if...¡± ¡°Right now, there is no other thing I can think of, your Highness and I can tell there is nothing going on in your mind either. Every direction looks the same and we both know nothing is going to change. There are no animals near us and that means we can¡¯t hunt. The rations we have right now can only take us a day at most. We need to focus on surviving, my Lord,¡± the beta alpha argued while he still had the chance to talk back to his master. ¡°You¡¯re suggesting we give up our mission. Is that what you¡¯re saying, Rana?¡± the royal bellowed, assuming the tone he used whenmanding the Death toon. Rana flinched at the man¡¯s tone, ¡°No, that¡¯s not it, sire. Fine, let¡¯s follow the woman¡¯s scent then. That could give us some sort of direction.¡± The prince stopped in his fury and took a couple of steps away from his beta alpha. Rana narrowed his eyes in curiosity, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°The scent, Rana... It¡¯s gone. The trail went cold moments ago... As if it had never existed,¡± the prince admitted. Cirrus shifted back into his human form and sat on the ground, massaging his temples in frustration. They were officially... Lost... ¡°We¡¯re lost, Rana.¡± The starry wolf was stunned by the sudden confession. The prince was not one to admit to something like that... but then again, he wasn¡¯t one to hunt for an amber-eyed woman either. Their very presence in the forest at the moment was a miracle in and of itself. ¡°Might I make a suggestion then?¡± ¡°What would running in any one direction do for us, Rana?¡± the man groaned. ¡°It can help us get closer to any form of civilisation. Sitting here won¡¯t do us any good at all...¡± Rana exined his n to the prince once more. This time, the prince was paying attention to what he had to say, having calmed down. ¡°If we keep running in one direction, Rana, we would get exhausted and...¡± ¡°We can hunt, my Lord. That¡¯s the easiest part to deal with,¡± the beta alpha replied. ¡°Feeding on meat alone for days. Is that your n to beat hunger and starvation in a wilderness that¡¯s against us?¡± the prince asked humourlessly. ¡°Yes, my Lord and our main priorities are to find a vige or town to give us directions or the Great Sirius River. Water would be nice as well. We know one thing is for sure. Whichever direction we take will either lead us back to the capital, to an unknown town, the Great River or to the Origin. We run with an open mind, knowing that any of these destinations is better than sitting here and waiting for the Lord of Death to im our lives,¡± Rana offered. The prince thought through the man¡¯s words for a moment before replying solemnly, ¡°Have we really given up then?¡± The question bore a distant tone that suggested it was rhetorical. The prince was the only one capable of tracking the woman¡¯s scent, so asking this was more of a question directed at himself. If Cirrus couldn¡¯t track her down, then there was nothing Rana could do either. They had indeed given up. Without warning, an ethereal voice broke the unnatural silence of the reorganised forest, ¡°As you should...¡± Chapter 402 402 Enough... Enough of it all. Rana stared on, speechless as a bright silhouette formed before them, taking the form of a being he didn¡¯t think he would be seeing any time soon. The goddess looked as divine as ever... even when most of the natural tone of her skin paled in the form of a holographic visual. The words that hade from her upon her arrival, though. Those felt like salt being rubbed into his wounds. The moon goddess materialised before them... something she had never done in history. This was the first time the goddess was appearing to anyone somewhere other than the Origin and without appearing to them through a dream. ¡°The girl you were supposed to be mated with was a rare one. A rare breed of talent indeed... ¡°What kind of talent, our Lady?¡± Rana spoke up, bowing in respect of the goddess, his voice filled with curiosity. What surprised the goddess was the beta alpha¡¯s ability to speak in her presence. For a first-time appearance, the wolf was acting rather odd. He was meant to be drooling at the mere sight of the goddess, but instead, this wolf was asking her a question. What was even more peculiar was that there wasn¡¯t a hint of fear in her tone at all. The prince, on the other hand, hadn¡¯t bothered to how to the goddess when she¡¯d shown up. Instead, he stood up from his ce on the ground and turned his eyes away from the goddess. ¡®That¡¯s thest person I wanted to see.¡¯ ¡°She has the power to speak to and control nature,¡± the goddess exined, ¡°She was blessed with this power when she was young. All her life, she was able to listen to the animals andmunicate with them. She only realised the full potential of this power, though... The power to speak to nature itself. Not just animals, but nts as well. You will find a shifting forest unnavigable. It can lead you in circles even when you feel like you¡¯re travelling in a straight line. She can ask the forest to spread this scent of your following in the wrong direction and lead you in the wrong direction entirely while obscuring your entire path and stranding you in a natural prison from which you can never escape no matter what you try,¡± the goddess exined in a mix of fascination and mncholy. ¡°Can we talk to her?¡± Rana asked, dismissing the anger that the goddess¡¯s fascination roused within him. ..... Celeste hesitated before answering, taking a moment to think herself through, ¡°She¡¯s... unreachable at the moment.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a goddess.¡± ¡°Yes... that I am and I am always aware of that. I offered her the chance to help me conceal the Origin for me. Something she¡¯s done marvellously, seeing as you¡¯re extremely far from it right now,¡± the goddess replied. The prince gasped at the revtion. Just how far had they run off course? How long had they been running in the wrong direction? Had they even been listening to the Great River in the first ce or had she ordered the trees to carry that sound as well and misguide thempletely? The goddess continued, ¡°I don¡¯t expect anyone to find the Origin in this generation or the next and I will wither away the information of its location as time goes on. That ce will never be...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about the Origin,¡± Cirrus snapped at the goddess, finally turning to face the goddess. On the prince¡¯s face was a look of rage directed towards the goddess. All her words were meaningless to him. He wanted her to speak about Jane and yet she went on and on about how her n was going marvellously, ¡°Congrattions on hiding the Origin from the rest of the world. Where is Jane?¡± ¡°Jane... is at the Origin. The one ce you can never find...¡± the goddess answered, watching the prince¡¯s hands ball into fists, ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I am not holding her there to spite you. She decided to seclude herself at the Origin, despite all my efforts into convincing her against it. It only got worse when she realised who you were. The Commander of the Death toon, Herald of Death and the royal that had killed more humans than any other royal in the history of the two Great Empires. She wanted nothing to do with you... On the upside, she had a greater motivation to conceal the Origin, but that also means... she¡¯s stuck there. You lost her when you turned away from her after she rejected you. If only you¡¯d imed her as yours at that moment. I wouldn¡¯t have minded if you¡¯d forcefully taken her away from that vige. She would soone to know who you are and the mate pull would work out the rest. However, now that she¡¯s rejected you and made it impossible for you to find her, that bond you share will wither away with time until you¡¯re no longer bonded to each other. Sensing the prince¡¯s raging emotions, the beta alpha spoke up, ¡°How do we escape the prison she¡¯s locked us in right now then?¡± ¡°When I disappear, the forest will offer you a path back home. Do not stray from this path because the forest will imprison you once again. You will not be able to find your way back home if that happens,¡± the goddess spoke up, ¡°I can¡¯t appear like this too often,¡± ¡°You¡¯re taking your time leaving then,¡± Cirrus grumbled, turning his back on the goddess, ¡°I¡¯ve had enough. Just leave me alone, Celeste.¡± The cold in his voice was almost unbearable for the goddess. While she had been hoping the prince would find someone to give him a purpose in a world where killing humans was no longer their goal, she hadn¡¯t seen this oue. It made sense to her now that he would be paired with someone as headstrong as Jane, but she¡¯d never thought the same gift the girl had would act as a barrier to fostering a rtionship between the two of them. The girl was too stubborn for her own good... and that attitude had just put a stop to one of the moon goddess¡¯s wishes. Celeste had enough limitations as it was. The decision of a heartbroken vige girl just had to be one more reason for her failures. The prince already had his back turned away from him. She knew he wouldn¡¯t listen to anything she had to say no matter what she tried. Disappointment rolled off him in waves, ¡°Don¡¯t give up all...¡± ¡°Just go already... Haven¡¯t you ruined my life enough? I¡¯ve had enough of your interventions for one lifetime. I don¡¯t need you to find my own path to happiness,¡± the prince cut her off before she could speak. Just like the prince had been the first to experience the pain of rejection, this was the first time one of the goddess¡¯s creatures was rejecting her as well. ¡°Very well,¡± with a defeated sigh, she vanished in a shower of blue sparks, leaving the prince and confused beta alpha to the darkness of the Shifting forest. As soon as she had left, the trees began to rustle unnaturally. The ground ruptured under the pressure of twisting roots. The very trunks of the trees were slowly shuffling through their foundations, forming a pattern much less confusing than before. Instead of a maze of unnaturally organised trees, they lined in a specific manner and allowed streams of light to peek through the canopies, lining the path they had created with tendrils of sunlight. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Rana...¡± the prince ordered, shifting into his grey wolf and dashing away at top speed in the path that had beenid out for them. At the rate the prince forced them to run, they reached the pce faster than they thought they would. Either they had been really close to the pce or the prince had rushed them really fast. None of it made the slightest of sense, but Cirrus was in no mood to ponder the wonders of the powers that brought them back home in the span of a single hour. Readjusting their sense of direction alone after the harrowing ordeal was a pain in and of itself. The prince reached the pce and rushed in, heading for his chambers without sparring anyone a greeting or caring for his appearance. He just wanted time to himself. As Cirrus reached for his doorknob, a voice interrupted him, ¡°There you are, Cirrus. We¡¯ve been so...¡± the man stopped speaking when he took in his brother¡¯s state. His previously exquisite clothes he¡¯d worn were now dirty and torn, his boots worn out and muddy. The king thought he¡¯d imagined it, but now that he took a closer look at his brother, he could tell the man standing before him had clearly lost some weight. ¡°Is there something you want from me?¡± Cirrus asked him in a raspy tone. ¡°I don¡¯t need a reason to call on my brother. If anything, I thought you would be interested in apanying me on a hunting trip with the royals of the Sirius empire. It was Jeanie¡¯s idea, so...¡± ¡°No, you¡¯ll have to count me out of that one,¡± Cirrus replied harshly. ¡°Cirrus, did something hap...?¡± the question was cut short when the king¡¯s brother entered his room without warning, mming the door behind him. From the inside of the room, he yelled, ¡°Just leave me alone, Hamedale.¡± Hamedale had never seen his brother act so out of character and when he tried to read his emotions through the mind link, he got nothing. The prince had locked himself out from the pack link. Trying to get into his mind using his power as a royal would have been an invasion of privacy, so the king backed away from the door, ¡°If you do need someone to talk to, you know where to find me, Cirrus.¡± Cirrus listened to the king¡¯s receding steps from the other side of the door. Leaning against it, he allowed himself to slide to the floor and wrapped his arms around his legs, ¡°Nothing... I have nothing left. She took my purpose, and then had the nerve to mess around with my emotions like that. I¡¯ve had enough. I¡¯ve had enough of it all...¡± Chapter 403 403 New Hobby For the remainder of that day, Cirrus allowed himself to brood and let his heart bleed quietly. He allowed his thoughts to wander, getting only darker the longer time passed. In constant search of an answer, of a reason, of something to me... In search of something to help him up once more. Whatever he was looking for, however, was toe from inside of him. He blocked out the pack link and kept to himself, staying inside the room... and allowing the great Commander of Death toon to break down. He stood at a crossroads, without a purpose and with no goal to look forward to. An existential crisis... What he wouldn¡¯t let himself do at all costs... was suicide. It didn¡¯t matter how low he went, that was the one thing he was sure of. ¡®I¡¯m not giving up... never...¡¯ The images before Katie began to speed up and bits of information about events were filtered into her mind, exining the events that followed the prince¡¯s heartbreak. After that day, Cirrus was able to pick himself up. He regained his quiet, calm and collected demeanour, however, it soon became clear to the two empires that he had been severely weakened after his visit to the Origin. That something had happened between him and the goddess. No one ever got to know what happened to him at the time. The goddess, however, knew what it meant for him to stay in this weakened state. In fact, it worried her to watch him stay this way. The conditions for his weakness were clear... and yet, it never vanished. Not even once... If anything, the prince seemed to be getting weaker with each passing day. Celeste knew her powers wouldn¡¯t incapacitate him to the state of being paralyzed, but they would make him incapable of working with others if all remained as it was. Appearing in his dreams didn¡¯t help either. The prince would simply turn his back away from her like always... and shut her outpletely. ..... Nothing she¡¯d done had helped him give up on his mission to eliminate humanity. If anything, his hate for the race burned even brighter now, for he was far weaker than he¡¯d been when she¡¯d first cursed him. During the time that he was weak, he took on a rather peculiar new hobby. Reading... What was more that he wasn¡¯t just reading novels, but books of all kinds and he was also making research, a change that shocked the werewolves and hunters that heard of this new development. However, without having any real reason to worry, they gracefully allowed him to pursue this newfound ambition. The prince made his research on so many things, some of which he kept concealed from the king. King Hamedale soon found his mate and got married. And during this time, Cirrus did nothing to move other aspects of his life forward. The king had tried talking to him plenty of times, having noticed how ¡®stuck¡¯ Cirrus was. Before finding his mate, he would arrange for the prince to go out with him to search for their mates in the different packs around the world, but prince Cirrus declined his offer each time. The images finally stopped fast-forwarding and zoomed in on a walking Cirrus seven yearster. He carried himself calmly and acknowledged everyone he passed by with a kind smile that never reached his eyes. He picked his words carefully as he spoke, speaking little and making sure to conceal his real emotions and intentions. At this point, the prince knew what it was like to bepletely isted from the pack link and he¡¯d even grown used to the sensation. For a normal wolf, it was one of the worst forms of torture. One that was even used against criminals that went against the king¡¯s orders. Cirrus, on the other hand, found this easier to do once he¡¯d been rejected. Somehow, being alone felt like his element and felt remarkably familiar to the loneliness he felt when the goddess brought him news of his partner¡¯s escape... that he would never see Jane again. The only person that wasn¡¯t fooled by the prince¡¯s facade was the King of Lycaon, Hamedale and he had approached Cirrus on the matter. An argument had broken out where the king was the only one yelling... addressing a calm prince with a heart that had turned to ice. ¡®Just give it up already, Hamedale,¡¯ he¡¯d told the king and walked away from him, leaving him unable to do or say anything else. He¡¯d said all he could, but nothing got through to Cirrus anymore. Nothing fazed him... nothing interested him... Nothing was important to him at all... Nothing, but his research and books. Cirrus walked up to the doors of the throne room and pushed them open, not waiting for the guards to do that for him. Inside the throne room, the king and queen were seated on their matching thrones listening to a tale from one of the hunters that hade to present a progress report in the capital. The trio had gotten sidetracked and somehow the hunter, forgetting his ce, had spiralled into a tale of a hunter who¡¯d gotten himself into a bar fight with an alpha and gotten the lion¡¯s share of the resulting injuries. The Agency had turned a blind eye on ount of his foolishness. Nheless, the gruelling details of the two men that had duked it out seemed quite the spectacle to pass up during the narration of this event. Cirrus stood behind the hunter waiting for the man to finish narrating the story. At this point in the story, the drunk hunter mistook his steak for a sword and went swinging without thinking twice. ¡°The alpha thought he was being insulted and ended up lunging straight for the hunter who began defending himself with the stake. I don¡¯t understand how someone forgets the feel of a sword, but with everything before my eyes, I just had to ept it,¡± the manughed. ¡°Am I interrupting something?¡± Cirrus asked when he couldn¡¯t take it much longer. The king stoppedughing, ¡°Oh my... Cirrus. What¡¯s the time? I hadn¡¯t noticed how time was slipping by. Why does it always rush when having fun? You¡¯ll have to forgive the intrusion, Hunter Russel,¡± the king apologised when he realised the hunter had overstayed his wee. ¡°It¡¯s on me, your majesty. I¡¯m sorry for taking too much of your time,¡± the hunter chuckled, bowing in respect to the king. ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s no problem at all,¡± the king chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s always a pleasure to have you.¡± Cirrus remained quiet as he watched the man leave. The room finally settled into a peaceful silence. ¡°Have you finally chosen to ask for a tour through the empire? The empire is filled with potential...¡± ¡°No, that is not why I asked to meet with you, your majesty,¡± the prince cut the king off. Hamedale withheld the subtle frustration that came with each time his brother did this. ¡°My research has finally brought me to something astonishing. I wanted to share with you the details or at least... the simplified exnation of what I have been working on,¡± the prince responded. ¡°Oh? I thought you were simply learning about different nts in the empire and their reactions to the bodies of other animals. Is there more to it than that?¡± the king asked him. ¡°Oh, there is much more, little brother. I assure you of that... I also might have held back on telling you everything I have been working on,¡± the prince added sternly. ¡°Okay then, you have my attention,¡± the king replied, leaning back in his seat. The prince took out the rolls of parchment from under his armpit, gesturing to one of the king¡¯s beta alphas to hold one and another to take the other as they presented them to the king. The king read through the work for a moment, his eyebrows scrunching in concern before widening them in shock, ¡°This research... Are those moon lotuses?¡± ¡°Yes, they are. I have always wondered why they glow in the moonlight, so I started using them in my experiments. They are not easy to find or many for that matter...¡± ¡°They only grow in ces where the goddess hasnded before. That is the Origin from which we are forbidden from going,¡± the king cut him off sternly. ¡°The Origin is not the only ce the goddess hasnded. I found another ce and my research has really been going well ever since,¡± the prince¡¯s eyes sparkled with what looked like excitement for the first time in seven years. The king reluctantly let the subject go and continued reading. His eyes shot open once more, this time filled with mixed emotions... the most prominent emotion, however... was rage, ¡°Cirrus, what have you been doing? This is... This is a recipe for something that could weaken werewolves and you have the audacity to call it Wolf¡¯s Bane, what are you thinking?¡± the king was livid. No matter how angry the king got, the man before him stayed perfectly calm. The level of power between the two royals was insurmountable and yet the new Queen could have sworn she saw him smirk. Chapter 404 404 Questionable Hobby... and the Frightening Revtion of a Seven Year Mystery ¡°What do you find so funny, Cirrus?¡± the new Queen asked the prince. Despite all she¡¯d heard about the king¡¯s brother in his former state of glory, she still felt ufortable around him. His calcting gaze and the fact that he always seemed to be thinking irked her to no end. ¡°Oh, nothing is funny. I have just never seen my little brother look this threatened before. Before you jump to conclusions, Hamedale, I did not create this to weaken werewolves. That was just a fact I happened to stumble upon during my tinkering with the peculiar flower,¡± the prince replied, waving off Hamedale¡¯s angered state as nothing more than a misguided tantrum. ¡°Then what were you looking for?¡± the king asked, allowing himself to calm down, regardless of how hard it was. It was getting even harder to deal with his brother. Cirrus hadpletely ceased listening to anything his brother had to say anymore. ¡°I was trying to find something to cure me of my weakness. You... obviously don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to have all your strength sapped from you. I hoped to find something in the moon lotuses that could help me regain my lost power,¡± the prince started his exnation. ¡°Oh, I know something. You could train your body back into shape. When was thest time you looked in the mirror, Cirrus? You¡¯ve not only lost your power but your physique as well. You look smaller than I¡¯ve seen you in a lifetime,¡± the king tried... ¡®Who looks for strength in a nt? This is getting out of hand...¡¯ Hamedale wanted to scream at his brother. ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that, little brother. I was weak long before I started...¡± looking at his wrist, he startedparing it with that of his brother, grimacing at the staggering difference in girth, ¡°-shrinking. I knew there was something else involved in my abnormal weakness, so I was hoping to find a way to reverse it with the spark of the goddess¡¯s power that resides within the flowers. Instead, I found that the flowers only work as poison the moment they are plucked and juiced. It was frustrating. ..... I tried isting the differentpounds but only came up with different versions of the poison. I nned to destroy that information after telling you about it so that you might pass aw or something that stops that from happening,¡± the prince continued his exnation. ¡°Adding different things to thepounds also yielded different results. Some were disappointing while others were nothing short of magical, but all weren¡¯t within the normal scope of what nts should be able to do.¡± The king finally calmed down and leaned back on his throne, rubbing his temples while listening to his brother¡¯s exnation. The fluency with which he exined his work and the terms he used as well, spoke volumes of the amount of research and effort he¡¯d put into this work... and yet, something turned within the king¡¯s stomach. Something was wrong with all this... but what was it? Hamedale took a look at the second roll of parchment and started skimming through it. When the prince noticed this, he decided his initial exnation was enough and went silent as the king perused through his findings. This next document, however, was much more peculiar than the first. It held contents as gruesome as they were despicable. King Hamedale squinted and blinked, hoping the works, as well as the crude drawings, would change into something else, for he couldn¡¯t believe what he was reading. After a short moment, Hamedale came to terms with what he was reading, continued further down with the writing, and chose to hold his tongue till he was done reading it all. ¡°So, you found a way to transfer the power of a royal to another werewolf,¡± the king surmised when he was done reading the disturbing details on the parchment. ¡°Yes, I was not happy about those findings either, but the more I researched, the more I found answers. Knowledge can be addictive once you get a hold of a rare piece of it. I couldn¡¯t stop until I¡¯d discovered it all in detail,¡± Cirrus shrugged, rolling up the scrolls and tucking them under his armpit. The prince continued, ¡°Of course, I only made that research in case there was ever a king that didn¡¯t have an heir. We wouldn¡¯t want the bloodline to end abruptly because one of our own was unable to find their mate.¡± ¡°First of all, that won¡¯t happen and secondly, I¡¯ll be taking those scrolls... along with all the research you¡¯ve been conducting,¡± the king ordered solemnly, staring at the ground with a stern expression. A drifting myriad of emotions shed through his sapphire orbs as he struggled toe to terms with what his brother had been spending his time on, ¡°Seven years, brother!¡± ¡°What are you going to do with my research?¡± Cirrus tensed up. ¡°I¡¯m going to destroy it, Cirrus. It¡¯s far too dangerous,¡± Hamedale replied, holding his brother¡¯s gaze. ¡°You will do no such thing,¡± Cirrus furiously approached the king. The king stood, towering over his older brother, ¡°There will be no further discussion on this matter. I will cover up what you¡¯ve done and take responsibility for having made these ¡®discoveries¡¯, then I will burn it all to the ground before we have another war on our hands.¡± Cirrus balled his fists in frustration but sighed. He knew how weak he was. Seven years was a long time... Long enough to pound the bitter truth of his weakness into the depths of his soul. There was nothing Cirrus could do against the king even if he wanted to and going against Hamedale would be considered an act of treason. His hands were tied, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re entitled to your opinion, but I made the final call. From now on, you will apany me when I go visiting the other packs. This... this brooding you¡¯ve been doing is not helping you. You¡¯re only hurting yourself,¡± the king tried reasoning. ¡°You know nothing, Hamedale, nothing,¡± Cirrus barked at the king. It was the first time the king was getting some kind of reaction from him. In the name of progress, this was good. ¡°Then please, Cirrus, enlighten me,¡± he yelled him, ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting to hear what you have to say for seven years.¡± ¡°I already met my mate, Hamedale. Seven years ago... I met her only after the goddess had robbed me of all my strength. I almost died... just looking for her,¡± Cirrus admitted, a burning rage burning in his eyes. This reaction... this anger, bothered Cirrus a lot. For a woman that he barely knew... barely met and never got the chance to really have a conversation with, to have this much of an effect on him. Even now... after seven whole years. ¡°That day... seven years ago,¡± a look of recognition sparked through the king¡¯s eyes, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me? I could have helped you look.¡± ¡°Oh, no, Hamedale, you don¡¯t understand yet. She can¡¯t be found because she¡¯s hidden from me by powers we cannot go up against. Trust me, Hamedale, I tried. The itself wouldn¡¯t let the two of us meet,¡± the man continued arguing. The king went silent for a moment, his mind going momentarily nk. Imagining his life without his significant other by his side was next to impossible. The image of his brother when he¡¯d returned from his... ¡®trip.¡¯ ¡°That time you left with Rana...¡± Chapter 405 405 My Last Order Cirrus¡¯s mind shed back to the night he chose to abandon the search for his mate. He clenched his fists as emotions he thought he¡¯d buried a long time ago began to resurface. The pain he¡¯d gone through... pain he¡¯d fought through to keep his sanity was onlying back. He¡¯d managed to distract himself for a long time but now that he¡¯d opened up for the first time, it was like tearing open scars to old wounds... and he hated it. Taking a deep breath, ¡°I won¡¯t speak more on the matter and I won¡¯t be having a mate... nor do I want one.¡± With that, he walked out of the throne room. Rana, who¡¯d been acting as his shadow followed him out of the throne room. The prince¡¯s emotions flowed wildly through him like the rushing currents of the Great River, once again for the first time in seven years. He was almost happy that the king had been able to rile him up, but what was happening afterwards wiped the smile off his face. Cirrus did not return to his room or hisb either to continue his research nor did he try to stop the king from destroying everything he¡¯d worked on for the past seven years. Instead, he walked out of the pce and went for an evening stroll through the surrounding woods. The emotions that had been stirred only continued to swirl through the man despite his calm demeanour. Cirrus might have been able to learn how to suppress his emotions, but after that shocking disy in the throne room, he simply didn¡¯t have it in him to force down his menacing mess of feelings. Cirrus along with his loyal beta alpha, Rana walked for a while in a peaceful silence. The sun was starting to make its descent over the horizon, casting a kind warm gaze over thend and bathing it in a beautiful amber hue. ..... ¡°Her name was Jane,¡± the prince suddenly spoke up. ¡°I remember, your highness. I was with you that time,¡± Rana replied calmly. ¡°Yeah... I bet you do. You don¡¯t forget anything that concerns me. It¡¯s a predicament much like the one the royals got themselves in we chose to follow the goddess... more like she chose to make us follow her. We cannot defy her, none of us can... once she¡¯s issued amand,¡± the prince quietly rambled, ¡°When you ask them to open their eyes, they almost don¡¯t realise it and I don¡¯t me them. They wouldn¡¯t want to believe their decisions were being influenced by the goddess at all.¡± ¡°Do you mean to say it¡¯s the same way royalsmand beta alphas even when they simply make a suggestion?¡± Rana asked. ¡°Something like that,¡± the prince paused, ¡°And not at all... at the same time. The goddess has a desire... and it will start to sow a seed long before she ever makes the order. At least, that¡¯s a theory I have. The other one is that she canmand us the way alphas do with betas.¡± The sound of the flowing river the man seemed to be heading to began to get louder and louder until it was in view. Cirrus¡¯s emotions were starting to settle, almost like the sound of the rushing water was all he needed to calm down. ¡°Are you okay, your Highness?¡± Rana rushed forward and caught his master as he nearly copsed. ¡°I will be... if all goes ording to n,¡± the prince responded. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± The prince sighed, letting a tear roll down his cheek. The first tear he¡¯d allowed to escape in seven years, ¡°My hate towards them runs so deep and I¡¯ve learnt to be so patient. Now the time has finallye that I can do what I wanted to. I can finally break free of the curse the goddess ced on me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I follow, your Highness. You need to take it easy or else you¡¯ll get weaker. Who knows how bad it can get?¡± Rana started checking the prince for any signs of illness. The diligent beta alpha had taken some first aid lessons to try and be of more use to his master, but the more he learnt about the craft of healing, the more he was bewildered by his master¡¯s condition. The prince was very healthy, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to follow. At least not right until the time you have to y your part. You will know when it¡¯s all over,¡± the prince replied. ¡°You¡¯re still not making any sense, your high...¡± the words stopped flowing from Rana when a skull-cracking headache suddenly thrummed with the sound of his heartbeat suddenly magnified tenfold, disorienting him for a moment. The prince watched the beta alpha struggle with the pain in his head with an expressionless face, ¡°I guess you can sense my intentions already. That¡¯s just like a loyal beta alpha to do so.¡± ¡°No, whatever you n on doing, don¡¯t do it,¡± Rana yelled through gritted teeth. ¡°Try to keep your voice down and your mind disconnected from the pack link, Rana,¡± the orders took hold and the beta alpha in pain disconnected himself from the whole pack. Cirrus stood up and walked up to the river bank looking away from the struggling man under the trees at the edge of the forest, ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered where you got the will to talk back to me. Where you got the power to oppose me when my reasoning didn¡¯t make sense to you... I guess that was all just a fluke. My orders are still absolute in your eyes. And so I will now give you your veryst order, Rana...¡± Rana growled, trying to resist the impulses that took over him. His nails extended, against all his resistance into sharp ws. In an effort to stop the change, the beta alpha made a fist, but the ws started cutting into his palms. This was only the beginning, however, his face began to change as well, the fangs in his mouth drawing blood from his resisting lips. ck fur sprouted from the sides of his face, painting the familiar starry pattern that the prince had now grown ustomed to. ¡°There¡¯s the Wolf Star I¡¯vee to honour and respect. It¡¯s futile to resist, Rana. In the end, you will do it. You will... kill me.¡± Chapter 406 406 Birth of the Rogue King Rana gasped out of his unconscious state, his mind a muddled mess he could barely unravel. The beta alpha couldn¡¯t remember much after he¡¯d been ordered to... *Thrum thrum...* went the throbbing headache that dulled all his other senses with a ferocious vengeance. His memories were once more... blended into a dizzying mess. The beta alpha clutched his head in pain, dismissing the slippery sensation of his hands sliding against his skin. Somehow, the sensation was... expected. When he tried to remember the little human brother he had growing up, he would get confused when that little brother¡¯s face suddenly glitched and was reced with that of a young Hamedale before glitching back. Rana shook off the confusion, trying some other way to find his bearings. This time, the smell of blood hit his nose like a drug. His eyes finally shot open and he forced himself to sit up. Suddenly, he noticed his hands were coated in the same warm crimson liquid. His clothes were stained in it as well. Strength beyond what he knew to be his limits surged through him. Staring at his bloodied hands, the beta alpha noticed he was smaller than before but far deadlier. A pigeon¡¯s wings fluttered as it took flight from its nest, the sound of its cooing tore at the man¡¯s ears, bringing with it, the sounds of the entire forest¡¯s wildlife... like a loud battle cry for survival. He battled the overwhelming senses for a moment, instinctively going through the training he¡¯d had as a young wolf. The prince had personally taken it upon himself to teach all there was about control and these lessons were engraved into the alpha¡¯s memory. When the loud cries of the wild had finally died and only the smell of blood remained, fear began to w at him again. Rana followed the trail of blood to a bloodied corpse by the river. Dread settled in, and the alpha unconsciously took a step back. ..... ¡®No, confirm the kill,¡¯ a voice ordered him, freezing him to the spot. His legs felt weak against themanding voice despite his newfound strength. Just like it had been before he had gone unconscious, he waspelled to move forward. Lying by the Great River¡¯s shore was the mauled corpse of Cirrus Lycaon. Disgusted by what he saw, Rana rushed into the water and started washing his face. A wave of nausea washed over him quickly followed by his wrenching gut forcing everything in his stomach out. The sight made him sick to the stomach even though the river rushed it away. Rana washed his face more times than he cared to count. He wished the water could wash away the cruel reality that hade to pass, but nothing vanished. If anything, now he remembered it all... All of what he had done before passing out. As he was frantically trying to get rid of the blood on his hands, face and hair, he froze suddenly when he noticed something in the water. The beta alpha stood frozen there for a long time, holding in his breath at the sight of his face in the water. The rushing water didn¡¯t show his face clearly, but he didn¡¯t need that much of a clear picture to see what had him frozen in ce. Instead of the crimson orbs that always stared at him when he looked at his reflection, sapphire blue eyes stared back at him in the water. The increased senses... the increased strength and change in physique... It all made sense to him now... or did it. His mind rang with memories of a life that wasn¡¯t his along with urges and ambitions he had no clue about... at first. With time, the memories would make a decent enough order for him to understand where his ambitions came from even though they weren¡¯t his at all. Humans were the one thing he wanted to wipe off the face of the earth while at the same time, his original personality was repulsed by the thought of genocide. An ethereal voice echoed through his head, ¡°You won¡¯t do any of the things he wants you to do.¡± The feminine voice ordered him. A will other than his own gripped him, forcing words in response, ¡°You cannot control me, goddess. I am not part of the lineage of Sirius or Lycaon. The power I have now is out of your control.¡± The ethereal being was shocked by the sudden response... and so was Katie... the images before her receded and were reced with darkness. Katie felt like she was floating in a space with no gravity. Unlike the beta alpha who had gone unconscious and woken up unconscious, the Luna had watched it all. Katie and Ashley had watched in horror as the starry crimson-eyed wolf had torn apart his master with no restraint. The scenes were gruesome and yet the two had been glued to the scene, watching Cirrus¡¯s orders being carried out. The prince hadn¡¯t even resisted as his body was being mauled. The memories made the Luna sick to her stomach. Finally shaking the thoughts, she tried to get her bearings in the endless ck void that her consciousness now floated in aimlessly, neither drifting nor remaining still. It was a perturbing existence that she wished woulde to an end. She could not tell up from down, there was no ceiling or floor, just darkness that stretched out for miles in all directions. In the dark, a soft glow began to emerge before her. Willing herself towards it, she found that she could move simply by wanting to move. In no time, the light grew until she could tell what it was. The moon was looming over her or was it below her, the Luna could not tell. Her speed slowed down and soon enough she made it to the surface. Her body was nearly weightless on the extensive body she stood on. She looked about in all directions, astonished by the greynd she hadnded on. It seemed no life flourished on the giant body. ¡®I wonder how it¡¯s glowing,¡¯ she wondered, squatting to pick some of the grey dust thaty on the moon¡¯s surface. It never even urred to her how she was breathing in the first ce. ¡°You¡¯ve seen it all now,¡± a beautiful voice started her. The girl turned abruptly and nearly tripped in an attempt to put some distance between her and the goddess that had just appeared out of nothingness. ¡°Yes, I have and I have also seen that this is partly your fault,¡± the girl argued. ¡°You dare...¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t start with me. Cirrus could have been with Jane. You, out of all people, saw what happened when you met Seth. He changed your opinion of humans and showed you what love is like. Why then would you deny Cirrus a chance at redemption?¡± Katie argued. ¡°I didn¡¯t... Jane wouldn¡¯t let me reunite them. We cannot interfere with humans directly. We cannot influence their fate or change the way it was written. It¡¯splicated, and honestly not my idea. Even then though, I didn¡¯t give up. I chose another mate for him, but the prince made his choice. Cirrus made his choice and thwarted any other attempts I made at redeeming him. He wouldn¡¯t let go of his anger and in the end, it is what led him to do what he did to Rana,¡± the goddess exined. ¡°Why did you show me all of that if you¡¯re not going to admit it was your mistake all along?¡± Katie argued. ¡°Did I create werewolves? Yes, I did. Did I order them to stop the genocide? Yes, I did. Did I tell them to enve females and force them to give birth to armies? No, Katie. It was never my intention to enve the creatures I created and force them to give birth to more that would bring the end of humanity. I never once asked Cirrus to do all that,¡± the goddess fumed, ¡°If that had been the case, then I would be able to reverse it directly.¡± Katie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, ¡°You have a mountain of issues.¡± ¡®The two of you are like mirror images to me...¡¯ Ashley snorted. Katie and Celeste paused at the sudden intervention. It took a moment to sink in, but when it did, the two of them wereughing uncontrobly on the deste moon¡¯s surface. The goddess¡¯s melodicugh rang through the moon¡¯s surface, soothing the fatigue the Luna didn¡¯t know she had. When Celeste stoppedughing, she finally replied, ¡°Yes, Katie, that I do.¡± Chapter 407 407 [Bonus chapter]Just because you asked nicely ¡°Yes, Katie, that I do. So, what do you say? Will you help me?¡± the goddess asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like I have a choice,¡± the girl shrugged. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. You do have a choice. I won¡¯t let you help me if you feel I¡¯m onlymanding you,¡± the goddess retaliated, getting deadly serious. Katie was shocked by her sudden change only to remember what Cirrus had said at the end. Celeste didn¡¯t want to have tomand her into helping with her current problem. ¡®Does she think that was part of the reason Cirrus did what he did?¡¯ ¡°I will help you, goddess... and I don¡¯t say this because you ordered me but simply because you asked nicely. Also because I was already nning on bringing down the rogue king,¡± Katie spoke formally. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I don¡¯t want you to kill him,¡± Celeste panicked. ¡°I don¡¯t follow. Isn¡¯t that the whole aim of what you¡¯ve been doing?¡± Katie raised a brow. ¡°Well... partly. It¡¯s partly what I¡¯ve been doing this whole time. I want you to kill the rogue king, but... I also want you to save Rana.¡± Katie stared at the goddess for a long moment, her cogs turning extensively to decipher this annoyingly cryptic piece of information and when it finally clicked within her mind, she thought she heard her wolf facepalm in her mind. ¡®Rana and Cirrus are living in the same body... That¡¯s so messed up.¡¯ ..... Now that Katie had made that connection, she frowned. Celeste¡¯s request was so vague and staring at the beautiful goddess whilst trying to figure it out wasn¡¯t helping either. ¡°How is that even possible?¡± ¡°Well...¡± ...............End of Origin Story........... Selene was a peaceful goddess who spent most of her time in her pce either tending to her precious flowers or chatting with the asional visitor that stopped by every once in a while. As a titan that had been spared by the lord of the skies, she had no ce in meddling with anything more that could attract his attention. Selene simply had to carry out her duties as was expected of her. Over the centuries, the goddess became close with another particrly female goddess who would stop by every once in a while and the two of them would have a chat over a cup of nectar. Dressed in a nearly translucent flowing gown, Selene tended to her lovely garden of moon lotuses. The goddess was nearly lost in their luminosity when a flourish of yellow light breached her peripheral vision, ¡°I was assuming you would visit me in no less than another century,¡± Selene smiled, however, no reply came back. The goddess turned around and nearly dropped the flower in her hand. She quickly ced the sapling back in its ce and rushed over to her friend. Artemis¡¯s hands were covered in blood, her normally graceful warrior attire was tattered and her face was frozen in a look of shock and despair. Selene rushed over to her friend and hugged her tight, ¡°Oh Arty, you don¡¯t look so well.¡± While the goddess of the hunt remained in her frozen dishevelled state, unable to answer her friend, Selene began to check her body for any wounds. The blood on her hands was red and not golden ichor, the blood of the gods which signified it belonged to a mortal and not hers. But then, the goddess of the hunt wasn¡¯t one to get emotional at the sight of blood. A closer look at the blood on her hands revealed the slight glow of divinity. This was the blood of a mortal alright, but one that had been touched by the gods. Selene shook the thoughts clear of her mind and continued checking her friend for any injuries. Finding no sign of injury, the woman got to cleaning her friend, however, at the first sign of getting rid of the blood, Artemis flipped out, ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Artemis, you don¡¯t look...¡± finallying up with a few theories as to who the blood belonged to, the goddess of the moon changed her question, ¡°Arty, whose blood is that?¡± The scowling goddess looked at her hands once more and the depressed expression returned once more. Hot tears began to stream down her eyes, ¡°It¡¯s the blood of my sisters.¡± Selene gasped before pulling her friend into a heartfelt hug, ¡°Let¡¯s get you inside.¡± Artemis did not object to her friend¡¯s constion and even allowed her to take her into the moon pce. After a little more resistance, the goddess allowed Selene to help her wash off the blood on her hands. It did not take her long to get washed up and was soon seated in a room that looked much like a living room. Selene offered her a ss of nectar and sat beside her on the soft cushion, ¡°Would you mind telling me what happened?¡± ¡°They are dead. What more is there that I can tell you, Selene?¡± the goddess snorted. Her tone was bitter, unlike the usual tone the goddess had when they spoke. ¡°Well, you came here of all ces. Tell me why you did that then?¡± Selene asked. ¡°Because this is thest ce I was before finding their corpses strewn about theke from where they were killed. All of them, dead and bleeding before my eyes and the toxic smell of... sulphur in the air,¡± the goddess cursed, the memories returning to her mind, ¡°I¡¯d found one that was still breathing, but even then, another assault rained down on us, explosions, unlike anything I¡¯ve ever heard before.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not making much...¡± ¡°What¡¯s the use of the overseeing moon if you didn¡¯t see that much? You could have told me what was happening to my sisters,¡± the goddess was getting frantic. ¡°Artemis, we were here together. How was I supposed to know it would happen? You needed a ce to...¡± ¡°I know what I needed, Selene,¡± Artemis¡¯s voice broke, ¡°and I don¡¯t me you. I was the one that kept you from the Scrying Pool, but now I wish I hadn¡¯t and all I want... is revenge against whoever did this.¡± A look of sadness washed over Selene¡¯s eyes as she watched her friend break. She pulled her into a hug, rubbing circles in her back, ¡°That is not always a gift that can be granted to immortals. I would know.¡± Selene was a titan and one of thest surviving titans. Her entire generation of celestials, in by the ones that reigned supreme now, ¡°But... we can take it upon each other¡¯s creations. Can I use your pool, Selene? I want to know who did this.¡± The goddess of the moon sighed, seeing no way out, she nodded, ¡°Go ahead... A word of advice though... No good cane of this. If...¡± the goddess of the moon went silent when Artemis suddenly red at her, ¡°It¡¯s all yours.¡± Chapter 408 408 Ancient Memories The crystal-clear bottomless pool shimmered and shone with images, bringing to life the scene that the goddess wished to witness. As it so happened, this pool also possessed the ability to look into the past, something it was rarely used for. This moment was a rare one indeed. The pool showed a peaceful visage of Artemis¡¯s hunters setting camp near the water. Melodicughter rang through their ranks as they exchanged naughty tidbits of banter. At the edge of their camp was a mountain of carcasses to be prepared for the night¡¯s meal and their banter mostly involved events during this recent hunt. While some readied the tents, others chose to wash off in the nearbyke. Some got started on preparing their night meal while others set away their weapons and got started on polishing what they could before the night drew too dark. The day¡¯s work had yielded a good catch indeed with next to no casualties and they were to dine on venison from not just one but two stags, a rare urrence considering the speed and agility of the nimble creatures. Artemis smiled at the image of her joyous sisters. Just as they were gettingfortable, round objects began to fall from the sky. The hunters didn¡¯t notice these objects at first. And they continued their activities while these ominous spherical objects continued to fall from the sky. The goddess¡¯s smile was wiped off as they watched these ominous spheres descend. When the first of these ck balls touched the grounds, all hell broke loose. An explosion unlike any she had ever heard before... one that shook the ground and roared like a great drakon. The explosions became more frequent, sending shockwaves through the air and causing others to explode in mid-air. The resulting chain reaction painted the scene in the pool in me, soot and blood. The hunters hadn¡¯t seen thising and even if they had, how were they supposed to know that these were explosive projectiles, to begin with? Something of the sort had never been seen even by the gods. Without their armour or weapons to defend them, they were sitting ducks. There wasn¡¯t anything the two goddesses could see through all the smoke for a while. ..... When the soot had cleared, there was barely a hunter alive and the goddess of the hunt was only arriving to find herrades dead. Artemis paused the scene and started zooming out until she found an encampment not far from where her sisters were camping. An encampment of humans working on a lot of odd machines that she had never seen in her long life. They would loadrge ck balls into barrel-like machines and light a wick at one end then quickly cover their ears. The sound from theunch was menacing. Every time theyunched one of the perilous balls, one of them would take notes of the results from the... ¡®experiment.¡¯ Selene squinted her eyes at the scene before her and noticed something. While the humans were indeed doing something very dangerous, they didn¡¯t celebrate when theyunched these strange objects. Instead, they returned to tinkering with the machines and got ready tounch more of them. The humans had no actual target in mind, but Artemis was less likely to listen to that. Her immortal sisters were dead... there was no calming this goddess¡¯s rage. ¡°Forgive me, dear Selene for the request I am about to make of you,¡± it seemed as though Selene¡¯s peaceful life was finally getting disrupted. She¡¯d never thought getting involved with one of the Twelve gods of Olympus would yield her any harm, but here she was rethinking every cup of tea she¡¯d made for the goddess of the hunt. ¡®Life can be cruel sometimes...¡¯ she sighed, for she knew Artemis was not making a request. The gods of Olympus never made requests... They just took what they wanted... Why would Arty be any different? ......... Honour woke up to a start, covered in sweat. The temporary headache that attacked her every morning gradually sizzled down until it was gone. Pushing down the cover of her warm futon, the girl sat up and took in her surroundings. Unfinished cans of soda, numerous bags of chips along with any other kind of snack her friends had brought with them on their mad shopping spree, ¡°Oh right, yesterday was thest day of school,¡± she groaned, rubbing her head in an attempt to soothe the lingering embers of her morning headaches. These headaches came as aftershocks to the memories that swarmed her mind while she was close to waking. The warning she¡¯d received from her grandmother never left her mind... and it wasn¡¯t long after that the memories had begun. The girl shook the visage of the goddess of the hunt from her mind and turned her attention to the real world. To reality, a reality where she had friends and family that cared about her. A family that wouldn¡¯t betray her in the name of... ¡®vengeance.¡¯ People, she¡¯de to love and trust very much. In the futons next to her, four other girls slept soundly. Bree, in particr, snored louder than Honour would have liked... but the young goddess wasn¡¯tining. She wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. Honour smiled fondly at the friends that surrounded making camp in her mother¡¯s living room. The night before had been filled with fun craziness that had knocked the lot of them senseless. Madeline¡¯s restless body, which had somehow made its way outside the futon, chose that moment to roll until her foot crossed over to Lina who wasn¡¯t far. The sleeping royal responded by simply hugging the other girl¡¯s foot tightly. Madeline was trapped. The girl¡¯s body struggled against sudden restrictions for a while before giving up. Honour covered her mouth to keep theugh that threatened to escape her. Whether Lina was awake or had taken her friend captive on instinct remained a mystery. Nheless, it made for an interesting sight. Honour got up, trying her best to keep from stepping on the chips that covered almost every inch of the velvet carpet. A buzzing sound came from a device by the television, catching Honour¡¯s attention. Carefully stepping over her friends, she made it to the phone by the television and picked it up, reading the notification that hade up. ¡°Where are you, Lina? The Trials are about to begin,¡± the message left Honourpletely frozen in shock and too stunned for words. Those were today? Wait, what... But, we¡¯ve barely had any time from school. How... Well, I guess the school¡¯s agenda was different from that of the rest of the world, but still... she¡¯s only just... ugh... ¡°Everyone, get up,¡± she screamed at the top of her voice, forgetting one detail about herself when her emotions got riled up. After finding out what she was, a plethora of changes had happened... and one of the effects was just about to be felt. Honour¡¯s voice boomed through the house, shaking it from its very foundation as though there was an earthquake in the room. Bree leapt up from her futon and grabbed onto the closest living thing, scared out of her wits. This living thing happened to be... Crysta. ¡°For goddess¡¯s sake, can you keep your divine shriek to yourself?¡± the emerald-eyed delta grumbled, rubbing circles in the frightened girl¡¯s back, ¡°It was only Honour, Bree. You¡¯re safe.¡± The delta cooed. Lina chuckled, unmoving, ¡°That¡¯s a goddess¡¯ shriek alright.¡± Honour turned around and shed an apologetic smile at her friends. Bree¡¯s shivers finally died down and she reluctantly let go of her delta friend, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m not used to it yet. Just how many things can one goddess do?¡± Madeline, on the other hand, remained dead asleep. ¡°There is only one person in this entire world that can sleep through that,¡± Honour face-palmed, ¡°Lina, you have the Trials this morning.¡± That was the one thing they all needed to get up from their sleep, including Madeline. Honour watched them panic with a mischievous grin on her face. When Lina finally started to get her bearings, Honour was waving her phone at her, ¡°Drake was texting.¡± ¡°Honestly, with the pack link, one would assume texting was not a thing, but here is my dorky brother using his phone like a teenager,¡± the girlined, ¡°No offence, Honour.¡± ¡°None taken, Lina. Although considering the night you had, the mind link would be useless. Now get into the shower. We have to get ready,¡± Lina started pushing her friend upstairs before she couldin. When the princess was gone, she turned back to the others in the living room and they began tidying up, ¡°Do you think she will win?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, honestly. There is a lot I¡¯m not sure about these days,¡± Honour sighed, joining in to help with clean up, her mind drifting back to the dream she¡¯d had that morning. It was a recurring dream that came to her every once in a while, along with other memories of a life she knew nothing about. The memories were hard to hold on to, but they seemed to be in no rush to return either since she would only relive them again the next night. Almost like a nursery teacher patiently repeating the alphabet to a young child, knowing they will learn it all with time... Time... that¡¯s all that was needed. ¡°You rise early these days, Honour. Is there something you¡¯re not telling us?¡± Madeline interrupted her thoughts, yawning unceremoniously, ¡°Feels like you barely get any sleep anymore... and I¡¯m still... sleepy.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll catch a fly if you keep yawning like that,¡± Honour shook her head at the waking wolf, ¡°I get enough sleep, Mady, but perhaps I need less of it considering what I am.¡± Bree shook her head while she dusted off one of the cushions, ¡°Still takes some getting used to.¡± Bree hade to know about Honour¡¯s decision not long after Ginger¡¯s memorial and after Honour¡¯s approval. At first, the girl acted awkward around Honour, but after a long conversation with her, it was agreed that Honour was to be treated like she always had. The only difference now though, was that Honour was no longer mocked for being weak. If anything, she was considered the most powerful amongst them all. I mean... she was a literal goddess. ¡°I do hope she wins though. I wonder who she will pick to represent her in the games.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m more worried about Drake than anyone else,¡± Honour replied absentmindedly. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not every day you hear a royal offering to step down from the throne,¡± Crysta replied with a sigh of her own, dusting chips off Lina¡¯s futon and folding it appropriately. The news was still fresh in their minds. News of the prince¡¯s newfound intentions. It wasn¡¯t long ago when the prince had announced that he wanted to step down as crown prince. For those that were allowed to know this information, it hade as a shock to all of them. Honour, most of all, for Drake hadn¡¯t said a thing about this to her. She hadn¡¯t even noticed a change in his behaviour that would suggest this. Drake was still the same sweet, thoughtful royal that liked taking walks with her and taking his time off to spend time with her. Chapter 409 409 Falling Behind The cleaning continued as the girls took turns washing off. Despite their tardiness, rushing would do them no good in the end. The Trials weren¡¯t something Lina could rush into without a calm mind. At least, that¡¯s what Crysta told the princess when she started to panic. The delta was able to temporarily calm the princess down enough to keep a normal coherent conversation. The signs of worry did notpletely vanish, but Lina knew there was nothing she could do about her situation... so she reserved herints. Halfway through the cleaning, Honour¡¯s mother came down from her room and embraced her daughter, nting a kiss on the divine girl¡¯s forehead, ¡°Hey, sweetie... and her lovely friends, did you have funst night?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you heard it all,¡± Honour replied, hugging her mother in return, ¡°Did you sleep well, mother?¡± The woman soon let go of her daughter and covered a yawn that escaped her. There were dark circles under her eyes, indicating the opposite of what she said next. ¡°Oh yeah, totally,¡± the woman lied, ¡°It¡¯s not like the five of you were trying to wake up the whole neighbourhood.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called Karaoke, mother,¡± Honour replied, turning her attention to tidying once more. The woman proceeded to the kitchen and called back, ¡°It¡¯s called noise, that¡¯s what that was. I¡¯m d neither of you chose to be a musician.¡± ¡°My mother has alwaysplimented me on my beautiful voice,¡± Bree piped in cheerfully. ..... ¡°Whichsts barely a second before you start asking for a ss of water,¡± Crysta threw a pillow at her friend. ¡°Hey, these magnificent pipes are high maintenance. It¡¯s not my fault those high notes are so tasking,¡± Bree replied smugly, shielding her face as the pillow soared towards her, ¡°And please watch the face, Crysta.¡± The girls giggled before proceeding with their aimless banter. Honour¡¯s mother listened in with a smile on her face while she got the tea ready. After the disappearance of Katie Sirius and the death of Ginger and Honour finding out she was a goddess¡¯s reincarnation, it felt like they would never get back to the happy family they used to be. It had been the darkest time in their family and Honour had struggled very much with everything that was happening around her. Honour wasn¡¯t the only one that had struggled through... No, that was far from what had happened. Honour¡¯s struggles only seemed the most significant because she was the woman¡¯s daughter... and her world. Fortunately, time andpanionship had healed their wounds and the five of them had be as thick as thieves. Even Madeline had stopped having nightmares of her missing grandmother, Beatrice. For as long as the five of them were together, they were happy. Listening to the harmony and the melody ofughter that surrounded the group of friends never failed to put a smile on the woman¡¯s face. Eventually, all of them were done tidying. Lina asked them to leave, showing how nervous she was about beingte for the Trials. But with a little coaxing, the woman had them eat the breakfast she¡¯d prepared before bidding them all farewell. Lina led the girls out of the house where a car was waiting outside. ¡°Good morning, Simon. Would you get us to the start of the Trials?¡± ¡°Yes, my Lady... If you must know, however, your parents have asked that you take your time to check yourself before you set off,¡± the man replied calmly. If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that Lina expected her parents to be furious instead, she wouldn¡¯t have noticed his implications. The princess stopped in her tracks and turned to her friends, ¡°Hey Bree, did you bring the bags?¡± ¡°Crysta and Madeline are bringing them out right now,¡± the girl replied. Right after she¡¯d said it, the delta walked out with Honour following behind. Crysta had arge rucksack on her back and another in her hands. Thest one was resting unsteadily in Honour¡¯s weak hands, ¡°Umm, Lina... a hand,¡± the girl squirmed as she tried to carry the bag, ¡°What¡¯s inside this thing?¡± Lina rushed to help her friend with the heavy bag. She reached for the bag and helped it out of the girl¡¯s hands, ¡°Try to lift with your legs next time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy for you to say,¡± Honour replied, sighing with a slight hint of exhaustion. While the princess carried the bag away, the girl couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge her significant transformation. It had been nearly two years since the disappearance of Katie Sirius and Lina... had gone through a tremendous transformation since then. Not just in strength because of her strenuous training, but her looks as well... She¡¯d grown more beautiful with time... but the most significant change was her striking resemnce with the missing Luna of the Lycaon pack. Lina hadn¡¯t simply grown taller and stronger, she¡¯d also grown to look very much like her older sister, both in spirit and in strength. The girls took turns exchanging hugs with Honour¡¯s mother before the car set off for the pce. The start of the Trials wasn¡¯t exactly at the pce, but it was significantly close. At the edge of the forest, peering into the weing treacherous wilderness, a banner withrge letters written into it was waving lightly in the wind. The words ¡®Safe Journey¡¯ were written into the banner and the meanings of these words were reflected in the eyes of all the wolves that hade to see the princess off. The five girls stood still outside the car, taking in the magnitude of the crowd. A clear path had been made to the banner peering into the forest, ¡°I¡¯d almost forgotten what the excitement for these games was like,¡± Crysta rubbed the back of her head nervously. ¡°It is amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°There you are, Lina. Why are you sote?¡± the king¡¯s voice broke the serenity surrounding the five girls. ¡°What do you mean, Father?¡± Lina turned to her father, mimicking her big brother while she did. Speaking of her brother, the princess looked around and started to fear the worst, ¡°Where is Drake?¡± The king pinched the bridge of his nose, ¡°The Trials have already begun, Lina and this part is right up your alley as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± ¡°Check your phone,¡± Queen Martha spoke up, approaching them. Behind the royals, a detail of cars was parked and ready for a long journey. Lina unlocked her phone and found an official text from the king and queen. When did thate in?¡¯ she cursed before reading the text out loud. ¡°Race to the Great Arena... The two candidates are to race to the Great Arena that stands at the border of the two empires. The first one to make it there will be chosen as the empire¡¯s representative. You can take your team as well as this trial will take a long time and is better done by more than one person.¡± ¡°Drake left thirty minutes ago. He tried waiting for you when it was time to set off, but... well, you know how he is these days,¡± the woman sighed at the end, her brows knitted in worry for the prince. ¡°Did he take his team with him?¡± the princess asked the queen. ¡°No, he denied all help he was offered and left on his own. He worries me more each day. It¡¯s like he¡¯s going through the same thing that... Never mind, I just wish he could let us in on what he¡¯s thinking. Any ideas, Honour? I know the two of you spend a lot of time together,¡± the queen asked. Honour gasped at the blunt revtion. The queen didn¡¯t seem bothered by how close she¡¯d gotten to the prince, but for some reason, the girl couldn¡¯t disregard the fact that she discussing matters concerning the prince with the queen, his mother. ¡°N-No, none that he¡¯s told me of,¡± Honour replied. The girl really didn¡¯t know if there was anything wrong with the prince. He was just the same as he¡¯d always been. And yet, from the reactions she read from the other members of the royal family, something waspletely wrong. ¡®I better ask him when we meet next,¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡°That¡¯s no good. Well, if you get the chance to ask him, please do. We are all worried and he won¡¯t let us know what he¡¯s thinking. And it¡¯s not like we can break into his mind either,¡± the queen requested. The young goddess nodded in reply to the queen¡¯s words. The king suddenly spoke up, quickly changing the subject, ¡°Lina, I suggest you announce the members of your team and leave as well. There is a map on your phone, but just in case you lose that...¡± from a bag Alpha Jackson brought her, she produced a roll of parchment. ¡°Who still uses this kind of...?¡± ¡°This map has been used for a long time and is one of the first-ever urate maps that was ever drawn to map the empire,¡± the king cut her off, ¡°Use it well and...¡± the king¡¯s expression softened and he pulled his daughter into a warm hug, ¡°Be safe out there.¡± Alpha Jackson stepped forward and offered the princess his hand, which she dly took, ¡°Don¡¯t do something I wouldn¡¯t do,¡± the beta alpha advised. ¡°I won¡¯t make any promises,¡± the princess chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I tried. Good luck, your highness,¡± the man bent at the waist and gave a well-practised bow before stepping away from the princess. With that, the queen hugged her daughter and left the girls to themselves, ¡°Lina, who are you going to pick?¡± Honour asked when the adults had left, ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t pick me. I¡¯d only slow you down.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. I¡¯ll go with Crysta and Bree. They are much more physically capable of a task such as this one. We¡¯ll be going through no-man¡¯snd as well. I don¡¯t want to endanger anyone.¡± ¡°In other words, Honour and I would only get in the way,¡± Madeline asked to rify. ¡°If you put it like that, I feel guilty,¡± Lina groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t be, Lina. There is no shame in protecting your friends. I learnt that from a certain werewolf,¡± Crysta mentioned, gesturing to Honour, ¡°You already know I would give my life for you. Bree would do the same, just not before me...¡± ¡°Hey...¡± ¡°So, there are no hard feelings in this matter. You¡¯re only doing what¡¯s best,¡± Crysta replied. ¡°Thanks, Crysta. You hear that Madeline... I¡¯m protecting you.¡± ¡°Of course you are... I just wish there was something I could do,¡± the grey-eyed girl pouted. ¡°Well, if you can keep your eyes hidden the whole time, that will be more than enough,¡± the girl princess ordered before turning to the Delta to her side, ¡°Crysta, I¡¯m not losing to my brother. That means you two should keep up with me.¡± All of a sudden, Crysta was not feeling so lucky. Madeline chuckled and pped the girl on the back, ¡°I was feeling jealous at first, but now, I wish you all the luck in the world. You¡¯re going to need it.¡± Chapter 410 410 The Trials... and Sudden Change of ns Lina had chosen who she was going to take with her on the Trials, but that didn¡¯t ease the tension in the pit of her stomach. Whether it was because of the headstart her brother was getting or something else was beyond herprehension. ¡°Do we have everything we need?¡± Lina asked the girls. ¡°I¡¯ll double-check just to be sure,¡± Crysta replied, removing her rucksack from her back to start the check. ¡°No, that will take a lot of time. We need to catch up with my brother. Just make sure you¡¯ve packed the map, we need to go,¡± the royal stopped her anxiously. Somehow everything around her seemed to be moving slower and slower. Crysta¡¯s reaction time and actions seemed overly rxed and... slow. ¡®At this rate, we¡¯ll find Drake fat from stuffing himself while waiting for our arrival at the Great Arena,¡¯ the girl thought to herself. Crysta packed the map like she¡¯d been instructed and the three Trail candidates approached the Farewell banner where arge crowd of werewolves and hunters had gathered to see them off while they left. Students from the school they¡¯d attended, pack warriors that had watched them prepare for this very day and many other groups of people that Lina could mention at the tip of her tongue. Her arduous training was not the only thing that had changed for her after Katie¡¯s departure. Lina was also more outgoing now that she didn¡¯t have to worry about being shunned by her fellow werewolves. After defeating Liam, she was even more respected by her peers and more so by the elders. Lina knew many more faces than she thought possible. The princess felt warm at the sight of everyone who¡¯d gathered to bid them farewell. In the world before Katie, their focus would have been on the prince alone. ..... A chorus of cheers came from a less organised group that Lina soon recognised to be her former schoolmates, ¡®Make us proud, Jeanie.¡¯ ¡®We believe in you, Lina.¡¯ ¡®Show him what it feels like tond on your face.¡¯ Lina giggled at the Liam reference. ¡°What a send-off?¡± Bree eximed excitedly. ¡°Yeah, quite indeed. Did they have to be that loud though?¡± Lina chuckled to herself. They waved, shing smiles at the group before turning to the looming forest before them, ¡°Any of you guys feeling like our odds at winning the Trails aren¡¯t as high as we would like them to be?¡± Bree was the first to voice her concerns when she peered into the darkness of the woods. The Trials... Every four years, The Royal Games were held between the two empires. The game to be yed would bepletely random, but the venue was the same every time. The Royal Games would be yed at the Great Arena located at the border of both empires. To remember the long journeys made by the first to Werewolf Kings, Sirius and Lycaon, the royals taking part in these games would have to test their might through a journey through the wild. A journey to the Great Arena. It was this journey that was then named the Trials. During this journey, the royals would prove their might against the elements and dangers of the wilderness and they would only be allowed a maximum of two helpers for this journey and no more. It felt like the forest had gone creepier when they turned to start the journey. ¡°Maybe two years ago, but it¡¯s been a long time since then. We¡¯re not the same pups we were back then. I...¡± the princess¡¯s speech was interrupted by another voice. ¡°Hey, Lina, wait...¡± a male voice called out to them. The three girls turned back to witness a red-eyed male jogging up to them. Wyatt¡¯s dimly lit red eyes beamed in excitement, ¡°I can see you¡¯re a bit understaffed,¡± he observed. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Crysta regarded him coldly. She was currently standing with two other candidates for the Trials... or was the alpha finally snapping a fuse? ¡°Exactly what it sounds like, your Highness,¡± the alpha shrugged, ncing towards Bree. ¡°And your solution is?¡± ¡°Well, I think that is obvious. I would like to take Bree¡¯s ce- no offence Bree,¡± the alpha replied, switching his attention to the princess. ¡°You¡¯ve got some nerve, Wyatt,¡± Crysta spat, but when the princess didn¡¯t react in a simr manner, the delta turned to her, ¡°Lina, you can¡¯t be thinking about switching out Bree for this...¡± ¡°Crysta,¡± Bree stopped the delta in her tracks, ¡°The Trails aren¡¯t about you or me. Do not forget that. I want toe along with you on this trip, but... well, the prince has already got arge headstart. I would only slow you down.¡± ¡°What? Bree, no...¡± Crysta panicked. ¡°I think we¡¯ve alle to the obvious conclusion. I get to switch with Bree and this whole expedition can go much smoother and faster. Rejoice, Crysta, I¡¯m not usually this generous... and try to keep up with us. We wouldn¡¯t want you slowing us down, now would we?¡± the man snickered. ¡°Oh? What happened to your twin then?¡± Crysta asked him, crossing her hands over her chest, seemingly unbothered by the braggart¡¯s words. ¡°The other two alphas know better than to try and pry you from the princess¡¯s clutches. Liam had no interest ining with you. Derrick, on the other hand, wanted toe here and offer his hand, so I wrestled him for the opportunity to join this team. You can already guess who won that duel,¡± the man scoffed, his face holding a look of disdain at the memory. ¡°This is no time to argue. Lina is alreadyte as it is,¡± Bree smacked the two bickering wolves, ¡°And you will apologise to Derrick the next time you see him.¡± They both rubbed the back of their heads, regarding the girl for a moment before turning to her new object of attention. Oddly enough, Wyatt didn¡¯t argue with Bree on the matter. Whether he¡¯d taken her advice seriously or not was left to time. Lina had been quiet, weighing her decisions and trying to choose between going with an alpha and Bree. It made all the sense in terms of speed and efficiency, but none when it came to who she trusted more with her life. ¡®Lina, if you¡¯re thinking about my feelings in the matter, I¡¯ll make it easy for you. I want to see you beat your smug brother in the Trials and I know that you can do that if you have Wyatt with you and not me,¡¯ Bree¡¯s voice came through the mind link. ¡®But...¡¯ ¡®Madeline, Honour and I will be cheering you on the entire way. A goddess wished you good luck... and one of the goddess¡¯s chosen bound Wyatt because of going against you. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would think he was trying to get his sentence lifted... Do your best... even though I¡¯d like to say ¡®Don¡¯t lose,¡± Bree didn¡¯t give the princess a choice in the matter. Her mind was made up. Lina pulled Bree into a hug, ¡°We¡¯ll win the Trials, Bree. You can count on that.¡± ¡°I have no doubts, Lina. Make us proud,¡± the girl quoted one of the fliers she¡¯d seen their schoolmates holding up in the fray. Lina finally let go of the girl and watched her return to the ranks of supporters. ¡®I have awesome friends,¡¯ she thought to herself as she turned to her travelpanions. ¡°Hey, Crysta. Hand over your bag,¡± Wyatt asked the delta. ¡°Why would I do such a thing?¡± ¡°Deltas don¡¯t have the power to shift with their clothes on. If you shift with the bag, we¡¯ll have to tie it to your back so you can run with it and that will slow us down,¡± Wyatt argued, ¡°That is supposed to be obvious.¡± Reluctantly, the girl relinquished her rucksack to the alpha along with Bree¡¯s... which was now his. ¡°You didn¡¯te with a bag of your own,¡± she observed. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine as I am. Let¡¯s just get this journey underway,¡± Wyatt slung both bags on each shoulder and shifted into a ck wolf with white paws and ears. The bags, as he¡¯d said were nowhere to be seen. It was a power that was only reserved for alphas and royals and one they would be needing a lot on their trip. ¡°Boys can be so... foul,¡± the delta turned away from the alpha and regarded the pce one more time. By some odd twist of fate, her eyes glided to the magnificent towering spires. She wasn¡¯t sure why or how it was there, but she noticed an eagle perching on one of the pce spires. Towering above the forest, the eagle had a view of everything and Crysta thought she imagined the eagle¡¯s gaze locked with hers before it took to the sky. ¡°Crysta, are you okay?¡± Lina asked her. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go,¡± the delta replied, shifting into her own grey wolf. Taking this as a hint that they could start the journey, Lina shifted as well. Unlike the rest of the werewolves who spent an average of thirty seconds shifting into their beast forms, it seemed as though her body vanished and was instantly reced with that of a magnificent powerful slender snow white wolf. ...The same colour as that of her lost sister¡¯s wolf. Crysta was about to say something over the mind link when the white wolf vanished from sight, leaving behind her a gust of wind that blew nearly caught the grey wolf off guard, ¡°That never gets old,¡± Wyatt chuckled before starting the journey with a gentle trot. ¡°Don¡¯t encourage her. Lina, wait...¡± While the princess¡¯s speed was exactly what they needed to catch up with the prince. In fact, if they could all run at her pace, catching Drake wouldn¡¯t pose a problem in the slightest, but that wasn¡¯t the problem. The problem was entirely different. There simply wasn¡¯t a wolf alive that could keep up with Lina after two years of training her unnatural speed... and the nickname of Jeanie had finally caught on. ¡®Does she realise we won¡¯t make half the journey at that speed?¡¯ the delta cursed in her mind. ......... Chapter 411 411 Defeated Duelist Honour stood with Madeline behind therge group, watching their friends setting off on the Trials. The small path that had allowed Lina to the Farewell banner at the forest¡¯s edge had long been dissolved. Seeing so many people openly expressing their affection towards the princess was a sight that brought tears to her eyes. It didn¡¯t surprise her... No, it didn¡¯t. Lina was the kind of person that was bound to attract this much attention. She cared for others more than she did about herself and it wasn¡¯t long before the werewolves of the Sirius pack had figured that out. Without her peers constantly beating her down, she was shining more than ever. Fortunately, the sudden boost in fame had not gotten to the princess¡¯s head. Honour¡¯s insecurities were put to rest when the princess started using her family¡¯s cottage as an escape from her duties as the princess of Sirius. A mixture of worry and pride swirled through the young goddess¡¯s mind. On one hand, she wanted her friend to win the Trials. On the other hand, she was worried about her. The wilderness was nothing to take lightly, ¡°Do you think they can win?¡± the grey-eyed girl asked. ¡®Why not... What¡¯s all that hard work been for?¡¯ Honour thought to reply, but someone beat her to it. ¡°They should. With Wyatt on their side now, they should stand better chances of winning, don¡¯t you think?¡± a male voice interrupted them. ¡°Good morning, Derrick,¡± Madeline greeted the alpha with a bright smile. ¡°Morning, Derrick. You seem oddlyfortable with this arrangement. Did something happen?¡± Honour raised a brow at him. The alpha sighed and slumped his shoulders, ¡°I wanted to ask her for that position, but then, so did Wyatt. I don¡¯t know why though. To settle on a decision, we fought for the chance and he won. There was no turning back after that.¡± ..... ¡°That was not your choice to make. You should have just asked Lina yourselves. I know Crysta¡¯s position by Lina¡¯s side is set in stone, but you would have been a more favourable choice than Wyatt,¡± a spark of hope forced her to turn to the Farewell Banner, but the princess and her crew were already gone and the crowd was now starting to dissipate. The Trials had now begun. Lina and her two escorts were to make their way to the Great Arena. There was nothing they could do to help them now. It was forbidden to interfere with their journey. They weren¡¯t even allowed to stop by any of the packs that were littered on the way to the Great Arena. Tearing her attention away from the crowd, the thrashing sound of heavy wing beats reached her ears, drawing her eyes to the sky above. A great eagle asrge as an elephantmanded the sky, spiralling upwards from one of the pce spires. With smooth rhythmic wing ps, the enormous creature shot to the sky and gained so much height that it was rendered no more than a speck to her vision in the span of mere seconds. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Madeline noticed her friend¡¯s distracted mind. Honour thought for a moment before replying, ¡°Nothing, Maddy. It¡¯s nothing. We better get to the royal convoy. They offered to give us a ride. From what I know of the king, he¡¯s not the patient type.¡± Before Honour could locate the royal convoy, Bree broke through the crowd and approached them. The girl had her hands in her pockets and her face trained on the ground. Honour pulled the girl into a hug which she hesitated to return, ¡°I know it was the right thing to do, but...¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Bree. I know Lina was just as torn to have you switch with Wyatt,¡± Honour cooed. The right choice was not always the most desirable. There was a limit to how many a royal could have with them when undergoing a trial and Lina had already hit her limit, ¡°Let¡¯s get ready to cheer them on at the Great Arena, okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I told her we¡¯d do,¡± the girl replied. Just then, she lifted her teary eyes and noticed Derrick, ¡°Why wasn¡¯t it you that came to switch with me? I wouldn¡¯t...¡± ¡°I lost a duel. If I couldn¡¯t beat Wyatt, there was no way I could prove that I was a better substitute than he was,¡± the alpha replied and wouldn¡¯t meet her gaze. ¡°You will do well to remember that feeling of defeat well, pup,¡± Liam intervened, walking up to them, ¡°Work harder if you want to beat Wyatt. He¡¯s stronger than I am. I can assure you of that and he¡¯ll always be an obstacle to you if you can¡¯t find some way to surpass him.¡± ¡°Why are you, of all people, telling me this?¡± Derrick scoffed at the man¡¯s advice. No one had seen him approach them either. It was like he was suddenly there... materialised from the shadows. His dim red eyes were a sharp reminder of the authority the Lost princess had stripped of him. ¡°In my experience, Wyatt is trying to find a distraction. Something to y with to pass the time and amuse himself. That has always been his game, long before the two of us stopped seeing eye-to-eye. Hurry up and surpass him, Knight in Shining Armour. Just a piece of advice... from a fallen warrior,¡± the alpha concluded before walking away from them. ¡°If you knew that, then why didn¡¯t you fight him then?¡± Derrick shouted at his retreating form. ¡°He would have defeated me. And if I¡¯m being honest with you, I don¡¯t want to get caught up in his antics once again,¡± Liam shrugged, waving at them before vanishing with the dispersing crowd. Derrick clenched his fist in frustration, ¡°Those two are even more twisted than they were before Katie demoted them.¡± ¡°Who knows! Either that... or they are simply more lost than they have ever been before. I know someone else that was once as lost as well before she found her way again,¡± Honour gave Bree¡¯s hand a light squeeze, ¡°We better get going. See youter, Derrick.¡± Chapter 412 412 Vindictive enemies Shrouded by deep shadows cast by the tall trees deep within the forest, an amber-eyed man walked at an even pace, his feet barely making a sound. His hands, ever so often, traced the concealed borate w marks that were carved strategically into trees spread throughout the forest. His hands balled into fists as he followed the winding marked trees through the woods. At first nce, the trees seemed to have been randomly marked and there was no real pattern to where they led. Yet, in truth, the w marks were more than mere random shes. Each tree was distinctly marked differently in a coded directionalnguage that could only be deciphered by those that were taught to. Even after knowing how to read these marks, the path was meandering and disorienting to anyone that followed it, damaging someone¡¯s sense of direction by merely following the directions. It was this same precaution that irked the amber-eyed hooded figure as he followed the markings. After walking for a while, he came across a cabin that had been built through a thickened part of the trees. Instead of building in a clearing, the cabin was instead built together with the forest. Carefully building around therge tree trunks and skilfully painting the cabin the colour of bark. For someone that didn¡¯t know what they were looking at and hadn¡¯t got instructions from the marked trees, this was very easy to miss. The cabin was also further within trees that were closely packed together which made running into it even harder. The man reached the door and knocked at the door. His hood helped him blend in with the shadows, so he was able to keep himself hidden on his way to the cabin... not like anyone was going to follow him this far into the woods. After a moment, a series of clicking sounds could be heard from the other side of the door before it creaked open. The door swung open slowly, adding to the man¡¯s already-paranoid suspicions. ..... No one greeted him on the other side of the door. Only deep silent and ominous darkness... There wasn¡¯t even a sign of amp inside the strange cabin in the woods. Sighing, the man entered the cabin and melted into the darkness within. A few steps into the cabin and the door mmed shut, adding to the depth of the shadows inside the cabin. The man looked about the room, his eyes shing a bright amber as he searched for any sign of life. His werewolf senses could detect beings with him within the cabin, but his eyes yielded no results. The inhabitants were experts at concealing themselves. ¡°What brings you here, Victor? Didn¡¯t you hear the king¡¯s orders?¡± a deep voice bounced off the sides of the room. ¡°Yes, I did. Nearly two years ago, I heard the king¡¯s orders and I¡¯ve been reminded of them every time I¡¯ve tried reaching out to any of you. It¡¯s like you¡¯ve stopped moving... stopped fighting. What are you plotting? I want to help. My revenge, as promised, has not yet been granted,¡± Victor bellowed, turning in the direction he thought was the origin of the voice in an attempt to find its source. The next voice that came was... much younger, one that he knew all too well, but it came from an entirely different direction, ¡°Your petty revenge is nothing in light of the Rogue king¡¯s will.¡± This voice came with a chilling growl that warned him to watch his words. Victor shivered, feeling a new form of fear towards this voice. The boy sounded a little older than he remembered him, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that this voice belonged to Benji, the most agile general of the Rogue king. If it was the boy¡¯s intention to kill the werewolf, Victor was better off surrendering, for there was no amount of speed he could muster to escape Benji. ¡°Ah, yes, the rogue king. How is he? I haven¡¯t heard from him for a while,¡± Victor dismissed the obvious warning he¡¯d heard moments prior. ¡°Watch your tongue, Victor. You¡¯re nothing more than an ant in his presence. An ant is all you are. Time has made you cocky,¡± the deep voice came again, but this time from apletely different direction. ¡°You all hide now... Hiding within the general poption. Rumour has it that the rogue killer haspletely disappeared and yet the rogues have never been more silent. New hunters rise and increase their numbers. They are starting to bolster their forces while the rogues have no way of replenishing what they lost. The breeders cannot increase the numbers of the rogues and the Rogue King¡¯s bite won¡¯t help him increase numbers. Not to mention, the hunters are discovering those facilities with each passing day. I¡¯m not a fool. I know the rogues have never faced a darker time. I only want to help,¡± Victor was panting after his speech. He tried once more to survey the room, but his eyes still got nothing. Since this cabin had been built into the very foundation of the nature surrounding it, there were trees growing inside it. The only thing that greatly separated the inside from the outside was the presence of a roof and man-made items. After a short silence, the child¡¯s voice rang clear, ¡°We¡¯ll allow you to speak of your ns for two minutes. If you do not say anything useful, we shall continue with the Rogue king¡¯s original orders and end your pitiful life where you stand,¡± Benji¡¯s voice had never been more threatening. He¡¯d known the boy to be vicious, but he had never been on the receiving end of his rampages. ¡°Okay, hear me out. I have a n... the Trials and the Royal games,¡± the man panicked. ¡°Those are the most heavily guarded events of the century...¡± ¡°No, not the Trials. The Trials allow the royals to prove that they can handle themselves out in the wilderness as they travel to the Great Arena,¡± the man tried exining. ¡°Attacking the royals will only draw the hunters to ourselves. Don¡¯t you know that the Chase family can sense the bloodlust of rogues that go on a rampage?¡± Samson¡¯s deep voice rumbled. ¡°Yes, I know that and I do not ask that we attack them. We can merely cause... a few idents,¡± the man smirked, ¡°I was there when Drake left the pce. He was all on his own. The cocky prince feels he¡¯s invincible and chose to carry out the Trials on his own.¡± ¡°Very well... We¡¯ll give you this time to prove yourself. You can take two rogues on this mission. I¡¯ll be surprised if you can even catch up to the prince. Perhaps this will teach you not to underestimate the royals,¡± Samson replied. ¡°What a waste of resources! Samson, are we really going to give him that many rogues to help him?¡± Benji yelled out, this time directing his voice to the other wolf that was surrounding Victor. ¡°Ugh, Benji... what part of scary and mysterious don¡¯t you understand?¡± With the scraping sound of a match, the cabin was alight and bathed in the yellow light of a glorious me on a match. Samson lit antern and allowed his frightening facade to drop. The frightening aura in the room dropped significantly, causing the amber-eyed wolf to let out a breath he¡¯d been holding in, ¡°For a moment there, I thought the two of you actually nned to kill me.¡± ¡°Really! That would be counterproductive,¡± Benji eximed. ¡°Oh my, I didn¡¯t know you valued my...¡± ¡°We¡¯d be giving the location of such a wonderful meeting ce out to the hunters. After what we did in that small townst year, we don¡¯t want to be attracting any attention to us. That doesn¡¯t mean we wouldn¡¯t kill you though... we just wouldn¡¯t do it here,¡± Samson shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s... uh, good to hear,¡± Victor chuckled nervously. ¡°This n of yours. What do you intend to do with the prince?¡± Samson asked. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t believe in my chances?¡± Victor smirked. ¡°Meh! you¡¯re going to die. I can¡¯t shake the feeling that the royal knew what he was doing when he set off,¡± the wolf replied, ¡°So try not to get yourself killed.¡± .......... Chapter 413 413 epting Help ¡®Why... why won¡¯t I reach it?¡¯ Lina¡¯s thoughts roared as she tried to reach something out of reach. Striking the ground with as much force as she could muster, the snow-white wolf propelled itself even further through the forest, zipping through the greenery at astonishing speed. ¡°Lina, wait... please, would you slow down for a second?¡± Crysta¡¯s voice painfully invaded the princess¡¯s mind interfering with her thoughts. Her paws itched to strike the ground harder and propel her even faster through the trees. She had only started to feel herself slip into her untapped reserves of speed. The feeling was all too tempting. It hadn¡¯t been long after Katie¡¯s disappearance that Lina discovered how fast she was really capable of going. When she ran unrestrained, she didn¡¯t know her limits... and yet, her friend was asking her to do the opposite of that. Groaning in frustration, the princess nted her paws on the soft forest floor and brought herself to an infuriating skidding halt. The white wolf took a look at her padded paw and was, yet again surprised by how resilient they were. Given her speed, she had thought her paws would receive blistering bruises when she let loose, but till this moment, her paws still remained undamaged. Her healing was also getting faster which had proved to be very useful to her in the past months. Lina had been pacing for about ten minutes by the time Crysta and Wyatt made it to her. The green-eyed wolf was panting heavily from having to keep up with the alpha. Wyatt, on the other hand, was only slightly winded. ¡°Lina, we can¡¯t blow through our energy like that,¡± Wyatt rushed to speak. Crysta leaned against a tree and dropped to the ground to catch her breath. ..... ¡°Why not? My ridiculous brother should already be halfway across the continent by now,¡± Lina yelled back. Wyatt took a step back from the furious royal, dangerously reminded of how much Lina had changed. The princess wasn¡¯t frightened by him anymore, ¡®She¡¯s grown so much it¡¯s painful,¡¯ the man thought to himself. Crysta noticed he¡¯d already been overwhelmed and stepped in, ¡°Because Drake isn¡¯t already halfway across the continent. He¡¯s not even that as far ahead of us as you might think.¡± ¡°He had a headstart. Of course, he is far ahead. This is a race of speed and if he makes it there before me, that will be the end of all this. I¡¯ll lose to him at this rate.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong, Lina. This race is not a test of speed. These are the Trials, Lina. There is more to this than simply speed. This is about survival in the wilderness. It¡¯s about who can handle themselves best in the wilderness and make progress fastest and that can¡¯t be done by speed alone. We must run at a pace that won¡¯t expend too much energy but keep us making good progress at the same time. On average, it takes about four days to make it to the Great Arena and that¡¯s when we¡¯ve done really well. I know you¡¯re fast, Lina, but you can¡¯t run for four days either... Let¡¯s say you ran faster than the average wolf, it would still take you about two days to make the journey. You¡¯ll get hungry in two days and you¡¯ll need to hunt. And if you¡¯re running at the pace, you won¡¯t have the energy to...,¡± Crysta tried exining. ¡°I get it, Crysta...¡± the white wolf stopped her friend there and dropped to the forest floor, ¡°I can¡¯t just run blindly for days...¡± Lina wanted to argue with Crysta, but there was no real reason behind her frustration other than impatience. On the other hand, she could tell Crysta wasn¡¯t done with her lecture. Crysta had thought it all through and Lina trusted her judgement, ¡°That was impulsive of me... Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m just d you¡¯re with us again,¡± the delta got up and looked to a stunning ck alpha with an expectant look. Wyatt looked between the two females, amazed by what he¡¯d just seen. It wasn¡¯t every day someone got to witness a delta scolding a royal. ¡°The map, Wyatt.¡± ¡°Oh right,¡± the alpha shifted into his human form and an old roll of parchment from one of the bags he was holding. Just as he¡¯d exined, he still had the bags with him when he shifted back into his human form. Lina lifted her head and watched her twopanions. Wyatt brought the map to her and spread out the map, tracing a path with his finger while Crysta exined. Since the delta wouldn¡¯t retain her clothes when she shifted back into her human form, she had to exin this way. ¡°From what we can see on this map, we have to cross the...¡± she paused at the name that was written on the map, ¡°I¡¯m starting to believe the old kings were either vain or toozy... We shall have to make our way to the... Sirius mountains... Beyond that is arge marsnd that eventually leads us to the Great Valley that holds the Great Arena. The way there is mainly forest, which will at least provide protection from the sun. The rules of the Trials suggest we don¡¯t cross any pack territories which means we¡¯ll have to go around every human settlement we find... Lina shifted back into her human form and studied the map herself. Looking at the sun in the sky and the direction she had been running toward, the girl¡¯s shoulders slumped and she ced her head in her hands. Crysta hadn¡¯t dared to say it, but it was clear she was goingpletely off course and from the looks of her margin of error, she could have continued further south and ended up heading into ¡®unexplored¡¯ territory. ¡°Why did big brother choose to do this alone?¡± the girl mumbled to herself, finally realising the error in her misguided frustration at the two of her friends. They had just saved her from ruining the Trials. ¡°Thank you, Crysta and... I¡¯m sorry I yelled at you, Wyatt.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem, Lina. We all have our moments,¡± the alpha smiled in reply. The white wolf shuddered... Chapter 414 414 First Hurdle Honour, Madeline and Bree sat in the back of a stretched limousine that carried the King and Queen of Sirius. One of Beta alpha Jackson¡¯s deltas was driving the car and doing his best to pay no attention to the people seated in the back of the car or at least act like he wasn¡¯t interested in hearing what was discussed. Being in the presence of this family had taught the man that there was always something interesting going on in their lives. Very much so that the beta alphas(mainly Jackson and his deltas) were getting into the habit of gossiping. Fortunately, they knew when it was time for this foolery and when it wasn¡¯t. For example, in this situation, when his role was to drive and not look back or pay any attention to whatever private conversation was going on amongst the royals. His attention was solely on the road before him, ¡®Alpha Jackson must have wanted to punish me.¡¯ The man grumbled silently. It wasn¡¯t like the delta could hear anything. The damned limo was soundproof. He was alone in the front seat. Inside the car, Honour tried her best to distract her mind from the girl they¡¯d just watched dash into the forest. She could already imagine her friend trying to win the Trials with speed and speed alone... the exact opposite of what she was supposed to be doing. ¡°Stop worrying, Honour. She has Crysta with her. That delta won¡¯t let anything happen to her,¡± Madeline tried. Honour sighed, ¡°I know, Maddy, but I can¡¯t help myself. You know what Lina is like. She rushes into everything she does following instinct... without thinking... usually because she¡¯s faster than most and believes she can do it all in time... and without help.¡± Madeline held her tongue, wondering if the girl was done talking. ¡®You¡¯re definitely hunting for those excuses,¡¯ the grey-eyed girl thought to herself. ..... ¡°Lina might be quick to make decisions, but what¡¯s a Trail if there is nothing to learn from it,¡± the queen pitched in, smiling at the girls before her. The queen was right... The Trials weren¡¯t just somepetition. They were meant to teach the future monarchs several lessons while they worked to finish them. The harder the Trials tested them, the more they were bound to learn... but that also meant they were risking their lives as well. It wasn¡¯t like hunters had been dispatched to watch over them. Lina was out there with no one watching over her, but those two. Suddenly the thought of having Wyatt going with them didn¡¯t feel too reassuring. ¡°I just hope she doesn¡¯t get hurt in order to learn whatever the Trials have to teach her.¡± This... was partly wishful thinking. What lesson didn¡¯t involve a little pain? Lina was bound to witness or experience something that would change her on this journey she¡¯d embarked on. How dire the situation would be...y solely in the hands of Fate. ¡°I have a feeling everything will be just fine,¡± the king finally spoke up, ¡°She has goodpanions with her. Now let¡¯s all stop worrying about that. I had a board game packed for times like these. Nothing like a good old game to toss that boredom out the window.¡± ¡°The king ys board games?¡± Madeline whispered the question into Honour¡¯s ears,pletely forgetting the king¡¯s keen sense of hearing. From a bag leaning against the closed door, King Davin retrieved arge wooden box akin to the size of a pizza box. ¡°Yes, I y board games. We do it when there is nothing to take our minds off the people we care about. I remember this helped us a lot back in the day... when Katie had only just disappeared,¡± the king¡¯s gazended on his wife. Queen Martha paled at the mention of a dark time that had been... partly her fault. The moon goddess hadmunicated with her and had her send the princess away in the care of the Chase hunters. To distract the king from this loss, she¡¯d introduced him to a variety of board games. ¡°Times that I pray we never see again in this lifetime, darling,¡± Queen Martha ced a kiss on her husband¡¯s lips. ¡°You¡¯re right about that. Now, who wants to take the first turn?¡± the King turned to the girls. ¡°I would... after I know the rules,¡± Bree piped up, her eyes gleaming with excitement. Honour had remained silent, having been interrupted by the king. Despite his exnation, she was still stunned by this sudden development, ¡°I guess he does,¡± she said to herself, shifting her gaze to the box hey on the table at the centre of the spacious cabin. The king began to open thetches that held it tightly closed, ¡®I guess we are all going y,¡¯ Honour continued in her mind. ................. After a short meeting with Crysta providing most of the information, the trio of werewolves were finally able toe up with a n. Lina allowed Crysta to lead the way as she was the one that had memorised the map and learnt the most about long-distance navigation. Their first part of the journey was mostly forest. The three wolves ran through the woods at a steady pace, cutting a straight line across thend and covering great distances without needing to break momentum for a long time. Lina was sure her twopanions would get tired after about an hour, but three hours went by before they stopped for a break... and three hours more went by before they stopped once again. The food rations they had packed worked to their advantage and they avoided hunting for their first day of travel. The sun was starting its descent when Crysta stopped in a clearing wide enough and well-shielded from a direct breeze. The delta shifted into her human form, Lina quickly following suit and covering her friend¡¯s naked body with a robe she¡¯d carried in her bag just in case something like this happened, ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°No problem. We should rest for now,¡± Lina replied, turning to the alpha that was with them. Surprisingly, Wyatt, who should have been much stronger than Crysta, was still panting after the running they had done. Crysta had recovered after a few minutes, but the white-soled ck wolf was still panting like crazy. The male shifted into his human form and copsed on the ground panting heavily, ¡°Three hours back to back without rest or water. What are the two monsters of you thinking?¡± Wyatt bellowed between heavy breaths. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you would be that winded after only the first day of travel, Wyatt. The distance we still have to cover is quite great. This is not the time to start feeling tired. You¡¯ve seen nothing yet,¡± Crysta walked up to him and pulled the map from a bag that he was holding along with a full water bottle. She then sat on the ground and started looking through, ¡°Wyatt does bring up a worrisome point though. We are going to need water pretty soon.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought much about that though I packed as much as I could carry,¡± Lina replied, going through the bottles that were in her bag with a concerned expression. ¡°So did I. With how much we packed, we can only go today and half of tomorrow before we¡¯re in trouble. We¡¯ll need to find somewhere we can replenish our water before continuing the rest of the journey,¡± Crysta said, paying close attention to the map. Lina paused, observing her friend closely, a pang of shame going through her head, ¡®Water! That¡¯s also something to worry about! I really wasn¡¯t thinking... Although...¡¯ while the princess hadn¡¯t thought of some aspects of their journey, there were others on her mind. A thought she never thought would ever cross her mind happened to form within it, ¡®Will Wyatt be okay?¡¯ Chapter 415 415 A Shocking Realisation Lina watched her friend study the map, wondering a number of things like, ¡®I wonder if we could make it to the Great Arena a day before my dorky brother? What if I offered to carry them some part of the way so we could really cut down on the time needed to get to the Great Arena... Yeah, there is no way Crysta would ept that. Although, that would make this all easier. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m still the same weak wolf they¡¯vee to know. My wolf has gotten a lot stronger.¡¯ The girl let her thoughts wander to the past months and everything she¡¯d done to get where she was now. ¡®You¡¯re starting to look a lot like her. Perhaps you would like to take a break,¡¯ Frank¡¯s voice filled her mind from random memory. The most significant memory she had of her training. It wasn¡¯t just the beta alpha of the Sirius pack that had chosen to help her get stronger. Surprisingly, the Mighty Warrior had also offered to help her in the name of sharpening his aim and staying young and fit. The training was brutal, but that¡¯s what pushed Lina even more... and now she suffered an even greater obstacle in her development. ...Breaking the wall keeping her from the well of power she felt was unreachable when she ran... Bringing her mind back to the present, she noticed her friend trailing her finger over the map to a stream that was further off course than she thought they would need to go, ¡°Do we really need to go that far to get the water?¡± the princess whined. ¡°Without the water, we probably won¡¯t be able to make it to the Great Arena in one piece. However, we cannot simply pick a water source that¡¯s far off the path we are trying to follow. Not to mention, we have to look out for wild animals. Merely wandering about the wild carelessly could get us in the worst situation imaginable,¡± Crysta exined. ..... ¡°Crysta¡¯s right... and with the ce we are headed to, we can¡¯t use the Great Sirius river to our advantage. It flows in a totally different direction,¡± Wyatt called from his spot on the ground. The alpha still didn¡¯t look like he would be getting up just yet. He wasn¡¯t staring at the map but tried to show that he at least understood Crysta¡¯s point, ¡°You¡¯re right about that,¡± Crysta mumbled, staring at the map for a little longer. ¡°There is a stream thates down from the mountains. It¡¯s a little off our path, but it offers us a naturalpass to getting to and... through the mountains. If we could get to it, we could easily find our way to the mountains,¡± Crysta frowned when as she looked observed the path she¡¯d pointed out. ¡°Okay, spill it. What¡¯s the downside?¡± Lina asked. ¡°We are still quite the distance from making it to the mountains. At the pace we¡¯ve been running, we could make it there tomorrow evening with minimum breaks and stopping to hunt for at most one hour,¡± the delta exined, ¡°And without diverting for the stream, we won¡¯t have much water left to take us through the rest of the journey.¡± Lina struggled with her friend¡¯s words, trying to think of a solution to their problem, ¡°I¡¯m not the best at directions, so if I was separated from the two of you, I would need the pack link to help me guide you back.¡± ¡°What are you suggesting? No, that would be too dangerous. We have to stay together at all times,¡± Crysta argued. ¡°I know what, Crysta, but I would like it if we actually made it to the mountains by tomorrow evening. If all goes smoothly, I could restock on water and be back to you guys within the span of one hour,¡± the girl argued. ¡°No, Lina. I don¡¯t know if you can make that time. Running at your fastest is not the same as jogging. You blow through a lot more energy in a short amount of time and need even more time to recover. The inconsistency could render you slower than someone who was jogging in the end,¡± Crysta countered. ¡°You¡¯re not listening to me, Crysta. It¡¯s not the same with me. I can make it,¡± Lina tried. Logic didn¡¯t seem to agree with her, however. ¡°I find it hard to believe as well, Lina. I know you¡¯re fast, but you must expend so much energy every time you...¡± ¡°Ugh, never mind. How about this then? We can change our course so that we are closer to the stream by tomorrow evening. I¡¯ll zip to the stream and make it back before you know it. in and simple,¡± Lina quickly voiced with a smug smile. ¡°What¡¯s the difference between that n and the one you¡¯de up with earlier?¡± Wyatt chuckled. Finally having recovered, he took a seat next to Crysta and joined in the discussion as well. ¡°Ugh, the two of you are impossible. Trust me a little on this. I can make it. I¡¯ve been training for this, you know,¡± Lina pleaded with Crysta. To her, Wyatt¡¯s decision was a moot point. ¡°Perhaps we are going about this the wrong way,¡± Wyatt piped up, ¡°We don¡¯t really know how fast Lina can run or for how long when she goes all out. Perhaps if she can tell us how much she knows she¡¯s capable of, we could work with those numbers ande up with a reasonable n?¡± Crysta narrowed her eyes at the alpha before turning to Lina, ¡°He¡¯s right. How about it, Lina? Can that work?¡± ¡°Huh, but I wasn¡¯t nning to go all-out on my way to the stream,¡± Lina suddenly realised the misconception they were having about her. ¡°You¡¯re not making any sense, Lina. How can you make the trip in one hour then...¡± Crysta replied, turning back to the map. The scale on the map suggested the princess would have to travel at an insanely high speed if she was to make both going and return trips in under the span of one hour. Was Lina just assuming numbers? The royal facepalmed... It all made sense to her now, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you thought I was jogging this whole time.¡± There was a period of silence as it took Crysta and Wyatt a moment to make this connection... and when they did, they were so shocked that they inched away from her, ¡°What the...?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even sweating from the three-hour runs we¡¯ve been running... Felt like speed-walking really,¡± the girl continued. Crysta¡¯s entire perspective began to change, ¡°Perhaps we were underestimating you a little.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an understatement. Although, I would like it if you didn¡¯t overestimate me instead,¡± the princess chuckled. She took a look at the angle of the sun in the sky and deduced their next course of action, ¡°We can¡¯t spend the whole time talking like this. We can cover more ground, hunt and make camp for the night.¡± Wyatt opened his mouth to speak, but Crysta beat him to it. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s get going,¡± Crysta rolled the map and ced it back into the bag meant for Wyatt along with her bottle, ¡°Look away, Wyatt.¡± The man threw his hands in the air in disappointment before turning around with his hands on his hips, ¡°We¡¯re werewolves for crying out loud...¡± ¡®And I thought we were stopping here for the night,¡¯ aint he did not say out loud. Ignoring him, the delta shed the robe she was wearing and shifted into her grey wolf. Lina stowed the robe in her bag and shifted as well. The trio was ready to resume the journey. Without wasting any more time, Crysta led the party. Using the sun¡¯s position as herpass, her knowledge of directions and her memory of the map she¡¯d crammed into her mind, she had them dashing in the right direction at a pace that she dictated. When they started their journey, the delta felt a pair of eyes on her, sending chills through her body. She could look around, but that didn¡¯t get her any information. Instead, she felt like the faster they left this ce, the better. So she wasted no time in leaving. However, through her peripheral vision, right before she breached the treeline and dived back into the forest, she saw something. Perhaps it was her imagination again or perhaps she¡¯d started to grow paranoid, but the delta could have sworn she¡¯d caught glimpse of arge eagle perching on a tree at the edge of the clearing, watching them with a keen eye. Chapter 416 416 [Bonus chapter]Virtues... or Rumours Three hourster, the sun was setting fast over the horizon and Crysta was starting to hit her limit. Despite all the training they¡¯d been through, none of them had ever run for a whole day with short rests in between. The first virtue of the Trials was starting to rear its ugly head ...Endurance... Keeping the n that Crysta had drawn up was starting to be a test of endurance for the three wolves. This was one of the many rumoured virtues that surrounded the Trials. There were so many rumours surrounding these ancient games. Endurance, Perseverance, Strength, Leadership and many others were all engineered to make these Trials look harrowing and noble. Some simply said the Trials were just another way to test if the Royals weren¡¯t always cking and could actually back all the training they say they went through while others imed they were watched over by the Moon Goddess and she was the one that would issue the tests that the Royals and their teams would endure on this harrowing trip. There was no real way of proving any of these questions since there was no way to watch over the Royals as they went on this journey. What was known by all, however... was the Royals were never the same after the Trials. It was very rare for a Royal to go through the Trials and make it through the same way they¡¯d begun. And when this happened... the only exnation would be that the Royal had already been through a change harrowing enough to prepare them for this trip. In all the rumours, nothing suggested whether Lina, Wyatt or Crysta had what it took to get through this unscathed. All Crysta could do... was prepare her best to protect the princess at all costs. ¡®A clearing... that¡¯s what I need now. Somewhere we can make camp for the night.¡¯ The grey wolf was just about to stop to announce the end of this run to search for the perfect ce to camp when one of the wolves following behind her dropped with a loud thud. ..... Crysta turned, panting heavily, only to witness an even more winded alpha lying on the ground, breathing hard. Wyatt had tripped on arge tree root. Having exhausted his reserves of energy, he¡¯d miscalcted and had not been able to muster enough strength to urately leap over the frustrating protrusions. Lina stopped beside him and nudged the ck wolf with her nuzzle. The ck wolf¡¯s side continued rising and falling with a frighteningly erratic rhythm. When Wyatt barely responded, Lina turned to the delta, ¡°We should make camp here. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be able to continue much further.¡± The ck wolf beneath Lina groaned in protest. Wyatt forced himself to roll onto his shaky feet in an attempt to stand. The ck wolf slowly rose against his severe exhaustion on shaky legs, ¡°I can keep running. You don¡¯t have to...¡± his words were cut short when he copsed from the pressure, his legs goingpletely numb this time, ¡°Ouch... Perhaps I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I was about to stop us anyway. I¡¯m pretty spent too,¡± Crysta mentioned, ¡°Shift back into your human form and rest for a while. We¡¯ll need to collect firewood and set up camp.¡± Wyattplied, shrinking back into his human form. Embarrassment descended upon him, but he blocked out the mind link to keep the others from telling what was going on within his mind. ¡°How is a delta just as fit as I am?¡± he mumbled to himself. ¡°Probably because you don¡¯t train and she works her butt off to stay in the best shape her body can manage,¡± Lina replied, ¡°I¡¯m still wondering how you beat Derrick. He trains much more than you do.¡± ¡°He has weaknesses I can exploit. He¡¯s naive. It was not hard to defeat him once I knew that much,¡± Wyatt shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s low, even for you,¡± Crysta spat. ¡°Is it though? In the real world, someone like that would lose their life to the cunning of his enemies. No matter how much you train, if you can¡¯t evade a simple sucker punch, it¡¯s all for nothing,¡± Wyatt reasoned. ¡°No, Derrick wouldn¡¯t have gone down because of a mere sucker punch. How did you really win?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. He does not go down easy. It took way more than surprise attacks and crafty tricks. He¡¯s been practising and polishing his fighting technique. When ites down to it, he wasn¡¯t strong enough to defeat me just yet. I reckon that he will be able to do so in a few months if he keeps this up,¡± the alpha shrugged. Crysta sighed and stared at the sad excuse of an alpha lying on the ground. She wanted to argue that Derrick was much stronger than Wyatt, but she had no way of proving it either. Her training was cruel and she could put the current alphas that were her age down without breaking a sweat, so judging their slight differences in skill was no easy task. In the end, she just had to take Wyatt¡¯s word for it. He was the most crafty out of the three alphas after all. Lina¡¯s thoughts were moving in an entirely different direction. Wyatt made her skin crawl and that was enough for her to crave Derrick¡¯spany more than his. Suddenly feeling like she wanted to put some distance between herself and the alpha, ¡°I¡¯m going to do the hunting. It will be much... easier that way,¡± and with that, she was gone. Crysta stood up, wrapping her robe around her tight before retrieving a bag from the weakened alpha. Rummaging through the rucksack, she found a spare set of clothes that she quickly donned. ¡°The two of you still hate me, don¡¯t you?¡± Wyatt¡¯s lowered voice filled the evening air. Crysta froze at the bag¡¯s zipper. Had she heard the alpha right? Was Wyatt actually feeling bad about the cold shoulder Lina was giving him? ¡®No... that can¡¯t be it. This is Wyatt.¡¯ The delta shook the suspicions from her mind, reminding herself of the sneaky devil they had brought along on this trip and all his shifty ways. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you expect me to say to you. You made her life hell and have never made an effort to make it up to her. There isn¡¯t much to think about,¡± Crysta sighed, ¡°We better look for a clearing where we can set up the tents.¡± Wyatt opened his eyes and sat up as quickly as his recovering body could manage. ¡°Did you say... tents?¡± Chapter 417 417 Tension in the Wild ¡°Did you say... tents?¡± ¡°Yes. We carried one each, so there should be a spare in Bree¡¯s backpack. Seeing as you didn¡¯t pack anything, you¡¯ll have to use that one. Don¡¯t touch her clothes though,¡± Crysta replied nonchntly while she began unpacking. ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Wyatt hesitated a moment before checking through the bag he was left with. The alpha was somewhat shocked at the level of preparedness and thought the girls had put into the Trials, ¡°I might have... underestimated you.¡± Crysta paused, having taken the neatly bundled tent out of her bag, ¡°You know... It¡¯s true Bree wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep up this pace but you¡¯re barely an improvement. I¡¯m supposed to be the slowest and even then, I¡¯ve tried pushing my limits so that Lina wouldn¡¯t feel like we¡¯re slowing her down, but...¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me. I know what this looks like. I¡¯ll make up for it. Just you wait...,¡± the man replied, stretching his shoulders, ¡°I have been meaning to ask. You haven¡¯t said anything about the Mountain pass. Why can¡¯t we use it? From what I saw on the map, going to the stream would set us farther from it.¡± ¡°I had to make a tough choice with that one. We won¡¯t be able to make it through the mountain pass. I can¡¯t find any source of water on the other side of the Sirius Mountain, so the stream is our only hope of restocking our water supply,¡± the delta exined. ¡°Okay... Well, I hope the Boss Lady agrees with you on that one. Crossing the mountain from that angle alone might wear down the water you¡¯re after...¡± Crysta¡¯s eyebrows twitched with frustration, but she forced down her emotions. One of them had to be their sense of reason in this situation. Losing sight of their goal would only be a recipe for disaster. Then again, Wyatt¡¯s infuriating arguments weren¡¯t without reason, ¡°We need to get to that stream. We¡¯ll solve any other issues when we get to the mountains.¡± ..... ¡°Sounds to me like you have more than drinking water in mind,¡± Wyatt chuckled. ¡°A bath sounds nice right about now,¡± the girl replied, finally finding a ce where the trees parted wide enough for them to set up their tents. ¡°Considering your condition, I¡¯ll set up the tents instead. Why don¡¯t you try collecting firewood, dry grass or leaves instead? Anything that can catch fire,¡± the delta ordered. Wyatt froze with his hand on the rubber fabric of the tent he was just about to put up. His blood went cold and his muscles went stiff immediately. Something was wrong with all this. He racked his brain quickly for a reason why he was reacting to what had just happened... His wolf pointed it out almost immediately. The delta had just ordered him to do something... A delta ordering an alpha. Normally, he would brush this off and just do as she¡¯d said, but this was different. He didn¡¯t have a choice... The gentle throbbing of a headache at any thought of resistance made that dangerously clear. Crysta¡¯s order was binding. She might have not intended it, as her tone suggested, but something was odd about it. ¡°Very well,¡± the alpha replied before leaving to collect firewood on his own. Crysta was done with two tents when a white wolf appeared along with the rustle of leaves and a cooling breeze of wind. The wind carried with it the scent of blood... and something else... Lina¡¯s scent, which Crysta had only started to recognize recently. It reminded her ofvender. In the white wolf¡¯s bloodied mouth was a petite doe that it dragged with barely an effort. Crysta cast a wide-eyed nce at her friend, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you find something like a rabbit or a hare?¡± The white wolf dropped the carcass and shifted back into her human form, ¡°I might have... let loose a little while I was in the forest.¡± The royal rushed to her backpack and retrieved a knife before starting to skin the deer. Crysta couldn¡¯t help but notice Lina had not yet shown any signs of exhaustion since their trip had started. It would be fine to at least make some panting sounds, right? No, the princess hadn¡¯t even done that. Each time they¡¯d stopped to rest, Lina had merely sat down and waited for them to catch their breath, sometimes wing at a tree root drawing signs and exhibiting signs of utter boredom, ¡°Are we slowing you down, Lina?¡± The princess was silent for a moment before answering, her knife never slowing in the swift experienced motions between the doe¡¯s hide and flesh. ¡°No, not really. If I was half as good at navigating as you are, maybe... but then there is nighttime. If I was alone, I couldn¡¯t possibly go to sleepfortably. There are so many dangers the wilderness has to offer. I¡¯m not as good ating up with these strategies either. So, I would not be any good ating up with efficient ns in case I was faced with a problem. At first, it felt like I could just go through the Trials with speed alone, but the Great Arena is far. I know I¡¯m fast, but I don¡¯t know if I can make that trip. I¡¯ve never been out in the wilderness on my own. There is a lot I don¡¯t know about surviving a journey through the wild. So, to answer your questions... No, you¡¯re not slowing me down.¡± Crysta was starting on the third tent when she stared at Lina skinning away with her sharp knife. She made it look so easy, ¡°You¡¯re good with a knife.¡± Lina chuckled, ¡°If I didn¡¯t know how to do this, Drake would never let me be. It¡¯s a family tradition to know how to skin a deer as well as field dressing. You know how Royals are with venison...¡± ¡°You¡¯re back already?¡± a male voice interrupted them. ¡°Yes, I am. Someone¡¯s looking better. How are you doing? You looked like you were on death¡¯s door,¡± Lina asked. The genuine concern in her voice stunned the alpha. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s nothing a werewolf of my calibre can¡¯t handle. Don¡¯t underestimate me,¡± Wyatt replied. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sorry I doubted you,¡± Lina had just finished skinning the deer and was about to start field dressing when he offered to help. The princess spun the knife in her hand, pointing the handle to the alpha to take, ¡°A hand?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Wyatt walked over to Lina and took the knife from her, ¡°You can get started on the fire. I¡¯m all over this.¡± Lina regarded him for a moment before shrugging, ¡°Very well, you handle that. Don¡¯t push yourself too much though. I wouldn¡¯t want you to be dead weight.¡± ¡®Ah, that¡¯s why she sounded so concerned. Figures,¡¯ he thought to himself, smashing all the delusions that had started to crop up within his mind. Lina started searching through their bags once more in search of something to light the fire. One minute turned to three and then five... ten, ¡°Crysta, did you pack matches?¡± Lina asked out loud, slightly irritated. This irritation was not lost on the mind link. The other two wolves both sensed it... clear as day. Crysta paused with the third tent and thought out loud, ¡°I don¡¯t...¡± ¡°Crysta!¡± Lina squealed, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. ¡°You were rushing me when I tried double-checking for anything we¡¯d missed. I didn¡¯t have the time to think about it,¡± Crysta tried reasoning, but could feel her words hitting deaf ears. Lina stood and began pacing, trying to regain a calm frame of mind. Her previous worries used this moment of weakness to resurface. She could already imagine her brother had made good use of his headstart and without a delta to hold him back, he was probably much further than they were at the time. ¡°Lina, don¡¯t me Crysta for...¡± Wyatt stepped between the two girls, but Lina was paying no attention to the alpha. ¡°I¡¯m going for a run. I need to think,¡± the girl dismissed the man¡¯s suggestion before he was even done speaking. Crysta dropped to her knees, sighing dejectedly. ¡°Couple¡¯s therapy is a thing these days,¡± Wyatt broke the silence after several minutes. He was done with field dressing and was starting to set up the firece, removing any sticks and grass scattered about the clearing. ¡°I think that would help you and your buddy more than it would Lina and I,¡± Crysta retorted. The alpha grunted in response to the sudden jab, ¡°I lost my friend that day. I¡¯m now convinced there might be no way of fixing that,¡± Wyatt sighed. ¡°Why did you choose toe with us, Wyatt? I can¡¯t stand you already. You made a convincing argument back then, but all you¡¯ve done so far is y the part of a useful pack mule,¡± Crysta barked, getting back to setting the third tent. Wyatt¡¯s face suddenly contorted in a look of anger, ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it. I get that you need somewhere to direct your frustration, but now you¡¯re crossing a line and...¡± Crysta turned to face the alpha... It was true that she was angry. Her frustrations had been gathering ever since she noticed the princess was simply caving to her arguments. Crysta wanted a way into Lina¡¯s mind. No matter what Lina said, Crysta felt if only a little unsure of her true emotions... and it was eating at her... Their little showdown of anger, however, was interrupted as a loud scream tore through the mind link. It wasing from Lina. The two wolves stopped their argument and shifted, abandoning their camp in pursuit of the royal. Sensing her distress through the mind link, they could tell her location and quickly made it through the forest heading for the girl¡¯s position. It was a short while before they¡¯d made it to her... and when they did, both of them skidded to a sudden halt, a sense of fear gripping every fibre of their werewolf beings. It was only the first day of the Trials and they¡¯d faced the obstacle of Endurance. An obstacle that proved harder on the two escorts more than the princess... Now, however, there was something else facing them. Standing in a defensive position was a white wolf, not daring to move a muscle at the sight before her. Lina wouldn¡¯t take her eyes off the being that had her in this frightening stalemate. Her sapphire orbs were locked in a dangerous tangle with a pair of catlike eyes. Eyes that belonged to a jaguar. .... Chapter 418 418 Watching Over Me The trio stared at the jaguar¡¯s catlike eyes, each of them barely moving an inch caught in a stalemate where none of them did a thing. When they arrived, the Jaguar had taken on a defensive position allowing a view of the three wolves. Even then, however, the cat¡¯s ws hadn¡¯t drawn its ws yet which struck the wolves as odd. Nevertheless, this was a jaguar. The creature itself was far from its natural habitat, to begin with. If it hadn¡¯t been for the wilderness sses that Lina had taken in preparation for the Trials, she wouldn¡¯t have known what kind of animal faced her. But that didn¡¯t exin their sudden run-in with the big cat. As far as she knew, jaguars didn¡¯t live in this part of the empire and yet, there it was, clear as day. Blood rushed through her system twice as fast as it normally did, pumping adrenaline into her system and slowing everything around her. Lina noticed the alpha¡¯s brows knit and his muscles tense up suddenly. To her, the man was moving in slow motion, but Lina could tell his intentions from the slight body movements, ¡°Don¡¯t challenge him.¡± The cat itself showed no fear towards the three wolves. Even when outnumbered, the jaguar looked rxed. Lina wasn¡¯t so sure they could take on the creature even with their numbers. The fabled power of the jaguar was almost unimaginable. From what Lina had learnt from Alpha Jackson, animals rarely attacked without provocation. Any harm that came to the jaguar was bound to be their fault. Lina had called on herpanions through the mind link when she found the jaguar and they¡¯de to her aid only to find her and the big cat staring each other down. ¡°What then?¡± Wyatt asked through the mind link, feeling the ground under his ws as though getting ready for anything to happen. ..... ¡°Don¡¯t move a muscle. I don¡¯t sense any hostilitying from him. Perhaps, he¡¯ll just choose to walk away,¡± Lina replied through the mind link. Being werewolves of significant rank, they weren¡¯t smaller than the jaguar, but the jaguar wasn¡¯t weak either. Among the creatures of the wild, it stood among the strongest of apex predators. It was agile and stronger than most creatures out there, perhaps the strongest. And it would be foolish for a werewolf to pick a fight with it. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®wait¡¯? It¡¯s a jaguar, Lina. We should be running or attacking. This thing will...¡± ¡°Stay quiet,¡± Lina barked through the mind link. The alpha ground his teeth in frustration but adhered to the princess¡¯s orders. It seemed the jaguar held the gaze of one wolf, in particr, Lina while leaving the rest in peripheral vision. Perhaps it had recognised the alpha of this group or it simply kept its eyes on the first wolf toe across it. The air was so tense that none of them could think of something other than their survival... which was why Crysta and Wyatt were both shocked when the Royal White wolf standing between them took a step forward and bowed to the ck jaguar,pletely lowering her guard in the process. ¡°Lina...¡± Crysta internally screamed, but the girlpletely ignored her. ¡®Now what? That¡¯s reckless...¡¯ her thoughts thundered. Her frustrations were soon snuffed out by an unexpected turn of events. To their surprise, the big cat rxed and dipped its head, mirroring the princess¡¯s gesture before prancing away from them, gone from sight... as though the jaguar had never existed. Lina rose up and stared at the ce the jaguar had been in only moments prior. A strange excitement as well as a tinge of longing filled her. A wave of nostalgia washed over the princess. Savouring the joyous emotion, the girl turned back and started jogging back in the direction of the camp, ¡°Crysta, let¡¯s try lighting the bonfire without a match.¡± Crysta looked between the empty void of ck where the jaguar had been and the alpha beside her, trying to understand what had just happened. When it was clear Wyatt was not going to offer her an opinion, she also turned toward their camp. There was a change in the mind link too. Lina was in high spirits now,pared to the rage that had filled her when she¡¯d left them. ¡®You¡¯d think facing a jaguar would leave someone terrified,¡¯ Crysta thought to herself. When the two wolves reached the camp, they found Lina seated cross-legged by the fire pit blowing a small ember over dry grass. It was only moments before the small ember erupted into a decent me. The princess tended to the me, humming to a familiar tune until it was a decent campfire. ¡°Help me cut up the meat. We could roast it over the fire. I at least remember seeing salt in your bag. We should be able to eat something nice tonight,¡± Lina skipped over the bag that belonged to Crysta and started ruffling through it in search of a pack of salt. The delta hummed in reply and walked up to the skinned deer. With Wyatt¡¯s help, the two got to work preparing their supper. Lina went about setting up the fire for roasting the meat. She ced tworge t-topped stones on two sides of the fire. Narrow sticks were set on one of the stones and the princess was sharpening each of them with a spare knife she found in Crysta¡¯s bag... ¡®Meat skewers,¡¯ Crysta thought when she caught on to the princess¡¯s idea. The process moved rather quickly and before they knew it, Lina, with a little help from Wyatt, had prepared a sumptuous meal of roasted meat. The peaceful smile Lina carried never once faltered, ¡°Someone¡¯s in a good mood,¡± Crysta observed when they were done with their meal. Lina was quiet for a moment before replying, ¡°Yeah... I haven¡¯t felt my sister¡¯s presence in nearly two years.¡± In her mind, ¡®At least I know she¡¯s watching over me...¡¯ the princess unconsciously looked up at the moon high in the sky, ¡®Just watch me, sister. I¡¯vee so far...¡¯ Chapter 419 419 Lina¡¯s Campfire Story ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Crysta frowned. The delta had heard something concerning the lost princess and animals, but it didn¡¯t rte to what her friend was saying to her. Everyone knew Katie was capable ofmunicating with animals and had even used this ability to save hundreds of werewolves in the Lycaon empire right before she disappeared. But that didn¡¯t rte to what Lina was saying. Katie wasn¡¯t with them... How then could the princess feel her sister¡¯s presence? ¡°Back when we were in the reserve, I was trying to get back to the hotel,¡± Wyatt ground his teeth at the mention of the reserve, ¡°As you now know, I¡¯m not the best in telling directions, so I got terribly lost. I got so lost that I entered a cave, seeking shelter. I didn¡¯t know where to go and even the mind link failed me. I had gone too far from the hotel that I couldn¡¯t call out for help. Running in any direction could have even gotten me further. I was scared,¡± despite the sadness in the story, Lina told it with a smile on her face, ¡°It was only after I had settled into the cave that I realised there was a young bear cub sleeping within it. I simply needed to walk out before the mother came back and everything would be alright. I knew I was faster than a bear, but when I turned to leave, the beast was already standing there, blocking my way and she was furious. I was done for... With me between the bear and its cub, my situation had moved from bad to downright rotten,¡± Lina chuckled. ¡°When did that happen?¡± Wyatt asked. His voice was followed by a clicking sound. The alpha was holding a lighter up to one end of a cigar that no one had noticed him carrying. After lighting the cigar, he blew up a plume of smoke from his mouth and returned his attention to the princess. Lina stared at him wide-eyed as he stowed the lighter he¡¯d been carrying in his pocket. ¡®The nerve on this guy...¡¯ however, her mood was far too happy to let the outrageous person before her ruin it, ¡°I never did talk about that incident in detail, but that time, someone intervened before mama bear could turn me into a royal dish for the vultures. Katie came to my rescue. A brilliant white wolf that was evenrger than the bear that wanted to kill me. The bear was not shaken by her presence but didn¡¯t attack either. Katie bowed to the bear that day, just like I did earlier and the bear allowed her to take me out of the cave. That was the time I found out that she could talk to animals and also the time I learnt that animals are not mindless either. ..... That jaguar we saw didn¡¯t seem to fear me when I ran into it. It simply stared at me like I was another creature it had already been aware of. I couldn¡¯t help but remember what my sister did back then. I haven¡¯t felt this close to Katie since she left,¡± Lina finished her exnation and silence filled the night, only interrupted by the crackling fire they¡¯d made. Crysta was speechless from hearing the riveting tale of the Rogue Killer. Many stories had started to circle through the pce on the heroic acts of the Rogue Killer, making her more popr now that she was gone. Crysta still remembered the time she¡¯d managed to royally anger Katie. Perhaps that¡¯s why she could neverpletely feelfortable with the Lost princess. Katie had downed a tree as a result of missing her target. If it hadn¡¯t been for Cole pulling her out of the way at thest moment, Crysta wasn¡¯t sure if she would still be alive to this day. Katie was impulsive and never cared about what others thought about her. If anything rubbed her the wrong way, the Lost princess approached it directly and in some ways, she acted as though no one was above her... and at the same time acted as though no one was below her either, ¡°She would have made the perfect Luna for the Lycaon empire,¡± the words involuntarily left Crysta¡¯s lips while she was thinking. ¡°Will... Crysta. She ¡®will¡¯ make the perfect Luna,¡± Lina cooed excitedly beforeunching into another tale of her sister. As it so happened, more than Crysta had ever realised, Lina loved her sister dearly and idolised her so much. So much that the past two years suddenly made all the sense in the world. A week after Katie had vanished, Lina approached Beta Alpha Jackson and asked him to train her. It wasn¡¯t long before the Mighty Warrior Frank Silver started training her as well. The princess absorbed their lessons incredibly fast, quickly learning different ways of fighting and utilising her abilities. Her incredible agility turned out to be an incredible strength of hers and she was soon assigned another hunter to teach her how to utilise this ability of hers. As the months blew by, the resemnce between the two princesses began to be clearer. It was almost like Lina was going through a transformation and she was looking more like Katie as the days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months. Honour, trying to train along with her, was growing more beautiful as well as more powerful. Crysta could only keep up as much as her body allowed her to. She¡¯d learnt a lot from the hunter, but not as much or as fast as her Lina was capable. The limitations of a delta were soon made clear to her. She didn¡¯t have the spark of energy that Lina had from her lineage and was bound to watch her friend grow far stronger than her. ¡®That¡¯s the royal I was looking for back then... Who knew you were this much of ate bloomer?¡¯ the thought brought her chuckles. ¡°I¡¯ll take the first watch,¡± Wyatt offered when it started to gette, ¡°Sleep well,dies.¡± ¡°No, you need your rest, Wyatt. You were the most exhausted out of all of us. I don¡¯t want you to slow us down tomorrow, so sleep soundly. Crysta and I will handle the night watch.¡± With that order and a scoff from the alpha, Wyatt put out his cigar and retired to his tent, ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too harsh on him?¡± Crysta asked Lina. Lina sighed and eyed the closed p of the alpha¡¯s tent in thought, ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right, but... he hasn¡¯t yet given me a reason not to be either.¡± .......... In another part of the woods, a trio of shady wolves dashed through the woods, following a map they¡¯de to know like the back of their palms. After spending time in the woods, it only stood to reason that they knew the way to the Great Arena and knew all the best ces to restock supplies on their way there. Traversing the wild was nothing but child¡¯s y to these three and they travelled several leagues in a short span of time, stopping either to hunt or drink water. Without the power to shift with their bags, they tied their packs to the strongest of them and made sure to use water sources within the forest that were known only to them. Streams that didn¡¯t appear on maps, but were known to those that frequented this path. This reduced the number of times they needed to actually use their own water and they barely veered off course in search of water. They made it to the mountains in a shorter time than was normally possible, finally spotting the creature they were in pursuit of. The shifty-eyed leader of this trio smirked at the sight of their target, suddenly filled with fiendish malevolence. Cloaked in a white fur coat with a ck patch on his back and three ck-soled paws, Drake was running along the steep slopes of the mountain. Thergest part of the mountain was stone and very steep that the prince could not find a point to cross over it. The ranges also stretched far in both directions towering high, challenging the skies and intimidating any and all that approached them, blocking passage to the other side. Drake, however, didn¡¯t seem shaken by the possibility of not being able to cross the mountains, ¡®He must know of the mountain pass,¡¯ Victor thought to himself, watching the prince running along the steep mountain slope in search of some way to go through. The rogues stopped chasing after him and came to a stop when their shifty-eyed leader did. The two that were following him stopped rushing and turned to look at him, ¡°What is the problem?¡± one asked, having shifted back into his human form. Victor did the same, disregarding theck of clothes as was the norm among the rogues, ¡°He¡¯s going in the opposite direction of the Mountain Pass. He probably knows of its existence and has started looking for it, but since he doesn¡¯t make this trip a lot, he¡¯s a little lost. He doesn¡¯t know that yet, however... and we can use that to our advantage. We can make it through the pass before he finds it and be waiting for him on the other side. He¡¯ll be exhausted by then.¡± The rogues were thinking for a bit before allowing evil smirks to grace their faces, ¡°I like the way you think.¡± With that, the scheming began. It wasn¡¯t long before they started in the direction opposite to that of the prince. ¡®Vengeance... I can almost taste it,¡¯ Victor mused at his dark fantasies. Delusions of seeing the prince battered and at death¡¯s door. It was almost too good to be true. ...... Chapter 420 420 The Challenge of Cmity Drake Sirius had made quick progress and made it to the mountains early the next morning. It was faster than the average pace and he¡¯d considered taking it easy on his sister, but something kept him from doing so. He¡¯d seen the princess during her training for the past several months. Lina wasn¡¯t the same ¡®Little Sister¡¯ he was used to coddling. The Great Sirius mountains loomed over him, challenging him to take a step closer. The great slopes were almost too steep to climb and barren with no sign of life. Shifting back into his human form, Drake retrieved the map he was carrying and began studying it. He was sure the Mountain pass was somewhere among the ranges, but without knowing which part of the mountains he¡¯d escaped the forest from, he couldn¡¯t know which direction to find it. Thest time he¡¯d made this trip had been four years ago, during thest Royal games... ¡®I can¡¯t believe that trip alone was not enough for me to learn theyout of these mountains,¡¯ he cursed. Taking in a deep breath, the prince rxed. It was important to keep a levelled head when in a situation as harrowing as the Trials. Drake felt watchful eyes at his back, but shook off the feeling, ¡®The creatures of the wild are really active today,¡¯ he thought to himself, rolling the map and cing it back in his bag before shifting into hisrge white and ck wolf. ¡®I¡¯ll try my right first and if I go a long way without finding the pass, I¡¯ll know it¡¯s a dead end. Besides, after running for a bit, I should be able to make out the shape of the ranges and match it with the shapes on the map. That will give me a better idea of which direction the Mountain pass is located,¡¯ he thought to himself before dashing along the mountain slope. While running, thoughts assaulted the prince¡¯s mind. Thoughts he kept to himself... thoughts that not even his family knew about. And when they got too heavy, he would shake them off and focus on the positive side to all this... The Trials and the Royal games were apetition that was meant to bring unity and camaraderie between the two empires. It was an event of peace and celebration... and he was part of the entertainment. ¡®It would not be princely of me to bore the audience to death, now would it?¡¯ he encouraged himself. ¡®Just imagine I reached the Great Arena first and with no help whatsoever... What spells great King other than... Oh right, I stepped down... Well, I¡¯m still a prince of the Sirius Empire.¡¯ Drake was running for an hour before he had got a decent idea of the traceable shape to look for on the map. The prince stopped running, no longer feeling the eyes that were following him and retrieved his map. ..... His eyes hovered over the map for a moment before he found a side of the mountains identical to the side he¡¯d been running on. Staring at the map in disbelief, ¡°Ugh,e on...¡± the prince yelled in frustration. Drake was now certain he¡¯d been running in the wrong direction this entire time. The sun was rapidly climbing high in the sky and signalling howte the prince really was and sending shivers down his spine. ¡°Knowing how fast that devil is, she¡¯ll be able to make it here and screw up my headstart no problem, but then again, there is the fact that she¡¯s awful at telling directions,¡± the man thought to himself before taking a few swigs of water from his tin can. ¡°I won¡¯t be out of water soon, so I should be fine with the trip through the mountains. I have to make it through them fast if I¡¯m to hunt for something. Mountain creatures aren¡¯t exactly delectable,¡± he spoke out loud, shuddering at the thought of having to survive on the creatures that lived within the barren ranges. ¡®I¡¯m talking to myself again...¡¯ a thought crossed his mind. ¡®Have you ever experienced what it¡¯s like to be cut off from the pack link? Do you know the pain a wolf goes through when this happens?¡¯ another thought rumbled past his mind. The prince looked up at the towering ranges, ¡°Yeah, I used to know what that felt like... But now... Well, I¡¯ll have my answers soon enough. That¡¯s if I can gather enough courage,¡± he spoke to himself once more. Unlike the rest of the werewolfmunity, this odd Royal seemed to be operating fine without the pack link, despite his minimal questionable tendencies... ¡®After all, I¡¯m not alone. I can talk to the wind... and the trees, right?¡¯ Tendencies like that... When Drake was done refreshing himself, he changed course and started the run to the mountain pass. It was an hour and a half by the time he made it to therge opening that tore through the mountain pass like a knife had sliced through the ranges. The wind whistled loudly through the mountains notifying everyone close enough to hear of the break in the towering mountain¡¯s natural defence. The royal stood at the entrance to the gully that went straight through the mountains. The ck hairs atop his white coat stood up on high alert... something was wrong, but he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it. His nose picked up nothing and neither did his ears. But he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling, ¡®I wonder if my Lost Warrior Sister used to feel like this every time her enemies were close by,¡¯ he thought to himself. Two steep cliffs shot up on both sides of the path, providing one option only, straight through or not at all. It was like a god had taken a hot knife through the mountain like butter. The prince took a hesitant step through and entered the path only to have his nerves spike. For some reason, he could feel the eyes that had been watching him before, but this time with more intensity... more ferocity... He turned his eyes to the woods behind him, but there was nothing to confirm. Thatrge ck and white wolf stepped into the pass and started jogging through it, trying to shake the heavy feeling of danger that descended upon him. If he had simply looked up and paid attention to the top of the mountain, he would have noticed what was indeed watching him, but he had no idea of that either. Shaking the fears that gued him, the prince struck the ground with more ferocity, ¡®The sooner I¡¯m out of these mountains, the sooner I can do away with these jitters,¡¯ he thought to himself, shooting through the mountain pass with all the energy that his royal paws could muster. The hard stone floor of the pass hurt his paws, but that was nothing inparison to the feeling of danger that kept following him. At some point, he felt as though a colossal bird of prey was trying to scoop him up from the ground, but one look at the sky confirmed that it wasn¡¯t the case. ¡®Come on, Drake. Get a grip. There is nothing watching you. You¡¯re probably afraid of how this mountain looks like it could swallow you at any... Drake, that¡¯s not helping...¡¯ Tendencies like these indeed... When he was about to rx, he heard a deafening cracking sound from the top of the cliffs. The prince¡¯s eyes darted above him and that¡¯s when he saw it, cracks riddling the steep walls of the mountain pass above him. He looked ahead of him... miles of the path stretched out ahead of him with the exit nowhere near and the cracks riddling the cliffs around him were travelling faster than he could run. The prince skidded to a stop and watched the cracks continue to spread to the entire length of the steep escarpments. Suddenly his fears shed before him. The cliffs weren¡¯t going to hold... ¡®Why now... why, after centuries of existence would the Mountain pass copse now?¡¯ The ck and white wolf growled at the deafening mountain that shrieked back in challenge, threatening to cave in on him. Then everything went quiet all at once. The prince stood still at the centre of the mountain pass... The cracks had spread along the steep escarpments and rendered the rest of his path... dangerous. It was almost like his arrival had triggered this reaction... The feeling of eyes watching him returned. Something was definitely watching him... and now that he had stopped moving forward, the mountain had stopped crumbling as well. ¡®Something very wrong here...¡¯ he thought to himself, narrowing his eyes at the sides of the Mountain Pass. The white wolf took one step back... and in response to that minuscule action, a few pebbles and sand leaked out of the cracks and fell to the ground with cking sounds. The mountain groaned loudly... and all hell broke loose. Chapter 421 421 My! How the Tables have Turned The cracks were now quite pronounced and spread out to the distant front of the steep escarpments which was where the prince was supposed to be going. Further ahead, it looked as though the Mountain pass would cave in at any moment, however, this was not the same for the back of the gorge. Coincidentally, Drake was standing at the centre of this chaos, his destination riddled with uncertainty, yet the start of the gorge still looked perfectly safe. Looking back, the prince could see that he¡¯d already run a decent distance, however, it was nothingpared to what he had left to travel. ¡®Is there some other way to cross the mountains without going around them? That trip would be far too long and I¡¯m sure my speed devil of a sister could make it in much less time than I ever could...¡¯ ¡°Ugh, why do you have to be such a worthy adversary, Lina?¡± he screamed internally. To the standby observer, thisrge ck and white wolf was howling in frustration. The wolf hung its head low to the ground in desperate thought, but his decision was soon made for him as a low groaning sound made it to his keen sense of hearing. ¡®I just had to open my big mouth...¡¯ One more crack but this time in the direction he juste was enough for him to tell him that the Mountain pass waspletely unsafe. As if confirming his conclusion, the mountain groaned with more cracks riddling the two walls of the crumbling gorge... It wasing down. The prince turned on his heels, ¡°Why now of all times... you¡¯ve been standing for centuries... Oh, goddess of the moon that lights up the night sky, I was not meant to die like this... My Little Sister will think she¡¯s better than me.¡± .............. ¡°Wyatt, wake up... it¡¯s time to go. For goddess¡¯s sake, you sleep like a log,¡± Crysta shook the alpha awake, trying to understand how one werewolf could sleep so much. It was the third time she was trying to wake him up in the same morning. After having tried to wake him up twice before sunrise. ..... The sun was now out and clearly telling them howte they were. The two tents belonging to the princess and the delta had been neatly packed, but without being able to wake the alpha, it was impossible for them to work on packing his tent. ¡°Out of the way, Crysta,¡± Lina growled furiously. The delta looked back and saw her friend walking up to her with a mischievous grin. There was a slight twitch in Royal¡¯s eye which made her look borderline insane and in her hand, she held one of their water cans... The same water cans that were supposed to sustain them till they got to the creek. ¡°No, Lina, we need that water. Him, most of all,¡± Crysta tried. ¡°We¡¯ll get more water when we reach the stream. He, on the other hand, is wasting far more time than we can spare,¡± Lina replied, trying to push past her friend and spill water on the sleeping alpha. ¡°We have to be smart about this, Lina. We don¡¯t know what the future holds. What happens when one of us gets injured and we can¡¯t make it to the stream as fast as you expect us to do?¡± the delta suddenly asked. It was a usible scenario. ¡°No, that won¡¯t be happening,¡± the Royal growled stubbornly, ¡°Because we will make it to the finish line before my big brother and this one measly alpha won¡¯t slow us down any more than...¡± ¡°Lina, if it was Bree, would you do the same?¡± Crysta interrupted the rampaging Royal. Surprisingly, the princess wasn¡¯t forcing her way past her friend and the thought that she was holding back only lightly crossed Crysta¡¯s mind. This statement, however, had a negative effect, ¡°Bree knew what we were doing when we came on this journey. She would have woken up before I did and we would have already started our journey. In terms of consistency, she would be a much better travelpanion,¡± Lina fumed. ¡°But she¡¯s not here now and it¡¯s because she knew we would do better with him than we could with her...¡± ¡°Did she though? When we set off, none of us thought he prove weaker than you are. In fact, he made it seem like he was stronger than you,¡± Lina argued, ¡°At this rate, the colour of his eyes could be nothing but a fluke.¡± ¡°Hearing thating from you, of all people. My, how the tables have turned? How the might have fallen?¡± a male voice interrupted the quarrelling females. Wyatt was standing with both backpacks assigned to him slung over his shoulders and the tent he¡¯d been sleeping in already packed, ¡°Maybe you would try to think of the weight of carrying these bags. I am not exactly running empty-handed here.¡± ¡°Can you feel the weight of the bags when you shift?¡± Crysta was suddenly curious. It¡¯s not like she knew what it was like to have your belongings stay with you after a shift. ¡°Yes, yes, I can. And running with them for three-hour periods is even worse,¡± the man replied with a yawn, ¡°Now can we get going?¡± Lina sighed and turned to the alpha, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for everything you just heard. I just don¡¯t want to lose to my dorky brother. I can already imagine the grin on his face when he finally says... ¡®You still have a little way to go, Little Sister.''¡± Chuckling, ¡°I don¡¯t consider him the type to brag. Although I see no shame in losing to your brother. He¡¯s tough to beat. In thest Royal games, he was able to go head-to-head with Cole Lycaon, the one people nicknamed The Impervious tank back in the day. So don¡¯t get yourself too worked up,¡± Wyatt spoke up, seemingly unbothered by the insults that had been indirectly hurled at him during the girls¡¯ argument. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right about that, but...¡± Lina balled her fists, ¡°I¡¯ll be the one going against Cole this year. All you¡¯ve said would be true if I hadn¡¯t worked so hard to make myself powerful enough to face my brother. I can¡¯t lose to him. I refuse to lose to him.¡± The princess walked up to Wyatt and yanked a bag from one of his shoulders, slinging it over hers before shifting, ¡°You better run like losing will kill you... because if it doesn¡¯t, I just might.¡± During Lina¡¯s conversation with Wyatt, Crysta hid behind a tree and changed out of her clothes before shifting. The tone in Lina¡¯s voice sent shivers down her spine. The Trials were getting Lina more worked up than the delta had ever seen her... ever. She didn¡¯t know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing... to see Lina want to win something so badly. ¡®Could there be something Lina hasn¡¯t told me yet?¡¯ Wyatt being the only one left in human form was tasked with packing Crysta¡¯s clothes before shifting into his ck wolf himself. In a few minutes, they were running again with Crysta leading the way. Chapter 422 422 Fear and Panic The steep sides of the mountain corridor had ceased their indecisive groaning and were now letting loose rocks of all sizes, including boulders down upon anything that dared to cross the gap between them. This, unfortunately, included Drake. The wolf dashed back in the direction he came, fear coursing through his body, ¡®This mountain pass is more than ten times my father¡¯s age. Why now? I should have run as soon as the gorge started grumbling... What was I thinking standing around?¡¯ the prince mentally yelled. His wolf took the reins and got a hold of his musclespletely against the prince¡¯s permission. This wasn¡¯t to make him run faster as he¡¯d thought though... The ck wolf suddenly jerked to the left and at thest possible moment as well. For a giant boulder the size of a bison crushed in the position, he would have been had it not been for his wolf¡¯s agile reaction. Drake allowed himself a second of shock before resuming his mad dash. The gorge wasn¡¯t letting down mere pebbles anymore and the distraction and rumblings of the crumbling wall were now exponentially louder. ¡°I guess you¡¯re done bluffing, huh, Sirius mountains... How dare you try to kill your namesake!¡¯ another bison-sized boulder hushed the prince¡¯s rambling thoughts. He had to focus on saving his hide. Drake dashed across the stone floor of the gorge, disregarding the aching pain in his paws each time he struck the hard ground. He thought for sure the bones in his paws would shatter at the sheer continuous impact, but thankfully, his paws held firm, despite the throbbing pain as he dashed for the exit. Without his consent, his muscles tightened once more, ruining his fluid running. The ck and white wolf nted his paws firmly on the ground in a desperate effort to bring himself to a stop. When he had just stopped, he quickly darted to the right, dodging another falling rock that had nearly crushed him. This one was nearly the size of a house and he understood that simply weaving to the right while at top speed wouldn¡¯t have gotten him clear of the boulder. ¡®How does my wolf know when to dodge... Never mind, I¡¯m barely alive as it is...¡¯ this time his thoughts sounded more like a desperate cry for help... ¡®If it was Little Sister in this situation, she would have made it to the other side by now... but no, it had to me getting stuck in the middle of a crumbling gorge, not that I would want Little Sister to get trapped in a crumbling gorge... Why did this have to happen to me anyway? I used this pass thest time without any problem...¡¯ ..... Drake was almost sure he heard his wolf growl within his head... but dismissed it as effects of the fear of death that was currently ensnaring his entire being. The prince felt like retreating to the back of his mind and letting his wolf handle everything. He had dodged two boulders... Two boulders that wererge enough to kill him, but he wasn¡¯t nearly as close to getting out of the Mountain pass either. A loud deafening crash stopped his thoughts and sent shivers down his wolf spine. A boulder the size of a house had just crushed far in front of him,pletely closing off the path he was headed in. Now he was sure of what his wolf had actually been trying to dodge when he stopped abruptly. This sudden development, however, only put him in more danger. The prince shifted into his human form and searched for a spot on therge boulder to act as a foothold for him to climb. Turning back was not an option and staying put would be a sure way ofmitting suicide. The instinctual fear within him was slowly turning into panic Drake took hold of the side of the rock before him and began to climb. He feared so much for his life that he didn¡¯t notice he cracked the rock under the pressure of his grip. Surprisingly quickly, he made it to the other side of therge boulder and shifted into his wolf form even before hitting the ground and as soon as he did, he was bolting as fast as his Royal paws could manage. This time, his wolf worked in his favour and quickly supplied the prince¡¯s limbs with all the support it could from the extra divine energy Royals possessed. Drake didn¡¯t have the time or focus to notice how fast he was running. He simply wanted to get out of danger. Without realising it, the white and ck wolf darted out of the corridor at a high speed that gradually turned him into a blur, leaving a divine blue streak in his path. The moment he was out of the corridor, he copsed, rolling several times on the moist loam bordering the forest at the gorge¡¯s exit. Without putting much thought into properly braking, he tripped the moment he tried and violently rolled towards the trees, crashing right through the first tree he rammed into at the forest tree line with a massive force. He went right through it and mmed into another under the cover of the forest. This crash, however, was nothing inparison to the loud roar that came from the copsing gorge. Drake, feeling sore, raised his head in time to see everything he¡¯d staked his hopes on winning, crumbling before his eyes. The whole Mountain pass was getting destroyed right before his eyes and there was nothing he could do about it. Soon, it would be nothing but rubble... the result of a Cmity. The blue shimmer about him had not yet vanished and he only caught a glimpse of it in his peripheral vision. His curiosity vanished when he took a look at his paws and body, there was nothing out of the ordinary. The ck and white wolf stood up stretching his legs in search of the bruises and broken bones he was sure to have. After fully stretching all his previously sore muscles, Drake froze in ce, his heart racing even more. There wasn¡¯t a scratch on him. Not even his aching paws retained the bruises he was sure to have felt when he was running through the gorge. ¡®I¡¯m d I¡¯m fine... and there is no use worrying about that now... but wait, what happened just now? No... I need to find another way across this mountain. Little Sister has already made enough progress to nearly catch up to me by now,¡¯ steeling his resolve, Drake decided against thinking about the oddities of his situation. Nothing made sense, but worrying about it would only make him lose the Trials and he wasn¡¯t willing to do that. Chapter 423 423 Brown and Ecstatic Drake Sirius froze at the sight of paws in mint condition. The pain that had gued him during his mad dash was gone. What was more was that his wolf retreated to the back of his mind, like its mission had been aplished. The prince was still trembling from the near-death experience... but something elseforted him. ...He hadn¡¯t brought anyone with him this time. If he hade with someone during these Trials, he would have had trouble protecting them from something like this. Were the rogues behind this sudden development? Mountains didn¡¯t suddenly change their topography without a trigger. If this had been an earthquake, the trees in the surrounding forest would have been affected and much more than the Mountain pass would have been taken down in the ensuing destruction. He had questions... but questions that added to more questions that gued him. ¡®Nearly two years of nothing... And yet, my gut tells me that it¡¯s when we should have been worried the most.¡¯ The prince blocked a deluge of memories and shifted into his human form. He had questions, but standing around wasn¡¯t going to get him any answers. He retrieved the map that had been guiding him thus far and started studying it. Without the Mountain pass, he was going to have to change his entire n. There was a creek that came out one side of the mountain not far south of the mountain pass. The contours surrounding the creek made him scrunch his brows. This can¡¯t be right, can it?¡¯ The lines that told altitude changes suggested an anomaly with this creek. What was more was that it didn¡¯t wind around the peaks. The creek went winding up the mountain, almost like it came from the very top. ..... ¡®cial river!¡¯ It was clear the creek wasing from the peaks of the mountain. Going up the creek was one option but that meant going over the freezing peaks of the Great Sirius mountains. Drake shuddered at the thought of having to get that high into the air. Not to mention the air was thinner the higher one went. ¡®The Trials just got a lot more difficult. I wonder what Little Sister will do about this... Good luck, Little Sister.¡¯ If I hunt now, I should be able to make it to the other side of the mountain before I need to hunt again. I can collect water from the creek. It might be freezing, but well, I¡¯m not in the pce. Can¡¯t get picky, right? Finally making his choice, Drake wrapped up the map, shifted and started the journey south. ........ At the same scene of this devastation, among the top rubble that covered the plugged corridor, a hand stuck out through the pebbles and dust announcing the life of one of the three rogues that had been watching Cole... waiting for the right moment. Victor forced himself out from underneath the rubble and tried dusting his browned self to no avail, ¡®That didn¡¯t go exactly ording to n.¡¯ There was a ledge near the top of the steep escarpments that had allowed the rogues ess to a front-row seat watching the prince meet his doom. This ledge, despite their meticulous calction, had crumbled as well. Victor had to run as fast as his average werewolf strength could manage. He could have made it if he was Drake... or at least a delta, but the same royal had stripped him of that power. This was the source of his hatred towards Drake. At some point, he switched from trying to get the prince to forgive him to trying to kill the prince so that hismands would lose effect. His incessant obsession with getting revenge also contributed to his carelessness and his scheme hadn¡¯t gone ording to n. The three of them had fallen when the narrow path couldn¡¯t hold out any longer as well. Fortunately for them, this path was among thest things to give way and when they fell down, the fall wasn¡¯t that high and the rubble that hit them was minimal. Victor was covered in numerous small cuts and bruises. He could feel many parts of his body aching as well, but he was alive and he could walk. In the end, he survived. A dark chuckle left his lips, slowly building up to a loud evil cackle that rumbled across the blocked gorge, ¡°What is wrong with you? Are you trying to get them to hear you?¡± one of his rogue cronies who was only getting up as well asked him. ¡°Oh no, it doesn¡¯t matter now. There is no way that fraud of a royal could have survived this... We... I seeded. The prince is dead and it can all be considered some unfortunate ident,¡± the man continued to cackle, his bliss getting out of hand, ¡°My revenge... finally... take that, smug self-righteous bastard. In the end, what did those worthless virtues get you?¡± his cackling continued, however, this time he started stomping on the rubble beneath him almost like he wanted his words to reach the dead prince several feet beneath the rubble. The third rogue looked at him wide-eyed and shook his head in disbelief, ¡°This dude¡¯s insane. You can stop celebrating now. That was far too easy to kill a royal. We¡¯ll have to look for another royal to at least get confirmation from their conversations. They are more connected to each other than normal wolves, so if he is indeed dead, they will feel it. That¡¯s one way we can know that something happened. If they are stricken by grief.¡± Victor finally got a hold of himself, even if he couldn¡¯t wipe the mad grin off his face, ¡°You¡¯re right... the looks on their faces will certainly be golden. Oh, that moment when thatrge boulder trapped him in the pass was the best. I couldn¡¯t help it... the excitement was almost too much to contain. It¡¯s sad that the ledge had to start trembling at that moment and the dust became impossible to see through.¡± ¡°This path that we¡¯ve destroyed was an important route for both rogues and humans alike. Let¡¯s hope the rogue king likes the way you¡¯ve wasted it. I¡¯ve seen some messed-up rogues before... Even the generals seem to have a screw or two loose... but you, you¡¯re something else,¡± the other rogue chuckled, ¡°Now let¡¯s head off to the Great Arena.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment... and we won¡¯t need to go to the Great Arena. We merely need to trail the next royal that¡¯s going toe through here. Lina Sirius will offer us all the confirmation we need,¡± the man chuckled darkly, ¡°Who knows? We might just be able to bring her some share of misfortune. If she chooses to use the river to make her way across, getting rid of anything that can keep her warm will increase her chances of dying from the cold at the top of the mountain.¡± ¡°You¡¯re vile, Victor,¡± the taller rogue with a deep voice confirmed. Despite the other¡¯s appearances, he wasn¡¯t as dirty. In fact, he looked clean inparison to the rest and Victor was now just noticing it. ¡°Hey, how did you stay clean?¡± Victor asked. ¡°I got lucky. I held onto a jutting rock from the crumbling road while the mountain caved in. That part didn¡¯t crumble and I simply had to wait out the tremors,¡± the man said to him. Victor shrugged and led his cronies back over the rubble on the mountain pass in the direction opposite that of the Great Arena. They followed him, doing their best to ignore the mad grin that wouldn¡¯t vanish from his face. He was ecstatic. ¡°Isn¡¯t he getting ahead of himself? We¡¯d feel something if the prince had died, right,¡± the shorter man asked his tallerrade. ¡°Just let him be. There is no point in trying. As for whether we would be able to feel the prince¡¯s death, I don¡¯t know. The moment one chooses to be a rogue, they are cut off from the moon goddess¡¯s sight. Our wolves even start to turn into themon dirty grey and we look the same as ordinary wolves. I don¡¯t think we¡¯d feel the death of a royal at all,¡± the taller and seemingly moreposed rogue replied, sighing. He could see no point in trying to advise the man while his mind continued to feed him with dreams of a world without Drake Sirius. ¡°But do we really have to shift again? We just got these coats,¡± the shorter rogue whined, finally realising the implication of their new mission. ¡°We¡¯ll find another stash of clothes. I¡¯m notfortable travelling in human form. Have you any idea what dangers lie in these mountains?¡± the taller rogue was quick to argue... but that¡¯s also when he realised that hispanions had no idea what he was talking about. ¡°What... kind of dangers?¡± A silence took over them... ¡®This is going to be a long lecture.¡¯ Chapter 424 424 Cherishing the Little Things The scent of fresh morning dew hung in the air, the warmth of the rising sun against the skin, and the slightly cold breeze that announced the changing seasons. These natural subtleties of nature didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the still king that seemed deep in thought. Lately, Cole Lycaon had begun to take note of the little things in life. He now knew the serene calmness that came to one who walked through a meadow and let their thoughts wander. ...the delight one could take from something as simple as reading a book to ease the mind. Now the king stood in front of three grey headstones that were starting to change colours with time. The trio of headstones were some of the newest in the cemetery. Despite that, they were already starting to grow moss at their bases. With minimal maintenance, they could be kept looking good without disturbing the resting ce of their loved ones. Among the countless headstones scattered through the cemetery, this grey trio held the most sentimental value to the king... ...aside from that of his dearly-departed mother. ¡®Good morning, Father,¡¯ Cole thought to himself, cing the assorted wreath of flowers he¡¯d brought with him by the headstone. Cole stepped back from the man¡¯s headstone, his eyes never leaving the engraved letters of his father¡¯s name, and took a seat in a white chair that had been set there for him a while ago. The king was known toe to this ce at least once every week. At first, the werewolves thought this would go on for as long as he was mourning, but soon enough, it became clear that he would keep visiting the graves of the past king and his beta alphas. ...and no one questioned this decision. ..... On the contrary, most found it to be admirable of him. The rumours of the king¡¯s hatred toward his father faded with each visit he made to the cemetery. King Cole didn¡¯t care for the rumours that milled through the ranks of pack warriors and civilians in the capital. He had an empire to run after all. ¡°It¡¯s getting easier. I¡¯m actually surprised the empire has been doing well this long. I know I¡¯m not as strong as you were. I owe a lot of it to my beta alphas. Caden and Jason adjusted to all of this like they were born for it. They¡¯ve been a great help... Kyle too,¡± Cole sucked in a deep breath at the thought of his mate¡¯s beta alpha. The man¡¯s face blew through his mind with a myriad of memories of the past several months. Some were as serious as training while others, holding equal significance, were simply memories of Kyle goofing off with Jason and sometimes... Caden. Despite the beta alpha¡¯s treacherous and dark past, Kyle was showing an astounding will to change and the results were equally staggering. ¡°I¡¯d thought I will be taking care of Kyle like she wanted me to... but no, he¡¯s doing fine on his own. If there¡¯s anyone who¡¯s still struggling, that would be me... and Margaret.¡± The king thought back to the numerous times he¡¯d seen a tear unexpectedly roll down the queen¡¯s cheek. She often spaced out and took mncholic moods at nostalgic times of the day. Cole sighed and leaned back in his seat. ¡®The Trials... They are back again. I wish you could be here to watch them... All of you, but you¡¯re not. I hoped Katie would at least be here to go through them with me. Yeah, that would have been fun, but... I guess she¡¯s not. It¡¯s almost two years since she left. Sometimes it feels like she¡¯s noting back at all, but... Kyle is still alive, so I know she¡¯s still alive.¡¯ ¡°There you are, dear,¡± a melodic voice interrupted the peaceful silence of the empty cemetery. Colezily turned his head to a dazzling woman walking towards him. Margaret was dressed in a creamy-white gown and carried herself gracefully, exuding the aura of a queen. Her sparkling sapphire eyes were the only other pair that existed in the empire of Lycaon. Thest two remaining royals of the Lycaon empire. ¡°I was just... paying them a visit like I always do,¡± Cole replied, getting up from his seat, ¡°Good morning, mother.¡± ¡°Good morning, Cole,¡± Margaret hugged the king lovingly. After releasing him, she walked past him and to the headstone nked by two others, Alpha Duncan and Alpha Cross. This was the ce King Trevor had been buried after the attack on the Lycaon capital nearly two years ago. Margaret ced her wreathe beside Cole¡¯s and pressed both her palms together in prayer, settling into afortable silence. While she retreated into her mind, in prayer and memory, Cole took his seat. His mind wandered as he tapped his thumb on the armrest unconsciously, thinking of nothing in particr. Queen Margaret was now a widow and Cole¡¯s only surviving rtive. King Trevor didn¡¯t have any brothers and for reasons that Cole didn¡¯t know of, had no parents either. Unlike the Sirius empire which was filled with Royals, the Lycaon family was dwindling in number with their only hope of an heir gone from the mortal world. This was the very reason why the Lycaon pce had been offered more protection by the hunters during the attack on the Moon Goddess¡¯s chosen twenty years ago. The baby had survived the attack but his father had sustained a serious injury while trying to protect him... and his mother had already died duringbour. For a long time, the empire of Lycaon was shrouded in an era of darkness, with a wavering future. Cole even remembered his thoughts of running away from the pce those many years ago but the beautiful woman kneeling in front of him had kept him from making such a terrible decision. The empire wouldn¡¯t survive without Cole... He was the only heir to the throne... ¡°Why didn¡¯t you...¡± the question hadn¡¯t fullye out when the queen finished it for him. ¡°-have another child?¡± Queen Margaret sighed. After a short pause, ¡°-I don¡¯t know. We tried... many times but weren¡¯t sessful. I wasn¡¯t worried though.¡± ¡°Howe?¡± ¡°I had you,¡± the queen turned around, a loving smile gracing her countenance. ¡°...I¡¯m d you were there for me and hope you can continue to be here,¡± Cole returned her smile. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m here Cole. Do you really think you would be able to function without me?¡± the woman cocked her head to the side, ¡°Who would have taught you to swim? You didn¡¯t even know how to have proper fun. You¡¯ve always been hopeless without me.¡± The king chuckled lightly beforeughing hard. Unable to keep her facade, the queenughed along with him, ¡°You¡¯re right. I was a mess growing up.¡± ¡°Oh? What did I miss?¡± a male voice interrupted the Royals. The two Royals turned to see a blonde male walking up to them. He wore a smirk on his face and looked bigger than he¡¯d been two years ago havingpletely grown into his role as a beta alpha. Beta alpha Jason had died his hair blonde a few months ago and was as cheery as ever, ¡°Oh, not much, Jason. Is everything ready?¡± Cole replied, standing up to address his dear friend. ¡°We must hurry or you¡¯ll miss the best part. Kyle might have gotten a little carried away,¡± Jason chuckled, ¡°Not with that abnormal growth spurt and annoying attitude adjustment.¡± ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, Beta Jace,¡± Margaret ced her hands on her hips... shaking her head. ¡°Oh,e on... My transformation is normal inparison to his, but I understand where you¡¯reing from.¡± Turning to the King, ¡°Shall we go, then?¡± ¡°Lead the way,¡± Cole nodded. With that, the beta alpha gave a slight nod and turned to the cemetery exit. ......... Chapter 425 425 Duel for the History Books It wasn¡¯t long before they made the trip from the cemetery to the training arena on the ground floor of the colossal Lycaon pce. As they approached the double doors of the gym-like training arena, the trio could hear loud noisesing from the pack warriors inside, ¡°What¡¯s with all thismotion?¡± Cole asked. ¡°It would be better for you to see for yourself,¡± Jason facepalmed, ¡°Everyone¡¯s psyched up.¡± Inside the gym, the pack warriors were gathered around thergest ring at the centre of the gym-like training arena and shouting all sorts of things. From the few sounds, he heard statements like ¡®Kick that rookie¡¯s butt¡¯ or others like ¡®Size is not all that matters¡¯ and ¡®Don¡¯t go getting cocky, boy.¡¯ Cole could clearly deduce what was going on. Inside the ring, two men, both heavily built, but one clearlyrger than the other were shirtless and cautiously circling each other, unbothered by the noise that bounced about the colossal room. Therger man, despite all logic, was Kyle. He wore a cocky grin on his face and bore within his eye, a determined glint. Even when his opponent was going to be beta alpha Caden, Kyle didn¡¯t show a shred of fear in his eyes as any other normal person would. It was the same look the king had seen countless times in Katie or Sandra¡¯s eyes when they went against the odds, ¡®Is he really excited?¡¯ Cole asked himself. ¡°Cole, what¡¯s going on?¡± the queen asked when she noticed the king was not shaken by this odd disy. The werewolves in the room were expecting a battle of the ages and the king wasn¡¯t trying to break it up. ¡°It¡¯s a contest to decide who gets to go with me on the Trials. Normally, it would be Jason and Caden with me, but this year, we realised one of them has to stay and run the kingdom.¡± ¡°Why couldn¡¯t Kyle just fill in for you while you were gone?¡± Cole paused at the question. Even he was surprised the queen hadn¡¯t thought twice about asking him this, considering Kyle¡¯s treacherous history. ..... Shrugging off the implications that the beta alpha had fought to gain the trust of the kingdom, he answered the queen, ¡°W-we tried that but when Kyle heard that we would be leaving, he argued that it was unfair and challenged Caden to a duel. Whoever loses, stays behind to run the kingdom while the others go with me on the Trials. Since Caden was the one put in charge of training him, it only seemed right that he was the one Kyle would challenge. If he can beat Caden, then he will have earned the right to go in his ce.¡± The queen turned back to the beta alphas that were just about to duke it out. The two figures were like gods of destruction about to face each other. A beta alpha was a force to be reckoned with in the werewolf world, one that even the royals tried their best not to antagonize... and yet here were two of them, about to face off like it was nothing. ¡®What has the worlde to?¡¯ the queenmented. Caden had years of experience as a fighter on his side, while Kyle only had his heightened abilities that seemed to surpass those of both the king¡¯s beta alphas. The factors that could determine the oue of this duel were far too many for her to put into mere words. In the end, she couldn¡¯t tell who would win. Caden was an amazing fighter and at first nce, that was the conclusion anyone woulde up with. Caden would be the obvious winner of this battle... and yet, there was doubt. Kyle had been training a lot in the past two years and the improvements he¡¯d made until this point were by leaps and bounds. For anyone that had been watching his progress, the decision on who would win was not as simple as experience. The queen unknowingly smirked, ¡°Interesting...¡± ¡°So you can¡¯t wait to see who wins either?¡± the King raised a brow at her. ¡°Even I get curious every once in a while, dear. Besides, whoever wins this will be able to protect you better out there,¡± the queen sighed. ¡°If the king has agreed to this, then I¡¯ll go and initiate the duel,¡± Jason suggested and left only after receiving a confirmatory nod from Cole. ¡°I¡¯m surprised they were able to keep themselves from starting the fight this long,¡± the queenmented as the two royals turned for the bleachers. At times like this, this part of the arena became useful. Cole, along with Queen Margaret could oversee the entire match from higher ground without any hindrance from the cheering mob of pack warriors. ¡°This is stupid. We all know who¡¯ll win. Good morning, Cole,¡± a female beta approached the king, getting her sentencesing out in the wrong order. The king continued seemingly unperturbed by the sudden neer, ¡°Good morning, Be. I wouldn¡¯t call it ¡®stupid.¡¯ When you look at it from Kyle¡¯s perspective, he finally gets to prove that Caden¡¯s lessons have been teaching him to be a better fighter.¡± ¡°Even then, he¡¯s only been training for two years. You, Caden and Jason, were training for much longer than he has. It was after serious training that the three of you could even think of taking on King Trevor¡¯s beta...¡± ¡°BELLA,¡± the king suddenly snapped at her, his eyes shing bright blue. The delta recoiled, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your majesty. I shouldn¡¯t have... brought him up.¡± Be held her head low in a bow of submission. Through the mind link, Cole could feel the fear that coursed through her body... However, it was mixed with worry and concern along with emotions that the prince couldn¡¯t decipher. Any other emotions would have made this situation worse. Cole sighed and the blue tinge that had started to taint his vision vanished, ¡°Then keep it in mind the next time you decide to speak...¡± Cole paused. The room had gone quiet and everyone had turned their attention to the source of the king¡¯s booming voice. Most of the pack warriors hadn¡¯t noticed the kinge in when he did and had continued along with their actions... Now some of them wore looks of horror. Cole was here... and they weren¡¯t training. Instead, they were all standing around a ring urging a fight that had nothing to do with the king¡¯s development. In a disorderly panic, the pack warriors hurriedly turned to the king and bowed in unison, ¡°Your Majesty! How¡¯s your morning?¡± Queen Margaret chuckled, ¡°Isn¡¯t it funny when they think you¡¯re going to be mad at them for cking off?¡± Cole sighed and turned to the bleachers. Speaking through the mind link, he directed his thoughts to Be, ¡®Now see what you¡¯ve done. I would have liked to witness my subjects in their most natural state. And after I had gone through so much to conceal my presence.¡¯ ¡°Everyone at ease... I¡¯m only here to watch the duel. Same as all of you. May the strongest beta alpha win,¡± with that, the pack warriors let out an uproar in support of the first-ss entertainment they were about to witness. ¡°In the Rookie¡¯s corner... you know why I¡¯m calling it that. We have our newest beta alpha, one that was turned by our very own Luna. Standing before us today several timesrger than the scrawny little runt that came to us two years ago...¡± ¡°Jace, you don¡¯t have to...¡± Kyle tried, but the man was not paying attention. He was already going... ...and there was no stopping him. ¡°He might look mighty... He might look beefy... He might even taste good as a dish that rivals venison, but he¡¯s nothing to take too lightly. It¡¯s Kyle, the Third Lycaon Beta Alpha,¡± there was a chorus of cheers andughter bursting through the crowd as Jason continued to rile them up. ¡°Yes, you heard me right, gentle warriors. The rumours are true. Kyle challenged his former teacher and mentor to a duel. The winner of this duel gets to apany the King on the Trials. Standing in the opposite corner, with a size, weight and physique perfectly identical to yours truly. Confident and experienced, less beefy and probably less tasty. Packed with a temper that¡¯s to be feared by all and enoughbat prowess to send a hunter to the hospital. Lycaon¡¯s very own serious Beta alpha and one of the king¡¯s right-hand men... we have Caden.¡± Caden stared wide-eyed at his friend, ¡°You¡¯re enjoying yourself a little too much this time...¡± Jason smirked but didn¡¯t reply to his friend¡¯s ¡®wild¡¯ usation. Instead, the referee beta alpha thrust his hand high into the air. The arena went dead silent at the gesture and the two contestants suddenly froze and focused on each other. If anyone watching this didn¡¯t know what was going on, they would have felt as though the match was unfair. Beta alphas had astounding physiques, but Kyle seemed to be an anomaly. Not to mention the speed at which he had been improving himself in the past two years. Coupled with his hulking appearance, there was proof from the many times that he¡¯d proved it, that his power was only increasing. Muscr build and an arrogant smirk were not all he had to show for his training. There was actual skill building up within the rookie beta alpha. From afar, he was like a walking tank of raw power that was ready to crush any and all opponents. The two wolves stared themselves down, each determined to overpower the other. Despite the way this situation looked, Caden was dead calm. His eyes were those of a seasoned warrior. In their crimson depthsy tales of battles that had made him the warrior that he was today and garnered the respect that made this battle extremely unpredictable. Tension rose in the air and the whole audience tensed up, growing anxious to know what was going to happen. Jason¡¯s smile grew even wider in anticipation. The tension between these two was so thick you could cut it with a de, ¡®I expect a duel for the history books.¡¯ With that thought to both the alphas, he let his hand drop... A signal to start the battle... It was then, that the battle for the king¡¯s escort position would be decided... Throughbat and wit alone: the requirements needed by anyone who was to make it in a world so vicious. Chapter 426 426 You¡¯re no Rogue Killer Kyle was the first to lunge forward, closing the distance between the two warriors in a short second. Despite his hulking frame, the rookie alpha was quick on his feet and where hecked in speed, he made up for with brute strength. He went for a punch to his mentor¡¯s face meant to disorient himpletely. Caden¡¯s eyes looked genuinely surprised if only for a second before he tipped his head to the side, dodging the attack by the breadth of a hair before making his next move. The Rookie alpha was not holding back and that first attack sent the message home. The king¡¯s beta alpha quickly moved his feet, pivoting on one and avoiding the knee that was aimed at his gut. The colossal alpha¡¯s eyes turned in their sockets, desperately scanning for his mentor¡¯s smaller frame in the time that he could not react. Kyle didn¡¯t bring his leg to the ground after missing the attack to the gut as that would have taken him too much time. Even a second was too much to waste when fighting his mentor. So instead, he extended his leg out and swung it in a fast viciousteral arc. Caden leapt back and just narrowly missed the power kick that would probably have broken a few ribs. He¡¯d been on the receiving end of the Rookie alpha¡¯s attacks before andtely, they were packing one hell of a punch. ¡°You¡¯re as nimble as always, Alpha Caden,¡± Kyle growled before rushing in for another attack. Caden snarled in frustration, ¡°You¡¯re getting too full of yourself, boy.¡± ..... Kyle¡¯s next attack was a downward strike with his folded fist aimed at his mentor¡¯s shoulders which had gained the name, Hammer Strike because of the way it resembled the motion of a hammer. The move had numerous ws and wasmonly executed when one¡¯s opponent was worn down and too tired to evade. If this hit true, Caden would copse from the pain of feeling his vicle shift from its normal ce. Instead of evadingpletely like before, however, the beta alpha spun in ce and delivered a full-force kick to the hulking man¡¯s gut. Kyle normally wouldn¡¯t be shaken by an attack like this one... if it hade from a normal pack warrior. The Rookie alpha had worked to make his body impervious to most attacks. His body had grown resistant to the pain of most hits and he¡¯d even gotten into the habit of letting some strikes through simply because they couldn¡¯t cause any real damage. In short, he could take a punch! But this was Caden... It was going to take a lot more than workouts to keep the man¡¯s herculean strength from causing some form of damage. Packed with the momentum from Caden¡¯s well-executed spin and the incredible strength he naturally possessed, the rookie alpha was sent flying to the side of the ring in ateral arc, catching himself at the ropes. The battle had only just begun, but Kyle was panting heavily, partly because he just had all the air knocked out of him and partly because this battle was much... much harder than he thought it would be. There was a gasp in the crowd, the first break in the silence that had gripped them since the start of the fight. Kyle got himself up, holding onto the ropes for support as he recovered. Caden looked to be in much better shape. There wasn¡¯t a scratch on him and he didn¡¯t look even the slightest bit winded. This was the first hit tond since the fight had started. They were moving so fast that it was hard to follow. After witnessing this first attack, however, a silence swept through the room, only momentarily and it was quickly followed by a massive uproar. To the rest of the warriors watching, these two were moving almost too fast for their eyes to follow, but to the two of them, everything had gone incredibly slow and quick calcting thoughts and reflexes were the difference between victory and defeat. Kyle finally regained hisposure and stood ready to attack his mentor once more, ¡°I knew this would not be easy, but still... you¡¯re one hell of a fighter, Caden.¡± Caden knitted his brows... There it was again, the tone he¡¯d used earlier, ¡°Haven¡¯t you learnt anything yet?¡± ¡°No...¡± these were Kyle¡¯sst words before he dashed toward Caden, staying low to the ground this time and keeping his arms outstretched. Not wasting time, Cadenunched into an attack of his own. Kyle¡¯s movements were obvious this time since his hands were spread out. A brutish move that allowed him to lift his opponent off the ground and m them into the ground. This attack only worked when the person someone was fighting an opponent smaller or simply much lighter than they were. Having size on one¡¯s side, however, would mean that person wouldn¡¯t get much space to escape their grip and guarantee a high level of sess. It also had to be executed fast enough to avoid any kind of counter. The hulking frame quickly approaching Caden could definitely lift him up. It was another one of the frightening things about Kyle¡¯s transformation. In terms of brute strength, Kyle had the upper hand, ¡®If he pulls this off, no... no time to think about that.¡¯ Caden brushed off the distracting thoughts and brought his hands down to his sides. Two calcting steps forward and power jumpter, Caden was soaring through the air with his legs stretched forward and aimed for... Kyle¡¯s face. At the speed they were going, the impact would probably shatter anyone¡¯s jaw. The speed at which Kyle was approaching and the momentum of Caden¡¯s whole body was enough to put a dent into a metal beam if he was to collide with one... ...and it should have taken the Rookie alpha out. Caden collided with Kyle¡¯s face, stopping the hulking man in his tracks and sending him back several metres. The king¡¯s beta alpha bent his knees and kicked off Kyle¡¯s body, but as his toes lost contact with the man¡¯s body, he felt a hand wrap around his ankles and gasped. Kyle was barely fazed by the surprise attack despite the force with which he¡¯d been hit. Caden¡¯s eyes widened in shock. The feeling of shock was reced with fury when he noticed the wide grin on Kyle¡¯s upturned face. The Rookie alpha stopped sliding back far earlier than Caden had estimated and pulled his head back. A trickle of blood rolled down his cheek, but Kyle looked unbothered by it. In the next moment, he let go of Caden and rushed forward throwing a fist into his mentor¡¯s gut. Caden was stuck wondering what had happened. He¡¯d been sure Kyle would go down with that kick but it seemed the Lost Luna¡¯s beta alpha had grown in strength yet again. It was an attack that only the king could face head-on and even then, it would be because Cole was made of different stuffpared to normal werewolves. Kyle, unlike normal wolves, was not fazed by the effort... This was why the mentor didn¡¯t get the time to dodge or even notice when Kyle drove a powerful fist into his gut raising him high into the air from the sheer amount of force. A gasp went through the crowd as they watched the experienced battle-hardened beta alpha Caden rise into the air. Before Caden couldnd, Kyle spun with a round kick, struck the beta alpha¡¯s side with the sole of his foot and sent him flying across the ring. ¡°Who are you calling ¡®cocky¡¯, Caden?¡± Kyle roared, feeling energy course through his body. Jason rushed over to his beta counterpart, but the man held up his hand to stop him. Caden coughed up a worrisome amount of blood, ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, Jason. I can still fight.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I can fight, dammit...¡± the beta alpha mmed his fist onto the hardwood floor in anger. The sound of snapping bones could be heard echoing through the room. Jason wanted to point out the severe wounds and bruises on Caden¡¯s side. His injured side was rapidly turning red with a tinge of purple probably caused by some internal breathing, but that same injury was what suddenly caught everyone¡¯s attention for this was the source of the crunching noises. Something seemed to be moving beneath the beta alpha¡¯s skin. Right before their eyes, the bruises were steadily vanishing and the movement beneath the beta alpha¡¯s skin could only indicate one thing. He was healing... Kyle¡¯s kick packed enough force to put a human in the hospital. It was a miracle that Caden could still want to fight after taking such a beating but then again... the pack warriors would expect nothing less from the king¡¯s beta alpha. In the span of ten seconds, the beta alpha¡¯s ribs had repaired themselves and he was back on his feet, ¡°I still have a lesson to beat into this rookie¡¯s skull... So I¡¯ll continue fighting.¡± There was an uproar that rumbled through the watching pack warriors. This was indeed first-ss entertainment. Kyle was looking at the beta alpha with an even more amused look on his face, ¡°You¡¯re tougher than I gave you credit for even though I¡¯ve known you for nearly two years. Still though...¡± the beta took on a fighting stance, this time it was one that was centred more onbat prowess than brute strength and his opponent took on a stance that was meant tobat this fighting style. The rookie smirked, ¡°...you¡¯re no Rogue Killer.¡± Chapter 427 427 A Monster¡¯s monster The Lycaon pack watched in anticipation as the two prominent warriors went head to head in a battle to see who was stronger and who was more suited to apany the king on the harrowing Trials. Caden was circling the ring, keeping a close eye on the werewolf mirroring his actions and panting with exhaustion. The battle had gone on for a while with neither of them seeming tond a decisive blow on the other. The beta alpha¡¯s eyes were trained keenly on the opponent in front of him. As if staring into a mirror, Kyle the Hulking rookie alpha was also circling the ring, his actions a reflection of Caden¡¯s footwork. The two of them were currently locked in a stalemate, having broken this deadly dance of fists a few times before. Both of them had survived getting defeated by deadly blows by a wolf¡¯s whisker. As a result of their elevatedbat expertise, none of them had been able tond a decisive blow. Knowing a blow was decisive in and of itself was turning out to be a difficult task. Kyle wasrge and could take more of a hit than Caden had given him credit for while Caden¡¯s healing wasn¡¯t getting any slower. It was only when the duel had gone on for a while that Kyle had remembered a lesson on healing once... ¡®A werewolf¡¯s healing will double or even triple its normal rate depending on their will to survive and their determination toe out on top. It¡¯s what makes a lone wolf so deadly,¡¯ the lesson hade from none other than his mentor himself. True lone wolves were rare, but the man had meant this term metaphorically. Werewolves like Caden, who often kept to themselves and shouldered their ambitions without expecting anyone else to help them carry the burden... that¡¯s what the alpha had meant by a lone wolf. It was no doubt this man had incredible regenerative capabilities. ..... Since this was a duel between two friendly wolves and not something that was as severe as honour or a mate, none of them was expected to use their ws or teeth to fight. They could tap into their insane reserves of supernatural strength, but that was about all the help they could get from their wolves. In the first moments of the battle, the audience had noticed Kyle break his mentor¡¯s ribs with a deafening round kick and they¡¯d also noticed the miraculous healing speed that alpha Caden possessed. After that incident, Caden had be more careful and in some ways, even more deadly, making it hard for Kyle to find an opening to make a decisive blow without risking his own skin. Each of them ran simtions of what methods would be best to bring down their opponents, but the more the duel dragged on, the harder it seemed to get. Caden was armed with battle experience and the ability to instinctively predict all of Kyle¡¯s moves with deadly precision. In addition to that, Kyle¡¯s attack power wasn¡¯t to be taken lightly. From Kyle¡¯s perspective, if he dropped his guard just once, it would spell his defeat by the end of this duel... and a boatload of paperwork for the entirety of the Royal Games. During their previous entangles, Caden had gotten close to pinning him twice despite the difference in their strength and the sudden change in the cadence of the fight damaged his confidence severely. Kyle smirked, ¡°You¡¯re being careful. It seems you¡¯re starting to see who¡¯s really the stronger one here. It¡¯s important to know when you¡¯re outmatched.¡± A hole in his confidence had nothing to do with his recently acquired arrogance. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, Rookie. I was only trying to see if you¡¯d actually learnt something in the better part of the two years that we¡¯ve spent together and offered you an opening. And you have been learning,¡± Caden spat back, ¡°I¡¯ll stop going easy on you now.¡± Kyle chuckled at theeback and sprung forward, breaking their endless circling motion once more and heading straight for Cole¡¯s beta alpha. Caden was quick on his feet and sidestepped again, dodging the man¡¯s fist by a hair, this time though, Caden had put some thought into his movements and reactions, choosing to fight with more than just instinct but a bit of wit as well. Kyle was shocked when the man stepped to the left and not to the right like he had done many times before during their duel... ¡®Had that been intentional so he could use that against me at some point?¡¯ The rookie alpha didn¡¯t get the time to think through such questions as his opponent was still not done. To Kyle¡¯s disadvantage, he was still stuck with the momentum of having missed Cadenpletely. His guard waspletely down. Caden was changing the flow of his actions to throw Kyle¡¯s predictions off. Without wasting any more time, the seasoned warrior followed through with the smooth footwork and form that had been trained into his bones and that allowed him the time to deliver a full-force kick to Kyle¡¯s exposed torso in the next fraction of a second. In a matter of seconds after Kyle hadunched into an attack, the colossal beta alpha was soaring towards the ropes. The pain of getting his stomach kicked that hard screamed through his gut so loud that dark stars started to dot his vision. The rookie alpha gritted his teeth and turned his back on the stic ropes,nding neatly in their embrace. ¡®He¡¯s good... really good... but how? No, I have to focus,¡¯ there was no time for Kyle to have such thoughts. ¡®I¡¯m not staying behind on office duty...¡¯ Kyle used the push he gained from stretching the ropes outward to fly back in through the air and deliver an unexpected spear to Caden¡¯s gut. The beta alpha was a second toote to evade him and had the wind knocked out of him. The two men went flying shortly before crashing in the centre of the ring. Roars erupted from the crowd of pack warriors that had been watching this happen. This was exactly what Caden had been hoping to avoid all through their battle. A wrestling match with a beta alpha as massive as Kyle wasn¡¯t a good way to go about winning this duel. ¡°Damn you, boy. You won¡¯t get the best of me,¡± Cadenined as Kyle tried to restrain him. With the wind knocked out of him, Kyle had the upper hand while Caden was disoriented. Kyle got to work restraining his mentor. He flipped him so he was facedown and grabbed his arm with the intention of twisting it till the man surrendered. While Kyle wasn¡¯t skilled in this part ofbat, he had grown considerably stronger than the boy that Katie had taken under her wing. Kyle was even considered stronger than the other beta alphas, but this was in terms of brute strength. In battle, this wasn¡¯t the only factor that would guarantee victory which was why determining who would win this duel was so hard to do. Against Kyle¡¯s strength, Caden pushed himself up with his free arm, throwing the man off him before he couldpletely loop his arm behind his back. Kylended on his feet a few meters away from Caden before dashing forward. The rookie had finally seen it... an opening. Caden was still disoriented and Kyle wasn¡¯t nning on allowing Caden any time to regain hisposure. The rookie alpha lunged for him a short second after hitting the ground, with his fist aimed for Caden¡¯s face, ¡®I could...¡¯ The thought was cut short when Caden shifted slightly, but in a very calcted movement that meant the difference between a clean hit and aplete miss. Kyle, having not expected it, met the full force of an uppercut from the King¡¯s beta alpha, ¡°I said, don¡¯t get ahead of yourself.¡± The crowd picked up again with a loud roar... This was more entertainment than anyone in the whole room had been hoping for. Even after all the times that these two had sparred during their training. It had never seemed thispetitive and the fights were never this impossible to predict. ¡°He¡¯s doing well, isn¡¯t he?¡± Jason¡¯s voice broke the king¡¯s focus on the duel. ¡°Oh?¡± Cole broke out of his trance from watching the fight and turned to his other beta alpha. Jason wasn¡¯t in the ring anymore, but no one had noticed him leave the ring. The fight was far too enchanting to allow them a minute to blink. ¡°Yeah, he is doing well. I¡¯ve heard rumours...¡± ¡°Oh? What about?¡± Jason stood next to his alpha and turned to face the duelists with amazement in his eyes. ¡°They say he¡¯s even stronger than you.¡± ¡°It was one arm-wrestling match, Cole...¡± Jason huffed. The king raised a brow at him. When it was clear the king was not buying his fake excuse, he sighed. The blonde turned back to the match, ¡°Yes, he is stronger than me but his technique in a fight is still too unrefined to actually defeat me in battle. With a little...¡± Jason stopped talking when he watched Kyle deliver a deadly right hook to the side of Caden¡¯s face. Jason¡¯s hand unconsciously flew to his left cheek where a slight burning sensation made itself known to him. The pain from hisrade rippled through the connection he held with him as a beta alpha giving him all he needed to know that it hadn¡¯t been a simple hit. Caden, without any more strength left, copsed at Kyle¡¯s feet and fell to the ground in a heap. He was unconscious. Jason muttered more to himself, ¡°I guess a monster can only have a monster for a servant.¡± Chapter 428 428 Luna¡¯s Sunrise Jason narrowed his eyes at the anomaly in the ring. ¡®Did Caden just lose to him in a fair duel?¡¯ ¡°Oh, don¡¯t feel so down, Jason. I have a feeling he can best you too. Although it¡¯s not because he¡¯s a skilled fighter or a quick learner...¡± the queen suddenly attracted their attention. Queen Margaret¡¯s eyes had been glued to the sparring ring since the start of the duel, not uttering a word. It seemed she was now ready to talk, ¡°It¡¯s only my theory... but perhaps he needs another beta alpha with him. That way the power would be split in two and then he wouldn¡¯t have that much of an advantage over you.¡± This did notfort Jason one bit, ¡°What you¡¯re suggesting would mean he bears the power of two beta alphas,¡± the beta alpha¡¯s tone suddenly went up. Queen Margaret only nodded unperturbed by the gravity of her deductions, ¡°It¡¯s like watching a demon being born. Is he going to continue getting stronger? At this rate, I can¡¯t imagine what sort of beast we¡¯ll have on our hands.¡± ¡°Not a monster... that¡¯s your Luna¡¯s beta alpha. Don¡¯t let that slip your mind,¡± Cole reminded Jason, ¡°...besides, the bird¡¯s always watching... which means Katie is always watching.¡± The trio looked up at the ceiling and surely enough, there was a pigeon perched on one of the metal beams that ran across the length of the ceiling. ¡°Hm, okay then. He¡¯s a special person in the Lycaon pce and I have to treat him the same way that I would Caden, if not even with more respect... happy now?¡± Jason asked him. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s much better,¡± Cole chuckled, turning his attention to the ring as deltas helped the defeated beta alpha up from the ground. Kyle helped to get Caden up and out of the ring, checking to make sure that the man was okay. ..... Cole didn¡¯t miss the feeling of sadness that emanated from Jason when he watched his beta counterpart go down. Jason, taking this as his cue to leave, turned to face Cole onest time, ¡°You¡¯ve never said this and I¡¯ve always kept it to myself... but ever since... well, you know... You¡¯ve been treating him like a part of the pack that¡¯s always meant to be there. It¡¯s like you¡¯ve forgotten his past crimes.¡± Knowing his friend and king, Jason could tell he¡¯d stepped over a line. Talking about the time his mate was taken from him was a dangerous subject even when brought up in the most abstract of ways. When the king didn¡¯t reply, Jason sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll just go and announce the victory.¡± The king nodded and let the man leave the raised podium in the bleachers. In the match that had just ended, Cole finally was able to see Kyle¡¯s newfound power in action against a real opponent. ¡°Are you worried?¡± the queen asked, having noticed Cole¡¯s ponderous silence. ¡°No, mother. I¡¯m not worried. I¡¯m just... curious,¡± Cole responded. ¡°Curious about what?¡± the queen asked. ¡°You¡¯ve exined where he gets his power from. Since-Since she left, he¡¯s only been getting stronger and the improvement is so steep that it¡¯s astonishing. What¡¯s more, is that it¡¯s almost as if he¡¯s only getting started. He keeps getting stronger,¡± the king replied, his voice still distant as the thoughts bubbled through his mind. ¡°Thinking about it now won¡¯t get you any answers. The three of you will be travelling to the Great Arena tomorrow. So you better get ready,¡± the queen said to him, ¡°It was already decided that the person that would lose this battle would stay behind with a group of hunters to protect and take care of things in the capital.¡± Jason went on to announce the winner of the match, a loud chorus of cheers erupting from the crowd. A smile graced Kyle¡¯s face, however, there remained a tinge of sadness that resided in his eyes. Sadness and respect for the warrior that had fought valiantly against him for this opportunity. Cole could almost hear the young alpha¡¯s thoughts as he promised to win the games for Caden. After all, the two of them had grown very close during the time they had spent together. ........... The remainder of the day proceeded normally. After the morning session that had contained the battle between the two beta alphas, there had been a celebratory feast arranged at the end of the day. The feast had been meant to be a farewell celebration for the king and his beta alphas, but it soon turned into an event congratting Kyle on making the team of three that was going to journey to the Great Arena. They feasted on meat and wine(for those that fancied a taste) as well as all sorts of drinks and delicacies that the pce cooks could prepare for them. A performance by a rising star, Candice in honour of the king was held. For that night, the pce of Lycaon was in high spirits. It might have been the first time the pack warriors had let loose in a long time. For the unmated males that hadn¡¯t found their mates yet, this was also a time for them to remember the sorrow of them being iplete. On the other hand, a good share of the mated couples got the chance to have a good time as a couple at a gathering... a sight that sent beta alpha Jason to bed an hour too early. The next morning came sooner rather thanter, announcing the start of the trial with the king having to make the entire journey to the Great Arena as it had been done for a long time. Under normal circumstances, Cole would take his two beta alphas with him just like he had done in the Royal Games before these ones, but this time, there was a third contestant for the position of who gets to escort him and Kyle had wasted no time in challenging Caden and Jason for the position. The sun wasn¡¯t up yet and the scent of morning due was still fresh. Even the early morning birds were shocked to see a group of wolves already standing by the edge of the forest when they got up(for they could have been responsible for the decline in worm count that morning...). ¡°Did we have to start up so early?¡± Jason groaned, tying theces of his running shoes. The beta alpha stifled one of the countless yawns that had escaped him so far. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get any sleep,¡± Cole gave a nervous chuckle. ¡°Your excitement wouldn¡¯t stop leaking into the mind link,¡± Jason yawned once more. ¡°I still remember thest games like it were yesterday. I wonder if Drake will be using his sister at the Arena like he did thest time. She was fast... and I¡¯ve heard rumours suggesting she¡¯s much faster now,¡± Cole mused. Jason reserved his thoughts on the king¡¯s mood. For someone that didn¡¯t have his mate with him anymore, he was rather cheery, ¡°Yeah, I understand what you mean,¡± he replied... ¡®I wish I could cheer up like he does...¡¯ the alpha sighed. Just then, someone came jogging up to them. The footsteps were far heavier than normal ones. A trait of the man they were starting to get used to. Carrying arge rucksack, Kyle came running to them. His face carried a smile and behind him, arge crowd of pack warriors followed in the distance, ¡°Hey, Alpha Cole. The rest of the guys insisted on bidding us farewell.¡± Kyle called out when they made eye contact. ¡°Did they now?¡± Cole asked with a chuckle, ¡°And here I thought they wouldn¡¯t make it.¡± The sun was just peeking from its hiding ce over the horizon. A sunrise that reminded Cole of his coveted mate. Every sunrise did. Ever since the morning that she woke him up with the sole purpose of seeing the first rising sun after a week of rain. A smile graced the king¡¯s face as he watched the pack warriors make it to them. Kyle was in an exceptionally good mood as well. He had been for a while now. The gloomy mood he carried with him when he¡¯d just graced Lycaon with his presence was long gone, ¡°Kyle, what¡¯s on your mind?¡± The question was so random that Jason was not sure where it hade from. The answer, however, trumped all his suspicions, ¡°I¡¯m thinking about how fun it will be to win the Royal Games. I know she would have done nothing less.¡± His grin was priceless and just as vehement as the sense of determination that washed through the mind link. ¡®Looks like the Rogue Killer leaves traces of herself... Even after nearly two years, it¡¯s like I¡¯m staring at her disciple. Then again, it could be that he¡¯s her beta alpha. Still though... No one was quite this determined... No one except for...¡¯ Jason sighed, shunning the rest of his thoughts and bringing himself back to the present. Chapter 429 429 Refreshing Stream Lina and her escorts had been running for three hours by the time they made it to the stream. From this part of the river, the mountains were not far from reach but the mountain pass they nned to use, was indeed further north and quite the distance from their current location. Wyatt was not as winded as he¡¯d been the day before and could only confirm that the bags had been the ones holding him back. Then again, he was still approaching his limit. The change was not great, but fairly noticeable. Lina, on the other hand, had still not shown any sign of tiredness. She was as energetic as she had been at the start of the run. The delta couldn¡¯t believe her eyes when Lina shifted back into her human form retaining the normal breathing rate. The difference between herposure and Wyatt¡¯s were like night and day, not to mention her own steadily tiring body. ¡°Lina, you¡¯re abnormal,¡± Crysta announced through the mind link. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment,¡± the princess chuckled. Lina took out one of her water cans and got to refilling their water supply as well as refreshing herself. ¡°How long does it take you to get tired?¡± Crysta asked her, out of curiosity. Lina gazed into space in thought. It seemed the answer to this question was a lot moreplicated than Crysta had expected... or wanted, ¡°At this pace, I honestly don¡¯t know. I usually take three to four hours to get tired at twice or nearly thrice the pace we are using right now... I think. I¡¯m not good at the estimates. I... just love running.¡± ¡°How are you not sure?¡± Crysta asked. ..... ¡°Partly because it¡¯s frustrating to guage my progress while training and also because I was still training by the time the Royal Games arrived. I can¡¯t feel my peak yet. I finally came to terms with it being different from everyone else. Reminds me of the story of Jeanie Sirius. Sometimes I wonder if it was just an old folktale at all. Jeanie Sirius, the fastest werewolf to ever live. At least that¡¯s what Father called it,¡± the princess thoughtfully replied. Wyatt shifted into his human form and approached the water as well, keeping his distance from the odd royal. He¡¯d known she was weird but what he had now witnessed since the start of their journey had him rethinking what he thought of her... She was... extra weird. The grey wolf couldn¡¯t shift into her human form with her clothes like the others, so she merely walked to the stream and started to drink from it in her wolf form. Lina soon noticed the situation and sent Wyatt to hide a little in the forest. When the girls were sure the alpha was far enough from them, Crysta shifted into her human form and was wrapped in an azure robe, ¡°You cane back now, Wyatt.¡± The alpha returned and took a seat at the shore of the creek. He dipped his hands into the rushing current and flinched at the sudden sting of cold that permeated through the skin of his palms. The water was ice cold... ¡®cial river, huh...¡¯ Ignoring the cold, he brought a handful of water to his mouth and took a sip. The first sip was a catalyst for the others that came immediately after. He lost count or sense of how much he drank before his thirst was sated. Finally refreshed, he spoke his mind, ¡°We still have a long distance to cover. It makes me wonder why the royals bother with the Trials every time the Royal Gamese around.¡± ¡°There are many stories surrounding the Trials. One of them is that the Trials were a tradition used to prove to the werewolves that the Royals were indeed powerful enough to try out in the Trials. Another rumour says that the siblings of the royals wouldpete this way for the honour of bing the heir to the throne. This was thepetition that decided who the next king would be. Although back then, thepetition was far more gruesome. All humans that were found during the Trials were to be transformed into werewolves and they would follow the royals on this journey. It was from these new rogues, that they would then pick one of their beta alphas based solely on which of them had helped them the most during the Trials. One story that I¡¯ve recently heard. This one¡¯s the rarest of them all. They say the Royals of the past used to travel to the Origin through the wilderness and made the return journey. Their return was a must and there wasn¡¯t a time that they got lost out in the wilderness. So these Trials are meant to bepleted by the Royals... partly because failure is not an option. I do suspect that they will soon put an end to all this though. I can¡¯t imagine sending my child out into the wilderness because of some ancient myths,¡± the princess finished her exnation. ¡®I might not know as much as Crysta does, but this much I¡¯ve heard,¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡°But if the Trials are so dangerous, why would Drake go through it on his own?¡± Crysta tried. ¡°He¡¯s been through the Trials before. Besides, Drake said he wanted to make things interesting this time. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on in his head these days... We better get going. We¡¯ve spent too much time here already,¡± Lina was in a rush all of a sudden. Crysta shed her robe and shifted effortlessly. ¡°I was hoping we could at least take a dip in the stream before rushing off,¡± she grumbled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lina. But we haven¡¯te across a single sign of my brother. Not even through the mind link. Who knows how far he¡¯s already gone? I know this isn¡¯t about speed, but the man¡¯s been through the Trials before. How are we supposed to win on our first try if we don¡¯t take advantage of every chance we get? We¡¯ll take showers when we make it to the Great Arena. There are spectr facilities that are prepared for the contestants of the Royal Games,¡± Lina paused and turned to the alpha that had remained quiet the whole time. Wyatt was capping thest water can they¡¯d carried, ¡°Just like Wyatt said, we have a long way to go.¡± .......... Chapter 430 430 Other Side of the Queen The trip to the Great Arena was even longer by car. The mountains werepletely avoided and the highway was built to go around them. Their steep and rocky nature proved to make building the road more difficult. A history of rockslides and sudden quakes in the structure of the rocky Sirius mountains was more than enough to warn engineers from building a road through the mountains. Fortunately, cars were much faster and the journey was so smooth that the concept of time saved by a direct route was warped and the debate was considered trivial. The Sirius Royal convoy made a few stops in the towns along the way to have lunch, refuel and restock on supplies before making it to the Great Arena within the span of two days. The king hade with more than one kind of board game and the group had yed almost all of them whenever they got too bored. At times, the king chose to narrate stories of the Trials when he was still a prince of the Empire as well. Honour found King Davin¡¯s jovial moodforting. His personality didn¡¯t inspire fear but still garnered the respectmanded by his title. He fit into the role of a king perfectly while still retaining his own personal ir. ¡®Could it be why Lina wasn¡¯t frightened by the thought of being Queen if she¡¯d ever been given the chance?¡¯ Honour had asked herself during a moment of pondering. This was the longest time she¡¯d ever got to spend with the Royal family. Madeline waszily sleeping on Honour¡¯sp when the car stopped moving. The young goddess hadn¡¯t bothered to move her. Instead, she had ced a cushion on herp for the Seeker to rest partly so the girl would befortable... but mostly to protect herself from Madeline¡¯s drooling. Drooling aside, Madeline was both cute and obnoxious when she was sleeping. To the young goddess, the girl was cute when she slept, retaining the charm of a young child regardless of her age. ..... Among all the people Honour had met, with exception of Katie and... eventually Lina, Madeline was true to herself to a fault and the young goddess respected her for that. Additionally, the girl was almost incapable of deceit. It was only when it cost her life that she was able to perfectly obscure the truth from her enemies. The two girls were also alike in many ways. In the aspect of strength, both found themselves severelycking even for amber-eyed werewolves. Seated opposite Honour, on the other side of a board game-littered table, was a couple resting in each other¡¯s arms. The king had his hands wrapped around his queen, covering her with a thick scarf, with his eyes closed as well. Honour had just opened her eyes to take in the scene when the king opened his as well but with a sudden jerk. He instinctively rubbed circles through the queen¡¯s back waking her up gently. ¡®Huh! Queen Martha is a light sleeper. Nothing like her daughter, I¡¯m afraid!¡¯ Honour figured he¡¯d been woken up by a message through the mind link. ¡°We¡¯ve...¡± the king paused, taking in the sight of the limousine¡¯s cabin. Bree was fast asleep on the other side of Madeline. Not as unceremoniously, but out of it nheless. Honour gave him a weak smile as he finished his sentence, ¡°...arrived. They should probably wake up. Get Madeline to wear this hoodie while you take her to the hair salon.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Honour replied, catching therge hoodie the king threw at her from a small duffel. She started gently nudging the heavy sleeper resting on the pillow on herp. ¡®Do you have to sleep with your mouth open? Crysta will never stop popping peppers in there unless you learn to stop,¡¯ the girl thought, allowing the thought to leak through the mind link. That did the trick... A few minutester, the three girls exited the car. Honour found herself glued on the spot, her eyes struggling to take in the gigantic wall that stood before her running in both directions. Curving only slightly at both sides, arge stone wall rose high into the air towering over them higher than the girl could have guessed. The wall dwarfed the settlements surrounding it and for a moment after stepping out of the car, it seemed as though it was the only thing that existed. Numerous diverse establishments stood on either side of the road that led to the grand entrance. The young goddess tried to imagine this wall was supposed to be circr in nature but that came along with epting that it was built by human and werewolf hands. A feat that seemed impractical when she thought about it. It was simply too big to have been built by human hands... wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Lina had the same expression the first time she saw it too. The hunters check everyone that enters along with the cars before letting them in. That includes the royals. In the meantime, go with Martha and Madeline to one of the saloons outside for a makeover, thene back here and meet us when you¡¯re ready,¡± the king said to her. ¡°Won¡¯t you miss me, dear?¡± the Queen suddenly asked, her voice sweeter than Honour was normally used to. The king noticed it as well and searched his wife¡¯s pleading eyes. It was like watching the ruler of an empire be defeated by something so harmless as a look. The man sighed heavily and pulled his wife into an embrace, ¡°If you take too long, I¡¯lle looking for you. Greet them for me, okay.¡± ¡°In that case,e get us when you¡¯re ready. You can greet them yourself. And don¡¯t make me wait too long,¡± the queen responded giddily before cing a kiss on the king¡¯s lips. With that, she left the two men to themselves, dragging Bree, Honour and Madeline with her. A feeling of worry rose from the pit of Madeline¡¯s stomach. She felt like something dreadful was about to happen to her. The queen knew her way through the city outside of the Great Arena. The streets were loud and chaotic, filled with all kinds of businesses. Some of the paths the queen used were too small to hold two cars. A myriad of scents came from the different establishments, sometimes being the sweet aromas of foods the girls weren¡¯t used to and other times acrid odours that could make a skunk flee in terror. The queen rushed them through the convoluted maze of settlements until she brought them to a luxurious saloon filled with everything a girl could ever dream of in a beauty salon. The difference between the quality of shops, markets and the different structures in the city was impossible to calcte. There didn¡¯t seem to be a system or anyws that governed the appearance of the buildings or stalls set up. Then again, perhaps different ces held different standards and customers were never the same. These thoughts were all wiped from Honour¡¯s memory when she noticed something odd about the saloon they¡¯d just entered. The women that worked inside were both human and werewolves with their eyes ranging in colour from amber to red and yet it seemed none of them acknowledged the difference in rank. When Honour noticed a yellow-eyed hair stylist send for a hair dryer only to be handed one by an alpha as though it was nothing and several other simr urrences, she took a step back to assess the situation. ¡®Something not right here...¡¯ ¡°Now this is the one ce I¡¯m sure will do exactly what we need,¡± the queen nearly squealed, coughing to conceal her delight. She wasn¡¯t fooling anyone. ¡°Oh dear, is that her majesty the Queen of Sirius, Luna of the Sirius pack and Mother of the Moon Goddess¡¯s Chosen, Queen Martha?¡± the woman at the counter squealed, rolling the titles off her tongue in no particr order. Her tone also suggested no respect, whatsoever. The queen turned red at the announcement. All the attention in the room suddenly switched to her. The dark-haired woman who was having her hair washed strained to try and get a look at the new arrival, as did everyone else in the saloon, ¡°Oh my, she¡¯se again. I told y¡¯all she wouldn¡¯t miss paying us a visit.¡± ¡°Your majesty, do you know these people?¡± Honour asked the queen. ¡°None of that here... For as long as you¡¯re here, your social standing doesn¡¯t matter. This is where alldies are equal and strive to make each other just as loved and beautiful as the other. Just rx and enjoy the fun,¡± the queen smiled, suddenly shedding her Royal facade. ¡°But the king made it sound like we¡¯de to do something very important and time-sensitive,¡± Madeline whined. Queen Martha¡¯s excited expression switched from delight to something between a devilish grin and a witch¡¯s smile. It was one that the three girls had never seen before, ¡°Del, would you help thesedies rx? You know where to send the bill.¡± Three women appeared behind the three girls holding their shoulders firmly, ¡°We¡¯ll take good care of them, your Greatness,¡± a white-haired female holding on to Honour¡¯s shoulder yelled back in a mocking tone when she used a title. The trio of women dragged away the three girls whose faces couldn¡¯t have looked any less priceless. The queen herself seemed to be headed in an entirely different direction. Honour guessed she was headed to another gathering of women to gossip, but her knowledge of the queen did not allow her to believe she was one to do such a thing... right? Then again, she had just handed them over toplete strangers and left them without a second thought. There was so much they didn¡¯t know about the queen, to begin with. The girls were dragged through to the side of the hair saloon going through tworge double doors and into a corridor. None of them had noticed howrge the saloon was until they were deeper inside. The entrance looked simple enough to have made it appear to be a single-room establishment, but now they knew they were heavily mistaken. The next door they were led through turned out to lead them straight to... A bathhouse. Chapter 431 431 Rxation Scents of all kinds assaulted the girls¡¯ noses, instantly forcing them to rx. A thick mist hung about the entire room. Several pools of water of various shapes and sizes filled the room, many of them upied by women soakingfortably in the warm water. ¡°What¡¯s this supposed to be?¡± Honour asked, staring between thedies and the luxurious pools of rejuvenating water. ¡®They don¡¯t really expect us to wash off in here, do they?¡¯ ¡°Well, I take it that the three of you are with the royal family even though none of you has the eyes to prove it. Don¡¯t worry. We don¡¯t judge anyone by their ranks here. The prince won¡¯t be making it to the Grand Arena soon. Knowing Martha, she is going to use this chance to return the greatest rxation spas known this side of the Great Arena,¡± Del spoke proudly. The woman herself had unblemished skin and her voice was as soothing as a mother¡¯s luby, almost like she was trained to speak that way. Now that Honour was paying more attention to her, her voice was simr to that of the queen herself. ¡°If you put it like that...¡± Madeline trailed, eyeing the baths with a more epting look. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit,¡± Del smirked. The girls, following the women¡¯s lead, allowed themselves the luxury of rxation. The trio was led to the changing rooms where they were given white towels and led back to a pool designated for them. The feeling of warm water was against their skin exquisite. It felt like a warm soft nket wrapped around their bodies, ¡°Oh, that feels great,¡± Madeline¡¯s voice rang out. ..... ¡°Right? Wait till you get to the sauna and massage. You¡¯ll be feeling like a baby by the time we¡¯re done with you,¡± another woman spoke this time, her angelic voice almost identical to the first. ¡®Professionals,¡¯ Honour thought. They ced a bell on a nk at the side of the pool, ¡°If you feel like you need anything or if you feel you¡¯ve enjoyed the water enough, ring this bell. We¡¯lle to take you to the next stage.¡± With that, the women were gone and the three girls were left soaking in the bath. The temperature of the path was just right and it never once dropped or rose beyond what was required. It was like a miracle bath that took everyone¡¯s burdens away. The pool was not too deep and not too shallow either, with a smooth undting rim that allowed one to rest their head. If it hadn¡¯t been for Bree¡¯s curiosity, Honour wouldn¡¯t have noticed the cushions stacked beside the pool. The girl got experimental and found it even moreforting toy her head on the pillow as she rxed. ¡°Do you think the queen did this to keep us from worrying too much about Katie?¡± Bree asked the other two. ¡°Maybe,¡± was Madeline¡¯s reply before dipping her head below the surface and blowing up some bubbles. Honour didn¡¯t miss the girl¡¯s grey eyes in the mist. She¡¯d stopped forcing their colour to change now that they were alone... and she looked more beautiful that way. Not that Honour would be telling her that any time soon. ¡°She probably wanted to shed her royal shell and gossip with-¡± the young goddess froze mid-sentence,ing to a ground-breaking realisation from the way the queen had been acting. ¡®Shed her royal shell my foot,¡¯ Honour¡¯s thoughts raged, ¡®I should have seen this sooner. Their mocking tones... their weing smiles... the way they carry themselves... The queen even knew Del¡¯s name...¡¯ ¡°The queen must have known this ce long before joining the royal family.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Madeline¡¯s bubbles stopped popping and she rose, paying more attention to the young goddess. ¡°It¡¯s not normal ormon to find a ce thatpletely looks past the colour of someone¡¯s eyes. I thought they were only doing that with alphas, but then, it was the same with the queen. Who does that to the most respected werewolves in the world? Not to mention the moment she entered this ce, her guardpletely fell and she showed she trusted these people without hesitation. It¡¯s like...¡± ¡°She knew them personally,¡± Bree sighed. ¡°Exactly,¡± Honour replied. ¡°Either that or the two of you are reading too much into this whole thing,¡± Madeline replied, sinking once more with a gurgling sound. More bubbles rose from within the misty pool, ¡°I¡¯d rather just soak and enjoy this while itsts.¡± Once again, Honour was astounded by how much this girl was able to rx. Looking back on it now, she had been the exact opposite when they¡¯d found her. Madeline was timid and gued by a lot of nightmares... nightmares... Now Honour had nightmares of her own... although hers were less of scary dreams and more of memories of a life that she very much knew to be true. Memories that she had not yet shared with the rest of her friends. They knew of her dreams, but she never shared the details. Going into the details was a matter all on its own. It was a symbol of her eptance of reality. The reality was that she was indeed the reincarnation of a millennium-old goddess of the moon Selene. epting that she would have to return to the moon and might never see her family ever again. Honour didn¡¯t even know what would happen to her when this happened. So she kept the memories to herself. Maybe this way, she could stay with her friends longer. It was these uncertainties that made her cherish every moment she had with her friends. Honour sank deeper into the waters, her tears obscured by the thick mist that hung close to the water¡¯s surface. ¡°Oh right, Lina mentioned your birthday is in a week from now,¡± Madeline piped up. ¡°Yeah...¡± Honour replied. ¡®Leave it to Lina to remember every detail about me... I wonder if she also remembers what my parents said about that day. She probably does and doesn¡¯t want to think about it.¡¯ ¡°She also postponed her own celebration to that day, so that the two of you can celebrate your birthday together,¡± Madeline continued. Honour wanted to sink into the pool and vanish, but Madeline wouldn¡¯t be willing to let her. One of the ws of being blindly honest was that Madeline sometimes missed subtle hints, ¡°She said she wanted it to be a day you wouldn¡¯t forget. Maybe that way, you¡¯ll pay her more visits when you leave.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave, Mady,¡± Honour sighed... ¡°I want to stay.¡± The women from earlier walked in on them before the conversation could continue, ¡°I see the three of you have enjoyed this much more than I thought you would. The limit to how long you can spend in the shower has been reached.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one short limit,¡± Bree huffed. Chapter 432 432 War with Herself ¡°You probably haven¡¯t noticed but you¡¯ve been here for an hour and a half. Since you¡¯re going to go through a sauna and have massages, then you¡¯re not making good time here,¡± Del chuckled, her melodic voice ringing like bells in the air. ¡®What sorcery is this?¡¯ Honour wondered, ¡®We only just got here.¡¯ Just when she thought this couldn¡¯t get any weirder, Del held up a clock so they could confirm what she was saying. They had indeed spent a lot of time in the water without even realising it. The girls gave up their protests and followed the threedies to another room full of massage tables. They were eight by Honour¡¯s count and only one was being used. The walls of the room had been expertly designed to mimic the lively greenery of a forest, with a waterfall painted on one side of it. A few storks were wading through the calm waters at the river bank. Toplete the scene, the sound of birds and water rushing down the waterfall blended in through hidden speakers. Honour couldn¡¯t tell where the scent of the forest came from, but she was sure her nose picked up on the distinct smell of bark and fresh dew within this room. Even beforeying down on the massage table, her muscles were starting to rx. Del and her two apprentices led them to four tables lined against one side of the wall of which one was upied. The girls did their best to keep their eyes off the fairdy that was being tended to with her body face down and tried their best to getfortable as instructed. There was an awkward silence for a while before a familiar voice rang through the room, ¡°So... how are you girls finding this ce?¡± ..... Madeline was so stunned she nearly rolled off her massage table. The woman working with her, however, was quick to hold her steady. Looking up at thedy¡¯s crimson eyes, Madeline mouthed her gratitude, flinching a little from the unintentional intensity that came from the alpha¡¯s eyes. Getting used to this environment wasn¡¯t something one could do in a few hours let alone a few days. Alphas were meant to lead packs... and yet here was one of them massaging her back with smooth tender strokes that made her feel like a baby. The situation simply defied all logic. ¡°It¡¯s... a little overwhelming. I wasn¡¯t able to recognise you with your face down,¡± Honour admitted. ¡°That¡¯s because you always see me in a gown or something fancy, so you can¡¯t tell what my body would actually look like unless you knew it was me...¡± Martha sighed heavily. ¡°I like toe here when I¡¯m feeling stressed out. That hasn¡¯t happened in a long time though. The king won¡¯t let me worry. Always wants to make my problems disappear.¡± The woman working with her cooed suspiciously at the queen¡¯s statement. The girls went bright red while Queen Martha giggled at her behaviour, ¡°There is also the matter of you thinking of me as old. Werewolves age slowly you know.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I had in mind. But if it makes you feel any better, you look the same as you did in thest picture I saw of you... With only your wisdom getting wider,¡± Honour strung her words as well as she could even though she felt she could have done better. On the bright side, Queen Martha thanked the girl for her kind words. This was just before the masseuse working on the young goddess got to work. The woman masterfully rubbed her trained hands from honour¡¯s lower back in an upward stroke that ended with her massaging Honour¡¯s shoulders. Honour could¡¯ve sworn she lost her arm at that moment. Her thoughts vanished in a whirlpool of relieving sensations. The seemingly magical hands of the masseuse wiped away all the tension left in her muscles. With the scent of the forest assaulting her nose, the sound of a waterfall, the perfect scene and the soft mist that wafted through the room. Not to mention the fact that she was surrounded by her friends, Honour, as well as her friends, couldn¡¯t have felt more at peace. ¡°Will Lina...¡± ¡°Lina will be alright. She¡¯s tougher than you know. It¡¯s Drake I would be worried about. Then again, he went through the Trials once before,¡± the queen intervened. ¡°Your Maje...¡± ¡°Call me Martha while we are here.¡± ¡°Okay... Mar-Martha, I don¡¯t understand something about the Trials. Why does Lina have topete against Drake and shouldn¡¯t Drake have taken whoever he was going topete with on his team during the Royal Games?¡± Martha was quiet for a while before answering, ¡°Personally... I don¡¯t like the Trials...¡± she paused before continuing, ¡°But it¡¯s never been my ce to decide against them and every time a royal goes through the Trials, they are never the same. They aren¡¯t the same after the Trials. It¡¯s that change that makes them hold the Trials. As you probably know, the Royal Games take ce every four years... but that¡¯s only if there are candidates to take part in the Royal Games. The Trials and the games themselves are two separate events that the Royals chose to hold at the same time. During the Royal Games, the only person that must be a part of the team was the royal that went through the Trials. All the others are up to that specific royal to decide.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why Lina was able to participate in the gamesst year without having to go through the Trials. I still don¡¯t understand something. What¡¯s the purpose of the Trials?¡± Bree pitched in suddenly. ¡°The Trials are meant to test the crown prince or princess to see if they are fit to rule. There is a story kept among the royals that says ¡®The Moon Goddess is the overseer of the Trials.¡¯ She makes sure the royals that go through the Trials get through them unscathed. However... when they return from the Trials, they return with an answer. Whether they can burden the title of a ruler or whether they cannot.¡± ¡°But Lina isn¡¯t the heir to the crown,¡± Madeline argued. ¡°With how things are right now, no one knows what¡¯s going through the prince¡¯s mind. Anything can happen at this point. I can¡¯t say what the king has decided since this is still only a family matter. I ask that you don¡¯t worry about this.¡± Honour thought about the queen¡¯s words for a moment. There was something bothering her with how everyone was referring to the princetely. While everyone had noticed a significant change in the prince¡¯s behaviour, Honour had noticed nothing. ...and it had been nagging at the back of her mind for a while. With each well-calcted stroke of the masseuse¡¯s magical hands, the girl¡¯s mind grew foggier and her worries began to fade. The young goddess rxed, giving in to the calming aura of the massage room. A cruel sensation tugged at the back of her mind, growing fainter as the seconds ticked by. Bree, against the will of the hands that forced her rxation, spoke up, ¡°Your majesty, you seem toofortable in this ce.¡± It was more a question than it was a suggestion. The girl couldn¡¯t find it within her to let go of her suspicions of the queen. Her mind was somewhat clear when the queen spoke up. ¡°I thought you would have noticed by now. I grew up near the Great Arena... in this same establishment. Although, it wasn¡¯t always this morous.¡± The room went silent and the queen sensed the curiosity spike, ¡°The tickets for the royal games were not something we could afford for the entire family, so we had been saving up. My mother wanted me to go and see them when I turned eighteen. I got three tickets as a birthday gift. I brought my two best friends along with me. It was both a good time to enjoy growing up and a major opportunity for me to find my mate, considering there are very many werewolves that make it to the royal games every time they are held. It¡¯s an event that brings together so many people. For someone without the means to travel the world, this would be a major opportunity for me. It was only a hope I was meant to keep in mind. Nothing to get too excited about, but also nothing topletely forget. It was entirely possible that I would find my mate there and also possible that I wouldn¡¯t. None of us could have foreseen that the mate I was searching for was going to end up being the prince himself.¡± The queen exined. ¡°Little Martha couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. I remember she ran away from the prince utterly scared and confused about what was happening.¡± ¡°Now now, Auntie. There is no need to make me look any worse in front of my daughter¡¯s friends,¡± the queen chuckled. ¡°Oh, I see no problem in shedding that elegant mask you wear once in a while. You¡¯ll turn into a porcin doll if you keep up that act. Very beautiful... but empty and misunderstood,¡± the woman replied in a kind caring tone. ¡°I¡¯m fine being myself when I¡¯m here,¡± Queen Martha replied, both to her auntie and to the girls with her in the room. Honour¡¯s suspicions were confirmed, however, she¡¯d had no idea the queen was really home. In this ce, she looked happier than usual. Not to say the queen wasn¡¯t blissful when she was at the pce, but there was something different about returning home that made someone glow with a different kind of happiness. ¡®Returning home...¡¯ the thought resonated within the goddess¡¯s mind. Images of a white luminous pce flooded her mind. The fragmented memories of the Moon Pce flooded her mind now more than ever before. ¡®Do I want to go home?¡¯ Honour wasn¡¯t sure how she could answer this question. Her personality was already at war with her former self. The goddess Selene, reborn... Honour wondered who she truly was. Was she Honour or was she, Selene? The queen¡¯s nostalgic mood seemed to be more of a bane than a blessing in this young goddess¡¯ mind. In fact, it only brought the war raging within her even further away from ever stopping. She was at war with herself. Chapter 433 433 Stranger with a Red Hairdo The massage and sauna proceededfortably with the women talking about everything and anything that came to mind. Whether it was for the sake of the girls¡¯ entertainment or whether she simply loved a stroll down memoryne was left a mystery. Queen Martha had so many stories about the spa and her life in the city before being taken away by the king. Most of her favourite memories revolved around the time the king hade into her life and the time she helped her parents around the spa. During the queen¡¯s narrations, Honour came upon a sudden revtion. This ce didn¡¯t stop caring about people¡¯s status from when it had been created. It hadn¡¯t always been like that. Rather, this changed when someone from within them had risen to the rank of a royal by a mere twist of fate. An ordinary wolf could be a delta. A delta could be an alpha or a royal. The conditions only needed to be right. Looking down on any one werewolf could be the worst mistake anyone could make. That¡¯s how this ce had be what it was today. Queen Martha¡¯s story had be a tale that instilled humility into those that heard it. Anyone that disregarded the tale as a mere folk tale would be kicked out by the alphas that worked within the establishment. The warmth and hospitality of the workers were almost unimaginable. It was no wonder the queen was so enthusiastic abouting to this ce. Because of the queen¡¯s sudden ascension to the throne, the spa had also be popr, rapidly growing it into the fine facility it was today. Getting ustomed to the queen¡¯s treat, the girls managed to fully rx. It was far into the evening when the queen finally regained her elegantposure. ..... Honour was sitting on one of the sofas in the waiting area of the salon poking at her phone when Queen Martha suddenly graced the room with her presence. d in an elegant azure flowing gown that lightly skimmed the ground. ¡°Mady, it¡¯s time for your makeover. The king will start to worry if he doesn¡¯t at least find that happening.¡± ¡°I think he would be furious if he does find it happening,¡± Honour sighed, ¡°but don¡¯t let me get in the way.¡± ¡°No, not really. He knows what I wasing here to do. He went with Beta Ryan to take care of where we¡¯ll be staying and handle everything with the Arena staff. He should be here in a few minutes,¡± the queen quickly ryed the situation. ¡°That¡¯s very little time for Madeline to get finished...¡± The queen held up her hand for the girls to stop in their tracks, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The king also has something to do here. It¡¯s not like he¡¯sing to take us away right now. Mady!¡± The grey-eyed girl allowed the queen to usher her out. Honour forced herself out of the sofa and followed the queen. Bree was not far behind, ¡°What would the king have to do here? I haven¡¯t seen any men.¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to meet my mother. It would be disrespectful if I stopped by and Davin didn¡¯t make some kind of appearance in front of his mother-inw,¡± the queen smiled weakly. ¡°Ah. I... hadn¡¯t thought much about it then,¡± to this, the queen did not reply. Madeline was dragged to one of the ck luxurious chairs in the salon and made to sit in front of a mirror. The dark-haired girl looked around in an attempt to get the tension building within her out of her system. Noticing this, the woman who¡¯d been assigned to work on the girl rubbed her shoulders, ¡°Rx, beautiful. You¡¯ll be unrecognisable before you know it. Just show me those eyes now.¡± The woman wasn¡¯t wrong when she called Madeline beautiful. The girl had a slightly round face with full cheeks that made her adorable, well at least, that¡¯s what Honour thought of her. The dimples that formed when she smiled made Honour¡¯s mind scream ¡®unfair.¡¯ Her grey eyes reflected more light than normal, giving them a beady appearance that could drown almost anyone that took notice of them. If Madeline was to ever gopletely still, she would take on the appearance of a grandiose work of art. Her skin was fairly pale and delicate. Her antics though,bined with her clumsy habits and easygoing nature easily dulled all these qualities and in turn, made it harder for her to be noticed by anyone who found her odd. Now that there was nothing to keep her distracted, she lookedpletely different, ¡°Martha, this girl is beautiful.¡± ¡°I know... Just get it over with,¡± the queen sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t like it either but knowing your talents, I know you can change it all.¡± ¡°I know my abilities well, Martha. I¡¯ve just never felt that they would be a curse until now,¡± the womanmented, wrapping a dark towel around Madeline¡¯s body, covering her whole torso and only leaving her neck exposed, ¡°We¡¯ll start with your hair. I think red should do...¡± ........... Two hourster, the girls were seated once again in the Waiting area. Separated by a thin wall of cardboard... or was it wood. The ce had been designed to lookpletely natural and perfumed to smell that way too. It was impossible to tell if what Honour was looking at was fake or not. Had she not been a goddess obsessed with nature, she would have fallen for it entirely. In the end, she¡¯d settled with being amazed at how well they replicated the feel of the outdoors in an indoor set-up. ¡®You guys cane in now,¡¯ Queen Martha¡¯s voice spoke through the mind link. The young goddess was slightly irritated for not being allowed to be present as the woman worked on changing Madeline¡¯s looks. In Queen Martha¡¯s opinion, the ¡®magic¡¯ was much more astonishing when one didn¡¯t set through the whole process. And in the next few seconds, she came to know just how right the woman was... Honour froze at the sight of a stranger in the mirror. Her hair had been dyed strawberry and redesigned to make it fall upon her shoulders in waves. Closer to her eyes, the hair had been trimmed shorter than the rest and curled to hug her face lightly. Her eyebrows were trimmed thinner than they¡¯d recently been, giving them a sharper look. The make-up that had been appliedpletely robbed the girl¡¯s face of the young childish innocence that Honour had grown ustomed to. In ce of Madeline¡¯s adorable face was an image of someone much older with a more angr face. Madeline retained her beauty but in a different form. The Seeker was unrecognizable. ¡°Where is Mady?¡± Bree asked, looking around. ¡°Very funny, Bree,¡± the unfamiliar redhead rolled her eyes. Bree gasped, ¡°Seriously... No way. Honour, had you recognised her?¡± Honour gave a nervous chuckle, ¡°It¡¯s the same chair and the same person attending to her. Who else do you know that has grey eyes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cheating, Honour,¡± Bree sighed. Honour turned to the woman that had worked on her friend, ¡°Your talent is a blessing and a curse, isn¡¯t it?¡± The woman that had been working on her sighed in disappointment, ¡°It had to be done. I never thought I¡¯d see the day when changing someone¡¯s face would feel so wrong.¡± ¡°This is amazing,¡± Honour replied, ¡°I was worried about having to hide her under a cloak, but with her looking like this, she can strip for all I care and no one would recognize her.¡± Madeline gasped at the girl¡¯s words, immediately blushing red. Expressions came naturally to Madeline. As natural as they should have been and it was all the confirmation Honour needed to know that it was indeed her friend that was seated before her, ¡°Honour, why would you...¡± ¡°I was just kidding, Mady,¡± Honour finally reached the girl and gently ced her hands on her shoulders, staring her in the eyes through the mirror. Thest part of Madeline¡¯s face that remained the same was staring right back at her. A pair of soft grey eyes stared back at Honour¡¯s amber orbs through the mirror. Madeline could almost see Honour¡¯s intentions through her amber orbs. Staring at Honour¡¯s eyes long enough, Madeline was almost sure she could see a soft blue glow hiding deep within her iris. When she focused on that blue hue, it vanished instantly, like something that wasn¡¯t there at all. Maybe she was imagining things but Madeline found the colour more fitting for the goddess of the moon. Honour found Madeline¡¯s grey eyes peculiar as well. They were silver with a soft glow of them that turned them silver in the right lighting. The fabled eyes of a Seeker. Madeline was the Seeker¡¯s daughter and bore all those characteristics... Except for the fact that she hadn¡¯t tapped into that power yet and seemed unwilling to do so. It wasn¡¯t like anyone was forcing her either. If she could escape such a burden, Honour would be fine with it. ¡®Time to deal with those eyes.¡¯ Honour¡¯s voice broke Madeline out of her short trance, ¡°Just onest thing before you can walk freely. You sure you handle it?¡± Chapter 434 434 One Step Forward, Two Steps Back ¡°I¡¯ve been practising. I-I will be fine,¡± the girl drew in a sharp breath before shakily regarding her appearance. ¡°Umm Martha, I have been meaning to ask you what you¡¯re doing with a human girl and changing her appearance no... less...¡± thedy¡¯s voice trailed off when she witnessed the shimmering silver of the girl¡¯s eyes start to swirl, ¡°What in the moon¡¯s radiance...¡± For a moment, the woman thought she would get sucked into the girl¡¯s eyes and get lost in the silver swirling abyss, but that¡¯s not what happened. Instead, the silver irises lit up more and began to sparkle with specks of amber-like sparks rising from the glorious embers of a campfire. The flecks of amber started to grow more and more, overpowering and eventually drowning out the beautiful grey. Before she knew it, she was staring at a swirling amber iris right before it settled and took on the natural glow of the average werewolf¡¯s eye. Her transformation wasplete. Thest part of the Seeker¡¯s appearance and identity was gonepletely erased. Queen Martha turned to the woman and ced a hand on her shoulder, squeezing her shoulder tightly, ¡°It¡¯s important that her identity remains hidden.¡± The woman was shaken by the girl¡¯s sudden transformation but even more so by the queen¡¯s serious tone. It was a tone she hadn¡¯t used even after marrying into the royal family. The harsh reality of this situation wasid bare. It didn¡¯t take much for her to understand that this girl was involved in something truly dangerous, ¡°The life of a royal cannot be an easy one but promise me it won¡¯te back to haunt your home.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t intend to let it. I made a promise to protect this ce when I left and have no intentions of breaking that promise,¡± the queen responded. The woman nodded, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. ..... ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± it was then that the king arrived walking into the salon through the door that had led the girls deeper into the facility. The scents that came off him exposed his whereabouts as well. He had been in one of the deeply scented rooms on the other side. Whichever room he¡¯d been in remained unknown. Honour wondered when it was that the king had arrived. They¡¯d waited for Madeline¡¯s makeover to get done for two hours and still hadn¡¯t sensed a sign of the king¡¯s arrival. Then again, it wasn¡¯t unheard of for the royals to hide their oppressive auras when they travelled. This allowed them to move wherever they pleased unnoticed. And with the right clothes and training, they could even be mistaken for mundane humans. ¡®Impressive,¡¯ Honour mused. ¡°How did it go, my dear?¡± Queen Martha embraced her husband. ¡°She¡¯s as enthusiastic as ever, my love,¡± the king replied with a chuckle rubbing a spot on his cheek that was slightly redder than the rest of his face. The queen kissed his cheek, ¡°Well, that¡¯s what you get for taking four whole years to visit her again.¡± ¡®Four years... The king onlyes here during the Royal Games. Even for a king, that¡¯s sloppy,¡¯ Honour held in herughter. King Davin¡¯s nervous chuckle ended when his eyesnded on the girl in the seat. From where everyone was standing, this girl seemed to be the centre of attention... and yet, looking at her face made him frown, ¡°Have we met?¡± ......... After heavy discussion, Lina and her escorts came to a conclusion. They would be carrying meat in one of the bags they were carrying regardless of how messy it was. Preferably, they could add in a couple of wild fruits if they found any at all. The sight of the mountain only told them there was next to no life capable of living on its barren slopes. The Trials were slowly turning into a battle against the wild. With less progress being made and more focus on trying to survive, they were quickly starting to lose speed. It wasn¡¯t enough that their detour to the stream had slowed them down, they also found that the mountain pass hadpletely copsed in on itself. They¡¯d already run for the better half of the day and at this point, it was beginning to feel hopeless. The mountain pass was the fastest way to the Great Arena that they could find. Any other route would add a couple of days or more to their already long and arduous journey. After making it to the blocked mountain pass, the princess felt the need to run around the mountainpletely, but her friends were not in any shape to continue the journey. Wyatt could barely run and Crysta was reaching her limit soon. The sun was starting its long journey to the western horizon. The girl paced about the blocked entrance of the mountain pass while her friends tried to rest up. Wyatt shifted back into his human form and held up one of the robes that he found in the bag he was carrying. Spreading it out like a towel, the man waspletely blind to Crysta¡¯s form. The delta chuckled at his attempt at being helpful and shifted back into her human form, quickly wrapping herself with the turquoise robe. The two of them copsed on the roots of the thick trees that marked the end of the forest¡¯s advance towards the mountain. ¡°How long is she going to do that?¡± Wyatt asked between shaky breaths, gesturing to the pacing slender white wolf. ¡°As long as it takes her to calm down. We haven¡¯t seen a sign of his Highness and to be honest, we¡¯ve already been held back a couple of times. Things are not looking great for us. We finally got water enough to take us across the mountain and were making progress and now it¡¯s all for nothing,¡± Crysta sighed. ¡°We cannot rush a race through the wilderness. It¡¯s a miracle we¡¯ve made it this far without running into any wild animals.¡± ¡°It¡¯s also a miracle that the only wild animal we have met is a jaguar which shouldn¡¯t have been there in the first ce,¡± Crysta scoffed. I was wondering. What if the wild animals are simply getting out of Lina¡¯s way? After what we saw with the jaguar earlier, it¡¯s a possibility,¡± the alpha ignored Crysta¡¯s tone. ¡°If that were the case, then deers ought to be throwing themselves at Lina¡¯s feet, begging for her to rip their throats out. Just saying...¡± To this, the alpha chuckled. Nevertheless, he continued speaking, ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking. The rocks blocking the mountain pass don¡¯t have any moss growing on them. They are not even a little bit moist from dew. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say the mountain pass recently copsed. There is a slim chance that the prince didn¡¯t make it through here either,¡± Wyatt rested his chin in his palm, his eyes zed over in thought. The sight of seeing Wyatt genuinely trying to help them was still raising red gs within the delta¡¯s mind. While Crysta had been mean to the princess in the past, Wyatt had been even worse. The man sighed, pulling a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pockets. Crysta took a look at the boulders barring their way through the mountain pass. It was like the man had said, the rocks there looked freshly cut and far too dry. Topare them, the delta looked at the surrounding slopes andpared the colour of the stone. He was right... ¡°You¡¯re right about the Mountain pass even though that makes this all the more suspicious. This gorge has stood for very many years without ever showing a sign of copsing.¡± ¡°No... it showed signs of weakness a long time ago. That¡¯s why the highway to the Great Arena was never built into the mountains. They were too unpredictable. But that wasn¡¯t the same for people travelling on foot or merchants travelling in small caravans. ¡°Don¡¯t you find it suspicious for it to copse during the Trials?¡± Crysta turned to him, only to move back when a puff of smoke rushed forward. ¡°Hey, watch where you aim that soot.¡± The alpha chuckled, ¡°I find it very suspicious. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this gorge copsed right before the prince went through it. We can still catch up to him. Odds are that he didn¡¯t make it through here.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense. It would really help boost her morale. Now all we have to do...¡± Crysta threw a worried nce at the pacing royal, ¡°...is try telling that to the girl who has made this whole journey without breaking a sweat... and is getting really restless.¡± Lina had been listening to bits of their conversation at the beginning while she paced, but the more logical it got, the more bored the princess grew. In the end, her restlessness won the battle and she resumed her habit with the aim of cooling her nerves. ¡°I don¡¯t think her energy is that bottomless,¡± Wyatt chuckled to himself. Crysta, however, was less inclined to agree with him. After two days of constant travel, the royal was yet to show signs of exhaustion. Chapter 435 - 435 Plotting a New Course 435 Plotting a New Course Crysta took out the old map from the bag Wyatt was carrying andid it out in front of the two of them while the royal continued pacing about. She made sure there was space for Lina to join them in case she felt up to it. After taking a short look at the map, Wyatt spoke up first, ¡°This map only spells bad news for us. Without the mountain pass, there is no way we could make this much distance in one day as we¡¯d originally nned. Not to mention the predators that reign supreme within the mountains. Mountain lions! They are rumoured to be quite territorial in these parts,¡± Wyatt pitched in, sitting crosslegged beside the girl. ¡°Rumours?¡± Crysta raised a brow at him. ¡°I was just trying to be positive. There are definitely mountain lions here. We just have to be careful. Luckily for us, they don¡¯t travel in a pride as normal lions do, so we won¡¯t risk finding more than two of them at the same time at which they won¡¯t be working well together.¡± Crysta shuddered at the thought of finding just one. ¡°You think bowing to one of those things will get us off the hook like thest one?¡± the girl asked in a lower ponderous tone. ¡°I¡¯m not sure bowing to a jaguar was ever meant to get anyone a free pass in the first ce. That was nothing short of a miracle. We cannot rely on miracles. There is an old saying that suggests miracles only happen once,¡± the man responded. While his argument made sense, Crysta was sure Lina would be less inclined to agree with him, ¡°We can¡¯t rest here tonight. We must make some of the distance into the mountains.¡± ¡°You must have a few screws loose. What distance can we make now? The mountains are vast and hunting within them is even more of a myth. I¡¯ve never heard of werewolves surviving within the Sirius mountains. Not to mention they are really steep and finding an entry point is next to impossible. ..... Finding a way out after finding said entry point is a dream. We could find ourselves at a dead end. Going around the mountains will take days for the three of us. We won¡¯t be able to make any difference if we exhaust our muscles now. I have my limits, you know,¡± Wyatt argued. ¡°We don¡¯t need to go around the mountains or even look for an entry point. Take a look¡­¡± the delta pointed at the map, tracing the path of the stream that came from the mountain, ¡°That river doesn¡¯t allow much movement to be made when you chose to use it, but it does create the smoothest path up the mountain, not like these steep slopes that we keep staring at.¡± ¡°You intend to use what little river bank the stream has to make it to the top of the ranges?¡± Wyatt asked. ¡°Yes, on the other side of the mountain, the slopes are gentler, not like what¡¯s on this side. If we can make it using that route, we cut our journey short by a couple of days,¡± the delta exined thoughtfully. ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to say but what happens when we find a part of the stream that¡¯spletely water and no shore, just steep sides?¡± Wyatt pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°We¡¯ll swim,¡± the girl responded eagerly. ¡°You make it sound so easy. From what I can see on this map, the stream doesn¡¯t really start all the way at the top,¡± he tried voicing his observations. ¡°Haven¡¯t you wondered why the water from the creek is so cold? The wateres from the melting ice at the¡­¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s a cial river. That¡¯s why I was about to ask if you had some kind of death wish. We could freeze up there,¡± the man argued, cutting her short. ¡°You¡¯re so full of negativity,¡± Crysta raised a brow at him. ¡°No, I¡¯m your voice of reason. With the wild suggestions you keep making, one of us has to stay reasonable,¡± Wyatt countered. ¡°I am being reasonable. There is no telling how much time we have already lost now. Following this path will only help us reach our goal faster. If it so happens that the prince has taken the long way around, we could make up for lost time,¡± Crysta tried exining. ¡°There it is again. ¡®Reaching our goal faster.¡¯ You¡¯re the one that said this was not just a test of speed. There is a lot that can kill us out here. We can¡¯t just get irrational and disregard something that could very well be our doom¡­ all in the name of reaching our goal faster. The cold on that mountain can kill us,¡± the man argued. The argument was about to continue when a voice interrupted them. While the voice was loud andmanding, it rattled within their minds instead of through their ears. ¡°I¡¯ve heard what you both have to say about it. You can stop arguing now. Let me provide a third option then.¡± Lina¡¯s voice sounded more stable over the mind link. The panic that had gued her when they found the decimated mountain pass was gone, ¡°Something is fishy about this sudden copse of the mountain pass. If my brother had been injured really badly by this rock fall, I would have known, but I felt nothing through the mind link, so he must be fine. However, that doesn¡¯t mean this was something that happened naturally. It¡¯s far too coincidental for the mountain pass to copse when we were just about to cross it. We cannot rule out the possibility that this could have happened on purpose to target the contestants of the Trials,¡± Lina had been doing some thinking during her pacing. ¡°Are you trying to say that someone could have brought down the mountain pass? Could your brother have done it to slow us down? Even though I know that¡¯s not like him at all,¡± Crysta suggested. ¡°I was surveying the rocks to see if we could still cross, but they are far too unstable. One wrong move and you could break your leg with a simple misstep. However, I dide across an unfamiliar scent. And it was one that belonged to a werewolf,¡± the girl exined. ¡°Rogues?¡± Wyatt¡¯s voice was panicked. What were the odds that rogues were involved in this sort of ident? High¡­ very high. There hadn¡¯t been any mention of rogue activity for nearly two years. Aside from the sudden disappearance of a Seeker right after the escape of the Rogue King, there hadn¡¯t been a sign of Rogue activity. The hunters had swept the entirety of no-man¡¯snd ande up with nothing which was even more unsettling. However, in the end, there was nothing that could be done. The Rogues seemed to have vanished. Some theories cropped up that their numbers had been reduced so much that what was left of them would be able to hide really well at which point they would no longer be a threat. Even then, however, there wasn¡¯t even a single sighting¡­ and that was what made this very frightening. Chapter 436 - 436 Pathetic... that’s the word 436 Pathetic... that¡¯s the word ¡°It¡¯s a possibility. I was proposing we hunt and gather some wood, then make our way to the creek. We stop moving at dusk and make camp. We don¡¯t have to be moving a quick pace but I don¡¯t like the idea of us being too close to this ce either,¡± the princess¡¯s suggested. Wyatt was sure she¡¯d heard his arguments. She was only choosing to ignore them now¡­ or maybe she¡¯d found a way tobat the cold he¡¯d warned them against. After all, she was choosing to n ahead and gather wood. The barren ranges bore no trees and traversing them without wood would only mean there would be nothing to keep them warm at night but their sheets. Crysta and Wyatt nodded in confirmation. The delta grabbed Wyatt¡¯s bag and retreated to the woods to shift while the man waited for her. When she returned with the bag in her maw, he took it and slung it over his shoulders, ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any more time then.¡± The trio was running through the woods in the direction of the creek when they spotted a ruffle of fur through the trees. Crysta signalled and the three began chasing the creature. A few seconds into the chase and they spotted the full body of an agile hare darting towards its burrow. Crysta¡¯s muscles tensed as she prepared to pounce at the hare but that¡¯s when she noticed a hole very close ahead. The hare was much closer to home than she¡¯d expected. Safety was closer to it than she had initially thought and the delta suddenly felt unsure of her capabilities... The swishing sound of the white wolf¡¯s furry tail cutting through the air announced Lina¡¯s sudden burst of speed. Before the delta and alpha could follow the slender white wolf¡¯s actions, she had the hare in her jaws around the hare¡¯s neck. The creature froze suddenly in fear, eyeing thefort of its home that was only a step away. This was right before the white wolf¡¯s great jaws mped down on the creature¡¯s neck with a sickening crunch. She waited for a while for the life topletely drain out of the creature¡¯s body. With a kill that swift, there wasn¡¯t much of a struggle and soon enough, it had gonepletely still. ..... Lina shifted into her human form and started tying the creature to her back using a rope from one of the bags. ¡°Do you think it will vanish when you shift?¡± Crysta asked through the mind link. ¡°It¡¯s nothing more than just meat and fur now. It will vanish along with my clothes and bags, just like something that no longer bears life,¡± the royal responded. She shifted momentster and just like she¡¯d said, the hare was gone. However, her next step looked strained, ¡°I think I know what it is to carry heavy things now,¡± she chuckled. ¡°Wyatt, try to stay alive. You do not want to vanish like that hare¡­¡± ¡°Very funny, Crysta. You don¡¯t have to run fast Lina. We are just trying to get to the stream after all,¡± Wyatt¡¯s voice was genuinely concerned or at least that¡¯s what Lina thought she heard. It was still going to take some getting used to. The girls couldn¡¯t decide whether he was being himself or not, ¡®Perhaps he hit his head and is now suffering partial amnesia¡­ or a personality mix-up that will be fixed the moment he recovers,¡¯ Crysta whispered over the mind link. The princess chuckled. ......... The trio made it to the stream as dusk was approaching. Just as Crysta had suggested, the stream came from the mountain where the slopes were smoother. They could climb the mountain from its shores, however, where it led was only half their journey across the mountains. They would have a harder time traversing the treacherous terrain from there. With time they realised the river was winding through the mountains, picking the smoothest parts of the slopes and leading them deeper into the dizzying towering ranges. ¡°Sometimes I forget that these mountains are mentioned in plural,¡± Crysta groaned inwardly as they continued jogging upstream. ¡°Why can¡¯t we use any other paths and have to follow the stream alone?¡± The princess suddenly asked. They had noticed several other paths leading away from the river as they ran through the ranges. ¡°Because every other path will eventually lead us to a dead end, just like this stream eventually. The only difference is that this river leads us to the highest point of the ranges which will then allow us to cross to the other side. You can think of it like the river flows out of the mountains through the only route that¡¯s sure to get the water out of them,¡± Crysta exined. Dusk eventually came with night creeping close behind. The trio stopped running to rest. Fortunately for them, they¡¯d found somewhat of a wide t clearing in the side of the mountain that allowed them enough space to raise their tents. It was the perfect ce to rest. At this point, they were bordered by two very steep walls on both sides of the river that gave them only two directions to follow¡­ straight ahead or back where they came from. They didn¡¯t have much firewood but just enough to cook their meal and have a sumptuous dinner. Wyatt, for once, had notined about getting tired, which was why Lina got worried when he wouldn¡¯t get up thirty minutes after they had stopped running. The alpha remained in his wolf form and closed his eyes resting. While Crysta got the campfire going, Lina knelt next to the white-soled ck wolf, ¡°Perhaps I underestimated you.¡± The ck wolf opened his eyes to look at Lina for the first time since reaching their temporary camp, ¡°I¡¯m a lot stronger than you give me credit for,¡± he said weakly over the mind link. With his condition, they weren¡¯t words he ought to have said but his pride wouldn¡¯t let him look weak in front of the same person he had spent years mocking. She was the one who was much stronger than he¡¯d realised. He only wondered how Crysta noticed her strength before any of them had. She was always so weak and frail. Barely able to stand up to any of them. Her slender wolf was nothing like the strong alphas everyone was used to looking up to for strength. But for some reason, everyone had grown to respect her regardless of this. There wasn¡¯t a wolf in the royal capital faster than her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about your physical strength. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re reluctance to train has left you below your best in that department,¡± Wyatt was shocked by her words. He was definitely insulted, but now also curious to hear the rest of her exnation. If she¡¯d known how weak he was all along, what else was she basing her statement on? To him, he couldn¡¯t look more pathetic¡­ ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s the word. I¡¯m¡­ pathetic.¡¯ Chapter 437 - 437 Not Some Wind of Change 437 Not Some Wind of Change ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Wyatt gave her a wolfish grin. Curiosity suddenly filtered into his mind, along with wonder¡­ ¡®Did she hit her head or something?¡¯ When Lina started exining, his thoughts vanished. ¡°You¡¯ve been tired for a while now. I could see that but I still pushed you to keep following. Honestly, I thought you would be more of a burden andin about it. But you remained quiet and endured it all without losing your step. You didn¡¯t slow down once even when a normal person would have simply copsed from exhaustion. You¡¯ve made it this far. I¡¯m grateful for that¡­ and impressed,¡± the girl exined. ¡°I still had some energy¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie¡­ I might just push you harder just to see you copse for real,¡± the princess sighed, ¡°I want to make it to the Great Arena more than anything. But the moment I realised I had the two of you with me, it wasn¡¯t just me running anymore. I have been paying attention. I know when you¡¯re actually tired and when you¡¯re simply pushing past your limits. To push past one¡¯s limits, one doesn¡¯t require any physical strength. At that point, there is none of that left in the tank. All that¡¯s left is pain and weakness. Strength loses meaning and what keeps them going is no longer a matter of how strong they actually are. The more they push themselves, the harder it gets no matter who they are. A single step bears the weight of a hundred. At that point, the strong and weak reach a line that clearly defines them. The will to keep pushing past their limits. That is the strength that can keep someone fighting even when their bodies havepletely given up¡­ ..... To me, that¡¯s true strength. Anyone can im to be able to handle themselves in a fight but most would rather avoid the fight entirely. You pushed past your limits in ways even I¡¯m yet to achieve and for that¡­ I am impressed,¡± Lina finally went silent after speaking. The alpha¡¯s thoughts started to swirl. Was this kind of thinking even supposed to be valid? The werewolves were amunity that ranked its members on strength and their ability to protect. This was the same thinking they¡¯d used to put Lina down in the past. And yet, what she had just said to him made all the sense in the world. It wasn¡¯t like him to do something that would exert him as much as he had done today. Wyatt felt much more pain than he was letting them know. His muscles were sore and burned like hot coals but he wouldn¡¯t let them know. At first, he didn¡¯t want to be embarrassed by showing weakness but knowing that Lina had known all along changed everything. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter. I couldn¡¯t stop moving. I got myself in this situation in the first ce.¡± Lina chuckled at this, ¡°Do you think Bree would have fared any better? Or do you think she would have persevered as you have?¡± This question struck so many cords. He was beingpared to themon werewolf¡­ and it was making sense. Bree was ready to travel across the world for her alpha. This was loyalty¡­ This was¡­ strength. The man turned to Crysta and noticed the same kind of devotion. Crysta was tired as well. No doubt about it¡­ but all she had done this whole time wasin about how she was slowing down the princess and even then, she was trying her best to do even better. She was pushing herself beyond the limits of a delta. Hearing Lina speak like someone more experienced than him irked him a little bit, but the resemnce she now bore with her lost sister made it look like she was trying to fill her shoes¡­ and she fit them perfectly. Lina was insanely fast and had monstrous endurance, no doubt it was the same endurance her sister bore. A question formed within his mind, one that was entirely beside the point, ¡°You sound so much like her¡­ Insanely strong, stubborn and strong-willed, yet soft, painfully kind and considerate. Can I ask you something?¡± Lina nodded. ¡°Who was faster between the two of you? I remember the two of you racing before. You were identical. I was never able to figure out which of you had won.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡­ yeah, Katie was definitely faster than me that time. But then again, she had that ability that allowed her to change her wolf to look more like mine. If she didn¡¯t have that, she wouldn¡¯t stand a chance,¡± Lina chuckled to herself. Wyatt tried to dismiss what the princess was trying to say to him, but it proved impossible. It was nothing like he found himself to be. He didn¡¯t want to help this princess win the Trials as much as those that followed her. His reasons for having joined this party were still his and his alone but he¡¯d never thought the princess would end upplimenting him like some sort of humble devotee. Even then, he felt something shift deep within his cold being. The princess had just expressed her gratitude towards his actions. He¡¯d done something worthwhile in his life. Something the princess could genuinely thank him for. And he liked being appreciated. His muscles still burned¡­ but now, it was more bearable. It was worth it. ¡°I will admit that at the moment, you¡­ along with Crysta are much stronger than I am. But don¡¯t mistake that for some sort of wind of change blowing through your little fantasy world. Wolves are strong and strength is what matters to our kind. It¡¯s why the deltas were never given the power to rise above the alphas and why the alphas don¡¯t have the power to rise above the royals. It¡¯s just how it works,¡± Wyatt shifted into his human form and walked away from the girl. His leg had a slight limp to it, indicating more injury than he liked to show. When Lina turned to him, Crysta gestured for her to stop, adding a slight bow to her request. Lina found that the show of submission made her more epting of her request, only proving Wyatt¡¯s point. Which is why she wouldn¡¯t ept it. ¡°Werewolves are social creatures. We survive in packs and a pack is only as strong as its weakest member. How can you not see that? When are you ever going to start acting more like an alpha and less like a brat?¡± Lina yelled at him. She might have looked like Katie but her patience was thinner¡­ a lot thinner. ¡°Oh? Do I act like a brat to you? Or has the time with those weaker than us really made you that blind to the way things work?¡± Wyatt spat, ¡°Don¡¯t answer that. This conversation is over.¡± Lina wanted to argue¡­ to smack the man for his one-track mind. Were all men in power like this? No, Lina knew that wasn¡¯t the case. Her brother wasn¡¯t like that. He was¡­ Lina couldn¡¯t find the words. Drake hadn¡¯t exactly been himself. But before his change, he¡¯d been¡­ kind, considerate and caring towards everyone. Why couldn¡¯t Wyatt see that he was wrong about everything? That his misconception about their society didn¡¯t get him more followers but got him hated by his subjects instead. Even if he was never demoted by his sister, he would have made the worst alpha in history with his attitude. She wanted to drill the lesson into his mind. To make him understand the part about him that was so repulsive that Katie had taken away his im to bing his father¡¯s heir. When she took a step forward, Crysta abandoned her ce around the setup for the campfire and embraced Lina. ¡®No, Lina, you cannot attack him. It will only prove his point,¡¯ Crysta tried arguing through the mind link. ¡®If I do nothing, he learns nothing at all either. I have to tell him just how stupid he¡¯s acting and beat it into his thick skull,¡¯ the princess argued, gritting her teeth in anger. ¡®That will only make him resent you more. You¡¯ll look no different from him when he used to beat you,¡¯ Crysta tried, ¡®You¡¯ll look no different from me when I used to¡­¡¯ Lina¡¯s impulses froze at that moment. Crysta continued to hold her friend, this time with a different reason to hold her, ¡®It wasn¡¯t violence that made me realise I was doing the wrong thing. It was you and your sister. She never cared for the quarrels that were going on through the pack. She only looked at the bigger picture and in the end, she saved us back at that reserve when we were fighting each other. And you¡­ even after everything we did, you never once looked back on it all. Even when you gained the power and confidence to fight back. You didn¡¯t. You just humbly moved on. It¡¯s actions like that make a difference. You said it yourself. In the end, strength doesn¡¯t matter. Someone¡¯s will to keep moving forward is what makes the difference between someone that¡¯s weak and another that¡¯s truly strong.¡¯ Lina hugged her friend back, ¡®There you go again. Saving me. What would I do without you?¡¯ Chapter 438 - 438 First Watch 438 First Watch ¡®You¡¯d be just fine without me. It is I who needed you,¡¯ Crysta replied making the princess chuckle. ¡®I¡¯ll let this one go to keep us from arguing. You spoke of her again. Everyone still does¡­ even when she was only around for a few short months. I know what my sister did. And it¡¯s that same unfathomable drive to save the werewolves and everyone else that got her into the mess she¡¯s in today,¡¯ Lina said, not withholding the venom that seeped into her voice. The princess knew what Katie had done was reckless and had not earned her anything in the end. At the same time, she wouldn¡¯t have held Katie back if she got the chance. It¡¯s what made Katie who she was. ¡®And yet you¡¯ve taught yourself to be more like her since the day she left,¡¯ Crysta responded. It was getting harder and harder to beat Crysta¡¯s reasoning. Just like Honour, this girl provided Lina with a grounded way of thinking. One that would not allow her to blindly follow her instincts. She gave her an anchor that guided her every time she was about to slip. Crysta was always there to help her, just like she had been back then¡­ before they¡¯d even learnt how to shift. Her reasoning was wless. Fighting Wyatt would only make him believe his own deluded words more. It would be the strong picking on the weak and the vicious cycle he was trying to preserve would never end. The girl turned away from the alpha, breaking her embrace with her friend, ¡®Thank you.¡¯ She voiced through the mind link and got to setting up their tents. There was a long silence as the three of them worked on preparing their supper and setting up camp. Lina set up the tents while Crysta lit the bonfire. ..... However, when it came to skinning and field dressing the hare, the delta found her abilities somewhatcking. Chuckling, Lina began instructing her in the art of preparing meat. With the proper way of holding the knife and the proper technique figured out, Crysta was skinning rtively neatly like the fast learner she was in no time. ¡°No fair, that took me three whole nights to figure out,¡± Lina grumbled. ¡°Well, you were a child when you learnt all this stuff, so I wouldn¡¯tin about it if I were you,¡± Crysta chuckled. ¡°Yeah, but still. Those were three nights of life I could never get back. Now, onto the field dressing. I¡¯m d you didn¡¯t forget the spices and salt. We¡¯d be in trouble if you forgot that, especially the salt. Then again, we are werewolves. Our predecessors would call us wimps for depending on things like salt,¡± the princessughed before beginning her directions and exnations. The lessons were so detailed that Crysta was almost sure the royal was making up half of it based on her own experience. Especially when it came to cutting up the meat. Lina specified the different joints and weak points the knife was meant to slice through. They were so many and the instructions were so intricate that Crysta took a stab at doing it randomly. When the delta tried cutting the meat wherever she felt was best, the knife vibrated upon meeting a very hard bone. Lina chuckled at her impatience and even let her have a few more tries before the delta gave up and epted the royal tutor¡¯s lesson. Wyatt didn¡¯t help with cooking supper that night and as soon as he was done eating, he bid them good night and slept quickly. ¡°What¡¯s his problem?¡± Lina asked. Crysta knew the expression on the man¡¯s face all too well. It was one Lina would probably never understand. After all, the girl was nothing like the two of them. She¡¯d been kind even before she was treated horribly, ¡°He¡¯ll be fine.¡± Eyeing his tent a little bit more, Lina washed her hands off with water from one of their water cans and walked to her tent as well, lying inside with her head outside and propped against her hands, ¡°Rest Crysta. I¡¯ll take the first watch.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll do it. You¡¯ve been taking the first watch ever since we started this trip. Let me allow you to rest first,¡± the delta shrugged. ¡°I take the first watch because the two of you get far more exhausted than I do. And even when you try to take over for me, you end up sleeping on the job. I would take the whole night, but even I have my limits,¡± Lina argued. ¡°Your limits, huh¡­ Doesn¡¯t feel like you were made with one of those,¡± the delta sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll take the first watch, Lina. If you feel like I need to rest so much, you could let me even rest longer.¡± The princess narrowed her eyes at the delta, ¡°That¡¯s very sneaky of you. Alright then. Wake me up after four hours.¡± Crysta smiled in relief and watched her friend vanish into her tent, ¡°Good night, princess.¡± ¡°Good night, Crysta. I¡¯ll let the title slide, just this¡­¡± a loud yawn came from the insides of the tents, ¡°¡­one time.¡± With that, everything went silent. Crysta chuckled after hearing Lina express exhaustion for the first time. She was showing the first signs of getting tired since their trip had begun. Somehow, knowing that Lina was starting to scratch the surface of her limits bothered her more than she cared to admit. The green-eyed woman watched over the camp until the light of their campfire died down. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden loss of light. Werewolves had incredible eyesight and were capable of seeing in the dark without much problem. Their bodies also preserved more heat than regr humans which meant the cold would not be a problem for her. For now... Further up, she reckoned it would be a different story. The mountains got colder the higher they climbed and they still had quite the journey ahead of them. Having no light would not pose the delta any problems with her sight. , but that didn¡¯t help her notice the gathering of yellow eyes that watched them from the steep slopes above. Chapter 439 - 439 Catty Guards 439 Catty Guards Victor and his group of rogues had been watching in the darkness for a while as the trio set up camp. As Victor had predicted, the tired wolves would make camp at the exact spot most suitable to rest. Almost every other spot along the river was too narrow for them to set up a tent¡­ let alone three. There had never been a moment, except when Victor had seen the mountain passe down on the Prince of Sirius, that he didn¡¯t feel as incredibly lucky as he felt right now. Not only had he brought down one royal but he now had the chance to bring down another. He felt like the luckiest person on the at the moment. After bringing down the prince, his assumption that he¡¯d be satisfied with his revenge had proved negative. The hunger for revenge felt like it was only starting. He now wanted to take what the prince cared about just like the prince had done to him. He wanted to kill the princess as well. ¡®At this rate, I could even put an end to the one King Rana fears so much. The one they call the Rogue Killer,¡¯ he mused. His dreams tasted sweeter with each passing moment. The wolf next to him nudged him out of his reverie and he returned his attention to the situation at hand. The amber-eyed wolf and his cronies were inching ever so closer to the camp, making sure to keep silent. The delta that had been left outside the tents was starting to nod off¡­ her eyelids getting heavier with every second. Crysta¡¯s neck seemed to struggle with the weight of her neck and keeping conscious was bing a battle worse than anything she¡¯d experienced so far through the Trials. The delta had underestimated how exhausted she truly was. As the night wore on, Crysta grew even sleepier and it seemed like she was going to give up this fight. ..... When the dosing girl finally swayed beyond normal and was on her way to hitting the ground, she caught herself and jerked awake. Crysta shook her head in disbelief and ran away from the camp. Opposite the great wall of the mountain that shielded one side of this convenient camp was the freezing cold stream. This was one source of cold that even the rogues feared to touch. Nevertheless, this girl plunged her hands into the icy water, jolting every nerve. Proceeding to do something even crazier, she sshed this freezing water on her face. Victor¡¯s amber eyes widened in shock, ¡®That¡¯s some scary resolve she¡¯s got¡­ but no matter¡­ she¡¯s far too tired to keep it up much longer.¡¯ The rogues watched this routine happen a bit longer before they started to get bored of it. Instead of falling to the ground in a heap of exhaustion like Victor expected, the delta always managed to pick herself up and jolt herself up with one painful ssh of icy cold water to the face. They could watch this forever and never be able to aplish their goal. Fortunately for them, a pattern soon made itself clear. A moment of weakness arose right before the girl realised she was about to drift asleep¡­ right before she jolted herself awake. At that moment that Crysta was meant to tip off her oscitions, she fellpletely into the clutches of sleep,pletely oblivious to every sound out of the ordinary¡­ and Victor had noticed. The soothing sound of the river sped up this process even more. ¡®For a slight moment before she chooses to douse herself with that ridiculously freezing cial water, she ispletely unconscious and her guard is down,¡¯ Victor thought to himself. This is what he nned to exploit. The other rogues didn¡¯t understand his intentions at first. Without the ability to use the mind link, they could not convey messages. So instead, they chose to follow his lead. The wolf they were following might have been insane but he was getting the most donepared to what the rest of the rogues had in over a year. When Victor was getting ready to leap out of his hiding ce and carry out the bloodthirsty n that formed within his mind, he felt a paw scratching his side. At first, he ignored it but then, it kepting. Something was bothering him. He pushed the rogue beside him away, ¡®Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m trying to do something here? While the rest of you have been seated doing nothing, I have beening up with borate schemes such as this one,¡¯ his thoughts echoed within his mind. ¡®Ugh, one of the downsides of not being in a pack. It might feel like I¡¯m going insane sometimes but being unable to use the mind link also has its upsides. Like no one is reading my mind or emotions every time they feel like it. Thatck of privacy was really starting to get on my nerves.¡¯ The other wolf couldn¡¯t hear thoughts and therefore continued to nudge him¡­ slowly getting frantic that his superior was not even sparing him a nce. Victor, losing his patience and finally seeing his opening, leapt out of his hiding ce and started the dash toward the dosing wolf. Halfway to the girl, a guttural growl filled the silent air, draining all life out of his system and recing the rushing excitement he¡¯d felt with cold fear. The rogue nted his paws into the ground and brought his dash to a skidding stop. Then he looked up. Raised not more than three metres above the camp was a stone ledge sticking out of the steep mountain side and on this ledge stood a menacing beast. A mountain lion was standing with its eyes pinned on Victor. Curiosity mixed with fear. He had no idea how he¡¯d missed the presence of the ferocious beast and now that he was attacking the wolves, he was more curious as to why the lion had made its presence known just now. There was more prey¡­ ¡®These pce pricks are practically sitting ducks,¡¯ he mentally cursed, ¡®Why in the moon¡¯s shadow would the lion be looking at me? And why¡­¡¯ his thoughts were stopped by another bone-chilling roar, this one much louder. Another roar came, however, it wasn¡¯t from the same lion. He looked up and found that numerous figures of the same species were standing with their eyes trained on him. ¡®Many of them¡­ But they don¡¯t hunt in packs.¡¯ The lions bore their menacing teeth and snarled at the werewolf. Their ws extended and scratched the stone beneath their paws making their aggressiveness fully known to him. Victor took one uncertain step back¡­ almost worried that he might step into the river. The first lion jumped down from its perch and started a slow cat-like walk towards him. The wolf took another step back but the lion wouldn¡¯t take its eyes off him. Fear filled him to the core as he wondered what the lion was thinking, ¡®I won¡¯t bother your meal again, okay? I take it you already have plenty of cronies to share it with,¡¯ Victor thought to himself. At times like this, he felt a mind link that allowed him to talk to animals would be priceless. ¡®Just devour the girl like you intentionally nned. I won¡¯t get in your way,¡¯ he mentally cooed. In his mind, he smirked, knowing full well that the campers would not survive the ordeal, whatsoever... The lions were easily thrice their number. What happened next, however, ripped the smile off his face¡­ maw all at once. The lion stepped past the dosing girl without paying her a moment¡¯s notice. The lion didn¡¯t even bother to check if she was looking at it. Victor took more steps back and snarled when he noticed the lionpletely lower its guard around the girl. Its backpletely turned, he was now sure this lion did not view the girl as a threat at all. In fact, two more lions dropped from their perches and surrounded the girl in what looked like a protective circle. Fear mixed with rage, he couldn¡¯t do anything against so many creatures of the wild. But still¡­ all of this was wrong¡­ all wrong. Chapter 440 - 440 Between Scylla and Charybdis! 440 Between Scy and Charybdis! Amidst the ensuing chaos, Victor¡¯s window of opportunity finally came to an end. The delta started finally lost her bnce and started to tumble. If it wasn¡¯t for being in his werewolf form, a wide grin would have formed on the rogue¡¯s face. Now the girl was going to wake up and alert the lions of another presence they needed to worry about. Perhaps the lions had stopped paying attention to her because she hadn¡¯t been conscious. The creatures hadn¡¯t been paying attention to the sleeping girl, but maybe they would pay attention if she was still unconscious. The retreating rogue started to see hope in getting ughtered along with the royal¡¯s bodyguard. Crysta caught herself just in time like she¡¯d been doing, embarrassment washing over her. She¡¯d been doing the worst job of keeping watch ever in history. It seemed she was making a habit of disappointing her alpha. While her intentions were pure, her results were less than admirable. ¡®I¡¯ll have to apologize to Lina when I wake her up. Speaking of Lina¡­¡¯ Her thoughts were cut short at the sight of a furry beast in front of her. A feline tail swished slowly swivelled in front of her face. The delta was going to scream but caught herself when a snarl to her right forced her attention. Crysta looked around and found that she waspletely surrounded by the one creature they had dreaded the most since they started their journey through the mountains, ¡®I hate it when Wyatt is right.¡¯ She wanted to wake Lina up through the mind link, but looking around, the lions were far too many to take down. Maybe Lina had some trick up her sleeve that could help them even the odds. Maybe¡­ Her fear was soon reced by curiosity when the mountain lion that had forced her silence turned away from her and paid attention to something else. Crysta could almost swear the lion was trying to divert her attention to something else. ..... The delta followed the lion¡¯s eyes and found that all the lions were paying attention to one thing¡­ or three, to be more exact. Three wolves with amber eyes stood baring their teeth at the lions and snarling. Crysta was about to ask what they were doing when she noticed the consistent dirty grey fur on two of them. The signature coat that every rogue got once they joined the rogue king. The one in the middle of the other two was only slightly turning grey. He could only be someone new to the rogues. On rare asions, a normal wolf would join the rogues and their pelt would undertake a slow transformation until they bore the same colour as the rest of the rogues¡­ A sign of losing the moon goddess¡¯s favour. The delta¡¯s eyes shed green in anger¡­ ¡®A traitor.¡¯ Shocked by her own disregard for the numerous lions that surrounded her, she turned on the rogues and bared her elongated canines at them in a threatening attempt at a half shift. A guttural growl finally mixed into the ranks of mountain lions. She couldn¡¯t quite get the half shift done like Katie but she could at least disfigure her appearance and appear threatening by baring her elongated canines. The lions roared in response to her own growl significantly increasing their animosity towards the rogues. The lions wed the ground in challenge, as though waiting for an order. Clearly outnumbered by a pack of normally solitary mountain lions stalking them, the rogues turned tails and ran uphill. Lina left the shelter of her tent just in time to see the tail of thest rogue disappear around a bend. The mountain lions paid the girl no heed and ran after the rogues in a frenzy of growls that would chill anyone they pursued to the core. ............... Victor couldn¡¯t tell how long he¡¯d been running uphill. His sense of fear didn¡¯t allow him to stop running. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him and so did the wolves that were with him. They ran through the night, listening to the roars of mountain lions in the distance. Knowing the lions ruled the entire mountains kept them running through the night. The rogues ran so hard that they didn¡¯t notice when they hit the icy cold of the mountain¡¯s top. Victor was almost shocked when they started going downhill, the icy top of the mountain long forgotten. He¡¯d barely felt the cold while he ran. His fear of meeting his death kept him going, along with the fact that he couldn¡¯t exin what he¡¯d just seen with his own two eyes. The girl had stood amongst the lions without a care for her life. The delta had stood with the creatures of the wild¡­ solitary creatures and she had threatened to attack him with all of them as a whole. It was a terrifying sight that wasn¡¯t going to leave his mind for a while. It didn¡¯t make sense to him at all that the lions ignored the camperspletely. It was almost as though the animals were being controlled by the delta, but he couldn¡¯t believe this either. Not after the scared expression she¡¯d shown when she woke up. Had she been surprised they were there or had they simply disobeyed her orders bying down from their perches? Nothing seemed to be adding up. They weren¡¯t supposed to be working together in the first ce¡­ To protect one group of carnivores from another. This was a vition of nature¡¯sws. His mind churned with different theories as to what he had just witnessed, but he wasn¡¯t certain of any of them. He¡¯d heard of people that could speak to animals but that girl didn¡¯t seem like it either¡­ or did she? Nothing made sense to him at all. When he searched his mind, he realised the mountain lions had been stalking this camp for a while. It made no sense for them to simply watch over the camp, no less group together to do it. Something wasn¡¯t adding up. When Victor finally ran out of breath and his adrenaline faded, he, along with the two rogues he was with, had made it to the bottom of the mountain and were panting wildly under the cover of the trees. He was no longer capable of thinking. His mind was muddled by the pain from his screaming muscles. It was only now that he was feeling the effects of running through the snow at the top of the mountain. Panting heavily, a paw nudged the rogue¡¯s side. ¡®I¡¯m tired, for crying out loud. What now?¡¯ This time he heeded the warning and turned to hisrade. The wolf tapping him had gone pale if wolves were even capable of doing that. Fear was written within its eyes which were glued to something ahead of them. It was like before¡­ ¡®If it turns out to be one more lion, I¡¯m going to¡­¡¯ his thoughts froze. Suddenly a pack of lions wasn¡¯t so bad. Victor had turned to face their newfound danger and found himself paling as well at the sight before him. Through the trees right before them, he noticed arge mass of fur. At first, he couldn¡¯t make out what it was in detail, but he didn¡¯t need to get any details to know he was supposed to be scared. The rough estimate of the size of this creature alone was enough to make him take a step back. His first thought was, ¡®A bear?¡¯ Although Bears didn¡¯t possess ck and white fur. Something was wrong with this one. Taking a step closer, the rogue froze as the creature turned and continued its rhythmic breathing that told them it was sleeping. Victor rxed when he realised it was asleep and let out a breath he didn¡¯t know he¡¯d been holding. He soon came to curse this decision. For it was the slightly loud sound of him breathing out that stirred the massive creature before them. From one side of therge ck-and-white mass, a massive white head turned in their direction, allowing Victor to finally see what it actually was. Against his better judgement, the creature that now stared at them was clearly¡­ a wolf. ¡®Not even beta alphas and royals shift to that size¡­¡¯ his thoughts were cut off when the wolf furrowed its brows and rose to its feet. Its eyes were still closed but somehow that didn¡¯t matter. Simply hearing his next-to-silent breath was enough to tell him that this creature didn¡¯t need sight to know where they were. The wolf¡¯s senses were sharp enough to wake it up from a deep slumber just by hearing the sound of his breath. He needed to see its eyes for another reason entirely. ¡®Why does it look familiar¡­ why do I feel like he¡¯d seen this wolf somewhere before? I would remember if I saw a towering giant of a werewolf somewhere¡­¡¯ Victor¡¯s thoughts continued to string. Towering over them with a size that was clearly twice that of thergest bear was a ck and white wolf with a mawrge enough to snap him in two with one bite. As soon as Victor had taken the first timid step back, the wolf opened its bright blue eyes. Chapter 441 - 441 Protected By Nature 441 Protected By Nature Lina forced her eyes open, finally realising that the savage noises that she kept hearing weren¡¯t merely part of a dream but actually animals outside of her tent. The princess quickly opened her tent and stepped out, rising quickly to her full height. Her blue eyes cut through the darkness of night quickly adjusting to allow her to perceive her surroundings clear as day. The first thing she saw was fur unlike that of a wolf. She was frozen for a while, fear threatening to grip her senses as was the natural reaction to danger. However, before the fear could set in, the girl noticed something odd that pushed her worries to the back and reced them with curiosity. The creature in front of her wasn¡¯t bothered by her presence. In fact, the big cat looked somewhat inclined to have her pet its back if she felt like it. Lina decided against it, regardless of how alluring the thought felt. This was still a mountain lion. Another reason she wasn¡¯t so easily frightened by the big cat was her confidence in her speed and agility. Should ite to it, she was sure she could evade the lion without risking her life. The girl looked up and noticed far more mountain lions than she¡¯d initially expected. Five of them stood with them in the camp while others stood up on the ledges. If they had been staring at the girl and snarling at her like they currently were, she might have been scared witless, but they had their attention on something else. Seeing a creature choose something else over herself only meant there was a bigger danger in the vicinity, or at least that¡¯s what she chose to think. ¡®I¡¯m surprised I can be this calm around them.¡¯ The feeling these creatures gave her was exactly the same that the jaguar had. Now that she thought back to their run-in with the jaguar, she was more inclined to believe this was a simr situation. Once the initial fright of being in their presence had passed, all that was reced was a sense of familiarity and peace around the creatures of the wild. ..... ¡°Crysta¡­¡± the girl stopped, her words vanishing from her mouth upon following the line of sight of every creature surrounding them, including Crysta. Lina was almost shocked at the sight before her. Three wolves were snarling in response to the lions. The fur on their backs was raised and they bore their fangs menacingly at the lions. In response to this vicious disy, the mountain lions were starting to crowd the camp, spreading out and clearly outnumbering the wolves. The princess had only noticed the wolves¡¯ presence when they turned tails and ran uphill. A loud roar rumbled from the lion at the front before it bounded in the same direction as the rogues. The mountain lions behind them followed suit. Some chased from the mountain wall, leaping from one inconceivably small ledge to another and making their way uphill in a manner Lina had initially thought impossible¡­ ¡®Mountain Lions, huh¡­¡¯ The chase was on. Lina could only watch as most of the lions bounded out of their camp in pursuit of the rogues at threatening speed. The sound of their paws against the ground only forced her to freeze in ce lest she risk being run over by therge beasts. The two girls remained quiet for a while trying to understand what had just happened. When the sound of the lions chasing the rogues was far enough, the two girls turned their attention to those that had remained. Instead of all the lions chasing down the rogues, three had remained in the camp. ¡®This reminds me of the lion that saved my big sister at the coronation,¡¯ the princess thought to herself. ¡°Uh, Lina, is this one of those times when we have to bow to them so they leave us in peace?¡± Crysta asked, fear in her voice. ¡°Um¡­¡± before the girl could answer her, the lions retreated to the nearly vertical wall that bordered the other side of their camp and began leaping from one ledge to another with extreme precision. The lions kept climbing until they reached what could be perceived as the top of the mountain wall. Lina assumed there was some sort of path at that altitude. However, getting there was bound to be apletely different story had the wolves decided to try it. When the lions were out of sight, Lina could now make out just how difficult it was for anything other than these lions to traverse this territory. The lions were strong enough to keep lifting themselves to greater heights and travelling through the mountains without any hindrance. ¡°I guess we don¡¯t get to do that this time,¡± the delta smiled at her friend nervously, ¡°What happened, Crysta?¡± Crysta scratched the back of her head, ¡°Um¡­ The rogues were going to attack us, but¡­ well, you can tell the rest.¡± ¡°You fell asleep, didn¡¯t you?¡± the nervesing from the delta were quite clear. Lina pinched the bridge of her nose. A male voice cut through the air, ¡°So you¡¯re protected by nature. I don¡¯t think I would have seen thating.¡± Wyatt¡¯s voice came from the inside of his tent and with it came the man¡¯s intention of noting out. ¡°That hase as a shock to me as well,¡± Lina replied, ¡°We can¡¯t be sure of that though. There are few people that can talk to animals and I¡¯m not one of them.¡± ¡°Is there someone else other than Katie?¡± Crysta asked. ¡°Yes, there was a woman that could do so back in Lycaon. All the others I¡¯ve heard of are in myths and mysterious sightings made by wolves and hunters,¡± the girl replied, yawning out loud, ¡°Get some sleep, Crysta. I¡¯ve had my rest.¡± Crysta wanted to argue, but couldn¡¯t. Not after she¡¯d been caught sleeping on the job. She looked to the tent containing the alpha and sighed. There was no way he was going to help. .......... Chapter 442 - 442 Unconscious Change 442 Unconscious Change Drake Sirius ran upstream trying to make the most of his day. Hunger was starting to catch up to him. He eyed the sky and realised the night would be upon him in a few hours. Trying to estimate when next he would be too tired, the prince found that he could still press on. He also wondered where the extra energy wasing from but shrugged it off as he continued running uphill. It wasn¡¯t the first time this had happened and he certainly thought it wasn¡¯t going to be thest. Lately, he¡¯d found that he could no longer estimate the true height of his limits. When he wanted to do something he found possible at a certain point in time, he wasn¡¯t surprised when he found that he couldn¡¯t do it¡­ and vice versa. It was almost like his body was switching between different levels of power leaving him to only watch the bizarre changes he was going through. The upside was that he hadn¡¯t gotten into trouble because of this yet¡­ So he didn¡¯t mind. Letting his mind wander, the prince tried to think about what had happened with the mountain pass, but couldn¡¯t make a conclusion on what had happened. His thoughts wandered all over, ranging from his sister to the conversation he¡¯d had with the king and queen¡­ and finally wandering to Lina¡¯s best friend, Honour. The thought of the girl made his heart race. A feeling he was now certain wasn¡¯t normal. The two of them had spent an abnormal amount of time in thepany of each other and were oddlyfortable around each other. He liked helping her with her errands and admired her free-spirited nature. She was the only person he¡¯d found that could getpletely lost in their work. More times than one, she¡¯d caught him staring at her while she worked in the flower shop and he¡¯d diverted their conversations to her passions. As a result, she had told him a great deal about flowers and their special qualities. ..... Honour even kept a journal where she wrote about every different kind of flower she learnt about. Drake wasn¡¯t particrly interested in flowers but the subject got oddly interesting when Honour was talking about them. As a result, he¡¯d started hanging out at the flower shop, helping her about the shop when he didn¡¯t have anything to do. When her mother took over the shop for her and Lina got deep into her training, Honour found herself seeking the prince¡¯spany. Everything had been going just right aside from a few magical urrences that he¡¯d agreed to keep secret. Everything was going just right before¡­ Before she revealed what she was to him. She¡¯d tried to keep the truth about her powers a secret from him, but eventually, the secret grew too heavy for her to carry. Honour revealed the powers she was capable of using and what she had done at the reserve. Suddenly the stories he¡¯d heard from the students that survived the attack on the reserve made all the sense in the world. The information still shook him to this day and had more effect on him than he¡¯d expected. Even after telling him that she could heal others and control nts, the prince still sensed he was missing something crucial. Something about her never added up and the more he spent time with her, the more it nagged him. When his thoughts started spiralling to the odd things he¡¯d started experiencing, he shook his head and brought his mind to the present. Thendscape around him hadpletely changed. There were trees around him¡­ thest thing he¡¯d expected to see in the barren Sirius Mountains. He looked around and nearly panicked. The mountain was behind him now¡­ ¡®Wait, wasn¡¯t I just running beside the stream?¡¯ his thoughts rumbled within his mind. He couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened to him. No matter how many times he blinked or tried to wipe the fog from his eyes, the colossal mountain was behind him. When had he crossed over to the other side? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to go through the ice cap? Drake doubted he would have been able to miss the drastic temperature difference. He would have continued to berate his mind if it hadn¡¯t been for the dull numbness in his paws. The signs of the snow at the top of the forest were clear on his paws. And even as he noticed it, the pain vanished almost immediately. The prince looked back up at the towering mountain still wondering when it was that he¡¯d traversed the entirety of the mountain. The journey was also impossible to make in one day. How long had he zoned out? What kind of zoning out had he just experienced? Nothing made sense. Thinking only brought more confusion and it wasn¡¯t long before the exhaustion began to kick in. The prince wasn¡¯t thinking much when he allowed himself to rest in the woods a few hundred metres from the colossal ranges. The marsnd they were meant to travel through before they got to the city was not far, but he was sure from his memory of the map that it wasn¡¯t arge distance to go. Remembering his journey thest time he¡¯d gone through the Trials also provided him with enough insight. That time, crossing the mountain hadn¡¯t been as easy either. However, at the time, the mountain pass was still functional so he never had to face the cold at the top of the ranges. ¡®I hope you do well up there, little sister,¡¯ he thought to himself just before his ears perked up at the slightest crunch. The wolf was on high alert almost immediately, bumping his head on a branch overhead. Drake cursed the low branches of the trees but didn¡¯t think much about the matter. His ears picked up the sound of crunching leaves and this was enough to take his attention away from the pain in his head. The wolf scanned the woods and soon enough, a sh of white notified him of a dashing bunny. The creatures were usually fast and difficult to catch¡­ well, for wolves out on their first hunts. Drake stalked the small creature as quietly as he could, watching it munch on its new score of food before pouncing on it. With teeth bared and paws outstretched, the wolf made the jump almost instantly, not giving the rabbit any time to react. The prince bit into the rabbit¡¯s fur, not caring for seasoning or cooking fast, ¡®Hunting feels far easier today. I guess today is my day.¡¯ With something in his belly, the exhausted royal fell unconscious, sleeping without a care for anything that could attack him. It was against all reason for him to sleep like this. Over the past few days, he¡¯d climbed trees to keep himself from being noticed, but the call of the wild was starting to get to him. His wolf was taking more and more of his mind, guiding him to survive as the creature of the wild he was. Drake didn¡¯t know how long he¡¯d spent in his wolf form¡­ or that remarkable changes were happening to his wolf¡¯s body. He didn¡¯t notice that the tree branches were not low but that his head was too high. Sitting atop a branch not far from the royal was a single raven with an inconceivable spark of sapphire glow deep staring from within its dark eyes. Chapter 443 - 443 Facing a Royal 443 Facing a Royal Victor was glued to the spot by the intense stare of the blue eyes before him. He swallowed under the gaze of the colossal wolf watching him. The rogues beside him were in a simr state. Breathing felt like hardbour at this point, almost as if breathing too hard would prove offensive to the wolf and yet breathing too little would only bring them closer to death. ¡®A royal¡­ I¡¯ve never seen one this big. And we¡¯d been so careful to stay out of their way all this time. How did ite to this?¡¯ the man berated himself. In the thrill of his expedition, it hadn¡¯t urred to him that he could end up bing the reason the rogues were rediscovered. Despite all the training this trio of rogues had been through while in hiding, nothing had prepared them to face a hulking wolf that rivalled all the royals they¡¯d ever seen. They were sure this one was bigger than all the royals they¡¯d seen including the Rogue King himself. It didn¡¯t make a bit of sense¡­ What was logic in the face of death? A lot of logical thoughts broke down when faced with a fearsome opponent. Trying to make sense of the situation, they noticed something even more absurd. The wolfish colossus was far too big to even move around the trees in the forest. It was trapped simply because it was too big. Victor looked about but couldn¡¯t find any signs of carnage anywhere. It would be impossible for a creature like this one to move around the woods without bending trees and ttening everything in its way, right? This was a werewolf, by all means, but one that defied the logic that ran theirmunity. Werewolves were generally bigger than ordinary wolves, but they never got as big as the colossus that was towering before them. For some reason, they didn¡¯t want to run. It felt like it would be useless to try and get away from the wolf even though it stared at them from the other side of a wall of trees that formed the treeline around the foot of the mountain. ..... Victor was not sure what to do at the moment. Just when he was about to start thinking, something stopped him froming up with a n. It was the hint of recognition that sparked in therge wolf¡¯s eyes. The amber-eyed rogue scanned the wolf once more. It was all white, but with a patch of ck fur on its back almost like it was being shielded from the sun. Therge wolf stared at Victor with increasing curiosity, its ears unconsciously twitching. ¡®Don¡¯t get curious about me. You should be letting me be. We only seek to pass by you¡­ Wait, that fur coat.¡¯ Recognition finally sparked in his eyes mirroring that of the royal standing before them. He recognized the wolf he was staring at. While the size of the wolf waspletely different from thest time he¡¯d seen it, he was certain it was him. ¡®You¡¯re supposed to be dead¡­¡¯ Victor snarled. It didn¡¯t matter if the wolf couldn¡¯t hear him. Just how much would it take to snuff out the life of a single royal? Bringing down an entire mountain pass hadn¡¯t done the trick. Now what? A blue mist began to surround therge wolf, rolling in from behind the wolf and all around at it once with no clear source. The subtle crunch of bones filled the air. This was a transformation. The colossus was shifting. This wasn¡¯t the normal shift the three rogues had gotten used to. Drake was shifting in a cloud of blue mist. Frozen in ce, they watched as the colossal wolf shifted back into an average-sized man. The same man they had tried to kill earlier when they destroyed the mountain pass. Victor snarled at the man, anger flowing through his being. ¡®What is this guy made of? Not even an avnche was able to kill him.¡¯ Expecting the rogues beside him to back him up, Victor continued to growl at the man. Drake finally opened his eyes, his transformationplete. The fear that gripped the rogues kept them from attacking even through his long transformation. Attacking during his shift would have been the best moment at first nce, but to these three rogues, it felt as though interrupting the prince would spell their imminent death. He radiated an aura unlike anything they were used to seeing among the royals¡­ and that was saying something for wolves that had been in the presence of the Rogue King before. ¡°So you¡¯re the one that betrayed us,¡± were Drake¡¯s first words. While Victor was angry about not being able to kill the prince, he was now shocked to see that the prince had recognised him. He was sure the prince had never seen him in his wolf form. ¡®How?¡¯ he thought to himself. ¡®That voice is the same as well. The same cocky delta that dreamt himself a saint,¡¯ Drake replied, ¡®I¡¯m starting to wonder if I should have killed you back then.¡¯ The anger that had only diminished moments ago came back brimming with more ferocity at the man¡¯s words. ¡®So you still look down on me. You¡¯ll be dead soon enough. By the time the Rogue King is done with you and the rest of your pathetic family.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t you love the colour of your eyes better now?¡± Drake asked out loud, ¡°It¡¯s a symbol of freedom and innocence. It shows just how much of your life you¡¯re still in control of. The higher you are in rank, the more you¡¯re obligated to work for the royals. You surely realise that, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡®Your values are nothing like mine. You know nothing of what the rest of us go through. You were born with power. You¡¯ve never known what it is to train so hard and gain so little in exchange. What¡¯s more is that you don¡¯t even know what it¡¯s like to have the power¡­ power that you worked so hard to achieve, stripped from you by a meremand,¡¯ by the time they¡¯d gotten this far into their conversation, Victor was now sure the royal could hear his thoughts. This only worked to anger him even more. What right did the royal have to invade his mind? They weren¡¯t even in the same pack. He¡¯d only recently broken off from the two empires¡­ but even then, the prince had a semnce of power over him. Victor bared his teeth at the royal before him. The prince¡¯s clothes were a mess with his shirt and trousers starting to lose their luxurious lustre. But even in this state, he didn¡¯t look helpless. If anything, the presence of three rogues before didn¡¯t faze him one bit. This was the power difference Victor had grown used to. And it reminded him of the power the prince had taken from him. It was almost like Drake now wanted to mock him for being weak. His deep loathing for the royal easily clouded his judgement and dulled his senses. So much that it even kept him from perceiving the wed hand that suddenly struck his side, piercing through his ribcage with a sickening bone-crunching sound. The rage that had filled him only secondster diminished and intense pain red through his mind. The wolf trembled in pain and fear, his legs going weak. Drake was still standing before him, his expression unreadable with the pain that now flooded Victor¡¯s mind. The greying wolf turned to his right and locked eyes with the person that had just impaled him. Instead of meeting the amber eyes of a rogue that he¡¯d been travelling with, as he¡¯d expected, his eyes widened as they were met with the intense burning hue of an alpha¡¯s crimson irises¡­ ¡®H-how¡­¡¯ his thoughts were muddled with the pain that only intensified. Something wasn¡¯t right. The rogue, in his human form, pulled his bloodied hand out of the greying wolf and pushed him to the ground. As the rogue pulled his arm out of Victor¡¯s gut, the wolf lost its bnce and tumbled to the ground convulsing in pain at the wide gash in its side. ¡°I¡¯ve given you several chances to prove yourself, but with time, I¡¯vee to realise just how useless you are to me. After that stunt you pulled with the mountain pass, I was ready to let it slide on the ount that a weakling like you had managed to down one member of these troublesome royal families, but s, even that proved too hard for you.¡± Drake¡¯s breath hitched at the sudden change in his situation. It was troubling enough that the rogue that had just plunged his hand into Victor¡¯s side had suddenly changed eye colour. However, when he spoke, something else gripped the more primal fear lying deep within the prince. The voice that rumbled from the man that Victor had been travelling with was not his. It waspletely different. Much deeper and filled with far more hatred and murderous intent. It belonged to the Rogue King. Chapter 444 - 444 A sign... Any sign at all 444 A sign... Any sign at all Lina failed to rest easy for the rest of the night. Her mind wandered to the rogues that had just attacked their camp and more to the mountain lions that had rescued them. There were rogues out in the ranges that had probably brought down the mountain pass. They had all known that and the rogues had eventually attacked them. ¡®What would have happened if the lions weren¡¯t around to help us? What then?¡¯ Lina wanted to think like this but part of her mind kept a constant reminder that Katie was always watching. Her presence was dim but now she was sure the Lost Princess was still watching¡­ and helping in whatever way she could. ¡®Seems like only yesterday that my sister didn¡¯t like having the power to speak to animals,¡¯ the girl chuckled. Looking up at the ledges on which the lions had retreated, she noticed three of the lions casually resting there. She hadn¡¯t even noticed their presence. It was almost like they were doing their best to remain hidden and not bother them. What¡¯s more, is that the beasts weren¡¯t sleeping either. ¡®Last I checked, mountain lions aren¡¯t nocturnal. All the more proof that she¡¯s there¡­ Isn¡¯t it illegal for someone to help me through the Trials?¡¯ But then again, there was the matter of rogues trying to kill them. If Katie could stop that from happening and not interfere with anything else, perhaps she wasn¡¯t breaking any rules. ¡®I wonder how far the lions chased those rogues¡­ Hopefully into the ice at the top,¡¯ the princess chuckled internally. As the hours ticked by, Lina¡¯s curiosity grew more and more. The need to have something rified was only getting more intense. ..... Their entire trip had been nothing short of a breeze when it came to dealing with the wild. There wasn¡¯t a single creature that had attacked them and the only one they had crossed paths with was a jaguar. Even that had paid them next to no attention. Lina searched her mind for the research she¡¯d made on the animals that lived in the Sirius empire. Snakes, lizards, mammals, birds¡­ anything she could remember¡­ All the indigenous animals seemed a lot more scarce than she assumed they would be. She searched her mind for the memory of the most insignificant creature of them all¡­ The ck Ant¡­ None¡­ It was almost like nature was avoiding them intentionally. It¡¯s not like she wanted to be attacked by the creatures. Their behaviour merely worried her. Wyatt¡¯s words rang through her mind. ¡®So you¡¯re protected by nature. I don¡¯t think I would have seen thating.¡¯ Each time the mountain lions would catch her staring at them, she would avert her eyes and bring them back when she was sure they were not looking. Fearing a staring contest, this game went on for a bit¡­ Until she¡¯d gathered enough courage. This time, she wanted to look into their eyes. Her heart hoped she could glean a spark of the wolf she idolised. The mountain lion stared at her finally sending a rush of fear through her veins. The powerful beast was even more imposing when staring directly at her. Lina resisted the urge to look away from the predator. She wanted to know. Her curiosity once again proved more than her fear. And she didn¡¯t have to wait long. Staring straight into the catlike pupils of the mountain lion, she was able to see it. The minuscule almost insignificant and yet strong blue spark burned deep within the lion¡¯s eyes. The power of the royal she looked up to. ¡®So close¡­ yet so far.¡¯ Lina wanted to ask the lion so many questions and yet she was sure the lion wouldn¡¯t be able to answer her. The fact that this was the only sign of Katie in her life reminded her of how far the Lost Luna really was. ¡®Can¡¯t stop yourself from ying the hero, big sister!¡¯ The princess remembered one of the first interactions she¡¯d ever had with her sister. Katie saw a problem and wanted to fix it immediately. She also wanted to get close to Lina so fast. At least, that¡¯s what Lina had thought at the time. An outsider¡­ yet she had no trouble fitting in. And yet Lina, who was the insider, had all the trouble fitting in. What an awkward situation it had been! ¡®Get a grip, Lina. Katie needs to heal,¡¯ Lina sighed to herself. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can hear me, but I¡¯m going to do my best as well. I¡¯ll protect them in your absence. Even with you gone, you¡¯re still trying to protect me, but I¡¯ll show you it won¡¯t always be the case. I¡¯ll prove it to you.¡± The lion stared back at her with no form of expression. What else could it do? It¡¯s not like it could speak human. But then, Lina thought she imagined the bright blue speck in its eyes shimmering for only a moment. Whether it had shimmered or not, it was enough. A sign¡­ any sign really, was all she needed. ... Drake was almost certain the three rogues in front of him were supposed to be on the same side, but then again, logic seemed to fly out the window when the Rogue King was involved. What he was witnessing had him utterly perplexed. One of them had suddenly shifted into his human form, not caring for his nakedness and plunged his hand deep into the gut of the wolf that Drake had nowe to recognise as Victor of the Golden Moon pack. It was hard to forget the face and scent of the person that he¡¯d demoted during his visit to the pack. From the moment he¡¯d taken the man¡¯s power as a delta, something had stuck to the back of his mind. Like the extra power he¡¯d taken from the man lingered within his own... alien to his system, constantly keeping him aware of a werewolf he had punished. A werewolf that was meant to prove their worth to him. The man was also the one that had sold them out to the rogue king and broken him out of the Lycaon pce dungeons. He might have just been the most treacherous person on the at the moment. Despite all that, the prince still regarded the man with pity. If he¡¯d known this was the same person that had copsed the mountain pass just to kill him, perhaps he would have taken this situation a little bit differently. His body still felt odd froming down the mountain. While his mind had been trying to figure out what was happening, he was far too distracted to notice what kind of danger he was in. That, however, changed when the rogue that had run Victor through spoke up, ¡°I¡¯m done giving you second chances, runt.¡± The rogue¡¯s voice was deep and intimidating, simr in more ways than one to the voice the prince feared and had only heard once before. When the three of them approached him, he hadn¡¯t felt the need to fear this man. Now, something was different. His answer came when the rogue turned to face him. Instead of the amber eyes that he¡¯d dismissed earlier. This rogue had glowing red eyes. Something was wrong with them. They didn¡¯t glow a clear crimson like those of an alpha. Instead of a glowing crimson iris, the whole of the man¡¯s eyes was glowingpletely,bining both the pupil and the white of his eye. The odd transformation came with a change in his aura. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost, your highness,¡± the man¡¯s deep voice came again. Drake tried to shake the fear that now coursed through his veins but couldn¡¯t find the resolve to do so. The man before him was supposed to be a weak ordinary wolf and yet, with a sudden change in his demeanour, the prince was already on his toes. ¡°Who are you?¡± the prince asked, filling his voice with as much authority and confidence as he could. The strange boost in power he¡¯d felt earlier was still pulsing through him, but even with it, he wasn¡¯t sure why he couldn¡¯t rx. ¡®I¡¯m just d I¡¯m not feeling weak today,¡¯ the prince thought to himself, his mind shing quick scenes of moments when he¡¯d woken up weaker than he normally was. The erratic change in his power had not yet caused him trouble... yet. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t disappoint me, Prince Drake. You know who I am. I might look a little bit different, but our wolves always know who they are looking at even when they wear another body,¡± the deep voice came and this time, everything snapped into focus. He was speaking with the rogue king which shouldn¡¯t have made any sense. Why would the rogue king be speaking through a body that wasn¡¯t his? Scratch that... what was the rogue king doing here at all? So many things didn¡¯t make sense at the moment. Drake already had enough to worry about as it was. Adding this to his list of things was asking too much of him. ¡®One problem after the other, Drake,¡¯ he thought to himself, ¡®You¡¯re the older brother to the Rogue Killer after all. That¡¯s got to count for something.¡¯ Another question rose up, ¡°Then, why are your eyes red?¡± Chapter 445 - 445 Unknown meets Abomination 445 Unknown meets Abomination ¡°Oh? Are they now?¡± the man asked him, turning to the wolf that was now convulsing on the ground, ¡°Are they really red? They should be blue. Tell me.¡± Victor¡¯s wounded form remained unresponsive on the ground blinded by thoughts of the pain. He was losing blood and getting more lightheaded as the seconds ticked by. The ¡®Rogue King¡¯ sighed, ¡°You¡¯re even more useless now than you were earlier. No matter¡­ Hey, you there. Man whose name I don¡¯t know. What colour are my eyes?¡± The wolf on the other side of Victor had given the two of them space, hoping he wouldn¡¯t get gutted as well. The wolf stared at his changedrade for a bit. He couldn¡¯t speak as a wolf but the rogue king hadn¡¯t exactly asked a yes-no question, so nodding seemed out of the question. Yet standing with his tail tucked between his legs also felt like a sure way to get himself gutted as well. There was only one option left¡­ embarrassing as it was. The rogue shifted into his naked form and answered his partner¡¯s question, keeping his gaze on the ground. ¡°Red¡­ sire?¡± the rogue responded shakily, unsure what to call his possessed partner. He wasn¡¯t sure what was going on either. The rogue king had just manifested out of nowhere. This should have been impossible¡­ and yet the rogue couldn¡¯t deny what was happening before him. Hisrade sounded like the Rogue King and even carried himself in a simr way. There wasn¡¯t a hint of recognition in his eyes. And his aura had changed to that of a much more dangerous kind of werewolf. While it was debatable whether his friend was suddenly as powerful as the Rogue King himself, he wasn¡¯t the same either. Drake¡¯s mind darted about in search of an answer to this but he couldn¡¯t find one. Before him, was something that had never been seen before. ..... ¡°So you take control of others now, do you?¡± Drake asked. ¡°Oh! You know how to put on an act. I¡¯ll give you that. Hmm, this was an experiment though. I must say though¡­ this body is poorly maintained. Not nearly as powerful as what I¡¯m used to¡­ Honestly, can anyone be this weak and still livefortably?¡± the man started checking himself out. While he did, the muscles of the body he¡¯d inhabited began to expand, muscle fibre bulging beneath the man¡¯s thin frame to force the frame of a werewolf of a much higher rank. This unnatural transformation had the prince staring in horror. The rogue king was smiling darkly when he witnessed the transformation happening to his new host body. ¡°Oh? The host body shifts and changes to sustain the power it¡¯s been blessed with. This starting to feel a little better, I guess.¡± ¡°Are you going to remain in that body permanently?¡± the prince asked calmly. While this situation didn¡¯t look good, he had his share of curiosity. At first, he¡¯d wanted to attack but something kept him from doing so. He didn¡¯t know anything¡­ If killing this rogue would kill the Rogue King. He didn¡¯t know if there was a chance that the Rogue King could escape this body or what happened after he left the body. What if he killed this body and the Rogue King only jumped into another? It didn¡¯t make sense at all. There was too much Drake didn¡¯t know. One more thing worried him. Drake was not sure this transformation was one the rogue king was controlling on his own. It looked familiar to the body transformation that an alpha went through when they were promoted to the rank of Beta alpha. Only this transformation was rushed and repulsive. ¡°You almost sound like you care. No matter, I¡¯m merely here to make sure the Sirius Royal family doesn¡¯t see your face ever again¡­ or the whole world for that matter,¡± the Rogue King¡¯s rumbled. ¡®I find that confidence of his annoying,¡¯ the prince thought to himself. By the time the rogue was done with his horrific transformation, the man before the prince was packed with muscle rivalling that of a beta alpha. Had there been time for bone development? Had there been any proper bone development at all? Cole hadn¡¯t heard the crunch of bones. He only knew what he saw before him. The man had been really small inparison to the abomination in front of him, ¡®This is all wrong.¡¯ Neither the rogue¡¯s body nor his wolf had the ability to withstand this kind of power and yet the king continued pushing them. How did the prince know this? His wolf seemed to be one step ahead of him. The wolf belonging to the rogue cried out in pain at the oppressive nature of the Rogue King¡¯s invasion. Before the prince could speak, the hulking form dashed forward, an expression of pure murderous intent written in the rogue¡¯s bloodshot eyes. The prince barely had the time to react as he leapt back. If he¡¯d been a second toote, the creature that was attacking him would have had his way. While the prince had been expecting a punch or something more orthodox when it came to man-to-manbat¡­ or at least a swipe from a wed hand, this hulking form bit down on the prince¡¯s former position. His white teeth shed in the bright early morning, revealing two sets of canines¡­ Four pairs¡­ The fangs were not those of an average wolf. Drake thought all this through whilst he was still in the air from his backward leap. He¡¯d almost forgotten he was airborne and when he braced himself tond on his feet, something unexpected happened¡­ and it left him cursing. The prince violently crashed his back into a thick tree shaking it to the core as if it had been hit with a battering ram. A spiderweb of cracks appeared in the soil that held it firmly in the ground. Nothing about the crash was normal in the slightest but Drake didn¡¯t have time to think about that, the Rana-infested rogue wasing at him with astonishing speed. Drake pulled himself from the royal prince-shaped depression he¡¯d made in the tree and crouched down just in time to dodge the hulking abomination¡¯s fist, once again avoiding the attack by a hair. The balled fist went straight through the chest of the Drake-shaped depression, precisely where his heart should have been, sending splinters in all directions. ¡®He¡¯s really trying to kill me¡­¡¯ Drake had no time to think about what the attack could have done to him. Instead, he gathered his strength into his legs. The man above him was now trying to pull his hand that was lodged deep into the bark of the tree. ¡®How does he have so much power already? He was only an ordinary wolf moments ago,¡¯ Jason¡¯s mind raced. The prince crouched even lower now, putting some sort of distance between himself and the rogue and gathering all his strength, delivered a well-practised spear to the man¡¯s gut. His ¡®strength¡¯, however, was heavily miscalcted. Drake was still oblivious to how significantly different his body was behaving. Without meaning to, he ripped the man from the tree and viciouslyunched into the air with him. A spear that was hopefully meant to through the man a mere three metres or less had evolved into a ten-metre distance. The breath waspletely knocked out of the rogue and his hand was ripped back so hard that it broke and ripped off at the wrist, leaving the hand in the chest of the Drake-shaped depression in the bark. Drake rolled off the man, stunned by these results. Blood spurted out of the rogue¡¯s hand and he coughed violently. Drake could tell from the numerous cracking sounds he¡¯d heard during their short flight that many of his ribs were broken. The prince reached for the man, but something told him the damage had already been done. He couldn¡¯t fix what he¡¯d done to the man. What was worse though, was that even in the rogue¡¯s state, he had a murderous look in his eye and kept trying to bite the prince standing above him. He looked like he¡¯d lost his mind¡­ or like the king really didn¡¯t care what happened to his vessel. There was no howl of pain or scream that suggested he was in pain. ¡®Revolting¡­¡¯ Finally giving up on trying to bite the prince, the man¡¯s head dropped to the ground, losing all signs of the apparent madness that had kept him gnashing his teeth at the prince. His eyes stayed trained on the prince¡¯s face as the life drained out of him. ¡°W-where¡­ have you got t-this power from?¡± he coughed up a worrying amount of blood. The rogue king waited for an answer that never came. The prince couldn¡¯t answer him either. Not because he didn¡¯t want to reveal this to the king but simply because he was stunned as well. He didn¡¯t know for certain where this power hade from either. The king, however, didn¡¯t know this¡­ and was livid with how strong one of his opponents had gotten. It was only safe to assume the rest of them had grown stronger as well¡­ While the prince stared down at the convulsing man, he saw the red glow leaving his eyes and returning to their normal amber glow. The rogue¡¯s relief was short-lived as a sharp pain tore through the man¡¯s body. The deformed muscles were forcing themselves to shrink back to the size they were supposed to be with no control. It was only after the life left the man¡¯s body that the scream came to a choking stop. He died with a half scream that nearly shattered the prince¡¯s eardrums. Regarding the man¡¯s body, the prince was utterly horrified¡­ ¡®That¡¯s going to give me nightmares.¡¯ Chapter 446 - 446 More Trouble 446 More Trouble The prince observed the man¡¯s body, trying his best to keep the rabbit contents he ate earlier from returning. The rogue¡¯s body, after the Rogue King left, had tried to return to its natural state and the results whenbined with his injuries were gruesome. It was a fate the prince would never wish on anyone¡­ even if that person was his enemy. The man¡¯s limbs were all twisted and his joints bent in odd directions as the muscles tried to contract. The ribs that had been shattered pierced the man¡¯s chest randomly and broke the skin, most probably failing to return to their normal positions when they were already broken. Drake could guess that the man¡¯s heart had been pierced as well in all this chaos. It was also clear from the numerous red bruises littered all over the man¡¯s body that he¡¯d suffered multiple fractures because of the odd reverse mutation. What was worse was that the process had not beenpleted. The process didn¡¯t end with the man at his normal size nothing like his former self. The only part of him that remained true was his eyes which had long lost their glow. The only exnation Drake coulde up with for the iplete reverse transformation was that the man had died before the transformation was done and remained stuck in that state. The prince was torn between trying to figure out what to do next and whether or not he was the reason the man had to die like this. ¡®What do I do now? Do I bury him or¡­ no, we¡¯ve never buried rogues before.¡¯ ..... Drake was so wrapped up in his thoughts, guilt slowly overtaking him that he did not realise what was happening behind him. The second rogue that had been presently watching this whole ordeal in horror was starting to grip his head in pain. Something was happening to him as well and it had started the moment the red glow left hisrade¡¯s eyes. The man was trying to fight the invasion his friend had just gone through. He didn¡¯t want to suffer the same fate as his friend had. s, this was not going to be the case. His opponent was the Rogue King. He might as well have given up the moment the kingmanded his service. With a low growl, the man¡¯s eyes turned fully red, including the whites. He regarded the prince with a look of bitter hatred. The Rogue King stared at the prince of Sirius through this rogue¡¯s eyes, formting numerous ways to rip the royal into pieces. The man had brought down his previous puppet far too easy for him to simply ept defeat and now he was¡­ pitying his enemy. ¡®A threat like this one cannot be allowed to live,¡¯ the king thought to himself before forcing something even worse than he had of the other puppet he had enved. He forced the man to shift. The breaking of bones and vicious growls that filled the air while the rogue shifted uncontrobly into his wolf almost went unnoticed by the prince. Drake turned just in time to witness the abomination of a wolf shifting behind him. On one side, it seemed as though the wolf was going to tower a few metres over the prince¡¯s frame, however, the other was much smaller. The disfigurement that was happening to the rogue was nothing short of grotesque. White foam spilt from his mouth as the orders for a transformation took hold. The wolf fell to itsrger side, the other being far too small to even touch the ground, however, that was only momentary. The smaller side soon bulged in size to match the other half. With that came the end of the painful growls the rogue had been making. It was as though the rogue within had finally given up the fight. Arge ck feral wolf was soon standing on all muscr fours with bloodshot eyes trained on the prince. This wolf rivalled the size of a beta alpha and defeated Drake¡¯s logic of what wolves were meant to look like. Instead of the graceful features that blessed the royal wolves when they shifted. Silken fur that demanded to be touched and an appearance that demanded power while still keeping the feral nature of a wolf at bay. This was what the prince envisioned in all the strong alphas he¡¯d met. It¡¯s what he¡¯d known all his life. What stood before him was the opposite of that. Its fur was disorganised and matted in several ces. The thick ropes of muscle beneath its skin could be seen clearly as if the fur did nothing to hide it. White foam dripped down its muzzle, exposing rows of jagged teeth that had lost all form and order. It wasn¡¯t even sensible to count the sets of canines anymore. It¡¯s like the abomination in front of him was made to destroy and nothing else. Its eyes held no reason and its long ws dug into the ground with pent-up energy, ready to tear apart the enemy in front of it. Who was the enemy at this point? Drake could wager this creature was only going to go on a rampage given the chance and kill everything that lived and breathed in its path. From what Drake had witnessed of its fallenrade, size did nothing to slow it down. This creature was a hulking mass of murderous muscle that had its target locked on him. ¡°When I started the Trials, I was sure I would face a lot of things. Maybe find a few rogues that still roamed the wilderness but nothing told me I would be facing a demon controlled by the Rogue King. I must be very lucky,¡± the prince chuckled to himself. The wolf, on the other hand, was not in the mood for his jokes and dashed forward to attack him without a second thought. The distance Drake had consideredrge before was suddenly covered in a few short quick strides. The wolf wasrge and each stride easily covered a two-metre distance even when it looked like it was trying to keep the strides short. ¡®Move, Drake, move¡­¡¯ the prince¡¯s inner wolf yelled, uttering words for the first time since the prince had been born. If the prince had stopped to wonder why he¡¯d heard his wolf speak, he would have been devoured by the approaching deranged abomination, but he didn¡¯t. The wolf¡¯s words were what he needed to spur himself into action. Drake leapt to the right at thest moment as the wolf¡¯s jaws came mping down on his former position. His mistake, however, was that he hadn¡¯t considered the speed with which this wolf was able to recover. Normally, rushing at someone at a speed that great would require some energy and time to recover in order to make a sharp turn. With enough training, this time of recovery could be reduced. Even with that taken into ount, nothing had prepared the prince for what happened next. It simply felt impossible. Chapter 447 - 447 Bitten 447 Bitten Drake had grown used to using this short moment of inertia to either take some time to recover or to counter his enemy. In this case, he was trying to recover from the sudden attack but that proved to be an error in his judgement. The wolf nted one paw on the ground and with the other raked the prince to the side. The nimble prince was viciously thrown away from the wolf, bouncing hard on the ground before slowing to a roll. Disoriented and dizzy, Drake trying to sit up at least. His vision had gone blurry and he was seeing double. Pain roared through his body, pulsing in many ces. Most of it wasing from fourteral shes across his back. The wolf had got him good in the back and the pain was excruciating. Disoriented and barely able to tell up from down, the prince was in the worst shape to face another assault from the wolf and yet the wolf was barely getting started. The rogue king regarded the staggering royal as he walked up to him, ¡®I thought he had more fight in him than this. I guess I might have overestimated him. However¡­¡¯ Reaching the prince¡¯s body, the big wolf bit down on the prince¡¯s shoulder. The wolf¡¯s fangs went deep into the prince¡¯s body in a half bite that curved down and away from his chest and spine. Since the wolf¡¯s maw was toorge to fit its whole bite onto one shoulder, it settled for this kind. That wasn¡¯t to say the pain would be less. This wolf¡¯s teeth were significantlyrger than the normal wolf¡¯s set. And its bite force was not to be underestimated. ..... If Drake hadn¡¯t been in so much pain and his mind muddled from the previous attack, he would have wondered why his bones were still intact. He didn¡¯t get time to make this realisation as in the next second, the pain was all he knew. The prince let out a scream, feeling the pain of being bitten by another. Drake had almost no scars and was new to this type of pain. He¡¯d never been bitten. How could he when he was a royal himself? In this situation, he was now at this abomination¡¯s mercy¡­ or at least, he thought he was. Something inside him snapped¡­ ¡­and in the next moment, the Rogue King regretted his life¡¯s choices. The vessel he¡¯d taken a hold of reeled back, pulling his fangs out of the prince¡¯s shoulder. The wolf wed at his maw, trying to get something out of his teeth. Blood flowed out of the wolf¡¯s maw, dripping to the ground. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ the Rogue King¡¯s thoughts raged but the damage seemed to only be starting. The pain in the host¡¯s maw spread to the rest of his body eventually knocking the Rogue King¡¯s mind out. A few momentster, the wolf dropped to the ground¡­ dead. Drake¡¯s screams had stopped but he now felt like he¡¯d been hit by a mountain. He allowed his eyes to travel to a greying wolf on the ground not far from him. The prince forced himself up, this time keeping his eyes away from the second rogue to die. The sight of the first one was enough for him to take. Drake approached the wolf and checked for a pulse. Victor was still alive. ............. The king led the girls, with his wife in tow, to the car when Madeline was done with her makeover. Their short rest was finally over and they were now meant to enter the Great Arena. Honour wasn¡¯t sure what to make of the colossal wall that loomed over them once more as their car approached it. Therge steel gates that allowed them in creaked open, revealing arge tunnel that cars would wheel through. This was the same entrance that was said to admit the wolves that finished their Trials from the Sirius empire. Honour closed her eyes and took a deep breath as they went through the tunnel. A feeling of dread came from the walls¡­ as if they could close in on her at any time. The fear was familiar. When her mind couldn¡¯t pick up any such memory, she discarded it and tried to dismiss the eerie feeling of danger that came with mild ustrophobia. The journey through the tunnel was longer than they¡¯d all initially expected, but eventually, it came to an end. The car continued down a street inside the Great Arena. It almost felt like they were in another city¡­ Almost¡­ The difference between this ce and a normal city was the fact that this streetpletely went around the Great Arena, forming a circr highway. Beyond this highway was the perfect augmented environment of vegetation and technology. It was hard to notice the technology at first nce, but with a little more focus, one could see the cameras that were cleverly hidden within the trees along with the slight grooves in the ground that felt more than coincidence to be there. ¡®Perhaps it¡¯s a transformable arena,¡¯ the goddess thought. Even for her, this thought was a bit on the imaginative side. Then again, it wasn¡¯t impossible. ¡°This is where Lina, Bree and Crysta will face off against the werewolves of the Lycaon empire,¡± Honour thought aloud. Wyatt might have filled in for Bree during the Trials but it was allowed for the royal to usepletely different wolves from those they¡¯d used through the Trials¡­ as had been the original n. ¡°Yes, this is where¡­ Wait, what makes you think Drake is going to lose? I thought you were his number one fan,¡± Bree was the first to exim, shocked by the girl¡¯sck of faith in the prince. ¡°I just have the feeling that Lina will win. She¡¯s been training so hard. I could tell there was so much she was holding in when she set off. Almost like she was ready to let herself loose,¡± the goddess replied with a smile on her face. The girls knew better than to deny Honour¡¯s words. She was the one person on the that knew the inner workings of Lina¡¯s mind the most. On this matter, her word could be consideredw. Chapter 448 - 448 Homesick!!! 448 Homesick!!! The car parked and the royals, along with Honour and everyone else that had been a part of the King¡¯s convoy stepped out. ¡°I don¡¯t think I saw the other side of the wall on our way here,¡± Madeline wondered. ¡°That¡¯s because this parking lot is under the ¡®wall¡¯. From the outside, it looks like a really huge wall but it¡¯s just the outer wall of a veryrge building. In the middle of everything is where the Royal Games take ce,¡± Bree exined. ¡°So, it¡¯s like a modern Colosseum?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Hearing that exnation was one thing. Actually getting to see the grandeur of the great ¡®colosseum¡¯ was something else. Built into the concentric structure were numerous hotels and facilities all meant to entertain and amodate the visitors of the Great Arena. The girls passed so many casinos, spas, lounges, indoor sports centres and a multitude of facilities that they couldn¡¯t believe could fit in the ce before reaching an elevator painted gold¡­ or was it made of gold. None of them could tell which was which. By the time they made it to the elevator, the number of wolves walking with them had weathered down to a handful. King Davin had given everyone instructions and allowed them to break away from the group. Honour wondered why they¡¯d walked for so long. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we have taken the elevator in the first lobby we found?¡± she sounded genuinely confused. ..... ¡°Well, that would not have taken us where we want to go. Theyout of the Great Arena is a littleplicated. Navigating it is no simple task. It¡¯s reallyrge and divided into three rings. We are living in the third ring. The outermost one and that lobby didn¡¯t have an elevator that could get us there. I advise you to take some time to go through the map of the Great Arena so you can at least find it easier to navigate in the future,¡± the king exined. The man that was leading them stepped to the side and bowed, ¡°The Sirius suite is on the forty-fifth floor this year and everything has been arranged ording to your orders.¡± ¡°Thank you. Our key?¡± King Davin replied. The man fiddled with his pockets, visibly cursing his ipetence before presenting the king with the small golden key to the suite. ¡®I¡¯ve really gotten myself involved with royals, haven¡¯t I? Even after all your warnings, mother,¡¯ Honour mentallymented. Just when they¡¯d entered the elevator, a woman made it through the halls and to their door, ¡°Would you hold the door please?¡± she asked. Bree put her hand across the entrance, blocking the door¡¯s path and waited for the woman toe through. A beautiful woman with striking green eyes of a delta made her way for the elevator. She wore a fine leather jacket and stylish clothes that weren¡¯t too morous. This woman oozed strength and confidence that the current upants of the elevator were almost sure she wouldn¡¯t notice the royals. However, the moment she reached the doors of the elevator, she dropped her gaze to the ground and made an elegant bow, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, your majesty¡­ your highness.¡± Hesitantly, King Davin replied, ¡°The pleasure is all mine. Have we met?¡± The woman took this as a sign she was allowed to enter and got in, standing on the other side of the king. Madeline found that she had to move away to make room for the woman to take her desired position beside the king. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t remember me. It was such a long time ago. I am Be Thorn,¡± the delta proudly introduced herself. When she didn¡¯t add anything to the introduction, the king realised he was supposed to have remembered something upon hearing her name. Unfortunately, that did not happen for some time. The elevator doors closed and there was an awkward silence while the king searched his mind for a hint of familiarity. He would have been certain if he had seen a strong delta in the past¡­ one that was capable of exuding such a confident aura even in the presence of a royal, but the harder he tried, the more the memory eluded him. When it seemed he would not remember who she was, he sought out the name Thorn in his memory and that¡¯s when he first felt a hint of recognitione to his face. Then he scrunched his brows. Whoever he¡¯d remembered was not at all the same person currently standing beside him. The woman¡¯s confident smile dropped when the king wouldn¡¯t recognise her, ¡°I know the name¡­ Thorn. They were the family of one of Trevor¡¯s most trusted deltas but I don¡¯t remember any of them looking quite like you,¡± the king replied, raising a brow at the girl. Between the styled hair, toned muscles and perfectly tanned skin, the king was at a loss. He couldn¡¯t think of any of them being this¡­ impressive. Martha felt her stomach turn at the way her husband regarded the younger woman but decided againstshing out. His mind link didn¡¯t indicate any feelings of attraction towards her. And that seemed to be enough for the queen to let him be. ¡°Ah, thest time I saw them, they had a little girl with them. She was the cutest¡­ Wait¡­¡± mortified, the king turned to the girl and scanned her face. ¡°Time really does a number on the mind of oldies, doesn¡¯t it?¡± the girl groaned. Despite her tone, the king was not offended, ¡°So you¡¯re their daughter, Be Thorn. You¡¯ve grown into quite the woman. I barely recognise you.¡± ¡°Well, the training at the Lycaon pack got really intense when his majesty seeded his father. I barely recognise myself either,¡± the girl chuckled, ¡°The Sirius pack doesn¡¯t know what kind of monsters they are up against this time.¡± King Davin was stunned for a moment before bursting into boisterousughter that reverberated and shook the elevator. The three girls had never heard the king let loose like that before. The man¡¯sposure hadpletely dropped and he wasughing out loud. Be, on the other hand, raised a brow at the king. When she turned to Queen Martha, the Luna merely looked away with a smirk on her face. She then spoke for the king, ¡°I don¡¯t think you would want to make such ims before you even see what the Sirius empire has in store for you this year.¡± ¡°Under normal circumstances, I would be intimidated by such words, but¡­¡± a worried look crossed the delta¡¯s face. The elevator finally opened on the fifty-third floor which had been reserved for the Lycaon royals. The delta stepped out of the elevator before finishing her sentence. The king stoppedughing, noticing the odd mood that had taken over the elevator, ¡°The Lycaon team this time... It¡¯s made of monsters.¡± With that, the elevator door closed and they continued their journey to the fifty-fourth floor. There was a silence before the king spoke on his own, ¡°I would expect nothing less from King Cole¡¯s pack. Still, we aren¡¯t normal either this time.¡± The girls were troubled with feelings of dread. Be¡¯s words had shaken them to the core, however, when they stepped through the elevator, these feelings, along with all the memories of the previous days werepletely wiped from their minds. The elevator door opened into a short corridor that obscured everything in the suite from view, however, a few steps in were enough to reveal the monstrosity of a luxury suite they¡¯d been invited to live in. The path quickly dropped down a short flight of stairs into a gargantuan living room with luxurious sofas. The ground waspletely covered in marble and the ceiling was far too high forfort. A beautiful chandelierfortably hung at the top of the ceiling, lighting the room down below. At first nce, Honour was not sure what she was staring at, but soon enough, she came to terms with the fact that on one side of thisrge living room was ss allowing them a clear view of the inside of the Great Arena. It was only now that she was able to see the size of the Colosseum. It must have spanned several hectares. For she could barely make out the other side of therge concentric wall, ¡°Wow!¡± Honour and Madeline eximed. ¡°That is the reaction everyone gets when they see this ce for the first time,¡± Bree sighed, regarding the expensive sofas she wanted to drop into, but then deciding against it¡­ purely out of nervousness. ¡°You girls make yourselves at home. This floor has plenty of rooms simr to this one. The differences are small. Find a ce for our contestants to rest and tell us where they are. We¡¯ll handle the rest and those rooms will be the official Dorms for the contestants. That means no one is allowed there except for them and their friends. Food will be up in a few minutes. The mind link¡¯s open if you need anything,¡± Queen Martha was gone in a sh, following the king through a door to the side and leaving the girls on their own. ¡°Seemed like they were in a hurry,¡± Honour wondered. ¡°Sort of¡­ there is still a lot they have to do. They have to make sure the other members of the pack know where they¡¯ll be staying and register all the rooms being used so that the staff know which rooms have been used. Otherwise, calcting that bill would be sort of a problem. That¡¯s why they¡¯ve left the task of choosing, Crysta, Lina and Wyatt¡¯s rooms to us,¡± Bree exined. As the only one of the three that had ever been to the Royal Games, she had all the information. ¡°Wait. Honour¡­ you¡¯ve never been here?¡± Madeline asked. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t here during thest cames. It¡¯s only betas, delta, alphas and anyone who has the money to afford the trip as well as a ticket to this expensive ce that can make it here,¡± the young goddess shrugged. ¡°Oh! That makes sense, I guess. This is overkill though. How is something like this even possible?¡± the girl moved from one thing to the other. She brushed her hands on a nt that was used to decorate the table beside thergest of the luscious sofa set. She felt the soft material of the sofas. Taking off her shoes, the girl walked to the ss pane and looked out in awe, ¡°Honour, you can even see the stars from here. Look¡­¡± Madeline¡¯s excitement helped Honour get over her jitters. The young goddess took off her shoes and stood beside the young Seeker, ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited. You lose control of your eyes when that happens.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I have this under control,¡± Madeline waved a circle over her own face and turned back to the constetions. The stars shined within her amber eyes¡­ As well as something else¡­ The bright full moon. In the radiance of the full moon, Honour couldn¡¯t help but have mixed feelings. Feelings of dread towards the floating orb mixed with feelings of longing at the same time. And not the kind of longing that summoned her back to her home in Sirius, but the kind that asked she returns to the pce in the heavens¡­ She thought of her garden of lotuses that she hadn¡¯t visited in centuries. Of the pool of water in the throne room that she always used to watch over the humans. She thought of the effect her pce had on the oceans. Many times, she¡¯d been asked to use it to raise the tide on some human settlement the gods were not happy with. She thought of the Moon Pce¡­ The pce that was rightfully hers¡­ ¡®Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d start feeling... homesick?¡¯ Chapter 449 - 449 In Search of a Friend 449 In Search of a Friend Colours¡­ simple things that are perceived by the eyes. A by-product of creation that turned out so fascinating. The gods surely had no reason to find meaning in colours and yet they did. Blue¡­ Aqua¡­ Azure¡­ The colour of the sky¡­ the rarest colour of the moon. This was the one. The colour she chose to create her beautiful lotuses. The same colour that rarely graced her beautiful pce. The goddess cherished the time when her pce glowed a bright blue. It was a beautiful colour and that came with it a feeling of peace like no other. Every time she set her eyes on her lotuses, she would finally be calm. The earth and heavens had nothing to ask from her. The screaming voices of her vanquished titan brethren would cease their incessant cries in the back of her mind. She was truly at peace here. She didn¡¯t have to do anything but keep the moon going through its cycles. If she didn¡¯t get it moving right, she would be visited by a few gods that wanted her to do her job the most. The less attention she attracted from the gods, the better for her, lest she risks getting sliced up into pieces like one of her fallen titan brothers. Bringing her nose to the incandescent blue petal of one of her moon lotuses, the treacherous thoughts settled at the back of her mind. She could rest in these lotuses for eternity if she was allowed to¡­ but she had work to do. ..... The moon was responsible for tidal waves and every once in a while, she got a request from the god of the sea. He imed to want to bring down a few humans that had desecrated one of his shrines. The woman didn¡¯t really care what his reasons were. Humans had short lives anyway. If she could wipe out a few of them to have the god of the sea get off her back, that was nothing but a small task. Selene stood from her garden and started the walk back into the Moon Pce. On her way out of the garden, her eyes fell upon the graceful shoulders of the goddess of the hunt. Artemis was looking as regal as she always did. With a bow casually slung over her shoulders and a quiver full of arrows, the huntress was brimming with happiness. Selene smiled in return, ¡°Wee to the Moon Pce, Goddess Artemis.¡± ¡°No need to be so formal, Selene. We are friends, aren¡¯t we?¡± the goddess replied. Selene wondered what it was that brought the goddess to the moon pce often but couldn¡¯t find that reason and asking the goddess could only antagonise her. And it was always better not to antagonise the goddess, ¡°Very well, Artemis. It¡¯s a pleasure to see you once again. With your busy schedule, I¡¯m honoured you evene here at all.¡± The goddess of the hunt smiled warmly, ¡°I would rather be here than on Olympus.¡± ¡°What about with your sisters?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I like being in thepany of my sisters but they respect me a little too much. I gave them immortality and a life of servitude to me. That alone makes them afraid to speak to me normally. They always want to look their best in front of me. You, on the other hand, don¡¯t even change one bit in my presence,¡± the woman said to her. ¡°Perhaps I don¡¯t change because you haven¡¯t blessed me with immortality just yet,¡± Selene replied with a smug smile. ¡°I¡¯m appalled. That¡¯s not all I¡¯m good for Selene. Now, what are we doing today?¡± the goddess asked her with a giggle. ¡°I would have liked to continue tending to my garden like I usually do when I want to rx, but Lord Poseidon asked me to sink a few pirate ships in the Pacific at around this time,¡± the moon goddess replied, starting the walk to her pce. ¡°Seriously¡­ again? How many times is my uncle going to keep making you run errands for him?¡± Artemis groaned, following the moon goddess¡¯s lead. ¡°I would rather he didn¡¯t involve me in anything else once all is said and done, honestly,¡± the moon goddess replied, ¡°Tea?¡± ¡°Yes, please. I wouldn¡¯t refuse tea from the best herbalist I know that will allow me to decide what sugar I take,¡± the huntress replied. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t let your brother hear you say that,¡± Selene chuckled. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t mind. The man has enough time to perfect his looks and work on poems to sway thedies. Speaking of which, has he ever made a move on you?¡± ¡°The god of poetry, archery, truth and prophecy¡­ making a move on the goddess of the moon¡­¡± ¡°No, the god of the sun making a move on the goddess of the moon. I¡¯m sure he would find that quite poetic, don¡¯t you think,¡± Artemis swooned. ¡°I spend a long time running from the sun. It would be another incident of Daphne all over again. With him in the sun chariot and I in the Moon pce, it simply will never happen,¡± the woman sighed. ¡°Yeah, that might be true, but what about during an eclipse¡­¡± this caused Selene¡¯s heart to skip a beat. It was true that for a moment every few decades, there was a time when the sun chariot would fly right over the moon pce, bathing it in its golden radiance and during that time, the god of the sun would pay Selene a visit, but the god of the sun had never once made a move on her. ¡°Are you rmending your brother all of a sudden?¡± the woman asked the huntress, narrowing her eyes at her. ¡°No, never¡­ I wouldn¡¯t wish anyone to suffer my brother¡¯s antics. I was merely trying to pry out your love interest amongst the Olympians is all,¡± the huntress replied cheerfully. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve never thought of the Olympians as love interests if I¡¯m being honest with you.¡± Artemis must have noticed her awkwardness when they spoke of the Olympians, ¡°We aren¡¯t all bad, you know.¡± ¡°I know that, Lady Artemis.¡± ¡°Then why are you being so formal with me?¡± she snapped, ¡°You know what¡­ I might have been wrong about all this. You¡¯re just as afraid as my hunters are. And here I thought you would make a decent friend. What do you think of me, really?¡± Selene had tried her best to keep from stepping on anynd mines, but it was almost impossible with Artemis. She could sniff her stiffness like it was a gift. It was almost impossible to speak to one of the Olympians without ticking them off in some way except for a few: Free spirits that didn¡¯t really care. How was Selene supposed to act normal around the goddess of the hunt though? Artemis was among the twelve most powerful beings in the Universe at the moment. ¡°Go on, tell me,¡± the goddess of the hunt yelled at her. The fear Selene held for the Olympians began to resurface. She had one of them in her pce practically yelling at her. How long did she have before this goddess felt she was better off dead or worse, locked up in Tartarus like her shredded rtive? ¡°Artemis¡­ I-I¡¯m not your enemy,¡± a statement Selene resorted to often, ¡°And I¡¯m not a battle goddess either. It¡¯s only natural that I would be afraid of the beings that killed my brethren.¡± ¡°Oh? Given the chance, would you bring those brethren back?¡± Artemis argued. ¡°No, life wasn¡¯t much better back then either. I prefer the life I have now, but¡­ I¡¯m still a titan. Nothing can change that. I¡¯m bound to fear the beings that ended my brothers¡­ they were powerful too, you know.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t among the gods that brought down your brethren. I am the daughter of one of them¡­ You know what¡­ Forget it. I¡¯m leaving¡­¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± ¡®What are you doing, Selene?¡¯ the moon goddess mentally screamed when she watched the window of her freedom closing. She hadn¡¯t even thought twice before calling the huntress back. ¡®What are you thinking?¡¯ The hunter stopped walking but didn¡¯t turn back. Selene got a moment to breathe and gather her thoughts. This wasn¡¯t the first time they were fighting but it was the first time it felt like Artemis wasn¡¯ting back. Selene loved her life of solitude since it allowed her refuge from her dark past. The gods rarely had ¡®friends¡¯ and something within her still yearned for thepanionship of a friend. This was her conclusion for why she¡¯d stopped the huntress from leaving. ¡°Artemis¡­ Why do you keeping here? It confuses me. You¡¯re the goddess of the hunt. One of the Lord of the Skies¡¯ favourites. You¡¯re surrounded by people that adore you¡­ You have no reason toe to this empty ce.¡± This might have been the most sincere thing Artemis had ever heard the moon goddess saying. While Selene was always sincere, this was different from the rest. She said this without filtering her words to avoid ticking off the goddess. She was speaking what was on her mind for once. The huntress turned back, ¡°Ie here because I¡¯m in search of¡­ a friend. A ce where I don¡¯t have to be Lady Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Somewhere I can just be me and have someone that knows me for who I am. I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m not the goddess of the hunt because I am and I like that part of my life, but¡­¡± the huntress clenched her fist in frustration. Her exnation had stopped making sense even to herself long before she¡¯d started talking. Selene, however, knew what this woman was talking about. The godscked thepanionship of someone that they could let their guard around. It was something almost impossible to find and when they did, they didn¡¯t let go of that person. It didn¡¯t matter if that person was a friend or a lover or a creature. Lord Dionysus had found his fairdy Ariadne stranded on an ind. While she was human and the god was one of the Great Twelve Olympians, the two of them were what the other needed. Lord Dionysus might have just been the one of the Great Twelve that Selene respected the most. ¡°I think I understand what you mean, Artemis,¡± the titan sighed, ¡°Please do visit again.¡± Selene shed the huntress a genuine smile that reached her eyes. The frustrated and guarded exterior of the goddess of the hunt shattered. Tears pricked her eyes and she fought to hide them from the goddess of the moon but when the moon goddess didn¡¯t judge, she just let them flow. There was no shame in showing a little weakness around the kind titan, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯lle again.¡± Chapter 450 - 450 ’Just a little longer.’ The warmth of friendship 450 ¡®Just a little longer.¡¯ The warmth of friendship Honour¡¯s eyes fluttered open, staring into space. Like she was witnessing something very far away. The memories of her dream were still vividly shing through her mind, muddling her thoughts and making it impossible to think straight. Where was she? Who was she? Questions she normally wouldn¡¯t ask herself. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around her. A soft glowing blue mist covered therge bed, flowing away from her like a river¡¯s current and falling to the ground silently. While anyone would be shocked by the strangeness of this sight, Honour wasn¡¯t moved in the slightest. Her eyes scanned the luxurious room until theynded on the amber-eyed redhead standing by the door. The girl was dressed in her pajamas and from the heavy look in her eyes, she was just from sleep. Madeline looked to be locked in an odd mix of shocked and sleepy, ¡°G-Good morning, Honour.¡± ¡°Good morning, Mady,¡± Honour replied softly, taking another look at the now-dissipating veil of mist. The redhead tentatively walked up to the bed and climbed atop it, finally stopping her advance when her face was too close to Honour¡¯s forfort, ¡°Umm, Mady¡­¡± The girl had waded through the blue mist as if it wasn¡¯t a primary concern and was currently staring at Honour. The goddess couldn¡¯t read her expression, ¡°What in the moon¡¯s light is going on¡­ Honour¡­ Honour¡­ You are Honour, right?¡± ..... ¡°What?¡± Honour¡¯s voice raised a few octaves. ¡°Yeah, I know that voice. It¡¯s definitely you,¡± Madeline brought her finger up to the girl¡¯s face and poked her cheek. ¡°Ouch¡­ Is there something wrong with my face, Mady?¡± ¡°I¡¯m confused. When did you put on your makeup?¡± Madeline was now poking every inch of the girl¡¯s face as though trying to solve some mystery, ¡°Not a single sign of it.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Mady? I¡¯ve just woken up now just like you.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it. Your face is normal. There are no lines, no scars, no morning eyes and no signs of grogginess at all. Nothing... It¡¯s like you¡¯ve just walked out of a beauty salon,¡± the girl finally gave up and pulled away, sitting atop Honour¡¯s mattress, ¡°It¡¯s not fair. Is it because you¡¯re a goddess that you don¡¯t look terrible when you wake up?¡± Honour was only now understanding the jibberish spouting from her friend¡¯s mouth, ¡°How long¡­ How long has this been happening?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯ve only noticed today because of this bluish mist flowing in your¡­¡± the calm demeanour the girl had shattered, reced with a look of panic and fear, ¡°What¡¯s happening to you, Honour? I thought we had until¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Mady. I¡¯m fine. Nothing¡¯s happening¡­¡± ¡°Except that something is happening. When I came in here, you were glowing and this mist wasing off you like you were some misty spring. It was like watching a mummy waking up¡­ but a divine mummy,¡± the girl tried to describe. Despite her odd choice of words, Honour understood what she was trying to mean. ¡°So that¡¯s what I looked like,¡± Honour sighed. It¡¯s not like she didn¡¯t know what was happening to her. She¡¯d known for more than a year now that she was the moon goddess. And this wasn¡¯t the first time she was having a memory of her divine life centuries ago. However, this was the first time she¡¯d had a clear memory and not just some random feeling of nostalgia. Honour still felt her connection to the goddess of the hunt. She still felt the need tofort the crying goddess in her memory. Honour wrapped her hands around herself, suddenly looking like she had been dipped into liquid air. Honour¡¯s calm exterior shattered, ¡°I don¡¯t know what is happening, Mady. I don¡¯t know¡­¡± The redhead pulled her friend into a hug, ¡°Hey, we will get through this together.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve ignored them for so long, Mady but I don¡¯t know if I can ignore them much longer¡­ the memories¡­ the emotions¡­ My powers... My birthday will be here soon. In just two weeks, I will turn eighteen¡­ I don¡¯t even know if we¡¯ll make it that far.¡± Madelina wed at her mind, trying to find something to soothe the girl¡¯s mind, but anything better would have sounded like a lie. The closer Honour¡¯s birthday grew, the more detached she became from the mortal world. This wasn¡¯t the first time she was waking up in a simr state. In fact, her powers were acting out more frequently with each passing day. This was one of the many¡­ but after so many reminders, the magnitude of the miracle didn¡¯t matter. Honour could only bear so much at a time. ¡°You¡¯ll make it, Honour. Just hang in there. Just a little longer¡­ Stay with us longer.¡± The red-haired girl hugged her friend tighter¡­ there was nothing more she could do for Honour¡­ Unknown to her, however, at that moment, this was all Honour needed. A friend to hold her¡­ to remember how much she was loved by her family and friends. ¡®Was¡­ Artemis really in search of a friend?¡¯ the question echoed through Honour¡¯s mind as her shivers lessened in the warmth of Madeline¡¯s arms. A lot didn¡¯t make sense. ......¡­.. The two girls got ready, finding everything they needed and more in the spacious bathroom before meeting Bree in themon room that would then lead them out of the facilities they had chosen for the contestants and friends. As it so happened, the fifty-fourth floor they had been blessed to upy went all around the Great Arena in one colossal ring. It was such arge facility that they soon found that the elevator was capable of travelling horizontally as well just to get them to another part of the same floor. Their options for rooms to stay in made the decision hard. In the end, Bree had chosen a unique suite containing three sets of double rooms, each set equipped with one shared bathroom and amon room that joined them all together at the centre, allowing them one exit back into the winding maze of corridors that upied the fifty-fourth floor. The other three empty rooms were reserved for Lina, Crysta and potentially¡­ Wyatt. Bree wouldn¡¯t stop yawning as they exited the suite, ¡°You two spend an eternity getting ready.¡± ¡°How long have you been waiting out here?¡± Honour asked. ¡°Not long. Just an hour. Where are we headed?¡± Bree shrugged. Madeline stared at her ckjawed only to be more surprised when Honour proceeded without a hint of sympathy. ¡°Breakfast¡­ I¡¯m famished. The king said we can go to any restaurant on this floor and order what we want,¡± Honour replied. The girls started making their way through the 54th floor leaving a sheet of paper on the table without a second thought. This flimsy sheet of paper was a map¡­ And it was soon clear that the girls were going to get lost on the gargantuan floor. Finding a restaurant should have been easy and all considering the 54th floor was packed with just as many facilities as the other dazzling parts of the Colosseum. However¡­ They had walked for thirty whole minutes and found so many of these facilities that were still closed this early in the day. Recreational facilities, saunas, indoor games¡­ the girls were even sure they found a bar at some point(which was open, unlike the rest) but decided against lingering around the ce. Chapter 451 - 451 Wandering 451 Wandering The girls had been walking for a while, passing several closed stores and establishments in search of an open restaurant. At some point, their search started to feel futile, not to mention the dizzying corridors that seemed to weave together in an intricate maze. ¡°Do you think anyone runs the facilities on this floor? I thought it was only for the royals,¡± Bree asked herpanions. ¡°I think the floor is simply being rented out by the Sirius pack. If it wasn¡¯t for the Royal games, it would probably be free. I¡¯m not sure what restaurant would be open in such conditions. It¡¯s not like¡­¡± Honour stopped with her theory when a set of footsteps suddenly came from around the corner. They had been walking the halls for a long time without a single sign of life and now they had found it. Madeline froze in fear wondering whether hiding from sight was a better option. Honour felt like confrontation would be better but didn¡¯t know what to do. The girl strode forward with the confidence of a royal, her posture mirroring that of Lina Sirius¡­ or at least, she tried before she got yanked back. Madeline held onto the goddess¡¯s wrist, ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± the Seeker¡¯s expressions were odd with her new disguised appearance. ¡®I liked her normal face better.¡¯ Used to her normally expressive face, the goddess could tell what Madeline¡¯s normal face should have looked like. This mask and distracting red hair, albeit gorgeous, feltpletely wrong. ..... ¡°I¡¯m going to ask for directions,¡± Honour whispered back, rubbing her aching shoulder from the pain of the certain pull. ¡°You don¡¯t know them and they probably don¡¯t know you. What if we are intruders to them?¡± Honour pinched the bridge of her nose. Why were they whispering when they were werewolves with a well-established pack link? ¡°No one can get to this floor without having permission from the king himself. There is no reason for anyone to doubt our credibility. Normally, Lina and Crysta are the obvious indicators that we are with the royals, but this ce is different. Rx, Mady,¡± the goddess tried through the mind link. ¡°You taking this far too lightly, Honour. I admire your confidence, but that¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡°Uh, hello¡­ Are you three supposed to be on this floor?¡± a feminine voice interrupted their supposedly hushed discussion. Bree was simply nodding her head in disappointment. ¡°So this is how the two of you act when Lina is not around?¡± she noted. ¡°No, it¡¯s not¡­ This just isn¡¯t like the Sirius pack. And for the record, it¡¯s so many miles away,¡± Madeline argued, turning the panic her nerves gave her on the other girl. ¡°For someone that was already living so many miles away from home, you¡¯re acting rather strange,¡± Bree replied. ¡°Come to think of it, she was like that when she had just arrived in Sirius, so I wouldn¡¯t me her,¡± Honour teased. The three girls had nearly forgotten about the woman standing in front of them and missed the green glint in her eyes. The woman crossed her arms over her chest and red daggers at them, ¡°Ahem, I know for a fact that I¡¯m not invisible¡­¡± the woman paused, noticing the amber glow in the eyes of the three girls. They were all oddly calm around her and something about it ticked her off, ¡°Three normal wolves talking to a delta without an ounce of respect. I have a mind to through you out of the Great Arena entirely.¡± ¡°See, Honour. I told you we would be in trouble if we weren¡¯t moving with either Lina or Crysta,¡± Madeline eximed, covering her face. ¡°Hey, I think I¡¯ve seen you somewhere,¡± a new male voice cut through themotion. Honour turned to face the person who had spoken. She would have recognised him immediately but something waspletely wrong with his appearance. Instead of ck hair, this man was blonde, ¡°Jason?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, Honour. It¡¯s you. Wow! So you came? I¡¯m surprised,¡± the beta alpha eximed. ¡°I¡¯m equally surprised. I thought the floor meant for the members of the Lycaon pack was above this one though,¡± the girl replied. Jason had not got that much time to interact with the odd werewolf and was surprised to find her easy to talk to. ¡°We were just taking a tour. The prince is taking his time toe here as well. We should be meeting with King Davin in a few moments,¡± the alpha responded. While the two talked, Madeline noticed the delta that had stopped them and stepped back into the group of wolves they were walking with. Something about her seemed oddly familiar. Madeline had seen her somewhere before. She was tall beautiful and well-built. She also carried herself much more confidently than normal deltas. And she¡¯d felt this presence somewhere before. It didn¡¯t take much to realise that this was the same delta they¡¯d met on their elevator ride to the 54th floor. This was Be Thorn. ¡°Oh, that makes sense. Wait, did you guys already make it here? Don¡¯t you have to go through the Trials first?¡± Honour asked. By this time, the tension between the two groups was starting to simmer down. Madeline was mentally jubting for having chosen to walk with Honour. She turned out to be all they needed to get past this group of strangers. Bree was shocked the girl wouldn¡¯t flinch when facing one of the Lycaon pack¡¯s beta alphas. This man wasrge and intimidating. Although much of this intimidating presence was diminished by his nervous ticks and odd calmness around the young goddess, Madeline and Bree were impressed. ¡®Wait, what did Honour just ask?¡¯ the two silent girls hurriedly backed up. Jason noticed their intrigue and smirked, along with the girl and other wolves that were walking along with him. This group suddenly took on a whole different vibe. While different from the strangeness of running into each other, this felt like they were prey staring into the cold eyes of a predator. ¡°Oh, Cole is already done with the Trials. I actually apanied him. Couldn¡¯t have gone easier in my opinion. It was quite the breeze.¡± Chapter 452 - 452 [Bonus chapter] Oh, For Goddess’s Sake! 452 [Bonus chapter] Oh, For Goddess¡¯s Sake! ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± Honour replied after a long pause. ¡°Nope¡­ We arrived yesterday evening. It was even easier this year than it wasst year and not to mention the fact that we weren¡¯t attacked by a single wild animal. Talk about a stroke of luck. It was almost too easy. Has Drake arrived yet? I¡¯m sure that one will have no trouble making it to the Arena either,¡± the beta alpha asked enthusiastically. ¡°No, he hasn¡¯t made it yet. I thought you already knew that!¡± Honour replied with a thin-lipped smile, ¡°If you¡¯re done gloating, we would like to find a restaurant now.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. We passed by just a few stalls that way. They were setting up when we went by. Someone mentioned the rest of the Sirius pack would be arriving soon and they had to start up to make the most out of being among the first ones open,¡± he replied, stepping aside. The trio was almost passed by them when he asked, ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve seen her around though. I know Bree because of Crysta, but her¡­¡± Madeline froze in the spot staring at the floor as though she was searching for some small crack in the marble floor to hide in. Unfortunately for her, the Great Arena was so well-maintained that finding something like that would be highly unlikely. The red-haired girl slowly turned, giving the beta alpha a forced smile, ¡°My name¡¯s Madeline. I¡¯m new to the pack. Transferred in as an intern and have been living there for almost two years.¡± Jason, who barely noticed the girl¡¯s nerves held out his hand for the girl to shake, ¡°Oh! Then it¡¯s nice to meet you, Madeline. Would that be your natural hair colour?¡± the girl had almost forgotten her hair was now red and not it¡¯s usual ck. ..... ¡°No, it¡¯s not. I was feeling like trying out something new,¡± the girl replied nervously. The beta alpha eyed her hair for a moment with a grin before letting go of her hand, ¡°Great minds think alike. Same here,¡± Jason pointed to his blonde mop of hair, ¡°Red looks good on you.¡± With that said, he walked away, gesturing for the werewolves he was with to follow him. They were five in total with two females and three males, all deltas. The females scoffed upon hearing the alpha¡¯spliment while two of the males winked in her direction. Madeline¡¯s nerves were reinforced with a new reason to disappear. Previously, she¡¯d been afraid of being in the presence of such a high-ranking werewolf that she had no rtion with but now she thought the deltas would eat her alive for getting too much of his attention. Thankfully, the moment passed and they were three again. They walked for a few minutes before the girl finally let out a relieved breath and slumped her shoulders. ¡®How am I still alive? Have I been breathing?¡¯ she wondered. ¡°That was scary.¡± ¡°You worry too much, Mady. You know, getting to know them is not as scary as it sounds. The stories make them out to be dangerous and deadly but that¡¯s really in the past. Back when the beta alphas were the creatures known for killing more humans than the Royals themselves,¡± Bree tried, but mentioning murder seemed to make the girl¡¯s situation worse. ¡°I just have trouble meeting new people is all. I find Alpha Jackson and Alpha Philip to be very kind men but even so, I wasn¡¯t alwaysfortable around them when I had just arrived,¡± the Seeker responded. They walked in silence for a bit, letting the topic drop. Words were hard to find at a time like this. Especially since they knew just how timid Madeline could be around new people. ¡®I really wonder how she does it when waiting on people at the restaurant,¡¯ Honour thought to herself. These thoughts were drowned out when her nostrils picked up on something sweet. The scent of cinnamon and peppermint was in the air. All thoughts of their encounter with the beta alpha of the Lycaon pack were wiped from their minds. Breakfast was all they could think of. After all, it was the whole reason they¡¯d started walking in the first ce. It was only now that Honour started to feel her legs aching from so much walking. ¡®Just how long have we been walking?¡¯ the girl stared back for a moment and realised she didn¡¯t have the faintest clue how to get back to their rooms from here. They entered the medium-sized establishment and took seats far from the entrance. A waitress came rushing to them, dressed in an apron and carrying a small notepad and pen. Madeline¡¯s nostalgia came reeling back into her mind. The one ce that gave her so much peace was one just like this¡­ and watching people serve others in a manner she so much wanted to do so in her own way brought her warmth. They ordered what they wanted from the menu and stayed silent as the waitress walked off, ¡°I¡¯ve never really understood what it is about running a restaurant that got you so hooked,¡± Bree was the first to break the silence. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s an easy one. It¡¯s that look of happiness on a customer¡¯s face when they bite into the delicious food of a hardworking chef. It started with me having my first meal from a professional. It was so good¡­ and I wanted to be able to cook that kind of food. When I was helping him out one day, he asked that I take a te to one of the tables. I was so nervous that I almost spilt the food all over his customer¡­ The man I was serving actually stood up from his seat and helped me set down the food beforeughing at me. I was embarrassed and hid my face behind the tray I had been carrying but what happened after he took his first bite is what sealed my fate. His face was priceless¡­ It was like he¡¯d gone to another world. From that day, I noticed he was a regr at the restaurant¡­ along with many others. All those people there would go to the restaurant for their lunch breaks and sometimes they would even bring their families there. On some rare asions, I witnessed a few dates and birthdays there. It wouldn¡¯t be possible if it wasn¡¯t for the chef¡¯s skill and the hospitality of everyone else there. The waiters were so experienced and everything ran so well there. After that first time, I just kept on going back again and again. I would space out watching the customers through the window every time they took their first bite of the food. Watching the waiters work and the chef cook and¡­¡± Madeline went on about the different experiences she¡¯d had working in the kitchen at the restaurant. The people there were kind and there was a coboration like no other. The friendly gossip also seemed to catch her attention so many times and made her feel like a part of the women that worked there. There were fewer men but those that were there were professionals at their craft. While some of the women were merely volunteering to help out in the kitchens. Especially when the alpha himself had asked for a meal to be prepared for him. Before she knew it, she wanted to be nowhere else¡­ In fact, she wanted to open a restaurant of her own and cook meals worthy of her customers¡¯ appreciation. ¡°Who could have known? Innocent Maddy wants to enve the world through their taste buds,¡± Bree joked,ughing melodically. Their food eventually arrived and the three girls enjoyed a sumptuous filling breakfast. Especially since one of them(Madeline), was fond of eating to her fill no matter who was watching. Her casual tendencies were contagious. Honour could remember the way Katie hated being picked on for herrge appetite. Madeline, on the other hand, albeit not capable of matching Katie¡¯s monstrous appetite, was very open about how much she loved food. She also lovedplimenting the chef on the food. ¡®What better way is there to show a chef that you like their cooking!¡¯ she¡¯d said one time Honour asked. ¡°Honour, Maddy and Bree¡­ could you make it to the Royal quarters? The living room. The King of Lycaon is here and I would very much appreciate it if you were all present to greet him,¡± the king¡¯s voice echoed through the mind link. ¡°We¡¯ll be there,¡± Honour replied. ¡®So he¡¯s actually here. We just need to find out way.¡¯ The trio finished their breakfast and left the restaurant. Honour had to pull Madeline who felt it was inappropriate to leave without paying. Convincing her that the tab waspletely on the Royal family was even harder without a royal to help them out but it was eventually done when the waitress waved them goodbye and started cleaning up after them. ¡°How are we going to¡­¡± ¡°The mind link¡­ We¡¯ll just have to locate the king and queen and hope to make it to the Royal Suite in time.¡± Honour answered the obvious question. A long walk in dizzying directions following their instinct through the maze of intersecting corridors that sometimes ced them at dead ends soon had the girls panting at the golden door that led into the Royal Suite. The girls were still getting used to how gigantic this floor was. Honour¡¯s legs especially felt sore by the time they got to the Royal Suite. At some point, they were sure they had gone around the entire outer ring of the Great Arena before making it back to where they started. ¡°Bree! I thought you¡¯ve been here before,¡± Honour asked, out of breath. ¡°They change the floor every time. Last time, this floor belonged to the Lycaon pack and the Sirius pack was above us. How was I supposed to know the inner workings of both floors? Not to mention I wasn¡¯t acquainted with Lina back then. She was the enemy, remember?¡± the girl huffed. ¡°Oh! These two floors can¡¯t be all that different,¡± Honour tried, finally catching her breath and straightening up. On the other side of the door, the power of the Royals pulsed with intense radiation, intimidating anyone that dared to open this golden door. To Madeline and Bree, barging into this suite felt close to having a death wish but that wasn¡¯t the case with the Honour. She was now getting used to the quirks of her abilities. The authoritying from the royals did not affect her in the same way as she witnessed it affecting everyone else around her. The girl pushed open the doors and let herself, along with the three girls into the Royal suite. Just like they had seen it the day before, the living room was looking pristine with various couches made of rich fluffy material. The level of luxury in this suite was unmatched. ¡®I thought we picked out nice rooms but this is just unfair,¡¯ Madeline¡¯s voice groaned privately in the minds of the three girls. However, the girls didn¡¯t have all the time in the world to take in the view. The sun was rising and lit up the entire living room beautifully through the ss panes that worked as walls on one side. Prince Cole turned to address them. He was standing next to Queen Martha and beside him was¡­ ¡®Wait¡­ I thought I¡¯d seen¡­¡¯ Despite the different Royals that were in the room, there was another intense presence in the room. One that Honour had only seen for seconds after entering the room. Honour¡¯s thoughts darted through her mind as she searched for someone that had seemingly vanished from her sight. As it seemed, this was the case with everyone else in the room. Jason and the other five wolves from earlier were in the living room as well. Their eyes were now trained on a single person with mixed expressions of shock, worry and frustration. The goddess followed their gazes and was nearly frightened out of her skin by therge man standing beside her. ¡®How did he get there? He wasn¡¯t here a moment ago,¡¯ she shuddered. The power rolling off him was odd and not at all like what she was used to. He was different yet simr to a beta alpha. Thankfully, his attention was not focused on her. Instead, he was holding a delicate hand in hisrge ones and staring into the eyes of another with a look Honour had only rarely seen, ¡°Such beautiful grey eyes!¡± Kyle eximed. The goddess¡¯s eyes dashed to those of the girls¡­ and her fear only doubled. Madeline¡¯s eyes were still glowing bright amber. ¡®Oh, for Goddess¡¯s sake!¡¯ Chapter 453 - 453 Beautiful Fantasy World 453 Beautiful Fantasy World When the sun had finally announced its full glorified presence to the world, Lina started the walk to her friend¡¯s tent to wake her up. On her way there, she stopped and turned to Wyatt¡¯s tent. ¡®A few more minutes won¡¯t hurt. I¡¯ll wake Wyatt up and have him help get breakfast ready. Crysta needs her rest after the night she had.¡¯ The princess thought to herself before approaching the tent, trying to justify her reasons for torturing the weakened alpha. He had turned out to be less helpful than they thought he would be. He was almost at the same level as Crysta in strength it was disappointing¡­ perhaps he was even weaker. The girls held off on mocking him for it since it would have made them just as bad as he was to Lina. Lina paused when she reached the p of his tent, blinking a few times in confusion. It was open¡­ Rushing to check inside, she was greeted by the calm silence behind the tent p. ..... There was no one inside. Wyatt was not around. The princess cursed under her breath and searched the mind link in hopes of picking up on his location but he wasn¡¯t nearby either. Focusing harder, Lina searched for the prince¡¯s presence in her mind. He was not a royal which would make it easy for her to find him even if he blocked out the mind link. Royals were able to prate the minds of any werewolves regardless of their rank. One of the perks of being part of the most powerful werewolves in the world. Right when she was about to give up, a new presence suddenly made itself known at the edges of her consciousness¡­ It was Wyatt but judging by his mental state, he seemed tired, frightened¡­ and barely able to walk. Lina looked up at the mountain lions still watching over them and gestured to the tent that had her sleeping friend. She nearly pped herself for trying to talk to the creature. Of course, there was no way the lion was going to understand her and the fact that she was evenfortable with it spending the night there watching them was shocking on its own. To her surprise, the lion leapt off the ledge it was sitting on and walked up to the delta¡¯s tent beforeying down and gettingfortable with its head on its paws. ¡°Yeah, that works too.¡± The princess said out loud but the lion wasn¡¯t paying any more attention. With her friend in capable hands, the girl rushed away from their camp and started following the faint consciousness of her friend. She rushed downstream, following the narrow path that was meant to lead her to Wyatt. Further down the path, she found a white and ck wolfying on the ground. Wyatt¡¯s body was covered in scratches and a few blood stains on his fur and he looked like he was in bad shape. ¡°Wyatt, what happened?¡± the girl called out to his mind. The wolf was panting for a while before speaking up, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure. One moment, I¡¯m hunting for a hare or at least a deer, and the next, I¡¯m attacked by goddess-knows-what. I could barely see it. It attacked from the back¡­ or the side¡­ I don¡¯t know anymore. Using such underhanded tactics to try and subdue me. I think it¡¯s dead but I barely got away with my life. I had already killed the hare by then and just thought I would bring it back to the camp, but the distance isrge¡­ I got winded¡­ Ambush¡­ More than one¡­¡± Lina frowned at the alpha¡¯s state. He looked worse than she thought he was capable, ¡°You need some rest before you can start back up. Shift back into your human form and I will carry you.¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t be carried by the likes of you¡­ and I don¡¯t mean to offend you,¡± the man responded tiredly. ¡°Then what were you trying to imply?¡± Lina asked through gritted teeth, tugging at the wolf¡¯s paw. She wanted to get away from the forest now. The beta alpha sighed, ¡°Your wolf is not an energetic type. You¡¯re fast and there are things only you can do but heavy lifting is not one of them. Your wolf is more powerful than ours though. I¡¯ll admit that much but I¡¯ve also noticed your increasing appetite. You burn through more energy than we do. That is why I went out hunting. To be honest, from here on, I¡¯ll only be slowing you down more than you can afford. You royals are truly something else,¡± the man responded. ¡°You can stop talking now. Shift into your human form and let¡¯s get you back to the camp. It¡¯s that simple really. I¡¯ll do the morning cooking. You won¡¯t have to do a thing. You can eat your fill and bezy all you want but you will make it to the finish line with me,¡± the girl responded firmly, holding his gaze. The man shifted into his human form. Beside him was arge hare, dead with its eyes staring off into nothingness. Wyatt looked paler than he had when he went to sleep and Lina worried that the man was worse than he was letting on, ¡°Hey, Wyatt, you don¡¯t look so good.¡± A feeling of danger took over the girl as she tried to help the man up. She looked off in the direction he¡¯de from, her ears tapering into long tips with white fur at the back. When she was sure there was nothing following him, she started the walk back to their camp, ¡°Are you going to leave my kill behind?¡± The girl froze in her gait. Fear had drowned all thoughts of the dead hare from her mind, ¡°Oh, sorry¡­ Slipped my mind,¡± she responded. Setting Wyatt to lean against the steep mountain wall, she picked up the carcass and slung it over her shoulder. Their progress was slow, but they managed to make it back to the camp within an hour. Lina greeted the delta who was bringing down the tents so that they could get moving. She then helped Wyatt take a seat at the furthest wall away from the creek. She put her fingers to his neck to check for his pulse only to have her hand pped away by the stubborn alpha. ¡°I¡¯m just tired. It¡¯s not like I¡¯vee down with some disease that¡¯s going to kill me,¡± the man responded weakly. The fire in his eyes never wavered but his body betrayed that determination. ¡°I want to believe that, Wyatt, but¡­¡± ¡°Lina? What happened to him?¡± Crysta¡¯s voice cut the girl off. The tone in her voice made Wyatt scrunch his eyebrows. ¡°What is she talking about, Lina?¡± The princess remained quiet, afraid to reveal what she was looking at. Crysta pushed past the girl and felt for the man¡¯s pulse and temperature. ¡°I¡¯m just tired. Why are you¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re pale Wyatt. You look dead,¡± Crysta stated bluntly, ¡°Lina, where did you find him?¡± ¡°He went out hunting early in the morning. I found him like this when I went looking for him,¡± the girl exined. ¡°Take his shirt off,¡± Crysta asked abruptly. ¡°What?!¡± Lina and Wyatt were dumbfounded. ¡°Ugh! It¡¯s important. Not what you degenerates might have running through your minds,¡± the girl groaned, reaching for the hem of the alpha¡¯s shirt. Wyatt pped her hand, ¡°I can take it off myself, thank you¡­ Who¡¯s being the degenerate now?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The alpha proceeded to pull his shirt off his body. When he did, however, the girls gasped. The looks of shock on their faces confirmed the fears that had been running through Wyatt¡¯s mind. He¡¯d been sure something was wrong but these reactions were almost too much to bear. The alpha followed their gazes until his eyesnded on arge bite mark on his side. The wound was fresh and still bleeding. However, the liquid that was oozing from the wound was not the normal crimson blood that a normal person had. It was ck and smelt likepletely wrong. Crysta shook herself from her trance and ran for her bag. Within it, she retrieved a first aid kit and came rushing back to the alpha, ¡°What happened to you, Wyatt?¡± ¡°I¡­ I was attacked¡­ but I fought them off. I did¡­ Left them for dead in the woods and took my kill with me. The princess needs all the strength she can get to make it over the mountain and make a beeline straight for the finish line at the Great Arena,¡± the man said. ¡°That¡¯s a risky gamble. The mountain is cold and even after Lina makes it over the mountain, there is still a long way to go before she can get to the Great Arena.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than us slowing her down any more than we already have. We¡¯ve helped the princess make it this far. There is enough water for the three of us and now I¡¯ve got the nourishment she needs to make the rest of the journey. Hunting in the mountains is next to impossible. I don¡¯t see a way out without us ruining her chances of winning the Trials,¡± Wyatt tried reasoning. ¡°Wyatt¡­¡± Crysta was cut short by the man leaning against the mountain wall as he ced his fingers on her lips. Wyatt was suggesting they crossed the mountains and allowed Lina to make the rest of the journey on her own, unrestricted by their slow pace. Wyatt was suggesting staying behind despite his state. It simply wasn¡¯t like him. Wyatt was sweating profusely, his condition worsening right before the delta¡¯s eyes. ¡°No, Crysta¡­ You¡¯ve done enough in the scolding department. You¡¯ve said enough¡­¡± Normally, Crysta chose a time like this to insult the alpha for his stupidity but Wyatt was not having it. His silence now though¡­ had a different meaning that it came with. The night before, Wyatt and Lina had gotten into an argument and he¡¯d seeded in riling up the princess and Crysta had stepped between them. At the time, she hadn¡¯t thought that Wyatt had understood anything the princess tried to tell him. But now, after everything she¡¯d witnessed. Wyatt had gone out hunting to help Lina and had returned injured. Even in his injured state, he was fine with letting the princess push forward without him slowing her down. Aside from Liam, this could have been the first time Wyatt was acting selflessly for another. His weak sickly eyes said it all. He¡¯d finally let go of his hard-headed nature. ¡®Did you have to make me wait two years?¡¯ she said through the mind link. ¡®She has a beautiful fantasy world.¡¯ Chapter 454 - 454 Lina’s Decision 454 Lina¡¯s Decision Crysta opened the white box and took out a cotton swab dipped in spirit before she started cleaning his wounds. The ck ooze kepting out of his wounds and seemed to stain the cotton much faster than normal blood did. She focused on getting him cleaned up, making sure to slow down each time he grimaced in pain and clean the most sensitive areas with extra care. ¡°You seem experienced. When did this happen?¡± Wyatt asked. ¡°I only know a few basics. Nothing tooplicated,¡± she responded, ¡°Try to save your strength. You¡¯ll need it if we are to make the rest of this journey.¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t say everything I saw out there. Simply because I was scared out of my mind and didn¡¯t look back,¡± the alpha spoke up. Crysta¡¯s hand stopped on its way to the man¡¯s side, shaking at the tone in his voice. There wasn¡¯t a lot that could scare Wyatt and not because he was powerful, but merely because he had too big of an ego to consider openly admitting it. Up until this moment, the only thing he was afraid of was probably Katie Sirius¡­ Mentioning something else only meant there was trouble in the woods. The girl shook her head to clear her mind and started dabbing at the bite mark. When he was a little cleaner, she then started working on the wounds themselves. ..... The alpha¡¯s fists clenched and he breathed sharply from the stinging pain of the sterilizing liquid, ¡°It will only take a moment,¡± the delta said in a soothing tone. His eyes shed bright red with pain and he closed his eyes. A tear involuntarily slid out his right eye even though the alpha did his best to remain silent. Crysta continued working on him through the pain. The ck liquid seemed to being from deep within the wounds. Even after she had cleaned him to the best of her abilities, there was still a tinge of ck within the flesh¡­ And there was no sign that he was healing¡­ Beads of sweat glistened off the man¡¯s brow. His eyes shed bright crimson, his wolf sharing in his agony but his condition did not improve, ¡°He needs medical attention as soon as possible, Lina. I don¡¯t know how long he can stay like this. He already looks far too pale as it is.¡± When no response came, the delta turned around and found the princess was binding all their belongings together. The three bags were all bundled against each other in one tight bundle, ¡°Then we shall leave as soon as possible. We need to get him to a hospital.¡± Crysta wanted to argue but the resolve in Lina¡¯s eyes was so bright she could have sworn it could split the mountain in half. The princess had that look in her eye that suggested she was beyond reasoning, ¡°How are we going to do that? We are not¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get there, Crysta. This time, though¡­ You will have to put your trust in mepletely,¡± the princess was practically begging her friend. Lina wasn¡¯t one to think very logically all the time. She was learning how to make rational decisions under the tutge of her family and a few times, under Crysta¡¯s instruction. However, Crysta was yet to see the decisions the girl was capable of taking when faced with something as grave as this. Simply letting her take care of everything was not the easiest thing for her to do. There was the matter of what Wyatt had to tell them. It sounded very important but when she looked back at the man, she forgot all about it. Wyatt¡¯s eyelids were already starting to droop and he was looking even paler than he had a moment before. On instinct, the delta rubbed the cotton over his wound, wiping the ck ooze that had started to get out of the wound. The man¡¯s eyes shot open and shone a bright crimson, ¡°You did that on purpose,¡± he yelled through gritted teeth. ¡°Thank the goddess. You can still shout. I was worried we were losing you,¡± the girl replied with a hint of relief. ¡°You know it would take a lot more than a simple bite to take me down,¡± the man yelled at her, ¡°Are you done? We need to bid¡­¡± he stopped talking when his eyesnded on the royal. Lina had tied up their luggage in a format he was not familiar with. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Cover him up, Crysta. I¡¯ll carry the both of you,¡± Lina stated bluntly. ¡°Where will you be taking us?¡± Wyatt asked. ¡°Where else? We are going to the Great Arena.¡± The two wolves were frozen for a moment before Wyatt asked out loud. ¡°Have you lost your mind or something?¡± the man yelled at the princess. ¡°No, in fact, I¡¯ve never been more serious about anything in my life,¡± Lina responded. Her determination shone in her eyes like a beacon. The man was almost sure she could cut through him with her gaze alone. The royal was serious about carrying the two of them¡­ and this was the first time that he was seeing her so serious about anything¡­ Well, anything equally ridiculous¡­ Crysta didn¡¯t bother asking and retrieved the bandages within the first aid kit, then got to wrap him up. The man didn¡¯t resist. The sterilised patch that was ced over his wound hurt like hell and cooperating was the only way he could keep from feeling as much of the pain¡­ or at least, it helped very little. When Crysta was done wrapping the wound around the man¡¯s torso, she gave him back his shirt which he put on. Crysta helped him up to his feet and the two of them looked to the royal, ¡°Okay, how do you n to do that?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite simple really,¡± the girl replied, ¡°I¡¯ll run.¡± ¡°Forgive me, your highness. I still don¡¯t believe you can get us to the Great Arena. In fact, the only reason I¡¯m not logically screaming you out of the idea is that you seem convinced you can somehow pull off this miracle. The Great Arena is miles away¡­ The journey itself would take us two days at our current speed and we¡¯ve already burnt daylight talking like this. At least, have some¡­¡± Wyatt was about to gesture to the hare that he¡¯d brought for the girl but instead whaty in its ce was a pile of bones. Lina grabbed onto a strap that she¡¯d braided to hold the bags at the top and shifted into her slender wolf form. While the wolf was slimmer than a normal Royal, it was stillrger than an alpha¡¯s. It kept the stature of a royal wolf and yet didn¡¯t bear the same bulk as it was supposed to. Inparison to a horse, Lina was almost twice the size and very capable of carrying her friends. Wyatt was not convinced but his condition didn¡¯t give him a lot of room toin. Lina got down and allowed her twopanions to climb onto her back. She could feel the weight of the three bags within her, ¡°Wait¡­¡± The two of them stopped before climbing onto the white wolf and watched the girl shift into her human form and open the bags. She started dumping out things one by one. She threw out all the tents along with all the extra clothes they hade with, ¡°We might¡­¡± ¡°No, we won¡¯t be needing them anymore¡­¡± the girl shifted into her human form, ¡°Now get on. We need to bid this mountain goodbye.¡± Crysta wanted to fight the girl on this idea but the slight hint of frustration in the girl¡¯s voice kept her from speaking up. Soon enough, they were all saddled up and the girl stood up to her full height. At first, it looked normal, but soon enough the ground was much further than Crysta had expected it to get¡­ ¡®Has Lina always been this tall?¡¯ the delta asked herself. ¡°Crysta, hold on tight. It would help if the two of you were lying as t as you can. I don¡¯t want the wind to push you back. Also, make sure Wyatt does not fall off,¡± the royalmanded over the mind link. Her voice had never taken on a serious tone before. Crysta felt her hairs stand on end. They both bent at the waist, with Crysta behind the weakened alpha. Lina then started the journey up the mountain. She started running normally, bounding up the mountain with the ease of a graceful gazelle. The girl made it look like a walk in the park. She was climbing the mountain with an elegance that was not seen in the werewolf race. Slowly and almost imperceptibly, she began to pick up the pace. The creek began to flow faster in reverse. Looking at it was dizzying and the delta soon decided against it. She instead chose to take a look behind and was shocked by what she saw. The delta nearly fell off the wolf from the shock. Their camping spot was already so far behind. It was already the size of a spec and was growing smaller even faster¡­ The girl looked back just in time to notice the change in their surroundings¡­ The temperature started dropping really fast, threatening the trio of travellers. However, right before the cold could prate their clothes, somethingpletely unexpected happened. Something that ced Lina in a league entirely of her own¡­ Chapter 455 - 455 Blur 455 Blur Over the course of the next few minutes, Crysta found it increasingly harder to hold onto Lina¡¯s silk white fur. The wind screamed louder and louder in her ears and batted at her face violently. The delta struggled to lean and get down even closer to Lina¡¯s body. The white wolf was darting across the snow at speeds unknown to living creatures. Crysta stared ahead and back, now convinced that they were indeed running across the coldest parts of the mountain. And yet, she didn¡¯t feel cold at all. She felt glued to the white wall by a wall of wind brushing over them. Crysta suddenly got curious and tried to lift her hand. As she¡¯d suspected, the wind was much heavier. Lifting her hand was a lot harder than normal. ¡®We¡¯re so fast, the cold won¡¯t get through,¡¯ the delta chuckled, wondering whether Lina had expected that. Knowing the girl, she¡¯d probably done this solely on instinct. The whole journey atop the mountain which should have taken at least a whole day took only mere short minutes. The white wolf was already bounding down the mountain, leaving the snowy peaks behind her without pausing to observe the scenery. ¡®Crysta!¡¯ Wyatt¡¯s voice resonated through the delta¡¯s mind. He sounded scared¡­ ..... ¡®I know, Wyatt¡­ I know¡­¡¯ When they started the journey downhill, Lina seemed to get faster, taking them down the mountain, leaping over bushes and shrubs on the way without a moment¡¯s hesitation. The princess didn¡¯t say a word to them as she dashed across the terrain. At this speed, the sting of the elements and the dangers of the wild was vastly diminished. There wasn¡¯t a creature on the that could keep up with the girl at this speed. Except for a few hunters that had reached the pinnacle of their gifts. ¡®So this is Lina letting loose and reaching her limit,¡¯ Wyatt said to Crysta, ¡®It¡¯s insane.¡¯ He almostughed out loud, delirious. ¡°Lina, are you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Crysta,¡± the girl¡¯s voice came through the mind link. Lina sounded calm and could have fooled anyone except for Crysta. The delta quickly noticed the slight hint of frustration behind the princess¡¯s tone. The delta watched the white wolf dash faster, faster and faster still¡­ Blurring their surroundings and tearing across thend at indescribable speed. She was almost sure she could hear the loud hum of their movement. At this rate, the Great Arena could have as well been in their backyard the entire time. But then, Crysta couldn¡¯t imagine how much energy the princess needed to pull off something like this. Was she even capable of reaching the Great Arena? ¡®The hare¡­ Did she eat it raw?¡¯ Crysta thought to herself¡­ ¡®Was there enough time for her to digest it?¡¯ Resting her head against Wyatt¡¯s back, Crysta watched as the forest beyond the mountains passed by in a blur, along with the marsnds they had thought to be so hard to cross as well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I doubted you, Lina,¡± the girl whispered through the mind link. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I would have doubted me too,¡± the girl replied with a chuckle, ¡°A little trust in return would be nice though. I¡¯m not the same kid.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you want me to start calling you an adult?¡± Crysta rolled her eyes. ¡°Uh, yeah, that would be nice,¡± Lina was appalled by her friend¡¯s ¡®obnoxious¡¯ attitude. ¡°Well, maybe after your birthday party in two weeks¡¯ time,¡± Crysta chuckled. ¡°Oh yeah¡­ The party¡­¡± it wasn¡¯t that the girl hadn¡¯t yet turned eighteen, but instead, she had held out on having a party and postponed the celebration with the same day as her best friend, Honour¡¯s true birthday so that they could celebrate it together. While a kind gesture this was, it was also a party none of them were looking forward to. This remained unsaid among them. .......... Madeline was stunned by the man¡¯s forwardness more than most. For some reason, she overlooked the haste with which he¡¯d approached her. The fact that he even thought of doing something like that in a room of royals astonished her more than his execution. The man before her had bright crimson eyes, the colour of a rose in full bloom but they shone with a deeper intensity than she¡¯d ever noticed with another alpha. His face waspletely unfamiliar to her and she didn¡¯t know who she was talking to. His body was heavily built and when she paid a little more attention, she could tell he was not yet in peak form. He oozed power¡­ and yet he oozed kindness as well¡­ and a tinge of arrogance. She felt calm around him and for the first time in her life, she was not scared of the powerful wolf before her. ¡®Not afraid of a powerful werewolf!¡¯ Now there was a thought Madeline never thought she¡¯d be having in her lifetime or the next. Something deep within her told her that this man was nothing like all the others she¡¯d met and yet, she felt she should not be hasty with handling him. Yes, she was certain. This alpha was incapable of hurting her. Itpletely slipped her mind that he had called her eyes grey instead of the bright amber that she was sure was shining through them. Instead, her mind roamed about the different things she could spend doing with this powerful alpha. The most peculiar thing about him though was the fact that his power felt nothing like that of King Cole. Instead of oozing the same power as alpha Jason did, this man was different. He wasn¡¯t necessarily more powerful but then again, he wasn¡¯t at his peak yet. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn¡¯t put it into words. Something was not right about where he was drawing his power. ¡°Kyle, that girl¡¯s eyes are amber¡­ and you¡¯re not supposed to invade people¡¯s private space,¡± Cole grabbed the man¡¯s hand and pulled him back. Kyle reluctantly epted, snapping out of the daze he¡¯d been trapped in. It was like the entire world hade to a standstill when the two of them had spoken. Madeline broke out of the spell as well. Hearing the king¡¯s words brought everything flushing into her mind. Her eyes were still amber¡­ right? ¡°You¡¯re majesty, can I be excused for a moment,¡± the girl said, turning to the queen with a hint of urgency. ¡°Do I at least get a name?¡± Kyle intervened before the queen answered. The women in the room snapped at the former rogue, ring daggers at the man. Hadn¡¯t he done enough already? However, before they could tell him off, a sole feminine voice resonated through the room, spelling out the name of the girl he¡¯d just posed the question, ¡°Madeline¡­ My name is Madeline.¡± The girl seemed entranced when she spoke but quickly broke free and turned to Honour. The goddess realised what her eyes were asking and led her away from the living room and through the halls. With a gesture from the queen, the two of them were gone with Bree following behind. The amber-eyed girl wouldn¡¯t stop giving Kyle an odd look. Kyle was curious as to why Bree staring at him weirdly. That was¡­ until she left and he turned to the other people in the living room. Everyone was giving him the same look the girl had been giving him¡­ Curiosity¡­ ¡°What¡­? Did I say something?¡± the man asked them out loud, starting to shudder under their gaze. ¡°Yes, you did. You mentioned the wrong eye colour. Have you ever seen a werewolf with grey eyes, you doofus or do we have to teach you colours as well?¡± Jason argued. The king and queen remained silent, however. And this caught Jason¡¯s attention. The man turned to the royals, ¡°There is no werewolf with grey eyes, right?¡± King Davin sunk into one of the couches in therge living room, looking out to the Great Arena. It had been prepared for the games and was ready for the contestants to fully arrive¡­ The king of Sirius cringed, ¡°Well¡­¡± ......¡­.. Madeline burst through the doors to the restroom as soon as she found it and rushed to the mirror, preening in it in search of the glitch in her eye colour, ¡°Madeline, would you slow down for a moment?¡± Honour called after her. ¡°Honour, how did he see through my disguise? I change the literal colour of my eyes. Did I lose focus somehow¡­ Maybe I lost focus when he patted my head,¡± the girl was rambling¡­ Her eyes shed between amber and silver so many times that Honour was sure she would get dizzy. This was also intentional and done to prove her point of control. She¡¯d gotten so good at changing the colour of her eyes that she could make them sh between the two colours extremely fast, unlike before when she would do it every time she was frightened. ¡°Okay, stop that. Mady, you did not lose focus. We were all looking at you at that time and¡­¡± the girl froze, ¡°Madeline, he did not pat your head.¡± ¡°What?¡± the Seeker asked, confused. ¡°I said¡­¡± ¡°I heard what you said¡­ but I¡¯m sure he¡­ He patted my head and¡­ and¡± when the girl couldn¡¯t even remember when the man had touched her she started to hyperventte. Honour was next to her quickly, Bree following her lead. The two girls helped the girl settle down, leaning against the sinks, they tended to her like she was one of their own, ¡°Hey, rx¡­ Take a deep breath,¡± Bree cooed. The girl leaned against her friend and allowed herself to rx in their embrace. When they were both sure she had calmed down, Bree asked, ¡°Are you okay enough to tell us what happened back there?¡± The girl was quiet for while. Her mouth opened repeatedly, but nothing came out, until eventually, she slumped back, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t know what happened.¡± Honour pulled the girl into a tighter hug, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mady. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. We can do anything else. We can keep you away from him if that¡¯s what you want. Kyle is not the person you would like to get to know anyway.¡± ¡°What¡­ Is that his name?¡± the girl asked, her eyes beaming. Honour was almost instantly convinced of what she was seeing. ¡®Oh dear¡­ why did it have to be him? That goddess could have picked anyone else in the entire world¡­ anyone but him¡­¡¯ ¡°Would he happen to be your mate?¡± Honour asked her. It was a simple question that any wolf could answer. Knowing one¡¯s mate was an instinct for all werewolves. They would get to know this simply by setting their eyes on their mates and allowing their wolves to be in close proximity to them. It was a matter of looking straight into their eyes. This is why Honour was not expecting the answer she got from the girl, ¡°I don¡¯t know, Honour. Seekers cannot feel the mate pull.¡± The girl sank to the ground, covering her eyes¡­ Madeline sobbed quietly. She¡¯d heard this from her grandmother many times, but never once had she thought she would find herself in this kind of situation. Kyle had seen through her disguise¡­ That had to count for something, didn¡¯t it? Chapter 456 - 456 Chs 456 Watching The Strong Crumble Upon hearing King Davin¡¯s hesitation, Cole turned to the king and queen and narrowed his eyes at them. They both wouldn¡¯t meet his gaze. Something was amiss. ¡°We don¡¯t keep secrets between the kingdoms,¡± the man said to his fellow monarchs. ¡°Hmm,¡± Martha searched her husband¡¯s face. When King Davin nodded, the queen spoke up, ¡°Then we have quite a number of secrets to tell you,¡± Queen Martha sighed. When everyone had just tuned in to listen, the queen went silent. ¡°Everyone except for my beta alphas. We¡¯d like the room,¡± Cole announced and they waited in silence as the betas and delta walked out of the Royal Suite. ¡°We¡¯ll start with the girl. She¡¯s a Seeker and she¡¯s under our protection at the moment¡­¡± The king and his beta alphas were the only ones allowed to know this much about Madeline. This seemed to include Kyle as well. The more they spoke of how much trouble the girl was in, the more he felt like he shouldn¡¯t have let her out of his sight. ..... His body and wolf reacted to the information of the attack on her home in a manner of ways he did not know possible. Every few minutes, the room had to go quiet when a low growl escaped him. He clenched his fists in an effort to control himself and his wolf. However hard he tried to hide it, it proved impossible. So much so that he started hoping his face didn¡¯t look too frustrated. ¡°And that¡¯s when Lina found her in the woods. She passed out and they took her to Honour¡¯s mother where she was treated. A series of coincidental events led that secret to being revealed to us and we ordered her to be kept in the pce just in case the rogues followed her. Thankfully, that was not the case, or at least, that¡¯s what we would like to believe. After the hunters¡¯ flush-out n failed to work, there is no telling what the rogues are up to,¡± the woman summarised, ¡°So we keep her close.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t anyone simply believe the rogues arepletely gone now? There were a lot of them in the battle against the Lycaon empire. We could have wiped them all out,¡± Jason tried. ¡°No, they are still alive. They are simply smarter at hiding and keeping their presences hidden from the hunters,¡± Kyle intervened strongly. Cole gave the beta alpha a re that had him sitting back in his seat. ¡°Forgive, Kyle. He¡¯s a little more impulsive than normal.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ His presence is actually refreshing. His power reminds me of Katie. It¡¯s so simr,¡± Queen Martha chuckled, ¡°I haven¡¯t felt this close to her in a while. Just the fact that he¡¯s breathing and not in pain is a constant reminder to me that she¡¯s still alive and well.¡± ¡°Katie is fine and making a recovery. I can say that withplete certainty, your majesties,¡± Kyle replied before he could hold himself back. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear¡­ Now that we¡¯ve got all that out of the way, we should get ready for¡­¡± the queen stopped talking, hearing a voice booming over the speakers that were raised far above the Great Arena. ¡°There is a bit of a sandstorming from the Sirius empire. After taking a look through a pair of powerful binocrs, we now know what is causing it. We saw this dashing figure in the previous Royal games and came to call her names like Jeanie Sirius and the Blue. Lina Sirius is headed for the Great Arena as we speak¡­ and I must say¡­ she has definitely brought her A-game.¡± Thementator caught the royals off-guard. The girls came bustling into the room at the sound of the announcer¡¯s words. The queen beckoned for them to follow her to the exit. Madeline rushed ahead of her friends making sure to avoid making eye contact with the beta alpha. Kyle noticed how they kept a wall between him and her. ¡®Did I do something?¡¯ he asked himself but shook the shady thoughts off. Something else was bothering him. A feeling deep inside him that something was wrong. It was strong enough to wipe his thoughts of Madeline from his mind but too weak to give him definitive information. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry¡­¡± he suggested. The royals rushed through therge establishment, making it to the elevator and down the Great Arena. Following the king, they made their way to arge tunnel that went through the Great Colosseum in the direction of the Sirius Empire. This tunnel was the one meant to allow the candidates for the Trials in when they arrived. It was the final stretch they had to run to end the Trials. And the Sirius family stood at the very end of it, staring into the heavy darkness of the tunnel in silence and anticipation. ¡°Do you think thementator was exaggerating her speed?¡± Kyle asked Cole. The alpha chuckled at the beta alpha¡¯s nerves and only pointed beyond. Kyle followed his gesture and squinted his eyes in the distance. It took him longer than he would have liked, but eventually, he saw it¡­ a dust cloud in the distance far beyond the tunnel. At first nce, buildings from the town and the road was all one could see with the enhanced sight of a werewolf but after paying close attention to detail beyond these. Instead of finding the clear blue of the sky, there was a thick brown of dust covering the view of the sky in the distance. What the beta alpha saw had his eyes opening wide in shock. There was a wolf in front of the dust cloud and it was closing in on them with rming speed. The smile on King Davin¡¯s face quickly vanished, ¡°Something is wrong.¡± They took a closer look at the girl, straining to figure out how the king hade to this decision. It was hard to discern anything at this distance, but in the next few seconds, they didn¡¯t have to squint as the slender white wolf covered the distance with astonishing haste and skidded to a stop right in front of them. The wolf was panting heavily and it quickly lowered itself to the ground. It was only then that Honour began to think through what was happening. Lina was much faster than Drake which meant she didn¡¯t have to use this much speed to try and beat him. She could have seen him close to finishing and chosen to run this fast but that wouldn¡¯t make sense since the goddess hadn¡¯t detected the presence of the prince yet. Something else had Lina rushing at such a pace. ¡®Where were Crysta and Wyatt?¡¯ Seated atop the white wolf¡¯s back was a green-eyed girl holding onto a man. Except for the girl¡¯s messy hair, she was fine. However, the man looked to be in much worse shape than the girl. The man was groaning in pain and had turned as pale as a ghost. Lina¡¯s voice boomed over the mind link, connecting to both the wolves of the Lycaon pack and the Sirius pack at the same time¡­ It was a call for help. ¡°He needs to see a doctor now,¡± the girl rushed her words, ¡°He¡¯s wounded badly.¡± Honour was by Crysta¡¯s side first, helping her get the man off Lina¡¯s back. Her instincts immediately traced his symptoms to his abdomen. The girl lifted his shirt without warning¡­ The queen was about to ask what she was doing when they noticed a bandage beneath the man¡¯s shirt that was stained with a ck oozing liquid. The smell that came from it was akin to that of wolfsbane but with a twist that didn¡¯t make the werewolves cringe, ¡°What happened to him?¡± Honour asked Crysta but the delta didn¡¯t look capable of replying. They had been moving too fast that the sudden stop was enough topletely overwhelm her senses. Honour was able to get Crysta off the white wolf¡¯s back. The voices of the Queens Martha and Margaret boomed over the mind link, summoning the health workers to attend to the man. The medics were at the entrance in no time and carrying Wyatt away on a stretcher. Lina shifted into her human form. The three bags she¡¯d tied together dropped to the ground relieving her of their crushing weight. The princess groaned and stood up, trying to get rid of the aches that riddled her body. In the end, she was only able to induce a wave of exhaustion that had been waiting for her¡­ restrained only by pure adrenaline. When her legs were about to give out, Cole caught the princess and slung on arm over his shoulder. ¡°Will he be alright?¡± Lina asked the paramedics, but all they could reply was the routine. ¡®It¡¯s too early to confirm at the moment but we promise that we¡¯ll do everything in our power to get him back in shape.¡¯ The only new thing the woman talking to her was, ¡°Was he the one you intended to take part in the games with?¡± The girl was silent for a moment before answering calmly, ¡°No¡­ no, he wasn¡¯t. But he helped me through the Trials. I want him to get better.¡± With that said, the woman rushed off to help her colleagues. Normally, there would be people to receive them when they had just finished the Trials. People took them to their lodgings where they could recuperate and get better in time for the games. However, with the kings and queens there at the moment, these people chose against interfering. ¡°Lina, what happened out there?¡± King Davin was the first to speak up, approaching his daughter. The woman wrapped her arms around her daughter and tried to calm her. While Lina didn¡¯t look to be in any danger, her mind was moving at a million miles per second. So much so that Crysta seemed to be in better shape than her. Lina¡¯sposure seemed to crumble in her mother¡¯s arms. Who knew how much she¡¯d held inside during the Trials? Who knew how much energy she¡¯d used to bring herpanions to the Great Arena? Whatever it was, Lina didn¡¯t have the energy to block it any longer and her friends felt it through the mind link. The ttering of thoughts, the copse of her entire being as she descended into a frightened unstable state. Crysta then took the time to notice this. ¡®Was she blocking me from her mind?¡¯ the delta thought to herself. She¡¯d suspected it when the girl had stopped saying much back in the mountains, but¡­ she hadn¡¯t thought¡­ Lina¡¯s calm exterior was slowly shattering. She embraced her mother but no words came out. In exchange for the tears that streamed down her face, the girl went mute¡­ and no one asked her any further questions. .......... Crysta stayed behind with Honour, Madeline and Bree as the queen took the princess away, apanied by the other royals, ¡°I guess family is another kind of bond, isn¡¯t it?¡± Madeline mentioned. ¡°Well, for some people, I guess,¡± Crysta spat. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Madeline¡¯s question sounded genuine¡­ and that¡¯s what made answering it even harder. ¡°We don¡¯t all get parents that dot on us every step of the way is all I was trying to say. Sometimes, you just luck out, you know. Not everyone is going to be as sweet and wless as your mother,¡± Crysta tried. Madeline looked up in thought, trying to understand what the girl had just said, ¡°I think you¡¯re wrong¡­¡± That was thest straw, ¡°WHAT!!!¡± However, before anything could happen, there was another sound over the speakers¡­ Thementator sounded rmed, ¡°Medics, now¡­ Prince Drake is in dire need of medical attention¡­¡± The rest of the man¡¯s words were drowned out by the chaos that took over the Great Arena. Honour turned to the tunnel that led out the Great Arena, the colour draining from her face, ¡®Drake!¡¯ It was one problem after the other¡­ Chapter 457 - 457 The Goddess and Her Prince 457 The Goddess and Her Prince Crysta turned to therge tunnel she had juste through upon the slender white wolf¡¯s back. This tunnel was where the prince was supposed toe through, but if she had heard thementator right, it wasn¡¯t going to be as simple for him as it had been for Lina. ¡°Follow me¡­ We have to help him,¡± the delta called on her friends. Bree and Crysta were gone before Honour and Madeline had the chance to follow. The Seeker and goddess weren¡¯t as athletic whenpared to the other two females. Bree fell slightly behind Crysta but she was still impressive. After all, the two of them were separated by rank. ¡°Come on, Mady,¡± Honour sighed and the two started a jog that they could handle. This way, they were behind, but not by a lot¡­ ¡®Betterte than never¡­ right?¡¯ Madeline tried joking through the mind link. However, her wordsnded on deaf ears. Honour¡¯s face was several shades paler than normal, ¡°Hey¡­ are you¡­¡± her question got caught in her throat. ..... What was she saying? Of course, Honour wouldn¡¯t be fine. The person they were rushing to help was none other than Drake Sirius. How had she allowed it to slip her mind that he was closer to Honour than most? The Seeker berated herself for allowing that small fact to slip her mind. In her defence, Honour¡¯s despair didn¡¯t seem to be leaking into the mind link. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and catch up with them,¡± Madeline urged her friend to pick up the pace. The goddess very rarely lost herposure, but this was one of those rare times. Madeline had to y the emotional anchor. Guiding the half-petrified goddess, the Seeker helped give her pace. When they were exiting the tunnel, the sound of rushing paws came from behind them. Madeline turned in time to see a sandy brown wolf reaching them. The voice of the wolf was quickly projected into their minds, ¡°Hey, get on. The royal family has sent me ahead while they make sure Lina is alright.¡± ¡°Why haven¡¯t theye at once?¡± Honour nearly screamed. Jason was taken aback by her tone but waspelled to answer either way. ¡°One problem at a time, Honour. If you didn¡¯t notice, Lina was pretty shaken when she came here and one of herpanions was pale and had lost a lot of blood. I¡¯ve never seen that carefree girl that shaken before. So they sent me ahead to assess the situation with the prince and get him treatment as soon as possible,¡± Jason yelled back into her mind. Despite his efforts topose himself, the beta alpha was shaken as well. The Royal Games were a time of happiness and jubtion. A ceremony where they celebrated thesting peace between the humans and werewolves by holding these games¡­ and yet¡­ Ignorant about the rtionship between the prince of Sirius and the girl before him, Jason found himself offended by her sudden outburst. What caught him off guard the most though, was that he wanted to help the distraught girl with any problems she had. ¡°Climb on¡­ I¡¯ll get the two of you to him.¡± Jason didn¡¯t bother asking why they hadn¡¯t shifted. It wasn¡¯t unusual for average wolves and deltas to stay in their human forms even when they needed the speed boost of their werewolf sides. It could even be simply because they didn¡¯t want to ruin their clothes. The power difference also came with that disadvantage. The girls got onto hisrge spacious sandy brown back and braced themselves. The beta alpha was tearing through the outer settlements towards the centre of themotion that had already started to consume the crowds. The rumours that had already milled through the crowds didn¡¯t help any of them one bit. Some said that the prince looked like he was on the brink of death while others depicted him as an unmovable war hero. Some said he was covered in the blood of his enemies and was merely carrying the head of one of the rogues that had dared to attack him through the Trials. None of these rumours made Honour¡¯s heart beat any less terribly in her chest. She was frightened out of her mind. She tried to reach out to the prince through the mind link they shared but when nothing went through, she only got more worried about the prince, ¡®What has happened, Drake?¡¯ She strained her memory for any signs of despair through the special link they shared but there was nothing that came to mind. She hadn¡¯t felt him in danger at any one point. In fact, she had only felt power drawn from her at some point during the Trials but there was nothing rming that came through their mind link. Perhaps he hadn¡¯t wanted to worry her and had simply drawn on the divine energy they shared. Or maybe he¡¯d done that by mistake. Either way, an answer didn¡¯t manifest from her spections. She could spend an eternity trying to figure it out and still note to an answer. She wanted to see him. She wanted to know how he was doing. The siren from the paramedics¡¯ vehicle soon reached their ears. It was heading straight for them¡­ Jason darted to the side and allowed the vehicle to go by, then followed it. The alpha rushed through the outer settlement, dodging the people that crowded the streets and growling at those that wouldn¡¯t let him through. One look at his crimson eyes was enough to frighten anyone that saw him. Honour looked around and noticed they were headed out of the settlements and towards the marsnd the participants of the Trials were meant to emerge from. ¡®Were they really able to spot him from this far out?¡¯ thinking about how far Lina was by the time the announcer had mentioned her presence, she could confirm that they were able to see that far indeed. It was impressive, however, that level of detail was scary. ¡®Was the prince that injured that they could spot his injuries from that far off?¡¯ was the modification to her worrisome spections. Lina had been carrying an injured person as well, but they hadn¡¯t mentioned that¡­ It was not until the princess hade to a stop at the other end of the tunnel that everyone witnessed the deathly pale body of an unconscious Wyatt. Honour¡¯s questions, however, stopped flowing through her mind when she set her eyes on arge gathering. The crowd was almost imprable. The blinking red lights at the top of the ambnce stood out in the crowd like a shimmering crimson tower in a sea of people. It was then that the scent of the prince hit her nostril, standing out in the sea of scents that normally assailed her senses. While her senses were weakerpared to other werewolves, this distance from the source was manageable for her. Her thoughts became even harder to control at that point. She wanted to see Drake. Jason allowed the girls to get off his back before he let out a loud howl. The two girls had to cover their ears as the sound tore through the crowd. There was no need to interpret this sound¡­ Everyone knew what the high-ranking wolves did when they didn¡¯t have the patience for those that obstructed them. The crowd parted immediately, tearing a beeline straight for the man at the centre of the crowd. Honour¡¯s breath hitched and her heart skipped a beat. Her spections shattered within her mind, reced by a dam of new worries based on all the information her eyes brought flooding into her brain. The prince was kneeling down with his head dropped, looking exhausted and breathing badly. His clothes were wet and filthy with far more than the simple muddy waters of the marsnds. The paramedics were already trying to take his vitals and help him into the ambnce but the prince swatted all their attempts. When he finally snapped, he yelled at them and pointed to another body at the centre of the crowd, a metre or so away from him, ¡°Take care of him first,¡± he bellowed. His expression was stern¡­ despite the paleness of his skin. The man, who was advocating for someone else¡¯s safety, was not looking good himself. There was arge half-bite on his shoulder and a worrisome amount of blood that soaked his shirt around the shoulder. Within the bite mark, ck pus was oozing out, emitting a terrible odour identical to the one that wasing from Wyatt. Honour staggered forward, afraid to take another step. Her mind was arrested by the terrible state of the prince¡¯s body. It was as if each time she took the image of his body, she rejected it and took it in again, hoping he would somehow heal up and be restored to his former state. She tried searching for more injuries on his body, but all signs of them were the torn holes in his shirt. The girl forced another step forward, paying no attention to her surroundings, ¡°Drake¡­¡± her voice was barely a whisper. Those in the crowd that saw and heard her gasped at theck of respect in her voice. However, one look at the sandy-brown wolf behind her was enough to keep anyone from approaching her. As if summoned by some otherworldly force, the prince turned in response to the voice. His eyes easily fell on the girl¡¯s face. The look of fear in her eyes tore at his heartstrings. The prince locked eyes with the girl, wondering how long she had been there. He had been hoping she wouldn¡¯t have to see him in this weakened state. ¡°Honour¡­¡± his words were cut short as a wave of weakness far more severe than the one he¡¯d gotten earlier took over him. Just getting to the borders of the outer settlements had been an arduous ordeal in and of itself. The body he had carried with him had weighed him down a lot but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to leave the man behind. The paramedics finally listened to him and attended to the man he¡¯de with. Royalty got far more priority over normal werewolves and they wouldn¡¯t have touched him unless he¡¯d ordered it¡­ or they would have been toote to do so and left him for dead in the process. Drake felt his head swaying, feeling lightheaded¡­ Almost immediately, a pair of warm hands wrapped around him and pulled him into an embrace. The prince¡¯s headnded softly on the shoulder of the goddess. Her intoxicating scent assaulted his nostrils but he was too tired topliment her and it hurt to use the mind link, a sensation that was unheard of. As if reading his mind, Honour asked, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you used the mind link?¡± ¡°It hurts¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± the man¡¯s voice was strained but he would force himself to continue speaking, ¡°I¡¯ve been trying, but I feel cut off. The silence in my mind is excruciating. Everything hurts¡­ I can¡¯t heal either.¡± With Honour by his side, he seemed not to care about the rest of the world anymore. He¡¯d finished the Trials¡­ or at least reached the outer settlements. His sister had won and there was nothing more he needed to do. He could go to sleep. He could rest. He could spend time with his goddess. Her secret was another one of the things he¡¯d kept between the two of them. While he was feeling sleepy, a warm feeling came from his back. He knew the feeling all too well, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to¡­¡± ¡°Not here¡­ Not for me¡­ Not when there is so much at stake,¡± the prince said to her. ¡°But you¡¯re¡­¡± before the girl could finish her statement, the royals arrived. King Cole and King Davin hade as fast as they could. However, the queens were not with them. ¡°Honour, how is he doing?¡± King Davin asked her. The girl felt Drake go unconscious within her hands¡­ and his heart was getting weaker. She wanted to heal him. Her hands were shaking with the intention of doing exactly that¡­ But Drake¡¯s words had arrested her will to proceed. She could only hold him¡­ and let the rest of the world drown from her perception. Chapter 458 - 458 A Message In The Wind 458 A Message In The Wind Honour was still holding Drake when Crysta ced her hand on her shoulder, ¡°Hey¡­ Honour,¡± the girl spoke in a soothing voice, ¡°He needs to get treatment.¡± ¡°I could¡­¡± ¡°Not in that way¡­ Not in front of so many. He wouldn¡¯t want that. None of us would. Just like Mady, you¡¯re to remain hidden,¡± this part of the conversation happened through the mind link. Crysta¡¯s words seemed to whisper some sense into the girl¡¯s mind. Honour reluctantly allowed the paramedics to take the prince away from her. However, she remained rooted to the spot. Her hands were stained with the ck bizarre liquid that had mixed with the blood on the prince¡¯s clothes. There were different scents mixed within the different fluids on the girl¡¯s hands. And some of them didn¡¯t belong to the prince. Cole walked up to the girls and greeted them. Crysta greeted him back¡­ and so did Bree, but Honour remained silent. Madeline knelt down before her petrified friend, ¡°Hey, Honour, we should get going. We could wait for him in the hospital while they work on getting him better.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± was Honour¡¯s response. The Seeker was ready to take what she could get. With Bree¡¯s help, they helped the girl up and guided her back to the Great Arena. The journey was much longer without having any form of transportation but they were fine with it. Honour needed the walk. ..... ....... The beeping sounding from the machine that was monitoring the prince¡¯s vitals pained the young goddess¡¯s ears. The smell of medicine, the scent of blood and the alluring scent of his presence assailed her nostrils. Reminding her constantly of his condition¡­ and yet, there seemed to be nothing she could do about it. The girls had only just been allowed toe to see him after the royal family was done, ¡°How is he doing?¡± Honour asked no one in particr. She merely wanted an answer. ¡°The doctors say he has sustained a lot of damage and the strain his muscles have been through is tremendous, not to mention the amount of blood that he¡¯s already lost. There were signs of blood loss along with several other odd scars on his body. Some of them didn¡¯t make sense¡­ They looked fresh¡­ and yet the bite mark on his shoulder were showing no signs of healing,¡± the king exined as best he could. Honour looked about the room. Lina was not yet present¡­ ¡°Where is Lina?¡± ¡°Lina is resting. When she was able to calm down and tell us what happened, she passed out almost immediately. It seems the girl was more exhausted than she was letting on,¡± the queen frowned, ¡°It seems my children have a knack for getting into trouble.¡± ¡°Did she hear the announcement?¡± ¡°She did¡­ but we convinced her not to worry about it. I didn¡¯t give her much of a choice,¡± the queen replied. However, this time, she made her way to the girl, ¡°How are you holding up, dear?¡± Honour¡¯s chest felt numb. She didn¡¯t want to feel anything anymore. The beeping sound invaded her ears once more, reminding her of the state Drake was in. What hurt, even more, was that she hadn¡¯t even noticed or sensed anything amiss. She couldn¡¯t help. If she had been present when he was attacked, she probably would have caused him to worry about her and got him killed¡­ or she could have miraculously essed her powers and saved them both. Those were her thoughts on the matter but she didn¡¯t want to believe them. When she tried to think beyond Drake or Lina, her thoughts got far more jumbled and her emotions threatened to turn her into a bawling mess, so she resorted to focusing on the two people she was worried about. ¡°I¡¯m fine, your majesty,¡± Honour replied, failing in her attempt to smile. The Queen frowned, ¡°Drake will be fine. And Lina even more so¡­¡± the queen paused, took her hands off the girl¡¯s shoulders and wandered to the seat by her son¡¯s side, ¡°It¡¯s not like this is far from the oue Drake hoped for.¡± Honour tried to fend off the deluge of thoughts that threatened to break through her mind. The divine energy that normally swirled through her body began to swarm in waves, washing through her body and empowering her in ways she was not used to. It seemed any new information only stirred an unnecessary reaction. Given the chance to find who had done this to Drake, Honour wasn¡¯t sure how much she would be able to hold back. ¡°What do you mean by that? Was he nning to have himself beat up?¡± ¡°No, he was nning to have Lina win the Trials so that he wouldn¡¯t participate in this year¡¯s games,¡± the queen responded, oblivious to the girl that was about to break into a rage. This rage, however, simmered down the moment the queen had rified her words. It was reced with painful curiosity, ¡°Why would Drake do such a thing?¡± Crysta asked. It was now that Honour was acknowledging the presence of those around her. After Drake had been taken from her arms, she¡¯d tuned everything out, but the world was starting to get more and more perceptible to her. ¡°The Trials decide who is more suited to take the throne. So it would make sense if he intentionally lost to Lina, however, we still don¡¯t know why he decided to step down. He didn¡¯t say the reason why he did what he did. We don¡¯t know anything that runs through his head these days. Drake was always the most transparent. Even more transparent than Katie, but now¡­ it¡¯s the total opposite. He talks less and has lost the bit of him we hade to cherish so much. Something is bothering him,¡± the king exined, staring hard at the prince sleeping in the bed. The white sheets were already started to get stained with the ck liquid oozing out of the bite mark on his shoulder. The queen made a gesture to one of the guards and a nurse was called to change his bandages. While this happened, no one said a word. Honour, however, was getting deeper into her own mind. The version of Drake the king mentioned, was one she had not yet met. Drake was still the same to her. Sweet, helpful and always looking for an excuse to hang out with her. That was the person she hade to know in the past few years she had gotten to know him. ¡°When did he start acting like that?¡± she asked. The king rubbed his temples. Something about the tone Honour used made him answer more and more of her questions and without any resistance from his wolf, ¡°Is there¡­¡± his question got caught in his throat. He wondered what a girl like her could do with this information for a bit and had even tried to ask her but in the next moment, his lips said somethingpletely different, ¡°I¡¯m not sure when he changed exactly. He changed slowly over time and before we knew it¡­ he wasn¡¯t the same person anymore.¡± Those in the room perceptive enough noticed the odd reaction from the king but remained silent. Honour¡¯s mood was absolute. She wasn¡¯t going to be exining anything to them. Unlike her somewhat cold exterior, she hadn¡¯t blocked herself from the mind link and for those that bothered to check, they all knew that the girl was hurting inside. The number of things she could do were limitless¡­ and yet limited at the same time. It was at moments like this that she remembered the one time she had tried to summon the powers of the moon goddess. ............¡­. That cold night like all other nights that week, Honour had been tired of everything that was happening around her. It was only days after Sandra¡¯s birthday. A party that she had not attended in person but she had felt it when Katie¡¯s body was transported from the moon pce to earth. The feeling of that divine energy was all too familiar to her. However, somewhere deep inside her, she knew this was something temporary and when the time hade, Katie had been transported back, albeit hastily. Lina grew more determined to grow strong¡­ and so did Bree and Crysta. The kingdom was healing, but there was something else happening in the world. The girl often walked through the woods listening to the rustling woods and the messages carried by the wind¡­ and when Prince Drake was free, he came along with her and they talked about everything and nothing together. She was happy in his presence¡­ and at peace. The glimpses of her past life at the moment were just that¡­ glimpses. She didn¡¯t know anything about herself when she was a goddess but she had so many emotions that didn¡¯t feel right. Once, she had gotten a glimpse of a memory. A memory of a goddess dressed in tattered armour with her hands covered in blood. The blood did not seem to be her own. After all, it didn¡¯t make sense for a goddess to have red blood. This also came as an instinct to the girl. She simply knew the gods didn¡¯t bleed the same stuff as mortals. During one of herte evening walks with the prince, she heard something whistling in the wind. It was urgent¡­ so urgent that she could have done anything to put an end to it. It was the day she came to learn what had driven Katie to such great lengths to stop the Rogue King escaped¡­ It was the Day the Wind whispered¡­ About the Rogue King¡¯s Imprisonment¡­ And Just how much Power he Wielded¡­ Chapter 459 - 459 Connecting the Dots 459 Connecting the Dots Honour wasying by the river shore that day, her head resting on the chest of a man that had insisted she gotfortable. The prince had fallen fast asleep with the sound of rushing water and a cool breeze lulling him to sleep. Honour, however, was not that quick to close her eyes. She loved the peaceful tranquillity of the forest and in the presence of the prince, she was almostplete. She hade here so many times. Looking at the tree line, she noticed a rather unique flower growing in the shade. It had beautiful blue petals¡­ petals that were meant to glow in the moonlight. She hadn¡¯t even brought any of the flowers from the reserve with her but they grew all the same. She also knew that she was the cause of their abrupt appearance. Since her powers were starting to get more pronounced, she was starting to see the flowers more frequently. They were beautiful and arrested her attention every time she saw them. Even now, she wanted to move over to the flower and feel the cool delicate petals between her fingers. To fan the flower¡¯s growth and watch it reach full bloom. However, a masculine hand held her back from the flower. What was worse¡­ or better were the sparks that rushed through her body each time they made skin contact. The feeling was impossible to get over. She soon found out though¡­ that the prince didn¡¯t get the same rush. He was only vaguely aware of this connection between the two of them. These thoughts were banished from her mind a momentter by words whispered into her ear. The wind picked up, breaking the calmness of the forest. ..... The leaves in the trees rustled louder, warning the girl of a great cmity. It was impossible for anyone to hear anything over the loud chaotic howl of the wind. The river seemed to flow even faster, the white river thrashing in contest with the wind. On the girl¡¯s face, a look of horror. Her blood ran cold and intense fear gripped her heart. The emotion was so intense that she stayed frozen on the spot. If it wasn¡¯t for the warm embrace of the wolf holding her, she would have screamed in terror. Instead, she hugged the royal and buried her face into his chest. The man was awake immediately wrapping his arms around her and rubbing circles through her back. The wind whipped his face fiercely, screaming into his ear like a banshee. Surprisingly, he also heard the roaring of the Sirius river. The trees surrounding them shook heavily and sent rumbles through the ground, their stems groaning at the wind¡¯s might. As for the direction of the wind, the prince was uncertain. It was as though they were stuck at the centre of a storm with the wind thrashing in random directions. Everything about the scene he¡¯d woken up to was bizarre. So bizarre that he was certain it wasn¡¯t natural. He looked at the girl holding him and asked through the mind link, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She didn¡¯t answer him. The wind was still howling loudly, blowing the trees and threatening to carry the couple away on their nket. After a few minutes of cradling the girl, the chaos died down. Honour wouldn¡¯t let go of him though. In fact, she held onto him for dear life and her hands trembled against him. As someone who hade to know her well, he knew she was holding onto him with everything she had even though her grip was weak. ¡°Hey,¡± he spoke up when the wind had died down. The girl looked up at him and the sight stunned him. Her eyes had shone an incandescent blue before shimmering down to their usual vibrant amber. Tears streamed down her face and her emotions through the mind link were overtaken by overwhelming dread. Now he was worried¡­ Drake was nothing like Honour and didn¡¯t bear the same powers she did. So he¡¯d heard nothing in the wind. He did, however, know of her odd powers and when it so happened that she¡¯d used them. With how frequently he saw them in action, he was actually surprised she had not been discovered yet. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Honour?¡± The girl opened her mouth to say something but the words got caught in her throat. When she tried harder, no sound came out. Out of frustration, she struck her chest, as though trying to force the sybles out of herself. Drake grabbed her hands and stopped her, ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it now, Honour. You¡¯ll hurt yourself¡­¡± The girl¡¯s mind screamed at the prince, cutting his words short. However, the words that came through the mind link, while clearly words, sounded like they were being muffled by a pillow. Nothing went through the mind link. She eventually gave up and leaned into his embrace, sobbing softly, ¡®You don¡¯t get it, Drake. We are in so much danger.¡¯ The thoughts running through her head were equally muddled. Drake settled to rubbing circles in her back and trying his best to calm her down. Before long, Honour fell asleep in his arms,pletely dishevelled and feeling even more useless than she had ever felt in her life. ........ Her problems didn¡¯t seem to run away when she slept either. Immediately her consciousness drifted away, she was in a beautiful blue field of luminous blue lotuses. The girl¡¯s hurting heart rxed at the sight of the flowers. She brought one of the blooms to her nose and sniffed the flower. Its soothing scent worked like a charm in calming her frustration. This field of flowers was familiar. She had seen it somewhere but couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it. When she turned around, she immediately understood where she was. Looming above her was the beautiful blue moon pce, crafted in white and grey stone. The ce she now believed to have been her home at some point in the distant past, ¡°You finally came to me.¡± A voice interrupted her. The girl turned around and finally spotted a beautiful woman kneeling on her knees before her. The woman¡¯s body was wless and a white gown covered her delicate features, entuating her beauty. She was everything a werewolf male wanted in a mate¡­ and everything that a female aspired to be. She was¡­ perfect, but why did it hurt to look at her? Why did she feel so much distress when she stared at this woman? ¡°Where am I?¡± The woman¡¯s face paled at the question. She was visibly hurt by the question. Panicking, the girl changed the phrasing of her question, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I meant to ask, why am I here?¡± ¡°So you know where you are?¡± ¡°Yes, I am at the moon pce. I know I don¡¯t remember anything, but a ce like this¡­¡± the girl paused and in a fond tone, added, ¡°It doesn¡¯t leave your memory that easily.¡± The woman smiled at her warmly, ¡°I¡¯m d you remember. As to why you are here¡­ I was hoping to talk to you.¡± ¡°The moon goddess wants to talk to me¡­?¡± Honour reiterated, just to be sure. Celeste cringed at the title Honour had called her by but proceeded without another word, ¡°Yes, I wanted to talk to you. It¡¯s about what you were trying to do earlier.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ what does that have to do with anything?¡± she got curious. ¡°Well, you almost revealed what the wind had told you,¡± the woman told her bluntly. Honour remained looking at her with wide eyes, waiting for the moment when that was supposed to make sense. When the moon goddess wouldn¡¯t continue, she asked, ¡°Was I supposed to keep quiet after hearing something that could cause so many of my loved ones to get hurt¡­ or worse, killed?¡± she asked. ¡°Hmm, how should I put this? You used your divine powers to discover that. The gods might be powerful but they are limited in how much they can interfere with the mortal world,¡± the moon goddess answered, shedding light on the situation¡­ If only a small amount of light. Honour was still trying to understand what she was saying. Celeste waited for the girl to catch up. Slowly, everything started to fall into ce. Honour had tried many times to use her powers but it hadn¡¯t worked for her. She thought she simply didn¡¯t know how to control her powers but something was wrong with this. Something was very wrong. And what Celeste was saying at this moment seemed to connect all the missing pieces. She thought back to the time in the reserve. She had used her powers to help protect the wolves of the Sirius pack but none of the vines she had wielded back then had made contact with the rogues while she controlled them. She hadn¡¯t thought about it then, but she was simply trying to protect the wolves from harm, so she had sprouted nts on instinct. However, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. The rogues that had been ensnared in the vines werepletely safe from harm as well. If she had wished that they would be wrung to death by the ensnaring vines¡­ would the ntlife have heeded her instructions? She thought back to the time she had tried to heal Crysta. Her powers hadpletely frozen up that time as well. And now that she thought about it more, she brought her hands to the same level as her face. The divine energy that flowed through her body¡­ It didn¡¯t empower her one bit. It never did help her in any way. She didn¡¯t get stronger when she wanted to. She couldn¡¯t help anyone at all when it counted¡­ not unless. Not unless she was helping to heal the injured using human means. It was only then that her powers helped her. She could tell every injury on someone¡¯s body and the extent of the injuries and know how to proceed with her first aid. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ use my powers directly,¡± the girl¡¯s voice broke. Celeste nodded solemnly, ¡°You¡¯re a goddess. The rules work on you as well. We cannot intervene with the humans directly. We can only help them indirectly,¡± the moon goddess confirmed her suspicions. But then¡­ a special memory resurfaced, ¡°What about Drake? I healed him once before. What¡¯s different about him?¡± Celeste stared at her nkly, ¡°I think we both know the answer to that. He¡¯s not like the rest¡­ and deep inside you, you know that too.¡± As she said this, the image of the beautiful garden began to fade away. She didn¡¯t want to go¡­ but at the same time, she didn¡¯t have any more questions that came to mind. No clear questions formed in her mind and yet she felt there was a lot she didn¡¯t know. Chapter 460 - 460 Harrowing Future 460 Harrowing Future Honour stared at the man lying in the hospital bed, her mind wandering through the memories they shared. It was impossible to think the royals were right about his changing behaviour. It almost made her question who was telling the truth. Perhaps the prince was pretending when he was with her. If that was the case, then he would have to be really good a fooling the mind link and that seemed highly unlikely. The second option would be that the prince was hiding something from the royals as well. That would make him act strange but then, it would be the same with Honour. As much as the goddess knew, he had no secret worth keeping from the royal family except for the fact that she had powers. They had spent a lot of time together and Honour hadn¡¯t noticed anything wrong with him. It hadpletely slipped under her radar and she hated herself for it. The queen cleared the air on his erratic behaviour, but now Honour was eager to know his exnation. She wanted to hear his side of the story¡­ beginning with what possessed him to go into the Trials alone and nearly get himself killed by rogues. Not to mention, the prince had brought one of the rogues with him. ¡®Why does everything have to be soplicated?¡¯ the girl wondered. After a short conversation with the royals, they had left to go and check on Lina while the girls had stayed behind with Honour for a little longer. The goddess barely noticed her changing surroundings. It all seemed too distant to her... like her mind was upied with far too much for her to focus on anything else. ¡°Honour, aren¡¯t you going to see Lina?¡± Madeline asked her. ..... Honour continued staring at the man in the hospital bed, wondering how and when she had gotten so close to the royals in her life. Aside from her family, the two injured royals were the most precious thing to her and she couldn¡¯t choose between the two of them¡­ She wouldn¡¯t. When Honour was just about to leave the room, the door swung open to reveal a girl dressed in a white tracksuit that was a few sizes toorge for her¡­ no doubt an order from the king. The girl¡¯s face was much clearer andposed from the mess they¡¯d seen earlier and she carried herself better. Honour also took the time to stare in amazement at her striking resemnce with her sister. Lina walked into the room holding a bouquet of flowers. Her hair had been tied into a high ponytail, highlighting her wless features. She looked even more like Katie when she tied her hair up¡­ The only thing she was missing was Katie¡¯s menacing aura when she tied her hair the same way. It was a signature act that had garnered a reputation over the years, ¡°How is he doing?¡± Lina¡¯s voice broke through the silence. Contrary to what they had heard about the girl¡¯s condition, Lina looked to be at the top of her game. ¡°How long have we been here?¡± Honour couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°YOU¡­ have been here for about seven hours,¡± Crysta notified her. Honour¡¯s eyes widened in horror. ¡®When did I lose track of that much time?¡¯ the girl thought to herself. ¡°And in that time, I pulled myself together¡­ unlike you who¡¯s here mopping all over yourself,¡± the princess huffed. Her smug expression dropped almost immediately, a sad smile recing it. When she spoke again, she wasn¡¯t so confident anymore, ¡°Don¡¯t keep me in the dark, Honour. How is my brother doing?¡± Honour turned to the sleeping royal and approached him, ¡°I guess he¡¯s the same as he was earlier. The same¡­ not changing.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand why he would risk his life to save a traitor,¡± Madeline yelled through gritted teeth. While her mini-tantrum was cute, Honour¡¯s curiosity was piqued and not in a friendly way. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± she asked her. ¡°The man he brought here. It was Victor,¡± the girl replied. Honour gasped¡­ ¡®So it wasn¡¯t a mini-tantrum,¡¯ the goddess corrected her thinking. She knew how much history the girl had with the treacherous wolf, but then again¡­ It was just like Drake to be kind towards someone like that. ¡°I don¡¯t think he would have let him die out there. Maybe he brought him here to answer to his crimes,¡± Honour replied, trying to make sense of the man¡¯s actions, ¡°The royals are all simr in that way¡­ Just look at Kyle. He¡¯s walking around like a free man¡­¡± ¡°Kyle? What about Kyle?¡± Madeline asked in a rush. Honour drew a sharp breath, ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ Turning around slowly, she spoke softly, ¡°You might want to sit down for this one¡­ Or¡­ Or, we could visit Victor first.¡± ¡°No¡­ Honour. No, all of you will tell me what you meant by that phrase. What¡¯s wrong with alpha Kyle?¡± the girl was now yelling at the top of her voice. Lina chuckled and regarded the girl momentarily, ¡°Take a seat then.¡± Before starting the tale of Kyle, the girl walked up to her brother until she was standing at the side with his head. ¡°You¡¯re a doofus, you know that, Drake,¡± the girl whispered to him. She then ced the flowers by his side and brought her lips to his forehead, cing a kiss on his temple. The prince remained still¡­ his chest rose and fell at a calm rhythmic pace¡­ ..................¡­. When Madeline was seated, they started the story they knew of the man she hade to know as Kyle. However, for her own sake, they tried to make it sound lighter than it actually was. There wasn¡¯t much they knew about Kyle, and the most they knew about him was how he¡¯d betrayed Katie, his childhood friend but then fate had brought the two back together in rather questionable circumstances. Madeline was quiet for a bit after they had told her the story of the wolf. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. The jolly man she had met in the Royal suite only moments ago didn¡¯t seem like a criminal that was capable of what they were saying. ¡°Now I know why you were being protective of me,¡± the girl replied. Honour turned pale, ¡°No no no, Mady. That¡¯s because he was being way toofortable around you. He¡¯s harmless now and incapable of doing anything bad.¡± ¡°How do you know that? It¡¯s not like you heard Katiemanding him to be a pacifist,¡± the girl replied shyly. ¡°I knew this was a bad idea. I should have warned you,¡± Bree sighed, leaning away from them. ¡°You are not helping, Bree,¡± Linained. ¡°If you want me to be of help, I¡¯ll suggest officially introducing the two of them. It¡¯s not like it could hurt to prove he¡¯s harmless to Mady,¡± the girl said in a bored tone. The other girls stared at her like she was crazy, ¡°You¡¯re forgetting the part where he looks straight through her disguise.¡± It was Lina¡¯s turn to be surprised, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?!?¡± The girls had to exin their encounter with the beta alpha and the story of how he had seen straight through the girl¡¯s disguise. Lina was stunned by the story. After spinning off topic this much, the girls arrived at a question that Lina had hoped to avoid a little bit longer. ¡°Lina¡­ what happened to Wyatt?¡± they asked her. Considering the injury he had was simr to the one the prince had on his shoulder, they thought it could be connected. As it so happened, the girl was the only one present at one of the scenes that they could talk to. Lina¡¯s smile faded and was reced by a gloomy expression. The girl sank into her seat and sighed, ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t say much about the one that attacked him. What he did say though¡­ was that his attacker was frightening. I¡¯m not sure how many things can scare Wyatt, but I can make a few guesses¡­¡± Honour looked at her friend and made a move to speak, however, her body didn¡¯t respond in the way she wanted it to. Her words got caught in her throat and her heart beat faster, trying to force the words out of her system. She wanted to tell her friends so much but seemedpletely helpless. Sighing, she remained quiet and listened to what Bree had to say. No one seemed to have noticed Honour¡¯s internal struggle, ¡°What if it was the Rogue King that attacked him?¡± Bree asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think Wyatt would have made it out alive if that was the case. I would only being here to announce the news of his death. He said he crushed the wolf against a tree and ran without looking back. Also that he heard a struggle as he ran but he was too focused on getting away,¡± Lina said. ¡°Come on¡­ Wyatt has seen rogues before. What would frighten him about one that he hasn¡¯t even seen with his own eyes?¡± Bree tried. Even with how well she tried to mask her fear, it leaked through her voice. The room went deathly quiet as the four girls thought. Lina¡¯s mind was¡­ surprisingly calm. She had sorted out all of this beforeing here to talk to her friends. Three people had been injured and all of them were significant to her. Well, at least to the royals in some way. Drake had rescued the traitor Victor and both of them had been injured badly. Victor, however, was in a worse conditionpared to the prince. ¡°Honour, you could stay here longer if you want. I know Drake would want nothing more than to have you by his side,¡± Lina spoke up suddenly. Honour turned red, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°That we are not fools,¡± Crysta intervened, wiggling her brows at the goddess. ¡°You will stop that right now, Crysta. Drake and I¡­ are¡­¡± ¡°Ugh, you don¡¯t have to make excuses. What if the man is listening when you say something you¡¯d regret? We are not judging you for it, you know¡­¡± Crysta stopped her. She paused for a moment, ¡°But if you¡¯re going to continue on this path, you should at least tell him what he¡¯s going supposed to expect.¡± Crysta¡¯s words struck true. Honour turned to the man sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed. She had so many questions and had so much to tell him as well. She was also not sure just how much she was able to tell him. She wanted to know what was going on in his head. She wanted to reveal to him what was going through hers... What she had been going through for the past two years and why being with her¡­ was probably the worst mistake either of them could ever make. ..................¡­.. Chapter 461 - 461 Moon and Wolf 461 Moon and Wolf With Lina feeling better and having visited her brother in his emergency room, Honour felt no need to leave her ce beside the prince. In fact, now that she was here, she felt even more glued to the chair beside the prince¡¯s bed. Honour was left in the hospital seated beside the prince, just as she had been found. The goddess didn¡¯t notice when her friends turned back to ask her whether she wanted to get food. The unconscious prince arrested her attention once again. Lina told the others to let her be and ordered that a serving of food be brought for her in the room. The doctors would onlye in to change the prince¡¯s bandages and check on his condition. Issuing more medication every now and then to make sure his vitals remained stable and his body was in the best shape to heal. While all this happened, this girl remained nk and expressionless. Her mind wandered about the different possibilities of what could have happened to the prince. Without meaning to, shepletely zoned out and dove into the depths of her imagination¡­ or at least, that¡¯s what she had felt it was¡­ ....... White was the first colour to register¡­ the second thing she noticed though, was a feeling. The feeling of bone-chilling cold. There was snow everywhere. A white canvas of snow covered the ground in all directions. ..... Harsh torrents of wind whipped her white fur and threatened to carry her away. The girl looked down at her wolf¡¯s body and was shocked by what she saw. She hadrge white paws that were aching from the chilling snow. She wanted to find shelter soon. Her thick coat of fur was barely effective against the harsh blizzard. The wolf¡¯s usually sharp vision was now only limited to a couple of short metres in all directions. She didn¡¯t know where she was and didn¡¯t know where to go. She soon noticed something else. Even though she wanted to stand still and tell what direction she was walking in, it didn¡¯t work. Her body continued plodding forward against the thunderous blizzard. Something waspletely wrong with this. She tried to force her body to stop moving but it didn¡¯t listen. When she gave up, however, the wolf didn¡¯t jerk forward from the suddenck of resistance. The white wolf continued forging forward against the battering wind. The cold assailed her whole body, threatening to freeze her paws off. She was sure a human(and forck of the experience of having a powerful werewolf body, she assumed a werewolf as well) would instantly freeze to death in this type of cold but the wolf continued advancing. Soon enough, she found this wolf oddly familiar. Slowly, she craned her neck back to look at the wolf¡¯s back. Just like she had thought, there was a path of ck fur on therge wolf¡¯s back. This was Drake¡¯s wolf¡­ the wolf continued to move through the blizzard without an ounce of hesitation. The girl tried to whisper into the wolf¡¯s ear but nothing would work. She felt like she was one with the wolf andpletely separate from it at the same time. In fact, she could feel every single injury that assailed the wolf¡¯s body and yet she was not a part of it at all. Honour¡¯s heart went into overdrive. A deep hunger was eating away at the prince¡¯s wolf¡­ the wolf was in pain and had no hope of reaching the end of the blizzard. He couldn¡¯t sleep and didn¡¯t have any shelter to wait out the blizzard. All he could do was keep walking. If he stopped doing that, he would certainly freeze to death. ¡®What was the difference really?¡¯ Another thing the girl noticed was that the wolf was slowly oozing the blue mist that she had gotten used to manipting. ¡®That¡¯s not right,¡¯ she thought to herself, bringing herself closer to the wolf¡¯s paws where the blue mist seemed to being from. Each time the wolf¡¯s paw came out of the foot-deep snow carpet, the blue mist wrapped around it and weaved his muscles and frozen tendons back together, trying to preserve his paw right before it was plunged straight back into the snow. Miraculously, the wolf was making progress through the blizzard at a steady pace regardless of the rising altitude that should have worked at making him tired. The prince never once faltered and forged through the snow, drawing his energy purely from his will. Something was wrong. However, the girl couldn¡¯t put her finger on it. She knew the prince was not capable of using divine energy at all. This was something that was reserved for those members of the royal family that were blessed with a gift¡­ and Drake wasn¡¯t one of them. He was the most ordinary royal of his generation¡­ and yet here he was, controlling divine energy with more mastery than any of the other royals in his generation. Lina had a gift of enhanced speed that defied all reason while Katie and Cole had gifts as the Goddess¡¯s Chosen, however, Drake was normal. As far as normal could go with a royal. But was he normal? The goddess tried to think of a reason for this urrence but nothing came to mind at first. Well, there was the matter of him being her mate¡­ but the prince had not yet learned of her true nature. Without having that knowledge, the connection was iplete. Could it be that he was acting erratic because he¡¯d found out something about himself? The thoughts went through the girl¡¯s mind¡­ prying through the void for answers that didn¡¯t exist. This train of thought ended, however, when the wolf faltered in its progress. Something was wrong with the wolf¡­ and not the kind that suggested Drake was an enigma. The battle between the wolf and the blizzard had been a draw for a while, but now¡­ one of them seemed to be winning. ¡­and it was the blizzard. Drake¡¯s wolf lifted another paw to proceed but froze in the motion. Honour could feel the prince¡¯s emotions and all his physical pain. The pain that assaulted his paws had now crept up his legs and the rate at which the divine energy could heal him was dropping. The cold was getting to him. ¡°Drake, get out of there,¡± the girl couldn¡¯t help but scream. The wolf, this time, looked up into the sky. Its gaze was undoubtedly staring up at the white canvas¡­ its eyes seemed to pierce straight through. Honour was not sure where the certainty came from but the wolf was staring right at the moon. Even when it was concealed from sight by the heavy clouds in the sky. The blizzard picked up even more, threatening to bury the wolf in the snow. The snow was now covering all his legs. The white wolf was half buried in the freezing cold sea of white, ¡°Get out of there, Drake,¡± she yelled yet again. The white wolf¡¯s ears perked up as though understanding what she had just said and he forced his body forward. The wolf gritted its teeth as it pushed forward, pushing through the snow with all its strength and might. This same action brought about a different change in the wolf¡¯s body. More divine energy spilt out of him. The brilliant sapphire eyes of the wolf glowed brightly, leaking even more of the blue mist. Was the wolf¡­ growingrger? Before the girl knew it, a colossal wolf had taken over the ce of an alreadyrge royal wolf. This transformation was simr to one that the girl had read of once before, however, this was different. Therge wolf didn¡¯t go on a rampage(or feral) as it was written in the books. This royal was in total control of himself. The transformation merely made it much bigger and impervious to the treacherous blizzard. The prince continued rushing through the snow with renewed energy. Honour was not sure whether she was meant to be impressed or frightened by the wolf¡¯s sudden transformation. Drake was going to be just fine if he kept this transformation up but something rubbed her the wrong way. The prince was not supposed to be capable of such a feat. It didn¡¯t make sense. The wolf, however, didn¡¯t seem to notice anything wrong with its body. It kept rushing forward, increasing its speed slowly by slowly. Soon enough, therge wolf was racing across the snow, bounding up the mountain at an incredible speed¡­ ¡°That¡¯s it, Drake. You can make it,¡± she urged the wolf. The wolf grunted pushing forward even faster. Its paws were already starting to heal up and the effects of the cold snow were already forgotten. .........¡­. ¡°Honour¡­¡± a male voice roughly yanked the girl¡¯s consciousness out of the dream. Her eyes fluttered open and were met with the blue eyes of a dashing royal. Drake had woken up. ¡°Drake¡­¡± the girl replied, oblivious to the streams of tears that were flowing from her eyes. ¡®Drake is awake,¡¯ her mind screamed once more, trying to get a grip on reality. For ack of any other means to prove this was not a dream, Honour hugged the prince tightly, careful not to touch any of his injuries as she did, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I made you worry,¡± Drake tried. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again,¡± the girl replied, trying and failing to hide her sniffles. ¡°Honour¡­ are you a¡­ how should I put this¡­ You¡¯ll probably think I¡¯m crazy for even suggesting it. There are already so many wolves that have been granted gifts by the goddess before. I would never even think to mention something like this, but I just have to¡­ you know¡­¡± ¡°Go ahead, Drake,¡± the girl snapped him out of it and withdrew from the hug. Staring her in the eye, the prince froze for a moment, taking in the features of the girl before him. Before waking up from his sleep, he hadn¡¯t known if he would see her again. He¡¯d been far too weak and had lost so much blood, but here she was. Now that he could talk to her again after nearly dying through the Trials. He couldn¡¯t keep this question harboured, he just had to ask lest he loses any other chance he could ever get. They were alone too and that was the perfect opportunity for him to ask. ¡°Are you a goddess?¡± Chapter 462 - 462 Drake’s Burden 462 Drake¡¯s Burden Honour stared at the prince in shock. Between the nightmare, she¡¯d just witnessed and the question the man was asking, she couldn¡¯t form the right words. For a while, she¡¯d wrestled with finding ways to tell him about herself but something kept her from doing so. For a time, she thought she could get the prince to help her out. Since the goddess couldn¡¯t help her friends directly, then perhaps telling the prince would do the trick. Drake was the one person her powers could work on without the divine restrictions getting in her way. Was Drake mad? How long had he known? Was he mad at her? Panic set in. The prince, however, didn¡¯t look mad. Drake didn¡¯t look angry. If anything, he looked¡­ lost, curious and desperately searching for answers. Still, shaking the slight feeling of fear was harder than the girl thought it would be¡­ More than a year¡­ That¡¯s how long she had been spending time with the prince. She¡¯d even be ustomed to using her powers around him without thinking twice about it. ..... She could heal him, make flowers bloom and create small breezes that set a calm and peaceful mood. On some asions, she¡¯d parted the gloomy clouds on a cloudy day so that they could watch the sunset together. And all that time, the prince had never once asked her why she could do all those things. Instead, when she did it, he would look around for onlookers, trying to make sure she hadn¡¯t used her powers in public. When he was sure they were safe, he would then try to advise her on how she was being reckless. However, that was only half the time. Other times, he lived with her in the moment. It¡¯s not every day he got to see someone part the clouds just for something as trivial as watching the sunset. Lina learnt about itter on. And while Honour had been worried that her best friend would bother her with more questions of what was going on between her and the prince, none of that happened. Lina had remained quiet. The rtionship growing between Honour and Drake wasn¡¯t a secret. While there were no clearbels on what it was, everyone steered clear of the two wolves. Even the female delta that used to talk to Drake rather often halted in their endeavours. Honour only partially knew why they weren¡¯t bothered. While she was not sure if her powers worked on Lina, she was sure the other wolves let them be¡­ simply because she wished it. Her powers as the goddess of the moonmanded this much from all wolves that happened to be in her presence. The prince waved a hand in front of the girl, snapping her out of her trance. ¡°Oh, sorry¡­ You asked¡­¡± the girl sighed, ¡°If I was¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me, just so you know. It changes nothing, honestly,¡± the prince cut her off, as though reading her mind. Another part of him that she found impossible to ignore. The prince was capable of reading her like a book. It was irritating sometimes but veryforting at the same time¡­ and she wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ Yes, I am,¡± Honour confirmed, setting her jaw with determination. There was no turning back now¡­ and lying would only cause more problems and tear a rift between the two of them. Something Honour did not want at all. ¡°So¡­ those dreams that don¡¯t let you get a good night¡¯s sleep?¡± the prince raised a brow. ¡°They are¡­ memories,¡± the girl exined with a tight-lipped smile, ¡°Memories of a past life¡­ The life I had when I was the goddess of the moon.¡± The prince stared at her for a moment and drew in a deep breath, ¡°Was? Goddess of the moon?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Honour could sense a myriad of questions swarming within the prince¡¯s mind. His eyes sparkled with curiosity, ¡°This is a lot to take in. I don¡¯t even know where to begin.¡± Honour was curious now though, ¡°You could start by taking a deep breath. And while you¡¯re at it, would you mind telling me how you came to that conclusion?¡± The prince stared at a spot at the far side of the wall for a moment before speaking up, ¡°Two years ago¡­ on myst trip to find my mate. I purposefully visited the Golden Moon pack to find someone. I was looking for¡­ the Seeker-¡± Honour¡¯s eyes lit up at the mention of the Seeker. ¡°-I was tired of the fruitless search. It¡¯s not normal for a royal to go through so many packs without finding their mate. I was the crown prince and I hadn¡¯t found her yet. I was getting desperate. Then I recalled an old rumour about this¡­ werewolf that¡¯s fabled to have the power to find another wolf¡¯s mate for them. I was looking for a shortcut,¡± the prince sighed, rubbing his temples. Honour¡¯s breath hitched and her face turned a light shade of red, ¡°W-What did the Seeker tell you?¡± Noticing the rise in the pitch of her voice, the prince turned to the girl beside him and nearly burst outughing. ¡°Hey, don¡¯tugh at me. You¡¯re telling me you know who your mate is and here I was hanging around you. She must think so ill of me,¡± the girl cursed. The prince soon stoppedughing and looked back at the girl, ¡°You have nothing to worry about. The Seeker didn¡¯t tell me who my mate was-is¡­ whatever...¡± This shocked Honour, who turned to Drake. The man had been searching for his mate for a long time before his visit to the Golden Moon pack. Failing to get a name after that encounter with the one being guaranteed to help you find them must have been heartbreaking. Something was missing in his exnation, however¡­ ¡°She told me that I was two years too early to find my mate. She also told me that my mate was in the capital and that she was someone¡­ very special,¡± the prince¡¯s voice took on a loving tone. ¡°I might be a goddess but there are still other werewolves in the capital that could fit that description,¡± the girl countered, ¡°Quite a number to be honest.¡± ¡°I know that¡­ but I¡¯ve had almost two years to figure that out. Besides, the category of ¡®special¡¯ that fits the Seeker¡¯s description really narrowed down the number of wolves I should have been looking through. The first sign was that time that you made a flower bloom. With time, I realised there were more peculiar things happening around you that many hadn¡¯t noticed¡­ and for good reason too. No wolf would defy you even though you weren¡¯tmanding them. You could speak to royals without lowering your gaze and staring into my eyes was never hard for you. You talk to me without flinching. You scold me when I¡¯m cking and you push me to finish my duties. It¡¯s rare, you know¡­ To find someone among the werewolves that would treat you normally regardless of your status. I quickly grew fond of you, but then¡­ I knew my feelings weren¡¯t so shallow. There was something else my wolf was reacting to. Proving it was easy¡­ but then came the other things that I started to notice. You could use your powers with me without any trouble. You healed my injuries before but I¡¯ve never seen you heal anyone else. Not to mention, your powers are much more suppressed when you¡¯re in the presence of others. You can only do something¡­ indirect and imperceptible. It was bing clear that I was some sort of exception. I got more and more curious as time went on. Your powers when we were alone didn¡¯t seem to have limits. Then there were those times when you would freeze up in the presence of a breeze that I¡¯m sure you hadn¡¯t caused. I walked into the library one day¡­ It was like fate when I found what I was looking for. Everything made sense then¡­¡± ¡°How¡­ How did you realise so much? I can¡¯t see it, Drake. I gave you no reason to think about¡­¡± the girl froze when Lina¡¯s words echoed in her mind. Drake had been getting distant from his family. He wasn¡¯t the same person they¡¯d known two years ago. Drake was changing but she knew for a fact that he was the same person when he was with her. Could it be that he was growing distant because of her or was it simply because he had started ying detective and what he found out made him more distant? ¡°I got eager to find out¡­ because of something else,¡± Drake mentioned almost passively, ¡°I know you told me not to reveal your powers to anyone and I wouldn¡¯t have but the part I didn¡¯t understand is why I didn¡¯t even think of exposing you one bit. It was almost like I was banned from thinking of it. I had to scribble it down on a piece of paper once for me to remember that this was a possibility. And the day I tried to speak to Father about it, my voice betrayed me. I hadn¡¯t intended to mention your name or who it was I was referring to. I was trying to bepletely hypothetical and yet nothing came through. It soon became clear to me¡­ that everything mystical that I knew about you would never be revealeding from me. It was scary¡­ I felt trapped¡­ But then¡­ one day, I woke up to a howling wind¡­ and a crying girl holding onto me for dear life. And when you tried to speak to me, nothing came out.¡± Honour¡¯s eyes widened in horror. Drake knew more than he¡¯d let on¡­ It both astonished and shocked her. But she hadn¡¯t known he was being affected by her abilities. How long had he kept this to himself? And if that was the case, why hadn¡¯t he told her about it? How much did he know? What were they even talking about¡­ ¡®Oh right, we were talking about his mate¡­ Wait¡­ huh!¡¯ ¡°How does any of that prove that I am your mate?¡± the girl asked shakily. Drake looked at her with a sad smile, ¡°That¡¯s quite simple. We¡¯re bound in ways deeper than mates could ever be. And unlike mates, rejection is not an option. It would technically spell my death, but don¡¯t focus on that,¡± the man chuckled nervously. ¡®Oh, dear!¡¯ The damage had already been done though. Honour¡¯s thoughts roared with a raging ferocity, ¡°Am I the reason you¡¯re growing distant from your family? Have I been causing you¡­¡± ¡°Hey, stop right there. You¡¯ve made me happier than any royal could ever hope to be. Did you miss the part where I said I was growing fond of you and that it¡¯s rare to find someone that can speak to me and not flinch at the fact that I¡¯m a royal?¡± the man tried. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten that, Drake. How could I? It makes me happy to hear that¡­ but I also heard Lina say you¡¯ve not been the same,¡± the girl spiralled. It was like trying to tame a storm. Drake¡¯s expression fell¡­ ¡°That is because of something else I discovered about our rtionship. It¡¯s got nothing to do with you¡­ and everything to do with what keeps us from saying anything to our loved ones.¡± Honour stared at Drake, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest. He¡¯d already said more than she wanted to hear about her celestial self¡­ and the look of sadness that spread across his face only made it harder for her to take in what he was to say next. Drawing in a sharp breath, the prince looked into her amber orbs and proceeded with his story. Chapter 463 - 463 Swayed by Another 463 Swayed by Another ¡°The thing that¡¯s keeping us from saying anything to our loved ones sounds very familiar to the divine rules that bind the gods from helping humanity directly¡­¡± it all made sense to Honour and the prince could see it. So much so that Drake stopped his words halfway, ¡°But you already know that, don¡¯t you?¡± The girl looked down from his staring eyes, ¡°Yeah, I know. But I thought it only applied to me¡­¡± The girl paused as another thought rushed by her. If the prince was the only one that she could heal and was indeed bound by the same restrictions that bound the gods¡­ then, ¡°How long?¡± The prince strained his memory, but eventually, his shoulders slumped, ¡°I don¡¯t know honestly. I just noticed one day¡­ when nothing was the same anymore. It had been for a while. I was finding it harder to get tired unless I was in the presence of other werewolves and trying to assist them with something. Almost like my strength wouldn¡¯t decide its limit. In the presence of others, I felt limits close in on me. When I was alone or with you, it was different. With you by my side, I felt like I could take on the world and win. I couldn¡¯t tell where this limit of strength was. I just kept getting stronger with each passing day,¡± the man reported his observations. The girl thought back to the time she¡¯d tried telling the prince about the whispers in the wind. She¡¯d tried to tell him then that they were in danger and she¡¯d intended to tell everyone else, but every time she did, her voice failed her and so did the mind link. Giving up felt like thest thing she could do but taking action waspletely out of her reach as well. As a result, she was stuck in the middle¡­ thrashing in agony and frustration for a way¡­ a solution¡­ ..... Unable to do anything to help her friends while at the same time trying to find a way to help them. It was an excruciating existence. In the end, she advised her friends to be more careful in their day-t0-day activities. While this was almost ineffective in helping her protect her friends, it was better than doing nothing. ¡°Can you tell me you heard that day in the wind?¡± the prince asked her. Honour turned her eyes to the prince. What could he do about their situation? Telling him now would do nothing to help them. He was bound by thews of the gods as well. Bound to them through her¡­ ¡°You don¡¯t have to carry that burden anymore. I can help you,¡± Drake tried. The girl sighed, ¡°I know that tone. Seems to run in your family.¡± Just like Lina and Katie, the Sirius royals were the same. Time and time again, the goddess had watched them get determined to aplish feats too heavy to carry on their own. ¡°Then you know you have no way out. It might sound foolish but our determination is what propels us to even greater heights. Just watch Little Sister. This year¡¯s Royal games are going to be really interesting,¡± the prince smirked. Smiling at his enthusiasm, the girl let her mood drop once more and delved into the memories. A devious wolf negotiating with aw-bound goddess¡­ A grey-eyed woman as their captive. And thundering ntlife that threatened to swallow up the trio of mortals. The message she¡¯d heard in the wind was much clearer than she¡¯d interpreted it that day. And she knew what it meant¡­ and she told it the way she knew it now, carefully borating on the dangers they currently faced. Prince Drake diligently listened to her tale. The girl would pause when the nurses came to check on his wounds. Thankfully, it seemed as though the bleeding had slowed down. While there was no clear sign of healing, the prince didn¡¯t look like he was at death¡¯s door anymore and some colour had returned to his face. He also didn¡¯t wince anymore when he tried to readjust his position in the bed. The tale of the rogue king regaining his powers was a frightening one¡­ The prince was quiet for a moment when the girl was finally done and quiet. Finally telling someone what she knew of the rogue king¡¯s condition made the weight on her shoulders much lighter. ¡°But that was a long time ago, how could anyone survive that long without food?¡± The girl sighed, ¡°It¡¯s that field of flowers. The Origin is rich with moon lotuses. That power can keep him alive for a long time¡­ Unfortunately, it could also make him stronger.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re telling me that his body would have been operating on the power of the gods for two years?¡± ¡°When you put it like that, you make it sound like we have to fight a god instead of a man,¡± the girl chuckled nervously. While his wording was far-fetched, it was urate and a clearer way of showing how much danger they were in. ¡°Well, obviously¡­ It exins how he was able to body jump like that¡­¡± ¡°Body-jump! Body jump like what?¡± Drake only realised then that he hadn¡¯t yet told the tale of how he got himself maimed, ¡°Oh, you might want to lie down for this one.¡± The prince made room on the hospital bed for the goddess to get cosy. ¡®I should be worried¡­ right?¡¯ the now-giddy goddess tried grounding her emotions, but it was toote. She was in the presence of her mate¡­ and he¡¯d just invited her to sleep next to him. The end of the world seemed more like a bedtime story now¡­ ........... When the girls left Honour tending to the prince, they walked in silence with Bree guiding them to the rooms they had chosen. However, when one of them began falling back, Lina turned her attention to the girl. ¡°We can see Kyle tomorrow, you know or now if you¡¯d like¡­¡± Lina paused when the girl didn¡¯t react to her joke, ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Madeline stopped walking and rubbed the goosebumps that had started forming on her upper arms, ¡°Is it just me or is it getting colder?¡± ¡°It¡¯s usually this temperature, but if you¡¯d like, I could have it changed for your¡­¡± Once again, Lina paused. That¡¯s not what was keeping the girl quiet. Madeline¡¯s face never once hid an emotion, not even after changing it drastically with the power of skilled make-up artists. Mady was still Mady. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it,¡± Crysta spoke up and oddly enough, the delta¡¯s voice was soothing. If it hadn¡¯t been for Madeline¡¯s worrisome mood, Lina would have pointed out how out of character it was for Crysta to beforting. She had her moments, but every time, they felt ridiculously out of ce. ¡°I want to¡­ Can we¡­ I was thinking¡­¡± ¡°Ugh,e on, girl. You¡¯re killing me,¡± Bree burst out, ¡°Get on with it already.¡± ¡°I want to visit¡­ Victor,¡± Madeline¡¯s eyes stayed pinned to the floor. She then sighed, ¡°Forget it. We can do that tomorrow.¡± Bree, who had been leading them, turned and started walking in the opposite direction. When footsteps wouldn¡¯t follow her, ¡°Come on. I know where he¡¯s being treated¡­ or held.¡± The girl would have stayed transfixed to the spot if Lina hadn¡¯t wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to follow them. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Bree replied, hiding the smile that crept onto her face. .........¡­. Laying down on a hospital bed simr to the one the prince had been in, the man Madeline had named earliery asleep. A multitude of machines had been connected to him to sustain his life. Unlike the prince who only needed some stitches and to have his wounds continuously monitored for progress, this man was in a far worse condition. As it had turned out, he had several cracked ribs and there was a horrifying wound through his side. The doctors described the injury as one he¡¯d received while he was in his wolf form. And the transformation into his human form had only worsened his injuries. He¡¯d lost a lot of blood and his healing capabilities were not responding the way they were supposed to. The ck oozing from his body was less than what the prince had in his injuries. It turned out that the ck substance that was covering him when the prince brought him hade from the prince¡¯s own injuries. That was not all though. The nurse assigned to them exined the extent of his injuries in unnecessarily gory detail. Her tone was indifferent and she didn¡¯t even show any pity towards the ¡®traitor¡¯. It was understandable¡­ if the nurse knew his crimes. The girls didn¡¯tment on her tone and when they¡¯d gotten what they needed to learn from her, she was dismissed. Silence filled the room, the beeping sound of the machine signifying his weakly beating her. Madeline found herself taking a step towards the man, slowly¡­ one by one, until she was right above him. Memories of the times they had back in the Golden Moon pack shed through her mind. He was assigned to guard her and work at helping her improve in her ambitions¡­ since it was that exact same thing that had gotten him stripped of his title. Alpha Haelstrom thought it to be the best way he could prove to the prince of Sirius that he had learned the error of his ways. At first, the man had been bitter towards the decision but enduring his rotten attitude was a challenge she was willing to take if she was to get better at her craft. Madeline wouldn¡¯t let anything, not even the bitter attitude of the demoted delta, get in the way of her ambitions. Serving customers was a craft that needed one to be able to keep a smile despite the attitude of those customers. If she could work regardless of his presence, then she was sure she could improve faster than she ever had. Victor wasn¡¯t a fool. The man soon caught up with this n and was irritated by it. Her resilience though¡­ that¡¯s what got to him. That¡¯s what made him cave. She wouldn¡¯t stop no matter what he said. No matter how much he discouraged her, she was determined to see her goals through. It didn¡¯t matter if she wasughed at. It didn¡¯t matter if she messed up. It didn¡¯t matter if anyone made fun of her. She was clumsy and way too much of a klutz, but¡­ She pushed on¡­ And her food¡­ It was delicious. Victor¡¯s hoarse breath hitched¡­ his chest rose higher than it had been the past few minutes and his fingers¡­ twitched. The former delta was fighting to regain his consciousness¡­ and the heart monitor began to beep faster and louder. ......¡­ Chapter 464 - 464 Lina’s Trust 464 Lina¡¯s Trust The nurses came in quickly and began to monitor his vitals, ¡°Hey, sir, rx. You¡¯re safe here,¡± one of them went in a surprisingly soothing voice. It was the same nurse from before¡­ If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that they¡¯d seen her attitude towards Victor earlier, the Seeker would have been fooled. ¡®She¡¯s a pro,¡¯ Madeline was amused, watching her work. This skill was simr to the smile a professional waiter was supposed to wear. While she was impressed, this didn¡¯t change her growing detest for the nurse¡¯s true opinion of the former delta. The storm of attendants worked to make sure Victor didn¡¯t go into shock. Part of the motivation to save this man was fear of the prince¡¯s rage if he died. Drake had spent a lot of energy and risked his life for this rogue. If anything, there must have been a reason why he¡¯d done that¡­ So they worked¡­ and worked¡­ And worked¡­ While the girls didn¡¯t know what they were doing, they could only stand back and let the experts do their jobs. After what felt like an eternity with Madeline worrying about the man that was being attended to in the emergency room, he was announced stable. The nurses and doctors looked exhausted but all signs of worry were gone. Madeline unconsciously took a step towards him but the nurse from before held her back, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ but your group is to keep away from him. He reacted to you. So, I¡¯m guessing you know him. Until he¡¯s in a condition to receive visitors of your level of influence, I will ask that you stay out. ..... Wolves are more active than humans in their unconscious states. Something as simple as your scent or touch can trigger reactions we are not ready to deal with.¡± ¡°So, we can¡¯t see him, simply because he reacts to us,¡± Lina spoke up. The woman, who¡¯d been paying more attention to Madeline, flinched at the royal¡¯s tone. ¡°Umm, yes, your Highness. He¡¯s not in the best condition as you can see¡­ If he tries to wake up or tries to move, he might make his condition worse. I ask that you stay away from this room for now. With some luck, his healing abilities will kick in and he will get better at a faster pace than this,¡± the nurse exined in a more respective voice. Lina frowned, shifting her attention to Madeline. In this situation, she was the one to consult. The Seeker looked back at the sleeping werewolf and sighed, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Lina. I¡¯lle another time.¡± The royal pulled her friend into a hug, ¡°He¡¯ll get better¡­ You might have to see one of the royals or at least a beta alpha pommel him for answers, but he¡¯ll be fine¡­¡± The girl flinched but Lina wouldn¡¯t let go of her, ¡°Does he have to¡­¡± ¡°People died, Madeline. He¡¯s lucky,¡± Lina sighed, finally freeing her from the tight hug. Madeline took in a deep breath, sparing the sleeping werewolf one more nce before stepping out of the emergency room. Some things were simply out of her power¡­ there wasn¡¯t much she could do for the former delta. .......... Bree finally led them to their rooms, Lina having been the only one who hadn¡¯t visited them yet. On their way there, however, they had to pry the girl from the various disys, supermarkets and different establishments that had opened up for business. The number of people that were in the Great Arena had grown exponentially and at some point during their movement, they would have to stop to let arge crowd of people pass. Hunters, humans, werewolves from different packs, rich families, famous businessmen and women of influential status. The girls were astounded by the numerous people that hade to watch the games. And it only got worse when these people recognised Lina. News of her winning the Trials had already spread like a wildfire and she was quickly bing the talk of the masses. ¡®But if she went against her brother for who gets to y in the games, what is her brother going to do¡­ and who is she going to y the games with? It¡¯s not like she had beta alphas¡­¡¯ they had heard someone say. Werewolves of the Sirius empire, regardless of their pack of origin, were more bound to discover the princess in the great masses of the Gargantuan arena. This was simply because they bore a closer bond to the Sirius family¡¯s mind link. Feeling the presence of the royal they served under was almost instinct for those that knew what it felt like. Because of this, the girls had to block off the mind link and hold hands to keep themselves from getting separated. Getting through the Great Arena and back to their room was hard but not impossible. An hourter, Crysta dropped onto a sofa in the living room that formed an intersection of the six rooms they were to rest in. ¡°Crysta, you haven¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired, Lina. A few minutes please¡­¡± the delta groaned. ¡°I was going to tell you to take off your shoes but never mind,¡± Lina walked up to the delta¡¯s feet and pulled the shoes off her feet herself. Madeline paled at the sight, ¡°Umm, is that even¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother, Mady. The rules don¡¯t apply to those two,¡± Bree stopped the girl before she could point out how inappropriate the scene before her looked. However, what happened next had herughing. Crysta grabbed Lina, who had sat on her legs to take off the shoes with her back turned to delta and pulled her back into the chair. The two girls tumbled off the sofa and started¡­ wrestling¡­ Madeline burst outughing, taking clear note of the mess they were making¡­ But they didn¡¯t care. Whether Lina was a royal or Crysta a delta, it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Ugh, Crysta, stop being impossible,¡± Lina yelled from under the trained delta. ¡°Oh? Where are those skills you¡¯ve been training all this time?¡± The delta cackled. ¡°I can¡¯t attack you. I need you for the games,¡± Linaughed. The princess was pinned but didn¡¯t look one bit worried¡­ or even defeated. Crysta, however, had gone quiet. When Lina noticed, she tapped her friend¡¯s hand as a sign of surrender. The delta let her friend free and let her sit up, ¡°Are you sure you want me to help you in the games?¡± Lina tilted her head in confusion, ¡°You and Bree, of course¡­ did I miss something?¡± Crysta sighed, ¡°You¡¯re going against Cole and his beta alphas. I think you should pick more qualified¡­¡± Lina chuckled, ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m not picking anyone else. Honour and Madeline are weirdly weaker than the average werewolf. That leaves you and Bree. It wouldn¡¯t feel right to stand with anyone else in that Arena.¡± Crysta was not convinced. The events of the Trials were still fresh in her memory. She had held Lina back more than she could have possibly imagined. And even after reaching the Great Arena upon the princess¡¯s back, she was sure Lina had not utilised her powers fully. Lina had carried Wyatt and her, along with all their bags at the same time, ¡°But during the Trials, we held you back.¡± ¡°Huh, no you didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t know how far the Arena was. I don¡¯t think I could have gotten there if I¡¯d run at full speed from the start¡­ Not to mention, I have a terrible sense of direction. The path to the Great Arena was straight once we¡¯d reached the mountains. Crysta, you helped me win the Trials, not the other way round.¡± ¡°We only got here moments before the prince himself¡­ and he was injured as well. We were far behind him. If we¡¯d continued at that pace, we would have reached here after¡­¡± ¡°Hey, Crysta¡­¡± Lina cut her off, ¡°We won, okay? And each and every one of us did something. Even Wyatt hunted thatst meal that I needed to get here.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have digested that in a short time¡­¡± Crysta chuckled, but her chuckles died down and were reced by a shocked expression when she remembered who she was talking to, ¡°Could you?¡± ¡°Probably¡­¡± the princess shrugged, ¡°Who knows? In any case, we won the Trials. It¡¯s not right to say we can¡¯t win the royal games when we haven¡¯t even tried yet.¡± ¡°You¡¯re way too optimistic,¡± Bree sighed, shivers running through her body. ¡°Not optimistic¡­ Listen to me, you two. We haven¡¯te here for war,¡± the princess chuckled, ¡°We¡¯vee here to have fun¡­ and also to see if we really can kick some alphas. I was there when Drake faced Cole four years ago. That man is a monster but you don¡¯t see me shivering.¡± ¡°Perhaps you hit your head,¡± Bree suggested, her face beaming in glee. ¡°I am fine,¡± Lina huffed. Crysta pulled the girl¡¯s head down and started the inspection, ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to check.¡± ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°Check for any bumps, Crysta. She¡¯s totally lost her mind,¡± Bree approached them. Surprisingly, the two girls restrained the princess. ¡°No, you two¡­ I¡¯m positive I am¡­¡± the princess burst intoughter when the two girls started tickling her instead. Through the mind link, her voice boomed withughter, ¡°You¡¯re both evil¡­¡± Madeline grabbed a cushion and sat on the floor watching the three girls with a smile, ¡®They totally forgot I¡¯m in the room, didn¡¯t they?¡¯ Crysta and Bree soon stopped tickling the princess and allowed herughing fit to finally tie down. Tears had been shed, energy had been spent¡­ the princess was in no shape to get up, ¡°You will help me win this though?¡± Lina asked turning her head to the delta, ¡°I can¡¯t think of anyone else I¡¯d trust with something like this. Not to mention have fun doing with.¡± The delta wiped a tear off the princess¡¯s face, ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask us twice. We¡¯d kill the Rogue king if that was your wish,¡± the delta replied. Forcing herself up, Lina pulled Crysta into a hug, ¡°Thank you,¡± the sudden show of affection caught Crysta off-guard. The delta then hugged her friend in return. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± she smiled warmly. Two other pairs of hands wrapped around the two girls, ¡°Don¡¯t leave us out of this,¡± Madeline giggled. Chapter 465 - 465 Talking to the Moon 465 Talking to the Moon Cole sat on a well-crafted mahogany chair at the top of the balcony joined to the Lycaon king¡¯s chambers. Structures of this nature were difficult to build into the circr nature of the Great Arena but a few still stuck out¡­ just like the one that he now had the luxury of using. The king stared into the sky, his thoughts wandering aimlessly in his mind. Thoughts that were his and his alone. Blocked from theforting mind link, free from any manner of eavesdropping. Well, there was the wolf at the back of his mind that never once let him feel lonely¡­ as well as the multitude of voices that swarmed within his mind oblivious to his all-listening royal abilities. Being able to keep his thoughts to himself while still paying attention to the general moods of his subjects. Such was one of the many luxuries that came with being king. The turnout for the royal games this year was more than he remembered it from four years ago. There were so many wolves and hunters from all over the world that hade to attend this year¡¯s games. ¡­probably seeking some sort of entertainment. The past two years had been quieter than ever in the history of Lycaon. Well, in terms of trouble with the rogues but that¡¯s where the silence and peace stopped. Everything else was one dizzying roller coaster. From taking over the kingdom to losing his mate to watching Kyle grow into a powerful beta alpha. Between the kingdom and the three beta alphas, Cole had his hands full. ..... Even then, however, he allowed himself time like this. Time to look up at the moon¡­ To the very vessel that held his mate, holding her captive in the one ce he couldn¡¯t get to even if he wished to. ¡°I guess I see you every day, don¡¯t I?¡± the words escaped him. He didn¡¯t care when they did. In fact, this had be a habit, ¡°Kyle met someone today. She¡¯s avoiding him, but¡­¡± the man paused, letting a smile spread across his face. The wind blew through his hair, which he had allowed to grow longer than normal, ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know. I think he might find a reason for living on that¡¯s not serving you.¡± Whether the wind washed over his face during these times because his mate was watching or otherwise remained aplete mystery to the king. It wasforting to think she was listening though¡­ and so he looked up to the moon and went on with his one-sided conversation with the glowing half-moon. ¡°Don¡¯t worry though. I don¡¯t think anyone can ever take your beta alpha from you but then again, you are in the Moon pce, far from me. Kyle¡¯s far too loyal. Well, they are all like that, I suppose¡­ beta alphas¡­¡± the man continued. Cole didn¡¯t know if it was his imagination and didn¡¯t allow himself the time to question his sanity either. He felt closer to his mate when he spoke to the moon like this and that¡¯s all he needed, ¡°Lina has grown so much too. She¡¯s looking more and more like you. I almost mistook her for you, actually. Not that I would ever be fooled. It just caught me off-guard. Could you have looked like her when you were a child? I¡¯ll have to take another look at those pictures of you when you were younger¡­¡± The wind whistled louder, whipping his hair into his eyes abruptly. The king chuckled, ¡°I control the elements, not you. There is nothing you can do to stop me.¡± The wind didn¡¯t react this time, however. The king sighed and sank back into his chair, staring off at the half-moon in the sky, ¡°I feared that we¡¯d have to dy the games but the contestants are fine. So, tomorrow, we face off against your sister and her champions. Without Drake on her side, I¡¯m not sure she stands a chance against us. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve done nothing this whole time¡­ Should I go easy on her?¡± The wind wentpletely still this time. The silence in the wind felt almost ominous but the king had learnt to ignore those nerves by now. There was no proof he had that his mate actually spoke to him through the wind¡­ thinking of it that way gave him a form offort, nothing more¡­ He didn¡¯t allow himself the luxury of interpreting the messages in the wind¡­ if there were any, to begin with. ¡°I¡¯ll keep my eyes peeled. She must have a n. After all, she did defeat her brother during the Trials. I wonder what will be of the Sirius pack now that she haspleted the sacred Trials,¡± the man scowled, his mindunching deep into thought. Just then, another consciousness crept closer to him through the mind link, ¡°Hey, do you have any idea what¡¯s happening to the prince of Sirius?¡± Jason asked, curiosity thick in his voice, as long as a tone that suggested he was in the mood to gossip. ¡°I don¡¯t know what runs through that man¡¯s mind but if he has a reason for what he¡¯s doing, he¡¯ll reveal it when the time is right,¡± the king replied with a heavy sigh, ¡°Now get some rest, Jason. We¡¯ll need our strength for tomorrow.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve had one whole day of rest and the person we are going against doesn¡¯t necessarily scare me,¡± Jason scoffed through the mind link. ¡°You will do well to respect the same girl that managed to defeat Drake during the Trials.¡± ¡°Drake was attacked out there. You don¡¯t think¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think Jason. I had no idea the Sirius pack was having this much drama brewing. They don¡¯t even need the rogue incident to cause themotion that could rattle a nation,¡± Cole replied. A part of him was worried about the Sirius family. Unlike the Sirius family, the Lycaon pack had been quiet and healing since the attack on the capital two years ago. The damage caused by the rogues back then was starting to fade. The king did everything in his power to usher in a new age of peace within the Lycaon pack even though the Rogue King was still out there. Training everyone including civilians so that they could be able to protect themselves and issuing a curfew in the capital. The hunters that protected the capital coordinated with the pack warriors to bolster their defences. Cole had also visited a number of packs within his kingdom and implemented simr measures to try and raise awareness in Lycaon. This helped his people grow closer to him and trust him more. It was his way of doing everything he could to protect those under his care. Running an empire was no easy feat. And it was even harder without a Luna. It had also never happened before. A king was never allowed to take over the throne without having a Luna by his side. The ceremony to dere Cole¡¯s luna was what Katie was going to go through shortly after his coronation. However, she hadn¡¯t made it that far. By the time she vanished with the moon goddess, Cole had already been crowned king. That¡¯s how he ended up being one of the first kings of the two empires to take the throne without a mate¡­ in a long time. Even then, it had happened before. Long ago, in a time long forgotten. Cole sighed, sleep finally weighing down on his eyes. His eyelids got heavy as he stared at the half-moon in the sky, ¡°My time is up, it seems,¡± he spoke into the wind. Turning away from the glorious moon in the sky, he said hisst words, ¡°Good night, dear Katie.¡± Little did he know that his words were carried by the wind. They soared high aimed at the destination, soaring higher in pursuit of their intended target. Messages that were carried through the wind were heard by few. A select few¡­ among them, however, was the goddess watching over the world below in a magical pool. In that same pool, a beautiful girl floated lightly, sending minuscule ripples through the clear water surface. With no sky to reflect, this water surface was clear as ss. All it showed on its clear surface was what the goddess wanted to see. The goddess floated above the pool, staring at the retreating form of her other Chosen. She¡¯d watched him grow in the past months, watching his steady progress, both physically and emotionally. ¡°He does this every day,¡± the goddess muttered to herself, ¡°I¡¯m sure you can hear him.¡± The girl she was talking to, however, did not respond to her words. The male god standing on the other side of the pool sighed but continued with his work on the floating girl. ¡®Of course, she can hear him. She¡¯s abnormal that way,¡¯ the diligent god of medicine secretly thought to himself. Chapter 466 - 466 Will power... and the Power of Love 466 Will power... and the Power of Love The beeping sound of a machine and white empty lifeless walls. An overwhelmingck of disturbance that only cultivated a disturbing silence. Nearly two years spent in the same ce, recovering from an near-death injuries and trauma. A neverending loop of pain and agony¡­ a state which, for some reason, was better than death. The memory of herst conscious night echoed through her mind with a furious reverberation that threatened to shatter her resolve to hold on to life. The sound of rogue alphas pursuing her through the forest with menacing blood lust rolling off them in waves. It was all clear in the loud howls and feral growls that apanied their demonic speed as they tore through the dark forest, relentlessly pursuing her through the woods. The sound of the rushing river was still fresh and clear in her mind¡­ and so was the need to run towards in hope of finding safety¡­ or dying her death sentence if even by a minute. The harrowing memory was fresh. The clearest thing she could remember, was the crimson colour of the wolves¡¯ eyes that had been sent after her. Murder was painted in their eyes. They wanted her dead¡­ all because she had escaped him. With how weak her wolf was, even the mundane rogues would have proved too much for her to handle but somehow she was far more valuable for him to trust such an important job to weaklings. His resolve in seeing her life snuffed out was that much stronger¡­ ..... This time, as the nightmare started over, the woman forced the dream away from her mind, trying to change the flow of events. She knew what was going to happen¡­ and yet it happened anyway. She didn¡¯t want it to happen that way again¡­ and yet, she didn¡¯t seem to have a choice. She struggled. She fought. She was tired of watching it over and over again. Tired of death¡¯s relentless taunting and of the experience of being rushed away by the current. The sensation of nearly drowning under the merciless battering waves. She was tired of it all. She was afraid of going through it one more time. She¡¯d relived that day countless times already¡­ stuck in a loop that didn¡¯t seem t end. Each time she lost consciousness and awaited death¡¯s cruel hands, she was thrown right back to the start. To the rushing vines and demented trees that freed her from the Rogue King¡¯s clutches and granted her the mission of delivering a message¡­ then rushed to the ending scenes of her failed mission. She¡¯d lost hope of ever waking up from the painful loop and even lost herself to the throes of her suffering. However, this time¡­ this time was different. She was tired¡­ fed up, exhausted, frustrated, angry¡­ and numb. She didn¡¯t want to feel it again. Tears stained her eyes. She wanted it all to stop. She wanted to wake up from it all. She didn¡¯t want to die any more. She didn¡¯t want to relive this day again either. She wanted to live. That¡¯s all that mattered now. Death had note to her like she¡¯d expected¡­ but now¡­ she was tired of whaty between life and death. It was a fate that she was now perceived to be worse than death. If death wouldn¡¯t im, then she might as well try living and not stay in the in-between. After constantly reliving the memory of being hunted down, hitting her head on a rock and nearly drowning, she¡¯d had enough. With all the strength she could muster. With all the willpower left in her weakened body and mind¡­ and most importantly, with all the love she held for her missing grand daughter, Beatrice forced her eyes open and took a very deep breath. The nurse that hade to check on her that morning gasped in shock, stepping away from the bed as her patient miraculously pulled herself out of a deepma. ¡°Where is she? Madeline¡­ Where is she?¡± Drained and utterly exhausted, Beatrice didn¡¯t scream after that. Instead, she finally fell into the first slumber since that day. Sleeping peacefully without a dream in her mind. Her mind was finally quiet. She was safe¡­ she wasn¡¯t in the presence of the murderous rogues that had nearly imed her life. She was safe¡­ Sleep had never felt better. .................. Voices¡­ several voices¡­ no, a few of them. They were countable. None of these voices were familiar to her though. Beatrice¡¯s peaceful slumber was constantly assaulted by the voices that crowded about her bed. Slowly, she began to decipher what these voices were saying, ¡°She¡¯s just resting now, but you can be assured now that she¡¯ll make a quick recovery. Her wounds are all but healed and now that she¡¯s out of thema, she¡¯ll be fine for sure.¡± ¡°Really, I¡¯m so d. We¡¯ve been worried sick,¡± a feminine voice trembled with delight. ¡®Who is she supposed to be?¡¯ ¡°Simmer down, L. You¡¯ve never even spoken to her before,¡± a male voice tried to be to be her voice of reasoning, but that didn¡¯t seem to work. ¡°I know I¡¯ve never met her before but I can tell she¡¯s someone important, you know,¡± the girl replied gleefully. ¡°No, L, I don¡¯t know. You might have been watching one of your shows again,¡± the boy sighed. ¡°You enjoy them too. They are awesome¡­ Ugh, Peter, this is different. I¡¯m not talking about fate or anything like that. I genuinely mean what I¡¯m saying. How many people her age have you ever heard of surviving the injuries she had?¡± this time, the girl made sense. Beatrice chose that moment to wake up. Her silver eyes fluttered open just in time to meet the faces of the people that had watched over her for nearly the past two years. Their voices died down as the nurse hushed them. They had noticed her stirring and turned her attention to her, ¡°She finally woke¡­ Her eyes,¡± the girl staring at her suddenly backed away. ¡°Silver is an unusual human eye colour,¡± the nurse confirmed, unsurprised. The woman walked up to the sleeping woman and began to check her vitals, ¡°Don¡¯t worry ma¡¯am. You¡¯re safe here. Just rx and we can slowly get you back into the world.¡± Beatrice opened her mouth to speak but closed it almost immediately when pain radiated from her throat. She¡¯d already exerted enough force to send her into a coughing fit. Before anyone could react, the young man brought her a cup of water which she greedily drank. The cool water was soothing to her throat. However, it also notified her of how long it had been since any food had entered her system. ¡°You will have to take it easy for the first few weeks. Your body hasn¡¯t moved in a long time, so you¡¯ll have to be careful not to over-exert yourself. Actions like walking, eating or even writing won¡¯te easily to you in the first weeks, but with some therapy, you can return your body to the way it¡­¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Madeline?¡± the woman¡¯s voice was hoarse and barely audible, but from the saddened look on her face, she wasn¡¯t paying any more attention to the nurse talking to her. Years of working with traumatized patients kicked in. Instead of getting frustrated, the nurse slowed down and changed her approach, ¡°Who¡¯s Madeline?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my¡­ grand-daughter. I told her to run to the capital but I don¡¯t know if she made it. You said I¡¯d been unconscious for a long time. How long have I been¡­¡± Beatrice couldn¡¯t find her words. She tried to lift herself from the hospital bed but her limbs failed her. She was far too weak. The kind of weakness that gued her body was far too great to have been caused by a few weeks of sleep. A deepset frown appeared on the nurse¡¯s forehead, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, ma¡¯am, but you¡¯ve been unconscious for nearly two years.¡± ¡°T-two¡­ two years¡­ No. No. No,¡± Beatrice began to hyperventite. Her memories came rushing back in a merciless torrential wave. She could remember it all¡­ The Rogue King talking to the moon goddess at the Origin. His eventual sealing that would have been a good thing to the rest of the world. However, somehow, he had been able to send his generals after her. She remembered the recurring nightmare that had been her prison for a very long time. Now that she thought more about it, it made a lot of sense. Her nightmare had repeated so many times that it felt like an eternity. Beatrice couldn¡¯t tell how many times it was that she¡¯d fallen into that river and started drowning under the heavy current that swept her away. Now, however, everything had gone silent. She¡¯d forced herself awake. She was fine and safe. Trying to move was hard, but she had to. The storm of memories that assailed her forced her to do so. There was no time for her to justy back and rx, ¡°I can¡¯t stay here. I have to go. Where am I?¡± The nurse frowned, thinking over her next choice of words. The woman was not in the right condition to walk out just yet, but holding her against her will would not be easy either, ¡°You¡¯re in the Sirius royal capital¡­ and regarding discharging you, we can¡¯t do that until we know you will be fine. Did you not hear the part where you¡¯ve been like this for more than a year?¡± ¡°I heard that. I¡¯m not deaf,¡± Beatrice snapped at the nurse. The Seeker sighed andy her head back on the white pillow below her, ¡°I know what happened to me¡­ but it¡¯s that same reason that I cannot stay here. I either have to find my granddaughter Madeline or find the prince of Sirius. If I¡¯ve been here as long as you say I¡¯ve been, then I¡¯m that muchter to warn the king of the danger that¡¯sing.¡± For someone who¡¯d just woken up from ama, her speech was remarkably coherent. This was what told the nurse that she wasn¡¯t disoriented but if that was the case, then the woman¡¯s waking memories were a cause for worry. ¡°What did you say your name was again?¡± the nurse asked. Beatrice turned to the woman, just in time to catch the glint of understanding in her eyes. There was hope she could convince these people to help her. Better than that, they probably could help her get to where she needed to go, ¡°My name is Beatrice. I¡¯m a member of the Golden Moon pack.¡± Turning to the pair, she finally observed the man and woman that had alsoe to attend to her. These ones weren¡¯t dressed in any uniforms which meant they didn¡¯t work here at all. The nurse noticed her confusion and began an introduction, ¡°This is Peter and the lovelydy with him is L. They are the ones that found you and rushed you here over a year ago. They¡¯ve been visiting you frequently since that day, making sure you were receiving treatment and making a steady recovery.¡± As the nurse wrote down a few things, she chuckled to herself, ¡®Grand-daughter, pfft¡­ she doesn¡¯t even look old enough to have a teenage daughter.¡¯ Chapter 467 - 467 Something about a Flower shop 467 Something about a Flower shop After introducing the two people to Beatrice, the nurse looked at Peter. They seemed to have a silent conversation with their eyes before the nurse sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll go start working on your release documents. You can talk with them and figure out what kind of arrangement you¡¯ll have. I¡¯ll also be giving you prescription drugs and instructions on how you are to handle yourself for the first few weeks after being discharged. Make sure to take it easy. You¡¯re only human after all,¡± the nurse replied. Beatrice scrunched her eyebrows, ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m human?¡± There was a periodic silence in the room before realisation settled on the wolf¡¯s mind, ¡°Oh! My eye colour is peculiar. I¡¯d forgotten about that. I guess that¡¯s what happens when you live for years in the Golden Moon pack.¡± ¡°When you said you were from the Golden Moon pack, I was under the impression you lived there as a human. Now that I think of it, there are no humans there¡­ but¡­¡± the nurse was still having troubleing to terms with this new adjustment. ¡°I¡¯m a werewolf. Forget the colour of my eyes,¡± Beatrice¡¯s tone of finality ended the conversation. The nurse asked the boy to apany her and the two swept out of the emergency room to fill out the paperwork. Beatrice had so many questions and paranoia and impatience denied her the opportunity to ignore them, ¡°How exactly is he allowed to get me out of here?¡± she asked. ¡°Oh? We¡¯ve been taking care of that during our visits. Peter offered his assistance for the day you woke up. It took a while for them to let him make that im though. It¡¯s usually family that¡¯s allowed to do that. But as time kept ticking by, no one reported you missing. There was no sign of a family to speak of. We¡¯d saved you from the river and he was better than nothing,¡± the girl exined cheerfully, ¡°I¡¯m just d you¡¯re okay. I didn¡¯t think you would make it.¡± ..... ¡°You don¡¯t know me,¡± Beatrice replied bluntly. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. It¡¯s just the way we found you that worried me the most. It¡¯s a miracle you¡¯re alive. At first, I thought it would be better if we let you be¡­ But I couldn¡¯t bring myself to forget about you, so we visited. Several times, I dragged Peter here with me and we would watch you for hours before leaving. Your condition didn¡¯t change for so long that we thought you were never going to wake up,¡± the girl tried. This only brought more confusion to the woman¡¯s sluggish waking mind. After so long unconscious, she wasn¡¯t catching up to what any of this girl was trying to exin. The long string of words seemed to take its time getting interpreted in her mind. Perhaps if the girl had used simpler vocabry like ¡®drowning, rushing river, death, rogues et cetera et Cetera maybe then, she could have understood the girl faster. Beatrice covered her face with her palms for a bit, ¡°Start from the beginning, you¡¯re not making any sense¡­¡± she groaned. Constantly berating the girl with questions of her choosing was also not yielding any results. L smiled at the woman and let go of a breath she didn¡¯t know she was holding. With the mood lighter, the girl began exining everything that happened since they¡¯d found Beatrice¡¯s body floating by the river bank in a pool of her own blood. .......... The two of them had finally managed to pay a hefty sum for a date they never got to finish. Supervised and protected by a security detail of trained humans and a few hunters, they were taken to a spot along the Great Sirius river of their own choosing. L had prepared the food they took with them that day. While the dating service they were using provided them with such options, L had wanted this to be special. She also wanted Peter to give his opinion on her cooking. They never did make it to this part of their date because of a female that was washed onto the shore not long after they had started. That¡¯s how they found Beatrice and brought her to the hospital. It was a miracle she was still alive and the doctors were able to stabilise her. However, her body had suffered serious trauma. She¡¯d lost a lot of blood and the doctors deduced that she was going to be unconscious for a while. During the time that the woman had spent asleep, the two teenagers graduated and moved in together, owning an apartment that was a town away from the capital. L was working on going to College soon while Peter was working in his father¡¯s dairypany, soon to take over as the CEO. In Sirius, this was a highly profitable business simply because of how hard it was to maintain animals in a world where rogues were bound to attack at any time. Dairy farms were goldmines of nutrition to the savages and managing one as well as Peter¡¯s father had brought them good fortune. It was these connections that had managed to get him the documents needed to gain the rights and permission to offer Beatrice a ce to stay and help find her family. The Seeker listened quietly to the tale the girl told. She noticed how the girl¡¯s eyes lit up each time she mentioned Peter¡¯s name. She also noticed how much the girl drifted off topic in narration. Beatrice had never expected to know about their daily lives or anything concerning their graduation and her going to College¡­ And ¡®A diarypany, wow, that was a lot of money for someone his age. Animals are difficult to own alone in a world where every single acre that was protected by hunters was considered preciousnd. Not to mention the risk of losing everything to a single rogue attack.¡¯ Nevertheless, it was this same easygoing cheery nature of the girl that forced Beatrice from getting any more questions to ask her. She found the girl answering more underlying questions before she ever got to ask them. Like how someone that young could afford the dating service they were using. Hiring hunters was costly enough as it was. Hiring them for something as meaningless¡­ I mean, trivial as a date was simply outrageous¡­ ¡°And when you showed signs of waking up a few hours ago, we received a phone call from the hospital and now here we are.¡± Beatrice blinked a few times¡­ No no no, that¡¯s not what she¡¯d wanted to know. How had some random couple suddenly started ying guardian to her? She was well beyond their years. If anything, she should have been the one returning them to whatever home they¡¯de from, pping them by the wrist. But then again, there was the case of her being in the royal capital. She didn¡¯t really know anyone in the capital¡­ except¡­ Beatrice¡¯s eyes widened in delight as she finally remembered something useful. L noticed this and gave all her attention¡­ Beatrice¡¯s eyebrows suddenly scrunched in confusion and the index finger she¡¯d raised up lost its oomph, ¡®Oh dear¡­ what was her name?¡¯ the woman started thinking. Wracking her brain for a name. ¡®This girl I once had the delight of meeting so many years ago¡­ She might be able to help.¡¯ ¡°Hey, do you know where I can find Selene?¡± the woman asked¡­ ¡®No, that¡¯s not the name.¡¯ ¡°Huh¡­ I don¡¯t know anyone who goes by that name. And trust me, I would know. No one would simply parade one of the names of the goddess of the moon like that,¡± L scrunched her brows. This woman was getting even more confusing. Wasn¡¯t she supposed to make more sense the longer she stayed awake? ¡°No¡­ Of course, that¡¯s not the name she would use in public. And if I¡¯m being honest, that name goes for the current holder of the goddess¡¯s spirit, so she might not even go by that title anymore. This is soplicated¡­ Ah, yes¡­ a flower shop. Do you know a florist in the capital?¡± Beatrice¡¯s eyes sparked with hope once more. ¡°A¡­ florist? That¡¯s the first person you would like to call after waking up. Were you on¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. I know someone in the city but I haven¡¯t seen them in a long time. Honestly, their name is lost to me¡­ but if there is one thing I remember about that divine vessel, it¡¯s that she can never let go of her obsession with flowers. Do you know of a flower shop in the capital¡­? It would help if the flowers of that shop were unusually beautiful and always healthy and well-looked after,¡± Beatrice¡¯s voice had now gone up and the vigour with which she spoke almost made her appear recovered. The beads of sweat on her brow told a different story. L could tell she was trying so hard. ¡®Divine vessel!¡¯ her mind resounded. Beatrice was making even less and less sense the more she rambled but the coherency of her speech made it impossible to imagine she was still confused. L was about to deny having heard of a shop that good when she went silent. A slight hint of memory surfaced in her mind. There was a girl that was always called upon when it was someone who needed to make an order from the best-known flower shop in the city. It was the same girl that liked helping in the kitchens during their school days and the same girl that had tended to her wounds when she was injured at the reserve. When she tried to put the thought of her away, a heavy fear gripped her. A fear that she was letting go of something very important indeed. It was a fear so primal that she forgot everything else she had in mind. ¡°You two are getting close quite fast,¡± a male voice came from the door cutting through the tense atmosphere of the emergency room. Peter walked into the emergency room pushing a wheelchair. ¡°You might be able to walk, but we can¡¯t risk you copsing when you¡¯ve only just got out of ama. Your muscles haven¡¯t worked for more than a year, so¡­¡± ¡°Peter, do you remember Honour?¡± L snapped. This name, unknown to Beatrice, sparked some interest. She didn¡¯t know why but her wolf reacted to the name. Maybe it was because of the aspect of her being a Seeker that she could detect the goddess or some other reason. Maybe she had heard it somewhere once before¡­ The feeling that gripped her was very simr to the one she got when she had tried searching for Prince Drake¡¯s mate. But that could also be a coincidence. Back then, the woman hadn¡¯t been blessed enough to receive a name she could offer the prince of Sirius in his time of loneliness. ¡®I hope she¡¯s found her. This is about the time he was meant to find her,¡¯ she sighed. ¡°Yeah, I remember Honour. She¡¯s the girl you told me tended to my injuries over a year ago,¡± the young man tapped his chin thoughtfully, ¡°Let¡¯s see. She works at a flower shop not far from the pce. I¡¯ve gone there a few times myself to buy only the best bouquets. It¡¯s a beautiful little shop they¡¯ve got going. Every single flower seems to always be in full bloom and the colours are¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s where I want to go. Take me to the flower shop that belongs to this¡­ Honour. She might be able to¡­ No, she will be able to help me with what I need,¡± the woman announced, cutting Peter off. To be honest, Beatrice wanted to go straight to the king and tell him everything but that felt like a request too heavy for these two humans. They had no real ess to the pce¡­ but perhaps this¡­ ¡®Honour¡¯ could help her out. Chapter 468 - 468 A h-healthy appetite? 468 A h-healthy appetite? After that short outburst of energy, Peter and L didn¡¯t need any further instructions. To try and cope with the grey-eyed woman¡¯smunication barrier, they assumed she could have been rted to Honour. With that in mind, her value became significantly greater. If it had been any other pair of humans, perhaps they wouldn¡¯t have helped her with this request. But both of them had been saved by the young florist once before and they owed her greatly for it. Peter helped Beatrice get into the wheelchair and wheeled her gently out of the hospital. The boy noticed how the woman gripped the handles of the wheelchair so tight that her knuckles turned white. It didn¡¯t matter how much he tried to keep from bumping the wheeler, she still held on as though her life depended on it. ¡®Something is not right,¡¯ he thought to himself, trying to discern other reasons for this peculiar behaviour. They proceeded through the hospital with next to no resistance in signing out. This was all possible because of the paperwork Peter had gone through while the woman was in aa. If it hadn¡¯t been for that, she would have been retained for a few weeks with the hope that she¡¯d been imed by family. This was how the system normally worked. It would get increasingly difficult in case she¡¯d lost her memory or didn¡¯t have any family to speak of. From what Peter had already gleaned about the woman¡¯s past, she was a ghost. At first with next to no information and even after she¡¯d woken up and spoken to the pack she was from. A quick phone call had him searching through his connections for a source of her existence in the Golden Moon pack. Even then, there was no word of her existence. ..... The phone call to the pack had yielded negative results, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re from the Golden Moon pack though? The alpha acted like he didn¡¯t know you.¡± The woman sighed when she heard the question, her knuckles slightly rxing. ¡®So he¡¯s that well-connected. Gotta hand it to a child with power.¡¯ The wheelchair was now rolling over the gravel of the parking lot leading them to their car. Beatrice looked around in search of any stalkers. When she was sure they were alone, she replied, ¡°That¡¯s all part of a protocol. If it was I who had spoken on the phone, it would have been a different matter. I¡¯m¡­ not meant to leave the pack. You can already tell from my eye colour that I¡¯m not an ordinary wolf¡­ How I wish I¡¯d kept practising how to hide my eye colour! Like my daughter and granddaughter did,¡± the woman sighed heavily. Eventually, they made it to a green hunchback parked not far from the parking lot exit. L helped her into the car and got into the back seats with her. Patient and careful to make sure the woman didn¡¯t hurt herself. With only having woken up from hera, Beatrice could feel how sluggish her limbs still were. If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that she was a werewolf, this meagre movement would have proved too much for her. Thankfully, she wasn¡¯t human¡­ and her recovery was visible and astonishing. Even as she sat in the backseat of the hunchback, she could feel the strength return to her bones little by little. She could feel the blood flow more freely through her near-paralysed limbs, waking them from the near-two-year slumber. Closing the door for the twodies, Peter got into the car as well and started the engine, ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry? We should get you something to eat first.¡± ¡°If you can get some takeout, that would be nice. I have to get to that flower shop as soon as I can,¡± Beatrice quivered in her seat. The rushing sensation of water suddenly overwhelmed her, a visage of her past trauma haunting her even while she was awake¡­ The urgency of a mission that was neverpleted gripped her very core¡­ ¡°I have to warn them. I have to warn the Royals¡­ the hunters¡­ everyone¡¯s in trouble.¡± Peter¡¯s hand paused on the key before he could turn it. Turning back to the people in the back, he noticed the woman¡¯s eyes were zed over. L was shaking her lightly¡­ One sudden jerk brought Beatrice back to the present, ¡°Huh¡­ what happened? Did I fall asleep?¡± L frowned¡­ ¡°Now I¡¯m worried.¡± ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Peter echoed, ¡°I guessing out of aa is not the end of a struggle¡­ Perhaps it was a bad idea to bring her out of the hospital so soon.¡± ¡°No, no, please¡­ It wasn¡¯t a mistake. It was the best possible thing you could have ever done for me. Look, I don¡¯t know you. You don¡¯t know me. I¡¯m so happy anyone cared for me at all. You¡¯ve done more than I could have ever asked of you, but this is really important,¡± the woman tried¡­ ¡®Why does this feel familiar?¡¯ Beatrice¡¯s memories rushed back to the time she¡¯d started this journey. The small town she¡¯d tried to get help from. Everyone she¡¯d spoken to at the time hadn¡¯t paid her any attention. In the end, everything she saidnded on deaf ears, ¡®No, please¡­ I don¡¯t want that to happen again. I¡¯ve already lost so much time already.¡¯ Sensing the desperation in her voice, Peter changed his mind, ¡°I¡¯m going to choose to trust you on this. Just don¡¯t make me regret it. I also deserve an exnation once you feel up for it.¡± With that said, the young man turned the key and the car roared to life. They were cruising along the asphalt in no time¡­ Beatrice sighed in relief¡­ she was moving. And she was moving forward at least. Was there still more time for her to warn everyone? Did she even know who to tell this to? Could telling them really help with anything? So many questions and next to no answers. She¡¯d spent so much time in the Golden Moon pack that she didn¡¯t even know the procedures to follow if she was to have anything addressed in the fastest way possible. Were there even any procedures to follow when trying to warn everyone of the threat that could potentially end the world as they knew it? Beatrice was at a loss¡­ The least she could do was hope she¡¯d made the right decision. Thest time, she¡¯d tried searching for anyone¡¯s help, she¡¯d failed. Now she had the chance to ask for help from someone who might be willing to listen to her¡­ someone who knew the reason for her odd eye colour. There was a chance this ¡®Honour¡¯ would let her in without asking questions and heed her warning. ¡°So where are we going? The flower shop or the Sirius pce?¡± Peter asked, interrupting the woman¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the flower shop. I¡¯ll need to speak to the owner. She¡¯ll be able to make my story sound less¡­ far-fetched,¡± the Seeker sighed. Peter looked back through the driving mirror briefly before turning his gaze back to the road, ¡°Is it far-fetched?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I am a grey-eyed werewolf. There is already so much about me that¡¯s a myth¡­¡± she sighed and in a quieter tone, meant for her, ¡°I just hope Madeline is alright.¡± The car suddenly swerved and the tyres screeched against the asphalt as Peter regained control of the car. The boy gripped the steering wheel so tight with both hands and made sure he was in control. That one name had made all the difference, snapping so many anomalies into ce. Peter wasn¡¯t shocked to see the female werewolf with grey eyes at all. He¡¯d actually vaguely remembered seeing something simr somewhere before. And now that she¡¯d mentioned the missing piece to this puzzle, a lot seemed to make sense. ¡°You don¡¯t mean, Madeline. Honour¡¯s cousin, do you?¡± ¡°Cousin¡­?¡± the woman paused. It wasn¡¯t hard for her to imagine a story like that cropping up, but then again, what were the odds they were talking about the same Madeline she was missing dearly? ¡°Oh yeah! Madeline was the new girl that showed up in our final year of school. They had her do all this extra studying so that she could keep up with her grades and graduate on time. Then she was ced in the same ss as Lina and the two of them graduated not long ago,¡± L exined, ¡°Looking at her always reminded me of a cute puppy. Such an innocent face¡­¡± The more they spoke, the more Beatrice got convinced they were talking about her Mady, ¡°What about her eyes? What colour were they?¡± she asked, excited. Of course, it would be dangerous if the colour of her eyes turned out to be grey because then, it wouldn¡¯t take long until their secrets would be revealed. ¡°They were¡­ amber. She wasn¡¯t that strong of a werewolf either but she didn¡¯t need to be. Lina wouldn¡¯t let anyone close enough to hurt her¡­¡± the girl paused, thinking back on something, ¡°Funny story: Back then¡­ There was this rumour that her eyes would sh silver when she was agitated. The rumour soon died down when there was no proof. Peter himself seemed convinced she could change the colour of her eyes.¡± ¡°I know what I saw, L¡­ and Beatrice¡¯s presence now confirms that I wasn¡¯t making anything up. Tell her, Beatrice¡­¡± Peter raised his voice but it was met with silence, ¡°Beatrice¡­¡± The woman beside L had gone into a short trance of her own making, ¡°Madeline would be my granddaughter. Is she in the capital? Do you know where she is?¡± L wasn¡¯t sure what to make of this anymore, ¡°How about we take it one step at a time?¡± The car was just getting into the driveway of a restaurant. Peter turned off the engine, ¡°What do you guys want? I¡¯ll go grab it and be right back in a blink.¡± L gave him their options and bid him farewell with a short kiss on the lips. A silence took over them for a bit. Beatrice wouldn¡¯t meet the girl¡¯s gaze after watching the short disy of affection, ¡°Do you have a¡­¡± ¡°No, he died¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. It was a long time ago. My wolf and I somehow managed to survive the heartbreak. So, don¡¯t underestimate me¡­ or feel sorry for me,¡± the woman warned. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t underestimate you. Not after the injuries you defeated during that time, you spent in aa. You were really injured in that river. I thought you wouldn¡¯t make it. Seems I was worried for nothing.¡± ¡°Exactly¡­ and don¡¯t you forget it¡­¡± after a short pause, ¡°How long have you guys been together?¡± L suddenly smiled, swaying lightly as she soared through her memories, ¡°It¡¯s been two years but it feels like yesterday,¡± she swooned. ¡°Ah, I see. A couple as young as yours ispletely rare to find,¡± the woman replied, ¡°A human couple, for that matter. It would be understandable if you were mates. Everything is lessplicated that way.¡± ¡°Not the first time I¡¯ve heard that one. We¡¯ll be fine, though,¡± L replied. As they were talking, the aromatic scent of food and spices wafted in through the half-open window. Peter opened the door to the driver¡¯s seat and sat in, passing them arge paper bag containing hot disposable containers. ¡°I was able to get it all and added some drinks in there just in case you guys get thirsty. Maybe eating once we get to the shop would be a better¡­¡± ¡®Grr¡­¡¯ went Beatrice¡¯s belly. The older woman blushed red¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t realise how¡­ how¡­¡± the food had all her attention¡­ ¡®I don¡¯t remember myself capable of being so hungry even when I went so long without food,¡¯ the thought crossed her mind. ¡°Talk about two years¡¯ worth of hunger. Don¡¯t be shy¡­ dig in. I¡¯ll drive slowly so you don¡¯t have to worry about spilling anything and even if you do, I can get that cleaned. Don¡¯t eat too fast, your digestive system has not been functional in a long time, so you might want to take it easy.¡± ¡°Yes, ¡®father¡¯,¡± Beatrice nodded as she pulled out one of the recyble containers in the bag. The smell of meat¡­ that¡¯s all that was needed topletely arrest her attention. ¡°There is a fork and¡­ uhh, never mind¡­¡± Beatrice wasn¡¯t listening. Her hands could do the job. Peter was shocked at first, but then a smile spread over his face. ¡®I guess we can check ack of appetite off the list of things to worry about.¡¯ Chapter 469 - 469 A Hearing 469 A Hearing After a rtively short car ride, the car pulled up in front of a petite flower shop with a simple white sign to identify it. The little shop was situated between two calm-looking stalls with fewer people walking down the street than they¡¯d gotten used to in the city. Aside from the dainty sign, the rest spoke for itself, roaring louder than the meagrebel. For the flowers that lined the door shone with a radiant colour healthier than Beatrice had ever thought possible. They almost looked artificial just looking at them, but then again, the rich scent of nature was unmistakable. Neither was the smell of divine energy humming lightly in the air. ¡®This is the ce,¡¯ the woman thought to herself. ¡®It feels just like it did when I pried into the prince¡¯s connection with his future mate.¡¯ Beatrice was positive she¡¯de to the right ce¡­ yet her nerves wouldn¡¯t let her rx. How could someone be at the right ce but feel sote at the same time? Peter and L didn¡¯t get the chance to stop the woman as she quickly fled the car and rushed for the door. L quickly followed, emerging from her side of the car, ¡°Slow down. Did you already forget what the doctors said about taking it easy?¡± These words fell on deaf ears. ¡°How can she even walk?¡± L eximed, exiting the car to catch up with the woman before something bad happened. ..... Beatrice rushed into the flower shop and walked straight to the counter. Standing on the other side of the counter, a woman was updating the flower shop¡¯s records. ¡°Check through for something you might like,¡± the woman said without looking up from the ledger. ¡°I¡¯m not here for flowers, Guardian of Selene,¡± the words rolled off Beatrice¡¯s mouth with a sigh of relief. The flower shop was brimming with the same energy she was looking for. This was definitely the ce. The people here were among the only ones that could believe the ¡®far-fetched¡¯ stories she had to tell. The pen in the cashier¡¯s hand stopped gliding over the page and she looked up. Honour¡¯s mother narrowed her eyes at thedy before her. ¡°Do I know you?¡± Beatrice¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°Disrespectful¡­ Perhaps you¡¯re looking for a month of chores?¡± Honour¡¯s mother was appalled at the tone being used towards her. The audacity¡­ the nerve on the woman¡ªgirl standing before her. To walk into her shop acting like she owned the ce¡­ talking of¡­ ¡®chores¡­¡¯ When was thest time anyone had ever asked her to do chores? ¡°Chore¡­s¡­ Oh dear, it can¡¯t be¡­ Can it? No, it can¡¯t¡­¡± the woman looked away from Beatrice and started mumbling to herself, ¡°She¡¯s supposed to be a lot older. You don¡¯t look a day over thirty.¡± Beatrice was shocked by this observation. She knew and had heard about the sudden change in her appearance, but that felt¡­ extreme, ¡°I don¡¯t have time, Whitney. You know rules forbid me from being here¡­ and yet here I am.¡± Honour stared back at the woman before her, a hint of recognition reaching her eyes. The woman sighed heavily, ¡°Of course, your sudden appearance only has to mean bad news. How can I help?¡± Beatrice smiled, ¡®No questions asked. Now, this is what I¡¯ve been looking for.¡¯ ¡°I know where the Rogue King is¡­ More than that, I have terrible news to tell the king,¡± the woman told the woman, ¡°Urgent news¡­¡± Whitney¡¯s face went white with shock. Thankfully, she forced the emotions down and tried her best to act cool¡­ As though she¡¯d not just been told of the potential location of the most dangerous werewolf in existence. ¡°I see¡­ Well then, let¡¯s go to the pce and get you to talk to the king, now shall we?¡± the woman announced. She closed the book she was writing in and announced the closing of the flower shop. There were a few grumbles from the few browsing customers but theyplied with her orders. ¡°Who are they?¡± Whitney asked when she noticed a girl and boy standing in wait for the woman. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s a long story. Maybe I could tell you on the way to the pce. The car¡¯s outside,¡± Beatrice gave the short version with a tight-lipped smile at the end. ¡°Car?!¡± .........¡­ The exnations were rushed and Whitney was ferried into Peter¡¯s car which quickly started the journey to the pce. During the journey, L and Beatrice took turns exining the events that led the three of them into this situation. As it turned out, there was a lot to be said that they were still talking even after Peter had parked the car in the pce parking lot. Whitney touched the long-lost rtive¡¯s forehead with the back of her palm, searching for any signs of a temperature and sighed when she found none, ¡°There is a lot I want to know but I can tell you¡¯re in a hurry. So I won¡¯t ask many questions. Let¡¯s get you that audience with the king asap.¡± ¡°I appreciate it,¡± Beatrice hugged the woman tight before turning to open the doors. Something urged her to move even faster. The sensation was fresh and dim, but after what she¡¯d been through, Beatrice knew this feeling all too well. Thest time she¡¯d felt like this, she¡¯d ended up floating unconscious and bloodied in the current of a fast-moving river with next to no hope of seeing the sunrise ever again. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry,¡± the woman urged herpanions. ¡°What¡¯s the rush? We are at the pce,¡± Peter tried, but Beatrice wasn¡¯t listening. Instead, the three had to keep up with the grey-eyed wolf instead. Peter worried that the woman was pushing herself too much. Her muscles couldn¡¯t possibly have recovered that quickly. But then again, if they hadn¡¯t, then she was pushing herself through the pain. Which meant whatever it was she was trying to do was that important. ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll be okay?¡± L asked Peter as they rushed ahead. ¡°Hmm¡­ We found her bloodied in the Sirius river. This must be nothing,¡± Peter replied. ¡®Perhaps this pain she endured is nothingpared to the alternative,¡¯ the man thought to himself. It was the only way this made sense to him. .........¡­ Alpha Phillip had been seated at the king¡¯s desk for the better part of three hours. His neck hurt from having to look down all the time. The smell of paper and stale wood was starting to irritate him. Gripping the pen in his hand, he held back his wolf¡¯s innate desire to run through the woods, unrestrained by the burdens of filling in for the king, ¡°I need some form of a vacation. s, the games haven¡¯t even begun. I¡¯m going to be stuck here for a while. Why couldn¡¯t Jackson do all this¡ª¡± The beta alpha¡¯s eyebrows twitched when his eyesnded on a familiar request form, ¡°¡ªAnd why do I have to approve who and who does not go on an expedition for wood? It¡¯s not that hard to keep track of a simple logging crew,¡± the man grumbled to himself. His thoughts were soon interrupted by banging at the door. The beta alpha almost jumped from his seat. His eyes darted to the machine at the king¡¯s desk, ¡®Don¡¯t they know they have to ring the buzzer at the door?¡¯ he raised a brow at the silent device. Not long after the first set of desperate knocks, the device at the king¡¯s desk beeped. The beta alpha coughed to clear his hoarse voice before pressing the answering button, ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Honour¡¯s mother. I have something important to report to the king,¡± a feminine voice came through. ¡®Honour¡¯s moth¡­! Oh, the princess¡¯s best friend. Odd seeing her here.¡¯ ¡°You cane in,¡± the beta alpha replied, pressing another button on the device that unlocked the door. The door swung open to admit not one, but four individuals, three of whom he¡¯d never seen. The beta alpha was on his guard in an instant. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± he asked, getting up to his feet in an instant, ¡°Exin yourselves¡­¡± ¡°Alpha Phillip, rx. They mean you no harm. These two are normal humans,¡± Whitney tried. The man looked them up and down for a moment before settling back into the king¡¯s seat. Betraying his initial ferocity, the beta alpha¡¯s appearance degraded right before them. Alpha Phillip looked incredibly¡­ tired, ¡°Apologies, I¡¯m¡­ a little jumpy. I have a lot to deal with as it is¡­¡± ¡°No kidding. Is there no one that can help you out with all these¡­¡± Whitney approached the table and grabbed one of the papers at the desk¡­ ¡°Lumbering requests?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask! There are so many things that go through this desk that make me feel like screaming with frustration,¡± the man yawned. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you have those redirected to the people in charge of them then?¡± Whitney suggested. Phillip¡¯s eyes snapped open and turned towards the woman beside him, ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understood what you said just now.¡± ¡°I was saying¡­ what if these requests went to the people that actually had to worry about them. Like these Lumbering requests could go to the leader of the expedition and you could have him decide who could go along with them,¡± the woman exined. The beta alpha¡¯s exhaustion was gone all of a sudden. Why he hadn¡¯t thought of this was far beyond him but the suggestion made a lot of sense to him. Doing this would incredibly reduce his workload. It was a solution that bought him more time to work on other aspects of the kingdom. A bright smile graced the man¡¯s face before he turned to Whitney, ¡°Thank you for that lovely suggestion. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?¡± At this point, Beatrice stepped up, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Alpha Phillip. I am Beatrice of the Golden Moon pack. I bring urgent news for the king of Lycaon.¡± ¡°Did you say¡­ Golden Moon pack? That¡¯s the pack Madeline¡¯s from, isn¡¯t it?¡± the man thought to himself. Beatrice went silent at the mention of her granddaughter¡¯s name. Abandoning her well-prepared speech, sheshed out, ¡°Madeline¡­ do you know where my granddaughter is?¡± ¡°Granddaughter?!¡± the alpha took one more sweep of the woman¡¯s appearance, ¡°I would believe you if you said you were her mother, considering she tends to show the same grey eyes, but woman, you don¡¯t look a day over thirty¡­ No offence.¡± ¡°I will take that as apliment, however, looks can be deceiving. I am indeed her grandmother. Have you seen her?¡± the woman asked once more, a burning spark of hope filling her eyes. ¡°Yes, I have. She¡¯s currently at the Great Arena with the royal family. Is that what you came here to know?¡± the beta alpha asked. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m sorry. That¡¯s not it. I have a message for the king. Might I speak with him?¡± the woman asked. ¡°I¡¯m acting in his ce right now¡­ so you¡¯ll have to make do with me, I¡¯m afraid. Besides, what goes through me automatically reaches him¡­ in case it is of that much importance. Please proceed¡­.¡± Beatrice wanted to argue¡­ to tell this man that he was being stubborn and that her mission was of more importance than he couldprehend, but then¡­ looking at him now, she could tell he was only trying to look out for the ruling monarch. His words bore no malice towards her. The words rolled off his mouth with no emotion whatsoever¡­ as though he¡¯d been told to say these exact same words. Acting out would only make it harder for her. For now, she would have to settle for the beta alpha, ¡°I know where the Rogue King is¡­¡± Chapter 470 - 470 Out of Range 470 Out of Range Alpha Phillip froze for a moment, seemingly unable to digest what he¡¯d just heard. He was the one supposed to take care of the Sirius empire in the absence of the king, was he not? On top of all the work he had to do, a mysterious grey-eyed werewolf iming to be the fabled and missing Seeker hade to him with the worst possible news any wolf would ever get the chance to hear¡­ His mind wrestled with epting her words as true or simply downying them as delusions. He wanted to deny everything she¡¯d just said. The empire had known peace for so long¡­ and yet, here she was, talking about the world¡¯s greatest threat¡­ The Rogue King. And what¡¯s more, she imed to know exactly where the man was. From the king¡¯s journey to the Golden Moon pack nearly two years ago, Phillip knew of this woman¡¯s existence and of her involvement with a mysterious attack back then. Alpha Jackson had long shared his report on the matter. While there had never been blood or a body to speak of from the scene, thedy had, without a doubt, gone missing. Vanishing without a trace. Except for just one. Madeline, the girl who¡¯d escaped from this ordeal, confirmed the presence of the Rogue King in that house that day. What was even more convincing were the memories she shared with the king through the mind link. There was no denying it. She had the perfect image of the Rogue King in their living room that day. If anyone knew the true details of what had happened that night, it would be this woman standing right in front of him. At the time, another source of insight allowed them to affirm that this really was a rogue incident. ..... And that was the presence of a hunter named Micah Chase. The Cleanest Rogue Kidnapping¡­ is what the incident had been named. ¡°I need to speak to the king. The royals need to know,¡± Beatrice spoke up, snapping the man out of his convoluted thoughts. Alpha Phillip sighed before reaching for thendline at the king¡¯s desk. As he dialled in the king¡¯s number, he asked, ¡°Is the king in danger?¡± ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be¡­ but¡­ I¡¯ve been hospitalised for almost two years. I don¡¯t know,¡± the woman answered. The man¡¯s fingers paused and hovered over the buttons of the dial-up phone, ¡°Two years¡­ What happened?¡± ¡°I escaped¡­ but they chased me down. I barely got away with my life. I honestly don¡¯t know how I survived. I can remember drowning¡­ over and over again,¡± Beatrice shuddered at the images that constantly looped through her mind while she¡¯d been in the hospital. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Phillip¡¯s voice softened before he hit the call button. ¡°Would you¡­¡± Peter opened his mouth to say something, but the words got caught in his throat when he looked into the crimson eyes of the person he was talking to. Suddenly, it dawned on him that he was standing in the royal pce of Sirius¡­ and that Alpha Phillip was the beta alpha of the Sirius pack¡­ The feeling of safety and familiarity he¡¯d begun to develop during the casual conversation vanished the moment he tried to approach therge man. Phillip, on the other hand, barely noticed. He took the man¡¯s sudden silence for respect and unwillingness to interrupt him during the phone call. Taking a casual guess about what the young man had intended to ask, he hit the ¡®speaker¡¯ button and ced the phone down before waiting patiently. The phone buzzed for a short moment before the agent¡¯s voice came through¡­ ¡°The number you are trying to dial is currently out of ourwork¡¯s range¡­¡± Alpha Phillip held still as the message sounded three more times before the speaker went silent. The alpha scrunched his brows in confusion and tried the number again¡­ and again¡­ The fourth time, his hand was caught by Whitney¡¯s dainty hand, calming him down. ¡°Where is His Majesty supposed to be?¡± Beatrice asked. ¡°At the Royal Games with the rest of the royal family except for the ones going through the Trials. That¡¯s if the princess and prince haven¡¯t finished with the Trials yet¡­ Usually, they are done with that around now,¡± L answered thoughtfully before the alpha could. Her sudden interruption allowed him to clear his mind ande up with another idea immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll try another number,¡± he said to Whitney and began to dial someone else¡¯s number. The man turned on the speaker and mumbled to himself, ¡°Come on, Jackson. You wouldn¡¯t suddenly lose your phone now, would you?¡± Despite the beta alpha¡¯s silent plea, the same agent¡¯s voice rang back through the speakers. The customer was out of theirwork¡¯s range. This message was only ever heard when the phone belonging to that person was somewhere with no cellphone coverage. When they were just about to call another time, thendline sprung to life. The screen shed blue signalling an iing call from: ¡®Office of Lycaon.¡¯ The alpha answered the phone, ¡°Alpha Phillip of Sirius.¡± ¡°Phillip? Oh, you¡¯re the one they left in charge of Sirius. I¡¯m Alpha Caden of the Lycaon. I¡¯ve been trying to call His Majesty but his number hasn¡¯t gone through and was hoping you could help me with your king¡¯s number. Queen Margaret, Alpha Jason and delta Be won¡¯t pick up their phones either and I¡¯m starting to worry.¡± ¡°I have just tried to call King Davin but his phone seems¡­¡± ¡°¡­Out of range?¡± Caden¡¯s voice interrupted. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting so sick of hearing the same thing over and over again. They can¡¯t all possibly be out of range. I was about to call someone to get thendline checked when I called this number,¡± Caden replied. ¡°A few years ago, my daughter got involved in an attack by the rogues and imed they had brought down the cell towers to keep them from calling for help. Could this be the same thing?¡± Whitney spoke up. ¡°Oh¡­ that makes sense now. I always wondered why the teachers didn¡¯t just call for backup,¡± Peter mumbled to himself. ¡°Yeah, I remember that. But then, thatplicates this entire situation. The Royal games are among the most heavily guarded events in the world right now. Attacking the Great Colosseum would be suicide. That¡¯s where most of the hunters have gone,¡± Caden said thoughtfully, trying to find a reason for taking down themunications to the Great Colosseum. ¡°But that¡¯s the whole point, Caden. Everyone is so focused on the Royal Games right now that the Capitals and every other pack and vige in between have their security drastically reduced. It¡¯s not to keep the Great Arena from calling for help¡­ It¡¯s to keep help froming out of it. Without any way for us to contact the hunters and Royals at the Great Colosseum, the world outside of the Royal Games remains in grave danger.¡± ¡°But¡­ that could be anywhere. The rogues could attack anywhere and we wouldn¡¯t even know about it¡­¡± Caden¡¯s voice began to waver. ¡°Yes. The best thing for us to do now is to remain calm and think rationally. From the sweeps that have been made through no-man¡¯snd, there is barely a rogue to speak of, which means, their numbers were heavily reduced during thest battle and they¡¯ve had no way of increasing them. Not to mention the loss of the royals¡¯ power to turn more people into werewolves,¡± Alpha Phillip reasoned. ¡°The best thing for us to do now is to focus on protecting the lives of people everywhere outside of the Great Arena. Thanks to the hunters, the Bunker Project waspleted in under a year. Should anything happen, having the World Bunkers ready by the time of an attack would increase our chances of avoiding the worst.¡± There was a period of silence before Caden spoke back, ¡°Preparation for the worst¡­ Shouldn¡¯t we be trying to contact the Royals first?¡± ¡°The Royals are probably the most protected people in the world at this point. Not to mention there are so many people at the Great Arena. If anyone was to find out that the rogues were behind this sudden loss ofmunication, we would have a mass panic on our hands and that will alert the rogues of our knowledge. Who knows what would happen then? You know what a rogue does when cornered,¡± Alpha Phillip didn¡¯t have to say a lot after that. Caden had witnessed rogue insanity firsthand back in Brigadia. The rogues had lost all their sense of self-preservation and gone rabid, ¡°Anything to keep that from happening again,¡± he sighed. ¡°Again? Just how many things have you seen?¡± ¡°Enough for a single lifetime,¡± Caden replied, ¡°I¡¯ll get on activating the bunkers and getting everything ready in case of an attack. I¡¯ll also notify all the alphas I can reach on this new course of action. Hopefully, your hunch is wrong and it¡¯s just the weather.¡± With that, the phone went silent with a final beep, ¡°I wish we all shared that sense of optimism.¡± Chapter 471 - 471 Old Friend And Valuable Escort 471 Old Friend And Valuable Escort ¡°WHAT!?!¡± the grey-eyed woman thundered. Mixed with her rage was a slight hint of fear¡­ desperation. ¡°Try to calm down, Beatrice. You just heard what he just said¡­¡± ¡°I DON¡¯T CARE ABOUT WHAT HE SAID¡­¡± ¡°Try to keep your voice down. You¡¯re not getting anywhere by yelling,¡± Whitney tried again, cutting her distraught rtive off. A look of annoyance crossed the alpha¡¯s face before he stepped up, ¡°My decision is made. The safety of the capital and the werewolves of the empirees first to me. Any irrational decisions I make now would only serve to put everyone in danger. Untilmunications are back up, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help you.¡± Alpha Phillip had his fist clenched on the tabletop while he spoke. His anger was evident¡­ but so was his frail sense of control. The man was trying his best to keep his cool. Watching the woman rant on and on about his ipetence was starting to get on his nerves. After the phone call with Caden, things had taken an unexpected turn and the man had declined her request to contact the king. When Beatrice was just about tosh out again, a hand grabbed hers. The woman turned to L who¡¯d been silent the entire time, ¡°L¡­ Not now¡­ not after I¡¯ve¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not over yet, Beatrice. But you have done all you can here,¡± the girl paused and regarded the woman¡¯s eyes, searching for some form of reason left behind her grey orbs, ¡°It might not look like it but Alpha Phillip has his hands tied. He made the phone call without asking questions, didn¡¯t he?¡± ..... ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± ¡°We just have to get another way of reaching the king that won¡¯t endanger the lives of countless others,¡± L reasoned. The beta alpha chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re smarter than you look, human girl.¡± Alpha Phillip pulled a form from one of the drawers and started filling it out before stamping it with the king¡¯s official seal, ¡°I hope you¡¯re able to get to the king in time. If you face any resistance in getting to the king, you can use this form. It grants you direct clearance and audience with the king¡­ no questions asked. An alternative would be to look for your granddaughter. She has direct ess to the king as well.¡± Beatrice took the form from him, stunned by what he¡¯d said. Her outburst had almost sealed her chances of getting help from the beta alpha. She found that she had to remind herself to remain calm even when she was trying to stop the imminent destruction of the world as they knew it. Beatrice bowed her head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ for the misunderstanding.¡± ¡°Pay it no mind. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time,¡± Phillip chuckled. ¡°If I may ask, how does Mady have direct ess to the king?¡± Beatrice asked, suddenly curious to know what her granddaughter had been doing this whole time. ¡°Funny story¡­ You owe it all to the princess. She¡¯s the one that started taking care of Madeline in the first ce. When the king found out, everything else fell into ce¡­¡± Alpha Phillip sighed, ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think you have time for this kind of conversation. You should be going. Whitney, go with her. It will be easier that way,¡± the manmanded, turning to the florist. ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning on letting her go on her own,¡± Honour¡¯s mother bowed. ¡°Goddess be with you, Seeker,¡± Alpha Phillip bowed. With that, the group of four left the pce with a new destination in mind. .....................¡­.. Peter gripped the wheel of the car in deep thought as they slowed at therge opening gates that led them out of the pce. ¡°So, where to next?¡± the man asked them. L frowned in response but didn¡¯t answer him. Beatrice was the first to speak up. ¡°Do you know the way to the Great Arena?¡± she asked him. The man frowned, ¡°I was afraid you were going to say that¡­ but¡­ that¡¯s so many miles away. I don¡¯t trust my ability to drive for many hours.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I hadn¡¯t realised,¡± Beatrice responded before descending into her own thoughts as well, ¡°Is there some sort of public transport we could use then?¡± ¡°Two days ago, that would be a possibility, but now¡ª¡± ¡°PETER, WATCH OUT¡­¡± L screamed in tandem with the sound of screeching wheels from a ck SUV that came speeding out of nowhere. Had it not been for Peter¡¯s swift action on the brakes, the two vehicles would have collided. From the sight of the hulking SUV, Peter¡¯s hatchback was bound to receive the lion¡¯s share of damage¡­ along with his passengers. ¡°What the¡­¡± Peter eximed but stopped when he locked eyes with the other driver. The man¡¯s face contorted into one of rage. Peter was livid, ¡°What the hell was he thinking?¡± ¡°Umm, Peter, that¡¯s a hunter,¡± Whitney cried out. ¡°Hunter my foot¡­ That¡¯s freakin¡¯ Trevor,¡± the man growled, unbuckling his seatbelt and exiting the car with fury dripping from his pores. Somehow, knowing the hunter¡¯s name didn¡¯tfort the florist one bit. He-Trevor-, was still a hunter after all. From the ck SUV, a lean man exited dressed fully in ck, with a leather jacket on top of his normal clothes and a thick scabbard on his back. The hilt of a sword peeked over his shoulder. His odd appearance indicated he was on duty. ¡°Is it okay for him to approach a hunter like that?¡± Beatrice asked tensely. Outside the car, Peter was stomping his way towards Trevor, looking ready to drive a punch through the man¡¯s gut the moment they collided, ¡°Ah! Peter, there¡¯s the man I¡¯ve been looking for,¡± Trevor eximed when he saw the livid man approaching. ¡°EXPLAIN YOURSELF, TREVOR,¡± Peter yelled at him. ¡°I needed some way to stop you from leaving without me. This went well, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± the hunter smirked, ¡°Why so red, man? Aren¡¯t you happy you don¡¯t get to drive all the way to the Great Arena on your own? Last I checked, you don¡¯t do long distances.¡± The anger suddenly vanished from his face, ¡°How did¡­¡± ¡°Alpha Phillip contacted the agency and told us of the situation. Since they didn¡¯t have that many hunters to spare, I offered to escort you to the Great Arena. I didn¡¯t save you those many years ago just to have you die on me again. No, sir.¡± Trevor threw his head back andughed boisterously. L had exited the car as well. She rubbed her temples and shook her head as though massaging a forming headache, ¡°You nearly rammed into us. What¡¯s so funny, Trevor?¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be such a stick in the mud. Cheer up! I¡¯m here to help. I heard you have some urgent message for the king that must absolutely get delivered. Mind getting me in on what this is about? I came as fast as I could, you know¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I can tell¡­¡± Peter started his exnation, speaking to the hunter at length. On the bright side, if Trevor chose to help them, they would get protection and someone more equipped to drive the long journey. Perhaps nearly getting killed by the man¡¯s recklessness was worth it¡­ right? Beatrice and Whitney watched this exchange from the safety of the backseats, ¡°Are these three friends?¡± ¡°I would like to think so, but if that means we¡¯ve got a ride to the Great Arena, I¡¯m notining,¡± Beatrice chuckled. Chapter 472 - 472 [Bonus chapter]Divine Calling 472 [Bonus chapter]Divine Calling The smell of wood and steel¡­ the faint scent of sweat and the strain ofser focus coupled with a wavering resolve. These were the first things that Honour noticed when she regained her senses¡­ Or not¡­ It seemed, once more, that her senses were not her own. And neither were her actions. She was back in the body of a beautiful goddess dressed in a white flowing gown, standing in thepound of a grand white pce. ¡°Rx your shoulders¡­ feel the wind¡­ Don¡¯t tense up or you¡¯ll mess up. Do you know what my divine arrows can do if you miss? You could sink a whole ind with one reckless mistake¡­¡± ¡°Arty, please¡­ I can¡¯t rx when you keep scaring me like that,¡± the bow-wielding female being instructed whined. ¡°Then do as I tell you or else I¡¯ll keep saying the same things over and over again until you get it right,¡± Artemis replied in the samemanding tone,pletely skipping over the girl¡¯s pleas. Selene groaned but chose to do as the goddess had said. ¡®Breathe in, breathe out¡­ Clear your mind¡­ Rx your shoulders¡­ ..... Feel the wind¡­ Master how the arrow feels against the current before taking aim¡­ Hold the arrow steady¡­¡¯ the words she¡¯d been hearing went through her mind as she finally set her eyes on the target before her. The silver bow in her hand had within it a silver arrow nocked. The arrow itself hummed and shimmered with a frightening amount of power. This was the goddess of the hunt¡¯s favourite bow. ¡®She let me use it! Why?¡¯ Selene thought to herself before a voice interfered with her thoughts. ¡°That¡¯s it, Selene. You almost got it. Steady with your aim¡­ focus on the target and the target alone¡­¡± for once, Artemis wasn¡¯t screaming into her ear but rather letting her voice flow gently into the breeze that would then be delivered into her ear. The effect would allow the goddess of the moon to keep her focus on the target. ¡®Is she this serious about bing friends with a Titan?¡¯ the woman asked herself as she finally felt her aim was true. ¡°There you go,¡± Artemis¡¯s voice sang and with it, the goddess of the moon let the arrow loose. The silver projectile sang gracefully through the air and struck the bullseye with a frightening shockwave that shook the moon pce and sent tremors through the entire moon¡¯s surface with its power. ¡°That¡¯s going to cause a few storms and hurricanes in thend of mortals. Hopefully, nothing serious,¡± Selene sighed¡­ Regardless, she was happy with the result. The arrow had lodged itself deep into the target, half its shaft going through the sacred wood and straight through the red mark that Artemis had drawn into its bark. ¡°YOU DID IT, SELENE,¡± the goddess of the hunt squealed, dashing over to the target. Selene watched the joyful goddess marvel at the results of her mentoring, ¡°We are not taking this out. I¡¯ve never seen a more impressive shot. It was so urate. Wow, you could take on my brother with a little bit more training.¡± At this, Seleneughed hard, ¡°Oh no¡­ I would never be a match for the god of archery.¡± ¡°Yeah, that was being too ambitious of me¡­ But still, this is beyond what I would have expected. To be honest, I thought you would destroy a few inds and cause a few idental typhoons in thend of mortals before you got one shot on target,¡± Artemis chuckled¡­ and Selene joined her in her merry mirth. ........ The goddess of the hunt¡¯s chuckles was drowned out as Honour woke up to a groggy start. Her mind was muddled with a poor grasp on the present. ¡°Honour, are you awake? Honour wake up¡­¡± Madeline¡¯s voice cut through her fog. Honour lifted a tired eye and witnessed a blue glowing room. A blue mist covered every inch of their room along with a floral incense that mmed Honour with a wave of nostalgia. ¡®Moon lotuses¡­ The scent of moon lotuses¡­¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡°Honour, can you¡­ um, get rid of this before someone sees?¡± Madeline asked her. The girl sighed and waved her hand in the air. The blue mist swirled all around the room, turning colourless the faster it went until it was gone from view. It was as though the mist had never existed. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Madeline put her hands on the girl¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Yes, Mady¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡± Artemis¡¯s face shed through Honour¡¯s mind once more, muddling her thoughts. The power of a goddess surged through her veins the more vivid these memories became. For a moment, she lost her grasp on reality. Honour was a werewolf born to the Sirius empire and not a goddess that had been double-crossed in the name of vengeance, ¡®No, I¡¯m not that goddess,¡¯ she tried to convince herself. With each passing day, this was getting harder and the feeling of divinity was getting even stronger for her. The pull towards her original home was getting much stronger. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Madeline. I just need to take a shower to clear my head,¡± she groaned, rolling out of the bed. ¡°The memories are still there, aren¡¯t they?¡± the Seeker asked. Honour paused at the door to the bathroom, slightly out of breath. ¡°They are getting worse¡­¡± she replied, before closing the door behind her. The young goddess made fists and clenched her toes, straining to feel her body. To grasp the feeling of her mortality. ¡®It¡¯s like I don¡¯t fit in my own skin anymore,¡¯ she sighed and stepped into the shower. Honour allowed the water to flow down her back. Shivers racked her body as she struggled to grasp her sense of self. The dreams were not only getting clearer but they were also tugging at her heartstrings, rousing emotions from centuries ago... Old memories felt as clear as day, ¡®Was Artemis really my friend back then?¡¯ ....... Inside her room, a delta rushed in through the door, ¡°Where is she? Did you tell her?¡± Crysta slowed down when Madeline didn¡¯t react to her urgent tone, ¡°Mady?¡± Madeline looked up from the bed and to the door to the shower, ¡°It¡¯s Honour. That mist came back. It was worse this time¡­¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± The girl pointed to the shower. As she did that, the sound of falling water came from the other side of the bathroom door. The girl began tapping her foot on the ground impatiently, ¡°Alright then¡­ You wait for her. I have to go to Lina now¡­ Make sure you keep Honour calm. We wouldn¡¯t want her to get riled up. Who knows what could happen?¡± ¡°Hey¡­ that¡¯s Honour you¡¯re talking about. She wouldn¡¯t¡­,¡± Madeline recoiled at the thought. ¡°I know, Mady, I know. Just keep her safe and calm. When she can, meet me, Lina and Bree, before the start of the games,¡± with that, the delta left the room, leaving Madeline frozen at the goddess¡¯s bed. The sight of the swirling mist wouldn¡¯t leave her mind. Honour¡¯s face when she¡¯d tried to wake her had looked odd as well. Instead of the normal Honour, they were used to, the woman that hadin in the bed had been stunningly beautiful with perfect skin and features. There had been an ethereal glow about her body and when Madeline had tried to wake her up, her eyebrows had scrunched in frustration. It was only after her opening one eye that her appearance began to revert back to her normal self¡­ ¡®How much time do we have left, Honour?¡¯ she wondered to herself. Chapter 473 - 473 Uncanny Resemblance 473 Uncanny Resemnce Crysta rushed through the colossal hotel in search of the exit, leaving Madeline behind to tend to the young goddess. After getting lost in the facility so many times the day before, she now knew her way through the maze of corridors and doors and knew how to get out of the massive facility. At times, she wondered how hard it had been for them back then¡­ considering there were signs at the end of every corridor to guide them through. However, after hearing Bree¡¯s recollection of the trio¡¯s first day in the Great Colosseum, she figured getting lost was normal for everyone. Eventually, she made it to the exit of the Great Arena and rushed out, following Lina¡¯s presence through the mind link. The tournament was about to begin and they all had to be present for the announcement of the rules, but something hade up at thest minute. Something so drastic that the princess left her station and rushed out immediately. Leaving Bree to follow the bullet-like princess, she rushed to call the others. That¡¯s when she¡¯d found Madeline frozen and unable to react to the news. ¡®Dammit, we can¡¯t afford to be this disorganised before the start of the Royal Games. We barely won the Trials as it was,¡± the girl screamed in her mind. ¡®For goddess¡¯s sake, what are you thinking, prince Drake?¡¯ ..... .........¡­. Lina stood in front of a short-haired male holding her arms out and barring the way to the Marsnd beyond the settlements surrounding the Great Arena. The man was dressed in travel clothes with a bag on his back. Drake was taller than her and looked that much stronger but that didn¡¯t seem to stop Lina from standing up to him. Her fiery sapphire orbs stared intensely into the identical copy. Despite Drake¡¯s serious injuries only days prior, he looked perfectly fine now, ¡°Where are you going, Drake?¡± ¡°I have something to do, Lina. Out of my way,¡± the prince replied calmly. ¡°Why won¡¯t you talk to me? What are you going to do? Everyone¡¯s here for the Royal Games¡­ Do you¡­ Do you think I can¡¯t win? Do you also think I don¡¯t stand a chance against him?¡± Lina yelled. She was panting and beads of sweat had started to form on her brow from the early morning exertion¡­ but that didn¡¯t bother her. Drake looked taken aback by her words, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that¡­¡± ¡°Then where are you going? What could be more important than cheering me on like Mum and Dad? Not even our restless busy sister would do something like this. She watched me when I went against Liam at the reserve,¡± Lina stared him in the eye. The prince¡¯s neutral expression softened and he walked up to his sister, pulling her into an embrace. Lina sucked in a deep breath, her thoughts racing even more. Frustration was reced with curiosity, worry and fear, ¡®Drake?! Hugging¡­ What has he gotten himself into?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Little Sister. This has nothing to do with you. I would have loved to watch you win against him in this year¡¯s games. I know you can. I¡¯ve watched you train and I know what you¡¯re capable of,¡± he said in a soothing tone. ¡°Then why¡­ why aren¡¯t you staying to watch? What have you been doing these past two years, Drake?¡± Lina asked him. The prince opened his mouth to speak and at that moment, his voice failed him¡­ just like it always had. Countless times before, he¡¯d tried this same thing. To tell them everything he¡¯de to know about himself, but divinews bound him from doing such a thing. Even now, he found himself testing to see if thews still bound him¡­ and they did. Ever so tightly¡­ His onlyfort was that he wasn¡¯t the only one who had to endure this¡­ No, in fact, his own mate was in the same predicament, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to tell you, sister, but one day¡­ I will. And when I do, I hope you¡¯ll understand everything. I¡¯m onto something. I can¡¯t tell you what it is, but it¡¯s important. And I have to see it through, so if you can find it within you to forgive me, please¡­¡± Lina stayed silent for a while before she spoke up, ¡°Mum and Dad didn¡¯t bother following me. You know what that means, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°They are giving up¡­ Yeah, I know.¡± The prince flinched when his sister suddenly lightly mmed her fist into his chest, ¡°We¡¯d never give up on family. They have run out of options, Drake. Don¡¯t ever think we¡¯d give up on you¡­ ever.¡± The two royals finally broke their embrace and Lina stepped out of her brother¡¯s way, ¡°I hope you find what you¡¯re looking for, Drake.¡± ¡°I will find it, Little Sister. If you don¡¯t hear from me in a few hours, try calling me. I started using the electric telephone, you know,¡± the man smirked. ¡°You don¡¯t have to use the whole word, you know. How old do you n on sounding?¡± ¡°Older than you, Little Sister,¡± the smile on Drake¡¯s face suddenly fell, ¡°Take care of them for me.¡± And with that, the prince turned his back on his sister and shifted into his white and ck wolf before dashing from sight. Lina stood frozen at the spot clenching her fists in frustration¡­ Drake had left, just like he¡¯d told their parents he would that morning. A disorganised rumbling of footsteps notified the iing group of werewolves that had tried following Lina. In the end, they were all toote except for her. Guards and pack warriors wanted to know what all themotion was all about. A member of the Organising Committee approached the princess, ¡°Your Highness, the games are about to start. Would you like them to be postponed?¡± Lina was quiet for a moment before someone else broke her dazed state, ¡°Lina, where is he?¡± Crysta and Bree forged their way through the crowd until they made it to their friend. With them around, Crysta¡¯s reactions came smoother and her mind cleared much faster, ¡°He left¡­ He said he had something important to do but that he wouldn¡¯t tell me what it was yet.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Is there anything more important than¡­¡± ¡°Crysta!¡± the princess stopped her rambling friend. The delta balled her fists in frustration and stared in the direction of the marsnd. The random tufts of tall grass stood tall and opaque. The smell of damp soil assailed her nostrils. Lina had run across this treacherous expanse ofnd like it was nothing. And that was only because of her abnormal abilities. If they had to go through this ce without that to help them, she couldn¡¯t even imagine what trouble they would go through. There was no doubt that a multitude of horrors was hidden within the damp bug-infested swamp. Not to mention the cold that was bound to eat at someone little by little. And yet, the prince had dived right back into that cold hell. The scattered bundles of tall grass obstructed the viewpletely at some point, concealing anyone who was at least five hundred metres in. If the prince was still nearby, they wouldn¡¯t know, ¡°Let¡¯s just get back and get ready for the games.¡± ¡°But Wyatt¡­? he won¡¯t be able to¡­¡± Bree started. ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning on ying the games with Wyatt. He should rest¡­ This time, Bree will take his ce,¡± the princess announced, turning to face the members of the Organising Committee that were present. Fidgeting with pen and paper, they began to note down the changes the princess had just made to her team, ¡°Is Bree the same person you¡¯d put on your list of potential candidates?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the one,¡± the princess replied. ¡°Very well. If the three of you would just go to the Sirius pack¡¯s Waiting room, everything will be exined from there,¡± the short man politely suggested. ¡°Alright.¡± ...¡­.. The Sirius Waiting room, as it had been called was a room meant for the contestants of the Sirius Royal family to prepare themselves for the games. Within the room was arge screen that was split into six sections to show different parts of the arena. Three lockers for the three contestants, ess to changing rooms and showers for both genders. At the centre of the room was arge triangr table with three chairs set for the contestants. The wolf sigil of the Sirius empire was drawn into the surface of the table and the walls were lined with blue ribbons as was the colour used by the empire at events like this, unlike the green of the Lycaon empire. Lina sat at the triangr table with Crysta and Bree, her chin resting on her hands while they had a moment to gather their thoughts. ¡°Any of you nervous?¡± the princess asked. ¡°Of course, we are¡­ we are going against the royals of the Lycaon empire. To be honest, I don¡¯t like our odds,¡± Crysta said through gritted teeth. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about having to face off against Cole, you can leave that to me. I¡¯ll handle the Steel Tank of Lycaon,¡± Lina offered. ¡°No, we handle this as a team. Werewolves live in packs for a reason,¡± Bree cut in. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ but we don¡¯t even know what the games are going to be this year. Last time, we ended up witnessing a duel between my brother and Cole. It wasn¡¯t pretty.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know what you mean. Cole doesn¡¯t go down easy. If ites down to a one-on-one duel, I don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll be able to do against him,¡± Crysta whined. ¡°Well, we won¡¯t be able to do anything if all we do is worry about crossing paths. If we are defeated in our minds, then the battle is already lost. Look back to the training you¡¯ve been doing these past years. We¡¯vee a long way since thest time we saw him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right as always, Lina. We can¡¯t give up hope so soon. Still¡­ I can¡¯t help but fear our opponents,¡± Crysta tried, turning to the screen which had just sparked to life. ¡°AND NOW, LET¡¯S LOOK AT THE CONTESTANTS WE¡¯LL BE HAVING FOR THE GAMES THIS YEAR!¡± the announcer¡¯s voice suddenly red through the speakers. ¡°From the Sirius pack,¡± the top six portions of the screen suddenly flickered and showed three contestants with varying expressions. The first was Bree, her amber eyes, while a signal for weakness in this tournament, held more determination than the spectators expected. Crysta¡¯s image barely looked at the camera and held a look of boredom, as though taking the picture was a waste of her time. Nheless, the prestigious green hue of her iris was one to be feared by those of the werewolfmunity. And finally, Lina¡¯s face held a nk expression. Normally her blue eyes would send a wave of fear through the audience but what had captured their attention now was not simply that, but rather the astronomical transformation of her appearance. Her hair fell to her shoulders and with a neutral expression, she looked like a carbon copy of the Lost Luna, Luna Katie of the Lycaon pack. Katie¡¯s story was now known throughout the entire kingdom which meant everyone knew her face. Staring at Lina now, the resemnce was so uncanny that it wiped away all doubts of the Lost Luna¡¯s identity. The family resemnce was undeniable. After a short moment of silence, the crowd erupted in support of the Sirius pack. However, what appeared on the screen next drowned out their screams in an instant¡­ ¡°AND HERE ARE THE CONTESTANTS THAT WILL BE REPRESENTING THE LYCAON PACK¡­¡± Chapter 474 - 474 First Stage 474 First Stage The silence and tension in the Sirius Waiting Room were so thick a knife could cut it. Bree and Crysta momentarily lost theirposure the moment they set their eyes on the screen. Lina, on the other hand, simply froze and scrunched her eyebrows¡­ ¡®I¡¯m not scared,¡¯ she convinced herself. Noticing her thoughts had gone through the mind link, ¡®And neither are the two of you.¡¯ ¡®Yes, Lina,¡¯ Bree and the delta replied dutifully, keeping their eyes on the screen. The first frame held a picture of a jolly crimson-eyed alpha with blonde hair that had been cut short. His toothy smirk was yful and warm while also disying a sense of confidence that was impossible to miss. It took a while for Lina to recognize who it was, but after squinting her eyes for a bit, she gasped in recognition. The red-eyed handsome man in the first frame was the beta alpha of the King of Lycaon. It was none other than Jason. Except for his eyes and jolly expression, he looked different. ¡®He¡¯s really changed his look.¡¯ the princess thought to herself before moving on to the next frame. The next image was of a man she couldn¡¯t recognise at first sight, but after reading the name below his image, the colour drained from her face. ¡®Beta Alpha Kyle of the Lycaon pack! Kyle¡­ Kyle is a beta alpha! Since when is Kyle a beta alpha? And what¡¯s with that neck and shoulders? He looks like he¡¯s been lifting elephants for a living with all that mass,¡¯ the girl screamed in her head. Yes, Kyle¡¯s hulking form was impossible to hide even from the half-image they¡¯d taken of him. ..... There was the matter of his expression as well. Kyle wore a cocky grin on his face as he looked straight into the camera. For some reason, he seemed higher than the rest of the contestants in the other frames¡­ like his oppressive aura had forced everyone to appear small inparison to him. His face, along with his hulking form, was enough to send shivers down anyone¡¯s spine. The third frame was of Cole Lycaon who was, by far the calmest of the three members of that team. He didn¡¯t wear a neutral expression like Lina but his slight smile and warm expression were not that pronounced either. His calm features and Jason¡¯s jolliness were enough to even out Kyle¡¯s animosity. ¡°Are we allowed to panic now?¡± Bree chuckled loudly after a short pause. ¡°Not even in your wildest dreams,¡± Lina returned. Crysta almost said something but stopped at the sight of her alpha. Lina looked¡­ excited. ........ The Lycaon waiting room was a mirror image of the Sirius Waiting room, with only the sigil at the table and the green colours as a difference between the two identical rooms. It was also intuitive that the two rooms were on opposite sides of the Great Arena too. Cole sat in his chair tapping his finger unconsciously on the table until the screen sparked to life. They watched as the faces of their opponents appeared on the screen. The king gasped at the sight of Lina¡¯s transformed face. It looked like his mate¡¯s, but being Cole, he could tell the difference. Lina was younger, after all. The minuscule differences between Katie¡¯s sister and her were all in as day to the man, however, he couldn¡¯t deny the resemnce. Katie had a tendency to smile when facing strong opponents. Her emotions were always on disy even though everyone around knew not to get on her bad side. Lina, on the other hand¡­ was an awakening of a powerful wolf from Katie¡¯s same lineage. Cole had no doubts the games would be interesting this year. So much so that he didn¡¯t really trust his impervious skin to get him through the games unscathed. ¡°Hey, Cole, have you noticed we are going up against an all-girls team this year?¡± Jason asked suddenly. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve noticed¡­ I wonder what they are thinking,¡± Cole replied. Kyle raised a brow at hispanions, ¡°What does being girls have to do with anything?¡± Cole and Jason stared between themselves and the rookie beta alpha, trying to discern what they¡¯d said wrong, ¡°Are you already forgetting who your mate is?¡± ¡°No¡­ but, well¡­ Katie is Katie. There is a difference,¡± Cole tried. ¡°Not by much¡­ Lina is rted to Katie if you¡¯ve forgotten. And look at that resemnce! Besides, I¡¯ve seen many females do surprising stuff other than Katie. Samantha, Jackeline, Sandra¡­ all of them were really impressive fighters,¡± Kyle argued. ¡°Kyle, we aren¡¯t looking down on them or anything¡­ It¡¯s just that when ites down to a brawl, it would be easier fighting males than females,¡± Jason tried his turn. ¡°Oh!¡± Kyle thought about it for a moment, ¡°I guess that makes some sort of sense. I hadn¡¯t thought of it that way.¡± ¡°Were you really nning on beating them up as you did with Caden?¡± Jason nched. ¡°I grew up in a ce where females were just as scary as males. Excuse me if I don¡¯t see their gender as an excuse for holding back,¡± Kyle huffed, ¡°And delta Be wouldn¡¯t let me forget that.¡± The other two shrugged it off, turning their eyes back to the screen. The screen then showed their faces on the screen, drowning out the noise of the audience, ¡°Kyle, did you have to look so much like you in front of the camera?¡± Jason cringed at the man¡¯s cocky image. ¡°And could you look any more different?¡± Kyle countered the now-blonde Jason, ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re trying to make a statement.¡± Jason switched his attention to the current picture of him that he¡¯d worked so hard to change, ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll notice?¡± Kyle sighed, ¡°Of course, she will. I¡¯m sure she would notice a new freckle just as much as your hair turning blonde and receiving a thousand piercings.¡± ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t remind me. The piercings kept healing before I got the chance to even get any ornaments through. It was impossible to get that one. Now I know why werewolf women don¡¯t pierce their ears,¡± the blonde threw his hands in the air in exasperation. ¡°Katie had her ears pierced though,¡± Kyle wondered, ¡°Well, I guess she couldn¡¯t heal so well when her wolf was suppressed. It never urred to me.¡± ¡°Both of you get your head in the game, the Announcer is about to dere the rules of this year¡¯s games,¡± Cole suddenly intervened. ¡°Yes, your majesty,¡± the beta alphas replied in unison,pelled by the power of their leader. ....... ¡°The Royal games have never been predictable and each year, the games have been different, chosen by a group of werewolves and hunters and the final decision for this exciting event is kept secret until this very moment. In a few minutes, the first game will be starting. Without wasting any more time, I will exin how this year¡¯s royal games are going to y out. The Royal games are yed in three stages and different games are chosen at each stage and yed over the span of a week. These games will be revealed to the contestants only ten minutes before the start of each stage and they will only have ten minutes toe up with a strategy.¡± As soon as the announcer had said this, the lights in the Waiting rooms went dark and the screens floating above the arena suddenly started showing what was inside each room. Within the Waiting Rooms, the screens showed what was happening in their rooms alone. This way, the royals knew the cameras were rolling, but couldn¡¯t see what was happening in the opponent¡¯s Waiting Room. The audience, on the other hand, had a view of everything as it happened. The entrance to the Sirius Waiting room suddenly opened, allowing a short man in a fitting ck suit to walk in. Behind him, a timid assistant followed, gripping a yellow envelope that she ced on top of the sigil on the triangr table at the centre. ¡°Your ten minutes will begin¡­¡± the man pulled up his sleeve and stared at a luxurious watch on his wrist. Together with the motion of his thumb, he said, ¡°NOW.¡± A mirror representation of this was going on in the Lycaon Waiting room. Lina calmly retrieved the envelope and opened it. As soon as she had looked at the first upper case bold letters at the very top of the missive inside, her eyes widened in shock. Aloud, she read, ¡°THE BLIND SEARCH! This contest will happenpletely without the help of one¡¯s sense of sight. Contestants shall be required to make their way through the forest in the grand arena in search of special items set to give off a particr scent and return them to this room. After finding this item, the contestant shall return to the Waiting room and the next shall go out. Maiming of contestants is absolutely prohibited. However, stealing the other team¡¯s items is allowed. Combat between yers is allowed for as long as it is within the limits of safebat. For every imed item, a team will be awarded three points. For every stolen item, the stealing team will be awarded one point and the other team whose item has been stolen will lose one point. Only one person per team can be out in the forest at a time. Removing the head gear covering one¡¯s eyes while on the field will lead to a penalty and the loss of three points. If there is an item in hand at the time of regaining sight, this item will be considered pointless and be removed from the forest.¡± Lina stared at the picture at the bottom before cing the paper on the table before them. It was an aerial image of the Great Arena. The arena at the centre of the gargantuan colosseum had beenpletely converted into a forest, filled with obstacles of all sorts scattered through it. ¡°Just how big is this damned thing?¡± Crysta shuddered. ¡°You were here thest time, weren¡¯t you?¡± Bree wondered. ¡°Well, yeah¡­ but¡­ It¡¯s bigger when I¡¯m told I have to get through the games,¡± the delta replied. Five minutes had gone since the timer had started. There was a timer on the screen counting down. The red re from the digits running down felt too ominous to stare at, ¡°They¡¯ve really outdone themselves this year,¡± Lina giggled, staring at the aerial image before them, ¡°I¡¯m guessing this picture won¡¯t even do us any good since we are going to be blind the whole way.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s probably true¡­ How are we supposed to make our way back if we can¡¯t see either?¡± Bree asked them. ¡°You have a point there. It would prove to be too hard. There is a lot we don¡¯t know here. What do these ¡®items¡¯ look like, to begin with?¡± Lina asked, turning to the man standing by the table. The short man backed away from the princess, ¡°All we can tell you is what is in the envelope,¡± the man nervously chuckled. ¡°You look far too happy,¡± Crysta growled at him. ¡°Of course, I am. I didn¡¯t know what was in the envelope. Now that you¡¯ve read it out loud, I¡¯m excited. I can¡¯t help but wonder what you¡¯re going to do,¡± the man replied sincerely. ¡°Crysta, we don¡¯t have time to waste. Three minutes left. We need a strategy otherwise we won¡¯t be able to finish this. How long will this gamest?¡± Lina asked. ¡°One hour and a half.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not so much time¡­ There is so much we don¡¯t know about this, to begin with,¡± Lina argued. ¡°Two minutes, Lina. Who¡¯s going first?¡± Bree intervened. ¡°I don¡¯t have trouble going first, but would you want to get us started? You weren¡¯t able to participate in the Trials, so you could start this one,¡± Lina smiled at her friend. ¡°Really¡­ Okay, that would be awesome. But¡­ I don¡¯t know how I will return once I¡¯ve found the item,¡± the amber-eyed girl perked up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I just figured it out. You¡¯ll use the mind link¡­¡± A loud siren started to beep through the Waiting Room, forcing the girls to turn to the screen. Nine¡­ Eight¡­ Seven¡­ The timer was counting down. ¡°How do you n to go out? On foot or in your wolf form,¡± the short man asked. In his hand, he held a blue blindfold with an adjustable metal sp on both ends. His assistant to his right held arge metal headgear which also bore a blue ribbon at the part where the wolf¡¯s eyes should have been. They could only go out wearing one of these two items, which meant they had to choose which form to spend the search in before retrieving the item. The colosseum was huge and there were plenty of obstacles. Six¡­ There were so many choices that could lead them to victory and so many others that could lead them to defeat¡­ but no sure way of knowing. How were they supposed to go about winning apetition like this in the first ce? Five¡­ ..... Going out in their wolf forms allowed them the advantage of speed and heightened senses while staying in their human forms allowed them the advantage of manoeuvring the field carefully. Four¡­ There was the matter of these items they were supposed to pick up. There was no telling if these items could be easily lifted in their wolf forms. There was no telling if some of these items were stuck somewhere¡­ Their human fingers would be able to pry them from any ce they were stuck in¡­ if that happened to be the case. There was a lot they didn¡¯t know. Three¡­ There was also the likelihood of meeting someone from the opposing team while they were out. Would it be better to meet them in their human forms or werewolf forms? Two¡­ Bree wondered if they were even allowed to face off against each other once they were out there¡­ ¡°Does this mean we get to fight them blind?¡± One¡­ ¡°Yes, Bree, if ites down to it, you¡¯ll have to fight,¡± Crysta answered in an ominous tone. Chapter 475 - 475 Sudden... and Interesting Development 475 Sudden... and Interesting Development Facing off against one of them was a definite possibility. Intuitively, an alpha¡¯s senses were much stronger than those of the average wolf¡­ and an average wolf was exactly what Bree was. She had the amber in her eyes to prove it. Her mind went over her own perspective of the game at hand. To keep the other team from stealing points, if at all they got petty, they¡¯d most definitely pick a fight with you. Finding an item was bound to be hard and it made sense that fully retrieving one would earn them a whole three points. When it came down to it, stealing an item offered the opposing team fewer points. However, if the item was stolen from an enemy that was still in the process of returning the item to the Waiting Room, then the two-point gap would take on a whole new meaning. They would have lost an item that could get them three points and the opponents would have had an easy time getting it from them. Two points, while less than three, were much easier to get¡­ which made that strategy dangerous. ¡®So, I might have to fight after all!¡¯ A shiver went down Bree¡¯s spine when she realised this was going to be a lot harder than she¡¯d first thought it would be. Going through the forest blind was starting to see like the least of her worries. Now she had to worry about fighting blind as well. Were they even capable of fighting blind, to begin with? ..... ¡°Have you made your choice, Ms Bree?¡± the short man asked her. ¡°Oh¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ This is so hard. If I end up meeting them when I¡¯m in, I could¡­ Oh no!¡± a loud grating sound suddenly interrupted her speech. The three girls turned around to see the front of the Waiting room slowly lift up, letting in a stream of golden light from the other side¡­ The damp scent of the forest wafted into the Waiting room along with a cool breeze. Even the rhythmic chirping of birds could be heard in this man-made forest. The asional breeze and rustle of leaves, ¡°They really go all out with creating the environment,¡± Crysta eximed. The timer was counting down¡­ The games had started and Bree hadn¡¯t chosen what form she would take. A choice that seemed impulsive at first boiled down to reason and got buried in a mountain of worries and doubts. Two hands grabbed the anxious girl¡¯s shoulders and turned her away from the Great Arena. ¡°Hey Bree, look at me. Deep breaths. We all get nervous,¡± Lina cooed. ¡°What are you talking about? You¡¯re perfectly calm,¡± the girl argued. Lina chuckled, ¡°Laughter and anxiety are very simr actually. If you decided tough right now, you would find it really easy. You don¡¯t have to go out the moment the timer starts running. Calm down¡­ this is a blind search after all. You have to listen to your senses better. That¡¯s what will get you through this round. See that,¡± Lina pointed to a blue handkerchief that had been ced on the table. That handkerchief isced with the perfume that the items will be emitting. Your sense of smell will be your most important sense out there,¡± Lina suggested. ¡°Okay,¡± Bree picked up the cloth and brought it up to her nose. The distinct scent of the perfume that had been infused in the cloth flowed into her nose. Her tracking training kicked in and she memorized the scent with an astonishing degree of rity. With this small action, the nerves she significantly lessened. Bree felt ready to take on the world. ¡°Let¡¯s win this, Bree.¡± Bree nodded and turned to the short man holding a blindfold in his hands, ¡°I¡¯ll go in my human form,¡± she announced. ¡®There is too much I don¡¯t know about the battlefield or the items we¡¯ll be picking up. They¡¯ve been too vague about that subject that I can¡¯t even tell if they are talking about actual items or simply the same thing.¡¯ There was so much the girl didn¡¯t know, but whether she liked it or not, the games had begun and she¡¯d already used five minutes to settle her nerves. She couldn¡¯t afford to lose any more time¡­ at the same time, she couldn¡¯t afford to be careless. The short man had her turn around while he fastened the blue blindfold over her eyes. In a moment, the world had gonepletely ck and the rest of her senses began to heighten. Bree walked out through therge doors, feeling the cold air hit her once she was outside. Her ears immediately picked up on the different sounds in the forest. The birds chirping in the woods, the leaves rustling, the wind whistling, the sound of her footsteps crushing the leaves beneath her shoes. There was so much information flowing into her mind through her senses that she couldn¡¯t decipher anything at first. A few more steps into the forest and she collided head-first into a tree. Lina suppressed theughter that wanted to escape her, ¡°Hey, Lina, I can tell you¡¯reughing,¡± Bree said through the mind link. ¡°Well, you bumped right into a tree,¡± the princess said to her in a controlled tone. Despite this tone, the waves of mirthing from the princess were utterly unrestrained. ¡°Well, I wonder what you¡¯ll be doing when I finally get out of your field of view,¡± the girl huffed but continued feeling her way as she walked deeper into the forest. ¡°Focus, Bree¡­ Focus on the wind, sniff out the items we have to find,¡± Lina encouraged. ¡°I know what I¡¯m supposed to do. You don¡¯t have to tell me.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah yeah¡­¡± Lina chuckled and watched her friend cautiously advance into the woods. ¡®So far so good, I guess,¡¯ the princess thought to herself. Lina genuinely thought everything was alright until she listened to the words the announcer was saying. Her blood ran cold¡­ ¡°The contestant from the Sirius Waiting room finally came out. Wow, she certainly took her time. If I remember correctly, this girl¡¯s name is Bree. And she is the first average werewolf to ever y in the Royal games. I don¡¯t know what gave her the confidence to go against the most powerful werewolves in the world, but she¡¯s here folks¡­ and we expect a good show. Oh my, looks like she¡¯s still having trouble finding her way through the forest. While she¡¯s having trouble going through the forest, Alpha Jason seems to be moving through it just fine. In fact, it¡¯s almost like he¡¯s running with his eyes open¡­¡± ¡°WAIT¡­ RUNNING?¡± Lina nearly screamed at the screen. But she couldn¡¯t deny what her eyes were showing her. On the screen in the waiting room, one of the frames showed a clear video of King Cole¡¯s beta alpha running through the woods with a green blindfold around his eyes. He was clearly blind but that didn¡¯t slow him down one bit. He was jogging through the woods like it was nothing, dodging all the trees without a single problem in search of their items. Thementator¡¯s voice came again through the Waiting Room speakers, ¡°I¡¯m here with Stan. An expert tracker from the Lycaon empire. He¡¯s also an informant for the Hunter¡¯s Organisation and a member of the Royal Games Organisingmittee this year. Stan, tell us what inspired you toe up with this¡­ unorthodox game that seems to have the royals at the edges of their seats.¡± ¡°Well, Bill, this is one of those games you just sit down and only dream about. When I first mentioned this to themittee, I had expected them to turn it down but¡­ pfft, here we are. I guess dreams doe true.¡± ¡°Yes, Stan. They certainly do. Tell us about what we are supposed to expect from this. Speaking personally, I find this game bloody impossible to win,¡± Bill asked. ¡°Oh, but that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong, Bill. For werewolves, this is a different matter. Our kind picks up so much at a single time that there is almost no way to distinguish these pieces of information without practice. And with that controles the power of tracking. The best trackers out there will tell you that they barely need their eyes anymore. They¡¯ve got all the senses they need to find their prey.¡± ¡°Fascinating, Stan. I had no idea the simple idea of tracking could hold so much information¡­¡± there was a momentary pause, ¡°What¡¯s this? Could he have¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­ yes, he has. I apud that beta alpha¡¯s unique talent,¡± Stan replied fondly, as though he¡¯d known the contestant once before. Lina tensed up when she noticed the alpha tip his head to the sky, scrunching his nose a bit. In the corner of the screen, she could see a waving green ribbon. Jason had found his first item¡­ ¡®Not good,¡¯ the princess felt her stomach turn. The beta alpha turned his head directly at the ribbon swaying in the air. It was high up in an oak tree and he would clearly need to climb to find it. He thought for a bit before smirking¡­ with that, he turned his head away from the ribbon and started jogging deeper into the forest. ¡°Jason just abandoned one of the items he¡¯d clearly found. What is he thinking?¡± Lina gawked at the screen. ¡°That idiot¡­ I didn¡¯t think he was the petty type,¡± Crysta yelled at the monitor. ¡°Calm down, Crysta. Jason is not breaking any rules. Besides, thispetition is about having fun. How you win, no matter how underhanded and as long as it doesn¡¯t break the rules, is all a part of the game,¡± the princess chuckled. ¡°You can¡¯t be fine with this, Lina. Can you?¡± Crysta argued. ¡°There is not much I can do about it. I¡¯m just hoping Bree will be fine. That¡¯s all I¡¯m hoping for. If she can find our item and bring it back, then nothing will really matter. Stealing another person¡¯s item would only get them one point and remove one from us. Even if Jason was able to get an item that belongs to us, we would still be ahead of him as long as we retrieved our own items,¡± Lina exined, switching her attention to the monitor showing Bree. ......¡­.. Bree was moving shakily through the woods, her world glitching in and out of her perception. The information flowing into her mind wasn¡¯t slowing down¡­ No, instead, it was increasing. The more she spent without her eyes, the more her other senses heightened. The sound of the birds, the sound of woodpeckers¡­ even the shuffle of a cricket¡¯s wings and the sound of falling leaves were things she was bing aware of. Her wolf forced its way forward, but the girl forced the urges to shift to the back of her mind. Shifting would only get her turn cancelled and they would even lose points for it because the ribbon covering her eyes would be no more. ¡®Breathe in¡­ Breathe out¡­¡¯ a voice suddenly wafted into her ears through the wind, interrupting her chaotic thoughts. With this voice¡¯s invasion came a powerful sense of calmness. This voice sounded a lot like one she¡¯de to know. However, the way she heard it was alienpared to what she was used to. Instead ofing through her mind link, Honour¡¯s voice was echoing through the wind and viciously cut through the storm in her mind instead of adding to it. ¡®Clear your mind, Bree¡­ Rx your shoulders¡­ This is no different from the training you¡¯ve gone through¡­¡¯ the voice came again. ¡®Don¡¯t fight your senses¡­ Embrace them, Bree. You¡¯re a werewolf, not a human. Allow your senses to take over you. Let them be your eyes¡­¡¯ The girl took in a deep breath once again, listening to the words in the wind. As she did, the little panic left suddenly vanished. Her fangs extended within her mouth and her ears grew longer, sharpening into tips with grey fur sprouting from the top of her head. Surprisingly, he found that she wasn¡¯t afraid of the transformation at all. With the sudden change, her senses rose even higher and higher, letting in every little detail, overwhelming her mind so much that she was starting to feel the world spin. Right when she was about to doubt the voice in the wind, the most unexpected thing happened. A monochromatic image of her surroundings suddenly became clear to her, revealing everything that was around her, almost like she had never needed her eyes to see. ¡°Folks, there has been a shocking new development¡­ Is she¡­ ¡°Yes, Bill¡­ That girl right there¡­ is she sprinting?¡± The crowd gasped before erupting into a chaotic uproar¡­ Bree was zipping through the woods at top speed, making a beeline for something that had caught her attention. Chapter 476 - 476 A Battle Against Odds 476 A Battle Against Odds Lina stared dumbfounded at the video of one of her best friends dashing on the screen. Bree was weaving through the trees faster than anyone thought possible making great distances without a moment of hesitation. And doing spectacrly so with a blindfold over her eyes. She ducked when a branch was too low and leapt over roots with great ease and effortless foresight as she continued to make her way deeper and deeper into the manmade forest. The carefully nted cameras in the woods kept switching at rapid speeds just to keep up with her inhuman speed. Thankfully, she wasn¡¯t wandering aimlessly through the woods which made it a lot easier for the cameras to keep track of where she would appear next. An algorithm that had run the recent data from the forest calcted her path and brought up a dormant camera in the distance, far ahead of her current position, her most anticipated destination. The screen showed arge pit in the centre of a clearing. At the very bottom of it was something waving in the air¡­ a blue ribbon, but that was not all. This ribbon was attached firmly to something else which was also painted with blue strips¡­ ance nted deep in the ground. It wasn¡¯t long after showing this item that Bree broke through the treeline and approached the pit. There was a gasp from the audience when they saw where she was going. At that speed, she would fall straight into the pit and in the worst-case scenario, hit her head on the steel shaft of thence. But to everyone¡¯s surprise, that didn¡¯t happen. As soon as the girl broke through the treeline, she slowed down her pace and stopped at the rim of therge pit. Bree stood straight and sniffed the air for confirmation. ..... The ribbon was blowing in her direction which exined why she was so sure of its location. The deadly uracy with which she had discerned its location, however, was not to be scoffed at. ¡°Astounding, she found the item this fast and without much trouble. Who could have known there was a werewolf out there that wasn¡¯t a royal but was this talented? Am I right, Stan?¡± thementator screamed over the speakers. ¡°Actually, Bill. Talents like these have been heard of over the years. Once in a while, a wolf is born into this world with an astounding sense of smell and with the ability to discern their surroundings with such deadly uracy that it¡¯s almost like magic,¡± the guest speaker exined. ¡°Would you happen to be one of these special werewolves, Stan?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I am not. I had a lot of training to get where I am today and I still find enigmas like the girl down there,¡± Stan sighed. ¡°There you have it folks. The Sirius team brought a trump card into the games this year. They seem determined to show us that the colour of one¡¯s eyes does not determine how strong they can really be,¡± Bill announced with a well of enthusiasm that was just impossible to ignore. Bree didn¡¯t linger at the rim of the pit. Having grasped the nature of her new surroundings, she stepped inside and slid down the sloping wall of the pit and made her way to the bottom. However, as soon as she had, something else caught her attention. With everyone paying attention to her, no one noticed the presence of another werewolf. Standing on the other side of the rim was a blonde man whose crimson eyes were covered with a green blindfold. ¡°I didn¡¯t think she would choose you to join the Sirius pack¡¯s three contestants. Clearly, there is something special about you since you¡¯ve already made it this far without your sight,¡± Jason chuckled, staring down at the girl approaching thence, ¡°Now hand that over¡­¡± The beta alpha went silent as he heard the resonating sound of metal. Bree had yanked thence from the ground without listening to a word he had to say. ¡°I should have known Lycaon wouldn¡¯t y fair.¡± ¡°Oh, but I am. There are points awarded for stealing an item and a point deducted from the opponent. I¡¯m not the one who makes the rules,¡± Jason smirked. Bree turned to him and froze in ce, unmoving. Jason stared at her for a good thirty seconds, trying to understand why she wasn¡¯t trying to escape the bowl she was standing in, ¡°Did you suddenly forget how to climb?¡± ¡°Nah¡­ but if you waste the whole game trying to steal my item, then no one wins. It would be easy for you to steal this if I tried climbing out of this thing. So, if you want the item, you will have toe and take it from me,¡± with that said, the girl gave thence a good spin, wielding it like a deadly weapon and facing the alpha in a determined stance. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Jason stepped onto the sloping side of the steep side of the bowl-like pit and began sliding into it. A buzzing drone high in the sky hovered above the pit to get a better view of what was going on inside. Since both of these werewolves were blindfolded, it was hard to believe they could move around this confidently. Still, to all that had been watching, favour had begun to tip in Bree¡¯s favour. The young girl was handling herself far better and more smoothly than the beta alpha in the absence of sight. As it turned out, sliding down the side of this manmade bowl was more disorienting than the alpha had initially anticipated. He first lost his sense of altitude and the mental image of his surroundings suddenly wavered. A wave of panic threatened to get a hold of him, making his bnce suffer next. While he was trying to regain his bearings and make it look as though nothing was wrong with him, he felt his instincts re up. The sound of rapid footsteps was the first to reach his ears, alerting him of motioning from something in front of him, ¡®Of course, she had some trick up her sleeve¡­¡¯ Bree wasn¡¯t nning on actually fighting the beta alpha of the Lycaon pack. While she believed herself to be a decent fighter, she was not ignorant of the power difference between herself, an amber-eyed werewolf and Jason, a crimson-eyed beta alpha. If the most powerful werewolves in the world were to be ranked up, she had no doubt that Jason would end up in the top ten¡­ And those weren¡¯t odds she was willing to test. There was simply no way she could challenge him to a fair fight and she wouldn¡¯t do so if she could help it. So, instead, she¡¯d asked him to join her at the bottom of the somewhat deep pit for a fair battle for the item she¡¯d found. Just when she heard him start to slide down the smooth side of the man-made earthen bowl, she called on the urate moving image of her surroundings and got low to the ground and gathered all the energy her legs could muster. The girl thenunched into a sprint going straight for the alpha. The crowd watched, entranced by the sudden action, as the small nimble wolf went up against a creature way out of her league. By the time Jason realised what was happening, all he could do was bring his arms out in front of him to block her attack, ¡°You don¡¯t y fair either.¡± The alpha grunted when two feet mmed into his forearms with enough force to throw and bury him into the side of the man-made bowl, creating a Jason-shaped depression. Bree leapt off the beta alpha¡¯s arms and flipped high in the air, flying in a neat arc andnding smoothly on the rim of the earthen bowl, ¡°See youter, Jason.¡± The beta alpha rolled to the bottom of the pit before rapidly standing. The man dusted himself off a bit and out of sheer amusement, threw his head back in a great peal ofughter. This was the first time he¡¯d ever been tricked by an average werewolf and he¡¯d be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t intrigued by the sudden turn of events. ......¡­. After what Bree had just pulled, the girl had her heart pumping very fast. Whether it was from adrenaline or the fear of having attacked a beta alpha, the real reason was unknown to her and irrelevant as well. She had only one mission alone now¡­ And that was to get the item back to their Waiting room which was now serving as their base. The girl dashed forward as fast as her legs could carry her. To her surprise, this was faster than her normal human running speed. For some reason, after she¡¯d listened to Honour¡¯s voice in the wind, her abilities and senses had doubled allowing her to reach speeds she¡¯d never tapped into in her human form. Her thighs and calves screamed for relief but she couldn¡¯t stop¡­ not now when she was so close to victory. Fortunately for her, the mental image that her senses projected in her mind was more than her eyes could ever offer her, for she could even see around trees in a way she couldn¡¯t describe. The downside of this ability soon became known to her as she picked on the presence of a werewolf pursuing her with tremendous speed. Jason was not holding back anymore and he was closing in faster than the girl could escape. Tapping into the pack link, the girl located the Waiting Room. It was still too far and the man wasing closer. ¡®What will he do to me if he finds me?¡¯ she panicked, ¡®No, there is no time for me to worry. I have to see this through¡­ In whatever way that I can¡­¡¯ she thought as she gripped the shaft of thence even tighter. A well of raw determination poured into her as she braced herself for the sprint of her life. With her mind no longer clouded, she gathered the facts she knew about what was happening with the hopes of finding some leverage over the beta alpha that would enable her to extend her survival time. Simply running wouldn¡¯t get her to the Waiting room unscathed. Jason was stronger than her in more ways than she could count, but there was something she could still use to her advantage. It was something she¡¯d already used before back in the bowl-shaped pit. It was that her perception of their environment was a lot sharper and even harder to shake than Jason¡¯s. Even as he barreled towards her, she could still hear him cursing every time he tripped over a root or obstacle in his path and she heard the ruffle of leaves each time a low-lying branch struck his face and the frustrated grunt that followed. Bree continued running through the forest, a n beginning to take shape in her mind. Suddenly, she was no longer filled with fear and instead, she was filled with more determination to see this through. The two tore through the forest, against all logic, rushing through it as though they hadn¡¯t been robbed of their sight. Jason found keeping up with the girl to be a bit problematic as his mental perception of the world kept fading in and out of focus. Each time he nearly tripped over a tree root or a rock or got hit in the face by the leaves of the oak trees, his concentration was disrupted and his mental image suffered greatly, giving way to more possibilities to trip and bump into obstacles. But his determination to catch up with the girl was stronger than ever, ¡®How is she able to move so well and at that speed? Sirius wasn¡¯t messing around in its selection of candidates after all. They¡¯ve got some tricks up their sleeves this year but that won¡¯t change anything.¡¯ With thatst thought, the alpha finally caught up, nking Bree on the left. Jason extended his ws and made a swipe to the right. With one move, he would stop her in her tracks and take the item from her with barely a fight. It was like cornering a frightened hare, ¡®There is nowhere for you to run now¡­¡± The alpha swiped to the right with all the force he could muster and his hand took a viciousteral path that should have hit the girl¡¯s head even at their pace, however, to his surprise, his hand followed the path unhindered by anything. When the mental image in his head cleared, an expression of shock reced his former triumphant look. Bree had dropped so low to the ground at the right moment like an athlete starting a race¡­ andpletely dodged his attack. The amber-eyed werewolf was crouched low to the ground without breaking her dash. In the next moment, Bree shot forward, leaving the beta alpha dazed by the sudden development¡­ ¡°WHAT HAVE WE JUST WITNESSED?¡± the announcer, Bill suddenly screamed over the speakers. In the Sirius Waiting room, Crysta started chuckling, ¡°I knew Bree was amazing¡­ but even I didn¡¯t see thising.¡± The girl sprinting through the forest never once broke her concentration. Lina scrunched her brows at the frame containing Bree¡¯s running form. ¡®Something¡¯s different¡­ Has Bree always been capable of a half shift?¡¯ Chapter 477 - 477 The Smell of Rain 477 The Smell of Rain The sudden evasion came as a shock to not just Jason, but everyone watching as well. Bree had made sure to drop down at thest moment, keeping her ruse from the alpha long enough for him to perceive his actions as perfect. After missing once, Jason wondered whether it would be a good idea to chase after Bree one more time and stop her in her tracks. The beta alpha gritted teeth and forged forward easily catching up to the female wolf and going for a low attack this time. ¡®Her perception of her surroundings can¡¯t be that¡­¡¯ his thought stopped when he missed once more. This time the girl had leapt into the air this time,pletely evading him. To his surprise, he felt like she¡¯d soared high into the air. Trusting his wolf¡¯s senses was hard in this situation but it was also all he had. Bree had leapt much higher than the average wolf was capable of, clearly putting a difference between her and ordinary werewolves. Something wasn¡¯t right here¡­ Jason pushed forward, forcing himself up and forward. However, Bree had other ideas. To make her point, she decided to show Jason just how much she was unhindered by herck of sight and when she leapt into the air, she didn¡¯t propel herself forward. The girl jumped high enough to let the alpha¡¯s body get past her before using his blonde mop as a tform for her next stepping stone. The wolf pushed off Jason¡¯s head, mming his body into the ground once more and rushed forward, wasting no time in creating a distance between them. Bree rushed forward at top speed, not caring for her aching muscles or screaming lungs. If the alpha chose to chase her down after that, there was a possibility she couldn¡¯t evade him again¡­ but she¡¯d never nned on actually defeating him. He was bound to get a pattern to her movements sooner orter¡­ ..... She¡¯d utilised her element of surprise to the best of her abilities and now ced her trust in sheer speed. As she pushed on, she started to involuntarily slow down. Her thighs screamed out in pain at the exertion. Her breathing doubled in difficulty and her movements became sluggish. It was only then that her right hand¡¯s biceps started throbbing from carrying thence. She switched thence into her left hand, but as that wasn¡¯t her dominant hand, she soon switched it back to her right. The mental image in the girl¡¯s head started to falter for the first time, but her instincts still remained sharp. Bree had reached her limit¡­ and the adrenaline was wearing off. Fortunately for her, the beta alpha wasn¡¯t pursuing her any more. Bree could also feel herself getting closer to the Sirius Waiting Room through the mind link. Her speed suffered even more when she tried to keep the mental image of her surroundings. With each passing minute, it felt like holding it was sapping most of her energy. Interpreting everything picked up by the rest of her senses to rece the role of sight with an even greater form of vision was starting to take its toll on her mind. This was her first time doing it and it hade so naturally after listening to the soothing voice of her friend, Honour. Knowing this, she was oblivious to any side effects of pushing past her limits that way. Her wolf was tasked most with making these primal interpretations so that Bree wouldn¡¯t get confused by the different things she was picking up with her senses. Now that she was exhausted and no longer pursued by the beta alpha, everything was crumbling. Her concentration¡­ the image got even dimmer and for the first time since obtaining it, she bumped her shoulder into the trunk of a tree, sending a wave of fear and pain through her. Her rxation was now broken and her mental image suffered more. She was turning blind once more¡­ just like she¡¯d been at the beginning of the game, ¡°You¡¯re almost there, Bree,¡± the melodic voice of her best friend reached her ears. As it turned out, the sound of her friend through the mind link, crushed her mental image even more. It was nothing like Honour¡¯s soothing voice in the wind. While both sounds were soothing, Lina¡¯s voice in the mind link felt even more oppressive and demanded attention. The voice in the wind was¡­ almostforting. Like there were ethereal arms hugging her at that moment, whispering into her ear. Lina was calling out to her through the mind link. Bree was indeed close to therge exit that led into the Waiting Room, however, she was tired and barely had the energy to walk. Her throat was dry with thirst and a sharp pain went through her gut¡­ a vicious stitch. Her breathing wasboured and her muscles were screaming for some form of relief¡­ even then, she continued pushing forward. ¡°Just a little further, Bree¡­¡± Nowpletely blind, the girl wondered why she hadn¡¯t crashed into another tree yet¡­ and that¡¯s when she noticed the ground get hard and even. A pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a warm embrace. ¡°I made it¡­¡± she muttered. The ng of the metallce rang through the room when she dropped it to the ground, ¡°¡­I made it.¡± ¡°Yes, Bree, you made it,¡± Lina cooed, ¡°And you made us proud. Now rest. We¡¯ll take it from here.¡± ...............¡­ Jason rolled onto his back, panting with exhration and frustration. ¡®It¡¯s like she can see¡­ Now that¡¯s a talent. I can¡¯t believe I was beaten by an ordinary wolf¡­ Just how much lower will I fall? And ¡®she¡¯ could have seen all of that¡­ ugh, this sucks,¡¯ his thoughts at this point were no longer aimed at the Royal Games. ¡°Get up, Jason. This is not the time to daydream,¡± Cole¡¯s voice rang through his head. ¡°Yes, your majesty,¡± the blonde alpha replied before standing up and changing course. It took him a few minutes to find the item he¡¯d first spotted earlier before turning for the Lycaon team¡¯s waiting room. Upon arrival, he found the king standing at the entrance with a blindfold over his eyes, ¡°You underestimated them, Jason.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know what I did,¡± the beta alpha said, unsping the cloth over his eyes, ¡°Although, I wouldn¡¯t have expected a normal werewolf to have that much mastery over their senses. It wasn¡¯t¡­ normal.¡± ¡°Well, she is the first yellow-eyed werewolf in the Royal games¡­ ever. There was bound to be something special about her,¡± the king chuckled before leaving the room. Cole walked at an even pace, showing no hindrance caused by hisck of sight. Nothing could be determined of how well he could perceive his surroundings if he didn¡¯t run¡­ so the audience watched in tense anticipation. When the beta alphas watched the king leave, they couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the king had ever trained for something like this before. Jason turned to the screen and noticed there was a camera that was stationed right outside the Sirius Waiting room. Their contestant was already out. ¡®Damn it. I wasted too much time,¡¯ Jason berated himself. .................... Crysta was the next in the arena ying for the Sirius team. Being a delta, her senses were a lot stronger than Bree¡¯s senses¡­ but even she was not sure she could pull off a performance as spectacr as Bree¡¯s. During Bree¡¯s performance, she¡¯d tried walking around the Waiting room with her eyes closed and this had yielded devastating results and slightly damaged her confidence in her abilities. She¡¯d bumped into practically everyone in Waiting Room. Lina had tried getting her to rx but that wasn¡¯t helping her at all. In the end, she¡¯d settled with performing the blind hunt in her werewolf form¡­ The form in which her senses were most sensitive. Getting out of the Waiting room had been easy as long as she kept her footsteps steady and paid attention to her surroundings. Unlike her attempts in the Waiting Room, Crysta was surprised when she¡¯d been prodding along for three minutes without bumping into anything. Just when she was starting to feelfortable, the grey wolf tripped on a tree root, bringing her to a frightening halt. Her breath hitched and the panic started to seep in once more. ¡®It¡¯s just a tree¡­ Nothing so dangerous,¡¯ she tried. After finally rxing, the grey wolf continued deeper into the forest, wondering what kind of item she was going to find. From the looks of it, the item could be anything. Jason had picked a ribbon in the first round while Bree had found ance. Both of these items would have been difficult for a werewolf to take, but that¡¯s also when she noticed something with the wolf¡¯s metal sp. Hanging on both sides of the strange contraption were two metallic ws that could be activated by a button on the side. Fortunately, the short man who stayed with them in the Waiting Room was more than willing to exin how the device worked¡­ ¡®This is going far worse than Bree¡¯s time in here. How was she able to sense her surroundings so well? She was even better at it than Jason¡­¡¯ she wondered. This was the first time Bree was excelling at something so much better than her and additionally, she had done it so spectacrly as though she was born blind. Just when she was about to stop for a rest, two scents hit the grey wolf¡¯s nose. One made her feel like squealing in delight while the other made her shudder with dread¡­ and curiosity. The grey wolf raised her head to the sky¡­ ¡®That¡¯s weird.¡¯ The first scent was that of the Sirius team¡¯s item not far from where she was. The second one¡­ was much more peculiar. It was the smell of rain. ...............¡­ Jason stood in the Waiting Room staring at the monitor and watching the frames that showed both team members on the field along with whatever item was most likely to be found in their current paths. Cole hadn¡¯t bothered to jog or run during the first three minutes that he was out. ¡°Jason, when you were out there, could you hear the sound of thementator?¡± ¡°No. Surprisingly, I couldn¡¯t. That guy doesn¡¯t shut up, does he?¡± Jason replied rhetorically before something caught his interest. Cole had stopped walking. ¡°What is he doing? It¡¯s not like he has all the time in the world,¡± Jason wondered. ¡°Well, the other team¡¯s contestant is not doing so well either. Just look at her¡­ she can¡¯t even tell which way is south or west. I thought the girl who outsmarted you was their weakest, but this one is worse than her¡­ far worse,¡± Kyle scoffed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t underestimate Crysta¡­¡± Jason paused, squinting at the king¡¯s frame. Cole now leaned against a tree and stared into the sky. If it hadn¡¯t been for his experience behind the strange green blindfold, he would have thought the king could see through the fabric. The soft rumble of thunder caught everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°What¡¯s this? The weather forecast spoke of clear skies today. Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Kyleughed, at first calmly before settling into a derangedugh, drowning the voice of the announcer in the Waiting Room. Jason couldn¡¯t me him for doing so¡­ ¡®And I thought I was the only one who would try to use such underhanded tactics,¡¯ Jason chuckled to himself. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not against the rules,¡± Kyle announced with excitement. ¡®Although, that¡¯s even crueller than what I tried to pull,¡¯ Jason sighed. ...............¡­. Cole leaned against the tree and continued to stare into the sky, calling on the powers he had recently learnt to control. ¡®A little twister to put some spin on thispetition,¡¯ he smirked. Chapter 478 - 478 Taking Indirect Action 478 Taking Indirect Action Honour sat in the Royal family¡¯s suite, watching the screens that had been set up and asionally taking a look at what was below them. asionally, she would see one of the contestants in the forest when they weren¡¯t shielded by the great canopies. ¡®Looks like whispering to her through the wind worked,¡¯ the girl thought to herself. The goddess could not help mortals directly which meant they had to find a way to work around it. At first, Honour thought this rule was stupid, but then, another message from Celeste sent through the wind exined everything. ¡®Just imagine the gods could directly interfere with mortals. Mortals would ask the gods for everything and lose the ability to evolve and survive. And from another perspective, the gods would be able to kill any mortal if they¡¯d done something that angered them. Trust me, the gods can be petty. Yes, the gods have done that before using their powers of cmity but it was never directly. And sometimes the mortals were able to survive these cmities. Limiting the interaction between the gods and mortals allows them to grow and live. Even knowing that the gods probably don¡¯t exist drives humans to be more and more innovative.¡¯ The message in the wind had drilled this into her mind quite literally¡­ But it had also given her the clues she needed to finally help her friends. Honour didn¡¯t have to just sit back and watch. She could still help her friends and oppose the Rogue King all at once... Even before the start of the Royal Games, she¡¯d started working on helping her friends¡­ setting her own pieces into motion. ..... .........¡­. The Night Before¡­ Honour walked silently through the near-empty halls of the infirmary and soon made it to the emergency room she¡¯d been looking for. The girl pushed it open without knocking and silently closed it behind her. ¡°You know there are cameras that can see youe in,¡± a male voice suddenly filled the silent atmosphere of the white room. ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± she sighed, turning to the royalying in the bed. A frown formed on her face, ¡°You look pale. Are you okay?¡± The prince remained quiet as she walked up to him. The machines that monitored his condition looked fine. His heartbeat and blood pressure were alright but her eyes didn¡¯t lie. Earlier, he looked like he was getting better, but now he seemed to be getting worse. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know,¡± Drake responded. Honour wasn¡¯t paying any attention to his words. She ced the back of her hand on his forehead. ¡°You¡¯re heating up. Tell me what you feel,¡± she asked him. ¡°I feel cold¡­ and my mind¡¯s a little fuzzy,¡± he told her which didn¡¯t help much. ¡°Drake¡­ give me your memories.¡± Drake¡¯s eyes suddenly widened¡­ ¡®What?¡¯ But this wasn¡¯t a request. Honour put a hand behind his back and helped him rise, cing her forehead against his with her eyes closed. Drake lingered for a moment, ¡®She¡¯s so close. Has she always had such wless skin?¡¯ he wondered before closing his eyes, ¡®How is she so calm about this?¡¯ Her mind soon invaded his in search of something. The prince guided his mate through his memories to the moment when he had to face off against the rogues that had attacked him during the Trials. The girl watched them expressionlessly until a moment when she asked him to pause the rushing images. It was when one of the wolves had bitten him. Drake hadn¡¯t taken the bite into consideration, but Honour seemed fixated on this peculiar incident. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with the wolf with the red eyes,¡± she said before vanishing from his mind. When the prince¡¯s eyes opened, Honour was staring directly into his blue orbs, ¡°Hey there,¡± the prince casually greeted. Honour blushed red. ¡®You notice this now?¡¯ the prince mentally screamed. The goddess gentlyid him back on the bed, still flustered, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry if I made you ufortable.¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Drake replied, ¡°Do you have an idea of what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think I know what¡¯s happening. It feels really far-fetched but not impossible. And if it is the truth, then we are in a lot of trouble,¡± the girl mentioned before carefully folding back the prince¡¯s sheets so his upper body was exposed. Honour looked about the room in search of something. In one of the kidney traysying on a table, she found a pair of scissors and started snipping Drake¡¯s shirt at the left shoulder. ¡°I see we are undressing me now!¡± ¡°Yes, dear. You¡¯re my little experiment. I won¡¯t let you die on me,¡± the girl replied, hiding her difort. ¡°You could cut my trouser too. I felt an itch earlier today. I think I was stung by a scorpion earlier. Just to be sure.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a jerk, Drake Sirius.¡± Drakeughed. Her first attempt to y along had taken him by surprise which made victory this much sweeter. Hisughter died down, however, Honour started cutting through one of the numerous bandages that wrapped his shoulder and torso. An intense wave of pain went through the prince¡¯s body when the cold steel of the scissors touched his skin, ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked through gritted teeth. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Honour gasped. The first cut through the bandages at his shoulder had revealed a spiderweb of ck veins beneath the skin. Honour noticed how it hurt the prince when she touched it, so she chose to cut a different part of the bandages instead. ¡°What have you found, nurse?¡± ¡°Try doctor¡­ and there is something on your shoulder. I think it¡¯s where you were bitten. Let me just¡­¡± the girl paused as she focused on cutting the fabric covering his chest, ¡°¡­get rid of the bandages.¡± The prince stayed still until she was done. When the bandage left his skin at the shoulder, another intense pain shot through his body. This time, it was clearlying from his shoulder. The pain was so intense that hot tears pricked his sight. ¡°It¡¯s just like I feared,¡± Honour panicked, ¡°Hang in there, Drake.¡± The goddess ced her hand over the ck bite mark. An acrid stench was alreadying off the bite mark and a ck liquid was escaping the ckened flesh beneath the teeth marks. After a few seconds, an ethereal blue light began to shine under Honour¡¯s hands. The warm light flowed over the wound and traced the ck veins. When everything was mapped, an intense glow filled the room forcing Honour to close her eyes from the sheer intensity of the bright blue light. When the light hadpletely vanished, Drake¡¯s skin was left good as new. Her healing ability hadn¡¯t even left a scar behind. It was as though the wound had never existed. The ck liquid that had stained the bandage had changed to red, purified of whatever toxin turned it into the bizarre ck goop. ¡°What was that?¡± Drake asked. ¡°It was a bite¡­ that was meant to turn you into one of the Rogue King¡¯s henchmen. I can only assume your body fought it so well because you¡¯re a royal. Royals can¡¯t enve fellow royals,¡± the girl exined. ¡°But I haven¡¯te close to the Rogue king. I know he regained the power to turn more humans into werewolves, but he¡¯s locked up at the Origin, isn¡¯t he?¡± Drake asked. ¡°Yes, he is. But from your memories, he must have figured something out. I don¡¯t like the look of this,¡± Honour replied. Drake sat up from the hospital bed and started taking out the needles that had been maintaining him, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m all better, thanks to you. I can¡¯t sit by knowing what¡¯s happening and do nothing. I won¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s too much to bear,¡± the prince clenched his fists in frustration. Knowing his family was in danger and not knowing how to help them was starting to take its toll on the kind man. ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡­ We can do something,¡± Honour replied. This stopped the prince in his tracks and got his full attention. ¡°I¡¯m listening¡­¡± ......... Looking back on it now, Honour wondered whether she¡¯d done the right thing to send him out like that. She was the reason Drake had left early that morning on a mission he couldn¡¯t speak of. Their lips were sealed indefinitely but that wouldn¡¯t stop them from helping out. Just then, a tingling sensation went down her spine and her hairs stood on ends, suddenly on high alert. In the safety of the Sirius Royal Suite, there wasn¡¯t much that could attack them. In fact, her senses were picking up on something that wasn¡¯t going to happen in the suite. The girl stood up and turned to leave without saying a word. That¡¯s when Madeline¡¯s voice filled the silence of the living room, ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to walk around. My legs are feeling a little stiff,¡± she lied. ¡°Oh okay¡­e back quickly or you¡¯ll miss Lina¡¯s turn,¡± Madeline cooed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss it for the world, Mady,¡± Honour replied before making her way for the door. There was something important she had to check on. The feeling in her gut only got worse when she stepped out of the Royal Suite. Something was wrong¡­ Chapter 479 - 479 The Pain of Being Powerless... 479 The Pain of Being Powerless... Honour took the elevator to the floor that housed the infirmary. To keep the medical facilities close to everyone, this floor had been built to run all around the Great Arena for easy and quick ess. As soon as someone needed medical attention, they simply needed to ess any one of the six elevator shafts that were positioned at equal distances from each other around the Great Arena. The floor itself had white walls and bore the quiet drug-scented atmosphere of an actual hospital. Surprisingly, the voice of thementator didn¡¯t make it through these walls. The concentric hospital remained untouched by the chaos going on outside. Except for the staggeringck of nurses and doctors bustling about, this ce was normal. ¡®I guess even medical workers like to watch the games,¡¯ the girl thought to herself before walking up to the receptionist. The woman seated behind the monitor had her eyes glued to the screen with earphones in her ears simr to the ones Lina wore when using her tablet. Having the sensitive hearing of a werewolf, her ears picked up on the sound of thementator suddenly yelling over the microphone from the woman¡¯s earphones. Despite that, the receptionist seemed unbothered by the loud sound. ¡®A human receptionist?!¡¯ When she reached for the receptionist, the white-robed woman jumped back at the sudden invasion of her personal space. She quickly pulled out one of the earphones in her ears and put on a well-practised smile, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. How may I help you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for a room containing someone named Victor. He¡¯s the werewolf that Prince Drake was carrying when he arrived,¡± she told her. ..... ¡°Oh, that one. Would you happen to be family with him?¡± the woman asked, her fingers flying over the keyboard in a flurry of clicks and cks. ¡°I¡¯m a¡­ friend of a friend. I was asked to check up on him,¡± Honour replied. ¡°Oh, I see. Well, I thought Victor had no family. It¡¯s sad really¡­ for someone that handsome to have no one to look out for him. I¡¯m d he does have some family left. A family that cares enough toe to visit him,¡± the woman chirped. With a click of her mouse, a machine beside her started to whir. After a bit, a bronze cardbelled ¡¯19¡¯ in bold letters peeked out from within a dark slit in the small metal box that was making a whirring sound. The machine went quiet as the woman pulled out the card and handed it over to Honour. ¡°Normally, the doctors would take you to the room, so you wouldn¡¯t need this. But most of them are now watching the games, so I can only give you this. Make sure to return it after getting out the door. It will stop working after using it to get out, so make sure you bring it back so we can reuse it for something else,¡± the receptionist smiled. Honour took the card from her and turned away to go. Something still bothered her though. She wanted to know something more about what the woman had said. Right when Honour was about to turn a corner and start the journey through the halls to find the man¡¯s room, she figured out what was bothering her. With a gasp, she turned to the receptionist, ¡°What do you mean by Victor having fam¡­¡± But when Honour turned back, the woman had ced the earphones back in her ears and turned her attention to the Royal games ying on her screen. The young goddess sighed and turned around. The hospital was even quieter when she got to the rooms holding most of the admitted patients. From the number on the card, Victor had been moved to another room to make space for worse cases. Honour followed the numbers on the doors of each room she passed by. Her card read ¡¯19¡¯ and she was currently passing by room ¡¯32¡¯ which meant she still had a way to go. The numbers kept going lower and lower as she walked the halls. ¡¯31 30 29 28 27¡­ tap tap tap¡­¡¯ went a sound foreign to the calm serenity of the hospital. A door further ahead of her suddenly opened and the girl suddenly stood frozen. First to peek out the door was a thin tapping stick. Following it, a man stepped out of the room tapping ahead of him with the stick in hand. It was subtle but the goddess noticed it. This man¡¯s gait was only slightlyboured and noticing this also allowed her to keep her face from reacting. Her heart, however, was not that easy to control. Despite his fabulous impression of a visually impaired man, he seemed capable of finding his way around very easily. The man was tall with a slightly muscr build. Honour tensed when the man looked her way. His eyes were hidden behind dark sunsses, but the young goddess could see through them like they weren¡¯t there. This man was not supposed to be here¡­ and he wasn¡¯t blind either. Maintaining his act, the man turned in the opposite direction and started tapping his way down the hall. In his hand was a card very simr to the one Honour was holding and on it, a number was inscribed: ¡¯19¡¯ It was the same number as the one Honour held at the moment. ¡®Victor doesn¡¯t have a family.¡¯ The young goddess increased the speed in her step when she was sure the man was gone and swiped the key card to open the emergency room. ¡®Please don¡¯t be dead,¡¯ she begged, partly wishing she could pray to the goddess for help. The irony of being a goddess herself was not being able to say things like that. The emergency room appeared undisturbed with everything still in order at first nce. However, Honour wasn¡¯t going to let that fool her. She drew the curtains standing between her and the patient residing in the room. The heart monitor was beating normally but something else caught her eye. The leather straps that were meant to hold the man were torn. The jagged nature in which they¡¯d been damaged easily identified the work of ws. The second thing Honour noticed was a fresh bite mark on Victor¡¯s wrist. The werewolf himself was still unconscious. His forehead had turned red and swollen, probably from a heavy hit. The gnawing feeling in Honour¡¯s gut got worse. She remembered the scene from Drake¡¯s memories and this was enough to make her move. Without wasting any more time, the girl began to search the room frantically for anything she could use to restrain the werewolf. When she couldn¡¯t find anything, she decided to get creative. First, she found a pair of scissors and cut one of the sheets into neat strips which she quickly braided into strings as firm as she was able to. With this, she began to tie the man to the hospital bed. As she was tying his second hand, Victor started to stir, ¡°You¡¯ll have to use stronger bonds than that. Even those flimsy leather straps were starting to give when ¡®he¡¯ came in here,¡± Victor grumbled. ¡°What did ¡®he¡¯ want with you?¡± Honour asked. ¡°You don¡¯t want any part of my burdens. Just get out of here and warn the hunters. The rogues are already in the Great Arena. I don¡¯t know how they got in. I don¡¯t know what they n to do, but it¡¯s nothing good,¡± Honour finished making thest knot and turned to leave. ¡°And one more thing¡­¡± she turned to Victor, ¡°Actually, two more things¡­ I would like you to put as much of that sedative in the bag up there. Then close that door and find a way to make sure it never opens again.¡± ¡°That bite. What will it do to you?¡± Honour suddenly asked. ¡°My best guess¡­ is that it will turn me into the same monsters that tried to kill prince Drake when we were out there¡­ Not that I was any different. I wanted to kill the man too,¡± Honour put her best show to fake shock from the man¡¯s words yet in truth, she had known this about him. Victor was the man Drake had stripped of his power as a delta and the same man tasked with helping Madeline and guarding her. A little while after being given his job, he¡¯d defected and sought out the rogues in an attempt to get his revenge against the prince of Sirius. This man was the reason everything was such a mess, to begin with. Almost two years ago, the Rogue King had been captured. The war could have ended¡­ but Victor was too focused on his revenge to see the bigger picture. ¡°Do you feel better? For releasing the most dangerous man in the name of revenge?¡± Honour reached for the bottle containing the sedative Victor had asked for. ¡°Hmm, I like to look at it in a way that this oue was somethingpletely different from what I had in mind. I had a n and it simply didn¡¯t go as I¡¯d envisioned it. My intention was never to unleash the Rogue King on this world. It was more to kill the prince and nothing more,¡± Victor sighed. Honour found this logic repulsive because it didn¡¯t address the danger of unleashing the Rogue King into the world. Yes, the Rogue King had been contained at the Origin by the goddess but if that hadn¡¯t been the case, he would have turned the whole world upside down with carnage. There would be no end to his ughter and yet, the man responsible for it all only cared about petty revenge. What was worse, was that the part of his n that hadn¡¯t worked out¡­ was Prince Drake keeping his life after all this. ¡°You would trade the whole world to have a taste of revenge?¡± Honour asked. She plunged a syringe into the soft cap of the bottle and filled it before transferring the liquid to the bag delivering water into his system. ¡°You have no idea what it¡¯s like¡­ to be powerless,¡± the man yawned. Honour wasn¡¯t sure if it was the sedative getting to work. She¡¯d only just administered it. All the same, he was now out like a light. ¡®No idea what it¡¯s like to be powerless, huh¡­¡¯ Chapter 480 - 480 True Blindness and The Essence of the First Stage 480 True Blindness and The Essence of the First Stage Crysta¡¯s hunch turned out correct¡­ and the delta cursed as she felt the temperature change. It wasn¡¯t enough that she was finding difficulty in tracking down her item, let alone moving about, now she felt the scents about her stir and get impossible to distinguish. This was just the beginning, however¡­ A powerful updraft of wind shook the trees and raised dust from the forest floor of the man-made forest that was the ying field of the first stage in the Royal Games. The audience could only watch as the trees strained in protest against the strange force of nature that was the wind. One of the active cameras kept an eye on a grey wolf leaning against the trunk of a young oak and staying close to the ground hoping to outlive the sudden change in weather while another showed a royal casually walking through the woods in search of an item. Cole didn¡¯t look bothered by the sudden change in weather. In fact, he looked at peace with the chaos that had just invaded the forest. After a few minutes, the wind came to a stop¡­ only to change direction. This time, the wind blew in a perfect circle, bending the trees counterclockwise in the shape of a great giant twister. The wind kept a threateningly steady velocity almost like it was being controlled by some lever in a control room. As Cole made his way through the forest, he came across a timid blind delta bracing herself against a young oak for dear life. It was only after noticing her frightened presence that the wind stopped howling, ¡°I see you chose topete this year. Who would have thought I would face you at ¡®The¡¯ Royal Games!¡± ¡°Cole¡­ Is this your doing?¡± Crysta barked. ¡°What on earth could have given you that idea?¡± the king feigned ignorance. ..... ¡°I¡¯ve heard the stories. The day she vanished, the wind blew so hard, lightning split the skies every few seconds and the thunder¡­ was so loud I thought my ears would bleed. When we heard the story of her disappearance, we didn¡¯t doubt it was true. You are the goddess¡¯s chosen after all. Anything is possible for the two of you,¡± Crysta exined. ¡°An interesting story. I¡¯ve never heard it told quite like that before¡­ and I¡¯ve grown bored of this conversation. For your convenience and for the sake of your team, I do hope you find your item. Good luck,¡± Cole said before starting to walk away. ¡°Wait, Cole¡­¡± the wolf yelled through the mind link, bringing the king to a halt, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ about everything. I know we didn¡¯t always see eye-to-eye, but¡­ for what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m sorry about everything,¡± Crysta still remembered everything she¡¯d done to gain the prince¡¯s attention in the path. What made her cringe the most was her thought process at the time. The lies she¡¯d weaved into her own mind and believed to be reality. It only took Cole¡¯s mate nearly killing her to realise that, ¡°I also forgot to thank you for saving me that day,¡± she sighed. Cole¡¯s irritation towards the delta eased up and he turned back to face her. She was nothing like Bree had been a few moments ago. Crysta, while more experienced and a wolf of higher rank, was actually blind and oblivious to her surroundings. The grey wolf wasn¡¯t even staring at Cole as she spoke through the mind link and every step she took forward felt extremely calcted. ¡®At this rate, she won¡¯t be able to do much,¡¯ Cole sighed. ¡°I just did what any sane person would have done. You didn¡¯t know who you were dealing with at the time. So, I¡¯m d you learnt something. After seeing what Bree pulled, I assumed you would all be the same. It seems I was wrong, so I must apologize for making this too hard for you. But it doesn¡¯t change much really. My team will be winning the Royal Games¡­ again. It¡¯s the only way,¡± the prince said before walking away from Crysta. Crysta could tell from the sound of his footsteps that he was having no trouble navigating the forest without his sight. Unlike her, Cole was traversing the woods with no trouble. ¡°Bree, how were you able to move so urately?¡± Crysta asked through the mind link. There was no rule against themmunicating with their teammates outside the forest. Since this was apetition that depended heavily on one¡¯s senses, speaking through the mind link was a bad idea as it was bound to severely break one¡¯s concentration. Crysta¡¯s situation was hopeless. She had to call out for help and Bree was ready to help, ¡°A voice spoke to me through the wind, giving me instructions on how to move without my sight.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll skip over the red gs scattered throughout that exnation and ask you what the voice said,¡± the delta sighed. ¡°Well, if I recall the exact words, they went: Clear your mind¡­ Rx your shoulders¡­ Don¡¯t fight your senses¡­ Embrace them, Bree, I mean, Crysta. You¡¯re a werewolf, not a human. Allow your senses to take over you. And let them be your eyes¡­¡± Bree recited the words exactly as she heard them. Crysta was stunned for a moment before replying, ¡°They certainly don¡¯t sound like something you could cook up. Thanks, Bree.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ What if I¡¯d given you my idea? Would you have taken it?¡± Bree raised her voice over the mind link. ¡°You¡¯re my friend, Bree. Of course, I would consider your idea,¡± Crysta chuckled before blocking her friend out of the mind link. She had to try¡­ ........... Crysta started her walk again, allowing her werewolf senses to flood her mind with information, ¡®If Bree could do it, then so can I!¡¯ she convinced herself. The sound of the birds, the rustling of the trees. The variety of scents filled her nostrils with each deep breath she took. The scent of bark, the scent of the soft loam that covered the forest floor¡­ and the scent of rain. The wolf stared blindly at the sky above. During the twister that had torn through the arena earlier, the girl hade to the conclusion that it would rain as well. The scent of rain had been thick then, but now¡­ it seemed to be receding. ¡®So he really can control the weather,¡¯ she confirmed. Wiping the thoughts out of her mind, the werewolf searched through the scents she could pick up, looking for one in particr. The scent of the item she was meant to be looking for. Crysta had already wasted enough time as it was and she didn¡¯t feel like wasting any more of it for her team. So she studied the different scents, isting the different strands of scents in her mind, searching for that one in particr. After what felt like an eternity of walking aimlessly through the woods, she caught a faint whiff of the scent she was looking for. Crysta turned in the direction she knew it to being from and switched from a slow walk to a trot. Unfortunately for her, she didn¡¯t get the clear mental image her friend had received when travelling blind. It felt like creating one was next to impossible. And because of that, the delta tripped over rocks, roots and several other obstacles that she couldn¡¯t identify before eventually crushing snout first into a tree. The grey wolf took a step back and shook her head in dizziness. It was getting worse¡­ Ever since she¡¯d caught the faint scent that marked her team¡¯s items, her focus on her surroundings had deteriorated even more. It was frustrating. ¡®I can do this. Lina and all the others are counting on me,¡¯ this is all she could say to keep herself from breaking down. She was about to take another step forward and weave around the tree when she noticed something odd. The scent was now going in three different directions. For some reason, she was now picking up on the scents of three different items. The delta stayed stationary for a moment, wondering what she was supposed to do now that she had three options. ¡®Something is not right here. The items can¡¯t be this close to one another,¡¯ the girl thought to herself before taking one step to the right. Two of the three scents vanished, including the one she had been following earlier. ¡®The wind¡­ It messed up everything in the forest,¡¯ she cursed, ¡®That idiot probably walked away from me knowing I wasn¡¯t going to seed.¡¯ This revtion was terrifying. The strong wind summoned by the king had blown the perfumed items¡¯ scents in all directions, making them extremely hard to track. If he had let it rain, it would have been next to impossible as the perfumes would bepletely wiped from existence. It seemed the king had only intended to make thispetition a little bit more challenging, but not impossible. But something didn¡¯t add up in this whole scheme. Raising a twister of that magnitude was bound to make tracking down an item infinitely harder for both of them¡­ ¡®Tracking¡­¡¯ the girl gasped, ¡®Damn it! He got me good. I should have seen this sooner. Cole knows he has a stronger sense of smell than I do.¡¯ In a situation like this, only the best trackers were capable of finding the item they were looking for¡­ which required a great amount of concentration. The girl got low to the ground and began forging forward once again. Her perception of the games changed, ¡®I¡¯m not against the same person Bree was facing¡­ which makes my situation infinitely different. Jason wanted to overpower Bree and take her item from her but Cole has apletely different approach. If I can¡¯t track down the item with my nose, I won¡¯t even be able to leave the forest until the games end.¡± It wasn¡¯t that Bree was a terrible instructor. Using her senses was bound to help her if there hadn¡¯t been that one problem of a twister scattering the scents in the forest. This time, when the delta drew on her senses to create a mental picture of her surroundings, she understood what was wrong with it. Instead of getting a clear picture of the grand man-made forest towering all around her, she got random distorted images of nature with mismatched signals and images coursing through her mind. The confusion was even worse when her brain tried to interpret the chaos that came through her senses. Her ears tried to correct the picture, but with her sense of smell picking up all the wrong messages, it was impossible for her toe up with something exact. And yet, she was meant to use that very sense of smell to get herself out of this situation. Crysta had heard of it before. On her search for power that would help her rise through the ranks among the pack warriors, she¡¯d heard a few tips from the trackers. ¡®When tracking, the best ability a tracker must acquire is not an extremely sensitive nose, but the ability to iste a single scent out of the myriad of scents they had to sort through.¡¯ Crysta¡¯s victory in this round waspletely hinged on her figuring out this technique, finding the item and returning it to the Waiting Room. And all this was supposed to be done in time to allow Lina a chance to get their team points as well. She had to figure out how to track down her item... and this was the True Essence of the First Stage of the Royal Games. .......... ¡°I think she¡¯s got it, Bill,¡± Stan suddenly spoke up over the speakers. ¡°Got what, Stan?¡± ¡°What she must do to make it through her turn? The only question is whether she can make it in time,¡± Stan sighed, keeping his inside knowledge on tracking all to himself. Chapter 481 - 481 Keep Moving Forward 481 Keep Moving Forward Crysta stood still for about three minutes sorting through the different scents that invaded her senses, ignoring those she didn¡¯t need at all. Scents like the scent of soil and everything that lived inside it or rotting bark. She focused on what mattered, the scent of fresh bark, which she only focused on when it got too strong to keep her from crashing head-first into the surrounding oaks. The wind would tell her where the scents wereing from and allow her to adjust her course. Soon enough, the delta was travelling blind, following her intuition and trusting her judgement of the scents she had to work with. She followed the faint trails of items¡¯ scents. Sorting through the different scents was nearly impossible but Crysta didn¡¯t have a choice. She found that some of the times she picked up on a trail, it turned out to be feint¡­ a wisp... A remnant of the perfume that had been carried by the twister. Simr clouds of the perfume were scattered throughout the forest at this point and it took the delta a while to figure out how to differentiate between what was real and what wasn¡¯t. The fake clouds of perfume only had a particr direction when they first hit her nose, but a short step in their direction and it would be clear that it was just a plume of the scattered scent floating about aimlessly. As such, she was able to find and follow the only scent that proved to be real. The delta struggled to make sense of everything invading her nostrils, tasking herself beyond what she was normally capable of. She knew she couldn¡¯t master the art of tracking in a matter of minutes and many times she lost the ¡®real¡¯ trails she was following but her determination didn¡¯t waver. Not once did the delta feel like giving up. She wouldn¡¯t allow despair to win. ..... Bree might have performed spectacrly, but the delta¡¯s friend hadn¡¯t gone against a royal with the power to change the weather. From this perspective, Crysta actually felt her trial was equally tasking as that of her friend. .......... It took more time than she would have liked and the delta made so many mistakes that she lost count, but eventually, the grey wolf made it to the item she was looking for. The wolf ced her paw on the scented item, feeling for its structure. Was it something she could easily hold in her mouth or was it something she would have to activate the metal sps for? The wolf sniffed the item and felt for its shape. It was slippery to her nose, a little rubbery and the perfumeing off it was so intense. Almost as if it was intended to change the very essence of the item that had been sprayed. Crysta got frustrated when she could figure out what it was and bit down on the item. ¡®QUACK!!!¡¯ went the rubbery item. ¡®A RUBBER DUCK!¡¯ the grey wolf screamed in her head. If she was in her human form, she would have facepalmed. ¡®In any case, it¡¯s better than having to carry around ance,¡¯ she thought to herself, ¡®Now I just have to make it back to the Waiting room.¡¯ Turning around offered her a spell of dizziness all on its own. The only thing that kept her frompletely losing her cool¡­ was a foreign mental map of senses that she¡¯d gathered from Bree. The map seemed to spawn in her mind at the right time, showing her where everything was actually meant to be. With the forest¡¯s scentspletely amok, it was hard to use this map. However, after so much time had passed, the scents seemed to get back in order. Crysta¡¯s blindness started to lessen and her mind was able to form an image in her mind once more¡­ albeit shaky. The map Bree had transferred into her mind through the mind link, however¡­ was something short of perfection. ¡®I know I can perceive my surroundings as well¡­ but this is different,¡¯ the girl mused. Bree¡¯s map was nearly urate¡­ as though she¡¯d seen everything in the forest with her own eyes dozens of times to create the perfect map. ............... It was a while before Crysta managed to make it back to the Waiting Room. With the help of the mind link, she could tell where the Waiting Room was... Even though using it impaired her concentration and slowed down her progress. Nheless, she made her way through the forest and eventually made it to the Waiting Room where Lina had been waiting for her calmly. Crysta copsed on the floor in her wolf form, panting heavily from the exertion. The wolf dropped the rubber duck to the ground unceremoniously as Bree got to work on the contraption keeping her friend blind, ¡°How are you doing, Crysta?¡± Lina asked the girl. ¡°Cole¡¯s nasty trick made it a lot harder. Bree, I tried doing what you said but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ Thementator made it clear why you were having trouble. Cole, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t having as much trouble as you were¡­ even though his movements were confusing. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t help you more,¡± the girl apologized. ¡°You have nothing to apologize for,¡± Crysta sighed. The wolf tried to open its eyes but closed them immediately when the light that came in stung her eyes like needles, ¡°Ouch¡­ that¡¯s going to take some getting used to.¡± ¡°Is it that much harder than normal tracking during hunts?¡± Lina suddenly asked. ¡°It was.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lina asked. ¡°On my way here, I noticed something. The effects of Cole¡¯s trick were starting to wear off. The scents were back in order and I could move much easier without my eyes. You won¡¯t have the same trouble I had out there. We are just lucky he didn¡¯t decide to make it rain,¡± Crysta sighed, finally managing to open her eyes. Everything was blurry at first before she could make out the imagesing into her eyes. ¡°What are you still doing¡­¡± the girl stopped her speech short when she noticed the princess had her blindfold on. The blue cloth wrapped neatly over her eyes, obscuring her vision and yet she faced the wolf. Lina showed no signs of being blinded. Not like Crysta had been, ¡°I needed to make sure you were okay first. Rest, Crysta. You did well.¡± The delta watched the princess jog outside and vanish behind the trees of the man-made forest. The sun was shining brightly again and the clouds from the king¡¯s disruption were gone. The wolf walked to a door at the left side of the Waiting Room. This was the changing room that had been attached for privacy¡­ just in case the cameras within the Waiting room were active. A minute or soter, the delta walked out of the room pulling her dark hair back in a ponytail. ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡± ¡°Yeah. How is Lina doing?¡± Crysta asked. ¡°She¡¯s doing well, I guess. But it doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s into it,¡± Bree sighed, leaningzily against the triangr table while she watched the recordings on the screen. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t she¡­¡± the delta stopped mid-sentence, ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Cole just¡­ yed dirty. I didn¡¯t know he had it in him though.¡± ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know. I would say you scared him. If we¡¯d kept the momentum you set, they would have been in serious trouble,¡± Crysta chuckled. Bree didn¡¯t return theughter. Instead, she clenched her fists in frustration, ¡°Then let¡¯s make them regret it in the next stage.¡± ¡°What did you do the Bree that I know¡­¡± the delta paused. Something about her friend was different. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing, though, ¡°We¡¯ll give them hell in the next one then.¡± As it so happened, the Sirius team was down 6 to 12 as the screen showed. Crysta had spent nearly a whole hour out in the forest and only ten minutes were left on the counter. Even if they found an item now, it wouldn¡¯t really matter. The other team already had an overwhelming lead and from the looks of it. They were nning to make the gap just a little bit wider. Cole¡¯s turn hade around again and he was walking back to their Waiting Room with an item in hand. This time, the item didn¡¯t bear the green stripes of the Lycaon team. Instead, the stripes were blue. Crysta growled at the sight of the colours on the item he had in hand. The screen showing Lina¡¯s form showed the princess jogging in another part of the forest and the frame that showed the item she was most likely to find was already disying a blue-striped hammer ced at the top of arge boulder. ¡°Is she as good at reading her surroundings as you are?¡± Crysta asked. ¡°She¡¯s a royal. She should¡­¡± ¡°No, Bree. That¡¯s not what you showed us out there. Even royals struggle with that level of precision and mastery over their senses. Don¡¯t sell yourself short. If it hadn¡¯t been for the knowledge you shared with me¡­¡± the delta bit her lip as a pang of guilt tore at her. Their defeat was already in sight¡­ Lina¡¯s pace showed it. Bree pulled the delta into a warm hug, ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault, Crysta. Cole just pulled a mean trick. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡± Bree didn¡¯t forget what her friend was just about to say but chose to ignore it. The delta¡¯s resolve was shattering right in front of her and she needed a friend. ¡°It looks like the Sirius team can tell who has this game. It should be evident to all of us now. And with the Lycaon team switching to the dark side of the rules like that, they will even have more trouble closing the gap. It¡¯s hopeless. Only ten minutes remain. That first performance really had the Lycaon team shaking. No one could have thought the wind would choose that moment to pick up when it did,¡± thementator said over the speakers. During Crysta¡¯s turn, the Lycaon team had retrieved three of their items while Crysta had only retrieved their second. ¡°I¡¯ve only made trouble for¡­¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t think like that. You know how highly Lina thinks of you. She could have yelled at you when you returned but she asked you to rest. Don¡¯t take those words for granted,¡± Bree argued. ¡°It still doesn¡¯t change the fact that¡­¡± ¡°That you went up against the King of Lycaon, a chosen of the moon goddess and can still stand to face him again. We watched everything, Crysta. Cole is not an opponent any of us was ready to face. Especially me¡­ If I had been in your ce, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to track down that rubber duck. I know it doesn¡¯t look like much... but you never gave up. Not even once. You don¡¯t find that kind of determination lying around, Crysta,¡± Bree allowed as much sincerity as she could muster to filter into her voice. Crysta stared at the screen teary-eyed and watched Lina leap through the air athletically and grab the hammer before starting her journey back to their room. Once again, the princess made it look too easy¡­ Just like she had in the Trials. ..................¡­. They lost¡­ 8-13 Chapter 482 - 482 Lina’s Burden 482 Lina¡¯s Burden Lina sat in the Waiting Room listening to the words of thementators. The highlight of the first stage of the Royal Games had been at the very beginning¡­ with Bree¡¯s sudden and unexpected disy of mastery over her other senses. At the time, it looked like they stood a chance against the Lycaon pack but Cole had crushed all those hopes like they were nothing more than childish delusions. This was simr to the games that happened four years ago. At the time, Cole had earned his infamous title ¡®Steel Tank¡¯¡­ and he¡¯d demonstrated the insurmountable resilience of his hide in a battle between him and Drake. This same duel was the one that would decide the winner¡­ And while Drake was a good fighter, bringing Cole down seemed next to impossible. Lina was so frustrated that she couldn¡¯t find the words to say. ¡°Lina, I slowed you down¡­ again. I¡¯m sorry.¡± The princess snapped out of her trance and stared at the delta who had her head bowed low. The princess was genuinely confused, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Crysta raised her head to face her friend. To her surprise, the princess looked confused by her actions¡­ this emotion was reflected in the mind link as well. There was no dismissing the princess¡¯s frustrated feelings, but as it seemed, they weren¡¯t directed towards Crysta like she¡¯d thought they would be. ¡°I took too long to retrieve the item and slowed our team down¡­ just like I slowed you down during the¡­¡± ¡°Oh! No, no¡­ You haven¡¯t slowed me down at all, Crysta. I actually believe you handled yourself well out there. After the stunt Cole pulled, it should have been impossible for you to find your item. Though I must say¡­ ..... A rubber duck! That was hrious. The thing kept squeaking with every step you took,¡± the princess suddenlyughed. ¡°Wait¡­ what?¡± Crysta turned red. ¡°You really couldn¡¯t hear it? Had you really tuned out all the useless sounds that well? That¡¯s impressive, Crysta,¡± Bree eximed. ¡°That¡¯s one word for it. Still funny, but impressive. Now let¡¯s get going. I haven¡¯t got the chance to see where we are actually supposed to be staying. I also want to check up on Wyatt.¡± ¡°Okay. Where would you like to go first? From what I¡¯ve heard, we get a day¡¯s rest before the next stage of the games,¡± Crysta asked. ¡°I¡¯ll start with checking on Wyatt.¡± ¡°Ahem¡­¡± the short man, who¡¯d been silent this whole time suddenly coughed, ¡°If I may, the three of you have to meet up with your opponents from the Lycaon empire and shake hands. It¡¯s just protocol.¡± ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s get that over with,¡± Lina shrugged. Following the man out of the Waiting Room and into the forest, the group felt the ground shift beneath them. ¡°Lina, what¡¯s happening?¡± Bree suddenly screamed. ¡°Have you forgotten? The Great Arena was designed to be able to shift and change depending on what they wanted it to look like. It might not be able to achieve everyndscape someone can dream up, but what little it can achieve is still nothing short of a miracle,¡± the princess exined. The tremors rumbling through the forest weren¡¯t violent enough to throw them to the ground but for someone that hadn¡¯t expected them, there was a chance they would fall from the sudden shock. The trees seemed to part away from the direction they were walking in, shuffling closer and further away from their destination as though to create space for them. At the centre of therge forest, they found three men standing side by side. Crysta squinted at the hulking man at Cole¡¯s right. ¡°I thought the picture was exaggerated. That¡¯s a giant.¡± ¡°Tell me about it!¡± Cole groaned. ¡°I¡¯m fine the way I am,¡± Kyle grunted, ¡°Princess Lina, it would have been nice if I got the chance to go against her, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡®Huh, princess?¡¯ Lina paused at the title. The question hade out of nowhere and frankly, Lina was not ready to answer something like that. The short moment before she replied allowed her to think through the various possible intentions he could have had behind his question, ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°The blind delta was no fun at all,¡± the alpha shrugged. ¡°Cole, you might want to invest in a muzzle,¡± Lina replied through gritted teeth, ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with.¡± Cole walked up to therge man and stared him in the eye. Kyle was bigger than Cole but it was clear who was stronger of the two. ¡°What¡¯s¡ªOuch!!¡± SMACK!!! Went a thumping sound of the king¡¯s palm across the back of the beta alpha¡¯s head. The action had been so swift that only Lina had noticed it. Kyle had beenpletely still and even then, the pain registered a second after he¡¯d been hit, ¡°Behave yourself, Kyle. I won¡¯t always tolerate those arrogant whims of yours,¡± Cole scolded the whimpering man. ¡°Yes, Alpha Cole,¡± Kyle sighed, humbling himself in front of his monarch. The transformation was like day and night. Only then did Lina realise that Kyle had meant no harm in challenging Bree and looking down on Crysta. Just then, a pigeon fluttered through the trees andnded on the beta alpha¡¯s shoulder, perching therefortably. Everyone except for the wolves of the Lycaon pack found this peculiar. ¡°Good. Now apologize before you get on Princess Lina¡¯s bad side,¡± Colemanded. Kyle groaned, rubbing his throbbing head as he walked past his king and made his way to the princess. Lina eyed the pair, wondering what kind of rtionship had grown between them. ¡­Along with the bird that was perched on the man¡¯s shoulders. ¡®Could it be¡­¡¯ the thought forming in her mind was cut off by Kyle¡¯s words. The beta alpha bent in half, bowing to the princess, ¡°I apologize for my rude words. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± ¡°I hope, for your sake, that it doesn¡¯t. For future interactions, I will gift you this advice. No one likes a pompous person. Save that for the people that really know you. Just this once, I¡¯ll forget this little incident,¡± Lina said sternly. ¡°Understood,¡± Kyle replied before returning to the king¡¯s side. The rest of the short ceremony proceeded without incident. The yers from both sides shook hands and went their separate ways. It had not been an easy ny minutes and all the yers needed to wash off and rx before the next game. Lina and the Sirius contestants went up to their quarters where they got refreshed and changed into morefortable clothes. The first stage of the Royal Games hade to an end and thankfully without an injury. After watching Bree¡¯s first turn, it had been expected that everything would escte¡­ But thankfully, it hadn¡¯t. ............¡­ The candidates for the royal games, along with Honour and Madeline had been ced in a set of four rooms, each capable of holding two people. At the intersection of these four setups was amon room. Seated in the sofas were Honour, Bree, Madeline and Crysta. Afortable silence gripped the room, interrupted by the sound of the showering from Honour and Lina¡¯s room. ¡°Lina sure is taking a long time in there. You think she¡¯s fine,¡± Madeline suddenly asked. Honour turned to the bronze door that led into her room for a moment before turning back to the table between them, ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s fine. Lina¡¯s¡­ how do I put this? Adjusting.¡± ¡°Adjusting to what?¡± Crysta suddenly asked. ¡°I thought you¡¯d all noticed. I guess not¡­ None of you is in her situation. I noticed when she¡¯d juste from the Trials. I¡¯m sure the king and queen noticed as well since they took her away from us as soon as she returned. They noticed the look in her eye,¡± Honour replied, half to herself. ¡°You¡¯re not making any sense,¡± Bree facepalmed, ¡°Could you maybe speak in anguage we can all understand? Madeline is having a hard time following what you¡¯re saying.¡± Honour scrunched her brows in deep thought, ¡°Okay¡­ Let me try exining it this way. When you were out there, something happened and Lina couldn¡¯t stop it. Am I right?¡± The question was directed to Crysta but the delta was not sure what she was supposed to answer, ¡°The fastest werewolf in the world should be able to save anyone in need of her help.¡± ¡°No¡­ we were asleep when Wyatt¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point, Crysta. The point is that Lina was the royal with you at that moment. You were her responsibility. During the Trials, the royals can¡¯t ask for any help and can¡¯t even visit the neighbouring packs for help. When I saw her after she¡¯d brought you back from the Trials, she looked¡­ paralyzed,¡± Honour tried exining. ¡°So you mean she¡¯s ming herself for Wyatt¡¯s injury?¡± Crysta asked. ¡°It¡¯s more than that. Drake asked to step down from the throne. Katie is mated to the only heir to the Lycaon throne. If¡­ if Drake steps down, it will leave only one person¡­¡± Before Honour couldplete her statement, a feminine voice interrupted the tense silence of the room, ¡°You always seem to know what¡¯s going through my head.¡± ¡°Lina! I¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, Honour. I-I might be the one next in line for the throne. I know what that means. I¡¯ve always known what that means. My father has taught Drake and me what it means to be a royal. All the times we went on hunts with him and the time I watched my brother train with him. I¡¯ve even gone with him to visit other packs. But¡­ when we were out there¡ªin the Trials¡ª, I found myself facing a side of royalty I¡¯d never known. I don¡¯t know why Drake is stepping down but he says he has a good reason for it. I also know that as the heir to the throne, my life is precious to the kingdom. But so are the subjects I¡¯m meant to lead. Wyatt was meant to be my escort¡­ For a moment, I thought¡­ ¡®What if he dies?¡¯ and the thought frightened me,¡± as Lina spoke her hand balled into a fist. The princess walked up to the sofa and dropped beside Honour, ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m better now. My parents seemed to know the problem as soon as they saw me and helped me through it. The battle of Lycaon¡­¡± she paused with a look of heavy sadness on her face, ¡°Now that I think about it. All those lives that were lost were weighing on the shoulders of whoever was in charge¡­¡± Noticing the dark cloud in the room, the princess shook her head violently, ¡°Enough of that. Who¡¯sing with me to see Wyatt?¡± Chapter 483 - 483 An Indecisive Visitor 483 An Indecisive Visitor ¡°Are you done getting ready?¡± Honour cried out, impatiently waiting with Bree, Crysta and Madeline by the door. By this point, the girls were quite close and nearly inseparable. The sound of fabric, moving furniture and all sorts of rummaging could be hearding from Honour and Lina¡¯s room. The princess seemed to be frantically looking for something. ¡°Just a second¡­ I can¡¯t find my phone,¡± Lina yelled back. Honour facepalmed, ¡®Why would a werewolf even need a phone?¡¯ A few minutester, she emerged from her room, with her hair a little messed up with a slight film of sweat on her brow. Lina jogged through themon room and joined the girls in the halls. Crysta was tasked with leading them through since she knew the way to Wyatt¡¯s room best. ¡°You have a pack link that allows you to speak to anyone through your mind. You don¡¯t need a phone,¡± Honour wasn¡¯t letting this go so easily. ¡°What if I met with a hunter and needed tomunicate with them a little more?¡± Lina countered, ¡°And why does it matter if I can¡¯t leave my phone behind?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t bother me but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen you go fret this much about it. Is something wrong?¡± Honour asked. ..... Knowing her best friend, she noticed immediately when a dark cloud of concern crossed Lina¡¯s face. ¡°No, there isn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°There is something wrong. What¡¯s the matter? We can talk to Wyatt through the mind link if you¡¯re that worried about him. We could¡­¡± ¡°No, Honour. That¡¯s not it,¡± the princess cut her off, ¡°Stop trying to read my mind. It has nothing to do with Wyatt.¡± ¡°Well¡­ if it¡¯s something you can worry about when you¡¯re on your way to visit Wyatt in the hospital, then it has to be important,¡± Honour raised a brow at her, ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure how to say this. A message arrived this morning before the games but I didn¡¯t want to think much of it then. Do you still remember that movie star¡­? The one that ys in that in that survival series I used to like so much¡­¡± ¡°Ah, Jack Boggle! And I wouldn¡¯t say you ¡®liked¡¯ that show. You were obsessed. You would be glued to your tablet for hours watching episodes that you¡¯d already seen a few¡­ hundred or thousand times. Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t seen you watching that thing for a while now,¡± Honour recalled. ¡°Thanks for that¡­ ¡®overly descriptive¡¯ reminder of my obsession,¡± Lina sighed, ¡°You haven¡¯t seen me watching the show because I stopped watching it. About a year ago, I told Jack to stop sending me episodes because I no longer had time to watch the show. He got really mad and stopped talking for about two months. The next time I heard from him, he¡¯d calmed down and was instead curious about why I¡¯d stopped watching. Something about making the show more engaging so that they wouldn¡¯t lose more fans as they¡¯d lost me. I told him there was nothing wrong with the show and that it was simply everything different going on in my life. Surely by then, he must have heard of my sister¡¯s disappearance¡­ so I didn¡¯t dive deep into what was happening in my life. We talked for a while and I told him about how easily Madeline figured out the rogues were also actors. Ever since then, he would send a simple message a week and I would reply¡­ sometimes taking two weeks. Messages of his progress and the changes they were hoping to make. Sometimes, he wanted my thoughts on the matter and I would give him my honest opinion¡­ which he liked very much. But recently, those messages stopped. I didn¡¯t think about it because I take too long between our talks that it¡¯s easy to forget. This morning though¡­ a message came. And it was all sorts of weird.¡± ¡°What was the message saying?¡± Bree suddenly asked. The girls were gripped by the story and severity in Lina¡¯s voice. ¡°He was asking if we could meet again. Here at the royal games¡­ That¡¯s not the weird part though. He wanted to see me alone.¡± Lina exined. ¡°Let¡¯s see the message,¡± Crysta asked, getting defensive. The princess didn¡¯t hesitate in unlocking her phone and disying the message on the screen. It read: Dear Lina, I know it has been a long time since I¡¯ve spoken to you. Technically, four weeks, three days¡­ seven hours, twenty-eight minutes, give or take a few seconds. But during that time, I¡¯ve been doing something of my own. Sort of like a personal challenge if you know what I mean. I¡¯d like to meet up with you¡­ alone if you don¡¯t mind. The Eastern Lobby of the Great Arena at dusk¡­ Don¡¯t bete. Jack¡± There was silence for a while after Crysta had read through the message. Madeline was the first to break the tension, ¡°He sounds bossy.¡± ¡°Yeah, even more than usual. He also didn¡¯t mention his series or his anything about the current state of his acting career. Maybe I¡¯m reading too much into this. But he¡¯s never sent a message and ended themunication without telling me about something amazing he¡¯s done or some amazing ce he¡¯s been to,¡± the princess pondered. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s that personal challenge thing that he has going on,¡± Bree tried. ¡°I would like to think that as well but¡­ He¡¯s always had an eye for the shy stuff. The personal challenge part was nothing like him at all either,¡± the princess groaned, nearing her mental limit. ¡°Maybe he chose to turn over a new leaf and pursue something more real than his fake show?¡± Madeline tried. ¡°I would like to believe that. It would be good for him¡­ but his show was his life. After failing to be a hunter, that was what he fell back on and he was good at it. When we find something we are good at, it¡¯s hard to let go,¡± Lina exined¡­ from experience. ¡°Oh¡­ okay¡­¡± As they rounded a corner, Crysta came to an abrupt stop. Lina, who was directly behind her crashed right into the delta¡¯srger body. ¡°Crysta, why did you¡­¡± Lina¡¯s instincts kicked in and everything slowed down as she stepped around the delta to get a better view of the situation. When she did see what had stopped Crysta in her tracks, she rxed. Standing at the door to Wyatt¡¯s room was a man with dull crimson eyes. At times, one could confuse the colour for maroon or brick red. The alpha stood with his hand at the knob for a moment, frozen in thought, his face a myriad of emotions. After a short moment, he sighed and his hand then flew to the back of his head. He then turned away from the door, facing the other side of the hall ready to leave. The alpha ruffled his hair in frustration. ¡°So you want to see him?¡± Crysta¡¯s voice broke the silence. The man turned around to see who had spoken. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Liam spat with venom in his voice. ¡°We are here to see him too,¡± Lina said to him, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go in together? I¡¯m sure he has missed his best friend.¡± Liam stood frozen for a moment before turning away from them, ¡°You go in. Tell him I said ¡®hi.''¡± Lina was in front of him before he could take another step forward, ¡°No¡­ You¡¯ll tell him that yourself.¡± The alpha snarled, ¡°Step aside, princess. I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°No¡­ Wyatt wants to see you. He¡¯s in pain. Why won¡¯t you grant him that much?¡± Lina asked him. ¡°Did Wyatt say it himself? That he wanted to see me?¡± Liam stared the princess in the eye. When she wouldn¡¯t answer him, he sidestepped and walked past her, ¡°Didn¡¯t think so. Don¡¯t go assuming anything.¡± After a short silence, Lina walked to the door and swiped the card they¡¯d gotten from the receptionist. Inside the room, the bedridden alpha was sound asleep behind a draw of azure curtains. The machines beeped rhythmically and showed stable vital signs. Honour walked forward and ced a hand on the man¡¯s forehead, ¡°He¡¯s a bit feverish.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a normal thing for someone in his condition?¡± the princess asked. ¡°I would like to say that it is¡­ but, I don¡¯t know. He should have healed. He¡¯s a werewolf and an alpha at that. Was he bitten?¡± Honour asked. ¡°Yes, he was,¡± Lina approached the sleeping alpha and gestured to the spot on his torso where she¡¯d seen the horrid bite mark. ¡°Send me a pair of scissors,¡± the young goddess asked gesturing to a pair of steel scissors in a kidney dish. The princess passed them over to her. The girl lifted the hem of his shirt and started making a clean cut up to the spot that Lina had gestured to. When they pulled the shirt up, they found fresh clean bandages. There was no sign of a wound. In fact, the man looked absolutely healthy. If it wasn¡¯t for his slightly pale skin, they would have thought he was healed. ¡°Did I worry you that much?¡± a male voice startled the females. Lina nearly leapt away from the alpha they had woken, ¡°Damn it, Wyatt. You scared me.¡± The man chuckled, ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a life achievement. You guys were awesome out there. I also highly underestimated Bree¡¯s abilities. She was clearly meant to guide you through the Trials.¡± ¡°How¡ª¡± the alpha cut the princess off by gesturing to a screen opposite his hospital bed. ¡°The screens go on during the matches and anyone that has the strength to watch gets to see everything as it goes down,¡± the alpha responded, ¡°How did it feel like to run blind?¡± ¡°It was¡­ irritating and troublesome. If only I could have a word with whatever genius thought that was a good idea for a game,¡± Lina groaned. ¡°You looked fine to me. Don¡¯t lose hope yet. There are still two games left. You will definitely win those ones,¡± Wyatt replied, ¡°Who knows? Maybe this time I¡¯ll be able to watch from the audience and not in this hospital bed.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re feeling better?¡± Honour asked him this time. There was a hint of worry in her voice that Lina found a little confusing. ¡°Yes, Honour. I am fine although I didn¡¯t think I would cause ¡®you¡¯ any worry,¡± the man smirked, ¡°Am I really that charming?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one most worried about you. You should see the person we met outside,¡± Honour replied, intentionally dodging his question. ¡°Oh? Who was that? I need to meet the most valuable person in my fan club,¡± Wyatt smugly asked. ¡°It should be obvious who your number one fan is¡­¡± Crysta trailed off, leaving the guessing to the alpha. His whole act copsed at the realisation of his potential visitor. He looked to Honour and when next he spoke, he¡¯d lost every bit of jolliness in his voice. ¡°L-Liam. W-why didn¡¯t hee in?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ but he made it sound like you didn¡¯t want him to actually visit. Like he would havee if you¡¯d specifically called for him,¡± she replied with a sigh. ¡°Hmm¡­ I see,¡± Wyatt¡¯s eyes wandered to the white sheets that covered his lower body. Suddenly, he wasn¡¯t too happy. ¡°What happened between the two of you?¡± Crysta searched for his eyes. Wyatt and Liam had been best friends for as long as any of them could remember. Seeing them apart like this¡­ not just for a few days, but for more than a year, was nothing short of unsettling. ¡°Well¡­¡± ..... Chapter 484 - 484 Suspicious Meeting 484 Suspicious Meeting Wyatt remained silent for a while, his expression seeming to hold on to what could have been before sighing heavily. It was a story that drained the cheerful facade straight off the alpha¡¯s face, ¡°Almost two years ago, we were inseparable¡­ And then, we weren¡¯t. Liam and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. He¡¯s been by my side and I¡¯ve been by his¡­ in everything we do. You all know that he can have a bit of a temper and more than once, that temper has gotten him¡ªus into trouble. Even more times, I¡¯ve got him out of it. But, two years ago, we got ourselves into trouble¡­ or you could say that it was I who got us into trouble this time. You know the story... I don¡¯t know what to make of it anymore. And maybe he mes me for it. For losing his right to seed in his father¡¯s ce as alpha of the pack. When he wouldn¡¯t talk to me, we got into a fight. He expressed how much he hated me¡ªwhich I don¡¯t feel was true. But if he needed to say that before getting to the point and revealing why he was really angry, then I thought it would be worth it. Unfortunately, he stopped arguing without ever saying what he really mattered. A lot remained unsaid that day. Now¡­ it¡¯s like I barely know even him.¡± ¡°Sounds to me like you¡¯ve not made any progress in the past two years,¡± Crysta crossed her arms. ¡°None whatsoever, and it¡¯s been getting much harder. He stopped hanging out in the same ces we used to and after a few months, I just grew tired of having to look for him. I figured he would seek me out when he finally came to his senses. But even that didn¡¯t happen,¡± Wyatt sighed. ..... ¡°Then what was he doing at your door just now?¡± Crysta wondered. ¡°Your guess is as good as mine. I¡¯m feeling sleepy. Might I?¡± the alpha yawned. ¡°Oh sorry. We didn¡¯t mean to tire you out. We just came to check on you. d you¡¯re making a quick recovery. I was worried,¡± Lina took a few steps back and dipped her head. ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay, Wyatt?¡± Honour asked once more. ¡°Never better,¡± Wyatt replied. Lina was the first out and the rest followed suit and exited the room. Wyatt stayed in the silence for a while before gritting his teeth and balling his fists. Sharp ws extended from his fingertips, forcing their way through his clenched fists and cutting into the flesh of his palms. ¡®You have a strong will. I¡¯ll give you that but it¡¯s only a matter of time. You cannot resist my control forever,¡¯ a deep voice echoed through the alpha¡¯s mind. Shivers shook his body as he turned even paler, as though the blood was draining right out of his face. As though he was suffocating. ¡®I¡¯ll resist for as long as I can. Even if I die doing it,¡¯ the alpha replied as an intense wave of pain washed over his entire being. He tried calling out through the mind link but it seemed as though no one could hear him. His wolf surged forward in an attempt to help but achieved a simr version of failure, ¡®How long do you think you can keep me out? I am far beyond your mind¡¯sprehension. It¡¯s not a matter of who¡¯s stronger but time¡­¡¯ ¡®You might be right about that¡­ and you might be wrong. But I don¡¯t give a damn. I¡¯ll do everything I can to block you out. For as long as I can,¡¯ the alpha yelled back into his mind. ¡®Ugh! I¡¯m getting tired of all your tough-guy acts. They are getting old¡­ even when you know you¡¯re fighting a losing battle. Is that¡­ perhaps, why you didn¡¯t ask the princess to call that dear friend of yours to visit you? To protect him¡­¡¯ Fear threatened to shatter the alpha¡¯s resolve but he wouldn¡¯t let it, ¡®You¡¯re despicable. You¡¯ll do anything to get into my head. But I won¡¯t let you.¡¯ ¡®Interesting¡­¡¯ the deep voice resonated before bursting into a cackling madness. In the next minute, the voice waspletely gone and Wyatt was covered in a thin film of sweat. He¡¯d spent a lot of his energy¡­ and with that, he fell asleep. ............¡­.. Lina sat in one corner of the lobby, asionally staring out while she waited for another message. The rest of the day had gone by faster than she¡¯d expected and the night was now upon them. Miraculously, she was feeling refreshed and from what her friends had said, they were getting better too. Either their healing rates had always been this good or the goddess of the moon was smiling upon them¡­ ¡®The irony¡­¡¯ Lina smirked. The perks of being a werewolf came in handy sometimes. Even Bree was healing faster than the princess thought she would. ¡®We¡¯ll definitely mop the floor with Cole¡¯s team in the next stage¡­ And I won¡¯t be holding back.¡¯ Lina remembered how holding back had cost them a lot in the previous game. She had felt using her speed would make winning too easy¡­ but that¡¯s not what had happened. Cole had used his abilities topletely overwhelm Crysta¡¯s senses and render herpletely blind. Lina wanted to call it ying dirty¡­ but it wasn¡¯t against the rules. In a real-life battle, victory was all that mattered¡­ no matter what the means¡­ It wasn¡¯t always bound to be fair. ¡®My sister probably knew this,¡¯ she told herself, gripping the phone in her hand with conviction. Vrr, vrr¡­ the endangered phone in the princess¡¯s hands suddenly vibrated. The princess unlocked the device and read the message, ¡°Come outside. I¡¯m in the parking lot. Jack¡± Lina scrunched her eyebrows. ¡®Parking lot¡­ What is he doing there?¡¯ ¡°What are you doing there?¡± she texted back. ¡°Hiding from fans¡­ you know how it is for movie stars,¡± another text came almost immediately. Sighing, the princess stood up and exited the lobby, pulling her hoodie tighter to shield herself from the cold. The walk to the parking lot wasn¡¯t long from the lobby¡­ where they had originally nned to meet up. She found the entrance to the underground parking lot and froze... It was dark inside. Instinctively, she opened herself up to the pack link, making her presence and location most known to the royals and her best friends. ¡°Is something wrong, Lina?¡± Queen Martha¡¯s voice came through the mind link. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. Just thought I would as well¡­¡± ¡°Are you doing something dangerous?¡± ¡°No, nothing like that, mother. Just meeting an old friend,¡± Lina calmly replied. ¡°Okay then¡­ Pass our greetings along then,¡± the queen responded, going silent. The necessary members of the mind link had listened to this dialogue and didn¡¯t ask any further questions, leaving Lina to her thoughts. With their minds aware of her whereabouts, the princess felt safer. Lina descended the ramp and walked into the parking lot. The lights underground were dimmer than she remembered them and for a while, she couldn¡¯t find the person she was looking for. Everything was quiet¡­ too quiet. White fur sprouted from the princess¡¯s hair, mixing with her dark locks. Her ears grew to tapering tips, drawing in more sound. Her canines extended as well as her ws, a rush of energy flooding her system. ¡°L-Lina, is that you?¡± a familiar masculine voice caught her attention. Lina turned to a dark green car and noticed a familiar blonde peeking from behind it. Jack emerged from behind the car, dressed in a ck turtleneck and tight-fitting ck jeans. Compared to how he used to dress, this was rather simple. However¡ª Lina squinted¡ª, he looked to have lost some weight. Not malnourished, but not as muscr as he used to be. Lina¡¯s ws and fangs immediately retracted, returning the princess to her human appearance, ¡°Jack! Hi. I¡¯m sorry if I scared you.¡± ¡°You¡­ Scare me?! Pfft!¡± Lina raised a brow at him, ¡°I¡¯m the one with the fangs here.¡± ¡°Yeah! Yeah!¡± Jack chuckled, ¡°How have you been? You¡¯re looking well. You¡¯ve grown taller too¡­ and more¡­ beautiful,¡± Jack¡¯s breath hitched as he blew through thepliment. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ve been¡­ training for a while now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you train normally?¡± ¡°No, this was a little extra. Is there something you wanted to tell me specifically? This ce¡­ It¡¯s suspicious,¡± Lina waved her hands at the setting with which he¡¯d met her. ¡°Well¡­ I do have reasons. I just don¡¯t know how to say it¡­ Hmm, let me see,¡± Jack rubbed his chin thoughtfully, ¡°Do you think you could perhaps¡­ end the Royal Games and have everyone go home?¡± Lina stared at him dumbfounded for a few seconds, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± ¡°Everyone here is in danger. I was hoping you could¡­ stop the Royal Games and save so many lives. You¡¯re the only person I know who has that kind of power. So I came to you with this,¡± Jack replied. ¡°What makes you think people are in trouble? The Great Arena is the most heavily guarded ce on the right now. If you ask me, letting people leave here in panic would only expose them to more enemies,¡± Lina argued, ¡°If there is any danger, to begin with.¡± ¡°No¡­ you don¡¯t understand¡­¡± Jack stopped himself and buried his head in his hands. His jovial demeanour was gone¡­ reced with a look of hopelessness. ¡°What have you been doing all this time though? How has your show been going?¡± Lina asked. ¡°Oh! The show! We put it on hold for a while,¡± he replied. ¡°Oh? What happened?¡± ¡°I-I needed some time off,¡± Jack rubbed the back of his head nervously, then stole a nce at his wrist, ¡°Oh, would you look at the time? I have to be going. It¡¯s been nice talking to you again, Lina. You really have grown more beautiful and powerful than anyone could have ever predicted.¡± ¡°Thanks¡­ again,¡± Lina replied as she watched Jack retreat, leaving her alone in the underground parking lot. As she left the parking lot herself, she couldn¡¯t wipe one thought from her mind. This thought seemed to be a nexus of many suspicions that were too premature for her to solve, ¡®But Jack wasn¡¯t wearing a watch.¡¯ As the girl rounded the bend heading back to the entrance to the hotel, she collided with someone familiar. His crew cut and striking resemnce to Thorrin and Tom Chase was too hard to miss. While he looked younger than Thorrin, Lina knew she couldn¡¯t forget the face of Micah Chase. ¡°Apologies, princess. I didn¡¯t see you there.¡± ¡°Such an odd thing for a Chase hunter to say. What happened to always being aware of your surroundings?¡± the princess asked. ¡°Sorry¡­ I was focused on something else. But it seems to have vanished before I could¡­ Wait.¡± The man looked back to where the princess wasing from, ¡°Did you see anything in the parking lot? Anything at all.¡± ¡°I saw Jack Boggle,¡± Lina mentioned, ¡°Nothing else out of the ordinary though.¡± ¡°Jack¡­ Jack Boggle! Phony Survival Hunter Jack Boggle!?¡± Micah asked. ¡°Yeah, the very one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s odd!¡± ¡°Howe?¡± ¡°He¡¯s supposedly missing. Did he do anything or say anything to you?¡± Micah asked. ¡°He asked me to¡­ Get everyone out of the Great Arena. That everyone was in danger and that¡¯s the only way he could think of to save them,¡± Lina exined, ¡°But when I refused, he looked down. Then quickly left.¡± ..... Micah stood still for a moment, thinking through the princess¡¯s words, ¡°That¡¯s definitely odd. But without seeing the man myself, I can¡¯t say if he was hiding something from you.¡± ¡°I got the feeling that he was.¡± ¡°Okay then. The next time you meet him, try keeping track of him until we can question him more. In the meantime, I¡¯ll ask the hunters to be on the lookout,¡± Micah sighed. It seemed whatever the hunter had been looking for had escaped him. Lina pulled her phone from her pocket and typed out a message: ¡®Where are you?¡¯ Before hitting ¡®send.¡¯ An hourss image started to rotate on her screen and she stared at it, normally expecting it to say ¡®Sent¡¯ before she put away the phone. One minute¡­ Two minutes¡­ ¡®Failed! Network error!¡¯ Chapter 485 - 485 Chs 485 Chs ADD 485 Meeting a Former Traitor The first stage of the Royal Games had ended in the Lycaon¡¯s team victory. Surprisingly, Lina had taken this defeat well. The princess didn¡¯tsh out or exhibit any form of hostility towards their opponents either. Contrary to what they expected, she was actually eager to face the Lycaon pack in the next stage of the Games. The same couldn¡¯t be said for Crysta who¡¯d decided to go for a run and Bree had followed behind, leaving Madeline and Honour alone in themon room. Honour had her eyes glued to the pages of a book she¡¯d carried with her from the capital. Madeline hadn¡¯t really found a reason for the girl to carry it along with her¡­ but well, here they were. Having crept so close to the edge of boredom, the goddess had been forced to retrieve the book in an effort to fend off the yawn-infested boredom that hung heavy in the air. Lina had gone to meet with Jack, leaving them behind with nothing to do. Madeline, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t help but feel there was another reason the young goddess was trying to distract herself. Unfortunately, getting that information out of her was just as impossible as splitting a stone in two. Lately, Honour was getting harder and harder to read and speak to her about what she had on her divine mind was getting even harder. Perhaps she was trying to keep them from worrying about her or maybe she was always thinking of the limited time she had in thend of mortals. Without her saying anything, the girls couldn¡¯t say for sure what was bothering her. She seemed well enough through the mind link as well¡­ but instincts always had a way of manifesting even when all logic suggested otherwise. ..... ¡°Sooo, it¡¯s just the two of us,¡± Madeline sighed. Honour¡¯s darting eyes stopped over the pages and curiously regarded the Seeker for a moment, ¡°What is it, Mady?¡± ¡°I¡¯m bored, Honour. Can we at least do some exploring?¡± Madeline begged her friend, ¡°Maybe then, you¡­ you could tell me more about what¡¯s happening with you.¡± Honour sighed and stared off into space, thinking through the request, ¡°I¡¯ll walk with you but I¡¯m not sure how much I¡¯ll tell you¡­ if there is even anything to say.¡± Honour had already tried to tell her friends countless times¡­ and failed countless times, but she wasn¡¯t one to give up if there was some way she could help. And if she¡¯d learned anything from the few months in her restricted state, it was that she had to take any chances she could get. Her mind strayed to the man she¡¯d tried restraining in the hospital¡­ a premature thought began to form in her mind. ¡®When are you returning, Drake?¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡°Anything is better than driving me insane sitting here with nothing to do,¡± Madeline groaned loudly. ¡°Very well then. Let¡¯s get going. Do you have something in mind?¡± Honour asked, folding her page and putting the book aside. ¡°Hmm, we¡¯ve spent the whole day in the Royal Suite and watched the Games from there. We should check out where everyone else gets to watch the games from,¡± Madeline mentioned, her face sparkling with delight. ¡°Very well then. Let¡¯s go,¡± Honour stood, retrieving a scarf from the sofa. The walk through the interior of the Great Arena was a lot less chaotic this time and calm. Partly because they didn¡¯t have Lina with them and partly because of the unconscious influence that Honour¡¯s mood had on the werewolves around her. This time, they noticed the signs that pointed them in the right direction and followed them. Something they seemed to have missed on their first trip through the Great Arena. Walking through therge facility almost felt natural now. The Great Arena wasn¡¯t as ¡®great¡¯ and intimidating anymore. ¡°So, are you going to tell me what¡¯s going on or not?¡± Madeline asked her friend. ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s see. Where do I start?¡± Honour thought to herself. She didn¡¯t want to end up speaking noiselessly by attempting to reveal something the divine rules prohibited her from revealing, so she had to think about what had no direct consequence on the course of events. As it stood, she had a feeling that there were rogues within the Great Arena but she also knew there was no way she could reveal this. They were werewolves as well, so she could detect their presence. However, revealing this was also considered a direct interference with the normal flow of events. Shelving this thought, she was interrupted by Madeline, ¡°Earlier this morning, when I came to wake you up. I¡¯de to tell you about Drake leaving. There is so much happening and so little we can do about it. When I found you, you looked¡­ different.¡± This caught Honour¡¯s interest. She knew Drake was supposed to leave that morning but she couldn¡¯t tell Madeline that. What caught her attention now was thest thing the girl had said. ¡°Different! How?¡± The young goddess remained silent as she heard Madeline describe the state of her room that morning. The swirling blue mist¡­ the transformation her face had undergone, making her look more regal, refined, expressionless, intimidating¡ª and so many other things that described a powerful creature from another world. This description was the furthest thing from Honour¡¯s character. So different that Madeline had only been able to confirm it was her through her scent¡­ and the fact that the blue mist was nothing new. After hearing the short story, Honour sighed, ¡°Madeline, the memories¡­ they¡¯re getting clearer. Not just shes anymore but long conversations and events. It happens when I fall asleep. And the more I dream of the past, the more I feel my former self returning. I¡­ I have feelings I¡¯ve never thought I had before.¡± ¡°But¡­ you still have time, don¡¯t you?¡± Madeline asked, ¡°It¡¯s still too early.¡± ¡°Yes, Mady, I still have time. At least, that¡¯s what I know,¡± Honour replied, opening a door to the bleachers. The two girls were bombarded by a cool breeze from the wind. Suddenly Madeline understood why Honour had brought a scarf along with her. Fortunately for her, the feeling of coldsted only a short moment before her body heated up once more¡­ ¡®At least, some part of me is more werewolf than human,¡¯ the girl sighed. With how weak her wolf was, it was easy to forget that she was one. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you have to go through all this, Honour,¡± Madeline said with a ton of concernced in her voice. Honour sighed, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mady. Let¡¯s just try to enjoy the time I have here. It¡¯s all I ask.¡± ¡°You got it, your holiness,¡± Madeline replied enthusiastically. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s how it works but I¡¯ll take it,¡± Honour replied with a heartyugh. The two girls walked idly through the seats that overlooked the Great Colosseum, talking about anything and everything that came to their minds. They talked of the games that, Madeline spoke of her life back at the Golden Moon pack and Honour brought up the past as well. Both of them avoided any topic pertaining to the future unless it had something to do with the games. They got sofortable that they didn¡¯t notice another presence approach them. ¡°What a happy pair!¡± a deep rumbling voice interrupted the peaceful silence. The two girls stoppedughing and turned in time to face arge man walking up to them. His eyes glowed a deep crimson and his muscles screamed power. His face, on the other hand, was slightly flushed¡­ which destroyed his intimidating image entirely. Honour was quick to step in front of Madeline, shielding her from the one wolf that could see past her disguise. After taking so much time to change the colour of her hair and her very appearance, this powerful alpha had seen through it all. Kyle raised his hands up in surrender, ¡°I don¡¯t mean you any harm. I only wish to talk to the girl that you¡¯re hiding behind you. Is that okay?¡± ¡°What¡¯s she to you?¡± Kyle rubbed the back of his head nervously, ¡°That¡¯s what I would like to figure out. Just a talk¡­ I¡¯ve been informed to keep the colour of her eyes a secret. You have my word.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust you. A former spy for the rogues, which you probably still are, could be going for someone the Rogue King is still after. This is the exact same thing you did with Katie if I remember correctly,¡± Honour blurted out. This time, Kyle looked even more confused, ¡°The Rogue King is after her?¡± Honour didn¡¯t miss the defensive tone with which he asked this. She wanted to argue with him more¡­ but her powers didn¡¯t sense any malicious intenting from him. He didn¡¯t seem to have ulterior motives¡­ let alone malicious ones. If anything, he just seemed curious¡­ and a tad bit desperate. The goddess sighed and turned to Madeline. The amber-eyed redhead had her eyes glued to the alpha with her lips drawn to a thin line, ¡°Will you be okay?¡± Honour asked. Madeline could only manage a stiff nod of her head. ¡®I won¡¯t be far. Just call for me as soon as you feel unsafe,¡¯ Honour said through the mind link before walking away from the pair. Madeline was soon left standing alone in the presence of the hulking alpha. Compared to him, she was but a small insect. ¡°Hi,¡± she managed. ¡°Hi¡­ We didn¡¯t really get to talk thest time,¡± Kyle responded sheepishly. Kyle is a beta alpha, isn¡¯t he? The girl thought to herself. He seemed somewhat nervous in her presence which was a first for the little Seeker. ¡°A walk?¡± she asked softly. Before she could debate whether he had heard her, he replied, ¡°Sure!¡± But his voice came out high-pitched,pletely different from his normally deep voice. Kyle coughed, clearly trying to ease his nerves. ¡®What is happening?¡¯ the girl mentally screamed as they started walking in a random direction. The Great Arena was designed concentric to the colosseum that stood first, leaving therge ring of seats for the spectators to remain undisturbed by the constructions that turned it into the impressive facility that it was today. So they had a lot of walking they could manage. After walking for a short while, Kyle spoke up, ¡°Have they told you about¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, they told me everything¡­¡± ¡°About?¡± ¡°About your history with the Lost Luna¡­ and how you¡­ umm, stabbed her in the back,¡± Madeline stuttered. Kyle¡¯s shoulders slumped dejectedly, ¡°So much for first impressions!¡± ¡°First impressions?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I was hoping I¡¯d get to talk to you first. Without my history getting in the way,¡± Kyle sighed. This information seemed to have gotten to him. Kyle seemed to value what she thought of him even though they¡¯d never met. ¡®A beta alpha of the Lycaon pack cares about my opinion of him. I must be dreaming.¡¯ ¡°I would have found out one way or another,¡± she shrugged. ¡°Yeah, though I would be the one to tell you,¡± Kyle replied, ¡°And perhaps by then, you would havee to learn about the kind of person I am without knowing of the person I was.¡± Madeline couldn¡¯t argue with that sort of thinking. But then again, there was the matter of how she would have found out. What if Kyle lied to her or twisted the information when the day came? What then? It didn¡¯t seem to matter now that she knew though. Instead, she knew his past¡­ and now that she got a closer look at him, he didn¡¯t seem like the sort of person that could do that. ¡°Do you¡­ regret it?¡± ..... Chapter 486 - 486 A Seeker’s Dilemma 486 A Seeker¡¯s Dilemma ¡°When¡­ Oh, you mean the backstabbing? Hmm, that¡¯s a difficult question,¡± he responded thoughtfully as he visibly wrestled in search of an answer to this question. To Madeline, this answer shouldn¡¯t have been too difficult, possibly because she expected him to simply say ¡®yes.¡¯ ¡°Luna Katie told me to forget about it and move on. Helping her with the future she intends to bring upon this world¡­ but it¡¯s not as easy as it sounds,¡± Kyle, who almost always acted on impulse, was suddenly thoughtful. ¡°But that¡¯s beside the point. I don¡¯t know if I can say I had the chance to regret what I did. Luna Katie¡­ sort of robbed that opportunity from me and skipped straight to forgiveness and redeeming part.¡± Madeline tried to understand his words but there seemed to be something missing. Kyle wasn¡¯t saying he regretted what he did. She sensed no maliceing from him¡­ but she also couldn¡¯t understand how someone switches sides without feeling regret for the actions they took while on the enemy¡¯s side. ¡°Perhaps you don¡¯t understand the question. When you think back to that time, do you¡­ cringe or feel bad about what you did?¡± Madeline asked. ¡°Hmm, would it make you morefortable if I said that I did?¡± Kyle gave her a weak smile. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± she sighed. ¡°I can offer an exnation for what I did and I can admit I was making the worst mistakes in my life but I would say I regret what I did. Back then, I was one of the Rogue King¡¯s most trusted spies. ..... I had power¡­ and I even had the protection of the most dangerous werewolf in the world. I was born a rogue, trained to be a spy and sent on an assignment. To me, nothing I did was wrong. I won¡¯t force myself to feel regret for something I thought was right at the time. But I won¡¯t deny the fact that I made mistakes.¡± ¡°Oh! You¡­ grew up as a rogue?¡± Madeline asked suddenly. Kyle smirked, ¡°Yes¡­ yes, I did. And I must say, I¡¯m d to have kept myself alive until this moment.¡± ¡°Oh, have you found worth living for?¡± This brought Kyle a bit of confusion, ¡°I¡¯ve found you. What else?¡± ¡°Huh!¡± Madeline suddenly panicked, ¡°What do you mean? No¡ªdon¡¯t tell me.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t feel it, can you? The mate bond?¡± Kyle asked, crestfallen. He must have suspected it since Madeline hadn¡¯t shown any signs before. The colour drained from the girl¡¯s face and she froze as Kyle studied her, ¡°Mate bond? What mate bond?¡± The Seeker felt something invade her mind¡­ a consciousness she¡¯d never felt. It wasn¡¯t hostile but its presence did not go unnoticed. ¡°Hmm¡­ Your wolf doesn¡¯t even acknowledge it. But she won¡¯t deny it either. Am I missing something here?¡± Kyle asked. ¡°Yes¡­ you are. You¡¯re missing a lot. I can¡¯t sense my mate¡­ At least, not until I¡¯m marked by them,¡± Madeline replied, taking a step back. Kyle quickly closed the gap. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get on with¡­¡± Kyle held the girl by her shoulders. His words were drowned out by her yelling and squirming¡­ His motions were swift but gentle. But when she struggled, he wouldn¡¯t feel her resistance. Almost like she was barely resisting him¡­ and yet the vein pulsing down her forehead spoke a differentnguage. Madeline was indeed struggling against him. ¡®She¡¯s so¡­ weak and frail.¡¯ ¡°Stay away from me,¡± Madeline fought against the man¡¯s iron grip. Despite his firm grip on her shoulders, he didn¡¯t hurt her like her instincts said he would. ¡°Hey, stop struggling. You¡¯ll hurt your¡ª¡± ¡°Step away from her,¡± a cold feminine voice interrupted Kyle, freezing the two of them. Standing a few steps above them was an emerald-eyed delta. Crysta looked like she could kill Kyle with her re. ¡°This isn¡¯t what it looks like,¡± Kyle started. ¡°You heard what Madeline said. She asked you to stay away from her and that¡¯s what you will do,¡± Crysta replied with the same cold tone. Kyle turned to face the girl in his arms. She had indeed asked him to stay away from him. Whether it was because she feared his touch or simply because she got caught in the moment was beyond hisprehension. And staying away from her was thest thing he wanted to do. This wasn¡¯t looking good for him. How could he start exining something that was so one-sided? While he held her, sparks red where their skin touched and he felt the urge to hold her in his arms even more¡­ But those emotions and urges weren¡¯t reflected in her eyes. He came off as someone who was harassing her instead¡­ and he could see that. ¡®This sucks!¡¯ The beta alpha gently let the frightened Seeker go and bowed slightly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I frightened you.¡± ¡°N-no, it¡¯s fine. You just¡ª¡± ¡°Come with me, Mady,¡± Crysta interrupted the girl and pulled her away from the beta alpha. To Kyle, she yelled, ¡°And you! Just stay away from her if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡± Kyle merely clenched his fist and suppressed a frustrated growl. A delta was telling him what to do. Ordering to stay away from his mate who couldn¡¯t even feel the mate bond. How was he supposed to get around these circumstances? Since bing a beta alpha, this was the first time Kyle had found something he wanted¡­ something he wanted for himself. So close¡­ and yet out of reach. This was his second attempt at talking to Madeline¡­ and it had ended in failure. Each time, he was met with more mysteries. She couldn¡¯t feel the same pull that drove him to such lengths as he did¡­ and she had the most beautiful grey eyes he¡¯d ever seen in a wolf. ¡®Was a wolf even supposed to have grey eyes?¡¯ he wondered to himself. Then again, he¡¯d also never heard of a wolf that couldn¡¯t feel the mate bond. For some reason, he believed her¡­ and not because the mate bond was wrong¡­ but for reasons he wanted to find out from Madeline herself. ....... ¡°Mady, are you alright? Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?¡± Crysta asked the girl once they were back in the Siriusmon room, checking her over for any signs of injury. Honour sighed and dropped into the sofa, grabbing her book once more and turning to the page she¡¯d stopped at. Bree closed the door behind them and stared in silence. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Crysta. He didn¡¯t mean to hurt me,¡± Madeline shook her head feverishly. ¡°Then what happened out there? You seemed panicked,¡± Crysta asked, worry etched on her face. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Crysta. He just caught me off-guard is all,¡± Madeline tried. ¡°If he makes you feel ufortable, we can make sure¡­¡± ¡°No, Crysta. It¡¯s fine. I can handle myself around him,¡± Madeline cut her off. ¡°Then why was he forcefully holding you when we found you? You were already panicking before. He looked like he was about to harass you,¡± Bree stepped in. ¡°Well¡­ That could have been sort of¡­ my fault,¡± Madeline turned a light shade of red. Crysta stopped in her tracks, confused by this statement. Something wasn¡¯t right here. She also noticed that she hadn¡¯t really paid attention to thest thing Mady had said, ¡°Did you say you could handle yourself around him?¡± ¡°I think you should let Madeline exin what¡¯s happening,¡± Honour sighed. The delta nodded in agreement and allowed the Seeker to rx, taking a seat before she started exining. ¡°Kyle thinks that¡­ I could be his mate,¡± Madeline admitted with a tinge of red on her cheeks. Crysta¡¯s jaw nearly dropped. She didn¡¯t know much about Kyle, to begin with. He was a very powerful beta alpha capable of a lot. She also knew about his former transgressions. But she didn¡¯t know what kind of person he was now. Alpha Cole seemed to trust him and he hadn¡¯t conducted himself in any questionable manner yet. When she¡¯d seen Madeline struggling against him, she¡¯d jumped to the worst conclusions. Despite the staggering difference in their power, he respected her wishes and let go of Madeline without much resistance. ¡°Is he?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Seekers can¡¯t feel the mate bond of their own mates,¡± Madeline replied. ¡°Can¡¯t you just check who his mate is and figure out if that¡¯s you?¡± Honour suddenly asked. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea¡­ but it¡¯s happened more than once for the Seeker to see nothing when they try finding out who someone¡¯s mate is. Sometimes, it¡¯s simply because that person¡¯s mate is still too young or probably unconscious at that time, so finding them bes harder. So even if I tried to check him, I mighte up with nothing.¡± ¡°Or, you coulde up with his true mate¡¯s face and guide him to the right person that¡¯s definitely not you,¡± Honour suggested. ¡°Yeah, that would be nice,¡± something about this suggestion didn¡¯t sit well with Madeline. What if Kyle wasn¡¯t her mate after all? What then? ¡°But you forget one thing¡­ I don¡¯t know how to use those powers yet,¡± she hurriedly defended. ¡°Oh yeah¡­ That¡¯s right. You need to test it out on someone and figure out how it works. Try checking who Crysta¡¯s mate is,¡± Honour suddenly threw her book away and stared at her friend in childish anticipation. Madeline and Crysta turned a deep shade of red. Crysta¡¯s somewhat military facade suddenly crumbled, ¡°H-Honour¡­ can we stop getting these wild ideas?¡± ¡°Oh,e on, Crysta. You must be curious. You¡¯re twenty years old already. Two years too old,¡± Honour shook her head like a disappointed elder, ¡°That just won¡¯t do.¡± ¡°What about you? She could try it on you,¡± Crysta rushed, pointing fingers. ¡°I know my mate. It¡¯s Drake. You, on the other hand, should¡­¡± Honour stopped speaking when she noticed the room had gone deathly quiet. The three girls were all staring at her¡ªlike hungry wolves that had found their prey. ¡®Oops!¡¯ The storm began¡­ ¡°How long have you known?¡± ¡°Who revealed it first?¡± ¡°Have you guys kissed yet?¡± ¡°Has he marked you?¡± ¡°Why hadn¡¯t you said anything?¡± ¡°How far have you guys gone?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you mad that he didn¡¯t say goodbye this morning?¡± ..... Honour was covering her ears trying to block out their questions. At once, she yelled at them, ¡°One at a time, please!¡± ¡°I have an idea. We should take turns, starting with me¡­¡± ¡°No fair! I want to go first.¡± ¡°Madeline first, then Crysta and finally Bree. I¡¯ll only allow one question each,¡± Honour ordered. Madeline sat back, thinking over her question for a moment, ¡°When did you find out?¡± ¡°Are you crazy, girl? You were supposed to ask her how she found out. We need the juicy details,¡± Crysta whined, shaking Bree in disappointment. Honour stared at her friends dumbfounded. How was she supposed to answer this question¡­ or any of their questions at that? She¡¯d wondered the same exact thing herself. She knew Drake was her mate. But when was it that she had actuallye to this realisation? This answer eluded her, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I guess as we spent more time together, it became more and more obvious.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not eighteen yet,¡± Bree pointed out, keeping Crysta at an arm¡¯s length as she massaged her temples. ¡°I know¡­ but I¡¯m not a normal werewolf either,¡± she sighed. Bree was right¡­ she wasn¡¯t eighteen yet. For some unknown reason, the goddess kept the definite pull of the mate bond away from the werewolves until their eighteenth birthday. However, it wasn¡¯t unheard of for two wolves who got along so well to turn out to be mates once they were of age. Sometimes the connection between two people was so powerful that it was undeniable that they would end up as mates¡­ And most times, it woulde true¡­ Most times. And besides, she had plenty of mystical ways to prove Drake was her mate¡­ ¡®Mystical ways indeed! When did life get soplicated?¡¯ Chapter 487 - 487 Bliss, Love and Pain 487 Bliss, Love and Pain If someone else had given this answer, the girls would have been left with doubts but this was Honour, the next moon goddess. If it didn¡¯t turn out to be true, there was even the seed of suspicion that she could create the bond all on her own¡­ But none of them mentioned this little suspicion. It bordered quite close to treachery in this context. ¡°Fine¡­ My turn!¡± Bree squealed, ¡°Have you kissed him yet?¡± ¡°Kissed who?¡± a female voice interrupted the girl¡¯s gossip session, sending chills down the girls¡¯ spines. They all turned to see Lina standing at the door with a suspicious look on her face, ¡°Did you guys totally forget to include me in this gossip? Not fair¡­ I want to hear everything.¡± Honour turned a deep shade of red. Not only had she gained a bigger audience but Lina was a part of it as well. ¡°How did it go with Jack?¡± Honour asked. ¡°Oh, it was fine. I¡¯ll look into itter though,¡± Lina shrugged. ¡°What did he say?¡± Honour asked. ..... ¡°Something about putting an end to the games. I told Micah everything. He¡¯s going to deal with it,¡± Lina summarized, ¡°Stop stalling, Honour.¡± ¡°Oh! Fine¡­¡± the goddess caught the princess up on what had so far happened and even gave a detailed exnation of why she was certain Drake was her mate. The attraction was mutual. ¡®¡­he also seemed capable of essing my Divine Energy and using it for himself. And I can heal him, which isn¡¯t the same with everyone else¡­¡¯ she wanted to add but she knew these parts of her thoughts wouldn¡¯t leave her vocal cords. ¡°Okay then¡­ I¡¯ll take the fourth question then,¡± Lina giggled, settling in the semicircle surrounding her best friend. ¡°Okay then¡­ To answer Bree¡¯s question. No, I haven¡¯t kissed him¡­ yet!¡± why did this confession taste bitter on her tongue¡­ and even worse, why were her cheeks burning? Honour covered her face, wishing she could vanish somewhere isted. Had she seriously never thought of it this way? ¡°Why is that?¡± Crysta wondered. ¡°Is that perhaps, your question?¡± Honour¡¯s eyes gleamed with a hint of mischief. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s my question,¡± she didn¡¯t bat an eye. ¡®Tough cookie¡­¡¯ the goddess mentally cried. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never thought of it. I guess I was too wrapped in feeling safe about him to actually push the rtionship that far,¡± Honour covered her face as she said this. This was true as well, considering everything she heard in the wind and how Drake was almost always there to hold her. Her words held the truth¡­ but not the whole truth and she felt bad about twisting it in order to answer her friend¡¯s question but there was simply no other way. Regardless, Drake was her safe haven. ¡°I see! Lina¡­ Your turn.¡± ¡°Mine¡¯s simple. Does he know?¡± Lina asked¡­ not finishing the whole sentence as it was obvious. ¡°Yeah, he knows,¡± Honour replied calmly. It was clear that the girls wanted to know more about Honour and the princess¡¯s brother, but fortunately, they didn¡¯t pressure her for any more information. After their question limit was hit, they decided against putting more pressure on her as she couldn¡¯t turn any more colours than beet red. They told Lina about Madeline¡¯s encounter with Kyle and how all of this had started. When they tried to coax Madeline to seek out their mates again, however, Lina stopped them, a memory of the past sparking in her mind. A memory of a time it seemed Madeline had identally activated her powers, only to recoil in pain back in the Golden Moon pack two years ago. Lina didn¡¯t know whether she¡¯d seen anything and Madeline never spoke of the incident ever again. Lina¡¯s fears had epassed her curiosity for the first time ever¡­ Even now that they thought of manifesting the Seeker¡¯s powers, she found herself afraid of hearing the answer the girl would give her. ¡°So, do you think he¡¯s the one?¡± Lina suddenly asked the Seeker. The princess tried cing Kyle¡¯s character but couldn¡¯t seem to get a read on him. Cole seemedfortable around him¡­fortable enough to allow him topete alongside him in the Royal Games. He¡¯d disrespected Crysta without even realising it and apologized promptly, sounding sincere all through. It was almost like he said everything on his mind without a care for the consequences. Compared to the person she knew from Katie¡¯s past, he seemedpletely different. He was¡­ an anomaly she couldn¡¯t ce. Admittedly, this was Lina being optimistic. She couldn¡¯t dismiss the fact that Kyle had indeed once been a spy out to bring down her sister. ¡°I can¡¯t tell, Lina. I can tell he doesn¡¯t mean me harm. But I also can¡¯t tell what he¡¯s thinking,¡± Madeline¡¯s eyes stared off into the distance as she relived the short moments that she¡¯d been in Kyle¡¯s presence. ¡°Well, it¡¯s no use overthinking it now,¡± Honour tried to steer them away from the topic. ¡°Oh! Honour, what do you think of him?¡± Lina turned to the young goddess. Honour narrowed her eyes at her best friend, ¡°You know what I mean, Honour. You wouldn¡¯t have left Bree all to him if you hadn¡¯t noticed something¡­ would you?¡± Lina added. ¡®What use was being friends with a moon goddess if you couldn¡¯t get some celestial insight, right?¡¯ ¡°No, he didn¡¯t mean her any harm. But that¡¯s all I could tell,¡± Honour replied briefly, returning her attention to her book. Lina sighed¡­ ¡®That can¡¯t be all she can tell me!¡¯ but she didn¡¯t press her for any more information. The girls shifted their attention to different random topics. They had one day of rest which they nned to utilise. They yed a few board games, ordered food and yed a few silly games before they ran out of energy. At the end of it all, Honour was the one left awake. The girls had fallen asleep in the sofas, not having the strength to retreat to their rooms. Despite being the weakest out of them, Honour had failed to sleep. She stood up and walked to her room to take a shower. The goddess closed her eyes once the water was flowing through her hair, calming her nerves¡­ and shivering body. A stream of silent tears streamed down her porcin face, her divine shackles loosening in her solitude. Tapping into her connection with the prince, she watched his progress through his eyes. The prince was in his wolf form, following a few life gestures through a thick forest, careful to keep his distance but tracking them down nheless. Everything was going well on his end, as expected, ¡°How are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, I guess. I¡¯m not sure how well this will work but I¡¯m hoping it does for our own sakes,¡± the prince sighed. ¡°Yeah, same here¡­¡± Honour responded. After a short pause, his voice came through, ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°How am I supposed to answer that?¡± Honour¡¯s voice nearly broke. The prince¡¯s mind invaded hers even more¡­ like a warm nket of love and care. Without asking, he gently sifted through the goddess¡¯s most recent memories. The memories Honour was clinging too tightly in this moment of weakness. Blissfulughter and gigglesing from the group of friends she¡¯d grown fond of filled Drake¡¯s mind along with a feeling of impending gloom. ¡°Many years ago, as a child, I was not capable of making friends. I was a weakling. You know what our society is like. The kids show off their power and cling to those that are strong. As someone weak, I was easily shunned. For some reason, that didn¡¯t bother me. I had hobbies to keep me upied. My mother¡¯s flower shop was more than enough to take my time. But that was all before I met Lina Sirius. A girl who valued a different kind of strength. She was so lost back then¡­ Unaware of how powerful she truly was and also being eaten up by the darkness of being rejected by her friends. We became fast friends¡­ I¡¯d never thought that one friend would bring me many more.¡± The memories of the fun she was having with this group of girls rippled through the goddess¡¯s mind, sending waves of grief as well as unimaginable bliss, love and pain through her body. ¡°The more fun we have, the more I¡¯m reminded of the limited number of days I have here.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the point though? To have as much fun as you can¡­ before you can¡¯t,¡± Drake tried. ¡°Yeah¡­ but the more fun I have, the more painful it will be when I have to leave,¡± Honour¡¯s voice now came as a whisper that the prince had to pay attention to. ¡°Then you have all the fun you can. The one thing you can¡¯t change is leaving this ne¡­ but you can spend as much time as you possibly can with your friends. So have the time of your life¡­ so you can leave with no regrets,¡± Drake consoled. Honour paused for a moment, relishing in her mate¡¯s presence. She got the feeling if she wished, she could just appear where he was with a bit of divine energy. ¡­as long as it didn¡¯t interfere with the lives of mortals¡­ But she held out on doing something that drastic. ¡°What about you? Shouldn¡¯t you have been spending more time with your family?¡± Honour asked. ¡°You have me there,¡± the prince sighed, ¡°Perhaps I was trying to get them to notice something by acting out. I don¡¯t know what I was thinking.¡± ¡°Maybe you were thinking the same thing I was¡­¡± ¡°Not good at following my own advice,¡± Drake chuckled when he noticed his own behaviour to be simr to Honour¡¯s¡­ even though his own was to a much greater degree of childishness. ¡°Yeah. Maybe after you¡¯re done with your mission, you could spend more time with them,¡± Honour sighed. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it¡­¡± Drake replied, ¡°You should get some rest.¡± Honour chuckled humourlessly, ¡°That¡¯s one of the things I¡¯m most afraid of.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not going anywhere yet. Besides, you need your rest if you¡¯re to have a st tomorrow. You have the day to yourselves, don¡¯t you?¡± Drake pointed out. ¡°Yeah, we do¡­¡± after a short pause, ¡°Good night, Drake.¡± ¡°Good night, mydy,¡± Drake replied with a tad bit more lovingness than the girl was used to getting. The goddess finished her shower and exited the bathroom only to get surprised by a staggering Lina. The princess was leaning against the door, rubbing her eyes and yawning in exhaustion. She looked ten times more exhausted than Honour thought she was. ¡°Are you okay, Lina?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Just a little bit¡­ tired,¡± the princess said in between yawns before making her way to the bed. Honour rushed to her before she could fall and helped her get into the bed, ¡°What made you this tired?¡± ¡°Hmm, something about exhaustion hitting me muchter than it¡¯s actually supposed to¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ know,¡± Lina was out like a light. ¡®Just how exhausted was she? Was this supposed to be the kind of bacsh she gets from using her insane powers? But then again, Lina had used her powers a long while ago. ¡®Muchter than it¡¯s supposed to¡­¡¯ If this was her bacsh from finishing the Trials, this was more than muchter than it should have been. ..... Honour¡¯s thoughts were stopped when Lina reached for her. ¡°No, Lina. Only Mady keeps moving about like¡­¡± resisting was futile. With a mortal present, the goddess¡¯s powers were reduced to nothing and before she knew it, Lina was holding onto her like a little kid. ¡°¡­like she¡¯s looking for a teddy bear.¡± Honour uselessly finished her statement, imprisoned in her best friend¡¯s clutches. Lina mumbled, ¡°Hmm, no¡­ not a teddy. I¡¯m holding¡­ h-holding the moon. So pretty and rxing.¡± The princess yawned before her movements came to a stop and her breath slowed down to that of a mammal in deep sleep. ¡®Holding the moon, huh¡­¡¯ Honour regarded the princess, marvelling once more at her resemnce to the Lost Luna... ¡®Good night, Lina.¡¯ To the moon, ¡®Good night, Katie.¡¯ .............. Surprisingly, that night, Honour slept without any dreams. Chapter 488 - 488 Contagious Excitement 488 Contagious Excitement Honour woke up the next day still trapped in the clutches of her best friend. The only difference between this and every other night¡ªwell, besides having a princess clinging to you¡ªwas that she hadn¡¯t had a dream or memory throughout the night. Her divine energy also seemed in check for the first time and what was more, they didn¡¯t have any games that day. Today was a day to rx and have some fun in the hopes that Lina, Crysta and Bree would be well-rested and rejuvenated enough for the next stage of the royal games. Wriggling her way out of her friend¡¯s arms, she took a bath and got dressed for their free day, oozing with excitement. Nothing was going to ruin this precious day. Considering what state her friend had appeared in the night before crashing into the bed, Honour thought it better to let her rest longer to recover her strength. In themon room, she found Crysta and Bree still passed out on the couches. Madeline was silently going through something on the tablet by the table, fiddling with whatever it was that had caught her attention. ¡°Good morning, Honour. I just realised we can order food through this instead of looking for a restaurant. And I¡¯m also starting to think we could have done that thest time too.¡± ¡°Seems there is a ton of things you miss when you¡¯re new to a ce. The adventure was fun though¡­ So I won¡¯tin,¡± Honour sighed, approaching the Seeker. ¡°How long do you think they¡¯ll remain asleep? They seemed pretty tired yesterday,¡± Madeline asked, regarding the sleeping wolves with a hint of concern. ..... ¡°So you noticed. Lina managed to get herself in bed at least but I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be waking up any time soon,¡± the goddess replied, reevaluating the situation. With that assumption in ce, they ordered food and had breakfast while waiting for their friends to wake up. Honour covered her friends with warm nkets and brought pillows from their rooms, making sure to make them asfortable as could be¡ªwhilst swatting the string of bacon Madeline kept waving under Bree¡¯s nose. .........¡­.. ¡®NOON!!!¡¯ Honour nearly screamed out loud. Lina was thest to wake up with the sun nearing its zenith, three hours after Crysta and Bree. She didn¡¯tin no matter how badly she wanted to. The five girls had a hearty meal before setting out to explore the Great Arena. Therge facility had a lot to offer and they were eager to see it all in the name of having ¡®fun¡¯. They visited a few malls, dragging Lina through a variety of cloth stores and dressing up in silly and stylish outfits. Fortunately for the store owners, Lina actually ended up paying for some of them¡­ before ordering the lot to be taken to their rooms. They visited a few arcades and were quickly bored by the games before finallynding in a sports centre. This ce has an indoor basketball court, volleyball court, badminton and swimming pool¡­ all well-spaced and with enough room for spectators. Speaking of spectators, there was a crowd gathered around the one kind of sport that caught their eyes the most. They could have walked away from this facility but the sight had them glued to the spot. Madeline noticed a glint of excitement in Lina¡¯s eye and facepalmed. There was no way they were getting out of this ce. Standing at one side of the basketball court was a group of alphas and high-ranking werewolves facing off against each other. It didn¡¯t take much to notice the hulking figure ying defence against the King of Lycaon. ¡°Why does it have to be Kyle marking me every time?¡± Cole screamed out in exasperation. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Kyle grinned mischievously, locking eyes with the King in challenge. To Cole¡¯s right was a female with green eyes and impressively athletic build darting about the court with Jason on her heels, their footwork nearly wless¡ªwhether from training or their supernatural abilities, no one could tell. After watching for a few seconds, it was clear the beautiful delta was on Cole¡¯s side and she was trying to get herself clear of Jason in order to aid her King. Jason, however, wouldn¡¯t let that happen. ¡°Of course, it is, Kyle... Jason¡¯s a big coward,¡± Cole snickered before attempting to dribble past the hulking form of the beta alpha blocking his path to the hoop. Kyle, despite his size, easily closed any gap the king attempted to open up in his defence. After three attempts, however, Cole managed to slip past him and make a swift dash for the hoop. He nearly blurred across the court as he dashed past Kyle. Kyle didn¡¯t give up though and jaw-dropping as it was to watch, the king¡¯s headstart was only for a moment. The beta alpha had covered the gap in long quick steps, destroying Cole¡¯s hard-earned advantage like it was nothing. Kyle was once again between the alpha and the hoop, albeit in a dangerous position. The hoop was much closer now¡­ and Cole was less than willing to stop his drive-in. Cole gritted his teeth and grinned in amusement at the beta alpha¡¯s tenacity. There was no getting around Kyle that easily. Thankfully for the king, he was not alone and hadn¡¯t nned to take on Kyle alone from the beginning. Cole leapt into the air, aiming for the basket and as expected, Kyle quickly rose into the air, blocking his pathpletely and making a statement on who had greater jumping power. When everything looked hopeless, however, the sound of nimble footsteps announced the presence of someone else. Cole pulled the ball down from the air at thest second and passed it to the side. The female delta, as though appearing out of nowhere, grabbed the ball as she¡¯d expected it and jammed it into the hoop with so much force that it shook the board. A loud apuse from the pack members around rattled through the walls of the Sports Centre at the spectacr disy of teamwork. For the four girls standing with Lina, something else rattled through their minds and bodies, gripping them with a conviction greater than anything the crowd could muster¡­ And that was Lina¡¯s excitement. ¡°Crysta, Bree¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, we hear you loud and clear,¡± the girls replied in unison stretching out their arms and cracking their necks¡­ much to the ¡®inaudible¡¯ cracking sounds their bodies would make from the gesture. The sight made Madeline giggle. Kyle turned immediately as though the soft giggle struck his senses like lightning. Cole followed his eyes and his face lit up, ¡°Ah, fairpetition. Would you guys like to join?¡± The crowd went silent when they noticed the new arrivals. ¡°Fairpetition? You were having trouble with him and you know it,¡± Lina chuckled. ¡°Well¡­¡± Cole trailed off, ¡°I¡¯m still stronger¡­ but I can tell it won¡¯t be for much longer.¡± ¡°Wow, Cole Lycaon admitted weakness. You could always im to be stronger with a single bolt of lightning,¡± Lina joked, reminding the king of his earlier stunt. ¡°I apologize for that. But if I¡¯m being honest, you caught me by surprise with that gifted wild card of yours,¡± Cole responded, ¡°So, fancy a game?¡± ¡°Yes. You are four though¡­ How¡¯s that going to work?¡± ¡°Be?¡± ¡°Oh no¡­ I want a piece of this action too.¡± ¡°Fine then. Ja¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it,¡± Jason snarled. ¡°I¡¯ll sit this one out,¡± Kyle volunteered, shocking everyone. The big guy was covered in a thin film of sweat, showing he was only getting started, which was cause for even more suspicion. ¡°You¡¯re sure about that.¡± ¡°I want to watch them y first. Also, Be can swap out with me the moment she gets tired or if things start to look tough,¡± Kyle shrugged, walking off the court. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that supposed to mean? I can handle myself just fine against these weaklings,¡± Be screamed at Kyle¡¯s retreating back. ¡°I highly doubt that, Be. Do your best,¡± Kyle chuckled, not turning back to see the fuming delta. ........ Lina was standing to one half of the court, in the centre ring with Bree and Crysta standing behind her, facing off against Cole with Be and Jason who mirrored their positions, albeit with more rxed demeanours. Jason almost looked bored while Be looked hungry to leave this team of ¡®weaklings¡¯ in the dust. Standing in between them was a member of the staff that worked at the sports centre, holding a ball in between them. For some reason, the tensioning from both sides was so vicious that he felt he would be squashed by the tensioning from them. Bree was matched up against Be and Crysta was matched up against Jason. While they were aware of Bree¡¯s capabilities, Crysta was still a delta and one that hadn¡¯t got the chance to show them her capabilities during the first stage of the games, so they had put her against Jason. ¡­that and the fact that Jason¡¯s ego was still a little sore from losing to Bree during the blind search. By this time, a bigger crowd had gathered around to watch the royals go against each other. ¡°Oh my! If it isn¡¯t the contestants of the Royal Games going at it in a friendly match.¡± It only took seconds for the cameras to start rolling and for the sports centre to fill with spectators. For some reason, the sports centre didn¡¯t getpletely full. Madeline confirmed the reason for this when she noticed a man at the door collected a hefty sum for anyone that wished to watch this match in person¡­ only to have the doors close and the match get broadcast across the Great Arena as a ¡®bonus game.¡¯ ¡°I would normally say, ¡®I want a clean game but I guess you guys know the rules. Since you¡¯re going to have the second stage tomorrow, this will be a short game. First to 11 points wins.¡± the referee said to the two royals standing in the centre ring. ¡°Which means you won¡¯t have to hold back,¡± Cole pointed out. ¡°Is that a challenge?¡± ¡°Pardon my curiosity, ¡®princess,''¡± the kingughed nervously. Cole had heard of the princess¡¯s insane powers but he was yet to witness her in action. And with that out of the way, the referee threw the ball high into the air¡ªand yes, he threw it really high, practically three metres¡­ which wasn¡¯t hard for a werewolf. However, the royals had tomend the man for keeping the trajectory perfectly vertical after straining so much. The two contestants waited patiently for the ball to reach its peak before leaping high into the air. The referee breathed a sigh of relief when they didn¡¯tin about how high he¡¯d thrown the ball. Even with the three-metre height he¡¯d thrown the ball, the two royals didn¡¯t seem toin. Considering these two were strong, the referee had just assumed they would want the ball higher for a clear aerial battle¡­ But nothing had prepared him for what came next. For the two royals soared through the air, each aiming for the ball and chasing it into the air with no restraints orints. They easily covered the whole three-meter distance, meeting the ball at its zenith before it even had the chance to descend¡­ Lina had got to it first, clutching the ball in her palm, she locked eyes with Cole and smirked. Time seemed to slow as she tossed it to the side¡ªtoss was an understatement. Cole scrunched his brows in confusion. That wasn¡¯t where her teammates were and yet the ball was zipping fast on its way out of the court. ..... Just as it was about to get off and be ruled out of bounds, a hand stopped it at the right moment, sending a loud echo from the collision. Cole¡¯s team froze, seemingly caught in a daze by the sudden aggression. Crysta had caught the ball mid-dash and from the looks of it, she¡¯d expected it to go exactly where she received it, intercepting it at top speed. With how fast she was already going, she easily closed the gap in the other court, getting past a dazed Jason¡ªwho hadn¡¯t yet caught up with what was happening¡ª and making it to the hoop. By the time the delta was making the basket, Cole¡¯s feet were just hitting the ground. The buzzer went off, adding two points to the Sirius team. Crysta let out a joyous cheer and rushed back to her side of the court. Her shout seemed to get the crowd out of their daze before... and let out a roar of apuse. ¡°THE SIRIUS TEAM HAS DONE IT AGAIN. THEY ARE JUST STUFFED FULL OF SURPRISES THIS YEAR FOLKS,¡± thementator screamed into the microphone. ¡®Damn¡­ they got a point off our team¡­ while I was stuck in mid-air.¡¯ Losing the aerial battle hadn¡¯t necessarily meant losing possession of the ball. It had meant losing the chance to make the first basket and Cole hadn¡¯t even seen iting. The nearly two-meter distance between his feet and the ground had proved too great of a distance for him to make a recovery. ¡°The Sirius team this year is simply full of surprises,¡± the kingughed out loud. Jason jogged to their side of the court and picked up the ball, ¡°Let¡¯s get the next one.¡± He said as he threw the ball towards Cole. Chapter 489 - 489 A Need For Speed 489 A Need For Speed The ride to the Great Arena was a long and stressful one for an impatient Seeker. Whitney knew that¡­ Beatrice knew that¡­ But that didn¡¯t prepare them for just how long they were going to sit there. Lyra had tried¡ªon multiple asions¡ªto lighten the mood with some form of small talk. Asking random questions about this and that. How Whitney and Beatrice came to know each other. It was soon apparent that the young-looking Beatrice was actually an entire generation older than Whitney and that the two had be acquainted through Beatrice¡¯ste daughter, Madeline¡¯s deceased mother. This group of travellers had already had two stops to restock on supplies and some to relieve themselves and stretch their muscles. Peter wiped his brow and sighed in the passenger seat. This action earned a twitch from Trevor¡¯s eyebrows, ¡°You¡¯re not even driving!¡± ¡°Yeah, about that. Thank you, Trevor. I don¡¯t think I would have made this drive,¡± Peter admitted. ¡°No kidding! You¡¯re tired from sitting. What do you think I¡¯m going through?¡± Trevor whined. ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯re probably feeling alright. Don¡¯t you train for this sort of thing?¡± Peter asked. This was true. ¡°Hmph!!! I see milk only gets you azier body,¡± Trevor huffed. ..... ¡°Hey, take that back. What¡¯s your deal? You¡¯re probably getting paid a lot of money for this, aren¡¯t you?¡± Peter argued. ¡°Well, obviously I get¡­¡± the hunter stopped talking for a few seconds, paying attention to the eerie silence of the woods that surrounded them, thenpleted in a more serious tone, ¡°¡­get paid for this exact sort of thing. Buckle your seatbelts.¡± Trevor¡¯s hand flew to the gear lever and the hum of the vehicle changed. They were cruising across the asphalt much faster than the normal speed limit. Trevor¡¯s eyes flew to the side and driving mirrors with a look of concern, ¡°What is it, Trevor?¡± ¡°We are being followed. I thought this trip would be dangerous¡­ but this is next-level. Bloody alphas!¡± Trevor cursed, flooring the elerator and switching to a higher gear. ¡°You don¡¯t think they can keep up with the car, do you?¡± Peter asked, fastening his seatbelt and turning to the females in the back to ensure they had done the same. He gave his girlfriend¡¯s hand a squeeze and an assuring smile. ¡°How did they know where to find me?¡± Beatrice mumbled to herself. ¡°Let¡¯s not push the me around. Rogues are always looking for another victim to sink their teeth into,¡± Trevor said, his voice raised with a shaken amount of urgency. As the car sped across the asphalt, the rushing sound of running wolves became incredibly clear along with the hostile feral growlsing from the forest surrounding them. ¡°How is it that they can keep up?¡± Peter squealed, turning to look out the window for some sign of their locations. ¡°They are probably high-ranking rogues. We can only hope that they aren¡¯t among the generals. This will get reallyplicated if we go up against one of those freaks of nature,¡± Trevor replied calmly, pushing his foot even harder on the elerator as they tore through the forest¡¯s road. As it so happened, against his liking, the road began to wind through the woods and he found that he had to break to keep the car from skidding off the asphalt with the sharp winding turns. This, in turn, slowed their speed considerably, making the journey even more excruciating. At this rate, there was simply no way they could escape the hunting rogues. Trevor¡¯s passengers went silent, allowing him to focus solely on the task of keeping them alive and getting them through this tight situation. To this, he was grateful. There was nothing easy about saving a panicking group of civilians. During his training, he even had to learn how to calm down such a panicking crowd¡­ and it wasn¡¯t the easiest thing to do. After a few minutes, Trevor had gotten used to the pattern of the swerving road and was able to keep the car moving at the fastest possible speed without causing an ident. The only problem was: The rogues had now gone silent. And this silence only made him more anxious. Where were they? Had they stopped chasing them down? As though answering his questions, the car jerked to the right suddenly, forcing the hunter to spin the wheel and floor the elerator in the hopes of regaining control of the swerving car. One of the rogues had rammed into the car. Just as he was about to regain the car¡¯s bnce on the road, anotherrge creature rammed into it on the other side. This time, the car spun a whole one-eighty, facing the opposite direction from which they hade. Trevor was not willing to drive backwards, but what choice did he have? He wanted to shake the rogues off their tail¡­ and there wasn¡¯t much time to think about this. On the other hand, his instincts red with suspicions of being led back into a trap. His brows furrowed with unbridled frustration, ¡°These mutts are getting on my nerves.¡± Trevor stepped on the elerator and brought the car to an abrupt halt, drifting through a neat arc that let the car turnpletely on the narrow road, facing the direction in which they should have been going. The smell of burnt rubber filled the air and a deep sense of urgency and danger gripped his nerves. They had to move. His nerves screamed in agony as an oppressive dark aura locked on the ck car. As the hunter ced his foot on the elerator again, he noticed something from the corner of his eye. A tinge of red rushed towards the car at an rming speed. At a speed far greater than that of any wolf he had ever seen¡­ well, any wolf that wasn¡¯t Katie or Lina Sirius. What made this worse, however, was the killing intent behind the creature that was attacking them and the way it bowed its massive head close to the ground as it came closer to the car. ¡®Since when do wolves trust their skulls like bulls¡­¡¯ The tires of the powerful truck spun in ce, puffing a great amount of smoke and sulphur from the friction¡­ If only this hadn¡¯t caused a slight dy, Trevor thought, maybe then they could have got away. A moment of inertia held them in ce. While only momentous, it was enough for the wolf that was already barreling towards them at top speed. Therge charging wolf collided with the car, throwing them clean off the road and crashing through the woods on their right. ¡°Hold on to something,¡± he screamed as the car continued to tumble through the forest. As it turned out, the right side of the road, was a slope steeper than he would have liked¡­ and the car just kept on rolling till it came to a stop in a rtively t clearing with a scattering of a few trees. A pair of red eyes stood at the edge of the road, staring down at the car that had just crashed down. Surprisingly, the car was not as mangled as it should have been. Courtesy of it being issued for the hunter¡¯s mission. This armoured vehicle had managed to keep intact despite the terrible tumble it had been put through. The wolf shook its head, trying to dismiss the pain that rhythmically pulsed through its skull. Trevor groaned as he struggled to keep himself conscious. The fact that he was upside down, held up by a seatbelt didn¡¯t help with the dizziness that ravaged his mind. The feral growl that made it to his ears was the only thing that kept him frompletely banishing his urge to sumb to his subconscious need to pass out. The hunter pressed the red button on his seatbelt and shielded his head as he dropped to the roof of the car. His other hand flew to the dashboard and mmed it, allowing a long chain with two short steel scythes attached to the ends to tumble out with a metallic ng. Careful not to cut anything or anyone, Trevor crawled out of the shattered window, ignoring the pain from the cuts he got from the shattered ss. He had a mission to fulfil. Protecting the people in that car¡­ and that¡¯s what he wanted to do. Looking up the slope, he locked eyes with a pair of red eyes¡­ ¡®Ugh, were-mushrooms¡­¡¯ he cursed, before pulling on the chains and holding onto the sickles by their handles. In his hands, they looked like two short scythes with a silver chain joining them together. He kept his eyes on the wolf as he strained his ears for another presence. Something was not right about all this¡­ Wasn¡¯t there supposed to be at least a dozen wolves chasing them? He finally tore his eyes off the wolf for a second and nced to his right before looking back up. There was nothing. The alpha rogue hadn¡¯t taken a step towards them¡­ which he found odd, ¡®Damn it, what is it?¡¯ Somehow, not being attacked felt even more dangerous than being attacked. He tore his eyes to the left this time¡­ for another split second. There was nothing. His nerves were getting the better of him and he was starting to feel nervous and afraid. ¡®I¡¯m a hunter¡­ I shouldn¡¯t be afraid. I trained for this¡­ I earned my gift once I learned what made Katie so special. I know I can never measure up to that prodigy but I¡¯m still special enough to get one gift.¡¯ As he stared at the rogue ahead of him, he noticed something. Another source of his fear. Normally the rogue would have attacked by now and he wouldn¡¯t have to think so much¡­ but this one was standing still. And as he looked closer, he noticed that it wasn¡¯t looking at him either. It looked tense¡­ tenser than he¡¯d ever seen a rogue. Not to mention, a rogue of this much power, no less. From the sheer size and murderous aura that rolled off this creature, he could it was at least a rogue general. And it was staring behind him. Trevor knew what was behind him¡­ a car, right? But as he slowly turned his head back, he nearly forgot about the rogue he was defending against and dropped to the ground, crawling away from the car. A strong sense of fear instinctively gripped every fibre of his being. ¡®I thought the car had stopped rolling abruptly¡­¡¯ Indeed the car had stopped abruptly¡­ and not simply because it had collided with a tree. But because it had crashed into thergest white wolf he¡¯d ever seen¡­ a wolf sorge, that it seemed bigger than the armoured truck itself. The wolf had a ck patch on its back¡­ and it seemed to be stirring awake from a seemingly deep slumber. ¡®We¡¯re trapped¡­¡¯ Trevor gulped¡­ as the wolf lifted itsrge bear-like head and fluffed its white rounded ears, it stared up at the top of the slope with deep incandescent blue sapphires. Chapter 490 - 490 Panic Mode Again 490 Panic Mode Again The colossal wolf regarded Trevor for a moment before turning to a ¡®more formidable foe.¡¯ What could the hunter do against it¡­ after crushing an armoured truck into it, the wolf looked unfazed. The steel scythes suddenly felt harmless. Trevor had also fallen onto his backside as he backed away, which only made him look less of a threat. Fortunately, the white wolf didn¡¯t look interested in him. The white wonder stared up at the rogue intently, paying the hunter almost no attention whatsoever. The wolf didn¡¯t seem to fear the rogue either but it also made no attempt to attack or assert dominance. Trevor wanted to ask which royal this was¡­ but the words wouldn¡¯t leave his throat out of fear. At this point, drawing the wolf¡¯s attention felt like a taboo. It took Trevor a few moments to get his senses and rationality back. And when he did, he turned to face the slope behind him once more. The rogue looked even less inclined to attack them now¡­ no matter how angered it appeared. ¡®How was it one rogue?¡¯ Trevor¡¯s thoughts roared through his mind. He kept waiting for at least two more to show up but it never happened. For the moment, they were protected by therge wolf. The rogue ced one paw forward and froze watching the white wolf for a reaction. After a seemingly difficult internal debate, therge ck wolf retreated and vanished over the slope and out of sight. Trevor let out a breath he didn¡¯t know he had been holding in. If it hade down to it, he didn¡¯t know if he would be able to fight against the rogue. From what he knew of alphas, it wasn¡¯t supposed to be capable of bulldozing an armoured truck clear off the road. ..... The sound of soft groans and grunts snapped the dazed hunter out of his thoughts. There were other people in the car he ought to have tended to. But there was the matter of the white wolf blocking on side of the¡­ A problem which was solved the moment he turned to face the creature. The abnormallyrge creature was now resting further away from the car, curled up like a ball, its white tail swishingfortably as it watched the hunter and his group of humans. For some reason, Trevor was certain it wouldn¡¯t attack. Without wasting any more time, he worked on getting hispanions out of the car. A few seatbelts had to be cut to get them out and thanks to the first aid kit he had, he was able to clean and dress their wounds. Fortunately, no one had any serious injuries. Whitney took longer to stir and Beatrice seemed to space out often with a bewildered expression. Trevor could only imagine her life was currently shing before her eyes and gave her shoulder a squeeze. ¡°Here, take some water,¡± he handed her a bottle of water. ¡°Trevor, what attacked us? More importantly¡­¡± Peter jerked his chin in the white wolf¡¯s direction, gesturing to their current furrypany. ¡°Well¡­ That my friend is the guardian the rogue was afraid of. He¡­ or she is the reason the rogue chasing us didn¡¯t make sure we were dead,¡± Trevor sighed. ¡°That wolf¡­ is a royal, right?¡± Peter asked, uncertain himself. Trevor paused in his job as a field medic and regarded therge wolf for a moment, ¡°What can I tell you, Peter? I¡¯m just as surprised and ignorant as you are right now. Until today, I was sure werewolves didn¡¯t have the strength to tip an armoured truck but here were are. We crashed¡­ and there he was. A two-meter werewolf-at least- that stopped a rolling car without sustaining any injury. I would say we interfered with his slumber but he wasn¡¯t even injured after our car crushed right into him. He barely looked bothered.¡± ¡°She?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore, Peter,¡± Trevor chuckled. Peter remained silent for a moment, trying to get over the fact that they were in the presence of an anomaly. Disregarding the power of the wolf¡¯s presence was next to impossible but Peter figured he had to do something. ¡°What now, Trevor?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t think we can get any signal from here¡­ and walking definitely won¡¯t do. I need to do a little thinking¡­¡± Trevor stopped talking when a flurry of movement caught his eye. He turned in time to see the white wolf walking towards them. On its four legs, it was much taller and more intimidating. Perhaps if the wolf had bared its teeth and threatened to eat them alive, they would have run. But the wolf did no such thing. Even then, the hunter had his chained scythes ready to slice and dice any piece of white or ck that came near him¡­ regardless of how friendly his shaky self thought that creature was. ¡°Let him through,¡± a hoarse voice ordered. The tired shaken Seeker stood up on shaky legs only to be helped up by L, ¡°He¡¯s not our enemy.¡± She continued. ¡°And what makes you say that? Have you ever seen a wolf the size of two bears before?¡± Trevor asked, unwilling to believe in her riddles much more. Now that he thought of it, he didn¡¯t have any idea what he was risking his life for exactly. ¡°What do you even have to tell the king that¡¯s so important?¡± Trevor asked. ¡°I know the location of the Rogue King and the fact that he got the power to spread the curse once more,¡± she summarised, ¡°And I need to get that information to the king before it¡¯s toote. Hell, I¡¯m already nearly two yearste. If we are to get out of here, we¡¯ll need all the help we can get, so stand aside Trevor.¡± Trevor¡¯s mouth was open for a moment before he closed it and stepped aside to allow the wolf by him. ¡®And they trusted only me?!¡¯ he wanted to scream at the higher-ups for giving him such a dangerous mission with no backup. Peter helped his Whitney up and moved away from the car, following Beatrice¡¯s lead and the five of the watched the colossal wolf roll their car back to its upright position like it was nothing before returning to its former position and sittingfortably once more. Trevor sighed and approached the bashed-up car with the hopes of getting it running again. Peter left his girlfriend with the other twodies and started helping Trevor with the repairs. ¡°So what¡¯s that wolf¡¯s deal? It¡¯s just going to do the heavy lifting and watch us leave like nothing ever happened?¡± Peter asked as he checked the engine. ¡°You tell me, Peter. You just watched him flip a car. I don¡¯t know what to think anymore. I thought King Cole and Luna Katie were going to be thest abominations in this sick and twisted world¡­ but noooo, there seem to be more. Have you noticed he hasn¡¯t spoken a word?¡± Trevor let out a bit of what he had bottled up while checking the tires andter, the doors and internal systems of the car. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve noticed. Why won¡¯t he shift back into his human form and address us as a normal royal would? For all we know, we could be staring at the Rogue King,¡± Peter directed his question to the one person who seemed to know what was going on. Beatrice. ¡°That¡¯s probably because he can¡¯t. Don¡¯t try to assume you know the workings of the Supernatural. It¡¯s not always that simple. We struggle with as much as shifting to carnivorous urges to wrestling with watching our mates talking to other females, even though we know they are friends¡­ You can¡¯t begin to fathom how lucky you are to be born human,¡± Beatrice replied, approaching the white wolf. ¡°Don¡¯t mind them. They are just on edge,¡± the woman spoke to the wolf in a softer tone. The wolf simply huffed and looked away from her, resting itsrge head on a patch of grass beside its paws. ¡°Do I know you from somewhere?¡± Beatrice asked, ignoring the sudden dismissal. The wolf remained quiet. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we¡¯ve met. If we have, then it was never in your wolf form. Your divine energy is more refined and abundant than that of any royal I¡¯ve felt before. And yet I can¡¯t shake the feeling that I¡¯ve met you somewhere,¡± the woman continued unrelentingly. This time, she stood still and stared at the wolf, knowing how nagging it must have been to be stared at for so long and so intently. After a few minutes, the wolf lifted its head with a slight look of exasperation and stood to its full height, towering above the woman. ¡°Beatrice!¡± Whitney called with a hint of rm. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Whitney.¡± Tension filled the air as the wolf regarded the woman with cold eyes for a few seconds. ¡°I won¡¯t back down, you know. You must have a reason for helping us.¡± The wolf seemed agitated by this woman¡¯s stubborn nature. After what felt like an eternity, an ethereal voice swept over the clearing, chilling them all to the bone. The voice came from everywhere and the wolf at the same time, seeming otherworldly, ancient and powerful¡­ with a stato that enforced every word it said. ¡°WHAT MATTERS¡­ IS NOT WHO I AM, BUT THE MESSAGE YOU DELIVER. TIME TICKS FORWARD TOWARDS INEVITABLE CHAOS,¡± with these words, the wolf sat back down and tucked curled into a ball, resting its head on the ground. Whitney was frozen for a moment. Then turned to the two men,pletely forgetting about the white wolf resting behind her, ¡°Trevor, is the car ready?¡± ¡°Hmm, well, there doesn¡¯t seem to be much that was destroyed. The Agency¡¯s cars were built like war machines. It¡¯s not so easy to take one down,¡± the man boasted, giving the bo a good smack as he praised the car. ¡°Then what¡¯s keeping us here? We have to go. We don¡¯t have much time,¡± Whitney squealed. It seemed she¡¯d gleaned a greater meaning into the words the wolf had¡­ echoed. ¡°Just like that, she¡¯s back in panic mode. Let¡¯s go, Trevor,¡± Peter nudged the hunter before guiding Beatrice to the back seat. Before they could get into the car, Whitney turned to the wolf resting, ¡°What about the rogues? What if they attack us again?¡± ¡°YOU HAVE A HUNTER BRAVE ENOUGH TO STAND UP TO ME.¡± ¡°Aww, thanks, big guy. I might have misjudged you,¡± Trevor chuckled before getting serious, ¡°Ms Whitney, have a little faith in me. I got this.¡± Whitney sighed before getting into the car as well. The engine roared to life after several attempts and the car was tearing across the asphalt in no time. This time, Trevor was intent on getting them to the Great Arena without incident. He gripped the steering wheel like his life depended on it¡­ and drove as fast as he could. Deep down, he still doubted his ability to face the rogue if it attacked again. The murderous intent he¡¯d felt rolling off the ck crimson-eyed wolf was more than enough to chill his bones. ......¡­. Unbeknownst to the young hunter, a white figure stayed in their shadow the rest of the journey, following them across the road in a seemingly random pattern, always keeping its distance while keeping an eye on them all the same. The ck rogue was no fool to miss this little detail. Whether he liked it or not¡­ the white wolf was following the car, acting as a protector of the very person seated inside. Someone that should have died in a river two years ago¡­ ......¡­.. At the centre of the Origin as far South as the world went, a furious king thrust his fist into the ground, sending a shockwave through the field of lotuses in which he was imprisoned and screamed out in a furious rage, his blue eyes shing with fury¡­ Fury fueled his rage¡­ cementing his resolve on bringing more pain to the world¡­ and seeing his next n through. Chapter 491 - 491 Spitting Image Of The Luna 491 Spitting Image Of The Luna The match had only just begun and the Sirius team had scored one basket, earning them 2 points in the race to make eleven. They weren¡¯t far ahead but with an opening that shy, the crowd had tipped in their favour and any more points they were to score would considerably boost their momentum and damage the Lycaon team¡¯s morale. What was worse was that Lina hadn¡¯t revealed the height of her abilities in the game yet¡­ which kept Cole on edge, ¡®When did she even learn to y basketball?¡¯ The question, considering how she was Katie¡¯s sister, felt rhetorical in some way. If Lina was going to be the spitting image of the Lost Luna, then basketball simply came as part of the package. Jason passed the ball back into y from behind their hoop. At the moment that the ball left Jason¡¯s hands, the two werewolves felt a sudden shift in the atmosphere, as though they¡¯d already lost the ball when it was right in front of them. Cole rushed forward and grabbed the ball tightly, making sure to hold it in ce as though it would vanish. When he was confident of his grip on the ball, the pressing aura vanished. Everything seemed to be just fine. ¡®Did I just imagine it?¡¯ Cole asked his beta alpha through the mind link. ¡®No, I felt it too. The opening that was about to be exploited,¡¯ Jason sounded uncertain. This didn¡¯t make much sense and yet the fear was clearly there. ..... Lina and her team were already on the other side of the court, preparing their defence against them. ¡°Be on your toes. They¡¯ve got another trick up their sleeve,¡± Cole called out, alerting Be to get serious. Cole¡¯s team distributed themselves well, trying to steer clear of their marks. Each time the ball left Cole¡¯s hand¡ªeven when it was simply bouncing off the ground and back into his hand¡ª, the same tense fear gripped him again. It felt like the moment the ball left his hand, he¡¯d given it willingly to the enemy. It wasn¡¯t until he locked eyes with Lina that he realised just where this pressure wasing from. The princess wasn¡¯t moving about the court like the others since she was his mark and therefore meant to stop him. There was a dangerous air to her stillness¡­ ¡°Someone¡¯s been training,¡± Cole said, before crouching low and increasing the speed of his dribbles. Lina¡¯s eyes followed the ball intensely but she never once made a move to swat the ball from him. Herck of movement unnerved him. He wanted her to fall for a feint or at least make a move¡­ but she wouldn¡¯t. Cursing, he looked to the side for one of his teammates. Like a steel vice in his heart, his fear gripped him once again. This time, his fears came to fruition¡­ for in the next moment, Lina had vanished right in front of him. He¡¯d only taken his eyes off her for a second¡­ and that was enough for the princess topletely vanish. The ball he bounced never made it back to his hand. When he did turn around to give chase, he was met with the sound of the buzzer and the scoreboard switching to 0:4 in favour of the Sirius team. He turned to his teammates and noticed something unexpected. They¡¯d beenpletely shut out from following Lina, almost as if they had anticipated an opening like this. The two werewolves were on the wrong side of the semi-circle the defence was supposed to upy, keeping Jason and Be from making a recovery. It wasn¡¯t just Bree, Lina or Crysta as individuals¡ªwell, they each had their strengths and weaknesses for sure¡ª but the whole team was made of extremely talented werewolves that seemed to be in perfect sync. ¡®They are not alphas though¡­ Why?¡¯ Cole found himself asking this question as he jogged back to their side of the court. Jason gripped the ball with his hands and unconsciously twirled it on his fingers, ¡°Are you okay, Cole?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Why would you ask that?¡± Cole barked. ¡°I¡¯m not pointing fingers. Believe me¡­ It¡¯s just that, I couldn¡¯t follow her. Even though I watched everything,¡± Jason mentioned, ¡°Pass to me¡­ and pay close attention. I get the feeling we can¡¯t beat Lina one-on-one.¡± Cole decided to lean on Jason¡¯s rationality to form a solid n. The blonde rushed forward after giving Cole the ball, switching sides with Be to throw their marks off while they searched for an opening in the opponent team¡¯s defence. Jason was a powerful beta alpha who almost never lost his cool¡­ almost. But that didn¡¯t make him invincible and that limit was soon approaching¡­ Or perhaps he¡¯d already hit that limit. Cole wished he could soothe the beta alpha¡¯s aching heart and fan the mes of his spirit back to the way they used to be¡­ but that wasn¡¯t as easy as it sounded. Jason was always the jolly type that strove to put a smile on everyone¡¯s face in any way that he could. At first sight, he was simply someone that liked cracking jokes¡­ But if that was the case, then Jason would break this routine but he never did¡­ even when Cole knew he had no reason to smile. The king had never seen him crumble even once. It didn¡¯t matter how bad his situation got. He was also the only person¡ªother than Cole¡ª that wasn¡¯t the least bit intimidated by Kyle, which was a powerful achievement all on its own. Cole snapped out of his thoughts as he saw an opening for Jason. He thrust his hands out towards Be, only to bring the ball back and throw it to Jason. Even without Lina showing many reactions to his dribbling, there was a slight likelihood that she wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid the temptation of intercepting his passes with her insane speed. A smirk formed on Cole¡¯s face when he noticed the princess shift her weight towards Be, only to brake as the ball was thrown in the opposite direction. The king would have been happy with this development but theck of surprise or shock on Lina¡¯s face only made him realise something¡­ They weren¡¯t out of the woods yet. In three swift dribbles, Jason had gotten around Crysta. His breath was erratic, indicating just how much he¡¯d strained to pull off something like that. Crysta, also turned, seemingly unfazed by the sudden burst of speed. Everything seemed to slow down for Cole, allowing him to feel the sheer intensity of the game and his heart pounding loudly in his ear. Jason didn¡¯t take three steps away from Crysta before a pair of blue eyes appeared before him. The alpha had to grit his teeth to keep himself from crumbling under the intense pressure rolling off Lina¡¯s form. That, along with the small amount of foresight that his experience with the game had earned him. Before Lina could steadily mark him, he let the ball fly, bouncing right by her foot and straight into Cole¡¯s waiting arms. Lina turned almost instantly and nearly staggered back at the sight of Cole soaring through the air, airborne and a metre above the ground. His target¡­ the hoop, was unguarded. Lina¡¯s team could only watch as Cole jammed the ball into the hoop. The buzzer rang out, announcing the Lycaon team¡¯s first score. The crowd that surrounded them erupted in apuse from the brief seconds that had just been witnessed. This little friendly game had turned in a demonstration of power in a matter of seconds. ¡°Kyle, get in here,¡± Cole yelled as the Lycaon team jogged back to their seats, ¡°Be, sit this one out for me.¡± Be clenched her fists in frustration but marched off without a word. ......¡­. ¡°They are good!¡± Kyle stood up from his seat after watching the short few seconds that the game had gone for. He could already feel his body get flooded with the adrenaline of a challenge. ¡°Do you think you stand a chance?¡± a feminine voice asked from his right. Honour was standing with Madeline on the sidelines. For Madeline¡¯sfort, Honour was standing between the two of them, working as a shield to keep their situation from getting weird. Unfortunately, her presence made it even harder for the two of them to talk which felt like a miscalction on her part. Honour had assumed Kyle would speak up even though she was around but to her surprise, the man remained silent. It was already clear that he had stepped off the court just to talk to Madeline. ¡°Of course, we stand a chance. If anything, this just got a lot more interesting. Close wins are the most exciting ones. A win where your opponent fights with all they have. It¡¯s always fun to go all-out on against a strong opponent,¡± Kyle mused enthusiastically as he walked up to the centre line. He shook hands with Be and stepped onto the court, getting into her position. ¡®Kyle knows how to make thisplicated¡­¡¯ Honour sighed. To her side, Madeline was fidgeting with her thumbs, keeping silent for the longest time Honour had ever known her to be. Her eyes stayed pinned on the beta alpha of interest¡­ and her thoughts remained a curious mess. .........¡­. It was barely a minute since the start of the game and the pressure was already this intense. Despite Cole¡¯s y, Lina smirked mischievously, ¡°What are you happy about, Lina?¡± Crysta chuckled. ¡°We can win, Crysta. It¡¯s a nice feeling,¡± Lina shrugged. Bree got the ball and stood behind the hoop, ¡°You think I could score one?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, definitely. Do you want the next one?¡± Lina asked. ¡°You¡¯re not seriously making such a decision now. It will make the game infinitely harder,¡± Crysta whined. ¡°Think about it, Crysta. They¡¯ve brought Kyle back in. That means they are scared. And if we can decide who gets to score and make it happen, then they¡¯ll realise just how much of a handicap they are in,¡± Lina exined with a mischievous smirk on her face. Noticing the awkward pause by their immobility, they switched to speaking through the mind link as they started the game. Bree passed the ball to Lina and the two girls ran ahead to face off against the Lycaon defence while Lina jogged calmly. ¡°Lina, I know what you¡¯re saying¡­ but they brought Kyle in. From the little we watched earlier, he¡¯s good. I would say he¡¯s more dangerous than Jason in this situation. That sneaky giant probably tapped out to get a chance to talk to Madeline,¡± Crysta replied through the mind link. ¡°You might be right. In that case, Kyle¡¯s your mark the next time we¡¯re on defence,¡± Lina announced through the mind link. For now, Lina noticed Kyle marking Bree and Jason still stuck to Crysta. ¡°Will you be okay, Bree?¡± ¡°Yes, I will,¡± the amber-eyed wolf replied with a rush of determination that didn¡¯t reflect her situation on the court. Kyle was muchrger than her and given his astonishing speed and reflexes, he had the capability to mark her tightly with no gaps for her to receive the ball. Crysta, on the other hand, seemed to be an equivalent match for Jason¡­ which still came as a surprise that Lina humbly dismissed from her mind. As expected, the blonde beta alpha seemed to be expending a minimum amount of energy against Crysta. His eyes depicted thought¡­ fast thought as they darted about the court, seemingly in calction. ¡°It¡¯s all futile,¡± Lina chuckled out loud, dropping low and dashing straight for Cole. At that moment, Cole¡¯s body betrayed him¡­ freezing with a massive wave of nostalgia. There were many things that could have put him in this state. The explosive burst of speed that nearly blurred the princess out of reality stunned the prince¡­ but that wasn¡¯t all. The sheer inability to stop Lina¡¯s drive¡­ Everything about her form was perfect and frighteningly precise, leaving no openings. The speed she¡¯d used was nearly unimaginable¡­ and in every way, nostalgic. ..... For werewolf kind, this was borderline impossible. The princess of Sirius was incredible. But to Cole, in the moment that she¡¯d started her drive. Her sapphire orbs had glowed with intense sparkle and determination that he¡¯d gotten ustomed to a long time ago¡­ and the look of bliss as she went against strong opponents. Coupled with the striking resemnce to the Lost Luna, Lina Sirius hadpletely assumed the character of his mate, stunning him all at once. For a brief moment, Cole could have been ying with Katie¡­ If it hadn¡¯t been for the odd shuffling sound of sudden movement to his right, Cole would¡¯ve stayed like this¡­ Lina wasn¡¯t going for the basket as he¡¯d initially thought. Chapter 492 - 492 Bag of Tricks 492 Bag of Tricks Cole watched as Bree weaved around Jason, feigning a move to the right before pirouettingpletely around the alpha and dashing forward from his back, outside of his line of sight. Jason¡¯s focus disoriented, there was now a wide opening in their defence. Jason already had a terrible experience with the nimble wolf¡­ and watching him getpletely outmanoeuvred once more did not bode well. Bree was dashing forward a short while before the ballnded straight in her hands as though she¡¯d expected it. Cole turned to block her and collided with Lina. The princess nted her feet on the ground, blocking his way to the amber-eyed wolf. On his other side, Kyle started a dash to close the gap, easily elerating beyond what Crysta was capable of. Bree, however, seemed to notice and stopped her run before making a vertical jump with the ball above her head, aimed at the hoop in perfect form. Her ascending motion seemed like a scene out of a sports anime, like a slow-motion shot that would never miss,nding a point at thest second. Cole stepped back and attempted to side-step past the princess since he was closer to Bree. He could still make it. The ball left Bree¡¯s hands and sailed effortlessly through the air. ..... Just as Cole thought to make the jump that would intercept it, Lina stepped forward and invaded his space. If he tried to push through, he¡¯d hurt her¡­ but Cole could already guess that this was the point in her strategy. Attempting another sidestep would earn him nothing. The Lycaon team¡¯s yers watched as the ball sailed straight into the basket. ¡°Are you going to start taking us seriously? Sooner would be better thanter,¡± Lina giggled before jogging back to her side of the court, ponytail happily swishing. The buzzer had already sent the crowd into a frenzy of apuse in favour of the Sirius team. Jason jogged to the back of the court and held the ball firmly, ¡°They are tough,¡± he mumbled, trying to think of a way out of this situation. ¡°Got anything, Jay,¡± Cole asked. ¡°Well¡­ I can think of something¡­ but it only helps us when we¡¯re defending. I haven¡¯t figured out a way to get past their defence yet. With Lina¡¯s speed, it¡¯s almost like they¡¯ll always be several steps ahead. From what I¡¯ve seen, Crysta is the least active. Like something¡¯s holding her back. I can¡¯t imagine what that is¡­ but for now, she¡¯s their weak link, weird as that sounds. I¡¯ll be happier switching marks with Kyle. That little devil totally got me thatst time¡­ It¡¯s like she¡¯s faster with her eyesight,¡± Jason mumbled. Cole chuckled, ¡°She must really get on your nerves.¡± The beta alpha passed the ball to Cole and the conversation proceeded within their minds. Cole made sure to send his voice to both of his teammates so Kyle wouldn¡¯t be left out of their nning. ¡°They have the raw power¡­ That¡¯s for sure. But that¡¯s not all one needs to win a basketball game. There is much more to that than simple speed and agility. So I will ask that you all get your heads in the game. We can win this. Don¡¯t make it seem like the team of three alphas is weaker than a team with only one.¡± With that said, the three of them faced the Sirius team once more. Lina, like before, watched Cole¡¯s every move, her eyes glued to the ball, ¡°Someone¡¯s watching me like a hawk.¡± She didn¡¯t reply¡­ Her focus was seemingly imprable¡­ Now that he¡¯d had some time to rx, he knew what had happened earlier. And with much more rity. He knew why fear kept gripping him as if he¡¯d already lost the ball and yet it had gone nowhere. This was simply the princess¡¯s determination and conviction towards getting the ball. Every time the ball seemed to be within her reach and she was confident that her speed could reach it with no problem, she released an intense aura that was impossible for Cole to ignore. It was¡­ intimidating. Even for a royal. But now that he knew that, the prince had an idea. Everything seemed calm for a moment before it wasn¡¯t. Lina¡¯s arm swept forward for the ball at a speed that still stunned everyone no matter how many times they¡¯d seen it, only to grasp at nothing. A smirk appeared on Cole¡¯s face as his left received the ball, creating an opening at the princess¡¯s left side. At the moment that Lina had struck, Cole had anticipated this as anyone would after ying the game a lot¡­ and in that dribble, he¡¯d made the ball faster than she¡¯d gotten used to, throwing off her timing. Then again, Lina was capable of getting the ball even without needing to time it like normal yers. She was fast enough to get it without having to do that. But habits were hard to break¡­ The princess nted one foot in front of her to brake and turned immediately, missing once more as the ball bounced right next to her feet and into Cole¡¯s right hand on her other side. This time, recovery was even harder and the prince seemed to be making his way for the basket. With that much of an opening, anyone would have panicked, trying to cover the wide gap in hopes of preventing the point from being scored. Lina¡¯s high speed and reflexes allowed her to recover in record time¡­ however she was right on time to see Cole passing the ball to Jason, who¡¯d gotten around his mark, Crysta. The delta had no way of recovering to help the princess which meant Lina would have to stop Jason from making the point. To her everything was moving slowly and smoothly¡­ and yet for some reason, the ball seemed to fly when her body was going in the opposite direction or right past it. Something felt off¡­ She rushed towards Jason, her eyes darting to a winded Crysta for only a moment. A moment too long and one that was enough for the ball to sail right past her ear, whistling a cruel tune and heading right into Cole¡¯s open arms. The prince made his way forward with no one in his way. Lina braked hard on the court, only to trip and tumble across the court. Then watch helplessly as the king sailed through the air, propelled by the insane jumping power his werewolf strength allowed him. On the other side of the court, Kyle wore a smug expression as he blocked Lina¡¯sst hope of making it to Cole in time, Bree. Kyle hadn¡¯t involved himself in the y. Instead, he¡¯d cut off one of Katie¡¯s allies and created an opening for Cole to make the point. The buzzer roared with the sound of the hoop being mmed by a five-foot-ten-tall alpha. The crowd had erupted into chaos long before the prince made the basket, marvelling at the athleticism presented to them by the very monarchs that ruled over the two empires. ¡°Yeeaahhhh,¡± Jason yelled over the sound of the apuse. It seemed the game was starting to get interesting. Lina was barely winded¡­ but she didn¡¯t feel so confident anymore. She felt¡­ excited. Against her incredible speed and reflexes, the Lycaon king had managed to score a point and make it look effortless, ¡°You still have a ways to go. But I think you¡¯ll be getting better than me in no time too.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up, Cole,¡± Lina spat, remembering the same words she¡¯d said about Kyle. The king was strong¡­ probably stronger than any wolf Lina had ever met¡ªwith the exception of Katie Sirius. That was still an ongoing internal debate. And it seemed Cole was only starting to prove what kind of strength he had. ¡°Lina, are you okay?¡± Crysta asked through the mind link. ¡°Yeah, I-I guess I got cocky, didn¡¯t I?¡± the princess replied. ¡°We¡¯re still in the lead. We can still leave them in the dust. This game has only just begun. Later on, it will start depending on who has more stamina¡­ and I know yours is nearly limitless. Don¡¯t lose hope yet,¡± Madeline tried soothing the princess. The game had only just begun¡­ and yet the pressure was thick and they felt like suffocating. Cole hadn¡¯t shown any signs of strain during that y¡­ which scared Lina even more. Could there be more untapped power that the king was harbouring to himself? She almost missed the ball when Bree sent it to her hands, putting the ball back in y and bringing their minds back into the game. ¡°We have to make up for this game.¡± This time, when they attacked, something felt off. Lina wasn¡¯t facing off Cole anymore¡­ Standing at the centre of the semi-circle that surrounded their hoop was none other than the colossal beta alpha, Kyle. Kyle¡¯s arrogant grin was gone, reced by a look of intense concentration. Lina thought she imagined it when part of his curly hair extended down the middle of his head¡­ ¡®An attempt at a half-shift?¡¯ she wondered. She couldn¡¯t say for sure¡­ but she also couldn¡¯t shake the weary feeling that invaded her senses. ¡®Let¡¯s get this over with,¡¯ she thought as she suddenly elerated. With her speed, getting past someone wasn¡¯t hard. Even Cole couldn¡¯t keep up with her¡­ And it was this kind of thinking that left her stunned when Kyle suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her waypletely. The princess dribbled the ball through her feet and spun to get around him¡­ but when she turned to make a break for it, he was there. Despite his size, Kyle was fast, quickly covering any opening the princess made before she could even utilise it. ¡°Lina.¡± The princess turned and passed the ball to Crysta who¡¯d just got clear of Jason at the right moment. The delta made it back outside therge ¡®D¡¯, allowing them to re-assess the situation. Lina moved out expecting Kyle to follow, but the big guy stayed behind, keeping to the space around the hoop¡­ ¡®A Zone Defence. With Kyle near the hoop like that¡­ Damn it. How many cards do you have in your bag of tricks, Cole?¡¯ Lina muttered under her breath as the ball sailed back to her hands. Jason stayed diligent in marking Crysta that she barely got a chance to get past him. Bree seemed dangerously overwhelmed as well with Cole rendering her nimble efforts useless with his agile covering abilities. ¡°Lina, can I suggest something?¡± Bree¡¯s voice suddenly invaded her mind. After a very short mental conversation, the princess smirked and dashed forward toward Kyle before abruptly bouncing the ball to his right. Lina marvelled at the look of surprise on his face as Bree appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the ball in her hands. The amber-eyed wolf didn¡¯t bounce the ball and instead pushed off the ground with all her strength¡­ aiming for the hoop. Kyle was in for a shock when sheunched far higher than ordinary wolves should have been capable of. ¡°So that¡¯s what she is. Frightening.¡± The confirmatory tone in his voice struck a chord of curiosity. ¡®Bree¡¯s normal right? She just trains extra¡­ just like Crysta.¡¯ She didn¡¯t have much time to think about this as Kyle leapt into the air as well, heading into the air for the aerial battle which he was bound to win. When he was about to touch the ball in the girl¡¯s hand, she pulled it down and sent the ball back to the princess. Lina wasted no time jumping as well. The hoop was open. With Kyle stuck in the air and the other members of the Lycaon team preupied, there should not have been a way¡­ She gasped as the ball suddenly tipped out of her hands, forced out by an external force. She locked eyes with Kyle who wore a smug smile on his face. Therge beta alpha had arched his back and reached back in time to tap the ball out of Lina¡¯s hand. And even worse, the ballnded in Cole¡¯s hands¡­ as though he¡¯d expected. The chase back to the other half of the court was cut short when Coleunched the ball into the air when he¡¯d barely passed the centre of the court, scoring a solid 3-point basket¡­ This not only allowed the Lycaon team to catch up, but it also put them a point ahead. The crowd was a roaring mess. ......¡­. Sirius 4-5 Lycaon ..... Chapter 493 - 493 Must be Going Senile 493 Must be Going Senile Caden brought his car to a stop inside a hospital parking lot and turned it off, sighing with contentment. Peaceful, quiet and private¡­ A rarity for the king¡¯s stand-in. Ever since Cole and the other beta alphas had left for the royal games, running the kingdom had automatically fallen upon his shoulders. Bracing himself for his next order of business, he stepped out of the car and took a few looks around to confirm no one was around before hezily stretched his arms. ¡®That morning drill is bound to kill someone. Right¡­ let¡¯s get this issue over with.¡¯ Walking out of the parking lot, he was greeted by a timid man dressed in a green uniform. The man was of average build for a security guard but in the presence of a beta alpha, he was just another man. And his nerves showed just how aware he was of his weakness. Caden had long learnt to ignore that reaction. ¡°Beta alpha Caden, you have our gratitude for gracing our humble establishment with your presence.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, just show me the way,¡± Caden sighed. ..... ¡°This way, sir,¡± the man timidly turned and started a jog up to the hospital. ¡°Are you going to make me run?¡± Caden didn¡¯t notice his voice go up when he asked this¡­ until the man flinched. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Isn¡¯t this an emergency?¡± the man asked. ¡°Just show me to thedy I spoke to over the phone. She said the situation had been contained for now,¡± Caden sighed. This man bowed timidly once more and apologised profusely before leading him to the reception. At the double doors admitting them into the hospital, a scent invaded the beta alpha¡¯s nostrils. It was sweet and calling out to him¡­ but just as it hade, he rubbed his nose andpletely shut it out, ¡°Do you grow strawberries nearby?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ no,¡± the man replied with a hasty tone, ¡°But we can get you some if you need any. A quick run to the supermarket and you could have them in under ten minutes.¡± ¡°No, never mind,¡± Caden sighed. ¡®I must be going senile,¡¯ the beta alpha thought to himself. Reaching the receptionist¡¯s desk, he noticed a blonde woman, standing with her eyes glued to a notepad, scribbling a few words onto the pad of paper. A stethoscope was draped around her neck and thebcoat she was wearing seemed to suit her very well. Not to mention the sses that seemed to enhance the intelligent gaze. The sight of this woman deep in thought seemed to be a sight for the ages¡­ ¡®I found the First Wonder of the World. Talk of Effortless Beauty,¡¯ Caden¡¯s mind sang. As he followed the beta alpha, he noticed the security guard was taking him in her direction. For some reason, that made Caden anxious. ¡®Me, a beta alpha, anxious to meet a woman. You live as long as me, you¡¯re bound to meet a couple of anomalies¡­¡¯ he inwardly chuckled at his own joke. ¡°Uh, Miss Catherine¡­ I, uh¡­ brought¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, thanks Cal, I can take it from here,¡± the woman spoke, her words sounding like a waterfall of pure caramel in Caden¡¯s ears. Like a river of honey flowing down a crystal waterfall. Like a¡ª ¡®Yeah, definitely going senile.¡¯ The woman dismissed the timid security guard, turned to Caden and shed him a bright smile, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure meeting you, Alpha Caden. This way.¡± She ced down the notepad and beckoned for the alpha to follow as she led him deeper into the hospital. Caden followed, the image of the nurse¡¯s smile getting carved with utmost detail into the deepest parts of his brain, ¡®I¡¯ve seen a smile before, right?¡¯ ¡°Thank you foring on such short notice. We deeply appreciate it,¡± the woman snapped him out of his¡­ questionable thoughts. While she had a smile fit for a goddess, the beta alpha had also noticed the colour of her eyes. The nurse had a pretty set of hazel-brown irises that seemed to reflect more light than they should have. She was human. ¡°Oh, no problem. How long has the patient been like this?¡± Caden asked the nurse leading him through the in white-walled building with only a few portraits here and there. ¡°Sh¡­ She¡¯s been showing this erratic behaviour since we brought her in. At first, she was having seizures so we gave her the required medicine and they seemed to stop but after a while¡­ the medicine stopped working¡­ and something else started happening to her.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s better if you see for yourself,¡± the nurse, scrunched her eyebrows, as though unable to exin exactly what she had witnessed. She led the man through a steel door that led down a staircase to a ndestine bottom floor. This entrance was positioned at the back of the hospital. A ce one could only get to after several turns through the convoluted maze of halls and with prior guidance. The door had three locks, each of a different kind and the smell that hit Caden¡¯s nostrils once he was inside was an assortment of medicines, poisons¡­ and blood. It was simr to the smell that was to be found in the hunter¡¯s torture chambers. Only this one was a lot less pungent and there wasn¡¯t a hint of wolfsbane. The beta alpha got a face mask that was handed to him and followed the woman to arge ss pane. The ss was opaque when they walked in but at the push of a button, it became transparent and exposed what was on the other side. Caden froze¡­ The scene inside erased all his half-conscious thoughts of pics and the secret room¡¯s sanitation that lingered in his mind. His first assumption had been that this was an experimental facility where the doctors were experimenting on werewolves but the woman they hade to see was a human who had gone out camping when she got attacked. There were three doctors inside, surrounding the hospital bed with looks of concern written all over their faces. Their eyes were glued to the restrained person lying in the bed. Caden didn¡¯t know what to think of the peculiar situation at first. The woman was bound from head to toe in chains. The sheets that could be seen were stained with blood and shredded from what looked like ws. Thankfully, the woman seemed unconscious. The machine that detected her heartbeat had been silenced but the visuals were left there to show what was going on within her body. At that moment, the heart spikes were starting to get sharper, shifting from the calm heartbeat of a person sound asleep to someone stirring awake which exined the concerned looks on the doctors surrounding her. ¡®I have a bad feeling about this,¡¯ Caden thought to himself, feeling his stomach twist in knots. ¡°What happened to her?¡± ¡°I was hoping you could tell me what¡¯s going on. This woman¡­ she ¡®was¡¯ human. Now I don¡¯t even know what she is. Werewolves are aggressive but not¡­ mindless.¡± ¡°How did you manage to secure her? I didn¡¯t see any hunters on our way here.¡± ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for the restraints we put on her while she was having seizures, she would have torn through everyst living thing in this hospital and even then, she nearly escaped. We don¡¯t have hunters here. This is a public hospital that deals with only human patients. And with everyone going off for the Royal Games, there was no one to spare for this hospital.¡± ¡°Was anyone injured?¡± Caden asked. ¡°A few doctors were injured when she was trying to escape. Alpha Caden, what is the meaning of this? The king mentioned it would no longer be possible for humans to be turned into werewolves,¡± the woman asked frantically. Unfortunately, they were out of time before Caden could reply. The chains rattled¡­ and the woman woke up. When the chained woman arose, her amber eyes locked on the alpha¡¯s eyes through the mirror. The two of them locked eyes for a moment before she grinned, revealing a pair of sharp canines nearly thrice the length of normal human canines. She was the mundane type of werewolf and yet the report he¡¯d read from the king¡¯s office suggested something else, ¡°That¡¯s not the colour you said her eyes were¡­¡± ¡°I know¡­ She¡¯s alsocking one more pair of canines in her upper jaw,¡± the woman added to the information, rubbing her temples to massage the iing migraine. ¡°You¡¯re suggesting she was bitten by a royal but no one has seen the Rogue King in nearly two years. If she was out camping with hunters, then they wouldn¡¯t have missed his presence,¡± Caden tried reasoning. ¡°I don¡¯t know the details of how your society works¡­ Hunters and Werewolves¡­ Rogues and Royals¡­ I only know how to treat humans. My degree doesn¡¯t stretch into the Supernatural. When I see my patient start to grow canines and go rabid like a dog, I¡¯m reduced to nothing more than a worthless human that can¡¯t defend herself.¡± ¡°How many were injured?¡± ¡°Two doctors and one of the male nurses. If it wasn¡¯t for my colleague bashing her head with a fire extinguisher, you would be looking at mass murder¡ª¡± ¡°ALPHA¡­ CADEN¡­¡± Caden turned to the deep voice that had just rumbled through the room, interrupting the nurse¡¯s words. The voice rumbled loudly andmanded power. Fortunately, it was a power that the beta alpha was resistant to. A power that belonged to a royal that had no control over him. The doctors surrounding the woman took a few steps back. The woman turned to the people walking away from her, ¡°OH, DON¡¯T BE AFRAID OF ME. AREN¡¯T YOU SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME BETTER?¡± ¡°What are you?¡± Caden whispered, his words of curiosity aimed at no one in particr. The woman¡¯s face snapped to his, disying awareness. She¡¯d heard him. Caden held back a breath as he noticed a significant change in the woman¡¯s appearance. Her eyes were no longer the harmless amber he had failed to fear. They were now a deep crimson¡­ ¡®How does someone¡¯s eye colour just change on a whim?¡¯ ¡°OH, ISN¡¯T IT OBVIOUS? I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT MY BENEVOLENT VOICE WOULD BE ENOUGH TO TELL YOU WHO OR WHAT I AM?¡± the voice echoed. The voice was so out of ce that when the woman opened her mouth to speak, it felt like someone else¡¯s voice took her ce. The voice that escaped her small delicate lips was nothing like it should have been. It was the voice of a killer¡­ the voice of a predator, the voice of a bloodthirsty tyrant. Nothing like the person it came from. Knowing that it became hard to even perceive the deep voice asing out of the woman¡¯s mouth. And as a result, it sounded like the voice came from everywhere but her. ¡°IT IS I, THE ROGUE KING¡­ AND MY GRAND SIEGE ON THIS WORLD¡­ HAS ALREADY BEGUN.¡± Chapter 494 - 494 First Shift 494 First Shift Caden watched the crimson-eyed woman writhing violently against the metallic hold of the steel chains. The chains groaned against her terrifyingly powerful efforts, going so taut that it seemed like she would break them. Just when it looked like they would snap, however, the woman would run out of steam and try again. For now, they held. ¡®My attack on the world has already begun,¡¯ the statement bounced through Caden¡¯s mind. It meant so much that the beta alpha was having trouble grasping the true meaning of these words. His mind didn¡¯t want toe to terms with what it could mean but for some reason, he feltpelled to jump to the worst possible conclusions. ¡®It can¡¯t be, can it?¡¯ His hand instinctively flew to his pocket when his mind link failed andtched onto his phone. At the same time, he remembered how it had been impossible for him to reach Cole from the pce. It wouldn¡¯t work here either. ¡®I thought it felt familiar thatmunications had been cut off,¡¯ he sighed. ¡°Order those doctors to get out of there now,¡± Caden told Catherine with a slight hint of urgency. ¡°What! Okay,¡± the woman ced her hand on a button and spoke through the microphone. ..... ¡°Get out of there now,¡± she yelled. The groaning of metal chains filled the room as the woman in the bed continued to struggle against her binds. Caden¡¯s hand flew to the same button and this time, he spoke through himself, ¡°Get out, now!¡± One of the metal links snapped in two, the pieces shooting off in random directions and a chain burst loose from the ensnared woman. She let out a loud growl and gave the chains another powerful push, struggling to break free. A door clicked at the side of the ss pane and the three doctors filed out as fast as they could, ¡°Lock that door.¡± Caden ordered and they did. Caden turned back to the woman and noticed the chains would get any looser than they¡¯d been. The doctors had done a good job of securing her with more than one chain. When the previous one shattered, it hadn¡¯t necessarily meant the woman would break free. She still had plenty more chains to break. The crimson-eyed woman stopped struggling against the chains and switched to cackling madly, ¡°There is nothing you can do to stop it, poor beta alpha. I have many¡­ many pawns I can use in this war. Just how many ces can you be at once? How many people can you save at once? I will watch the world burn and the goddess¡¯s original wish will be fulfilled.¡± Caden turned away from the room, ¡°This room is to be sealed off and a dose of wolfsbane sprayed into it to keep that werewolf weakened.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a human,¡± Catherine argued. ¡°Not anymore. I don¡¯t know how but she¡¯s not a human anymore,¡± Caden argued. There was so much that didn¡¯t make sense and the fact that the woman had suddenly been turned into a werewolf was only the least of his suspicions. For starters, she had sounded like the Rogue King and gained a ridiculous amount of energy the moment her eyes turned red, which was meant to be an impossibility all on its own. Caden didn¡¯t have time to worry about that. His mind was racing faster than ever in his life, ¡°You said there were other doctors she injured earlier. Where are they? Were they bitten?¡± ¡°They are¡­¡± the woman¡¯s voice got caught when she realised what the man was insinuating by asking these two questions, ¡°You don¡¯t think?¡± ¡°Hurry, please. Lives are at stake.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ this way,¡± Catherine hurriedly led the beta alpha away. Before walking out, Caden turned to the other doctors, ¡°When you¡¯re done securing this room, start evacuation procedures. I¡¯ll need your help.¡± ¡°Evacuate the hospital? But¡­¡± ¡°Not just the hospital. The Crisis Bunkers! Get as many medical personnel to those shelters and inform everyone you can go there immediately. There, you and your fellow colleagues will receive further instructions that I¡¯m going to ry to the pack doctors right now,¡± Caden ordered. ¡°Get as many patients as you can out of here and straight to the shelters.¡± Caden¡¯s words carried heavy meaning. The Bunkers hade to be known by many names but intuitively, everyone knew what they were for. In case anything like the battle of Lycaon for two years was to happen ever again, these Bunkers were to help protect the masses. Caden had just skipped several levels of alerts and gone to the absolute extreme, the pinnacle of panic¡­ and he¡¯d left no room for debate either. Caden followed Catherine through the hospital, ¡®Jogging would be better right now.¡¯ Catherine approached a red button in a stic case and flipped it, sending an alert through the hospital and red shing lights. From her pocket, she retrieved a phone and started dialling numbers and rying orders as she led the beta alpha up a flight of stairs. Caden remained silent as he voiced his own orders over the mind link broadcasting his voice far and wide, exceeding the boundaries of the Capital as far as he was capable. ¡°WOLVES OF THE LYCAON EMPIRE THAT CAN HEAR ME. THIS IS BETA ALPHA CADEN SPEAKING FROM THE LYCAON ROYAL CAPITAL. AS OF RIGHT NOW, EVERYONE IS ORDERED TO MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE WORLD SHELTERS THAT WERE RECENTLY BUILT BY THE HUNTER¡¯S ORGANISATION. THIS MESSAGE IS TO BE PASSED ON TO THE HUMANS AS WELL. I ASK THAT WE TAKE THIS INFORMATION WITH CALM MINDS AND FACE THIS SITUATION AS ONE UNTIL IT IS RESOLVED. BEFORE ENTERING THE SHELTERS, THERE WILL BE A MEDICAL CHECK AND EVERYONE IS TO COOPERATE. PACK WARRIORS, PROTECT THE PEOPLE AND REGULATE THE SITUATION UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. EVERYTHING WILL BE EXPLAINED WHEN EVERYONE HAS BEEN PROPERLY SECURED.¡± After saying this, the beta alpha opened a private mind link with the pack doctor, ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°No kidding. What was with that cataclysm-ss announcement?¡± ¡°It¡¯splicated.¡± Caden sent images of his encounter with the captive human, along with the words of the Rogue King to the pack doctor, ¡°I¡¯m on my way to check three doctors that were attacked by this woman earlier to confirm my suspicions. From what she said, I can only assume the worst.¡± ¡°But¡­ where could she have been bitten from?¡± the doctor asked. ¡°There is no time to make assumptions. You can already imagine what the worst-case scenario is like. Draw up a set of guidelines that everyone entering the shelters should undergo before they are allowed in and have those orders ryed to all the medical personnel. From what the Rogue King¡¯s voice said, there could be more just like that woman.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± the woman replied before going silent. Caden had kept hismunication as short as possible whilst following Catherine through therge facility. Catherine, on the other hand, had her hands full as well. They climbed a few flights of stairs, passing swarms of rushing doctors and patients before she finally came to a set of isted rooms on the top floor. These rooms seemed undisturbed at first sight. This is why Catherine was shocked when Caden suddenly caught her hand and pulled her back to the stairs. ¡°What is it?¡± the woman asked, frightened by the sudden actions. Caden stood still and ced a finger on her lips, straining his ears, oblivious to the reddening doctor. The two of them remained like this for a bit while Caden waited patiently. He almost rxed when his ears picked up on a low growl, ¡°They¡¯ve turned too.¡± Now more than ever, Caden was happy that he¡¯d told the other doctors to run out of the containment room while they had the chance. ¡°Seriously?¡± the woman cried. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so¡­ Are those doors locked¡­¡± the creaking sound of an opening door stopped Caden in his tracks, ¡°Oh, never mind.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. No one expected you to know. This is not your fault. Stay behind me,¡± with that said, Caden advanced, leaving the woman by the stairs. The beta alpha strained his ears to locate the three doctors. From the open door, a hand grabbed onto the side of the door, exposing a set of elongated ws. A doctor staggered out of the room with his face already shifting uncontrobly and disoriented with the throes of his first transformation. Caden noticed the man¡¯s eyes were still amber. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± the doctor asked, clutching his head in pain. The beta alpha rushed over to the man and hit the back of his head, hard, ¡°I¡¯m sorry but you need to take a nap.¡± The alpha then proceeded to push another door shut before the second victim could emerge. Caden turned to the woman, ¡°Come and help me lock them up. That will buy us enough time at least.¡± The female doctor shakily replied, ¡°I-I don¡¯t have the keys.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just great,¡± Caden grunted before opening the door and entering the room. On the other side of the door, the wolf was already going through a full shift. The wolfy on the ground writhing in pain as its body went through the harrowing pain of the first shift. ¡°Sorry about this,¡± Caden whispered before cing his hands around the wolf¡¯s throat and squeezing tight. The wolf struggled, opening its eyes wide to look at its assant. However, Caden¡¯s iron grip didn¡¯t falter and he held the wolf steady until the male passed out. The beta alpha had just sighed when he heard a desperate scream from the hall. His eyes got tinted with red fury, his heart threatening to pound out of his chest while his mind came up with all sorts of worst-case scenarios. He was out of the room in a heartbeat. Out in the hall, a wolf was stalking the female doctor who bore a frightened look all over her face as she stared at the creature, ¡°Over here,¡± Caden growled, his canines shing dangerously. The wolf turned swiftly, baring its teeth at the new arrival. Now it was torn between two targets. One was frightened and trembling in fear while the other oozed confidence and rage, eager to put him down. The wolf snarled at the alpha and began to circle him. ¡®Amber eyes¡­¡¯ Caden thought to himself, trying to make a connection. The woman before had not turned violent until her eyes shifted from amber to red. This wolf was not yet dangerous¡­ exactly. It was dangerous in a way that the two empires had managed to get rid of for more than a century. This wolfcked¡­ control. The wolf had only gone through its first shift. Without knowledge of how to control its animal instincts, this wolf was a danger to any and all that crossed its path. In this state, it would even be unable to recognise its own parents and given the right conditions, would tear them to shreds. Caden shifted into hisrger coffee-brown form and let out a growl loud enough to shake the halls of the hospital. The amber-eyed wolf facing him cowered at the might of its opponent, tucking its ears and retreating to the room from which it had emerged. And among those instincts came the ability to identify a werewolf with significantly more power and rank. Caden then shifted back into his human form and breathed out a sigh of relief, ¡°Are you okay?¡± Catherine stiffly nodded, still shaken with fear, ¡°Go and get the keys. Then return with them so we can lock them up.¡± The woman did as she was ordered, left and quickly returned with a set of keys and got to locking the doors. Caden stood at one door and watched through the small ss window as a restless wolf paced around the room, ¡°How long are they going to be locked up in here?¡± ¡°Hopefully not too long. Preferably till this matter is resolved. Until then, I will send someone to bring them food and water three times a day. It is not much else we can do other than that,¡± Caden replied. ¡°So that¡¯s it. They are prisoners now?¡± ¡°They are lucky to be alive.¡± The alpha¡¯s words hit the mark. Knocking out the rampaging wolf earlier had been a chance and it was a blessing that these three doctors had retained mere bites and scratches because of it. In a worse situation, all doctors involved would have been killed by the wolf which would have proceeded to rampage across the city, killing any and all that came across its path. They were indeed lucky to be alive¡­ and had no right to im to be prisoners. This was for their own good and for the good of those that were still human. Chapter 495 - 495 Mystery of the Disappearing Rogues 495 Mystery of the Disappearing Rogues Over the course of the next twenty-four hours, Caden was swamped with a ton of work. Interfering with the daily life of the entire empire was no simple thing. What was more was that he had to spread this information across the two empires to ensure a total world lockdown. For the sake of everyone¡¯s safety, he had to do it. It seemed like he was acting rashly at first, but after a few phone calls, he came to the realisation that the same thing was happening in many other ces. There seemed to be violent incidents simr to his description going on across the two empires, random acts of aggression which were followed by feral transformations that had¡ªuntil only recently¡ª been considered a thing of the past. It went without saying that he had to deal with the whish that came with this decision. Offering solutions to each and every problem that was sent his way took a toll on him¡­ but this was what he¡¯d been training his mind for. Caden stood at the entrance to the dome-shaped shelter that was meant to house the civilians from the capital and nearby packs through this crisis, overseeing the procedures. The medical officers were meant to check everyone for identification, which was followed by a check of their bodies for any signs of bite marks or high fevers, checking them for signs of transformation before they would then be allowed to enter the Bunker. Inside the Bunker, they would then be assigned living quarters, and if capable, duties to allow the smooth running of the facility through these tough times. ..... Numerous citizens stood in line waiting to be tested and checked by the nurses and doctors. Thanks to the pack warriors, the situation was easier to control. ¡®I hope they manage to getmunications back in order on time,¡¯ Caden thought to himself. After hearing about theck ofmunications with the Great Arena, the remaining hunters had been sent on their own dangerous mission to getmunications back up. Despite everything that was happening, Caden was yet to see a real threat¡­ which he hoped he wouldn¡¯t get to see. The citizens¡¯ essential luggage wasbelled and taken in while the people themselves stayed behind for registration and check-up. Caden could already feel the pressure of dealing with all that was happening. Families didn¡¯t want to be separated, young children found the drastic changes and tense atmospheres too frightening. Short-tempered residents argued and called him ipetent and unreasonable. Business managers felt they were going to lose everything because of all this¡­ and made sure their disapproval was heard loud and clear by the imposing beta alpha. ¡®It¡¯s funny how the weak ones feel entitled to order around the strong,¡¯ he mentally scoffed. It was only when thismotion was getting out of hand that the beta alpha walked to the front of the line, ¡®Some of us have work to do, families toe home to at the end of the day and rtives in the hospital. We can¡¯t afford to hide out here for goddess-knows-how-long.¡¯ ¡®I can¡¯t stay here for this long. I have to visit my niece two packs over.¡¯ ¡®What¡¯s all this about anyway? What¡¯s the proof that we are in any real danger, to begin with? This makes no sense at all.¡¯ ¡®This is what happens when you let children run a nation. They don¡¯t have the experience or knowledge to properly handle this situation. Businesses will fall. Lives will be lost in all these shenanigans. Did King Cole even authorise this? The king would never allow this to stand,¡¯ a woman wailed. Negativity fueled more negativity which resulted in chaos. The sound of crying children didn¡¯t help either. Caden watched it all with an oddly calm expression. Taking in a deep breath, the beta alpha called out to everyone, infusing as much power as he could into his voice and broadcasting his voice through the mind link as well, ¡°May I have your attention please?¡± The crowd grew quiet at the boom of his voice and turned to face him, ¡°I know most of you are panicking but I ask for your patience as we get through this difficult time.¡± ¡°How long are we going to be in there?¡± a man yelled from the crowd. ¡°Until this matter is resolved,¡± Caden replied firmly. ¡°And how long do you suppose that will take?¡± ¡°If we all cooperate, it will be over before you know it,¡± before the man could react, Caden raised his voice, ¡°I know you¡¯re all scared, worried, frustrated, angry¡­ Frankly, I¡¯m not happy about this either. It¡¯s not easy trying to protect people who feel they know better when all you¡¯re trying to do is keep them from getting murdered¡­ or worse, turned into rogues. I won¡¯t stand by and watch as my people get murdered. I will do what I must to ensure your safety. That said, I will get straight to the point. Rogues were sighted yesterday. And they were sighted within the capital, not outside. That¡¯s why we are going through this check-up. Before going into the shelter, everyone will be checked for Identification and bite marks.¡± ¡°Bite marks? What¡¯s that got to do with anything?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been led to believe that the rogues have regained the ability to turn humans into wolves. If we all¡­¡± The crowd was thrown into chaos once more as the frightening information finally registered in the brains of the citizens. At this point, the slow progress they¡¯d obtained was all but gone. ¡°This is hopeless,¡± Caden sighed. The crowd seemed even harder to control now. ¡°Alpha Caden?¡± a female doctor¡ªwho Caden was more than happy to assist¡ªcalled out to him from therge entrance. Caden left his ce on the raised table and approached the woman. The beautiful blonde was wearing a mask, leaving only her beady hazel eyes exposed and standing on the other side of the table was a man with shifty amber eyes, ¡°What seems to be the problem?¡± ¡°This man won¡¯t show us his ID.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± ¡°Oh? I currently hold the position of Acting King. Who might you be?¡± Caden asked the man. The amber-eyed werewolf snapped at the alpha with an angry scowl. Cole raised a brow in suspicion. This was a first. ¡°I am the manager of the Goldsville hotel. You dare to treat me like amoner. I ought to have your license revoked for this,¡± the man was fuming. ¡°What¡¯s a man as important as you doing without some form of identification?¡± Caden asked the man. The man furrowed his brows in frustration before reaching for something in his coat. From the pockets, he retrieved a stic card, ¡°That didn¡¯t seem so hard now, did it?¡± The two males waited as Catherine typed the names into theputer, ¡°Not another one!¡± she sighed. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°His registration dates back to less than two years ago. I¡¯ve seen two others like that but they had convincing alibis so I let them through¡­¡± ¡°Less than¡­¡± Caden¡¯s eyes widened and shed a bright crimson as his wolf violently surged forward. The suited man noticed this behaviour and backed away just in time to avoid Caden¡¯s wed swipe at his face. This small advantagested a short time before the beta alpha had the man pinned to the ground, ¡°Find the others you let inside. No one with that kind of identification will be allowed through.¡± The nurse shuddered at the beta alpha¡¯s words and darted into the shelter to find the other people she¡¯d let in. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± the ¡®manager¡¯ growled. ¡°Less than two years ago¡­ How many of you are there?¡± For a moment, Caden was convinced the man would not let his facade fall... that perhaps his assumption had beenpletely wrong and he was mistaken.... that perhaps this man was innocent and there weren¡¯t rogues amongst them. But there was no better exnation. Nothing else made more sense other than this theory. The rogues had been silent for a really long time which was supposed to be impossible. The hunters¡¯ Flush-out n had failed except for finding a few breeding homes. This man¡¯s existence made more sense than any conclusion they could havee up with in the past few years. The man whose face was firmly pinned to the gravel chuckled darkly¡­ ¡°Just how many of us do you think you¡¯ll find? How many do you think will have died by the time you find us all? It¡¯s futile. You¡¯ve already lost.¡± Caden¡¯s blood went cold in an instant upon hearing these words. However, that was not all that made his blood go cold. While the man spoke, his hands started giving more than simple resistance. His biceps were bulging beyond what they should have been capable of. The man¡¯s voice was getting deeper and slower as he spoke, filled with malice, murderous intent and¡­ power. To top it all off, his amber eyes were getting dyed a bloody shade of red. With one powerful jerk, the suited rogue threw the alpha off his back and stood up, towering higher than he had before. The people that were recently arguing amongst themselves all scattered, fearing the sudden monster that had arisen from the crowd. Caden had crashed into a thick pir at the entrance, pain radiating through his back. Caden groaned, peeling himself away from the cracked wall and stretching his muscles to get rid of the stiffness that ailed them. The recently obnoxious businessman had mustered so much strength that it probably rivalled that of a beta alpha. He¡¯d not sustained any injuries but the measure of new strength this man had mustered was enough to give him chills. The sudden increase in strength had caught Caden off-guard. But now¡­ something else caught his attention. In addition to the man¡¯s sudden transformation, a collection of wolves stood surrounding him, staring at them with dark smirks and snickers. There were more of them¡­ Caden turned to a delta that was standing guard at the entrance and spoke through the mind link, ¡®Go and help the nurse that went in to find the other rogues. One scratch on her and you¡¯re as good as exiled. The rest of us will deal with the ones here.¡¯ The delta¡¯s eyes widened in shock before he ran off as fast as his legs could carry him. Caden stood with three deltas facing off against a force of ten that seemed to have materialised from the crowd. Even with this number of rogues facing them, something told Caden that they had barely seen the true number of rogues hiding within them. The red-eyed rogue in a now-torn suit stared at the four wolves challenging them and tipped his head back,ughing in amusement, ¡°Four of you¡­ only. Really, do you underestimate me that much?¡± The man¡¯s deep voice continued to strike all the wrong cords in the beta alpha¡¯s senses. ¡®You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡¯ Surely ten normal wolves wouldn¡¯t pose a threat to his skilled deltas. Then again, there was a deep-seated root of doubt growing within the beta alpha. The Lycaon pack had been training its citizens in the art of self-defense and teaching them how to fight. Had these rogues also joined in those lessons? And what was with this rogue¡¯s voice? His transformation had seemed so familiar to the one he¡¯d noticed with the chained woman in the hospital. Caden didn¡¯t have much time to think this through as the roguesunched straight into attack in a fashion much simr to what was taught by the Lycaon pack warriors. ¡®This might be a lot harder than I thought.¡¯ Chapter 496 - 496 Outnumbered 496 Outnumbered Facing off against ten normal rogues would have been easy for the beta alpha. He was a lot stronger now than he had been two years ago and the added power he got from bing a beta alpha gave him a significant advantage over these amber-eyed werewolves. Caden had challenged Alpha Duncan and Cross a few times in the past and they had shown him the vast difference between the power of an alpha and that of a beta alpha. He was no stranger to that difference and didn¡¯t even have much trouble adjusting to the well of power he gained ess to when Cole became king. Nevertheless, something felt wrong with this group. They mirrored their stances with a familiarity that suggested they¡¯d been training for this exact moment¡­ or at least a moment simr to this one. The odds weren¡¯t looking good¡­ The rogues stared them down with mixed looks of hate, bloodlust and disgust. Caden could already tell that the rogue with bloodshot eyes was far more dangerous than the average alpha. After watching the red-eyed woman they left locked up at the human hospital, Caden had assumed he was safe and fine¡­ But now that he saw the transformation again, he realised that was only wishful thinking on his part. He couldn¡¯t draw conclusions yet but he could at least assume this transformation was erratic and could happen at nearly any moment. ..... Was it so bad for the beta alpha to hope? The rogue¡¯s deep voice already confirmed a striking simrity between him and the most dangerous werewolf in the world¡­ the rogue king. Then again, he didn¡¯t feel as powerful as the alpha they had faced at the reserve in Sirius nearly two years ago. Back then, a single rogue general had managed to overpower, Cole, Caden and Jasonbined and make it look like a mere training exercise. Caden wasn¡¯t sure if this abominable copycat was stronger or not. The way he held himself looked slightly unsteady¡­ as though he wasn¡¯t yet used to his enhanced physical abilities yet. Caden could at least confirm that they were in big trouble¡­ ¡®Could be worse though,¡¯ he took a stab at self-motivation. ¡°Give them hell,¡± Caden said over the mind link. The leading wolf lunged forward and leapt into the air, ws extended, fangs bared in a stance so feral and primal to werewolves going for the kill. His grotesque appearance was the perfect depiction of a rogue¡­ the description they used to scare little children to keep them from wandering out at night. This rogue was that perfect image. Caden sidestepped and struck the wolf square in the jaw with as much force as he could muster, which was a lot for a beta alpha of his calibre. The crazed rogue flew a few metres to the side from the force of the hit rolling numerous times following the sound of crunching bone. Caden was about to rx when the wolf got up on his feet and swayed lightly. The wolf tilted its head and faced Caden with a deranged mishappen smile. Caden watched the man¡¯s jaw unnaturally reset to its normal position, ¡°We didn¡¯t get to spar thest time¡­ and I was right. My enemies have been getting stronger over the years. It¡¯s like you knew I would return. Anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re just another obstacle that I must bring down.¡± ¡°Another?¡± Caden asked, however, there was no time for questions. The rogue blurred from vision. If it hadn¡¯t been for Caden¡¯s relentless training in the past several months, he would have failed to pull his head back in time. Caden¡¯s back muscles bunched up instinctively, pulling him back just in time to watch a set of razor-sharp ws swipe right where his head had been, nicking a small cut in the side of his cheek. The beta alpha wasted no time and took several steps back, dodging a wing frenzy and synchronizing his timing as well. When the next downward swipe, Caden stepped in and hit the man¡¯s wrist with the right amount of force to stun his hand. The rogue¡¯s eyes widened in shock before a fist went connected painfully with the werewolf¡¯s gut. The force of Caden¡¯s attack pushed the wolf back several paces. This time, he didn¡¯t wait for the rogue to recover and followed through, mming the rogue¡¯s head on his knee. The previously pompous businessman staggered and dropped to the ground, unconscious. Caden turned his attention to the other nine and froze. The small cut on his cheek was now closed and he didn¡¯t have a scratch on him. Even the pain of crashing into the pir was all but a memory by now. But the same couldn¡¯t be said of hisrades. Two of his deltas had been overpowered and knocked unconscious. ¡®They work fast!¡¯ The situation had turned from hopeful to dreadfully desperate in a matter of seconds. He¡¯d downed the most powerful of the rogues but the other deltas weren¡¯t as powerful as he was. After all, there were two whole levels of power above deltas before they got to the beta alphas. Alphas and their betas were stronger than the deltas, which meant the power difference was staggering. They were outnumbered and their enemy knew their fighting style. Caden didn¡¯t me them for going down so fast but¡­ He was now seriously outnumbered. Two of the original nine roguesy on the ground, unconscious and bloodied. Three surrounded thest delta, growling and snarling at him while four turned from the unconscious alphas and turned to Caden. The delta clutched his left hand which seemed injured and gritted his teeth in pain and defiance. Blood was dripping down his hand. Caden could only guess there was arge gash in his hand. His pain could be felt through the mind link and so could his defiance and unwillingness to back down. Caden let out a loud growl that rumbled through the air and caused the air to hum. The humans keeping their distance had to cover their ears to protect their eardrums from rupturing. Caden hadshed out as a way of drawing his attention to the rogues that were surrounding the delta. Despite the fact that he was facing his own group of rogues, he couldn¡¯t help but be distracted. The delta was in worse shape than he was anyway. Unfortunately, not all the rogues surrounding the man fell for this ruse. Two of them turned their attention to the surrounded alpha, wondering what kind of death wish he had. While they weren¡¯t watching, the delta struck one with a full-force uppercut and wed at another¡¯s throat, sending the maimed rogue tumbling in an effort to keep his life intact. Caden was almost sure he heard the sound of crunching bone as the rogue who¡¯d been punched sailed into the air. The beta alpha smirked and chose to use this confusion to his advantage as well. The rogues surrounding him had also got dazed by his sudden outburst, growing warier. Perhaps they really weren¡¯t that qualified to fight the beta alpha. Perhaps¡­ These thoughts were wiped from their minds as the beta alpha started picking them off one by one. Caden, despite his size, was full of explosive energy, a fighting style he¡¯d copied and improved after watching the Lost Luna fighting. He dashed forward,pletely taking the rogue in front of him by surprise and struck the man in the gut so hard that he flew a few metres away. While the rogue recovered from a fit of painful blood coughs, Caden turned to another to his right and focused his weight on his left leg before swinging his right aiming for his side. The rogue got down swiftly and brought his guard up, catching the alpha¡¯s kick in his palm. Caden backed away only to fall into the hands of two other rogues that were conveniently positioned behind him. Were they still two though? The alpha wondered as a third presence struck the back of his knees and forced him onto his knees. ¡°You fight well¡­ but not well enough. Not as frightening as a few others I¡¯ve had the glory of meeting,¡± the rogue that had caught his kick rumbled. His voice was painfully familiar as well. ¡®I¡¯m getting tired of this,¡¯ Caden mentally groaned. Chapter 497 - 497 [Bonus chapter]A Familiar Face 497 [Bonus chapter]A Familiar Face Not just that, but all the rogues around were reacting to him now, acting as though they were his subordinates. The group had lost all manner of order when he downed the previous leader, but now something was off once again. When he looked up, he noticed this rogue¡¯s eyes had changed colour to crimson¡­ just like the one before him. ¡®Again?!¡¯ Seeing it once, twice¡­ Caden felt he could ignore the fact that this was an anomaly. After all, he¡¯d dealt with it both times¡­ but now, he had the impending suspicion that this would keep happening. And he couldn¡¯t deal with an infinite number of Rogue-King-infested rogues. Caden pulled at the wolves holding him, easily overpowering them with the immense difference in their strength. They were weak amber-eyed werewolves who he could easily dispatch. As he got up, a gasp escaped his lips and he was forced back to the ground. The sound of ripping fabric rippled through the air as something got buried deep into the flesh of his lower back. The beta alpha froze and gritted his teeth, red fury staining his vision, ¡°Will you keep struggling? You could hear me out at least. I¡¯m not that unreasonable, am I? Someone as strong as you would be more useful to me alive.¡± ..... The rogues he¡¯d thrown off him quickly grabbed his hands and forced him to the ground again. Caden could almost feel the mischievous grin on the face of the rogue that had stabbed him. Gritting his teeth in pain, he heard the hoarse voice from his assant, ¡°These beta alphas are something else. I can already feel the flesh trying to mend itself against the knife. Haha! This is insane, even for a werewolf.¡± Caden ignored the rogue¡¯s words and turned his head to thest delta and noticed the man had also been knocked unconscious. After watching him for a short while, he noticed the man¡¯s chest rising steadily. For some reason, the rogues weren¡¯t killing them¡­ which waspletely the opposite of what rogues were fond of doing. ¡°You¡¯re leaving them alive¡­ why?¡± Caden barked. ¡°Oh, I think you know the reason for that,¡± the rogue grinned, shing an abnormal set of canines. The body that this abomination of a royal was inhabiting wasn¡¯t meant to hold that much power. There hadn¡¯t been time for the natural transformation from a normal wolf to an alpha¡­ or whatever rank the presence of the Rogue King¡¯s mind elevated the werewolf to. As a result, the extra growth of canines had ruptured the gums and stained the teeth with blood. Staring at this grotesque grin, Caden¡¯s mind made the connection he¡¯d been trying to avoid. The reason people were suddenly shifting and acquiring the power of werewolves. It was starting to make a little bit of sense¡­ and bringing even more questions at the same time. For starters, shifting one¡¯s mindpletely from one body to another, along with arge pool of power should have been impossible and that were only a few of the questions that gued his mind. ¡°YOU¡­¡± Caden growled. ¡°Yes¡­ me!!!¡± ¡°Why would¡­ Never mind! It¡¯s pointless.¡± This was the rogue king after all. How he was able to inhabit someone else¡¯s mind and boost their power was a mystery all on its own but he had to be stopped. ¡°I¡¯m d we¡¯re finally on the same page. Now then, as I was say¡­¡± a loud screech cut the Rogue King short. Under normal circumstances, anyone would have ignored a loud screech but the rogue king didn¡¯t. The rogue turned aroundpletely and gazed skyward, focusing on a creature soaring high in the sky with a look of frustration¡­ ¡°Not again!¡± Caden looked up as well and noticed a solitary eagle soaring high in the sky. The alpha scrunched his brows in confusion. Eagles were powerful creatures capable of lifting even adult humans but they rarely interacted with humans. Why would the Rogue King be bothered by an eagle soaring in the sky? But that was just it¡­ There wasn¡¯t supposed to be an eagle in this part of the empire. Eagles kept to ces closer to waterbodies like the reserve they¡¯d visited in Sirius two years ago¡­ ¡®Luna?¡¯ the beta alpha wondered. It was a misced bird but did this eagle have to get on the Rogue King¡¯s nerves that much? Caden was a beta alpha and the Rogue King had looked much more confident in front of him. He was so confident in his ability to dispatch the beta alpha that he had his whole concentration focused on the eagle in the sky¡­ as though the eagle was a much more dangerous threat. ¡°My Lord, what seems to be the problem?¡± ¡°She¡¯s here¡­ and that¡¯s not a good thing,¡± the Rogue King replied. ¡°I don¡¯t follow,¡± the rogue asked, confused. The rogue king didn¡¯t get a chance to exin himself once more as another loud screech tore through the sky. The eagle suddenly tucked its wings and banked into a nosedive. One eagle was a problem that could¡­ if dealt with well, be solved with minimum injuries and the rogues hadn¡¯t found reason to worry¡­ until arge symphony of feathers and winged began to hum loudly from the forest surrounding the Bunker. The rogues shuddered with worry and started shifting their attention to their surroundings. The civilians had long since been pushed into a group aside, closer to the edge of the forest and protected by a formation of pack warriors. The Rogue King growled at the eagle before turning to the beta alpha and baring his teeth. There was a glint of desperation in the rogue¡¯s eyes as heunched into a dash heading for the beta alpha. Caden¡¯s eyes widened in shock. His instincts jumped to one conclusion. Caden was a hunter and knew what the face of a hunter looked like¡­ be it a werewolf or animal. ¡®He wants to bite me?!?¡¯ he mentally screamed. The rogue let out a bloodcurdling roar and leapt high into the air in a smooth arc aimed at the restrained beta alpha. His jump was well calcted and when Caden struggled against the rogues holding him, their grips got tighter and the knife in his back dug deeper. ¡®Screw it¡­¡¯ Against his pain, Caden pulled his right hand with all his might. To his surprise, two rogues stumbled forward, overpowered¡­ ¡®Two of them!¡¯ Caden was being held down by five wolves but the beta alpha wasn¡¯t waiting to be bitten. He would fight his way out. The knife in his back was pulled out only to strike his shoulder and force him back to the ground. Caden grunted and looked up in time to see the airborne rogue collide mid-air with a plummeting eagle. That moment of distraction was enough for the scene to getpletely overwhelmed by a myriad of birds of all colours and sizes. Pigeons, weaver birds, parrots, doves, eagles, owls, robins, sparrows¡­ It didn¡¯t matter what creature it was¡­ the birds descended on the humans and werewolves, leaving no one untouched¡­ and just like in a scene two years ago, they sorted out the rogues and attacked them in a flurry of feathers, ws, talons and beaks. Amidst themotion, the clear sound of whizzing steel whistled through the air, followed by several more as a myriad of arrows flew out of the forest aimed at the outnumbered rogues. Caden felt instantly lighter as five arrows whistled past him and a myriad of birds flew past him and covered the rogues that had been restraining in. From the dark cover of the woods, a ck hooded figure walked out, bow in hand, effortlessly letting another arrow loose. ¡®Where have I seen this man before?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m d I could make it in time, Alpha Caden. Long time no see¡­¡± the hood fell to reveal a face Caden never thought he would see again. The beta alpha¡¯s eyes widened in shock, relief and excitement. Chapter 498 - 498 Wolf’s Fury 498 Wolf¡¯s Fury The chaos from the birds, seemingly erratic, was well orchestrated to peel the rogues away from the civilians. Caden had witnessed this same urrence back at his King¡¯s coronation and knew what would happen. What he hadn¡¯t expected, however, was for there for Jeremiah to show up at the same time as the birds. His arrival felt too perfect to have been an ident. Nevertheless, Caden was happy to see his Luna¡¯s old friend after such a long time. Something was different about him though. Whilst he¡¯d smiled upon seeing Caden, his face was now set in a focused expression as he let loose one steel arrow after another. When the hooded man aimed at one of the rogues, the birds would clear an opening and his arrow would sail through, downing the rogue in a single shot. Even under the overgrown mop of ck hair that tumbled to his shoulders and the stubble that had now grown to give him an older appearance, Jeremiah had a face that was impossible to forget. Caden recognised him immediately and a plethora of questions assailed his mind but before he could ask any, the man yelled out¡ªhis voice, like everything else about him, sounded older too¡ª ¡°I¡¯ll handle everything out here. Hurry up and get to the ones that already went inside.¡± ¡®Catherine!¡¯ a single thought gripped the beta alpha wiping the questions that surfaced within his mind. Caden set his jaw tight and pulled the knife out of his shoulder. The wound was already starting to heal, finally unobstructed by the foreign metal that kept the tissues apart. The beta alpha rushed into the shelter at top speed, deciding against shifting as it was bound to scare the civilians inside. As he ran through the open steel doors, he could hear Jeremiah speaking calmly at the top of his voice. ..... ¡°Nobody panic. The situation is under control now. You¡¯ll all be settled safely within the Bunker in no time.¡± ¡®Will they really listen to him,¡¯ to his surprise, the chaos seemed to lessen, ¡®Ugh, humans have always trusted hunters more anyway,¡¯ Caden mentally grumbled as he rushed deeper into the establishment. The bunker had been built to hold numerous facilities within it, from essentials such as toilets to storerooms and kitchens meant to hold food that couldst a month at most. It was a surprisinglyrge facility with so much to offer, with sleeping quarters numbering far more than anything inside. That said, navigating this ce would be hard. It was not like he could simply find what he was looking for by simply running through the facilities. And since this was a facility that was rarely used, even Caden was unfamiliar with itsyout. For some reason, it felt even harder than navigating the Great Colosseum. He strained his ears in search of any signs of trouble. Using the mind link to try and track for any irregrities. Without direction, he wanted to use everything at his disposal to find the rogues. He didn¡¯t even know if Catherine had found them yet¡­ or if the delta had been able to find her. If they had noticed themotion that was going on outside, then they were probably hiding somewhere in the shelter¡­ Caden wasn¡¯t fond of ying a game of Hide and Seek but what choice did he have? ¡®Asking around?¡¯ The beta alpha looked around and thought it wouldn¡¯t hurt to ask around. Perhaps the civilians had seen something amiss and spotted where the nurse or delta had run off to. Wiping the look of worry off his face, he made his way to the first person he could see with the hopes that they¡¯d seen a stunning doctor running around. No one could miss her. She was like a flower that had been plucked from the Moon Goddess¡¯s garden and ced on the earth for him to find. ¡®Strawberries¡­¡¯ he froze as a familiar scent hit him. Now that he was catching that scent a second time, he didn¡¯t need to ask what or where or to whom it belonged. He simply rushed off in its direction, weaving through the endless grey halls and facilities that covered the ground floor of the Bunker. It wasn¡¯t long before he heard the sound of a scream. The scent had led him into one of the residential wings, filled with minimum-sized rooms aimed at maximizing the space on which they had been built in order to hold as many people as possible. In one of the residential rooms, the scent of strawberries poured out, getting stronger the closer he got to reaching it. Caden found the room from which it came locked tight. He could tell from the scent that the woman was panicked. Not being able to withhold his anger, as well as that of his wolf, he took a few steps back and came barreling at the door like a battering ram. ...... Catherine had rushed into the Bunker as soon as Caden ordered her to and after asking around, she¡¯d discovered that most of the civilians that had been let in, hadn¡¯t started settling into any of the rooms yet. Some of them were waiting for the rest of their families to make it through the checkpoint at the entrance while others were simply getting used to the sudden changes that were happening in their lives. That said, a few did tell her of a pair of men that, unlike the rest, went to look for a room to sleep in. That¡¯s how she ended up walking through one of the residential wings in search of the two people that Caden wanted her to find. Could they have been rogues? Or was there something else the beta alpha wanted to know about them? Questions swarmed through the female doctor¡¯s mind as she searched the rooms for the two men. Eventually, she opened a door and found them. Seated on one bed facing each other were the same men she¡¯d admitted into the Bunker, iming they¡¯d only been registered less than two years ago. She¡¯d found that information fishy but considering they had other workmates that could vouch for their day-to-day activities, they seemed legal enough. But why then, did she get the feeling that they were a lot more dangerous than she¡¯d thought them to be? ¡°Is there something wrong, doctor?¡± one of them asked her. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m not sure. Alpha Caden wants to see the two of you. Would you follow me out? It should only take a short while since you already passed the checkpoint,¡± the woman told them. ¡°Oh okay,¡± one of them responded. They made it to the door and stopped at the threshold, the taller one stopping to ask another question, ¡°What¡¯s this about, doctor?¡± Catherine took a step back and gave a tight-lipped smile, ¡°He just wants to confirm you finished your registration correctly?¡± ¡°Hey, Bartrum, I think I don¡¯t want to see his Majesty¡¯sckey anymore,¡± the shorter one sighed. ¡°What about her?¡± ¡°Just grab her already,¡± as soon as this was said, Bartrum¡¯s hand flew to Catherine¡¯s and pulled her violently into the room. The shorter rogue closed the door and bolted it. ¡°Hey Steve, have you noticed?¡± Bartrum strained against Catherine¡¯s struggles pulling her further from the door. Steve stood by the door, checking through his bag for something, ¡°Noticed what?¡± ¡°This is the same one. The same doctor that checked us on our way in. She smells good too. You think we could have some fun with her before disposing of her,¡± Bertrum chuckled. With one hand sped over the doctor¡¯s mouth and another wrapped tightly around her arms, he sniffed the woman¡¯s neck. Catherine struggled even more, getting on hand loose. The rogue quickly let go of her mouth and grabbed the free hand. The doctor used that moment to let out a loud scream¡­ if at all anyone could hear her. The rogue quickly secured her hand once more and covered her mouth to muffle the scream. ¡°You scream really loud for a human. I noticed the way that alpha was looking at you. A werewolf can tell. You¡¯re important to him, aren¡¯t y¡­¡± The door came crashing down, stunning the wolf inside. Caden barged in to find Catherine restrained to the opposite wall. The rogue had his hands around her, restricting any movement and from the looks of it, he seemed to have ulterior motives. Caden¡¯s eyes turned red with rage as he rushed forward, oblivious to the second rogue in the room. A prick in Caden¡¯s back alerted him of another presence. He turned in time to see the rogue regaining his bnce and brandishing his knife once more. Because of Caden¡¯s sudden rush, the man had missed, only delivering a shallow cut. ¡°So she is important to him. Turning this one would definitely throw the monarchs into a frenzy,¡± the man holding Catherine snickered. After dodging the knife and momentarily stopping to reassess the situation, the rogue quickly grabbed the woman and held her between himself and the beta alpha, keeping a set of ws on her throat, ¡°Careful. I might slip and identally kill her.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t get that chance,¡± Caden growled, his eyes shing crimson. Rage flooded his veins and he fought to keep it contained... He was seeing red. Chapter 499 - 499 The Value of a Healer 499 The Value of a Healer Caden¡¯s control was nearly impossible to acquire. His wolf surged forward, forcing its will onto him. ¡®Kill¡­ Rip his throat out. Make him regretying his hands on her.¡¯ The wolf roared in his head, saying actual words for the first time in his life. Caden wanted to let the creature through as well. The sight of the rogue¡¯s hand on Catherine¡¯s throat fuelled this rage. If it hadn¡¯t been for the look of fear on Catherine¡¯s face, he would have let his wolf through. Since he¡¯d met her, she¡¯d shown fear towards werewolves. If that look of fear was ever directed towards him, Caden couldn¡¯t imagine how much it would break him. And it was this same reasoning that kept his wolf frompletely breaking through and running feral. He could easily end all this¡­ The rogue¡¯s voice brought him out of his thoughts¡­ ¡°Damned monarchs! They remain arrogant even when there is no way they can win. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve always hated about these damned royals and their alphas. They think they¡¯re invincible¡­ like nothing can stop them. Well, newssh fake king, her life is in my hands. You better start acting like it. You won¡¯t get another,¡± the rogue snarled, exposing a measly set of canines that belonged to an amber-eyed werewolf. Regardless of the searing rage that he felt towards the rogues, Caden found the disy nothing short of amusing. If it hadn¡¯t been for the person being held hostage, he would have actuallyughed at this attempt. But they had Catherine. And that changed a lot. These rogues weren¡¯t noteworthy opponents and when he listened to the tone of their voices, they weren¡¯t that experienced inbat either. ..... Perhaps the ones earlier had been confident in the presence of the Rogue King but without their leader, they were like scared lost pups. If it hadn¡¯t been for the time in Brigadia when he¡¯d learnt how bad rogues could be when they surrendered, he would have taken them lightly but Caden knew how dangerous a rogue that had something to lose could be. ¡°What is it you want then?¡± he asked, ¡°I know the two of you don¡¯t want to die¡­ because that¡¯s what killing that woman would get you. Since she¡¯s still alive, I can assume you want something. So, mention it.¡± ¡°Goddess¡¯s mercies, Bartrum, he¡¯s actually negotiating with us,¡± the rogue holding Catherine gasped, disbelief written all over his face. ¡°I knew this one was smart. He knows what a hostage situation is all about. Hehehe,¡± the other rogue holding a knife chuckled, ¡°Now, Acting King, you¡¯re going make the right decision to allow us to get out of this shelter with our lives and no one will follow us or else the woman dies.¡± Caden sighed, ¡®What a hassle!¡¯ ¡°How about this? I will let you leave this room and I¡¯ll personally walk you to the exit and see to it that you are set free,¡± Caden said to them, masking his fury. ¡°That sounds like a¡­¡± the rogue holding the knife was cut off. ¡°No, Steve. That¡¯s not how this is going to y out. I¡¯ve changed my mind. We want protection,¡± the man said, his voice getting shaky. Perhaps Caden¡¯s calm demeanour had gotten to him¡­ or maybe he was finally seeing just how futile his attempts were. Either way, Caden could ignore how unexpected this man¡¯s words were. They were the first signs of an unsteady coboration. Steve turned to hisrade with a murderous expression on his face, ¡°You trait¡ª¡± The words had barely left his lips when Caden¡¯s fist struck his throat. He followed through with an intricate well-executed throw that rendered the rogue unconscious. The beta alpha stood and faced Bartrum. The two were silent for a bit before Caden tilted his head, ¡°You know what you just asked for, don¡¯t you?¡± Bartrum nodded his head feverishly and pushed Catherine out of his hands and into Caden¡¯s arms. The female doctor stumbled into Caden¡¯s arms and continued to shiver in the beta alpha¡¯s arms gripping his shirt with all her strength. Caden wrapped his arms around her and rubbed circles in her back, doing his best to ignore the intoxicating scent of strawberries andfort the female doctor. ¡°There is a hunter that came and got rid of your friends at the entrance. Since there is no royal around right now, we can¡¯t carry out a Prometheus evaluation to rid you of the Rogue King¡¯s control¡­ So, in the meantime, we¡¯ll iste you and give you the protection you need before we can get you an evaluation,¡± Caden announced. ¡°It can¡¯t be that simple,¡± the rogue snarled. ¡°Killing you is simple. This isn¡¯t. Be grateful,¡± Caden said sharply. Through the mind link, he called for some pack warriors toe and clean up the mess. Steve¡¯s body was disposed of along with the other rogues that Jeremiah had killed at the entrance. Bartrum¡ªto his surprise¡ª was taken away from the beta alpha¡¯s presence in a rather gentle manner. Caden stood still with Catherine in his arms, losing track of how much time passed. The woman was shaken and needed time to recover. But nothing could tell Caden how long that would be. He couldn¡¯t imagine what she¡¯d been through. His hand balled into a fist when he remembered sending her to get the two rogues. At the time, he hadn¡¯t confirmed his suspicions¡­ but still. She¡¯d rushed into danger and the number of things that could have happened to her started pouring into his mind. ¡°Are you okay? You¡¯re not injured, are you?¡± Catherine nodded feverishly, pulling away from him as she wiped her slightly puffy eyes. The sight of tears tugged at the beta alpha¡¯s heartstrings. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yeah, I am. I should be asking you that,¡± the woman replied, her hand flying to the beta alpha¡¯s shoulder. Arge bloodstain covered Caden¡¯s shoulder but no pain came from the spot she touched. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I already healed,¡± Caden replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t think before sending you after them. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m the one that knew their faces. I could identify them. I¡¯m sorry¡­ for making you worry about me,¡± Catherine argued, looking down as she spoke, ¡°As you¡¯ve noticed, I¡¯m useless in a fight. I can¡¯t do anything to defend myself.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re more important than you know. When the fight¡¯s all over, you¡¯re the most important person around. To heal the wounds, to fix what can be fixed and to save lives that only you can save,¡± Caden cooed. ¡°Oh my! Caden¡¯s good with thedies? The world must really being to an end,¡± a cheerful voice interrupted the couple¡¯s moment. Catherine turned red. Caden would normally be angered by an intrusion of this nature but the man that had spoken was Jeremiah. He wouldn¡¯t have been able toe to Catherine¡¯s rescue without the hunter¡¯s help¡­ and for that, he was grateful. ¡°Jeremiah! I¡ª¡± ¡°Nah! I was just messing with you guys. You look adorable though. Keep that one safe this time. I¡¯m heading out for now¡­ to make sure there aren¡¯t any other rogues left out there. We¡¯ll catch upter. Get your¡­ damsel taken care of,¡± the hunter cut him off with a cheeky grin before vanishing. After a short while, Catherine asked, ¡°Do we¡­ umm, look like an item?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb with me. Werewolves have that pairing system of yours that your kind dream about their whole lives. Are we? How can you even tell when that¡¯s the case?¡± Catherine¡¯s questions were getting rushed as she forgot to breathe between sentences. Caden mentally acknowledged her bravery. Simply for how boldly she could ask such a question with her face as red as it was. ¡°Well¡­¡± the beta alpha locked hands with her, sparks shimmering through their hands from every point of contact¡­ ¡°It¡¯s usually something like what you¡¯re feeling right now.¡± The feeling, for Caden, raised two very opposite emotions within him. One was everything light, a mixture of hope, love and bliss while the other put a damper on this light. Fear¡­ With a light chuckle, he added, ¡°But considering I saved you a couple of times, we¡¯ll have to wait a bit to make sure it¡¯s not just you feeling attracted to me for that.¡± Catherine hadn¡¯t realised she was looking him in the eye while he spoke and quickly whisked her eyes away from him. ¡®Attracted to him because he saved me? I know that¡¯s a thing¡­ but I¡¯ve been like this since I met him. Since before he saved me in the hospital.¡¯ She wanted to say but held back. ¡°Okay¡­ we¡¯ll wait for a bit. But until then, we¡­¡± ¡°Alpha Caden¡­ Alpha Caden¡­ Alpha Caden, I couldn¡¯t find the woman you sent me to find. Lotuses, this ce is huge! Alpha¡­ Oh dear!¡± a delta came stumbling into the room. The same delta Caden had sent to find and protect Catherine hade running into the room, panting like he¡¯d run a marathon. Caden¡¯s brow twitched in frustration while Catherine¡¯s hand flew to her mouth, holding in herughter. Chapter 500 - 500 Unexpected Trouble 500 Unexpected Trouble Caden could barely believe what he was seeing. The delta he¡¯d sent in after Catherine was barely holding himself up in front of him, winded and sweating from head to toe. Having run through therge facility, it was clear the man had failed to find the doctor and was only now finding them. ¡®Even after I told them where to find me and got those two fools taken care of, he was still searching aimlessly! Catherine could have been killed¡­ and the delta supposed to protect her had been¡­ Calm down, Caden. He¡¯s clearly sweating and very tired. He clearly did his best, right¡­¡¯ the beta alpha tried to calm himself. ¡°Sir¡ªI¡­ I looked everywhere, I swear. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± the delta ran, his pleas for mercy getting dimmer as he ran further away from the room. ¡®¡­And for some reason, he still had the energy to run away from me,¡¯ Caden¡¯s brow twitched even more. Catherine let out her first giggle. The sound of herughterpletely erased the wave of fury that threatened to grip Caden, ¡°Is something funny?¡± ¡°Oh, it was just the way he ran away. It reminds me of a scared little child,¡± she responded, covering her mouth to keep moreughter from spilling out. Caden chuckled, ¡°Let¡¯s get you settled in and¡­ preferably changed into cleaner clothes. I¡¯m sorry to ask this of you but you¡¯ll be working quite a bit with everyone to keep the Bunker running.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I wasn¡¯t nning on sitting pretty either¡­¡± in a more sombre tone, ¡°It¡¯s going to be a war out there, huh?¡± she asked quietly. Her angelicughter vanished, reced by a crestfallen expression. ..... ¡°More or less¡­ The Rogue King has gained an extra ability that makes every rogue extremely dangerous if my assumption is correct. So for everyone¡¯s safety, this is how it¡¯s going to be. It¡¯s not like we can reason our way out of this,¡± Caden gave her an apologetic look. ¡°And you? What if you get bitten or worse¡ªkilled?¡± ¡®She¡¯s asking about me. I¡¯m a beta alpha of the Lycaon kingdom, dammit. There is no way out of that!¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s highly unlikely but¡­ not impossible. Even then, I have a duty to my people, just like you have yours. Without me, the pack warriors and the hunters, there would be no one to fight¡­ And without you, we¡¯d have no one to protect,¡± Caden replied after careful thought. ¡°Cheesy reply,¡± Catherine groaned. She could tell he was holding back the gruesome details of what he was up against. As a doctor, she knew how bad wars could get. She was not new to the sight of someone struggling to hold on to life because of a feud. Still, this was the most dangerous werewolf on the they were talking about. Caden could really die if he wasn¡¯t careful. Healers had their limits in how much they could do, ¡°But there are some injuries even I can¡¯t treat. I don¡¯t perform magic, you know?¡± ¡°I know. I will be careful,¡± Caden replied, partly wondering when it was that she became his physician, not like he was against it. Caden had almost never been to a hospital because of his fast healing but if going to one meant he would get treated by Catherine then that was a whole different matter on its own. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just stay behind and protect everyone from here?¡± Catherine¡¯s mind was no longer holding back her concern. It seeped into her voice, making itself unmistakable. Even after what she¡¯d been through, she¡¯d somehow managed to rotate the conversation into her own worries about what he was going up against. ¡°And send who to fight? Them? Did you see the man who just ran away from me?¡± Caden chuckled. ¡°Oh! I¡¯d almost forgotten you were a formidable fighter amongst your people¡­¡± she sighed. After a short pause, ¡°Will it be thest?¡± ¡°Thest what?¡± ¡°Thest war?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Where are all these questionsing from?¡± Caden raised his voice slightly, trying to understand what was happening. ¡°Don¡¯t get hurt¡­ That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. Dammit, is there even a way you can fight without getting hurt? Why do you have to do something when you know you might note back alive? Look at your shirt. There is blood. Was that a stab wound? Oh dear!¡± the woman facepalmed, retreating from his embrace and sitting down on the bed that stilly untouched nearby. Catherine hung her head in her palms, drowning in the confusion and worry that threatened to swallow her mind. Emotions and reasoning were at war. And neither side was winning. The fallout of this battle would be her mental state. Caden was clueless as to what was going on¡­ And that¡¯s when emotions that weren¡¯t his tore through his mind link, invading his very being and demanding his attention. This wasn¡¯t the same as when he felt the emotions of another wolf. These ones made him want to tend to their owner¡¯s every need. He felt these emotions as though they were his very own. Worry¡­ Deep-rooted worry and concern. Caden lowered himself to one knee so he was at eye-level with Catherine and held her hands in his, ¡°Hey¡­ I will be fine. A beta alpha doesn¡¯t go down so easily.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what every other muscle-head of a husband told their wives before dying in the Battle of Lycaon two years ago,¡± Catherine huffed. Chuckling, ¡°Yeah¡­ and that¡¯s clearly how you stayed alive long enough for me to find you. So don¡¯t worry¡­ I¡¯m not about to give that up. If it makes you feel any better, it¡¯s easier when a warrior has someone toe back when the war is over.¡± Catherine nodded in understanding, avoiding eye contact. If it wasn¡¯t for the surging emotions that started to settle in the mind link, Caden would have thought she didn¡¯t hear him. The beta alpha stood to his full height and offered the doctor a hand, ¡°We should get going.¡± Reluctantly she took it, her thoughts still swarming with questions. She couldn¡¯t help but notice how much he avoided the topic that was right in front of them. From what she knew about it, werewolves never usually spoke in riddles. His words hinted at his knowledge of it¡­ and yet he never confronted it. She wanted to approach it¡­ but what could she say about it? She was human and therefore had the slightest knowledge of how it worked, ¡®I wonder if he feels it too. This unnatural attraction towards him. How is he thisposed? I¡¯ve done my share of research into human emotions and psychology. I know this isn¡¯t normal¡­ and I also know that he shouldn¡¯t be this casual about it.¡¯ ......¡­.. Caden found a clump of rogues gathered at the edge of the forest away from the entrance to the Bunker, bundled together by a steel cable that was kept taught by a ¡®special arrow¡¯. ¡®Hunters will never run out of ideas!¡¯ he sighed, turning to the withering line of citizens. It had grown significantly shorter since the evacuation had started and there was less of amotion this time. Standing at the entrance was a group of nurses and doctors that were responsible for carrying out the check-ups. Caden scanned the area around the captured rogues until his eyes noticed a pair of ck leather-clothed legs dangling in a tree above the restrained bundle of rogues. Caden made his way to the tree, paying little attention to the hostile expressions on the rogues standing before him. They were covered in bite wounds, feathers and scratches. Their clothes were severely tattered from the furious beak-and-talon assault. Each of them had at least one non-lethal wound with a patch of dried blood surrounding the spot where the hunter¡¯s arrow had impaled them. ¡°Did you have to tie them all up like this? It¡¯s like you¡¯re shipping them off somewhere,¡± Caden grumbled. The ck-d figure peeped down from the trees and regarded the beta alpha with a bright smile. Jeremiah swung himself off the branch andnded gracefully in front of Caden, ¡°It was easier that way. Are you done calming your girlfriend down?¡± Caden pursed his lips and skipped over the question, ¡°Where have you been, Jeremiah?¡± ¡°Oh? Were you worried?¡± Jeremiah smirked, ¡°I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d left such a mark on one of Cole¡¯s beta alpha.¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll admit you were interesting. A double agent working for the rogues and werewolves at the same time. Luna Katie trusted you¡­ and as a result, I trust you too. So, tell me,¡± Caden folded his arms across his chest as he exined. Jeremiah chuckled humourlessly and lost his smug expression, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the ever-serious Caden I remember. Never cracks a joke when it¡¯s time to be serious. I¡¯ll tell you everything. Just not now¡­ You have more important things to tend to.¡± With that, the hunter beckoned to something behind Caden. The alpha turned in time to see the pack doctor approaching him. Before he could be addressed, he whipped around, ¡°Well then, don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere¡­ At least, not yet,¡± Jeremiah sighed, ¡°Your packes first. Take care of them, then we¡¯ll talk.¡± ...¡­ After a brief talk, the pack doctor asked Caden to follow her inside. The check-ups were just about to bepleted and most of the citizens were inside the Bunker. However, something had be a cause for great concern within the facility. The female werewolf silently led him into the Bunker and through to a section that had beenpletely cut off from the rest of the facilities. Caden noticed the pack warriors and medical officers helping the civilians settle into the Bunker and many other workers bustling around, diligently starting on their assigned tasks and duties. When he wanted to ask what was going on, he stopped¡­ noticing a tense expression on the pack doctor¡¯s face. Something was amiss. Within this part of the Bunker, only pack warriors¡ªnoticeably the skilled ones with higher ranks¡ª, authorised workers or medical personnel walked, keeping civilians regardless of whether they were human or werewolves away from this ce. Caden noticed arge metal door at the end of the hall that everyone seemed to be getting in and out of, the rest of the hall¡­ locked and unused. At the entrance, a pair of pack warriors stood firm, guarding the door and checking everyone that came in and out. When Caden approached them, they bowed in respect and let them through. Inside, the Bunker expanded immensely, stretching far to the right and to the left with bunk beds lined against the walls, capable of holding three people each. The people inside were many as well¡­ but something was off. Most of the people here were either alone or gathered into small groups of no more than five and gave each other ufortable nces. They easily numbered in the hundreds. Caden wanted to guess what he was looking at but his mind remained nk, ¡°Who are these people?¡± ¡°These, Alpha Caden, are the people we found with werewolf bite marks on their bodies. As per your request, we made sure to examine the bite marks to make sure they¡¯d been made by a high-ranking wolf¡­ and they all were. Stories from every one of them are random and most borderline traumatic. We¡ª,¡± the pack doctor mentioned. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to us?¡± a woman rushed forward, her tear-stricken face holding tumults of worry. Caden was quiet for a moment, his eyes scanning her body. Just as he¡¯d feared, there was a white bandage on her leg, ¡°What bit you?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. I have a daughter out there. I have to¡­¡± The beta alpha raised his hand to silence her and in a serious tone, asked, ¡°Would you perhaps prefer biting your daughter¡¯s head off yourself?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? I¡¯m human. We¡¯re not cannibals like the lot of you,¡± the woman screamed, getting agitated. However, when she looked around, no one backed her up. ¡°I¡¯ll let that pliment¡¯ slide this once because of the situation. However, that bite on your leg¡­ suggests you¡¯re anything but human. I¡¯m going to need you to calm down first. It¡¯s imperative that you do,¡± Caden¡¯s expression softened. The look of fear in this woman¡¯s eyes was one he was seeing all too often these past few days, ¡°We can get you all through this.¡± Chapter 501 - 501 Indefinite Slumber 501 Indefinite Slumber ¡°You cannot be serious right now!¡± the woman scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. Caden sighed, ¡°I know it¡¯s not fair¡­ and that none of you asked for this. I don¡¯t like this any more than you do. You¡¯re not the only one in a difficult situation right now. Every one of us has something to lose. But if I can make sure that lives are not lost, then I will do everything in my power to keep it that way. Each and every one of you, in this room, has been bitten by a rogue that had the potential to turn you all into werewolves. Now, I don¡¯t know when you were bitten or how long ago it was. As werewolves, we¡¯ve all been through the first shift before. It¡¯s different from all the others thate after it. With your cooperation and with the help of the empire, we can get you all through this¡­ and life can return to normal, hopefully with no casualties. I know some of you are scared and some of you are angry. Some of you probably don¡¯t even know how to feel about this. Alone, you cannot do much. As someone who went through my first shift as a child, I know what that¡¯s like. And together, the first shift can go smoothly¡­ as smooth as possible,¡± Caden spoke, raising his voice so that everyone around would hear him. There was a lot more he could say about the matter. The truth of the matter was that the lives of everyone in this room had been changedpletely. The rogue king wasn¡¯t killing people because he was so busy turning them into this¡­ ¡­into more werewolves. As someone who¡¯d been a werewolf his whole life, Caden had a number of experiences that he intended to use in guiding these people through this tough time. ..... ¡°Nice speech! But that doesn¡¯t solve all our problems. I have a daughter out there. Her father is dead and she¡¯s all alone with no one to take care of her. I can¡¯t leave her out there,¡± the woman that had confronted him earlier spoke again, however, this time, her voice bore no venom. Caden faced her, ¡°Tell me her name.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll personally make sure she¡¯s taken care of and safe. How does sound?¡± Caden asked her. ¡°Am I supposed to believe that? You have far more people to attend to¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Leave my job to me. I can let you talk to her before I take her where she¡¯ll be residing through all this,¡± Caden said firmly once more. ¡°You make it sound like she¡¯s the only one with a problem,¡± a man seated cross-legged at the top bunk of one of the beds grumbled. ¡°I was getting to that part. Everyone with an urgent matter is to report it to the pack doctor. She will bring them all to me and one by one, I¡¯ll solve everything I can to the best of my abilities,¡± Caden announced. The pack doctor gasped at the sudden announcement but kept her mouth shut. Instead, she stood forward and produced a notepad and pen, ¡°Everyone, take a bed and I¡¯ll move around talking to each of you.¡± Caden asked one of the guards for a pen and pad as well and started at the opposite side of the room to make the pack doctor¡¯s job as well. He had a lot of things to do and he had to start somewhere¡­ so the beta alpha chose to start with this while he coordinated the rest of the activities carried out in the Bunker through the mind link. Resources weren¡¯t as abundant as he¡¯d thought they were and he had to improvise most of the time but there was never an issue that he found impossible to deal with. Something had to be done about everyone in here to make sure they werefortable. Riling up a group of people that could undergo their first shifts at the slightest dose of adrenaline was bound to cause unprecedented chaos. Keeping themfortable and content was the best way to dy their transformations¡­ and that¡¯s what Caden intended to do. Some of them wanted something as simple as writing a letter to their loved ones while others wanted moreplicated things like gadgets to distract them and rare books that they could read. From the nature of the requests that Caden was getting, it seemed everyone hade to ept the terms of their stay here. After his speech, they were all more willing to stay here for the sake of others. Some of them were afraid of the first shift and the beta alpha found himself ying therapist for these cases. ¡°Being a werewolf is not that different from being a human once you get the hang of it. Your senses get clearer and you be more powerful. But that¡¯s not all, you can talk to anyone you love through the mind link¡­ or anyone really which means you don¡¯t necessarily have to use your phone. That might not seem like much¡­ but it also means that you¡¯ll never be alone again.¡± A girl he¡¯d just told all this visibly rxed at his words, smiling shyly, ¡°You sound like someone living in a dream.¡± Caden chuckled, ¡°I do find it magical sometimes. I¡¯ve definitely seen my fair share of miracles¡­¡± The beta alpha froze when a voice suddenly cut through the calm silence in therge room, ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to us?¡± Caden stood and left the girl¡¯s bed to seek the person that had just spoken. The man was seated cross-legged on the top bunk with his head in his hands, ¡°I mean¡­ I know we are going to be werewolves. We all know that. But¡­ I mean, why are you being so nice to us? What aren¡¯t you telling us?¡± Caden sighed heavily, ¡°I guess there is no use keeping it a secret. All of you here have never shifted before. And that¡¯s both a good thing and a bad thing. Because you¡¯ve never shifted, your eyes haven¡¯t gained the glow of a werewolf yet. The transformation is notplete yet. The good news is that the rogue king won¡¯t have control over you until you go through your first shift.¡± ¡°And the bad news?¡± a woman asked with a hint of fear in her voice. ¡°The first shift can be¡­ troublesome. It¡¯s during this shift that your body first feels what it¡¯s like to have your entire structure reconstructed. It can be painful, especially if you try to reject it. That kind of pain¡­ it¡¯s enough to render your human side unconscious. A newly shifted wolfes into this world confused and without the guidance of their human counterparts. Werewolves are violent creatures and because of the pain of that shift, they be really dangerous. That said, there are ways to go through the first shift smoothly without any casualties. Unfortunately, there is still the matter of the Rogue King¡¯s control. And with that in the way, we cannot let you go through your First shift right now.¡± ¡°So what are you going to do with us?¡± the girl from earlier asked, picking up on the severity of things. ¡°We are going to put you all to sleep and have you taken care of for as long as we can,¡± Caden announced. ¡°Were you ever nning to allow me to see my daughter?¡± the woman from the beginning yelled out. ¡°Yes, you will see your daughter. It¡¯s imperative that you are allfortable by the time you sleep,¡± Caden turned to her. ¡°So what if we go through our first shifts? It¡¯s not like any of us would harm our families,¡± a man in his thirties spoke up, a hint of frustration in his voice. ¡°Not intentionally, no¡­¡± Caden answered. The room fell silent once more before Caden proceeded with checking the rest of the civilians. It was a lot harder for him to talk to them after thatmunication. Most of them were tense. Nevertheless, a smile and assurance of their safety went a long way. These were humans who¡¯d just realised they were going to be werewolves. It was known that under certain circumstances, humans would be killed by hunters before they became a danger to anyone else. Now that the beta alpha was offering them a life in which they could keep going with next to no hindrances, most of them were willing toply. When he was done talking to his half of the group, he picked up the pad the pack doctor was holding onto and sent her to call Catherine. The woman raised a brow at the beta alpha but didn¡¯t say anything as she left to call the human doctor. Caden then started on the list of items on the doctor¡¯s list. One of the younger boys had asked for a deck of cards while another had asked for a small radio. Items, calls and requests to meet with their families or loved ones. When Catherine arrived, Caden was almost pleased to take a break. ¡°There you are! I need your help.¡± ¡°Sure! What do you need?¡± Catherine replied with a bright smile that was sure to melt the beta alpha¡¯s insides. ....... Caden watched at the entrance of the room as mother and daughter were reunited. Beside him, Catherine stood with a smile on her face as doctors went around the whole room attaching canns to the civilians in the room. It wasn¡¯t long before they were all hooked up to bags of distilled waterced with powerful sedatives. ¡°How long¡­ How long will they be like this?¡± Catherine asked. ¡°I¡¯m hoping they don¡¯t have to go through it for long. This is a delicate matter,¡± Caden replied quietly. The girl¡¯s mother pulled the little bundle of joy into a teary hug and stayed like that for a while before gesturing to the beta alpha. Caden smiled at the girl who took a few steps back from her mother and skipped over to Catherine. ¡°Stay safe¡­ And don¡¯t give the nicedy any trouble, okay?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± the little girl nodded with tear-stricken eyes. Her mother allowed herself to rest in the bed just like everyone else as Caden and Catherine led the little girl out, leaving the inhabitants of this secluded zone to a slumber that had no known time limit. They were being sent into an Indefinite Slumber. Caden balled his fists, trying to find another way this could be solved but no matter how he looked at it, there was never a way out. The Rogue King would be capable of leaping into their bodies the moment theypleted their transformations into werewolves. Waiting longer would make it harder for them to control their tempers, getting irritated as the body tried to induce the First Shift. Then there was the matter of the full moon that was bound to force the First Shift to manifest. No matter how he looked at it, he found no other way to help them other than this... Sending them into a slumber in which they weren¡¯t a danger to anyone or anything. Chapter 502 - 502 Ghost Helper from the Past 502 Ghost Helper from the Past Caden and the little girl, hand-in-hand followed Catherine through the halls of the Bunker, going up a couple of flights of stairs before reaching the second floor where Catherine started navigating the convoluted grey halls, bringing them to a section of the facility that seemed to house the medical personnel. For a facility that had been built as fast as this Bunker, it was a lotrger on the inside than Caden had expected it to be. The doctors and nurses bowed when they saw the beta alpha and waved at Catherine as they watched the trio walk past. Caden noticed how fondly they smiled with Catherine even though they kept their distance. He guessed they did this because of his presence. A couple of times, he noticed a nurse open her mouth to say something, only to go silent when they noticed him. The door she brought them to let them into a small room, set with everything essential for someone to survive. There was a door that led to a washroom and a trunk at the side of the bed, probably holding Catherine¡¯s essentials. ¡°Hey Lia, I know it¡¯s not much but you can stay here with me here until your mother is all better,¡± Catherine told the little girl. ¡°Okay¡­ Can I sleep in the bed?¡± the little girl asked. ¡°Sure, you can sleep wherever and whenever you want,¡± Catherine replied. The bed was not much but enough to hold two small bodies. Lia ran up to the bed and leapt into it. ¡°How about you¡ª¡± Catherine panicked, but it was toote, ¡°¡ªhave a bath first?¡± ..... ¡°Oh! Sorry,¡± the girl quickly jumped off the bed before attempting to strip. ¡°NO NO, not in front of¡­ Come with me,¡± the female doctor panicked, covering the girl up and dragging her into the bathroom. ¡°Did I do something wrong? Mother always lets me take off my clothes in the bedroom,¡± the girl whined. ¡°No, you did nothing wrong. Just try to keep the big scary man out there from seeing you naked,¡± Catherine cooed. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± the girl grumbled. ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯ll understand in a few¡­ years, hopefully,¡± Catherine replied with a sigh, leaving the girl inside the bathroom to handle the rest. The rest was nothing an eight-year-old couldn¡¯t handle. Caden kept his back turned to the woman, holding hisughter in. He didn¡¯t do a good job of hiding it, ¡°I¡¯m doing you a favour¡­ and you¡¯reughing.¡± ¡°Oh no, forgive me. I didn¡¯t mean to. Will you be alright taking care of her?¡± Caden asked her. ¡°Yes, I will be fine. I¡¯m good with kids¡­ sometimes. And she isn¡¯t as much of a handful as some children I¡¯ve dealt with,¡± Catherine sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll just put this here,¡± Caden ced the little girl¡¯s backpack on the trunk and returned to his ce close to the door. Catherine took a few steps towards the beta alpha. Caden took a few steps back, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You look exhausted. Do you know what time it is?¡± Catherine asked, raising a brow. The beta alpha retrieved his phone to check the time. His eyes went wide with shock¡­ ¡°You should get some rest, Caden. You can leave Lia to me.¡± ¡°Thank you. I owe you for that. I¡¯ll be sure to visit her when I can and bring reports of her mother¡¯s well-being,¡± Caden gave a slight bow before exiting the room. Out in the hall, the beta alpha had to hold his shaking right hand, staring at the ws that had forcefully extended in the presence of the doctor. The scent of strawberries still tormented him, making his wolf restless. Every time he convinced himself that he was getting the hang of it, it caught him off guard and the longer he spent in Catherine¡¯s presence, the more his control wavered. He wiped the thoughts from his mind and turned away from the door and walked away. ........... The beta alpha had spent so much time taking care of the citizens that he didn¡¯t exactly know where he was going to spend his night. He couldn¡¯t return to the pce and leave this ce unprotected, so he was bound to find his lodgings. With his thoughts heavy and his heart burdened with stress from the day¡¯s activities, he chose to take a walk. Before he knew it, he was at the exit of the Bunker¡­ with no directions whatsoever. ¡°Are you okay, Alpha Caden?¡± one of the guards at the exit asked the man as he walked out. ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah, I¡¯m fine. I just need some fresh air is all,¡± he replied, walking out and into the woods¡­ Anything to put some distance between himself, Catherine and the chamber of slumbering newly formed werewolves. His wolf helplessly struggled against him as he walked further and further away from the bunker. ¡®Just a walk¡­ We¡¯ll go back eventually,¡¯ he mentally growled at the wolf, agitated by the beast¡¯s one-track thinking. He was so distracted by his storm of thoughts that he was shocked when a bright blue luminescence breached his eyesight. Caden looked around himself, bringing himself back to the present in the hopes of solving the mystery of where it was he¡¯d wandered off to. ¡®I¡¯ve never seen a field of moon lotuses in the Lycaon,¡¯ he wondered to himself, squatting down to touch one of the flowers at his feet. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you woulde,¡± a feminine voice interrupted him, freezing him to the spot. ¡®Familiar¡­¡¯ was an understatement. He¡¯d heard this voice once before. He had this particr voice engrained into the deepest parts of his brain. And he¡¯d longed to hear it again for a very long time. He wished he could hear it again even though that was impossible. Now that he¡¯d heard it, he was sure he was going crazy. As he raised his head up to stare at the source of the voice, he nearly forgot to breathe. Standing before him was a short girl with short ck hair waving in the wind. He¡¯d seen this face before, albeit not as carefree. Thest he¡¯d seen this face, she¡¯d been far too timid to put on a smile this carefree. Her hair was different too. Before, she used to gel her hair a little too much, which made her appear boyish. At a time in her life, this had been a part of her cover that she used to masquerade as a boy in the school back in Brigadia. Now that he stared at her again, he wasn¡¯t sure what to say. Was he dreaming or was she real? Standing before him with a carefree smile on her face was Ashley. ¡°Am I dreaming?¡± Caden asked. ¡°Depends¡­ I¡¯m noting back to life. But you¡¯re not dreaming either,¡± she giggled. Caden stared dumbfounded, ¡°How?¡± While she looked real, it slowly became evident that she wasn¡¯t. After all, real people didn¡¯t float a foot above the ground covered in a halo of blue light. No, she most certainly wasn¡¯t real. But Caden wasn¡¯t sleeping¡­ He knew he was sober, ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to begin answering that question, Caden but I was hoping to talk to you onest time at least.¡± ¡°Why would you need to talk to me? Did you have trouble moving on? Is that a thing?¡± Caden dropped to his knees, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up to him¡­ along with something else. A tight vault of emotions he¡¯d managed to seal off a long time ago was starting to crack. ¡°No, I had no trouble with that. I¡¯ve been watching you though. It feels like you¡¯re the one having trouble moving on,¡± Ashley replied. The beta alpha chuckled, ¡°I don¡¯t even know anymore¡­ How can I? Every time I feel like I have, I remember everything. You were alive one moment¡­ and the next, you weren¡¯t. I¡¯m sorry, Ashley. I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t able to keep you safe. I¡­¡± like an avnche of emotions, Caden¡¯s past demons came pouring back into him. Memories he¡¯d long suppressed and resisted and kept at the back of his mind, protecting him from the reality of what happened that day. ¡°No, Caden. There is nothing you could have done¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s no excuse, Ashley. I¡¯m the king¡¯s beta alpha¡­ Before anyone else dies, I should have something to do about it. The strongest werewolves on the, probably even stronger than the royals themselves. If I can¡¯t protect one person, then how can I¡­ protect anyone?¡± Ashley watched the beta alpha break down. For as long as she¡¯d watched him, he¡¯d never broken down this much¡­ almost like seeing her had been thest missing piece of the puzzle he needed to finally lose it. Caden remembered it all, the smell of wolfsbane. The sight of her blood tinged with a repulsive purple ooze from the poison. The cut that went across her throat and the lifeless look in her eyes as she passed on. One moment, she was fine¡­ and the next, she was a lifeless corpse, her future stolen away from her and her life snuffed out in a moment like it was nothing. The girl floated down and knelt in front of the beta alpha with a sigh, ¡°So what if I¡¯m dead?¡± ¡°What?¡± Caden¡¯s thoughts came to a standstill, shocked by the statement. ¡°I mean¡­ I would have liked to stay alive. To live a life outside the rogues that had enved me. To enjoy the happiness on the other side of the war. But I wasn¡¯t that lucky. Life had different ns for me and it made me happy that you were willing to help me that much. I¡¯d never been happier in my short life. I¡¯m d I died after knowing someone like you. And not just the cruel rogues I¡¯de to know my whole life. When I saw what my death did to you, I was saddened. You have a good heart, Caden and you want to protect your people with everything you have. You have a big heart. You care about your loved ones. You might not be the best at cracking jokes¡­ but you¡¯ll do anything to put a smile on someone¡¯s face. You¡¯re right, Caden. Being a beta alpha means you get to protect so many. There are many people that depend on you¡­ but you can¡¯t do that if you can¡¯t move on. You have to ept that you won¡¯t always be able to protect everyone¡­ and that you also have the power to save more people than anyone else around you. If you worry about the ones you couldn¡¯t save, you¡¯ll lose the ones you can still save, then it will all be for nothing.¡± Caden remained silent for a while before letting out a sigh. He¡¯d noticed something in her tone, ¡°You saw her then?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I did. She¡¯s really pretty¡­ and she cares so much. It was like seeing a female version of you,¡± Ashley chuckled. ¡°Whenever I see her, I get¡­ shes¡­¡± the beta alpha didn¡¯t have to finish the exnation. The sight of Ashley¡¯s brutally butchered body was still clear as rain in his mind. ¡°I know¡­ and that¡¯s all the more reason to be there for her. Stop running away. I was in the past but she¡¯s your future,¡± Ashley¡¯s words hit the mark, bringing the bitter truth to light. Caden felt a wall crumble in his mind and with its destruction came a realisation of his wolf¡¯s overwhelming presence. The beast had been tucked away for a very long time. Being connected to his emotions, he¡¯d unconsciously pushed him back as well to protect himself from the painful emotions and memories. The coffee-brown wolf grumbled a message into his mind. A message that he otherwise, wouldn¡¯t have heard, ¡®Protect our Mate.¡¯ Chapter 503 - 503 Jeremiah Undercover 503 Jeremiah Undercover Caden felt as tough an unfathomable weight had just been lifted off his shoulders, pried from the innermost depths of his heart¡­ and it had taken talking to a mirage of the person his grief revolved around. He didn¡¯t know what to think of the spectre before him. ¡®Was she real or was she not?¡¯ He could not say. But one thing he was certain about was that it wasn¡¯t have been a figment of his imagination. Ashley was standing¡ªfloating in front of him. His eyes were not ying tricks. The ghost had memories that only she could have had, sounded and spoke just like her. Ashley had died. There was no amount of divine energy in the world that could change that. But because of this same fact, he¡¯d lost himself to grief. Caden wasn¡¯t the same person he always wanted to be¡­ A beta alpha capable of protecting all those around him. A beta alpha they could look up to in times of need. The proof of this was all too clear. He hadn¡¯t gone with the king simply because he was now the weakest of the three beta alphas¡­ He¡¯d hit a wall¡­ a wall that was now crumbling. He didn¡¯t have to be afraid anymore. If he could put his emotions into one word, it would be ¡®Grateful.¡¯ Grateful for the second chance Ashley was offering him. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Look at me¡­ Coming to your rescue this time. Seriously, Caden, what would you do without me?¡± Ashley puffed out her chest in mock superiority. ..... ¡°Quite a lot actually. I can breathe, sleep, run, eat, shift, p, jump, sniff, hunt, crawl¡­¡± ¡°Okay okay, I get it. You¡¯re a big boy with a wide range of verbs,¡± Ashley chuckled. Their conversation seemed to being to a close. After what she¡¯d told him, there was no doubt the beta alpha would be headed back to his mate¡­ this time to let events unfold the way they were supposed to and not hold himself back from what could be. ¡°Yes¡­ a grown-up indeed. I was meaning to tell you. Kyle became one of Katie¡¯s beta alphas and she¡­¡± ¡°I know all that, Caden. And¡­ I¡¯ll say I¡¯m proud of Kyle for opening up to a new world. I wouldn¡¯t call him a fitting recement but¡­ it is how it is,¡± the girl replied, her voiceced with subtle irritation. ¡°I don¡¯t think Kyle has epted¡­¡± the beta alpha¡¯s voice was cut short¡ª ¡°Cade¡ªCaden¡­ Why you?¡± a male voice snapped behind the pair. Turning around swiftly, Caden came eye-to-eye with Jeremiah. The ck-hooded hunter was clenching his fists till his knuckles turned white. His eyebrows were set in an expression of resentment towards the alpha. ¡°Jeremiah? How long have you been there?¡± Caden hurriedly asked, wondering how much the man had heard from their conversation. Jeremiah squinted his eyebrows before his expression softened, ¡°Have you been¡­ crying!?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. How long have you been there? How much did you hear?¡± Caden asked, this time more desperately. ¡°I just got here. I didn¡¯t hear much, okay,¡± the hunter raised his hands up in surrender, taking a few steps back to avoid any rash confrontation, ¡°I promise.¡± Caden sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a sigh. There was no hiding the signs of his tears. Thankfully, he could live with Jeremiah only knowing the story but not as a witness to the events, ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Wee, Jeremiah. It¡¯s been a while,¡± the floating girl stopped Caden¡¯s sentence in the middle. For the beta alpha, a storm of confusion roared through his head. Could the hunter actually see Ashley and if that was the case, was Ashley actually alive? Could she assume a form like this one more time? Perhaps that way, he could see her again. Then again, thest time he checked, the girl didn¡¯t know who Jeremiah was. Caden looked between the hunter and the spectre and noticed something he didn¡¯t want to believe. Both of them bore looks of recognition in their eyes. They knew each other¡­ and from the looks of it, they knew each other well. ¡°When¡­¡± His words were cut short when the hunter knelt down on one knee and bowed in respect of the girl, ¡°My Lady, it¡¯s an honour to be in your presence. Forgive my sudden outburst earlier.¡± ¡°No need for formalities. You¡¯re creeping Caden out,¡± Ashley sighed. ¡°I would prefer to give you the respect you deserve. However, forgive me if I misstep, but how is it that you know Alpha Caden?¡± the hunter asked. ¡°What kind of question is that?¡± Caden scoffed. ¡°Caden is one of my most trusted friends. You could say that I met him in a previous life¡­ and that I came to him to offer him some help and guidance,¡± Ashley replied. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll ask. How is it that you know Jeremiah?¡± Caden interrupted, starting to hate the way the hunter was ignoring him. For some reason, Jeremiah was treating Ashley¡¯s spirit like a queen¡­ like a holy grail of some sort. It was unheard of for a hunter to bow to a wolf in the first ce¡­ which made this situation all the more bizarre. Ashley turned to Caden, then back to Jeremiah before sighing, ¡°I think it would be best if Jeremiah exined that part. I believe you had questions for him.¡± Caden reluctantly turned his attention to the hunter and raised a brow at him, ¡°Well, get on with it. Where have you been all this time? I¡¯m guessing there is an answer in there to how you met Ashley.¡± Jeremiah sighed, taking a seat on the blue carpet of moon lotuses, tapping a spot in front of him, ¡°You¡¯ll want to seat for this one.¡± Caden did as he was told and allowed the hunter to gather his thoughts before he started talking. ¡°When¡ªwhen we defeated Aidan two years ago, I was not sure what would happen to me. I was already wanted for shooting Katie with arrows. She might have forgiven me but there were a lot of unanswered questions I would be hounded with and I wasn¡¯t in the capacity to answer them at the time. More like, it wasn¡¯t my ce to reveal a lot about myself. I worked for someone else¡­ and revealing anything about my work would jeopardize that person as well and I couldn¡¯t let that happen¡ªnot that it matters now since he¡¯s imprisoned. ¡­so, I ran. I ran and did not look back. I didn¡¯t know where I was going but anywhere was better than staying behind. I just needed to disappear and gather my thoughts on my next move. I needed to figure something out. But I guess I never got the chance. Almost immediately I started running, a secret sect of hunters found me. It was like they were waiting for me when I started running. They called themselves, ¡®The Bane of Cirrus.¡¯ At the time, I didn¡¯t even know who Cirrus was, let alone Rana. But I stayed with them and they taught me a lot, along with what they do. Under the Bane of Cirrus, I watched as the world crumbled. As the rogues attacked the Lycaon capital and killed hundreds. Katie¡¯s fight against the rogue king and her eventual disappearance. I wanted to help so badly. Seriously, there was a lot that I could do. But the Bane of Cirrus forbade me from taking any action. Hunters¡ªCapable hunters who could turn the tide of the war. Doing nothing! I was infuriated¡­ and that¡¯s when they chose to reveal to me their motives and what they were doing. I was taken to a secret ce where I met with their leader, their previous leader now though, was an even more capable individual. The Bane¡¯sst moment of action was twenty years ago¡­ Against the two capitals. It was the Bane of Cirrus that aided the Rogue King in attacking the Moon Goddess¡¯s Chosen.¡± ¡°WHY WOULD THEY DO SUCH A THING?¡± Caden suddenly bellowed. ¡°There were a lot of reasons why they did this. One of them was to destroy the notion of loyalty that everyone had towards the hunters of Prometheus. By working with the Rogue King, it was made clear that Prometheus¡¯s hunters weren¡¯t incorruptible. With that out of the way, it was possible for spies like me to infiltrate the rogues.¡± ¡°But¡­ King Trevor¡­¡± ¡°On behalf of the Bane of Cirrus, I apologise. It was never intended to have the king caught in the crossfire. To be honest, if it hadn¡¯t been for the healer they sent after Queen Martha that night, she would have died as well. The Bane of Cirrus didn¡¯t have control over everything but what little they could control, they used to the best of their abilities.¡± Caden¡¯s mind was swirling in search of answers. This all made no sense to him. Why would a sect of hunters just choose to remain dormant and do nothing? Was it even possible for that many hunters to exist without the knowledge of the Hunter¡¯s Agency? ¡°Howe no one has ever heard of this group? Where do they get hunters to join them? Everyone who gains an ability is immediately taken for a test and is required to get a license to operate as a professional hunter,¡± Caden asked. ¡°Prometheus grants humans that prove themselves worthy of his gift without fail. That means that all the humans out there that end up proving this to him without the intervention of hunters also earn his gifts. It could be something as simple as a boy saving his sister from a bear out in the woods. Or a little girl selflessly rescuing a baby from a house going up in mes. I met a lot of hunters who gained their abilities without the skill or training of a junior hunter. But then again, with their kind of drive and determination, they quickly grew into fearsome warriors. With their gifts, it wasn¡¯t so hard to catch up to their peers,¡± Jeremiah exined. Jeremiah chuckled, ¡°Honestly, learning from them was like training alongside Katie. They only care about getting stronger¡­ and notpeting to know who¡¯s stronger. Their principles appealed to me so fast¡­ and through hard work, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of my ability. Far greater than I ever thought possible.¡± Caden remained silent for a bit digesting this information. It seemed Jeremiah had chosen to end the tale of where he had been at that note¡­ which made the beta alpha¡¯s brows twitch. This¡­ Bane of Cirrus, was not making much sense to him. He still had a grove of questions swarming within his mind. None of them answered, no thanks to the ck-hooded hunter. ¡°I have two more questions. One¡­ How is this all connected to Ashley? And two¡­ Why? Why now? Why has the Bane of Cirrus decided to go active again?¡± While these questions hadn¡¯t been answered, there seemed to be a hint of suspicion going through the beta alpha¡¯s mind. Jeremiah¡¯s opportune arrival and the way the birds had responded to his attacks, almost like they were fighting alongside him. And there it was again¡­ that intense nostalgic feeling of his Luna¡¯s presence. Chapter 504 - 504 Ashley’s Farewell 504 Ashley¡¯s Farewell Jeremiah stretched his arms, yawning while he did. There was a short period of silence as his eyes followed a wandering butterfly that was interested in the nectar of a moon lotus in full bloom. Caden, on the other hand, was struggling to contain his nagging frustrations and battling impatience. ¡®This brat just told his whole story without actually getting to the point.¡¯ ¡°Those two questions, believe it or not, are quite interconnected,¡± the hunter sighed, ¡°The Bane of Cirrus hasid dormant for a very long time waiting¡­ Waiting for the time to strike at the Rogue King. Staying in the shadows is what made the organisation dangerous. There is nothing more frightening than an enemy whose true strength is unknown. And for a long time, they watched¡­ and waited. Searching for an opening in this long pointless war. And that opening had to be perfect¡­ It had to be the way to bring this warpletely to an end. Even the Hunter¡¯s Flush-out n didn¡¯t provide that kind of opening,¡± Jeremiah exined. ¡°Then what opening did they find?¡± Caden asked, getting more curious. ¡°That¡¯s quite simple. The opening was Katie Sirius. I could personally testify to the tenacious nature of the princess and to her fiery determination to bring down the Rogue King. I was one of the people that noticed how powerful she was bound to be after all. The prophecy that announced theing of the Moon goddess¡¯s Chosen was an interesting one. It presented an opportunity to n many more moves ahead. Even with that kind of power entrusted to two people, it didn¡¯t guarantee sess unless they happened to have a will strong enough to pull it off. And that same kind of indomitable will is what they were looking for. ..... Katie got the Bane moving from within the shadows. Why would the whole world have to depend on two miracle wolves when they could depend on an entire army of hunters? They infiltrated the rogues that day and started the rumour of a sect of rogue hunters that worked with the Rogue King which was a deep cover to make the Rogue King lower his guard. It was a gamble¡­ a dangerous one but they were ready to die for the cause¡­ and many of them did. With time, the Rogue King actually bought it. There is no doubt that he¡¯s noticed now though¡­ After all, nothing seemed to be going his way. It was as though every n he came up with was conveniently put to a stop. What he didn¡¯t realise was that his ns were doomed from the start. The Bane of Cirrus was always a step ahead. Even now as we speak, numerous hunters under the Bane of Cirrus are working to stop the Rogue King¡¯s vile n froming to fruition.¡± ¡°Forgive me if I find that hard to believe,¡± Caden shook his head. All this sounded far-fetched. ¡°Hmm, proof would exin this better. How many packs does the world have?¡± Jeremiah asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ hundreds of them!¡± ¡°Well, dear Caden, they are three hundred and fifty-eight packs. And just like the capital, they too were attacked by rogues and many of their members were bitten. The Great Arena is cut offpletely from the outside world but that¡¯s where most of the hunters in the world currently are. The Bane of Cirrus has been tasked with containing these attacks. Hunters have been dispatched to all these packs to help deal with the situation. With Lady Ashley¡¯s help, it¡¯s easier to locate and iste the affected civilians and even find the rogues that are hiding within the masses before irreparable damage has been dealt,¡± Jeremiah mentioned. ¡°Ah, see that¡¯s the thing. You lost me there. What¡¯s Ashley got to do with this?¡± ¡°The animals, Caden. We noticed two years ago that they were acting oddly. Right before Luna Katie vanished, the animals began to behave weirdly. It was soon apparent that they were acting on orders from someone else¡­¡± ¡°Someone else? Did you already know someone who could speak to animals?¡± Caden asked. ¡°You could say that. When we noticed their odd behaviour, we decided to investigate and that is when the weirdest thing happened. They took us to her¡­ to Ashley. She only appears in fields of moon lotuses. You¡¯re lucky to have found this one. I thought I was the only one that knew of its existence.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Really lucky,¡± Caden struggled with this information. He turned back to Ashley, ¡°You can speak to animals?¡± ¡°Well, yeah¡­ It¡¯s one of my abilities. They help me identify the rogues since they see a lot. That way, we can do a lot at the same time and cover much more ground,¡± Ashley exined. ¡°Ashley is dead!¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct, Caden. While I am indeed Ashley, I¡¯m not exactly the same Ashley you know. I bear the memories of the life she lived and I often revisit them¡­ but when I return to my other half, I¡¯ll lose them and she¡¯ll awaken.¡± This time, Caden didn¡¯t ask the question that cropped into his mind. It seemed every time he asked a question, they only left him with more questions. But this time, hints came through as well. ¡®One of her abilities¡­ Other half¡­ Appearing in only fields of moon lotuses¡­ Speaking to animals.¡¯ Everything he knew pointed in one direction though. He didn¡¯t want to believe what he was hearing but it was the only way anything made sense. The only person he knew that could control animals this well had shown that power a long time ago. Katie had controlled a swarm of pigeons at Cole¡¯s coronation just like the birds that had saved him earlier that evening, ¡°Katie¡­?¡± The dark-haired girl nodded in response, ¡°I am Katie Sirius¡¯s wolf. I was tasked with bonding with her during her first shift to keep her from going feral and allow a smooth transition to the life she was meant to live. Since she already had a connection to my past self, she didn¡¯t fight the changes that were happening to her.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re the reason her wolf didn¡¯t go on a rampage,¡± Caden sighed, remembering the events of the first time Katie had ever shifted. The princess had hunted Kyle down as though being a werewolf came naturally to her. Now this made more sense¡­ Well, almost. ¡°How?¡± ¡°A little bit of divine intervention,¡± Ashley replied warmly. Caden nodded¡­ piecing everything together, ¡°Let me get this straight. Ashley found the Bane of Cirrus and the two of you just decided to start working together to put an end to the Rogue King¡¯s ns.¡± ¡°Yes, that is true.¡± ¡°Does that also mean you have a n that will end this once and for all?¡± Caden asked, ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed, I initiated a worldwide lockdown to contain the current problem. Resources are limited and without knowing where the Rogue King will strike, all packs are unprotected. I can¡¯t be in over three hundred ces at once,¡± Cadenined. Ashley giggled, ¡°You worry too much, Caden. We¡¯re not asking you to protect all packs at once. You forget that I¡¯m using my ability to keep track of nearly everything. The Bane of Cirrus will handle the protection of the other packs. You also have Jeremiah here to help you.¡± Jeremiah stood abruptly, his face turning white with shock, ¡°What?! No, I¡¯m supposed to be going back to Brigadia. I said I would be going there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve decided to assign that task to Brunhilde, Jeremiah. I¡¯ve already given everyone their assignments,¡± Ashley sighed. ¡°No¡­ I was supposed to be there for the Awakening. I can protect her better than that hammer-wielding brute,¡± Jeremiah was now yelling at the girl, almost pleadingly. ¡°I know you want to do this but I need you here. I want you to help Caden,¡± Ashley replied, disregarding everything Jeremiah had just said. The hunter clenched his fists in frustration, ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡± ¡°Howe? Who else am I supposed to trust with something as important as this?¡± Ashley floated closer to the ground dejectedly. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? This ce is safe enough as it is. You can just switch me out with anyone you see fit. The Bane is under your control after all,¡± Jeremiah¡¯s tone softened and he wouldn¡¯t meet the spirit¡¯s eyes. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t find anyone else I can trust with this. Protect Caden for me,¡± Ashley asked him, pouting. ¡°I don¡¯t need protecting,¡± Caden intervened but the girl was not listening. ¡°Please, Jeremiah. I don¡¯t have much time and you know it. Don¡¯t make me spend the time I have left begging your stubborn head to help me,¡± the girl argued. ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯ll help Caden, only because he¡¯s already useless without me. Just don¡¯t cry,¡± Jeremiah turned away with his hand covering his face, ¡°Sheesh¡­ When will you ever learn to change your mind for me?¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Jeremiah. I couldn¡¯t change my mind about this. Caden is really special to the king and in turn, special to me. I wouldn¡¯t just leave him to just about any¡ª¡± the wind suddenly picked up, muffling her words. It seemed as though she still had a lot to say but Caden stood up and approached her. A small twister was surrounding her body and wrapping her presence with divine blue mist. It was nothing the beta alpha had ever seen before. Then again, he¡¯d never seen a ghost before either, ¡°What¡¯s happening to you?¡± His voice was drowned out by the roaring of the wind. It was strong¡­ but oddly enough, it didn¡¯t carry anything, almost like it was meant to blow anything other than matter. The wind was focused solely on Ashley and the calm resigned smile on the girl¡¯s face tranted to her knowledge of this. Caden reached out to her only to freeze when a hand touched his shoulder. Looking back, he noticed Jeremiah holding onto his shoulder with an emotionless expression on his face. His facade broke quickly, showing a tinge of sadness, ¡°She¡¯s out of time, Caden. This is just how the world gets rid of her presence.¡± Caden turned back and watched in silence as the blue tornado engulfed her bodypletely before exploding outward at once, leaving nothing in its wake. Still, within the chaos of the blue wind, Caden had been able to discern a movement of her lips as she mouthed the words: ¡°Farewell, Caden.¡± Now, all that was left was the empty peacefully quiet field of luminescent moon lotuses. ¡°What does this mean for her?¡± ¡°A better question would be: ¡®What does that mean for all of us?''¡± Jeremiah chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow¡­ Or at least, I don¡¯t want to believe what it is that you¡¯re insinuating,¡± Caden sighed, holding his breath. The possibility was almost suffocating. It had been so long. ¡°Very well then. I¡¯ll spell it out for you. With the disappearance of the spirit that¡¯s guided the Bane of Cirrus for the past two years wille the Awakening of the Rogue King Cirrus¡¯ Bane, Katie Chase Sirius,¡± the hunter announced with a proud smile. ....... Several hundreds of miles away from the capital of Lycaon, in a remote town that was home to the legend of the Rogue Killer, a pair of incandescent blue eyes belonging to a great white wolf fluttered open in a field of brilliant moon lotuses. Chapter 505 - 505 Frustrating Hindrances 505 Frustrating Hindrances Hunger was a funny thing, wasn¡¯t it? As well as the time with which it chose to torture its victims. A reaction the body fabricated to inform the person to eat something or else it would start deteriorating¡­ feeding on itself in an effort to acquire energy to survive, right? Well¡­ after spending nearly two years stuck in a beautiful garden of bright blue lotuses, this concept was starting to lose meaning. Thane, the Rogue King¡¯s beta alpha, had done exactly that. He¡¯d gone nearly two years without food or water¡­ and oddly enough, he hadn¡¯t felt a tinge of hunger. He often chuckled at the sheer impossibility that was him being alive with no signs of malnourishment whatsoever. Under the guidance of his master, the king of all rogues in the world, he had spent an impossibly long time without going hungry or even showing signs of dying. When the goddess had trapped them here, he¡¯d thought, ¡®WE ARE GOING TO DIE WITH NO FOOD OR WATER TO SUSTAIN OURSELVES!!! WE ARE GOING TO STARVE TO DEATH!!!¡¯ But the king showed no simr form of panic. Yes, he was frustrated beyondpare but he wasn¡¯t frustrated over the same trivial matters such as food or water. To the beta alpha, this had been the first concern. His survival instincts had kicked in and warned him of the most immediate and fundamental danger they faced: ..... Death by Starvation¡­ or even worse¡­ Death by Thirst. Which would get to them first? He didn¡¯t want to find out. He wanted to survive. Back then, he¡¯d really thought they were dead. The moon goddess had tricked them and they were going to die in a prison of her own design¡ªhe thought. They were going to die without the royals lifting a finger against them¡­ but King Rana didn¡¯t even think of that for a second. Rana had simply flopped on his back in the grass and rested for a while, thinking¡­ For fear of questioning his alpha, Thane had remained quiet, awaiting the moment when his stomach would growl loudly enough, announcing their disaster instead of himself. A day went by¡­ then a week¡­ weeks turned to months¡­ and they were still alive. The feeling of stabbing hunger never came¡­ and the king didn¡¯t look surprised one bit that they never got hungry. In fact, he looked like he could stay there for a century before asking for a te of warm food the sate his century-old hunger. King Rana¡¯s frustrations sounded much more¡­ ¡®childish¡¯ when the beta alpha first heard them. Rana wanted¡­ to ¡®bite¡¯ people. Well, who wouldn¡¯t? The man had just got regained his power and could transfer the werewolf curse onto many more humans, replenishing the dwindling numbers that were left of his army of rogues. He could continue to expand the power of the rogues and achieve his dreams like he¡¯d always wanted¡­ With them trapped like this, however, Thane wasn¡¯t sure that would be happening any time soon. Or so he¡¯d thought for while¡­ Who knew how long they would stay caged like this? Trapped in a cage of nts. At some point, Thane had tried wing at the trees with all his might, mustering arge pool of endurance and might as he ws his way deeper and deeper into the bark of one of the surrounding trees. After what felt like thirty minutes of endless toiling in an effort to break out of the nt prison, the king had raised a brow at him and gone¡­ ¡°W-What are you doing?¡± ¡°Trying to get us out of here¡­¡± ¡°Take a look at your w marks!¡± Thane curiously turned back to the tree he¡¯d been wing at and there it was¡­ right before my eyes. The parts of the wood that I had just wed began to knit together until there wasn¡¯t a sign of his pathetic attempt at escape. After that incident, King Rana promised to find a way to escape their prison. All Thane had to do was leave it all to him. It wasn¡¯t like there was much the beta alpha could do anyway. All Thane could really do was watch¡­ patiently¡­ He watched the king meditate for several days, attempting to achieve a feat never heard of. When he got too bored, Thane trained his body as he continued to watch the king meditate. In this prison, even protecting the king¡¯s body felt like a waste of time. Nothing could pose a threat anyway. After several days of no sess, Thane witnessed his master¡¯s body go limp the first time his spirit travelled out of it. He watched the swirling blue mist that seemed to rotate around the Rogue King¡¯s body as he performed these long meditation sessions. This process was repeated countless times as the king explored the scope of this opportunity¡­ learning¡­ So much time passed that Thane lost track. ...¡­ It was just another evening¡­ like all other evenings when Thane was doing a couple of push-ups, challenging himself to see how many he could do before his body screamed for sweet relief. ¡®1,858¡­ 1,859¡­ 1860¡­ One thousand¡­ *grr¡¯ ¡°Damn it!!!¡± the Rogue King mmed his fist into the ground abruptly, startling the struggling beta alpha. Thane quicklyunched himself into the air, his exhaustion forgotten as a new hidden pool of strength flowed into his body, ready for action. The beta alpha facepalmed. He couldn¡¯t even tell if anything he¡¯d done was real anymore. ¡°What is it, my lord? Was it her again?¡± Thane asked, hiding his disappointment. The Rogue King rubbed his temples in frustration. It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d returned to his body with this much anger brewing within him. Apparently, he was facing far more resistance out there than he¡¯d expected. The first few times he¡¯d returned like this, he¡¯d brought reports of several gnats that attacked him when he least expected it. Humans that shouldn¡¯t have had as much strength as they exhibited. And for some reason, he seemed to be running into them far too frequently to be a coincidence. Nheless, this frustration was akin to that of a person being bothered by small insignificant rodents. With how muchbat experience the Rogue King had from his long years, the hunters were nothing but an irritating bother. This rage, though, was much more pronounced. It was the kind of rage he bore when he¡¯de across something that shouldn¡¯t have existed. Something that would make his mission significantly harder. The first time he¡¯d returned with searing rage like this, he mentioned something about a divine wolf that was capable of killing him even if he was at the height of his power. The sudden transformation of Drake Sirius was just the first of many hindrances. The next time he¡¯d returned cursing was after facing off against a jaguar in the woods bordering the Great Sirius mountains. The Jaguar, which was in the wrong habitat, seemed to be protecting an alpha for some reason. The moment Rana had started fighting the wolf, the jaguar intervened and let the wolf escape and not him¡­ Sometimes, the rogue king shared the memories with Thane and the beta alpha was able to witness very odd urrences that transpired during his king¡¯s spiritual quests. The king wasn¡¯t stopped by a jaguar alone. Every time Rana left his body to grow his forces, he only had a short amount of time before some creature or animal interfered with his ns. With time, these creatures would even be found in an unusual coboration with hunters. Chapter 506 - 506 [Bonus chapter]Change Of Plans, Thane 506 [Bonus chapter]Change Of ns, Thane The animal-hunter team-ups proved to be more problematic than they should have been. Because at times like this, the fight quickly became impossible to win. An eagle¡­ a bear¡­ an elephant¡­ pigeons¡­ foxes¡­ wolves¡­ soldier ants¡­ There was no limit to what could attack him. Memories of different times when he was defeated. Sometimes by a terrifying creature like a bear and other times by something as small and insignificant as a rat. One rat was fine¡­ but a swarm of them was something else¡­ At some point, he was bitten by a swarm of bees as he stalked a human couple in the woods. Another time, he found himself having to dive into a river just to avoid being attacked by a swarm of locusts. And after escaping into the safety of the rushing water, the wolf he¡¯d inhabited was incapacitated by a school of ¡®fish¡¯. It wasn¡¯t just the carnivores that were acting out of sorts or even the insects. It was every living creature that wasn¡¯t human¡ªwith the exception of the few hunters that popped up here and there. For as long as the creature had life¡­ it was against the Rogue king. ..... Granted he always had a bit of freedom running around and seeking new victims but his time was always limited. As soon as the creatures of the wild caught wind of his presence, it would be a futile battle with the infinite force of nature working to put a stop to him. It was frustrating. Despite how strong orpatible the body he inhabited was with his immense power, there was simply no way of escaping the countless enemies in the wild that were out to get to him. The conclusion was all too simple toe to. After a mentalmunication with Alpha Aidan, they confirmed the wielder of the bizarre power to control the wild. The scope of this power, it seemed, had be as endless as the king¡¯s spiritual journeys into the bodies of his subjects. Thane snapped out of his memories and asked his king, figuring it was the same reason the king was angry, ¡°What did she do this time?¡± ¡°At first, it was an eagle¡­ a mad suicidal one. Then a flock of¡­ BIRDS,¡± Rana rubbed his temples, spitting the word ¡®birds¡¯ like it left a bad taste in his mouth. A draft of wind tickled the king¡¯s ear, triggering a reflex. The king quickly wiped his hand over his ears and all over his shoulders, shuddering at the sensation of numerous beaks and talons all over his body, ¡°BIRDS, EVERYWHERE!!!¡± he screamed in exasperation. ¡°What kind of birds?¡± Thane asked. ¡°Does it matter? They were so many colours. Seemed like there was no order to the way they attacked. Species don¡¯t really matter when ites to her. They just do what she bloody says¡­ like a bunch of puppets,¡± the king argued. Thane remained silent for a bit before talking, ¡°Feels like her absence is more troublesome than her presence.¡± Rana chuckled, ¡°I want to believe that¡­ but I¡¯m still in thend of mortals. There is no telling if she will be capable of doing this when she returns. Weakened as I left her, she probably pushed herself to find another way to protect her people¡­ Just like I forced myself to learn how to leap from one body to another.¡± ¡°Have you perfected this ability, my Lord?¡± Thane asked. ¡°You¡¯re more inquisitive than you usual, Thane,¡± the king raised a brow at his beta alpha. ¡°Forgive me, sir. I¡¯m growing¡­ bored from all the inaction. Apologies for depending on you for some form of entertainment,¡± while Rana found Thane¡¯s words disrespectful, they were true to a fault. It¡¯s not like he was capable of lying. The beta alpha had been trapped here with him for the lion¡¯s share of two years and it was eating at him, ¡°Very well! I¡¯ll need some time to recover before I can body-jump again anyway. Any questions you have for me?¡± Thane¡¯s eyes widened in shock. He had a ton of them¡­ so many questions that he¡¯d held back for fear of disrespecting his king. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t where to start¡­ I¡¯m not hungry. And I¡¯m pretty sure I should be dead right now,¡± Thane chuckled. Ranaughed at the question, ¡°Look around you, Thane. What do you see?¡± ¡°Endless blue¡­¡± ¡°Exactly, moon lotuses. The marker of the goddess¡¯s divine presence on earth. Every time the goddess walks on the earth, her power seeps into the ground and it¡¯s manifested as moon lotuses. I¡¯ve said this plenty of times. It was once my theory that her divine power escapes back to the moon through the petals of these flowers. They only die when that power runs out.¡± ¡°How does that rte to me being alive?¡± ¡°Well, think about it. ce a werewolf in the power of the patron goddess of werewolves and they can live for eternity,¡± Rana exined, ¡°How long have you been alive, Thane?¡± Thane stared at the lotus-covered ground for a while, trying to discern the start of his memories, ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t remember¡­ because you¡¯ve been alive for more than a century. To protect your mind and preserve your sanity, you forget everything irrelevant¡­ like your age. It¡¯s only natural,¡± the king exined with a shrug. ¡°But¡­ that¡¯s not possible,¡± Thane gasped. ¡°You¡¯re still alive without food, aren¡¯t you? Everything¡¯s possible with a touch of divinity,¡± Rana exined, ¡°I know it¡¯s a lot to take in but I¡¯ve used the same power to keep you and Aidan alive all this time. We¡¯ve trained many rogues over the years in search of some powerful enough to live as long as we have. And we¡¯ve only just found them.¡± ¡°The generals, huh! So that¡¯s their gift for the potential they¡¯ve shown you. What are they up to, by the way?¡± Rana smirked, ¡°Rest assured, Thane. They are busy. The only one I haven¡¯t been able to get my mind on is, Amanda. After rescuing Aidan, she wentpletely docile.¡± ¡°You think she was captured?¡± ¡°Aidan said she was along with our royal puppet. I¡¯m surprised they were able to contain her. Maybe she was unlucky to be caught by one of the Mighty Warriors¡­ but no matter. We¡¯ll get her back once we¡¯re done levelling this world. And with the new era that we shall usher-¡± The Roge King suddenly went silent, his eyes opening wide in an expression that was simr to disbelief¡­ with a touch of fear. A cold breeze blew through the Origin, a shimmer of blue rippling through the flower-covered ground. It seemed the Origin itself resonated with the energy of something that was not of this world. Something wasn¡¯t right¡­ ¡°What is it, my lord?¡± Thane asked hurriedly. The air in the Origin suddenly picked up and howled with the trees that surrounded them. An eerie feeling took over the atmosphere bringing with it a crushing sense of overwhelming power. This power, however, was familiar. Thane had been in the presence of this pressure years before. It almost felt like he was in the presence of his death, ¡°Change of ns, Thane. I believe we won¡¯t be here much longer, Thane. She simply won¡¯t let that happen.¡± ¡°Who won¡¯t let that happen?¡± The Rogue King sighed, balling his fists that had started to tremble, ¡°The Rogue Killer.¡± Chapter 507 - 507 Panicked Messenger 507 Panicked Messenger ¡®Boredom¡­ blue¡­ bored¡­ blue boredom¡­ Is there something this old crone cares about other than these obnoxious flowers? I get the feeling she¡¯d be a princess if she was ever given the chance¡­ and not Katie¡¯s kind of princess¡¯ the thoughts of a blonde hunter swirledzily within her mind as she leaned against the hilt of her steel katana. Part of a pair that she kept with her at all times¡­ and was even sure not to lend to just about anyone. Not after a certain princess had misced one of them. The weapons were as much a part of her as her own body, always within reach and ready to strike at anything that wished her harm. ¡°Why do you keeping out here? It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll find a secret hidden within those flowers. They are the same as they¡¯ve always been¡­ Glowing flowers that grow near ces the moon goddess has been. in and simple, it doesn¡¯t get any more interesting than that,¡± Samantha groaned, trying to stir herpanion out of this monotonous¡­ boring routine. Herpanion, contrary to the hunter¡¯s dull mood, looked veryfortable where she was. The old woman held onto a frail glowing lotus and inhaled its scent deeply before retrieving a pair of scissors from her pocket. She snipped the flower at the stalk, ending its life, holding the base of the petals in her fingers as she brought the flower up to her nose. What happened next¡­ was different from what Samantha had gotten used to seeing. The ethereal glow that shone from the lotus petals began to flow upwards and leak out of it in form of a blue mist. The woman took in another deep breath¡­ and with it, the mist sailed right into her nostrils, spreading a web of blue glowing veins across her face. The woman grimaced and gritted her teeth, struggling against the mist as the blue veins pulsed underneath her skin. After a few moments, the bizarre sight of luminous veins vanished and she returned to normal. ..... A resting mountain of fur stirred from its sleep not so far from them and approached the old woman, nuzzling her face and licking thest signs of pain from her face. Fauna was chuckling, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Brian. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± The bear responded with a guttural rumble before ending its slobbery mission to soothe its charge. Samantha tried to disregard this bizarre scene before as a figment of her imagination¡­ but the Voice of the Wild looked¡­ younger and this was hard to ignore. ¡®I take it back¡­ not boring anymore!¡¯ the hunter corrected. ¡°Is there anything else you would like to show me before you exin what it is you just did?¡± Samantha asked, keeping her voice as calm as she could. ¡°Nope, nothing at all¡­ Bothered, huntress?¡± Fauna asked, rubbing the brown bear¡¯s head affectionately. The bear responded in a manner simr to that of a house cat. This sight alone was almost enough to wipe Samantha¡¯s mind of the questions that gued her¡­ Almost, ¡°No, I¡¯m perfectly fine. I just¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. How¡¯s the rogue investigation going?¡± the woman asked, cutting Samantha off before she could ask her questions. The hunter balled her fists and withheld the frustration that threatened to get to her. She was trained to control her emotions after all. Somehow, this woman was the first creature capable of riling her up so much. It was obvious she knew more than she ever told anyone¡­ and yet she chose to remain silent. It was like she was intentionally keeping everyone around her in the dark. And whenever someone was about to ask, she seemed to conveniently have a way to evade them. It was frustrating¡­ Nevertheless, the hunter was not going to let that get to her, ¡°We¡¯re still in the dark. Citizens get randomly attacked and have no recollection of what happened. The only proof of the attack is always a single bite mark on their bodies. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say the rogues are trying to turn more humans.¡± ¡°Are they?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. That should be impossible. We know what happened in Lycaon two years ago. Not a single person turned into a werewolf after that incident,¡± Samantha replied. Fauna remained silent for a moment, deep in thought. The forest around them was as calm and undisturbed, showing no signs of the enemy¡­ and yet, because of the frequent attacks, Samantha had been assigned to protect the Voice of the Wild while the rest of the hunters were each assigned to protect different parts in the border of their little town. The old crone was fond of wandering off into the woods which meant they needed someone to always keep an eye on her. Just when Fauna was about to speak, a loud screech disturbed the air. The sound of rapidly pping wings invaded the calm serenity of the forest, rming them of an approaching bird. Normally, hunters didn¡¯t care about such things but things were different around Fauna. The woman had a way with animals and any creature in her presence would immediately start acting odd¡­ as though they were in the presence of their fellow kin. In a few moments, an eagle tore through the canopies, crushing violently through a of branches and twigs. Samantha leapt back in shock as the eagle continued tumbling down through the trees,nding in a heap beside the brown bear, feathers amok. Fauna¡¯s calm expression vanished as she left the bear¡¯s side to tend to the bird. She approached the eagle with shaking hands as though it was made of fire. Its body kept rising and falling with a frightening rhythm, ¡°What is it? Talk to me.¡± The Voice of the Wild reached for therge bird, cradling the creature and repositioning it so it wasn¡¯t in any more pain than necessary. The eagle winced at almost everything she touched, making it hard for her to take care of it. ¡°Why would you be so reck¡­¡± the words were cut off from her mouth when the eagle started screeching again. This went on for a petrifying minute before Fauna ced the eagle¡¯s head on the ground, her hands trembling violently. She quickly wrapped her hands around the bear and turned her head in the one direction filled with more moon lotuses than everywhere else. Chapter 508 - 508 Awakening 508 Awakening The bear nudged the petrified woman, snapping her out of her trance, ¡°Right! Thanks, Brian. Follow us, huntress.¡± With that, the woman jumped onto the brown bear, exhibiting more energy than someone her age was supposed to be capable of. ¡®What was in that moon lotus?¡¯ Samantha bore the Agility Prometheus gift which allowed her to easily keep up with the dashing bear. The three of them tore through the woods, the lotuses surrounding them slowly increasing in number the deeper they ran into the forest. Fauna stretched her hands outward and formed fists as if she was holding onto cables tied between two pirs. In a strained motion, she pulled her arms together¡­ Nothing happened. ¡°Was that supposed to do something?¡± Samantha asked. She¡¯d heard of her extraordinary nature powers that allowed her to manipte her surroundings with frightening precision and power. This was meant to be such an incident¡­ but unfortunately, nothing happened. ¡°Not unless there is a stronger power around¡­ and there are few of those. I can¡¯t believe it. Isn¡¯t this too soon?¡± the woman dipped her hands into the thick fur of the bear, containing her emotions as they dashed into the woods. Ahead of them, the lotuses exploded outward as the trees stopped, giving way to a memorable field of bright blue moon lotuses. This was the same ce where the Lost Luna had vanished a few years ago. ..... ¡®What are we doing here?¡¯ Samantha wondered. Her question, however, vanished from her mind when she noticed someone in the clearing. Arge hulking figure was kneeling with one knee on the ground and the other supporting her elbow as she bowed to nothing in particr. Samantha easily identified the figure as that of a woman mainly because of the hair that she had pulled back in a tight ponytail. That, along with her face, were thest features that could easily convince Samantha of the woman¡¯s gender. Everything else about this woman screamed masculinity. From the brown furs that covered her body, to the steel sledgehammer thaty on the ground beside her, she looked like a warrior who¡¯d fought many battles, abandoning the delicate features of her femininity to the throes of war. Samantha couldn¡¯t recognize her. ¡°Hey, Stranger. You¡¯re not from around here. Identify yourself,¡± the hunter ordered. For all she knew, this woman could be one of the rogues causing all the chaos in town. ¡°Huntress, she is not our enemy,¡± Fauna mentioned. ¡°How do you figure? Do you know her from somewhere?¡± Samantha snapped at her. The woman looked up from her position, ¡°I¡¯ll identify myself in a moment. But until then, I would like to perform my duty here without hindrance, please. It would be a shame for ¡®her¡¯ to find allies bickering.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Care to join me?¡± the woman¡¯s beautiful face cracked into a mischievous smile. Something about her expression made Samantha feel¡­ diminished. Fauna didn¡¯t let her answer. Instead, she jumped off the bear¡¯s back and knelt next to therge woman, bowing in an identical position. The bear, Brian, shuffled over to Fauna¡¯s side and bowed its head as well. Samantha wanted to scream at them for exnations but that¡¯s when her brain started to pick up on the subtle meanings behind this. It was one thing for the two humans to bow their heads¡­ but another thingpletely for the bear to do so. Other than Fauna, the bear didn¡¯t show any interest towards anyone or anything else but its lunch unless ordered by the Voice of the Wild. The wind suddenly picked up and the leaves rustled loudly, howling greatly as a blue mist rose into the air. Waves of blue pulsed through the blue flowers, bringing with them a feeling of otherworldly power. With each passing moment, the hunter felt like she would be crashed by some unknown force that only seemed to be getting stronger. The swirling mist continued to spin and condense at the centre of the field of lotuses forming arge glowing ball of blue air. Samantha watched with a frozen expression as the ball began to glow brighter and brighter. Till it was too bright that the hunter was forced to close her eyespletely. Listening to the chaos and feeling the intense pressure of whatever being was contained within the ball of wind, she found that she had to get on one knee as well lest she risk being carried away by the sheer ferocity of the wind. Or crushed by the powerful auraing from within the ball. She waited for what felt like an eternity but when the wind finally died down, something had changed. She could feel it¡­ Her bizarrepanions could feel it too. It was a feeling so familiar that she could never forget it. And with it came an overwhelming sense of hope¡­ and crazed conviction. Samantha opened her eyes. A thick blue mist hung over the clearing, rising from the ground in sizzles. The hunter attempted to take a step forward, only to be held back by a calloused hand. Therge warrior-looking woman had a firm and careful grip. She beckoned for the hunter to get back down and wait a bit longer. After what felt like forever, the mist began to clear, revealing the being clothed by it. Curled up in a ball at the centre of the clearing was arge snow-white wolf, the blue mist swirling around it in an odd ethereal embrace. The flowers surrounding it had grown taller, as though providing the wolf with the same kind of nourishment that Fauna had extracted from one much earlier. The longer she stared, the more certain she was about what she was staring at¡­ or rather ¡®who¡¯. Two furry triangr protrusions flickered from within the ball of fur, scanning the surroundings like antennae before a big white head rose, its ears directing it to face directly at them. At the same time, its bright blue eyes opened, revealing a storm of emotions within them and a piercing level of rity that was absolutely rare to find¡­ except when staring at one person in particr: Katie Sirius. Chapter 509 - 509 Testing the One’s Might 509 Testing the One¡¯s Might Katie Sirius was back¡­ Katie was really back. Samantha didn¡¯t know how to react to what she was seeing. The little girl she¡¯d raised was finally back. Samantha was happy¡­ ecstatic, blissful along with a plethora of emotions she couldn¡¯t describe. For a hunter that had learnt to keep her emotions from affecting her, this sudden inflow was overwhelming. The wolf before her looked fluffier than she remembered. Katie¡¯srge white form stretched its front paws and yawned loudly, exposing a dangerous set of fangs before smacking its lips. With a swirl of blue mist, the white wolf was again enveloped and reced by the familiar girl Samantha had known and raised. Dressed in deep blue velvet garments that were not too tight, providing her with just the right amount of mobility. Katie took a few steps forward and pulled a petrified Samantha into a heartfelt hug, ¡°Samantha! I missed you!¡± The hug was warm, emotional and everything one would expect. However, it also forced the hunter to notice the differences between this Katie and the Katie she¡¯d raised. Katie almost looked the same¡­ Almost. ..... Her long silky hair which used to be ck and beautiful had turned snow white like the colour of her wolf¡¯s coat. Her hair was also longer. Samantha didn¡¯t want to mention but she could feel subtle changes in the girl¡¯s physique as well. The way she carried herself was more effortless than before¡­ as though walking was as simple as breathing now. Thest thing was: The hug. Katie¡¯s hold on the hunter was tighter than it had ever been through her whole life. Katie had never been good at expressing her emotions¡­ This was different. The hunter hugged the Luna back, still unable to believe what she was witnessing. Katie Sirius was hugging her¡­ After nearly two years away, she¡¯d returned to them. Appearing in the same ce she left. ¡°I¡ªI missed you too, kiddo,¡± Samantha replied, ¡°Are you¡­ okay now?¡± ¡°Yes, Samantha. I¡¯m fine now,¡± Katie nodded, ¡°But I have much to do¡­ I¡¯ll need your help. And everyone¡¯s help.¡± The phrase alone left Samantha whished¡­ She pulled out of their heartfelt hug and narrowed her eyes at Katie, ¡°Okay, who are you and what have you done with the real Katie?¡± Katie chuckled, ¡°I can¡¯t save the whole world at once!¡± ¡°You got that right. I love the new look!¡± Samantha clicked her tongue at the girl¡¯s hair and whistled, wriggling her brows, ¡°Someone¡¯ll be surprised¡­ and pleased.¡± Katie giggled at the woman¡¯s silliness, holding a bunch of her white locks up to her face before flipping it away. It was an unusual colour on her¡­ but she didn¡¯t mind it. ¡°Ahem¡­ My Lady,¡± a gruff female voice interrupted their reunion. Katie looked around Samantha and walked past her, ¡°Pleasure meeting you atst, Brunhilde. Rise.¡± Brunhilde stood from her subdued kneeling position, easily towering over the princess¡¯s height. Katie didn¡¯t look bothered having to look up at her. For some reason, she still seemed to be looking down on her even though their heights were painfully different. Brunhilde¡¯s own warrior aura shed with Katie¡¯s as though fighting the aura of superiority the royal effortlessly gave off. Therge woman grunted, ¡°Hmph!!! You¡¯re shorter than I thought you would be.¡± Katie tilted her head, staring at the woman, a flicker of irritation in her sapphire orbs. In the next moment, Brunhilde¡¯s knees gave out and the hulking woman dropped to her knees with a look of disbelief, ¡°And you¡¯re a lot slower than I thought you would be.¡± ¡°W¡ªWhat did you do?¡± Brunhilde stammered. Fauna and the brown bear backed away from the two dominant females, giving them all the space they needed. Therge warrior¡¯s fearsted a moment before it was reced by a bloodthirsty smirk. She gripped the heavy sledgehammerying at her side and stood, easily picking it up and swiping at the princess in a horizontal swing. The force of her attack was powerful enough to send strong torrents of wind in the direction of the hammer. Petals violently flew through the air as flowers were severed by the very force of the attack. Despite the speed or strength behind the sudden swing, clearly meant as a sucker punch, Katie had crouched down low andpletely out of the hammer¡¯s way. Brunhilde twisted her foot and nted her other in the direction opposite to the hammer¡¯s movement, halting its movement before turning it back to Katie. The warrior quicklyunched her next attack, swinging with all her might. Brunhilde had an exceptional perception of her surroundings and was normally used to fighting fast opponents, capable of predicting where they could be and what their actions would be in response to her own situation. As a result, it wasn¡¯t hard for her to adjust the path of her hammer to both block and provide the best offensive tactic, bound to strike anyone who underestimated her. However, when the hammer returned, Katie wasn¡¯t anywhere in sight. ¡°Hmm! Not bad,¡± Katie¡¯s voice came from behind the warrior. This time, Katie hadpletely stepped behind the warrior and momentarily leaned against her back. Brunhilde grunted and spun in ce, swiping with the sledgehammer with tremendous speed and agility. Speed fast enough to catch a hare before it got the chance to blink. Once more, however, the princess was not there. ¡®She¡¯s fast!¡¯ the hunter thought. ¡°Are you going to keep running from me? Show me why we follow you. Show me why we risk our lives for you. I won¡¯t follow a leader who doesn¡¯t have the guts to face me.¡± Brunhilde screamed her concerns with conviction, ¡°Come at me, princess.¡± Katie had taken several steps away from the hulking woman, rxing at a distance thrice the hammer¡¯s reach. ¡°Very well,¡± Katie sighed, sounding almost bored. The princess leaned forward, her eyes shing a bright blue as she got ready to charge at the warrior. An excited smirk covered Brunhilde¡¯s smile once more¡­ But only for a second. For in the next moment, the princess vanished from sight and Brunhilde was sent flying across the clearing, the wind knocked out of her. Gritting her teeth, Brunhilde gripped the sledgehammer and nted its handle into the ground, resisting the force of the attack and bringing herself to a stop. Years of training kicked in. Adrenaline boosted her senses allowing her to perceive the impossibly fast female dashing towards her. ¡®Very fast,¡¯ the hunter grunted. The blurry mirage of the princess was followed by a punch to the gut that sent her flying even further. Brunhilde, having experienced her fair share of pain, tightened her core and nted her feet, bracing herself within the scores of incandescent flowers. Brandishing her heavy steel sledgehammer, the warrior swung with all her might at the darting blur of the princess and for the first time since the battle started, the hammer hit something. Chapter 510 - 510 Troublesome Call 510 Troublesome Call Brunhilde¡¯s muscles roared in agony as she struggled to control her hammer. The princess had sent her flying twice, making her weight seem like a trivial matter. Despite her smaller stature, it seemed therge warrior¡¯s size was nothing if not for show. Katie was gracefully throwing her around. In one ungraceful swing of desperation, Brunhilde had unleashed all her strength in a feat to hit the princess¡¯s attacking form. ¡®I know there is arge power gap between us. I¡¯ve always known that¡­ but you won¡¯t just throw me around like a toddler,¡¯ the woman wanted to scream. What worth were all her years of training if this was all she could do against the princess? It was embarrassing¡­ No, it was aplete outrage and betrayal of all the years she¡¯d spent in training. It couldn¡¯t have all amounted to this. Brunhilde let out a loud battle cry, swinging at the blurry image of the fast princess¡­ and for the first time, she hit something. The collision sent a shockwave through the clearing blowing torrents of wind outwards from the impact of the attack. Flowers were ripped from the ground and dust violently raised from deep underneath the cover of nature. When the wind and chaos finally died down, the scene left was bizarre. Brunhilde¡¯s hands were trembling against a stationary sledgehammer. ..... The force she¡¯d used was enough to down a tree, which meant anything that resisted that kind of force was bound to break her fingers. Against all reason, therge menacing head of the mighty weapon was resting firmly in the princess¡¯s palm. Katie had stopped the hammer with the bare palm of her hand, ¡°You are strong, Brunhilde. I won¡¯t deny that. Stronger than most of the hunters I¡¯ve met so far.¡± The warrior dropped to her knees, letting go of her weapon and bowing low in submission to Katie¡¯s superiority, ¡°I yield.¡± Katie effortlessly tossed the hammer to the ground and ced a hand on the warrior¡¯s head, ¡°You¡¯re strong¡­ and I know it couldn¡¯t have been easy attaining the power that you have now. I hope, after all this, that you won¡¯t be forced to train your body any more than this dark world has forced you to. Now rise, Brunhilde. We have work to do.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lady,¡± Brunhilde replied, rising to her full height and retrieving her hammer. Now that the matter of who was stronger of the two had been resolved, the warrior woman no longer seemed interested in asserting her authority on anyone. ¡°Brunhilde, I must apologise for my current confusion but¡­ my awakening has left my mind somewhat muddled,¡± Katie sighed. ¡°We thought something like that would happen. Perhaps I can be of some assistance. In thest moments that Lady Ashleymunicated with us, she mentioned something about the Rogue King¡¯s ns. She¡ªShe said it was imperative that you visited the packs across the whole world. I don¡¯t know what good that was meant to do but it¡¯s what she said.¡± Katie rubbed her temples, straining her brain, ¡°Huh¡­ So it¡¯s that bad.¡± After a moment, she sighed and turned to Samantha, ¡°Samantha, I need your help getting a message to the rest of the hunters.¡± ¡°What kind of message?¡± Samantha asked, ¡°And who is this woman?¡± ¡°This is Brunhilde. She¡¯s a hunter from a group known as the Bane of Cirrus. They are going to help me end this horrid war,¡± Katie exined. ¡°You¡¯ve only returned. Why are you¡­¡± Samantha stopped talking when something started vibrating in her pocket. The woman angrily fished a device out of her pocket and checked the caller: Director Anthony She answered it. ¡°Damn it, Anthony. Your timing is¡­¡± the woman froze mid-sentence, her frustrationspletely vanishing. ¡°Where are you, Samantha? We need everyone we can get. It¡¯s a mess¡­ Save anyone you can while you make your way for the Agency,¡± Anthony yelled over the other side of the phone. His voice was somewhatboured as he spoke. Before the hunter could respond, the call disconnected¡­ but not without the sound of a growl making its way through the phone. Samantha stared at the phone in her hand with trembling hands. ¡°We can still help them,¡± Katie told her calmly, her eyes shing a bright blue. A swirling blue mist covered the princess¡¯s body and in her position stood a slender white wolf, very different from the wolf they had seen moments earlier. This wolf, whilst looking weaker, bore an equally dangerous aura. In the next moment, Samantha came to know why it was that she feared the wolf just as much as her normal wolf form. This wolf blurred from sight the moment her transformation wasplete, tearing through the forest with incredible speed and agility. ¡°You¡­ newbie, get this old woman back to the town and make sure she¡¯s safe,¡± Samantha ordered before blurring from view as well, following Katie¡¯s explosively fast wolf. Brunhilde stood in ce watching the spot the two women had upied only moments ago, ¡°The nerve on that woman¡­ Calling me a newbie. And you! Forgive my insubordination, but why do you continue to y the fool? Don¡¯t you think you should tell them who you are?¡± ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s better this way. I personally stepped down from the position as the leader of the Bane, you know,¡± the old woman sighed. ¡°Why did you step down? Katie is not as experienced as you when ites to leading the Bane,¡± Brunhilde asked, suddenly curious, ¡°She might be stronger¡­ much stronger but you are wiser.¡± ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s see. Katie was the first person in centuries to make my mate feel fear. If that isn¡¯t someone destined to defeat him, I don¡¯t know who he is. I¡¯ve led the Bane for a very long time¡­ centuries. Held back by¡­¡± the woman scoffed,ughing humourlessly, ¡°¡­fear of losing to the Rogue King¡¯s bloodlust. But Katie¡­ sheunched straight in, her determination to protect stronger than his determination to destroy. She stood up against the Rogue King without a shred of fear¡­ and for the first time in centuries, he was the one to show fear. I¡¯ll admit. Her powers far surpass my own but she doesn¡¯t hide behind them as I did. I¡¯ve never made a more confident or wiser decision than the day I chose to appoint her the new leader of the Bane of Cirrus,¡± Fauna sighed. Brunhilde sighed, staring in the direction Katie had rushed in, ¡°Very well¡­ I trust you will be fine on your own.¡± With a nod of approval, the warrior female dashed away from the woman, leaving her in thepany of herrge loyal bear. ¡°May the goddess of the moon be with you, Katie Sirius!¡± Chapter 511 - 511 Shift 511 Shift Basketball is a well-known sport in the two empires of the kingdom¡­ and many timeses naturally to the supernaturally stronger werewolves. To make it fair, werewolves are not allowed to use half-shifts during games. Keeping them from drawing on the supernatural strength their wolf sides allowed them was impossible. So even then, the energy boost from their nature is tremendous, making it nearly impossible for humans topete. For that reason, there were sometimes games in which werewolves would only y against werewolves and humans against humans¡­ or games where the number of werewolves and humans on both teams was supposed to be bnced to keep the game fair in terms of strength. Rarely, however, there were games when humans went against werewolves in a friendly sh of skills. That said, there is arge difference between wless skill equipped with fluid technique and the use of brute force to get the game moving in the desired direction. Because of Brigadia¡¯s remote location, it was hard for anyone to attend the Royal Games unless they were heavily funded. And frankly, these kinds of people weren¡¯t many in Brigadia and when there was one, the need to go was diminished by the fact that their friends wouldn¡¯t be able to go with them. As a result, Dexter found himself dribbling a basketball and facing off against a human athlete in a finals match held by Brigadia high school instead of watching the Royal games. The human he was facing off against was a student at the school he¡¯d attended not so long ago¡­ and he had to admit the skill this ¡®human¡¯ exhibited. ..... Dexter had wanted to watch the Royal games in person. To watch the princess go against all odds and duke it out against the King of Lycaon but that seemed impossible now. Oh no, it wasn¡¯t. Now he had to stay behind and face off against a gathering of the best humans in Brigadia versing the best werewolves in a match that would eventually end in his victory, if not barely¡­ In truth, things weren¡¯t looking good for the delta. ¡°Go, go, Dexter. You can do it, Dexter,¡± the cheering noiseing from the cheerleaders invaded his ears, invading his senses and filling him with more determination than he thought himself capable. Sweat dripped down his brow, his shirt drenched with sweat. It was the first time he was this winded during a basketball match against humans. ¡®There aren¡¯t even any hunters among these punks,¡¯ he cursed mentally. ¡°Don¡¯t let them through. Let¡¯s keep a tighter defence. Don¡¯t let any ys through,¡± the human, Titus, facing off against Dexter called out, exuding an aura of authority that was expected of a captain. The people ying with him, were his age, if only slightly older. His team contained a mix of students on the basketball team and promising junior hunters. Dexter was not even sure which of these two categories frightened him more. Each member of the team had incredible physical prowess and skill, even for humans. Titus, however, seemed to be on another level. It was also why he¡¯d positioned himself to face Dexter. His words were consideredw to the humans and they ordered everything he said, making the game significantly harder. Each of his calls seemed engineered at making the game inexplicably harder. The whole situation was starting to get on the delta¡¯s nerves. These were humans. They were lesser creatures that didn¡¯t have the strength to go against the werewolves. He passed, dribbled and made severe feints but nothing seemed to faze Titus. When there seemed to be an opening he could exploit from his teammates, the captain of the human team immediately switched with them and covered the hole in the defence too fast for the delta to utilise it. ¡®Hahaha, the joke¡¯s on you, Titus. I¡¯m only afraid of one human¡­ Well, when she was still human,¡¯ he grunted, passing the ball once more in an effort to break through the defence. His team was not bad either¡­ however, they seemed to be having as much trouble as he was. No single yer was allowed to hold the ball for too long before giving it to their teammate, lest they risk having it stolen from them. Incidentally, his team was also the one losing this game. Still, in the third quarter, they were trailing behind with a ten-point gap. The situation was not looking good at all. ¡°You¡¯re not doing bad at all,¡± Dexter snickered, locking eyes with Titus¡¯ hazel brown gaze. ¡°Neither are you. I was sure people like you who didn¡¯t like things like training or honing their skills would be down in the dust by now¡­ but look at you, still standing. Well, barely¡­¡± the human smirked, reaching forward for the ball that had just flown into Dexter¡¯s hands. Dexter saw through the attempt almost instantly and spun to get around Titus. The delta, for the first time, felt an opening and went for it. There was simply no way Titus would be able to recover from something like that. Because of how much pressure and the numerous decisions he had to make, Dexter didn¡¯t notice that Titus¡¯ movements had been a mere taunt. Titus never actually intended to swipe the ball away from him at that moment, knowing the delta was very aware of his every movement. Dexter dashed forward, easily reaching the hoop before leaping high into the air and jamming the ball into the hoop. The delta came down from the hoop, pumping his fist into the air in celebration. Much to his dismay, he was met with gasps and silence. Dexter¡¯s confusion was short-lived. Lying on the ground at the edge of the zone of defence was Titus. The human was coughing a lot and a few of his teammates had crowded him to make sure that he was okay. ¡®Did I?¡¯ he wondered, trying to remember if he¡¯d crashed into Titus. Caught in the moment, he hadn¡¯t noticed any resistance. Dexter walked up to them, trying to discern what was going on. This human had put up an admirable fight against the werewolves and Dexter had no desire to look down on him. In fact, he had grown to respect the cocky point guard. ¡°What were you thinking? What kind of y is that?¡± a woman, who Dexter guessed was Titus¡¯ mother, yelled from the bleachers, fighting against her husband¡¯s hold. Dexter forged his way to Titus, ignoring thedy¡¯s pleas and approached her son on the ground, ¡°Hey, man. Are you okay?¡± Titus¡¯s face was contorted in pain as he tried to brave the waves of pain that washed through his body. When he heard the delta¡¯s voice, however, he mustered enough strength to at least stare at him. The eyes that stared at the Delta weren¡¯t those of assurance that he would be fine. Instead, they were filled with rage. Titus gritted his teeth and a look of anger shed across his face. ¡°YOU!!! WHAT WERE YOU¡­ ARGHHH,¡± the pain seemed to triple as Titus lost concentration and tipped his head back. Dexter was about to step back but something tugged at his mind. ¡®Why does this look familiar?¡¯ ¡°Where is he injured?¡± Dexter asked in a panicked voice. ¡°Earlier, he mentioned something about his ribs and not being able to breathe well¡­ but the pain got so bad that he couldn¡¯t tell us more,¡± one of his fellow yers exined, looking over his shoulder for the medical officer. The woman in question was still rushing over with a kit in her hand. Dexter knelt down, allowing his ws to grow out of his hands before he shed the boy¡¯s shirt open. On Titus¡¯s chest, a small red bruise was visibly shrinking before their eyes. The nurse reached them seconds after the injury had vanished, ¡°Give us some space, students. Step back and give him some air¡­¡± The nurse stopped and took a few steps back when Titus let out a blood-curdling scream. The scream, which started like a cry for help¡­ like the scream of a dying banshee, slowly became deeper and guttural at the end, sounding more like that of a wounded carnivore instead. Titus suddenly curled into a ball, convulsions shaking his body as something odd started happening, ¡°It hurts¡­ Everything hurts.¡± Titus cried, opening his eyes. Tears streamed through his grief-stricken eyes but this wasn¡¯t as significant as the other thing he exhibited. Along with the tears and expression of pain that painted his face, his hazel brown eyes now shone a brilliant amber. Everyone took a step back this time¡­ Everyone except for the nurse, ¡°What¡¯s hurting exactly, Titus?¡± ¡°Everything¡­ My insides, my gums, my eyes, my ears¡­ everything,¡± the student yelled out right before the sound of crunching bone tore through the atmosphere. This was followed by several more sounds of crunching bone and screams of pain. Titus¡¯s mother gasped when she saw her son¡¯s state, unsure of what to do about it. Dexter, on the other hand, rushed forward, pushing past the nurse and making it to the boy¡¯s side, ¡°Hey, Titus. Listen to me. I want you to stop fighting the pain.¡± ¡°WHAT?!! WHAT¡¯S THA¡ª¡± his words were cut off by a scream of his own. Unfortunately this time, there was another scream that ovepped his, echoing louder than Titus could ever dream of achieving. Delta looked for the sign of the scream and noticed the cheerleaders standing around a girl who gripped her stomach in pain. She looked like she would be sick. But what brought him a deeper feeling of dread was the elongated canines in her mouth. Her dark green eyes were lost in a sea of pain as her canines seemed to drop lower than they should have, blood lightly staining her gums as a simr transformation took a hold of her body. A third scream followed hers and before they knew it, six people from random parts of the court were undergoing a simr painful transformation. Two were yers on the team of humans while three came from the audience. ¡°Nurse Tilda¡­ How can they be going through First Shifts? And at the same time?¡± Dexter turned to the werewolf nurse. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. Guide him through it. I¡¯ll attend to the cheerleader,¡± the nurse ordered before turning away from Titus and Dexter. She asked for help from some other wolves as well, leaving each of them to their charges. The first shift was one of the most painful moments in a werewolf¡¯s life¡­ and before it happened, werewolves were never allowed to freely interact with humans. That said, it was easier on children since their bodies grew in preparation for that moment. Humans like Titus, however, were subjected to a whole other world of pain that Dexter could not imagine. Confusion turned to chaos. A few of the werewolves that were able to rx got focused on trying to guide the humans through the first shift. Crunching bones, bone-chilling screams and pained growls and wails filled the air as the victims of the transformation got through the painful ordeal, losing their minds to the pain that apanied the first shift. The junior hunters kept the civilians away from the shifting humans and tried to convince them to remain calm. ¡°Hey, focus on my voice. Stay awake and focus on my voice,¡± Dexter yelled at Titus. At this point, his body was covered in a sproutingyer of soft grey fur. His jaws had extended forward, his hands and legs bent at odd angles and with his back arched and longer than before. Standing was no longer possible for him¡­ ¡°How long till it¡¯s over?¡± Titus¡¯s mother screamed through the hands covering her mortified expression. Dexter ced his hand on the shifting boy, ¡°He¡¯s almost there. Just a little longer. Titus, stay awake. Don¡¯t resist the shift¡­ You can get through this. You¡¯ll never have to go through this pain ever again. But first, you must make it through.¡± In truth, Titus¡¯s pain was far from over. The process seemed to be slowing down the more he slipped out of consciousness. A p rang clear as Dexter¡¯s hand struck firmly across the shifting boy¡¯s cheek. Titus¡¯s amber eyes locked on Dexter¡¯s face, memories of the game returning¡­ as well as his rage towards him. These emotions were shortlived as a pang of pain eclipsed the rage he was feeling sending him into another fit. A scream followed¡­ along with an increasingly painful shift. Chapter 512 - 512 Short-lived 512 Short-lived Howls of pain and screams of anguish filled the stadium,ing from the humans that had mysteriously started undergoing their first shifts. Amidst the convoluted chaos, two more humans were thrown into the process of the first shift, sowing seeds of doubt into everyone that had no clue what was going on, which was pretty much¡­ everyone in the stadium. At Dexter¡¯s order, civilians were asked to evacuate the stadium while all the wolves going through the first shift were taken care of with fewer people around. Werewolves that had some knowledge of the first shift advised the rest of the humans to remain calm as adrenaline was one of the triggers that resulted in the first shift. With this much chaos andck of information, it was safe to assume anyone could shift at any moment. The sudden transformations had beenpletely random and the cause still remained unknown. Dexter stayed close to Titus making sure to keep the boy awake until the shift was done. ¡°Stay awake! That¡¯s the only way to ensure you don¡¯t bite anyone¡¯s head off in your wolf form,¡± the delta spoke, hoping his words reached the point guard. Titus showed no signs of listening, groaning and growling as the pain continued to assail his body. He seemed to have run out of the energy to struggle but that didn¡¯t mean he was in any less pain. After what felt like fifteen minutes of painful shifting, a grey wolfy on the floor of the court, panting with exhaustion. Dexter ran to a cooler containing water bottles at the edge of the court and returned with the bottle in hand, which he offered the wolf. Titus¡¯s grey wolf sniffed the water and shuffled away from it, giving off a frustrated grunt. ..... ¡°Stubborn even after all that,¡± Dexter sighed, getting up to his feet. The nurse had left Titus to him and gone off to attend to another victim while the rest were also helped by werewolves from Dexter¡¯s pack. ¡®What¡¯s the meaning of all this?¡¯ he wanted to ask. Turning to the werewolf on the ground, he tried to project his thoughts into the boy¡¯s mind but there was no reaction. Not even a sign of the boy¡¯s subconscious mind gaining ess to the collection of the pack link¡­ It would make sense if he couldn¡¯t send any message through. After all, the mind link got harder to use the more unrted a werewolf was. Communicating with members of the same pack was as simple as breathing. Communicating with members of another pack was harder and required some bit of concentration for as long as their pack was under the same empire. If the pack was from a different empire, it was strenuous to use the mind link tomunicate but not impossible. The only werewolves that would then pose a problem tomunicate with were¡­ ¡®rogues.¡¯ ¡®A rogue bite?¡¯ Dexter thought. There was that issue of rogues being sighted around Brigadia. Whether these two matters were rted, Dexter couldn¡¯t tell. It was odd for rogues to leave anyone alive in the first ce. If they intended to turn someone into a rogue, they would abduct them. Leaving them to walk away with their lives, however, was borderline impossible. This was why breeders found to have escaped were always considered among the luckiest of the rogues¡¯ victims. Unlike the rogues that were recruited to fight, the breeders were never tainted with the oundish beliefs of genocide that the Rogue King imnted into all his subjects. There were so many questions and no answers. It wasn¡¯t like Titus could hide the colour of his eyes intentionally. That was not something werewolves could do at will unless they had a drug to help conceal their wolves. However, his option couldn¡¯t work as well for anyone above the age of eighteen. Above that age, the wolf side of a werewolf was simply too powerful to be suppressed by diluted amounts of wolfsbane. Dexter looked around at the other shifting wolves, ¡°Congrats, you were the first to go through the¡­¡± A dangerous growl cut him off. Dexter turned back to witness the grey wolf wobbling on its four limbs, trying to get the hang of bncing on his four paws. Drool dripped down the wolf¡¯s maw as it eyed him with savage fury. The look in its eyes betrayed any form of intelligence¡­ Instead of the intelligent eyes Titus had possessed as a human, this wolf bore the eyes of a deranged killer, wanting nothing but blood and carnage. ¡°Dexter, what¡¯s wrong with him? Didn¡¯t you keep him awake through his shift?¡± the nurse yelled at him whilst holding a female wolf¡¯s head on herp. ¡°Yes, I¡­¡± the delta was cut off by amanding voice echoing through the mind link. ¡°Werewolves of Brigadia. This is Alpha Graves speaking. The humans that are shifting have been deemed dangerous irrespective of the progress of their first shift. Put them down as soon as possible. It would be ideal to knock them unconscious so we can figure out what¡¯s going on. ,¡± the message was brief and emanating an intense sense of urgency that was impossible to ignore. Dexter turned to Titus, searching once more for signs of consciousness. Despite being on opposite teams during the game, this wolf was still a student. Dexter might have been older than the boy but he still knew what it was like to be a teenager in his senior year. Back then, he was so stubborn and rebellious that he wound up on the head hunter¡¯s bad side too many times to count. Then again, if he was anything like the kind of teenager Dexter was during his school years, then he was probably as cranky as they came, seeking to assert his dominance and prove that he was on top of everyone in the school. What better way to do that than to beat up some old alumni who couldn¡¯t take the heat during a friendly basketball game? ¡®Is what I would have been thinking if I were in his shoes.¡¯ The wolf let out a loud snarl, baring his teeth at the delta before circling him in challenge. From the constantly flexing cables of muscle within its limbs, Dexter could quickly read the indecision guing the wolf. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m a delta with far more experience than you could ever hope to achieve in the next three years. You¡¯d do well to fear me.¡± ¡°DEXTERRR!!!¡± the nurse spoke up, getting up to her feet and backing away. The wolf she¡¯d been tending to snapped its teeth viciously at her, nicking the flesh at her wrists as she quickly leapt out of the way. It was a close call. Growing of this odd behaviour, the pack members helping the other wolves quickly backed away, crowding closer to Nurse Tilda. The other wolves unsteadily stood and instinctively joined Titus, snarling viciously at the cornered pack wolves. Incidentally, most of them were civilians, incapable of fighting as well as the pack warriors. It was only then that Dexter noticed that of all the wolves that stayed behind to help, only two were pack warriors while the rest of the able fighters had left to help with the evacuation. ¡°Uh, we might need help in the stadium,¡± Dexter echoed over the mind link. After a short silence, a sliver of a reply returned, ¡°The nearest pack warriors are preupied and reinforcements are on the way. The hunters are on their way as well. Try to hold out as long as you can, delta.¡± Dexter, when given such subpar replies, was used to yelling back at whoever it was that had told him this¡­ but this wasn¡¯t just anyone. The person that had chosen to reply to the delta¡¯s plea was none other than the alpha of the pack. ¡®What¡¯s happening out there?¡¯ he thought to himself. Sensing a wave of tension, fear and urgency all over the mind link, he kept these thoughts to himself. Perhaps they were dealing with a very simr situation, he thought. But that didn¡¯t change his current situation. Seven wolves against three was not a fight he wanted to get involved in¡­ and yet, he didn¡¯t seem to have a choice. The wolves snarled at them, growling viciously as they gathered between them and the door, ¡°You don¡¯t think they¡¯d actually attack us, do you?¡± Titus¡¯s wolf raked its ws on the ground and bounded for them, covering the distance in a few short leaps. The wolf leapt into the air, opening its maw wide and heading straight for the delta. Dexter had seen this kind of actioning, considering he was also the one that had triggered Titus¡¯s painful first shift. The newly-shifted human was bound to have a grudge against him. Dexter dashed forward, synchronising his movements with those of the attacking werewolf and not giving him a chance tond a solid attack. He dodged the wolf¡¯s maw and put his hand around itsrge neck. With a loud groan, the delta pulled Titus back and threw him back at the group of hostile wolves. The other wolves dodged their flyingrade and growled at the delta in rage. ¡®Oh, dear!!!¡¯ Two came rushing forward at once. While the other four circled around him. As a strategic tactic, the wolves were trying to deal with the strongest one of the group first as though they were hunting down a herd. And as such, these newbies didn¡¯t notice when another person, out of the trapped civilian wolves, stepped out to help the delta, delivering a dreadful blow into the gut of one of the attacking wolves as Dexter dealt with the other. The delta dashed forward mming his knee into the wolf¡¯s maw. The wolf, trusting the ferocity of his teeth, had not expected an attack so blunt. As such, it was thrown off guard, allowing Dexter to deliver an upward kick to its neck before hurling it back to the pack of hostiles. The delta quickly shifted into a ck wolf and growled, challenging the rest of the wolves to a fight. Hisrade shifted as well, mimicking his act of dominance and instilling a wave of fear into the inexperienced wolves. Dexter¡¯s confidence¡­ ¡­was short-lived. Chapter 513 - 513 At Death’s Door 513 At Death¡¯s Door Dexter, being a delta, wasrger than the rest of the wolves around. However, the differences went far beyond mere size. These hostile newly shifted wolves were bloodthirsty and probably didn¡¯t care about what would happen to him if they attacked fangs and ws zing. On the other hand, Dexter felt a bit hesitant to attack them. These weren¡¯t just werewolves out to kill him, they were people who¡¯d attended the games. One of them was Titus, a very talented human yer. These thoughts were cut off, the enemy breaking the delicate bnce of taunt with snarls and growls. The wolves attacked once more, colliding with Dexter and one of the pack warriors aiding him. The third-pack warrior stayed behind to protect the civilian wolves. The fight, which was a mess of teeth, ws and growls, did not look so good. Dexter took out one of the wolves with a swift powerful swipe of his paw at the wolf¡¯s feeble neck. After that first attack, which gave him a major confidence boost, the situation turned grim very fast. One of the wolves attacked from the side, crashing into him from above with its maw mped down on the back of his neck. Being thergest, he was also the easiest target for a group attack. At the same time, he was the most powerful around and the one they needed to take down first. Dexter quickly rolled and pinned the wolf that had bitten his neck to the ground and yanked him off viciously. ..... The delta heard the sound of bones and felt fangs snapping against his hide as he viciously de-mped the stubborn wolf, ¡®Sorry! You¡¯ll heal. In just a few¡­ argh.¡¯ Another attack cut off his thoughts. The weight of his body quickly doubled, partly from his straining muscles and the weight of another wolf on his back. As soon as he¡¯d removed the first one¡­ another had taken its ce. The beta alpha grunted in annoyance and bit down on the pinned wolf¡¯s leg, shattering the bones before shifting his attention to his the wolf¡¯s recement. Unfortunately for him, his dyed response time was more than enough for the wolf to gain some leverage. The delta let out a pained howl as the sharp fangs broke through the hide around his neck¡­ and kept pressing down even harder. His eyes darted about in search of the closest wall. Before he could take aboured step toward it, pain shot through his hind leg and another wolf rammed into his side. The tangled mess of fur fell to the ground, separating as they rolled off. Dexter strained his muscles to stand¡­ blood dripped down his neck and hind foot. He could feel himself get dizzy with the pain. The wolves, on the other hand, were just getting started. Hisrge frame made it hard for the wolves to take him down. His bones and hide were tougher as well, making their work exponentially harder. That didn¡¯t mean it was impossible for them to take him down. Since the start of the battle, he¡¯d been forced to go on the defensive, trying to rip them off him like gnats. He was partly grateful for the relief of not being bitten on the neck but that was about it. His muscles were already screaming with pain, reminding him of how much energy he¡¯d wasted in dealing with the neck mpers. Before he could get his bearings, the wolves attacked again. Dexter couchedw andunched forward at the right time, colliding with the first wolf in front of him and rolling into the mess of wolves. When the wolf that he¡¯d collided with was beneath him, he wed its neck and mmed its throat, turning his attention to the side in time to avoid another wolf. This time, he was prepared for their sucker-punch tactics. The ck wolf easily overpowered the other, mping down on its neck as well. Had the wolf been a rogue he didn¡¯t know, this bite would be lethal and end its life in the next few seconds. However, this was a citizen of Brigadia. He couldn¡¯t afford to kill them. The hostiles noticed his moment of weakness and utilized it. Pain riddled the delta¡¯s body as another rain of attacks aimed at weathering him down covered his brilliant ck coat. A loud scream caught the delta¡¯s attention, prompting him to fight through the pain even more. ¡®Screw it,¡¯ the delta cursed, biting down on the wolf¡¯s neck. The neck howled in pain and copsed soon after, ¡®You¡¯ll heal¡­ but I can¡¯t guarantee how soon. Apologies¡­ Ouch¡­¡¯ Waves of pain and weakness started rolling through therge ck wolf¡¯s body. He was strongpared to the others¡­ but there was only so much he could take. During the assault, he¡¯d ignored the pain inflicted by the other wolves but now it was bing too much to ignore. His beautiful ck coat was now matted with scratches and dripping with blood from numerous bites and scratches. The wolves instinctively backed off, sensing a change in the delta¡¯s standards. After watching theirrade get bitten like it was nothing, they were more cautious to attack. The delta was heavily wounded but it seemed as though he was only getting started. The wolves surrounding him seemed reluctant to attack, afraid ofing close to his dangerous muzzle and front paws. If it wasn¡¯t for Dexter stumbling on his feet, they would have stayed this way¡­ But his weakness was now all too clear¡­ A decisive growl from the wolf that was Titus initiated the final attack that would most likely be the end for Dexter if something didn¡¯t change. ¡®Where is the other pack warrior?¡¯ his muddled thoughts wandered. Through his hazy eyesight, he noticed a slender sandy brown wolf collide with the pack of bloodthirsty rogues before it was thrown off and bitten at the neck, quickly going limp at the fangs of the rogues. A civilian¡­ Dexter growled and blindly rushed forward, disoriented but mad with rage. Not only that, but his heart suddenly grew heavy with despair. More and more emotions of despair, anguish and pain came pouring in through the mind link. The wolves easily surrounded him, inviting his disoriented form into a horn formation that would be his end. ¡®Damn it! I came here to y some ball. Not to die! There is still so much I have to do.¡¯ Dexter thought of his fellow pack mates he¡¯d only started training with recently. As someone who¡¯d recently finished his studies, he was given two options: Further studies into any field of study he desired or returning to the pack to help run it. There were plenty of things a delta could do as part of the pack. Essentially, they depended on deltas to train the young ones, and protect and keep the peace within the pack. And Dexter loved his pack¡­ just like he¡¯de to love Brigadia as a whole. There was so much more he had to live for to die here¡­ These thoughts, however, were met with menacing growls announcing his execution, ¡®What really happened here? Why did they suddenly shift? Alphas don¡¯t even have that power anymore¡­ No, they attacked even though they made it through the First shift conscious¡­ and I can¡¯tmunicate with them. How¡­?¡¯ More questions¡­ Just as he was about to copse, he locked eyes with those of a frightened girl holding tight to Nurse Tilda. The nurse herself was putting on a brave face, trying to keep the tears in her eyes from falling out. The pack warrior wasn¡¯t guarding them anymore¡­ and he wasn¡¯t anywhere close to them either. ¡®Did he fight? Was he defeated? Or maybe he ran¡­ No, he wouldn¡¯t. He knows the consequences of that are worse than death,¡¯ the delta¡¯s thoughts rumbled as he strained to keep himself sane. The wolves closed in for the kill, baring their fangs with no restraint¡­ just pure bloodlust. Dexter allowed his eyes to close and waited for the attack¡­ 1 second¡­ 2 seconds¡­ 3 seconds¡­ The attack never came. Instead, the menacing growls turned to groans and shrieks as the sound of rushed footsteps mingled with the sound of paws against wood. Dexter was almost sure he heard the sound of a wolf¡¯s body mming the ground like a sack of potatoes. Simrly, he heard the singing sound of metal in the air before it was apanied by a muffled collision, followed by the sound of cracking bones. ¡®Reinforcements?!¡¯ Dexter opened his eyes to narrow slits and peeked just in time to witness one of the wolves hit the ground with a painful yelp. Arge muscr woman with a sledgehammer strapped to her back stood from behind the wolf and dashed towards another one, smashing her fist into its skull with her bare fist¡­ the result of the blow, however, was catastrophic. With a violent jerk, the wolf was mmed into the ground, unmoving. On Dexter¡¯s other side, a flurry of white hair caught his sight. He watched a beautiful girl with white hair dancing between three of the wolves in a dangerously choreographed series of steps that had them flipped, mmed, punched and unconscious within a matter of seconds. The swift and vicious effectiveness with which they had been put down felt all too familiar. ¡®I¡¯ve seen this girl before¡­¡¯ his thoughts were cut off when she turned to face him. ¡°Long time no see, Dexter. You look terrible,¡± Katie Sirius grimaced. Dexter¡¯s state was truly a sight to behold¡­ It was a miracle he was still standing. ¡®Yeah! I¡¯ve definitely seen her before,¡¯ the delta copsed on the ground in exhaustion, ¡®She¡¯s the reason I was always sozy with training.¡¯ Chapter 514 - 514 An Odd Power 514 An Odd Power Dexter was relieved to see Katie but also surprised as well. Yes, the former head hunter was someone respected and loved by everyone in Brigaida. It¡¯s where she¡¯d grown up but her life had long since changed. If there was ever a time when Dexter considered himself lucky, this was one of those times. Everyone knew the story of the Lost Luna. She How then was she here, saving him of all people? It¡¯s not like he wasn¡¯t grateful¡­ but then, he could think of several other ces that the royal could be other than here. Refusing to dwell on the details, the delta chose to feel d he was alright and that Katie had saved him. ¡°What brings you here, Katie? Some unrequited love you¡¯d like to confess to?¡± Dexter rumbled through the mind link, allowing his exhaustion to seep through the mind link unrestrained. Katie chuckled lightly, ¡°I see nearly dying didn¡¯t take away your sense of humour.¡± The princess was walking from one unconscious wolf to another, cing her hand on their foreheads. Dexter got the feeling she was attempting to take them through Prometheus evaluations, which also brought more questions. Prometheus evaluations could only be given to people that had submitted and were willing to switch back to the side of the empires. ¡°This¡­ No, they needed more numbers to take me down. I was just about to give them hell when you arrived. These scratches are nothing,¡± Dexter joked, wincing as he lifted himself up on his feet. ..... ¡°You shouldn¡¯t try to stand up just yet. You took quite the¡­ umm, biting,¡± Katie fully turned to his struggling form, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. Her new look was so foreign that it took Dexter¡¯s jokes out of him. White hair with bright blue eyes¡­ The clothes she was wearing seemed spun from the petals of moon lotuses interweaved with the finest silk, giving her an ethereal look of majestic grandeur. Her presence was much more powerful than it had been years ago¡­ and for some reason, it was warmer. Before, she was a powerful hunter that could knock the lights out of him the moment he strayed¡­ But now, it felt like this new version of her could take a joke or two and still retain the power to put him to the ground should he go astray. Her power had far surpassed his now. After all, she¡¯d just taken down three of the hostile wolves without breaking a sweat¡­ and made them look like pups through it all. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Dexter shrugged off her concerns, suddenly feeling his limbs get even heavier. The delta shook off the feeling of uselessness as best as he could and limped over to the Luna. Katie was now tending to another of the wolves she¡¯d knocked out. She ced her hand on the wolf¡¯s forehead and a momentter, a glowing blue symbol of a howling wolf enclosed in a blue circle that reminded Dexter of a lunar eclipse appeared in the wolf¡¯s fur. ¡°Don¡¯t they have to submit to you before you do that?¡± Dexter asked, confused. ¡°Normally,¡± Katie replied, making her way to the other. She¡¯d finished doing this to the rest of the unconscious wolves. Standing beside thest one was a bestial woman dressed in brown furs with a sledgehammer attached to a harness that held it firmly along her back. ¡°My Lady, we do not have time to linger,¡± the woman spoke in a respectful tone that betrayed her brutish body structure. ¡°I know, I know, Brunhilde. I just need to talk to Dexter really quickly before we get going,¡± Katie waved her hand at the female hunter, ¡°Go on ahead. I¡¯lle after you. You can ask the Hunter¡¯s Agency for a vehicle while you¡¯re at it. Fill the tank too.¡± Brunhilde grimaced at the mountain ofmands that came her way before giving a slight bow. The warrior was gone without another word, leaving the battered delta in the presence of Katie Sirius. ¡®Still orders her subordinates around, huh? I guess she was always a royal from the start,¡¯ Dexter thought to himself, remembering her disciple, ¡®Speaking of subordinates, I wonder where Sandra is.¡¯ ¡°Katie, is that really you?¡± a feminine voice cut through the silence and wiped the question from Dexter¡¯s mind. Katie looked up and furrowed her brows in confusion. Standing before her, not far from them was a woman dressed in white medical garments. Katie¡¯s memory strained in search of a name, longer than she would have liked. ¡°Nurse¡­ Tilda?¡± she asked. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, just having trouble gathering my memories,¡± Katie shrugged, ¡°You shoulde here as well. Just in case this big oaf dies before delivering my message.¡± ¡°Message? And I¡¯m not dying any time soon.¡± ¡°Yes, Dexter. I have a lot I want you to tell my parents and the hunters of Brigadia. I can¡¯t be here for long,¡± Katie replied, ¡°Now, to my¡­¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t. You should tell them yourself. They haven¡¯t seen you in years and youe here just to tell me that you¡¯re leaving. Don¡¯t you think they deserve to see you first?¡± Dexter argued, his anger getting the better of him. Katie, however, wasn¡¯t shaken by the delta¡¯s sudden outburst. Instead, a tear rolled down her cheek, ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know that? Look around you, Dexter. Don¡¯t you hear it, Dexter?¡± Dexter took that chance to scan his surroundings. The civilians they¡¯d been trying to protect were long gone and seven grey wolves were lying on the ground, unconscious with blue ethereal marks on their foreheads. Three other wolvesy on the ground, however. The two pack warriors along with a sandy brown slender female had tried to protect him. Now that he looked at them, he couldn¡¯t help the feeling of dread that filled his mind. And what had Katie meant by ¡®hear it¡¯? Dexter gritted his teeth and swayed a bit, his feeling of dread doubled as he came to a mncholic realisation. Chapter 515 - 515 Grieve 515 Grieve All throughout his battle with the wolves, he¡¯d felt feelings of despair, anguish, pain, terror flooding his mind through the mind link¡­ but he hadn¡¯t had the time to interpret what these emotions were telling him. Or even discern the screams for help that came through the mind link. Why the emotions had called out to him so much. Dexter had simply carried out his duty to protect the civilians trapped in the stadium, hoping reinforcements woulde in time¡­ He¡¯d never paid attention to those that were defeated either. Now that he had the time to take in his surroundings, the injured delta lumbered over to the slender sandy brown wolf that had tried to help him and nuzzled her neck. Expecting the warm fur and rhythmic breathing of an unconscious werewolf, nothing had prepared him for what he felt. His muzzle was met by the cold touch of death. She was dead¡­ And so were the pack warriors. ¡®The screams of terror in the mind link¡­¡¯ he voiced¡­ ..... ¡°Now, do you understand?¡± Katie asked. Katie had always been the person who felt she had to protect everyone she cared about. As a Royal, it was no doubt she could feel the same things he felt in his pack link, only that she wasn¡¯t simply connected to their small pack here in Brigadia. She was connected to every werewolf in the world. Imagining what the Luna was going through was beyond his capabilities. He could only try to empathise with her. She was probably going through a much greater form of torture. The mere fact that she was standing before him was proof enough of her strength. Now he understood why she couldn¡¯t stay. Even as she stood waiting for him toe to terms with her words, he could feel the restlessness rolling off her body. It was taking everything to keep her from tearing out the stadium and putting an end to the carnage. ¡°What¡¯s the message?¡± he asked. With that said, the princess began rying a great amount of information through the mind link to him. A lot of it was exining what was going on around the world, along with what was happening in Brigadia alone. She gave him instructions on what to do with the unconscious wolves that had werewolf symbols on their foreheads. ording to the princess, there was no telling when they would wake up and they all had to be ced in hospitals and their lives sustained. She gave him heartfelt messages that he was meant to deliver to individual hunters and her parents, if they were at all in Brigadia. Messages to the hunters that raised her. ¡°Is that all?¡± Dexter asked, a dull headache starting to form in his mind. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s all.¡± The wolf sighed, ¡°You can¡¯t protect everyone, you know.¡± ¡°Yes, I do¡­ but I have help,¡± the girl replied with a slight smile. ¡°Ah, the gori!¡± ¡°Call her that to her face next time,¡± Katie chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s been nice seeing you, Dexter¡­ Nurse Tilda.¡± To the nurse, she bowed in respect. The nurse had got a simr dose of information, which exined why she was rubbing her temples. ¡°Not even the cramming I had to go through in medical school coulde close to this,¡± she muttered under her breath. ¡°Thank you, Nurse Tilda,¡± the girl smiled. ¡°Be careful, Katie! And, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this¡­ Don¡¯t overdo it. Knowing you¡­ you can get yourself killed performing a training pushup just to make a million of them,¡± the delta sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful,¡± she replied before vanishing right before his eyes. Just like she¡¯de, she was gone¡­ ................. Katie rushed out the stadium and walked to the edge of the woods. At the edge of the woods, a pair of pigeons fluttered to her shoulders and started cooing for half a minute as the Luna listened patiently. ¡°Thank you¡­ Keep me updated,¡± she said when they were done. Her ears extended to the top of her head a white fluffy tail swished at her back before she blurred out of view. The streets of the Brigadia were starting to calm down, the image left behind, uglier than anyone ever deserved to see. Humans, hunters, werewolvesy scattered on the ground, either dead or unconscious. The unconscious werewolves were surrounded by insects, untouched but marked as a sign of life to allow the princess to easily identify them as she rushed through the devastated town. Each unconscious wolf received a blue incandescent mark on its forehead before she proceeded to check the rest of the bodies. The torn parts of the asphalt took on the shape of a sledgehammer and at rare asions, the shape of a fist, ¡®Goddess¡¯s lotuses, Brunhilde! What were you trying to do? Turn the world upside down.¡¯ ¡®Perhaps, she¡¯d lost her hammer and wanted to forge a new one out of tar,¡¯ Ashley chimed in. Katie smiled at her wolf¡¯s humour. If it wasn¡¯t for the chaos rumbling through her mind, she would haveughed but there was work to be done¡­ The princess sighed, zipping through buildings in tight formations that had her dashing back and forth across the city. A blue streak painted a line of divine energy sweeping through the town, cing evaluation symbols on the foreheads of the unconscious werewolves that had forcefully gone through their first shifts. And for the victims of this carnage that were still alive after the onught, she ced them at the doorstep of any family that had survived and rang the bell. Gradually, the frightened families of people that had survived stepped out of their rooms to witness this strange phenomenon. Some found bodies on their front porches and checked them for signs of life. It didn¡¯t take much to realise what was going on. The carnage was over¡­ and something was making rounds through the town, too fast to be seen by normal eyes. Oddly enough, the wind left behind by the being felt like a breath of fresh air. Devoid of the earlier malice and terror that filled the eyes and growls of the rabbid wolves. This one was different¡­ With it came a sense of safety¡­ They had seen terror ande close to death. Many who were alive were lucky to be alive. It was going to be a while before the darkness of this day would be a memory and this woulde to be known as the darkest day in Brigadia. The survivors knew not to be afraid¡­ but not to rejoice. It was time to grieve. Chapter 516 - 516 Never mind... She’s here 516 Never mind... She¡¯s here The hunters of Brigadia were caught off guard by the sudden influx of werewolves. Most of them were at the edges of the town, dealing with the ¡®rogue¡¯ issue that had arisen in the past few weeks. Because of this, they hadn¡¯t prepared for an internal attack. Scratch that, there was simply no way to predict such a thing¡­ and at a scale asrge as what they witnessed. Wolves tore through the streets, attacking everything and anything that lived and breathed with no sense of purpose or intelligence. There was nothing to exin the sudden phenomenon and thus no preparations had been made. Anthony was caught off guard, quickly using the wolfsbaneced throwing knives concealed within his jacket to put a stop to the wolves in his sight, naturally assuming rogues had finally chosen to attack. This assumption was put to a stop soon, however, when he witnessed a frightened woman copse on the sidewalk. For some reason, the rampaging wolves left her alone after that¡­ and he witnessed her shifting, her grey human eyes quickly gaining the glow of a werewolf. What was more was¡­ when shepleted the painful shift, she turned as murderous and irrational as the others. The situation quickly escted as more and more humans shifted before his eyes. Steeling his nerves, he made sure to take the chaos that followed as his first priority. He had to stop the panic lest the hunters be hindered from carrying out their tasks. Panic would only cause more trouble. The wolves they were fighting were more than just random rogues that they could put down like cattle. The rabid wolves were citizens of Brigadia. ..... He blocked out the dark thoughts that threatened to throw his mind into despair. Wasn¡¯t he the one that killed three of the wolves before witnessing a human shifting? He didn¡¯t want to admit it¡­ No, he would stop the ughter instead. He had to deal with the chaos before there was nothing left. But that was a lot harder than it looked. Not everyone hade to the realisation that he had¡­ and until that could happen, there was going to be more death¡­ and regret. The First shifts were happening at once and randomly. Even after rescuing a frightened group of humans that weren¡¯t going through this process, they would quickly disband when one of them started feeling joint aches and headaches. ¡­and the chaos would worsen tenfold. It was hopeless¡­ As a result, he let loose an order he never thought he¡¯d ever have to. Anthony ordered the hunters to put down any and all werewolves they came across. They were to refrain from killing them but put them down nheless and move on through the town. Due to the random nature of the transformations, clearing a ce of the wolves that had shifted did not mean they werepletely gone. Any human could still sumb to the demands of their wolf side and begin the shift as well long after the hunters had left. This made their situation much¡­ much harder to deal with. The hunters were slowly sumbing to the pressure of trying to protect everyone. The hunters couldn¡¯t be in all ces at once and yet that¡¯s exactly what they were supposed to do. The director gritted his teeth, trying to contain the feeling of uselessness that threatened to reduce him to nothing. All he could do was continue fighting¡­ He¡¯d given his orders and the hunters had moved on to carry them out, sweeping through the town as they carried out his orders. When it became clear the panic wouldn¡¯t easily die down, the hunters stopped trying to calm the masses and simply focused on what it was they were running from. Anyone that showed signs of shifting was to be captured while those that had shifted would get put down with a dose of wolfsbane to keep them subdued for an extended period of time. Just enough wolfsbane to weaken them but not enough to kill them. The hunters unleashed the full wrath of their gifts on the town, order copsing and being reced by a helpless attempt to protect what little humanity was left in the town. At the rate at which things were going, it seemed as though the humans in the town were actually less than the werewolves. It became harder to predict the end result of the battle and what it meant for the future of Brigadia. It only took a few hours¡­ After a few hours, the fighting came to a close with only a handful of humans gathered within the confines of the Hunter¡¯s Agency. These were thest people under suspicion¡­ and for good reason too. A few of them had managed topletely fight the First Shift and buy themselves more time while others were still stuck in the early stages of the process. ¡°Director Anthony, we¡¯ve gathered them all here! Now what?¡± Samantha called out to him. The female had got to work helping them the moment she arrived. Anthony thought she was more distracted than usual but without any real chance to ask her why he let it slide. What could he do though? It was a good question. Anthony didn¡¯t really know what he was going to do with the shifting wolves. As soon as theypleted their first shifts, they would attack. That much was clear from the ones before them¡­ However, now that they hadn¡¯t shifted yet, he felt there should have been an option other than putting them down. ¡°Let¡¯s contain them for now¡­ until she gets here,¡± a feminine voicemanded. And then there was¡­ her. She¡¯d introduced herself during the fray as Brunhilde and made quick work of the werewolves, fighting with a ferocity that reminded the man of the Mighty Warriors. She was strong¡­ really strong. Therge warrior woman dressed in skins was helping them fight against the wolves as well. The woman hade out of nowhere and just started helping them, cursing every now and then for being left to handle everything herself¡­ ¡®The nerve of this woman!¡¯ Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t seem to have the sense to follow the chain ofmand. She did as she pleased and this was starting to get on Anthony¡¯s nerves, ¡®Who does she think she is?¡¯ ¡°And how do you suggest we do that?¡± Director Anthony asked through gritted teeth. Brunhilde rubbed the back of her head with a baffled expression, ¡°Barricades?! Don¡¯t you have those? I¡¯m assuming you use some for the highway.¡± ¡°Those are too short. They¡¯ll leap over them with ease,¡± Anthony countered. ¡°Well, we could always stack them on top of each other or we could position hunters around the enclosure of barricades and keep throwing the escaping wolves back in. We only need to buy time,¡± Brunhilde exined. ¡°Buy time for what?¡± Brunhilde opened her mouth to speak¡­ but froze and closed it when a sudden breeze rushed through thepound. The shifting humans seemed to feel it as well, going silent along with everything. ¡°Never mind¡­ She¡¯s here.¡± The warrior hunter mmed her sledgehammer into the ground and leaned against it, assuming theposure of someone bored and free of all burden. Chapter 517 - 517 Silent Prayer 517 Silent Prayer The first lesson hunters knew to always keep in mind was ¡®Never let your guard down,¡¯ and yet this woman was now rxed, checking her nails even. Anthony was about to ask her what she was thinking when a breeze blew past him. His eyes only caught a glimpse of white as something devilishly fast darted past him and onto the humans they¡¯d surrounded. The new arrival skidded to a stop right in front of them, facing a teenage girl clutching her stomach in pain, ¡°Make it stop!!!¡± The white-haired woman, gripped by the plea, ced her hand on the girl¡¯s forehead. It will be over before you know it,¡± she said before the girl¡¯s eyes rolled to the back of her head and her knees went weak. ¡®I know that voice,¡¯ Anthony¡¯s eyes widened. He¡¯d heard it before. Today it sounded richer and moreposed but it was undoubtedly the same as he¡¯d remembered it. The white-haired woman before the was Katie Sirius. Katie caught the girl and ced her gently on the ground before turning to another person. ¡°What did you do to her?¡± a man asked with a trembling hand. ¡°It¡¯s sort of like a Prometheus evaluation. It¡¯s harmless and once it ends, you¡¯ll be inplete control of your wolf side,¡± the white-haired woman exined. The man narrowed his eyes at her for a bit before his eyes widened in recognition. Tears welled up in his eyes, ¡°You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re Katie Chase.¡± With the odd outfit, white hair and glowing blue eyes, it wasn¡¯t easy to recognise her¡­ but without a doubt, he could tell who she was. ..... ¡°Yes, I am. I¡¯m d you remember me,¡± the princess smiled brightly. The man¡¯s shivers came to an end and he stepped forward, closing his eyes. Katie silently ced her hand on his forehead. The symbol of a wolf appeared on the man¡¯s forehead before he lost consciousness as well. The girl proceeded to do the same with everyone else regardless of their situation. Those who were starting to feel the pain of the first shift copsed with the beginning stages reversed while those that halfway through copsed with the first shift proceeding uncontrobly, onlying to a stop when the grey forms of their wolves were left on the ground, a glowing symbol on their foreheads. A few minutester, the crowd of humans was all passed out in thepound of Brigadia¡¯s Hunter Agency. Katie sighed when she was done with thest one before turning around to face the exhausted hunters. The Luna gave a bow, ¡°Hi! It¡¯s been a while.¡± Keh was the first to break out of his trance, lumbering over to her with a limp in his step and engulfing the girl in a heartfelt hug, ¡°Thank Prometheus, you¡¯re alright!¡± the man whispered. ¡°I¡¯m in much better shape than you, Keh,¡± Katie giggled, returning the hug. After that, the hunters crowded the girl, each of them getting a chance to hug her and thank the gods for returning her safely. Anthony was thest to approach her after Samantha. After staring at her for a bit, he pulled her into a tight hug, ¡°Anth¡ªAnthony, need air,¡± the girl tapped the man¡¯s back, straining to get free. ¡°A little suffocation¡¯s never killed you before,¡± the hunter replied in a sombre tone. ¡°We don¡¯t have to test that now!!!¡± she argued before managing to peel him away from her. Anthony didn¡¯t want to mention an observation he¡¯d made to the girl. But he could feel it. Even as he hugged her now, it felt like she was going to vanish in the next moment. All while the hunters had crowded her, the girl had stayed fixed to the same spot, refusing to move or approach them. They were the ones to approach her and even then, she made no sign of moving from that position. ¡°You¡¯re not here to stay, are you?¡± Anthony asked quietly. The girl gave him a weak smile, ¡°I like you better when you¡¯re yelling.¡± The Director scoffed, ¡°Did you see what happened out there? It¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I know, Director Anthony, I saw it¡­ I saw it all,¡± Katie choked, ¡°And you¡¯re right. I can¡¯t stay.¡± ¡°Director Anthony, could I borrow a car? With a full tank if that won¡¯t be a problem,¡± a female voice suddenly interrupted. ¡®There she goes again¡­ Ordering everyone¡­ Wait, she requested?¡¯ Anthony turned to the female brute, ¡®Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m having a moment with my long-lost self-appointed niece? The nerve of this woman.¡¯ ¡°What for?¡± he asked grumpily. ¡°I¡¯m escorting Her majesty on her mission. We are in need of transportation means,¡± the woman said with a slight bow. ¡°Manners look odd on you, Brunhilde,¡± Katie giggled. ¡°You¡¯re not helping, my Lady,¡± Brunhilde sighed. Katie covered her mouth and looked away, ¡°Sorry!¡± ¡°You know each other?¡± Anthony asked, raising a brow at the princess. This pairing was not even in the least bitpatible. ¡°Yeah, I know her. She might look like a hulking brute who likes to smash everything in her path but she¡¯s a softie at heart,¡± Katie giggled. ¡°Luna Kat¡ª¡± ¡°If you¡¯re helping her, then I¡¯lle too,¡± Anthony announced, cutting Brunhilde off. Katie stoppedughing at this, ¡°I¡¯m not against youing, Director but you can¡¯t. Look around you, Anthony. The people here need you. Besides, you¡¯ll slow us down. Brunhilde will barely be able to keep up on her own as it is.¡± Anthony narrowed his eyes at the Luna. Katie wasn¡¯t known for being disrespectful or boastful. The hunters of Brigadia had raised her and knew all her mannerisms, including her tendency to always be transparent. Katie meant no disrespect with what she said¡­ Then again, that had other implications. ¡°Are you saying she¡¯s stronger than me?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the girl nodded. Blunt and simple. Katie didn¡¯t beat around the bush when the truth was clear. It was one of her qualities. One of the new traits she¡¯d gained, however, was¡­ her empathy. It made sense for someone that had gained their wolf side but Katie seemed to always be thinking of others now. Anthony wasn¡¯tining but the girl had just appeared¡­ only to ask for a vehicle to leave. There was a lot he wanted to tell her¡­ his eyes darted to one of the wolvesying on the ground and spotted the blue ethereal symbol. ¡°What about the rest of the wolves in the town? You haven¡¯t taken them through Prometheus evaluations like these ones.¡± Katie sighed, ¡°Anthony, I do remember saying that I¡¯d seen it all. That¡¯s how I know they will need you.¡± Anthony was going to insist on Katie joining them for a meal at least. However, he¡¯d noticed her restlessness long since the hunters started weing her back. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll be back when all this is over. We¡¯ll catch up on everything,¡± Katie said, finally turning her feet to face himpletely for the first time. ¡°It¡¯s that bad, huh?¡± Katie nodded silently. If something like this had happened in a remote town, the situation was bound to be exponentially higher in other towns and cities all over the world. Knowing the girl, Anthony could tell just how much she wanted to go. ¡°Very well! Let¡¯s get the vehicle ready. Keh and Samantha, fill the car with supplies for her journey. And Katie¡­ You bettere back here when all this is done,¡± Anthony said firmly, balling his fists. A few minutester, a fully-fuelled armoured truck roared to life and left thepound, leaving the hunters of Brigadia. Most of them were wounded, weak and tired. The number of people that had died was too high to count and the result of the chaos was a nightmare to put into words. Nheless, there was work to be done. Everyone had to be ounted for¡­ and Brigadia had to find a way forward. Anthony watched the car leave and murmured a silent prayer. Her life was going to be significantly harder than theirs. Anthony was responsible for Brigadia. Katie was responsible for two empires¡­ She was, in every way, worse trouble than he couldprehend. ¡®May the gods be with you, Katie.¡¯ Chapter 518 - 518 Barely anyone left... 518 Barely anyone left... Brunhilde twisted the steering wheel of the powerful armoured vehicle as she floored the brakes, forcing the vehicle into a vicious drift before switching gears and flooring the elerator. The engine roared loudly and the tires screeched over the asphalt, groaning under the stress they were being put through. The hunters were issued very sturdy vehicles. So much so that Brunhilde was more than happy to receive one in Brigadia to aid her in this mission. Unfortunately, she¡¯d not foreseen this situation at all. The car she was in was fast and durable, capable of taking care of any needs a hunter would ever require¡­ but it had never been designed to keep up with the freaking Luna of Lycaon. ¡®Damn that princess¡­ just what does she think she is¡­ a goddess!!!¡¯ the hunter cursed, pushing the vehicle even harder, straining her eyes and ears to keep up with the lightning-fast wolf she was following. Even with the help of a car as strong and fast as this one, Brunhilde felt like she was back in the fight with the princess, doing everything in her power to keep her sight of her. It took all her driving experience, concentration and a tonne of reflexes to keep up with the darting princess¡­ and even then, she felt like she would lose her anytime soon. On the bright side, the two of them were streaking across thend at blinding speed and covering great distances in a short amount of time. A great eagle soared high in the sky, screeching every now and then, allowing the princess to alter the path she was following. Katie kept close to the road so that her guardian could keep up with her but that was just about the only luxury she gave her. The closest pack to Brigadia was still a few miles away and Katie wanted to get there as soon as possible. ..... Brunhilde was more than strong enough of surviving alone in the woods¡­ but the civilians in that pack she was rushing toward were not as powerful as she was. So when it came down to it, she really cared more about the people she was trying to save than her ¡®slow¡¯ bodyguard. It went without saying, however, that having Brunhilde by her side was bound to increase her chances of saving more people than she could on her own. She still needed Brunhilde... So, the middle-ground of all this indecision was to have the Bane hunter drive like a crazy lunatic toward their next destination. In a few more minutes, the road led out of the woods and ahead of them, a town a little more developed than Brigadia expanded to both sides, inviting them inside with an ominous silence that was interrupted by the sound of Brunhilde¡¯s roaring engine. The first scent to hit the royal¡¯s nostrils was that of blood, sending several warning signals of danger through her system. This was thest Brunhilde saw of the lightning-fast wolf. The warrior gave up trying to keep up and drove the car through the open gates of the town at her own more humane pace. She¡¯d only been driving. There shouldn¡¯t really have been much to it. All she had to do was twist this round wheel and step on a couple of levers that would get her where she wanted to go¡­ But she was panting heavily in her seat. The hunter drove through the town, taking in the sights. Just like Brigadia had been after the attack, blood covered several ces, showing signs of a chaotic massacre. Werewolf w marks against the wood of buildings¡­ mangled bodies of those that weren¡¯t able to get away one at a time. The hunter could spend forever taking in the carnage that was left behind by the wolves but time was not on her side. ¡®Just how many will die in all this?¡¯ she gripped the steering wheel before changing gears and driving through the quiet town, stopping outside an abandoned store. Brunhilde parked the car and entered the store, picking arge assortment of food and drinks from the shelves and piling them into a shopping cart. Therge warrior wasn¡¯t one to go around shopping. Her physical build and intimidating aura were always bound to draw too much attention to herself, so she kept to herself a lot. This time, however, she could shop for whatever she wanted¡­ well, she could take whatever she wanted. She picked a bag of chips from one of the shelves and looked around before wearing her best official face, ¡°I, hereby, take this bag of chips in the name of the Queen. For the Empire!!!¡± After striking a ridiculous pause she chuckled silently to herself before proceeding to fill the cart with various other snacks. When she was done, she looked at her watch and widened her eyes in shock. She hadn¡¯t noticed the time go by. The warrior rushed out of the supermarket in a hurry, freezing at the exit of the supermarket. Seated in the passenger seat was a white-haired princess, her pristine features marred with sadness. Silently, the hunter rolled the cart to the back door and emptied its contents into the back seats before tossing the cart away and getting into the car as well. The silence inside the car was tense. Too tense, even for Katie. Brunhilde stole a nce at the princess and noticed she hadn¡¯t taken her eyes off the same spot on the gravel outside her window. ¡°Done already?¡± she tried. Katie had clearly seen something out there. So far, Brunhilde hadn¡¯t seen a sign of life¡­ but then again, there were packs that were equipped with Bunkers to protect everyone in times of crisis. Perhaps that was where everyone left alive in this pack had escaped. Katie sighed and pulled her knees up closer to her body. It was now that Brunhilde noticed something odd. Katie was barefoot¡­ Her velvet attire wrapped tightly around her ankles. From her back, a fluffy white tail appeared and wrapped around her as she transitioned into a half-shift. ¡®Tail!!! That¡¯s new,¡¯ the hunter thought to herself but decided against asking. ¡°There was barely anyone left to save!¡± she replied. Brunhilde froze at the Luna¡¯s words. The hunter turned on the engine and got the car back on the road. Something was still bothering her, however. ¡°Hunters?¡± ¡°Dead.¡± ¡°What about the Bane hunter?¡± ¡°Died saving a little girl. I was just barely in time to save thest of them. The wolves held out better. No surprise there,¡± Katie turned her head to look out the window. ¡°What will happen to them now?¡± Brunhilde asked. After a short silence, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ............¡­.. Lina Sirius dropped to her knees, exhaustion racking her body. Her muscles screamed in relief like never before. ¡®Who knew a short game could be so exhausting?¡¯ she thought to herself, trying to discern when it was she¡¯d gotten this exhausted. They¡¯d won 11-10. The game was, in no way easy. After Kyle got in, everything turned from hard to impossible. The beta alpha¡¯srge size made him the perfect person to defend against anyone making baskets past him. Cole could more than handle himself against Lina, proving that her speed was an advantage he could easily work around. The alpha didn¡¯t focus too much on stopping her rather than picking the ball from her hands on pure instinct. His timing was frighteningly urate and he didn¡¯t even need to look at the ball to predict Lina¡¯s dribbling habits and make use of them. Jason wasn¡¯t a simple opponent either. It was clear that the beta alpha was holding himself back after his recurring experiences with Bree but that did not make him helpless. Keeping him in the game provided a sliver of an opening that Kyle and Cole seemed to close up very well. In the end, Jason¡¯s weaknesses were used as a trap and trying to ignore them only made the beta alpha tough when he applied his strengths. What were Jason¡¯s strengths, you might ask? Shooting¡­ And Lina had discovered this the hard way when the beta alpha¡¯s formless shot brought the game to a frightening 10-9 with Lycaon in the lead. A soft fluffy piece of fabric fell on the princess¡¯s face. Lina looked up to notice Cole holding out a bottle of water for her to take. Taking the bottle from him, she sat up and wiped her face, ¡°You¡¯re good. Did you ever y against Katie or Sandra?¡± ¡°You were with her more than I was. Never got the chance,¡± the girl said, taking a long sip of the water. ¡°Well then, it would be nice for us to y a game or two¡­ or however many, when she returns,¡± the prince replied. ¡°How does it feel to be beaten by a wolf, delta and only one royal, Cole?¡± Crysta interrupted. ¡°Oh, I went easy on you. Two losses in a row would not be good for your morale,¡± Cole returned. ¡°Well, you can mark this as your first in a long line of losses for your team,¡± Crysta countered. Kyle was soon with them as well, his eyes darting about the ce as though in search of something. ¡°Are you even tired, Kyle?¡± Jason came up to the man, panting heavily while he did. The blonde looked to be in terrible shape, his face making the worst contortions in expressions of pain and misery. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. You just need to work on your endurance a bit more, Jace,¡± Kyle replied, now scanning through the bleachers. A dainty hand tapped therge man¡¯s hand, catching his attention. To his right, Honour stood locking eyes with him like he was an old friend. ¡°She¡¯s gone to the hospital floor. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find her somewhere near Room 19 in the East Ward,¡± the goddess told him. Without questioning how she knew this, Kyle thanked her and took off. ¡°Where is he going off to?¡± Cole wondered. ¡°To find Mady.¡± ¡°Honour, how could you? I thought we said¡­¡± ¡°I know what we said, Crysta and I didn¡¯t like it,¡± Honour cut the girl off. Crysta¡¯s face turned red, her mouth closing and opening. A myriad of words stuck at the tip of her tongue, arrested by that one look of determination in Honour¡¯s amber orbs. ¡®How could one goddess be so insufferable!¡¯ she mentally screamed, turning away from Honour to cool off. Just then, the lights in the sports centre went off, plunging them into a veil of darkness. Chapter 519 - 519 An Old Enemy 519 An Old Enemy Micah Chase, a renowned hunter of the Chase family, though not as well known as his brother, Thorrin Chase, had tasked himself with figuring out the mysteries that gued the somewhat perfect uninterrupted Royal Games. His brother was talented at a great many things¡­ but if there was ever something that he was better at than Thorrin ever hoped to be, it was his sharp gut instincts. Despite his weakness, Micah had much sharper instincts than those of his brother. Since arriving at the Great Arena, he¡¯d felt something off about the ce but not been able to quite put his finger on what made the ce feel so eerie. Everything seemed fine and no one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. Apart from the concerning way with which the two Sirius Royals reached Great Arena, everything seemed to be going smoothly. ¡­and yet, his gut said otherwise. His suspicions intensified even more after he met the princessing from a suspiciously dark parking lot. Checking through it gave him no results even though his senses had driven him there in the first ce. The parking lot was a dead end¡­ but the princess had given him more than enough information to keep following through with his hunch. The sighting of the famous survival series actor ¡®Jack Boggle¡¯ in the dark ce was very suspicious considering the actor had been reported missing for a long time now. He tried to make a few calls and that¡¯s when the second weird thing happened¡­ His signal went off, making the use of phones in the whole Great Arena virtually impossible. ..... Panic had risen first through the human poption and after a short while, the hunters were able to calm the masses and assure them thatmunications would be back in order. In the meantime, a small sub-terminal had been set up within the Great Arena to allow devices tomunicate. This only helped the people inside the Great Arena tomunicate with each other, however, the rest of the world was still inessible. Micah sighed, walking towards arge tall structure that rose up into the sky, towering above everyone and everything like a pir of metal beams set on touching the clouds. The hunter looked up momentarily, taking in the sight with a bit of interest. He ced his hand into his coat and felt for the weapons it concealed, shifting one of the knives to a sheath at the side of his belt for quicker ess should things turn bad really quickly. Because most of thend around the Great Arena was t or ttened, finding a hill to raise the mast was next to impossible. As a result, arge telephone tower like this one had to be built to project signals across the vast tnd of the Great Arena. What was more was that it had to be taller than the Great Arena itself to be effective and gave it a much more impressive lookpared to the rest of the masts Micah had ever seen. Surrounding the base of the colossal mast was a ck shelter with a single metal door. Micah curiously approached the door, stopping the door hesitant to open it. ¡­and for good reason. Despite the door¡¯s weathered state, covered with moss and rust, thest person to ess it had definitely used force. Four parallel cuts ran deep and diagonally across a hole that used to hold the doorknob. ¡®One strike. A powerful one. A general? Or perhaps one of the beta alphas?¡¯ the hunter thought, spreading his field of awareness in search of anything. Once again, there was nothing. Not a single sign of an enemy. Secretly, he was hoping there was nothing. If he had to go against the rogue generals or one of the beta alphas, there was no telling how he¡¯d fare against them. Then again, this silence felt even worse. He could feel it in his gut that something wasn¡¯t right¡­ and yet he the trouble eluded him at every time. It was like his enemies intentionally stayed out of sight and only appeared at his periphery for a few short moments before they vanished again. Pushing the door open, the hunter stepped into the shelter, taking in the state of the inside. Micah was never one for electronics and didn¡¯t really understand anything beyond staying away from exposed wires and wet electric grounds. Thick beams nted thrust and bolted to the concrete floor held the mast firmly nted in ce, then ran up and through the roof to the upper part of the structure. The lights inside flickered with an ominous irregrity. After searching for a short while, he came across a mess of wires at the bottom of one of the mast¡¯s legs. The wires had been viciously cut. When he leaned closer for a look, the hunter covered his nose as the putrid smell of charred blood and flesh invaded his nostrils. Crouching down, he saw the source of the awful smell¡­ ¡®Electrocuted!¡¯ The hunter sighed, looking around. The shelter was empty except for a few chairs, a table and adder that ran down the middle of the mast, leading up and out through the roof. Without an experienced engineer, he couldn¡¯t fix whatever damage that had been done here. In contrast to a report his sister-inw had submitted a few years ago, this wasn¡¯t the simple flip of a switch that had trapped students in a reserve. These rogues wanted the mast to be irreparable for a very long time. Micah walked up to thedders and climbed up to the top, emerging through the roof of the shelter and standing on its rusty roof. The rundown shack was just strong enough to hold his weight¡­ not like he was worried about that. The hunter was confident he could easily escape the roof with a quick step if it started to give. Standing at the top of the ck shelter, he took in the sights around the mast. Because of the dangerous waves that surrounded the mast, there were few buildings allowed closer to it and none of them was residential. The hunter turned in all directions, a nagging feeling boring into his consciousness. ¡®Someone¡¯s watching me,¡¯ he thought to himself. The gaze that tore at his senses was next to impossible to discern. ¡®A civilian. Perhaps they saw what happened here,¡¯ he thought. ¡°So, they actually sent you. Who could have thought?¡± a deep voice suddenly interrupted him. Micah turned his head skyward towards the voice that had just spoken, then his blood ran cold all at once. His senses didn¡¯t say anything about him¡­ but his muscles tensed up and his breath hitched as a memory wed its way back into his mind. Seated on one of the beams high up on the mast was a man. His arm looked messed up but without a doubt healing as it should have been. ¡°Who are you?¡± Micah asked calmly, easily concealing his tension. The man¡¯s shifted his gaze from the horizon to the hunter, revealing a pair of searing red eyes. Micah tensed at the sight of the man¡¯s eyes. He was, without a doubt, a rogue general. This realisation came along with a crystal clear memory. He knew these eyes. How could Micah forget him?! This was the same person responsible for the bite-shaped scar on his right forearm. This was Samson, one of the Rogue King¡¯s generals. His strength two years ago had been significantly stronger than Micah¡¯s downing the hunter without breaking a sweat along with the devilish childlike alpha, Benji. ¡°YOU!!!¡± ¡°Ah! You remember. I¡¯m honoured,¡± Samson chuckled, bowing slightly, ¡°You were weak back then but I¡¯ve heard word of your improvement. Still, that¡¯s irrelevant. What makes you think you¡¯ll be any different this time?¡± ¡°Two years is a long time. I¡¯ll put you down here and now,¡± Micah dered, retrieving a pair of wolfsbaneced hunting knives from his jacket. Samson raised his brows at him in amusement, ¡°Do Chase hunters really attack people that bear no murderous intent?¡± Micah froze at the question. Why did it feel like he was the one trying to coax the werewolf into fighting him? Samson was dangerous. He was a rogue general capable of bringing down an army of trained hunters and pack warriors. But why did he feel no more dangerous than a civilian right now? Chapter 520 - 520 Unsolvable Looming Crisis 520 Unsolvable Looming Crisis ¡°I knew you¡¯d learnt to hide your murderous intent but this is something else,¡± Micah replied through gritted teeth. How was it possible that the rogues were this capable of concealing their murderous intent? It wasn¡¯t something they could just learn on a whim. It was hard to do, especially for creatures as impulsive as werewolves. It didn¡¯t make sense. Even Katie Chase Sirius hadn¡¯t been able topletely conceal her emotions once her werewolf side manifested. ¡®What¡¯s going on here?¡¯ ¡°OR¡­ Stay with me here¡­¡± the alpha raised his index finger to emphasize his point, ¡°¡­I have no intentions of killing anyone. It can be that simple, really.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible. Rogues are not the kind to give up blood lust and carnage. You only strive to bring the world down and nothing else,¡± Micah retorted. Something wasn¡¯t right. It was true that there was no malicious intenting from Samson but that was all the more reason to believe that he was up to something even more sinister. Perhaps he was feeling regret for something much darker than he ever thought himself capable. ¡°Why cut offmunications? What¡¯s your end game here?¡± Micah mumbled. The werewolf¡¯s sensitive ears picked up on every syble and a smirk graced his face, ¡°Someone¡¯s finally using their head. You know¡­ Normally, I wouldn¡¯t tell my enemy a thing. But I¡¯ll make an exception simply because you¡¯re special to me. I once had high hopes of you bing my most powerful beta. But I guess life doesn¡¯t always go ording to n. ..... ¡­also because there is nothing you can do about it even if I told you.¡± ¡®Yay! How generous of you!¡¯ Micah¡¯s eyes stayed trained on the alpha, showing no signs of losing their hostility. Samson chuckled darkly but kept his gaze as well. For the first time since their meeting, the alpha seemed slightly irritated by Micah¡¯s presence. His cool andx attitude reminded the hunter of just how powerful the rogue general was. The fact that he was so rxed in his presence tranted to how powerful he truly believed himself to be. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Where should I start? Ah yes¡­ the Rogue King¡¯s grand n. He¡¯s never been one to overthink his actions but with thest failure, he¡¯s changed his perspective so much. His brilliance is, in all ways, divine and grand. I feel lucky to witness his genius in action. You should just surrender, Micah. His n is already in motion¡­ and no human will be spared.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not making sense.¡± ¡°Say hello, Jack,¡± the alpha yelled out loud, a hint of madness glinting in his eyes. A sign of movement caught the hunter¡¯s attention as someone else made himself known. Emerging from behind one of the massive vertical pirs of the mast, famous actor, Jack Boggle stepped out, keeping his gaze to the side. Micah stared at the man in disbelief. He was known to be missing¡­ but here he was, ¡°Lina really did see you.¡± ¡°Yes, she did. And you¡¯re on the wrong side, Micah,¡± Jack spoke in a sombre tone, turning to look him in the eye. However, when the actor turned to look at Micah, the hunter took an unsteady step back in shock. Jack Boggle wasn¡¯t just being held captive by the rogues but his eyes shone a brilliant amber now. ¡°You were once a junior hunter. A promising one! If you could only let go of your pride, you could¡ª¡± ¡°This is not about that,¡± Jack snapped at the hunter, cutting him off harshly. In the next second, however, all that hostility vanished and his face softened into one filled with worry, ¡°I tried to get her to cancel the games. But now it¡¯s toote. It¡¯s probably happening already now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s probably happening?¡± Micah suddenly asked. Samson¡¯s voice rumbled as he chuckled to himself, ¡°Should you really be here, Micah? I¡¯ve heard that you grew powerful enough to be a Mighty Warrior candidate. Of course, you still have a long way to go before reaching the Perfect Warrior¡¯s level but that¡¯s still impressive in its own right. All that power sent here to check on a mere cell tower¡­ when you could be saving so many that are about to die,¡± Samson mentioned. ¡°You¡¯re here too¡­ If there was anything that threatened the Great Arena, it would be you,¡± Micah countered. Rogues attacking the Great Arena. That was crazy. There were so many hunters there for them to take such a risk. ¡°Who said anything about rogues attacking? Come on, Micah. I know you¡¯re a bright one. You¡¯ve already seen Jack over here. How long do you think he¡¯s been a wolf?¡± Micah turned to the former actor and stared at him expectantly. Jack slumped his shoulders and slowly mumbled, ¡°One day.¡± It was all the hunter needed to hear before he blurred out of sight, turning his full strength and speed back to the Great Coliseum. If what he¡¯d heard was right, then there was so much that he¡¯d not ounted for. Only chaosy ahead¡­ So many lives were on the line¡­ There was one more thing that was feared all across the world. A werewolf losing control of its violent urges. It was the reason every school was advised to start only after they¡¯d established connections with the Hunter¡¯s Agency of their region and allowed either Junior hunter to attend or hired a few professional hunters to protect the school. One feral wolf was enough to bring an immeasurable level of death and destruction. And for this reason, the empires were advised against releasing young werewolves into society before they¡¯d learned control. It was also the reason hunters were often ced in situations where they had to kill humans that had been turned into werewolves by rogue alphas. Without any knowledge or experience in exercising control, they were considered just as dangerous as the rogues. If what Micah assumed to be the case, the Great Arena was in more danger than he could have imagined. ¡®¡­also because there is nothing you can do about it even if I told you,¡¯ Samson¡¯s words echoed. Gritting his teeth as he dashed, swung and shot through the air towards the Great Arena, Micah suppressed his conflicting emotions. He didn¡¯t want to admit the truth behind the general¡¯s words. Chapter 521 - 521 Disheveled Guest 521 Disheveled Guest King Davin deeply inhaled the rich scent of high-quality coffee, lightly swooning in the process. Even for a king, this was a luxury he could appreciate. What was more, he had been given the best quality milk to add to the beverage, creating the perfect drink to start his day. Since this was a day for the contestants to rest, his day was starting a bitter than normal. Without having to tend to his duties as the king, he was determined to rx as much as he could. Sadly, he¡¯d woken up to a cold bed with his mate nowhere in sight and this had thrown him into a somewhat sour mood. Coffee was his first attempt at relieving himself of the slight irritation that lingered. Upon searching the mind link, he discovered his mate¡¯s location. Queen Martha had just stepped out for a breath of fresh air, not knowing how long it would be before the king awoke. Davin was just d she was safe and nothing had happened, but still¡­ *sigh* he went, his mood plummeting once more. While this was clearly unfair and childish, his emotions didn¡¯t listen to reason and as a result, he sought other ways to ward off the negativity. As he relished the scent of coffee, his mind was suddenly bombarded with waves of excitement and anticipation. The king flinched, a drop of coffee tumbling to the marble kitchen counter. Paying themotion more attention, it sounded like cheering. The king figured his bored pack members had found some way to entertain themselves on this boring and empty day. ..... ¡®Hmph! Good for them,¡¯ the king sighed. As soon as he¡¯d managed to block out the pack¡¯s excitement, a rich melodic female voice assaulted his sensitive ears, unconsciously demanding his attention and ripping his focus away from the fine brew of coffee, ¡°Honey, have you heard what¡¯s going on in one of the sports centres?¡± King Davin turned around to witness his beautiful wife dressed in acy gown that was a tad bit too revealing for his grumpy emotional state to stand. For a moment, he was tongue-tied. ¡°Sports centre! No¡­ N-Nothing about that. H-Have you always had that gown?¡± he asked, his voice rising up a few octaves. ¡°No, I found it among the clothes prepared for our stay here. What? Is it a bad look for me?¡± the queen quickly twirled around, checking herself to make sure she looked fine. ¡®Bad! No, that is thest thing on my mind right now,¡¯ the king cooed mentally, forgetting to actually answer the question. Queen Martha turned back to her husband, noticing his gawking silence. The queen smirked, ¡°Oh! So it¡¯s that kind of dress. Want me to keep it?¡± ¡°Ahem! Yes, please,¡± the king coughed, snapping out of his daze. ¡°Understood! Now, focus, my love. Lina is ying a game of basketball against Cole in one of the sports centres. It¡¯s being broadcast everywhere,¡± the queen approached her husband and pulled him away from his freshly prepared cup of coffee. The king reached out for the cup but was toote to grab it. ¡®My coff¡ª¡¯ ¡°Hurry up. Since when do you drag your feet?¡± the queen was especially pushy today, not that Davin wasining. A few momentster, they were seated on a lush sofa watching an unbelievable show of power between the two teams. ¡°Lina¡¯s team is strong. Even though their skills are not well polished, their raw talent and abilities are enough to make up for the gap in skills. Cole¡¯s team is relying on their experience and talent. Except for Kyle of course,¡± the king observed as he watched. ¡°Has Lina always been that fast, dear?¡± Queen Martha asked all of a sudden. From the very start of the game, Lina had demonstrated abilities beyond what they could have thought possible. From what they could tell, she didn¡¯t seem to be showing signs of getting tired either. ¡°You saw how she returned from the Trials,¡± the king sighed. It seemed each one of his children was developing some form of odd power. Except for Drake, of course, who had managed to grow an attitude bigger than his head. Halfway through the game, the chime of the doorbell interrupted their peacefulpany. King Davinzily turned to face the door. However, the ringing didn¡¯t stop there. Instead, the doorbell rang again and again¡­ Bing too frequent to ignore. ¡°I¡¯ll get it,¡± King Davin sighed, walking up to the double doors. From the other side of the door, a dark-haired man came rushing in, his hair a mess and sweat glistening off his brow. His quiver was almost empty and there were a few cables dragging from his bow and attached to a shattered steel shaft of an arrow. Davin only vaguely understood how the hunters used their bows and arrows to travel faster, especially through trees. It was a rare skill that only very skilled hunters were able to learn and utilise in the field. ¡°Micah?! What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± the king asked. The hunter rushed in and began pacing about the living room, rubbing his hand through his hair in exasperation. Queen Martha quickly covered herself with a sheet the king hadn¡¯t noticed and guided the hunter to the sofa after which she offered him a drink. The hunter shook his head, rejecting the queen¡¯s offer, rubbing his hair and cing his face in his hands. His eyes shed with a myriad of emotions but no words came out¡­ at first. Micah was disoriented and the first time he tried to speak, his words didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°Hey, take a moment to catch your breath,¡± Queen Martha tried, staring at him with concern in her eyes. ¡°No¡­ no, no time for that. Everyone¡¯s in danger¡­ Rogues¡­ Humans¡­ Werewolves¡­ Prometheus! I don¡¯t even know who the enemy is anymore,¡± the hunter cursed, burying his head in his hands. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± the king asked, ¡°It helps to take us through what happened to you.¡± ¡°I went to check on the mast to see if I could¡­ if I could fix it like Marie did a few years ago¡­ but¡­ but I found it trashed. Well, I figured it would be trashed¡­ but¡­¡± Micah¡¯s tone was getting worse and he paused to catch his breath. When he¡¯d managed to calm himself down, he spoke again, ¡°I found one of the rogue generals there.¡± There was a short pause as the information sank in.¡±What?¡± the king asked. ¡°That¡¯s not the worst part. The rogues¡­ they have done something terrible. I don¡¯t know how but they managed to turn someone into a werewolf. I don¡¯t even know why he let me go¡­ No, actually, I know exactly why he let me go. He knew me warning everyone would do nothing to stop what¡¯sing,¡± the man covered his eyes, trying to discern a way to protect everyone but to no avail. ¡°You¡¯re not making sense. We don¡¯t have the power to turn humans into werewolves anymore,¡± the king announced furiously, feeling somewhat insulted by this. For a long time, part of the fear that was directed towards the royals came from their cursed bite. Now that it wasn¡¯t the case, the king wasn¡¯t happy to hear about it again. ¡°I¡¯m not saying you have that power. I¡¯m not a werewolf professional so I don¡¯t even know how most of it works. But what I do know and trust are my senses. Since the end of the battle in Lycaon, there hasn¡¯t been a trace of animosity except for a few odd times after that day¡­ And even then, we were always toote to discern what had happened. Back then, I feared that the rogues wereing up with some sort of scheme,¡± Micah spoke fast, making sure each word was clear. If there was any chance of saving everyone, then he would have to ask the royals for help. As a single hunter, there was only so much he could do¡­ but if there was some way the royals could help, he was willing to take a chance. These thoughts had run through his mind on his way to the Royal Suite. He knew the hunters would follow him the moment he said something but there was no telling what the hunters could do. He knew the capabilities of the hunters well. This situation was not their field of expertise¡­ but that wasn¡¯t the case with the werewolves. That was the reason he¡¯d run to the Royal Suite first before going anywhere else. They knew more about their kind than any of the hunters could im to. ¡°Think about it, Your Majesty. Over the past few months, there have been increasing cases of people attacked within the woods but they were always ruled off as mere animal attacks and the victims treated. Those victims¡­ I never paid attention to them¡­ but simply because of how many they were, I was forced to know about this. Rogues haven¡¯t been sighted in a long time and Samson shows up out of nowhere, cuts offmunications and doesn¡¯t care to attack the Great Arena. You know the power of the rogue generals, Your Majesty.¡± King Davin took into ount everything that the man was saying. It shouldn¡¯t have been possible for him to be telling the truth. But then again, there was the fact that he imed to have seen someone that had been turned into a werewolf with his own two eyes. epting this ¡®theory¡¯ meant too much for the people in the Great Arena. Another knock came at the door, this one less urgent. Queen Martha turned to her husband, searching for an answer to how they would proceed. Unfortunately for them, this was not a choice either of them could make. A message came through the mind link immediately, bombarding the king¡¯s mind, ¡°Your Majesty, you have a messenger from the Sirius capital. She has a form signed by Alpha Phillips. It bears your Royal Seal,¡± a delta¡¯s voice echoed into the king¡¯s mind. King Davin rushed to the door and opened it. Standing on the other side was a group of five people. Two of them were human, a young man and ady who naturally appeared to be made for each other. A woman with amber eyes that he¡¯de to know as Honour¡¯s mother, Whitney. This one he knew well and had grown fond of. The delta that had brought them¡­ and thest one. A woman with grey eyes¡­ Grey eyes. The king¡¯s eyes widened the moment he saw her. Despite her young appearance which was in contrast to Madeline¡¯s description of her, she bore a striking resemnce to the girl. The connection between the two was undeniable. This was Madeline¡¯s ¡®grandmother.¡¯ The look in her eye, however, was not a happy one¡­ It was more a look of barely restrained urgency. ¡°Come in, please,¡± the king offered with a tight-lipped smile. For some reason, her presence felt even more ominous than that of a dishevelled Micah. Chapter 522 - 522 A Delicate Balance... Broken 522 A Delicate Bnce... Broken When the four were settled in, Queen Martha brought refreshments to the table, frowning when no one touched them. ¡®What a waste!¡¯ the woman sighed but didn¡¯tin. ¡°You¡¯re Madeline¡¯s grandmother, aren¡¯t you? You don¡¯t look old enough to have a granddaughter,¡± the king sighed. ¡°Yes, I am her grandmother. I only look younger because I was exposed to a lot of divine energy. Either that or it was the Moon Goddess¡¯s intention to grant me the strength to make it this far,¡± the woman shrugged, at a loss for an exnation herself. ¡°Well then, Madeline is out with her friends right now. If you want to meet her, I can have¡­¡± ¡°Our reunion will have to wait a bit longer. There is something more important I need to tell you,¡± the woman cut him off, ¡°I know Mady. She¡¯s resilient, just like I am¡­ perhaps even more so. But at the moment, what I have to tell you can¡¯t wait,¡± the woman announced with an edge in her voice. ¡°Very well then. Tell me everything,¡± the king settled into his seat, ¡°Your tale must be an interesting one.¡± Meeting Beatrice meant a lot of things to the royal. Her presence here meant she¡¯d survived her ordeal against the Rogue King. The details of how she managed such a feat were bound to be interesting. Madeline would also finally be reunited with her grandmother. It was a miracle that she was here, to begin with. ..... ¡°You already know that I am the Seeker and probably found out from Madeline that the Rogue King paid us a visit nearly two years ago. On that day, the Rogue King took me captive,¡± Beatrice began. ¡°I doubt the Rogue King has any interest in discovering who his mate is,¡± the king chuckled, but no oneughed with him. ¡®I guess I¡¯m not the only one suffocating under this tension,¡¯ he sighed, ¡°Carry on.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re right. The Rogue King didn¡¯t want anything to do with finding his mate¡­ even though I checked without his knowledge. I received two answers¡­ and I¡¯ve never known a man to have more than one mate but that was what I read from him. Anyway, he wanted me to lead him to the Origin.¡± ¡°No one¡¯s allowed to go there,¡± Davin tensed. ¡°Yes, I know and I wasn¡¯t trying to take him there. He tricked me and used me to get there¡­¡± the grey-eyed woman narrated the events in detail, clearly describing everything concerning the Rogue King¡¯s current ¡®situation¡¯ and how he¡¯d gotten himself trapped at the Origin. This revtion confirmed Micah¡¯s own narration erasing the doubts about the ability that was sealed away by the Moon Goddess¡¯s Chosen. The frightening bit is that this woman¡¯s message wasing nearly two years toote. Any number of things could have happened in that time. There was no telling what the rogue king could have achieved during that time that they didn¡¯t know of this. Actually, there was¡­ Micah had exined it all to them. If he was right, then the Rogue King had not slowed down in his ns to turn the humans into werewolves, considering there was some way he¡¯d found around his handicap of a prison. And if that was the case, arge number of humans in the Great Arena were bound to be cursed by his bite. Additionally, Beatrice had mentioned the Rogue King¡¯s orders to the rest of the rogues which exined why the Flush-out n had never worked in the first ce. There were no rogues in no man¡¯snd. Most of them had already blended in with the general poption, concealing their killing intent and malicious auras to blend in as genuine citizens¡­ lying in wait. Hiding in in sight. Their numbers were impossible to discern¡­ What they could guess though, was that the time to strike was close¡­ too close. Cutting offmunications was only the beginning. ¡°We need to separate the humans from the werewolves. That way, we can¡­¡± as if sensing the king¡¯s tension, the lights went off. Davin looked up at the chandelier that no longer illuminated the room. The only light that filled the Royal Suite was the light of the evening sun that filtered in through the ss panes on one side of the living room. King Davin stood and walked to the ss pane, staring down at the forested battlegrounds that had been prepared for the second stage of the games. This was one of the best views of thepetition. ¡°A power outage at this time. That¡¯s odd,¡± Micah wondered, getting up from his seat. The first sign of panic seeped through the mind link. At once, Davin¡¯s mind soared through the mind link, invading the privacy of all the panicking pack members, picking information from their senses and filtering it into his mind toe up with the more or less perfect image of the situation. Queen Martha noticed what her husband was doing at once and rushed over to him, ¡°Honey, we shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± Queen Martha stopped speaking when the king raised a hand to stop her. ¡°I¡¯ll break the rules if it means saving the lives of our people,¡± the king replied, finally gathering enough information. The queen nodded and allowed her husband to continue gathering information from the pack. As soon as he¡¯d caught on to what was happening, Davin tensed, ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Martha asked, anxiety filling her tone. ¡°First shifts¡­ Random humans are shifting. It doesn¡¯t make any sense and there is no order to it that I can find¡­ but that¡¯s what is happening,¡± the king exined, his eyes snapping open with a sh of blue. ¡°What now?¡± Micah asked, leaning deeper into the sofa. Had hee toote to warn them? He¡¯d followed his gut instincts, bringing this matter to the only person he judged to be best suited to handle a situation like this one. Could the hunters have done a better jobpared to the King? Or had he made the right choice in telling him? If he had made the right choice, just how many people would still die from the resulting carnage? No, Micah was sure he¡¯d made the right choice. In the short seconds that had followed the ckout, the king had been able to discern the situation happening all over the Great Arena ande up with an answer. This feat alone would have taken every hunter working together as a disjointed whole to gather information¡­ and there was a high chance many would have died by the time they realised what was happening around them. What was more¡­ they could have ended up adding to the chaos themselves. ¡®First shifts, huh¡­¡¯ King Davin¡¯s mind was rushing through a series of facts and possible courses of action, searching for a way out of this situation before the first humanpleted their First Shift. Because the power was off, several parts of the Great Arena had been thrown into a veil of darkness regardless of the evening sun that still sent its golden rays through the windows. As a result of the ensuing darkness, calming the shifting humans was next to impossible at this point. The screams let loose by those in pain didn¡¯t help the situation either. Medical personnel were at a loss in this situation and the wolves that could help were mostly frozen in fear by what was happening. That meant the shifting humans would eventuallyplete the transformation and, considering their current chaotic environments, sumb to the primal violent urges of their newly manifested wolf counterparts. Rogues hade to be known as the most dangerous creatures in the world. They were trained to kill and wouldn¡¯t let a civilian live the moment they saw them. However,ing in second was something much closer tomon society. A newly shifted werewolf whose human side had fallen unconscious during the painful transformation. The werewolf that resulted was a disoriented irrational creature that could tear through anyone and everything that walked and breathed near it. That said, werewolves weren¡¯t allowed into society until the First Shift wasplete and the werewolf had learnt to control their impulsive animal sides. So far, this system had been working well and the world was at peace. For a long time, humans had even forgotten such a thing existed. And it was because the system had been working so well that few people knew how to deal with werewolves that had just shifted. King Davin had limited options. ¡°RANDOM HUMANS ARE GOING THROUGH THEIR FIRST SHIFTS. THERE IS NO TIME TO EXPLAIN AS THE DETAILS ARE NOT CLEAR. WHAT IS CLEAR IS THE DANGER THEY POSE TO THE WHOLE OF THE GREAT ARENA. WEREWOLVES ARE TO BE SEPARATED FROM HUMANS. SHIFTING HUMANS ARE TO BE LOCKED ON DESIGNATED FLOORS THAT WILL BE SMOKED WITH SLEEPING AGENTS. THESE ORDERS ARE TO BE CARRIED OUT IMMEDIATELY,¡± the king¡¯s voice thundered over the mind link, stunning any and all werewolves that heard it. Convincing them of this was not at all hard as nearly every werewolf in the colossal coliseum heard at least one scream before the king¡¯s voice ryed these orders. Along with his message came images of humans going through the painful First Shift. There was a brief pause before the voice of another royal rang through the mind link, dering these new ordersw to everyone. ¡°YOU HEARD THE KING. LET¡¯S GET TO WORK,¡± Cole¡¯s voice was calmer than King Davin¡¯s but it had both the effect of calming the panicking werewolves and strengthening Sirius King¡¯s orders. Davin tuned out of the mind link and staggered backwards into his wife¡¯s arms. Exhaustion began taking a hold of his body as the bacsh of a wide-range broadcast like that came rushing back to him. His extremities were feeling numb as well, as though he¡¯d only returned to his body and forgotten what it felt like. This was the first time he was making amunication this wide and through the minds of all the werewolves in the vicinity. The King shook off his exhaustion and ryed his orders to Micah, cluing the hunters in as well. There was no telling just how well his orders could or would be carried out. Any number of things could go wrong in the vast coliseum. Were his orders the right course of action? Would they solve the current problem? Had he perhaps left out something absolutely vital? The King had no way of knowing the results of his actions but he knew the results of keeping quiet would be a widespread massacre. The one thing he could control, however, was what he could do about it. King Davin, having given his orders, joined his people in trying to curb the chaos that took the Great Arena by storm. In the next few minutes, the Great Arena waspletely bathed in a terror of screams and growls as a convoluted mess of wolves, humans and werewolves crashed together in a struggle to create and destroy the delicate peace that was. ¡­and death followed. Chapter 523 - 523 A Seeker’s Turmoil 523 A Seeker¡¯s Turmoil Madeline¡¯s reason for leaving the games was not as grand, noble or generous as visiting the former delta in the hospital room that he was in. No, in fact, it was something much more selfish than that. Because of everything her friends had told her the day before as they were trying to ¡®help¡¯, she¡¯de across a rather dangerous idea. Madeline was indeed the Seeker who would seed her grandmother and her abilities were very treasured so much they were hidden and turned into a myth. Thanks to numerous years of hiding and secrecy, they were all but a rumour now. The Seeker was an old story that usually got the kids gossiping. ¡®Someone with the power to find your mate.¡¯ It sounded like a dreame true. But for Madeline, it was anything but. She had the power to find someone else¡¯s mate for them¡­ but was robbed of the power to seek out hers. Kyle was definitely an oddball. ..... Madeline observed him, trying to figure out whether it was indeed true that he was the one¡­ but how much could she know about the mate pull without actually experiencing it? What did Kyle have to gain from lying about it? He¡¯d never met her before either¡­ It wasn¡¯t like the King of Lycaon had known of her existence either, so there was no way he could have known. There was the matter of him being able to see her eye colour no matter how much she masked it. Kyle¡¯s emotions almost felt obvious¡­ And yet they weren¡¯t at the same time. Madeline¡¯s grandmother had already told her stories of how three males fought over her when she was still young, each iming to be her mate. And her inability to figure this out herself made it even worse. Fortunately, her grandmother¡¯s true mate was a patient and cunning man who never once backed down. Eventually, he epted a three-way duel where the wolves would fight for her hand¡­ and nearly lost his life. Beatrice¡¯s mate wasn¡¯t as strong as the other two that fought for her hand¡­ but what convinced Beatrice of his sincerity was his undying determination to save her. It didn¡¯t matter if they¡¯d broken a few of his limbs or worse, Madeline¡¯s grandfather never once surrendered to his two opponents¡­ ¡®Your mate is your other half, Mady. Without them, you can never beplete. To him, losing me was a fate worse than death and that¡¯s why he wouldn¡¯t give up,¡¯ the memory of Madeline¡¯s grandmother echoed through her voice. It was a cruel fate¡­ Not being able to identify your mate yourself. It¡¯s not like Madeline could ask Kyle to jump off a cliff for her. The thought did sh through her mind for a moment though¡­ ¡®What was the goddess even thinking granting my family this power?¡¯ the girl cursed as she continued walking through the white halls of the medical floor. There was a lot going through her mind at this point. Her convoluted thoughts were unrelenting, as though promising to shatter her young mind with never-ending confusion and indecision. Among the only things that were clear to her, however, was the moment that Kyle had held her the night before. Before Crysta¡¯s interruption. The beta alpha might have been acting on his instincts but even then, he¡¯d been far too gentle in contrast to the strength he could have asserted against her. She noticed how her words took root within him. How his eyes shed with merriment when she saw him and how he obeyed her wishes, whilst still showing his difort. A beta alpha she¡¯d never met shouldn¡¯t have cared that much about her opinion, let alone had any interest in her. Compared to everyone else that Kyle could have picked to mess with, Madeline was not worth it. Even Delta Be was several leagues more stunning and impressive before mentioning her athletic build and easygoing attitude. Kyle wasn¡¯t the best at expressing himself but Madeline found reading him so easy that it was like second nature. ¡®You can¡¯t feel it, can you? The mate-pull,¡¯ he¡¯d asked that night as well. ¡®Of course not, you dolt. I¡¯m the Seeker¡­ but he doesn¡¯t know that.¡¯ Madeline covered her eyes and nearly screamed into her hands. Why did everything have to be soplicated? It was theseplicated thoughts that had forced her out of the sporting centre in the first ce. ¡®Grrrrr¡­¡¯ a rumbling growl filled the air, taking the worries that gued her out of her mind and a sinking feeling of terror filled her. She felt her blood run cold all at once and goosebumps develop on her upper arms. This wasn¡¯t just any growl¡­ It was violently hostile. And what was more was that the growl felt directed towards her. At least, that¡¯s what her senses told her. The girl opened her eyes, trying to discern her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was that there was no one around. Her eyes widened in shock when she noticed a door numbered 19 smashed up andying on the other side of the corridor, opposite its threshold and torn off viciously at the hinges. From the open door frame to room 19, a dirty grey paw stepped out, followed by the guttural growl she¡¯d heard earlier. This time, however, it was much louder than she¡¯d heard it. A wolf stepped out, locking its amber eyes with her directly without looking around, almost like it knew exactly where she was. ¡®Oh, dear!¡¯ Drool dripped down the wolf¡¯s maw as it bared its fangs at her. The Seeker did the only thing she could. She turned around and ran. The distance separating her from the wolf was still fairly long. About a hundred metres¡­ This distance should have been enough for the wolf to easily catch her but the girl wasn¡¯t going to make it that easy. Digging deep into her innate werewolf genes, she ran as fast as she could. Her ears kept track of the chasing wolf. Growls turned to feral snarls as the wolf barreled towards her. ¡®The elevator!¡¯ she remembered. Room 19 was not far from the elevator. Rounding a corner, the girl spotted the open door of the elevator. It was open¡­ Madeline felt her thighs scream at her in exhaustion after only running for a few seconds, ¡®Is that really all I can manage after all the effort I put into training?¡¯ she mentally yelled but never once slowed her pace. As she ran, a voice suddenly clobbered her mind. The voice of the king¡­ it was an announcement and along with it came a wave of terror and fear from the rest of the pack. And they were in trouble. Images of humans going through the First Shift flooded her mind as well. The Great Arena had descended into chaos in a matter of minutes and here she was being chased by a rabid wolf. She also noticed that the lights were off in the images she received but didn¡¯t have the time to think about that. She was currently running for her life. ¡®Wait¡­ wasn¡¯t Victor supposed to be in Room 19?¡¯ the winded Seeker asked herself. She knew Victor¡¯s wolf to be a beautiful light shade of grey and not the matted mess of dirty grey that was chasing her right now. Rogue wolves always had one colour for their fur coat. It was rumoured that the beautiful colour of their natural hides would lose its former lustre and ¡®fall¡¯ from grace, no longer favoured by the Moon Goddess. It was perfectly possible that the wolf chasing her was indeed Victor. Madeline was running with everything she had towards the elevator. However, right when she was about to reach it. Ten metres away from the open door, a blur of dark grey darted past her and blocked her way. The girl forced a painful break in her dash stopping a few metres short of the rogue and elevator, her heart beating wildly with fear. The wolf had easily caught up with her and she¡¯d sorely misjudged her chance at surviving. There was a look of madness in its eyes as though it was contemting the different ways it could tear her limb from limb. Madeline felt, for the first time since running away from the Rogue King, that she was truly going to die. Terror gripped every fibre of her being¡­ and just like before, she called out. ¡°Someone help!¡± Madeline yelled over the mind link. ¡°Madeline, are you alright?¡± Honour called out. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m on the hospital floor. The East Wing. Oh dear!¡± a loud snarl brought her mind to the present. With the wolf stalking her, forming thoughts was getting increasingly difficult. ¡°Find a room¡­ Higher Ground¡­ A window¡­ Anything that puts you further from it,¡± a male voice invaded her consciousness. With the male¡¯s voice came a surprising wave of calmness that helped her face the wolf once again. Suddenly, moving and breathing weren¡¯t so hard either. She was still in danger¡­ but she wasn¡¯t frozen in fear. The rogue wolf snarled, not liking the look on her face, and attacked. Before, Madeline would have simply closed her eyes, frozen in fear. But now, her limbs moved, almost possessed¡­ And she stepped out of the way, rolling on the ground as the wolf crashed into the wall behind her, missing its target by a hair¡¯s breadth. ¡®Run¡­¡¯ her thoughts spurred her away from the rogue. A split-second nce at the elevator door confirmed it had long closed and was already on its way to a lower floor. The girl followed the orders she¡¯d received, running through the halls in search of a room. Fortunately for her, there was a room not far from the elevator. She slipped into the room and mmed the door shut. Then began searching for something to bar the door. As soon as she¡¯d ced a chair against the doorknob, the door jerked violently, the lock shattering the wood that held it shut. The chair, however, held and kept the door from opening. The sound of vicious snarlsing from the other side of the door, kept her panting in fear. The door shuddered again and this time, cracks ran along the wooden chair¡¯s legs. It was only a matter of time before the rogue broke in. Chapter 524 - 524 Saving One’s Mate 524 Saving One¡¯s Mate The door groaned as the pounding of the vicious rogue got stronger, wilder and more feral, sending waves of terror through Madeline¡¯s spine. It felt like the more the rogue struggled to get into the room, the more vicious it would be once it broke through. Stepping towards the door to add to the barricade was totally out of the question now. Madeline might have miraculously found the courage to run away from it earlier but she wasn¡¯t about to take another step closer to that monster. ¡°He¡¯s going to break through!¡± she squealed over the mind link, desperately directing her thoughts through the chaotic mind link and towards the male that had given her instructions earlier. The door shuddered once more, the chair groaning against the pressure as more cracksted its surface. Madeline wondered whether the voice woulde again. In her fear, she hadn¡¯t been able to recognise who was behind it. Now, she was stuck in a hospital room, trapped and clueless about what she was going to do next. She¡¯d only dyed the inevitable¡­ she was still in danger. When she looked around, she noticed it wasn¡¯t just any hospital room. The room she was in took the form of aboratory, with different kinds of equipment everywhere. Everything had been abandoned though¡­ and there wasn¡¯t any sign of life. ..... ¡°Now get to higher ground,¡± the voice came again, calm as it had been before. Madeline wasn¡¯t good at using the mind link to locate others but she could tell that the voice wasing from someone closer now. The girl scanned the room for some sort of leverage. Tables lined the walls, Petri-dishes, microscopes, centrifuges and several other machines she didn¡¯t know about. ¡®Higher ground¡­ Higher ground,¡¯ she thought to herself, staring at her hands and forming fists. With renewed determination, she came up with some sort of n before getting to work. There was someoneing to rescue her. She was sure of it¡­ Her job was to make sure they didn¡¯t find her dead by the time they arrived. ........... Kyle had long since shifted into his werewolf form. Arge fearsome ck wolf tore across the medical floor at an rming speed. He didn¡¯t care for anyone he frightened on his way through the confusing halls. And neither did his wolf. With the both of them this determined, it felt as though his top speed had doubled, propelling him faster through the halls, barely touching the ground as he blurred through the mess of death and destruction. After hearing Madeline¡¯s voice over the mind link, he¡¯d gained some sense of direction. He¡¯d already surmised from their earlier interaction that the grey-eyed damsel-in-distress wasn¡¯t strong. In fact, when he¡¯d held her the day before, he¡¯d sensed an abnormal level of weakness, even for a wolf. Still, that didn¡¯t change his initial opinion of her. It wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d always expected to be paired with a pack warrior that could go head-to-head with his alpha-level capabilities. There was more to a mate than just strength to match his own. One¡¯s mate was meant toplement them in ways they could not imagine and Kyle was perfectly content with her the way she was. Then again, that meant he had to protect her with his entire being. The Great Arena was in a state of chaos. The King¡¯s orders helped to put some order to that chaos but fear was a hard emotion to fight against. ¡°He¡¯s going to break through!¡± Madeline¡¯s frightened voice screamed directly into his mind. ¡®A private link?¡¯ he thought to himself. She¡¯d pinpointed his mind after hearing his voice only once. Since she didn¡¯t call him by his name, he could tell she had no idea who he was¡­ not that it bothered him. The important thing was that she¡¯d managed to buy time¡­ She wasn¡¯t in direct danger anymore. Not for long, but it was still something. He still had time¡­ The wolf pushed himself even harder, rushing forward, barely decelerating at corners as he made his way closer to her location. ¡°Now get to higher ground,¡± he replied. Making a couple of more turns, he finally saw it. A dirty grey wolf mmed into a door and ripped it right off its hinges with a deranged look in its eyes. ¡®A rogue?¡¯ Kyle¡¯s eyes shed red and he let out a loud growl, capturing the rogue¡¯s attention before it could enter the room. The rogue¡¯s frightening demeanour crumbled at the sight of the menacing beta alpha barreling towards it. Lunging forward, the smaller wolf met the wrath of Kyle¡¯s mighty paw. Therge ck wolf mmed the rogue into the wall, cracks runningting it before it went unconscious. Kyle then shifted into his human form and rushed into the room, ¡°Madeline, are you¡­¡± ¡°Up here¡­¡± a frightened voice called out to him. Kyle¡¯s voice trailed off, ¡®¡­alright?¡¯ And his eyes followed Madeline¡¯s slowly going up until he locked eyes with a familiar pair of grey eyes. The owner of these eyes, however, was at the top of a high towering stack of tables and chairs¡­ ¡°How¡­?¡± ¡®Damn¡­ That¡¯s ¡®higher ground¡¯, alright,¡¯ the beta alpha chuckled, covering his mouth to hide his amusement. .............. Madeline turned out to be only slightly shaken by the whole ordeal, thanks to the voice that had guided her through it. Her heart was beating a great rhythm even long after she was out of trouble. Kyle, while exercising a lot of restraint to keep himself fromughing, helped the Seeker down from the fortress of tables and chairs that she¡¯d miraculously put up. ¡°When I said higher ground¡­¡± he covered his mouth. Now that he thought about it, he hadn¡¯t really given her many options to start with, ¡°¡­you know what, never mind. You did well.¡± ¡°Hey, stopughing. I was really scared, you know! And how can you beughing at a time like this?¡± Madeline squealed, hitting the alpha¡¯s shoulder. Reminded of the trouble they were in, Kyle was ripped out of his tiny bubble of amusement, ¡°Isn¡¯t that all the more reason to find a reason to smile though? If we can¡¯t smile at times like this, then what¡¯s left?¡± The Seeker sighed, ¡°You¡¯re right but I¡¯d advise you to store theughter and smiles for after the chaos has died down. Don¡¯t you hear them, Kyle? I can¡¯t do much but I know you can.¡± ¡°You take first priority,¡± the male responded, his voice stern. ¡°I¡¯m fine now¡­¡± ¡°Stay by my side until I get you to safety,¡± Kyle said¡ªordered. ¡°Okay,¡± Madeline¡¯s eyes darted to the ground, her cheeks feeling a little hotter. The beta alpha held her hand in his and led her out of the room and into the halls. The elevator was still closed, the lights on it showed how busy it was at the moment. ¡®Alpha Cole, I¡¯ve got Madeline. I¡¯m on the hospital floor. What¡¯s the situation?¡¯ Kyle transmitted his thoughts. It took a while for the king to respond. And while he waited, Kyle did his best to ignore the voices screaming in his head. A wave of restlessness took over him, begging him for help¡­ begging him to act. However, the alpha remained still for two reasons. Most of the people that were calling out to him were too far for him to reach. Even if he were to reach them, he would not be in time to save them. The best he could hope for was that pack warriors closer to them would save them instead. He had to trust that they would be able to save them in his stead. He could not be in so many ces at once. On the other hand, he could protect Madeline. The second reason was that he couldn¡¯tunch himself into the fray without a decent n. The orders from the king of Sirius had been issued and for a moment, there seemed to be some form of order but after Kyle had broken off to find Madeline, he¡¯d lost track of that order. Now he didn¡¯t know what was happening which was why he was contacting Cole for more details on what was happening. ¡®Kyle, werewolves are being moved to the upper floors while humans are being moved to the lower floors. Shifting humans are to be led to floors 19, 20 and 21 which will serve as some sort of middle ground and sealed. Once the humans have been fully evacuated, the werewolves will follow. We¡¯ll figure out what to do with the shifting humans once everything has calmed down,¡± Cole¡¯s voice rang out through the mind link, rifying what he was meant to do. ¡®What about rogues?¡¯ Kyle asked. ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ Cole¡¯s voice wasced with a bit of tension and curiosity. ¡®I found a rogue chasing after Madeline. There are rogues in the Great Arena,¡¯ Kyle responded. ¡®WHAT?¡¯ thunder boomed across the sky, shaking the Great Arena. Chapter 525 - 525 Kyle’s Rage 525 Kyle¡¯s Rage Cole¡¯s voice boomed over the mind link, stunning many of the pack warriors that were unaware of this conversation. Thunder boomed as lightning crackled outside the Great Arena. The evening sun was wiped from existence in an instant, reced by the darkness of dark angry storm clouds. ¡®Yeahhh¡­¡¯ Kyle cringed, visibly shrinking back. Cole rarely lost control of his emotions, however, when he did¡­ ¡­this happened. ¡®But you know, when you think about it, this sort of makes sense. Where else would the rogues hide if it wasn¡¯t in unupied no man¡¯snd? It only makes sense that they would hide in in sight,¡¯ Kyle shrugged. After a short moment of silence, the king sighed, ¡®You¡¯re right. In any case, this is all the more reason to separate humans from werewolves. Let¡¯s proceed with the current n. We¡¯ll deal with the rogues when all werewolves have been evacuated to the upper floors,¡¯ the king announced. ¡®Wait, what about our people?¡¯ Kyle hurriedly asked. ¡®Oh? You rarely contribute to such decisions,¡¯ Cole chuckled, ¡®The rogues have hidden for this long. I have a n that¡¯ll help us separate the rogues from our people. They won¡¯t see iting.¡¯ ..... Kyle stayed silent for a bit, trying to figure out what the king could possibly be thinking but his mind came up nk. Mixing the rogues with their people was a bad idea. If the rogues chose to act then, the fallout would be incalcble and devastating. ¡®Very well, Alpha Cole. I trust you,¡¯ Kyle replied, turning his attention back to the girl he¡¯d just rescued. Now that his heart was racing a thousand miles per second, he could pay her more attention. It was only now that he was noticing something wrong with her face. In addition to her grey eyes, he noticed her cheekbones weren¡¯t the same as he¡¯d noticed the day before. Her red hair too¡­ ¡°Make-up?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a long story,¡± she replied. Kyle had heard of her situation from the king and queen of Sirius but still didn¡¯t understand much about it, ¡°They said you¡¯re a¡­ Seeker?¡± Madeline would normally be frightened by anyone that asked her this question but Kyle sounded more confused than eager to get his hands on her, ¡°Don¡¯t you know what a Seeker is?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no. I don¡¯t. Perhaps you can tell me all about it when we get you out of trouble. This way,¡± Kyle sighed. Just when he felt he¡¯d gotten closer to her, he was suddenly miles away. This whole ¡®Seeker¡¯ aspect of her forced her to change her appearance and even mask the colour of her eyes. It felt special¡­ Thest time Kyle had been involved with someone whose secret was that great, it had been Katie who¡¯d lived her whole life as a human hunter yet in truth, she was the daughter of one of the werewolf empires and one of the Moon Goddess¡¯s Chosen. Kyle started walking but stopped when he remembered the rogue from earlier, ¡°On second thought, we need to secure your pursuer first or he could cause more trouble.¡± ¡°I was almost sure you would kill him,¡± Madeline mused. ¡°Normally, that¡¯s what would happen. But for some reason, my master doesn¡¯t approve of that kind of violence anymore. Yet she used to be the greatest at putting down rogues,¡± Kyle replied with a sigh. ¡°You¡¯re not talking about Cole right now, are you?¡± Madeline asked with a slight groan. He had used the pronoun ¡®she¡¯ after all. ¡°No, I¡¯m talking about Alpha Katie Sirius,¡± he responded. Madeline took note of how he referred to the lost Luna as an alpha and not a Luna. It made sense since she¡¯d been an alpha before being united with Cole¡­ but it also showed just how much respect he had for her as an alpha rather than a Luna. Tracing his steps to thest ce of his fight with the rogue, he found the wolf-shaped crack in the wall that he¡¯d mmed the rogue into. To his surprise, a wolf was not what he found in the rogue¡¯s ce. Instead of a werewolf lying there crippled in its wolf form, they found him in his human form. Madeline gasped at the sight of the man lying on the floor, ¡°Victor!¡± Kyle wanted to ask where she¡¯d seen the man but at the mention of his name, his eyes shed red, tinted with rage. The beta alpha put a hand ahead of the Seeker and pushed her behind him, hiding her from the rogue that had just tried to kill her. ¡°M¡ªMadeline?¡± Victor asked, pushing his weakened hands against the ground in an effort to sit up. It seemed he¡¯d broken a few bones. Kyle didn¡¯t care to know which ones. ¡°So you have a history with the girl you were trying to kill? How interesting! Perhaps I really should kill you,¡± Kyle snarled. Victor looked up and stared into the beta alpha¡¯s eyes. Despite the hulking man¡¯s intimidating appearance, Victor didn¡¯t show a shred of fear. ¡°And you are?¡± Victor asked coldly. ¡°None of a rogue¡¯s business,¡± Kyle retorted. This man rubbed him the wrong way and he couldn¡¯t help but feel like biting his head off, given the chance. Victor chuckled, ¡°She¡¯s not your mate. Don¡¯t you know the thing about Seekers? They can¡¯t sense their mates. You might im to be her mate when in truth, you¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Seekers?¡± Kyle asked. Victor¡¯s eyes widened in shock before heughed out loud, ¡°You don¡¯t know what Seekers even are. This is rich.¡± Madeline stepped out from behind Kyle¡¯s back, ¡°You¡¯ve said enough, Victor. Why did you be a rogue in the first ce?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious, dear Mady? For power. It¡¯s that simple. You don¡¯t need to overthink it,¡± Victor replied coldly. ¡°But¡­ our pack is a small one. Even the average pack warrior is given the respect they deserve,¡± Madeline argued. ¡°You don¡¯t get it. Of course, you don¡¯t¡­ and you¡¯ll never understand. You¡¯ve always been weak. You¡¯d never understand,¡± Victor shook his head. ¡°Then help me understand, Victor. You turned your back on all of us. Why? You don¡¯t see me or anyone else chasing power with each passing day,¡± the girl argued. ¡°Oh, but you do. You¡¯re an amazing chef, Mady. A darn good one. A clumsy waitress¡­ but a darn good chef. And that¡¯s where your power lies,¡± the rogue sighed, ¡°Mine was always with the strength of my wolf. Taking that away from me was the same as taking everything from me. What would you do if you had your cooking taken away from you?¡± Madeline was tongue-tied when everything was taken into that perspective. Was power really worth all that much to the former delta? And if it was so, why wouldn¡¯t he try to earn it back from the prince the right way? To want power so much and be too damn proud and stubborn to admit his mistakes. It was a contradiction that put him in a deadlock. Kyle walked up to the man, keeping eye contact with him until he was standing right in front of him, ¡°Why then were you trying to kill Madeline if you know each other?¡± ¡°Hmm, for someone who considers her your mate, you¡¯re quite blind when facing yourpetition. I¡¯ll spell it out for you. I was trying to get rid of myst tie to that damned pack. Shouldn¡¯t that be obvious by now,¡± the man growled letting his eyes sh a fierce amber. Kyle remained silent for a bit balling his hands into hard fists. The first punchnded clean on Victor¡¯s jaw and threw him roughly against the wall. Next was a kick to the gut, followed by another kick, which struck the former delta¡¯s hands as they guarded his gut this time. A punch to the face and a kick to the side. Kyle then mmed the helpless delta¡¯s head into his knee and continued a heartless assault that would have killed the rogue if Madeline hadn¡¯t screamed for him to stop. Her voice crackled like an electric whip in his mind, freezing his bloodied fist in the air before he could bring it down on the former delta¡¯s deformed face. Kyle didn¡¯t have much to fight for in this world. Havinge from a background where his parents weren¡¯t even people he could cherish. He only knew pain, suffering and following orders. Doing everything in his power to survive. He couldn¡¯t exin why his wolf reacted to the Seeker so much or why he agreed with it. Maybe it was because of the way he¡¯d seen Cole and Katie¡­ or maybe what he¡¯d seen from Jason and Sandra¡­ perhaps Martha and Davin¡­ Kyle couldn¡¯t really tell when it was that he started caring about things like that. Katie had given him a second chance at life¡­ But there was still much he didn¡¯t know. Much he had to learn. His progress was slow and arduous. Before, all he had to do was manipte everyone around him into doing what he wanted. He had to break all that down and build himself up. So when his instincts told him to beat the selfish self-serving arrogant excuse of male before him, he found resisting this urge to be harder than trying to lift the weight of an elephant. He wanted to see Victor dead. And the sight of a tear streaming down his mate¡¯s face was his breaking point. At that moment, he¡¯d lost himselfpletely. Madeline¡¯s hand wrapped around Kyle¡¯s bloodied fist and tugged, pulling him away from the battered rogue. ¡°Why?¡± Kyle asked. ¡°Death is a form of escape. You of all people should know that,¡± she replied calmly. Chapter 526 - 526 Reunited within Unfathomable Chaos 526 Reunited within Unfathomable Chaos The Great Arena was thrown into a drowning void of chaos like no other. Screams echoed through the walls of the Great Coliseum, humans ran in all directions trying to get away from the rabid wolves that hunted them down. Panic fueled more panic and in turn tripled themotion and chaos. Dormant humans that were bound to shift muchter were forcefully thrown into their first shifts. Unlike the situation in Lycaon which had been carefully handled by Alpha Caden, the Great Arena was in a much greater state of disarray. The ovepping screams of terror seemed to rile the wolves up more. The werewolf poption that was incapable of defending themselves turned out to be great in number as well, quickly fleeing to try and get to the safety of the higher floors. Most of those that had joined the pack warriors for their morning drills even forgot what kind of training they¡¯d been put through¡­ And quickly assumed the roles of civilians, adding to the fray. Pack warriors were deployed at the top floors to clear them of humans and provide a safe ce for werewolves to run to. As long as they made it to the top floors, they would be safe from the mindless murderous disoriented victims of the Rogue King. Death and carnage reaped across the great concentric marvel of architecture. Blood was spilt and families were torn apart. Siblings separated, loved ones lost, wives widowed, children orphaned along with a great many epassable tragedies. Hunters were tasked with getting the humans to the lower floors and keeping the newly shifted wolves immobilised on the middle floors. ..... This¡­ was easier said than done. All humans shifting on the lower floors were put down and dosed with reasonable amounts of diluted wolfsbane and sedatives while the ones on the upper floors were knocked out and carried to the middle floors. The process was long and arduous but as time wore on and darkness fell, the lower and upper floors were cleared of shifting wolves and thergest living poption of civilians was sorted to their respective floors. A light grey wolf dashed across the hard floor with three children on her back, carefully leaping over debris as she made her way to the upper floors at breakneck speed. ¡°Hang on tight,¡± the delta called out to the kids through the mind link, her green eyes shing with determination and the resolve ofpleting her assigned mission. Wincing, she felt the kids grab a hold of her fur a little too hard. The ashen wolf wanted toin but chose against it. After all, they wouldn¡¯t fall off if they could hold on that hard. A growl filled her earsing from behind her and reminding her of the very reason she couldn¡¯t slow down¡­ not even for a second. ¡°Hey, any of you know how to send mental images yet?¡± she asked the children on her back. ¡°I¡­ I do,¡± a girl replied with a shaky tone. ¡°What¡¯s your name, sweetie?¡± Crysta called in a soothing voice. Her ears twitched at the top of her head, focusing on her surroundings and providing her wolf with the best version of information about her surroundings they could pick to create a rough mental image of their surroundings in her mind. Crysta could tell the wolves were catching up to her and because of the weight of the kids, she couldn¡¯t do anything to retaliate without risking the children¡¯s lives. ¡°D¡ªDelh,¡± the little girl stuttered. ¡°Well, then, Delh. I want you to be brave for me and send me images of the baddies behind us. Are you okay with that?¡± Crysta cooed. ¡°Oh¡­ Okay,¡± the girl replied, without much protest. ¡®Brave kid¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t long before images of the wolves chasing them flooded her mind. Many of them were exaggerated. In the child¡¯s mind, the wolves were the size of beta alphas and they got even more warped the more fear seeped into her mind. Fortunately, their positions were nearly urate. The images continued for a few seconds beforeing to a stop, ¡°They¡¯reing. I can¡¯t look,¡± Delh shrieked, no doubt closing her eyes now. The grip on Crysta¡¯s fur grew even tighter. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Delh. You did well, dear,¡± Crysta replied with a hint of pride in her voice before abruptly lurching to the side. One of the wolves came crushing on her previous spot, snapping its jaws menacingly at her as it strained to keep the bnce of its four paws. It was clear the wolf wasn¡¯t yet used to moving around after only being around for a few hours in the world. The delta quickly rammed her side into it and sent the wolf crashing into the wall before bounding up the stairs. Climbing upstairs was even more unnatural for wolves which gave Crysta an added advantage. They quickly put some distance between them. The delta continued upwards, going up three floors before finally seeing three men stationed as guards at the lowest of the werewolf-designated upper floors. The men at the top of the stairs parted and let her get past them. The light-grey wolf skidded to a halt after leaping thest three steps in one bound, her body shaking with exhaustion. It was clear from the disgruntled growls that wereing from the staircase, that the wolves were having trouble climbing up. One of the pack warriors descended the stairs to deal with them promptly and make sure they didn¡¯te closer to the werewolf safe haven. Madeline came rushing to the delta and helped the kids down her back, checking each of them for injuries. A few helpers came along with her and tended to the children. Their first mission was to identify them. Before they could take them away, the oldest girl broke away and crashed the ashen wolf with a bear hug, ¡°Thank you,¡± the girl cried. ¡°No, thank you for being brave, Delh. Make sure you get some rest. You¡¯re safe now,¡± Crysta responded, nuzzling the little girl with her snout. Delh wiped her tears and assumed a strong face before leaving with the women that hade to receive her. ¡°What¡¯s it like out there?¡± Madeline asked. The delta shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s hell. So much death.¡± A cold breeze of wind blew into the hall as a darting figure blew past them. The girls turned to the source of the wind. Standing a few metres from them, a slender white wolf was setting down a woman cradling a child in her arms, ¡°Goddess have mercy on you, Princess. Thank you so much,¡± the woman hugged the slender white wolf before bowing and leaving her to her duties. This search-and-rescue had gone on for a while. In a few moments, an amber-eyed wolf broke through the stairs skidding to a halt and panting loudly. The metal-grey wolf was covered in scratches and bruises all over, threatening to put her down. Fortunately, her healing had kicked in and the wounds were already starting to close up. Bree did not look too good. Madeline held out a robe for Krysta to take. Once the delta shifted and was clothed, Madeline left to retrieve one for Bree as well. Lina shifted back and approached her friends, ¡°Bree, you¡¯re injured!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Lina. These won¡¯t take too long to heal,¡± the amber-eyed wolf winced, ¡°It¡¯ll take more than that to put me down.¡± Once Bree was done shifting, Lina asked, ¡°Are they done?¡± Unlike the rest of them, Bree hadn¡¯t returned with a casualty. It was the first time any of them was returning empty-handed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve checked everywhere I could. I don¡¯t know if I can go back out there just yet. There is nothing over the mind link. It feels like everyone¡¯s here. Lina, what do you feel over the mind link?¡± Bree asked. ¡°I¡¯ve tried but I can¡¯t find anyone as well. Can this really be everyone?¡± Lina¡¯s voice took on a worried tone. They had helped with the evacuation¡­ but now that they looked at the numbers, doubt filled them to the core. The number of wolves that had made it to the upper floors was stillcking several hundreds to a few thousands. The numbers weren¡¯t adding up. Lina scanned through the crowds with a neutral expression, frustration boiling beneath herposed facade. Without another word, she vanished right before them, disappearing once more to the lower floors in search of more of their people. Bree was still panting lightly and yet she feltpelled to follow after her friend. ¡°How much longer is she going to keep going like that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Crysta sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a bit, Bree. Before we can even consider going back down there.¡± Exhaustion was already eating away at the two girls but they were determined to stand with their abnormally powerful friend till the end. ¡°Is there anything I can do to help?¡± Madeline asked. ¡°You can stay as far away from the lower floors as possible. You could also help Honour and the nurses tend to the injured,¡± Crysta mentioned. ¡°I want to do more than¡­¡± ¡°Mady?¡± a feminine voice interrupted her. Madeline knew this voice. She¡¯d heard it her whole life. She¡¯d grown up hearing it her whole life. It came apanied by happy memories and sad ones that she quickly suppressed. The Seeker rubbed a stray tear that had escaped her eye, ¡°I must be hearing things¡­¡± The young Seeker chuckled nervously but one look at her frozen friends told her otherwise. Crysta and Bree were staring at someone behind her. The girl turned slowly, locking eyes with a set of grey eyes she¡¯d grown in thepany of. Beatrice, her grandmother, was standing in front of the king of Sirius, tears in her eyes as she took in the sight of her granddaughter. Even through the make-up which was now starting toe undone, the woman could tell who the young girl in front of her was. Breaking out of the momentary trance, the two females rushed towards each other and embraced. Madeline was easily reduced to a mess of tears, the pressure of thest few hours finally spilling over while she held onto a woman that resembled her with an uncanny level of detail. Chapter 527 - 527 A Letter 527 A Letter Madeline¡¯s reunion with her grandmother brought them so much joy and memories that the king had his beta alpha escort them after Crysta profusely convinced Madeline that it was okay, to a designated room in the Royal Suite so they could catch up. And once the happy pair was finally out of earshot, the king turned to the two girls, Bree and Crysta, his happy expression quickly turning serious. ¡°Where is Lina?¡± ¡°She ran back down in search of more victims,¡± Crysta answered, seamlessly turning serious as well. ¡°There is one more person left,¡± the king rubbed his temples, ¡°A boy¡­ He¡¯s on the medical floor close to the room with that disinherited alpha that helped Lina on her Trials. Well, his name is ¡®Liam¡¯ if I remember correctly.¡± ¡°Liam!¡± Crysta gasped, ¡°What¡¯s that idiot thinking? The hospital wing was the first one to bepletely sealed off.¡± ¡°Yes, it was and all the doors were closed. So if that boy encounters something he can¡¯t deal with, he¡¯ll be in trouble,¡± King Davin sighed. ¡°Your Majesty, can I ask something?¡± Crysta asked suddenly. ¡°Sure, what is it?¡± the king beamed. ..... ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve noticed you¡¯re not deploying the beta alphas anymore. Is there anyone else out there?¡± Crysta asked. King Davin¡¯s expression fell and his shoulders slumped, ¡°I think you know the answer to that one¡­ Cole was thest one of the alphas to return from the lower floors. Just a few seconds ago actually. Other than that boy, that¡¯s all the werewolves down there.¡± ¡°What about Wyatt?¡± Bree interrupted. ¡°Hmm! I¡¯ve been wondering that exact thing. Perhaps he was rushed out of the hospital. I haven¡¯t been able to detect him at all. No matter what I try, I can¡¯t seem to get a hold of his mind¡­ which shouldn¡¯t be possible unless he was rushed out of the Great Arena¡­ which is also highly unlikely.¡± ¡°No! He can¡¯t be¡­ dead!¡± Crysta took a staggered step back. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go as far as saying he¡¯s dead. I would have felt that pain too,¡± Now the king looked wistful like a heavy burden hung over his shoulders, ¡°I¡¯ve felt each of them breathe theirst. So I¡¯d know. Don¡¯t let Liam be another victim on that list.¡± ¡°Leave that to us. We¡¯ll get him up here as soon as possible,¡± Crysta dered before turning around with Bree close behind. ¡°Crysta¡­ Bree¡­¡± the king called back, freezing the two girls in their tracks, ¡°Be careful¡­ and protect my daughter.¡± The delta gave a slight bow in respect and darted away from them. The king was staring at the dark staircase in thought before turning away from it. A lot had happened since the start of this chaos¡­ and through it all, the king had fought to save as many of his people as he could. While alphas were the most powerful werewolves, they were also the most connected to the mind link. Alphas were connected to all their subjects at a very fundamental level. The pain was transmitted easily. They could easily locate their pack matespared to the rest without having to focus much. That, however, also meant that they felt every death as though they¡¯d lost a part of them. The members of the Sirius pack that had fallen in the fray were incalcble¡­ and yet the king had felt them all. Arge part of the 54th floor and the three floors above it had been turned into camping grounds for the werewolves that were able to survive the carnage. Their numbers were nearly unfathomable. Despite the great number of wolves that had been endangered, King Davin had felt each and every one of them. He¡¯d felt their panic. He¡¯d felt each werewolf that drew itsst breath. He¡¯d directed his beta alpha and the others he couldmand to get to them, cushioning the lives that were lost to the onught but the undisputable fact that he was not omnipotent remained. And for that, he suffered each death, like his arm was torn off at the socket every time a life was lost¡­ and another¡­ and another¡­ Returning to the Royal Suite, the king found Cole pacing about the room, his face drowned in thought. His hands were covered in dried blood. On the sofay arge bulky man in a simr state. It was a marvel that the alpha still had the strength to pace around the way he did. Considering he was not only connected to one but two empires through Davin¡¯s daughter. Their marking linked the two empires through their bond and as such, he was connected to both of them. Jason leaned against the counter in silence as well along with some other high-ranking werewolves. The queen was seated on a one-person sofa, rubbing the headache that gued her mind. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Kyle stretched his head to see the king of Sirius before flopping back into the couch, ¡°There has been an¡­ interesting development.¡± ¡°What kind? More deaths? The rogues you were talking about? I thought we were very discrete in not raising any rms,¡± Davin panicked. At this point, losing one more person was tantamount to losing his sanity. ¡°No¡­ not that. We were still debating how it was that we would deal with the rogues in our midst when Kyle zoned out and the bird that¡¯s always following him around flew off,¡± Jason exined. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°That bird hasn¡¯t left Kyle¡¯s side in nearly two years. And for good reason too but today, it flew off,¡± Jason replied. King Davin stared at the beta alpha wondering what part of all this would make sense. Before he could ask, however, amotioning from outside caught their attention. The high-ranking wolves turned to the door and waited in anticipation as the wave ofmotion came closer. Murmurs came from the werewolves outside and a few angry shouts and barks. ¡®Get out of here, human.¡±This is no ce for your kind,¡¯ and several variations of the same insults, sometimes getting abhorrently obscene and revolting. Oddly enough, after all, that was said, no violence ever broke out. Emotions of anger, vengeance and frustration invaded the kings¡¯ minds but none of the wolves acted on them. Eventually, the guards at the door tensed and stood blocking the way. King Davin walked up to the door and peeked around the deltas to discern the situation. Standing on the other side of the door was a hunter dressed in full ck leather from head to toe. A sword sheath casually swung at her side and her hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, her face was void of any scratches. She appeared as though untouched by the catastrophe that just shook the Great Arena. ¡°Hunters aren¡¯t allowed this far up.¡± ¡°We tried to tell her that but she wouldn¡¯t listen. And she dodged everyone that approached with incredible skill. She¡¯s virtually untouchable,¡± the delta at the door reported. ¡°Untouchable, you say!¡± the king approached ¡°I bring a message for King Cole of Lycaon,¡± the woman firmly announced. Cole approached the door and beckoned for the deltas to step aside. When she saw the king of Lycaon, she quickly lowered her stern gaze and her firm expression softened. The hunter bowed in respect of the king and produced a letter and another item from her satchel. Cole gasped, his blood running cold. The item she held in her hands was a glimmering sapphire ne that seemed to catch the glow of the dimnterns that lit the 54th floor of the Great Arena at just the right angle. The object felt like an item from another world, holding memories and emotions that the king held most dear. Written on the envelope were the words in familiar cursive letters: To Alpha Cole, From his Luna, Katie. .....................¡­. The lights that lit the medical floor asionally flickered on and off. The whir of the backup generator was noticeable to sensitive ears at this part of the floor. Many lives were being sustained by the device, so Liam figured it still had a lot more time before it would shut down. All the emergency rooms on this floor were shut tight and sealed to keep the patients safe but Liam couldn¡¯t find it within him to trust the system. As a result, he¡¯d sneaked away from the others when they weren¡¯t looking and made his way to the medical floor, blocking out the mind link to mask his presence as he approached his friend¡¯s room. Little did he know that it was impossible to shield his mind from that of the royal he served. The exact location of Wyatt¡¯s room was ingrained in the back of his skull. Liam knew his way almost as much as he knew his name and didn¡¯t need a map or any directions to find it, simply because he¡¯de here plenty of times before. Plenty of times before, he¡¯d found himself standing before Wyatt¡¯s door, his hand floating gently above the doorknob but he¡¯d not gained the courage to open the door and greet him. Liam and Wyatt hadn¡¯t spoken to each other in months. Wyatt had tried for so long and Liam had shut him out¡­ but during that time, he felt Wyatt¡¯s presence and that was enough for him. Perhaps he didn¡¯t know when it would be that he would forgive his friend, but it wasforting to know that his friend was there for him¡­ albeit suffering. When Wyatt gave up, however, everything changed. Liam started seeking him out instead. But instead of approaching him when he found Wyatt, he lurked in the shadows. ¡­and watched. Wyatt wasn¡¯t any happier than Liam¡¯s delusions imagined him to be. And for whatever selfish reason, Liam found thisforting¡­ for a time. The two of them were a wreck¡­ and how long it would remain that way was impossible to tell. Did Liam want everything to go back to normal? He didn¡¯t know¡­ and the longer he took without talking to his fellow alpha, the harder it got to approach him. All he knew was that he wasn¡¯t going to seed his father like he¡¯d always wanted. Maybe Liam had just wanted someone to me¡­ and after being defeated by Lina in a fair duel, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to me it all on her. They¡¯d bullied her for far too long¡­ and she¡¯d clearly surpassed them and risen to her rank like Crysta said she would. Liam couldn¡¯t me himself though¡­ In this regard, Wyatt was stronger. The alpha wasn¡¯t seeking some way to release his frustrations at all. Instead, he was seeking a friend¡­ a friend that wouldn¡¯t even look at him. These thoughts raced across Liam¡¯s mind on repeat, stopping his hand just above the doorknob. Even after sneaking away from the rest of the pack toe and check on his friend, he¡¯d lost all his resolve. His hand hovered over the doorknob of the door. He knew it was locked¡­ but that didn¡¯t stop him froming. Perhaps with the right amount of strength, he could break the lock and get in. Liam sighed and turned away from the door¡­ ¡°Lia¡ªLiam?¡± a hoarse weakened voice came from the other side of the door, freezing the alpha in his tracks. Liam didn¡¯t make a sound. ..... Chapter 528 - 528 The Price of Control 528 The Price of Control ¡°It¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it? I know that scent. You¡¯ve beening here a lot, h¡ªhaven¡¯t you?¡± the voice came again. Wyatt¡¯s voice was weak, strained and hoarse like he was in constant pain. ¡°Hey, talk to me, Liam. I¡¯ve not been able to use the mind link¡­ My mind¡¯s too quiet and I haven¡¯t had many visitors in the past few hours. What¡¯s happening outside? It sounds like a mess out there¡­¡± Wyatt called out, his voice loud and desperate this time. Liam remained quiet, clenching his fists. ¡®Can¡¯t ess the mind link? What was that supposed to mean?¡¯ ¡°I-I probably sound crazy¡­ but it¡¯s quite simple really. I was bitten by¡­ by¡­ Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not even sure myself. Believe it or not, I was too scared at the time. What I do know is that I¡¯m not in the right pack anymore,¡± Wyatt grunted painfully. Liam turned back to the door in curiosity. He closed his eyes and tried sending a message to the wolf inside¡­ again¡­ and again¡­ and again. Perhaps knowing where Wyatt was had kept him from reaching out with his mind¡­ or to protect his own insecurities, he¡¯d learnt to keep his mind locked away from Wyatt. But now that he opened his mind up to his fellow alpha, there was nothing¡­ Just silence. The familiar warmth of Wyatt¡¯s mind didn¡¯t greet him when he reached out with his own. There was nothing¡­ The person on the other side of that door could have been a human and he¡¯d believe it. Wyatt¡¯s voice came lower this time, ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to speak to anyone through the mind link since I was bitten. And as much as I hate to admit it, the bite turned me into¡­ into a rogue.¡± ..... Wyatt chuckled humourlessly, ¡°Just how much lower will I fall?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Liam asked, sending the hall into a tense palpable silence. These were the first words he was saying to Wyatt directly in a long time. His first form of turning back to his friend in months. The alpha on the other side of the door could barely believe the words hade out at all. It was the first time he was hearing his friend address him in a really long time. Now that Liam had acknowledged his presence, however, his mind flooded with countless emotions. Wyatt could choose to smite his best friend and remind him of how bitter he had been acting. But he what good would that get him? Then again, what if he told Liam everything and the alpha just walked away? Liam had perfected the art of walking away from him recently without batting an eysh. Wyatt had always known himself capable of much more malice inparison to Liam. Liam had, after all, be the more honourable devil of the two of them, simply following Wyatt in his schemes. So, to some degree, Wyatt understood why it was so easy for the alpha to ignore a scumbag like him. It was no surprise at all. However, in all of Wyatt¡¯s malice and twisted mind, he never thought himself capable of turning a cold shoulder to his best friend. It just couldn¡¯t register in his mind. He could direct all his cruelty to the rest of the world¡­ but never towards Liam. Liam was his best friend, in and simple. If there ever was anything he was sure of, it was this¡­ and in this situation, when Liam had spoken to him, he easily let go of his spite and started speaking to him¡­ Goddess knew how much time he had left. ¡°I got bitten, Liam. There was this¡­ wolf with red eyes. At first, I wasn¡¯t sure what I¡¯d seen¡­ but with time, it became more and more obvious what had attacked me. If it wasn¡¯t for the Lost Luna¡¯s help, I probably would have died,¡± Wyatt exined with a sigh. Liam, on the other side of the door, suppressed the sudden urge to ask what the Lost Luna had to do in any of this. A look of annoyance shed across his face. Wyatt was trying to get him to say something. The alpha walked up to the door and leaned against it, sliding down to the floor and pulling his legs up to his chest, resting his chin on his knees. ¡®You¡¯ll have to try harder than that, Wyatt,¡¯ he sighed. Wyatt¡¯s smirk fell and he shook his head instead. The alpha inside the room was also seated against the door, albeit in a more weakened state. His clothes were tattered and hezily leaned against the door, exhaustion screaming in every fibre of his being. Self-inflicted nicks, cuts and bites covered his hands and feet, the result of the battle to keep his mind. ¡°After getting bitten and getting saved by a¡­ a jaguar. I ran back to princess Lina. We still had to finish the Trials. I had aplished my task to hunt for food anyway. I was exhausted and quickly losing strength. It was soon clear that I was a liability that would slow them down even more and yet we still had a long way to go before finishing the Trials. Lina had lost and it would be my fault. Nothing could ever prepare me for what she did next though. She¡¯s special¡­ Even more than Crysta tried to warn us about. She rushed the both of us to the Great Arena in under an hour. I still find it unbelievable. We were so far behind¡­ and just like that, it was over. The first thing I noticed was how I couldn¡¯t ess the mind link. No matter what I tried, I couldn¡¯t. It was impossible. But after the Rogue King invaded my mind the first time, I confirmed what had happened to me. Royals can only invade the minds of people within their control. So, I was slowly bing a rogue. He¡¯s powerful, Liam. So powerful¡­ I didn¡¯t know how long I wouldst against him¡­ and he kepting back. I fought hard to stay myself. And in the past few hours, he¡¯s grown even more violent. I don¡¯t know how much longer I can resist his control. I¡¯m grateful though¡­ I was able to talk to you once more¡­¡± Liam¡¯s heart quickened its pace. Yes, Wyatt was an apathetic liar¡­ but when he was talking to Liam, he seldom did. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t talk like that¡­¡± Liam started, ¡°You sound like you¡¯re on your deathbed.¡± ¡°I could as well be. You know what the hunters do to rogues, especially the rabid ones. I can feel the rogue king¡¯s will. It¡¯s violent and simple¡­ Kill, kill, kill everything,¡± Wyatt responded. ¡°I¡¯ve barely slept. His will to take control of my body keeps me awake. Just falling asleep might be enough to bring me under his control. I don¡¯t know how much longer I can hold on and¡­¡± Wyatt stopped talking when the door he was leaning against shuddered violently. The alpha quickly pushed himself away from the door and watched it tremble once more from a violent force. The wall cracked at the hinges as the door shook again from the monstrous force that assailed it simr to that of a battering ram. The next violent shake shattered the hinges and sent the door flying. Liam stood panting on the other side of the door. His dull crimson eyes quickly scanned the room until they fell on Wyatt¡¯s weakened form. The emergency room was in shambles with scratches covering the walls, the sheets torn and in ribbons, the machines in pieces and the furniture broken and sses littering the floor. Wyatt was in no better condition either. Blood soaked his tattered hospital clothes. Scratches, wounds and cuts covered his arms and legs. Liam¡¯s panting stopped when he spotted his friend¡¯s form. Wyatt was malnourished and in the worst condition he¡¯d ever seen him before, ¡°Wyatt¡­¡± ¡°Hey¡­ Took me getting bitten and self-mutted to finally get your attention. You¡¯re a jerk, Liam,¡± the alpha chuckled dryly. Liam ignored his friend¡¯sment and started darting about the room in search of different items. Cotton swabs, alcohol or anything to clean his friend¡¯s wounds. Bandages. Wyatt¡¯s appearance was frightening even for a werewolf. ¡°Do you really have the time to treat me? You should be running away, you know,¡± Wyatt said weakly, pulling himself up so he could rest his back against the wall. ¡°No, you need to get some rest and treatment,¡± Liam answered sternly, ¡°And I thought you were being taken care of here. Your condition has gotten even worse than it was before.¡± Wyatt sighed and resigned to watching his friend tend to his wounds, ¡°This was all self-harm. I was being treated well.¡± Liam soon gathered the items he was looking for managing to pry a locked cab open and retrieving most of them. He quickly dipped a cotton swab in alcohol and started cleaning the nastiest of the wounds first. Wyatt winced when the wet cloth touched a rather ugly gash on his leg, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you healing?¡± Wyatt didn¡¯t answer. A look of annoyance crossed Liam¡¯s face and he turned to his friend, ¡°I asked you a question, Wyatt.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. And it¡¯s a good thing too,¡± Wyatt replied. Liam shook his head, getting back to cleaning his friend¡¯s injuries. ¡°Can I ask a favour from you, Liam?¡± Wyatt broke the silence. ¡°Break my leg,¡± Wyatt asked. Liam¡¯s hand froze, dropping the cotton swab. The former irritation left his mind and was reced with a slow fear that formed in the pit of his stomach. Like he was on the verge of uncovering something dark. Chapter 529 - 529 A Hard Conversation 529 A Hard Conversation Wyatt stared at his friend, his gaze and resolve unwavering. It felt like hisst words still echoed through the trashed room. There were dark circles around the man¡¯s eyes and it was evident that he was fighting sleep. He looked like he could pass out any moment and yet¡­ he didn¡¯t, drawing on every ounce of energy he could to keep himself awake. ¡°Why would I do such a thing?¡± Liam hissed. ¡°Two reasons, Liam¡­¡± Wyatt shook his head, ¡°To wake me up¡­ I can¡¯t sleep¡­ No, he¡¯ll take over if I do. The second one¡­ To weaken me even more¡­ if I happen to lose myself.¡± Liam stared at the man¡¯s leg and thought for a moment about actually doing it. It was harder said than done. Breaking someone¡¯s leg wasn¡¯t hard for any werewolf really. Bones were strong and hard but without any resistance, it was only a matter of how strong the werewolf was. And Liam was strong enough to snap someone¡¯s bone albeit with a little bit of effort¡­ But breaking Wyatt¡¯s leg. That was a whole different issue all on its own. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Would you rather watch the hunters put me down?¡± Wyatt tried to yell. His dull crimson eyes shed at his friend for a brief moment, rage filling them before softening. ..... Liam went back to tending to Wyatt¡¯s wounds and tried to put the odd request out of his mind. Wyatt was weak but even worse, he wasn¡¯t healing¡­ what¡¯s more, he was asking to get injured even further as though that would help him. Liam quickly came to the conclusion that all these injuries were self-inflicted. Even though Wyatt had mentioned it earlier, believing it was hard. What wolf, in their right mind would mutte themselves just to stay awake? Was his condition really that dire? Liam had his doubts¡­ Wyatt wasn¡¯t the type to go down without a fight¡­ Then again, wasn¡¯t he already fighting? And fast approaching his limit. This was the first time he was in such a situation. ¡°Hey, Liam. Why¡­? Why you¡¯ve been avoiding me this whole time? We could have figured things out.¡± Liam froze at the question, ¡°Why are you asking me that now of all times?¡± ¡°Because¡­ Because I¡¯ve realised that this might be thest time we talk to each other,¡± Wyatt admitted, ¡°Two years, Liam. Did I really betray you that badly? Just how weak was our friendship?¡± ¡°I¡¯m right here, aren¡¯t I?¡± Liam snapped at the weakened alpha, his breath going up as it did. A pang of guilt ran through him¡­ Why had he been avoiding Wyatt? What kept him away all this time? The questions were just as difficult as they were painful to think about. Wyatt stayed silent and stared at his friend. The two appeared like mirrors of each other in the sense of health. In contrast to Wyatt¡¯s bruised, wed, wounded and weakened state, Liam was clean and without a blemish on his skin. What had Liam been doing all that time? ¡°What was your real reason for going with Lina on the Trials?¡± Liam asked Wyatt instead. ¡°Huh, isn¡¯t she the reason we both lost our rights to seed our fathers? If I could get her through the Trials without a scratch on her, that could be a step in the right direction. We have to get Luna Katie¡¯s approval, don¡¯t we?¡± Wyatt replied. ¡°So you weren¡¯t going to stop there, were you?¡± Liam mumbled half to himself, still trying to wrap his head around his normally malicious friend¡¯s decisions. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t. What are you getting at, Liam? I did what I had to do to get my power back,¡± Wyatt replied, ¡°You should also start working on it. I won¡¯t be around to help you with¡ª¡± A loud high-pitched noise echoed across the room. Wyatt¡¯s cheek turned red instantly as a recollection of the past seconds shed through his mind. Suddenly, his cheek was burning and he was very much awake without an ounce of sleep in his eyes. He¡¯d been pped. ¡°Ouch, what was that for?¡± Wyatt yelled. ¡°Stop talking like you¡¯re about to die,¡± Liam yelled back. ¡°Look at me, Liam. What do you see? The rogues have returned and I¡¯m being summoned to join them. I¡¯ve already weakened myself enough during my fight against that Rogue king¡¯s mind. He¡¯ll take over soon enough and when he does, I won¡¯t have much strength left. I¡¯ll die before too long and I suggest you run before he decides on hunting you for sport,¡± Wyatt yelled back. Liam stood up and walked to the other side of the room before dropping to the ground with his back to the wall. The two males sat in silence for a few moments before Liam spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s chaos out there. Humans shifting into werewolves all over the ce and ripping the hell out of their fellow humans and werewolves alike.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Wyatt gasped. Liam scoffed, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s hell. I ran here as soon as I could to make sure you¡¯re alright¡­ and I find¡­ this,¡± Liam pointed to the trashed hospital room, ¡°Then I realise you have a death wish.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather die than kill my best friend with my own ws and fangs,¡± Wyatt sighed. Liam stared at his friend, furrowing his brows into a curious expression, ¡°Why don¡¯t you¡­ you know, ask for help?¡± The idea sounded so¡­ alien to the weakened, bruised and battered alpha¡¯s mind. He¡¯d never once thought of asking anyone to help him. Him¡­ Alpha Wyatt¡­ asking for help. Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be the other way around? The whole idea was an outrage. Still¡­ ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because I owe everyone around so much more than I could ever repay them. Felt like I should be giving back¡­ or maybe it was just the little pride I have left as an alpha. How much lower must I fall?¡± Liam couldn¡¯t answer thest question. As an alpha, he knew how much their pride meant to them, ¡°Well¡­ Dying won¡¯t help you repay them.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t just talk about me. What about you? What have you been up to?¡± Wyatt asked. ¡°Meh! Nothing much really. I apologized to my father for everything. He wasn¡¯t amused with what happened that day. He was¡­ fuming. He told me to stop hanging out with you. That you were¡­ a bad influence on me. I, on the other hand, was mad at you for my own reasons. I was even more of a coward not to confront you about them. Did you¡­ quit smoking?¡± Liam asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to do that¡­ not easy. My old man wouldn¡¯t look at me after that incident. I wasn¡¯t able to reconcile with him. I thought perhaps if I could fix the rift between us first, I could fix the one between me and my old man. Well¡­ you know how that has been going. ¡®Should have been easier,¡¯ I told myself,¡± Wyatt sighed. Just as the alpha was about to say something more, he gritted his teeth and shut his eyes, clutching his head in pain, ¡°Damn it!¡± Liam was by his side in a sh, ¡°Wyatt!¡± Wyatt couldn¡¯t hear a word, though. The alpha was in a whole other world of pain unknown to Liam. His mind crumbled and shuddered against an external pressure threatening to take control of his body. Liam hurriedly looked around in search of something. A sedative¡­ painkiller¡­ something to cure his best friend of the suffering that ailed him. He fumbled through the cab he¡¯d found earlier, checking thebels of the different drugs that were inside, trying to find the right one. His knowledge of drugs was limited¡­ and their effects on werewolves were even less. He continued his frantic search, inevitably growing unaware of the state of his friend. Standing behind him was arge ck wolf, its pelt tainted with patches of dirty grey. The wolf¡¯s crimson eyes told a conclusive story of a great mental battle as two consciousnesses fought to gain control of the creature¡¯s body. ¡°Just a little longer,¡± Liam said through gritted teeth, more to himself. Somewhere along the way, he began to hope for a miracle. He knew next to nothing of the drugs he was checking through¡­ Just a few that the wolves had grown addicted to¡­ Chloroform, paracetamol, ibuprofen¡­ a plethora of medicinal drugs flooded his mind, neither of theming with their uses¡­ ¡®Damn it!¡¯ A ferocious growl brought him out of his frantic search, allowing him to turn around. The massive ck wolf stood in ce of his friend¡¯s body, staring him down. The wolf bared its fangs and blocked the exit. ¡°Wyatt?¡± Liam asked in a high-pitched voice¡­ ¡°When did you get¡­ bigger?¡± Something was different about Wyatt¡¯s wolf. The two of them had never managed to decide who was stronger between them but right now, there seemed to be arger gap than the one Liam was used to. The wolf before him wasrger than it should have been. Liam quickly shifted into his ashen wolf as well and faced the cold murderous eyes of what should have been his best friend. Unfortunately for him, Wyatt¡¯s wolf seemed to take this as a threat and lunged forward, ws and fangs extended. ......¡­.. Chapter 530 Letter from a Lost Lover Chapter 530 Letter from a Lost Lover Lina shot through the medical floor of the Great Arena at a frightening speed. In her wolf form, the speeds she could reach were much higher. Her limits, however, were still out of reach. The princess felt a well of energy within her, just out of reach. However, the harder she focused on reaching her peak, the harder it got to control her velocity and make clean turns. Naturally, her wolf''s slender physique, fluffy tail and sharpened ws allowed her to make what should have been, impossible turns, keeping her agility as optimum as her speed. But when she tried going faster, even this got harder and the risk of injuring herself became a more pressing matter. Right after her friends had told her about Liam''s reckless actions, she''d searched the mind link and with a bit of concentration, located the disinherited alpha. His mind was cut off from the mind link, which made him invisible to the rest of the pack. However, with a bit of concentration, this mental protection was nothing to a royal, especially one from the bloodline a wolf served. As soon as Lina linked with the wolf, tense erratic emotions spilt into her mind. Fear, longing, frustration, terror¡­ The alpha''s convoluted emotions did indicate one crucial thing that determined Lina''s next actions¡­ pain. It didn''t take much concentration for her to tell where the pain, fear and tension wereing from. Liam was engaged in furiousbat with another werewolf and it wasn''t looking good for him. When Lina scanned through the mind link for the wolf''s location, however, she discovered a frustrating fact. The part of the concentric arena that Liam was currently in was on the other side of the ring¡­ Because of the sheer size of the Great Coliseum, this was easily a few kilometres. The princess cranked up her speed and agility, tearing through the halls in response to Liam''s distress. By the time Wyatt''s room was in sight, a light grey wolf was flying out of the room and crashing into the wall on the other side. Liam''srge light grey wolf stood on shaky limbs, blood dripping from several wounds, scratches and cuts that mottled its lustrous coat. He bared his teeth at something inside the room. A ck wolf, tainted with a few hints of dark grey lunged out from the room aiming for the light grey wolf with ws and fangs extended. Before the wolf could collide with its intended target, however, a slender white wolf crashed into it, viciously throwing it out of the way and wrestling it to the ground. The two wolves rolled in a mess of gnashing fangs and fierce menacing growls before they were truly separated. Both wolves, equipped with mass and power, collided again in fierce battle giving themselves no time to catch their breath. Crysta and Bree arrived momentster, crowding around Liam to protect him from the frightening duel. The white wolf was a little too agile and utilized her speed well. Darting about the ck wolf with lightning-fast speed and delivering devastating non-fatal blows to its side and shing at its weak spots. The ck wolf, after numerous attempts to bite, sh and ram its slender white adversary, got agitated by this method of fighting and began thrashing about wildly. At first, seeming random until one of its paws struck the white wolf''s head with a devastating blow. This momentary victory was short-lived as the white wolf blurred out of vision once again and continued its assault albeit more meticulously and with significantly more speed. Wyatt''s ck-tainted wolf was quickly overwhelmed. The princess aimed at its tendons, both at the hind legs, heels and paws. Astonishingly, with each injury, the wolf healed instantly thrashing wildly to throw off the white wolf. This tactic, however, could only work for as long as the wolf had the strength to keep it up. With time, the healing grew slow and eventually stopped. Its tendons cut and energy spent, the ck colossus of a wolf tumbled to the ground, unable to move. Lina finally stopped dashing around it and turned to her friends. She shifted into her human half-shift form, keeping her ears trained more on the wolf than her friends, "Liam¡­" "It''s Wyatt!" "What?" "That''s Wyatt!" Liam''s voice tiredly rang through the mind link. Lina turned to the wolf and back to Liam, "That doesn''t make any sense." "He was¡­ bitten," Liam winced, his wounds from the fight slowly healing. ........... Cole stared at the two items as though they were objects plucked from one of his dreams¡­ Items from another world that couldn''t possibly be real. And yet¡­ no matter how many times he blinked or shook his head, they didn''t vanish. The sapphire orb of a ne remained real as his power to summon storm clouds, glimmering right before his eyes. The familiar cursive handwriting of his lover never once shimmered nor faded before his eyes. The letter and ne were real¡­ And so was the faint alluring scent that still lingered on them, confirming that she''d personally held them before handing them over to the messenger. A profound sense of longing tugged at the Lycaon King, screaming at him to rush out and search for her. Katie was really back and the proof was right in front of him. With a gentle nod from the King of Lycaon, the beta guards parted and let the woman enter the Royal Suite. She briskly walked in and handed these items over to the King before standing aside, assuming a position as still as a statue by the entrance. Her face gave next to no expressions except for the moment that she witnessed Cole itself. For a brief moment, Cole noticed a shimmer of respect somewhere deep within her expressionless grey orbs. The King turned his attention to the items in his hands, one arm wrapping tightly around the sapphire orb while the fingers of the other started opening the envelope. "What''s with all themotion, dear?" Queen Martha finally came to check herself. "Cole has received a letter," King Davin replied. "Whoever is it from at such a dire time?" "Katie." The room went silent at the mention of the Lost Luna''s name. Kyle rose from the sofa, despite iming to be exhausted only moments prior to hearing this message. "Well then, let''s hear it." Cole finished opening the letter and unfolded the missive within it. His eyes rapidly skimmed through the contents of the letter and his cheeks flushed a light shade of pink as he absorbed the words contained within. ¡­words that didn''t leave his lips. This was before Jason swiped the letter from him, "That''s about all we can get from ''Lover boy'' here. I''ll read it out loud." Cole palmed his face. " Hi Cole, I''m hoping this letter reaches you in one piece. As you can probably tell by now, I''m not at the Moon pce anymore. You''ve probably felt my presence by now. For uracy, I returned a day or two ago¡­ depending on when this letter reaches you. Keep Kyle with you and probably on a short leash. He''s bound to run off. I can''t have any of you running into one of the Rogue King''s generals. The goddess''s power ced me where I left thest time¡­ In Brigadia¡­ which is in a pretty bad state right now but you probably know that by now. The whole world is a mess right now. Death and destruction everywhere¡­ and I mean everywhere. In any case, I''m currently travelling from one pack to the other, dealing with the situation as best I can. I can''t say everything''s going right. It''s terrible. I''m not sure if you can feel it. The two of us are connected to both empires, so you''re bound to feel it. The pain and suffering everywhere¡­ The deaths¡­ The grief¡­ The sorrow¡­ I need a hug. Don''t worry too much about me. This mission might take me about a week after which I''ll travel to Sirius. That''s one of the reasons I had to write this letter. Travel to the Sirius capital and gather able hunters. The pack warriors and everyone who can fight considerably well. I n to end it, Cole ¡­all of it. The world can''t go on like this much longer¡­ and frankly there has never been a better time to put the Rogue King down than he is now. We''ll discuss more on the matter in detail when I reach the capital. Greet my parents, sister, brother, friends and everyone for me. Love, Your Luna, Katie. P.S. Summon Sandra¡­ and stop talking to the moon ;)" While Jason read the letter, Cole''s mind lingered on one note at the very end of the missive¡­ ''Stop talking to the moon.'' The number of times he''d wondered whether what he was saying ever reached or if at all it was not. The most logical answer was that she couldn''t hear him¡­ right? The moon¡­ was just so far. And Katie certainly couldn''t speak to him through the mind link at night. He''d said so much in their one-sided chats. Just how much of it did she remember? Was the wind that tussled his hair during that time just an illusion or an actual response? Katie could hear him all those times! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!